Database Users

[Q] What Happened to this phone?

Let's be honest to ourselves here guys, out beloved Moto X Style was officially released in September which means this phone has now been out for at least 3 months and while all the effort that has since been put in this devices by key developers and people from day 1 up till now is very much appreciated and will continue to be appreciated, the development of this device compared to most flagships has been slow motion.
I am just trying to understand what the hell went wrong with this phone that made it end up with such super slow motion development, as when I originally bought the device I was thinking this phone would be at least in the top 20 most active phones on XDA development wise.
It had so much going for it, easy root, easy unlockable bootloader, a pretty much almost complete stock version of android, kernel sources released and motorolas good track record of updating their flagship phones in a timely manner and good hardware to accompany the great bloatware free stock software and a cheap price compared to some other flagships from other companies such as Samsung and Sony
With all this in mind I thought developers would flock to this device and we would have a massive development forum with loads of options between custom roms, mods, themes and other tweaks etc
But this is far from the case and I know the Nexus 6P being released probably had something to do with it, Still this should have been at least in top 20
At first I thought when Android 6.0 MM will be released development will increase then we needed the kernel sources as that was apparently not enough, then we had kernel sources but apart from 1 or 2 roms showing up being in alpha stages nothings changed too much.
This is such a disappointment to say the least.
If only I could understand why this is happening maybe something could be done to fix this or increase the development of this phone, I dont know maybe get some developers from the nexus 6p forums on here some how ...
Any ideas why this has happened and if anything can be done to increase development?
IS THERE ANY WAY WE AS A COMMUNITY CAN GET MORE DEVELOPERS TO WORK ON THIS DEVICE?

djsynth said:
If only I could understand why this is happening maybe something could be done to fix this or increase the development of this phone, I dont know maybe get some developers from the nexus 6p forums on here some how ...
Any ideas why this has happened and if anything can be done to increase development?
IS THERE ANY WAY WE AS A COMMUNITY CAN GET MORE DEVELOPERS TO WORK ON THIS DEVICE?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it's due to a combination of factors, such as :
1) The popularity of the phone/ manufacturer. These figures show Lenovo/Motorloa in 5th place for sales, having a 3.7% market share in Q3 2015
2) The OS (Android) has improved a lot over recent years, to the extent where a lot of people (like me) are happy to stay with stock
3) With phones getting more expensive, more people are put off from unlocking their bootloader due to warranty issues
4) I'm no longer convinced about the benefits of custom ROMs - seems a lot of the time they break more things than they fix. Maybe a lot of other people now think the same.
5) Some apps, for example ones for mobile banking or subscrition TV & Video, will not work with a rooted phone.
In the past I've had various phones from various manufacturers, and I'd say if you get your kicks from installing custom ROMs, then buy a Nexus.

When i had the one plus one there were so many roms that was a brain storm... I prefer some and reliable roms than a plethora where you get confused!!!

2) The OS (Android) has improved a lot over recent years, to the extent where a lot of people (like me) are happy to stay with stock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4) I'm no longer convinced about the benefits of custom ROMs - seems a lot of the time they break more things than they fix. Maybe a lot of other people now think the same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMO you hit the nail on the head. I love this phone. I had the MXPE 2014 as well, was not a fan. Also owned the original, Loved it.
This MXPE has been great in imo, the lack of development has not been disappointing to me. The stock rom is really pretty good, there are minor tweaks that can be done but most can do these on their own.
I used to be a flash-aholic, but like @GretaLewd has stated...custom roms tend to break things. I'm more in favor of kernel development. But how many different kernels can you have? One way or another they'll be the same.
I also own a Nexus 6P, but my MXPE is my go to device.
I see users complaining about this phone constantly, I really don't think it matters what phone you put in the hands of those users...they would still find fault and complain.
Motorola and Lenovo did good by this device, I just hope they keep up with incrementals for a while.

Isn't the 64bit cpu reason because it takes more work to get cm/aosp roms?
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

Good thread. Would love to hear more thoughts
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

Ordered the device today. Hope slow development doesn't disappoint me on this device, as others have stated...

I have been using this device for 2 months now. I am happy with it an didn't face a single issue. I can do a little bit tweaking myself using Xposed.
So far the slow development doesn't bother me.

Only buy a device for what it can do out of the box, not what you hope it will be able to do with additional modding and development... Nothing else is guaranteed!
As it stands I'm very happy with my rooted stock Style, not need for custom roms.

chrisund123 said:
Only buy a device for what it can do out of the box, not what you hope it will be able to do with additional modding and development... Nothing else is guaranteed!
As it stands I'm very happy with my rooted stock Style, not need for custom roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a good way to approach Android phones I suppose but I believe
it's still nice to buy a phone that's great out of the box and good development wise, usually flagships tend to have good development and then the mid range and low end phones tend to get smaller developments but I guess there's an exception to everything.

patt2k said:
Isn't the 64bit cpu reason because it takes more work to get cm/aosp roms?
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt that's the reason since 64 Bit has been the standard since Lollipop and pretty much all the flagships have a 64bit cpu since the beggining of 2015 but that doesn't stop other development forums from flourishing.

