Hi everybody,
I just moved from an iphone 3g (which i had jailbroken) to an incredible thanks to at&t contract finally finishing. Hv rooted the inc on my mac using the unrevoked method. Everything works fine (still have stock eclair 2.1 and sense running). Hv installed a bunch of apps from the market but hv not sideloaded anything yet or uninstalled anything (htc sense etc etc) yet. I would really appreciate some guidance from the community on the following since i am very new to the platform as a whole.
1. I dont want to lose the ability to update to the official froyo release (whenever it happens) so will I have to unroot (if thats even possible) to get the froyo update? If yes, whats the correct way so that I can bookmark that.
2. I want to be able to use the tethering without paying 20$ extra per month to VZ (in fact would probably use USB tethering to my macbook more often than wifi tethering/hotspot, but obviously I would like both! ). How should i do that? Obviously the stock app will just alert verizon, right? Is there another app that will work now that i hv rooted? Any special instructions to follow?
3. Would like to optimize the capability of the device by removing crapware and useless stuff which comes with the phone. Hv not yet even figured out what each app does yet. I will use my inc primarily for entertainment - games, social networking, browsing, streaming music, videos, google voice, true VoIP (not official VZ skype), GPS navigation, tethering (when no wifi) but will be OTA syncing my office exchange email account, contacts, calendar as well to make this a backup phone to my official bberry. Any suggestions on which apps to remove? Also how should I remove them without bricking the phone. Is there a cleaner method?
4. I actually like Sense even though it seems it uses up some memory - any way i can remove the useless parts of Sense (since I wont be using USB sync and I am sure some other stuff in sense is just bloatware) without losing the other features that look great - to be honest the phone looks too plain without sense (nexus 1 looked really naked). I would like to retain the look and feel of the sense ui.
5. How do I get swype on this? I played with it when i was shopping for android phones on the captivate (which unfortunately was on at&t) and I am amazed at how great that was! I badly badly badly badly need that!!
6. Any standard add-ons, apps which you would recommend for my intended usage?
7. Now that I am rooted which post-root apps should i install to make the inc more useful? Any obvious ones which you would recommend?
8. The people sense widget is just too much, anything a bit saner which is like a launchpad but without the screen wastage?
9. In jailbroken iphones, you could install lockinfo which was a spectacular agglomeration of all things (missed calls, voice mails waiting, email msg list, twitter feed, facebook feed, weather, calendar, tasks, sms msgs) in 1 simple scrollable screen. Anything similar in Sense/HTC widgets/App store? Just one glance would tell me everything.
Sorry, since I am new I decided to ask all questions in 1 shot. Obviously dont expect to have all questions answered by 1 person but if the devs/users can point me in the right direction, with links and some comments, I will greatly appreciate it.
Thanks and hoping to be a contributor to the android community sometime soon as I was in the iphone community until i just could not take at&t anymore.
1.yes you need to unroot to recieve otas
2.there is an app incthe market called wifi tether that is free.
3.look in the theme/app sectiom. there is a skinned version there.
4. adb in recovery os the only way to remove crapware
7-8 . there are not many apps for root users lile there was with cydia.
also, there are many widets avaliable in the android market. there is lots of good apps in the market. explore.
if you have any other questions feel free to pm me amy time.
jdkoreclipse said:
1.yes you need to unroot to recieve otas
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, if you are running the stock rom ou will recieve OTAs. The OTA doesn't magically detect "this phone is rooted."
rpearl said:
No, if you are running the stock rom ou will recieve OTAs. The OTA doesn't magically detect "this phone is rooted."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
doesnt somethong change the ctacerts and otacerts?
Sent from my Incredible using XDA App
No. it's also not suggested and is reported to have negative side effects.
One important thing, Install Rom Manager from the market.
With this app you can do a backup of the Rom (stock sense and rooted) you're running now and install others to try, if you don't like them just restore the one you had before and done, you can as many back up as you want.
Also check in the theme section and you'll find lots of themes to make your phone look and work beautiful, this also allows you to get to recovery without having to turnoff your phone and install anything you want from the sd card.
Also, if you don't like some of the crap ware that Sense has, there's a post for removing the apps you don't want on Sense and it tell you which ones are safe to remove.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=710009
Hope this helps a little.
Some apps for us the rooted...shootme or drocap to take pictures of your screens, titanium backup, wifi tether, etc.
Appreciate the help everybody! Only thing I am still seeking an answer for is swype on my inc if anybody can guide me.
Thanks
khanam said:
Appreciate the help everybody! Only thing I am still seeking an answer for is swype on my inc if anybody can guide me.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here you go. I use the red skinned Swype, looks great and works great.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=701198
Thanks! Just realized one more thing. I cant seem to be able to use skype over wifi only. Is this verizon's way of using up my minutes one way or another?
