Related
So here is a short Huawei Mate 10 Pro guide. It might work for other Huawei's as well. If so pls let me know.
How to kill ads on Huawei Mate 10 Pro without Rooting the phone
What does the good people of XDA think is the way to go to kill ads without rooting?
NB: These tips and tricks are not my brain work. It is a collection of problems, issues and solutions to things I've experienced with the Mate 10 Pro, and the solutions are the great work of this forum and various contributors. My only contribution is to try to gather them all here in post one so people don't need to read the whole thread. In particular i would like to thank Pretoriano80 for his contributions in this thread. He made my life easier. Thank you.
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Recap:
Remove Ads from browsers:
This solution worked well for removing ads from browsers, so I bought it from playstore to show my support. Thx to Pretoriano80 for resolving most of my ad problems.
This solution also takes care of the in-apps ads!
Pretoriano80 said:
Hi mate, i also hate aggressive ads, so after many trials and errors, i finally found the best (and also free and no Root) solution.
I'm using an app called "Virtual Hosts" which is blocking ADS by creating a local VPN and loading a host file.
The app is open source and you can get the apk for free, downloading it from here - > https://github.com/x-falcon/Virtual-Hosts/releases < - or from Playstore by paying it (both versions are identical).
Once installed, you can downloaded and use the "host" file from here - >
http://adblock.mahakala.is/ <- or use another one of your choice (i got the file from this thread - >
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1916098 )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Youtube without ads:
A youtube version that is slightly altered to filter out ads. Works on non rooted devices and can be installed alongside the original youtube. Notice the modified MicroG apk on the second quote for using this modified youtube with your google account.
Pretoriano80 said:
Yes, you can try the latest x64 version from here - > https://androidfilehost.com/?w=files&flid=236411 - > it doesn't need root and can be installed alongside YouTube, as a secondary YouTube. [emoji6]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretoriano80 said:
Yeah, in-app ads are also gone. [emoji16]
BTW, if you want to use your Google account with the modified YT app, then you will also need a modified MicroG apk, which is specifically designed for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How to root Huawei Mate 10 Pro:
Some of you looking into this thread might wanna have full control over your Mate 10 Pro by rooting. There are various ways but the MAGISK seems really nice, and you can choose which apps shall see root or not. Read more here; https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/magisk
A short video of Magisk; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFJVoIjKZJw
Pretoriano80 said:
Rooting with Magisk is possible on Mate 10 pro, so you can use banking app or any other app that requires a "stock" device. As long as you pass SafetyNET verification and you hide root from the eyes of those apps, than you can use them with Root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huawei Mate 10 Pro apps loosing 4G and Wifi connection
When I first started to use the Huawei Mate 10 Pro I noticed that every once on a while an app would not work when I tried to restart the app. Suddenly I got an error saying their was no data connection, meaning no 4G or wifi. It was faulty error because I could use data in other apps. For me typically the problem was related to Spotify and Audible. The only fix I could find right away was a full reboot. It always took care of the problem and apps would work properly. Reboots are not welcome in a busy day. So I've looked around and found that I could manually control the power saving management for each app in >setting>battery>Launch. By taking back the control apps worked flawless once again.
A few weeks ago we had a yet another firmware update. And behold, once again the problem started. Only this time even in manual mode in >Launch the apps would still loose their 4G connection randomly, or even wifi if at home. It seemed like a reboot was the only choice to get things working. Until I by pure luck tried to enable the Ultra Battery Saver from the pull down menu. Enable it, then exiting it somehow resolves any power saving issues. Apps they work fine, they get their data connection, both 4G and wifi. The quick fix takes only seconds to complete, and there is no need to do a full reboot in order to have apps fully working.
I'm using adguard. To avoid some popup that coming from browser. And in the same time, if the apps have ads and i use the app continuesly, I'll purchased it, as im supporting the developer.
joppy said:
So I got a new phone, after years with a LG G3 it finally tanked. Today the replacement came. Huawei Mate 10 Pro.
And what a strange experience it was to fire up the unrooted phone. So much ads. Everywhere. Overwhelming.
I've been on a custom ROM rooted G3 for the past 4 years or so. I forgot about the ads.
The plan was to keep this phone stock, no root. In order to comply with all the crazy folks that try to force us to not use rooted devices. But as many of you have seen too, there are so many services that we use daily that will not work with rooted phones. I've worked around that before and have been happy.
But for now I am not ready to use a custom Rom or to root.
how can I kill ads? Ad guard, DNS66 or maybe block-this?
Maybe I am getting old, have a touch of paranoia or are just not brave anymore. But adding APK from sources I don't know much about feels well not good. There are so many scams and ****ware floating around. I would hate to end up with crapware for trying to get some peaceful surf time without ads. Apps are for the most part OK, because I pay for almost all those apps I use, and by paying I support and avoid ads. But even using a browser to read news I get littered in ads. Man ads really take the fun out of internet. I would easily pay good money as yearly fee to avoid ads. IS there anything out there that will work as a paid app?
