Tips for new pixel owner - Google Pixel XL Questions & Answers

My 128 qb xl (google store) will be arriving tomorrow night.
I'm hoping for some tips on getting things transferred from the my HTC M8 and running on it as smoothly as possible(I would usually use titanium backup to maintain complete app data, how is the integrated transfer tool?).
I'm also looking for general suggestions for setting to tweak and get the most out of it.
I do plan on unlocking, rooting, and installing one of the custom kernels. I'm assuming all of this will need to be done before getting things moved over to the new device. I've seen people saying they flash back to stock before loading a new kernel. Can this be done without affecting user data due to the new duel partition scheme?
Do ota updates still work fine after making these changes or will they need to be flashed manually?
Cases and screen protectors? How many people are keeping it bare?
Thanks

My tip to any new phone owner, enjoy your phone don't read the negatives.

sabindaman said:
My 128 qb xl (google store) will be arriving tomorrow night.
I'm hoping for some tips on getting things transferred from the my HTC M8 and running on it as smoothly as possible(I would usually use titanium backup to maintain complete app data, how is the integrated transfer tool?).
I'm also looking for general suggestions for setting to tweak and get the most out of it.
I do plan on unlocking, rooting, and installing one of the custom kernels. I'm assuming all of this will need to be done before getting things moved over to the new device. I've seen people saying they flash back to stock before loading a new kernel. Can this be done without affecting user data due to the new duel partition scheme?
Do ota updates still work fine after making these changes or will they need to be flashed manually?
Cases and screen protectors? How many people are keeping it bare?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make sure you check for defects before you end up messing with it. Check for speaker problems and screen problems. Put the phone in the lowest brightness setting in a poorly lit room and see if you can see the screen flicker or have that aura effect and I agree with clock cycle. Don't read the negatives. Enjoy 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.

New to Samsung Epic and just have a question or 2

I am coming from WinMo to the Epic. I am noticing a lot of bloatware on this phone and am wondering if rooting it and installing a custom rom the only way to remove these programs? I mean there is a lot of literal crap on this device from Sprint. Any help would be appreciated, I read through all the forums I could think of and even went to the wiki and read.
You can use "one click root",then get a program called "sdx app remover".
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App
thank you very much
jonny4 said:
I am coming from WinMo to the Epic. I am noticing a lot of bloatware on this phone and am wondering if rooting it and installing a custom rom the only way to remove these programs? I mean there is a lot of literal crap on this device from Sprint. Any help would be appreciated, I read through all the forums I could think of and even went to the wiki and read.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SDX app remover will work, but another option is to root, then download titanium backup from the market. I use the free version and it's great. Using this app, you can make backups of you apps and app data (1 at a time, in a batch, or even set overnight schedules). This comes in handy whether flashing roms, if a program gets corrupted, or even if you download an update to a program that doesn't work and want to restore the prior one. Also, if you go to the backup/restore tab, you can see all apps on the phone. If you press on the app, it brings up options, one of which is uninstall. If rooted, you can uninstall anything (just be careful).
Welcome to the epic.
I had the same thought with my heroc long ago. But the stock rom minus bloat still is garbage compared to even the worst custom rom. With this epic was never a question...custom rom 30 mins after I got it.
You can always Odin back to stock...but you never will
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
I guess I am worried about messing something up, I only started putting custome rom's on My touch Diamond after I knew I was looking for a new phone in the last 3 months. Is there just a bsaic Android 2.2 rom for the Epic, so I could start from scratch with my apps?
I would recommend Bonsai, but they seem to be busy screwing themselves over. Let's just say its a great rom, but they are making some pretty dumb moves in the PR category.
BTW, if there was
literal crap on this device from Sprint
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
then you should have contacted the health department.
so i am noticing some of these roms will root for me. I am looking at the bonsai thread, is it an all in one package. i am new to android rooting. i know on winmo i had to first unlock then run a ruu from my desktop.
You can use odin too load pre rooted roms. Which will give u cwm. Then u can change roms at your own discretion with out a pc. Look at the ratings and read the posts before u load a rom. Id also suggest bonsai 4.0 seems to the the most stable. And I have tried all of them.
Unless you do not care about pic msging and gps in which case definately check out cm7 aplha 3. Its androi 2.3 gingerbread .
one more question, if i don't like this how do i go back to stock rom, with winmo i just reflash old one.
maghig said:
BTW, if there was literal crap on this device from sprint then you should have contacted the health department.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for this. My keyboard thanks you for the mountain dew bath.
