LineageOS 21 brings Android 14 to Google Pixel 2 XL; standard Pixel 2 gets it unofficially

Although its use is less popular than a few years ago, there is still a community of ‘followers’ of custom ROMs on Android. One of the biggest names in the segment is LineageOS, the ‘spiritual successor’ to CyanogenMod, which is bringing Android 14 to mobile devices as old as the Google Pixel 2 series. Both the Pixel 2 XL and the vanilla Pixel 2 are getting the update, although the latter is unofficial.

In case you don’t know, a custom ROM is a ROM modified from a base one. In the case of LineageOS, they develop on AOSP and offer official support for some mobile devices, and being open source projects, there are also unofficial versions that other people can compile on their own with the modifications or adaptations they want to add. Starting this month, LineageOS 21 based on Android 14 is officially available for the Pixel 2 XL, while the Pixel 2 has an unofficial version.

Installing a custom ROM requires some prior steps that can even void your device’s warranty, but this is only worrying when we talk about modern devices that are still covered. On the other hand, the Pixel 2 series is quite old, so they no longer have official warranty coverage, but you should still keep in mind that not following the steps correctly can leave your phone unusable.

To install a custom ROM on your Pixel device, you will need to meet some requirements:

• Install Fastboot and ADB drivers on your PC
• Unlock the bootloader (tutorial available in the link above)
• Flash a custom recovery (like TWRP)

Once you have everything ready, you just have to download Android 14-based LineageOS for your device (Pixel 2/Pixel 2 XL) and flash it using the custom recovery that you installed previously.

Custom ROMs are an excellent way to keep devices as old as the Google Pixel 2 series ‘alive’, being another example of the great community work behind Android as most of them are totally free projects. Have you ever used a custom ROM? Feel free to share your experience in the comment box below.