Related
...[from elsewhere] ...I didn't see any mention of this in the how-to threads so I didn't back up my EFS files from the stock rom. Anyone here have had any issues with this after going back to stock?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is an example of things that are scattered in many threads...specifically, what are the things you should DO or SAVE before flashing a new ROM?
Above seems to be one (except is "EFS" a folder or what?). Would folks please offer your suggestions of the "protective" steps to be done/preserved in case of future difficulties.
Actually, in addition to the one quoted, doing a Titanium Backup is in almost all of the how-to discussions, so I guess that is already covered.
efs is really only relevant if you plan on using kies. Your phones product code and imei number are stoped in those files. flashing roms can alter these files. I have never done this. If you want to down load root explorer, or free option android mate. I would pay for root explorer. Find the efs file copy and paste it to your internal sd. Then save it to your pc
Android id. Dl android id changer from market. if you have not already dl busy box from market. Install busy box using app. Open android id changer, click save id, custom flashes change this and it us god to have it saved, you can restore using same app after flash
Do you know what odin is?
Do you know your build number?
mcord11758 said:
efs is really only relevant if you plan on using kies. Your phones product code and imei number are stoped in those files. flashing roms can alter these files. I have never done this. If you want to down load root explorer, or free option android mate. I would pay for root explorer. Find the efs file copy and paste it to your internal sd. Then save it to your pc
Android id. Dl android id changer from market. if you have not already dl busy box from market. Install busy box using app. Open android id changer, click save id, custom flashes change this and it us god to have it saved, you can restore using same app after flash
Do you know what odin is?
Do you know your build number?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Recapping this...
EFS is a file. Can save it using Root Explorer or Android Mate.
I have copied down all the data under the battery. Is there more than that in this file?
I am confused about second paragraph. You mention download
Android ID Changer
Busy Box
Which one is it that captures the Android ID? And obviously it saves it, but where?
Yes, odin is mentioned in the how-to's, but it IS part of the flashing process. I am looking for things that should be done BEFORE starting that.
Yes, I know the build (1006). It is part of the data under the battery. And flashing wouldn't destroy or modify that.
Yes the efs had your csc or product code. If you flash a rom that is a port from another device this may be changed. Not an issue if you do not use kies.
Busybox is an app that installs commands onto your phone that certain programs need to operate correctly. Titanium backup and android id changer need this to function correctly. Android id changer saves your id in a file on your internal sd. The file is called update.id when you flash a rom you open the app again click load id, then change id. Phone reboots, id us back to your original id
Odin is a utility that flashes you back to stock 2.1. It is used by many as a safe way to go from rom to rom with a clean install. It is also used to recover from software bricks.
If you have more questions that pop up pm me, this way we are not clogging up the q&a
I think the exchange helps many people who I assume, like me, are trying to sort all this out.
MAIN purpose of the thread is to identify things to do/save before beginning the 'change to another ROM' process--which to me would include the Odin flash back to stock if you aren't there already.
But these side question resolutions are pertinent.
Your Busybox comment threw me a curve. It sounds like you are saying it installs stuff TiBU and Android ID Changer need in order to work. You mean TiBU as downloaded from the market does not work as a standalone app?
tibu needs busy box. If you download tibu and open the app there is a button on the bottom that says problems. If you click it it will also look to install busy box commands.
You are right about the usefulness of threads like this, no disrespect but it looks like you joined xda 4 days ago. These types of discussions are constant and rehashed on nearly a daily basis. For some odd mental quirk I read then all and help when I can. There are a thousand questions you can have, the offer to pm was to keep it easy
I have been reading for two weeks--I mean reading A LOT, not just 4 days ago; that was when I registered on the site. This is a =wonderful= resource, but it is a plain fact that what you need to know is scattered all over the place, both video and written how-to's. I have not found a single one that includes everything you need to know. I mean, for example, they will tell you to do something, which seems trivial to them, but which really involves other knowledge. And that sounds like a non-isue, but in fact it is a complete showstopper for "us" types. Yes, you can go off hunting to clarify the incompleteness, but that is exactly what I am talking about--hunting all over the place.
By the time someone gets to the point they can create something with completeness, the problem is...they are already to the point they can create such a thing. That contradiction arises from it being almost impossible to remember what you didn't know "back then."
I had been studying HARD trying to get "it," everything you need to do to flash a different ROM. Then, a day or so ago, in all that hunting around I speak of, someone mentioned "be sure you ... before you flash." It dawned on me that, when you think you are ready to flash, you aren't. There are things that should be done BEFORE. I started the "hunt" again as alluded to here. Then I said, dang, all us newbies would be well served if all the preliminary do's and save's were in one thread (preferably, ultimately in one LIST). Thus the reason for this thread.
If I am wrong, and other newbies really don't need to know these things, then yes, it can be done in PM. Others will never see it, and still be stuck in the hunting-all-over mode. Thus, I think it is desirable and helpful to others to put it in public, in one thread.
Once again no disrespect. Your point is taken.
Tibu to back up all your user apps, no system information. unless you want to learn how to use odin in the case of issues
Android id changer to back up your android id
Rom manager to back up your current setup, and flasg clockwork recovery. Never restore a backup of one rom on top of another rom
Contacts to external sd, sim, or sync with google
Efs using root explorer to copy folder and save in pc
Odin to flash stock and or recover from software brick. Builds 1010 and above do not use one click odin
No offense taken, and that's a great input. Thanks.
If others see anything else, please contribute.
Ok, I am also new at this, I have flashed 3 Roms. This is what I have done when changing ROMs.
Download Titanium Backup and rom manager. Back up your apps with Titanium Backup.
Download the ROM you want to flash.
Download Odin.
Turn on usb debugging.
Plug phone into the computer, pull down the notification window and click on usb to mount the sd card.
Open this up to look at files.
You should have an update.zip file you can copy to your desktop. You also should have a folder named Titanium Backup that you can save as well.
Once you have this, you can begin.
Take your phone to stock using odin. There are several tutorials available. I used this one,http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=10056254&postcount=36 because I have a 1010 phone.
Once this is done, I push the voume up and down along with the power button. You will get a menu giving you a choice to reinstall packages. You need to click this, go to yes, and it will pull up to the same menu again. Hit reinstall packages again which will get you to clockwork recovery.
Now, I chose to wipe/factory reset to make sure my phone was "clean".
Then, I chose to apply the update.zip.
Then, I chose to install a zip file from the sd card, scrolled down to the rom file, and chose it.
