Related
As lately some people are asking me about ROM porting I decided to create this new thread where we can share knowledge about this hard task.
Please note this is a Dev talk thread, so DON'T ASK about fixing a particular ROM problem here. Also don't ask questions like "My phone is bricked! please help!". This IS NOT the appropriate place for it. There are plenty of other threads to help you out.
Also note that this is not a step by step guide (and not a guide at all), it's just a point where you can start from. Android is a very complex system and there are many things I don't know yet. So, research and hard work is what you need to learn it deeply. My first tip is Google really works. Don't be afraid to search
Ok, to the basics. Porting a ROM is no simple task. It requires advanced understanding of how android works and how it is organized. Previous Linux/Unix knowledge helps A LOT. As android is based on this O.S. there are many similarities between both. In fact many ppl consider android to be a kind of linux distro.
The very first task to port a ROM is finding a device which is compatible with your own. For example Defy/Milestone2. Then you are going to choose a ROM to port to your device.
As our devices (Milestone2) have a locked bootloader we now need to find a system image that have a compatible kernel with the ROM we are trying to port. This is mainly based on trial and test and takes a long time. You'll be ending flashing your phone several times with RSD Lite. You should learn how to use MotoAndroidDepacker and how to create a fixed SBF.
The basic procedure to try that:
1. Open original ROM update.zip and remove any files/commands that flashes boot/devtree/recovery/anything.
2. Install this new file on your phone via CW Recovery.
3. Boot into bootmenu and enable ADB so you can read logcat while phone boots.
4. Choose Boot/Normal. If your ROM uses 2nd-init you will need to place/edit/adapt bootscripts into bootmenu 2nd-init folder.
5. Check logcat for errors:
- If you're getting HAL errors you're going to need a new kernel;
- If you can start android without getting HAL errors but still getting errors and bootloop on android animation you should try to replace libs with appropriate original ones.
6. Once you are able to boot android you should test it's features to see what needs to be fixed.
This is what I have to say for now. The thread is now open for discussion.
At this week, motorola has just pushed the GB official update for Droid 2 and Droid 2 Global....
Can i try to port this new rom to milestone 2 and after a success boot, fix the radio..??
I was asking that, because some people has success on port CM7 to milestone 1, when it originally maked for droid 1...
tks a lot..!!
jorgebaruchi said:
At this week, motorola has just pushed the GB official update for Droid 2 and Droid 2 Global....
Can i try to port this new rom to milestone 2 and after a success boot, fix the radio..??
I was asking that, because some people has success on port CM7 to milestone 1, when it originally maked for droid 1...
tks a lot..!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It may be possible, but you'll have a hard time fixing the baseband.
You may have to mod the init.rc scripts and find the right radio binaries (rild is one of them) and drivers.
Ask those ms1 people for help, if they are still with the same phone...
Sent from my Milestone 2 XDA App
I don't know if this will be relevant or not.
I wanted to know if to do any of this, having a Linux distro as OS a must or can I try my hands at it on a windows based machine. I mean I'm sure that a Linux distro will give certain advantages (as Android is based on UNIX/Linux) but can we get things to work a 100% on windows.
If yes, then will someone be kind enough to get give the list of all softwares etc. which will be required to do the job on Windows machine as well as a Linux machine.
I do know a few softwares but I'm not sure if I have an exhaustive list. I would like to learn and try and at least be able to modify in bits n pieces to begin with.
I apologize if this wasn't supposed to be asked in this thread.
The only thing i can get from SBF is a bunch of smg files.
But the only ones i can open are
preinstall.smg
CG39.smg
Is there a way to open/see the rest?
2)
Im trying to modify the CM7 rom, what boot does it use? 2nd-init or 2nd-boot?
i guess it is second-init. but not sure
thanks a lot for this !!!
WeeDv2 said:
The only thing i can get from SBF is a bunch of smg files.
But the only ones i can open are
preinstall.smg
CG39.smg
Is there a way to open/see the rest?
2)
Im trying to modify the CM7 rom, what boot does it use? 2nd-init or 2nd-boot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SMG files are disk images of certain partitions of your flash memory.
You can only open CG39.smg and preinstall (CG66.smg) because they are the only images in ext3 format. The rest of images may be on ramdisk format or some proprietary format. For more details on partition codes take a look here:
http://and-developers.com/partitions:cdt
You may be able to open and see contents of other partitions but the only one that matters aside from system and preinstall is the boot partition (CG35.smg), which contains the init scripts we should mod in order to make they work with 2nd-init. Boot partition is in ramdrive format. More details here:
http://android-dls.com/wiki/index.php?title=HOWTO:_Unpack,_Edit,_and_Re-Pack_Boot_Images
http://elinux.org/Android_on_OMAP
It is easier to unpack boot image using Dsixda's Kitchen here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=633246
Edit: To see what boot your CM7 uses just go inside /system/bootmenu/config and look for a file called default_bootmode.conf. That should be the boot method used. It's normally 2nd-init.
sahilarora911 said:
I don't know if this will be relevant or not.
I wanted to know if to do any of this, having a Linux distro as OS a must or can I try my hands at it on a windows based machine. I mean I'm sure that a Linux distro will give certain advantages (as Android is based on UNIX/Linux) but can we get things to work a 100% on windows.
If yes, then will someone be kind enough to get give the list of all softwares etc. which will be required to do the job on Windows machine as well as a Linux machine.
I do know a few softwares but I'm not sure if I have an exhaustive list. I would like to learn and try and at least be able to modify in bits n pieces to begin with.
I apologize if this wasn't supposed to be asked in this thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't worry, this is the right place
As for your question: yes you can work in windows if you like, but using at least a Linux VM is more productive. I don't have a full list of applications to give you, as different mods may require different tools, but I advice you to have at least:
- Notepad++ (essential for editing text files and keeping linux end-line format);
- dsixda's Android Kitchen (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=633246)
- 7zip (or some other compress tool you like)
- Moded putty for ADB as working with windows command prompt really suck (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=803225)
- Oracle Virtual Box (if you are going to use linux VM).
r2beta0 said:
SMG files are disk images of certain partitions of your flash memory.
You can only open CG39.smg and preinstall (CG66.smg) because they are the only images in ext3 format. The rest of images may be on ramdisk format or some proprietary format. For more details on partition codes take a look here:
http://and-developers.com/partitions:cdt
You may be able to open and see contents of other partitions but the only one that matters aside from system and preinstall is the boot partition (CG35.smg), which contains the init scripts we should mod in order to make they work with 2nd-init. Boot partition is in ramdrive format. More details here:
http://android-dls.com/wiki/index.php?title=HOWTO:_Unpack,_Edit,_and_Re-Pack_Boot_Images
http://elinux.org/Android_on_OMAP
It is easier to unpack boot image using Dsixda's Kitchen here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=633246
Edit: To see what boot your CM7 uses just go inside /system/bootmenu/config and look for a file called default_bootmode.conf. That should be the boot method used. It's normally 2nd-init.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks again r2beta
thanks r2beta0
- Notepad++ -- got it
- dsixda's Android Kitchen -- downloaded (need some link for a how-to on its usage)
- 7zip -- got it
- Moded putty for ADB -- got it
- Oracle Virtual Box -- can't install Linux on my system as this is a work machine
dunno if I can do without the last option.
sahilarora911 said:
thanks r2beta0
- Notepad++ -- got it
- dsixda's Android Kitchen -- downloaded (need some link for a how-to on its usage)
- 7zip -- got it
- Moded putty for ADB -- got it
- Oracle Virtual Box -- can't install Linux on my system as this is a work machine
dunno if I can do without the last option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oracle Virtual Box is an application that lets you run an operational system on a virtual machine, in other words, it doesn't install linux on your real computer. It's a very useful tool that I use everyday. Google for it and learn a bit, you won't be disappointed. About kitchen: the link I provided was download + guide. Read it again. If necessary read the full thread.
r2beta0 said:
Oracle Virtual Box is an application that lets you run an operational system on a virtual machine, in other words, it doesn't install linux on your real computer. It's a very useful tool that I use everyday. Google for it and learn a bit, you won't be disappointed. About kitchen: the link I provided was download + guide. Read it again. If necessary read the full thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know a bit about virtual box but as I said I'm not allowed to have softwares not approved by the IT team to be present on the system. Though I can get away with small things like notepad++ and 7-zip, having virtual box on my system may raise some eye brows.
I'm trying to arrange an alternative system.
Me neither. I must do almost everything at home, and at this very moment I simply don't have any free time. I'm afraid you're not going to see me here very often anymore (maybe in a few months? a year? well, it might be a bit too late for milestone2...)
hi. Have a question, I want to remove baseband from a flashable zip (lets say, CM7 from Tezet) , is it posible? I dont know where to look for it (baseband). Thanks!!
Baseband is located in \system\etc\motorola\bp_nvm_default\
But don't remove it, just replace it with files from ROM, which have baseband you want.
---UFO--- said:
Baseband is located in \system\etc\motorola\bp_nvm_default\
But don't remove it, just replace it with files from ROM, which have baseband you want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok thanks for the info.
Sent from my A953 using XDA
Hi All,
Just a quick question. I have ported Paranoid Android 2.10 to MS2 but the problem I am facing is that Reboot goes through Bootmenu and I have to choose reboot from Bootmenu again.
Any inputs?
Thanks in advance
Megalith27 said:
Hi All,
Just a quick question. I have ported Paranoid Android 2.10 to MS2 but the problem I am facing is that Reboot goes through Bootmenu and I have to choose reboot from Bootmenu again.
Any inputs?
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I meant to get to it last night, but I was tired after work and fell asleep watch tv. Eventually, later tonight, I'll be uploading PA for MS2. Check my Defy PA thread in 12-14 hours cause I'm about to go to work and I'm not gonna feel like making a MS2 PA thread or updating my Bravo PA thread -- but the Defy Thread is always up to date when I put out new roms.
Also, I'm looking to get either a Defy or MS2 -- I've heard that there's 3G issues with AT&T users (which I am) with the MS2 -- Apparently the MS2 has different 3G frequencies than AT&T. Are there any AT&T MS2 users who are knowledgeable about that? While I can deal with no 3G, edge only, calls only -- I need to make sure I can at least do that before I commit to something.
I'd rather have the MS2 because I want a hw keyboard and I don't have the $300+ to try and get a Photon Q LTE from eBay (and I don't have to change up my repos if I get a MS2). If anyone here knows of a phone that's AT&T compatible, Defy code compatible, and has a keyboard, please let me know.
Thanks.
//Normally I'd post the latter half in the Q&A section, but ya'll don't have one so I'm just gonna piggyback
//My Bravo doesn't have a Q&A page either -- it needs one that's not my PM box...Don't PM me on how to root your phone and flash CM7 -- read one of the 5 guides on the first page of both General & Dev...:silly:
Ok devs need some help here.
I am trying to port a rom to our Milestone 2...but it bootloops on rom animation.
I tried to logcat it but I don't think it gets as far as adb server to detect the device.and just keeps saying "waiting for device"...so I end up with no logcat to diagnose the problem.
I can logcat my current working rom but only after the phone boots....am i missing something here? please, help
Any help is very much appretiated.
Thanks a lot in advance
Hello, first of all this is my first post, so im gonna introduce myself first,
I am a freelance web designer/developer and understands logical programming. Anyways i am basically new to android, and i want to learn how to edit/modify/customize stock roms. so first i want to learn extract these stock roms. I am currently on the starting phase and i only have some ideas about the terms / programs that is used in this forums. Basically, i am running a windows machine, OS is windows 7.
I find it hard to fix some bugs i encounter in my android which lead me to the goal of learning.
So for the device that i will use as a scapegoat for my learning venture, i am using a Skyworth x7010 tablet which have no more support, i think and not a very well known model, infact i cant seem to find any forums dedicated to the tablet itself.
I am technically knowledgable in computer hardware and windows OS, also i am able to write different type of websites in php, (forums, E-Commerce, social networking/networking website, company web based panels, etc.). As of now I am currently working alone in every web aspect of bagongpleion.com and bagongpleion.net.
So far this is what i have done, and done to the tablet. I have no backup as of now.
1. I have already bricked one, just made it perma bricked then returned for warranty, the staffs decided to mark it as defective motherboard (No response from anything including recovery mode and bootloader mode) ~ Bricked it while trying to flash cwm for rk30 device.
2. device is running a JB 4.1.1 for the android version, and kernel 3.0.36+ ([email protected] #48)
3. I have already started learning adb, well for the most part, i had used it in the past for unlocking devices that got locked out screen patterns, and rooting.
4. The Device has a rk3188 1.6ghz max quad (Box says 1.8 though), mali400mp(Quad), 2GB ddr3 ram, 8gb internal storage, partitioned in 2, nand and internal.
5. I have the usb drivers for adb and rktool, android sdk, currently downloading and installing cygwin but the download is so long, i am forced to close/pause it.
6. I have already rooted the device, and modified the applications, and removed some apps that is not required. I deleted the files in the /system/app thru adb. I also had edited the Build.prop already, Changed the heapsize to the best performance (I am comparing the performance with CPU Identifier and Passmark. ) Stability is tested with simultaenous apps (High end games, browser, root apps, benchmark). I also edited the pixel density and reduced it by 1 to make the resolution exactly 1280 x 800.
7, One bug i found is that it cant play NBA 2k13, I had almost tried every solution i can find in the internet, Used different version, i even copied the data and apk from a device that can play it. The game force closes automatically after the Black screen (Original apk) or muzhiwan or apkmania.com loading screen at the start. This is also one of the reasons why i wanted to edit/modify the device.
What i wanted to do.
-Backup Original Firmware/rom/img (i dont know which and what is the correct term)...
-upgrade jellybean to 4.2 if possible, or 4.3
-Tweak more the device to bring out the full potential of it,
-remove and clean the apps and everything, leaving only the necessary files and apps.
-learn more how much i can modify it.
NOTE: I am not asking for the people in this forum to spoonfeed me, i just wanted to know how and where to start, what to do, some keywords for searching, and the limitations that i have in my venture.
-i am a gambler and will take the risk to learn android much more )
Thank you
First of all, congrats that you are more of a researcher. That's a good thing because in the internet, answers to every questions are available. You just need to do the right search in the right way. :good:
Games not working on a device maybe because of various reasons such as the developer has made it limited to work on certain devices or processor architecture etc. If Play Store link shows not supported, then it needs more research and modifications to make it work, which is like 50-50.
And, as a learner you are good to start with XDA-University. It has countless tutorials in that section.
Good Luck and welcome to XDA!
thank you for the link and reply, i am actually suited best in researching, i learned every bit and pieces i know in building websites, programming web apps and system with php, even overclocking and advanced troubleshooting in researching the internet, anyways i have another question to ask,
what is nandroid?
is it an android device with nand storage? (I.E. Nand - internet - external - usb storage)
thank you again
th3f33 said:
what is nandroid?
is it an android device with nand storage? (I.E. Nand - internet - external - usb storage)
thank you again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nandroid is referred to as Nandroid Backup (Backup being taken of ROMs) in ClockWorkMod recovery (Custom Recovery) for the most part.
coolsandie said:
Nandroid is referred to as Nandroid Backup (Backup being taken of ROMs) in ClockWorkMod recovery (Custom Recovery) for the most part.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i see, thank you again, as of now, i am still downloading cygwin packages, do you have an idea how big is the total file size of it?
and another thing, I have used romdump, and got the following..
boot.img (13mb+)
checksum.md5(265b)
config.gz
recovery.img(32mb)
systeminfo.gz(1.76kb)
system.tar(385MB)
how can these files help me and can i use them for backup?
th3f33 said:
i see, thank you again, as of now, i am still downloading cygwin packages, do you have an idea how big is the total file size of it?
and another thing, I have used romdump, and got the following..
boot.img (13mb+)
checksum.md5(265b)
config.gz
recovery.img(32mb)
systeminfo.gz(1.76kb)
system.tar(385MB)
how can these files help me and can i use them for backup?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, no idea about Cygwin.
boot.img is your Kernel, and its needed for modifying the kernel. config.gz is the configuration of your device, and its also used for kernel building. recovery.img is your recovery. system.tar is your system partition which contains all files related to ROM. Yes, you can use these as a backup, as actually you'll get these when you take a nandroid backup in CWM recovery.
coolsandie said:
Sorry, no idea about Cygwin.
boot.img is your Kernel, and its needed for modifying the kernel. config.gz is the configuration of your device, and its also used for kernel building. recovery.img is your recovery. system.tar is your system partition which contains all files related to ROM. Yes, you can use these as a backup, as actually you'll get these when you take a nandroid backup in CWM recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
basically, the system.img is the one that is mounted on /system right? and it contains all files related to rom, does it mean that the ROM is like the OS? if i am not mistaken, i had already edited the apps and build.prop in the /system before i had made the system.img. But i have pulled the whole /system folder before i deleted the apps thru adb.
now the recovery.img is the one that have the android with red triangle exclamation point on vol+ power (android system recovery 3e, this is stock right) ? this is what i need to use if i fail on flashing a custom recovery? is that right?
how important is the config.gz?
boot.img is the kernel, should i stay away from the kernel for the time being? or is it better to check the boot.img first?
am i lacking any file for backup or is this enough for backup?
i have installed rom manager but it says it unsupported device. does it mean that i cannot install CWM?
i think i can flash custom rom with rkbatchtool, i had tried it before (custom rom for a different type) and it ended up bricking the device
as of now, i have tried flashing the generic cwm for rockchip which ended in a black screen recovery,
i also tried flashing my recovery.img but it doesnt work, it get flash but nothing works
it is still working fine as of now except that it doesnt have a recovery!
i think i had corrupted the recovery partition, cause i used a 1.35 rk flash tool and the memory address was set for rk3066 which is 0x0010000 (i think) and mine was 0x0020000.....
Hi all,
Background:
I bought an android phone from Chinavasion. It is described as
Wholesale Waterproof Android Phone - Mini Android Phone From China
I cannot identify its device type which is why I am posting here. The play store identifies the phone as
Alps Ratech72_wet_rlk_lca
The phone has a MT6572 Dual Core 1GHz CPU and runs Android version 4.2.2.
I want to increase the ram of the phone. It is 256MB. I want to use virtual memory. I have a 2GB sdcard in the phone. I am planning to give it 512MB. Can I do this without rooting? If I have to root it, then how do I do so? I would prefer not to use an exploit.
Anyone any suggestions?
Pranav
Hiya,
I went around looking for some hints on this phone as well but didn't come up with anything.
I got my device yesterday and I understand your issue. I have no sollution for you but I do have a solid work-around to get some more app space which, I'm afraid, involves rooting.
Activate USB debugging, connect your device to a PC. Download and run Kingo Android Root and follow the instructions.
After that I "adb'ed" to make the phone choose the SD-Card as the default installing path. Run th following command with adb.
Code:
# adb shell pm set-install-location 2
For the apps that wouldn't move to the SD-Card, due to su issues, I moved manually with the app called Move app to SD card.
Grant the app root access to sort out the apps not willing to move by themselves.
With this sorted I now have 500 mb of apps installed on the SD-Card. I am running low on memory now due to some parts of the app still installs on the phone memory.
Not a real app2sd script but it certanly will get you some more apps installed!
Another hint: When I ordered the phone they said it supported 16 GB SD-Cards only but I'm running flawless with a 64 GB card!
I'd love to see a costum recovery (since I don't know chinese) and CM for this device, but since it's not a western phone I guess we'll have to settle with stock.
Hope this helps.
A few hours has gone by and without doing any backups I replaced some system apps and now I can bearly work the phone! Haha.. Thou shall not do this sort of thing after 2 h sleep.
Anyway, don't be afraid of doing what I wrote in the previous post, it worked just fine! I'm hoping you'll do it, it's the only way I can think of to get the system files back. :-S
Since there seem to be no one but you and me who have bought there phones..
edit: Sorted out my problem, got it running again! However, if you are going to root it, please do share the stock files! :-S
PranavLal said:
Hi all,
Background:
I bought an android phone from Chinavasion. It is described as
Wholesale Waterproof Android Phone - Mini Android Phone From China
I cannot identify its device type which is why I am posting here. The play store identifies the phone as
Alps Ratech72_wet_rlk_lca
The phone has a MT6572 Dual Core 1GHz CPU and runs Android version 4.2.2.
I want to increase the ram of the phone. It is 256MB. I want to use virtual memory. I have a 2GB sdcard in the phone. I am planning to give it 512MB. Can I do this without rooting? If I have to root it, then how do I do so? I would prefer not to use an exploit.
Anyone any suggestions?
Pranav
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
to use virtual memory you would have to root it and plus you cant get that much more ram with virtual memory, 256mb of ram on a 4.2.2 phone? i hope you got a good deal for it because 256mb will get you nowhere with nowadays google play apps updates hogging all the ram.
Some more info. Appearently the phone is also called "Nanex" and/or Z18 Mini Smartphone.. Maybe it's called different things in different regions?
Move to SD card SUCCESSFUL!
Im so glad there was this thread, it seems like nobody else knows about this awesome little phone!
I followed the instructions that "pingaan" posted and it worked! now i can install as many apps to SD card as i want, awesome!
I'm glad I could help.
I've been using this device for about a week now and I have to say that the stock rom is horrible! There are many flaws and no updates incoming, as far as I know.
Another disappinting thing is that the screen material is >VERY< easily scratched so DO NOT order this phone without screen protection.
I am going to order a new one cause I love that it's so small! It's even smaller than my old "dumbphone", but I don't see myself using stock rom. I'd rather not use the phone at all.
I'm going to try to compile a custom recovery and port a suitable CM11 rom to this device for proper usage.
Don't expect it any time soon, cause my days are normally filled up with family, house and work.
Regards.
pingaan said:
I've been using this device for about a week now and I have to say that the stock rom is horrible! There are many flaws and no updates incoming, as far as I know.
Another disappinting thing is that the screen material is >VERY< easily scratched so DO NOT order this phone without screen protection.
I am going to order a new one cause I love that it's so small! It's even smaller than my old "dumbphone", but I don't see myself using stock rom. I'd rather not use the phone at all.
