Manual Debloat - Apps safe to remove - One (M8) Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Just got this phone a couple of days ago and have already rooted it and have S-Off. The next thing I'm looking to do is DeBloat it and make it as Sense(less) as possible. My last few phones have been Samsung's so I'm a little out of the loop with HTC. I was hoping that someone who is qualified and has actually tested what they preach can make an alphabetical list of apps that can be removed w/o interrupting major functions such as CAMERA features, Phone, SMS/MMS, IR Blaster. I have no interest in the Sense launcher and widgets so as far as I'm concerned I would like to see all those apps removed.
Anyone with the know how and patience please step up to the plate...I'm sure there are a lot of people who root their phones who would say that DeBloating is their #1 priority.
Thanks in advance for any and all contributions!

Why not just use this
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2721617
Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk

Whatever you do just back it all up and test it before deleting anything.
Initially I deleted all sorts of apps, but to be honest is easier just to hide them and leave them alone for the ota's.
Also coming from Samsung myself and CM7, I quite like Sense 6, it seems light weight enough and actually benefits the phone.

Related

[Q] Antivirus, Rooting, and Gingerbread questions

First of all, let me apologize for being very ignorant about most of the stuff on here, even though I am very interested. I have looked and can not find a definitive answer, although I believe I should have antivirus, I have no idea what to use. I have Norton Systemworks on my PC. I also want to root my phone to be able to get rid of some of the factory installed garbage on it. I have been told that it is not wise to delete some of the installed apps because android uses parts of some to make others work. Is there anyway to do a total recovery image of my stock phone so if I totally screw it up, I can fall back on it? I think so, based on what I have read here---but honestly, I got a headache yesterday reading on here and trying to learn. I am not a super-techy guy, I just want my phone to do what I want it to, and none of the extra crap that I don't want. And lastly, should I wait to root my phone until Gingerbread comes out, or will it really matter? While I do know what a rom does and is, I do not understand kernels or most of the other things on here, so i actually need 'hand-holding' through some of this. Thank you for your help...anything you can tell me will help out.
hey man. i am willing to help you thorugh this entire thing. pm me for any more questions, but here is a start. it seems you have a baisic computer working knowledge, so this wont be too hard. first, a kernel is the scripts that let the hardware communicate with the software. the nice thing about this is it can easily be modified and built upon. a few devs have added scripts and stuff to the stock kernels to make them much more powerful and battery efficiant.
this recovery image you are talking about wont fix you phone if you screw it, but it will take you back in time to when you made the backup. you can also unroot to take off any mods you have applied. always remember to MAKE A NAND BACKUP WHENEVER YOU DO ANYTHING WITH YOUR PHONE THAT COULD REMOTELY BE CONSICERED A MODIFICATION. otherwise, you can end up with a very expensive paperweight.
there are partitions on the phone's memory. there are things like userdata and cache, but there are three main ones that we will mess with: system, recovery, and hboot. system is the rom of the phone. it is the software. it si obvious why this would be altered: to get better, more efficiant, or cooler software. then, we have the recovery. this is a factory tool for resetting and manual updating. this is packed with security, but there is no security that keeps us from changing the recovery. get where i'm going? if we change the recovery to one that has been heavily cracked and maybe built from scratch by a very talented dev (i reccomend amonra's recovery) then we can make the phone believe it is being updated when we are really modifying it.
the hboot is a developmental factory partition that is used for total firmware updates and google/android development. removing the security from this is the first stage in rooting.
i would highly reccomend rooting, and would be happy to 'hold your hand' along the way. i hope this helps and does not just confuse you more.
dk
oh, almost forgot. dont wait for gingerbread. the devs will make some roms that will include gingerbread packed in. i actually reccomend you root before gingerbread so you dont have to wait for a root method for that.
lookout antivirus can be found in the market.
Guys no offense. My galaxy doesn't even have froyo so I have no room to talk but I wouldn't get to worried about gingerbread yet. LOL it hasn't even been officially announced
Sent from my SCH-I500-Fascinate using XDA App
ksizzle9 said:
Guys no offense. My galaxy doesn't even have froyo so I have no room to talk but I wouldn't get to worried about gingerbread yet. LOL it hasn't even been officially announced
Sent from my SCH-I500-Fascinate using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agreed. cyanogen will probably port it in about january or february. long time, no need to wait.
dkdude36 said:
hey man. i am willing to help you thorugh this entire thing. pm me for any more questions, but here is a start. it seems you have a baisic computer working knowledge, so this wont be too hard. first, a kernel is the scripts that let the hardware communicate with the software. the nice thing about this is it can easily be modified and built upon. a few devs have added scripts and stuff to the stock kernels to make them much more powerful and battery efficiant.
