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Greetings all
I realize the info I need is probably posted here... somewhere. But, at this point I am beyond confused.
I did the first, 2nd and the 3rd Eris leaks and my info is as follows
[Firmware - 2.1
baseband - 2.42.00.04.12
kernel - 2.6.29-8a03cb9a
htc-kernel and18-2#1
build - 2.36.605.1 cl165907 release-keys
software - 2.36.605.1
browser - 3.1
pri - 2.11_002
prl - 51920
Truthfully, I dont know what any of it means. I don't know if I am able to Root or not or even what I would be getting If I did or if I need to.
I also Don't know which of the dozen or so tutorials, fixes, ROM's etc I should trust, try or attempt or what they mean
What I do know is simple. I want the phone to work when all is said and done. Meaning, I want the GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi etc to all function properly.
What I would like is also simple and that is, to be able to get rid of the 1.2 dozen or so apps that I must constantly kill on this phone ( MP3 store, Voce Dialer, my uploads etc.) and the 20+ I have to kill on reboot. And have my phone run as smooth, fast and trouble free as possible.
The only widget I run is the weather, currently either 9s or weather bug and I also have a widget for Pandora and an app called music player on the home screen, but neither of those should be or need to be running, all syncs, auto updates, message / mail pushing are turned off or set to manual, this phone is a phone first, weather 2nd, and internet & email 3rd. all the other things are just toys to me. I would use the Sense weather widget if I could but I am
using Launcherpro so can only Open the sense weather app manually, not with the perfect 1x2 widget or full screen one. I also use the Sense Calender/ agenda app and would like to continue to do so.
I would also like, as I said, have everything else just work, the google account syncing, the market, all the other stuff that is needed in the background to make the unit function properly.
I Hope somebody out there understands what I am trying to convey to all of you, and I don't come off as being to demanding or inflexible. I am open to anything as long as it will do what I need. I know a lot of people here are Techies and want the latest, greatest, fastest etc. but I just need things to work. If that means staying with what I got, so be it.
My biggest grips with the phone is the crap that runs in the background, that I must kill and constantly restarts, even when the phone is idle. If this can be fixed in Root, I am all for it, if android 2.2 fixes this, ditto. if there is another way that doens't require any of this, I am open to suggestions on that as well.
But, I must stress, I do need this phone to simply work as intended. I am in the minority I am sure but I actually use the "phone" part more then anything else and need it to just work.
Maybe I don't need root! I really don't know. But as it stands now, with leak3 I will get no future updates or fixes unless I have it or something similar, Correct?
Thanks for any simplified help or advice on this
P.S if at all possible, please dont direct me to another link to read. Unless, that will do exactly what I am trying to accomplish and need the phone to do. And, is fairly simple to understand and execute. Not one full of links telling me, you need this, so go here and u will want that so go there etc..
This is realy important with the"ROM" issue, which I realy dont understand at all
Thanks in advance
Kalie
yes you can root it is benificial to most, and follow these instructions to ROOT after reading more into the matter. If you need any personal help still you may PM me tomorrow and i will at least help you find all the necessary resources and knowledge to decide if you should root or not.
Please move to general discussion.
I think the first thing that you really need to understand is that with Android things are going to run in the background, regardless of what you do. Background process run whether stock or rooted. There are no custom ROMs that somehow prevent background processes from running. It took me a long time to come to terms with this concept because I want to feel like everything on my phone is "clean". However, with Android the system is meant to run this way and the OS will stop processes only when needed. When you kill processes via task manager app or whatever you are simply wasting time, slowing down your phone, wasting battery, and maybe causing other "hiccups" in the operation of the system. As much as it feels good to make sure that stuff is not running you are really doing no good by constantly chasing your tail on this issue.
With leak v3 you can receive future updates. If you haven't already, you should be receiving the MR4 OTA update which includes some minor bug fixes.
Obtaining root is going to give you the ability to apply custom ROMs but I am not sure that this will accomplish what you have in mind. Custom ROMs do offer some significant performance enhancements but they will not stop background apps from running and all of them include a good number of the native apps that you want to get rid of (amazon mp3, etc). With root you can remove native apps but it is another required learning process.
Rooting your phone is more than just loading a custom ROM, it is a learning process that requires a lot of reading and understanding of how the operating system works, how to load custom ROMs, and all of the other things that come along with rooting.
I understand that you want to make this as easy as possible but learning is only easy if you are interested in what you are trying to do. I don't want to discourage you from rooting your Eris but I do think that you need to take some time to understand what it is that you are considering doing.
There are a lot of great resources on this site to use to educate yourself on the root process and what rooting really means for you. Good luck
mod, please move this to the general section, not a development topic, thanks.
"With leak v3 you can receive future updates. If you haven't already, you should be receiving the MR4 OTA update which includes some minor bug fixes.
"
Did I read this correctly?
