Develop Bugs

[Q] Clean Android 4.2 rom with S Note app?

Hello, I am loving my Note 2, and I've had it for about a month now. The problem is, I don't like all the changes samsung has made in the stock rom for the phone... And all the pesky bloatware.
The last phone I had was the legendary HTC HD2. (I will never forget it!) I was always up to date with the newest Android version on a phone from the stone age. (Shout out to Tytung and all his amazing work for the HD2!)
So basically I am pretty used to the xda-forums, flashing and having my phone to be exactly how I want it to be. However, I am facing a problem with my picky-ness.
I am looking for a rom with the newest Android version 4.2, because I like the way google meant for the android to be, and I would LOVE it if there were a "clean" Android 4.2 rom for the Note 2. I have found a few of those, but the problem is that I have felt in love with Samsung's S Note-app and the ability to "split screen" (and also a couple of those fancy features, but they are not important). Which leads me to my question:
(tl;dr)
Does it exist a "clean" Android 4.2 rom for the Note 2, which either has the S Note-app and the "split-screen"function included or has an alternative way to implement the app and function into the rom?
Would be a bonus if all the S-pen features were included too, but I guess that would be much to ask.
Thank you for any attention!

Yes same here...I only managed to find a custom stock rom which looks and feels like aosp with the option to remove bloatwares and just leave the spen features.
Sent from the Rabbit Hole

An alternative option could be to make a flashable zip with all the S Pen apps and features, which would make it easier for everyone. Then my problem would have been solved. A zip that works with most of the roms, you know.
It would also have been easier for developers, as you could leave it as an open choice whether to implement the S Pen apps/features in the rom or not.
I hope someone could answer me whether this is possible or not. Or maybe tell me the chances of it being done. I am no developer myself, but I think this could be a great idea!!
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app

[Q] Some questions about romming T-Mobile/Samsung Galaxy S3

Hi all,
I've tried several passes at Google searching and haven't found these answers. I'm sure this community can help.
I've already rooted my Kindle Fire and put the stock JB ROM on there, good experience and it gave my KF new life.
So I am thinking about rooting and romming my T-Mobile Galaxy S3, but I have a few concerns and questions.
- What TMobile and Samsung features will I lose if I rom? Obviously for the most part none of their apps matter. But I heard that I would lose the ability to call/text over my Wifi connection, which would be a deal breaker considering the cellular connection quality in my house. Is that true? Are there any other features I might care about, that I'd lose?
- Will the face buttons on the S3 still work as they do now?
- Is the "Google Experience" ROM the same as the "stock" ROM? I heard about the "Google Experience ROM" on a podcast but cannot find this ROM in the forums.
- Anything else to consider? This is my first time rooting a phone - S3 was my first smart phone.
Thanks!
Dave

Just because you rooted, won't make you loose any of these features you do actually use. On the contrary you get to remove crap you don't care for. Without Root, your were previously prevented from removing some of the pre-installed apps.
Here's a good link for you to see what can be safely removed.
Now if you chose to install custom Rom, you stand to potentially loose Fabled Wi-Fi Calling. Face Unlock will still be there on other Roms.
Something else you need to know. There are 2 types of Roms. One that Samsung provides is called Touchwiz or TW Rom based on the framework of the same name. The others as you referred to as "Google Experience" Roms. These are commonly called as AOSP Roms. These roms don't have the Touchwiz framwork so won't support features such as Wi-Fi calling, since those only work on Touchwiz. There are other Non-Samsung Touchwiz roms. You will see a list of those and the AOSP Roms in my second link bellow for the Bible.
Since this is your First time on a Smart phone, here's few links you can read.
Welcome to your S3
Galaxy S3 Resource Bible
Hope this helps.