this recovery image you are talking about wont fix you phone if you screw it, but it will take you back in time to when you made the backup. you can also unroot to take off any mods you have applied. always remember to MAKE A NAND BACKUP WHENEVER YOU DO ANYTHING WITH YOUR PHONE THAT COULD REMOTELY BE CONSICERED A MODIFICATION. otherwise, you can end up with a very expensive paperweight.
there are partitions on the phone's memory. there are things like userdata and cache, but there are three main ones that we will mess with: system, recovery, and hboot. system is the rom of the phone. it is the software. it si obvious why this would be altered: to get better, more efficiant, or cooler software. then, we have the recovery. this is a factory tool for resetting and manual updating. this is packed with security, but there is no security that keeps us from changing the recovery. get where i'm going? if we change the recovery to one that has been heavily cracked and maybe built from scratch by a very talented dev (i reccomend amonra's recovery) then we can make the phone believe it is being updated when we are really modifying it.
the hboot is a developmental factory partition that is used for total firmware updates and google/android development. removing the security from this is the first stage in rooting.
i would highly reccomend rooting, and would be happy to 'hold your hand' along the way. i hope this helps and does not just confuse you more.
dk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like mhoodie, I, too, am a newbie in need of hand-holding. How do I make a nand backup? My EVO is rooted 2.1 with XDA- WiFi Tether, no 147.651.~.~. How to upgrade to Froyo and maintain root? How can a friend with brand new Evo root and load XDA- WiFi Tether? AFTER these I'd like to know how to flash a ROM. You can communicate with me through this forum or [email protected] or 908-251-3532. Of course I'll contact you any way you like.
Dsims6465
sounds good. i would love to help. i have finals coming up, so i might be a bit busy the next few days, but i will try to help as much as possible. gtalk seems like the way to do it.
these forums helped me when i was a noob, so i'm trying to help out now. next on to do list: pay back for all the roms. (i wish)
mhoodie said:
First of all, let me apologize for being very ignorant about most of the stuff on here, even though I am very interested. I have looked and can not find a definitive answer, although I believe I should have antivirus, I have no idea what to use. I have Norton Systemworks on my PC. I also want to root my phone to be able to get rid of some of the factory installed garbage on it. I have been told that it is not wise to delete some of the installed apps because android uses parts of some to make others work. Is there anyway to do a total recovery image of my stock phone so if I totally screw it up, I can fall back on it? I think so, based on what I have read here---but honestly, I got a headache yesterday reading on here and trying to learn. I am not a super-techy guy, I just want my phone to do what I want it to, and none of the extra crap that I don't want. And lastly, should I wait to root my phone until Gingerbread comes out, or will it really matter? While I do know what a rom does and is, I do not understand kernels or most of the other things on here, so i actually need 'hand-holding' through some of this. Thank you for your help...anything you can tell me will help out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't worry about using an anti-virus on android, they're pretty much useless and will do nothing but eat up your battery. Once you root you can install a custom recovery that you have to reboot the phone in and that can create backups of all your partitions. Those are called nandroids and are basically a snap shot of how your phone is set up at that moment. You must be rooted to do any of this though.
Ok, just because I do not quite understand....why is it that I do not need antivirus on my Evo since I surf the web, download apps, and open emails.....on a PC, the same things without protection against virus, trojans, etc... will get my pc and life screwed in a very short time? And, by 'screw my phone up', I mean if I delete something that I need.....can I just go back---also, is there anywhere a list of the apps that android uses to run other things. Specifically, I want to get rid of the exchange mail, amazon mp3,qik, peep, friendstream, nascar, stocks, news, news and weather. I have no need for these apps, and as most of you know for whatever reason, evo will run them whenever it wants.
i have no idea about antiviruses, but you can delete anything that is either a widget or an app in your launcher. everything else is proceed with caution.
definitely root...antivirus is a personal thing...I do use lookout and its free in the market.
after you root...I suggest using titanium backup to uninstall most if not all of those apps you mentioned.
you could also go the custom ROM route...most ROMs out there already have most of those apps removed already.
mhoodie said:
Ok, just because I do not quite understand....why is it that I do not need antivirus on my Evo since I surf the web, download apps, and open emails.....on a PC, the same things without protection against virus, trojans, etc... will get my pc and life screwed in a very short time? And, by 'screw my phone up', I mean if I delete something that I need.....can I just go back---also, is there anywhere a list of the apps that android uses to run other things. Specifically, I want to get rid of the exchange mail, amazon mp3,qik, peep, friendstream, nascar, stocks, news, news and weather. I have no need for these apps, and as most of you know for whatever reason, evo will run them whenever it wants.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Antiviruses being useless, so far, on android is just my opinion. If you feel better having one then by all means go for it.
There is a thread around here somewhere that has a list of all the apps you can safely delete, I don't have a link to it atm but you should be able to find it with a quick search.