Then it will install the Rom. You will choose go back, then reboot the system. Then your Rom should be installed.
I think I remembered everything. I used a few tutorials:
http://theunlockr.com/2010/08/02/how-to-load-a-custom-rom-on-the-samsung-captivate-vibrant/
and this one:http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=10183875&postcount=4
Hope this helps!
OOPS. Thanks, but this thread is for things to do or save BEFORE starting the ROM change.
So... let's say that you didn't save your android id before you flashed... will that cause problems?
beryxil said:
So... let's say that you didn't save your android id before you flashed... will that cause problems?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You tell me. Did you? Are you experiencing problems?
it depends on the rom you are using. You may experience issues downloading from market and certain games may give you issues.
If you did not save it and you are not having problems then no big deal. You can go back to stock and save it, then flash again.
Hello my name is P3Droid,
We (TBH) have a lot of experience in Motorola phones and hacking. This experience dates back to the Razr days.
Here is a word of caution. Do no delete apps from the System partition, I would suggest you only rename them to .bak. When Motorola pushes updates each of the files undergoes a hash check, if the file has been manipulated or is missing the entire update will fail.
Until a system only sbf or similar is released, unless you make a back up with bootstrap and recovery, you will eliminate your ability to take updates moving forward.
You can remove many of the stock apps without rooting just by using the built in app manager.
Those apps are in /data it is the apps that are in /system that count.
jimmydafish said:
Hello my name is P3Droid,
We (TBH) has a lot of experience in Motorola phones and hacking. The experience dates back to the Razr days.
Here is a word of caution. Do no delete apps from the System partition, I would suggest you only rename them to .bak. When Motorola pushes updates each of the files undergoes a hash check, if the file has been manipulated or is missing the entire update will fail.
Until a system only sbf or similar is released, unless you make a back up with bootstrap and recovery, you will eliminate your ability to take updates moving forward.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i take it that all the apps you can delete through app manager are on /data therefore are safe to delete right?
This should definitely be sticky'd.
franciscojavierleon said:
i take it that all the apps you can delete through app manager are on /data therefore are safe to delete right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes anything that you can delete through the application manager is okay to remove, those have no impact on the update process.
And to complete my thought above. When an update is released, and they are coming, then you need to just change the file names back to normal to take the update.
Sound to me like we ned an ap that lets toys select programs to rename and then can change then back when needed. Would make it alot easier. Ill look onto this...also if some one else can confirm this info I might stick it.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
I can confirm that what p3droid is saying is true for all recent Motorola devices, but the point is really that you won't know until an OTA update is released how they have written the updater script in the zip file.
We have been through this with releases for every phone since the Droid X and many people got caught out by it and were stuck until we released SBF files that could safely restore the stock configuration and allow updating to official release versions.
This brings up another important point about modding your phone at this stage in the cycle. Without a full SBF to recover with in the event of a problem that renders the phone unbootable or unable to access recovery, or if you haven't made a complete nandroid, you will be again be stuck and have to return your phone to AT&T/Motorola for warranty replacement. This is never good for anyone.
When we mod our phones against the wishes of the carriers and manufacturers, we should really take responsibility for those actions and not produce a mountain of bricked phones whose cost is passed along to everyone in the form of higher ETFs for smartphones and other ways.
So, until a full SBF is released of the current build, people should be very careful what they change or remove from their phone's system and/or NVM and radio.
I also tried to warn users about this in another thread that was locked before p3droid started this thread. We have watched hundreds or even thousands of users destroy their phones in myriad ways and helped many of them recover them by providing SBF files as a safety net. It's not fun and if it can be avoided it is to everyone's benefit to do so and only requires care and forethought.
Is there anyway we could make a backup of this partition for later use? would each user need to make one or would one for all users suffice?
Assuming a bootstrapped custom recovery is possible, and we know Koush is already working on it, then a nandroid backup of at least the system, userdata and cache partitions would be the first and best step to take. Also assuming that the bootloader is locked/signed and true recovery is not possible, then the boot image and kernel will not be able to be backed up or written to by the bootstrapped recovery. It is always best to make your own backup for your device and store it on the sdcard where you have easy access, but users have also been able to use someone else's nandroid backup to restore their device in many cases as well. The recovery will give you the option to restore each partition separately in the advanced options so that you won't be restoring someone else's data to your phone.
We at TBH have also been able to create our own update.zip files and SBF files to help users recover from various mishaps.
This was because we had access to both official and unofficial files and tools to accomplish those things.
We have no idea if that will be the case here and we will not likely have the device ourselves to work with given we are VZW users primarily.
Again, there are many variables here that are yet to be determined and modes of access to the various partitions and radio baseband will be different with this phone as opposed to previous Qualcomm chipset devices.
All of this means that at this stage extreme caution is advised and being overzealous with root access is very dangerous right now.
I suggest everyone that is rooted use TITANIUM BACKUP to deal with their bloatware issues. The pro version, which you will need, is only a few bucks and is worth it. TB allows you to 'freeze' bloatware apps, which to my knowledge just blocks it fro the system, but does not delete it. The apps you choose to freeze are also removed from the app tray - so no more clutter. This way when an update rolls around, you can run down the list and simply touch 'thaw' to bring those apps back to recognition. This seems like a much more efficient and easy way to go back and forth, rather than renaming the .apk's.
I apologize if someone already mentioned TB in this thread - I just skimmed quickly.
I deleted all the bloat apps using the app manager without root. They were gone!
I did a factory reset on the phone and *surprise* the apps were back!
The things that were not part of the system come back during reset. On the other hand, im ****ed because I went crazy and deleted some actual apps that the system will check. Yay me.
pwndrone said:
The things that were not part of the system come back during reset. On the other hand, im ****ed because I went crazy and deleted some actual apps that the system will check. Yay me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ouch. Might not work, but have you tried a hard reset?
We should make a list of what's safe to remove like we did for the Captivate. Might be helpful.
I did a full factory reset and those apps that weren't part of the system came back but stuff like the help center are still missing.
Hopefully there will be a way to load the stock firmware sometime in the future.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Would an app like "Autostarts" work in this case?
Guys, I can't emphasize this enough: use Titanium Backup to freeze the apps rather than deleting them, it will make your life much easier.
does this apply to using different font files as well? I'd like to use a ttf font that's a little larger than DroidSans. if i rename and use a different font will that impact OTA updates or anything else for that matter? thanks!
before reading about "freezing" apps, i reset my atrix back to factory settings. i need help rooting my atrix again. it keeps me in "Waiting for Device" where before i had no problem rooting. and another thing, when i had reset back to factory settings...i still have superuser installed. do i uninstall superuser in order to gain root access again?
