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I've tried out several of the ROMs available for the Droid 4 and I was already taking notes on each of them, so thought I'd share a review on each here. I already posted my thoughts on LineageOS 14.1 in a previous thread so we'll skip straight to crDroid.
crDroid 3.8.5 is the latest addition to the D4 scene. It runs Android 7.1.2 and is based on LineageOS 14.1, apparently branched from the spyder builds. Its advantages include support for JJB's overclock kernels, in fact WiFi doesn't work without it; support for use of the altpart Safestrap to repurpose the webtop partition and give you the largest 1.3GB /system partition in your stock slot; built-in signature spoofing for MicroG/Xposed support; the most recent (Jan/2018) Android security patch level; integrated custom fonts; Ad Away browser integration; great battery life; and its own cool settings section with lots of other custom features. Like all Android V5+ versions this supports hand-wave notifications on the lock screen.
Its disadvantages are that it's fairly thick due to being on 7.1.2, and unless you're running MicroG or a very tiny Gapps package (Slim Zero or OpenG pico), it can be slow, though not nearly as bad as LineageOS 14.1 on which it's based. Videos are jerky and audio stutters. It's really intended to be used with MicroG. And despite being around only six months, it is no longer officially supported by the crDroid team, so no further updates at this time. A major factor for users of Google Voice is that it displays the routing phone number of your call rather than your actual destination phone number during the call, which can be confusing at worst and annoying at best. The call log still shows the correct destination phone number though. I'm not sure where the bug for this lives but it is specific to the ROM. Most annoyingly, the swipe-to-unlock is quirky - you have to swipe fully from bottom to top, and fairly quickly. It usually takes a couple attempts before the phone unlocks, making it difficult if not impossible to do with one hand.
Verdict: Best of the AOSP V7 ROMs for D4. But V7 isn't necessarily the best choice for D4 because of its high RAM usage. Unless there's a reason you absolutely need to run V7, i.e. for an app, you're better off with an older release that uses less RAM.
Thanks for you review. It is awesome to see that there still is active members hanging around. In my mind Lollipop was a bit laggy on Droid 4 compared to KitKat roms but Marshmallow and specially Nougat roms have improved the situation. I can consider Nougat as a daily driver for Droid 4 in 2018. I just hope that we could still see Android Oreo Go edition on our device.
Hi everyone.
I just got my Note 8 and it is a beast!
my phone prior to this was actually an Xperia Z1 (yep, the one from 2013), which has LineageOS 7.1 (Nougat) loaded onto it. I loved that rom, so much I actually put the same LineageOS version on my ASUS tablet too. So I'm pretty used to the trebuchet launcher and Nougat system in general.
the previous owner of my Note8 had pretty much installed all the updates up till late last year, so It's got the 9 Pie update installed. Android 9, combined with the One UI launcher, and topped with annoying "Bixby???" button I keep accidentally pressing, is all a little too crazy for me, coming from LOs Nougat.
with my scouring of forums, I've seen a few people suggest that staying on Oreo is better for battery life / performance / usability compared to the Pie update.
Compared to my Z1, this thing is a speed demon, it certainly isn't slow... but I do notice that the battery seems to drain a bit even when the phone is left in standby, and considering it's a fresh factory reset OS with almost no user apps installed, I'm a little concerned to see it's using 3gb of memory on just bloat and background services.
So pretty much I've been looking into the custom rom situation for the Note8.
My main priority is debloating and stability. I've seen the popular Hades and Deluxe roms, but they look almost more like they are adding features and customization, rather than stripping the useless bloat. Also they seem to be pushing even newer android versions now.
I've seen that TeamEXYKings put out a few light roms, even ones supporting nougat. which I'm interested in trying, anyone have any thoughts on these? It looks like support has dropped for them.
Points I understand so far.... (correct me if I'm wrong)
*Currently, I can't flash because my KG state is in Prenormal, still waiting the 7 days with simcard and phone staying on.
*Exynos has an unlocked bootloader, snapdragon doesn't. It seems to be a common opinion that Booatloader can't be downgraded, so therefore I won't be able to roll back an oreo or nougat rom? yet I've seen some people claim they were able to after they unlocked the bootloader (very confused)?
*Most Roms take away Spen functionality? I do need this, but only for the pressure sensetivity in my art apps, I don't care too much about the drawing on notes/screenshots/off screen/ring shortcut. Will I still get the basic funcationality of my Spen on a custom rom?
*Seems there are some Galaxy S8 roms that have Note 8 functionality and vice-versa.. should I consider these? are there any drawbacks/bugs to consider?
sorry for the long post I'm open to anyone's thoughts and suggestion, cheers!
