So i was tinkering with phone and YouTube app kept replacing vanced, so I uninstalled it with de-bloater app. Now when I tried to install vanced(root version) it gives error and I can't install YouTube from play store either. I am rooted with magisk and on derpfest os 12. Please help.
I'll try to help you as I don't use Youtube myself, preferring the FOSS alternatives also...
While I don't know the reason you can't install YouTube Vanced (which allows YouTube users to block video ads & play music in the background), I know that Google has sent them a "cease-and-desist" letter and the owners of Vanced have shut it down... so even if you did install it - it wouldn't likely work anymore anyway.
EDIT: It actually still works - they just have to remove the installation links according to information that came up later in this thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My suggestion?
Give up on YouTube Vanced and maybe try the FOSS "NewPipe" YouTube replacement... which, as far as I know, still works fine (and Google has known about NewPipe for many years so they haven't been sent that same cease-and-desist letter AFAIK that Vance was sent. (Probably because they use only public API's, as stated in their web site.)
For your reference, below are some NewPipe screenshots from my tutorials on how to use NewPipe to replace YouTube.
Please let us all know how it works out so we all benefit from this joint effort. Thanks!
GalaxyA325G said:
I'll try to help you as I don't use Youtube myself, preferring the FOSS alternatives also...
While I don't know the reason you can't install YouTube Vanced (which allows YouTube users to block video ads & play music in the background), I know that Google has sent them a "cease-and-desist" letter and the owners of Vanced have shut it down... so even if you did install it - it wouldn't likely work anymore anyway.
My suggestion?
Give up on YouTube Vanced and maybe try the FOSS "NewPipe" YouTube replacement... which, as far as I know, still works fine (and Google has known about NewPipe for many years so they haven't been sent that same cease-and-desist letter AFAIK that Vance was sent. (Probably because they use only public API's, as stated in their web site.)
For your reference, below are some NewPipe screenshots from my tutorials on how to use NewPipe to replace YouTube.
Please let us all know how it works out so we all benefit from this joint effort. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, thanx for replying. I totally am going to try newpipe. But my question was that would there be any problem if YouTube (a system app) is uninstalled. Like a bootloop if i tried to reboot without fixing it?
I have the same issue too at the moment and I'm going to try this alternative, hoping it would work for me cause I've tried everything before this.
kimof said:
I have the same issue too at the moment and I'm going to try this alternative, hoping it would work for me cause I've tried everything before this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi kim, can you share screenshots of what error you getting.
iamslimshady said:
my question was that would there be any problem if YouTube (a system app) is uninstalled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm trying to be helpful so don't hold me to my own experiences if this information below is wrong, but I've personally, one by one, disabled (or deleted) EVERY Google app in the past that I could, and VERY FEW cause major problems such that I have to re-enable them (e.g., disabling Google Play Store causes no major problems but disabling Google Play Services does cause major problems).
As for YouTube, as far as I've ever seen, disabling it causes no harm. Same with the GMail app. And Google's phone and contacts and messaging apps.
Of course, you have to REPLACE them with something if you want that functionality, but that's what third-party apps like NewPipe are for.
GalaxyA325G said:
I'm trying to be helpful so don't hold me to my own experiences if this information below is wrong, but I've personally, one by one, disabled (or deleted) EVERY Google app in the past that I could, and VERY FEW cause major problems such that I have to re-enable them (e.g., disabling Google Play Store causes no major problems but disabling Google Play Services does cause major problems).
As for YouTube, as far as I've ever seen, wiping it out causes zero problems. Same with the GMail app. And Google's phone and contacts and messaging apps.
Of course, you have to REPLACE them with something if you want that functionality, but that's what third-party apps like NewPipe are for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you specify on which rom on which android version you tried this and the method too. I recently uninstalled YouTube with de-bloater and at first everything seemed fine but then root version of vanced wont install and started giving error and then i couldn't install original YouTube from play Store either. And the cherry on top my device was sent straight into a bootloop when I restarted it. Iam running derpfest os android 12 on hotdogb. Btw everything is fine now I managed to recover.
iamslimshady said:
Btw everything is fine now I manager to recover.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what matters most!
Good for you!
iamslimshady said:
Can you specify on which rom on which android version you tried this and the method too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I put all the version information in the screenshot below for you.
iamslimshady said:
I recently uninstalled YouTube with de-bloater and at first everything seemed fine
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be clear, I merely disabled mine (see screenshot below for details).
iamslimshady said:
but then root version of vanced wont install and started giving error
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Given that Vanced is currently defunct (due to legal issues with Google, apparently), I don't think Vanced would work even if you could install it.
iamslimshady said:
Then i couldn't install original YouTube from play Store either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Luckily, the FOSS NewPipe app functionality completely replaces that of YouTube.
GalaxyA325G said:
That's what matters most!
Good for you!
I put all the version information in the screenshot below for you.
To be clear, I merely disabled mine (see screenshot below for details).
Given that Vanced is currently defunct (due to legal issues with Google, apparently), I don't think Vanced would work even if you could install it.