What does the good people of XDA think is the way to go to kill ads without rooting?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi mate, i also hate aggressive ads, so after many trials and errors, i finally found the best (and also free and no Root) solution.
I'm using an app called "Virtual Hosts" which is blocking ADS by creating a local VPN and loading a host file.
The app is open source and you can get the apk for free, downloading it from here - > https://github.com/x-falcon/Virtual-Hosts/releases < - or from Playstore by paying it (both versions are identical).
Once installed, you can downloaded and use the "host" file from here - >
http://adblock.mahakala.is/ <- or use another one of your choice (i got the file from this thread - >
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1916098 )
P. S : Let me know how it works for you. Here is working perfectly and with almost no battery drain.
In regards to browsers. I used to use Dolphin browser, which has a good ad blocker, but, ever since Oreo, it crashes when I enable the ad blocker. Anyone have luck using Dolphin? Firefox also has a pretty good ad blocker but I find it slow.
A while back I had to send the much beloved Lg G3 to change screen, and the week it took before it was returned I had a loaner phone, a G5. Phone was not rooted so I added a adblock by DNS can't remember the name of it, but that thing ate battery as well as cpu. One could feel phone starting to bog down while surfing. That being said, I didn't put any time and effort into the loaner phone so I didn't try to tweak anything so the sluggish result could be my mistake also.
As soon as I have made a complete backup I will start trying these, and the virtual host one by one and put a small review here in this thread. I just learned that twrp should now also work for unrooted devices. That makes me very happy as it is familiar to use. Got to check out to see if maybe even Titanium now will work for unrooted phones as well. That would be really sweet.
Forgot how much work it is to get a new phone. Nothing is the same, and every brand UI got their own take on small bits and pieces just so we get our heart rate going
If others have other suggestions for anti-ad apps I will make time to try those as well. Thx you all for your input. Much obliged.
I'm using adclear. Helps a lot.
joppy said:
A while back I had to send the much beloved Lg G3 to change screen, and the week it took before it was returned I had a loaner phone, a G5. Phone was not rooted so I added a adblock by DNS can't remember the name of it, but that thing ate battery as well as cpu. One could feel phone starting to bog down while surfing. That being said, I didn't put any time and effort into the loaner phone so I didn't try to tweak anything so the sluggish result could be my mistake also.
As soon as I have made a complete backup I will start trying these, and the virtual host one by one and put a small review here in this thread. I just learned that twrp should now also work for unrooted devices. That makes me very happy as it is familiar to use. Got to check out to see if maybe even Titanium now will work for unrooted phones as well. That would be really sweet.
Forgot how much work it is to get a new phone. Nothing is the same, and every brand UI got their own take on small bits and pieces just so we get our heart rate going
If others have other suggestions for anti-ad apps I will make time to try those as well. Thx you all for your input. Much obliged.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root was never required for TWRP to work, only unlocked bootloader. Anyway, there's no TWRP available yet for Mate 10 Pro.
Titanium Backup will never work without root cause is the only way it can write on the /data partition.
Oh ok I thought that no-root-needed was a new feature for twrp. I guess as Titanium will not work with un rooted phones neither will any other apps similar to Titanium?
Is there any apps similar to twrp that will work with Huawei Mate 10 Pro?
No matter what I guess I just have to start testing adblockers this weekend. Because I can't take all the ads I struggle with now. Too bad I didn't start out with the new phone by testing, before I sat up the phone they way it is now, with all apps, settings etc. Cos now if I would like a fresh start after testing various adblockers I will need to do the whole process of installing and tweaking all over again unless I find something like twrp for the Mate Pro 10.
Btw the xda app named my device BLA-L29, is that a name that is widely used for the Mate 10 Pro? Never seen this name before.
joppy said:
Oh ok I thought that no-root-needed was a new feature for twrp. I guess as Titanium will not work with un rooted phones neither will any other apps similar to Titanium?
Is there any apps similar to twrp that will work with Huawei Mate 10 Pro?
No matter what I guess I just have to start testing adblockers this weekend. Because I can't take all the ads I struggle with now. Too bad I didn't start out with the new phone by testing, before I sat up the phone they way it is now, with all apps, settings etc. Cos now if I would like a fresh start after testing various adblockers I will need to do the whole process of installing and tweaking all over again unless I find something like twrp for the Mate Pro 10.
Btw the xda app named my device BLA-L29, is that a name that is widely used for the Mate 10 Pro? Never seen this name before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Installing the app i recommended has no risk, you don't need to backup anything. If it works and you like it, then you keep it, if not, just uninstall the app simple as that.
That app is open source, so no bloatware or any hidden stuff, it doesn't use DNS to circumvent ads and doesn't track anything, all it does is pointing Internet traffic to your "host" file, it's nothing like AdGuard and similar apps that also sell your data to third parties.
It only takes 5 minutes to test and decide, without any harm. [emoji6]
@Pretoriano80 thx a lot. That worked great, so great I had to support by buying the app.
Next step is to make youtube clutter free.
joppy said:
@Pretoriano80 thx a lot. That worked great, so great I had to support by buying the app.
