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
Related
Sorry to be so dense, but I have no idea what this is.could some one explain please. Isit similar to jail breaking of an iphone?
Because I already have downloaded games on my phone that I should of paid for and the it works perfectly fine.
Sorry for the dumb question again
alpystar said:
Sorry to be so dense, but I have no idea what this is.could some one explain please. Isit similar to jail breaking of an iphone?
Because I already have downloaded games on my phone that I should of paid for and the it works perfectly fine.
Sorry for the dumb question again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google banned you or what? O_O
http://android-dls.com/wiki/index.php?title=Why_Root#You_never_know
Well "rooting" can be considered like jailbreaking but their are a few key differences (I have rooted and jailbroke before). Since Android offers many of the features iPhone doesent offer without jaybreak, rooting and Android allows the user to access many of the hidden features like setting the speed of the CPU. Rooting also allows custom roms to be installed on your phone. Roms are basically a moded version of the software your phone runs. A popular type of Rom called "Cyanogen" is available for a wide variety of Android devices. Rooting also allows free wireless tethering to your phone. What that means is that your phone emits WiFi and and of your WiFi powered devices such as an ipod or laptop can connect to it. Since rooting allows full user access to the processes of the Android phone, you warentee is also voided. But if you know what you want and how to keep your phone running then give it a shot. If you are new to the field rooting I would read more about it and how to fix it in recovery mode if you want to unroot your phone. I hope this helps.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
Its a reference to the underlying linux system, and goes back to Unix. Root was the primary user or superuser, and so root level access was the key to full admin control.
Your phone by default presents you with a limited user access, generally for your own good, by protecting access to files and folders you shouldnt normally access. Rooting refers to achieving full unrestricted access to the phone, thus enabling you to go beyond the normal user and start mucking about under the hood.
Quick question, since i stumbled upon this thread:
- Have there been cases of attempts at rooting carrier locked phones that resulted in bricks? Or is it generally safe to root carrier locked devices (if any Frenchies see this, i'm talking about SFR, Orange... more specifically.)
Cheers
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.
Hello,
I'm trying to set up a showcase display at my business with my n7. I have all the hardware set up with a mount and display case so customers can peruse things. But unfortunately my expertise stops there and I need to get some good software, or guidance on how to configure the built in security settings. I'd like customers to be able to use the slideshow feature via the gallery app and or screensaver feature, access limited browser capabilities for my website, and maybe a few other minor things, but I dont want them to have any administrator privileges.
Thank you for your time.
Don't root it. And use a launcher that you can hide apps with. Then they can only see the apps you want them to use, and without root they can't mess it up to bad.
Doubt you'll find a better way.
Sent from my N5 cell phone telephone....
Something like this can help: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gears42.surelock
deltatux
Hello Good People of XDA
I have been a i9506 owner for quite long, had a 9100 before,
I am used to root and mess with apps to customize things to my wim,
at the best of my knowledge (I lack android programming skills, but I can do things with terminal and filesystems).
All that before to say I am not totally a noob, but my lack of technical knowledge might bite me there.
System wise, I am under 4.2.2, rooted, unknow sources are not allowed, system check for apps is allowed,
I have an antivirus (more than one, but only one works each day, just to be sure I don't miss things)...
My problem is that I recently found out that some apps, actually system apps, blocked
with Titanium backup, or with gemini app manager, or app quarantine,
were actually running anyway.
They are marked as blocked in my app manager, but can still be force closed,
and they appear in battery displays (most of these under the android system block, in the list of services/apps used),
and in process running when using Ccleaner apps.
Also, my battery display show GPS is activated, while when I go into options, all boxes are off or unticked.
I thus wonder what's happening?
How is it possible to have these schrödinger apps tamed and blocked like I want them.
I want these to shut down and only work when I DO ALLOW these, for them not to suck my battery or do unauthorized chores like tracking me when I don't want.
How is it possible that they even behave like that? In i9100, I never observed that in Android 4.0.
