How to Get rid of the bloatware?

[jungleexplorer]

I think "NEXUS" was the key word there too.

So BG260. Why nexus?

 

[jungleexplorer]

As the Galaxy S5 approaches its 3rd birthday and Samsung and carriers end their support with Marshmallow and owners are coming to the end of their contracts, we are seeing a lot of pre-owned S5's available. These Samsung Galaxy S5 phones can prove to be an excellent bargain for those who wish to root them and install the latest, fast, debloated, custom ROMs for Android 7.0, Nougat, and receive ongoing Google security patches every month. These will continue, in my experience, to be updated for another 2 years or even longer. Infact, I have a 5 year old Galaxy S2 that is still being updated.

However, for one model, the carrier branded AT&T, G900A, it is the end of the road I am afraid, in terms of support from its carrier and the ability to root it, debloat and update it. This was always going to be the case, since I tried to warn readers, 2 years ago, about this model's shortcomings, in #1.6 of 42 Galaxy S5 models - Dummies Guide.

What AT&T, G900A, owners have now, is as good as it gets.

I don't have the G900A. I have the G870A. What about it?

 

[ironass]

Same thing applies. Both are AT&T models. The Active was released a month after the regular S5. In fact, AT&T were the only one's to release the G870A.

(Have amended my previous post )

 

[jungleexplorer]

Same thing applies. Both are AT&T models. The Active was released a month after the regular S5. In fact, AT&T were the only one's to release the G870A.

(Have amended my previous post )

Okay thanks. Well, I can live with it. It seems to be doing better now that all the updates have been installed and I have disabled all the bloatware.

This S5, like my Z3 also has bad reception. There has to be a reason for it. Why would my older phones have great reception while newer model phones have bad reception?

 

[ironass]

If you go to... Settings > About phone > SIM or SIM Status > it should tell you what your signal strength is in -dBm and asu. There should be a similar setting on the Z3. This would allow you to directly compare the 2 signals as signal bars on phones are totally meaningless. Alternatively, you can install Speed Test & 3G 4G WiFi Maps, free from the Play Store, on both phones and see what the -dBm is on them, amongst a lot of other useful information regarding signals.

 

[jungleexplorer]

I know about the signal bar. That is not what I am talking about. Here are some examples of the signal strength of my phones in the same location.

Sony Xperia V

Sony Xperia Z3

Samsung S5

Now I know what you are going to say. That both the Z3 and S5 were connected to a 4G LTE tower and that V is connected to a 3G or HSPA+ tower. But when I switch the settings of the Z3 to 3G only, I still don't get the same signla strength as the V.

This is the Z3 on HSPA+ in the same location as the V

I can find no way to switch the S5 to 3G in the settings so I can't show you a picture

 

[ironass]

Seem to be missing the Xperia V and S5 screenshots in your previous post jungleexplorer. Are all these phones on the AT&T network?

 

[plnelson]

Kim Jong-un, Supreme Leader of North Korea, wants the same totalitarian control over his people that AT&T has over its customers.

Don't be melodramatic. No one threatens your life or family if you don't use ATT. There are plenty of alternatives that everyone is free to choose among. The OP freely chose to buy an ATT phone.

 

[jungleexplorer]

Seem to be missing the Xperia V and S5 screenshots in your previous post jungleexplorer. Are all these phones on the AT&T network?

Okay, I think I fixed it. Yes, all the phones are on At&t. I am just switching my sims out between them. What I am doing to get these pics is, take the sims out and put it in one phone, start it up, run the LTE Discovery app, take a screenshot, and then switch the sims to the next phone and repeat. So everything is equal.

Just in you still can't see the pictures, here are the stats.

Sony V
89.0 DBm on HSPA+

Sony Z3
118.0 DBm on LTE

Galaxy S5
115.0 DBm on LTE

Sony z3 (Set to 3G only)
103.0 DBm on HSPA

 

[ironass]

Don't be melodramatic. No one threatens your life or family if you don't use ATT. There are plenty of alternatives that everyone is free to choose among. The OP freely chose to buy an ATT phone.

