Related
Maybe im expecting too much:
When I press gallery, almost 1/3 of the time only 1 or 2 categories come up and no thumbnails. Then i exit and press again and a few more things show up. Then i exit again and usually the 3rd time or so the app opens properly.
Also, about once every 2 weeks i press an app and it opens a different app. And this happens with multiple apps. The only way to fix it is to reboot.
I dont use a task manager
I reboot the phone every couple of days
I wipe the phone about once every 1 or 2 months
Is one of the above practices ruining my device?
I bought the phone and i havent done anything custom to it. Why does my polished 2.1 firmware work like a 5th grade science experiment?
Have occasionally noticed that the gallery app does not pick up all images and categories... something with the media scanner... try using the media scanner in the dev tools app or unmount and remount ur sd card...
Never had any problems with apps opening wrong apps... this is very strange... I have no idea why this is happening and quite frankly, I can;t think of anything which would serve as a possible solution!
Occasionally I've had the latest picture taken not show up in the gallery, but that's it. Stock O/S is great.
Never had it open the wrong app.
I don't run a task killer, don't reboot & have never wiped.
About the app opening the wrong app thing I guess its good news if I'm the only one. Is it possible that I've downloaded an app that is causing it? Or is it more likely an OS issue? it seems a little cheesy that the phone does this, if I could fix it without rebooting that would be a step in the right direction...
Likely an app you downloaded, or just something a little off about the flashing of your update, or a bad RAM memory block at the wrong place.
As for the gallery, I thought I had that issue a bit too, but I noticed that more than anything it just takes a really long time to open fully if it has been kicked out of the cache.
As for the original question posed in the thread title, Android is still Beta in a lot of ways. 2.0/1 is a huge change in many ways from 1.6. It sounds like 2.2 is going to be a bit of a change as well, but instead of changing nearly everything, it is going to build of 2.0/1 plus add in some changes. I am willing to bet that until the release after Gingerbread (the OS after 2.2, aka FroYo), not sure what the "H" release will be codenamed will we see an OS that isn't "Beta" in enough ways for me to call it non-Beta personally... then again, so far Android is less buggy than windows mobile, better than Blackberry even, and on par with iPhone OS, if not better in these regards.
Just like an OS for a computer, same holds true for a smartphone, there are going to be bugs, there are going to be bad programs/apps, and so forth.
I think you should wait for FroYo, if Android still doesn't meet your standards, root and flash some of the custom ROMs. Enom is very stock like, but fixes many of the little bugs, as does Cyan, although with Cyan you do get a few more bugs in some of the development apps and what not.
Just a thought, but maybe you're suffering from the occasional wacky touchscreen issue?
So it's not that it's just opening the wrong app, but the screen is registering a touch in a different place, it's usually most noticable when typing. If it is that, then a simple lock/unlock will solve it, no need for a reboot.
I'm sure I'm setting myself up here, but what advantages are there to the custom ROMs at this point?
I'm running stock Froyo 2.2 (I did update the radio to 5.08, though), stock bootloader, and I'm not rooted. I'm on T-Mobile in the Tampa, FL area.
I'm not sure if it's a coincidence, or just because most people that are posting on XDA are running custom ROMs, but I don't really have ANY of the problems most people on here have. My battery life is great, and the phone is overall VERY stable. I've tried other launchers, themes, etc., but I always prefer the stability of the stock setup over aesthetics.
The few issues I have had I can attribute to poorly written apps (force closes, battery vampires), or known hardware problems (mediocre 3G connectivity at times, etc).
I can understand if you have a phone like the MyTouch that never got any official updates after 1.6, or you want to try the next leaked software on your phone. But the Nexus One has had tons of official support and updates up to this point. Before Froyo was officially released, I found myself better off with stock recovery to load the latest, greatest Froyo build.
Sorry for the rambling, but I would greatly appreciate any education I can get on what's packed into these custom ROMs that everyone gets so excited about.
THANKS!
Don't really feel like typing all the reasons haha, but there's a lot of stuff to enjoy with custom roms. If stock works for you that's great. I don't know anyone that's ever gone custom and wanted to go back but I'm sure it happens. End of the day it's whatever makes you happy. A lot of us want more than just a great experience, we want to see what's possible. You can view the changelog for the latest Cyanogenmod(most popular custom ROM) build here http://github.com/CyanogenMod/android_vendor_cyanogen/blob/froyo/CHANGELOG.mkdn
1. More control over the appearance of the OS. Get rid of that ugly white notification bar and replace it with a sexy black one, for example.
2. Removing the stock apps from the phone that you don't use or want. Why have them sitting there taking up space and potentially resources for no reason? Sure they don't take up much in terms of storage space, but if you use a lot of apps, every little bit counts.
3. Undervolting and over/underclocking. Get that extra little performance boost, or cut it back. When I was UV'd to 800mV and UC'd to 806mhz, I noticed no performance difference or problems (note: I don't play 3d games on my phone) and my battery life was insane. 24 hours of normal use would put me to 65% give or take.
4. Relating to number one, more control over other things. I've ripped stock, but customized, apps from random ROMs and pushed them to my phone. Black Facebook & Twitter widgets (white ones are ugly), darkened (black & dark grey) stock messaging interface with white text, etc.
5. Trackball Alert Pro.
I'm sure that others can add more, but the above are the main reasons I rooted mine.
A tiny little thing called Apps2SD+, for example.
Multiple audio/video decoder support.
Lots of Linux binaries bundled.
Lots of modifications to stock software (contacts, browser) that increase their usefulness (for example, do you really like to type "about:debug" each time you want to change browser client after reboot?).
etc etc.
Thanks for all the great info.
The underclocking sounds interesting. I don't play any games on my phone, and extra battery life is always nice.
I'm not too interested in customizing the appearance too much. Coming from an iPhone, I'm pretty happy with the looks of the stock Froyo UI compared to that.
Again, thanks for the time you guys took to give me some information. I greatly appreciate it!
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Ryjabo said:
1. More control over the appearance of the OS. Get rid of that ugly white notification bar and replace it with a sexy black one, for example.
