Database Info

How to: Optimize stock ROM

Hi all,
I thought I'd share the steps I did to improve my experience (speed, battery life,...) with the stock ROM of the SK4G, and hopefully get some additional tips from you guys. There's nothing really *new* here, but hopefully it is helpful to some newer people (who don't want to mess with ROMs).
The steps in short:
1) Install the latest firmware.
2) Turn off or configure all automated syncing which you don't use.
3) Remove and/or freeze all apps you don't use.
4) Remove everything from your home screen which you don't need.
5) Disable apps that run on startup, but shouldn't.
6) Replace stock apps.
1) Install the latest firmware.
The latest firmware, currently KJ2, is a real improvement. I was previously using the KG2 firmware which seemed to have some memory leak. In simple terms, every minute the device was on, the system itself was taking up more memory, leaving less and less memory for the apps to run. This resulted in a device getting less responsive with time, the home screen being refreshed regularly, the device completely locking up, ... It was so bad that I made a habit to restart the sidekick at least once a day.
With the new firmware, this seems fixed. I don't think I have even seen the home screen refresh since I updated. Everything just seems more responsive! It also had a positive result on my battery life.
You can either wait for the update to happen automatically, or you can do it manually using Kies. It's a matter of installing Kies, connecting your Sidekick and pressing update. You can find a guide here.
2) Turn off or configure all automated syncing which you don't use.
It's a smartphone, you expect it to sync some stuff. Just check for each use case if you need the syncing and how frequently the syncing should happen. A lot of apps let you configure this kind of stuff. Some even allow you to only sync over wifi.
So just take a look at all installed apps and see which ones use some form of syncing. Some might do it without you being aware of it.
3) Remove and/or freeze all apps you don't use.
This is self explanatory for apps you've installed yourself. With the sidekick you also get a lot of apps that might be completely useless to you, but you can't remove since they are pre-installed. With root however, you can! (See the bottom of this post on how to root.)
Before I go any further, let me explain the difference between removing and freezing apps. Removing an app does exactly what it says, the app will be gone "forever". Freezing however is non-destructive: the app will be disabled and gone from your app list, but you can easily unfreeze it to restore it.
An app that's often mentioned that allows this is Titanium Backup. It is however not free. So instead, I used the free AntTek App Manager, which has worked wonderfully. You get a list of all apps, select one, choose "freeze" and it's gone! In case you want to undo your action, you select the app in the "frozen" list and choose "unfreeze". It's as simple as that.
Note that some apps should not be frozen. For example, I tried to freeze Wifi Calling. As soon as it was frozen, I got "force close" popups. Off course, since freezing is non-destructive, I could simply unfreeze the app to solve the problem.
Here is a list of everything I froze:
- com.amazon.mp3
- AllShare
- com.tmobile.apppack
- Backup (I'm not on T-Mobile)
- DriveSmart
- DriveSmart System
- Group Texting
- Media Hub
- My Account (Only the com.tmobile.selfhelp one)
- T-Mobile Device Carbon
- T-Mobile TV
- Video Chat
- SNS (Social networking)
- SNSAccount
- SnsComposer
- Visual Voicemail (I'm not on T-Mobile)
- Gallery (I use QuickPic instead)
- Swype (I use the samsung keyboard in portrait mode)
- Tips & Tricks
- Email (I use gmail instead)
- Accounts & Sync
- Files (I use ES File Explorer instead)
- Web (I use Dolphin HD instead)
- TeleNav GPS Navigator
- Talk
- Mini Diary
- com.google.android.apps.books
- Task Manager
- Messaging (I use Handcent instead)
4) Remove everything from your home screen which you don't need.
Again, quite easy. What I noticed in the beginning was that I used the home screens to list all apps I actually used, so I didn't have to open the app drawer and search for the wanted app between all apps I didn't use but couldn't remove. However, now that I removed/froze all useless apps (see step 3), the app drawer is quite a clean list of apps, so apps that I use sparingly don't need to be on my home screen anymore.
By the way, it is possible to order the apps in your app drawer. Just open the drawer, choose "menu / View type" and choose "Customizable grid". Afterwards, you can choose "menu / Reorder".
5) Disable apps that run on startup, but shouldn't.
I'm using an app called autorun manager for this. I disabled some apps that I use sparingly but that shouldn't be started when turning on the phone.
6) Replace stock apps.
It might be interesting to look at alternatives for the stock apps, depending on your needs. This is especially handy if you are able to remove/freeze the stock app you're replacing (see step 3).
Some stock apps you can replace:
1) Messaging --> Handcent.
The main features which made me choose Handcent were an incredibly handy popup window if you receive a message and great customization (both the interface as well as the configuration, for example not automatically switching to mms if your message is longer than 3 sms messages was handy for me).
Another nice replacement is Go SMS Pro, but when I tested it, it couldn't work with the led indicators of the sidekick.
2) Default launcher / home screens --> LauncherPro
I only tested this briefly before reverting to the default one, but it seemed very responsive. (I personally didn't like the spacing of the icons on the home screen)
3) Web --> Dolphin HD
I personally love the interface of Dolphin with tabs on top, gestures, efficient use of the screen space, ...
Other replacements are Opera, Skyfire, Firefox, ...
4) Gallery --> QuickPic
I find QuickPic to be a lot faster, and you can easily include/exclude folders.
Root
Rooting the sidekick is actually an easy process. It's a matter of connecting your device to your pc, installing the samsung drivers, running SuperOneClick and clicking "root". That's it. And if you want to undo this change, just go through the same process but click "unroot" instead.
You can find a guide here.

