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are these newer android phones giving more reasons to stay stock? I have found with the G2 that I have no want (or need) right now to root/ROM this phone. Usually when I get a new phone the first thing I do is root it, clear all that carrier crap out, or simply flash CM for that stock android experience; I just have not found that need with the G2.
So, what is the point of this thread?
I want to know everyone's thoughts about this. Are you rooted...are you stock....and why you are or are not?
If you are rooted, I would also like to know what ROM/Kernel/etc you are running.
Thanks!
I am rooted but on stock everything else.
I mainly rooted for Titanium Backup and other root enabled apps like AdBlock and Greenify. Beyond that, stock is sufficient for me.
Stock unrooted. Since greenify is avaliable without root I kinda found no real reason to root. The only thing I really want is the dual window option from LG g flex. Maybe also to try out dorimanx kernel for undervolting and messing around a bit.
Sent from my LG-D802 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
vPro97 said:
Stock unrooted. Since greenify is avaliable without root I kinda found no real reason to root. The only thing I really want is the dual window option from LG g flex. Maybe also to try out dorimanx kernel for undervolting and messing around a bit.
Sent from my LG-D802 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The main reason I usually root/rom is for speed and battery life....as we all know the G2 doesnt lack anything in either. I use the greenify beta as well and have noticed a huge difference in my battery life. The only thing tempting me to root is Titanium Backup but I have been fighting it because I'm so damn happy with the phone as it sits.
andydumi said:
I am rooted but on stock everything else.
I mainly rooted for Titanium Backup and other root enabled apps like AdBlock and Greenify. Beyond that, stock is sufficient for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
andydumi said:
I am rooted but on stock everything else.
I mainly rooted for Titanium Backup and other root enabled apps like AdBlock and Greenify. Beyond that, stock is sufficient for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Link for adblock? Or at least point me in right direction
Root + Flex rom + Custom kernel
Why?
I like stock rom (UI and feature) but flex rom is better (Black UI + more feature)
I'm rooted and stock. Stock rocks. I'm also running g2 xposed. With this you have all the customizations on aosp but on stock Rom
Sent from my LG-D801 using Tapatalk
Xenovias said:
Root + Flex rom + Custom kernel
Why?
I like stock rom (UI and feature) but flex rom is better (Black UI + more feature)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if there was a Flex rom for the Sprint variant, I would probably reconsider. Althoughhhh I am running the LG Flex theme thru LG's theme manager which gives me a somewhat similar look to the Flex.
I like the stock ROM with xposed, but now I'm on AOSP, because micro stuttering on stock started to bug me, even if it was barely noticeable.
thoughts....
Flashing is so played out for me. A new feature gets added and something else breaks and needs to be fixed...repeat.
.....At this point just root and do your own thing(s).
But I have not did anything to this phone, it works just fine.
I'm stuck but rooted with a few xposed modules, adblock and of course the camera mod. Now it's perfect! Never been this happy with a device. I played with AOSP kk and that was fun for awhile. I came from a gnex previously, which I loved despite the shortcomings.
Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk
I have 3x VS980s. Two are happy with being 100% stock.
I rooted mine from day1, but stayed with stock-based ROM for a month as I was happy with stockLG (I can satisfy my flashing urges with
my N7) ... Then I decided to explore the latest/greatest of Android on this phone... I would never go back to stock and don't even care when/if LG
would release a stock 4.4.x (OK, maybe we need the new OEM kernel source).
ROM+gapps are normally ~200MB instead of a huge download.
I get to try so many features out .. I can switch to other ROM (or even my Stock) Backups in a few minutes, if my mood changes.
Not that I fully need those features ... just the feeling of doing things freely.
I'm currently staying with Mahdi ... lean, fast, so-many-features, no issues (I had some freezes/reboots on early releases, still no biggies then).
DirtyUnicorns is great too, but may need some little time to smooth out the little bugs
Played around like 3 days with roms, i turned into a flashaholic, flex, non flex, tried so many roms and at the end of this, im on stock rooted now. i bought G2 Xposed (0,70 € - definitely worth!) and now it looks cool, its fast, stable, what else do i need? Darker UI? For what exactly? I actually using apps and not the starving at the settings and think "wow cool, its dark". no need, really. im pretty happy currently with full stock rooted. the next days i will customize my homescreen a bit and then its ready. just wait for 4.4
YOLO
Stock, rooted, debloated, xposed to get rid of GPS and dual wifi/lte notifications.
I'm coming from the HTC Rezound. I usually go for CM, but am very impressed with the LG interface. I have been tempted to try a flex Rom, but am happy having a phone that everything works, and has amazing battery life.
Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk
tylerjames09 said:
if there was a Flex rom for the Sprint variant, I would probably reconsider. Althoughhhh I am running the LG Flex theme thru LG's theme manager which gives me a somewhat similar look to the Flex.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Their not a flex rom for sprint.