Imo root now, nothing is holding us back with unrevoked forever, as for bloatware, have you tried flashing a rom? VirusRom Anthrax B4 is my poisen, and its bloat free¡
mhoodie said:
Ok, just because I do not quite understand....why is it that I do not need antivirus on my Evo since I surf the web, download apps, and open emails.....on a PC, the same things without protection against virus, trojans, etc... will get my pc and life screwed in a very short time? And, by 'screw my phone up', I mean if I delete something that I need.....can I just go back---also, is there anywhere a list of the apps that android uses to run other things. Specifically, I want to get rid of the exchange mail, amazon mp3,qik, peep, friendstream, nascar, stocks, news, news and weather. I have no need for these apps, and as most of you know for whatever reason, evo will run them whenever it wants.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me, personally, I never have and never will use antivirus programs on my computer. As long as you are knowledgeable, you shouldn't ever get viruses or anything. You just have to know what you are doing.
always willing to help
im no genius but i have been messing with rooting and android since the tmobile g1 and i had to learn all on my own. what everyone is telling u makes absolute sence but the main thing to stress is tell your friend to not update using sprints update firmware because all they do is patch the loophole to gain root access. dont wait for gbread. jump on team douche and cyanogen and enjoy the real power of android and the evo. any quetions [email protected]
Ok, so does it matter what procedure I use to root or do they all do basically the same thing, and then differences begin when I start changing the kernels and Rom around? I am going to try to root in a couple of weeks. Maybe next saturday, and I want to get as much understanding as I can before I jump in. I am sure once I play around with this for a bit I will have no problem, but I am very much a hands-on learner and its hard for me to learn something that is new to me just by reading, especially when most of what I am reading makes very little sense to me. So, thanks to everyone for their patience and help!
Myn's WarmTwopointTwo
Hi there. I was in the same boat as you are. I learned all by trail and error and by reading forum after forum. There is a ton of info out there and it can be a little too much and there are a lot of contradicting statements... I just rooted about 3 weeks ago using unrevoked3. It's the easiest way to root your phone and the safest, at least I believe that. There are other ways, but it include using the command line and things like that. With unrevoked its a very simple user friendly, 3 step process. I would highly recommend rooting your phone, once you do you will never look back. It bring out the full potential in the EVO. The best thing I like about it is I can get about double the battery life of the stock version. Check this ROM out - although it is the only one I tried I am so in love with it, I have absolutely no urge to try another ROM. Here is the second release of this ROM - the third one is in beta testing, which I am doing right now and it is 100% amazing. In order to become a beta tester, all you have to do is donate, or wait until this friday when the final version is released - FOR FREE! Here is the link for the release #2: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=793471#. You can read the thread if you have any questions about it - I know there are 600+ pages. Check out the first page and all the features that are included in this ROM. All the bloatware you speak of are not installed with this ROM. You have the option to install them. Then the other thing is the kernel. With the release 3 of WarmTwoPointTwo it comes with an HTC kernel, which I found to actually be the best out there for this ROM. I have been getting about 29 hours with moderate use with a single charge on the battery!! Pretty good huh? Please let me know if you have any more questions....You can send me a private message if you wish...I'm here to help you. Everyone on this site has been great with helping me and it seems they are willing to help anyone. I hope this helps. Oh you I just remembered you might wait until saturday to root. If you do that, I would def. recommend release #3, but if I were you I would not wait that long!
Here's a screen shot of just my home screen. Notice how much you can customize EVERYTHING. I will post more screen shots when I get time tomorrow.
I am getting ready to root my phone and when I connected to the pc, it was the first time. Drivers installed except for ADB. Is this something that I should skip, or do I need to get a driver from htc for this?
adb is very neccesary. it is obtainable from android's dev page. sorry no link (ipad) just google android go to dev section and hit download sdk.

Wishlist / can this be fixed without days/weeks of research or will I have to switch?

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

[Q] Custom ROM on GN2

Hello all,
First post, although I've been a fan of XDA for several years and have never signed up for an account as I have typically googled to find all my answers. I signed up yesterday to ask a perplexing question to me today. I've installed custom ROM's on my last couple smart phones and loved them for all the reasons I know many people on this site do. Now I got a GalaxyNote 2, I rooted it and installed CM10 - thrilled I must say...kudos to Skip for the great GN2 toolkit!
Then I found out that the multi-view and S-Pen from my research don't work on AOSP ROM's. What then would be the benefit of a ROM on GN2? Or have I not done enough homework to find the missing links? I did find this thread for mult-view but I'm not comfortable proceeding with it. I understand Papyrus works for S-pen.
To me with a phablet this big. These 2 solutions would keep me from staying rooted and return to stock. Yet, I truly love the speed and simplicity of CM10. Without all the Vendor bloatware - but that just gives me an overgrown smartphone... what am I missing?
