patseguin Global Moderator Posted May 10, 2018 Global Moderator Share Posted May 10, 2018 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. goretsky 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon H Supervisor Posted May 10, 2018 Supervisor Share Posted May 10, 2018 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, DConnell and Katastrofe 3 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patseguin Global Moderator Posted May 11, 2018 Author Global Moderator Share Posted May 11, 2018 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dipsylalapo Supervisor Posted May 11, 2018 Supervisor Share Posted May 11, 2018 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 and DConnell 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon H Supervisor Posted May 11, 2018 Supervisor Share Posted May 11, 2018 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 N RAHEEM KHAN 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dipsylalapo Supervisor Posted May 11, 2018 Supervisor Share Posted May 11, 2018 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon H Supervisor Posted May 11, 2018 Supervisor Share Posted May 11, 2018 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. dipsylalapo and patseguin 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patseguin Global Moderator Posted May 11, 2018 Author Global Moderator Share Posted May 11, 2018 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon H Supervisor Posted May 11, 2018 Supervisor Share Posted May 11, 2018 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 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patseguin Global Moderator Posted May 11, 2018 Author Global Moderator Share Posted May 11, 2018 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon H Supervisor Posted May 11, 2018 Supervisor Share Posted May 11, 2018 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techbeck Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 Cant you just install a new launcher? Would be easiest thing to do if you do not like TW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon H Supervisor Posted May 11, 2018 Supervisor Share Posted May 11, 2018 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patseguin Global Moderator Posted May 12, 2018 Author Global Moderator Share Posted May 12, 2018 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon H Supervisor Posted May 12, 2018 Supervisor Share Posted May 12, 2018 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 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patseguin Global Moderator Posted May 12, 2018 Author Global Moderator Share Posted May 12, 2018 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney T. Administrators Posted May 12, 2018 Administrators Share Posted May 12, 2018 This is a great thread. You guys should consider pasting some of these links/comments to an android tablet OS / Customization thread! patseguin 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon H Supervisor Posted May 14, 2018 Supervisor Share Posted May 14, 2018 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patseguin Global Moderator Posted May 15, 2018 Author Global Moderator Share Posted May 15, 2018 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon H Supervisor Posted May 15, 2018 Supervisor Share Posted May 15, 2018 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 and patseguin 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katastrofe Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 I have the same device, I'm going to install Vanilla Android. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yonah Member Posted October 15, 2022 Member Share Posted October 15, 2022 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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