Any custom ROMs that are extremely minimalist? - Google Pixel 3 Questions & Answers

I'm looking for a custom ROM that's super minimalist, maybe like the Light Phone II or something like that. I realize it's possible to install like, Lineage, and then use ADB to uninstall a bunch of apps, but I'd like to find a way to do that without restoring all those apps every time I have to do a factory reset.
Does any such ROM exist?

Lineage is pretty slim on a clean install. I've been running it on my P3 for yonks, and it's always fast and snappy.
Only a handful of system apps like browser and such, and they're easy enough to delete if you so desire.

Related

rooting and kernals and general point

so i've bought myself a samsung galaxy s2, or i-9100, supposedly the best phone on the market, but ive only used nokia keypad phones before, and I'm pretty sure i'm not using my new phone to its full potential.
some questions, what is rooting? i get the idea it lets me do whatever i want?
if I root my phone, does that wipe my Operating System (gingerbread 2.3.3?) and all settings and installed things? Does it also wipe user data like texts or photos?
what's a kernel, or kernel version, kernel source code etc...?
I want to get rid of some of the samsung branding software, because i can't see an option to install them. but some features like swype i like, can i "selectively" debrand the phone?
The general point of what I want is I want my new phone to work like my computer, uninstall programs i don't want and install ones i do want. (i've only ever used Windows) But i don't seem to understand almost everything on this forum
Rooting your phone allows you to change roms, boot up themes and will let you remove most apps and allow you to get some you can't have with out root axx, but most roms already remove the carrier bloat ware. It will remove all your apps etc though and txt. Think of it like reinstalling your os on your pc, rooting your phone will make you admin on your phone instead of a normal user.
You can also underclock your phones cpu to save some battery life if you want when it's rooted.
You can just move your photos to your pc/sdcard...
Point is though, rooting your phone is worth it give yourself some time getting use to it maybe read up on it on here there are tons of great tuts to show you and explain things to you.
Like @zookeeper525 said, rooting gives you full access to your phone. The process does not erase data or settings. You can root on a stock ROM, then flash a rooted custom ROM. There are a lot of good ROMs out there, and you can usually get great performance and improved battery life from a custom ROM. Every device is different, so your experience may vary.
A kernal is the core of the Android operating system. Custom ROMs come with a kernal that has usually been tuned for their specific ROM, but there are also custom kernals available that have even more features (overclocking, underclocking, undervolting, etc.).
With any of this, you stand to gain lots of control over your phone, but can also brick it if you're not careful. My advice is read, read, read, then read again before you proceed.
Good luck!

[Q] What to do with HTC Desire HD?

