Related
Update 09.12.17: The methods below may not fully work on the latest OS versions. There is an ongoing discussion in the last pages so I hope it gets cleared out eventually, sadly I've been busy with my studies and haven't touched my phone since initially making this thread (it's on OOS 4.0.2). I write this just to make sure I don't waste your time accidentally, so please check the latest replies if you're on newer OS versions.
Hello everybody,
*the undermentioned methods and app(s) require root*
I have asked you guys in the AKT thread if you would like to see a small tutorial on how to stop the constant "com.google.android.gms/.measurement.PackageMeasurementService" and "net_scheduler" wakelocks that might or might not be responsible for the device waiting longer than it should before dozing off.
Please keep in mind that this method does work for me, and might or might not work for you, as everybody uses different things/apps so in case you see unwanted behavior, just revert back and sigh that the method has failed you.
I am not responsible for any hardware-/software damage that may occur upon using these settings.
So, now that we've got all the generic stuff out of the way, first few words about why this might bother you:
1) You don't like your device doing stuff you didn't make it do.
2) You want to minimize wakelocks
3) You're here because you just saw the two beforementioned wakelocks and already decided you want to get rid of them.
So, regarding the first one, all I can say is I got the method from this reddit post , which briefly explains which services are doing the waking and what they are. Starting with "At the heart of Firebase is Firebase Analytics, a free and unlimited analytics solution. .." got me raising an eyebrow, as I don't like handling control of my device to other people, without me even knowing.
UPDATE: I have merged the two approaches into just using one app and making the changes on a global level, so you can just do them in like 5 minutes and forget about it, but in case you have problems with disabling package measurement you can also check the hidden text just below for instructions using another app, which was basically "the old way".
So to get rid of the "snooping", as already described in that post, you need to download MyAndroidTools.
Disclaimer: Disabling some services/receivers may "crash" the app. I found it is normal, just go back to where you were and check if you managed to disable the thing you wanted, if yes, then it was successful.
1. Open the app
2. Click on the top left to open the panel, click on Broadcast Receiver.
3. On the menu that opens go to the right column named System. Click search on the top right, type "Play" and choose the Google Play Services option.
4. In the search bar there type at least "ana" and disable the two found results with the names "AnalyticsReceiver" and "AnalyticsSamplerReceiver"
5. Hit x and search again for at least "meas". You will see three results with the names "AppMeasurementInstallReferrerReceiver", "AppMeasurementReceiver" and "PackageMeasurementReceiver*". Disable all three.
****Update 15.02.17*** Apparently this one resets every once in a while, I blame this again on Google's efforts to have their spying on, but anyways. Go to services->system->Google Play Services->search "meas"->disable both "AppMeasurementService" and "MeasurementBrokerService". The third one (PackageMeasurementService) will restart too so don't bother. This should do the trick though.
6. There was discussion about "Campaign Tracking" . I only found it in the same System menu, in Android Pay, by searching at least "cam" you get the result "CampaignTrackingReceiver". Disable it if you feel you want to. I don't use Android Pay and cannot say if it breaks something there, but otherwise have it disabled and haven't noticed any problems so far.
7. Search for Google Play Store in System. In that option, search for at least "app" and disable "AppMeasurementReceiver". Hit x and search for at least "fir", then disable the two results with names "FirebaseInstanceIdInternalReceiver" and "FirebaseInstanceIdReceiver"
8. Done. All the setttings are now global for any sort of app measurements, as far as I know.
This is the "old way" of dealing with app measurement. If you have done the steps above just ignore (hide) this part and continue with disabling net_scheduler below.
So to get rid of the "snooping", as already described in that post, you need to download Root Package Disabler or equivalent alternative.
ATTENTION: As per the last version of the app, I see there might be a bug which reverts some settings when you use the search bar, so please try and find the services by hand in stead of searching, as it is more reliable.
1. Open the app
2. Start with the left-most pane, e.g. "Installed". There you can see all your installed apps
3. Click on the first app on the list, it will display a small menu. Apps that use services will have the bottom-left option named "SERVICES" available, click there. This will take you to the services list that this app uses.
4. Click on the searching icon on the top-right in order to filter the services we need disabling.
5. Write at least "appm" . If the AppMeasurementService is used by this app, it will now be displayed.
6. Tick that off (the switch will turn gray)
7. Hit x, and search again for at least "fireb". This will display all services that use the Firebase SDK. You may also check under the name of the service and see the word is contained in the "executable name", so it might not always have "an official" name that states Firebase, but still use one of their "executables" (sorry for lack of detail)
7.1 Check for any other services that have "analytics" in their description, although I haven't checked if this stops something useful, but I doubt it.
8. When you're done with the current app, it will no longer call these services and cause wakelocks as long as the services remain stopped. To my experience the settings stay after reboot, it's just the above mentioned bug you have to keep in mind since it happened to me now while making the guide, and I know it came with the latest update.
9. Go back to the installed pane and maybe tick on the star next to the app in question. It will be added to the "favourite" list where you can have all those apps and don't bother to search them again if needed.
10. Repeat from step 1 for the next app and go through all your apps. If not you will still get calls to this service from the apps that still have these services on. Also a reminder here, you have to remember and check every new app you install, as most apps do have the service enabled.
11. After you're done with all apps in "Installed", check out bloatware (I think I haven't found anything there, but it's worth checking).
12. "System" apps that I know have some of those services: Calendar, (probably) Chrome (I have that disabled so dunno), Drive, Duo, Gboard, Google Play Services, Google Play Store, Google VR Services.
Here are two pictures how an app's services list looks like, and one with some of the services disabled:
all services on
some services off
After doing these steps, you should charge your battery to 90% to reset the battery statistics and you should see that the "com.google.android.gms/.measurement.PackageMeasurementService" wakelock no longer occurs (or stays really, really low, and not thousands like before). If you still have it after all this, then you probably have an app you haven't disabled the services for.
The second approach will get rid of the "net_scheduler" wakelock. Thanks to @denon480 for the idea, it's post #34 in this thread It involves installing (again) MyAndroidTools or equivalent alternative.
1. Open the app
2. Click on the top left corner to open the menu panel.
3. Click on Broadcast Receiver
4. Navigate to the System pane
5. Click on search on the top right. Search for Google Play Services. Click on them when they show up
6. In the search top right, write at least "sche" and you will see the two receivers responsible for the "net_scheduler" wakelock, "SchedulerInternalReceiver" and "SchedulerReceiver" . Here's a picture how it looks
7. Switch the first one off. The app will quit, don't worry.
8. Go back to where you were (steps 1 to 6) . You will see that you indeed managed to swtich that receiver off.
9. Switch the second one off. The app will quit, again no worries.
10. Check if you managed to switch the second one as well. After that you're done!
I hope I could help you guys out. I know there is nothing fancy in these methods but felt a thread might be useful as I saw a good number of requests when I mentioned it in the AKT thread.
Also sorry for misleading the guys I already told it was going to be a short guide, I honestly thought it would take way less words than it did. But I think it is for the better.
Have fun.
* Reserved *
Going through this guide, I was able to get the services disabled through root package disabler, bit my android tools kept force closing for some reason.
*edit* uninstalled, rebooted, reinstalled, and was able to get the app to stay open, and got them disabled. I'm curious to see what my wake locks are going to look like tomorrow. This is pretty much the nougat answer to amplify, huh? =)
MeggaMortY said:
* Reserved *
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think Everything is fine or?
tzbigworm said:
Going through this guide, I was able to get the services disabled through root package disabler, bit my android tools kept force closing for some reason.