I have not rooted yet. My question is can we use freeze to turn off BlurAccounts or is it fully baked into the Rom?
I ... may have bricked my Droid 4. I won't go into details unless somebody asks, but I don't think it's necessary. I AM able to get to the recovery mode though, I just have nothing to recover from.... I misplaced my back-up.
So, I need SOMETHING to flash my phone to. 4.0/2.0/I don't care, I just need any rom/SBF to make this bad boy boot again. Anybody have anything?
I saw and downloaded the first thing that shows up when you google "droid-4-system-dump-wallpapers-ringtones.html" (link doesn't work because I'm new) But, I was unable to make anything of it.... What do I do?
Just to help others avoid the same fate can you please let us all know what you did?
zeroibis said:
Just to help others avoid the same fate can you please let us all know what you did?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, in hindsight it was kind of dumb. I rooted it, and began to remove all of the VZW sponsored apps. Once I did that, it cleared out a lot of memory (storage AND ram) but seemed to come with the downside of preventing my "settings" activity opening up. As in, whenever I hit "menu" then "Settings" from the main launcher, it would force close behind the scenes (logcat showed the stack trace for the settings activity).
I spent the next day trying to fix that issue, copying "settings.apk" from that link I mentioned earlier to my root director, but that didn't fix it. So, I went and tried copying entire folders over. This is the embarrassing part... I hit a 'delete' button on the "system/apps" folder, got about 30 force close windows, and am now stuck in a bootloop.
Doing the "power + both volume buttons" still gives me the recovery menu, but I don't have anything to recover to, as I was stupid and didn't think to make a backup.
Dwebtron said:
Well, in hindsight it was kind of dumb. I rooted it, and began to remove all of the VZW sponsored apps. Once I did that, it cleared out a lot of memory (storage AND ram) but seemed to come with the downside of preventing my "settings" activity opening up. As in, whenever I hit "menu" then "Settings" from the main launcher, it would force close behind the scenes (logcat showed the stack trace for the settings activity).
I spent the next day trying to fix that issue, copying "settings.apk" from that link I mentioned earlier to my root director, but that didn't fix it. So, I went and tried copying entire folders over. This is the embarrassing part... I hit a 'delete' button on the "system/apps" folder, got about 30 force close windows, and am now stuck in a bootloop.
Doing the "power + both volume buttons" still gives me the recovery menu, but I don't have anything to recover to, as I was stupid and didn't think to make a backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No files are floating around at this time. You really screwed yourself over on this one. Go back to Verizon and beg. You chose to void your warranty.
Dwebtron said:
Well, in hindsight it was kind of dumb. I rooted it, and began to remove all of the VZW sponsored apps. Once I did that, it cleared out a lot of memory (storage AND ram) but seemed to come with the downside of preventing my "settings" activity opening up. As in, whenever I hit "menu" then "Settings" from the main launcher, it would force close behind the scenes (logcat showed the stack trace for the settings activity).
I spent the next day trying to fix that issue, copying "settings.apk" from that link I mentioned earlier to my root director, but that didn't fix it. So, I went and tried copying entire folders over. This is the embarrassing part... I hit a 'delete' button on the "system/apps" folder, got about 30 force close windows, and am now stuck in a bootloop.
Doing the "power + both volume buttons" still gives me the recovery menu, but I don't have anything to recover to, as I was stupid and didn't think to make a backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm curious about this too - I deleted a bunch of vzw garbage. I did make a copy of of everything with titanium backup first but when I tried re-installing one of them it just hung while another re-installed fine.
I had a similar issue with one app - I had to go into /system/app and change it form RO to RW. Once Read/Write was enabled, Titanium was able to restore the app.
I have been playing it safe and only freezing the apps, not deleting them. I have had no FC or any odd behavior. I figured with an allocated 3 gb to applications, at this time gaining an extra 100MB of storage space is superfluous...especially with no SBF available.
As mentioned above, try going to the VZW store and getting an exchange. I'm certain an .sbf will be released at some point but it could be weeks/months before that happens.
And for future reference/anyone else reading this thread...never delete system apps! Just freeze them. Yes they will still be taking up space, but they won't be using any memory and they won't show up in your launcher so it's basically the same thing...except with freezing it is 100% reversible and will still allow you to receive updates.
Can someone upload these files from D4:
/system/build.prop
/system/default.prop
Freeze Apps
SGMD1 said:
As mentioned above, try going to the VZW store and getting an exchange. I'm certain an .sbf will be released at some point but it could be weeks/months before that happens.
And for future reference/anyone else reading this thread...never delete system apps! Just freeze them. Yes they will still be taking up space, but they won't be using any memory and they won't show up in your launcher so it's basically the same thing...except with freezing it is 100% reversible and will still allow you to receive updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is the best way to freeze apps? I know you can do this with Titanium Backup. Do you need the pro version in order to do this? Are there other apps out there that also allow you to freeze apps?
kwyrt said:
What is the best way to freeze apps? I know you can do this with Titanium Backup. Do you need the pro version in order to do this? Are there other apps out there that also allow you to freeze apps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do need the Pro version of Titanium Backup to freeze apps I believe. There are free apps that will do it (i.e. Bloatware Killer) but I am not really familiar with them.
Skrilax_CZ said:
Can someone upload these files from D4:
/system/build.prop
/system/default.prop
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://db.tt/LymDelkf
That zip contains the 2 files you asked for. Anything else you need just ask and I can pull it for you. I havent done a dd of all the partitons yet but will be doing that as soon as I can.
cellzealot said:
That zip contains the 2 files you asked for. Anything else you need just ask and I can pull it for you. I havent done a dd of all the partitons yet but will be doing that as soon as I can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The link that I was referring to in the first post SHOULD have every file from the D4.
I meant if he needed any of the other partitions besides the system.
I wanted to give him exactly what he asked for because he is avery sharp guy who may help us out with this device.
Unfortunately I did the same (though not as bad...I just can't open any of my contacts). I changed the permissions for /system/apps but I still am hanging at restoring in Titanium Backup. Are there any other directories that should have changed permissions to get some of these apps restored?
Also, lesson learned....freeze no uninstall
mattlgroff said:
No files are floating around at this time. You really screwed yourself over on this one. Go back to Verizon and beg. You chose to void your warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah so what? Why do people feel the need to post condescending comments for no reason? Its because of mistakes and screwups that the community progresses. There will be files floating around by the weekend, I'm sure.
