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I have been reading this forum for some weeks now and wanted to thank you all for the great info here. I got my first Android phone (Vibrant) a few weeks ago.
I found out about rooting just yesterday. Since I really don't want to spend a lot of time troubleshooting the phone, I had a few questions to figure out whether I should root or not:
Will rooting my phone be overall worth it? Will I have to troubleshoot it a lot as a result? It works well now.
How will the updates work in the future? For example, I won't have to worry about Android 2.2 because it will be included in Cyanogen? Will my phone notify me when it's time to update?
This one is important: are there any instructions that tell me how to backup my current phone so that I can restore it to the original condition in case something happens?
Is Cyanogen accepted to be the best for rooting?
Will all my applications become uninstalled? Will anything else change besides my access level? I read some conflicting into on this.
Can you think of any disadvantages to rooting (other than possible voiding of warranty if you can't hide it)?
Do you guys have a list in this forum as to which applications are bloatware and should be removed (and are safe to remove)? I don't know anything about Android, so I have no idea
And finally, is there a thread/list where all the most important/useful applications that should be installed after rooting are listed? I know titanium backup is one. I couldn't understand what BusyBox does. So a list with explanations would be great.
I haven't liked the battery life of this phone and I am hoping that after removing all the bloatware from it that issue might be fixed as well. My phone starts with 160M+ memory. Even though I keep killing open applications, the performance keeps dropping over time until I can't get more memory beyond ~90M. This is when I have to shut down the phone and turn back on. Other than tethering, my main reason for rooting is 1.performance gain and 2.battery life extension.
Thanks for all the help. A lot of talented people on this forum.
There is no reason to not root this phone in my opinion. You can unroot it. You will get OTA updates using the stock ROM. Many of the recommended apps, guides, useful information is in the sticky at the top. Please read that, then ask any more detailed question you may have.
edit: when you root, there will be NO change to your apps/contacts/settings/etc.... you will reboot and be like "well, am I rooted?"... look for the superuser app in your app drawer, there? Good, you were successful.
Ok, you got an excellent thread there that pretty much answered all my questions! I will root my phone and get back here if I have any more questions, with a cleaned up list. Thanks.
will applying the RyanZA fix stop the OTA update?
A lot of people have this misconception that rooting means modifying their phone. Rooting by itself is not really modifying anything on your phone, all it does is give you super user privileges.
Think of your Mac or Windows PC, you have administrative accounts and you have user accounts. Admins can do anything, user accounts are typically limited.
When you have root access to your phone, you are the admin. You can access features that default account can't.
With that said, once you do have su you step into a whole new world with many different paths. You can can simply stay rooted and use apps that required root access and leave it at that.
Or you can dive into custom ROMs. This is where you step off the manufacturers intended path and follow community developed versions of the operating system.
Alternatively, in between those two extremes above you can do many things in between. You can stay with stock rom but have custom (modules or programs) APKs, or other modifications that change or expand on stock ROM.
Always keep in mind that once you choose to root, what happens to your device is your responsibility. Once again, your responsibility. If you are not willing to accept that, then stay non-rooted/stock and responsibility will be on Samsung to add/remove features, provide updates, fix bugs, etc.
Ok, so a few questions:
I bought Autostart and hid the system apps. Now what? I don't know what to disable from this list. There are applications, but they are listed under several categories. For example, "Application Removed." I have no idea what that category is for. Should I just worry about "After Startup"? Please elaborate.
You don't recommend AppKiller. Won't all those open applications just drain the battery? For example, if I have TeleNav open, how can I close it after I am done using it without AKiller?
There is an entire thread of various people posting various things, but I still would like to see just ONE combined list of all the "safe" bloatware to remove and "risky" ones. That thread did not help me at all since various people are reporting various things.
You recommend Root Explorer, which is kind of expensive. Is there any reason why I can't use the uninstall function of Titanium Backup? Is it any less thorough?
Where is the restart function?
How can I disable those annoying power down and power up sounds of the phone? Can this be done without lowering system volume?
Thanks!
Awesome, Glad to hear your root went well.
1. I bought Autostart and hid the system apps. Now what? I don't know what to disable from this list. There are applications, but they are listed under several categories. For example, "Application Removed." I have no idea what that category is for. Should I just worry about "After Startup"? Please elaborate.
I remove almost all non-system apps unless it is logical wht said app would need to function, aka, text received you would not want to block messanger/handcent..... if there is something you are questioning, just let me know.
2. You don't recommend AppKiller. Won't all those open applications just drain the battery? For example, if I have TeleNav open, how can I close it after I am done using it without AKiller?
Now that you have root, remove all of the bloatware and it will not be an issue. These run in the background and very likely are not using ANY of your resources.