GretaLewd said:
I think it's due to a combination of factors, such as :
1) The popularity of the phone/ manufacturer. These figures show Lenovo/Motorloa in 5th place for sales, having a 3.7% market share in Q3 2015
2) The OS (Android) has improved a lot over recent years, to the extent where a lot of people (like me) are happy to stay with stock
3) With phones getting more expensive, more people are put off from unlocking their bootloader due to warranty issues
4) I'm no longer convinced about the benefits of custom ROMs - seems a lot of the time they break more things than they fix. Maybe a lot of other people now think the same.
5) Some apps, for example ones for mobile banking or subscrition TV & Video, will not work with a rooted phone.
In the past I've had various phones from various manufacturers, and I'd say if you get your kicks from installing custom ROMs, then buy a Nexus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your break down on your thoughts of the subject and I must admit you've mention some very valid points here especially Point 1,2 and 5 but I think out of all of these its Point 1 and 2 that are the most significant, I suppose Motorola have a really small market share explains the lack of adoption between developers when comparing to some of the more prominent manufacturers such as samsung.
and The Android Stock OS has improved significantly within the past couple of years adding some new features that previously people had to root their phones to acomplish such as full app permission controls and backing up app data which google does for you now.

You need to follow development before buying a device these days. i.e. always wait at least 1-2 months. If you follow the development forums you would get an idea if developers are interested in said device or not. I for one, bought it right after I found out that AICP (CM12) rom was being developed. I was interested in running CM13 instead of other AOSP variations. And before I got the device the first (almost daily driver) builds were already uploaded.

Once cm is solid quite a few roms will pop up. Won't be long now.

Official MM has only been out for our phone for a little over a month. give it some time it may pick up. either way it's still an awesome phone out the box... and as stated above, once CM13 is stable im sure we'll see some of the other custom ROMs that are based off it.

GretaLewd said:
2) The OS (Android) has improved a lot over recent years, to the extent where a lot of people (like me) are happy to stay with stock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a great point, but I'd like to add that this is especially applicable to our MXPE. We're really close to stock as it is, so there's little motivation to go ROM to debloat like there is on Samsung, LG, and similar phones. On the flip side, we have a lot of really neat features (active display, approach, accelerator gestures, voice controls) that we would lose if we went ROM.
For me, these two points combine, leaving me with little motivation to ROM my phone, especially since I can could get most of the advantages of CyanogenMod with something like GravityBox, which will allow me to keep the Motorola features (I'm currently unrooted because of the warranty, but I'll be rooted in the future for sure) . Of course, these are my own personal opinions, but I suspect that they reflect at least some of the mindset of this community.

I agree with others, that custom roms are often more trouble than they're worth. The only reason to use them these days is if your device isn't going to be updated to the latest version of Android.

Ever since moto introduced 99% stock android + moto display, roms have been entirely unnecessary for me. I used to rom my phones to gain greater flexibility + customizability. Now that I have stock android + Xposed, I doubt I will ever flash another custom rom again.

I'm still waiting for custom super roms that will make this device best in the market. Why can we have a rom with 1080p display, tweak kernel with better control for heating issue for overall battery life and speed?
Sent from my XT1575 using XDA Free mobile app

The biggest issue is that developers don't support devices they don't own. With the launch of the nexus 6 (not the 6p) most developers got it and had no need to update to a y newer devices.
Also to the comment that all flag ships are 64 bit this is not the case. If you look the most popular devices as far as developers are concerned are non 64 bit.
Also as android matures you will see less and less roms. As it will be come harder. There are very few real development teams. Most are just kitchen sink roms. A base with tons of cherry picks and a new name. Nothing even worth looking at twice. But more developers are closing up the source of their projects because of these types of roms.
To be honest most users have no point in flashing roms. Only those that like the development side of it will continue to mod roms and flash things.

Miui Rom on Mi A1 to have a Mi 5x with Unlocked LTE

Hello,
Many people already asked this question on many other forums, and they have been blamed by everyone because people consider stupid to buy an A1 and ask for a MIUI when you have Mi 5x that's identical and already run MIUI rom.
THOSE PHONES ARE NOT IDENTICAL
In fact, A1 runs LTE (4g) bands that Mi 5X doesn't have. In Italy the majority of the LTE is on Band 20 for example, and this is the reason why A1 is having lot of success like the other phones with a GLOBAL version (Redmi 4x/Redmi Note 4 Global etc).
What we're asking for is not a rom: the rom already exists.
What we're asking for is not a porting: the phone's HW is THE SAME so there's no need to work or fix anything.
We just need a way, a tweak, a solution, a trick, a "something" to avoid the A/B partition problem and flash the xiaomi.eu rom for Mi 5x on A1 to have a FULLY UNLOCKED phone that can use ALL THE LTE BANDS and also all the advantages of the MIUI rom.
Can somebody help us, now that you know that's not only matter of "PLS port MIUI on A1 cuz it's beautiful plz plz plz"

As italian, i'm totally afree with you...i just want the MIUI features and the 20 LTE band.

timeless241285 said:
Hello,
Many people already asked this question on many other forums, and they have been blamed by everyone because people consider stupid to buy an A1 and ask for a MIUI when you have Mi 5x that's identical and already run MIUI rom.
THOSE PHONES ARE NOT IDENTICAL
In fact, A1 runs LTE (4g) bands that Mi 5X doesn't have. In Italy the majority of the LTE is on Band 20 for example, and this is the reason why A1 is having lot of success like the other phones with a GLOBAL version (Redmi 4x/Redmi Note 4 Global etc).
What we're asking for is not a rom: the rom already exists.
What we're asking for is not a porting: the phone's HW is THE SAME so there's no need to work or fix anything.
We just need a way, a tweak, a solution, a trick, a "something" to avoid the A/B partition problem and flash the xiaomi.eu rom for Mi 5x on A1 to have a FULLY UNLOCKED phone that can use ALL THE LTE BANDS and also all the advantages of the MIUI rom.
Can somebody help us, now that you know that's not only matter of "PLS port MIUI on A1 cuz it's beautiful plz plz plz"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But still, why do you need Miui so badly when you have stock Android ? Because of special features like dt2w and so ? That will come here also when custom kernel arrive.

NITRO_100 said:
But still, why do you need Miui so badly when you have stock Android ? Because of special features like dt2w and so ? That will come here also when custom kernel arrive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MIUI has an optimisation than stock Android hasn't. RAM cleaner on the Recent tabs, Security Center, Built-in call recording, sound recorder, dual space (that for dual SIM it's very important) and many others and features..

I guess when kernel source is available developer will be able to port miui regardless of band and any other limitations..

jack_21 said:
MIUI has an optimisation than stock Android hasn't. RAM cleaner on the Recent tabs, Security Center, Built-in call recording, sound recorder, dual space (that for dual SIM it's very important) and many others and features..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Miui has very aggressive optimization that I hated, because many apps had misbehaved, I always turn that off. Ram cleaner is nonsense but you have it in stock android too. The options in security center, call recording, sound recorder can be achieved by 3rd party apps. Dual space is like 2nd account.
Don't get me wrong, I generally like miui but there isn't any option that I miss, and multitasking is way better in stock android, apps doesn't get killed after 10 minutes.

Stop forcing your opinion on others by asking why do we need MIUI when have stock android which is better. It is just basic preference. I like MIUI over stock android and perhaps over any custom rom. It is personal taste.
Do I know that MIUI is not as optimized as stock android? YES.
Do I still want it? YES.

IamSubhodeep said:
Stop forcing your opinion on others by asking why do we need MIUI when have stock android which is better. It is just basic preference. I like MIUI over stock android and perhaps over any custom rom. It is personal taste.
Do I know that MIUI is not as optimized as stock android? YES.
Do I still want it? YES.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stop asking for miui on an Android stock phone. Go for the mi5x instead , i know it lacks the B20 but life is hard.:good:

jlmcr87 said:
Stop asking for miui on an Android stock phone. Go for the mi5x instead , i know it lacks the B20 but life is hard.:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We don't come on the XDA for philosophy classes. :|
I really hope that we'll be able to run MIUI on this device.
I already own a Mi A1.

IamSubhodeep said:
Stop forcing your opinion on others by asking why do we need MIUI when have stock android which is better. It is just basic preference. I like MIUI over stock android and perhaps over any custom rom. It is personal taste.
Do I know that MIUI is not as optimized as stock android? YES.
Do I still want it? YES.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess that was meant for me (next time pls quote me). Well I have my opinion an I feel free to share it, as you share yours which I appreciate.
I still think that there is nothing that miui has that can not be achieved in stock android. It's just the cosmetics that bothers you. You knew that this phone is pure android, you knew that it has 2 partitions and you should have researched if there is miui rom/port available before you purchased it. Or better, you should purchased it when miui rom/port eventually will be available. And there are good phones from Xiaomi (global ones) even cheaper than this with Miui 9.
Btw, I believe someone (maybe you) will port miui after xiaomi release kernel source, but then we would be allready on Oreo.

NITRO_100 said:
I guess that was meant for me (next time pls quote me). Well I have my opinion an I feel free to share it, as you share yours which I appreciate.
I still think that there is nothing that miui has that can not be achieved in stock android. It's just the cosmetics that bothers you. You knew that this phone is pure android, you knew that it has 2 partitions and you should have researched if there is miui rom/port available before you purchased it. Or better, you should purchased it when miui rom/port eventually will be available. And there are good phones from Xiaomi (global ones) even cheaper than this with Miui 9.
Btw, I believe someone (maybe you) will port miui after xiaomi release kernel source, but then we would be allready on Oreo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was not meant for you specifically. I have seen people bashing the MIUI users with the same comment on multiple forums.
And about porting, I know nothing about it. Waiting for you people to do that. I'll be grateful.

NITRO_100 said:
I still think that there is nothing that miui has that can not be achieved in stock android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, then show me how can I achieve built in XiaomiAccount, Mi Cloud/Gallery, Mi App store, Xiaomi Notes, etc...
I don't care about the bells and whistles if these services working good!
And that fine grained permission management would be good, not that simple dull one from stock android.

Upo_hu said:
Ok, then show me how can I achieve built in XiaomiAccount, Mi Cloud/Gallery, Mi App store, Xiaomi Notes, etc...
I don't care about the bells and whistles if these services working good!
And that fine grained permission management would be good, not that simple dull one from stock android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And how is all that different then Google account, drive, photos, play store, keep which all are working great if not better then miui (especially the web versions) ? As I said, there is nothing in miui that can't be replaced. And what do you mean by dull permission management ?
And there are 2 ways of how you can achieve that: wait till xiaomi release kernel source and try to port miui rom, or get a global version (if you are in Europe) of some other Xiaomi device.

timeless241285 said:
Hello,
Many people already asked this question on many other forums, and they have been blamed by everyone because people consider stupid to buy an A1 and ask for a MIUI when you have Mi 5x that's identical and already run MIUI rom.
THOSE PHONES ARE NOT IDENTICAL
In fact, A1 runs LTE (4g) bands that Mi 5X doesn't have. In Italy the majority of the LTE is on Band 20 for example, and this is the reason why A1 is having lot of success like the other phones with a GLOBAL version (Redmi 4x/Redmi Note 4 Global etc).
What we're asking for is not a rom: the rom already exists.
What we're asking for is not a porting: the phone's HW is THE SAME so there's no need to work or fix anything.
We just need a way, a tweak, a solution, a trick, a "something" to avoid the A/B partition problem and flash the xiaomi.eu rom for Mi 5x on A1 to have a FULLY UNLOCKED phone that can use ALL THE LTE BANDS and also all the advantages of the MIUI rom.
Can somebody help us, now that you know that's not only matter of "PLS port MIUI on A1 cuz it's beautiful plz plz plz"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Although I am not sure but I think that using Qualcomm Flash Tools you should be able to install Mi 5X ROM with Mi 5X partition table and get it up and running, but if these devices aren't that similar inside then you can end up with a hard brick. After flashing using QFIL you might have to flash Mi A1 modem for A1 band support...
PS: Don't do this and backup EFS and other critical partitions if you decide to do it anyway

But if we flash (on one of the a/b partition so you can set active the other in case you have make disaster) only the system and boot partition from Mi 5x fastboot official room, it may be enough?
Of course you will have to wipe data...

NITRO_100 said:
And there are 2 ways of how you can achieve that: wait till xiaomi release kernel source and try to port miui rom, or get a global version (if you are in Europe) of some other Xiaomi device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
The reason why I bought this phone is because I didn't want to throw 800e on Pixel, and I wanted a cheap phone with a pure android.This thing is a real successor of the Nexus line.
There are so many global versions of xiaomi devices outhere, that there is no need for this phone if all you want is a miui.But you can always try to port it. That's the beauty of development.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Frankly, I don't know what is wrong for asking. Usually so called real technical people will tell people off if you want this why don't you buy that kind of argument. I see that the one that asks this question has nothing wrong. Everyone of us having such experience when we buy something from the market, we realise that there is a gap in functionality or even down the aesthetic feels, gestures or even some of the commands arrangement that looks stupid....etc, therefore, we asked for something we felt that has done very well, and wish that it could be done in this. If we always have to put up with what is in the box, we don't give the chance for the company to improve, and you ultimately don't help to improve the products.
After reading information from different forums, sometimes I felt sorry for those people who scoffed at people. Maybe you are protecting the brands, or protecting somethings that you feel so much attached to and disregard other people.
May I suggest that if you could not offer a better solutions, or if you think that this is not worth to do it. Just keep quiet and let other people try to answer. Or if you would like to encourage it, such as this example, a simple words like "I like the idea too!" will probably help. Words such as "No way there will be MIUI on Stock Android Phone...etc." If you believe so much about no way, would you willing to bet your neck on your chopping board? With enough incentives, someone will come out with a solution.
Sorry if I sound harsh, but this is how innovation and revolution comes about.

There is nothing wrong with asking. But there is everything wrong with asking the same question every day, in every section and always starting a new topic. You got the answer already, "currently not possible, if you want MIUI, but a device with MIUI". One would expect, that guys wanting MIUI will be satisfied, but no. They'll just create a new topic and ask the same question over and over again. If someone ports MIUI to A1, I'm pretty sure that there will be a proper topic and announcment for that.
Btw. words like "I want it too" can maybe help you to find similarly frustrated people, but that's it. Xiaomi won't read it. Google will not read it. Developers don't care, if they'll do it, it won't be because you want it (donation might be motivating though). Just look at Xposed for Nougat or Oreo topics, hundreds of useless posts like "waiting for an update..".

I would understand negative reactions if this thread would request Xiaomi to replace Android Stock with MIUI on all Mi A1 models for good! But it's addressed to developers on this forum and you'll loose nothing if someone will work on it. Why would you comment against it if you don't like or need MIUI on your phone?... This is beyond my understanding, but sadly the internet is full of this kind of thinking.
Dual app is a feature you can not have it in Stock as fully operational as in MIUI. Some apps (like FB Messenger) will not get push notifications on Stock for cloned apps.
You can use Second Space with one account and you don't have a replacement for this feature for now.
Permission Management is far more complex than even any Xposed module.
China build have Automated Task which again, no module could replace it, as for example: you can schedule to disable just vibrations and nothing else on a specific time of the day.
Notifications synced online.
Calculator with any kind of functions.
Call Recording.
One Hand Mode accessed by swiping from Home button to the left or right. You don't have to loose other functions using different shortcuts. (Double tap is just not efficient).
You have Wallpaper Carousel for your Lockscreen.
You can combine multiple themes to create your best appearance. Stock will never be as beautiful as MIUI can be, but that implies you have some taste for design and art.
All of this are BUILT IN and no root needed or any additional work!
I'm sure I have missed some other details, but when you love MIUI, you just need it, without any explanations. And a lot of Xiaomi phones doesn't have band 20 (800 Mhz) within this price range and specs.
Or maybe you just like to have them both available for your phone with Stock as official. Why's that wrong? ...

