Database Users

Beginner question - how to start?

Hi,
It will probably take some time until I'll get my phone, but I am trying to understand how to start.
I am OK with having only English on my phone, but I would prefer to have a clean and bloat free rom that has the GAPPS and that can get OTA updates.
I want to do the minimum needed to get this, I really don't want to change roms every other week.
How should I start? I am a bit lost.
Is the Chinese rom that bad?
Should I change the rom and root it?
Thanks in advance,
Asaf

I think this should be in the Q&A forum
It sounds like you want a stable ROM with Gapps. Xiaomi offer several ROM types. If you want Gapps included from the start, you want their stable international ROM. The trouble is that at the moment they don't do one for the XRN2 yet. Head over to en.miui.com, pick a phone that has been around for longer and in the download section for that device you will see the different ROM types (there are tabs at the top of each phone section). There are also a couple of great explanatory pages in their forum that guide you through the different ROM types.

Use the xiaomi.eu ROM. Multilanguage, clean and with Gapps. OTA also included
Sent from my Redmi Note 2 using Tapatalk

First, get TWRP installed in your phone.
Then flash a stable rom
At the end, install proper gapp using TWRP.

Thanks.
So
1. Install TWRP, will this link should be enough to install it? http://en.miui.com/thread-156838-1-1.html
2. Go to http://xiaomi.eu --> ROMs DOWNLOAD and take the DOWNLOAD WEEKLY rom (http://miuif.celogeek.com/5.9.10/xiaomi.eu_multi_hermes_5.9.11_v7-5.0.zip)?

shemsha said:
Thanks.
So
1. Install TWRP, will this link should be enough to install it? http://en.miui.com/thread-156838-1-1.html
2. Go to http://xiaomi.eu --> ROMs DOWNLOAD and take the DOWNLOAD WEEKLY rom (http://miuif.celogeek.com/5.9.10/xiaomi.eu_multi_hermes_5.9.11_v7-5.0.zip)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BUT, you said you don't want to have to flash a new ROM every week. The xiaomi.EU weekly ROMs are a beta ROM, they are not the same as the 'stable' ROM. I'm using the weekly version just fine, but there are a few bugs. This ROM may or may not suit your needs. Please be aware of that As soon as Xiaomi release the official stable International ROM with Gapps, that's the one you want (based on your stated requirements).

Thanks
So perhaps I'll wait, hopefully it will come up soon enough.
Hope the Chinese rom isn't too bad...

shemsha said:
Thanks
So perhaps I'll wait, hopefully it will come up soon enough.
Hope the Chinese rom isn't too bad...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The first ROM I flashed was the stable ROM from MIUI.com. At the moment this is available as Chinese only (with only Chinese and English languages on board). It is also MIUI version 6 not 7. You do not need TWRP installed to flash this. You can just download it straight to internal storage, then use the Xiaomi updater app (which is already on the phone) to manually flash it. This ROM is not rooted.
Next I tried the weekly ROM from MIUI.com. At that point I incorrectly thought that it would be multi language, but it wasn't. It did at least have MIUI 7 on board though. TWRP is also not needed to flash this. This ROM is rooted. Root settings can be accessed via the Security app. You can also install SuperSU, grant it root access, then use it to control the root access of other apps if you wish. There are no Google apps on board. I was on n holiday at the time so I manually placed all the relevant files, set permissions and so on using ES File explorer that I side loaded and granted root privileges to. Yes, my girlfriend thought it was very romantic of me to spend a whole evening split between doing this and hunting some particularly aggressive mosquitoes trapped in our room. Only the best for my love.
Finally I downloaded the latest weekly (not stable) ROM from from Xiaomi.EU. As well as being a beta, it is not an official Xiaomi ROM. They do also have a stable ROM in offer, but it is not rooted. Basic Google apps are installed. TWRP is not needed here either. However, I installed it briefly to make a full backup of my phone, and a separate backup of the NVRAM portion of the device where the IMEI resides. Experience tells me this is important on an MTK phone in case the area becomes corrupt during an incorrect flash. You can also use SPFlash Tools to do this from a computer. Google the process, it's well worth being prepared. Damian Parsons over on GizBeat and China Phone Arena has done some useful tutorials with videos. Make sure you have the right version of SPFlash tools (which is not the same as MTKdroidtools -or something like that). I have only used a couple of times with my first two MTK phones so I don't know what version you need to use with this chipset.
For my purposes NONE of these ROMs actually fit the bill. Why? Because none of them so far allow me to select UK English as the default language or select the UK as the region I'm in. It's a small thing, but the last three Chinese phones I've had all suffered from the same problem. I end up rooting and using More Locales app to create a new default language code over and above selecting UK English in Google keyboard.
Once Xiaomi release an official global ROM the download page for the Note 2 will look like in the attached screenshot which shows the Mi4 page. Note the two tabs at the top, global and Chinese, in addition to the 'stable' and 'developer' sections down the left hand side.
Please somebody correct me if I'm wrong because I'm new to Xiaomi devices

