Help Way to remove ALL china stuff from phone

[Fredtt686]

I got a phone which is SUGAR Y8 MAX. But I later realized that there's full of China pre-installed apps....
I'm here to declare, I really don't want to stir up disputes. Just because I had some very depressing experiences from those China programs.
Until now, I still couldn't put up with those apps.
I must find a way to clean up those stuff which makes me scare. But I have no idea where should I modify or how many stuff I have to modify.
Is there anyone who know how to get rid from those stuff ? Please help
(。•́︿•̀。)
P.S. before modifying I should find a way to get root access in order to copy the image from the needed partition. I tried TWRP but I haven't found a correct image. Maybe there's other way?

 

[Hadron]

It's not just that you need root access to make a backup. I assume these things are pre-installed to the system partition, and hence you would need root in order to remove them (or a custom ROM which does not contain them, but ROMs are device-specific and I don't know what the chances are of finding such a ROM for an essentially unknown Chinese phone).

Really the key is a custom recovery (TWRP or one of the others), since that would allow you to make a backup of the current ROM (in case you break something) and allow you to root the device and hence remove the stuff you don't want. But like ROMs, custom recoveries have to be built for the particular model of device, and installing or using one that was built for a different model is likely to brick your phone. And there is the same problem of whether anyone will have made one for this particular model. Plus of course you need to be able to install it: is the bootloader locked, and if it is is it unlockable?

Phones running old versions of Android might be rootable through one of those old "one-click root" apps, though many of those were a bit shady themselves, i.e. tended to install stuff that most people wouldn't want if they knew what it was. If your phone is running Android 4 or 5 that might give you the ability to remove this stuff, but with care: you can back up system apps using Titanium Backup if you have root, but if you break something that stops the phone booting that won't help you. If you don't have a custom recovery (and haven't used one to back up the ROM) you fiddle with the system software at your own risk: if you get it wrong you might be forced to reflash to the original software, assuming that you can find that somewhere.

The truth is that if you are concerned with things like this the best thing is not to buy Chinese import phones like this in the first place. They may be cheap, but this is the price you pay instead.

 

[Fredtt686]

It's not just that you need root access to make a backup. I assume these things are pre-installed to the system partition, and hence you would need root in order to remove them (or a custom ROM which does not contain them, but ROMs are device-specific and I don't know what the chances are of finding such a ROM for an essentially unknown Chinese phone).

Really the key is a custom recovery (TWRP or one of the others), since that would allow you to make a backup of the current ROM (in case you break something) and allow you to root the device and hence remove the stuff you don't want. But like ROMs, custom recoveries have to be built for the particular model of device, and installing or using one that was built for a different model is likely to brick your phone. And there is the same problem of whether anyone will have made one for this particular model. Plus of course you need to be able to install it: is the bootloader locked, and if it is is it unlockable?

Phones running old versions of Android might be rootable through one of those old "one-click root" apps, though many of those were a bit shady themselves, i.e. tended to install stuff that most people wouldn't want if they knew what it was. If your phone is running Android 4 or 5 that might give you the ability to remove this stuff, but with care: you can back up system apps using Titanium Backup if you have root, but if you break something that stops the phone booting that won't help you. If you don't have a custom recovery (and haven't used one to back up the ROM) you fiddle with the system software at your own risk: if you get it wrong you might be forced to reflash to the original software, assuming that you can find that somewhere.

The truth is that if you are concerned with things like this the best thing is not to buy Chinese import phones like this in the first place. They may be cheap, but this is the price you pay instead.

It's not just that you need root access to make a backup. I assume these things are pre-installed to the system partition, and hence you would need root in order to remove them (or a custom ROM which does not contain them, but ROMs are device-specific and I don't know what the chances are of finding such a ROM for an essentially unknown Chinese phone).

Really the key is a custom recovery (TWRP or one of the others), since that would allow you to make a backup of the current ROM (in case you break something) and allow you to root the device and hence remove the stuff you don't want. But like ROMs, custom recoveries have to be built for the particular model of device, and installing or using one that was built for a different model is likely to brick your phone. And there is the same problem of whether anyone will have made one for this particular model. Plus of course you need to be able to install it: is the bootloader locked, and if it is is it unlockable?