...
5. Trackball Alert Pro.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was reason #1 and 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 for me, respectively
Track ball skip song.. Enough said.
If I install a custom ROM, when a new one comes out, do I have to install the ROM from the start and I loose my setings etc. or do I just update it?
Depends on the ROM maker. Most make their ROMs backwards-compatible, so you can upgrade. Going between different makers' ROMs you mostly need to wipe and start fresh (though there are apps that can back up and restore pretty much everything).
I am thinking to try Cyanogenmod ROM, bot I don't wan't to cofigurate all the things when a new ROM comes out.
Hi everyone. Im one of the developers of SwitchMe, and app that allows multiple secure logins into separate installations of android on a single device. The pr is after the break.
I really need a few people to check into some issues people on the GTab have been experiencing. There are some warnings involved:
- testers must perform a full nandroid backup before using the app, it is not our responsibility if you start getting boot loops
- if you report results or bugs, please use the "Write to us" function in the app whenever possible, and always describe the issue in the header of the logs you send
- if you post here, bes sure to include your device type and rom
- if you have apps installed on sd, be sure to mention that as well
--------------------------------------------------------------------
SwitchMe is a unique application for root users that allows you to log in and out of multiple installations of Android just as you would on a desktop computer.
The technology behind SwitchMe saves all of your applications and data, protects it and stores it as a file in memory. You can then log out of an
account and log into a fresh installation of Android or another account with its own unique content.
You may create as many profiles as the memory is capable of holding. Some of these may require very little free memory because they contain few apps,
others will be larger as they contain many applications and lots of cache and data.
Why is this functionality useful?
Privacy - the most obvious benefit is that you can securely share one device among multiple users, which gives you privacy and peace of mind.
Testing - if you are a developer, you can use profiles as clean sandboxes to test your applications and their interaction with the system.
Gaming – with multiple installations of Android on a single device, you can now play online MMOs as different characters.
Speed - the games your kids play slow down your tablet, but with SwitchMe you can easily create profiles without games or instant messengers.
Battery life - when the battery is low but there are important emails or documents to edit later, switch to a profile which only contains these essentials.
These of course are only suggestions - there are plenty of other uses for the functionality SwitchMe offers.
Market link:
https://market.android.com/details?id=fahrbot.apps.switchme
The Lite version allows the creation of two profiles, enough to test on.
Screens:
i actually bought your pro version and i was able to use it, and i realized, when i try it hangs on boot, but after you clear cache after trying to switch profile, it will work pretty well, i also can confirm this works well on the nook color running cyanogen
gtab running vegan 7.1.0 gingerbread
and i have about 3 apps installed on sdcard
Thank you for the feedback. Were you wiping the cache partition through or the dalvic cache CWM?
when i switch it hung so i hard booted into Cwm recovery and wiped cahce and dalvik after rebooted it booted into 2nd profile, and worked from there, i was able to switch back in forth without it hanging on bootanimation,
for the nook color it works perfect havent really seen any issues rise since installed, only draw back when i purchased pro it was on wifes account not mine
side note wife has 23 applications installed on sdcard, on the nook color
Oo guess forgot to add functionality well i got a gtablet and nook color
the gtablet is mine and nook is wifes
But she likes to use the 10 screen so made a profile for her and her stuff, and when she uses my tablet ill use hers so i can add all my lil mods and apps so it doesnt conflict with her stuff as well we got a kid so we use it for her kid games and movies
Any issues to report?
SwitchMe 1.2 has been rolled out and now includes a lockscreen replacement:
1.2
Added lock screen for logging in and out
More stable Fast switch implementation
Reworked UI colors
Now, its very important that we get some feedback on how this big new feature works, so please read up on it in the help and post your thoughts!
1.2.2 - HOTFIX 2
Reworked widget on qHD+ displays
Fixed widget text on HC and ICS
Fast switch improved on older devices
Hi guys! I would really appreciate some feedback regarding the new lockscreen!
Anything at all guys?
Tried this app about a week ago sorry I didn't post back sooner. Running Beastly-Clemsyn rom (android 2.2) on gtablet, normal install to internal memory, no overclock. I tried to install twice but both times it froze my tablet immediately after installation. Couldn't do any testing or troubleshooting as I could not successfully install. This app is a great idea and I will keep trying to get it to work as new versions are released.
MOst likely there is no point unless your rom changes...
Thanks for the reply. I will likely change roms again soon and will definitely try this out again when I do.
OK, sorry but its just too dangerous to support data links - there would be boot loops everywhere!
By the way, some intit scripts would also make it incompatible!
1.4.3.7
Fixed device specific switch screen crashes and issues
Fixed UI bug in switch screen preferences
If anyohe had problems with superuser before, this should fix them. Please let me know if that is the case, its important we get some feedback here!
1.5.3.0
Enabled full support for MIPS and x86 architectures
Many root daemon code fixes and optimizations implemented
Any issues with the new build?
Anything to reprot?
1.5.3.8
Fixed issue switching profiles (One X and others)
Fixed rare crash on adding/ removing profiles
Fixed many device specific issues from user logs
Hi all, I'm considering a move to Droid 4 from Stratosphere II. So far I've rooted it and flashed in the altpart version of SafeStrap recovery. This requires the use of the 20170405 unofficial build of LineageOS 14.1 that I had to dig out of an archive in Germany which uses the WebTop partition as a fat, juicy 1.3GB /system partition for gapps and also leaves me with a full 8.0GB free internal memory. HOWEVER --
Its performance is sporadic. At times it hangs for a long time before doing anything, like open the camera or the browser (I'm using Adblock Plus with the stocker disabled). The camera can take over 30 seconds to load. Often it's so slow to open things I tap on, that I tap on it again thinking it didn't "hear" me the first time, then it processes both taps and gives me more than I bargained for and damn near sends me into orbit over it. It takes some real restraint not to tap twice on stuff, but it's all just wearing me out.
The GoogleNow app is especially bad. It's so slow it's basically unusable. This was true on my Strat-II as well, but going back to the stock version fixed it there -- however I have been unable to transplant that version over to the Droid 4 with TitaniumBackup.
