Related
Having been burned in the past by lack of drivers & resources for different devices, I started to wonder about the future of our Nook tablets.
I don't know anything about software and/or Android development so have no idea what is required to develop these ROMs.
Since the stock ROM runs on ICS and current development is on JB, are the drivers compatible?
Also, what about Android 4.3 (Key Lime Pie) and Android 5.0? When it is release by Google, would lack of stock ROMs be a hindrance to aftermarket development?
What exactly is needed by developers to create a (mostly) stable ROM for our Nook HD tablets & Android devices in general?
I hope someone with more knowledge than I possess can answer some of these queries.
Thanks.
IMO, my HD+ is pretty dang stable right now. I think the fact that the stock ROM is ICS-based helps a lot. Going forward, who knows? Hard to speculate, but with a solid kernel and that handles the devices capabilities, i think we should be good for a while.
So trying to choose between the Moto X and the Nexus 5, I came across the biggest difference between these phones, their development. Moto X has little to none and Nexus 5 has more than any phone out there. This was an easy win for Nexus 5 I thought. Until I read Moto X users saying that flashing ROMs and kernels are normally to fix issues that the stock versions have and that they don't need Custom ROMs and kernels because what they get is stable, smooth, and lasts long enough (battery wise).
I thought back to why I flash ROMs on Note II and my previous phone SII, and fair enough, I used to do it because I wanted to fix issues that came with stock versions. Now, I hate flashing ROMs, I just want to use my phone. Anyways, looking at the development on the Nexus 5, it seems much of it is to fix the speakers, camera, battery life, etc.
Then I thought that Custom ROMs are important to stay up to date with Google's updates but then Motorola released their update faster than Google did with their Nexus 4. They are also updating their 1.5 year old phones (Not the Razr HD or the Razr HD Maxx probably because of their TI chipset). So it looks like Moto X users are in good hands as far as updates are concerned.
What do you guys think? Would you rather have a fully functional stable stock ROM on a phone that has no development otherwise or would you rather get a phone with tons of development to fix issues that the stock ROM has?
I am asking because there may be an angle to development that I haven't considered. Many customizable things included in ROMs on Nexus 5 are available via Xposed on Moto X.
Until I read Moto X users saying that flashing ROMs and kernels are normally to fix issues that the stock versions have and that they don't need Custom ROMs and kernels because what they get is stable, smooth, and lasts long enough (battery wise).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a very narrow perspective. There are lots of reasons one might want to flash a ROM or kernel; the "one size fits all" mentality of other vendors such as Apple and Microsoft need not apply here. Custom ROMs open the door to different features that the OEM might not have considered or wanted to spend time on, and allow the creativity of the general public to enhance the phone in ways that are unique to them or only fits a certain niche that wouldn't be profitable for a big company to try and cater to. It certainly isn't just about "fixing issues".
Though custom ROMs certainly aren't the only feature I would look for in a phone, I might hesitate before buying a phone that little support or, even worse, a locked bootloader with no current workaround or hack for the simple reason that even if there's nothing I'm interested in today, there might be something cool that I want to try out tomorrow.
MaxCarnage said:
there might be something cool that I want to try out tomorrow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you had bought something like the Moto X one year ago, what feature made by the ROM developers on the Nexus 4 would you really want to try out?
I've been debating this myself. I have a Nexus 5 now that I'm testing with TMO prepaid for a month. So far, the phone is really nice and as you said, the level of development is astounding. BUT, I have to leave VZW in order to keep the phone. That's very hard to do when I get a hefty discount on the service and still have unlimited data. I can get LTE pretty much everywhere I go. With TMO, I'm lucky to get Edge data in some places or even a signal at all inside buildings.
I love the look and feel of the X. It's is a great piece of hardware and with the Dev edition, I could stay on VZW. I also like the fact that it runs basically stock Android along with additions that are actually useful and well done. The dev community is very limited though and will most likely stay that way. Moto was quick to get the 4.4 update out but it remains to be seen if that pace will continue. You would hope so but nothing is guaranteed. The X2 may be out next year putting the update schedule for the current model on the back burner.