Next step is to make youtube clutter free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem, i knew it would work perfectly. Battery drain is also low and it doesn't throttle net performance.
I think that for YouTube the only alternative with no root is to use a modified version (look here on XDA if interested).
@Pretoriano80 Not sure I follow you, modified youtube? Search came up blank.
Is that an app/apk to replace the default youtube app? Because when I try to uninstall youtube from phone I get an error msg saying "system app can not be uninstalled". Should I just overwrite?
joppy said:
@Pretoriano80 Not sure I follow you, modified youtube? Search came up blank.
Is that an app/apk to replace the default youtube app? Because when I try to uninstall youtube from phone I get an error msg saying "system app can not be uninstalled". Should I just overwrite?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should be able to deactivate the app and install the modded apk.
Ok, will retry. Seems that iYTBP - injected YouTube Background Playback might be a solution worth trying?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-iytbp-injected-youtube-background-t3560900
If you have tried other ones that works well for you feel free to share and recommend.
joppy said:
Ok, will retry. Seems that iYTBP - injected YouTube Background Playback might be a solution worth trying?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-iytbp-injected-youtube-background-t3560900
If you have tried other ones that works well for you feel free to share and recommend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you can try the latest x64 version from here - > https://androidfilehost.com/?w=files&flid=236411 - > it doesn't need root and can be installed alongside YouTube, as a secondary YouTube. [emoji6]
joppy said:
Ok, will retry. Seems that iYTBP - injected YouTube Background Playback might be a solution worth trying?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-iytbp-injected-youtube-background-t3560900
If you have tried other ones that works well for you feel free to share and recommend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You Can use newpipe. You Can download it for free on f droid open source market. Works very well
Thx again @Pretoriano80. Now I got a phone that is very usable and responsive and it is still not rooted. I will quote your ad free youtube solution in the first post so others find what they need easily.
Now lets hope all them crazy people out there stops with the root discriminating behavior, so that people in the future damn well self decide to root or not without being locked out from using services, apps or whatever.
joppy said:
Thx again @Pretoriano80. Now I got a phone that is very usable and responsive and it is still not rooted. I will quote your ad free youtube solution in the first post so others find what they need easily.
Now lets hope all them crazy people out there stops with the root discriminating behavior, so that people in the future damn well self decide to root or not without being locked out from using services, apps or whatever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, in-app ads are also gone. [emoji16]
BTW, if you want to use your Google account with the modified YT app, then you will also need a modified MicroG apk, which is specifically designed for it.
One more thing to get sorted, and that is a backup. I would prefer to find a custom recovery image that works with Huawei Mate 10 Pro, and that will also work well for non-rooted devices.
I have only used twrp myself, but twrp will not work with Mate 10 Pro. I also know about cwm recovery, have not tried it yet but that one will only work for rooted devices. So neither twrp or cwm will work for the BLA-L29/Mate 10 Pro.
Any suggestions?
joppy said:
One more thing to get sorted, and that is a backup. I would prefer to find a custom recovery image that works with Huawei Mate 10 Pro, and that will also work well for non-rooted devices.
I have only used twrp myself, but twrp will not work with Mate 10 Pro. I also know about cwm recovery, have not tried it yet but that one will only work for rooted devices. So neither twrp or cwm will work for the BLA-L29/Mate 10 Pro.
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For backup use Huawei Backup on your phone, or HiSuite on PC... works just fine.
Currently have a ONEPLUS 3T running Resurrection Remix ROM, which is great.
I guess the P30 hasn't had any development in this area? I was reading in the rom section and it seems even unlocking the bootloader is tricky, let alone loading a custom rom.
Is this something that will come later?
It's my first time thinking about buying a relatively new phone so not sure of the time line of things like this.
Cheers!
anotherxdauser said:
Is this something that will come later?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huawei stopped giving official bootloader unlock codes, which means no TWRP or custom ROM/ Kernels. There are unofficial unlock codes, but they are pricey, may not be available all the time, etc.
But if you're looking to buy a P30 Pro, it shouldn't be for its custom ROM scene or mod capabilities. It should be for its camera. Period. There is a very good reason it's being held so high in all reviews for its camera prowess, you won't be getting tried of admiring what the camera can do, and the built-in image editor can enhance on - be it night, wide or zoom.
To its credit, EMUI does have a few features like very good theme support, a Network speed indicator, the gesture navigation and floating navigation dock are nifty, etc. You can install Netguard for firewall and Ad blocking through hosts, disable or uninstall system apps (bloatware) through ADB, try out custom launchers if you do not like EMUI launcher, and so on - in other words, its not too bad that the phone cannot be officially unlocked.
But if custom ROM/ recovery are more important, you should look at One Plus 7/ Pro, maybe. You'll not have similar kind of a development for this phone. Look up the custom section for, say, Mate 20 Pro to understand the kind of progress you can expect
Thanks
Have been thinking yesterday whether I need root or not.
I don't understand ADB, so try and avoid using it.
This is where a custom recovery excells - I can just load the zip and flash it on to the phone from the phone. But a lot of the time, this is to do with custom roms.