I have decided I actually like the Samsung ui but I can;t stand how many apps there are, I have 2 freakin Facebook apps because I can't remove the original and the newer one doesn't update the old one. So best thing to do is root and try and remove the stock apps I guess.
I already said this and no one answered. if something goes wrong, how do I go back to stock sprint rom? with winmo i just re run the rom package on my pc.
Just use ODIN. It's always right at the top of the Dev section.
thx, wanted to make sure that is the right thing, like i said i am a nOOb
I was in your shoes a month or so ago.
When I finally had enough time and bravery to mess around with the phone, I rooted and proceeded to brick my phone.
This bricking taught me a valuable lesson and its that the epic is very hard to permantly screw up. I also came from a winmo device before being hogtied and violated from palm and sprints marketin team but wounds healed and feelings of anger and sadness faded away when the epic decended from sprints hallowed halls. (Gg sprint marketing team on another successful campaign...)
Hope isn't lost and I would advise you to become used to your phone with the OTA updates (it should be at ec05) because unless you know what gains you are receiving from flashing a new rom, then it would be a pointless endevor.
Lurk more in the dev forums and play with your phone. If you have a question then ask and hopefully you will find a rom to fit your needs.
Sent from my Epic4g using the internet.
I was rushed and wanted to further clarify a little on what I posted above.
The epic you have now OP should be on 2.2.1 EC05 Froyo if it's not that way now. This is the current update pushed from sprint and I personally had no problems with it. The amount of bloat you see vs the bloat you can't (CIQ...and others *too lazy to google or search*) is a factor to consider while deciding if rooting and customs roms are for you.
I know you mentioned Touchwiz and like you, I enjoy it. Rooting and flashing a rom can remove this but many of the current roms offer a version with TW either as default or baked in. This shouldn't be of concern because you will not notice much difference between stock TW and that provided in a rom other than how "snappy" it is.
I also recommended lurking in the dev forums, and I meant that. I'll look at the first page of a thread such as the ACS rom thread in dev. After seeing what's offered, go to the last page and work backwards, noting any issues or problems people are having. Do understand that people are more likely to post a problem than give praise so do not let those post steer you away, but just use caution and take notice of what's recommended to fix it.
Although this may seem long winded, I feel that a majority of people similer to myself will either conclude that rooting is hard and not mess with it, or become lost in the ever changing acronyms, root utilities, and overall direction to successfully root their device.
What makes matters even worse is that some roms can be so complicated to install and troubleshoot that the information you need to continue isn't already clear enough to you to correctly ask a question or troublesoot. You will see this reflected in post where phones are reurned to the store after it fail to boot.
So to restate what I think would be your best option (and others who find themselves looking to root and flash custom roms), you should lurk and study the dev forums along with general. Make sure current version of froyo is on your device from the OTA update (EC05 is current and you can check by Settings/About Phone/ and scrolling down towards the bottom. Become knowledgeable about what your phone can do, then if you decide that a new rom will make for a richer experience, then follow guides handed down from the roms themselves to help make sure you successfully root and flash your phone.
It can be a headache but it's worth the pain when you finally finish.
Sent from my Epic4g using the internet.
jonny4 said:
thx, wanted to make sure that is the right thing, like i said i am a nOOb
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jonny4,
I,too, was in your shoes. I registered on this forum just to reply to your post.
I've had my Epic 4G for a little over a month and I've already tried several different kernels and ROMs. I've found that a good resource for learning how to flash your Epic is YouTube. There's a guy on there with the username "randyshear." He had an Epic 4G and made a ton of how-to vids about installing ClockworkMod Recovery, making Nandroid backups, and flashing various ROMs. Before my Epic 4G, I had never had an Android phone, so I was VERY new to the whole thing. Fortunately for us, the phone has been out for a while and many options exist. I recommend checking out randyshear's vids. He posts download links to all the ROMs he tries out. I've been using the Genocide 0.3a kernel that undervolts and overclocks the CPU to 1.2 GHz and I've flashed ViperROM Apocalypse 4.0.4 with EXT4. The phone has never been faster!
Make sure you get ClockworkMod on the phone and make a backup. Also, just to be safe, back up your microSD too. Trust me, once you get the hang of it, it's actually really fun to try out different ROMs to see how your phone responds. Good luck!
