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]

  On 10/05/2018 at 19:41, 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

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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]

  On 11/05/2018 at 12:44, 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.

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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]

  On 11/05/2018 at 13:10, 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

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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]

  On 11/05/2018 at 13:16, 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. 

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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]

  On 11/05/2018 at 13:26, 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.

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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]

  On 11/05/2018 at 13:38, 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.

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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]

  On 11/05/2018 at 13:46, 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

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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]

  On 11/05/2018 at 14:24, 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.

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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]

  On 11/05/2018 at 14:34, techbeck said:

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

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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]

  On 11/05/2018 at 14:40, 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.

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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]

  On 12/05/2018 at 12:54, 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.

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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]

  On 12/05/2018 at 16:44, 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.

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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 12/05/2018 at 22:12, 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?

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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 14/05/2018 at 13:08, 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

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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]

  On 15/05/2018 at 13:23, 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?

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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.