hello everyone i am fairly new to the world of android ive only had 2 android phones the first was a samsung transform which i rooted and had everything done to it that was possible but recently traded it for an echo and to my dismay cannot root it so i am gonna try and build my own custom rom just dont know how to do it ive been looking online for guides but it seems like everyone i found only works with htc? if someone could please guide me in the right path on finding guides on building roms that would be awsome i am curious to learn this whole process thanx
This probably isnt the right place for your post, a section called Android Development for your specific phone would be a great place to start a thread.
As for the question though, there generally speaking are no guides for building roms. Most people will start small, with mods or themes, then slowly grow into full roms. Although based on your post, your phone cannot be rooted, so how are you expecting to install the rom without root?
This is directed toward the Moderators - Seeing as the Google Play Edition is a different phone than the normal SM-G900V, can we get a different section of threads for each??
I don't post a lot but I spend a lot of time on XDA. I'll try just about anything with my phone, but I am by no means an expert. I currently have the VZW SGS5 (SM-G900V). I am rooted with Super SU Pro installed and working great (SU Binaries updated and Knox Disabled). I have just installed Xposed for the first time and am looking for other things to do with my phone. As soon as SafeStrap or another method is working to install Custom ROMS (TW Based or otherwise) I will most likely do so asap.
Maybe I am not understanding their similarities, but it seems logical to have different threads for these phones so that we don't have to sift through things that pertain to a phone we do not have and possibly even try to install something that is not meant for our phones.
KjK89 said:
This is directed toward the Moderators - Seeing as the Google Play Edition is a different phone than the normal SM-G900V, can we get a different section of threads for each??
I don't post a lot but I spend a lot of time on XDA. I'll try just about anything with my phone, but I am by no means an expert. I currently have the VZW SGS5 (SM-G900V). I am rooted with Super SU Pro installed and working great (SU Binaries updated and Knox Disabled). I have just installed Xposed for the first time and am looking for other things to do with my phone. As soon as SafeStrap or another method is working to install Custom ROMS (TW Based or otherwise) I will most likely do so asap.
Maybe I am not understanding their similarities, but it seems logical to have different threads for these phones so that we don't have to sift through things that pertain to a phone we do not have and possibly even try to install something that is not meant for our phones.
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After we get some kind of custom recovery for the retail version like safestrap I would like to see all the DE threads moved to the Verizon Galaxy S 5 Original Android Development section like it's done in the VZW Note 3 development section. It would cut out a lot of confusion as well.
Hello! This will be a quick post about how it was good earlier and how it can be better today, so please, stay with me.
I've been using Sony's for a while now, starting with small and cute Sony Ericsson k510i, then k550i, then wt19i (LWW), and then Xperia SP. My "flashing career" started after I've lost warranty on my k510. At that time there wasn't a lot you can do to your phone - there were several official firmwares, various customization options, and a lot of custom patches. No competition, one latest official firmware, a big library of patches that you could port to your device, if someone didn't do it already. The only competing area were a lot of graphical patches, but you could compile them together on your phone. Like today, if you were doing something wrong with your phone - you'll get a brick and it's your fault. But for every device there was an instruction, a beautifully crafted instruction on what to do and how to do everything, step by step. Almost every thread included a complete set of links to get you started. If you needed to flash a customisation after installing something, there would be a link on how to flash custom right there.
Today I have my XSP and try to do something to it. So I open one link (non-sticky, needed to bookmark it), see a lot of ROMs, part of which are no longer maintained. Finally open one of them based on performance rating, and see that it needs some kernel. So I go to kernel list, and see that it can't be flashed without recovery. What recovery? One specific recovery, because another one can't flash it. Now how do I flash recovery in the first place? I need a manual for that. Now I go to kernel and ROM page and see that no manual is available for them, too. So I open main device page and don't see any manual, so I open a sticky thread. And guess what? I don't see manual there. And that's when I start a new thread, type my problem in, and see a non-sticky thread with last post made 2nd of May 2015, and no pages link to that thread at all.
Is that how it goes this days? A newbie comes in, spends whole evening, opens 10 tabs, and still can't find anything relevant? I think we need to do something with this, revisit old threads, compile a new one-for-all guide, or at least a list of guides. And stick it, so people can actually see it. Otherwise there will be small closed community of those who already can develop and flash, and all the others who either got brick or is afraid to get a brick. Thanks.
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UPD: And then I see that the kernel which I almost decided to flash is closed and all developers migrated to another one. I'm talking about tangerine and helium. Again, no info in the first post. And main developer openly says to users of his work - if it didn't work for you, don't use it. What's wrong with you people...
I'm deeply sorry if I offended somebody with my previous post. I'm happy that you guys do such amazing things with this 3 year phone. But damn, FULL INSTALLATION took about 10 minutes, counting PC reboot into linuxes to get fastboot working. In case someone struggles like me, use CyanogenMod instruction to get to Cyanogen Recovery; download TWRP Recovery, ROM of choice and GApps of choice; place all three ZIPs onto your sdcard; go to recovery, flash TWRP, reboot into TWRP (by pressing volume rockers while loading), do Wipe - Factory Wipe, flash ROM, flash GApps, reboot to normal. Wait for about 5 minutes (black screen is normal, there will be dots flying after a minute or so to keep you entertained).
