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[Q] Please help me get my marriage back on track ;)

Hi all.
Been an Android user for about as long as it's been out there and I have almost always rooted and installed custom ROM's on my devices. Last year I finally managed to convince the wife to upgrade to Android (enter the ARC S). She was delighted but the phone was always a bit slugish. When the ICS update came out I pressed her to upgrade because I thought she would benefit from the upgrade and the speeds might improve. So after a few months she finally gave in and about 2 weeks ago I did the upgrade. Aaaaaaannnndddddd that's when it all went to hell. Her phone is slow. Soooooo painfully slow that even an old HTC Desire loaded with a Sense 3.5 / 4 ROM is outperforming it by miles. She is mad. Soooooo very mad at me since then for having made her phone all that much worse. Reading up on it I know now that the upgrade was a bust and that Sony dropped the ball with this one.
So now I am looking to redeem myself. Usually I'd just root the phone, slap on some recovery software and flash away a couple of ROM's and choose from them. But this device seems to be not so straight forward. So I am turning to the community for help. What I am looking to do is install a custom ROM that is smooth and fast and will stay that way for as long as possible. Preferably one that is JB based and as easy to get on the device as possible. Now I know that when this question gets put out there people are often greeted with the "flash 'em and try" response, but my wife is reluctant to let me do anything else to her phone, let alone experiment with many a ROM. So I am asking for opinions. Any ROM as long as it's fast. The ROM that gets the most positive opinions wins and that is what I'll flash and hopefully save my marriage
Please keep in mind the phone is SIM locked and not rooted. It's basically an original ARC S with ICS on it. I have no recovery or rooting experience with this device, so it would be lovely if this could be done simply. I don't really want to over complicate things and risk gorking the thing even more.
Thanks in advance to all you members out there!

Hi.
You could just have Googled best rom arc s and read one of the numerous threads on the subject, and these threads are just another variation of best rom threads which are also now starting to build up. Root and and remove crap, few build.prop and init.d tweaks and you'll have a nippy Phone that works as it should, install a custom ROM then she isn't going to be happy when something doesn't work and you're constantly taking it of her to sort it out.

XperienceD said:
Hi.
You could just have Googled best rom arc s and read one of the numerous threads on the subject, and these threads are just another variation of best rom threads which are also now starting to build up. Root and and remove crap, few build.prop and init.d tweaks and you'll have a nippy Phone that works as it should, install a custom ROM then she isn't going to be happy when something doesn't work and you're constantly taking it of her to sort it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did. And I actually considered (still am tbh) the Ultimate HD. But thought maybe there was something out there better and no frills. As for the root and decrap option, that's actually a pretty good idea. But won't the crap just load back? I mean, on most roms when I remove the bloatware it just loads up again via market. As for build.prop I don't know much. Could you just tip me a thread topic or what not and I will search. Or topics even.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Pitbull_Raven said:
I did. And I actually considered (still am tbh) the Ultimate HD. But thought maybe there was something out there better and no frills. As for the root and decrap option, that's actually a pretty good idea. But won't the crap just load back? I mean, on most roms when I remove the bloatware it just loads up again via market. As for build.prop I don't know much. Could you just tip me a thread topic or what not and I will search. Or topics even.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best thing is to try honestly (I wouldn't say ultimate hd is a bad choice )
And bloatware wouldn't load back once you've removed them so dont worry
Sent from Xperia Arc S

jman2131 said:
Best thing is to try honestly (I wouldn't say ultimate hd is a bad choice )
And bloatware wouldn't load back once you've removed them so dont worry
Sent from Xperia Arc S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Will have to consider it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

Try Ultimate HD 2.0.3 / Xperia T ROM
Pitbull_Raven said:
Thanks. Will have to consider it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been using that ROM for around a week now and my phone is faster than ever.. The only issue seems to be in sending items via bluetooth (accept works smooth, but the option in send via is missing). But if your wife doesn't use that much bluetooth file sharing, then I'd recommend this ROM. Another good choice would be XPERIA T ROM for Arc S - Comparatively its a tad bit slower (not noticeable) but loads of more features (WalkMan has GraceNote, ClearAudio. Album has SenseMe etc.) Both are stable for daily use.

vish2407 said:
I have been using that ROM for around a week now and my phone is faster than ever.. The only issue seems to be in sending items via bluetooth (accept works smooth, but the option in send via is missing). But if your wife doesn't use that much bluetooth file sharing, then I'd recommend this ROM. Another good choice would be XPERIA T ROM for Arc S - Comparatively its a tad bit slower (not noticeable) but loads of more features (WalkMan has GraceNote, ClearAudio. Album has SenseMe etc.) Both are stable for daily use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the input. Bluetooth is not an issue. She rarely uses it at all. So yes, I'll keep it in mind. I'll have to decide till tomorrow morning seeing as how I am going to try to get it done over the weekend. To those of you that took the time to reply, my thanks!

