Related
I have searched internet for below mentioned queries but could not find a solution. Hope someone can help out here.
(1) How to remove the unnecessary Google apps?
I read somewhere (and on this forum as well) that this can be done through Google Playstore but I dont see the options in Google Playstore account. (Maybe it doesnt work anymore)
(2) How do I remove Mi App Store and other Mi apps?
Can it be uninstalled... or atleast disabled?
(3) What is authenticity of Security app?... remove Cheetah, Tencent?
I am not sure how reliable this pre-installed Security app is or whether it is authentic as I dont see it in Google Playstore (I dont feel comfortable to have any app in my mobile which is not on Google Playstore).
New Android devices actually dont need app/memory cleaner, etc. There are numerous negative reviews about Cheetah, etc. I saw that Security app uses engine of Cheetah, Tencent, etc. Better to remove it?
(4) I dont see many settings in Camera. Is there guide to actually understand the settings, how to use, etc?
(5) I see that there are guides thread in bit and pieces, but is there any complete PDF, user maual or user guide for Redmi 4A or MIUI 8?
Thanks!
Easy solution is to install custom ROM.
Check this, https://forum.xda-developers.com/general/general/update-redmi-4a-users-t3706184.
As I know, user manual for Redmi 4A has not yet been available on the manufacturer's official website.
But manuals for other Redmi phones, such as Redmi 5A, are available there.
1. Removal via Play Store only applicable if you're installing them via Play Store i.e. not pre-installed. If you want to remove the pre-installed ones without root then try this
2. You can't really remove any of the system app if you're on official MIUI ROM because of its stock kernel (dm-verity). Try to remove them and it'll put your phone on a bootloop on the next boot because it checks the system integrity and refuses to boot if it detects any changes to the system, including file deletion. Maaybe you can if you're rooted and you have a modified kernel installed that disables the dm-verity.
3. It's an OEM app, meaning it was from the ROM itself. The manufacturer may decide if their OEM apps will be up on Play Store, so it may or may not be available from there. Think of it like your stock launcher. And well, it's Cheetah. Disable all of its updates and configurations (virus definition, auto scan etc.) and you're good. You can just disable the cleaner engine to stop the cleaner altogether. And as mentioned earlier, don't try to remove a system app if you're on an official MIUI ROMs. Didn't want to risk yourself to putting your phone into a bootloop. Unless you can do it properly then sure thing. Make sure to take a backup beforehand.
4. Most camera settings are pretty self-explanatory, so maybe they decided to not put much on the camera 'guide'
5. No. Not all guides comes with a PDF, and there's not a single guide that covers everything. Sometimes they came like forum threads like this. The only user manual/user guide available is the booklet that came with your phone. And I'm pretty sure that's not the guide you're looking for, as that booklet only covers the very basic operations of your phone.
thatOneWeeaboo said:
1. If you want to remove the pre-installed ones without root then try this
2. You can't really remove any of the system app if you're on official MIUI ROM because of its stock kernel (dm-verity). Try to remove them and it'll put your phone on a bootloop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi thatOneWeeaboo. Thanks for your kind help. :good:
Just a basic question.. are those Google apps and Mi Apps "pre-installed ones" or "system apps"?
I read somewhere that bloatware can be removed by simple app known as "Activity Launcher".. but will have research about it... Any inputs on it?
Biker Biker said:
are those Google apps and Mi Apps "pre-installed ones" or "system apps"?
I read somewhere that bloatware can be removed by simple app known as "Activity Launcher".. but will have research about it... Any inputs on it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Technically speaking, System Apps are 'pre-installed' and pre-installed apps isn't always a system app. If the latter is your case, you can just remove them via your Apps section in your Settings menu, no need lengthy steps or commands.
You've probably read a similar guide that I linked and the "Activity Launcher" app's purpose is to launch a certain app's activity, therefore it's isn't actually removing the bloatware. As far as I know, it is used to launch the AOSP version of the Aplication Settings that normally isn't visible within the MIUI skin. You can actually disable most Google packages and some MIUI apps within there.
skmaiti2050 said:
Check out my thread for simple solution for system apps:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/help/miui-8-debloater-script-t3678972
And for camera, there is a mod you can try http://en.miui.com/thread-577424-1-1.html
After that you get the manual mode. In simple, set low ISO on good lighting scenes like sunrise or outdoors and high ISO for dark places, indoors and don't use flash when high ISO is set or you'll get a distorted image.
For shutter speed, set it to shortest on daylight scenes and for night scenes set it to the longest so it will be capable of capturing more light. For focus, when taking macro set focus to lower values and taking normal shots set it 35 to 50 and for broader views and distant object set it higher values.
Hope I helped you, but quite late
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for replying mate, but I dont think I would want to install all those zip files in my mobile. You never know if they are itself corrupted/malware/spyware. But thanks for replying!
I dont want to install anything which doesnt come from google playstore.
Biker Biker said:
Thanks for replying mate, but I dont think I would want to install all those zip files in my mobile. You never know if they are itself corrupted/malware/spyware. But thanks for replying!
I dont want to install anything which doesnt come from google playstore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're insisting to not install anything that doesn't come from Play Store, then try another camera app, like Open Camera. Other than that, there's isn't much you can do without installing things outside of the Store. Actually, LineageOS's stock camera, dubbed Snap Camera, is a pretty great camera app. But since it's not from the Play Store then I won't recommend it to you because, well, it's not from the Store.
