Database Info

Noob question sorry, is nexus s plain android or is there bloatware installed?

About to buy one and I just wanna know
Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk

Pure vanilla Android.

There's a bunch of stuff preinstalled on it, but it's all Google stuff; I don't think there's any third-party apps.

It's not plain android, there's a bunch of Google bloatware.

JCopernicus said:
It's not plain android, there's a bunch of Google bloatware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm curious as to what you consider Google bloatware, because the Nexus S is about as plain as you can get. Most of the time bloatware is stuff added by OEMs, such as the preinstalled demo games on the MT4G. Mind elaborating?

I can't speak for JC, but in my mind, anything that comes preinstalled on a device which I neither want nor need is bloatware. This, of course, makes the entire concept subjective, but in general with things like Android, I think less is more, since you can download nearly all of these things from the Market anyway. The consumer-side justification of "bloatware" (revenue for the provider, of course, being the primary, producer-side justification) is to present the user with access to a service they might otherwise not know to look for. ("Oh, hey, my phone can play TV/can display YouTube/has internet radio/whatever!"). For most of us though, particularly anyone savvy enough to be on XDA in the first place, most of it ends up falling into one of three categories:
-Don't care about
-Use a different app for
-Would have downloaded if it wasn't included.
In any case, I've observed that what most people have the biggest issue with isn't that stuff may come preinstalled on their phone, it's that you can't get rid of it, and if you do, you may well open yourself to a world of trouble should you ever wish to install an OTA update.

I would consider it plain android, as the "bloatware" on it is really only google apps, which come with all android phones. It doesn't have bloatware from a third party though like some of the other android phones. Either way, bloatware can be removed off any rooted phone with titanium backup

zorak950 said:
I can't speak for JC, but in my mind, anything that comes preinstalled on a device which I neither want nor need is bloatware. This, of course, makes the entire concept subjective, but in general with things like Android, I think less is more, since you can download nearly all of these things from the Market anyway. The consumer-side justification of "bloatware" (revenue for the provider, of course, being the primary, producer-side justification) is to present the user with access to a service they might otherwise not know to look for. ("Oh, hey, my phone can play TV/can display YouTube/has internet radio/whatever!"). For most of us though, particularly anyone savvy enough to be on XDA in the first place, most of it ends up falling into one of three categories:
-Don't care about
-Use a different app for
-Would have downloaded if it wasn't included.
In any case, I've observed that what most people have the biggest issue with isn't that stuff may come preinstalled on their phone, it's that you can't get rid of it, and if you do, you may well open yourself to a world of trouble should you ever wish to install an OTA update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair enough points.
Unfortunately, we still run into that last issue even on the Nexus S. Folks were unable to update via the stock 2.3.1 OTA if they had modified system files, such replacing the stock Mms.apk or Gmail.apk with the black/custom ones from the Themes & Apps section or deleting any of their relevant .odexs. Even placing the missing files back on the system partition didn't seem to work, at least for me. It was a very curious update.

unremarked said:
Fair enough points.
Unfortunately, we still run into that last issue even on the Nexus S. Folks were unable to update via the stock 2.3.1 OTA if they had modified system files, such replacing the stock Mms.apk or Gmail.apk with the black/custom ones from the Themes & Apps section or deleting any of their relevant .odexs. Even placing the missing files back on the system partition didn't seem to work, at least for me. It was a very curious update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I soft-bricked my Vibrant trying to grab T-Mobile's OTA after I took it upon myself to delete all the extraneous crapware that came with it. They can be very touchy indeed. It's a steep learning curve for newbies. x_x

Next question,how is t mobiles 4G .I live in knox tn. Anyone know?
Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk

So it doesn't have the useless Amazon mp3 app anymore like the nexus one?

evilsock said:
Next question,how is t mobiles 4G .I live in knox tn. Anyone know?
Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No HSPA+ (it's not 4G!) on the Nexus S. Don't ask me why, it boggles my mind too.
NexusDro said:
So it doesn't have the useless Amazon mp3 app anymore like the nexus one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No Amazon MP3 app installed. Just made me look at my app drawer to confirm, lol.

NexusDro said:
So it doesn't have the useless Amazon mp3 app anymore like the nexus one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, they put google earth in its place.

There is also that office app that is NOT a google product...so yea, there is a bit of bloat, but pretty much it is vanilla.