3. There is an entire thread of various people posting various things, but I still would like to see just ONE combined list of all the "safe" bloatware to remove and "risky" ones. That thread did not help me at all since various people are reporting various things.
I used that thread because a lot of people posted the apps they removed. Almost all of them can be removed, if there is one you are questioning, let me know.
4. You recommend Root Explorer, which is kind of expensive. Is there any reason why I can't use the uninstall function of Titanium Backup? Is it any less thorough?
I mentioned in the sticky that I do not use TB. I know it allows you to remove apps, but Root Explorer does this and a lot more. For example..... #6
5. Where is the restart function?
Not sure I know what you mean? if you want a reboot option you can get Quick Boot from the market.
6. How can I disable those annoying power down and power up sounds of the phone? Can this be done without lowering system volume?
In the sticky I show where the files are located. With Root Explorer you can navigate to them and delete the files.
I agree with a lot on this thread. A master Guide for rooting/unrooting and usage should be made. The FAQ currently stickied is informative for the most part but it focuses on far too many things to be able to go into enough detail on each. Personally I would like a "All things root" guide or something sticked which is comprehensive and focuses JUST on that, with the most common root usage apps and things posted (including safe disabling or removal of bloat, backing up, flashing roms, etc.) so that people who have NO idea whatsoever and it is their first phone or something can just read that and feel at home. I may start working on one if no one else does it, we'll see.
}{Alienz}{ said:
so that people who have NO idea whatsoever and it is their first phone or something can just read that and feel at home.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd say that if someone has no idea what they are doing, the last thing they should be attempting is flashing firmware on their phone.
The layer of obscurity and technical difficulty associated with rooting/modding is of benefit in terms of preventing people from doing things they should not be doing without sufficient knowledge base.
There is plenty of info here and online in general to start someone off if they are interested in learning about this in general.
IMHO, creating a trail of bread crumbs for someone who doesn't know what they are doing is more likely to hurt them or community in general rather than help them.
In my experience rooting your could be fun and a nightmare, if not done properly and, you have of time on you're you could become a rom switching addict cyanogen is currently available for the vibrant you can still root, but you will be on stock vibrant rom.till samsung release the source code so no froyo.and the rumor is that they won't release the source code.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
s15274n said:
Awesome, Glad to hear your root went well.
1. I bought Autostart and hid the system apps. Now what? I don't know what to disable from this list. There are applications, but they are listed under several categories. For example, "Application Removed." I have no idea what that category is for. Should I just worry about "After Startup"? Please elaborate.
I remove almost all non-system apps unless it is logical wht said app would need to function, aka, text received you would not want to block messanger/handcent..... if there is something you are questioning, just let me know.
2. You don't recommend AppKiller. Won't all those open applications just drain the battery? For example, if I have TeleNav open, how can I close it after I am done using it without AKiller?
Now that you have root, remove all of the bloatware and it will not be an issue. These run in the background and very likely are not using ANY of your resources.
3. There is an entire thread of various people posting various things, but I still would like to see just ONE combined list of all the "safe" bloatware to remove and "risky" ones. That thread did not help me at all since various people are reporting various things.
I used that thread because a lot of people posted the apps they removed. Almost all of them can be removed, if there is one you are questioning, let me know.
4. You recommend Root Explorer, which is kind of expensive. Is there any reason why I can't use the uninstall function of Titanium Backup? Is it any less thorough?
I mentioned in the sticky that I do not use TB. I know it allows you to remove apps, but Root Explorer does this and a lot more. For example..... #6
5. Where is the restart function?
Not sure I know what you mean? if you want a reboot option you can get Quick Boot from the market.
6. How can I disable those annoying power down and power up sounds of the phone? Can this be done without lowering system volume?
In the sticky I show where the files are located. With Root Explorer you can navigate to them and delete the files.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. What I don't understand is that the category says "New Outgoing Call" and GVoice beneath it. So I should NOT disable it, right? Because it has nothing to do with startup? But if so, then almost every other category has nothing to do with startup either. It is only the first listing that says "After Startup" and it misses A LOT of applications that do start up, like TeleNav. I don't even see TeleNav anywhere in that list. Same is true for "Email," Gallery," "Voice Dialer," and a bunch of other apps that I don't want to start on startup. I don't see any way of killing these other than by ATKiller. Am I missing something here?
2. See the problem is this: right now I have Telenav and I use it sometimes. However, I don't want it to run just whenever. So if I don't want to uninstall it, isn't my only solution ATKiller? There are other programs like this. And I can't disable them from the Autostart menu either since they're not there (Filtered out System files).
3. That site does not list what each of the bloatware does. For example, I am not sure I want to remove Account and Sync because I might need it for my bills. Same thing with "MyFiles." I don't even know what "vvm" is.
