Develop Bugs

Look Here Before Asking Questions [Kitkat Related]

As many of us have took the recent Kitkat OTA we have a variety of questions. Since there have been many threads asking the same question or related to the same question, I will be making this thread to keep this from continuing.
Question: I have took the Kitkat update, is there any way I can root?
Answer: No, no known exploit works on the RAZR M, unless you have a unlocked bootloader. Then you can flash a custom recovery and flash a superuser.zip and gain root access (Credits - fredsky2)
Question: Can I unlock my bootloader now that I have the kitkat update?
Answer: No, the bootloader has been patched ever since the JB OTA. No exploits will work with the RAZR M.
Question: Will Rootkeeper keep root after the OTA?
Answer: I've yet to see it work so I assume no.
Question: When I take the OTA, will it lock my bootloader?
Answer: No, once the bootloader is unlocked, it cannot be relocked.
Question: Can I downgrade to Jellybean after the Kitkat OTA?
Answer: No, the bootloader is locked, meaning you cannot downgrade or even touch the kernel.
Question: How can I return my phone to stock so I can receive the OTA?
Answer: RSD back to stock.
Question: Where can I get the SBF Files for the DROID RAZR M?
Answer: Here: http://sbf.droid-developers.org/phone.php?device=8
Question: My phone won't let me take the Kitkat ota, what do I do?
Answer: Most likely it's because apps are disabled or root is present. RSD back to stock is typically the solution to the problem. If you want to RSD back to stock but don't want to lose your data, look for the question below.
Question: Can I sim unlock after I take the Kitkat update? (Suggestion Credits - gtmaster303)
Answer: Yes! There is a tutorial with video on how to do it found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2487863 . MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PROPER DRIVERS INSTALLED!
Question: Can I flash a custom recovery after the Kitkat update?
Answer: No, unless your bootloader is unlocked.
Question: I'm getting a getvar error, how do I fix it?
Answer: In the xml file found in the zip, delete any getvar lines at the beginning of the file.
Question: Can I RSD without clearing data?
Answer: Yes! I asked myself and I'm adding this for others sake. Delete the <step operation="erase" partition="userdata" /> line in the XML file found in the zip. I suggest using it only for when you're on the same version of the update. So 9.30.1 to 9.30.1. Give credits to lem22 for helping me out! http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2755924
Question: What's are the overall changes/problems with Kitkat? (Suggestion Credits - Strife89)
Answer: There has been a full list provided here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=52736453&postcount=1 , click the show button below to see Strife89's list!
Strife89 said:
The Good
The UI is definitely smoother. It doesn't jitter or stall under heavy usage anywhere near as much as it did in Jellybean.
Battery life when the phone is asleep seems to have been improved a little.
USB audio out is now supported.
The occasional "screen jitter" that plagued the Jellybean build is gone.
KitKat's Quick Settings panel is quite handy.
The native lock screen now supports adding, removing, and rearranging widgets.
Although it can't be installed from the Play Store, the Google Experience Launcher can be sideloaded and works just fine.
The Neutral / Very Subjective
The AOSP keyboard has changed; the keys are smaller and, in landscape, very squashed. You may need to adjust to it (I'm trying, but it's a struggle) or find a replacement.
Battery life when the phone is actively in use has not been noticeably improved in my experience; but it hasn't been noticeably worsened, either.
There's now a shortcut to the camera from the lock screen, which can be used even if the phone is locked by a pattern/PIN/etc. (Great if you're a shutterbug; not so great if someone else decides to troll your Dropbox/Drive account.)
The Google Camera app works - but Photosphere can't be used, as the Razr M doesn't have a gyroscope.
The Bad
No more root, for those with locked BLs (me). (Saferoot fails, and many users are reporting losing root even when they try survival methods.)
Wi-Fi tethering via most apps (e.g., FoxFi) has been blocked, so now you must pay your carrier for the feature unless a new workaround is discovered.
All notifications I've seen so far now flash the notification light white, instead of unique colors. This may be frustrating for some who used the colors to decide whether to check the phone immediately or later. (Luckily, there are ways to address this.)
The Blur launcher is same 'ol, same 'ol. It uses a solid black background for the soft keys and notifications bar (rather than taking advantage of KitKat's transparency support), and it still has that Quick Settings menu on the left (which is redundant now). In addition, Holo Launcher (which I was using) doesn't account for the space used by the softkeys at all, making it difficult to use. (I've switched to Nova Launcher, which is working fine.)
I've experienced some weirdness with the application switcher. Sometimes it drops me to the launcher right after displaying the list, and sometimes apps will overwrite another's position on the list, or be dropped from the list entirely without reason (this is always temporary, however - just bring up the switcher again).
Some apps can no longer write to the SD card - or at least not wherever they please. We still have the Files browser, mercifully (but I favor Total Commander anyway, which seems to work perfectly).
The audio quick switch on the lock screen has been removed. Also, the buttons for entering a PIN are smaller.
(Leraeniesh) Under heavy usage, the Razr M may get hotter under KitKat than it did under Jellybean, and may drain the battery more.
(GPIX) Some users have noticed decreased network performance in some apps, such as Chrome or YouTube, while on Wi-Fi and with Wi-Fi power-saving enabled.
(GPIX) Several users have reported popping noises - when a sound begins to play, or in the middle of playback. (I haven't experienced it, however.)
Swype is no longer included. If you used it in Jellybean, you will need to purchase it on the Play Store after taking the OTA.
(ls3c6) Some have encountered problems with sharing the address book to paired devices over Bluetooth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If there are any extra questions needed to be added, let me know and I'd be more then willing to add them!
If there is a user having problems that are listed in this thread, just link him here!
I posted both here and Q&A because questions seem to pop up in both places. I'm doing this to clean up the forums a bit better and keep questions from being asked multiple times. Hope this helps and have a great day!

