CyanogenMod facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
CyanogenMod

The default CyanogenMod 13 homescreen, based on Android 6.0 "Marshmallow"
Company / developer	CyanogenMod open-source community
Programmed in	C (core), C++ (some third-party libraries), Java (UI)
OS family	Android (Linux)
Working state	Discontinued
Source model	Open source
Initial release	3.1 (Dream & Magic) 1 July 2009; 15 years ago (2009-07-01)
Discontinued	13.0 ZNH5YAO (from Android 6.0.1 r61) / 20 December 2016; 8 years ago (2016-12-20)
Latest unstable release	14.1 nightly build / 25 December 2016; 8 years ago (2016-12-25)
Marketing target	Firmware replacement for Android mobile devices
Available language(s)	English French Arabic Catalan Dutch Spanish German Ukrainian Simplified Chinese Traditional Chinese Japanese Russian Swedish Danish Norwegian Finnish Lithuanian Korean Uzbek Portuguese Polish Sinhala Turkish Italian Punjabi Hindi Hungarian Malayalam Malayu
Update method	Over-the-air (OTA), ROM flashing
Package manager	APK-based
Supported platforms	ARM, x86
Kernel type	Monolithic (Linux)
Default user interface	Android Launcher (3, 4) ADW Launcher (5, 6, 7) Trebuchet Launcher (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
License	Apache License 2 and GNU GPL v2, with some proprietary libraries

CyanogenMod (pronounced sy-AN-oh-jen-mod; often called CM) was a special kind of operating system for mobile devices like smartphones. It was based on Android, which is the system most phones use.

CyanogenMod was developed by a community of people who shared their work freely. This is called open-source software. It was created between 2009 and 2016. CM added many cool features and options that weren't found in the regular Android versions from phone makers. For example, it had special themes, better sound quality, and tools to keep your privacy safe. It also helped phones run faster and more reliably.

In 2013, the founder, Stefanie Jane, started a company called Cyanogen Inc. The goal was to make CyanogenMod a commercial product. However, the company faced challenges and eventually stopped its services in 2016. Because CyanogenMod was open-source, its code could be used by others. So, the community continued its development under a new name: LineageOS.

What Made CyanogenMod Special?

CyanogenMod offered many unique features that made it popular:

• Theme Support: You could change the look and feel of your phone with different themes.
• Better Sound: It supported high-quality audio files like FLAC.
• Privacy Guard: This tool let you control what information each app could access on your phone.
• Tethering: You could easily share your phone's internet connection with other devices.
• Performance Boosts: It allowed for things like making your phone's processor run faster (called overclocking) to improve performance.
• Customization: You could change soft buttons, the status bar, and add quick settings toggles for Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
• No Unwanted Apps: Developers said it didn't have spyware (software that secretly collects info) or bloatware (unnecessary apps that take up space).

The name CyanogenMod came from "cyanogen" (a chemical compound that was Stefanie Jane's online nickname) and "Mod" (meaning user-made modifications).

How Did CyanogenMod Start?

Soon after the HTC Dream phone came out in 2008, people found a way to get "root access" on Android. This meant they could get full control over the phone's software. Since Android is open-source, people could change the phone's original software and put their own versions on it.

In 2009, a developer named JesusFreke made a popular modified software version for the Dream. When he stopped working on it, he suggested users switch to a version improved by another developer, Cyanogen (Stefanie Jane). This new version was called "CyanogenMod."

CyanogenMod quickly became very popular. A team of developers, called the CyanogenMod Team, helped add more features and support for many different devices.

How Was CyanogenMod Developed?

Like many open-source projects, CyanogenMod was built by many people working together. Developers would suggest new features or fix bugs. Other users could test these changes. Once approved, the changes were added to the main code.

CyanogenMod used different home screens over time.

• Early versions used the standard Android Launcher.
• CyanogenMod 5.0.8 started using ADW.Launcher, which offered more ways to customize the phone.
• From version 9 onwards, CyanogenMod used its own home screen called Trebuchet.

CyanogenMod releases were often called "nightly" (daily test versions) or "milestone" (more stable versions released monthly).

CyanogenMod Versions

CyanogenMod was based on different versions of Android. Here's a quick look at some of them:

CyanogenMod 7

A Motorola Flipout displaying the CyanogenMod 7.2 (Android 2.3) boot animation

CyanogenMod 7 was based on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. It included special code from the CyanogenMod Team and contributions from other developers.

Development for CM7 began when Google released Android 2.3's code. The first test versions came out in February 2011. The official CyanogenMod 7.0 was released in April 2011. Later versions, like 7.2, added features such as a smart phone dialer and lock-screen updates.

CyanogenMod 8 (Skipped)

CyanogenMod 8 was planned to be based on Android 3.x Honeycomb. However, Google didn't release the full code for Honeycomb. So, the team moved directly from CyanogenMod 7 to CyanogenMod 9.

CyanogenMod 9

CyanogenMod 9 was based on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. This was the first version to use CyanogenMod's own Trebuchet launcher. The team worked hard on this version because there were big changes between Android 2.3 and 4.0.

Test versions were released in late 2011. The final version of CyanogenMod 9 came out in August 2012. A small update, version 9.1.0, added bug fixes and an app for NFC payments.

In April 2012, CyanogenMod introduced its new mascot, "Cid." Cid (C.I.D.) stands for "Cyanogenmod ID."

