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[Q] Will a new ROM be all I ever dreamed of....?

Hi all! I'm a noob to the site and a noob to smartphone modifications, so please forgive me for my questions and concerns. I've used forums for years on many topics and found the knowledge base to be incredible, so I hope you guys will help me out, too.
So, while my Skyrocket has generally worked very well for the past 2+ years, I have always felt it's not living up to its potential. I've read numerous threads on many forums to see what my fellow Rocketeers were doing. I think I've come to the conclusion that flashing a new ROM is the way to go, but I am a bit wary since I've never done this nor know anyone who has. My thinking goes along the same lines as my experience with computers... If you buy a Dell, HP, etc., you get the garbage that the manufacturer bundles in along with Windows. If you wipe the HD and install your own clean copy of Windows, you can usually get better performance without all that other stuff. Hence, the idea for a new ROM for the phone.
A few things have me wondering, though... There seem to be more ROMs available than flavors of Linux! I know choice will end up being a personal thing. My goal is really simple... I just want a clean OS that is stable, efficient, and runs the basic functions I am accustomed to. So, I am not looking to experiment or push the envelope. I want a phone that doesn't crash at the worst possible time, and one that can actually make phone calls! I assume that I will still be able to use the Google Play store to download apps (after installing the plugin thingy). My phone is from AT&T and is unlocked. Will it say unlocked after flashing a new ROM? Will Visual Voicemail still work? I occasionally use FoxFi to create a mobile hotspot. Will I still be able to use it? Or do other ROMs already have this feature unlocked (or bypassed)? I use apps on my phone mostly for email (Yahho/Gmail), calendar, FB, Instagram, YouTube, taking photos/video, viewing forums, and the like, besides making phone calls. In other words, what should I expect from a new ROM? How will things be different? I'm really trying to gauge if this is a worthwhile endeavor for me.
Sorry for the long post. I appreciate your opinions and experience.

It's always worthwhile.
The Skyrocket, to me, was always a case of OEM software that limited its potential. If you really sit down and tweak it, custom ROM, new governor, overclock, it's a beast of a phone that can still keep pace today. You'll have to balance performance with battery life--overclocking and switching to a more aggressive governor doesn't do you any favors there, and some ROMs are better about battery life than others. It's a great phone with a lot of life left, though, much more so than the vanilla S2 because the Rocket has LTE capability.
To hit your other questions, any app that is available on the Play Store will work. If a ROM needs a second gapps flash to get the Play Store (along with everything else Google ships) back, that will be made available and is a very easy install. I've never unlocked a phone, but I don't believe that a new ROM would lose that. Wait for someone else to reply, but I'd be shocked if it did. As far as what you want, there's a ROM to suit any desires. Most ROMs are pretty basic and look and feel like you'd expect a Skyrocket to. Some are designed to feel a little more like iOS, some are designed to be stripped-down (and faster as a result), and some are based on stock firmware and very closely replicate the original experience. It's up to you to read through the dev forum for the Rocket and pick the experience that's best for you.
As far as how difficult it is, spend a couple hours reading about flashing, how it works and why it works. Once you have that basic understanding of it and can follow a few simple instructions that are pretty universal across ROMs, you're set.

Well, I'm giving this a try tonight. Fingers crossed!

One piece of advice: when you pick a new rom from "Android development" read the WHOLE thread associated with that rom, with special attention the the first couple of pages. Make sure you understand the process and any potential pitfalls.
First rom I tried I spent probably six hours reading. It was worth it.

Success!!! I now have the latest CandyKat running! It ended up being not too bad at all. Now I need to figure out how things are different from the AT&T Jelly Bean this replaces.
Thanks for the advice and thanks to everyone who contributes to the site,

I have Kandykat. It seems to be a good solid rom. The Google Now launcher is buggy though. I changed to Nova launcher. Other than that it's been fine.

Thanks for the tips, Chris. I've been using Launcher3. What's the difference between these launchers? Everything seems to be running fine on my rocket now. Any tips on increasing battery life? Any tips on some nice customization?