Since I installed Leak 1 and the subsequent leak 2 and leak 3, I have not had any updates from verizon.
At what point in time, if ever, will I get an update from Verizon that does not come from a forum and or somebody claiming they figured it out and it's the same as the official, just "Not Official" since i am on the leaked version of Android 2.1
If I can eventually get 2.2 android, without going thru the Agg. of rooting and the trial and eroor with the many different ROMS, I would love that.
With that said, if there is something proven I can do , to undo what I have done ( Leak 1, 2 and 3) that will allow my phone then to be "Officialy" updated by verizon I would love to know how to do this
Thanks again for the Help
Kalie S
After a bit of work, I finally got my phone working the way I want. I basically tried to get the phone as clean as possible and removed the Motorola bloat.
- Phone no longer reboots itself.. at all.
- 20+ hours of battery is the norm, despite a good amount of use
- Very stable and responsive
Please note: I have the extended battery and use Launcher Pro. Freezing certain apps will stop the Motorola widgets, home screen, and apps from working properly.
1. Flashed the TBH SBF on to phone
2. Formatted SD card
3. Wiped the cache and partition
4. Rooted phone with z4 root
5. Installed Titanium Backup and froze apps
Apps frozen:
3G Mobile Hotspot 2.2.1
Amazon MP3
Backup Assistant 1.0
Backup Assistant 2.2.1
Battery Manager 1.1
City ID 1.0.30
com.motorola.photowidget 2.2.1
Files 2.2.1
Global Unplug 1.0
Help Center 2.2.1
InPocket 2.2.1
MediaShare 1.0.0
Messages 2.2.1
Messaging 2.2.1
News 2.2.1
NFS Shift 1.0
Print to Retail 1.0
Quick Contact 2.2.1
Skype mobile 1.0.0.2
Social Messaging 2.2.1
Social Messaging Service 2.2.1
Social Networking 2.2.1
Social Sharing 2.2.1
Social Status 2.2.1
Sticky Note 2.2.1
Sync Service 1.5.7
Task Manager 1.0
Toggle Widgets 2.2.1
Universal Inbox 2.2.1
Voice Commands
Voicemail 1.1
VZ Navigator
Weather 2.2.1
Yahoo Contacts 2.2.1
I really hate the fact this was all necessary. The original Droid was a great device, because it did not contain any bloatware. I've learned my lesson and will only buy Android devices without it, such as the Nexus series of phones. At least in the meantime, I can use a properly functioning device again.
Thanks a lot for your post mate, it is really helpful.
Were you able to update your phone to the latest version? Did you have any issues updating ?
Thanks.
Even though I haven't had too many problems so far, I went in and froze everything on your list. I have gotten an occasional auto-reboot, so maybe this will help.
Can you explain what this is?
1. Flashed the TBH SBF on to phone
Thanks!
@elmemyself: Yes, the phone updated just fine.
@MrWilliams2: If your phone is rebooting by itself, try switching it back to Global if you currently have it set to CDMA. I never changed it to CDMA since wiping everything and I haven't had a single reboot in almost a week now.
TBH is Team Black Hat.. they are the ones that first released a valid SBF. The SBF is basically an image that will restore your phone back to it's factory settings. All of your current programs and settings will still be intact after you install the SBF because those reside in the cache and partition. You can choose to "wipe" them by booting your phone into Recovery Mode. I went this route to get my phone as clean as possible and so far it's paying off.
To get into Recovery Mode, turn off your phone. Hold 'R' and 'M' keys and turn on the phone. After the '!' comes up, press '@'. Follow the directions on screen.
One last note.. after you format SD card and wipe cache / partition, your phone is essentially factory reset. I highly recommend you turn Wifi on, if it isn't already. After entering my Google account settings, it automatically downloaded my Wifi settings and connected to my router. It then proceeded to download every app I had on my phone previously. If you aren't connected via WiFi, it will take a lot longer for your phone to re-download all those apps.
Good luck!
Thanks for this great information!
I've been holding off rooting my Pro (after using my rooted OG Droid for the past year), but will be rooting soon with the help of the info you've provided...
Sent from my DROID PRO using XDA App
A few questions
MANY thanks eus107709 for your wonderful guide! I'm sure MANY of us appreciate it and will be following it.
I have a few questions:
1) Why do we have to use the SBF at all? Why not just 'factory reset' the phone using the android/menu/settings option?
2) If we use the SBF, I hear we have to re-activate phone with Verizon. Is this true? I'm in the UK and don't have a verizon account (phone is unlocked). Will I be able to bypass activation?
3) How can I clear the micro-sd card of all my settings to start fresh? Will that also wipe any pictures and music I have on it?
4) By using this method, how (or will I) be able to upgrade the OS with future OS upgrades from Motorola and/or Verizon?
