Develop Bugs

Multiple questions from a potential Android/Smartphone n00b

I have never owned a smart phone before the HTC Evo looks very sexy and is calling me. However, if I am going to jump on board to a smart phone then I have a few questions regarding the hacking of the device. Rooting looks very promising but I would simply like more details before I go all the way. If you could please go into the detail with your answers I would greatly appreciate it. A simply "yes" or "no" does really help me much.
1) What is 'root'ing a device. I have read a few how-to articles and seen a few videos but how would you describe it? I know what Jailbreaking is on the iPhone so I would assume it is very similar to that.
2) What are the benefits to rooting the HTC Evo?
I know there is WiFi /USB tethering but I was wondering what else is possible?
3) If I root the Evo will I (can I) still be able to receive over the air updates?
4) Will Sprint be able to tell I have a rooted device? (Aside from increased data usage)
5) Is the entire process of rooting the Evo reversible?
Ex. After rooting and installing a custom ROM can I go back to the original everything?
6) Obvious that as more time elapses better and more simpler means to root will be available, but at this very moment what do you recommend as the best tutorial to rooting an HTC Evo?
7) Probably my biggest concern with the device is OS fragmentation, more specifically I am afraid Sprint and HTC wont support the Evo once they push out Android 2.2. Obviously Google is hard pressed on out-featuring Apple and their new iOS4 so most likely we will see a 2.3 or other by years end or early next year. Is rooting the Evo and manually installing a custom ROM with newer versions of Android possible? Are their any drawbacks, such as incompatibility?
8) I personally really like HTC's Sense UI and if I rooted the device and then installed a custom ROM with FroYo (or other later Android version) will I lose the Sense UI? If I do lose the Sense UI by installing a custom ROM is it possible to get it back?
9) If I root will I be able to display more with the HDMI out? Currently the Evo can only output Gallery in 720p but I was hoping to do more such as the browser, apps such as games, and possibly everything/anything on the screen at any second (such as the home screens).
10) I know this is probably a stupid question, but how active are the developers for these custom ROMs? Can I expect more down the road?

Quicksilver4648 said:
1) What is 'root'ing a device. I have read a few how-to articles and seen a few videos but how would you describe it? I know what Jailbreaking is on the iPhone so I would assume it is very similar to that.
2) What are the benefits to rooting the HTC Evo?
I know there is WiFi /USB tethering but I was wondering what else is possible?
3) If I root the Evo will I (can I) still be able to receive over the air updates?
4) Will Sprint be able to tell I have a rooted device? (Aside from increased data usage)
5) Is the entire process of rooting the Evo reversible?
Ex. After rooting and installing a custom ROM can I go back to the original everything?
6) Obvious that as more time elapses better and more simpler means to root will be available, but at this very moment what do you recommend as the best tutorial to rooting an HTC Evo?
7) Probably my biggest concern with the device is OS fragmentation, more specifically I am afraid Sprint and HTC wont support the Evo once they push out Android 2.2. Obviously Google is hard pressed on out-featuring Apple and their new iOS4 so most likely we will see a 2.3 or other by years end or early next year. Is rooting the Evo and manually installing a custom ROM with newer versions of Android possible? Are their any drawbacks, such as incompatibility?
8) I personally really like HTC's Sense UI and if I rooted the device and then installed a custom ROM with FroYo (or other later Android version) will I lose the Sense UI? If I do lose the Sense UI by installing a custom ROM is it possible to get it back?
9) If I root will I be able to display more with the HDMI out? Currently the Evo can only output Gallery in 720p but I was hoping to do more such as the browser, apps such as games, and possibly everything/anything on the screen at any second (such as the home screens).
10) I know this is probably a stupid question, but how active are the developers for these custom ROMs? Can I expect more down the road?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Gaining access to root means that you have read/write access to all of the essential program folders. You can mess with preaty much anything and everything on the software side of your phone.
2. Backup all apps and data with titanium, overclocking, custom roms, apps2sd, JIT, themes. That is just scratching the surface.
3. Yes, but they will likely take away your root access. Devs may not gain root to those official updates for a long time or ever
4. idk. sorry can't answer them all. Anyone?
5. Yes. Run the latest RUU exe from sprint or HTC and it will unroot, but remember what I said in #3.
6. Toast's sticky on evo development forum
7. There is already a froyo rom, and as you can see their are drawbacks. The roms will evolve with the release of source, but every rom has its kinks. If history is any indication, HTC will not support evo past froyo, and will likely take a while getting the update. That should have sense.
8. Likely sense will be adapted to froyo roms in this forum, but only time will tell.
9. Good question. Again, stumped. Probably can with the right code. Sounds like you need to get in the app dev game.
10. You ain't seen nothing yet. Just based on the talent that is migrating from the hero forum (toast, flipz, zenulator, damageless and darch to name a few) we are in for a fun ride. I expect to see many devs from the g1 to upgrade. Expect a lot of activity in the months to come.