Pitbull_Raven said:
Thank you for the input. Bluetooth is not an issue. She rarely uses it at all. So yes, I'll keep it in mind. I'll have to decide till tomorrow morning seeing as how I am going to try to get it done over the weekend. To those of you that took the time to reply, my thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So did you install one finally??
Sent from my LT18i using xda app-developers app

vish2407 said:
So did you install one finally??
Sent from my LT18i using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, no. She forbade me
I'm guessing she's scared it'll just get worse or I'll mess it up even more. She won't even allow me to root it. At this point, I am hoping that some official fix comes along so that I can at least get her phone back to acceptable status. It's sooooooo slow. My old HTC Desire flies like a bat with a lit match stuck up it's butt compared to her Arc S right now. I mean, pulling up the phone dialer takes literally between 7 to 17 seconds to open just the dialer. And don't even dare to tap "contacts" because it can take you the best part of 30 seconds to see them appear.
SONY didn't just drop the ball with releasing this update; they bloody well stabbed it with a hunting knife to deflate it first so the ball would never bounce again... and then they dropped it.
Really, I am so sad for her every time I see her trying to do something on her phone. She used to love it. Now I see her turning away from it every chance she gets. It's really heartbreaking, and I am not trying to be funny. It really does pain me to see this happen.

Pitbull_Raven said:
Actually, no. She forbade me
I'm guessing she's scared it'll just get worse or I'll mess it up even more. She won't even allow me to root it. At this point, I am hoping that some official fix comes along so that I can at least get her phone back to acceptable status. It's sooooooo slow. My old HTC Desire flies like a bat with a lit match stuck up it's butt compared to her Arc S right now. I mean, pulling up the phone dialer takes literally between 7 to 17 seconds to open just the dialer. And don't even dare to tap "contacts" because it can take you the best part of 30 seconds to see them appear.
SONY didn't just drop the ball with releasing this update; they bloody well stabbed it with a hunting knife to deflate it first so the ball would never bounce again... and then they dropped it.
Really, I am so sad for her every time I see her trying to do something on her phone. She used to love it. Now I see her turning away from it every chance she gets. It's really heartbreaking, and I am not trying to be funny. It really does pain me to see this happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, and atheistically Arc S is an awesome phone. And since its good under the hood as well, with a good custom FW, it really flies. My condolences to you my friend. However I have used Arc with stock FW as well, hence will suggest you some tips to enhance performance
1. Disable FaceBook Inside Xperia - It lags the system like hell
2. Remove the Timescape widget and live wallpapers if set.
3. Disable AutoSync if possible or keep it on for accounts other than FaceBook
4. Clear messages and call history a few days - I know it sounds strange - but it sure used to speed up my Arc.
5. Using tools like App Cache Cleaner and RAM Booster can help speed it up

vish2407 said:
Yes, and atheistically Arc S is an awesome phone. And since its good under the hood as well, with a good custom FW, it really flies. My condolences to you my friend. However I have used Arc with stock FW as well, hence will suggest you some tips to enhance performance
1. Disable FaceBook Inside Xperia - It lags the system like hell
2. Remove the Timescape widget and live wallpapers if set.
3. Disable AutoSync if possible or keep it on for accounts other than FaceBook
4. Clear messages and call history a few days - I know it sounds strange - but it sure used to speed up my Arc.
5. Using tools like App Cache Cleaner and RAM Booster can help speed it up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for those tips. Will surely come in handy. How can I disable FB in the Arc? I know how to remove the account, but I think it's somehow integrated into the ROM, right? Is that what you meant?

