How far are we from roms? - Google Pixel 2 Questions & Answers

Just wondering how much time people think it'll take before we get even a super unstable rom

From the looks of it, it took a month just to get TWRP on the original Pixel, so probably a while. Personally, I am straying away from ROMs. I only need root so that I can get viper4android and provisioning turned off. Other than that, don't really need anything else anymore.

I don't care too much for roms, however I'm interested in a Kernel that will allow me full control of the screen colors.
I feel that will come sooner than Google will officially provide more vibrant colors.

Fingers crossed for Turkey day, more realistic that Santa will bring em.

I dare say that we'll need factory images & driver binaries to make an appearance before the ball gets properly rolling.

I'm looking forward to Lineage OS. I hope the Pixel 2 gets official support. The Pixel 1 has never had an official version of Lineage OS.
I don't need a lot of new features and mods. But Lineage does strip out some of the privacy violating stuff in Android, other crud, and gets updated weekly, making it more secure.
Currently the Pixel 2 is still on the September 5 security patch from Google. So it has not been patched for the extremely bad Krack vulnerability in wifi (which affects all platforms). In fact, no version of Android, even on the original Pixels has been patched for Krack. But Lineage OS was patched within a day of the public announcement of Krack. This means my Nexus 4 running Lineage OS is more secure than the most up to date Pixel, even though Google stopped supporting the Nexus 4 years ago. That is just an embarrassment and Google should be humiliated, but really they don't care that much about security.
(If you don't know about Krack, it completely breaks WPA2 wifi connections--which is what everyone uses--and allows an attacker to easily decrypt all of your traffic.)
By the way, Windows was patched for Krack the week before it was publically announced. Linux was patched the day of the announcement. As I said, Lineage OS was patched the next day. Apple has been vague about when there will be updates to either MacOS or iOS and just leaked to some bloggers that they are coming--Apple is the worst on security on the desktop now (though they do a lot of PR to appear great) and not good on the iPhone. Google says they have a patch, but are not clear at all about when it will come (a computer journalist/developer I was emailing with recently said to me that Android security is so bad it should be considered criminal).
Anyway, so that's an argument for at least some ROMs, beyond a need for any special features and mods.

I'm with the previous posters. I don't NEED roms...but more development is always a good thing. Remember the days when just getting all your data from phone to phone required Root and titanium? Now all that's backed up in the cloud and restores over the cloud. I was a holdout of the grandfathered UDP and NEEDED root for tethering. But now I'm on the new unlimited and save money now that my teenager is on a smartphone. I'm saving $ on the plan... Never really worry about Data and I really haven't seen a difference.
Android has come so far that each update root has become more for fun instead of necessity.

Everybody needs to settle down with this Krack paranoia. There no hacker sitting outside your window hacking your wifi.

Chronzy said:
Everybody needs to settle down with this Krack paranoia. There no hacker sitting outside your window hacking your wifi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Say what?

Chronzy said:
Everybody needs to settle down with this Krack paranoia. There no hacker sitting outside your window hacking your wifi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably not at your home (although doing that used to be a hobby, called Wardriving, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wardriving, so maybe with Krack it will become popular again).
But at work, in a cafe, public places with wifi, wifi sniffing is definitely known to happen.
Further, every time I've heard some say not to worry about some "paranoid" computer security issue, it has come to pass. I can't count anymore the number of computer security disasters that were so predictable, even though they sounded crazy, that I saw them coming years ahead and then they happened.
Basically, these days, we are losing the computer security game. Between extremely sophisticated state actors and almost as sophisticated criminals, huge amounts of resources are going into hacking people in every possible way. If you can think of a hack, it almost certainly is something that is happening or will happen. I've gotten it right so many times that way, when less sophisticated people thought I was crazy. I'm telling you, just imagine something that seems really bad with computer security, sit back, wait a couple years, and it will happen.
What's worse, with Krack, there are so many people running devices that don't get supported anymore that they will be vulnerable to Krack forever. Most routers never get updates either and people don't replace them, so they will be vulnerable for a long time too.
And the people who should be protecting us (Google, banks--Equifax, ahem) don't care, because for them fraud is just and operating expense.
My advice to people is don't do anything over wifi on your phone that you expect to be secure (like banking apps, etc.). Better safe than sorry. Really, I don't think people should ever use banking apps on their phones (or things like Android Pay)--I know people who work for banks developing these things and they really don't spend money on security people (there is also an extreme lack of enough talent in this area). I'll predict it right now. One of these days some banking app is going to get hacked and thousands if not millions of people are going to lose money out of their accounts. The banks will act shocked, pass the cost on to their customers, and know all along they couldn't be bothered to prevent it.