Videos are unwatchable, whether natively produced or on YouTube. They skip, hang, jerk and stutter.
Bluetooth has issues pairing with devices. I've sometimes been able to get things to pair after rebooting, sometimes not. And there's often an audio stutter in there until I reboot -- which seems like a memory problem again.
Wifi doesn't work after a soft reboot.
I tried a newer build (2/22/18) but it was just as bad if not worse. Same with an older 13.0 build. I think the reality here is that there's just not enough RAM to work with. If it had the full 1.0GB available to the OS (instead of the 834MB it actually has) it would probably alleviate these problems, but the video RAM is apparently shared and not discrete.
So my question is, can anyone recommend a well-behaved, solid-performing ROM for Droid 4?
dd350 said:
Hi all, I'm considering a move to Droid 4 from Stratosphere II. So far I've rooted it and flashed in the altpart version of SafeStrap recovery. This requires the use of the 20170405 unofficial build of LineageOS 14.1 that I had to dig out of an archive in Germany which uses the WebTop partition as a fat, juicy 1.3GB /system partition for gapps and also leaves me with a full 8.0GB free internal memory. HOWEVER --
Its performance is sporadic. At times it hangs for a long time before doing anything, like open the camera or the browser (I'm using Adblock Plus with the stocker disabled). The camera can take over 30 seconds to load. Often it's so slow to open things I tap on, that I tap on it again thinking it didn't "hear" me the first time, then it processes both taps and gives me more than I bargained for and damn near sends me into orbit over it. It takes some real restraint not to tap twice on stuff, but it's all just wearing me out.
The GoogleNow app is especially bad. It's so slow it's basically unusable. This was true on my Strat-II as well, but going back to the stock version fixed it there -- however I have been unable to transplant that version over to the Droid 4 with TitaniumBackup.
Videos are unwatchable, whether natively produced or on YouTube. They skip, hang, jerk and stutter.
Bluetooth has issues pairing with devices. I've sometimes been able to get things to pair after rebooting, sometimes not. And there's often an audio stutter in there until I reboot -- which seems like a memory problem again.
Wifi doesn't work after a soft reboot.
I tried a newer build (2/22/18) but it was just as bad if not worse. Same with an older 13.0 build. I think the reality here is that there's just not enough RAM to work with. If it had the full 1.0GB available to the OS (instead of the 834MB it actually has) it would probably alleviate these problems, but the video RAM is apparently shared and not discrete.
So my question is, can anyone recommend a well-behaved, solid-performing ROM for Droid 4?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What did you expect? it is a ancient phone. Give Sailfish OS a try, or just run CM9 or CM11. If you want a bit newer go as high as CM12.1 or some other 5.1.1 rom. Stop trying to run 2017 software on a 2012 device. Personally I can't wait for my new Droid 4 to come in the mail so I can run Sailfish OS on it. My first goal will be getting alien dalvik to work, then perhaps making my own stable builds.
EDIT: Also about the 834MB of ram, the device does have 1GB of ram, it is just that part of it has been reserved for only system use. This avoids system crashes when you have a lot of apps open, and like you said some of it is also reserved for graphics related things.
dd350 said:
So my question is, can anyone recommend a well-behaved, solid-performing ROM for Droid 4?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you stay away from GApps, and use microG instead, everything works quite well (you can even use Play Store) with some Marshmallow and Nougat ROMs.
I'm using Mokee 60.1 (based on LOS 6.0.1) at the moment. With Xposed to enable Signature Spoofing for microG. Bluetooth, video, WLAN, no problem. Of course its slower than "modern" phones and sometimes hangs a bit. I have no experience with GoogleNow.
I'm testing crDroid 3.8.5 (based on LOS 7.1.2) now and I'm considering to change because it seems a bit snappier.
Hope this helps!
Thanks, I hadn't thought about it that way (Gapps being the problem more than the ROM) before. I tried Mokee a few days ago and it was too slow with the Gapps package I used, and I don't speak Mandarin so lots of the menus were... unenlightening to me. I am currently evaluating SlimKat (4.4) with a "normal" Gapps package and it is going really well so far. Just a few more things to test and if all goes well I'm dropping it in the stock slot.
My expectation was that once all the bloat was stripped out that the 13/14 versions would still run decently on this older hardware, but apparently not--even with a pico Gapps. I don't even like the newer versions anyway, and they offer me nothing more than KitKat with a whole lot less performance, so I'm happy to run a KitKat ROM if that is where the performance sweet spot is for a Droid 4... until a new QWERTY slider comes out. Any day now.
dd350 said:
My expectation was that once all the bloat was stripped out that the 13/14 versions would still run decently on this older hardware, but apparently not--even with a pico Gapps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OpenGapps really bring the performance down.
I use the Droid 4 with LOS 14.2 as my daily driver, but only with MicroG and the PlayStore app. I wrote about that here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/dr...epartition-t3676476/post73956388#post73956388
(The first step can now be replaced with installing XPosed and the FakeGapps module for XPosed. It wasn't available at the time I wrote the post above).
I also went into the privacy options and disabled background running and auto startup for almost every application except WhatsApp. Now the device runs smooth as butter.
Edit: Almost forgot, one of these overclocked kernels really bring a bit more performance:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/droid-4/development/kernel-nougat-custom-droid-4-razr-oc-t3499366
It depends on how well the CPU inside your device has been manufactured, though. Mine runs very well at 1.4GHz with ultra low voltage - that's a lot more speed and a bit more battery life
That's interesting, I've got a spare for testing I'll try that out on.
I got the OC kernel running, but no luck trying to install microG. The only APK I could find for Xposed was blocked for downloading as "unsafe". Is there a list of valid links for all this somewhere?
dd350 said:
I got the OC kernel running, but no luck trying to install microG. The only APK I could find for Xposed was blocked for downloading as "unsafe". Is there a list of valid links for all this somewhere?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Xposed: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3034811
Flash the appropriate zip-file depending on your Android version and install exposedinstaller3.1.5
reboot (probably not necessary)
Load FakeGapps module in Xposed to enable signature spoofing
wait for FakeGapps module to load then reboot
microG: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/development/microg-unofficial-installer-t3432360
Flash zip. Installs (latest version of) microG. Installs Playstore to the appropriate (system) directory and sets necessary permissions
If you use a ROM with built-in signature spoofing you don't need steps 1 - 4, just activate signature spoofing in the ROM's settings.
