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There seems to be quite a few jelly bean roms right now, and without an official leak, I am sure each one has its ups and downs at this point.
I am coming from synergyrom, and want to give JB a try. Since theres is still "beta" I am not sure I wanna try that right away.
Which is the most stable at this point??
Definitely liquid smooth...I've tried others and always revert back to touch wiz stock based roms, and i despise touch wiz...liquid smooth jb is the best I've flashed
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
liquid smooth is awesome for aosp JB, but touchwiz there's not much thats super stable imo
thanks for the input so far!
Please note if there are known issues, that might help make decisions too.
Thanks all!!
I like codename. Super smooth, frickin' fast and barely believable battery life! Some apps don't stream audio over bluetooth and you have to enable a couple of Developer options to address screen flickering, but those are truthfully very minor annoyances you'll be happy to overlook when you get a taste of that ROM.
Seriously, try it. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1900479
I've tried both liquid and codename. They are both very very similar. I can't find cant difference in customization between the two.
Codename ran a little warm for me, not saying liquid runs cool but still.
The reason I jumped to liquid is because in codename (for me anyway) the 160 character MMS bug still persisted, it does not in liquid.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
duarian said:
I've tried both liquid and codename. They are both very very similar. I can't find cant difference in customization between the two.
Codename ran a little warm for me, not saying liquid runs cool but still.
The reason I jumped to liquid is because in codename (for me anyway) the 160 character MMS bug still persisted, it does not in liquid.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
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I can respect that. Haven't tried liquid as the CNA ROM got posted around the time I got this phone. I've heard the 160 character error msg is a bit of a red herring, that the msgs actually do get sent but just say they didn't. Was that your experience or did they actually not get sent?
One of the biggest issues with JB roms is if your not in a 4G area then be prepared for some non stop 3G data drops. Also I've noticed weaker signal strength in both service and wifi.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
bc760 said:
One of the biggest issues with JB roms is if your not in a 4G area then be prepared for some non stop 3G data drops. Also I've noticed weaker signal strength in both service and wifi.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
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Well said.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
bc760 said:
One of the biggest issues with JB roms is if your not in a 4G area then be prepared for some non stop 3G data drops. Also I've noticed weaker signal strength in both service and wifi.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
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There is a fix for this now but just has not made it's way into all AOSP roms yet. There are in most of the newer AOKP builds right now.
The biggest issue still is the low volume when recording video's. This is an issue in all AOSP roms and has not been fixed yet. I know I also read a lot about speakerphone and in call volume problems but not sure to much about the actual issue.
This is why I am still sticking to an ICS TW Rom. I like knowing everything on my device just works.
The only major thing that keeps from moving to CM10, or Liquid Smooth is the lack of USB Audio. I leave my phone on my dock at work and stream Pandora through the dock's usb audio. I've been using SynergyROM for awhile now, and will probably stick with it until the USB Audio issue is fixed.
AOKP's new build has been great for me. No real issues to report yet...been on it since 3 came out a week or so ago?
i haven't been too impressed jb at all tbh.
Well there's two routes you can go to get your JellyBean fix, and that's either AOSP or TouchWiz.
Touchwiz: You've got two choices.
- You could go with Synergy JB 0.2 beta which is based off the AT&T leaked JB touchwiz build. I personally have not ran it so i can't comment on how well it works, but i use synergy as my touchwiz choice of roms, and was never disappointed by there work, so i'm sure the JB build is working great.
- There is also Jellywiz which is made by Incubus, he's been basing his off the latest leaks, and has a few builds out. One of them is a custom build which just has a few theme changes, and a few other things added in/changed. There's a lot of praise in that thread for his rom, the only bug i had when trying it was that i could not get voice and data to work at the same time (phone calls and web browsing at the same time) But that is because its not based off a verizon leak and until then probably will not work.
AOSP: We'll you've got a lot of options, there's a few here on XDA and then some more on Rootzwiki, so i won't be giving detail on all of them, just a few. But they will all generally 'look' the same, by that i mean because they are all based on AOSP source it'll have the same look to it, since source looks the same.
-CM10: Well it's your basic CM that you've grown to love (or hate ) you can expect nightlies, and things to get fixed in a timely matter. If you used CM7 or CM9 on previous devices then you'll know exactly what to expect. Its built directly from source and you can expect it to be speedy quick.
-AOKP: It's built from source as well just like CM10, but has more options in it, and generally more customization as well. If you use it it'll look a lot like CM10, but it'll have added in bonuses
-CodeNameAndroid: Again built from source, but with codename you've got a ton of customization thrown in, there's a lot of stuff from different AOSP options thrown into it. Right now the Navbar doesn't work without flashing a separate file, but that's not a huge problem since its just a little file to flash. I personally am using it right now and its been great to me, can't really complain about it at all
-LiquidSmooth: Built from source, those that have used a liquid rom before will know exactly what to expect. It will be speedy quick and smooth as hell. You'll find plenty of butter in it as well, they've got there own liquidsettings that'll allow you to do even more customization, and i give them major props, i've currently got them going on my old thunderbolt which is my backup phone, but also used them on my OG Droid and i can vouch that they will provide an amazing rom for users
There are more AOSP Roms over on rootzwiki, but its again the same general thing, each AOSP rom comes from source, but each developer will theme/modify/add/remove/customize to there own liking to provide you with what they feel is the best user experience. The biggest difference between the Touchwiz JB roms and AOSP is that with AOSP you'll have a lot more options going and it'll be stock jellybean, no touchwiz nonsense to hold you back. Some people love the touchwiz stuff and that's fine, but some will love having pure jellybean on there phone and being able to take advantage of that. I'll tell you honestly 100% that AOSP will be faster no matter what touchwiz rom you run.