Biker Biker said:
You never know if they are itself corrupted/malware/spyware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a pretty much a valid concern, but there's other people's testimony if things are actually working. So you can see e.g. if it's fixed your problem or make it worse by messing up stuff.
Also, not all Play Store apps are safe, though. There are some apps that collects your information/personal data without you knowing e.g. a Keyboard app that asks for your Device ID
Hi All
I'm new to this so I thought I'd put this thread together for other noobs. It explains in basic terms which rom is which, where to get it and what you can flash with your device locked or unlocked.
If I've got anything wrong, please let me know.
Unlocking Your Mi9
Don't forget to backup first!
There are plenty of threads on this, but I found a couple of gotchas. I went to the unlocking site https://en.miui.com/unlock/ and clicked the button, it took me to the Chinese language site. There was an option to choose US English, but that just gave an internal server error. After a day or so, this was working fine.
Secondly, once I had downloaded the PC based unlocking software and logged in I got an error message:
Can't unlock. Your account isn't associated with a phone number
After a bit of surfing I learned that I had to log into my Xiaomi account in a web browser and add my phone number as a backup number. Then it asked me to turn off wifi, enable mobile data, then it send me a code which I then entered into the site.
After all this it's now working, the countdown is going down and I hope to unlock my bootloader on Wednesday. Tick Tock...
Install ROMs before unlocking
If your device is not unlocked yet, you can only install official roms from here:
http://en.miui.com/download-361.html
There are instructions on how to do this on the web site. There is no need to backup when installing official ROMs. But you might like to anyway
There was one piece of information missing that threw me for a short while; The instructions on the web site tell you to click on the 3 dots and choose:
Choose Update Package.
This option was missing on my phone even after downloading the ROM to the phone. The fix is to go to Settings->System Update and Click the 10 logo 10 times. Fooled me lol.
Global or EEA?
If your phone is European you can't install the Global ROM. If you look at the top of the page there is a Global or EAA link. You can tell which you have by going into:
Settings->About Phone->MIUI Version.
Mine is EAA and the version is 10.2.15.0(PFAEUXM). The current Global one is V10.2.3.0.PFAMIXM. A bit of surfing shows CN=China
So EU = EAA, Global = MI and CN-China. So your box says Global but your settings say EAA? Mine too! A bit weird, but I think the EAA version supports WideVine for digital rights management for netflix etc.
Install ROMs after unlocking
You can find weekly build ROMs here:
https://xiaomi.eu/community/ and click on MIUI ROM DOWNLOADS
I am told these ROMs are based on the Chinese version, but I'm not sure of the implications there. Maybe someone could inform me?
Now that you're unlocked, you can (backup your current rom) and flash these images with TWRP. The instructions are further down the page and are quite comprehensive.
Don't relock your bootloader! I understand this will brick your phone!
That's all for now, please feel free to add or correct any info here.
Cheers
Steve
Thanks a ton for this informative post!
It's nice to know I can use official ROMs while I wait for the bootloader to unlock, especially since i bought the CN model. I'll get to that now...
Custom ROMs are based off of the Chinese version because its the most feature-full version. Thebonly reason I don't want to use the official CN rom is because you never know what deals-requirements Xiaomi has with their government on collecting and sending back your data.
Hi @Gourmandises
No probs and thanks for the extra description of China roms. Mind you, just about every stock app on my EU phone has a privacy policy as long as your arm, including video player and even calculator. If you read this, Xiaomi get access to pretty much everything.
I don't want to debloat yet, as I mentioned I'm waiting for an unlock and I worry that debloating might affect the unlocking as they need to harvest enough personal data from me!
I'll update as I go along. Can't wait to install the China rom now you've told me it has more features.
BTW as far as privacy goes, I like to install No Root Firewall here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.greyshirts.firewall
I like it because it blocks everything until you explicitly allow it. You can install apps with ads and they won't get through the firewall. The only slight issue is it doesn't seem to autostart on boot so you need to re-start it each time.
Cheers
Steve
Hi @picitup
I don't know much about the ROMs but xiaomi.eu makes it seem like there's some unique things in it where they say -Our ROMs features (Whats not in Global):-
Maybe the only reason its CN rom is for the weekly builds. Global and EU don't get features as early? I think the rest of that list is custom things they've added then...
This is your thread, and I know less than you hehe
Gourmandises said:
Hi @picitup
I don't know much about the ROMs but xiaomi.eu makes it seem like there's some unique things in it where they say -Our ROMs features (Whats not in Global):-
Maybe the only reason its CN rom is for the weekly builds. Global and EU don't get features as early? I think the rest of that list is custom things they've added then...
This is your thread, and I know less than you hehe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well no I'm getting even more excited. Probably should get out more.
It's what I had heard about the CN ROMs. Regular updates and the EEA version will update at some point in the future.
It doesn't really matter what you know or don't know - when you learn it you know it lol. I remember going on training courses and asking stupid questions. In the tea break people would tell me they didn't understand either, but were scared to ask.
I saw on someone else's thread the footer:
If you know what you're doing, you're not learning anything
Brill
Steve
This thread needs to be seriously bumped now that Mi9 sales are rocketing.
