Exploring LineageOS in 2025: A Week-Long Experiment
This article recounts a week-long experience using LineageOS, a popular custom Android ROM, on a Google Pixel 8 in 2025. The author, a former avid custom ROM user, revisits the community to see how the experience compares to modern, manufacturer-supported software.
A Return to Custom ROMs
The author’s history with custom ROMs is extensive, driven by a desire for customization and optimization beyond what manufacturers offered. However, longer update commitments from OEMs, increasingly complex features challenging small development teams to replicate, and the difficulty in rooting and unlocking devices led to a period where custom ROMs were largely ignored.
This prompted a return to the world of custom ROMs with a focus on LineageOS, a direct descendant of the well-known CyanogenMod. The choice of a Google Pixel 8 provided a suitable platform due to its compatibility with LineageOS and the author’s familiarity with Pixel devices. The experiment aimed to determine the pros and cons of using LineageOS in a contemporary context.
What I Loved About LineageOS
The most striking aspect of LineageOS was its minimalist nature. The initial setup presents a streamlined Android experience, only including essential apps like a browser, music player, and gallery. This "bloat-free" approach is a refreshing change from the often heavily customized manufacturer ROMs.
Minimalist Design: The lack of pre-installed apps and a clean UI resulted in impressive speed and smoothness.
Excellent Battery Life: Reduced background processes and absence of manufacturers’ frequent cloud connections significantly improved battery life.
Simple, Intuitive Stock Apps: The default browser and camera applications are impressively easy to use due to their simplified designs. Although less feature-rich, their intuitive nature is highly appealing.
Frequent Updates: Unlike the inconsistent update cycles of older ROMs, LineageOS provided a weekly update during the test period, mirroring the exciting anticipation of earlier days.
- Customization Options: The status bar and launcher allow for a level of personalization not found in many OEM builds. For example, users can customize app icons shape directly within the OS.
Why I Switched Back
Despite its positive aspects, several limitations eventually led the author to revert to the stock Pixel software. It is important to contextualize that these downsides are, in many cases, the flipside of the virtues described previously.
Limited Functionality: The minimalist design of the stock applications, while simpler, resulted in reduced overall functionality. Features such as portrait mode and RAW image capture were missing from the camera app. The default browser, lacking Google cloud integration, prevented seamless syncing across devices.
Missing Pixel-Specific Features: The author heavily depends on Pixel-exclusive features like Call Screen and Assistant Voice Typing in Gboard. While some workarounds exist (through Magisk modules like Pixelify), these add complexity.
App Compatibility Issues: Certain financial apps and NFC payment functions proved incompatible with LineageOS due to the rooted/unlocked bootloader. This required considerable troubleshooting efforts and workarounds.
- The Effort Involved: The author came to realize that they were spending significant time adding, modifying, and troubleshooting different workarounds to ultimately regain the original features and experiences of the stock Pixel ROM. This led to the conclusion that the effort in running LineageOS was undermining its primary benefit.
LineageOS in 2025: Who Should Use It?
While the author’s experience was ultimately not optimal for their personal use, there are several scenarios where LineageOS might still be a great option:
Extending the Life of Older Devices: LineageOS can provide a significant software upgrade for devices that no longer receive updates from the manufacturer. This allows users to keep using their phones with a current Android version and regular security patches, enhancing their life and extending their usability.
A De-Googled Android Experience: LineageOS offers the possibility of installing the operating system without Google Play Services, creating a truly Google-free environment. While not perfectly private due to the underlying Android OS, it provides the only complete “Google free” option. Other privacy focused operating system projects do exist ( such as GrapheneOS), however they offer a more limited approach compared to LineageOS.
- Prioritizing Speed, Smoothness, and Battery Life: If optimal performance in these areas overrides the need for specific manufacturer features and apps, LineageOS’s lightweight nature makes it an excellent choice. Users who value a smooth, fast, and long-lasting phone experience above all else will find LineageOS to be beneficial.
Conclusion
The author concludes that, while enjoying the nostalgic experience and recognizing the benefits that LineageOS offers, switching back to the stock Pixel software was ultimately the right choice for their personal needs and use cases. Although a valuable project with broad appeal due to its customization and performance, LineageOS is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It highlights the fact that the choice of operating system depends on individual device specifics and priorities.
