[Q] Stock Android flash friendliness? - G3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I've been a Nexus user for the pats few years. I'm diving into the G3 because I'm a sucker for the specs and the phone itself looks great. I have a Nexus 5, but this device makes me want to jump and try something else.
I haven't received it yet, but some of the LG features do look useful. I can't say I like the skin too much though, and I want to try Android L when it is released. My last non-Nexus device was the T-Mobile G2, and it did get a stock Android ROM without much hassle. Is it safe to say the LG G3 will be the same since we're only talking stock Android? I imagine a lot of useful features such as knock-code won't be able to get imported though, am I correct?

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Anybody coming from n5?

I came from the n5 and I already miss aosp. I was wondering if anyone else feel the same way. I also want to know why other companies such as sams and htc offer a google edition for their flagships and not lg? Like why in the world wouldn't lg offer a ge for their phones?
F4M0U569 said:
I came from the n5 and I already miss aosp. I was wondering if anyone else feel the same way. I also want to know why other companies such as sams and htc offer a google edition for their flagships and not lg? Like why in the world wouldn't lg offer a ge for their phones?
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I'm coming from an N5, previously had the G2, but 4.4 fobbed up pdanet tether so I went for the N5. I am looking forward to getting away from AOSP.
aosp is kinda boring now but after trying out android it made me change my mind..i have never been a fan of touchwiz im just gonna try it out once they release it to stores but we wont see a stable aosp build till next year
Keeping this G3 vs saving $215 and using my nexus on android L is a hard dilemma right now
Sent from my LG-D850 using Tapatalk
My N5 already feels small lol. I don't really mind LG's skin as it isn't too obtrusive. I know I'm going to miss my Nexus when Android L drops, but I really like the bigger screen and I should have much better battery life now.
I have the red variant on the N5, but the G3 will be a nice change of pace.
stevew84 said:
I have the red variant on the N5, but the G3 will be a nice change of pace.
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Same here. The red is awesome
Sent from my LG-D850 using Tapatalk
robstunner said:
Same here. The red is awesome
Sent from my LG-D850 using Tapatalk
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Yea, but I need something different.
I came from the N4 to the HTC One M7 then the N5 to the G3, do I miss stock android, sometimes, is it fatal to my enjoyment of the G3? Hell no!
LG's theme is not too far from stock, it is enjoyable enough, you still have access to more or less everything you do on a stock android build.
As for the GPE, I believe it is Google that are the driving force behind that, it may be that because LG have been building the last few Nexus devices that they have not wanted a GPE too.
Lennyuk said:
I came from the N4 to the HTC One M7 then the N5 to the G3, do I miss stock android, sometimes, is it fatal to my enjoyment of the G3? Hell no!
LG's theme is not too far from stock, it is enjoyable enough, you still have access to more or less everything you do on a stock android build.
As for the GPE, I believe it is Google that are the driving force behind that, it may be that because LG have been building the last few Nexus devices that they have not wanted a GPE too.
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thankfully if they do release a GPE, you can simply flash the GPE rom on the carrier variants of the G3
Yep miss it sometimes but to be honest.. I dont mind G3's launcher.. Its not that far off + you get some handy features.
Also with my G3 I rooted it instantly then installed the Google Experience Launcher, Xposed framework with GEL settings and the new 'Teaksbox" module and its amazing now!! <3 love it!
Yep, I'm coming from the N5 too. At the beginning I also missed AOSP.
But to be honest after some usage I think the LG Android is pretty fine. I uninstalled the apps I don't need or want, use nova launcher for the AOSP feeling, have hidden some more apps from the app drawer, changed the settings menu to list view, installed SwiftKey keyboard and the missing Google Apps from the play store.
It is pretty decent now and I'm happy (especially with the camera .
And yes the N5 and N4 feel so tiny now, lol.

Tab Pro 8.4 - Stock KitKat or Lollipop ROMs?