Thanks for the detailed response.
Sounds like that for my purposes, and until an official rom is out, the easiest option is either the latest weekly or stable from xiaomi.eu.
I understand they can be installed using xiaomi updater as well?

Yes, you can install them the same way as official ROMs.

shemsha said:
Thanks for the detailed response.
Sounds like that for my purposes, and until an official rom is out, the easiest option is either the latest weekly or stable from xiaomi.eu.
I understand they can be installed using xiaomi updater as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also, when I received my phone there was a lot of non-MIUI related bloatware and possibly malware on board. It was multi language (with UK English as a built in option) but it all felt wrong, slow and dodgy. Reading elsewhere it was recommended the best thing to do was flash a ROM from a PC using the fastboot method to erase everything, then start from there. There are fastboot ROMs with instructions on the en.miui.com site. If you think you need to, you could flash via fastboot, then download your subsequent choice of ROM from xiaomi.EU and flash that however you please. As I was away (and impatient) I didn't do the first flash via fastboot. I just did a full wipe from the stock recovery, then put a ROM into internal memory, then flashed it from the stock recovery, then factory reset again. No idea if that was sufficient, but there's no sign of the extra apps any more.

You don't need TWRP
Sent from my Redmi Note 2 using Tapatalk

Ouzo said:
I installed it briefly to make a full backup of my phone, and a separate backup of the NVRAM portion of the device where the IMEI resides. Experience tells me this is important on an MTK phone in case the area becomes corrupt during an incorrect flash. You can also use SPFlash Tools to do this from a computer. Google the process, it's well worth being prepared. Damian Parsons over on GizBeat and China Phone Arena has done some useful tutorials with videos. Make sure you have the right version of SPFlash tools (which is not the same as MTKdroidtools -or something like that). I have only used a couple of times with my first two MTK phones so I don't know what version you need to use with this chipset.
For my purposes NONE of these ROMs actually fit the bill. Why? Because none of them so far allow me to select UK English as the default language or select the UK as the region I'm in. It's a small thing, but the last three Chinese phones I've had all suffered from the same problem. I end up rooting and using More Locales app to create a new default language code over and above selecting UK English in Google keyboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info, this is great for me. I will follow what you said regarding backing up this NVRAM you speak of, as I just read that the source code for the Helios X10 has been released, so we can expect more people including members of the HTC M9+ forum playing around with code.
It would be nice to have an option for UK English (or Australian English for me, to be precise) however I haven't noticed much of a difference, maybe because I have Swiftkey installed and that already has the correct language setting.

zan5hin said:
Thanks for the info, this is great for me. I will follow what you said regarding backing up this NVRAM you speak of, as I just read that the source code for the Helios X10 has been released, so we can expect more people including members of the HTC M9+ forum playing around with code.
It would be nice to have an option for UK English (or Australian English for me, to be precise) however I haven't noticed much of a difference, maybe because I have Swiftkey installed and that already has the correct language setting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Changing the language to UK English is only part of the problem for me. Basically the phone thinks I'm in the U.S, or rather, that I have a U.S phone in the UK. This can cause problems within apps that want tailor content to my region code (or even deny me content). I've tried editing the build.prop a little, but it doesn't seem to help.
Mobile Uncle tools (free in Play Store) used to be able to back up one's IMEI number, but it didn't work on this phone. Dunno if that's because it runs lollipop. Anyway, that's why TWRP was handy and I will try using SPFlashTools again at some point.