I have AdAway, but don't think that needs root.
I have Solid Explorer, which has a root mode, but I rarely use this and it's more for finding files around the phone than anything else.
I do use Greenify but not sure whether it actually does anything, or if it needs root access.
Nova Launcher is one that may require root, but I can't see anything blindingly obvious as to why. It also hides system apps so I don't bother uninstalling them.
Titanium Backup - but I only use this when upgrading the ROM.
Bouncer is another app I have recently installed. It does have a root mode, but is optional.
I can still sideload apps without root, so don't need it there either.
So it doesn't look like I need root.
Perhaps I only had it to install a custom ROM, but I'm not one of those people who installs a new one every week. I barely update the one I have because it's a fair bit of hassle! I think the only thing I am worried about is after Android 9 and whether there will be a timely update to 10. But then the changes I have seen since abut 3 or 4 versions of Android have been very minimal at best.
Can things run systemlessly without root?
Sorry for all the questions.
Does worry me a little that Huawei don't allow people to fully control their phones - the cynic in me makes me think it's because they're spying, so don't want people to run any other software but theirs! Ha ha.
I may have an opportunity to buy the phone for about £400 less than what Amazon are selling it (Amazon: £899, eBay: ~£500, one I was looking at on ebay: £500 with best offer).
Be careful with ebay. Cheapest isn't always best.
anotherxdauser said:
I have AdAway, but don't think that needs root.
I do use Greenify but not sure whether it actually does anything, or if it needs root access.
Nova Launcher is one that may require root, but I can't see anything blindingly obvious as to why. It also hides system apps so I don't bother uninstalling them.
Can things run systemlessly without root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AdAway will need root (or magisk) - so that won't work. What you can do is use netguard and import the latest hosts created by AdAway (in another, rooted device). Read up about netguard, it's pretty good at what it does
Greenify has a non-root mode, but then the battery life in this phone is monstrous - I get about 2.5 days with 7 hrs of screen time and 1.5 hours of calling - my usage is pretty light though
Nova launcher does not need root for its primary functions - I haven't used it in a while so not sure what else it does that needs root
Nope - systemless/ magisk et all need bootloader unlocking, which ain't straightforward with this device...
Some good thoughts here.
If I can import a hosts file (link to tutorial?) that would be great.
Funny as I only use AdAway to block a banking app contacting its servers to report I'm rooted so I can still use the banking app. However, if I'm not rooted, I may not really require it any more.
Hey there!
After 2 years I'm finally switching from a great OnePlus 7 Pro to a brand new Galaxy S21 Ultra (US, Snapdragon, unlocked).
I rooted my OP7 the first day I got it, it was pretty straightforward - OnePlus made things easier too - and keeping it updated wasn't a big deal. Maintenance was smooth. I really didn't lose any security service, all my banking and payment apps worked flawlessly.
On the other hand, I've never rooted a Samsung before, but I keep reading that it's a bit of a pain.
So I wanted to ask to those of you who already rooted the S21 how it's going. Any app/service you had to leave behind so far? Any complications or difficulties?
Cheers!
US Snap Dragon chips now have a locked bootloader countrywide in newer Samsung Galaxy phones.
no TWRP or root without going thru a paid bootloader unlock service
Yeah, I know there's no TWRP for Android 11 yet. That's why I haven't updated my OP7.
Well, sounds like this countrywide lock is a real big pain then
I'm not an S21 owner nor American, I've just seen this in the S20FE forums, that's how US networks want Samsung to do stuff.
_JuSteR_ said:
Yeah, I know there's no TWRP for Android 11 yet. That's why I haven't updated my OP7.
Well, sounds like this countrywide lock is a real big pain then
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not being able to reliably unlock the BL is why I haven't gotten a S21 Ultra. I'm now looking at the Sony Xperia 1 III.
I also have a 7 Pro
tech_head said:
Not being able to reliably unlock the BL is why I haven't gotten a S21 Ultra. I'm now looking at the Sony Xperia 1 III.
I also have a 7 Pro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
something I read on an xda news page about treble said Sony put in lots of work on getting their vendor layer perfect for treble so GSIs should work with all features on Sony phones. everyone seems to not want you leaving their ecosystems such they are.
tech_head said:
Not being able to reliably unlock the BL is why I haven't gotten a S21 Ultra. I'm now looking at the Sony Xperia 1 III.
I also have a 7 Pro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This. I'm not looking at the phone you mentioned, but I'll probably be sticking to the Pixel devices moving forward. It just stinks that Google hadn't had a proper Pixel 5 release (due to the government secretly pinning the lawsuit that was for Apple against Google instead, causing them to lose around $170M USD) and so I went to the S21U...
While I like the phone, I probably definitely won't be going back to Samsung for my next phone.
_JuSteR_ said:
Hey there!
After 2 years I'm finally switching from a great OnePlus 7 Pro to a brand new Galaxy S21 Ultra (US/Snapdragon).
