Samsung Tab a6 Bloatware - Samsung Galaxy Tab A series Questions & Answers

Hi All
I have just managed to Root the above device SM-T285, With TWRS and SuperSU. Could anyone advise please what Bloatware can be removed now after rooting without causing any harm/problems?
As you will all know its only 8GB but get half of that in reality. I won't realise use many of the stock apps if any. Would anyone have a list of programs/apps that can be deleted from within system/app directory.
I am not confident about adding roms etc quite like the skin etc thats on it and lay out, just want the stuff gone to free up space on the device. I do have a separate SD card in the device but still want device storage increased if possible.
Thanking you all in Advance!
Paul

Related

Root Q/A

Hey guys.
So, I just got my Magic and im frustrated that I cant dl apps from market that cost money. Sadly im living in scandinavia making it not possible for me to do so.
Now I've been reading about ROoting and trying to understand what it is and wich purpose it fullfiles.
I'd appriciate a link to a "General questions regarding rooting" or something similar so I can read up and maybe, just maybe root my device without bricking it.
I've searched but nothin, read the wiki about rooting but that just explained HOW to root and not which functions it brought with the device actually being rooted.
I'd appriciate some REAL infomation and not "lol nub go google" because I have and I havent found anything yet.
The help is appriciated and I will donate some money for those that make things clear to me
Swedish guide
gagg3 said:
Hey guys.
So, I just got my Magic and im frustrated that I cant dl apps from market that cost money. Sadly im living in scandinavia making it not possible for me to do so.
Now I've been reading about ROoting and trying to understand what it is and wich purpose it fullfiles.
I'd appriciate a link to a "General questions regarding rooting" or something similar so I can read up and maybe, just maybe root my device without bricking it.
I've searched but nothin, read the wiki about rooting but that just explained HOW to root and not which functions it brought with the device actually being rooted.
I'd appriciate some REAL infomation and not "lol nub go google" because I have and I havent found anything yet.
The help is appriciated and I will donate some money for those that make things clear to me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here i found a swedish guide, it's not finished tho and i've not tried this
http://www.swedroid.se/wiki/index.php?title=Så_här_rootar/flashar_du_din_Magic
robocik said:
Here i found a swedish guide, it's not finished tho and i've not tried this
http://www.swedroid.se/wiki/index.php?title=Så_här_rootar/flashar_du_din_Magic
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, as stated I dont need a "how to root your magic" I need explantion of the rooting status, why, what does it do, pro/cons? etc.
Thanks anyways
gagg3 said:
Thanks, as stated I dont need a "how to root your magic" I need explantion of the rooting status, why, what does it do, pro/cons? etc.
Thanks anyways
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok, misunderstandig there...
This thing with root, i think that is like with my ubuntu linux, when you login as root or superuser, you, as it stays here "has all rights or permissions (to all files and programs) in all modes", so it has it's advantage but can be dangerous when you do something stupid.
i'm not sure if it's the same for android, but it is linux under the hood after all.
Hope it helped a little bit.
I'm sure there were a few threads early on in the Dream forum about why people should bother rooting - the benefits and such. Might be worth a specific search in there for threads like Why should I bother rooting or what are the benefits of having root? etc.
Here's how I understand it -
Seems to me Root was more important on the Dream, because it meant you could do stuff like putting a different ROM on with extras like Soft Keyboard and Latitude, and also move stuff like caches to SD Card, and more recently, move apps themselves to SD Card. This was damned near essential, due to the much smaller space on the handset for apps etc (In my experience it was about 75MB after a wipe - tiny) and the fact that the Market Cache wasn't easily clearable. Without Root, you couldn't alter those annoying things even if you had the knowhow, because you were "locked out" of changing the main ROM. So Root allowed you the freedom to modify stuff.