ZeroSX said:
No HSPA+ (it's not 4G!) on the Nexus S. Don't ask me why, it boggles my mind too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, but it does still support up to 7.2Mbps down which you'll only get in a t-mobile 4g area.
I was just in Orlando and i was getting around 5-6Mbps on my N1 and in a Nexus S i was testing at best buy and it was pretty damn fast. puts my DSL connection at home to shame.

mcosmi said:
There is also that office app that is NOT a google product...so yea, there is a bit of bloat, but pretty much it is vanilla.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think Google has an office app for Android. Every device has launched with some kind of partnered 3rd party, either ThinkFree, or Quickoffice. At least, I think those are the two they've used.
If they didn't, you wouldn't be able to read any kind of text document on your phone and that's just kind of a silly thing to not be able to do, imo.
EDIT: And on that note, Google should probably make a office app! lol

Who really cares whats installed or not, EVERYTHING can be uninstalled.

after using ThinkFREE for a while on the Galaxy S, i can say it's really good
way better than the Docs To Go and/or QuickOffice which i'm using on the XT720
but truth is... you don't need any of those with Google Office online, it's so much easier to keep things and work with documents using Google Office Online

Anyone Recieve Update On ATT?

The Official update page. If someone receives us tell us so we can all enjoy actually using our SD cards
I still haven't
Fun Fact: My phone was rooted but I wanted this update so I factory reset it and now it is not rooted - alternative to using ODIN So you can receive the update!

I check for updates daily and so far nothing.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337

AT&T drags their feet sometimes on phone updates, no telling when you will get it

Capt said:
I check for updates daily and so far nothing.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok I want to use my SD card hah!
joshuadjohnson22 said:
AT&T drags their feet sometimes on phone updates, no telling when you will get it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know I used to have the HTC One X that only took them a year hahha!

You guys will be refreshing for a long while. I would not expect ATT to release this for a month or two if not longer unless Samsung releases it via Kies. Plus I would wait until we confirm root and Loki works on it or you will regret you ever updated.
Plus from what I read the move to SD card is a joke it moves app but not data. Example the app for a game can be 15mb but the data it downloads can be 2gb in size. Well the 15mb would move but not the 2gb.

sabre31 said:
You guys will be refreshing for a long while. I would not expect ATT to release this for a month or two if not longer unless Samsung releases it via Kies. Plus I would wait until we confirm root and Loki works on it or you will regret you ever updated.
Plus from what I read the move to SD card is a joke it moves app but not data. Example the app for a game can be 15mb but the data it downloads can be 2gb in size. Well the 15mb would move but not the 2gb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep. That's why I got the 32GB :laugh:

sabre31 said:
Plus from what I read the move to SD card is a joke it moves app but not data. Example the app for a game can be 15mb but the data it downloads can be 2gb in size. Well the 15mb would move but not the 2gb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I was looking at how the big games I have put their large extra files into data.
Advanced rooted users could move them microSD and then symlink to them, and don't need an update to do it...
I'm looking at Asphalt 7 and it is just one big 1.05GB file (is that typical?) so it would be pretty easy for those who have root and know their way around the terminal (or ROM toolbox apparently has a 'create shortcut' function).

ATT S3 still didnt get Premium Package...it's been out since november. So my guess is, you can stop refreshing the update, you birthday will pass before this update is release to you guys

polish_pat said:
ATT S3 still didnt get Premium Package...it's been out since november. So my guess is, you can stop refreshing the update, you birthday will pass before this update is release to you guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would normally agree with you about this, but the AMDL update was pushed pretty quick for this phone and Designgears already has his hands on a leak of the new firmware updatet. So I would say it might come out a little sooner than updates for other phones are released. But it's still hard to know exactly when.
For everyone else...
I'm not sure why people with AT&T S4s are checking for this OTA anyway? The only safe way to get it will be to let the DEVs check it and release it. With the I9505 update already being cooked into ROMs, I doubt there will be any further benefit to the AT&T release. Give it a little time and more DEVs will safely include it in future ROM updates if they choose to. It is their choice.
When AT&T does start to push this OTA, DO NOT INSTALL IT! Wait until the final release has been checked and cleared by the DEVs. Consider this a warning so if you install it or do not protect yourself from it auto-installing, it is your own fault! No excuses.

scott14719 said:
I would normally agree with you about this, but the AMDL update was pushed pretty quick for this phone and Designgears already has his hands on a leak of the new firmware updatet. So I would say it might come out a little sooner than updates for other phones are released. But it's still hard to know exactly when.
For everyone else...
I'm not sure why people with AT&T S4s are checking for this OTA anyway? The only safe way to get it will be to let the DEVs check it and release it. With the I9505 update already being cooked into ROMs, I doubt there will be any further benefit to the AT&T release. Give it a little time and more DEVs will safely include it in future ROM updates if they choose to. It is their choice.
When AT&T does start to push this OTA, DO NOT INSTALL IT! Wait until the final release has been checked and cleared by the DEVs. Consider this a warning so if you install it or do not protect yourself from it auto-installing, it is your own fault! No excuses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hand on a leak?
I thought he was just looking at the international update..