I'm going to try to compile a custom recovery and port a suitable CM11 rom to this device for proper usage.
Don't expect it any time soon, cause my days are normally filled up with family, house and work.
Regards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
everything about this phone is pretty good for the size, except the ram is so ridiculously small, i've tried to add virtual ram with link2sd and partitioned sd card, but apparently link2sd won't work without hacing the bootloader unlocked first, but i can't unlock the bootloader as it seems like there doesn't seem to be proper drivers for this phone.
if you are planning to do a custom rom on there, please let us know how when and how you managed to get the bootloader unlocked plz! :fingers-crossed:
Since I noticed the screen being easily scratched I ordered a new device from a different retailer, along with a plastic screen protection.
There is an interesting thing about this. The bootanimations are different and there's also a reboot option in the powermenu on the new.
Maybe the bootloader already is open? I mean, if you can change the power menu you need to alter the framework, right? The bootanimation is quite easy to change with root access however.
Have you checked the built-in recovery? There is actually an option for installing "update.zip"..
Do you have a proper app2sd script that I can try out on my old device?
Cheers...
Anyone have a backup of the ROM for ratech72_wet_rlk_lca ?? I plugged in a MTK Tool and I seem to have corrupted the system ;-( ... Didn't even get a chance to backup!
Help would be appreciated!
z18 ROM
regardtv said:
Anyone have a backup of the ROM for ratech72_wet_rlk_lca ?? I plugged in a MTK Tool and I seem to have corrupted the system ;-( ... Didn't even get a chance to backup!
Help would be appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyone find a copy of the ROM I need it also?
Hi
My first time here.
I've seen there is a forum specifically for this buy I'm not sure if my question should go there or here.
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2015) ROMs, Kernels, Recoveries
I have a Samsung J500FN with Android 6.0.1 and I'm looking for a custom ROM that can make it last a bit longer. Here are my requirements.
I don't want to root it as that will probably not allow me to use my banking app.
I need a ROM that does not have, or allows me to remove, all the bloat that comes from factory: word, excel, weather, powerpoint, chrome, facebook, samsung's internet, etc.
I've seen that some of the available ROMs come with Android 8, 9 and even 10 but I suspect these OSs take up a lot more space. If that is so I don't want them as my mobile only has 8 GB and I don't want to have to spend my days deleting cache, memory and apps.
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance, Eduardo
Eduardo de Juan said:
Hi
My first time here.
I've seen there is a forum specifically for this buy I'm not sure if my question should go there or here.
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2015) ROMs, Kernels, Recoveries
I have a Samsung J500FN with Android 6.0.1 and I'm looking for a custom ROM that can make it last a bit longer. Here are my requirements.
I don't want to root it as that will probably not allow me to use my banking app.
I need a ROM that does not have, or allows me to remove, all the bloat that comes from factory: word, excel, weather, powerpoint, chrome, facebook, samsung's internet, etc.
I've seen that some of the available ROMs come with Android 8, 9 and even 10 but I suspect these OSs take up a lot more space. If that is so I don't want them as my mobile only has 8 GB and I don't want to have to spend my days deleting cache, memory and apps.
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance, Eduardo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
chill bro,
1) for banking app like sbi uno and other use magisk. its open source and works well to hide root.
2) android 7 would be great for you because samsung switched to art in it and is a lot faster smooth and consume less space and is supported by most apps.
3) i know the pain of having 8gb rom so, try to use opera mini instated of chrome and try to optimise system by removing unnecessary software using root+magisk.
4) android 9 is also good. just flash try and see if its what you need.
thanks hit like if i helped.
@Eduardo de Juan
IMHO LineageOS is the right choice for you.
How To Install Lineage OS 17.1 for Samsung Galaxy J (Android 10 Q)
Now you can install Lineage OS 17.1 on Samsung Galaxy J which is stable enough to use as a daily driver. Finally, Android 10 Q is official
www.getdroidtips.com
[email protected] said:
chill bro,
1) for banking app like sbi uno and other use magisk. its open source and works well to hide root.
2) android 7 would be great for you because samsung switched to art in it and is a lot faster smooth and consume less space and is supported by most apps.
3) i know the pain of having 8gb rom so, try to use opera mini instated of chrome and try to optimise system by removing unnecessary software using root+magisk.
4) android 9 is also good. just flash try and see if its what you need.
thanks hit like if i helped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would like to try Android 7 if it's lighter then Android 6 but I prefer not to have root.
I've been reading that ING app doesn't work with magisk so I prefer not to struggle there.