Luckily, the FOSS NewPipe app functionality completely replaces that of YouTube.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanx for being helpful dude but remember that disabling and uninstalling aren't the same thing. Anyway, now that the problem is solved it doesn't matter.
Edit- vanced is working perfectly fine and I like more over newpipe because it offers a more complete experience, newpipe also does the job pretty well but I guess its on personal preference.
iamslimshady said:
vanced is working perfectly fine
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What matters most is that it's working now for you!
iamslimshady said:
I like more over newpipe because it offers a more complete experience, newpipe also does the job pretty well but I guess its on personal preference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad it worked out for you and that you compared YouTube Vanced & NewPipe to find that you enjoy one over the other, as a lot of people don't know that these are each alone far better than YouTube itself ever can be, especially in terms of privacy & download functionality.
Since every thread should help as many people as possible, I'll also note for the lurkers that there are others such as SkyTube and LibreTube which can also be used to replace YouTube.
For those reading this who are wishing to replace YouTube, there are also options such as the Kiwi Browser Chromium-based browser apparently developed by arnaud42 which has support for extensions that are specifically tailored for YouTube functionality.
There's also plain old AdBlock but it only blocks ads and doesn't give the users anything like the functionality of the others.
iamslimshady said:
Anyway, now that the problem is solved it doesn't matter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dug deeper into what happened to YouTube Vanced recently and it was "only" taken offline because of Google's cease and desist letter ordering them to stop using YouTube's name and distributing packages that violated YouTube's terms of service so they had to pull down the links... but as you noted, the product still works (thank God!).
Apparently you can't download Vanced Manager from the Vanced website but if you have Vanced Manager already installed then you can download and install Vanced microG, Vanced Music, and, of course, YouTube Vanced. (Thank you for clarifying that data!).
GalaxyA325G said:
What matters most is that it's working now for you!
I'm glad it worked out for you and that you compared YouTube Vanced & NewPipe to find that you enjoy one over the other, as a lot of people don't know that these are each alone far better than YouTube itself ever can be, especially in terms of privacy & download functionality.
Since every thread should help as many people as possible, I'll also note for the lurkers that there are others such as SkyTube and LibreTube which can also be used to replace YouTube.
For those reading this who are wishing to replace YouTube, there are also options such as the Kiwi Browser Chromium-based browser apparently developed by arnaud42 which has support for extensions that are specifically tailored for YouTube functionality.
There's also plain old AdBlock but it only blocks ads and doesn't give the users anything like the functionality of the others.
I dug deeper into what happened to YouTube Vanced recently and it was "only" taken offline because of Google's cease and desist letter ordering them to stop using YouTube's name and distributing packages that violated YouTube's terms of service so they had to pull down the links... but as you noted, the product still works (thank God!).
Apparently you can't download Vanced Manager from the Vanced website but if you have Vanced Manager already installed then you can download and install Vanced microG, Vanced Music, and, of course, YouTube Vanced. (Thank you for clarifying that data!).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's always pleasure sharing information. And I would like to add one more thing, you can download vanced manager from its site. I did that countless times past week switching between roms.
Much agreed that it's a pleasure sharing solutions as I hadn't used YouTube Vanced and you hadn't used NewPipe and now we both know more about each.
To save people time who are new to Vanced stuff, as I am, here's a quick synopsys of what I found just now going to the Vanced canonical site.
What is YouTube Vanced?YouTube Vanced is a Youtube client that allows you to stream videos on the famous video website while also providing some extra features. It's important to note that these extra features do not include the ability to stream videos.
The most intriguing feature of YouTube Vanced is that it allows you to listen to your videos in the background, even when your phone's screen is turned off. That way, you can easily listen to music and even podcasts on Youtube whenever you want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. On Windows, I went to the Vanced Manager canonical site
One of the most common moded YouTube versions is Vanced Manager. It has a lot of cool features like ad-free, background video replay, dark themes, and so on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Vanced Manager is a YouTube Vanced Download Manager program that lets you install MicroG and YouTube Vanced Apps without using the SAI Installer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2. Interestingly, on the top bar of the site is a link to NewPipe!
a. Vanced Manager
Vanced manager allows you to quickly install and uninstall vanced and microg, as well as customize your experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
b. Vanced Music
YouTube Vanced Music is a modded version of the YouTube Music app, developed by the same team that brought you YouTube Vanced. The mod enhances the official app with features such as built-in ad blocking and background playback without pauses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
c. Vanced MicroG
MicroG is an open source alternative to Google Play Services for Android devices. Install Vanced MicroG APK on your android device to login to YouTube Vanced app with your Google account. A must needed app for the Vanced users who use services such as YT Vanced and Vanced Music.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
d. NewPipe
This Could Be the Best Alternative for Team Vanced's Recent Vanced Edition Creation. Unlike its competitor YouTube Vanced, this app does not require the installation of an additional app named MicroG in order to sign into a Google account.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3. I pressed the Download Vanced Manager 2.6.0 button which downloaded "manager.zip" from my PC directly to the Android phone (which is mounted over Wi-Fi as a drive letter onto my PC)
Name: manager.zip
Size: 3355776 bytes (3277 KiB)
SHA256: 50748270ED3939C7992C7393F7EE02CFF0E8BE57CEAAB4C39A502F581999869D
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4. I also pressed the MicroG button at that site which downloaded "microg.zip" directly from Windows onto the Android phone over Wi-Fi.