EDIT: I recently flashed my Epic with SyndicateROM Frozen 1.1.0 (EC05 Froyo) with the Twilight Zone kernel and I was completely blown away! FASTEST ROM/KERNEL COMBO I have seen yet!
here is basically what i hate. i just killed a bunch of apps and 3, Clock, amazon mp3, and qik video, that I have never used or setup are already running again. It is absolutely stupid that a program that has never been used or setup can run itself, reminds of me of spyware or malware, and because Samsung locks out removing of said apps it is annoying. I would be happy with the basic rom if all these extra apps weren't running or installed. I may try what the first person suggested. I know WinMo had a bunch of crap apps installed in the Sprint rom but at least those did not run on their own. I do appreciate everyones help, really and I guess if I plan on rooting I should probably do it within my return policy.

[Q] Please help me get my marriage back on track ;)

Hi all.
Been an Android user for about as long as it's been out there and I have almost always rooted and installed custom ROM's on my devices. Last year I finally managed to convince the wife to upgrade to Android (enter the ARC S). She was delighted but the phone was always a bit slugish. When the ICS update came out I pressed her to upgrade because I thought she would benefit from the upgrade and the speeds might improve. So after a few months she finally gave in and about 2 weeks ago I did the upgrade. Aaaaaaannnndddddd that's when it all went to hell. Her phone is slow. Soooooo painfully slow that even an old HTC Desire loaded with a Sense 3.5 / 4 ROM is outperforming it by miles. She is mad. Soooooo very mad at me since then for having made her phone all that much worse. Reading up on it I know now that the upgrade was a bust and that Sony dropped the ball with this one.
So now I am looking to redeem myself. Usually I'd just root the phone, slap on some recovery software and flash away a couple of ROM's and choose from them. But this device seems to be not so straight forward. So I am turning to the community for help. What I am looking to do is install a custom ROM that is smooth and fast and will stay that way for as long as possible. Preferably one that is JB based and as easy to get on the device as possible. Now I know that when this question gets put out there people are often greeted with the "flash 'em and try" response, but my wife is reluctant to let me do anything else to her phone, let alone experiment with many a ROM. So I am asking for opinions. Any ROM as long as it's fast. The ROM that gets the most positive opinions wins and that is what I'll flash and hopefully save my marriage
Please keep in mind the phone is SIM locked and not rooted. It's basically an original ARC S with ICS on it. I have no recovery or rooting experience with this device, so it would be lovely if this could be done simply. I don't really want to over complicate things and risk gorking the thing even more.
Thanks in advance to all you members out there!
Hi.
You could just have Googled best rom arc s and read one of the numerous threads on the subject, and these threads are just another variation of best rom threads which are also now starting to build up. Root and and remove crap, few build.prop and init.d tweaks and you'll have a nippy Phone that works as it should, install a custom ROM then she isn't going to be happy when something doesn't work and you're constantly taking it of her to sort it out.
XperienceD said:
Hi.
You could just have Googled best rom arc s and read one of the numerous threads on the subject, and these threads are just another variation of best rom threads which are also now starting to build up. Root and and remove crap, few build.prop and init.d tweaks and you'll have a nippy Phone that works as it should, install a custom ROM then she isn't going to be happy when something doesn't work and you're constantly taking it of her to sort it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did. And I actually considered (still am tbh) the Ultimate HD. But thought maybe there was something out there better and no frills. As for the root and decrap option, that's actually a pretty good idea. But won't the crap just load back? I mean, on most roms when I remove the bloatware it just loads up again via market. As for build.prop I don't know much. Could you just tip me a thread topic or what not and I will search. Or topics even.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Pitbull_Raven said:
I did. And I actually considered (still am tbh) the Ultimate HD. But thought maybe there was something out there better and no frills. As for the root and decrap option, that's actually a pretty good idea. But won't the crap just load back? I mean, on most roms when I remove the bloatware it just loads up again via market. As for build.prop I don't know much. Could you just tip me a thread topic or what not and I will search. Or topics even.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best thing is to try honestly (I wouldn't say ultimate hd is a bad choice )
And bloatware wouldn't load back once you've removed them so dont worry
Sent from Xperia Arc S
jman2131 said:
Best thing is to try honestly (I wouldn't say ultimate hd is a bad choice )
And bloatware wouldn't load back once you've removed them so dont worry
Sent from Xperia Arc S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Will have to consider it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
Try Ultimate HD 2.0.3 / Xperia T ROM
Pitbull_Raven said:
Thanks. Will have to consider it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been using that ROM for around a week now and my phone is faster than ever.. The only issue seems to be in sending items via bluetooth (accept works smooth, but the option in send via is missing). But if your wife doesn't use that much bluetooth file sharing, then I'd recommend this ROM. Another good choice would be XPERIA T ROM for Arc S - Comparatively its a tad bit slower (not noticeable) but loads of more features (WalkMan has GraceNote, ClearAudio. Album has SenseMe etc.) Both are stable for daily use.