scott14719 said:
I would normally agree with you about this, but the AMDL update was pushed pretty quick for this phone and Designgears already has his hands on a leak of the new firmware updatet. So I would say it might come out a little sooner than updates for other phones are released. But it's still hard to know exactly when.
For everyone else...
I'm not sure why people with AT&T S4s are checking for this OTA anyway? The only safe way to get it will be to let the DEVs check it and release it. With the I9505 update already being cooked into ROMs, I doubt there will be any further benefit to the AT&T release. Give it a little time and more DEVs will safely include it in future ROM updates if they choose to. It is their choice.
When AT&T does start to push this OTA, DO NOT INSTALL IT! Wait until the final release has been checked and cleared by the DEVs. Consider this a warning so if you install it or do not protect yourself from it auto-installing, it is your own fault! No excuses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By this, do you mean the Internation update? Because thats pretty much useless for us

polish_pat said:
By this, do you mean the Internation update? Because thats pretty much useless for us
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In it's raw released form, it is useless, but Developers are already using portions of the update in their AT&T ROMs.
Example...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2313469
Again, I highly recommend you do not touch the AT&T version of the update (when it is released) until DEVs can rip out the safe parts and make them available to AT&T users. It's up to you if you want to take the chance or not.

haloimplant said:
Yeah I was looking at how the big games I have put their large extra files into data.
Advanced rooted users could move them microSD and then symlink to them, and don't need an update to do it...
I'm looking at Asphalt 7 and it is just one big 1.05GB file (is that typical?) so it would be pretty easy for those who have root and know their way around the terminal (or ROM toolbox apparently has a 'create shortcut' function).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can download foldermount from the play store and have it move app data to the sdcard and remount it there. It creates the symlink automatically works very well but you have to be rooted.

scott14719 said:
In it's raw released form, it is useless, but Developers are already using portions of the update in their AT&T ROMs.
Example...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2313469
Again, I highly recommend you do not touch the AT&T version of the update (when it is released) until DEVs can rip out the safe parts and make them available to AT&T users. It's up to you if you want to take the chance or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This. A thousand times over. If you just go around flashing any at&t ota updates, your bootloader will undoubtedly be permanently locked, and you'll probably lose root too.
If you want to be the guinea pig everyone else learns from, then go ahead, me, I'd rather wait.
Sent from my SGH-I337

Shammyh said:
This. A thousand times over. If you just go around flashing any at&t ota updates, your bootloader will undoubtedly be permanently locked, and you'll probably lose root too.
If you want to be the guinea pig everyone else learns from, then go ahead, me, I'd rather wait.
Sent from my SGH-I337
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be fair, people really want to put all of their apps on their SD cards, myself incluided

some_douchebag said:
To be fair, people really want to put all of their apps on their SD cards, myself incluided
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why? How many gb's of apps do you really need or use?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app

some_douchebag said:
To be fair, people really want to put all of their apps on their SD cards, myself incluided
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you know things load faster when it's on internal memory? Then youll come up with an argument of get a high class card right. Just saying, things load faster on internal and how many Gbs do you even use for apps? Just curious

j510 said:
Did you know things load faster when it's on internal memory? Then youll come up with an argument of get a high class card right. Just saying, things load faster on internal and how many Gbs do you even use for apps? Just curious
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking of using it for like, Spotify, where the music gets download onto your device, assuming the music would then be downloaded onto my ext sd as well...using a 16gb at the moment. Oh wait, kidding, 9.whatever gb -_-

update took away bug
on MDB I had a lockscreen bug. sometimes I would swipe and the phone wouldn't recognize it. MDL fixed it.

ToastyD said:
I was thinking of using it for like, Spotify, where the music gets download onto your device, assuming the music would then be downloaded onto my ext sd as well...using a 16gb at the moment. Oh wait, kidding, 9.whatever gb -_-
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Spotify is only a couple Mb if not less. What you have to do is contact the developer of the app to include save downloads to sd if its not already available.