Porting modern TouchWiz: Notes from me

Today I wanted to talk about porting current versions of TouchWiz from one device to another. This will be focused primarily on the Sprint network capability since that is my current carrier. But these same basic steps will apply for all porting of TouchWiz.
I know several people have ported roms but I first want to point out one important fact. There is ABSOLUTELY no "guide" that can help you port TouchWiz roms successfully. Period. Any "guide" thread that you may find is completely useless and is isn't even close to touching on the key components of today's porting methods. So don't waste your time reading guides because they are very outdated and irrelevant today.
First things first... When deciding to port a Samsung Rom you need to understand that there are going to be different chipsets for the different device models used in other parts of the world. With this in mind you need to choose software that was originally designed for the same similar cpu whether it be Exynos or Qualcomm. This makes a huge difference when it comes to cpu configs that will best support your device's cpu. If you try to port an Exynos rom to work on a Qualcomm device then expect to have to do a lot more work in framework, etc.
GSM vs CDMA is another very important part of the porting process. When possible, ALWAYS choose software that supports your specific carrier and service type/technology!!! If you are on a GSM network then choose a GSM rom and same for CDMA. However CDMA technology here in the US is a bit different from other countries in regards to how it is setup in the software. Each CDMA carrier will have it's own unique code inside system files. Simply replacing csc and other files will do NOTHING to fix this, leaving you with either no data services or improper generic data services. The only way to do this right is to either start with software for your specific carrier or manually modify these values in multiple files throughout framework and system using the correct values from software specific for your carrier. No exceptions.
The other thing. You ideally want to port the same Android version that is currently available for your specific device because the original kernel and libraries, etc need to support the version of Android in which you want to port. When porting you will be using most of your original software's bin files, kernel, etc... so these files need to be compatible with the version of Android you want to port. Very important!
I will not go into great details with smali modifications, etc because that is a whole different animal. This thread is a general breakdown of what is involved in the whole process. Porting a ROM such as the Note 7 software is no simple task, especially with so many unknown obstacles that must be discovered then remedied. You will need the right tools for the job before you even take on such a task. I'm talking about ApkTool, smali/baksmali, mad genius mentality, etc. Without the proper tools forget about it.
The main things that must be done for the rom to even boot, reside internally inside a few framework jar files. There will also be incompatible system files which must be removed and/or replaced with compatible versions that support your specific device/model. You also may need to make the rom support 32bit such is the case with the Note 4, since it is only 32 bit compatible. There can be no traces of 64bit libraries either inside the system apps or the library folder or else you will have issues. 32 bit devices cannot process 64 bit libraries, whether external or imbedded inside system apps. The one exception to this rule is when an app is multi-arch compatible which means the app can be installed on either 32 or 64 bit devices. In this case the 64 bit libs can remain although they will not be used since the 32 bit libs will be detected by the os. Thankfully 64 bit TouchWiz contains 99.9% of the necessary 32 bit libraries! So use them instead if your device is only compatible with 32 bit architecture.
There are several key Android/Samsung services that are not going to be compatible with other Samsung devices therefore one must identify these incompatible services and other methods in smali and either remove them or recode them in order for the rom to function in a way that is compatible with the device for which you will be running the software on. Sometimes you can simply replace services from your original device's software as long as it is compatible and from the same Android version, but not always.
There is NEVER going to be a set of instructions that will apply to all ROMS. Period. This stuff is always ever-changing with each update that Samsung releases. This is why there can be no accurate "guide" to porting TouchWiz. Whoever says otherwise is not knowledgeable on this stuff at all.
Once the framework files are prepared and rebuilt properly then you will need to have knowledge of the stock system apps and what role they play in the software. Most system apps are cross compatible but some are device and/or carrier specific and must either be removed or replaced in order for the rom to boot and run without a complete meltdown with continuous FC's. Then you have CSC (customer service codes). This plays a major role in how the software will be setup on initial rom setup. Each specific device model will have it's own unique CSC, however most of Samsung's current CSC is identical between the current available top tier devices such as the N4, N5, S7 and N7. BUT each device will have it's own unique "values" within multiple files in CSC. Some Samsung devices are compatible with features that other Samsung devices do not support. Therefore you must have knowledge of this and make the necessary edits in order for the software features to be setup correctly without major malfunctions. One wrong value can actually cause the rom to not boot. You will need experience with this as well.
Next you may need to slightly modify the kernel's ramdisk to support a couple of additional framework files which is the case with the N7 software and probably the N5 as well. It's just a matter of adding a few file names to a text file, save, then recompile the zimage and place the modified kernel inside your rom zip. These types of things must be discovered by trial & error by people who are knowledgeable and have experience porting roms. But it goes to show that these little things can determine a successful or failed port. You never know what can cause the rom to not boot. There's so many pieces to the puzzle when porting.
Moving on to the build.prop and updater-script. There MUST be a lot of edits done to the build.prop and the same principal applies here. You MUST edit the build.prop in order for it to support the software AND your specific device model, cpu, security features, etc, etc. This is an art folks. Again... there is no "guide" for doing this properly. You must possess the mental aptitude to tackle this stuff. It's not for normal people The updater-script is a VERY VERY important part of the rom porting process because it contains the permissions and symbolic links for all of the critical system files and folders. You must manually edit the updater-script so that it sets the proper permissions and symbolic links for the files that are used in the current software you are going to run. You cannot simply use a stock device updater-script straight out of the kitchen for your specific device. It will not work due to other versions of TouchWiz will likely have additional or different files and folders in the rom. This will take a LOT of time to go over everything and make sure you covered everything and properly setup the updater-script.
Next there is the process of replacing critical and device specific libraries and bin files as well as kernel modules. Generally for Samsung devices, system/bin folder must contain all of the original files from the original stock software for your specific device. You might need to add additional files from the software you are porting. The same applies to the system/lib/modules. These modules MUST come from your device's original software. The libraries are very tricky because not all libraries can be from either your original stock software nor from the software you are porting. Simply put, this is going to be the single most time consuming process with a ton of trial and error. You must figure out which lib files must be used from your original software and which libs must come from the new ported software. Good luck figuring this out! :laugh:
This pretty much covers the initial areas of the system software that must be manually modified in order for the rom to actually boot.
As you can see, there's a lot of trial and error with porting roms. Believe me. Other people who ported the early N7 and S7 port ROMs have done a LOT of work and surely they have a lot of trial and error. These early port dev's deserve a lot of credit for these early discoveries without a doubt. Without their original trials and errors & hard work, there would be no other port roms. They shared their knowledge and it was a group effort in the beginning. You guys know who you are! :highfive: Much Thanks to all of you who figured out framework issues etc in the early stages of current TouchWiz. I learned a lot in this process in which I have never shared with the public simply because there's no point in giving information that others can't use due to lack of experience. Hopefully some people will read this and better understand what goes into porting these ROMs. At a later dat, I may write up a more detailed "guide" on current TouchWiz IF I feel there is a need and there is enough people willing to step up and help out the community in the future. This is the way XDA works. You have to pass the torch to win the race. No one person can conquer the world. Teamwork is the key to success in everything you do. Remember this. Thanks for reading.