Hey guys,
I bought one of these tabs and the specs are pretty good but i hate UX. Its enough for me to return it.
I'd rather not flash to CyanogenMod and instead use a regualr plain ole KitKat or Lollipop AOSP stock Rom.
Does such a beast exist? I've looked everywhere.
Cheers.... Shane
"Stock" is a really confusing term to use. Stock for this device means TouchWiz. I think you mean something like GPE (Google Play Edition) or Nexus type ROM, without any manufacturer customization. Some may consider this "stock Google" in a sense. But as very few actual devices have come with such a thing out of the box, its hard for me to consider this "stock".
Even calling CM and the like "AOSP" is a stretch. CM and many other "AOSP" ROMs have so many customizations at this point, its hard to see any relation to the original Android OS as it comes from Google.
Ok, rant over.
I haven't seen anything like that (Nexus or GPE ROM for this device), unfortunately. I'd say just bite it and flash either CM11 or Slimkat, as they are IMO much less laggy and bloated then TouchWiz.
Have you guys tried Lollipop yet? I have (Nexus) and OMG it's actually quite a few steps backward and definitely not ready for prime-time. In fact, I heard it's even worse on Tablets compared to Phones.
I'm GLAD this tablet is only on 4.4.2 -- I would love a 4.4.4 upgrade, but that's it. I do not want Lollipop to hit the Galaxy Tab Pro series until at least Android v5.1 or 5.2 so that some of the horrible design decisions have been reversed, or at least adjusted.
I agree that Lollipop is not ready for prime time. I installed from the factory images on both a Nexus 7 and a Nexus 10 -- and the rolled back to KitKat. Biggest issue for me was unavailability of Xposed Framework.
At this point I'm happy to stay with this ROM plus my Xposed tweaks:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/gal...-rooted-deodex-t320xar1ang1-08-02-14-t2836052
Google Now Launcher
shane.kelly55 said:
Hey guys,
I bought one of these tabs and the specs are pretty good but i hate UX. Its enough for me to return it.
I'd rather not flash to CyanogenMod and instead use a regualr plain ole KitKat or Lollipop AOSP stock Rom.
Does such a beast exist? I've looked everywhere.
Cheers.... Shane
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just get the Google Now Launcher. I dislike the Touchwiz laggy UI as well. When I intalled GNL the lag went away + I still had the extra Samsung features!

Should I upgrade to the G3?

Hello everyone!
I currently have a galaxy S4 and don't feel like spending $600 or being on a monthly payment plan via AT&T and was considering just buying a used, last generation phone. I was looking at the Galaxy S5, the LG G3, and a few other ones (maybe Sony's Z3 and HTC's M8). One thing I wish the G3 had was the USB 3.0 charging that the S5 has but, apart from that, the specs on the G3 look awesome! I had a few questions that you guys might be able to answer:
1) Are you happy with the G3?
2) If you were looking to get an older generation phone now, would you get the G3 or another phone?
3) Are the bootloaders locked in the G3? (The S4 had the bootloaders locked in an update so I want to ensure that if this is an issue, I get one that hasn't been updated to a locked bootloader).
If you guys don't mind helping me make the right decision with an upgrade, I'd appreciate it. Thanks a lot!
-Jay
1. I'm over the moon with my g3, as are a lot of users. Now that we've had time to open it up, it's got so much custom rom and kernel availability that I only wish I got off stock sooner. Coming from an s4 to the g3, will make a world of difference. Any battery or performance issues due to the screen can be negated with rooting and using a custom rom that is more optimized than the stock ROM (For an exmple you can go to the g3 Android development section and check out the custom roms and what they look like, as well as the features they pack).
2. I'd get the g3 as a "past generation" phone in a heartbeat, for the reasons above.
3. Yes, the boatloader is locked, LG is notorious for locking their devices bootloaders, but we've been able to achieve root and custom ROM support by Bumping the custom rom images (Signing them with legit tags to make the boatloader think it's official firmware) so at this point I don't think that'll matter at all.
