JM6 update: remove DMService "Software Update" (and other auto-starting apps)

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I don't remember seeing this background service in JK5, so I removed it (I think it's for OTA updates, probably a carrier-specific thing that should be in the CSC). Anyway, I don't like apps like this that run with full permissions.

I first spotted it using "Advanced Task Killer" (in the "Running Services" section), and I used "AutoRun Killer" to prevent it from starting at boot time. Now I decided to just moved a few APKs out of /system/app to my SD card, although one could also use Titanium Backup's "Freeze" feature to achieve the same thing.

Here is the list of files I moved:

* syncmldm.apk/odex
* syncmlds.apk/odex
* wssomacp.apk/odex
* wssyncmlnps.apk/odex

A related discussion thread:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...=811567&page=2

I will report if things get unstable, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be ok.

I went one step further by removing the background OmaDrmConfigService from /system/app:

* EDIT * DO NOT REMOVE THESE FILES ! (read on to the next post, music and video playback crashes if this service is removed)

* DrmUA.apk/odex
* SisoDrmProvider.apk/odex

I also removed com.sec.android.app.samsungapps.una:

* UNAService.apk/odex

Based on what I read on the subject, I will probably get a few Force-Close when using the Samsung media player (which requires DRM for some media types), and it seems that Quadrant fails on H264+ video decoding...never mind, I'll see how things develop over time.


I should point out that this is not exact science, I am just experimenting based on feedback from other users, with similar Samsung Android devices. I may well make my Tab unstable in the future.

I should also explain that some self-restarting "start-at-boot" processes cannot be killed by "Autorun Killer", which is why I choose to move the APKs onto my SD card (backup...just in case). It is important to understand how "Autorun Killer" works by checking aLogCat output (apparently: 9 passes/attempts to kill the specified auto-run apps/services). For example, there's no point trying to kill unstoppable processes, as it wastes CPU cycles at boot time, and it may actually end-up generating instability in the initialization phase of the device. The "Autorun Killer" User Interface displays a list of running services, so from there you know that there is no point marking them as "disabled", because there is nothing the process killer can do about it => the solution is to uninstall the offending app.

GMail is a particularly annoying one, because I use the K9 email client in IMAP/Push mode, so I couldn't care less about GMail's Pull abilities, and I don't need it to run in the background. Maybe it handles contact synchronization, I don't know. At any rate, all of my device synchronization is configured to be run manually, I don't like automatic processes that launch arbitrarily in the background.
EDIT: well, I forgot to re-configure GMail notifications since I flashed JM6 (I wrongly assumed I had restored my old system settings using Titanium Backup). So hopefully this will cure it

As for SMS messages: I had to manually disable notifications in the "Messaging" system app, and enable them in "Handcent SMS" (which is the app I use for SMS/MMS purposes).

Originally Posted by daniel.weck

I went one step further by removing the background OmaDrmConfigService from /system/app:

* DrmUA.apk/odex
* SisoDrmProvider.apk/odex

* WARNING *

My music playback was crashing consistently each time I would move to the next song. I restored these 2 files (well, 4 really) and it is now working fine.

Yep, it looks like DRM is anchored deep into the system. Yet I couldn't find any relevant crash information in the LogCat, so it is effectively near-impossible to debug properly (I just read on forums that the DRM framework seems to be a prerequisite, so I tried that).

Oh well, not a big deal after all, I don't think the DRM services eat a lot of battery.

Dan

Originally Posted by daniel.weck

My music playback was crashing consistently each time I would move to the next song. I restored these 2 files (well, 4 really) and it is now working fine.

Yes, I had to do the same.

So far JM6 seems very quick, the web browser has faster page scrolling after you give it a few minutes. I like it.

Originally Posted by rotohammer

So far JM6 seems very quick, the web browser has faster page scrolling after you give it a few minutes. I like it.

Yeah, I quite like JM6 too.

With cleverly-configured DroidWall and Autorun-Killer (and a dash of AdFree for good measure), the whole experience is very smooth indeed.

Although the stock keyboard is improved I still much prefer the overall feature-set of SmartKeyboard Pro (and of course I've paid for it, so I might as well continue to use it )

I currently use a mix of web-browsers, including the stock app, Dolphin HD, xScope and Miren. I have yet to find the perfect combination of features, and I am particularly picky with regards to text layout and zooming (I read a lot of online content). The pinch/stretch + double-tap zooming that automatically adjusts the text column width (fit-to-screen), and that centers the page properly, is *very* important in my book. I like the built-in touch gestures in Dolphin HD to quickly scroll up a long vertical page (and other navigation features), but unfortunately the pinch/stretch zoom is broken at the moment !

Anyway, I digress ! (off-topic)

Cheers, Dan