Mobile OSs Update ROM Question

strausd · Jan 2, 2013

I am new to loading custom ROMs on a phone. I have been running a nightly version of Cyanogenmod lately and I see that there is a new nightly version.

Is it possible to update to the new nightly version without losing everything? Or am I forced to start from the beginning if I decide to update to the new nightly version?

3bs · Jan 2, 2013

strausd said:
I am new to loading custom ROMs on a phone. I have been running a nightly version of Cyanogenmod lately and I see that there is a new nightly version.

Is it possible to update to the new nightly version without losing everything? Or am I forced to start from the beginning if I decide to update to the new nightly version?

CM is awesome because they have their own built in updater which notifies you of knew builds and you can download them > press one button > it'll reboot into recovery and do all the work and no need to worry about flashing gapps or wiping cache/dalvik. Go into Settings > about phone and then CM updater. Change it to check for nightlies. I used to get up every morning and download and let it do it's thing on my S3 every morning before going to class.

This of course means you lose nothing. I wish all ROMs had something like it. If it didn't lack some of the nice features of AOKP I'd probably be on CM.

It's probably a good idea to keep make a new nandroid every now and then and delete any old ones of CM. Just in case but nothing will probably happen.

Edit: I should add that updating other ROMs is not harder than on CM, you just have to do everything manually by going into recovery mode > flash new build of ROM > flash gapps > wipe cache > wipe dalvik > reboot > nothing lost.

strausd · Jan 2, 2013

3bs said:
CM is awesome because they have their own built in updater which notifies you of knew builds and you can download them > press one button > it'll reboot into recovery and do all the work and no need to worry about flashing gapps or wiping cache/dalvik. Go into Settings > about phone and then CM updater. Change it to check for nightlies. I used to get up every morning and download and let it do it's thing on my S3 every morning before going to class.

This of course means you lose nothing. I wish all ROMs had something like it. If it didn't lack some of the nice features of AOKP I'd probably be on CM.

It's probably a good idea to keep make a new nandroid every now and then and delete any old ones of CM. Just in case but nothing will probably happen.

Edit: I should add that updating other ROMs is not harder than on CM, you just have to do everything manually by going into recovery mode > flash new build of ROM > flash gapps > wipe cache > wipe dalvik > reboot > nothing lost.

So downloading the new nightly update through the CyanogenMod Updates on the phone won't make me lose anything? I have all my apps backed up through titanium backup so its really not a huge deal. It is just annoying having to continually replace my apps on the home screen along with widgets.

Once titanium finishes its current backup, I'll do a complete backup through CWM just incase. Then I'll try updating.

3bs · Jan 2, 2013

strausd said:
So downloading the new nightly update through the CyanogenMod Updates on the phone won't make me lose anything? I have all my apps backed up through titanium backup so its really not a huge deal. It is just annoying having to continually replace my apps on the home screen along with widgets.

Once titanium finishes its current backup, I'll do a complete backup through CWM just incase. Then I'll try updating.

Yeah you have nothing to worry about. You won't lose anything unless you do a wipe/factory reset which you only do when moving between ROMs or when the developer explicitly says so or if you're having weird unresolvable issues. The CM updater app only wipes cache/dalvik cache. Flashing nightlies is a breeze. The hardest part is the waiting for the download and then waiting for your phone to setup after rebooting. The whole process shouldn't take more than 10 minutes provided you have a decent internet connection.

That's another reason why I use Nova launcher. It lets you backup your setup including the widgets and you can restore it even after doing a wipe/factory reset because the backup file is on the sdcard. You won't need that for when you update CM nightlies though.