*edit* uninstalled, rebooted, reinstalled, and was able to get the app to stay open, and got them disabled. I'm curious to see what my wake locks are going to look like tomorrow. This is pretty much the nougat answer to amplify, huh? =)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hope it gets rid of those for you too. If I remember correctly I noticed the problem since Nougat, but then again I've been on Android since only a few months, coming from a big pause. Last time I was around we were rocking the HTC HD2 and had to deal with very different problems.
1+3_FA said:
I think Everything is fine or?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup looks great.
MeggaMortY said:
Hope it gets rid of those for you too. If I remember correctly I noticed the problem since Nougat, but then again I've been on Android since only a few months, coming from a big pause. Last time I was around we were rocking the HTC HD2 and had to deal with very different problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Crazy how much of a beast that phone was. People forget it's actually a windows phone, Android was put on it so much lol!
Thanks for the tips. Works great!
Thank you for your awesome work!
I have two more questions:
1. What about CampaignTrackingService? Could we disable this one as well?
2. In MyAndroidTools under Broadcast Receiver there are lots of receivers like AppMeasurementReceiver or FirebaseInstanceIdReceiver. They also need to be disabled or disabling the corresponding service is sufficient?
Thank you very much
youknownothing said:
Thank you for your awesome work!
I have two more questions:
1. What about CampaignTrackingService? Could we disable this one as well?
2. In MyAndroidTools under Broadcast Receiver there are lots of receivers like AppMeasurementReceiver or FirebaseInstanceIdReceiver. They also need to be disabled or disabling the corresponding service is sufficient?
Thank you very much
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. I initally disabled that in a few apps and didn't have problems System-wide or with the apps. So you can give it a go and in case of apps not functioning you can revert those back.
2. No for now it's okay to just use the Package Disabler for that. Like I said both apps have similiar functionality, there's probably a way to find the right service/receiver and disable it globally from MyAndroidTools, then we won't need the Package Disabler. But since it did work for me and I don't install new apps more than like once a week, I just didn't bother figuring it out. I can only say that disabling certain services/activities in MyAndroidTools can brake functionality or even bootloop your device, so be very careful in case you wanna find out if it's possible.
MeggaMortY said:
1. I initally disabled that in a few apps and didn't have problems System-wide or with the apps. So you can give it a go and in case of apps not functioning you can revert those back.
2. No for now it's okay to just use the Package Disabler for that. Like I said both apps have similiar functionality, there's probably a way to find the right service/receiver and disable it globally from MyAndroidTools, then we won't need the Package Disabler. But since it did work for me and I don't install new apps more than like once a week, I just didn't bother figuring it out. I can only say that disabling certain services/activities in MyAndroidTools can brake functionality or even bootloop your device, so be very careful in case you wanna find out if it's possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your quick response. I'll give it a try, if anything goes wrong I'll let you know.
Is there any difference between Package Disabler and Disable Service app? I've tried the former, but it was really buggy. Scrolling was so glitchy and with lots of stutters that I've accidentally disabled few services. So I've used Disable Service with success. Now I only wonder whether both apps have the same functionality. Do you happen to know that?
Thanks in advance
youknownothing said:
Thank you for your quick response. I'll give it a try, if anything goes wrong I'll let you know.
Is there any difference between Package Disabler and Disable Service app? I've tried the former, but it was really buggy. Scrolling was so glitchy and with lots of stutters that I've accidentally disabled few services. So I've used Disable Service with success. Now I only wonder whether both apps have the same functionality. Do you happen to know that?
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Assuming you're disabling services, which we are lol (should've been more obvious for me too I guess), I'd say you should be fine, and even say maybe the same goes for just using MyAndroidTools, just scroll through the Service menu in Table Third-Party and you'll see the same settings you applied with the other app/Package Disabler. I guess I was lazy to realize that since I liked I can favourite the apps I need to keep an eye on in the Package Disabler.
So all in all you should be okay, but even better you may try and just use MyAndroidTools for both. I have some exams coming so I won't be able to test those things but will make sure to update the tutorial if indeed that turns out to be right (for the app you suggested or even just MyAndroidTools).
Give a shout in case you find out something more. And thanks for the info
Followed the guide, thanks for this like said before kind of amplify for nougat. But as I was disabling net.schedule I noticed "my android tool" can do the fire base and app activity. Under service activity and press <...>
I suppose that this two methods doesn't compromise any function of the device right? For example loosing notifications or similar
Sent from my OnePlus 3
Mr.Jay said:
I suppose that this two methods doesn't compromise any function of the device right? For example loosing notifications or similar
Sent from my OnePlus 3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like mentioned, it works fine for me, and probably depends on personal usage. I don't use Google Pay for example, and Chrome, and Google Music.... but besides those I haven't had problems anyway.
Disabled everything that is said to do in this thread and it worked great while I was at home while on wifi. I had drain of .5% an hour at times. However today while at work and on LTE, drain went up to 2.6% an hour, plus wakelocks from play services was waking up the device on average over 3 times a minute. When I looked into it further there was one service under play services where all the alarms were coming from. I do have a screenshot of this. Anyone have any insight to this? For the record, I do keep location off on my device.
Edit: I wonder f it comes from moving around a lot, as I'm always on the move as I manage a restaurant. Its not really a major drain, but still makes me wonder.
NJGSII said:
Disabled everything that is said to do in this thread and it worked great while I was at home while on wifi. I had drain of .5% an hour at times. However today while at work and on LTE, drain went up to 2.6% an hour, plus wakelocks from play services was waking up the device on average over 3 times a minute. When I looked into it further there was one service under play services where all the alarms were coming from. I do have a screenshot of this. Anyone have any insight to this? For the record, I do keep location off on my device.
Edit: I wonder f it comes from moving around a lot, as I'm always on the move as I manage a restaurant. Its not really a major drain, but still makes me wonder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you disabled location history in the Google App? The problem is this guide fixes only one concrete aspect of the whole "Google stalking experience" shenanigans. Please check for the thing I mentioned and also in Settings -> Backup & Reset, make sure Back up my data is off if you haven't logged in an account and intend to use that - these two things were also draining battery for me when I was on the go as far as I can remember.
LMcR92 said:
Followed the guide, thanks for this like said before kind of amplify for nougat. But as I was disabling net.schedule I noticed "my android tool" can do the fire base and app activity. Under service activity and press <...>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did some checking on that list and am currently testing a way to only use MyAndroidTools for the whole aproach. If it turns out to be working the whole guide would get reduced to like 10 clicks, since the settings are global. I'll post more info after a day or so to make sure it is working, but as for now I see promising results.
Anyone used Franco's Servicely app to do this?
Up, I have updated the guide to just using MyAndroidTools and disabling the receivers on a global scale. So now you just have to do it once and (hopefully) forget about it.
MeggaMortY said:
Up, I have updated the guide to just using MyAndroidTools and disabling the receivers on a global scale. So now you just have to do it once and (hopefully) forget about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will Doing like #1 post notifications from Gmail?
techusthad said:
Will Doing like #1 post notifications from Gmail?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't know what you mean by #1 - disabling the AppMeasurement stuff, e.g. first set of instructions? I haven't had problems with Gmail and I use it with two accounts on there.
So here is a short Huawei Mate 10 Pro guide. It might work for other Huawei's as well. If so pls let me know.
How to kill ads on Huawei Mate 10 Pro without Rooting the phone
What does the good people of XDA think is the way to go to kill ads without rooting?
NB: These tips and tricks are not my brain work. It is a collection of problems, issues and solutions to things I've experienced with the Mate 10 Pro, and the solutions are the great work of this forum and various contributors. My only contribution is to try to gather them all here in post one so people don't need to read the whole thread. In particular i would like to thank Pretoriano80 for his contributions in this thread. He made my life easier. Thank you.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recap:
Remove Ads from browsers:
This solution worked well for removing ads from browsers, so I bought it from playstore to show my support. Thx to Pretoriano80 for resolving most of my ad problems.
