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Hi,
I'm very new to Android, so I apologize ahead of time if this is a dumb question. Still, I can't seem to find the answer, so I figure this would be the place to ask (at the risk of sounding really, really silly).
If the Android OS is open-source, and Google regularly releases a new version (I guess we're at Froyo/2.2 now?) is it possible to simply get the source code from the Android developer page and install a totally plain-jane, vanilla, untouched, basic, 'pure' if you will, version of said OS?
I have a Samsung Vibrant, and there's three ROMs available aside from the awful TouchMyWhiz interface-enhanced OEM version. I've tried all three, and each has advantages and disadvantages - great work and kudos to the developers for their efforts - but what if I just wanted an untouched version of Android? Is that possible to do? Would there be any advantage to doing so?
Thanks ahead of time for any insights...
Hey guys,
I've recently bought the AM7 because my old XZ died. The phone itself is great, but as much as I like the smoothness of EMUI, I feel like there's still something missing. Being used to the Xperia's modding scene, I was surprised by the lack of custom ROM development for the AM7, or Huawei devices in general.. Is there a specific reason for that? Or is it just the small userbase outside of China?
Either way, I feel like the AM7 was a less fortunate decision for me, as a lover of custom ROMs.
Purely due to smaller western world userbase, expect may see one or 2 more decent custom builds appear but will not be comparable to modding support of more popular devices.
Worth working with the EMUI a bit as it far better in many ways to standard android mess but I can understand it not going be everyone's cup of tea ...
Hi, what model you got, 16 or 32 gb, how's the LTE network and what carrier you have, I'm looking for a 32 gb device with U.S.LTE
Sent from my MT2L03 using Tapatalk
EMO UI and Huawei are pretty good when u get used to it. There are a few roms to try, CM11 based. But before you bought this phone you should have read the owners impressions thread. It would have become clear that there arent alot of custom roms´s available. Huawei has implemented some custom things like screenshot button and reboot phone soft key, which i really like and dont see in everyday android devices. Alot of the exposed modules are already avaible in Huawei rom, like system cleaner, battery optimizer, change storage to SD *without link2sd... If you want to know why it´s hard to get a custom rom for our phones. Try the honor 6 thread by CodeWorkx porting CM11, it will explain why there arent alot of roms and why some functionality in those roms is broken on our devices and will probably never be fixed.
Enjoy your phone though, give it a chance you´ll get used to it.
Custom ROMs are EVEN more buggy and not working properly.. so better stay on EMUI 3.0
Whilst not a replacement ROM, a different launcher such as Nova can improve on the stock interphase.
I have a spare Razer Phone I want to donate to a developer in order to boost development for this device, since Razer released Treble for it the device got my attention, but it could use a bit more development.
Current status:
Official TWRP available
Treble available
Kernel source available
Oreo developer preview available
No custom ROMs ATM, Treble ROMs have broken critical features such as in call audio and possibly more.
I'm shipping the device for FREE to anyone who:
Is a recognised developer here on XDA
Guarantees they will use the device for development (at least try) and not just sell it on eBay
Is located in the EU, because customs, exceptions possible for really great developers.
How to apply:
Leave a post in this thread with a few short words about your previous work at XDA and what would you like to do with the device, like Kernel development, ROM porting or else.
Is this serious or some kind of sad joke?
If you have doubts in me I can just say that I already shipped a device to Phh in December to help boost Treble development, and tomorrow I'm shipping a Nexus 6 to @Elektroschmock to help the Nexus 6 development stay alive as Elektro broke their N6 recently.
In case multiple devs apply for the free device I reserve the right to pick one of my personal preference, unfortunately I have only 1 spare phone for 1 dev.
@phhusson @MishaalRahman interested or know anyone who is?
To clarify, in case it was not clear, the device goes completely free to a developer, I also pay shipping inside the EU.
If customs charges occur outside the EU I would not cover those.
Shipping with tracking.