GohanBurner said:
From the looks of it, it took a month just to get TWRP on the original Pixel, so probably a while. Personally, I am straying away from ROMs. I only need root so that I can get viper4android and provisioning turned off. Other than that, don't really need anything else anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The original Pixel had a new dual boot and system partition structure (for seamless updates), which increased the time needed to get TWRP. With luck the Pixel 2 will have the same structure, so it won't require so much work to get TWRP.
I mainly need root so adaway can change the hosts file to get rid of ads. Maybe I'll just stick with stock recovery and use one of the vpn ad blockers.

foosion said:
The original Pixel had a new dual boot and system partition structure (for seamless updates), which increased the time needed to get TWRP. With luck the Pixel 2 will have the same structure, so it won't require so much work to get TWRP.
I mainly need root so adaway can change the hosts file to get rid of ads. Maybe I'll just stick with stock recovery and use one of the vpn ad blockers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe it is confirmed to have the same file system. There are indications that there are "slots"again just like the original Pixel.

All development is waiting on the release of the kernel source for the Pixel 2. I'd imagine it'll surface close to when the next OTA comes out with the October/November security patch. Seems like they aren't interested in releasing source and factory images for the current production build. I'd imagine within a week or two it'll happen.

ryanbg said:
All development is waiting on the release of the kernel source for the Pixel 2. I'd imagine it'll surface close to when the next OTA comes out with the October/November security patch. Seems like they aren't interested in releasing source and factory images for the current production build. I'd imagine within a week or two it'll happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Factory images are live:
https://developers.google.com/android/images#walleye
:good::good:

If anyone worried about KRACK needs to stop. If you are visiting http sites stop using them viola no need to worry. It's 2017 and all sites should be using https as a standard. There is no reason for a site not to use it.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Related

JB rant and options ?

I cannot believe the state of JB. Its beta software at best, IMHO.
Example, when typing in a gmail body, if you backspace, the cursor loses its position in the text. And there are issues with inserting new paragraphs and such. These are elementary programming bugs. How long did they test JB before they pushed it to the servers ?
Someone needs to push out an upgrade for JB ASAP. I suspect that ASUS pushed JB out prematurely to capture better Christmas sales. If they don't issue an update its going to backfire on them.
Is there an Android repository somewhere that has global updates, not just ASUS updates ?
I'm new to the whole Android scene. I'm an experienced Linux user.
Why is Android not rooted from the get go ?
Why does hardware come locked down ?
I think Android would be a lot better OS if Google et al opened things up and made it easier for developers to contribute to it, especially prior to the major releases.
Companies want to sell devices. Why do they need to lock the OS to the device ? They already have the OS locked to the device by only supplying proprietary drivers to the OS of their liking. I understand that you might get users harming the hardware by doing illegal things, turning up the cell radio transmitter power, anyone ? But short of that, how is a smart phone different from a PC or laptop where you can easily do what you want with the OS ?
I think JB would be a better product if it was more open and everyday people contributed to its development. Imagine how much better it would be if it followed the Fedora development process whereby a few rcs were released prior to putting it into "stable".
And we could spend our time logging and fixing bugs instead of fooling around with figuring out to unlock, root and flash devices. It would be a win-win for everyone. What Google is doing now is akin to if Fedora (Ubuntu) closed their development process.
I think that Google is afraid that Android is going to get forked in some direction it doesn't like. However, if they keep going the way they are, its almost certain that will be the case anyway.
/rant
I find the wireless router industry fascinating. What does Cisco have to lose by allowing users to flash whatever they want on their hardware ? They have the best of both worlds right now... sell routers locked down for the average person and yet everyone knows how to flash them to build super routers. I think this is the direct the open handset people need to go.

