Download Lineage OS 23.2 ROM released with Material 3 Expressive
Recently, the well-known custom ROM known as Lineage OS received an official update to Android 16 with a new build number 23 in the stable channel. This brought Android 16 to even more smartphones from various OEMs, including Google’s own Pixel range, Samsung Galaxy, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Oppo, and more.
Today, the LineageOS team has unveiled LineageOS 23.2. This halftime release brings a fresh coat of paint with Google’s Material Expressive design system, alongside privacy-focused, bloatware-free Android experiences across a massive range of devices.
Lineage OS developer team says, one of the most significant changes affecting LineageOS 23.2 comes from Google’s Android Open Source Project (AOSP). After years of quarterly releases delivering new features and bug fixes every three months, AOSP has transitioned to a biannual schedule. This means major updates will now arrive every six months instead of every three.
The LineageOS development team has embraced this change, synchronizing their release schedule accordingly. Work on each new point release will commence every six months, ensuring the ROM stays current with AOSP innovations while maintaining the stability users depend on.
This means users can anticipate major updates every six months, aligning with LineageOS point releases.
What’s new in Lineage OS 23.2?
Material 3 Expressive
The moment you boot into LineageOS 23.2, the transformation is immediately apparent. The operating system has undergone a comprehensive visual overhaul embracing Google’s Material Expressive design language.
Material 3 Expressive focuses on two core principles: expressive colors and emotive design elements. The result is an interface that feels more dynamic, personalized, and responsive to user interactions. Color palettes adapt more intelligently to wallpapers and user preferences, creating a cohesive visual experience throughout the system.
Quick Settings Panel
The Quick Settings panel has received particular attention in this release. Users will find fully customizable tiles that offer both improved aesthetics and enhanced functionality. The redesigned tiles are more intuitive to arrange and interact with, making common tasks like toggling Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or flashlight settings more pleasant and efficient.
Enhanced Dark Theme
Dark theme enthusiasts will appreciate the expanded dark mode implementation. The enhanced dark theme extends deeper into the system, providing more comprehensive coverage across native apps and system interfaces. This not only improves visual consistency but also contributes to battery savings on OLED displays.
Private Spaces and File Utilities
Beyond aesthetics, LineageOS 23.2 introduces more powerful file utilities surrounding private spaces. These enhanced privacy features give users greater control over sensitive data, allowing them to compartmentalize personal information with improved management tools.
Lineage OS Apps updated with Material 3 Expressive
While not quite ready for the 23.2 launch, contributor pjgowtham has been working diligently on a complete redesign of the Updater app. When these changes merge in the near future, users can expect:
- A completely redesigned user interface aligned with Material Expressive
- Improved update management capabilities
- Delightful animations that make the update process more engaging
- Various bug fixes that enhance reliability
The Updater app is crucial for maintaining LineageOS installations. Applications have already received the Material 3 Expressive treatment:
Twelve (the default music player) now sports a modern interface that makes browsing and playing music more enjoyable. The updated design language brings improved readability and more intuitive controls.
DeskClock has been refreshed to match the system-wide aesthetic, making alarm management, world clocks, and timers feel cohesive with the rest of the interface.
ExactCalculator benefits from the same design updates, proving that even utilitarian apps deserve thoughtful design attention.
The LineageOS team has promised similar updates for other default apps, so users can anticipate a gradually more consistent experience across the entire app suite.
New Tools for Device Maintainers & Developers
LineageOS 23.2 introduces a suite of powerful development tools that significantly streamline the device maintenance workflow. These tools, which were teased in the previous changelog, have now been merged and are available for developers:
The Developer Toolkit
beautify_rro.py simplifies the process of beautifying multiple Runtime Resource Overlays (RROs) from a given directory, making theme and customization work more efficient.
generate_rro.py extracts RROs from prebuilt overlay directories, facilitating the porting process for new devices.
update_certificates.py automates the updating of app certificates when working with stock dump directories, a previously tedious manual task.
decompile_cil.py extracts SELinux policy rules from prebuilt images, crucial for understanding and working with device security policies.
extract_aconfig.py pulls configuration files from stock dumps, streamlining initial device setup.
match_manifest_tarball.py matches kernel or source tarball releases against public Git history, helping maintainers verify source authenticity and track changes.