I rooted my OP7 the first day I got it, it was pretty straightforward - OnePlus made things easier too - and keeping it updated wasn't a big deal. Maintenance was smooth. I really didn't lose any security service, all my banking and payment apps worked flawlessly.
On the other hand, I've never rooted a Samsung before, but I keep reading that it's a bit of a pain.
So I wanted to ask to those of you who already rooted the S21 how it's going. Any app/service you had to leave behind so far? Any complications or difficulties?
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went from a OnePlus 7T to the S21 Ultra. The flasher in me went crazy the first month or two. I kept looking for ways to unlock and root etc. Regretted my decision. BUT THEN, after exploring and research, I found that I could get rid of ads across the whole phone. Including in app ads. I could theme. I could do basically everything I wanted WITHOUT root. After gradually moving all my passwords to Knox, it's grown on me. I'm very content. Samsung UI has come a long way imo
Just think about what you want out of being rooted. Research and find outnif you can accomplish the same without root and then go from there.
How do you block app ads? @BlaaaaazedUp
Thx
if tripping KNOX is worth it, then can go ahead
Sithlordpt said:
How do you block app ads? @BlaaaaazedUp
Thx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't mind losing more battery than normal (and losing a tiny bit of browsing speed depending on your setup): AdGuard - which isn't on the Play Store. But if you want to block those ads without any issues, you'll need AdAway with root.
I rooted my OnePlus 7 Pro for adblocking (adaway + minminguard), Battery Charge Limit and some small UI improvements and app debloat - Oxygen OS doesn't require that much though. I can't say the same about Samsung.
At the moment, on my S21 I'm just using adaway VPN, which works fine but not consistently. I also tried SystemUI Tuner to remove the VPN icon from the status bar - I can't believe there's no system option for that - but it stops working when you restart the phone.
I really don't know what KNOX is for and I don't know what tripping it implies.
Other than that, I'm really forcing myself to get used to the squircle icons across the UI
Samsung removed the fastboot mode from all their devices. How is that supposed to be open source and developer friendly? No more Samsung for me. Never again. Xiaomi is much more open source and developer friendly and much cheaper. Bye bye Samsung! Good riddance.
_JuSteR_ said:
I rooted my OnePlus 7 Pro for adblocking (adaway + minminguard), Battery Charge Limit and some small UI improvements and app debloat - Oxygen OS doesn't require that much though. I can't say the same about Samsung.
At the moment, on my S21 I'm just using adaway VPN, which works fine but not consistently. I also tried SystemUI Tuner to remove the VPN icon from the status bar - I can't believe there's no system option for that - but it stops working when you restart the phone.
I really don't know what KNOX is for and I don't know what tripping it implies.
Other than that, I'm really forcing myself to get used to the squircle icons across the UI
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use Good Lock to remove any icons from statusbar and edit all the things you want, including control center, app switcher style, keyboard effects, lockscreen, clock, etc.
It's a very powerful tool.
I just found a mint 9 Pro for $900.
Still with OnePlus.
I've been rooted for 2 weeks with a hong kong model G9880, unlocking the bootloader was pretty smooth only the firmware download and extra steps to root Samsung devices are much more complicated compared to OnePlus phone including OTA updates.
Everything I've been using was without any problems so far, I've tested Samsung Health and Samsung Pay wasn't working, but not a big deal for me as I use Google Pay. Samsung DeX is working fine also. I don't like Samsung apps as I don't want to stick with them too long.
For me it was worth it to root and trip Knox, because root is a feature for me as I'm pretty nerdy about controlling things and making things my own. I mostly use root for: Tasker automation for limiting battery charging, disabling services, and so much more automations, Adaway, (LP), EdXposed: PrivacyLua, AllTrans, theming Gboard themes, disabling navbar buttons and replace them with FNG and One Hand Operation+ (now using Nova doesn't have issues with swipe gestures, yaay!), Greenify to doze apps, DarQ to make almost any apps dark mode, SD maid (rooted) for disabling apps that start up on boot, Panda Mouse Pro for mapping keyboard in games without mouse and keyboard support (activation with root doesn't need a computer and adb anymore), also i can access ADB in Termux without a computer and without LADB, and so much moooree.. I could go on all day.
After rooting, all tweaking it is SO MUCH pleasure and so smooth to use and it all depends on the user if you're satisfied the way you use your phone. Tripping KnoX may decrease sale price if you're going to sell your phone in the future but I've read they still accept your phone as a trade-in for another phone so it's great. Of course some things can also do without root but with a hassle.
I'm coming from OnePlus 8 Pro and I chose S21 Ultra for DeX mode and when I use screen mirroring I can output 120hz for gaming and bought a monitor for that.
You don't neet adguard or root to block ads. Use the global dns in settings. Use adguard dns or a custom ad blocker such as nextdns. Both are free.
i'd like to get some insights on this too. i've been with android since froyo (yes, i'm old ) and i've rooted everything i've had from day 0, whenever possible. i'm on my 3rd month with the s21u and still stock as i find most of the things i need or do have workarounds for root (like changing out macrdodroid over tasker). so to those who've rooted, did you guys gain batt improvements? this might be a clincher for me
davie9x said:
I've been rooted for 2 weeks with a hong kong model G9880, unlocking the bootloader was pretty smooth only the firmware download and extra steps to root Samsung devices are much more complicated compared to OnePlus phone including OTA updates.