thanks a lot, man. though i'm still considering if i really need root.

Great little guide.
New users that just want a quick way to improve their phone's performance and stability should take note.

[APP][2.2+] Privacy Protector for non-rooted devices (New update!)

What can it do?
============
Are you concerned with certain apps required permissions? Then this app is for you!
Base on your settings, this app will automatically turn OFF location and network connections when it detects that certain apps are running, thus leaving the apps no chance of leaking your data. After the apps finish running, pull down notification bar and you'll easily turn network and location services back on.
It works on both non-rooted and rooted devices.
Alternatively, this app can be used as an ad-blocker or data saver.
Performance Impact
===============
With over 300 apps monitored, on average the app utilizes less than 4% of CPU on a Nexus One.
There is no noticeable impact on battery life.
Required Permissions
===============
Access to GPS and coarse location are for probing the location service settings.
Create bluetooth connections and bluetooth administration are for probing Bluetooth status and controlling bluetooth adapter.
Change Wi-Fi state is for controlling Wifi adapter.
Changelog
================
1.0
App published to Android Market after major usability improvements and critical bug fixes.
1.1
Major update
- App names are sorted
- Some performance improvements
- UI usability improvements
1.2
Minor update
- Option to hide notification when service is running
- User interface tweaks
- Removed all log messages
Please download from Android Market:
https://market.android.com/details?id=net.houzuo.android.privacyprotector

Major update
- Usability enhancements
- Critical bugs fixed
- Overall performance improvements and smaller memory footprint

houzuoguo said:
Changelog
================
App published to Android Market after major usability improvements and critical bug fixes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A link will be helpful

Fantastic app one again, sir! I've posted it to the XDA front page.

willverduzco said:
Fantastic app one again, sir! I've posted it to the XDA front page.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much

Looks useful! Even though I'm rooted, I'm hesitant to install apps that require root because of the obvious security issues. So non-root security apps are important.
I have a question though, will it block access for apps that run in the background, such as code run via Broadcast Receivers? If not, perhaps it could warn the user in such a case, because a malicious program could easily gather or transmit data in the background.

