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If I install CyanogenMod, will I have 'rooted' my phone? Is CyanogenMod a rooting program, or is the procedure of installing CyanogenMod rooting, and CyanogenMod is something needing root?

Is CyanogenMod a type of android release? Considering to install it is similar to a new android update?

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3 Answers

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for 99% of devices, you have to have a custom recovery image installed on the device in order to install CyanogenMod. And usually, to do that you have to have the device rooted. So you have to have a rooted device before you can install cyanogenmod.

CyanogenMod comes rooted and yes, it is an android release. Rooting a device, while it will void your warranty, is not really that "bad". Think of it like having access to the administrator account on your PC as opposed to a "limited user" account.

You also have to keep in mind that CyanogenMod does not work on all android devices. You can only install it on devices that are supported.

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Different enough for me :P +1 – Matthew Read♦ Oct 24 '11 at 17:09
@Ryan Conrad and Matthew Read, will CyanogenMod reduce the internal storage space taken by apps? I do the move to SD card option, but they still take a lot of the very finite storage up. Will CyanogenMod improve the situation? – Vass Oct 25 '11 at 9:22
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It isn't going to really change any of that. They may have a larger partition for /data/data but I am not sure. For the most part, it will act like just about any other version on android in that sense. I have a lot of apps installed and I sometimes run out of space in the /cache and have to clear it out, but I had that problem before when I used Stock TouchWiz by samsung too. – Ryan Conrad Oct 25 '11 at 14:08
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Even when the app is stored on the SD card, the app is still going to store its settings and data in the /data/data directory. – Ryan Conrad Oct 26 '11 at 13:31
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@Vass To answer your first comment on this answer, Cyanogen is just a different version of Android - when you install it you're wiping your device and installing from scratch, like switching from Windows XP Home to Windows XP Pro. Cyanogen is usually smaller than vendor-modified builds (due to not having the bloatware that they usually install), but I think it's a bit larger than the stock Google build. – fluffy Oct 30 '11 at 5:48
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up vote 4 down vote

If you're asking whether installing CyanogenMod will void your warranty, the answer is yes. Flashing a ROM has much greater potential for harming your device than the average rooting method.

It's not necessary to root in order to install CM in some cases, but usually it is, and CM itself comes pre-rooted.

If you want to find out more about CM you should go to their website.

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up vote 1 down vote

Here is the what Cyanogen mod is:

Cyanogenmod is a custom ROM made by developers (or you may say freelancers) and it is an opensource GPL licensed software. Actually cyanogenmod is modified version of actual android software released by Google. Developers at Cyanogenmod make software specific to various devices.

And if you want to install Cyanogenmod you will have to root your phone and flash it with Cyanogenmod. This will surely void your warranty. Cyanogenmod is like installing a clean new android software and it is quite fast than Stock one, as it does not contain any useless apps pre installed and also it is capable of using phone's processor to its full level which is often limited in Stock ROM's.

I am using it on my Motorola Defy and it works fine, though there are some bugs but its okay.

Note: Installing Cyanogenmod without following correct procedure may brick your phone (i.e. make it permanently unusable).

I would recommend you to read their wiki for more info.

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