A different view on OEM updates

Just poking through the news portal before work (I work at an electronics retailer that sells wireless) I came across a LOT of hate for the OEMs and their update schedule, even those who are very good at it (Sony, Samsung) and yet again realized the blinders of long-term XDA residency. A lot of people here complain about their updates, and with good reason sometimes (I'm looking at you, LG Thrill) but having worked with a LOT of people who are nowhere near the level of Android proficiency of the average reader of XDA, keep in mind a few things:
1. You as a high-level user make up a very low percentage of sales of mobile devices. 90% of those who buy (non-Nexus at least) smartphones, just want to make calls, text, and play games. For all intents and purposes, your opinion doesn't matter to the OEMs, because you make up a significant minority.
2. The average consumer can't deal with imperfect software. Most of us are content, or even more comfortable with, "beta status" software. We don't mind the occasional crash, having to flash a new nightly when the last one eats our bluetooth driver, etc. Unfortunately, for the average wireless user, this just gets in the way of phone calls, texts, or games.
3. Perfect software takes time. A LOT of time. Think about your favorite ROM. I'm going to take mine, AOKP. AOKP for JB-MR1 was made available in nightly form less than a month after the release of 4.2. A version considered "stable" took 6 months to release, and was available fully bug free for Nexus devices only (in my experience) and I still wouldn't have put my mother on it (actually I tried and she hated it, so we flashed her phone back to stock. She eventually traded out for an iPhone, and has loved it) Speaking of, even the iPhone takes time, and they're developing iOS 7 for 7 devices. My Nexus running AOKP nightlies has less issues than my iPhone 5 running iOS 7 Seed 4. Now take that and apply it to a company with 10-15 updatable devices, and you see where the problem lies.
I guess my point here is, the OEMs aren't developing for you. You don't care anyway, you probably didn't even run the stock software on your phone, you unboxed it, booted into fastboot, and unlocked your bootloader/flashed recovery/ROM/rooted/whatever before you even had a chance to. Just something I had to mention. I'm more than open to comments/criticism/general "stfu and go back to your iPhone fanboy"
Absolutely true; Most users don't even bother to update to begin with. They don't care that there is a new version out if the previous one does what they want it to do.
Hell, the average used doesn't even know what the android versions are called or which one their phone is running.
Indeed. Every time friends of mine get new smartphones (most of the time totally ignoring my advice and following the crowd) and I ask which android version their running they always say android 4 (or Android 2 back in the day) which obviously doesn't tell me squad. They really don't care, all they want is to fit in, so their either buying a S4 or i5.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
True
I was discussing the same subject with a friend couple of weeks back. One thing he suggested that was, if updates are more, then average people would consider that your software is not up to mark and that is the reason why OEM is updating it often. And before pusing out an update, the OEMs have to test the update thouroughly. Apple can do it becuase they don't have 30-40 models in the market at any given point of time.
Having said that, the way Apple updates and takes more than 90% of userbase to latest version is an achievement in itself. That's because most iPhone users don't understand what is an update. They just press update button when the notification comes.
daemol said:
I was discussing the same subject with a friend couple of weeks back. One thing he suggested that was, if updates are more, then average people would consider that your software is not up to mark and that is the reason why OEM is updating it often. And before pusing out an update, the OEMs have to test the update thouroughly. Apple can do it becuase they don't have 30-40 models in the market at any given point of time.
Having said that, the way Apple updates and takes more than 90% of userbase to latest version is an achievement in itself. That's because most iPhone users don't understand what is an update. They just press update button when the notification comes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And because when Apple pushes an update, without fail it contains major improvements for the end user, no matter their level of skill. No one cares about 4.2/4.3 because the only real update between the two of them is the lockscreen, which takes a LOT of getting used to. I could take or leave 4.2 and 4.3, if I were on 4.1 I'd be content day-to-day. As is, I'm still on AOKP 4.2 and have no intention of ROM hopping to get the update sooner.
daemol said:
I was discussing the same subject with a friend couple of weeks back. One thing he suggested that was, if updates are more, then average people would consider that your software is not up to mark and that is the reason why OEM is updating it often. And before pusing out an update, the OEMs have to test the update thouroughly. Apple can do it becuase they don't have 30-40 models in the market at any given point of time.
Having said that, the way Apple updates and takes more than 90% of userbase to latest version is an achievement in itself. That's because most iPhone users don't understand what is an update. They just press update button when the notification comes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't help that Apple forces the update on you. My iPad stopped working and I had to reset it, but in order to reset it I was forced to upgrade to iOS 6. There was literally no way for me to stay on iOS 5 even though I wanted to. Damn you Apple.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
gc84245 said:
It doesn't help that Apple forces the update on you. My iPad stopped working and I had to reset it, but in order to reset it I was forced to upgrade to iOS 6. There was literally no way for me to stay on iOS 5 even though I wanted to. Damn you Apple.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
unless you saved your shsh blobs on earlier devices. Too bad that's been closed
nerdfacenyan said:
unless you saved your shsh blobs on earlier devices. Too bad that's been closed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stop apple trolling before i report you.
nerdfacenyan said:
And because when Apple pushes an update, without fail it contains major improvements for the end user, no matter their level of skill. No one cares about 4.2/4.3 because the only real update between the two of them is the lockscreen, which takes a LOT of getting used to. I could take or leave 4.2 and 4.3, if I were on 4.1 I'd be content day-to-day. As is, I'm still on AOKP 4.2 and have no intention of ROM hopping to get the update sooner.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2
GamerEvolving said:
Stop apple trolling before i report you.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can tell you're new here, so I'll spare you the lecture for the most part, but telling things like it is != apple trolling. Get a job in wireless sales and you'll start to see the benefit of both sides, especially when no matter whether the manufacturer, their commission is food in your pantry.