Google Now launcher seems to have the annoying habit of forgetting the screen setup (app positioning) during reboot. Launcher 3 also exhibited the same problem. Launchers are a matter of taste, but Nova launcher seems solid and looks right to me. YMMV. It's easy to try a few.

Why is installing CM so incredibly difficult?

Installing CM used to be wonderful! I remember a time when went to get.cm, connected my phone to the computer, clicked one or two buttons and watched everything else happen automatically. THAT was an experience worth noting! Perfectly simply and jaw-dropping!
Nowadays, I have to read through several pages of an article, click multiple links, concentrate heavily on the contents, do EXTRA research on Google, YouTube and other how-to pages, use lots of trial-and-error, endure a bunch of frustration and when I'm lucky, after several hours or sometimes days of work, I can get CM working on a phone.
This is unacceptable to a medium-experience user in the year 2016! (Note that I'm not your cookie-cutter idiot user. I have been able to repair MacBooks and phones using only internet tutorials, I have lots of experience using computers, I understand how to code)
1st experience (back in 2013 on my Nexus 5):
Perfect!
2nd experience (S3 neo, 2014):
Horrible! (got it to work, however)
3rd experience (late 2015 on LG G4):
- waited for a new CM supporting my device forever, although a quick CM had been promised
- read though pages and pages of forum threads
- decided not to risk my warranty and get a bad photo app by installing CM rather than an excellent one from stock LG android
- overall, a bad experience again
4th experience (yesterday on an HTC One M7)
- just as bad as before with the exception that I quit out of frustration
It's absolutely incredible how much effort still needs to be brought the the table in order to install CM! I mean seriously now:
1) Installing adb and fastboot (not idiot-proof on Mac OSX)
2) unlocking dev mode on the phone
3) using terminal commands to move files on sdcard (didn't work for me)
4) using bootloader commands on trwp
…
… and so on and so on (lots of errors and problems on the way)
These are all not things that people don’t know how to do EVEN IF THEY HAVE DONE THAT BEFORE 1 OR 2 YEARS AGO!!!! What happened to all that simplicity from the nexus 5 2013 era? I know what you are going to say in response to this, things like: "Google/Android makes it much harder to unlock bootloaders/root on the phone/and yadayadayaaaa...."
All of this might be true but in reality the user still could be cared for so much mor in the installation process. I mean if you at least provided a proper step-by-step instruction with clean English phrases which explains everything with screenshot and/or a video, that would be acceptable. But the way it work right now takes to much time and effort from users.
Do you not have any benefits from a larger user base? Do you not want to make CM spread to as many phones in the world as possible? Come on now, you can do SO MUCH better than this!
Well, if you want an elite community with only very few noobies bugging you for support, well then I can understand that. But if not, this thing is just annoying and extremely frustrating discouraging a lot of users from adopting an otherwise great OS!

Snüber said:
Installing CM used to be wonderful! I remember a time when went to get.cm, connected my phone to the computer, clicked one or two buttons and watched everything else happen automatically. THAT was an experience worth noting! Perfectly simply and jaw-dropping!
Nowadays, I have to read through several pages of an article, click multiple links, concentrate heavily on the contents, do EXTRA research on Google, YouTube and other how-to pages, use lots of trial-and-error, endure a bunch of frustration and when I'm lucky, after several hours or sometimes days of work, I can get CM working on a phone.
This is unacceptable to a medium-experience user in the year 2016! (Note that I'm not your cookie-cutter idiot user. I have been able to repair MacBooks and phones using only internet tutorials, I have lots of experience using computers, I understand how to code)
1st experience (back in 2013 on my Nexus 5):
Perfect!
2nd experience (S3 neo, 2014):
Horrible! (got it to work, however)
3rd experience (late 2015 on LG G4):
- waited for a new CM supporting my device forever, although a quick CM had been promised
- read though pages and pages of forum threads
- decided not to risk my warranty and get a bad photo app by installing CM rather than an excellent one from stock LG android
- overall, a bad experience again
4th experience (yesterday on an HTC One M7)
- just as bad as before with the exception that I quit out of frustration
It's absolutely incredible how much effort still needs to be brought the the table in order to install CM! I mean seriously now:
1) Installing adb and fastboot (not idiot-proof on Mac OSX)
2) unlocking dev mode on the phone
3) using terminal commands to move files on sdcard (didn't work for me)
4) using bootloader commands on trwp
…
… and so on and so on (lots of errors and problems on the way)
These are all not things that people don’t know how to do EVEN IF THEY HAVE DONE THAT BEFORE 1 OR 2 YEARS AGO!!!! What happened to all that simplicity from the nexus 5 2013 era? I know what you are going to say in response to this, things like: "Google/Android makes it much harder to unlock bootloaders/root on the phone/and yadayadayaaaa...."
All of this might be true but in reality the user still could be cared for so much mor in the installation process. I mean if you at least provided a proper step-by-step instruction with clean English phrases which explains everything with screenshot and/or a video, that would be acceptable. But the way it work right now takes to much time and effort from users.
Do you not have any benefits from a larger user base? Do you not want to make CM spread to as many phones in the world as possible? Come on now, you can do SO MUCH better than this!
Well, if you want an elite community with only very few noobies bugging you for support, well then I can understand that. But if not, this thing is just annoying and extremely frustrating discouraging a lot of users from adopting an otherwise great OS!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
None of those issue are Cyanogen's, they are a result of how the hardware and firmware are designed by the manufacture.
In most cases the Manufacture does not want their devices/firmware hacked, rooted, or bootloaders unlocked.
If you want a custom firmware, do some research first, before buying a device.

rooting right now is fairly difficult too. so to answer your question, installing custom roms needs rooted devices. and whilst installing recovery img is difficult nowadays. you will really find a hard time esp when there's rom mismatch

Why Pixel 3a/XL so unpopular?

I ask this question because I see a very little activity on a ROMs forum, I didn't check other ones.
For example my previous phone, Mi A1 (Android One) has an official builds for most ROM, even my wife's Mi A3 has much better activity. I had bought Pixel because I'm a Google fanboy and its cheapest Pixel available.
My own answer: people with less budget just buy Android One phones (like Mi A* line), people who want Pixel buy a full phone, like Pixel 3 (without a) or 4.

I suspect for a few reasons:
1. It isn't needed as the phone runs the latest version of android anyway.
2. Many people buy a Pixel series phone because that's exactly what they want - the latest version of android without skins or bloatware.

Yea, there isn't much of a need for ROMs on pixels. Took me 6 months to get to the point I was missing AOSiP and decided to build for it lol.
Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using XDA Labs

yurikoles said:
I ask this question because I see a very little activity on a ROMs forum, I didn't check other ones.
For example my previous phone, Mi A1 (Android One) has an official builds for most ROM, even my wife's Mi A3 has much better activity. I had bought Pixel because I'm a Google fanboy and its cheapest Pixel available.
My own answer: people with less budget just buy Android One phones (like Mi A* line), people who want Pixel buy a full phone, like Pixel 3 (without a) or 4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before the Pixel 3a and the Pixel OG, I had a LG G3 and the Galaxy S3. Always used custom ROMS. Haven't used a custom ROM for either Pixel. No need.

Ok, I got it, thanks

I think pixel popularity will take off when TWRP is able to be installed. I admit I have been spoiled by TWRP and the ease with which ROMs can be flashed and most importantly backups can be made.

alliance1975 said:
I think pixel popularity will take off when TWRP is able to be installed. I admit I have been spoiled by TWRP and the ease with which ROMs can be flashed and most importantly backups can be made.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ohh, how I miss nandroids!

good thread and yeah i think we're getting to the "post-mortem" point re: ROMs (Skittles9823’ AOSiP notwithstanding). i went from the samsung galaxy s3 -> xperia z3 -> xperia xz1c -> pixel 3a, and each one has been a big step down in terms of ROM availability (i was spoiled with the galaxy s3, in hindsight). i really did think the 3a would be a ROM bonanza but i also agree with the general vibe that stock android is so, so much better than it was 5 years ago that it's harder and harder to find things worth "fixing".

c_tho said:
good thread and yeah i think we're getting to the "post-mortem" point re: ROMs (Skittles9823’ AOSiP notwithstanding). i went from the samsung galaxy s3 -> xperia z3 -> xperia xz1c -> pixel 3a, and each one has been a big step down in terms of ROM availability (i was spoiled with the galaxy s3, in hindsight). i really did think the 3a would be a ROM bonanza but i also agree with the general vibe that stock android is so, so much better than it was 5 years ago that it's harder and harder to find things worth "fixing".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only AOSP 10 ROM I have run on my Pixel 3a (Havoc 3.1) fixed one thing compared to stock - Voice over WiFi/Voice over LTE - and that is so low-margin that it often goes unaddressed; basically, there's a lot less broke with either stock OR AOSP; result, what is there to "fix"? TWRP itself is needed much less because - even going back as far as Android 8, the OS backs itself up regularly, by default, and without the end user doing anything. (With Samsung Experience (the predecessor to OneUI), I noticed it in the Samsung Members app; it's been retained in OneUI in the same place. It's by default in Android 9 + going forward; it still is in both Android 10 and the 11 Developer Preview - basically, the scutwork is going away. I haven't needed to root at all
with 10; who would have thought that? (In fact, among those of you that still run Magisk on 10, do you REALLY need to root to do what needs (in your opinion) doing? Or are you simply used to having to?

PGHammer said:
I haven't needed to root at all
with 10; who would have thought that? (In fact, among those of you that still run Magisk on 10, do you REALLY need to root to do what needs (in your opinion) doing? Or are you simply used to having to?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea. I absolutely need to root to do what I need. QuickSwitch is a must for me, custom kernels which provide wireguard at the kernel level, substratum for uniform dark mode (although stock theming is good now, but for apps that don't have a dark mode yet, substratum is needed), Active Edge customisation is also super convenient.
Thats pretty much the necessary stuff for me, the rest is mainly just custom fonts and liking to have complete control over my device. Also the fact that I'm a module developer so tinkering with this stuff is fun for me :laugh:
Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using XDA Labs

The comments suggest everyone has their own set of musts and wants for their devices. Stock Android provides the musts for me as well as some wants. But I will continue to read the forums.

alliance1975 said:
I think pixel popularity will take off when TWRP is able to be installed. I admit I have been spoiled by TWRP and the ease with which ROMs can be flashed and most importantly backups can be made.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SketchyStunts said:
Ohh, how I miss nandroids!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure if we really need nandroids: you can easily backup and restore apps and their data even without TWRP and generally we have factory images / installation bundles available for our device. So there is not really a need for TWRP ... in addition I doubt that TWRP for Android 10+ will be available soon.

Skittles9823 said:
Yea. I absolutely need to root to do what I need. QuickSwitch is a must for me, custom kernels which provide wireguard at the kernel level, substratum for uniform dark mode (although stock theming is good now, but for apps that don't have a dark mode yet, substratum is needed), Active Edge customisation is also super convenient.
Thats pretty much the necessary stuff for me, the rest is mainly just custom fonts and liking to have complete control over my device. Also the fact that I'm a module developer so tinkering with this stuff is fun for me :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ask because how many folks need to go there? If anything, it has become fewer; more Anidroid users, but fewer follks needing to root because the need to root has dropped because the core is more capable than it used to be. You have said it yourself; some of why you root is out of convenience; not typical of most folks, is it?