(e.g. crDroid. Note: Flash OC-Kernel and WLAN will work!)
To get things working:
launch microG settings
goto Self-Check
allow signature spoofing for microG by tapping on the text of the relevant menu item
reboot (probably not necessary)
in microG settings enable Google device registration
launch PlayStore and follow instructions to sign into your Google account
opening PlayStore probably fails with error RH-01
clear PlayStore app cache & reboot (sometimes force close PlayStore app is sufficient)
PlayStore should work now
Have fun
belrei said:
Flash the appropriate zip-file depending on your Android version and install exposedinstaller3.1.5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where is exposedinstaller3.1.5? I see only an uninstaller.
Load FakeGapps module in Xposed to enable signature spoofing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How is FakeGapps module loaded in Xposed? I have installed Xposed v89 for SDK25 in SafeStrap but I see no way to configure anything about it.
dd350 said:
Where is exposedinstaller3.1.5? I see only an uninstaller.
How is FakeGapps module loaded in Xposed? I have installed Xposed v89 for SDK25 in SafeStrap but I see no way to configure anything about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
App (to load Xposed modules, - not to install the Xposed framework, this is done with the zip you flashed) see "Attached Files" at the end of the respective post (XposedInstaller_3.1.5.apk)
(the uninstaller you saw uninstalls the Xposed framework)
Xposed modules are loaded using the XposedInstaller app
Hope this helps
PS: changed from Mokee (Marshmallow) to crDroid 3.8.5 (Nougat) yesterday successfully. Much better performance. Some random reboots during app install (hope this will stop when everything is set up). Feels like a new phone.
belrei said:
PS: changed from Mokee (Marshmallow) to crDroid 3.8.5 (Nougat) yesterday successfully. Much better performance. Some random reboots during app install (hope this will stop when everything is set up). Feels like a new phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Found it here, will give it a try today: https://forum.xda-developers.com/droid-4/development/rom-crdroid-unofficial-n-t3668542
Got microG working with crDroid, looks pretty awesome so far. But I can't get signed in to Google Voice. Without that I'm dead in the water. I need Hangouts as well, and that reports that it needs Google Play Services which is not supported.
I went ahead and did a pico Gapps install, and crDroid actually works really well with it - far better than Lineage does, and then of course all the Google stuff I need to use is there. I'm testing it out with the OC kernel and it had occasional reboots with the ULV 1.4 OC, so I'm dropping back to the LV 1.4 instead to see if that smooths it out. Otherwise it's the best Nougat ROM I've tried yet on D4.
dd350 said:
Where is exposedinstaller3.1.5? I see only an uninstaller.
How is FakeGapps module loaded in Xposed? I have installed Xposed v89 for SDK25 in SafeStrap but I see no way to configure anything about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It'd be so much easier and require much less steps if you just ran Sailfish OS
Galaxyninja66 said:
My first goal will be getting alien dalvik to work, then perhaps making my own stable builds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Galaxyninja66,
I've been using SFOS since the Droid 4 version became available, and I love it. On the whole, I manage fine without Android apps, but there are 1 or 2 it would be very useful to have. I had a go at getting AD working, and I seemed to have it set up correctly, but I wasn't able to launch anything If you do get it working, and you get a moment, could you let me know what you did please?
Thanks
moodroid said:
Hi Galaxyninja66,
I've been using SFOS since the Droid 4 version became available, and I love it. On the whole, I manage fine without Android apps, but there are 1 or 2 it would be very useful to have. I had a go at getting AD working, and I seemed to have it set up correctly, but I wasn't able to launch anything If you do get it working, and you get a moment, could you let me know what you did please?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure thing. On a side note, how stable is it with GSM international? I live in Ausfailia so the US block shouldn't effect me (at least until I move back). Can you list all the issues you are having with it (the rom in general)?
Does QWRTY work okay on the keyboard?
Does the FM Radio work?
Have they made any progress with bluetooth?
What about this battery issue where it doesn't read the level right?
I want to know it all as I will most likely try to start building this myself.
Galaxyninja66 said:
Sure thing. On a side note, how stable is it with GSM international? I live in Ausfailia so the US block shouldn't effect me (at least until I move back). Can you list all the issues you are having with it (the rom in general)?
Does QWRTY work okay on the keyboard?
Does the FM Radio work?
Have they made any progress with bluetooth?
What about this battery issue where it doesn't read the level right?
I want to know it all as I will most likely try to start building this myself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
That's great, thanks.
I've had no issues with GSM apart from data not working immediately after flashing - you just have to install an app called 'Ofono Log', and select the 'Enable Data' option, and from then on it's fine.
No issues with the keyboard - if the keyboard is open it uses it, and if not, you get the virtual keyboard. I mostly use mine with the keyboard open, as I like a physical keyboard.
I haven't tried FM radio, but will give it a go and let you know.
As far as I know, bluetooth isn't working, but I don't really have any use for it. I will give it a quick go though, and let you know.
The battery thing is a nuisance, but it doesn't really bother me that much. Usually, it only happens after a reboot, so if you don't reboot, you don't usually have a problem. Occasionally, it'll just happen though, and when it does, you just have to reboot a few times until you get a proper reading.
On the whole, it works really well, and I can't think of any other issues I have with SFOS itself. Lack of a decent browser is my main annoyance. I really like the built in browser, but (I think) it's built on a very unstable version of Firefox, and tends to keep doing weird things and you have to keep killing it and starting it up again. There's Webcat too, but I'm not too keen on that, and would sooner put up with the problems with the built in browser.
I'lll edit this when I've tried FM/bluetooth, or if I think of anything else...
