Database Info

[Q] Are tons of titles not available in your market?

Often when I buy or install an app for my phone I see that the same app is not available for my tablet. If it was just few things I wouldn't care, but it seems disproportionately high.
Is my market screwed up or does everyone have that?
If it is everyone, what gives? I can see some games limiting resolution for performance reasons but there are a lot of other apps I see prohibited that don't make sense.

I know, it's highly annoying. Most developers haven't updated their list of compatible devices in months, except to add the S3. It's a simple thing to do, but they just don't care. I have a ton of supposed 'not compatible' apps that run just fine, but can't be installed through the market because they're too lazy to change their list of devices. Morons...
You can sideload most apps and games. (Install on phone and copy the data to your tablet manually. The process is explained on the forum here somewhere.)
They're forcing us to consider alternate methods of acquiring the apps, especially when you don't have a second Android device. (like me..) We don't want to download, but they're not exactly giving us much of a choice... >.<

I noticed that most EA games not available. Sucks because I bought Dead space and Mass effect on phone and they are great games but wanted to play on a big screen.
Also Flipboard I use. I did sideload it and its working quite well.Some problems occur but still very usable.

I don't think it is just the whole updating the compatibility list, with many apps - It's b/c there are things that simply do not work on tablets for whatever reason, and so they ahve not been made to show compatibility for tablets.
I have found at least 15-20 apps from my BIONIC that I cannot install on my tablet, one of them being the Amazon App Store - which sucks b/c I got OpenOffice Pro free through Amazon and now cannot install it on my tablet without sideloading it.

[Q] i727 ICS 4.0.4 - Google Search Can't Search On Device

Hello all - Got a brain twister for all you geniuses out there -
I'm running a NON_ROOTED Samsung Galaxy SII i727 Skyrocket on ATT
Currently running the ICS 4.0.4 ROM
A few months back - I lost the ability through Google Search to find anything located on my device. Google search is limited to only searching the web now.
The option to define ON-DEVICE SEARCH called "Searchable Items" located in Google Search Settings Menu - well, it is GONE.
After I decided to do a full factory reset and wipe the slate clean to start over again - thinking something got corrupted - I found it's still missing.
So, I spoke with Google and a rep there told me that there was some legal nonsense they could not discuss but it was removed from the official ROM - no other details.
I spoke to a Support Mgr at Samsung - who was surprised to learn that the removal is inconsistant accross the product line (works on one carrier but not the other - works on one device for one carrier but a different device for a different carrier)
Anyone have a work around for this? Preferably one not requiring me to root the device? It's never been very stable even running a factory rom so i'm not really looking to play with experimental ROMs and end up in crash central with a rooted cooked rom - it's my only phone, although frankly at this point I might reconsider my position on that...
Please help!
Regards,
Chris

I'm not sure what items you want to search, but I'm running embryo 6, android 4.1.2 and Google search does have some on the phone items that can be searched. Contacts, apps, etc. Is that what your trying to search?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app

You can thank apple for that...
Basically here is what happened in a nutshell.
Apple sued Google's partners, Htc, lg, motorola, and samsung over there global search feature that is implemented in android. Before this, you could search the following things: Music, files, web, apps, pictures, and the like.
After the case, apple won. Which means the carries and companies had to "update" there phones to remove the global search feature found in android or the companies customization. This is probably why you can no longer do universal search on your phone. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find an app for you that would do what it used too. Google now allows you to search music in there music app, as well as youtube etc. But you need to be in the app for what your searching for. Universal search was nice, sadly apple won. The way I see it, they are losing the war.
If you really cannot stand not having universal search and want extra features, try a custom rom out.
Example: pcworldDOTcom/article/259828/samsung_removes_local_search_feature_from_galaxy_s_iii_as_patent_suit_nears.html[/url]

Google's Bloatware!

I bought the nexus 6 today and hate the google bloatware more than any other bloatware. When Samsung or Sony or insertcompanyhere has bloatware on their phones it makes people angry. Why do these companies continue to pump resources into developing **** no one wants to use or deal with? I don't know, and I don't believe they know either. No one makes me as angry as google in this game though, because I can't shake the feeling that they should just know better. Almost all of googles preinstalled apps can not be removed. Why? Every other app requires me to have interest, download it, use it, and then uninstall it when I lose interest. Why does google think their apps are an exception, so much so that they design android software to break if you try to remove their garbage? Can someone, anyone, link me a resource that can show me how to get rid of every google app from my phone? I don't want it disabled, I want it obliterated from my cell phone. Google +, Google Maps, Google Hangouts, Google everything but the market. Can this be done? If the baby has to be thrown out with the bathwater, what rom will give me stock android with google play ONLY, and how do I install it. And can anyone explain to me why google is so scared of their apps not being used that they consistently shove it down the throats of humanity with such violent, unrelenting force? Why can they not have all of their apps that lots of people use available for download on the market, and sell the nexus 6 with nothing but the market, giving everyone the OPTION to download their applications, and the OPTION to uninstall it when they are done, or not install it to begin with? I pray for that day to come!