Name: microg.zip
Size: 5357944 bytes (5232 KiB)
SHA256: B49D65C895C631FEBAD779CF8D834F8EE9DA2FE2E801F5792D13B4DC50779F38
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
6. After unzipping, the respective APKs showed up on Android:
Name: manager.apk
Size: 4509298 bytes (4403 KiB)
SHA256: 89A8E2F21774209B3D8250E3B9E89CCA9D96E1B9312A86E300A651AAB033FDC4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Name: microg.apk
Size: 6186551 bytes (6041 KiB)
SHA256: 8C6E74A0B183E9954C0F4DA150F002DF11AF0661CF21C5635E5672F6D745740E
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In summary, I confirmed that I was wrong in my initial post in assuming Google's cease-and-desist letter had put YouTube Vanced out of operation, and I thank you for clarifying that it can still easily be obtained.
Bear in mind I don't have a Google Account on my phone, so I'll be interested to see if YouTube Vanced sets up its own anonymous account (as does, for example, NewPipe and the Aurora Store).
This is the conclusion at the end of the Vanced MicroG FAQ for example:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ConclusionTo put it another way, using YouTube Vanced without a Google account is a chore. So, follow the steps above to download and install MicroG on your computer. Not to mention that you can use Vanced Manager to update YouTube and MicroG at any time. Finally, share it with your YouTube Vanced-using friends' networks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GalaxyA325G said:
3. I pressed the Download Vanced Manager 2.6.0 button which downloaded "manager.zip" from my PC directly to the Android phone (which is mounted over Wi-Fi as a drive letter onto my PC)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's sounds awesome how'd you set that up? (Phone mounted over wifi as a drive on pc)
iamslimshady said:
That's sounds awesome how'd you set that up? (Phone mounted over wifi as a drive on pc)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like we were saying, it's great to learn from each other, as we each have knowledge in some areas that others don't, and vice versa.
There are quite a few ways to set up the entire phone (even the root partition for a non-rooted phone!) as a "share" and/or "drive" letter on Windows, where I've tested EVERY free solution known to man over the years (if I do say so myself).
Offhand, off the top of my head, that includes...
a. adb/vysor/scrcpy
b. SMB/Cifs/Samba
c. FTP/FTPuse
d. LibMTP
e. WebDav/HTTP
f. Kies/KdeConnect/Nitroshare
etc.
It would take forever to describe them all, as it's not intuitive that, for example, SMB has fatal flaws related to port 445 when you'd "think" that's the way to go (given Cifs is native to Windows and Samba is robust on Linux).
It's also not intuitive that FTP doesn't reliably mount the device as a drive letter (even with FTPUse, which some people find useful but I don't).
My point is that when you actually test them each like I did, you find out that each is slightly different of course, and all work, but I find overall the best two methods with the fewest gotchas are:
1. WebDav
2. Adb/Vysor
I wrote up a tutorial for how to do each of those (so look up my posts) but we had to delete the tutorial because of a technical problem, so I need to spend the hours (and hours) to write it up again for people to benefit here.
Suffice to say that the WebDav setup is simple.
a. You install any decent free webdav server on Android
b. You run the native "net use" commands on Windows
CSS:
C:\> net use Z: \\[email protected]\DavWWWRoot /user:foo bar
Where "foo" & "bar" are the username & password defined in the webdav server on Android.
Note: Neither foo nor bar needs to be what you use on Windows or Android as they are both internal to the webdav server.
Note nothing needs to be installed on Windows and it works fine.
As for Adb/Vysor, suffice to say the setup is simple too:
a. You install adb.exe on Windows (you only need the executable)
b. You install Vysor on Windows
Code:
C:\> adb pair 192.168.0.2:12345 654321
C:\> adb connect 192.168.0.2:12345
C:\> adb devices
Note you only need the adb.exe executable which I get from the scrcpy download on SourceForge.
https://sourceforge.net/projects/scrcpy.mirror/
Note nothing needs to be installed on Android and it works fine.
Below are some representative screenshots.
GalaxyA325G said:
Like we were saying, it's great to learn from each other, as we each have knowledge in some areas that others don't, and vice versa.
There are quite a few ways to set up the entire phone (even the root partition for a non-rooted phone!) as a "share" and/or "drive" letter on Windows, where I've tested EVERY free solution known to man over the years (if I do say so myself).
Offhand, off the top of my head, that includes...
a. adb/vysor/scrcpy
b. SMB/Cifs/Samba
c. FTP/FTPuse
d. LibMTP
e. WebDav/HTTP
f. Kies/KdeConnect/Nitroshare
etc.
It would take forever to describe them all, as it's not intuitive that, for example, SMB has fatal flaws related to port 445 when you'd "think" that's the way to go (given Cifs is native to Windows and Samba is robust on Linux).
It's also not intuitive that FTP doesn't reliably mount the device as a drive letter (even with FTPUse, which some people find useful but I don't).
