Database Develop

[Q] So I got a Moto X for free today... (AT&T XT1058)

And I've spent the past 1-2 hours reading around 50-ish threads and several hundred posts, and while I'm sure I already know the answer to this question I'm still going to ask it outright.
The specifics:
AT&T XT1058 pure stock Moto X running Android KitKat 4.4.4 as up to date as possible.
Is it rooted? NO
Is the bootloader unlocked? NO
Now, based on those two facts, and after reading all about SunShine (which is pretty awesome so thanks for that one, jcase and the crew that developed it), it seems if I want root then my only potential option at this point in time is "The Chinese Guy" if he's still in business to get a proper bootloader unlock which of course opens this device up entirely to whatever I might care to do.
Honestly the only reasons I care about root access would be for Titanium Backup (since I did purchase that in the past so it's like if I can't make full use of the app itself (because it requires root access to really do everything it's capable of doing) the money was more or less just given away for nothing, and a few other apps that require root level privilege (ES File Explorer root access, a few Wi-Fi tools, that's about it).
Of course, having the fully unlocked bootloader would let me play around with ROMs, kernels, and whatever I damned well please.
So the actual question I hinted at with the beginning of this post is:
For the moment, am I correct in the belief that my only option at all at this time meaning today and into the immediate foreseeable future to do anything with this device is "The Chinese Guy" ... if I want to be able to do more things with the device?
This is my second Moto X, the first one was the trial offer I took advantage of for a penny and I did enjoy the device while I had it, so when I got the chance to get one for free earlier today (traded a laptop for it that was also given to me) I jumped at it.
I understand that with 4.4.4 on it I can't roll back to any previous version, sadly, and that since SunShine requires root to even test the device (the temp root thing, ain't happening) that's a dead end leaving "The Chinese Guy" again as the only potential.
Just looking for a confirmation, that's all.
Thanks...

Yes, on the XT1058 from ATT with 4.4.4 on it, that is the latest rom/update, you can't downgrade (without risk of bricking the phone) and the China Middleman is the only hope of unlocking your bootloader and/or rooting. (to be clear, I mean the China Middleman doesn't actually root your phone, but once bootloader unlocked you will be able to root)
And yes, having an unlocked bootloader is the only way to flash any rom that isn't the stock Moto rom for the ATT XT1058.
And yes, Sunshine wont work since you can't even temp root 4.4.4.
I am not aware of any new root processes for 4.4.4 with locked bootloader coming, or ways to make Sunshine work on 4.4.4. If something newer is coming, it either wasn't announced yet, or I missed the announcement.
That being said, since it sounds like you got this phone used, rather than new.. who knows what the original owner did to it.. If it was someone who followed these boards, there is a SLIGHT chance they were trying to be tricky, and upgraded only parts of your phone to 4.4.4. Boot into FastbootAp/Bootloader mode, and check the version (second line from the top). If it is 30.B7, you're fully on 4.4.4 and you are stuck. If your bootloader is not 30.B7, then you might have a chance to downgrade your rom safely, and then use sunshine (post the version if its not 30.B7)

Thanks for the info, and yes the bootloader is 30.B7 (2014-06-23). Oh well... it is most definitely used but still in excellent condition (just some cosmetic scrapes and scuffs on the rubberized corners of the back cover). It's a good phone, a solid one, so I'll hang on to it for the time being, just need to get the carrier unlocked for use with T-Mobile but that'll be after the first of November.
It's a Moto X for free, I suppose I really shouldn't complain.

Just hit up jcase on IRC, who makes Sunshine. He's currently working on supporting XT1058 with 4.4.4 -- I have the same one, with the same bootloader. Wait a bit. Looks like he usually publishes stuff every few months. I think we may have an early Christmas gift. Well, it will cost us $25, though.

