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Thinking of jumping ship?? Tired of ignoring your reason and rationality? Need help and support? Tired of antiquated Windows?
This is the official Rhodium renouncing thread. I am SOOO happy I switched! Get our life back, get away from Windows!!!
Go away, why are you still here if you have no Rhodium?
You should meet nycny!!!!!!
jcterry said:
You should meet nycny!!!!!!
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ROFLMAO
EDIT: oh, and I want my money back too...the title of this thread is absolutely 100% untrue, in my case anway
Well, I think it's fantastic you got a phone you enjoy using! Everyone should enjoy using their device. However, this begs the question: Why are you posting in the Rhodium section about how much you hate the phone, when this section is mostly (if not completely) filled with people who like their Rhodiums and like Windows Mobile? It's great you got a device you enjoy, but why are you telling the people who like their Rhodiums?
Just because you didn't have a good experience with the device, and didn't like it, doesn't mean the rest of us feel the same way. Most of the people who bought the Rhodium bought it because they like Windows Mobile, they like the form factor, they like something else about the device, or they don't really care at all. For a poor, suffering Rhodium user who must bear the pains of owning such an awful device, I can say that I'm actually quite happy with it
Don't feed the TROLLS
The torture I must endure with this device
Please delete this post, due to my husband's xbox play-time, and crappy wifi, my laptop lagged so it became a double post...my apologies.
The torture I must endure with this device
DaveTheTytnIIGuy said:
For a poor, suffering Rhodium user who must bear the pains of owning such an awful device, I can say that I'm actually quite happy with it
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ROTFLMFAO!!!!
I had the Moto Cliq AND the Samsung Behold 2...both droid based phones, both sucked ass...I went running back to WinMo and am so happy I did. I can go a few days without charging my device...both droid phones I had to charge LITERALLY every 4-5 hours!! I can customize my device, tweak the hell out of it, and if I so choose, run a cooked rom made to my liking...not so with the Cliq or Behold 2 (not saying it won't be able to happen, but back in November, hell no). I too am quite happy, thrilled really, with the horrible device known as the Rhodium!! I guess what they say is true...ignorance is bliss.
BTW, the troll got its ass handed to him when he challenged the 3 billy goats gruff.
My daughter has the Cliq after the G1, and I also have the 3G Hero before buying the Nexus. I went through 2 Nexus and they are identical despite what the tech told me - the speaker blows, I missed more calls with the N1, and the speakerphone is hopelessly poor. I would have loved it but every chance I get I go back to my Tilt 2, especially when I need to sync notes & tasks from outlook.
Having said that, I am somewhat concerned with the HD2 as the HW is quite similar, I can deal with pink center spot from the cam, but the speaker/ringtone level is important to me....
dislike. someone can lock thread. i will admit that there is something to android. and as android dual booting improves i may have it as my primary os on the phone. but as for the hardware, nothing seems to beat my rhodium. i look forward to rhodium android but i wont switch for a nexus one.
I once said "windows mobile sucks" and quickly ditched my mda and scooped up an iphone...i got rid of that crap within two weeks ( no multi-tasking, editing of documents ect).
after trading the iphone on craigslist for a g1, I soon realized android needed some serious growing up to do ( no intergrated exchange support at the time, no editing of documents). I then found myself digging my mda out of the drawer and sliding my sim card back into its warm and familiar slot...
sure, wmo has its quirks, bugs, and annoyances, but living without the wmo goodness is something I shall not do again...
p.s. I'm not forced to use an app store or market place to correct those pesky quirks, bugs, and annoyances either...
What's crazy is that I would hit so many nerves win his thread. Last I knew this was an poen forum. I liked my Rhodium, but there came a time when I could not ignore the fact that the base OS is old as HELL!!!
That said, don't get angry guys, this thread is for those thinking of switching. With so many of you, dedicated and adamant, I am sure they wont be missed. And you may say what you wish, but there comes time where we must become productive, with our phone being a tool, than being a productive tool for our phone. Come on guys? How many hours have we spent tinkering? Lets not get it confused. I loved to do it as well, but to what end?
I believe Android is a reasonable medium. Lets not get offended, lest you show more of your hand than intended. Imagine taking it personally!?!
moSess said:
What's crazy is that I would hit so many nerves win his thread. Last I knew this was an poen forum. I liked my Rhodium, but there came a time when I could not ignore the fact that the base OS is old as HELL!!!
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You posted in a forum full of 'above-and-beyond' winmo users, with acrimonious tone about how you think the OS is horrible for everybody, not just incompatible with your personal needs....and you're surprised to have gotten some charged responses...?? I think the protestants tried that with the catholics once, might want to ask them how that went, before they all realized there was plenty of room here for everybody's preferences, without having to disparage others' *ahem*
I'm guessing you also probably believe you're actually getting that 4MB+ downlink speed on your 3G that you've proudly posted there
Do me a favor, and you have to be honest. Come back in a month and list all of the problems you have had with your new phone along with a list of the problems you had with the Rhodium. Also, list the pros and cons for your new device and the Rhodium. If you're going to renounce the Rhodium (much less in a Rhodium forum) and want to convice others to do the same, at least have some info/data to back it up.
rename the thread atleast. Wasted time waiting to load this thread to read crap i dont care to read. Stupid
Can you list some specific pros and cons?
A Windows Mobile phone is only as useful, or useless, as its owner.
moSess said:
What's crazy is that I would hit so many nerves win his thread. Last I knew this was an poen forum. I liked my Rhodium, but there came a time when I could not ignore the fact that the base OS is old as HELL!!!
That said, don't get angry guys, this thread is for those thinking of switching. With so many of you, dedicated and adamant, I am sure they wont be missed. And you may say what you wish, but there comes time where we must become productive, with our phone being a tool, than being a productive tool for our phone. Come on guys? How many hours have we spent tinkering? Lets not get it confused. I loved to do it as well, but to what end?
I believe Android is a reasonable medium. Lets not get offended, lest you show more of your hand than intended. Imagine taking it personally!?!
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Click to collapse
You dont tinker with your NEXUS? Really?... You dont go through the Android App Store looking for apps that might be cool and useful?
Are you really trying to persuade someone to switch phones? Why do you care? I mean really... what would it benefit you if even one person agreed with you enough to switch phones?
Your just trying to get a rise out of readers here. Be honest... I dont fault you for it... as long as your honest about it.
Threads going nowhere from start...
On that note thread closed.
I traded an iPhone 4S with a gentleman from Kijiji for his Galaxy S3, around the time when the iPhone 5 was announced. Myself being an Apple fanboy since iPhone came out way back in 2007, and since the original 2G model I had since slaved to buy each model every release up to and including the 4S. Upon 5's announcement and press conference, I was underwhelmed, and decided it was time to jump ship, having in my opinion seen Apple beginning its fall from the top. Enter the Galaxy S3.
First thing I did when I finished my routine battery maintenance (this phone was brand new in a sealed box, and the guy traded me for my almost year old 4S.. what a steal!) was try to remember what my username/password was to XDA to see what cool stuff I could do - having an ancient HTC Touch I knew of the community and how awesome it was. My first, and possibly most difficult step was understanding terminology and what advantages of "Rooting" was. After a few weeks of reading and one exchange to Rogers after I bricked my phone (high five for pretending to be an idiot!), I finally felt comfortable with using Odin and the tools. I had no idea what this "Recovery" was, or what CWM was at the time, so a few stupid questions later I figured out how powerful (read: dangerous to idiots like myself) the recovery system was. After a few accidental wipes and another near-brick incident, I grew confident in using CWM Recovery. Time to start flashing ROMs and having fun!
A lengthy stint with a few of the Android ROMs, notably Intergalatic, BlackJelly, while both awesome ROMs, I eventually found that it was a lot of fluff and stuff I didn't need in a phone. Nothing against the ROM developers, they made/make an excellent product, but for me, I wanted something simple, basic.. hey look! over there! It's TASK650! Wow, what a smooth and stable ROM. While it was a rude awakening entering his threads and seeing such a significant amount of hate towards newbs asking questions already answered 10 times over, and receiving hate messages from members who wont be named for myself asking similar questions, I eventually grew to understand and enjoy the ROM for the majority of the time I've had the device.
A few times I dabbled in Paranoid variations, KANG and non-KANG, and even tested out a few of the other Original ASOP ROM's, but significant bugs unrelated to the development teams themselves had me growing more and more frustrated with the device to the point where I was contemplating switching devices all together, or returning to stock.
Well, this morning, March 26th 2013, I decided to go back. After about 3 hours of work, and over-confidence in my abilities to flash back to stock causing a few repeated steps, I managed to get back to stock, rooted, and debloated. I couldn't be happier at the time being. The device does what I want, the battery life is so far pretty damn good, almost on par with ktoonsez's Kernel settings (but still less).