5) not directly related - as we know the phone is radio locked to verizon and unable to use with AT&T / T-Mobile in America. Is it possible to get it radio unlocked to use other bands? The reason I ask is: will I get better 'signal' / reception if I do this? I work in Central London often, where signal is top in the country, but often my 'H' radio bar only shows 2 out of 4. I expect it to be 4 being in London, or at the very least 3, but it never goes above 2 really. Could this be related to the 'locked radio'? I've seen this but can't find much info/feedback yet: see twitter and 'droidbandunlock'
Sorry for all the long-winded questions. Thanks in advance eus107709
I'll try to answer to the best of my knowledge, but I'm afraid I'm not qualified to comment on them all.
1) Why do we have to use the SBF at all? Why not just 'factory reset' the phone using the android/menu/settings option?
Many of us have rooted our phones and removed stock applications that we believe hinder the performance of the device. This prevents us from applying the system update provided by Motorola. I think, but am not positive, that "factory resetting" the phone via the menu options merely clears the cache but doesn't restore the removed apps.
2) If we use the SBF, I hear we have to re-activate phone with Verizon. Is this true? I'm in the UK and don't have a verizon account (phone is unlocked). Will I be able to bypass activation?
If you bought your phone in the United States, through Verizon, I'm pretty sure you need to call them to SIM unlock your phone to be used on a different carrier. They are generally willing to comply with your request if you're a customer in good standing or if you've purchased the phone at full retail value. I believe you generally only have to do this once, but maybe someone more experienced at this can confirm.
3) How can I clear the micro-sd card of all my settings to start fresh? Will that also wipe any pictures and music I have on it?
You can clear the micro-SD card by going to Settings -> SD Card -> Unmount SD card (takes a few seconds) -> Format SD Card.
The applications store program data and settings in the SD card which I like to clear when starting fresh. Uninstalled software often leaves residual data that will continue living on unless you manually delete them. It likely will never affect you, but I know this in the back of my mind and it bugs the hell out of me. I also worry about configuration files leftover from previous installations that will affect my newly installed ones (of the same program). The likelyhood of that being a problem is also very small, but ya never know and I like reducing the chances of things going wrong.
4) By using this method, how (or will I) be able to upgrade the OS with future OS upgrades from Motorola and/or Verizon?
Yes. The TBH SBF is a copy of the software on your phone as it was from Motorola. Rooting your phone by this method is not permanent and can be undone. Freezing the apps is also temporary and can be undone by "unfreezing". Bottom line: You aren't making any permanent changes to your phone. The SBF is a safety net, so even if we made drastic changes to our phone, we can install the SBF to start clean again. I'm more than willing to install new ROMs for our phone as they come out, but as of right now it's not an absolute necessity.
5) not directly related - as we know the phone is radio locked to verizon and unable to use with AT&T / T-Mobile in America. Is it possible to get it radio unlocked to use other bands? The reason I ask is: will I get better 'signal' / reception if I do this? I work in Central London often, where signal is top in the country, but often my 'H' radio bar only shows 2 out of 4. I expect it to be 4 being in London, or at the very least 3, but it never goes above 2 really. Could this be related to the 'locked radio'? I've seen this but can't find much info/feedback yet: see twitter and 'droidbandunlock'
I'm fairly certain "unlocking the radio" will not improve your reception in the UK, but I don't really know enough about how they are blocking US carriers.
Hope things are a little bit more clear!
need to z4 root
i need to z4 root
please take a link fo me
Thanks very much for your response my friend!
I appreciate your help on all things regardless of your background and experience.
Activating vs unlocking - phone is factory and/or verizon unlocked and that is permanent. Activating is different from unlocking where we register our phone with verizon. I thought I saw someone say using sbf requires re-activation, and that they were able to bypass it somehow.
I will probably backup my pics and music etc on my PC before formatting the sd card.
Btw, do you notice the battery life increase after freezing all the unnecessary software?
Please also share any other experiences you've had since cleaning up your phone.
Thanks again my friend.
Sent from my DROID PRO using XDA App
You're welcome, I'm glad to help!
Updating the SBF or factory resetting your phone will surely require activation, but that is easily done. Most of the time, your phone will automatically prompt you to activate which is denoted by a "ACTIVATE NOW" button. Otherwise, just dial *228. It usually doesn't take more than 10 seconds and is completely automated.
My battery life was never horrendous, BUT it wasn't consistent. There were times when my battery would seemingly drain leaving me with only 9-10 hours of usage. Please keep in mind that no matter what you remove, battery life will still not be amazing. It's a smartphone after-all, and if you're like me who is constantly making use of it, you're not going to go 2 days without a recharge.
There is a very good chance that if you've never used the Droid 1, Nexus, or G1 you may not consider it "useless software". Personally, I like using Android the way Google designed it. When I switch Android phones, I don't want to be switching between "Blur" (motorola), "Sense" (HTC), and whatever Samsung calls their UI overlay and apps.