Pitbull_Raven said:
Thanks for those tips. Will surely come in handy. How can I disable FB in the Arc? I know how to remove the account, but I think it's somehow integrated into the ROM, right? Is that what you meant?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He didn't mean Facebook itself, but Facebook inside Xperia. It's that awesome feature that let's you do things you don't need to... seriously. I don't remember well where it is in settings, but it is there (I flashed a custom JB rom so I can't tell you where it is). I guess it was in "Xperia" but I'm not sure on that one. Autosync takes a huge amount of the guilt for making it slower, allow it only when you enable wifi, if possible. Check RAM usage, and look for apps that are not in use, and uninstall them.
If you really want it fast, then why not flashing a GB lightweighted Rom or even the debloated stock one? There are quite a few around here that you can flash. Just check the development section. It won't have a lot of features as ICS does, but as this phone was designed for GB, it will run in a decent way.
I used Ultimate HD for a while, and let me tell you, it was great. It offers very nice features. 5x4 apps drawer like in Xperia T (also Xperia T's boot animation); very nice design; on-screen buttons at choice; quick toggle panel (that is really handy); walkman app; new calendar app; the new album app that allows you to see the photos on map (if geotag was allowed when taken); included overclocking tool; and much more, being quite fast at the same time. I just switched to JB for the sake of feeling JB in my hand! But of course, if I see that it doesn't suit me well, I'm going back to ICS, back to UHD.
If you really want to make it faster, your best choice is to convince her to flash a custom ROM. Stock is well aesthetically designed, but as you said yourself, laggy as hell. Some of those custom ROMs are even able to be used with locked bootloader (although I would recommend to unlock the bootloader, check link at my signature from the android soul community). My suggestion: Read. She won't, you will. The chances of schrewing it up are lower if you inform yourself of the risks. I usually do this: I read the OP, and then I go to the last 5 pages, and read some repplies. It tells me whether people are having issues recently, or if there's a common issue.
Good luck convincing her :fingers-crossed:

HerrJuancho said:
He didn't mean Facebook itself, but Facebook inside Xperia. It's that awesome feature that let's you do things you don't need to... seriously. I don't remember well where it is in settings, but it is there (I flashed a custom JB rom so I can't tell you where it is). I guess it was in "Xperia" but I'm not sure on that one. Autosync takes a huge amount of the guilt for making it slower, allow it only when you enable wifi, if possible. Check RAM usage, and look for apps that are not in use, and uninstall them.
If you really want it fast, then why not flashing a GB lightweighted Rom or even the debloated stock one? There are quite a few around here that you can flash. Just check the development section. It won't have a lot of features as ICS does, but as this phone was designed for GB, it will run in a decent way.
I used Ultimate HD for a while, and let me tell you, it was great. It offers very nice features. 5x4 apps drawer like in Xperia T (also Xperia T's boot animation); very nice design; on-screen buttons at choice; quick toggle panel (that is really handy); walkman app; new calendar app; the new album app that allows you to see the photos on map (if geotag was allowed when taken); included overclocking tool; and much more, being quite fast at the same time. I just switched to JB for the sake of feeling JB in my hand! But of course, if I see that it doesn't suit me well, I'm going back to ICS, back to UHD.
If you really want to make it faster, your best choice is to convince her to flash a custom ROM. Stock is well aesthetically designed, but as you said yourself, laggy as hell. Some of those custom ROMs are even able to be used with locked bootloader (although I would recommend to unlock the bootloader, check link at my signature from the android soul community). My suggestion: Read. She won't, you will. The chances of schrewing it up are lower if you inform yourself of the risks. I usually do this: I read the OP, and then I go to the last 5 pages, and read some repplies. It tells me whether people are having issues recently, or if there's a common issue.
Good luck convincing her :fingers-crossed:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh wow, thanks for the info! This thread is actually becoming more helpful then I expected. You can bet I'll keep trying to convince her. Also I'll check the FB issue and see if I can get something sorted.

Pitbull_Raven said:
Oh wow, thanks for the info! This thread is actually becoming more helpful then I expected. You can bet I'll keep trying to convince her. Also I'll check the FB issue and see if I can get something sorted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck on that one :highfive: And don't forget to click thanks on the posts that you found helpful

So good news! She finally had enough and can't stand the slowness anymore. I have the go ahead to do what I want to the device. So now everything is an option. So from what I gathered so far, first I must unlock bootloader. But this means formating the data partition, thus loosing everything.
Is it at all possible to root first so I can Titanium Backup the hell out of this phone first? LT18i running stock 4.0.4 and 4.1.B.0.587.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

