Android Tablet OS/Customization Thread

[patseguin Global Moderator]

I decided to get a small Android tablet to have a little something different than iOS. I got the 2017 Samsung Galaxy A 8". Really nice little device. I am not a fan of the Touchwiz stuff though. The last Android tablet I had was the awesome Nexus 7 and I loved vanilla Android. Is it possible to install vanilla Android on a Samsung device? And can I install Oreo? Right now it is on Nougat 7.1.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

totally an option to install vanilla android.

 

the XDA forums are going to be your best friend for tutorials and available roms 

 

https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-a

[patseguin Global Moderator]

17 hours ago, Brandon H said:

totally an option to install vanilla android.

 

the XDA forums are going to be your best friend for tutorials and available roms 

 

https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-a

Thanks for that @Brandon H. Think it will perform better without the touch wiz garbage? I did try out a couple launchers last night - the Microsoft one and Nova and both improve the device quite a bit.

[dipsylalapo Supervisor]

3 minutes ago, patseguin said:

Thanks for that @Brandon H. Think it will perform better without the touch wiz garbage? I did try out a couple launchers last night - the Microsoft one and Nova and both improve the device quite a bit.

It's probably a combination of the lower spec hardware and TouchWiz. 

 

I think it's all now pretty painless to change over the ROM, give it a go and see how it feels. Worst case you revert back.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

yeah even in the latest versions TouchWiz is still garbage IMO and slows everything down

 

a custom ROM with possibly a custom Kernel as well will have that thing performing like a champ

[dipsylalapo Supervisor]

5 minutes ago, Brandon H said:

yeah even in the latest versions TouchWiz is still garbage IMO and slows everything down

 

a custom ROM with possibly a custom Kernel as well will have that thing performing like a champ

See I've heard (not used) otherwise. It's obviously nowhere near as good as stock but they've massively improved what once was the wart of the Samsung phones. 

[Brandon H Supervisor]

6 minutes ago, dipsylalapo said:

See I've heard (not used) otherwise. It's obviously nowhere near as good as stock but they've massively improved what once was the wart of the Samsung phones. 

and that's why I say IMO, I agree that it's improved but I still think personally that TouchWiz is one of the worst when it comes to the OEM skins.

[patseguin Global Moderator]

10 minutes ago, Brandon H said:

and that's why I say IMO, I agree that it's improved but I still think personally that TouchWiz is one of the worst when it comes to the OEM skins.

Yeah I liked everything about the device except for Touchwiz so that's what I want to get rid of asap. Performance is OK but I didn't expect a $200 tablet to perform like my iPad Pro anyways. If I could install Oreo on it and squeeze out some better performance, it would be great.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

3 minutes ago, patseguin said:

Yeah I liked everything about the device except for Touchwiz so that's what I want to get rid of asap. Performance is OK but I didn't expect a $200 tablet to perform like my iPad Pro anyways. If I could install Oreo on it and squeeze out some better performance, it would be great.

most are Nougat but i definitely saw some Oreo ROMS on XDA for the Tab A so you should be golden on that front.

 

for root/bootloader unlock:

https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-a/how-to/root-t3674409

 

unofficial Lineage build: https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-a/development/rom-lineageos-15-1-android-8-1-20171223-t3723952

[patseguin Global Moderator]

37 minutes ago, Brandon H said:

most are Nougat but i definitely saw some Oreo ROMS on XDA for the Tab A so you should be golden on that front.

 

for root/bootloader unlock:

https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-a/how-to/root-t3674409

 

unofficial Lineage build: https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-a/development/rom-lineageos-15-1-android-8-1-20171223-t3723952

What is LineageOS? Just the guy's name for a custom Oreo build or something? Sorry for noob questions, Android is still new to me.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

6 minutes ago, patseguin said:

What is LineageOS? Just the guy's name for a custom Oreo build or something? Sorry for noob questions, Android is still new to me.

LineageOS is the successor to CyanogenMOD
They're the most renowned community run customized AOSP build.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LineageOS

[techbeck]

Cant you just install a new launcher?  Would be easiest thing to do if you do not like TW.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

4 minutes ago, techbeck said:

Cant you just install a new launcher?  Would be easiest thing to do if you do not like TW.

yes but he wants Oreo which isn't officially available for the A tablet

 

LineageOS looks to be the only Oreo option right now for it.

