Re: Alternate OS for LG V20?

VanguardLH <V@nguard.lh> wrote:

After rooting my unlocked LG V20 (AT&T model H-910), I'd like to get
something newer than the Android 8.0.0 that is on it now.  I thought
about Lineage OS, but https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/#lg does not
list the V20, just the V30, and up.  They have a clear warning "Devices
not listed are not supported."  Yet I read where someone said they got
LineageOS 21 on their LG V20 phone, but they didn't mention which model,
yet the following mentions LineageOS on the H-910 model:
 
https://xdaforums.com/t/official-lineageos-20-for-the-lg-v20.4618097/
https://xdaforums.com/t/closed-official-lineageos-21-for-the-lg-v20.4649861/
 
However, both note some significant failures of these OS versions in
handling all the hardware or proprietary libs used on my phone.
 
With the old Android 8.0.0 now on my phone, too many apps have severed
their usability by upping the minimum Android version they require
either to get installed, or to operate correctly.  I'm losing too many
apps because they require a higher Android version, and there are some
apps I can't get at all because their manifest mandates a higher minimum
Android version.  I'm loathe to buying a pricey phone just to satisfy
the requirements of these apps which sometimes to be due to non-critical
changes in functionality or simply a different UI.
 
What other Android replacements (maybe getting me to v15) could I put on
this phone?  Unlike some ardent anti-Google users, I don't need a
de-Googled OS.  Tis why I was uninterested in GrapheneOS, plus they seem
geared to only Pixel phones.
 
crDroid is a fork of LineageOS, but they don't list LG.  Havoc-OS is, I
believe, another fork of LineageOS, and they don't list anything LG,
either.

 
In general, for any phone, your best bet is to search XDA Forums and see who
has done a third party OS for your specific model number (and I mean number,
ie not just the marketing name Samsung Galaxy Note N, but the number
SM-GT1234).  In your case it's this subforum:

https://xdaforums.com/f/lg-v20-roms-kernels-recoveries-other-developm.5874/

Unless there is a build for your specific model there's no point considering
any OS because it won't run.

Many of those threads look like they're from 2019-21, even though they might
have more recent posts.  So that's probably the kind of age of OSes that
might be available.

Be prepared for things not to work.  Porting a newer OS to an old device is
comparatively easy, getting all the hardware to work reliably is a long
slog.  You may find some components don't work - the threads should say
this.

One of the problem I've read about with the LG V20 is some models cannot
be rooted.  There are several unlocked models which were factory
unlocked by the carrier, like Verizon.  I have the H910 model unlocked
by AT&T. 

Carrier unlock is not the same as bootloader unlocking.  Carrier unlock
means you can use a different carrier's SIM card.  Bootloader unlock means
you can use a different OS.  Many phones sold in the US have locked
bootloaders, which means no OS replacement. Although if you have rooted then
maybe your bootloader isn't locked.

Theo