Right now, it's the closest I can get the phone to the way Google intended. In terms of functionality, you will not notice anything much different. I highly recommend using either Launcher Pro or ADW Launcher. IMO, both are better than the Motorola home screen launcher and even Google's default.
I hope that in between the time you're tweaking the phone you get to actually enjoy it, because it is still a great experience
nice....curious tho
Thx for the post man. helped me to utilize titanium and decide on some things to freeze. now I have to go back in and choose some things to quit backing up lol. im currently looking up everything you have frozen to actually see what purpose it serves before I freeze it though. a question Im surprised hasn't been asked of ya. I wanted to ask ya about launcher pro though. what are the benefits? is it just more efficient or..? thanks again man
Just want to say thanks again!
And that launcher pro is not only brilliant to use, but also saved me loads of battery life!
It seems that motoblur uses a lot of battery with widgets etc.
With launcher pro my phone's extended battery shows 80% after 7 hours, whereas without it, and 7 hours later otherwise (using phone in same way!) I would have 60 or 70% left.
Highly recommend.
I will also use titanuim. Isnt it better to remove apps rather than freeze them?
Cheers!
Sent from my DROID PRO using XDA App
@budwiser0240
While most people use Titanium Backup for backup, I really only use it for freezing. As for "Backup Assistant", it's something that Motorola concocted and I refuse to use it. Google already automatically backs up what I need.
As for Launcher Pro or ADW, I feel it's runs more smoothly than the Motorola or Google homescreens. There are many things you can configure in LP and ADW, but I won't go into them here.. there's enough threads about them. To keep it simple, just use the default settings for now.
@hanybanoub
The biggest drain on your battery is probably those social networking widgets that come with the phone. The Motorola widgets and programs all seem to be poorly written software. If you want to use social networking widgets, maybe you can use the official ones from the Market.
Freezing the apps allows you to quickly unfreeze them if you need to. Motorola updates often requires those apps be present. Also, if you break the functionality of the phone by freezing/removing them, it's easier to fix. With the SBF available, it's not that big of a deal either way. You can always restore them.
Complete newbie to android
I am a complete newbie to the android system so if I could get some clarification . I've got my phone configured the way I like it with LauncherPro. I have not rooted yet but I am interested in using TitaniumBackup to freeze useless apps, especially cityID. A few questions then:
1. Does freezing all these apps effectively mean getting rid of MotoBlur? I am under the impression that MotoBlur runs in the background and LauncherPro simply runs over it?
2. Can I use z4root version 1.3.0? Will the unroot option work if I need to unroot or will I have to flash the TBH SBF to unroot?
3. Do I need to wipe anything prior to rooting and using Titanium backup or can I just do those two steps if I haven't rooted before?
4. Optional Question What sort of advantage do would a custom ROM give a phone like the Droid Pro versus rooting and freezing useless apps?
Thanks
@LeoBloom
1. MotoBlur runs deep.. you're only getting rid of some of it. Components of the original Android code aren't even included in the software, so you're still running Blur. When you run LauncherPro, the Motorola homescreen will not be running. The phone/contacts module, the gallery, the camera.. it's all Moto. Not all of it is terrible I suppose.. seems like many of the components are built off Android code, just modified (maybe someone can confirm this).
2. You should be able to unroot with 1.3.. never tried, but I do get the unroot button.
3. You don't have to wipe for either of those.
4. It depends on the custom ROM and the objective of the "chef". Some modders aim for Battery Life, some for speed, and some try to bring the phone back to being close to AOSP. Android Operating System Project is the source code that all Android phones are based off of, but unfortunately manufacturers like to deviate away from it by adding their own garbage.
Thanks
Thanks for the replies eus!
I have one more question regarding "nandroid" backups. From what I understand, if I mess something up, I don't have to flash the TBH SBF if I have a nandroid backup. I could instead use it to revert my phone to the way I had it before I started experimenting.
Are there any specific instructions beyond what is listed here:
androidforums DOT com/droid-pro-all-things-root/233471-droid-pro-bootstrap-clockwork-mod.html
(New users restriction, cannot post links)
Does anyone else have experience with this and can add something?
Sometimes I wish I had gotten a Droid X solely because of the number of guides already written for it... :S
Thx for the reply. definitely gonna check out launcher pro soon
eus107709 said:
@budwiser0240
While most people use Titanium Backup for backup, I really only use it for freezing. As for "Backup Assistant", it's something that Motorola concocted and I refuse to use it. Google already automatically backs up what I need.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Backup Assistant is a verizon feature. It's available on all new verizon smartphones and is backed up your verizon account online.
Thanks for the list. I froze almost all the same things as you after installing the latest OTA update. seems to be working great.