I had the original Nexus One and the Galaxy Nexus. I've always been a diehard AOSP guy. Every phone I've owned in between has always been on a custom AOSP based ROM in order to get close to that Nexus experience. I'm attracted to custom ROMs not because they fix bugs, but because they allow me to always stay on a current version of Android (no waiting for carrier updates) and add some nice features to the basic AOSP design. Custom kernels can also improve overall performance and battery life even if you decide to stay stock otherwise. The Nexus line will always have the edge in this regard.
I wanted to be blown away with the N5 and content with TMO but I'm second guessing my decision each day.....
darkgoon3r96 said:
So trying to choose between the Moto X and the Nexus 5, I came across the biggest difference between these phones, their development. Moto X has little to none and Nexus 5 has more than any phone out there. This was an easy win for Nexus 5 I thought. Until I read Moto X users saying that flashing ROMs and kernels are normally to fix issues that the stock versions have and that they don't need Custom ROMs and kernels because what they get is stable, smooth, and lasts long enough (battery wise).
I thought back to why I flash ROMs on Note II and my previous phone SII, and fair enough, I used to do it because I wanted to fix issues that came with stock versions. Now, I hate flashing ROMs, I just want to use my phone. Anyways, looking at the development on the Nexus 5, it seems much of it is to fix the speakers, camera, battery life, etc.
Then I thought that Custom ROMs are important to stay up to date with Google's updates but then Motorola released their update faster than Google did with their Nexus 4. They are also updating their 1.5 year old phones (Not the Razr HD or the Razr HD Maxx probably because of their TI chipset). So it looks like Moto X users are in good hands as far as updates are concerned.
What do you guys think? Would you rather have a fully functional stable stock ROM on a phone that has no development otherwise or would you rather get a phone with tons of development to fix issues that the stock ROM has?
I am asking because there may be an angle to development that I haven't considered. Many customizable things included in ROMs on Nexus 5 are available via Xposed on Moto X.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am running the N5 stock and have no reason to root or flash a custom Rom. Never thought I would say that about my phone but I am actually content with the N5 the way it is. There are some cool features that devs add in but then you get sucked into this never ending flashing frenzy which I have been in for years.
It is good to actually enjoy the phone now and keep the software on it for more then a few days. lol
Anyway, the screen alone on the N5 is enough for what I consider a big step up from the Moto X. I have friends with Moto X's which I actually recommended to them since they are on Verizon and it was being offered for free on contract. I do think it is a great phone with some great features. Not enough there to sway my decision to get one over a N5 though.
I do applaud Motorola for their unbelievable quick update and I bet we start to see some other maunfacturers start stepping up their game as well. We have seen this recently with HTC also.
The question to ask yourself is what is important to you. Another good thing with the Moto X is it generally stocks with the stock Android feel so it almost resembles Nexus software.
Bottom line, when I turn on my N5 after playing with the Moto X, the Moto X does not in any way make me want to buy one for myself.
---------- Post added at 11:34 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:32 AM ----------
fallingd0wn said:
I've been debating this myself. I have a Nexus 5 now that I'm testing with TMO prepaid for a month. So far, the phone is really nice and as you said, the level of development is astounding. BUT, I have to leave VZW in order to keep the phone. That's very hard to do when I get a hefty discount on the service and still have unlimited data. I can get LTE pretty much everywhere I go. With TMO, I'm lucky to get Edge data in some places or even a signal at all inside buildings.
I love the look and feel of the X. It's is a great piece of hardware and with the Dev edition, I could stay on VZW. I also like the fact that it runs basically stock Android along with additions that are actually useful and well done. The dev community is very limited though and will most likely stay that way. Moto was quick to get the 4.4 update out but it remains to be seen if that pace will continue. You would hope so but nothing is guaranteed. The X2 may be out next year putting the update schedule for the current model on the back burner.
