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ROM advice

Hi all, I've just acquired a refurbished MT4GS to use as my main Android phone. It comes with the Stock ROM and I would like to try some others and decide whether to change or keep it.
I personally prefer stability and full functionality over latest versions, I've read that some ROMS have issues with video recording at FullHD for instance, and I would try to avoid this kind of things. The stock camera App is very good and if possible I would like to change to a ROM that keeps it fully functional. Anyone could tell me whether such a ROM exists or should I better keep the stock ROM just removing as much bloatware as possible? (all the T-Mobile stuff is completely useless to me)...

opqa said:
Hi all, I've just acquired a refurbished MT4GS to use as my main Android phone. It comes with the Stock ROM and I would like to try some others and decide whether to change or keep it.
I personally prefer stability and full functionality over latest versions, I've read that some ROMS have issues with video recording at FullHD for instance, and I would try to avoid this kind of things. The stock camera App is very good and if possible I would like to change to a ROM that keeps it fully functional. Anyone could tell me whether such a ROM exists or should I better keep the stock ROM just removing as much bloatware as possible? (all the T-Mobile stuff is completely useless to me)...
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For the best picture quality, keep the stock if at all possible (or use MikTouch). Custom ROM's have a tendency of not taking full advantage of the camera hardware.
If you find you need to upgrade to use a specific app, I always liked TBalden's CM 10.1. You would want to download a third party camera (I used UCam Ultra Camera quite religiously) to get some of the quality back.
Hope this helps.

Thanks, so far I've unlocked bootloader, s-off'd, and tried CM9.1 and MikTouch 0.7 (I think I will follow your advice and will stay with this one).
BTW, When I place a big .zip ROM file in the root folder of the SD Card, CWM takes a looooong time before it shows the message "back menu button enabled" and becomes functional, I'm talking about minutes. Is this behaviour normal?

opqa said:
Thanks, so far I've unlocked bootloader, s-off'd, and tried CM9.1 and MikTouch 0.7 (I think I will follow your advice and will stay with this one).
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Great!
opqa said:
BTW, When I place a big .zip ROM file in the root folder of the SD Card, CWM takes a looooong time before it shows the message "back menu button enabled" and becomes functional, I'm talking about minutes. Is this behaviour normal?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never encountered that myself, but if it is the result of pushing the file to the SD (adb), I wouldn't be surprised as file transfer is slow in some conditions anyway (take CM9.1 for example - it's notorious for that) and CWM is probably on the wait for the file to be ready.

A thorough discussion on Custom ROMs

Hi guys! I have quite a few questions, and I specifically didn't find any answers to mine. If you people can describe the answers to my questions I will be very grateful or give me links to where I might find answers is equally appreciated.
1. Can any ROM be used in any device?
2. What makes the same ROM different for different devices and why, say two phones having same specs and features even ?
3. I previously used a LG L70, now I'm using a Lenovo Zuk Z1, former I flashed a CM13 nightly, later came with a Cyanogen OS 12.1. The ZUK has less customization options than the CM13, at this moment I can only remember that ' Control Vibrator Intensity ' is missing. Why, is it due to different phones or COS and CM difference?
4. I don't know anything about separate kernels for android, if anyone could shed some light?
5. Custom ROM , Custom Kernel, difference ?
6. There are a lot of ROMs out there, anywhere I can find actual comparisons ? Found a YouTube video of 'Master ROM Cup 2015', in Italian, so can't really say anything about quality or authenticity
7. (i) Exposed Framework, Custom ROM, difference, advantage, disadvantage ?
(ii) I want a plethora of customizations, fingerprint sensor compatibility, better than average battery life, any recommendations ?
8. Don't know of this is a ZUK Z1 issue or COS issue, the phone has dual sim card capability, but what I didn't find is option to use Cellular Data option selection for the sims, only the data of the one inserted at sim 1 can be used, and though I have selected the option to ask to select Sim before calling, it is calling from a random Sim if I select a contact, only gives me option to select sims when I dial the whole number and press the call button !!!!!!!
Thank you Sir/Madam for reading my long post, any help will be highly appreciated.

