Database Develop

Any Custom ROM for Note 8 DUOS N9500?

Hello World,
I bought a Galaxy Note 8 DUOS (two SIM cards) with 256GB internal storage and Exynos CPU - its the Hong Kong Version of the China Model from Samsung.
I tried in vain to flash European Exynos Firmware for LineageOS respectively Resurrection Remix onto it, but it just won't take (flash works fine with TWRP, but phone never gets to boot past the initial loader screen).
Now before I put back that humongous (3+GB!) Samsung HK crap onto it, I wanted to check one last time if there is or isn't a custom Firmware available for this model?
I would prefer RR, but pure LOS would also do.

Xda has a very good search engine, there's a Note 8 roms section,...
You might learn something along the way.
Sent from my Galaxy Note8 using XDA Labs

Just a question...
I've got the 9500 as well. Mine is from HK as well but it's a Snapdragon.
Are you sure yours is an exynos? Please double check. Wouldn't want you screwing the phone up.

Dejan Sathanas said:
Xda has a very good search engine, there's a Note 8 roms section,...
You might learn something along the way.
Sent from my Galaxy Note8 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please *not* in this patronizing tone.
You might think of yourself as the great "know it all", but your assumption that I am asking this question because I am too lazy (or too stupid) to utilize a search engine first, is truly denigrating.
And I have been an IT engineer for three decades, a Linux user for 15 and an Android user for over 5 years by now.
So I recon I already have "learned something".

charmz2k2 said:
Just a question...
I've got the 9500 as well. Mine is from HK as well but it's a Snapdragon.
Are you sure yours is an exynos? Please double check. Wouldn't want you screwing the phone up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went by the info that the Snapdragon is sold exclusively in the States (sorry, but the article is in German):
http://www.areamobile.de/news/43095-samsung-galaxy-s8-glaubensfrage-snapdragon-versus-exynos
And elsewhere I found the info that the Duos sold in HK is based on the Exonys.
I also "confimed" this via the device's ID number on an Asian website.
But given that I am currently not able to boot into the system (stuck @twrp), I might be assuming stuff here.
In any case, I located and tried two different custom firmwares I found on XDA for the N8 and they were all for various models of the N95xx *except* the 9500 (wasn't listed). And none worked.
I also searched for custom firmware specific to the N9500 Duos on XDA, Google and even some websites I normally wouldn't even want to download shabby videos from, but I found none.
So now I am about to flash back the stock Samsung HK firmware to it, but that would be my least favored choice.

Masinissa said:
I went by the info that the Snapdragon is sold exclusively in the States (sorry, but the article is in German):
http://www.areamobile.de/news/43095-samsung-galaxy-s8-glaubensfrage-snapdragon-versus-exynos
And elsewhere I found the info that the Duos sold in HK is based on the Exonys.
I also "confimed" this via the device's ID number on an Asian website.
But given that I am currently not able to boot into the system (stuck @twrp), I might be assuming stuff here.
In any case, I located and tried two different custom firmwares I found on XDA for the N8 and they were all for various models of the N95xx *except* the 9500 (wasn't listed). And none worked.
I also searched for custom firmware specific to the N9500 Duos on XDA, Google and even some websites I normally wouldn't even want to download shabby videos from, but I found none.
So now I am about to flash back the stock Samsung HK firmware to it, but that would be my least favored choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh no... What a pain...
I think HK and China ones for 9500 are Snapdragon...
Hope you get it sorted.

:good:
Sent from my Galaxy Note8 using XDA Labs

charmz2k2 said:
Just a question...
I've got the 9500 as well. Mine is from HK as well but it's a Snapdragon.
Are you sure yours is an exynos? Please double check. Wouldn't want you screwing the phone up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One more info: I tried the Notorious kernel and its install screen specifically lists the compatible model versions and the N9500 is *not* in that list.
Since the XDA Lineage OS & RR ports are based on the Notorious kernel, it seems all but certain now that the HK model isn't supported by the XDA custom firmware.
So I'll stop with Notorious now and will instead flash myself all the way back to the shores of Honk Kong bay

