Update: Yota did something unusual: they communicated! An employee contacted me with a request to remove the download link. He hints that an official release is not that far away anymore, and that the RU1.1.81 version in this post still has some open issues, so I decided remove the download link for now.
A little something to play with for those who are interested: Yotaphone 2 firmware 1.81 (Russian)
What is it?
- An (as of yet unreleased) yotaphone 2 firmware by Yota Devices
- still based on Lollipop 5.0
- unknown quality: My guess is beta+ quality, maybe some issues
- Russian (RU) version (hardly noticable, some russian apps, additional Cyrillic characters in dialpad of dialer), but runs fine with English language/other locales
- modem firmware is same as e.g. EU, I've had no network connectivity issues so far
- it's a full firmware, so it's not dependent on your current firmware version.
- contains from some new features, like double-tap-to-wake, new widgets and widget sizes, panels background selection, app improvements, security fixes (and who knows: some new Russian backdoors to match? )
- From Yota Devices themselves (signed).
Issues/warnings:
- for some reason unknown to me, Xposed framework won't run on recent versions. Boot never finishes with Xposed installed, the boot animation keeps playing, some background services get restarted over and over.
- This firmware has unknown quality, I've been using this one for a few hours now, looks pretty OK so far.
- If you're not comfortable using TWRP and flashing firmware images, it's probably easiest and safest to wait for an official OTA update.
- My phone showed a missed alarm this morning after having snoozed the first one, not sure if related to this firmware, but be careful not to lose your job
- <download link removed>
A detail which I may have missed until now: YotaReader in ROM 1.8x renders text in high quality (16 colors). See an example of the quality difference in this post here.
It may have been in the app for some time already, did anyone notice this? Backscreen browser does not do the same unfortunately, but at least reading ebooks is nicer now! :good:
Thanks for this dude, very exciting news. Did you get a look at any of the new features / fixes in the new firmware?
Nice that at least some people are paying attention to here ..
zute333 said:
Thanks for this dude, very exciting news. Did you get a look at any of the new features / fixes in the new firmware?
Nice that at least some people are paying attention to here ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mentioned some new features above, I especially like the double-tap-to-wake (better than swipe gesture) and the improved text quality in YotaReader.
In other news: Xposed (latest version: v78) seems to work again in combination with recent firmwares (it stopped working somewhere after 1.60), so that's good news too for users attached to Xposed.
Bootloader version 3.55 and radio version 3.64 , I have not loaded the rom just yet but I'm trying the new radio.
Radio and Bootloader image file, not a zip https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxxsRalGs_vzdGI5S2pfMjMzSzQ&usp=sharing
list of bugs and fixes below
Fixes for issues reported by developers
A number of issues reported by developers have been fixed, including:
Bluetooth Audio playback interrupted after 1 song (bug 206889)
Pixel C Consistently Crashes (bug 206962)
Clock and Toast notification issues (bug 203094)
Pixel C reboots when connected to MacBook Pro via USB C Cable (bug 205432)
Calandar offset by one day (bug 203002)
TelephonyManager.getAllCellInfo returning invalid data (bug 203022)
Nexus 6p, Bluetooth keeps disconnecting (bug 208062)
For the full list of fixed issues, see the issue tracker.
Known Issues
Accessibility
Unable to listen to TTS output when pitch is set near maximum level.
Accessibility features and settings may be disrupted with the user adds a Work profile, including magnification gesture and setting. Accessibility state is restored when the user next touches the associated settings.
Camera
The Camera app has exhibited instability; it may crash in various circumstances, such as when launched in multi-window mode.
Pressing the shutter continuously in panorama mode may cause the Camera app to crash.
Audio
A platform audio player issue prevents some apps from functioning normally. For example, Skype and other apps are affected by this issue.
Connectivity
When a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) peripheral role device advertises a service and a BLE central role device connects, the peripheral role device disconnects very quickly.
Wi-Fi connection may be dropped when the screen is off.
RFCOMM connections are unstable and may result in data corruption and dangling connections.
The active network state (NetworkInfo.getState() and NetworkInfo.getDetailedState()) might return incorrect values during some restricted background scenarios.
