For experienced Rooters - Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 Questions & Answers

Is this tablet really worth rooting? I have rooted every android tablet I have owned which is about 5. The reason I ask is that Android has matured a lot over the years and now gives you a lot of control over your phone. Yes there is the bloat but with the expandable memory as big as it is now that is not really a problem. But, if you do root this tablet is there a way to do it without tripping Knox?

Whether it's worth rooting or not is really up to you. There are definitely some down sides, such as tripping Knox (there's no way to get around that) and not being able to take OTA's. If you use twrp recovery the devices is even less secure than just rooting as there is no password protection with the twrp available. I still root, mainly because I've been doing it for years. The only things I use it for is adaway, and there are rootless solutions for that, and bloat (not because it really slows things done much but it annoys me.
I've been messing with Android devices since froyo and it's become somewhat of a hobby of mine. So I root mostly because I can.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

I dont think I could own a device that I couldn't root. To me it's half of the device it should be without root.
I need access to the entire file system not what the manufacturer thinks I should have access to.
So much of the stuff I do to my device needs root. I don't use custom roms, so need it even more.
So many hidden options without root.

I also agree with ashyx, getting to the whole file system gives me the flexibility to do things I couldn't otherwise do.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

rooting does give access to options this tablet should have. I switched the capacitive button by editing generic.kl. Does anyone know how to turn off the lights of those buttons?

You can turn the lights off simply from the settings app, I think under display.
And yeah, rooting is a must no matter if Android / Touchwiz has matured a bit more. I also have turned off the app switcher button because I like to rest my thumb there when I hold the tablet in landscape (which is how I mostly use it). I remapped the back button to open my browser via a double tap (single tap and long press deactivated) and Youtube via a triple tap via Xposed Additions. Double tapping Home turns the screen off, double tapping Power opens the BT settings to connect my audio adapter. I turned off the status bar by forcing immersive mode. I have Youtube working in the background, with no ads playing and with up / down swipe to change volume. My SD card is accessible for all apps just like back on Kitkat. My screen isn't turning on when I connect an USB cable.
Tons of other little things that wouldn't be possible or harder to do w/o root and Xposed.

TheGoD said:
You can turn the lights off simply from the settings app, I think under display.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks but I have used the US and UK FW and I don't have such option. I turn off the lights by setting power save mid mode and disabling all limiters. Im looking for a way to disable it once and for all without the use of apps, etc. Similar to how i edited the generic file to swap the buttons

so, you spend 600 bucks or more, to buy a full featured Samsung Tablet, and the first thing you want to do it root it and turn off all the features/tweaks? I dont get it..
No, I rarely, if ever root a tablet, no need for me, as its a backup device, not a mainline device, and, the same goes for my note 8; I wouldn't have spent a thousand bucks on a phone with tons of features if I wanted an AOSP type of experience; there are alot cheaper phones out there if you dont want all these things enabled..