Masinissa said:
One more info: I tried the Notorious kernel and its install screen specifically lists the compatible model versions and the N9500 is *not* in that list.
Since the XDA Lineage OS & RR ports are based on the Notorious kernel, it seems all but certain now that the HK model isn't supported by the XDA custom firmware.
So I'll stop with Notorious now and will instead flash myself all the way back to the shores of Honk Kong bay
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
N9500 IS Snapdragon! Try downloading "systeminfo" from Google and that should confirm!
Sent from my SM-N9500 using Tapatalk

Dejan Sathanas said:
Xda has a very good search engine, there's a Note 8 roms section,...
You might learn something along the way.
Sent from my Galaxy Note8 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The fact you take the time to post this says alot. Why don't YOU try to use the search function to the question that was asked and see what YOU learn, jackass.

robmeik said:
N9500 IS Snapdragon! Try downloading "systeminfo" from Google and that should confirm!
Sent from my SM-N9500 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I first have to flash myself back into a working system with the latest HK firmware.
But by now I am all but certain, that the info from that tech article (in German) was wrong, where they stated that N8 models sold outside the States were (all) based on Exonys. Well, they actually said, that only models sold in the US were based on Snapdragon. Fact is that I could not find *any* Exonys custom firmware that would be flashable onto my device - and I did a lot(!!) of searching about this. For me that means it must be Snapdragon.
Now my plan B is to get back to firmware, keep the darn thing rooted and then rip out as much of the Samsung crap as possible manually.
Is there any list which services and system apps are safe to remove on a stock firmware N8 9500?

Masinissa said:
I first have to flash myself back into a working system with the latest HK firmware.
But by now I am all but certain, that the info from that tech article (in German) was wrong, where they stated that N8 models sold outside the States were (all) based on Exonys. Well, they actually said, that only models sold in the US were based on Snapdragon. Fact is that I could not find *any* Exonys custom firmware that would be flashable onto my device - and I did a lot(!!) of searching about this. For me that means it must be Snapdragon.
Now my plan B is to get back to firmware, keep the darn thing rooted and then rip out as much of the Samsung crap as possible manually.
Is there any list which services and system apps are safe to remove on a stock firmware N8 9500?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I have read you'll have difficulty in getting back to anything "normal" I think a rooted Snapdragon can only charge to 60% and once rooted all "secure" features are made redundant! That's why I have steered clear of rooting and anyway with the new software there's not that much that rooting enhances as far as I can see from my reading into the many threads on xda and other android related forums!
I was reading somewhere on here about getting rid of (freezing) some Samsung apps with out rooting though ... I'm leaving mine as it is as I'm happy with what I have!
Sent from my SM-N9500 using Tapatalk

robmeik said:
From what I have read you'll have difficulty in getting back to anything "normal" I think a rooted Snapdragon can only charge to 60% and once rooted all "secure" features are made redundant! That's why I have steered clear of rooting and anyway with the new software there's not that much that rooting enhances as far as I can see from my reading into the many threads on xda and other android related forums!
I was reading somewhere on here about getting rid of (freezing) some Samsung apps with out rooting though ... I'm leaving mine as it is as I'm happy with what I have!
Sent from my SM-N9500 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As a power user I happen to disagree as far as the usefulness of "rooting" is concerned.
Whilst that should never be a concern for "normal" users, even something as basic as changing those abysmal write blockages on the external SD card requires access to the stuff under the hood.
The same goes for using many of Chainfire's tools or being able to perform true full device backups *locally* (I would never entrust my data to the Samsung cloud).
And as far as the Snapdragon charging issue is concerned, last thing I read was this is now at 95-98%.
And since I used an official Samsung method to unlock the BL, I might not be affected by that at all.
In any case, I am sure I could compensate for those 5-3% in loss with a proper CPU governor (=root access).