Please read ALL our sticky threads before doing anything to your device!
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

Thanks for the info. OK from your comments and the links you provided, I gather that any ROM that is a TouchWiz based ROM will still contain WiFi calling. Is that correct? So theoretically I could load one of these ROMs and still be good to go. I have a couple more questions though.
- I've seen a few references to "stock" ROMs. Does the term stock refer to the base Android build (so there is only one of these per release of Android), or does it refer to the software that came with each phone (so there is one per phone)? If it is the latter then would I be able to load the TMobile stock ROM if I did not like the custom ROM I chose?
- Also curious about TouchWiz in terms of Android architecture, which I am still learning about. I was under the impression this is some kind of loader or launcher specific to Samsung. I did not realize it would inherently contain Wifi calling. Does this layer also provide for the face buttons of the S3? What is TouchWiz specifically - a layer that sits on top of base Android? Trying to understand how this layer fits into the grand scheme, and are there comparable layers created by other manufacturers?
In any case, I guess I'm not getting AOSP or CM anytime soon. The TouchWiz ROMs are less-known so I am less inclined to chance it. At the very least I could root and get rid of some of these apps.
Thanks!

STOCK = base Android build from that Device's Manufacturer. So there's only one per Android Release.
Yes you can revert back to T-Mo Version if you don't like custom Roms.
(Small verbiage correction. We call Flashing a Rom not "Loading" a rom. This is to distinguish from system firmware such as Bootloader and Recovery.)
Touchwiz is a framework, that's specific to Samsung. Read here for more on Touchwiz and rest of your questions. It doesn't contain Wi-Fi calling but T-mo's feature of Wi-Fi calling needs to have this framework on your phone to work. There are other T-mo features such as Caller Name ID that needs this framework as well. What do you mean by Face buttons ? Face recognition ?

I had a question to tack on to OP's question, since it seems relevant here.
Ive noticed through looking at the "bible" stickied post that there seem to be 3 major types of roms: CM-based roms (roms that took CM10 code for the GS3 and used it to achieve AOSP compatibility, then rolled their own features), Rootbox based roms (dont know what this is or what it does), and Stock based roms.
Right now, I wanted to try out a Stock rom, as from my understanding, a Stock rom is one in which the developer starts with a stock firmware image from samsung, does things such as root, deodex, zipalign, debloat, etc, and then releases. The advantage of the stock rom, from my understanding, is that it is incredibly stable (assuming no kernel tweaks and similar) compared to the bugs we may experience on roms that are CM based.
I'm experiencing issues with CM roms that are not deal breakers by any means, but definitely make me want to look for greener (less buggy) pastures.
Is there a more up-to date version of the stock rom list? Is there a good way to search for stock-based roms?

shrimants said:
I had a question to tack on to OP's question, since it seems relevant here.
Ive noticed through looking at the "bible" stickied post that there seem to be 3 major types of roms: CM-based roms (roms that took CM10 code for the GS3 and used it to achieve AOSP compatibility, then rolled their own features), Rootbox based roms (dont know what this is or what it does), and Stock based roms.
Right now, I wanted to try out a Stock rom, as from my understanding, a Stock rom is one in which the developer starts with a stock firmware image from samsung, does things such as root, deodex, zipalign, debloat, etc, and then releases. The advantage of the stock rom, from my understanding, is that it is incredibly stable (assuming no kernel tweaks and similar) compared to the bugs we may experience on roms that are CM based.
I'm experiencing issues with CM roms that are not deal breakers by any means, but definitely make me want to look for greener (less buggy) pastures.
Is there a more up-to date version of the stock rom list? Is there a good way to search for stock-based roms?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All of the stock Touchwiz based roms are in Android Development, so start there. A dead giveaway is if a build number is in the title. For example if you see UVDMD5, or just MD5 in the title, it is based on the latest official release. Anything older is buried by now. We do have a couple of 4.3 leaked builds. UVUEMJ4 and UVUEMJC. MJC is the newest. Anyway, there is almost always a clue in the title. But if you are not sure, just open and look over the OP and screenshots.
Ill try to PM the OP of the list to see if he plans on updating it. I would not expect him to until after our next official release though, which is right around the corner. TBH, aside from a few roms, it should be pretty well up to date.