You should add info about Sim unlocking on KK too. Great write up. I will get this thread stickied
Sent from my Droid RAZR M

megaghostgamer said:
As many of us have took the recent Kitkat OTA we have a variety of questions. Since there have been many threads asking the same question or related to the same question, I will be making this thread to keep this from continuing.
(SNIP)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
May I suggest merging some of the info from this into the post? Linked post is intended to be helpful for those who haven't taken the update yet and are asking what it's like. (Not as numerous as the threads from those who DID take the OTA, but they're there.)
Since I wrote said post: feel free to chop it to bits as needed, if you use it.

gtmaster303 said:
You should add info about Sim unlocking on KK too. Great write up. I will get this thread stickied
Sent from my Droid RAZR M
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sim information has been added and credits have been given!
Thank you for the sticky!
Strife89 said:
May I suggest merging some of the info from this into the post? Linked post is intended to be helpful for those who haven't taken the update yet and are asking what it's like. (Not as numerous as the threads from those who DID take the OTA, but they're there.)
Since I wrote said post: feel free to chop it to bits as needed, if you use it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I added your list to the thread, just click the show button and it shows all of your listings of Kk enhancements / disadvantages . Credits were given to you!

This is the response I got from our lovely mod when I tried to get this stickied: The acting moderator in charge of your case has marked the issue as resolved due to the following reason(s):
Not necessary, thread will stay afloat if used actively.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
. Like he knows what's best for a device that he doesn't use... Oh well I tried
Sent from my Droid RAZR M

gtmaster303 said:
This is the response I got from our lovely mod when I tried to get this stickied: The acting moderator in charge of your case has marked the issue as resolved due to the following reason(s):
. Like he knows what's best for a device that he doesn't use... Oh well I tried
Sent from my Droid RAZR M
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Typical. I couldn't expect any less. Let there be more pointless threads then. More for them to "monitor".
Also if anyone has any questions that aren't on the list don't be afraid to ask
Sent from my Dell Venue 8

Less KitKat related but since most of the Q/A are root related: What's the last version that the bootloader is unlockable? My on contract phone met a watery death so I snagged a used Razr M, I know it's a long shot but what should I be looking for when it comes? I'm seeing a few different #'s but it looks like 9.8.1Q-66, 98.15.66.xt907.verizon.en.us is the last one right?

(deleted the quote code by accident)
Question: I have took the Kitkat update, is there any way I can root?
Answer: No, no known exploit works on the RAZR M
---------------------------
Imho i think it would be nice to point out if you can or cannot have root if your bootloader is unlocked
Like, 'question: my bootloader is unlocked, does that means i have a green card?'
=p
Overall awesome thread op, thanks for doing this for the razrm community

seasonone said:
Less KitKat related but since most of the Q/A are root related: What's the last version that the bootloader is unlockable? My on contract phone met a watery death so I snagged a used Razr M, I know it's a long shot but what should I be looking for when it comes? I'm seeing a few different #'s but it looks like 9.8.1Q-66, 98.15.66.xt907.verizon.en.us is the last one right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you're correct, that's the last one with unlockable BL. If that's what you have, you are LUCKY!
Also, I've just discovered it's not possible to downgrade to JB after flashing KK even with an UNLOCKED bootloader!

GnatGoSplat said:
Yes, you're correct, that's the last one with unlockable BL. If that's what you have, you are LUCKY!
Also, I've just discovered it's not possible to downgrade to JB after flashing KK even with an UNLOCKED bootloader!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I know the odds aren't great I just want to be sure before I update, could come with kit kat making version pretty irrelevant.

seasonone said:
Thanks, I know the odds aren't great I just want to be sure before I update, could come with kit kat making version pretty irrelevant.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even if you don't update, be sure to unlock that bootloader before you forget!

Thank you all for suggestions and thank you for answering questions while I was gone camping! I'm back and will be updating thread with credits!

GnatGoSplat said:
Yes, you're correct, that's the last one with unlockable BL. If that's what you have, you are LUCKY!
Also, I've just discovered it's not possible to downgrade to JB after flashing KK even with an UNLOCKED bootloader!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is possible. Just tz partition and one other can't be. If you remove command to flash them from xml, you'll be able to downgrade via RSD.
Odesláno z mého ZTE V807 pomocí Tapatalk

KitKat has root and bootloader unlock!
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/06/16/motorola-bootloader-unlock-razr-hd-towelroot/
Happy dance!
Update op please
Sent from my Droid RAZR M

Klen2 said:
It is possible. Just tz partition and one other can't be. If you remove command to flash them from xml, you'll be able to downgrade via RSD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, someone else pointed that out in another thread and I was able to get it to work by removing gpt and tz from the xml.

