Develop Bugs

[Q] Looking for data on stability of major ROMS

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.

Really confused about this phone

I just got this phone today (I live in Thailand if that matters). I have the 64GB version. I have had Sony, Samsung, Motorola phones in the past and that is what I am used to. So first thing:
How do I change the home launcher? I don't see any setting for it in the settings menu. I can open up Themer (which I downloaded) and it will open up but as soon as I go to any other app, it will go back to the original homescreen.
Why is there no app drawer?
Why is the phone asking me to accept terms (which says **** like honor the Chinese constitution) and connect to the internet just to view photos in my album? I can't think of any reason that a photo album would need to connect to the internet unless it's going to upload my photos somewhere which I obviously don't want. So I seemingly cannot even view photos on this phone unless I can download something else to take care of it.
I looked at the rooting section for this phone and it seems that all of them currently have issues. Is there no way to just get plain ole vanilla android on this phone? I have never rooted a phone before and the thought is a bit scary to me because it seems like most of the instructions are written for people who already know how to do that type of thing. I went to the Cyanogenmod website and they didn't have one for this phone. Are there no alternatives? I will gladly pay for something like this. I don't want all this Mi stuff on my phone.
Sorry if I sound... whatever, I am just a bit flustered with all of this. The hardware seems nice but the software is utter ****. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

theusedversion said:
I just got this phone today (I live in Thailand if that matters). I have the 64GB version. I have had Sony, Samsung, Motorola phones in the past and that is what I am used to. So first thing:
How do I change the home launcher? I don't see any setting for it in the settings menu. I can open up Themer (which I downloaded) and it will open up but as soon as I go to any other app, it will go back to the original homescreen.
Why is there no app drawer?
Why is the phone asking me to accept terms (which says **** like honor the Chinese constitution) and connect to the internet just to view photos in my album? I can't think of any reason that a photo album would need to connect to the internet unless it's going to upload my photos somewhere which I obviously don't want. So I seemingly cannot even view photos on this phone unless I can download something else to take care of it.
I looked at the rooting section for this phone and it seems that all of them currently have issues. Is there no way to just get plain ole vanilla android on this phone? I have never rooted a phone before and the thought is a bit scary to me because it seems like most of the instructions are written for people who already know how to do that type of thing. I went to the Cyanogenmod website and they didn't have one for this phone. Are there no alternatives? I will gladly pay for something like this. I don't want all this Mi stuff on my phone.
Sorry if I sound... whatever, I am just a bit flustered with all of this. The hardware seems nice but the software is utter ****. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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Where did you purchase this Phone? From Chinese website? Does it have Google Playstore? If yes then
1) If you just want to change the Home Launcher then install your desired Launcher from Playstore and goto settings-> Installed Apps-> Defaults and set the Downloaded Launcher from there.
2) The Default Launcher on the phone is MIUI Launcher which doesn't have app drawer like iPhone and some other chinese UI.
3) There is unofficial CyanogenMod and some other custom ROMs but there are some problems with each of them like Video recording not working, if working then Audio not being recorded in them. 3G network issues and so on. The process of flashing a custom rom or rooting is little bit tedious and I'd not suggest you in this stage.
Better is to download a desired launcher from Playstore (if you have it) else sideloading and hiding the apps which you don't want to see.

Also note on official Miui ROM you're able to uninstall a bunch of stock apps too.
I'd recommend read up to unlock boot loader. It's a minor project getting this device where you want it, but the awesome battery life and screen size makes your effort worth the time.
Pls also visit official Miui forums there's a wealth of info there. ? ?
Sent from my MI MAX using Tapatalk

paarkhi said:
Where did you purchase this Phone? From Chinese website? Does it have Google Playstore? If yes then
1) If you just want to change the Home Launcher then install your desired Launcher from Playstore and goto settings-> Installed Apps-> Defaults and set the Downloaded Launcher from there.
2) The Default Launcher on the phone is MIUI Launcher which doesn't have app drawer like iPhone and some other chinese UI.
3) There is unofficial CyanogenMod and some other custom ROMs but there are some problems with each of them like Video recording not working, if working then Audio not being recorded in them. 3G network issues and so on. The process of flashing a custom rom or rooting is little bit tedious and I'd not suggest you in this stage.
Better is to download a desired launcher from Playstore (if you have it) else sideloading and hiding the apps which you don't want to see.
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OMG, thank you so much for the home launcher tip. That solved the biggest issue I had. My Xperia Z2 had a home launcher setting in the main settings menu. I never would have guessed to look there. Thank you so much. I switched all the default apps to what I wanted and this is already a million times better. And yes, I bought it from a reputable retailer here in Bangkok so I think it's legit. Had Play store on it and everything.

badrsj said:
Also note on official Miui ROM you're able to uninstall a bunch of stock apps too.
I'd recommend read up to unlock boot loader. It's a minor project getting this device where you want it, but the awesome battery life and screen size makes your effort worth the time.
Pls also visit official Miui forums there's a wealth of info there.
Sent from my MI MAX using Tapatalk
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Thanks, I will look into it. Cheers.

