[Galaxy S II Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] JaLoou:
The info about the issues provided as on 2017 September 13.

The text was last edited on 2019 August 24.

Hello.

Sorry for mistakes in my poor English.

I had used every day LOS14.1 and RR5.8.3-5.8.4 custom ROMs for Samsung Galaxy S2 (model: GT-I9100) for more than 2 months in the middle of 2017 and this is my serious test report:

1) When you will get an incoming phone call, receive a message via cellular network or a file via bluetooth then Galaxy S2 with the custom ROM will rings and vibrates but the screen can be fully dark for several seconds without any notification about it.

This bug almost does not exist in RR 5.8.4.

2) Multiple issues are with the smartphone storages (internal and external).

a) Some apps can do not work with the smartphone storages. They can start to work with storages after the smartphone reboot or after few reboots only.

The same bug is in the Resurrection Remix ROM 5.8.4. The screenshots attached to this message proof the existense of this bug in RR 5.8.4.

b) Only during my attempt to use the custom ROMs LOS 14.1 and RR 5.8.3-5.8.4 on Samsung Galaxy S2, I lost the 1 file (it was the important file to me) on an external microSD card and yet file explorer apps start to show the 2 suspicious unerasable zero size files in file listings there, which I can not delete nor rename nor even copy - file explorers to continue to show they in file listings still today after years on my microSD card. It is interesting that these zero size undeletable files was discovered not in an upper directory but instead deep in the old different long directories on my microSD card. Thus, may they was implemented hiddenly as masking labels there for a reason remained unknown.

c) Impossible to appoint an user installed file explorer app as a default file explorer for pick-up files from another programs. For instance, when the smartphone user want to send a file via Skype then there is always only the file explorer opens with the poor and uncomfortable interface, which implemented in the custom ROM as default forever. And only then from its ugly interface the user can choose one of other installed file explorers for using they once for find and pick-up a file.

The famous FX File Explorer app does not work with the default internal folder 'Documents'. The app also can not delete a group of selected files on an external SD card.

The RR 5.8.4 ROM haves even 2 implemented file manager apps which work smooth but they both have poor UIs with limited functions.

Factually, do not providing Android APIs correctly the custom ROM developers refuse to use user installed apps fullfledgely but instead they compel the users of their ROMs to use only an ersatz bloatware soft implemented by the ROM developers in the custom ROMs.

3) The big battery drain after every reboot and a significant battery drain in general.

As more media files (videous, images include offline map tiles, sounds) are in the internal or external storage (an microSD card) of smartphone then more extensive battery drain Galaxy S2 will suffer after every reboot and after some operations with access to storages. This bug appears in both ROMs: in Lineage OS 14.1 and in Resurrection Remix 5.8.3 - 5.8.4.

For instance, if 128GB microSD card almost full of various videous and photos is in the smartphone then it becomes very hot for more than 1 hour after every reboot!

Some my futher research reveals that the high temperature with the battery drain caused by the dubious activity of Media Storage app implemented in the Lineage OS based ROMs hiddenly. This app finds and analises all media files (and may more) by unoptimized and uneffective way creating and saving big hidden databases, wasting CPU, a battery and an internal storage.

Unfortunately, disabling of this dubious hidden app leads to the smartphone loses functionality partly.

Please, pay in opinion that this bug produces the same traces as usually produced by some hidden virus activity: excessive scanning of user files, an unexpected load on the hardware, eventual draining of the battery...

4) Multiple lags (short freezes) are at various programs interfaces using. A main Android 7 menu is more or less smooth only.

For instance, Skype app version 8 has lags to several seconds in its menu.

Also the smartphone touchscreen is more sensible with the latest original Samsung's firmware (Android 4.1.2) rather than with LOS 14.1 or RR 5.8.4.

On another hand, Galaxy S2 with LOS 14.1 or with RR 5.8.4 scores more points in AnTuTu test but it is only mostly due to becoming of supporting F2FS and yet getting additional points for an newer additional rendering engine.

5) Sometimes over-the-air updates becomes impossible due to already after downloading an update file the smartphone then displays an error message 'Unable to reboot into recovery'. For instance, this bug appears after 2nd August 2017 and 23th August 2017 updates.

6) Camera1 and Camera2 APIs do not provided correctly. Some serious camera apps report about it clearly by a message and then close. Another camera apps are buggy.

I just will give few examples...

All videous recorded with a mono sound only but can be saved as allegedly with a stereo sound.

The famous A Better Camera app by Almalence loses all its settings unexpectedly time to time and becomes as its first launch again. This bug does not exist in RR 5.8.4 but instead there is another bug with A Better Camera app: it can not record videous with scene mode setting. And it is very sad due to the app can significantly improve the camera in our old device specially for photo and videorecordings in low light conditions (it can be reached by choosing manually ISO800 and then the Fireworks scene mode).

The implemented in the ROM the Snap camera app is very weak with the ugly uncomfortable interface.

7) There is a trouble to enter the year manually in the data settings in a portrait mode due to number of years limitation. The same bug was in RR 5.8.3 but it was fixed in RR 5.8.4.

