Database Develop

Rooting NIGHTMARES!

Hi all,
So my Nexus 4 arrived today and I'm umming and ahhing as to root or not.
I've heard all the good things about doing it but I'm interested in peoples rooting nightmares. What's gone wrong? When have you wanted to throw your phone out the window?
Look forward to reading!

noahdev said:
Hi all,
So my Nexus 4 arrived today and I'm umming and ahhing as to root or not.
I've heard all the good things about doing it but I'm interested in peoples rooting nightmares. What's gone wrong? When have you wanted to throw your phone out the window?
Look forward to reading!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It really takes a tremendous effort to screw it up, it really does.
Cliff's Notes/summary, not an actual guide:
1. Learn to do it the old fashioned (and easiest way) by installing the drivers and using fastboot.
2. fastboot oem unlock
3. fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
4. flash your SU binaries zip
5. b00m!

CMNein said:
It really takes a tremendous effort to screw it up, it really does.
Cliff's Notes/summary, not an actual guide:
1. Learn to do it the old fashioned (and easiest way) by installing the drivers and using fastboot.
2. fastboot oem unlock
3. fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
4. flash your SU binaries zip
5. b00m!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In that case I'll lower my requirements. Anyone done it and thought 'You know what, I prefer the stock experience.'?

noahdev said:
In that case I'll lower my requirements. Anyone done it and thought 'You know what, I prefer the stock experience.'?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes actually. I thought rooting it was great and all, even went for custom kernels. The thing is, when you get all the updates that Google provides on a near instant basis, there is no need to root and rom your phone. Also, I feel like it doesn't provide too much extra for the experience. On a side note, when I had an HTC Sensation, I would root and rom just to get the newest and greatest from Google.
Your choice, but I like getting OTA's and don't run any SU apps.

Drebin 894 said:
Yes actually. I thought rooting it was great and all, even went for custom kernels. The thing is, when you get all the updates that Google provides on a near instant basis, there is no need to root and rom your phone. Also, I feel like it doesn't provide too much extra for the experience. On a side note, when I had an HTC Sensation, I would root and rom just to get the newest and greatest from Google.
Your choice, but I like getting OTA's and don't run any SU apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting means you are:
- able to make nandroid and Titanium Backups
- run a good custom kernel for color and sound control, better batterylife and performance and lower cpu temperatures
- install adblockers and other usefull apps.
If these aren`t improvements i don`t know what is and you might as well buy an iPhone for stock xperience, just my 2 cents.
BTW: @OP: rooting nightmares only occur with mis and badly informed users.

gee2012 said:
Rooting means you are:
- able to make nandroid and Titanium Backups
- run a good custom kernel for color and sound control, better batterylife and performance and lower cpu temperatures
- install adblockers and other usefull apps.
If these aren`t improvements i don`t know what is and you might as well buy an iPhone for stock xperience, just my 2 cents.
BTW: @OP: rooting nightmares only occur with mis and badly informed users.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but I feel like I don't need them on my phone. I don't need to back up apps as I am not switching roms, I like getting the OTA updates, and I don't care about ads on mobile because I never see them anyway, either through paid apps or little browsing.

Drebin 894 said:
Yes, but I feel like I don't need them on my phone. I don't need to back up apps as I am not switching roms, I like getting the OTA updates, and I don't care about ads on mobile because I never see them anyway, either through paid apps or little browsing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Too each his own bro

I fully agree to each his own but if you do not see the advantages and personalization rooti g gives you then most likelyyou are the type tthat is satisfied with what you get. For me T9 calling alone is worth it, adjusting scree colors, raising the sound level,showing actual dBm signal strength, removal of all apps I don't want that were preloaded, darker ui experience. Now if you never try this then you wont miss it but its not lime you can't root it then unroot if you are not happy.
Bottom line updates will come the same day here whether rooted or not and these updates can also come with goodies...
Edit: Also lets be honest in a forum of 100.000's of members and rooter you will find maybe a few hundred or so that may have an issue and most of them I guarantee you was because of them not following directions properly. Thats what makes for rooting nightmares. Remember even non rooters from time to time have to restore their phones for one crazy reason or another. Now you have to restore back to 1 year ago when you first got the phone...SMH

I am having some trouble rooting and puting a custom recovery on my new Nexus 4, I unlocked the bootloader, and flashed the custom recovery through fastboot, but its not sticking, I don't know whats wrong.

UNless youir getting deadlocks letting your phone charge overnight, I would stay on stock.
CM is great, but there are just always broken things and bugs that will eventaully piss you off when you want to do something.

noahdev said:
Hi all,
What's gone wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely nothing, except for the very slight inconvenience of having to re-root or re-install TWRP after doing an Android operating system OTA update. Not only that, but I now have several "root only" apps that I needed, I have full access to the Linux command line programs which I use, and I am learning a lot about the Android OS lower level stuff. For me anyway, I really have no desire to install custom ROMS, as stock rooted Android does everything I want it to do.