4. I am not able to tether the phone. I already tried Barnacle and it said "Running..." after I disabled supplicant, used channel 6, and disable ad-hoc. Then I tried this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=739147&highlight=tether, but I am still not able to connect. My laptop detects the phone as "computer-to-computer network," but when I click connect, it keeps trying to connect and then doesn't. I am not sure where to go from here.
Thanks.
One more thing I still don't know: how are the updates going to work from now on? Whenever an Android update comes out, like 2.1update or Froyo, do I have to come here and do everything manually? Or is there a way from within the phone to find out with one click? I am assuming whatever update is available for the phone will also be available for custom download (otherwise I could unroot, update, reroot?).
Thanks.
By the way, I also agree about a complete guide. It's not that it will enable the clueless to mess up their phone, but rather the opposite - it will allow the clueless to become cluefull. Such a guide would be very helpful. Meanwhile I am having to jump from thread to thread and then to Google trying to find out about this or that. That's not to say that the guide available isn't very helpful already.
I've already contacted a few people about starting said guide. I have not got much feedback from people willing to help....
^ you've asked a lot man... I can try and answer some, but you need to keep doing some reading. I feel like I've offered up a lot as is.
Just b/c you have root, does not mean you will not receive the OTA updates. If Froyo is released, you can update from the phone, you will lose root though. Most of us, will wait for the developers to have a stock froyo + root that we can flash.
why use telenav? I am not familiar.. just curious why not use google nav?
autostarts, just b/c you have it set to not start an app on boot, does not mean when you click the icon to open it will cause an issue. Really not that big of a deal. If you notice an issue, just set the app back to enabled.
Do not use a task killer.
The thread I linked has plenty of information for what you can remove from the phone, with instructions.... same for the barnacle tether app. If you want, download Wireless Tether, google it... the source code is on google.
http://code.google.com/p/android-wifi-tether/downloads/list
androidaddict23 said:
In my experience rooting your could be fun and a nightmare, if not done properly and, you have of time on you're you could become a rom switching addict cyanogen is currently available for the vibrant you can still root, but you will be on stock vibrant rom.till samsung release the source code so no froyo.and the rumor is that they won't release the source code.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cyanogen is not yet available for the Vibrant. It will soon.
Froyo-cooked ROMS are already out for the Vibrant (alas with some bugs) so I don't think there's a reason to think Cyanogen won't be on Froyo.
Also: Never having done a root/rom flash does not make someone stupid or signify they should never try it. It just means they should READ some documentation and be technically up to the challenge before they do. I don't think having a clear guide on most of the process will hurt anyone who is coming into this but doesn't yet know all the details and steps of what to do.
Excelsius said:
Ok, you got an excellent thread there that pretty much answered all my questions! I will root my phone and get back here if I have any more questions, with a cleaned up list. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
glad the root went well for you. I am wanting to root my phone too, but not sure which root method is easiest and best.
Which root method did you use?
I had a mytouch rooted before the Vibrant, but they are way different and I dont want to screw up
s15274n said:
I've already contacted a few people about starting said guide. I have not got much feedback from people willing to help....
^ you've asked a lot man... I can try and answer some, but you need to keep doing some reading. I feel like I've offered up a lot as is.
Just b/c you have root, does not mean you will not receive the OTA updates. If Froyo is released, you can update from the phone, you will lose root though. Most of us, will wait for the developers to have a stock froyo + root that we can flash.
why use telenav? I am not familiar.. just curious why not use google nav?
autostarts, just b/c you have it set to not start an app on boot, does not mean when you click the icon to open it will cause an issue. Really not that big of a deal. If you notice an issue, just set the app back to enabled.
Do not use a task killer.
The thread I linked has plenty of information for what you can remove from the phone, with instructions.... same for the barnacle tether app. If you want, download Wireless Tether, google it... the source code is on google.
http://code.google.com/p/android-wifi-tether/downloads/list
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate all your answers. I don't mean to say that anyone else can't answer as well. I am still unclear on several things I asked and would appreciate if someone could chime in, at least about the exact procedures for using autostart and the reasoning behind not using the task killer. I am new to Android, but I am pretty good at computers, including building them. So when I am learning about doing this or that, I would like to know about the reasoning behind that. I am sure that all of the questions I ask here I can find out on my own, but I was hoping that I could utilize the purpose of the forum and learn something from the veterans rather than reinventing the wheel myself.
I am using Telenav because I have a one month free trial. I discovered Google Nav just yesterday. I just want to compare them myself, even though it is unlikely I will pay $10/month in either case. But remember that Telenav is just one of the applications causing issues.