vish2407 said:
I have been using that ROM for around a week now and my phone is faster than ever.. The only issue seems to be in sending items via bluetooth (accept works smooth, but the option in send via is missing). But if your wife doesn't use that much bluetooth file sharing, then I'd recommend this ROM. Another good choice would be XPERIA T ROM for Arc S - Comparatively its a tad bit slower (not noticeable) but loads of more features (WalkMan has GraceNote, ClearAudio. Album has SenseMe etc.) Both are stable for daily use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the input. Bluetooth is not an issue. She rarely uses it at all. So yes, I'll keep it in mind. I'll have to decide till tomorrow morning seeing as how I am going to try to get it done over the weekend. To those of you that took the time to reply, my thanks!
Pitbull_Raven said:
Thank you for the input. Bluetooth is not an issue. She rarely uses it at all. So yes, I'll keep it in mind. I'll have to decide till tomorrow morning seeing as how I am going to try to get it done over the weekend. To those of you that took the time to reply, my thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So did you install one finally??
Sent from my LT18i using xda app-developers app
vish2407 said:
So did you install one finally??
Sent from my LT18i using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, no. She forbade me
I'm guessing she's scared it'll just get worse or I'll mess it up even more. She won't even allow me to root it. At this point, I am hoping that some official fix comes along so that I can at least get her phone back to acceptable status. It's sooooooo slow. My old HTC Desire flies like a bat with a lit match stuck up it's butt compared to her Arc S right now. I mean, pulling up the phone dialer takes literally between 7 to 17 seconds to open just the dialer. And don't even dare to tap "contacts" because it can take you the best part of 30 seconds to see them appear.
SONY didn't just drop the ball with releasing this update; they bloody well stabbed it with a hunting knife to deflate it first so the ball would never bounce again... and then they dropped it.
Really, I am so sad for her every time I see her trying to do something on her phone. She used to love it. Now I see her turning away from it every chance she gets. It's really heartbreaking, and I am not trying to be funny. It really does pain me to see this happen.
Pitbull_Raven said:
Actually, no. She forbade me
I'm guessing she's scared it'll just get worse or I'll mess it up even more. She won't even allow me to root it. At this point, I am hoping that some official fix comes along so that I can at least get her phone back to acceptable status. It's sooooooo slow. My old HTC Desire flies like a bat with a lit match stuck up it's butt compared to her Arc S right now. I mean, pulling up the phone dialer takes literally between 7 to 17 seconds to open just the dialer. And don't even dare to tap "contacts" because it can take you the best part of 30 seconds to see them appear.
SONY didn't just drop the ball with releasing this update; they bloody well stabbed it with a hunting knife to deflate it first so the ball would never bounce again... and then they dropped it.
Really, I am so sad for her every time I see her trying to do something on her phone. She used to love it. Now I see her turning away from it every chance she gets. It's really heartbreaking, and I am not trying to be funny. It really does pain me to see this happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, and atheistically Arc S is an awesome phone. And since its good under the hood as well, with a good custom FW, it really flies. My condolences to you my friend. However I have used Arc with stock FW as well, hence will suggest you some tips to enhance performance
1. Disable FaceBook Inside Xperia - It lags the system like hell
2. Remove the Timescape widget and live wallpapers if set.
3. Disable AutoSync if possible or keep it on for accounts other than FaceBook
4. Clear messages and call history a few days - I know it sounds strange - but it sure used to speed up my Arc.
5. Using tools like App Cache Cleaner and RAM Booster can help speed it up
vish2407 said:
Yes, and atheistically Arc S is an awesome phone. And since its good under the hood as well, with a good custom FW, it really flies. My condolences to you my friend. However I have used Arc with stock FW as well, hence will suggest you some tips to enhance performance
1. Disable FaceBook Inside Xperia - It lags the system like hell
2. Remove the Timescape widget and live wallpapers if set.
3. Disable AutoSync if possible or keep it on for accounts other than FaceBook
4. Clear messages and call history a few days - I know it sounds strange - but it sure used to speed up my Arc.
5. Using tools like App Cache Cleaner and RAM Booster can help speed it up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for those tips. Will surely come in handy. How can I disable FB in the Arc? I know how to remove the account, but I think it's somehow integrated into the ROM, right? Is that what you meant?
