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im new to the android community and im looking to learn how to perform certain tasks such a development. i am keen on picking things up fast, diving in and just learning from trial and error. im hoping some of you guys can shed some light on what are some things i should start out with. ive come a long way in picking things up because before the thunderbolt came out i was unaware of how to root, abd, roms and kernels. since ive owned it, i have rooted manually and put my tb through many flashes. id like to work up and just get a good sense of how to tweak app and mod certain features to make them more useful to me. so if you have any tips, tricks or just knowledge to drop, id love to know where i should begin so i can one day be a contributor to this site and its users. thanks
I'm a C/C++/Java programmer and I'm currently working on some applications myself, and I have found that the general discussion under Android development on XDA has been very helpful. Lots of threads there with nuggets of info.
im going to school for programming and computer science. i havent really been able to go into to much depth with it so this is my attempt to go above and beyond so i will have a little something to bring to the table when i go to class. i want to be able to know to how to do something while understanding how im doing it and what makes it do it. im new to all of this and hope within the next month i can bring something for all of you guys to critique so i can go back to the drawing board and do something better.
Can anyone help with creating custom skins for apps/widgets it is something i have always wanted to get into
check out APK manager, it lets you get into apk's and make some edits and changes to XML files and layouts, etc. but not all of the source code can be extracted from apk's once compiled, just the way it is. but still allows for mods nonetheless!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=695701
Some months ago I rooted my Vibrant, and realized that was all I had done...rooted it. I had no idea where I was going after that point, so I unrooted and went about my day. I am taking a new approach, I would like some advice in rooting. Pros and cons (other than by rooting I have the chance of REALLY messing things up...i know that thanks.)
I would like to know what exactly rooting does for me, and if there are any articles anyone can point me to I would greatly appreciate the links.
ALSO I am dipping my toes into app development. the best way I could think to do so was with Google Labs App Inventor, but I think ive read that it limits you as far as developing and then sharing through the market, if someone could set me straight on that I would appreciate it, but this also goes in hand with rooting, I have read that alot of people who develop have rooted their phones.
I appreciate any help that you can give me.
Gore
Pro : Access to all the amazing ROMs this community has to offer.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
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Shortbus-Driver said:
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well, that was helpful...thanks. next?
First off if u didnt want to deal with something u could tinker with u could of gotten a iphone but u didnt? Androids are open source so u can tweak it the way u want it to be, leave it stock or u can add themes to ur stock froyo and make it look like u want it to. But if u want to go all the way and realy make the phone live up to its potential u can root it and do so many amazing things with it once its opened to the power of the Superuser. U can make ur phone run so much faster and once it runs that fast and smooth ull wonder how u lived with that dull slowness of ur phone before. And dont forget all the cool colors u can add to ur phone that dont come with just stock, ginger red theme, high voltage blue and so many more. And then theres the mods that u get with ur phone that the brilliant developers port from other phones. Theres just too many reasons to root and none not to. now u know...LOL
Let me count the ways...
You can install applications that need root:
* AdFree - block in-application ads
* Titanium Backup - backup/restore applications AND their data, and with the paid version you can also backup to your dropbox account
* Root Explorer: Lets you manage files that aren't in your user partition, including the files for the annoyingly loud T-Mobile jingle that plays on boot. Sometimes you do need to start up your phone discreetly, without letting everyone in a 50m radius know you're a T-Mobile customer.
You can also UNinstall applications that you don't need. Don't want T-Mobile TV cluttering your applications list? Gone. Don't want Slacker Radio? Byebye.
Also, you can flash ROMs (or just kernels) that are much faster than the stock, unoptimized Samsung one. There is a thing called the Voodoo lagfix that makes your storage access cached, so applications aren't held up by slow writes when they need fast reads. Some also come with kernels that support Voodoo Sound which makes the audio output sound much better by increasing the sampling rate on the DAC and tying the DAC to the clock to reduce jitter. Definitely a must whether you're an audiophile with $10k cans or just plugging the phone into a sound system.
