Question Regarding Changing ROM - Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Questions & Answers

Hello everyone. I asked this in another thread for a specific ROM, but I figured it'd be better to have my own thread about this. I have not had a custom ROM in many years. This is mostly due to living in the U.S. and having a locked bootloader since (I believe) the Samsung Galaxy S6. I finally purchased an Exynos device and have the true root with TWRP that I have been missing for so long. There used to be no way to keep apps and app data when changing ROMs. If I were to use this ROM is there a way to keep existing apps and the app-data associated with them? Or is a clean install followed by re-downloading everything and then setting it all back up again the only option when changing ROMs still?
P.S. I like the idea of a full wipe still. That just gets rid of everything, and I like the clean start for the most part. I just didn't know with the way these backups work now (it used to be just a single backup of the entire ROM, but now it is broken into sections) if possibly one could restore apps and app data after the full wipe and loading the new ROM. Then everything would be a clean install (fresh start) with the exception of the apps.

Related

Bootloader unlocking, flashing, and data loss

I posted this in general but it occurs to me that was the wrong forum. I apologize for the double-post.
Hey everyone, I'm kinda a newb in the android scene (long-time iphone user), and I just got an unlocked HTC One 32gb. I'm thinking about unlocking the bootloader and installing one of the custom roms available here, and I had a few questions.
First, if I unlock the bootloader, will it delete all my data and apps? I've seen that it does delete some of the pre-installed HTC apps (that can be reinstalled using a flashable package I also saw here), but what about my apps, homescreen settings, text messages, pictures, etc? Will all of that get deleted?
If it does, is there a good way to back it up so it gets put back exactly the way I set it up (in particular, the home screens?)
Finally, when flashing one of the tweaked ROMs, will that process delete the data I described above?
Gabik123 said:
I posted this in general but it occurs to me that was the wrong forum. I apologize for the double-post.
Hey everyone, I'm kinda a newb in the android scene (long-time iphone user), and I just got an unlocked HTC One 32gb. I'm thinking about unlocking the bootloader and installing one of the custom roms available here, and I had a few questions.
First, if I unlock the bootloader, will it delete all my data and apps? I've seen that it does delete some of the pre-installed HTC apps (that can be reinstalled using a flashable package I also saw here), but what about my apps, homescreen settings, text messages, pictures, etc? Will all of that get deleted?
If it does, is there a good way to back it up so it gets put back exactly the way I set it up (in particular, the home screens?)
Finally, when flashing one of the tweaked ROMs, will that process delete the data I described above?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlocking your bootloader will wipe all data from your phone including your Virtual SD Card, you can download Carbon from here to backup all your apps.
It won't save your home screens, SMS Backup and Restore (also from Play Store) can backup your SMS. Just copy any pictures etc off your device before you start.
Flashing a new custom ROM for the first time will require you to wipe everything, so do this straight after you've unlocked your bootloader and flashed custom recovery.
Then restore Apps / SMS etc..

