Easiest custom ROM for noob? - Note 7 Questions & Answers

Total noob here, looking for a bit of help. Never messed with smartphones before in terms of flashing, rooting, etc.
I have a replacement Note 7 which they sent me after the first recall. I didn't send it back when the second recall happened. I've never opened the box. I'm in Canada so I guess it's Snapdragon processor. I want to flash a custom ROM so I can use it as a phone, and of course avoid Samsung's update which apparently stops you from recharging the battery. I suppose I will have to make sure there is no active wifi in my area when I start it up for the first time, then immediately turn off wifi so it won't update.
So, can anyone recommend a free custom ROM? I don't care about features, don't care if the phone will have iris scanner and so on. Also don't care which version of android it's based on. Just something that is easy to install and will allow me to use it as a phone. All it really needs to do is make calls, send texts, run WhatsApp and FB and play music.
Is there one that comes with clear and easy instructions? Something that any computer literate person would be able to follow even if they have no experience with smartphones. Also something known to be stable and easy to use. Thanks for any advice.

Related

[Q] Verizon update - phone is way faster

After the Verizon update, my phone is way faster then root. I also decided to completely start over and upgrade my phone. I haven't tried to root the phone yet. Just curious if others have noticed a difference? It could just be that my phone was f&%$ed up since this was the first time ever rooting. Would make a good poll question, slower, same faster?
I felt the difference from 2.1 to 2.2.. Did you upgrade from 2.1?
Way faster than root? Huh?
How long were you on the previous ROM?
I've noticed a full wipe makes a HUGE difference in performance or even just clearing out old texts and the Dalvik.
hEaTLoE said:
I've noticed a full wipe makes a HUGE difference in performance or even just clearing out old texts and the Dalvik.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 on that, especially the texts when you start getting above 400-500. I remember when I had the Touch Pro 2... after about 200 of them the phone would REALLY slow down..
Every new rom feels fast initially. You really got to have the rom for a solid week or two before you can make an accurate comparison.
Too many variables to pin down why it's now faster. I went from 2.1 to 2.2 then rooted. I've been rooted since incredible was first broken but I am a NEWBIE. I also had issues with my phone such as SD Card would not load when charging. Also random reboots after I rooted that I reported but could never get right. I tried to follow the procedures each time I put the new Rom on, wiping data, rom, cache but could never get things stable. This of course is no scientific evidence but my phone is probably at least double the speed when I had the rooted rom. Anyway I will wait for the new Verizon maintenance patch to be broken and try again. In any case just to get the speed and the SDcard loading all the time makes me happy I'm back before root. I do miss my special font and being able to do a full backup. If I could do a "run as" like in windows just to be able to run certain approved programs I would be happy. No offense to anyone, I know the Rom developers put a lot of work into what they do. I will root again! (lol) So since I am a newbie, may I ask everyone is there something like a "run as" command in this phone form of Linux?
I have hours upon hours of automation in my phone for my business.
I'm so content with the first leaked stock rom, I can only image redoing all this work because I need a physically different phone for a business solution... At this moment, I can't imagine what that would be. But I may never swap another rom on this phone.. And I may not envy another rom.. Maybe

[Q] htc evo rooted, no data access

Over the past 2 weeks, I have tried to research the answers to my questions, but could barely find anything on this particular subject. So it's my first time posting to this forum, and my situation is a little embarrassing. I have had my htc evo for about 1 1/2 years, and I finally decided to root it 2 weeks ago. I've been with sprint for 6 years, and am on the unlimited data family plan, as well as the sprint hotspot feature on my phone, which I pay them 30 dollars additionally every month. I pretty much exclusively use my phone for all tasks and browsing and downloading etc, so I didn't get this feature for the "wireless tethering" , I actually got it so I could discontinue my home wireless internet through cox communications, so my phone is my only wifi source at home. I almost never use an actual pc!
I rooted my evo for 2 reasons mainly: 1) I am sort of an app addict, and I needed to free some space on my phone. I especially love using different keyboards ( which are often very large files). 2) I love customizing my home screens, but want to be able to use icons from icon packs such as crazy home's, with ADW launcher etc. I did a factory data reset on my phone before rooting, and I think I backed up all my apps to my laptop... but I wanted to start fresh anyway, so have not bothered to restore them from my pc to my phone.