Oh and kernel wise, i fully stand behind imoseyon's lean kernel for AOSP roms, i've always used imoseyon's kernel's and have always gotten amazing battery life on my GS3 and thunderbolt.
Phew i really hope this helps you with any decision you may have
***If i missed any Touchwiz or AOSP roms i do apologize, i don't know them all off the top of my head, so please don't think that just because i left yours out that i meant it in a bad way***
What are the general downsides with using these JB roms weither it be TouchWiz or AOSP. I'm going to take the jump soon but whats fixed or unfixable? I hear some people say screen flicker and no 3G etc.
Neverendingxsin said:
Well there's two routes you can go to get your JellyBean fix, and that's either AOSP or TouchWiz.
Touchwiz: You've got two choices.
- You could go with Synergy JB 0.2 beta which is based off the AT&T leaked JB touchwiz build. I personally have not ran it so i can't comment on how well it works, but i use synergy as my touchwiz choice of roms, and was never disappointed by there work, so i'm sure the JB build is working great.
- There is also Jellywiz which is made by Incubus, he's been basing his off the latest leaks, and has a few builds out. One of them is a custom build which just has a few theme changes, and a few other things added in/changed. There's a lot of praise in that thread for his rom, the only bug i had when trying it was that i could not get voice and data to work at the same time (phone calls and web browsing at the same time) But that is because its not based off a verizon leak and until then probably will not work.
AOSP: We'll you've got a lot of options, there's a few here on XDA and then some more on Rootzwiki, so i won't be giving detail on all of them, just a few. But they will all generally 'look' the same, by that i mean because they are all based on AOSP source it'll have the same look to it, since source looks the same.
-CM10: Well it's your basic CM that you've grown to love (or hate ) you can expect nightlies, and things to get fixed in a timely matter. If you used CM7 or CM9 on previous devices then you'll know exactly what to expect. Its built directly from source and you can expect it to be speedy quick.
-AOKP: It's built from source as well just like CM10, but has more options in it, and generally more customization as well. If you use it it'll look a lot like CM10, but it'll have added in bonuses
-CodeNameAndroid: Again built from source, but with codename you've got a ton of customization thrown in, there's a lot of stuff from different AOSP options thrown into it. Right now the Navbar doesn't work without flashing a separate file, but that's not a huge problem since its just a little file to flash. I personally am using it right now and its been great to me, can't really complain about it at all
-LiquidSmooth: Built from source, those that have used a liquid rom before will know exactly what to expect. It will be speedy quick and smooth as hell. You'll find plenty of butter in it as well, they've got there own liquidsettings that'll allow you to do even more customization, and i give them major props, i've currently got them going on my old thunderbolt which is my backup phone, but also used them on my OG Droid and i can vouch that they will provide an amazing rom for users
There are more AOSP Roms over on rootzwiki, but its again the same general thing, each AOSP rom comes from source, but each developer will theme/modify/add/remove/customize to there own liking to provide you with what they feel is the best user experience. The biggest difference between the Touchwiz JB roms and AOSP is that with AOSP you'll have a lot more options going and it'll be stock jellybean, no touchwiz nonsense to hold you back. Some people love the touchwiz stuff and that's fine, but some will love having pure jellybean on there phone and being able to take advantage of that. I'll tell you honestly 100% that AOSP will be faster no matter what touchwiz rom you run.
Oh and kernel wise, i fully stand behind imoseyon's lean kernel for AOSP roms, i've always used imoseyon's kernel's and have always gotten amazing battery life on my GS3 and thunderbolt.
Phew i really hope this helps you with any decision you may have
***If i missed any Touchwiz or AOSP roms i do apologize, i don't know them all off the top of my head, so please don't think that just because i left yours out that i meant it in a bad way***
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thanks a bunch for the big write-up. I do live in an area that is partly 3g, part 4g, so I am a little concerned about these data drops.. Has this been fixed in the AOSP roms mentioned above?
I would hold out a few more weeks for a touchwiz based rom - I tried Incubus' and got a number of random reboots. Cleanrom 2.5 has been working great!
Currently, all the AOSP roms have the same issues -
- data drops, esp on 3g/4g handoff. There were some recent commits that claim to have fixed this, I'm not sure if it did and which rom's include it
- potential for IMEI loss or brick. Again, you should back up IMEI before any flash, I don't think these issues are present on TW
- TW camera is better. There's an AOSP JB camera mod but hasn't been updated for the newer builds yet
- GPS locks. I keep reading about this in the AOSP rom's, I don't know how common this is.
AndyMan386 said:
thanks a bunch for the big write-up. I do live in an area that is partly 3g, part 4g, so I am a little concerned about these data drops.. Has this been fixed in the AOSP roms mentioned above?