I've had the same feeling since my first Mi phone, the Redmi Note 3G. They make some really great & quality hardware capable of very good performances & end up great value for money if you know your way around. But like you felt MIUI is complete horse arse' output these days. It used to be great around version 4 or even upto 5 but then its been downhill since. My suggestion is unlock, install twrp, then you have 2 options
If you
1. want VoLTE then install sMIUI 8.0.1.0 from xiaomi.eu
2. can get by without VoLTE(either not using it at all or by using it through a MiFi modem which some carriers provide in many places/countries now) then install RR5.7.3(thanks to people like @ajsmsg78) which I found to be the most stable with the least issues so far for everyday use. Please thank the devs.
Not that the other like CM13, Mokee, etc are bad but there are issues here & there which prevent me from using it as a daily driver. I'd suggest you take a nandroid backup of all these when you try them each.
If you need more help, drop me a PM. I can help anytime with an hours notice AFAIK.
CAUTION: Read the unlocking & custom ROM/recovery guides 10-20 times so that you've almost memorised every detail if you are a newbie otherwise, especially for phones which have a non-removable battery, you'll end up regretting something later & end up kicking yourself. DO NOT SKIMP ON READING IT AGAIN & AGAIN OR SKIP STEPS else YOU"LL PAY FOR IT LATER.

To unlock the bootloader, you must ask permission from xiaomi. This takes a few days to process. You can read how to do this on en.miui.com forum. Once you have unlocked the bootloader, things will be much easier.
If the "reputable" dealer in Bangkok is Lazada, then you have probably got a patched ROM from China. You can check this by version number.

Parmo100 said:
To unlock the bootloader, you must ask permission from xiaomi. This takes a few days to process. You can read how to do this on en.miui.com forum..
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I've spent 6 hours searching that f***ng forum and I can't find a thing about unlock the Mi Max. Maybe I'm an idiot or maybe you're a genius, who knows.

Taxidermista said:
I've spent 6 hours searching that f***ng forum and I can't find a thing about unlock the Mi Max. Maybe I'm an idiot or maybe you're a genius, who knows.
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chill bro here is the link : en(dot)miui.com/thread-327459-1-(dot)html
replace (dot) with the symbol(.)
a word of advice stemming frm my experience,when u enter the phone number in application be sure to enter the same number which ur going to use in the device,and even after recieving the approval sms u might have to give it a few tries before it actually unlocks,(i had to wait 3 days for the approval sms,after recieving the sms tried for 3 days until it actually unlocked, ur mileage may vary)all the best,hope u get unlocked soon

I Googled "xiaomi mi max Unlock bootloader" and got this within 10 seconds :-
http://en.miui.com/thread-202290-1-1.html
Take care that you are logged into xiaomi account and the phone number as mentioned above, if you use phone number as your user name.
That's the only possible error. My permission from xiaomi took only 4 days. Once you unlock the bootloader, things are very easy. Remember to unpack all the zip files!

It took me 2 weeks to get an unlock code the Redmi Note 3 which uses similar internals to the Mi Max. Once I got unlock permission, I had no problems unlocking the phone using the MiFlash Unlock program in Windows. I've unlocked it a few times when I was switching back and forth between MIUI and CM.
And you're right, MIUI is a donkey's behind when it comes to slowing the phone down and doing weird things in the background. I'd recommend rooting the phone, running OS Monitor to check outbound traffic and installing Afwall to stop MIUI from phoning home. I replaced most of the stock system apps with open source equivalents and I allowed Internet access for only a few apps. Bad enough that Google slurps your data, it's even worse to have eyes in China tracking your every online move too.

Google Play "Certified" and custom roms

So I've browsed through the Lineage rom thread to gather some information on it, my new Z Play is sitting at home waiting for me. I've been flashing Cyanogenmod/Lineage since the Nexus One days, and I haven't ever used a phone with stock firmware.
But the times, they are a-changing! It's getting harder and harder to have a rooted/customized phone and justifying the benefits gained while losing a lot of functionality with DRM & copyright nonsense. Motorola does a great job with their stock firmware too, so I'm actually considering skipping Lineage and custom roms this time. So some questions:
I use Lineage on my Moto X 2014, but I had to keep root off for it to show as "Certified" in the app store. Not so much for stuff like Android Pay that I can go without, but for Netflix. While you can sideload the Netflix apk, you can't use the download option, which is big for me because I travel a lot for business. So a rom that will show up "Certified" is a big one for me. Is this the case with Lineage? Or any stock-based rom?
If it's not, I know stuff like Magisk exists & I can figure out how to get it set up, but what worries me is how much time I'll have to spend constantly updating and trying to stay one step ahead of Google every time they patch or fix the exploits used by that stuff. How long can you usually go with a Magisk fix? And how long after it quits working are updates released?
Any other insight you folks might have specific to the Moto Z Play would be helpful, hoping to contribute as best I can here, thanks!