Elemris said:
Looks useful! Even though I'm rooted, I'm hesitant to install apps that require root because of the obvious security issues. So non-root security apps are important.
I have a question though, will it block access for apps that run in the background, such as code run via Broadcast Receivers? If not, perhaps it could warn the user in such a case, because a malicious program could easily gather or transmit data in the background.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you
The app only monitors the current foreground process (the one that is dominating screen).
I'd suggest that, if an app runs a background service and raises a privacy concern, it is better disabled by other ways (uninstall, etc.)
There are two reasons why background services shall not be affected by the app:
- Background services may run a long time, thus disabling network or location services could cause much inconvenience.
- To disable location services, Privacy Protector will forward user to Location Settings page. Currently, if user decides not to take action to the settings and do not run the app, s/he can go back to home screen by clicking home button. However if Privacy Protector keeps forwarding user to Location Settings because a background service is running, it may be very inconvenient and could possibly annoy the user.

Thanks, that makes a lot of sense.
I guess many users aren't even aware that apps can run hidden in the background, let alone know how to detect background services. So I'm thinking about a warning to the user along the lines of "hey, you're blocking your 'Unhappy Avians' app, but Privacy Protector detected that app may run in the background, outside of our protection. If you're concerned, you may want to uninstall Unhappy Avians".

Elemris said:
Thanks, that makes a lot of sense.
I guess many users aren't even aware that apps can run hidden in the background, let alone know how to detect background services. So I'm thinking about a warning to the user along the lines of "hey, you're blocking your 'Unhappy Avians' app, but Privacy Protector detected that app may run in the background, outside of our protection. If you're concerned, you may want to uninstall Unhappy Avians".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that sounds like a good idea! thank you!

Is it possible to get version of Privacy Protector that can run on Android 2.1 and less?
Is it independent of iptables?
p.s. App list must be sorted alphabetically

5[Strogino] said:
Is it possible to get version of Privacy Protector that can run on Android 2.1 and less?
Is it independent of iptables?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The app only uses features of Android API, it does not rely on iptables.
It has been tested on my Nexus One with Android 2.2 and 2.3 roms, I wasn't able to test it on 2.1 rom because I had difficulty to find one.
I've attached an APK which should be compatible with Android 1.6, but I'm unable to test it. Please give it a try.

for further updates.. can u hide the top icon?
thx.. great app

What's about more harder function - to block access only chosen apps?
If I want use Skype and deny App X, your app will turn connection off. But i don't want lose whole connection.

Has anyone tested this on Galaxy S2 please?
Thank you

5[Strogino] said:
What's about more harder function - to block access only chosen apps?
If I want use Skype and deny App X, your app will turn connection off. But i don't want lose whole connection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That behaviour would only be feasible to implement on a rooted device
NTOP said:
Has anyone tested this on Galaxy S2 please?
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The top device which contributes to the 1200+ downloads is Galaxy S2. There has been 4 crash reports in total (the app occasionally crashes after loading apps.. I'm still investigating) but none of them came from S2.

Major update pushed to Android Market
Changelog
- App names are sorted
- Some performance improvements
- UI usability improvements

A minor update
- Option to hide notification when service is running
- User interface tweaks
- Removed all log messages

wifi access
Would it be possible to distinguish between data and wifi (like Droidwall)?
The phone it's installed on, has a bad chip and shouldn't be rooted, but I'd like some apps to only have access to wifi, and other apps have access to both data and wifi.

Does not work on Nexus 4 with Jelly Bean
I ticked the LOC box next to Facebook app, saved, enabled... then opened Facebook app and posted a status. My location was right there in the status post

Disabling preinstalled apps

There's two real reasons to do so
To remove the icon from the drawer (in which case it is easy)
Because they run as a background service which uses the internet or something else (perhaps you notice an impact on your battery life)
Because you started and can't stop now
I think I'm at three. Right now, I'm just curious what all these pre-installed apps do. I've made a list of all applications, including whether you can disable them - see the attachment or
docs.google.com [slash]
spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtLlGgfkIOi0dDMwZF9xbkpXTE9
nMGFuMXdGRnIzbXc&usp=sharing
Please do provide information for the list. There are some gaps from before I started the list (including what some disabled apps do in terms of battery life, internet usage and other things).
In particular I cannot identify what apps are responsible for the running process "Motorola Services", nor what this does.
Finally, I would just like to collect information on what other things such as "com.qualcomm.atfwd" do (just out of curiosity).

A few remarks:
- Google uses Google Play Services to bring the latest API features (like Google Maps V2, the new Geolocation API, Google Cloud Messaging etc.) to the end users without the need of a complete OS upgrade. If you disable it, you will lose features (and even functionality) in a bunch of third party apps. Also it does not have an icon in the app drawer.
- Google Search is not just the search bar on the home screen, it is the entire Google Now feature. I guess it is not a problem if you disable it, but you will lose Google Now as well.
- Google One Time Init is the wizard you are presented at first startup and after every factory reset. You can disable it but it does not have much effect on the phone. I guess the other similar app (One Time Init) is its Motorola-branded counterpart.
- Launcher is the default home screen of the device, you can disable it if you have any third party launchers installed. Don't disable it otherwise, or you will have a serious problem.
- Tags is the AOSP NFC app, since we don't have built-in NFC chip it is safe to disable.

Thanks Debaj, I've updated the google document.
When you say the launcher is the home screen, does that include the dock and app drawer?

DarkDarth said:
When you say the launcher is the home screen, does that include the dock and app drawer?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, exactly.

You're still updating the list? I could help you a little

emanu526 said:
You're still updating the list? I could help you a little
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I still want to work on the list. Any help that you can give is appreciated. Bear in mind that you can add comments to the google docs spreadsheet, so my delay in replying won't prevent you from updating the sheet.
I plan to update to 4.4.2 soon as well, then I'll be able to do some tests on what affect these changes have on the battery life.

The Next Best Thing to Root... or, how to de-screw your stock U.S. Galaxy S7 T-mobile

