Database Users

[OFFTOPIC][DISCUSSION] Your first hacking experience!

XDA Developers is a great place for people who want to put their phone to the max a.k.a HACKING!
I'm pretty sure a lot of people have hacked their phone before; rooting, download scripts, kernels, roms etc. So the purpose of this thread made is to share your hacking experience; how you started it, how did it go, what was the first thing you hacked inside your phone, did it work,did you screw up your phone etc. You should also state why you hacked and was it worth the hack. Also, another purpose of this thread is to encourage people to not be scared of hacking and try hacking their phones. (although is really up to you!)
So I shall start mine, right now!
So, after getting good results in my exam, my parents gifted me a Samsung Galaxy S Plus I9001 last year. It was one of the best smartphones I ever had(only had one....). So, the place where I bought the phone, the salesman said the phone had 1+3 years warranty. So, at that point I said to myself; I'm not going to modify,hack or install unnecessary stuff in my phone (to preserve my warranty).
Boy, was I WRONG! After I had 6 months with the phone, had a lot of apps installed and my phone began to slow down. I deleted apps by apps and still my phone was super slow. I realised, 4 years is too damn long to preserve. So, the first hack I did was rooting my phone. The reason I did that because there's this app called Screencast required me to root the phone in order to use my phone.
Of course, I was scared to hack my phone. So, I did a thorough research and go on with rooting. With enough balls and courage, I tried it. After following all the correct procedure. So, all goes down to my phone. Will it reboot or not? That's the question. So, I waited. And wait. And wait. THEN SUDDENLY, BAM! PHONE WORKS! I was so happy, there are a lot of apps that required root.
A few months later, I was a bit daring and tried to install a ROM this time (cause my friend using ICS on his S2, felt totally jealous . Also GB sucks, no offense). Opened Galaxy S Plus I9001 Android Dev page. BAM! Roms, and roms and a hell load of roms! I tried the most safest ICS ROM, Acro86's ICS CM9 ROM. Again, was scared to tried, but then again my warranty is a done deal. So I went for it. BOY IT WAS FREAKING WORTH IT. Didn't really know my phone could run ICS/JB. Phone really smooth, lots of apps I used before now is smooth. It was really worth the shot.
Long story short, You SHOULD try hacking, because you can get all the awesome stuff in your phone. I say you should try hacking because it is a load of fun!
Now, I'm currently using hypnos17's BioHazard V5 with TWRP recovery. Really nice and smooth.
So, now. What is your first hacking experience? Please share it to everyone! This thread may help a lot of people people out there! :victory: :fingers-crossed:
Acro86 CM9 ROM: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1650615
Hypnos17 Biohazard ROM: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1917906
TWRP Recovery: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1694617
Credits to the guys who made these roms! :highfive:

Nice story! Mine-
When I first got the SGS it was already a bit old, the SIII was already on the market. I heard about people upgrading their Android to something better than what the cellular company gives you, and I knew I wanted to do it. I knew nothing about it, so I went to my brother in law who also has an SGS.
He rooted my phone and installed the latest nightly version of CM9 at the time. After a while my friend also learned how to do it, so I tried CM10, CM9 again (a stable version), switched to Slim Bean, etc. One time my phone didn't boot after a flash and I thought it died, but in the end I managed to get back into CWM.
I don't think I'm going to try anymore roms (just update my Slim), because it's way too much work every time and I don't have the energy for that... So unless I find what I'm looking for in a rom (a good and fast rom, that looks like Samsung's, and one that syncs the Facebook friends with the contacts without having to use a third-party app)., I'm not going to change it again.

Nexus 4 turned us into the "First time Andriod Users"

As the title suggests, I have just turned into an Andriod user...i.e.: this is my first ever andriod device. If it was not for Nexus 4's cutting-edge hardware+software combined with its PRICING (the major part), I wouldnt have bought an andriod phone.
Just want to know who else is on the same boat. There are a lot of questions running in my mind.. rooting.. kernel.. ROMs.. what not! May be by the passage of time I will learn all this and enjoy the journey of Andriod-world.

