| LeWa OS | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Lewa Technology |
| Written in | C (core),C++ (some third party libraries),Java (UI) |
| Working state | Deprecated |
| Source model | Closed source with open-source components |
| Marketing target | Firmware replacement for low-costAndroid devices |
| Package manager | APK |
| Kernel type | Monolithic (Linux kernel) |
| Official website | www |
LeWa OS (Chinese:乐蛙), also known asMusic Frogs andжабка, was an operating system for smartphones, based on theAndroid mobile platform.[1][2] Developed by Chinese company Lewa Technology, it was mainly intended for low-cost phones under 1000 yuan (around US$126).[3] By the end of April 2013, there were more than 2 million users of the system,[4] and by the end of July 2012, they were among the most popular third-party Android-based ROMs in China, together withMIUI and DianXin OS (also known as Tapas OS).[5] Lewa was also the first aftermarket Android-based firmware in the world to support the dual-SIM standby feature.[6]
LeWa's team started developing ROMs for Android devices since August 2009, before the LeWa company was established.[7]
Soon after LeWa's technology was established in Shanghai at April 2011, it had received 20 million Reminbiangel investment from Green Pine Capital Partners (also the Round A investor of fanfou.com, coship and some other companies) by June 2011.[8] The company released the first official release of LeWa OS in October 2011. In June 2012, the first "Open Build" version was released with parts of its source codeopen-sourced, accompanied by atoolchain for developers to build their own versions of the OS.[9]
During early July 2012, it received 50 million renminbi (~7/9 million USD) funding fromTencent,[5][10] and LeWa started deeply integrating Tencent's mobile manager into their ROM since a month before that and provided a SDK to block spam messages on the system level.[11] Observers believe this investment is part of Tencent's strategy to enter the ROM-flashing market.[12]
By Late July 2012, the company introducedM+ Platform, becoming the first team to develop ROMs optimized for theMediaTeK platform.[13][14]
The Chinese version ofNokia X had been found to ship with LeWa OS 5 by default in early 2014.[15]
The ROM includes its ownapp store named "LeWa Market",[16] a power-save mode,[17] adjustable switches in notification bar,[18] and other modifications "optimized and localized" for Chinese users. It releases new version viaover-the-air updates every Friday.[19][20][21] Unofficial releases are available for certain phones without official support from LeWa.[22] Some believe that it provides a user experience and design that's similar or better thaniOS andMIUI, and some also praise the ROM for being simple and battery-saving.[23][24][25] However, some Chinese commentators believe that it consumes more battery than stock Android.[26]
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