Custom ROM for Galaxy S5 Neo (G909-W) - Upgrading, Modifying and Unlocking

Hello guys, as you can see I am new here
I heard that custom ROM allows you to remove system apps and clearing some bloatware as well as changing how everything looks. Basically my phone internal storage only has 11GB of storage, most of it for some reason gets occupied by the system leaving me with only 1-2GB left on top of apps that I installed but can not be moved to my 64GB micro SD card.
CyanogenMod is a popular choice fron articles I've read but it has been cancelled and replaced with Lineage, other ROMs seems to be mixed review and doesn't look cool or doesn't have support for my phone.
I don't really care for bricking stuff and voiding warranty, I have jailbroken many iOS devices in the past.
My question is, what's a good custom ROM for my S5 Neo? Would CyanogenMod still ok to use despite being dead? Anything to look out when flashing ROM? If you can't tell I am doing this for the first time.
Oh and my phone is rooted already.

Related

Wipe and start again : Thoughts

So it's the end of the year and I have a week or so off work with time on my hands.
I have a stock Desire, unbranded and not rooted. Yes it is running 2.2 but beyond that it is as it shipped.
So over the last few weeks I have started to note the low disk warning every now and then. Some of this driven by bad mailbox management on my part as I sync with Exchange and the Desire stores all email and contacts in the system memory and not on the SD card. In addition, large applications such as Swype don't help and only certain apps will actually install to SD
I can't help thinking that as I install and then uninstall applications, all the memory is not recovered.
So I have a few options.
1. Wipe everything and start again. This is easy to do and gives me a nice clean install for the new year
2. Root and then try and force further apps to SD (but this does not get around the mail storage)
3. Flash a different ROM. Some of these appear to give me better memory management.
Now this is my work phone so any ROM would have to be 100% stable. I do not have time these days to "fiddle" with settings each time I try and do something with my phone.
So any thoughts?
Which of these options would you take and why?
If it's your work phone then I suggest you to root it and flash it with a custom ROM which supports ext partitions. If you think you can't survive without HTC Sense then flash LeeDroid. For native android interface I recommend DeFroST 6.1 (but not 6.1a)
I've never used LeeDroid but heard that it is stable. I've been using DeFroST for weeks and never ever had a problem.
With ext2 partition support, you can install all of your apps to an ext partition on your sd card, which the phone sees as it's native memory. You'll never ever run out of free space.
Rooting is harmless if you do it carefully. So be careful.
Personally, I'd just do a hard reset of the phone and start again only installing the apps you know you're going to use and try and keep it free from clutter. If it's been fine as it is then there may not be any need to change it.
Otherwise I'd look at Teppic's rooted stock ROM. You can add things like A2SD+ so you can install more apps but other than that it'll be as it currently is so nothing more to get used to.
Alternatively it might be worth looking at something different - either an AOSP ROM or MIUI. I know a lot of people don't like it but, for me, it's the best ROM I've used - and I never thought I'd like it!! It's quick, stable and has a wow factor I've not experienced since first using Sense
Interesting
So I tried option 1 first to see how things went.
I have now reinstalled ALL the applications I had before (thanks to Appbrain) plus the 10MB Flash 10.1 update that I had been avoiding due to space problems.
I have resynced all mail and am back to where I was earlier today.
But
I now have 47MB free storage on the phone compared to 13MB (and remember I could not install the Flash update).
So it does look like Android doesn't clear up after itself (just like Windows). Perhaps somebody should develop an app for that
I am also seeing the phone is a lot more responsive and snappy.
So a wipe and reinstall every few months looks to be the way forward for now.
Thanks
+1 for MIUI, great rom.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
Try CacheMate for Root Users Free to clear the cache and free up some of our tiny internal memory. SRSLY HTC? You give us a top-shelf phone, with less than 200MB of internal storage, and a 2GB microSD card. At least mine came with a 2GB card, what did yours come with?
I have also tried MIUI and I thought I wouldn't like it also but after using it a while I love it. It's a fantastic rom.
Having the exact same problem as the OP don't know why space keeps disappearing. my exchange account seems to store every single email instead of deleting them after 5 days like i have set it to?!? Also when apps are deleted the space isn't recovered. might have to do a fresh install again. As i havent wiped anything since the last OTA that i got, maybe that is causing the problems.
PulpzillA said:
Having the exact same problem as the OP don't know why space keeps disappearing. my exchange account seems to store every single email instead of deleting them after 5 days like i have set it to?!? Also when apps are deleted the space isn't recovered. might have to do a fresh install again. As i havent wiped anything since the last OTA that i got, maybe that is causing the problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest I don't think Exchange is to blame here.
I have mine set to sync all emails (but not attachments). My inbox currently sits at around 500 mails (one of my jobs over Xmas to sort) which equates to about 15MB on the Desire.
I think it is various applications that don't uninstall themselves properly.
Bit annoying this happens. as i have about 15mb free and it won't let me install anymore apps! Might consider rooting...get a HD ROM only thing holding me back is voiding the warranty as i only got this phone in october.
What ROM are you running at present? If you're unbranded (or even on the Vodafone ROM) the RUU is available to go back to stock if you ever need to
Current unbranded is 2.29.405.5, current Vodafone is 2.33.161.2
Yeah running the latest Vodafone ROM. got an OTA update a few weeks back. Might root over xmas when i have some free time. I did it before with my Hero. But i think the procedure is different on the Desire (and too me looks more difficult lol)
Here's the Vodafone 2.33.161.2 RUU, keep it safe as you can go back to stock if ever needed:
http://www.multiupload.com/K0FR1OK301
Otherwise root ahead and see what's about!
Thank you very much!! looks like my xmas present this year is a desire with an HD ROM
I've used the RCMixHD ROM and found it great so I recommend that one
Leedroid's rom has been rock stable and fast for me, I just tried the Z rom by robocik(almost similar I guess to his rcmixhd) and found it lagging ang crashy at times (though I did use a titanium backup although not recommended)
leedroids will work for sure and is save to use if your phone in important to you, robocik's next sense roms are fun to tinker with and good for day to day usage but not mission critical stuff, leedroid's is
Root phone and ues apps to SD,which is the reason why I like android!
We can enjoy the rise and fall in flash rom..
Of crouse,you can choose a stable rom to use rather than frequently flashing.
CM6,Oxygen,and MINI can satisfy your taste.Using backup software can reserve the settings,so you do not have to worry about it.
Whatever,using apps to SD and intall apps as many as you want to.