This bug does not exist in a landscape mode.

8) It can send and receive only the very limited kinds of files via bluetooth, which filename extensions are listed among a poor list of files recognised by the custom ROM itself (not by user installed apps). Factually, it is like an unwanted blocking filter at the bluetooth.

For instance, you can create an effective compressed .zipx archive file by the WinZip app for Android OS on Galaxy S2 but you will be unable to send such archive file via bluetooth. And you will be unable to receive such files too.

Many file extensions do not recognized by the custom smartphone ROM: among they are modern Opus music format, RAR archives and etc, etc. You will be unable to send or receive they via bluetooth.

The same bug is in RR 5.8.4.

Please, pay in opinion this issue does not seem as a mistake of the ROM developers but just opposit: it seems more as an unwanted blocking filter specially implemented on the bluetooth. And their reason for it remains unclear and suspicious.

9) There is an implemented feature to record a phone call but there is not an option to record all phone calls automatically. Instead only after hand up there inside the tree of dialer settings appears a hidden option which allow manually start to record the current call. So, if you want to record the call then only already during the call you need to go into the dialer menu tree and activate this hidden option, which is uncomfortable.

Moreover, external apps for phone call recordings does not work properly with this ROM (they do not record sounds from another side).

The same bug is and in RR 5.8.4.

10) The famous SuperSU root tool by ChainFire does not compatible with Lineage OS 14.1 for Galaxy S2. And apps which require only the SuperSU root can do not work properly.

The same bug is in the Resurrection Remix 5.8.4.

11) The small window with the text 'MTP host error' appears in the screen foreground like a ghost.

The same bug is in RR 5.8.4.

12) The settings menu haves a white background everywhere and it causes wasting of short lifetime span of pixels of OLED display triggering yet the additional unwanted battery drain and provoking an eye strain.

Unfortunately, a wallpaper does not change it.

There is not a simple option in the settings menu for just to change its white background to black.

It is not a bug but it is a significant disadvantage of the Lineage based ROMs - specially the Resurrection Remix ROM, which haves miltiple various settings and options but except needful simple this one.

13) The official Lineage OS bug tracker does not accept bug reports by easy way. Instead it requests a registration in advance via a full user name and other personal data, which can be sensitive and used by unappropriate way. It does not allow the registration via the World famous and trusted Google+ or Facebook social networks. Moreover, sometimes the bug tracker does not work and have an announcement about sheduled technical maintenance on a web-hosting side.

14) The ROM developers do not fix even well known simple bugs like described here at the points 8 or 9.

Talking very softly: some XDA forum users (include moderators) also do not welcome for public bug reports in proper topics of the XDA forum. It seems like they conceal the existence of many bugs and only lure new people to become victims of the buggy ROMs. And I did started this topic for stop it.

I do not know what their purpose is exactly.

But after some time observation it is possible to determine that someone actually regularly 'dilute' proper topics on the XDA forum by short luring messages in parrot style like 'I had installed it and it is great!' Unfortunately, such kind of simple messages are just alluring fakes high probably.

The another short trap parrot messages are like that 'It runs fast and smooth!'. The deception there is that it attracts only by the Android 7.1.2 menu appearance on the old device for purposes like a brag but really conceal that the whole device with this ROM becomes unreliable for serious fullfledge using.

I was attracted by topics on the XDA forum about Android 7.1.2 for Samsung Galaxy S2 (model: GT-I9100) and I had lost more than 2 months period installing latest Lineage OS 14.1 updates and Resurrection Remix ROMs 5.8.3 - 5.8.4 and I had decided that the last official Samsung's firmware with Android 4.1.2 is not ideal but much reliable on Galaxy S2 rather than LOS 14.1 or RR 5.8.4.

15) The custom ROMs does not provided as a single useful full package unlike it was with a Samsung's official firmwares. Actually, things, which called Lineage OS 14.1 or RR 5.8.4 for Galaxy S2, are main parts of unresonant firmwares only. It means that in a case of installing such firmwares the user discovers many disadvantages of they and after asking questions on the XDA forum he gets endless tips like: to find in the internet and install other necessly parts and yet to make very specific technical adjustments manually or even experiment with they. All it can be interesting and feasible for the smartphone entusiasts but not for an ordinary user.

For instance, some messages on the XDA forum suggest to download and install the special version of Kernel Adiutor app then run it and experiment with its settings for make the smartphone runs smooth because the ROM developers did not preselect best settings and did not adjusted they before as default values. Moreover, you will need to find in the internet and install separately yet a modem firmware for a better signal, the Substratum app and a proper theme just for make the screen background black everywhere and etc, etc.

Factually, Lineage OS 14.1 and Resurrection Remix 5.8.3 or 5.8.4 ROMs for the Samsung Galaxy S2 smartphone are not 'Plug&Play' kind of firmwares. They are unfeasible for an average user.

Please, pay serious attention: an user of these buggy custom ROMs can get a negative impact to his behavior (even to his mental health) and to his business.