Masinissa said:
As a power user I happen to disagree as far as the usefulness of "rooting" is concerned.
Whilst that should never be a concern for "normal" users, even something as basic as changing those abysmal write blockages on the external SD card requires access to the stuff under the hood.
The same goes for using many of Chainfire's tools or being able to perform true full device backups *locally* (I would never entrust my data to the Samsung cloud).
And as far as the Snapdragon charging issue is concerned, last thing I read was this is now at 95-98%.
And since I used an official Samsung method to unlock the BL, I might not be affected by that at all.
In any case, I am sure I could compensate for those 5-3% in loss with a proper CPU governor (=root access).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As a power user who uses my phone normally I feel that the latest developments in the operating system don't need endless tweaking! It seems that so many users now just tweak for the sake of tweaking rather than enjoying what their communication device has to offer!
I bought a 256Gb dual sim device as I didn't want problems with sd cards and I'm OK with backing up to the Samsung cloud ... but hey, that's just me a simple normal user who has been using Android since it began and was very much into tweaking in the early days as there was so much improvement to be had through rooting.
OK I use Nova rather than Touchwiz (but that's improved dramatically) and my main grip of adverts is now minimised by using "paid for" apps where possible and Samsung's own Internet app is very efficient at stopping adverts!
Sent from my SM-T805 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

robmeik said:
As a power user who uses my phone normally I feel that the latest developments in the operating system don't need endless tweaking! It seems that so many users now just tweak for the sake of tweaking rather than enjoying what their communication device has to offer!
...
Sent from my SM-T805 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It got nothing to do with "tweaking", but with overcoming intentional crippling of the device done by Google and Samsung together.
And for me a "power user" is not defined by someone who use his device often or has a lots of software on it, but by someone who insist on getting every ounce of possibility out of the hardware he paid good money for.
W/o root I can not decently mount ISO images or foreign file systems via SSH. W/o root I can not link across file systems or mount folders where *I* want them to be. W/o root I got no chance to alter the boot up behavior of the phone and I most certainly have no influence over anything running on it with "system" privileges.
I paid enough cash for my N8 for three new Laptops and in return I am supposed to be a devout little penguin who accepts any data stealing crap running in the background, any forced update Samsung pushes down my throat, learn to live with any security hole they won't patch and not be able to use my phone in ways *they* don't want me to?
If it be up to Google I wouldn't even be allowed to save YouTube Videos locally. For me being a "power user" means "being in power" - nothing more, nothing less.

since you are on snapdragon and you have been trying to flash exyno stuff, just wipe and you will be able to boot phone. i doubt any files were acctualy flashed. also any odin firmware you may have tried would have also failed.
by not having a custom recovery and probably not root either i do not see why your device is non operational.
looks like you probably used thisor should have)
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-8/how-to/guide-n9500-unlocking-bl-twrp-t3696103
anyways flashing back stock FW and following the steps in that link to gain twrp and root/magisk and xposed is all you need. custom roms have all of this baked in so you are not missing anything. maybe a few unique settings some have via rom control but nothing big.
but in the end its a shame a novice mistake was done by buying a snapdragon and tripped knox so you cant return it for a exynos.

,,,,

bober10113 said:
...
but in the end its a shame a novice mistake was done by buying a snapdragon and tripped knox so you cant return it for a exynos.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Buying this phone wasn't a "novice mistake", as I looked for the HW specs first.
There are specific things I want to do with this phone - like using it as a portable PC replacement and building a cluster with my tablet and my CuBox - thus I went for the top HW specs.
And that model is the only one with DUAL SIM (or SDXC card), and 256 GB internal storage. Naturally I needed to root the darn thing to install all the stuff I want. Tripping KNOX was never an issue for me, as getting rid of stock firmware is always one of the first things I do. 64GB internal storage just wasn't enough for me, as I plan to install quite a few qemu and other "alternative" systems on it. I work as a consultant in Enterprise IT and I got to travel all the time because of that.
Now whenever I am not required to work with a company laptop I prefer to travel as light as possible.
Honestly speaking, the modern high end smartphones have at least as much computing power as a middle class laptop, the only limitations usually being storage speed and RAM size.
With the flagship N9500 these limits no longer exist so why should I still slug around another laptop (even if its a small one), if I can use my smartphone plus a WiFi cast dongle for private browsing, code testing and writing my invoices?
The mistake I made was to not take the time to verify the info from that tech article and thus to assume that, because my phone wasn't sold in the US, it couldn't be a snapdragon (and yes, originally I tried the firmware from that XDA post).
So now I gotta do it the hard way, flash back to stock Firmware and then "customize" that one manually.