If he's able to do it then I'll look into it at that time, I may just offload this for a profit, not really sure at the moment. The camera is really depressing, was just outside taking some images here in downtown Las Vegas because we have this huge music festival this weekend (www.lifeisbeautiful.com) and the picture quality is just utterly abysmal - I tried the latest updated Motorola Camera app, Focal, Google Camera, and several others and they all just can't make the actual physical camera do anything decent. Exposures are always wrong, focus is seemingly permanently soft, there's no sharpness at all to most anything regardless of the lighting conditions, etc.
I could ramble on forever but, again it was free so I guess I'll shut up.

I had no idea that I posted something illegal my bad
Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk

I used the Chinese guy to unlock, and haven't looked back. I still run Stock w/ Root, and was worth the $45 to not worry about it anymore. If your gonna keep it, get the unlock code.

Well that Chinese middleman isn't responding to contacts by anyone at the moment so that's a dead end and this one was built on 11-11-2013 so he'd probably not be able to get me one anyway. I just got the carrier unlock code last night and used it without issues. I put it on craigslist along with the Motorola Skip I had and never used, maybe someone will want it. It's still a great phone, but for me, the lack of being able to root it or most anything else makes it basically not something I really need these days. I have a "dumbphone" that works fine and has done so for many years.
Thanks for the info and suggestions, peeps...

a different version of tmo note 4

Ok i found a thread about a similar version of note 3, and likely there will be those who question why i might go this route for a note 4 but honedtly its the only way i could ever come close to getting a phone this expensive. To the point , i bought my note 4 from rent a center. Way too much money but 30 bucks a week i can do even though in the end it will be astronomically expensive. well its a t mobile device running on at&t through net 10, but theres a couple interesting things. First i checked knox and it was tripped from begginning. It was definetly a new phone no doubt about that.. so hey i can root with no reprecussions and have. Im rooted with twrp now. The other interesting thing is the build of kitkat. It notes rac-conversa in the build name see image.
Now my questions are, whats thoughts on the knox , i dont need it anyway, and next im wondering if the different build and or carrier and model combination going to be problematic when flashing roms or other things.. the build lacks any carrier bloat which is nice and even lacks some of samsungs bloat.
Id like to compare build props with a typical tmo note among other comparisons. Noe i have been flashing and rooting for years but this is my first samsung device. And while im not a developer i do kno a fair bit about coding ,building roms and such im hoping i wont have to utilize that knowledge to flash roms to the note though...
Really would like some thoughts and to see if anyone else has this device or knows of it.

Definitely flash it. I would almost guarantee RAC has a tracking of some kind in that ROM should you decide not to pay. Or, some sort of remote kill anyway.

Rooting my note 5

Not sure how to post in the proper thread perhaps a mod could move this post to the peoper one?
Hi this will be my first post. I am seeking guidance to properly root my note 5. After researching this seems to be the most knowledgeable forum but cant find a kernel that works!
First let me explain my situation then I will list all phone specs that i think are necessary.
Im in Canada and was with Bell previously on contract. I had a note 3 which I rooted easily with kingo software. The phone is in great shape still thanks to my otterbox after 2 years. My work offers corporate plans through Roger's so after my Bell contract ended I switched to Rogers corporate plan with the note 5 on a 2 year term. I got the new phone because I was signing up for a new contract and wanted a cheap phone out of the deal. Now that my note 5 isnt rooting properly Im considering sending it back continuing with my corporate plan on my note 3 which works great. The note 5 is awesome so far but if rooting doesnt succeed want my note 3. Rogers gave me a 14 day no questions asked return policy grace period to decide which i have 12 days left. Lastly I purchased a returnable otterbox but a non refundable gorilla glass which has already been installed to on my phone. Just another factor to consider when making this desision as the gorilla glass will be a loss. Id love to keep my note 5 and note 3 as a backup if I get it rooted properly.
Now onto problems Ive had after rooting.. depends on the kernel. Ive had issues mostly with my calls resulting in my note 5 restarting or silence when making calls. One kernel I used froze my phone in the recovery mode screen.. guessing the kernel was invalid.. I have superSu I dont know what Im doing wrong. Im using odin and loading it into the 2nd line i think its under AP. Oh I did the developer option thing already.. oh and I installed proper drivers to my PC twice to make sure.
Lastly heres all the info to hopefully find me the right kernel specific for me.
Samsung note 5
SM-N920W8
With Rogers in Canada
Android version 5.1.1 (Lollipop)
Current kernel Noble kernel v0.1 (most stable but resetting phone during calls)
If there any other info you need to provide me with the right kernel just let me know what you info you require.
I hope to find out within the 14 days if I can keep this phone or not. Realllllly apreciate the help in advance. Bill.