Recommended ROM?

I only use my smartphone for OTPs... Authy, the Steam app etc and hopefully my bank account app. The thing is, the bank account app only works on Android 6+.
Given all that I want is Android 6 or above please can someone recommend a ROM. Something that works well...GPS and WiFi included. The phone doesn't have a SIM card and I'm thinking about using it to track my running.
Thanks for any help. I've barely used a smartphone since the s4 mini came out so I'm a bit overwhelmed by it all!

I don't use banking apps and GPS only rarely. Last time battery drain because of using GPS. Well, maybe because of Sunlight...
LineageOS 17 works well. Use the right version. Banking app with Magisk Root should be possible, but I don't know how.
A new cheap phone with original ROM and better GPS may be better for you.

Thank you for your reply. I'm sorry it's taken so long to respond... accidentally wiped my password manager file, lost my login details and forgot which email I registered with! Nightmare!
I'll give LineageOS 17 a whirl.
I'm sorry to ask a question that has been asked a million times!
Is there a straight forward set of instructions available to help me flash my phone? I would like to make a backup of the current (factory) ROM and then flash it with a LineageOS 17 ROM that hasn't been tampered with. No offence intended to people that mod released ROMs, I'd like something that has come from the initial developers.
Thank you!
EDIT: Yes, I have considered buying a new phone. I love the size of the Galaxy S4 mini and have seen that Sony (I think!) has released more recent phones of similar size. I may well buy a replacement if I can't get LineageOS to do what I need. Thanks
I should add that I prefer to use Linux (OpenSuse)... if Windows is necessary it's WIndows 10.

Question i want a custom ROM for samsung galaxy z fold , want a private custom rom with no google or google free rom

I want a private rom or custom rom
I have some function or features to add
google free rom , or no google app in it.
will pay 1k usd ,who can customize it contact me. skype:sudhir.jatrana

There's only 2 models of the zfold3 that can be rooted the rest are locked with no ability to root period because Samsung locked it down. There's a guide in this section of the forum for rooting that has both models listed and if yours isn't one of those you are **** out of luck

Also, Google makes the Android ROM base. So are you wanting to install a ROM that lacks the Google apps? There is a thread that shows how to remove system apps, but you might remove things that are required for Android to run.
I can understand the idea you have, but you may not be in luck for a working result.

it's definitely possible
I'm also looking for a way to get privacy on my Z Fold 3
Been pretty successfull so far with getting suckerberg out with modded insta and whatsapp, but Google is deep in the system and I desperetely need a rom without it

Well you can remove gapps with adb app control app on windows and using debugging settings. But you'd lose out on getting security updates from Google. And no telling how much it would break Samsung stuff. No clue how it would turn out. But it wouldn't be a custom ROM. It would be a severely stripped down Samsung stock ROM. If you try it and don't like it, just wipe it and start over. Keep us in the loop and let us know how it works.

learnermind said:
I want a private rom or custom rom
I have some function or features to add
google free rom , or no google app in it.
will pay 1k usd ,who can customize it contact me. skype:sudhir.jatrana
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Click to collapse
Just use your 1000 dollars, and buy a pixel 6 pro and install graphene os, that's about as good as your going to get, unless you decide to build your own room based on lineage os, but with a phone this expensive, your not gonna find custom ROMs. Or look into gsi's and have a play with those, pretty much your only option or choice im afraid, unless you want a crippled stock Samsung ROM, which would be pointless

Honestly man, if you are wanting to De-Google your phone and be able to do a lot of things like this, the LAST thing you should have done is go with such a new phone. Especially if you know ANYTHING about Android and Rooting. You should know that rooting is not always a thing and in the case of new phones, it can take a while to get it to where you want/need. Like YEARS.
What you SHOULD have done is gone with an older, more customizable phone that has a TON of ROM's and support in this regard.
In short, RESEARCH. Buying a phone that you want and then going out to the modding community and making a request like this is going to get you... well... pretty much what you're getting...
Good luck, but I can promise you that you are not going to get what you want 100%, but, I hope that the suggestions offered here get you close to what you want, but you're not going to get what you want with a Z Fold 3.