Pitbull_Raven said:
Thanks for those tips. Will surely come in handy. How can I disable FB in the Arc? I know how to remove the account, but I think it's somehow integrated into the ROM, right? Is that what you meant?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He didn't mean Facebook itself, but Facebook inside Xperia. It's that awesome feature that let's you do things you don't need to... seriously. I don't remember well where it is in settings, but it is there (I flashed a custom JB rom so I can't tell you where it is). I guess it was in "Xperia" but I'm not sure on that one. Autosync takes a huge amount of the guilt for making it slower, allow it only when you enable wifi, if possible. Check RAM usage, and look for apps that are not in use, and uninstall them.
If you really want it fast, then why not flashing a GB lightweighted Rom or even the debloated stock one? There are quite a few around here that you can flash. Just check the development section. It won't have a lot of features as ICS does, but as this phone was designed for GB, it will run in a decent way.
I used Ultimate HD for a while, and let me tell you, it was great. It offers very nice features. 5x4 apps drawer like in Xperia T (also Xperia T's boot animation); very nice design; on-screen buttons at choice; quick toggle panel (that is really handy); walkman app; new calendar app; the new album app that allows you to see the photos on map (if geotag was allowed when taken); included overclocking tool; and much more, being quite fast at the same time. I just switched to JB for the sake of feeling JB in my hand! But of course, if I see that it doesn't suit me well, I'm going back to ICS, back to UHD.
If you really want to make it faster, your best choice is to convince her to flash a custom ROM. Stock is well aesthetically designed, but as you said yourself, laggy as hell. Some of those custom ROMs are even able to be used with locked bootloader (although I would recommend to unlock the bootloader, check link at my signature from the android soul community). My suggestion: Read. She won't, you will. The chances of schrewing it up are lower if you inform yourself of the risks. I usually do this: I read the OP, and then I go to the last 5 pages, and read some repplies. It tells me whether people are having issues recently, or if there's a common issue.
Good luck convincing her :fingers-crossed:
HerrJuancho said:
He didn't mean Facebook itself, but Facebook inside Xperia. It's that awesome feature that let's you do things you don't need to... seriously. I don't remember well where it is in settings, but it is there (I flashed a custom JB rom so I can't tell you where it is). I guess it was in "Xperia" but I'm not sure on that one. Autosync takes a huge amount of the guilt for making it slower, allow it only when you enable wifi, if possible. Check RAM usage, and look for apps that are not in use, and uninstall them.
If you really want it fast, then why not flashing a GB lightweighted Rom or even the debloated stock one? There are quite a few around here that you can flash. Just check the development section. It won't have a lot of features as ICS does, but as this phone was designed for GB, it will run in a decent way.
I used Ultimate HD for a while, and let me tell you, it was great. It offers very nice features. 5x4 apps drawer like in Xperia T (also Xperia T's boot animation); very nice design; on-screen buttons at choice; quick toggle panel (that is really handy); walkman app; new calendar app; the new album app that allows you to see the photos on map (if geotag was allowed when taken); included overclocking tool; and much more, being quite fast at the same time. I just switched to JB for the sake of feeling JB in my hand! But of course, if I see that it doesn't suit me well, I'm going back to ICS, back to UHD.
If you really want to make it faster, your best choice is to convince her to flash a custom ROM. Stock is well aesthetically designed, but as you said yourself, laggy as hell. Some of those custom ROMs are even able to be used with locked bootloader (although I would recommend to unlock the bootloader, check link at my signature from the android soul community). My suggestion: Read. She won't, you will. The chances of schrewing it up are lower if you inform yourself of the risks. I usually do this: I read the OP, and then I go to the last 5 pages, and read some repplies. It tells me whether people are having issues recently, or if there's a common issue.
Good luck convincing her :fingers-crossed:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh wow, thanks for the info! This thread is actually becoming more helpful then I expected. You can bet I'll keep trying to convince her. Also I'll check the FB issue and see if I can get something sorted.
