Database Users

[Q] What Happened to this phone?

Let's be honest to ourselves here guys, out beloved Moto X Style was officially released in September which means this phone has now been out for at least 3 months and while all the effort that has since been put in this devices by key developers and people from day 1 up till now is very much appreciated and will continue to be appreciated, the development of this device compared to most flagships has been slow motion.
I am just trying to understand what the hell went wrong with this phone that made it end up with such super slow motion development, as when I originally bought the device I was thinking this phone would be at least in the top 20 most active phones on XDA development wise.
It had so much going for it, easy root, easy unlockable bootloader, a pretty much almost complete stock version of android, kernel sources released and motorolas good track record of updating their flagship phones in a timely manner and good hardware to accompany the great bloatware free stock software and a cheap price compared to some other flagships from other companies such as Samsung and Sony
With all this in mind I thought developers would flock to this device and we would have a massive development forum with loads of options between custom roms, mods, themes and other tweaks etc
But this is far from the case and I know the Nexus 6P being released probably had something to do with it, Still this should have been at least in top 20
At first I thought when Android 6.0 MM will be released development will increase then we needed the kernel sources as that was apparently not enough, then we had kernel sources but apart from 1 or 2 roms showing up being in alpha stages nothings changed too much.
This is such a disappointment to say the least.
If only I could understand why this is happening maybe something could be done to fix this or increase the development of this phone, I dont know maybe get some developers from the nexus 6p forums on here some how ...
Any ideas why this has happened and if anything can be done to increase development?
IS THERE ANY WAY WE AS A COMMUNITY CAN GET MORE DEVELOPERS TO WORK ON THIS DEVICE?

djsynth said:
If only I could understand why this is happening maybe something could be done to fix this or increase the development of this phone, I dont know maybe get some developers from the nexus 6p forums on here some how ...
Any ideas why this has happened and if anything can be done to increase development?
IS THERE ANY WAY WE AS A COMMUNITY CAN GET MORE DEVELOPERS TO WORK ON THIS DEVICE?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it's due to a combination of factors, such as :
1) The popularity of the phone/ manufacturer. These figures show Lenovo/Motorloa in 5th place for sales, having a 3.7% market share in Q3 2015
2) The OS (Android) has improved a lot over recent years, to the extent where a lot of people (like me) are happy to stay with stock
3) With phones getting more expensive, more people are put off from unlocking their bootloader due to warranty issues
4) I'm no longer convinced about the benefits of custom ROMs - seems a lot of the time they break more things than they fix. Maybe a lot of other people now think the same.
5) Some apps, for example ones for mobile banking or subscrition TV & Video, will not work with a rooted phone.
In the past I've had various phones from various manufacturers, and I'd say if you get your kicks from installing custom ROMs, then buy a Nexus.

When i had the one plus one there were so many roms that was a brain storm... I prefer some and reliable roms than a plethora where you get confused!!!

2) The OS (Android) has improved a lot over recent years, to the extent where a lot of people (like me) are happy to stay with stock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4) I'm no longer convinced about the benefits of custom ROMs - seems a lot of the time they break more things than they fix. Maybe a lot of other people now think the same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMO you hit the nail on the head. I love this phone. I had the MXPE 2014 as well, was not a fan. Also owned the original, Loved it.
This MXPE has been great in imo, the lack of development has not been disappointing to me. The stock rom is really pretty good, there are minor tweaks that can be done but most can do these on their own.
I used to be a flash-aholic, but like @GretaLewd has stated...custom roms tend to break things. I'm more in favor of kernel development. But how many different kernels can you have? One way or another they'll be the same.
I also own a Nexus 6P, but my MXPE is my go to device.
I see users complaining about this phone constantly, I really don't think it matters what phone you put in the hands of those users...they would still find fault and complain.
Motorola and Lenovo did good by this device, I just hope they keep up with incrementals for a while.

Isn't the 64bit cpu reason because it takes more work to get cm/aosp roms?
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

Good thread. Would love to hear more thoughts
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

Ordered the device today. Hope slow development doesn't disappoint me on this device, as others have stated...

I have been using this device for 2 months now. I am happy with it an didn't face a single issue. I can do a little bit tweaking myself using Xposed.
So far the slow development doesn't bother me.

Only buy a device for what it can do out of the box, not what you hope it will be able to do with additional modding and development... Nothing else is guaranteed!
As it stands I'm very happy with my rooted stock Style, not need for custom roms.

chrisund123 said:
Only buy a device for what it can do out of the box, not what you hope it will be able to do with additional modding and development... Nothing else is guaranteed!
As it stands I'm very happy with my rooted stock Style, not need for custom roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a good way to approach Android phones I suppose but I believe
it's still nice to buy a phone that's great out of the box and good development wise, usually flagships tend to have good development and then the mid range and low end phones tend to get smaller developments but I guess there's an exception to everything.

patt2k said:
Isn't the 64bit cpu reason because it takes more work to get cm/aosp roms?
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt that's the reason since 64 Bit has been the standard since Lollipop and pretty much all the flagships have a 64bit cpu since the beggining of 2015 but that doesn't stop other development forums from flourishing.