Google Pixel 2 Root Help

Hello, XDA Developers.
I joined this forum yesterday, and to be honest, I am a complete Android noob. I got my first Android phone around 6 months ago, and, as you know thanks to the title of this thread, it was a Google Pixel 2, a solid way to dip my toes into Android for the first time, especially after being an Apple sheep for many years in the past. Anyway, I found my interest in rooting coming from me wanting to install a custom icon pack to my Pixel Launcher. I found Pixel Launcher Mods, but discovered it required root. I learned what rooting was, and how to do it. That's not the problem, though.
I've heard tons on what rooting can do negatively to your phone, but using a Google-branded phone, I'm not worried in the least about getting my phone bricked nor am I worried about blowing my warranty (since Google doesn't take away warranty due to rooting). What I am worried about is security.
I use many apps on my phone which are very personal and important, like my AMEX app, Google Pay, and PayPal. Knowing that rooting is risky in the security department, I'm very nervous to make the jump due to exposing those very applications and all of that sensitive information.
I've heard that installing Magisk and TWRP somehow keeps me safe from this kind of risk, but I don't quite understand how. I really need to understand why and how Magisk keeps me safe before I root, since I know that if I don't, I'll have insane paranoia in the back of my head, which will completely ruin my experience rooting.
I've also heard that Netflix and apps similar to it simply do not function. I am a Netflix subscriber and sometimes watch on my phone, so this is kind of concerning for me. Apparently Magisk comes to the rescue again, but I still don't know why!
One other thing (second last one, I promise) I heard was that I can get purchases in the Google Play store for free. If someone can leave a link for me on how I can do that, it would be pretty awesome.
The fourth and final 'thing' as I've been calling them, is that I won't get OTA updates. With some of my own research, I found that I actually do get these updates, however, they break my root. I've heard of things like OTA RootKeeper, but when I looked it up, all I found were forum posts from 2012, which had me slightly worried. This coupled with the fact that Android P was coming out so soon had me bear the question: update or wait?
Thank you so much if you took the time to read this long and confusing thread. I tried to lay it out in the least confusing way as possible. As you can see, I'm really new to all of this, and it would be great if you guys could help me out and answer some of the questions above.
Take care! I look forward to your responses.
- Arrow008
First of all: Good choice and welcome to the community.
1. I can't exactly tell you how Magisk would keep you safe but I can tell you that it is always in your hands to keep your device and data safe. What I mean by that is that you should use your brain while using your phone. Don't download any "fancy apps" which promise to make your battery last longer or something like that. Don't click any shady links etc.
After all you are not more vulnerable just due to rooting but apps could do more harm.
2. Netflix or other apps will work with "Magisk Hide" which is built in feature of Magisk.
3. You are talking about illegal warez which are not allowed on XDA. Anyways apps cost between 1 - 5 $ and are often on sale. So there should not be any need to tinker with warez.
4. There is a guide here to keep Root with Magisk even on OTA. But for this to work you don't have to have TWRP flashed to your device (at least that's what I think).
EDIT: I'm using different Android phones since 2011 and always rooted them and didn't ever have any problems with security.
Arrow008 said:
Hello, XDA Developers.
I joined this forum yesterday, and to be honest, I am a complete Android noob. I got my first Android phone around 6 months ago, and, as you know thanks to the title of this thread, it was a Google Pixel 2, a solid way to dip my toes into Android for the first time, especially after being an Apple sheep for many years in the past. Anyway, I found my interest in rooting coming from me wanting to install a custom icon pack to my Pixel Launcher. I found Pixel Launcher Mods, but discovered it required root. I learned what rooting was, and how to do it. That's not the problem, though.
I've heard tons on what rooting can do negatively to your phone, but using a Google-branded phone, I'm not worried in the least about getting my phone bricked nor am I worried about blowing my warranty (since Google doesn't take away warranty due to rooting). What I am worried about is security.
I use many apps on my phone which are very personal and important, like my AMEX app, Google Pay, and PayPal. Knowing that rooting is risky in the security department, I'm very nervous to make the jump due to exposing those very applications and all of that sensitive information.