[Q] Lollipop and storage / SD card use?

One major problem I have with my Tab S 8.4 is the limited storage. I mainly install games, and they can't move their data to the SD card, nor can I use the SD card with programs like AGS, because of KitKat security limitations. I'm holding off upgrading to Lollipop because the upgrade screen warns me that I'm going to lose at least 950MB of storage (and I know from my Nexus 7 2012 that Lollipop does indeed add quite a bit to storage use).
What I'd like to know is how Lollipop handles the SD card. If I can move game data to it, that would be great, instantly worthy of an upgrade. If the download folder can be moved to the SD card on Lollipop, that would also be quite good. Even if I could only move AGS data to it (without it becoming read only) that would be interesting enough to consider the upgrade.
So I'd love it if someone could tell me from experience whether the SD card is more useful with Lollipop. It's annoying to have a 64GB card that's mostly empty while internal storage is constantly full.
(I hope that someone can help answer me this question. Haven't been able to find someone to answer me this elsewhere, and looks like others on the XDA forum asked this for other devices and didn't get an answer, so I'm not all that hopeful, but I'll be very grateful if I get a good answer. Thanks in advance!)
Root your device and your problem is easily solvable. Without even on lollipop there are still restrictions.
I am running lollipop but not stock, I'm running iron Rom. Which is practically stock without all the bloat, runs great and it shaved at least a gig off the stock Rom.
Thanks for the reply. What does using a custom ROM solve (from what I mentioned above: installing game data on SD card, download directory, SD card access by apps), and is that an expected part of any custom ROM I install (assuming I pick one listed on this site) or would I have to do anything extra or pick a specific ROM?
Like I said Iron Rom is lighter compared to stock so that's an extra internal storage, plus it comes prerooted so you can then give write access to the sd card and install Link2sd.
Thanks. People who already know all the things sometimes don't remember that others have no clue. So thanks a lot for mentioning Link2sd. If I understand correctly, all I need is to root the device and install Link2sd and then I can move apps to the SD card. No need to install a custom ROM for that, right?
ET3D said:
Thanks. People who already know all the things sometimes don't remember that others have no clue. So thanks a lot for mentioning Link2sd. If I understand correctly, all I need is to root the device and install Link2sd and then I can move apps to the SD card. No need to install a custom ROM for that, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's correct.
Thanks. I'll have to look into how rooting affects my tablet's warranty, but if there's no problem with that then I'd likely go that way.
I would still be interested in knowing whether Lollipop by itself improves anything over KitKat in terms of handling the SD card.
You will lose warranty with root, but if you are kitkat you can try the latest version of kingroot as it won't trip Knox.
Before using Link2sd you need to create an ext2 partition on the sd card.
Look on Google there are plenty of guides how to use link2sd.
I did not know that i will loose 950MB of my tiny 16GB storage when i upgrade to lollipop, is this true? , we not Samsung hauled over the coals in the press a few months ago because of the amount of free storage space left to the user after the system was installed, If i will loose 950mb, that is another reason not to upgrade to lollipop, things just seem to get worse, somebody give me a nudge i must be dreaming or is this a nightmare.
John.
As far as lollipop goes, if you go to Settings>Applications>SD CARD you can see a list of Apps that can be moved to the SD card. Not all apps will be able to be moved. As far as games go, I will have to test that out and get back to you. I have no games installed at the moment. any specific one in mind?
Tinderbox (UK) said:
I did not know that i will loose 950MB of my tiny 16GB storage when i upgrade to lollipop, is this true? , we not Samsung hauled over the coals in the press a few months ago because of the amount of free storage space left to the user after the system was installed, If i will loose 950mb, that is another reason not to upgrade to lollipop, things just seem to get worse, somebody give me a nudge i must be dreaming or is this a nightmare.
John.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I upgraded to Lollipop last night and there was no warning that I would lose 950MB of storage. There was a warning that I needed at least a couple GB free in storage so that the system could proceed with the update. The U.S. lollipop OTA update itself is about 925.21MB. Other versions will be more or less around that number. Maybe he was mistaken the update size with losing that amount of storage space.
So it only needed`s a couple of gb of free flash space from my 16gb temporarily, while doing the update and then i will get it back, once the update is complete and the temp files are delete, is this what it looks like, I intend to do a reset before and after i upgrade to lollipop whenever we get it in the UK
I just hope lollipop is as stable as kitkat, as i bought my T800 10.5" just before Christmas, and it has never been rebooted or turn off, crashed or anything in 196 Days according to the battery history.
John.
LakersDroid said:
I upgraded to Lollipop last night and there was no warning that I would lose 950MB of storage. There was a warning that I needed at least a couple GB free in storage so that the system could proceed with the update. The U.S. lollipop OTA update itself is about 925.21MB. Other versions will be more or less around that number. Maybe he was mistaken the update size with losing that amount of storage space.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Rooting & custom rom SM-T210

