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Okay, so I made the jump from iPhone 4S to SGS3 T-999 at the beginning of September this year and my experience has been less than fun. Disregarding all the hardware issues, as far as software is concerned, I've been spending hours every day trying to find software that works reliably. Here's my rant of the biggest problems right now, if you have any ideas, I'd really appreciate hearing back! I was looking forward to digging into mods/hacks, etc on Android later down the road but with these basic functions that I depend on daily in my phone not there yet, I'm starting to wonder if I need to just switch back to iOS until Android is more developed. I actually used be on Android in the days of the S2 for about 2 months, but had to ultimately switch back to iOS because I simply didn't always have the time to download 20-30 clock apps to find one that works decently or test out mods and hacks for basic functions. Sure, it's fun to test try out mods and such but when your phone feels like it's broken, that's no good.
>Stock camera app doesn't allow taking pictures/video/flash at a certain level of battery. wtf, why samsung?! I have yet to find a camera app that does video/photo as well as the stock camera app.
>Image compression & resize tool for when e-mailing photos/images quickly...like in iOS would be great, or even something that actually works would be better. Note to Samsung--most people don't want or need to get an e-mail of your 8mp picture taken on your cell phone.
>Audiobook player that saves my spot
>Least buggy PDF reader with search, annotations and highlighting
>Tethering that works (no luck so far with fox fi and a few others, I'm using T-mobile MyMonthly 4G)
>File transfer over USB on my Mac (Latest version of lion, macbook pro 2.4ghz c2d pre-unibody)
>Find my iPhone equivalent with a web interface as opposed to just text message operation
>iOS clock app equivalent. I have downloaded probably more than 2 dozen timer/clock/alarm apps and none of them do it all while staying on in the background and not randomly closing. Also would be great if I didn't lose my timer if the app or phone has to be restarted/killed.
>Make a complete backup on my Mac instead of backing it up to my SD card and then having to copy that to my computer.
This list used be a lot longer...but with much sweat I have found some solutions or learned to cope, but not for everything that is vital^...
salils said:
Okay, so I made the jump from iPhone 4S to SGS3 T-999 at the beginning of September this year and my experience has been less than fun. Disregarding all the hardware issues, as far as software is concerned, I've been spending hours every day trying to find software that works reliably. Here's my rant of the biggest problems right now, if you have any ideas, I'd really appreciate hearing back! I was looking forward to digging into mods/hacks, etc on Android later down the road but with these basic functions that I depend on daily in my phone not there yet, I'm starting to wonder if I need to just switch back to iOS until Android is more developed. I actually used be on Android in the days of the S2 for about 2 months, but had to ultimately switch back to iOS because I simply didn't always have the time to download 20-30 clock apps to find one that works decently or test out mods and hacks for basic functions. Sure, it's fun to test try out mods and such but when your phone feels like it's broken, that's no good.
>Stock camera app doesn't allow taking pictures/video/flash at a certain level of battery. wtf, why samsung?! I have yet to find a camera app that does video/photo as well as the stock camera app.
>Image compression & resize tool for when e-mailing photos/images quickly...like in iOS would be great, or even something that actually works would be better. Note to Samsung--most people don't want or need to get an e-mail of your 8mp picture taken on your cell phone.
>Audiobook player that saves my spot
>Least buggy PDF reader with search, annotations and highlighting
>Tethering that works (no luck so far with fox fi and a few others, I'm using T-mobile MyMonthly 4G)
>File transfer over USB on my Mac (Latest version of lion, macbook pro 2.4ghz c2d pre-unibody)
>Find my iPhone equivalent with a web interface as opposed to just text message operation
>iOS clock app equivalent. I have downloaded probably more than 2 dozen timer/clock/alarm apps and none of them do it all while staying on in the background and not randomly closing. Also would be great if I didn't lose my timer if the app or phone has to be restarted/killed.
>Make a complete backup on my Mac instead of backing it up to my SD card and then having to copy that to my computer.
This list used be a lot longer...but with much sweat I have found some solutions or learned to cope, but not for everything that is vital^...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't understand what "basic" functions you are having issues with? Other than the camera not working after a certain %, it's not like a PDF reader with annotations and highlighting is a "basic" function.. nor are rely any of the other things on your list except maybe image compression.
That being said, I don't know a camera solution for Touchwiz but on AOSP there are no restrictions to when you can take a picture with regards to battery.
Repligo Reader is a great PDF reader. I don't know about search but I can highlight and annotate.
You need to download the app Android File Transfer to transfer via USB on your Mac.
If you're in Monthly4G, tethering is not included. This is an issue with your plan. If you want to tether, root your phone.
There are plenty of "find my android" apps out there, that work exceptionally well. I use Avast!.
AOSP also has a timer and stopwatch built in, so maybe you should try that.
You cannot backup your phone directly to your computer.
I am more than happy to help you, as I am sure most people here are, but I think you need to lower your expectations on "basic" features..
Sent from my SGH-T999
joshnichols189 said:
You need to download the app Android File Transfer to transfer via USB on your Mac.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't be so sure. I spent an hour trying to get that to work when I first got my phone, gave up and used Airdroid but for the big stuff I have to use my PC.
psykhotic said:
Don't be so sure. I spent an hour trying to get that to work when I first got my phone, gave up and used Airdroid but for the big stuff I have to use my PC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well he didn't mention anything about it, so I figured he might not know about it.
Sent from my SGH-T999
psykhotic said:
Don't be so sure. I spent an hour trying to get that to work when I first got my phone, gave up and used Airdroid but for the big stuff I have to use my PC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I spent several hours trying to trouble shoot this and just decided it would be easier to use vmware and try to dig up a copy of windows xp i had lying around...ugh..
joshnichols189: Thank you for your help!