Thanks
moodroid said:
Hi,
That's great, thanks.
I've had no issues with GSM apart from data not working immediately after flashing - you just have to install an app called 'Ofono Log', and select the 'Enable Data' option, and from then on it's fine.
No issues with the keyboard - if the keyboard is open it uses it, and if not, you get the virtual keyboard. I mostly use mine with the keyboard open, as I like a physical keyboard.
I haven't tried FM radio, but will give it a go and let you know.
As far as I know, bluetooth isn't working, but I don't really have any use for it. I will give it a quick go though, and let you know.
The battery thing is a nuisance, but it doesn't really bother me that much. Usually, it only happens after a reboot, so if you don't reboot, you don't usually have a problem. Occasionally, it'll just happen though, and when it does, you just have to reboot a few times until you get a proper reading.
On the whole, it works really well, and I can't think of any other issues I have with SFOS itself. Lack of a decent browser is my main annoyance. I really like the built in browser, but (I think) it's built on a very unstable version of Firefox, and tends to keep doing weird things and you have to keep killing it and starting it up again. There's Webcat too, but I'm not too keen on that, and would sooner put up with the problems with the built in browser.
I'lll edit this when I've tried FM/bluetooth, or if I think of anything else...
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If there is just a lack of FM radio app that means the qt fm radio app isn't in the patterns.
I can't wait for my Droid 4 to finally get here so i can have a keyboard device!
Does the keyboard backlight work?
Do the homekeys stay off?
Galaxyninja66 said:
If there is just a lack of FM radio app that means the qt fm radio app isn't in the patterns.
I can't wait for my Droid 4 to finally get here so i can have a keyboard device!
Does the keyboard backlight work?
Do the homekeys stay off?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it's a good phone.
The keyboard backlight does work, but you have to set it up yourself - it's in the TMO thread, but I can give you the details if you need them.
Not sure what you mean by 'the homekeys stay off'? If you let me know I'll test.
Will let you know about FM radio and bluetooth sometime today (my time)...
moodroid said:
Yeah, it's a good phone.
The keyboard backlight does work, but you have to set it up yourself - it's in the TMO thread, but I can give you the details if you need them.
Not sure what you mean by 'the homekeys stay off'? If you let me know I'll test.
Will let you know about FM radio and bluetooth sometime today (my time)...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean does the hardware key backlight stay one? you know, home menu search back keys.
Hi everyone one... I am looking forward to making my SM-T280 have a wee better features.
Have modded it with some extra features, but find peeps here are lazy, sor I will be accessing Russian help with a real firmware upgrade for such a great tablet. Will post more info soon.
Major change up
Seems that while waiting, I came up with a simple system file updates from three devices. Sinice the J1 is more compatible to the Table A 7.0 I spoofed the J1 build.prop settings to make Chrome layout look better, whIle system is forced in landscape mode. I also transfered over some system files, which were univereal that were not included in the basic 7.0 tablet.
So far, I have updated my bluetooth profiles and additional automobile connectivity presets, while updating wifi firmware from latest J3 phone firmware running LP. I also included a few J5 additions as well.
Now my tablet is being long term always on tested for stability.
Here is a list of added or enabled features that is on my Tab A 7.0.
FM Radio with recording
Full featured All share services
Samsung Video player with DNLA and pop out play functions
Screen Cast
Car mode with link functionality
Updated bluetooth profiles
Updated settings and system options... which I now forget what was missing, as I am now use to them.
Added missing frameworks and lib files.
Now working on a few lib files for virtual display and quick connect functionality.
An added note... wifi speeds and connectivity are much better now. Before updates I got 33mbps and delayed connections to my home network, now I get 38mbps and a fast connection when turned on.
keep it up !!!!!
dcap0187 said:
keep it up !!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will do... though it's been a wild ride with roller coaster events leaving me just about to kick the efforts all out the door.
Excuse the bad typing... explained at the bottom of this reply.
First of... 5.1.1 is an odd animal to get use to from 4.4 and 7.1 variants of android.
I did not realize that 5.1.1 was an abortion in the community efforts to mod and support. Most of the info I grabbed as I started was too outdated and hard to find good stuff was lost over time, server cleanup and lack of dev file space for continuing on for future builds.
So, after dumping xposed for 5.1.1 and going odex based stock, I am satisfied with hown far I have gotten.
Example... with xposed I was able to get private mode to function but... had not much reserved memory available in root storage. Even though the specs given on theach T280 state 1.5MB, which is wrong... it has plenty of room to hold more apk and .so files.
To keep speed and allow for optimum system storage use, I gave up xposed and dived into mixing 10 different stock firmwares from Samsung.
Here is a small list of known working stock firmwares, that allow transplanting apks and mostly library files over to our devices. J1, J2, J3, A3, A5, Note4, Tab S, Tab A series... both 2015 and 2016 models.
I found some custom ROMs that were odex and deodex factory firmwares, that had no disclaimer on useage.
To get missing quick settings features, I had kept an old SQL editor to patch the system db with all the useful toggles and removal of unnecessary ones.
Mirror link 100% functional, and 98% of all Accessibility features are available and operational. Finger Spen in all apps that support spen. Yes, that means the internal photo studio editor that plugs into gallery will fully function. Though I miss the 4.4 version on kitkat, as the later versions are simplified in options, like adding notes behind photos and quick file management features. WFD, Nearby, Ultra Power Saving, Side Key Panel, Full featured multi windows. Backdrop, Smart Face and Signature lock, Smart Cover, and Universal Switch are unlocked and functional.
Care Mode is 50% functional, as the tablet is not a phone, so Maps and Music are fully functional only. Bonus! Voice link via S6 S Voice. It's fully functional with out any issues that I can tell. The only issue is screen DPI to launch S Voice directly from the launcher. Found that the drawing function dumps when hour glass is extracted for screen write. I guess a simple resizing of the images within the apk will correct the FC. I am not a developer and do not mod apk files, even though from what I gather, is one of the simplist mods one can in customizations.
Since Drive Link is a UI to S Voice internals, just use Drive link to do most all of your S Voice needs. No modifications nended to S Voice apk.
