Micromax has launched the Yu Yureka, which runs on CyanogenMod OS 11 based on Android 4.4.4. The company has earned the exclusive rights to Cyanogen software in India and has even filed a lawsuit against OnePlus for allegedly infringing those rights.
So what’s the deal with Cyanogen and why are manufacturers fighting over its software?
Truth be told, Cyanogen is considered one of the best custom ROMs for Android, where it preserves the stock Android experience while adding additional features. Also, as Cyanogen sends OTA updates for its
devices, you won’t have to depend on Micromax to get the latest Android updates.
Here are some of the key features that set CyanogenMod apart from devices running stock Android.
Customisations
One of the biggest advantages of Cyanogen is the vast possibility of customisations it allows. CyanogenMod 11 powered Yu Yureka will let you install theme packs and customise icons, fonts, sound packs and even boot animations. Unlike stock Android, you can change the complete look of your Android device with CyanogenMod. Similarly, you can also add new buttons to the notification dropdown.
Privacy Guard
Privacy Guard on CyanogenMod 11 allows users to permit or revoke location, contacts, calendar and SMS/MMS access for apps installed on the device. You can unblock blocked permissions from the notifications feature and a quick reset button lets you disable Privacy Guard and revert to the original app permissions. Not only that, Cyanogenmod 11 lets you pick which apps should be included on start up.
Create Profiles
CyanogenMod comes with the built-in option to create profiles for your smartphone, popularlised by Symbian devices. You can set profiles for different situations, for example, a specific profile that switches of notification sounds, Wi-Fi, GPS and mobile data when you’re sleeping. Or a car profile to switch on GPS and mobile data when you’re driving.
Equaliser settings
You can get the best possible audio equaliser settings on your CyanogenMod-powered Yureka. The DSP Manager app on CyanogenMod lets you tweak the equaliser settings to get crisp sound when watching videos or playing music.
Call blacklisting
With CyanogenMod, you can blacklist callers that bother you. All you need to do is identify the number from your call log or dialler app, open the profile of the caller and select ‘Add to Blacklist’. CyanogenMod also lets you block unwanted messages from specific contacts.
Next Bit
Cyanogen has partnered with Next Bit, a cloud service that allows Yureka users to save all your games, log in credentials, app settings and other app data on the cloud. As it’s a cloud-based service, you can sync data across multiple devices and maintain the current state of your apps on a different device with the integrated Next Bit app.