Absolutely agree! And additionally, all my data syced to mi cloud, just 1 click to restore. And it is unusable on android one. I too would buy a Mi 5x with B20 or A1 with miui!

Very Less DEVS

If i knew that this phone pixel xl has a very few ROMs and MODs i wouldn't really buy it, i prefer oneplus phones... it's just disappointing

driss.sadok said:
If i knew that this phone pixel xl has a very few ROMs and MODs i wouldn't really buy it, i prefer oneplus phones... it's just disappointing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
7.x seems like it was a real challenge for developers with the a/b partitions etc. Hoping the 8 treble improvements will help that situation out. The Sony theming engine already has helped me via substratum.
Still I'm thinking the stock room hasn't given me any reason to move. In general the deviations from AOSP I like.
But yes, sure isn't a Nexus 5.

I think it's down to the price. I see no reason to buy this to Dev on over any other device Pixel just isn't value for money and nowhere near as popular as some of the other devices out there

People griping about "Very Less DEVS" certainly won't improve the situation. Thread reported to mods. If you want to complain, at least use the right forum.

I'd rather have "very less" stable quality software rather than the trash I see in some of the custom roms.

Android has matured a significant amount since the EZroot days of the Droid 1 days to the point where the OS already comes from factory with the customization that people used custom ROMs for.
That, plus the frequency of monthly updates and the need for the rom developer to keep up with the monthy updates PLUS incorporating new ways to circumvent the safetynet check has made modifying less sought after.
I'm pretty sure the majority of people people that rooted and ran ROMs were for the purpose of increasing functionality and not solely for the purpose of saying "I modified my phone".
Placebo init.d scripts and build.prop days flooded the "developer" community for some time until people caught up with it. If a company could incorporate ways to increase speed and battery life without losing functionality, wouldn't you think they would do it so they can have an edge against their competition?
So I ask, what are you looking for in a custom rom that isn't available right now?

ChongoDroid said:
I'd rather have "very less" stable quality software rather than the trash I see in some of the custom roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have to agree. I am running rooted stock and have all the mods I need with great battery life. I get the need for some people wanting to run custom roms for missing options from the stock rom, but with custom roms also comes with bugs.

Yea when I originally purchased this last year I figured the dev community would be huge. Don't get me wrong I appreciate the awesome ROMs we have just thought it would be a bigger scene. Seeing as how the phone is very expensive and if you want an unlocked bootloader you have to buy it through Google it makes sense (yes some Verizon models could be unlocked before updating). In general I still love the phone and it's by far better than anything I've had before. I don't upgrade phones often because I always wait for very good deals (Pixel for $140 new) so I'll likely have this for years.

ins5736 said:
People griping about "Very Less DEVS" certainly won't improve the situation. Thread reported to mods. If you want to complain, at least use the right forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THANK U but i think this forum is the discussion too, so it's the right place to complain.. i wasn't complaining only for mods, roms too ... i think u get my point

scottjal said:
7.x seems like it was a real challenge for developers with the a/b partitions etc. Hoping the 8 treble improvements will help that situation out. The Sony theming engine already has helped me via substratum.
Still I'm thinking the stock room hasn't given me any reason to move. In general the deviations from AOSP I like.
But yes, sure isn't a Nexus 5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have substratum and i am always on swiftblack, i'm getting bored so can u please link the sony one ? hahahaha i think our phone is only limited in stock system.

richii0207 said:
Android has matured a significant amount since the EZroot days of the Droid 1 days to the point where the OS already comes from factory with the customization that people used custom ROMs for.
That, plus the frequency of monthly updates and the need for the rom developer to keep up with the monthy updates PLUS incorporating new ways to circumvent the safetynet check has made modifying less sought after.
I'm pretty sure the majority of people people that rooted and ran ROMs were for the purpose of increasing functionality and not solely for the purpose of saying "I modified my phone".
Placebo init.d scripts and build.prop days flooded the "developer" community for some time until people caught up with it. If a company could incorporate ways to increase speed and battery life without losing functionality, wouldn't you think they would do it so they can have an edge against their competition?
So I ask, what are you looking for in a custom rom that isn't available right now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well i agree with u, and concerning your question i would say that if we can have a different room rather than the stock i would be happy, i used to have, nexus5, N6, N5x, N6P, 1+1 and 1+3.. i always look for something really different than the stock android, like miui or flyme os.. or at least a rom with plenty of features. i am just get bored to have always the same stock system as there is no other cutom oreo rom. i'm not a professional and i never tried to coock some here but i always change and flash my phone and even my family and friends phones . pixel xl is amazing especially with software updates and google things, even the camera app is the best so far and we recently have this new option of "AR STICKERS"... but i am bored that this phone doesn't really make me work on it.
i hope u get the message

aholeinthewor1d said:
Yea when I originally purchased this last year I figured the dev community would be huge. Don't get me wrong I appreciate the awesome ROMs we have just thought it would be a bigger scene. Seeing as how the phone is very expensive and if you want an unlocked bootloader you have to buy it through Google it makes sense (yes some Verizon models could be unlocked before updating). In general I still love the phone and it's by far better than anything I've had before. I don't upgrade phones often because I always wait for very good deals (Pixel for $140 new) so I'll likely have this for years.
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what u said is exactly what i meant by making this post, and honestly this phone is the best so far, i just expected more devs on it as it's a huge phone especially a google phone.

