Update LG G4 with Custom ROMs (CM12, AOKP, ParanoidAndroid and more)

LG has lately announced that it has no plans for an update to the operating system of its flagship G4 in the near future. The fact that the manufacturer is not working on an update to bring the smartphone’s operating system to Android 5.1.1 Lollipop could be a sign that the device will go straight into Android M, the next major version of Google’s mobile operating system, but not everyone is pleased by such a decision.

Do you hate the idea of waiting as well? Then, take in consideration the fact that when talking about updates, you should not only think about OTAs, but you could also consider the custom ROMs that might improve your Android experience in LG’s G4.

If you choose to install a custom ROM firmware (like CyanogenMod 12, AOKP, ParanoidAndroid and so on) on your own LG G4, be sure of the fact that several advantages are waiting for you: this could be your chance to get rid of in built carrier braded apps that you don’t like using, to improve the battery life of your device, to experience features that cannot be found on the default version of the Android platform, to make your device faster and easier to use at any time – in a few words – to modify, customize and personalize it as you want.

However, I want to warn you about something: a custom ROM is developed by third party devs, which means that the warranty of your LG G4 will get void while you will try to flash a custom ROM. Even more, AndroidFlagship is not responsible for any damages caused by applying this guide, but any action is only your responsibility. I strongly recommend you to read all the instructions and ask me if there is something that you do not fully understand.

To be on the safe side, I also want you to go through some of the preparatory steps: well, this operation is possible only if you have root access (use one of these rooting guides), if you have unlocked the bootloader of your device and already installed a custom recovery image, such as CWM or TWRP recovery (read: Install TWRP Recovery on LG G4 – all versions). You should also backup your LG G4 as during the flashing process a hard reset will be completed and don’t forget to plug in the charger if there’s not enough power left. Also Enable USB debugging option on your device: Settings > Development Options > USB debugging; as for your PC, install LG’s drivers for your G4 device and deactivate the security protection.

Use this tutorial only if you’re an advanced user and do not attempt to update any other Android device as you’ll simply brick it!

How to Update your LG G4 with Custom ROMs:

1. First of all, take the update package on your computer;
2. There are custom ROMs which aren’t pre-installed with Google Apps, so you might also need to download Google apps on your PC from here;
3. Do not unzip them yet;
4. Connect your LG G4 with the computer via the device’s original USB cable;
5. Transfer the downloaded files from desktop to your phone;
6. Now, turn it off;
7. Next, enter recovery mode on your LG G4 by following these steps;
8. From recovery, first of all, select “wipe data factory reset”, “wipe cache partition” and “wipe dalvik cache”;
9. Go to main menu of recovery and choose “install zip from SD card”;
10. You must select “choose zip from SD card”;
11. Pick the custom ROM file;
12. Flash it on your LG G4 smartphone;
13. Do the same for the Google Apps package;
14. When done, choose “reboot system now”.

That was all!