My point is that when you actually test them each like I did, you find out that each is slightly different of course, and all work, but I find overall the best two methods with the fewest gotchas are:
1. WebDav
2. Adb/Vysor
I wrote up a tutorial for how to do each of those (so look up my posts) but we had to delete the tutorial because of a technical problem, so I need to spend the hours (and hours) to write it up again for people to benefit here.
Suffice to say that the WebDav setup is simple.
a. You install any decent free webdav server on Android
b. You run the native "net use" commands on Windows
CSS:
C:\> net use Z: \\[email protected]\DavWWWRoot /user:foo bar
Where "foo" & "bar" are the username & password defined in the webdav server on Android.
Note: Neither foo nor bar needs to be what you use on Windows or Android as they are both internal to the webdav server.
Note nothing needs to be installed on Windows and it works fine.
As for Adb/Vysor, suffice to say the setup is simple too:
a. You install adb.exe on Windows (you only need the executable)
b. You install Vysor on Windows
Code:
C:\> adb pair 192.168.0.2:12345 654321
C:\> adb connect 192.168.0.2:12345
C:\> adb devices
Note you only need the adb.exe executable which I get from the scrcpy download on SourceForge.
https://sourceforge.net/projects/scrcpy.mirror/
Note nothing needs to be installed on Android and it works fine.
Below are some representative screenshots.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you soo much definitely gonna try this.
Related
After horsing around for quite a while side loading various flavors of firefox and flash finally got things to work. The "boat browser" worked with flash but there was no ad block support.Ended up just resetting the box. Here are the instructions to get firefox and flash working. Cricfree.tv plays perfectly with an ad free environment. Using the latest firefox beta for android.
1) Get firefox beta: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Mobile/Platforms/Android#Download_Firefox_Beta
2) Get flash 11.1.115.47: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2139513
3) Side load and install both apk's. Launch adobe flash then select firefox and choose "always."
4) Once firefox is running click the circular button on the remote with the 3 horizontal lines, to the right of the home button. Choose Settings and Enable Plugins.
5) To block ads, access the Tools Menu (same way) then click Addons.
6) Install Adblock Plus and Bluehell Firewall. Both are required to stop the barrage of ads on cricfree.
7) For a "desktop" environment get the plugin Phony. The default "Request Desktop Site" option in firefox was not reliable.
8) That's it!
Lol the day I setup this up is the day the police decide to shutdown Cricfree.tv. Fantastic
roligov said:
Lol the day I setup this up is the day the police decide to shutdown Cricfree.tv. Fantastic
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The old site is offline, but they have a new site up already lol.
cricfree.eu
Can also check out coolsport.tv.
Technex said:
The old site is offline, but they have a new site up already lol.
cricfree.eu
Can also check out coolsport.tv.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks will try those out
Not to rain the parade (seriously, good on you for figuring it out) but sideloaded XBMC + Sportsdevil add on will parse cricfree (and every other streaming site) and play them directly into your XBMC, no ad block needed as the ads never even factor into the equation. Just saying!
Do you have to use the beta? i just installed probably the normal firefox and the flash player and it worked, i think the flash is working. Many thanks still though for the simple guide.
servo386 said:
Not to rain the parade (seriously, good on you for figuring it out) but sideloaded XBMC + Sportsdevil add on will parse cricfree (and every other streaming site) and play them directly into your XBMC, no ad block needed as the ads never even factor into the equation. Just saying!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you install the Sportdevil addon? I tried to load it from SuperRepo but it says "incompatible"...
Using FF on FireTV
So, I installed firefox from the link you gave and installed adblock. Seems to work ok. No real need for flash. My question is how to control Firefox using a remote? Either a Harmony or the official Amazon FireTV Remote app? Is there documentation for this?
Also, what was the purpose of cricfree or sportsdevil?
Thanks,
SL
cric.sx
thanks for the info, i managed to get sky sports new working but no other channels work, says browser not compatible? any ideas please. thanks
Technex said:
After horsing around for quite a while side loading various flavors of firefox and flash finally got things to work. The "boat browser" worked with flash but there was no ad block support.Ended up just resetting the box. Here are the instructions to get firefox and flash working. Cricfree.tv plays perfectly with an ad free environment. Using the latest firefox beta for android.
1) Get firefox beta: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Mobile/Platforms/Android#Download_Firefox_Beta
2) Get flash 11.1.115.47: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2139513
3) Side load and install both apk's. Launch adobe flash then select firefox and choose "always."
4) Once firefox is running click the circular button on the remote with the 3 horizontal lines, to the right of the home button. Choose Settings and Enable Plugins.
5) To block ads, access the Tools Menu (same way) then click Addons.
6) Install Adblock Plus and Bluehell Firewall. Both are required to stop the barrage of ads on cricfree.
7) For a "desktop" environment get the plugin Phony. The default "Request Desktop Site" option in firefox was not reliable.
8) That's it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well as of today nothing works.,., any way to view cricfree streams on android.,, !!
Isn't it much easier to regularly sideload Sportsdevil into Kodi?
https://seo-michael.co.uk/how-to-manually-install-sportsdevil-on-xbmc/
https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/5/16738748/google-amazon-feud-youtube-pulled-off-fire-tv-echo-show-nest-devices
Back it up while you can!
