Database Users

Clean custom rom to recommend?

Hi all,
I'm new to android & I'm equally frustrated about the lack of internal storage. I'm on a 16GB S4 I9505 & like many users, out of box storage is limited. I would like to know if there's a custom rom that works well despite being clean, smooth & allows better battery life than the stock JB 4.2.2.
I've tried using Titanium Backup to try removing bloatware like S Health & ChatOn but the list is too long to carry on removing one by one. Not mentioning I do not have much knowledge about android & am worried that if I removed the wrong app, might screw up the phone itself.
Therefore I'm searching for a clean custom rom which is debloated, runs smoothly & give me more battery life out of the device.
I tend to browse the Web, text, watch videos on YouTube & maybe just some games. Any recommendations would be welcomed & please help me by providing more information such as what bloatwares are removed etc as I might still need some of the basic apps.
Regards.

Try the CyanogenMod roms. They are fully clean and pretty fast. Before you flash it ,make a backup of your phone/ rom so you can switch back to it if you don't like it.
--edit: you can find those roms in the official galaxy s4 i9505 development forum.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda app-developers app

PleaseClickHere said:
Hi all,
I'm new to android & I'm equally frustrated about the lack of internal storage. I'm on a 16GB S4 I9505 & like many users, out of box storage is limited. I would like to know if there's a custom rom that works well despite being clean, smooth & allows better battery life than the stock JB 4.2.2.
I've tried using Titanium Backup to try removing bloatware like S Health & ChatOn but the list is too long to carry on removing one by one. Not mentioning I do not have much knowledge about android & am worried that if I removed the wrong app, might screw up the phone itself.
Therefore I'm searching for a clean custom rom which is debloated, runs smoothly & give me more battery life out of the device.
I tend to browse the Web, text, watch videos on YouTube & maybe just some games. Any recommendations would be welcomed & please help me by providing more information such as what bloatwares are removed etc as I might still need some of the basic apps.
Regards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
You have a choice of ME2 or ME3 stock slim-line de-bloated ROMS.
Look HERE

malybru said:
Hi,
You have a choice of ME2 or ME3 stock slim-line de-bloated ROMS.
Look HERE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 ^^
If you dont wanna loose ALL the samsung/touchwiz features then above is a good option.
If you like stock rom, BUT find its usually just a little to slow/bloated
And also like the ability to flash custom kernel/recovery then the rom's in the link posted above are really nice.
You could do all the things to the your base rom to make it the same as the ones in above posted link, but the 1 file flash via odin is so convenient for most.

mmywro save
Swanseatom said:
+1 ^^
If you dont wanna loose ALL the samsung/touchwiz features then above is a good option.
If you like stock rom, BUT find its usually just a little to slow/bloated
And also like the ability to flash custom kernel/recovery then the rom's in the link posted above are really nice.
You could do all the things to the your base rom to make it the same as the ones in above posted link, but the 1 file flash via odin is so convenient for most.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, thanks for your reply.
I kept reading about custom kernels etc but I'm not really sure what it does & which one is the better ones or best out there.

malybru said:
Hi,
You have a choice of ME2 or ME3 stock slim-line de-bloated ROMS.
Look HERE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's the difference between ME2/3? Region difference?

PleaseClickHere said:
What's the difference between ME2/3? Region difference?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
ME3 is the latest version.
Sent telepathically from my S4

help me root/rom

I have broken my htc one I got from my brother so I am back to using the sgs4 I have, never planed to use the htc one for so long it just happens that way because of the speakers I used it to play music at work anyways I am going to use the sgs4 and root/rom it
I have rooted/romed in the past with my sgs1 using cm9 and used odin so I understand most thigns
not sure what info is useless here since I have been out of this for a while now, I actually posted about this same topic a while ago but then I got a htc one and with my ADD I forgot about this
Code:
Android 4.3
Software L720VPUEMK2
Hardware: L720.08
Baseband L720VPUEMK2
Kernel 3.4.0-1927016 [email protected]#1 Sat Nov 16 11:05:09 KST 2013
Build JSS15J.L720VPUEMK2
SELinux Status: Enforcing SEPF_SPH-L720_4.3_0012
I assume I have to root first and then go from there - or can I just odin and have everything I need? I hate using odin so I want to use that as little as I can
do I have to odin since I have everything updated stock?
basically I am asking what do I have to do now, I have been reading for a few hours now and I have been out of this scene for a while now and its hard to get the answers by reading everything since there is lots of stuff not related to what I want and people have been doing this for a while and the phone has been out for a while now so its hard not being in this from the beginning
thanks for your help