Also Voice Wake is part of the package... which allows interaction between Drive Link on voice commands. Without it, you need to touch the mic to wake up S Voice when using Drive Link.
At this time... I need to find a proper WithTV package (note 4 has issues), a proper display.so lib, a way to enable gestures... I had it going in xposed with a few unknown files lost when over written while testing. Don't recall what rom I extracted from, so some day I may stumble upon it once again. I vaguely recall, the ROM was based from India, or TW. May have to look into touchwiz framework patch to get Smart Stay, Smart Pause and Smart Scroll functioning. It's not a priority as I never used them, and don't use S Browser.
SNote should work, since finger input for spen functions. Only if a developer would make an app to enable finger input as air touch enable. Example... double tap spen detatch/attach toggle. Then I can add Spen SDK and permissions to use my finger for Spen features. I had tested with stock settings menu, and it does have over 50% of the features hidden and S Pen is one of them, just no switch to detect input.
As for private mode... from what I gather, it may be that I need to flash my tablet with a clean fresh factory build and patch to enable private mode firstly. In my mad attempts to keep storage space from being consumed by uneccessary files, I recall deleting an odd file that happened to be a database file created by Private Mode. Once deleted private mode will no longer function. A factory wipe may recover, but in my case there is something changed that needed a full wipe and clean install.
I was not so keen with the Tab A setup UI, so I tested with various Phone models, the A5 and A3 setup UI is like stock but has a slightly better layout and added features that stock does not have.
I did not bother to try enabling Internet Calling and Messaging. Mostly because the last time a developer tried to do something like that, they ended up not being able to compile a working mod. So its all beyond me on diving into such a thing. There is more than just adding a dialer interface.
Well that's pretty much all I can recall in a nutshell. I am going to mess with correcting the Samsung keyboard issues from one of the framework files I am using. Its locked my popup symbols for multiple entry, which would be nice if I had a use for that feature. I have to tap away from the symold list to close the list and then type. Also even more annoying is the spelling and auto correct has greatly became touchy. It seems it wants to correct incorrectly on even the simplest words. Thus my writing looks bad, especially on long paragraphs like on this reply.
Quick update.... disabled chrome spell check and found Samsung keyboard easier to manage on spellchecking... though there is some issues still, so I will dive further.
Removed gesture service, since it requires light sensor, and included spen SDK for SNote to load, and talkback to allow voice interaction in accessibility features. Will try and fit in SNote and Voice Note, as the stock firmware is missing key lib files.
Sticking with A3 / A5 Settings2.apk as it is best all around.
Working on Qconnect, S6 Toolbar, and Personal mode.
Will not fix S6_SVoice.zip for direct useage, as it is only for drive link voice operation only. You can use a S4 SVoice as an option for direct useage. But not installed together. Both SVoice and TTS are huge installs, but a lot less than using all Google. Apps. In fact maps and Google play storeally and services are the only Google Apps I have outside of Chrome.
Ok, I got some of the keyboard spellchecking issues sorted out. Installed the latest open gapps, just to remove most of the Google updates stored on data/apps. Doing so cleans up space and removes some issues with conflicting .so files and apks. Found Chrome was in need of removal on its updates, and I manually copied it into system app folder for the system to make it into a system load when rebooted. Then Uninstalled the update that was chrome left in data/app folder.
Nown for the additional additions...
NOTE4
SVoice Note with voice to text and 3 recording types.
Face Lock functionality
Talkback
No go apps that will not be added... QuickConnect, S6 Toolbox, Smart Stay, Smart Pause, Smart Scroll, Private Mode, and Air Gesture. I gather framework will need adjusted, and systemui may have QuickConnect and Toolbox presets with disabled pointers to launch them.
I may try a few systemui for other devices, like I have with settings2.
Considering how much of the Samsung features I unlocked and added, the only feature I will miss and is worth the effort to attempt further, is QuickConnect. It is a pretty snazzy tool with some interesting features that make it a go to for sharing and connectivity.
When I create a twrp backup of my competed system, it can be restored over existing installation. A dirty flash if you so call it. Just wipe cache before rebooting. It will take about 10 minutea or more, depending on what has been installed.
You can remove some none stock apps as you see fit, as they are for ease of maintenance when flashing clean.
I added a few things to make the tablet more useful for my own use. One is S5 video player. Mainly because it is full featured, allowing pop out video, and built in DLNA to stream from my router media storage and TV box.
If some videos are not compatible, I use aDLNA to launch MX Player for decode that is not compatible to my hardware.
I kept the stock video player, so the additional S5 video player may be removed if one chooses.
One issue is the buttons in S5 Video are not dpi proper on the layout. So black boxes are shown without any context. You can play around to memorize what black box does what, or I'd you are familiar enough with phone style video player pretty 2016, it should not be so difficult.
I debloated the system as much as I could, though many call removing system files that are not required for operation as debloating. Debloating is removing memory consuming apps, not system needed apps. Most all Google Apps are heavy bloaters, in generating cache and data, let alone are bloated within themselves. I tend to stay away from multi platform apks. Especially when there is no need to have ARM8a compatibility in a ARM7 environment. Either figurethane out that Google or stop with your fake and loosely based facts on your betterment of newer platforms. Geezo, my 4.4.2 tablet uses less storage than 5.1.1. And yet it was stated that newer Android is smaller and more efficient. Right? BS... the true facts are right here in my hands
Enough rants... here are the facts. System partition has about 60MB free. Why leave over 500MB free and unused as empty storage? So now you have a maximized system storage for system apps that normally don't get updated. Leaving the updated or user installed apps to use internal or external storage.
Proof it will not cause issues, some custom ROMs will down size system partitions from 3GB to 1GB depending on how minimal the firmware foot print is. So instead of remapping the system partition, I just moved apps into the system.
I have about 900MB free on internal storage running a bunch of streaming apps and CoPilot. The biggest resource hogsite are Google play services, play store, and Samsung TTS with SVoice. Using Google TTS and Voice would greatly consume more valueable storage space.
