[Q] Upgrade to Kit Kat? - G2 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I picked up my Verizon LG G2 at launch, a little over a year ago. As soon as I got the phone, I rooted it using ioroot. Doing so allowed me to use wifi tether and the rest of the phone has worked flawlessly. With my old Galaxy Nexus, I used to be a crack flasher, but I haven't felt the need to with this G2.
Now a year later, I'm starting to get the itch, as I am getting a little bored with the phone. My question is, in your opinion, is it worth it to upgrade to KitKat? What advantages would I get from KitKat over JB (4.2.2)? I've read a fair amount of the change logs, but haven't found anything that has me really wanting to upgrade.
My big hesitation is that everything works great with my phone now, and I have always found that with custom ROMs, something just doesn't work right, and I'm constantly looking for fixes/upgrades.
If you recommend upgrading, what ROMs do you recommend?
Thanks in advance!

Related

Why Root?

I know this topic must have been beaten to a bloody death, but as a former G1/Cyanogenmod user, I'm starting to debate whether or not I should root my G2. My G1 always gave me problems when I was running Cyanogenmod. This is likely due to the now low-end specs of the device, but I have grown wary of custom roms, regardless. I can't help but worry that my device may become unstable or slow like my G1, and that I might have difficulty restoring to factory state if I need to take advantage of my warranty.
One of the primary reasons I wanted a rooted device was to be able to effectively tether. Now that my G2 has this built in, there's one less point for rooting. I don't much ever plan of going out of the country, so I have no need for a SuperCID. I don't yet see any cool toys for G2 root users, like a USB host-enabled driver. Also, my main reason for rooting my G1, apps on the SD card, is now built-in, no partitioning required.
This isn't to say that I don't appreciate all the hard work that's gone in to making this option available. I just don't know how it can apply to me.
So tell me, why do you root, what do you geek out with using root, and what do you most often use your root for?
The simple answer is don't root then. I have rooted and flashed the hell out of every android device I've ever owned, until this one, and to be honest I wouldn't mind having just having root on this, which has now gone since the latest ota, but other than that, I have no intention of flashing anything on it as it seems to be just fine for my use. The root access I want for apps like shoot me and clock sync that I use regularly now. It would be nice to have a phone and just use it, rather than spending all my time setting it back up after each new Rom I've tried on a weekly basis. So, unless you need to, don't.
So cool posts here. I have to agree. I used to geek and tweak and check out ROMs on my TP2, too. I always ended up stock WM6.1(!) because that worked best. Now coming to Android and the DZ I am just shocked how badly this RULEZ. I don't feel like tweaking anything. I wouldn't fear losing warranty, I just don't wanna root yet. Well, I miss my front cam and the qwerty keys could be bigger )
Sent from my HTC Desire Z using XDA App
root/S-OFF is useful for me right now so that I can do a nandroid backup of my phone from time to time (via Recovery Manager/Clockwork). I am very happy with my stock ROM (HTC 1.34), which is a big change from my previous WinMo Touch Pro 2, where the stock ROM sucked big time.
If you don't feel like you need root, then don't do it, simple as that !
Still havent rooted and I seem to be happy with the stock rom of the Desire Z. Still waiting it out but I do miss some of the other apps that require rooting.
I eventually will root my device and get over the fear of bricking my unit. Are there any official updates happening?
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App
kuplet said:
I eventually will root my device and get over the fear of bricking my unit. Are there any official updates happening?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a 1.72 OTA update for the Desire Z which is being pushed out. I don't know exactly where you are in the world, but this has certainly been rolled out in Europe. However, be careful, because right now rooting that updated ROM is not possible, and unless you have full radio S-OFF via gfree beforehand, you can't downgrade either once you put it on.
The "RELEASE" versions of Cyanogen have been stable as hell. Running CM 6.1.1 now. So if that's the reason why you're not doing it, take my anecdote for what it's worth.
If you don't want to root or use any of the custom ROMs then don't do it. It's your decision, not ours.
One of my biggest reasons for rooting is SetCPU. Right now, I can get my phone to last about a day and a half with minimal to moderate use. Days of heavy use it'll last at least 12hrs.
I also like having access to the system files in case I feel like messing with them.
Besides, rooting doesn't mean you have to flash a custom ROM. You can have a rooted phone with a stock ROM.

Is Rooting Worth it Yet?