TL;DR: Coming from an S4 to the G3 will be one heck of an upgrade. And, with the custom support, you won't regret it.
iDefalt said:
1. I'm over the moon with my g3, as are a lot of users. Now that we've had time to open it up, it's got so much custom rom and kernel availability that I only wish I got off stock sooner. Coming from an s4 to the g3, will make a world of difference. Any battery or performance issues due to the screen can be negated with rooting and using a custom rom that is more optimized than the stock ROM (For an exmple you can go to the g3 Android development section and check out the custom roms and what they look like, as well as the features they pack).
2. I'd get the g3 as a "past generation" phone in a heartbeat, for the reasons above.
3. Yes, the boatloader is locked, LG is notorious for locking their devices bootloaders, but we've been able to achieve root and custom ROM support by Bumping the custom rom images (Signing them with legit tags to make the boatloader think it's official firmware) so at this point I don't think that'll matter at all.
TL;DR: Coming from an S4 to the G3 will be one heck of an upgrade. And, with the custom support, you won't regret it.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the recommendation! I appreciate it!

Might buy D851: Looking for opinions

Hi folks,
I just dropped my Samsung S4 and cracked the screen. :crying: It still works, but it's time to move on. I never buy new / latest devices; instead I wait and buy last year's model from Swappa or the like, selling my old phone to partially subsidize the purchase. Looks like my S4 is going to the Boneyard.
What I've been looking for is a 2014 model, 5.5" screen, rootable/unlocked bootloader (I like custom ROMs :good: ), phone with a multicolor notification light and good battery. Was thinking to go up to Nexus 6 but it's just too big for me.
The LG G3 looks just about perfect. I've spent the last hour reading up on it. The T-Mo version should work fine for my AT&T service, and it comes unlocked, both SIM and Bootloader. Can any ATT users attest to the phone working well on that network? (EDIT: I googled a bit and found it works fine)
There seems to be plenty of development, though surprisingly I don't see a plain vanilla GPE 5.1.1 ROM out there. Most of the development I see seems to be around AOSP (I'm a fan of SlimROMs and have had good experiences with Dirty Unicorns too, been considering Bliss on other devices). Have I missed a very plain GPE (at least 5.1) compiled for the G3? Doing my research it looks like the latest OTA is still 20G (5.0.1), and it sounds like Marshmallow will eventually come out (I'm not sure I want it...). Would love to hear what the most plain GPE like 5.1 ROM is.
I'd love to hear any experience or recommendations... anybody get a G3 recently and wish they got something else, instead? Or is this a device we can all love for another year or so?
Thanks. I'm itching to pull the trigger and just need some encouragement, or possibly a conk on the head to look into some other phone.
One last question: how intense is the vibrate function on the G3? My S4 isn't strong enough vibrating, and I often miss calls and stuff when I'm in silent/vibrate mode. Looking for something a bit more attention getting if possible!
Marc
I dropped my note 3 for thus phone. Although it's rootable the g3 seems to be fragile when it comes to flashing roms if you don't know what you are doing. Not worse than the note 3 though ( ATT murdered that phone).
Thanks for the reply!
I've gone ahead and purchased the D851. It should arrive today, and I should have it set up later this week. Looking forward to it. I've bought an iCarez 0.2mm screen protector for it and am looking into bumpers/wraps to keep it minty.
I'm a bit concerned since there's no 5.1(.1) GPE ROM available, but many of the Dev'ed ROM options look attractive. I'm going to start by rooting the thing and subtracting bloatware. After that, we'll see... On the S4, the T-Mo boot animation was reason enough to flash a ROM. Loud and annoying.
I'm curious, are you stock, or have you flashed something (if so, which ROM)?
Again, thank you. I appreciate your reply.