Last info on this thread:
I was able to flash myself into a working phone, by downloading the latest Hongkong firmware from sammobile.
Then I used twrp to flash the extracted boot and system images (both are required, once you were foolish enough to try and install Exonys based firmware to it).
Now I am installing Magisk and just rip out anything "Samsung" from the darn thing by hand.
BTW, the BL unlock & TWRP install method for Snapdragon China phones (not US!) described here on XDA does not seem to have that battery issue described elsewhere, as it is not based on SAMfail.

robmeik said:
From what I have read you'll have difficulty in getting back to anything "normal" I think a rooted Snapdragon can only charge to 60% and once rooted all "secure" features are made redundant! That's why I have steered clear of rooting and anyway with the new software there's not that much that rooting enhances as far as I can see from my reading into the many threads on xda and other android related forums!
I was reading somewhere on here about getting rid of (freezing) some Samsung apps with out rooting though ... I'm leaving mine as it is as I'm happy with what I have!
Sent from my SM-N9500 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will charge up to 80%.

To root or not to root?

Hi everybody,
I’ve prereserved my Note 9, and while waiting for the release date I’m scrolling through the news and forums just to get teased a bit more
A question I’m asking myself though, is: do I really need to root this phone? I’ll lose some functionalities by rooting it (samsung pay/android pay, safetynet apps, knox...) but I’ll surely miss others too (adaway, xposed, tweaks...)
I always rooted all my devices unconditionnaly, like it’s part of my default setup, but do you guys think it’s still needed those days? Is there really a benefit, or can you live without root?

I use to be an avid 'root my phone asap' kinda guy, but the main reason was for wireless hotspot. It's included in most plans now, so I don't feel the need to. I liked getting a cleaner build, less bloatware. To each there own, but with a locked bootloader here in the US it may be a while as you'll need a unlocked version. Carriers here will have it locked down.

the first thing i'm going to do with the phone when i get it is rooting it, hopefully there is a working twrp and there is no oem timeout for unlocking the bootloader.
i can't live without adaway and titanium backup.
releasedate is thursday next week in sweden, can't wait, i have preordered the 512gb model in blue.

Not worth it anymore. Used to be mandatory when Android wasn't as feature rich and mature, but no reason for me to anymore.

In my case root would be needed only for app data transfer from the old phone. After that I don't see the need of root.
Anyway.. how about knox fuse trip and warranty?
Is this still a thing today? Was it in Note 5 7 8?
I know it was in Note 4. But what about later models?

I used to root, but not any more. I get the US unlocked version to cut down on the bloatware. Samsung has made it sooo easy to theme and skin the phone that it's pointless to root for that. Samsung pay is awesome and I use it more and more every day. Smart Switch has taken the place of Titanium back up, and it's free and very simple to use. Also with the 512gb version I ordered , not too worried about the few programs that I dont like but are included.
Sent from my Galaxy Note8 using XDA Labs

I used to root the second i got a device, however since the 8 and also with the 9 i dont bother any more, all the reasons before were to get better battery life slim down etc, i just use package disable pro now and im done. Besides no point in tripping knox loosing secure folder and faffimng around to get google pay working etc. I love to tinker but the benefits are just not there any more imho

Most probably first phone i will not root. especially for warranty purpose with the know feature

Thanks for the input Now that I have some answers I can give my insights too. I think I'll (be able to) wait a few days before being tempted to root it, but I'm pretty sure there will be a day, especially when Samsung will drop updates and I'll have to use custom ROMs if I want to stay up to date or maybe get the Note 10 port
The things I would miss if I don't root are: Adaway, TWRP (flashing and full backup/restore), MyBackup Pro, debloating, Xposed probably, Viper4Android maybe.

I have been a root on day one guy myself forever. Interesting that people here have not mentioned the privacy issues with all my carrier's supplied bloatware. That crap goes immmmmediately. That was the main reason for rooting for me.

Flame Red said:
I have been a root on day one guy myself forever. Interesting that people here have not mentioned the privacy issues with all my carrier's supplied bloatware. That crap goes immmmmediately. That was the main reason for rooting for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ultimately, you don't necessarily have to root to debloat. You can just flash and use TWRP for this. Although when you boot into TWRP it triggers Knox and you lose those related functionalities.