Related
Greetings all
I realize the info I need is probably posted here... somewhere. But, at this point I am beyond confused.
I did the first, 2nd and the 3rd Eris leaks and my info is as follows
[Firmware - 2.1
baseband - 2.42.00.04.12
kernel - 2.6.29-8a03cb9a
htc-kernel and18-2#1
build - 2.36.605.1 cl165907 release-keys
software - 2.36.605.1
browser - 3.1
pri - 2.11_002
prl - 51920
Truthfully, I dont know what any of it means. I don't know if I am able to Root or not or even what I would be getting If I did or if I need to.
I also Don't know which of the dozen or so tutorials, fixes, ROM's etc I should trust, try or attempt or what they mean
What I do know is simple. I want the phone to work when all is said and done. Meaning, I want the GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi etc to all function properly.
What I would like is also simple and that is, to be able to get rid of the 1.2 dozen or so apps that I must constantly kill on this phone ( MP3 store, Voce Dialer, my uploads etc.) and the 20+ I have to kill on reboot. And have my phone run as smooth, fast and trouble free as possible.
The only widget I run is the weather, currently either 9s or weather bug and I also have a widget for Pandora and an app called music player on the home screen, but neither of those should be or need to be running, all syncs, auto updates, message / mail pushing are turned off or set to manual, this phone is a phone first, weather 2nd, and internet & email 3rd. all the other things are just toys to me. I would use the Sense weather widget if I could but I am
using Launcherpro so can only Open the sense weather app manually, not with the perfect 1x2 widget or full screen one. I also use the Sense Calender/ agenda app and would like to continue to do so.
I would also like, as I said, have everything else just work, the google account syncing, the market, all the other stuff that is needed in the background to make the unit function properly.
I Hope somebody out there understands what I am trying to convey to all of you, and I don't come off as being to demanding or inflexible. I am open to anything as long as it will do what I need. I know a lot of people here are Techies and want the latest, greatest, fastest etc. but I just need things to work. If that means staying with what I got, so be it.
My biggest grips with the phone is the crap that runs in the background, that I must kill and constantly restarts, even when the phone is idle. If this can be fixed in Root, I am all for it, if android 2.2 fixes this, ditto. if there is another way that doens't require any of this, I am open to suggestions on that as well.
But, I must stress, I do need this phone to simply work as intended. I am in the minority I am sure but I actually use the "phone" part more then anything else and need it to just work.
Maybe I don't need root! I really don't know. But as it stands now, with leak3 I will get no future updates or fixes unless I have it or something similar, Correct?
Thanks for any simplified help or advice on this
P.S if at all possible, please dont direct me to another link to read. Unless, that will do exactly what I am trying to accomplish and need the phone to do. And, is fairly simple to understand and execute. Not one full of links telling me, you need this, so go here and u will want that so go there etc..
This is realy important with the"ROM" issue, which I realy dont understand at all
Thanks in advance
Kalie
yes you can root it is benificial to most, and follow these instructions to ROOT after reading more into the matter. If you need any personal help still you may PM me tomorrow and i will at least help you find all the necessary resources and knowledge to decide if you should root or not.
Please move to general discussion.
I think the first thing that you really need to understand is that with Android things are going to run in the background, regardless of what you do. Background process run whether stock or rooted. There are no custom ROMs that somehow prevent background processes from running. It took me a long time to come to terms with this concept because I want to feel like everything on my phone is "clean". However, with Android the system is meant to run this way and the OS will stop processes only when needed. When you kill processes via task manager app or whatever you are simply wasting time, slowing down your phone, wasting battery, and maybe causing other "hiccups" in the operation of the system. As much as it feels good to make sure that stuff is not running you are really doing no good by constantly chasing your tail on this issue.
With leak v3 you can receive future updates. If you haven't already, you should be receiving the MR4 OTA update which includes some minor bug fixes.
Obtaining root is going to give you the ability to apply custom ROMs but I am not sure that this will accomplish what you have in mind. Custom ROMs do offer some significant performance enhancements but they will not stop background apps from running and all of them include a good number of the native apps that you want to get rid of (amazon mp3, etc). With root you can remove native apps but it is another required learning process.
Rooting your phone is more than just loading a custom ROM, it is a learning process that requires a lot of reading and understanding of how the operating system works, how to load custom ROMs, and all of the other things that come along with rooting.
I understand that you want to make this as easy as possible but learning is only easy if you are interested in what you are trying to do. I don't want to discourage you from rooting your Eris but I do think that you need to take some time to understand what it is that you are considering doing.
There are a lot of great resources on this site to use to educate yourself on the root process and what rooting really means for you. Good luck
mod, please move this to the general section, not a development topic, thanks.