I'm in the same boat... I bricked by droid 4... now waiting for a sbf file... someone said go to vzw and beg... has anyone ever tried that, after bricking your phone? what did you say? and did it work?
I'm just trying to figure out how to get vzw to replace this phone.
---------- Post added at 09:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:56 PM ----------
reigndropz said:
Yeah so what? Why do people feel the need to post condescending comments for no reason? Its because of mistakes and screwups that the community progresses. There will be files floating around by the weekend, I'm sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The files will be released by the weekend? YAY... how do you know?
Also what does it take/what has to be done for someone to release these sbf files?
jgardner said:
Unfortunately I did the same (though not as bad...I just can't open any of my contacts). I changed the permissions for /system/apps but I still am hanging at restoring in Titanium Backup. Are there any other directories that should have changed permissions to get some of these apps restored?
Also, lesson learned....freeze no uninstall
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the only path I had to change. Do you recall if you happened to have moved an app to a different path (perhaps to the sd-card) then removed it?
Are there multiple apps you are trying to restore? If so, have you tried restoring them one at a time?
im going to wait for the sbf files before any major modifications to my phone, then we can all start the fun
i just froze apps to prevent them from running, im not worried about space since i put in a 32GB SD card
I think it's very wise to wait for the firmware to be released, but it's worth noting that the term SBF is a mistaken reference to the old format for firmware files and that all dual core Motorolas have fastboot support now and RSD Lite has been modified to support this and uses xml.zip files that are sets of signed images rather than the Single Binary File(SBF).
This is a very important distinction to be made as the new format and boot menu provide many more options for controlling the flash process for the end user and it is ultimately much safer and more flexible.
Hello,
because of the stupid bluetooth behaviour on Android Pie (see here), I am seriously concidering downgrading my N6 back to LOS 15.1
I know I can install LOS 15 on the system partition using TWRP. But what about the data partition? Have there been changes between 15 and 16, that would prevent to use the same data partition or to restore the data partition after downgrading? I would prefer not having to re-install every app after downgrading.
Sorry, but you always have to clear data when going backwards.
You can hope for Google's app backup, which only works some of time for me. Or bring out the old Titanium app - though even that isn't guaranteed to always do the right thing, so you need to be careful what you restore.
I guess this means, creating a backup with TWRP, installing LOS 15.1, and restoring data only from the backup won't work, will it?
No, it won't work. The problem is that different versions store data in different ways. Some roms, including LOS, have conversions from the old to the new. But never the other way.
runekock said:
No, it won't work. The problem is that different versions store data in different ways. Some roms, including LOS, have conversions from the old to the new. But never the other way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bummer.
I have taken a look at Titanium, and it claims to be usable for downgrading. Did you ever use it that way? Would I need the pro version, or would the free version be sufficient?
What exactly do you mean by different way of storing data? Different file systems? Different mount points? I am trying to look at this from a Linux user's point of view: what about manually creating a tar file of the data partition, and untar this package after downgrade? That way it would not matter what file system was used before and which file system is used afterwards, and the mount point wouldn't matter neither.
dvdram said:
Bummer.
I have taken a look at Titanium, and it claims to be usable for downgrading. Did you ever use it that way? Would I need the pro version, or would the free version be sufficient?
What exactly do you mean by different way of storing data? Different file systems? Different mount points? I am trying to look at this from a Linux user's point of view: what about manually creating a tar file of the data partition, and untar this package after downgrade? That way it would not matter what file system was used before and which file system is used afterwards, and the mount point wouldn't matter neither.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't used Titanium for years, but my impression is that it works most of the time (and free should be fine). Probably highest risk of problems when restoring system settings, and less with ordinary apps. I've gone the hard way and only saved my user files.
Different ways of storing data: no, usually it is not big things like file system. More like a myriad of small changes: new file format of a database, new name for a setting, some file moved to another directory, etc. etc.
runekock said:
Different ways of storing data: no, usually it is not big things like file system. More like a myriad of small changes: new file format of a database, new name for a setting, some file moved to another directory, etc. etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly a new database version is the reason why you can't downgrade
Thanks for explaining!
It wouldn't be hard to reinstall all the apps after installing LOS 15, Google PlayStore does this for you. But I hate to input all passwords and app settings again, that takes ages! Not every app offers to export its settings and options. Of course I could use my Google account for this, but if I wanted to be in Google's hands that much, I wouldn't use LOS in the first place. Play Store is the only thing I need from Google to install app. Thanks for all the other Google services, but: NO thanks!
I think, it would be a great idea if there was some possibility to export all those setting to a local and version indipendend file on your PC, maybe using adb, so that you can restore each setting and option later, no matter which LOS version you are using.
I tried LOS 15.1 yesterday, but the sound issue / bug is the same. So guess I would have to go back to LOS 14.1, because I know that 14.1 does not show this stupid behaviour. My tablet is working with 14.1 and BT behaves as expected and wanted there. And I remember my Nexus doing so on 14.1 as well.
Being forced to downgrade to LOS 14.1 because of this stupid idea by Google is totally frustrating. Either I am forced to live with every bug in 14.1 that is not developed any further, or I can't use my phone's bluetooth capability correctly.
Either way, a great portion of usability is cut of from my phone. Thanks, Google!
Please stop complaining. It's unproductive and wearing on the rest of us.
Have you tried playing with "enable in band ringing" in developer settings? Or the selection of various types of output to support on the detailed settings of the Bluetooth device?
Don't know if it helps, the default behavior hasn't bothered me.
Hi all.
Noob here on the forum, my very first post so i am not allowed to post this where i imagine this would belong - the 'Original Android development'. That's why it is posted here.
First of all, i wish to express my sincere gratitude to all you people that work hard on making it possible for rest of us mortals to make the best of those small devices that somehow managed to become so big parts of our lives.. I have been following the forum for a while and been using some things posted here to fiddle with several devices without actually bricking any of them as yet. And this is the first time i felt the need of actually asking for help and/or guidelines.
Anyhew - here's the thing: i still run a N910F on stock marshmallow as my main device. (Please no lectures about this). And lately i came to really, really resent mr.Google. I did make a Lineage version of the Android Pie work together with microG (without google), and that actually is rather sweet, runs smooth as silk. I run that on my backup N910F device. (Ok, so i am a Note 4 freek, sue me).