Wow grego442, thanks for the reply. This really helped me out. I am really looking forward to the HTC Evo ever since I learned the iPhone 4 has a 2Gb datacap (really AT&T?) and from I read on various gadget blogs it seems as if the development community will be supporting this device. I only hope they incorporate some of those questions I had in future developments, such as increased HDMI-out functionality.

Slidemeroot5r1 and missing paid apps in the market

Has anyone else noticed that there some paid/protected apps are not showing up in the marketplace? I can't find fandango or ride hopper pro using this rom, but they show up on slidemeroot2, nonrooted slides and a nonrooted motorola droid.
Anyone else notice missing crap?
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using Tapatalk

There are rooted and unrooted slides experiencing this as well. There is a thread about it in the general section
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using XDA App

I restored my slidemeroot2 nandroid image, wiped and reset up my google account. Low and behold I could get those two apps.
I restored my slidemeroot5, wiped, reset and still couldn't get them.
Wiped, reflashed slidemeroot5r1, added my google account and no dice off a virgin 5r1 flash.
Only thing I can think of is it knows I'm running apps2sd and can copy the apk from apps.private.
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using Tapatalk

mytouch slide
I see a lot of mytouch slide owners here and I was wondering if rooting the mytouch makes it more efficient?

dynamikd said:
I see a lot of mytouch slide owners here and I was wondering if rooting the mytouch makes it more efficient?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are a few reasons why some might actually need root the most important being the ability to put your applications onto the SD card (a2sd). Some people love to fill their phones to the brim with applications and currently there is no stock feature that allows you to use a2sd. Another feature that rooting allows is the capacity to use a wireless data sharing application that would give one the ability to use their phone as a modem with any wirelessly enabled laptop or computer. Currently there are a couple of applications in the market that will allow the use of your phone as a modem but I have found them to be less efficient than the rooted solution and limited as free versions and somewhat expensive for the full featured versions. There is talk that the 2.2 (FroYo) system update will include the a2sd feature but I was told by a tmobile beta device and software tester that he is confident that a2sd and native data tethering (network data connection sharing) with a usb cable will NOT be features supported natively in the coming FroYo (2.2) system update.
Rooting is also good for simply trying out customized and themed operating systems in the form of ROMs. Some folks have a big problem with the tmobile branded "Sense" operating system (OS) that was shipped with the phone. I love the Sense OS and I was a hardcore "Cyanogen Mod" ROM fan ... I can't imagine using a Cyanogen ROM at this point but I will try a Cyanogen ROM once that particular ROM is released because those ROMs are usually very nice. As the rooting scene develops there might by a way to "overclock" the processor to a higher speed than the 600mhz clock speed the stock ROM and all root ROMs are currently set. There has been no such overclocking achieved or utilized with a rooted ROM for the MT3GS at this point. Overclocking reduces battery life so you really have to choose whether a subtle performance improvement is worth the loss of battery longevity throughout the day.
Currently I think stock and unrooted is the way to go as the ROM's that are currently available for the MT3GS are no real improvement over stock ... but if you need a2sd due to limited internal memory or you need a mobile modem for your laptop or home computer then it is absolutely worth while. So it all depends on what you are trying improve the efficiency of when it comes to rooting.

double post ...