"With leak v3 you can receive future updates. If you haven't already, you should be receiving the MR4 OTA update which includes some minor bug fixes.
"
Did I read this correctly?
Since I installed Leak 1 and the subsequent leak 2 and leak 3, I have not had any updates from verizon.
At what point in time, if ever, will I get an update from Verizon that does not come from a forum and or somebody claiming they figured it out and it's the same as the official, just "Not Official" since i am on the leaked version of Android 2.1
If I can eventually get 2.2 android, without going thru the Agg. of rooting and the trial and eroor with the many different ROMS, I would love that.
With that said, if there is something proven I can do , to undo what I have done ( Leak 1, 2 and 3) that will allow my phone then to be "Officialy" updated by verizon I would love to know how to do this
Thanks again for the Help
Kalie S
Hi,
I retired my G1 in favor of a Nexus One, for the all the reasons you can imagine if you used both devices, and I've moved my contract from the G1 to the N1 I bought without service.
However, my G1 is still fully functional and I do not want to sell it, but would like to give it a new life.
Froyo on the G1 is impressive, but let's face it, the G1 can't deal with it too well. There are too many features, too much stuff for the G1 limited memory, and barely starting an app frequently results in the home app to be quit, making simple operations slower than they would otherwise. Still, in the background, many services run that are now irrelevant: messaging, BT and others.
I would like to use my G1 to stream music at home, from a Wifi connection, using Pandora, last.fm or some other streaming service or podcast app. Just running Pandora brings the device to its knees, probably because it uses too much memory.
I imagine that many G1 owners like me have moved their SIM to some other device, or moved to a different carrier on a different (Android) phone and have no SIM for their G1 anymore. How about a ROM that would not have any of the phone features enabled to save as much memory as possible? Not having to run the GSM modem might also be able to save us some valuable RAM? As is, I haven't found any way to disable permanently SMS & other services that keep coming back, at the very least when I reboot the phone. It would be great to be able to just disable many components I never use, like G-talk, SMS or the phone part of this device that still has so much to offer, and could do so so much better with the memory savings!
If such a ROM exists already, or if there is an app or a hack I could use on top of CyanogenMod 6, I would love to know about it. I've looked for it, I swear, but could not find anything like that.
thanks!
-g
Well you can disable edge and 3g via the powerbar widget. I believe there is an app for root users in market that let's you uninstall stock phone apps like mms, gtalk, and phone.
Sent from my Chromatic Dream using XDA App
the phone becomes even more useful and powerful and effective once it is taken off the "daily driver" list and is no longer being abused as a telephone. You have a microsupercomputer that can do it all....... gps, render, flashdrive. bla bla bla. Think out of the box folks!
I would love to get rid of phone.apk and all that telephony.
BuddhaTeh1337 said:
Well you can disable edge and 3g via the powerbar widget. I believe there is an app for root users in market that let's you uninstall stock phone apps like mms, gtalk, and phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, since there is no SIM in the "phone", there is no need to disable edge and 3g, but uninstalling the stock apps certainly works great! I've done pretty much what you suggested, and the G1 flies now, as apps can all fit in RAM, and I can even keep the virtual keyboard. I think I've taken down the link to the user's profile at the same time, but that's ok (for now). I just wish I would know a little better what I'm uninstalling when using System App Remover (the naming is not particularly obvious), but it's working for me quite well. Pandora & Last.fm fly and my G1 is giving me all it's got!
thanks!
-g
I don't see anything easy, or pre-built. is it a requirement to be on 2.2 froyo?
this is a $1 app, System App Remover, find it in the Market. and it may work for you, i've never used it.
Hey Guys i just ordered my Fascinate today. i am coming from windows mobile (imagio), i have a custom rom on it that i change about every 2 weeks so i am experienced with roms on WM, but have no clue on Android. So i have a few questions i hope you guys can answer and also any other advice and information would help. First things first i want to get rid of the verizon crap.. LOL
1. i think i have to root it first, what is a good way to go about this.
2. is there a way to backup all the factory stuff so if i have warrenty issues i can put it back to stock?
3. I would like some info on the "roms" i would like to have the google search and get rid of bing.
4 What is a good backup program to backup texts, pictures, phone call history etc when upgrading different roms.
5. is there a program to do wifi tethering with paying VZ.
6. Any other cool or helpful apps would be great.
thanks for all your input and help as its a little learning curve moving to Android, if anyone needs help with WM let me know i have that down...
Hope this is a good phone, may point i like is the screen looks nice.
soloblazer said:
Hey Guys i just ordered my Fascinate today. i am coming from windows mobile (imagio), i have a custom rom on it that i change about every 2 weeks so i am experienced with roms on WM, but have no clue on Android. So i have a few questions i hope you guys can answer and also any other advice and information would help. First things first i want to get rid of the verizon crap.. LOL
1. i think i have to root it first, what is a good way to go about this.