Presenting.. the Next Best Thing to Root for the U.S. Samsung Galaxy S7 T-mobile edition (model SM-G930T that is)
As of 6/7/16, no root is publicly available. I purchased my S7 on 5/26/16 and decided to keep it despite the lack of root. This is my story.
INTRO
So the ol' Galaxy Note II up and died on me a couple weekends back, and I blew 40 bucks on a new battery before I realized it was gone gone gone. Queue new phone shopping, the hip glasses-toting dudes at T-mobile swayed me to an S7. I didn't want something as big as my last phone and forget using a bumper case with that curved-screen edge (an acquaintance of mine quotes: "The only thing that ****ing screen is good for is when I'm high as hell and want to read the clock without lifting my head". He dropped his and shattered it.), so I went with the plain ol' S7. Well, now I know why the salesguy got real quiet when the first thing I told him I would do was 'root the phone'. Being a programmer, I was pretty bummed and unhappy about owning a device that I am purposely locked out of Administrating.. but the return fee was $50, and I really liked what the S7 brought to the table.
Goes without saying, I was ready to pay for the rootable HTC-10 (my local store didn't even carry it, the salesman said they were 'test-marketing it' at a couple other stores across town) or the LG monstrosity (I haven't liked this company since the spying TV debacle, tho once upon a time they made good and cheap TVs), but I hated how much bigger the devices were and that svelte S7 really impressed me otherwise. Samsung really does make the 'iPhone of Androids'.
So, I decided to stick with the S7, and un-screw it pretty much as best as I could. And, because all I read was mostly a lot of 'is the root out yets', I thought it would be cool to share.
ABOUT THE S7
Not too terribly much has changed in the android linux filesystem since the last time I seriously delved into it. Got a vague idea where most of what is what, but I also recognize that the Path to Rooting is two: Utilizing a bootloader to actually flash the chip, or Piggybacking on some existing Administrative-privileged software in the otherwise 'closed' environment. Samsung shipped the U.S. T-mobile S7's (mine is SM-G930T) with a locked bootloader to make it nigh-impossible to root via flashing. Get to it, ya chip-hackers.
However, it is a universal law of the internet that someone out there will find an operable software workaround, and this is usually some 13-year-old kid from Finland, or at least it was in the case where I found drivers for a Voodoo 3 card during the advent of Windows XP. God bless the internet will provide, and in this case that gentle soul is none other than a man by the appropriate name of OSPolice.
PACKAGE DISABLER PRO - THE 99 CENT APP
play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ospolice.packagedisablerpro&hl=en
This little gem of an app I purchased for $0.99 off the play store. This is the key to enjoying the disabling features of Root access and the key to un-screwing the T-mobile Galaxy S7. What this app does is essentially co-opt the Administrative access that Samsung Knox (the 'security' software) uses and allows you to disable any and all packages on the phone. When you first activate it you will have to accept an agreement tied to Samsung Knox (don't worry, this in no way causes anything to 'phone home' as far as I can tell).
I would recommend the very first thing you do is go to the settings and add a password to the app, that way nobody else can get in, because this can seriously **** with your phone's software, if you disable the wrong package the phone will not boot up properly and you will need to reinstall. There is an option to Disable All Bloatware based on automatic picks from the application but this can screw up some phones and you will miss a lot of crap, so DO NOT AUTO-DISABLE.
There is also another important reason you should manually disable these. Clicking on a package from the main app brings up a screen where you have several options (the auto-google feature is quite helpful to researching various processes). There is also an important little button that says 'Clear Data', erasing the temporary package data. Due to info I found on another forum, which I am too lazy to dig up here and now, there is an important process to disabling with Package Disabler Pro:
THE DISABLING PROCESS
1. If the package is not enabled, enable it.
2. While the package IS ENABLED, click Clear Data.
3. DISABLE the package with the Disable button.
4. Click CLEAR DATA a second time.
5. On to the next one...
It appears there may be some data that is not erased when the package is disabled. In any case, this fixed all of the problems I had disabling earlier without using the Clear Data button. This is important to stop certain packages from utilizing an outside process to re-enable themselves.
Below I am listing all of the processes that I disabled. Your list might be different; before I did this I updated the phone's system software from T-mobile's servers (as of 5/25), and I don't plan to auto-update again until I root or have to reload everything.