Two days before I rooted my phone, Sprint temporarily disconnected my account do to Past due payment. I'm not going to get into the details, But I can't afford to pay off my balance until May. It is what it is, I'm not whining or complaining, times are a little tough for me financially and i just have to deal with not being able to make calls or text for a month. Lol, it's harder than I thought! It's pathetic how dependent my family has become on cell phones and texting for communication. We don't even have a land line. Just to give you a quick background, I didn't even know what sd card was, or a usb cable, before I got my htc evo. I'm not tech savvy at all, But when I first learned what this phone could do I was hooked. I have a laptop at home, But I never use it because a few keys on the keyboard are broken. As a matter of fact, The first time I actually plugged my phone into my pc, was when I rooted it!. I used the unrevoked 3 method, which was fairly straightforward. Because I have no data access right now, I was unable to update my profile etc. And of course, without data access I cannot take advantage of the free wireless tether.
My main question is, did I make a mistake in rooting my phone while not having network access? Right now, if I'm not in a wifi area I basically can't do much with my phone. I downloaded a few apps that allow free calling over a wireless connection, and facebook chat,etc... so I can communicate with my family as long as I'm in a wifi zone. But, I have been afraid to do anything else with my phone because I wanted to do a little research on this. I know some of you are probably thinking, why didn't she research it before she rooted? Lol, I would be saying the same thing! I didn't even think about it until I was done routing and it told me to update my profile. Since then I've been a little freaked. I'm hoping I didn't Make a bad choice. I just wanted to the able to access a few icon packs lol.
Is there anything I should know, or have done differently? Or does it make no difference at all? I guess basically what I'm getting at, is can I go ahead and reset my phone again and start flashing roms, just like I would if I had network access?
Again, please forgive me if I sound ignorant in this matter... because I am. Any advice will be much appreciated.
You can start flashing roms as normal. You didn't make a bad choice rooting without data access, because whether you do or don't doesn't make a different. i would say just make a back up of your apps in titanium backup, then backup your rom before flashing.
And you can pm me if you need any help.
Post neglected...double post.
I would say to reflash ur rom but it might not work try to go back to the sense rom if u have it backed up once u do that update everything under ur settings nd updates nd if it still don't work the only other thing I know u can do is unroot it and take it to.sprint so thay can look it
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
Kriskat74 said:
Over the past 2 weeks, I have tried to research the answers to my questions, but could barely find anything on this particular subject. So it's my first time posting to this forum, and my situation is a little embarrassing. I have had my htc evo for about 1 1/2 years, and I finally decided to root it 2 weeks ago. I've been with sprint for 6 years, and am on the unlimited data family plan, as well as the sprint hotspot feature on my phone, which I pay them 30 dollars additionally every month. I pretty much exclusively use my phone for all tasks and browsing and downloading etc, so I didn't get this feature for the "wireless tethering" , I actually got it so I could discontinue my home wireless internet through cox communications, so my phone is my only wifi source at home. I almost never use an actual pc!
I rooted my evo for 2 reasons mainly: 1) I am sort of an app addict, and I needed to free some space on my phone. I especially love using different keyboards ( which are often very large files). 2) I love customizing my home screens, but want to be able to use icons from icon packs such as crazy home's, with ADW launcher etc. I did a factory data reset on my phone before rooting, and I think I backed up all my apps to my laptop... but I wanted to start fresh anyway, so have not bothered to restore them from my pc to my phone.
Two days before I rooted my phone, Sprint temporarily disconnected my account do to Past due payment. I'm not going to get into the details, But I can't afford to pay off my balance until May. It is what it is, I'm not whining or complaining, times are a little tough for me financially and i just have to deal with not being able to make calls or text for a month. Lol, it's harder than I thought! It's pathetic how dependent my family has become on cell phones and texting for communication. We don't even have a land line. Just to give you a quick background, I didn't even know what sd card was, or a usb cable, before I got my htc evo. I'm not tech savvy at all, But when I first learned what this phone could do I was hooked. I have a laptop at home, But I never use it because a few keys on the keyboard are broken. As a matter of fact, The first time I actually plugged my phone into my pc, was when I rooted it!. I used the unrevoked 3 method, which was fairly straightforward. Because I have no data access right now, I was unable to update my profile etc. And of course, without data access I cannot take advantage of the free wireless tether.
