How to Install CyanogenMod Apps on Any Lollipop Device without Root
Installing CyanogenMod on your Android device is a great way of getting the best out of it. Even if you are the user of one of the most recent flagship device such as HTC One M9 or Samsung Galaxy S6, installing CM 12.1 still has amazing advantages. The customization options are tempting, but this doesn’t have to mean that Android users do that every day.
On the contrary, they are wary of flashing CyanogenMod on their device due to all those risks such as warranty issues with rooting, the fear of bricking their device with incompatible kernels, not to mention the tendency of believing that such a procedure is very complicated.
Well, we see this as being nothing more than a misconception among the less informed; as for the warranty of the device being voided in the process, you can always restore the device to its original state, which in most cases should be more than enough for the service center (use this guide for that).
Despite of all these, we also have to agree on the fact that CyanogenMod on any Android device could be a bit of a challenge for those who never done it before or who are newbies at this chapter. And if you are one of them as well and you are too afraid to root, let us tell you that you still have the possibility to download some of the apps that come preloaded with this ROM by using the CM Apps package.
The CM Apps is not created by the Cyanogen team, but it is developed by some third-party Android developers that we trust, so use it with no fear. Let’s see this CM Apps as a portal to outside links that download the individual apps that you want to use. So, instead of having to side-load the APKs yourself, the app does the job in your place for you. And like that, you have the possibility to enjoy a variety of CyanogenMod’s features and to avoid any chance of damaging your device.
How to Install CyanogenMod Apps on Any Lollipop Device:
- Take a free copy of the CM Apps via Google Play Store or by using this link;
- You can find no less than nine different Cyanogen-branded apps, including Apollo, Clock Widget, DSP Manager, File Manager, Sound Recorder, Calculator, Torch, Trebuchet, and Wallpapers;
- Make a choice and tap on an app to download it like you normally would in any other case;
- Keep in mind that all the apps are downloaded separately, and accessible from your Application Drawer.
It’s true that there are some people complaining about a few apps which not downloading at all, but the developers behind the app are addressing these issues really fast, so we are not worried. Don’t forget to drop us a line and tell us how the procedure went for you!
If you’re scared of committing to CyanogenMod, you can download apps like the Trebuchet launcher to get a feel for the ROM’s user interface. You should though keep in mind that you won’t have access to the same settings and preferences available in the actual CyanogenMod; for the most part, things look rather similar to stock Android. If you have KitKat, however, you won’t have access to features like Google Now available to you by swiping all the way over to the right.
So, I gave in and handed my Nexus 5 off to my wife and upgraded to an HTC One M9, I have downloaded the CM Apps (which the link above is dead), and both Lookout and Sophos say the APK contains viruses. I assume because it’s related to CM it’s a false positive. Anyone else get this?