CyanogenMod 10

CyanogenMod 10.0

In July 2012, the CyanogenMod team announced that CyanogenMod 10 would be based on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Test versions were released for many devices. More stable "M-series" releases were also made available monthly. The final stable versions were released in November 2012.

CyanogenMod 10.1

This version was based on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Stable versions were released in June 2013 for most supported devices.

CyanogenMod 10.2

The first test versions of CyanogenMod 10.2, based on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, came out in August 2013. It added new features like Bluetooth Low Energy and support for 4K video.

CyanogenMod 11

CyanogenMod 11

In November 2013, the CyanogenMod team started working on CyanogenMod 11, based on Android 4.4 KitKat. The first test versions were released in December 2013. Monthly "M-builds" were released, which were more stable than the daily test versions.

The OnePlus One phone came with a special version of CyanogenMod 11 called "CyanogenMod 11S."

CyanogenMod 12

The first test versions of CyanogenMod 12, based on Android 5.0 Lollipop, were released in January 2015. A stable version came out in June 2015.

Cyanogen OS 12, a different version for phones like the OnePlus One, was released in April 2015.

CyanogenMod 12.1

This version was based on Android 5.1. Test versions started in April 2015, and a stable version was released in September 2015. Phones like the Lenovo ZUK Z1 and Wileyfox Swift came with Cyanogen OS 12.1 already installed.

CyanogenMod 13

The first test versions of CyanogenMod 13.0, based on Android 6.0, were released in November 2015. It was gradually developed for more devices. Stable versions were released in March 2016.

CyanogenMod 14.0 (Skipped)

CyanogenMod skipped making daily test versions for CyanogenMod 14.0. This was because Android 7.1 came out very quickly. Code from CM 14.0 was used in the next version, CM 14.1.

CyanogenMod 14.1

The first test version of CyanogenMod 14.1, based on Android 7.1, was released in November 2016. This version was still being worked on and didn't have all the usual CyanogenMod features yet. It was the last version to use the "CyanogenMod" name.

Why Did CyanogenMod Change to LineageOS?

In December 2016, the CyanogenMod developer group decided to create a new project called LineageOS. This happened because the company, Cyanogen Inc., was having problems. The developers wanted to continue the project as a community effort.

LineageOS uses the code from CyanogenMod versions 13 and 14.1. It continues to offer many of the same features that CyanogenMod had.

Cyanogen Inc.

Cyanogen logo from April 2014

Cyanogen logo from March 2015

Cyanogen Inc. was a company started in September 2013. Its goal was to make money from CyanogenMod. The company received millions of dollars from investors. It began when Kirt McMaster talked to Stefanie Jane about making the project a business.

Company Challenges and Closure

Even though CyanogenMod was very popular, Cyanogen Inc. struggled to convince phone companies to use its version of Android. In 2016, the company went through big changes. Many staff members were let go, and offices were closed. The CEO also changed. Stefanie Jane, the founder of CyanogenMod, also left the company.

Many people thought the company's problems were due to poor decisions. For example, in 2014, Cyanogen Inc. ended its partnership with phone maker OnePlus in a way that caused problems for OnePlus. Later, Cyanogen's CEO talked about wanting to replace Google in controlling Android. But the company couldn't get enough phone makers to use its software. This led to the company shutting down its main software development.

After leaving, Stefanie Jane wrote that she had trusted the "wrong people" and couldn't stop the company from failing. She also mentioned that the community lost the rights to the "CyanogenMod" name. She suggested that the community should take the open-source code and start a new project with a different name.

On December 23, 2016, Cyanogen Inc. announced it was shutting down the systems that supported CyanogenMod. Soon after, the main CyanogenMod project announced it would move forward as "LineageOS." Developers wanted to return to the project's community roots while keeping some of the professional approaches they learned. Because of the company's issues and possible legal problems, the new project decided not to use the names "Cyanogen" or "CyanogenMod."

How Phone Makers Reacted

At first, many phone makers and mobile carriers didn't like third-party software like CyanogenMod. They worried about phones not working correctly and the costs of supporting them. Also, CyanogenMod sometimes offered features (like tethering) that carriers usually charged extra for. Because of this, many devices made it hard to install unofficial software.

However, as community-made software became more popular, some companies changed their minds. Companies like HTC, Motorola, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson started to support and encourage development. By 2011, it became easier to install unofficial software because more devices came with "unlockable" software, similar to Google Nexus phones. Some phone makers even sent phones to the CyanogenMod team to help them develop for those devices.

Software Licenses

Until version 4.1.11.1, CyanogenMod included some apps from Google, like Gmail and Play Store. These apps were not allowed to be freely shared. In 2009, Google asked Stefanie Jane to stop sharing these apps. This caused development to pause for a few days.

After talks between Google and Cyanogen, it was decided that CyanogenMod would continue. But it would not directly include Google's apps. Users could still get these apps separately if they wanted.

On September 28, 2009, Cyanogen warned about other possible legal issues with some parts of the software that were not open-source. However, Stefanie Jane later said she believed these issues could be solved, and she was even getting help from Google employees.

Replicant is another project that started from CyanogenMod. It removed all parts of the software that were not open-source. However, this means Replicant doesn't work on most phones that need these special parts.

Images for kids

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  CyanogenMod logo

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  The default CyanogenMod 13 homescreen

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  CyanogenMod 14 homescreen (German)

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  Cyanogen logo from April 2014

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  Cyanogen logo from March 2015

See also