Welcome. You couldn't have picked a better android device to start off with.
If you have any questions regarding rooting or anything android in general feel free to PM me.
Good luck!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

@ mackster248.
Thank you mate. I am obliged. Will surely contact if I plan on rooting.

Feel free to contact me as well if you need to! Also don't be afraid to ask questions, just be sure to use the search function
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Tip is since you're new. Don't use the toolkit, spend the time and learn about it to manually unlock the bootloader if you decide on flashing anything (custom rom, kernel, root). It's very simple to do and will help you in the long run. Check the forum sticky threads and there are tutorials on how to approach this.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

the previous one, galaxy nexus, was my first one. i couldn't see myself using gingerbread before, it was too ugly. when they got matias duarte and it started to look like something i made the jump and never looked back. i'd say use your nexus for a while. you can always root it easily, that wont be a problem, but why not enjoying stock android while its new and fresh for you. i mean, im all for rooting it but honestly, the time when a new android comes out and we don't have sources yet but we can't wait so we jump to I/O leaks or factory images, that is always the nicest.
although, yeah, i forgot about nex4's washed out colors........... maybe it makes sense to root it right away for that purpose since its gonna look ten times better when its calibrated.

Welcome!
As zephiK said, try doing it all manually. Don't just find the automation scripts and use them. I started with the HTC Dream/G1, haven't looked back since. I must say android has changed a lot since the early days, but one thing has stayed the same, the knowledge I gained from having to do it manually from the get go, can roughly be applied to any android device. It largely helps you gain a better understanding of how the device works and what methods can be used to manipulate the software to do what you need, and want.

Oh yeah! How could I forget. Unlock your bootloader manually DAY ONE, even if you don't decide to root.
Why? When you unlock your bootloader, it will wipe your phone's internals and data. So you might as well do it right away so if u do decide to tinker with your phone, you can always back up everything and make your transition very easy to do.

Hey there,
I got my Nexus just before Christmas and
I'm pretty happy with it! that's my first android device. Previously I've had an iPhone 4. For me screen might be even bigger but it's pretty much OK
I decided to try root a week ago and flashed AOKP three days ago. It is all fantastic! Compared with my nexus iPhone is like a piece of ****^^
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

I too am a first time Android User and a proud owner of the Nexus 4.
It was quite a transition from Symbian to Android. Well, not really.
Now to figure out why I rooted my device last night.

My first android was the one and only T-Mobile G1 (HTC Dream). Loved it to death. But I lost it while on trip to California in 2009. I was pissed about it for almost a year :crying:
Currently have the HTC Vision (G2). Wanting to get my hands on a N4 badly. I almost want to pull the trigger and buy an overpriced one on Amazon or eBay. I'm checking the Play Store everyday for it. Let's see if I can hold out.
BTW, just got a N7 yesterday. Rooted it the moment I got it.

Android can do so much even on stock devices... I'd suggest trying it all out for a month or so before flashing kernels, etc. Just because there is so much to customize and try (and break... a bit) even without rooting.

Well nexus4 is my first Android phone i bought myself, i have used before android. But owned only Nokia. After 2 weeks I am very happy and i think i won't regret chosing this over L920
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

me too!
hi all,
the nex4 has also pulled me from the grasp of Apple. Only had mine for about 3 hours so still learning it all, and its great!

Root Process
I am new to android and need to know the step by step process of root. Like unlocking boot loader is the first step, second step ?? and so on.. Please give the step by step flow from scratch.

Nexus 4 is also my first Android device, got it last 16th of December. The best Christmas gift I had for myself after awhile. Since then, I'm lovin it!

