Related
The question is more along the lines of what's the benefit of installing a custom rom? or rooting the device. I'm an iphone user right now, but i've been following this forum and reading posts cause I definitely wanted to buy an android and this is the one im getting. I was gonna get the GS3 and I understand why you would wanna install a custom rom on a GS3 (to get rid of touchwiz and have stock android) but what's the benefit of having a custom rom on an already stock android cellphone like Nexus 4 or Galaxy Nexus. :fingers-crossed:
Options and more control over the phone. Ability to over clock/under clock.
Titanium Backup, Light Flow, ES File Explorer, Ad Block... a few other awesome apps that need root to work..
This question is hardly specific to the N4. But a quick Google search will yield you lots of reasons and/or benefits if you will.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Customizability. You can make the phone fully yours, have it run how you want it to run, to include faster or more efficiently. In theory, anyone can learn to dev and make exactly what they want their phone to be. Though in practice we usually just settle for whichever devs' preferences match our own, and are extremely thankful that somebody made it happen.
Consider my sister's phone, actually a nexus S, unrooted. I'm on a galaxy S and I'm running the 4.2 camera and keyboard. I showed those to her and she was so stoked, but she refuses to root, so I can't install them on her phone.
There is considerably less reason to root with such a device as this, but you do need root access to install some really cool and useful apps, especially Ti Backup as mentioned above. Don't forget that rooting is nothing like jailbreaking, as the latter is way more intrusive, that is, jailbreaking can indeed potentially render the iphone less stable. However, root access is simply elevated rights to the ROM (system) partition. But, you don't really need it. Just enjoy the phone and don't sweat the need for it.
Indeed. I think people equate rooting to jailbreaking but it's very different. Even with root access, apps need permission from you to run at root level. The first time you run them a message will ask you if you want to grant them permission (you can then tick an 'always allow' box for that app). If anything nasty tries to run at root level you will be prompted about it and if you aren't expecting it, you can just deny it.
I have rooted every android device I've owned, mainly for apps like Titanium Backup, AdFree, Game Guardian but also for customisations like different status bars or modded system apps.
You don't NEED to root, Android is more open than iOS out of the box. For example you can have different keyboards, messaging apps, diallers, alarms, calendars, navigation etc without needing root.
Basically gaining full access to the system. Some "programs" require modifying/accessing the system stuff. The best root app I think of is Tasker, which allows you to create almost any scenario to associate with an action. For example, disable sync between 12am to 7am, also mute all notifications. Also, if you open Maps/Navigation/tracking applications, automatically turn on GPS and turn off GPS when you exit. Also, when I plug in earphone ask to open either Phone app or Google Music. Also search for wifi ssid, if it matches my school's wifi, then connect to wifi and turn the phone to vibration. When leaving school turn off wifi and turn on ringtones. If ssid matches home's ssid, then disable lockscreen, turn on ringtone and connect to my home wifi. All of those require root access.
It's the same as the root access as in any other Linux system. Think Administrator privilege on Windows. However, it does come with some risk of others accessing your information/password. But as others have said, be careful about which app you grant root access. I only grant root access to those well-trusted apps.
coming from an iPhone, you wont really need root access. you can still do much more than iOS without root. I don't think you should also be getting into customization and stuff as a new android user, as the Nexus 4 is already stock android. Just enjoy the stock experience and you can root later once you have more knowledge of android and want to start doing more complex tasks.
AdFree and DroidWall. Along with many other things like flashing ROMs.
jsapp said:
AdFree and DroidWall. Along with many other things like flashing ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AdAway ftw
Hi, a new guy here!
I recently became a happy owner of 32Gb wi-fi only N7. I’m familiar with software dev (windows developer for 20 years with some work on unix) and customization/modding/flashing process (mostly for satellite receivers). However this is my first tablet and my first Android device so I could use some help
I successfully unlocked, rooted and installed custom recovery on my N7. I would like to get to a bare bones state of the N7 and then slowly add new features/programs to it when it becomes necessary for me. So I would like to remove all non essential parts that were preinstalled on my N7.
I was under impression that I could uninstall programs using N7 UI after device gets rooted. However it seems that for majority of the apps I still only have an option to disable.
I shelled into N7 and looked around. It seems that all (majority?) of the apps are in /system/apps folder. Can I simply remove the apps and their files from that folder? Does this folder only contain user apps or does it also have system apps that are essential for N7 to function? Is there a chance to brick it by removing something (everything?) from that folder?
I searched on a forum for a list of apps that are safe to remove. I thought it would exist since it seems to be something many of us would be interested in doing. I didn’t find the list. If there is such a thing and someone could direct me there, it would be great!
Given that I can remove apps by deleting them from that folder safely, I still have a question what each app does and how important it is. Is safe to assume that any app that has a wheel with a drive belt on it as an icon in apps screen on N7 is system app and has to stay?
I have two keyboard app installed – one is Android keyboard and one is ASUS keyboard. Judging by the name 2 of these are essential since Android is the OS and ASUS is the manufacturer. But do I really need two of them?
If there is a resource/thread that discussed something similar, please let know. I look forward to learn from anyone on this forum!
_Diver said:
Hi, a new guy here!
I recently became a happy owner of 32Gb wi-fi only N7. I’m familiar with software dev (windows developer for 20 years with some work on unix) and customization/modding/flashing process (mostly for satellite receivers). However this is my first tablet and my first Android device so I could use some help
I successfully unlocked, rooted and installed custom recovery on my N7. I would like to get to a bare bones state of the N7 and then slowly add new features/programs to it when it becomes necessary for me. So I would like to remove all non essential parts that were preinstalled on my N7.
