CyanogenMod is a well-known name in the world of custom Android ROMs. Probably the most well-loved as well, if Android aficionados are to be polled. It is developed as free and open source software based on the official Android releases by Google, with quite a bit of original and third-party code added to the mix by the CyanogenMod open source community. The ROM keeps the stock Android look and feel and adds numerous other features and options that power users and DIY modders simply find irresistible. While Cyanogen’s software was originally strictly meant for aftermarket installations, of late, the company has been tying up with device OEMs like OnePlus and YU to include their Cyanogen OS as pre-installed default ROM on devices like the OnePlus One and the YU Yureka etc. While the deal with OnePlus has since fallen through, Cyanogen OS continues to come pre-installed on YU’s smartphones including Yureka / Yureka Plus, Yuphoria, Yunique and Yutopia.
Talking about Cyanogen, the guys behind Android’s most widely used custom ROM, has now announced through a post on its official blog that Google’s latest monthly security and bug fix release has now been merged into the CM 12.1 source code, which is based on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. The merged code comes with the ‘Snapshot’ tag, and not ‘Nightly’, indicating a comparatively stable build. The organization has further stated that it will be updating the stable channel with this build as well, at some stage later this week itself. It bears mentioning that Google had updated the AOSP code base with its monthly security release earlier in the week. The update comes with more than 27,000 individual commits, but most of the important changes made to the code has to do with the much-discussed Stagefright vulnerabilities, and Google would be hoping that this time around, it has been able to bury the Stagefright ghost for good.
Coming back to CyanogenMod, the post on the official blog, whist announcing the merging of Google’s latest security enhancements, also let it be known that the organization will soon start its work on the latest version of Android, with Google having just released the Marshmallow source code. “When we have more to share on this, we will publish a separate post”, is what Cyanogen had to say about its Marshmallow plans for now.