I recently got a second-hand S6 from work. My first step is always to look up the XDA forums on the phone to see what my options are.
It seems that a lot of people are happy with the stock ROM, so that could be enough. However, I like root, since I like certain apps that need root. So if that already triggers KNOX, I might as well install Lineage on it while I'm at it.
So I'd love to hear some opinions. Should I stick to stock, or go through the (badly documented, sorry) process of getting this phone customized?
You should definitely stick with stock ROM if you want to use your phone as daily driver.
I always liked the call recording feature so I can keep track of verbal agreements made over the phone. I believe it can be done using Xposed, but Lineage has it built-in (although it doesn't auto-trigger unfortunately). Even with stock, I'd still need root to do it, and that triggers Knox, right?
Thanks, hopefully some more people will have something to say about it.
Custom ROMs are good, but there are always some sort of malfunctions.
For a phone that has an up-to-date firmware, I wouldn't install custom ROM.
While S6 support has dropped, meaning that it will no longer receive an update, but it still has an updated firmware, I would say it will stay good for at least one more year.
After that I'll consider installing custom ROMs, just like what I did with my older phones.
And as @forumber2 mentioned, for a daily driver, stock is better.
However, if you don't mind troubleshooting the issues on the custom ROM and have the time, then you should install it.
And about rooting, yes, it will trigger the Knox, but since Nougat, I've unrooted my phone and I personally didn't need to root it again, though I'm kinda considering it.
The bottom line is that stay with the stock for a while, if didn't satisfy you, then install customs. The stock ROM, doesn't have many issues, or at least I didn't encounter many that I couldn't solve, just like any other stock ROM.
stock ROM. but you can root it and use xposed to do some things you want..
None of the AOSP ROMs have a camera that is on par with the stock one - that's my reason for sticking through with stock on an Android phone since... ever, really. I'm not a fan of keeping things the way they are. If the camera would be as good as on stock, I'd ditch stock immediately, but unfortunately, the drivers for the camera are proprietary, so, it's unlikely that that will ever be the case.
BUT you can get stock-based custom ROMs - I'm currently using the S8+ port, which seems to be working flawlessly. They are usually debloated, with various tweaks and features that aren't usually available, quicker and just generally better.
Stay stock man custom Rom are bad you will lose many futures and performance and battery . I play games on s6 I tried all custom Roms nothing worked always end up with performance and Wi-Fi problems I am now on latest stock nougat and I will just wait until I find cheap s8 then I will sell this poor s6.
There nothing you can do about s6 to get him better than stock. Nothing except get root to use some apps like change location or install some sound apps that requires root..thats it
Related
Ok, so im moving from the htc sensation XE to the HTC one.
During my time with the sensation, i pretty much put on every rom/kernal/patch etc and the in the end, im posting this from a stock rom.
Why?
Well, i found that not one custom Rom worked 100%. The CM ROMs especially, with poor camera, poor scrolling and poor telephone.
ARHD became unbearable, with FC's and Permission bugs, the Sense 4 ROMs were slow and on and on.
Coming back to stock, after using ROMs which (apparently ) have been super optimised, I don't notice much difference in performance tbh. Battery life is similar, speed is similar etc.
YMMV on this one, but whatever.
In fact, the stock Rom just works
So, fast forward to two more iterations f the smart phone, and I believe the immense power now available should mean that the "optimization" ROMs, CM etc are becoming pointless. There is ample power to run the stock Rom no matter how bloated it is.
Some exceptions would be a slow roll out of updates from your carrier though.
Anyway, after flashing so much, and reverting back to stock, I'm not going to be in a rush to put a custom Rom on the One when it comes.
Even rooting it, I may hold off for a while. I'm just not sure these days what the point is.
Why knacker up the warranty?
Pah!
Different people have different uses/needs. All custom ROMs pretty much worked on my HD2 (although it's an exception since it originally had WinMo) and all of them work smoothly on the N4. Different devices also have different bugs, so you can't base the entire decision on your experience with only one device. As for why you'd want to flash one if you're OK with performance, the answer is that some of them have tonnes of features and UI enhancements. Take PA over stock 4.2.2 for example, or an AOSP based ROM over TouchWiz.
I have been thinking the same for all the reasons mentioned. I would like Titanium and Nandroids and some status bar themes. But, otherwise, for me, custom roms may not offer much. And, they do seem to have their own quirks. The stock roms and better processors now days can stand on their own for most folks. Having flashed hundreds of roms, there has been many occasions were I did something and said "Oh S--T" I am bricked. Luckily I have always been able to recoup. I am looking at the One and S4 and may root after a bit, but may not flash a custom rom. My One S had no issues running with the bloatware. But, who knows after so much flashing it may be hard to stop.