PGHammer said:
I ask because how many folks need to go there? If anything, it has become fewer; more Anidroid users, but fewer follks needing to root because the need to root has dropped because the core is more capable than it used to be. You have said it yourself; some of why you root is out of convenience; not typical of most folks, is it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, the need is definitely dwindling. I feel like there will will always be some amount of people doing it though.
Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using XDA Labs

Skittles9823 said:
Yea, the need is definitely dwindling. I feel like there will will always be some amount of people doing it though.
Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stipulated.
Thing is, the A-series Pixel addresses a market that even the Nexus ignored; smartphones that run stock that you don't have to fiddle with. (While the Galaxy Nexus came close, you still had to do some fiddling even with them; the A-series Pixel you just run, pretty much. While there are low-end smartphones - even lower-end than the A-series Pixel - that CLAIM to be as good; they have not proven themselves - not even compared to the Pixel 3a. So we are talking proven software, proven hardware, and at sane pricing. The Converse All-Star (Chuck Taylor) of smartphones. (I'm not THAT old; however, I heard of them - in my case, it was the Nike Air Strike Force as opposed to the pricier Air Jordans. I still have them.)

PGHammer said:
The Converse All-Star (Chuck Taylor) of smartphones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
relatable, as someone who replaces his broken chucks with a new pair of chucks about every four years

I came over from the V30, which has an incredibly active community, even nearly 3 years after launch.
The reason I switched to Pixel? I was honestly tired of the time it took to try to turn my V30 into a Pixel. With everything from Pixel Experience (and other AOSP ROMs), to hacks to try to get the Q gestures on Pie, to third party ports of GCam, to people downloading and installing Digital Wellbeing, Google Phone, etc, etc, I finally realized that what I really wanted was a Pixel. So I bought one. And now I have no need to modify it.
I think people pick the 3a line precisely because they don't want to have to hack anything. The users are far more like iPhone users than like Android users. They want nice pictures of kids, and a phone that just works without much effort.

AndDiSa said:
Not sure if we really need nandroids: you can easily backup and restore apps and their data even without TWRP and generally we have factory images / installation bundles available for our device. So there is not really a need for TWRP ... in addition I doubt that TWRP for Android 10+ will be available soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are Nandroids required? No. But the ability to make a full backup of your current ROM so that you can try out a new ROM or develop on a real phone and go right back to square one in the time it takes to flash the backup is certainly beneficial. It makes a huge difference and certainly more people would be willing to experiment on their daily driver phone if it was available. The idea of having to flash factory and then wait for Google to restore all my apps and data makes me cringe.
I for one have decided NOT to try some of the ROMs, etc that are available for this exact reason.

sic0048 said:
Are Nandroids required? No. But the ability to make a full backup of your current ROM so that you can try out a new ROM or develop on a real phone and go right back to square one in the time it takes to flash the backup is certainly beneficial. It makes a huge difference and certainly more people would be willing to experiment on their daily driver phone if it was available. The idea of having to flash factory and then wait for Google to restore all my apps and data makes me cringe.
I for one have decided NOT to try some of the ROMs, etc that are available for this exact reason.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Backing up is easy without twrp. Sure it's no twrp backup, but it's fine.
You can use adb-sync to synchronise the files in internal storage with a folder in your PC and vice-versa. That along with a swift backup of all your apps, app data, etc essentially allows for a complete 100% reliable backup that only takes about 20 mins to backup/restore give or take depending on the speed of the drive it's backing up/restoring to.
Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using XDA Labs

@sic0048
I was not referring to Google's restore mechanism, but to have a local copy on an external device which can be restored if needed.
@Skittles9823
There is also my android-backup-project which is still in an early stage but as a POC it's working quite well. I am just analyzing whether there is a chance to prepare e.g. a zip which can be flashed back by standard recovery / fastboot. Probably this is not so easy thinking at generic android devices but for the Pixel ones I expect that it can be more easy.

[ROM][REQUEST][POLL] Should i develop a rom for the Tab S6??