Related

Lollipop (5.0)...feels like a downgrade

So, my LG G3 updated yesterday from kitkat (12b) to Lollipop 5.0 (23c).
I have to say, I am on the fence about it being an upgrade. Here is my thoughts: 2 major annoyances and 1 feature I love.
First, "Quite mode" is GONE! It has been replaced with a less functional, yet more confusing and complicated feature called "Interruptions". LG's Quite mode worked perfectly and did everything I wanted it to and was super easy to setup. Google's Interruptions thing is just plain horrible. First, I discovered that I can't set certain contacts to be allowed to ring though, only options are to allow "Priority only" which the Contacts options only gives u "Anyone" (everyone), "Favorites" (those who u add to your favorite list) or " Contacts Only" (all contacts). So, I had to use my "Favorites" list as my "allow" list. Ok...fine. BUT then, I discovered last night, that Interruptions does NOT silence system sounds like charging sounds or the LED notification light. I set my phone on the charger when I went to bed, and it made its chime and the LED stayed on. I was woken up a few hours later when the phone chimed again for Charge Complete and the LED was bright green. LG's Quite mode allowed these features to be silenced. I also dislike how the volume bar pop-up now has tabs added to it to adjust enable/adjust Interruptions...clutter and can easily be accidentally pressed. (SoundHud app helps with this) I have read that this Interruptions is a Lollipop thing(baked into the OS) and is meant to replace any custom manufacture add-on Quite Mode or Blocking Mode(Samsung). I found many folks complaining about this in other forums. I was able to address this annoyance by finding a 3rd party app (Do Not Disturb by Cabooze Software) but I am greatly annoyed that I have to now use a separate app to do something that one once a built in feature of my device.
Second, I am not a fan of how notifications work now. That is that the notification bar and lock screen notifications are one in the same. You can't have one with out the other. I want my weather app to have its notification in the drop down bar, and keep its little temperature figure notification in the upper left of my notification bar.... NOT the entire notification cluttering up my lock screen. I set the option to not show notifications on the lock screen, and it removes the notification bar notifications for that app too...wtf? I can set something about Private or sensitive notifications are hidden, but that only changes the notification to say its private and to unlock to view...doesn't actually hide anything. The new way of dismissing notifications is nice, but if I recall, I could swipe away certain notifications like call or txt on the lock screen before (LG thing maybe). I suppose I can adapt to and get used to the new way notifications works....but does the clock have to be so tiny even when only one notification is up? Seriously, the text is too small.
They still haven't "fixed" the LG keyboard so that u can adjust height of the keyboard when the phone is rotated to landscape mode....still only adjustable when in portrait mode.
On the good side....I LOVE the "Smart Unlock" feature. Only thing I recall having this kinda feature is if you had a Android Wear device. I love how u can have a Bluetooth (or NFC) device paired and it will set the lock screen to swipe....and not have to use knock or password code. I have this set for when my headset is paired and also my Pebble Steel watch. Very convenient feature to have. (I don't get NFC option though....what?! Do I need to get an NC chip implanted in the palm of my hand, so that when I hold the phone, I can use this feature to bypass the lock code...LOL!)
As far as other things go...the phone does feel more responsive. The new animations are quite welcome. I can't really say anything about battery life at this point. I got excellent battery life on KitKat.
I have read some discouraging things about the Lollipop update for the G3. Many forums filled with complaints about it...not just for VZW. A few of my co-workers who have a G3(various carriers) each one of them has issues and/or complaints about the update and discouraged me from updating. I also was quite confused as I was seeing VZW G3's for sale online starting over a month or so ago(swappa, ebay etc) that already came with Lollipop 5.0 and they claimed it was the official release. I was indeed suspicious of these phones that they were installed with a leaked OTA, but 23b as far as many insisted was the official OTA, but I(and several others I know in various states) never got 23b. I went from 12b to 23c. I checked the OTA option on the phone and the Update software on my computer frequently enough, never gave me any other update. Maybe VZW waited to push out the OTA in my area(Twin Cities, MN)...and thus we got the latest version.
Anyway, I guess its a love/hate relationship with my phone at the moment. :silly:
There are a few ways to get a more traditional "quiet" mode back...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/modules/xposed-true-silent-mode-lollipop-t3042924