This solution also takes care of the in-apps ads!
Pretoriano80 said:
Hi mate, i also hate aggressive ads, so after many trials and errors, i finally found the best (and also free and no Root) solution.
I'm using an app called "Virtual Hosts" which is blocking ADS by creating a local VPN and loading a host file.
The app is open source and you can get the apk for free, downloading it from here - > https://github.com/x-falcon/Virtual-Hosts/releases < - or from Playstore by paying it (both versions are identical).
Once installed, you can downloaded and use the "host" file from here - >
http://adblock.mahakala.is/ <- or use another one of your choice (i got the file from this thread - >
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1916098 )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Youtube without ads:
A youtube version that is slightly altered to filter out ads. Works on non rooted devices and can be installed alongside the original youtube. Notice the modified MicroG apk on the second quote for using this modified youtube with your google account.
Pretoriano80 said:
Yes, you can try the latest x64 version from here - > https://androidfilehost.com/?w=files&flid=236411 - > it doesn't need root and can be installed alongside YouTube, as a secondary YouTube. [emoji6]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretoriano80 said:
Yeah, in-app ads are also gone. [emoji16]
BTW, if you want to use your Google account with the modified YT app, then you will also need a modified MicroG apk, which is specifically designed for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How to root Huawei Mate 10 Pro:
Some of you looking into this thread might wanna have full control over your Mate 10 Pro by rooting. There are various ways but the MAGISK seems really nice, and you can choose which apps shall see root or not. Read more here; https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/magisk
A short video of Magisk; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFJVoIjKZJw
Pretoriano80 said:
Rooting with Magisk is possible on Mate 10 pro, so you can use banking app or any other app that requires a "stock" device. As long as you pass SafetyNET verification and you hide root from the eyes of those apps, than you can use them with Root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huawei Mate 10 Pro apps loosing 4G and Wifi connection
When I first started to use the Huawei Mate 10 Pro I noticed that every once on a while an app would not work when I tried to restart the app. Suddenly I got an error saying their was no data connection, meaning no 4G or wifi. It was faulty error because I could use data in other apps. For me typically the problem was related to Spotify and Audible. The only fix I could find right away was a full reboot. It always took care of the problem and apps would work properly. Reboots are not welcome in a busy day. So I've looked around and found that I could manually control the power saving management for each app in >setting>battery>Launch. By taking back the control apps worked flawless once again.
A few weeks ago we had a yet another firmware update. And behold, once again the problem started. Only this time even in manual mode in >Launch the apps would still loose their 4G connection randomly, or even wifi if at home. It seemed like a reboot was the only choice to get things working. Until I by pure luck tried to enable the Ultra Battery Saver from the pull down menu. Enable it, then exiting it somehow resolves any power saving issues. Apps they work fine, they get their data connection, both 4G and wifi. The quick fix takes only seconds to complete, and there is no need to do a full reboot in order to have apps fully working.
I'm using adguard. To avoid some popup that coming from browser. And in the same time, if the apps have ads and i use the app continuesly, I'll purchased it, as im supporting the developer.
joppy said:
So I got a new phone, after years with a LG G3 it finally tanked. Today the replacement came. Huawei Mate 10 Pro.
And what a strange experience it was to fire up the unrooted phone. So much ads. Everywhere. Overwhelming.
I've been on a custom ROM rooted G3 for the past 4 years or so. I forgot about the ads.
The plan was to keep this phone stock, no root. In order to comply with all the crazy folks that try to force us to not use rooted devices. But as many of you have seen too, there are so many services that we use daily that will not work with rooted phones. I've worked around that before and have been happy.
But for now I am not ready to use a custom Rom or to root.
how can I kill ads? Ad guard, DNS66 or maybe block-this?
Maybe I am getting old, have a touch of paranoia or are just not brave anymore. But adding APK from sources I don't know much about feels well not good. There are so many scams and ****ware floating around. I would hate to end up with crapware for trying to get some peaceful surf time without ads. Apps are for the most part OK, because I pay for almost all those apps I use, and by paying I support and avoid ads. But even using a browser to read news I get littered in ads. Man ads really take the fun out of internet. I would easily pay good money as yearly fee to avoid ads. IS there anything out there that will work as a paid app?
What does the good people of XDA think is the way to go to kill ads without rooting?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi mate, i also hate aggressive ads, so after many trials and errors, i finally found the best (and also free and no Root) solution.
I'm using an app called "Virtual Hosts" which is blocking ADS by creating a local VPN and loading a host file.
The app is open source and you can get the apk for free, downloading it from here - > https://github.com/x-falcon/Virtual-Hosts/releases < - or from Playstore by paying it (both versions are identical).
Once installed, you can downloaded and use the "host" file from here - >
http://adblock.mahakala.is/ <- or use another one of your choice (i got the file from this thread - >
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1916098 )
P. S : Let me know how it works for you. Here is working perfectly and with almost no battery drain.
In regards to browsers. I used to use Dolphin browser, which has a good ad blocker, but, ever since Oreo, it crashes when I enable the ad blocker. Anyone have luck using Dolphin? Firefox also has a pretty good ad blocker but I find it slow.
A while back I had to send the much beloved Lg G3 to change screen, and the week it took before it was returned I had a loaner phone, a G5. Phone was not rooted so I added a adblock by DNS can't remember the name of it, but that thing ate battery as well as cpu. One could feel phone starting to bog down while surfing. That being said, I didn't put any time and effort into the loaner phone so I didn't try to tweak anything so the sluggish result could be my mistake also.
As soon as I have made a complete backup I will start trying these, and the virtual host one by one and put a small review here in this thread. I just learned that twrp should now also work for unrooted devices. That makes me very happy as it is familiar to use. Got to check out to see if maybe even Titanium now will work for unrooted phones as well. That would be really sweet.
Forgot how much work it is to get a new phone. Nothing is the same, and every brand UI got their own take on small bits and pieces just so we get our heart rate going
If others have other suggestions for anti-ad apps I will make time to try those as well. Thx you all for your input. Much obliged.
I'm using adclear. Helps a lot.
joppy said:
A while back I had to send the much beloved Lg G3 to change screen, and the week it took before it was returned I had a loaner phone, a G5. Phone was not rooted so I added a adblock by DNS can't remember the name of it, but that thing ate battery as well as cpu. One could feel phone starting to bog down while surfing. That being said, I didn't put any time and effort into the loaner phone so I didn't try to tweak anything so the sluggish result could be my mistake also.
As soon as I have made a complete backup I will start trying these, and the virtual host one by one and put a small review here in this thread. I just learned that twrp should now also work for unrooted devices. That makes me very happy as it is familiar to use. Got to check out to see if maybe even Titanium now will work for unrooted phones as well. That would be really sweet.
Forgot how much work it is to get a new phone. Nothing is the same, and every brand UI got their own take on small bits and pieces just so we get our heart rate going
If others have other suggestions for anti-ad apps I will make time to try those as well. Thx you all for your input. Much obliged.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root was never required for TWRP to work, only unlocked bootloader. Anyway, there's no TWRP available yet for Mate 10 Pro.
Titanium Backup will never work without root cause is the only way it can write on the /data partition.
Oh ok I thought that no-root-needed was a new feature for twrp. I guess as Titanium will not work with un rooted phones neither will any other apps similar to Titanium?
Is there any apps similar to twrp that will work with Huawei Mate 10 Pro?
No matter what I guess I just have to start testing adblockers this weekend. Because I can't take all the ads I struggle with now. Too bad I didn't start out with the new phone by testing, before I sat up the phone they way it is now, with all apps, settings etc. Cos now if I would like a fresh start after testing various adblockers I will need to do the whole process of installing and tweaking all over again unless I find something like twrp for the Mate Pro 10.