This will be the second phone im not gonna root. First was the pixel 3 i need samsung pay in my life and plus im getting the locked sprint version. Im scared tho i really do want a clean build. Going with sammy since the s6. I dont want a phone with a notch so i figure i use my upgrade this year

I will always root the 1st day. Titanium backup, ad-away, TWRP, custom roms with 3minit battery, ability to customize volume buttons, VIPER4ANDROID, sooo many more reasons why. Stock is boring and dull. No reason to be on XDA if you are not rooting and using developers creations.

Brava27 said:
I will always root the 1st day. Titanium backup, ad-away, TWRP, custom roms with 3minit battery, ability to customize volume buttons, VIPER4ANDROID, sooo many more reasons why. Stock is boring and dull. No reason to be on XDA if you are not rooting and using developers creations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Viper4android is the only reason I still root.

Taebom said:
Viper4android is the only reason I still root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup. Sounds so much better!

I personally stopped rooting since the Note 7 / S7E. I now find Samsung experience to offer me more than enough to keep from rooting. I've rooted all my phones since from the Dream G1 to Galaxy S1, Note 2, to the Note 4.

I root day 0 or I don't buy. Phone is worthless without Titanium backup, ad-away, TWRP.

i'm leaning towards no root. but it may be difficult to swallow at first, i think i've rooted the last 4 galaxies i've had... before that was a Nokia. I will undoubtedly miss ad-away, and i've made good use of Xposed on my recent Note5, but many people mention TitaniumBackup and i just don't use it much anymore. I have done a couple full backups with TWRP and used restore from it a couple times, but lets face it... those are things i wouldn't need if a hadn't broke something in a Root function in the first place! All in all, hoping for the best without Root - I want Knox intact. If you guys don't hear from me in the next week or two, i drowned in advertisements.

I've not rooted since my note 5, after being an instant root and Rom girly. It was previously much more needed, but these days not at all for me.
Best things I've found about not rooting -
- No worries at all about trading in, selling on, warranties, insurance etc.
- No worries about keeping the system ROM up to date, and over the air updates are sooooo easy
- No glitches or issues with radios and hardware etc from non standard roms
For me, the level that the current software and hardware is at has wiped out the need for rooting and flashing custom roms

Dayzee said:
I've not rooted since my note 5, after being an instant root and Rom girly. It was previously much more needed, but these days not at all for me.
Best things I've found about not rooting -
- No worries at all about trading in, selling on, warranties, insurance etc.
- No worries about keeping the system ROM up to date, and over the air updates are sooooo easy
- No glitches or issues with radios and hardware etc from non standard roms
For me, the level that the current software and hardware is at has wiped out the need for rooting and flashing custom roms
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THIS!
I'd rather have the option, but, no such animal for US Samsung devices.
I can deal w/o it on Samsung devices, thanks to Package Disabler Pro & the ad blocking app Block-This.
Is it a perfect substitute for root?
No, but, this gives me the best of what's important to me with the minimum of compromises.
No interest in non-Samsung based ROMs for this phone, why bother picking up a Note to strip it of its unique features........
Currently using a VZW Note 5 using Package Disabler Pro & Block-This..... Doing just fine, the pragmatic part of my twisted mind (on life support, LOL) tells me to save my money & wait until next year, but, I bought this particular phone in great condition @ a great price, to use solely as a trade-in for T-Mobile"s $500 bill credit.....
Sent from my Galaxy Note 5 using XDA Labs

Root? Why?

I've been a rootoholic since the first HTC Desire (2010) and I've been lovin to improve every smartphone throughout those years. I believe that the reason for root have literally died. Since 2010, the interest in rooting and developing roms for phones that really needed it, vanished more and more for every year. The latest 4 - 5 years, developers have mostly only been interested in rooting flagships? People root for different reasons, privacy, debloating, theming, speed or all. In my opinion, the whole developing community have forgotten the real mission!
"Develope, root and improve phones that really needs it!" (mid range and low budget phones)
And look now!? To unlock a bootloader (on a phone that's perfect without it) we're suppose to pay for it? Not even an option to donate, like back in the days? No offense to you, the devs, this is probably just part of Xda evolution, and I need to catch up with reality. Just wondering what this community will look like in 2 - 5 years?
This phone (in my opinion) is perfect without unlocked bootloader or root!
V40 has it all!
And with the option to "uninstall" bloatware via adb, what's the point?