There are stock based custom roms with CM type customization's... Again unless you have tried a stock customized rom with advancements you should not be judging. Also you don't have to use each cutsomization you can actually leave it stock and only use 1 or 2 custom items. Check out PSX 4.1 bone stock with a handful of customizations

There is really only one thing that annoys me about stock and that is the oversized Nav bottons. I just wished they made them smaller or gave us the otion to change the size. This is available on custom Roms and gives you more screen real-estate which definitley makes a difference.
That is one thing that keeps pulling me to custom Roms. I was running AOKP which seemed to run pretty good. I restored my phone back to stock because I thought I was having an issue with the notification light but then saw it just needed an app to make it work the way I was expecting it to.
So I have my phone rooted on stock 4.3 right now and I just wish I can make those Nav bars smaller! There are definitley cool features on some of the custom Roms though and it most certaintly can enhance your experience.

If ur not using the toolkit, then you should be.. If ur using and still manage to screw things, you should leave ur phone stock... The toolkits are already noob proof..
Connect phone to PC
Unlock boot loader
Root
Install recovery
Install ROM....
Its all 1 click each or some toolkits does it all in 1 click...
Rooted and running Paranoid Android + franco.kernel

my nightmare came from me going to fast... i missed a step and screwed up my phone...
i was able to get a stock image and reflash it, but it was a grueling 2 hours with a soft-bricked phone.
read all the stuff you can, and don't rush it.

Lucke said:
my nightmare came from me going to fast... i missed a step and screwed up my phone...
i was able to get a stock image and reflash it, but it was a grueling 2 hours with a soft-bricked phone.
read all the stuff you can, and don't rush it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please don't take this the wrong way... but you being the only person with a real horror story is quite comforting!

noahdev said:
Please don't take this the wrong way... but you being the only person with a real horror story is quite comforting!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no offense taken thats what i get for trying to root it while at work dealing with an Exchange upgrade

You can't really screw up a nexus device. It's not like Samsung where you hard flash the wrong version for the wrong phone and end up with a paperweight. If you mess up with nexus you can always return back
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

My last nightmare with rooting was from htc desire hd, lots of bullcrap to be done, lots of s**t pre requisite..goldcard, emmc etc., ugh gives me headaches for days :/

Just use wugfresh toolkit and its a breeze
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

[Q] What's the fuss about Lollipop??

Okay guys, I have to ask. I have read numerous posts about Lollipop, including several reviews on several devices. I even tried a custom ROM on my tablet that is Lollipop based. I have to say it, I don't see what all of the fuss is about. I promptly returned to my Kit-Kat based ROM on my tablet, and I have yet to see any pressing reason to upgrade (I use the term loosely) my Moto G 2014 to Lollipop. In fact most of what I have read from those who have has been negative. Okay so there is ART, but I have been running that since I got my phone and on my tablet for 7 months without issues. And from everything I have read, customization is going to be much more difficult with Lollipop.
So tell me, am I just missing something really revolutionary or what?? Is there some dramatic increase in performance or memory efficiency? Or is it simply a matter of just wanting the latest OS. I am truly befuddled by all of the hoopla.
I await enlightenment.

+1

but... but material... and ART...
j/k, honestly I'm waiting to try it mostly because of the lockscreen notifications and the status bar changing colors (lol)
and honestly in the Moto G WhatsApp group I noticed that mostly indians are super hyped for Lollipop, for some weird reason

-------------------------

I guess lots of white and wasted ui space is the in thing right now. That along with lengthy animations. I am sorry to say this but take a look at the XDA website forums on pc you will understand what I mean.
Sent from my XT1068 using XDA Free mobile app

Exactly!
me_ankit said:
I guess lots of white and wasted ui space is the in thing right now. That along with lengthy animations. I am sorry to say this but take a look at the XDA website forums on pc you will understand what I mean.
Sent from my XT1068 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:good: I hear ya! Exactly my point. So I will stay on Kit-Kat and avoid Lollipop. I am hoping somebody will develop a nice Kit-Kat based custom ROM and/or kernel that will allow overclocking. I'm not an Android developer so I am not able to do so. But I am really quite happy with things as they are so I won't lose any sleep over it.
Thanks for your feedback.

I have to admit I was pretty excited for Lollipop but with some of the developments over the past few days such as the, IMO, inferior lockscreen (having to swipe to input the pattern/PIN) it's put a slight dampener on it, I'm still going to upgrade but I'm not going to rush first day it comes out.
And just found out they have removed the Normal, Vibrate and Silent toggles when you long press the power button, that's annoying!

