TWRP 2.7 brings extremely long list of new features and changes

Rooters and ROMers beware: TWRP 2.7 is here, and it wants to eat your lunch. The custom touch-based recovery by TeamWin will do so with a multitude of new features, including new graphics rendering changes to make for a smoother user interface and experience, mouse support via USB OTG for folks whose displays might be broken, text wrap in the console output and more.

Here’s the full list of changes we’re to look forward to:

• Faster graphics rendering by disabling alpha blending on fully opaque objects thanks to Tassadar
• Allow sideloading from /tmp on encrypted devices
• Check for a crypto footer before asking for a password to prevent user confusion
• Additional checks for validity to auto generated backup names
• Text wrap in the console output
• Proper caps lock support in the keyboard
• Mouse support via USB OTG for devices with a broken digitizer
• Improve scanning of storage locations for OpenRecoveryScript
• Haptic feedback for buttons, keyboard, and vibration at the end of longer running actions
• Fixed ext4 wiping when no selinux contexts are defined for that partition (e.g. sd-ext)
• Update SuperSU to 1.93 and improve installation process
• Added selinux contexts restoration to fix permissions
• Load RTC offset on Qualcomm devices to fix the date/time in recovery
• USB Mass Storage fixes Add SELinux support checking
• Add Disk Usage class to better handle excluded folders (e.g. Google Music cache)
• Add 4.4 decrypt support
• Add some toolbox utilities to TWRP (namely to support SELinux functions not supported in busybox)
• Various SELinux fixes and bug fixes

Unfortunately, users of some older devices will find that their devices will no longer be fully supported. Namely, any device that can’t handle the newly-added SELinux support will be dropped from the team’s immediate radar. This is because SELinux support requires a phone that can handle an Android 4.1 or higher base to install any ROM built on Android 4.4 and higher.

That doesn’t mean your device will never be able to install Android 4.4 KitKat ROMs through TWRP 2.7, but the team will need someone with one of these devices to help them with proper development and testing. An easy way to check if your phone supports SELinux is to open the terminal console. Supported phones will show “Full SELinux support,” while those which don’t, won’t. Simple, right?

If you’re ready to take the plunge, be sure to head to TWRP’s website here and check to see if your device is on the list. If it is, download the appropriate files and follow the instructions closely. As always, you’re responsible for anything that happens to your device as a result of trying to install this custom recovery, and you also run the risk of voiding your warranty, so keep that in mind before proceeding.

[via TWRP]