I've heard that installing Magisk and TWRP somehow keeps me safe from this kind of risk, but I don't quite understand how. I really need to understand why and how Magisk keeps me safe before I root, since I know that if I don't, I'll have insane paranoia in the back of my head, which will completely ruin my experience rooting.
I've also heard that Netflix and apps similar to it simply do not function. I am a Netflix subscriber and sometimes watch on my phone, so this is kind of concerning for me. Apparently Magisk comes to the rescue again, but I still don't know why!
One other thing (second last one, I promise) I heard was that I can get purchases in the Google Play store for free. If someone can leave a link for me on how I can do that, it would be pretty awesome.
The fourth and final 'thing' as I've been calling them, is that I won't get OTA updates. With some of my own research, I found that I actually do get these updates, however, they break my root. I've heard of things like OTA RootKeeper, but when I looked it up, all I found were forum posts from 2012, which had me slightly worried. This coupled with the fact that Android P was coming out so soon had me bear the question: update or wait?
Thank you so much if you took the time to read this long and confusing thread. I tried to lay it out in the least confusing way as possible. As you can see, I'm really new to all of this, and it would be great if you guys could help me out and answer some of the questions above.
Take care! I look forward to your responses.
- Arrow008
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would also like to welcome you to the community. Good choice crossing over from Apple and you made a great choice as far as phones go. Xda is a grea place to start and there are amazing people on here that can help you get to where you want to be.
Some background on myself, I have owned an android phone since 2010 and have rooted every android phone I've had since then. Root is the way to go and it opens so many doors for android devices.
1. Don't let a security risk scare you away from rooting, as long as you are smart with your device then you will be ok. You heard right in that Magisk keeps you safe when rooting. Magisk implements security protocols that allow our devices to pass safteynet checks. Safteynet is what android uses to tell apps that your device is secure and hasn't been tempered with. Things like Google Pay use safteynet checks in order to function. Some apps also won't function if it detects Magisk on your device. This is simply because the app knows your device is rooted and doesn't want to function as it knows it has been tampered with. Magisk has a feature called magiskhide that hides itself from certain apps being able to see it. So that, in a nutshell, is how Magisk tricks your device into thinking it hasn't been tampered with. Magisk also prevents apps from getting root acces to your phones that you don't want to authorize. Everytime an app initially requests root access, Magisk will prompt you with a popup asking if you would like to authorize said access.
2. As far as security goes. Google releases security patches once a month for our devices. if you run a custom ROM then most devs will incorporate these updates in to their ROMs and push them out to users. So when you root, your device will no longer update OTA, you must do it yourself. Even if you run stock Google firmware, you must still manually push updates to your phone (plenty of guides on how to do this). As long as you stay on the most recent Google security patch, then you have nothing to be afraid of.
3. Free apps. Yes, there are illegal markets out there that upload stolen apps but these come with a high security risk and are not allowed to be discussed on Xda. When you install apps from markets like these you run a high security risk. Some apps are made to look like other apps and have different permissions and can have access to parts of your phone that you don't know about. I would never recommend installing apps from markets like these. Stick to the Play Store and support the devs.
4. Like I said in #2, you will not get OTA updates anymore since you are rooted. Yes, in the past with other devices, some devs have come out with apps that allow OTA while maintaining root, as of right now there is not such thing for our phones. Manually pushing updates to our phones is not hard with TWRP. TWRP allows you to backup everything, wipe everything, and install new ROMs/updates. When you install a new ROM it will wipe everything as far as your os goes but will not wipe your storage (pics, music, files) So when you update a new ROM I highly recommend you get an app called Titanium Backup. TB will backup all your apps+data, that way when you install a new ROM/update, all you have to do is restore the apps with TB and its like nothing changed. It can even backup things like call history, texts, wallpaper selection, wifi passwords, etc. Definitely a must have for rooted devices.
Dive in, get involved, but please do your research before just spouting off questions in this q+a thread. People are here to help you but 9/10 times your question has probably already been answered. Read the rules of Xda and happy rooting.

