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Note: We are currently considering a merger with the XDA University, a very similar project that has just started up.

The Android Development Codex is a community-built, comprehensive guidebook to all aspects of Android modding, customized for the phones that make it up.

It aims to reform the XDA Wiki and consolidate all the information from the forums into one single, easy to read, and up-to-date guide for customized to every Android device.

Key to this guide is the heavy use of templates to reduce redundancy, device specific guides for the dirty work of rooting, unlocking, and further development, and general guides for modding Android itself.

This is a community-created analog to the Official XDA Developers Book, but extended to all devices.

Why make a monolithic guide?

Unfortunately, as a result of XDA's messy evolution, there are a confusing mess of tutorials, new and outdated all over the forums. The status quo can be unclear at the least and cause many a brick at the worst. The developers of XDA have constantly been battered by noobs who don't know what they're doing. Why not show the new users how, with a nice, clear, organized guide? As such, the Android Development Codex aims to make one monolithic guidebook to better educate newcomers, allow the entire community to work on one guide, and keep up with new developments.

Nearly all the content in this guide is a consolidation and rewrite of the groundbreaking work of others in the XDA community. I have attempted to find all the people whose contents and guides are a part of this compilation, with the credits and source links in the below guides. However, if you feel that your name and guide is not in the credits, contact us and we'll put you in.

Sections

• Introduction - A quick intro to the rationale and ideals of this guide, and smartphone modding in general.
• General Setup - Learn how to install and run the tools you need to succeed.
• Device Guides - Customized, fully decked out guides to the procedures, tips, and tricks to mod each and every device our editors could get their hands on.
• General OS Customizations - After you've done the hard work, it's time to reap the benefits. Since most OS version are functionally the same across phones, these mods work on almost every model.

Research and Development (R&D)

• The Ideals of FOSS - Free/Open Source Software. Android is FOSS software and subscribes to the FOSS mentality; it is vital to understand to discover what that means for you and the community in general.
• ROM Development - Now, are you ready to start on the road to becoming an XDA Developer? No worries, it's not all that hard (in the beginning). Custom ROM development, with the creation of kitchen software, has never been easier. We will slowly move toward deeper mods from there.
• Mobile Device Programming - Apps are the programs that makes your device tick. This guide will introduce you to programming, then to creating the apps that you want and need.
• Device Research - New devices come out all the time, new updates block other exploits, and new methods need to be discovered. This guide will detail what you need to do, and how to find or create those methods.

Content Guidelines

• General Guidelines - The ideals that you should uphold while working with and editing this guide.
• Device Guide Standards - Templates and general guidelines for creating customized guides for a device.

Reference

• Glossary - Contains all the crazy acronyms and word soup that you'll need to wade through when using this guide. Usually imported as templates at the beginning of each device guide.
• Android Buying Guide for Modders - If you were unlucky enough to buy the wrong phone, you could face a grueling uphill path for modding that will try your patience, increase the danger, and reduce the rewards. Just buy the right phone for modding first.
• HTC Manuals - My god, it has everything from using the phone to dismantling the phone! Great stuff that we should take in.