I'm pretty much new on these forums, but I have been following the unrevoked root and working with the guys in the forums with this and that now that the phone is rooted. So I figured I would jump on here and share some of the work we have put together.... I present to you, our list of stock apks that have been tested our (removed and swapped) for the htc incredible:
bluraynetworks.com/android/
If you feel like we have missed any that you want tested, give me a shout and I'll arrange for it to be done. Thanks for the look, and happy modding,
::EDIT:: I apologize for the link not being a url, as i am a new member and aren't allowed yet,
reposted for easy clicking
bluraynetworks.com/android/
after removing all these apps do you see any preformance increases or any extra battery life?
personally on this last run of removals it seemed like after i pulled stock and footprints i got tons of battery life out of my phone. I'm dropping about 2 - 3% per hour doing like work (couple minute phone call, handful of txt messaging, and syncs for gmail and my pop account)
I think it might be wise for people who want to do this to Move the apps to a safe location rather than actually deleting them.
This would make it easier to put them back if you run into some issues.
Otherwise you will need to resort to the RUU and start all over.
Updated instructions with mv commands for saftey, thanks for the suggestion.
SOME of this looks all to familiar...
That is quite possibly true, some of these have been lingering around here on the forums, and it was itching at me to consolidate them all into one place and get them tested amongst multiple people. Thanks for your contributions to the list btw,
Probably the wrong thread but would it be possible to get the vanilla android weather app?
how about removal of the HTC Music app? I am a much bigger fan of the stock Android and would like HTC music to go away. any idea of what that APK is called? HtcMusic.apk ?
Hi all,
(I just joined today - hope you would go easy on me as I am still learning the xda etiquette.)
Just received my T-mobile HTC myTouch 4G slide and activated it on Sunday.
(Now before I jump onto my first impression of the phone, let me be clear - Till Sunday, I was proud owner of Nokia N900. I still love that phone. But I had to jump onto the Android bangwagor sooner or later since Nokia decided to to WinMo way. N900 was a solid phone with an unpolished/unfinished OS. Nokia never gave it a chance to mature.)
So, please keep in mind that I am new to Android as well as HTC and the phone itself.
Here is what I liked in my one full day of playing with the hardware and the OS/Software:
1. Android is fast, stable and polished, and enough apps to install one every day for rest of my life.
2. Phone is fast, not much stutter, has not crashed yet. Data connection is stable and voice quality is good.
3. UI looks, er, shiny (I do not give much weight to this, but apparently, a lot of people do, given popularity of 'certain' phones).
4. Keyboard is good. (one of the main reasons to buy the phone, as querty keyboard is a must for me )
Now onto negatives:
1. Lack of user control - though I have flexibility in controlling a lot of things on Android, there are a lot of other things which I really want to control but can not - i.e. uninstall t-mo / HCT bloatware (see my next point).
2. Bloatware - this was a shock to me. N900 is a clean device with no crap installed. T-Mo and HTC made sure I start hating my phone on day one by giving me pre-installed uninstallable crap. Not only I do not want them, it actually confuses me. I do not have a dedicated media player - but I have a 'Media Room' with T-Mobile TV and Slacker Radio (and none of them are complete versions). Bejeweled 2, T-mo backup, Highlight, Friend Stream - the list goes on, and I can not remove any of the app.
3. Android - no default file manager. Are you kidding me?
4. Contact - multiple entries from multiple sources (i.e. 411 & more is listed 4 times - one from google, one from tmo backup, one from phone and one from sd card). I know I can link them, or disable view of some of them, but god damn it - it's confusing as hell.
5. Camera - now don't get me wrong. The camera on this phone may be one of the best among Android/iphone phones, but where it gives you a lot of megapixels, the lens (and hence the quality) does not hold water against N900. Software can not make up for hardware limitations.
6. Battery - I almost ran out of juice before I even reached home from work in the evening - and that too from very limited use. Yes, I used phone for quite a bit, but without wireless/gps. I understand the display eats battery, but come on - shouldn't a smartphone be up on batter for one full day?