TLDR: new phone, not too keen on Android Pie and excessive Samsung bloat. please suggest light and stable rom for note 8.
dc_all said:
Hi everyone.
I just got my Note 8 and it is a beast!
my phone prior to this was actually an Xperia Z1 (yep, the one from 2013), which has LineageOS 7.1 (Nougat) loaded onto it. I loved that rom, so much I actually put the same LineageOS version on my ASUS tablet too. So I'm pretty used to the trebuchet launcher and Nougat system in general.
the previous owner of my Note8 had pretty much installed all the updates up till late last year, so It's got the 9 Pie update installed. Android 9, combined with the One UI launcher, and topped with annoying "Bixby???" button I keep accidentally pressing, is all a little too crazy for me, coming from LOs Nougat.
with my scouring of forums, I've seen a few people suggest that staying on Oreo is better for battery life / performance / usability compared to the Pie update.
Compared to my Z1, this thing is a speed demon, it certainly isn't slow... but I do notice that the battery seems to drain a bit even when the phone is left in standby, and considering it's a fresh factory reset OS with almost no user apps installed, I'm a little concerned to see it's using 3gb of memory on just bloat and background services.
So pretty much I've been looking into the custom rom situation for the Note8.
My main priority is debloating and stability. I've seen the popular Hades and Deluxe roms, but they look almost more like they are adding features and customization, rather than stripping the useless bloat. Also they seem to be pushing even newer android versions now.
I've seen that TeamEXYKings put out a few light roms, even ones supporting nougat. which I'm interested in trying, anyone have any thoughts on these? It looks like support has dropped for them.
Points I understand so far.... (correct me if I'm wrong)
*Currently, I can't flash because my KG state is in Prenormal, still waiting the 7 days with simcard and phone staying on.
*Exynos has an unlocked bootloader, snapdragon doesn't. It seems to be a common opinion that Booatloader can't be downgraded, so therefore I won't be able to roll back an oreo or nougat rom? yet I've seen some people claim they were able to after they unlocked the bootloader (very confused)?
*Most Roms take away Spen functionality? I do need this, but only for the pressure sensetivity in my art apps, I don't care too much about the drawing on notes/screenshots/off screen/ring shortcut. Will I still get the basic funcationality of my Spen on a custom rom?
*Seems there are some Galaxy S8 roms that have Note 8 functionality and vice-versa.. should I consider these? are there any drawbacks/bugs to consider?
sorry for the long post I'm open to anyone's thoughts and suggestion, cheers!
TLDR: new phone, not too keen on Android Pie and excessive Samsung bloat. please suggest light and stable rom for note 8.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rather than trying to address everything I will stick to what is most important for you, debloating and stability. Both Deluxe and Hades rom let you choose most of what bloatware you want during the Aroma installation, although they vary slightly in what is selectable but if you don't want Bixby for example just don't select it in Aroma. For stability you won't go wrong with a stock based rom.
If you love Lineaage OS you can flash Lineage 17 which is stable, you can find the latest build in the link I will post below, however this will remove the Spen functionality so it is literally just a touch pen and I don't know if the pressure censor works for drawing. You will need to flash Gapps with this to get the Google play store.
https://images.stricted.net/lineageos/greatlte/
I want to make you aware, just in case you don't know, that as soon as you flash TWRP this trips Knox so Samsung Pay will never work again, it breaks other things too like Shealth and Secure Folder but most stock based roms have this patched so they work, just not Samsung Pay.
Another option is to buy a package disabler, which is what I use, so I can disable or enable any app with just a click so then you can stay fully stock.
stonedpsycho said:
Rather than trying to address everything I will stick to what is most important for you, debloating and stability. Both Deluxe and Hades rom let you choose most of what bloatware you want during the Aroma installation, although they vary slightly in what is selectable but if you don't want Bixby for example just don't select it in Aroma. For stability you won't go wrong with a stock based rom.
If you love Lineaage OS you can flash Lineage 17 which is stable, you can find the latest build in the link I will post below, however this will remove the Spen functionality so it is literally just a touch pen and I don't know if the pressure censor works for drawing. You will need to flash Gapps with this to get the Google play store.
https://images.stricted.net/lineageos/greatlte/
I want to make you aware, just in case you don't know, that as soon as you flash TWRP this trips Knox so Samsung Pay will never work again, it breaks other things too like Shealth and Secure Folder but most stock based roms have this patched so they work, just not Samsung Pay.
Another option is to buy a package disabler, which is what I use, so I can disable or enable any app with just a click so then you can stay fully stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a bunch for your advice, very helpful.
and thanks for bringing up the knox thing. I have heard that, though I forgot to mention it in my post. I think I'll be fine without those samsung features.