To the OP,
It's been pretty clear for some time that there aren't many rooms for the Pixel XL: are you sure that you really could not have known this before you got one?
I'm not that bothered that there isn't much development: less is more, there's less necessity than a few years ago and the pace of updates and safetynet make this a more intensive task (as mentioned by others). I have root and only use this for very specific features like adblocking.
I've had 3 OnePlus phones (2, 3 & 5) and each generation of Nexus/Pixel (bar two: GNex and N6... I had the Pixel 2 but returned it as faulty). A number of the roms/mods for 1+ are attempts to replicate Nexus/Pixel features, with the rest fairly pointless shortcuts and 'features' of little value (and often already accessible through an app). Substratum does most all you need for theming, and xposed (apparently almost ready for Oreo as the biggest jump was to Nougat) takes care of much of the other stuff.

driss.sadok said:
well i agree with u, and concerning your question i would say that if we can have a different room rather than the stock i would be happy, i used to have, nexus5, N6, N5x, N6P, 1+1 and 1+3.. i always look for something really different than the stock android, like miui or flyme os.. or at least a rom with plenty of features. i am just get bored to have always the same stock system as there is no other cutom oreo rom. i'm not a professional and i never tried to coock some here but i always change and flash my phone and even my family and friends phones . pixel xl is amazing especially with software updates and google things, even the camera app is the best so far and we recently have this new option of "AR STICKERS"... but i am bored that this phone doesn't really make me work on it.
i hope u get the message
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I think you may have bought the wrong phone if u expected that you were going to need to be replacing the ROM... IMHO, none of the custom ROMs are going to be better optimisized, and its just a fact that none will be utilisizing the latest new android features, being as they are always months behind Google's releases....
custom roms tend to be far better suited for older phones, EOL devices, etc...
you can still get a ton of customizations on the stock ROM, but it comes down to custom kernels, launchers and root apps that can modify the ROM, etc....
I'm curious, what are the compelling features that u need out of rom that u can't get on stock?

driss.sadok said:
THANK U but i think this forum is the discussion too, so it's the right place to complain.. i wasn't complaining only for mods, roms too ... i think u get my point
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The mods must agree with me, not you. Enjoy complaining in the correct forum.

kboya said:
To the OP,
It's been pretty clear for some time that there aren't many rooms for the Pixel XL: are you sure that you really could not have known this before you got one?
I'm not that bothered that there isn't much development: less is more, there's less necessity than a few years ago and the pace of updates and safetynet make this a more intensive task (as mentioned by others). I have root and only use this for very specific features like adblocking.
I've had 3 OnePlus phones (2, 3 & 5) and each generation of Nexus/Pixel (bar two: GNex and N6... I had the Pixel 2 but returned it as faulty). A number of the roms/mods for 1+ are attempts to replicate Nexus/Pixel features, with the rest fairly pointless shortcuts and 'features' of little value (and often already accessible through an app). Substratum does most all you need for theming, and xposed (apparently almost ready for Oreo as the biggest jump was to Nougat) takes care of much of the other stuff.
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Click to collapse
I miss Xposed. So. Freaking. Much.
But not enough to to go back to nougat lol

Last Xposed report was almost ready for Oreo.. a few weeks back

Thank u guys, i know my subject is annoying, but i think i am just addicted to changing all time, and to this forum too lol. but if really Xposed comes to nougat, that would help my sickness

I have had no urge to install a custom ROM or even a kernel since I got the Pixel XL (right after release). Besides my being annoyed by Google putting the search bar on the bottom of the home launcher page and making it non-deletable or even movable, I have been totally happy with bootloader unlocked and rooted stock. My only development frustration is the moving target that the TWRP devs seem to be chasing and the SuperSU transition. I am liking Magisk so far, but I had got used to Chainfire's apps and have a hard time accepting this change LOL.

2nd hand Pixel XL's will swell the user base
liam_davenport said:
I think it's down to the price. I see no reason to buy this to Dev on over any other device Pixel just isn't value for money and nowhere near as popular as some of the other devices out there
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Cheaper 2nd hand XL's will make this phone more popular - I just got mine for £340 and am very pleased with it. (I should be as my previous phone was a Nexus 4 which I loved and nurtured for over 4 years!)
Having said that I'm on 8.1 stock unlocked but not yet rooted.
I'm waiting to see what Project Treble will bring.

Any ideas if anyone is working on LineageOS 16 ROM for REDMI 7a??