Launcher
The default launcher’s All Apps tray may become unresponsive after cycling screen off / screen on. Returning to the homescreen and relaunching the All Apps tray may resolve this issue.
Keyboard
When updating a device running Android 6.0 or earlier to the N Developer Preview, Google Keyboard does not preserve preferences data such as recent emoji and sound settings.
Google Indic Managed Keyboard may be unstable.
When entering text in a password field, the user can select Russian as the input language but the keyboard remains in English. This prevents the user from entering Russian-language passwords.
Locale and languages
When using a right-to-left (RTL) locale, the system may unexpectedly switch to left-to-right (LTR) presentation after restarting the device.
Media
Media playback be be unreliable on Nexus 9 and Nexus Player, including issues playing HD video.
Multi-window mode
Device may freeze when changing orientation in multi-window mode.
Several apps currently have issues with multi-window mode:
The system UI may crash when docking Settings > Display > Screen brightness to multi-window.
The Camera app may crash when launched in multi-window mode.
YouTube may crash when launched into multi-window mode. To fix the issue, you can clear the YouTube app’s data at Storage > Apps > YouTube.
Google Play services
Apps using Google Cast through Google Play services may be unstable when the user selects a system locale that uses letters and numbers outside of the ASCII range.
Work and enterprise
The Device Policy app may crash when the user unlocks the device with the "device policy status" screen pinned.
After setting up a work profile with file-based encryption enabled and then turning off Work, users must unlock primary profile screen lock to once again access Work apps.
Cannot open work apps after reboot in file-based-encryption with work mode off.
Device reboots when removing the security pattern lock and opening work app/personal app in the multi-window.
Setting DISALLOW_VPN_CONFIG is causing the consent dialog to appear in always-on-vpn set by Device Policy Client.
Traffic is not locked down until VPN is connected in always-on-vpn mode.
External storage
Apps may become unstable when the user moves them from internal storage to adoptable external storage (this can include SD card or devices attached over USB).
Screen zoom and multiple APKs in Google Play
On devices running Android N, Google Play services 9.0.83 incorrectly reports the current screen density rather than the stable screen density. When screen zoom is enabled on these devices, this can cause Google Play to select a version of a multi-APK app that’s designed for smaller screens. This issue is fixed in the next version of Google Play services and will be included in a later Developer Preview release.
On devices running Android N, Google Play services 9.0.83 currently reports Vulkan support but not Vulkan version. This can cause Google Play to select a version of a multi-APK app that’s designed for lower Vulkan support on devices with higher version support. Currently, the Google Play Store does not accept uploads of Apps which use Vulkan version targeting. This support will be added to the Google Play Store in the future and fixed in the next version of Google Play services (to be included in a later Developer Preview release) any N devices using the version of Google Play services 9.0.83 will continue to receive versions of Apps targeting basic Vulkan support.
Notifications
MessagingStyle does not show notifications with "null" (self) sender.
Radio does not work
The new radio does not work for me, neither that of the Beta 2, so I am up the creek...
N6P, 132GB, unlocked BL
fredrikwe said:
The new radio does not work for me, neither that of the Beta 2, so I am up the creek...
N6P, 132GB, unlocked BL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Works for me so far, I'm on Verizon. At this point I can't say it's better than the rest. Update after the weekend.
My own fault I forgot to flash vendor. img
All you want to know in one place about
Android Q
General info: https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2019/03/introducing-android-q-beta.html | https://www.google.com/android/beta
Opt In/ Opt Out your Pixel device(s): https://www.google.com/android/beta#devices Enable OTA Updates (You will get the beta updates like usual updates)
System images: https://developer.android.com/preview/download
Official Reddit forum from Google: https://www.reddit.com/r/android_beta/ for Bug reporting and solutions
If you manually flashed Android Q on your device by downloading the image from developer.android.com, you won’t receive updates automatically unless that device is also opted-in to the Android Beta Program for Pixel on the Opt In URL.
Using OPT out and returning to Pie the device will be facotry reseted:
You will not be able to unenroll and revert back to a lower public release version of Android without first wiping all locally saved data on your device. You may also encounter issues restoring a backup.