I was practically in the same boat. I had a GS4 , but cracked the display, the actual display not the glass, and bought a G3. I replaced the front glass twice before that, its a very fragile phone. But otherwise I loved the S4 for the screen, the plain design, ROMs, expandable storage, and removable battery.
The G3 is very comparable to the S4, the screen I'd say is slight upgrade. You can barely notice 1440p vs 1080p, and I'd say its viewing angles aren't as good, but I still like it over my S4. I'm running paranoid android 5.1.1 on it now. Its similar to AOSP. If you liked the GS4 you'd probably like the G3 but it wasn't that great an upgrade. Still though, its logical to get the G3 if your S4 is broken as its pretty much an S4 with more up to date components and an LG logo on it.
Thanks for the input ! I did buy a G3 and will set it up this weekend. I will look into the ROM you mentioned too.
Sent from my SHIELD Tablet using Tapatalk
I wish I'd seen this sooner. I'd have steered you clear of the G3. Biggest piece of garbage unless you're running boring stock. Even the CM team can't figure out how to make a stable ROM for it... And they've been at it for over a year! Bluetooth audio will never be right, Bluetooth LE will stop working altogether and you'll experience major network connectivity issues... All on day one and with any of the custom ROMs out there. It seems that the LG is so proprietary that nothing can control it aside from the boring, bloated, ugly and battery eating stock.
Aalendi said:
I wish I'd seen this sooner. I'd have steered you clear of the G3. Biggest piece of garbage unless you're running boring stock. Even the CM team can't figure out how to make a stable ROM for it... And they've been at it for over a year! Bluetooth audio will never be right, Bluetooth LE will stop working altogether and you'll experience major network connectivity issues... All on day one and with any of the custom ROMs out there. It seems that the LG is so proprietary that nothing can control it aside from the boring, bloated, ugly and battery eating stock.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the opinion, but I have to say I'm loving my D851.
I rooted it and installed TWRP straight out of the gate, so that I could make some changes I wanted to (such as uninstalling T-Mobile specific system apps, not needed for me on ATT), but I never even needed to change out the ROM. The phone works great on the stock ROM (minus a few things I manually debloated), and doesn't feel bloated or laggy. I didn't even bother to install the Cloudy ROM (debloated stock).
I did install the Google Now launcher, because I wasn't a fan of the stock UI. I like the things Google Now brings to the table and it cleaned up the UI.
After the first few days I stopped playing around with the phone because everything works great. Bluetooth to my car, no problem, great WIFI antenna and Cell receptivity as compared to my Galaxy S4. Nice screen, battery life is outstanding...
Loving the phone.
Can't disagree with Aalendi more. I've had the 851 for almost 18 months and running SR Lolly V6 - Final on it for the past 6 months. Works perfectly and even though I'm tempted from time to time to "upgrade" to another phone, I cannot find enough differences out there to warrant it. Android 6 is already emerging and I'm waiting to upgrade the ROM when I feel its almost glitch-free (which it's not at the moment. I think you made a fine decision. JM2C
Manual debloat?
I am sorta/kinda new to the ROM party and am able to install TWRP and flash/root my D851. However, I went back to the stock ROM because of Wi-Fi calling and more stable network connectivity than 3rd-party ROMS. My question to you is what do you mean by 'manual debloat'? Is that a function of TWRP or simply removing/disabling apps? Thanks.
Manual de-bloat refers to you being able to remove programs that carriers or manufacturers install on your phone when you first purchase it. Rooting your phone allows you to do this yourself.

Thinking about buying the LG G4.. how stable are the custom roms?

So I finally broke my Galaxy S4 last night, and I'm thinking about buying an LG G4 to replace it. However, the LG UI "improvements" look awful, and I bet I would be changing the firmware pretty soon if I get it. So with that in mind, I'm wondering if I should be buying the phone. Is CM13 or other roms stable enough that replacing the stock rom a good idea on a new phone?