My main question is, did I make a mistake in rooting my phone while not having network access? Right now, if I'm not in a wifi area I basically can't do much with my phone. I downloaded a few apps that allow free calling over a wireless connection, and facebook chat,etc... so I can communicate with my family as long as I'm in a wifi zone. But, I have been afraid to do anything else with my phone because I wanted to do a little research on this. I know some of you are probably thinking, why didn't she research it before she rooted? Lol, I would be saying the same thing! I didn't even think about it until I was done routing and it told me to update my profile. Since then I've been a little freaked. I'm hoping I didn't Make a bad choice. I just wanted to the able to access a few icon packs lol.
Is there anything I should know, or have done differently? Or does it make no difference at all? I guess basically what I'm getting at, is can I go ahead and reset my phone again and start flashing roms, just like I would if I had network access?
Again, please forgive me if I sound ignorant in this matter... because I am. Any advice will be much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not being able to update the profile won't make any difference at all, if you have no data connection to begin with. Once you're able to get things situated, and you need to get your phone activated again, you'll just need to make sure you're on a Sense rom before you activate it again. No worries, you can flash away all you want, with or without a data connection.
Also, how have you had your Evo for 1 1/2 years!? They were released June 4th last year!
Ha ha really? I feel like I've had this evo for years.. since the day I got it I've been like a kid in a candy store! Thanks for the reassurance everyone. Unfortunately, I've just encountered the problem with the SD card not being recognized by my phone or my PC. According to my research, I'm supposed to find this file on my SD card under android. secure and delete it? But my PC isn't recognizing my card, and my apps that are on SD are seen by my phone. I get a force close when attempting to unmount SD. My market apps won't install or uninstall.... ugh. Like an idiot,I never did a Nandroid backup. I really don't care about losing my app backups though,I just don't want to mess up my phone. All this information is overwhelming me... Nandroid this, titanium that, recovery boot, drivers, and on and on.... so much advice is outdated I don't know which to follow. I'm a dummy! That's why I need my smartphone to help me out lol.... how do I fix this?
Eek....I just saw a gigantic spider.... creepy..
in a nutshell, you can do anything with your phone, without data access, or service.
I rooted and flashed the ROM I did for my old Moment, after it had been turned off so I could sell it.
Now that you are rooted, I uses Titanium backup for all my apps/data. I only backup actually apps, not HTC stuff, etc, or anything that comes with the ROM you flash.
You can tell this becasue the apps are in white lettering in the Backup menu.
At least they are on mine, and I use all default settings.
rooted without data access
Thanks everyone...I fixed my problem with my sd card, turns out mine had gotten corrupted so I will deal with that later.I just put in my other card and Im back in business....lost all my personal info though. Thats the least of my worries. Someone said I can do anything on my phone without data service, but they must mean only when I am in Wifi zone right ? See, unfortunately, I dont live in a populated area. I have no wifi access at home and there are hardly any free wifi spots in town. At home, I can see that there are wifi networks around (linkys via cox communications), but they are locked. Oh, thats another question i had....why do people lock their wifi? I never did, and I have no problem letting others access mine when they need it. Should I? If so, why?I am so sorry if I sound clueless again, but Im learning a little more every day thanks to people like you!
So as far as communication, Im out of luck. A couple months ago,I had an issue connecting to the network while i was at home, but i just turned on my sprint hotspot and i had instant network access so i couldnt call or text, but i was able to get a hold of my daughter on facebook lol. How did my phone do that? I dont get it. I am going to a couple of those prepaid phones tomorrow so we can make calls in the meantime.
As far as navigation, any tips on how to find any apps that dont need network access that work well? I found a couple, but they seem so complicated to set up. And, I tried Nettalk for making calls over wifi but it only works sometimes. I read about apps that offer free sms and calls over wifi but I couldnt find one that was stable.
I cant wait to get my service restored..I didnt realize how much I depended on it. I still havent flashed any ROMS...Im a little nervous. I still dont totally understand what is different about my evo now tthat its rooted, but i plan to educate myself once I get full access to wifi again.
Any advice/tips is very much appreciated. Thanks again for this useful forum.