Other things you can do if you have root include ADB push stuff, so you can alter small parts of the system folder to suit you - like adding languages or keyboards or modified boot images etc. You can do Nandroid back ups of your whole system including installed apps, so that you can restore the apps after a wipe, or backup a ROM that works so that you can go back to it if you load one that doesn't work. Also you can install custom themes to make your fone look less generic. I believe there are ways to get tethering to work (Using the modem/internet access on the device/fone to link up via bluetooth with a laptop or netbook and surf as if you have a USB Dongle.
Some of the reasons I rooted my G1 are mute now or don't apply to the Magic
eg - More space on the magic for apps so I don't need to make more room by putting caches on SD or moving apps to SD
Cupcake update has soft keyboard anyway, and latitude
Also we now seem to be able to clear the caches for most apps via the Apps Manager, so stuff like Market and Browser doesn't grow with use and get out of hand.
Home app replacements are far more stable and are great for having different themes so no need to alter the main themes using root.
So, I haven't rooted my Ion/Magic as yet. If and when theres a really stable ROM without gliches I might go for it, but no real need for me as of yet so not gonna mess. I'm sure other folks can give you more reasons to either go for root, or leave it as it is.
Dayzee xx
Dayzee said:
I'm sure there were a few threads early on in the Dream forum about why people should bother rooting - the benefits and such. Might be worth a specific search in there for threads like Why should I bother rooting or what are the benefits of having root? etc.
Here's how I understand it -
Seems to me Root was more important on the Dream, because it meant you could do stuff like putting a different ROM on with extras like Soft Keyboard and Latitude, and also move stuff like caches to SD Card, and more recently, move apps themselves to SD Card. This was damned near essential, due to the much smaller space on the handset for apps etc (In my experience it was about 75MB after a wipe - tiny) and the fact that the Market Cache wasn't easily clearable. Without Root, you couldn't alter those annoying things even if you had the knowhow, because you were "locked out" of changing the main ROM. So Root allowed you the freedom to modify stuff.
Other things you can do if you have root include ADB push stuff, so you can alter small parts of the system folder to suit you - like adding languages or keyboards or modified boot images etc. You can do Nandroid back ups of your whole system including installed apps, so that you can restore the apps after a wipe, or backup a ROM that works so that you can go back to it if you load one that doesn't work. Also you can install custom themes to make your fone look less generic. I believe there are ways to get tethering to work (Using the modem/internet access on the device/fone to link up via bluetooth with a laptop or netbook and surf as if you have a USB Dongle.
Some of the reasons I rooted my G1 are mute now or don't apply to the Magic
eg - More space on the magic for apps so I don't need to make more room by putting caches on SD or moving apps to SD
Cupcake update has soft keyboard anyway, and latitude
Also we now seem to be able to clear the caches for most apps via the Apps Manager, so stuff like Market and Browser doesn't grow with use and get out of hand.
Home app replacements are far more stable and are great for having different themes so no need to alter the main themes using root.
So, I haven't rooted my Ion/Magic as yet. If and when theres a really stable ROM without gliches I might go for it, but no real need for me as of yet so not gonna mess. I'm sure other folks can give you more reasons to either go for root, or leave it as it is.
Dayzee xx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THANKS Alot dayzee, that cleared things up.
Much appriciated!!!