Hey guys,
mom keeps hitting the storage limit of the 8GB SM-T210 Galaxy Tab 3 wifi only version. That thing is still running kitkat and half the aps can't be moved to external storage because of samsung's kitkat modifications. This tab is now seriously falling behind on android version and security that i'm looking into rooting that thing and installing a custom rom on it (pref one that's actively developped and as close to M as possible), perhaps one that even gets OTA's.
Since my own devices are nexus line i understand it won't be as simple? I've got little experience with rooting brand skinned devices like that. My last one was a Sensation XE. Can anyone link me to the simplest thread to root that thing and a good custom rom. Mom's 59 years old so nothing to fancy. As close to stock android (without all samsungs bloatware on it), and where the apps can actually be moved to SD card.
I've attached an image of the device info. Should be all you guys need to get me in the right direction.
Thanks in advance!
You can just Root your device, then install Xposed Installer and after that install modules Obb on SD and Kitkat SD full access and then you can move files to external storage without any problems.
This is how you can root your tablet : http://www.droidviews.com/root-galaxy-tab-3-7-0-sm-t210-sm-t210r-and-install-twrp-recovery/
If i'm going to do it then i'll go all the way and custom rom. She's got no need for Xposed or any of the bloatware. With a custom rom i'll be able to get rid of it all. Now, the rooting seems simple enough for that device, guess now all that's left is a custom rom.
Xposed isn't a bloatware.. I was using all the time on my T-310 and I wasn't having any problems, after CustomROM install I stopped using it because SD Cards work a little bit differnt on MM like I saw.
i never said it was bloatware. I said she's got no need for Xposed, or the bloatware thats currently on the device. Hence a custom rom need.