No I meant the lower left and lower right buttons on the face of the phone, the ones that light up on either side of the Home button.
OK so a custom TouchWiz ROM then may or may not contain the T-Mobile feature of Wifi Calling, since it is again a layer on top of TouchWiz? Just trying to make sure, because that is the single feature I am worried about retaining.
Thanks for the help!
Perseus71 said:
What do you mean by Face buttons ? Face recognition ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

squiddog said:
No I meant the lower left and lower right buttons on the face of the phone, the ones that light up on either side of the Home button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is your specific question regarding those lighted buttons? Do you want to remap them to make them do something other than what is intended or do you simply want to know if they work as advertised.
squiddog said:
OK so a custom TouchWiz ROM then may or may not contain the T-Mobile feature of Wifi Calling, since it is again a layer on top of TouchWiz? Just trying to make sure, because that is the single feature I am worried about retaining.
Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Think of TWiz along the same lines as your KF. The Kindle (and Nook for that matter) uses Android as its base. Then it is skinned with features that Amazon (or B&N) think that you would like, overlay their own launchers, custom applications, locked bootloader ... Touchwiz is the very same thing. It is Samsung's version of what you have on your KF. An Android base with manufacturer's preferential skin and extra "goodies". Sense (HTC) and the now defunct Blur (Motorola) are other examples of this.
If you want Wifi Calling, then you should have no problem with any of the Touchwiz ROMs that are out there. Please note that Wifi Calling is not and will never be working on any AOSP ROMs.
***************
What I suggest is that your Root your phone, install a custom recovery, make sure that you back up your IMEI if you plan on going to and fro TWiz and AOSP. Before you flash anything, boot into your custom recovery and make a Nandroid backup of your ROM as it is right here and now. Then copy* that off your phone and put a copy on your PC. I say copy because you will want to leave one on your phone and one on your PC as a last resort backup (I still have mine from the ICS days). Then flash a ROM. Check it out for a few days. Not your cup of tea? Flash another. If something goes horribly wrong or you don't like some of the features of X ROM, then just restore your Nandroid that you made and you are right back where you started.

Yes I just noticed that the S3 had these buttons and many other phones do not. Therefore there is probably a TouchWiz requirement to get these buttons to work as advertised. The question is sort of moot now anyway - as I want a TouchWiz ROM.
Woody said:
What is your specific question regarding those lighted buttons? Do you want to remap them to make them do something other than what is intended or do you simply want to know if they work as advertised.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

squiddog said:
Yes I just noticed that the S3 had these buttons and many other phones do not. Therefore there is probably a TouchWiz requirement to get these buttons to work as advertised. The question is sort of moot now anyway - as I want a TouchWiz ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I am aware you have decided to stick with Touchwiz roms. Just so you know, these two buttons work just fine in AOSP as well. In fact, on AOSP you have an option of assigning additional actions to Long Pressing of these two.

SM-P600 S-Pen and Lollipop question

Are there any of the Lollipop builds in which the S-Pen has functionality other than being just a regular stylus or pointing device?

