Everyone with an Android device has probably either considered rooting, rooted, knows someone who has considered or done it, or has at least heard the phrase before. And many more will likely have heard the name CyanogenMod. CyanogenMod, as we Android folk are taught to know, is one of the largest and most popular custom ROM creators today, and they have also partnered with companies like Oppo and OnePlus to make CyanogenMod-powered devices, instead of just a ROM you can put onto your device yourself. What news does CyanogenMod bring today? Answer: M7.
No, for those wondering, that is not that CyanogenMod will be releasing a CM-HTC One (codenamed M7 during its development last year). This is M7, the next ‘snapshot’, or more stable release, of CyanogenMod 11 (CM11, for short), the current custom ROM in active development. CM11 is based on Android 4.4 Kit Kat, and therefore has the latest and greatest stock Android features, but with CyanogenMod’s signature features packed in on top for more utility and customizability. The team is known for its theme chooser, GalleryNext gallery app, giving photos a new look and interface, their sadly-unsuccessful camera app, Focal, and their Trebuchet (pronounced “tray-boo-shay”) launcher (in lieu of the Google Now Launcher), as well as their ‘nightly’ builds of the current ROM, where a new version with various fixes and broken things is released each and every day, except when a snapshot or stable is released.
So where can I go get this wonderful upgrade, you may wonder? Here’s where to pick up M7, but first, let’s check if your device is one of those that has an M7 build waiting for it right now. Currently, the Verizon Galaxy Note II, Samsung Galaxy Note III, Nexus 7 2012 Wi-Fi version, Nexus 7 2013 Wi-Fi, Droid Incredible 4G LTE, Oppo Find 5, AT&T Samsung Galaxy Express, HTC One XL, Samsung Epic 4G, HTC One X, Nook Color, LG Optimus G Pro (All e98x GSM models), LG Optimus G (International), LG Optimus G (Canada), AT&T LG Optimus G, HTC Droid DNA, LG G2 (International), Samsung Galaxy S III (All U.S. LTE Models), Samsung Galaxy S Relay 4G, Samsung Captivate, Google Nexus S, Nook Tablet, Amami (Sony Xperia Z1 Compact), and Acer Iconia Tab A700 are the devices with M7 snapshot releases ready to download and install.
Head over to download.cyanogenmod.org, search for your device by its ‘codename’, or select one of the types of builds from the ‘type’ sidebar, and scroll through to find your device. CM doesn’t provide Gapps (Google apps not included with the open-source building of the ROM itself), so go pick the latest ones up for Kit Kat, hit up recovery mode, flash away, and enjoy your new M7-ness.
CyanogenMod 11 M7 looks to be the most stable build yet, obviously, but also is the next stepping stone on the way to building better, more stable, and more widely available version of CyanogenMod. Be sure to check back daily (or nightly if you prefer the humor here) for new builds of CM 11, but be careful, some of the core, requisite features (like mobile data) may be broken in nightly builds, so always be sure to keep a backup of your device’s system before each new flash or upgrade. Check out M7 and CyanogenMod, and keep up the great work, CM Team.