Using LineageOS for Phones and DIY Smart TVs is Pretty Nifty

Although Android is essentially just another Linux distribution, most people only experience it in the form of the rather restrictive and proprietary versions found on smartphones, tablets and smart TVs. Using LineageOS for Phones and DIY Smart TVs is Pretty Nifty. While this is probably fine for the average person, there’s also a lot to be said for the more pure Android experience in the form of LineageOS.

With this fully open and community-supported version of Android you’re free to muck about with your hardware to your heart’s content, without annoyances like unremovable bloatware apps and restrictions on e.g. Even more fun is that there are ports of LineageOS to systems such as the Raspberry Pi SBC, including in the Android TV configuration. This means that not only can your ten year old Android phone get a make-over with a recent version of Android, you can also create your own Android TV-based smart TV without all the spying and other nasty things that commercial smart TVs love to do.

The LineageOS Lineage The history of LineageOS is slightly messy, being a fork of CyanogenMod, which itself was based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). Since Android is classified as Yet Another Linux Distribution, it’s got the same GPL license foundation and naturally a few dozen customized Android distros based around this AOSP. Although CyanogenMod is no more, LineageOS is its effective successor, featuring probably the largest number of supported phones, tablets and other hardware.