Hi all, I am new here. I was referred by a friend who knows more about this than I do. I think I understand how to get fastboot and TWRP, so that is taken care of already. Now the problem with my OP2 running OxygenOS latest version, everything stock, is that it freezes up after unlocking, and the whole phone is just terribly throttled at this slow speed for a long time. All inputs are extremely delayed, and touchscreen is nearly unusable after the lag begins. There are so far two temporary fixes I found: 1) reboot phone 2)wait it out/keep unlocking until it doesn't lag. I also have been unable to make a copy of my internal storage via USB, as it gives unspecified error during copying. And lastly, the screen dims on its own sometimes at random while anything related to auto-brightness should be off. Fortunately, I was able to make a hard copy of my internal storage thru some wifi file manager apps. Now my friend pointed out that my phone's issues could be related to a bad kernel. To remedy this, he told me it would be good to flash a new kernel onto my phone. I considered changing roms to CM, but apparently a lot of functionality is lost when doing this. He told me that I could retain Oxygen OS while flashing a new kernel, but I am not sure how to do this. I came across a post in the android dev section regarding hydrogen os, and I read that it performs better than Oxygen OS, but has minor issues of its own. I am interested in flashing this rom/kernel (I am not sure which is which). Here is the link in that section of the forum I found http://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-2/development/rom-h2os-hydrogen-os-ota-clean-stable-t3195636. I see it says that it is working on Indian OP2, and running stock rom and stock kernel. Does this mean that my north american OP2 won't be able to get this rom? Also if it is the stock kernel, does that mean it is the same kernel as the one currently installed on my phone? Anyways, if anyone knows about my phone's problems, or has a way to fix it let me hear it please. Thank you!
Tzheng456 said:
Hi all, I am new here. I was referred by a friend who knows more about this than I do. I think I understand how to get fastboot and TWRP, so that is taken care of already. Now the problem with my OP2 running OxygenOS latest version, everything stock, is that it freezes up after unlocking, and the whole phone is just terribly throttled at this slow speed for a long time. All inputs are extremely delayed, and touchscreen is nearly unusable after the lag begins. There are so far two temporary fixes I found: 1) reboot phone 2)wait it out/keep unlocking until it doesn't lag. I also have been unable to make a copy of my internal storage via USB, as it gives unspecified error during copying. And lastly, the screen dims on its own sometimes at random while anything related to auto-brightness should be off. Fortunately, I was able to make a hard copy of my internal storage thru some wifi file manager apps. Now my friend pointed out that my phone's issues could be related to a bad kernel. To remedy this, he told me it would be good to flash a new kernel onto my phone. I considered changing roms to CM, but apparently a lot of functionality is lost when doing this. He told me that I could retain Oxygen OS while flashing a new kernel, but I am not sure how to do this. I came across a post in the android dev section regarding hydrogen os, and I read that it performs better than Oxygen OS, but has minor issues of its own. I am interested in flashing this rom/kernel (I am not sure which is which). Here is the link in that section of the forum I found http://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-2/development/rom-h2os-hydrogen-os-ota-clean-stable-t3195636. I see it says that it is working on Indian OP2, and running stock rom and stock kernel. Does this mean that my north american OP2 won't be able to get this rom? Also if it is the stock kernel, does that mean it is the same kernel as the one currently installed on my phone? Anyways, if anyone knows about my phone's problems, or has a way to fix it let me hear it please. Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same issue with O2. I changed kernels and the problems persisted. A also word the device and started from scratch through fastboot and the issues persisted. I ended up on hydrogen and I've never looked back. There is a flashable zip in that thread for the newest full version .11. Follow the steps wipe everything besides internal storage, flash the full v11 zip and boot the phone. After this reboot to recovery (power and volume down). Flash the gapps and super su zip if you want root. After this you should be able to add your Google account and be good to go. One thing I did was remove all Chinese apps and the stock launcher. I use trebuchet launcher from cm 12.1. Phone runs incredibly smooth now. I recently started running AK kernel as well. The oxygen version works with hydrogen. I have been averaging between 5 and 7 hours of SOT for battery with up to 8 if I'm just watching videos. Hope this helps. The ROM is a little simpler and the notifications settings are different. But you can set apps to have priority notifications and they function similar to oxygens notifications at that point. Everything is in the thread if you have any questions I'll try to help you.