Sent from my LG-LS980 using xda premium
After flashing my Galaxy Nexus several times a week, and sometimes a few times in a day, for two years, I fully expected that I'd be doing the same with the G2. But I've been very pleasantly surprised at the speed, smoothness, features and battery life with stock. Stock has also been incredibly stable for me, No FC's, no lockups.
The stocks apps are much better than I expected -- the functionality has been excellent. I'm keeping an eye on the various sub-forums here for the G2, and may wind up flashing something new, but so far, I don't see anything more appealing than stock, and I'm not ready to give up the stock features. I may wind up with Flex, but I'm also guessing that there will be an update for the G2 sometime in the next 2 or 3 months, and my guess is that it may have some of the extra feature's we're seeing today in the Flex ROM. For now - I'm happy to remain stock, experiment with themes for the stock launcher and simply enjoy this fantastic phone. Still feels weird, as this is the first phone I've had where I'm really happy with stock.
^^Same exact situation for me,I'm loving the g2,just need to get rid of some of the bloat. But something deep inside really wants to start flashing away,but it's just too good as is, I stopped after root and recovery.
Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk
I rooted first to get rid of all the status bar icons. Overkill lol I don't need to know NFC or WiFi is on. And with xposed tweaks, its all I need. I have zero interested in an asop ROM. Using flex and love it
Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk
Hi guys I have'nt found much information on this forum regarding the intermittent lag/crashes on G2s that I'm experiencing (d802 version specifically) running kitkat aosp ROMs so I thought I might report my experience to see if I'm not alone here.
After I upgraded from CM 10.2 to CM11 my device would start lagging at random times during the day followed itevitably by a crash mostly after about 3 minutes of use (messaging, browsing, youtubing etc) where the screen would freeze and go black (and eventually come back.)
A reboot was always necessary which resolved the problem temporarily. These crashes happened between 1-3 times per day and were extremely frustrating.
The device in question is a d802 running CM11 and stock kernel.
They happened after fresh installs, even with only system apps. I tried flashing a custom kernel, playing with different settings and switching to other kitkat ROMs with little to no change.
I finally bit the bullet and switched back to CM10.2 stable and all is well with my phone now. I couldn't make the phone lag if I tried, its back to its beasty glory.
This device clearly must have an issue with Aosp ROMs on kitkat (or maybe I just picked a bad one) and its a real shame. If anyone has the same problem please share your experiences and maybe we can get to the bottom of this thing
Art Vanderlay said:
Hi guys I have'nt found much information on this forum regarding the intermittent lag/crashes on G2s that I'm experiencing (d802 version specifically) running kitkat aosp ROMs so I thought I might report my experience to see if I'm not alone here.
After I upgraded from CM 10.2 to CM11 my device would start lagging at random times during the day followed itevitably by a crash mostly after about 3 minutes of use (messaging, browsing, youtubing etc) where the screen would freeze and go black (and eventually come back.)
A reboot was always necessary which resolved the problem temporarily. These crashes happened between 1-3 times per day and were extremely frustrating.
The device in question is a d802 running CM11 and stock kernel.
They happened after fresh installs, even with only system apps. I tried flashing a custom kernel, playing with different settings and switching to other kitkat ROMs with little to no change.
I finally bit the bullet and switched back to CM10.2 stable and all is well with my phone now. I couldn't make the phone lag if I tried, its back to its beasty glory.
This device clearly must have an issue with Aosp ROMs on kitkat (or maybe I just picked a bad one) and its a real shame. If anyone has the same problem please share your experiences and maybe we can get to the bottom of this thing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep stock is better than cm11 or any aosp roms. aeonflex was a really good rom so was cloudy flex. they are flex based
CM11 has always been buggy for me. Try running a different 4.4 ROM,
Nameless is running perfectly for me
Sent from my LG-D801 using xda app-developers app
Pretty surprising that all the big players like cm or aokp would be the buggiest. At least there's other options for an upgrade
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2630977
Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk
I'm using omni. Without any issues at all. No freezes or anything like that.
Tried PA and CM11, both really buggy, just like the op described. Flashed cm10.2 but it just doesnt work with my fitbit so now ive gone back to stock. While stock is good, it just feels so sow compared to asop based roms.
If you want a AOSP rom really hard, try "Mahdi" rom.. i tried it for a day and it fits perfectly for me
But now i'm on stock rom (CloudyStock) because... it's awesome and i like the LG UI
Using Mahdi combined with the furnace kernel, no slowdowns and very rarely do I get random reboots. Highly suggested :good:
I have these freezes several times a day too. I noticed one time that my systemui stopped working with it
my guess: maybe it has something to do with the systemui?
CM11 ran great for me on my D801, but I just couldn't deal with the in call echo issue.
Art Vanderlay said:
Pretty surprising that all the big players like cm or aokp would be the buggiest. At least there's other options for an upgrade
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
blame closed source drivers. the devs making these customs pull hattricks so you can have a custom rom. All without documentation and such, thats why they can be buggy.