I was under impression that I could uninstall programs using N7 UI after device gets rooted. However it seems that for majority of the apps I still only have an option to disable.
I shelled into N7 and looked around. It seems that all (majority?) of the apps are in /system/apps folder. Can I simply remove the apps and their files from that folder? Does this folder only contain user apps or does it also have system apps that are essential for N7 to function? Is there a chance to brick it by removing something (everything?) from that folder?
I searched on a forum for a list of apps that are safe to remove. I thought it would exist since it seems to be something many of us would be interested in doing. I didn’t find the list. If there is such a thing and someone could direct me there, it would be great!
Given that I can remove apps by deleting them from that folder safely, I still have a question what each app does and how important it is. Is safe to assume that any app that has a wheel with a drive belt on it as an icon in apps screen on N7 is system app and has to stay?
I have two keyboard app installed – one is Android keyboard and one is ASUS keyboard. Judging by the name 2 of these are essential since Android is the OS and ASUS is the manufacturer. But do I really need two of them?
If there is a resource/thread that discussed something similar, please let know. I look forward to learn from anyone on this forum!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have the energy right now to address every app one at a time, but I'll nudge you in the right direction. That should help you start tinkering.
The Nexus 7 is very popular in this community because it's intentionally more open, and less bloated, than much of the competition.
That being said, sure there are apps you could uninstall if you decide to. Some of the custom ROM's will have probably already have done this for you, but may create little unexpected quirks here and there.
The first thing you'll want to do is backing everything up thoroughly. I would use Titanium Pro (you'll see it referred to as Tibu a lot), to backup all apps and settings. Then I would use the Google Nexus 7 toolkit (found in the forums here) to do a backup, as well as make a nandroid backup.
Ok, so you're ready to tinker. Well, if you bought Titanium Pro from the app store, you've already got all you really need. First, use titanium to freeze an app you don't feel you need, and don't think is required. Re-boot, go about your daily routine, and see if all is ok. Continue on in this manner. Once you've frozen everything you're interested in, and made sure all is well, you can probably go ahead and uninstall them through Tibu. Freezing them should generally make them not start up anyways, so unless the tiny amount of space they take up is a concern, that's really all you generally need to do *.
* Ok, sometimes you have to fully uninstall things you don't want, but this should get you plenty to tinker with for now.
bladebarrier,
Thanks for your response. I understand the approach you suggested – disabling apps one at a time and then when they all disabled and device is working to my liking for a while I could uninstall them.
However, I’m somewhat frustrated with a sheer number of apps that I have out of the box and I can’t find a good description of what they do. For example:
Mobile Network Configuration
Google Partner Setup
Google Services Framework
Searching online doesn’t yield definitive answers if it’s something I need or will N7 work without them. I have google play store and google play services installed – does store app require services? Reading a bit about it doesn’t make it seem so, but I’m not 100% sure. So I was wondering if there is a list of apps that are required for N7 well being and that cannot be removed no matter what.
For example, Black Viper has an excellent example of what I’m looking for but for windows nt services: (can't post a link)
This page explain what each service is, what it does and if it’s safe to disable it depending on configuration you’re seeking – minimal set, typical, out of box of experimental. I would love to find something like that for N7 system apps
I installed CWM recovery when I rooted and as far as I can understand I does NAND backups. I plan on moving the backup file from the device to my desktop and keeping it there for safety reason.
The Tibu process that you described, as far as I understand (and I might be wrong here) is basically equivalent of disabling the apps using native N7 setting app, rebooting, using it for a while and then removing .apk and .odex (or simply app_name.*) files from system/apps folder. Tibu just makes it easier. Did I get that right?
And it’s still removing one app/widget at the time. I’d like to clean it out completely first and start from that point. So Tibu will probably not help me there. So my main Q is still out there – can I brick it by removing everything from system/app? Are there only user apps there or essential system apps as well? With CWM back up file on hand will I be able to recover if my experiment goes bad?
> * Ok, sometimes you have to fully uninstall things you don't want, but this should get you plenty to tinker with for now.
One of the reasons I want to have them removed is to clean up the list of apps I have on N7. Right now I have 5 pages of apps and I have little idea what they do and if I need them – I had Korean keyboard installed for example.
As I mentioned I’m a newb in this area, so maybe my approach is a bit dumb, so please be patient with me
_Diver said:
bladebarrier,
Thanks for your response. I understand the approach you suggested – disabling apps one at a time and then when they all disabled and device is working to my liking for a while I could uninstall them.
However, I’m somewhat frustrated with a sheer number of apps that I have out of the box and I can’t find a good description of what they do. For example:
Mobile Network Configuration
Google Partner Setup
Google Services Framework
Searching online doesn’t yield definitive answers if it’s something I need or will N7 work without them. I have google play store and google play services installed – does store app require services? Reading a bit about it doesn’t make it seem so, but I’m not 100% sure. So I was wondering if there is a list of apps that are required for N7 well being and that cannot be removed no matter what.
For example, Black Viper has an excellent example of what I’m looking for but for windows nt services: (can't post a link)
This page explain what each service is, what it does and if it’s safe to disable it depending on configuration you’re seeking – minimal set, typical, out of box of experimental. I would love to find something like that for N7 system apps
I installed CWM recovery when I rooted and as far as I can understand I does NAND backups. I plan on moving the backup file from the device to my desktop and keeping it there for safety reason.