[Q] how to permanently customize setting and appsq

I want to permanently customize setting and apps that stay even after factory resetting phone. so that when I*factory reset*my phone, it would revert back to*almost*factory settings, except with a few alterations. For example: some extra apps (maybe settings within those apps already selected), certain an!droid settings already selected (developer tools, unknown sources etc), superuser with permissions already granted for certain apps, basically things beyond the scope of just pre-installed apps.
I understand the phone would need to be rooted, I would want to keep the original rom with the above mentioned changes. Of course I can always make a backup and simply load it, but I want to know if it can be done through*factory reset. I only have experience rooting and loading custom roms (on many devices*, I've always done so since droid 1) but I have never made a custom rom, which from my understanding, is what I need to do to for something like this.*
Basically if you guys can tell me if I am in the right direction, completely off track and where should I go from here to make it happen.
Factory reset is a reset. Not a partial reset.
Everything you're looking for is accomplished with a nandroid backup. Which also "resets" your phone to the point the backup was created.
But to directly answer you ....no, I've never heard of a way to modify a factory reset. ?
jonagpa said:
I want to permanently customize setting and apps that stay even after factory resetting phone. so that when I*factory reset*my phone, it would revert back to*almost*factory settings, except with a few alterations. For example: some extra apps (maybe settings within those apps already selected), certain an!droid settings already selected (developer tools, unknown sources etc), superuser with permissions already granted for certain apps, basically things beyond the scope of just pre-installed apps.
I understand the phone would need to be rooted, I would want to keep the original rom with the above mentioned changes. Of course I can always make a backup and simply load it, but I want to know if it can be done through*factory reset. I only have experience rooting and loading custom roms (on many devices*, I've always done so since droid 1) but I have never made a custom rom, which from my understanding, is what I need to do to for something like this.*
Basically if you guys can tell me if I am in the right direction, completely off track and where should I go from here to make it happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's exactly what you would need to do -- basically make your own stock-based rom. It will require an unlocked bootloader (not just root) - no way around this.
Good Luck
Edit: Keep in mind that OTA updates will absolutely not be possible. You would need to make a new stock-based rom built off the new SBF when a new updates comes out (assuming you want updates).
Your first step will be downloading and researching the SBF for your particular phone. Find the SBF files here:
sbf.droid-developers.org/phone.php?device=0
You'll need to find a guide on custom roms, and learn the procedures. Once you have succeeded and packaged up your rom with all the modifications you want, it will *absolutely* survive a "factory reset".
Additionally, KJ is correct. The 'nandroid' backup option in custom recovery makes this an extremely easy process (though it won't 'survive' a factory reset, it's easy enough to restore back assuming you saved the backup somewhere accessable). Building a ROM is considerably more involved. I personally wouldn't attempt it just for the convenience of having persistent apps and a few mods that survive resets.
Finally, if you are using Safestrap, or don't have a custom recovery, this is NOT possible.

I want a responsive Note 3 without a new Rom

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

[Q] Where can I find documentation?

OK, kind of a strange question but . . .
My daughter sent me this phone cause she got it as a freebie from TMobile and it came with the stock Gingerbread / bloatware configuration on it. I immediately Googled some info on how to root it, installed ClockworkMod and CM 11 and have been pretty happy.
Now I want to install the latest CM12 build. I grabbed the TWRP tool and the CM12 built and am ready to go, but first I would like to understand what I can safely delete and what features Google duplicates that CM provides. For example, I have three launchers on my phone (Trebuchet, Nova, and Google) and I am sure that is one, maybe two, too many. Ditto picture and sound apps.
I am not averse to actually reading documentation, but can somebody point me to a tutorial site where I can educate myself and do some reading. I prefer a skinny configuration that only has the stuff I need but I need a little guidance before I start nuking away.
Also, since I flashed this phone within hours of receiving it in the mail I never backed up anything in Gingerbread before the flash. I assume that I will have to reinstall all my apps and data after I flash to CM12 or is there a way to just flash the OS and leave the rest untouched?