Btw the xda app named my device BLA-L29, is that a name that is widely used for the Mate 10 Pro? Never seen this name before.
joppy said:
Oh ok I thought that no-root-needed was a new feature for twrp. I guess as Titanium will not work with un rooted phones neither will any other apps similar to Titanium?
Is there any apps similar to twrp that will work with Huawei Mate 10 Pro?
No matter what I guess I just have to start testing adblockers this weekend. Because I can't take all the ads I struggle with now. Too bad I didn't start out with the new phone by testing, before I sat up the phone they way it is now, with all apps, settings etc. Cos now if I would like a fresh start after testing various adblockers I will need to do the whole process of installing and tweaking all over again unless I find something like twrp for the Mate Pro 10.
Btw the xda app named my device BLA-L29, is that a name that is widely used for the Mate 10 Pro? Never seen this name before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Installing the app i recommended has no risk, you don't need to backup anything. If it works and you like it, then you keep it, if not, just uninstall the app simple as that.
That app is open source, so no bloatware or any hidden stuff, it doesn't use DNS to circumvent ads and doesn't track anything, all it does is pointing Internet traffic to your "host" file, it's nothing like AdGuard and similar apps that also sell your data to third parties.
It only takes 5 minutes to test and decide, without any harm. [emoji6]
@Pretoriano80 thx a lot. That worked great, so great I had to support by buying the app.
Next step is to make youtube clutter free.
joppy said:
@Pretoriano80 thx a lot. That worked great, so great I had to support by buying the app.
Next step is to make youtube clutter free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem, i knew it would work perfectly. Battery drain is also low and it doesn't throttle net performance.
I think that for YouTube the only alternative with no root is to use a modified version (look here on XDA if interested).
@Pretoriano80 Not sure I follow you, modified youtube? Search came up blank.
Is that an app/apk to replace the default youtube app? Because when I try to uninstall youtube from phone I get an error msg saying "system app can not be uninstalled". Should I just overwrite?
joppy said:
@Pretoriano80 Not sure I follow you, modified youtube? Search came up blank.
Is that an app/apk to replace the default youtube app? Because when I try to uninstall youtube from phone I get an error msg saying "system app can not be uninstalled". Should I just overwrite?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should be able to deactivate the app and install the modded apk.
Ok, will retry. Seems that iYTBP - injected YouTube Background Playback might be a solution worth trying?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-iytbp-injected-youtube-background-t3560900
If you have tried other ones that works well for you feel free to share and recommend.
joppy said:
Ok, will retry. Seems that iYTBP - injected YouTube Background Playback might be a solution worth trying?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-iytbp-injected-youtube-background-t3560900
If you have tried other ones that works well for you feel free to share and recommend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you can try the latest x64 version from here - > https://androidfilehost.com/?w=files&flid=236411 - > it doesn't need root and can be installed alongside YouTube, as a secondary YouTube. [emoji6]
joppy said:
Ok, will retry. Seems that iYTBP - injected YouTube Background Playback might be a solution worth trying?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-iytbp-injected-youtube-background-t3560900
If you have tried other ones that works well for you feel free to share and recommend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You Can use newpipe. You Can download it for free on f droid open source market. Works very well
Thx again @Pretoriano80. Now I got a phone that is very usable and responsive and it is still not rooted. I will quote your ad free youtube solution in the first post so others find what they need easily.
Now lets hope all them crazy people out there stops with the root discriminating behavior, so that people in the future damn well self decide to root or not without being locked out from using services, apps or whatever.
joppy said:
Thx again @Pretoriano80. Now I got a phone that is very usable and responsive and it is still not rooted. I will quote your ad free youtube solution in the first post so others find what they need easily.
Now lets hope all them crazy people out there stops with the root discriminating behavior, so that people in the future damn well self decide to root or not without being locked out from using services, apps or whatever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, in-app ads are also gone. [emoji16]
BTW, if you want to use your Google account with the modified YT app, then you will also need a modified MicroG apk, which is specifically designed for it.
One more thing to get sorted, and that is a backup. I would prefer to find a custom recovery image that works with Huawei Mate 10 Pro, and that will also work well for non-rooted devices.
I have only used twrp myself, but twrp will not work with Mate 10 Pro. I also know about cwm recovery, have not tried it yet but that one will only work for rooted devices. So neither twrp or cwm will work for the BLA-L29/Mate 10 Pro.
Any suggestions?
joppy said:
One more thing to get sorted, and that is a backup. I would prefer to find a custom recovery image that works with Huawei Mate 10 Pro, and that will also work well for non-rooted devices.
I have only used twrp myself, but twrp will not work with Mate 10 Pro. I also know about cwm recovery, have not tried it yet but that one will only work for rooted devices. So neither twrp or cwm will work for the BLA-L29/Mate 10 Pro.
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For backup use Huawei Backup on your phone, or HiSuite on PC... works just fine.
I didn't come for a lecture on how the phone will automatically sleep apps I don't use or how I can just live with it. I just want to clean the clutter from my phone. I don't use Bixby, nor do I want stickers in my camera, nor do I want 80% of my app drawer being taken up by crap I will never ever touch.
Oh and I'm not buying a pixel, they are ugly and I can't draw on one.
I used to use bk disabler but now it won't go past the sdk loading screen.
What do you guys use that doesn't involve adb or rooting.
BriniaSona said:
I didn't come for a lecture on how the phone will automatically sleep apps I don't use or how I can just live with it. I just want to clean the clutter from my phone. I don't use Bixby, nor do I want stickers in my camera, nor do I want 80% of my app drawer being taken up by crap I will never ever touch.
Oh and I'm not buying a pixel, they are ugly and I can't draw on one.
I used to use bk disabler but now it won't go past the sdk loading screen.
What do you guys use that doesn't involve adb or rooting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Their site has a post explaining how to get the app to work on the latest software update. You'll have to use adb.
Use adhell 3, it's not on xda so you'll need to Google it but it works fine
Sounds like you want an iPhone ??
BriniaSona said:
I didn't come for a lecture on how the phone will automatically sleep apps I don't use or how I can just live with it. I just want to clean the clutter from my phone. I don't use Bixby, nor do I want stickers in my camera, nor do I want 80% of my app drawer being taken up by crap I will never ever touch.
Oh and I'm not buying a pixel, they are ugly and I can't draw on one.
I used to use bk disabler but now it won't go past the sdk loading screen.
What do you guys use that doesn't involve adb or rooting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This works
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.powermanager.batteryaddon
The disablers dont work with android 8. You can use sabs is clearly the beast option and best disabler ever. Before open threads search into the site.
Amaranth` said:
The disablers dont work with android 8. You can use sabs is clearly the beast option and best disabler ever. Before open threads search into the site.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Package Disabler Pro+ (Samsung) works fine for me on Oreo.
StevePritchard said:
Package Disabler Pro+ (Samsung) works fine for me on Oreo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe after the last update. But sabs still mutch better. Is not only a disabler. Can try both.
Uninstalling via adb is so much more easier and hassle-free. You can find a very small package with just the minimum required on the forum. No need of Knox key, Android studio, generating key every 3 months, not knowing when it will be discontinued or if it will still work with the next update, etc.
You can just install them back when needed.
Nastrahl said:
Uninstalling via adb is so much more easier and hassle-free. You can find a very small package with just the minimum required on the forum. No need of Knox key, Android studio, generating key every 3 months, not knowing when it will be discontinued or if it will still work with the next update, etc.
You can just install them back when needed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No need for android studio, there is apk which just need renaming.
Ok it is by far the more complicated app to install, but also by far the best, much better from any other solution, and the one with by far the best battery.