Thankful for any/all your insights and suggestions.
Jason
I would try this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2170142
It's asethically based off AOSP but has all of the great TW features. It's, hands down, my favorite ROM out at the moment.
JRL70 said:
Hello all,
First post, although I've been a fan of XDA for several years and have never signed up for an account as I have typically googled to find all my answers. I signed up yesterday to ask a perplexing question to me today. I've installed custom ROM's on my last couple smart phones and loved them for all the reasons I know many people on this site do. Now I got a GalaxyNote 2, I rooted it and installed CM10 - thrilled I must say...kudos to Skip for the great GN2 toolkit!
Then I found out that the multi-view and S-Pen from my research don't work on AOSP ROM's. What then would be the benefit of a ROM on GN2? Or have I not done enough homework to find the missing links? I did find this thread for mult-view but I'm not comfortable proceeding with it. I understand Papyrus works for S-pen.
To me with a phablet this big. These 2 solutions would keep me from staying rooted and return to stock. Yet, I truly love the speed and simplicity of CM10. Without all the Vendor bloatware - but that just gives me an overgrown smartphone... what am I missing?
Thankful for any/all your insights and suggestions.
Jason
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
JRL70 said:
Hello all,
First post, although I've been a fan of XDA for several years and have never signed up for an account as I have typically googled to find all my answers. I signed up yesterday to ask a perplexing question to me today. I've installed custom ROM's on my last couple smart phones and loved them for all the reasons I know many people on this site do. Now I got a GalaxyNote 2, I rooted it and installed CM10 - thrilled I must say...kudos to Skip for the great GN2 toolkit!
Then I found out that the multi-view and S-Pen from my research don't work on AOSP ROM's. What then would be the benefit of a ROM on GN2? Or have I not done enough homework to find the missing links? I did find this thread for mult-view but I'm not comfortable proceeding with it. I understand Papyrus works for S-pen.
To me with a phablet this big. These 2 solutions would keep me from staying rooted and return to stock. Yet, I truly love the speed and simplicity of CM10. Without all the Vendor bloatware - but that just gives me an overgrown smartphone... what am I missing?
Thankful for any/all your insights and suggestions.
Jason
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you!! I feel the same way, I love this phone's functions and don't want to lose any but I have been using cyanogenmod since the g1 days. Guess I will be waiting until they get a fully functional version going
I would try this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=2170142
It's asethically based off AOSP but has all of the great TW features. It's, hands down, my favorite ROM out at the moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you update apps? There was a comment that one app couldn't be updated or it would cause issue??
Thanks for the quick posts... I found this... http://droidviews.com/2013/best-custom-roms-for-sprint-galaxy-note-2-sph-l900/
MIUI seems to be a decent ROM and has S-Pen and multi-view built in... Now I have a couple options!
I feel a bit better...
I'm downloading that AOSP Touch Wiz ROM right now to give it a go. Could be a better solution to my stock rooted MA7 with Apex Launcher Jelly Bean theme.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app
JRL70 said:
... I rooted it and installed CM10 ... I found out that the multi-view and S-Pen from my research don't work on AOSP ROM's. What then would be the benefit of a ROM on GN2? Or have I not done enough homework ...These 2 solutions would keep me from staying rooted and return to stock. ... what am I missing? ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, yes, you didn't do enough research. No biggie.
You have to remember, CM is still in beta and has a few things that do not work yet. If memory serves me well, they're listed in the first post for CM.
The multiwindow aspect of the GN2/GS3 is built into the framework for touchwiz and android. So, it's not likely something we'll see very soon in CM. I think they may be waiting for Google to implement into Android.
I don't know about the Spen. That may be more specific to the phone more than touchwiz, and that may be just something the devs are waiting for Samsung to release details on, or some dev to more reverse engineer.
Lastly, you don't have to unroot to be stock. A lot of people, such as myself, are rooted, but run stock roms. I run deoxidized versions to I can use the mutliwindow and have the 4-1 reboot. I like having root for some important apps, for me, require it, such as Titanium Bakcup, WiFi tether, and Busybox. It's not that hard to get rid of bloat when you're rooted. Just make a nandroid incase you delete something you shouldn't have.
lovekeiiy said:
First, yes, you didn't do enough research. No biggie.
You have to remember, CM is still in beta and has a few things that do not work yet. If memory serves me well, they're listed in the first post for CM.
The multiwindow aspect of the GN2/GS3 is built into the framework for touchwiz and android. So, it's not likely something we'll see very soon in CM. I think they may be waiting for Google to implement into Android.
I don't know about the Spen. That may be more specific to the phone more than touchwiz, and that may be just something the devs are waiting for Samsung to release details on, or some dev to more reverse engineer.