Yup as you guys said, we Indians sure are excited. I'm just speaking for myself here, and not generalizing, but I do love the new design of Lollipop. IMO, KitKat had a very boring, flat design, which I always used to cover it up with some CM Themes with my old mobile. Whereas the new design gives a breath of fresh air to the OS, which I think Android greatly needed.
As for ART, what you feel or see is mainly just placebo on kitkat. In a sense I really don't think it makes much difference with 4.4.
Disclaimer: I maybe wrong here. Just quoting my experience.
So in short the OS is new, the design is beautiful and a complete overhaul, some new awesome features that weren't available on stock before, and other minor tid-bits are basically the reason why we, a bunch of android nerds (i'm saying this in a positive way) are excited when a new OS gets released.

pastorbob62 said:
Okay guys, I have to ask. I have read numerous posts about Lollipop, including several reviews on several devices. I even tried a custom ROM on my tablet that is Lollipop based. I have to say it, I don't see what all of the fuss is about. I promptly returned to my Kit-Kat based ROM on my tablet, and I have yet to see any pressing reason to upgrade (I use the term loosely) my Moto G 2014 to Lollipop. In fact most of what I have read from those who have has been negative. Okay so there is ART, but I have been running that since I got my phone and on my tablet for 7 months without issues. And from everything I have read, customization is going to be much more difficult with Lollipop.
So tell me, am I just missing something really revolutionary or what?? Is there some dramatic increase in performance or memory efficiency? Or is it simply a matter of just wanting the latest OS. I am truly befuddled by all of the hoopla.
I await enlightenment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Moto G 2014 has no custom ROMs out for it yet. We were stuck with the boring, rooted stock. We couldn't use a theme to make it look something like Lollipop. Instead, we used GravityBox.
Customs ROMs give much more than GravityBox since GravityBox cannot fulfill most of the things we all like about customs ROMs. Lollipop fixed a good amount of the small problems we had with stock 4.4.4; along with a new design and fluent animations. So we all hopped on the Lollipop train because there were no custom ROMs.
Now, had there been PA available for the Moto G 2014, I would have waited until there was a Lollipop version of PA.

well said!! We lack development and thus lollipop will give us a refreshed look...

I dont know, why do we still lack the much needed developments
However, on a bright note. take a look at the moto x 2014 dev section.
Much barer and scarce then here. lol
So Im not much disappointed xD

I'm most interested in projct volta. Read a test these days about lollipop on nexus 5, they increased screen on time about nearly 30 %. Not bad in my opinion...

surenzxx said:
The Moto G 2014 has no custom ROMs out for it yet. We were stuck with the boring, rooted stock. We couldn't use a theme to make it look something like Lollipop. Instead, we used GravityBox.
Customs ROMs give much more than GravityBox since GravityBox cannot fulfill most of the things we all like about customs ROMs. Lollipop fixed a good amount of the small problems we had with stock 4.4.4; along with a new design and fluent animations. So we all hopped on the Lollipop train because there were no custom ROMs.
Now, had there been PA available for the Moto G 2014, I would have waited until there was a Lollipop version of PA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree that custom ROM development is totally lacking with this phone. But I disagree that Lollipop fills any void. As far as Lollipop fixing any problems , I guess that is based on one's own experience and I have not had any problems at all with 4.4.4. That is my whole point, Lollipop does not bring enough of ANYTING to inspire me to upgrade. I don't find 4.4.4 boring at all, I don't have any "problems" running it or using any of the apps I need, and it is very fast and responsive for me.
All of that said I do realize that we all use our phones in different ways that may make Lollipop appealing to many. It just isn't all that for me. Hopefully some motivated developers will come up with some decent custom ROM's for Kit-Kat. But until that happens I am sticking with the stock version I am currently running.

I've got Lollipop on my Moto G and I'm not particularly impressed.
-Unlocking takes longer.
-Pandora lockscreen controls are gone.
-Lockscreen notifications are not what I hoped for. If I get one text it will show some information about the texts. If I get 3 texts it just says I got 3 texts. So I have to unlock the phone anyways, and that takes longer.
-App-specific notification settings don't seem to work. I keep getting daily Subway Surfer notifications even though I turned them off.
-I DO like how the lockscreen camera controls are implemented.
Overall lollipop is meh for me. I guess some Android fanbois are like some Apple fanbois. They can't wait for the next thing that Google/Apple gives them, no matter what it is.

mike_ekim said:
I've got Lollipop on my Moto G and I'm not particularly impressed.
-Unlocking takes longer.
-Pandora lockscreen controls are gone.
-Lockscreen notifications are not what I hoped for. If I get one text it will show some information about the texts. If I get 3 texts it just says I got 3 texts. So I have to unlock the phone anyways, and that takes longer.
-App-specific notification settings don't seem to work. I keep getting daily Subway Surfer notifications even though I turned them off.
-I DO like how the lockscreen camera controls are implemented.
Overall lollipop is meh for me. I guess some Android fanbois are like some Apple fanbois. They can't wait for the next thing that Google/Apple gives them, no matter what it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, this I didn't read in any of the reviews.
-So only pandora lockscreen controls are gone or even play music?
-Hmm, and so we can't even expand those notifications? Maybe there's a setting for it? I don't know lol
-Well I'm sure this bug will get solved....hopefully
Anything else you didn't like?