Little Help Please

Okay so very new obviously. Just rooted my gs3 sgh-t999 with help to an amazing guide by chainfire seen here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1963806 extremely easy and as stated did it in about 30 seconds. now that this is done I may just be very new but i don't see a difference in admin access or to my phone.. i did see the red android and know i did it correctly but maybe i dont know what I should do now that it is rooted. can someone help me with what i should do now that its rooted, certain apps i need to get or things i need to do. Im sure you all hate these newbie posts but i really appreciate the help. thanks.
just curious, why did you root if you have no clue what to do with it?
look in the app drawer for SuperUser or SuperSU, you can go in the play store and search Root or SuperUser and look for apps that you might want, you can get apps to freeze or remove completely from your /system you can flash a custom recovery granting you permission to flash custom roms which can lead to severe Crack Flashing, or help find a rom that is completely perfect for you and the best thing you can ever imagine (phone wise)... read some more is what I'm saying.
Get root explorer, delete bloat. Or titanium backup to delete/freeze/backup.
mt3g said:
just curious, why did you root if you have no clue what to do with it?
look in the app drawer for SuperUser or SuperSU, you can go in the play store and search Root or SuperUser and look for apps that you might want, you can get apps to freeze or remove completely from your /system you can flash a custom recovery granting you permission to flash custom roms which can lead to severe Crack Flashing, or help find a rom that is completely perfect for you and the best thing you can ever imagine (phone wise)... read some more is what I'm saying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i got it because i want to bypass the stupid tmobile hotspot block on my unlimited 4g plan. also saw posts about being able to extend battery life. .. just wanted to know if there were some other really cool things i should be doing? also now that i am rooted should i never do a system update?
also i like being able to delete the stupid apps that tmobile forces you to have on your phone... tmobile tv and stuff like that
you know how easy is to re-root, I'm not even positive how that all works cause I've only been on a stock rom for a few months with the the G1 lol. I'm pretty sure you can still update it'll just wipe your root, SU. Honestly flash a custom stock Touchwiz rom that is debloated and has some tweaks, like tethering option.
Or if you don't want to get into flashing which may destroy your phone just use titanium backup to freeze or delete bloat. Then maybe you can get a battery voltage control app for your battery.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
well not sure if you exactly know what "rooting" really means.
think of rooting as "unlocking". when you buy a phone from anywhere (let's just take the SGH-T999 for example), the phone isn't actually yours yet. not entirely. sure you paid the money for it, sure it's in your possession, so to most, the phone is yours. but the phone is still locked to, for example, T-Mobile, you can't use it on any other carrier. and the phone is also locked to Samsung, like say, the bootloader. think of it this way: on computers, YOU, or someone else is the administrator of it: you choose what happens to the computer. in this case, Samsung/T-Mobile is the administrator of your device, you are just the user. i guess the iPhone would be a better example. we all know how locked down that is. think of your Android phone that way, locked down by both the Carrier and the Company. now when you root the device, you are doing much more than just "jailbreaking" like on the iPhone. by rooting, you are allowing yourself full administrator access to everything on your device. the Carrier and the Company now have no way to stop you from doing what you want to do with your device (well...there's the warranty stuff i guess...). but point is, with root, you have full power and full access to yours, it is now your phone. completely.
but with such power, also comes responsibility and danger. you need to realize that everything you do after obtaining root, has the possibility of you ending up with a bricked (dead) device. that is why i don't suggest "noobies" play around with root. it is very dangerous and very serious. you must know what you are doing.
i suggest you read as much as you can about rooting and such, rooting and hacking can be fun (trust me), but it can also lead to great consequences as well.
good luck.
saranhai said:
well not sure if you exactly know what "rooting" really means.
think of rooting as "unlocking". when you buy a phone from anywhere (let's just take the SGH-T999 for example), the phone isn't actually yours yet. not entirely. sure you paid the money for it, sure it's in your possession, so to most, the phone is yours. but the phone is still locked to, for example, T-Mobile, you can't use it on any other carrier. and the phone is also locked to Samsung, like say, the bootloader. think of it this way: on computers, YOU, or someone else is the administrator of it: you choose what happens to the computer. in this case, Samsung/T-Mobile is the administrator of your device, you are just the user. i guess the iPhone would be a better example. we all know how locked down that is. think of your Android phone that way, locked down by both the Carrier and the Company. now when you root the device, you are doing much more than just "jailbreaking" like on the iPhone. by rooting, you are allowing yourself full administrator access to everything on your device. the Carrier and the Company now have no way to stop you from doing what you want to do with your device (well...there's the warranty stuff i guess...). but point is, with root, you have full power and full access to yours, it is now your phone. completely.
