25
votes
Is it a good idea to force stop apps after using them?
TL;DR:
No, it's not a good or advisable idea.
Explanation and some background:
Force-stopping apps is not intended for "routine use", but for "emergency purposes" (eg. if an app runs out of control ...
- 91.3k
15
votes
Accepted
TWRP failed to install ZIP for Lineage 16 Samsung Galaxy Note 2 GT-N7100 (t03g)
in TWRP go to advanced > terminal, then create /cache/recovery with
mkdir /cache/recovery
solved the problem for me
- 166
9
votes
System partition locked to read-only in Android 10
Android 10 prevents apps or pretty much anything from mounting system as R/W. Yes, even if you are rooted.
Top John Wu, the creator of Magisk has covered this in a series of tweets. I will link them ...
- 2,475
8
votes
Installing LineageOS OTA update from the recovery manually
If the auto install doesn't work you can go to /data/lineageos_updates and install the update manually.
Remember to wipe dalvik cache after flash ends.
Updated (thanks to Sup3rHugh): LOS changed the ...
- 181
8
votes
Why do I need to clean flash between different Android versions on custom ROMs but not on OEM updates?
As you already wrote, it is only "recommended to perform a clean flash" - not necessary.
The reason for this recommendation is simple: Custom ROM authors usually own only one or two devices ...
- 21.7k
7
votes
Accepted
If I buy an Android phone today and want security updates for as long as possible, how should I choose a phone? I'm willing to use custom ROMs.
The Dutch consumer organization retests their smartphones periodically for updates: https://www.consumentenbond.nl/acties/updaten/ruim-een-derde-smartphones-heeft-sterk-verouderde-veiligheidsupdate
...
- 186
7
votes
Accepted
Where to get old LineageOS ROMs?
To answer the question (getting old builds) directly - there are people who foresaw the need and stashed some of the builds elsewhere: 1, 2.
As for the reason to it, it's right in their FAQ. The main ...
- 9,617
7
votes
How to build LineageOS for a device without official support?
Firstly you need to setup the build environment. You should be running Ubuntu 18.04. LineageOS build guide for a random device can be used as a reference. Reproducing the steps here:
Install the ...
- 811
6
votes
Accepted
Android Verified Boot and generation of vbmeta image
In this page there is a section called 'Disabling verified boot' that mentions a commands to create an empty vbmeta.img that can be used to disable verified boot : https://wiki.postmarketos.org/wiki/...
- 178
5
votes
Accepted
Building ROMs & Kernels?
1) Building in Android could mean:
- building a deliverable in the android build tree
- building a deliverable on an android platform having build tools installed
- building the AOSP (Android ...
- 131
5
votes
Accepted
Explain "Don't Downgrade!" warnings when flashing stock firmware
Bootloader itself will get updated with some firmware updates. Take the Galaxy S6 as an example - the firmware G920FXXU4DPJN comes with bootloader level 4, while G920FXXU5EQF1 comes with bootloader ...
- 9,617
5
votes
Accepted
Cheating KNOX by cracking stock ROM certificate
If it was that simple it would have been broken long back. Knox is almost fool proof and prevents any such attempts
Samsung KNOX addresses security using a comprehensive, hardware-rooted trusted
...
- 41.3k
4
votes
Accepted
How Do Custom Support So Many Phones?
CyanogenMod/LineageOS and other custom ROMs can't run on every device either. They have different versions for different devices. For example check this list for the newest LineageOS-compatible ...
- 156
4
votes
Can applications predinstalled in system/priv-app be updated via Play Store?
If the "pre-installed app" uses the same signature as the one on Google Play, it of course can be updated that way – same as e.g. Google Maps and other pre-installed stuff is.
Note that, however, ...
- 91.3k
4
votes
What are the good practices of backing up of ROM's using TWRP if I change ROM's often
Without getting into specifics of which ROM you are currently using and which one you want to flash, TWRP isn't a good idea. Reasons :
TWRP is used to make a nandroid image and as you can see from ...