Edit: You should keep an eye out on titanium/nandroid backups because they're gonna start eating away at your storage in no time if you keep doing them. Always delete old backups if you're making new ones and you're sure you have no use for the old ones. Alternatively you can move them to your computer but I've never done that. Technically it should work if you put them back in the right place on the phone but like I said, I've never tried.

strausd · Jan 2, 2013

3bs said:
Yeah you have nothing to worry about. You won't lose anything unless you do a wipe/factory reset which you only do when moving between ROMs or when the developer explicitly says so or if you're having weird unresolvable issues. The CM updater app only wipes cache/dalvik cache. Flashing nightlies is a breeze. The hardest part is the waiting for the download and then waiting for your phone to setup after rebooting. The whole process shouldn't take more than 10 minutes provided you have a decent internet connection.

That's another reason why I use Nova launcher. It lets you backup your setup including the widgets and you can restore it even after doing a wipe/factory reset because the backup file is on the sdcard. You won't need that for when you update CM nightlies though.

Edit: You should keep an eye out on titanium/nandroid backups because they're gonna start eating away at your storage in no time if you keep doing them. Always delete old backups if you're making new ones and you're sure you have no use for the old ones. Alternatively you can move them to your computer but I've never done that. Technically it should work if you put them back in the right place on the phone but like I said, I've never tried.

Ya it didn't take long at all. It was very quick and effortless.

Does using a third party launcher hurt battery life at all?

And I have been keeping an eye on my titanium backups. And I have 50 GB on box . net (which I never use) so I bought the full version and started backing them all up to box.

And lately I have not had to keep more than 1 nandroid backup.

3bs · Jan 3, 2013

strausd said:
Ya it didn't take long at all. It was very quick and effortless.

Does using a third party launcher hurt battery life at all?

And I have been keeping an eye on my titanium backups. And I have 50 GB on box . net (which I never use) so I bought the full version and started backing them all up to box.

And lately I have not had to keep more than 1 nandroid backup.

I don't really know if it does but I doubt it. You can try one of the free versions for a few days and judge for yourself.

strausd · Jan 3, 2013

3bs said:
I don't really know if it does but I doubt it. You can try one of the free versions for a few days and judge for yourself.

One thing I absolutely love now about Nova Launcher is I set up a swipe gesture where all I have to do is swipe up anywhere on the homescreen and Google Now will pop up and start listening right away.

I have criticized Google Now before because there was no easy way to start talking without having to look at the screen. And while this isn't a stock fix, it is extremely useful.

And thanks for all your help!!!

3bs · Jan 3, 2013

strausd said:
One thing I absolutely love now about Nova Launcher is I set up a swipe gesture where all I have to do is swipe up anywhere on the homescreen and Google Now will pop up and start listening right away.

I have criticized Google Now before because there was no easy way to start talking without having to look at the screen. And while this isn't a stock fix, it is extremely useful.

And thanks for all your help!!!

Yeah Nova is awesome, it's my favourite launcher.

No problem. Glad to see other people on MR rooting/using custom ROMs

Stooby Mcdoobie · Jan 3, 2013

Just wanted to say that it's not a great idea to update to every nightly release of CM10. The nightlies are usually not stable, so you'll likely experience random crashes and reboots. I'd stick to the stable release (if there is one of your device) and only upgrade if you want to test features - then restore back to your nandroid of the stable release for daily use.

Other than that, welcome to the wonderful world of custom ROMs! I have CM10 running on my S3 and I love it.

3bs · Jan 3, 2013

Stooby Mcdoobie said:
Just wanted to say that it's not a great idea to update to every nightly release of CM10. The nightlies are usually not stable, so you'll likely experience random crashes and reboots. I'd stick to the stable release (if there is one of your device) and only upgrade if you want to test features - then restore back to your nandroid of the stable release for daily use.

Other than that, welcome to the wonderful world of custom ROMs! I have CM10 running on my S3 and I love it.

Never had any issues on my international S3 and people say on Nexus devices CM 10.1 is stable from day one because it's a Nexus.

I would think the CM team wouldn't make it so easy to update with every nightly if they were going to cause issues like that. I could be wrong.

I've only had my Nexus 4 reboot on it's own once the other day and I am pretty sure it was a kernel issue not due to the ROM I was using.