2. is there a way to backup all the factory stuff so if i have warrenty issues i can put it back to stock?
3. I would like some info on the "roms" i would like to have the google search and get rid of bing.
4 What is a good backup program to backup texts, pictures, phone call history etc when upgrading different roms.
5. is there a program to do wifi tethering with paying VZ.
6. Any other cool or helpful apps would be great.
thanks for all your input and help as its a little learning curve moving to Android, if anyone needs help with WM let me know i have that down...
Hope this is a good phone, may point i like is the screen looks nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Always nice to have people choosing the Fascinate! Welcome!
1. Z4root is the best way to go in rooting as it does a permenant root automatically for you. Search for it on the XDA forums.
2. Look up Odin. Its used to return your phone to bone stock if you ever have trouble.
3.The Blackhole rom by sonofskywalker is a Bingless rom that let's you choose what to start off with aside from the essential apps. But its a DJ05 rom, so look up on upgarding from your current D101 to Dj05 before installing blackhole.
4. Titanium Backup is THE backup app, although you must be rooted first to use. It allows backup of apps and settings.
5. Look up Wifi Tether on the market, needs root, but its free.
6. Stay away from Voodoo unless your absolutely positive you can handle it. There are a lot of cool apps on Xda, just search.
Rockin' DJ05, Minimal Icognito, being just plain Stupidfast
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=855900 Check here and http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=869990 here and http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=841589 this one should help too!
soloblazer said:
Hey Guys i just ordered my Fascinate today. i am coming from windows mobile (imagio), i have a custom rom on it that i change about every 2 weeks so i am experienced with roms on WM, but have no clue on Android. So i have a few questions i hope you guys can answer and also any other advice and information would help. First things first i want to get rid of the verizon crap.. LOL
1. i think i have to root it first, what is a good way to go about this.
2. is there a way to backup all the factory stuff so if i have warrenty issues i can put it back to stock?
3. I would like some info on the "roms" i would like to have the google search and get rid of bing.
4 What is a good backup program to backup texts, pictures, phone call history etc when upgrading different roms.
5. is there a program to do wifi tethering with paying VZ.
6. Any other cool or helpful apps would be great.
thanks for all your input and help as its a little learning curve moving to Android, if anyone needs help with WM let me know i have that down...
Hope this is a good phone, may point i like is the screen looks nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=798064
2. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=782204
3. You can search the forums but most people run blackhole by sonofskywalker or jt's super clean.
4. Titanium backup works great you can download it from market.
5. http://code.google.com/p/android-wifi-tether/downloads/detail?name=wireless_tether_2_0_5-pre9.apk
6. Rom manager is very helpful with downloading and flashing roms, setcpu is great to over/underclock, root explorer is good for managing system files...
That's pretty much the rundown we do have a lagfix available read and understand it fully before ever attempting to flash it, it works well but if you don't follow the directions it can be nasty to you. Welcome to android and happy flashing any questions we are all happy to help
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
After a bit of work, I finally got my phone working the way I want. I basically tried to get the phone as clean as possible and removed the Motorola bloat.
- Phone no longer reboots itself.. at all.
- 20+ hours of battery is the norm, despite a good amount of use
- Very stable and responsive
Please note: I have the extended battery and use Launcher Pro. Freezing certain apps will stop the Motorola widgets, home screen, and apps from working properly.
1. Flashed the TBH SBF on to phone
2. Formatted SD card
3. Wiped the cache and partition
4. Rooted phone with z4 root
5. Installed Titanium Backup and froze apps
Apps frozen:
3G Mobile Hotspot 2.2.1
Amazon MP3
Backup Assistant 1.0
Backup Assistant 2.2.1
Battery Manager 1.1
City ID 1.0.30
com.motorola.photowidget 2.2.1
Files 2.2.1
Global Unplug 1.0
Help Center 2.2.1
InPocket 2.2.1
MediaShare 1.0.0
Messages 2.2.1
Messaging 2.2.1
News 2.2.1
NFS Shift 1.0
Print to Retail 1.0
Quick Contact 2.2.1
Skype mobile 1.0.0.2
Social Messaging 2.2.1
Social Messaging Service 2.2.1
Social Networking 2.2.1
Social Sharing 2.2.1
Social Status 2.2.1
Sticky Note 2.2.1
Sync Service 1.5.7
Task Manager 1.0
Toggle Widgets 2.2.1
Universal Inbox 2.2.1
Voice Commands
Voicemail 1.1
VZ Navigator
Weather 2.2.1
Yahoo Contacts 2.2.1
I really hate the fact this was all necessary. The original Droid was a great device, because it did not contain any bloatware. I've learned my lesson and will only buy Android devices without it, such as the Nexus series of phones. At least in the meantime, I can use a properly functioning device again.