Superpiper1972 said:
Ok, so im moving from the htc sensation XE to the HTC one.
During my time with the sensation, i pretty much put on every rom/kernal/patch etc and the in the end, im posting this from a stock rom.
Why?
Well, i found that not one custom Rom worked 100%. The CM ROMs especially, with poor camera, poor scrolling and poor telephone.
ARHD became unbearable, with FC's and Permission bugs, the Sense 4 ROMs were slow and on and on.
Coming back to stock, after using ROMs which (apparently ) have been super optimised, I don't notice much difference in performance tbh. Battery life is similar, speed is similar etc.
YMMV on this one, but whatever.
In fact, the stock Rom just works
So, fast forward to two more iterations f the smart phone, and I believe the immense power now available should mean that the "optimization" ROMs, CM etc are becoming pointless. There is ample power to run the stock Rom no matter how bloated it is.
Some exceptions would be a slow roll out of updates from your carrier though.
Anyway, after flashing so much, and reverting back to stock, I'm not going to be in a rush to put a custom Rom on the One when it comes.
Even rooting it, I may hold off for a while. I'm just not sure these days what the point is.
Why knacker up the warranty?
Pah!
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This is where alot of people get confused. The point of making a custom rom was never for everyday people to be flashing them, They were for developers to try new things and see what they could make happen. Does this break things? Yeah from time to time but that is all part of learning.
That's all true also DK. It does depend what we want from phone and if we want the risks of flashing. I have done it long enough and maybe just getting old and tired. It takes a lot of time to keep up with the roms and not have to rely on others for all your info. Although XDA was/is a dev forum, it has also benefited in member growth with all the people now interested in flashing.
I think it is more likely with the new phones that some will not see the need to flash a custom rom as much as they wanted/needed to say 3-4 years ago.
Either way it is still a personal choice and more than likely I will still flash whether I need to or not--
rugmankc said:
That's all true also DK. It does depend what we want from phone and if we want the risks of flashing. I have done it long enough and maybe just getting old and tired. It takes a lot of time to keep up with the roms and not have to rely on others for all your info. Although XDA was/is a dev forum, it has also benefited in member growth with all the people now interested in flashing.
I think it is more likely with the new phones that some will not see the need to flash a custom rom as much as they wanted/needed to say 3-4 years ago.
Either way it is still a personal choice and more than likely I will still flash whether I need to or not--
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Oh trust me If it wasnt for the crapware and bloat OEMs added to their devices and the absolute UGLY look to them I may not feel a NEED to flash a custom rom but with the listed things for me it is still very needed. Mainly the UGLY. I can deal with a bit of lag but it better be good looking while it lags lol
agreed--
I don't see many options here. Mostly stock roms in this forum topic. I had a ton of problems with boot loops and such and just couldn't get anything to work. OTAs still force a bootloop sequence unless I zero out: "/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/misc". I just disabled the notification for them and everything is fine now, but I was wondering if there was any point to using anything other than the stock ROM.
I kept root and just removed TMO bloatware. The 4.4.2 stock ROM seems pretty damn fast, but I have nothing to compare it too. I'm basically just trying to decide if it's even worth it to attempt another ROM install. Are there any real advantages to any of the other ROMs out there over stock? I'm looking for stability above all else, then speed. Features I don't really care about.
klokwyze said:
I don't see many options here. Mostly stock roms in this forum topic. I had a ton of problems with boot loops and such and just couldn't get anything to work. OTAs still force a bootloop sequence unless I zero out: "/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/misc". I just disabled the notification for them and everything is fine now, but I was wondering if there was any point to using anything other than the stock ROM.
I kept root and just removed TMO bloatware. The 4.4.2 stock ROM seems pretty damn fast, but I have nothing to compare it too. I'm basically just trying to decide if it's even worth it to attempt another ROM install. Are there any real advantages to any of the other ROMs out there over stock? I'm looking for stability above all else, then speed. Features I don't really care about.
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Click to collapse
Stock or at least stock based with dorimanx kernel is about as good as it gets for tmo...most of our developers have moved on to newer devices...and non tmo roms don't have Wi-Fi calling
jamesd1085 said:
Stock or at least stock based with dorimanx kernel is about as good as it gets for tmo...most of our developers have moved on to newer devices...and non tmo roms don't have Wi-Fi calling
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Click to collapse
yeah wifi calling is irrelevant to me, but frankly this stock ROM is amazing compared to the performance of my Relay 4G.... H/W keyboard android phones RIP.
