Custom ROMs and privacy
Read the risks first.
Risks before you start
- Unlocking the bootloader usually erases the phone. Back up first.
- It may void the warranty, and some banking, payment and work apps refuse to run on altered phones.
- A mistake can leave the phone unusable. Rooting also removes protection that keeps apps apart.
- Not every phone is supported. Check the project's own device list and instructions, not this page.
A custom ROM is replacement phone software. People install one to remove the maker's or Google's background services, to get updates on older hardware, or both. It can reduce logging. It is not automatically safer, and it is a bigger job than changing settings.
Compared on this site's list
| System | Google services | Rough score (this site's own, not a measurement) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrapheneOS 2025 releases | No | 13/100 | Pixel devices only; sandboxed Google Play optional. |
| LineageOS 21 | No | 19/100 | Google apps only if the user installs them. |
| LineageOS 22 | No | 21/100 | None |
| /e/OS 2.x | No | 33/100 | Uses microG; Google services replaced. |
| Google Android 14 | Yes | 59/100 | None |
The score is this site's rough weighting of its own list, not a measurement of any system. See method. Lower is less exposed.
Before choosing
For why people started asking these questions, see HTC logging in 2011.