Im still running stock 4.2.2 from Rogers on my D803 but the fact that Im basically 3 versions back on a brand new phone has been crawling under my skin since the day I bought it (4 days ago)
I was wondering if its worth it yet to root tho? I do really love the features this phone was built with, like the quick remote especially, since I already have it all programed for all my TV's and Cogeco boxes in my home.
Im basically wanting to know what we lose going to the custom roms made by guys like Heustonn, or if everything is more or less functional?
Word on the street is LG will have the official Kit Kat by March, so should I just tough it out, or should I just go for it?
I also have TONNES of experience with flashing. Ive been rooting since my old HTC Hero, and I also had the Nexus S and the Galaxy Nexus, so its not a confidence thing, its just more a feature thing since Ive found some of the LG stuff to be really cool so far!
Thanks
KitKat isn't due out for the G2 until some time in the 1st quarter of next year, so why not try out some different ROMs while you're waiting? You can always flash the original firmware if you want / need to go back to stock, which will remove the root status and reinstall the stock recovery.
4.2.2 has more features then 4.4 lol
Sent from my LG-D803 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
You won't lose any features rooting..
Sent from my LG-D800
AndrewWalker613 said:
I was wondering if its worth it yet to root tho? I do really love the features this phone was built with, like the quick remote especially, since I already have it all programed for all my TV's and Cogeco boxes in my home.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
QuickRemote has been ported to all AOSP roms. You can find it in the themes and apps section.
AndrewWalker613 said:
Im still running stock 4.2.2 from Rogers on my D803 but the fact that Im basically 3 versions back on a brand new phone has been crawling under my skin since the day I bought it (4 days ago)
I was wondering if its worth it yet to root tho? I do really love the features this phone was built with, like the quick remote especially, since I already have it all programed for all my TV's and Cogeco boxes in my home.
Im basically wanting to know what we lose going to the custom roms made by guys like Heustonn, or if everything is more or less functional?
Word on the street is LG will have the official Kit Kat by March, so should I just tough it out, or should I just go for it?
I also have TONNES of experience with flashing. Ive been rooting since my old HTC Hero, and I also had the Nexus S and the Galaxy Nexus, so its not a confidence thing, its just more a feature thing since Ive found some of the LG stuff to be really cool so far!
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can get QuickRemote and LG Camera for AOSP based 4.4 roms, and if you don't like LG's skin I would definitely recommend trying out one of the many awesome custom roms here!
2nd day I rooted and flashed to gummy 4.4. Love it. Kit Kat is slick

[Q] 4.2 rooted or 4.4 update?

