CM Installer

CM Installer

Cyanogen Inc. hopes to make a viable business out of the popular custom ROM, and part of the strategy involves making it easier to get CyanogenMod installed on devices. After a bit of testing, the CM Installer app was recently added to Google Play for everyone to enjoy. Well, technically you can only enjoy it if you have one of the supported phones.

The CM Installer currently works on the Nexus 4, Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7 (2012 and 2013), Nexus 10, Nexus S, as well as most versions of the HTC One, Galaxy Note II, and Galaxy S4. The app is paired with a desktop PC client that pushes the actual installation files to the device. CM Installer for Android explains the process of getting the device ready to be detected by the PC and acts as a connector with the desktop client.
All you have to do in order to get started is install the app and let it scan the device. It will direct you to the website to grab the Windows client, which downloads the correct ROM, recovery, and Google Apps package. When the app says it’s time to plug the device in, the desktop client will start the unlock and installation process.
You don’t have to have an unlocked bootloader ahead of time — the CM Installer can do that for you. Some devices might need to have the process run after the bootloader unlock, but a Nexus should make it through in one shot. If things go smoothly, the entire process can be completed in just a few minutes. After the ROM is installed, it will get OTA updates from the CyanogenMod project automatically.