leftkidney said:
I have broken my htc one I got from my brother so I am back to using the sgs4 I have, never planed to use the htc one for so long it just happens that way because of the speakers I used it to play music at work anyways I am going to use the sgs4 and root/rom it
I have rooted/romed in the past with my sgs1 using cm9 and used odin so I understand most thigns
not sure what info is useless here since I have been out of this for a while now, I actually posted about this same topic a while ago but then I got a htc one and with my ADD I forgot about this
Code:
Android 4.3
Software L720VPUEMK2
Hardware: L720.08
Baseband L720VPUEMK2
Kernel 3.4.0-1927016 [email protected]#1 Sat Nov 16 11:05:09 KST 2013
Build JSS15J.L720VPUEMK2
SELinux Status: Enforcing SEPF_SPH-L720_4.3_0012
I assume I have to root first and then go from there - or can I just odin and have everything I need? I hate using odin so I want to use that as little as I can
do I have to odin since I have everything updated stock?
basically I am asking what do I have to do now, I have been reading for a few hours now and I have been out of this scene for a while now and its hard to get the answers by reading everything since there is lots of stuff not related to what I want and people have been doing this for a while and the phone has been out for a while now so its hard not being in this from the beginning
thanks for your help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Start here.... http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2291827

Safe Root works great for our phone. Here is the link: http://www.droidviews.com/root-verizon-galaxy-s4-sch-i545-on-android-4-3-vruemk2/ . I know, it takes you off of xda, but you can root your phone with out using odin. It is quick and easy. You can then install a twrp through goo manager. No need to use odin for that. Good luck.

I used CF Auto root. Its awesome.
Then I used ROM manager from the market to flash in CWM.
In my reading I saw most.the recoveries being used were Philz and TWRP.
So after I let ROM manager flash CWM I DL.the latest Philz zip and flashed it from recovery.
Made many a nandroid and jump from TW to AOSP every day. *****The one thing you need to know is....have SE Linux checked under misc nandroid settings****otherwise it's no fun.
If you say "Please" be sure to "Hit Thanks!!!"

btoddweber said:
I used CF Auto root. Its awesome.
Then I used ROM manager from the market to flash in CWM.
In my reading I saw most.the recoveries being used were Philz and TWRP.
So after I let ROM manager flash CWM I DL.the latest Philz zip and flashed it from recovery.
Made many a nandroid and jump from TW to AOSP every day. *****The one thing you need to know is....have SE Linux checked under misc nandroid settings****otherwise it's no fun.
If you say "Please" be sure to "Hit Thanks!!!"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so I have used cf auto root and installed cwm the rommanager that worked pretty well
I will assume that installing roms is the same as before after this
I am glad to see that things have been simplified here I will post back if I have problems again
I am wondering what is the best rom for me, I dont really care much if I have the touchwiz I used midnightrom and CM9 on my sgs1 epic before and loved it the lack of touchwiz wasnt a problem for me - I dont like any of the samsung apps at all and never want to use the sprint apps, I would not like it if the widgets go away I use those for my btc prices and my mining rig hashrate
I could use a stock rom for this phone if all the crappy sprint apps have been removed
like I said I have been out of this game for a while and at the time CM9 was just about the best rom out so I used that, all the others were good just didnt have as many features

leftkidney said:
I am wondering what is the best rom for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everyone has their own preferences, so you just need to look at what's available. The great thing about Android is that there are so many options, but that creates a fair amount of work too. With root you can delete whatever app you want, so bloatware isn't much of an issue. To see what apps are safe to remove, most ROM developers post what they remove. You can also freeze the apps using things like Titanium Backup, so that you can easily restore them if you decide you want something back.

nobody291 said:
Everyone has their own preferences, so you just need to look at what's available. The great thing about Android is that there are so many options, but that creates a fair amount of work too. With root you can delete whatever app you want, so bloatware isn't much of an issue. To see what apps are safe to remove, most ROM developers post what they remove. You can also freeze the apps using things like Titanium Backup, so that you can easily restore them if you decide you want something back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea I know there are lots of roms, what are some of the most stable roms out - I can see that the cyanogenmod is only nightly builds nothing stable is that a problem, I havent seen CM in this forums on the first few pages so is it not one of the better ones anymore?
what are a few of the most stable roms that have most of the features that would be needed - nothing that has strange glitches like in the past there were problems with GPS working and a few other things

leftkidney said:
yea I know there are lots of roms, what are some of the most stable roms out - I can see that the cyanogenmod is only nightly builds nothing stable is that a problem, I havent seen CM in this forums on the first few pages so is it not one of the better ones anymore?
what are a few of the most stable roms that have most of the features that would be needed - nothing that has strange glitches like in the past there were problems with GPS working and a few other things
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you are asking for is HERE in these forums. PLEASE do your own searching and research for these answers This particular question "..Best ROM" is one of the biggest no no's across all XDA.
Search, READ, experiment and you will find what suites you.
Good luck.

I am going to skirt the "best rom" issue and just drop a list of what has been good for me... If you try all of these you'll certainly find one that works for you. I have intentionally mixed up the order here to avoid hurting anyone's feelings.. LOL
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2521870
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2588745
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2512983
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2312063
Take a weekend and try them all. Make backups of each as you go through them and your all set!

leaderbuilder said:
What you are asking for is HERE in these forums. PLEASE do your own searching and research for these answers This particular question "..Best ROM" is one of the biggest no no's across all XDA.
Search, READ, experiment and you will find what suites you.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you are absolutely right I dont know why I even asked that "best rom" it was stupid I admit it I feel stupid about that one I dont want to say I mistyped but I wasnt thinking I totally understand the reason why its a bad question to ask and why there isnt a real answer so I am sorry and I do know its one of those things you dont ask I have read that in the past but I forgot or something
what I ment to say was mainly what roms are the most complete in the sense that they have all the things working that should be like gps/wifi/4g/lte things like that, in the past a few roms were missing things like that
are there any that certain apps wont work for? I use and rely on "no led" app I just love the way it shows the colored icons on screen

leftkidney said:
what I ment to say was mainly what roms are the most complete in the sense that they have all the things working
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The big split in ROMs is between touchwiz and AOSP. Touchwiz is Samsung's layer on top of the core Android Google produces. Some features like multi-window, the standard Samsung keyboard, air gesture, etc. rely on touchwiz to work. I'm sure you can find a complete list of what relies on touchwiz to see if any of it is important to you. I think most ROMs will have all radios working, but like others have said, just make sure to have backups of your current setup to go back to and experiment, and since you already have the MK2 modem, make sure whatever ROM you choose is compatible with MK2. It doesn't take all that long to flash different ROMs and see what you think.
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but custom ROMs just take existing modules and combine them to save you work. But, you can start with the stock rooted ROM and build your own experience from there too. Check out the hotspot mod, custom kernels, Xposed modules, various themes, and build something that works for you.

nobody291 said:
The big split in ROMs is between touchwiz and AOSP. Touchwiz is Samsung's layer on top of the core Android Google produces. Some features like multi-window, the standard Samsung keyboard, air gesture, etc. rely on touchwiz to work. I'm sure you can find a complete list of what relies on touchwiz to see if any of it is important to you. I think most ROMs will have all radios working, but like others have said, just make sure to have backups of your current setup to go back to and experiment, and since you already have the MK2 modem, make sure whatever ROM you choose is compatible with MK2. It doesn't take all that long to flash different ROMs and see what you think.
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but custom ROMs just take existing modules and combine them to save you work. But, you can start with the stock rooted ROM and build your own experience from there too. Check out the hotspot mod, custom kernels, Xposed modules, various themes, and build something that works for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so yea I dont really like the touchwiz interface I liked using the stock android theme my last phone had using CM9 so touchwiz isnt really needed
I do need to be able to use widgets though like the ones for apps that show me the prices of gold/silver my bitcoins/litecoins and the mining speed from my miners using the api I have - dont some of the widgets need touchwiz to work, not the touchwiz widgets but the ones that apps create
I have installed roms before so I know its not hard but once you get into this things can get out of control and after a while you find your self having to use odin and then things get scary cuz lets face it who really likes using odin unless something has changed from last year odin is just about the only thing that could really brick your phone if something goes wrong
thanks for your help I will give it a go and hope nothing bad happens

If you don't like touchwiz, but want the full functionality of you phone features. Why not use a different launcher? There are a lot to choose from.

leftkidney said:
dont some of the widgets need touchwiz to work
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my experience, there are Samsung widgets that not only require touchwiz, but also require Samsung's launcher. I use several widgets designed for multiple Android devices, and I don't think they care about touchwiz.

cruise350 said:
If you don't like touchwiz, but want the full functionality of you phone features. Why not use a different launcher? There are a lot to choose from.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you mean just install a different launcher?
I dont want any of the sprint crap on the phone either no need for sprint news and all that crap
wouldnt just installing a different launcher just be a skin you cant remove touchwiz from what I remember so I need a rom that doesent have touchwiz in it

leftkidney said:
you mean just install a different launcher?
I dont want any of the sprint crap on the phone either no need for sprint news and all that crap
wouldnt just installing a different launcher just be a skin you cant remove touchwiz from what I remember so I need a rom that doesent have touchwiz in it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you had stressed earlier that you wanted all things working. If you want any of the S features to work on your phone than you need to keep touchwiz as your base rom. Installing a different launcher can give you that. If you like the look of AOSP, there is a new google now launcher that can provide more of an AOSP look. You can remove a lot of the bloat and sprint stuff fairly easily with TiBu or a root file explorer. Just be cautious, removing some of the Sprint stuff will screw up your phone and cause the ability to update PRL or Profile to fail.

cruise350 said:
Yes, you had stressed earlier that you wanted all things working. If you want any of the S features to work on your phone than you need to keep touchwiz as your base rom. Installing a different launcher can give you that. If you like the look of AOSP, there is a new google now launcher that can provide more of an AOSP look. You can remove a lot of the bloat and sprint stuff fairly easily with TiBu or a root file explorer. Just be cautious, removing some of the Sprint stuff will screw up your phone and cause the ability to update PRL or Profile to fail.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea wanted all things working but I guess after looking at it I dont use much of the "S" features if at all so I will just have to try some out and see whats up
one thing I was wondering about is the "gapps" in the past I had to make sure it was the exact right one for the exact rom I was using but now I dont see much about saying a specific version of gapps for the roms rather just to install gapps and get the latest one - so the gapps that would be for the sprint phone should work for the roms?
I do however like the feature where you wave your hand over the screen when its off and it lights up to show you the time and info, it would suck if that went away but I can deal with it

I would like to know if there are any problems with using the samsung tec tiles, those NFC sticker tags with other roms that wouldnt have any touchwiz stuff
I assume that they are just NFC so they should work but I want to be sure

I havent installed a rom yet been busy - but I did get root
I noticed I have an OTA update waiting, I assume its 4.4 so if I update will I have problems rooting or remove root and make installing roms hard?

[Q] Some Note 3 SM-N9005 Help Needed!!!!

Hey Guys and Gals,
I recently got a note 3 and I did root it and install a custom rom on it. The custom rom I have installed is Omega Rom. I heard that you install a custom rom because you can customize it much more than the stock rom but how do I customize it?
Also I am open to suggestions to install other roms which can be customized easily and I do not lose the S-Pen Features.
Also since I have rooted my phone which are the apps that are recommended that need to be installed?
Cheers

danube100 said:
Hey Guys and Gals,
I recently got a note 3 and I did root it and install a custom rom on it. The custom rom I have installed is Omega Rom. I heard that you install a custom rom because you can customize it much more than the stock rom but how do I customize it?
Also I am open to suggestions to install other roms which can be customized easily and I do not lose the S-Pen Features.
Also since I have rooted my phone which are the apps that are recommended that need to be installed?
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look for the Omega files app in the app drawer for installing mods. You will not loose S-Pen options with Samsung based custom roms.

gee2012 said:
Look for the Omega files app in the app drawer for installing mods.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey,
Thanks for replying mate but I am a noob, so a little bit more of explanation would help.
Cheers

danube100 said:
Hey,
Thanks for replying mate but I am a noob, so a little bit more of explanation would help.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read the OP of Omega rom and read in that thread what other users do and don`t do. Also check out Omega files as the mods are explained there and what they do and look lke. Want to help you but i`am not going to do the work for you

gee2012 said:
Read the OP of Omega rom and read in that thread what other users do and don`t do. Also check out Omega files as the mods are explained there and what they do and look lke. Want to help you but i`am not going to do the work for you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks . I agree that you cannot do my work. Are you also using Omega Rom? The Omega Rom thread is way too big to read.

danube100 said:
thanks . I agree that you cannot do my work. Are you also using Omega Rom? The Omega Rom thread is way too big to read.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Start by going into the Omega files app and look and try some of the usefull mods posted there. Also look in the Apps and Themes section, many mods available there also. No, i`am still on stock myself, but now and then i flash a rom to try out

gee2012 said:
Start by going into the Omega files app and look and try some of the usefull mods posted there. Also look in the Apps and Themes section, many mods available there also. No, i`am still on stock myself, but now and then i flash a rom to try out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow...So as per you which rom is the best? I will surely check out Omega Files app and apps and themes section.....
Apart from the rom, since I have rooted my phone, which applications will you recommend as a must have on note 3?
Cheers

danube100 said:
Wow...So as per you which rom is the best? I will surely check out Omega Files app and apps and themes section.....
Apart from the rom, since I have rooted my phone, which applications will you recommend as a must have on note 3?
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personaly liked JackyAway rom and Lean Kernel, usefull apps are Titianium Backup, root explorer, Mobile Odin Pro, Triangle Away, superSU Pro, Helium. But there are many good roms and kerels, just try some cause its all a matter of preference.