First of all, the only function of the SPen is to work as a stylus(Active digitizer). Everything else is a rom feature/functionality implemented by an app, not the pen.
Answering your question; sadly, not completely:
- Even the acclaimed rayman cyangenmod cm12.1 still lacks pen functionalities as it doesn't recognizes the eraser on more professional wacom pens(even from Samsung ones dedicated to our tablet specifically).
- Temask Rom is doing a very good work adding some personalization to the possible pen gestures and behaviors but nothing as far as creating an stylus experience as Samsung does with all the apps Samsung brings to the table.
- As far as i know, only touchwiz based roms have those stylus dedicated apps you are searching for as part of the rom.
The thing is, installing Roms such as CM or Temask CM is done to get rid of the Samsung Touchwiz environment with all its gimicks and features. People that flash this kind of roms are searching for, at least for now, a nexus tablet that has a digitizer to draw/sketch. I get that some Samsung features are useful, but many of us think that the lot of them makes the device lagy and only a low percentage are worth it.
This said, there are only two options, your feature needs are covered by third party apps, which are very rare, or you have to stay with touchwiz based roms.
To give you a list of the third party apps that are available visit this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2641400
Check if they cover your needs to see if changing roms is worth it for you. :good:
What we can hope for the feature:
If we can get an app on cyanogenmod source to add better API for the stylus(Attach/Detach Gestures, On/Off Digitizer, Hover+ButtonClick, Double Tap, Tap/Button Click, etc) developers would be able to make marvels out of it and make apps that compare and surpass Samsung implementation for features(Quicker, personalized and not making the device laggy); most importantly making it universal for any rom based on CM(Which are a lot). Currently we have CM SPen Addon: the downsides: you have to pay to get all the features and if you make an app out of it, the user would have to download 2 apps or more to make it work.
There is also a great project here in xda, beta status, that is trying to add some functionalities such as the action menu and screenshot noting. I dont know how it is going because i am not a beta tester of it but looks promising. The downside again, even if they do it incredibly well; the project doesn't add anything to the table for a "universal" API so it is not going to make more apps "pop up" for the device, you are stuck relying on them for more solutions. If anyone had the link, please post it.
I hope I took into perspective what non Touchwiz roms are at the moment, what they are going to be in the near future and what they can be if things play well. :good:

Thanks for all of the information. Definitely something to think about. The feature of the touchwiz roms that I use is the s-pen functionality. The rest of it I don't care for and I freeze as much as I can.

ElAguila said:
Thanks for all of the information. Definitely something to think about. The feature of the touchwiz roms that I use is the s-pen functionality. The rest of it I don't care for and I freeze as much as I can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, that i why i use cm. I would barely use touchwiz features and they would lag a lot when i did so i stopped using them. I changed to cm and i have never looked back. The only thing is that GPU is not optimized optimized at the moment so some things show graphical glitches and stuff. Don't know i that is going to get fixed soon, or ever for that matter. I use this tablet as a netflix-notebook machine and it works just fine.

ElAguila said:
Are there any of the Lollipop builds in which the S-Pen has functionality other than being just a regular stylus or pointing device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is also LiquidSmooth. It has the same S-Pen features as temasek ROM but it is based on Slim ROM which is very battery efficient. Only feature I miss from TW is multi window, but this is made better by the stylus gestures.
LiquidSmooth maintainer for d2usc/vzw & p600

Pazzu510 said:
First of all, the only function of the SPen is to work as a stylus(Active digitizer). Everything else is a rom feature/functionality implemented by an app, not the pen.
Answering your question; sadly, not completely:
- Even the acclaimed rayman cyangenmod cm12.1 still lacks pen functionalities as it doesn't recognizes the eraser on more professional wacom pens(even from Samsung ones dedicated to our tablet specifically).
- Temask Rom is doing a very good work adding some personalization to the possible pen gestures and behaviors but nothing as far as creating an stylus experience as Samsung does with all the apps Samsung brings to the table.
- As far as i know, only touchwiz based roms have those stylus dedicated apps you are searching for as part of the rom.
The thing is, installing Roms such as CM or Temask CM is done to get rid of the Samsung Touchwiz environment with all its gimicks and features. People that flash this kind of roms are searching for, at least for now, a nexus tablet that has a digitizer to draw/sketch. I get that some Samsung features are useful, but many of us think that the lot of them makes the device lagy and only a low percentage are worth it.
This said, there are only two options, your feature needs are covered by third party apps, which are very rare, or you have to stay with touchwiz based roms.
To give you a list of the third party apps that are available visit this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2641400
Check if they cover your needs to see if changing roms is worth it for you. :good:
What we can hope for the feature:
If we can get an app on cyanogenmod source to add better API for the stylus(Attach/Detach Gestures, On/Off Digitizer, Hover+ButtonClick, Double Tap, Tap/Button Click, etc) developers would be able to make marvels out of it and make apps that compare and surpass Samsung implementation for features(Quicker, personalized and not making the device laggy); most importantly making it universal for any rom based on CM(Which are a lot). Currently we have CM SPen Addon: the downsides: you have to pay to get all the features and if you make an app out of it, the user would have to download 2 apps or more to make it work.
There is also a great project here in xda, beta status, that is trying to add some functionalities such as the action menu and screenshot noting. I dont know how it is going because i am not a beta tester of it but looks promising. The downside again, even if they do it incredibly well; the project doesn't add anything to the table for a "universal" API so it is not going to make more apps "pop up" for the device, you are stuck relying on them for more solutions. If anyone had the link, please post it.
I hope I took into perspective what non Touchwiz roms are at the moment, what they are going to be in the near future and what they can be if things play well. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So pen presure sensitivity is not implied in such custom ROMS as it is in Touchwiz?