But for different reasons, actually mainly because i really appreciate the s-pen, i want to continue using stock rom on my daily driver so now i am looking for a google-free version of the stock marshmallow for the N910F (trlte) model. I tried to find it here on the forum, but i couldn't, or i couldn't understand the terminology. Haven't found in the rest of the internet either. So i would appreciate if somebody here could either:
1. point me to the direction of such a version if it's already existing, or
2. give me very specific information as to how i could de-google the stock rom by myself. Either on the device or in Windows. I haven't used adb or fastboot yet, but perhaps i could learn if i don't have to take a class in engineering first…
Or could i simply use Titanium backup and just delete (freeze first of course) all the apps that have 'google' in their name?
The third option is perhaps that some kind sould de-googles the stock rom for me and lets me download it. I would donate, of course.
I would really appreciate all the pointers you could give me.
Regards,
prkfsz
Nope, the N910F stock firmwares are definitely not de-Googled. Flash one for yourself and see. I would recommend flashing a LineageOS/AOSP-based ROM, they are generally Google-free.
If you are really insistent on running stock, then do this to completely de-Google it:
In Titanium backup, search for 'goo', this will find almost all Google apps on the ROM. Uninstall them.
Also, download the latest OpenGapps ARM 6.0 nano zip from opengapps.org. Extract the gapps-remove.txt file from the zip. Use the contents of that file as a reference, find all the files listed in it, manually delete them. The reason for this is that Titanium will miss some things.
Now you should be mostly if not entirely Google-free.
Once you have done that, you can optionally patch your ROM for signature spoofing support, and install MicroG, which is an open source Google Play Services alternative. These 2 steps are optional, your choice.
Very simple. I've done this before, things will work fine overall. But some things (apps) requiring Google components may not work correctly, if at all. MicroG can help mitigate this to an extent. You've been warned.
I'm running Resurrection Remix Nougat v5.8.5 (Android 7.1.2), SPen works fine here. Every app I've tested that can use the pen, works fine. There is really no reason to stay with stock just for pen functionality. I also like the huge amount of customization options that RR has compared to stock. And I can use Substratum (no go on stock) with all black themes, for battery savings.
Thank you! Wasn't aware of the google-remove.txt file within gapps. Will definitelly use it. Otherwise it's like i thought: use Titanium and just go loose on everything that starts with 'go'...
I know about microG and use it regularly. Happy customer…
I do like stock marshmallow on note 4 and want to run it as long as it can go. I will perhaps try the RR nougat you suggested on the backup unit. Even tho i am in no particular need of customisation.
Thanx again.
prkfsz said:
Thank you! Wasn't aware of the google-remove.txt file within gapps. Will definitelly use it. Otherwise it's like i thought: use Titanium and just go loose on everything that starts with 'go'...
I know about microG and use it regularly. Happy customer…
I do like stock marshmallow on note 4 and want to run it as long as it can go. I will perhaps try the RR nougat you suggested on the backup unit. Even tho i am in no particular need of customisation.
Thanx again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might find this of some interest.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/general/guide-degoogle-device-install-microg-t4058743
I'm afraid i got stuck here and i need a bit further assistance.. :-/
Coming from stock marshmallow on Galaxy Note 4. I uninstalled google things first using Titanium. Then manually cleaned some leftovers using file manager in TWRP (not sure i did the right way), altho it looked quite empty in the /system map. Another time erased just the Google Play-services before going to TWRPs file manager and it looked just as empty. At both occasions i lost auto-rotate. Is this normal?
After deleting all the google (and in the second try only google play services app) i tried just for the heck of it to run the Nanodroid patch file but i got an error message that it couldnt deodex services.jar file, which was pretty much expected. My skills are not sufficient for deodexing files so i tried other approaches for patching. Smalipatcher - the damn thing couldn't even see i had admin privileges in Win no matter what i did and just refused to run alltogether.
Then i tried the link that was put here by @MrJavi in the post above (thank you sir!). Did everything as the tutorial says, got no error message, everything seemed to run smooth and the apps i chose were installed. (altho TWRP did freeze a couple of times during aroma setup so i had to reset by taking out the battery). When i wanted to set up the microG settings, the microG icon and the app is nowhere to be found. The modul named NanoDroid exists and is activ in Magisk, but it's not possible to open it.
Last, but not least of course, i tryied patching with fake gapps module in Xposed, but Xposed of course does not want to play nice with mr.Samsung. Even when i try and run Xposed from Magisk...
Not sure how to proceed from here.. I'm thinking of switching my starting point to the already deodexed version of marshmallow i thought i saw around here, because it would be easier to patch.
If it's still out there available for download, which i don't take for granted anymore nowadays..
But i would like to make it work on my device anyway. So, if anyone has any ideas, they will be so welcome.
Perhaps Samsung knox is causing issues with Xposed framework/installer. The link below is for a different "Samy" but the the Knox remover is a flashablw .zip made specifically for the Note 4 .
https://www.google.com/amp/s/forum....-how-to-deodex-root-remove-knox-t3458921/amp/
https://www.google.com/amp/s/forum....al/toad-source-android-deodexer-t3848307/amp/
Always take a full Nandroid backup by checking all partition beforehand and save to your external sd card. You can then choose to flaah an Aroma Google debloater .zip .
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/software-hacking/aroma-google-services-debloater-t3668456
Mr. JAVI said:
Perhaps Samsung knox is causing issues with Xposed framework/installer. The link below is for a different "Samy" but the the Knox remover is a flashablw .zip made specifically for the Note 4 .
https://www.google.com/amp/s/forum....-how-to-deodex-root-remove-knox-t3458921/amp/
https://www.google.com/amp/s/forum....al/toad-source-android-deodexer-t3848307/amp/
Always take a full Nandroid backup by checking all partition beforehand and save to your external sd card. You can then choose to flaah an Aroma Google debloater .zip .
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/software-hacking/aroma-google-services-debloater-t3668456
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow, those were really some good links! thanks, @mr.javi. However....
tried the first link and to work with firmware but the ext4uninstaller does not want to recognize the ext4 file (wtf??), regardless from where i download the software and regardless what ext4 file and from what firmware (tested a few), and without that part working it was pretty much impossible to go on. So i ran only the deknoxing tool through twrp. No error. But still when i try and install the xposed - boom! it will not boot. Not even damn zip uninstaller for magisk will work as it should..
Tried the second link with the TOAD. Weird: some versions get recognized as malware by my antivirus and windows does not want to run other versions for safety reasons. Strange..
Tried the third and that de-googling script is rather sweet.