GretaLewd said:
I think it's due to a combination of factors, such as :
1) The popularity of the phone/ manufacturer. These figures show Lenovo/Motorloa in 5th place for sales, having a 3.7% market share in Q3 2015
2) The OS (Android) has improved a lot over recent years, to the extent where a lot of people (like me) are happy to stay with stock
3) With phones getting more expensive, more people are put off from unlocking their bootloader due to warranty issues
4) I'm no longer convinced about the benefits of custom ROMs - seems a lot of the time they break more things than they fix. Maybe a lot of other people now think the same.
5) Some apps, for example ones for mobile banking or subscrition TV & Video, will not work with a rooted phone.
In the past I've had various phones from various manufacturers, and I'd say if you get your kicks from installing custom ROMs, then buy a Nexus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your break down on your thoughts of the subject and I must admit you've mention some very valid points here especially Point 1,2 and 5 but I think out of all of these its Point 1 and 2 that are the most significant, I suppose Motorola have a really small market share explains the lack of adoption between developers when comparing to some of the more prominent manufacturers such as samsung.
and The Android Stock OS has improved significantly within the past couple of years adding some new features that previously people had to root their phones to acomplish such as full app permission controls and backing up app data which google does for you now.

You need to follow development before buying a device these days. i.e. always wait at least 1-2 months. If you follow the development forums you would get an idea if developers are interested in said device or not. I for one, bought it right after I found out that AICP (CM12) rom was being developed. I was interested in running CM13 instead of other AOSP variations. And before I got the device the first (almost daily driver) builds were already uploaded.

Once cm is solid quite a few roms will pop up. Won't be long now.

Official MM has only been out for our phone for a little over a month. give it some time it may pick up. either way it's still an awesome phone out the box... and as stated above, once CM13 is stable im sure we'll see some of the other custom ROMs that are based off it.

GretaLewd said:
2) The OS (Android) has improved a lot over recent years, to the extent where a lot of people (like me) are happy to stay with stock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a great point, but I'd like to add that this is especially applicable to our MXPE. We're really close to stock as it is, so there's little motivation to go ROM to debloat like there is on Samsung, LG, and similar phones. On the flip side, we have a lot of really neat features (active display, approach, accelerator gestures, voice controls) that we would lose if we went ROM.
For me, these two points combine, leaving me with little motivation to ROM my phone, especially since I can could get most of the advantages of CyanogenMod with something like GravityBox, which will allow me to keep the Motorola features (I'm currently unrooted because of the warranty, but I'll be rooted in the future for sure) . Of course, these are my own personal opinions, but I suspect that they reflect at least some of the mindset of this community.

I agree with others, that custom roms are often more trouble than they're worth. The only reason to use them these days is if your device isn't going to be updated to the latest version of Android.

Ever since moto introduced 99% stock android + moto display, roms have been entirely unnecessary for me. I used to rom my phones to gain greater flexibility + customizability. Now that I have stock android + Xposed, I doubt I will ever flash another custom rom again.

I'm still waiting for custom super roms that will make this device best in the market. Why can we have a rom with 1080p display, tweak kernel with better control for heating issue for overall battery life and speed?
Sent from my XT1575 using XDA Free mobile app

The biggest issue is that developers don't support devices they don't own. With the launch of the nexus 6 (not the 6p) most developers got it and had no need to update to a y newer devices.
Also to the comment that all flag ships are 64 bit this is not the case. If you look the most popular devices as far as developers are concerned are non 64 bit.
Also as android matures you will see less and less roms. As it will be come harder. There are very few real development teams. Most are just kitchen sink roms. A base with tons of cherry picks and a new name. Nothing even worth looking at twice. But more developers are closing up the source of their projects because of these types of roms.
To be honest most users have no point in flashing roms. Only those that like the development side of it will continue to mod roms and flash things.

Google Pixel ROM Reviews

Hey guys,
I used to do ROM Reviews for the Nexus 6 a long time ago but got carried away with work and had to slow down (we all know how much time and effort it can take to wipe and restart with a new ROM). I feel like the reviews helped spark discussion and the responses to the reviews really helped me understand what factors mattered most to the average user.
Anyways, is there any interest in me starting this up for the Pixel? I've used PureNexus for quite some time now and feel like I have a very good grasp on it in terms of features and performance. I'm downloading and configuring Hexa tonight, so I can start with a comparison (outside of stock). If there's interest, I'll plan to post the first review at the end of this next week (around 3/4 Feb).
EDIT: I'm going to wait on this until the GApps issues all get ironed out. I'd love feedback on which ROMs to try, so I can start with the ROMs people want first.

Could use some in-depth reviews here. Perhaps a comparison to stock.

CyberLykan said:
Could use some in-depth reviews here. Perhaps a comparison to stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any ROM preference for the first one?

phishfi said:
Any ROM preference for the first one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hexa would be nice. I've been contemplating flashing it but would like a review to compare it with PN
Sent from my Pixel using XDA Labs

S8ntsHaz3 said:
Hexa would be nice. I've been contemplating flashing it but would like a review to compare it with PN
Sent from my Pixel using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I tried installing Hexa last night. Coming from PureNexus, I played it safe and wiped everything first, didn't even install TWRP (just used fastboot to boot into TWRP every time). Still, I had nothing but issues with Google Play services. I'm also not a fan of all the AOSP apps that LineageOS includes. I wish there was an option during set up where it asks if you want to keep them, so users can decline the ones they'll never use (I'm fine with them including the essentials, like "Messaging", but I can't stand having the AOSP Email app and a bunch of other).
I then tried to install Oct-N, with a number of issues again.
If/when I do this, I'm going to have to wait until the process becomes less painful. I liked PureNexus a LOT, but for the moment (I'll keep trying next weekend) I'm going to stick with stock w/ root.