CyanogenMod versions for Wildfire S

Hi,
I am really full of compliments about the good work of some guys that have done a good job in building the actual CyanogenMod versions for Wildfire S.
Thank you sooo much!!
But what I currently do not completly understand...
Why are most of the CM users really happy about version 10.2 or version 11.0 (like orig. CyanogenMod or WFSY) when those versions - last version of CM 9.2.2 included - do not even have GooglePlay/PlayStore and Data2SD (or Link2SD) installed?...
The last (and obviously most advanced CM version) CM9 (alpha9, v.9.2.2) would already be a wonderful solution for the WFS phone (I tested it!!) and it is said to be nearly finished (even video camera is working now at the version of Olivier) BUT both mentioned, absolutly necessary components are missing (and nobody mentioned it yet). Or what can I do with a phone where I cannot install new apps at all?..
So what is it that I misunderstand?...
I would be very happy if anybody could inform me about how I can find a version that has a complete set of system apps or how/where I can find both missing components to complete them by myself. (and even more happy if the cyanogenmod update function would still find some updates)
Otherwise I would guess that not any of the existing CM-based versions for Wildfire S can be used at all...
Should all the past work for creating a CM version (Android 4.x !!) for the (unfortunately!) one and only COMPACT smartphone on the world, 'Wildfire S' (I must admit, it is in fact!!) should have been completly in vain ???... I couldn't believe it.
Thank you guys very much for your nice explanations!
All the best to this wonderful community,
from Falk

CyanogenMod said:
Google Apps are the proprietary Google-branded applications that come pre-installed with most Android devices, such as the Play Store, Gmail, Maps, etc. Due to licensing restrictions, these apps cannot come pre-installed with CyanogenMod and must be installed separately.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gesendet von meinem Xperia Z mit Tapatalk

Hi Olivier,
many thanks for your tip. You did not mention the point directly but I could answer most of my questions by mayself then.
Now I installed CM9 'cm-9-20140720-Olivier-marvel' together with 'CronMod-INT2EXT+_signed'. Works pretty fine!
Only little questions have been left now...
1.) How can I sort my app icons by subjects/folders (s. HTC Sense)? This Trebuchet launcher does not seem to support anything like that. If there is no chance, which launcher would you suggest instead?
2.) There is no really 'useful' version of CM10 or CM11 for WFS yet, is there? I couldn't find. Do you think there will be s.o. still working for a final version next time?... (why is Wildfire but not Wildfire S an official CM development?)
2b.) At your current version CM9, is there any problem left that should still be fixed? Everything works fine here yet...
3.) Therefore the OTA updater for CM would be a fine feature like in CM9 vers. 9.1.0 (but no updates found yet!). But your current CM9 version does not support it any more. Any reason for that?
3a.) Are updates possible anyway without flashing the whole ROM?
3b.) Is there anybody managing OTA any update of CM (v. 9..11) for WFS?
3c.) Are OTA updates from cm9 to cm11 possible?
4.) Skype does not react when clicking the icon to start it. Any idea what is the problem?...
5.) Some system programs (e.g. contacts or call manager) do not have that nice design than before. There is no chance/choice to exchange them?... (if yes, how and where to find alternatives?)
Thank you again for your final responses!

First of all this really does not belong in the development section, in Q&A perhaps.
And you just can't ask every single think that comes up in your mind, you gotta search a little bit and try it out for yourself.
Now, 1. Trebuchet does support folders but not auto-arranging. Most of the popular launchers support this.
2. The current CM10 and CM11 are perfectly functional and working. Though they lag a bit (which is fair considering our old device). And the wildfire only had an official CM7 which is very old now.
2b. If you don't have a problem it does not contain a problem.
3. OTA is working for CM11. But for CM9 a OTA makes less sense considering that its stable now.
4. No idea.
5. Again you have to look for yourself, nobody can babysit you all the time.

