What are AOSP and custom ROMs?
AOSP (Android Open Source Project) is the open-source version of Android, published without Google services. A custom ROM is a system rebuilt on that foundation, like /e/OS or GrapheneOS, installed in place of the original system to keep Android without sending your data to Google. The topic continues in chapter 12 of my book, Vivre sans Google.
Information verified on July 13, 2026
Android does not fully belong to Google. The system’s foundation, called AOSP for Android Open Source Project, is published as open source: anyone can inspect it, modify it, rebuild it. What Google sells to manufacturers is the layer on top: the Play Store, its apps and its services, which collect data along the way.
A custom ROM starts from that free foundation to rebuild a complete Android, without the Google layer. /e/OS aims for simplicity for everyday users, GrapheneOS pushes security further. Most of your usual apps keep working, and your data stops flowing to Google.
The most surprising part? No need to buy a new phone. Installing a custom ROM often gives a second life to an existing device, including a model its manufacturer no longer updates. The /e/OS vs GrapheneOS comparison helps you choose based on your profile.
Where it plays out: chapter 12 of the book tackles the most personal piece of the puzzle, the phone, and the Mobile operating systems category reviews de-Googled Androids.
This topic is chapter 12 of my book
It answers these questions, among others:
- clean up your Android, switch systems or simplify: which path is yours?
- which phone for the kids, without Google services or Family Link?
- and which phone do I actually use, after all this?
Forthcoming 22/10/2026 from Éditions Eyrolles
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Tech jargon, translated
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