Nobody has any info? Becoming very frustrating

+1 for a friendly bump
I am in the same position as you and recently upgraded to Note 5 as well from Note 3. Honestly, Note 3 with root is by far my favourite phone of all time. I have been reading up on n920w8 threads too and haven't had much luck so hopefully someone more knowledgeable can chime in.
The one thing that is keeping me from rooting is the fact that others have reported that Samsung/Google Pay won't work after.
btw... have you not tripped knox on our phone yet by flashing one of the kernels?

Yeah the note 3 was great ran smooth loved the os the root ran smooth never had any issues. The note 5 just looks and feels newer but its so unstable I lost calls today dling my taxes then speaking to my lawyer.. I have no landline so Im basically out of a phone right now kind of panicking I need to have a phone but I dont know if I can return it now? Its still within the 14 day grace period can I factory reset and return and stay on the plan the my.note 3? I need to figure something out quick.. I would keep this phone if the root worked but honestly I can go back to the note 3 I can unlock from Bell to Rogers for free right since its rooted?
I can't find any sign of knox on my phone since the root thing wont find it in s finder or anywhere so Im assuming it tripped. Honestly I never used knox on my note 3 either because it was void what does it do? Oh and Google play works fine though..
Im all for keeping the note 5 IF I can get it rooted properly I cant constantly lose calls like this.. Is there anyone out there that has a working kernel or should I attempt to return it? I have like 6 days left..

I was reading that the skyhigh kernel for tmobile is supposed to work. Already have it flashed. Can anyone confirm if this is the right one for Rogers note 5 SM-920W8

Backup Software for Note 9

I've read about SmartSwitch and Kies 3. I currently use Kies 3. I don't care how user-friendly, clever, or fast it is. Anything better than Kies 3 to be able to restore single apps and pull out previous APKs? We learned the hard way that we need to turn off Google automatic updates from the play store. They arbitrarily roll out new policies that cripple businesses and cost them many thousands of dollars.
Thanks!

https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=79320380&postcount=14

TWiiTCH said:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=79320380&postcount=14Do not downgrade if a current bootloader is newer than old one. You can't revert bootloaders but you can up or downgrade if same version or new one that's higher.
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Click to collapse
I have never been so frustrated with a phone purchase. I probably have 40 hours in this and it looks like it isn't over yet. First people say once it's upgraded to Pie there is no going back. Next they say it's no problem. Next they say you cannot go back to Oreo and I have a phone on order that is about to get re-listed if I cannot revert it. Now I'm rooting for Hawwaie, a new operating system, and for them to be a US carrier. These guys are criminal.