Pitbull_Raven said:
So good news! She finally had enough and can't stand the slowness anymore. I have the go ahead to do what I want to the device. So now everything is an option. So from what I gathered so far, first I must unlock bootloader. But this means formating the data partition, thus loosing everything.
Is it at all possible to root first so I can Titanium Backup the hell out of this phone first? LT18i running stock 4.0.4 and 4.1.B.0.587.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. root it, backup your apps using titanium backup. (i recommend paid version) backup contacts and sms also. unlock your bootloader, flash custom kernel, (i recommend rush kernel), do full wipe (wipe absolutely everything except sd card of course since your backups are all there.) flash custom rom (preferably stock based roms since they are more stable. Try ultimate hd or jelly sandwich).
boot up for the first time, first boot usually slower. Complete First time setup, let it sit for awhile, like 5 minutes, install titanium, restore apps and contacts, make sure the apps are working. Some apps like line won't work after restoring with data from titanium and I had to clear it's app data first. set cpu governor to performance and add a bit of overclock (1.5 or 1.6). she won't know what these are anyway and she'd stop whining about lags. remember to set to overclock on boot. reboot phone and you're done.
I do this for my girl too. I'd still recommend ultimate hd 2.0.3. but you should mess around with the settings to see what it has to offer first. And also remember to search within their threads to find current unfixed bugs and their solutions.
Sent from my LT15i using xda app-developers app

jackkeylow said:
Yes. root it, backup your apps using titanium backup. (i recommend paid version) backup contacts and sms also. unlock your bootloader, flash custom kernel, (i recommend rush kernel), do full wipe (wipe absolutely everything except sd card of course since your backups are all there.) flash custom rom (preferably stock based roms since they are more stable. Try ultimate hd or jelly sandwich).
boot up for the first time, first boot usually slower. Complete First time setup, let it sit for awhile, like 5 minutes, install titanium, restore apps and contacts, make sure the apps are working. Some apps like line won't work after restoring with data from titanium and I had to clear it's app data first. set cpu governor to performance and add a bit of overclock (1.5 or 1.6). she won't know what these are anyway and she'd stop whining about lags. remember to set to overclock on boot. reboot phone and you're done.
I do this for my girl too. I'd still recommend ultimate hd 2.0.3. but you should mess around with the settings to see what it has to offer first. And also remember to search within their threads to find current unfixed bugs and their solutions.
Sent from my LT15i using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very helpful. Thanks. I have TB paid version, so it shouldn't be a problem. Was just wondering how to root without unlocking boot first. I can see many a tutorial, but all seem to tell how to unlock bl first.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

you don't need to unlock bl to root... and once you unlock bl you won't need to root because most custom roms and kernels come pre-rooted. use flashtool to root. download flashtool if you haven't already. It's like the all in one toolbox if you're just a user.
Sent from my LT15i using xda app-developers app

Will definitely look into it. Many thanks.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[Q] r800x/CDMA rom compatibility?

Hi all!
I picked up a Verizon Xperia Play r800x at a thrift store yesterday for $33. Needless to say, I was excited for the find!
I've been looking at the various roms available, and amd getting mixed messages on what is compatible with the r800x... A lot of the information I am finding seems to be outdated.
So, simply put, what compatibility issues should I be concerned about when looking for roms? I'm trying to find a debloated, gaming centric rom, but the ones I have been looking at do not specify GSM/CDMA compatibility. If anyone has a rom recommendation for the device, or can tell me what to look for, I would be very appreciative!
Just as an aside, I do not ever plan on using the phone as a "phone," since I'm on T-Mobile and, well, ya know. I do want Wifi to be working, obviously, but the cellular functionality is totally superfluous to me, if that makes a difference.
Thanks!

Pfhortune said:
Hi all!
I picked up a Verizon Xperia Play r800x at a thrift store yesterday for $33. Needless to say, I was excited for the find!
I've been looking at the various roms available, and amd getting mixed messages on what is compatible with the r800x... A lot of the information I am finding seems to be outdated.
So, simply put, what compatibility issues should I be concerned about when looking for roms? I'm trying to find a debloated, gaming centric rom, but the ones I have been looking at do not specify GSM/CDMA compatibility. If anyone has a rom recommendation for the device, or can tell me what to look for, I would be very appreciative!
Just as an aside, I do not ever plan on using the phone as a "phone," since I'm on T-Mobile and, well, ya know. I do want Wifi to be working, obviously, but the cellular functionality is totally superfluous to me, if that makes a difference.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't care about cellular service then you can use any ROM. I recommend you get gin2 jellybean or Aurora play, or xperia next 2 , or dixperia 3, or Bos. They are all great roms but you should also unlock your boatloader and flash a custom kernel like lupus v12 so you can over clock it'll make gaming a lot smoother
Sent from my Xperia Play (r800x)