Yes, It's that simple nowadays, so why bothering typing so much? I was in that situation with my SP, too, but if the are so many answers to these questions and so many threads... "You have to read" is the answer! A lot! It's for your own good, trust me. Now I can do anything I want with my phone with nohow! So a little reading and searching here and there is just positive experience for you. Don't complain, the people here ( well a part of them) are hardcore coders or themers or whatever. You can't just ask them to tell you all the stuff. If want help I'm always available.
Thank you for linking to my very dusty and lonely Flash ROM guide hahaha
No you didn't offend anyone at all. The guides are actually there, like how to use Flashtool, how to unlock bootloader, how to flash recovery and everything, it is just that they are buried deep with time as the development goes. The thread are there, in the General section and are awaiting to be searched. Though some are outdated, some are not and you can benefit from there.
Some searching will normally do, but if it didn't, just ask in the threads, someone will probably answer to you!
I always have my eyes on the General and Q&A subforums of the Xperia SP, and I will usually respond to a help-able problems. So if you have any problems, feel free to post in the Q&A subforum, and if not me, someone will help you. If there are nobody, don't feel offended. Maybe people don't know what to help or suggest (but lets just hope that is not what it will be )
About recovery, PhilZ and CWM is way outdated, and its time for everyone to make TWRP as a standard as it is a still updated recovery. Cyanogen Recovery in my opinion is crap as there are far too less feature plus, it enforce on signed flashable zips.
About the thread on Tangerine, the developer said dont use if it doesn't work is because of the norm of the Kernel. The kernel is made by using an AnyKernel template, hence render support for almost all Lollipop ROMs. Since ROMs can be updated and all ROMs have different sources, a simple change in the system part can render Tangerine unsupported, and the developer cannot do anything (definitely his choice, please respect that) to only fix the problem on one ROM which could possibly break support for the majority of the ROMs! This also appplies to Helium. Therefore, his words of "dont user it if it doesn't work" has a meaning, and it is not something to degrade new users and so.
kojata said:
If want help I'm always available.
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TechnoSparks said:
I always have my eyes on the General and Q&A subforums of the Xperia SP, and I will usually respond to a help-able problems. So if you have any problems, feel free to post in the Q&A subforum, and if not me, someone will help you. If there are nobody, don't feel offended. Maybe people don't know what to help or suggest (but lets just hope that is not what it will be )
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Thanks for the answers and offering help, happily I was able to install my ROM of choice and it still works flawlessly, I was even able to squeeze 20 battery days from my old XSP.
Thinking about it, I start to understand why that dev answered like that. I was a python dev in the past and know how one feature can kill two others. Just in my head there is one current linux kernel, and all things that are developed should work with that particular kernel. Kernel comes before OS, if you will. Isn't it the case with ROMs and droid kernels?
About TWRP and reading: I honestly did read a lot of info before doing something, because it's my only phone these days. But it's so hard to find information on whether something is deprecated or not. As a new user, you wouldn't just google "is this deprecated and no longer used?", because that search will not provide any info. That is why during that evening and following morning I lost count of how many times I just shaked my head asking which recovery/kernel should I use and how do I install it? Latest being the easy one, because I already found TechnoSparks thread by that time.
In case anybody is interested, I installed Candy 5 on default kernel. But I still don't know if installing android 5 on a kernel used with android 4.2 was a good idea. It went well, however.
Mod Edit:
You have already raised this in Q and A. One question at a time please, in one place.
Thanks
A good rom is Lineage OS 14.1 Official for the S4. It is stable and good for daily usage.
There are pinned posts at the top of the Galaxy S4 General subforum that should be of help in actually rooting the device, though actually rooting it is not difficult. The main question I ask people lately when it comes to a ROM is whether they care about having Touchwiz features or not, as that will narrow down the available choices. From there, only by trying out the ROMs will you find one you like.
Before flashing anything, I recommend booting into download mode to confirm the model number.
Try it and find out. I don't use LineageOS so I can't tell you if it will or will not work. @audit13 no longer has his S4 if I recall so he's not going to be able to tell you, unless he used it in the past. Asking your questions on the forum is more than sufficient, though you will have to be patient when it comes to replies. PMs are dicey. I ignore tech support PMs and audit13's stance on them is unknown to me.
I no longer use an S4 but it's important to know the exact model number before flashing anything. The 9500 is very different, internally, than the 337 and 337m.
I have seen very few threads on this forum about this device being very challenging and difficult to root, and little to no custom ROM's available for this device. Only information I know about this device after researching is that it is a " rebranded Verizon device." I saw one post about a test rom to root the device on 5.0.2, which I may try, but that's not what I was looking for. Many people (including me,) have been looking for custom ROMs for ages just for a slightly outdated device. If there is any ROM out there that works and removes all of the bloatware that the stock rom has, let me know and I will be willing to try with this device. And yes, my device is on stock 6.0.1.
You, the viewer have a great morning/afternoon/night! Thank you.
A potential device gone to waste.....