Hello everyone!
I have a Moto G5 plus which still works quite well as my only phone, but I'm curious to experiment.
Seeing as official support and security updates have ended, I don't think I'm missing out on anything by leaving stock.
I'm looking for recommendations on which ROM to use, as well as any tips or advice you can give.
Top priorities:
Security and stability (as much as possible)
Connectivity (4G LTE, Wifi without any hiccups)
Bluetooth (support for as many audio codecs as possible, especially Aptx)
Camera should be fully functional
I can't think of any other priorities right now, but maybe narrows the field of options a bit.
I have never installed a ROM nor rooted a device, but I am a quick learner.
Also a quick question, is rooting the phone required? And even if it's not required, do I get any benefit from doing so?
Any input will be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance!!
Spektater said:
Hello everyone!
I have a Moto G5 plus which still works quite well as my only phone, but I'm curious to experiment.
Seeing as official support and security updates have ended, I don't think I'm missing out on anything by leaving stock.
I'm looking for recommendations on which ROM to use, as well as any tips or advice you can give.
Top priorities:
Security and stability (as much as possible)
Connectivity (4G LTE, Wifi without any hiccups)
Bluetooth (support for as many audio codecs as possible, especially Aptx)
Camera should be fully functional
I can't think of any other priorities right now, but maybe narrows the field of options a bit.
I have never installed a ROM nor rooted a device, but I am a quick learner.
Also a quick question, is rooting the phone required? And even if it's not required, do I get any benefit from doing so?
Any input will be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello. I can only speak to LineageOS. I have tried others and had bugs that I could not live with. Most new ROMs may have them until they get some exposure and support. Motorola quit supporting the G5 Plus in the early part of 2019, I think. Seems like a lot of support for software in a lot of devices disappears in 2 years or so. GothicIV has been applying android security patches for this year, every month as google releases them.
I have never had any 4G LTE or wireless problems. I use a Verizon virtual mobile carrier.
Can't tell you about Bluetooth codecs, other than I use a plantronics bluetooth set and it works fine.
LineageOS has a built in no frills movie/still camera that works. But if you have google support, you can download the original motorola camera and it works fine. I also use the FV-5 still and FV-5 Cinema camera's out of the play store (paid app) and they work fine.
Rooting is not required, but it allows you to get to the operating system. In Linux (which android is based on) You have ordinary user privileges to install and remove apps. A super user can add/remove/delete files to the OS and change configuration files. When you root a phone, you are being elevated to super user (SU). A bunch of folks and google warn against this, its because they want you to use the system as they provided, like "look - but - dont touch", The concerns are valid, but if you are a linux user, you can make up your own mind. I feel their warnings are over rated, personally. Magisk , a common rooting program will only allow super user to programs you authorize to have super user access.
Basically, you have to unlock the boatloader - and that voids your warranty, but your probably out of that. I think motorola will only allow you to unlock the bootloader if you bought it retail. After unlocking the bootloader, install TWRP a program for backup and restore, which most everybody uses to install ROMs. A lot of ROMs require the memory to be un-encrypted to work, sometimes TWRP can do this, sometimes you need a SU and de-crypter helper program to do this.
Also, I cannot stress this more, after you install TWRP, back up the phone. The Persist and EFS files are individualized files for you phone. Basically radio calibrations and every phone is different.
I wrote a procedure for this, a PDF, its at http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=30022986655137330218 . Its my documentation for future reference if something goes wrong. I have three Moto G5+ and all are on LineageOS.
Hope that helps.
Nivead said:
Hello. I can only speak to LineageOS. I have tried others and had bugs that I could not live with. Most new ROMs may have them until they get some exposure and support. Motorola quit supporting the G5 Plus in the early part of 2019, I think. Seems like a lot of support for software in a lot of devices disappears in 2 years or so. GothicIV has been applying android security patches for this year, every month as google releases them.