The Tibu process that you described, as far as I understand (and I might be wrong here) is basically equivalent of disabling the apps using native N7 setting app, rebooting, using it for a while and then removing .apk and .odex (or simply app_name.*) files from system/apps folder. Tibu just makes it easier. Did I get that right?
And it’s still removing one app/widget at the time. I’d like to clean it out completely first and start from that point. So Tibu will probably not help me there. So my main Q is still out there – can I brick it by removing everything from system/app? Are there only user apps there or essential system apps as well? With CWM back up file on hand will I be able to recover if my experiment goes bad?
> * Ok, sometimes you have to fully uninstall things you don't want, but this should get you plenty to tinker with for now.
One of the reasons I want to have them removed is to clean up the list of apps I have on N7. Right now I have 5 pages of apps and I have little idea what they do and if I need them – I had Korean keyboard installed for example.
As I mentioned I’m a newb in this area, so maybe my approach is a bit dumb, so please be patient with me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Removing Google framework services is a big no-no. To be honest, the easiest way to accomplish what you want is installing a custom ROM like CyanogenMod, especially since you've done all the prep work for such a thing.
Once you install any official CM build it is as close to app-less as you can get on a modular OS like this.
littleemp said:
Removing Google framework services is a big no-no. To be honest, the easiest way to accomplish what you want is installing a custom ROM like CyanogenMod, especially since you've done all the prep work for such a thing.
Once you install any official CM build it is as close to app-less as you can get on a modular OS like this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's what i suspected! i thought that google framework would be something essential, but there is not much easily available information there to arrive at that conclusion
since i'm new to this, i thought i should stay away from any rom flashing until i get a bit more familiar with a device, terminology and stuff like that. i'm looking at the "[ROM] CyanogenMod 10.1 [OFFICIAL]" thread and i'm not sure about half of the terms - GAPPS, PSA, Nightlies i do know what ROM is, I do know what kernel is, virtual machine, etc. But it's applied to the platform that I have little experience with, so it makes me a little bit uneasy
_Diver said:
bladebarrier,
Thanks for your response. I understand the approach you suggested – disabling apps one at a time and then when they all disabled and device is working to my liking for a while I could uninstall them.
However, I’m somewhat frustrated with a sheer number of apps that I have out of the box and I can’t find a good description of what they do. For example:
Mobile Network Configuration
Google Partner Setup
Google Services Framework
Searching online doesn’t yield definitive answers if it’s something I need or will N7 work without them. I have google play store and google play services installed – does store app require services? Reading a bit about it doesn’t make it seem so, but I’m not 100% sure. So I was wondering if there is a list of apps that are required for N7 well being and that cannot be removed no matter what.
For example, Black Viper has an excellent example of what I’m looking for but for windows nt services: (can't post a link)
This page explain what each service is, what it does and if it’s safe to disable it depending on configuration you’re seeking – minimal set, typical, out of box of experimental. I would love to find something like that for N7 system apps
I installed CWM recovery when I rooted and as far as I can understand I does NAND backups. I plan on moving the backup file from the device to my desktop and keeping it there for safety reason.
The Tibu process that you described, as far as I understand (and I might be wrong here) is basically equivalent of disabling the apps using native N7 setting app, rebooting, using it for a while and then removing .apk and .odex (or simply app_name.*) files from system/apps folder. Tibu just makes it easier. Did I get that right?
And it’s still removing one app/widget at the time. I’d like to clean it out completely first and start from that point. So Tibu will probably not help me there. So my main Q is still out there – can I brick it by removing everything from system/app? Are there only user apps there or essential system apps as well? With CWM back up file on hand will I be able to recover if my experiment goes bad?
> * Ok, sometimes you have to fully uninstall things you don't want, but this should get you plenty to tinker with for now.
One of the reasons I want to have them removed is to clean up the list of apps I have on N7. Right now I have 5 pages of apps and I have little idea what they do and if I need them – I had Korean keyboard installed for example.
As I mentioned I’m a newb in this area, so maybe my approach is a bit dumb, so please be patient with me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tibu requires root access, in order to perform what we're discussing. I'm relatively new to JB, but I can't imagine any stock settings replicating its capabilities.
As far as a whole bunch of apps being in your list, that's sort of the way Android works. Think of it like "superfetch", or whatever that term was in Windows Vista. Basically, two things happen when you boot. Android looks at a list of apps that are designed to start on boot, and also apps that it expects you may want to run in the future. Both of these are designed to make the device run smoother overall, and it will kill apps if extra ram is required and they are not in use. Certain Android apps require themselves to run at all times. Some of these are apps like Tasker (if you're using tasker profiles), some of these are system apps that make the device function, some of these are apps that maintain widgets or background monitoring (weather apps, gmail, calendar).
Now, there are two ways to go about sorting what is bloat, and what is there because Android decided to load it. You can install an app called Autostarts, that will give an insight into apps that start up when certain criteria are met. You can also use it to stop those apps from queuing up at those trigger points. This is another root required app, and while I purchased it long ago, may have a free version as well. It's time consuming to use, and not perfect, which is why Tibu is better for flat out locking down unwanted apps.