What was the point of this post?
I'm not entirely sure to be honest. I wanted the community to know the story of a former Apple Fanboy. I also wanted everyone new here know that there are a significant amount of over-talented developers here doing awesome work aimed at their own niche group of people. I believe I personally gave every developer and ROM group a fair shot, and I wanted to thank each and everyone mentioned above and any other members who assisted me in my noobish misadventures. I also wanted to get the non-developers in this wonderful community to understand that it's OK being stock, but it's also OK to flash whatever ROM you want, ask your questions, read your FAQs and use Search - it's there for a reason.
Always good to try different platforms. I have done the android, ios and back to android thing. Been tooling around with my iPhone 4 lately as my son is getting it (20 months old) to play learning games on.
I was actually surprised that it still hauls pretty good arse in apps and games
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
Earlier this week I looked through countless posts and information pertaining to 4.4 Kit Kat on my GNex. As I looked at post after post and did my trial and error trying to find the right ROM for me, finally settling on Beanstalk, I realized just how amazing the support can be around here. From KitKang to SlimKat it is nothing but help when someone has an issue. All issues discussed, all issues looked at.
Then you have Google. Supportive... for new models only. The GNex has a great following and continued support of Devs here on XDA yet Google considers it too old to mess with and just ignores it. Petitions, outcry, and begging for Kit Kat and yet they still ignore it.
As I look at all the development projects I wonder why Google doesn't utilize the community more. Yes, I understand legality behind it and the need to pay the devs to do what they do if they used them. Still, in situations like the GNex when people want it like they do why not just Utilize the dev community. If they really just don't want to waste time on development with a 2 yo phone why not just outsource. Give these amazing Devs a chance. Look through the independent builds find one that suits the specifications needed and give that Dev team some support.
How many Devs here wouldn't jump at a chance to create a build for what is considered a outdated unsupportable phone, like the GNex, for Google who just doesn't want to waste resources on it. Take $10,000 and say "Hey, you want this phone supported create a build and you could get this $10k and your build sent out as a non-carrier update" Sure that is a small amount for Google but an amazing boost for a Dev doing what he loves. Saves Google time and Resources and gives us, that either lack the time or the ability too create a build, a strong build to keep our phone going for those 6 months to a Year before our upgrade time.
You have people like me that bought the GNex 4 months before the Nexus 4 came out but I am on Verizon and can't get a newer Nexus. You also have people that bought it a knowing nothing about the phone that ended up loving it but are stuck in a 2 year contract but would love to keep it running like new but are afraid to do anything like we do here because of their contracts. I just think a program like that would be helpful
To all the Devs out there working hard, keep it up. I love the choices and I love to test the new builds no matter how buggy they may be. Many Thanks go to all of you and all your hard work.
check out my thread on the Google's 18 Month window policy for updated and how its compared to apple
and the Nexus S
Hey all. Not new to android at all, but new to HTC brand. My new friends jollywhitefoot and ielvis helped me get rooted with almost no problem day 1 ownership a couple weeks ago and I haven't had any operational problems. Loving the new phone!
Now my next issue, and luckily the only other one for the moment. Being a historical Sammy owner, my wife & kids gave me an awesome Gear S watch for Father's Day. I did quite a bit of reading and really thought it wasn't a huge deal to make it work on non-Samsung for those of us who understand rooting & file modifying. Almost all of my attempts came from here, especially paying attention to post #'s 212 & 227 as those were referenced tons in the ongoing comments thread.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/gear-s/general/tutorial-install-gear-manager-connect-t2934307
Unfortunately, I simply can't get it to connect at all. I am still within the return window for the watch, but [A] I love it and it was a nice family gift. Has anyone come across a specific set of step-by-step instructions for the latest rev of the M9? I'm guessing there have just been some firmware & OS upgrades over time as that original thread is quite old. Advice??
Thanks again in advance.
~Vol
Probably best to hang out in that thread. I know from past experience that these kinds of things take time and experimentation. When S-Voice first came out, people were trying to get it to work on other phones, and it would work for a while, then Samsung would patch it so it didn't. Like Apple, they seem to prefer to keep you in their walled garden in they can.
Serious question, and not one to knock any developer or anyone else, and I am not complaining... But why don't we have more custom ROM's for this device?