What happens if AT&T is the only signal you can receive in your area. Why do AT&T feel the need to mega lock down their bootloaders to prevent rooting and expand their /system partition by 1.5GB to include more bloatware than any other phone on the planet. Not to mention, that if you take one of their phones to another network, you don't get any further updates from them. An AT&T phone bears as much resemblance to a normal Samsung phone, as a camel does to a horse.

Okay, I think I fixed it. Yes, all the phones are on At&t. I am just switching my sims out between them. What I am doing to get these pics is, take the sims out and put it in one phone, start it up, run the LTE Discovery app, take a screenshot, and then switch the sims to the next phone and repeat. So everything is equal.

Just in you still can't see the pictures, here are the stats.

Sony V
89.0 DBm on HSPA+

Sony Z3
118.0 DBm on LTE

Galaxy S5
115.0 DBm on LTE

Sony z3 (Set to 3G only)
103.0 DBm on HSPA

Hardly any difference worth mentioning between the 2 LTE phones, Z3 & S5. The big difference is the Sony V and Z3, although I note that Sony V is on HSPA+ and not just HSPA.

 

[jungleexplorer]

But that is what I am talking about. It does not matter where I go, I never get or got good signal with he S5 or the Z3, but I always had great signal with my old V. Is it just that they have weak antennas, or is something else to blame?

 

[ironass]

Two different technologies and types of signal bands. HSPA & HSPA+ are 3G technology and LTE is 4G. See...

3G vs. 4G: What's the Difference?

Try running Speedtest.net and see what your speeds are on HSPA/+ and LTE.

 

[jungleexplorer]

I understand the differences from 3G and 4G. But look at the signal strength of the V vs the Z3 on 3G. I know one says HSPA and the other HSPA+, but if you look at the LAC, CID and RNC numbers you will see that they are the same, but yet the Z3 has significantly less signal strength. It just seems strange to me that newer phones tend to have a harder time getting good signal strength. Even when I am in a major city where you know there is the best signal strength, I find little or no signal on my S5, in places where I never had signal issues with the V. It just seems to me that since a smartphone is pretty much a paperweight without mobile data, that the manufacturers would have made good antennas and reception a central focal point of newer phones. Again, I am going to reiterate, I am talking about areas that I have lived for years and know for a fact there is great signal available.


The V

The Z3

 

[AZgl1500]

I understand the differences from 3G and 4G. But look at the signal strength of the V vs the Z3 on 3G. I know one says HSPA and the other HSPA+, but if you look at the LAC, CID and RNC numbers you will see that they are the same, but yet the Z3 has significantly less signal strength. It just seems strange to me that newer phones tend to have a harder time getting good signal strength. Even when I am in a major city where you know there is the best signal strength, I find little or no signal on my S5, in places where I never had signal issues with the V. It just seems to me that since a smartphone is pretty much a paperweight without mobile data, that the manufacturers would have made good antennas and reception a central focal point of newer phones. Again, I am going to reiterate, I am talking about areas that I have lived for years and know for a fact there is great signal available.

I had that same exact problem with my S5 and would be standing adjacent to friends with other phones and they would be getting Verizon LTE with ample signal strength to get some nice speed results on www.speedof.me

yet, my S5 and later, my Note 4 which was using the same identical SIM card, could not access LTE at all.

It was right after I finally found a Verizon user with LTE and I could not, that I went to a VZW retail store and told them what was going on. I did not even make it all the way thru the front door ( they greeted me by opening the door ) and the CS agent there popped up "oh, that is a bad SIM card, come on in, I can fix you right up"

Jeez, St. Marie, WTH didn't I ask about that 5 years before??? when LTE first became available... I was living in rural areas and just assumed that my area did not have LTE towers.. which in fact was true for 3 years.... but when I drove into a metro area, my phone still did not work...

it does now, and does a good job.

don'cha just love short and sweet answers?

 

[jungleexplorer]

I wish the problem was simple as that, but my Sims card is brand new. I just got it in September.

 

[Bg260]

So BG260. Why nexus?

Wow, I apologize, didn't realize this thread was still cooking. Nexus devices have some of the best, if not the best on-going support. The independent developers love Nexus because the factory images are available the Day of release. Unfortunately the Nexus line is at the end of the road.
The idea was to have a different OEM produce a Nexus every year. Believe it or not, Samsung even produced one. The first one I believe. There has also been HTC, Huawei, Motorola, Samsung, LG, ASUS even produce a 7" tablet (one of the best tablets ever made). Beware though, there are still carrier branded Nexus devices, but no Bootloaders on lock down.
If you want to get into flashing custom ROMS, a Nexus would be the best way to go.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Nexus

 

[jungleexplorer]

I am not into flashing roms. All I want is a phone that works fast and smoothly. I don't not like to tinker, I tinker because alomst every phone I have owned has problems serious enough to push me to tinker with them. For me, the perfect phone would be a phone that came with nothing but a bare bones OS with all hardware drivers and let me choose what I wanted to instal. I am so tired of being dragged into this idea that smartphones are "FUN" and meant for "Games and Social Networking". What I want is a smartphone that is serious and reliable tool for work, without all the extra "FUN" crap.

 

[Bg260]

Hint: With a Nexus and a little know how, you can build your own personal ROM. I did, and I'm not overly smart.

 

[AZgl1500]

What I want is a smartphone that is serious and reliable tool for work, without all the extra "FUN" crap.

you and me are on the same page...

 

[jungleexplorer]

Here is an off subject question. Why is the battery life so bad on this S5 as compared to my Sony Z3? This thing burns through the battery even when in standby. For example. Yesterday I was out hunting deer on a stand. My battery was at 30% and dropping fast at around 4:00, so I put the phone into Ultra Power Saving mode. I did not use it after that. I got a deer around 5:00pm, got it home and proceed it and was done around 7:00. During this whole time, I did not touch my phone. After I washed up, I got my phone out and it was at 2% battery.

Now my Z3 on the other hand used almost no battery while in standby. Once I charged it to 100% before going to bed and then left it unplugged overnight, about 8 hours. When I checked it in the morning it was still at 99%. I could use my Z3 all day heavily and have battery to spare. On this S5 I have to charge it two to three times a day. It used 8% of its battery just typing this question.

 

[jungleexplorer]

Hint: With a Nexus and a little know how, you can build your own personal ROM. I did, and I'm not overly smart.

I will look into a Nexus when I get some money. Just bought a house and I am broke, broke ,broke at the moement.

 

[Bg260]

I know the feeling. Check out Swappa. It's the Android Enthusiasts' used device repository of choice.
My journey started when I bought a Verizon Galaxy S4. Bloated to the hilt. Bootloader on lock down. Rootable , but if you looked at it the wrong way it would soft-brick. Never again.

 

[jungleexplorer]

I know the feeling. Check out Swappa. It's the Android Enthusiasts' used device repository of choice.
My journey started when I bought a Verizon Galaxy S4. Bloated to the hilt. Bootloader on lock down. Rootable , but if you looked at it the wrong way it would soft-brick. Never again.

Just looked at some specs on some Nexus models. The 5X and the 6P seem like decent phones. I am not a big fan of phones without expandable storage and removable batteries. I guess Nexus is designed for b people who never leave the city. I on the other hand travel far and wide into many areas where no Internet exist. That might be a problem with the Nexus for me. Lack of these two options is one of the big reasons I hate iphones. I really wish android phones would stop trying to copy apple products. There are reasons android users don't buy iphones.

 

[philayl]

Hi jungleexplorer, have to agree with you on this, no replaceable battery, no phone. As you said why the manufacturers are trying to copy Apple I can't guess guess at, I tried one once, lasted all of ten days and shoved it on ebay as fast as I could, it felt as though Apple were looking over my shoulder all the time. It's just such a shame that Samsung seem to want to be Apple copies now, they were, in my opinion, one of the best phones on the market. Phil

 

[hiredgun]

Unfortunately the S5 Active, SM-G870A cannot be rooted on 5.0 and above. As @ironass mentioned, Package Disabler Pro is your best option.

I use this on my S5 and it works like a charm and is 100 percent safe too!!