Link to the current APK: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AjlFvM-kUCwh-j5XfAMn9ySTPBp3
I think they will shut it down from their end. Unless someone can hack the apk, it will cease to work on January 1st.
I read about this yesterday and saw a notification on my fire today. I'm sure a modded apk will resolve this. I also wonder if playing you tube from within kodi will work. Not as nice but it does the job. I went into youtube in kodi and it did not have that notification so that may be a work around. Not the bet but better than nothing. Really sucks that it doesn't show history and has no "home" per say.
Dave
I decompiled the YouTube app. I'm not convinced Google knows it's coming from a FireTV from the user agent string. Here's what the app uses:
Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/27.0.1453.93 Safari/537.36 Mozilla/5.0 (PLAYSTATION 3; 3.55)
So that begs the question, how can they block it? Is it just a scare tactic? If they don't know the source is an amazon fire they cannot possibly block it unless they put a youtube update to look for certain hardware criteria to ID it as a fire. If that's the case we just don't update the apk.
Dave
they seem to know how, since they are displaying the warning message on fire tvs only
What about alternative apps like Newpipe?
Im sure the hardware is identified by the build.prop...
The YouTube "app" is really just a webview to https://www.youtube.com/TV plus a shim to translate remote control commands. It seems very likely that any block should be trivially evadeable as long as that website remains available-- and since androidTV and smart TV UIs also use the HTML5 website, that isn't going to happen.
My guess is it is indeed something to do with the HTTP user-agent or some sort of other easily cloned fingerprint.
don_ernesto said:
they seem to know how, since they are displaying the warning message on fire tvs only
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well when I play youtube from kodi it does not display that message so..
Dave
TT_Vert said:
Well when I play youtube from kodi it does not display that message so..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right. So the question is how does Google know it's the app vs. Kodi? The user agent string seems pretty generic. Therefore, something else is going on that needs to be found.
The Kodi YouTube addon uses the API, which ultimately would be pretty easy to block. The FireTV literally connects to a public website, which is much more difficult. There are tons of ways to fingerprint a browser beyond the user agent.
https://amiunique.org/
This is exciting! It's a technology war. Doesn't effect me in any way. I rarely use YouTube on my fire tv and I'll just use chromecast if I need to watch it on my TV. Sure their will be an easy workaround. I'm team google. F amazon! Lol
look at this website.
https://smartyoutubetv.github.io/en/
there is a working apk to get YouTube back working on the stick. it is recognized as a lg tv
Yes, that app works perfectly. Good stuff.
I still think Amazon and Google will work it out, but if they don't, use that.
Is this better than the regular youtube app anyway?
That app is basically identical to the FireTV app, being a HTML5 webview of https://www.youtube.com/TV, but it supposedly also blocks their ads.
LOL NM I'm an idiot. I saw 1080 and instantly went for it without reading. FAIL.
Dave
mijorus said:
look at this website.
https://smartyoutubetv.github.io/en/
there is a working apk to get YouTube back working on the stick. it is recognized as a lg tv
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I sideloaded this today and also can confirm that it works.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
you tube is still working for me. i get the warning message but it load just fine.
tw39515 said:
you tube is still working for me. i get the warning message but it load just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Eventually it'll quit. Mine was the same way for a little while.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Hi all, I have finally had enough of Apple (and planned obsolescence!). I have never used Android before, got myself a Galaxy Tab S and once I learn how to use it well, I will be dumping my faulty iPhone in favour of a Galaxy phone as well.
I bought a used Tab S with 4G in lovely condition. Just turned it on and it says Insert Sim. I skipped that and it said "Many features will not work without an active Sim".
Therefore the first question I have is how much to read into that message?! Do I believe it? I don\'t plan on using a data Sim, only want to use WiFi. Will the Tab S work just fine without a cellular SIM or is it going to give me constant errors and problems? If the latter I may have to sell it in favour of a non SIM version. Any advice appreciated. I quite like the idea of being ABLE to use a data SIM if I want to some time, hence why I bought it.
Second question is I DESPISE Google and all the tracking stuff. I use a VPN much of the time. A friend of mine has a Galaxy Tab and said I should "root" the device. Can anyone tell me the main benefits of doing so? I am trying to work out how necessary is it (as I am short of time so won't do it unless it will give me benefits). I intend to use VPN and try my best to prevent google tracking what I watch on youtube, what searches I do, and just about anything else I can. I also notice that for Earth and Maps to work, I obviously need to let it know my location (which I don't generally like doing but understand the trade off and will do it in this case). Is there a way (perhaps via rooting) to enable GPS location sharing without feeding GOOGLE my whereabouts (i.e. using other map software instead of Google's)?
I am blown away by the quality of this device. thanks for anyone who has time to offer their thoughts on the above. Thanks
Welcome to the real world, Neo!
SIM Card allows having such things like mobile data (this works just the same as the iPad LTE) and voice calls from a tablet (this feature is unique to Android - you can make voice calls just like it is a big phone, using either built-in mic and speakers or via Bluetooth headset). If the SIM is not inserted, there will be no problems - you can safely dismiss the warning.