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your welcome. It ended up being a lot longer than I had originally planned. As for data drops, I'm testing a fix right now and I can confirm it works fine
ECrispy said:
Currently, all the AOSP roms have the same issues -
- data drops, esp on 3g/4g handoff. There were some recent commits that claim to have fixed this, I'm not sure if it did and which rom's include it
- potential for IMEI loss or brick. Again, you should back up IMEI before any flash, I don't think these issues are present on TW
- TW camera is better. There's an AOSP JB camera mod but hasn't been updated for the newer builds yet
- GPS locks. I keep reading about this in the AOSP rom's, I don't know how common this is.
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Click to collapse
Data drops were indeed fixed
Imei issues can happen when flashing anything from radios to kernels to roms both touchwiz to aosp. It can also easily be restored.
Tw camera only has a few more features, but in terms of quality their both equal to me. Once the aosp mod is updated it'll be even better.
GPS lock is simple, just get a full lock before flashing aosp and then while having it locked boot into recovery and do your thing.
Neverendingxsin said:
your welcome. It ended up being a lot longer than I had originally planned. As for data drops, I'm testing a fix right now and I can confirm it works fine
Data drops were indeed fixed
Imei issues can happen when flashing anything from radios to kernels to roms both touchwiz to aosp. It can also easily be restored.
Tw camera only has a few more features, but in terms of quality their both equal to me. Once the aosp mod is updated it'll be even better.
GPS lock is simple, just get a full lock before flashing aosp and then while having it locked boot into recovery and do your thing.
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Click to collapse
link to CM10 data fix?
This is going to be a long post, but please bare with me. The reason for this post is too hopefully reduce the number of "Help me choose a rom" threads, as they seem to get posted quite frequently, and ask basically the same questions. So in this thread ill be going through some of the basics, as well as some highlights of each type of rom
Introduction
I wrote this thread in an effort to make things easier for "noobies" or "new users" whichever you'd like to call them, so that they can have a better understanding of what the various types of Rom's are out for the Galaxy SIII or may be out in the future. Here's a very common question, what is a rom? A rom on our android phones is like the operating system on your computer, it controls the user interface, what you see and what you can do. Thankfully we have developers who have taken the stock rom's and changed them up and made them 'better' so that we the users can unlock the full potential of our phones. In this thread i will do my best to give you a brief outline of what you can expect with the different types of roms, and what bugs you may encounter. What i will not do is make any claims as to what the 'best' rom is, or tell you what you should be running. I am simply going to give you the information that you need to better help understand what can be included with each rom type
***Disclaimer: Anything you do after reading this thread is on you, what you decide to flash or not to flash is on you. I am not to be held responsible for anything that you do to your phone. This is simply information to help guide you and teach you a few things about roms.***
What you won't find in this guide, but should familiarize yourself with:
These guides don't have to be read, but i highly recommend you at least glance over them to familiarize yourself with a few things, before flashing your first rom. They all contain important information that you should know
*Any instructions on rooting your phone or how to install a rom, those can be found here
*Any rom download list, that can be found here
*A way to get Google wallet to successfully work on your Verizon SIII, that can be found here
Important ------>*A guide to backup your IMEI, that is here<------ Important
Important ------>*An IMEI repair guide/tool, that can be found here<------ Important
*A way to unbrick your softbricked phone, that's can be found here
CHAPTER 1: Touchwiz Roms
***Based on samsung's touchwiz.
Section 1: Stock Rooted Roms
These roms are exactly how its said stock and rooted they are the OTA's that verizon puts out, the only difference is that they've been pre rooted for the rooted users who want to be rooted but just want that basic stock experience. They may come in two flavors: Odex and Deodex, the difference between the two is the way that applications (apk files) are packaged. Odex is the stock way, and Deodex is repackaged, if you're looking to make minor modifications or do a little themeing then you want Deodex because 99% of theme's are built for Deodexed ROMS. There isn't much to be said for stock rooted roms, you're going to get that stock experience that comes with the phone but with root capabilities (titanium backup, wifi tether, overclocking, etc)
-Is this for me? If you want that exact samsung touchwiz stock feel with nothing added in then yes this is for you.
Section 1A: Debloated Stock Rooted Roms
These roms are going to be "debloated" meaning most if not all the fat is taken out of them. In the SIII's case you're going to lose most of the samsung apps and verizon apps. With this you may also lose some of those touchwiz features (smart alert, direct call, etc) or verizon features (NFL mobile, my verizon, etc). The benefit? You're still going to be mostly stock, and you may notice a speed increase due to there being less fat in the rom. There are various levels of debloating as well, some are more extreme and have had everything removed except for the essentials, and some will only remove a few things. Its best to read the original post with each rom to have an idea of what has been removed.
-Is this for me? If you want the barebones experience without using AOSP the yes this is for you.
Section 2: Modified "Stock" Roms
These roms, are going to be the touchwiz rom's made for verizon phones, the base (what the rom is built on) will either come from OTA updates or from leaks. These roms are modified in someway, some more than others. The modifications can include a wide variety of things from the basic speed tweaks, enhancements, and themes to including custom kernels, removing the wifi notifications, extra toggles in the notification bar, 4 in 1 reboot menu, and many other things. They are in a sense stock, but at the same time not. Think of it as a developer taking something 'good' and making it 'great' they've added in the stuff that should have already been there from the start. They will generally be deodexed already, may or may not have been debloated to a point, and generally will have a lot of 'under the hood' enhancements.
-Is this for me? For most people this is for you. You'll have a lot of the touchwiz features that you've come to love such as the camera, smart alert, direct call, and other features, while also getting a much faster and generally better experience. You'll be able to flash themes easily (make sure to double check that the theme is compatible with your rom) root app's will work and you'll be happy.