I have never had any 4G LTE or wireless problems. I use a Verizon virtual mobile carrier.
Can't tell you about Bluetooth codecs, other than I use a plantronics bluetooth set and it works fine.
LineageOS has a built in no frills movie/still camera that works. But if you have google support, you can download the original motorola camera and it works fine. I also use the FV-5 still and FV-5 Cinema camera's out of the play store (paid app) and they work fine.
Rooting is not required, but it allows you to get to the operating system. In Linux (which android is based on) You have ordinary user privileges to install and remove apps. A super user can add/remove/delete files to the OS and change configuration files. When you root a phone, you are being elevated to super user (SU). A bunch of folks and google warn against this, its because they want you to use the system as they provided, like "look - but - dont touch", The concerns are valid, but if you are a linux user, you can make up your own mind. I feel their warnings are over rated, personally. Magisk , a common rooting program will only allow super user to programs you authorize to have super user access.
Basically, you have to unlock the boatloader - and that voids your warranty, but your probably out of that. I think motorola will only allow you to unlock the bootloader if you bought it retail. After unlocking the bootloader, install TWRP a program for backup and restore, which most everybody uses to install ROMs. A lot of ROMs require the memory to be un-encrypted to work, sometimes TWRP can do this, sometimes you need a SU and de-crypter helper program to do this.
Also, I cannot stress this more, after you install TWRP, back up the phone. The Persist and EFS files are individualized files for you phone. Basically radio calibrations and every phone is different.
I wrote a procedure for this, a PDF, its at *link* . Its my documentation for future reference if something goes wrong. I have three Moto G5+ and all are on LineageOS.
Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello Nivead!
I could not have hoped for a more detailed answer!!
Once I make up my mind, I will most definitely use your guide! The PDF was crystal clear! I thank you deeply for all the effort that you clearly put into helping others
I'm still in doubt due to an important difference; you used a 4gb RAM version, but mine is only 2gb RAM (XT1681)
I've heard that with only 2gb RAM, I should give up on Custom ROMs, and that I won't get better performance than Stock.
I was hoping that a custom rom, with optimizations taken from Android 9, 10 and 11, or even with user designed tweaks, could improve performance, even by a small margin, over the stock Android 8.1.
But I do understand 2gb is VERY low by today's standards, and that most custom roms are designed with double that RAM in mind.
Knowing that my device has only 2gb RAM total, would you still recommend LineageOS in my quest for a slight performance boost, or should I just do a clean install of regular old stock 8.1?
Thank you very much in advance for your time and kindness!
Spektater said:
Hello Nivead!
I could not have hoped for a more detailed answer!!
Once I make up my mind, I will most definitely use your guide! The PDF was crystal clear! I thank you deeply for all the effort that you clearly put into helping others
I'm still in doubt due to an important difference; you used a 4gb RAM version, but mine is only 2gb RAM (XT1681)
I've heard that with only 2gb RAM, I should give up on Custom ROMs, and that I won't get better performance than Stock.
I was hoping that a custom rom, with optimizations taken from Android 9, 10 and 11, or even with user designed tweaks, could improve performance, even by a small margin, over the stock Android 8.1.
But I do understand 2gb is VERY low by today's standards, and that most custom roms are designed with double that RAM in mind.
Knowing that my device has only 2gb RAM total, would you still recommend LineageOS in my quest for a slight performance boost, or should I just do a clean install of regular old stock 8.1?
Thank you very much in advance for your time and kindness!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I wrote the procedure, I was taking a phone back to LineageOS 15.1 . One should be able to substitute any ROM in place of the LineageOS and the procedure should still work. I have used LineageOS 14 (Vache), also LineageOS 16 (Coldhans) and LineageOS 17.1 (thread by Riyan65) and Pixel Experience AOSP (thread by ZjRDroid).
I do not know about the 2/4 GB performance issues/differences. I would research the forum threads on the ROM and see if problems were reported, and if the ROM requires a 4 GB memory. Also, bear in mind that memory works different in android/linux compared to windows.