The 16GB card is my backups and work space for rom stripping. I use a 64GB card for media and apps. There is a script to make External SD into Internal sdcard, so the storage is like what you would have with newer firmwares. Though it is not encrypted, but can be shared between other devices.
So I placed all the installed apps that are not or will never be updated in the system/app folder. Thus increasing my internal storage space by 60MB and more.
After a bit of testing, I found that Knox will keep private mode from functioning. So, some how during my tests, I must have finished my transfering system files after a fresh restore of stock firmware recovery. Thus a partially functioning personal mode. To me kids mode works fine, so if i shoud need to share, to someone who i dont trust with private data, i can give them kids mode all setup for them to never ask again. mwhahahaha! On the lighter side, you can just setup the guest profile and lockout photo apps and such.
tested my apps to sd script. all apps now allow moving to sd, as expected. YAY!
I released enough internal (sdcard) for 1.2gb free with curent unmoved apps installed. May balance it out further, if needed. Dont have much room to test with as my 64GB sd card has 54GB of music and another 8GB in other files. Will need to invest in a 128GB sd card for that.
Tweaked the build prop for faster responce... just a few wee edits actually. One is stupid simple, yet never seen anyone do it on small ram devices. will add a final additional set of tweaks for small enahancements.
This tablet is actually faster than the Note 8.0 it is replacing, though it is slower on cpu speed, and is not overclocked with a custom Boefla kernel.
still working on a small set of bugs... probably from my data from installs and configurations. Once I clear the internal data, it may recover properly, but i rather identify the issue, as I expect the restore file to be flashed dirty.
Gave up on testing systemUI swaps. Seems like samsung has made non adjustable ui schema on their platforms. I cant even drop or increase dpi on this tablet without breaking ui.
One thing i did like about A3 ui was its noticable zoom out feature with the lock screen image, and has different background, like the S5 phone.
Outside of that, once unlocked boom! Back to lockscreen with a ui crash.
Found one issue with A3/A5 settings... it has a different mapping for a sub menu item. Closes out, without allowing a setting. Seems like phone and tablets are perposely done so component features cannot be shared beteen them. Signature lock will show as an option but impossible to enable. To use face lock i must use a tab4 settings. It would be nice to combine all the features on the A3 settings ui to the tab4 setting ui, as it would alow so much more versatility. The tab 4 settings has audio pointing to a different audio schema which fc the setting ui once selected, since the devices do not share the same hardware. Also the motion section does it as well.
Most all the features are good between the two on our tablet. Not going back to original settings as it seems so limited.
Slowly making headway...
Found some nice mic and audio drivers... for the life of me, i thought it was cheap hardware making a bit of digital noise with stock system files and any oem or downloadable audio recorder. I went a head and scoured through build dates on stock driver files to find similarities with tab a stock, and any differences.
Because I only use the tab a to do file and os tests, as its the only thing i have, i cant keep backups or libraries of firmwares to gather what i need. Its mostly download search sort and copy what i need. Then delete and download another rom.
Out side of mystery system files, to patch the latest release for the 7.0 tab a6, i am pain stakingly playing with floating logcat, while launching and running apps.
Decided to remove some apks that i use for tools, and do some cleanup for a clean system build backup. It leaves around 400MB free for what ever you want to add to the system.
Found a nice option to try... once i do a backup, is to run virtual exposed. I dont like the modded xposed for samsung odex. It seems slow and a wee buggy.
I rooted this build with a passive kernel and the latest magisk.
I hope to have virtual xposed operational on this build as there are so many xposed modules available.
I did include the tools i use.. fake gps, os monitor, logcat extreme, termux, and csc features for samsung.
Still trying to sort out sip symbols staying active when more than one is listed, after initial touch on the symbol.
Voice note is also having one issue... will not type out words spoken when doing voice note dictation. I assume i am missing some system files outside of the lib folder location.
Will have to search for the proper firmware and find what differences are in the file structure and in vendor.
Have added smart selfie alarm for camera, and additional stylized images for bonus material.
As another bonus i included control screen, to keep the screen orientation proper on difficult apps. It has an option to stay in the notification pull down panel, and fits nicely. Just turn off samsung auto screen rotation before enabling the app.
One down two to go!
I found an Svoice that is fully functional on our tab a6 models. So, consider another bonus in the round of fixing wee issues.
This one allows the change of the wakeup command. It seems to work with any command you want to make it. Problem is if you bypass the initial setup, it defaults to Hi Galaxy. I think clearing out all the Svoice apks data and cache will allow changing the command, if you need to.
Still working on Voice Note not typing out text from voice input, and sip symbol key list staying on after initial touch.
It may be from a hidden accesibility function that is available with various setup ui apks.
Like there is another type of unlock scheme on some phones and th J3 version i am using. It very much like pattern unlock but more simpler. Also it can be setup to show direction, or not to show direction, to keep the lock screen blank. Also read out loud to where your direction has been entered.
Down to one last issue to correct
I figured out the main reason why voice note in the voice recorder fails to type out text during voice recording. The tab a6 does not have a proper audio mux and lpcm setup. I tried to configure media by seeing what can be done to add paths. I am not familiar with paths enough to compare and cross reference unknown values to replace from a different schema.
So, until someone who is following can do a proper patch to the media xml files in exec folder, the function will never happen.
I checked with SNote and it does allow all the importing functions, including video from rear camera.
While trying out the patch on my own, I did bump up the recording quality on the video encoding. At least i got something done out of the deal.
I also gave up on virtualxposed. I dont care to run a shell based setup, and most of the xposed modules i use do not play well with the shell.
So, it looks like i will devote my time into isolating the troubles with sip symbol shortcut overlay not clearing from the keyboard after initial symbol touch. It will clear on just a single symbol being shown, or if you touch away from the pop up symbol set.
One thing i did do is clear keyboard data and cache. I may have to reset the csc features xml additions i had set. I have other ideas, but i will tackle the simplest first.
I hope to post my dirty flash mod for peeps with the latest firmware to use on their Tab A6 7.0 tablets.