By basic, I guess I wasn't necessarily referring to all stock functions...but on the iPhone I found many apps on the App store that accomplished this task competently. Primarily I used Good reader, but there were others so it seemed like something that wouldn't be difficult to come across. I have found a few apps that provide such a function but end up missing others or are too buggy to use. I will have to check which apps specifically I tried with no success if that will help...will look into Repligo Reader, thanks!
As for tethering: I was able to get it to work on an S2 (i9100) running gingerbread using my MyMonthly4G plan using the native tethering feature. I've rooted my phone sucessfully but haven't gotten around looking into custom roms and such..still using stock (but rooted). If you or anyone here knows any especially good tethering solutions for rooted t-999 users running stock it'd be super helpful to hear.
I will have to do research on AOSP.
salils said:
Yeah, I spent several hours trying to trouble shoot this and just decided it would be easier to use vmware and try to dig up a copy of windows xp i had lying around...ugh..
joshnichols189: Thank you for your help!
By basic, I guess I wasn't necessarily referring to all stock functions...but on the iPhone I found many apps on the App store that accomplished this task competently. Primarily I used Good reader, but there were others so it seemed like something that wouldn't be difficult to come across. I have found a few apps that provide such a function but end up missing others or are too buggy to use. I will have to check which apps specifically I tried with no success if that will help...will look into Repligo Reader, thanks!
As for tethering: I was able to get it to work on an S2 (i9100) running gingerbread using my MyMonthly4G plan using the native tethering feature. I've rooted my phone sucessfully but haven't gotten around looking into custom roms and such..still using stock (but rooted). If you or anyone here knows any especially good tethering solutions for rooted t-999 users running stock it'd be super helpful to hear.
I will have to do research on AOSP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Be sure to try Repligo, I believe they have a free/lite version! I wasn't able to tether when I was on Monthly4G so maybe it is different now. If you are rooted you should look at the WiFi Tether for Root app. I believe you can find it easily with a Google search. Also be sure to look into AOSP, you might like it more but if not you can always revert!
Sent from my SGH-T999
Just download wifi tether from play store and that will definitely tether anything you want.
Sent from my SGH-T999
The camera would need to be modded. Someone will likely do this at some point.
Theres a full office suite on sale for .25 that may take care of your pdfs and then some. OfficeSuite pro.
For file transfers, you can use SGS3 Easy UMS. It only works for external sdcard though. Many people have been trying to do the same for internal but no luck yet as far as I know. Search for it on xda.
Also on file transfering, have you looked at a wireless transfer solution? I use SwiFTP and love it. Gives me access to the entire file system on my phone, including /system.
There are quite a few find my phone types like youre looking for that get good reviews. Check cerebrus. Haven't used it on this phone but liked it in the past.
My favorite alarm clock app is Alarm Clock Plus. Been using it for a few years now. No stopwatch or timer but hoping the dev adds em in the future.
For the backup, are you talking about a nandroid type backup or apps and data? Nandroid, no backing up straight to computer. Im pretty sure there are apps thatll backup your data and apps like that though. Never used any though. (And theres always adb!)
Tip: when people see a thread with this many questions and youre not experiencing a critical problem, it can look a bit overwhelming and seems like you may be demanding answers without really looking for them yourself. (Not saying thats your case and not trying to be an ass). Additionally at first read/glance it looks like it could be a lot of work to help you for what many might consider to be simple problems. In the future dont wait so long and ask everything at once. Ask your questions as they come and you cant find the answers yourself.
I saw your thread when it was first posted but didnt reply because I knew it would take much longer than I could spend at that moment.
One last thing, if people perceive you to be threatening to leave for the iphone if you dont get what you want, you are much less likely to find help now or in the future.
Like I said, im not trying to be an ass or belittle or anything like that. Just telling you what some (many?) people may think when they just glance over your thread.
Sorry for the little rant, but I am trying to help you.
Btw, if you're having such bad hw issues you may have a defective device. Majority of people have no problems.
Good luck!
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
First of all, I apologize if this was answered already, but the dev thread has nearly 7000 pages and i didnt find it in the last 50 I looked through so i thought ill ask directly.
I installed the Revolution HD 7.0.4 onto my HTC Desire HD, and well it works great, thank you developers for making it ^^. However I have two small issues.
1) Is the whenever I try to change sounds for notifications I get com.htc.sdm crashing, it works ok on ringtones, but with the notification ones it dies right away, im not really bothered about fixing this if someone could suggest an App that does the equivalent job. I did trying to do the reset sounds to default HTC i saw in some places, but the problem persists.
2) This one is a bit more irritating one and id like to fix it. The default gallery app seems to be missing entirely, i dont entirely mind using a custom gallery app, however i do use my phone for photos a lot, and the button in the corner of the camera app, the one that should open the gallery, does not respond to custom ones, not the ones i tried at least, so I would like to shove the default gallery app back in so it responds properly, so if anyone could point me to a link for that, i would be extremely grateful.
Sorry once more if these have been asked already, i tried my best to seek out the answer before asking.
Thank you.
Hello all and first of all Happy Birthday Mike.
I have a small problem with the camera crash.
the camera works fine but no video.
When I stop the video, I have a stop message com.android.camera (sudden closure of the camera application).
I'm reinstalled (with a super wipe) but nothing works.
Thank you in advance for your reply.
cordially
nicus
Hello to all.
First of all I want to say that the new version 6.4 is 7.1 is very good, but I noticed several things:
First, the radio version is more efficient than the version 6.X of the 7.X.
Then the camera is still not fixed on version 7.1 for video (I read the 6985 pages of the topic and try everything but nothing works).
I therefore expect the surprise Mike: "There are not much bigger fixed Because something might come in the near future." (Post No. 69783 of the topic).
For I have not yet reaches my 10 posts, I bore you a little here
I've been using the S2 for a couple weeks now and although I'm satisfied with it for the most part, I want the bloatware gone and I want it rooted. Easy enough, except for one thing; there are TONS of ROMs for it and I have no idea where to start as far as which ones are best, and don't want to have to flash dozens of them to find out.