You will NOT receive separate monthly security updates while on a beta build.
Update working fine from Pie. Data and settings are remain.
Rooting: https://www.xda-developers.com/root-android-q-beta-google-pixel-pixel-2/
Magisk: https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/magisk/dev-magisk-canary-channel-bleeding-edge-t3839337
Hide back Button: https://www.xda-developers.com/android-q-gestures-back-button/
System seems stable. Call, SMS, Network, Bluetooth, Audio working fine.
Problems / Bugs
- Laggy Camera on all Pixel devices. (I can confirm It is MUCH slower than Pie. First pic about 4-9 sec)
- Slow(er) HDR+ picture processing. New feature: Dynamic depth format for photos
- Google is deprecating the Android Beam API used to share files with NFC
- Now playing not working (For me)
- Edit button on screenshot notification NOT working
- No options to block numbers in dialer or anywhere else
- No info about the charging estimated time
- Built in Screen recording in broken: FIX: https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/...t-in-screen-recording-but-its-broken-for-now/
- Android Q's Dark Mode Breaks Google Photos
2019. March 15.: Live wallpapers with cloud updates are broken FC in every second reported by many users
- Not working apps: https://www.reddit.com/r/android_beta/wiki/index: Some banking apps will not work in this beta, but Google Pay will work!
General App Compatibility Issues
Google Apps
Android System Webview (Beta users should leave the program)
Files by Google
3rd Party
AirWatch Hub
Boxer
Chase
Citrix Secure Hub
Evernote
Fate Grand Order
Firefox (non-nightly builds)
Huntington Bank
LastPass (app loads, major functionality issues)
Lloyds Bank
LinkedIn
Plex
PokemonGo
Samsung Galaxy Wear App
Syncthong
TELLO
Trials Frontier
WeChat
ZMODO Security Cameras
Other Notable Issues with Apps
Android Messages - MMS photo quality degraded
Google Photos & Dark Mode (Cannot read any text, logos are hidden)
MapMyRun will not work in the background (Q Location Permission Changes)
Improvements:
- "Always on" redesigned: https://9to5google.com/2019/03/13/android-q-aod-music/ Lift to wake, and double tap now ignores Always on display and get you directly to lock screen (if any) (This is no improvement for me)
- Much faster finger print reading
- Much faster face recognition
- Play Music lock screen wallpaper redesigned (It is just broken for me)
- New guesture: https://9to5google.com/2019/03/13/android-q-improved-multitasking-gesture/
New Features:
○ System-wide Dark Mode:
Solution 1:
- Use the Battery Saver to Enable Dark Mode.
Solution 2:
- Use ADB to Enable Dark Mode in Android Q
Code:
adb shell settings put secure ui_night_mode 2
- Use ADB to Disable Dark Mode in Android Q
Code:
adb shell settings put secure ui_night_mode 1
- Use ADB to AUTO Dark Mode in Android Q
Code:
adb shell settings put secure ui_night_mode 0
Solution 3:
Before the update set the device theme to Dark in the developer options.
The option removed in Q so you will not be able to modify it after the update.
○ Device Theming:
In the end of the Developer Settings you can find the options:
- Color
- Font
- Icon Shape
Only a few settings. You can play around
○ Time to read
In Settings -> Accessibility You can set the notifications timeout
○ Sharing Shortcuts
New sharing options and redisgned interface
○ Wi-Fi sharing via QR Code
Android Q now allows you to share your current Wi-Fi connection simply via a QR code
○ Feature Flags in developer options
https://www.reddit.com/r/android_beta/comments/b0xmio/feature_flags_hidden_options_and_what_they_do/
https://9to5google.com/2019/03/14/android-q-beta-1-feature-flags/
Desktop mode:
https://www.xda-developers.com/android-q-desktop-mode/
More from Google:
Foldables and innovative new screens
More privacy protections in Android Q
Giving users more control over location
Settings Panels
Improved peer-to-peer and internet connectivity
Wi-Fi performance mode
Camera, media, graphics
Dynamic depth format for photos
New audio and video codecs
Native MIDI API
ANGLE on VulkanNeural Networks API 1.2
ART performance
More to come...