Back to my initial thoughts though, you will see apps in your system list that you haven't touched since boot, because Android tries to anticipate your needs. People used to use "task killers" to close the apps, and came to realize that unless one is causing a real problem, it's just going to go back into the cached app list again anyways, thus reducing battery life when it has to load it over and over again. "Task killer" is a dirty word around XDA, unless you're using it to close an app that doesn't just go into the background like a good little app should.
Basically, you're going to start playing whack-a-mole if you want your list to remain as small as possible, at all times, and yet still actually use the device for anything interesting. You can reduce it, via various methods, and if this were a device from say "insert-name" brand, and was loaded with bloat apps, by all means you should clean those out. However, I think you'll find that while google does install things that aren't needed, or even used by everyone, it's mostly not a big issue.
Check out Better Battery Stats, in the XDA forums. It's an app that shows a pretty good picture of what is actually going on when you're not looking, and can provide data on how to improve your performance. It's probably a better way to start delving into what processes are actually being used, and which ones are just basically harmless. You'll also learn a good bit about how Android works from the Dev's explanations of many of the processes.
---------- Post added at 08:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:32 PM ----------
_Diver said:
that's what i suspected! i thought that google framework would be something essential, but there is not much easily available information there to arrive at that conclusion
since i'm new to this, i thought i should stay away from any rom flashing until i get a bit more familiar with a device, terminology and stuff like that. i'm looking at the "[ROM] CyanogenMod 10.1 [OFFICIAL]" thread and i'm not sure about half of the terms - GAPPS, PSA, Nightlies i do know what ROM is, I do know what kernel is, virtual machine, etc. But it's applied to the platform that I have little experience with, so it makes me a little bit uneasy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make sure whichever ROM you use, if you decide to, supports your HSPA+ model. There is a separate development section in the Nexus 7 forums, for those of us that have the HSPA+ version. We are the minority, as the Nexus 7 was initially released as a wifi only tablet.
bladebarrier said:
Tibu requires root access, in order to perform what we're discussing. I'm relatively new to JB, but I can't imagine any stock settings replicating its capabilities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i do have SU privileges, so what i was talking about was disabling an app thru N7 setting screen and then when i deem the app ok to remove, going to adb shell and removing the actual file.
i just did this:
mount -o remount rw /system
rm iWnnIME_Kbd_White.apk
rm iWnnIME.apk
and it removed the japanese keyboard. however when i go back to app screen under settings, i still see it but now it has a grey icon with a SD symbols in the corner. so it appears it recognizes that the app is gone, but it's still referenced in the list. i pushed the files back using NRT and it all back to the way it was. so looks like my idea of cleaning the list by removing the apk might not fly.
and now I wonder how Tibu uninstalls the apps.
bladebarrier said:
People used to use "task killers" to close the apps, and came to realize that unless one is causing a real problem, it's just going to go back into the cached app list again anyways, thus reducing battery life when it has to load it over and over again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand the notion of apps being in the cache and being removed when more RAM is needed, however the purist in me just doesn't want the junk apps to be there in first place However there is a lot of validity to these of your words:
bladebarrier said:
Basically, you're going to start playing whack-a-mole if you want your list to remain as small as possible, at all times, and yet still actually use the device for anything interesting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My wife got Kindle Fire HD recently and she's been using it happily. While I was thinking why would anyone want a closed up system (well, more closed up system then Nexus), she's been using it and I've been frustrated with my N7 so i might just let it go and enjoy the japanese and korean keyboards anyway
bladebarrier said:
Make sure whichever ROM you use, if you decide to, supports your HSPA+ model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'm wifi only
ngshniq every
i think i found what i was after: http wiki.cyanogenmod.org/wiki/barebones (url modified since i still can't post urls). this wiki page has the list of app with a short description and if it's safe to remove. it also has additional information that explains why i still saw the reference to the app in the list when apk file was deleted:
looks like i need to pay attention to 2 additional files:
/data/system/packages.xml
/data/system/packages.list
i bet I would find a reference to the apps in these and i would need to remove it in order to have the app disappear from the app list. i'll play around a bit more and report back
One thing, could you explain your reasoning behind wanting to delete everything but the essentials? Do you have a particular goal in mind or is it because of your windows background? Because if so, you should know that android operates very differently when compared to windows, and such, the requirements to keep your device working in tip top shape vary greatly.
In my opinion, with your current limited knowledge of each process/app inner workings, what you're trying to do surefire way to break something beyond repair and needing to use a factory image to get back to zero. A custom ROM will be much safer and yield the exact same results that you're looking for. (Eventually, once you understand what each thing does, then this manual approach could satisfy your needs)
Note: GApps are the basic Google apps to flash on top of the barebones system. Gmail, Play store, and the framework.
Nightlies are experimental builds compiled nightly by a bot with the latest CyanogenMod code available.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
My goal was to simplify my approach to N7 by removing anything that I don’t need now and slowly adding all necessary components as I get familiar with it. But it seems at this point that this approach is a bit more complicated as thought it would be.
So I think I would leave it alone for now and revisit this later
_Diver said:
My goal was to simplify my approach to N7 by removing anything that I don’t need now and slowly adding all necessary components as I get familiar with it. But it seems at this point that this approach is a bit more complicated as thought it would be.
So I think I would leave it alone for now and revisit this later
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what you've done manually, you're clearly far ahead of a new user when it comes to understanding linux/unix.
If you want to lock down parts of what google implements, purely to keep it minimalistic, I would agree with the above poster. Go for one of the popular ROM options that are available, like CM, and work your way backwards. The Nexus 7 only has as much bloat as you allow it to have via the settings. This is another reason why Better Battery Stats is an excellent way to make sure your device isn't draining battery, yet isn't locked down. The other day I noticed an app that kept fetching my position, even though the case was closed (magnetic sleep mode). It turned out I forgot to disable the tracking in google maps (why it was defaulted to ON, I have no idea). BBS showed me what was running during the sleep phase, and I fixed it when I woke up the next morning after wondering why my battery dropped.
The Kindle Fire is a great option, because it doesn't require any of this fussing about. My woman loves hers. LOVES IT. Personally, I like to tinker a bit, and I'm too invested in Android apps to not have access to the play store. The Nexus 7, is for people like what you find here. We like to tinker, and make everything custom. At the same time, you could spend all day trying to figure out why EntriesRefresh_wakelock is your highest partial wakelock count, at 60seconds per 7 hours, or you can find that you just went 7 hours and only used 6% of the battery, even though you've been connected to wifi, texting, emailing, and checking the weather and news, the whole time. Not bad, honestly.
The biggest investment you can do for your Nexus, is probably getting a case that magnetically puts it to rest when you close it. After that, learn about the settings that drain battery in the background. Then, get Tasker and play around that (it's like programming, without the need to learn the code). After that, go to a custom ROM, or dig out Tibu, and basically start customizing which apps you will use. If that doesn't pass the time long enough, you can literally make your own ROM and put together exactly what you want. Whether the performance will be that much better or not, and whether you'll spend most of your day trying to look for coding errors, is up to you. I don't have the patience to code, but you're a coder, so what is broccoli to me, may be bacon to you.
After playing around with AR for all trying to get AR+ on Pokemon go and eventually giving up I'm curious on what this app is on my phone? Couldn't find a answer from a quick Google so I guess here is the next best thing.
Kinda of scared to give it root permissions as it's name doesn't sound familiar to any app I have installed. Any advice?
It's a system app that is present on many Android devices, including our Axon 7. You will find it in pretty much any ROM you flash, stock or custom. I don't know what it is or what it does, but it's not dangerous, don't mess with it. It shouldn't be asking for root permissions, that does sound a bit fishy. You may have recently installed an app that is masquerading under this name and now wants root access. Don't grant it. I would look more deeply into what you've installed to see if any of it might be malicious.
dalebaxter01 said:
After playing around with AR for all trying to get AR+ on Pokemon go and eventually giving up I'm curious on what this app is on my phone? Couldn't find a answer from a quick Google so I guess here is the next best thing.
Kinda of scared to give it root permissions as it's name doesn't sound familiar to any app I have installed. Any advice?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with the user above. Its weird that it even has the possibility to be granted root permission. If its a system process, it should already have all the necessary permissions it needs.
Oh btw. I think for AR+ in pogo you need ARCore by google. Our device is not officially supported yet. But since there is cam2 api in oreo, that might change in the future and google could very well add it to the list of supported devices.
dalebaxter01 said:
After playing around with AR for all trying to get AR+ on Pokemon go and eventually giving up I'm curious on what this app is on my phone? Couldn't find a answer from a quick Google so I guess here is the next best thing.
Kinda of scared to give it root permissions as it's name doesn't sound familiar to any app I have installed. Any advice?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
look. Download MagiskHide props config module, change the fingerprint to Pixel 2 XL, then download ARCore from apkmirror. It'll work, I just don't know if it works with pokemon go.
I used Measure and Lens (don't know if lens needs it tho)
Choose an username... said:
look. Download MagiskHide props config module, change the fingerprint to Pixel 2 XL, then download ARCore from apkmirror. It'll work, I just don't know if it works with pokemon go.
I used Measure and Lens (don't know if lens needs it tho)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks man, at first safety net was being hit but a quick reboot later and now everything is working fine. I'm going to do more research into what this is. As I'm sure I haven't downloaded any suspicious apps.
dalebaxter01 said:
Thanks man, at first safety net was being hit but a quick reboot later and now everything is working fine. I'm going to do more research into what this is. As I'm sure I haven't downloaded any suspicious apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Edit: Never mind, I thought you were talking about the stuff i suggested lmao
Choose an username... said:
Edit: Never mind, I thought you were talking about the stuff i suggested lmao
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok so after some testing it seems like AR Core 1.5 works but is unstable asf, and ARcore 1.4(latest) does not work as the app must be using 1.5 only, it comes up with the "This device is not supported" but seeing that safety is working fine, i assume its looking at the ARCore and seeing its not running on a "supported device" although it does work on 1.5 (sometimes, if im not taken straight to "Not Supported"). Not too sure about this magisk module tho as some reboots come up with a negative safety net
Found on internets:
"The CTS (Compatibility Test Suite) shim is a package that resides on a device's /system partition in order to verify certain upgrade scenarios. This is intended to facilitate the compatibility test that vendors run to ensure their hardware will be compatible with the Android OS. "
@evilKabab: if what you're saying is true, then I'm considering deleting this app from my phone. I generally don't use GApps, and don't care about SafetyNet. Thanks for the info.
its a shimmy hackers tool.
used to encrouch in space.
my ex and his circle are remotely damaging all aspects of my life personal and professional family and financial.
they have pop ups stating i cant use messages internet apps socialmedia or ANY thing that uses data or space urging me to delete files or apps as soon as i do, it encrouches and takes up that space.