A few things to note;
1 - I'm looking for ease of use, something that includes minimal apps or at least allows me to delete apps that are packaged with it if I don't want them, and something that gets good battery life. I read this thread here and may try Slim Beam Unofficial due to it's better battery life.
2 - Or is there a way to just rip the stock ROM off, remove what I don't want, re-package it and flash it back to the phone? That's what I did with my Evo but it's been over a year and I was VERY familiar with that phone and what tools to use for such tasks. A point in the right direction (ie: link to an informative thread on this subject) would suffice, but specific replies are very much appreciated.
3 - Useful apps would be nice. Perhaps not packaged WITH the ROM but just names of useful apps (I see Titanium Backup mentioned a lot on here) would be helpful. Something to easily copy contacts & texts/call records to my PC would also be nice - the Evo didn't have much as far as that went, at least not that I could find. Maybe some music mixing apps and memory editor suggestions too. This phone is new and exciting to me, capable of WAY more than my old Evo 4G. :victory:
4 - HTC and Samsung have much different interfaces. HTC's was more customizable...I'd like to get that back. Anyone know of any HTC interface ports? Specifically the way the icons on the screen are - I don't like being forced to keep the 4 it came with on the bottom, I'd like to change them to something more useful. Also some switches for a quick data network toggle (not by going into Data Usage to toggle) and stuff like that would be nice. I can do it the Samsung way if I have to, but HTC's interface was more user friendly for me.
Anyway, I'm glad to be back at xda. Thanks for any help/suggestions! :fingers-crossed:
Try AOKP 4.2.2 :thumbup:
AOKP B5 3/10nightly NOS V0.0.7
Suppose I'll try that or a stock Samsung ROM. Surprised at the lack of replies and suggestions...usually everyone has something to say on this forum.
Cl3kener AOKP 1.3 is very good. Has good audio apps, and several built in useful apps.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app
Try aokp 4.1.2 everything works perfectly. 422 was great but bluetooth, specifically bluetooth tethering does not work. No issues with 412
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
I don't know anything about CM or AOKP roms cause I need Wi-Fi calling so I stick with TW. Ptmr3 has some good roms and puts out loaded and stripped roms. There is a lot of development here so your gonna have to do some research. Read the op's list of what's included and what doesn't work if any. Good luck
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app
You need Jedi Jelly. Trust me. Best ROM in my opinion
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using xda premium
If you want to be able to customize most of the ROM you want PAC man. The best ROM for your needs.
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Phone: Galaxy s2 t989
Rom: PACman 21.0.1
Kernel: PAC
I'm full of great idea's, but don't have the time to create them or learn the coding to create them. If you want to make one of my ideas a reality just message me and I will give you my idea as specific as possible.
ideas:
-launcher/lock screen
-line rider type game where you control the character
-2d fighting game like art of fighting for the SNES
-multiplayer fps where you create your own map with a creative mode (minecraft style)
-roller coaster tycoon style game
-get phone out of sleep mode
-many more!
Just message me which idea you want info on and I'll tell you!
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In reading your post it seems as if to me 1 you need to simply root your phone. From that point forward you can do anything you want to it. Now coming from an Evo which I myself came from, at first things seem different but when its software related its relatively all the same. I know you said you were shocked at the lack of responses but I think thats because your questions/feelings are a simple fix and more personalized than just sending you somewhere.
You dont have to use the 4 at the bottom they can be switched and data toggles are all over the web. Not for nothing but you really need to do some homework on android and the amount of customization apps out there...You are missing out on quite a bit
Steps to personalizing your phone below:
Root your phone
Install Root Explorer
install Titanium Backup
Install Android Commander on your pc (if you like)
Just use Google or Google Play to look up apps
Hundreds of way to simplify your rom and I only named a few.
Use the SGS2 toolkit, install a custom recovery, and root your phone. From there you can delete all the Tmo bloatware and clean up the stock rom.
see how that is for a little while, and if you still aren't satisfied, you can try some of the other roms in the dev section.
As far as apps, I have all my contacts in gmail, which automatically syncs to my phone. Airdroid is a neat app that lets you manage stuff on your phone through a PC that is connected to the same network. Evernote, quickpic, photoeditor, titanium backup, and google drive are a few apps I always install.
refyused said:
I've been using the S2 for a couple weeks now and although I'm satisfied with it for the most part, I want the bloatware gone and I want it rooted. Easy enough, except for one thing; there are TONS of ROMs for it and I have no idea where to start as far as which ones are best, and don't want to have to flash dozens of them to find out.
A few things to note;
1 - I'm looking for ease of use, something that includes minimal apps or at least allows me to delete apps that are packaged with it if I don't want them, and something that gets good battery life. I read this thread here and may try Slim Beam Unofficial due to it's better battery life.
2 - Or is there a way to just rip the stock ROM off, remove what I don't want, re-package it and flash it back to the phone? That's what I did with my Evo but it's been over a year and I was VERY familiar with that phone and what tools to use for such tasks. A point in the right direction (ie: link to an informative thread on this subject) would suffice, but specific replies are very much appreciated.
3 - Useful apps would be nice. Perhaps not packaged WITH the ROM but just names of useful apps (I see Titanium Backup mentioned a lot on here) would be helpful. Something to easily copy contacts & texts/call records to my PC would also be nice - the Evo didn't have much as far as that went, at least not that I could find. Maybe some music mixing apps and memory editor suggestions too. This phone is new and exciting to me, capable of WAY more than my old Evo 4G. :victory:
4 - HTC and Samsung have much different interfaces. HTC's was more customizable...I'd like to get that back. Anyone know of any HTC interface ports? Specifically the way the icons on the screen are - I don't like being forced to keep the 4 it came with on the bottom, I'd like to change them to something more useful. Also some switches for a quick data network toggle (not by going into Data Usage to toggle) and stuff like that would be nice. I can do it the Samsung way if I have to, but HTC's interface was more user friendly for me.