I will add more as I come across.
Please note that this is not a rant - there is some genuine disappointment with my first real hands on with Android/HTC. With the bloatware on this phone, I feel like I am being take advantage off, and I hate that feeling.
I am a linux user for 12 years (personally and professionally - as a programmer) and I consider myself a power-user (though not anywhere near Guru level), and so far, the phone has not given me even a default file browser.
I really hope to find more positive things to say, as I am committed to Android now that there is hardly any other linux-y OS out there.
Thanks
E
I agree. i havent upgraded since the G1.... i was very excited ... and first hands on was huge disapointment. bloatware, yes, and no skype video ...thats an android issue but none the less the phone seemed very unorganized and i was getting a billion messages from all over the internet with the bloatware subrcribing me to every little notification.
All of your problems except for "Camera issues" will be fixed as soon as S-OFF is available, and dev's will begin porting roms and developing roms. I expect overclocking to be tremendous with this dual core processor, since the mytouch 4g can now be clocked to over 2.0 ghz.
*If you want a file manager download astro from the market.
I forgot whether it requires root or not. If that one does, there are many other file managers just search.
Seems like the judgments are extra harsh and could all be solved by software, unrooting, etc. I'm stoked to be able to overclock to 2 GHz and then some. S-OFF on the MT4GS will be awesome!!!
There are many very good free media players/music players on the market (ex. Tinyplayer) . Same with the file managers, Astro is recommended. That's what the market is there for, as they knew dovelopers could provide the device with excellent applications.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Can you confirm if google talk video chat works? I've heard it does not support it even though it's 2.3.4 . Thank you.
NAZology said:
Can you confirm if google talk video chat works? I've heard it does not support it even though it's 2.3.4 . Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems you have heard it right.
Apparently, I did not know:
1. Android 2.3.4 enabled voice/video chat for GTalk app.
2. I certainly did not know HTC/T-MO decided to disable it!
Instead, there is Qik Video Chat app from tmo. For some reason, they think it's equivalent to gtalk? *facepalm*
(Now I hope I am wrong, but I have checked all options on GTalk app, and I do not see either video or audio icon next to my contacts, even if they are available to chat on video).
Let me add that to another negative.
Shaddy-Z. said:
All of your problems except for "Camera issues" will be fixed as soon as S-OFF is available, and dev's will begin porting roms and developing roms. I expect overclocking to be tremendous with this dual core processor, since the mytouch 4g can now be clocked to over 2.0 ghz.
*If you want a file manager download astro from the market.
I forgot whether it requires root or not. If that one does, there are many other file managers just search.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I know it's pretty new device, and mods/root/s-off will be available soon. That's why I have registered here. I was just giving first impression of the stock device. Yes, I have already downloaded Astro (does not require root). Not much impressed, but gets the job done.
unclespoon said:
Seems like the judgments are extra harsh and could all be solved by software, unrooting, etc. I'm stoked to be able to overclock to 2 GHz and then some. S-OFF on the MT4GS will be awesome!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I know it would get resolved by software/unrooting. That's why I am on this forum. As I said above, these is my first impression of the stock device. And no - I don't think it's harsh at all. Sorry if I came across like that.
aronck said:
There are many very good free media players/music players on the market (ex. Tinyplayer) . Same with the file managers, Astro is recommended. That's what the market is there for, as they knew dovelopers could provide the device with excellent applications.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure there are. But my point is that there are some apps which should come by default on the phone as part of the OS (e.g. Google Search, Contact, Calendar are part of the vanilla Android), and File manager should be at the very top. Anyways, I have already downloaded Astro, and many other apps to play around with it.
I am definitely looking forward to get rid of the software as soon as I can. Otherwise, this baby will have to go back.
Thank you for your comments.
eismcsquare said:
It seems you have heard it right.
Apparently, I did not know:
1. Android 2.3.4 enabled voice/video chat for GTalk app.
2. I certainly did not know HTC/T-MO decided to disable it!
Instead, there is Qik Video Chat app from tmo. For some reason, they think it's equivalent to gtalk? *facepalm*
(Now I hope I am wrong, but I have checked all options on GTalk app, and I do not see either video or audio icon next to my contacts, even if they are available to chat on video).