eBENdre said:
All you want to know in one place about
Android Q
Problems / Bugs
- Laggy Camera on all Pixel devices. (I can confirm It is MUCH slower than Pie. First pic about 4-9 sec)
- Slow(er) HDR+ picture processing. New feature: Dynamic depth format for photos
- Google is deprecating the Android Beam API used to share files with NFC
- Now playing not working (For me)
- Edit button on screenshot notification NOT working
- No options to block numbers in dialer or anywhere else
- No info about the charging estimated time
- Built in Screen recording in broken: FIX: https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/...t-in-screen-recording-but-its-broken-for-now/
- Android Q's Dark Mode Breaks Google Photos
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to help out a bit, if possible:
Camera seems to be fine on my P2XL - though I have not enabled any HDR+ or raw settings.
Now Playing is working for me, grabbed the theme song off the show I was watching last night.
Markup "edit" button can be fixed. Clear data in markup, open photos and use markup from within that; you should get a permission request. (simply going into permissions on the markup app and enabling any/all may work as well, but is untested)
In dialer/recents, tap the number, and choose block from the drop down menu. I am in the beta for the Google phone app - so that may be part of it. Dirty flash may also affect this.
Clarification only: Photos is broken in dark-mode, but only in that all options dialogs/drop-downs are white text on white background. Other than that, you can still browse photos/albums, etc.
For clarity: My device is the Pixel 2 XL and Q was installed via factory image with full wipe (no dirty flash), and I did not restore from any backups.
Camera is fine for me on 2xl. Nothing different. HDR+ works as normal so does raw DNG.
Mr Patchy Patch said:
Camera is fine for me on 2xl. Nothing different. HDR+ works as normal so does raw DNG.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. I'm on dirty upgrade. I will reset my phone soon. I will test it again.
eBENdre said:
Thank you. I'm on dirty upgrade. I will reset my phone soon. I will test it again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should check 9to5 Google they have some more adb commands for stuff like the different clocks for aod and how to use swipe left to go back
kevtrysmoddin said:
You should check 9to5 Google they have some more adb commands for stuff like the different clocks for aod and how to use swipe left to go back
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks, I will add more later. Swipe left already on the list btw
Much faster fingerprint?
It already feels almost instant in Pie, what can they improve?
eBENdre said:
Problems / Bugs
- Now playing not working (For me)
- No info about the charging estimated time
- Built in Screen recording in broken: FIX: https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/...t-in-screen-recording-but-its-broken-for-now/
- Android Q's Dark Mode Breaks Google Photos
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now playing is working for me - just not displaying on the lock screen. I just got home form a birthday party, and every song the DJ played is in my NP history;
In addition to the charging time estimate, the estimate in the pull down notification area is completely off base compared to the estimated time left in Settings --> Battery;
My built in screen recording works for me, and has worked since I enabled it from the Features flags in Developer Options;
No issues with Google Photos with dark Mode. Caveat: I had dark mode enabled in Pie, and took the Q DP1 OTA over that Pie install;
I found that there is a microphone icon at the top left when selecting Panorama photo mode that I never saw before (was that introduced with Q DP1, or just a very recent Google Camera update?)
I've not noticed a discernible slowdown in the Camera app (and I always use HDR+ / Night sight for my photos), but I have noticed that when I try to view a picture / video, particularly like an MMS in Messages / Google Voice, the phone is extremely slow and laggy.
@eBENdre just got xl 2 ,prerooted,one question,if i install Q 1 will it owerwrite twrp magisk also,will there be problems maybe? Thanks
For years used htc,this is new for me.
Boskoel03 said:
@eBENdre just got xl 2 ,prerooted,one question,if i install Q 1 will it owerwrite twrp magisk also,will there be problems maybe? Thanks
For years used htc,this is new for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it will overwrite twrp and magisk.
There are always potential problems with any update to beta builds, however, many are running Q without issues. Best advice I can give is to familiarize yourself with fastboot commands, since you'll need to install twrp again, and read, read, and read again all of the information in the Q threads so you know what to do and expect :good:
Badger50 said:
Yes, it will overwrite twrp and magisk.
