How to get the custom ROM/Android OS Name from Android programatically

In Android development, obtaining the name of a custom ROM or the Android OS can be achieved by reading system properties. The Android system stores various pieces of information regarding system configuration and version, which can be accessed through the android.os.Build class or by executing the getprop command at runtime.

Method One: Using the android.os.Build Class

The android.os.Build class contains multiple static fields that can be used to retrieve information such as device manufacturer, model, brand, and ROM developer. The DISPLAY field in this class is typically used to obtain the ROM name.

java
String romName = android.os.Build.DISPLAY;
System.out.println("ROM Name: " + romName);

In this code snippet, we use the Build.DISPLAY field to attempt retrieving the name of the currently running ROM. This field typically contains the ROM name and version number.

Method Two: Using SystemProperties to Access Custom Properties

Some custom ROMs may set unique fields in system properties to identify their ROM information. You can use reflection to invoke the hidden SystemProperties class to access these properties:

java
try {
    Class<?> systemProperties = Class.forName("android.os.SystemProperties");
    Method get = systemProperties.getMethod("get", String.class);
    String romType = (String) get.invoke(systemProperties, "ro.custom.rom.identifier"); // ro.custom.rom.identifier is an assumed property name
    System.out.println("Custom ROM Type: " + romType);
} catch (Exception e) {
    e.printStackTrace();
}

In this code snippet, ro.custom.rom.identifier is an assumed property name and should be replaced with the actual property key, which varies depending on the ROM.

Method Three: Executing getprop Command at Runtime

You can also execute the getprop command directly within your application to retrieve system properties. This method requires the device to be rooted.

java
try {
    Process process = Runtime.getRuntime().exec("getprop ro.custom.rom.identifier"); // Similarly, ro.custom.rom.identifier needs to be replaced with the actual key
    BufferedReader bufferedReader = new BufferedReader(
        new InputStreamReader(process.getInputStream()));

    StringBuilder log = new StringBuilder();
    String line;
    while ((line = bufferedReader.readLine()) != null) {
        log.append(line);
    }
    System.out.println("ROM Info: " + log.toString());
} catch (IOException e) {
    e.printStackTrace();
}

Important Notes

• Retrieving custom ROM information may not be supported by all ROMs, especially standard Android versions.
• Ensure your application has appropriate permissions to read system properties, although most Build class properties do not require special permissions.
• For methods involving the getprop command, root access on the device may be required.

These methods can assist developers in providing specific optimizations or features tailored to different ROMs during application development.