Anyway, I'm glad to be back at xda. Thanks for any help/suggestions! :fingers-crossed:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All Star Devs or Jedi Knight Roms. I ran Slim Bean for a little bit, but the bugs, as insignificant as they may seemed, would occur too frequently. I'm currently testing out Jumping JellyBeans and lets just say I'll be flashing back to Jedi Knight this evening. Good luck on your ROM Quest.
Yeah I rooted it but it still doesn't function entirely the way I want it to.
In using this phone for a couple weeks now, one BIG complaint I have is the clock & weather widget on my Evo allowed me to check the weather OR change thje time/date/alarm simply by clicking it...unless I'm blind, the SG2 didn't even come with an alarm clock, let alone a way to click the clock widget and edit alarms.
Is there anything like that for the SG2? And yes, I do need to do more research and find out what's out there...which is kinda why I'm asking here instead of spending countless hours which I don't have, reading through tons of forums and trying tons of bunk apps. Anyway, thanks for the advice, it's been helpful so far!
Mr. bird said:
I don't know anything about CM or AOKP roms cause I need Wi-Fi calling so I stick with TW. Ptmr3 has some good roms and puts out loaded and stripped roms. There is a lot of development here so your gonna have to do some research. Read the op's list of what's included and what doesn't work if any. Good luck
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here - I need Wifi Calling.
What Rom are you running? I'm still on Darkside Evolution 3.8 (Andoid 4.0.3)
I've been looking for something a little more current, but haven't been able to find anything that has Wifi Calling.
mavblues said:
Same here - I need Wifi Calling.
What Rom are you running? I'm still on Darkside Evolution 3.8 (Andoid 4.0.3)
I've been looking for something a little more current, but haven't been able to find anything that has Wifi Calling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Evolution is still a good Rom. I have recently gone back to stock cause my phone has been acting up since it went for a swim but I was using jedi knight and jedi mind trick.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk HD
refyused said:
Yeah I rooted it but it still doesn't function entirely the way I want it to.
In using this phone for a couple weeks now, one BIG complaint I have is the clock & weather widget on my Evo allowed me to check the weather OR change thje time/date/alarm simply by clicking it...unless I'm blind, the SG2 didn't even come with an alarm clock, let alone a way to click the clock widget and edit alarms.
Is there anything like that for the SG2? And yes, I do need to do more research and find out what's out there...which is kinda why I'm asking here instead of spending countless hours which I don't have, reading through tons of forums and trying tons of bunk apps. Anyway, thanks for the advice, it's been helpful so far!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could always flash a better rom that is newer, like others have suggested. Any rom with ICS or above will have a clock that allows you to tap the widget and get the alarm, and can display the weather below it. If you're looking for a fully loaded rom, "PACman" (see the link in my signature at the bottom of this post) is the way to go. It it 3 roms built into one, "Paranoid Android, AOKP, Cyanogen Mod". I literally bought my SGSII just to be able to use the PACrom, (I came from a Tmobile MyTouch 4G (Doubleshot) which didn't have a working PACman rom link, so far as my patience to find one allowed).
Other options are to install a new launcher for your phone, like the "Go Launcher" from the play store, or an htc clock widget from the playstore or online. Either of the 2 will instantly provide you with your clock and weather settings.
I have world weather clock widget on my lockscreen. Has weather and time. I think there might be a way to configure it to set alarms, but I'm not sure. I don't really ever set alarms on my phone.
I am using JB 4.1.2 with build Jedi Mind Trick JB2 and the beta kernel as a DD and it is fast and smooth. Prior to I was using Jedi Mind Trick X4 by the same dev and I prefer JB 4.1.2 over the X4 but everyone is different.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1818305
---------- Post added at 03:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:18 AM ----------
refyused said:
unless I'm blind, the SG2 didn't even come with an alarm clock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
go to the clock and create an alarm
This guide will show you how to turn an old phone into on really great iPod/iPod Touch replacement.
It will strip the phone out, enhance the audio and extend the battery life.
It will breath new life into the phone that was just upgraded.
I have done two of these so far, with lots of trial and error just to get to this point. My current one is now my main music player for the gym and my car.
They end up sounding amazing.
[Note: this guide is a moderately advanced user, I say that because to do this your phone
must be unlocked and rooted - you can find a guide on how to do that for almost any
phone, you just won't find that information here.]
This is my first thread here (so go easy on me). I did a search and never found any fully flushed out “how to” guide for something like this
(plus I didn't agree with some of their choices).
Ok, here we go….
Badass Android Music Player (BAMP)
(It’s just a working title - I am open to any suggestions)
Q: What is it?
A: Modifying a phone you no longer use and turning it into a audio and video
player with good battery life (even on a phone with crappy normal battery life will work a lot better).
Q: Why?
A: A replacement phone makes a great iPod type player. I have an iPod and iPod Touch
and currently I prefer my BAMP to both of them hands down because it sounds better!
Q: What is the benefit?
A: It sounds awesome (beats my iThings hands down for audio). Even in my Camery (not known
for it's audio) I use the line in am blown away at how good the speakers really are. I can get my rear view mirror shaking from the bass.
Also, It re purposes a device that is NOT end of life.
What you need:
1. a unlocked/rooted phone with Android 4.x or higher
2. a non-stock recovery (TWRP, CW, ...)
3. Android 4.x (that's a must)
What you don't need:
1. a custom ROM (I would suggest one but, the choice is yours). I am running CleanROM Pro 4.5 but I prefer CM but, none of this matters
for this project. Anything you need we will add and anything you don't will be removed or disabled.
2. a SIM card (your phone will complain at first but we will fix that).