thanks very much!
Okay, maybe question 1 might belong to Q&A. That's it. Sorry.
To make you understanding (sorry to write again so much!)...
to 1.) Did not expect that it would support it. So I did not even search for!... Thanks, this drag/drop solution is more than perfect!!
to 2.) Sorry, then I am not able to find them. I searched a lot and found actual version like 'WFSY11.0-WFS-V5.5, 20140723' or 'cm-11-20140726-NIGHTLY-marvel' where not even back button or Android option menu worked. Lots of functions are missing. I did not try 'cm-11-20140810-NIGHTLY-marvel' but do not expect more within one month. The same with cm version 10.2. In a thread I read that it was give up because cm11 is already working better.
**** So would you please give me the link to the finished versions of cm10 and cm11, please? ****
(a patch for the video camera problem seems to be existing shortly now...)
to 2b.) My first problem I saw was missing updater in cm9 for version 10 and 11. And the strange Skype problem. And video problem was fixed JUST before!! BT seems to have restrictions as well. So there is good reason to ask this question!?..
to 3.) It seems as if simple updating from Android 4.0 to 4.2 (cm10) and 4.4 (cm11) isn't possible!?... Officially it seems to work. E.g. OTA of Samsung offered update from 4.2.2 to 4.4. Strange!... How/why does it work here?...
Remark: So I suppose it is CyanogenMod which does not support it... It will not work without 'Titanium Backup' here...
to 4.) I suppose you will have the same problem!? Maybe you have opportunity to try out quickly!?... Skype really does not seem to run on WFS cm9+INT2EXT+. Isn't that strange?... (I reinstalled it already. No chance.)
to 5.) I asked this HERE because it belongs to SYSTEM apps (contacts or call manager) that cannot easily be exchanged, as far as I know!... Can they?...
There is one thing I would like to add, after your remarks to my point 2... Maybe I could not find the right sources. But this is because there is no resource pool (about WFS at XDA anywhere. Instead there just appear 'lonely' links in some threads. And instead of telling/explaining the systematics (if there is one) you guys generally just mention the fact (e.g. a link). So this makes it hard for non-insiders. You understand what I mean?...
(so e.g. I will have to ask (in another thread) how I can find the 'FM radio' app (no streaming!) which is missing in CM9 - instead of just looking at the right page where they are collected)
I would be really happy to get to know at least where you guys have found the informations for all what you do when 'cooking' new versions, etc.!...
Cause then I would have read about all that much more!... Instead of blaming me. Sorry, if I do not have that general info that you got already.
Maybe you understand better now!?... Would be fine.
Anyway, thanks a lot for your short repsonses. Have a nice day!

Again only things that are directly related to development are to be placed in development section. And NO if you have a problem with a rom you have to ask it in Q&A. Read the development forum rules in the stickies attached to the top of the section.
And you could also try reading through the stickies in the general section. It will give you some understanding.
Now CM10 and CM11 works, the threads are pretty high in the development section, you can find them if you look. The version of CM11 you used is the right one (the NIGHTLY) and back button does work. Try the later versions. Officially updating to a higher version is different and large corporations can spend time and money to make it work. But it just is not possible (or rather safe) with the variety of unofficial roms. You could try but most probably fail. You can install different apps for call and messaging and they will work. Search for those apps. CM9/10 works fine and have very less amount of problems. Now remember that this is a very old device and the devs are doing it NOT as a profession. So every single thing will never work.
Now as a last your largest problem is you think everything will be written somewhere in front of your eyes. It will not be. You have to use Google before asking a question. And also you just have to calm down and fix your attitude.

aWFSuser said:
First of all this really does not belong in the development section, in Q&A perhaps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was my fault, I'd moved this out of a thread and mistakenly put it in the Development section. All sorted now.

thanks again for your time to answer!!
I know, I sound as if I would not know which hard work you guys do. But I do, aWF Suser. And I mentioned that already in the beginning.
And I have heard already from your collegues that it would be a good idea if things could be organised some better. The official cm versions e.g have a central resource pool. Or the android-Wiki and CM-Wiki notes are all out-dated (from 2012) !!... Etc.
But PLEASE understand this more as a suggestion than a criticism - from a user that in your eyes only expects and criticises but cannot give. This is not the case!
Thank you!
I know it is an old smartphone I have. And I would have bought a new one already a long time ago. But even Samsung Galaxy Mini is too big in size and some important functions you will only find in the big version. Why is that so? Nobody can explain!... (i would pay the same price for a small phone!!! Handy devices must not be worse and more expensive than big ones!!)
The WFS is just the only really COMPACT smartphone all over. And I am sad that the industry detected a trend to bigger displays. The opposite is the trueth. Nearly all my friends e.g. like to have a compact phone but those always a beginner versions/hardware which cannot be understood at all.
Really sad. It is a big strange hole in products on market, isn't it?...
Unfortunately you did not give me tips how I could find a way to get more familiar with what and how you guys are doing. Is it a secret? I could imagine to do some work here as well. I am very interested in how you are doing your development work!...
Thank you again...

Now it is sure...
Olivier's last CM9 version still has bugs, not only the problem with lgCamera and Skype but also at the akku loading status.
It seems as if it is not correctly refreshing. The loading curve (s. settings) slows down a lot and shows e.g. after 4 hours loading still 43%. But after rebooting it changed to the right value finally: 100%.
So again my question before, as Olivier unfortunately put away the OTA update function (but ment that it is not necessary anymore):
How can this version be fixed?
As far as I know you don't offer patches but only complete ROMs...

Okay first sorry for being rude as posting in the development section was not your fault.
Now the main problem with our device is not that its old but that it has a armv6 cpu which is not supported by later android versions. So development for developers is tougher and bugs will remain. I mentioned the general stickies before there you can find some useful guides.
And have you installed GAPPS in CM9 because some apps depend on it and won't work without it.
And just to be clear, I'm not really a developer but just a user like you.

