How to Install Custom ROMs on Nothing Phone 2

In this guide, we will show you the steps to install various custom ROMs on your Nothing Phone 2. The newest addition to the Nothing family has gathered the attention of the masses at a much more rapid pace in comparison with its predecessor. With the likes of a custom recovery already up and running, coupled with the ability to flash custom binaries and gain administrative privileges, there’s a plethora of tweaks to look forward to.

Adding icing to the cake, the device has even started receiving support for numerous customized firmware as well. So if you are looking forward to breaking free from the shackles of the stock Nothing OS and welcoming abode a clean stock usage experience with a few additional goodies, then your best bet is to flash one of the below-listed custom ROMs onto your Nothing Phone 2. So without further ado, let’s get started.

How to Install Custom ROMs on Nothing Phone 2

The below process will wipe off all the data on your device, so please take a complete device backup beforehand. Droidwin and its members wouldn’t be held responsible in case of a thermonuclear war, your alarm doesn’t wake you up, or if anything happens to your device and data by performing the below steps.

STEP 1: Install Android SDK

First and foremost, you will have to install the Android SDK Platform Tools on your PC. This is the official ADB and Fastboot binary provided by Google and is the only recommended one. So download it and then extract it to any convenient location on your PC. Doing so will give you the platform-tools folder, which will be used throughout this guide.

STEP 2: Enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking

Next up, you will also have to enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking on your device. The former will make your device recognizable by the PC in ADB mode. This will then allow you to boot your device to Fastboot Mode. On the other hand, OEM Unlocking is required to carry out the bootloader unlocking process.

So head over to Settings > About Phone > Tap on Build Number 7 times > Go back to Settings > System > Advanced > Developer Options > Enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking.

STEP 3: Unlock Bootloader on Nothing Phone 2

Next up, you will also have to unlock the device’s bootloader. Do keep in mind that doing so will wipe off all the data from your device and could nullify its warranty as well. So if that’s all well and good, then please refer to our detailed guide on How to Unlock Bootloader on Nothing Phone 2.

STEP 4: Download Custom ROMs for Nothing Phone 2

You can now grab hold of the desired custom ROM for your device from below

NothingMuchROM: DOWNLOAD LINK

STEP 5: Boot to Fastboot Mode

1. Now connect your device to the PC via USB cable. Make sure USB Debugging is enabled.
2. Then head over to the platform-tools folder, type in CMD in the address bar, and hit Enter. This will launch the Command Prompt.
   
3. Type in the following command in the CMD window to boot your device to Fastboot Mode

   adb reboot bootloader

   

4. To verify the Fastboot connection, type in the below command and you should get back the device ID.

   fastboot devices

   

5. If you don’t get any serial ID, then please install Fastboot Drivers on your PC.

Install NothingMuch ROM on your Nothing Phone 2

Let’s give you a short description of this ROM- this is based on the Nothing firmware itself, so the UI/UX is similar to the original Nothing OS. According to the developer, “only a handful of modifications were made over the stock firmware.” Apart from that, here are some of its other noteworthy features:

Features

64-bit-only for better performance
System tuned for better performance
Disabled dm-verity/FEC for better performance
Latest f2fs-tools for better error handling
Custom resource overlay
Fonts used from Google Pixel
Defaults to DPI of 360
Slightly debloated

Installation Steps

1. First off, check the current active slot via the below command [refer to the (bootloader) current-slot: value]

   fastboot getvar all

   

2. If it’s A, well and good. However, if it’s B, then manually install the stock firmware again via ADB Sideload.
   
3. This is required so that the “a” slot gets populated with the latest firmware.
4. Once that is done, extract the ROM inside the platform-tools folder.
5. Now use the below command to flash the super.img

   fastboot flash super super.img

6. Next up, disable verity by flashing vbmeta as follows:

   fastboot flash vbmeta vbmeta.img

7. While it’s not compulsory, but highly recommended that you perform a reset via the below command:

   fastboot -w

8. You may now reboot to the newly flashed OS via the below command:

   fastboot reboot

That’s it. These were the steps to install NothingMuch ROM on your Nothing Phone 2. If you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution at the earliest.

• How to Install TWRP Recovery on Nothing Phone 2
• Unbrick Nothing Phone 2 via EDL Firmware and Flash Tool
• How to Root Nothing Phone 2 via Magisk
• Many Nothing Phone 2 are stuck in CrashDump Mode [Fix?]

About Chief Editor

Sadique Hassan

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A technical geek by birth, he always has a keen interest in the Android platform right since the birth of the HTC Dream. The open-source environment always seems to intrigue him with the plethora of options available at his fingertips. “MBA by profession, blogger by choice!”

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