phishfi said:
So I tried installing Hexa last night. Coming from PureNexus, I played it safe and wiped everything first, didn't even install TWRP (just used fastboot to boot into TWRP every time). Still, I had nothing but issues with Google Play services. I'm also not a fan of all the AOSP apps that LineageOS includes. I wish there was an option during set up where it asks if you want to keep them, so users can decline the ones they'll never use (I'm fine with them including the essentials, like "Messaging", but I can't stand having the AOSP Email app and a bunch of other).
I then tried to install Oct-N, with a number of issues again.
If/when I do this, I'm going to have to wait until the process becomes less painful. I liked PureNexus a LOT, but for the moment (I'll keep trying next weekend) I'm going to stick with stock w/ root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried Dirty Unicorns yet?
Sent from my Pixel using XDA Labs

for me its either pure nexus or dirty unicorns. DU has a few more options and better battery life currently. at least for me. the pixel doesnt have anywhere near the dev community the nexuses or oneplus3t have. but ill take what I can get.

fix-this! said:
for me its either pure nexus or dirty unicorns. DU has a few more options and better battery life currently. at least for me. the pixel doesnt have anywhere near the dev community the nexuses or oneplus3t have. but ill take what I can get.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think that's necessarily true. The Pixel's system is completely different from either of those devices, and it's taking significantly longer for the devs to sort out all of the kinks. It doesn't help that it's MUCH more consumer-focused than any of Google's previous phones or tablets.
I tried DU a long time ago on an older device, but not on my Pixel. Maybe I'll try that next. Does DU have a thing against sharing their builds on XDA?

phishfi said:
I don't think that's necessarily true. The Pixel's system is completely different from either of those devices, and it's taking significantly longer for the devs to sort out all of the kinks. It doesn't help that it's MUCH more consumer-focused than any of Google's previous phones or tablets.
I tried DU a long time ago on an older device, but not on my Pixel. Maybe I'll try that next. Does DU have a thing against sharing their builds on XDA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont think a lot of devs have the pixel or xl. they are pretty expensive. but yes I know the new partition scheme is a pita. thats why we dont have a stable twrp yet. ive yet to see another person with a pixel despite it selling well. I mostly see samsungs and iphones.
im not sure what the beef is with DU and xda. they are at devbase. I didnt join the site, just bookmarked for the builds.

fix-this! said:
I dont think a lot of devs have the pixel or xl. they are pretty expensive. but yes I know the new partition scheme is a pita. thats why we dont have a stable twrp yet. ive yet to see another person with a pixel despite it selling well. I mostly see samsungs and iphones.
im not sure what the beef is with DU and xda. they are at devbase. I didnt join the site, just bookmarked for the builds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair point, especially if they enjoy the Nexus 6P...

Can you get Oct-N to work and leave a review? Seems interesting.

i have been running DU since it was released and recently flashed purenexus almost a week ago. while the 2 roms have similar mods i feel DU had better battery life. both roms run smooth but battery life is the deciding factor on which rom to use as a daily driver.

Jack of all Trades, and Master of NONE??

Hello Developers, fellow users. I am Sam and I'd like to point out something that has been happening everywhere for years but it gets ignored.
I've been using Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 since when it was released in India and I was a XDA member even before that! Previously I had a Samsung Galaxy flagship phone.
Guys, all we've been doing is chasing our tails. Let me tell you why I say this. It starts with using MiUi and getting bored, then eventually Stock Android/AOSP ROMs are made (Of course because of the hard work the developers put in). We use them, they work really good, and their bugs are fewer.
However, as soon as there's a "Newer Version" of Android released, everthing else is left in the dust and forgotten!
Here's what I want to ask anyone and everyone who would answer it......
Why do we chase something that isn't even released for our device? What's the rush?
It started with Marshmallow release.
There were good lollipop ROMs and Marshmallow did not come out for our device, but nevertheless, the process started. Okay, but by the time when some good Marshmallow ROMs were being made, Nougat gets released and all hell breaks loose, "AGAIN"!!! Once more, the process started. And again on the verge of having some good Nougat ROMs, "Oreo is released"? Please see the pattern here!!
Now, we know that Nougat might never be made available, officially, for kenzo.
My point is we haven't had a bug free ROM with good signals, ever!
Not in any version of Android!!
I urge the developers to consider, even partnering up, for making a good and bug free "Marshmallow ROM", Nougat Rom before moving on to OREO
@Demon_sss @TheStrix @xyxx @GreekDragon @PhenomX1998 @psndna88 @abhishek987 @TheDarkStrix @Umang96 @jhenrique09 @AmolAmrit @wight554 @dadi11 @poad42 @O_dinochka @minz1 @Ashish94 @ValoXis @flar2 @rocknegi @srisurya95 @Sudeep Duhoon @EsromG5
@scrubjay55
I make no demands guys, but more people than just me will be obliged if this becomes something real!

Mr.Diligent said:
Why do we chase something that isn't even released for our device? What's the rush?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cuz, this is XDA, dude!