@picitup, would you be kind enough to edit the OP with a different structure? I was thinking about:
> 6-7 types of ROMs and how to find about your phone version's
- Global Stable & Global Developer
- EEA Stable
- Chinese Stable & Developer
- Xiaomi.eu fanmade custom roms based on China Developer
(& Where to download official roms)
> How to install & unlock bootloader
That would avoid a lot of frustration ("Why me wait me got phone me want unlock now"), errors ("Why me not Netflix HD, me not WideVineL1 after flashing official xiaomi.eu rom"), etc
Thank you
RedWave31 said:
This thread needs to be seriously bumped now that Mi9 sales are rocketing.
@picitup, would you be kind enough to edit the OP with a different structure? I was thinking about:
> 6-7 types of ROMs and how to find about your phone version's
- Global Stable & Global Developer
- EEA Stable
- Chinese Stable & Developer
- Xiaomi.eu fanmade custom roms based on China Developer
(& Where to download official roms)
> How to install & unlock bootloader
That would avoid a lot of frustration ("Why me wait me got phone me want unlock now"), errors ("Why me not Netflix HD, me not WideVineL1 after flashing official xiaomi.eu rom"), etc
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, no problem. My wife has forced me to drink whiskey tonight, so I'll look a restructuring it tomorrow
Cheers
picitup said:
Yes, no problem. My wife has forced me to drink whiskey tonight, so I'll look a restructuring it tomorrow
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
*Forced... How awefull ?
marcel112 said:
*Forced... How awefull
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a tough job, but someone has to do it
SirTAVARES said:
i can help you guys out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes please if we can expand this to help more people, all the better.
If you'd like to post up here and links to Chinese global/developer roms and anything you think should be included, I'd be very grateful
I'll then include them in the 1st post.
Cheer
Recoveries:
revolution recoveryencryption working without typing password(?), didn't test yet
twrp siankatafb (TWRP-3.3.1-1-siankatabg-MI9.img), otg, encryption, gapps ok after resize,
twrp mauronofrio (twrp-3.2.3-10-cepheus-mauronofrio.img, twrp-3.3.1-4-cepheus.img) - otg, backups added, encryption, gapps ok after resize
twrp randomblame (Twrp_3.3.0_Cepheusv11.zip) - promising twrp under frequent development, flashing has to be done via cable, no encryption
twrp (chinese) wzsx150 (recovery-mi9-3.3.0.-9.0-b10.img also distributed as twrp_cepheus.img, recovery-TWRP-3.3.0-0524-XIAOMI9-CN-wzsx150.img) - encryption, gapps ok after resize, ez rooting via button or exit dialog, most features and least bootloops..also unparalleled collection of backup or flashing partitions [Best Recovery] L.R.Team recovery list (password: itk8)
twrp translated (twrp_en.img) - chinese with switched language, not sure if they switched the device identifier too, old anyways
ROMs:
global stable - mal/spy/adware and crippled UI and app framework [Daily Hate award] for all MIUI download page
global dev/beta - mal/spy/adware and won't boot without some components (not cleanable), with newest functionality, weekly updated
xiaomi.eu - too similar to global dev but with ugly app icons and some mal/spy/adware removal (fully cleanable), creates problems switching to aosp ROMs tweaks
mi-globe - xiaomieu clone where you can cook your config, extra debloat, 99% similar to xiaomieu
RevolutionOS - xiaomieu clone with extra debloat, ppl say battery is great, 99% similar to xiaomieu
flokorom - AOSP ROM best GSI til May no longer updated, fingerprint great but not perfect, bluetooth and tap2wake works with patch, crdroid customization is strong
phh - a base for other AOSP ROMs, showed a lot of love for mi9 in test builds, little customization and updates as a ROM but important base for AOSP!
rr - OTA but not frequent which doesn't help at this time as they took partial phh commits only so there's no fingerprint at all, lot of customization
Los16 - Linage16 by randomblame, first effort, lot of things broken yet
PE - Pixel Experience, AOSP non-GSI, gapps not needed, OTA, AOD fp! [Best ROM]
ViperOS - AOSP
crDroid - AOSP, very customizable but unofficial yet
Kernels:
randomblame kernel - upstream kernel, works well but can't be switched back to other kernel anymore
androplus kernel - battery oriented, lot of wakelocks kicked off but not saving battery at all imo, also kicks off 'There's an internal problem with your device. Contact your manufacturer for details.' error
extremekernel - performance oriented
Modems:
Rooting and exposing:
mindthegapps, opengapps, Magisk-v19.1.zip, Magisk-uninstaller-20190501.zip, MagiskManager-v7.1.2.apk, magisk-riru-core-v19.zip, magisk-EdXposed-v0.3.1.7_beta-release.zip (not good experience with newer versions), EdXposedInstaller_v2.2.4-release.apk, EdXposedUninstaller.zip, magisk_patch_for_Mi9_v5.zip, Savitar_GCam_Patch, 84Hz mod dtbo, MIUI Anesthetist
Tools:
miflash_unlock-en-3.3.1212.33.zip, miflash_unlock-en-2.3.803.10.zip (to avoid 3 extra days of waiting), MiFlashSetup_eng.msi, adb-setup-v2.exe, MiSetup3.2.1.3111_2717.zip ...