Section 3: Leaked Roms
These roms, are built off of leaked builds/bases. They may be ICS, Jellybean, etc. These rom's generally may have bugs to begin with depending on the leak itself. Some leaks are a little more stable than others, generally the only time leaked builds have major bugs is when its a leak of the next android version (a leaked JB Touchwiz build for verizon) otherwise they'll generally be almost bug free. There isn't much to say about any leaks of the current version (SIII shipped with ICS Touchwiz) because those will generally just get merged into the custom builds and such. Leaks for future versions generally have bugs, some big, some small, but usually get worked out quickly depending on the bug.
Is this for me? If you're looking to get that future android feel before its official then yes its for you. But you have to be willing to accept that everything may or may not work, and may or may not get fixed before an official release happens. You'll have the latest and greatest though and be able to brag to you're friends about having it before they do.
Section 4: Ported Roms
These roms are ports, meaning they could come from a different carrier (Example: AT&T JB touchwiz on verizon), different manufacturer (Example: Sense 4.0 on SIII), etc. These rom's will almost certainly have bugs to begin with. They are in a way like leaked roms because they aren't "official" for the SIII, but also vastly different because they may not even be mean't for the SIII. These rom's generally require a lot of work to even get booted up because its based off something that's not even mean't for the verizon SIII and a lot of work goes into them. Bugs could range from little things like screen flickering to GPS being completely borked, to your phone not even booting up. After they've had some work hammered into them and testing done, they can be really functional as a daily driver.
Is this for me? If you're looking to have something different or the latest and greatest then yes its for you. But like i said with leaked rom's you have to be willing to accept that you may encounter a vast variety of bugs that may or may not get fixed quickly or at all depending on the bug.
CHAPTER 2: AOSP (Android Open Source Project) Roms
What you won't find in AOSP: Any touchwiz features, yes this includes the camera as well. This is because touchwiz features and apps require the touchwiz framework which is not in AOSP and probably never will be. You also will find that verizon apps tend to be hit or miss as well, most of the time they won't work either, yes this includes NFL mobile and My Verizon.
Known issues when going from ICS touchwiz to AOSP JB:
*GPS may not work correctly, the fix? Before flashing to AOSP JB make sure you have a full gps lock (i personally download gps status from the market and wait until almost all satellites are locked) then from in the app boot into recovery and do your usual wiping/flashing.
*NFC may not work correctly, the fix? Ensure NFC is turned on before flashing to AOSP JB (i personally don't use NFC so i can't comment on whether that works or not, but i've heard it does)
***Based on pure android, you won't have any kind of carrier/manufacturer features added in. If you've ever had a Nexus device then you'll know what this is.
***Themeing is also super simple, with AOSP you get the Theme chooser, which makes changing themes as simple as a few clicks, just download a theme chooser theme off the market and then go into theme chooser and apply it. It really is that simple, if you want to change back just apply the "system" theme, and bam you're back to normal
Section 1: CyanogenMod (CM)
The one's who started it out, they've been around for what feels like forever. This rom will be built straight from the latest source, and it'll be fast from the get go. You'll immediately notice that you've got a lot more RAM free off the bat and this is because there is absolutely no bloat in it at all. You'll have the pure google android experience, it'll be a love or hate thing. For CyanogenMod they generally have nightly builds for those who love to flash, and it'll have added in whatever they added/fixed for that day. These builds may be stable or may not be stable, today's nightly might suck while yesterday's was great. For these if you know what features the latest android version has most likely they'll be in CM, so if you stay up to date then you'll be good to go. Some features are added in though such as notification widgets/toggles, speed tweaks, various other shortcuts. They will generally keep it mostly stock android but also give you some treats that make it better. Bugs are hit or miss, especially for the SIII because pure AOSP android was not built for it originally so some things may be a little iffy (GPS, data, nfc, mms, call volume, etc) it doesn't mean they are all broken, but it's possible they are hit or miss at times, and you're miles may vary. For one person GPS might be fine and the other it could be broken.
Is this for me? If you're looking for that pure android experience without any manufacturer crap in it then yes its for you. Just know that you may encounter bugs that don't get worked out right away, some of them take time.
Section 1A: Unofficial CM Builds
These builds are based off of CM but they are unofficial because a developer wants to make nightly changes, and add in there own modifications, themes, fixes, enhancements, etc. They come with the same risk as official CM builds, but any bugs found in them should not be reported to the official CM bug tracker because then these are unofficial builds. There isn't anything wrong with them being unofficial, its just a developer wanting to add there own twist to the CM builds.
Is this for me? If you're looking for that pure android experience without any manufacturer crap in it then yes its for you. Just know that you may encounter bugs that don't get worked out right away, some of them take time. Please read the OP's thread to understand what changes they have added in.
Section 2: Android Open Kang Project (AOKP)
Almost just like CM but with a little more added in. Its based off the android source code and again won't have any manufacturer crap added in. With AOKP you'll get added in modifications that may not be found in CM, as well as other kinds of toggles, status bar mods, notification mods, etc. I can't say everything because its still based of android source and comes with the same risk as CM which is certain bugs or things not working (GPS, data, nfc, mms, call volume, etc) They know there stuff though and have "Builds" released from anywhere from day to day or weeks apart these builds are more major releases with various fixes, modifications, etc.