I wonder if Google didn't change the workings for making us unable to disactivate what we don't want to work, which was pissing them off.
They already change the permissions displays in the market so permissions as intrusive as "contacts/sms message/USB stockage" are considered "not relevant/important",
while they are depending on the announced display of the app.
But I don't want to go on the "conspiracy route" (I am not like that, I am a pragmatist and I just observe facts, like these apps, with sensitive access, not being able to be deactivated), so let's focus on the technical part:
such apps were Maps, Samsung sync adapters, NFC service , Google Agenda/Contact synchronisation, sysscope, context provider, etc.
That's a lots of things that are supposed to communicate to cloud or other devices, with feels lot like a gaping flaw in the armor...
I want a phone and a tool, not something that track me or put me at risk of being stolen by somebody with technical knowledge.
Am I alone?
Thanks for any insights.
Blocked apps still working
I don't know if my title was too unclear, so I would like to change the title but am unable to do so?
Is it please possible for a moderator to do it (with the title of this post)?
Thanks by advance.
I feel like it is a true problem not being able to block some apps,
or even more, to believe they are blocked while they perfectly perform in the background,
and display activity only in secondary reports, not under their respective "buttons"/information tabs.
I wonder abourt the technical reason to such behavior.
Then delete those apps or block some of the permissions with an app (eg Privacyguard).
It's my opinion that an antivirus app (at the moment) is a waste of resources. Just think before you install something. Also if you are worried about security, you should always run the latest version of Android. 4.2.2 is an old version.
Lennyz1988 said:
Then delete those apps or block some of the permissions with an app (eg Privacyguard).
It's my opinion that an antivirus app (at the moment) is a waste of resources. Just think before you install something. Also if you are worried about security, you should always run the latest version of Android. 4.2.2 is an old version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your answer.
Well I don't want to delete system app when they might be useful at time.
I just want them to behave correctly, that is, not work when they are blocked.
That is not a solution to say "uninstall this", while the true problem is Android general behavior here.
I didn't installed system apps, they came with the thing, and all of them are not bloatware.
"NFC service" is something I want to keep for when I am ready to use it,
but I don't want to let it free and unleashed because of the opening it leaves on my phone.
Same goes for bluetooth, synced backups and so on.
I don't want backups on the cloud, so I deactivated the options, and blocked the apps.
Why are they running? It is not normal!
And my old version is maybe not secure, but actually trying 4.3 hasn't changed anything,
and I only suspect this to be some "new feature".
The antivirus is a waste for scans, I agree, still it has useful firewall features that justifies in itself its uses.
I am asking myself - specifically for the G5 Plus, but probably in a more general sense - where the huge advantages and disadvantages of rooting are, considering that the G5 plus comes with a relativly clean Android 7.XXX and a not an old overloaded android version, which didn't use to have many of the capabilities that Android 7 offers. I know that my questions might particularily overlap with questions in other topics, but for sure not every question, especially specific G5 Plus questions.
Overall I am interested in the topics security and product-experience, if you want to call it like that. I ask myself: Is root still worth losing warranty or is it not? Keywords or keyquestions that cross my mind are:
OTA updates: I guess those won't be possible anymore?
Encryption: Will it still work and increase security if the phone is lost?
Backup functionality, especially in combination with cloud services: Is there something like -backup my whole phone down to the very core on some google server (best proteced with a password and some AES256 encryption)- so that I can restore it some day in an easy manner? How would you backup your phone and settings, etc. with and without root?
Safety: What could happen if I lose my (bootloader unlocked and) rooted phone: Will someone be able to read my passwords (e.g. google...) and other sensitive information directly from the phone, even if it was locked, in the moment I lost it? What is the worst thing that could happen?
Root Functionality: How does the root access / superuser specificly work, e.g. if I'd accidentally install an app or similar, which might contain a virus: Is an app like this instantly capable of messing my whole system or will I be able to manually confirm specific security related changes, especially system changes, that an app might try to do? With other words: Does root mean that the system will be wasted by even the tiniest mistake or is there some security buffer?
