Android on Lumia
Image Courtesy: Android4Lumia.com

Microsoft has more or less abandoned the Windows Phone operating system, and the Lumia phones are left stranded without app support. While there’s no possibility of any official software update, someone else has managed to install Android on Lumia. The developer has found a solution to bring Android to all Windows Phones, and performance is decent.

Of course, Lumia phones running Android Nougat won’t be able to perform certain functions, but still, it’s living proof that even an old Lumia can run one of the latest version of Android. The process to install Android on Windows Phone might be tricky for some, but you can easily install it by following our guide.

Android on Windows Phone – A quick look at the installation process

To install Android on Lumia, you need to flash the custom ROM on your phone. While we have simplified the tutorial for your phone’s safety, we recommend you to backup your device before making any changes. The process to install Android on Windows Phone might be a bit tricky but it’s really not impossible. In this article, we will explore the method to get Android for Lumia.

Why should you install Android on Windows Phone?

Windows Phone is still far behind Android in terms of features and apps. Microsoft has given up on Windows Phone and some old phones like Lumia 720, 520 have been abandoned by the company. The old Lumias can no longer receive new updates, in other words, the old Lumias are nothing more than a brick. You can, however, run Android on Lumia instead of Windows 10 and give your phones a new life.

Android WP
Image Courtesy: YouTube.com

It’s worth noting that Android may not run properly on all Lumia. Some features may be not available, although the overall performance is still decent. You will also get some apps that are not available on low-end Windows Phones. Furthermore, the overall performance is actually better than Windows 10 Mobile.

Install Android on Lumia: Things worth noting

  • You can always recover back to Windows Phone 8.1 if you have the backup files.
  • The cellular connection won’t work on Android.
  • You cannot use Bluetooth, accelerometer, camera and SD Card.
  • The headphone jack does not work.

The hack has been tested on Lumia 720, 520, 521, 525 and 526 and it would not work on any other Lumia phones. The developers are however working to add support for all Snapdragon 400 processor phones. And those are just some of the highlights – so without further ado, here’s how to install Android on Lumia branded Windows Phone.

Disclaimer: Windows Latest is not responsible for any damage that may occur while flashing the phone.

Steps to install Android on Lumia

  1. Backup your Windows Phone software. You can use Win32diskimage or Windows Device Recovery Tool to save the recovery image. (This will be used to restore your phone to Windows 10 from Android).  
  2. Open Win32DiskImager.
  3. Now connect your phone in Mass Storage mode.
  4. In Win32DiskImager, you need to select a location where you would like to save the backup. Save it is IMEI.img.
  5. Select the letter assigned to MainOS of your phone, and press “Read”.
  6. Your phone has been backed up successfully. Now close the app.
  7. Download lflash.zip and extract it.
  8. Now run uefi2lk.cmd and follow the on-screen instructions. Your phone now has the bootloader installed.
  9. Enter the Fastboot using the volume down key.
  10. Download TWRP and flash it. Also download the ROM.
  11. In TWRP, select Advanced, ADB Sideload.
  12. Using ADB Sideload, browse to the ROM you have downloaded earlier and flash it.
  13. Code: adb sideload cm-13.0-201?????-UNOFFICIAL-fame.zip
  14. Reboot the phone.
  15. Success. Your phone is now running on Android.

Performance

You might experience crashes and things like that, and it’s not clear if these hacked phones will ever be upgraded to Android O or P. At the time of writing this story, the hack is not available for all phones, but we’re pretty sure that the users with flagships such as the Lumia 950 and HP Elite x3 would love to give it a try.

As we noted above, you can always return back to Windows Phone from Android. We will soon do an article to explain the process. In the meantime, let us know your thoughts and questions in the comments below.

About The Author

Mayank Parmar

Mayank Parmar is an entrepreneur who founded Windows Latest. He is the Editor-in-Chief and has written on various topics in his seven years of career, but he is mostly known for his well-researched work on Microsoft's Windows. His articles and research works have been referred to by CNN, Business Insiders, Forbes, Fortune, CBS Interactive, Microsoft and many others over the years.