Is this for me? If you're looking for that pure android experience without any manufacturer crap in it, and more modifications than CM then yes its for you. Just know that you may encounter bugs that don't get worked out right away, some of them take time.
Section 2A: Unofficial AOKP Builds
These builds are based of off AOKP but they are unofficial because a developer wants to make there own changes, and add in there own modifications, themes, fixes, enhancements, etc. They come with the same risk as official AOKP builds, but any bugs found in them should not be reported to the official AOKP bug tracker because then these are unofficial builds. There isn't anything wrong with them being unofficial, its just a developer wanting to add there own twist to the AOKP builds.
Is this for me? If you're looking for that pure android experience without any manufacturer crap in it, and more modifications than CM then yes its for you. Just know that you may encounter bugs that don't get worked out right away, some of them take time. Make sure to read the OP to understand what has been changed in the build though.
Section 3: Paranoid Android
This rom is a phone/tablet hybrid rom. Its based off of pure android source just like CM, but has made vast changes to it. You'll be able to modify how each specific app shows up on the screen (want tablet mode only for youtube then you got it, want facebook to look bigger or smaller then you got it) and you'll get a wide variety of modifications as well. If you've ever watched a video of a tablet then you'll have an idea of what can happen. It truly is a phone and tablet hybrid, bringing the best of both worlds to your phone. It'll feel like pure android source and will have those features that come with that android version just with the tabletness added in. It comes with same possibility of bugs as other AOSP roms (GPS, data, nfc, mms, call volume, etc) these bugs are not guaranteed and may or may not occur. User A might have data issues but user B may not, your miles may vary with AOSP. Its a bit harder to explain everything for this rom, but i'm doing my best.
Is this for me? If your looking for pure android goodness but with a major overhaul of added in phone/tablet mode hybrid then yes its for you. Just be willing to accept that you may encounter bugs along the way.
Section 4: Other AOSP Roms
The reason i have this section is because its impossible to describe every kind of AOSP roms, especially when more can be added and such. But other AOSP rom's will come with the same pure android source as well, and will have those features. A lot of them merge in code from other various developers (with permission of course) but also add in there own toolkits, setting menus, etc. They are all great roms, but its hard to give every single one a section because its there all based off the same source and have some of the same kind of modifications added in. They all come with the same risk as other AOSP roms in terms of bugs (GPS, data, nfc, mms, call volume, etc) For these rom's you'll have to pick and choose, if you love a certain developer that makes AOSP roms, or have used a developers AOSP rom on a different phone then you'll know what to expect from that rom/developer. Again there is nothing wrong with these rom's its just hard to give all them all there own section when most of the information is going to be the same and repetitive.
Is this for me? If you're looking for that pure android experience without any manufacturer crap in it then yes its for you. If you follow a specific developer then yes its for you. Its going to have more modifications then regular CM or AOSP roms. You really have to test them out for yourself, just read the thread and see what they've changed/modified/added in. Just know that you may encounter bugs that don't get worked out right away, some of them take time.
Section 5: MIUI Rom
Miui is AOSP based but it won't look like it is. This is because with MIUI you get an entire different user interface experience. It's got its own custom toggles in the notification pulldown, its own theme engine (theme's have to be designed specifically for miui), its own camera app, and many other apps that are designed specifically for it. The main miui team puts out a rom in chinese once a week every friday, and it then gets ported to various devices including the SIII. The downside to miui is some things take a lot longer to get worked out in terms of bugs, this is because its ported to our phone but also because its a completely different interface with many applications that have to be worked on before they'll work flawlessly. Its got the same possibility of bugs as other AOSP roms. I've personally used it before on another device and ill tell you its definitely one of a kind, and fun to play with.
Is this for me? If you're looking for something completely and totally different then yes this is for you. Just know that because the larger builds are released once a week it may take time for some bugs to get worked out, but again you'll have something that's completely different from any of your friends as long as you can accept a few bugs here and there.
Section 6: Various Issues and Solutions
NFC Issues: Grayed out, won't turn on, etc. This is NOT a problem with rom itself, to solve this issue you will need to go back to a touchwiz rom and turn NFC on. Then boot into recovery and flash your respective rom choice If that still does not work flash this zip here in recovery after flashing your respective rom.
GPS Issues: Again not Rom related entirely, its more or less AOSP related. This problem again can be avoided by ensuring a full gps lock and leaving gps turned on prior to flashing. If you still have issues after that download GPS status from the market and use that to help with the gps lock. You can also flash this zip file here to help solve the issue
CHAPTER 3: Kernels/Battery life/Radios/Jelly Bean 4.2 Storage System
Section 1: Kernels
Okay kernels are one of the biggest advantages to rooting. They can be used to increase performance vastly, increase your battery life, make your phone faster, increase ram, etc. You can modify the clock speeds using apps to overclock or underclock the cpu, you can increase or decrease the voltage, etc. They are also what makes your phone boot up (flash a kernel mean't for touchwiz on AOSP and its not going to boot up) Kernels are built on two main bases for the SIII: Android Version (ICS, JB, etc) and Touchwiz/AOSP. This means that these kernels are used for specific rom bases and android versions. You have to make sure you read what the specific kernel is built for so you don't flash the wrong one and mess up your phone. Kernels are always your miles may vary, a kernel that works great for me and doubles my battery life, might make yours worse. You really can't guarantee any of that until you flash it on and modify the settings to your liking. Always make a backup before flashing a kernel so just incase your phone doesn't bootup you can easily restore the backup.