Unlock Bootloader only: Is it an option (or make any sense to you) to just unlock the bootloader and install a the G5 Plus TWRP recovery without rooting the phone and does this give any advantages or is this just a totally nonsensical option, which is maybe not even possible? If I got it right, rooting does not necessarily need to reset the phone in any way, while unlocking the bootloader enforces to do a reset, right? In this context I was also asking myself if unlocking the bootloader (now that I don't have wasted precious time on customizing my phone, yet) right now is a useful option (without any disadvantage besides losing the warranty) and if I ever experience the necessity to root, I will only need like 2 commands and it is done - without having to reset my phone again?
Root Must Have: Is there any specific functionality or reason - you would say - one should definitly root the phone for, as it is a must have functionality, which would be locked without root?: I only have virtual examples, e.g. if Nougat would prevent me from changing the volume to a level higher than 50 % and the absolute exclusive possibility to change this was to get root access. Another example , although really not that critical one, could be: I noticed that I am only allowed to install 5 different finger prints... root could give me the possibility to install infinite finger prints?
Feature Loss: Does one lose some other neat features or functionality that is usually provided by Google or Motorola if the phone is not rooted but not possible anymore if it is rooted?
Third Party Trust: How can you people trust the TWRP Backup or custom ROMs? Don't you fear that there might be a virus or trojan horse within?
Best regards and thanks in advance for your patience with a newbie
No response?
172 view, no answers :-/. Guys tell me: Is it due to the length of the text? Is it something else? I could split it up in several questions, but I though that this would be unwanted.
And I will be thankful for every help on either of the bold buzzwords, it is not like you need to comment on everything
Must have for me: correct timestamps when moving or copying files using TC. Only possible with root.
Unlock only: yes makes sense. Unlock is the part where you lose all data, and then you can use fastboot boot to make backup. Rooting itself should not lose any data, so it is advantageous to unlock early. Root has time.
Lost functionality: on most devices using Magisk 12 you can pass SafetyNet, which means you can use Android pay, play Pokemon go etc, but the apps trying to detect root/unlocked devices get changed and may not work anymore at some time. Probably you will have lost this possibility when starting with unlocked bootloader and need to install Magisk to get green SafetyNet. Magisk hides the unlocked bootloader.
OTA: do a backup of boot partition before rooting, do no modifications on other partitions than data, cache and boot and you should be fine restoring boot partition to do OTA. It's easy to overlook some app using root to write system, logo, recovery, something, but backup should help. Or install complete firmware, then OTA is possible again.
Note: I do not have the device, just saw the questions which have the same answers for all current Motorola Android devices - you may search in general forums or forums for similar devices for answers
OTA updates: if you are rooted you have tempered with the system partition and therefore ota are not easily installed
Encryption:it is possible to wipe the phone and use if you are unlocked
Backup functionality Google already does backup some settings natively. you can still do an adb backup even without root
Safety: if they are techies they know how to access files via twrp etc. but worst thing is they just wipe it and use the phone
Root Functionality: root gives some apps access to the system partition which is not possible normaly. if you installe some dubious app which wants access to root to mess with your system you are lost.
Unlock Bootloader only: you need to unlock the phone to root it. by unlocking your phone is wiped clean. than you can root it. the advantage of installing twrp are the "easy backups" and installing custom roms or even root. there are no real advantages or disadvantages anymore. earlier you had to unlock/root/install custom rom to have some extra functionalities but android did mature and has most functions built in
Root Must Have: there may be some system limits which you can bypass with root like headphne volume limit, reading wifi passwords or/and having systemwide adblock. I personally do not see a benefit anymore. I used to root for having system-wide adblock but I can achieve it with rootless apps like adguard.
Feature Loss: you will lose android pay. you can not use some apps like mario run or pokemon go. you will lose OTA feature.