I had the original Nexus One and the Galaxy Nexus. I've always been a diehard AOSP guy. Every phone I've owned in between has always been on a custom AOSP based ROM in order to get close to that Nexus experience. I'm attracted to custom ROMs not because they fix bugs, but because they allow me to always stay on a current version of Android (no waiting for carrier updates) and add some nice features to the basic AOSP design. Custom kernels can also improve overall performance and battery life even if you decide to stay stock otherwise. The Nexus line will always have the edge in this regard.
I wanted to be blown away with the N5 and content with TMO but I'm second guessing my decision each day.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not go to a MVNO that uses AT&T towers? Would still be much chepaer then Verizon and they offer much better coverage then T-Mo.
[email protected] said:
I am running the N5 stock and have no reason to root or flash a custom Rom. Never thought I would say that about my phone but I am actually content with the N5 the way it is. There are some cool features that devs add in but then you get sucked into this never ending flashing frenzy which I have been in for years.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't you want to improve the Audio and the battery life by trying out the kernels and the mods made here?
Anyway, the screen alone on the N5 is enough for what I consider a big step up from the Moto X.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume you mean resolution? I was under the impression that 1080p and 720p are not that different under daily usage?
It all comes down to your habits. I love flashing new ROM's, I sometimes try multiple ROM's per week. So for me, development means a lot. It's why I switched from the S4 to the N5. The S4 just received 4.3 and was locked down by Knox. Plus, with the N5 being an unlocked phone, you can flash any ROM on any carrier, so you won't ever have to drool over another carrier's ROM.
mjs2011 said:
It all comes down to your habits. I love flashing new ROM's, I sometimes try multiple ROM's per week. So for me, development means a lot. It's why I switched from the S4 to the N5. The S4 just received 4.3 and was locked down by Knox. Plus, with the N5 being an unlocked phone, you can flash any ROM on any carrier, so you won't ever have to drool over another carrier's ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also flash a ton of ROMs every week and also used to enjoy it, but I am getting tired of it now... I want to live life more than flash ROMs (if that makes sense)
darkgoon3r96 said:
If you had bought something like the Moto X one year ago, what feature made by the ROM developers on the Nexus 4 would you really want to try out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anything and everything. The top reason I don't even consider not getting a Nexus device anymore is the development scene. Look, you're viewing the huge development community on the Nexus line as people who are "fixing" a "broken" stock image. That's not really true. The stock image is perfectly fine. The developers are merely making things that they deem better than how stock handled it. For instance, a developer might think that the on-screen buttons are too large on stock, taking up way too much screen real-estate. They would then develop a way to remove it, but still be able to navigate. They might make something like PIE controls. Now, I may agree that the buttons really are too large, but I like the nav bar. So I might just resize it, instead of working around it.
I guess the point I'm making is, all of those modifications you see to "improve" the stock image are there to "improve" it, but what counts as an "improvement" is completely subjective. There are different people in the world with vastly differentiating opinions about things, so they will make something to improve something else as they see fit. The development sections here on XDA are merely huge repositories of any modification that anyone who was willing to make, made. Looking at them all as collectively-required flashable improvements isn't how it should be viewed. That's the beauty of having a large development community. You can pick and choose, depending on your personal opinions, which modifications are improvements and flash them. Another way to think of it is cookie-cutter vs modular. Do you want a phone that appeals the masses,;a one-size fits all, or a phone that is completely customizable?
darkgoon3r96 said:
Don't you want to improve the Audio and the battery life by trying out the kernels and the mods made here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery life has been great on stock for me. Absolutley no complaints here. I have ran so many custom kernels on prior phones and never saw a large boost in battery from them. Lots of times it would actually be worse.
The speaker volume can definitley use a boost and the camera needs some fixing. I know there is some dev work for both of these issues but I am going to hang a little and see if Google fixes it. If not, I might think about rooting solely for those 2 things. If Google fixes it, absolutley no reason for me to root this time around.
Anyway, as a prior flashoholic there is no better phone then a Nexus for people who like to flash Roms and like every feature on the sun. No other phones custom Roms work as good as they do on a Nexus.