I do not know if LineageOS would give you a performance boost. You would have to try it and see, I will say, that the google play store and its related apps put a performance drain on android. They are constantly checking in with google when you use the apps, and constantly looking for updates. That means battery is being used by the radio modems in the background. If you do not need playstore access, its a boost. Or you could use the nano gapps to have just play store access without all the other google apps the were installed by default in android 7/8.1.
I would not re-install stock moto 8.1 as a performance issue. I would do a factory erase, it should return the phone back to the state of when the phone was upgraded to stock 8.1. Bear in mind that all data, photos and apps you added will be erased. I would only re-install moto stock 8.1 if I was coming back from a ROM and going to a different ROM. Most ROMs start with stock moto 8.1 and just lay their code on top of it. So parts of the stock firmware gets over written and parts of it remain stock.
If you can afford to purchase a new phone - and do without your G5 plus, because you bricked it - I would try a ROM. If you can not do without your phone, I would leave it alone. I trashed one of my phones and it took me a day to recover it back to stock. That is one of the main reasons I wrote the procedure.
Sorry, I could not help some more...
Nivead said:
When I wrote the procedure, I was taking a phone back to LineageOS 15.1 . One should be able to substitute any ROM in place of the LineageOS and the procedure should still work. I have used LineageOS 14 (Vache), also LineageOS 16 (Coldhans) and LineageOS 17.1 (thread by Riyan65) and Pixel Experience AOSP (thread by ZjRDroid).
I do not know about the 2/4 GB performance issues/differences. I would research the forum threads on the ROM and see if problems were reported, and if the ROM requires a 4 GB memory. Also, bear in mind that memory works different in android/linux compared to windows.
I do not know if LineageOS would give you a performance boost. You would have to try it and see, I will say, that the google play store and its related apps put a performance drain on android. They are constantly checking in with google when you use the apps, and constantly looking for updates. That means battery is being used by the radio modems in the background. If you do not need playstore access, its a boost. Or you could use the nano gapps to have just play store access without all the other google apps the were installed by default in android 7/8.1.
I would not re-install stock moto 8.1 as a performance issue. I would do a factory erase, it should return the phone back to the state of when the phone was upgraded to stock 8.1. Bear in mind that all data, photos and apps you added will be erased. I would only re-install moto stock 8.1 if I was coming back from a ROM and going to a different ROM. Most ROMs start with stock moto 8.1 and just lay their code on top of it. So parts of the stock firmware gets over written and parts of it remain stock.
If you can afford to purchase a new phone - and do without your G5 plus, because you bricked it - I would try a ROM. If you can not do without your phone, I would leave it alone. I trashed one of my phones and it took me a day to recover it back to stock. That is one of the main reasons I wrote the procedure.
Sorry, I could not help some more...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not at all! You have been incredibly helpful and informative!
I could probably afford a new phone if it came to that, but I was hoping to improve the performance of the G5 Plus so that it could get me by for 1 or 2 more years, until 5G becomes more widespread and good cheap 5G phones become available.
Maybe I could try Lineage and see how it goes. I've heard that even if I brick it, it is usually reversible with some effort... how true do you feel this is?
If bricking is irreversible, maybe it is not worth the risk, as the phone still works quite well, and would be a nice gift for a friend when I decide to buy a new one.
And a final question, if I decide to try out a ROM, I can always go back to stock by doing a factory reset right?
Thank you very very much for all your patience!
Spektater said:
Not at all! You have been incredibly helpful and informative!
I could probably afford a new phone if it came to that, but I was hoping to improve the performance of the G5 Plus so that it could get me by for 1 or 2 more years, until 5G becomes more widespread and good cheap 5G phones become available.
Maybe I could try Lineage and see how it goes. I've heard that even if I brick it, it is usually reversible with some effort... how true do you feel this is?
If bricking is irreversible, maybe it is not worth the risk, as the phone still works quite well, and would be a nice gift for a friend when I decide to buy a new one.
And a final question, if I decide to try out a ROM, I can always go back to stock by doing a factory reset right?