Sandeep_AV said:
I am new to android and need to know the step by step process of root. Like unlocking boot loader is the first step, second step ?? and so on.. Please give the step by step flow from scratch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You want this which has links to loads of info: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2010338
And this looks like it will be helpful for getting help from people: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=2031989&postcount=45
I think it's really worth looking at all the different Nexus 4 subforums and reading the main threads, pretty much everything is covered. And if you don't understand something, if you post in the correct thread people will help you out with what you need.
Nexus 4 is my first android, coming after 4+ years of iPhone. I am blown away so far! And this forum is an amazing resource too :good:

I am flabbergasted to see the amount of people who have started their Andriod journey with N4.
joshnichols189 said:
Feel free to contact me as well if you need to! Also don't be afraid to ask questions, just be sure to use the search function
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you all who r willing to help. And TBO, I loved the way how nicely you expressed your gesture of helping. Rarely we get to see that on XDA.
I do not plan to root the device as honestly I dont know the ABC of rooting ATM. So I will read read and read when i get time and if stuck somewhere, i will ask someone to help and then move on.
zephiK said:
Oh yeah! How could I forget. Unlock your bootloader manually DAY ONE, even if you don't decide to root.
Why? When you unlock your bootloader, it will wipe your phone's internals and data. So you might as well do it right away so if u do decide to tinker with your phone, you can always back up everything and make your transition very easy to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Buddy, by wiping the phone's internals & data, you mean it will free up some more space for us to use.. right?

s2046 said:
You want this which has links to loads of info: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2010338
And this looks like it will be helpful for getting help from people: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=2031989&postcount=45
I think it's really worth looking at all the different Nexus 4 subforums and reading the main threads, pretty much everything is covered. And if you don't understand something, if you post in the correct thread people will help you out with what you need.
Nexus 4 is my first android, coming after 4+ years of iPhone. I am blown away so far! And this forum is an amazing resource too :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was just checking these links.. Very very useful. Thanks.

im also a little surprised about how many nexus 4 owners are new to android. i mean all of us android veterans know that its the best android phone right now, most people just coming in to android opt for easier to come by androids like the one x or the gs3, mainly because they dont know what to look for. for those just getting into android, you made the right choice!
my advice to you from hundreds of times flashing, wiping, restoring, and resetting my phones on various roms: go crazy now. try all of the different customizations, launchers, browsers, and all that. remember what you like and what seems to slow the phone down, drain the battery, or save battery and speed it up. once you have figured all this out, wipe it and start fresh, maybe try a custom rom and kernel if you want. put back the stuff you like. after you get bored, do it again! at this point, ive pretty much realized the best thing for me is to just keep my phone as vanilla as possible, no 3rd party launchers, keyboards, dialers, etc, but ive tried them all! its just easier to set up that way, and ends up with a fast and seamless experience. everybodies different though, and thats the wonder of android

Ive been Really Loving my Nexus 10 but Im really need help on a couple of things

So my Grandmother wanted to give me a good present for Christmas this Year and She asked if I wanted a Ipad (I really didnt want anything, I was already pretty content overall) but she wouldnt let up about it so I figured that I didnt want to be like all the other drones in my School using only apple (nothing against apple but their hasnt been Change in their products in 5 years). I saw many adds for the Nexus 10 and its popularity so I thought I would give it a shot and if I was dissapointed I could return it to Amazon and once I did get it I was IN Love. The Nexus 10 seemed like my kind of thing and then I started reading these forums, which are FANTASTIC , but anyway i started to see many problems with the Tablet overall (Im running Stock, this forum scared me away from the update). 1st being that the light bleed is pretty bad and there are random artifacts flashing on the screen sometimes but that isnt too noticeable, 2nd being that Ive been having extreme wifi connection drops and problems connecting to my schools network and 3rd I find it really laggy sometimes especially when using it as a notetaker with my bluetooth keyboard. 4th the Microusb sucks I had to fiddle with it just to get a charge but I just took out plyers and fixed it and I am soon getting my godd*mb Pogo Pins that shouldve been there day 1.
Lately Ive been very Intrested in the Idea of rooting it and all of the other Jazz but the problem is, Im a bit of a noob when it comes to this, I really dont understand what cynagon mod does and what to download and the other things like 'Manta, Rasberry and all those other names in relationship to the tablet and rooting'. So overall I really Just want a better understanding and help on how i should procceed because I really dont want to screw this up. Help me out by making a guide or something to really show me which steps to take.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app