app permissions removed by phone without asking!

I always had suspected that Samsung would infringe on my new phone, finally received evidence directly from Samsung so its undeniable now!
it's a setting you control. by design as specified by latest Android
revized said:
I always had suspected that Samsung would infringe on my new phone, finally received evidence directly from Samsung so its undeniable now!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should probably spend some time learning about Android 11 and up and the permissions. If you look, you will see this is an option YOU can control.
Don't blame Samsung for your lack of knowledge.
Start here:
Android 12 will automatically hibernate unused apps to free up space
Android 12 is introducing an app hibernation feature that removes temporary files of unused apps in order to free up space.
www.xda-developers.com
Since Pie and especially 11 onward Android is full of unpleasant surprises.
I would have it left on 10... I'm deliberately still running Pie on my 10+
i like getting home from work or using weekends spending the evening ticking boxes windows 10 style has always been a favorite of mine, phew windows xp was so boring, nothing to always fix, and thanks android 11 now I get to have all kinds of fun reading through litigation style setting the power that be keep implementing on MY device, kinda like buying a car and regularly functions change, causing annoying problems, (oh wait maybe updates never cause problems? )
so should we start updating automobiles for all that fun downtime and relaxing manual reading goodness?
nah window xp and note 10 is the way for me see
revized said:
I always had suspected that Samsung would infringe on my new phone, finally received evidence directly from Samsung so its undeniable now!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yup.... I wont go on a rant (which means I will...) but this, along with other compromises like this have convinced me there needs to be a minor Revolution in handsets. I mean a device created remind you of the device next to it. Unfortunately I smashed my phone a few months ago and at an inopportune time was forced to choose a new one. I left the whole table open (barring how ridiculous). I chose a pixel 4XL. There were many factors ( mostly personal preferences), but in the end I saw the writing on the wall. Nothing impressed me. A brand new phone would be painful proper rooting. This left only the devices worked over by better individuals (xda members).
And when it came down to it if the bootloader couldn't be unlocked, it was a deal-breaker.
I think the last genuine phone for the average nerd was the Nexus 6.
.... Okay I vented .
I had the same issue in Android 12 with my new handset except only Google didn't tell me like Samsung told you. They just did it.
jhavron said:
yup.... I wont go on a rant (which means I will...) but this, along with other compromises like this have convinced me there needs to be a minor Revolution in handsets. I mean a device created remind you of the device next to it. Unfortunately I smashed my phone a few months ago and at an inopportune time was forced to choose a new one. I left the whole table open (barring how ridiculous). I chose a pixel 4XL. There were many factors ( mostly personal preferences), but in the end I saw the writing on the wall. Nothing impressed me. A brand new phone would be painful proper rooting. This left only the devices worked over by better individuals (xda members).
And when it came down to it if the bootloader couldn't be unlocked, it was a deal-breaker.
I think the last genuine phone for the average nerd was the Nexus 6.
.... Okay I vented .
I had the same issue in Android 12 are my new handset only Google tell me like Samsung told you. They just did it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android and Samsung are a mess now. I got my 2nd new N10+ less a year ago. Both are stock running on 9 and 10. Even though I disable firmware updates/upgrades I still fight with Samsung apps like Wearables for the Buds+.
It's updates and performance zenithed about a year ago, everything since just degrades it, including the audio. I roll it back but it wants to force update. Fighting with it now, again*.
Samsung hasn't released anything near as good since the N10+, they've lost their minds. Fk em.
Android reached their zenith at 9, scoped storage sucks and isn't needed. This N10+ running on 9 has no issues other than what Samsung continues to screw with
I use whatever works and comes in handy even if it's 3 years old. That goes for hardware and firmware... I don't give a rat's arse about having the newest if it isn't a well balanced, clean running improvement.
* edit, fixed. Uninstalled all Buds and Wearables updates, reinstalled older saved versions, after firewall blocking specific update UIDs. Old UI and the sound volume/Q restored.
Agreed, both companies have lost their minds, I will probably be sane someday with a flip phone and leave all the powers that be behind soon.
Compusmurf said:
You should probably spend some time learning about Android 11 and up and the permissions. If you look, you will see this is an option YOU can control.
Don't blame Samsung for your lack of knowledge.
Start here:
Android 12 will automatically hibernate unused apps to free up space
Android 12 is introducing an app hibernation feature that removes temporary files of unused apps in order to free up space.
www.xda-developers.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I completely understand what your saying, I just think phone owners can spend free time if they chose to just use the phone and be cool, not need to get a huge secrets and tips book like for windows 7 and now 1 of those books for each new phones because of all the absurd changes that went along with scraping the world best os xp and note 3 in my option. Companies lost it to long ago, can't do a make over on a UI without all kinda of restrictions oh I meant goodness. So long gone are the super chill days, it's time to become a mini tech support technician when you get home from work
This is nothing malicious, it's simply an Android feature to protect you.
V0latyle said:
This is nothing malicious, it's simply an Android feature to protect you.
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Lol, recent history is showing that for some things being unprotected is safer
blackhawk said:
Android and Samsung are a mess now. I got my 2nd new N10+ less a year ago. Both are stock running on 9 and 10. Even though I disable firmware updates/upgrades I still fight with Samsung apps like Wearables for the Buds+.
It's updates and performance zenithed about a year ago, everything since just degrades it, including the audio. I roll it back but it wants to force update. Fighting with it now, again*.
Samsung hasn't released anything near as good since the N10+, they've lost their minds. Fk em.
Android reached their zenith at 9, scoped storage sucks and isn't needed. This N10+ running on 9 has no issues other than what Samsung continues to screw with
I use whatever works and comes in handy even if it's 3 years old. That goes for hardware and firmware... I don't give a rat's arse about having the newest if it isn't a well balanced, clean running improvement.
* edit, fixed. Uninstalled all Buds and Wearables updates, reinstalled older saved versions, after firewall blocking specific update UIDs. Old UI and the sound volume/Q restored.
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One of the few features of Samsung that I like is that of you keep your Samsung account and Google account sperated (not sure if this is actually necessary) and your phone is compromised you may have a 2nd chance at redemption... Samsung seems to give more hardware for the $ tho.....
But that makes you that much more of their product in my opinion....
I do miss my note pen sometimes tho
jhavron said:
One of the few features of Samsung that I like is that of you keep your Samsung account and Google account sperated (not sure if this is actually necessary) and your phone is compromised you may have a 2nd chance at redemption... Samsung seems to give more hardware for the $ tho.....
But that makes you that much more of their product in my opinion....
I do miss my note pen sometimes tho
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I never set a lock on the phone and make sure I have the Google account password impossibly long, complex and etched in stone.
Find my Device is always disabled.
No social media apps on the phone, wifi always disabled.
Lol, being a Google product sucks. Zero trust in the ruling elites; they've weaponized our devices along with most everything else.
The spen is very useful when you need it. In the N10+ it just nests, protected, until it's needed. Some things can't be done easily or at all without it. Smart select rocks.