Warlock10000 said:
I bought the nexus 6 today and hate the google bloatware more than any other bloatware. When Samsung or Sony or insertcompanyhere has bloatware on their phones it makes people angry. Why do these companies continue to pump resources into developing **** no one wants to use or deal with? I don't know, and I don't believe they know either. No one makes me as angry as google in this game though, because I can't shake the feeling that they should just know better. Almost all of googles preinstalled apps can not be removed. Why? Every other app requires me to have interest, download it, use it, and then uninstall it when I lose interest. Why does google think their apps are an exception, so much so that they design android software to break if you try to remove their garbage? Can someone, anyone, link me a resource that can show me how to get rid of every google app from my phone? I don't want it disabled, I want it obliterated from my cell phone. Google +, Google Maps, Google Hangouts, Google everything but the market. Can this be done? If the baby has to be thrown out with the bathwater, what rom will give me stock android with google play ONLY, and how do I install it. And can anyone explain to me why google is so scared of their apps not being used that they consistently shove it down the throats of humanity with such violent, unrelenting force? Why can they not have all of their apps that lots of people use available for download on the market, and sell the nexus 6 with nothing but the market, giving everyone the OPTION to download their applications, and the OPTION to uninstall it when they are done, or not install it to begin with? I pray for that day to come!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me see. Your using a Google OS on a Google device. All you need is root to remove these apps. If you search will find a project that is android without Google, but mind you that without Google's services you will lose alot of the abilities of the OS

[Q] n00b with 2 new/ Tmobile Avants - rudimentary questions about custom roms

Hi ... I'm a n00b when it comes to phone hacks but not technology so please don't dumb your answers down on account of me.
We bought two Tmobile Samsung Avants a cpl days ago (one to use and one as a spare) because the price was right and I'm leaving a WM device for Android. HOWEVER I don't like the idea that Google, who has no personal or business relationship with me, has access to all my personal information just because I'm using a phone they've branded. So I'm looking for an Android ROM that doesn't have Google tentacles in it.
I've been researching this since we got the phones but I'm not clear on what ROMS are avail for my phone ... it doesn't look like cyanogenmod has one (although they have one for my gf's old Exhibit T599!! ) - is there a repository, website or thread I haven't found that has a list of what's out there? am I stuck rooting the phone and MANUALLY removing everything? The phones have Kitkat installed.
I saw a youtube vid where they've ported Lollipop to the Avant - would that come de-Googled?
Do Android ROMs from Android come without a Google footprint? Some users have posted that Android as an independent company is not necessarily Google and their OS is NOT a Google product so my thoughts are you can have one without the other.
Any help / info is appreciated. thanks!

master-richie said:
Hi ... I'm a n00b when it comes to phone hacks but not technology so please don't dumb your answers down on account of me.
We bought two Tmobile Samsung Avants a cpl days ago (one to use and one as a spare) because the price was right and I'm leaving a WM device for Android. HOWEVER I don't like the idea that Google, who has no personal or business relationship with me, has access to all my personal information just because I'm using a phone they've branded. So I'm looking for an Android ROM that doesn't have Google tentacles in it.
I've been researching this since we got the phones but I'm not clear on what ROMS are avail for my phone ... it doesn't look like cyanogenmod has one (although they have one for my gf's old Exhibit T599!! ) - is there a repository, website or thread I haven't found that has a list of what's out there? am I stuck rooting the phone and MANUALLY removing everything? The phones have Kitkat installed.
I saw a youtube vid where they've ported Lollipop to the Avant - would that come de-Googled?
Do Android ROMs from Android come without a Google footprint? Some users have posted that Android as an independent company is not necessarily Google and their OS is NOT a Google product so my thoughts are you can have one without the other.
Any help / info is appreciated. thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a project that doesnt have google stuff but you lose alot. Like no app store and things like that. Also Android is a google project. Like WP is by microsoft.
No there is no site like you are looking for.
Android is not a company but an OS like IOS, Windows, Linux and such.
The issue is mainly that if your device is not widely used then there may not be anything available for it. You also need to find out if the bootloader is locked or not and if kernel source is available for the device.
Google doesnt brand phones persay. The android operating system is theirs.