Feedback? / Help? / Ideas? / Suggestions? / Criticisms? - all are welcome but, don't jump in too quick, let me finish the guide first
Yes, this is very much just an idea/work in progress. There are places where I use apps that you have to pay for and suggestions for
replacement apps that don't cost or alternatives are welcome.
Also, while this is the second phone I have done, I have in no way thought of all the things that could improve this setup. I think the battery
life could be extended even further.
I definitely need help with other manufacturers: I have only converted two phones so far, both HTC, so I am fairly good and what I can
remove, freeze, disable on a Verizon HTC phone. It would be a great help to get a list of what can be done for other manufacturers.
Even point out if I missed a process that is not needed for our purposes.
That’s what this guide is going to be a step by step guide how I did my phone and with a little luck and participation I can improve the process,
support other manufacturers and one day automate as much of this as I can.
This is just the intro - please give me a few days to post all the notes and screenshots before jumping it.
Next Post: Making sure your phone is prepared!
Remember: You need a phone already unlocked/rooted and custom recovery flashed to be able to begin.
New Info: I did find out that if you don't "check in" after a certain amount of times certain apps like Titanium and PowerAmp will complain. All I did is turn on my wifi - connect -- I let them both update (I didnt see the harm) and I've been good since then.
Prep Work
Prep Work!
OK lets get started. I'm assuming you have your unlocked/rooted phone with custom recovery ready to go?
Lets double check everything before we strip your phone...
If for some reason you didn't install a custom ROM then you need to install/flash a superuser program. I like SuperSU
but on older phones superuser seems to work ok.
You need to install a utility that can "freeze" apps:
- I use and own Titanium Backup root Pro (this app costs $) - There are other apps that are free that can "freeze" (I just haven't tried them) ---> Ultimate Backup ---> App Quarantine ROOT/FREEZE ---> System Tuner *all of those listed are on the Play Store - if you have an opinion on any of them please feel free to post that*
First, make sure your phone is in developer mode. Each phone, ROM is a bit different but if you don't see this in your settings
then you should stop right here and Google how to turn on developer mode. Once you are in developer mode you need to turn on USB Debugging.
Second install the recovery manager software on your phone. I usually match up TWRP with TWRP and CWM with CWM but I think CWM handles
most other recovery programs now.
If you went with CM or Paranoid or some other ROM then most of the above is already done for you (except the "freezing" app).
OK so you have:
1. installed a "freezing" app
2. installed a recovery manager app
3. made sure your phone was in developer mode
4. made sure you have USB Debugging on
5. made sure you have superuser (whichever app you choose working)
If all that is done then we create a backup rigth now using recovery!
BACKUP CURRENT ROM in whatever recover you have installed.
We need a baseline recovery because I promise you that you will get into an endless "Phone Not Responding" loop sometime during this process.
The goal here is to disable and/or remove a LOT OF APPS and FEATURES and you will get into and error loop if you freeze the wrong thing.
It happens that's why we backup and backup often in the beginning.
Next Post: Disabling, removing, uninstalling and freezing!
-dOpiate
Delay - Just a bit...but I'm good now.
I wasn't able to post images because I was a new member and the next 4 or 5 parts are confusing without images as examples.
The board OP was kind enough to lift this image restriction so now I can continue the posts tomorrow.
I got some great testing results testing today (trapped in my house today by the blizzard) - I ran BAMP at full volume for 40 minutes and captured the battery stats. I got better results that expected (proof to be posted soon).
-dOpiate
Disabling, removing, uninstalling and freezing!
Disabling, removing, uninstalling and freezing!
Ok now that your phone is backed up (you created a backup of the current ROM)
it's time to start removing all the unnecessary parts of the phone.
The first thing to do is remove all the bloatware or apps not related to processing
music. There is a lot of personal preference here because we are going to leave WiFi
working so if you want to keep Skype on the phone or GoogleDrive then you should.
They will continue to work but unnecessary programs that you can easily uninstall
you should start removing.
You get the picture, anything in your apps list that you can easily uninstall.
Not everything will allow you to uninstall it. Sometimes the only option you have
is to remove updates. Don't worry we will get this stuff later.
A lot of the software directly related to your provider or phone manufacturer will
not allow you to uninstall it. This is when we start freezing applications and
processes.
You should also go through your settings and start turning off all the parts not needed for
a music player. Though after you are done freezing most of these things won't work anyway.
At this point you should put your phone into "Airplane" mode and then re-enable/disable Wifi
as needed.
I will screenshot my settings (in an update to this post) later today - I brought the wrong
phone to work so I can't get those images right now.
Here is a list of the processes that I froze on my HTC Rezound AFTER having uninstalled
everything I could. Keep in mind your list will be different and there will be a time when you
freeze something and it puts your phone into an error loop - I would freeze a screen full of
stuff then create a backup, then continue on.
My Frozen List (Using Titanium Backup Pro - root)
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
These processes can also safely be frozen:
Just to jump ahead a bit I want to show you where we are headed. These are
screenshots of my BAMP phone after blasting music on the highest volume for 40+ minutes.
For anyone who doesnt know, an HTC Rezound is NOT know for good battery life! Plus,
we are going to improve on the sound
Time to build the media player
Lets build that Music Player now!
I will be listing the apps I use and I will list alternatives that I have seen.
I have tried some and some I haven't tried.
We basically (if all went well) have a blank slate here. We have an Android
device that has been modified and changed to have 1 main purpose.
Play music, loud!
1- Install a DSP
2- Install a Music/Media player
3- tweak the final install with a few other apps
First I would install Beats. There are a lot of other DSP Managers's out there now but
honestly I like Beats and since the management of it is getting better and
better and the Audio Player I use plays nice with it I got with Beats.
I must confess that I used this...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1816719
to install beats and I can't uninstall it. Plus it's no longer supported.