I didn't freeze:
Social Messaging 2.2.1
Social Mess Serv 2.2.1
Social Net 2.2.1
Social Share 2.2.1
Social Status 2.2.1
I want to freeze most of these, but I really want to keep the linking between facebook, linkedin and my contacts. Anyone know which ones I can safely remove? I don't care about ANY of the other functionality associated with these. Plan to use the facebook app from marketplace. This app however doesn't link into your motorola contact like it does in ASOP
Unfortunately, the Facebook app will never be able to sync with your contacts because our phone uses Motorola's contact manager instead of the Android Source Code Project one (as you've mentioned). Perhaps you can look into installing the AOSP contact manager on the Droid Pro. I'm not sure if it's possible though, but it might be worth looking into.
I have no intention of ever running the "social" apps ever again, so can't help you there!
Hello to all XDA developers and chefs
Before giving this idea i would like to introduce myself I'm a new programing student interested in the Java programing language, also interested in mobile programing. I've already tried searching for this idea and as far as my research went there has been none like this.
Here it goes
-Everyone know how much of a pain it is for several people to use the skinned versions of android on their phone (blur, sense, other), we all would like to get more stock android from our companies but it seems to become a unreachable dream. now many have said that they must find an workaround for this, yet no idea seems to become a reality....
now my idea consist in having to android packages on every phone from stock one package that will be installed for default and another package that the user may choose to install, the default package will come with a skin while the optional package will contain stock android, now the way to manage this two is via an application from witch the user by running it will decide to have stock rom or skinned.
Now this is the way I think this should work
-User opens the app
-App pops a warning to the user telling him its phone will be fully reseted
-The user accepts the consequences
-The app turns the phone into a recovery mode with a selection for witch package to recover from (for example return a #1 indicating that the user wants skins on his phone will install the package with the skin or a #2 to run a package with no skins at all)
why am I asking help from XDA? because of two things
-I currently don't know that much about programing
-I think XDA would be the best site for the idea to grow and become something significant
what are my plans with this idea? I'm currently writing an open letter to Google and the manufacturers to bring many options to the OS. I thought i would be a great idea not only to deliver this letter but to give the materials they could work on...
do I get anything if I help with developing such an idea?
I currently have no plans on taking credit or any remuneration of any kind from this "project" but I would clearly name those who made this idea possible, now if "bounties" where to come from this then you may earn them...
what are you asking me to do?
-Brainstorming, I would like to see how this idea gets refined.
-Development, when the idea is complete having many attempts to get the idea to work would be great.
-Testing and feedback, help the idea to work on as many devices as possible
-Support, when the protect gets completed i would like everyone to spread the voice. if its a great idea then it should be heard.
Thanks for your Time.
reserved.....
Cyanogen mod is basically stock android with a few mods and tweaks. If doesn't have all of the bloatware that skinned manufacturer roms have so its alot faster and I think stock android looks better than sense, etc.... Its been compiled for a wide range of phones.
K Dotty said:
Cyanogen mod is basically stock android with a few mods and tweaks. If doesn't have all of the bloatware that skinned manufacturer roms have so its alot faster and I think stock android looks better than sense, etc.... Its been compiled for a wide range of phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know about the cynamogen mod have it on my pone,where I'm trying to go with this idea is that there might be other methods for the companies to deliver stuff to the end user and the dev. many know that for example with blur the phone does not work the same when it as blur removed, thats because the 'blur' its being integrated a lot with the OS and in some cases seems to be a pain to remove...
So basically, you have no programming experience and I would hope that English isn't your native language.
Your best bet for now would be to sit back and watch those ahead of you and ask questions as needed.
I think he's suggesting that any code that came about from this would get pushed into stock and hopefully integrated by Google. Manufacturers wouldn't tamper with it; rather, they would make their custom skinned Android (so HTC Sense, or Samsung Touchwiz, or MotoBlur/NinjaBlur) be separate. Phones would require more system space to accommodate for the backups, but it wouldn't have to be astronomical, as only the parts of the system that the skin makers actually modified would be in those recovery partitions. So then the recovery utility launched by the included app would pull all of the packages from whichever partition (recovery_SENSE, for example, or recovery_VANILLA for stock) and push them into /system. So the phone's system would have three total partitions: /system, which would be mounted by the phone during normal boots, /recovery_[whatever_skin], which would hold the manufacturers version of anything they skinned, including apps, frameworks, anything they added, etc, and /recovery_VANILLA, which would only hold the stock versions of anything in the /recovery_[whatever_skin] partition, plus anything the manufacturers took out.
Furthermore, if the partitions are all made big enough, they could future-proof phones. recovery partitions would hold the entire system, skin (or lack of skin) and all, then Google would be made responsible for pushing out the updates to the /recovery_VANILLA partition, keeping all phones up to date. People who ACTUALLY want to sacrifice features for the skin and possible other features could do so. And because everything is backed up to your Google account, there'd be no problems. Everything would get synced at first, but after that you'd be smooth as butter.
I think if this was implemented, and Google told manufacturers they had to do this, it would do a whole lot in the way of moving us away from skins. I think as Google updates are pushed out and manufacturers are updating far less frequently, more and more people will switch to their stock partitions, and, through ad information, manufacturers would realize the skins are wack.
momentarylapseofreason said:
So basically, you have no programming experience and I would hope that English isn't your native language.