Pen accurate location detección on and over screen, tilt sensitivity and preassure sensitivity ranging from 1 to 0 are hardware-driver based. If the ROM got the drivers and your machine has the digitizer functioning correctly, it is going to work as well as it is intended to. Furthermore, your ROM could or could not implement OS-wide functions to make a better and seamless experience for you and complementing apps. And last but not least, your ROM(like touchwiz) could add unique apps to give a better or worse experience.
TL;DR: You can have a working spen without touchwiz.

Orion116 said:
There is also LiquidSmooth. It has the same S-Pen features as temasek ROM but it is based on Slim ROM which is very battery efficient. Only feature I miss from TW is multi window, but this is made better by the stylus gestures.
LiquidSmooth maintainer for d2usc/vzw & p600
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The xhalo floating windows works pretty well. Needs xposed though.
Sent from my SM-N915G using Tapatalk

arbit12 said:
The xhalo floating windows works pretty well. Needs xposed though.
Sent from my SM-N915G using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I despise xposed?
Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk

Samsung-specific features vs. AOSP/Custom ROM

Hello everyone,
I recently bought a Tab S 8.4 and I do have it rooted along with a custom recovery but I'm still running the stock Lollipop Samsung ROM with Touchwiz. Here is my question: If I were to flash a non-Samsung ROM like IronROM or CM12 or anything based on AOSP, what are the Samsung features I would be losing?
Here's what I can tell so far:
Fingerprint Reader
Multi-Window
Touchwiz Overlay
Hancom Office Software
S-Voice? Unsure
Peel Smart Remote? Unsure
Toolbox
Quick Connect
Will I lose Power Saving and Ultra Saving Modes? Unsure
Guest mode/Private mode
Knox? Unsure what this does
Thank you.

Bumping this in case anyone has any insight they could share with me, thank you.

IronROM is a Touchwiz 5.0.2 ROM, not AOSP. Since you have custom recovery isntalled, you should try flashing AOSP ROMs to experience the difference yourself. Perhaps you'll become a flashaholic like many of us :victory: . A Marshmallow ROM is available. I tried several TW and AOSP ROMs on various devices, and I decided I prefer TW.

HKSpeed said:
IronROM is a Touchwiz 5.0.2 ROM, not AOSP. Since you have custom recovery isntalled, you should try flashing AOSP ROMs to experience the difference yourself. Perhaps you'll become a flashaholic like many of us :victory: . A Marshmallow ROM is available. I tried several TW and AOSP ROMs on various devices, and I decided I prefer TW.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, I now consider myself to be a reformed flashaholic I was hoping to avoid flashing several ROMs since it's a time-consuming process.
I did read up on some ROMs and might move over to IronROM since it keeps some of the Samsung features that might be useful. I'll end up deleting/freezing others that I don't want I suppose.
Thanks.

Personally, the only thing that keep me from using an AOSP Rom is Split Window, something that I use a lot.
You should consider if there is some TouchWiz feature that you can't live without, I consider most of it crapware.

Dont forget to run the Wanam LP Xposed module. It adds some customizations to TW.

Thanks all. I think multi-window and fingerprint reader are enough to keep me on the TouchWiz. I'll switch to IronRom and with Xposed that should do the trick, especially if I disable a lot of other Samsung bloat. Thanks again!