Hi all,
i own a Tab S6 T860 (non-lte) for quite a while now, about 6 months.
There are some downsides like the horrible unbuffered screen tearing that you'll get with fast-scrolling, but the overall device is pretty premium-sided, and it's got a decent processor, a great display (color/resolution wise) although im missing 2160p in youtube.
Question is as i (until now) didnt bothered developing for a new device, since i had my hands full with the MiPad4, some alcatel devices and are Maintaining official LineageOS for three legacy devices, should i develop for this one if the community still wants it.
The lead-dev of the MiPad left it so im thinking about developing for the Tab S6 now.
I would only develop LineageOS, starting with 16.0 then doing 17.1 and then 18 but idk how long it would take, since ive no real knowledge of the newest platforms and how they are built, so i'd be reading/trying out stuff a LOT before some release nightlies. The "latest" i developed for was the MiPad4 with a sdm660 btw but i mainly do legacy (e.g 8953/8952/8926).
So please leave your feedback or any other opinions/questions, if we reach a decent amount of people who still want it i'll start right away when im back home from my vacations on 18th.
Best Regards!
Edit: Since theres no real telegram group, and i MAINLY talk via telegram i made one so you can contact me quickly.
https://t.me/joinchat/Bn6f-VKeQfZfiKXo69h3Mw

#reserved 1

I would LOVE to have LOS on my Tab S6 (SM-T860) WiFi-only tablet!
Don't even care about stuff like fingerprint, external keyboard, Widevine, Bluetooth, any 'functionality' similar to what Samsung 'provides' like, you name it.
I've spent sooo much time, and a few dollars, trying to get preinstalled stuff to *not* work! but still be able to boot—Knox bull****, anyone?
And having telephony **** on my WiFi-only tablet, either. Something that has baffled me for years is why a 'custom' ROM for a Wifi-only device has software that trys to interact with nonexistent hardware, using up cpu as it continually tries...on a bit of a rant, there.
So yeah, I'm all in. FWIW, I helped write the instructions, and did a *lot* of testing for rooting the Tab S5e, so I ain't scared to test out stuff; check it out, here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/tab-s5e/how-to/galaxy-tab-s5e-sm-t720-root-t3947806

TiTiB said:
I would LOVE to have LOS on my Tab S6 (SM-T860) WiFi-only tablet!
Don't even care about stuff like fingerprint, external keyboard, Widevine, Bluetooth, any 'functionality' similar to what Samsung 'provides' like, you name it.
I've spent sooo much time, and a few dollars, trying to get preinstalled stuff to *not* work! but still be able to boot—Knox bull****, anyone?
And having telephony **** on my WiFi-only tablet, either. Something that has baffled me for years is why a 'custom' ROM for a Wifi-only device has software that trys to interact with nonexistent hardware, using up cpu as it continually tries...on a bit of a rant, there.
So yeah, I'm all in. FWIW, I helped write the instructions, and did a *lot* of testing for rooting the Tab S5e, so I ain't scared to test out stuff; check it out, here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/tab-s5e/how-to/galaxy-tab-s5e-sm-t720-root-t3947806
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info about the S5e, i was unaware of how well it is supported.
I would definitely do stuff like fingerprint, widevine, Bluetooth (PEN) and stuff.
But idk about those keyboards samsung offers and how they function since i cant test it on my own.
Same goes for the LTE but im pretty sure i can just use the same blobs.
BTW anyone has a firehose package for the tab s6 by chance???

I too would love LOS in this device. Samsung UI is cluttery, lagging (on mine), and an absolute mess. My PocoF1 gives me better Honkai Impact 3 (a gatcha action fighting game) performance than this tablet, and the poco is an SD845, with lite LOS. So yeah, I'd love to have this. My warranty is void anyways (because samsung decided so I haven't done a thing to void it), so it'd be great to have a reason to take advantage of that.

Chiming in for a plea to get a Lineage build for the Tab S6.
Such a gorgeous piece of hardware beset by such a ****ty software implementation. Why does Samsung insist on abusing its customers? I'd gladly pay for a Lineage or AOSP rom for our device.

Alright, a little update:
Kernel is done -> link found below
It has to be handled with care as of now. Installing it on my running rom resulted in a crash when unlocking the device. A quick factory reset fixed the problem but keep that in mind when installing this on your device.
Rom will follow up hopefully till next month - but i cant promise anything.
T-860:
https://dl.keksla.wtf/boot_t860.img
T-865:
(uploading)

Thargorsson said:
Alright, a little update:
Kernel is done -> link found below
It has to be handled with care as of now. Installing it on my running rom resulted in a crash when unlocking the device. A quick factory reset fixed the problem but keep that in mind when installing this on your device.
Rom will follow up hopefully till next month - but i cant promise anything.
T-860:
https://dl.keksla.wtf/boot_t860.img
T-865:
(uploading)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i would love to have custom kernel for samsung rom, but i don mind if you can make enhancements to the kernel like under volt or to solve the graphics lagging issues. it was just tiny changes involved in the past to make it work for both stock and LineageOS but for android 10, i have no idea
i have long inactive in both rom and kernel developments and i doubt how long should it take to get familiar with changes from android 7 to 10
ps i am still on pie, too lazy to upgrade due to my csc is tgy, which lacks updates as usual, and i dont wanna reinstall everything as to switch to dbt and to re-enter all my passwords
btw, may i ask if the stock android 10 fixed the problem with fast scrolling? i have experiences lags and graphics distortions with the samsung browser which was way toooooo unacceptable for a top device like tab s6

ykkfive said:
i would love to have custom kernel for samsung rom, but i don mind if you can make enhancements to the kernel like under volt or to solve the graphics lagging issues. it was just tiny changes involved in the past to make it work for both stock and LineageOS but for android 10, i have no idea
i have long inactive in both rom and kernel developments and i doubt how long should it take to get familiar with changes from android 7 to 10
ps i am still on pie, too lazy to upgrade due to my csc is tgy, which lacks updates as usual, and i dont wanna reinstall everything as to switch to dbt and to re-enter all my passwords
btw, may i ask if the stock android 10 fixed the problem with fast scrolling? i have experiences lags and graphics distortions with the samsung browser which was way toooooo unacceptable for a top device like tab s6
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nope, sadly we still suffer from those issues on Q .
I dont have any good knowledge of how to apply those undervolts as i never done it before (lineageos requires stock govenors for official) but if you can point me to the correct commits i can look at it

Thargorsson said:
nope, sadly we still suffer from those issues on Q .
I dont have any good knowledge of how to apply those undervolts as i never done it before (lineageos requires stock govenors for official) but if you can point me to the correct commits i can look at it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh...
there were some cpu/voltage tweaks for the same cpu before for my old devices. and for our tab s 6 there are a few devices with the same cpu like one plus. you can search the cpu model in github and then you can find the code name of it and those devices which use the same cpu. i used to get those tweaks for modifying kernels for my previous devices. however for our 855, sadly there's no port for the samsung devices afaik, so you may need to make some more changes in order to port them
---------- Post added at 05:54 ---------- Previous post was at 05:35 ----------
just found this one https://github.com/kdrag0n/proton_bluecross/releases
it should be a 855 with some oc according to the change log, but unfortunately i couldnt load the changes with my browser so i couldnt find the relevant commits
may be you can take a look at that

Thargorsson said:
Hi all,
i own a Tab S6 T860 (non-lte) for quite a while now, about 6 months.
There are some downsides like the horrible unbuffered screen tearing that you'll get with fast-scrolling, but the overall device is pretty premium-sided, and it's got a decent processor, a great display (color/resolution wise) although im missing 2160p in youtube.
Question is as i (until now) didnt bothered developing for a new device, since i had my hands full with the MiPad4, some alcatel devices and are Maintaining official LineageOS for three legacy devices, should i develop for this one if the community still wants it.
The lead-dev of the MiPad left it so im thinking about developing for the Tab S6 now.
I would only develop LineageOS, starting with 16.0 then doing 17.1 and then 18 but idk how long it would take, since ive no real knowledge of the newest platforms and how they are built, so i'd be reading/trying out stuff a LOT before some release nightlies. The "latest" i developed for was the MiPad4 with a sdm660 btw but i mainly do legacy (e.g 8953/8952/8926).
So please leave your feedback or any other opinions/questions, if we reach a decent amount of people who still want it i'll start right away when im back home from my vacations on 18th.
Best Regards!
Edit: Since theres no real telegram group, and i MAINLY talk via telegram i made one so you can contact me quickly.
https://t.me/joinchat/Bn6f-VKeQfZfiKXo69h3Mw
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I'm in at 17.1 level and up. Don't want to go back...

