A couple of weeks ago, the Paranoid Android team returned from the dead to release their ROM based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow for Nexus and a selected other devices. The release surprised everyone because the Paranoid Android team has been inactive for over a year now, with most of the original team members now working on Oxygen OS for OnePlus.

While the ROM does not pack in the same set of unique features as it used to back in its prime day, Paranoid Android still manages to set itself apart from a bunch of other custom ROMs with its limited but useful feature set and high-quality wallpapers and icons.

If you are tempted to install Paranoid Android on your Android device but are wondering how to do so, check out the steps below.

Pre-requisites

• Just like with any other custom ROM, installing Paranoid Android (2016) on your Android device requires it to be rooted with a custom recovery like TWRP installed.
• Make sure that you are running the absolute latest version of TWRP (v2.8) or higher. Older versions of the recovery are not compatible with Marshmallow and might throw up some error during installation.
• While Paranoid Android is pretty stable on most of the supported devices, it is still recommended that you check out the XDA sub-forum of your respective device
• Create a backup of all your important data on the handset. This includes your contacts, messages, music, photos and other important documents and files. You can also backup your app data using Titanium Backup, but I won’t recommend doing so since it can lead to compatibility issues when you try to restore it on Paranoid Android.
• On certain devices, you might have to update the bootloader and radio firmware first to the very latest version available before installing Paranoid Android. Not doing so might lead to camera, sensors or other features of the device not working properly. If you are already running a custom ROM like CyanogenMod on your device, Paranoid Android should work without any issues on it.

Download

You can download the latest build of Paranoid Android for your device from here. A small list of devices supported by the ROM have been mentioned below:

• Nexus 6P
• Nexus 6
• Nexus 5X
• Nexus 5
• Nexus 4
• Nexus 9
• Nexus 7 (2013)
• Pixel C
• OnePlus One
• OnePlus X
• OnePlus 2
• OnePlus 3
• Xperia Z3
• Xperia Z2
• Xperia Z2 Tablet

How to install Paranoid Android

Step 1: Transfer the Paranoid Android ROM and the Google Apps ZIP file to the internal storage of your device. It is always recommended that you cross check to make sure that you have downloaded the right version of Paranoid Android and the Google Apps package.

Step 2: With the ROM transferred, reboot your Android device into recovery mode. This usually involves switching off the device and then booting it into recovery by pressing and holding the volume and power buttons in a specific key combination.

If you don’t know the key combination to boot your Android device into recovery, use an application like Quick Reboot from Google Play.

Step 3: Once your device has booted into recovery mode, you need to wipe the /data and /system partitions. Head over to the Wipe option, and then swipe the bar at the bottom to do a factory reset.

Do not use the format data option as it will wipe the internal storage of the device. To format the system partition, tap on ‘Advanced Wipe’, select ‘System’ from the list of partitions and then swipe the bottom bar to the right to confirm your selection.

Step 4: Install Paranoid Android on your device by tapping the Install button in TWRP and then navigating to the zip file of the ROM that you had transferred to the device in Step 1. If you are unable to find the ZIP file, make sure to check that you are inside /sdcard sub-directory.

Step 5: With the ROM installed, head over to the main menu in TWRP. Proceed to install the Google Apps ZIP file using the same step via which you installed the ROM: tap Install and select the Google Apps ZIP file.

With the ROM and Google Apps installed, reboot your device using the Reboot system option. The first boot is going to take its own sweet time during which the device might heat up a little as well. If your device does not boot into Android even after 10 minutes, repeat the steps mentioned above.

The Paranoid Android team does not really follow any particular release cycle, so whenever a new build drops, I will recommend you to update to it. Don’t update instantly though; instead, wait for a few days and read the feedback from other users before making the jump. (https://insider-gaming.com/) Since the ROM comes with a built-in OTA updater, you can install ROM updates just like you install normal software updates on your device.

If you run into some issues while installing Paranoid Android 6.0 on your Android device, drop in a comment below and we will help you out.