Development is like the first determining factor for me when buying phones.
darkgoon3r96 said:
I assume you mean resolution? I was under the impression that 1080p and 720p are not that different under daily usage?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Screen size. A 5" screen starts the sweet spot for a device that uses on-screen buttons. I always felt shorted on prior 4.7" screens with on screen buttons. Like there wasn't enough viewing real estate. Sure you can remove the on-screen buttons but then you would need something that always to longer to activate then the actual buttons being present.
I also think the quality and colors of the N5 screen are just gorgous.
darkgoon3r96 said:
So trying to choose between the Moto X and the Nexus 5, I came across the biggest difference between these phones, their development. Moto X has little to none and Nexus 5 has more than any phone out there. This was an easy win for Nexus 5 I thought. Until I read Moto X users saying that flashing ROMs and kernels are normally to fix issues that the stock versions have and that they don't need Custom ROMs and kernels because what they get is stable, smooth, and lasts long enough (battery wise).
I thought back to why I flash ROMs on Note II and my previous phone SII, and fair enough, I used to do it because I wanted to fix issues that came with stock versions. Now, I hate flashing ROMs, I just want to use my phone. Anyways, looking at the development on the Nexus 5, it seems much of it is to fix the speakers, camera, battery life, etc.
Then I thought that Custom ROMs are important to stay up to date with Google's updates but then Motorola released their update faster than Google did with their Nexus 4. They are also updating their 1.5 year old phones (Not the Razr HD or the Razr HD Maxx probably because of their TI chipset). So it looks like Moto X users are in good hands as far as updates are concerned.
What do you guys think? Would you rather have a fully functional stable stock ROM on a phone that has no development otherwise or would you rather get a phone with tons of development to fix issues that the stock ROM has?
I am asking because there may be an angle to development that I haven't considered. Many customizable things included in ROMs on Nexus 5 are available via Xposed on Moto X.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just got rid of my moto x for the N5 for this very reason. The moto x is a great device and probably the best carrier controlled device to date.
That being said, it drove me nuts to be locked down with a locked bootloader and no development. Knowing the n5 is open and has all the Dev support means I have control over MY phone, not AT&T and not Motorola.
After dealing with the locked down s4, I promised myself I would never get another device without an unlockable bootloader. I caved when the moto x came out and as I said it's one amazing device but at the end of the day, I'll be sticking with nexus devices from here on out.
To me it's not worth giving up that freedom but for you it may not matter.
Sent from my Nexus 5
Development totally cones into it for me. One of the biggest considerations.
-----------------------
Sent via tapatalk.
I do NOT reply to support queries over PM. Please keep support queries to the Q&A section, so that others may benefit
brooksyx said:
Development is like the first determining factor for me when buying phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
rootSU said:
Development totally cones into it for me. One of the biggest considerations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please elaborate. I want to know which features exactly do Custom ROMs provide that you won't be able to get from the xposed mod that you would want that much.
capathy21 said:
That being said, it drove me nuts to be locked down with a locked bootloader and no development. Knowing the n5 is open and has all the Dev support means I have control over MY phone, not AT&T and not Motorola.
Sent from my Nexus 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I do get the Moto X, then I will get the Developer Unlocked model.
brooksyx said:
Development is like the first determining factor for me when buying phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here, after my first Nexus phone, I could never go back to a phone that didn't have a strong dev. community behind it. For me; tablets and phones are as much about the journey of playing with ROM/kernel/mods as they are a communication device.
darkgoon3r96 said:
Please elaborate. I want to know which features exactly do Custom ROMs provide that you won't be able to get from the xposed mod that you would want that much.