Cheers
I have the Intl version which sports more custom roms but they are all the same more or less.... im on stock KK too even though i was a die hard software updater (had 5.1.1 on previous Nexus 4).
Have to agree with you this phone hates modding and is really feeble, it will get bricked quite easy unlike the Nexus 4 which can take a lot of abuse
Try the new cloudy rom. It's a port from LG G4 with various elements.
why dont you guys check in the G2 Android Development. most roms cover all variants there.
For me CynaogenMod's Privacy Guard feature is a must-have on any Android phone. But right now I'm finding that the official CM12 nightlies seems to screw up the modem settings for my local carrier here in Canda (Wind), so I lose access to the service. Constructive suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Hi just wondering if there's any point to rooting these days?i mean the s8+ pretty much bang on!can rooting offer anything extra?I understand like an iPhone is miles better jailbroken but s8 seems to pretty much to a lot!!any ideas folks
I only rooted because I wanted to remove system app and use Titanium Backup.
But if you don't use or need those 2 apps...not worth rooting.
Matt.
I used to root all of my previous phones, including S2+, S4 and S6. I loved custom roms and additional battery saving tweaks or performance tweaks, overclocking, downclocking etc. The S8+ has a huge battery and a great system, so most of the features that I'd get via rooting on the older phones are already here. Also, if you root you void your warranty, and trust me, you don't know when you'll need it . And let's not forget the amount of times that I've flashed something the wrong way or idk something got corrupted and I had to reflash and lose all my data. Staying stock is the best choice on S8+.
Of course it's worthy. You can improve the camera quality with Zero Camera Mod, get better performance with kernels and get rid of the annoying ads.
IN MY OPINION
No, it's not worth it. There may be some advantages to rooting, but you can do MOST of those things without root. Samsung Internet Browser already blocks ads. There's some nonroot apps that will block and across the phone if you don't mind using a VPN.
You can disable unwanted apps with BK Disabler Pro (I think that's what it's called).
The camera is already great. I can't speak for Zero Camera Mod, but the Pixel camera works great on this phone.
I used to unlock bootloaders on every device I owned. Wouldn't buy one with a locked bootloader. I rooted. I flashed custom ROMs. I used Xposed and customized. Then I stopped customizing everything. Then I stopped flashing custom ROMs. Android finally got the point I was happy with it out of the box. When I got my S8+ I realized Samsung's software wasn't bad at all, and I actually enjoyed it.
Now I just read thread after thread of people bricking and soft bricking their phones after rooting. People having issues going back to stock to take upgrades. Honestly, I just shake my head and chuckle, because it all seems like such a big hassle and headache, that really does nothing more than disable things like Samsung Pay.
So no, to me, it's NOT worth it. I enjoy my S8+ and my Note 8 with no desire to root it. When I want to customize it, I apply a theme. I just use the Samsung themes, but have thought about trying Substratum. There's always Nova Launcher and the Pixel Launcher if you want a different look as well.
That's my opinion, and it's worth about a buck two eighty. Get the phone. Run it stock for a while and see if you REALLY miss root. Then decide.
No, for the 1st time I must say on S8+ on Nougat it is not worth. You can disable all apps you don't need without root, remap bixby button, set permissions to apps, remove ads without VPN (Adhell2) etc.
Oh coarse it's worth it, for many reasons . . . .
. . . . . . . now what were those reasons . . . . . ?
oh yes, it turns the phone into a 'Super' phone.
You didn't know that is where the 'S' comes from in Galaxy 'S' 8, did you?
There isn't much customization to accomplish for rooting/custom recovery at the moment. I, at the moment, have twrp-d G950F and Stock G955U1. Strangely, I found myself using G955U1 more than that rooted G950F. Given that there is only TW based roms atm, fonts-theming can be acquired through substratum or flipfonts, and Adblocking using adhell. I basically rooted my device to test ROMs to maximize battery life but there is only little variation to them that I sincerely think that stock G955-U1 ROM is better than other, though I do adore the new samsung oreo keyboard that can add gifs to almost all apps that I am using, unlike its current nougat counterpart. But again, U1 is pretty clean and slim rom. I tried oreo beta, through that samsung.firmware.science, but there is currently no comparable U1 oreo beta, there is only U roms that will install carrier CSC and its added apps to the phone. It almost made me wanting to root to remove those apps, but given the near release of oreo, i ended up choosing to go back to my stock nougat u1 rom. I heard its possible to flash any stock rom to any s8 family.
Go check out CarHDROM. He has ported a Note 8 ROM for the 8+. Very nice and has built in a number of things you will not find on stock, built-in.