Hey
Im kind of behind with Smartphones because I had a Samsung D500 for several years, it was only a few months ago I upgraded and got myself a HTC Desire HD on Contract. Ive been using it completly standard, with all the official software etc..
Im beginning to get quite bored of it now though and I still have like 1 and a half years left on my contract.
All I seem to do with the phone is... standard SMS texting, phone calls, facebook, twitter and check a couple of websites every now and then.
I have read around and hear things about "ROMS" and "ROOTS", but dont really know what that means.
Im just wondering, if you had this phone.. What would you do with it exactly?
Something to make it look/feel like a new phone maybe..... I duno
Just want some opinions, recommendations really
Thanks
Custom ROMs
A stock ROM is the version of the phone's operating system that comes with your phone when you buy it.
A custom ROM is a fully standalone version of the OS, including the kernel (which makes everything run), apps, services, etc - everything you need to operate the device, except it's customized by someone in some way.
So what does the "customized" part mean? Since Android is open source, developers are free to take stock ROMs, modify them, strip them of garbage, optimize them, add things, and pretty much do whatever their imagination and skills allow.
Custom ROMs are oftentimes faster, more efficient, and use less memory because:
- the developer ripped out useless garbage, such as carrier installed apps or
- the developer optimized the kernel. For example, an undervolted kernel can provide a much better battery life than the stock one.
You can upgrade to a version of the OS that has not yet been released for your device, or never will be. This is possible in 2 situations:
- A leaked version of the new ROM showed up online, and the developer got on it like the fat kid chasing an ice cream truck.
- A ROM from another phone was ported by the developer to work on yours. For example, G1 and MyTouch 3G users may never see Android 2.1 officially released on their phones, but Cyanogen, one of the most respected Android developers, was able to create a custom ROM running 2.1 for those devices.
ROOTING:
Getting root or rooting your phone is the process of modifying the operating system that shipped with your device to grant you complete control over it.
This means you can overcome limitations that the carriers and manufacturers put on your phone, extend system functionality, and even upgrade it to a custom flavor of Android.
The name root comes from the Linux operating system world, where the most privileged user on the system (otherwise known as Administrator on Windows) is called root.
You have access to alter any system files, use themes, change boot images, delete annoying stock apps, such as Sprint's NFL Mobile live and Nascar Sprint Cup Mobile, and other various native applications that might drive you crazy (Footprints, Voice Dialer, etc).
On most rooted Android devices, you can back up your entire system to an SD card, much in the same way you can image a hard drive. This is great if you’d like to try a new ROM, as you can back up your phone, wipe it completely, flash the new ROM, and if you don’t like it, just restore from your backup to get your device back to exactly how it was before you wiped it.
The easiest way to do this at the moment is by using ROM Manager.
ROM Manager allows you to easily flash a custom recovery image which is what you will need in order to backup and restore your phone. The recovery image is a special program that can be booted into outside of the phone's main operating system, sort of like an OS recovery console on a PC. By default, the recovery image on most Android phones only gives you a few options, mainly related to wiping the phone. Custom recovery images expand upon these options and usually include scripts that can do things like backup and restore your system, fix file permissions, or allow you to flash custom ROMs that the normal recovery image would otherwise reject.
Normally, flashing a custom recovery image requires some command line work, either on your PC, or on a terminal emulator directly on the phone, but Koush's ROM Manager should automatically flash his custom recovery image (known as ClockworkMod Recovery) for you, provided you're on one of the supported phones and that it is already rooted.
Using ROM Manager is pretty simple. Download and install the application from the market, fire it up, and you’ll be prompted to allow the application superuser permissions - make sure you approve it.
The first thing you’ll need to do is flash the ClockworkMod recovery image that I mentioned earlier, which can be done right in the app (it’s the first option). ROM Manager should automatically find the latest version of the right image for your phone, download, and install it - the whole process is seamless.
After that is done, you can simply use the ‘Manage and Restore Backups’, and ‘Backup current ROM’ options to, well, backup your current ROM or restore from an existing backup.
Rooting Guide for Desire HD
Desire HD ROMs
If you're bored with the look and feel of the phone then by all means customize it. Custom ROMs etc can help with that, or even just trying another Launcher like ADW EX. Make it a project to do something creative and artsy and then post your work here. Rooting will allow greater scope of what you can accomplish, like changing the system Fonts, for example.
Really though, if you're not interested in that kinda thing, i'd suggest just doing more of what the phones are designed for in the first place, which is running applications. Perhaps you might edit your OP to request a list of entertaining apps so that people can throw out suggestions?
A few time killers that i enjoy:
IMDb (For watching trailers and reading about movies)
Cracked Lite (Funny and informative articles)
Amazon Kindle (Reading books on the go)
Wimp.com (Fantastic collection of videos. Think of it as youtube's greatest hits)
Heya thanks for that reply
Well I am interested in a custom ROM, it sounds cool. Especially if it removes crap I dont need to save my battery life etc
Id like to try a new ROM, I had a go last night and installed ROM Manager but it said something about it couldnt find superuser and told me to google it lol, so I went to sleep
Now I am awake I am willing to give it a bash and would like to do it
Dont think Id be much use trying to do my own though,would rather use someone elses if Im allowed too? A very fast/power efficient/nicelooking/stable one etc.. Any you recommend?
Just doing that successfully would be a big enough project for myself as its my first time Heh
Before I go ahead and break my phone, are these instructions the correct ones for me?
Shall I do what this says to setup superuser?
pocketnow.com/android/how-to-root-your-htc-desire-hd
Sorry I just noticed you have a big massive link with a guide for rooting my phone lol
I am going to do that now then thanks
As for ROMS, for my phone, is:
[ROM] MIUI 1.9.16 v.1: Freshly Squeezed Edition™ 16/09/11
The main custom ROM for me?
Would you recommend that one, from that link you posted, that one seems to be the only main one I can see
Need abit of help, got visionary on my phone. Ticked box r/w after boot or whatever and then when I click on Temproot now, it says rooting device etc.... but then it just goes to a black screen and stays a black screen.
Is this normal or is something going wrong?
- Apparently the latest firmware doesnt allow Visionary to work. I need to downgrade to an earlier firmware? How do I do that lol
Or should I just give up and stop now?
You have to downgrade to Froyo 1.3.2 first. Follow this guide.
Here's a guide for rooting, ENG and Radio S-OFF, Flashing radio and ROM
Flashing a radio?
Um this sounds abit to risky actually for my first time.
So from what I understand is, I could successfully flash my chosen custom ROM but the radio signal for phone calls/SMS texting and stuff.... could not work ?
I dont think I want to take that risk now Ive read that
dont flash any radios the one you have will work fine also have a look around in the dev forums.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=765
Im quite happy with what Ive done, someone mentioned to do it earlier on in this topic and its basically all I wanted, just a fresh look
I changed the HTC Skin to Slate, and then used the GO Launcher and using a green + black theme, done abit of customizing. Before all this I did a hard reset on the phone too, and using JuiceDefender. I like it, happy with it, feels fresh
Thanks for all the help and advice though I do appreciate