Everything I've been using was without any problems so far, I've tested Samsung Health and Samsung Pay wasn't working, but not a big deal for me as I use Google Pay. Samsung DeX is working fine also. I don't like Samsung apps as I don't want to stick with them too long.
For me it was worth it to root and trip Knox, because root is a feature for me as I'm pretty nerdy about controlling things and making things my own. I mostly use root for: Tasker automation for limiting battery charging, disabling services, and so much more automations, Adaway, (LP), EdXposed: PrivacyLua, AllTrans, theming Gboard themes, disabling navbar buttons and replace them with FNG and One Hand Operation+ (now using Nova doesn't have issues with swipe gestures, yaay!), Greenify to doze apps, DarQ to make almost any apps dark mode, SD maid (rooted) for disabling apps that start up on boot, Panda Mouse Pro for mapping keyboard in games without mouse and keyboard support (activation with root doesn't need a computer and adb anymore), also i can access ADB in Termux without a computer and without LADB, and so much moooree.. I could go on all day.
After rooting, all tweaking it is SO MUCH pleasure and so smooth to use and it all depends on the user if you're satisfied the way you use your phone. Tripping KnoX may decrease sale price if you're going to sell your phone in the future but I've read they still accept your phone as a trade-in for another phone so it's great. Of course some things can also do without root but with a hassle.
I'm coming from OnePlus 8 Pro and I chose S21 Ultra for DeX mode and when I use screen mirroring I can output 120hz for gaming and bought a monitor for that.
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Good to know. Is there any difference between the Hong Kong and US version?
I used to root my phones for quite the same reasons. I stopped using Greenify ages ago though, I don't think it's necessary on modern phones. And I'm not 100% sure about EdExposed as it slowed down my OP7 Pro a bit.
How do you find yourself with Samsung and system updates? Is it a stress to update and re-root?
tiliarou said:
You don't neet adguard or root to block ads. Use the global dns in settings. Use adguard dns or a custom ad blocker such as nextdns. Both are free.
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Agree. I'm using AdAway VPN based ad blocker at the mo, but for sure it comes with some cons. It's definitely slower than using the root based version. When I switch networks - from wifi to mobile for instance - it always takes some time to reestablish the connection. Sometimes I have to force close AdAway, if i want to use internet again. I'm slowly getting used to it btw
Using adaway vpn is almost as using the built in android dns setting, although adaway app as more features.
These features can be replicated within nextdns and then you never have to worry about anything. Except if you us public open WiFi network like in malls or airports where sometimes custom dns aren't allowed.
Has someone an idea why there is no sign of a custom ROM? I mean the phone is for a longer time on the market, we have a working TWRP and its the top of MI 11 lineup...
I would like too see custom ROMs because the original is full of annoying bugs.
Good question... there have been several threads now with a similar topic, none of them are being discussed thorougly. Try this one...
Lineage OS
Just a question for the future. Are there custom roms like Lineage OS coming for Mi 11 Ultra?
forum.xda-developers.com
I don't think custom roms will be easily doable on this device, especially the rear screen driver will be a pain in the ass
The rear display is almost useless. So i dont care about it. I mean, the display is from the watch but it can NOTHING. A whatsapp message will be showed for a few seconds, but i cant read it again. I cant check who called me (missed call), it doesnt work wit other messengers and so on.
RheinPirat said:
The rear display is almost useless. So i dont care about it. I mean, the display is from the watch but it can NOTHING. A whatsapp message will be showed for a few seconds, but i cant read it again. I cant check who called me (missed call), it doesnt work wit other messengers and so on.
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The rear screen functionality or lack thereof is nearly the worst thing about the phone
The only time I notice it's there is when it makes my Spotify songs skip by accident...
RheinPirat said:
The rear display is almost useless. So i dont care about it. I mean, the display is from the watch but it can NOTHING. A whatsapp message will be showed for a few seconds, but i cant read it again. I cant check who called me (missed call), it doesnt work wit other messengers and so on.
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Same here... I was reminded that the rear screen existed by accident. In addidtion to being utterly useless.
@xNAPx I'm not exactly sure about that statement. First off, there are devices that have an A/B-Partition-configuration and are running Lineageos and TWRP. Second, the Kernel and Vendor are available. Only extracting proprierity blobs might be an issue, meaning i might be unable to do it, but someone with more experience might be lucky. All in all, i don't see the problem with it.
Maybe it would be wise to think outside the box and try different solutions to get custom roms after all... maybe open up a donation pool for someone to look into it.
I don't have a mi 11 ultra but I find myself having kinda the same problem I have a note 20 ultra 5g we have twrp available but if you look at the development thread you won't find any custom roms. I honestly fear the custom rom community is dying out which is a shame as I think it's the best part of android..