IT_Architect said:
I have never been so frustrated with a phone purchase. I probably have 40 hours in this and it looks like it isn't over yet. First people say once it's upgraded to Pie there is no going back. Next they say it's no problem. Next they say you cannot go back to Oreo and I have a phone on order that is about to get re-listed if I cannot revert it. Now I'm rooting for Hawwaie, a new operating system, and for them to be a US carrier. These guys are criminal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel your frustration. I bought this phone because I wanted a hi end hi performance phone & I thought I'd stay on Oreo until there was a root method for my Snapdragon model only to find out that after hitting no to the update request about 20 times it still forced me to upgrade. Why the heck do they ask if you want to upgrade or not if they're just going to force you to upgrade anyway. As for the bootloader thing if you are on version 1 it doesn't matter what release firmware you put on it just as long as it is bootloader version 1 or higher. Once you go to a firmware that has bootloader version 2 or higher you are unable to go back 2 a firmware that is lower then the one you're currently on. It is stupid but I don't know what to say because I am in your position, stuck with a phone I cannot root and paid big money for. If you have any questions on how to do things just PM me and we can chat I am fairly knowledgeable when it comes to Samsung devices and the note 9 as I've had mine since it was released. Do you have the exynos or snapdragon model? Mine is snapdragon so that is the one I am most familiar with. If I don't know something that you ask me I will not lie and pretend like I do know and feed you information that could lead you down a bad Road. I will give you answers if I do have the correct ones and I am sure of that.
What is it you wish to do or have done with your phone? If it is rooting/jailbreak and you have the exynos model you have an 80% chance that you can succeed in doing so. If you have the Snapdragon model like me we probably will not see a jailbreak or root anytime soon, if at all. There are ways and tricks to get around a lot of problems but they involve work and knowledge and time and usually they are a lengthy process to complete a simple task if it doesn't come out of the box already doing what you wish.
I'd love to trade mine if I could find somebody with a phone that is rootable and it's in the same quality and performs close to the way this one does. I'm going to hold off though because I have downgraded to Oreo and everything I need is functioning at the moment. My only wish 4 root is because I'd like to run Viper4android to be able to get the best sound quality out of the phone possible. For me there is not enough Bass and the volume level is too low, and when you turn the bass or treble up using the EQ provided by Samsung the music goes quieter just so the bass and treble sound louder by comparison. This phone has a very low end audio quality in my opinion. I hate the earbud headphones they come with, AKG I believe. They keep falling out of my oddly shaped ear canal and don't provide me with anything I'd consider special sounding. They rate the headphones as high end $100 value but to me I've bought better for $29.99. Some may disagree but with hiphop/rap I need, well like heavy bass & sharp snappy treble without loss of mid range vocals. I'm getting married in 3/4 of a year, maybe I'll ask for a wedding gift (doing a money tree) and get me some $400 beats over ear headphones by Dr Dre. This phone without viper4android may not push them tho so I'll get a Bluetooth model which provides its own amp power supply.
Like I said if you have questions I'll tell you what I know, what I've actually done myself, and what I'm unsure of. I feel for you so least I can do is offer. Don't give up just yet. Day 2 on Oreo 8.1.0 and still nothing about updates has come up. It's two simple adb commands that stops the forced updates and it affects nothing on the phone. No prompts or error messages & EVERYTHING else works fine. It's easy to undo also and does not void warranty.
Cheers mate, take a deep breath & we can look at each issue 1 by 1. Hopefully their easy to correct.
I'm Ryan by the way. Ttyl ?.