Regarding the Google-free experience and rooting. Rooting is direct equivalent to iOS jailbreak. Both result in getting root shell (# or uid 0).
To root the Tab, you must flash the CF-Autoroot via Odin: https://www.theandroidsoul.com/root...10-5-lte-sm-t805-one-click-cf-auto-root-tool/ This is for 10.5 LTE aka SM-T805, for 8.4 LTE aka SM-T705 the instruction is similar: https://www.theandroidsoul.com/root...-8-4-lte-sm-t705-one-click-cf-auto-root-tool/
Also it is good to flash the TWRP recovery after you get root to get a rich recovery environment helping you to backup and restore your device, flash custom ROMs etc.nMore info here: https://twrp.me/FAQ/
Dont hesitate to ask questions once they arise.
---------- Post added at 02:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:12 PM ----------
Ph, and forgot to mention Google free experience. Once you get root, you can debloat your stock ROM but I'd advise flashing a LineageOS ROM for newer Android version and latest security patches. Also, Google services are not present by default in LineageOs but can be flashed separately. However, I am already more than a year without Google services and apps.
For example, I use K-9 Mail + OpenKeychain from F-Droid open-source app market to use GMail with OpenPGP support.
F-Droid is the primary marketplace app having opensource applications. For closed-source apps available on Google Play, the open-source Google Play client app named Yalp Store offers the same functionality as play market but not requiring Google services.
Youtube client I use is Newpipe, opensource app available in F-Droid. There are other clients too, like SkyTube.
Google Maps can be replaced by OsmAnd+ - an opensource client for OpenStreetMap infrastructure, again available from F-Droid app store.
Office application suite I recommend is Hancom Office - it is free for Samsung devices, and it processes documents faster than Office365.
Also, I made it work on LineageOS and other custom ROMs.
I use Brave Browser as a primary Web browser, as it is opensource app based on Google Chromium code but heavily de-Googled and having some cool features like embedded ad-blocker.
Hope this helps you a bit.
gellmar said:
Welcome to the real world, Neo!
SIM Card allows having such things like mobile data (this works just the same as the iPad LTE) and voice calls from a tablet (this feature is unique to Android - you can make voice calls just like it is a big phone, using either built-in mic and speakers or via Bluetooth headset). If the SIM is not inserted, there will be no problems - you can safely dismiss the warning.
Regarding the Google-free experience and rooting. Rooting is direct equivalent to iOS jailbreak. Both result in getting root shell (# or uid 0).
To root the Tab, you must flash the CF-Autoroot via Odin: https://www.theandroidsoul.com/root...10-5-lte-sm-t805-one-click-cf-auto-root-tool/ This is for 10.5 LTE aka SM-T805, for 8.4 LTE aka SM-T705 the instruction is similar: https://www.theandroidsoul.com/root...-8-4-lte-sm-t705-one-click-cf-auto-root-tool/
Also it is good to flash the TWRP recovery after you get root to get a rich recovery environment helping you to backup and restore your device, flash custom ROMs etc.nMore info here: https://twrp.me/FAQ/
Dont hesitate to ask questions once they arise.
---------- Post added at 02:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:12 PM ----------
Ph, and forgot to mention Google free experience. Once you get root, you can debloat your stock ROM but I'd advise flashing a LineageOS ROM for newer Android version and latest security patches. Also, Google services are not present by default in LineageOs but can be flashed separately. However, I am already more than a year without Google services and apps.
For example, I use K-9 Mail + OpenKeychain from F-Droid open-source app market to use GMail with OpenPGP support.
F-Droid is the primary marketplace app having opensource applications. For closed-source apps available on Google Play, the open-source Google Play client app named Yalp Store offers the same functionality as play market but not requiring Google services.
Youtube client I use is Newpipe, opensource app available in F-Droid. There are other clients too, like SkyTube.
Google Maps can be replaced by OsmAnd+ - an opensource client for OpenStreetMap infrastructure, again available from F-Droid app store.
Office application suite I recommend is Hancom Office - it is free for Samsung devices, and it processes documents faster than Office365.
Also, I made it work on LineageOS and other custom ROMs.
I use Brave Browser as a primary Web browser, as it is opensource app based on Google Chromium code but heavily de-Googled and having some cool features like embedded ad-blocker.
Hope this helps you a bit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Crikey!! Can't thank you enough for the time and effort there, what a great welcome to the other side
I confess most of what you said went straight over my head, ROMS and such like, but I will learn as there are clearly some great tips in this post.
So - fine without SIM, cool thanks.
Flashing - gonna take some time to learn but I think the link you posted is what I need, I have the SM-T800
So Lineage is an OS, is that right? And it comes free of Google bloatware/spyware?
I can't believe there are ways to view youtube and maps etc without giving Google your retinal scan. JUST what I hope to do!
Brave Browser - not heard of that, was gonna look for Firefox or Waterfox and set it up myself with RTC discabled, Ublockorigin etc etc (if poss) but maybe don't need to now as Brave sounds built to do what I want already.