A good place to start would be to read through the sticky threads in both developer sections. Read, and then read some more. It is way more beneficial to do that and start to figure it out on your own than to have someone tell you how to do it. We were all noobs at some point in time, but between reading, doing, asking questions, and failing, it all starts to come together. Nearly everyone here will help, but don't jump in the lake before you can swim.
That being said:
Nearly all the issues you have described can be helped, or eliminated, through flashing different roms and/or kernels. This is really a great device once you get to know it.
Happy reading, ask the right questions, and enjoy your Christmas present.
Oh yah, don't forget to read some more.
Good luck.

OH can you also explain the relationship between a unlocked bootloader and rooting and flashing a thingy mo bobber
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app

"Rooting" allows you to use certain programs which access the "root" of your file system, like Titanium Backup to backup your apps.
"Unlocking your bootloader" allows you to replace the stock OS (ROM) with any custom ROM you download (like cyanogenmod) which is "flashing"
As Trickster suggested, I would start by reading thru some of the posts in this sticky.

Manta = Mantaray, which is Google's developement name for the Nexus 10.
Rasbean jelly = a version of a Rom. You can see the names of roms, kernels, etc. In the name of the thread.
Cyanogen Mod = a "brand" of Rom, based off of aosp, with there own tweaks included, which make it different from stock. This one Rom is then ported to work with many different devices, in a nutshell.

Okay finnally finished the rooting process with wugs but what now
I just need to figure out the things and roms i need to download after the root

[Q] Thinking about getting a Note 3

Hello everyone. I don't have that many posts here, but please don't let that reflect me lol. I tend to trade phones a lot. I currently have a Verizon S4...I like the phone, but I am on the latest MK2 firmware...Here just recently, SafeStrap has became available. However, there is really 1 ROM that works right, and is stable, and that is Hyperdrive. Hyperdrive is a great ROM, I am not bashing at all. It's just not my cup of tea. In the past I have been a huge fan of Eclipse. Eclipse is not working with Safestrap at this time...I have had this phone for a couple of months, and it sucks waiting week after week hoping devs have made progress...Anywho, what can you guys tell me about the Note 3?
If I went to Verizon and picked one up, am I going to be able to root it and install a variety of roms, or am I going to be stuck like I am with the S4?
If I am going to be stuck like I am now, then that is definately going to make me choose a different phone. If so, could someone recommend one? I have been a huge fan of the Samsung phones here recently since the S3 and Note 2. I really liked my Note 2. I also really like Motorola's...They are durable phones, and safestrap is nice...Here recently SafeStrap has became available for Samsungs which is awesome.

Heads up !!the powers that be will move this thread to the q&a section.... but to answer if you want to crack flash...note 3 is not for you.....maybe moto x, or if you want a bigger device the Lg g2 has some good development.
One thing about the note3 is that you should be able to deal with the phone( stock )....and rooting it just to de bloat and themeing. The phone Is quick and Imo the spen and touchwiz are essential to this device! so asop roms are not happening.
hope this helps...good luck...
p.s. still stock Un rooted and kicking ass... coming from gnex!

You can checkout the ROMs section in the Note 3 forum to see the available ROMs. I come from an S3 and the choice of ROMs there was ample. Note 3 however has very few ROMs as opposed to the S3. However, the ones that are there are pretty good. I am on Beans ROM and it gives me everything that I want.
One important thing for me is the ability to use the PEN (Along with all the apps, SPEN, Scrap book etc). Beans gives me full features as far as the pen is concerned. I guess there are other ROMs as well that do it (Hyperdrive). But any new "Original" ROM development that happens for the Note 3, might have some limitations. if you are not a big user of the PEN, then it might not matter to you.
Nutshell, I love my Note 3 and the fact that I am running a non-stock ROM on it. Hope this helps.