Rooting
NJAZ said:
There are a few reasons why some might actually need root the most important being the ability to put your applications onto the SD card (a2sd). Some people love to fill their phones to the brim with applications and currently there is no stock feature that allows you to use a2sd. Another feature that rooting allows is the capacity to use a wireless data sharing application that would give one the ability to use their phone as a modem with any wirelessly enabled laptop or computer. Currently there are a couple of applications in the market that will allow the use of your phone as a modem but I have found them to be less efficient than the rooted solution and limited as free versions and somewhat expensive for the full featured versions. There is talk that the 2.2 (FroYo) system update will include the a2sd feature but I was told by a tmobile beta device and software tester that he is confident that a2sd and native data tethering (network data connection sharing) with a usb cable will NOT be features supported natively in the coming FroYo (2.2) system update.
Rooting is also good for simply trying out customized and themed operating systems in the form of ROMs. Some folks have a big problem with the tmobile branded "Sense" operating system (OS) that was shipped with the phone. I love the Sense OS and I was a hardcore "Cyanogen Mod" ROM fan ... I can't imagine using a Cyanogen ROM at this point but I will try a Cyanogen ROM once that particular ROM is released because those ROMs are usually very nice. As the rooting scene develops there might by a way to "overclock" the processor to a higher speed than the 600mhz clock speed the stock ROM and all root ROMs are currently set. There has been no such overclocking achieved or utilized with a rooted ROM for the MT3GS at this point. Overclocking reduces battery life so you really have to choose whether a subtle performance improvement is worth the loss of battery longevity throughout the day.
Currently I think stock and unrooted is the way to go as the ROM's that are currently available for the MT3GS are no real improvement over stock ... but if you need a2sd due to limited internal memory or you need a mobile modem for your laptop or home computer then it is absolutely worth while. So it all depends on what you are trying improve the efficiency of when it comes to rooting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really appreciate you answering my question . I have a stock mt3g slide and I love the phone along with the Sense UI. It's fast, responsive and the only thing I was going to do was purchase a 32 gig card and be done with it . I started poking around the forums and that's how I came across "rooting". I just came from a jailbroken, unlocked Iphone 3g so I was totally stoked about doing this to my phone. But as I was reading up on it, I really did not see the purpose in rooting the mt3g slide just yet, besides like you said, the apps2sd and the tethering (which I did not know I could do on this phone until you mentioned it). I am a firm believer in tethering and I even downloaded the PdaNet app onto my phone but have yet to test it out.
My battery life is decent considering I keep 3g on at all times. Granted, there are a few spots that I travel to that have to use Edge but those spots are small. I saw a few videos with some nice roms but they all had the Sense UI removed and basically looked like every other android phone. I personally would like to "root" my phone while retaining Sense UI. I really like the "live wallpapers" and I have seen videos with it running on the slide and it looks really nice. Have you heard of an app called SetCpu <--spelling? I saw that people were able to overclock their chips significantly and I was wondering if I could use this same app on my mt3g slide?

dynamikd said:
I saw that people were able to overclock their chips significantly and I was wondering if I could use this same app on my mt3g slide?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesnt work yet, we dont have a kernal that supports it.
It will happen.

ratchetrizzo said:
Doesnt work yet, we dont have a kernal that supports it.
It will happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh ok I was just wondering. I cannot wait until that becomes available for our phones.
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using XDA App

Are you people total knuckleheads or just totally miguided and misinformed
I have it on good authority ( as the person sitting next to me at the moment can attest, that Team Cyanogen does indeed have a froyo 2.2 like build out for the G1, soon to be available for the MT3GS....It has native tethering, native JIT, native apps2SD, and native froyo gmail, changes to the market and native FROYO 2.2 calendar and many other tasty goodies......without all of the junk of a sense UI, so put all these inferior and one step backwards builds on your nice new shiny phone (like putting retreads on a Lamborghini)and get your heads out of your know nothing asses, and wait 2 months top for (as they say on many pizza boxes, you've tried all the rest....now try the best) a MT3GS cyanogen build

As excited as I am about obsidian's post (/sarcasm), it has no relevance to this discussion.
I'm also missing some paid apps with this ROM. Specifically Pure Calendar Agenda widget. When I get some time this weekend I'm going to try out another ROM and see what happens.
That being said, looking on Google's support boards, it might not be a ROM specific problem, but could be account related.

That is good to know. If it's an account issue, are they working on a fix for it? I don't want to root my phone then not be able to see certain products in the market place.
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using XDA App

Oh, I should be more specific. The threads I found on Google's boards were saying the problem seemed tied to Google accounts. But I've also seen some people say that changing ROMs has done it too. I'll flash something else tomorrow and check it out.

New to Android, Some Questions

I have been a long time Cell phone modder, and I have just gotten my first Android Phone, the HTC Evo 4G.
I have been reading androidforums.com and these forums for about a week now trying to get my head wrapped around things, but I still have some lingering questions.
I feel I have a good grip on how to get my phone rooted/nand unlocked, but its the what to do after that, which bothers me.
What I would like to accomplish:
More customized look and feel
Better battery life (without disabling half the features of the damn phone)
Free Wifi Hotspot
Removal of the pre-packaged crapware
Froyo
What I would not like to lose in the process:
Any of the phones functionality, including GPS/4G/Camera/Video/Bluetooth/etc.
Nice features that Sense has, such as Facebook contact syncing
Reliability or usability of the phone in general
As I have gotten older, my desire to mod has become less and less, and I get more tempted to just leave the phone alone and wait for OTA updates to come out, but when I just tried to do the wifi hotspot and learned I would have to pay an additional $30 on top of the $10 "premium data access" I made the decision to root. That being said, I don't want my phone to be something I am flashing every day. I want it to be as stable as possible so that I can get it all set up how I want without having to worry about re-flashing and losing all my data week after week to keep up with bugfixes and such.
What I don't understand is the differences between all the roms. The opinion at large seems to be that CM6 is the way to go, but it seems a lot of stuff is broken in CM6 atm, like 4G among other things.
Since this is my first android phone, I am already getting used to the Sense UI, but I have seen some other peoples home screens that just look amazing.
I guess what I am looking for is some advice, or a bit of a rundown (since I cant find all of this information in one place) about what is the best course of action to get from point A(stock phone) to point B(customized rooted phone which is "stable") over a path of least resistance.
Thanks in advance!
[also making this same post on androidforums.com]