These tools represent significant quality-of-life improvements for device maintainers, reducing manual labor and potential errors in the device porting and maintenance process.
Generic System Images (GSI)
Beyond emulator support, LineageOS provides buildable GSI targets for devices using Google’s Project Treble. These targets support:
- Mobile configurations
- Android TV setups
- Android Automotive implementations
While LineageOS doesn’t provide official builds for these generic targets (due to varying device manufacturer Treble compliance), the availability of buildable targets dramatically lowers the barrier to trying LineageOS on Treble-compatible devices.
Important distinction: Since Android 12, GSI and Emulator targets have diverged. Emulator targets use the lineage_sdk_$arch naming convention, while GSI targets use lineage_gsi_$arch.
Virtual Machine Targets
Experimental QEMU-based virtual machine targets now exist for software like libvirt and UTM. These targets enable LineageOS to run in virtualized environments, expanding testing and development possibilities. Full instructions for building and using these targets are available on the LineageOS wiki.
Download & Install Lineage OS 23.2
146 (+1 from 22.2) devices that were previously running 23.0 are being promoted with LineageOS 23.2, which is based on Android 16 QPR2. The devices include the Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet, as well as Pixel devices from the Pixel 4 to Pixel 9 series.
An OTA update will be sent to eligible devices running official 23.0 builds as soon as it becomes available.
Users on official LineageOS builds can upgrade without wiping data (unless their device’s wiki specifically requires it). Those on unofficial builds must follow standard installation procedures as if installing fresh.
For users looking to upgrade, the process has been streamlined while maintaining security. Those running official builds can typically upgrade without wiping their devices, though specific exceptions may apply. The team emphasizes the importance of following device-specific upgrade guides and verifying downloaded files through official channels.
Download Lineage Recovery or TWRP recovery
It is recommended to download and install Lineage Recovery, found right next to the Lineage OS 23 ROM. Alternatively, you can also flash the popular custom TWRP Recovery with Android 16 support from below. Download the TWRP from below and flash Lineage OS 23 using it.
- Latest TWRP recovery (official site)
Gapps for Lineage OS 23.2 (Android 16)
Gapps or Google Apps are very important if you like to have Play Services and Play Store to download Gmail, YouTube, Chrome, Google Search, etc. Either flash the Gapps zip or install the Google Apps Installer APK.
Magisk 30 Root Lineage OS 23.2
If you want to root Lineage OS 23.2 ROM, the best way is to install Magisk. Magisk 30+ comes in an APK format. Once you boot into Lineage OS, install Magisk APK and follow the instructions.
- Latest Magisk 30 APK/ZIP download (Post link)
How to Install Lineage OS 23.2 on any Android device?
You can follow the Lineage OS official tutorial here. We have used TWRP instructions below. The Lineage Recovery instructions should be similar.
Note: Some devices may need the boot images to be flashed before Lineage ROM.
Warning: We won’t be responsible for any damage or bricked devices.
- Make sure you have rooted and setup TWRP recovery on you Android device. (see above)
- Download compatible LineageOS 23 ROM zip, Recovery img, and latest Magisk APK from above.
- You may also need to flash boot image before flashing the ROM. The boot image is listed in the Lineage downloads repository above.
- Transfer files into phone storage.
- Reboot your device into Recovery Mode.
- To do so, turn off your phone, press and hold volume down + power or (volume up+ bixby + power buttons)
- Take a full Nandroid backup.
- Go to WIPE menu and press ADVANCED WIPE.
- Select partitions system, vendor, data, cache, dalvik and SWIPE TO WIPE.
- Go back to TWRP menu and press INSTALL.
- You may want to first flash the Lineage Recovery image. (available right next to Lineage OS ROM file)
- Reboot into Lineage Recovery.
- Select NOBLE ROM zip and SWIPE TO CONFIRM FLASH.
- If you see a ‘NO OS INSTALLED’ warning, go back WITHOUT REBOOTING and FLASH THE ROM AGAIN.
- Then REBOOT and enjoy LINEAGE OS 23 ROM!
- You can then flash the Gapps and Magisk.