doggydog2 said:
Recoveries:
twrp xda (twrp-3.2.3-10-cepheus-mauronofrio.img) - no otg, backups and encryption; flashing has to be done via cable and cannot write to data, so it's one round flashing only! also can't install gapps (error 64, error 1)
twrp chinese (recovery-mi9-3.2.3.img also distributed as twrp_cepheus.img) - no data backups and encryption, incompatible with 'cepheus' flashing, it's powerful but might create 'cannot connect to camera' (or kernel?) and 'There's an internal problem with your device. Contact your manufacturer for details.' (or ROM?) errors
twrp translated (twrp_en.img) - chinese with switched language, not sure if they switched the device identifier too
ROMs:
global stable - mal/spy/adware
global dev/beta - mal/spy/adware and won't boot without some components (not cleanable), with newest functionality, weekly updated
xiaomi.eu - too similar to global dev but with ugly app icons and some mal/spy/adware removal (fully cleanable), creates problems switching to aosp ROMs
flokorom - most up to date and frequent mi9 related ROM, with limitations: glitchy AOD, problematic fingerprint, bluetooth (fixable), no tap2wake or raise2wake, some crdroid customization
phh - a base for other ROMs, showed a lot of love for mi9 in test builds, but can't even login as fingerprint circles overrides keyboard, little customization
rr - OTA but not frequent which doesn't help at this time as they took partial phh commits only so there's no fingerprint at all, lot of customization; i'd like to use this in future because of OTA
Kernels:
extremekernel - performance oriented
androplus kernel - battery oriented, lot of wakelocks kicked off
Modems:
Rooting and exposing:
Magisk-v19.0.zip, Magisk-uninstaller-20190328.zip, MagiskManager-v7.1.1.apk, magisk-riru-core-v18.zip, magisk-EdXposed-v0.3.1.7_beta-release.zip, EdXposedInstaller_v2.2.4-release.apk, EdXposedManager-org.meowcat.edxposed.manager-4.3.1-431-release.apk, EdXposedUninstaller.zip
Tools:
miflash_unlock-en-3.3.1212.33.zip, miflash_unlock-en-2.3.803.10.zip (to avoid 3 extra days of waiting), MiFlashSetup_eng.msi, adb-setup-v2.exe, MiSetup3.2.1.3111_2717.zip ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this, a really useful summary.
I am curious of these gsi builds, especially RR, though gonna wait a bit longer as I'm happy with MIUI being stable etc
I'm a bit worried by what you say with TWRP being a one time flash only as it can't write to data.
Does this mean that if I install the xiaomi.eu ROM today, that's it no further flashes in the future?!
Also there's a warning on the xiaomi.eu download page that magisk may cause lag and fingerpring issues, has anyone experienced this?
I need to make sure that google pay works
I have a global model with the EU rom, can i use the dev rom or the xiaomi.eu rom? I've read that that european models can't use global rom, will these work?
i have EEA device version, can i flash global ROM and Re-Lock Bootloader ?
oziojik said:
i have EEA device version, can i flash global ROM and Re-Lock Bootloader ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes
cd993 said:
Thanks for this, a really useful summary.
I am curious of these gsi builds, especially RR, though gonna wait a bit longer as I'm happy with MIUI being stable etc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cheers. So i reached a fantastic configuration on what i believe is the best ROM for Mi9: Foloko. Very frequent updates now as the dev, cough cough, simply owns the physical device. Software wise it is fantastic, the tweaks are great, the tap-to-wake works, the AOD screen works in a smart way (like only notifications or only music if you wish), lot of useful actions work on deep doze screen like music control with volume buttons, and legendary Xposed Edge controls the AI button in that mode. Got 9 actions defined. So this disadvantage to 6T doze gestures is gone although the gestures are cooler. Bluetooth [car] works. The mesmerizing swipe-to-apps a.k.a. QuickStep works with the included launcher or even Hyperion (which you can enable with QuickStep magisk plugin). Navigation of apps is fantastic with the Pie button (and tweakable as hell; Xiaomi: impossible). So many Quick setting icons (i counted 40? whaat). Screenshot region works (Xiaomi: disabled even via Xposed). App notifications work great with extra blinking features, vanilla style (Xiaomi suppresses them by default!). Not missing anything from Xiaomi ROM and getting much more. Lot of free memory as the bloatware is gone. Traditional stuff like DataSaver, memory and battery control (Xiaomi: disfunctional kill-all memory guard). Only stuff that you want runs in the memory and you can open running processes from the notification bar (in Xiaomi: censored). There's even some OTA. Camera works. Charging is super fast and you see the volt and ampers on the lockscreen. You can throw away google backdoor SmartLock as you have The Profiles. Nigh mode (however not readable like on all ROMs/devices).
However it comes with this disadvantage at the moment:
- installation can be insane (miflashing stock ROM tgz is required, gapps will fail most of the time, custom kernel will be a problem etc - wasted many hours on this)
- fingerprint generally works but it's hard to see it and very often i have to press it twice, no facelock..... i think not a dealbreaker, not a reason to stick to xiaomi ROMs
- battery consumption is terrible (5%/hr in deep doze(!) standby - even in full wifi standby 100%->0% test!!!), and i believe it is because of Magisk as i didn't identify anything in the 3C monitor except rather high CPU frequencies and and disabling monitoring and gms had no effect ---> i'm exhausted but i will still work on this. Only when this is solved, will give away my lovely 6T just in: setting passive governor -> frequencies much lower, battery impact none.