master-richie said:
Hi ... I'm a n00b when it comes to phone hacks but not technology so please don't dumb your answers down on account of me.
We bought two Tmobile Samsung Avants a cpl days ago (one to use and one as a spare) because the price was right and I'm leaving a WM device for Android. HOWEVER I don't like the idea that Google, who has no personal or business relationship with me, has access to all my personal information just because I'm using a phone they've branded. So I'm looking for an Android ROM that doesn't have Google tentacles in it.
I've been researching this since we got the phones but I'm not clear on what ROMS are avail for my phone ... it doesn't look like cyanogenmod has one (although they have one for my gf's old Exhibit T599!! ) - is there a repository, website or thread I haven't found that has a list of what's out there? am I stuck rooting the phone and MANUALLY removing everything? The phones have Kitkat installed.
I saw a youtube vid where they've ported Lollipop to the Avant - would that come de-Googled?
Do Android ROMs from Android come without a Google footprint? Some users have posted that Android as an independent company is not necessarily Google and their OS is NOT a Google product so my thoughts are you can have one without the other.
Any help / info is appreciated. thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google has not shown itself to be a malicious company. Is it a little creepy that they know everything about you? Yes. Will it make your user experience better? Probably. When you flash a custom ROM it removes all of the Google apps but the Google apps are really useful. Play Store, Maps, Gmail (can store all your contacts so if you get a new phone you can just import them), etc. are all very useful in my opinion. I don't personally need Google Music for example so I deleted that. All of my music comes through Spotify and Bandcamp downloads. But I can't imagine my phone without the Play Store and Gmail. It would make the experience very annoying. Cyanogen Inc. is looking into pushing their ROMs on to retail Android phones so the phone would come with Cyanogenmod and have their own equivalent to GApps. But, that won't happen for a while. The best bet to get Google out of your hair is to root it and delete the apps you don't need, or use SlimRom.
Edit: Make sure your phone is the same model as the ones that SlimRom is created for.

dictatorkara said:
Google has not shown itself to be a malicious company. Is it a little creepy that they know everything about you? Yes. Will it make your user experience better? Probably. When you flash a custom ROM it removes all of the Google apps but the Google apps are really useful. Play Store, Maps, Gmail (can store all your contacts so if you get a new phone you can just import them), etc. are all very useful in my opinion. I don't personally need Google Music for example so I deleted that. All of my music comes through Spotify and Bandcamp downloads. But I can't imagine my phone without the Play Store and Gmail. It would make the experience very annoying. Cyanogen Inc. is looking into pushing their ROMs on to retail Android phones so the phone would come with Cyanogenmod and have their own equivalent to GApps. But, that won't happen for a while. The best bet to get Google out of your hair is to root it and delete the apps you don't need, or use SlimRom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is not true. Even without gapps there are still many google base system files that are built into the system. There is only one Google-less project that is being worked on but they do have issues as the OS is not built to run without them. Even Slim Rom still use alot of googles stuff.

zelendel said:
This is not true. Even without gapps there are still many google base system files that are built into the system. There is only one Google-less project that is being worked on but they do have issues as the OS is not built to run without them. Even Slim Rom still use alot of googles stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't say you can completely de-Google an Android device. But, you can make it appear to be de-Googled, although the system files you mentioned will still be there. But you can completely opt out of Gmail and the like.

dictatorkara said:
I didn't say you can completely de-Google an Android device. But, you can make it appear to be de-Googled, although the system files you mentioned will still be there. But you can completely opt out of Gmail and the like.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to have an IT company not too long ago and I run a bunch of commercial grade servers in my house - My needs aren't the same as the typical phone user with respect to data redundancy, cloud computing, etc - I have that capability already. I pretty much use my phone to snap photos, internet browsing, texting, making calls and sometimes use the gps when driving. What I don't need is a copy of all my activity, contacts, calls, texts and browsing history stored on google servers to be sold or given to entities that I a. wouldn't consent to b. have no clue it's happening.
I don't really care if there is a Google footprint left in the phone, I just want to remove Google's ability to mine my personal data from my phone which also includes registering my device via a google+ account.
With respect to playstore, isn't Aptoid a suitable alternative?
What is SlimROM? where can I get more info on it? I saw the post you had linked to originally which prompted me to post my OP because I couldn't find any other info on it

