Tutorial: How To Install LineageOS

CyanogenMod might be dead, but the team which had originally conceived Android's most popular came together once again and thus from the ashes of CyanogenMod rose LineageOS. It's been more than a month since LineageOS started rolling out weekly builds for the official devices and today we will be guiding you on how to install the same on your Android device.

Before we get started with the installation procedure, it is important to take note of the pre-requisites to which you must adhere to in order to install LineageOS.

1. Your device's bootloader must be unlocked.
2. Your device must have a custom recovery like Philz, TWRP or CWM. We recommend you to use TWRP. We have used TWRP in our video demonstration of the installation procedure below.
3. Your device must be charged to at least 20%

In case you don't meet either one of the pre-requisites above, please take the necessary steps in order to comply with the installation requirements. If you haven't heard much about terms like custom recovery, we advice you to go through the XDA forums for your device.

Installation Procedure

1. First up, you will have to check whether the official builds of LineageOS are available for your device or not. To do so, head over to the downloads page of LineageOS and check if your device is supported. In case official builds of your device are available, please download the latest build from LineageOS' website. Make sure the downloaded build is saved on your device and the ZIP file you have dowloaded is not corrupted. Unofficial builds of LineageOS can be found on XDA forums and Android File Host.
2. Additionally, you will have to download the appropriate Gapps package as per the Android version. LineageOS 13 is based on Marshmallow 6.0.1 and LineageOS 14.1 is based on Nougat 7.1. We recommend you to choose from either Bank Gapps or Open Gapps. You can download the Gapps package from any one of these vendors. There are other Gapps packages which are available, but these are the ones we recommend you to go for.
3. In case you wish to obtain root access on LineageOS, you will have to download the root add-on as per the processor your device is powered by. Root add-ons can be found here. Root add-ons are available for ARM, ARM64 and Intel x86 chipsets.
4. Once you have downloaded the files required for the installation, reboot to your custom recovery. In most of the devices, custom recoveries can be booted into by pressing the power key and the volume up key simultaneously.
5. Once you have booted into the custom recovery, take a nandroid backup. A nandroid backup is important to ensure that we are on the safer side of things. In case anything goes wrong during the installation, we can always go back to the previous ROM installation by restoring the nandroid backup. It is also important to ensure that enough space is available on your device for the backup. The backup sizes usually range from 2.5GB-3.5GB. So, make sure that you have sufficient memory on your device for this.
6. After you have backed up your existing ROM, go to the wipe section and perform a factory reset. Additionally, you can format the system partition if you wish to. If you have a device with a microSD card, then you may wipe the internal storage too.
7. After you have wiped the essential partitions in the last step, you now have to tap on the Install button and select the LineageOS weekly build you had downloaded in the first step. Install the Gapps package and root add-on after flashing the weekly build.
8. Once the flashing procedure is complete, reboot your system.

For a video demonstration of the above procedure, please take a look at the video below

We have thus installed LineageOS. In case you have any residual doubts regarding the installation procedure, please pen them down in the comments section below and we will make sure we back to you. We will help you in solving your queries.

Krittin Kalra

Krittin Kalra is a 20 year old Android freak. Striving for passions, chasing down his dreams and living a life without regrets is his sole mantra. A bit moody, he also does custom ROM reviews for AndroGuider. Currently pursuing his B.Tech, he aspires to follow his heart.