Lastly, you don't have to unroot to be stock. A lot of people, such as myself, are rooted, but run stock roms. I run deoxidized versions to I can use the mutliwindow and have the 4-1 reboot. I like having root for some important apps, for me, require it, such as Titanium Bakcup, WiFi tether, and Busybox. It's not that hard to get rid of bloat when you're rooted. Just make a nandroid incase you delete something you shouldn't have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your insight. I appreciate it. Also in my research, I read information where Android told Cyanogen to stop incorporating Multi-view and S-pen into their ROM's so we will have to see if that happens and the features ever come to light. CM's always in Beta... yes their Beta for GN2 is new - I get it and will have to see what happens. in the interim.. I'm looking for help from the members to find a working rom. Perhaps you can suggest the rom that you are using... sounds interesting and I'd much rather flash something that the dev's on here have cleaned up than try to do it myself... and yes, I do support with donations
Personally, I'm just running a deoxidized stock rom with Perseus kernel. The rom did have the bloat. I just deleted stuff I didn't want with Titanium backup, after making sure to back it up; it's a CYA move. I have goofed and deleted something that cause Google Play not to function. You kind of figure out what you can't and can delete without issue.
Right now, the stock rom does what I need and most of what I want. I haven't found anything I couldn't do because of stock. It would be nice to have hybrid functionality, but it's not a deal breaker. I personally haven't seen anything on AOSP that is a must have. Being rooted, must have.
I do like CM and thought it was a lot better than the stock rom when I was still using my Evo4G. I'm just waiting for CM to have everything working, other than the Spen and mutliwindow, before trying it out.
I would love to have something like Boot Manager so I can have mutliple ROMs loaded. When I had it on my Evo, I usually had three--stock, CM, and some experimental alpha or early beta. I haven't really seen anyone do a bare minimum stock rom. Those are nice, than you can just add the other feature you like instead of trying to get rid of what you don't.
SPen and multi window are samsungs intellectual property, ie they are proprietary code that an after market firmware can't incorporate with violating copyrights. Google won't let CM use the multiview feature, yet, as it is being incorporated into AOSP so they will have it in a future release. Googles already pushed the MV commits upstream its just not activated yet. There are other options if you're saavy enough to merge code and compile a rom for yourself such as cornerstone by onskreen, their code has gone fully opensource now so you can clone their git into yours and merge it with an AOSP rom of your choice then do the necessary modifications to the code and compile it.
I like to break stuff!
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So far I've only run into two apps that are unable to update or having problems after an update. If you update youtube, you won't be able to sign in, which sucks. The calendar app won't update, also. I've tried deleting it and installing it from the market, but that still doesn't work out. Other than those two, everything else is fine. Dev did a great job
mboogy said:
So far I've only run into two apps that are unable to update or having problems after an update. If you update youtube, you won't be able to sign in, which sucks. The calendar app won't update, also. I've tried deleting it and installing it from the market, but that still doesn't work out. Other than those two, everything else is fine. Dev did a great job
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm running the AOSPNoWiz 1.4 right now and you also can't use your Samsung account without getting FC for Scloud.sync. I disabled my Samsung account and it went away.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app

As phones improve do you find yourself less tempted to root?

Back in the day, phones were much more restricted than they are nowadays. Now we have 2.3 ghz quad cores and excellent battery life and lots of features and all sorts of other great stuff.
As the phones get better are you less tempted to root your phone and install custom ROMs?
I know for me when I got my galaxy s3 I didn't root it for a few months. Then when I got my HTC one I was determined not to root it. It was excellent out of the box and I just didn't see a need for it. Untill I started having it not last all day so I rooted to be able to get better battery life. I won't have my note 3 for another week or so because employees aren't allowed to purchase our phones right away for some retarded reason. But just curious if I'm the only one feeling this way, that with phones becoming so much better, its slowly taking away the need for custom ROMs and such.
Personally I still have the need to root because not all phones are updated with official firmware to the latest android version, besides that I often experienced better battery life after rooting (disabling unwanted applications, removing bloatware, using greenify etc)
Yup. Lol idk if Imma root my note. But if I do, it would probably be just to change minor stuff like taking the clock out of the status bar or make it black when it's not transparent. Other than that, I see no reason to root this one as of yet.
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
There are really three reasons I root
1. Remove bloat.
2. Adblock hosts file
3. xposed framework.
I think xposed framework does more to eliminate the need for custom roms more than anything.
Same for me I root for 4 reasons:
1. Remove bloat.
2. Block ads.
3. Customize status bar.
4. Better battery life.
sent from my Note 3
With the Note 3, I have zero incentive to root. I've disabled the apps I don't care about, I have plenty of space for the ones I do, the phone looks and handles like a dream, and performance is blazing. I have zero complaints thus far. I liked Touchwiz with Gingerbread, hated it with ICS, and now I like it again on 4.1.2 and 4.3. Well done, Samsung.