[Q] The android "Encryption" mystery

OK lets hope i got this in to the right forum,
Ive search high and low and come to the conclusion that android in general sucks big balls when it comes to encryption your phone. In general somewhere after gingerbread android added some security by adding a device encryption in your Security setting that encrypts your phones (internal) storage and ROM partitions and thats great even if you have to enter your full 16-32 character encryption password/pin every time you unlock your phone, your phone is somewhat secure, that is if you dont use a SD card. All the info on the SD card is still totally open.
So to my mystery question: why is this Encryption option missing from so many ROMS?? is it only Samsung that cares about Encryption and gives many of its models full encryption...I really dont get it.
I have a Samsung galaxy s3 clone that has this Encryption and its great, i was just about to buy a really sweet Chinese phone with all the bells and whistles but it lacks the Encryption option like so many others famous and less famous brands....Why...why......why...
any thoughts, answers or are you just as flabbergasted as me??

Yes, and flabbergasted that so little people are talking about good solutions for encrypting all data. For example the lack of replies to this post
I am using Slimkat Rom with also the encrypt sd card option missing.
Isn't there a way like updating an apk or something to get the encrypt SD Card option back?

zozew said:
OK lets hope i got this in to the right forum,
Ive search high and low and come to the conclusion that android in general sucks big balls when it comes to encryption your phone. In general somewhere after gingerbread android added some security by adding a device encryption in your Security setting that encrypts your phones (internal) storage and ROM partitions and thats great even if you have to enter your full 16-32 character encryption password/pin every time you unlock your phone, your phone is somewhat secure, that is if you dont use a SD card. All the info on the SD card is still totally open.
So to my mystery question: why is this Encryption option missing from so many ROMS?? is it only Samsung that cares about Encryption and gives many of its models full encryption...I really dont get it.
I have a Samsung galaxy s3 clone that has this Encryption and its great, i was just about to buy a really sweet Chinese phone with all the bells and whistles but it lacks the Encryption option like so many others famous and less famous brands....Why...why......why...
any thoughts, answers or are you just as flabbergasted as me??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And the privacy of yout data from within Android? As a Blackberry user, I'm used in allowing what I let and what I don't let the apps access!

I know it's crazy, but look at this screen shot and tell me your not jealous... It's from my galaxy s3 running stock 4.3, all custom roms omit the sdcard options and Samsung is the only brand I've seen adding this option
Sent from my SC-03E using xda app-developers app

So really? No custom roms with the encrypt SD Card option?

Kouwawa said:
So really? No custom roms with the encrypt SD Card option?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really hope there is, but i havent seen it yet. only thing would be to buy a samsung. im not sure if there is some special hardware samsung is using for the encryption part, if not i dont get it not being availabe in other roms.
And you are so right about the Android community not commenting or even mentioning the lack of encryption. Its almost like people dont want it....which to me sound totally ludicrous. who wouldnt want their data secure in this day and age....right??? I mean iphones are secure since....the stone ages.....common guys wake up, make some noise!!! we want encryption!!!!
that was my 5cents worth haha

zozew said:
I really hope there is, but i havent seen it yet. only thing would be to buy a samsung. im not sure if there is some special hardware samsung is using for the encryption part, if not i dont get it not being availabe in other roms.
And you are so right about the Android community not commenting or even mentioning the lack of encryption. Its almost like people dont want it....which to me sound totally ludicrous. who wouldnt want their data secure in this day and age....right??? I mean iphones are secure since....the stone ages.....common guys wake up, make some noise!!! we want encryption!!!!
that was my 5cents worth haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't forget, if you encrypt data, you better have a backup of it!! Maybe that's the reason why only a few people use encryption features both on PCs and mobile devices!

zozew said:
I know it's crazy, but look at this screen shot and tell me your not jealous... It's from my galaxy s3 running stock 4.3, all custom roms omit the sdcard options and Samsung is the only brand I've seen adding this option
Sent from my SC-03E using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I attached a pic, the option is available on HTC One M8 though ironically enough it's not in the security settings, it's actually in the storage overview, but the ability to encrypt it IS there :good:
Sorry, I stumbled upon this thread while looking for a way to encrypt and protect specific folders on the SD Card as the young ones use the device too and I'd rather protect work related and some "vulgar so-called funny pics" I get sent from BBM, Hangouts etc. I just had to reply on this thread though because the encryption option is on at least the new HTC.

BerndM14 said:
I attached a pic, the option is available on HTC One M8 though ironically enough it's not in the security settings, it's actually in the storage overview, but the ability to encrypt it IS there :good:
Sorry, I stumbled upon this thread while looking for a way to encrypt and protect specific folders on the SD Card as the young ones use the device too and I'd rather protect work related and some "vulgar so-called funny pics" I get sent from BBM, Hangouts etc. I just had to reply on this thread though because the encryption option is on at least the new HTC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow finally another handset with encryption, so what about the internal memory?can you encrypt the phone? heard rumors the next android version will be more secure...lets hope so...

zozew said:
Wow finally another handset with encryption, so what about the internal memory?can you encrypt the phone? heard rumors the next android version will be more secure...lets hope so...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Option is there to encrypt internal storage yes.
Yeah let's hope it's more secure and that google doesn't put in backdoors while playing pretend that the security is off the charts "good"..