Question Has anyone with an unlocked A53 5G (in the US) received the Android 13 update?

Just as the subject mentions. Curious if it's just me?
Nada. No update. And when I mentioned this on their forum, they deleted the post.
I even tried the thing where you remove the SIM and search for updates then. Didn't make any difference.
Searching with Sammoblie and Frija, only the carrier version(A536U) from Xfinity/Comcast has gotten it in the US.
I don't have it either, what bothers me most is that 13 was released for older A phones including lower priced models already. Is it possible that because this is an enterprise phone (at least in the USA) it requires more time for testing?
pj1980 said:
I don't have it either, what bothers me most is that 13 was released for older A phones including lower priced models already. Is it possible that because this is an enterprise phone (at least in the USA) it requires more time for testing?
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What bothers me was how quickly Samsung deleted my post on their forum after I asked about this.
It's been like 6 weeks since the same phone in other countries was given this. It's quite annoying.
snark.shark said:
What bothers me was how quickly Samsung deleted my post on their forum after I asked about this.
It's been like 6 weeks since the same phone in other countries was given this. It's quite annoying.
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Samsung's discussions has a sticky at the top that updates happen whenever (edit: or at least it did before). And that's definitely how it goes for all their devices.
Even Samsung flagships go through silly stuff for updates and Android versions so its not A53 only.
The A53 unlocked has carrier apps on it so its tied to the carrier testing. Why will US carriers release Android 13 for older devices before newer? No idea but that's how their testing is going. They have some reason.
Really, you will get it when you get it. If you just think it won't show up until the year 2721 then it should be easier for you lol.
Its frustrating I know for unlocked to be dependent on carriers. But, waiting, it will at least probably have less bugs so that's fine enough. A buggy device isn't fun at all.
edit: Also A52 appear to be doing better than the A53 in getting Android 13 and listed as Enterprise. So, I don't think Enterprise has anything to do with it.
edit: The end result appears to be what Samsung's sticky said which is updates happen when they happen.
Samsung promised 4 years of updates for this phone so they have about 3 more years to give us android 13.
tmeader said:
Just as the subject mentions. Curious if it's just me?
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Click to collapse
3 Days ago, my phone suddenly shut itself off, and then stuck itself in a bootloop and would not boot again. It's a Samsung A53 5G (ATT&T) running android 12 one UI version 4.1 at the time. After booting into safe mode and wiping application config data, it still would not come out of safe mode until I factory reset it and connected it to a wifi network.
Finally after all of this BS, I got it to boot normally, but then, as if by magic, my phone was running Android 13 UI Version 5.0!
WTF!?
So I spent an entire day recovering my bank accounts, cashapp, applications, and various accounts, and chalked this pain in the ass up to the game...
And then this morning, it ****in' happened again.
I'm done with Samsung. This phone has been a $500 piece of **** since day 1. It's not even 3 months old yet. Samsung has gone from the most badass manufacturer of android devices, straight to the bottom of the abyss in terms of quality.
The Bloatware they send with these devices now should be unlawful. The amount of YOUR resources they use to track every single thing you do, every place you go, every dollar you spend is unfathomably creepy and discomforting.
Do yourself a favor and get comfortable with 12. because 13 is an even bigger piece of ****, and in my case, it has totally wrecked my phone twice in 3 days now.
Do yourself an even bigger favor, and throw your samsung into the bottom of the ocean and go buy yourself an IPhone. I'm really sad about the way Samsung has turned out. I'm even more sad about the way Android has gone down the drain. And Google has turned into the world's most powerful creepy stalker with Facebook a close 2nd.
I think if people actually new just how intrusive these tech companies have become, they'd stop using them altogether. There needs to be new and better privacy regulations and trackers and spywares and metadata miners and these 'ad targeting' programs and applications should be illegal.
ImMrMyagiLafAtMe said:
3 Days ago, my phone suddenly shut itself off, and then stuck itself in a bootloop and would not boot again. It's a Samsung A53 5G (ATT&T) running android 12 one UI version 4.1 at the time. After booting into safe mode and wiping application config data, it still would not come out of safe mode until I factory reset it and connected it to a wifi network.
Finally after all of this BS, I got it to boot normally, but then, as if by magic, my phone was running Android 13 UI Version 5.0!
WTF!?
So I spent an entire day recovering my bank accounts, cashapp, applications, and various accounts, and chalked this pain in the ass up to the game...
And then this morning, it ****in' happened again.