Funny thing is,i f I go into the one plus 3/3t (THREE) thread, you still find updates for custom roms lol. A 5yo device.... (My previous phone before moving to Mi 11 Ultra)
xNAPx said:
Funny thing is,i f I go into the one plus 3/3t (THREE) thread, you still find updates for custom roms lol. A 5yo device.... (My previous phone before moving to Mi 11 Ultra)
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Over the years it has become more troublesome to unlock bootloaders etc and install custom ROMs and root modifications and in the old days the apps weren't smart enough to know if your phone was rooted but now many of them can detect a rooted phone and won't work (especially finance apps)
There are ways around the problem but most people don't have the time because they just want a phone that works (and don't have time to data wipe and reinstall everything over and over)
I expect this to get worse as Google is going to prevent side loading apps from alternative sources with a new app signature policy I was reading about
Samsung have improved the android experience a lot, following companies like OnePlus w cleaner interface and more features work out of the box that used to need a custom ROM to enable
speedtripler said:
Over the years it has become more troublesome to unlock bootloaders etc and install custom ROMs and root modifications and in the old days the apps weren't smart enough to know if your phone was rooted but now many of them can detect a rooted phone and won't work (especially finance apps)
There are ways around the problem but most people don't have the time because they just want a phone that works (and don't have time to data wipe and reinstall everything over and over)
I expect this to get worse as Google is going to prevent side loading apps from alternative sources with a new app signature policy I was reading about
Samsung have improved the android experience a lot, following companies like OnePlus w cleaner interface and more features work out of the box that used to need a custom ROM to enable
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You're absolutely right.. It's a shame but it's going that way to be honest with my note 20 between hex theme engine and the goodlock app thingy from Samsung this is the first phone i've had in 10 years I didn't find a need to root (yet) so I guess we have that things working better out of the box
Well whatever they do, these companies always give phone full of bloated **** and ads. Even with root getting rid of some apps gives you bootloops. A custom ROM will always be clean and minimal. My latest AOSP ROM on One plus 3 was having only 170 apps and services in total, my Mi 11 Ultra over 300. I don't know why people use financial apps while you can do everything with your browser. But it is not this the point.At least someone with knowledge and experience could at least find ways to clean a stock ROM to AOSP or giving custom versions. I know there is Xiaomi.EU but it is based exclusively on China Version and also is plenty of stock services.
mi 10 ultra took awhile to get the first custom roms
RheinPirat said:
Has someone an idea why there is no sign of a custom ROM? I mean the phone is for a longer time on the market, we have a working TWRP and its the top of MI 11 lineup...
I would like too see custom ROMs because the original is full of annoying bugs.
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I have been a member of this website for several years, back then there was a fibrant community of phone enthusiats and developers here. That doesn't appear to be the case any longer. Most stock roms today have many of the features that people used third party, custom roms for and fewer manufacturers today allow the bootloader to be unlocked. So with less demand, there are fewer devs.
xNAPx said:
Well whatever they do, these companies always give phone full of bloated **** and ads. Even with root getting rid of some apps gives you bootloops. A custom ROM will always be clean and minimal. My latest AOSP ROM on One plus 3 was having only 170 apps and services in total, my Mi 11 Ultra over 300. I don't know why people use financial apps while you can do everything with your browser. But it is not this the point.At least someone with knowledge and experience could at least find ways to clean a stock ROM to AOSP or giving custom versions. I know there is Xiaomi.EU but it is based exclusively on China Version and also is plenty of stock services.
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Ads?
I haven't seen an ad yet...
You must be doing something drastically wrong
Any miui apps that eu ROM devs leave in could be removed and replaced with similar ones from the playstore, like calculator, calendar, dialer, sms messages, contacts, file explorer, gallery etc
These are all critical for a fully functional device but if you don't like them you can remove them via adb and add some that you prefer from the playstore
AFAIK, the kernel source code is indeed out so we're really just missing developers that own this phone. Unfortunately, I'm learning python and not android related coding so as much as I want to start to make a custom rom, I wouldn't be able to do so till I finished learning python.
This link seems to be a good start
EDIT: Crap. You're going to have to do this as well to create the device tree for lineage os
speedtripler said:
Ads?
I haven't seen an ad yet...
You must be doing something drastically wrong
Any miui apps that eu ROM devs leave in could be removed and replaced with similar ones from the playstore, like calculator, calendar, dialer, sms messages, contacts, file explorer, gallery etc
These are all critical for a fully functional device but if you don't like them you can remove them via adb and add some that you prefer from the playstore
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The Xiaomi, EU rom has all ads removed plus a majority can be disabled and if you root the phone, all can be disabled/removed. The stock EEA and Global roms have ads, but during the setup process, you can opt-out of getting them. All apps can either be removed or disabled using ADB command's. Also comparing the overall size of a rom from a old OnePlus 3 to a rom from the Mi 11 Ultra is totally unfair, as well as, unrealistic, as total size of a rom has nothing to do with the amount of bloat it may contain. Those extra files are because of the extra features in today's roms. They could be optimization/ram management files or dark mode/customization files or files related to the screen refresh rate, AOD, etc... All features that were unavailable in a OnePlus 3 era rom.