Phones running old versions of Android might be rootable through one of those old "one-click root" apps, though many of those were a bit shady themselves, i.e. tended to install stuff that most people wouldn't want if they knew what it was. If your phone is running Android 4 or 5 that might give you the ability to remove this stuff, but with care: you can back up system apps using Titanium Backup if you have root, but if you break something that stops the phone booting that won't help you. If you don't have a custom recovery (and haven't used one to back up the ROM) you fiddle with the system software at your own risk: if you get it wrong you might be forced to reflash to the original software, assuming that you can find that somewhere.

The truth is that if you are concerned with things like this the best thing is not to buy Chinese import phones like this in the first place. They may be cheap, but this is the price you pay instead.

It's not just that you need root access to make a backup. I assume these things are pre-installed to the system partition, and hence you would need root in order to remove them (or a custom ROM which does not contain them, but ROMs are device-specific and I don't know what the chances are of finding such a ROM for an essentially unknown Chinese phone).

Really the key is a custom recovery (TWRP or one of the others), since that would allow you to make a backup of the current ROM (in case you break something) and allow you to root the device and hence remove the stuff you don't want. But like ROMs, custom recoveries have to be built for the particular model of device, and installing or using one that was built for a different model is likely to brick your phone. And there is the same problem of whether anyone will have made one for this particular model. Plus of course you need to be able to install it: is the bootloader locked, and if it is is it unlockable?

Phones running old versions of Android might be rootable through one of those old "one-click root" apps, though many of those were a bit shady themselves, i.e. tended to install stuff that most people wouldn't want if they knew what it was. If your phone is running Android 4 or 5 that might give you the ability to remove this stuff, but with care: you can back up system apps using Titanium Backup if you have root, but if you break something that stops the phone booting that won't help you. If you don't have a custom recovery (and haven't used one to back up the ROM) you fiddle with the system software at your own risk: if you get it wrong you might be forced to reflash to the original software, assuming that you can find that somewhere.

The truth is that if you are concerned with things like this the best thing is not to buy Chinese import phones like this in the first place. They may be cheap, but this is the price you pay instead.

I got it. Now there's only two questions I have to solve. One is how I'm gonna find a correct or similar recovery image in order to get the stock ROM. The other is where I have to work on cleaning those stuff. Thanks.

 

[mikedt]

I got it. Now there's only two questions I have to solve. One is how I'm gonna find a correct or similar recovery image in order to get the stock ROM. The other is where I have to work on cleaning those stuff. Thanks.

Well basically you don't, not with this thing.

NO devs = NO fun.

To get a usable custom ROM with root requires an active custom developer community, and that doesn't exist for the Sugar Y8 Max. And there's no manufacturer support either for stock ROMs, as is often the case with off-brand phones sold cheap on-line. If you only just bought it, perhaps return it for a refund?

If you want an Android phone that's truly free of Chinese stuff, suggest you get a Google Nexus series phone, although they're probably made in China, like everything else.

 

[Fredtt686]

Well basically you don't, not with this thing.

NO devs = NO fun.

To get a usable custom ROM with root requires an active custom developer community, and that doesn't exist for the Sugar Y8 Max. And there's no manufacturer support either for stock ROMs, as is often the case with off-brand phones sold cheap on-line. If you only just bought it, perhaps return it for a refund?

If you want an Android phone that's truly free of Chinese stuff, suggest you get a Google Nexus series phone, although they're probably made in China, like everything else.

Ok... that means I shouldn't be able to find a custom ROM because it requires a development group and if I do this by myself, it will be extremely difficult....〒▽〒
But I still can export the stock ROM for modifying, I guess...
Funny fact: I actually just saw 12 people who are using Sugar phone. XD
By the way I've already got a normal phone which is clear, I checked.
Anyway, let's say I decided to make the custom ROM in the end. Is that means I have to be ready for spending lots of time on it ,even I have a group? (To be honest, I'm actually a member of a tiny developer group) And how I'm gonna do the clean up ?

