Database Users

New Nexus Player-user! What will I gain by rooting and installing CyanogenMod 12.1?

Hi!
I'm a new Nexus Player-user!
I just picked up mine from the store and have a few questions before I dive into it all.
Mainly, what will I gain by rooting and installing CyanogenMod 12.1 on my Nexus Player? And maybe more importantly, will I lose any functionalities?
Is it OK to update the original firmware (if there is one) before I root and install CM12.1?
And last, is there anything else I should know or think about?
Any answers are helpfull!
Thanks in advance!

Over 60 have read, and no reply? :crying:
I'm just sitting and looking at this thing, itching to give it a try, but I don't dare until someone can answer my questions... Sorry for being such a stupid noob. I'm just scared to screw something up.

I just got mine as well. But i have a several year history of tinkering with android. As efrant taught me long ago with my gnex, read and understand first, tinker later. If you know exactly what you are doing and how youll recover in the event of failure, then you are set. If you just use toolkits and run into issues, most more experienced users will not have the patience to help the impatient. So... Have you booted it up and used the stock software yet? How do you like it? Anytime you change firmware you are gaining and losing. It can change the whole experience. Since you just got it though, one suggestion is to fastboot unlock it now, so you're not concerned with backups and losing data later. There is a guide around here.. Cyanogenmod has been around a while and its definitely worth trying their software. They likely have root in their firmware and you do not need to install it separately. Also, there is no real reason to update your rom if you are just going to swap it with cyanogen anyway.. I primarily use root for elevated privileges and tinkering. Until you know you need it, you can hold back. So onto my experience: I just hooked up my nexus player the other day and found it unbearable. Basic setup and it was unbelievably slow. The reason seemed to be the attempt to update its software in the background. So last night i did it manually, and boy what a difference it made. But it still is a bit of a letdown. My initial goal with it is to get xbmc back up and running for streaming. I have not fully investigated it yet, but i suggest you also look into it as another aftermarket option. See tvaddons.org; you are looking at kodi or tvmc.

I do have the Nexus Player rooted and a custom ROM. So far a bit better use of side loading applications and cloud applications. I like the flexibility.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Free mobile app

Thanks for your reply guys!
I've unlocked bootloader and rooted my NP, but nothing more than that.
I do like the stock rom quite a bit, especially the GUI, but I feel VERY LIMITED with such little storage space.
It's very off-putting that the voice search feature does not work with CM-12.1 yet, since I like it a lot, but not having the possibility of expanding my storage space with a usb stick with the stock rom is a BIG let down.
So it really comes down to what I value the most...
Is CM-12.1 the only custom rom that has a GUI that's very similar to the one on the stock rom?
Is voice search broken on all custom roms out there?
I am more of a iOS-guy, and this is really the first time dipping my toes into tinkering with Android.

give the dev preview of android m a shot. natively you can browse now additional memory. definitely better if you like the leanback experience. all other custom roms are giving more a complete android experience. as said, try the dev preview m. it surprised me a lot. of course there are some bugs in there but it let us hope to come more...

Much like the rest of other guys say. A custom ROM will give you a more "full Android OS" experience. I upgrade to 6.0 (M Preview) and must say the experience is great. I was able to use an OTG cable with multiple outlets to connect a USB keyboard/mouse combo and a 32GB flash drive I had laying around. The experience is great and works wonderfully.

Can this device run full Android apps with the stock firmware or is it limited to TV apps?

Codename_Falcon said:
Can this device run full Android apps with the stock firmware or is it limited to TV apps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course it can. You need to sideload them and use a mouse to have good control within them though.

dannyboyswe said:
Is CM-12.1 the only custom rom that has a GUI that's very similar to the one on the stock rom?
Is voice search broken on all custom roms out there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know this is a little bit late and time has passed but the launcher for CM12.1 depends on what you select, and if you install GAPPs for android TV.
All custom ROMs built from the AOSP base have a broken voice search due to it being a proprietary binary driver with no open source component. Unless someone builds a wrapper or reverses and reimplements the driver this will continue for a long time.

It is great
Just get android 6

Custom Roms For Tab 4 10 Plus?

Hello. I have been looking for custom roms for my Lenovo Tab 4 10 Plus (X704F) for quite a while now and have found nothing so far. Not a single rom or even a mention of one being in development. I really hate the current rom to the point where i have considered selling or giving the tablet away. Am i out of luck or is there still hope for a custom rom?

As an Enthusiest I don't see why we cant get roms as its definitely possible as the device uses stock android we at least have magisk and twrp so its great but it could be better as I'd love to see Oreo or at least Nougat roms I'm almost tempted to learn Android Development just to give the device some love apart from the fact I haven't ever tried or know where to get started.

I hope too in a developer to build a Lineage Rom or something like that. But the Tab (for what i saw) probably is getting an update to Android Oreo...let's see what will happen in the coming months

Sadly, There won't be an update.