I have always rooted my phone in the first hour of getting them. With the note 3, I have enjoyed the stock use for a 3 days now.
I'm sure it will change and as roms start to poor in but for now I'm ok.
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
Of course I still want root. There's so much you can't do without it.
1. Turn the DPI down - I bought a Note because it has a massive and detailed screen. I want to use that screen to fit more stuff on, not have giant letters that offer not much more area than a typical smartphone.
2. Ad blocking. Ads are annoying as can be, so block them system-wide with Ad Away.
3. App management - Delete those obnoxious bloatware apps, delete pointless carrier services, save space, and speed up the phone to its maximum potential
4. File management - Mount Samba shares (Windows file sharing) at defined mount points anywhere on the system, mount NTFS formatted SD card, copy things out of /data and make backups
5. Terminal/System Tools - Log in as root using 'su' and then have access to a privileged command line to run Linux commands. I use openvpn (tap bridging mode) to log into my home network over 4g and that can only be done through root.
6. Custom ROMs - The ultimate end-goal of warranty voiding, I hate TouchWiz and would rather run an AOSP-based ROM like CM or AOKP. These are pre-rooted, give me all of the above options, receive constant updates, are generally less bloated or resource-intensive, adjust to multiple DPI settings a lot better, and are community driven. Also CM has openvpn and NTFS support built in which works really well.
This is my criteria for buying the Note 3. As soon as I can do all of these, mostly the custom ROMs part, I will buy one and flash a ROM. Until then, I love the hardware but my CM10.2 Note i717 is still the winner since it runs software the Note 3 would not out of the box.
For some apps root is required and ASAP is the fastest, plus customization is key. And not great when using TW.
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
Root 4 Life
No matter how advanced our phones get I'll always want, and will DEMAND, full root/admin rights to my own device. My primary reasons, in order of importance are similar to the above commenters':
1) AdAway (for system-wide adblocking, from F-Droid.org's opensource repositories, now that it's banned from Play Store)
2) TitaniumBackup (/data/data access)
3) Xposed framework, and the Music2SD module specifically, so I can store all my Google Music on the EXTERNALSD card vs internal (without resorting to symlink or bindmount hacks that sometimes fail)
4) Ability to use GooManager app to easily install TWRP (without odin), to then make full ROM backups, and install CyanogenMod, etc.
5) read/write root access to all areas of my phone via ssh, terminal app, or gui file explorer app.
6) SixAxis support (for the PS3 game controller)
There's other reasons, but those are my top 6 off the top of my head. For most people, AdAway is the Numero Uno, as was actually why my Dad asked me to root his SGS4 while I was visiting him just a week ago.
Why buy a note and use an aosp ROM that doesn't support the spen functions? Or am I missing something and aosp can support s pen?
I used to love ad away.. But ads are what make these apps free... From an app developer point of view, ad blocking isn't all that cool.
I understand the bloat removal and using greenify. Those are the only 2 reasons id see myself using root for on this phone. And maybe also to boost audio. But probably won't.
DPI levels I also agree with. Who from Samsung thought it a good idea to have such a massive screen and only 4 columns for apps? Guy should be fired.
Sent from xda app
I used to root all my phones up to S4 which I did not. Got tired of the daily update flashing zip files. I still look at the development threads but, no interest to root. And now with the Knox thingy triggering the counter and triangle away not always working, will pass on rooting. Got to the point of just enjoying the phone and not trying to break what is not broken.
Now, if we get a Cyanogen app that will do all the rooting from beginning to end that is a possibility to root it.
Ian B
clninja said:
Why buy a note and use an aosp ROM that doesn't support the spen functions? Or am I missing something and aosp can support s pen?
Sent from xda app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the Note i717 (AT&T Note 1) the S-Pen has been supported since the beginning in CM/AOSP ROMs. You lose the software customizations relating to the S-Pen (gestures, scrap book, S-note/memo, hover-click to screenshot, etc) but the pen itself is still functional. With third-party drawing/note taking apps the S-Pen's button and pressure sensitivity features still work as well. I don't use the software features, just want the ability to draw diagrams and take handwritten notes on occasion, plus be able to use the S-Pen to hover as a mouse on web pages and to tap precisely on remote desktop. It does all of that just fine on CM. I really hope it is the same situation for the Note 3.
I root so I can use Titanium Backup which is faster than using helium and no need for a PC. Also so I can tether.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk 4
As for me, it all started with the Samsung Vibrant. I rooted every phone up to my Note 2. Now, since I own this BEAST of a phone Note 3, I want to wait until the devs figure out how to reset or bypass this new KNOX Samsung security flag.
This stupid KNOX thing worries me. Everywhere I read about it, it's none reversible, it's permanent. Why would Sammy need to know if we rooted our phones?
i doubt rooting will ever go away. two reasons!