YES! Yes please please please! I have been dreaming and hoping LOS would come to the Tab S6 for SO long now. So yes, please make a rom for it. Please.

I would love to have LOS rom support on the Tab S6! The lack of Lineage OS support was the one thing holding me back from purchasing the Tab S6, compared to the Tab S5E, but I wanted the faster processor, storage, and larger memory capacity.
That said, if you develop a working LOS rom, that would be a huge win for all Tab S6 users!

I don't think there is a person on XDA with the tab S6 that would not want to see a custom lineage Rom built. I do want a working Spen though. Im on stock 10 One UI 2.5 and samsung is extremely slow at releasing the kernel source code for the 860. Its definitely worth it to use to build one if you can. Thanks for developing on the tab S6.

LOS for T-865 ?! Yes, absolutely
P.S: Working pen would be great of course.

Still On The Fence.
lucgardos said:
LOS for T-865 ?! Yes, absolutely
P.S: Working pen would be great of course.
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I would support a ROM for this device, but I am leery about past issues and previous devices. I had 3 smp600 units, and all three were beaten to the edge with constant testing of all the ROMS I could grab. But, only ONE of those tabs choked on something from a pure LOS build. Then it hit a brick wall. I could never find a way past a Nov 18 build. So, now with two smt870 units, I will tread lightly. And, big question: WHY are we STILL stuck with ODIN for this process? I know nothing of the process of coding and writing these great ROMS, but having to drag out a WINDOWS laptop to update my android device seems like many steps backwards. I have no NEED for a laptop save for praying for Odin to even run properly. Wish there were better ways for us old farts who've forgotten more tricks than new ones have been taught. But, I am on board to get the Sammy off of my tab. Thanks for your errors.
;-DeanoD

DeanoD said:
I would support a ROM for this device, but I am leery about past issues and previous devices. I had 3 smp600 units, and all three were beaten to the edge with constant testing of all the ROMS I could grab. But, only ONE of those tabs choked on something from a pure LOS build. Then it hit a brick wall. I could never find a way past a Nov 18 build. So, now with two smt870 units, I will tread lightly. And, big question: WHY are we STILL stuck with ODIN for this process? I know nothing of the process of coding and writing these great ROMS, but having to drag out a WINDOWS laptop to update my android device seems like many steps backwards. I have no NEED for a laptop save for praying for Odin to even run properly. Wish there were better ways for us old farts who've forgotten more tricks than new ones have been taught. But, I am on board to get the Sammy off of my tab. Thanks for your errors.
;-DeanoD
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Well if your not rooted you dont need odin you can install official release update. If you mean to install custom rom like lineage you again dont need odin after you install TWRP.

Actually, on debloated rooted stock ROM I don't see any problems so far..Device is holding it solid and sound.
Flavour of Lineage is absolutely welcome, but personaly I wouldn't use it because a lot of bugs and non functional addons.
Personally...this tablet without pen is like Ferrari without fuel.

Rooted debloated stock is miles ahead of Samsung's incompetent shadow apps. But even as stripped down as I can make it, the ROM still lags and burns battery in the background. I've tried everything and can't get this beautiful expensive piece of hardware to perform to its specs. I respect others who love it as is, but I've never gotten comfortable with the pen and just want a light, fast tablet with a beautiful screen that doesn't overtax its battery.
I'd switch to Lineage on this device in a heartbeat.

this project still alive? seems dead for me.

Question Fav rom/ setup

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..