Let me add that to another negative.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about Skype support since no one I know or no one those people know or those people know that know those people uses Gtalk or Qik.
rorytmeadows said:
How about Skype support since no one I know or no one those people know or those people know that know those people uses Gtalk or Qik.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Skype is audio only. No video support.
I moved from a very old android phone so this phone has so far not been able to truly lag on me.
My last phone was regular android even with stock so that is what I wanted. I'm not one to modify my home screen at all. I like the default black 2.3 look and that's what I want. Not Sense.
The fact that I have to void my warranty just to remove it makes me furious. Of course I could bring it back to none rooted state for that. Regardless I think it's hilarious that a bunch of marketing folks think they know better then I do. Heh.
I've made Android apps before and actually code for a living so it's pretty easy to tell that it's a rushed job. The sense front end has no way to disable contact finding so your phone basically becomes facebook and puts contact suggestions directly into your notifications based on your contacts.
Every single "built in" application then requires you to then agree to the terms of service for that specific application. Things like "KidZone", "Highlight", "T-Mobile Mall", "T-Mobile TV". One of the silliest ones is "doubleTwist" which when opened shows you a splash that asks you to click a "Send Email" button which sends you a link to download the app. It then removes itself off the phone. Sounds like malware to me.
So some company payed off Tmo to put this app on my phone so they can harvest my email. Yay.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
I don't have time for this bull****. Where's my cyanogenmod!!
Akujin said:
I don't have time for this bull****. Where's my cyanogenmod!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm personally hoping Faux123 cooks us some roms lol
Akujin said:
I don't have time for this bull****. Where's my cyanogenmod!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm personally hoping Blah and Sparks port PyroMod to the MT4Gs after root and S-Off are achieved. But that's just me, and I like to add as much memory as possible (A2EXT would certainly enable THAT).
Also, to OP, just wait until root is available and you'll see just how amazing Android can be. I recommend OI File Manager for a default one (this is the one preinstalled on Cyanogenmod-based ROMs). I switched to this one after too many buggy Astro updates and they started with ad-supported versions.
eismcsquare said:
Hi all,
(I just joined today - hope you would go easy on me as I am still learning the xda etiquette.)
Just received my T-mobile HTC myTouch 4G slide and activated it on Sunday.
(Now before I jump onto my first impression of the phone, let me be clear - Till Sunday, I was proud owner of Nokia N900. I still love that phone. But I had to jump onto the Android bangwagor sooner or later since Nokia decided to to WinMo way. N900 was a solid phone with an unpolished/unfinished OS. Nokia never gave it a chance to mature.)
So, please keep in mind that I am new to Android as well as HTC and the phone itself.
Here is what I liked in my one full day of playing with the hardware and the OS/Software:
1. Android is fast, stable and polished, and enough apps to install one every day for rest of my life.
2. Phone is fast, not much stutter, has not crashed yet. Data connection is stable and voice quality is good.
3. UI looks, er, shiny (I do not give much weight to this, but apparently, a lot of people do, given popularity of 'certain' phones).
4. Keyboard is good. (one of the main reasons to buy the phone, as querty keyboard is a must for me )
Now onto negatives:
1. Lack of user control - though I have flexibility in controlling a lot of things on Android, there are a lot of other things which I really want to control but can not - i.e. uninstall t-mo / HCT bloatware (see my next point).
2. Bloatware - this was a shock to me. N900 is a clean device with no crap installed. T-Mo and HTC made sure I start hating my phone on day one by giving me pre-installed uninstallable crap. Not only I do not want them, it actually confuses me. I do not have a dedicated media player - but I have a 'Media Room' with T-Mobile TV and Slacker Radio (and none of them are complete versions). Bejeweled 2, T-mo backup, Highlight, Friend Stream - the list goes on, and I can not remove any of the app.
