Choices, choices, and more choices! It never seems to end, with new ROMs and ports coming up every day from left, right and center. The Motorola Droid 3 has a new Ice Cream Sandwich Android 4.0 based ROM, called AOKP ROM, based on the Android Open Kang Project (AOKP) that brings fast performance, along with a Pandora’s box of customization options. It is being ported over to the Droid 3 by XDA member Hashcode who also develops the Cyanogenmod (CM9) ROM for the same phone.

However, since this is a beta release, issues are present and new bugs can crop up at any time. Read on to find out how to flash AOKP ROM on your Motorola Droid 3.

Compatibility

This ROM and the guide below is compatible only and only with the Motorola Droid 3. It’s not compatible with any other device and may render an incompatible device unusable. Check your device model in Settings » About phone.

Warning!

The methods and procedures discussed here are considered risky and you should not attempt anything if you don’t know exactly what you are doing. If any damage occurs to you or your device, including a bricked, non-functional device, we won’t be held liable. You have been forewarned!

ROM Info

Developer → Hashcode

What doesn’t work:

  • Camera (in progress)
  • HW Video Codecs (in progress)
  • Bluetooth on but not connected = loss of all audio (in progress)
  • Seems only 1 SD card is sharing, this needs to be corrected with a CM patch — might also be causing a Nova Launcher crash which needs a battery pull.

Pre-installation Requirements/Tips

  1. Rooted Motorola Droid 3 with Clockworkmod Recovery installed.
  2. Sufficiently charged battery, at least 50% is recommended.
  3. This procedure will wipe all your apps, data and settings (but it will NOT touch your SD cards, so don’t worry about those). Backup your Apps and important data — bookmarks, contacts, SMS, APNs (internet settings), etc. This Android backup guide would help you.

How to Install AOKP ROM on Droid 3

  1. Download the latest version of the ROM from the original development page.
  2. Download the Google Apps package (this is required since the ROM itself doesn’t contain Google apps like Market, Talk, etc).
    Download Link  |  Filename: ICS_MOTO_GAPPS_02_14_2012.zip
  3. Transfer the zip files downloaded in step 1 and 2 to the root of the internal SD card on your phone.
  4. Turn off your phone and wait for complete shutdown.
  5. Then, boot into Clockworkmod (CWM) recovery. In recovery, use Volume buttons to navigate and the Power button to select.
  6. Select “wipe data / factory reset” –> then select “Yes – wipe data/factory reset” on the next screen. (This will NOT format or erase your SD card contents)
  7. Now, select “install zip from sdcard”, then select “choose zip from sdcard”.
  8. Scroll to the ROM file you transferred in step 2 and select it. Select “Yes – Install *rom_name*.zip” on the next screen to confirm installation.
  9. After the ROM finishes installing, again select “choose zip from sdcard”, then scroll to the Google apps package file you downloaded in step 2. Select “Yes – Install ICS_MOTO_GAPPS_02_14_2012.zip” on the next screen to confirm installation of the Google apps.
  10. After the installation is complete, select “go back” then select “reboot system now” to reboot the phone and boot up into AOKP ROM.
  11. Important! If you are coming from a Gingerbread ROM, do not let Google restore your settings as this will cause problems.

That’s it. AOKP ROM is now installed on your Motorola Droid 3. Follow the development page to get the latest updates on the ROM. Share your thoughts on the ROM in the comments below.