To the forum mods:
I didn't really know where to put this, I thought not many devs would see it in the Razer forums, as those are usually only frequented by people who already have a device, feel free to move the thread if you think of a better forum where it belongs.
Well not an RD here but hey tought i might try haha, so here it goes
Im part of LOS team (Currently maintaining hero family of devices (s7 and s7 edge exynos) ) Im doing a bringup of them for oreo Fixed almost all of the bugs expect for GPS after that things can go official for them so ill have to find something to play with anyway, I have experience with AOSP build system so i could at least try to get builds for Razer Phone before any mainstream roms are ready for compiling. I would also probably try to get some fun stuff to work on phone like Kali Linux NetHunter and well i would like to play with treble supported device and razer phone looks as a nice candidate as i could get some rest from exynos
Ivan_Meler said:
Well not an RD here but hey tought i might try haha, so here it goes
Im part of LOS team (Currently maintaining hero family of devices (s7 and s7 edge exynos) ) Im doing a bringup of them for oreo Fixed almost all of the bugs expect for GPS after that things can go official for them so ill have to find something to play with anyway, I have experience with AOSP build system so i could at least try to get builds for Razer Phone before any mainstream roms are ready for compiling. I would also probably try to get some fun stuff to work on phone like Kali Linux NetHunter and well i would like to play with treble supported device and razer phone looks as a nice candidate as i could get some rest from exynos
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well not an RD here but hey tought i might try
Your application is welcome and noted, the RD thing was just a guideline to attract more senior devs, or how to say it.
let's give a couple of days for more devs to get the chance to express their interest and we take it from there
Hi, Diazz72 here .
Well where to start...i've joined xda about 6 years ago, stared my first project on old S4 about 4-5 years ago and continued till i've switched to G5...since it i've contributed to S7 and 6P till i switched to iPhone and soon after to S8...Well let me tell ya S8 is nightmare.
So how can i contribute if chosen...well i can bring at least two rom's to this beautiful device ( maybe R.R. and COS...Will see what crowd demands ).
If you need any more info send me a PM.
Regards, Diazz72.
Well in a nutshell, I'm the lead developer for Invictrix and previously DesolationROM. I was the first person to bring nougat to the note 4, my Werewolf kernel for the LG V20, the Nexus 5, the Nexus 7 2013, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, and the Essential PH-1. I was also one of the early members of Substratum. Also I was the person who reverse engineered the pixel navbar to work on custom roms.
https://github.com/USA-RedDragon/AboutMe/wiki
https://github.com/USA-RedDragon
and
https://github.com/InvictrixRom paint a lot of the picture as well.
Well, of course I'm interested in the Razer Phone, though I don't think I'm the one who will give it the most love.
If I get the device, I'd test and fix all GSIs I'll make on it, like AOSP P when sources will be available (I think that if I get a Razer, it will be the first one to get P, since it's A/B and that makes things much easier)
I'd also probably try to get some hardware features to work on GSIs (like porting stock camera if that's relevant, and see what can be done with the 120Hz screen)
But I won't dive too deep, like I won't do any kernel work.
For my overall Treble testing, I think it will definitely be a great device, since I'm lacking an A/B and a Qualcomm test device, which seem to have few specificities.
Fwiw, I've reported some issues to Essential (they even answered once! https://github.com/phhusson/platfor...23ea40b255dfbba5813c29#commitcomment-28321661 ), and I plan to do this as well for Razer, since it looks like their Treble implementation isn't totally ok (though I think it passes Google certification)
phhusson said:
Well, of course I'm interested in the Razer Phone, though I don't think I'm the one who will give it the most love.
If I get the device, I'd test and fix all GSIs I'll make on it, like AOSP P when sources will be available (I think that if I get a Razer, it will be the first one to get P, since it's A/B and that makes things much easier)
I'd also probably try to get some hardware features to work on GSIs (like porting stock camera if that's relevant, and see what can be done with the 120Hz screen)
But I won't dive too deep, like I won't do any kernel work.
