Why no "slim" stock ROM? - Moto X Q&A

Why is there no slimmed down STOCK rom?
I would love to get rid of some of the Google crap I don't need/want but don't want to lose some of the stock benefits (e.g. Moto Voice, etc)

Because it's easy enough to do that with root on your own.

There is a slim down stick rom, it's call eclipse 4.4.4 and it keeps the moto features.

Titanium backup. Freeze what you don't want. But be careful not to mess with anything you're not sure about.

Related

What to do with a rooted Nexus One?

I'm considering rooting my phone, but I'm kind of on the fence. First, I don't really want to void my warranty, but since I bought the phone used do I even have a warranty anymore? Second, I'm not really that interested in custom ROMs at this point since I'm new to Android OS and I'm happy with the way things are stock for now. So my question is... What can I do with a rooted phone running the stock Froyo ROM? Anything cool/interesting, or does it not even pay to bother rooting if I'm going to keep it stock?
I waited 3 months before rooting and I thought the same as you, wasn't interested in custom ROMs and all. Once I finally rooted and loaded cyanogen ROM, it completely changed my thinking. I highly highly recommend using cyanogen if you root. I can't stress enough. Things wkt can do with root are many, 720p video hack, black notification bar, themes, meta morph, audio volume hack, ROM manager, titanium backup, nand backups! The list is endless. Hell nand backup alone is worth rooting.
Is there a place or a link I can find more information about just stuff that I can do with a rooted phone BESIDES installing custom ROMs? Everything I usually find is just about ROMs. I want to just get my feet wet a little before I decide to just jump right in. For now I'm just interested in stuff I can do with plain old vanilla android once it's been rooted.
Look for apps that require root, see what they are and if you need any of them.
Here's my current list of things "to root for", I haven't yet..
Reasons to root:
Just root, nothing else:
- Adblock host file
- ClockSync
- GScripter
- Remove built-in crap (Amazon MP3)
- Screenshots
After installing recovery image
- Nandroid
After installing custom rom
- Black notification bar
Depending on where you live, you might still have warranty. For example, in Europe, the warranty is by default 2 years on the device. So it doesn't matter if you got it second hand, as long as the device still has warranty, you're OK.
Secondly, you can root your device without unlocking the bootloader. Check this thread for more info. At step 18, before doing the 2 'exit' commands, also take the time to rename /system/etc/recovery-install.sh & install + make executable a file called flash_image (google it to find a download) into /system/bin. This way you can install a custom recovery (e.g. for doing nandroid backups) and will make installing custom ROMs later a lot less painful.
A rooted stock FRF91 can already do many things, search for 'root' in the market and you can find tons of apps that require root privileges and that will run fine on stock. However, the really interesting things (like color trackball alert, firewalling, proxy support, ...) will require you to install a custom ROM.
I rooted my stock N1 with the above procedure a couple of weeks ago, and installed Cyanogen6 RC2 ROM to get some of the more advanced functionality. Been working like a charm and I've actually managed to get a lot more out of my device AND have longer battery life