3. Android - no default file manager. Are you kidding me?
4. Contact - multiple entries from multiple sources (i.e. 411 & more is listed 4 times - one from google, one from tmo backup, one from phone and one from sd card). I know I can link them, or disable view of some of them, but god damn it - it's confusing as hell.
5. Camera - now don't get me wrong. The camera on this phone may be one of the best among Android/iphone phones, but where it gives you a lot of megapixels, the lens (and hence the quality) does not hold water against N900. Software can not make up for hardware limitations.
6. Battery - I almost ran out of juice before I even reached home from work in the evening - and that too from very limited use. Yes, I used phone for quite a bit, but without wireless/gps. I understand the display eats battery, but come on - shouldn't a smartphone be up on batter for one full day?
I will add more as I come across.
Please note that this is not a rant - there is some genuine disappointment with my first real hands on with Android/HTC. With the bloatware on this phone, I feel like I am being take advantage off, and I hate that feeling.
I am a linux user for 12 years (personally and professionally - as a programmer) and I consider myself a power-user (though not anywhere near Guru level), and so far, the phone has not given me even a default file browser.
I really hope to find more positive things to say, as I am committed to Android now that there is hardly any other linux-y OS out there.
Thanks
E
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You say you are a Linux developer, and you are complaining about bloatware? You are kidding right?
Android1126 said:
You say you are a Linux developer, and you are complaining about bloatware? You are kidding right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please. Read the title of the post first.
I just realized something: Why hasn't the hacking/development community made a "status of root update" thread for the Doubleshot the way they did for the Vision? Permaroot and S-OFF are what's really holding me back from getting this device (PyroMod 2.3.5's speedy boot time on the Vision actually DOES rival that of dual-core phones, so I'm in no hurry to get it; I'm just asking why there isn't one).
blackknightavalon said:
I just realized something: Why hasn't the hacking/development community made a "status of root update" thread for the Doubleshot the way they did for the Vision? Permaroot and S-OFF are what's really holding me back from getting this device (PyroMod 2.3.5's speedy boot time on the Vision actually DOES rival that of dual-core phones, so I'm in no hurry to get it; I'm just asking why there isn't one).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could make it?
I just wanted to note down a few things that I wished I knew before flashing my Infuse.
Substituting your official Samsung build for unofficial ROMs like CyanogenMOD (CM) is a double edged sword. On one hand you get to play with the latest and greatest stuff...but on the other hand you have no guarantees of any kind. I'm not sure but you may be in violation of your warranty. In other words you're on your own.
Now there are forums like the Official CM forums and XDA where you'll get help if you run into issues but the bottom line is: You flashed your phone on your own responsibility. Nobody is liable for that. Nobody has any duty to resolve your issues. You may get a response, you may not. Sometimes the level of solution varies with the technical level of the person trying to help you. I may not be able to fix your problem... My suggestion may even f*** it up worse.
In my opinion, if your phone has critical data that you depend on (contacts, appointments etc)... it would be wise to stick with the OS build your phone came with. It may be old...but it has been tested by qualified engineers. All aspects of the phone are functional. And if you run into an issue, you can always pick up the phone and call somebody. When you flash your phone, there's always a minimal chance that you may lose your data (I'm not saying it always happens...but it can). You also lose the privilege of support provided by your carrier or anybody else.
Secondly, your Infuse ships with OS that has been modified by Samsung to provide you with a better experience. These are things which I'll list down at the end, that you'd lose with a custom build like CM. So you'd gain some features by trying the latest version of android but you'd lose a few features too! Because they were provided by Samsung, not by Google.
Things like:
1. No quick view in Calendar. You have to go to Agenda view in options where all entries of all dates will be visible. You cannot see daily appointments on the default Month view. Also there's no option for persistent alarm for your appointments. In the stock build my alarm for tasks used to ring for 15 minutes...now there just one ring and silence. Its a little thing but I sometimes miss the alarm and the whole purpose is lost.
2. Contacts applications is modified by Samsung. Joining contacts from different sources (facebook, twitter) into a single contact is much easier. You can do that in CM too but I had to search the Internet for that option.