Thanks for all the answers. Please don't feel pressured to answer all the things I might ask. If I don't get enough answers, I'll just do a quick thread search and if that's not fruitful, I'll create a specific thread for autostart usage.
androidaddict23 said:
till samsung release the source code so no froyo.and the rumor is that they won't release the source code.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't this illegal? I thought the whole point of Android was opensource and under the GPL License, they are required to post the full source code, right? Or I could just be way off base here.
kboater said:
glad the root went well for you. I am wanting to root my phone too, but not sure which root method is easiest and best.
Which root method did you use?
I had a mytouch rooted before the Vibrant, but they are way different and I dont want to screw up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used the first procedure recommended in the sticky: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=7150299&postcount=1
I am not sure why it said that you have to restart several times. Here are some clarifications on the steps there that I think were not too clear:
1. When you connect your device, you need to pull down the message area, click on the USB, and only then you will see the option to MOUNT your phone. I had to experiment to figure this out.
2. The guide doesn't say, but if your USB debugging mode is on, I would disable it, just to be safe: Settings (this is that leftmost button on your phone when you're at your desktop)-->Applications-->Development-->USB debugging (uncheck). This might be unnecessary, but I did it just to be safe.
3. When you are copying the Update.zip file into your phone, make sure you check the size of the folder. It must be your internal storage - it will be 12GB+ and will have your system files. If you have trouble identifying this, simply remove your SD card!
4. When you are restarting the phone, make sure you press the volume button in the MIDDLE so that it is entirely pressed (up and down). While holding it, press and hold the power. Do not let go of the volume button until your enter the recovery menu.
Anyway, that's what I did and rooted from the first time without any issues.
t0phux said:
Isn't this illegal? I thought the whole point of Android was opensource and under the GPL License, they are required to post the full source code, right? Or I could just be way off base here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could be that Samsung has modified the code for their own phones making the code their property, while the "regular" 2.2 (unmodified) would be available to everyone. I could be wrong, but I think this how it would work.
Excelsius said:
I used the first procedure recommended in the sticky: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=7150299&postcount=1
I am not sure why it said that you have to restart several times. Here are some clarifications on the steps there that I think were not too clear:
1. When you connect your device, you need to pull down the message area, click on the USB, and only then you will see the option to MOUNT your phone. I had to experiment to figure this out.
2. The guide doesn't say, but if your USB debugging mode is on, I would disable it, just to be safe: Settings (this is that leftmost button on your phone when you're at your desktop)-->Applications-->Development-->USB debugging (uncheck). This might be unnecessary, but I did it just to be safe.
3. When you are copying the Update.zip file into your phone, make sure you check the size of the folder. It must be your internal storage - it will be 12GB+ and will have your system files. If you have trouble identifying this, simply remove your SD card!
4. When you are restarting the phone, make sure you press the volume button in the MIDDLE so that it is entirely pressed (up and down). While holding it, press and hold the power. Do not let go of the volume button until your enter the recovery menu.
Anyway, that's what I did and rooted from the first time without any issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks
10 char
Hopefully I'm posting in the correct section. Found this and wanted to share it. A simple tool to block bloatware of many phones, with and without root. Check out the following forum :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/and...er-remove-carrier-bloat-t2998294#post58069093
Just a note for anyone who doesn't want to use a tool for this (or is on a non-Windows platform). Everything that tool does can be accomplished without root via the ADB command interface described in this topic in our own forum
Nice cross link nonetheless, have a thanks
Ironically, I used the method that you're talking about on my z3c.
I thought this tool makes the process simpler as a frontend with some descriptions too.
It works works on my z3c without root because of kitkat. Other roms do require root.
And you're right, windows only application, good call
Essentially it just freezes the app, which without root is a very good thing, should you need to enable it again.
Thanks, though does anyone know how to block the Enterprise Service? It unblocks itself as soon as I try to block it.
Edit: never mind I got it, had to revoke its device admin rights before blocking it. Annoyingly a bunch of previously disabled apps got enabled again. smh.
degraaff said:
Annoyingly a bunch of previously disabled apps got enabled again. smh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I had the same thing here, I froze some with Titanium Backup (root) and they unfroze themselves....
I have access to an unlocked and a locked device, the same thing happened when I tried to disable apps @ the one with the locked BL. The thing that helped me was clearing the data/cache for the apps that I were about to disable. (aka before disabling them.)
Try that.
Sent from my D5803
degraaff said:
Thanks, though does anyone know how to block the Enterprise Service? It unblocks itself as soon as I try to block it.
Edit: never mind I got it, had to revoke its device admin rights before blocking it. Annoyingly a bunch of previously disabled apps got enabled again. smh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct, we had that (a longer time) before: you have to disable it in settings -> security -> administrators before you block it. Don't confuse disabling with blocking. Disabled Apps may get enabled again after disabling device admins, blocked ones shouldn't.