Thanks again, great post
marrteee said:
Crikey!! Can't thank you enough for the time and effort there, what a great welcome to the other side
I confess most of what you said went straight over my head, ROMS and such like, but I will learn as there are clearly some great tips in this post.
So - fine without SIM, cool thanks.
Flashing - gonna take some time to learn but I think the link you posted is what I need, I have the SM-T800
So Lineage is an OS, is that right? And it comes free of Google bloatware/spyware?
I can't believe there are ways to view youtube and maps etc without giving Google your retinal scan. JUST what I hope to do!
Brave Browser - not heard of that, was gonna look for Firefox or Waterfox and set it up myself with RTC discabled, Ublockorigin etc etc (if poss) but maybe don't need to now as Brave sounds built to do what I want already.
Thanks again, great post
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange the T800 has no dedicated SIM slot, it is WiFi only. T805 does have a SIM card though. You can check it opening Settings - Phone info. Also you can use the dialer to enter a magic code *#1234# to get info about your firmware (pay attention to PDA and CSC values). Would be good if you provide these here before you start any flashing.
LineageOS is a community built distribution of Android OS (like Ubuntu or Debian are GNU/Linux distributions) with some additional tweaks like Privacy Guard (a framework giving you control about permissions application ask, like a consent or denial to read contacts, GPS location, phone number etc). Full disclosure: I am an official maintainer of LineageOS for SM-T805 and I belong to the team creating LineageOS for other devices on the same chipset, like SM-T800, SM-T705, SM-T700, SM-P600 etc. There are also ResurrectionRemix ROM based on LineageOS and also there are de-bloated stock ROMs based on latest available Android 6.0.1 official factory OS. The official LineageOS is based on Android 7.1.2, and there is a (not very stable) 8.1.0.
I was a long-term fan of Firefox on Android (and I still am on PC!), but Chromium engine is twice as fast on our tablet (90.08 for Brave vs 45.04 for Firefox in browser benchmark)
SORRY! The seller called it a T800 but I checked and yes it's a T805.
I am SO busy at the moment with work and family stuff, not sure when I can get round to this and it looks like I have a lot of learning to come which I am dreading a bit with my schedule as it is! Don't suppose there is any chance someone (if not yourself) on this forum offers any kind of service? By that I mean, I post the Tab with cash to cover the job, and someone roots it and does the things you have mentioned then post it back? Probably a bit too much wishful thinking, but if you don't ask.......
marrteee said:
SORRY! The seller called it a T800 but I checked and yes it's a T805.
I am SO busy at the moment with work and family stuff, not sure when I can get round to this and it looks like I have a lot of learning to come which I am dreading a bit with my schedule as it is! Don't suppose there is any chance someone (if not yourself) on this forum offers any kind of service? By that I mean, I post the Tab with cash to cover the job, and someone roots it and does the things you have mentioned then post it back? Probably a bit too much wishful thinking, but if you don't ask.......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This can be done remotely via TeamViewer - you can be around and follow my commands like press home button etc. The rest is done via ADB on PC side. But write me in PM next week - I have some things to do that I promised before.
That's too kind of you. Not sure if you mean Teamviewer with the actual device or another computer. I am in no hurry at all. My device is factory stock right now, been reset and I am not doing anything with it for now.
Thanks again
I don't suppose (given your knowledge of privacy issues etc) you know of a secure alternative to Skype? I am talking mainly about a desktop app. I have researched many times over the past year and it seems to me that every time something decent gets going, they get shut down or just close down without much explanation. Sure seems suspicious in some cases. Best I could find was ViPole, which is good although has some weaknesses. I can't believe nobody has made something that can do the basic stuff Skype can do! (text, video/voice, screenshare and file share). It's so simple by today's standards! Of course plenty of options until you get to P2P or encryption, then there seems to be nothing which actually works very well at all! Just in case you know of anything?
marrteee said:
I don't suppose (given your knowledge of privacy issues etc) you know of a secure alternative to Skype? I am talking mainly about a desktop app. I have researched many times over the past year and it seems to me that every time something decent gets going, they get shut down or just close down without much explanation. Sure seems suspicious in some cases. Best I could find was ViPole, which is good although has some weaknesses. I can't believe nobody has made something that can do the basic stuff Skype can do! (text, video/voice, screenshare and file share). It's so simple by today's standards! Of course plenty of options until you get to P2P or encryption, then there seems to be nothing which actually works very well at all! Just in case you know of anything?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look for Signal and qTox.
Thanks. Tried and still use Signal, although it's got some flaws and not at all sure I trust the privacy side. I really need screenshare too which it doesn't have.
qtox and utox i have tried, tried all the tox chat programs. Completely buggy and unusable. Nice and secure though , which makes it a shame they can't make the software work properly! notifications dont work, cam, calls completely broken. unusable.
I looked at variuos others but it's all going over to apps for smartphones and tabs now, I want a desktop app. Maybe Skype through VPN would help a bit, but not ideal!
Thanks again
marrteee said:
Thanks. Tried and still use Signal, although it's got some flaws and not at all sure I trust the privacy side. I really need screenshare too which it doesn't have.
qtox and utox i have tried, tried all the tox chat programs. Completely buggy and unusable. Nice and secure though , which makes it a shame they can't make the software work properly! notifications dont work, cam, calls completely broken. unusable.