:laugh:
TWiiTCH said:
I'd love to trade mine if I could find somebody with a phone that is rootable and it's in the same quality and performs close to the way this one does.
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There is, the Pixel 2XL. The Pixel 3XL came with Pie. There isn't much difference between the two. The reason I didn't is I will be living in a South America most of the time and I want Samsung Pay otherwise the Pixel 2XL almost had
me giving up the stylus.
TWiiTCH said:
Like I said if you have questions I'll tell you what I know, what I've actually done myself, and what I'm unsure of. I feel for you so least I can do is offer. Don't give up just yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it doesn't come with the right boot loader I'll list it back on eBay and get one that does.
I don't buy phones often because it takes me 80 hours to get one the way I need it. Once I was able to get a phone with a stylus, and I could run line-of-business software, the Touch Pro2, it would be hard for me to give up the stylus. The Touch Pro2 was simply a Pocket PC and you could wipe it and install any operating that had drivers on it, including Android. It could emulate anything, including an iPhone. I'd still have a Windows phone if they made one but Balmer trashed it and started putting Zune on phones with Windows Phone and then it lost it's entire software base, including the Word, Excel, and Outlook that was baked in, and took Nokia down with it. That is what brought Android out of obscurity. I didn't move to Android until the Note 3 because it was the first point in time that Android had enough competent software for line-of-business apps, and the reason I didn't go IOS is because the same apps in the iPhone didn't work right, and I couldn't get where I needed to go, with call recording being one. It was also the latest I could get root. With root we can do site surveys, see what the bands are in a certain area, troubleshoot networks, etc., so we will keep the Verizon Note 3s for that purpose as they have no resale since they cannot be added to the Verizon network after the first of the year because they don't have LTE-A like the Note 4. The Note 8 and the Note 9 are the only ones with the bands needed to be able to work on a variety of networks around the world, that has a stylus, can still record calls if running Oreo, and has Samsung Pay. There is no advantage for me to buy a Samsung without a stylus. The problem with the Note 8 is battery life and it would probably come with an older battery. For those reasons the Note 9 is the only duck in my pond. I couldn't use a Note 10 if someone gave it to me.
TWiiTCH said:
Day 2 on Oreo 8.1.0 and still nothing about updates has come up. It's two simple adb commands that stops the forced updates and it affects nothing on the phone. No prompts or error messages & EVERYTHING else works fine. It's easy to undo also and does not void warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ADB access for most is about over, and Verizon is the name of a new virus that works around your OTA protections. I'm going to go with what Jammol stated on this thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...9-snapdragon-oreo-verizon-wont-t3939073/page2 plus this video for phone settings: https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...9-snapdragon-oreo-verizon-wont-t3939073/page2 plus install Package Disabler Pro+.
TWiiTCH said:
Cheers mate, take a deep breath & we can look at each issue 1 by 1. Hopefully their easy to correct. I'm Ryan by the way. Ttyl .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a Note 9 on the way, setting up my plan, and ordering and downloading. The phone is my mini business laptop. It has my mail, schedule, software to support people remotely, tracks my time, takes notes for my calls, etc. I don't use it for movies, games, or music. What turns my ears red is when they make changes that cost me thousands of dollars in lost history and change things to where I lose business functionality. If I find the guy who did Pie and took away my call recording, I'm going to revoke his social media accounts, take the transmission out of his car to keep him safe and from breaking the law with any inadvertent traffic violations, and board up all of the windows on his house to protect his privacy. I know what's best for his life. BTW, I'm Jack