I'm also considering any any other phone in the same price range, including the Moto X Style (Pure).
Unless you're looking to get the T-Mobile (811) or the International EU (815) version, there is no way to install custom roms. Those are the only two unlockable variants.
The other versions are rootable if you stay on 5.1.1 LP, but if you want 6.0 MM, you'll be stuck with the T-Mobile or EU Int version. There is no way to root all the other variants on 6.0
Luckily, I would be getting the 815 version.
As far as I can tell the ROMs based on stock are very stable. You won't even notice the difference. CM and CM based ROMs are the usual. Stable but have a few annoying bugs. I haven't really tried any AOSP so I won't speak for those
Heres my opinion.i have a tmobile version and if i flasha custom rom it seems to drop the bands as i cannot get signal in places where i can on stock based custom roms or pure stock rom.it does not switch between towers properly and i lose the ability to make or recieve calls.when i check phone info on aosp or cm based roms it shows it uses only 4 of the 12 bands i have.
Overlord Yuri said:
So I finally broke my Galaxy S4 last night, and I'm thinking about buying an LG G4 to replace it. However, the LG UI "improvements" look awful, and I bet I would be changing the firmware pretty soon if I get it. So with that in mind, I'm wondering if I should be buying the phone. Is CM13 or other roms stable enough that replacing the stock rom a good idea on a new phone?
I'm also considering any any other phone in the same price range, including the Moto X Style (Pure).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I made the same transition; from Galaxy S4 to Lg G4.
I'm running stock with Xposed. The G4 Tweaksbox app has a themes option and I've got a stock android one applied. It's really stable (I always expect themes to go crazy). The only other thing is the settings. You can get a stock settings mod but I don't really see the point. It works well enough for me and settings isn't really something you'd aim to be going on everyday anyway.
The clip tray is annoying but can be disabled. Add nova launcher and Google keyboard and it's all good. This is a much better solution than a custom ROM. You'll never get this kind of stability. Not forgetting that your camera app and fm radio and others will also be gone.
EDIT:
When buying, make sure the serial number starts with 601 or 602 603... These phones were manufactured this year so hopefully won't have the bootloop bug. If buying 2nd hand, ask the seller for the serial. If they can't provide it, ask for the IMEI and look up the serial number using https://imeidata.net/warranty/lg
There are too many references for 6XX bootloop issues, so I wouldn't recommend LG G4 at all , for custom theming,roms etc. Even after replacing motherboards of 5xx to 6xx, the bootloops are something more common than I used to believe...
personally am very happy with g4(601). best combo for me is Genisys Rom 4.2 + SimpleGX KERNEL (then Tweaksbox, xposed & nova launcher). very stable, no lags, speedy, good battery, amazing camera/lg app. downsides are unlocking bootloader voids warranty & the body corner feels painfully sharp after a while in the hand.
I am happy with the G4 too, 601 as well , but unfortunately that doesn't change the fact that there are many issues with the phone! I hope the OP can enjoy and proceed at his own risk of course!
Thanks for the replies guys! At the moment I think I'm leaning towards the Moto X Style, and will probably order it (at pretty much the same price as the G4) tomorrow unless someone talks me out of it.
Overlord Yuri said:
Thanks for the replies guys! At the moment I think I'm leaning towards the Moto X Style, and will probably order it (at pretty much the same price as the G4) tomorrow unless someone talks me out of it.
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Click to collapse
I'll be honest with you.....my mom has this phone and has massive battery drain issues, where as I have none. If your going for good battery and fast updates than Motorola will be your best bud, but if you don't mind mediocre battery but a kick ass camera then the G4 will be your best bud. PS it's as good as point and shoot this is coming from someone that does photography for a living.
Sent from my LG-H812 using XDA Free mobile app
I also have little to no faith in LG anymore. Moving on to bigger better things but will ride it out until my upgrade is eligible.