Just for the sake of completion, here is the complete adb tutorial+ a nice list of processes which can be disabled so you dont have to look them all up
https://www.reddit.com/r/SonyXperia...battery_life_is_out_of_this_world_bye/cnmj0vn
2mal16 said:
Just for the sake of completion, here is the complete adb tutorial+ a nice list of processes which can be disabled so you dont have to look them all up
https://www.reddit.com/r/SonyXperia...battery_life_is_out_of_this_world_bye/cnmj0vn
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why does he list Small Apps as one of the main bloatwares to block? I'd think small apps is actually quite a useful addition to many.
degraaff said:
Why does he list Small Apps as one of the main bloatwares to block? I'd think small apps is actually quite a useful addition to many.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree but he states "You could leave the small app launcher/widget if you like it." . Apparently some ppl just dont like it .
Sorry to bother you guys, I would really like to kill/freeze some apps from this great device, in the easiest way possible and WITHOUT connecting the device to the computer. Is it possible to enter all those commands in a Terminal Emulator on the phone itself? Would it be great if we can do like a script or a batch that disable all the apps we dont need/want so, as soon as we reset the phone, it will disable/kill them in an easy way, not 1 by 1 going into the applications list.
Sorry again if this was a stupid question, but this is chinese for me.
Thanks in advance.
Alx
Wow... Great info i really like it...
Nice App!! Would be nice making a list of secure app to be block, without making any damage to the phone Like com.sony.touchscreen, Device Usage, User Data Logging and Crash Monitor what does each one?
I tried to use a Terminal Emulator and kill the What's New using PM BLOCK blah blah blah......it says "killed" but the app is still working.......what is wrong? *in english, please
Thanks in advance.
Many of us don't have root and many of us also uninstalled may system apps, including Fire Launcher. That left us with some annoyances. One major annoyance was being kicked to the lock screen whenever we swiped away apps from the recent apps menu. Some people saw annoying flashes. Well this isn't quite a fix, but it pretty much takes care of the problem. You can now remove your lock screen completely and replace it at will and you do NOT need root access.
***WARNING: Touching any other settings on your tablet during this guide can cause a brick!!!***
1. Download and install Settings Database Editor.
2. Plug your tablet into your PC and open an ADB window. Enter the following:
Code:
adb shell pm grant by4a.setedit22 android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
Step number 2 MUST be done in order for this to work.
3. Open Settings Database Editor and tap on the 'secure' tab at the top.
4. These settings are in alphabetical order. Scroll until you see:
Code:
"lockscreen_disabled" "0"
5. Change the 0 to a 1. DO NOT CHANGE ANYTHING ELSE
6. Close Settings Database Editor
Now turn off your screen. Now turn it back on. You are welcome! I have a few more tricks coming. Watch for some later!
IF THE ABOVE DOESN'T WORK, TO DISABLE LOCK SCREEN:
Code:
adb shell settings put secure lockscreen_disabled 1
ENABLE LOCK SCREEN:
Code:
adb shell settings put secure lockscreen_disabled 0
Both methods don´t work on my Fire HD10 2017.
tommes-d said:
Both methods don´t work on my Fire HD10 2017.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It worked almost instantly for me. Maybe wait a bit? Did you reboot? It won't work on every device. Doesn't work on my Galaxy S7.
Not working for me too (Fire HD 8 2016). Also, you've made a mistake: original setting name is "lockscreen.disabled" (dot, not an underscore).
sensboston said:
Not working for me too (Fire HD 8 2016). Also, you've made a mistake: original setting name is "lockscreen.disabled" (dot, not an underscore).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disappointing. Today I got a good one though. I can't wait to get home and post a thread.
I know this isn't the correct forum for this but I tried this on a Fire 7 (2017) and it also does not seem to work.
is there an updated way to do this?
is there an updated way to do this?
edit: kindle fire 8 7th gen, confirmed not working.
Doesn't work on my Fire HD8. But while browsing through Settings Database Editor I have found something useful.
In the "Global Table" tab there's a setting called LOCKSCREEN_AD_ENABLED. Change the value from 1 to 0, save. Turn off screen, turn it on again --> ads are gone!
At least for a while...
Seems to be working on KFAUWI (Fire 7 7th Gen) on 5.4.0.0.
EDIT: Maybe it doesn't work with 5.4.0.1 and later?
It would be useful for those reporting success/failure to include not just device model, but fw version as well.
EDIT1: After some time playing around the system I have found out that by default it actually does not work, but if Global Table->"device_provisioned" = 0 then lock screen gets disabled, but serial number gets greyed out and developer options get disabled, while adb remains functional.
On 5.6.0.0 even change to "device_provisioned" did not disable the lock screen.
gabosius said:
Seems to be working on KFAUWI (Fire 7 7th Gen) on 5.4.0.0.
EDIT: Maybe it doesn't work with 5.4.0.1 and later?
It would be useful for those reporting success/failure to include not just device model, but fw version as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are settings in the "private" class that override some of these lower ones, usually in favor their using their own software. I think most device stock settings are hidden for the purpose of favoring their own software. Though with Amazon, I scratch my head. Why spend the large amount of money, to install a high tech, customizable GPS system on devices, only to spend more money carelessly blocking your Access?
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using XDA Labs
DragonFire1024 said:
There are settings in the "private" class that override some of these lower ones, usually in favor their using their own software. I think most device stock settings are hidden for the purpose of favoring their own software. Though with Amazon, I scratch my head. Why spend the large amount of money, to install a high tech, customizable GPS system on devices, only to spend more money carelessly blocking your Access?
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's fairly simple, the same goes for one of the iPhones (don't recall which gen exactly) which had two different models of radio chips, one of which did support LTE, but Apple decided to disable LTE support for that gen of the phone altogether.
Now more on the topic, checked the specs of all 7th gen tablets, indeed none of them seem to support GPS officially (for some reason I thought that HD8/HD10 might have it), but if they have the hw, it could be for testing purposes to test proprietary GPS related sw on development devices before introducing it in the next gen? Or simply they decided to drop it somewhere along the way but left the hardware (as we still have Serial/UART on some production devices nowadays, which are used only for debugging in the development stage).
On the other hand, where did you get the info that it actually has GPS related hardware? Because while exploring my device settings I only found a hint on A-GPS support (which is not proven).
gabosius said:
That's fairly simple, the same goes for one of the iPhones (don't recall which gen exactly) which had two different models of radio chips, one of which did support LTE, but Apple decided to disable LTE support for that gen of the phone altogether.
Now more on the topic, checked the specs of all 7th gen tablets, indeed none of them seem to support GPS officially (for some reason I thought that HD8/HD10 might have it), but if they have the hw, it could be for testing purposes to test proprietary GPS related sw on development devices before introducing it in the next gen? Or simply they decided to drop it somewhere along the way but left the hardware (as we still have Serial/UART on some production devices nowadays, which are used only for debugging in the development stage).
On the other hand, where did you get the info that it actually has GPS related hardware? Because while exploring my device settings I only found a hint on A-GPS support (which is not proven).
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Add a few .xml configuration files to start and there is configuration settings in the framework. Look for an app on the tablet with HERE in all caps in the title. That's the APK module making it possible. And yes I figured out a way to modify framework settings
DragonFire1024 said:
Add a few .xml configuration files to start and there is configuration settings in the framework. Look for an app on the tablet with HERE in all caps in the title. That's the APK module making it possible. And yes I figured out a way to modify framework settings
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I see, just checked MT8127 specs, and indeed there seems to be integrated support for GPS with GLONASS, that may be something interesting to play with.
EDIT: HD8/HD10 even have broader support of GPS related technologies according to their SoC specs.
Yeah, I was following root progress thread, even tried Blueborne exploit (the one published by Armis labs on github) on KFAUWI without much success as there is no access to /proc/<pid>/maps. And framework-res.apk mod looks promising only for devices having root, as getting required permissions outside /system is rather problematic.
Yet I was surprised that WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS can be assigned outside /system. As I was poking around com.amazon.dcp.permission.DISPLAY_DEBUG_UI for quite some time.
gabosius said:
Yet I was surprised that WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS can be assigned outside /system. As I was poking around com.amazon.dcp.permission.DISPLAY_DEBUG_UI for quite some time.
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Do you have any idea if you can grant something like Activity Launcher the DISPLAY_DEBUG_UI permission? Some of the activities gave me errors when I tried to open them, saying they require com.amazon.dcp.permission.DISPLAY_DEBUG_UI.
The thing is, this appears to be a custom permission added by Amazon, not available in the official Android documentation.
Would Activity Launcher even be capable of launching certain "hidden" activities with this permission granted? Presumably you would grant permission over ADB the same way as WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS?
Any ideas would be great.
lakitu47 said:
Do you have any idea if you can grant something like Activity Launcher the DISPLAY_DEBUG_UI permission? Some of the activities gave me errors when I tried to open them, saying they require com.amazon.dcp.permission.DISPLAY_DEBUG_UI.
The thing is, this appears to be a custom permission added by Amazon, not available in the official Android documentation.
Would Activity Launcher even be capable of launching certain "hidden" activities with this permission granted? Presumably you would grant permission over ADB the same way as WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS?
Any ideas would be great.