Pimp my Xperia M (need advice for Custom ROM and advanced configuration)

Hey guys!
I am using custom ROMs on my S4 for 2,5 years and until now I could figure it out myself. In late 2013 I switched from stock ROM to CM, several month later I tried SlimROM and now I am a happy user of Resurrection Remix. I searched this page a lot to get it working. So: Thanks very much to the community and everyone involved in the making of these ROMs.
The reason for this post: My sister gave me her old Xperia M, used, but working well. I bought a SD card, too. A friend of mine is thinking about getting a smart phone. The Xperia looks good for someone like her since she doesn't need a high end device for messaging, surfing etc. .Unfortunately the 4GB internal storage and 1GB of RAM are quite low. Especially the low storage makes it a pain to use.
This is my plan: Upgrade to RR Marshmellow, configure the SD card as internal storage und use 1 GB of storage as additional RAM.
After searching around the last days and reading about that stuff I'm quite confused, and don't know what to do really without messing it up. As for now I already installed the Android SDK (using Linux Mint, not Windows) and I got the unlock code.
I played around with those RAM-Apps in my S4 without it showing more RAM. They created a swap. I didn't invest too much time but I wonder if that is the best way to do that or if there is a built-in feature in RR Marshmellow. And is it wise to do both, expanding the internal storage and use some of it as RAM? What about baseband? I updated that on my phone after my mobile network stopped working. I guess this is an issue on every smart phone? Is there even a newer baseband for this phone in Germany and how do I find it etc. etc.
I'd appreciate it if someone could point me in the right directions with this "project".
About storage, ID recommend using the sdcard AS adopted storage. For RAM, 1 GB is Quote enough, since we have zram, which gives a better multi tasking experience. For baseband, Theres nothing New, if you habe official 4.3 installed.
The only thing having a Problem for me is playing Pokémon go with CPU set to max 1ghz. Use nui kernel, Theres Option for OC.
I just tried the new adoptable storage option and was disappointed by it. It only let me move a few apps to the SD card. (Because the app needs to be set so that it is possible https://source.android.com/devices/storage/adoptable.html). Please do correct me if I'm wrong with this.
By the way, running stryflex marshmallow 1.0 (with some patch from the forum) and I am very happy with it.
Hello guys
thanks!
Well Pokemon GO is not a must-have. It is all about using the calendar, mails, WhatsApp, productivity apps etc. If you say that 1GB of RAM is enough then I won't bother. And if there are no updates for the baseband, than it should be straightforward. RR and GApps are already downloaded, so I will continue with just following the tutorial, but I will definetely test the sd card storage adoption feature, because 4GB internal storage is just unusable.
^ It's just a wild thought, but if the girl uses her phone for communication and productivity, wouldn't it be better if you tried AOSP-OMS with OpenGapps pico? I'm certain she will not use all the features packed into RR and it would be lighter on the phone to run AOSP.
I did it yesterday since I have a cold atm and can't do much anyway.
I wanted to flash TWRP on the phone but it seems the usual process of flashing it doesn't apply to the Xperia M (I am glad I read cucumber09's warning!). I became a little nervous about screwing it up and followed the guide in the cyanogenmod wiki 1:1 to flash the AOSP from their recovery. That didn't work, so I "researched" a little, and just installed busy box and TWRP manager manually and got TWRP to work. From there I installed AOSP and GApps (of course the pico! Always! ^^)
Probably there is an easier method but it worked fine and you are right. AOSP is simpler to use. I will use it myself for some days or weeks as a daily driver to see if it works flawlessy so my friend doesn't have to worry about anything. So far after adopting the storage I had to move an app or two manually. Bummer. Performance is somewhat impressive considering the specs.
It will definetely do!