So with the inevitable release of KitKat tomorrow, I have the quandary of upgrading or not. I understand the 4.4 will kill my root, but I really haven't used the root option due to interceding life getting in the way since I rooted it (originally I was going to use Ti Backup and go from there, but have never bought it). So losing root is not a huge deal breaker one way or another currently.
With the leaked build, does it look like a good update to do or has the current ROM users of KitKat feel it's not worth it? I'd like to get some input to help make up my mind...
scottiemedic said:
So with the inevitable release of KitKat tomorrow, I have the quandary of upgrading or not. I understand the 4.4 will kill my root, but I really haven't used the root option due to interceding life getting in the way since I rooted it (originally I was going to use Ti Backup and go from there, but have never bought it). So losing root is not a huge deal breaker one way or another currently.
With the leaked build, does it look like a good update to do or has the current ROM users of KitKat feel it's not worth it? I'd like to get some input to help make up my mind...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I own both an I337 and an M919 and, given the flexibility of the M919, I was able to try both official and leaked 4.4 TW releases mainly for the I9505. Based on those experiences I would say take the update. 4.4 update should be noticeably faster.
In regard to keeping root, I'm hoping SuperSu Pro's Survival mode works.
I'd say go with the update if you don't care about root. The only problem is Knox is more locked down, also more bloat/crap ware on the new update. I do love the camera on the lockscreen, plus the album artwork on the lock screen is a big + for me. I don't know if art is implemented into the gs4 but it does make a difference but the only thing is, is that most apps are not optimized for it yet.
Sent from my XT1058 using xda premium
So should I revert the few changes I have done? IE, I've killed startup apps with ES Task Manager and (obviously) disabled the software update checker.
I'm on the original/not locked down 4.2.2. What do I need to do, to accept the update? I too found that I don't use Root much, but T.B. would be nice to have. I have clockword installed now as a bootloader, so maybe I need to revert to stock bootloader somehow. Previous OTA's have failed.
As far as experience goes, I say wait and keep your options open. I like the freedom of a clean rom, free from bloat and clutter of apps that i dont use. Not to mention a battery life that exceeds far beyond a regular un-rooted device. Visit the numerous threads of other people's experiences. I'm rooted and have been able to try out different rooms from 4.2 to 4.4. Accepting an ota will unroot your device without anyway of reverting back. Good luck with your decision.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
aiwapro said:
I'm on the original/not locked down 4.2.2. What do I need to do, to accept the update? I too found that I don't use Root much, but T.B. would be nice to have. I have clockword installed now as a bootloader, so maybe I need to revert to stock bootloader somehow. Previous OTA's have failed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're on the not locked down version, then you shouldn't take the update. It will lock your bootloader and that device will never see an AOSP ROM again. You should wait for something like StockUp to be updated to the new 4.4 or use any of the many other 4.4 ROMs available. If you really want to get one with the stock update and locked bootloaders, I'm sure someone would love to trade.
aiwapro said:
I'm on the original/not locked down 4.2.2. What do I need to do, to accept the update? I too found that I don't use Root much, but T.B. would be nice to have. I have clockword installed now as a bootloader, so maybe I need to revert to stock bootloader somehow. Previous OTA's have failed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We were able to get the MK2 tar files rather quickly after the OTA release and will hopefully be able to get the 4.4 tars just as quickly. If that's the case you will be able to flash all partitions, except the bootloader, to run the 4.4 ROM and keep your unlocked bootloader. I would not give up the unlocked bootloader if I were you.
scottiemedic said:
So with the inevitable release of KitKat tomorrow, I have the quandary of upgrading or not. I understand the 4.4 will kill my root, but I really haven't used the root option due to interceding life getting in the way since I rooted it (originally I was going to use Ti Backup and go from there, but have never bought it). So losing root is not a huge deal breaker one way or another currently.
With the leaked build, does it look like a good update to do or has the current ROM users of KitKat feel it's not worth it? I'd like to get some input to help make up my mind...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you are not someone that really uses or needs root like us flashaholics. I love having complete control over my devices. The extraordinary battery life, increased performance, extra capabilities like tethering and so forth. If I want to delete an un-wanted app or service ( At&t navigator anyone) or try a new rom I can. With a stock rom with locked boot loaders (really an oxymoron for "open source" Android isn't it?) you have what you get, like it or not. It's sad they load these awesome devices up with so much performance killing bloat ware. It's like buying a new corvette & then attaching a loaded u-haul trailer to it. What's the point of having it if you can't use it as intended? Anyway my 2 cents worth. Choose your path wisely grasshopper, as there's no turning back.