[Q] Rooted/Custom Rom'd AT&T S4, now for some very basic questions!

I recently rooted/installed CleanROM for my S4, but now I have some basic questions regarding what actually happened in the process and how I could improve it. (First smartphone, first Android).
1. Is flashing the exact equivalent of installing a kernel/ROM/app in a recovery like TeamWin that is zipped in an SD card? All I did was select my zipped file and install--the guide says to use GooManager but I never used it. Also, does updating TWRP, kernel, or ROM (same application/kernel/ROM, but newer version) require that you delete the old ZIP, copy over the new ZIP, then install it? Is there a cleaner method (I feel that since we have to wipe to prevent old files from interfering with new ROM that maybe parts of the old version of a ROM may be redundant or may interfere with the new ROM?
2. Is there a way I can save the phone settings when dealing with one ROM and transferring these settings to another ROM? I really don't want to spend 20 minutes to go through all the settings and change it to my liking every time I install a new ROM.
3. With TWRP I could backup the entire ROM and also be able to install that backup ROM if I don't like the new ROM installed? What does Titanium Backup offer in regards to this aside from backing up app data and the ability freeze/uninstall system apps?
4. Does Titanium Backup leave any residual files? I see other apps designed to uninstall system apps and Titanium Backup seems like an all-in-one jack of all trades.
5. I thought I wiped everything and to me, that sounds like reformatting the entire drive. I only wiped system, boot, and data though (good enough for ROMs, according to what I've read). I was surprised when I saw my videos that I had already backed up to my PC accessible on the phone. Should I just wipe literally everything (I assume it would be cleaner) like cache, preload, EFS, modem, recovery, etc.? Will wiping literally everything be like reformatting my phone (since my phone was not reformatted because my personal videos was still there when I installed my custom ROM? If I were to install completely different ROMs cleanly and wanted to keep my personal files, I would only need to wipe system, data, and boot?
4. Do I have to use CASUAL again to install an updated TWRP?
5. Does backing up a ROM also backup its root? I'm going to assume this is a dumb question and the answer is no. I'm also guessing I have to block OTA updates from AT&T to ensure I keep my root. How would I go about doing this? Also, would my phone be "safe" if I stick to my ROM (no updates or anything) for 4+ years? I'm asking this as an extreme case because I feel like I'm missing out on AT&T security updates that could protect my phone and also I don't think the developer my ROM (CleanROM) will do frequent updates).
6. I had problems with my computer not being able to recognize my phone and my SD card in the phone after I wiped everything and before I installed a ROM. I literally had to take the SD card from the phone and use an SD card reader to transfer my custom ROM/loki then put it back into the phone. Was I missing a driver?
7. What are some must-have apps a newly rooted user would want?
8. I read that you only need 1 EFS backup and you don't need to back it up every time you are going to install a custom ROM. Can I get a confirmation?
9. What does Goo Manager do and would I want it?
10. Is it essential that I keep up to date with news about my custom ROM/phone to ensure my phone is secured?
**Not Root/ROM related--Is swiping an app away from the Recent Apps List (long-press home button) the equivalent of killing an app? I use the Recent Apps List often but I don't want to go about swiping apps away if means it is killing it, since I read that killing apps are bad and actually drains battery life. Also, is there a mod that lets you access the Recent Apps List by long-pressing the menu one? I only see a mod that kills the app if you long-press it.
Also, any ROMs you guys can recommend me that is like CleanROM? It has to be TW-based because I use multi-windows. Basically, I want a stable, popular (popular ones tend to be more frequently updated, which is important because there are often bugs in custom ROMs), and optimized/debloated ROM (as debloated as possible, I rather use my own large list of apps than pre-installed ones). I was looking at GoldenEye but I'm not sure.
Thanks. I'm hoping for many responses as I have more questions to ask but not a lot of free time (I will check back on this thread every several hours until there are no more responses on the thread.
Hey there! Here is my take on at least some of your questions. I am not a super pro, but I will try not to give you any wrong info.
1. The zip files that are still out on your SD card are just the install files for whatever you are flashing. They won't be cleaned up automatically and you will need to delete them yourself if you want them gone. That being said I would recommend leaving the previous version's zip out there in case you need to back out of the new version.
2. If by phone settings you mean all of the settings in the various option menus baked into the ROM it is best to redo those when switching between ROMs. Many ROMs add and take away options and add whole new option sections so you will want to go through those and set things to your liking. Another option is to use a launcher like Nova Launcher that lets you back up its settings and restore them which is a big chunk of the things I change when going to a new ROM. Some people may have a different opinion on this one.
3. Yes if you make a backup in a recovery like TWRP and then restore from it it will be like you never flashed the other ROM. Titanium backup does what you say and also can backup individual Apps themselves and restore them.