[Q] A Few Questions

I got my HTC One yesterday and rooted it, but I have some queries. I modded my old Xperia Play a couple of years ago but I've forgotten most things about modding phones, my questions are:
1. I used Titanium Backup to remove some apps that I'll never use like Facebook, Chrome browser, and Google+, but if I restart the phone the apps will be back on it. For the moment I've just frozen those apps, so is it impossible to completely remove them?
2. Am I able to move apps to the sd card? I tried using Android Assistant but had no luck with it.
3. If there is a big update, how would I go about updating the phone (OTA?)? It is not possible doing it the normal way if the phone is rooted, correct?
4. Are there any roms that are far superior to the stock rom that you would recommend using?
Thank you in advance for your help.
projectmayhem22 said:
I got my HTC One yesterday and rooted it, but I have some queries. I modded my old Xperia Play a couple of years ago but I've forgotten most things about modding phones, my questions are:
1. I used Titanium Backup to remove some apps that I'll never use like Facebook, Chrome browser, and Google+, but if I restart the phone the apps will be back on it. For the moment I've just frozen those apps, so is it impossible to completely remove them?
2. Am I able to move apps to the sd card? I tried using Android Assistant but had no luck with it.
3. If there is a big update, how would I go about updating the phone (OTA?)? It is not possible doing it the normal way if the phone is rooted, correct?
4. Are there any roms that are far superior to the stock rom that you would recommend using?
Thank you in advance for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. If you flash a custom rom then you can remove the apps permanently using rom cleaner. Some custom roms allow you to do this upon install.
2. Leaving the apps where they are should not be a problem.... there's plenty of space for them particularly if you remove the ones you don't need.
3. In order to obtain OTA updates you would need to flash the stock recovery and relock the bootloader... using a custom rom will not allow OTA from HTC but these are usually updated far more frequently by the devs anyway. Some custom roms have their own OTA update system.
4. There are many custom roms available in the dev section.... some are close to stock with enhancements whilst others can be heavily themed. Usually the devs work with the latest available from HTC then improve it. Stable custom roms based on android 4.2.2 were available long before HTC started to roll it out. I am Using Android Revolution HD 12.1 which is stock like. The benefit of this is, as with all custom roms, you have the ability to install the vast range of mods available to enhance the device.
projectmayhem22 said:
I got my HTC One yesterday and rooted it, but I have some queries. I modded my old Xperia Play a couple of years ago but I've forgotten most things about modding phones, my questions are:
1. I used Titanium Backup to remove some apps that I'll never use like Facebook, Chrome browser, and Google+, but if I restart the phone the apps will be back on it. For the moment I've just frozen those apps, so is it impossible to completely remove them?
2. Am I able to move apps to the sd card? I tried using Android Assistant but had no luck with it.
3. If there is a big update, how would I go about updating the phone (OTA?)? It is not possible doing it the normal way if the phone is rooted, correct?
4. Are there any roms that are far superior to the stock rom that you would recommend using?
Thank you in advance for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Just delete the apk's for the apps you don't use, straight from the ROM you decide to flash (just be careful not to remove anything other apps depend on)
2) Not sure, the One doesn't has an SD Card in the traditional sense so in essence, it's all internal memory.
3) You'd have to install a stock ROM like the one in mike1986's thread .. install stock recovery .. re-lock your bootloader. This would allow you to receive OTA updates but obviously you would need to root again but that's easily done by re pushing custom recovery.
4) ARHD 12.1 ... Without a doubt mate, it's just a pure improvement on stock which is always going to be the best, most stable ROM ... Also try ARHD GE, the Google Edition one, also by mike1986.

