[Meizu M2 Note Questions & Answers] MikusP:
Debloater - Kill 'Security' Safely!

Hey M2 People!

Just wanted to post a tip based on my experience with the stock Flyme power/app management.

I'm on a 'A' version Meizu M2 Note, running the plain Chinese firmware. I've had a few issues when using third party apps, namely Google Play Music and Doggcatcher, having their services killed by the 'Security Centre' app after around 2mins of use with the screen turned off. I followed all the logical steps; Long pressing the individual app icons in the app switcher to lock it into memory, and making sure each app was selected in the 'apps to keep alive' section of the 'Security Centre' app.

I didn't find this made any difference at all. When playing music through the official Google Play Music app after a few minutes with the screen off, the process would still be terminated. Frustrating..! Especially since I use my phone as a music player when driving.

Anyhow, I know you can easily Root the phone in settings under the Flyme account tab, but this seemed a little extreme and I wasn't convinced this was the best option. I don't need Root for anything else, so I decided rooting the phone just to kill an app wasn't an option. After a little bit of digging around I found a PC application called 'Debloater' created by another XDA member 'gatesjunior'. This app uses ADB to block apps directly on the phone. This not only stops apps from running, but as far as the phone is concerned, they don't even exist. Of course they are still on the device itself and can easily be restored either using the Debloater app, by updating the phone to a newer firmware version (I believe) or via a factory reset.

This guide is Windows based.

If you already have ADB working with your M2 then you're all set. Simply download the Debloater app and move on to step 03.

Before you do anything, make sure 'USB Debugging' is enabled under Developer options. I'd advise you turn this off again for safety once you have killed the apps you want.

Step 01.

To get ADB up and running successfully make sure there are no drivers currently assigned to the M2 in device manager. If there are, just uninstall the M2 in device manager. Now, connect the M2 to your computer and put it into 'CD ROM' mode using the notification panel. Copy the USB Drivers folder from the M2 to your desktop. Right click the M2 in device manager, select 'Update Driver Software...' and navigate to the Meizu USB Driver folder you just copied to your desktop. (at this point, if you get a Hash error, Google installing driver without hash check windows. It's a quick settings change and will allow you to install the drivers easily). Changing the device from MTP to PTP or vice-versa may show different driver profiles, so make sure you have the Meizu driver installed for the one you need. I think I used PTP successfully.

Step 02.

Once the drivers are successfully installed you have to create an 'ini' file in “C:\Users\*your-username*\.android”. Do this by creating a text file and pasting '0x2a45' without quotes. Save this file and rename it to 'adb_usb.ini'

At this point you can check its all up and running by running a quick 'adb devices' command if you have adb set up already on you PC. If you don't have ADB set up already, don't worry. Debloater will do it all for you. Move on to step 03.

Step 03.

Install the Debloater app and follow the instructions given on the original thread to disable any apps you would like to.

Personally, I disabled:

AppCenter.apk – Meizu App Centre (constantly wanting to update Google Play Apps)

GameCenter.apk – Meizu Game Center (randomly running)

Life.apk – Meizu Life App (whatever that is...)

MzSecurity.apk – Meizu Security Centre (Responsible for killing apps when the screen is off)

MzSnsSyncService.apk – Weibo Share App (needlessly running in the background)

Reader.apk – Meizu Reader App (annoying notifications)

SogouInput-1.apk – Foreign input method

Weather.apk – Meizu Weather (does not work outside of China, but still runs in the BG)

That is simply a list of the apps I chose to kill. If all you need is proper background processing, only disable the MzSecurity.apk. I found the other apps I listed caused various different problems, and killing them all has had no ill effect on the device function.

Hope this helps! And, make sure to thank gatesjunior if you use the Debloater app :)