Thanks a lot for your post mate, it is really helpful.
Were you able to update your phone to the latest version? Did you have any issues updating ?
Thanks.
Even though I haven't had too many problems so far, I went in and froze everything on your list. I have gotten an occasional auto-reboot, so maybe this will help.
Can you explain what this is?
1. Flashed the TBH SBF on to phone
Thanks!
@elmemyself: Yes, the phone updated just fine.
@MrWilliams2: If your phone is rebooting by itself, try switching it back to Global if you currently have it set to CDMA. I never changed it to CDMA since wiping everything and I haven't had a single reboot in almost a week now.
TBH is Team Black Hat.. they are the ones that first released a valid SBF. The SBF is basically an image that will restore your phone back to it's factory settings. All of your current programs and settings will still be intact after you install the SBF because those reside in the cache and partition. You can choose to "wipe" them by booting your phone into Recovery Mode. I went this route to get my phone as clean as possible and so far it's paying off.
To get into Recovery Mode, turn off your phone. Hold 'R' and 'M' keys and turn on the phone. After the '!' comes up, press '@'. Follow the directions on screen.
One last note.. after you format SD card and wipe cache / partition, your phone is essentially factory reset. I highly recommend you turn Wifi on, if it isn't already. After entering my Google account settings, it automatically downloaded my Wifi settings and connected to my router. It then proceeded to download every app I had on my phone previously. If you aren't connected via WiFi, it will take a lot longer for your phone to re-download all those apps.
Good luck!
Thanks for this great information!
I've been holding off rooting my Pro (after using my rooted OG Droid for the past year), but will be rooting soon with the help of the info you've provided...
Sent from my DROID PRO using XDA App
A few questions
MANY thanks eus107709 for your wonderful guide! I'm sure MANY of us appreciate it and will be following it.
I have a few questions:
1) Why do we have to use the SBF at all? Why not just 'factory reset' the phone using the android/menu/settings option?
2) If we use the SBF, I hear we have to re-activate phone with Verizon. Is this true? I'm in the UK and don't have a verizon account (phone is unlocked). Will I be able to bypass activation?
3) How can I clear the micro-sd card of all my settings to start fresh? Will that also wipe any pictures and music I have on it?
4) By using this method, how (or will I) be able to upgrade the OS with future OS upgrades from Motorola and/or Verizon?
5) not directly related - as we know the phone is radio locked to verizon and unable to use with AT&T / T-Mobile in America. Is it possible to get it radio unlocked to use other bands? The reason I ask is: will I get better 'signal' / reception if I do this? I work in Central London often, where signal is top in the country, but often my 'H' radio bar only shows 2 out of 4. I expect it to be 4 being in London, or at the very least 3, but it never goes above 2 really. Could this be related to the 'locked radio'? I've seen this but can't find much info/feedback yet: see twitter and 'droidbandunlock'
Sorry for all the long-winded questions. Thanks in advance eus107709
I'll try to answer to the best of my knowledge, but I'm afraid I'm not qualified to comment on them all.
1) Why do we have to use the SBF at all? Why not just 'factory reset' the phone using the android/menu/settings option?
Many of us have rooted our phones and removed stock applications that we believe hinder the performance of the device. This prevents us from applying the system update provided by Motorola. I think, but am not positive, that "factory resetting" the phone via the menu options merely clears the cache but doesn't restore the removed apps.
2) If we use the SBF, I hear we have to re-activate phone with Verizon. Is this true? I'm in the UK and don't have a verizon account (phone is unlocked). Will I be able to bypass activation?
If you bought your phone in the United States, through Verizon, I'm pretty sure you need to call them to SIM unlock your phone to be used on a different carrier. They are generally willing to comply with your request if you're a customer in good standing or if you've purchased the phone at full retail value. I believe you generally only have to do this once, but maybe someone more experienced at this can confirm.
3) How can I clear the micro-sd card of all my settings to start fresh? Will that also wipe any pictures and music I have on it?
You can clear the micro-SD card by going to Settings -> SD Card -> Unmount SD card (takes a few seconds) -> Format SD Card.
The applications store program data and settings in the SD card which I like to clear when starting fresh. Uninstalled software often leaves residual data that will continue living on unless you manually delete them. It likely will never affect you, but I know this in the back of my mind and it bugs the hell out of me. I also worry about configuration files leftover from previous installations that will affect my newly installed ones (of the same program). The likelyhood of that being a problem is also very small, but ya never know and I like reducing the chances of things going wrong.
4) By using this method, how (or will I) be able to upgrade the OS with future OS upgrades from Motorola and/or Verizon?