Going back to Samsung, Motorola, Huawei or HTC.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
Going to repeat this over and over again, i don't understand those people who after unboxing immediately install custom ROM (What!? you know what you're buying, you support OEM in this case LG, you support their firmware, skin and now you throwing out your money for something else in many cases worse, facepalm) if you want pure Android you buy Nexus, Motorola maybe, that's it, as Google says "Be together not the same". Installing custom ROM's it's like putting BMW rims on Toyota's car... beside that, G4 don't need a custom ROM, just imagine what your going to deal with custom ROM, awful camera, sound issue, lost functionalities, bugs, strange battery drains, degradation in overall battery life and everything for stock Android look? for latest security patches? themes? it's not worth it atleast now, IMO custom ROM's comes in handy when OEM stop's supporting your device with the latest firmware so if i done calculations right you should look for CM for LG G4 when Android 8-9 comes out. All you need is a root and good kernel then comes a good stuff, long story short, CM is a cancer for latest devices, flagships, believe me and don't think i'm condemning CM.
Frant1c said:
Going to repeat this over and over again, i don't understand those people who after unboxing immediately install custom ROM (What!? you know what you're buying, you support OEM in this case LG, you support their firmware, skin and now you throwing out your money for something else in many cases worse, facepalm) if you want pure Android you buy Nexus, Motorola maybe, that's it, as Google says "Be together not the same". Installing custom ROM's it's like putting BMW rims on Toyota's car... beside that, G4 don't need a custom ROM, just imagine what your going to deal with custom ROM, awful camera, sound issue, lost functionalities, bugs, strange battery drains, degradation in overall battery life and everything for stock Android look? for latest security patches? themes? it's not worth it atleast now, IMO custom ROM's comes in handy when OEM stop's supporting your device with the latest firmware so if i done calculations right you should look for CM for LG G4 when Android 8-9 comes out. All you need is a root and good kernel then comes a good stuff, long story short, CM is a cancer for latest devices, flagships, believe me and don't think i'm condemning CM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
I used to be one of those who buys a flagship device, then immediately look for bootloader unlock, root and flash. But after having LG G4 for 3 weeks now, stock MM latest, installed with my needed apps and games, I lost the feel of flashing custom ROMs.
G4 is great as it is, although optimizations can be done, a little upgrade here and there. As long as LG supports G4 with updates and with their accessories, then I'll stay with LG as manufacturer. Of they abandon us (like what they did with G PRO), then I'll switch devices.
LG has been my favorite since 2013.
Overlord Yuri said:
Luckily, I would be getting the 815 version.
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Click to collapse
Be extremely cautious where you get your 815 from. I bought one from Value basket that was advertised as a European Variant for the express purpose of developing a CFW- When it came it wasn't and they refused to exchange it. I've got an email trail as long as your arm trying to get the thing exchanged but they're just con-merchants.
But it's still an awesome phone....
Frant1c said:
if you want pure Android you buy Nexus, Motorola maybe, that's it, as Google says "Be together not the same". Installing custom ROM's it's like putting BMW rims on Toyota's car... beside that, G4 don't need a custom ROM, just imagine what your going to deal with custom ROM, awful camera, sound issue, lost functionalities, bugs, strange battery drains, degradation in overall battery life and everything for stock Android look?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do get your point. Buying the G4 would have been a compromise to get some good hardware for a low price, and I hoped to to sweeten that deal even more by customizing the firmware to my liking. However, I ended up getting a second-hand Nexus 6P instead. :victory:
Overlord Yuri said:
I do get your point. Buying the G4 would have been a compromise to get some good hardware for a low price, and I hoped to to sweeten that deal even more by customizing the firmware to my liking. However, I ended up getting a second-hand Nexus 6P instead. :victory:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Smartest move you could have ever made. LG has left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. Ever since I got my phone back with a new circuit board it feels like a ticking time bomb and I don't use it for anything other than texting, phone use and browsing. How pathetic is that.
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