One major factor to me is that aosp does not support exfat. In this day and age and the size of media files that's a killer.
Also let's put something straight. TW like any other gui such as sense is just an enhanced interface.
It does provide many useful features. Samsungs problem is its insistence on bogging it down with unnecessary bloat, also knox should be optional.
TW can be just as efficient as aosp or cm.
On the tab A they included very little bloat and it runs very well.
The tab S has quite powerful hardware and should fly, which it does when all the chaff is removed.

ashyx said:
One major factor to me is that aosp does not support exfat. In this day and age and the size of media files that's a killer.
Also let's put something straight. TW like any other gui such as sense is just an enhanced interface.
It does provide many useful features. Samsungs problem is its insistence on bogging it down with unnecessary bloat, also knox should be optional.
TW can be just as efficient as aosp or cm.
On the tab A they included very little bloat and it runs very well.
The tab S has quite powerful hardware and should fly, which it does when all the chaff is removed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh I had no idea about the lack of exfat support! That settles it then, I'm sticking with TW for sure and will switch to IronROM since it adds a few things and also enables the use of Xposed due to being deodexed etc. I can definitely disable the other bloat I don't need, in fact I have done that already on my current stock 5.0.2 ROM as well.
I am a serial Nexus user and the last 10 or so of my devices have all been Nexus, so TouchWiz is taking some getting used to. It does add some useful features and it's easy enough to get rid of what you don't want/need.
Thanks again everyone, much appreciated.

the7thson said:
Thanks all. I think multi-window and fingerprint reader are enough to keep me on the TouchWiz. I'll switch to IronRom and with Xposed that should do the trick, especially if I disable a lot of other Samsung bloat. Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cm13 does suport fingerprint sensor and multi Window (not 4 Windows, or mini Windows) but fingerprint isnt working right now.
Peel does work with aosp.
S voice is crap and Google search (even cortana beta) is far better.
Toolbox can be used by using an app called Toolbox (play store it, there are 5 i think)
So, you will only lose (and miss) ultra power saving Mode, because cm13 (even xposed modules have) has Its own saving Mode called doze
Knox is a security Mode to protect your info. (i never use it)
Guest/private Mode, are cm since cm12 and of course on cm 13 too

Soundcamp, the music workstation from Samsung, does not work on AOSP but is OK on IronRom.

BraianV said:
Cm13 does suport fingerprint sensor and multi Window (not 4 Windows, or mini Windows) but fingerprint isnt working right now.
Peel does work with aosp.
S voice is crap and Google search (even cortana beta) is far better.
Toolbox can be used by using an app called Toolbox (play store it, there are 5 i think)
So, you will only lose (and miss) ultra power saving Mode, because cm13 (even xposed modules have) has Its own saving Mode called doze
Knox is a security Mode to protect your info. (i never use it)
Guest/private Mode, are cm since cm12 and of course on cm 13 too
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Finger print will never work for this device on an AOSP ROM. The sensor is a proprietary Samsung device, they will not release the source code for it. Regardless of the native support for fingerprint sensors in MM, it is impossible to build support for the Samsung sensors into an AOSP ROM without the source code.

LineageOS and S-Pen power saving feature

How can I make the tablet automatically turn off the S-Pen detection whenever the pen is inserted?
I need this because my Note 8.0 is draining too much battery, only because of this. (I know the S-Pen layer is still on because I tested it with another S-Pen while one was already attached).
On the stock ROM, there is a "Power Saving" option under Settings -> S Pen. How can I achieve this on LineageOS 14.1?
This is my third Galaxy Note 8.0 (this time, a N5100). (The other 2 I had were retired due to broken screen).
I've been using CyanogenMod since CM10. And I just can't remember how I always got this to work, but I know it did (on all versions of CM or LA).

Is there at least any way to just turn the S-Pen detection off permanently by changing something on system files?

Any success bro?

Usually, only custom ROMs that are based on the stock ROM will have similar functionality, because they keep the components for device specific features such as S-Pen. LineageOS is built from AOSP, not the stock ROM, so it does not include device specific features, nor does it include the necessary Samsung framework to make features like that work.