Thank you very very much for all your patience!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am also hanging on to my G5+'s as long as I can. 5G implementation has started, but its ways off for full coverage.
I asked about bricking, as it can happen if one does not follow procedures, or have a hardware failure. . Usually when a phone is bricked, its unrecoverable. Sometimes a professional may be able to recover the phone, they do this by opening the phone and making direct connections to the NAND memory. If they are able to communicate with the memory and the hardware is OK, they can reinstall an image of the operating system. If it boots, you have a operating phone. I just wanted to be clear, there is a risk.
If you put a ROM on the phone, its a new operating system. If it has problems, or does not boot, etc - you usually can "fastboot" the original moto 8.1 firmware and the phone should be OK.
If you put a new operating system on the phone and do a factory reset, you are still inside the new operating system - your just wiping it clean. In order to get back to the moto 8.1 stock firmware, you will either have to install backup image via TWRP - which does not always work - or - fastboot the original moto 8.1 firmware, which usually works.
Fastboot is a command in the Android Device Bridge terminal program. ADB is a command line terminal program that runs on your computer and is used to move firmware from the computer to the phone. Fastboot also has some maintenance and housekeeping commands.
My advice, is to read up on all the required tasks, so you know how things react. Also keep a log of what you did, so if something goes wrong, you can attempt to back track to the problem. XDA forums has a lot of info available on all the task required. Also if something goes wrong, you can stop and ask for help on the forum.
Nivead said:
I am also hanging on to my G5+'s as long as I can. 5G implementation has started, but its ways off for full coverage.
I asked about bricking, as it can happen if one does not follow procedures, or have a hardware failure. . Usually when a phone is bricked, its unrecoverable. Sometimes a professional may be able to recover the phone, they do this by opening the phone and making direct connections to the NAND memory. If they are able to communicate with the memory and the hardware is OK, they can reinstall an image of the operating system. If it boots, you have a operating phone. I just wanted to be clear, there is a risk.
If you put a ROM on the phone, its a new operating system. If it has problems, or does not boot, etc - you usually can "fastboot" the original moto 8.1 firmware and the phone should be OK.
If you put a new operating system on the phone and do a factory reset, you are still inside the new operating system - your just wiping it clean. In order to get back to the moto 8.1 stock firmware, you will either have to install backup image via TWRP - which does not always work - or - fastboot the original moto 8.1 firmware, which usually works.
Fastboot is a command in the Android Device Bridge terminal program. ADB is a command line terminal program that runs on your computer and is used to move firmware from the computer to the phone. Fastboot also has some maintenance and housekeeping commands.
My advice, is to read up on all the required tasks, so you know how things react. Also keep a log of what you did, so if something goes wrong, you can attempt to back track to the problem. XDA forums has a lot of info available on all the task required. Also if something goes wrong, you can stop and ask for help on the forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I will definitely keep that in mind.
To say the truth, I'm still on the fence on whether to use a Custom Rom or not, as many people have told me I won't get better performance with any custom than I would with Stock. This appears to be especially true given the low RAM of my device (just 2 GB).
Regardless of what I end up doing, I would like to deeply thank you for all the time and dedication you put into your replies.
If everyone was as willing and helpful as you, the world would be a better place!
I too recommend LineageOS. I'm still running 15.1 (Oreo) on my 2GB G5. @gothicVI has a bunch of versions, with security updates, available here.
Zojak said:
I too recommend LineageOS. I'm still running 15.1 (Oreo) on my 2GB G5. @gothicVI has a bunch of versions, with security updates, available here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, two different opinions both recommending LineageOS definitely sounds appealing. I've heard ArrowOS is quite good as well. So many options!! I was hoping to get a ROM with Android 11 features, but maybe I'm aiming too high, considering its only a 2gb device
I tried PixelExperience and ArrowOS. Mainly to see if I could get gcam's nightsight to work with 2GB. Despite my attempts, with roms and tweaking system memory settings, I couldn't get nightsight working. So I went back to LOS 15.1 for the Xposed support. In 2019 I picked up a Moto G7+ (running LOS 17.1) and haven't touched my G5 much. Just flashing @gothicVI's security updates on it every so often.