Sent from my LG-D802 using xda app-developers app
shohid1234 said:
Tried PA and CM11, both really buggy, just like the op described. Flashed cm10.2 but it just doesnt work with my fitbit so now ive gone back to stock. While stock is good, it just feels so sow compared to asop based roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the speed really noticeable?
Or
Is it worth it to upgrade just because of this speed factor?
Sent from my LG-D802 using Tapatalk
Thanks for all the great suggestions guys. I'm currently using the latest carbon ROM nightly and its running like clockwork. Will update if anything changes though.
But its definitely worth experimenting with other ROMs.
I have been jumping between a few ROMs for a period of time now and finally decided to stick with one which I think is stable, fast and gives the best battery life by far. I admit I haven't tried all of the ROMs out there, also people have different set ups and use their phone differently. So please take what I say as a recommendation only, and I mainly wish to share some of my experience as I know how frustrating it can be to choose a ROM out of so many choices. At the end I also want to share the MODs I have been using and how I have personalized my device, hopefully will help someone out there.
Note: I didn't use the same MOD for all ROMs! See more explanation below.
ROM
Just to make it clear, I wipe all before flashing a new ROM. I don't use any kind of backup software, yes that is right I don't, call me insane But the result of poor battery life or restart/FC should not be caused by these factors. I also install about the same app back (give a take a couple which I don't use often) after a flash. I also use the same set up for all my ROMs e.g. Auto brightness, screen on time and etc.
STOCK
I have been on stock LG G2 ROM for about 5 months I think, there are some nice features and I have to say it is probably the most stable ROM out there.
But for me, I experienced a bit of lag here and there.
I think many out there will agree with me, when I say the ROM doesn't have the best UI design. I would recommend installing Xposed Installer (xda) and G2 Xposed (play store) and make some modifications yourself.
The battery is ok, last a day for me and ends up with 30% on a good day (often below 15%).
The biggest feature for me is the knock code to unlock device, I do miss it.
I didn't compare but the Camera app is better than Google Camera (opinion, didn't test).
CloudyG3 v1.3
Used this ROM for about a month, stable enough for daily driver.
Some lags when using the phone in general. Animation slow down is the main reason I decided to go with another ROM.
UI looks much nicer than G2 since it is based on G3.
Can use G3 TweaksBox to tweak UI like you can with G2 Xposed, but most features will require you to pay. Which I did, but don't think it is worth the money. Most changes require you to reboot to see effect and it is buggy.
Again knock code is a plus, better than stock ROM I think.
Slightly better battery than Stock but not much better, I would say about the same. Been using the same MODs since.
Camera is also pretty good, on par with STOCK (opinion, didn't test).
Mahdi-ROM 09/20
This is a very popular recommendation, rated the most stable ROM. But it is the opposite for me, phone would restart and FC.
Some bugs listed on ROM page. This doesn't affect me, but may affect some of you.
Very similar to CM11, a lot of options to tweak, too much in my opinion.
Battery life about same as stock, again the ROM wasn't stable enough for me so can't possibly have amazing battery life. Same MODs as I have now.
No knock code.
ParanoidAndroid 06/28
This is my current ROM, glad I decided to try it.
Very stable, haven't had a single FC or restart yet and I have been on it for weeks.
This is the fastest ROM, I don't notice any animation slow down at all. Ok a few times with the keyboard I am using but pretty sure it is the keyboard app.
Amazing battery life. e.g. 10 hours since unplugged, 2 hour screen on, 76% left.
Has double tab to wake, but no Knock code
Good amount of built-in customization
MODs + app suggestions
Twilight app (or something similar), for less harsh light on the eye when reading at night.
Google Now Launcher + Xposed GEL Settings, I like the Google Now being included in the launcher itself.
LiOn Tamer (AKA Unbounded) to stop wake-locks, just install and then done no set up require.
Silence app, which turns phone silent for those who work at from 9am - 5pm.
Calendar + Calendar Mute app which turn phone silent for those who are at University with odd lecture times.
Hello there, I have been looking for a thread like this for a while, how do you think they compare to other major roms like Vanir, Eos etc in Speed/ performance etc??
are you running any custom kernels? Art or Dalvik?
sadinoide said:
Hello there, I have been looking for a thread like this for a while, how do you think they compare to other major roms like Vanir, Eos etc in Speed/ performance etc??
are you running any custom kernels? Art or Dalvik?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately I haven't tried all the ROMs, so can't give you any suggestion on them.
As for custom kernels and ART, I have been using whatever comes with the ROMs. The result on PA is so good (7.5 hours screen on time with 22% battery left), I never found myself in the situation of needing to tweak anything. Kernel is generally my last choice, because it is a lot of trial and error. The last I tried ART was when it was still in beta, I should really give it a go now it is more stable.
Can you provide a link to the 26/8 PA rom? Can't seem to find it in the PA thread cos there are only other dated roms. Sorry for being a noob cos I've never flashed aosp on my g2. Or which release did you use or would recommend?
Dont you miss the Qslide apps on stock roms? or the Qremote? (I use it all the time)
and thanks for sharing the expirience... I myself decided only to root the phone in the case that it won't be getting Android 5.0
Blackherted said:
Dont you miss the Qslide apps on stock roms? or the Qremote? (I use it all the time)
and thanks for sharing the expirience... I myself decided only to root the phone in the case that it won't be getting Android 5.0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I first switched to AOSP roms I missed them a lot. Fortunately there is a mod for the quick remote but none for Qslide. Either way you'll find yourself not needing Qslide after some time.
mab71 said:
Can you provide a link to the 26/8 PA rom? Can't seem to find it in the PA thread cos there are only other dated roms. Sorry for being a noob cos I've never flashed aosp on my g2. Or which release did you use or would recommend?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you may have missed read it, I am still using 28/6 PA rom. Basically fhe latest version right now.
Sent from my LG-D802 using XDA Free mobile app
Blackherted said:
Dont you miss the Qslide apps on stock roms? or the Qremote? (I use it all the time)
and thanks for sharing the expirience... I myself decided only to root the phone in the case that it won't be getting Android 5.0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried Qslide on stock, then never used it again. For me spliting the screen in half means i can't see much of anything. I think it might be useful when you get used to it, but I never really got used to it.
I never used Qremote because I don't own anything which requires a remote.
Sorry that I can't be more helpful.
Sent from my LG-D802 using XDA Free mobile app
lavafire said:
I have been jumping between a few ROMs for a period of time now and finally decided to stick with one which I think is stable, fast and gives the best battery life by far. I admit I haven't tried all of the ROMs out there, also people have different set ups and use their phone differently. So please take what I say as a recommendation only, and I mainly wish to share some of my experience as I know how frustrating it can be to choose a ROM out of so many choices. At the end I also want to share the MODs I have been using and how I have personalized my device, hopefully will help someone out there.
Note: I didn't use the same MOD for all ROMs! See more explanation below.
ROM
Just to make it clear, I wipe all before flashing a new ROM. I don't use any kind of backup software, yes that is right I don't, call me insane But the result of poor battery life or restart/FC should not be caused by these factors. I also install about the same app back (give a take a couple which I don't use often) after a flash. I also use the same set up for all my ROMs e.g. Auto brightness, screen on time and etc.
STOCK
I have been on stock LG G2 ROM for about 5 months I think, there are some nice features and I have to say it is probably the most stable ROM out there.
But for me, I experienced a bit of lag here and there.
I think many out there will agree with me, when I say the ROM doesn't have the best UI design. I would recommend installing Xposed Installer (xda) and G2 Xposed (play store) and make some modifications yourself.
The battery is ok, last a day for me and ends up with 30% on a good day (often below 15%).
The biggest feature for me is the knock code to unlock device, I do miss it.
I didn't compare but the Camera app is better than Google Camera (opinion, didn't test).
CloudyG3 v1.3
Used this ROM for about a month, stable enough for daily driver.
Some lags when using the phone in general. Animation slow down is the main reason I decided to go with another ROM.
UI looks much nicer than G2 since it is based on G3.
Can use G3 TweaksBox to tweak UI like you can with G2 Xposed, but most features will require you to pay. Which I did, but don't think it is worth the money. Most changes require you to reboot to see effect and it is buggy.
Again knock code is a plus, better than stock ROM I think.
Slightly better battery than Stock but not much better, I would say about the same. Been using the same MODs since.
Camera is also pretty good, on par with STOCK (opinion, didn't test).
Mahdi-ROM 09/20
This is a very popular recommendation, rated the most stable ROM. But it is the opposite for me, phone would restart and FC.
Some bugs listed on ROM page. This doesn't affect me, but may affect some of you.
Very similar to CM11, a lot of options to tweak, too much in my opinion.
Battery life about same as stock, again the ROM wasn't stable enough for me so can't possibly have amazing battery life. Same MODs as I have now.
No knock code.
ParanoidAndroid 06/28
This is my current ROM, glad I decided to try it.
Very stable, haven't had a single FC or restart yet and I have been on it for weeks.
This is the fastest ROM, I don't notice any animation slow down at all. Ok a few times with the keyboard I am using but pretty sure it is the keyboard app.
Amazing battery life. e.g. 10 hours since unplugged, 2 hour screen on, 76% left.
Has double tab to wake, but no Knock code
Good amount of built-in customization
MODs + app suggestions
Twilight app (or something similar), for less harsh light on the eye when reading at night.
Google Now Launcher + Xposed GEL Settings, I like the Google Now being included in the launcher itself.
LiOn Tamer (AKA Unbounded) to stop wake-locks, just install and then done no set up require.