Could I get advice on a Rom to flash please

Ok so I have a HTC ONE M8, it says it has Android 6 and Sense 7 and I am in UK.
I have unlocked the bootloader, installed TWRP 3.2.3-0 (and backed up) and Rooted with SuperSU 2.82
So all I need is a rom...
I have been looking for hours trying to decide which rom to try but I am at a loss.
My needs are simple...
1. The newest version of android I can get (just to annoy my dad)
2. I must be able to blacklist calls and texts (without needing an app)
3. No bloatware, I don't want my phone doing anything unless I want it to.
4. Things like blinkfeed are totally not wanted.
5. I am not even sure what sense is, I am pretty sure I don't use it
That will do it, thank you for looking. Suggestions?
alphalvr said:
Ok so I have a HTC ONE M8, it says it has Android 6 and Sense 7 and I am in UK.
I have unlocked the bootloader, installed TWRP 3.2.3-0 (and backed up) and Rooted with SuperSU 2.82
So all I need is a rom...
I have been looking for hours trying to decide which rom to try but I am at a loss.
My needs are simple...
1. The newest version of android I can get (just to annoy my dad)
2. I must be able to blacklist calls and texts (without needing an app)
3. No bloatware, I don't want my phone doing anything unless I want it to.
4. Things like blinkfeed are totally not wanted.
5. I am not even sure what sense is, I am pretty sure I don't use it
That will do it, thank you for looking. Suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, you need to know there is no "golden rom" that will make everyone happy. You have to try them out yourself and see which one you like the most.
Anyway, to answer your questions:
1. Lineageos 16 currently is the only rom with android pie. However it's very early release, so minor and major bugs are to be expected. I'd recommend you lineageos 15.1 instead - oreo isn't that old and the rom is very stable.
2. It's possible on lineageos 15.1 and roms based on it, should also be possible on 16. Not sure about sense roms.
3. Almost all of the custom roms don't have bloatware. Also you can get root and delete apps you don't need.
4. Blinkfeed is only in stock roms. You can disable or uninstall it.
5. You're using it 100% of the time. Sense is the name of android skin on htc devices. It includes changes in look, feel and some functionality compared to stock android. You should know there are sense based roms - they are based on the stock rom, retaining sense functionality and look and custom, pure android roms - those have only minor changes in them and feel and look like stock android.
Great answers in the previous reply. Just wanted to add:
What qualifies as "bloatware" is completely subjective. The goal of the makers of these built-in apps (whether it be a manufacturer, carrier, or even Google themselves) is to provide useful apps. But that doesn't always work out, and certainly not always for everyone. However, what qualifies as "bloat" to one user, is a useful or even necessary app for another. So you say "no bloat" doesn't mean too much; without you being specific about what you want/need and what you don't. Therefore, there are various approaches/answers:
- If you refer to HTC specific apps, these won't be present in any of the more current ROMs. By definition, HTC stopped supporting this device with OS updates at Marshmallow. Anything after that, will be non-HTC and therefore AOSP or "pure Android" based.
- The AOSP based custom ROMs will often allow (even require) you to flash Google apps (gapps) separately from the ROM. This also allows you to choose which gapps package to install, and therefore tailor to your own needs. From minimal installation to get Android to work; to full suite of Google apps (many of which, a lot of users will consider bloat).
- Any pre-installed apps can be disabled or removed with root. Although you should take caution, as removing some bloat apps may break other phone functions. Unless you research and know the specific app is safe to remove, better to disable or "freeze" it with a root app like Titanium Backup. Then test the phone for a while, to see if there are any resulting bugs or issues.
Thanks, I have never really got into the whole Android and Iphone thing. My best ever phone was a Nokia N-gage and I only stopped using it recently due to my eyes not being what they once were.
My last phone was a LG nexus4 and I have only switched it up to the M8 as i saw it in a friends house with a broken screen.
I can already see it is a tad more responsive and to be honest the stock rom is probably fine for what I do (nothing + odd game) but where is the fun in that
Going to download lineage 15.1, sounds like a good start.
one last thing my M8 is 16GB of which 6GB was used, then I backed it up and that sucked up another 4GB so what happens exaclt when i install a rom does the original 6GB become free again? i have installe roms before back in the early days but my memory like my eyes aint what it once was
OK so i just jumped in and followed the 15.1 instructions (i think) Installed the rom, the suggested superuser thing and that went ok, but when installing the gapps (nano) it failed with lack of space. Doing something wrong??
The rom is starting with pink balls so I am almost there......and it is working. I went back and tried to flash gapps nano again and it actually says there is insufficient space on the system partition.
Resized it, then it seems to have worked. thanks guys i love it so far.
alphalvr said:
one last thing my M8 is 16GB of which 6GB was used, then I backed it up and that sucked up another 4GB so what happens exaclt when i install a rom does the original 6GB become free again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No storage is going to free itself up, from flashing a custom ROM. You will have to free it up yourself. You can delete the LOS ROM zip, once it has been installed. Although, I like to keep copies of custom ROMs on my computer for a while, just in case I need it again in the future.
If you have an SD card installed to the device, you can have your TWRP backup on the SD card, which will free up a lot of space. As you've seen, the TWRP backups take up a ton of storage! Having a backup on the device (either SD or internal storage) is "best practice" in my opinion; so it is handy in case you need to restore that backup.
You'll never get all 16 GB of storage. A significant amount is taken by the system (OS) and other uses. I think something like 12 GB of user-accessible storage is all you will ever see on a 16-GB device. And this starts to be eaten up the moment you start installing apps and using the device.
You guys have been a great help, I ordered a 2nd m8 off ebay and a genuine HTC dot matrix case although I now realise the dot thing is part of sense which I no longer have. whoops
I didn't realise at the time because everything seems to work but when i was installing I kept seeing a red line of text. iirc it was something about unable to access dalvik partition? I only realised it shouldn't have been saying that when I watched a youtube video of installing a rom that wasn't plagued by this line.
I need to do it again to try and figure what was going on.

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