If you can, you go for sabs, if not this is the best alternative
..
Sent from my Note 8 using XDA Labs
I've been using Package Disabler Pro + (Samsung) by policedeveloper and it works flawlessly...
There's another topic you might want to check out regarding this:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s8+/help/package-disabler-pro-samsung-vs-bk-t3617455/page4
sosimple said:
No need for android studio, there is apk which just need renaming.
Ok it is by far the more complicated app to install, but also by far the best, much better from any other solution, and the one with by far the best battery.
If you can, you go for sabs, if not this is the best alternative
..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since SABS is discontinued I won't recommend it and you'll still need a key to be generated every 90 days if not banned beforehand. Plus, an other app to install to rename the package and this method was never supported by the devs.
If I recall what was said on the thread well, it never fully disallowed the disabled packages to still run in the background.
It can't be better than just uninstalling the unwanted app for the current user which require nothing than a 9 MB to install on your computer.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2588979
Then
Code:
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.yourpackage
Nastrahl said:
Since SABS is discontinued I won't recommend it and you'll still need a key to be generated every 90 days if not banned beforehand. Plus, an other app to install to rename the package and this method was never supported by the devs.
If I recall what was said on the thread well, it never fully disallowed the disabled packages to still run in the background.
It can't be better than just uninstalling the unwanted app for the current user which require nothing than a 9 MB to install on your computer.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2588979
Then
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually sabs is still unofficially updating. Last version is here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/8cp46f/notsabs_version_100_changelog/
After first installation it is a peace of cake to update. To renew key, i spend under 1 minute... 1 minute every 3 + months (it still work some times to 4 months.) is nothing for me.. On the other hand, i have friends who can't do it, so i do it for them.. I suppose we doesn't all have same knowledge..
It doesn't need continuing update as it has specific target which is fulfilled as it is..
Something that you don't know. Search it if you think i am wrong, i am not: By the adb command you posted you do EXACTLY what sabs does. You just use a pc for this. You don't really uninstall an app. You just hide it from os. You don't earn the mb of the app, as the app still stay installed. Just os doesn't see it. Just for information. I can understand that some people find it hard to use sabs. It's a good thing we have options.
One thing is 100% sure though. There is not better way than sabs. No pc, no adb, no anything. Nothing is better and more battery friendly. But yes, it is the most complicated for installing. Some people just can't do it or doesn't want to spent the time for installing it. It's very understantudable this..
I know why the OP said he doesn't want a lecture. Of course you're always gonna get the comments about why buy a SSamsung.Well I like the way it operates....generally. But I've not found any Android that provides the very customizable email app I like...including Samsung. But their email app keeps running even though I've never uusd it. The "it doesn't affect battery life" mantra is crap. When you're doing something intensive, EVERYTHING running in the background lags you more and more.
I had Package Disabler...quit working. I paid for BK disabler...quit working. I just tried Package Disabler Pro+, crashed everytime I tried to disable anything.
Not everyone has quick access to a PC. Mine crashed, then Oreo updates, screws everything up so I have to factory reset...without a computer, ADB or a working disabler.
In addition to email, Smart Things constantly wants to run and I don't own any smart equipment to use it with. So why can't you even disable it? WithTV??? ANT??? Does anyone use ALL of the apps on their phone? If not then it would be nice to be able to disable what you don't want. And the space waste Uber, Briefing, ad infinitum, you should have the rights to delete them, not just disable. When you pay 3 car payments for a phone, you expect it to work the way you want it.
>>>Off my soapbox. But that's why I bought a Samsung and why I want a working disabler too.
If you own a Samsung device and you want a full package disabler and adblocker come to the alliancex website and download the alliance x shield full package disabler APN changer and Ad blocker all without root.
garyinskeep1 said:
If you own a Samsung device and you want a full package disabler and adblocker come to the alliancex website and download the alliance x shield full package disabler APN changer and Ad blocker all without root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't seems to be a very active project. Plus, having to post to enable features...
That was an old requirement they did away with the poat rule.The alliance x shield works great
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
garyinskeep said:
That was an old requirement they did away with the poat rule.The alliance x shield works great
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's great.
It's it still an active, updated project?
Yes it's still active and we are still adding new things.If you have anything you would like to see added let me or one of the other active mods now we will discuss with developer.
garyinskeep1 said:
Yes it's still active and we are still adding new things.If you have anything you would like to see added let me or one of the other active mods now we will discuss with developer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice!
I'll test it as soon as I can. Sorry for the bad hasted opinion yesterday.
---------- Post added at 08:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:06 AM ----------
garyinskeep1 said:
Yes it's still active and we are still adding new things.If you have anything you would like to see added let me or one of the other active mods now we will discuss with developer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice!
I'll test it as soon as I can. Sorry for the bad hasted opinion yesterday
I've always turned off or disabled stock or otherwise virus checkers. However, while doing a routine maintenance the Samsung inbuilt app stated I'm going to be given 10% less until I install the virus checkers app.
View attachment 4589402
Sent from my SM-N960U1 using Tapatalk
That happened on my previous Note8, but on my Note9 the process is always 100% although I don't turn on virus scanner.
vndnguyen said:
That happened on my previous Note8, but on my Note9 the process is always 100% although I don't turn on virus scanner.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For ten days it was normal for me , only today it mentioned enabling McShitee virus protector.
Sent from my SM-N960U1 using Tapatalk
Oh I see
On my previous Note8 I just ignore it. It does not affect the device performance. It just a annoying number to force you to activate the antivirus feature. Just ignore it.
Using Nova Launcher, I just created a "Shortcut Activity" 1x1 widget to "Device Maintenance - Battery" to get to battery details, avoiding going through the "Optimisation" sh1t. If you want to optimise then you can but its annoying starting that procedure if it's only battery details you're looking for
Limeybastard said:
For ten days it was normal for me , only today it mentioned enabling McShitee virus protector.
Sent from my SM-N960U1 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That happened to me on my Note 8. I use Package Disabler Pro and deactivate Device Security (com.samsung.android.sm.devicesecurity).
10% less of what?
credibility ?
what are they measuring exactly in their mashup and why is AV given 10%? at that rate, it acctualy proves that it's not important.
bober10113 said:
10% less of what?
credibility ?
what are they measuring exactly in their mashup and why is AV given 10%? at that rate, it acctualy proves that it's not important.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The entire Device Maintenance section is bloat to the Nth degree.
I have it disabled & do just fine without it.
KOLIOSIS said:
The entire Device Maintenance section is bloat to the Nth degree.
I have it disabled & do just fine without it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im itching to do so. and does the sleep and no sleep apps even work?
i sometimes get notifications from apps that im sure i put to sleep. its as if its useless and I'd still have to go through each app and set notification setting on top of sleeping which is just nonsense. and these apps are apps that i never even ran in the first place but keep just in case.(restored form tibu but apo only no data) its as if they raise from the dead for no reason.
i think im going to freeze dev. maint. and see if my mileage changes.
KOLIOSIS said:
The entire Device Maintenance section is bloat to the Nth degree.
I have it disabled & do just fine without it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely!
bober10113 said:
im itching to do so. and does the sleep and no sleep apps even work?
i sometimes get notifications from apps that im sure i put to sleep. its as if its useless and I'd still have to go through each app and set notification setting on top of sleeping which is just nonsense. and these apps are apps that i never even ran in the first place but keep just in case.(restored form tibu but apo only no data) its as if they raise from the dead for no reason.
i think im going to freeze dev. maint. and see if my mileage changes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sleep & no sleep apps?
I'm not sure exactly what you're speaking of.
All I know is the apps that I want push notifications/auto update/syncing from do just that & the rest,I have background data turned off at Settings > Apps & fine-tune on a per-app basis.