If I do get the Moto X, then I will get the Developer Unlocked model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No stock rom mod can touch the stability and features of cyanogenmod. It is the only way to do anroid. In fact I prefer iOS over stock android. But CM is awesome.
brooksyx said:
No stock rom mod can touch the stability and features of cyanogenmod. It is the only way to do anroid. In fact I prefer iOS over stock android. But CM is awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest, CM's future plans SERIOUSLY excite me.. Like that recent conversation feature
CyanogenMod, AOKP, AOSPA support, along with great kernel devs. The Nexus 5 is essentially guaranteed support for these things, and these are things I like.
darkgoon3r96 said:
Please elaborate. I want to know which features exactly do Custom ROMs provide that you won't be able to get from the xposed mod that you would want that much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who said anything about roms or features? Its all about kernels.
But if you look at ROMS like PAC, you'll see what features true roms can offer over xposed
-----------------------
Sent via tapatalk.
I do NOT reply to support queries over PM. Please keep support queries to the Q&A section, so that others may benefit
Hey guys, just a quick question, is Cataclysm rom built off of a genuine stock system.img like the ones hosted on the google dev site? Or is some of it AOSP based? And if it is from stock genuine Android, isn't there some kind of legal issue with that? Just wondering this, I use Cataclysm and I LOVE IT! It's my daily driver! Thanks all!
H4X0R46 said:
Hey guys, just a quick question, is Cataclysm rom built off of a genuine stock system.img like the ones hosted on the google dev site? Or is some of it AOSP based? And if it is from stock genuine Android, isn't there some kind of legal issue with that? Just wondering this, I use Cataclysm and I LOVE IT! It's my daily driver! Thanks all!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The dev had an explanation of how it worked on the original thread. Android is open source and google releases sources for all the nexus devices and they also conveniently package them into flashable images to fix things. There was at least 1 release where the dev had to wait for the source to come out even though the factory images were out in order to do anything. So in short no there's no legal issue. The dev used open source files and modified them for non-profit. The reason no one else really does that type of mod is due to the fact that AOSP mods are widespread and people can just use others' code to incorporate them into the rom (or just use CM). Or if the dev is particularly dedicated then they might use an AOSP base because they want to keep up with all the bleeding edge enhancements to android which may or may not have any real benefit. When you target just 1 device by using its stock rom source then the mods have to be made for specifically that device (and why would anyone create code for 1 device when they could just use what works on virtually all devices) though the Nexuses are evidently similar enough to port between them hence the N5, 6, 5x, and 6p versions. The use of the stock source however meant that you kept the "rock solid stability" that Google's team of software engineers created so the dev could focus on adding features because the base he was working on was solid.
StykerB said:
The dev had an explanation of how it worked on the original thread. Android is open source and google releases sources for all the nexus devices and they also conveniently package them into flashable images to fix things. There was at least 1 release where the dev had to wait for the source to come out even though the factory images were out in order to do anything. So in short no there's no legal issue. The dev used open source files and modified them for non-profit. The reason no one else really does that type of mod is due to the fact that AOSP mods are widespread and people can just use others' code to incorporate them into the rom (or just use CM). When you target just 1 device by using its stock rom source then the mods have to be made for specifically that device (and why would anyone create code for 1 device when they could just use what works on virtually all devices) though the Nexuses are evidently similar enough to port between them hence the N5, 6, 5x, and 6p versions. The use of the stock source however meant that you kept the "rock solid stability" that Google's team of software engineers created so the dev could focus on adding features because the base he was working on was solid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So all in all, Cataclysm is using stock Android and not AOSP, but done in a way that there are no legal issues? So in essence, flashing the system.img file from the dev site and adding Cataclysm mod to it is the the exact same difference as using the full Cataclysm installer? No AOSP added?
StykerB said:
.... "rock solid stability" that Google's team of software engineers created
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That has a price:
- white ui, grey text on white bad readable; especially with sunlight;
- white background causes battery drain on amoled displays;
- pesky search bar; not removable or change to transparent;
- no option to change to a dark theme;
- N6 full resolution 2560 x 1440 not used;
- N6 native resolution = 493. G. sets it to 560 dpi;
- no option to kill running apps;
- code to use layers can't be used without rooting;
- G-apps not predestinated for layers.....etc.
NLBeev said:
That has a price:
- white ui, grey text on white bad readable; especially with sunlight;
- white background causes battery drain on amoled displays;
- pesky search bar; not removable or change to transparent;
- no option to change to a dark theme;
- N6 full resolution 2560 x 1440 not used;
- N6 native resolution = 493. G. sets it to 560 dpi;
- no option to kill running apps;
- code to use layers can't be used without rooting;
- G-apps not predestinated for layers.....etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes but would you rather not have something solid for people to build on? some of those things aren't even about stability... like the full resolution thing? assuming you're referring to onscreen buttons, and DPI is always on every device set in multiples of 80 for app standardization reasons. The overlay code for layers wasn't intended to be used for theming. Hence why google only used it for stuff like the ATT boot animation. and Google's apps and OS are separate and shouldn't be expected to adhere to a modding community's theme engine that they don't support. And dark themes were probably a design decision rather than actual stability issue.
StykerB said:
.....some of those things aren't even about stability... like the full resolution thing?....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right my list is not about stability only.
Using the N6 now for more than a year. I've seen a beta version with a dark theme, but it was removed. Why? Stability issues ?
To make the N6 acceptable for my daily use, especially battery life and readability, I had to change a lot of things. That has consequences for the stability. The N6 is still stable but I wouldn't say rock stable.
So all in all cataclysm is built using real Android? The main question in this thread lol But yea, AOSP does have it pros and cons as well as stock, I have to play devils advocate here and say that all roms do have their differences.
H4X0R46 said:
So all in all cataclysm is built using real Android? The main question in this thread lol But yea, AOSP does have it pros and cons as well as stock, I have to play devils advocate here and say that all roms do have their differences.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes what he did was use the stock android package. But make no mistake. AOSP is the real android. There are very few diff between what google releases and AOSP. The main diff is thie closed sourced stuff Google adds.
zelendel said:
Yes what he did was use the stock android package. But make no mistake. AOSP is the real android. There are very few diff between what google releases and AOSP. The main diff is thie closed sourced stuff Google adds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I was never sure just how much stuff is taken out of AOSP, but it's just small differences then. Glad I know that now! And hey, since we're on the subject, how are gapps legal? Aren't gapps those closed source bits that google DOES omit from AOSP? Play store and background things? Like, I know there's some legal thing where gapps shouldn't be preinstalled in an AOSP rom, but what's the grey area with gapps? Thanks again for the detailed description! Learning these things is good lol
If you have a look around, legal means very little here.
Google has only issued a C&D order to CM to not enclude it in their roms. This is why no aosp has them built in by default.
zelendel said:
If you have a look around, legal means very little here.
Google has only issued a C&D order to CM to not enclude it in their roms. This is why no aosp has them built in by default.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL I had a feeling that was the case here on XDA haha but I love Android and the development is HUGE! No other mobile OS can match Google's Android! Thanks for answering my questions man! Appreciate the help! Have a good rest of the night! Or day depending on where you're from, I'm from USA lol
H4X0R46 said:
LOL I had a feeling that was the case here on XDA haha but I love Android and the development is HUGE! No other mobile OS can match Google's Android! Thanks for answering my questions man! Appreciate the help! Have a good rest of the night! Or day depending on where you're from, I'm from USA lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im in the US as well. Well kinda lol I live in Alaska.
Yes it is but that might becoming to an end soon. With more and more people closing off their source. This is a good and bad thing. We will see what happens. Also more and more OEM are gonna lock down their devices so people will have to pic. Things like mobile pay or modding their device.
zelendel said:
Im in the US as well. Well kinda lol I live in Alaska.
Yes it is but that might becoming to an end soon. With more and more people closing off their source. This is a good and bad thing. We will see what happens. Also more and more OEM are gonna lock down their devices so people will have to pic. Things like mobile pay or modding their device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea it's awful that people are making everything closed source! I'm a person who loves to tinker with my things, modded game consoles and phones and all, my hobby haha I just hope Android always stays open source! AOSP anyways. And are they starting to make Android devices more secure and non moddable? I hope the Nexus line always stays developer friendly, because I bought a Nexus for the sake of tinkering with it lol
H4X0R46 said:
Yea it's awful that people are making everything closed source! I'm a person who loves to tinker with my things, modded game consoles and phones and all, my hobby haha I just hope Android always stays open source! AOSP anyways. And are they starting to make Android devices more secure and non moddable? I hope the Nexus line always stays developer friendly, because I bought a Nexus for the sake of tinkering with it lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly. It because of script kiddies. The ones that just build from others source and post roms. Doing nothing but changing some text. To be honest all it would take is Google to stop pushing code to aosp. Android development would die off at that point.
Yeah if you look at things like Samsung, some devices are not even rootable, Sony, if you unlock the bootloader you lose the camera functions, even China based companies are locking bootloaders. Xiaomi just started doing this and have refused to give some the unlock because it goes against their business plan.
As for the nexus. We should be OK but then you have things like the Mm kernel that was a pain to get root on. And you lose mobile payments. Also more and more apps are looking for things like root and xposed and then refusing to work if they are installed.
zelendel said:
Honestly. It because of script kiddies. The ones that just build from others source and post roms. Doing nothing but changing some text. To be honest all it would take is Google to stop pushing code to aosp. Android development would die off at that point.
Yeah if you look at things like Samsung, some devices are not even rootable, Sony, if you unlock the bootloader you lose the camera functions, even China based companies are locking bootloaders. Xiaomi just started doing this and have refused to give some the unlock because it goes against their business plan.
As for the nexus. We should be OK but then you have things like the Mm kernel that was a pain to get root on. And you lose mobile payments. Also more and more apps are looking for things like root and xposed and then refusing to work if they are installed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've definitely heard of apps looking for root and for xposed framework (both of which I can't live without and use), and a lot of phones from certain companies are completely out of my interest because of no moddability. I wonder if it's even possible to root newer Samsung phones because of Knox security, and I won't even touch an Xperia, I've heard that they merge a lot of partitions, like boot and recovery and things like that, too confusing and not worth it to me. I just hope Android development stays strong in the Nexus scene at least, I love my Nexus!
Also, why do almost all AOSP ROMs have the "KitKat" sounds? Is that just what's released in AOSP? The "knocking" sounds I mean.
H4X0R46 said:
Also, why do almost all AOSP ROMs have the "KitKat" sounds? Is that just what's released in AOSP? The "knocking" sounds I mean.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest I never noticed. I don't use any of the stock sounds.
H4X0R46 said:
I've definitely heard of apps looking for root and for xposed framework (both of which I can't live without and use), and a lot of phones from certain companies are completely out of my interest because of no moddability. I wonder if it's even possible to root newer Samsung phones because of Knox security, and I won't even touch an Xperia, I've heard that they merge a lot of partitions, like boot and recovery and things like that, too confusing and not worth it to me. I just hope Android development stays strong in the Nexus scene at least, I love my Nexus!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont think the Nexus line will see many issues other then root becoming harder to get.
Some Samsung devices cant be rooted. Like my buddy that is a samsung fan has a note 4, note 5 and a few Galaxy s5 in his house and all of them are locked down.
More and more people are too worried about things like warranty to even bother really. I even waited on updating the n6 until root was gotten for it.
Pretty sure those can be rooted but you trip Knox which voids warranty. I haven't looked at Sammy phones since I had my S4 but I know the Note 4 and S5 had ROMs.
HipKat said:
Pretty sure those can be rooted but you trip Knox which voids warranty. I haven't looked at Sammy phones since I had my S4 but I know the Note 4 and S5 had ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope no root for the note 5. Only some can be. The tmobile version doesn't lock the bootloader but the rest do.
As tripping Knox is not an option for many as it voids their warranty but flashing roms does that anyway.
Hiya!
I recently bought a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, the 9.2". I am really pleased with the performance, looks, weight (it's like a feather!), but there is one thing I miss greatly from my old Nexus 7: Material Design
I really like how simple and neat it looks, honestly. I've been doing some research and the only options I'm finding are installing the Samsung 6.0.1 firmware. Has anyone successfully managed to install and run the stock Marshmallow, like the one that the Nexus device runs?