I'm done with Samsung. This phone has been a $500 piece of **** since day 1. It's not even 3 months old yet. Samsung has gone from the most badass manufacturer of android devices, straight to the bottom of the abyss in terms of quality.
The Bloatware they send with these devices now should be unlawful. The amount of YOUR resources they use to track every single thing you do, every place you go, every dollar you spend is unfathomably creepy and discomforting.
Do yourself a favor and get comfortable with 12. because 13 is an even bigger piece of ****, and in my case, it has totally wrecked my phone twice in 3 days now.
Do yourself an even bigger favor, and throw your samsung into the bottom of the ocean and go buy yourself an IPhone. I'm really sad about the way Samsung has turned out. I'm even more sad about the way Android has gone down the drain. And Google has turned into the world's most powerful creepy stalker with Facebook a close 2nd.
I think if people actually new just how intrusive these tech companies have become, they'd stop using them altogether. There needs to be new and better privacy regulations and trackers and spywares and metadata miners and these 'ad targeting' programs and applications should be illegal.
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Click to collapse
That's not the experience of most people. Since you bring up Apple as if that will help you avoid this when it can happen there too: https://myphotoyear.com/ios-16-update-goes-wrong/
Its just a fact of life.
More or less it could be improved or solved by multi-OS versions at the same time (such as dual boot on a computer), slower major OS versions, etc. This is not how Google or Apple thinks though.
To add, you can of course improve loss of data by using system backup and also backing up your stuff separately. Though Android still isn't perfect there.
Of course, if you see an update, avoiding updating for some months might also help though not ideal.
edit: For instance you could have used the Samsung restore which may be presented on first use setup or even manually done in Settings > Accounts and Backups > Restore which will restore much if you used the online backup or backup to sd card. Some apps and data will be missing if apps don't support it, etc. Unfortunately, it seems to only offer one backup at least online so any backup on the account since might have destroyed it.
edit: using that and backing up to sd card includes 10GB of stuff on my phone whereas the online is suggested as 2GB (it backs up files and also eg debug built from source apps). So, if you want the best, it may be what you should do from now on. Then restore it if need be. Still, up to apps to support backup individually. Make sure to run it weekly or something.
Also, I know you're pissed about that. Try not to be pissed with me lol. Thanks.
I'm thinking we're in for weeks, or months, more wait. We haven't even gotten a January Security Update.
Just received the Android 13 (One UI 5.0) update last night on my unlocked phone. Also includes the Jan 2023 security update. Looks like they just made the January cutoff
Hmm I have unlocked a53 on t mobile, I checked for updates today and it said there were none.
I received the update today for Android 13 including dual sim support.
I been checking my A53 unlocked running on Visible every week since Christmas for an update. Today it found the Android 13 UI 5.0 update. downloading it now.
How is the new version? any bugs found?
ok, once my phone updated and rebooted now I am no longer connecting to 5G. I've rebooted a few times and nothing has changed. I'm stuck back on 4G.
tmeader said:
Just received the Android 13 (One UI 5.0) update last night on my unlocked phone. Also includes the Jan 2023 security update. Looks like they just made the January cutoff
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5 days after your post (6 since you got the update), with daily checking, and it's still a No for me.
My A53 arrived this morning and upon turning it on, my device had a lot of firmware updates waiting for me. I just updated to Android 13 not too ago along with January's Security patch.
I happen to live in the US, use T-Mobile, and I'm using the international version with dual SIM support.
snark.shark said:
5 days after your post (6 since you got the update), with daily checking, and it's still a No for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another 3 days...
Still no Android 13 update.
I may wind up going to the Samsung service location in my area. This is ridiculous.
snark.shark said:
Another 3 days...
Still no Android 13 update.
I may wind up going to the Samsung service location in my area. This is ridiculous.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They do rollouts on top of things.
You could of course use a sim from a different carrier that has the upgrade available and do it that way. Might just get it immediately or still not. Then switch back. That is a possible workaround.
Of course, if you see a signed image for download for Android 13 for your carrier. That might work too even though it still is a wait for it to show up that way.
I don't know if there's any other way here because of the CSC. It would be interesting to know if a Samsung service shop would do it for you. I can't imagine they would.
Received the update today. Seems to run faster.

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