How to Update Lineage OS on top of CyanogenMod ROM

Are you migrating or upgrading from CyanogenMod to Lineage or looking to flash lineage OS ROM on top of existing CyanogenMod 13 or 14.1 ROM without losing all data and Application that you have installed? Well, everyone know that Lineage is the future of CyanogenMod but it is not straight forward to flash Lineage OS ROM on top of CyanogenMod ROM in just one click or something like that. But interestingly Lineage team has one such way where you can easily migrate from CyanogenMod ROM to Lineage OS without much hassle and I am going to explain how you can do that !!

This guide will not work if you are trying to flash UNOFFICIAL Lineage OS ROMs. This guide only explains how to update Lineage OS on CyanogenMod 13 or 14.1 ROM with the help of OFFICIAL EXPERIMENTAL Lineage OS ROM builds.

Why do I need to update Lineage OS on CyanogenMod ROM:

By now you must know that CyanogenMod is all dead by name and development and it is all Lineage OS which is being transformed and evolved out of CyanogenMod. So, all the developers will now be contributing to Lineage OS project and device maintainers will bring the Lineage OS to your device. Your device will not get further CyanogenMod releases and there will be only Lineage OS releases from now on. So, if you want to enjoy the benefits of CyanogenMod then you must switch to Lineage OS because you don’t have a second choice, simple as that !!

How to update Lineage OS on CyanogenMod without losing data and Application:

As CyanogenMod will be discontinued and every single CyanogenMod user will have to upgrade to Lineage OS ROM now or later, Lineage team has taken a step forward to help users migrate to Lineage OS from CyanogenMod ROM without wiping data or losing data or installed applications.

To update Lineage OS on top of existing CyanogenMod ROM without losing data and installed Applications, you need the following(s):

• EXPERIMENTAL as well as OFFICIAL WEEKLY Lineage OS ROM build for your device.

  – Here is the Lineage OS 14.1 devices list

• Android phone running on either CyanogenMod 13 ROM or CyanogenMod 14/14.1 ROM
• Enough battery backup to install and setup a new ROM

Flashing Lineage OS on CyanogenMod ROM:

• Download the OFFICIAL EXPERIMENTAL build and OFFICIAL WEEKLY build.

  – Here is the Available Lineage OS 14.1 ROM devices list that you can refer and download required builds or directly from lineage os server.

• Boot into a custom Recovery.

  – Make sure to have a Custom recovery like CWM or TWRP or any other custom recovery. If not then download a custom recovery for your phone and follow the Custom Recovery Installation Guide for any Android phone (it’s a generic guide which will work for TWRP as well as CWM recovery or any other recovery)

• First flash the Lineage OS EXPERIMENTAL build for your device on top of CyanogenMod ROM.
  – Here is a post explaining how to flash a custom ROM using TWRP recovery.
• Reboot the phone
• Now flash the OFFICIAL WEEKLY Lineage OS build for your device on top of CyanogenMod ROM.
  – Here is a post explaining how to flash a custom ROM using TWRP recovery.
  NOTE:
  – If you have CyanogenMod 13 or CM13 then you can only flash Lineage 13 ROM.
  – Similarly if you have CyanogenMod 14.1 or CM14.1 then you can only flash Lineage 14.1 ROM.
  – Cross flashing of Lineage 13 on CM14.1 or Lineage 13 on CM14.1 is NOT POSSIBLE AT ALL. DOING SO MAY BREAK YOUR DEVICE PERMANENTLY
• Reboot the phone once again
• By now all the previous application permission would have gone. Re-setup the application permission or setup as you go.

I hope this helps you migrating from CyanogenMod to Lineage OS successfully without losing anything. If you face any problem then login and leave a comment to get assistance.