But my conclusion from all this is that it is not so hard to exorcise the google, but to patch the rom in the next step... If i understand correctly i have to get the rom deodexed first to be able to patch it with nanodroid?
I tried some deodexing tools on pc, but i'm not really sure if i'm doing it correctly. I take it i have to copy some folders (/apps, /framework and one more) from the phone to the computer to work with them there, but i get error message when i try to copy files through file manager in twrp. Am i supposed to do it some other way? And can you do that directly in the phone? I tried an app called 3c -all in one-toolbox that has native option of deodexing but i get error message there, something about classes i think, i don't remember and i can't see it now cause the phone is just being reflashed..
Any more thoughts and ideas? As usual, grateful for anything you can give me.
AnonVendetta said:
Once you have done that, you can optionally patch your ROM for signature spoofing support, and install MicroG, which is an open source Google Play Services alternative. These 2 steps are optional, your choice.
Very simple. I've done this before, things will work fine overall. But some things (apps) requiring Google components may not work correctly, if at all. MicroG can help mitigate this to an extent. You've been warned.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HOW?! did you manage to patch it??
prkfsz said:
wow, those were really some good links! thanks, @mr.javi. However....
tried the first link and to work with firmware but the ext4uninstaller does not want to recognize the ext4 file (wtf??), regardless from where i download the software and regardless what ext4 file and from what firmware (tested a few), and without that part working it was pretty much impossible to go on. So i ran only the deknoxing tool through twrp. No error. But still when i try and install the xposed - boom! it will not boot. Not even damn zip uninstaller for magisk will work as it should..
Tried the second link with the TOAD. Weird: some versions get recognized as malware by my antivirus and windows does not want to run other versions for safety reasons. Strange..
Tried the third and that de-googling script is rather sweet.
But my conclusion from all this is that it is not so hard to exorcise the google, but to patch the rom in the next step... If i understand correctly i have to get the rom deodexed first to be able to patch it with nanodroid?
I tried some deodexing tools on pc, but i'm not really sure if i'm doing it correctly. I take it i have to copy some folders (/apps, /framework and one more) from the phone to the computer to work with them there, but i get error message when i try to copy files through file manager in twrp. Am i supposed to do it some other way? And can you do that directly in the phone? I tried an app called 3c -all in one-toolbox that has native option of deodexing but i get error message there, something about classes i think, i don't remember and i can't see it now cause the phone is just being reflashed..
Any more thoughts and ideas? As usual, grateful for anything you can give me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're very welcome @prkfsz
https://mtkcustomroms.com/deodex-stock-rom-custom-rom-without-pc-2018/
https://how-to-easily-deodex-android-stock-rom-without-pc/
Mr. JAVI said:
You're very welcome @prkfsz
https://mtkcustomroms.com/deodex-stock-rom-custom-rom-without-pc-2018/
https://************/how-to-easily-deodex-android-stock-rom-without-pc/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanx again, @Mr. JAVI! :good:
Both links are about the same app and i've tried that one recently, so it seems like we think rather alike.
I get the exact same error message like the guy that wrote that one comment at the bottom of the second link (error saying "needs rebuild classes.dex").
And strangely enough when i open the deodexing window in the app it says that of the number of apps in the rom not all are odexed (says something like "deodexed 124/187"), which is rather perplexing because it's on the freshly installed stock (from nandroid backup directly after factory reset). So I tried to fool the app and get all the apps odexed first, but that didn't fly either..
Btw, thanks for the advice before - i always back the device upp (all partitions) before messing with it.. I forgot to do that on one device before and instantly regretted it..
-------------------------------------------
Edit: the second link in your last post was dead so i tried to correct it in my message, but xda forum doesn't like that.
Tried to post in the right link here in the message too, but that didn't work either for some reason.
but searching the phrase 'how to easily deodex Android stock rom without pc' will give you the first search result.
Oat2dex.jar
https://www.google.com/amp/s/forum....eral/tool-deodex-tool-android-l-t2972025/amp/
https://github.com/testwhat/SmaliEx/releases
---------- Post added at 01:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:43 PM ----------
prkfsz said:
Thanx again, @Mr. JAVI! :good:
Both links are about the same app and i've tried that one recently, so it seems like we think rather alike.
I get the exact same error message like the guy that wrote that one comment at the bottom of the second link (error saying "needs rebuild classes.dex").
And strangely enough when i open the deodexing window in the app it says that of the number of apps in the rom not all are odexed (says something like "deodexed 124/187"), which is rather perplexing because it's on the freshly installed stock (from nandroid backup directly after factory reset). So I tried to fool the app and get all the apps odexed first, but that didn't fly either..
Btw, thanks for the advice before - i always back the device upp (all partitions) before messing with it.. I forgot to do that on one device before and instantly regretted it..
-------------------------------------------
Edit: the second link in your last post was dead so i tried to correct it in my message, but xda forum doesn't like that.
Tried to post in the right link here in the message too, but that didn't work either for some reason.
but searching the phrase 'how to easily deodex Android stock rom without pc' will give you the first search result.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well to tell you the truth, even a full Nandroid backup couldn't fix a dm-verity/drk issue on one of my Note 4's. Up until then I have always recovered from softbricking my devices. Stubborn as I am, I spent hours and hours and hours o no avail. I connected my other N4 but still kept trying to revive my old N4. It wasn't until a year and a half later, assisting another member that I came across a possible solution and it worked. Spent more time than my old N4 was worth but my record is untarnished non the less. lol I sure hope you never ever encounter either of thoughts @prkfsz .
Mr. JAVI said:
Oat2dex.jar
https://www.google.com/amp/s/forum....eral/tool-deodex-tool-android-l-t2972025/amp/
https://github.com/testwhat/SmaliEx/releases
---------- Post added at 01:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:43 PM ----------
Well to tell you the truth, even a full Nandroid backup couldn't fix a dm-verity/drk issue on one of my Note 4's. Up until then I have always recovered from softbricking my devices. Stubborn as I am, I spent hours and hours and hours o no avail. I connected my other N4 but still kept trying to revive my old N4. It wasn't until a year and a half later, assisting another member that I came across a possible solution and it worked. Spent more time than my old N4 was worth but my record is untarnished non the less. lol I sure hope you never ever encounter either of thoughts @prkfsz .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And i thought i was stubborn for this, insisting on tweaking an age-old os and spending hours on looking for solutions.. thank you!