I can answer a few of these for u-
1)Any ROM cannot be used on any device as a ROM has to be made for that particular device else the phone will possibly get bricked.
2)This could be due to the architecture difference or the components used to ensure same performance (processor,GPU, RAM etc)
3)CM13 is a mod while CMOs is an is built by the cyanogen company for the public. So the features might have been reduced.
4)A kernel is basically a part of code which runs to ensure that apps get executed properly, have enough storage space and other parameters.Different ROM's have different kernels and u can also flash kernels.
5)Custom ROM is a separate image while a custom kernel is a different part.u can flash both independently and generally custom ROM's have a custom kernel.
7)exposed framework is used to again enhance the features your current ROM might not have.Its just a set of tools made for this.The advantages would include better performance, customisation etc and the disadvantages would be that the phone could be more vulnerable to security issues.
8)from what I can tell,this could be the way the ROM is designed so as to allow data on the first sim and the same could be for the sim too.
Sent from my Moto E using Tapatalk

Cruzy12100 said:
I can answer a few of these for u-
1).......
8)from what I can tell,this could be the way the ROM is designed so as to allow data on the first sim and the same could be for the sim too.
Sent from my Moto E using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Didn't understand the last answer mate !!!!
I usually root my phone and install custom ROM to customise my phone, what else does a custom kernel offer ??

A custom kernel basically offers you different governors which can alter the way programs are executed and using custom can lead to better performance and battery savings.
Sent from my Moto E using Tapatalk

S7 Stock camera

Hi, I just installed LineageOS on my sm-g930f S7 and was wondering if there is a way to flash the stock Samsung camera onto it as it was one of the few parts of Samsung's OS that I liked.

Nope, as far as I know it hasn't been ported or anything BUT you could use a mod to increase quality, something like Zero's Camera mod or a 3rd party app if you wish

Hi, tried to install the stock camera and it strongly depends on proprietary samsung features.
First thing failing is a missing com.samsung.android.util.SemLog library. I injected a SemLog Mockup just do observe that there are other (possibly a lot more) shared library dependencies.
If anyone is interested in developing this thing together; Feel free to contact me.

nickma said:
Hi, tried to install the stock camera and it strongly depends on proprietary samsung features.
First thing failing is a missing com.samsung.android.util.SemLog library. I injected a SemLog Mockup just do observe that there are other (possibly a lot more) shared library dependencies.
If anyone is interested in developing this thing together; Feel free to contact me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it were possible and if it were simple as that, los dev would've included it on los thread already. Tho iirc, current los builds (and older ones) are using open source camera hal so, maybe, you can develop your own custom camera hal specifically made for s7 and send it to the dev

It just might be as simple as that. The reason custom rom devs cant include these libs is most likely copyright.

the same here I really liked the Stock Camera on the S7

Mi Mix 3 (4G Variant) : camera not working on Custom rom

I recently tried a new rom that interested me based off the features and special abilities but, it seems whenever I try to use gcam or even a video calling app it, freezes. Can I patch it with libs from my previous aosp rom? I really love this rom but not enough to have an impossible solution to it's flaws. Any tips are helpful
(It doesn't detect the camera, duo says it can't access the camera.) Rom is Ancient OS that I found after some searching.

Best Android 12 Rom So Far

Hi guys,
after almost 2 years with MIUI, Android 10 and Android 11 with MIUI 12.5, I would like to try a custom Android 12 rom before selling the device after the summer and buy something new.
As usual, there's a lot of custom roms. Even with A12. Onestly I would prefer to focus on a specific rom avoiding to try all the possibilities, this phone is my daily driver at the moment.
So I can see CrDroid, Evolution, Aosp, Voltage, Arrow... etc etc. Maybe seems a newbie question but which could be not a best rom but the first one to be tried ? Mainly I'm using the X3 to make call ( of course ), surf the web ( of course ), take photos to my children ( so the quality is very important for me ) and use it for GPS ( Mapy CZ and Here Maps ). With an eye on the battery duration...
Which A12 rom could be a good initial attempt ? Not so hard to be installed, I don't want to spend hours in bootloops or issues eheheh.