ive got an s10 started with 13 pages of apps 1500 svreenshots and 900 photos and crap tons of vids
after a couple months of this i am left with 3 pages of apps (mostly factory apps) and no space for photos
and it still urges me to delete.
this is because i have evidence of too much on my phone
com.android.cts.priv.ctsshim | How to set up devices for CTS
What is com.android.cts.priv.ctsshim? How to set up the environment, desktop and android device for CTS? Is com.android.cts.ctsshim a Virus?
gossipfunda.com
hackedbymyexboyfriend said:
its a shimmy hackers tool.
used to encrouch in space.
my ex and his circle are remotely damaging all aspects of my life personal and professional family and financial.
they have pop ups stating i cant use messages internet apps socialmedia or ANY thing that uses data or space urging me to delete files or apps as soon as i do, it encrouches and takes up that space.
ive got an s10 started with 13 pages of apps 1500 svreenshots and 900 photos and crap tons of vids
after a couple months of this i am left with 3 pages of apps (mostly factory apps) and no space for photos
and it still urges me to delete.
this is because i have evidence of too much on my phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here I have 1000s of files and screen shots an pencil an paper notes
Hi All
Soon to be retiring my trusted rooted Samsung S7 Edge I have had for nearly 30 months for a new S20.
I have been rooting my androids for over 10 years now but am thinking that when it comes to the S20 I no longer wish to root. The reason is the security of the device is pretty high on my agenda and unfortuntely I dont get the time nowadays to keep my phone up to date via the unconventional means.
I have use few rooted apps over the years such as Titanium backup and few apps within Magisk such as the Youtube Vanced (no ADS) and also viper4android.
Before I make this decision can anyone convince me that rooting is still the way to go and I can do it without taking up too much of my time? I can already see there is some rooted builds already available. Is it even more dificult to perform the root process with the newer phones? I assume Knox won't work and other similar apps which rely on a unrooted phone or are there ways around this?
Any advice on this would be appreciated.
Thanks
On Samsung devices rooting allows you to debloat the phone a lot, which on my Galaxy S8 improved performances and battery peformances A LOT (it was a fast as the bloated S9+ of my parents on daily usage)
Also it allows you to install apps such as Viper4Android as you said, also it allows me to backup my WHOLE phone so that if any **** happens I can just restore everything.
The update process is fairly easy when it works, just download the updated zip and flash it via TWRP, however except some issues which would require you to reinstall, everything. sometimes with custom roms.
On my side as soon as a good custom rom is here, I will root it and go to a custom rom.
Also the rooting process doesn't take too much time, I'd say 1 hour if you encounter no problem, and yes knox features won't work tho I don't use any of them so.
Personally, rooting isn't near as great as it use to be. Adblock can be done via VPN or through private DNS. Music sounds just as good without Viper. Performance and battery life are incredible. You can uninstall anything via adb. Only thing I wish we could do without root is backup everything as well as titanium does.
Kind of similar situation here... I also used s7, rooted and flashed every device since android 2.1, and guess what - my s20 is still in factory condition
I'm not sure how long it will last, but for now I'm managing to find replacement for most things I got used to, without root. If i got bored some day, I might root it, but for now I'm enjoying it as it is :angel:
Same here. I'm enjoying my root free s20+
Haven't rooted since note 2.. Even on my s7 and note 8.. Except had to root my note 8 when samsung decided to lock usage of dual sim with sdcard. Before that I modded my simcard (remove the simcard from the plastic card, file off few mm off my sdcard and stick the simcard chip on the microsd card) on s7 and note 8 that allows me to have dual sim.
When samsung updated my note 8 to one ui, they locked dual simcard function when they detect the sdcard. So had to root my note 8.
Now that the s20 allows dual sim (1 sim and 1 esim) and sdcard, there really isn't a reason to root the phone anymore, well for me that is..
Having rooted phones with magisk is just horrible. Had to reset the phone every time there is an update (prerooted custom rom, dr ketans rom) and sometimes magisk just doesn't hide root properly. It fails sometimes then i have to update magisk..
Sent from my SM-G985F using Tapatalk
I'm wondering the same, and did root my S20+. It was painful and it half work: Google Pay and Netflix no longer work. And I did use Magisk Hide to no avail. Now when I sell it it Google Pay might work, but Samsung Pay will not (didn't verify).
Nowadays I found a way to do a lot of things without root. With a little PC app I unlock a lot of features and it makes root far less mandatory. So I mainly root to test my apps. For my daily device I no longer intend to root it.
Dont take this the wrong way but i am really curious. What are the pros for rooting phones, especially $1000+ phones, in 2020?
I dont remember the last phone i rooted. I wanna say my Nexus 5 but really cant recall.
Could you please share which pc app you are using, I'd like to try it.
Thanks
3c said:
I'm wondering the same, and did root my S20+. It was painful and it half work: Google Pay and Netflix no longer work. And I did use Magisk Hide to no avail. Now when I sell it it Google Pay might work, but Samsung Pay will not (didn't verify).
Nowadays I found a way to do a lot of things without root. With a little PC app I unlock a lot of features and it makes root far less mandatory. So I mainly root to test my apps. For my daily device I no longer intend to root it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
crows said:
Could you please share which pc app you are using, I'd like to try it.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's this app: https://3c71.com/3cc
You'll need to use one of my apps which is able to take advantage of it transparently. It's pretty recent and still work in progress. I have to check every features one by one to know which one works with this method. Recently added disabling app (and their individual components) and force-stop. Just that is pretty awesome IMO . Allows debloating a device painlessly.