I never said CM9 doesn't have bugs. It's is clearly stated in its OP that:
modpunk said:
This ROM is not meant for daily use!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Hallo Olivier,
never mind. But I just understood it like that. As you gave the reason for the OTA non-support in your ROM.
So if I misunderstood you... what is your reason then?...
In fact it would bring us forward if you could please comment my questions and/or give tips to solve the mentioned problem.
@so please give me a chance to fix the akku status bug. This is really annoying.
Can you confirm that problem? And if so will you fix it?
And if so how can I update it by OTA updater? Or alternatively at least by a patch but not by a new complete ROM !?...
@TO the Skype problem...
First of all: can you confirm my problem?...
To your question: I used your ROM from 20th Aug. (119.518 KB) This one contains already gapps, I suppose. Cause Google Play and the other stuff was already installed!...
@TO lgCamera...
This wonderful camera app worked fine with EQDKP (v.2.3.5) but now it is too slow and hops a lot. Can you confirm that?
And if so do you have any idea why this is a problem?...
@how can I add FM Radio (analog) support?...
Thank you very much for your feedback!
PS: So if the last version of CM9 is not ment for daily use... which CMx version is it then? Is there none?...
Currently your cm9 works fine. Only those three problems so far...
Do you care for my bug messages?... (or where can I post them?)

Hallo aWF Suser,
yes, I know the problem with the arm version. You must not excuse for any bug in CM.
I do not have problems with bugs. I have more problems when they cannot be fixed easily (missing OTA updater) or errors are not heard or cared for so that bugfixes will not be available at all...
By the way the phone Wildfire (without 'S') is supported by Standard CyanogenMod and also has an ArmV6 processor!...
You mean I should read again the forum rules?... What is it that is is still annoying you in my style of writing?...
Olivier's ROM I used (s. previous message) obviously contained GAPPs already. GooglePlay atc. was already installed. So this should not be the reason, should it?...
First of all: can you confirm my Skype problem, aWF Suser?... I expect it to be in each CM9 version!...
Thank you very much for your support!
PS: By the way, I have compatibility problems when flashing ROMs. For nearly each ROM I have to change the recovery. Is there any that can read all 'formats' of zip files?...

Falk2 said:
Hallo aWF Suser,
yes, I know the problem with the arm version. So you must not excuse for any bug in CM.
I do not have problems with bugs. I have more problems when they cannot be fixed easily (missing OTA updater) or bugfixes are not available at all...
By the way the phone Wildfire (without 'S') is normally supported at CyanogenMod and also has an ArmV6 processor!...
You mean I should read again the forum rules?... What is it that is is still annoying you in my style of writing?...
Olivier's ROM I used (s. next message) obviously contained GAPPs already. GooglePlay atc. was already installed.
So this should not be the reason, should it?...
First of all: can you confirm my Skype problem, aWF Suser?... I expect it to be in each CM9 version!...
Thank you very much for your support!
PS: By the way, I have compatibility problems with ROMs. For every second ROM I have to change the Recovery. Is there any that can read all 'formats' of zip files?...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Wildfire is listed officially only for CM7 (gingerbread) . After that it has not been supported. I am not asking you to read the rules, in the stickies in general section there is a thread that lists some guides to some useful things. And is OTA that necessary because in most cases a dirty flash is enough to upgrade from one version to another as long as its the same android version. Upgrades between different android version would not be possible even with OTA (as lots of things change, it will probably end in a bootloop). I am not using CM9 currently so can't speak for that.

So then which CM version are you using on your WFS? And why?
I flashed cm11 shortly but it still has too many problems. E.g. the camera app crashes after successfully recording a video, the launcher only has two pages, launcher does not seem to support folders, etc.
Do you know where I can find the actual todo list? (AndroidWiki unfortunately is not maintained anymore!)
I will give Paranoid 4.45 a try yet. Maybe this is better!?...
Otherwise I will keep cm9 and hope that we can find out why Skype is not running.
Oooh, that is important... I can make a 'dirt flash'? This is very fine!! Then OTA is not that necessary, of course. But there is still no reason to left it away, is it? Especially because all this observing and searching for the update is NOT necessary! Can't understand Olivier here...
Could you comment my PS as well, please?...
(error log: "cannot load volume /misc. Can't partition non-vfat: /sto .. (vfat)")

http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-wildfire-s/development/cyanogenmod-10-t2908631
is there any better rom than this rom? how can i improve battery life with screen on? i want it for daily driver, i do not use bluetooth ad2p but i dont know what armv7 features means...
for me its affordable atm and give a new life to the oldie and shiny wfs

Which rom is the most stable for everyday use?
(With working wi-fi tethering)

Newbie Doubt

Hi guys, I have a HTC M8 AT&T (Actually version. Android: 5.0.2 | Software: 4.28.502.1) bought in the United States but use in Brazil, but it is not possible to automatically update and I always down by the site the latest version. I always wanted to modify the phone but was always afraid of not liking too. But now I'm trying to change and unlock it.
I have some doubts about the ROM.
- Everything works the same as the original?
- It will take some bug during use?
- Can I have the visual theme of the original?
- If I want to go back to the original, it is possible?
I apologize for the questions, but it is something I want to solve.
I read a lot here, see topics ROMS but always have some doubts, I see a lot of people talking about problems, etc.
Thank you all.