and a few others out there, but I haven't upgraded yet.
As for the NFC deal...
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-xnt-implantable-nfc-chip
They do exist...
---------- Post added at 12:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:30 PM ----------
Here's the other one I tried to remember.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.greatbytes.soundhud
Free 2 week trial I think. hasn't been updated since it came out though.
RED ZMAN said:
There are a few ways to get a more traditional "quiet" mode back...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/modules/xposed-true-silent-mode-lollipop-t3042924
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't exposed require root?
Yes. SoundHud doesn't though.
I'm pretty sure there are others too, but these are the 2 I knew of for sure.
RED ZMAN said:
Yes. SoundHud doesn't though.
I'm pretty sure there are others too, but these are the 2 I knew of for sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Phone not rooted. Not sure if it can be. I know that 12b was not rootable. I have no intentions of rooting requadless.
Either way, Do Not Disturb app works fine.
Did you check out SoundHud? That does NOT require root.
Do Not Disturb
I used to use its predecessor 'Noyze' before the developer gave up on it, loved the themes and options.
I'll check out Do Not Disturb when I upgrade.
RED ZMAN said:
Did you check out SoundHud? That does NOT require root.
Do Not Disturb
I used to use its predecessor 'Noyze' before the developer gave up on it, loved the themes and options.
I'll check out Do Not Disturb when I upgrade.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent! Just installed it. SoundHud is perfect to address the annoying larger volume sliders default to Lollipop. (its not a Quite Mode or D.N.D. app) Thanks for the recommendation.
Still, yet another 3rd party app I have to install and having running to "fix" things that Google changed....hope it doesn't affect battery life at all.
Both apps arn't free though....hate that.
That's what I use all of my Google Opinion Rewards money on, apps I don't want to buy.
LOL
BTW, I haven't played with it on Lollipop yet but the description on SoundHud says...
Description
SoundHUD is a highly customizable volume panel replacement that doesn't require root access. And maybe best of all: It comes with a true silent mode for Lollipop users!
What's in the box:
• Multiple styles - choose between an expandable volume panel, a statusbar volume panel, or just a thin line that stays out of your way
• Lollipop silent mode - tired of the lack of a true silent mode for Lollipop? Yeah, so are we!
• Long press actions - launch any app simply by long-pressing one of the volume buttons
• No root required - leave the drill at home: no root, no Xposed - keep that sweet, sweet warranty!
• Volume stream lock - got a media tablet? Turn on volume stream lock to always adjust the music volume instead of having to deal with a useless ringer volume
• ...and much more!
Like Lollipop's design and simplicity? It sure is swell, but it seems the stock volume panel didn't get the memo - if you've tried getting Lollipop to shush while still getting woken up in the morning, I'm pretty sure you were on the verge of feeding your phone to Rusty (pro-tip: plastic doesn't make a very good dog treat!). Enter SoundHUD, which comes with a true silent mode for Lollipop, an expandable volume panel with separate, draggable volume sliders for every volume stream (ringer, music, notifications, alarms, in-call volume), and much more!
Silent mode HOW-TO
1. Go to System settings -> Sound & notification -> Interruptions
2. Turn OFF all priority interruption switches
3. Get up, do a little dance, and enjoy the silence! No more calls, notifications, reminders - just alarms!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let us know how it works out.
RED ZMAN said:
That's what I use all of my Google Opinion Rewards money on, apps I don't want to buy.
LOL
BTW, I haven't played with it on Lollipop yet but the description on SoundHud says...
Let us know how it works out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Works fine for me. But I did not got to settings and adjust Interruptions settings as they said to. That would interfere with the Do Not Disturb app I have....I do want some things to be let through.
Honestly, I don't care nor have ever used a pure Silent mode during the day.
Only time I want everything (except alarms and certain contacts- mainly my work contacts) "Silent" is at night set to a schedule(10p - 9a).
Downgrade? I feel the exact opposite. I think it's a huge upgrade and I love the way LP runs. Both stock/AOSP based roms are awesome. I hope you get the issues worked out so you can enjoy it.
12b is rootable, so is 23x (a,b,c). Can be done in situ, no need to downgrade, root, and then upgrade.
speedingcheetah said:
Phone not rooted. Not sure if it can be. I know that 12b was not rootable. I have no intentions of rooting requadless.
Either way, Do Not Disturb app works fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my VS985 4G using XDA Free mobile app