There are always potential problems with any update to beta builds, however, many are running Q without issues. Best advice I can give is to familiarize yourself with fastboot commands, since you'll need to install twrp again, and read, read, and read again all of the information in the Q threads so you know what to do and expect :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huge thanks mate,and there is problem for me,as keybord not working on laptop...
You'll probably need access to a different computer - or else need to buy a cheap USB KB to use, because use of a separate computer / laptop is pretty much essential to get this working (root + Q, not to mention installing TWRP by using fastboot boot to boot TWRP, then installing TWRP from inside the booted TWRP).
Badger50 said:
Yes, it will overwrite twrp and magisk.
There are always potential problems with any update to beta builds, however, many are running Q without issues. Best advice I can give is to familiarize yourself with fastboot commands, since you'll need to install twrp again, and read, read, and read again all of the information in the Q threads so you know what to do and expect :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did it,through twrp,lost it off course,now one more question,will i be able to recive next build,like regular OTA,altough my bootloader is unlocked? Thanks once again....
Boskoel03 said:
Did it,through twrp,lost it off course,now one more question,will i be able to recive next build,like regular OTA,altough my bootloader is unlocked? Thanks once again....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should get the next update fine, provided your on stock recovery without root. I don't run betas personally, but my info comes from reading about others that do. As with anything android...YMMV :good::laugh:
Android Q Beta Experience
I've been on Android Q beta for almost 3 weeks now. It is used as a daily driver since I have only the one Pixel 2. I flashed the new image myself using TWRP rather than opt into the beta with Google. Other than a problem with now playing not always showing up on the screen and a slight delay when I go to the Favorites page in Phone app everything seems to work alright. I am getting roughly the same battery life as with Android Pie. Oh, and my banking app (ICICI Bank, India) is not working. It doesn't send an SMS to activate the app. I thought this might be as the phone number is shown as unknown. I understand that Vodafone in India does not show the phone number in the SIM information in Settings. I have activated dark mode and even photos and camera app work without a hitch. I have rooted with Magisk (Canary channel) and that is working without any problem.
OTOH, I've also been on Q since the day it came out (my birthday, coincidentally - love being an Ides of March baby lol).
I've had some issues crop up here and there, but nothing really serious. I was on Pie, rooted, and used the uninstall routine inside of Magisk to de-root my Taimen before taking Q, and then rooted it again with the (then latest) canary build.
What I'm hoping is that the Magisk procedure to de-root the device, take the OTA, and then before rebooting, applying the patched boot.img to the new partition will work, the same as if you're rooted on Pie and get an OTA.
Time will tell.
My notifications is coming like this only.. is this a bug?
or the clock is missing?
My device is not rooted. I'm not using any module or theme.
Clock missing - have you rebooted?
johnlgalt said:
Clock missing - have you rebooted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I have. Atleast 2-3 times.
Wonder if it is System UI Tuner related?
You could give this a shot and see if the System UI is set to hide the clock, though the last time I actually tried to hide the clock, it didn't leave that space there....
---------- Post added at 04:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:48 PM ----------
New warning posted on the Android Beta page https://www.google.com/android/beta#devices
Caution: The current release contains significant behavior changes that affect apps in particular. The latest updates around isolated storage may cause issues with apps that access photos, videos, media, or other files stored on your device, such as when browsing or sharing in social media apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm installing the update now, let's see just how differently this works on my Taimen.
Introduction
I have spent too many hours trying to find the perfect ROM to install on my Samsung Galaxy S6 phone. My goal was to find an ultra debloated ROM without any Samsung or Google stuff with the bare minimum. Turns out, it's impossible. I also wanted to use something new that went out of the normal boring stuff we are used to see. The ROM and Kernel selection is just enormous. I also needed to address a very specific issue which is to maintain the cell phone up to date with the latest ROM it can take to be stable and usable while being able to install the latest version of apps from Google Play. I have a SIM card but I never recieve any phone calls on it and it's an international card that I cannot use without high fees. It's basically used when my wife, from another country, needs to contact me via SMS. So phone calls using the default call app is just useless for me.