If we could get Lineage OS for Redmi 7a and a good working GCAM then this phone for 6400(INR)/90$ is absolute amazing for an average person as daily driver.
As long as you're not a hardcore gamer. This is good enough for You.
Is there any dev working on it?

keenofhiphop said:
Hello,
waiting for my model currently
As to the question about when there will be custom roms - the phone was announced only months ago and we will need to wait until it spreads in usage to someone able to develop and maintain custom roms for it. Or some developer not in possession of the device does it, but these projects - in my experience - often lack quality and support.
However the device is globally available (afaik) and extremely attractive with its low price tag while overall good specs, so it's gotta be only a matter of (imo short) time until the userbase has grown so much that some people will put together something...
And yes, I also like to see some roms on it for data security reasons - surely not the only one .
P.S.: watch this if you want to know why it is so cheap
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Can only repeat.
I strolled through a russian forum a while back, they seemed to have a few things up like TWRP, but no sight of a ROM.
Unfortunately I don't know where the chinese forums are at but may take a look at chinese official mi forum later.

keenofhiphop said:
Can only repeat.
I strolled through a russian forum a while back, they seemed to have a few things up like TWRP, but no sight of a ROM.
Unfortunately I don't know where the chinese forums are at but may take a look at chinese official mi forum later.
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Click to collapse
Thank YOU!

why less custom roms

hii learned people
why now a days less ans less custom roms?. say it for samsung etc. look at our one plus no stable custom roms. i have a fear that after some years our xad must be irrelevant which i really dont want. the best place. i am asking from my heart. other than my profession i used to spend more time on xda before. now a days its becoming less. whch makes me very sad.
thank you
regards
dr.mouli

ayurmouli said:
hii learned people
why now a days less ans less custom roms?. say it for samsung etc. look at our one plus no stable custom roms. i have a fear that after some years our xad must be irrelevant which i really dont want. the best place. i am asking from my heart. other than my profession i used to spend more time on xda before. now a days its becoming less. whch makes me very sad.
thank you
regards
dr.mouli
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Click to collapse
We have Resurrection Remix that is stable

There's a few stable OP 8 series Roms. I don't quite understand what you are going on about.

sir
FreshlyBaked 420 said:
There's a few stable OP 8 series Roms. I don't quite understand what you are going on about.
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the amount of custom roms are getting lesser and lesser every day. we dont even have stable twrp of our one plus. rooting is getting difficult day by day. are we heading for ios scenario
thank you

ayurmouli said:
the amount of custom roms are getting lesser and lesser every day. we dont even have stable twrp of our one plus. rooting is getting difficult day by day. are we heading for ios scenario
thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes custom Roms aren't what they used to be. There's still options though. We do have stable TWRP on A10, A11 is going to take time. Not everything happens overnight. Rooting isn't hard either really.

The overall OS have improved a lot...

ayurmouli said:
hii learned people
why now a days less ans less custom roms?. say it for samsung etc. look at our one plus no stable custom roms. i have a fear that after some years our xad must be irrelevant which i really dont want. the best place. i am asking from my heart. other than my profession i used to spend more time on xda before. now a days its becoming less. whch makes me very sad.
thank you
regards
dr.mouli
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Click to collapse
You can thank the dynamic super partition as the culprit behind this.
This is the real underlying cause of very few custom roms. It's also the cost of the device. many people can't afford a thousand bucks.

yes
Burt Squirtz said:
You can thank the dynamic super partition as the culprit behind this.
This is the real underlying cause of very few customer roms. It's also the cost of the device. many people can't afford a thousand bucks.
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exactly the base of android os is open source but slowly we are reaching for the closed eco system. unfortunately

ayurmouli said:
exactly the base of android os is open source but slowly we are reaching for the closed eco system. unfortunately
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Click to collapse
That's right. I'm flashing roms since my galaxy S1. Ive never had a phone without custom rom. But nowadays stock roms starting to be better an better. Even MIUI is a great rom if you debloat it a lot! Today I'm only rooted with a custom kernel. I don't want to miss OEM feature and just want to have a stable rom! And with OxygenOS we have it!

There are ROMs and there is root, we really don't need twrp.
Root is extremely easy, as is unlocking the bootloader.
Personally I'm not a fan of the dual slot system, I think it just confuses the crap out of people, but what can you do.
I'm coming from a Huawei p20 pro. If you think it's bad here, just check out the "development" over there, and they were thriving not so long ago, now it's just as dead as death over there.
(They actually made a development section for the p40 Pro lol why? )
We'll have development for some time yet and will more than likely be root and development for many years to come.
Plus the developers we have here, a lot of them are self taught so why wait for someone else to do it for you?
Make yourself a ROM..
I've done it before (many moons ago) its a great feeling making a ROM you made yourself that boots, of course if it's a non OOS ROM you'll need twrp but that'll come in due course.
I agree in part that development has declined but we should be grateful for what we do have, which is more than a lot of other devices..
I think partly with 1+ it's because the OS is already pretty damn good, plus OnePlus haven't exactly made it impossible for us to mod things..

I also look at another flagship phone that released this year, almost low to none custom ROMs.