I'll keep a close eye on Hades and Deluxe then. There seems to be the most information about them online and even some video reviews.
I'll look into the newer lineageOS too, it sounds like it will meet my needs, but I would hate to lose some functionality on Spen or camera, so Stock based may be the way to go..
Also I hadn't ever heard of a Package disabler.. definitely going to look into that too.
Another great perk for LOS was the privacy guard, being able to disable apps loading at startup or not allowing them to run in background really extended my battery life. I'll have to look into similar options from 3rd party apps.
thanks again for your help.
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.
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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.
Hey there!
I recently ordered a refurbished XZ1c in a great condition for a great price. Even though it's a relatively old device I'm not happy with the new ones coming out, they always lack certain features I look for, while this one has small size, great hardware, 3.5mm jack, stereo speakers and all the other goodies - I'm really impressed by it.
Software wise I prefer to use clean android with MicroG, so the unofficial Lineage 17.1 seems like the rom to go for, but I have some questions for you guys already owning the device.
DRM keys:
As far as I know unlocking the bootloader results in losing the keys, which breaks sony features and camera (for android 8)/reduces the quality (android 9). I saw there is a way to back the keys up and restore them after rooting which eventually fixes the camera. My question is does this work for custom roms or only stock? Does it bring the other sony features to custom roms as well?
Overall how is the performance with custom android 10 roms? I prefer to use them because of the stock camera, but if you compare them vs the stock which is better?
Also, I would be happy to stay on stock if I can debloat the google apps and use microg instead. Is such an option available?
My phone is *way* faster after flashing a custom ROM -- both Android 10 and 11.
Regarding DRM keys and custom ROMs, been looking into it myself, couldn't find the confirmation that the whole rigmarole of downgrading-temprooting-extracting-(unlocking bootloader)-recovering the keys makes much sense since the lack of keys seems to primarily affect camera and windevine-related apps on Nougat and partially Oreo... Of course, keeping them is better if you have the time and energy for that. I had, but I'm not sure the model I bought have had them in the first place and I don't know how to check.
Turbolqk said:
I would be happy to stay on stock if I can debloat the google apps and use microg instead. Is such an option available?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure is, adb GUIs will help you with that. ADB AppControl for windows is what I used to debloat, it's a very convenient app letting you disable apps without deleting and back them up to pc before deleting them if you chose to do so (though it does have a rather obnoxious premium version advertisement behavior). for linux, Mobydroid, universal-android-debloater and qtadb (root) have varying degrees of usability.
@4qx The TA keys make a huge difference with the stock Sony camera in low-light conditions. Unfortunately, that app is not possible to use in Android 11+.
Howdy. I just got a new Pixel 5 and would appreciate some feedback please.
My goals are:
- A phone that's rock stable, speedy and not bloated with unnecessary apps/features that reduce battery life.
- use mainly for productivity apps. Will have between 70-100 apps to use througout the day.
- not interested in visual features, extra securities, gaming etc
- will install Nova Prime and Tasker/Macdroid to further customize phone.
- yes. I have some experience with installing custom roms in the past... 3-4 years ago.
My questions:
1. will updating to Android 13 a good idea with my requirements ? I've look at A13 and don't really need most of the new features. However one option I'm thinking of is to update to A13 then root the phone and use a bloatware removal to remove/disable unnecessary features. Is this a good option?
2. Is there another stable/fast rom that is considerably better than A13 given my priorities above? Stability with features like Gps, wifi, bluetooth, camera, use of gestures and voice controls is important to me.
3. There's a new QR scanner feature in A13 that I may be using in the near future. If I don't upgrade to A13 is there an app for this?
Thanks for any feedback.
It's too early to tell if Android 13 will be faster or slower. As with any new major update, it will be buggy for the first few months while they iron out the issues with monthly updates. You'll just have to try it out and see.
Stock roms are pretty debloated already so you probably don't need to worry about that too much. But if you wanted, yes you could use a bloatware removal tool to remove more stuff.
Personally, I'm still on Android 11 November patch. I just procrastinated updating because rooting Android 12 required a factory reset and I was waiting for all the major issues to be patched before updating. And then Android 13 just got released lol. For me, Android 11 still runs smoothly and have no issues so I might stay on it for a while longer until I decide to update.
I can't say much on custom roms because I haven't used them but they are still mostly Android 11 and 12 because 13 was only just released.
As for QR scanner, there are plenty of free ones to choose from in the PlayStore so there's no need to worry if you decide not to update to Android 13.
Thanks swangjang.
I think i'll update to A13. Many people seem happy with the update.