CyanogenMod: The Review

The Android team at Google took everyone by surprise when they rolled out the first Developer Preview for what would unfold into Android 7.0 Nougat. Fast forward 9 months since, and we have Android 7.1.1 rolling out to Nexus and Pixel devices with a final rollout scheduled for the holidays. Now, unless you own one of the Nexus or Pixel devices which are first in line to receive system updates, you’re in hard luck. Your OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) may not even roll out the update for your device. Let’s get to the sad “Why?” before getting into the good stuff. You see, every device that receives an update from the OEM has to pass Google’s Compatibility Test Suite’s tests and only then is it certified to ship with Google Play Services, which happens to be at the heart of the Google ecosystem of apps and services. Without Play Services, forget your contacts will sync, forget downloading apps forget your Play Music subscription and basically everything that keeps you tied to Google.

Enter CyanogenMod 14.1

CyanogenMod is by far the most popular Custom ROM powered completely by the community, and even though Android 7.1.x is still in Preview, the community has shipped a decent number of releases for a bunch of devices already so they’re way ahead of the OEM update curve. So just to give you a taste of what’s coming with Android 7.1.x and what’s in store for those who flash the ROM today, let’s dive into CyanogenMod 14.1 and use it as a reference to get into the features of Android 7.1.x.

Split Screen Mode

This can be considered as the flagship feature for Android 7.0 While the feature was available as a build.prop hack right from Marshmallow, it was refined and stabilized in Nougat. Split Screen is basically the native implementation of Samsung’s Multi-Window functionality available on Note devices.Split Screen allows you to use 2 apps at the same time, side by side. You can easily trigger Split Screen mode by long-pressing the recent apps button and then choosing the 2nd app. You can also trigger split screen by dragging an app on the top from the recent apps screen. This is still not supported on a few apps but that shouldn’t be a big deal. I can see how this feature will help tablet users. This is a huge productivity boost for tablet users.

Gestures

This one arrived with Android 7.1 and we’re still not sure if this is only Pixel/Nexus specific. It’s a menu under the Settings app which you gives you access to a bunch of nifty features like double tap to check your notifications and wake your device by lifting it up. Considering the fact that this is hardware dependant, you can bet your money on the fact that this won’t roll out to other devices but you never know.

Reboot Option

Finally! the Gods have listened. We finally have a reboot option in the power options of Android 7.1, so you don’t have to use Xposed to get it. There’s nothing to explain here, just hold down the power button and wolla! you have the new reboot option.

Landscape Mode

Another great addition to the system, you can now run your phone in landscape mode virtually everywhere on the system. Yes you heard it, it’s no longer exclusive to just the apps, you can even have your launcher on landscape and it doesn’t look odd. How about that?

Conclusion

All in all, Nougat does deliver what it claims and yeah, it brings a fresh and more polished experience to Android.  It certainly builds up a lot on what Marshmallow already perfected and this is great as it provides better user experience overall. There are a lot more features deep within the system but I won’t cover them just for the sake of the length of the article and for the fact that I want those features to take you by surprise rather than giving you a huge Spoiler.

If you would like to see how to get this ROM on tour phone, head over here 

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