pastorbob62 said:
Okay guys, I have to ask. I have read numerous posts about Lollipop, including several reviews on several devices. I even tried a custom ROM on my tablet that is Lollipop based. I have to say it, I don't see what all of the fuss is about. I promptly returned to my Kit-Kat based ROM on my tablet, and I have yet to see any pressing reason to upgrade (I use the term loosely) my Moto G 2014 to Lollipop. In fact most of what I have read from those who have has been negative. Okay so there is ART, but I have been running that since I got my phone and on my tablet for 7 months without issues. And from everything I have read, customization is going to be much more difficult with Lollipop.
So tell me, am I just missing something really revolutionary or what?? Is there some dramatic increase in performance or memory efficiency? Or is it simply a matter of just wanting the latest OS. I am truly befuddled by all of the hoopla.
I await enlightenment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with some of your points here, but to be honest for me it isn't lollipop that is lacking it is the Moto g, deep in my heart i love this device (mainly because of the battery life) but i don't think i can bare the 1 Gb of memory anymore and lack of development, i think the Nexus 5 got way more improvements and that's where all the excitement is coming from. The Nexus 5 was plagued with bad battery life and sub-par camera, audio latency was still bad (well this was a whole Android thing), etc and lollipop solved that. I think most of the excitement you are hearing is people with Nexus 4s and 5s, also a lot of new api's for developers. Yes there are things Google was retarded on removing, i'm hoping they listen to the community and add them back in 5.0.1. Oh and for what it is worth, for me certain apps on my Moto G would stutter like going into menus etc, like Tinder for instance on lollipop the stuttering is completely gone also i have more free ram and i think the battery life improved a little bit more.
[edit] Okay i take back what i said, i just headed over to the Nexus 5 forum and a lot of negative reviews too. I don't know, i don't really have no complaints of it on the G just wish i had more memory, but i knew what i was getting myself into.

mykenyc said:
I agree with some of your points here, but to be honest for me it isn't lollipop that is lacking it is the Moto g, deep in my heart i love this device (mainly because of the battery life) but i don't think i can bare the 1 Gb of memory anymore and lack of development, i think the Nexus 5 got way more improvements and that's where all the excitement is coming from. The Nexus 5 was plagued with bad battery life and sub-par camera, audio latency was still bad (well this was a whole Android thing), etc and lollipop solved that. I think most of the excitement you are hearing is people with Nexus 4s and 5s, also a lot of new api's for developers. Yes there are things Google was retarded on removing, i'm hoping they listen to the community and add them back in 5.0.1. Oh and for what it is worth, for me certain apps on my Moto G would stutter like going into menus etc, like Tinder for instance on lollipop the stuttering is completely gone also i have more free ram and i think the battery life improved a little bit more.
[edit] Okay i take back what i said, i just headed over to the Nexus 5 forum and a lot of negative reviews too. I don't know, i don't really have no complaints of it on the G just wish i had more memory, but i knew what i was getting myself into.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The memory issue is a big one for many folks, but I haven't seen any problems (so far) in the six weeks I've had my phone. I don't foresee it becoming a problem since the way I use doesn't tax the memory limits. The most demanding app I use is Hay Day, and it runs quite well. It does crash on occasion but it also crashes on my wife's Galaxy S-4, her TF-700 tablet and my TF-300T tablet as well, so that's an app issue not a device limitation. And I am extremely pleased with the phone performance. It is much improved over my previous phone.
But I can see how the memory would make a difference for many people. And if Lollipop helps then that is a good thing. However, it seems that we are giving up a lot to gain a little.

I was happy with JB & still like it. KK is a little better & I enjoy running it. However I don't care much for L. I tried hard to like it. It has a few features I liked but over all I didn't care for it. I think it is ugly for one & the bugs in 5.0 was driving me crazy.
I went back to KK for now.

I only hope that Lollipop helps bring some development to this phone, because it is really lacking and that is starting to make me want to sell it.

Hakkinan said:
I only hope that Lollipop helps bring some development to this phone, because it is really lacking and that is starting to make me want to sell it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand your frustration with the lack of development. Overall I am happy with my phone on stock Kit-Kat with it unlocked and rooted. I am able to remove some of the bloat which helps a lot. But it would be nice to see a custom ROM that allows overclocking and tweaking of the system to improve stability.
As it stands, I will stay with Kit-Kat and not upgrade to Lollipop. I have read way too many complaints about it, and as I said earlier, when I tried it on my tablet I was not at all impressed.

[Q] Is Lollipop update worth it?