Wow, very nice write up. Thanks!
I would be interested in a more detailed guide if and when you get to it. I'm always looking to expand my know - how.
Many thanks! :highfive:

Thanks for the post....
but you did not go in to ROM porting much at all... I'd love to read a in depth view of the " copy and paste " dev .

tx_dbs_tx said:
This will be focused primarily on the Sprint network capability since that is my current carrier. But these same basic steps will apply for all porting of TouchWiz.
GSM vs CDMA is another very important part of the porting process. When possible, ALWAYS choose software that supports your specific carrier and service type/technology!!! If you are on a GSM network then choose a GSM rom and same for CDMA. However CDMA technology here in the US is a bit different from other countries in regards to how it is setup in the software. Each CDMA carrier will have it's own unique code inside system files. Simply replacing csc and other files will do NOTHING to fix this, leaving you with either no data services or improper generic data services. The only way to do this right is to either start with software for your specific carrier or manually modify these values in multiple files throughout framework and system using the correct values from software specific for your carrier. No exceptions.
The other thing. You ideally want to port the same Android version that is currently available for your specific device because the original kernel and libraries, etc need to support the version of Android in which you want to port. When porting you will be using most of your original software's bin files, kernel, etc... so these files need to be compatible with the version of Android you want to port. Very important!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was great. It was exactly what I was looking for. Ive being working on porting a gsm rom to my device N900P. But the only thing Ive found is copy and paste. Trying to find something on cdma is even harder. Ive just download your Ultimate Hybrid N7 to see if can get a clue on where to start. Deodexing telephony-common should be enough? Where else should start looking? If you could point me a direction would be great. Thanks