 

[lunatic59]

One one hand, if all you want is a removal of the China-based apps, all you have to do is remove them from the build, assuming you have enough developer knowledge to do this. My question is why on earth would you want to put possibly hundreds of hours of work into a cheap throw-away phone when you can pick up a new (ish) phone from Walmart or Target for $150, or used for less?

 

[Fredtt686]

One one hand, if all you want is a removal of the China-based apps, all you have to do is remove them from the build, assuming you have enough developer knowledge to do this. My question is why on earth would you want to put possibly hundreds of hours of work into a cheap throw-away phone when you can pick up a new (ish) phone from Walmart or Target for $150, or used for less?

1.You're right. XD I think my habit of saving and fixing something useful is from my family.
2. Is that means I only have to remove those unnecessary apps from /system? Or there's actually something else?(My suspicion is happening again)

 

[lunatic59]

Removing the "unnecessary" apps is only half the battle. Many times these phones are actively blocking anything Google which will make adding useful apps a bit of a problem. If your main issue is privacy, then you might as well bury the thing in your back yard as there's probably so much baked into the OS that disabling or removing it might stop the data mining, but it will also render the phone virtually useless.

That said, I have a Chinese phone that I use for a test platform and/or beater, but I was lucky enough to get one that had a LineageOS rom available for it, so the original OS is long gone.

 

[Fredtt686]

Removing the "unnecessary" apps is only half the battle. Many times these phones are actively blocking anything Google which will make adding useful apps a bit of a problem. If your main issue is privacy, then you might as well bury the thing in your back yard as there's probably so much baked into the OS that disabling or removing it might stop the data mining, but it will also render the phone virtually useless.

That said, I have a Chinese phone that I use for a test platform and/or beater, but I was lucky enough to get one that had a LineageOS rom available for it, so the original OS is long gone.

Is that really normal if I say I envy you :3?
This is quite informative. So you mean normally I not only have to remove those app but also check the Google services and something else to actually clean up them... got it.
I'm actually now thinking flashing a custom ROM from other pixel phone XD (maybe

 

[lunatic59]

You can't flash an image intended for one phone to another. They must be built specifically for that model or you could likely end up permanently bricking it.

 

[Brian706]

This was the only promising thing I could find for potential root; not sure if it works:

https://www.getdroidpro.com/root-sugar-y8-max-using-magisk/

 

[Fredtt686]

You can't flash an image intended for one phone to another. They must be built specifically for that model or you could likely end up permanently bricking it.

Well.. OK! Now I know where should I start and why I can't just flash ROM from other phone.
I believe it's gonna be a long fight but I guess I'll be ok
Anyway, thanks for letting me know what to do

 

[Fredtt686]

This was the only promising thing I could find for potential root; not sure if it works:

https://www.getdroidpro.com/root-sugar-y8-max-using-magisk/

I actually had a idea of running it. But I'm still wondering because my phone is running with qualcomm cpu, not mediatek cpu...
I don't know if it should work

 

[mikedt]

I actually had a idea of running it. But I'm still wondering because my phone is running with qualcomm cpu, not mediatek cpu...
I don't know if it should work

I don't know either...
It may work, it may not work, it may brick your phone.
Good luck!...Here be dragons!

This information from some blog is unproven AFAICT. Unless anyone else knows otherwise.

 

[Dannydet]

IMO, just throw out the device and look for something that developers have worked on.
Read up...
https://www.xda-developers.com/how-to-root/?amp

 

[Fredtt686]

I don't know either...
It may work, it may not work, it may brick your phone.
Good luck!...Here be dragons!

This information from some blog is unproven AFAICT. Unless anyone else knows otherwise.

Well.. thanks still. But I don't wanna brick my 8th phone since the method is for MediaTek (fake laugh to my phone )

 

[Fredtt686]

IMO, just throw out the device and look for something that developers have worked on.
Read up...
https://www.xda-developers.com/how-to-root/?amp

Good idea ! Thanks!