[Q] Is it true that custom ROM's are always less stable than stock ROM's ?

If it's true, why is that? Is it because stock ROM developers are better?
Not being a troll. Honest question.
I'm just curious. I use galaxy Ace, and I would very much like to use a custom ROM to get rid of all the samsung junk apps. But if it's unstable, it may not be worth it.
No. Well made custom roms are usually more stable and faster than stock roms, especially for devices which have unoptimized stock roms, such as the SGS.
You can remove apps from the stock rom by rooting it - Its not necessary to flash a custom one.
Hi 314! Really, I didn't know that. How do I do it safely?
My personal experience is that custom ROMs have been every bit as stable as stock ROMs. I'm quite often running alphas and dailies and impressed with their stability. Of course, doing that, you're bound to run into some gotcha's from time to time but that's part of the fun of dailies, discovering the changes and surprises. I'm on Deck's alpha1 ICS ROM and it's been sweet, but alpha2 hasn't worked for me (wigetsoid seems broken). Shurg. So I restored alpha1, wait for alpha3, and try and get my post count up to give Deck some feedback in his thread.
Thanks mhwarfield. What are dailies? and what is OPS?
"You can remove apps from the stock rom by rooting it - Its not necessary to flash a custom one."
Well i heard this before in some youtube video but exactly not sure how and with which software may be (root manager). Please somebody with experience in this matter give us a full guide how to remove junk apps after rooting. Thanks in advance
rayhan0701 said:
"You can remove apps from the stock rom by rooting it - Its not necessary to flash a custom one."
Well i heard this before in some youtube video but exactly not sure how and with which software may be (root manager). Please somebody with experience in this matter give us a full guide how to remove junk apps after rooting. Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can do that easy with "Titanium Backup" from the Market after you Rooted your Device. I think you dont need "Titanium Back Pro" to Remove Junk Apps.
rayhan0701 said:
"You can remove apps from the stock rom by rooting it - Its not necessary to flash a custom one."
Well i heard this before in some youtube video but exactly not sure how and with which software may be (root manager). Please somebody with experience in this matter give us a full guide how to remove junk apps after rooting. Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's really really not difficult.
Android stores all user apps in "/data/app"
all stock apps are stored in "/system/app" (this includes every system app, even the keyboard, camera and the gallery are in here)
this is the place where the junk apps should be ( i never had a bloated phone, but i guess they are in here, because we need root to manipulate files here)
now use a file explorer with root function (i use root explorer, and i definitely recommend it) and browse to this folder.
search the junkApp.apk and delete it.
you're done
EDIT: oh and yes, you can do it with titanium backup too, but i don't know if you need the pro version for it
Once you get custom ROMs out of Alpha/Beta/RC, they're better than stock, in my opinion. "Custom" means they can be designed for extra speed, power, leanness, beauty, or any combination of the above.
I don't mind helping out with betas and contributing to developers. Usually, by the time it gets to beta, most stuff is buttoned up nice and tight--plus I don't demand much from my phone.
Sounds like you got it covered with root and Titanium Backup. But do not fear the custom ROM.
It really depends. Some developers are EXTREMELY aggressive and throw a ton of crap into their kernel/ROM without much testing so they can "get ahead" - but often this leads to instability.
Others carefully fix issues one by one, with the exception of initially doing "standard" mods (like extended power menu on Android).
Some ROMs will often see releases coming out multiple times a week, often with lots of changes and reverting back and forth, and ALWAYS rebasing on the latest and greatest stock base, even before it's proven. This approach can sometimes pay off, but the risk of screwing up is high. Most such ROMs turn out to be crap.
Other ROMs take the most stable known base available, and fix whatever remaining known issues exist, and make a few standard tweaks. These are the ROMs that you still see people using more than three months after the last update. An example of this is VillainROM over in I9100-land. I only know of two issues with it - one has a one-time-after-install workaround, and the other is specific to trying to run that ROM on a device it wasn't designed for (I777).