It will also enable app data backup in the future. Limited to apps which have authorized data backup by Google framework.
I'm so excited since I discovered all the things that could be done that way.
Im downloading now, when you say use one of your apps, what do you mean app on phone?
3c said:
It's this app: https://3c71.com/3cc
You'll need to use one of my apps which is able to take advantage of it transparently. It's pretty recent and still work in progress. I have to check every features one by one to know which one works with this method. Recently added disabling app (and their individual components) and force-stop. Just that is pretty awesome IMO . Allows debloating a device painlessly.
It will also enable app data backup in the future. Limited to apps which have authorized data backup by Google framework.
I'm so excited since I discovered all the things that could be done that way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
crows said:
Im downloading now, when you say use one of your apps, what do you mean app on phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, an app on phone. You'll get links for them and more details when you start the companion app. For now only toolbox allows disabling (called freezing) apps, but there's an app coming soon for app management alone that will have that.
Does it allow to edit root files such as CSC files?
3c said:
Yes, an app on phone. You'll get links for them and more details when you start the companion app. For now only toolbox allows disabling (called freezing) apps, but there's an app coming soon for app management alone that will have that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
crows said:
Does it allow to edit root files such as CSC files?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't give root access, but only gives access to "dev" features that you can do with ADB.
jojos38 said:
On Samsung devices rooting allows you to debloat the phone a lot, which on my Galaxy S8 improved performances and battery peformances A LOT (it was a fast as the bloated S9+ of my parents on daily usage)
Also it allows you to install apps such as Viper4Android as you said, also it allows me to backup my WHOLE phone so that if any **** happens I can just restore everything.
The update process is fairly easy when it works, just download the updated zip and flash it via TWRP, however except some issues which would require you to reinstall, everything. sometimes with custom roms.
On my side as soon as a good custom rom is here, I will root it and go to a custom rom.
Also the rooting process doesn't take too much time, I'd say 1 hour if you encounter no problem, and yes knox features won't work tho I don't use any of them so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can debloat using ADB....
3c said:
I'm wondering the same, and did root my S20+. It was painful and it half work: Google Pay and Netflix no longer work. And I did use Magisk Hide to no avail. Now when I sell it it Google Pay might work, but Samsung Pay will not (didn't verify).
Nowadays I found a way to do a lot of things without root. With a little PC app I unlock a lot of features and it makes root far less mandatory. So I mainly root to test my apps. For my daily device I no longer intend to root it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download magisk hide prop to fix that google pay issue. Now hide all google pay in magisk. I have a rooted s20+ exynos with working gpay.
ranjb said:
Hi All
Soon to be retiring my trusted rooted Samsung S7 Edge I have had for nearly 30 months for a new S20.
I have been rooting my androids for over 10 years now but am thinking that when it comes to the S20 I no longer wish to root. The reason is the security of the device is pretty high on my agenda and unfortuntely I dont get the time nowadays to keep my phone up to date via the unconventional means.
I have use few rooted apps over the years such as Titanium backup and few apps within Magisk such as the Youtube Vanced (no ADS) and also viper4android.
Before I make this decision can anyone convince me that rooting is still payg way to go and I can do it without taking up too much of my time? I can already see there is some rooted builds already available. Is it even more dificult to perform the root process with the newer phones? I assume Knox won't work and other similar apps which rely on a unrooted phone or are there ways around this?
Any advice on this would be appreciated.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly the same situation ; Now it's possible to delete & / or disable so many apps i don't feel the need to root.
You don't need to be rooted to use YouTube Vanced , ive installed it already! But.... Viper4Android is a huge benefit for an audiophile (I had the LG G8 ThinQ , can't root it , sent it back , A Quad DAC with V4A ??)
Knox & warranty for me are the hindrances , apparently depending on your nation warranties must be adhered to by manufacturers if hardware fails even if you manipulate the software.
Titanium backup has carried me since my Sony Xperia z3 plus , i have old versions of apps like SwiftKey before Microsoft purchased it.
I'll probably root in a few months when things are more stable , i don't use Samsung pay or secure folders so.... Literally down to warranty reasons as this s20+ 5G (I don't need 5g , either 4G is so fast) is expensive, never thought I'd get a phone like this (suppose its a computer really)
An exposed module called LTE Only (There's other variants) is also useful as this phone sometimes opts for 5bars of h+ over 3 bars of 4g , so annoying that LTE only isn't standard given you can call over VoLTE & still receive texts
---------- Post added at 02:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:00 AM ----------
Djapatos said:
Dont take this the wrong way but i am really curious. What are the pros for rooting phones, especially $1000+ phones, in 2020?
I dont remember the last phone i rooted. I wanna say my Nexus 5 but really cant recall.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends what you like or don't like.
I hate the Notion that the microphone gets activated by apps whenever the algorithm is triggered , rooted phoned allow the easy manipulation of app permissions - not that I've anything to hide it's just creepy , I don't use alexa or Google (whatever it's called) or bixby voice.
Essentially rooting your phone allows absolute manipulation of the system.
My S8 is rooted & has now employed a smashed screen , I thoroughly enjoy rooting but its actually to long winded for me now.