4. Once you have a recovery installed you should not have to go through the hoops you went through to get it there to update it. Check the thread for the recovery for upgrade instructions.
5. Your SD card will not be wiped when you wipe system or data. There is also the internal "sdcard" that if I recall is not wiped when you do a standard wipe which will keep things like pics and videos between flashes.
6. So you were trying to access the phone storage/SD card while it was in recovery? I have never had much luck with that. I always just make sure I have all of the files I will need to install the new ROM moved over before I wipe it. That being said if you have the right driver it might be possible.
7. Titanium Backup, a file explorer that can leverage Root access like Root Explorer, maybe something like Greenify (I think it takes Root). Other than that check out the thread in the Apps/Themes subforum where people list their top 5 apps.
8. Pass (but I think what you heard/read is right)
9. Goo Manager can let you know if there is updated version of your ROM or what other ROMs are available for your device and download them. It can also be used to install a recovery. Personally I don't use it and just check ROM threads for updates if the ROM doesn't offer OTA updates.
10. I rarely see mention of security fixes/features in custom ROMs so I don't think you need to stay on top of threads for that reason. With that said, if security is crazy super important to you then a custom ROM might not be your best bet. Even though source code is available for most if not all of them that doesn't mean someone has gone through the code looking for security flaws (or even malicious code).
11. You can test this yourself. Go into the "Apps" section of the options and look at what Apps are running then swipe one away and check again. Personally I would go ahead and swipe away Apps as needed since that is a core Android feature. I haven't seen a mod for what you are asking.
12. The other two TW-based ROMs I have used are Goldeneye and Alpha. Both are good, but I am using Alpha now due to its higher degree of customization. Goldeneye hasn't been updated in a month or so, Alpha is being updated regularly at the moment.
---------- Post added at 08:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:09 PM ----------
Here is the link to the thread where people list out their top 5 apps!
Nice post, very good help...serious...
Incredibly helpful, thanks. I will post more questions if I have here, kind of busy at the moment.
Question:
What is the best way to detect whether a third-party app has a keylogger? I read from an article that it is incredibly easy for someone to put a keylogger on an app. Is Avast Mobile Security and Antivirus capable/overkill for this job? Also, I was worried that Avast may actually be bad because it would deteriorate (wear and tear on the SSD of the phone) through all the scannings? Or am I completely wrong? If I am wrong, I'm guessing it's because an antivirus only reads your files and therefore does not wear down a SSD (I'm not even sure if this is right).
mindstormer said:
Question:
What is the best way to detect whether a third-party app has a keylogger? I read from an article that it is incredibly easy for someone to put a keylogger on an app. Is Avast Mobile Security and Antivirus capable/overkill for this job? Also, I was worried that Avast may actually be bad because it would deteriorate (wear and tear on the SSD of the phone) through all the scannings? Or am I completely wrong? If I am wrong, I'm guessing it's because an antivirus only reads your files and therefore does not wear down a SSD (I'm not even sure if this is right).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can read a SSD all day long, that doesn't wear it out. Writing to a SSD will cause wear, not reading. I'm thinking that most antivirus apps can find that kind of stuff, but don't download from unknown sources or those you don't trust. Even Google Play has some shady stuff. I would recommend researching an app on Google if you have any doubts about it. I'm sure it can be done, but I really doubt any of your friends know how to reprogram one of your apps to have a keylogger, plus I wouldn't let them use my phone in the first place.
To answer your questions:
1. Antivirus doesn't wear anything out, it just puts load on your system.
2. Most antivirus apps should detect apps like the ones your talking about.
agent929 said:
You can read a SSD all day long, that doesn't wear it out. Writing to a SSD will cause wear, not reading. I'm thinking that most antivirus apps can find that kind of stuff, but don't download from unknown sources or those you don't trust. Even Google Play has some shady stuff. I would recommend researching an app on Google if you have any doubts about it. I'm sure it can be done, but I really doubt any of your friends know how to reprogram one of your apps to have a keylogger, plus I wouldn't let them use my phone in the first place.
To answer your questions:
1. Antivirus doesn't wear anything out, it just puts load on your system.
2. Most antivirus apps should detect apps like the ones your talking about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the confirmation.
Another question for anyone:
Clean Master found the folder of an app that I installed on a precious ROM, so I not wipe the device cleanly. I though wiping system, boot, and data was enough--what was I missing, or should I have checked everything to be wiped on TeamWin Recovery?
Are you sure its not coming from your SD card?
Sent from miPhone using XDA Premium HD app