Thanks guys! Well I glanced through the roms, but I don't know what firmware the note 2 comes with if I was to go get one right now. That being said, I wasn't sure if the one that it came with is rootable, or if it is locked tight like the s4...One rom specifically that I am looking for on the note 3 would be eclips....Without doing a bunch of research, I figured it would be easiest to just open a thread an ask, that way I got accurate information.
Oops, sorry about using the wrong forum.

most of what is considered roms these days are actually themes applied over the top of a stock rom. Those hundreds of roms you see for the S3 and Note2 can be easily achieved yourself with a couple of apps and a bit of know how. The Note3 has everything one needs. If you buy retail you can use safestrap and flash touchwiz roms only. If you buy a Developer Device, then you can flash AOSP or Touchwiz since the bootloader is unlocked. Also most everything in the T-mobile section N3 is compatible with the VZW DE N3, so there is actually alot of development going on if you look in the right places and do not expect silver spoon feeding on a platinum platter.

droidstyle said:
most of what is considered roms these days are actually themes applied over the top of a stock rom. Those hundreds of roms you see for the S3 and Note2 can be easily achieved yourself with a couple of apps and a bit of know how. The Note3 has everything one needs. If you buy retail you can use safestrap and flash touchwiz roms only. If you buy a Developer Device, then you can flash AOSP or Touchwiz since the bootloader is unlocked. Also most everything in the T-mobile section N3 is compatible with the VZW DE N3, so there is actually alot of development going on if you look in the right places and do not expect silver spoon feeding on a platinum platter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I appreciate the help. I wasn't expecting to be spoon fed anything. I just don't get a good grasp on whats going on and have the device in my hand. I wanted to make sure that I could do what I was wanting to do with it before I went and bought this phone. I guess my one last question is, what is the firmware that will come with it, or what is the latest I should ask. Just so that I can check on my rom options.
Reason why I am asking this, is because the S4 was kind of confusing at first because devs are making mk2 roms, but they aren't working with ss...There are some other things as well, but thats beside the point. lol.

Moving to Q and A and closing... Best any more discussion goes here..http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2466108

[Q] Root Sprint Note 3

I know there are multiple threads about rooting but I am thoroughly confused even after researching on here and google. I will be exchanging my phone for a new Sprint Note 3 today and just want to know what is the best way or program to root my note 3 since I've seen stuff about "tripping knox" which would void the warranty. My main purpose for rooting is to to get Adfree and extend battery life by using SuperSU, Greenify, and Titanium backup. I won't be doing any heavy usage and messing with much of the hardware other than minor tweaks for better battery life. I'll likely also be using the stock ROM since flashing a new or custom ROM is way over my head and I believe it would be easier to unroot if needed. Since I'm not vastly knowledgeable with this stuff, the simpler the better. Please be patient with my questions as I'm a newbie.

snapper11 said:
I know there are multiple threads about rooting but I am thoroughly confused even after researching on here and google. I will be exchanging my phone for a new Sprint Note 3 today and just want to know what is the best way or program to root my note 3 since I've seen stuff about "tripping knox" which would void the warranty. My main purpose for rooting is to to get Adfree and extend battery life by using SuperSU, Greenify, and Titanium backup. I won't be doing any heavy usage and messing with much of the hardware other than minor tweaks for better battery life. I'll likely also be using the stock ROM since flashing a new or custom ROM is way over my head and I believe it would be easier to unroot if needed. Since I'm not vastly knowledgeable with this stuff, the simpler the better. Please be patient with my questions as I'm a newbie.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You really need to start reading, and you should start from this place:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-3-sprint
Pay attention to threads about the new towelroot method, since that one might be the only one that does not trip knox on 4.4.2 (if you get a phone with a very old firmware you might also use Universal Root De La Vega, but I know of little details on the Sprint model, you really need to do your reading in the specific Sprint Note 3 forum!).