Just about every mfg has this Device Maintenance B.S. running on top of Android & it's totally unecessary.
1st time Samsung started using it,they partnered up with Cheetah Mobile:
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rel...mobile-security-and-innovation-300043298.html
That partnership has since ended,but,the cure is just as bad,if not worse,using Qihoo:
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4165136-cheetah-mobile-lost-samsung-relevant-risks
This is why people want control of their devices,S***ware such as this has no place on a phone.
Less root,any package disabler is well worth the price of admission to keep this malware at bay.
KOLIOSIS said:
Sleep & no sleep apps?
I'm not sure exactly what you're speaking of.
All I know is the apps that I want push notifications/auto update/syncing from do just that & the rest,I have background data turned off at Settings > Apps & fine-tune on a per-app basis.
Just about every mfg has this Device Maintenance B.S. running on top of Android & it's totally unecessary.
1st time Samsung started using it,they partnered up with Cheetah Mobile:
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rel...mobile-security-and-innovation-300043298.html
That partnership has since ended,but,the cure is just as bad,if not worse,using McAfee & Qihoo:
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4165136-cheetah-mobile-lost-samsung-relevant-risks
This is why people want control of their devices,S***ware such as this has no place on a phone.
Less root,any package disabler is well worth the price of admission to keep this malware at bay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
in dev maintenace/ battery there is an option to put apps under 2 categories: unmonitored and always sleep
probably BS
bober10113 said:
in dev maintenace/ battery there is an option to put apps under 2 categories: unmonitored and always sleep
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the entire Device Maintenance section disabled.
I hadn't bothered to so much as to give anything a look into that section,I disabled it as soon as I signed into the Google Play Store & d/l Package Disabler Pro.
I have zero need for Samsung or whoever to manage what Android already does.
The Device Maintenance section is useless,it's just a version of the infamous app Clean Master,which is at minimum,a data mining app,to better spam you with.
Samsung didn't put this crapware on the phone for a better user experience,it's purely a $$$ maker,allowing Qihoo easy access to your "anonymized" data.
Do yourself a favor & disable this crapware as soon as possible.............
KOLIOSIS said:
I have the entire Device Maintenance section disabled.
I hadn't bothered to so much as to give anything a look into that section,I disabled it as soon as I signed into the Google Play Store & d/l Package Disabler Pro.
I have zero need for Samsung or whoever to manage what Android already does.
The Device Maintenance section is useless,it's just a version of the infamous app Clean Master,which is at minimum,a data mining app,to better spam you with.
Samsung didn't put this crapware on the phone for a better user experience,it's purely a $$$ maker,allowing Qihoo easy access to your "anonymized" data.
Do yourself a favor & disable this crapware a soon as possible.............
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dropped it like a bad habbit
bober10113 said:
dropped it like a bad habbit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should be OK,but,if some of your apps seem to be not performing as they should,then,by all,means,re-enable Device Maintenance & make the per-app battery settings changes & then disable Device Maintenance once again.
I doubt you'll have to do that (FWIW,I haven't),but,it'd be a logical step to take if something isn't behaving the way it should.
KOLIOSIS said:
You should be OK,but,if some of your apps seem to be not performing as they should,then,by all,means,re-enable Device Maintenance & make the per-app battery settings changes & then disable Device Maintenance once again.
I doubt you'll have to do that (FWIW,I haven't),but,it'd be a logical step to take if something isn't behaving the way it should.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah i can figure it out thanks
KOLIOSIS said:
I have the entire Device Maintenance section disabled.
I hadn't bothered to so much as to give anything a look into that section,I disabled it as soon as I signed into the Google Play Store & d/l Package Disabler Pro.
I have zero need for Samsung or whoever to manage what Android already does.
The Device Maintenance section is useless,it's just a version of the infamous app Clean Master,which is at minimum,a data mining app,to better spam you with.
Samsung didn't put this crapware on the phone for a better user experience,it's purely a $$$ maker,allowing Qihoo easy access to your "anonymized" data.
Do yourself a favor & disable this crapware a soon as possible.............
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How is this entirely disabled?
edit: Never mind, found it in PDP
I just got a message to enable this junk. Glad I looked here before enabling it.
clone1008 said:
How is this entirely disabled?
edit: Never mind, found it in PDP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I'm just going to leave it on with derogatory minus ten points always showing since I won't be using McAfee.
Sent from my SM-N960U1 using Tapatalk
I'm considering getting an S21 5G or S21 Ultra. Is it normal that there isn't much in terms of modding/rooting/etc for Samsung phones? I don't normally go for things like this.
I like the Nexus 5 and have a V30+ right now. I want to be able to control the phone and modify a few things I don't like about the stock experience.
What kind of situation am I looking at here? Is there a safe and reliable root? Or are things extremely locked down like an iPhone?
sneak said:
I'm considering getting an S21 5G or S21 Ultra. Is it normal that there isn't much in terms of modding/rooting/etc for Samsung phones? I don't normally go for things like this.
I like the Nexus 5 and have a V30+ right now. I want to be able to control the phone and modify a few things I don't like about the stock experience.
What kind of situation am I looking at here? Is there a safe and reliable root? Or are things extremely locked down like an iPhone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your better get a Oneplus Phones for modding / rooting purpose.
For samsung phones, somebody have to find a solution for knox trip.
sneak said:
I'm considering getting an S21 5G or S21 Ultra. Is it normal that there isn't much in terms of modding/rooting/etc for Samsung phones? I don't normally go for things like this.
...
What kind of situation am I looking at here? Is there a safe and reliable root? Or are things extremely locked down like an iPhone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, as you already noticed the modding/rooting community for the S21 series is not that active (yet?), maybe indeed different to phones like the Oneplus 8 Pro etc...
But still there is a reliably working method for rooting the device, although depending from your location warranty may be void afterwards. And then there is Knox, so rooting will definitely disable some specific Samsung functions (Samsung pay & Safe Folder among them).
If you are interested, there are threads on rooting and TWRP - the forum is presently only one for all S21U topics so things move down the line pretty quickly :
I for myself as a long-time "rooter" decided to go with locked stock ROM and while missing some detailed tweakings things are running pretty nicely so far. One of the things I noticed is that 90% of the things you do with rooting are workarounds to cover the negative effects of rooting - like making Gpay work etc.
Yes, unless there's a solution for the Samsung Knox issues, rooting will void your warranty. FWIW, the stock software has so much customization options that even after 2 months of using it I still haven't got hold of all the customizations. Yes, you might do in OnePlus where the software is quite bland/ featureless but that's not the case with One UI
fairyshacker said:
Your better get a Oneplus Phones for modding / rooting purpose.
For samsung phones, somebody have to find a solution for knox trip.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't want anything from a Chinese company.
s3axel said:
Well, as you already noticed the modding/rooting community for the S21 series is not that active (yet?), maybe indeed different to phones like the Oneplus 8 Pro etc...
But still there is a reliably working method for rooting the device, although depending from your location warranty may be void afterwards. And then there is Knox, so rooting will definitely disable some specific Samsung functions (Samsung pay & Safe Folder among them).
If you are interested, there are threads on rooting and TWRP - the forum is presently only one for all S21U topics so things move down the line pretty quickly :
I for myself as a long-time "rooter" decided to go with locked stock ROM and while missing some detailed tweakings things are running pretty nicely so far. One of the things I noticed is that 90% of the things you do with rooting are workarounds to cover the negative effects of rooting - like making Gpay work etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not worried about warranties. I don't know if I'd ever need the samsung specific things like Samsung Pay. Not sure what Safe Folder is but I guess it's some kind of encryption based file storing? I generally don't use all these mainstream things people like.