I want a responsive Note 3 without a new Rom

I don't have the time to constantly be looking for new roms to make my phone run properly. My phone is always freezing up due to the stupid Touchwiz UI and I absolutely hate it. I am sick and tired of my phone freezing up and lagging constantly and having to do factory reset and reinstalling all my apps fresh.
So I was wondering, what can I do to fix this problem in a easier manner? I was thinking about rooting the phone, saving all my app data, unrooting, resetting the phone, rooting again, uninstall bloatware, reinstalling apps with their data, and unrooting.
Here are my concerns though. I want to be able to reset the phone using the orignal factory reset. I don't have time or care to install new roms on my phone as I want to keep my warranty and I want to be able to sell my phone in the future.
So what are my options here? What can I do and what are my steps to start doing them?
I am on AT&T Note 3 with kitkat 4.4.2 with my build number ending in NC2.
Is the Note 3 development this bad? Not one response in a couple days. Anyone have a simple answer?
I just want to know if I can factory reset if I root my device and how I could complete unroot.
joshlete said:
Is the Note 3 development this bad? Not one response in a couple days. Anyone have a simple answer?
I just want to know if I can factory reset if I root my device and how I could complete unroot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simple answer is root with towelroot, and when you want to do a complete factory reset, flash stock NC2 using the guide in this thread.
I think your original question about what options you have is a little more complicated...rooting your phone technically voids your warranty, but if you're referring to the KNOX warranty flag then towelroot doesn't trip that flag. Reflashing stock NC2 with Odin will unroot your phone automatically so no worries there either. What I'm getting at is flashing roms isn't going to void your warranty any more than rooting with towelroot will, on the other hand uninstalling system apps can cause lots of problems, so you may find it easier to flash a near-stock rom that has the bloatware already removed.
But if you're set on not flashing anything, then I'd suggest using titanium backup to freeze any apps you don't want instead of uninstalling them. If you uninstall the wrong app you could end up having to do a factory reset anyway just to get your phone working again. Freezing system apps can cause problems too but it's generally easier to unfreeze an app than try and find and reinstall a system apk. And as tempting as it is don't uninstall My Magazine you'll get FC all over the place and your email won't work properly
So if I install that stock rom, would I be able to update my phone using the internal updater? I just want to be able to install Android 5.0 when/if it comes out for the Note 3. Seeing how AT&T note 3 has little to no roms to install. Very disappointing.
The Odin files in that thread are for stock NC2 and unless you flashed a rom after your second post you're still on stock...it's the exact same AT&T stock build...flashing it won't really benefit you at all unless you rooted and made changes to your system. I assume by internal updater you mean the OTA updates that get pushed out from AT&T then yes since that is the official AT&T build if you flash it you will still get those updates provided AT&T is your carrier. There may not be a lot of roms but the ones we have are great I'd encourage you to try one or two there are a couple "debloated" stock roms I think would give you what you're looking for in terms of stability but of course it's up to you if you just want to stay stock
joshlete said:
So if I install that stock rom, would I be able to update my phone using the internal updater? I just want to be able to install Android 5.0 when/if it comes out for the Note 3. Seeing how AT&T note 3 has little to no roms to install. Very disappointing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow... just... wow.
This POST is disappointing.
I'm on the same boat as you OP. When time comes for a new phone, my next phone will never be another Samsung phone again. I will only consider phones that are close to stock. Most likely Motorola X or Sony Z3 Compact or similar.
TouchWiz is so disappointing. It's slow and creates lags even for just checking what time it is.
Fortunately I have some time so unlike OP, I tried debloating stock rom, tried at least 5 custom roms. Most of the custom roms have either too much theme customization (really not my taste) or something else doesn't work (NFC payment or deep sleep or some other thing). And they all claim super duper fast and rock stable, but those are hyperboles. The only time I experienced one rom being faster than the other was with Galaxy S5 port rom, but that was most likely due to the fact that standby mode is disabled because we have no way to update the firmware. In other words, uses more battery but still lasts a day. Also, I never seen the battery last exceptionally longer than the stock rom, so don't trust the super long lasting battery claims.
The easiest way to get your phone run smoothly is to factory reset it, and then only install select apps that you really need and know that it won't be a resource hog reporting your every move.
Oh, and last year's Moto X (dual core) feels faster than a quad core Note3 for everyday task in my hands. I wish we had a google experience rom for n900a.
brisinger08 said:
The Odin files in that thread are for stock NC2 and unless you flashed a rom after your second post you're still on stock...it's the exact same AT&T stock build...flashing it won't really benefit you at all unless you rooted and made changes to your system. I assume by internal updater you mean the OTA updates that get pushed out from AT&T then yes since that is the official AT&T build if you flash it you will still get those updates provided AT&T is your carrier. There may not be a lot of roms but the ones we have are great I'd encourage you to try one or two there are a couple "debloated" stock roms I think would give you what you're looking for in terms of stability but of course it's up to you if you just want to stay stock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you link me to some stock roms? I lost my game in rom finding and can't seem to get a good running/looking rom.
RErick said:
Wow... just... wow.
This POST is disappointing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most useless post of the year goes to......
joshlete said:
Could you link me to some stock roms? I lost my game in rom finding and can't seem to get a good running/looking rom.
Most useless post of the year goes to......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
UR Droid is probably the closest to stock...Knox removed, sd card write permissions fixed, etc. are the only mods...that said carl's made a ton of flashable zips too so if you did want to start making mods yourself chances are you won't have any problems while running his rom
FireKat is one you've probably run across. That is a stock rom all of the mods/optimizations/etc mega makes are from other stock builds. There's no theming or anything like that it's more like "TouchWiz optimized"...again nothing extraneous added if you want to add tethering, call recording, etc you'll have to do it yourself. FireKat is geared towards speed and battery life but it's rock solid with no known issues. All of the rom updates you see are for performance improvements as opposed to the majority of the aosp-hybrid or heavily themed roms where updates are for bug fixes.
Both devs are really helpful and responsive definitely check out their threads though since I'm not up to date with both roms. I have flashed both of them at some point and both are significant improvements over stock...of course no one can tell you what roms you'll like or should flash but I'd be pretty surprised if you have a better experience on stock than either of these roms.
I've been running a stock rooted 4.4.2 for months and it was not laggy at all.
In the application manager settings I turned off all bloatware apps that I did not use. I froze (with titanium backup) all bloatware that could not be turned off in settings and also froze anything that says "knox" in the title. I used xposed installer to install many modules that allowed me to tweak my stock rom... including greenify to auto hibernate apps, smart booster to manage ram, boot manager, and also Wanam xposed for ui customizing...
My phone has run extremely well.
I just made the jump to 4.4.4 and got it rooted (thanks to @muniz_ri and a few others).... exact same setup again... stock rooted... turn off and freeze un-needed apps... xposed modules... and again it is running nice and smooth.
I also use nova launcher prime because it feels more responsive and does more things that I want (like a home screen that will autorotate to landscape mode).
Wow, that's a lot to have for being stock .
The only way to get rid most of your concerns is to root your phone. Then you can delete all other useless apps that you don't need and slow your phone down a bit.
But installing a new Rom is the best way to have a peace in mind I think. Dynamic KitKat is one of the best roms for our phone. I've been using it for months and there is nothing I can say how much I like it. Sometimes I experience lag, but that is to be expected because of Android's ability to do multitasks.
Just my 2 cents.

