CyanogenMod has been around since the very beginning of Android, and it has grown into one of the longest running and most popular custom firmware options for those looking to get a little more out of Android than what was available on their phones out of the box. Now that longstanding custom firmware may be getting a new name, with a rumor suggesting that it may end up being changed to Lineage OS. The name change for the firmware was reportedly suggested after it was pointed out by former Cyanogen Inc. Co-Founder Steve Kondik (who recently left the company as part of a shakeup that included closing Cyanogen Inc’s Seattle-based office) that CyanogenMod could run into problems with intellectual property.
While it would make sense to change the name of the custom firmware so as not to run into issues with Cyanogen Inc. over name rights, there’s no guarantee that Lineage OS will indeed be the new name for the ROM. With that said, a repo on GitHub that has surfaced called “Lineage Android Distribution” would suggest that a change to the name Lineage OS is being given some heavy thought. There is also the possibility that the name could end up as Lineage Android Distribution, but it could just as easily be the referencing being used while things are in a transitional phase.
For now, CyanogenMod is still CyanogenMod as of the most recent versions of software that have been put out for compatible devices, and if a name change does happen there’s no way to know if it will happen a lot sooner than later. Having the name change put in place, of course, wouldn’t likely change any of the functionality of the firmware or the experience that users have come to enjoy and expect over the years, and it can’t be ruled out that a name change may not happen at all in the end. It’s also worth mentioning that there is no way to be sure what else might change besides the name, if anything, so users who are familiar with and install CyanogenMod will perhaps want to keep a watchful eye on anything that does change.