My responses below in red font:
diigodr said:
I have some doubts about the ROM. What ROM(s) are you considering? If you don't specify, it makes all your following questions too vague to possibly answer!
- Everything works the same as the original? Too vague to know what you are asking about. What specific features are you concerned about? The basic functionality (what you can do with the phone) will be the similar or same; but obviously there will be some differences, otherwise why install the ROM at all? In fact, many custom ROMs will be "better" than stock in many ways (which is the main point). For instance, performance tweaks, removed bloatware, and most will remove AT&T's limitation on being able to use WiFi hotspot (tethering).
- It will take some bug during use? Its possible to have bugs. But the official stock ROMs have bugs, too. ROMs based on HTC baseline ROMs (Sense or GPE) are typically very stable, and with very few bugs (are if any, they are very minor). More on "bugs" below.
- Can I have the visual theme of the original? It depend on what ROM you are talking about. It will typically state in the ROM threads if it has been themed, if it has tools built-in to change the theme, etc.
- If I want to go back to the original, it is possible? Of course. In fact, you can and should make a TWRP (custom recovery) backup of the stock ROM before you flash any custom ROMs, in case you want to revert to stock(as doing a TWRP backup makes it much easier to revert).
I read a lot here, see topics ROMS but always have some doubts, I see a lot of people talking about problems, etc. Again, too vague to know what you are referring to. Sometimes "bugs" are due to user error, such as having outdated firmware, not doing proper wipes before flashing, etc.
Whether to flash a custom ROM is a good idea for you as an individual, is a very personal choice. It depends on what you hope to obtain, which you really haven't mentioned at all. But custom ROMs are obviously worthwhile to a large number of folks. Otherwise, XDA wouldn't exist in the first place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Closest to stock Nougat ROM for MM devices?

Hi all.
I've got an taiwanese HTC 10 which is on the MM firmware, but I wish to try the Nougat on a custom ROM.
I realise that there is plenty of ROMs, but it seems that's nobody intention to stay close to the stock experience.
Is there any "untouched" Nougat ROM available to flash for S-On devices running MM firmware?
By "untouched" I mean the minimum necessary changes to make things compatible.
Thank in advance.

btoledob said:
Hi all.
I've got an taiwanese HTC 10 which is on the MM firmware, but I wish to try the Nougat on a custom ROM.
I realise that there is plenty of ROMs, but it seems that's nobody intention to stay close to the stock experience.
Is there any "untouched" Nougat ROM available to flash for S-On devices running MM firmware?
By "untouched" I mean the minimum necessary changes to make things compatible.
Thank in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...our rom looks and feels complete stock if you install it, we also use the stock htc kernel.
All modifications are optional and can be configured in our Tweaks control app or flashed over our hub.
If you still care about that then flash MaximusHD, that's really the closest to stock..still has some modifications like extenced APM and maybe some other.
Still not safisfied? Then flash the stock deodexed Dev Edition Rom. Fingerprint will be broken, flash this to fix it: https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=529152257862688644
not sure what you mean with "minimum necessary changes to make things compatible" doubt any sense roms around here break stock features.

j to the 4n said:
...our rom looks and feels complete stock if you install it, we also use the stock htc kernel.
All modifications are optional and can be configured in our Tweaks control app or flashed over our hub.
If you still care about that then flash MaximusHD, that's really the closest to stock..still has some modifications like extenced APM and maybe some other.
Still not safisfied? Then flash the stock deodexed Dev Edition Rom. Fingerprint will be broken, flash this to fix it: https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=529152257862688644
not sure what you mean with "minimum necessary changes to make things compatible" doubt any sense roms around here break stock features.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much for the feedback.
I've tried your ROM, which is excelent, but I got a little problem with the camera app. If I take a picture on the Pro mode with RAW enabled, the RAW image does not follow the device orientation, and consequently the Google Photo app does not suggest enhances, because the RAW and the JPEG are different from each other. I need to take pictures only on landscape mode and only with the home button on the right side in order to work properly. As I never had the opportunity to test the completly stock Nougat ROM from HTC, I don't know if this problem is specific to your ROM or from the HTC's Nougat source code.
The other ROM that I've tried is LeeDroid. I found a bug on his ROM where the default audio profile does not turn ON when playing some music on my headphones, so everytime I need reenable my profile in order to make it to work again. The other minor thing is that he changed the wallpapers.
As I never had the opportunity to test the completely stock Nougat ROM from HTC, I can't be sure if those glitches are avoidable.

btoledob said:
Thank you very much for the feedback.
I've tried your ROM, which is excelent, but I got a little problem with the camera app. If I take a picture on the Pro mode with RAW enabled, the RAW image does not follow the device orientation, and consequently the Google Photo app does not suggest enhances, because the RAW and the JPEG are different from each other. I need to take pictures only on landscape mode and only with the home button on the right side in order to work properly. As I never had the opportunity to test the completly stock Nougat ROM from HTC, I don't know if this problem is specific to your ROM or from the HTC's Nougat source code.
The other ROM that I've tried is LeeDroid. I found a bug on his ROM where the default audio profile does not turn ON when playing some music on my headphones, so everytime I need reenable my profile in order to make it to work again. The other minor thing is that he changed the wallpapers.
As I never had the opportunity to test the completely stock Nougat ROM from HTC, I can't be sure if those glitches are avoidable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the roms are based on an unreleased WWE 2.28 leak...the offical WWE version will be 2.4x. Since it's a leak there seem to be a few bugs still. Should be sorted on the official one.
If you can't wait, you could s-off, change to dev ed cid and mid and flash the US Unlocked RUU.
For the issues with raw images...disable the google photo app and install the A9 Sense 8 Gallery and photoenhancer available in venomhub and check if it solves the issues.