Let's see, what else. With root, you can also add on wifi tethering without having to shell out more money to use T-mobile's version. You can also install Clockwork Recovery and use it to make a complete backup of your phone, so in case you break it and get another one, just root it, install clockwork recovery, and restore the image and you're back to your old configuration.
So yeah... hopefully at least some of this stuff interests you. If not... well, yeah there's really no point in rooting.
Root becuse your mom told you not to
Not to be rude but if you don't know why you should root then you shouldn't.
OP, if you want an answer to your question, read my Vibrant Guide (why root) and then the Noob root (detailed steps) guide if you need help doing it.
If you read anything on this forum...and still cant figure it out...then give up...you'll never understand
OP, rooting is for those who are not 100% satisfied with there phones. Samsung has given us an amazing device, but fell short in delivering in some areas. Rooting helps us add more functionality & personalization options. If you are happy with the phone and no issues using the way Samsung gave you the phone. Then I do not see a reason for you to root. But if you are like one of us, Then you need to get on the Root train and follow the wonderful guide maintained by "s15274n".
Statutory Warning: Rooting & flashing an android device is a serious addiction. Might lead to serious domestic and or job related issues.
Why shouldn't you?
Unless you want to become a flash junkie with an obsessive need to mod, update, enhance or customize; jonesin’ to flash something every few days, suffering from withdrawals if you ever have to ODIN back to stock due to error (has yet to happen to me, though), scrounging XDA daily for your next hit, do not concern yourself with something like AOSP. Simply turn away and do not look back.
rooting your hpone basically gives you Admin privalages.
You can install custom apps and ROMs with awesome features!
nomadrider123 said:
Not to be rude but if you don't know why you should root then you shouldn't.
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not to be rude but if you didn't have anything helpful to say then why say anything at all?
Thanks to most!
I thanked those who gave me some helpful advice. I do appreciate the insight. I guess i'll give this another crack.
By the By, with the exception of the handful of mildly entertaining comments, if you didnt have anything helpful to say, why say it? No one should discourage anybody from trying anything. Weighing my pros and cons was just a way to decide if its something I really wanted to mess with again.
SO again, thanks to all who did help, and thanks was given
^ I can't vouch for everyone, but the one you quoted I am confident didn't mean it negatively. Way too hard to decipher words on the Internet.
If you want additional features, you should root. If you are content, do not.
gorealmighty said:
not to be rude but if you didn't have anything helpful to say then why say anything at all?
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Thing was, nomad had a point. If you genuinely don't know why you should root--and a Vibrant, of all phones--you probably shouldn't. You mention the con of messing up the phone in your original post, and if you don't know the advantages of applying custom ROMs and kernels to the Vibrant, there's a decent chance you may well brick the device.
The Vibrant is a great phone, but tends to be so only after it's rooted and customized. Without the rooting and customization, there are problems with lag, gps, battery life, and myriad other functions.
By rooting and customizing, you're essentially updating the software in various ways that will help ameliorate those issues. My Vibrant was unusable to the point that I upgraded to a Nexus S. However, with the Nexus S, I got comfortable with rooting, unlocking bootloaders, adb, and flashing ROMs and kernels. It became rather routine.
It became routine enough, in fact, that I ended up going back to my Vibrant, because I was comfortable enough to experiment and attempt to make it better than it had been.
But if you don't know that you have to root to correct the lag, say, you may well be better off getting a more midrange Android phone that's more feature than super. You don't want to bork anything, after all.
Just do yourself a favor--understand that rooting and customizing are individual things, and that the forum is great for technical help but less so when you want to know things like which ROM is "best"; there's no such thing. If you root, play with the device, and play with the different ROMs. Give yourself a week where every day you use a different one so you can get a feel for which one's your favorite.
willentrekin said:
Thing was, nomad had a point. If you genuinely don't know why you should root--and a Vibrant, of all phones--you probably shouldn't. You mention the con of messing up the phone in your original post, and if you don't know the advantages of applying custom ROMs and kernels to the Vibrant, there's a decent chance you may well brick the device.