Your best bet for now would be to sit back and watch those ahead of you and ask questions as needed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually don't mind if someone takes this and makes something out of it... I don't even want the credit, but I as well will be working and reading as much as I can to get something working, I know this may be hard or complicated but if I see this being implemented and people enjoying it I'll be happy
guitargler said:
I think he's suggesting that any code that came about from this would get pushed into stock and hopefully integrated by Google. Manufacturers wouldn't tamper with it; rather, they would make their custom skinned Android (so HTC Sense, or Samsung Touchwiz, or MotoBlur/NinjaBlur) be separate. Phones would require more system space to accommodate for the backups, but it wouldn't have to be astronomical, as only the parts of the system that the skin makers actually modified would be in those recovery partitions. So then the recovery utility launched by the included app would pull all of the packages from whichever partition (recovery_SENSE, for example, or recovery_VANILLA for stock) and push them into /system. So the phone's system would have three total partitions: /system, which would be mounted by the phone during normal boots, /recovery_[whatever_skin], which would hold the manufacturers version of anything they skinned, including apps, frameworks, anything they added, etc, and /recovery_VANILLA, which would only hold the stock versions of anything in the /recovery_[whatever_skin] partition, plus anything the manufacturers took out.
Furthermore, if the partitions are all made big enough, they could future-proof phones. recovery partitions would hold the entire system, skin (or lack of skin) and all, then Google would be made responsible for pushing out the updates to the /recovery_VANILLA partition, keeping all phones up to date. People who ACTUALLY want to sacrifice features for the skin and possible other features could do so. And because everything is backed up to your Google account, there'd be no problems. Everything would get synced at first, but after that you'd be smooth as butter.
I think if this was implemented, and Google told manufacturers they had to do this, it would do a whole lot in the way of moving us away from skins. I think as Google updates are pushed out and manufacturers are updating far less frequently, more and more people will switch to their stock partitions, and, through ad information, manufacturers would realize the skins are wack.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed thats what I'm thinking... I don't think space should be much of a problem, especially on hight end phones.
When I posted this my fist idea was to give someone an idea I don't mind how you implemented or who you decide to work with (I'll probably just slow you down anyways)
K Dotty said:
Cyanogen mod is basically stock android with a few mods and tweaks. If doesn't have all of the bloatware that skinned manufacturer roms have so its alot faster and I think stock android looks better than sense, etc.... Its been compiled for a wide range of phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Basically stock? AHAHAH
It's all but stock... so many changes, have you ever run a stock Gingerbread or even FroYo recently? Way faster than CM. The truth is that ATM CM is just a candy ROM ATM with large phone models support.
I'd really like to see a stock rom for older devices - here is where CM is proud of. But it's not stock.
As of the application support, you may use my ROM Updater ( http://www.elegosproject.org/android-rom-updater ) to setup repositories of stock ROMs (and in a near future extra downloads like kernels, themes and so on).
I've rooted all my devices since the days of the OG Droid. Up until a year or two ago, root and custom roms were a must have for a lot of useful features, but the dependency on root features has definitely gone down as stock android has advanced.
With the Moto X being mostly stock, and a little harder to root (especially with every OTA) I've been thinking about just going stock and keeping it unrooted when it arrives today.
As of now I use root mainly for just backing up and syncing app data between my phone and tablet (since a lot of apps don't implement google's cloud sync). It appears that Helium works with the Moto X, though that's definitely not as seamless or quick of a process. I also use Greenify but apparently that doesn't need root anymore.
Has anyone else gone down this path? I feel like I might end up missing a lot of things I can't even think of right now.
I just got my MotoMaker yesterday, and I was basically in the same boat. I was initially going to just unlock the bootloader, install TWRP, and install SuperUser, but the Moto site was rejecting my device key. I usually will immediately root a device and install Titanium Backup to install my standard set of apps. I gave up waiting for Moto to update their db and started installing apps without unlocking. Most apps I use don't really store much beyond some basic settings locally, so I just re-downloaded everything I wanted from the Play Store and logged into everything again. The few apps that had locally saved data that I wanted to transfer (games, mostly) I ended up using adb on my computer to backup individually, then used adb to push the apps to the new phone. This worked for most things... some apps don't let you back them up. My biggest concern was Google Authenticator, which I use for a number of websites. For that, I had to cheat. Since my existing phone was already rooted, I used adb to pull the stored secrets database off the phone (which you can't do without root). I found this awesome tool which lets you generate QR codes directly from a Google Authenticator db file, and used that to add the secrets to a freshly installed copy of Authenticator.