You can accomplish everything you mentioned except froyo. If you do not want to lose any functionality then flashing a froyo rom is out of the question right now because they all have small issues. CM6 is a froyo rom.
The difference between roms is some are based on 2.2 (froyo) and others are based on 2.1 (stock for evo). Then they also differ in terms of what comes pre-installed, some remove all bloatware even sense and others do not, and then there are some in between. Any rom based on 2.1 will likely have everything working. I can tell you from experience that Damage Control and Backed Snack worked very well on my phone. The best thing to do is just try them out. Once your phone is rooted it is very easy to switch between roms.
Lastly the easiest way to achieve root is using simple root program which can be found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=720565 (that link is assuming you have latest OTA update, if not search for simple root and you will find the one pre update)

try dc 3.2.3 very stable release(has all the features working; 4g, camera, ect) and has good battery life(don't need to disable half of your phones features), it also allows for a lot of customization(DCupdater allows you to download themes and flash them straight from your phone), and you can pick and choose what bloatware to remove using DConfig, a froyo release is suppose to come out sometime this weekend.

Another option for you is to root and then flash the latest rooted "stock" rom. then flash the latest radio and wimax. then you can use a file manager to remove bloatware. I use "root explorer" from the market. be careful what you remove as removing some things can cause problems. I am currently running this on one of my evo's with no problems everything works and battery life will get me through a day. if you need more info as removing the bloatware feel free to pm me and ill help with what i can. I'm sure using the stock rom will be sufficient for you. On the phone i have running i have all features enabled and am pushing my pop3 accounts through gmail, 4g wifitether, all works just fine.

[Q] New to XDA and Android, couple quick questions?

So I'm very new to android, used to have an iPhone enjoyed jail breaking and minor adjustments to the OS but since I have not only been working closely with Android for work but also got a glorious Evo. I love the phone, just amazing how much iPhone users are missing out.
I'm hoping someone can answer a few questions for me on the new unrevoked 3:
- so it states custom roms, assume these are modified versions of android? If so where are good ones, or any suggestions. Would love to get rid of some of the Sprint bloat crap, but also enjoy a few pieces of it.
- is it true that if you use unrevoked 3, you can use the hotspot without paying? Just heard that from someone.
- will 4g still work on phone after unrevoked 3?
- what are some other perks you can do with a rooted phone like the evo? Would love to get then normal gallery app like on the n1, not the one sprint has.
It's great to be part of the new community, thanks for any advice people can provide.

thewhiterabbit9 said:
So I'm very new to android, used to have an iPhone enjoyed jail breaking and minor adjustments to the OS but since I have not only been working closely with Android for work but also got a glorious Evo. I love the phone, just amazing how much iPhone users are missing out.
I'm hoping someone can answer a few questions for me on the new unrevoked 3:
- so it states custom roms, assume these are modified versions of android? If so where are good ones, or any suggestions. Would love to get rid of some of the Sprint bloat crap, but also enjoy a few pieces of it.
- is it true that if you use unrevoked 3, you can use the hotspot without paying? Just heard that from someone.
- will 4g still work on phone after unrevoked 3?
- what are some other perks you can do with a rooted phone like the evo? Would love to get then normal gallery app like on the n1, not the one sprint has.
It's great to be part of the new community, thanks for any advice people can provide.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) each rom is different but luckily each developer explains his/her features. i just use a stock 2.2 rom for rooted phones
2)you can remove some bloatware yourself once you root the phone
3)any rooted phone can use the google android wifi tether app...for free
4)4g will work after unrevoked 3 (last i heard it was working.. fyi some roms may not work well w/ 4g)
5) some things rooted phones can do:
free wireless tether
free wired tether
titanium backup app
clockworkmod rom manager app
increase MMS photo size/remove compression limits on MMS
custom kernals, roms, bootscreens
root explorer app
shootme app
overclocking apps such as setcpu or overclockwidget
just read around, especially here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=653