Section 2: Battery Life
This is another question i see asked all the time "What's the battery life like?" Battery life is based on a few things:
1. ROM Choice - Some roms might have better battery life than others. Your miles again will vary. You'll never get the same experience as another user.
2. Kernel choice and settings - some kernels work better than others in terms of battery life, what works for you may not work for me. But you can modify your cpu speed settings to help with this. Settings screen off profiles can help as well. I personally decrease the cpu to 384mhz while the screen is off, and it helps me, will it help you? I have no idea.
3. Personal Use - Self explanatory, if you're constantly using your phone, browsing the web, sending emails, playing music, gps, this and that then the battery might drain faster than somebody who doesn't use there phone as much. If you manage to get 3-4+ hours of screen on time then your battery life is fine. How quickly you reach that is based on your use. This also includes whether your still on the stock battery or not, if you've got an extended battery in your phone then your battery life may very well be a lot longer than somebody with the stock battery. You have full control over your personal use.
4. Coverage and Signal - If you're constantly in areas with terrible signal then your battery life will suffer. My suggestion? If you're near wifi turn it on, that way your signal won't matter as much because all your syncing and such will be done through wifi. There isn't much a rom or kernel developer can do about this, its just based on where you live.
5. Wakelocks and syncing - Make sure to download betterbatterystats, why? Because if your battery life sucks then your phone may not be going into deep sleep and this app can help tell you why. Wakelocks are anytime that your phone is awaken from deep sleep, the more wakelocks you have the less deep sleep you get which equals less battery life. Some of these wakelocks can be controlled because many are caused by syncing. If you have apps syncing every 10 minutes, don't expect super great battery life because your phone is constantly being awaken. Control your syncing, if you don't check twitter every 10 minutes then don't have it sync every 10 minutes. A lot of those apps will automatically sync upon being started.
6. Perception - I put this here because its true. Everybody expects something different with there battery life, so they perceive it that way. Some users want over 24 hours whereas some don't. For me personally i consider great battery life to be being able to leave for work at 6:45am, then go to class, then go to the gym, then do whatever else and come home. If i can make it from 6:45am to 8 or 9pm without being forced to charge then i consider that great battery life. Why do you say its great when its only 14 hours without charging? Because i charge my phone every night before going to bed, it may not even be less than 50% less but i still charge it so that's good enough for me since i made it through my day. Everybody has different expectations so don't always assume battery life sucks when somebody says it does because its based on there own perception of what's "great" and what's "bad"
Battery life is and always will be your miles may vary because there are just too many factors to consider. Some people who say "The battery life on this rom sucks" just have a runaway app killing there battery life and don't even realize it. The only true way to gauge battery is based on what you consider to be great battery life.
Section 3: Radios
Another question asked "What's the best radio?" Radios are always your miles may vary, its all based on your signal/coverage area. But there's also a big placebo effect that comes with radios, the second you flash a new radio, you expect the signal to be better so you see it that way. It might actually be better or it could be worse or exactly the same. Some users will get increased speed on one radio and somebody else might get decreased speed, but you can't base your radio stats right after flashing it because you need to test it in real world scenarios, not just sitting around looking at the dbm. I didn't originally plan on having this section but its necessary because in the future you may or may not need a specific radio for a specific rom to work. As of right now (10/22/2012) the radio you choose to use will work on any rom (make sure its a verizon radio) in the future though you may have to use specific radios for specific roms depending on the versions of android that come out, and when that happens you'll have to make sure you're using the right radio otherwise you may not get any kind of signal at all. Remember that radios are mostly user experience based, and what works for you might not work as well for somebody else.
Section 4: Jelly Bean 4.2 Storage System
Alright i'm going to do my best to explain this in the simplest way possible. With the introduction of 4.2 Jelly Bean, the storage/file system changed as well. What i mean by this is at least on AOSP roms when you flash a 4.2 Rom you'll get a "0" (zero) folder with everything from your internal SD card in it. The reason for this is because with the multi user support its the new way Android sorts stuff. Now many of you are probably wondering "Ummm... this is confusing" or "is this bad?" it is confusing at first but honestly its not that bad. The /storage/sdcard0 now points to /storage/emulater/legacy folder which is then emulated by the 0 folder. Easy version: Even if you put stuff in /storage/sdcard0 it'll automatically show up in those other folders anyways. It may look like you've got stuff duplicated, but its really not. Whatever file is on the sdcard0 (Internal card) is only there once.
The good news, if you update your recoveries to the latest versions, then you won't have to worry about any 0 folder nonsense anyways. You'll still have a legacy folder, but that's not a big deal. Just don't mess with it and your phone will be fine.
***If anybody has a better explanation for that, PLEASE let me know and i'll update/add it in ***
I really hope that this thread can help reduce the number of questions asked about which rom to use and such. I put a lot of time into typing all of this out to help you guys, so hopefully it'll do just that and help
Also i spent a lot of time writing this up, so please do not copy and paste it on another forum and claim it as your own work. I realize its just a guide and relatively public information, but still i'd rather it not get copied and pasted onto other forums/threads.
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***MODS: feel free to move this if its in the wrong place or something***
Mine
****Change Log****
3/14/2013
Chapter 3:Section 4: Jelly Bean 4.2 Storage Added
12/2/2012
Made backing up your IMEI "Important" to read
Added an AOSP common problem and solution section
10/25/2012
Added another IMEI backup guide to the top.