You'd also get alphabets on the side of the screen while scrolling contacts. Tap an alphabet and you quickly jump to contacts that start with that alphabet. That's missing in CM too.
3. There are some widgets provided by Samsung like Running Applications widget which I absolutely loved. It would show number of running applications and a quick option to close them all. CM has a task manager and the market has applications that can replicate that functionality but I haven't found one as nifty as that little widget. Then theres a Dual Clock widget, which was important to me as I have contacts in different timezones. I could easily check their time at a glance. In short there were some gems that I miss... and I can't get with CM.
4. Messaging app was modified by Samsung to allow quick addition of a particular group (e.g. all the contacts in Family group) to senders list.
5. There was a very nice Memo app that you could store notes in for offline use. There are tons of alternatives in the market like Springpad, Evernote etc but I kinda liked that app. It had a very nice yellow legal pad template. Its a minor gripe but hey!
6. There's no swype in CM7! Samsung preloads your Infuse with swype. If you've not used swype, its an awesome way to input text. I found that I could sign up for Swype beta and use it in CM but then again....beta is a beta. It has problems.
7. Bluetooth (currently) doesn't completely work in CM7. You can transfer data but audio pairing is an issue. It doesn't bother me but it may be something you use.
8. Wifi is fine but try using Mobile Data on CM. I still haven't figured how to set up my mobilink GPRS internet. I tried setting up the APN with the same settings as on the stock build but it doesn't seem to work. It worked fine under Samsung. But YMMV. It may be particular to my network and CM build.
9. There's no voice search in google search widget. I had to install an apk from net to get it working. It wouldn't even show up in the market.
10. Also you'll lose all your settings in applications. You'll get your apps back from the market (Even the Paid ones...you won't have to re-purchase) but you'll have to set them up all again just the way you want. That may not be such a big deal for some but it may irk you. Also don't use Titanium Backup to restore you app data. I tried that and every f***ing app would crash every ten minutes. I had to reflash again.
11. Your partitions will show up different in the file manager. For example your internal sd card (as it showed up in stock build) will be mounted under 'emmc'. I had to look online for that. Now that may not be a major thing but it screwed up a lot of app data links.
12. Lastly CM isn't even official for Infuse yet. All you have are volunteers packaging builds for Infuse. Hats off to their hard work! But as a user.... you are the tester! So if you're comfortable running untested beta grade software only then go for CM7 on your infuse. Otherwise stick with the stock build.
I'll keep adding other differences as I remember and discover them. You guys can pitch in too.
This post is by no means an attempt to belittle CM. Its an excellent ROM. It has its own advantages which you can read up on its website. I'm just highlighting some tradeoffs so that new users like myself exactly know what they're giving up.
So if you still want to go ahead and flash your Infuse, full power to you. At least you'll be making an informed decision. Just please backup your critical data. Sync your contacts with Google. Back up your music and videos, messages, downloads etc.
Go here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1400375 for the latest CM7 build for Infuse.
Enjoy the CM awesomeness! Best of Luck
This is what distinguishes the men from the boys...or should I say android from apple....be cause we have options....yea...it voids your warranty..who cares...my dedutibke on my insurance and wait time for warranty repair isn't worth it. First we have options, apple doesn't, so if your scared say your scared and buy an iPhone...and as long as you have a back up you will not lose any critical info.. I flash my phone about 20 times or more a day testing out my rom builds and themes and have bricked a hundred times and all info is intact...if you stay stock on infuse...slow, laggy, bad signal.....this is why us devs work so hard ...so your phone and you don't....happy hollidays
Sent from my SGH-I997 using xda premium
dman3285 said:
This is what distinguishes the men from the boys...or should I say android from apple....be cause we have options....yea...it voids your warranty..who cares...my dedutibke on my insurance and wait time for warranty repair isn't worth it. First we have options, apple doesn't, so if your scared say your scared and buy an iPhone...and as long as you have a back up you will not lose any critical info.. I flash my phone about 20 times or more a day testing out my rom builds and themes and have bricked a hundred times and all info is intact...if you stay stock on infuse...slow, laggy, bad signal.....this is why us devs work so hard ...so your phone and you don't....happy hollidays
Sent from my SGH-I997 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said bro...just came off a semi-hard brick and I'm back in business. And you can believe I'll keep flashing. CM7 isn't the only game in town. We've had a tidal wave of ports and even a couple infuse-based roms (thanks D) that can cater to anyones needs. All you gotta do is read and enjoy all the hard work these devs put in.