- 41.3k
4
votes
Accepted
Verifying a (custom) ROM signature
In order to verify the signature of a ROM ZIP file on a PC, two things are required:
The public key from the ROM creator (can be extracted from /system/etc/security/otacerts.zip if the creator is the ...
- 21.2k
4
votes
Accepted
Salvage Android Phone as Linux-Server (radio/wifi hardware broken)
I solved by myself so I'm sharing so it might be useful for others.
Deeper disable wifi/radio = recompile android Linux Kernel disabling wifi/radio drivers
First I tested the Lineage OS custom ROM for ...
- 218
3
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to root directly custom rom?
MI 5C is a fairly new phone and with Xiaomi's in-house SoC (harder to develop for than established ones like Snapdragon), therefore custom ROMs are expected to come out later and in fewer quantities.
...
- 9,617
3
votes
Accepted
Is a ROMs data (/data) from Nougat compatible with MM?
From one of my earlier answers:
Older version of an app might not recognize the data created by the newer version of the same app. Although user apps are rarely affected, crucial system apps might ...
- 9,617
3
votes
If I buy an Android phone today and want security updates for as long as possible, how should I choose a phone? I'm willing to use custom ROMs.
Other answers mention that aftermarket distributions can provide you with security updates. This is only true to some degree. They usually integrate low level-code (proprietary blobs) from the ...
- 131
3
votes
Accepted
What happens if vendor partition is corrupted?
/vendor is sister partition of /system on Android devices which holds system applications and libraries that do not have source code available on AOSP but added by vendors (OEM's). It also contains ...
- 21.2k
3
votes
Is it possible to flash a custom ROM without a custom recovery image?
Yes it is possible to flash images via Fastboot ?
With an unlocked bootloader you should be able to flash some partitions without overwriting the stock recovery, however each system usually requires ...
- 1,590
3
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to flash a custom ROM without a custom recovery image?
This question isn't as straightforward as it seems. The answer really depends on the contents of the custom ROM zip (assuming it comes in zip format) that you're trying to flash.
Most custom ROMs are ...
3
votes
How to recover data when everything is locked (FRP, OEM)
Data recovery and Screen lock by-pass are two different things. Both should be impossible due to security reasons.
Android provides official unlock solution via a Google account (not anymore). A ...
- 4,259
3
votes
Accepted
Is the root file different if a custom rom is installed?
basically root method is pretty generic. the leading tools are
Magisk
SuperSU
phh's SuperUser
AddonSU
in that the order, where former one is recommended for all devices and ROMs while the last is ...
- 4,259
3
votes
Accepted
Why does GrapheneOS use signify instead of PGP to sign their releases (GPG, cryptographic signatures)?
Daniel Micay (Lead developer of GrapheneOS) decided to use signify instead of gpg because of many issues associated with gpg and the OpenPGP standard, including:
PGP Certificate Flooding attacks
gpg ...
- 494
2
votes
Accepted
Memory Release After Custom ROM Flash
Like what you said, wiping /data is equivalent to factory reset - you will lose installed apps, system settings, etc. - basically all you've done to the phone since the last reset - BUT minus internal ...
- 9,617
2
votes
Does the installation of the custom rom like "resurrection remix" need root?
In almost all cases: No.
Flashing a custom ROM is done in the recovery.
The recovery is independent from the system (which you can root) and thus no online/active system protection is present.
...
- 4,072
2
votes
Accepted
Changing custom ROM to another one or to stock rom
If you want to switch to other custom ROM just go to TWRP/CWM and perform the wipes and flash it, no need to install stock ROM. If you want to go to stock ROM than you'll need pc with software to ...
- 1,837
2
votes
How to add devices to the LineageOS github repo?
First, you need to visit the Community page of LineageOS, which will guide you on how to contribute to LineageOS. If you are a developer, then this page will send you to Gerrit to do online code ...
- 310
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible