G+_Erik Flees Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 Help an Android n00b out! I'm getting a hand-me-down Android Device (Droid Razr Max) and I want to run as close to native Android on it as possible. Can I do this with a simple launcher, or should I go ahead and root it outright? Not afraid of the process, just don't want to do more than is necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Elizabeth Whitmire Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 To get as close as possible to Android native, you want to root probably. The place to find resources is xda-developers.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Joseph Cappellino Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 There are things you can do without root: Calendar: Google Keyboard: Google Launcher: Soon to be Google or Nova/Apex SMS/MMS: Soon to be Hangouts or ChompSMS/Handcent Camera/Gallery: There is a downloadable version from the Google Play Edition One/S4 that works great, and also includes Photosphere. I haven't found a good replacement for Contacts/People, yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ned Jeffery Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 The things that you can't change without rooting are things like notification shade, settings, and the look and feel of menus and such. I find trying to do the faux native android thing can become really frustrating. Especially with little things like camera from the lockscreen. You might get something to work but it won't work seamlessly. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Dan Silvia Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Ok, is there a place I can find a stock android rom for my phone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ned Jeffery Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Dan Silvia technically no, only nexus devices get stock. But most roms on XDA are based on stock (with slight variations/additions). I'd go with AOKP or Cyanogen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Joseph Cappellino Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 A second for CyanogenMod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Dan Silvia Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 It does seem the most popular (just by how often I've heard the name). I will check it out. The phone should arrive tomorrow. Thanks for all the advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ned Jeffery Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Dan Silvia just because people talk about it a lot doesn't make it the best. Stable Cyanogen releases are generally pretty far behind because they do lots of optimisation. You will probably want to find a rom based on 4.3, as I found it to be much better than 4.2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ned Jeffery Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Dan Silvia but your mileage may vary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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