Pitbull_Raven said:
Oh wow, thanks for the info! This thread is actually becoming more helpful then I expected. You can bet I'll keep trying to convince her. Also I'll check the FB issue and see if I can get something sorted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck on that one :highfive: And don't forget to click thanks on the posts that you found helpful
So good news! She finally had enough and can't stand the slowness anymore. I have the go ahead to do what I want to the device. So now everything is an option. So from what I gathered so far, first I must unlock bootloader. But this means formating the data partition, thus loosing everything.
Is it at all possible to root first so I can Titanium Backup the hell out of this phone first? LT18i running stock 4.0.4 and 4.1.B.0.587.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
Pitbull_Raven said:
So good news! She finally had enough and can't stand the slowness anymore. I have the go ahead to do what I want to the device. So now everything is an option. So from what I gathered so far, first I must unlock bootloader. But this means formating the data partition, thus loosing everything.
Is it at all possible to root first so I can Titanium Backup the hell out of this phone first? LT18i running stock 4.0.4 and 4.1.B.0.587.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. root it, backup your apps using titanium backup. (i recommend paid version) backup contacts and sms also. unlock your bootloader, flash custom kernel, (i recommend rush kernel), do full wipe (wipe absolutely everything except sd card of course since your backups are all there.) flash custom rom (preferably stock based roms since they are more stable. Try ultimate hd or jelly sandwich).
boot up for the first time, first boot usually slower. Complete First time setup, let it sit for awhile, like 5 minutes, install titanium, restore apps and contacts, make sure the apps are working. Some apps like line won't work after restoring with data from titanium and I had to clear it's app data first. set cpu governor to performance and add a bit of overclock (1.5 or 1.6). she won't know what these are anyway and she'd stop whining about lags. remember to set to overclock on boot. reboot phone and you're done.
I do this for my girl too. I'd still recommend ultimate hd 2.0.3. but you should mess around with the settings to see what it has to offer first. And also remember to search within their threads to find current unfixed bugs and their solutions.
Sent from my LT15i using xda app-developers app
jackkeylow said:
Yes. root it, backup your apps using titanium backup. (i recommend paid version) backup contacts and sms also. unlock your bootloader, flash custom kernel, (i recommend rush kernel), do full wipe (wipe absolutely everything except sd card of course since your backups are all there.) flash custom rom (preferably stock based roms since they are more stable. Try ultimate hd or jelly sandwich).
boot up for the first time, first boot usually slower. Complete First time setup, let it sit for awhile, like 5 minutes, install titanium, restore apps and contacts, make sure the apps are working. Some apps like line won't work after restoring with data from titanium and I had to clear it's app data first. set cpu governor to performance and add a bit of overclock (1.5 or 1.6). she won't know what these are anyway and she'd stop whining about lags. remember to set to overclock on boot. reboot phone and you're done.
I do this for my girl too. I'd still recommend ultimate hd 2.0.3. but you should mess around with the settings to see what it has to offer first. And also remember to search within their threads to find current unfixed bugs and their solutions.
Sent from my LT15i using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very helpful. Thanks. I have TB paid version, so it shouldn't be a problem. Was just wondering how to root without unlocking boot first. I can see many a tutorial, but all seem to tell how to unlock bl first.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
you don't need to unlock bl to root... and once you unlock bl you won't need to root because most custom roms and kernels come pre-rooted. use flashtool to root. download flashtool if you haven't already. It's like the all in one toolbox if you're just a user.
Sent from my LT15i using xda app-developers app
Will definitely look into it. Many thanks.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Cons of flashing custom roms?

What are the cons for flashing a custom rom?
For an example:
Does it mess with your phone if you flash a lot?
Those sort of questions!
ALSO, on my last phone, the HTC amaze, I used flash custom roms and over time it would just have an issue after issue. It kept rebooting randomly and it was just crazy.
Because of that problem, I actually moved to this phone! I'm afraid that the same problem will occur if I flash custom roms again... This phone was expensive compared to my previous phone and plus my mom would kill me if it starts having problems.
OR
Is it possible for me to stay with the stock rom and just install most of the mods from custom roms? If I could find them, but that'll be time consuming and I might mess up since I know nothing of developing and mods, just flashing
THANKS IN ADVANCE!
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
re: root access
kevinrubio1 said:
What are the cons for flashing a custom rom?