no doubt the most difficult flashing experience in a decade.. imagine 2 weeks waiting for unlock, learn to hack the extra 3 days waittime award, 2 weeks trying to fight xiaomi ROMs, read their childish forums to gain knowledge, analyze the flashing process, the firmware packages, the flashing issue in every step possible, learn to modify the scripts in flash packages (wtf), learn about error 1, error 7, error 64, error... failed gapps packages, then spend tons of hours trying to make AOSP run.. who wants to go through this hell if you have a high privacy standard (need Xposed XPrivacy)?:silly: while the experience with 6T was: type oem unlock, flash magisk, xposed, one config session, done. No problem since. It just works. You don't need a custom ROM at all. Zero troubleshooting. zero problems. Fantastic battery 4 passive days. Wow. QC and Qi addiction is the reason i fight with xiaomi. Will update on battery, the very last issue.
doggydog2 said:
cheers. So i reached a fantastic configuration on what i believe is the best ROM for Mi9: Foloko. Very frequent updates now as the dev, cough cough, simply owns the physical device. Software wise it is fantastic, the tweaks are great, the tap-to-wake works, the AOD screen works in a smart way (like only notifications or only music if you wish), lot of useful actions work on deep doze screen like music control with volume buttons, and legendary Xposed Edge controls the AI button in that mode. Got 9 actions defined. So this disadvantage to 6T doze gestures is gone although the gestures are cooler. Bluetooth [car] works. The mesmerizing swipe-to-apps a.k.a. QuickStep works with the included launcher or even Hyperion (which you can enable with QuickStep magisk plugin). Navigation of apps is fantastic with the Pie button (and tweakable as hell; Xiaomi: impossible). So many Quick setting icons (i counted 40? whaat). Screenshot region works (Xiaomi: disabled even via Xposed). App notifications work great with extra blinking features, vanilla style (Xiaomi suppresses them by default!). Not missing anything from Xiaomi ROM and getting much more. Lot of free memory as the bloatware is gone. Traditional stuff like DataSaver, memory and battery control (Xiaomi: disfunctional kill-all memory guard). Only stuff that you want runs in the memory and you can open running processes from the notification bar (in Xiaomi: censored). There's even some OTA. Camera works. Charging is super fast and you see the volt and ampers on the lockscreen. You can throw away google backdoor SmartLock as you have The Profiles. Nigh mode (however not readable like on all ROMs/devices).
However it comes with this disadvantage at the moment:
- installation can be insane (miflashing stock ROM tgz is required, gapps will fail most of the time, custom kernel will be a problem etc - wasted many hours on this)
- fingerprint generally works but it's hard to see it and very often i have to press it twice, no facelock..... i think not a dealbreaker, not a reason to stick to xiaomi ROMs
- battery consumption is terrible (5%/hr in deep doze(!) standby - even in full wifi standby 100%->0% test!!!), and i believe it is because of Magisk as i didn't identify anything in the 3C monitor except rather high CPU frequencies and and disabling monitoring and gms had no effect ---> i'm exhausted but i will still work on this. Only when this is solved, will give away my lovely 6T just in: setting passive governor -> frequencies much lower, battery impact none.
no doubt the most difficult flashing experience in a decade.. imagine 2 weeks waiting for unlock, learn to hack the extra 3 days waittime award, 2 weeks trying to fight xiaomi ROMs, read their childish forums to gain knowledge, analyze the flashing process, the firmware packages, the flashing issue in every step possible, learn to modify the scripts in flash packages (wtf), learn about error 1, error 7, error 64, error... failed gapps packages, then spend tons of hours trying to make AOSP run.. who wants to go through this hell if you have a high privacy standard (need Xposed XPrivacy)?:silly: while the experience with 6T was: type oem unlock, flash magisk, xposed, one config session, done. No problem since. It just works. You don't need a custom ROM at all. Zero troubleshooting. zero problems. Fantastic battery 4 passive days. Wow. QC and Qi addiction is the reason i fight with xiaomi. Will update on battery, the very last issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very interesting to read! I'm curious of gsi roms however so far I'd miss stock camera and this battery life is also making me hesitant.
I'm currently trying out RevolutionOS which is proving to be a very nice rom.
I did try Floko and experienced the same issue with gapps, took a while to work but managed it eventually. When booted I couldn't change the contrast/colours and all the whites seemed dull, presumably that isn't fixed yet (?!) and so for that and other reasons I decided to flash back to miui. I really don't mind it, after soong lots of tweaks and debloating etc.
But indeed, I must say I am almost tempted by the OnePlus 7 Pro whenever that comes out..... But we'll see!
What happened? Got 1% drop in 3hours. Did the phone "settle"? Did Xiaomi disconnect? i'm leaving it alone for 1hr blocks all day, this time i let it longer..
3C: 0.33% per hour.. is the phone dead? all seems working, network was active, data was there, google connected, VPN uninterrupted and resident programs too (no cleanup, actually tons of stuff and xposed*).