I recommend getting your Beats from RockAudioMod (or RD Music Mod) ... it's still evolving but it's really good.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1525226
You also don't need Beats you just need a DSP Manager. The one from CM is also really good.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jsf.cmprojects.cyanogenmodappinstaller
I did try this application and could not get it to work but I am only running Android
4.0.3 - it says it runs on Android 3.0 and up but that was not my experience.
Apps you could grab from the [Root] CM App Installer that would be useful are:
- Apollo music player (you could use this as you main music device if you wanted)
- DSP Manager (you are going to need a DSP Manager and if you can't or don't want Beats
then you can grab this one).
- CM File Manager (perfectly fine for moving songs, deleting old ROM's and files)
There are also standalone installs for Apollo and CM DSP Manager, to find them all you have to do is
search for them. Plus there are DSP's in the PlayStore that I never tried so you have a ton of options.
We are dealing with all personal preference here now. As my DSP manager and music player I use
Poweramp Full Version. I purchased it with my first phone and I think it does a great job.
It fully integrates with the Beats installs and it has a built in DSP Manager.
While that's what I use I wanted to make sure this "how to guide" had a fully implemented free
version.
So take your phone, in Airplane Mode, and pick the DSP you want to use.
Install that DSP then select the media player you want to use. Apollo is good but
there are also a ton of free ones on the PlayStore.
Additionally you want to set your screen timeout to something reasonable so you don't waste
any battery on the screen.
Pre-KitKat there was a great app called VolumeControl+ that would lock your volume buttons so
while you were jogging it didn't screw up the sound. I am still using it on my 4.0.3 and I
just wrote the developer since I have had no luck using it on 4.4.2. If I can't get anywhere I will
need to find a new app to lock the buttons on the phone.
Now just load some music and enjoy!
Total Cost: 0.00
Both phones I have done like this sound great and have really long battery life. It's only purpose is
to play music. I turn on the WiFi every once in a while to do updates or grab songs from GDrvie.
There is no standard setup or quick and easy .zip to flash or .apk to install. Hopefully in the
future there will be.
I'm open to any ideas or suggestions to make this setup better.
I would definitely like to make a list of other processes that can safely be frozen (manufacturer specific or not).
Here is just a quick example of my layout.
Hopefully it's helpful for those looking to do something with an old replaced phone.
No Interest?
I found out a few more things but I don't see anyone interested in this thread.
If not, no big deal, it was good for me - instructions or a guide if I have to make another one.
For the moment I'll just let the thread die.
Any questions you can always PM me.
No bumps - besides this one :laugh:
Thank you for posting this. It gives me a better understanding of what I intend to do with my 3 1/2 year old Captivate.
I saw it for the first time today, mostly because this is probably the first time I have searched outside of my device forums.
Wasn't sure where the post should go....
dawgdoc said:
Thank you for posting this. It gives me a better understanding of what I intend to do with my 3 1/2 year old Captivate.
I saw it for the first time today, mostly because this is probably the first time I have searched outside of my device forums.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea it's a very non-specific device modification, so I wasn't sure where it fit in the forums.
I use my HTC Rezound audio player constantly, from the gym to work to/from the drive home. I love it, it sounds great and it makes crappy speakers (like in my Camry) sound so much better than an iPod using the line in or the CD player. I have iPods and I don't care what EQ you setup in them, they never sound as good as this.
Only when I forget to turn off the WiFi do I even remotely have a low battery at the end of day(s).
I think I had some minor tweaks that I wrote down at home, I'll add them if I can find my notes or remember what it was.
Just because a phone is a year or two old doesn't make it worthless. Sure you can probably eBay it for 50.00 or around there but I'm getting so much use out of it and not draining a drop of battery from my primary phone.
I don't have to have my Galaxy Nexus sitting in the car charger just to hear some music. I haven't ever used the car charger on the BAMP Rezound.
Rezound was probably the worst phone I ever purchased and now, honestly, it's more useful than it was as a phone!
First of all, thank you very much for this guide. I have one question. Did you freeze Google play? Because it is a battery eater but it is needed to check that you actually purchased poweramp. The thing with the volume buttons is that im just the opposite, I need to be able to skip songs by pressing physical buttons due to I usually use it while skating and it a pain in the ass to take out my mobile in the meantime.
Enviado desde mi Desire Z mediante Tapatalk
Tested your question
meadillas11 said:
First of all, thank you very much for this guide. I have one question. Did you freeze Google play? Because it is a battery eater but it is needed to check that you actually purchased poweramp. The thing with the volume buttons is that im just the opposite, I need to be able to skip songs by pressing physical buttons due to I usually use it while skating and it a pain in the ass to take out my mobile in the meantime.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi luckily I read your question before my commute to work today so I can tell you what I found out.
Real quick question first, can you confirm you are using your phone with WiFi off? I never saw any Google Play services activity unless I had WiFi on and WiFi searching is a huge battery killer. I only get less than a day if I keep WiFi on.
As to the question about PowerAmp: I do not not believe it works that way, When you purchase it (from the PlayStore) you have to download two things the program and the "pro" key. After those are installed it never checks the Play Store (that I am aware of). If you are getting an error I would ask them about it. I am fairly certain about this because I use it 99% of the time with WiFi disabled (and there is no data plan at all on this phone). If it worked as you mentioned then no one could use it airplane mode.
I did read that there is some problem if you purchase the key directly from their site and then get the program from the PlayStore. Maybe that's it? But, I only turn on my WiFi to check for updates when I'm recharging, no other time, and I never have an issue.
As to Google Play services... before my ride to work I froze it
and everything was fine. It is still frozen and I was able to upload that image via "share to gdrive" using WiFi. Also, I was able to go to the Play Store and check for updates without an issue. Based on my very limited testing it seems safe to "freeze" - I don't plan on unfreezing it until I see a problem.