but with such power, also comes responsibility and danger. you need to realize that everything you do after obtaining root, has the possibility of you ending up with a bricked (dead) device. that is why i don't suggest "noobies" play around with root. it is very dangerous and very serious. you must know what you are doing.
i suggest you read as much as you can about rooting and such, rooting and hacking can be fun (trust me), but it can also lead to great consequences as well.
good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks... i guess its too late for me to go back now lol i dont plan on doing anything too crazy, just delete some bloat , back up and hopefully try and bypass this wifi hotspot block tmobile has put on my unlimited 4g. which i still havent been able to figure out... UA spoofers dont seem to work but for some reason when i connect USB the tether does work fine as or now, just not the wifi hotspot which i need for PS3 and Ipad

[Q] Enough is enough! Need help with galaxy note 2 bugs/issues please!

Ok, firstly I apologize if these have been covered before but I need help with a few issues with my galaxy note 2 that Ive sure you guys have noticed as well. Im no expert but I have had android phones for a few years so I do know the basics. Im thinking it might be time to root/rom or whatever my phone because I think the issues I am having are bugs in the software though I have never attempted such a feat, havent really had a reason to until now. I absolutely love this phones, its super awesome, one of the best ive had but there are a few nagging issues I have that Im not sure if its just me or the software, usually Im pretty good with tech stuff. Have a samsung galaxy note 2 on att network android version 4.1.2 and ive searched around a little and best I can tell the newer version i have has changed some menu options which I cannot find and caused or not fixed some of my other issues.
1. I am unable to adjust the locations of the options on the screen when you pull it down from the top such as wifi, bluetooth, airplane mode and whatnot. Near as I can tell it was possible to organize them in the order you wanted before the update that added multiscreen support and it seems multiscreen support options under settings has taken place of the setting to adjust these icons and I cannot find anywhere to change them. Have you guys noticed this? how is it possible to change them or are they stuck now?
2. The media player auto playing when connecting to my bluetooth sync system in my ford F150 is kinda neat but highly annoying as it auto starts the player when it connects whether I want it to or not, and usually I do not because I rarely use my phone to play audio via bluetooth and when i do its through my Sirius XM app or pandora or some other media player and its highly annoying having to end the default media player and start play on my preferred app every time I shut off and restart my truck, or disconnect and reconnect bluetooth if you prefer. Is there a way to get this default app to NOT auto start playing every time it connects to bluetooth? I have been unable to find such an option and its getting on my nerves and draining my battery when I dont even want it on, GRRR!!
3. Pretty sure this one is a software bug/change but every android phone Ive ever had auto sets a 15 minute time reminder when I enter a calendar entry, which Ive gotten used to and is awesome as far as im concerned because an entry without a reminder is worthless. I have to turn on a reminder manually every time and have not been able to find any setting to change to revert this back to the normal experience that im used to on my at least 4 previous android phones. I have gotten used to manually turning it on now but its still annoying and i would like to be able to skip this step to save time as I use the calendar reminder features daily.
Thats all i can think of for right now, but im sure theres some I forgot. Hoping some of you experts can hook me up with some easy fixes to these issues or point me in the right direction of how to resolve them if possible, thanks a million!
Whew!!
One hell of a post there ...
An easy solution to the majority of your device issues would be...
Flashing back to the factory shipping rom...
It is pushed to the device via Odin.
I believe the rom is UCALJ2...
In the development section, under the "everything" thread, you will find the rom listed above.
There you will also find Odin, its PC drivers, and instructions to restore the device to pure stock.
The recent updates to the device will be removed, and following the Odin flash, the device will be pure stock and have no personal data...(fair warning)
From that point, to prevent the updates from appearing again, the update application must be frozen by using titanium backup or an app capable of rendering the update application null.
This process must be done with care ...and not before you understand what you are doing.
The steps in those threads are complete, but you must learn them first.
Happy reading and learning ....and happy flashing ....g
Your right. ..time to root it and add a custom rom. The new Jedi is awesome. . (shameless plug. ...lol)
Mac
Here is my thread to get back to stock. Enjoy
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2275844
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda premium
I wasnt aware you could move your toggles in the dropdown but then again I was only stock for a couple days.
