[Q] Locked BL: root method & recommended ROMs? - Sony Xperia T, TL, TX, V

Hi, I'm using an Xperia T with a locked bootloader and there seem to be two main methods to rooting a locked bootloader, DooMLoRD's & Bin4ry's. Is one of these methods 'better' than the other?
And secondly, can anyone with a locked bootloader recommend any good ROMs that work on locked bootloaders? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Both work fine, neither is better than the other.
As for recommending ROMs, it always better to try them yourself. Flash one, and give at least 3-4 days before it settles before you make your mind up.
EDIT, But you can start with this one...

reshonda said:
Hi, I'm using an Xperia T with a locked bootloader and there seem to be two main methods to rooting a locked bootloader, DooMLoRD's & Bin4ry's. Is one of these methods 'better' than the other?
And secondly, can anyone with a locked bootloader recommend any good ROMs that work on locked bootloaders? Any help is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Asking what ROM to use is an impossible question, what works for some doesn't work for others. It honestly depends what you are into.
Its like trying to recommend food, music, films,etc without knowing your tastes.
Make a list of what features you want and go around the the threads and inspect them to see if they offer what you require.
The minute i received my T it was rooted. I wanted a to remove all the bloatware, as well as a ROM that was deodexed and with lidroid toggles. At the time Xperiment was top of the page with all of these, i looked, i tried, i liked. I havent tried any others so i cannot advise other than what i've said and what greg has said.
Part of the fun around here is flashing a ROM, then another...then another...then another..then before you know your sat staring at a screen tapping F5 anticipating the next update.
gregbradley said:
Both work fine, neither is better than the other.
As for recommending ROMs, it always better to try them yourself. Flash one, and give at least 3-4 days before it settles before you make your mind up.
EDIT, But you can start with this one...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice, i do love a bit of self promo. Good work.:good:

dully79 said:
Asking what ROM to use is an impossible question, what works for some doesn't work for others. It honestly depends what you are into.
Its like trying to recommend food, music, films,etc without knowing your tastes.
Make a list of what features you want and go around the the threads and inspect them to see if they offer what you require.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply, I asked mainly because (from what I'd seen) there weren't very many ROMs for locked bootloaders so it would be 'easier' to identify the 'best' one, but obviously this isn't the case. Thank you, I'll just try all of them and see which is best for me.

Related

please help a newbie

just purchased a sprint htc hero im wondering what are the advantages or disadvantages on changing the roms and can someone help me in chosing and installing a new rom
Themes. Tethering. Improve battery life and signal. Improve overall speed. New 2.1 features. And VARIETY! Just to name a few...
The advantages are many...it's fun to see what other people come up with, exciting to find new features, cool to check out many different awesome themes....
Disavantages....on occasion you have to wipe going from one rom to the next (but that can be fun too)
.....what ROM to choose, that is going to be up to you and what you like in a ROM....from all the ones you test out on your HERO!!!!
Do some reading and ROM searches my friend, you'll be surprised at all the good stuff you find
And all the info you'll need is at the top of the forum.
Here -http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=618874
And here - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=618867
No one can help you chose a rom, it's a personal choice and frankly there are so many to chose from you'll get at least 5 different answers from 10 people.
The advantages are you will get much better performance out of your device and unlock potential that the average person would never know exists. Sprint bogs the thing down with so much crap you would be AMAZED at how much better it will operate when it's all cleaned up Also you can do things like wifi tether (true) and enable the built in light saber (false)
The disadvantage is learning about this stuff and doing it for yourself is so fascinating and fun if you're not careful it will quickly take over every aspect of your life (true)
There are plenty of guides from getting started for total noobs to things like compiling kernel from source code. Check out the guides wiki at the top of the forum, it' one of the stickies. First thing you will do is "root" and backup your phone, then you're pretty much good to do whatever you want and as long as you don't flash a GSM rom on your CDMA hero anything you do after you make a nandroid backup is reversible.
Welcome to xda, have fun!
*edit- LOL, there's a few of us up late tonight I see!
I finally decided to use custom ROM because I got sick of waiting for Sprint to release 2.1 update. There is all sorts of software out now that just runs on 2.1, Google Navigate was the big one for me.
Since I upgraded, there has been other things, speed, the ability to install a virtually unlimited set of apps, live wallpapers, swype keyboard, these are the big things i Like. Edit: Oh and wifi tethering is huge!!
There are some problems right now, you cant have everything at once. and it will take some time playing around to get what works best for you.
One other thing to consider is that when Sprint rolls out the 2.1 update over the air, you may lose the ability to root your phone. You can root now, and when the update comes out, someone here will make a rom from it and that way you will guarantee the ability to have root and still have latest stock sprint/htc software.
nebenezer said:
The disadvantage is learning about this stuff and doing it for yourself is so fascinating and fun if you're not careful it will quickly take over every aspect of your life (true)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha very true Sometimes i think to myself; xda is a drug.
Some more stuff you can read:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=4258574&postcount=1
and this to save yourself from flaming
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=6271277&postcount=1
jcruz13 said:
just purchased a sprint htc hero im wondering what are the advantages or disadvantages on changing the roms and can someone help me in chosing and installing a new rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a good step by step guide I used to root my phone. Also A good rom with everything working is fresh 2.0d without overclock but with the updates. You'll get live wallpapers wait just read what he wrote
thatguythatdid said:
This is a good step by step guide I used to root my phone. Also A good rom with everything working is fresh 2.0d without overclock but with the updates. You'll get live wallpapers wait just read what he wrote
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
themed regaw for me
thatguythatdid said:
This is a good step by step guide I used to root my phone. Also A good rom with everything working is fresh 2.0d without overclock but with the updates. You'll get live wallpapers wait just read what he wrote
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, there are several methods to rooting but you cant go wrong doing it the old fashioned way. You get some great exposure to the inside of your phone and TTG wrote a very good guide. Just follow the steps.
Also in that guide he has a link to the 1.5.2 recovery image, thats a little outdated, you want RA's 1.6.2 found HERE, scroll about 2/3 down the page and choose one of the 4, doesn't matter which, the only difference in them is cosmetic.
nebenezer said:
Also you can do things like wifi tether (true) and enable the built in light saber (false)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just because you haven't found it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Ask me some time about my impromptu circumcision and why I always disable the menu-menu-to-unlock feature.
tejasrichard said:
Just because you haven't found it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Ask me some time about my impromptu circumcision and why I always disable the menu-menu-to-unlock feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Damn, light saber app killed the Aardvark huh? I never thought anyone would get hurt when I wrote that app....sorry.