With the volume program that's really just based on how you use it. I use playlists in PowerAmp and just keep the phone in my pocket at the gym. If I didn't use the volume program then my volume would go up and down and tracks would change as it bounces around. If you use a clip and/or don't have that problem then you can skip using a program to lock your volume. I also don't change tracks with the buttons so for me it works but for you it seems best to not use it.
Thanks for the question, if after a week or so I have no issues I will amend my other post about what to freeze and add Google Play Services.
Google Play Services
Not all processes under Google Play services are started by the Google Play Store. Some are messaging and location services started by apps such as Google Search, Maps, and Hangouts. I'm pretty sure I've also had the location services started by non-Google apps.
Therefore, you can probably freeze some, especially the location services, without having any effect on the Play Store.
agreed
dawgdoc said:
Not all processes under Google Play services are started by the Google Play Store. Some are messaging and location services started by apps such as Google Search, Maps, and Hangouts. I'm pretty sure I've also had the location services started by non-Google apps.
Therefore, you can probably freeze some, especially the location services, without having any effect on the Play Store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you are correct.
I reset my battery monitor this morning and will look after I get a few days of stats to see what else runs and takes up battery that is basically useless in a music player.
Since I posted the original screen shots of what I had frozen I added Maps, the HTC Location Service and just this morning Google Play services. I forgot about the first two until your post.
These are the three processes I have frozen since in my original screenshots:
I would like to freeze anything Google that doesn't break the Play Store and GDrive. Not everyone would care about GDrive but I like the convenience of it. If you don't use it, it could probably be frozen too.
I'm usually the cause of any battery problems now if I forget to switch off WiFi or use the screen too much while creating new playlists .. screen timeout is a big deal if you are trying to squeeze every minute out of your battery.
just freeze everything it moves like Solid Snake would do
Enviado desde mi Desire Z mediante Tapatalk
I'm not sure I understand what you mean?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
Thanks
Thanks dOpiate for sharing this. I have been using CM on my old SGS I9000 to serve as a music player (just keeping the airplane mode on all the time), but this goes even further. I'll have to try that!
I'm surprised there aren't more people coming to this thread, with the number of people who have an old Android phone and don't know what to do with it.
Keep up the good work!
fabecoool said:
Thanks dOpiate for sharing this. I have been using CM on my old SGS I9000 to serve as a music player (just keeping the airplane mode on all the time), but this goes even further. I'll have to try that!
I'm surprised there aren't more people coming to this thread, with the number of people who have an old Android phone and don't know what to do with it.
Keep up the good work!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks I appreciate the feedback.
I think because this thread isn't device specific that it doesn't get that much traffic. And like you, I don't know what people are doing with all the old android devices they have. Just because it's not your phone anymore doesn't mean they are useless. They are very powerful computers that can be used for lots of things.
I actually used my 1st phone, the HTC Incredible 1, to replace my alarm clock. It was perfect, my alarm clock broke - I had the HTC Incredible in a drawer doing nothing so I set it up on my night stand as an alarm clock and I saved myself some $ and found a way to reuse the device.
As for the BAMP phone - I use it all the time - gym, car, work, data center, collocation, lol you get the point.
Soon I am going to have to part with my Galaxy Nexus as my primary phone but I can't wait to see how far I can take it as a media player only.
With the HTC Rezound I was stuck with what was an essentially cleaned up Verizon OTA update mod but the Nexus is CM 11 latest nightly! So much less bloat/trash to start with. I'll be doing a lot of trial and error on that one and will update this thread when/if I discover something new.
Thanks again and I hope this thread was helpful to you. If you learn anything new let me know and I'll add it here.
-dOpiate
Hi and thanks for the tutorial.
Why ia android 4+ mandatory ? This kind of things can be done with gingerbread…
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Xiaomi mi2s with Tapatalk
tmz83 said:
Hi and thanks for the tutorial.
Why ia android 4+ mandatory ? This kind of things can be done with gingerbread…
--
Xiaomi mi2s with Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I stated that specifically for my guide. The apps/settings I suggest don't all run on 3.x, that's the only reason.
I'm sure you could do the same things in gb but if your going by my guide (which will get an update very soon) you would need 4.x
The "idea" would certainly work in gingerbread.
I still use the HTC Rezound I created while writing this guide every day in my car and it still works great. Haven't noticed any battery life deterioration at all.
I did learn that every once in a while I have to enable WiFi or some of the apps no longer think they are licensed (Titanium, PowerAmp) -- but you need to make sure the Play Store isn't set to auto-update. Once it's working - don't let Google update any apps unless you want them updated otherwise you will end up with new Google apps you don't need/want.
I will make this guide more "current" very soon as I have another phone to do and I hope to use CM 4.4.4 as my base.
Ok, thanks again!
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Xiaomi mi2s with Tapatalk
hey, is this thread still alive? i need some help in turning my Sony Ericsson Live With Walkman into a real music player with camera and video available as extra features..
now i succeed to throw away all the unwanted apps like maps, messaging or phone call..
one question, how to remove all quickpanel in CM11? i need it to stay clean or just disable the notification dropdown. ( no use if your device is a music player )
if it impossible to do so, do you have any recommendation about using third party notification center like iOS iNoty or else which eat a little amount of RAM?
Is there any good data on which of the major ROMs are most trouble free?
I am a pretty simple guy. All I really want is to be able to use my phone as a hotspot, take pictures without the camera app crashing and easy access to turn the torch on and off. Seems like a lot of the reviews spend a lot of time focusing on how many colors you can change and relatively little on the actually reliability of the ROM. This sort of leaves us asking eachother and it seems like everyone and their brother has an opinion on how stable any given ROM is and all swear by different ones.
At any rate, this just leaves me wondering if there is actually any good reviews or sources that summarize what the weeknesses of each ROM are. I know it is a tricky thing to ask, because they are always changing with each nightly build, but I have been pulling my hair out for the last couple years trying to find a properly stable ROM for my T999.