I have the notification here to update, but I'm not really sure if I should do it. My phone on KitKat is very stable, VERY smooth, good battery life, you know, I don't have any problem with it. That's why I'm kinda afraid of updating and getting a slower, buggier performance. So, what you guys who already updated think?

pibz said:
I have the notification here to update, but I'm not really sure if I should do it. My phone on KitKat is very stable, VERY smooth, good battery life, you know, I don't have any problem with it. That's why I'm kinda afraid of updating and getting a slower, buggier performance. So, what you guys who already updated think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would say, nope.. i have seen people with better battlife, some with terrible. theres more negative than positives.., check before you update. want to get the new notification on lock? new status bar, icons...etc? new dialer, settings..is it really worth the risk? you can flashback to 4.4.4 anytime. but you will have to root everythinf again. wich is a pain in the ass.
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app

I'm using lollipop for 2 weeks and I say no....
Everything is nice etc, but the snappyness and reliability of 4.4.4 is unconparable. with this...

I wont be updating either, or not for a very long time. I had to put up with it on my nexus 4 and 7. Which are both now sold and switched out to 4.4.4 devices.
There is nothing it added but it messed up a lot. the z3c is probably the perfect phone for me, amazing battery coupled with decent specs, so I wont be risking it either. especially as I cant find a 4.4.4 UK tft unbranded anywhere to roll back to!

I'm taking a look at the Sony Mobile forums and it seems like a lot of people are having issues with Lollipop too. I think I'll probably stick with KitKat, at least for now, until Sony fix the major bugs. My phone is too snappy to risk it

Here are the + and the - for me. It's yours to decide.
Against :
- you loose xposed. That's quite a huge loss for YouTube adaway and that kind of stuff.
It should be fixed someday.
- I hate paying in freemium game. You won't be able to use cheat app. Lucky thing, thing engine, thingcih and stuff...
- Minor bug.
- even if I enjoy this, quite a pain to install recovery and flash (I also flashed quite early, when recovery was a hard thing to achieve)
- viper4android does not work.
For :
- I actually (despite the other users) experienced an increase in battery life. +25 to +30%.
- Smoother UI and phone.
- prettier UI and better navbar.
- Smoother auto dim
- better quick bar.
- drm restoration works. Better camera, sound (without viper) , screen.
- phone reset. It cleans it.
- some minor stuff
pibz said:
I'm taking a look at the Sony Mobile forums and it seems like a lot of people are having issues with Lollipop too. I think I'll probably stick with KitKat, at least for now, until Sony fix the major bugs. My phone is too snappy to risk it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
People won't complain if everything is alright.
This is like the glass breaking topic. People won't write their glass didn't broke by itself during the night.
fenchai said:
I would say, nope.. i have seen people with better battlife, some with terrible. theres more negative than positives.., check before you update. want to get the new notification on lock? new status bar, icons...etc? new dialer, settings..is it really worth the risk? you can flashback to 4.4.4 anytime. but you will have to root everythinf again. wich is a pain in the ass.
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you achieved root in the first time and backed up your ta, you can achieve root anytime with a custom recovery.
DrEzkimo said:
I wont be updating either, or not for a very long time. I had to put up with it on my nexus 4 and 7. Which are both now sold and switched out to 4.4.4 devices.
There is nothing it added but it messed up a lot. the z3c is probably the perfect phone for me, amazing battery coupled with decent specs, so I wont be risking it either. especially as I cant find a 4.4.4 UK tft unbranded anywhere to roll back to!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Create your own ftf to restore. This can be rapidly done. Also double check xperifirm.

So I want to roll back to KitKat..

..since sadly, I'm really not impressed with Lollipop. Battery life seems worse, the supposedly better interface feels far inferior to me and various other small little things that made me realise I really, really liked 4.4.4.
So I have some questions:
1) What's the process to follow for this? I've seen some links I *think* are right, but can't be sure. (Note that I'm considering rooting and would want to keep my DRM keys etc., if I can).
2) I assume the phone will be wiped as this won't be like upgrading was to Lollipop. So I'd have to backup all my data (although I know this is best practice anyway).
3) Is there a stock version of 4.4.4 as opposed to Sony's original FW that I could use?
4) Or potentially even CM11?
5) If not, is there some way I could get the quick pin unlock feature I used to love in CM on my Xperia Z?
Thanks as always, all.

schnidex said:
..since sadly, I'm really not impressed with Lollipop. Battery life seems worse, the supposedly better interface feels far inferior to me and various other small little things that made me realise I really, really liked 4.4.4.
So I have some questions:
1) What's the process to follow for this? I've seen some links I *think* are right, but can't be sure. (Note that I'm considering rooting and would want to keep my DRM keys etc., if I can).
2) I assume the phone will be wiped as this won't be like upgrading was to Lollipop. So I'd have to backup all my data (although I know this is best practice anyway).
3) Is there a stock version of 4.4.4 as opposed to Sony's original FW that I could use?
4) Or potentially even CM11?
5) If not, is there some way I could get the quick pin unlock feature I used to love in CM on my Xperia Z?
Thanks as always, all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here you go everything is explained HERE.