Stooby Mcdoobie · Jan 3, 2013

3bs said:
Never had any issues on my international S3 and people say on Nexus devices CM 10.1 is stable from day one because it's a Nexus.

That may well be the case for the Nexus devices. More problems are probably present on non-Google devices. I noticed after rechecking the list, there isn't a 'stable' version even listed for the N4 yet (I think this is because they were already working on 10.1 when the N4 came out).

I would think the CM team wouldn't make it so easy to update with every nightly if they were going to cause issues like that. I could be wrong.

I've only had my Nexus 4 reboot on it's own once the other day and I am pretty sure it was a kernel issue not due to the ROM I was using.

I've had a few issues on my S3 after updating to certain nightlies. Random reboots, freezes, lockups, etc. - nothing to utterly sour my experience or anything, just some slight annoyances. After going back to the stable version of 10.0, I've not experienced any major bugs.

3bs · Jan 3, 2013

Stooby Mcdoobie said:
That may well be the case for the Nexus devices. More problems are probably present on non-Google devices. I noticed after rechecking the list, there isn't a 'stable' version even listed for the N4 yet (I think this is because they were already working on 10.1 when the N4 came out).

I've had a few issues on my S3 after updating to certain nightlies. Random reboots, freezes, lockups, etc. - nothing to utterly sour my experience or anything, just some slight annoyances. After going back to the stable version of 10.0, I've not experienced any major bugs.

You're right about non-Google devices. One issue that was never resolved with my S3 is that sometimes when you switch between front facing camera and the back one, you'd get an error saying the phone can't connect to the camera. Sometimes closing and opening the app fixed it and other times you had to reboot. That and also there was the black screen of death where your phones screen wouldn't turn on and you had to do a hard reboot. No very common but annoying.

F123D · Jan 5, 2013

strausd said:
One thing I absolutely love now about Nova Launcher is I set up a swipe gesture where all I have to do is swipe up anywhere on the homescreen and Google Now will pop up and start listening right away.

I have criticized Google Now before because there was no easy way to start talking without having to look at the screen. And while this isn't a stock fix, it is extremely useful.

+1 for Nova Launcher

I loved it so much, I upgraded and paid for the Prime version right away. I was looking for something similar to Activator in cydia for the iPhone and this is pretty close. Google Now, Voice Search, S Voice, Camera, etc are all one swipe away. Love how you can create shortcuts for the apps in the dock as well by swiping up.

3bs · Jan 5, 2013

F123D said:
+1 for Nova Launcher

I loved it so much, I upgraded and paid for the Prime version right away. I was looking for something similar to Activator in cydia for the iPhone and this is pretty close. Google Now, Voice Search, S Voice, Camera, etc are all one swipe away. Love how you can create shortcuts for the apps in the dock as well by swiping up.

Check out GMD gesture control. You need to be rooted though.

siiip5 · Jan 5, 2013

strausd said:
So downloading the new nightly update through the CyanogenMod Updates on the phone won't make me lose anything? I have all my apps backed up through titanium backup so its really not a huge deal. It is just annoying having to continually replace my apps on the home screen along with widgets.

Once titanium finishes its current backup, I'll do a complete backup through CWM just incase. Then I'll try updating.

Titanium backup should really be used to revert back to an apps previius version. Using it as a primary backup is a waste of memory. CWM is much better for a few reasons. It is a snap shot of your entire system, not just certain apps. It can auto-back itself up and you can now either download a copy from the web via CWM server to any computer, tablet or phone anywhere or you can save your CWM bwckups to your ext sd card, or an external usb drive if you want.

As for having to reload data when updating a ROM, you only have to do this if there is a file management change (like from 4.1.x to 4.2.x), if you switch ROMs or you root and flash a ROM for the first time. If a ROM developer tells you to reload your apps with every update, you don't want that ROM.

By the way, did Wugs Toolkit help your other issue out?