triskaw said:
This was great. It was exactly what I was looking for. Ive being working on porting a gsm rom to my device N900P. But the only thing Ive found is copy and paste. Trying to find something on cdma is even harder. Ive just download your Ultimate Hybrid N7 to see if can get a clue on where to start. Deodexing telephony-common should be enough? Where else should start looking? If you could point me a direction would be great. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the late reply. To be honest, porting a gsm rom to work on a U.S. cdma carrier is going to require massive work. Forget about it. Start your rom project with cdma compatible software and save yourself the trouble. You'll win the lottery before you get a gsm rom ported over to cdma. Copy and paste isn't going to scratch the surface. Why not port a factory Sprint ROM for your Sprint note 3? Such as the Sprint N7, N5, S7 edge? It is already setup to work on the sprint network. It would save you a lot of time and effort.

help to edit Rom

What files do not change in the rom ?? Or what files can you change ?? For example , I have a phone version android 4,4 and want to become like 6.0 without downloading a new ROM just change some files until the interface change and statut bar and menu parametrs Plzz help me And what is the role of each files of system file
etc
Usr
Media
App
Framwark
Vondor
...
:crying:

This may or may not be relevant, but should be sufficient to describe the amount of work involved in theming.
The Dell Streak ran Android 2.3.x when it reached its end of life. At the time I had gotten my S4 I was the last person doing any actual work on the device. One of the things I made for that device was a theme named "Traveller ICS". Its goal was to port elements of the new (at the time) Holo styling in Android 4.0 to the older version of Android. A LOT of files were edited to make this happen, as all of them had drawable elements that needed changing.
F:\system\app\Browser.apk
F:\system\app\Contacts.apk
F:\system\app\DellSettingsProvider.apk
F:\system\app\DeskClock.apk
F:\system\app\Email.apk
F:\system\app\Gallery3D.apk
F:\system\app\Mms.apk
F:\system\app\Phone.apk
F:\system\app\Settings.apk
F:\system\app\SettingsProvider.apk
F:\system\app\SystemUI.apk
F:\system\framework\framework-res.apk
The included text file below lists all the files in just one of the apps listed above. Not every file will need to be altered, but virtually all the images will need to be changed, and more than a few XML files. The point of the matter here is that it is not an easy task to re-theme the whole of Android to look like Android 6.x. It's a lot of work, and given the existence of substratum, not worth the effort.
Change ROMs. Hard-coded theming of Android is a *****, and you don't want to do it if you don't have to.
EDIT: Please note, if you are attempting to modify a Touchwiz ROM to look like later versions, I don't know whether it's possible or not, but I seriously wouldn't try it with the Touchwiz framework either.

Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
This may or may not be relevant, but should be sufficient to describe the amount of work involved in theming.
The Dell Streak ran Android 2.3.x when it reached its end of life. At the time I had gotten my S4 I was the last person doing any actual work on the device. One of the things I made for that device was a theme named "Traveller ICS". Its goal was to port elements of the new (at the time) Holo styling in Android 4.0 to the older version of Android. A LOT of files were edited to make this happen, as all of them had drawable elements that needed changing.
F:\system\app\Browser.apk
F:\system\app\Contacts.apk
F:\system\app\DellSettingsProvider.apk
F:\system\app\DeskClock.apk
F:\system\app\Email.apk
F:\system\app\Gallery3D.apk
F:\system\app\Mms.apk
F:\system\app\Phone.apk
F:\system\app\Settings.apk
F:\system\app\SettingsProvider.apk
F:\system\app\SystemUI.apk
F:\system\framework\framework-res.apk
The included text file below lists all the files in just one of the apps listed above. Not every file will need to be altered, but virtually all the images will need to be changed, and more than a few XML files. The point of the matter here is that it is not an easy task to re-theme the whole of Android to look like Android 6.x. It's a lot of work, and given the existence of substratum, not worth the effort.
Change ROMs. Hard-coded theming of Android is a *****, and you don't want to do it if you don't have to.
EDIT: Please note, if you are attempting to modify a Touchwiz ROM to look like later versions, I don't know whether it's possible or not, but I seriously wouldn't try it with the Touchwiz framework either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First thank you for helping me I downloaded the ROM S8 and installed it on the S4 by adding the files after the ROM S4 I understood my intention. But if there was a danger on the phone, tell me before spoiling the concert Change CPU values

Sorry, but you're going to have to figure that out on your own, because I don't have an answer to that question.

Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
Sorry, but you're going to have to figure that out on your own, because I don't have an answer to that question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am randomly asked because when I search I find edits on ROM cyanogenmod but I want to modify the ROM on an official
For example, I already have S4 on Android 6.0.1
Port ROM note7
I meant to download rom note7 edit to fit my phone

Which One Is Better, Stock ROM or Custom ROM?.

Android is a superb mobile operating system from the search giant Google. No one can question about its features and performance, and that was the only reason that the sales of Android phones accounted for 68% of globally sold smartphones in 2nd Quarter of 2012. But do you know Android come in two forms: Stock ROM and Custom ROM. Stock ROM is the Android version which mobile company officially provide you along with the phone or tablet. Custom ROM is the Android version which is not officially provided but customized and distributed by other developers. Both of the versions of Android have their own pros and cons. Let’s see what’s your choice must be:
Although ROM in computers mean Read Only Memory (memory storage which once written, can’t be edited or deleted) but surely this is not what we mean when we talk about ROMs for Android. Here, it means firmwares for Android phones and tablets. Changing/Installing a ROM in your phone is quite same as installing a new operating system on your desktop or laptop system. Android is open source and people (interested developers) usually modify this code to add features, change home screen, bring tweaks, improve stability or customize it – this is what known as Custom ROM.
Why to choose Stock ROMs?
Stock ROMs are the ones which come by default in Android phones or tablets. These are customized versions of Android done by mobile companies to make their devices unique in looks and features.
01-0Warranty.
Stock ROMs doesn’t void your warranty. One of the biggest reasons that people don’t go for Custom ROMs is warranty. Most of the companies prohibit rooting your Android phone or installing a custom Android version – and if you do so, then you can void/lose your warranty.
02-Premium Apps
Stock ROMs usually come with loaded premium apps which are built by mobile companies to attract customers. These apps can be anything like music players, widgets, live wallpapers, etc. Premium apps are provided to enrich the user’s experience of the customer. These apps differ from one mobile vendor to another and sometimes, even from model to model – more or better apps as the price of the device goes high. For example, Sony Xperia phones have TrackID which can be used to get information about an unknown playing music; Samsung Galaxy S3 has S Voice, a virtual assistant app just like Siri (available in iPhone 4S); etc.
03-Premium Features
Android in original form is cool, but mobile vendors hardly think so – they try to improve it in terms of features and looks. Stock ROMs comes with lots of premium features which are not available in Custom ROMs (at least not for free). These features include custom home screen or launcher or app drawer, e.g., Sony Xperia phones have TimeScape UI whereas Motorola phones have Blur UI. For example, most Android phones come with keyboard with Swype feature using which you can type a word with a single tap on the touch screen by just swiping your finger across each letter of the word and keyboard automatically guess the correct word.
04Trust for Security
May be it feel strange but one can easily trust Android operating system sold by a reputed company. You can be sure that it does not contain any backdoor, malwares, spywares or other malicious tools. I’m not saying you can’t trust Custom ROMs but it’s just that many people take their privacy on top of all other things – you can easily trust a reputed company you know but how can you trust a software or source code of unidentified origin or developer.
Why to choose Custom ROMs?
Custom ROMs are the ones which are customized or developed from the original source code of Android and differ from it in features and/or looks. Custom ROMs are not provided by Google or other mobile vendors but are developed and maintained by community and its contributors.
01-Root Access
Custom ROMs provide you root access in your Android system. Root access in Android/Linux is like the administration permissions in Windows – you get permission to do almost anything in your phone/tablet. Isn’t it wonderful? Many of the people (including me) get rid of the Stock ROM to enjoy root access – you become the master of your Android – you decide what apps will be installed, which services will run in the background and many other similar permissions.
02Regular Updates
Updates or new releases are more regularly released for Custom ROMs than Stock ROMs. Many of the times, a new Android release come in the market but your phone company don’t provide the update for your phone. Then where you stand? Your mobile vendor forget about your phone and start focusing on its new models. But the community supports you – people releases custom ROMs of new Android releases even if your mobile company don’t release the update for your phone. Using Custom ROMs, you always have the option to try new Android versions. For example, Android 4.1 (JellyBean) is the latest release at present but Sony has denied releasing it for Xperia phones announced/released before mid 2011, but CyanogenMod (the most popular Custom ROM of Android) is working on beta versions of 4.1 version and will soon be releasing the final tested version of JellyBean.
03-Easy to Change
Once you’ve rooted your phone and installed a Custom ROM, it’s very easy to change and install different Custom ROMs of your choice without any hassle. If you’ve installed a custom recovery (like ClockWorkMod) then you can easily install Custom ROMs by just downloading the zip package of the ROM, putting it on your phone’s SD card’s root directory, rebooting your phone and opening the recovery, and installing that zip file after cleaning your system and data partitions.
04-Better Performance
Custom ROMs allow you to install/remove apps, change background services and set many other performance tweaks. This make Custom ROMs perform better than Stock ROMs in most cases. Custom ROMs are not bulkier as Stock ROMs and are not bundled with lots of pre-installed apps and services – this make it even faster and perform better.
Android is a great system to use and to modify too! Unlike other mobile operating systems, Android provide options to easily customize the look and user experience of your system. Mobile vendors don’t give you root access and prohibit you to install advance apps or change system permissions or settings, but you can achieve it using a Custom ROM. Though it is the choice of the people – many people enjoy Stock ROM but Custom ROM suits for others.
What’s your favorite?
Custom ROM users – which ROM you use?