New to the N1: Couple of introductory questions

Heyo N1 community!
So, after much deliberation, I dropped some cash on newegg for the first nexus experience...I also just needed a good backup phone.
That said, I'm probably going to be spending a lot more time here than in the Atrix forums as I'm REALLY liking the N1...and MIUI (...I'm kind of in love).
All this said, I had a couple questions about things I should be wary of...and just am not familiar with.
1. Blackrose
-From what I understand, due to the small ROM capacity, this is used to repartition the N1 to accommodate larger ROMs. I also see something about a custom HBOOT being involved. I don't really know what that is, though. Do most ROMs need this now? I was lucky enough to flash MIUI which apparently doesn't require blackrose. Granted, I don't know any of the implications of Blackrose. Is it reversible? Does it limit you in any way if you're on it?
2. Kernels
-Back on the Captivate, I feel like it was the roaring '50s with kernels. You could flash whichever kernel you wanted on whatever ROM you wanted...it was all about preference. With the Atrix, it's the opposite...doesn't help that there's basically only 1 stable kernel either. That said, I flashed the latest (non-ICS) MIUI and it looks like it comes with a slightly dated CM7 kernel- is this a big deal? Should I look to update it to something more recent/stable/etc? Or are kernels pretty specific as to ROM compatibility?
3. Radios
-Pretty much same situation with the kernels. I want to be careful because I know the N1 shipped for a couple different carriers, T-Mo and AT&T at the forefront. Now, I'm on AT&T, but the box my N1 came in is marked for Vodafone UK. As I understand it, Vodafone's freq's are the same as T-Mo's, right? Is there any difference between my "vodafone" N1 and one designed to work with T-Mo, AT&T, or any others?
4. Hardware issues/life expectancy/replacement options
-First and foremost, I'm still confused as to whether Nexus 1's are even still being manufactured. I heard somewhere that some UK carriers still sell them (obviously Google stopped doing it direct awhile ago). To me, it's the kinda thing where, in all honesty, I'd love to use the N1 as my EDC forever- the screen size is perfect for me, the Dev community is MASSIVE and very experienced, and the phone is simply iconic. That said, though, I'm wondering how long it'll be until things start to bite it and I have to look for a replacement...and if I'll even be able to find one. Alternatively, I've seen a lot of people say that HTC has been pretty forgiving about replacing busted power buttons and the like. Besides the power button, though, is there anything else I should be keeping an eye on?
Lastly, I want to thank all the Devs who've contributed. Poking around through the dev section gave me an overwhelming sense sense of options, and the conversation here seems a bit more mature than over in the Atrix forums ("WHEN WILL WE HAVE CM7/CM9?!" was almost every other thread...and the poor devs got TORN UP trying to contribute what they could).
Sorry if I blinded anybody with all the writing, but I appreciate any advice or input you can give me.
1. You don't need Blackrose for MIUI. Use A2SD and partition your SD card. How? Search. Help - Wiki link is in my signature.
2. You don't need to switch from default MIUI kernel, unless you want to overclock.
3. Doesn't matter, as long as you're on one of the Gingerbread radios. Any of the latest will be good enough. No difference in baseband builds between different N1 models.
4. You're going to eat a lot of pain with screen touch craziness, which is the most painful part of this phone. The second most painful part is sub-par GPU, but unless you game a lot, you won't notice it - MIUI is smooth. So I'm really in doubt you'll want to keep this phone for a long time. In any case, press the power button gently and closer to the inside of the phone, and avoid pressing it as much as you can (use ROMs with trackball wake and screen lock widget).
Jack_R1 said:
1. You don't need Blackrose for MIUI. Use A2SD and partition your SD card. How? Search. Help - Wiki link is in my signature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the tip. It occurs to me that I jumped the gun and flashed a ROM before I should have- not that anything bad has happened. Just thinking I'll probably go round two here shortly once I learn all the ins and outs (like Apps2SD...and popping in an SD that bigger than the included 4GB one to make it worthwhile). Thanks for the tips bro.
Jack_R1 said:
2. You don't need to switch from default MIUI kernel, unless you want to overclock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not worried about OCing. UVing might be nice...but I'm thinking unnecessary for battery life- First discharge gave me 1 day 12 hours after WHALE-HEAVY use...and even then I still had 20% left.
This is something I'm actually in awe regarding.
Jack_R1 said:
3. Doesn't matter, as long as you're on one of the Gingerbread radios. Any of the latest will be good enough. No difference in baseband builds between different N1 models.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome. Now, real quick- did MIUI include a GB radio upon flashing it? I haven't flashed one specifically yet...should I head over to the Kernel/Radio thread and pick one out? Also, just to clarify/double-check, you're saying that a T-Mo N1 = Vodafone UK N1 etc etc? Same hardware and everything? (Obviously excluding N1's designed for AT&T's freq's?)
Jack_R1 said:
4. You're going to eat a lot of pain with screen touch craziness, which is the most painful part of this phone. The second most painful part is sub-par GPU, but unless you game a lot, you won't notice it - MIUI is smooth. So I'm really in doubt you'll want to keep this phone for a long time. In any case, press the power button gently and closer to the inside of the phone, and avoid pressing it as much as you can (use ROMs with trackball wake and screen lock widget).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ha! Yep, I've definitely gotten some odd touches from the screen even after my little time with it. I've found I am ALWAYS hitting the home button...or the area that REGISTERS as the home button...whenever I go to press the space bar when typing. Quite possible it's due to having only used Android phones w/ larger, 4" screens...so I'm used to "reaching down farther" for the space bar, so to speak. And about trackball/volume wake & screenlock widget- already on it, ha! Not only is it a lot more convenient, but I figured it's something I should get used to in light of the power button's frailty.
It occurs to me- how wiggly is the trackball supposed to be? When I got my phone and started playing with it, I noticed a slight amount of give before it'd click (to select). Is this normal? While it always returns to it's normal amount of...portruding (sp?)/portrusion, should there be NO give before it clicks? Thanks for the input.
Also...about the screen...are there any mods/hacks to make it more accurate/less glitchy? Fix multitouch snapping? Etc?
Lastly, I'd always rock the V6 supercharger script on my Atrix. Now that I'm on MIUI, do they have it baked in? If not, is it compatible? Does it make a difference?
Thanks for the info/input so far bro I really appreciate it.
xyrovice said:
Awesome. Now, real quick- did MIUI include a GB radio upon flashing it? I haven't flashed one specifically yet...should I head over to the Kernel/Radio thread and pick one out? Also, just to clarify/double-check, you're saying that a T-Mo N1 = Vodafone UK N1 etc etc? Same hardware and everything? (Obviously excluding N1's designed for AT&T's freq's?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No rom should include a radio, and as a general rule you should always flash radios from fastboot to avoid any problems.
xyrovice said:
Also...about the screen...are there any mods/hacks to make it more accurate/less glitchy? Fix multitouch snapping? Etc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What can be done has already been done as far as tweaks.
evilkorn said:
No rom should include a radio, and as a general rule you should always flash radios from fastboot to avoid any problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm...gotcha. Just wondering (as I didn't mess w/ fastboot until the Atrix- all Captivate radios were just flashed in recovery), what problems could arise from non-fastboot flashes? And how likely is this? Thanks for the info btw.
Update:
Well so I quickly checked the Radio thread, specifically the newest one (from a Korean update?).
Read and read and read and read before doing anything...then went and checked my phone only to find out the baseband version in my setting>about phone matches that of the newest one: 5.12.00.08. Don't know what difference it makes, but I have a "U" halfway through instead of an "H." So, two possibilities: Either my phone shipped with it (Odd as it's a Korea update?), or it was included in the ROM. Either way, I haven't noticed any issues, and I figure I'll leave it be.
Thanks again for the info though fellas.
I know your questions probably have been answered but I'll give it a shot:
1 - Blackrose will repartition the N1's partitions regarding cache, data, and such. If you want MIUI or pretty much any Gingerbread ROM you most likely 99.9% don't need Blackrose or a custom partition layout. Only certain ICS ROMs require Blackrose. The custom HBOOT you are referring to is Blackrose and the custom partition sizes. There are no limits if you are on Blackrose, and you can always get rid of it just as easy as installing it. Getting rid of Blackrose HBOOT will also refer you back to the stock partition layouts, if you made any changes while on Blackrose.
2 - There are a rather great deal of kernels for the N1 out there. I can think of at least 5 main ones, such as Wilmonds, IR's, and many more. Most will work with any ROM, such as CM or MIUI. But as always, backup before you flash. As for need, you don't really need to flash a custom kernel yet it can help. Some kernels boast improving animations and performance while others try to boast battery saving. Just check out the comments of each kernel's thread for a true evaluation.