GSam: estimates 132hr (5.5days) standby per full charge, by math it is 12.6day per this sick value (lowest ever measure in non-airplane mode) funny but that's how i measured 6T,Note9,V30.. sitting at the exact spot and waiting..6T gave me 7days theoretical number and 4 real passive days afterwards* and come home with 75%, wake up next morning with 65% in active days)
Let's quickly write the conditions:
- 3g and home wifi (yes the wifi is a battery saver, and home wifi is the best... you know... proximity)
- ROM: flokoRom 21-04-2019
- kernel: stock (default)
- flashing sequence: dtbo, vendor, persist, boot, system, resize system partition, reboot to recovery, mindthegapps64, wipe caches, magisk19.0, two reboots
- governor: schedulutil (default), others (default), f-sync on (default)
- kernel wakelocks blocked: none (default), system wakelocks blocked: none (default), system alarms blocked: none (default)
- wakelocks detected: c8c000.qcom,hal_bluetooth_lock,PowerManagerService.WakeLocks,qcom_rx_wakelock (no smp2p-sleepstate there surprisingly)
- naptime: ON (=deep doze was active, however it didn't mean anything in previous tests)
- servicely: ON, force app standby: OFF (this would block notifications)
- surface settings: crDroid pocket detection and other 2 phh doze features: OFF
- Magisk 19.1 with useless GMS hack and 3C OFF, Magisk Hide OFF (as i don't want to hide my root, not using payments, and only GMS doze used this); GSI patch v3, Quickstep, edXposed, Xyoutube ON
- Exposed with Edge, XCall, XPrivacy ON; 3C OFF (only nonsys app running and monitoring only battery)
*Note: measuring Standby. More important than SOT if you want to have working phone at evening. Measuring wifi standby with no interaction is to check max potential of the phone with all background setup running (200 apps, 3 chats, 3 mails, disk encryption, network encryption, location sharing, location history, xposed - maxed out setup). Exact same process on each phone. Standby home wifi > Standby wifi > Standby 3g by huge margins. Results when moving with phone will vary drastically. My goal is humble: 1.5day of mixed use.
This type of performance continued later. Followed by permaactive browsing session 8.5%/hr (max 12hr SOT). During the active day (3g / office wifi) ended up also with ~75% (GSam: 84hr standby left). So this is great. I keep the phone and give away 6T. Finally. Achieved (consider the huge time waste however):
- no sign of Xiaomi thrashware existence
- optimal Pie experience with no feature or setting missing, QuickStep(R) and Pie navbar
- sexier lighter thinner phone with less memory but newer processors (fastest on market)
- my favorite feature Qi a QC on all charging levels existing (fastest on market), compatible with all existing standard chargers, optioanlly 3 gram magnet system to Qi-charge & hold in the car ("Floveme" on AliEx)
- great battery life
- less problems after setup than with rooted Samsung, bit more than with OnePlus (fingerprint not great, but this will improve by time i guess)
SD card sucks, but USB-C flash in the wallet works well with the chinese TWRP. OnePlus 7 is out of consideration thanks to Qc/Qi. Not sure if I want to wait for unlock next time, i'd prefer to buy 2nd hand unlocked Xiaomi phone if any ("outsource" the waiting). Let's see if OnePlus will be stubborn next year..
---------- Post added 25th April 2019 at 12:07 AM ---------- Previous post was 24th April 2019 at 11:28 PM ----------
I just noticed the AOSP Pie AOD notifications are actionable, there are normal buttons on AOD like mark as read or reply. That's best solution seen yet, you can do some little interaction with Samsung AOD but to set message read or navigate form AOD? And LED blinks on any apps you wish, in any style you set. That is cool. Hard to miss notification with vibration, sound, AOD and LED? AOSP FlokoRom, updates bi-weekly... RR is updated bi-monthly... so much for subject "ROMs - which one is which"...
Currently have a ONEPLUS 3T running Resurrection Remix ROM, which is great.
I guess the P30 hasn't had any development in this area? I was reading in the rom section and it seems even unlocking the bootloader is tricky, let alone loading a custom rom.
Is this something that will come later?
It's my first time thinking about buying a relatively new phone so not sure of the time line of things like this.
Cheers!
anotherxdauser said:
Is this something that will come later?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huawei stopped giving official bootloader unlock codes, which means no TWRP or custom ROM/ Kernels. There are unofficial unlock codes, but they are pricey, may not be available all the time, etc.
But if you're looking to buy a P30 Pro, it shouldn't be for its custom ROM scene or mod capabilities. It should be for its camera. Period. There is a very good reason it's being held so high in all reviews for its camera prowess, you won't be getting tried of admiring what the camera can do, and the built-in image editor can enhance on - be it night, wide or zoom.
To its credit, EMUI does have a few features like very good theme support, a Network speed indicator, the gesture navigation and floating navigation dock are nifty, etc. You can install Netguard for firewall and Ad blocking through hosts, disable or uninstall system apps (bloatware) through ADB, try out custom launchers if you do not like EMUI launcher, and so on - in other words, its not too bad that the phone cannot be officially unlocked.
But if custom ROM/ recovery are more important, you should look at One Plus 7/ Pro, maybe. You'll not have similar kind of a development for this phone. Look up the custom section for, say, Mate 20 Pro to understand the kind of progress you can expect
Thanks
Have been thinking yesterday whether I need root or not.
I don't understand ADB, so try and avoid using it.
This is where a custom recovery excells - I can just load the zip and flash it on to the phone from the phone. But a lot of the time, this is to do with custom roms.
I have AdAway, but don't think that needs root.
I have Solid Explorer, which has a root mode, but I rarely use this and it's more for finding files around the phone than anything else.
I do use Greenify but not sure whether it actually does anything, or if it needs root access.