Yes. The TBH SBF is a copy of the software on your phone as it was from Motorola. Rooting your phone by this method is not permanent and can be undone. Freezing the apps is also temporary and can be undone by "unfreezing". Bottom line: You aren't making any permanent changes to your phone. The SBF is a safety net, so even if we made drastic changes to our phone, we can install the SBF to start clean again. I'm more than willing to install new ROMs for our phone as they come out, but as of right now it's not an absolute necessity.
5) not directly related - as we know the phone is radio locked to verizon and unable to use with AT&T / T-Mobile in America. Is it possible to get it radio unlocked to use other bands? The reason I ask is: will I get better 'signal' / reception if I do this? I work in Central London often, where signal is top in the country, but often my 'H' radio bar only shows 2 out of 4. I expect it to be 4 being in London, or at the very least 3, but it never goes above 2 really. Could this be related to the 'locked radio'? I've seen this but can't find much info/feedback yet: see twitter and 'droidbandunlock'
I'm fairly certain "unlocking the radio" will not improve your reception in the UK, but I don't really know enough about how they are blocking US carriers.
Hope things are a little bit more clear!
need to z4 root
i need to z4 root
please take a link fo me
Thanks very much for your response my friend!
I appreciate your help on all things regardless of your background and experience.
Activating vs unlocking - phone is factory and/or verizon unlocked and that is permanent. Activating is different from unlocking where we register our phone with verizon. I thought I saw someone say using sbf requires re-activation, and that they were able to bypass it somehow.
I will probably backup my pics and music etc on my PC before formatting the sd card.
Btw, do you notice the battery life increase after freezing all the unnecessary software?
Please also share any other experiences you've had since cleaning up your phone.
Thanks again my friend.
Sent from my DROID PRO using XDA App
You're welcome, I'm glad to help!
Updating the SBF or factory resetting your phone will surely require activation, but that is easily done. Most of the time, your phone will automatically prompt you to activate which is denoted by a "ACTIVATE NOW" button. Otherwise, just dial *228. It usually doesn't take more than 10 seconds and is completely automated.
My battery life was never horrendous, BUT it wasn't consistent. There were times when my battery would seemingly drain leaving me with only 9-10 hours of usage. Please keep in mind that no matter what you remove, battery life will still not be amazing. It's a smartphone after-all, and if you're like me who is constantly making use of it, you're not going to go 2 days without a recharge.
There is a very good chance that if you've never used the Droid 1, Nexus, or G1 you may not consider it "useless software". Personally, I like using Android the way Google designed it. When I switch Android phones, I don't want to be switching between "Blur" (motorola), "Sense" (HTC), and whatever Samsung calls their UI overlay and apps.
Right now, it's the closest I can get the phone to the way Google intended. In terms of functionality, you will not notice anything much different. I highly recommend using either Launcher Pro or ADW Launcher. IMO, both are better than the Motorola home screen launcher and even Google's default.
I hope that in between the time you're tweaking the phone you get to actually enjoy it, because it is still a great experience
nice....curious tho
Thx for the post man. helped me to utilize titanium and decide on some things to freeze. now I have to go back in and choose some things to quit backing up lol. im currently looking up everything you have frozen to actually see what purpose it serves before I freeze it though. a question Im surprised hasn't been asked of ya. I wanted to ask ya about launcher pro though. what are the benefits? is it just more efficient or..? thanks again man
Just want to say thanks again!
And that launcher pro is not only brilliant to use, but also saved me loads of battery life!
It seems that motoblur uses a lot of battery with widgets etc.
With launcher pro my phone's extended battery shows 80% after 7 hours, whereas without it, and 7 hours later otherwise (using phone in same way!) I would have 60 or 70% left.
Highly recommend.
I will also use titanuim. Isnt it better to remove apps rather than freeze them?
Cheers!
Sent from my DROID PRO using XDA App
@budwiser0240
While most people use Titanium Backup for backup, I really only use it for freezing. As for "Backup Assistant", it's something that Motorola concocted and I refuse to use it. Google already automatically backs up what I need.
As for Launcher Pro or ADW, I feel it's runs more smoothly than the Motorola or Google homescreens. There are many things you can configure in LP and ADW, but I won't go into them here.. there's enough threads about them. To keep it simple, just use the default settings for now.
@hanybanoub
The biggest drain on your battery is probably those social networking widgets that come with the phone. The Motorola widgets and programs all seem to be poorly written software. If you want to use social networking widgets, maybe you can use the official ones from the Market.
Freezing the apps allows you to quickly unfreeze them if you need to. Motorola updates often requires those apps be present. Also, if you break the functionality of the phone by freezing/removing them, it's easier to fix. With the SBF available, it's not that big of a deal either way. You can always restore them.