Question Question About Backing Up

Hi all, this forum has been great for providing answers, so ive got 1 last question before i do anything to my phone.
Obliviously installing a custom recovery like TWRP requires bootloader unlocking which wipes data. I want to perform a backup of my phone, a complete backup, system, apps the works so if anything is wrong i can restore the backup, no when i say backup i mean almost like a Nandroid backup you can perform with a custom recovery, is this possible?, or ate very least is there any 3rd party apps that will perform a backup of everything inc Apps and App data, so for instance, passwords etc are backed up as well for each app which saves a ton of time having to reinstall them and remember all the passwords. Nandroid backup were easy on previous phones because on some bootloader unlock wasnt required just to install TWRP. Can anyone help with this issue, id really like to have a full backup for peace of mind. Many thanks in advance.
Swift backup is the closest I have come across
gazza35 said:
Hi all, this forum has been great for providing answers, so ive got 1 last question before i do anything to my phone.
Obliviously installing a custom recovery like TWRP requires bootloader unlocking which wipes data. I want to perform a backup of my phone, a complete backup, system, apps the works so if anything is wrong i can restore the backup, no when i say backup i mean almost like a Nandroid backup you can perform with a custom recovery, is this possible?, or ate very least is there any 3rd party apps that will perform a backup of everything inc Apps and App data, so for instance, passwords etc are backed up as well for each app which saves a ton of time having to reinstall them and remember all the passwords. Nandroid backup were easy on previous phones because on some bootloader unlock wasnt required just to install TWRP. Can anyone help with this issue, id really like to have a full backup for peace of mind. Many thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately with a lock bootloader, you can't really create a full backup of data of apps. You can only back the APK file and some data. Even if you somehow did, restoring backups is also a problem as some backups aren't compatible with a different rom. Nandroid backups aren't an option too as restoring those from a different rom will cause issue due to incompatibly (someone tried before and caused destroyed system).
What I did in my preparation before is backed up important files through drive or cloud storages. I also rely on password managers for log-ins. I also created a separate Google Account solely for storage for my backup too. If you have, I highly advise backing up using SD Cards. They're quite an essential especially for phone modding and backup restores. Also before unlocking, make sure to have a plan on what to do after, do you stay on MIUI or try some mods or custom roms etc... So that you can switch afterwards before restoring your backup.
Lastly, if anything goes wrong, you can always reflash the stock MIUI ROM using MiFlash.
BigChungus321 said:
Unfortunately with a lock bootloader, you can't really create a full backup of data of apps. You can only back the APK file and some data. Even if you somehow did, restoring backups is also a problem as some backups aren't compatible with a different rom. Nandroid backups aren't an option too as restoring those from a different rom will cause issue due to incompatibly (someone tried before and caused destroyed system).
What I did in my preparation before is backed up important files through drive or cloud storages. I also rely on password managers for log-ins. I also created a separate Google Account solely for storage for my backup too. If you have, I highly advise backing up using SD Cards. They're quite an essential especially for phone modding and backup restores. Also before unlocking, make sure to have a plan on what to do after, do you stay on MIUI or try some mods or custom roms etc... So that you can switch afterwards before restoring your backup.
Lastly, if anything goes wrong, you can always reflash the stock MIUI ROM using MiFlash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for all that useful info. I do have a 128gb sd card in the phone as well as the inbuilt 128gb, so plenty storage. Im just so used to other phones where backups where simple of bl unlock wasnt required to flash twrp etc, i did try the phones inbuilt backup system to backup the apps, it seemed to backup some info but not the apps which is odd, google backup ive never used so im unsure. ill try and look for a password manager and see if i can find a way to backup passwords at least. From what ive read everything with this phone seems impossible without first unlocking the BL, i just wish i didnt have to wait 7 days or wipe the phone to do it lol. My main aim is to downgrade back to Android 11 stock Miui, im not convinced custom roms available for this device are at a daily driver stage yet, as for mods, i may end up rooting at some point and get magisk, i think most mods i used would be mainly aesthetic, like changing splash screens etc etc, simple stuff. Anyway i have drivers installed, i have Miflash unlock installed. i shall start getting my passwords and some apps saved off etc and go from there. As always, thankyou once again for the detailed reply, youve been great help
Found Wondershare MobileTrans. Thankfully it backs up most stuff inc apps, havent found any other way as yet. Thanks again.
gazza35 said:
Thanks for all that useful info. I do have a 128gb sd card in the phone as well as the inbuilt 128gb, so plenty storage. Im just so used to other phones where backups where simple of bl unlock wasnt required to flash twrp etc, i did try the phones inbuilt backup system to backup the apps, it seemed to backup some info but not the apps which is odd, google backup ive never used so im unsure. ill try and look for a password manager and see if i can find a way to backup passwords at least. From what ive read everything with this phone seems impossible without first unlocking the BL, i just wish i didnt have to wait 7 days or wipe the phone to do it lol. My main aim is to downgrade back to Android 11 stock Miui, im not convinced custom roms available for this device are at a daily driver stage yet, as for mods, i may end up rooting at some point and get magisk, i think most mods i used would be mainly aesthetic, like changing splash screens etc etc, simple stuff. Anyway i have drivers installed, i have Miflash unlock installed. i shall start getting my passwords and some apps saved off etc and go from there. As always, thankyou once again for the detailed reply, youve been great help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright. Also some points that I would like to add, since like you said, you're staying at A11 Miui which for the most part is now forgotten (or at least have the minority using it), you'll have to use the official twrp instead of the newer unofficial ones due to compatibility and it's the only recovery in a11 which can decrypt the storage (newer ones can only decrypt a12-a13, not a11...weird). Also, this is just a suggestion but obviously unlocking bootloader results in failing integrity API test (formerly safety net) so you'll have to really root and spoof the device to pass integrity API test and use banking apps etc... Good luck though and yeah you can't skip that 7 day wait, it's a good time to backup and prepare.
BigChungus321 said:
Alright. Also some points that I would like to add, since like you said, you're staying at A11 Miui which for the most part is now forgotten (or at least have the minority using it), you'll have to use the official twrp instead of the newer unofficial ones due to compatibility and it's the only recovery in a11 which can decrypt the storage (newer ones can only decrypt a12-a13, not a11...weird). Also, this is just a suggestion but obviously unlocking bootloader results in failing integrity API test (formerly safety net) so you'll have to really root and spoof the device to pass integrity API test and use banking apps etc... Good luck though and yeah you can't skip that 7 day wait, it's a good time to backup and prepare.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, sounds like a lot of Work, Another question for you, if i stay on A12, 12.0.3.0 which worked amazing until it upgraded, will i have to do the whole same spoofing thing?, i did forget about my banking apps. And where can i find Disable Dmverity and will that sort out the banking apps, i know itll let me keep cust recovery, I see reference to it but i cant find it anywhere, is there like a certain website or something where people download their mods and stuff.
gazza35 said:
Ok, sounds like a lot of Work, Another question for you, if i stay on A12, 12.0.3.0 which worked amazing until it upgraded, will i have to do the whole same spoofing thing?, i did forget about my banking apps. And where can i find Disable Dmverity and will that sort out the banking apps, i know itll let me keep cust recovery, I see reference to it but i cant find it anywhere, is there like a certain website or something where people download their mods and stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, unlocking your bootloader will cause you to fail integrity test so you'll have no choice but to root and spoof if you're going to use banking apps. I can help you with this process if you want.
You can get the DM Verity file I used here:
https://zackptg5.com/android.php , it also includes some of my favorite mods like JamesDSP. You'll probably get something like DisableDMverity_forceencrypt zip or something like that so be sure to rename the zip file only to "Disable_Dm-Verity" zip (it's one of those zips where it uses the name of the zip to select what it's patching, it is recommended to keep force encryption enabled as to avoid data theft when you lose your phone). You flash the disable dm verity right after TWRP so you can boot to your rom afterwards. And yes dmverity won't help you pass integrity API.
As for themes/mods and such, I mostly get them here from XDA, Telegram groups, or Github. Mostly telegram tbh. But be sure to check whether it's safe to use as some bundles their modules (or once the app gets root access) will cause damage to your phone.
BigChungus321 said:
Yes, unlocking your bootloader will cause you to fail integrity test so you'll have no choice but to root and spoof if you're going to use banking apps. I can help you with this process if you want.
You can get the DM Verity file I used here:
https://zackptg5.com/android.php , it also includes some of my favorite mods like JamesDSP. You'll probably get something like DisableDMverity_forceencrypt zip or something like that so be sure to rename the zip file only to "Disable_Dm-Verity" zip (it's one of those zips where it uses the name of the zip to select what it's patching, it is recommended to keep force encryption enabled as to avoid data theft when you lose your phone). You flash the disable dm verity right after TWRP so you can boot to your rom afterwards. And yes dmverity won't help you pass integrity API.
As for themes/mods and such, I mostly get them here from XDA, Telegram groups, or Github. Mostly telegram tbh. But be sure to check whether it's safe to use as some bundles their modules (or once the app gets root access) will cause damage to your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thankyou i think i have everything i need, ive backed up My 3rd party apps, all my Passwords, calendar, contacts etc etc, so, im ready to move forward and just wait for phone to be unlocked now. Youve been a great help, thankyou very much indeed.
RAMBO29 said:
Swift backup is the closest I have come across
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But if the file get large size about 6-8 gb it was hard to transfer it to pd or sd card and something it shows error while transferring

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