3 - As for radios, flashing is not really that important. Most N1's are on 5.08 version which is the latest release for the US; all be it that is is a year or so old. There is a newer 5.12 radio released in Korea but there is no need to flash/install it. Some say connection is better but there is no difference if you are in the US. No ROM requires a certain radio.
4 - I had my N1 for almost 2 years with absolutely no issue with any buttons. I do hear that some have issues with the power button however. I guess it depends how well you take care of your device. I have dropped my phone very rarely and I take pretty good care of it. No complaints here.
Hope this helped you. And welcome to the N1 community! Any other questions feel free to ask!
Androidity3000 said:
I know your questions probably have been answered but I'll give it a shot:
...
Hope this helped you. And welcome to the N1 community! Any other questions feel free to ask!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome info bro! Your explanation of Blackrose was especially concise, simple, and informative. Thanks for the kernel advice too! I appreciate it man!
Hey fellas, I hate to double post in the interest of bumping, but there are still a couple questions I'm still wondering about, and I'd rather bumprez than make another/2/3 different threads about each question.
The info you've given me so far has been AWESOME, and I'd appreciate any more input you might have.
Thanks in advance fellas.
What are the remaining questions?
Can't go wrong with Nexus One. Any weakness in memory can be dealt with through blackrose and a2sd. Hardware issues are minimal and even potential power switch problem is easily repaired.
Sent from my Nexus One using xda premium
Jack_R1 said:
What are the remaining questions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So sorry- let me lay them out:
(And my bad for getting back to this so late- been really quite swamped with life!)
xyrovice said:
It occurs to me- how wiggly is the trackball supposed to be? When I got my phone and started playing with it, I noticed a slight amount of give before it'd click (to select). Is this normal? While it always returns to it's normal amount of...portruding (sp?)/portrusion, should there be NO give before it clicks? Thanks for the input.
...
Lastly, I'd always rock the V6 supercharger script on my Atrix. Now that I'm on MIUI, do they have it baked in? If not, is it compatible? Does it make a difference?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also, I'm wondering about the AMOLED vs SLCD differences- something I don't think I've asked about yet.
Basically, regarding any and all facets of a screen- what are the differences between the AMOLED and the SLCD hardware?
And to reiterate- I'm talking about any kind of difference regarding anything, whether it's vibrancy, clarity, powerdraw, touch-sensitivity/accuracy...anything at all.
Lastly, regarding Blackrose:
So, Androidity3000 gave me a great cliff's notes on Blackrose, but I want to make sure- If I flash Blackrose (which is a custom HBOOT that reconfigures the partition sizes so as to avoid space-constraint issues?) can I just keep that all the time? Can certain ROMs NOT be flashed if I'm running Blackrose? Also, does Blackrose automatically decide the sizes of the new partitions, or do I have to configure the sizes myself? If so, are different configurations better, and why?
Thanks for all the good info and patience so far, breauxs. I appreciate it.
Trackball has some free movement, what you describe seems normal.
I've expressed my opinion on all kinds of "magical" scripts at some other point in time. Look at the free memory you have (which is probably >100MB at any given point in time), and think - do you need anything?
SLCD and AMOLED look a bit different. If you search the forum and Google, I bet you find enough examples and explanations. The question seems way too lazy.
Read the Blackrose thread to understand more, what it is and what it does. Also too lazy of a question.
I just picked up a N1 off ebay. It is in almost new condition got it for $155.00. I moving over from a mytouch 3g fender so the n1 is much better, i love it. This post helped me out alot. I've always wanted the n1 I've had my mytouch since it came out
Jeffrey.Dahmer said:
I just picked up a N1 off ebay. It is in almost new condition got it for $155.00. I moving over from a mytouch 3g fender so the n1 is much better, i love it. This post helped me out alot. I've always wanted the n1 I've had my mytouch since it came out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to hear it bro! I like thinking that there have gotta be others with the same questions/concerns as me, and I'm glad this thread was of some use!
...AND that, as it hopefully filled you in sufficiently, you didn't feel the need to make another thread!
Enjoy the phone man!