Why doesn't my phone automatically update to Android 7, doesn't Samsung provide for this?
Where can I download a Android 7 ROM ?
BR, E
jwoegerbauer said:
@Eduardo de Juan
IMHO LineageOS is the right choice for you.
How To Install Lineage OS 17.1 for Samsung Galaxy J (Android 10 Q)
Now you can install Lineage OS 17.1 on Samsung Galaxy J which is stable enough to use as a daily driver. Finally, Android 10 Q is official
www.getdroidtips.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you think that even if it's Android 10 it will be lighter than my present Android 6?
As I mentioned I don't want to root. I see that the link you included has a GAPPs installation so I guess the Lineage ROM comes without those.
I use OpenSuse linux so I would like to install from there, any problems?
Otherwise can I do it from a Windows 7 virtual machine?
BR
It really doesn't matter whether it's Android 10 or Android 6 or whatever version what is running. As with any Android for each app a predefined heap size ( the maximum amount of RAM the app can allocate ) exists which is passed through configuration properties inside Android's build.prop file. Usually, heap size is relative to the RAM size of the Android device. So, an Android device with 1 GB of RAM will normally have a heap size of 128 MB and a device with 2+ GB RAM a heap size of 256 MB.
Assuming Android OS itself is eating 500 MB RAM to properly run, then on your phone can - at maximum - run up to 30 apps using 256 MB ( large-heap-size ) simultaneously.
jwoegerbauer said:
It really doesn't matter whether it's Android 10 or Android 6 or whatever version what is running. As with any Android for each app a predefined heap size ( the maximum amount of RAM the app can allocate ) exists which is passed through configuration properties inside Android's build.prop file. Usually, heap size is relative to the RAM size of the Android device. So, an Android device with 1 GB of RAM will normally have a heap size of 128 MB and a device with 2+ GB RAM a heap size of 256 MB.
Assuming Android OS itself is eating 500 MB RAM to properly run, then on your phone can - at maximum - run up to 30 apps using 256 MB ( large-heap-size ) simultaneously.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply.
What I meant by lighter refers to the scarce 8 Gb on my device, not the RAM. With only 8 Gb there is a very low limit to the amount of apps I can install. Maybe with Lineage there is more of those 8 Gb free.
And that takes me to the Gapps packages. When reading the link for Gapps it offers various packages and I'm a bit lost as to which I should download.
Open Gapps for LineageOS 17.1 GSI build: Download
Open Gapps for Android 10
ARM: Download Open Gapps 10 ARM Zip
ARM64: Download Open Gapps 10 ARM64 Zip
BiTGApps for Android 10 Custom ROM | Link
GApps for LineageOS 17 | Link
BR
I've downloaded the Lineage ROM file and have a doubt about the name of the file and whether it's valid for my model. The name of the file is
lineage-17.1-20201213-UNOFFICIAL-js01lte.zip
What worries me is the "...js01lte" part.
My mobile is SM-J500FN, also "j5nlte"
BR
ok, I think I'm almost ready to flash my first ever custom rom.
I've been reading to understand what I'm getting into.
One doubt. It seems that TWRP is capable of installing the custom rom without me telling it what partition it should be flashed to.
My question, if I want to flash a Samsung stock ROM can I also use TWRP or must I use Odin or Heimdall and flash it to the appropriate partition?
BR, Eduardo
Before I proceed
Installation instructions state "Then, select the System, Vendor, Data, and the Cache partition and perform a right swipe to format the selected partitions."
My device doesn't show the vendor partition.
Is it ok to proceed ?
Eduardo de Juan said:
Before I proceed
Installation instructions state "Then, select the System, Vendor, Data, and the Cache partition and perform a right swipe to format the selected partitions."
My device doesn't show the vendor partition.
Is it ok to proceed ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still insstalling? I think lineageOS is not the right solution for you. I got the same phone and made it work by disabling bloatware.
Hi Kurtin
from what I've learnt until now disabling bloatware doesn't free up any space, it just doesn't show but it's still there.
You need to see the partitions separately. The stock version of each app is stored in system partition. That is no problem. You can't use free space in system partition.
Our problem is data partition. Each enabled app will try to store it's data and updates in data partition. That makes the device unusable.
I think I understand what you mean and therefore installing a different ROM won't help unless it changes the partition setup.
Thanks for your support.
Eduardo de Juan said:
I think I understand what you mean and therefore installing a different ROM won't help unless it changes the partition setup.
Thanks for your support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Installing a different ROM will help. Custom ROMs usually have less bloatware that occupies data partition for updates.