IT_Architect said:
:laugh:There is, the Pixel 2XL. The Pixel 3XL came with Pie. There isn't much difference between the two. The reason I didn't is I will be living in a South America most of the time and I want Samsung Pay otherwise the Pixel 2XL almost had
me giving up the stylus.
If it doesn't come with the right boot loader I'll list it back on eBay and get one that does.
I don't buy phones often because it takes me 80 hours to get one the way I need it. Once I was able to get a phone with a stylus, and I could run line-of-business software, the Touch Pro2, it would be hard for me to give up the stylus. The Touch Pro2 was simply a Pocket PC and you could wipe it and install any operating that had drivers on it, including Android. It could emulate anything, including an iPhone. I'd still have a Windows phone if they made one but Balmer trashed it and started putting Zune on phones with Windows Phone and then it lost it's entire software base, including the Word, Excel, and Outlook that was baked in, and took Nokia down with it. That is what brought Android out of obscurity. I didn't move to Android until the Note 3 because it was the first point in time that Android had enough competent software for line-of-business apps, and the reason I didn't go IOS is because the same apps in the iPhone didn't work right, and I couldn't get where I needed to go, with call recording being one. It was also the latest I could get root. With root we can do site surveys, see what the bands are in a certain area, troubleshoot networks, etc., so we will keep the Verizon Note 3s for that purpose as they have no resale since they cannot be added to the Verizon network after the first of the year because they don't have LTE-A like the Note 4. The Note 8 and the Note 9 are the only ones with the bands needed to be able to work on a variety of networks around the world, that has a stylus, can still record calls if running Oreo, and has Samsung Pay. There is no advantage for me to buy a Samsung without a stylus. The problem with the Note 8 is battery life and it would probably come with an older battery. For those reasons the Note 9 is the only duck in my pond. I couldn't use a Note 10 if someone gave it to me.
ADB access for most is about over, and Verizon is the name of a new virus that works around your OTA protections. I'm going to go with what Jammol stated on this thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...9-snapdragon-oreo-verizon-wont-t3939073/page2 plus this video for phone settings: https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...9-snapdragon-oreo-verizon-wont-t3939073/page2 plus install Package Disabler Pro+.
I have a Note 9 on the way, setting up my plan, and ordering and downloading. The phone is my mini business laptop. It has my mail, schedule, software to support people remotely, tracks my time, takes notes for my calls, etc. I don't use it for movies, games, or music. What turns my ears red is when they make changes that cost me thousands of dollars in lost history and change things to where I lose business functionality. If I find the guy who did Pie and took away my call recording, I'm going to revoke his social media accounts, take the transmission out of his car to keep him safe and from breaking the law with any inadvertent traffic violations, and board up all of the windows on his house to protect his privacy. I know what's best for his life. BTW, I'm Jack
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I looked around and even found a great condition pixel 2 XL that somebody was willing to trade for my Samsung Galaxy S8 but I was nervous about a used phone, and luckily once I called my carrier to check if the pixel would run on their Network they told me it didn't. I am with Eastlink Mobility in Eastern Canada and their firmware customer code or abbreviation is esk. They stated that they sell only the phones that work on their Networks (many) and phones purchased elsewhere would not work on there modem bands and would only be able to purchase second hand phone that they carry in store so that I would be okay and I would be able to connect to their towers. To me this sounds like a bunch of bul****, there are many many bands and Eastlink Mobility doesn't even own any Towers. The service they provide is through rented Towers from Bell Canada and Telus Canada and Rogers Canada. This being the case I would assume any phone that runs on any of these Networks should be able to be hooked up and used with my current provider without me having to purchase a brand new phone. I think it is a money grab and also all the phones that they do sell currently are not able to be rooted. Very small selection. Only newest Note 9+ Galaxy S10, iPhone X, and some cheapos that liik ancient.
FOR $150 a month I get...
Unlimited nationwide long distance calling. Unlimited local calling 24/7. I have insurance that covers everything even if I dropped it on concrete face down and stepped on it getting out of the car to pick it up and shattered the screen rendering the phone useless (whick I did a week after buying the note 9) God that sucked/was dumb. This insurance does not expire ever as long as I keep it on my plan. It doesn't matter the reason the phone is damaged so it's a pretty good insurance plan. I also get 7gb of mobile data each month and unlimited sms/mms but I'm still wondering if WiFi calling will be activated. I see through package Disabler there is a WiFi calling apk. why it'd be there if there was no intention on using it 1 day, but I'm sure Eastlink will be last to get it available. Google pay & Samsung pay are not compatible with my bank/country/provider so their just wasting space. I have bixby turned off atm. Single press - settings, double press - game launcher, & long hold press is screenshot. Quite handy, I used button remapper & setup on pc was a breeze. Wish me luck finding a "looked after" (female owner sosted prob never rooted) pixl 2.
I'm thinking I'll keep this note & use very lightly with my screen cover & Otterbox & sell before I'll lose out on resale when it becomes too low, meaning I'll sell if a good option appears & I can profit off mine still due to keeping EVERYTHING it came with. & in mint shape. Carrier unlocked but I think they have to unlock if requested now due to a law passe. The must provide you with free code. I have my Box, manual/warrenty, no scratches, all oem parts which most are still unopened or have never been used even, and in mint condition. Never been messed with or buggy issues. I'll keep my eyes open for pixel 2 but I'm pretty sure I'll run into the previous issue I mentioned. Denial by carrier.