Since i had very little input on what most want or expect on a modded firmware, i made it for my needs, based on a full Samsung Experience, with minimal google bloat.
I will make a couple of scripts for peeps to run via terminal command or launch from smanager. Since my force installs to external sd card may get in the way of a clean flash with pushing restoration installations.
The scripts will enable or disable force to external sd, and toggle performance mode, and interactive mode (stock default).
All fixed!
Found my symbol key issue was with magnification gestures enabled.
Now that all correctable issues are resolved, I will finalize my small tweak options for user enabled optioms
All fixed!
Found my symbol key issue was with magnification gestures enabled.
Now that all correctable issues are resolved, I will finalize my small tweak options for user enabled options.
I will not have busybox installed, just Magisk rooted with passive kernel.
So, speed tweaks are user enabled after boot. Network tweaks are enabled via sysctl.conf within etc folier
All fixed!
Found my symbol key issue was with magnification gestures enabled.
Now that all correctable issues are resolved, I will finalize my small tweak options for user enabled options.
I will not have busybox installed, just Magisk rooted with passive kernel.
So, speed tweaks are user enabled after boot. Network tweaks are enabled via sysctl.conf within the system/etc folder.
Right now I am happy with over-riding system governor to Perfromance and WiFi congestion control to Reno. Both are the only options avaliable from what the kernel was built with.
There is a small battery increase, but mostly noticeable when comparing to low tasks and multi-tasking. Heavy usage and average use, will not show much difference. I have yet to see a reason to revert back.
This is a stock rom with as many features one can have for the hardware and what Samsung made available for cross compatibility. I have included a full featured accessibility package, along with voice and finger generated spen controls. Plus enabled internal editing of videos and photos. Plus I blocked media from scanning system media for images and songs.
There is too much to explain here, but I will try to compile a full list of features that are installed for a Samsung Experience.
Test image
Here is a TWRP backup of my system. It can be flashed dirty, though i recomend doing a backup of your system before flashing to revert back if needed.
Unzip the contents into your existing twrp backup folder. Run twrp to restore the image. Be sure to enable checking to gaurantee proper restore.
This has install to external set, and magisk root with permissive kernel (you may need to enable it with a utility or shell command). Minor tweaks are in build.prop, you can revert to original build.prop by renaming the backup by removal of the bk extension.
This is 98% completed... i have to update a few files and an app, as they were written over, by mistake.
You should have 200mb free in the system partition. Also a small handful of utiltiies that are no more than 25mb total. I removed google bloatware, and a few Samsung apps that are not required, or can be downloaded from Galaxy Apps or Google play.
Many will just say no need to change a thing... but before i post the final image, i will not bother with future maintanence. So, if any one finds something out side of known issues, given in my update history... (please read through carefully) i can attempt to make some additional changes before i finalize. Thank you.
https://mega.nz/#F!AzZB3SDT!HEtXvvWsk8F_SbgYz9BGzw
TWRP
I'm trying to flash a TWRP recovery image on my T280 using Odin 3.13 and twrp-3.2.3-0-_mone-gtexswifi.tar....but I keep getting a secure boot fail. What did you do to flash TWRP?
good morning
could you explain in detail how to install your rom?
the twrp backup folder where I find it? do i have to create it?
explain this passage to me please
gooberdude said:
Here is a TWRP backup of my system. It can be flashed dirty, though i recomend doing a backup of your system before flashing to revert back if needed.
Unzip the contents into your existing twrp backup folder. Run twrp to restore the image. Be sure to enable checking to gaurantee proper restore.
This has install to external set, and magisk root with permissive kernel (you may need to enable it with a utility or shell command). Minor tweaks are in build.prop, you can revert to original build.prop by renaming the backup by removal of the bk extension.
This is 98% completed... i have to update a few files and an app, as they were written over, by mistake.
You should have 200mb free in the system partition. Also a small handful of utiltiies that are no more than 25mb total. I removed google bloatware, and a few Samsung apps that are not required, or can be downloaded from Galaxy Apps or Google play.
Many will just say no need to change a thing... but before i post the final image, i will not bother with future maintanence. So, if any one finds something out side of known issues, given in my update history... (please read through carefully) i can attempt to make some additional changes before i finalize. Thank you.
https://mega.nz/#F!AzZB3SDT!HEtXvvWsk8F_SbgYz9BGzw
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there are few stuff on your mega, including 2 finals , mod, and christmass rom. Which one to use?
it's people like you that make me love XDA
gooberdude said:
Here is a TWRP backup of my system. It can be flashed dirty, though i recomend doing a backup of your system before flashing to revert back if needed.
Unzip the contents into your existing twrp backup folder. Run twrp to restore the image. Be sure to enable checking to gaurantee proper restore.
This has install to external set, and magisk root with permissive kernel (you may need to enable it with a utility or shell command). Minor tweaks are in build.prop, you can revert to original build.prop by renaming the backup by removal of the bk extension.
This is 98% completed... i have to update a few files and an app, as they were written over, by mistake.
You should have 200mb free in the system partition. Also a small handful of utiltiies that are no more than 25mb total. I removed google bloatware, and a few Samsung apps that are not required, or can be downloaded from Galaxy Apps or Google play.
Many will just say no need to change a thing... but before i post the final image, i will not bother with future maintanence. So, if any one finds something out side of known issues, given in my update history... (please read through carefully) i can attempt to make some additional changes before i finalize. Thank you.
https://mega.nz/#F!AzZB3SDT!HEtXvvWsk8F_SbgYz9BGzw
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank You!
Help to update - Some procedure to follow
EliteeSword said:
Thank You!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi! id like so much to update my Samsung A6 SM-T280 - 7 inches. I downloaded the files from Mega but i really dont know how to update Does anyone can help me with some procedure ?
I really appreciate the help!
Regards,
Daniel .
---------- Post added at 04:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:49 PM ----------
Hi Gooberdude!
Id like so much to update my Samsung A6 SM-T280 - 7 inches. I downloaded the files from Mega but i really dont know how to update .Does anyone can help me with some procedure ?
I really appreciate the help!
Regards,
Daniel .