I can agree that initial messing about with rooting, setting up a custom ROM can take a little time, it's hardly more than a stock ROM. Some folks have to re-do things to get it just right, but once done, it can be spectacular. 'Rolling your own' can have it's own 'rewards', as it allows for some creativity beyond the stock ROM, and there are a good number of things you can do with a rooted phone, that you can not with a stock phone.
If you are new to rooting, etc, there is a learning curve that can be tranquilly taken over short hours, to days to weeks. Tranquil. The Samsung Odin software and the how to's are pretty straight forward to follow, and most of the time folks here are available to help, though that is not always 'guaranteed'. Some posts/requests for help sit idle either longer than the OP would like, or just remain static, though that is not an often case.
I ran the same custom ROM on my old iPhones, OnePlus One, G3, and once setup with a nice custom ROM, did not change them out.
CarHDROM is very well established, and version v9 (last Nougat) is very stable and very extended with it's added abilities. Carotix takes a lot of time with the users.
That ROM is now on v10 (Orego beta), and going through it's growing pains.
I have v9. Smooth, trash free, and well thought out.
I think all the versions are available for download/use.
It is worth checking out.
At any rate, either stock or custom, the 8/8+ is a great phone.
In the (motorcycle) biking side of life there is a saying for (legitimate) bike owners: "Ride it like you stole it".
Have fun with your S8.
For years I have rooted my phones, and have had just about all the OEM's at one time or another. Since I've had my Pixels, not so much. So I decided to Root my Pixel, and run a custom ROM for the weekend, and today, I had had enough, and went back to stock. It's just not for me anymore. I like for everything to work, and what I get from stock is just perfect for me. Why is everyone else still holding on?
I miss being a flash-a-holic lol. I would always flash alot of custom roms also and my fav was Pure Nexus. i'm currently stock and fine with it well i wanted to try Q so. I still wanted a Pure Pixel rom but it never happened.
I think pretty much the ability to properly backup and restore using Titanium Backup. Otherwise, I as well would be done with root. Sure would make the monthly updates easier...
I have always rooted my devices. From Nexus 6p, Pixel XL, Pixel 2XL, I never felt I needed to, they always ran great and did exactly what I needed. My favorite, including a 2 days battery was Pixel 2 XL.
However, with Pixel 3 XL, the battery, and now the lagging, has been a nightmare. It's like I am dealing with samsumg all over again, like it was with samsumgs, pockets pcs, etc...
I was about to root and flash a custom until I saw your post... which means, not even the custom roms will fix this horrible phone... thats sad... I always buy my pixels on launch date, but I will eagerly wait for the next one, but only buy it 3 or 4 months later, if I buy it. For now, I am now researching between the latest samsung, OPO and Huawei to replace my P3XL, I really can't take it anymore. What a waste of money in this phone, and is not even worth half of what I paid now....
I use a custom rom for customization (changing statusbar color, accent colors, customize reboot menu, change statusbar icons, etc). Use root so I can disable navbar and use pie controls, use tasker and other apps properly, enable fingerprint pay where it is not allowed, and many other things.
I admit on stock you can use tulsadiver's mods to change most of the things a custom rom does, but you have to redo it on every update.
Stock with root and ElememtalX kernel for the extra high brightness mode. Need it because I mount my phone to the handlebars of my motorcycle for Nav. It's ok without it, but so much better with it.
I held off for years before putting a custom ROM on my Pixels, but I finally relented because of some lag on my 3XL. Now I'm running the latest AOSiP with Kirisakura kernel, and everything works beautifully and better than stock. Those of you who are having issues and have nothing to lose should definitely try a custom ROM. I haven't yet found anything that doesn't function better than stock. It's been totally stable and fully functional for me. With better performance and more features, of course.
There are still a couple reasons that keep me flashing custom. Not as many as there used to be. I still enjoy it though. Just like switching Linux Distros. I do it when I'm bored. It's fun.
For me. It's roms. Kernels. Titanium. And ad blockers.
There are lots of reasons to still root. But to each there own.
What finally drove me away from custom ROMs is that devs would stop supporting my device as soon as a new flashier, newer, c00l3r device came out. Basic bugs wouldn't get fixed. They'd be switching forums every few months (XDA? Telegram? Google+?). I'd donate $100 and a month later my favorite features would stop working or be dropped.
In short, lack of long term (6-9 months "long term"?) basic stability in favor chasing the latest new toy. I get it, it's their free time, but that's why I donated, and this is why I left.
This is the first Android device I've had I've kept stock with exception to rooting and a few Magisk modules like ViPER4Android. Other than that, I have to admit I am pretty content with the stock experience.
After almost 3 years (starting with the OG PIxel and XL), I finally installed a custom ROM on the 3XL but left the 3 stock and rooted. I may go back to stock and rooted with Q coming. The biggest reason for me to quit swapping custom ROMs on these devices is that TWRP has really become nothing more than a zip flasher. Multiple slot issues and no real Nandroid functionality makes it so that a custom ROM just replaces stock if you are happy with it and support continues. The time to completely wipe and reconfigure after a custom install just isn't worth it more than once for me.
Data backs up fine on TWRP and restoring it gets back all your settings.
Ad-blocking, ad-blocking, and ad-blocking.
I just can't use a phone that shows adverts - they p1ss me off no end. Not only the fact they take up half the screen, and steal bandwidth, but the tracking is basically illegal but still done relentlessly.
21cdb said:
I held off for years before putting a custom ROM on my Pixels, but I finally relented because of some lag on my 3XL. Now I'm running the latest AOSiP with Kirisakura kernel, and everything works beautifully and better than stock. Those of you who are having issues and have nothing to lose should definitely try a custom ROM. I haven't yet found anything that doesn't function better than stock. It's been totally stable and fully functional for me. With better performance and more features, of course.
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Active edge, and Pixel stand doesn't work as it should. Also with all the custom ROM's I flashed they would just reboot randomly.
djcrystals said:
There are still a couple reasons that keep me flashing custom. Not as many as there used to be. I still enjoy it though. Just like switching Linux Distros. I do it when I'm bored. It's fun.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get that. It's one of the reasons that got me into it in the first place.
cantara256 said:
What finally drove me away from custom ROMs is that devs would stop supporting my device as soon as a new flashier, newer, c00l3r device came out. Basic bugs wouldn't get fixed. They'd be switching forums every few months (XDA? Telegram? Google+?). I'd donate $100 and a month later my favorite features would stop working or be dropped.
In short, lack of long term (6-9 months "long term"?) basic stability in favor chasing the latest new toy. I get it, it's their free time, but that's why I donated, and this is why I left.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly that's actually one of the advantages of still Rooting. Getting the latest software on a device that is no longer supported.
krs360 said:
Ad-blocking, ad-blocking, and ad-blocking.
I just can't use a phone that shows adverts - they p1ss me off no end. Not only the fact they take up half the screen, and steal bandwidth, but the tracking is basically illegal but still done relentlessly.
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Click to collapse
dns.adguard.com
jmartin72 said:
Active edge, and Pixel stand doesn't work as it should. Also with all the custom ROM's I flashed they would just reboot randomly.
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Click to collapse
Both features work great in the latest AOSiP build. Also haven't had any random reboots.
jmartin72 said:
dns.adguard.com
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That only works on wifi right? On mobile data it uses your providers DNS?
Was curious what builds/ mods work best on these. Im Waiting on my unlock token but the only I need doordash and Uber to work and mostly wanted to get v4A back on a device and keep access to 5g. I've read over a lot but this is my first unlocked bootloader In a few years. If you have a favorite setup and are willing to share I'd love to hear,
Hey Ry4n,
Doubt this is what you are looking for, but so far I am sticking with stock OOS but with magisk installed and assorted modules such as the debloat module, busybox, and liboemcrypto. The reason for this is because so far this is not a very flashing-friendly device, without a real TWRP out for safety. I have tried EvolutionX which is really nice and I've loved it for a while, expecially on my older OnePlus devices, but it is not able to fully utilize the device's capabilities. Don't get me wrong, it is daily driver material and I do appreciate greatly the work that went into it and continually goes into it, but for my personal preferences unless there is a rom that is fully working with only minor issues (by my standards) I am not too keen on sticking with it; I love OOS cam and the quality with things like snapchat, and the speed of unlocking. Both seem small but because I interface with so many small things they become big things for me if that makes any sense. If you do try other roms though, I have found that it is not easy to get back to stock if you change your mind. EvoX, Havoc, Color OS, and maybe PA are your only options for daily driving for most people afaik so if you really wanna spend time with the device then you can try them out, in that order. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong though.
I dont know why you say its not a flash friendly device. I got the LE2110 Chinese model, and ive flashed every ROM available for this device, I had every problem possible happen(due to my choices) typing wrong codes or flashing wrong model software. EDL bootloop all kinds of ****.
This devices is amazing for flashing, just must follow directions exactly. Most roms you must flash copy-partitions first.
I would stock OOS with magisk runs the best for me as far gaming, cause I play PuBG Mobile heavy, but the latest rom available, HaVoC is ****ing sick. I would go with that one..