Also, please keep in mind I turned off a few features with this method, you will have to ADJUST YOUR PACKAGES ACCORDINGLY or know what to re-enable from the below list. I turned off all wi-fi calling (don't like 'weird' internet connections), all NFC and payment such as the Samsung pay chip (nothing I want/need enabled right now). I kept Bluetooth connectivity on since I pair the phone with my car for and it's more or less an 'established' form of protocol, neverless if I didn't use it I would deactivate it as well. Security Over All is my philosophy.
THE SINGLE PROBLEM I HAVE HAD is being unable to 'browse' for a background when choosing a new one for the lock screen. I kept the lock screen with a stock dark blue and had already set my live wallpaper (play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dkeesto.holographlw&hl=en if you are curious, Digital Hive by the unsurpassed Cypher Cove). So set your backgrounds before disabling all these, or try and figure out which disabled package screws this up, though I tried re-enabling anything with 'wallpaper' in it to no avail.
I also disabled a lot of the Google services, I check my gmail online, phone apps seem so hideously insecure to my mind, and I don't want to use any drive or cloud backup services AT ALL. Go with an all-encrypted service or backup your data yourself, and I don't trust any non-rooted backup apps. If you use the Gmail app or etc, simply don't disable it.
A LIST OF PACKAGES I DISABLED (remember to Clear Data, then Disable, then Clear Data a second time!):
AASAservice
Access cloud
AllShare FileShare Service
Amazon
ANT + DUT
ANT HAL Service
ANT Radio Service
ANT+ Plugins Service
AutoPreconfig
Basic Daydreams
BBCAgent
BeaconManager
Beaming Service
Briefing (**** you)
Calculator
Calendar
Camera test
Carmode Stub
ChocoEUKor
Color Adjustment
com.android.providers.partnerbookmarks
com.android.sharedstoragebackup
com.android.wallpapercropper
com.facebook.appmanager
com.facebook.system
com.samsung.android.app.watchmanagerstub
com.samsung.android.sm.devicesecurity
com.samsung.dcmservice
com.samsung.enhanceservice
com.samsung.faceservice
com.samsung.hs20provider
com.samsung.ipservice
com.samsung.storyservice
com.sec.android.app.minimode.res
com.sec.android.app.wfdbroker
com.sec.bcservice
com.tmobile.pr.adapt
Context Service
Control TV
CoolEUKor
Device Unlock
DeviceTest
Dictionary
EasyOneHand
EasySetup
Email
Enhanced features
eSE UCS Plugin
Facebook
Favorite Contacts
Filter Installer
Filter Manager
Filter Provider
Foundation
Galaxy Apps
Galaxy Essentials Widget
Gallery (I use an app called QuickPic, don't disable if you use the regular Gallery)
Game Launcher
Game Tools
GamepadService
GameService
Gear VR Service
Gear VR SetupWizardStub
Gear VR Shelf
Gmail (You might not want to disable, but for security's sake you should and use your browser)
Google App
Google Backup Transport
Google Calendar Sync
Google Contacts Sync
Google One Time Init
Google Partner Setup
Google Play Movies & TV
Good Play Music
Hancom Office Editor
Hangouts
Health Service (this auto-health reading stuff is kind of scary)
Help
Highlight video player
IMS Settings
ImsLogger+
IntelligenceService2
Interaction control
Internet (have a secondary browser in place, I initially used Chrome)
IPsec Service
Kies Application BnR
KNOX
KnoxAppsUpdateAgent
Live wallpaper picker
Lookout
Magnifier
Market Feedback Agent
MDMApp
Memo
Message service
Messages (I use an app called Textra, it is pleasant, don't disable if you use this for text messages)
MmsService (I have had no trouble sending/receiving MMS text with this disabled)
Mobile tracker
My Files
My interests
My Places
Nearby Service
Nfc Service
NSDSWebApp
Personal Data Management
Photo Editor
Photo Screensavers
Photos
Print Spooler (might be necessary for phone-to-printer if you're into that)
Private Mode Service
Quick connect
Remote Controls
RoseEUKor
S Finder
S Health
S Voice App
Safety assistance
Safety information
Samsung account
Samsung ApexService
Samsung Billing
Samsung Content Agent
Samsung Galaxy
Samsung Gear
Samsung keyboard (HAVE ANOTHER KEYBOARD INSTALLED [I use Hacker's Keyboard] OR DO NOT DISABLE THIS)
Samsung Location DSK
Samsung Milk Music
Samsung MirrorLink 1.1
Samsung Pay Stub
Samsung Payment Framework
Samsung Push Service
Samsung setup wizard
Samsung text-to-speech engine
Samsung+
SamsungDLPService
SapaMonitor
Screen Mirroring
Security policy updates
SecurityLogAgent
Settings Receiver
ShootingModeProvider
Simple Sharing
SLLibrary
Slow and fast-motion video player and editor
Smart Manager
Smart Manager Provider
SmartCallProvider
SmartcardManager
SmartcardService
SmartFaceService
SmartManager Clean DSK
SnsImageCache
Software update
Software Update
Sound detectors
Sound picker
T-Mobile
T-Mobil Name ID
T-Mobile TV
Theme store
Themes
TouchWiz easy home
TouchWiz home
Trim
Universal switch
UrgentFWUpdateNfc
UrgentFWUpdateTSP
Video collage
Video Editor Lite
Video Player (Stock, don't disable if you use, I use an app called VLC that plays damn near anything)
Virtual tour
Visual Voicemail
Visual Voicemail
Voice Assistant
Voice service
Voice wake-up
WallpaperCompression
Weather
Weather
Wi-Fi Direct
Wi-Fi Direct share
Wi-Fi Calling Settings
withTV
And that's it! Boy, wasn't that a lot of clicking clear data and all that junk! But it is worth it!
A FEW OTHER FEATURES I DON'T USE
Fingerprints.. never tested with this. I fail to see the usefulness of a fingerprint compared to a password in your head, and it's a whole lot easier to duplicate the former and scan someone's phone (call it the 'law gets in' password). So some of these might have disabled fingerprint functionality.
Voice-assistance.. again, the possibility of my phone recording me without me knowing is kind of scary. There's a lot of Samsung S-voice crap built in, I had this sort of thing on my last phone and never had the need for it.
Always-On Screen - It displays the time, had it on for a couple days and it worked just fine, but ultimately a battery eater, and the config options are real limited. I ended up turning this off.
The Samsung TouchWiz Launcher - As soon as I got all my packages disabled, I ditched this one. You can use anything you like, but personally I found a new home with NovaLauncher.
The Camera I tried to keep as whole as possible, I set it as the 'double-home-button-click-to-open', which was default behavior, and I really like it this way - double-click and you have a camera, and it works regardless of locked screen. They've really improved the camera software, I can double-click and start recording and that's just the way I like to use a phone. Now if there were only a way to compress, encrypt, and auto-transmit those movies immediately after recording...
DEVELOPER OPTIONS
Settings -> About device -> Click on 'Build Version' a bunch of times. If you're reading these forums you should probably know how to activate this.
Some cool settings, the only one I toggle is USB debugging.. for ease of file transfer on a PC thru USB cable, something which ALL modern phones suck ass at. It almost makes me want to program a simple universal file transfer software suite.
WHAT I WISH I STILL HAD
Encrypted Backup Solutions/State Backups: TitaniumBackup & Nandroid are the ****. Man do I miss having root access.
Customized Pull-down Notification Screen: I hate that first row of settings buttons. I will probably have to pony up the 5 bucks to NovaLauncher to see if they can make those go away.
One-touch Reboot app - Not getting this one until root Administrative access. I'll have to live without until then.
Otherwise, I have been pretty conveniently able to live without Root on this phone, and I hope this guide can make you happy, too!
SOME APP SUGGESTIONS - USEFUL
I've peppered the above with some apps I really like, here are some more:
Firefox - My favorite browser. I keep a copy of chrome for emergencies. 'Noscript' and 'Phony' are must-have extensions. Still looking for a good page-to-pdf extractor.
Orbot/Orfox - Best TOR/browser combo.
Rocket Player - FANTASTIC music app that I ponied up the money to unlock (mostly to play FLACs). Near-perfect, and a relief because Winamp **** the bed when it came to Android.
DuckDuckGo - I use this to replace the Google search bar widget. Doesn't work the same (click to open) but works quickly.
ZDBox - I use this exclusively for the 5x2 'control' widget on my home page. One-touch turnon/offs (or some options send you to the settings screen) for the following: WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, Mobile Network, Airplane Mode, TaskKiller, disable Screen Rotate, Brightness, Applock (you specify) and Flashlight (my default light, big screwy button but I'm used to it now).
ZDCal - From the makers of ZDBox, a free calendar that displays as a strip in the notification bar and also places a date at the top of the screen. Be careful, the first time I set it up I blindly clicked a couple pages and set up a period calendar that promptly notified me when I was beginning ovulation (I am a man).
SOME APP SUGGESTIONS - GAMES
Stellar Solitaire - The best Solitaire app ever. Tons of games, demos, beautiful for a phone screen.
Cliffy Run - A rager game my awesome friend made that is totally and amazingly simple and has some great graphics.
Neko Atsume - A stupid japanese cat simulator that I can't stop checking.
Source - A free 'pipes' puzzle game. I'm at 1 hr 2 mins on insane level. Great for killing time in the DMV.
SOME APP SUGGESTIONS - PROGRAMMER/NERD
OS Monitor - Process/Connection task-manager
JuiceSSH - My terminal app of choice.
Blowtorch Beta - My MUD app of choice. Told ya I nerd.
AndFTP - My FTP/SSHFTP app of choice.
AndroZip - My compression app, and, surprisingly, file manager of choice.
Fing - 1st of the 2 best wireless discovery apps ever.
Wifi Analyzer - 2nd of the 2 best wireless discovery apps ever.
Usemon - Resource Analyzer. Has a cool option for the notification screen, and measures both frequency and % use graphs when many progs do one or the other.
Cargo Decoder - If you want to read what exactly is in the tanker truck you are driving behind and how badly a spill will **** up your day.
Maverick - For all your GPS/compass/accelerometer needs.
FINALE
Please feel free to add anything to the above! I am pleased that I got my phone to do most of the things I wanted without a root. That being said, as soon as it is possible I will be jumping on that train. If you have any suggestions, please contribute! And thanks for reading!