Schumi 01 said:
Here you go everything is explained HERE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. That covers #1 and #2, but not the rest.
And when I say stock, I mean non-Sony, original Android. Without any "helpful" additions from our phone manufacturer

I don't know if it's likely I'll get the answers to my latter questions, but the former ones were partly out of being worried I'd screw up the process of downgrading (even though I had a general idea of what guides I might follow).
However, on the off chance that anyone else was equally worried, I performed the downgrade at the weekend, followed the steps carefully and it worked like a dream. I am very, very happy to be back on KK/4.4.4!
I just wanted to reassure anyone who might be in a similar position. Lollipop is, for the time being, definitely not for me.

schnidex said:
I don't know if it's likely I'll get the answers to my latter questions, but the former ones were partly out of being worried I'd screw up the process of downgrading (even though I had a general idea of what guides I might follow).
However, on the off chance that anyone else was equally worried, I performed the downgrade at the weekend, followed the steps carefully and it worked like a dream. I am very, very happy to be back on KK/4.4.4!
I just wanted to reassure anyone who might be in a similar position. Lollipop is, for the time being, definitely not for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how is 4.4 doing for you? I'm considering switching to 4.4 too from 5.1. I don't use most of the new features that lollipop offers although I do have a moto 360. i rechecked the best new features of v5 and I believe I can live without them in exchange for:
1-stability
2-much better battery
3-camera quality

Chadie said:
how is 4.4 doing for you? I'm considering switching to 4.4 too from 5.1. I don't use most of the new features that lollipop offers although I do have a moto 360. i rechecked the best new features of v5 and I believe I can live without them in exchange for:
1-stability
2-much better battery
3-camera quality
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried some LP versions but in the end I always roll back to KK.
1. Stability - no difference between LP and KK
2. Battery - for me personally I get more battery out of KK, about half a day more (on average 2 full days vs 1.5 days)
3. Camera - no diff between LP and KK
In the end for me it's about the battery and the simple fact that I don't like the LP interface, but yeah, it's a personal choice
---------- Post added 8th August 2015 at 12:03 AM ---------- Previous post was 7th August 2015 at 11:53 PM ----------
schnidex said:
..since sadly, I'm really not impressed with Lollipop. Battery life seems worse, the supposedly better interface feels far inferior to me and various other small little things that made me realise I really, really liked 4.4.4.
So I have some questions:
1) What's the process to follow for this? I've seen some links I *think* are right, but can't be sure. (Note that I'm considering rooting and would want to keep my DRM keys etc., if I can).
2) I assume the phone will be wiped as this won't be like upgrading was to Lollipop. So I'd have to backup all my data (although I know this is best practice anyway).
3) Is there a stock version of 4.4.4 as opposed to Sony's original FW that I could use?
4) Or potentially even CM11?
5) If not, is there some way I could get the quick pin unlock feature I used to love in CM on my Xperia Z?
Thanks as always, all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Regarding 3 and 4, check the development section.. There is a KK Miui rom and some other modified, debloated and optimized stock KK roms, but I can't find any CM rom.

Do you need to be rooted to be able to follow that guide (use flashtool)? because I try to be jailbreak-free and root-free in all my devices to save on any headaches that it might cause.

Chadie said:
Do you need to be rooted to be able to follow that guide (use flashtool)? because I try to be jailbreak-free and root-free in all my devices to save on any headaches that it might cause.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No you don't
Sent from my D5833 using XDA Free mobile app

Thank you Sadman Khan

Chadie said:
how is 4.4 doing for you? I'm considering switching to 4.4 too from 5.1. I don't use most of the new features that lollipop offers although I do have a moto 360. i rechecked the best new features of v5 and I believe I can live without them in exchange for:
1-stability
2-much better battery
3-camera quality
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't be happier, really. 4.4 is pretty much perfect.

Should i sign up for android n?

i want the new look. and enjoy new features. i have never seen a boot loop. so i cant take risk of that. though everyday bugs are okay. as i have other devices. id be okay? as in from boot loops or soft or hard bricks? Thanks.

No, definitely not. I don't know what your Android experience is, but from your comments and the "junior member" tag (not a reliable indicator, I know), plus the fact that you've never had a bootloop (lucky!) I'm guessing that it's not much.
I've had Nexus devices for several years and I'm sort of comfortable with upgrading and fixing, so I tried the Android N preview. I lasted about a week. Far too many things were broken - many apps have not been upgraded, and probably won't be until we're far closer to the final release.
So unless you want to ruin your day-to-day experience with one non-working app after another, have patience and wait at least until the second preview, and even then wait to read in these forums about how many problems still remain.
As to new features and new look - minimal, and not worth the aggravation, in my opinion.
But there you go - others may have a different opinion - you'll have to decide for yourself, of course.