[Q] Simple Google ROM for GT3110

hello,
It may have been already posted, but i would like to put on my GT3110 a simple & stable ROM without any additional SAMSUNG layer or any other modification.
i've tested the ROM provided by default, very slow and too much stuff that i don't want in it.
i've then tested the CyanogenMod 10 nighlty build, but the Keyboard wasn't working even after having done the clean as recommended on the web.
i've then tested the ROM RomsWell but it contains the SAMSUNG layer.
i'm now using the Paranoid Android 2.51 but the paranoidSettings seems to modify the resolution of the tablet and icons are not positionned correctly when moving from landscape to portrait.
i don't forget how big the work done by all these people providing this for free mainly, but as this tablet is dedicated for a gift to someone not android addict nor interesting in changing ROMs regularly,
So i would like to implement a Google stock ROM with nothing more/less than what is provided by google. even if i loose some performances or other things.
can you tell me where i can find this for the GT3110?
thank you in advance
If you install a launcher like Nova Launcher Prime, you'll find much of the Samsung layer gone. Some of the Samsung apps are superior. Email, Contacts and Planner come to mind. I would call the system easy for unsophisticated users and reliable as well. There plenty of help and a real user manual.
I've been flashing roms for years now and decided to stay with a rooted SGT27. Custom roms, even AOSP aren't that easy to use and there are always bugs.
This .....
king200 said:
If you install a launcher like Nova Launcher Prime, you'll find much of the Samsung layer gone. Some of the Samsung apps are superior. Email, Contacts and Planner come to mind. I would call the system easy for unsophisticated users and reliable as well. There plenty of help and a real user manual.
I've been flashing roms for years now and decided to stay with a rooted SGT27. Custom roms, even AOSP aren't that easy to use and there are always bugs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you (or the person its for ) isnt into modding Android, stick to stock. I use Apex launcher (Free) and to be honest they are all pretty much the same. Touchwiz isnt that bad and Samsung stock apps are really cool.
I would suggest updating it to JellyBean stock via Odin/Heimdall or just wait for the official update via Samsung.I personally use AOKP M1 but its a little confusing to set things up at first and needs tweaking.NOT noob friendly at all and takes time to work it out. ( but that's why I like it).
I would be careful giving "Root" access to inexperienced users as they may get themselves into trouble with it....Remember it gives them full access and control of the ROM. I would suggest a start up manager either way ,to stop all the junk starting up when you boot. Samsung loves bloat lol.
If you want pure Android, flash an AOSP no frills ROM.
jayce996 said:
hello,
It may have been already posted, but i would like to put on my GT3110 a simple & stable ROM without any additional SAMSUNG layer or any other modification.
i've tested the ROM provided by default, very slow and too much stuff that i don't want in it.
i've then tested the CyanogenMod 10 nighlty build, but the Keyboard wasn't working even after having done the clean as recommended on the web.
i've then tested the ROM RomsWell but it contains the SAMSUNG layer.
ican you tell me where i can find this for the GT3110?
thank you in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This does not exist, in fact it does not exist for any device. Stop dreaming of the mythical "clean" ROM that is 10x faster. There is a lot more to a functioning ROM than Google open source Android. There is no such thing as a pure AOSP ROM for any device because its takes Android + kernel + drivers + libs + apps + bootloader + etc. to have a functioning ROM. and everything except the base Android API is device and version specific.
The Samsung touchwiz launcher doesn't slow anything down and if you don't like the way it looks, as suggested above, install one of the good third party launchers and its not even used.
I find this tablet running the Samsung stock ICS to be very fast and clean, So one would wonder what are you doing to it to make it "slow" There's only a few Samsung apps included and unless you run them, they just sit there doing nothing. You can hide them if you don't want to see the icons.
thank you guys,
i'll try the JellyBean standard ROM as recommended and try another free launcher