1. individual customized taste
2. ciq removal
Reason to Root
I started rooting about 2 years ago when I got my Galaxy Nexus on Verizon. There were issues and updates but it seemed like nothing was ever coming when everyone else got them. I took a chance and rooted so I could install the ICS update that was to fix the issues a lot were having. after a couple of months and still having issues, I took into researching various custom roms and being a tweaker on the computer I thought it would be fun to try it on the phone. I became a regular flasher of sorts trying various roms and from time to time ask and offer help to the wonderful people on this site after seeing there were a lot of other people like me that liked to tinker with their technology. I am no master as a lot on here are but I try to offer suggestions if I have had a similar situation. I research for months when I knew my contract was about to run out and after many months of tinkering, I decided that the issue was with the network and not the phone. I recently purchased a new Note3 and thought I would try T-Mobile for a few days and see what would come of changing. So far I have been really impressed with the phone 'as is' and usually don't want to start tearing down right away (give time for the new to wear off at least) and just in case I decide to return if it doesn't work. I have read on CM that rooting is changing and there should be ways to get what we like in roms and features without the necessity/requirement for root. I would like the option to be able to dual boot so you can keep your stock rom as is and install a custom rom on the sd drive or in a VM environment like you can on a computer.
Like others have mentioned, ad removal is the main reason I always root. Can't stand them. Plus I love trying out new roms.
Sent from Flip's Note 3
Root is a must
It will always be a must to have complete control of phone for full backups of backs via Tbackup I refuse to constantly have to redo app's. Also to use our wonderful xposed modules that work awesome. Also allows my to flash and set permissons. Also allows to be rid of bloat and make full use of phone no need to be tied down. Plus if binary can never be reset then opps broke glass and use insurance if really so worried about the marker.
I've had my Note 3 for 3 days now and have not even thought of rooting it. It's exceptionally fast and I already disabled the boat I don't use. I'm fine where I am for now
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk 4

To Root or Not To Root. THAT is the question.

Here is a delimma I haven't had since I first bought my G1 (before root was even discovered): Should I root this device?
I'm looking for genuine opinions here. I've owned a G1, MT4G, Galaxy S3, and now the Note 3 and out of all of them, the Note 3 is the only one where I actually have no intention of installing Stock Android (as I'd lose all the features that made me want the Note to begin with). On those older devices, I wanted to OC to speed up the devices or use them for tetheing. TouchWiz on the GS3 annoyed the hell out of me as it seemed unnecessary, it's at least justified on the Note. But now I don't need them for tethering and I don't need to overclock this device, despite the fact that I want to anyway and I don't intend on installing a Stock ROM. What incentives are there to rooting now?
Right now all I can think of is GMD. I'm looking for someone to re-inspire me to root again.
AGx-07_162 said:
Here is a delimma I haven't had since I first bought my G1 (before root was even discovered): Should I root this device?
I'm looking for genuine opinions here. I've owned a G1, MT4G, Galaxy S3, and now the Note 3 and out of all of them, the Note 3 is the only one where I actually have no intention of installing Stock Android (as I'd lose all the features that made me want the Note to begin with). On those older devices, I wanted to OC to speed up the devices or use them for tetheing. TouchWiz on the GS3 annoyed the hell out of me as it seemed unnecessary, it's at least justified on the Note. But now I don't need them for tethering and I don't need to overclock this device, despite the fact that I want to anyway and I don't intend on installing a Stock ROM. What incentives are there to rooting now?
Right now all I can think of is GMD. I'm looking for someone to re-inspire me to root again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
rooting is fine at this point. However, as twrp causes an all but irreparable error, you might want to wait for a reliable recovery before installing any modded roms.
Charlie
AGx-07_162 said:
Here is a delimma I haven't had since I first bought my G1 (before root was even discovered): Should I root this device?
I'm looking for genuine opinions here. I've owned a G1, MT4G, Galaxy S3, and now the Note 3 and out of all of them, the Note 3 is the only one where I actually have no intention of installing Stock Android (as I'd lose all the features that made me want the Note to begin with). On those older devices, I wanted to OC to speed up the devices or use them for tetheing. TouchWiz on the GS3 annoyed the hell out of me as it seemed unnecessary, it's at least justified on the Note. But now I don't need them for tethering and I don't need to overclock this device, despite the fact that I want to anyway and I don't intend on installing a Stock ROM. What incentives are there to rooting now?
Right now all I can think of is GMD. I'm looking for someone to re-inspire me to root again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The main reason I rooted last night was to install Ad Block, Titanium Backup to freeze some bloat and run Chainfire's region lock removal. I agree with you though, I bought the Note for the SPen features so an AOSP rom would take that away. There is 1 custom ROM already that retains TouchWiz and SPen features that I am debating on trying. I'm still on the fence of installing a custom rom since its very early into development for the device.