Bored of MIUI is the basis for discussion? I'm in support of all devs I'm happy the way they progressed starting from Marshmallow & now we have stable Nougat where as Xiaomi is abandoning older devices.
Regarding the network strength there's not a huge difference between MIUI & Custom roms imo.
You have two choices try taking this to the next level of Xiaomi executives or never buy MI devices.
Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk

Umm, Oh...Kay....!!
VaibhavKumar07 said:
Bored of MIUI is the basis for discussion? I'm in support of all devs I'm happy the way they progressed starting from Marshmallow & now we have stable Nougat where as Xiaomi is abandoning older devices.
Regarding the network strength there's not a huge difference between MIUI & Custom roms imo.
You have two choices try taking this to the next level of Xiaomi executives or never buy MI devices.
Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. The basis of this discussion is, actually, the love for stock Android. Not only we get bored of MiUi but also by using TouchWiz, Flyme etc. Okay!!
2. No we don't have stable ROMs yet, not really!!
3. It's strategy to abandon older devices that Xiaomi also follows, nothing odd about it!
So, in short,
I thank thou for your UNvaluable inputs here!!

I think AOSIP by shrisurya is almost complete nougat ROM with best signals and stability.RR,nitrogen,los are pretty strong ones too,so no problem in focusing on developing Oreo ones.just a rookie's thought.

Mr.Diligent said:
1. The basis of this discussion is, actually, the love for stock Android. Not only we get bored of MiUi but also by using TouchWiz, Flyme etc. Okay!!
2. No we don't have stable ROMs yet, not really!!
3. It's strategy to abandon older devices that Xiaomi also follows, nothing odd about it!
So, in short,
I thank thou for your UNvaluable inputs here!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would rather ignore you at this point but let me answer :
> If you love stock android that's k but bored of MIUI? Do you have a life or just keep staring at your phone lmao, if you give valid reasons like performance, battery life etc that's acceptable.
> We don't have stable roms yet? all Nougat roms are stable for usage in real life i.e. Network, Battery life, No lags or FCs , Theme support, Security patches etc
> Are you talking about strategy with me? Kid, in this case a device that has millions of users and had success there's a lot more to expect in terms of software updates. Abandoning a device with such popularity just after a year is a terrible decision.

Mr.Diligent said:
2. No we don't have stable ROMs yet, not really!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nougat ROMs are already plenty stable. Never experienced any bugs with the ROM I'm using for about 2 months now. Signal quality is the same with MIUI on mine. Using Desolation ROM by the way.

I think the 'Geek' in you is sleeping, you just need to wake him up and you will get the answer to your question.

This is positive post, No offence offered to anyone guys!!
Blueshark17 said:
I think AOSIP by shrisurya is almost complete nougat ROM with best signals and stability.RR,nitrogen,los are pretty strong ones too,so no problem in focusing on developing Oreo ones. Just a rookie's thought.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah 5.9 build of AoSIP is good for signals not much else though! None of the rest, i.e. including the newer version of the AoSIP, are even comparable with Global Stock Rom for kenzo!
bloodytolits said:
Nougat ROMs are already plenty stable. Never experienced any bugs with the ROM I'm using for about 2 months now. Signal quality is the same with MIUI on mine. Using Desolation ROM by the way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, regarding the signal quality, no, it most unequivocally, isn't even as good as that of An MiUi Rom!
VaibhavKumar07 said:
I would rather ignore you at this point but let me answer :
> If you love stock android that's k but bored of MIUI? Do you have a life or just keep staring at your phone lmao, if you give valid reasons like performance, battery life etc that's acceptable.
> We don't have stable roms yet? all Nougat roms are stable for usage in real life i.e. Network, Battery life, No lags or FCs , Theme support, Security patches etc
> Are you talking about strategy with me? Kid, in this case a device that has millions of users and had success there's a lot more to expect in terms of software updates. Abandoning a device with such popularity just after a year is a terrible decision.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're aware that people have their own choices right, also most of us are here because, even if we don't hate/get bored of Miui, We at least don't like/prefer MiUi as much, which includes you too!
1. Also battery is the most....
You know what, I know you can't help me man!
I'm not interested in this stupid quarrel!
So, it's now an EOC with you Vaibhav!

Mr.Diligent said:
Yeah 5.9 build of AoSIP is good for signals not much else though! None of the rest, i.e. including the newer version of the AoSIP, are even comparable with Global Stock Rom for kenzo!
Okay, regarding the signal quality, no, it most unequivocally, isn't even as good as that of An MiUi Rom!
You're aware that people have their own choices right, also most of us are here because, even if we don't hate/get bored of Miui, We at least don't like/prefer MiUi as much, which includes you too!
1. Also battery is the most....
You know what, I know you can't help me man!
I'm not interested in this stupid quarrel!
So, it's now an EOC with you Vaibhav!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thread reported , you're just here to grab attention & get some likes.
On my Ignore list already.
Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk

Off you go.....
VaibhavKumar07 said:
Thread reported, I'm just here to grab attention & get some likes.
Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait, wait, wait.... Do you do this more often?
Something tells me that you always say:
"Thread reported"!
Is this what you do? Do you ruin others' threads by engaging in pointless back to back comments?
Well I reported you as well!
Admin before removing my genuine thread, kindly check this guy out!

Mr.Diligent said:
Wait, wait, wait.... Do you do this more often?
Something tells me that you always say:
"Thread reported"!
Is this what you do? Do you ruin others' threads by engaging in pointless back to back comments?
Well I reported you as well!
Admin before removing my genuine thread, kindly check this guy out!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be fair, your thread is actually pointless/stupid. It's just ranting. You claim there are no stable Nougat, yet there are a lot here that says otherwise. Your definition of stable is suspect here. Probably, stable = perfect.
It's easy to check if signal strength really is better in MIUI. Flash MIUI, put your phone down somewhere then take note of the signal strength(dbm and asu not the signal bar) with several second intervals for several minutes(until you're satisfied) then do the same for the other ROM you want. Mine showed no difference. The only thing better with MIUI was camera quality.