Apps that I excessively use
So here is the list of apps that I use, or shall I say, OVER-use:
Facebook Messenger (video calls)
Grandstream Wave - GS Wave (All my phone calls using SIP service)
Camera app (My wife is in another country for now so pictures and videos is our way of communicating)
Microsoft Launcher (the only free launcher having a good balance between customization and those notification dots)
Banking apps (2 major ones, 1 credit card app, PayPal and Xoom)
Games (2 to 4 mostly from AI Factory and 1 from Facebook app)
Facebook, Reddit and Discord
GMail
Total Commander + LAN plugin
Magisk (latest available version on GitHub)
AdAway (latest available version for ROM version installed, removes pretty much all the ads in my games and apps)
Google Play (Obviously)
Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Edge browser (depended on my mood as long as I was NOT using the infamous Google Chrome or Samsung Browser)
Open Camera (Only on AOSP roms or Stock roms higher than v7.0)
Problems / Issues / Bugs / Missing configs
After all of my tests, here is the list of all problems I have encountered under which ROM versions:
No floating video call window when call is unfocused. When unfocused, other person sees black screen until I get back the video call in full screen focus - Facebook Messenger (Stock rom v7.0) this issue does not happen on roms higher than v7.x, floating video call is possible with v8.x and higher roms.
Dark mode unavailable or requires heavy tweaks to fake or achieve a similar effect in OS, example, dark mode in the system settings menus - System configuration menus (Stock rom v7.x)
Camera's picture taking is not syncing with flash, therefor, picture is taken WITHOUT the flash leading to dark pictures - Default camera app (Stock roms higher than v7.0 and all AOSP roms)
Lower than usual voice recording audio - Facebook Messenger (sending a voice recording), Default camera app (all AOSP roms)
Unable to see the internal storage of my device in Windows Explorer - LineageOS roms (some custom roms do work that are not pure LineageOS)
Bluetooth connecting but no audio is directed to the device - Facebook Messenger and all other system sounds and music (AOSP roms higher than v7.x)
Bluetooth causes Facebook Messenger to drop connection when in use with BT device. Once disconnected, call ceases to drop - Facebook Messenger (AOSP roms)
Apps and system a tiny bit less responsive - Facebook game Words with Friends, Home screen and configs (Stock rom v7.0)
Contacts not syncing - GS Wave (AOSP roms with Open GApps Pico and Nano)
Username and passwords not automatically filled from stored passwords in Google account - Facebook, Reddit (All roms)
GMail dark mode and dark mode option unavailable - GMail (Stock rom v7.x)
Some games do not install or simply unavailable from Google Play - Super Mario Run (Highly debloated Stock rom v7.0)
Initial setup crashes after configuring the first time wifi connection, Google's update checking fails (AOSP roms with Open GApps)
When resizing the DP from 360 to 480 in the developper options, keyboard does not stretch to the entire screen width - System (Stock rom v7.x)
Lack of keyboard customization such as enabeling the numbers row instead of integrating them in the letter keys with long touch - System (all AOSP roms)
Random reboots or total system freeze. Very minimal and rare, not enough to remember too much about it, but still happened - System (Stock rom v7.0 other than SamStock)
Tests
My phone: Canadian Flat SM-G920W8
As of today, I have tested Ultimate Nougate, Oreo, Unofficial Lineage OS 14.1-17.1, FlynOS, NexusOS, S8 ports Note 8 ports, ViperOS, Marduck, SamStock, DotOS plus many other derivatives of LineageOS 16 and 17.1. If a rom was not mentioning compatibility with W8 version, I'd try using a compatible Kernel which seems to make the roms work and boot properly but most of these tests were performed with roms that stated supporting the T or W8 variants.
First test was to actually go through the Install process which Ultimate Oreo and 1 or 2 others failed. The amount of failed installs is very neglectible. Next was to actually boot into the OS. I got a few boot loops due to Kernel incompatibilities, again, just 1 or 2 failed REALLY and a few others were my fault for installing a wrong Kernel. So nothing to mention here too. Next was to actually be able to use the Camera app without doing anything else. All AOSP roms failed this. I simply opened the app, enabled flash and took a picture in a dark place. Picture has never been taken properly. Camera flashes correctly but picture is taken AFTER the flash turns out. Open Camera with the Camera API 2 enabled solved this issue.