In the end, the Moto site finally let me get an unlock code, though I think I've decided to skip that, at least for the time being. Unlocking the device wipes it, and I've got things installed and configured the way I want. I don't see myself wanting to push any non-stock roms to this (I really like the Moto additions). I still want root (mostly for backups, though it does make tweaking the device a bit easier), but I can live without it for now.
detonation said:
I've rooted all my devices since the days of the OG Droid. Up until a year or two ago, root and custom roms were a must have for a lot of useful features, but the dependency on root features has definitely gone down as stock android has advanced.
With the Moto X being mostly stock, and a little harder to root (especially with every OTA) I've been thinking about just going stock and keeping it unrooted when it arrives today.
As of now I use root mainly for just backing up and syncing app data between my phone and tablet (since a lot of apps don't implement google's cloud sync). It appears that Helium works with the Moto X, though that's definitely not as seamless or quick of a process. I also use Greenify but apparently that doesn't need root anymore.
Has anyone else gone down this path? I feel like I might end up missing a lot of things I can't even think of right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am the same as you. Traditionally, I always rooted but for the X I've just felt no need. (I was worried about receiving future updates, mostly).
I wrote a guide on backing up and restoring app data to the Moto X without root.
Helium works well for backing up your old devices, but it seems to have trouble for many on restoring the data. That's where my guide comes in, helping lay out the adb commands to finish up.
I will add, though, that after the Lenovo/Moto X announcement, it seems likely that I will root this in the future in case Lenovo drops the ball with delivering future OS updates.
Thanks, forgot about using adb for backup/restore
First Andoid I haven't felt the need to root, it's just so stable and smooth. The only reason I can imagine rooting it would be to install Adaway. Didn't realize how many ads there are until now :laugh:
I have rooted all my previous phones up until the X. I'm still able to enjoy it without the root access.
Usually rooting was necessary to debloat the phone and tune it to a stock like Android experience. Haven't really needed it with the X obviously.
The only thing that bothers me I guess is I didn't realize some of the apps I use had ads....lol
I just want adblocking again.
I was in the same boat before. Flash flash flash... That's all I ever did. Of course it was due to HTC and Samsung. Then with my n4 I went custom kernel and a few mods. The only thing I truly miss root for is ad block but that I can live with out
Sent from my XT1053 using Tapatalk
This is my fifth android phone and the first I didn't root. Finally saw no need to as like you say android has come along way, especially with being able to disable and hide apps you don't want. I have used Helium for backup, it needs to be connected to a PC for the first use and then every time the phone is rebooted, a little bit of a hassle. I also have used mybackup pro since 2010 and it never needed root but doesn't have the option to back up to box or dropbox only their own cloud storage.
Same thing for me. Decided first phone not needing root. Tethering even works out of the box! (XT 1053 on AT&T).
The only catch I had with helium was that I wasn't able to restore google authenticator data. So I manually used an SQL lite tool to extract the keys and just re-enter in a new install of google authenticator.
I refuse to limit myself so I got a developers edition. Being one if the first in America with 4.4.2 and being able to fix the exchange email issues beforehand etc are reasons I made sure I had root as an option. However this and my Nexus5 are the first phones that don't have Cyanogen Mod and so far I don't see a need or have a desire to run a different OS.
MotoX GSM Developer Edition, Bootloader Unlocked, Rooted, Stock 4.4.2 Great Britain on T-Mobile !
You're a better man than I if you can pull it off
Galaxy S4 was my first bootloader-locked phone, and I couldn't stand it. I'm on Moto X Dev version now.
I got my Moto X (at&t version) a couple weeks ago and like you I've always rooted. This time the experience was great out of the box, I just reinstalled everything fresh. I hate seeing tons of folders on my "sdcard" so now I feel like its clean and there is no legacy garbage brought over from my old phone. The only thing I am missing over my old phone (HTC One X) is being able to tether for free.
Also, the Motorola Migrate app is actually pretty good at bring your pics, texts and call logs over to your Moto X.
compulov said:
found this awesome tool which lets you generate QR codes directly from a Google Authenticator db file, and used that to add the secrets to a freshly installed copy of Authenticator.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you share a link to this? I need this also!
msk said:
I got my Moto X (at&t version) a couple weeks ago and like you I've always rooted. This time the experience was great out of the box, I just reinstalled everything fresh. I hate seeing tons of folders on my "sdcard" so now I feel like its clean and there is no legacy garbage brought over from my old phone. The only thing I am missing over my old phone (HTC One X) is being able to tether for free.
Also, the Motorola Migrate app is actually pretty good at bring your pics, texts and call logs over to your Moto X.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's exactly how I felt... I wanted to start clean. I have all my photos uploaded to Google+ via auto backup and I occasionally import them all into Lightroom on my laptop, so that was a non-issue. As for SMS, I've been using SMS Backup+ for a few years now to automatically backup my SMS and call history to my Gmail account. It also makes it easy to search my SMS history if I'm looking for an old message.