I have owned lots of Nexus/Pixel devices in the past, and within a few months of release there were dozens of ROM's available for the device, but for this device there is a couple kernels and a few unofficial or "build it yourself" ROM's and that is it. It just seems very odd that a device so open by design and sold extremely well doesn't have more options. Why?
I admit I haven't had much involvement in the custom ROM community in a few years, and I haven't really felt a need to use a custom ROM in some time as I have been using Moto, Nokia, Nexus, and Pixel devices for the most part for years and just a few tweaks here and there are good enough, but I went to look into other possibilities with my Pixel 3a XL recently and found there just isn't much of anything.
acejavelin said:
Serious question, and not one to knock any developer or anyone else, and I am not complaining... But why don't we have more custom ROM's for this device?
I have owned lots of Nexus/Pixel devices in the past, and within a few months of release there were dozens of ROM's available for the device, but for this device there is a couple kernels and a few unofficial or "build it yourself" ROM's and that is it. It just seems very odd that a device so open by design and sold extremely well doesn't have more options. Why?
I admit I haven't had much involvement in the custom ROM community in a few years, and I haven't really felt a need to use a custom ROM in some time as I have been using Moto, Nokia, Nexus, and Pixel devices for the most part for years and just a few tweaks here and there are good enough, but I went to look into other possibilities with my Pixel 3a XL recently and found there just isn't much of anything.
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I think your statement of "I haven't really felt the need to use a custom Rom..." is very telling. We also get monthly updates without jumping through hoops and we have feature sets we all like. Also Google Pay is being used more and more and you need to unlock the bootloader which breaks GP. I mean you can do kernel mods to enable it but it's just not worth it. What would you like that you don't currently have? I can name a few things like modifying location of the clock, changing vibration, things like that. But is it worth not having security updates or hoping the rom dev will update the rom? And then asking for an ETA and getting hammered by users for asking. It's just not worth it and devs have moved on to other money making ventures. Begging for donations doesn't pay the rent.
Bottom line, it's not worth it for rom devs and thus we have just a few. Flashing is not as easy as it used to be with dual slots. I remember just flashing each file and vendor and done. Bootloop, no prob just reflash the image. Not anymore. Now it's "omg your rom bricked my phone". Last thing.. we all have things to do now whereas we were young and stupid years back. Just give me a nice display, good battery, some options, and I'm good. Just some random thoughs.. agree or disagree but simply observations on my part.
There are ROMs not listed on xda available but you have to search them out. But even on that end it's in the range of 3-4 bonito ROMs that I can think of.
I'm guessing we'll see more builds sooner rather than later since 10 just got officially released earlier in the month(plus TWRP isn't available for 10 yet - not that that would stop fastboot flashable ROMs from being built). Also the upcoming release of the pixel 4 should drop prices on the 3aXl which means more people will pick up this device and more ROMs will(most likely) be built. *That's my theory at least...I've seen other devices' development happen that way in the past so that's where I'm coming from.
I also think a combination of factors has slowed development in general across the board: less people buy new phones as often now(our phone is less than 6 months old), and stock android has gotten to the point that just rooting and minor tweaking is good enough for a lot of people. Not me personally - I always use custom ROMs - but for some others all they need is slightly tweaked stock, some theme-ing ability, and a few root apps like adaway or root browser to stay happy.
But anyway, big thanks to those who are building for our device. Y'all have skills that I do not have - which are much appreciated by me & many others.
And that was kind of what I thought... The custom ROM scene, particularly on Google devices is just shrinking. Thanks for confirming my suspicions.
Time will tell as this community moves into 10 development, but I'm guessing things will pick up a bit. Hang in there:good:
Bob nesta said:
There are ROMs not listed on xda available but you have to search them out. But even on that end it's in the range of 3-4 bonito ROMs that I can think of..
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For Android 10? Ive seen zero. 10 is very different than Pie and Bonito has a bunch of uniqueness as well. Building 10 for it is no small task and may take a while before you see 10 Roms for it. Even the handful of Rom devs (or teams) that have 10 builds dont have Bonito.