I never understood the reasons why people get so hung up on "debloating." There was a time where I was one of those people, rooted and debloated every phone I had, etc. One thing I found out, they all, without fail, performed worse than stock, and battery life took a significant hit. It seems counter-intuitive, but I am not the only person to have experienced this. There was a time when phone hardware was weak and the Samsung or HTC, or whatver UI was bloated, but these days are gone. By all means spend the money and time to "debloat" this phone if it makes you happy that you did something, or stuck it to Samsung/T-Mobile, or whatever. Alternatively, instead of letting your phone run your life, use it as it is out of the box and focus your energy on something that actually matters. If I were able to get root on this phone, all I would do is install an ad blocker. Everything else on this phone is excellent.

Good stuff. Package disabler pro really helps...I plan to check out some of the apps you mentioned.

I tried using it, but found it disabled more than I wanted. A bunch of apps and processes went missing and things didn't work. I know you can do individual apps I think, I only tried the default settings. Didn't like it. It's Not like having root or Titanium backup. I uninstalled it. Things worked again. Just my experience, but everyone else, enjoy!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using XDA-Developers mobile app

Adguard is really good for blocking ads. You have to pay a yearly fee for it to block ads in apps though.
If you want to back up apps and data, Helium can do that.
Sent from my SM-G935T using XDA-Developers mobile app

We already have a thread in this section for debloating the S7E here:
S7 Edge debloat list
Please search before posting and don't start duplicate threads.
THREAD CLOSED

Honor 8 - EMUI 4.1 - Chrome notifications

Hello,
Is anyone on Honor 8 / EMUI 4.1 able to get chrome notifications?
I've been checking Chrome settings and found nothing wrong, expect for the fact I don't seem to be able to add chrome to the list of apps that can ignore battery optimization, since it is not listed. I'm not sure if this is the reason though.
Please share your ideas / suggestions.
RM

It's because Chrome is a system app already so it is by default protected. Except it doesn't even work correctly probably because of their ram management, which kind of make this phone useless for receiving notification for me.
I tried adding Google Clock and S-Health to protected apps and also lock it in the "recent apps" menu, they still get forced close and the alarm didn't ring or it stopped counting steps.
I haven't used EMUI5 yet to know if it's fixed.

Hello!
Solution found! The hint (system app) of the previous post made me try this:
1-Uninstall Chrome (using TiBu - root needed)
2-Reinstall Chrome from Play Store
3-Configure settings to allow notifications from wanted pages
4-Add Chrome to the list of apps that can ignore battery optimizations
So far it is working as expected...
About the other notification issues I've faced before (Google Keep, WhatsApp,...) I've solved it after enabling "keep mobile data on when sleeping", besides adding the app to the ignore battery optimization list, of course.
RM

I have found that same exempt setting as well, unfortunately Chrome isn't in the list so I guess that's why you have to root to remove it first and readd it as third party app for it to show up.
To much effort to just get notification working, a basic feature of all phones and risk losing warranty and Android Pay access.
To make it clear for others:
1. add the app to the Protected apps list (settings - advanced settings - battery manager - protected apps).
2. go to settings - apps - advanced - exempt from battery optimization - select the drop down list and and select "all apps" - find your app and set it to allow.
Huawei programmers must have pride themselves in putting settings inside convoluted maze that's impossible to find.

You might also want to add Settings - Advanced Settings - Battery Manger - Upper right gear - keep mobile data on during sleep.
I second you about this kind of maze that we must run to just have notifications, but, on the other hand I'm kind of OK with it, as soon I can find a way to solve matter!
RM