master-richie said:
I used to have an IT company not too long ago and I run a bunch of commercial grade servers in my house - My needs aren't the same as the typical phone user with respect to data redundancy, cloud computing, etc - I have that capability already. I pretty much use my phone to snap photos, internet browsing, texting, making calls and sometimes use the gps when driving. What I don't need is a copy of all my activity, contacts, calls, texts and browsing history stored on google servers to be sold or given to entities that I a. wouldn't consent to b. have no clue it's happening.
I don't really care if there is a Google footprint left in the phone, I just want to remove Google's ability to mine my personal data from my phone which also includes registering my device via a google+ account.
With respect to playstore, isn't Aptoid a suitable alternative?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No Dont use that. They are all warez and are known for including data miners, Keyloggers and screen recorders.
Ill be honest. You picked the wrong OS for that then. GPS itself uses google software to connect to the satalites.
This is your best option
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1715375

Pixel3 custom ROMs status in 2022

Hi,
First sorry for this vague post. I am on Android since 2012. During 2012-2014 I used to try out lots of custom ROMs as I was in college and I had mobile like Samsung Galaxy S3 and then later Nexus and the OEM abandoned the updates after a while. After that I started working and since then have been on multiple Google line of devices, first Nexus and now my latest is Pixel3. I am generally happy with the phone. However, my Pixel3 stopped receiving updates I started thinking why I should dump this and buy a new one when it's perfectly working fine for my need.
I just came to this site after like ages to see what is the current status of custom ROMs. It seems overwhelmingly new now. I remember back then we had some sharp edges and something or other didn't work. Since then I am more into google ecosystem now. I use google Fi for phone. I like and use most of the google feature. So just wondering what will I lose by moving to custom ROM and am I ready to live without those features or should I just accept that I will not have any updates and if I need the updates I will have to buy a new phone.
I am not much interested into rooting and gaining advanced controls or doing anything extra nerdy. I will be perfectly happy with just getting the security patches and whatever feature is there if they keep working.
1. what are some good custom ROMs popular these days?
2. What are the things I'd lose moving to custom ROM?
3. Does all hardware for ex: Finger print, NFC work?
4. What about google apps, I mostly like all google app like camera, google pay, phone, play store
5. I like the google specific features like call screening and google assistance, google feed. I guess I will lose those.
6. I also use google Fi, can I still use that seamlessly or is there any gotchas I need to be aware of?
7. Is there any other way to keep my phone Googlized and receive security updates. It is totally acceptable if I can get security patches after some delay and not via OTP but have to sideload manually.

r0b0 said:
Hi,
First sorry for this vague post. I am on Android since 2012. During 2012-2014 I used to try out lots of custom ROMs as I was in college and I had mobile like Samsung Galaxy S3 and then later Nexus and the OEM abandoned the updates after a while. After that I started working and since then have been on multiple Google line of devices, first Nexus and now my latest is Pixel3. I am generally happy with the phone. However, my Pixel3 stopped receiving updates I started thinking why I should dump this and buy a new one when it's perfectly working fine for my need.
I just came to this site after like ages to see what is the current status of custom ROMs. It seems overwhelmingly new now. I remember back then we had some sharp edges and something or other didn't work. Since then I am more into google ecosystem now. I use google Fi for phone. I like and use most of the google feature. So just wondering what will I lose by moving to custom ROM and am I ready to live without those features or should I just accept that I will not have any updates and if I need the updates I will have to buy a new phone.
I am not much interested into rooting and gaining advanced controls or doing anything extra nerdy. I will be perfectly happy with just getting the security patches and whatever feature is there if they keep working.
1. what are some good custom ROMs popular these days?
2. What are the things I'd lose moving to custom ROM?
3. Does all hardware for ex: Finger print, NFC work?
4. What about google apps, I mostly like all google app like camera, google pay, phone, play store
5. I like the google specific features like call screening and google assistance, google feed. I guess I will lose those.
6. I also use google Fi, can I still use that seamlessly or is there any gotchas I need to be aware of?
7. Is there any other way to keep my phone Googlized and receive security updates. It is totally acceptable if I can get security patches after some delay and not via OTP but have to sideload manually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. LineageOS
2. I have not found anything lost.
3. Yes
4. You can download the Google Camera app from the play store. Probably the phone app also, but I have not tried it. Google Pay will require rooting and Universal SafetyNet Fix module.
5. Don't know, as I don't use them.
6. I don't use Fi, but would expect it to work.
7. I'm not aware of any other way, but have not looked. Lineage does everything I need.