Awesome! Thanks for the reply! I'm probably going to be using dixperia 3, that one looks super nice!

abdel12345 said:
If you don't care about cellular service then you can use any ROM. I recommend you get gin2 jellybean or Aurora play, or xperia next 2 , or dixperia 3, or Bos. They are all great roms but you should also unlock your boatloader and flash a custom kernel like lupus v12 so you can over clock it'll make gaming a lot smoother
Sent from my Xperia Play (r800x)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So the real question is if you intend on using as a phone or not. If you do, I personally recommend unlocking, rooting, and staying with stock (debloat it with Titanium Backup or the like.)
You'll find that the original Verizon rom is ridiculously stable (very plain vanilla), has around 212 or more of free ram, and everything "just works" how it's supposed to.
Use Holo Launcher and Holo Locker if you want the JB look.

Radon_22 said:
So the real question is if you intend on using as a phone or not. If you do, I personally recommend unlocking, rooting, and staying with stock (debloat it with Titanium Backup or the like.)
You'll find that the original Verizon rom is ridiculously stable (very plain vanilla), has around 212 or more of free ram, and everything "just works" how it's supposed to.
Use Holo Launcher and Holo Locker if you want the JB look.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The OP said that they didn't intend on actually using it as a phone, as they are on the T-Mobile network (and thus couldn't use it as a phone anyway).
Also, the 2.3.4 Verizon version broke the Google sync, which causes a host of issues (Google Talk doesn't work, stuff done on the Google Play store website won't be noticed by the phone until Google Play is launched on the phone itself, notifications from some apps will not work).

Thunderbird8 said:
The OP said that they didn't intend on actually using it as a phone, as they are on the T-Mobile network (and thus couldn't use it as a phone anyway).
Also, the 2.3.4 Verizon version broke the Google sync, which causes a host of issues (Google Talk doesn't work, stuff done on the Google Play store website won't be noticed by the phone until Google Play is launched on the phone itself, notifications from some apps will not work).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I swear I didn't see that part :cyclops:. And you're right: 2.3.3 is definately the place to stay if staying stock.

That's unfair!
I'm bought one secondhand in 2015 for $41. Sh•t.

[Q] Xperia ZL post-mortem

I have a couple of quick questions about the xperia UI.
Recently, my ZL died in an accident. Due to my location, I had few replacement choices available, so I opted for a Galaxy S4. It wasn't my first choice, but it's not a bad phone.
There are a few things I miss.
First, what is that thing circled in red on the first picture called? It's a launcher of small apps that appears on the bottom panel when you open Recent Apps. Samsung doesn't have it, so I'm assuming it's an Xperia thing. I want to search for an app or a mod that can perform a similar function, but I don't know what it's called, or if there's an app that does it.
Secondly, I was really getting to like the Xperia's "Album" software. I've found gallery apps that organize in a similar way, but don't include a home screen widget that allows the user to flip through photos. Can this "Album" app be installed on the S4, if so,how, and if not, can anyone recommend a good replacement?

I don't think thats possible on a sammy phone... not unless you port the stock xperia rom to the S4... But you should head over to the s4 forum and maybe ask someone to port it for you.... only the small apps if possible! Also Samsung has their multiwindow and all... maybe use that!
You could also root your phone and use floating window from xposed!

Dr_SUSE said:
I have a couple of quick questions about the xperia UI.
Recently, my ZL died in an accident. Due to my location, I had few replacement choices available, so I opted for a Galaxy S4. It wasn't my first choice, but it's not a bad phone.
There are a few things I miss.
First, what is that thing circled in red on the first picture called? It's a launcher of small apps that appears on the bottom panel when you open Recent Apps. Samsung doesn't have it, so I'm assuming it's an Xperia thing. I want to search for an app or a mod that can perform a similar function, but I don't know what it's called, or if there's an app that does it.
Secondly, I was really getting to like the Xperia's "Album" software. I've found gallery apps that organize in a similar way, but don't include a home screen widget that allows the user to flip through photos. Can this "Album" app be installed on the S4, if so,how, and if not, can anyone recommend a good replacement?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, my sister have a s4, and somehow i didn't like it...
And samsung doesn't have a small apps, and also , you can tweak your Xperia ZL using Xposed Modules (Need root but not custom rom)...
Like mine, you can customize the status bar icon, battery icon, nav bar, screen off animation, and many more!
Feel free to ask, bbm or pm me if you have a question