sbjaved - Thanks so much for this! i just flashed CM10, and am discovering what i've lost (From the latest samsung gingerbread leak) - and what i've gained! two days in and it's so worth it - The only thing i miss is MHL and quite frankly, it's a small loss.
-Woody
Experienced heartbreak in purchasing slider & flip phones off of eBay, which worked for seller only days before, but then learning that Verizon will not activate any new lines for 3G, slider, flip, CDMA devices. This has always been a great way to give kids a first phone, a phone that will only do call & text. So, turned to old family inventory or new companies that specialize in a modern phone with internet or social media interaction. Enter Gabb Wireless or Pinwheel. Landed on Gabb Wireless, but my bride wants me to try to mod an old Verizon bone stock Galaxy S5. Of course...& I'm sure many of you have been there...some guy we know was able to do it with his kid's phone...so now I should be able to do it. Never mind this guy is a software dev and most likely using an iOS phone. So, gauntlet thrown down, challenge issued. I've been doing a lot of digging & don't know if this can be done with this build. Here's what we have:
G900V, bone stock Verizon
Build number = MMB29M.G900VVRU2DQL1
Security patch level = 8/1/17
Let me know if any other specs would be helpful.
Thank you kindly.
EternalWorth said:
Experienced heartbreak in purchasing slider & flip phones off of eBay, which worked for seller only days before, but then learning that Verizon will not activate any new lines for 3G, slider, flip, CDMA devices. This has always been a great way to give kids a first phone, a phone that will only do call & text. So, turned to old family inventory or new companies that specialize in a modern phone with internet or social media interaction. Enter Gabb Wireless or Pinwheel. Landed on Gabb Wireless, but my bride wants me to try to mod an old Verizon bone stock Galaxy S5. Of course...& I'm sure many of you have been there...some guy we know was able to do it with his kid's phone...so now I should be able to do it. Never mind this guy is a software dev and most likely using an iOS phone. So, gauntlet thrown down, challenge issued. I've been doing a lot of digging & don't know if this can be done with this build. Here's what we have:
G900V, bone stock Verizon
Build number = MMB29M.G900VVRU2DQL1
Security patch level = 8/1/17
Let me know if any other specs would be helpful.
Thank you kindly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure why you don't just go buy a burner flip phone from Walmart? I thought those could still be activated.
If not, you'd have to disable the portion of the kernel that handles data. Let's be honest, this is a ~10 year old device so you won't find much assistance unfortunately.
Oh yeah, forgot, this is Android 6.0.1.
As for the query, you're right...I could do the burner/fip/slider thing, perhaps...but, truly, it appears all carriers across the board are throwing off 3G devices as fast as they can. I did see some of the rough service basic phones have 4G capability, but can't justify price on those things. Tough balance to strike as we're doing some traveling where VZW is the only network that's really reliable...& trying to get a child the best camera possible on the devices we have, so they can take pics of stuff they may never see again. Old basic phones are pretty challenging to text on, too. Anyway, we have an old iPod Touch someone threw away, plus the S5. S5 has the better cameras. But it's one of the last builds they sold for Verizon...and I don't ever remember there being a way to unlock the bootloader on that build...the G900V. But, regardless, I still can't find a way to shut down mobile & Wi-Fi on it. I think they have a Verizon family app that will let you shut down the web, but it is extra per month, of course. Appreciate the feedback, for sure. This is just the DIY kinda life, I reckon: constantly trying to refurb, reuse the old stuff, fix stuff yourself, do without...all to live w/in your means & save dinero.