Do I need S-Off for this usage?

Hi everyone!
First of all, forgive me for all my noobish mistakes as I have never had a HTC branded phone.
I'm about to buy this phone for a quite decent price and use it as my main and daily driver so before paying I want to know some basic things beforehand.
My main point is to get the rom "ViperOne" working in the M9 with root as I want the best performance from stock HTC firmware and because I need their drivers to be as good as possible ( sound wise).
I have already read the entire OP on the thread rom of ViperOne and I haven't seen a word about S-on/off so I'm guessing that I will not have to mess around with that kind of security right?
So to sum up things, will I need S-Off for this?
-Custom Recovery (twrp)
-ViperOne rom with root.
-Maybe installing another kernel over ViperOne.
-Thermal (software) mod.
-Audio mods.
Thanks everyone by advance.

Just need to have an unlocked M9
S-off is for downgrade firmware, change CID/MID... (more risk to brick )
dirtyl0lharry said:
Hi everyone!
First of all, forgive me for all my noobish mistakes as I have never had a HTC branded phone.
I'm about to buy this phone for a quite decent price and use it as my main and daily driver so before paying I want to know some basic things beforehand.
My main point is to get the rom "ViperOne" working in the M9 with root as I want the best performance from stock HTC firmware and because I need their drivers to be as good as possible ( sound wise).
I have already read the entire OP on the thread rom of ViperOne and I haven't seen a word about S-on/off so I'm guessing that I will not have to mess around with that kind of security right?
So to sum up things, will I need S-Off for this?
-Custom Recovery (twrp)
-ViperOne rom with root.
-Maybe installing another kernel over ViperOne.
-Thermal (software) mod.
-Audio mods.
Thanks everyone by advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

dirtyl0lharry said:
Hi everyone!
First of all, forgive me for all my noobish mistakes as I have never had a HTC branded phone.
I'm about to buy this phone for a quite decent price and use it as my main and daily driver so before paying I want to know some basic things beforehand.
My main point is to get the rom "ViperOne" working in the M9 with root as I want the best performance from stock HTC firmware and because I need their drivers to be as good as possible ( sound wise).
I have already read the entire OP on the thread rom of ViperOne and I haven't seen a word about S-on/off so I'm guessing that I will not have to mess around with that kind of security right?
So to sum up things, will I need S-Off for this?
-Custom Recovery (twrp)
-ViperOne rom with root.
-Maybe installing another kernel over ViperOne.
-Thermal (software) mod.
-Audio mods.
Thanks everyone by advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need s-off but it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to do so if you're rooting the device and messing with roms. It gives that extra level of recovering the device should you cabbage it.
This but is a slight education into custom roms and why "I" believe you shouldn't do it on ANY device:
Custom roms/firmwares are built using "open source" code. Stock roms/firmwares are built using "proprietary" code. "proprietary" code is code that is specifically written for 'x' device by a team of software engineers using "proprietary" software and hardware specifically built for 'x' brand. For example, htc have their own stuff and samsung have theirs, so on and so forth. This makes the software "married/tailor made" to the hardware so it comes as optimised as it can possibly be while weighing in factors of carrier "bloatware". No-one wants to lose a customer because of a device that is inherently slow. No-one will buy a device that is inherently slow.
Then you have custom roms and firmware. Because proprietary code is private and not for the public domain, this "open source code" is more or less "trial and error" process to get all the features of a rom or firmware to run efficiently and effectively. This results in non optimised bad code, bugs, long processes, excess code and therefore "CAN" be slower than stock roms. Couple this with deodexed and it'll bog the device down in no time.
So as you can see, I don't really like custom roms or firmware just for the fact it is no faster or no better than the software that came with the device in the first place. It was designed specifically.
My advice is to leave the phone stock rooted and s-off if you MUST have them. Otherwise don't touch it at all and continue to get updates as they are released with no hassle!.
Beamed in by telepathy.