Silence app, which turns phone silent for those who work at from 9am - 5pm.
Calendar + Calendar Mute app which turn phone silent for those who are at University with odd lecture times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you help with the link for the PA of 28/6 please? Somehow I can't find it.
albsat said:
Can you help with the link for the PA of 28/6 please? Somehow I can't find it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm I see what you mean, I was unable to find the ROM through PA thread. I have uploaded the version i got, here's the link
I've tried all above except paranoid (and CM11)
I think it should be mentioned that photos quality on mahdi rom are horrible.
I tried other camera applications but the bad quality remained.
Is PA or CM11 like mahdi (camera quality)?
slowdyve said:
I've tried all above except paranoid (and CM11)
I think it should be mentioned that photos quality on mahdi rom are horrible.
I tried other camera applications but the bad quality remained.
Is PA or CM11 like mahdi (camera quality)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately the camera on PA is also pretty disappointing, in my experience anything that is not based on stock ROMs has bad camera experience.
Sent from my LG-D802 using XDA Free mobile app
I tried, pa, mahdi, plain.. All three gave some strange issue or reboot. I have been totally unlucky with asop roms in this phone. I had better experience with others, like nexus, s2 or note 2.
albsat said:
I tried, pa, mahdi, plain.. All three gave some strange issue or reboot. I have been totally unlucky with asop roms in this phone. I had better experience with others, like nexus, s2 or note 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try the version I mentioned? Link is on one of the replied on thr page before I think.
Sent from my LG-D802 using XDA Free mobile app
lavafire said:
Did you try the version I mentioned? Link is on one of the replied on thr page before I think.
Sent from my LG-D802 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks man. I did try it. After restoring sms, the Android. process message kept popping up, and reinstalling from beginning was a bit too lazy by my side. There is a cm version based on stock kernel which looks promising for what I am looking for, so I am keeping an eye on this CM version. Thanks again.
lavafire said:
I think you may have missed read it, I am still using 28/6 PA rom. Basically fhe latest version right now.
Sent from my LG-D802 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice write up! I used Mahdi, PA and CloudyG3 and agree with your comments. I'm currently running cloudyg3 and would like to add a few notes to those who are interested. Disabling all the animations does speed things up for me and the dev made the G3 Tweakbox features all free. PA is my second favorite ROM, super smooth and stable. If camera was better on PA, it would be my daily driver.
lavafire said:
Hmmm I see what you mean, I was unable to find the ROM through PA thread. I have uploaded the version i got, here's the link
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
upload please the latest test build
goila said:
upload please the latest test build
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wish I downloaded it before the link died, but people commented saying they are unstable so I didn't download it. But I think it should be released today (3rd Nov) on the PA thread.
Sent from my LG-D802 using XDA Free mobile app
I'm really interested in trying the G3 rom. I've been using stock on this phone since I got it and I really love the built in features and stability. I've come from a long line of Nexus ownership and have a Nexus 7 2013 for AOSP support + latest updates.
I was really worried about the stability of the G3 port but feel a little more confident reading your review compared to other roms. Paranoid Android was always fun too, I just never tried it on my G2.
player911 said:
I'm really interested in trying the G3 rom. I've been using stock on this phone since I got it and I really love the built in features and stability. I've come from a long line of Nexus ownership and have a Nexus 7 2013 for AOSP support + latest updates.
I was really worried about the stability of the G3 port but feel a little more confident reading your review compared to other roms. Paranoid Android was always fun too, I just never tried it on my G2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah G3 Rom are very stable only some hiccups when you have too many apps open, apart from that everything is pretty good. Camera is normally the main selling point for most
Also I think going from stock -> G3 ROMs -> AOSP is a pretty good way going about it.
Sent from my LG-D802 using XDA Free mobile app
So I am selling my HTC One m8 and going back to my LG Optimus G until I get a new one. Some of my apps require 4.3 and above so stock rom is out. I need a stable Rom to use as my daily driver. After reading most of what is out there right now it seems they all have their quirks. This phone is getting old and it seems to be losing support. I am just looking for opinions.
If you truly need rock stable ROMs, don't flash custom stuff - go stock. That said, my experience with beanstalk and liquid smooth on 4.4 has been very good, completely daily driveable for me. LS on 5.0 has also been fine, assuming you can live without xposed. Just switched to candy 5.0 today, and so far so good.
Calls, texts, GPS, camera and data all work. There are occasional little glitches, but if you can't live with those don't flash custom ROMs.
I can't go stock, it is only 4.1. I need 4.3 or above. I will look the others you suggested, thanks.
So I have been using beanstalk for about 12 hours. In that time the phone had shut down 4 times, has had some weird alert issues and has been laggy and Unresponsive. This must be my bad luck. I will try liquid smooth next.