This is very similar to when Shamu came out. It took 2-3 months before custom Roms were working as there were so many changes from Hammerhead and Marshmallow was a very different build vs KitKat. There were also very unique challenges when Marlin came out for the same reasons. I hope to have Velocity up and running in the next few weeks but I wouldnt hold my breath on it as this has been one of the most challenging updates Ive come across and Ive been building Roms for Nexus/Pixel devices since JellyBean.
ctfrommn said:
For Android 10? Ive seen zero. 10 is very different than Pie and Bonito has a bunch of uniqueness as well. Building 10 for it is no small task and may take a while before you see 10 Roms for it. Even the handful of Rom devs (or teams) that have 10 builds dont have Bonito.
This is very similar to when Shamu came out. It took 2-3 months before custom Roms were working as there were so many changes from Hammerhead and Marshmallow was a very different build vs KitKat. There were also very unique challenges when Marlin came out for the same reasons. I hope to have Velocity up and running in the next few weeks but I wouldnt hold my breath on it as this has been one of the most challenging updates Ive come across and Ive been building Roms for Nexus/Pixel devices since JellyBean.
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Oh, not for 10. I was referring to pie. I'm pretty sure some of those pie ROMs slowed development down in anticipation for 10, so it's just a slow time right now.
It's cool... I understand a lot of work goes into building, so when/if they come - they come.
One question - does the a/b partitioning and lack of recovery partition make building harder or easier? (This is my first a/b device...just wondering.)
*And thanks for your hard work; I've been lurking on your kernel thread and see how much you've been refining it. Looking forward to your ROM whenever it drops. :good:
Never owned or dev'd for an a/b device except Marlin (Pixel 1) and that was pretty different from this I believe. Lack of recovery only affects how we flash it. The biggest issue right now is getting all the needed vendor/device stuff for it to boot and run right. No idea why this is never fully included with AOSP + posted binaries but it isnt.
The kernel (as always) is much simpler than a full Rom. Im still trying to get my head fully around the nuances for building a Rom for this. Rest assured they will come. Im definitely going to be spending more time on that side now.
---------- Post added at 10:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:40 AM ----------
acejavelin said:
The custom ROM scene, particularly on Google devices is just shrinking.
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Most people that bought the Pixels had little need for a custom Rom. This will change I think with the lower cost of the "a" line. So many people jumped off the Google phone train when the Nexus died and the cost was simply higher than they/I/we wanted to spend for a phone. The "a" line is a lot of what the Nexus line was so I would guess this will bring many back, though OP has done a good job taking and keeping most of them.
Not sure I would agree with that.
The elephant in the room is the activity across this entire forum section; there are few people here compared to another Pixel like the vanilla 3XL, massively less than you'll find over on the OnePlus sections. They're giving the A series credit for Goog seeing an 88% increase in Pixel sales this year but those sales do not appear to be to people like us that frequent this place, if they were, they would be here. I think at least for now this phone sold to ordinary folk, people who have never looked at their phones and wondered if they're truly bricked or just soft-bricked. Can't honestly say I know I'm right here but a look at the activity and available goodies over in OnePlus land is certainly compelling. Less money and bigger numbers along with an unlocked bootloader have attracted plenty of enthusiasts and along with them, development.
The regular 3 has been out a lot longer and development is mature. I also cant say Im definitively right either of course and I 100% agree OP has taken most of the low budget enthusiasts over to their side, especially outside the US.
Either way, it makes no nevermind to me. I will always build for the device I own and choose the device I own very carefully. There will be at least Velocity for the 3a XL its just a matter of how long it takes to get it up and running.
And yes, the lack of activity in this forum is almost shocking to me but last I was here with any regularity was in the Nexus 4/Nexus 5 days which was the wild west of Android development.
Let's not forget to mention the constant free advertising xda does for oneplus as well; that definitely helps their cause.
*And I'll admit it - I fell for it myself: bought a oneplus 7 pro, found that I hate curved displays, and returned it the next day - but the hype on xda fooled me for sure. The 7t pro looks nice, but I'm good - I'm hanging in with my bonito and seeing where things go.
krabman said:
Not sure I would agree with that.
The elephant in the room is the activity across this entire forum section; there are few people here compared to another Pixel like the vanilla 3XL, massively less than you'll find over on the OnePlus sections. They're giving the A series credit for Goog seeing an 88% increase in Pixel sales this year but those sales do not appear to be to people like us that frequent this place, if they were, they would be here. I think at least for now this phone sold to ordinary folk, people who have never looked at their phones and wondered if they're truly bricked or just soft-bricked. Can't honestly say I know I'm right here but a look at the activity and available goodies over in OnePlus land is certainly compelling. Less money and bigger numbers along with an unlocked bootloader have attracted plenty of enthusiasts and along with them, development.