I only recently came to the realization that Lenovo had let this tablet go to crap by adding bloatware and failing to update to Oreo or beyond. My son is constantly complaining to me about needing more storage on the tablet. He has an SD card, but only certain things will work on it.
I am looking for any potential solutions to extend the useful life of this tablet that seems very limited by its OS and bloatware, despite having capable hardware.
Is the best that I can hope for to root the tablet and remove a couple of system apps? Is there any hope on the custom ROM front, or is this tablet just not popular enough? I was really shocked to see that there are precisely zero custom ROMs for it. Please tell me that I am missing something.
What has anyone else done to salvage this thing?

I have both Tab 8 3 plus and Tab 4 10 plus (both lte). The Tab 8 already has 3 great custom roms (especially Crdoid!) Both tablets have quite similar hardware (same CPU...). I was wondering whether one or these roms could be modified and ported to the Tab 4...

Samsung, YOU SUCK.

what is wrong with Samsung. every phone or tablet I get from them never gets updated. i have the tab a6 sm-t280
and everytime someone makes a post about this tablet, it gets ignored. i need you people to develop a custom rom for it something!! even android 6.0 would be better. Samsung is literally release a product and forget about it.

Maybe try looking at how much development there is for a device before you buy it.
I always first look here if there is at least development happening before I buy something.
All my devices got from Samsung at least 2 major upgrades and the rest thanks to all the developers here or on other forums

AndroFluffy said:
what is wrong with Samsung. every phone or tablet I get from them never gets updated. i have the tab a6 sm-t280
and everytime someone makes a post about this tablet, it gets ignored. i need you people to develop a custom rom for it something!! even android 6.0 would be better. Samsung is literally release a product and forget about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, the T280 is an OLD tablet and NO maker upgrades one that old. Second of all, there ARE later ROMs made by these NON PAID VOLUNTEERS for the T280. If you are too dumb to find them, that's YOUR PROBLEM, not Samsung's or the people in this forum.

there are no roms. and i am not dumb
there is 1 rom and its based on the stock rom and same android os.

AndroFluffy said:
there is 1 rom and its based on the stock rom and same android os.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see 6 roms on page 1 of the search result alone, and I didn't even check the other pages: https://forum.xda-developers.com/search/forum/5868?query=T280
They might not be NEW roms but then again that tablet isn't new either. As long as the roms still work that doesn't really matter anyway.
You have to remember that ALL rom development is done by unpaid volunteers, none of them owe you anything. If you're not happy with the available roms then why not learn to build one yourself? Or switch to a newer device - but next time check before buying one how active the development is for it.

AndroFluffy said:
there is 1 rom and its based on the stock rom and same android os.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are several ROMs, and if you aren't dumb, why can't you find them?

lewmur said:
There are several ROMs, and if you aren't dumb, why can't you find them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you really need a heavy reading lesson, please, do it, for your own sake, these roms are for sm-t285. not for sm-t280. all the sm-t280 roms are the same os and based on the stock rom.

those roms are for sm-t285. not t-280
double post sorry,

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
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
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.

How many tab 2's still living ????

I just wanted to ask how many tab 2's are still living in this world. It's just out of curiosity because I saw 2-3 people still installing custom ROMs. I have one p3100 running lineage 13. Which rom are you on ??????

P5110 with RR 5.7.4 and no gapps. I'm very satisfied with it.
I tried to install Omni rom and Slim rom, Nougat version, but there were too many lags after a while. Maybe I'll try Andy's roms in their Marshmallow version.

I just resurrected my tablet with TWRP 3.4.0, Lineage 14.1 and Open Gapps due to Youtube problems with the original firmware. Working for about 12 hours, so far so good.

TheUrbanMaven said:
I just resurrected my tablet with TWRP 3.4.0, Lineage 14.1 and Open Gapps due to Youtube problems with the original firmware. Working for about 12 hours, so far so good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I know YouTube problems too it just keeps telling update.

P5100 here still working and in use daily. Ahh, yeah... using android 6 and NO GAPPS.

Daily driving SailfishOS for a break from Android, its fun.

My P3113 is still living, but it is suffering from major battery degradation. It has Lineage OS 13. I'm planning to sell it though.

Alotheone said:
My P3113 is still living, but it is suffering from major battery degradation. It has Lineage OS 13. I'm planning to sell it though.
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Click to collapse
Well, do you think someone will buy it now ??? I mean, people today are more keen on buying better phones and tablets with more ram, more storage, android 11, etc. that's why.

Arc android said:
Well, do you think someone will buy it now ??? I mean, people today are more keen on buying better phones and tablets with more ram, more storage, android 11, etc. that's why.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would most likely be sold to a pawn shop.