Added encouraging words for reading other guides.
10/24/2012
Added in links for other useful guides at the top
Added in known issues when going from ICS Touchwiz to AOSP JB
10/23/2012:
Added in Miui (Section 5 under AOSP Roms)
Added in Introduction and Disclaimer (very top)
Began fixing grammar errors
Super! Thx for this contribution
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Super write up. Thank you very much.
Great info. Thanks. - noob
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
How do people have time to write this ****? Lol!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
Awesome write up for the noobs bro.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
I was just thinking we really needed a single source to track the progress of each ROM category. This makes a great framework for tracking that information. Thanks for putting this together.
My suggestion would be to add a few bullets below each ROM category that note the most prominent long-term bugs. I think that could significantly reduce the same question being asked over and over within each topic.
Example: all of the AOSP 4.1.x ROMs currently suffer from low video recording volume, poor voice command recognition, and limited in-call volume range (as of this post). Just a suggestion. Keep up the good work!
DroidHam said:
How do people have time to write this ****? Lol!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
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I really have no idea, i was just sitting and thinking "man i answer the same questions almost everyday, if only there was a single thread for the answer" and well... now its here
apet8464 said:
I was just thinking we really needed a single source to track the progress of each ROM category. This makes a great framework for tracking that information. Thanks for putting this together.
My suggestion would be to add a few bullets below each ROM category that note the most prominent long-term bugs. I think that could significantly reduce the same question being asked over and over. Example: all of the AOSP 4.1.x ROMs currently suffer from low video recording volume, poor voice command recognition, and limited in-call volume range (as of this post).
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Thanks for the suggestion I actually considered that and may add it in within the next few days, we'll see what happens.
Neverendingxsin said:
I really have no idea, i was just sitting and thinking "man i answer the same questions almost everyday, if only there was a single thread for the answer" and well... now its here
Thanks for the suggestion I actually considered that and may add it in within the next few days, we'll see what happens.
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After thinking about this concept more, a community-maintained wiki might actually be a better medium for efforts like this. Ensuring accuracy, keeping everything up to date - and remaining relevant as a result - always seems to be the greatest challenge.
This thread was well over due. Thanks for taking the time to write it up.
Sent from my Galaxy SIII
Very helpful. I think you may have repeated yourself somewhere in there
Shh! maybe I'm just paranoid, but I think people are listening....
Well thanks man!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
Thank you!
Super!!! Thank you! :good: :good: :good: :highfive:
Sticky!
FrostyOrDie said:
Very helpful. I think you may have repeated yourself somewhere in there
Shh! maybe I'm just paranoid, but I think people are listening....
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I'm pretty sure i did lol
Samsung.Galaxy.S3 said:
Super!!! Thank you! :good: :good: :good: :highfive:
Sticky!
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+1
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
apet8464 said:
After thinking about this concept more, a community-maintained wiki might actually be a better medium for efforts like this. Ensuring accuracy, keeping everything up to date - and remaining relevant as a result - always seems to be the greatest challenge.
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mhmmm. Thats why i tried to keep this as "basic" as possible and just going over the general stuff. I'm able to keep up with a lot but only to a certain extent.
Neverendingxsin said:
mhmmm. Thats why i tried to keep this as "basic" as possible and just going over the general stuff. I'm able to keep up with a lot but only to a certain extent.
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True. Fortunately, the ROM categories themselves are fairly constant, so this thread should be pretty low maintenance. Hopefully it will get stickied or merged with a stickied thread so it remains visible to noobs.
apet8464 said:
True. Fortunately, the ROM categories themselves are fairly constant, so this thread should be pretty low maintenance. Hopefully it will get stickied or merged with a stickied thread so it remains visible to noobs.
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Yeah thankfully they are I've just got a few more things to add and a little cleaning to do with this thread.
great writeup...this needs merged with the download list thread.
I'm sure there are a few threads like this, and obviously each person is going to have their own view of their preferred ROM. With that said...
I'm trying to choose between two ROMS:
CleanROM 5.0
-or-
LIQUIDSMOOTH RC 9
I'm aware of the core differences (AOSP vs modded), and I think I'm ultimately leaning towards the AOSP ROM, purely based off keeping it as close to the original source code as possible. What is really going to be the deciding factor, and please post your experience and advice if you've used both ROMs, are the following questions:
1) Method of flashing - Same method for both ROMs?
2) Do both ROMs have working GPS functionality?
3) What are the major benefits and/or drawbacks of those ROMs individually?
4) Any showstopper or critical bugs in either ROM?
5) Recommended radio for the associated ROM?
This is a work phone (no, there isn't an issue with me doing this -- I work for an open source software company) so I am very hesitant to do something that could effect my day-to-day without a degree of certainty. I appreciate any assistance with this, including the "gtfo, use search, or tl;dr responses". Mucho gracias!