This started as a PM to a member that seemed like it might be at least a little useful to others as well, so I'm putting it in a thread. The question asked was (heavily paraphrased): What works/what doesn't on AOSP vs. Stock? My answer can't possibly cover every positive/negative out there, so a thread might help those on the fence or just considering giving it a whirl. What I can do is help people that haven't flashed AOSP to take note of the quirks in actually getting one installed.
First, some tips on flashing an AOSP ROM to the VS985 G3.
I always wipe everything, including internal storage, but especially so when jumping between stock & AOSP. Then I install all software from my SD card. That's a personal preference, but I almost never have problems and attribute that to thorough wiping.
This is pretty basic, but if you've only flashed stock, you need to know that AOSP requires you to flash both the ROM itself and gapps. I'm using the TK Gapps Full package, for what that's worth.
Specific to our phone, if you value the QuickRemote app, you can get it for flashing and use on AOSP ROMs. See this thread.
You will probably want a better camera than the Google camera included with AOSP. To that end, I use the flashable MotoX camera port and accompanying gallery. See this thread for that camera. There are other cameras and I'm happy to post what people use in here if you supply links.
Lastly, some ROMs do a baseband check. Since 24B is somewhat new, chances are decent you'll be trying to flash an AOSP ROM that dislikes your modem, so you'll need to flash the 23C modem before you flash the ROM; otherwise it may thrown an error and refuse to install the ROM. After installing you can then flash back to 24B modem (which gets better signal for me). Here are the modems:
23C modem - https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=95916177934553732
24B modem - https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=24052804347773137
Everybody does things differently, but my process for installing is....
Install Process
0) Back up your photos/files. Back up your apps with Titanium Backup & move them to your SD card.
1) Wipe everything, including internal storage.
2) Install the ROM.
3) (optional) Install the Kernel of your choice. **
4) Install gapps.
5) Install camera (and gallery if you want).
6) Install QuickRemote.
7) Wipe cache/dalvic for good measure.
8) Boot up, log in, get everything set up.
9) (optional) Go back into TWRP and install the 24B Modem.
**It's usually worth it to check out the stock kernel first, then if you want to try others you can do so later on. IF it's later, personally, I always wipe cache/dalvic after flashing a kernel. I'm putting the step in there because if I already know the kernel and like it, or if I'm upgrading the ROM, I'll go ahead and install with the ROM.
Thoughts/Experience Comments
The only real thing I miss vs. stock is the camera. That said, there are good options out there, including the previously mentioned MotoX. Image quality seems to be near, if not quite all the way to, stock. It doesn't seem to want to save photos to SD though, so keep that in mind when you want to flash a different ROM - you'll need to get your photos off internal storage.
If you use a different camera and want to supply a link/links, please do so and I'll be happy to add them to the OP!
Aside from the camera, there has always been talk of slightly decreased signal. I have not found that to be the case; in fact, WiFi seems stronger. I do not use bluetooth at all, but have seen in the past that bluetooth has been an issue, depending on the ROM. You'll just need to read through ROM threads and find out whether that's an issue for you. I have zero functionality problems with anything.
Battery life is definitely better for me on AOSP. SkyDragon is superb for a stock ROM, but stock stuff on top of AOSP does cost some battery, even though SkyDragon does a superb job of minimizing that.
Truth be told, I prefer the AOSP interface to LG's. The main reason I usually stick with stock/go back to stock is the camera. The moto camera is close enough that I might stay with AOSP for a while, at least until LG updates stock again, then my crack-flash-addiction may take over.
FWIW, I am very happily using Orion ROM right now, along with the Nebula kernel and TK Gapps.
Please feel free to share your input on AOSP experience. Mine is not all-encompassing, and surely people have problems that I haven't run into. Also share your cameras - I'm always on the lookout for good options there too.
The only thing that keeps me coming back to stock (which I really don't care for) is that I feel like receiving SMS and MMS is delayed by a minute or more on AOSP.
I've been back and forth. And like you, I simply cannot do without Xcam. I've had some problems with the Moto cam freezing up. Xcam gives me top notch quality. And speaker quality on stock is much better with Dolby mod. Battery life is much better on AOSP. But I I find LG stock to be overall much more stable.
I agree with the OP's opinion about stock vs. ASOP. I was on CM 12.1 for a couple of weeks and I really enjoyed the fast boot times, better battery life and patched Stagefright security hole. I had some issues customizing the onscreen buttons where it wouldn't stick, depending on which daily you ran that week.
But I really missed the camera: stock is much better than any of the suggested substitutes, IMHO.
Amusingly, I'm back on stock again. My little affair with AOSP was, as it seems to ever be, relatively short lived. I really enjoy the interface, but things are just more smooth on SkyDragon. No amount of optimization can seem to overcome the proprietary driver capability on stock. I love AOSP, but can't seem to stick with it for very long. Oh, and the camera. Stock (again, proprietary driver issue) is just plain better.