PYCON said:
Hi guys,
after almost 2 years with MIUI, Android 10 and Android 11 with MIUI 12.5, I would like to try a custom Android 12 rom before selling the device after the summer and buy something new.
As usual, there's a lot of custom roms. Even with A12. Onestly I would prefer to focus on a specific rom avoiding to try all the possibilities, this phone is my daily driver at the moment.
So I can see CrDroid, Evolution, Aosp, Voltage, Arrow... etc etc. Maybe seems a newbie question but which could be not a best rom but the first one to be tried ? Mainly I'm using the X3 to make call ( of course ), surf the web ( of course ), take photos to my children ( so the quality is very important for me ) and use it for GPS ( Mapy CZ and Here Maps ). With an eye on the battery duration...
Which A12 rom could be a good initial attempt ? Not so hard to be installed, I don't want to spend hours in bootloops or issues eheheh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want something stable with good long-time support, there's only Lineage, ArrowOS and maybe AospExtended
If you take lot of photos, ArrowOS offers you unlimited storage in Google Photos. In Lineage you can add that feature using a Magisk module.
I went with ArrowOS for the unlimited photo storage and a few pixel features.
I have found a phone app that automatically records all calls and a Gcam that makes great photos.
Everything is better than MIUI really

On other phones, I was happy using AOSP Ext and CrDroid. What about this last one? I can start trying Arrow maybe...

PYCON said:
On other phones, I was happy using AOSP Ext and CrDroid. What about this last one? I can start trying Arrow maybe...
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Click to collapse
CrDroid should be good as well.
The developer made a break of 2 - 3 because he gave the phone to his wife but now it continues to receive regular updates.

Noter2017 said:
If you want something stable with good long-time support, there's only Lineage, ArrowOS and maybe AospExtended
If you take lot of photos, ArrowOS offers you unlimited storage in Google Photos. In Lineage you can add that feature using a Magisk module.
I went with ArrowOS for the unlimited photo storage and a few pixel features.
I have found a phone app that automatically records all calls and a Gcam that makes great photos.
Everything is better than MIUI really
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you provide the name of that phone app that records calls and gcam which makes great photos?
I am looking for exactly the same thing as the op. Right now on stock but it is so sloow

no1geek said:
Could you provide the name of that phone app that records calls and gcam which makes great photos?
I am looking for exactly the same thing as the op. Right now on stock but it is so sloow
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Here you go
Mod Edit: Link Removed
AOSP dialer has to be installed in Magisk.
GPay SQLiteFix is a fix to make Google pay work, has to be flashed in Magisk as well.
After installing Aspen (GCam mod) create a folder called ConfigsSettings8 on your phone's storage and paste the aspen2.xml there.
Start Aspen, double click on the black area of the screen and select aspen2.xml

@Noter2017: I'm curious here about your setup, so a few questions?
Is Bluetooth working alright with external audio devices?
Does GPS work reliably?
Is general wireless connectivity stable?
Can advanced reboot be enabled easily?
Is button navigation possible and can buttons be reversed?
I see you have Magisk, so no questions about rooting...

pnin said:
@Noter2017: I'm curious here about your setup, so a few questions?
Is Bluetooth working alright with external audio devices?
Does GPS work reliably?
Is general wireless connectivity stable?
Can advanced reboot be enabled easily?
Is button navigation possible and can buttons be reversed?
I see you have Magisk, so no questions about rooting...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Bluetooth works fine for me. I use it with my Mi Band and a portable speaker. Personally I never had problems with Bluetooth, no matter which ROM I used.
2) I use GPS on a daily basis and it also works.
3) Works. With a speedtest get 400 Mbps on my 5 GHz WiFi at home (1 Gbps cable).
4) Can be enabled in Settings - Gestures
5) I use button navigation and didn't face any problems. You can revert the layout in Settings - Gestures - System navigation
Only problem I face after moving to ArrowOS 12.1 was that some backups made with Migrate didn't work. A few apps would crash immediately (Tailscale, for example) after starting (had to clear storage), my taxi app asked to verify my credit card again which didn't work. Had to remove and add the same card again.
Also customization is pretty much absent which might be a problem for some people.
I had a long free weekend, so I decided to spend a few hours upgrading. If the ArrowOS wouldn't have worked reliably, I would have changed ROMs to something else. ArrowOS 12 is EOL and I will stick with ArrowOS 12.1 till the end of the year. Really getting too old to do clean flashes all the time

I think CrDroid 12 (8.4) is superior. I use it with ANXcamera and Magisk