I am using Nitrogen OS nougat for quite some time now, and I must say it's totally stable, never faced any problem till now. And I have even compared the dBm and asu with miui roms, and there's no difference practically, and there's no call drops or poor call quality issues also. You can definitely give it try, I don't know what else you mean by stable.

bloodytolits said:
To be fair, your thread is actually pointless/stupid. It's just ranting. You claim there are no stable Nougat, yet there are a lot here that says otherwise. Your definition of stable is suspect here. Probably, stable = perfect.
It's easy to check if signal strength really is better in MIUI. Flash MIUI, put your phone down somewhere then take note of the signal strength(dbm and asu not the signal bar) with several second intervals for several minutes(until you're satisfied) then do the same for the other ROM you want. Mine showed no difference. The only thing better with MIUI was camera quality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this mate with HDR+ on Gcam > MIUI cam https://forum.xda-developers.com/redmi-note-3/themes/google-camera-hdr-60fps-t3656675

Mr.Diligent said:
Hello Developers, fellow users. I am Sam and I'd like to point out something that has been happening everywhere for years but it gets ignored.
I've been using Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 since when it was released in India and I was a XDA member even before that! Previously I had a Samsung Galaxy flagship phone.
Guys, all we've been doing is chasing our tails. Let me tell you why I say this. It starts with using MiUi and getting bored, then eventually Stock Android/AOSP ROMs are made (Of course because of the hard work the developers put in). We use them, they work really good, and their bugs are fewer.
However, as soon as there's a "Newer Version" of Android released, everthing else is left in the dust and forgotten!
Here's what I want to ask anyone and everyone who would answer it......
Why do we chase something that isn't even released for our device? What's the rush?
It started with Marshmallow release.
There were good lollipop ROMs and Marshmallow did not come out for our device, but nevertheless, the process started. Okay, but by the time when some good Marshmallow ROMs were being made, Nougat gets released and all hell breaks loose, "AGAIN"!!! Once more, the process started. And again on the verge of having some good Nougat ROMs, "Oreo is released"? Please see the pattern here!!
Now, we know that Nougat might never be made available, officially, for kenzo.
My point is we haven't had a bug free ROM with good signals, ever!
Not in any version of Android!!
I urge the developers to consider, even partnering up, for making a good and bug free "Marshmallow ROM", Nougat Rom before moving on to OREO
@Demon_sss @TheStrix @xyxx @GreekDragon @PhenomX1998 @psndna88 @abhishek987 @TheDarkStrix @Umang96 @jhenrique09 @AmolAmrit @wight554 @dadi11 @poad42 @O_dinochka @minz1 @Ashish94 @ValoXis @flar2 @rocknegi @srisurya95 @Sudeep Duhoon @EsromG5
@scrubjay55
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mr.Diligent said:
I make no demands guys, but more people than just me will be obliged if this becomes something real!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But you are being demanding. You said yourself, you have been a member here for a long time. So why not do it yourself? Contribute instead of expecting others to do it for you. After all, that IS what this site is for. Developers.
Thread closed.

Very Less DEVS

If i knew that this phone pixel xl has a very few ROMs and MODs i wouldn't really buy it, i prefer oneplus phones... it's just disappointing

driss.sadok said:
If i knew that this phone pixel xl has a very few ROMs and MODs i wouldn't really buy it, i prefer oneplus phones... it's just disappointing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
7.x seems like it was a real challenge for developers with the a/b partitions etc. Hoping the 8 treble improvements will help that situation out. The Sony theming engine already has helped me via substratum.
Still I'm thinking the stock room hasn't given me any reason to move. In general the deviations from AOSP I like.
But yes, sure isn't a Nexus 5.

I think it's down to the price. I see no reason to buy this to Dev on over any other device Pixel just isn't value for money and nowhere near as popular as some of the other devices out there

People griping about "Very Less DEVS" certainly won't improve the situation. Thread reported to mods. If you want to complain, at least use the right forum.

I'd rather have "very less" stable quality software rather than the trash I see in some of the custom roms.

Android has matured a significant amount since the EZroot days of the Droid 1 days to the point where the OS already comes from factory with the customization that people used custom ROMs for.
That, plus the frequency of monthly updates and the need for the rom developer to keep up with the monthy updates PLUS incorporating new ways to circumvent the safetynet check has made modifying less sought after.
I'm pretty sure the majority of people people that rooted and ran ROMs were for the purpose of increasing functionality and not solely for the purpose of saying "I modified my phone".
Placebo init.d scripts and build.prop days flooded the "developer" community for some time until people caught up with it. If a company could incorporate ways to increase speed and battery life without losing functionality, wouldn't you think they would do it so they can have an edge against their competition?
So I ask, what are you looking for in a custom rom that isn't available right now?

ChongoDroid said:
I'd rather have "very less" stable quality software rather than the trash I see in some of the custom roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have to agree. I am running rooted stock and have all the mods I need with great battery life. I get the need for some people wanting to run custom roms for missing options from the stock rom, but with custom roms also comes with bugs.

Yea when I originally purchased this last year I figured the dev community would be huge. Don't get me wrong I appreciate the awesome ROMs we have just thought it would be a bigger scene. Seeing as how the phone is very expensive and if you want an unlocked bootloader you have to buy it through Google it makes sense (yes some Verizon models could be unlocked before updating). In general I still love the phone and it's by far better than anything I've had before. I don't upgrade phones often because I always wait for very good deals (Pixel for $140 new) so I'll likely have this for years.

ins5736 said:
People griping about "Very Less DEVS" certainly won't improve the situation. Thread reported to mods. If you want to complain, at least use the right forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THANK U but i think this forum is the discussion too, so it's the right place to complain.. i wasn't complaining only for mods, roms too ... i think u get my point

scottjal said:
7.x seems like it was a real challenge for developers with the a/b partitions etc. Hoping the 8 treble improvements will help that situation out. The Sony theming engine already has helped me via substratum.
Still I'm thinking the stock room hasn't given me any reason to move. In general the deviations from AOSP I like.
But yes, sure isn't a Nexus 5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have substratum and i am always on swiftblack, i'm getting bored so can u please link the sony one ? hahahaha i think our phone is only limited in stock system.

richii0207 said:
Android has matured a significant amount since the EZroot days of the Droid 1 days to the point where the OS already comes from factory with the customization that people used custom ROMs for.
That, plus the frequency of monthly updates and the need for the rom developer to keep up with the monthy updates PLUS incorporating new ways to circumvent the safetynet check has made modifying less sought after.
I'm pretty sure the majority of people people that rooted and ran ROMs were for the purpose of increasing functionality and not solely for the purpose of saying "I modified my phone".
Placebo init.d scripts and build.prop days flooded the "developer" community for some time until people caught up with it. If a company could incorporate ways to increase speed and battery life without losing functionality, wouldn't you think they would do it so they can have an edge against their competition?
So I ask, what are you looking for in a custom rom that isn't available right now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well i agree with u, and concerning your question i would say that if we can have a different room rather than the stock i would be happy, i used to have, nexus5, N6, N5x, N6P, 1+1 and 1+3.. i always look for something really different than the stock android, like miui or flyme os.. or at least a rom with plenty of features. i am just get bored to have always the same stock system as there is no other cutom oreo rom. i'm not a professional and i never tried to coock some here but i always change and flash my phone and even my family and friends phones . pixel xl is amazing especially with software updates and google things, even the camera app is the best so far and we recently have this new option of "AR STICKERS"... but i am bored that this phone doesn't really make me work on it.
i hope u get the message

aholeinthewor1d said:
Yea when I originally purchased this last year I figured the dev community would be huge. Don't get me wrong I appreciate the awesome ROMs we have just thought it would be a bigger scene. Seeing as how the phone is very expensive and if you want an unlocked bootloader you have to buy it through Google it makes sense (yes some Verizon models could be unlocked before updating). In general I still love the phone and it's by far better than anything I've had before. I don't upgrade phones often because I always wait for very good deals (Pixel for $140 new) so I'll likely have this for years.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what u said is exactly what i meant by making this post, and honestly this phone is the best so far, i just expected more devs on it as it's a huge phone especially a google phone.

To the OP,
It's been pretty clear for some time that there aren't many rooms for the Pixel XL: are you sure that you really could not have known this before you got one?
I'm not that bothered that there isn't much development: less is more, there's less necessity than a few years ago and the pace of updates and safetynet make this a more intensive task (as mentioned by others). I have root and only use this for very specific features like adblocking.
I've had 3 OnePlus phones (2, 3 & 5) and each generation of Nexus/Pixel (bar two: GNex and N6... I had the Pixel 2 but returned it as faulty). A number of the roms/mods for 1+ are attempts to replicate Nexus/Pixel features, with the rest fairly pointless shortcuts and 'features' of little value (and often already accessible through an app). Substratum does most all you need for theming, and xposed (apparently almost ready for Oreo as the biggest jump was to Nougat) takes care of much of the other stuff.

driss.sadok said:
well i agree with u, and concerning your question i would say that if we can have a different room rather than the stock i would be happy, i used to have, nexus5, N6, N5x, N6P, 1+1 and 1+3.. i always look for something really different than the stock android, like miui or flyme os.. or at least a rom with plenty of features. i am just get bored to have always the same stock system as there is no other cutom oreo rom. i'm not a professional and i never tried to coock some here but i always change and flash my phone and even my family and friends phones . pixel xl is amazing especially with software updates and google things, even the camera app is the best so far and we recently have this new option of "AR STICKERS"... but i am bored that this phone doesn't really make me work on it.
i hope u get the message
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you may have bought the wrong phone if u expected that you were going to need to be replacing the ROM... IMHO, none of the custom ROMs are going to be better optimisized, and its just a fact that none will be utilisizing the latest new android features, being as they are always months behind Google's releases....
custom roms tend to be far better suited for older phones, EOL devices, etc...
you can still get a ton of customizations on the stock ROM, but it comes down to custom kernels, launchers and root apps that can modify the ROM, etc....
I'm curious, what are the compelling features that u need out of rom that u can't get on stock?

driss.sadok said:
THANK U but i think this forum is the discussion too, so it's the right place to complain.. i wasn't complaining only for mods, roms too ... i think u get my point
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The mods must agree with me, not you. Enjoy complaining in the correct forum.

kboya said:
To the OP,
It's been pretty clear for some time that there aren't many rooms for the Pixel XL: are you sure that you really could not have known this before you got one?
I'm not that bothered that there isn't much development: less is more, there's less necessity than a few years ago and the pace of updates and safetynet make this a more intensive task (as mentioned by others). I have root and only use this for very specific features like adblocking.
I've had 3 OnePlus phones (2, 3 & 5) and each generation of Nexus/Pixel (bar two: GNex and N6... I had the Pixel 2 but returned it as faulty). A number of the roms/mods for 1+ are attempts to replicate Nexus/Pixel features, with the rest fairly pointless shortcuts and 'features' of little value (and often already accessible through an app). Substratum does most all you need for theming, and xposed (apparently almost ready for Oreo as the biggest jump was to Nougat) takes care of much of the other stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I miss Xposed. So. Freaking. Much.
But not enough to to go back to nougat lol

Last Xposed report was almost ready for Oreo.. a few weeks back

Thank u guys, i know my subject is annoying, but i think i am just addicted to changing all time, and to this forum too lol. but if really Xposed comes to nougat, that would help my sickness

I have had no urge to install a custom ROM or even a kernel since I got the Pixel XL (right after release). Besides my being annoyed by Google putting the search bar on the bottom of the home launcher page and making it non-deletable or even movable, I have been totally happy with bootloader unlocked and rooted stock. My only development frustration is the moving target that the TWRP devs seem to be chasing and the SuperSU transition. I am liking Magisk so far, but I had got used to Chainfire's apps and have a hard time accepting this change LOL.

2nd hand Pixel XL's will swell the user base
liam_davenport said:
I think it's down to the price. I see no reason to buy this to Dev on over any other device Pixel just isn't value for money and nowhere near as popular as some of the other devices out there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheaper 2nd hand XL's will make this phone more popular - I just got mine for £340 and am very pleased with it. (I should be as my previous phone was a Nexus 4 which I loved and nurtured for over 4 years!)
Having said that I'm on 8.1 stock unlocked but not yet rooted.
I'm waiting to see what Project Treble will bring.

why less custom roms

hii learned people
why now a days less ans less custom roms?. say it for samsung etc. look at our one plus no stable custom roms. i have a fear that after some years our xad must be irrelevant which i really dont want. the best place. i am asking from my heart. other than my profession i used to spend more time on xda before. now a days its becoming less. whch makes me very sad.
thank you
regards
dr.mouli

ayurmouli said:
hii learned people
why now a days less ans less custom roms?. say it for samsung etc. look at our one plus no stable custom roms. i have a fear that after some years our xad must be irrelevant which i really dont want. the best place. i am asking from my heart. other than my profession i used to spend more time on xda before. now a days its becoming less. whch makes me very sad.
thank you
regards
dr.mouli
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We have Resurrection Remix that is stable

There's a few stable OP 8 series Roms. I don't quite understand what you are going on about.

sir
FreshlyBaked 420 said:
There's a few stable OP 8 series Roms. I don't quite understand what you are going on about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the amount of custom roms are getting lesser and lesser every day. we dont even have stable twrp of our one plus. rooting is getting difficult day by day. are we heading for ios scenario
thank you

ayurmouli said:
the amount of custom roms are getting lesser and lesser every day. we dont even have stable twrp of our one plus. rooting is getting difficult day by day. are we heading for ios scenario
thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes custom Roms aren't what they used to be. There's still options though. We do have stable TWRP on A10, A11 is going to take time. Not everything happens overnight. Rooting isn't hard either really.

The overall OS have improved a lot...

ayurmouli said:
hii learned people
why now a days less ans less custom roms?. say it for samsung etc. look at our one plus no stable custom roms. i have a fear that after some years our xad must be irrelevant which i really dont want. the best place. i am asking from my heart. other than my profession i used to spend more time on xda before. now a days its becoming less. whch makes me very sad.
thank you
regards
dr.mouli
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can thank the dynamic super partition as the culprit behind this.
This is the real underlying cause of very few custom roms. It's also the cost of the device. many people can't afford a thousand bucks.

yes
Burt Squirtz said:
You can thank the dynamic super partition as the culprit behind this.
This is the real underlying cause of very few customer roms. It's also the cost of the device. many people can't afford a thousand bucks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly the base of android os is open source but slowly we are reaching for the closed eco system. unfortunately

ayurmouli said:
exactly the base of android os is open source but slowly we are reaching for the closed eco system. unfortunately
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's right. I'm flashing roms since my galaxy S1. Ive never had a phone without custom rom. But nowadays stock roms starting to be better an better. Even MIUI is a great rom if you debloat it a lot! Today I'm only rooted with a custom kernel. I don't want to miss OEM feature and just want to have a stable rom! And with OxygenOS we have it!

There are ROMs and there is root, we really don't need twrp.
Root is extremely easy, as is unlocking the bootloader.
Personally I'm not a fan of the dual slot system, I think it just confuses the crap out of people, but what can you do.
I'm coming from a Huawei p20 pro. If you think it's bad here, just check out the "development" over there, and they were thriving not so long ago, now it's just as dead as death over there.
(They actually made a development section for the p40 Pro lol why? )
We'll have development for some time yet and will more than likely be root and development for many years to come.
Plus the developers we have here, a lot of them are self taught so why wait for someone else to do it for you?
Make yourself a ROM..
I've done it before (many moons ago) its a great feeling making a ROM you made yourself that boots, of course if it's a non OOS ROM you'll need twrp but that'll come in due course.
I agree in part that development has declined but we should be grateful for what we do have, which is more than a lot of other devices..
I think partly with 1+ it's because the OS is already pretty damn good, plus OnePlus haven't exactly made it impossible for us to mod things..

I also look at another flagship phone that released this year, almost low to none custom ROMs.