Well, some user's love to flash custom kernel while using the stock rom. Just like me

cheeze.keyk said:
Well, some user's love to flash custom kernel while using the stock rom. Just like me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did too But to improve!?
Not much to improve anymore...

I understand what you mean. But with a custom kernel everything that's good about this phone would only get better. Also, having stock Android on this hardware would be awesome.

nyttliv7 said:
I did too But to improve!?
Not much to improve anymore...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me yes, specially when it comes to speed and you can tweak also the display settings to get rid of the screen burn.

V4A and kernel tweeks

Wondering
how much better can a phone like this get?
I mean, cpu speed is already fantastic, and sound is extremely high quality (Neutron)!
Is there anywhere I can read about this? Progress and experience so far. How big was the difference? And so on...
I could imagine to underclock and disable some features I never use, to save battery...

nyttliv7 said:
how much better can a phone like this get?
I mean, cpu speed is already fantastic, and sound is extremely high quality (Neutron)!
Is there anywhere I can read about this? Progress and experience so far. How big was the difference? And so on...
I could imagine to underclock and disable some features I never use, to save battery...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We disabled a few of the throttling stuff that LG put in the software and it's way faster now and along with FDE.AI Magisk Module the battery is also lasting a bit longer.

Nice!
I'm on Sprint!
Will they detect my root?
Fully functional modem/signal?
Will I miss out on any functions after debloating all sprint stuff?
Can I reverse, go back to the original rom?

nyttliv7 said:
I'm on Sprint!
Will they detect my root?
Fully functional modem/signal?
Will I miss out on any functions after debloating all sprint stuff?
Can I reverse, go back to the original rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your original rom would be on Slot B....but you would still have the original rom on Slot A unless you update to US unlocked Pie....

Tempted!
Root
Being an old rootoholic, I've kind of convinced myself it's not really necessary anymore, especially on a phone like this. But after digging into the threads about it, I've reconsidered...
So, after some resistance, I'm tempted to unlock bootloader and root
Just a few questions:
Slot A and B? Is it possible/complicated to activate "the other" slot (dual boot), or is it just there for backup and update?
Is com.lge.rctprovider and other spy and spam apps still there?
How exactly is the remote screen thing done? Do I need to install something, and how do you pay the fee?
Will it be possible to remap the assistant button?
If I'm not wrong, Qualcomm just block specific bands on carrier's requests, meaning that all bands exist in the chip. So I wonder, can this be unlocked?
How is the signal/reception on Sprint? Will all necessary bands still be there and fully functional?
Thanks!

nyttliv7 said:
I've been a rootoholic since the first HTC Desire (2010) and I've been lovin to improve every smartphone throughout those years. I believe that the reason for root have literally died. Since 2010, the interest in rooting and developing roms for phones that really needed it, vanished more and more for every year. The latest 4 - 5 years, developers have mostly only been interested in rooting flagships? People root for different reasons, privacy, debloating, theming, speed or all. In my opinion, the whole developing community have forgotten the real mission!
"Develope, root and improve phones that really needs it!" (mid range and low budget phones)
And look now!? To unlock a bootloader (on a phone that's perfect without it) we're suppose to pay for it? Not even an option to donate, like back in the days? No offense to you, the devs, this is probably just part of Xda evolution, and I need to catch up with reality. Just wondering what this community will look like in 2 - 5 years?
This phone (in my opinion) is perfect without unlocked bootloader or root!
V40 has it all!
And with the option to "uninstall" bloatware via adb, what's the point?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After so many years with these phones, I've learnt that we would rather buy an old flagship but not a new mid-low range
Even u arent rooting it, flagship is usually much better as that's what your manufacture could do best at that time. Mid-low range was intended to be half-assed

Root is useful to install AdAway and Titanium Backup, even if staying with stock ROM.
Blockada without root sounds like it is not as effective as AdAway.
Ti Backup enables reverting to prior saved version of app when a newer version is faulty or inferior (happens a lot). Also debloating by freezing or uninstalling, not sure an ADB method offers all the options of Ti to debloat.
If V40 still has no way to unlock bootloader and root, without the Octoplus thing, I guess I'm stuck with V30+, which apparently means the dwindling stock of aging V30+ from dicey sellers on eBay etc., including lots of 1+ year old LS998 crossflashed to US998 and sold as "new". Li-Ion phone batteries have only a 2-3 year life....
...