TWiiTCH said:
If you have any questions on how to do things just PM me and we can chat.
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Click to collapse
I took you up on that because I didn't want to reduce the usefulness of this thread to others by thread drift into chat over other topics and strategies, which I started doing already.

Note 9 Bloatware vs Root

I have not been here to XDA developers, my goodness, I think it is something like over 10 years.....it has grown so much...so please forgive me if I put this question in the wrong section.
I jusk picked up a "refurbished" Note 9, unlocked SM-N960U1 for under 400 dollars on Amazon from a company called Kiss of all things. So far, I have been very presently surprised. I can find absolutely no scratches or problems with the phone. The battery capacity is at over 94 percent. Yes, the charger and charging cable I needed to replace but for the money.
Back in the day, as I said a long time ago, I did root phones and install ROMs that I picked up from the Master Chefs here at XDA.
The phone came with "only" 125 gig on it but considering I just put in a 512 gig memory card and that my last phone at something a total of 60 gig that I managed with, I have nothing to complain about.
It has updated to 2.1 Android 10 and the funny thing is that I have had it only a couple of weeks and it does not seem to run as well. Little things have changed.....I cannot resize as easily with pinching.
I am sure there is nothing wrong with the phone hardware. I have a suspician that as is often the case, new is not necessarily better. I have wondered if I should do a factory reset.
In addition, I use all of Google stuff....tasks, calander, contacts, etc. I don't see any reason to keep all of those Samsung apps active. All I have done so far is to force stop them.
This brings me to the question. In order to get rid of the bloatware, is it better to root the phone or use some method to deactivate or remove the bloatware totally if possible.
Any advice regarding to root or not to root would be helpful and if so, the best method. If not, the best method to rid the phone of bloatware.

Use ADB to remove pre-installed apps you don't want. This way you still get official updates and stuff like Samsung pay and secure folder work fine.

andrew124C41 said:
I have not been here to XDA developers, my goodness, I think it is something like over 10 years.....it has grown so much...so please forgive me if I put this question in the wrong section.
I jusk picked up a "refurbished" Note 9, unlocked SM-N960U1 for under 400 dollars on Amazon from a company called Kiss of all things. So far, I have been very presently surprised. I can find absolutely no scratches or problems with the phone. The battery capacity is at over 94 percent. Yes, the charger and charging cable I needed to replace but for the money.
Back in the day, as I said a long time ago, I did root phones and install ROMs that I picked up from the Master Chefs here at XDA.
The phone came with "only" 125 gig on it but considering I just put in a 512 gig memory card and that my last phone at something a total of 60 gig that I managed with, I have nothing to complain about.
It has updated to 2.1 Android 10 and the funny thing is that I have had it only a couple of weeks and it does not seem to run as well. Little things have changed.....I cannot resize as easily with pinching.
I am sure there is nothing wrong with the phone hardware. I have a suspician that as is often the case, new is not necessarily better. I have wondered if I should do a factory reset.
In addition, I use all of Google stuff....tasks, calander, contacts, etc. I don't see any reason to keep all of those Samsung apps active. All I have done so far is to force stop them.
This brings me to the question. In order to get rid of the bloatware, is it better to root the phone or use some method to deactivate or remove the bloatware totally if possible.
Any advice regarding to root or not to root would be helpful and if so, the best method. If not, the best method to rid the phone of bloatware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You sound like me... I am an old hand at rooting Samsung devices. But. Last one I did was a Note 5 and things have changed a lot. Worst news? Your model is not currently rootable. A few other models of the Note 9 are. It is confusing and once I sorted out for myself i went back and exchanged my N960U1 for an N9600 international unlocked version. It is on the way to being rooted... but that's another story. If you can return your phone and get either an Exynos or N9600, that's the only way to get root.