For my overall Treble testing, I think it will definitely be a great device, since I'm lacking an A/B and a Qualcomm test device, which seem to have few specificities.
Fwiw, I've reported some issues to Essential (they even answered once! https://github.com/phhusson/platfor...23ea40b255dfbba5813c29#commitcomment-28321661 ), and I plan to do this as well for Razer, since it looks like their Treble implementation isn't totally ok (though I think it passes Google certification)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Noted
Offtopic
since it looks like their Treble implementation isn't totally ok (though I think it passes Google certification)
It's Dev Preview 1, let's see how it goes by the time it's stable, I do expect changes.
since it's A/B and that makes things much easier
I think you are the first person I ever saw post A/B and easier in the same sentence lol hahaha
Ok so from the 4 interested devs I decided for @phhusson
Why?
Because even tho he said he won't be specifically focused on this device I believe having fully working Treble ROMs is what will bring the most benefit to this device in the long term, having Treble means having already 5+ available ROMs, including LOS 15.1 and RR, and that number will just grow with time.
"like porting stock camera if that's relevant"
Don't bother, it's crap, rather port Google camera
Exelios said:
Ok so from the 4 interested devs I decided for @phhusson
Why?
Because even tho he said he won't be specifically focused on this device I believe having fully working Treble ROMs is what will bring the most benefit to this device in the long term, having Treble means having already 5+ available ROMs, including LOS 15.1 and RR, and that number will just grow with time.
"like porting stock camera if that's relevant"
Don't bother, it's crap, rather port Google camera
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are the real MVP.
Exelios said:
I have a spare Razer Phone I want to donate to a developer in order to boost development for this device, since Razer released Treble for it the device got my attention, but it could use a bit more development.
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure if anyone answered you, as I don't have time to read through. I'm interested to develop on this device, mostly for NetHunter. I'm not that active on XDA, but you can look me up on Github, Gitlab @yesimxev
Official developer of NetHunter
EDIT: Just seen the last answer. Anyway, I'm interested in future possibilities too. Thanks!
Is it possible to port other sd845 roms to the OnePlus6? I just saw that the US Snapdragon Galaxy S9 Samsung Pie beta build has been released so their official build probably isn't far off.
I was wondering if it is possible to port other sd845 roms like this one to our phone?
What is required?
Kernel source from the other ROM I assume? (and same kernel version number?)
And someone who knows how to rebuild the kernel for the OnePlus6?
I don't really know how to do these things myself, I'm just wondering if anyone knows if it would be possible, cheers
Possible? Perhaps.. But so much work for nothing that developers just will drop the idea.
kage00 said:
Is it possible to port other sd845 roms to the OnePlus6? I just saw that the US Snapdragon Galaxy S9 Samsung Pie beta build has been released so their official build probably isn't far off.
I was wondering if it is possible to port other sd845 roms like this one to our phone?
What is required?
Kernel source from the other ROM I assume? (and same kernel version number?)
And someone who knows how to rebuild the kernel for the OnePlus6?
I don't really know how to do these things myself, I'm just wondering if anyone knows if it would be possible, cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is nearly impossible. Especially for a Samsung rom, which are some of the most sophisticated and bloated roms in the industry.
Its nearly impossible because Samsung rom need lots of work you need to work on every single app to make it work because they made everything work with framework they made like iphones this is why no app ports available from Samsung they added lots of features & apps into their os so they also don't Know sometimes where the problem come from if you see Samsung devices work fast in Start then slow down in few weeks.
alimuhammadx said:
Its nearly impossible because Samsung rom need lots of work you need to work on every single app to make it work because they made everything work with framework they made like iphones this is why no app ports available from Samsung they added lots of features & apps into their os so they also don't Know sometimes where the problem come from if you see Samsung devices work fast in Start then slow down in few weeks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're talking about porting individual Samsung apps. Yes, it's a huge headache. I know because I've done it a long time ago on older android versions, but that wasn't my question.
