How To Add Or Remove Apps From A Custom ROM

Once you have rooted your android device you can install custom ROM and get access to new features that is able to breathe new life to your aging android device. The number of custom ROM available for android devices are immense and selecting one of them to match your need is a daunting process.

Yet sometimes the number of ROM for a particular device is limited and you only have a selection of few of the best ROMs that are available. You have found a ROM that suits your need but you want to modify it to suit your particular need in other words make the ROM truly unique for your particular need.

We have prepared a guide that will allow you to modify the apps that come built in the custom ROM. You can remove the apps that you don’t need because your needs are suited to some other apps.

How To Modify Apps In A Custom ROM

1. Visit the site xda-developers.com to search and download the ROM that you want. The ROM will be downloaded in your PC in zip format. So unzip it so that you can do the modification.
2. Once the ROM has unzipped locate the system folder and open it to access the apps folder. In the apps folder you will find all the apps that are pre-installed in this ROM.
3. From the list of the apps you can delete the apps that you don’t need and add the apps that you need and want. Make sure that the apps you are going to add are in .apk extension.
4. You can also visit the media folder to add or remove ringtones or sounds. The more apps you remove the size of the ROM decreases.
5. After you are done with modification of apps its time you rezip the contents of ROM folder as boot.img while ensuring that the META-INF and system folder are at the root.
6. If you are happy with the modification of the ROM and want to distribute it among other users you should sign it for security purpose. You can use the auto sign app which is available for desktops to sign the ROM.
7. After you are done now its time to copy the ROM to you android device.
8. Once in recovery mode of you device make sure to create Nandroid backup of your current installation and go to install zip from SD card and toggle signature verification if your ROM is unsigned.
9.  Now flash your ROM as you normally would flash a ROM.
10. After the ROM has installed in your phone boot into it and check whether the apps that you have put are there or not and the old ones have been removed. If you are not happy with the changes then you can restore the Nandroid backup from your recovery menu.

There you have a simple guide that will allow you to modify the contents of the ROM before you install it in your android device.

Do let us know if there are any other easy way with which you can modify the contents of a ROM before you flash it in your phone.