AndreIrawan97 said:
Well, my sister have a s4, and somehow i didn't like it...
And samsung doesn't have a small apps, and also , you can tweak your Xperia ZL using Xposed Modules (Need root but not custom rom)...
Like mine, you can customize the status bar icon, battery icon, nav bar, screen off animation, and many more!
Feel free to ask, bbm or pm me if you have a question
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can tweek any phone with Xposed, but why are you telling him that? didn't you read his post? He states that his ZL died and the S4 is a replacement, he's asking if it's possible to make his S4 to be closer to the ZL.
Now to the topic at hand, from what I heard it's a popular practice to port Sony apps to all Xperia phones as well as other phones. So if you go to the S4 forums you should be able to find the small apps as well as the album app, along with instructions on how to install them correctly. Good luck man, and don't be sad, the S4 is a bit better than the ZL anyway.

Dead Metal said:
You can tweek any phone with Xposed, but why are you telling him that? didn't you read his post? He states that his ZL died and the S4 is a replacement, he's asking if it's possible to make his S4 to be closer to the ZL.
Now to the topic at hand, from what I heard it's a popular practice to port Sony apps to all Xperia phones as well as other phones. So if you go to the S4 forums you should be able to find the small apps as well as the album app, along with instructions on how to install them correctly. Good luck man, and don't be sad, the S4 is a bit better than the ZL anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found a bundle of Xperia apps and flashed them, and I discovered the apps couldn't start without Xperia Home enabled and running. Needless to say, it didn't run well competing with Samsung's Touchwiz. Touchwiz can't be stopped or shut down. Most of the Xperia stuff didn't last a reboot. I couldn't get Walkman to run at all.
S4 may be a slightly better platform. It's got a better camera, for one. However, the better user experience goes to Xperia. Walkman's a better music app in every way that's important. Small apps are useful, especially screenshot for me. Album widget is irreplaceable. Now I've got 2 competing music apps, Adapt sound which breaks everything, 2 competing alarm clocks, and of course the one I don't want is the one I can't stop...
It was easy to root,though, to its credit.
Might just get a Z2 and give this one to my wife. Are those easy to root? Z2's, I mean?

Dr_SUSE said:
I found a bundle of Xperia apps and flashed them, and I discovered the apps couldn't start without Xperia Home enabled and running. Needless to say, it didn't run well competing with Samsung's Touchwiz. Touchwiz can't be stopped or shut down. Most of the Xperia stuff didn't last a reboot. I couldn't get Walkman to run at all.
S4 may be a slightly better platform. It's got a better camera, for one. However, the better user experience goes to Xperia. Walkman's a better music app in every way that's important. Small apps are useful, especially screenshot for me. Album widget is irreplaceable. Now I've got 2 competing music apps, Adapt sound which breaks everything, 2 competing alarm clocks, and of course the one I don't want is the one I can't stop...
It was easy to root,though, to its credit.
Might just get a Z2 and give this one to my wife. Are those easy to root? Z2's, I mean?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, that's a shame and kinda weird. I mean porting should imply that they have been modified to actually run on the device.
The Z2 is easy to root with towelroot or the Z2 root deamon we also used to root our ZL. Then again, everything is easy to root with towelroot.
The best music app is PowerAmp, Walkman kinda sucks when compared to that.
Here are the S4 forums, pick which model you have and see if they have properly ported Xperia apps.

Really confused about this phone

I just got this phone today (I live in Thailand if that matters). I have the 64GB version. I have had Sony, Samsung, Motorola phones in the past and that is what I am used to. So first thing:
How do I change the home launcher? I don't see any setting for it in the settings menu. I can open up Themer (which I downloaded) and it will open up but as soon as I go to any other app, it will go back to the original homescreen.
Why is there no app drawer?
Why is the phone asking me to accept terms (which says **** like honor the Chinese constitution) and connect to the internet just to view photos in my album? I can't think of any reason that a photo album would need to connect to the internet unless it's going to upload my photos somewhere which I obviously don't want. So I seemingly cannot even view photos on this phone unless I can download something else to take care of it.
I looked at the rooting section for this phone and it seems that all of them currently have issues. Is there no way to just get plain ole vanilla android on this phone? I have never rooted a phone before and the thought is a bit scary to me because it seems like most of the instructions are written for people who already know how to do that type of thing. I went to the Cyanogenmod website and they didn't have one for this phone. Are there no alternatives? I will gladly pay for something like this. I don't want all this Mi stuff on my phone.
Sorry if I sound... whatever, I am just a bit flustered with all of this. The hardware seems nice but the software is utter ****. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

theusedversion said:
I just got this phone today (I live in Thailand if that matters). I have the 64GB version. I have had Sony, Samsung, Motorola phones in the past and that is what I am used to. So first thing:
How do I change the home launcher? I don't see any setting for it in the settings menu. I can open up Themer (which I downloaded) and it will open up but as soon as I go to any other app, it will go back to the original homescreen.
Why is there no app drawer?
Why is the phone asking me to accept terms (which says **** like honor the Chinese constitution) and connect to the internet just to view photos in my album? I can't think of any reason that a photo album would need to connect to the internet unless it's going to upload my photos somewhere which I obviously don't want. So I seemingly cannot even view photos on this phone unless I can download something else to take care of it.
I looked at the rooting section for this phone and it seems that all of them currently have issues. Is there no way to just get plain ole vanilla android on this phone? I have never rooted a phone before and the thought is a bit scary to me because it seems like most of the instructions are written for people who already know how to do that type of thing. I went to the Cyanogenmod website and they didn't have one for this phone. Are there no alternatives? I will gladly pay for something like this. I don't want all this Mi stuff on my phone.
Sorry if I sound... whatever, I am just a bit flustered with all of this. The hardware seems nice but the software is utter ****. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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Click to collapse
Where did you purchase this Phone? From Chinese website? Does it have Google Playstore? If yes then
1) If you just want to change the Home Launcher then install your desired Launcher from Playstore and goto settings-> Installed Apps-> Defaults and set the Downloaded Launcher from there.
2) The Default Launcher on the phone is MIUI Launcher which doesn't have app drawer like iPhone and some other chinese UI.
3) There is unofficial CyanogenMod and some other custom ROMs but there are some problems with each of them like Video recording not working, if working then Audio not being recorded in them. 3G network issues and so on. The process of flashing a custom rom or rooting is little bit tedious and I'd not suggest you in this stage.
Better is to download a desired launcher from Playstore (if you have it) else sideloading and hiding the apps which you don't want to see.

Also note on official Miui ROM you're able to uninstall a bunch of stock apps too.
I'd recommend read up to unlock boot loader. It's a minor project getting this device where you want it, but the awesome battery life and screen size makes your effort worth the time.
Pls also visit official Miui forums there's a wealth of info there. ? ?
Sent from my MI MAX using Tapatalk

paarkhi said:
Where did you purchase this Phone? From Chinese website? Does it have Google Playstore? If yes then
1) If you just want to change the Home Launcher then install your desired Launcher from Playstore and goto settings-> Installed Apps-> Defaults and set the Downloaded Launcher from there.
2) The Default Launcher on the phone is MIUI Launcher which doesn't have app drawer like iPhone and some other chinese UI.
3) There is unofficial CyanogenMod and some other custom ROMs but there are some problems with each of them like Video recording not working, if working then Audio not being recorded in them. 3G network issues and so on. The process of flashing a custom rom or rooting is little bit tedious and I'd not suggest you in this stage.
Better is to download a desired launcher from Playstore (if you have it) else sideloading and hiding the apps which you don't want to see.
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Click to collapse
OMG, thank you so much for the home launcher tip. That solved the biggest issue I had. My Xperia Z2 had a home launcher setting in the main settings menu. I never would have guessed to look there. Thank you so much. I switched all the default apps to what I wanted and this is already a million times better. And yes, I bought it from a reputable retailer here in Bangkok so I think it's legit. Had Play store on it and everything.

badrsj said:
Also note on official Miui ROM you're able to uninstall a bunch of stock apps too.
I'd recommend read up to unlock boot loader. It's a minor project getting this device where you want it, but the awesome battery life and screen size makes your effort worth the time.
Pls also visit official Miui forums there's a wealth of info there.
Sent from my MI MAX using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I will look into it. Cheers.