Hello everyone!
I have been thinking about getting myself one of these lovely phones but after reading what y'all have been saying about the locked bootloader I'm not sure I want to... I won't be able to actually get a phone until next week so I'm assuming it will come already pre-loaded with this update??
I would like to be able to root this phone just like I did my old ET4G from Sprint... would this be an option if I was to get one next week?
Just an FYI I will be on the AT&T network.
ttfn
CDL
crazy_dragonlady said:
Hello everyone!
I have been thinking about getting myself one of these lovely phones but after reading what y'all have been saying about the locked bootloader I'm not sure I want to... I won't be able to actually get a phone until next week so I'm assuming it will come already pre-loaded with this update??
I would like to be able to root this phone just like I did my old ET4G from Sprint... would this be an option if I was to get one next week?
Just an FYI I will be on the AT&T network.
ttfn
CDL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get a nexus 5. You'll love it
Sent from my Nexus 5
jd1639 said:
Get a nexus 5. You'll love it
Sent from my Nexus 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AT&T doesn't offer that phone... unless I'm just not seeing it LOL
crazy_dragonlady said:
AT&T doesn't offer that phone... unless I'm just not seeing it LOL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They don't but it works fine on att. Very easy to root and mod. No locked bootloader.
Sent from my Nexus 5
John The Rhino said:
Sounds like you are not someone that really uses or needs root like us flashaholics. I love having complete control over my devices. The extraordinary battery life, increased performance, extra capabilities like tethering and so forth. If I want to delete an un-wanted app or service ( At&t navigator anyone) or try a new rom I can. With a stock rom with locked boot loaders (really an oxymoron for "open source" Android isn't it?) you have what you get, like it or not. It's sad they load these awesome devices up with so much performance killing bloat ware. It's like buying a new corvette & then attaching a loaded u-haul trailer to it. What's the point of having it if you can't use it as intended? Anyway my 2 cents worth. Choose your path wisely grasshopper, as there's no turning back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess I've just never gotten any real good info on WHAT my rooted GS4 can do. I'd love to extend battery life and tether, but without really knowing all the possible downfalls, I've never pulled the trigger on like system apps, bloatware, etc. You know of a good resource for slightly technical people with clear definitions of what certain programs do and what can and can't be deleted?
I think at the time I rooted (I'm a MF3 S4), there was no 'unrooting' or flashing to stock, and therefore have been reluctant. I know I don't spend enough time on here learning, my 5 and 2 year old suck all my extra time away.
I'd love to maximize my phone to it's greater abilities, just overwhelmed I guess on where to start as I'm perfectly happy on 4.2 (I owned 3 iPhones before getting this one, so I have limited Android experience, but I recently also got an ASUS TF300 and rooted and ROMed my Kindle Fire almost 2 years ago to CM9).
scottiemedic said:
I guess I've just never gotten any real good info on WHAT my rooted GS4 can do. I'd love to extend battery life and tether, but without really knowing all the possible downfalls, I've never pulled the trigger on like system apps, bloatware, etc. You know of a good resource for slightly technical people with clear definitions of what certain programs do and what can and can't be deleted?
I think at the time I rooted (I'm a MF3 S4), there was no 'unrooting' or flashing to stock, and therefore have been reluctant. I know I don't spend enough time on here learning, my 5 and 2 year old suck all my extra time away.
I'd love to maximize my phone to it's greater abilities, just overwhelmed I guess on where to start as I'm perfectly happy on 4.2 (I owned 3 iPhones before getting this one, so I have limited Android experience, but I recently also got an ASUS TF300 and rooted and ROMed my Kindle Fire almost 2 years ago to CM9).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey man, no worries. The reality is I would much rather play with my kids (if I had any) than an electronic device. So it's nice to know your priorities are right. There's few picture worthy moments we get from our phones, but kids provide such memories constantly. For everyday use, stock is fine & was for me for a little while. You are doing the right thing by waiting until you know more before you do something wrong & brick your phone. This is the place where you can learn how to root, install Safestrap recovery & flash incredible custom rom on your mf3 S4 when you are ready.