[Q] Unlock Telus Bootloader

I am new to this whole experience, and to this forum, so it may take me a bit extra to understand things at first. That being said, I do have experience rooting and installing custom ROMs on android devices, and understand what needs to be done in general terms in order to actually be successful.
A friend of mine posted about wanting to install a custom ROM on my S3 mini to this forum recently, but not much was accomplished other then the realization that I likely have a locked boot loader, and therefore have limited to no options. Although, I am aware of the ability to actually unlock the boot loader, but am unsure of how to do it, or if I even can on my model. So I pose the question, how do I unlock my boot loader so I can install a custom recovery, and then a custom ROM? I have been searching around for a while without much success and need the help of more experienced group of people.
I am fully aware of the dangers that arise when attempting to flash an unlocked boot loader, but if I come across a relatively safe method I want to try it.
Thanks in advance for any time you spend responding to me, I am very grateful for all your help.
--nav
------------
Sorry forgot to say the model of the phone, it is SM-G730W8.
nav13eh said:
I am new to this whole experience, and to this forum, so it may take me a bit extra to understand things at first. That being said, I do have experience rooting and installing custom ROMs on android devices, and understand what needs to be done in general terms in order to actually be successful.
A friend of mine posted about wanting to install a custom ROM on my S3 mini to this forum recently, but not much was accomplished other then the realization that I likely have a locked boot loader, and therefore have limited to no options. Although, I am aware of the ability to actually unlock the boot loader, but am unsure of how to do it, or if I even can on my model. So I pose the question, how do I unlock my boot loader so I can install a custom recovery, and then a custom ROM? I have been searching around for a while without much success and need the help of more experienced group of people.
I am fully aware of the dangers that arise when attempting to flash an unlocked boot loader, but if I come across a relatively safe method I want to try it.
Thanks in advance for any time you spend responding to me, I am very grateful for all your help.
--nav
------------
Sorry forgot to say the model of the phone, it is SM-G730W8.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me clear up some stuff for you, and hopefully for all the others that come across this thread; there are 2 official versions of the "S3 mini" as far as I'm concerned. The GT-I8190 which includes its variants GT-I8190L and GT-I8190N, and your version the SM-G730W8. They have absolutely nothing in common, other then their names. They have a similar appearance, but they use different hardware, because of this anything created for the GT-I8190 will not be compatible with your phone and will screw up your phone (maybe even to the point of hard-bricking it where it will no longer work and beyond recovery, unless you send to Samsung or a service shop that can JTAG it back to life). As far as I know since your phone's bootloader is locked, you cannot install anything to it. I know that there might be a build of CWM Recovery floating around for your phone, you won't be able to install it until the bootloader gets unlocked, and so far no one has managed to unlock the bootloader.
By the way, most of the threads for your phone the SM-G730W8 and its variants SM-G730WA, etc seem to be in the Q&A section of the S3 Mini forums. The general forum discussion seems to be predominantly users with T599, T599V, T599N (like myself) who have similar hardware to the GT-I8190 to the point where we can use each other's sources with some modifications, but the ROMs/Recoveries/Kernels are not interchangeable.
I do know that root has been achieved (if I recall correctly) and beyond that, nothing else in terms of development can be done until the bootloader is unlocked. Search around the Q&A subforum, and you should see more threads pertaining to potential development.
I hope I explained this clear enough, I'm just worried that someone may come on here screw around with their phone and end up with a paperweight!
Exothermic said:
Let me clear up some stuff for you, and hopefully for all the others that come across this thread; there are 2 official versions of the "S3 mini" as far as I'm concerned. The GT-I8190 which includes its variants GT-I8190L and GT-I8190N, and your version the SM-G730W8. They have absolutely nothing in common, other then their names. They have a similar appearance, but they use different hardware, because of this anything created for the GT-I8190 will not be compatible with your phone and will screw up your phone (maybe even to the point of hard-bricking it where it will no longer work and beyond recovery, unless you send to Samsung or a service shop that can JTAG it back to life). As far as I know since your phone's bootloader is locked, you cannot install anything to it. I know that there might be a build of CWM Recovery floating around for your phone, you won't be able to install it until the bootloader gets unlocked, and so far no one has managed to unlock the bootloader.
By the way, most of the threads for your phone the SM-G730W8 and its variants SM-G730WA, etc seem to be in the Q&A section of the S3 Mini forums. The general forum discussion seems to be predominantly users with T599, T599V, T599N (like myself) who have similar hardware to the GT-I8190 to the point where we can use each other's sources with some modifications, but the ROMs/Recoveries/Kernels are not interchangeable.
I do know that root has been achieved (if I recall correctly) and beyond that, nothing else in terms of development can be done until the bootloader is unlocked. Search around the Q&A subforum, and you should see more threads pertaining to potential development.
I hope I explained this clear enough, I'm just worried that someone may come on here screw around with their phone and end up with a paperweight!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do thank you for making things a bit clearer for me to understand. I am very disappointed that they advertise these phones as being the "S3 Mini" when in fact they are a completely different version. I bought the phone with the understanding that is was a quick and modern little phone, and that I could install a custom ROM on it. It is a good piece of hardware, but I guess I should have researched deeper then I did into the whole situation. I assumed there would be a little bit ore consistency with the hardware.
I have achieve a root though, and with that there is a lot of things I can change that I wouldn't otherwise be able to. But unfortunately it's not the same as the true Vanilla Android I wanted to install. With some tweaking touchwiz is fine, but it has it's moments. I'll keep looking for something, but if I can't find anything, my time with this device may be limited. Within time, I may end up trading up to an S3 or something that is unlocked.
--nav
nav13eh said:
I do thank you for making things a bit clearer for me to understand. I am very disappointed that they advertise these phones as being the "S3 Mini" when in fact they are a completely different version. I bought the phone with the understanding that is was a quick and modern little phone, and that I could install a custom ROM on it. It is a good piece of hardware, but I guess I should have researched deeper then I did into the whole situation. I assumed there would be a little bit ore consistency with the hardware.
I have achieve a root though, and with that there is a lot of things I can change that I wouldn't otherwise be able to. But unfortunately it's not the same as the true Vanilla Android I wanted to install. With some tweaking touchwiz is fine, but it has it's moments. I'll keep looking for something, but if I can't find anything, my time with this device may be limited. Within time, I may end up trading up to an S3 or something that is unlocked.
--nav
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well for the time being, look into debloating your system through Titanium Backup, and slap on a 3rd party launcher (nova launcher,etc)!
Exothermic said:
Well for the time being, look into debloating your system through Titanium Backup, and slap on a 3rd party launcher (nova launcher,etc)!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have Titanium installed, can you point me in the right direction for guides on what to remove?
nav13eh said:
I have Titanium installed, can you point me in the right direction for guides on what to remove?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sadly there isn't one extremely particular to your phone, but be careful with this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2322375
See if any of these apps matches up with your phone. I highly recommend freezing them, over removing them, as you can revert it if anything goes wrong. If you have Polaris office apps, then you can delete that for sure, but other that freeze these apps and it should feel snappier and more fluid. I also highly recommend a third-party launcher, TouchWiz is downright horrible.