I've had the same feeling since my first Mi phone, the Redmi Note 3G. They make some really great & quality hardware capable of very good performances & end up great value for money if you know your way around. But like you felt MIUI is complete horse arse' output these days. It used to be great around version 4 or even upto 5 but then its been downhill since. My suggestion is unlock, install twrp, then you have 2 options
If you
1. want VoLTE then install sMIUI 8.0.1.0 from xiaomi.eu
2. can get by without VoLTE(either not using it at all or by using it through a MiFi modem which some carriers provide in many places/countries now) then install RR5.7.3(thanks to people like @ajsmsg78) which I found to be the most stable with the least issues so far for everyday use. Please thank the devs.
Not that the other like CM13, Mokee, etc are bad but there are issues here & there which prevent me from using it as a daily driver. I'd suggest you take a nandroid backup of all these when you try them each.
If you need more help, drop me a PM. I can help anytime with an hours notice AFAIK.
CAUTION: Read the unlocking & custom ROM/recovery guides 10-20 times so that you've almost memorised every detail if you are a newbie otherwise, especially for phones which have a non-removable battery, you'll end up regretting something later & end up kicking yourself. DO NOT SKIMP ON READING IT AGAIN & AGAIN OR SKIP STEPS else YOU"LL PAY FOR IT LATER.

To unlock the bootloader, you must ask permission from xiaomi. This takes a few days to process. You can read how to do this on en.miui.com forum. Once you have unlocked the bootloader, things will be much easier.
If the "reputable" dealer in Bangkok is Lazada, then you have probably got a patched ROM from China. You can check this by version number.

Parmo100 said:
To unlock the bootloader, you must ask permission from xiaomi. This takes a few days to process. You can read how to do this on en.miui.com forum..
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I've spent 6 hours searching that f***ng forum and I can't find a thing about unlock the Mi Max. Maybe I'm an idiot or maybe you're a genius, who knows.

Taxidermista said:
I've spent 6 hours searching that f***ng forum and I can't find a thing about unlock the Mi Max. Maybe I'm an idiot or maybe you're a genius, who knows.
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Click to collapse
chill bro here is the link : en(dot)miui.com/thread-327459-1-(dot)html
replace (dot) with the symbol(.)
a word of advice stemming frm my experience,when u enter the phone number in application be sure to enter the same number which ur going to use in the device,and even after recieving the approval sms u might have to give it a few tries before it actually unlocks,(i had to wait 3 days for the approval sms,after recieving the sms tried for 3 days until it actually unlocked, ur mileage may vary)all the best,hope u get unlocked soon

I Googled "xiaomi mi max Unlock bootloader" and got this within 10 seconds :-
http://en.miui.com/thread-202290-1-1.html
Take care that you are logged into xiaomi account and the phone number as mentioned above, if you use phone number as your user name.
That's the only possible error. My permission from xiaomi took only 4 days. Once you unlock the bootloader, things are very easy. Remember to unpack all the zip files!

It took me 2 weeks to get an unlock code the Redmi Note 3 which uses similar internals to the Mi Max. Once I got unlock permission, I had no problems unlocking the phone using the MiFlash Unlock program in Windows. I've unlocked it a few times when I was switching back and forth between MIUI and CM.
And you're right, MIUI is a donkey's behind when it comes to slowing the phone down and doing weird things in the background. I'd recommend rooting the phone, running OS Monitor to check outbound traffic and installing Afwall to stop MIUI from phoning home. I replaced most of the stock system apps with open source equivalents and I allowed Internet access for only a few apps. Bad enough that Google slurps your data, it's even worse to have eyes in China tracking your every online move too.

[request] Google Phone App for XZ Premium

I really like the default apps from Google and replaced everything I could with them, but the Play Store won't let me download the phone app and if I get the apk directly the installation always fails. Could anyone port the app over so I could use it instead of the Xperia phone app since that made some weird design choices and I would prefer the Google solution. Thanks in advance.

https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-google-dialer-t3557412/page83

exvargos said:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-google-dialer-t3557412/page83
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Many function doesn't work on this modded dialer.
New dialer is avaible only when you have root and copy dialer files to system apps.
You must waiting for DRM and root. Better install version non Nexus from apkmirror.
https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/google-phone/google-phone-7-0-140861421-nonnexus-release/

I'm not sure where I got mine, there is an old version you can download that works perfectly. Nearby features and caller ID.

Loaded the nonnexus version, works just fine. Thank you very much.

If you want basically the same features and the ability to have a dark/black theme...then use ZENui dialer and contacts and black theme all from the play store. Works great.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.asus.contacts.theme.dark
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.asus.contacts

I had some non nexus version installed over my sony xperia x compact, and suddenly i got updated to version "google phone 14.0.176716531" 0_o
But in this version speed dial doesnt work well, so i was searching a little and found there is also newer version 15.0.179075669
apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/google-phone/google-phone-15-0-179075669-release/#description
And its working without any problem on xperia x compact. Don't have to mod anything, just install and thats all