Sent from my SGH-I317

Question Help Desperately Needed - Random Reboots

So I posted about this previously but here's more info and a clearer summary
The Issue:
Phone randomly reboots about an average of once per day. Screen freezes, goes black, comes back on for 3 seconds still frozen, then proceeds to reboot. I've kept track and 100% of of the time this seems to happen when I'm typing. Initially I thought it was Textra, but it has happened in Snapchat, and Twitch whenever the google keyboard is up. Google sent a replacement phone and the issues persists, and I find it hard to believe that both phone would have the exact same hardware issue. Furthermore it very much seems like a software issue considering it ONLY happens when the google keyboard is up.
My hope is that someone might have encountered this and has a simple solution although I doubt it. Unfortunately since I don't have another phone, I have to wait to obtain one before I do a safe mode test. And even if I do it's not realistic for me to test it that way because I'd have to spend hours typing away just to try to get the issue to occur (since it's not frequent like every 5 minutes).
I'm suspecting some data or a setting is getting transferred over from my previous backup that's affecting google keyboard or something of the sort. My next step will be a factory reset, and then reinstalling everything bit by bit manually. Of course I have to link my google account, but I won't have it automatically restore the backup. If that doesn't help then I'm at a loss. At that point I'd probably pick up a cheap Pixel 2XL as my daily, and use my P6Pro in safe mode as much as I can to try to trigger the issue I guess?
The Phone:
Pixel 6 Pro
Not Rooted
November 5 Update
Set up done using my google account to restore all apps and settings, not cable
Remind me since I don't recall if it was brought up in your other thread about the issue, did you try Official Google Android Flash Tool yet?
Agree with edor, Android flash tool, flash both slots, start all over
roirraW edor ehT said:
Remind me since I don't recall if it was brought up in your other thread about the issue, did you try Official Google Android Flash Tool yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not tried this. What would this be used for?
ne0ns4l4m4nder said:
Agree with edor, Android flash tool, flash both slots, start all over
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure what that means sorry, can you elaborate?
MarkAnthony121 said:
I have not tried this. What would this be used for?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To wipe the phone and start back fresh.
MarkAnthony121 said:
Not sure what that means sorry, can you elaborate?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just that. To start back fully fresh. Then if you do that take my advice from the other thread, don't restore backups from Google or anywhere, and initially only install your most critical apps. Once you determine you're not having the problem, install some more. Verify, repeat.
ne0ns4l4m4nder said:
Agree with edor, Android flash tool, flash both slots, start all over
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure what that means sorry, can you elaborate?
roirraW edor ehT said:
To wipe the phone and start back fresh.
Just that. To start back fully fresh. Then if you do that take my advice from the other thread, don't restore backups from Google or anywhere, and initially only install your most critical apps. Once you determine you're not having the problem, install some more. Verify, repeat.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes but I don't understand what "flash both slots" means. And wouldn't I get the same result by simply doing a factory reset and then proceeding with the method of installing everything manually and not from a backup? Why use the google flash tool vs factory reset?
MarkAnthony121 said:
Not sure what that means sorry, can you elaborate?
Yes but I don't understand what "flash both slots" means. And wouldn't I get the same result by simply doing a factory reset and then proceeding with the method of installing everything manually and not from a backup? Why use the google flash tool vs factory reset?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At this point, that's more information than you really need to know to try to fix your phone. I don't want to overcomplicate things. You can look at Google search results for "Pixel flash both slots" if you really want to go down that road right now.
Spoiler: Some of the details you're asking for, but you don't need right now
In short, starting with the Pixel 1 in 2016, they have two copies of almost everything (except only one copy of user data). On a Pixel, and another phone that employs dual slots, when you receive an OTA update, it updates the copy of Android that you're not currently running, then reboots into the one it just updated, and once rebooted it goes ahead and updates the copy that you're no longer running, so they're both now updated.
Not all OEMs use the dual partition strategy, which is frustrating. When I briefly had the Note 10+ before the P6P came out, I was amazed that Samsung still hasn't adopted the method. It beats the old style OTA method that Samsung still uses to this day as far as I know where it takes 15-20 minutes or more to run the update while your phone is unable to be used at all, and then even when it boots up the next time Android has to finish the job "optimizing" your apps for the new update. Dual partitions for Android save a lot of time when updating the phone.
In some manual flashing processes, you end up with one slot with a different copy of what you have in the other slot - and you don't want that. The slots are referred to as Slot A and Slot B.