On the plus side, I'm getting the same signal strength now on Stock and AOSP with the 24B modem. That disparity seems to be a thing of the past. I'm not completely done with AOSP and have a nandroid backup of both of them that I bounce between now, because why not? Orion is a heck of a ROM and but for the camera and very minor GUI lag on occasion, it's close to as good as stock.
The stock LG rom is really laggy for me, especially pulling down the notification shade. My two year old Moto X is much smoother then this LG. Battery life sucks on the X though.
PiousInquisitor said:
The stock LG rom is really laggy for me, especially pulling down the notification shade. My two year old Moto X is much smoother then this LG. Battery life sucks on the X though.
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Even on a custom ROM? Try SkyDragon 5.0 w/ SkyDragon Kernel 4.2. Do NOT install Xposed via the Aroma installer though. It's an older version and removes LG weather/circle case which used to be required for Xposed to function. You're much better off installing the new version of Xposed after the ROM if you want to use that.
I get no such lag on SkyDragon. On absolute stock from LG I did get some, but not with HolyAngel's great ROM & kernel. :good:
hokiealumnus said:
Even on a custom ROM? Try SkyDragon 5.0 w/ SkyDragon Kernel 4.2. Do NOT install Xposed via the Aroma installer though. It's an older version and removes LG weather/circle case which used to be required for Xposed to function. You're much better off installing the new version of Xposed after the ROM if you want to use that.
I get no such lag on SkyDragon. On absolute stock from LG I did get some, but not with HolyAngel's great ROM & kernel. :good:
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Thanks for the direct links. I was just digging through the last few pages looking for the 5.0 build. Ive been running Jasmine 8 and enjoying it but having some lag, same as stock. I ran the SD rom a while ago when it was on KK and didnt like it as much as Jas. Ill give it a try now. Switching roms on the G3 aint no thing right now as it isnt my primary device anymore. The SIM card slot died (used a sim adapter that ruined the pins) so im waiting to find someone with serious soldering skills to replace it.
Hey guys I am looking for a ROM for my girlfriend. What would you guys say is the best way to go for a blend of battery/speed/stability.
Stability is VERY important.. but if you guys say AOSP ROM I would loved for her to give that a shot.
Can any android phone run aosp? Or are there limitations on the hardware? I believe the Samsung device I have runs with CAF (based on the cm repos it uses) and I am not sure if its possible to run straight Google code or even if the kernel needs changes.
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musicfreak190 said:
Hey guys I am looking for a ROM for my girlfriend. What would you guys say is the best way to go for a blend of battery/speed/stability.
Stability is VERY important.. but if you guys say AOSP ROM I would loved for her to give that a shot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would go with the previously linked SkyDragon ROM and Kernel. Orion (AOSP) is very stable, but even so, stock is always best when stability is a #1 priority. Battery might be slightly better on AOSP, but nothing to call home about.
jason972000 said:
Can any android phone run aosp? Or are there limitations on the hardware? I believe the Samsung device I have runs with CAF (based on the cm repos it uses) and I am not sure if its possible to run straight Google code or even if the kernel needs changes.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In theory, yes....but it is device dependent It requires a developer to put an AOSP ROM together for the specific device. It also requires a custom recovery (i.e. TWRP) to be able to flash the ROM.
For anyone following along with my minor flash-addiction saga, Orion just released a new update today, which of course I'm going to try.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=62503509&postcount=77
Edit - I really do hate it, but this just isn't as smooth as stock. Even tried messing with a different kernel without success. When even gmail isn't as smooth scrolling as it should be, that's a problem for me. Back to SkyDragon.
hokiealumnus said:
For anyone following along with my minor flash-addiction saga, Orion just released a new update today, which of course I'm going to try.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=62503509&postcount=77
Edit - I really do hate it, but this just isn't as smooth as stock. Even tried messing with a different kernel without success. When even gmail isn't as smooth scrolling as it should be, that's a problem for me. Back to SkyDragon.
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Click to collapse
I am about to flash the new Orion to replace CM12.1. I have never liked "stock" android roms that come with phones. AOSP and CM have always been so much better/smoother for me. they occasionally have stability issues but nothing that is ever too difficult to fix. The other main issue I have with stock is customizability. I have the ZeroLemon 9000mAH battery and stock based roms just dont work well with it. They seem to think it is a normal battery and will stay at 1-3% battery for hours which causes the camera to not open and other "power-saving" features to turn on...
Now to a question, hokiealumnus, have you had any issues flashing Orion? I haven't tried the newest version yet but when I tried to flash the older versions in TWRP (latest) it would give me an binary-updater issue. I see in your thread you recommend flashing the 23C modem before flashing a ROM because it could cause issues, I didn't know about that so I will try it tonight when I get home but was wondering if you knew if Orion was one of the ROMs with that issue?
r3xx3r said:
I am about to flash the new Orion to replace CM12.1. I have never liked "stock" android roms that come with phones. AOSP and CM have always been so much better/smoother for me. they occasionally have stability issues but nothing that is ever too difficult to fix. The other main issue I have with stock is customizability. I have the ZeroLemon 9000mAH battery and stock based roms just dont work well with it. They seem to think it is a normal battery and will stay at 1-3% battery for hours which causes the camera to not open and other "power-saving" features to turn on...