There's currently no way to bootloader unlock the V40 (I have the US non carrier "unlocked" version). Guy on Telegram is ignoring my message. Therefore, root does not appear to be an option.

midwhiteflava said:
There's currently no way to bootloader unlock the V40 (I have the US non carrier "unlocked" version). Guy on Telegram is ignoring my message. Therefore, root does not appear to be an option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well Vlad is in the Ukraine so you have to deal with their schedule....

Ainz_Ooal_Gown said:
Well Vlad is in the Ukraine so you have to deal with their schedule....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be him and I'm awaiting his reply on Telegram from last week.

midwhiteflava said:
That would be him and I'm awaiting his reply on Telegram from last week.
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This guy has done two for me less than half a day after paying ten dollars.
@octoplus
Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk

https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v40/development/unlock-lg-v40-via-9008-root-t-mobile-t4042207

Well people root so they can remove throttle from manufacturer nd to tweak the phone so it can be at its best for the current cpu/gpu along with custom roms. Root is not needed nowadays except for those because better processors that you wont really need root for normal to performance usage. Well thts my oppinion for the op

The question should be why not to root. The answers to that are far less. Than why to root. Because of the endless possibilities

Which Note 9 variant is most compatible with ROMs/kernels/mods and most futureproof?

Hello. I am thinking of getting a Note 9 as my daily driver for the next several years, but I am a bit confused because of the many variants available. I want to use this thing for as long as I can, and modding is quite important to me on Android, so I want to ensure that the device variant I get will be most supported by 3rd party developers writing custom ROMs and other modifications. I am coming from a Xperia Z3, of which there are at least two main variants, and only the main single-sim variant (D6603) has had (and has) the most attention by developers, so this is where my concern is coming from.
On the forum the general line seems to be that if you want to do modding, then the Exynos devices are the way to go. I am buying from Europe so that is not an issue, but even then there are versions with 6GB or 8GB of RAM, and those come in single sim (N960F) and dual sim (N960F/DS) variants. I am reading that all variants are technically dual sim, so that probably also means that any custom software will be compatible with both variants, but I am most concerned about the difference between 6GB and 8GB devices. I am most interested in the 6GB variant, but I wonder wether one has been more supported than the other in existing custom ROMs and mods, and if there are any indications of that happening when future versions of Android will be ported over to the Note 9.
I would also like to know if the dual sim variants can mount two sim cards in addition to the MicroSD card, or if you necessarily have to swap one sim card to use the MicroSD.
Thank you

@omarelhajj97 there is no difference between the 6GB and 8GB models other than the obvious 128/512GB storage and 6/8GB RAM thing. Both versions have exactly the same firmware. If you want future proofing - get the 8GB model like I did
About your other question if you can use both sim cards and a microsd - by default no, you choose either 2 sims or 1 sim and 1 sd. But thanks to the following method you can use 2 sims + sd: https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-9/themes/xposed-unlock-dual-sim-sd-card-t4085559
My advice would be against rooting the Note9 when you get it. It will be on the latest Android 10 OneUI 2.1 version which won't be outdated at least 2 years from now. And if you want customization try the official app GoodLock (since you're in Europe, get NiceLock or FineLock from play store and download and install GoodLock modules manually from apkmirror).

I am with @koragg97 on this one. Even if you leave your Note 9 running Pie with all the latest security updates, you have a excellent android experience. Rooting your device voids the warranty and you will loosing access to the Secure Folder and S Health

iceepyon said:
I am with @koragg97 on this one. Even if you leave your Note 9 running Pie with all the latest security updates, you have a excellent android experience. Rooting your device voids the warranty and you will loosing access to the Secure Folder and S Health
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Secure folder and shealth can be patched though.