[patseguin Global Moderator]

22 hours ago, Brandon H said:

yes but he wants Oreo which isn't officially available for the A tablet

 

LineageOS looks to be the only Oreo option right now for it.

I started reading up on Lineage but chickened out fir fear of bricking my tablet. I tried a whole bunch of launchers and Apex gives me a nice experience. I find the speed and responsiveness of the tablet a little lacking which is why I thought maybe a vanilla Android install might be a good idea.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

3 hours ago, patseguin said:

I started reading up on Lineage but chickened out fir fear of bricking my tablet. I tried a whole bunch of launchers and Apex gives me a nice experience. I find the speed and responsiveness of the tablet a little lacking which is why I thought maybe a vanilla Android install might be a good idea.

with the ODIN tool even bricking can be repaired from quite easily

 

I had the original Nexus 7 tablet which used the odin tool for flashing, it's easy to use and can get you out of soft bricks in a pinch.

 

check out the root link i posted above; if you're comfortable with those steps then you won't have any problem

 

https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-a/how-to/root-t3674409

 

it's looks like the method in this thread doesn't even wipe current data which is a plus if you only want the root

 

edit: yeah TouchWiz is all over the system, it's more than just the home screen launcher so a vanilla experience would definitely help a little more.

[patseguin Global Moderator]

5 hours ago, Brandon H said:

with the ODIN tool even bricking can be repaired from quite easily

 

I had the original Nexus 7 tablet which used the odin tool for flashing, it's easy to use and can get you out of soft bricks in a pinch.

 

check out the root link i posted above; if you're comfortable with those steps then you won't have any problem

 

https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-a/how-to/root-t3674409

 

it's looks like the method in this thread doesn't even wipe current data which is a plus if you only want the root

 

edit: yeah TouchWiz is all over the system, it's more than just the home screen launcher so a vanilla experience would definitely help a little more.

Maybe I'll consider trying it after all. The overall performance of the tablet is kind of laggy. I am fairly certain it is the Samsung bloatware. If I just want to install vanilla Nougat can I do that without using Lineage?

[Barney T. Administrators]

This is a great thread. You guys should consider pasting some of these links/comments to an android tablet OS / Customization thread!

[Brandon H Supervisor]

On 5/12/2018 at 5:12 PM, patseguin said:

Maybe I'll consider trying it after all. The overall performance of the tablet is kind of laggy. I am fairly certain it is the Samsung bloatware. If I just want to install vanilla Nougat can I do that without using Lineage?

nougat should have some pure AOSP builds listed on XDA, it's only Oreo that has unofficial support thanks to Lineage. (even being unofficial i doubt you'd have issues, the community is pretty good about releasing builds in a stable state as you can read from the comments in the threads )

 

AOSP is the pure vanilla android release by google which most custom roms are based off of in case you were wondering

[patseguin Global Moderator]

On ‎5‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 9:08 AM, Brandon H said:

nougat should have some pure AOSP builds listed on XDA, it's only Oreo that has unofficial support thanks to Lineage. (even being unofficial i doubt you'd have issues, the community is pretty good about releasing builds in a stable state as you can read from the comments in the threads )

 

AOSP is the pure vanilla android release by google which most custom roms are based off of in case you were wondering

The tablet is a bit slow for me to really enjoy it. I am really digging Android though. I love the customizability. I was thinking about returning the Tab A 8" and buying an S3. Ever used one?

[Brandon H Supervisor]

1 hour ago, patseguin said:

The tablet is a bit slow for me to really enjoy it. I am really digging Android though. I love the customizability. I was thinking about returning the Tab A 8" and buying an S3. Ever used one?

yeah that's the problem with the budget tablets sadly; they function 'decent' on their initial factory release os version but degrade in performance fast with each update

 

don't have a samsung tablet myself but anything E series and above should perform well. the A series is really their lowest budget range so it performs mediocre at best as you've noticed.

edit: though it looks like the E series hasn't been refreshed in a few years so the S tabs look to be the way to go if you don't want lag

[Katastrofe]

I have the same device, I'm going to install Vanilla Android.
 

[Yonah Member]

I do not know if launchers are within the purview of the discussion, but I use the Microsoft Launcher on nearly all of my Android devices (excluding my Sony Xperia smart phones). The layout of OneUI 4 on a Samsung Galaxy seemed close to what Microsoft Launcher could provide, but there was no way to move the apps button to the center of the dock. I also find that it is trivial to restore layouts across devices since the launcher supports exporting them to cloud stores or local stores.