Functions in UB

Hi people, well I've been looking for this answer but i haven't find any one.
When you Unlock the Bootloader of Moto X, Can it still work with the Stock ROM?
The Roms which are not based on Stock, for Example CM, or others, do they still keep the native functions from Moto X? I mean the "Ok, google now" for waking the phone, or that one which wakes the phone when you move.
And, What about the OTA in UB?
Many thanks in advance.
Regards,
iCerebro.
icerebro said:
Hi people, well I've been looking for this answer but i haven't find any one.
When you Unlock the Bootloader of Moto X, Can it still work with the Stock ROM?
The Roms which are not based on Stock, for Example CM, or others, do they still keep the native functions from Moto X? I mean the "Ok, google now" for waking the phone, or that one which wakes the phone when you move.
And, What about the OTA in UB?
Many thanks in advance.
Regards,
iCerebro.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should have no problem running stock Roms at all. Unfortunately for CM builds and such, Motorola native functions usually don't work. Hope that helps. Doesn't mean you can't go back and forth and try different Roms...that's the beauty of an unlocked boot loader, opens the Moto X to new worlds.
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk 2
Thanks for the answer, I have had my other phone and Unlocked its bootloader, but in this phone I see there are a lot of problems for bricking and no posibilitis for unbricking, so I just want to have my phone rooted. But for now is impossible.
I'd suggest you read through all the sticky threads in general and q&a and learn how all this stuff works, before you do anything.
The more knowledge you possess, the less likely you'll have issues, minor or major.
All your questions were good ones....just very basic ones. I wouldn't jump into anything until you fully understand what you are about to do.
Good luck and enjoy!!
kj2112 said:
I'd suggest you read through all the sticky threads in general and q&a and learn how all this stuff works, before you do anything.
The more knowledge you possess, the less likely you'll have issues, minor or major.
All your questions were good ones....just very basic ones. I wouldn't jump into anything until you fully understand what you are about to do.
Good luck and enjoy!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely this!
Sent from my Unlocked VZW M-O-T-O XxX

Root/Custom ROM/Bluetooth/DRM issues (Stop me buying an iPhone 6s!)