Now to a question, hokiealumnus, have you had any issues flashing Orion? I haven't tried the newest version yet but when I tried to flash the older versions in TWRP (latest) it would give me an binary-updater issue. I see in your thread you recommend flashing the 23C modem before flashing a ROM because it could cause issues, I didn't know about that so I will try it tonight when I get home but was wondering if you knew if Orion was one of the ROMs with that issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've always been intrigued by the ZeroLemon battery, but it was just too large for me to take the plunge.
Anyway, yes, you are correct on why it is giving you a binary-updater error. It's checking the baseband version and when it doesn't see the 23C modem, it throws the error. If you flash the 23C modem you'll get the ROM installed no problem. You can later re-install the 24B modem without issue, which performs better for me than 23C does.
Orion isn't the only AOSP ROM to have that problem either, I had it on BrokenROM when I tried that one as well.
hokiealumnus said:
I've always been intrigued by the ZeroLemon battery, but it was just too large for me to take the plunge.
Anyway, yes, you are correct on why it is giving you a binary-updater error. It's checking the baseband version and when it doesn't see the 23C modem, it throws the error. If you flash the 23C modem you'll get the ROM installed no problem. You can later re-install the 24B modem without issue, which performs better for me than 23C does.
Orion isn't the only AOSP ROM to have that problem either, I had it on BrokenROM when I tried that one as well.
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Click to collapse
any idea why roms care what modem the phone has?
I really enjoy the ZeroLemon, it is f-ing huge on the G3, and quite a bit more expensive than older phones. I had it for the Galaxy S4 and it was about half the price. But I really enjoy it, I charge my phone every night anyway (old habit), but it is really nice to not have to and I am a pretty heavy user so battery is really important to me. I won't buy a phone if I can't get a big battery like this and put in at least a 32GB microsd card. The best (and kinda worst) part about the zerolemons are the rugged case. It offers really great protection from drops, though it is not easy to take off
r3xx3r said:
any idea why roms care what modem the phone has?
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Click to collapse
I think it's attempting to ensure a) the phone the ROM is being installed on is the right phone and b) there isn't a KK modem (12B) on the phone, which does not work at all with Lollipop. (Likewise, Lollipop modems do NOT work with the KK builds.)
hokiealumnus said:
I think it's attempting to ensure a) the phone the ROM is being installed on is the right phone and b) there isn't a KK modem (12B) on the phone, which does not work at all with Lollipop. (Likewise, Lollipop modems do NOT work with the KK builds.)
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Click to collapse
that makes sense. so I just installed the latest Orion ROM and ran into a bad issue. have you had an issue with the Cellular Networks setting not enabling? I try to enable it in the Settings and it just turns itself off and I can only get 1X if that, I normally have LTE, i tried 23C and 24B modems and cleaned flashed twice. any suggestions?
r3xx3r said:
that makes sense. so I just installed the latest Orion ROM and ran into a bad issue. have you had an issue with the Cellular Networks setting not enabling? I try to enable it in the Settings and it just turns itself off and I can only get 1X if that, I normally have LTE, i tried 23C and 24B modems and cleaned flashed twice. any suggestions?
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Click to collapse
Sorry to say I haven't had that issue, no. It takes more time on boot to acquire cell signal vs stock, but once it does it seems just as strong and 4G as stock.
If you haven't already, when clean flashing, do so by wiping internal storage too (and installing from SD Card). I find doing that when switching between stock and AOSP to be reliable. I mean, I regularly do that anyway, but especially when making that switch.
hokiealumnus said:
Sorry to say I haven't had that issue, no. It takes more time on boot to acquire cell signal vs stock, but once it does it seems just as strong and 4G as stock.
If you haven't already, when clean flashing, do so by wiping internal storage too (and installing from SD Card). I find doing that when switching between stock and AOSP to be reliable. I mean, I regularly do that anyway, but especially when making that switch.
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That was part of what I did initially. I always wipe system, cache, dalvik, data, and internal storage when switching ROMS
r3xx3r said:
that makes sense. so I just installed the latest Orion ROM and ran into a bad issue. have you had an issue with the Cellular Networks setting not enabling? I try to enable it in the Settings and it just turns itself off and I can only get 1X if that, I normally have LTE, i tried 23C and 24B modems and cleaned flashed twice. any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recently switched from Jasmine 8.0 to Paranoidandroid. I liked the AOSP Rom for the most part but I had quite a few data network issues. My data kept dropping out and I either had to reboot or enable airplane mode and disable it. A couple of times it set airplane mode to on by itself. I did a clean flash but didn't help. Stock had been the most solid for me as pure basic functionality.
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