Zojak said:
I tried PixelExperience and ArrowOS. Mainly to see if I could get gcam's nightsight to work with 2GB. Despite my attempts, with roms and tweaking system memory settings, I couldn't get nightsight working. So I went back to LOS 15.1 for the Xposed support. In 2019 I picked up a Moto G7+ (running LOS 17.1) and haven't touched my G5 much. Just flashing @gothicVI's security updates on it every so often.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see... I was really hoping to get a working GCam on a 2GB device, but I guess I'll have to give up on that. So you would recommend LOS over ArrowOS or DirtyUnicorns?
I'm sorry if I ask too many questions, there are so many options that a beginner like myself gets confused!
Thank you very much for all your help!
Well I haven't tried DirtyUnicorns. My time with ArrowOS was brief. I'd say try them all and see which you like best.
Google released GCam Go for low end devices. I haven't tried it but maybe it'll run better on our device.
Zojak said:
I tried PixelExperience and ArrowOS. Mainly to see if I could get gcam's nightsight to work with 2GB. Despite my attempts, with roms and tweaking system memory settings, I couldn't get nightsight working. So I went back to LOS 15.1 for the Xposed support. In 2019 I picked up a Moto G7+ (running LOS 17.1) and haven't touched my G5 much. Just flashing @gothicVI's security updates on it every so often.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see. Maybe a GCam Go port could give good results, it would be interesting to see some tests on that on this device.
I'll see which ROMs I end up trying, IF I gather the courage to try custom roms jaja.
Thank you very very much for all your help!
https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/f/changelog1447/
Neat. This version seems to work on my G5. Night mode too in the settings.
Zojak said:
https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/f/changelog1447/
Neat. This version seems to work on my G5. Night mode too in the settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will definitely keep that one in mind. Thank you!
After flashing the unbranded firmware and rooting the phone, I'm not able to use the camera app. Opening it just says "Camera Failed. In the slide down menu, the flashlight icon is turned on even though I'm not actually using the flashlight. and I cant turn it off either. How do I fix this?
I've tried: clearing data & cache of camera app, clearing the cache partition, setting default settings of the camera app, changed camera storage from SD card to internal & vice versa
TommyQuid said:
After flashing the unbranded firmware and rooting the phone, I'm not able to use the camera app. Opening it just says "Camera Failed. In the slide down menu, the flashlight icon is turned on even though I'm not actually using the flashlight. and I cant turn it off either. How do I fix this?
I've tried: clearing data & cache of camera app, clearing the cache partition, setting default settings of the camera app, changed camera storage from SD card to internal & vice versa
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sucks no one responded to your post. I rooted my sons S7 Edge and sometime after it acquired the same issue yours has/has. I had another S7 Edge phone so I ended up rooting that one and giving it to him. I still have his old one with the camera fail issue but I've yet to try to figure out what caused it to happen. I know my response doesn't help with info or duration from OP post to reply, I just wanted to let you know that your post wasn't ignored by everyone. Unfortunately I have nothing substantial to contribute.
kanesglove said:
Sucks no one responded to your post. I rooted my sons S7 Edge and sometime after it acquired the same issue yours has/has. I had another S7 Edge phone so I ended up rooting that one and giving it to him. I still have his old one with the camera fail issue but I've yet to try to figure out what caused it to happen. I know my response doesn't help with info or duration from OP post to reply, I just wanted to let you know that your post wasn't ignored by everyone. Unfortunately I have nothing substantial to contribute.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I ended up putting that phone back to stock then rooting it again and it had the exact same issue yours has. I did a clean root too and the issue is still present. From there I decided to again run it back to stock and this time do a nand erase all and repartition the device. After all was finished I checked the device and I'll be goddamned... it still has the same issue. So if the problem persists after all that reformatting is it safe to say that it's a hardware issue? I'm out of ideas. Sorry I couldn't help you.