Rosli59564 said:
Secure folder and shealth can be patched though.
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Rooting android these days are only beneficial to developers, who require Admin access to the entire directory of android. For everyday users modern releases of android right out the box is perfectly fine.

iceepyon said:
Rooting android these days are only beneficial to developers, who require Admin access to the entire directory of android. For everyday users modern releases of android right out the box is perfectly fine.
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I think rooting is still worth it. For example I need the stock call recorder which you can't get without root on EU model and any other recording apps are nothing compared to the stock one. Also I like how Dr.Ketan provides quite some optimizations for his custom rom and I've always used his roms both on N8 and N9.
There are some great reliable developers here in xda imo.

xchatter said:
I think rooting is still worth it. For example I need the stock call recorder which you can't get without root on EU model and any other recording apps are nothing compared to the stock one. Also I like how Dr.Ketan provides quite some optimizations for his custom rom and I've always used his roms both on N8 and N9.
There are some great reliable developers here in xda imo.
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The first reason I root my phone within 2 weeks after I bought it was to get rid of ugly stock look. Just looking at the status bar is enough to make my eyes sore. Samsung never change it, just with android 9 they allow us to move the clock to the right, but that's all about it.
At the end everyone on each own. We have different views when we see things. Just because I think something is ugly doesn't means it is for others.

FIXED!

EDIT::
My initial issue has been solved! I did some tinkering around with the APN settings and finally got my data to work outside of being on a phone call!! I still have issues flashing different firmwares and os's but that problem will be addressed later down the line.

If you make another Question thread about the Flash issues, you can drop a link here. I might be able to help

oh! thank you! i was initially trying to flash the unlocked u1 firmware onto a t-mobile based note 8 because of mobile data & hotspot issues but i was able to fix it. i'm still interested in root & trying to get a custom os installed. reminiscing on the days of dirty unicorns on my note 2

JayeDohe said:
oh! thank you! i was initially trying to flash the unlocked u1 firmware onto a t-mobile based note 8 because of mobile data & hotspot issues but i was able to fix it. i'm still interested in root & trying to get a custom os installed. reminiscing on the days of dirty unicorns on my note 2
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Cool. My Note 8 isn't my main smartphone anymore, but I didn't like putting Custom ROMs on there, because I found I was missing Samsung's Camera App and all their other cool features.
Kinda weird, I like the smoothness and simplicity of pure Vanilla Android, but all the cool little features of Samsung's OneUI. When I still used my Note 8, I just sticked with OneUI but rooted it for some additional freedom. (and for Custom Fonts and Systemwide Adblocking.. and YouTube Vanced. LOL)

dreamytom said:
Cool. My Note 8 isn't my main smartphone anymore, but I didn't like putting Custom ROMs on there, because I found I was missing Samsung's Camera App and all their other cool features.
Kinda weird, I like the smoothness and simplicity of pure Vanilla Android, but all the cool little features of Samsung's OneUI. When I still used my Note 8, I just sticked with OneUI but rooted it for some additional freedom. (and for Custom Fonts and Systemwide Adblocking.. and YouTube Vanced. LOL)
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yeah i recently came across all the little apps for One UI, i just haven't messed around with them fully yet. but i am still interested in at least achieving root if possible

JayeDohe said:
yeah i recently came across all the little apps for One UI, i just haven't messed around with them fully yet. but i am still interested in at least achieving root if possible
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Just keep in mind Samsung phones have a physical security chip (Knox).
If you unlock the bootloader, that security chip will permanently show that your warranty is void (0x1). You also won't be able to use Samsung Pay, Samsung's Secure Folder anymore, and some other things which don't come into my mind right now...
Samsung Health too, for whatever reason. However for that app there's a tweak you can do in a system file called build.prop... lol
So, there are disadvantages you must be aware of.
There's also Google SafetyNet, which detects an unlocked bootloader & root. And it's been a cat & mouse game to mask/avoid this detection of an unlocked BL & Root from Google SafetyNet, and it sucks. Google and the manufacturers try their hardest to disincentivize users from using their phone in the way they like to.
I don't want to scare you away from making these adventures. It's just a bit rough at the moment for the Android Modding Community and I'm afraid it'll only get more locked up, until Android phones sorta become like iPhones (in terms of freedom).

Yeah, playing around with root and different roms would be fun but i've pretty much settled on how i have things set up with good lock and all of those features. i can't seem to get videos to work with lock+ tho, that option seems to be greyed out.