Seeking English ROM with gApps for Huawei DRA-AL00 (Y5 2018/Enjoy 8e Youth)

I have a Huawei DRA-AL00 (either called the Y5 2018 or Enjoy 8e Youth depending on which source you believe) currently running Android 8.1 (device details from Droid Info attached).
I am seeking an English language ROM with gApps (or the option to add it). I have already searched the forums and found this thread, however, the ROMs listed seem to just be copies of the stock ROM (or, at least, I can't find any details about them except that they're Android 8.1) I'm worried they'll have the same issues as the factory reset OS that I've already tried. I also searched google generally and found a lot of ROMs for other Huawei phones but none that looked promising for this one... Neither LineageOS nor ArrowOS seem to have an option for this phone. I also don't see a TWRP version that's been specifically tested for this phone, but I'm thinking of trying the one that's recommended for the Y5 2017 or the Enjoy 8 Plus. Of course, that's only relevant if I can find a custom ROM worth using. I'm willing to risk bricking this phone by using a TWRP and ROM that are intended for a different but similar phone, but I'd rather do so with input from someone who's more knowledgeable about phone OSs than me . I'll post the results of any ROMs I try here so others with this phone can have clearer info on what works with it.
Thanks for your help!!
***
Additional info below, not necessary to answer the original question .
For context, I'm a complete newb to flashing custom ROMs on phones. That said, I follow directions just fine and have spent most of today watching and reading tutorials for other Huawei phones (can't find one for this phone specifically...). I've also already tried several different fixes to get this phone functional without replacing the OS, but each new fix keeps raising a new issue or only partially resolving the original one. Hence reverting to the solution that's always served me well on laptops and desktops, replacing the OS.
I have already:
- Factory reset the phone.
- Set the system language to English (this succeeded in getting most of the day-to-day interface to show up in English, but about half of the pop-up messages and the contents of the in-built app store/browser/etc are all still in Chinese...).
- Replaced the keyboard app as it was also still an odd mix of English and Chinese which made typing pretty difficult...
- Tried four different methods to install gPlay on a Huawei phone all of which appeared to be working during install but result in a gPlay app that won't open.
- Tried installing the apps that I need without going through the Play store, however, anything affiliated with google (eg gmail, gmaps) refuses to work. I updated Google Play Services and Google Services Framework APKs to the most recent versions I could find that are Android 8.1 compatible but that didn't fix the issue.
- Disabled as much of the bloatware as I can.
If I can't find a decent ROM for this phone, I'll keep trying to work around its issues using third party apps. However, I'm starting to lose hope in reaching a truly functional solution with the current OS. It'd be sad to give up on this project since it's a quite nice little phone for the very basic functions I need - decent speed and truly epic battery life (nearly a week if I'm not using it much!). At the end of the day though, it only cost me $88 in the first place, so I'd rather risk bricking it by flashing an incompatible ROM than leave it to gather dust in the back of a drawer somewhere .

Hey I have a Huawei DRA-AL00 with English ROM . It comes with Gapps and stuffs but my problem is getting Twrp for it. Can I ask how you got yours?