Complete newbie to android
I am a complete newbie to the android system so if I could get some clarification . I've got my phone configured the way I like it with LauncherPro. I have not rooted yet but I am interested in using TitaniumBackup to freeze useless apps, especially cityID. A few questions then:
1. Does freezing all these apps effectively mean getting rid of MotoBlur? I am under the impression that MotoBlur runs in the background and LauncherPro simply runs over it?
2. Can I use z4root version 1.3.0? Will the unroot option work if I need to unroot or will I have to flash the TBH SBF to unroot?
3. Do I need to wipe anything prior to rooting and using Titanium backup or can I just do those two steps if I haven't rooted before?
4. Optional Question What sort of advantage do would a custom ROM give a phone like the Droid Pro versus rooting and freezing useless apps?
Thanks
@LeoBloom
1. MotoBlur runs deep.. you're only getting rid of some of it. Components of the original Android code aren't even included in the software, so you're still running Blur. When you run LauncherPro, the Motorola homescreen will not be running. The phone/contacts module, the gallery, the camera.. it's all Moto. Not all of it is terrible I suppose.. seems like many of the components are built off Android code, just modified (maybe someone can confirm this).
2. You should be able to unroot with 1.3.. never tried, but I do get the unroot button.
3. You don't have to wipe for either of those.
4. It depends on the custom ROM and the objective of the "chef". Some modders aim for Battery Life, some for speed, and some try to bring the phone back to being close to AOSP. Android Operating System Project is the source code that all Android phones are based off of, but unfortunately manufacturers like to deviate away from it by adding their own garbage.
Thanks
Thanks for the replies eus!
I have one more question regarding "nandroid" backups. From what I understand, if I mess something up, I don't have to flash the TBH SBF if I have a nandroid backup. I could instead use it to revert my phone to the way I had it before I started experimenting.
Are there any specific instructions beyond what is listed here:
androidforums DOT com/droid-pro-all-things-root/233471-droid-pro-bootstrap-clockwork-mod.html
(New users restriction, cannot post links)
Does anyone else have experience with this and can add something?
Sometimes I wish I had gotten a Droid X solely because of the number of guides already written for it... :S
Thx for the reply. definitely gonna check out launcher pro soon
eus107709 said:
@budwiser0240
While most people use Titanium Backup for backup, I really only use it for freezing. As for "Backup Assistant", it's something that Motorola concocted and I refuse to use it. Google already automatically backs up what I need.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Backup Assistant is a verizon feature. It's available on all new verizon smartphones and is backed up your verizon account online.
Thanks for the list. I froze almost all the same things as you after installing the latest OTA update. seems to be working great.
I didn't freeze:
Social Messaging 2.2.1
Social Mess Serv 2.2.1
Social Net 2.2.1
Social Share 2.2.1
Social Status 2.2.1
I want to freeze most of these, but I really want to keep the linking between facebook, linkedin and my contacts. Anyone know which ones I can safely remove? I don't care about ANY of the other functionality associated with these. Plan to use the facebook app from marketplace. This app however doesn't link into your motorola contact like it does in ASOP
Unfortunately, the Facebook app will never be able to sync with your contacts because our phone uses Motorola's contact manager instead of the Android Source Code Project one (as you've mentioned). Perhaps you can look into installing the AOSP contact manager on the Droid Pro. I'm not sure if it's possible though, but it might be worth looking into.
I have no intention of ever running the "social" apps ever again, so can't help you there!
Have had my Swift 2x for a few months and have been happy on the whole. Camera is just average but for the price it's a cracking phone.
Anyway, the recent announcement of the lockscreen ads for a discount on a new phone leaves me a bit uneasy. A lot has been mentioned about Truecaller replacing the stock dialer and for me the introductory period comes to an end in a week or so and I suppose the ads will start popping up on that.
I fully realise that Wileyfox need a funding stream but I do not like ads. This has got me to un Wileyfox my phone!
I installed the Non-Nexus dialer from apk mirror, google messages and contact from playstore and disabled truecaller and the stock messages and contacts. The bit that has me worried is that I prefer google stuff to what came with the phone originally.
Thing is I have felt today that my phone as a bit smoother and quicker.
Trying to avoid flashing Lineage as once Ive started flashing then I dont stop until I break it!!!!!
Anyway, just wondering if someone else feels the same.
First thing I did after the Nougat update was disable the Truecaller and install the nonnexus
However, that's all the unwileyfoxing I needed to do (ok I installed Nova launcher since I was used to it, but in fact I haven't found anything wrong with Foxhole per se). I'm still very happy with the phone and especially with the software support. As in, this feels the best phone I ever had.
(as to the recent changes re. Wileyfox income flow, the jury is still out on that - as long as I can disable stuff I don't really care that much)
I did exactly the same right after getting the phone.