Third Party Trust: actually I dont know. with the custom rom base growing I only trust official lineageOS as it is review by many people before building. therefore the chance is reduced to have some spyware feature in it
I too would like to know, has the source code to ANY custom ROMs been reviewed by third party to verify no malicious code?
Although I worry that some ROMs could violate my data privacy, root is something that I simply cannot willingly go without - if I don't have root access, it's simply not *MY* phone, it's a phone that is configured to someone else's [some company's] desires and priorities.
I'm disappointed that the built in tethering does an "entitlement" check - AFAIK it's actually illegal (or, at least against contracts the companies signed with the FCC) for the cell phone provider to attempt to control what a user does with their allotted amount of cell data. Yes, the cell provider company can decide how MUCH data you are allowed based on what plan you pay for, but they are not supposed to restrict HOW you use YOUR data. Therefore, I demand unrestricted "tethering" from any smart phone that I use.
There are other apps I like to use that require root access: Root file explorers, Titanium Backup, Smarter WiFi Manager, Greenify/Servicely etc., but most of all, I CANNOT STAND the intrusive obnoxious awful ads which seem to be prevalent these days! A good ad blocker is an absolute must! The blame rests squarely on the shoulders of the websites which allow such awful advertisements such as "pop behind" windows and particularly, ads which cause the web page scroll to constantly keep jumping away from what you are trying to read making the site basically unusable. There is also lately a prevalence of "click bait" ads/links which brings you to malicious/obnoxious websites which popup dialogs trying to stop you from closing the web page or navigate away - they put up big flashing red letters and say things like "We have detected a virus on your computer do not close this window or your passwords will be stolen and your data lost" and when you try to close the page it keeps popping up a dialog making it difficult. Sorry, but, such ads simply can't be tolerated - even this [xda] website sometimes has unpleasant ads, or at least there were times when I really regretted turning off my ad blocker when visiting this site in the past, that is for sure!
I usually use a "custom ROM", I miss exposed very much, but, I suspect there are too many malwares in the xposed repository these days? (I'm not sure of this, just suspicious).
I like to be able to change the color of my status bar clock to green and position it in the center as that is easier for me to use (see it quickly when I want). However, the standard launcher is far too limited in how customizable it is, so I use a combination of Nova Prime (requires root for some features) and Chronos Weather/Clock/Calendar widget which puts a larger clock right in the upper middle of my desktop so I turn off the status bar clock (Nova Prime feature, one that requires root).
Oh, and I like to use a custom "System Font", I'm not sure if we can do that without root? It really makes the phone feel like MY phone and look (and operate) how I want it to.
critofur said:
[...]
I'm disappointed that the built in tethering does an "entitlement" check - AFAIK it's actually illegal (or, at least against contracts the companies signed with the FCC) for the cell phone provider to attempt to control what a user does with their allotted amount of cell data. Yes, the cell provider company can decide how MUCH data you are allowed based on what plan you pay for, but they are not supposed to restrict HOW you use YOUR data. Therefore, I demand unrestricted "tethering" from any smart phone that I use.
There are other apps I like to use that require root access: Root file explorers, Titanium Backup, Smarter WiFi Manager, Greenify/Servicely etc., but most of all, I CANNOT STAND the intrusive obnoxious awful ads which seem to be prevalent these days! A good ad blocker is an absolute must! [...]
[...]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you explain the entitlement check a little further? Does it mean that with the current Android version and an unrooted/locked G5 plus it is impossible to use the Smartphone Mobile data connection, e.g. on a notebook via wifi tethering? This would be a real argument to root.
Did you try adguard, as ckret suggested? Is there a huge difference between an adblocker with root or an adblocker like adguard without root on the phone? I basically assume that with nougat it is possible to grant apps access to almost anything (except for root) - including to block features other apps use, e.g. advertisements. But I am actually not sure.
Maybe ckret knows more on this aspect, as he seems to know both adblock concepts - the rooted and the unrooted one with adguard?