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Click to collapse
Tried granting it to other apps and it resulted in "com.amazon.dcp.permission.DISPLAY_DEBUG_UI is not a changeable type" the command I used was pm grant com.amazon.dcp com.amazon.dcp.permission.DISPLAY_DEBUG_UI so yes, the syntax is the same with custom amazon permissions. Also execution of dumpsys package com.amazon.dcp shows that app already has DISPLAY_DEBUG_UI permission.
My guess is that it requires root, as even when I am launching activity from adb shell (not in context of activity manager) I get the same error that it requires the permission, and the same goes for some other hidden amazon applications.
EDIT: you can get list of device permissions by executing "pm list permissions" without quotes from adb shell, there are at least a few interesting ones.
lakitu47 said:
Do you have any idea if you can grant something like Activity Launcher the DISPLAY_DEBUG_UI permission? Some of the activities gave me errors when I tried to open them, saying they require com.amazon.dcp.permission.DISPLAY_DEBUG_UI.
The thing is, this appears to be a custom permission added by Amazon, not available in the official Android documentation.
Would Activity Launcher even be capable of launching certain "hidden" activities with this permission granted? Presumably you would grant permission over ADB the same way as WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS?
Any ideas would be great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a great question and one that hasn't been asked before. I can tell you I've been able to, in some apps, modify the manifest permissions. For example, I can use an app to edit the manifest of Jack Pals terminal emulator to add the secure settings permission and have it successfully install etc. I never thought of doing the same with activity launcher and if successful, seeing what happens. This could be very interesting. If you give me a few copies of some of the manifests permissions, I can see if a recompile and install will hold.
DragonFire1024 said:
That's a great question and one that hasn't been asked before. I can tell you I've been able to, in some apps, modify the manifest permissions. For example, I can use an app to edit the manifest of Jack Pals terminal emulator to add the secure settings permission and have it successfully install etc. I never thought of doing the same with activity launcher and if successful, seeing what happens. This could be very interesting. If you give me a few copies of some of the manifests permissions, I can see if a recompile and install will hold.
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Click to collapse
I attached a text document with ALL of the permissions listed by "pm list permissions" since it was too long to put here.
lakitu47 said:
I attached a text document with ALL of the permissions listed by "pm list permissions" since it was too long to put here.
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Give me a few hours to see if I can modify the app. If I can, I'll upload a. APK
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using XDA Labs
DragonFire1024 said:
Give me a few hours to see if I can modify the app. If I can, I'll upload a. APK
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Questionable whether anything would change, as I don't see where activity launcher would need write secure settings permission.
On the other hand I did some digging on the "not a changeable permission type" message, and this provides some answer on what it might be expecting in order to activate?/assign the permission.
gabosius said:
Questionable whether anything would change, as I don't see where activity launcher would need write secure settings permission.
On the other hand I did some digging on the "not a changeable permission type" message, and this provides some answer on what it might be expecting in order to activate?/assign the permission.
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Click to collapse
Interesting. So each permission has a certain "protection" level?
The tablet is owned by someone else and they want to use one app called Landscape Magazine. On the Nexus 7 it runs fine but the battery just went on it and I'm having issues sourcing a replacement battery in the UK so that's where the HD8 comes in. I thought I could just put the Play Store on (plus framework etc) and it would be ok for them. It downloads the app fine, all others work fine but when I try to launch this one app it says it only works on Android tablets. I don't know why they'd code it that way but it is what it is.
Can anyone tell me if there's some way to get an app to run if it's throwing up an error like this?
Dyonas said:
The tablet is owned by someone else and they want to use one app called Landscape Magazine. On the Nexus 7 it runs fine but the battery just went on it and I'm having issues sourcing a replacement battery in the UK so that's where the HD8 comes in. I thought I could just put the Play Store on (plus framework etc) and it would be ok for them. It downloads the app fine, all others work fine but when I try to launch this one app it says it only works on Android tablets. I don't know why they'd code it that way but it is what it is.
Can anyone tell me if there's some way to get an app to run if it's throwing up an error like this?
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Not easily. It would take experimentation to determine which device or rom characteristic(s) are trigging the behavior followed by additional fiddling to entice the app to run. Tethering that Nexus 7 to a slim power bank may be the best solution.
NEED ROOTED.
/system/build.prop
ro.product.brand = Amazon
ro.product.manufacturer = Amazon
Change to 'Google' or etc.
I think amazon is banned by the app.
The exact error message is "This app is only suitable for the Android platform."
Didn't see the pictures attached by @erono. If you root the tablet (or may be possible in temp root shell) and change the keys he mentioned, the app works after reboot.
Thanks all for replying, especially erono who seems to have found the solution. I'll see what I can do with it because my understanding is that there is still no major Android build for the 2018 HD8. I have a starting point if nothing else and that's more than I had before!
Dyonas said:
Thanks all for replying, especially erono who seems to have found the solution. I'll see what I can do with it because my understanding is that there is still no major Android build for the 2018 HD8. I have a starting point if nothing else and that's more than I had before!