Welcome to Lollipop, Google is your friend.
Oh and by the way, alarm clock won't sound if you set to "No Interruptions" even if you set it as a priority notification.
DigitalMD said:
Welcome to Lollipop, Google is your friend.
Oh and by the way, alarm clock won't sound if you set to "No Interruptions" even if you set it as a priority notification.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I was using Interruptions, the alarm did sound fine. First thing I tested.
theistus said:
12b is rootable, so is 23x (a,b,c). Can be done in situ, no need to downgrade, root, and then upgrade.
Sent from my VS985 4G using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was told (and read) multiple times, even by a dev that 12b is not rootable..directly. HAd to downgrade or something.
speedingcheetah said:
I was told (and read) multiple times, even by a dev that 12b is not rootable..directly. HAd to downgrade or something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A new root method was discovered a week or two ago that works with pretty much every current LG device regardless of firmware version or carrier. It's not Stumproot, that was patched after 10 b, yes.
This new root method seems to involve zeroing out the laf partition, causing the boot process to fall through to fastboot, or something like that. I did not understand It, no, but theroadwarrior here and others seemed to. Works on the G2 also, if I can get hers away from My Lady Susan !
Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk
I don't care for 5.0 as much either. I'm heading back to my 10B backup where everything works. Also, I missed Xposed in just a few days. When Xposed can run on Stock 5.0 I'll give it another go.
vudugan said:
I don't care for 5.0 as much either. I'm heading back to my 10B backup where everything works. Also, I missed Xposed in just a few days. When Xposed can run on Stock 5.0 I'll give it another go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
5.X really has been one of the worst android releases. Google tries to keep shining that turd
Sent from my Nexus 7 2013
Bluetooth issues
Another thing to report. My co-worker reported issues with his car stereo and the G3 after he updated to 5.0. U pair the phone to the stereo and it will play music or sound from any app fine for about 2 min, then it goes all frizzy. Only way to restore proper sound is to toggle bluetooth on and off and re-connect. Tried with a few different apps. I paired my phone (we have the same phone and OS version) and I can confirm the same issue. My phone was rest recently before the 5.0 update. He also reports that he tried a few other phones(not sure models or OS version) but the worked fine with his car.
Weird, thinking it must be something with his car stereo, as both of us have paired our phones to several other Bluetooth sound devices and have had no issues.
Underwhelmed in general
Just like with Apple products, the more hoopla about a release, the less I should expect. Android 5.0 on the G3 is no exception:
Despite the changes in "Notifications", there doesn't appear to be a way (as with v4.4.2) to just have Notification icons appear on the lock screen, without any content.
Despite the change, the recent apps list is a mess, with multiple pages per app for some apps.
What was wrong with the "home" icon??? It looked like a home. Do a lot of people live in a hole rather than conventional house? If they do, how do they have enough money to buy a phone? I have no objection to the new icons per se; it just seems like so much of the rest of the commercial software world, making changes for changes sake. Or perhaps Google assigns meaningless GUI changes to test new software developers ...
Then, for the crowning achievement, lets take more screen space with the new "floating buttons", which block content, and for which there is ample space for the button in the top bar of the app.
I had hoped for LG to fix the sharing of the "recent apps" button (primary function) with the (app-specific) "settings" function, but no; let's keep that UI not only different from most other Android devices, but even different from the LG G Pad 8.3. The latter has the "recent apps" functionality as a secondary function of the "home" button, a much more consistent idea.
Finally, does anyone at LG or Verizon, beta test the GUI? It is my imagination, or in the "Sound & notification" section of "Settings", there is a line titled "Interruptions". Under that, mine always says, "Have no interruptions from notifications" as the current setting, despite the fact that is NOT the current setting.
At least they fixed the QSlide version of the text message app: you can now get to the contacts list from within it. I don't think you could do that before.
Ah well, that's progress, I suppose.
Just my opinion....I like the new lollipop. I've not had any issues as of yet. VZW LG G3... OTA'd to 23C.... Manually flashed 12C aboot and 23C bump'd kernel...then flashified TWRP. No reboots...great battery. Now the thing I most dislike is that there's no silent mode.. I really miss that. Seems the interruptions thing is just more complicated. Other than that...I'm happy.

Questions about file transfer, night clock, pay apps, startup sound.

Hello! I have just transferred from Apple to Android, and I couldn't be happier!
There are a few things I would like to know to enhance my experience:
1. How do you move, not copy, my pictures/videos from my Galaxy S6 Edge to my computer (Mac)? I tried Android File Transfer and AirDroid and both copy the files, not move the files. In addition, if there is an app that can modify the file names upon import, that will be super! For example, I used to use Nikon Transfer which allows me to set rules for the filenames upon import (e.g. MMDDYYYY_###).
2. I find the night clock function to be useful during the day when I need to glance at a time without pressing any button. I set it to be on from 8 am to 8 pm, but I find that a lot of the times the clock is not there even though it's set to be on. In addition, when it is on, the brightness is so dim that I can't see. Swiping on the edge left and right a few times make it brighter, but I want to make it as bright as possible all the time and also be on.
3. What is the most convenient, universally accepted pay app in the U.S.? (live in the northeast). Android Pay or Samsung Pay?
4. How do you turn off the startup sound and annoying Verizon logo?
Being a noob to android and also with the warranty I don't want to root the device yet.
Please share your expertise!
if i am not wrong the night clock feature turns on while your phone is on idle for a specific amount of time maybe you receive notifications etc which prevents it from turning on. secondly i have never used the feature outdoors but as the name suggests it's a night clock and is supposed to be always on at your side table etc during night time i assume it was designed to be dim to conserve battery.
in order to change your boot animations and startup sounds you need to be rooted. rooting is the android equivalent of jailbreaking in iphones which gives you complete access to your phone after which you can flash mods, custom roms which have there own unique features, custom kernels tailored for different needs (performance, battery savers etc) and many more there are some nice mods for the edge which i think you'll like.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/gal...4-cocktail-autoon-mod-galaxy-s6-edge-t3116699
http://forum.xda-developers.com/gal...4-28-musicplayer-feed-galaxy-s6-edge-t3095371
the second link does not require root..welcome to the dark side bro

Is there an app to keep the screen on when tilted? (Like Screebl on Android)

Hi Guys,
Whenever I get a new Android phone, the first app I always load up is Screebl. (Its an app that uses the sensors to keep the screen on when the phone is tilted.)
I've had a look around the windows store but can seem to find anything that functions the same. :crying:
Do you know of an app that can do the same? (or am I being way too optimistic here?)
Thanks in Advance. :highfive:
It's not possible on platform however you can set screen timeout in settings->lock screen to "Never".
sensboston said:
It's not possible on platform however you can set screen timeout in settings->lock screen to "Never".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I suspected Boston. :highfive:
Android has its faults, but for me, Windows phone and iOS are not in the same league as only Android allows you to use your device how you want.
Yes, Android has more flexibility (especially rooted) but as for mentioned feature it's irrelevant, you can achieve your goal with the standard settings so it's not a point (or I don't understand completely what do you want).
Could you tell me: why do you want this (if it's not a "top secret")?
Screebl is like having a toggle between lock my screen after 5 seconds activity and never lock my screen. When the phone is flat the screen locks quickly. When titled, the screen never locks.
I find its really useful when I'm using my phone and are then disturbed. I simply rest the phone at an angle, knowing I won't have to mess around with security when I return. This sort of functionality is also very good if you know your hands may get messy.
Ahh, OK, I got your point. I had kinda different issue - I'm developer and need to have always unlocked phone during development and regularly locked during normal usage. I solved this issue by using specific registry setting (not available officially) - WP has two different timeouts for working on battery and on DC (but when phone is connected to USB for debugging purposes, it always on charge).

Question Android 12 App Switching is terrible

App switching screen on Android 12 is pretty bad. So easy to make mistakes, always unintentionally swiping down or up. I haven't used Android 11, not sure if they are same . Came from iOS.
I came from an lg v20 with android 8 on it and i prefer how it was done on there but with the new app switcher screen I have to say I love the easy screenshot, url sharing, and text selection on screens that are otherwise not text selectable so I guess that makes up for it.
What i dont like is the screen isnt very responsive to touch with my tempered glass screen protector unless I force 90hz in developer options. Speakers sound like crap compared to my v20 , and of course no easily removable battery, no microsd slot, no headphone jack and no ir remote sucks too but as far as I know there isnt a single good flagship phone out there that still has all those.
I only bought a new phone because the v20 became unbearably slow and good new batteries are hard to come by anymore, I also need it for developing AR apps.
nraudigy2 said:
App switching screen on Android 12 is pretty bad. So easy to make mistakes, always unintentionally swiping down or up. I haven't used Android 11, not sure if they are same . Came from iOS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By default, they use a bunch of hideous gestures.
Go into System Settings --> Accessibility --> System controls, and change "System navigation" to "3-button navigation". That will give you three nice buttons on the bottom edge of the screen... back, home, and task switcher.
96carboard said:
By default, they use a bunch of hideous gestures.
Go into System Settings --> Accessibility --> System controls, and change "System navigation" to "3-button navigation". That will give you three nice buttons on the bottom edge of the screen... back, home, and task switcher.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Checked this out too, but you get the ancient Android 7-or-8 like buttons. Much rather see the Pixel 3's buttons placed on the bottom.
Although the gestures are a bit finicky, it took me a while to get used to, but now I've got it under control.
Its not about "ancient", its about EFFECTIVE. The 3-button menu bar is the only option that has ever existed that doesn't involve indecypherable/inconvenient gestures.
Helpmepleasekidnqpped said:
My wife was kidnapped and I have no idea how to get her GPS turned on. her phone find my device is off but she tried to share location with me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Call the police! They may require SIM card tracking from the operator! Or by IMEI of the device!
trabadura said:
Call the police! They may require SIM card tracking from the operator! Or by IMEI of the device!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm 99.99% positive that you replied to some kind of scammer. They created a profile to report this on a random forum? I reported the user, if there is any legitimacy, forum admin can sort that out and deal with it.
bebop707 said:
I came from an lg v20 with android 8 on it and i prefer how it was done on there but with the new app switcher screen I have to say I love the easy screenshot, url sharing, and text selection on screens that are otherwise not text selectable so I guess that makes up for it.
What i dont like is the screen isnt very responsive to touch with my tempered glass screen protector unless I force 90hz in developer options. Speakers sound like crap compared to my v20 , and of course no easily removable battery, no microsd slot, no headphone jack and no ir remote sucks too but as far as I know there isnt a single good flagship phone out there that still has all those.
I only bought a new phone because the v20 became unbearably slow and good new batteries are hard to come by anymore, I also need it for developing AR apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcome to 2021! Phones haven't had removable batteries for a while now...
dunno how your triggering app switching when swiping up and down considering you need to swipe from bottom of screen and hold it for a good second
basic gestures hard

General Xperia 1 IV rooted - first experiences

I bought my Xperia 1 IV last week and almost considered returning it at first, because it was overheating a lot the first day. I have sort of a traumatic experience with overheating phones as I had the Z5 which was simply a bad phone with the Snapdragon 810 and insufficient cooling. After some research I read the same thing about the Xperia 1 III, with people saying that the "AI needs to learn" and it will "go away after 2 days". It still gets warm, but I did notice I was overly conscious of it, and since I had my XZ3 around with my SIM inside, I could do some comparisons. The XZ3 has a much smaller hotspot, so when it gets warm, it's only above the camera area on the back, and you don't really feel it holding in your hand. When the 1IV gets warm, the heat is spread along the top half of the back and into the sides so you're much more aware of when it gets warm. So I decided to just keep it, root it and start using it as my daily phone.
The rooting experience was problem free, just like with my XZ3. Grab the unlock code from Sony, use XperiFirm to extract boot.sin, use unSIN to convert to boot.img, do the same with vbmeta.sin, install Magisk, use it to patch boot.img, use fastboot to oem unlock and flash the patched boot.img and unpatched vbmeta.img. Done! I looked at installing a custom recovery, but TWRP doesn't support Android 12 yet, so I'll just have to be careful and not get myself into situations where I need recovery to bail me out of bootloops for now.
What works:
Magisk 25.1
Zygisk
LSPosed 1.8.3
Universal SafetyNet Fix 2.2.1
fbind v2021.12.7
MagiskHide Props Config 6.1.2 (used to hide navbar and enable bluetooth in-band ringing)
G-VisualMod 4.1 (although I removed it again because it didn't do what I wanted)
Modded GCam 8.1.101 A9 GV2a ENG (for Night Sight as the Sony camera app has no equivalent - only issue is clipped highlights turn yellow)
Fluid Navigation Gestures (navbar hide doesn't work but see above for workaround)
YouTube Vanced non-root mode (make sure to set microG to restricted battery mode)
XPrivacyLua 1.31
What doesn't work:
Immersive mode and any apps/mods that claim to enable it
AOSP Mods (crashes SystemUI constantly and most of the mods don't work)
GravityBox (S) (crashes GPS apps like google maps / waze)
MinMinGuard 2.1.1 (shows 0 ads blocked)
YouTube Vanced root mode (YouTube app is too new, can't downgrade)
Another issue I encountered is that Google Maps on my XZ3 has driving mode available, but since this is Android 12, there is a new revamped version of driving mode that is region locked to US/CA/UK/AU. You will get "Driving mode is not yet available in your region" in unsupported regions. The workaround is to sign out from Google Maps, add the Driving Mode shortcut to your home screen, and then sign in again. The shortcut will work even when signed back in.
I really resent not being able to hide the (rather big) status bar and all the OLED burn in consequences of having the status bar visible at all times. The pixel shifting of the status bar icons is also fairly extreme and it really looks ugly when the icons are crooked compared to the rest of the UI. I always had immersive mode enabled on my XZ3 and after 3.5 years of daily use I have zero burn in. If anyone has ideas or suggestions to get immersive mode re-enabled on Android 12, I'd love to hear them.
UPDATE: I managed to hide the status bar with Xposed Edge Pro! I've set up a trigger to hide the status bar when the Xperia Home launcher loses focus and to unhide it when the launcher gains focus. This way, the home screen shows the clock, battery and notifications, but during app use there is no burn in from the status bar. It's basically how I had it set up on my XZ3, although I used Immersive Manager which unfortunately no longer works on Android 11 and higher. The only downside to using Xposed Edge is that you can briefly see the home screen reflowing when the status bar appears. Curiously, you can't see the other apps reflow when the status bar disappears again, even with doubled animation speed.
The phone buzzer is also really strong, to the point where if you have it on a hard surface like a table, it makes a lot of noise vibrating. I tried Vibration Tuner but it hasn't been updated in so long that it doesn't work. Are there any modern alternatives? The haptic feedback is too strong for my liking as well.
So what is it you used to sort the heating problems being rooted exactly? Was thinking of doing the same thing myself. Thanks for posting this btw!
JP10101 said:
So what is it you used to sort the heating problems being rooted exactly?
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Click to collapse
Just wait for the "AI" scheduler/governor to learn to throttle the device. It takes a few days but the heat is acceptable afterwards. It will never be as cool as a phone without heat issues (like the XZ3 or 1 II) but it doesn't impair daily app usage and the only overheating incident I've encountered the last few days was sitting outside in 30 degree heat leaving the phone in the direct sun, and I was impressed how quickly it recovered from that.
For me personally, the awesome camera and 120hz display ultimately won out over returning the phone. In an ideal world, Sony would have used the Snapdragon 8+ gen 1 which doesn't have thermal issues, and you could hope for a mid-generation refresh of the 1 IV with the 8+, but that probably won't happen. Like the reviews say, the phone does get warm and it throttles to keep the heat manageable, but once Adaptive Battery has had a few days to learn your usage pattern, it's probably not going to be so bad as to cause problems.
When you rooted, did it stop you from using the camera software that came with the phone by any chance?
No, the camera works 100% the same as before.
mufunyo said:
No, the camera works 100% the same as before.
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Click to collapse
That is great to know, thank you!
Is Viper4Android working? I think I installed AML, JamesDSP, and V4A to get it working on the 1 III.