Is was now left with rooting my phone. Note that most Stock roms and some AOSP roms have their own pre-built root which I utterly hate. Magisk is available and easily installable and works super fine so I do not need an old outdated version of Super SU or Magisk pre-installed. If the rom had Magisk pre-installed, I'd simply flash the Magisk app over it before booting to be at the latest version. I also needed to install Open GApps on AOSP roms and configure it. This was much easier to do when having a first time NO OPEN GAPPS intial boot. Basically, boot the first time without Open GApps, then reboot and install Open GApps and reboot to system, this resolves the wifi issue.
After all of this, it's time to let Google Play update everything it has to before starting to use Google Play and installing our apps. Turns out that I hate pretty much all of the launchers out there. They all have weird lacks. Lack of options, lack of configuration or no support for notification dots or a payment is needed to unlock this feature, lack of icon and folder lables. I tried the major ones and I even installed the hacked version available as torrents and I was not impressed by any one of them. Microsoft Launcher is the best one I know that offers enough options to configure what I want AND enables notification dots freely. The only last thing they could make available is the possibility to configure folder background colors and transparency and icon styles. To my opinion, that's all that's missing. I DO NOT use gestures so no comment on this.
Verdict
I absolutely NEED my bluetooth to work and I need this camera app to work flawlessly. This means that I am left with one single option. That is:
Stable Stock (Touchwiz based) rom version 7.0 (Nougat)
I tested some nice ones but again, I run into some issues, therefor:
MY RECOMMENDATION: SamStock ROM
ALTERNATIVELY, My Re-Pack of the above ROM: SamStock ROM (Lightly Debloated)
The only Problem I fell upon is the download which required me to use a separate download manager to download this rom from Android File Host. I also am displeased that SamStock DOES include his own version of Magisk integrated inside the rom so after rom installation, I have to flash MY version of Magisk immediately before booting. This rom is also completely Stock which means NO debloating, Everything is there, from Samsung apps to Google apps. Knox is the only thing that got removed. So this is also a very big file to download, almost 2gb when some roms go far below the 1gb size. So it's probably the most space greedy rom out there, but it's also the one I have the least problems with.
Why not the other roms such as Marduk? Because they are not 100% stock, they are moded stock roms with the author's personal touches and possible kernels. The customized roms brought some awkward issues at moments and made the phone unstable with some rare but random reboots and total freeze requiring me to hard reboot the phone using "Volume Down + Home + Power". Some others just had a weird issue where some apps and games were not available to download on Google Play while as with a same v7.0 rom like SamStock, these were available for download.
As for AOSP roms, the camera and bluetooth issues are just too major to make the roms usable on a daily basis. Open Camera DOES resolve the camera image issue but does not resolve the low volume issue.
I hope this will help any of you out there to clarify your decision on what to install. I did my job in trying pretty much all I could download from XDA for my version of the phone. I recon that some exceptions may happen and that you may have not run into any of the issues I listed. Please feel free to comment.
Reference and downloads
If you want a good list and explanations and valuable links for downloads, please checkout the website I dedicated for the Canadian model but also valid for other variants: http://dr.mywebcommunity.org/g920w8/
Website last update: 2021-09-01
Website update notes
2021-09-01
• Added my own "SamStock ROM (Lightly Debloated)" in the list
• Added "Recommended" tags in the "Downloads and links" section
• Added my recommended android launcher "Microsoft Launcher" in the apps list
Mod-coversation removed following up a personal conversation. Thank you XDA mods for your concerns about your online community!
I updated the website to include more information and added a few more links in the Downloads section. I also added a small menu to to make the navigation in the Downloads and links section a bit easier.
I also added a small text file listing the apps that can safely be removed in zipped Stock ROMS. Here's the direct link, it's also available in the "Downloads and links" section: http://dr.mywebcommunity.org/g920w8/debloat/debloat_safe.txt