I need to correct some of the information that got posted previously in this thread.
First of all: There are only custom roms but no custom firmwares for HTC devices (c.f. the difference between rom and firmware).
Second: S-OFF increases the risk of a hard-brick dramatically since it removes security checks of the phone (c.f. this article, the 5th post/the first page of Sneakyghost's firmware thread and the article that I already linked above). S-ON phones will refuse to accept broken files (e.g. RUUs that got corrupted due to a bad download). A phone with S-OFF on the other hand will get flashed with such a broken file and you won't get notified with any error outputs. Another example are those NoRedText aboots which remove the read warning that appears during the boot if the bootloader got unlocked. You can only flash them with S-OFF but if the hex edits didn't get executed correctly this can actually lead to unrecoverable damages.
Don't get me wrong. I'm using a S-OFF phone, too. However, you need to be aware of the risks and that you don't need S-OFF for recovering a phone. Keeping a RUU at hand for your current firmware version (if one exists) or at least a TWRP backup of the stock rom is more than enough. Damages that can't get repaired with either a RUU or a backup can't get repaired with S-OFF, either, in most of the cases.
Third: You need to differentiate between stock rom based custom roms (e.g. ViperOne or ICE) and those custom roms that are developed from source (those are the roms that shivadow mentioned in his post - e.g. Lineage or Resurrection Remix).
Those roms that are based on the stock rom deliver the same perfomance (or maybe an almost not noticeable better/worse performance) than the stock rom does. There are no differences between the core of these roms and the stock rom. (On the other hands this means that bugs of the stock rom are present in these roms, as well.) Therefore the performance differences are minimalistic. However, you don't flash such roms due to their performance differences (in comparison with the stock rom) but due to the additional features that they provide on top of the stock rom experience.
Causes for disadvantages of the other group of custom roms already got explained by shivadow in his post. A perfect example is the bad perfomance of HTC's cameras (the hardware of the phones not the app) on CM/Lineage roms. Nevertheless, I've never seen an HTC phone being incredibly slower on a custom rom than it was on the stock rom. My One S for example is much snappier on Lineage 14.1 than it would be on its android 4.1.1 stock rom and its battery is lasting much longer (well, android 7 has way more battery optimizations than android 4.1.1 so that isn't such a surprise). The only thing that I can complain about is (as mentioned before) the picture quality of the camera.
In other words, it's not always black and white. The best advice that I can give is to test all roms that are available and to use that custom/stock rom that suits your needs best.
Fourth and last: The M9 is more than two years old. HTC normally doesn't support any phone longer than this time period. There probably won't be any more updates than the nougat updates for those SKUs that haven't received firmware 4.x, yet.
TL;DR: What got written in post #2.

I tried to generalise, thats why i mentioned custom firmwares AND roms as some devices have custom firmware, rather than custom roms. Some have both, some have none.
Absolutely right that s-off is a double edged sword that you don't really want to fall on so I highly recommend that it is best to keep the device as stock but if you must root it it's worth s-off. I've seen plenty of posts for devices being screwed regardless of s-off. Also don't you need s-off to be able to restore your system backup from twrp?.
THE only reason I rooted my phone is to block "intrusive" ads. I don't want ads on my homescreen, lockscreen or really anything but apps that are good enough to warrant being paid for their efforts. Now that there is an abundance of adblocking software that no longer requires root I have absolutely no reason to keep my phone modded. I'd flash back to stock but my luck says I'll f**k the phone beyond recognition. It'll probably burn my house down, crash my car and kill my dog too!.
Nowadays root isn't necessary if you're not a dev. Thats the point I'm trying to get across!.
Beamed in by telepathy.

shivadow said:
Also don't you need s-off to be able to restore your system backup from twrp?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you don't (and never did). It doesn't make any sense to S-OFF the phone just because you can if you don't need it for any of the purposes that are mentioned in the articles/posts that I linked in my last post. It only highers the risk of bricks due to what I wrote in my last post.
And there are other uses for custom roms/root aside from ad blocking but that would be an off-topic discussion in this thread.
Sent from my HTC One M9 using XDA Labs

@Flippy498 @shivadow thank you guys for all the links and the extra informations. I really appreciate it since there are things about HTC that I haven't seen on any other brands.
To get things clearer, since my Moto G XT1039 is getting old ( low performance and battery barely keeps up with the day) and I'm really into music and sound (spotify premium and lots of flacs) and a Fiio X7 android based mp4 is too expensive, I wanted to get a top sound-chip phone, actually, a phone with a top Digital to Analogic Converter.
Of course I do know that if I want to use all the power and features that the M9 makes for its sound, I need to be on stock firmware because of the drivers. I'm guessing that the audio behaves like the camera once using and AOSP based rom ( LOS, Slim, RRemix...) getting worse.
Thats why I want this phone, it basically is much more powerful than my Moto G SD400, it has way better camera, it has a 64bit SoC and official Nougat update and I'll end up with a great DAP on my pocket to use with Spotify.
As I said, I like to get everything as minimal as possible, I hate when the home screen is full of icons and widgets, I hate having lots of icons and indicatos on the status bar, I hate having all sensor toggled on ( gpu, nfc, bluetooth...), thats why I was looking for a stock rom that let me custom all the things to keep it as minimal as possible.
If you know any other updated, stock based rom, just let me know and link it to me as I'll disable as many things as I can to get extra battery on the phone. Yes, you can guess it, even on battery saving mode, the M9 would beat the hell out of the Moto G, so I'm giving up on everything but the sound, just to get more battery time.
I hope you can understand me now.