I"m reviving my p510 using android andi's rom. Curently omnirom 7.1.2 no gapps. Got black line in the middle, and feels very slow (may be because got use to with much more newer phines). Before android andi's rom, it was lineageos and its much much slower until unusable. I think it's got hardware issue somewhere.

mymyway said:
I"m reviving my p510 using android andi's rom. Curently omnirom 7.1.2 no gapps. Got black line in the middle, and feels very slow (may be because got use to with much more newer phines). Before android andi's rom, it was lineageos and its much much slower until unusable. I think it's got hardware issue somewhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android 6 is much more smooth than 7, also dont use gapps

Mighty said:
Android 6 is much more smooth than 7, also dont use gapps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the tip. You're right android 6 no Gapps. Significantly smoother
What Rom are you using now?

mymyway said:
Thanks for the tip. You're right android 6 no Gapps. Significantly smoother
What Rom are you using now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
he uses a distribution of linux which is meant for developers like him, not the average consumer.
btw one of the google play store replacement is Aoura store, if you need to know it.
Aurora Store (Android)
An elegant Google Play alternative
aurora-store.en.uptodown.com

TheDoctor46 said:
I just wanted to ask how many tab 2's are still living in this world. It's just out of curiosity because I saw 2-3 people still installing custom ROMs. I have one p3100 running lineage 13. Which rom are you on ??????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
probably at least 1389

I just revied mine. It's pretty old almost a decade, or IDK even more? Tab 2 7" GT-P3100. I have installed Resurrection Remix by @smart-t78 and Noob Kernel by @bipindr123 because of the sweet 1.2 GHz overclock. I have installed it yesterday. Batteryis alright. extSD card port not working. Ther's a bit orangish tint on top left, but overall usable completely.
There are some stuff though which I want to clear. In the default launcher if you are home screen and rotate your Tab then you have this ugly gray overlay/shadow on left and right side of the screen, I'm trying to get rid of it. Looks like I will need to download a launcher or something. Also want to change the fonts and icon. Just that. Also AdAway is not getting installed, seems like I have to install and older version because it says it cannot parse the APK package while instealling.
I want to use this tab as a secondary monitor to my PC, look for it how to do it, but first theme stuff.
I also will suggest to root your device and then use some kind of kernel editor to choose governor for CPU (default is Interactive which works alright) and also tweet I/O scheduler according to your need. Look for the guides of these things if you are not familiar with the terms.

Just bought a GT2 P5110 for 30€ in almost new condition. Want to upgrade to a custom Rom before I do anything else because this is easier when there is nothing on it.
Research suggests I should stick with Marshmallow - currently going to try RR5.7.4 first with Omni6.0.1 as a reserve (unless anyone has a better experience with an equivalent or newer ROM).
Not sure whether I am going to add Gapps or not yet. I am probably going to want to have (at a minimum) Google Calendar access and perhaps Gmail. What do people recommend?
Any other thoughts on rooting, Magisk, custom kernels etc to get better stability (and performance)?

Protopia said:
Just bought a GT2 P5110 for 30€ in almost new condition. Want to upgrade to a custom Rom before I do anything else because this is easier when there is nothing on it.
Research suggests I should stick with Marshmallow - currently going to try RR5.7.4 first with Omni6.0.1 as a reserve (unless anyone has a better experience with an equivalent or newer ROM).
Not sure whether I am going to add Gapps or not yet. I am probably going to want to have (at a minimum) Google Calendar access and perhaps Gmail. What do people recommend?
Any other thoughts on rooting, Magisk, custom kernels etc to get better stability (and performance)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to do more reading.... As i saw what you wanna do i know you reeeeaaallyyy need readiing like a loooot.... Don't cry later about lags, hangs, reboots, etc....
Tip: WTF gapps???? Realyyy???

drnightshadow said:
You need to do more reading.... As i saw what you wanna do i know you reeeeaaallyyy need readiing like a loooot.... Don't cry later about lags, hangs, reboots, etc....
Tip: WTF gapps???? Realyyy???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is why I posted here. I have done this sort of custom upgrade on other devices but new to Tab 2 - so I want to make sure I am going in the right direction before I make a mistake.
So what is your recommendation? Leave it on the stock 4.2.2?

Protopia said:
This is why I posted here. I have done this sort of custom upgrade on other devices but new to Tab 2 - so I want to make sure I am going in the right direction before I make a mistake.
So what is your recommendation? Leave it on the stock 4.2.2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can't stop using gapps than yes stay on stock..
If you can live without gapps than you can use any newer ROM and use f-droid store app.

drnightshadow said:
If you can't stop using gapps than yes stay on stock..
If you can live without gapps than you can use any newer ROM and use f-droid store app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am currently on RR 5.7.4 Android 6 with slim gapps and it is very stable, as fast as stock and no lags. But I had to try various Gapps before slim and they all had problems.