3bs · Jan 5, 2013

siiip5 said:
Titanium backup should really be used to revert back to an apps previius version. Using it as a primary backup is a waste of memory. CWM is much better for a few reasons. It is a snap shot of your entire system, not just certain apps. It can auto-back itself up and you can now either download a copy from the web via CWM server to any computer, tablet or phone anywhere or you can save your CWM bwckups to your ext sd card, or an external usb drive if you want.

I switch between ROMs frequently which is why I use Titanium to backup the apps and restore them between these ROMs. He already said he backs up his to Box so it shouldn't be taking up any space on his device. I should actually start doing that too since I have 50GB that I never use.

strausd · Jan 5, 2013

siiip5 said:
Titanium backup should really be used to revert back to an apps previius version. Using it as a primary backup is a waste of memory. CWM is much better for a few reasons. It is a snap shot of your entire system, not just certain apps. It can auto-back itself up and you can now either download a copy from the web via CWM server to any computer, tablet or phone anywhere or you can save your CWM bwckups to your ext sd card, or an external usb drive if you want.

As for having to reload data when updating a ROM, you only have to do this if there is a file management change (like from 4.1.x to 4.2.x), if you switch ROMs or you root and flash a ROM for the first time. If a ROM developer tells you to reload your apps with every update, you don't want that ROM.

By the way, did Wugs Toolkit help your other issue out?

Like 3bs already said, for switching ROMs Titanium Backup is great. Even when I first got my phone and originally set it up as stock (before it broke), and then decided to be more adventurous with the phone, Titanium Backup was very helpful.

And going from stock to CyanogenMod, a nandroid backup would be kind of pointless. But Titanium Backup will bring over all apps and their respective data perfectly.

And remind me, which problem are you thinking of? I have had a few that I needed help with and posted on here for.

3bs said:
I switch between ROMs frequently which is why I use Titanium to backup the apps and restore them between these ROMs. He already said he backs up his to Box so it shouldn't be taking up any space on his device. I should actually start doing that too since I have 50GB that I never use.

Did you get 50GB through the LG deal or from setting it up on an iOS device? I got mine when Box offered the 50GB when signing up on an iOS device. But I also read that there is a deal with LG to give 50GB to people with LG phones. Unfortunately, I was not able to get an additional 50GB

And I really with I could backup my nandroid backups to Box, that would be awesome just to have them somewhere else as well.

3bs · Jan 5, 2013

strausd said:
Like 3bs already said, for switching ROMs Titanium Backup is great. Even when I first got my phone and originally set it up as stock (before it broke), and then decided to be more adventurous with the phone, Titanium Backup was very helpful.

And going from stock to CyanogenMod, a nandroid backup would be kind of pointless. But Titanium Backup will bring over all apps and their respective data perfectly.

And remind me, which problem are you thinking of? I have had a few that I needed help with and posted on here for.

Did you get 50GB through the LG deal or from setting it up on an iOS device? I got mine when Box offered the 50GB when signing up on an iOS device. But I also read that there is a deal with LG to give 50GB to people with LG phones. Unfortunately, I was not able to get an additional 50GB

And I really with I could backup my nandroid backups to Box, that would be awesome just to have them somewhere else as well.

I can't remember but it could have been the same as you when I got it from my iPhone. 50GB is a lot and I actually never used Box

I also have 58GB on Dropbox thanks to the 50GB I got for my S3. I can't remember if that lasts 1 or 2 years though.

You can always drag and drop them onto your computer but cloud storage would be more convenient and safer.

strausd · Jan 5, 2013

3bs said:
I can't remember but it could have been the same as you when I got it from my iPhone. 50GB is a lot and I actually never used Box

I also have 58GB on Dropbox thanks to the 50GB I got for my S3. I can't remember if that lasts 1 or 2 years though.

You can always drag and drop them onto your computer but cloud storage would be more convenient and safer.

That lasts two years.

And that reminds me, a few weeks ago I got the free 50GB too. I found a way to get it on any phone and just posted the link in its own thread.

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