I would say rooting imho is mandatory. It doesn't matter how big he screen is Samsung always makes the stuff on it way to large for my use. I have to modify the DPI and use Xposed to remove many of the status bar icons or I would never be able to have enough room on the status bar and notification pull down. I also uninstall some of the bloat, enable call recording, use isis, and more. I don't run a custom rom I just run a DeOdexed stock rom and do everything I need manually for now.
I'm not going to "convince" anyone per say, but just keep following the forums until something forces you to root again. I for one missed Titanium Backup since it can backup everything, I've tried Helium, but for some reason it just wouldn't backup ES File Explorer and Beautiful Widgets on my S4. These are just normal apps and I don't know why it wouldn't work. Also, removing bloat and adding more apps for the Pen Window feature.
I'll be rooting once my 14 days are passed and start flashing again once the recovery's restore feature is working properly again. I don't root to overclock, I root so I can customize my phone even more and add features which wasn't added for stock. Also, I miss the auto GPS on/off by Secure Settings. It requires root and I can't use it just yet!
I still say root, there's a lot of things you can only do with root even on stock. You can block ads, adjust dpi, delete bloat, and manage files better. You can also use the command line for a lot more things when rooted. You can also install the xposed framework to get some of the unofficial ROM benefits on the stock ROM like per-app DPI, something very useful on a high resolution, big screen like Notes have.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda app-developers app
I am planning on rooting for the sole purpose of restoring my FF3 saved game. I lost a saved game once when my SGS3 bricked (SDS) and am just about where I was when I lost that one.
CalcProgrammer1 said:
I still say root, there's a lot of things you can only do with root even on stock. You can block ads, adjust dpi, delete bloat, and manage files better. You can also use the command line for a lot more things when rooted. You can also install the xposed framework to get some of the unofficial ROM benefits on the stock ROM like per-app DPI, something very useful on a high resolution, big screen like Notes have.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I rooted for the sole purpose of installing AdAway. The stock ROM is so awesome I really don't see me wanting a custom one. I love this beast.
Sent from a Galaxy Note 3 far, far away....
Root is definitely mandatory for me. I can install the custom font that I use, get rid of ads (which is 100% worth it for me), I can delete apps I don't want, not just freeze them, and customize the device how I want.
I root because I want to own my device.. it's mine I m it's administrator.. not my provider .. not Samsung. . ME..
With that said Samsung s stock roms are solid just like aosp is.. The true need for root has diminished a lot in last 12 months .. I root because I can.. I completely understand there is no real need for it but to deny warranty on those who root is plain wrong... just my 2 cents
Sent from my SM-N900W8 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
DAGr8 said:
I root because I want to own my device.. it's mine I m it's administrator.. not my provider .. not Samsung. . ME..
With that said Samsung s stock roms are solid just like aosp is.. The true need for root has diminished a lot in last 12 months .. I root because I can.. I completely understand there is no real need for it but to deny warranty on those who root is plain wrong... just my 2 cents
Sent from my SM-N900W8 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. I root to make it 100% mines! I also do it to under clock a step... Not much into OC'ing anymore. This will probably be the first ROM I stay close to stock with minus some of those extra mods and tweaks that separates my Note 3 from the average consumer...
Rooting can let you easily backup and restore application data.
I root to enable all apps in multi window. So i can watch mnf and candy crush
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
Rooting
I personally like the idea of rooting. I'm spending my own hard earned money on this mobile device and I should be able to do what the hell I want with it. I will also root to get rid of Carrier IQ and when I am tired of TouchWiz.
you should only root under the following conditions.
1. check your personality that you are not a person who rush things!
2. do 10 hour reading about rooting, how to root on your device, its benefits, and its drawback
3. after rooting, you should spend at least 1 hour reading about the rom/mod you want to install
4. optional. have a device warranty with cell provider. they will always change a soft brick phone with you telling them it just died.
HughesNet said:
I would say rooting imho is mandatory. It doesn't matter how big he screen is Samsung always makes the stuff on it way to large for my use. I have to modify the DPI and use Xposed to remove many of the status bar icons or I would never be able to have enough room on the status bar and notification pull down. I also uninstall some of the bloat, enable call recording, use isis, and more. I don't run a custom rom I just run a DeOdexed stock rom and do everything I need manually for now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You wouldn't happen to know if there is a deodexed stock rom out there for the SM-N900W8, would you?
c_est_la_vie said:
You wouldn't happen to know if there is a deodexed stock rom out there for the SM-N900W8, would you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry but I don't know anything about that model.
When I got my note, I took it home, opened the box, insert battery, hit the three keys to download mode, plug phone into my pc and Odin root, reboot and bam first time using my note.

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