Yes thx, I've been on pixels for the last few years & always on a custom rom. I got kona soon as I could and have been loving it. While I have used magisk modules and custom kernel, this is the first time in a really long time that I've stayed on the stock os. The os has came a long way and am thankful to have kona and wouldn't change it for nothing. I've really enjoyed this device so far. Anyway thanks for sharing and just thought I'd share my thoughts.

ps000000 said:
I also look at another flagship phone that released this year, almost low to none custom ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aye I've done the same, even the pixel seems lacking.
Are we looking at it wrong though? I mean back on the HTC devices I've owned sure I did a tonne of flashing but I usually settled on 1 or 2 ROMs and we do have more than that here, so do we have what we need rather than what we want?
Lol I'm sure we'd all prefer the latter, I would too, but it's something to think about, I mean Paranoid Android is here, sure it's had less updates than an rtx 3090 but it's here

To add to what others are saying... Cooking a ROM is a very time consuming project. Not a lot of people want to spend the time on it anymore. When I first got a smart phone, it was an HTC touch diamond. Windows phone OS. Back then, tons of people were learning to create custom ROMs and mods for them. That has slowly dwindled over time. On Android, ROMs were mostly created to get AOSP ported to most devices. Nowadays, all phones have custom hardware that needs a factory ROM to be useful. AOSP is not very desirable as it is the most basic form of Android with only basic functionality for mostly Pixel phones. Most people are now only concerned with using a debloated stock ROM and rooting for modules etc. This is the norm. I don't think it will change. It is what things have evolved into over time.

Also we can install treble ROMs can't we?
I've talked about this before.
There should be dedicated sections for functional treble ROMs where common issues can be laid bare so they can at least be worked on with specific device owners.
Asking a question about your own device in a treble thread seldom gets an answer.
AFAIK we'd need twrp unless Fastboot can be used? Not sure, have only managed to get one treble ROM to boot back on the p20 pro when I had it unlocked.
Most of it worked if memory serves..I'll give them a whirl next time I Bork my system or i get bored and will make a thread detailing which ones work.

i will never go for huawei
dladz said:
There are ROMs and there is root, we really don't need twrp.
Root is extremely easy, as is unlocking the bootloader.
Personally I'm not a fan of the dual slot system, I think it just confuses the crap out of people, but what can you do.
I'm coming from a Huawei p20 pro. If you think it's bad here, just check out the "development" over there, and they were thriving not so long ago, now it's just as dead as death over there.
(They actually made a development section for the p40 Pro lol why? )
We'll have development for some time yet and will more than likely be root and development for many years to come.
Plus the developers we have here, a lot of them are self taught so why wait for someone else to do it for you?
Make yourself a ROM..
I've done it before (many moons ago) its a great feeling making a ROM you made yourself that boots, of course if it's a non OOS ROM you'll need twrp but that'll come in due course.
I agree in part that development has declined but we should be grateful for what we do have, which is more than a lot of other devices..
I think partly with 1+ it's because the OS is already pretty damn good, plus OnePlus haven't exactly made it impossible for us to mod things..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
never allow us to open boot loader. u cant even root. i sold p30 pro after using it for 3 months. i always come back to android because we can root. other wise iphone is better in all the departments and it has value also. but if android is same as ios i.e closed eco system then who needs it. we do flashing etc because its fun. as a doctor this things makes me feel; good because i do something (rooting etc) which is beyond my profession. which is fun and entertaining

ayurmouli said:
never allow us to open boot loader. u cant even root. i sold p30 pro after using it for 3 months. i always come back to android because we can root. other wise iphone is better in all the departments and it has value also. but if android is same as ios i.e closed eco system then who needs it. we do flashing etc because its fun. as a doctor this things makes me feel; good because i do something (rooting etc) which is beyond my profession. which is fun and entertaining
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I couldn't disagree more.
Point being the OS even without root is still better, still more open and content is still better.
Think Apple TV Vs Shield TV Pro, I can play Wii, GameCube, Dreamcast, arcade, neogeo, SNES, megadrive, Atari, Amiga, spectrum commodore, Amstrad, pc engine, pc games, Android games, can watch any movie, listen to any music, connect any controller (multiple controllers) wired or wireless, have it as a searchable Nas drive in my network, watch IPTV through it.
Apple TV can be used for apps like Netflix, that is it.
No file manager, no emulators, nothing.
iOS is not better than Android, not even close, maybe the camera and that's due to singular hardware.
Also Huawei/ honor devices DID allow bootloader unlocking, I know this as I unlocked my p20 pro they stopped it in July 2018 and then reopened it briefly in late 2018, nothing since.
Before this time it was always open, they partnered with XDA to promote their devices and then when they gathered ground they pulled the rug out from underneath everyone's feet, Huawei are slime, they deserve to be hit financially.
Anyone who bought a p30 or p40 is either not bothered about rooting or doesn't want the latest and greatest hardware (Mali GPU is horrific, Kirin is a joke)
If anyone does buy Huawei, they're contributing to the problem as they're still giving money to a company who went against everything that Android stands for.
There is literally no point of there being a P40 forum or P30. It's not even Android in my eyes.
The only way that will reverse is if people stop buying from Huawei/honor, if you're not part of the solution you're part of the problem.
Going back to Apple, the only device I like from them is their MacBook Pro simply for it's trackpad as I love the features it offers, but as an OS? No I'm always the phone nor OSX can cut it Vs Windows/Android..
And would you pay £2,500 for the privilege of using their trackpad? No I'd rather buy a top gaming rig.
It'll always be this way, Jesus iOS just got widgets lmfao,, welcome to 2007 Apple, haha.
And you think is better? You must be joking.