I don't really spend time making Google Pay work because I have no use for it. I'll have an occasional issue with an app refusing to operate because of rooting and Magisk Hide doesn't work, but it isn't a big deal.
I like tweaking things like the battery logo (I like having a circle with percentage number inside and not having the extra/stock battery logo up there at the same time). I like to disable certain system icons from the top bar that aren't necessary to be there and just clog it up. I like adding the "clear all" type buttons in the running apps page. I like customizing the behavior of holding the power button so I can reboot, reboot to recovery, or shut the phone off easily.
For example, on my LG V30+ right now I am running the stock rom but rooted it and did things like I described above. Nothing major and don't need Google Pay. The LG app for air conditioners won't run because of my root. My bank app notifies me of root very occasionally but isn't a big deal. Yeah, I don't think my SafetyNet passes, but I don't care.
I am using Xposed, hostless AdAway, No Shutter Sound, Highway Radar and YouTube Vanced as well.
amirage said:
Yes, unless there's a solution for the Samsung Knox issues, rooting will void your warranty. FWIW, the stock software has so much customization options that even after 2 months of using it I still haven't got hold of all the customizations. Yes, you might do in OnePlus where the software is quite bland/ featureless but that's not the case with One UI
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tend to go through every single setting in a phone before I even start really dailying it . I don't mind it. I like customization. That's great to hear. I do like unrestricted or not very restricted phones as opposed to iPhone style lockdown stuff, though.
I used to consider the OnePlus phones but lately I have been more insistent on not buying things made in China or from Chinese companies as much as possible... for various reasons.
---
So assuming I don't care about things like warranty and Samsung Pay.. what other drawbacks are there? What would stop me from going this route? I intend on picking it up from Google because they have really good deals and I can even make 0% interest payments. I just have to stick with Fi for 3 months, then I can go back to ATT.
Another concern I have is the size of the phone. It makes me lean towards the S21 5G. I just like the Ultra for the other enhancements.
Thanks to all of you as well for the replies.
I wouldn't get that phone if my intent was to root it. One of the more easily rootable Samsung models probably be a better choice*. If you want a blackhole gravity well to get frozen in time with while you're troubleshooting the root then this is a good choice.
That said stock Samsung's are the most customizable phones there are. Hundreds of free icon packs/themes, the Good Lock family of apps and more. The SSC codec for the Buds+ that seamlessly connect to this model with the propiatory Samsung new 360° audio support.
You can lock it down with PD MDM package disabler and Karma Firewall.
*Also no SD card slot so no dual drive ie data drive; you lose a valuble key feature.
Personally I loathe it's rounded corners/display and it's larger frame to display ratio. It's ugly compared to the Note 10+ or N 20 U; I take either of these over the 21 series any day.
Yeah, I really don't like the 21 series... even at half price I would spurn them.
I just read up on Samsung Pay and it's actually pretty interesting. I may actually try and use that. I would love to not have to pull out my wallet all the time and swipe/insert my bank card. That alone is very enticing.
I don't watch TV and haven't had TV service in ages, but I found out with this phone I'll have access to TV stations without a subscription or any kind of fee. That's pretty cool as an added bonus and I may find some shows I like.
blackhawk said:
I wouldn't get that phone if my intent was to root it. One of the more easily rootable Samsung models probably be a better choice*. If you want a blackhole gravity well to get frozen in time with while you're troubleshooting the root then this is a good choice.
That said stock Samsung's are the most customizable phones there are. Hundreds of free icon packs/themes, the Good Lock family of apps and more. The SSC codec for the Buds+ that seamlessly connect to this model with the propiatory Samsung new 360° audio support.
You can lock it down with PD MDM package disabler and Karma Firewall.
*Also no SD card slot so no dual drive ie data drive; you lose a valuble key feature.
Personally I loathe it's rounded corners/display and it's larger frame to display ratio. It's ugly compared to the Note 10+ or N 20 U; I take either of these over the 21 series any day.
Yeah, I really don't like the 21 series... even at half price I would spurn them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That package disabled is really nice to know about, thanks. That is also something I did on my current phone but I did it through ADB (well, I uninstalled things I didn't want and saved the APK of the app).
I'm pretty sure I can use AdAway and YouTube Vanced without root. I'm currently using an older version of Vanced because newer ones do not work. Mine is from Magisk. I figure it has to do with Vanced on this specific phone and I can probably use some other version on the S21/Ultra.
Not sure what you meant about gravity and about a "valuble key feature". I am aware it has no sd card support, but I've found that I have never had the need for this on my current phone which supports up to 2 TB sd cards.
There is one thing that I doubt I'll be able to do which I've done on my V30+... I have the stock phone app modified to have a built-in recording feature. One press and I record calls with no notification beeps or anything stupid like that. After the call ends it prompts me to listen now or later. It saves the recording automatically as a file, based on the settings I've already configured. I can turn this on and off whenever I want during the call and if I turn it on before the call is answered, the app automatically waits until the call is connected to enable call recording. It records both sides in clear quality whether or not it's using the speaker or regular mode.
Is there a shutter sound on the S21? If so, is there a way to disable it without root?
sneak said:
I'm considering getting an S21 5G or S21 Ultra. Is it normal that there isn't much in terms of modding/rooting/etc for Samsung phones? I don't normally go for things like this.
I like the Nexus 5 and have a V30+ right now. I want to be able to control the phone and modify a few things I don't like about the stock experience.
What kind of situation am I looking at here? Is there a safe and reliable root? Or are things extremely locked down like an iPhone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just come over to the S21 Ultra from Xiaomi. I loved how you could theme the Xiaomi. I tried a few themes from the Samsung store but nothing would change all the icons. A real miss match and it looked terrible. Maybe I never searched hard enough well anyway I downloaded Good Lock and some modules from the Samsung store. It has some good customisations and it changes all icons to the same style and hides icons from status bar. Not sure if this is what your after but I knew when I got this phone there would not be much development on it at the start. Actually not to fussed about rooting at the moment. Also aodNotify as I missed the notification light. Moved away from Chinese phones myself. Here's a couple of pics if this is the sort of thing that your after.
Hope this helps
Clarkie_955i said:
I just come over to the S21 Ultra from Xiaomi. I loved how you could theme the Xiaomi. I tried a few themes from the Samsung store but nothing would change all the icons. A real miss match and it looked terrible. Maybe I never searched hard enough well anyway I downloaded Good Lock and some modules from the Samsung store. It has some good customisations and it changes all icons to the same style and hides icons from status bar. Not sure if this is what your after but I knew when I got this phone there would not be much development on it at the start. Actually not to fussed about rooting at the moment. Also aodNotify as I missed the notification light. Moved away from Chinese phones myself. Here's a couple of pics if this is the sort of thing that your after.
Hope this helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Congrats on leaving Chinese brands. I'm also making effort to buy things not made in China as much as possible as well. So Taiwan, Japan, USA, etc...
I don't usually do the whole custom icon set thing on phones, but I am aware that's a big thing so I understand why that would be frustrating when you can't find one you like. The most theming I've done is choose one I like (color wise) from some LG app I had on the phone which worked well.
Other small changes may count as theme changes in some ways, but it wasn't the intention.. it was mostly for functionality.
Thanks for the info.
Also I have researched a few things...
1. AdAway. It can now be used without root, which I didn't know. It can be run on S21 variants. BUT, you have to run an AdAway VPN to do it.. so might as well find another method for ad blocking. My friend showed me a screen on the S20 where there is a "private DNS" option. I could block ads that way.
2. Vanced doesn't need root. It actually is arguably better without root because you only have to set the app to open YT links and it doesn't replace the YT app. Right now I can't use auto app updates because it won't let me pick and choose which to not auto-update and one of the ones I would need to stop from auto updating is the stock YT app.