Comparing DNS66 (local DNS server without root) with adaway (root):
+ You can select blocking per app with DNS66, adaway modifies hosts file which always is valid for all apps and system services
- You can not use another VPN while DNS66 is active
- You need to disable VPN under Nougat while using Download Manager (bug in Nougat, for all VPN services)
Personally I have root, but use DNS66. I don't need adblock when connecting to my computer at home (that's when I need to use another VPN) and am using Marshmallow ATM, but probably would continue using DNS66 when on Nougat. For PlayStore there is a workaround implemented, and if some download fails I'd know I need to disable VPN.
This is why I only said Total Commander copying timestamp is my only real killer app (besides Titanium Backup) which makes me need root. Android O is supposed to change the behavior implementing SDCardFS which shall allow setting timestamp without root.
sky-head said:
Could you explain the entitlement check a little further? Does it mean that with the current Android version and an unrooted/locked G5 plus it is impossible to use the Smartphone Mobile data connection, e.g. on a notebook via wifi tethering? This would be a real argument to root.
Did you try adguard, as ckret suggested? Is there a huge difference between an adblocker with root or an adblocker like adguard without root on the phone? I basically assume that with nougat it is possible to grant apps access to almost anything (except for root) - including to block features other apps use, e.g. advertisements. But I am actually not sure.
Maybe ckret knows more on this aspect, as he seems to know both adblock concepts - the rooted and the unrooted one with adguard?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
adaway:
adaway replaces the hosts file in your system with a custom hosts file which redirects some requests to 127.0.0.1 which results in ads not being shown
since it is deeplevel change of the hosts file the app requires root to change the file
pro:
* ads are blocked when resources are requested
* it is system-wide and everything is checked on demand
con:
* system slows down with big hosts file as every request must be checked everytime a site/app is opened
* if a wrong request is blocked your app/site might not show/work at all since it is a system-wide check
adguard:
this app has two different ways of blocking ads
vpn: a local vpn server is created on the system and all requests are rerouted through it. works the same way as adaway but without a root access.
pro:
* rootless method
* you can create a bypass for different sites/apps
con:
* you can not use a 2nd vpn connection while the app is active
* it may use a bit more battery as it creates a server but this should be negligible
proxy: this is nearly the same as vpn just you should be able to use a vpn connection
so big pro and con for me is that i do not have to reroute all apps through the adblock check
important apps (banking e.g.) are free to use the connection without being rerouted.
I know it might seem like a stupid question, but how often (and for which reason) do you use/need a(nother) VPN connection?
Does this also mean things like tethering or a WLAN access like eduroam - or is this something different?
I am actually not sure if I ever needed VPN on my smartphone
sky-head said:
I know it might seem like a stupid question, but how often (and for which reason) do you use/need a(nother) VPN connection?
Does this also mean things like tethering or a WLAN access like eduroam - or is this something different?
I am actually not sure if I ever needed VPN on my smartphone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you need a vpn connection if you want to access the intranet without being physically there
e.g. intranet of a company to access emails or if you are a student and got some special tool/e.g. which can only be accessed through the university connection
most times you will only use vpn on a notebook or pc but I hardly doubt most people will use it on their phones
ckret said:
you need a vpn connection if you want to access the intranet without being physically there
e.g. intranet of a company to access emails or if you are a student and got some special tool/e.g. which can only be accessed through the university connection
most times you will only use vpn on a notebook or pc but I hardly doubt most people will use it on their phones
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
... exactly what I was thinking about it. I've never been needing a VPN on my phone. On the notebook I need it on a regular basis, thats true.
I should have been asking "I know it might seem like a stupid question, but how often (and for which reason) do you use/need a(nother) VPN connection on your smartphone?", to state my question more precisely.
Using AVM Fritzbox as router makes it possible to use the standard phone via SIP. This only does work when you're in your intranet, directly or via VPN. Also I need to access my documents on my computer, my media library at home, to configure the router and more and therefore I use VPN on a regular basis. Yes, I do these things using the smartphone. But when using VPN, I do not need adblock.