The Vibrant is a great phone, but tends to be so only after it's rooted and customized. Without the rooting and customization, there are problems with lag, gps, battery life, and myriad other functions.
By rooting and customizing, you're essentially updating the software in various ways that will help ameliorate those issues. My Vibrant was unusable to the point that I upgraded to a Nexus S. However, with the Nexus S, I got comfortable with rooting, unlocking bootloaders, adb, and flashing ROMs and kernels. It became rather routine.
It became routine enough, in fact, that I ended up going back to my Vibrant, because I was comfortable enough to experiment and attempt to make it better than it had been.
But if you don't know that you have to root to correct the lag, say, you may well be better off getting a more midrange Android phone that's more feature than super. You don't want to bork anything, after all.
Just do yourself a favor--understand that rooting and customizing are individual things, and that the forum is great for technical help but less so when you want to know things like which ROM is "best"; there's no such thing. If you root, play with the device, and play with the different ROMs. Give yourself a week where every day you use a different one so you can get a feel for which one's your favorite.
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with the initial quote in mind, I understand. But thank you just the same because this is in fact the kind of feedback I was looking for. DID get my phone rooted btw, now im just fighting with rom manager. I'm on my way though
gorealmighty said:
with the initial quote in mind, I understand. But thank you just the same because this is in fact the kind of feedback I was looking for. DID get my phone rooted btw, now im just fighting with rom manager. I'm on my way though
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Well good luck with it. It's a totally fun, very empowering process. And XDA is the Android equivalent of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; the users here are so knowledgeable and helpful, there's no reason to panic, ever. Pretty much everything you do to your phone will be mostly harmless.
Hi all,
I am getting my brand new factory unlocked white GSII tomorrow in the mail! I am incredibly excited, and also slightly confused. If the GSII is such a great phone, why root it? Also, if you rooted it, how do you even begin to decide what mod to use for it or what kernel?
How did you decide what mod and kernel you wanted?
Thanks!
J
The GS2 is a great phone. You don't need to root it you it satisfies your needs right-out-of-the-box, which it likely will.
Don't get the idea that everybody roots their phone just from what you see here at XDA. This is a geek community, afterall. We're the minority.
That said, everybody has their own reasons for rooting. I personally, just wanted to mute the camera sounds and use MarketEnabler.
People also root to use custom ROMs (as I do). Are custom ROMs better than stock? Perhaps. Do you absolutely need a custom ROM if you find the stock ROM just fine? Probably not.
As for choosing mods, kernals, ROMs, etc...no one can answer that for you. You'll need to pick and choose based on your needs...
I think every phone is worth rooting so you can delete those stupid apps that run in the background, delete those apps that your carrier might have put on there.
Oh and double your battery life. Not to mention cool themes. The guys making these roms tweak the **** out of the Samsung stuff to make it even better.
Plus you get that feeling of superiority when you use it-ok maybe not but whatever.
If you don't need root then don't do it. Don't bother try fix what isn't broken.
How do you decide which rom to choose from when there are so many out there? All of the descriptions seem the same to me (more battery, faster, fewer apps from carriers etc...). Is there really any difference?
Only way to find out is by trying them
Each to their own.
I like hyperdroid by the way.
If you need to ask this question, you will not need root or flash a rom. You should read a lot about the benefits and disadvantages of rooting and flashing. But at this point, you are not ready to begin messing with your phone. See this as an advice to save you lot's of trouble.
jbarol said:
How do you decide which rom to choose from when there are so many out there? All of the descriptions seem the same to me (more battery, faster, fewer apps from carriers etc...). Is there really any difference?
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Try the simple roms with less bull**** first .
Selection should be what is taken off this rom that i require and can i put it back followed by do i want what's been added and then do i like the theme .
Ignore the faster smoother better battery life bits .
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1317250&highlight=HyperDynamic+V+1.0
above customized is what i use until ICS
jje
Rooting isn't the same as flashing a custom ROM or kernel. I use the stock Samsung firmware on my SGS2 but have it rooted. This allowed me to run certain apps that require elevated access rights, such as Titanium Backup.