While awaiting Android N for our Pure (XT1575)...

I decided to try out simplifying my phone and reduce issues that I've come across when using various custom ROMs, modified stock ROMs, etc... and used the Restore-To-Stock tool found in these forums. I then updated the phone via Settings, About, System Updates... then once that was done (Several times...) I was fully updated and ready to go. I flashed the latest TWRP & then installed the latest SuperSU for MM via TWRP... went into the file system and removed the APPs I did not want or need on my phone, wiped the caches and rebooted... I did this a few days ago and am insanely impressed by it. I forgot what stable and issue-free felt like... There's no fancy custom edits, no oddball quirks randomly from whatever was modified from various ROMs and after I installed xPosed, a few basic modules, setup Nova Launcher and all my APPs (Did a full fresh no restore of anything run through of it all)... I am the happiest I've ever been with my Moto X Pure (XT1575).
Once N pops in, I'll go through the whole process again, of course... but I think I might start sticking out simplified setups from here on out. I wanted to get the next Google "Nexus" phones released this year, but after seeing the Pixels and the prices... no thank you, I'm staying with my Pure for a while. I'm VERY happy with it... Dual front facing speakers are pretty much a necessity now for me. Internal Storage and Removable Batteries (prior to my Pure) are no longer my requirement. I've adjusted to pretty much using Google Drive and Google Play Music for all of my Files & Music with T-Mobile's no-data-cost of Google Play Music Streaming, I download my favorites (All I ever need would fit on a 32GB phone easily)... and Google Photos auto-backup has prevented me needing tons of storage options anymore... Battery you say though? No... I've YET to have a phone I wasn't able to charge on-the-go or even have a battery go bad.
Rambling here, this post was probably more for me than anyone who might read it, lol... I wanted the Moto Z so bad... but if I can't get an unlocked one that has the shatterproof display to use on T-Mobile... I don't see myself getting one at all. I want my next phone to have a fancy AMOLED hopefully shatterproof display with dual-front facing or at least a mod for sound / speakers like the Z and perhaps smaller top / bottom bezels. Not sure if I care about a fingerprint sensor yet or not. Anyway, have a great day everyone!!!
Have you compared debloated stock to tru pure x?
I've been thinking about doing something similar for the last few days. I've been running the latest TruPure since it came out several months ago. It might be the longest I've ever had an Android device without doing a clean flash of something, and things are degenerating.
I've always been a huge fan of TruPureXMM but have run into a few minor quirks here and then over time and definitely feel this is proving to be a much more stable experience. I removed (debloated) pretty much everything TruPureX did when it comes to APPs, but I believe TruPureX had a lot more going on than just that, which is what prompted me to go this route.
Since we're all sort of waiting for the official N, and we all know it won't be here amazingly fast... I've opted for this route to stay with the official run of things until N is stable and available through the official channel. I'll go through the full official update process and then TWRP and Root after... I'll be able to stay away from xPosed at first simply because the only things I'm using now are making MM more like N and I won't need to do that with N. I'm hoping once I can TWRP, Root and debloat by deleting the many APPs I don't like... things will be great!
CJ-Wylde said:
I've always been a huge fan of TruPureXMM but have run into a few minor quirks here and then over time and definitely feel this is proving to be a much more stable experience. I removed (debloated) pretty much everything TruPureX did when it comes to APPs, but I believe TruPureX had a lot more going on than just that, which is what prompted me to go this route.
Since we're all sort of waiting for the official N, and we all know it won't be here amazingly fast... I've opted for this route to stay with the official run of things until N is stable and available through the official channel. I'll go through the full official update process and then TWRP and Root after... I'll be able to stay away from xPosed at first simply because the only things I'm using now are making MM more like N and I won't need to do that with N. I'm hoping once I can TWRP, Root and debloat by deleting the many APPs I don't like... things will be great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've made me interested in trying this out as well. Is titanium backup the best way to remove system apps or is there a better alternative?
HaggisIV said:
You've made me interested in trying this out as well. Is titanium backup the best way to remove system apps or is there a better alternative?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I've always done is go into TWRP and remove them myself. Going full fresh no restore means no real need for Titanium. Return-To-Stock first, then OTA your way up to current... THEN TWRP and SuperSU... then boot in, make sure everything is working and jot down on a piece of paper or Google Keep from your computer a list of the APPs you don't want.
Then power off, get into TWRP and mount /System, go into Advanced, File Manager and within /system/APPs and /system/PrivAPPs (Or something like that, memory just blanked) and find what was on your personal list... enter the folder for it, hit button bottom right, choose delete, done, go back and do the others... then wipe Cache / Dalvik and power off / boot up for the absolute freshest experience you can have with a stock ROM.
The trick is to NOT restore ANYTHING... install all your preferred Google APPs first, do the whole Google Phone install if you removed the stock Phone app, etc... (I remove it and the messenger, and a bunch of other stuff like the gallery, mail, etc... because I solely use Google services now).
I removed my case cover and have been carrying the phone around bare.
It's like I bought a whole new phone.
Have you guys tried a quality AOSP based ROM like Dirty Unicorn or BrokenOS?
Super stability. Nothing at all like running a CM ROM.
Testing cm14 now. Hashbang is doing a great job getting it daily worthy.
nobreak1970 said:
Testing cm14 now. Hashbang is doing a great job getting it daily worthy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cant get it to recognize my sim
unitz0mbie said:
cant get it to recognize my sim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
10/11 build will I bet. :highfive:
What apps/services did you remove? I'm running stock rooted myself and honestly I only see a couple of things I'd get rid of, nothing that would have any real impact on battery/storage though. This phone's stock ROM really is close to AOSP.
same too what apps did you remove tnx.. im not rooted .. tried uninstalling apps and guess what it got temp bootloop.. did hard reset using stock recovery and got fix again started tru welcome menu.... may i know guys what apps not to unistall tnx
Did a side by side comparison of apps in TruePure and stock. I counted 39 apps deleted from TruePure.
Android Live Wallpaper, Basic Daydreams
Bubbles, Calculator
Cloud Print, Com.Android.wallpaper.holospiral
Com.Motorola.audiomonitor.helper
Com.Motorola.bug2go
Com.Motorola.motgeofencesvc
Com.qualcomm.atfwd
Config Updater, CQATest
Demo mode, Device help
DiagMdlog Settings , Entitlement
Google Indic Keyboard , Japanese Input
Google Launcher Config , Korean Input
Pinyin Input , Play Movies
Play Music , Hangouts
Input Devices , Messaging
Moto Care , Moto Care int
Motorola Boot Services , Motorola Checkin
Motorola Notifications , Motorola One Time Init
Motorola Update Services
Native Drop Box Agent , Phase Beam
Rescue Add-on: Motorola
Sheets , Slides , Talk Back
I only deleted the extra Keyboards, Play Movies, Music, Hangouts, Sheets, Slides and Talk Back to be sure I had enough space for Xposed.

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