3. From research online and after asking Google about the variant they sell, you can disable shutter sound in the settings (which is actually better than what the LG V30+ supports.. a huge surprise).
4. Don't think I can use Xposed. There MAY be some bootleg way with partial functionality or something but I don't know for sure.
Can I (without root) remove the stock battery icon and replace it with a circle and percentage? Like this:
I also want to enable the seconds counter and add the date.. I want to do all that stuff, if possible.. that I did there.. including hcanging the size of fonts and capitalization of fonts in the top middle area.
Main thing I want is the seconds counter.
A friend showed me this from his s20:
So that's cool that he can change the icons displayed. I used Gravity Box or Xposed.
Not so much I cant find what I like it's just they don't change system wide like Xiaomi did. So I end up having half custom and half stock and looks crap with all the different colors in the folders. At least Good Lock manages to change them system wide which I don't quite understand why Samsung theme store will change maybe fifty percent. Anyway got it to how I like it.
With Good Lock you can remove status bar icons but no customisation with battery indicators. That pic is a pic of Good Lock the one you posted. I went with the Hong Kong version with Snapdragon which you can unlock bootloader in development options. Don't think you can on US Snapdragon versions. Here in OZ we only had the Exynos. Got the 16/512 Snapdragon for $1550 AUD. Same phone with Exynos just over $2200 here.
AdAway have not really missed it. Had it on my previous phone and maybe I'm not taking any notice of adds and just enjoying the phone. Never use Vanced. Cant see any setting in camera to turn off shutter sound but you can silence it in volume controls. Haven't looked into Xposed yet.
Don't know what model your going to get but there is root and TWRP available for ultra models. But soon as you flash a boot image you will trip Knox and lose some features of Samsung apps. Mainly Samsung pay I believe and warranty if you buy local. Still sussing this out myself. Have a old Tab S that I rooted and my first Android was a Samsung Galaxy Gio (GT-S5660)
Overall extremely happy with this phone.
Hoe this helps Sneak
A stock Note 10+, heavily customized.
Running fast and stable on Pie/OneUI.
sneak said:
I don't want anything from a Chinese company.
I'm not worried about warranties. I don't know if I'd ever need the samsung specific things like Samsung Pay. Not sure what Safe Folder is but I guess it's some kind of encryption based file storing? I generally don't use all these mainstream things people like.
I don't really spend time making Google Pay work because I have no use for it. I'll have an occasional issue with an app refusing to operate because of rooting and Magisk Hide doesn't work, but it isn't a big deal.
I like tweaking things like the battery logo (I like having a circle with percentage number inside and not having the extra/stock battery logo up there at the same time). I like to disable certain system icons from the top bar that aren't necessary to be there and just clog it up. I like adding the "clear all" type buttons in the running apps page. I like customizing the behavior of holding the power button so I can reboot, reboot to recovery, or shut the phone off easily.
For example, on my LG V30+ right now I am running the stock rom but rooted it and did things like I described above. Nothing major and don't need Google Pay. The LG app for air conditioners won't run because of my root. My bank app notifies me of root very occasionally but isn't a big deal. Yeah, I don't think my SafetyNet passes, but I don't care.
I am using Xposed, hostless AdAway, No Shutter Sound, Highway Radar and YouTube Vanced as well.
I tend to go through every single setting in a phone before I even start really dailying it . I don't mind it. I like customization. That's great to hear. I do like unrestricted or not very restricted phones as opposed to iPhone style lockdown stuff, though.
I used to consider the OnePlus phones but lately I have been more insistent on not buying things made in China or from Chinese companies as much as possible... for various reasons.
---
So assuming I don't care about things like warranty and Samsung Pay.. what other drawbacks are there? What would stop me from going this route? I intend on picking it up from Google because they have really good deals and I can even make 0% interest payments. I just have to stick with Fi for 3 months, then I can go back to ATT.
Another concern I have is the size of the phone. It makes me lean towards the S21 5G. I just like the Ultra for the other enhancements.
Thanks to all of you as well for the replies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In 100% me..
You just write that's way am here on xda,
Am a fan to customise my phone as I want,
And if I pay so much money we should have the right, and possibility to choice and use ..
Sorry for my English.
Well, I bought one from Google. If there are serious issues I don't want to put up with I will return it.
As long as I can disable the stock battery icon I would think I could get an app which has a custom battery icon.
I hope it's possible as well to do vertical listing of apps in app screen instead of having the left/right pages.
sneak said:
Well, I bought one from Google. If there are serious issues I don't want to put up with I will return it.
As long as I can disable the stock battery icon I would think I could get an app which has a custom battery icon.
I hope it's possible as well to do vertical listing of apps in app screen instead of having the left/right pages.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Congrats
The scrolling from the right was a pain at first. But all good now. Hopefully Good Lock will bring something out in the future and change it.
sneak said:
I'm considering getting an S21 5G or S21 Ultra. Is it normal that there isn't much in terms of modding/rooting/etc for Samsung phones? I don't normally go for things like this.
I like the Nexus 5 and have a V30+ right now. I want to be able to control the phone and modify a few things I don't like about the stock experience.
What kind of situation am I looking at here? Is there a safe and reliable root? Or are things extremely locked down like an iPhone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea rooting is possible and safe if right software is used but might affect warranty i guess
If anyone remembers the whole Carrier IQ thing, do you know if there's something like this on the S21 Ultra?
System UI Tuner doesn't seem to work as far as showing seconds in the status bar clock.
I would love to be able to customize the recently used apps section in the apps drawer. Either remove it completely or set static apps or somehow customize a blacklist or whitelist or some other variables to determine what goes there.
When I use jetaudio+ it puts a notification with details in the menu from the top. I can't swipe it away and it stays there even after I close the app and remove it from app list. I found out I have to drag down on it to expand it to be slightly larger and then an "x" appears. These "x" buttons would appear by default on apps like this on my old phone and they were a little larger relative to the rest of the UI as well. Would love to be able to tweak this functionality.
I want a feature I had on my LG V30+ where based on my GPS location I can enable or disable WiFi. Meaning, the same as hitting the wifi icon in the quick toggles based on entering a certain location or leaving that location. That way when I get home my phone will automatically globally turn on wifi and when I leave it twill automatically turn it off so it isn't hunting for networks.
Another feature in the same section was something which allowed me to have the phone remain unlocked when paired with a specific device. I want the phone to stay unlocked when paired with my car instead of having to unlock it all the time with fingerprint.
I would like to be able to scroll the apps list vertically, like normal.. instead of this left and right pages stuff.
I want a battery indicator setup where there is a percentage inside of a circle and the circle is representative of the percentage. Not finding an app option that has what I want. Does anyone know of a way to do this or an app?
I also want to make pressing the home button in the bottom center of the screen do a full open of the bar from the top.
On my current phone I've also found some way to keep the alarm clock icon from Alarm Clock Xtreme without having a persistent notification of the next alarm. Not sure how on this.
MacroDroid!
the answer to toggles based on location. A lot of features there to look into. Very nice.
MacroDroid seems fine for the WiFi toggle but it doesn't keep the phone from locking. At first it was keeping the screen on but then it just did nothing. I want the screen to still shut off if necessary but not require thumbprint or code or anything to unlock, while paired with phone.
sneak said:
MacroDroid seems fine for the WiFi toggle but it doesn't keep the phone from locking. At first it was keeping the screen on but then it just did nothing. I want the screen to still shut off if necessary but not require thumbprint or code or anything to unlock, while paired with phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't advise using it but stupid Bixby probably can ie Bixby Routines.
blackhawk said:
I don't advise using it but stupid Bixby probably can ie Bixby Routines.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the first thing I checked but I couldn't figure out how to do it. It's not very intuitive....