Pros and cons of rooting.

Going to flash back to stock image. Any compelling reason to root? I'm rooted now and really the only reason to root would be to restore my titan backups of a couple games. I like the thought of being able to get updates hassle free.
Thoughts?
Xposed, Ad blocking, tasked, TiBu, LED notifications and Layers are the main reasons I'll stay rooted. You have to weigh the pros and cons based on what you consider most important.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
monkey3ddd said:
.... I like the thought of being able to get updates hassle free.
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you have Twrp-recovery installed
A prerooted stock rom is a possibility.
- download latest version to internal memory.
- boot Twrp-recovery
- wipe system and caches
- flash rom (zip file)
- reboot.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=59561445/
ATM, my interest in rolling back to stock is insure that I can use us cellular towers in fi. I read that running pure nexus could mess with this ability. I have yet to see a usc tower show as my "network". Latest fi update said it included that..
I'm ocd about battery life so I root to run custom kernels and use dark themes to take advantage of the oled screen. and I can't used android pay because my small town bank can't be used with it so I'm not missing out on anything
pros= everything
cons=none
this question has been asked many many many many times...you need to make up your OWN mind on this..

is worth it to root and install custom rom on K20 pro ?

Hey, i wanted to ask you guys if it's really worth it to install a custom rom ? I have a chinese ROM and it's just full of bloatwares and unwanted services that tend to be annoying. That being said, if MIUI has a way better user experience than a custom ROM and flashing a ROM is just gonna make it worse (I've seen some problems concerning the fingerprint sensor or the battery drain) i don't think i'm willing to make that step. That's why i want to ask you guys if you're satisfied with a custom ROM, and is it really worth it knowing that I bricked my old phone while rooting it so I'm kinda reluctant.
IDK if it is too late but I recently flashed a custom ROM and as I type this, my phone is being reverted back to MIUI,
I used the custom ROM for a few days and here are some pros and cons.
Pros:
1. Much faster
2. Better battery life
3. Some extra customizations
Cons:
1. Banks apps! Some bank apps won't work even with all the work arounds.
2. Camera cannot be opened right from the lock screen (atleast without workarounds).
3. MIUI has the option to restrict internet access to individual apps, out of the box. Custom ROMs will probably need root and extra apps to get this functionality.
Long story short, I was making work arounds and doing tricks just to get things that were included in MIUI from the beginning.
But! if you want to experience the latest and pure android, custom ROMs are the way to go. Also, most normal users do not need or use the root tools or apps.
And, you can debloat your phone without root access, just by using ADB.

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