Starting with your brand new Galaxy Note 3

This thread is a starting point for Galaxy Note 3 owners.
So, well, let's get started.
What is my phone called in these forums?
International Variant - Snapdragon Processor - Quad Core (Unless you know otherwise, this is the one you most probably have)
SM-N9005
hltexx
hlte
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
International Variant - Exynos Processor - Octa Core (Launched in markets where 4G is not very prevalent)
SM-N900
SM-N9000
ha3g
ha3gxx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Carrier Variant - Snapdragon Processor
hltetmo - SM-N900T - T-Mobile US
hltespr - SM-N900P - Sprint
hlteusc - SM-N900R4 - US Cellular
hltecan/hlteub - SM-N900W8 - Canada
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NOTE- If you bought your device from Europe or the American continent, it might be region locked. This would typically be depicted by a sticker on the side of the box that your device came in. This means that you cannot use it in another region.
Samsung claims that this restriction is lifted after you use the device in the home region for 5 minutes worth of calling, but many users have complained that this did not work.
My shiny new phone came with Android 4.3 but the moment I booted it up, it wanted to update itself.
In mid January, Kitkat (Android 4.4.2) was released for the Galaxy Note 3. If you update your phone, you will probably get to this version.
Should you upgrade to Kitkat?
The only reason to not upgrade your phone would be if you want to root you phone while keeping your knox warranty intact. (We will come to these terms in a minute).
If you don't want to root your phone, or you don't care about the knox warranty, there is no harm in upgrading.
The upgrade brings with it some noticeable improvement in speed and slightly improved multi-window and recoloured status bar icons. If there were any other visible changes, I have forgotten.
What is root?
Root is basically an administrator user in linux environment.
Cool. What does it have to do with my phone?
Hey, no need to get snarky.
Android is basically a Java Interface running on top of a linux environment.
So rooting your device gives you unparalleled access on your device.
You get to modify the system files, play with the CPU speed and the lot.
A million different ways to screw up your phone, basically.
What is KNOX?
KNOX is a proprietary software developed by Samsung. It was released with the Note 3 and even backported to other Samsung devices.
It allows you to run a separate environment for some particular apps on your phone. This adds a layer of security as it allows you to keep your sensitive data in a separate environment.
If you tamper with the phone's OS files (by rooting and such), the bootloader marks your Knox Warranty to be void.
This can also be used by Samsung to deny you warranty.
Once your KNOX is tripped, there is absolutely no way to go back.
How do I root my phone?
There are two ways.
Root De La Vega - This allows you to root without tripping your knox. But it doesn't work on newer firmwares. Visit the link to get more details.
CF-Auto-Root - Works on all devices and all firmwares but trips the knox.
There are a couple more methods of obtaining root, namely Klingo and vRoot, but they are both under suspicion of being malware designed to steal your personal data.
Which is the best ROM for this phone?
Asking such questions. Shame on you.
If there is anything else that you think should be added here, let me know.

First of all, it ships with 4.3, not 4.2.2. Next, there are other root options, like Kingo root. Where you talk about what the phones are called on these forums, you forgot a major distinction: quad-core versus octa-core. Also, it's extremely misleading to say that those are the only reasons not to upgrade to 4.4. Haven't you seen all that drama about apps not being able to access the SD card?!
Please edit this information in quickly. I don't want to see this well-intentioned post doing more harm than good.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

The only significant drawback of KitKat on N9005 - no call recording program works without root.

rossiza said:
The only significant drawback of KitKat on N9005 - no call recording program works without root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So media players not being able to access media files on the SD card is not a "significant issue?!"
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

CZroe said:
So media players not being able to access media files on the SD card is not a "significant issue?!"
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think no, because the developers app just need to update their app to KK to access SD card again...
But that call recorder problem... I didn't know about that. And I didn't like it too. You never know when you need to record a carrier, boss or even family call to proof something.