If you don't need to root it, don't do it.
ive read the thread in the general forum for noobs.
but i still dont quite understand all these things and what purpose they serve.
im SUPER new with all this stuff. so my apologies.
could someone help a brother out?
what is your question specifically?
just curious about what they are and do basically.
kevinallen4325 said:
ive read the thread in the general forum for noobs.
but i still dont quite understand all these things and what purpose they serve.
im SUPER new with all this stuff. so my apologies.
could someone help a brother out?
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I'll try and help.
First you must ROOT your phone. This basically grants you access/permission to FIDDLE with a lot of things you can't normally. I use the word *fiddle* loosley, meaning you can install root tools (like overclock) custom Roms, change system settings, flash themes... the list goes on. It's kind of like the equivalent to "jailbreaking"
Rooting is the "first and foremost"... basically do this first. and all other things follow.
kevinallen4325 said:
just curious about what they are and do basically.
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Well the sticky in the main forum really is a good place to start, as all these terms are defined there:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1483113
As well as step-by-step instructions how to root. That should get you started!
ok so root first. got it. would any of this benefit my phone in anyway? or is it mainly just to put custom themes and such on?
kevinallen4325 said:
ok so root first. got it. would any of this benefit my phone in anyway? or is it mainly just to put custom themes and such on?
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It is much more than that. I wrote this out before, so I will copy it again:
People have problems when rooted because they are not careful or do not know what they are doing. Rooting gives you (to put in Windows terms) full Administrator rights to your phone. With this right comes responsibility, so you must be careful and do research. This is why rooting also voids the warranty. The phone is now open for the user to do whatever they want, and circumvent any restrictions put on the phone by the manufacturer (including those in place to prevent harm to the device). But like a computer with Admin rights, rooting allows you to install any application, any "OS theme", and tweak the hardware to do what YOU want with it, not what the manufacturer wants.
So please be sure to READ READ READ all you can before you start!!! You don't want a $600 phone coaster. Just browse the forums for a couple weeks and learn from the posts.
kevinallen4325 said:
ok so root first. got it. would any of this benefit my phone in anyway? or is it mainly just to put custom themes and such on?
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Click to collapse
It depends what you consider a benefit. Sure..theming can be a benefit, but rooting provides the gateway to address any negative or less than ideal aspects of a device. For instance, The Note has been perceived as being somewhat laggy. So rooting allows you to free up system resources by eliminating unneeded bloatware that you can't remove if you remain stock. Also the lagginess has been addressed by overclocking, modding and building kernels that do specific things and of course making custom roms. The Note is still very early in the developmental process, so many things to improve the user experience of the device will become available over the course of time....but it all starts with being rooted.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note LTE™
kevinallen4325 said:
ok so root first. got it. would any of this benefit my phone in anyway? or is it mainly just to put custom themes and such on?
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Android isn't like iOS. I had an iPhone for four years before my Note and I know where you coming from. What the other guy was saying is that rooting can be viewed similar to jailbreaking, but it is kind of completely different. You don't need to be rooted to use themes (or most of the stuff on Cydia). Rooting allows you to back up apps, flash custom ROMs, etc. Otherwise, you most likely don't need root.
tbran said:
It depends what you consider a benefit. Sure..theming can be a benefit, but rooting provides the gateway to address any negative or less than ideal aspects of a device. For instance, The Note has been perceived as being somewhat laggy. So rooting allows you to free up system resources by eliminating unneeded bloatware that you can't remove if you remain stock. Also the lagginess has been addressed by overclocking, modding and building kernels that do specific things and of course making custom roms. The Note is still very early in the developmental process, so many things to improve the user experience of the device will become available over the course of time....but it all starts with being rooted.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note LTE™
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if i were to root it and do whatever else would that affect the notes ability to update itself when the time comes?
like if i were to put some custom rom or whatever on it and lets say ics came out (lulz) would it still be able to update to it, and would it basically remove everything i did to it
kevinallen4325 said:
if i were to root it and do whatever else would that affect the notes ability to update itself when the time comes?
like if i were to put some custom rom or whatever on it and lets say ics came out (lulz) would it still be able to update to it, and would it basically remove everything i did to it
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Trust me, if you go the root and custom rom way, you will never install an official update. not because you can't, but because it will be leaked and debloated months before it is official.
i installed saurom. with and ics theme. i like it alot. but i cant get into setcpu or any program that requires root access. which is kind of an issue. no one else seems to be having that as an issue.