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Click to collapse
You could always root it and just edit BuildProp (excellent guide by bibikalka) . As far as other ways, I'm not knowledgeable enough to know any alternatives. Maybe without root, you might be able to pull BuildProp from the elevated shell and push it back after changing the lines. I'm sure there would be some permissions changes required. Hopefully someone with a bit more experience pops in and can guide you if rooting isn't an option.
nujak said:
You could always root it and just edit BuildProp (excellent guide by bibikalka) . As far as other ways, I'm not knowledgeable enough to know any alternatives. Maybe without root, you might be able to pull BuildProp from the elevated shell and push it back after changing the lines. I'm sure there would be some permissions changes required. Hopefully someone with a bit more experience pops in and can guide you if rooting isn't an option.
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No need to modify build.prop nor will any notable gains be realized by doing so. Simply follow the guides as written.
Davey126 said:
No need to modify build.prop nor will any notable gains be realized by doing so. Simply follow the guides as written.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, sorry I meant in specific context to having that particular app work on the HD 8 2018. Thanks to @erono (and testing it myself) Lanscape Magazine works with changing brand and manufacturer values in the BuildProp. I know it's possible and easy to do with root. I'm just not knowledgeable enough to know any other methods.
Method without root:
Use 'App Cloner (pro version)' create an cloned app.
You can modify MANUFACTURER and BRAND in 'Developer options -> Build props'.
App was modified, you can't update in Google Play Store or purchase any paid content.
This is not a good way.
My dad has purchased a few of the 10.1 inch tablets for other members of our family, and I've been tasked with setting them up.
Is there any way to remove the Walmart branded stuff off of this thing? Especially the Walmart button in the Navbar?
If this were for me, I'd just look to root and installed Lineage OS, but since these are for someone else, I just want to get the stupid Walmart stuff out of there and make things as simple as possible for them.
Happy to provide more information as needed.
Thanks in advance!
Use Link 2SD to freeze the four apps. You can also freeze a WmApps to disable the icon, but I don't know yet if it'll take a hike. Will know after a bit probably. Both of my tablets are acting weird atm.
OK, got it. Disabling WmApps leaves the Walmart icon on the navbar but it locks the tablet instead of showing the four Walmart apps. If you leave WmApps enabled but freeze the four Walmart apps, the icon will bring up a "favorite apps" screen, presumably with whatever apps you want to move to it.
I could use it as instant lock myself.
I was hoping to get rid of the icon, but yeah, I already disabled the other apps. That'll have to do.
Thanks.
shadow460 said:
Use Link 2SD to freeze the four apps. You can also freeze a WmApps to disable the icon, but I don't know yet if it'll take a hike. Will know after a bit probably. Both of my tablets are acting weird atm.
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Hi, I tried to use Link2SD and it seems to require root to freeze app? I am ok with using the * button for favorite apps.
Thanks!
mailmailmail said:
Hi, I tried to use Link2SD and it seems to require root to freeze app? I am ok with using the * button for favorite apps.
Thanks!
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Click to collapse
Anytime!
Yes it does require root, which has caused me some issues itself.
Have a good weekend!
shadow460 said:
Anytime!
Yes it does require root, which has caused me some issues itself.
Have a good weekend!
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Is there a preferred procedure you can point me to for this? Really appreciate it!
I posted a bloat remover script at https://github.com/ikluft/ikluft-tools/blob/master/scripts/bloat-remover-onntab.sh for use on Linux or other Unix-like systems. You must have ADB, and may (or may not) need root access on your desktop/laptop system to run ADB. It requires developer access to the tablet, but not root. (This doesn't remove the Walmart button because that changed in Android 10/11. I saw others posted examples for Android 9 in other threads.)
I have just purchased a walmart 10.1" Model 100003562. (Pro Tablet)
it has Android 11 software and is got the out of the box software including the walmart apps.
I would like to remove the walmart apps and the spying software for the camera and the microphone. I have not yet allowed it to connect to the WiFi to update or have allowed it to identify a google account.
Is there any hope? I have searched over and over for hours for some kinda of guide on what to do with this tablet and I haven't come up with a rock solid description of what I need to do.
I would be extremely grateful for any help and wouldn't hesitate to donate if I need too. I have a few days left with it before I can return it and get a refund if I accidently brick it or if its just impossible to make "clean"
Thank you much.
I thought I'd share my method to remove the Walmart button for others searching. I had removed some of the bloatware using the GitHub script posted. Put that button was still there. I'm using Nova launcher. But I imagine this should work with the stock launcher. You can just get rid of the navigation bar. Enable gestures in settings. This completely removes the navigation bar. The gestures are working well for me and are intuitive. It looks great and clean.