Yes thx, I've been on pixels for the last few years & always on a custom rom. I got kona soon as I could and have been loving it. While I have used magisk modules and custom kernel, this is the first time in a really long time that I've stayed on the stock os. The os has came a long way and am thankful to have kona and wouldn't change it for nothing. I've really enjoyed this device so far. Anyway thanks for sharing and just thought I'd share my thoughts.

ps000000 said:
I also look at another flagship phone that released this year, almost low to none custom ROMs.
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Click to collapse
Aye I've done the same, even the pixel seems lacking.
Are we looking at it wrong though? I mean back on the HTC devices I've owned sure I did a tonne of flashing but I usually settled on 1 or 2 ROMs and we do have more than that here, so do we have what we need rather than what we want?
Lol I'm sure we'd all prefer the latter, I would too, but it's something to think about, I mean Paranoid Android is here, sure it's had less updates than an rtx 3090 but it's here

To add to what others are saying... Cooking a ROM is a very time consuming project. Not a lot of people want to spend the time on it anymore. When I first got a smart phone, it was an HTC touch diamond. Windows phone OS. Back then, tons of people were learning to create custom ROMs and mods for them. That has slowly dwindled over time. On Android, ROMs were mostly created to get AOSP ported to most devices. Nowadays, all phones have custom hardware that needs a factory ROM to be useful. AOSP is not very desirable as it is the most basic form of Android with only basic functionality for mostly Pixel phones. Most people are now only concerned with using a debloated stock ROM and rooting for modules etc. This is the norm. I don't think it will change. It is what things have evolved into over time.

Also we can install treble ROMs can't we?
I've talked about this before.
There should be dedicated sections for functional treble ROMs where common issues can be laid bare so they can at least be worked on with specific device owners.
Asking a question about your own device in a treble thread seldom gets an answer.
AFAIK we'd need twrp unless Fastboot can be used? Not sure, have only managed to get one treble ROM to boot back on the p20 pro when I had it unlocked.
Most of it worked if memory serves..I'll give them a whirl next time I Bork my system or i get bored and will make a thread detailing which ones work.

i will never go for huawei
dladz said:
There are ROMs and there is root, we really don't need twrp.
Root is extremely easy, as is unlocking the bootloader.
Personally I'm not a fan of the dual slot system, I think it just confuses the crap out of people, but what can you do.
I'm coming from a Huawei p20 pro. If you think it's bad here, just check out the "development" over there, and they were thriving not so long ago, now it's just as dead as death over there.
(They actually made a development section for the p40 Pro lol why? )
We'll have development for some time yet and will more than likely be root and development for many years to come.
Plus the developers we have here, a lot of them are self taught so why wait for someone else to do it for you?
Make yourself a ROM..
I've done it before (many moons ago) its a great feeling making a ROM you made yourself that boots, of course if it's a non OOS ROM you'll need twrp but that'll come in due course.
I agree in part that development has declined but we should be grateful for what we do have, which is more than a lot of other devices..
I think partly with 1+ it's because the OS is already pretty damn good, plus OnePlus haven't exactly made it impossible for us to mod things..
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never allow us to open boot loader. u cant even root. i sold p30 pro after using it for 3 months. i always come back to android because we can root. other wise iphone is better in all the departments and it has value also. but if android is same as ios i.e closed eco system then who needs it. we do flashing etc because its fun. as a doctor this things makes me feel; good because i do something (rooting etc) which is beyond my profession. which is fun and entertaining

ayurmouli said:
never allow us to open boot loader. u cant even root. i sold p30 pro after using it for 3 months. i always come back to android because we can root. other wise iphone is better in all the departments and it has value also. but if android is same as ios i.e closed eco system then who needs it. we do flashing etc because its fun. as a doctor this things makes me feel; good because i do something (rooting etc) which is beyond my profession. which is fun and entertaining
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Click to collapse
Actually I couldn't disagree more.
Point being the OS even without root is still better, still more open and content is still better.
Think Apple TV Vs Shield TV Pro, I can play Wii, GameCube, Dreamcast, arcade, neogeo, SNES, megadrive, Atari, Amiga, spectrum commodore, Amstrad, pc engine, pc games, Android games, can watch any movie, listen to any music, connect any controller (multiple controllers) wired or wireless, have it as a searchable Nas drive in my network, watch IPTV through it.
Apple TV can be used for apps like Netflix, that is it.
No file manager, no emulators, nothing.
iOS is not better than Android, not even close, maybe the camera and that's due to singular hardware.
Also Huawei/ honor devices DID allow bootloader unlocking, I know this as I unlocked my p20 pro they stopped it in July 2018 and then reopened it briefly in late 2018, nothing since.
Before this time it was always open, they partnered with XDA to promote their devices and then when they gathered ground they pulled the rug out from underneath everyone's feet, Huawei are slime, they deserve to be hit financially.
Anyone who bought a p30 or p40 is either not bothered about rooting or doesn't want the latest and greatest hardware (Mali GPU is horrific, Kirin is a joke)
If anyone does buy Huawei, they're contributing to the problem as they're still giving money to a company who went against everything that Android stands for.
There is literally no point of there being a P40 forum or P30. It's not even Android in my eyes.
The only way that will reverse is if people stop buying from Huawei/honor, if you're not part of the solution you're part of the problem.
Going back to Apple, the only device I like from them is their MacBook Pro simply for it's trackpad as I love the features it offers, but as an OS? No I'm always the phone nor OSX can cut it Vs Windows/Android..
And would you pay £2,500 for the privilege of using their trackpad? No I'd rather buy a top gaming rig.
It'll always be this way, Jesus iOS just got widgets lmfao,, welcome to 2007 Apple, haha.
And you think is better? You must be joking.