I rooted my Note a couple days ago and am still trying to figure out the benefits of doing so. I guess just spend time reading through this forum for the answers. That's what I am doing, but so far I see no benefit at all. The phone does all I want it to do so far. Maybe I am missing something.
Also, When i run quadrant, the scores are consistently lower after rooting the device then they were before. Not sure why though.
You are correct that the Note and newer phones may need no help. Not like two years ago. But, the big advantage to rooting even if you don't want to flash roms is Titanium Backup for app mgt and nandroids or full image backups--imho. The other like mentioned is earlier os releases. I have had ICS on my N1 for quite awhile and is still not on most new phones.
Ken
kevinallen4325 said:
i installed saurom. with and ics theme. i like it alot. but i cant get into setcpu or any program that requires root access. which is kind of an issue. no one else seems to be having that as an issue.
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If you are sure you are rooted, a dialog box with a little Android head wearing an eyepatch will pop up asking if you want to allow the application to have root access. You must allow it here.
Hi, does anyone have a list of safe to remove bloatware for the Galaxy Mega (SPH-L600)? Thanks.
Do you know what's the meaning of bloatware in the first place? Then, you sir just answered your own question.
cglegion said:
Do you know what's the meaning of bloatware in the first place? Then, you sir just answered your own question.
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If you're having a bad day, don't take it out on me. Post something useful next time. I'm looking to clear as much sprint/samsung apps as I can & trying to find a safe remove list.
No, I didn't have a bad day but I was trying to be honest. You see, you asked a list of safe to remove bloatware in Samsung phone, to tell you the truth the TouchWiz itself is a bloatware and that vary for different people. For me even the stock browser is a bloatware, why would you remove any bloatware at the first place. Do you mean you prefer to use a stock Google app instead such as Notes over S-Note or Chrome over stock browser. Running a pure Android is your best bet to describe a bloatware-free ROM/firmware. Now, why would you take it our on me instead? You wish to remove bloatware but don't have the slightess idea what system apps are bloating your phone then you sir better don't do any god-damn modifications on your phone. Have a nice day!
Knowledge
I'd like to learn how to do goddamn phone modification. I own this device with great potential that, if I'm correct, has been choked off by the service providers etc. for their financial benefit. That's bull.... At the risk of getting an intellectual ass kicking for ignorance, what is a good method for learning about these subjects, what resources are available for study. Please share your wisdom. I'm sure I'm mistaken but it seems your superior knowledge over another gave you the right to be a ****, a **** void of useful information. If the questions are beneath you and waste your time ignore them. I'm wanting to gain knowledge, ignorance, contrary to the "is bliss" school of thought, sucks.
Actually what I was aiming for was to remove as many apps as possible without bricking/softbricking the phone thereby meeting the following goals.
1. Get it as close to barebones as possible. Only needing the "must have" apps that let it function.
2. I really only use this phone for reading pdf's, 3-4 games and watching some youtube help videos while I play, for when I get stuck with a part and to use this phone as a camera.
3. Getting rid of a good portion of over 300 apps that are currently on the phone. Sorry if you may not get it or understand it but it's kindof an OCD thing, if I don't need it at all, it needs to go!
4. I don't have a service plan nor do I want one on this phone, I have another phone for that.
Rob, two wrongs don't make a right. He can post & thinks what he wants. If you don't like what he has to post, don't cuss him out, add him to your ignore list or take it to PM's. I've already tried the cyanogen 12.1 rom from http://www.ionmm.com/ but it has a bit too much battery drain atm and makes my battery heat up way too much, leaving it on and idle sitting on the home screen with a stock install and no other apps installed on it.