For an example:
Does it mess with your phone if you flash a lot?
Those sort of questions!
ALSO, on my last phone, the HTC amaze, I used flash custom roms and over time it would just have an issue after issue. It kept rebooting randomly and it was just crazy.
Because of that problem, I actually moved to this phone! I'm afraid that the same problem will occur if I flash custom roms again... This phone was expensive compared to my previous phone and plus my mom would kill me if it starts having problems.
OR
Is it possible for me to stay with the stock rom and just install most of the mods from custom roms? If I could find them, but that'll be time consuming and I might mess up since I know nothing of developing and mods, just flashing
THANKS IN ADVANCE!
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything is a CON if you don't have root access. LOL
You will not be able to flash hardly any mods, themes or any other really
useful apps not even rom manager or titanium backup without root access.
Both of which are now a very basic app since they have become so useful.
Without ROOT your phone will be LOCKED and crippled into only being able
to use and install those apps at the playstore which do not require root.
99.9% of any mods, themes or anything else found in these custom roms will
not be possible to use, install or flash without having root access.
There is only one reason I can think of why some people don't want to root their phones and that is they are simply
satisfied with their phones and don't want to change anything in it, but those people don't really belong here in XDA.
Believe it or not but XDA was intended for those people who like to have endless possibilities, features, functions and
modifications so they can enjoy their phones to the fullest extent rather than simply having a $650 crippled stock phone.
Misterjunky said:
Everything is a CON if you don't have root access. LOL
You will not be able to flash hardly any mods, themes or any other really
useful apps not even rom manager or titanium backup without root access.
Both of which are now a very basic app since they have become so useful.
Without ROOT your phone will be LOCKED and crippled into only beiing able
to use and install those apps at the playstore which do not require root.
99.9% of any mods, themes or anything else found in these custom roms will
not be possible to use, install or flash without having root access.
There is only one reason I can think of why some people don't want to root their phones and that is they are simply
satisfied with their phones and don't want to change anything in it, but those people don't really belong here in XDA.
Believe it or not but XDA was intended for those people who like to have endless possibilities, features, functions and
modifications so they can enjoy their phones to the fullest extent rather than simply having a $650 crippled stock phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm already rooted, I was wondering about custom roms but thanks anyways
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
sometimes things will bug out/not work. i flashed wicked v3 but i had problems connecting to 4g.
yukinose said:
sometimes things will bug out/not work. i flashed wicked v3 but i had problems connecting to 4g.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm worried about that, I was just about to flash wicked v3 too
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
Make a nandroid backup of whatever rom ur using presently. If you don't like a certain rom you flashed, just restore ur backup.
norml said:
Make a nandroid backup of whatever rom ur using presently. If you don't like a certain rom you flashed, just restore ur backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do i do a full wipe before i restore?
kevinrubio1 said:
do i do a full wipe before i restore?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I usually do dalvik, data, system, cache before and after I do dalvik and cache before I reboot. I'm still new to this ****, but from what I've read, I believe I'm correct.
kevinrubio1 said:
What are the cons for flashing a custom rom?
For an example:
Does it mess with your phone if you flash a lot?
Those sort of questions!
ALSO, on my last phone, the HTC amaze, I used flash custom roms and over time it would just have an issue after issue. It kept rebooting randomly and it was just crazy.
Because of that problem, I actually moved to this phone! I'm afraid that the same problem will occur if I flash custom roms again... This phone was expensive compared to my previous phone and plus my mom would kill me if it starts having problems.
OR
Is it possible for me to stay with the stock rom and just install most of the mods from custom roms? If I could find them, but that'll be time consuming and I might mess up since I know nothing of developing and mods, just flashing
THANKS IN ADVANCE!
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if want to use custom roms and install the mods, you have to have root access. if it's a warranty issue, even if you flash a custom rom without having root access, that's still voiding your warranty because i changes the samsung official to custom in download mode. so, you have to chose one side. no root, no mods, no custom roms, but having a warranty if something goes wrong, or root, mods, custom roms, but no warranty. you can always revert back to full stock without root for warranty issues, but it's not that easy if you aren't that familiar with phones and rooting. before triangle away, what i would do to go to full stock without root for warranty issues, was that i went to samsung kies. and i clicked on emergency firmware recovery, and i put my model number of phone (SGH-M919) then, my serial number of the phone, and then, i plugged the phone in, and booted into recovery, and i went back to full stock and could return it.