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Hahaha. "vanilla 3XL" far superior to any 3a. I will go with small a
It doesn't surprise me because I, too, am finding myself comfortable with stock and avoiding all the inconveniences (mainly the merry-go-round of breaking things that check for root)... the only thing I really miss is being able to block ads and titanium backup. But it just isn't bothering me enough to care...
Golf c said:
Hahaha. "vanilla 3XL" far superior to any 3a. I will go with small a
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I owned the 3XL and didn't find it far superior. In fact I took it back and got a 6T while I waited for the next thing. Mainly it was the notch, and redraws in the GUI. In any event I only meant to refer to the regular 3XL or by extension any Pixel.
I guess if I paid @$300-400usd more for a device that has a smaller battery, with the same camera hardware(rear - don't care about the selfie cam), no headphone jack, and had a hideous notch so the OEM can claim "small bezels" - I may also be bitter & lurking in other devices' threads & talking smack(so I could feel better about my purchase...?)
Enjoy your 3xl and your notch... I guess. Congrats. :good:
Anytime you want to contribute to the 3axl community you are totally welcome to. No bitterness here. Otherwise...please go back to your "far superior" 3xl land please. We are not good enough for you here.
Take care.
*Bows down to the "far superior" 3xl owner*:angel:
I'm not going to claim expertise when I say this but I can call out plenty of experience on XDA over the course of many phones: I would not expect this forum section to be getting more active in the future. I'm not saying a ROM wont come but there was never much activity here at any time, it is quite slow now, it continues to get slower. Everything I've seen over my time here tells me that trend will continue. I'm honestly surprised about that because I had thought when I purchased this phone that this section would be moderately active. I was wrong. I don't like saying that and wish it wasn't true but that's how I see it.
I'll be off toward 4XL land soon; I have all the coffee tables a man needs in one life and I like my toys.
krabman said:
I'm not going to claim expertise when I say this but I can call out plenty of experience on XDA over the course of many phones: I would not expect this forum section to be getting more active in the future. I'm not saying a ROM wont come but there was never much activity here at any time, it is quite slow now, it continues to get slower. Everything I've seen over my time here tells me that trend will continue. I'm honestly surprised about that because I had thought when I purchased this phone that this section would be moderately active. I was wrong. I don't like saying that and wish it wasn't true but that's how I see it.
I'll be off toward 4XL land soon; I have all the coffee tables a man needs in one life and I like my toys.
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You mean bezzels right not coffee tables. Hahaha
acejavelin said:
Serious question, and not one to knock any developer or anyone else, and I am not complaining... But why don't we have more custom ROM's for this device?
I have owned lots of Nexus/Pixel devices in the past, and within a few months of release there were dozens of ROM's available for the device, but for this device there is a couple kernels and a few unofficial or "build it yourself" ROM's and that is it. It just seems very odd that a device so open by design and sold extremely well doesn't have more options. Why?
I admit I haven't had much involvement in the custom ROM community in a few years, and I haven't really felt a need to use a custom ROM in some time as I have been using Moto, Nokia, Nexus, and Pixel devices for the most part for years and just a few tweaks here and there are good enough, but I went to look into other possibilities with my Pixel 3a XL recently and found there just isn't much of anything.
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Click to collapse
Well, I personally have stopped using custom ROMs after switching to a Pixel. Before this, I always was eager to install AOSP-based ROMs on my previous devices (Samsung and LG).
But especially LG is a disappointment software-wise: My LG G5 had a very good battery runtime with the initial ROM, but future updates killed this. Not to speak of non-existing updates and even security patches. My Samsungs were just awful from the start, they were immediately in dire need of AOSP.
On top, updating vendor images always was a PITA.. On my G5, I always had to do a clean flash, get rid of the bloat, flash the GApps etc.
But the Pixels are different. They also can have a bug here and there, but nothing severe. Battery runtime stays good with updates, and security patches always are on time. Updates are easy even when you are rooted.
Hence I just rooted my Pixel 3a XL and called it a day. Since Android 10 with its dark mode, I can even skip Substratum. YMMV of course, but this is how I see it.
I only root for system-wide adblock and HEBF Optimizer. Everything else is stock.
Custom Roms arent all (or even mostly) about features. There is so much more performance (and efficiency) to be had by building vs stock. Development will break loose soon enough. And when it does, then we will see what this device is truly capable of.