WandersonGD said:
I think no, because the developers app just need to update their app to KK to access SD card again...
But that call recorder problem... I didn't know about that. And I didn't like it too. You never know when you need to record a carrier, boss or even family call to proof something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even when they do, they can only access their own data on the SD cards. If I have four media players then I need four DUPLICATE media libraries on my card, which is ridiculous. Actually, they can access it in read-only, which means you need a file manager to create the shared directory and then... OOPS! There's no way to manage the media and make a directory and move them together without a PC because AOSP and stock Android do not have system app file managers. This is a MAJOR oversight.
My last phone was an Xperia with barely any internal storage. When my Amazon MP3 app downloads my purchased albums, Google Play Music can't find or play it because it wasn't included as a system app on my Xperia phone. Furthermore, there is no stock file manager on Timescape. Have you ever tried to use the one included with TouchWiz?! It's laughable! They actually broke functionality with ICS that they STILL haven't fixed (no way to make home screen shortcuts to folders)!
KitKat's problems run a lot deeper than no call recording without root, which was something you were not supposed to be able to do in the first place.
Few people use or expect call recording. Almost everyone with a phone has video and audio players, especially those with a large external SD card.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

Another incorrect piece of info:
NOTE- If you bought your device from Europe or the American continent, it might be region locked. This would typically be depicted by a sticker on the side of the box that your device came in. This means that you cannot use it in another country.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use it in another country without issue... So long as that country is part of the region your phone is meant for!
You can use a German Note 3 in France without any fear of region lock issues. Just don't try to use it in the US.

Alright, OP: if we are going to make this thread work, we've got a lot of editing to do.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

CZroe said:
So media players not being able to access media files on the SD card is not a "significant issue?!"
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am on kitkat on my N9005 stock and unrooted, i never had this issue. Just took my SD card off my 9100 and plugged it in and i was playing all my songs/vids off my SD all the way from shipped 4.3 to kitkat...
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

N1T15H said:
I am on kitkat on my N9005 stock and unrooted, i never had this issue. Just took my SD card off my 9100 and plugged it in and i was playing all my songs/vids off my SD all the way from shipped 4.3 to kitkat...
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Like I said, it works with existing files as read-only but doesn't work for cloud downloads. For example, Google Play Music and Amazon MP3 can't share downloaded media libraries unless one is a system app. They can share what's already on the card but they can only download to their protected folders which the other app can't see/access.
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CZroe said:
First of all, it ships with 4.3, not 4.2.2. Next, there are other root options, like Kingo root. Where you talk about what the phone's are called on these forums, you forgot a major distinction: quad-core versus octa-core. Also, it's extremely misleading to say that those are the only reasons not to upgrade to 4.4. Haven't you seen all that drama about apps not being able to access the SD card?!
Please edit this information in quickly. As it stands, I think this post is doing more harm than good.
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Updated the CPU cores part, the root part (Though Klingo and vroot are still banned from XDA for being malware)
The SD card issue was sorted in the OTA updates of Kitkat.

CZroe said:
Alright, OP: if we are going to make this thread work, we've got a lot of editing to do.
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Corrected.

The combination of KNOX, Kitkat 4.4.2 Symmy negative features, the apparent region-lock issue not resolved and the inability to revert back to 4.3 is a pretty big reason to look for another brand, anybody agree? What do I need a Ferrari for if the speed limit is 50 Km/h ?

koskhandeh said:
The combination of KNOX, Kitkat 4.4.2 Symmy negative features, the apparent region-lock issue not resolved and the inability to revert back to 4.3 is a pretty big reason to look for another brand, anybody agree? What do I need a Ferrari for if the speed limit is 50 Km/h ?
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Click to collapse
Switching to another brand won't help reverting to 4.3 with Sony or LG is the same thing I know cause I own both of those phones along with my note 3
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Finally fixed my battery drain

Hi. After months of searching and no luck I finally found what caused my battery drain. I had strong overheating near the camera so I decided to search a bit on that. Turned out MicroSD problem. I had ~20.000 files on it (and search indexing was doing all this crap). People reported overheating gone after removing the SD. I deleted the files and voila - no more overheating and drain for me. Its back to the normal battery life when I bought it. It used to drain 5% every 10 minutes before. Many of you probably know this but I thought it may help someone.

Hmm.. What size sd did you have installed? What's your rig? What manufacturer, sd?
I have experienced the over heating as well.. Right underneath the camera lens. And yes, more noticeable when playing games.. (that possibly have data stored on sd)
Note 3, rooted, stock ROM
Galaxy gear 1, rooted, null_rom, stock launcher
.werd.

Yes, that happens. It's been mentioned in the quite numerous battery threads around here repeatedly.
- You may have one or more corrupt files. Hook the card up to a computer (via a cardreader or slot) and do a global search for 0kb files on it. Delete all 0kb media files (ignore the playlists and .nomedia.)
- Drop a .nomedia file in every folder you don't need to see in your gallery, Stock video or Stock musicplayer. This tells mediascanner to skip that folder. It applies to all subfolders as well, so dropping one in your ebook folder is enough to exclude all folders within that folder. (so anything containing stored maps, documents, textfiles, apks, appfiles (you can safely srop one in the Android folder, if Android hasn't already done so.), books, etc canbe safely excluded. If you find you need the folder shown somewhere after all, just delete the file.)
You can copy the ones already existing in several folders on the phone (Android creates them.). May need to enable hidden files first.
For instance, I have one folder containing a total of 24.238 files in 1.439 folders. These are all saved websites for documentation when I don't have internet access. Before I dropped a .nomedia file in my 'Websites' folder, my battery drained within a mere few hours, and the phone always ran hot. Dropped a .nomedia file in there, problem solved. Indexingservice skips the folder entirely, and I can access it via the filemanager (ES in my case, but stock works too.)
The Stock players rely on the Indexingservice. If you use an alternative music player, you can also add one to your music library. (Keep in mind this might disable the album arts. On N7 it works fine, haven't tested the rest.) Quickpic can be set to show folders hidden by a .nomedia file.
Videoplayers use Indexingservice, so adding a .nomedia file to the video folders excludes them from the videoplayers. You can still launch the video from your filemanager though. No issue there.
Oh, and ringtones, alarms and notifications require indexingservice, so don't add a nomedia file there.

worked for me
Jack Barrett said:
Hi. After months of searching and no luck I finally found what caused my battery drain. I had strong overheating near the camera so I decided to search a bit on that. Turned out MicroSD problem. I had ~20.000 files on it (and search indexing was doing all this crap). People reported overheating gone after removing the SD. I deleted the files and voila - no more overheating and drain for me. Its back to the normal battery life when I bought it. It used to drain 5% every 10 minutes before. Many of you probably know this but I thought it may help someone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Helped me, so I thank you. Almost pulled my hair out, battery was halved for a few months and tried numerous things to rectify to no avail.Pulled memory card out last night, and I just got ten percent drain with screen constantly on for an hour straight!
Oh well, don't try calling Samsung support for a new battery. They had me waiting for 3 weeks when they told me they'd send one out, only when I rang them the fifth time a manager said that's not what they do and told me he would do nothing to rectify their mistake while being a complete a$$ to me.
Cheers for the heads up anyway buddy, appreciate it :good::good:

So what's the point of having a SDcard shot :s.. There is so much brag about it on all review sites, claiming that having a card slot is a plus.
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---------- Post added at 02:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:22 PM ----------
Jack Barrett said:
Hi. After months of searching and no luck I finally found what caused my battery drain. I had strong overheating near the camera so I decided to search a bit on that. Turned out MicroSD problem. I had ~20.000 files on it (and search indexing was doing all this crap). People reported overheating gone after removing the SD. I deleted the files and voila - no more overheating and drain for me. Its back to the normal battery life when I bought it. It used to drain 5% every 10 minutes before. Many of you probably know this but I thought it may help someone.
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Click to collapse
So now no more sdcard?
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filthykid said:
So what's the point of having a SDcard shot :s.. There is so much brag about it on all review sites, claiming that having a card slot is a plus.
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Click to collapse
There's plenty of advantages. And just like everything with Android, it needs proper managing. If you want a use-and-don't-think phone, buy an iPhone.
A large point is that I actually have something to watch and listen to and read during my 7.5 hour daily commute of which 5 hours are a zone where I have no mobile signal whatsoever (or G, if I'm very lucky.) Renders a cloud or streaming service rather useless, wouldn't you say? And I shall not even bother to explain to you the concept of borders and roaming charges.
Not to mention that if my phone dies, at least all my personal data is safely stored where I can get to it.
I've listed exactly what to do to prevent this issue in my post a few posts up. It's a simply copy-paste approach that takes about a minute in total.
Or do you complain about the pointlessness of TV's, too? Seeing as how you need to spend a minute connecting it and selecting the proper channels upon purchase....

My brand was Samsung 32GB, I believe Class 6 or 8. Rom always stock and rooted. I always ignored the fact that it may be SD problem. I'm so relieved this problem is gone. Strong overheating where I can't touch it was existing almost every time even on simple youtube videos watching. I never had this issue with my previous devices. Just try unplugging the SD card for few days and drain/charge battery and see for yourself. If it works then great.

Jack Barrett said:
My brand was Samsung 32GB, I believe Class 6 or 8. Rom always stock and rooted. I always ignored the fact that it may be SD problem. I'm so relieved this problem is gone. Strong overheating where I can't touch it was existing almost every time even on simple youtube videos watching. I never had this issue with my previous devices. Just try unplugging the SD card for few days and drain/charge battery and see for yourself. If it works then great.
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Click to collapse
So bro, you won't be using the card from now on?
ShadowLea said:
There's plenty of advantages. And just like everything with Android, it needs proper managing. If you want a use-and-don't-think phone, buy an iPhone.
Or do you complain about the pointlessness of TV's, too? Seeing as how you need to spend a minute connecting it and selecting the proper channels upon purchase....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Relax. No need to shout and cry. Don't be insecure about your phone. Did you see me talking about iPhone? Or have you ever seen an iPhone user firing at another iPhone user and asking him to go-buy-an-android if he needs clarification about anything? No. They ain't that insecure like many of the android users we have. Case in point, as seen above.
Moreover, I cannot comment on your TV comment since I don't watch TV much. I prefer YouTubing

yes this is true...I had been facing this issue since the days of Galaxy S2, only solution is to not use the sdcard...formatting the card works but only for a few days, or until the time you start filling it up...creating a .nomedia file in every directory doesn't seem to work for me!
anybody else got it to work?

filthykid said:
Relax. No need to shout and cry. Don't be insecure about your phone. Did you see me talking about iPhone? Or have you ever seen an iPhone user firing at another iPhone user and asking him to go-buy-an-android if he needs clarification about anything? No. They ain't that insecure like many of the android users we have. Case in point, as seen above.
Moreover, I cannot comment on your TV comment since I don't watch TV much. I prefer YouTubing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not quite sure how you got insecure from that.... I own 5 smartphones, I happily use my Note 3 without a shred of doubt every day. And if I was insecure about Android/Samsung, I wouldn't be working for them to help others fix and get the most out of their device.
(Also, maybe men feel the need to be insecure about something they own and see as a reflection of themselves (it seems to be a reoccuring theme with that gender), but I'm not a bloke. I don't see my phone as the metaphorical representation of a phallus I do not have.)
Kindly stop projecting your own feelings onto my comments.
Youtube is utterly useless when it comes to TV shows though. (Admittedly, so is telly these days)

ShadowLea said:
I'm not quite sure how you got insecure from that.... I own 5 smartphones, I happily use my Note 3 without a shred of doubt every day. And if I was insecure about Android/Samsung, I wouldn't be working for them to help others fix and get the most out of their device.
(Also, maybe men feel the need to be insecure about something they own and see as a reflection of themselves (it seems to be a reoccuring theme with that gender), but I'm not a bloke. I don't see my phone as the metaphorical representation of a phallus I do not have.)
Kindly stop projecting your own feelings onto my comments.
Youtube is utterly useless when it comes to TV shows though. (Admittedly, so is telly these days)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By poking your nose in and suggesting to buy an iPhone, I can clearly see how secure are you with your device. You wanna fix something? Fix yourself dear. That will help you in long run.
And by the way, sorry to burst your little harlequin romance bubble with you "TV". There is more to the world than an iPhone or a TV. So stop BS-ing. Think you don't want a phone.. You want a life. So why not get one?!!

filthykid said:
By poking your nose in and suggesting to buy an iPhone, I can clearly see how secure are you with your device. You wanna fix something? Fix yourself dear. That will help you in long run.
And by the way, sorry to burst your little harlequin romance bubble with you "TV". There is more to the world than an iPhone or a TV. So stop BS-ing. Think you don't want a phone.. You want a life. So why not get one?!!
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You really are quite sad. 'dear'? Truly?

ShadowLea said:
You really are quite sad. 'dear'? Truly?
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Click to collapse
Would you like to know 'babe'?
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filthykid said:
Would you like to know 'babe'?
Sent from my SM-N7505 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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That would depend, sweetie.

Guys, lets not start offtopic...

Jack Barrett said:
Guys, lets not start offtopic...
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Click to collapse
Well, considering I've mentioned twice what the solution is without having to throw away your SDcard, and I've yet to recieve any response as such, this matter appeared to be closed.

ShadowLea said:
That would depend, sweetie.
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*Blushing* Hahaha

Solution will be Samsung to fix their firmware

Jack Barrett said:
Solution will be Samsung to fix their firmware
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Click to collapse
No, it won't. The Media Scanner is Android, Not Touchwiz.
You need to tell it where not to search. It's that simple.

Hi all,
I too have spent weeks looking for a solution.
I froze Sfinder with Titanium and now my Galaxy is OK!