(Soon to be) New TMO G2 owner

Just have a few questions and concerns about moving to this phone, figured I'd give it a shot and see what the collective group thought...
Background: Coming from a GS3 (T999L LTE model) and avid hater of KNOX and stupid warranty bit tripping issues, lock outs and general d*cking around the device manufacturer does to the device to make tinkering next to impossible. I understand there is a similar situation with the G2, and also understand there *might* be ways to work around it?
1. Seeing as the new OTA has gone live for the G2 on Tmo, how likely is it that I'll receive a new unit with the update on it?
1a. If I get one without the latest update, how easy is it to then root/custom recovery/update retaining all of those​2. I'm perfectly cool using the stock ROM, I mostly just root for debloating and ad-blocking (I love supporting devs, some don't have ad-less options though). How much bloat might I encounter and are they easily disabled (without need for root).
3. Are there any goofy folder setups in the internal SD card? (meaning on the GS3, once you went to 4.3 it changed the layout to /sdcard/0/DCIM versus the original /sdcard/DCIM)
4. I've grown very accustomed to using the volume rocker to change tracks when I'm in the car, so I don't have to look down for the next arrow...Is this an option that is baked in or will I need to use Xposed?
4a. Is Xposed working on the latest official ROM? I've seen people having it working and others saying it doesnt​5. I really want a wallet style case for my device, nothing special, maybe 2 slots to carry a burner debit card (I'm notorious for forgetting my wallet and want to carry a card with my phone since I never forget it). What would you recommend? I've seen the Poetic Flipbook (http://goo.gl/eGf0XL) and feel like it would be a good fit for what I'm looking for...Thoughts?
Thanks for your time, can't wait to jump ship to the G2!
thetolsonator said:
Just have a few questions and concerns about moving to this phone, figured I'd give it a shot and see what the collective group thought...
Background: Coming from a GS3 (T999L LTE model) and avid hater of KNOX and stupid warranty bit tripping issues, lock outs and general d*cking around the device manufacturer does to the device to make tinkering next to impossible. I understand there is a similar situation with the G2, and also understand there *might* be ways to work around it?
1. Seeing as the new OTA has gone live for the G2 on Tmo, how likely is it that I'll receive a new unit with the update on it?
1a. If I get one without the latest update, how easy is it to then root/custom recovery/update retaining all of those​2. I'm perfectly cool using the stock ROM, I mostly just root for debloating and ad-blocking (I love supporting devs, some don't have ad-less options though). How much bloat might I encounter and are they easily disabled (without need for root).
3. Are there any goofy folder setups in the internal SD card? (meaning on the GS3, once you went to 4.3 it changed the layout to /sdcard/0/DCIM versus the original /sdcard/DCIM)
4. I've grown very accustomed to using the volume rocker to change tracks when I'm in the car, so I don't have to look down for the next arrow...Is this an option that is baked in or will I need to use Xposed?
4a. Is Xposed working on the latest official ROM? I've seen people having it working and others saying it doesnt​5. I really want a wallet style case for my device, nothing special, maybe 2 slots to carry a burner debit card (I'm notorious for forgetting my wallet and want to carry a card with my phone since I never forget it). What would you recommend? I've seen the Poetic Flipbook (http://goo.gl/eGf0XL) and feel like it would be a good fit for what I'm looking for...Thoughts?
Thanks for your time, can't wait to jump ship to the G2!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well lets begin-
1)about it coming wit the update I would not know I'd say 50/50 chance(if it's on the latest 4.4.2 it is not rootable you would have to flash back to 4.2.2 using this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2432476 then follow this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2673736 to get to kit kat with root and custom recovery)
2)yes each variant has it's amount of bloat but some are worse than others and it can be easily be removed except for the ciq which can be disabled on 4.2.2 but on kk it's giving issues
3)yes it is sdcard/0/dcim
4)I grew used to that feature two but I have not looked for a replacement but iknow g2 exposed has that option but until xposed framework gets updated to 2.5 it will not work on kitkat but works without issues on 4.2.2
5)as for case I use spigen so I don't have any recommendations but check out the g2 accessories thread and you can find help there and look through the stuf that has been reviewed already
yea it's an awesome phone
To be honest the g2 is and awesome device but the nexus 5 comes with no bloat and is stock android out of the box g2 is a great device but get its more bugfree twin nexus 5 is prob around the same price as the g2 and your going to T-Mobile I would go with nexus 5
Sent from my LG-VS980 using Tapatalk

Should I root and flash?

I'm about 2 years into my ownership of Moto G7, and have yet to root or install any custom ROM, so I'm running the latest OTA update of Android 10. In recent weeks, I'm really starting to notice a big slow down. So looking for quick and honest advice: will it be worth the time and effort to root and flash a custom ROM? Will that noticeably improve my performance and make me happy continuing to use this phone for a while? What's the best custom ROM for this phone right now? Thanks!
Probably should have stopped OTA updates on the last good version. Updates kill phones.
If the OS is fast, stable and fulfilling its mission... let it be! I'm still running on Pie on my 10+, no updates for over 1.5 years... and zero issues.
Security simply isn't an issue with Androids most times even with outdated firmware unless you do something stupid.
My current OS load is over a year old...
Try a factory reset if you haven't done one since a major firmware update. That may resolve the issues.
...or find whatever is slowing u down. or I can recommend Lineage OS 18...constantly updated and polished...lots of users hence good support!
I'd say yes, but have a backup phone. Maybe have a plan to buy a new one if this fails. It has been two years since I rooted my black/blue one and I haven't regretted it. Some of my apps require it.
I just got another one like it only in white that's badly broken. I have tried to root it but I'm tired and pain meds are making my mind unclear. I did unlock the bootloader without any trouble. Mainly I wanted it so I could change its battery without damaging it, then decide if I want to change the battery in the black one or take it to a shop.
If I can bring the project phone up to speed I'll run it with my secondary line.
In short, though, yes. Be sure to back it up first, as this will delete all user data. The G7 64 ROM / 4 RAM is a very capable phone even as old as it is.
Finally mustered the courage and did it. So far, so good. Glad I did. Thanks for the advice!

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