[4.4.2] Screen Rotation doesnt work after root and deleting few apps

Hello guys. Please help me. I rooted my phone and I deleted many apps because I just dont need them. I really need to know which application is in charge of auto screen rotation. It just stopped working I was trying to reinstall my rom few times and detect which app is it, but I still dont know it My rom is: I9505XXUGNG8_I9505XEOGNF1_XEO
Regards
It's Samsung Hub. You should not delete that.
@Patryk_94: Read the information in this thread and follow the instructions within to restore rotation capability. The main issue with the debloating scripts and advice on the forums is that they remove or recommend removing the files from /system/lib. In my opinion, it's very silly advice. The space gains are negligible compared to just deleting the APKs in /system/app and /system/priv-app, and deleting the files opens up the door to this very issue.
For the record, you CAN remove the Samsung Hub APK from the phone and still have functioning screen rotation. Just DON'T remove the Samsung Hub binary from /system/lib.

[Q] ZTE Blade Q mini, problem with storage and app store

Hello I got the ZTE Blade Q mini for my girlfriend but we just got to the point where we can't update any app because we get an error that there is not enough space to install. (while yes, we have at least 3GB of free space in the phone and the SD card).
I checked around and it seem that it is a know problem with 4GB phones and how the playstore use it's temp file and that I can't do many things while the phone is stock.
The question is what I have to do to go through this problem?
Should I root the phone? How this can be done?
Should I use a custom ROM? How this can be done and which ROM?
Sorry if this questions are nothing new, but after searching for a couple of days in the forum didn't found enough info to know exactly what to do, and I'm afraid to start experiment with a phone that is not mine.
Thanks for your time.
Hi Nitro, I know this an old thread but its a problem with most android phones. Just lately I been trying app2sd, which I think is the best of its type? and I now have an embarrassingly large amount of apps on my little blade q mini, but it don't always run that smoothly you know. Just recently I've been thinking of a new Rom and a lean and mean machine. A racer stripped to the bone and ready to roll. But after a while I'll get bored and start tinkering again. just moving a few apps to the SD. and so on...
Hello, we have stopped trying to update, we are ready to trash this phone and get a winphone...
This is stupid and I blame google because the playstore is to blame here, who can't use a temp file in SD card.
Anyway if you have found any rom for the phone I could love to know, I want to give it a go before we change the phone.
nitro912gr said:
Hello, we have stopped trying to update, we are ready to trash this phone and get a winphone...
This is stupid and I blame google because the playstore is to blame here, who can't use a temp file in SD card.
Anyway if you have found any rom for the phone I could love to know, I want to give it a go before we change the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
whichever Rom hooky use your still gonna get the problem with the lack of space for apps
if it is use less space on the phone we will be fine, because we are able to move apps in the sd card, we just don't have enough space in the phone for the google play store to use as temp file. And we can't delete anything because the space is used by core and undeleted apps.
here's a thought. why not bypass the play store. just download the apk file into your sd card and install it? this works for me

GGP SM-G530W Debloater?

Hello new here and while I have done some searches I am not quite finding what I am looking for which is maybe because I am not asking the right questions or searching for the right terms so hopefully someone can direct me to the right place!
I have an old Galaxy Grand Prime Sm-G530W running Android 5.1.1. It has 8gb storage and I would like to maybe remove some of the apps that I wont use, are not useful or are just bloatware.
However I am not sure what apps are what and which one I should avoid removing?
The phone will be used primary to make calls, will not be on a data and only use free wifi hotspot and the wife from my home.
I would like to maybe keep some kind of google maps ability, I do not want chrome but rather would use firefox along with ad blockers etc I know work well for me on FF.
I have have done some research but not a phone expert by far so I am not sure I want to root my phone, install custom roms. I read something about remove bloatware via "remove the pre installed apps using ADB commands" however figured I get some tips advice from people that know what they are talking about.
Ideally it would be great if there was some kind of program I can just plug into from my PC or some such that allows me to then simply remove the samsung and google bloat or unwanted programs so I could gain more room for apps I do want.
Right now after factory reset it uses like 3.50GB out of 8gb.
is there any Debloat program I can use on it out there?
smdebloat said:
Hello new here and while I have done some searches I am not quite finding what I am looking for which is maybe because I am not asking the right questions or searching for the right terms so hopefully someone can direct me to the right place!
I have an old Galaxy Grand Prime Sm-G530W running Android 5.1.1. It has 8gb storage and I would like to maybe remove some of the apps that I wont use, are not useful or are just bloatware.
However I am not sure what apps are what and which one I should avoid removing?
The phone will be used primary to make calls, will not be on a data and only use free wifi hotspot and the wife from my home.
I would like to maybe keep some kind of google maps ability, I do not want chrome but rather would use firefox along with ad blockers etc I know work well for me on FF.
I have have done some research but not a phone expert by far so I am not sure I want to root my phone, install custom roms. I read something about remove bloatware via "remove the pre installed apps using ADB commands" however figured I get some tips advice from people that know what they are talking about.
Ideally it would be great if there was some kind of program I can just plug into from my PC or some such that allows me to then simply remove the samsung and google bloat or unwanted programs so I could gain more room for apps I do want.
Right now after factory reset it uses like 3.50GB out of 8gb.
is there any Debloat program I can use on it out there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello member of this small community, well the best way to remove bloatware is by root, the process is relatively simple.
1) Download the twrp recovery (.tar) belonging to the model you have.
2) Install it through Odin
3) Install Magisk Manager
With this done you can use applications such as root uninstaller, another alternative is to look if there is a custom rom for your model, but do not expect much as many roms have been abandoned and only a new project is kept alive, if the current rom does not present problems in performance, I recommend you leave it alone and start removing junk apps, another recommendation is to install SD maid, a great app for cleaning junk content of the phone.

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