My question is about porting the entire rom. This way you don't have to port each app to work on a new device, because the phone will think it IS the galaxy S9. This way the Samsung framework will be included in the rom port and the apps will all work (because they are dependent on the Samsung framework to run). The difficulty lies in getting the slightly different components (other than the sd845 processor) of the OnePlus 6 to work with the S9 rom
kage00 said:
You're talking about porting individual Samsung apps. Yes, it's a huge headache. I know because I've done it a long time ago on older android versions, but that wasn't my question.
My question is about porting the entire rom. This way you don't have to port each app to work on a new device, because the phone will think it IS the galaxy S9. This way the Samsung framework will be included in the rom port and the apps will all work (because they are dependent on the Samsung framework to run). The difficulty lies in getting the slightly different components (other than the sd845 processor) of the OnePlus 6 to work with the S9 rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since you already know about porting, and Samsung roms, shouldn't you already know the answer?
I don't remember ever seeing a Samsung rom ported to another device. But that goes back about 10 years, so maybe my memory is not good. In either case, porting a Samsung rom now would be much more difficult than 10 years ago because the complexity of their roms increases exponentially.
Appreciate if anyone is working on other skins rom!?
nabbed said:
Since you already know about porting, and Samsung roms, shouldn't you already know the answer?
I don't remember ever seeing a Samsung rom ported to another device. But that goes back about 10 years, so maybe my memory is not good. In either case, porting a Samsung rom now would be much more difficult than 10 years ago because the complexity of their roms increases exponentially.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your right. It hasn't been done. Also it wouldn't be legal to Port Samsung's proprietary files. HTC shut it down when people started porting their stuff.
The chip might be the same but all the other hardware isn't
nabbed said:
Since you already know about porting, and Samsung roms, shouldn't you already know the answer?
I don't remember ever seeing a Samsung rom ported to another device. But that goes back about 10 years, so maybe my memory is not good. In either case, porting a Samsung rom now would be much more difficult than 10 years ago because the complexity of their roms increases exponentially.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see your point, but just because something has never been done before doesn't mean it's not possible. Nothing in our world would have ever been invented if everyone had that mentality.
I was just saying that removing dependencies from individual apps wouldn't be necessary if the framework and whole rom was ported across to this device. I have very basic knowledge of android and I'm not a programmer but I was able to get the Samsung clock app to work on AOSP/any android device years ago, it just took a lot of trial and error and removing all the touchwiz dependencies etc. I remember playing around with the Samsung camera app trying to get it to work because the Cyanogenmod camera was so crap back then too but never got that to work. Yes I can only imagine how complex they would be making their apps and software these days.
I guess what I'm saying is that if I could manage to port the clock app and get it to work with little knowledge, I can't help but wonder what someone who knows a lot more about android development could do, this is basically what I was trying to say in my first post.
Gizmoe said:
Also it wouldn't be legal to Port Samsung's proprietary files
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah... you're probably right, and Samsung would absolutely hate it if we could run their software on a $500 phone just as well as their $1500 phones! :laugh:
crixley said:
The chip might be the same but all the other hardware isn't
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what I'm saying in the first post, with my limited knowledge I understand that a lot of the hardware info and drivers are in the kernel? I assume it'd be a matter of Samsung releasing their kernel source for their pie build and then a oneplus 6 kernel being built with what's needed to boot a Samsung rom with oneplus 6 drivers built into the kernel? I guess I'm asking because I honestly don't know what is or would be involved, that and I'm just curious.
It's a bit of a hypothetical question I guess
kage00 said:
Is it possible to port other sd845 roms to the OnePlus6? I just saw that the US Snapdragon Galaxy S9 Samsung Pie beta build has been released so their official build probably isn't far off.
I was wondering if it is possible to port other sd845 roms like this one to our phone?
What is required?
Kernel source from the other ROM I assume? (and same kernel version number?)
And someone who knows how to rebuild the kernel for the OnePlus6?
I don't really know how to do these things myself, I'm just wondering if anyone knows if it would be possible, cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing is impossible. The real question is who will go through with the work of actually doing it?