The only cons I've found so far is finding which ROM I want to use as a daily driver...
kevinrubio1 said:
do i do a full wipe before i restore?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
full wipe if you're flashing roms, you dont have to if you restore. it does it for you, and i've done restores without wiping anything without any immediate or long term hiccups
Only real cons of custom Roms is that in some circumstances there may be a couple things that aren't quite as stable as being stock would be, but a lot of those issues are taken care of if you do a full wipe before flashing a new rom. Just follow the OP instructions, and you're usually good to go. I've used Wicked V3 and Darthstalker S4 V3 with no issues at all. Just read through the threads, and you'll be able to get somewhat of a consensus on what is and isn't working properly in a Rom.
The biggest con of rooting and flashing custom roms is that everyone will see how super awesome your phone is and want to be just like you. People will form fan clubs to celebrate your greatness. Women will throw themselves at you becase rooted phones scream "Alpha male". You will have to do occasional autograph appearances and ribbon cutting ceremonies for various business and park openings as a result.
After a while all the added responcibility and living in the public spotlight might start to wear you down. That's the biggest con.
But due to your increased popularity you will get more phone calls and text messages. And every time you answer one you will do it on your rooted phone and you will be reminded of how much cooler you are than everyone else because of the nifty mod you flashed earlier that day:good:, and you will remember that it's all worth it.
Also you get to change the color of the clock and stuff. So that's super cool. :good:
Skipjacks said:
The biggest con of rooting and flashing custom roms is that everyone will see how super awesome your phone is and want to be just like you. People will form fan clubs to celebrate your greatness. Women will throw themselves at you becase rooted phones scream "Alpha male". You will have to do occasional autograph appearances and ribbon cutting ceremonies for various business and park openings as a result.
After a while all the added responcibility and living in the public spotlight might start to wear you down. That's the biggest con.
But due to your increased popularity you will get more phone calls and text messages. And every time you answer one you will do it on your rooted phone and you will be reminded of how much cooler you are than everyone else because of the nifty mod you flashed earlier that day:good:, and you will remember that it's all worth it.
Also you get to change the color of the clock and stuff. So that's super cool. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You just made my life lol
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
Skipjacks said:
The biggest con of rooting and flashing custom roms is that everyone will see how super awesome your phone is and want to be just like you. People will form fan clubs to celebrate your greatness. Women will throw themselves at you becase rooted phones scream "Alpha male". You will have to do occasional autograph appearances and ribbon cutting ceremonies for various business and park openings as a result.
After a while all the added responcibility and living in the public spotlight might start to wear you down. That's the biggest con.
But due to your increased popularity you will get more phone calls and text messages. And every time you answer one you will do it on your rooted phone and you will be reminded of how much cooler you are than everyone else because of the nifty mod you flashed earlier that day:good:, and you will remember that it's all worth it.
Also you get to change the color of the clock and stuff. So that's super cool. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Holy crap, I need whatever app it is that YOU use.

pit falls of being a flashaholic, what yours?

the bad about being a flashahilic.
Just when you got your favorite ROM all customized the way you want the DEV team for your rom will releases a new ROM
1) Not being able to restore apps that require you to start it up first,ex: tasker or Widget HD.
2) Also realizing the first time you use Navigation system on a new rom you realize the GPS is searching the entire trip.
The sticky has ans awesome GPS fix
3) loosing alarms sounds and ringtones because they are not in the new rom.
Any one app specifically designed for flashahiolics, an app that just restores just want you in about 3 clicks?
Titanium back up is awesome but it for applications only. it backs up to many things that system backup are hard to figure out. I keep restoring system stuff until I get what I want . Takes very long. have to say Android 4.+ has been a blessing to a flashahiloc.
Guess Im just venting a little. but a solution is needed for a flash aholic like me.
Cheers
Lol...I learned enough lessons restoring system apps, and dirty flashing. I've settled down, pick one that is fine and when the new one comes out watch the threads and let the flashaholics tell you if there's problems. Keeps you safe and less time restoring everything.
No known method other than problematic methods of getting things up quick.
On aokp one design was incremental updates that I thought didn't require full data wipes. However, if system framework changes happen you don't want to be jacked in a boot loop because you didn't follow instructions.
What you feel is the same as many others and no quick solution. If the ROM doesn't have certain settings that can be backed up and restored there's not a lot you can do.
Good luck though..
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

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