EternalWorth said:
Oh yeah, forgot, this is Android 6.0.1.
As for the query, you're right...I could do the burner/fip/slider thing, perhaps...but, truly, it appears all carriers across the board are throwing off 3G devices as fast as they can. I did see some of the rough service basic phones have 4G capability, but can't justify price on those things. Tough balance to strike as we're doing some traveling where VZW is the only network that's really reliable...& trying to get a child the best camera possible on the devices we have, so they can take pics of stuff they may never see again. Old basic phones are pretty challenging to text on, too. Anyway, we have an old iPod Touch someone threw away, plus the S5. S5 has the better cameras. But it's one of the last builds they sold for Verizon...and I don't ever remember there being a way to unlock the bootloader on that build...the G900V. But, regardless, I still can't find a way to shut down mobile & Wi-Fi on it. I think they have a Verizon family app that will let you shut down the web, but it is extra per month, of course. Appreciate the feedback, for sure. This is just the DIY kinda life, I reckon: constantly trying to refurb, reuse the old stuff, fix stuff yourself, do without...all to live w/in your means & save dinero.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean there is a way to unlock the bootloader if you look on XDA. https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...ootloader-using-dev-bootloader-kk-mm.3337909/ The Verizon S5 was the worst model out of all of the US carrier variants.
EternalWorth said:
This has always been a great way to give kids a first phone, a phone that will only do call & text. So, turned to old family inventory or new companies that specialize in a modern phone with internet or social media interaction. Enter Gabb Wireless or Pinwheel. Landed on Gabb Wireless, but my bride wants me to try to mod an old Verizon bone stock Galaxy S5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know this thread is almost a year old, and I'm sorry I'm late to the party, but I had the same idea!
My kids had been using Gabb Wireless for a while, and we were mostly happy with the service, but I wanted the option to install other useful apps on their phones without giving them access to the web. So, I bought a couple of old Galaxy S5 SM-G900V (Verizon version) phones, and I think I've succeeded in modifying them in a way that will prevent the kids from surfing the internet or installing their own apps. I thought I'd post my method here, in case anyone is still interested. Here's what I did:
Install Safestrap Recovery. (Follow this guide, up to and including the step where you install Safestrap. Skip the remaining steps in the guide.)
Boot into Safestrap Recovery and flash jrkruse's “slightly de-bloated” stock Marshmallow rom from here.
Use either ADB or Safestrap to remove any system apps that would allow kids to browse the web or download their own apps. (To delete unwanted system apps using Safestrap recovery, click Mount and make sure the system partition is mounted. Also make sure the “Mount system partition read-only” box is unchecked. Then go back and click Advanced > File Manager, and edit or remove system files as desired.) The web browser is already removed from jrkruse's rom, but I also removed the following apps:
from /system/app:
Gmail2
SamsungSetupWizard
SecEmail_K
InteractiveTutorial [This is the Samsung Help app.]
SamsungAppsWidget_Phone_Carrier_VZW
from /system/priv-app:
Velvet [this is the Google search app]
SamsungUpdates [this includes the Samsung Apps store and “Galaxy essentials,” which would allow kids to download and install their own apps]
GoogleOneTimeInitializer
SetupWizard
from /data/app:
com.android.vending-1 [this is the Google Play Store]
Edit the settings APK file to disable the option to remove the option to install apps from “uknown sources” (Settings > Security > Uknown Sources) so that users can’t enable that option. This will prevent kids from installing apps by sideloading (e.g. copying apps from a friend's phone via SD card.) Apps can still be installed via recovery or ADB, but most kids won't know how to do that.
To edit the settings APK properly, you could follow this guide, but I used a much hackier method and basically just sabotaged the security_settings_misc.xml file inside SecSettings.apk, so that the settings app crashes if the user tries to open and modify those settings.
I've attached my modified settings file. You can put it on the phone's SD card, then use Safestrap to copy it to system/priv-app/SecSettings. Save the original settings file first (or just rename it and change the filename extension) so that you can restore it later if needed.