Same effect as disabling apps in stock ROM.
Hi
our exchange started when you stated "I think lineageOS is not the right solution for you. I got the same phone and made it work by disabling bloatware."
Can you propose a better custom ROM that addresses our needs or didn't you explore that track?
Eduardo de Juan said:
Hi
our exchange started when you stated "I think lineageOS is not the right solution for you. I got the same phone and made it work by disabling bloatware."
Can you propose a better custom ROM that addresses our needs or didn't you explore that track?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LineageOS 17.1 should be OK.
I have an old Samsung phone running on Marshmallow. I want to build android and flash it on the old phone. Many take Google Pixel to show how to do it and say it’s not possible to do it on non-Google device. Is there a way to get around it?
KrishnaD3V said:
I have an old Samsung phone running on Marshmallow. I want to build android and flash it on the old phone. Many take Google Pixel to show how to do it and say it’s not possible to do it on non-Google device. Is there a way to get around it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure. Here's some reading material on how to build a custom Android operating system. https://www.androidauthority.com/build-custom-android-rom-720453/
If it all seems too much, you could instead install a custom Android operating system prebuilt by others. One such example is LineageOS which has its own website and installation instructions.
You will have to first determine the exact model and sub-variant of your Samsung phone.
Then determine whether it is network carrier unlocked.
Then determine whether the bootloader is allowed to be unlocked (allow oem unlocking).
LineageOS Downloads
download.lineageos.org
Thanks for the reply
Do you know how to obtain proprietary binaries for a device?
KrishnaD3V said:
Thanks for the reply
Do you know how to obtain proprietary binaries for a device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on the the exact device model? (Go to settings =>About phone) (or in the dialler, type *#0*# then tap on 'version'). Then search the XDA forum for that device, then spend some time scrolling through the posts to find the info you're searching for. https://forum.xda-developers.com/c/samsung.11975/
*#0*# doesn’t give any option for version. So I thought to see in settings. What ‘version’ should I look for?
Go to settings =>About phone
Look for a code which which looks similar to SM-GTI9100
KrishnaD3V said:
Thanks for the reply
Do you know how to obtain proprietary binaries for a device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Either extract them from phone's Stock ROM file, or pull them out of phone.
zpunout said:
Go to settings =>About phone
Look for a code which which looks similar to SM-GTI9100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It’s SM-A800I running android 6.0.1 . And it’s not on the list that you sent. What can I do?
jwoegerbauer said:
Either extract them from phone's Stock ROM file, or pull them out of phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do have the stock rom file but I can’t find guide on how to do so. I found a video where person extracts it from lineage os. Is the process going to be the same? And by the way does it matter which version of stock rom I have because the phone came with android 5 and I updated it to 6 with official update.
KrishnaD3V said:
It’s SM-A800I running android 6.0.1 . And it’s not on the list that you sent. What can I do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, there's not much development on that device, I read somewhere that Samsung supposedly never released the source code. It is hard to search for, but I did find this link: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...al-cyanogenmod-13-for-galaxy-a800f-i.3344081/
I did find out that the nickname of your SM-A800I model is "a8hplte" which might help you in search engines.
Looks like a dead end to me though.
KrishnaD3V said:
I do have the stock rom file but I can’t find guide on how to do so. I found a video where person extracts it from lineage os. Is the process going to be the same? And by the way does it matter which version of stock rom I have because the phone came with android 5 and I updated it to 6 with official update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The so-called binary blobs are kinds of hardware drivers, you can't simply extract them of a Custom ROM, you have to extract them from a phone's original Stock ROM, as I told you this already earlier.
These binary blobs typically are found under /vendor/lib(64), some also under /system, /etc and /bin.
Most of the blobs are executable files or libraries, run as independent services on phone's boot.
jwoegerbauer said:
The so-called binary blobs are kinds of hardware drivers, you can't simply extract them of a Custom ROM, you have to extract them from a phone's original Stock ROM, as I told you this already earlier.
These binary blobs typically are found under /vendor/lib(64), some also under /system, /etc and /bin.
Most of the blobs are executable files or libraries, run as independent services on phone's boot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info
zpunout said:
Yeah, there's not much development on that device, I read somewhere that Samsung supposedly never released the source code. It is hard to search for, but I did find this link: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...al-cyanogenmod-13-for-galaxy-a800f-i.3344081/
I did find out that the nickname of your SM-A800I model is "a8hplte" which might help you in search engines.
Looks like a dead end to me though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not so beginner friendly I guess . I try my luck extracting the blobs as described by
jwoegerbauer.