Not sure about what that issue you mentioned was, since i'm not really on that experience level, but i'm sure it was a mean one.. lol Good job of fixing it! I ended up a few times in similar situations (not with that high level issues apparently) and i just couldn't let go untill i resolved them or bricked them completelly... Luckily haven't bricked anything even tho i play mostly with older devices so it wouldn't be such a waste. But as you too apparently feel - unblemished record is a matter of pride..
And yes, i too recently understood that nandroid backup isn't allmighty - it can't for instance save certain safety settings, fingerprints and such. I always thought of nandroid backup like a 'clone' feature on PC. Loved that..
Aanyhew - back to business.
I hit the wall here again, the same one as with Fulmics deodexer. It's not that it isn't working, it's that i don't know how to point it to the right maps for deodexing.
As far as i understand, i have to copy those 3 folders from the phone to the PC, do the deodexing on the pc, and then move back to the phone and replace the original folders. Is this correct? I tried doing this in TWRPs file manager using micro sd card, but i gott error message that it wouldn't copy all the files for some reason. Should i use some other method of copying those folders to the PC?
Perhaps a stupid question but is there any way to let the deodexer on the pc find the folders directly on the phone?
As always - a huge thank you from the struggling noob, @Mr. JAVI. :good:
Perhaps this is the Xposed framework and installer that might be compatible with your N910f
https://forum.xda-developers.com/note-4/themes-apps/unofficial-xposed-v87-3-magisk-v18-t3897017/amp/
As far as TWRP you might be able to patch it and save internal data with Tipatch apk. The drawback is you backups will be much larger.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/forum....pp-twrp-tipatch-backup-internal-t3831217/amp/
PS: Thsnks for the compliment my friend but I'm still learning. Modifications is just a hobby of mine. We learn from each other here on XDA.
PC : skills are not my strong point . Your skills with PC far
exceed your ability. I actually bought a laptop years ago, just so I could flash TWRP Odin and root . The complete ssd laptop cost alot more than my Note 4. I port or create my own flashable .zips. Although, I've never been faced with having to deodex a custom rom, simply because there readily available from the developers on xda for the n910p. Sucks there hasn't been one developed for your n910f.
Something posted by @IBNobody
"Anything past Magisk v15.3 will not pass SafetyNet on QI5.*
Magisk v15.4+ added a check in its Magiskhide subsystem that looks a service (logd) to be loaded. That service is not running on our stock or slightly modified QI5 build. If this service check fails, Magiskhide does not get loaded. If Magiskhide is not running, it can't hide Magisk from the SafetyNet checks.
(You'll know if this is affecting you because the Magisk Manager app won't remember any settings you make in the Magisk Hide tab.)*
Our only options are:
1. Build our own fork of Magisk that skips this check.
2. Enable logd by modifying the init.rc file in boot.img. (logd is commented out. I have not tried un-commenting it.)
3. Remain on v15.3."
DQ15 is the Sprint firmware 6.0.1 and not n910f but it could be the same with yours as well.
A slightly lower version Xpoaed framework api 23
https://androidfilehost.com/?fid=529152257862685344
Mr. JAVI said:
Perhaps this is the Xposed framework and installer that might be compatible with your N910f
https://forum.xda-developers.com/note-4/themes-apps/unofficial-xposed-v87-3-magisk-v18-t3897017/amp/
As far as TWRP you might be able to patch it and save internal data with Tipatch apk. The drawback is you backups will be much larger.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/forum....pp-twrp-tipatch-backup-internal-t3831217/amp/
PS: Thsnks for the compliment my friend but I'm still learning. Modifications is just a hobby of mine. We learn from each other here on XDA.
PC : skills are not my strong point . Your skills with PC far
exceed your ability. I actually bought a laptop years ago, just so I could flash TWRP Odin and root . The complete ssd laptop cost alot more than my Note 4. I port or create my own flashable .zips. Although, I've never been faced with having to deodex a custom rom, simply because there readily available from the developers on xda for the n910p. Sucks there hasn't been one developed for your n910f.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Laptop cost way over Note 4? I see i'm not the only one..... ehh, let's say determined bloke around here haha.. Hope it was worth it.. And btw creating your own flashable zips is way above my level of skills, i can tell you that, my friend. Never did that, nor am i planning to. But since i am stubborn (or so i've heard.. lol) and i feel uttermost distaste for mrGoogle and, like you said, noone has apparently done the deodexing the stock N910F - I am simply forced to take matters into my own hands. Flashing a pie and microG is ... apparently too easy. Besides, i am already running that on one of my spare Note 4s.. And i appreciate xda, just like you say people can give each other a hand. What i dislike tho is lots of dead download links... Oh, well..
ok, back to business again.
I guess i am going to need a more detailed help now.
I tried with that version of Framework you linked to. At that page the link for Xposed installer app for Magisk is dead. Tried to play a little with the other file, the version 87.3 of Xposed and just flashed it in TWRP, but nothing happens.
As far as the Tipatch, excuse my ignorance but i have to ask here: what difference would it make for deodexing to be able to copy internal storage? I am thinking it's other folders that need to be copied, like /system.
Apart from that, i love the idea of Tipatch! Will install it anyway.
--------------------------------------------------------
I am beginning to realize that there are not many reasonable options left, since i'm not sure it is worth much more time and effort on my part. I am not going to be an engineer over this..
So there is but one more question to perhaps get solved before i run out of options and go with custom Pie anyway.
And that is - how do i copy the needed 3 folders intact to PC for deodexing software? I can't find that information anywhere together with this pc based deodexers.
Oh well. I have vague memory of ES file manager being mentioned somewhere. So i guess that will be my last attempt before i give up. Unless some new solution emerges.
Mr. JAVI said:
Something posted by @IBNobody
"Anything past Magisk v15.3 will not pass SafetyNet on QI5.*
Magisk v15.4+ added a check in its Magiskhide subsystem that looks a service (logd) to be loaded. That service is not running on our stock or slightly modified QI5 build. If this service check fails, Magiskhide does not get loaded. If Magiskhide is not running, it can't hide Magisk from the SafetyNet checks.
(You'll know if this is affecting you because the Magisk Manager app won't remember any settings you make in the Magisk Hide tab.)*
Our only options are:
1. Build our own fork of Magisk that skips this check.
2. Enable logd by modifying the init.rc file in boot.img. (logd is commented out. I have not tried un-commenting it.)
3. Remain on v15.3."
DQ15 is the Sprint firmware 6.0.1 and not n910f but it could be the same with yours as well.