I looked at variuos others but it's all going over to apps for smartphones and tabs now, I want a desktop app. Maybe Skype through VPN would help a bit, but not ideal!
Thanks again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To accelerate the process of bringing up the quality of opensource projects, one must at least report the bugs timely. Have you filed a feature request? We all donate either our money, or our time to the community. Some of us donate both
Ha, yes I do make reports whenever I spot anything. I am talking to one of the developers about it but I don't see it getting fixed as the impetus seems to have gone and no way they will add screenshare I dont think. I will try though yes, least I can do in the hope that someone produces something useful but not "in bed" with the government!
Does anyone else know if Android System Intelligence and Private Compute Services are needed for the Fold 3? I just got an update and it gives the option to uninstall. Anyone uninstall these apps yet and are they necessary?
I have the same question
spart0n said:
I have the same question
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I've been trying to search around if these are necessary for our phones but so far no one has a definite answer
sguerra923 said:
Does anyone else know if Android System Intelligence and Private Compute Services are needed for the Fold 3? I just got an update and it gives the option to uninstall. Anyone uninstall these apps yet and are they necessary?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From my Googling, they add features to the OS and used to be in OS updates, but Google moved them to the Play Store so it is easier to update such features/make it so you don't have to go through a big OS update each time they update.
ButterflyFlutterflyMyOhMy said:
From my Googling, they add features to the OS and used to be in OS updates, but Google moved them to the Play Store so it is easier to update such features/make it so you don't have to go through a big OS update each time they update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you think those files are safe to keep?
sguerra923 said:
Do you think those files are safe to keep?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, they are from Google, as you can see in the Play Store.
Android device intelligence is used reportedly used for application integration across your device. I.E. copy paste, search, opening links in apps, etc. Also deals with noticifations as well. However, I'm sure it's used for metrics and assists with targeting you with ads. I'm just going to disable mine as a precaution. I'll include a couple links below:
1. https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/12112173
2. https://rayofinfamy.com/2021/09/30/android-system-intelligence-definitions-1-and-2/
sparkx86 said:
Android device intelligence is used reportedly used for application integration across your device. I.E. copy paste, search, opening links in apps, etc. Also deals with noticifations as well. However, I'm sure it's used for metrics and assists with targeting you with ads. I'm just going to disable mine as a precaution. I'll include a couple links below:
1. https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/12112173
2. https://rayofinfamy.com/2021/09/30/android-system-intelligence-definitions-1-and-2/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How's your phone running after disabling it?
Yeah, my Youtube app cannot play any videos . Each video just play 20 or 30 seconds.
I 've reintall it many times .
That can be causeed by many things, but since you already unintall the app already and it is still not working, it could be an internet connection issue or a server problem on googles site in your region.
You can test that by trying to see if YouTube works as supposed on your desktop or laptop or another Android device.
Also you can try to reset your network settings on your device, but notice you need to enter your WiFi password by doing so.
Never had such an issue with the original YouTube app, but with clone apps of YouTube like Vanced.
Good luck sorting it out.
L8ter said:
That can be causeed by many things, but since you already unintall the app already and it is still not working, it could be an internet connection issue or a server problem on googles site in your region.
You can test that by trying to see if YouTube works as supposed on your desktop or laptop or another Android device.
Also you can try to reset your network settings on your device, but notice you need to enter your WiFi password by doing so.
Never had such an issue with the original YouTube app, but with clone apps of YouTube like Vanced.
Good luck sorting it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank for your advice. But, so sad, I have this issue with both original and Vanced versions.
It is probably google blacklisting accounts for using vanced. The only solutions right now are to use incognito mode or to create a new google account and never comment or like/dislike any comment (doing so creates a youtube channel which is what gets blacklisted I guess). Also use revanced. Vanced is no longer working.
You can get ready to install apk from this thread
[App][8.0+][Guides]▶️ReVanced & ReVanced Extended📚
▶️ReVanced & ReVanced Extended📚 (Apks, Guides & Useful Links) This thread is "Unofficial" ReVanced is the successor of the legacy Vanced app. It's a tool which can build a modded version of YouTube with AdBlock+SponsorBlock and has almost all...
forum.xda-developers.com
Just download revanced apk and install. I prefer revanced extended.
user0u said:
It is probably google blacklisting accounts for using vanced. The only solutions right now are to use incognito mode or to create a new google account and never comment or like/dislike any comment (doing so creates a youtube channel which is what gets blacklisted I guess). Also use revanced. Vanced is no longer working.
You can get ready to install apk from this thread
[App][8.0+][Guides]▶️ReVanced & ReVanced Extended📚
▶️ReVanced & ReVanced Extended📚 (Apks, Guides & Useful Links) This thread is "Unofficial" ReVanced is the successor of the legacy Vanced app. It's a tool which can build a modded version of YouTube with AdBlock+SponsorBlock and has almost all...
forum.xda-developers.com
Just download revanced apk and install. I prefer revanced extended.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, thank you very much. I'm going to be sleepless by this .