Opinions on my app installation SOP...
Hello all...hope this is posted in the right place.
I am looking for some knowledgeable opinions on my personal SOP when installing apps [mostly referring to games] on my Android devices. I am a corporate technology manager with 20+ years experience but am quite new [and a relative noob] when it comes to the Android infrastructure.
XDA appears to be the best, most well-informed Android site around so...
Basics: 3 Android devices [1 smartphone, 2 WiFi tablets], all rooted, all running at least 4.4.2, all running AFWall+ and Titanium Backup [paid] and all with most factory bloatware safely frozen.
Question:
Am I wasting my time [or possibly doing something wrong] by doing the following procedure for each app [again, largely referring to games] that I install and decide to keep for a while on my devices?
1. AFWall+ to deny network connectivity for those games that do not explicitly require a constant connection [exceptions like Angry Birds Epic, AB2 and such];
2. App2SD [unpaid version] to move to external SD card each game that can be moved;
3. Gemini App Manager [unpaid version] to view and disable all autostart permissions found;
4. SDMaid [unpaid version] to double-check and disable any further autostart permissions found;
5. Autorun Manager [unpaid version] to review the 4 available autostart permission categories and then disable games as needed;
The above SOP is my own effort to try to and wrest a bit more control over my devices as well as to try and keep things as clean as possible and to maximize the amount of always available system resources as much as possible.
All my devices [and games] appear to be running flawlessly and with no issues at all that I can detect.
So, bottom line:
- Am I doing a good thing here?
OR
- Am I wasting my time [though only a few mins for each app]?
And finally, is there a BETTER way I can achieve the same things...a smarter process?
cheers and a very big TIA,
-les
lestatar said:
Hello all...hope this is posted in the right place.
I am looking for some knowledgeable opinions on my personal SOP when installing apps [mostly referring to games] on my Android devices. I am a corporate technology manager with 20+ years experience but am quite new [and a relative noob] when it comes to the Android infrastructure.
XDA appears to be the best, most well-informed Android site around so...
Basics: 3 Android devices [1 smartphone, 2 WiFi tablets], all rooted, all running at least 4.4.2, all running AFWall+ and Titanium Backup [paid] and all with most factory bloatware safely frozen.
Question:
Am I wasting my time [or possibly doing something wrong] by doing the following procedure for each app [again, largely referring to games] that I install and decide to keep for a while on my devices?
1. AFWall+ to deny network connectivity for those games that do not explicitly require a constant connection [exceptions like Angry Birds Epic, AB2 and such];
2. App2SD [unpaid version] to move to external SD card each game that can be moved;
3. Gemini App Manager [unpaid version] to view and disable all autostart permissions found;
4. SDMaid [unpaid version] to double-check and disable any further autostart permissions found;
5. Autorun Manager [unpaid version] to review the 4 available autostart permission categories and then disable games as needed;
The above SOP is my own effort to try to and wrest a bit more control over my devices as well as to try and keep things as clean as possible and to maximize the amount of always available system resources as much as possible.
All my devices [and games] appear to be running flawlessly and with no issues at all that I can detect.
So, bottom line:
- Am I doing a good thing here?
OR
- Am I wasting my time [though only a few mins for each app]?
And finally, is there a BETTER way I can achieve the same things...a smarter process?
cheers and a very big TIA,
-les
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello and thank you for using XDA Assist.
There is nothing obviously wrong with the steps you outline and they might even be overkill for most apps but I suggest you ask for feedback in the general Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting forum at http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/help. That's a good place to start where other members might offer you their advice.
Good luck!
Mike B. said:
Hello and thank you for using XDA Assist.
There is nothing obviously wrong with the steps you outline and they might even be overkill for most apps but I suggest you ask for feedback in the general Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting forum at http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/help. That's a good place to start where other members might offer you their advice.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi MikeB....thanks for the speedy response.
I will definitely post a link in that sub-forum to this thread. Apologies for posting wrongly.
Please feel free to lock this thread if needed.
cheers,
-les
Hi,
I don't know if I can ask you about that in this forum :
What are for you the pro and cons about the firewalls AFWall+ and LightningWall ?
Personnaly, I use AFWall+ which seems from my point of view very simple to configure and without impacts on Android configuration. But it could be because I don't have installed AFWall+ ...
I would like to know your opinion.
Thanks.
Envoyé de mon CINK FIVE en utilisant Tapatalk
So you say you use AFwall in one sentence and then you say its not installed. So which is it?
I use it and I have nothing bad to say about it. Its lightweight and no problems at all. I use whitelist though. Not blacklist.
@KernelCorn
Sorry for confusion.
I use LightningWall.
Envoyé de mon CINK FIVE en utilisant Tapatalk
Scroll down to question #37
https://github.com/ukanth/afwall/wiki/FAQ
AFWall+ is a FLOSS software (good) while LW is closed-source.
We discuss about LW in the AFWall+'s thread. Check it out: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=67252997&postcount=3079
AFAIK CHEF-KOCH is the main contributor to AFWall's Github Wiki.
Thanks all.
I have the feeling of being small after reading some recommanded points.
It's impressive.
I have understood that LightningWall is not open source, and this point could be problematic for a security app.
Sorry for this question :
Could AFWall+ brick my smartphone if I am not an Android expert ?
I'm no Android expert. I rooted my old Sprint S3 a few months ago out of curiosity and AFwall was one if the first things I downloaded. Worst thing I see happening is you block access to something that needs permission. Worst case disable AFwall n settings temporarily until you figure out what box to check/allow. Read and reread the FAQ and setup procedures and you'll be fine. I love it and have had zero issues.
Read the forums here whenever you can and you'll slowly become more and more comfortable messing around with your phone. XDA has become my latest addiction!
iwanttoknow said:
Sorry for this question :
Could AFWall+ brick my smartphone if I am not an Android expert ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope but do not forget to backup before testing stuff.
However it takes time to learn how to properly use such a software. I still have a lot of things to learn on Github but I know how to use for basic options (which user/system apps to block, easy custom script...).
If you have root, I do recommend you AFWall+ but you may also want to have a look at NetGuard.
@Primokorn
Thanks for your support
And promise to see light at end of tunnel ?
You wrote that you know how to use for basic options.
Can I find those options in AFWall+ Github ?
BTW I have root.
@KernelCorn
I don't know if I will be XDA addict
but it's certain that I enjoyed your welcome, you and the others.
iwanttoknow said:
@Primokorn
Thanks for your support
And promise to see light at end of tunnel ?
You wrote that you know how to use for basic options.
Can I find those options in AFWall+ Github ?
BTW I have root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can find recommandations, nothing more. Each user has a different setup so you'll obviously have to dig.
I also suggest you to subscribe to the AFWall+ XDA thread.
@Primokorn
Sorry, but I'm not sure if what you named "AFWall+ XDA thread" matches that :
\Android Development and Hacking\Android Software Development"[4.0+][ROOT][2.2.4-BETA2] AFWall+ IPTables Firewall [19 JULY 2016] by ukanth"
I think so, but could you confirm please ?
Thanks.
iwanttoknow said:
@Primokorn
Sorry, but I'm not sure if what you named "AFWall+ XDA thread" matches that :
\Android Development and Hacking\Android Software Development"[4.0+][ROOT][2.2.4-BETA2] AFWall+ IPTables Firewall [19 JULY 2016] by ukanth"
I think so, but could you confirm please ?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. Ukanth is the dev (and a nice man )
Sent from my hammerhead using XDA Labs
Hi,
I discovered this article today :
"Similar Android Firewall solutions"
https://github.com/ukanth/afwall/wiki/Similar-Firewall-solutions
Thanks to the author.
It provided particulary for me an explanation about Xposed associated with LightningWall.
"XPosed hacks to intercept directly on the OS layer (e.g. LightningWall). This doesn't need any iptables or additional scripts since the xposed framework provides the hacking ability's."
Hi,
I'm curious to have your point of view about this German article :
https://www.kuketz-blog.de/android-firewall-ohne-root-•-noroot-firewall/
For me with Tapatalk, I realised that there is a problem to display this url; there is a special character in it :
"https://www.kuketz-blog.de/android-firewall-ohne-root-%E2%80%A2-noroot-firewall/"
A lot of people around me don't want to root their smartphone, or they don't even know what is "to root" a smartphone; it's too technical for them.
But they want to be able to decide if they authorize or not some apps to go on the Net.
A lot of them heard about "NoRoot Firewall" and wanted to use it. Do I have to discourage them ?
iwanttoknow said:
Hi,
I'm curious to have your point of view about this German article :
https://www.kuketz-blog.de/android-firewall-ohne-root-•-noroot-firewall/
For me with Tapatalk, I realised that there is a problem to display this url; there is a special character in it :
"https://www.kuketz-blog.de/android-firewall-ohne-root-%E2%80%A2-noroot-firewall/"
A lot of people around me don't want to root their smartphone, or they don't even know what is "to root" a smartphone; it's too technical for them.
But they want to be able to decide if they authorize or not some apps to go on the Net.
A lot of them heard about "NoRoot Firewall" and wanted to use it. Do I have to discourage them ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google Translate doesn't work due to this special character so I have no idea what this article is explaining.
I would suggest NetGuard, no root firewall and adblocker.
From AFWall's Github
The biggest problem is that such VPN services not work with WiFi tethering or hotspot's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wrong. Example.
From AFWall's Github
And another con is that you can't run other VPN services and VPN/Proxy's apps at the same time together.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct.
@Primokorn
Thanks.
You can click on the url of this article by going at the end of another article (see below), and clicking on the link "an German article" in this article :
https://github.com/ukanth/afwall/wiki/Similar-Firewall-solutions
I know it's a little complicated.
BTW in your opinion, is "NoRoot Firewall" a good advice for people who have unrooted smartphones ?
How can we be assured that the used VPN, is not problematic from the privacy point of view ?
Hi,
Others informations I found entitled :
"Any security difference between root based firewall (AFWall+) and non-root based ones (NetGuard)?"
http://android.stackexchange.com/qu...root-based-firewall-afwall-and-non-root-based
And also this one about NetGuard :
https://github.com/M66B/NetGuard/blob/master/README.md#permissions
"NetGuard - no-root firewall" by Marcel Bokhorst gives access to its source code, while "NoRoot Firewall" by Grey Shirts does not, if I am right.
iwanttoknow said:
BTW in your opinion, is "NoRoot Firewall" a good advice for people who have unrooted smartphones ?
How can we be assured that the used VPN, is not problematic from the privacy point of view ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course a root firewall has a better control over the apps but a NoRoot Firewall is better than nothing
A firewall isn't really related to your privacy. I'd suggest you to have a look at XPrivacy (same dev as NetGuard - Xposed/root required). Link in my sign.
I already use XPrivacy.
It's great from the privacy point of view, though difficult at first.
But for people with no-rooted smartphones, Xprivacy can't be used.
They only have to be confident about VPN used by firewalls for no-rooted smartphones. Logically in this case, "NetGuard - no-root firewall" might be the best choice, because the code is reviewed by anyone in the community, in comparison to other with closed code.
Hi,
Can anyone tell me if it exists a tool to monitor non-root based firewalls ?
Is it possible to determine what data are exchanged through Android's VPN facilities used by non-root based firewalls ?
Is it possible with tools like "Network Log", LightningWall or AFW+ ?
I don't know if my question makes sense.
Hello,
As you already know, Llama cell tower based profiles don't work with Marshmallow. I am on Samsung Galaxy J7 MM and I have tried various options. Llama has been abandonware for a while now and hence I guess it is time to move to a new app that does this (I will miss Llama).
I guess this has got to do with new cell API by Google. I am trying to use Tasker for this but it is not working consistently.
Any pointers on right settings to be used for Tasker or any alternative app to be used would be greatly helpful.
Thanks,
Rahul
raheeg said:
Hello,
As you already know, Llama cell tower based profiles don't work with Marshmallow. I am on Samsung Galaxy J7 MM and I have tried various options. Llama has been abandonware for a while now and hence I guess it is time to move to a new app that does this (I will miss Llama).
I guess this has got to do with new cell API by Google. I am trying to use Tasker for this but it is not working consistently.
Any pointers on right settings to be used for Tasker or any alternative app to be used would be greatly helpful.
Thanks,
Rahul
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Greetings and welcome to xda, there is a dedicated tasker thread here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/u/tasker-tips-tricks
if you ask your question there the experts will be able to help you
Good Luck
Sawdoctor
Hey,
I'm looking for a new phone. Features I want are built in app lock (like Samsung and Huawei) and the possibility to clone apps (like Samsung Secure Folder and Huawei App Twin). Or as an alternative have multiple users on the phone. Less important, but still a feature I want, is a good battery life and per-app VPN. Budget is not too important as long as these criterias are fulfilled.
Any experience and/or suggestions you share will be much appreciated.
Thank you.
I have posted my question in the device suggestion thread. Please delete this thread.
I'm offering $150 to anyone who can modify the app AirMessage to work on Android KitKat.
The app allows users to send/receive iMessage texts on Android and is open source:
• https://github.com/airmessage/airmessage-android (preferred start point)
• https://f-droid.org/packages/me.tagavari.airmessage/ (excludes Google sign-in feature)
Long story but I'm trying to get it working on an LG Wine Smart H486 flip phone from 2015 for a special project. The phone cannot be rooted (I've tried for weeks using every available method). But also I'd prefer not to root really, as by upgrading to a non-standard firmware I'd lose bespoke flip features like flip open/close sounds and many more. So the solution I'd like is to get the app to run on KitKat instead.
It's important that notifications work when the port is done.
User @SoundDrill has tried and received this error, but thinks it possible others may have more luck:
In order to use core library desugaring, please enable multidex.
Regarding payment, we could do it via eBay if you set up a simple listing for "App conversion service". I have been a member there for 22 years and have 100% positive feedback: https://www.ebay.com/usr/tranquilbluetrading I'm open to other safe methods that protect us both.
Many thanks in advance!
@CJSnet Thread closed as you created a subject matter related one already two days ago:
Anyone able to mod this app to run on KitKat?
Basically I want to modify the APK to AirMessage (an iMessage client for Android) so it works on Android version 4+ instead of 6+. I'm reverting to a basic Android LG Wine Smart H486 flip phone (beautiful thing) for a video on my retro tech...
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