Can you share a link to this? I need this also!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The tool I used can be found here: https://github.com/ikonst/authenticator-import
It's basically an html page and some javascripts that you run locally in your browser (no web server needed). I actually want to run this again and save the QR codes either into Lastpasss or an encrypted file or something, just so I have easy access to them in the future.
I can do lots of things without needing root now thanks to third party apps. There are still essential reasons I need root. Ads blocking and apps permission management mainly and have more to do with security and anti-malware, I purchase my apps so it's not about depriving devs. App Ops will no longer work with Android 4.4.2 without root, I think it's a major mistake by Google. Also Cerberus needs root to exist through factory reset.
But so far I haven't root my Moto X due to warranty, but will eventually. I think the Moto X is very usable without needing root and KitKat with ART performance really help with that.
Just a question about the bootloader on the MotoX. If I unlock it, can I relock it and unlock it later without needing to use the unlock code or run into any trouble?
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I was in the same boat for about a day. I couldn't help myself and had to get the Xposed Framework up and running. I need Gravity Box and Xprivacy.
Sent from my XT1053 using xda app-developers app
overthatscreen said:
I was in the same boat for about a day. I couldn't help myself and had to get the Xposed Framework up and running. I need Gravity Box and Xprivacy.
Sent from my XT1053 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
I am probably going to root but only because I often use tethering. I used to do all the custom roms and such, but those are more of a PITA than they're worth the majority of the time.
deanrobbins said:
I am probably going to root but only because I often use tethering. I used to do all the custom roms and such, but those are more of a PITA than they're worth the majority of the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I rooted because I needed to get that stupid at&t logo off the top of the screen and gravity box was + and greenify.
MOTO X Slapped
Using the Janus vulnerability, you can swap out the classes.dex from apps without tripping the Android security features. This works up until the November patch versions on the KEYone.
You can use this to swap the classes.dex of system apps, e.g. the Updater, and make it do whatever you want (with system rights). Just decompile the Updater APK, make your modifications, compile it back and attach the modified classes.dex to the original APK (downloaded from your device). Then "update" the app via adb / pm.
Any progress?
Actually this sounds not that bad, this would be a "key feature" when buying an Android phone, no root is an absolute no-go for me.
On the other hand I really would like to get hands on a KeyOne, not as "daily driver" (I still love my Q10 and I have a second as backup), but in addition. Why I want to have "root"? Just simply to be able to make full, local backups from the phone and because I want to decide, which software is running or even installed on my device!
BTW: Are there older and current ROMs for the KeyOne to be downloaded somewhere?
Thanks a lot, regards,
thgxda said:
Actually this sounds not that bad, this would be a "key feature" when buying an Android phone, no root is an absolute no-go for me.
On the other hand I really would like to get hands on a KeyOne, not as "daily driver" (I still love my Q10 and I have a second as backup), but in addition. Why I want to have "root"? Just simply to be able to make full, local backups from the phone and because I want to decide, which software is running or even installed on my device!
BTW: Are there older and current ROMs for the KeyOne to be downloaded somewhere?
Thanks a lot, regards,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel the backup pain, however - the difference between data backup (easy) versus full system backup - really is it necessary? Or just a "want to" item? (you have to answer that one for yourself...)
AFA the ROMS list, there is a good write up over on Crackberry about that:
CB-how-upgrade-downgrade-keyone-beginners
NOTE: there are many (!) variants of the KEYone - and so many variants of what's out there. NONE allow root. That goes against the very thought of being "secure" - but heck, your Q10 doesn't really give you root access - all you can do is use the leaked versions of whatever BB10 is floating around. - I was an early user of BB10, and just got my KEYone because my Passport went sideways... so yeah, I get it. I also know that, so far, other than the want to, I haven't seen much need in actually rooting it (unlike the Huawei that I carried for the better part of a year)
YMMV.
Paisley Pirate said:
I feel the backup pain, however - the difference between data backup (easy) versus full system backup - really is it necessary? Or just a "want to" item? (you have to answer that one for yourself...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for me I can say, that mostly the possibility to make real full system backups and to create a backup of every app with Titanium is the most important reason, getting full root access. For me, that is mandatory!
NOTE: there are many (!) variants of the KEYone - and so many variants of what's out there. NONE allow root. That goes against the very thought of being "secure" -
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know, the my hope was, getting a sudo installed, when a bug in Android would make this possible. Anyway I will not get a KEYone, because I do no like the device very much, mostly I do not like the current keyboard, nor the rounded screen.
but heck, your Q10 doesn't really give you root access - all you can do is use the leaked versions of whatever BB10 is floating around.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are absolutely correct, BB10 means no root and mostly no backup of internal data, like SMS or app-data that do not support any backup from within the app.
I do not like this and I don't want this again with my next device. But right now, I didn't found an successor for my Q10. It's currently just the perfect device for me.
Maybe the "KEYtwo" will be a more interesting device, at least the keyboard should be much better, it seems to be similar to one in my Q10. But again, no root access available ...