Most people see Samsung in particular not the greatest example of software so it's a daunting task with little to gain from it overall. Unless if you're paying someone a hefty amount I can't see it happening anytime soon. At most maybe a Samsung like theme is the best we can get
Buy a S9+ and enjoy with their ****ty UI
Yeah, thanks for your input and amazing contribution to the conversation there @DamiDev :good:
In my whole time using Android (2009) I've seen about one successful HTC port and probably five TouchWiz attempts that people gave up on. It's not worth the time or effort for a closed source system that isn't anything worthwhile to begin with
Fair point @crixley
It's annoying that OEMs take an open source project and turn it into a closed source rom
Hi All,
While I was searching for a new device to purchase, this question popped into my head: how do ROM developers decide which devices to support? Admittedly, this question arose because I wanted to find a phone that would be compatible with the most ROMs and is currently still under active development. But I also am genuinely curious as well.
I'm new to the custom ROM scene and just started researching but from what I can understand, most, if not all, developers are doing this on their own free time without any sort of payment. In that case, I would assume, they would only support devices that they have access to, in other words, devices that are currently using and have used. Additionally, developers are probably tech-savvy so I am also assuming that most developers will choose a phone that they think is best. Although what is best is subjective, I believe that there are a common set of desired features which will lead to a couple of devices being more popular than others. As a result, some phones will see support from a wide variety of ROMs while others will see a few or none at all.
I went through a couple of the ROMs I was interested in from this list (https://www.xda-developers.com/the-most-popular-custom-roms-on-xda/), and found that Nexus 5x was common between them all. I can't recall what phone was popular during 2015 but was this phone really so popular/desired that all ROM developers seems to have one lying around in 2019/2020? Its been past 4 years since its launch and I assume that its specs are very outdated compared to what we have now but it is still being supported by many ROMs. What lead to this phone to become such a commonly supported phone by ROM developers?
The Nexus line was at a good price point, good hardware for the time and fully supported factory images from Google with regular updates, next to impossible to hard brick, worked across multiple carriers worldwide, easy to unlock bootloader, custom recoveries available, and popular following. I'm sure I've missed something [emoji846]
Device's that are only available in a limited market, or are unable to be bootloader unlocked, don't have factory images are difficult to support and have a limited following reduces the likelihood that a person interested in developing will buy that phone.
ktmom said:
The Nexus line was at a good price point, good hardware for the time and fully supported factory images from Google with regular updates, next to impossible to hard brick, worked across multiple carriers worldwide, easy to unlock bootloader, custom recoveries available, and popular following. I'm sure I've missed something [emoji846]
Device's that are only available in a limited market, or are unable to be bootloader unlocked, don't have factory images are difficult to support and have a limited following reduces the likelihood that a person interested in developing will buy that phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't mind, could I have your opinion on Moto G5 Plus in regards to ROM support? It appears to be supported by Pixel Experience, AOSP Extended, and ResurrectionRemix so it looks like it has a fair amount of support. However, when I view the top devices page on XDA (https://forum.xda-developers.com/top) I don't see the Moto G5 Plus. Would there be any relationship between the top devices on XDA and devices supported by the most ROMs?
No, there really is not a correlation between the top devices on XDA and ROM support.
The top devices reflects basically the activity within the forum. So new device releases will trigger people's curiosity so even though there may be zero ROM support, the device has activity.
A device like the Moto G5 plus that has been out for awhile, just doesn't have loads of activity in the forums. There is still activity on ROM threads, but it's more sporadic.
Got it, thanks for your help. Looks like I'll just have to keep digging through the forums and rom websites and try to make an educated guess about what device has and will continue having the most rom support.
The lineageOS support for the Nexus 6 is ongoing and that phone was released in 2014. There was a lot of passion surrounding that device, but as developers had their device fail (battery died, screen broken, ect), they moved onto other devices.
My point is, the best you can do is find a popular phone in your price range and hope. The OnePlus series may be worth looking at.