mufunyo said:
Grab the unlock code from Sony
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Click to collapse
How'd you get the unlock code from Sony?
I went to their developer portal (https://developer.sony.com/develop/open-devices/get-started/unlock-bootloader/) but the Device dropdown to get the unlock code doesn't have the Xperia 1 IV in the list?
hahimot483 said:
Is Viper4Android working? I think I installed AML, JamesDSP, and V4A to get it working on the 1 III.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in Viper4Android myself and its installation looks a bit too involved to try out simply to be able to say if it works or not. I also don't have a custom recovery yet so I'm a bit wary about boot loops still.
aussiebum said:
I went to their developer portal (https://developer.sony.com/develop/open-devices/get-started/unlock-bootloader/) but the Device dropdown to get the unlock code doesn't have the Xperia 1 IV in the list?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just select the Xperia 1 III from the list. The code will still work.
Thank you for letting us know!
I was wondering if you are going to try underclock the device to see how it reacts with the thermals?
hary232 said:
I was wondering if you are going to try underclock the device to see how it reacts with the thermals?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If and when there's enough developer interest in this device to develop a custom kernel or magisk overlay to tweak the thermals, I might try that. For now I'm satisfied with thermals and battery life, it's not nearly as bad as it was with the Z5 back then. I run battery care at 80% max charge most days and reach about 40-20% charge at bedtime, and on days where I'm out of the house for a long time I disable battery care for a full 100% charge to extend battery life for heavy usage which works well. I'm mostly just happy to have a camera that's a joy to use again after using the XZ3 which was extremely mediocre to the point where taking photos was just not enjoyable.
hary232 said:
Thank you for letting us know!
I was wondering if you are going to try underclock the device to see how it reacts with the thermals?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even with the stock kernel, once rooted, you can easily use Franco Kernel Manager to disable some cores which will immensely improve any heating issues you might have.
I want to flash HongKong firmware but my phone is now using China firmware which version is higher than HongKong one, once I flash it my phone goes black. So I wonder if I unlock bootloader, can I flash lower firmware?
You should be able to downgrade to any official firmware with FlashTool without unlocking your bootloader. If your phone goes black it's more likely you're flashing incorrect firmware. You realise there are two distinct hardware variants of the 1 IV, maybe you picked the wrong one? There's the XQ-CT54 and the XQ-CT72. Mine is the XQ-CT54.
mufunyo said:
You should be able to downgrade to any official firmware with FlashTool without unlocking your bootloader. If your phone goes black it's more likely you're flashing incorrect firmware. You realise there are two distinct hardware variants of the 1 IV, maybe you picked the wrong one? There's the XQ-CT54 and the XQ-CT72. Mine is the XQ-CT54.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It can't downgrade once you upgrate to any newer version... My phone goes black either unlocked and locked BL. I can only recover it using Xperia Companion
mufunyo said:
Just select the Xperia 1 III from the list. The code will still work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I got the code generated, but now I'm stuck with getting the Fastboot Drivers installed.
The Sony "OEM Drivers" ADB drivers work fine when the phone's powered on, but when I switch over to Fastboot mode (vol up, plug in usb, blue led comes on), it's not recognised.
Sony's "fastboot driver" inf from 2014 does recognise the device, but I can't use that ancient inf with the latest Google USB drivers (Windows refuses to install the drivers due to hash not matching).
Would you be able to point or supply the fastboot driver you used to connect up your Xperia 1 IV?
EDIT: rebooting to fastboot via ADB brings up the "android fastbootd", but this doesn't seem like the actual Sony fastboot environment, so still can't oem unlock :/
Nevermind, finally figured it out. Followed the section about force-installing the Google Android Bootloader driver as per https://www.xda-developers.com/download-android-usb-drivers/ and that worked.
As this is the *only* current gen SD 8 phone with both a 3.5mm jack *and* an SD card slot, it may end up being my next upgrade. As my third hard requirement is at least the possibility of rooting it(I always do this before a phone can become my daily driver), this does a lot to seal the deal, so to speak, and is extremely helpful besides.
With my current phone(a Motorola g100) experiencing digitizer errors, even still under warranty, I may just upgrade and sell it after the warranty repair.
mufunyo said:
MinMinGuard 2.1.1
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Click to collapse
How did you get MinMinGuard to work? It seems to do nothing on my Xperia 1 IV. Are you using the auto mode?
Bad experience with Z5? I have had my Z5 and Z5 Compact for 7 years now. Works flawlessly, never overheated. Maybe you have a faulty model?
mazany said:
How did you get MinMinGuard to work? It seems to do nothing on my Xperia 1 IV. Are you using the auto mode?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's interesting, when I look in the MinMinGuard interface it doesn't seem to be working (it's showing it blocked 0 ads), but I don't get any ads in apps so I just assumed it was working anyway. I have to admit I'm also using AdAway which blocks ads using the hosts file (of course making sure to install Magisk Systemless hosts first), which could be making MinMinGuard redundant.

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