Nova Launcher is one that may require root, but I can't see anything blindingly obvious as to why. It also hides system apps so I don't bother uninstalling them.
Titanium Backup - but I only use this when upgrading the ROM.
Bouncer is another app I have recently installed. It does have a root mode, but is optional.
I can still sideload apps without root, so don't need it there either.
So it doesn't look like I need root.
Perhaps I only had it to install a custom ROM, but I'm not one of those people who installs a new one every week. I barely update the one I have because it's a fair bit of hassle! I think the only thing I am worried about is after Android 9 and whether there will be a timely update to 10. But then the changes I have seen since abut 3 or 4 versions of Android have been very minimal at best.
Can things run systemlessly without root?
Sorry for all the questions.
Does worry me a little that Huawei don't allow people to fully control their phones - the cynic in me makes me think it's because they're spying, so don't want people to run any other software but theirs! Ha ha.
I may have an opportunity to buy the phone for about £400 less than what Amazon are selling it (Amazon: £899, eBay: ~£500, one I was looking at on ebay: £500 with best offer).
Be careful with ebay. Cheapest isn't always best.
anotherxdauser said:
I have AdAway, but don't think that needs root.
I do use Greenify but not sure whether it actually does anything, or if it needs root access.
Nova Launcher is one that may require root, but I can't see anything blindingly obvious as to why. It also hides system apps so I don't bother uninstalling them.
Can things run systemlessly without root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AdAway will need root (or magisk) - so that won't work. What you can do is use netguard and import the latest hosts created by AdAway (in another, rooted device). Read up about netguard, it's pretty good at what it does
Greenify has a non-root mode, but then the battery life in this phone is monstrous - I get about 2.5 days with 7 hrs of screen time and 1.5 hours of calling - my usage is pretty light though
Nova launcher does not need root for its primary functions - I haven't used it in a while so not sure what else it does that needs root
Nope - systemless/ magisk et all need bootloader unlocking, which ain't straightforward with this device...
Some good thoughts here.
If I can import a hosts file (link to tutorial?) that would be great.
Funny as I only use AdAway to block a banking app contacting its servers to report I'm rooted so I can still use the banking app. However, if I'm not rooted, I may not really require it any more.
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....
Has someone an idea why there is no sign of a custom ROM? I mean the phone is for a longer time on the market, we have a working TWRP and its the top of MI 11 lineup...
I would like too see custom ROMs because the original is full of annoying bugs.
Good question... there have been several threads now with a similar topic, none of them are being discussed thorougly. Try this one...
Lineage OS
Just a question for the future. Are there custom roms like Lineage OS coming for Mi 11 Ultra?
forum.xda-developers.com
I don't think custom roms will be easily doable on this device, especially the rear screen driver will be a pain in the ass
The rear display is almost useless. So i dont care about it. I mean, the display is from the watch but it can NOTHING. A whatsapp message will be showed for a few seconds, but i cant read it again. I cant check who called me (missed call), it doesnt work wit other messengers and so on.
RheinPirat said:
The rear display is almost useless. So i dont care about it. I mean, the display is from the watch but it can NOTHING. A whatsapp message will be showed for a few seconds, but i cant read it again. I cant check who called me (missed call), it doesnt work wit other messengers and so on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The rear screen functionality or lack thereof is nearly the worst thing about the phone
The only time I notice it's there is when it makes my Spotify songs skip by accident...
RheinPirat said:
The rear display is almost useless. So i dont care about it. I mean, the display is from the watch but it can NOTHING. A whatsapp message will be showed for a few seconds, but i cant read it again. I cant check who called me (missed call), it doesnt work wit other messengers and so on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here... I was reminded that the rear screen existed by accident. In addidtion to being utterly useless.
@xNAPx I'm not exactly sure about that statement. First off, there are devices that have an A/B-Partition-configuration and are running Lineageos and TWRP. Second, the Kernel and Vendor are available. Only extracting proprierity blobs might be an issue, meaning i might be unable to do it, but someone with more experience might be lucky. All in all, i don't see the problem with it.
Maybe it would be wise to think outside the box and try different solutions to get custom roms after all... maybe open up a donation pool for someone to look into it.
I don't have a mi 11 ultra but I find myself having kinda the same problem I have a note 20 ultra 5g we have twrp available but if you look at the development thread you won't find any custom roms. I honestly fear the custom rom community is dying out which is a shame as I think it's the best part of android..
Funny thing is,i f I go into the one plus 3/3t (THREE) thread, you still find updates for custom roms lol. A 5yo device.... (My previous phone before moving to Mi 11 Ultra)
xNAPx said:
Funny thing is,i f I go into the one plus 3/3t (THREE) thread, you still find updates for custom roms lol. A 5yo device.... (My previous phone before moving to Mi 11 Ultra)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Over the years it has become more troublesome to unlock bootloaders etc and install custom ROMs and root modifications and in the old days the apps weren't smart enough to know if your phone was rooted but now many of them can detect a rooted phone and won't work (especially finance apps)
There are ways around the problem but most people don't have the time because they just want a phone that works (and don't have time to data wipe and reinstall everything over and over)
I expect this to get worse as Google is going to prevent side loading apps from alternative sources with a new app signature policy I was reading about
Samsung have improved the android experience a lot, following companies like OnePlus w cleaner interface and more features work out of the box that used to need a custom ROM to enable
speedtripler said:
Over the years it has become more troublesome to unlock bootloaders etc and install custom ROMs and root modifications and in the old days the apps weren't smart enough to know if your phone was rooted but now many of them can detect a rooted phone and won't work (especially finance apps)
There are ways around the problem but most people don't have the time because they just want a phone that works (and don't have time to data wipe and reinstall everything over and over)
I expect this to get worse as Google is going to prevent side loading apps from alternative sources with a new app signature policy I was reading about
Samsung have improved the android experience a lot, following companies like OnePlus w cleaner interface and more features work out of the box that used to need a custom ROM to enable
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're absolutely right.. It's a shame but it's going that way to be honest with my note 20 between hex theme engine and the goodlock app thingy from Samsung this is the first phone i've had in 10 years I didn't find a need to root (yet) so I guess we have that things working better out of the box
Well whatever they do, these companies always give phone full of bloated **** and ads. Even with root getting rid of some apps gives you bootloops. A custom ROM will always be clean and minimal. My latest AOSP ROM on One plus 3 was having only 170 apps and services in total, my Mi 11 Ultra over 300. I don't know why people use financial apps while you can do everything with your browser. But it is not this the point.At least someone with knowledge and experience could at least find ways to clean a stock ROM to AOSP or giving custom versions. I know there is Xiaomi.EU but it is based exclusively on China Version and also is plenty of stock services.
mi 10 ultra took awhile to get the first custom roms
RheinPirat said:
Has someone an idea why there is no sign of a custom ROM? I mean the phone is for a longer time on the market, we have a working TWRP and its the top of MI 11 lineup...
I would like too see custom ROMs because the original is full of annoying bugs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been a member of this website for several years, back then there was a fibrant community of phone enthusiats and developers here. That doesn't appear to be the case any longer. Most stock roms today have many of the features that people used third party, custom roms for and fewer manufacturers today allow the bootloader to be unlocked. So with less demand, there are fewer devs.
xNAPx said:
Well whatever they do, these companies always give phone full of bloated **** and ads. Even with root getting rid of some apps gives you bootloops. A custom ROM will always be clean and minimal. My latest AOSP ROM on One plus 3 was having only 170 apps and services in total, my Mi 11 Ultra over 300. I don't know why people use financial apps while you can do everything with your browser. But it is not this the point.At least someone with knowledge and experience could at least find ways to clean a stock ROM to AOSP or giving custom versions. I know there is Xiaomi.EU but it is based exclusively on China Version and also is plenty of stock services.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ads?
I haven't seen an ad yet...
You must be doing something drastically wrong
Any miui apps that eu ROM devs leave in could be removed and replaced with similar ones from the playstore, like calculator, calendar, dialer, sms messages, contacts, file explorer, gallery etc
These are all critical for a fully functional device but if you don't like them you can remove them via adb and add some that you prefer from the playstore
AFAIK, the kernel source code is indeed out so we're really just missing developers that own this phone. Unfortunately, I'm learning python and not android related coding so as much as I want to start to make a custom rom, I wouldn't be able to do so till I finished learning python.
This link seems to be a good start
EDIT: Crap. You're going to have to do this as well to create the device tree for lineage os
speedtripler said:
Ads?
I haven't seen an ad yet...
You must be doing something drastically wrong
Any miui apps that eu ROM devs leave in could be removed and replaced with similar ones from the playstore, like calculator, calendar, dialer, sms messages, contacts, file explorer, gallery etc
These are all critical for a fully functional device but if you don't like them you can remove them via adb and add some that you prefer from the playstore
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Xiaomi, EU rom has all ads removed plus a majority can be disabled and if you root the phone, all can be disabled/removed. The stock EEA and Global roms have ads, but during the setup process, you can opt-out of getting them. All apps can either be removed or disabled using ADB command's. Also comparing the overall size of a rom from a old OnePlus 3 to a rom from the Mi 11 Ultra is totally unfair, as well as, unrealistic, as total size of a rom has nothing to do with the amount of bloat it may contain. Those extra files are because of the extra features in today's roms. They could be optimization/ram management files or dark mode/customization files or files related to the screen refresh rate, AOD, etc... All features that were unavailable in a OnePlus 3 era rom.
I would also like to point out that in order to do a well done custom/lineage rom, that person needs to have/buy the device or be donate to them and were talking about a expensive phone.
As a owner, I would be biases if i say i would be interested in this having custom roms, on the other hand its a phone that has a lot of potential and a lot of road for bug fixing stuff.
Luckily the same rom can be use for either Mi 11 Pro or Mi 11 Ultra since they share similarities and some model device name, and someone with the expertise goes for it.
i'm also sad there is no custom rom, just bought mi 11 ultra 3 days ago, and in process of unlocking it {china rom} with lots of crazy chinese lines that i didn't understand, if only china rom would automatically translate everything when i switched the language to english, i would prefer china rom because of the battery endurance it gives me. but chinese apps/bugs etc. is troublesome so im waiting 1 week to unlocked it and opt for global or eu rom instead.
Hope a clean rom like Elite rom with my poco x3 pro will also be available to mi 11 ultra.
I'm hoping for a pure Android ROM at some point. MIUI is not the worst and it actually has some nice features but it's too fancy. Just plain old Android like the Android One phones would be a nice choice to have.
Are you saying One UI is plain? It's a very good skin, but plain it's not.