[jaxter09098]

I'm not very familiar with the android OS and I already began hating Touchwiz shortly after getting my first android device, the S5.

I heard that there are many ways to avoid looking at the monstrosity, some of which are to install launchers. But I want a more permanent approach to this and I've come to the conclusion that "rooting" (whatever this is) is the best way to fix my problem.

I was just wondering if any of you could help me out here. I understand that rooting is basically granting yourself more control over your phone, but there are still some aspects to it which I am still unaware of.

1) What are custom ROMs?
2) Will rooting deter my chances of getting the latest android in that device?


All in all, what I really want is Touchwiz to go to ******* hell. So I was wondering what the easiest way to get stock android is on a Samsung phone, without using a launcher.

[Golfdriver97]

Welcome to the forums.

First off, rooting a device is like getting system administrator on a Windows PC. You are then allowed to make changes (both good and bad) to the device.

1. Custom ROMs: Let's back up a few steps. A ROM is a system image. You don't like Samsung's version of the Android OS. HTC has their own called Sense, and LG has a version, etc... The most basic you can get is what is commonly called 'Vanilla', or what is seen on a Nexus, or to a smaller extent, the Moto X. The Android Open Source Project (AOSP) is what allows developers to make their own ROMs. So, to get an AOSP ROM for an S5, it would look like you have a Nexus on your Galaxy. Common versions of AOSP ROMs are: CyanogenMod, CarbonROM, Liquidsmooth, and AOKP.

1a. There are also custom ROMs that are built off of stock. For instance, when I had my S3, there was a ROM called MOAR (Mother of all ROMs), that was a version of TouchWiz (TW). This was a debloated versin of TW and had many modifications to it. So it looked like TW, but non of the garbage was included.

2. Loaded/trick question: Right now, I think the OS version is 4.4.2 for the S5. If you go to an ASOP, you will be bumped to at least 4.4.4, possibly even 5.0, and it will be much faster than Samsung will ever come out with. You will be responsible for updating the device OS yourself. If you go with a Custom Stock ROM, you will only be at the version of the OS that TW is on. So, if in, say, January, Samsung releases 4.4.4 for TW, a few weeks later the developers for TW ROMs will have them tweaked.

[Rukbat]

1) Installing a different launcher is as permanent as flashing a new ROM. You can go back to the stock launcher and you can flash the stock ROM.

2) Rooting doesn't change anything except things that need administrative access. TouchWiz will still be TouchWiz. You don't need to root the stock ROM to flash a new ROM - almost every custom ROM is already rooted. (It's the ROM that's rooted, not something else in the phone.) Rooting prevents an update from updating. Updates check a few things before proceeding - whether the phone is rooted, or there are signs it ever was (that stops the update cold), whether the ROM is stock (if not, it stops the update cold). Updating a non-stock ROM or a rooted phone with a stock update can brick the phone.

3) A custom ROM is anything from a ROM with a different launcher, to one that's been totally rewritten. It's like asking what a custom car is. Fuzzy dice on the mirror make it custom. So does putting in a larger engine, twin exhaust, positraction, a turbo and fancier sheet metal.

BTW, rooting or flashing a ROM void the warranty, even if the phone is 1 day old and the earphone jack breaks. And doing either one wrong, or with a bad download, can brick the phone.

Installing apps, which includes new launchers (TouchWiz is just the launcher, not the whole ROM), leaves you with a good warranty, and virtually no chance of bricking the phone. (Someone could write an app that would do some damage - but it would probably have to run on a rooted phone.)

Golfdriver, if it's Samsung, and on AT&T or Verizon, and 4.3 or later, the bootloader can't be unlocked, so the only custom ROMs are mods to the stock ROM. About as thrilling as orange juice at breakfast.

[Golfdriver97]

Golfdriver, if it's Samsung, and on AT&T or Verizon, and 4.3 or later, the bootloader can't be unlocked, so the only custom ROMs are mods to the stock ROM. About as thrilling as orange juice at breakfast.

Good point. I keep forgetting about that.