For the moment we only have cm12.1 and cm13 which are close to stock (plus cm theme and tweaks) Android but are still in development (not considered as stable build)
mysa50 said:
For the moment we only have cm12.1 and cm13 which are close to stock (plus cm theme and tweaks) Android but are still in development (not considered as stable build)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Considering OP just bought the device, it is more than likely a 2016 model that does not have an available Cyanogenmod yet.
m0rf0 said:
Hiya!
I recently bought a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, the 9.2". I am really pleased with the performance, looks, weight (it's like a feather!), but there is one thing I miss greatly from my old Nexus 7: Material Design
I really like how simple and neat it looks, honestly. I've been doing some research and the only options I'm finding are installing the Samsung 6.0.1 firmware. Has anyone successfully managed to install and run the stock Marshmallow, like the one that the Nexus device runs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There were some improvements, but nothing to write home about. I'm irritated that Sammy gives theme support to their new phones and don't even allow us to set to a darker theme to preserve battery without doing the salt the earth battery saver feature. :silly:
I don't think you're missing much with this update, more disappointment than anything, I also don't think OP's tablet is a 2016 because s/he isn't already on MM... I heard it shipped with MM. :laugh: Sammy knows best. Sammy also leaves flagship android tablet with broken promises... and dreams. "Theme support coming" my eye.
I think it's telling that you can mod your build prop and install theme store from a shady source and it works... (haven't tried, the topic is floating around here somewhere.)
I hope at least this will mark an acceleration of update cycles for security purposes, especially since some researcher endorsed sammy devices for update speed.
Thanks everyone for the quick answers! I guess my only option is to wait for a more stable and fully functional Cyanogen then. I guess patience will be the key here :-/
My model is definitely the 2015, as it came with Lollipop and I had to download Marshmallow myself via the update tool, btw. Not much worried as the changes seem to be minimal though.
I went from a rooted Nexus 6P to a P20 Pro a few months ago. While I like the hardware, love the camera, I am not a fan of the EMUI Android OS skin, or the lack of root. I specifically prefer the GApps over the Huawei ecosystem of apps that comes pre-installed.
I would like to install a 'stock' Android ROM, similar to my old Nexus 6P, including root. However, I am a bit overwhelmed by all the options available, required steps to get there and the issues people seem to be having. Especially compared to my old Nexus 6P where unlocking and rooting were a breeze.
Note that I am not that experienced with rooting and custom android roms, but I got around my Nexus 6P and guides pretty well.
Could you please point me in the direction what steps I need to take in my situation?
I reckon I first need to unlock my bootloader. I saw some retailers starting to offer these again. Will keep a close eye on those developments!
What ROM should I go for that best reflects the 'stock' Android experience with as few customizations as possible? I figured LineageOS or CypherOS are the most popular and well maintained roms.
I always updated my P20 Pro to the latest version whenever it came out. Is that an issue and/or should I downgrade first?
Can I get the same camera experience on the custom 'stock' Android ROMs? The one thing I like about the Huawei software is the camera that fully uses the 3 hardware lenses.
How is the device updated after installing a custom ROM. Does it support OTAs? On my Nexus 6P I had to manually flash the monthly updates which got quite annoying.
Any other tips, risks or things I should know before starting?
Thanks for helping me out!
Anyone got any tips? Looks like the keys to unlock bootloader are available again, albeit at a higher cost. Would like to start experimenting!
I'm also on that quest to @chillzilla. No one has responded a couple of videos online especially the tutorial for the lineage OS.
Got my code off FH last Friday and unlocked the bootloader.
Since then, I have been trying to work out how to root it and then rebrand it.
Not found anything concrete to work from yet, a lot of guides are old.
I heard about open kirin and I think it's could be the best usage right now, about the camera you can install the apk file of the real rom it's works like a charm. Fill free to take a look I created a poll about the best rom that we can use and see the options and choose what you want to like.
Happy hacking