I don't think I've ever rooted & installed a rom once & left it , there's always wiping , reflashing , updating TWRP , updating roms , returning to stock to receive official firmware updates then reflashing updated rom
Ugghh as I write I think I've convinced myself. Rooting maybe dead for me. Being an audiophile / music maker I'd now only root an LG V or G phone as V4A & the incredible quad DAC is a heavenly combination for my ears
I stopped rooting years ago. It's just not worth it for most users.
Changed my mind , ended up rooting the phone (The adverts tipped me over the edge - seriously annoying).
debloated alot , disabled even more & can backup using titanium backup if i ever need to restart etc (quicker than / & i don't use cloud transfer).
i had to reflash after disabling too much & realised my data wasn't lost when flashing HOME_CSC rather than CSC which deletes everything (i know I'm preaching to the choir) which made me realise that updating this rooted s20+ is actually very easy.
jojos38 said:
On Samsung devices rooting allows you to debloat the phone a lot, which on my Galaxy S8 improved performances and battery peformances A LOT (it was a fast as the bloated S9+ of my parents on daily usage)
Also it allows you to install apps such as Viper4Android as you said, also it allows me to backup my WHOLE phone so that if any **** happens I can just restore everything.
The update process is fairly easy when it works, just download the updated zip and flash it via TWRP, however except some issues which would require you to reinstall, everything. sometimes with custom roms.
On my side as soon as a good custom rom is here, I will root it and go to a custom rom.
Also the rooting process doesn't take too much time, I'd say 1 hour if you encounter no problem, and yes knox features won't work tho I don't use any of them so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need root to debloat a phone. Just ADB. I removed nearly everything Samsung soon as I got the phone.
I was just wondering why sailfishOS has still really bad apps.
and why is not developers are doing more apps for this amazing OS?
just wondering
it's very simple: no market.
In general you make apps to earn money. perhaps you'll find some developer or group of developers that will port a popular app as a hobby, student project, or simply because they are using sailfish and want an specific app.
so basically, if there is no market, there is no money. therefore no apps
Actually I have just bought xperia 10 plus to move away from toxic android ecosystem (from google to all the app junk), after I have figured out that I could delete 90% of application on my android phone and I would never miss them.
If you are using sailfish phone, you have an option to run apks there is no real need for native applications. Quite frankly in last few years I could hardly find any application that was something that "I have to have". All the really needed applications were added to the first smartphones: email, gps, browser, sms, mms, calls, video player, music player, camera, contacts, text editor, sound recording... and I am already stretching it with last two, I cant remember when I have last time wrote high volume of text on those tiny useless on screen keyboard or had a need to record some sound.
There is one app on android which I will need (access to online banking) and I hope it will work, it didnt work even on my previous android until I have reversed it and change some code to stop verifying for root and safetynet, so it should work here too.
Everything else is... more a toy than useful or actually some security application to prevent all others doing something that you don't want, from rolling ads to stealing data. I am waiting for this mobile application market to slowly collapse, there is no more value in it except maybe games. Everything else is just wasting time in the least constructive way.
And not having market is a huge bonus, if you check sailfish apps (jolla store and openrepos) you will find that you have everything you need for having a great phone, made by enthusiasts not people that want to become rich. And no one is making useless junk as, as valthunder said, there is no market. And this is fine. Actually great.
root said:
There is one app on android which I will need (access to online banking) and I hope it will work, it didnt work even on my previous android until I have reversed it and change some code to stop verifying for root and safetynet, so it should work here too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great to read about your decision!
For banking apps that require Google Services you could try to tweak your Sailfish Alien Dalvik with Signature Spoofing and a GServices replacement like MicroG.
The SafetyNet replacement here is the DroidGuard Helper that should be installed alongside GmsCore.
eltmosen said:
Great to read about your decision!
For banking apps that require Google Services you could try to tweak your Sailfish Alien Dalvik with Signature Spoofing and a GServices replacement like MicroG.
The SafetyNet replacement here is the DroidGuard Helper that should be installed alongside GmsCore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Naah, I am having my own "cracked" apk build from previous phone, I have removed all checks to root and safetynet and it works fine, no need to change it. Since the app is just front end for web interface it works since forever, I have also removed version matching with server. Took a day or two but worth it
But I have one question: I am trying to integrate xposed framework (last version as there si no boot/recovery img to try with magisk) into system.img (8.1). And same goes for su. Is there any "official" way how to do it without unpacking system.img, adding binaries, repacking it...
root said:
But I have one question: I am trying to integrate xposed framework (last version as there si no boot/recovery img to try with magisk) into system.img (8.1). And same goes for su. Is there any "official" way how to do it without unpacking system.img, adding binaries, repacking it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Following all things sfos quite closely i did not witness anyone get xposed framework to work. (at least no public report) That might be due to sfos users generally are not Android wizards. The matter might still be a low hanging fruit to anyone with deeper knowledge
Whenever rooting/xposed/su is brought up, much more competent guys then me hint at Alien Dalvik just being an AOSP tailored to run inside LXC on non android kernel plus filesystem integration, Intents integration, shared clipboard etc.
quoting my friend olf:
"Jolla uses many modern measures to confine the Android container: at LXC level, with cgroups, firewall rules, SElinux policies etc.
You may configure additional measures at all these levels, it is just a Linux machine and you are the administrator!"
So maybe what you want to achieve practically is even possible using a whole set of different tools then available in Android?
And yes, my vague explanation hinting at me being a simple user having no clue and just putting things together from forum posts is a correct observation