They cant really review stability and functionality on some roms, such as CM for example. Its going to be different for every model device, and even between 2 identical model devices you will still find one has issues while another does not. Thats why they usually stick to reviewing features and options. But also, what works best will vary from person to person even more so than from one device to the next. As is stated in all the "what's the best rom" threads, only you can determine what suits your needs best.
But for what its worth, imo, if its stability you're after, stick to whatever the manufacturer included on any given device.
DocHoliday77 said:
They cant really review stability and functionality on some roms, such as CM for example. Its going to be different for every model device, and even between 2 identical model devices you will still find one has issues while another does not. Thats why they usually stick to reviewing features and options. But also, what works best will vary from person to person even more so than from one device to the next. As is stated in all the "what's the best rom" threads, only you can determine what suits your needs best.
But for what its worth, imo, if its stability you're after, stick to whatever the manufacturer included on any given device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would stick with the stock rom, but I just really don't like it. I have also gotten very used to using a more stock version of Android and don't want to have to adjust back to using the stock rom, even if there are ways to get tethering to work.
aviphysics said:
I would stick with the stock rom, but I just really don't like it. I have also gotten very used to using a more stock version of Android and don't want to have to adjust back to using the stock rom, even if there are ways to get tethering to work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What don't you like about the stock ROM? You say you want simple and don't care about changing anything, but you're not happy with stock either. What do you really want? lol. Also note, than any other ROM is not going to have the Samsung camera app, they are all going to be a lot more basic camera's, no wifi calling if you use that t-mo feature.
Torch on and off can be accessed with a shortcut on stock ROM, any third party app that lets you add a widget, or if you install xposed framework, you can add torch to the volume up button, so you can turn the torch on without even waking the phone. I'm with Doc, I'm a Touchwiz kind of guy too. I don't get the hate for it.
I just don't like some of the extra junk Samsung adds on. I like a more stripped down vanilla Android. I originally switched yo get rid of sVoice in particular and just got used to it. Not needing extra apps for WiFi tethering is a nice bonus.
At any rate. Just totally wiped the phone back to stock with Odin and installed the latest AOKP. No problems yet.
You can strip the Samsung apps out, and there is mods to enable native tethering.. But aosp or the kind is a nice option as well, just depends on what you want and need
aviphysics said:
I just don't like some of the extra junk Samsung adds on. I like a more stripped down vanilla Android. I originally switched yo get rid of sVoice in particular and just got used to it. Not needing extra apps for WiFi tethering is a nice bonus.
At any rate. Just totally wiped the phone back to stock with Odin and installed the latest AOKP. No problems yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thinly veiled best ROM thread. SlimKat with Banks' minimal gapps.
I don't use my S3 anymore, but I have that ROM on it and my other two devices. It is filed under d2lte on their site, it's a unified build.
If you have kernel problems, use ktoonsez'. That one was always really solid.
Aerowinder said:
Thinly veiled best ROM thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL. Totally not meant to be a best ROM thread. Just wanted to know if anyone was tracking reliability or issues common to the different ROMs in a way that was easy to sift through and not totally anecdotal.
SlimKat with Banks' minimal gapps.
I don't use my S3 anymore, but I have that ROM on it and my other two devices. It is filed under d2lte on their site, it's a unified build.
If you have kernel problems, use ktoonsez'. That one was always really solid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never figured out what was causing problems with my last ROM. TBH, I don't even recall what the kernel and ROM combination was. It was just something some random XDA forum member suggested. The biggest issue is that every time I opened the camera app, went away from it and came back, it would crash. Also happened when switching between camera and video. Sometimes it would require a system reset to get the camera back. I think it was something to do with the app itself, cause other apps that took pictures never had any problems. Super annoying. There were some other issues to. I stuck it out for a long time because the app fixed a BT audio issue I was having and I was too lazy to do more searching or reflashing my phone from scratch.
Right now I am just trying to make my phone last until the Sony Z3 launches. I am pretty sure that will be my next phone. Hopefully it won't cost a crazy amount to import it if t-mobile doesn't get it right away.
aviphysics said:
LOL. Totally not meant to be a best ROM thread. Just wanted to know if anyone was tracking reliability or issues common to the different ROMs in a way that was easy to sift through and not totally anecdotal.
I never figured out what was causing problems with my last ROM. TBH, I don't even recall what the kernel and ROM combination was. It was just something some random XDA forum member suggested. The biggest issue is that every time I opened the camera app, went away from it and came back, it would crash. Also happened when switching between camera and video. Sometimes it would require a system reset to get the camera back. I think it was something to do with the app itself, cause other apps that took pictures never had any problems. Super annoying. There were some other issues to. I stuck it out for a long time because the app fixed a BT audio issue I was having and I was too lazy to do more searching or reflashing my phone from scratch.
Right now I am just trying to make my phone last until the Sony Z3 launches. I am pretty sure that will be my next phone. Hopefully it won't cost a crazy amount to import it if t-mobile doesn't get it right away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AOSP camera was always crap in general but especially so on the S3.
You can get an updated on in the play store now, so you can freeze the AOSP one.
Aerowinder said:
AOSP camera was always crap in general but especially so on the S3.
You can get an updated on in the play store now, so you can freeze the AOSP one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The camera in the latest AOKP was working fine, but I downloaded the Google Camera app just to check it out. Works fine taking normal pictures, but the blur mode causes it to crash when you try to take a picture and the panorama/photosphere modes won't take pictures. I found some other people with identical problems, but didn't see a clear solution.
aviphysics said:
The camera in the latest AOKP was working fine, but I downloaded the Google Camera app just to check it out. Works fine taking normal pictures, but the blur mode causes it to crash when you try to take a picture and the panorama/photosphere modes won't take pictures. I found some other people with identical problems, but didn't see a clear solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was originally for the Nexus 5, then they put it on the play store for everyone. Clearly issues with non Google devices.
I'd suggest a third party camera app, like Camera ZOOM or something.