I can go further into detail but you don't really need that to fix your phone.
All you need to know right now is Official Google Android Flash Tool.
If you haven't already tried the factory reset, et cetera, which we had recommended to you at least once in the other thread, then by all means, you can try that. But if you're going to try that, you might as well just use the Official Google Android Flash Tool and ensure you are 100% stock. Official Google Android Flash Tool has fixed a good dozen or two folks' issues (I haven't been keeping count) in these forums in the past 2+ months.
So if the factory resetting doesn't solve things then you'll still have to try Official Google Android Flash Tool to be closer to sure that you tried everything that you could. We had already suggested the Factory Reset to you in the other thread. Since you created a new thread, I figured you might be looking for information you hadn't been given yet.
So the short answer is because Official Google Android Flash Tool will do an even more complete job of putting your phone back to 100% stock, with a lot less doubt than a simple factory reset. Sure, a factory reset, in theory, should get you the same thing, but there are all sorts of circumstances where a factory reset won't. Something is wrong with your phone and we don't know what it is.
There's the Factory Reset idea and then there's the Official Google Android Flash Tool idea - either coupled with the staggered manual installation of apps until you narrow down if it was a particular app causing the issue. It doesn't matter which one you choose to try first. If you try just a Factory Reset, and things still go haywire, then you'll still have to try Official Google Android Flash Tool after that. It's your choice, now pick one and go forth and hopefully reboot no more.
Also, I wasn't going to mention this but I will now. Forums generally discourage users from creating multiple threads about the same issue or posting about the same issue in multiple threads. You can always update the OP (opening/first post) if you need to, and give an update as a reply to your existing thread.
MarkAnthony121 said:
So I posted about this previously but here's more info and a clearer summary
The Issue:
Phone randomly reboots about an average of once per day. Screen freezes, goes black, comes back on for 3 seconds still frozen, then proceeds to reboot. I've kept track and 100% of of the time this seems to happen when I'm typing. Initially I thought it was Textra, but it has happened in Snapchat, and Twitch whenever the google keyboard is up. Google sent a replacement phone and the issues persists, and I find it hard to believe that both phone would have the exact same hardware issue. Furthermore it very much seems like a software issue considering it ONLY happens when the google keyboard is up.
My hope is that someone might have encountered this and has a simple solution although I doubt it. Unfortunately since I don't have another phone, I have to wait to obtain one before I do a safe mode test. And even if I do it's not realistic for me to test it that way because I'd have to spend hours typing away just to try to get the issue to occur (since it's not frequent like every 5 minutes).
I'm suspecting some data or a setting is getting transferred over from my previous backup that's affecting google keyboard or something of the sort. My next step will be a factory reset, and then reinstalling everything bit by bit manually. Of course I have to link my google account, but I won't have it automatically restore the backup. If that doesn't help then I'm at a loss. At that point I'd probably pick up a cheap Pixel 2XL as my daily, and use my P6Pro in safe mode as much as I can to try to trigger the issue I guess?
The Phone:
Pixel 6 Pro
Not Rooted
November 5 Update
Set up done using my google account to restore all apps and settings, not cable
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've heard of freezing problems from others related to gboard. This would indeed appear to be a software flaw. I've never really used gboard since the first step for me was google-free AOSP, then put in my sim card and start using it (I don't like spyware).
Simplest solution for you would likely be to try a different soft keyboard. Personally, I would suggest finding one on f-droid rather than play store because open source.
For what it's worth, I've been using GBoard for 5+ years and have never had a problem.
96carboard said:
I've heard of freezing problems from others related to gboard. This would indeed appear to be a software flaw. I've never really used gboard since the first step for me was google-free AOSP, then put in my sim card and start using it (I don't like spyware).
Simplest solution for you would likely be to try a different soft keyboard. Personally, I would suggest finding one on f-droid rather than play store because open source.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to root back in the day and use a custom ROM. If I do that there's no automatic updates right? Have to reload a new ROM for updates?