A slightly lower version Xpoaed framework api 23
https://androidfilehost.com/?fid=529152257862685344
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, i managed to actually copy the system directory from the phone to the pc using Root explorer app. And none of the deodexers work. Fulmics says it needs smali and baksmali versions over 2.2 even tho i fed it with versions 2.4. SVADeodexerforart runs through all the files without actually doing anything. Logfile shows error 'cannot acces jar file' on all 300+ files.
So i believe this is it for me at this point. I just can't see how further struggle would be meaningsfull since it would just take even more time and i already invested way too much of it on this. But i guess being stubborn has it's price.. :silly:
I want to extend my sincere gratitude, @Mr. JAVI, for your patience, tips and guidelines. I think if it wasn't for you i would given up much quicker.. Which perhaps would've been a smart thing to do... But i wouldn't learn anything..
We will probably bump into each other more times here, since we seem to share the common affection towards a certain gadget.
all the best to you
prkfsz said:
Ok, i managed to actually copy the system directory from the phone to the pc using Root explorer app. And none of the deodexers work. Fulmics says it needs smali and baksmali versions over 2.2 even tho i fed it with versions 2.4. SVADeodexerforart runs through all the files without actually doing anything. Logfile shows error 'cannot acces jar file' on all 300+ files.
So i believe this is it for me at this point. I just can't see how further struggle would be meaningsfull since it would just take even more time and i already invested way too much of it on this. But i guess being stubborn has it's price.. :silly:
I want to extend my sincere gratitude, @Mr. JAVI, for your patience, tips and guidelines. I think if it wasn't for you i would given up much quicker.. Which perhaps would've been a smart thing to do... But i wouldn't learn anything..
We will probably bump into each other more times here, since we seem to share the common affection towards a certain gadget.
all the best to you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am just one of the "common folk". One of my hobbies is modifying my rooted Note 4. I have learned from my failures as well. The creating custom zips is not as hard as you think, in fact it was a failed camera .zip fash that ended in FC's. I came up with an idea to take the previous working camera .zip. left the meta-imf and replaced tge rest with an N7 camera from another rom and fkashed it. It's much easier explained with screen shots.
One of my favourite apps is ZArchiver apk. Downliad it and you'll see why. Ext4, tar, zip, roms, jar, apks and more. Freaking Awesome!!!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...pk&pcampaignid=APPU_1_YUIBX4STE-aD9PwPh7ylmAg
Its like gold and did I mention free? lol
Welcome to XDA @prkfsz
Mr. JAVI said:
I am just one of the "common folk". One of my hobbies is modifying my rooted Note 4. I have learned from my failures as well. The creating custom zips is not as hard as you think, in fact it was a failed camera .zip fash that ended in FC's. I came up with an idea to take the previous working camera .zip. left the meta-imf and replaced tge rest with an N7 camera from another rom and fkashed it. It's much easier explained with screen shots.
One of my favourite apps is ZArchiver apk. Downliad it and you'll see why. Ext4, tar, zip, roms, jar, apks and more. Freaking Awesome!!!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...pk&pcampaignid=APPU_1_YUIBX4STE-aD9PwPh7ylmAg
Its like gold and did I mention free? lol
Welcome to XDA @prkfsz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why thank you good sir, @Mr. JAVI! :good:
Every noob should get this friendly a welcome..
See? All that meta-inf, FC-talk is a bit over my lever right now. But i will check out your tool. Might come in handy for some future project. And free it is you say? Sold! haha
As for this project i had, i had to abandon it for now. I realized it wasn't the degoogling that was the problem, but the patching afterwards, and the deodexing that turned out to be downright impossible to get done. And it just gotten too time-consuming in relation to how much time i actually have and how much win i would get out of it. So i took the easy way for now and i went with the custom Pie. I do want the audio from the headphones..
@prkfsz: I used Tingle patch to integrate signature spoofing. You have a few options:
Tingle patch (requires deodexed framework.jar)
Needle patch (requires deodexed framework.jar)
Nanodroid patcher (requires deodexed services.jar)
Haystack patch (requires deodexed services.jar)
Smali patcher (services.jar can be odexed or deodexed, it will deodex and patch the file for you)
FakeGApps (requires Xposed)
Options 1/2/4/5 require a PC. Options 3/6 can be done on device without PC.
Hope this helps!
I don't really have a lot of time to go into detail, but if either of you are looking for a comprehensive way to properly deodex a ROM, check out SuperR's Kitchen. There a free and paid/donate versions. The free version can do what you want just fine.
I had recently used this to deodex the latest stock MM UK firmware for the N910F. In addition to deodexing, the Kitchen can also customize your ROM, and even build a zip that you can flash in TWRP. It flashed and booted fine for me. Once you have done this, you can debloat the ROM (or let the Kitchen do it for you). It won't remove all Google stuff by default, but you can configure it to delete pretty much any file/directory in the system partition. My advice is to use the Kitchen's debloater/Knox removal features, then use gapps-remove.txt and a root file manager to delete the rest. Once you have debloated/deodexed, you can then easily signature spoof patch with any of the tools I mentioned in my previous post.
I have also discovered that you can also run the Tingle patch without a PC, by using QPython3 app. Just supply the deodexed framework.jar and build.prop, it will do the rest. Grab the Tingle master zip from GitHub, unpack it into QPython3's scripts directory on the internal storage, then provide the 2 files into input folder, and run main.py from within the app. You will find the patched jar file in output folder, replace your ROM's framework.jar with the patched one. Use Signature Spoofing Checker to confirm that it worked. I don't think root is required, but it's better to have it anyway, just enable root in QPython3 settings.
Some last notes: don't use Titanium to debloat Google apps, it may also remove some needed shared library files that Android uses. Namely, a library file called libgnustl_shared.so, which will cause autorotation to not work. Use Titanium to determine the locations of Google apps, then delete them manually. This will keep the shared library files while still deleting the apps. On top of this, use gapps-remove.txt.
But while you are debloating, there may be 2 Google apps present that you should not remove, period:
/system/app/WebViewGoogle
/system/priv-app/GooglePackageInstaller
The first is needed by Android and apps to provide webview functionality (this might not sound important, but it is). The 2nd is needed to install apps, remove it and you won't be able to install any app from anywhere (Play Store, manual APK install, etc).
On the subject of Xposed, do *NOT* install the Xposed installer from the Magisk Manager downloads. It isn't designed to work on stock Samsung MM firmware, you won't be able to boot. Use the custom Xposed by wanam (available on XDA). Or you can google for "Xposed kevintm78", this will come up with an AndroidFileHost link that you can install from Magisk. The latter is just a systemless Magisk version of Wanam's Xposed.