Hi guys,
My knowledge of ROMs and rooting isn't the best so please bare with me if this question seems dumb. And before anyone says, I have read this thread (and countless others) but would like some clarification.
I've always wanted to install CyanogenMod to my Z3 Compact because my car, an E46 BMW has not been able to pair with my phone since 4.2.2 when a change to bluetooth.default.so was made - Cyanogenmod has the fix.
I have seen recent posts on this forum that suggest if the phone is rooted and a custom ROM is installed, I'm still able to maintain my camera quality which previously was limited (fish-eye effect and low light poor quality) due to the loss of DRM'd software due to a DRM restore fix created by one of the forum members. Is this correct? This was the only thing that ever stopped me rooting my Z3 as camera quality is of high importance to me.
I've been using an iPhone 5s since my screen smashed last month and I planned to buy an iPhone 6s this weekend but if it seems I can use the Z3 Compact for all purposes ( In-car Bluetooth, stable Android, good camera and battery life) then I will definitely get the screen repaired tomorrow!
Thanks in advance.
This is a link explaining the Bluetooth issue I'm talking about.
tsmr said:
Hi guys,
My knowledge of ROMs and rooting isn't the best so please bare with me if this question seems dumb. And before anyone says, I have read this thread (and countless others) but would like some clarification.
I've always wanted to install CyanogenMod to my Z3 Compact because my car, an E46 BMW has not been able to pair with my phone since 4.2.2 when a change to bluetooth.default.so was made - Cyanogenmod has the fix.
I have seen recent posts on this forum that suggest if the phone is rooted and a custom ROM is installed, I'm still able to maintain my camera quality which previously was limited (fish-eye effect and low light poor quality) due to the loss of DRM'd software due to a DRM restore fix created by one of the forum members. Is this correct? This was the only thing that ever stopped me rooting my Z3 as camera quality is of high importance to me.
I've been using an iPhone 5s since my screen smashed last month and I planned to buy an iPhone 6s this weekend but if it seems I can use the Z3 Compact for all purposes ( In-car Bluetooth, stable Android, good camera and battery life) then I will definitely get the screen repaired tomorrow!
Thanks in advance.
This is a link explaining the Bluetooth issue I'm talking about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is true, I am using DRM fix for my Z3c because I didn't backup my DRM keys (duh!) and the camera quality seems perfect, although the fix says it also restores X-Reality and whatnot but I haven't got to get the engine working, I fixed that with Color Control to match my saturation and colors needs...
As for the Bluetooth issues, I've kinda experienced problems with it too, I have a Bluetooth gamepad, and whenever I'm playing an Android game that supports controllers, it disconnects, but when I play on emulators it doesn't happen... I don't know if there's a fix for that but oh well.
DRM fix works only on stock based roms and on Concept roms.
It doesn't work on custom roms like Cyanogenmod.
istux said:
DRM fix works only on stock based roms and on Concept roms.
It doesn't work on custom roms like Cyanogenmod.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. I don't actually need CyanogenMod, I just need to be able to edit the bluetooth.default.so file as per the thread I linked so that in-car Bluetooth works with my handset. Is this possible whilst maintaining camera quality?
Also when you say 'only works on stock based ROMs' - does this mean that I could install stock Android 6.0 to my device with a custom bluetooth.default.so file, then install the DRM fix and it will work as normal? This would be amazing!
PS. What is a Concept ROM?
I'm so sorry for asking what are most probably stupid questions but I'm fairly new to the Android scene thus still learning.
Of course its possible, you don't need unlocked bootloader to edit system files lol. Unlock bootloaders are used to install custom kernels or firmwares not made by Sony, like CyanogenMod or AOKP and etc.
Concept, is the "Alpha" Edition of Marshmallow that Sony plans to ship out within the next few months, they let a select a number of people to test out the rom and help them debug it. I don't recommend installing it as it is near beta stage and the number of bugs really don't make it suitable as a daily driver for you phone, stick with Lollipop until we get the official stable update unless you know what you're doing.
Good luck!
Revontheus said:
Of course its possible, you don't need unlocked bootloader to edit system files lol. Unlock bootloaders are used to install custom kernels or firmwares not made by Sony, like CyanogenMod or AOKP and etc.
Concept, is the "Alpha" Edition of Marshmallow that Sony plans to ship out within the next few months, they let a select a number of people to test out the rom and help them debug it. I don't recommend installing it as it is near beta stage and the number of bugs really don't make it suitable as a daily driver for you phone, stick with Lollipop until we get the official stable update unless you know what you're doing.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for explaining what Concept is. I guess that's not something that I need right now! To clarify; are you saying that to be able to edit system files, I don't need to unlock my bootloader? I was under the impression that to do this I'd need to:
a) Unlock bootloader.
b) Root device.
c) Access/edit the bluetooth system files.
Any advice on the steps I need to take to have my Z3 Compact work with my car whilst maintaining original camera quality would be much appreciated!
PS. Due to the prompt, positive responses in this thread, I've just taken my Z3 to a local to store so the screen can be repaired. Thanks all for the help - such good folk!
tsmr said:
Thanks for the reply. I don't actually need CyanogenMod, I just need to be able to edit the bluetooth.default.so file as per the thread I linked so that in-car Bluetooth works with my handset. Is this possible whilst maintaining camera quality?
Also when you say 'only works on stock based ROMs' - does this mean that I could install stock Android 6.0 to my device with a custom bluetooth.default.so file, then install the DRM fix and it will work as normal? This would be amazing!
PS. What is a Concept ROM?
I'm so sorry for asking what are most probably stupid questions but I'm fairly new to the Android scene thus still learning.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you need only the root in order to work on that bluetooth file, you can do it without unlocking the bootloader.
Follow this tutorial: http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3-compact/general/how-to-root-backup-drm-keys-t3013343
You will be able to get root without losing DRM keys and else you will make a backup of DRM keys So, if in the future you need/want to unlock the bootloader, you have a safe copy of your keys. :good:
istux said:
If you need only the root in order to work on that bluetooth file, you can do it without unlocking the bootloader.
Follow this tutorial: http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3-compact/general/how-to-root-backup-drm-keys-t3013343
You will be able to get root without losing DRM keys and else you will make a backup of DRM keys So, if in the future you need/want to unlock the bootloader, you have a safe copy of your keys. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much. Will try this in the morning and hopefully I will be able to use Bluetooth in my car once again!
tsmr said:
My knowledge of ROMs and rooting isn't the best[...]I have seen recent posts on this forum that suggest if the phone is rooted and a custom ROM is installed, I'm still able to maintain my camera quality[...]camera quality is of high importance to me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My suggestion (solely based on the points your described):
Either get a Z3c and stick to stock ROM
Or get an iPhone (seriously)
Now don't get me wrong, I am not being against custom ROMs. I am running CM myself and the first think I do before buying any android phone is to check if it has official CM support But you need to know that custom ROMs come with their own cost, and it depends whether you're willing to pay the price.
Reasons for my suggestion to you is that the road to unlocked bootloader and custom ROMs is a rough one. You'll be adding more mods and flashing more updates and you quickly end up with a phone which gets into the way and needs constant maintenance. Then there are issues with warranty, security, bugs, etc. Checking the forums for changelogs, kernels and ROMs will become a normal routine.
If you're regular user who wants his/her phone to just work, accept one of my suggestion and save yourself some pain. However, you might choose to be adventurous, then welcome to the community
PS: I'm myself exploring Z3c and iPhone 5s for my next phone.
Honestly, the road to rooting and properly running a rooted software is really not that long and rocky if you follow the linked thread perfectly. You also don't NEED to unlock the BL to get most of the advantages (there are many pre-rooted customized ROMs available without needing an unlocked BL). Follow the thread, stick to a good stable ROM or customization (I'm on Max Fury right now and she did some amazing work, check it out), and you'll be just fine. My BL is not even unlockable, doesn't bother me one bit. You can use Nova for a more Google-ish feel, and Sony's 5.1.1 is already pretty good at not being "Sony-fied".
Anyhow, this is the best phone I've ever owned, not looking back (I've had MANY more than just in my signature).
hv6478 said:
NOTE: annotated snippets from original comment
- if you follow the linked thread perfectly
- you also don't NEED to unlock the BL to get most of the advantages (it's upto you to figure out that just which advantages follow under that "most" category)
- follow the thread
- stick to a good stable ROM or customization (it's upto you to figure out whether you need a rom or customization)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. This proves my point even more! Now just compare this to getting a phone that just works
Although ROM customization is a beautiful and powerful idea, it's not for everyone, and comes at a cost (read: complexity). If anyone is ready to handle the complexity, please dive right in
Please don't mistake me. I'm not trying to disrespect the devs or offend custom ROM users, I'm both. I'm just trying to list down the pros and cons.

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