You are going to see a lot of stuff about sense versus non-sense...that is referring too your user interface. Sense is what you have now. Cm6, for example, does not and will not ever be a sense version of the rom. Since you're still getting your feet wet I would stick with a sense themed rom...check out fresh 3.2 rom, EViO is another nice rom as well, as is avalaunch's av7, damage control 3 5...there are several very nice roms out there for the evo.
And to confirm, roms are basically operating systems for the phone, yeah. Definitely spend some time reading the rom threads and the link above you might as well bookmark now
Welcome to the other side. We really don't bite.
Edit ..from what I have read free hotspur is available, yes. And you will still be able to use 4g with unrevoked latest method. However if you run a cm 6 rom you will not as of yet be able to use 4g.
Tiepoz baught two yoo bi swype"3

Awesome, thanks! So last question, is using uncooked unrevoked allow me to go back to stock ota when an update comes out or how does that work?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

[Q] Just rooted...

Hello XDA. Haven't been here since I rooted my CDMA Hero (Got rid of it long ago for the Epic).
I just rooted my Epic, and now I'm looking to see what I should do next. I know I should get a rom, but I'm not sure which one, or how to go about installing. Everything seems different than from when I rooted the Hero, but that was on 1.6 too.
Rooted using OneClickRoot CWM3.0.2.5-EC05
Firmware version: 2.2.1
Baseband Version: S: D700.0.5S.EC05 (Added space between the : and D to stop the smilie from appearing.)
Kernel Version: 2.6.32.9
Build Number: FROYO.EC05
Hardware Version: D700.0.5
On light use, I notice the battery drains down something quick, and I make sure I have nothing running via task manager, as well as power saving procedures (dim brightness, no back-lit keyboard, etc) in place.
I read on here somewhere, that the battery may be draining because of Sprints Spyware.
I don't like that they have Spyware on my phone. I want that GONE.
I like the battery icon mod too, made by Impaled (I think), but I noticed in the thread that it's not supported in the EC05 build.
I like the lock screen that came on the Samsung Moment, but I really like the Puzzle lock screen from the Captivate from AT&T.
I love the Nexus Live backgrounds.
So any ROM suggestions?
Also, now that I rooted, is there anything special I should to do boost performance? The physical keyboard doesn't always register button presses, but that was even before rooting. Also here lately (also before rooting) I noticed that the screen is becoming less responsive and sometimes gets a mind of it's own. Any way to fix that without getting a new phone?
I know before I do anything I need to make a NANDROID backup.

Start in Development and read the descriptions and posts of ROMs with NO CIQ in the title. Then pick a ROM from there. Follow the instructions the developer recommends. Then go into themes and look for the add-ons you like and read if they are compatible with your ROM or if there are workarounds.
Do you BONSAI?

On a lighter note, the CIQ "spyware" of which you speak has been off by default. So despite the battery draw, Sprint and Samsung are not yet actively spying on you.
-Sent from my custom Epic.

Well I'm glad it's off by default, but I still don't like it. I don't like it from a cyber security standpoint, and from a, "Hey why do you need my personal information, and what I do, that's none of your business." standpoint.
I'm thinking Syndicate Frozen, as it works EC05. Any videos on how to install it, I see something about Twilight, and what not.
Also does it come with the battery mod in place? I want the needle and gauge icon.

Edge-1337 said:
Well I'm glad it's off by default, but I still don't like it. I don't like it from a cyber security standpoint, and from a, "Hey why do you need my personal information, and what I do, that's none of your business." standpoint.
I'm thinking Syndicate Frozen, as it works EC05. Any videos on how to install it, I see something about Twilight, and what not.
Also does it come with the battery mod in place? I want the needle and gauge icon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You asked for a video on how to do it! That deserves a thank you.
This guy right here is your man qbking77, with fantastic video tutorials. As far as the needle and gauge, I do believe you'll have to add the battery mod apk in separately afterwards.
From here on out, Google can be your best friend, just add "XDA" to your search. Best of luck!

Thank you.
I'm not technologically inclined, it's just that Android phones are different from Playstations. lol I can unbrick a PSP. My phone...well I'd rather not brick it in the first place.
Long as I have a video guide I can do it on my own. The threads are nice, I know a lot of time and effort is placed into them, but they can be often confusing to someone who doesn't know an entirely too lot about modding Android phones. So better to be the noob and ask for help, rather than running the risk of bricking my phone, which is why I'm here at XDA in the first place. xD
So I do appreciated the video, thank you.
I have the battery icon mod.apk already installed on my phone, does that matter, or do I need to remove it, flash the rom, then re-install the .apk?