I think the best radio to use is the one that worked best in your area so far, it seems to be different for everybody. I had best results with k1. I personally like the TW ROMs just for the certain features that came stock with the phone that you don't get with aosp. That being said liquid has always had excellent ROMs and any little problems that there may be. There is always some sort of work around just have to some searching.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Those were the two ROMs I got down to in my selection process as well. I was going to try both but starting with CleanROM. I've like CR so much I haven't switched. I have had no issues with 5.0 at all. I switched to the newest modem/rpm when I flashed CR and have had no issues with it. Having said that, there are people on the CR thread who have been having some issues, many caused by other mods they have added. You might want to check out the thread to see if there have been any reports of issues that would specifically affect you. It is a VERY long thread so use search rather than trying to read all the posts. Scott is very much involved in the thread, answers questions readily, and is extremely good at fixing anything that is a ROM issue.
What are the current known issues with AOKP and AOSP ROMs? Basically, What I mean is, all of the ROM's say they have no bugs but there are always issues with AOSP and AOKP. Things like MMS not working or other issues.
Can anyone give me some idea of what the current issues are to help decide whether to switch from TW to AOSP or AOKP?
doctorj1 said:
What are the current known issues with AOKP and AOSP ROMs? Basically, What I mean is, all of the ROM's say they have no bugs but there are always issues with AOSP and AOKP. Things like MMS not working or other issues.
Can anyone give me some idea of what the current issues are to help decide whether to switch from TW to AOSP or AOKP?
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Most roms have no bugs, or people report such a wide range of bugs that might or might not be rom related. It's hard to pinpoint sometimes if people are reporting a real bug or not.
You're best off testing a rom you want and seeing for yourself if it works for you, everyone is going to have a different experience trying out different roms. In general, touchwiz roms are going to be much more stable, AOSP and AOKP are going to have more stability issues and more bugs that tend to come out. But again, everyone has different experiences so you should try each one for yourself rather than asking these types of questions.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
ok thanks for the advice but thats not what I was asking. I realize that each ROM has its own issues on each persons individual phone.
The question I was asking is, what are the known issues across ALL AOSP or AOKP ROMs? Meaning, issues since they all come from the same tree. In the past there has been MMS issues on ALL AOSP ROM's. What, if any, are the issues with the current AOSP ROMs?
double post.
doctorj1 said:
ok thanks for the advice but thats not what I was asking. I realize that each ROM has its own issues on each persons individual phone.
The question I was asking is, what are the known issues across ALL AOSP or AOKP ROMs? Meaning, issues since they all come from the same tree. In the past there has been MMS issues on ALL AOSP ROM's. What, if any, are the issues with the current AOSP ROMs?
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Ya I don't know that much detail about them, hopefully you get a more direct answer.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
I can say Bluetooth issues (streaming or even toggling it off in Settings) are an AOSP wide issue based on other users' posts. Depending on how you feel about signal reception, it may or may not be worse in your area if you live in poor signal strength areas. I live in an area where my reception averages about -110 dBm. So reception is equally poor on both TW and AOSP for me but I may drop calls slightly more frequently on AOSP. My reception is great everywhere that I have stronger signal though. Lastly, the camera might be another point of emphasis but idk first hand cuz I don't take pics often. I dislike the AOSP camera UI and prefer the options of the TW camera.
I don't see many options here. Mostly stock roms in this forum topic. I had a ton of problems with boot loops and such and just couldn't get anything to work. OTAs still force a bootloop sequence unless I zero out: "/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/misc". I just disabled the notification for them and everything is fine now, but I was wondering if there was any point to using anything other than the stock ROM.
I kept root and just removed TMO bloatware. The 4.4.2 stock ROM seems pretty damn fast, but I have nothing to compare it too. I'm basically just trying to decide if it's even worth it to attempt another ROM install. Are there any real advantages to any of the other ROMs out there over stock? I'm looking for stability above all else, then speed. Features I don't really care about.
klokwyze said:
I don't see many options here. Mostly stock roms in this forum topic. I had a ton of problems with boot loops and such and just couldn't get anything to work. OTAs still force a bootloop sequence unless I zero out: "/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/misc". I just disabled the notification for them and everything is fine now, but I was wondering if there was any point to using anything other than the stock ROM.
I kept root and just removed TMO bloatware. The 4.4.2 stock ROM seems pretty damn fast, but I have nothing to compare it too. I'm basically just trying to decide if it's even worth it to attempt another ROM install. Are there any real advantages to any of the other ROMs out there over stock? I'm looking for stability above all else, then speed. Features I don't really care about.
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Stock or at least stock based with dorimanx kernel is about as good as it gets for tmo...most of our developers have moved on to newer devices...and non tmo roms don't have Wi-Fi calling
jamesd1085 said:
Stock or at least stock based with dorimanx kernel is about as good as it gets for tmo...most of our developers have moved on to newer devices...and non tmo roms don't have Wi-Fi calling
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yeah wifi calling is irrelevant to me, but frankly this stock ROM is amazing compared to the performance of my Relay 4G.... H/W keyboard android phones RIP.
Cheers
I have the Intl version which sports more custom roms but they are all the same more or less.... im on stock KK too even though i was a die hard software updater (had 5.1.1 on previous Nexus 4).
Have to agree with you this phone hates modding and is really feeble, it will get bricked quite easy unlike the Nexus 4 which can take a lot of abuse
Try the new cloudy rom. It's a port from LG G4 with various elements.
why dont you guys check in the G2 Android Development. most roms cover all variants there.
For me CynaogenMod's Privacy Guard feature is a must-have on any Android phone. But right now I'm finding that the official CM12 nightlies seems to screw up the modem settings for my local carrier here in Canda (Wind), so I lose access to the service. Constructive suggestions will be greatly appreciated.