Android v.6 a.k.a. “Marshmallow” was just released within the past few weeks for my T-Mobile variant of the Galaxy Note 4 phone which I love.
In addition to the official T-Mobile update there is now one popular custom ROM that people are using called Maximum OvrDriVE 6.0.1 MM. Up till now I have been really happy with Jellybean-based TEKXodus HYBRID N4 custom ROM which has a huge following.
Both developers – of Maxiumim OvrDriVE and TEKXodus – are amazing people who contribute immensely to the community and both of these ROMs have good followings and a lot of knowledgeable users willing to help others in the forums.
But I have been eager to switch to Marshmallow and decided to try out OvrDriVE and with the most recent release as of this writing – v.7 – its working great.
Amazingly, Android Pay seems to be working. I was at least able to set cards up on it which previously was not possible with a custom rooted ROM. Someone explained in a forum that OvrDriVE is using what is called “systemless root” which apparently does not trigger apps like Android Pay’s security check.
Crossing my fingers and hoping that Android Pay will work. Today I already put one debit, one credit, and a whole slough of loyalty cards and even my library card into it.
UPDATE: Android Pay is working! Today I conducted my third transaction using it at a local health food store.
In all three instances I temporarily disabled SuperSU prior to using Android Pay. SuperSU is disabled in its settings. One caveat is that when you open SuperSU again to re-enable it, it will claim that the SU binary needs to be updated and ask for user confirmation. Its important to CANCEL the update. Then go back into SuperSU settings and just re-check the enable SuperSU option.
(Note: I’m not even sure that its necessary to disable SuperSU but have been doing it proactively. Will test to see if Android Pay works with it enabled.)
So two major things have happened in the past month or so: Virtual reality via the Samsung/Oculus Gear VR, and now Android Pay. Both of these are amazing achievements and both are going to be even more major in the future.
Its so convenient to be able to ditch your wallet and just use your phone not only to pay, but also to store all your loyalty cards and, as I mentioned before, even my library card was accepted by it. Say goodbye to plastic. Well, almost. Actually a lot of places have yet to accept mobile payments. But the time is coming. The goal is definitely in sight now!
One thing I would like to see happen – I think it really needs to happen – is to be able to have one mobile data plan but be able to switch it between say an ultra-portable device like an armband or watch, and a large, less portable one like a phablet. It seems ridiculous that you pay for a mobile plan – a hefty price – yet if you want to go running with say your smartwatch, you would either need a separate mobile plan for it or else have to do without.
Net neutrality needs to extend to devices. Carriers shouldn’t care from what device your traffic emanates.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.