akholicc said:
i want the new look. and enjoy new features. i have never seen a boot loop. so i cant take risk of that. though everyday bugs are okay. as i have other devices. id be okay? as in from boot loops or soft or hard bricks? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd say a minimum for checking out the preview is:
-leave the bootloader unlocked
-Know how to flash a factory image on a per image basis (no flash-all.bat)
-Have 0 critical data on the thing, if you wipe it you lose nothing you care about. Keep in mind even camera photos, sms history, small things like that. (btw N preview is very very buggy trying to take pictures on any app I got force closes everytime I opened google camera, lcamera, or open camera)
When the marshmallow preview came out I put it on my N5, it was just a table weight at the point when the preview came out as I had my N6. Now with the N preview I went and charged ahead putting it on my daily use device, and it "worked" but a LOT of apps weren't working correctly, many games Bloons monkey city, hill climb racing, etc crashed randomly or didn't open at all, some other apps like Dish anywhere, yahoo messenger, google camera, UPS, etc didn't work either. MXplayer was running every video in super safe Software decoding mode.
The transitions and animations were pretty awful on stock kernel, only kernel I found to work well was 2.95GHz Elementalx (running on ondemand and yes I noticed slightly smoother performance because ondemand shoots to max frequency under any load) or Elite Kernel with Blu-active governor (highly recommend elite though smoothest kernel I've seen.) And under any kernel the device ran much hotter than Marshmallow, I could only get 2.5 hours of mid brightness SD youtube over wifi from 100 to 0 battery (I can easily exceed that with a stock N5...) and again device ran hot on stock kernel doing that.
SOoo if your N6 is your sideline phone go for it, it'll dirty flash over stock and I didn't see any improvement from clean flashing :/. But seriously this preview is more buggy than the first Lollipop preview was imo.
Long story short I'm back on Marshmallow PureNexus + Elite kernel. Much smoothness and back to my cool running 4 hour screen time every day phone that sleeps like a baby . (granted that could just be more of not running stock but I went from Marshmallow xposed gravitybox stock rom and N was buggier w/ more random reboots and freezups.

Make sure to read the sticky`s thread (in my signature) for usefull and lifesaving threads about flashing etc etc and getting some basic knowledge you will need before you tinker with your phone, after that unlock the bootloader and backup important files just to be sure and then enroll to the google beta thread.
-Edit- first backup off course and then unlock the bootloader. Btw for a first release its quite stable and fluent, the 2nd release should come within a week i guess.

dahawthorne said:
No, definitely not. I don't know what your Android experience is, but from your comments and the "junior member" tag (not a reliable indicator, I know), plus the fact that you've never had a bootloop (lucky!) I'm guessing that it's not much.
I've had Nexus devices for several years and I'm sort of comfortable with upgrading and fixing, so I tried the Android N preview. I lasted about a week. Far too many things were broken - many apps have not been upgraded, and probably won't be until we're far closer to the final release.
So unless you want to ruin your day-to-day experience with one non-working app after another, have patience and wait at least until the second preview, and even then wait to read in these forums about how many problems still remain.
As to new features and new look - minimal, and not worth the aggravation, in my opinion.
But there you go - others may have a different opinion - you'll have to decide for yourself, of course.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks man. so i guess i should wait for more stable build.

StykerB said:
I'd say a minimum for checking out the preview is:
-leave the bootloader unlocked
-Know how to flash a factory image on a per image basis (no flash-all.bat)
-Have 0 critical data on the thing, if you wipe it you lose nothing you care about. Keep in mind even camera photos, sms history, small things like that. (btw N preview is very very buggy trying to take pictures on any app I got force closes everytime I opened google camera, lcamera, or open camera)
When the marshmallow preview came out I put it on my N5, it was just a table weight at the point when the preview came out as I had my N6. Now with the N preview I went and charged ahead putting it on my daily use device, and it "worked" but a LOT of apps weren't working correctly, many games Bloons monkey city, hill climb racing, etc crashed randomly or didn't open at all, some other apps like Dish anywhere, yahoo messenger, google camera, UPS, etc didn't work either. MXplayer was running every video in super safe Software decoding mode.
The transitions and animations were pretty awful on stock kernel, only kernel I found to work well was 2.95GHz Elementalx (running on ondemand and yes I noticed slightly smoother performance because ondemand shoots to max frequency under any load) or Elite Kernel with Blu-active governor (highly recommend elite though smoothest kernel I've seen.) And under any kernel the device ran much hotter than Marshmallow, I could only get 2.5 hours of mid brightness SD youtube over wifi from 100 to 0 battery (I can easily exceed that with a stock N5...) and again device ran hot on stock kernel doing that.
SOoo if your N6 is your sideline phone go for it, it'll dirty flash over stock and I didn't see any improvement from clean flashing :/. But seriously this preview is more buggy than the first Lollipop preview was imo.
Long story short I'm back on Marshmallow PureNexus + Elite kernel. Much smoothness and back to my cool running 4 hour screen time every day phone that sleeps like a baby . (granted that could just be more of not running stock but I went from Marshmallow xposed gravitybox stock rom and N was buggier w/ more random reboots and freezups.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for detailed reply sir. i decided to wait untill some stable build comes. as i dont know anything about flashing. im too afraid to even try. :crying: thanks though:good::good:

If you do decide to register for the N preview, you'll eventually get an OTA update which will apply the N over your existing M and you'll lose nothing.
BUT...
I think I've read a couple of threads where people have accepted the OTA and it hasn't worked, and they hadn't unlocked their bootloaders and therefore have no phone at all. As a bare minimum, if you're going to try the preview, you should unlock the bootloader so that you have at least a fighting chance of installing a new ROM if there's a problem.
Normally root prevents OTAs, but strangely it worked fine on my rooted N6. Maybe the systemless root fooled it...
BUT...
If you unlock the bootloader, you'll lose all your data - it wipes the phone, so back up photos, SMS, etc.
And if you're not confident about doing this, then I stick with my original answer - don't touch N at all until the final factory release around October.
(P.S. A plea to everyone in these forums. Don't reply to a simple 1-page thread post copying the entire post to which you're replying. I've already read the original - I don't need to read it again. Copy the original post only where necessary - e.g. if it's on a previous page. And even then copy only the point to which you're replying, not the entire post. The result will be clearer and shorter threads which will be more enjoyable to read.)

i'm going to wait for the factory release. Thanks again. and sure no problem ill keep that in mind.

These are horrible answers
These are horrible answers by people who themselves don't know enough about the subject to give any advice, for example, the first gentleman referred to your XDA member status to partially determine your knowledge on the subject. Consider mine, i have a senior member account, and i have now started this one which i use when i want to have some quiet time. It is annoying that there are some who think that after they have learned to flash a ROM on their Nexus device (the easiest device to flash) that they are part of some exclusive club in which their first duty is to deter any would be members from ever wanting to join. These people should be praising you for your interest, not deterring you from it.
That being said, here is my opinion on your question, you have a Nexus device so you probably have some sort of interest in Android or AOSP in general, so start learning all that you can about it. You're main focus should be in researching your bootloader unlock, fastboot, ADB, and your custom recovery of choice... (My preference is TWRP). Once you have your custom recovery in place and have made a full backup with it, there is little you can do to ruin your device, just make sure to never touch the recovery partition again until you are a little more knowledgeable. Once you feel like you have done the research you need, than take a crack at it. We all had to take the leap at one point or another. It isn't rocket science, these people are not smarter than you are, and its no big deal if you aren't happy with the new version, worst case scenario is you wipe and re flash. You said you have other devices in case yours has a hiccup and takes a day or so to come back, so just have fun with it. Good luck and feel free to pm me if you need any info or help.

S1CAR1US said:
These are horrible answers .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree.. I never signed up for the beta program(unless flashing N automatically enrolled me).. At the minimum unlock the bootloader.. Learn what you can and give it a shot. My experience with N has been almost perfect. All the apps I use work, I've installed my magpie transparent theme, camera opens normally, not one unintended reboot. I like N a lot. I came from pureNexus rom. Losing a device or two might come with the learning experience(I lost one Evo & Evo Lte) but I have more knowledge because I learned along the way. Go for it!!

its very easy..
if you want a N ota(all the N previews), then sign up. if you could care less about otas, then dont sign up. all signing up will do is let you get a N ota.

Uh oh..another 'horrible answer' coming up!
Depends. How badly do you NEED your phone? Do you use it for important business? Can you afford it to be 'down' for any length of time? What are your expectations..root?Adaway?TWRP? etc. Will your desired themes/layers/tweaks work on N? I cannot answer these questions for you, and no one else can. It's all a balancing act between risk and stability..some of us live on the edge, some should have no shame in waiting for stability.

And this may help people to decide:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/help/unlock-bootloader-t3356276
If you don't know what you're doing, just don't do it. Simple.

Slight deviation from the topic but can i accept the N ota if I am stock rooted? Will it work and will I lose root?

Depends on the root. I was rooted with (as I remember, may be wrong) SuperSU v2.67 and to my astonishment the OTA worked. You will lose root, but it's simple to restore.
But read the warnings above - unless you're really experienced and can fix your phone the risk outweighs the small benefits, in my opinion, especially if you do it now when the second preview will be available shortly.
And whether you do or not, unlock your bootloader so that if you have problems you have at least a fighting chance of recovering your phone.
And note - UNLOCKING YOUR BOOTLOADER WIPES YOUR PHONE.

Thanks for the detailed response. My bootloader is unlocked already so at least that bit us done. I rooted just before the April update came out. Happy to lose root and try to get it back once the ota has been installed as there isn't much I use it for anyways.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app

Heck yes. That is the joy of having a Nexus

I'm still running preview 1 and it's cool and all but, the lag gets pretty frustrating. I would at least wait until preview 2 if you're really feeling it.