kanesglove said:
So I ended up putting that phone back to stock then rooting it again and it had the exact same issue yours has. I did a clean root too and the issue is still present. From there I decided to again run it back to stock and this time do a nand erase all and repartition the device. After all was finished I checked the device and I'll be goddamned... it still has the same issue. So if the problem persists after all that reformatting is it safe to say that it's a hardware issue? I'm out of ideas. Sorry I couldn't help you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you guys offer little information at all so this is why no one helps you. Maybe tell what firmware version you flashed what root version you did etc. There is a big difference between bootloader revB/11 and the others
Holy ****. Did I just get constructive suggestions from jrkruse?! Dude if you told me I could fix my phone by sucking a fart out of a wallaby's ass I'd do it cuz the advice came from you, and if there's one thing I know it's that you know your ****. You're ****in' awesome. I feel so special now. Ok sorry about that...
Well, I'm not too sure about the OP but I can tell you about the phone I have that seems to have the same issue.
My S7 Edge is a SM-G935V on android 7.0 on update 4BQK2. Prior to rooting I put everything to stock then I did a NAND erase and repartition. No issues with any of that.
I rooted my phone from this post
G935V Root Method. No Lag! No Heat!
G935V Root Method. No Lag! No Heat!
I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY OF YOUR ISSUES! ALL I CAN DO IS RECOMMEND A GOOD PSYCHOLOGIST! Hey guys. Stumbled on this by accident. I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHY IT WORKS, BUT IT DOES. THE METHOD HAS BEEN TESTED BY ME AND A FEW OTHER PEOPLE HERE...
forum.xda-developers.com
which directs to your older method for gaining root privileges.
[DISCONTINUED] ROOT Method For Nougat
DISCONTINUED New Thread Found Here This Root Method For S7 Nougat Nougat_S7_Root_2_82_All_Carriers_V2.zip Includes Fingerprint Fix [Latest Verison] Nougat_S7_Root_2_81_All_Carriers_V2.zip Includes Fingerprint Fix Nougat_S7_Root_2_79_All.zip...
forum.xda-developers.com
I also flashed Unzip the Nougat_S7_Root_2_82_All_Carriers_V2.
Then I flashed the BL file in the BL slot from the G935U firmware with odin checking "Phone Bootloader Update". I used the BL file from G935UUES4BRA1 since it's the closest update for the U brand to the firmware this phone is on (G935VVRU4BQK2)
I'm aware that there are newer methods for gaining root access but I chose this method cuz I used it back in 2017-2018, I had read all the posts in the thread, and I knew it worked.
I currently have 3 S7 Edge phones all on the same firmware and build and are all rooted with the same combo method I just explained. The other 2 phones also have xposed installed and they both work well.. expect mine says weird stuff instead of the callers information. I think it only does it if they're a contact but in the notification tab it says an example like this 5556661234;verstat=No-TN-Validation. No clue how to fix that.
The phone that is having the same issue as the OP still had access to the private/secure folder when it was rooted; which I thought was weird cuz mine doesn't and from what I understood private mode gets disabled if the phone's rooted. Maybe it only gets disabled if you install xposed? I don't know. My son had the phone with the issue and it was his first smart phone and he dropped it a few times (with a case) so I was thinking it's an effect from something he downloaded from the play store (he's 20 now but pretty still very ignorant with android). Now I'm not sure if it's a software or hardware issue since the problem persisted after the NAND erase.
Something to note about my sons old phone also is that it has 2 thin pink lines running down one side of the screen (defective/dead pixels) and when the screen turns off it it flashes once before actually turning off. One time over the phone I tried troubleshooting the issue with him and he ended up being able to use his camera immediately after rebooting the phone though once he exited the camera app it wouldn't open again. We were trying a bunch of things, force closing any app I thought would be related to the issue. Not sure what allowed it work when it did, but even now right after a reboot the camera app still crashes.
This was long ago, I've since lost the phone. But, I was on the A bootloader and on OREO rooted using @/billa's method using an ENGboot file. I tried everything possible to get the camera to work including flashing back to stock but nothing helped. I just gave up finally. @kanesglove maybe try safely updating the firmware. Hope it helps