MarkAnthony121 said:
I used to root back in the day and use a custom ROM. If I do that there's no automatic updates right? Have to reload a new ROM for updates?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on the ROM. I believe GrapheneOS has OTA updates. I know some others over the years have had that, too. Certainly not most custom ROMs but some.
roirraW edor ehT said:
Depends on the ROM. I believe GrapheneOS has OTA updates. I know some others over the years have had that, too. Certainly not most custom ROMs but some.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for all the help. (sorry for posting twice, I tried to delete the other) And I did appreciate the extra info so that I understood WHY I needed to do it this way and how it all functions. Two final questions. On modern phones like this one, does running a custom rom really improve battery/performance much? It's already pretty snappy for me, so I feel if I don't care about customizability it's probably not worth the effort for minimal reward. And second question, will the flash tool give me the option to clear both slots ?
Oh and third, is it ok to link my google account, (to get my contacts and such) as long as I'm not restoring any backups from it?
MarkAnthony121 said:
Thanks for all the help. (sorry for posting twice, I tried to delete the other) And I did appreciate the extra info so that I understood WHY I needed to do it this way and how it all functions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're very welcome!
MarkAnthony121 said:
Two final questions. On modern phones like this one, does running a custom rom really improve battery/performance much?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my opinion, no, but the object of some ROMs (like GrapheneOS) are more geared towards very much increased security and avoidance of all the Google data-collecting that goes on with everything Google, although you can use some or most Google apps with GrapheneOS if you choose.
I've never actually tried GrapheneOS, though - I've only kept up with the two threads about them because I was curious about it. To me, starting with my first Pixel (I never owned a Nexus device), I liked stock Android way better for my purposes.
But just as for a lot of phone-related subjects, the answer to this question is very subjective. What's right for me isn't right for everyone. Everyone's needs are different. The only way of knowing for sure is to try it. You might try something and very quickly say "to heck with that, I'm going back", or you might say "oh, I like this loads better". I'm not a betting man unless something is a near 100% chance, so it's really a toss-up whether you would like a different ROM or not.
Also, how I handle my battery works great for me - but it wouldn't for everyone. I don't charge the phone until it gets down to 25%, and I try not to let it get any lower than 25%. I only charge the phone up to 75% when I can. I never charge overnight, and I never quick charge. That 50% range of battery still lasts me about 24 hours. My Pixel 1 battery is in great shape because of this habit. My wife's, on the other hand, since she didn't do this - her battery on her old Pixel 1 is relatively shot.
MarkAnthony121 said:
It's already pretty snappy for me, so I feel if I don't care about customizability it's probably not worth the effort for minimal reward.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds as if you already have made up your mind to me. I mean, that's how I feel, and I like using Google's services for the most part. I'm more a function over form person. While I don't want something downright fugly, I really don't care what things look like - only how they do what I want them to do. Yet again, "how they do what I want them to do" is very subjective. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ didn't do what my wife and I wanted it to do, but we were both spoiled on the Pixel 1 before that. We don't regret our choice to go back to Pixel via the 6 Pro. For others, the Samsung phones are what they need.
MarkAnthony121 said:
And second question, will the flash tool give me the option to clear both slots ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't want to "clear" both slots, you want to flash both slots. In answer to your question, I don't think you'll have a choice via the site (or offline flashing the full factory image). In other words, both slots are going to get flashed whether you like it or not. You would have to go to extra efforts to *not* flash both slots. Hence yet another reason why you don't have to worry about that aspect.
Google's official methods would never flash only one slot by default. That would be just plain idiotic of them.
Before you ask, the reason I recommend the site rather than offline flashing of the full factory image is:
It's more user-friendly.
It has solved problems when manually flashing the full factory image has not for some others with particular problems.
MarkAnthony121 said:
Oh and third, is it ok to link my google account, (to get my contacts and such) as long as I'm not restoring any backups from it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, absolutely, although in some cases I've recommended going completely fresh and not even doing that, at least before testing long enough to see if you have the issue. You certainly could go without putting your Google account in, etc, but I don't feel that's warranted at this point. The only time I think you should do that, in this case, is if you do it the other way (with your Google account), and you still have the same problem right away (without installing any additional apps).
Just remember don't install any additional apps to start with, long enough to be sure that the problem isn't happening. I know it's a painful process - I've done this before on several devices for different reasons. Usually, the cause of issues becomes evident but it's possible it won't be completely obvious.
FYI, just putting your Google account in will, I believe, possibly still automatically restore your phone's most basic settings but I could be wrong about that. You could always try it without your account at first, use the phone in it's limited state for long enough to know there's no problem, and only then put your Google account in.

Categories

Resources