In my opinion I would just read the first page of each rom and take a look at what the dev has done. Read fixes and make sure everything runs as it should. Sometimes they will post screen shots of what the user interface looks like and what tweaks they offer. YouTube each rom if you don't want to read everything. Many will explain the pros and cons of that particular rom. Hope that helps.
Sent from my SM-N900P using xda app-developers app

gee2012 said:
I personaly liked JackyAway rom and Lean Kernel, usefull apps are Titianium Backup, root explorer, Mobile Odin Pro, Triangle Away, superSU Pro, Helium. But there are many good roms and kerels, just try some cause its all a matter of preference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow JackyAway is quite good. I think I will install that Rom. I will get those apps as well. Thanks mate

danube100 said:
Wow JackyAway is quite good. I think I will install that Rom. I will get those apps as well. Thanks mate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck and enjoy and make a nandroid backup in recovery before you start flashing and backup your EFS Folder http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2447342

mikemq2003 said:
In my opinion I would just read the first page of each rom and take a look at what the dev has done. Read fixes and make sure everything runs as it should. Sometimes they will post screen shots of what the user interface looks like and what tweaks they offer. YouTube each rom if you don't want to read everything. Many will explain the pros and cons of that particular rom. Hope that helps.
Sent from my SM-N900P using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey
Thanks for the reply. I did a lot of youtube research but all they show is how to install the rom and may be the initial setup of a rom but what I need is customization as that is one of the reasons to root my android and also would like to see customizations of other users as well
Cheers

gee2012 said:
Good luck and enjoy and make a nandroid backup in recovery before you start flashing and backup your EFS Folder http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2447342
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool thanks mate..Surely will do
I will also get back to you after I have installed the Jackyaway rom as it is on download for me at the moment.
Cheers

gee2012 said:
Good luck and enjoy and make a nandroid backup in recovery before you start flashing and backup your EFS Folder http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2447342
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey,
I did install the jackaway rom and it is good but I reverted back to stock.
Thanks for the help mate.
Cheers

Have developers dropped the simplistic rom route?

Hello
Well, I had to drop the constant flashing rom addiction because of some trouble that took all my time, but I'm back at it at least for some days and I'm looking for the newest UI/UX but I like it stock or very close to it so I can try change where I like. I've installed Aryamod, DarkLord and Darkwolf and I've found too much "bloat" that I'd prefer to have the option to not install. Is there any developer opting for a more stock route that I should follow his work?

For me, I prefer to root a stock ROM and use titanium backup to remove apps and bloatware.

Pick your rom and delete what you don't want out of the zip then flash it .

JJEgan said:
Pick your rom and delete what you don't want out of the zip then flash it .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I can try and do that, but won't that cause problems then on settings and stuff since some options have dedicated place in settings? Also, there is stuff I can't relate due to the name the apk has compared to the service it provides.

Lollipop ROM near the original one, but not lagging?

Sooo.... Has anyone made a tweaked version of official S4 Lollipop ROM? I mean ROM that doesnt lag and hang all the time? I actually like the latest original software, but it just lags too much...

Check out these ROM https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3397330 or DeHAWKs Thread

GTI-9300 said:
Check out these ROM https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3397330 or DeHAWKs Thread
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK! Thanks, let's try this one.

Well. Too much UI modifications made to this one. Shame.

That is the point of custom rom. You can get or buy Package disabler Pro and use it on official rom to disable arround 150 applications in fresh official rom. If you really want fast rom. You need custom rom and you need get rid of the google apps, google background service cause 90% of lag. There are custom apks that work without google apps and market, like moded youtube etc. I was running almost a year without gapps. 1% battery los over night, etc.

Sigh. I was talking about ui customisation, not apps. I know how these things work. I was asking, is there stripped and not hanging version of original ROM. Apparently not.

tardolus said:
Sigh. I was talking about ui customisation, not apps. I know how these things work. I was asking, is there stripped and not hanging version of original ROM. Apparently not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At dehawks roms there is no ui modification

The official rom shouldn't be lagging, you probably need a new phone. Or you can get a new motherboard for $40 and replace it yourself. Does it lag even after factory resetting?