Installed Google Phone, Contacts, Messages and disabled the original ones. Reflashed opengapps to get rid of the clutter, switched to Nova Launcher. Happy camper.
Just stumbled on to this post after purchasing a Wileyfox Swift 2 plus completely forgetting that Cyanogen isn't a thing anymore. . I'm coming from a heavily rooted OnePlus One (via a windows phone, but shhhhh) and wondered if you guys had any advice on what to instantly do to the phone?
iomOllie said:
Just stumbled on to this post after purchasing a Wileyfox Swift 2 plus completely forgetting that Cyanogen isn't a thing anymore. . I'm coming from a heavily rooted OnePlus One (via a windows phone, but shhhhh) and wondered if you guys had any advice on what to instantly do to the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As stated before in this thread:
- update the phone to the latest version (OTA)
- disable the Truecaller program and install another dialer (the 'nonnexus' version of the google phone app is my personal fave works well enough)
- install the launcher of your choice (though I find there's nothing wrong with Foxhole, you can disable the news feed if you like, I was just used to Nova Launcher)
- I've also disabled 'Wileyfox Account', because I don't need it; if they roll out some actual use for it that I find interesting, we'll see later.
For the rest there's nothing wrong with the basic installation, in my opinion. Good luck with the phone.
(I haven't rooted my phone since I didn't see the need; if you need root for something, I can't help you there)
by the way, re. Windows Phone: I had a Nokia 620 or something and was really, really happy with it. But for the lack of apps for the platform (banking apps, mainly) I would have happily stayed on. But nowadays, a smartphone without mobile banking is... sad
dryhte said:
As stated before in this thread:
- update the phone to the latest version (OTA)
- disable the Truecaller program and install another dialer (the 'nonnexus' version of the google phone app is my personal fave works well enough)
- install the launcher of your choice (though I find there's nothing wrong with Foxhole, you can disable the news feed if you like, I was just used to Nova Launcher)
- I've also disabled 'Wileyfox Account', because I don't need it; if they roll out some actual use for it that I find interesting, we'll see later.
For the rest there's nothing wrong with the basic installation, in my opinion. Good luck with the phone.
(I haven't rooted my phone since I didn't see the need; if you need root for something, I can't help you there)
by the way, re. Windows Phone: I had a Nokia 620 or something and was really, really happy with it. But for the lack of apps for the platform (banking apps, mainly) I would have happily stayed on. But nowadays, a smartphone without mobile banking is... sad
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much for your help, did everything you said except Nova Launcher (although I love it, I'll try anything new) had this phone about two hours and love it (especially for £150)
The only reason I rooted my first android (Sony Xperia Play) was to be able to listen to YouTube music without the app being open. Then I discovered the world of possibilities. But you're right, it is sad, hence why I'm holding off rooting this time (as you can't use android pay on a rooted device)
My Nokia hated being touched whilst on charge, would constantly lose cell signal, but the batter would last all day!
iomOllie said:
Thank you so much for your help, did everything you said except Nova Launcher (although I love it, I'll try anything new) had this phone about two hours and love it (especially for £150)
The only reason I rooted my first android (Sony Xperia Play) was to be able to listen to YouTube music without the app being open. Then I discovered the world of possibilities. But you're right, it is sad, hence why I'm holding off rooting this time (as you can't use android pay on a rooted device)
My Nokia hated being touched whilst on charge, would constantly lose cell signal, but the batter would last all day!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to root my phones but being honest, most stock android is pretty ok at the moment. I would usually root to install ad blocking but now I use dns66 so android pay and other software works without a hitch.
I use GoogleNow as a launcher btw.
divvykev said:
I used to root my phones but being honest, most stock android is pretty ok at the moment. I would usually root to install ad blocking but now I use dns66 so android pay and other software works without a hitch.
I use GoogleNow as a launcher btw.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just simple tweaks like transparent notification shade and moving the clock (I hated it on the right hand side) and even changing the battery icon. I've heard Magisk seems to be able to root your phone whilst keeping Android Pay?
Feel free to tell me to use Google (or the search function) but, what is dns66?
iomOllie said:
Just simple tweaks like transparent notification shade and moving the clock (I hated it on the right hand side) and even changing the battery icon. I've heard Magisk seems to be able to root your phone whilst keeping Android Pay?
Feel free to tell me to use Google (or the search function) but, what is dns66?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dns66 is an adblocker which workd witthout root.
divvykev said:
Dns66 is an adblocker which workd witthout root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the thread about Dns66 it is stated that the app might interfere with downloads on Nougat (due to a download manager bug). Don't you have any issues with this?
dryhte said:
In the thread about Dns66 it is stated that the app might interfere with downloads on Nougat (due to a download manager bug). Don't you have any issues with this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not had any issues.