I would also like to point out that in order to do a well done custom/lineage rom, that person needs to have/buy the device or be donate to them and were talking about a expensive phone.
As a owner, I would be biases if i say i would be interested in this having custom roms, on the other hand its a phone that has a lot of potential and a lot of road for bug fixing stuff.
Luckily the same rom can be use for either Mi 11 Pro or Mi 11 Ultra since they share similarities and some model device name, and someone with the expertise goes for it.
i'm also sad there is no custom rom, just bought mi 11 ultra 3 days ago, and in process of unlocking it {china rom} with lots of crazy chinese lines that i didn't understand, if only china rom would automatically translate everything when i switched the language to english, i would prefer china rom because of the battery endurance it gives me. but chinese apps/bugs etc. is troublesome so im waiting 1 week to unlocked it and opt for global or eu rom instead.
Hope a clean rom like Elite rom with my poco x3 pro will also be available to mi 11 ultra.
I'm hoping for a pure Android ROM at some point. MIUI is not the worst and it actually has some nice features but it's too fancy. Just plain old Android like the Android One phones would be a nice choice to have.
Are you saying One UI is plain? It's a very good skin, but plain it's not.
is that another limitation as well? I can seem to backup device to google drive. As far as I read from all the threads, Android Auto, location history did not work. But I didnt see backing up device to google (and restoring).
Just wondering and sorry if I missed it somewhere on the threads.
rudabb said:
is that another limitation as well? I can seem to backup device to google drive. As far as I read from all the threads, Android Auto, location history did not work. But I didnt see backing up device to google (and restoring).
Just wondering and sorry if I missed it somewhere on the threads.
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It doesn't work too even when it's rarely mentioned.
ok..Thats that .
Thanks
There are plenty more google services just not as widely used that don't work.
E g. Google Play Services for AR (formerly ARCore). Some Vivo China OS devices support it, others don't according to google compatibility list. It kinda stops at x50 pro however (with x80 vanilla being the odd newer exception). You can side load it but then you also need to side load / apk install any app that is AR only on Play store.
It should be offered in vivo appstore if compatible for vivo devices but x90 pp doesn't list it.
I'm not sure if for example pokemon Go works however. On a first try it only showed AR instead of AR+ which it should show with ARCore. If it only enables AR+ with full google compatibility indicated it will not work. If it can be set to just ignore compatibility it will work.
Google assistant barely works (no conversation, no hotword). Quite a few other missing things here and there ( not sure how many can be partly solved by side loading)
worse thing is Im hooked on this phone...but everyday theres a little bit of you cant do this and cant do that...shame. because if they did a global version its a winner..
I am wondering how funtouch 13 compares to color OS...almost tempted to try the x90 pro global as the 1 inch camera and the hardware I am sold on.
I am still struggling with notifications on lock screen only, and things like nearby share dont work..like little things that add up.....
rudabb said:
worse thing is Im hooked on this phone...but everyday theres a little bit of you cant do this and cant do that...shame. because if they did a global version its a winner..
I am wondering how funtouch 13 compares to color OS...almost tempted to try the x90 pro global as the 1 inch camera and the hardware I am sold on.
I am still struggling with notifications on lock screen only, and things like nearby share dont work..like little things that add up.....
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Not possible to use Google backup on a phone without root for me is a huge problem, not a small one. Because it means days to restore should you move to another phone respectively should you need to hard reset....
But yeah in principle it's a great hardware (except modem, some sensors like compass and the slow charging on PD chargers plus the uber sensitivity to charging cables), just software that hits a few bugs every single day.
I really feel you need to be a die hard Vivo fanboy to overlook those problems.
Buying a Xiaomi virtually anyone outside China just flashes xiaomi.eu custom ROM. Very different situation. Same for OnePlus just flash to global (though with OnePlus 11 this got mighty complicated especially with region lock)..
But for example for AR vivo 90 pro global isn't certified either, so that actually had nothing much to do with google. Other Chinese brands certify all their midranger and flagships because it affects also all Chinese apps that want to use AR as it's the only AR platform for Android. And yes side loading works but if the system reports it cannot do it, while it can it poses app developers into big problems. If they just enable AR features for all phones then those who didn't side load the AR services will get bugs...
If you want the 1" sensor just wait for Xiaomi 13 Ultra and either get global directly or wait for a Xiaomi.eu ROM (many shops will pre flash). It will have the 1" sensor with variable aperture as it seems and that's a huge plus because in quite a lot of situations the bokeeh is too much (e.g food pictures). Or wait what Samsung does with the announced big camera update end of March (or use gcam on S23u, it's really dialled by now and way superior to stock and doesn't have the problems gcam has on X90pp). Then Pixel 8 pro should have 1/1.12" sensor too but that's a long wait...
The Magic 5 pro cannot really convince me for upgrade. They also botched the modem like Vivo and the zoom isn't too good. I would prefer it but not good enough vs s23U. Also it doesn't seem to use actual crop from full resolution for 2x portrait and some more limitations on camera.