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[Q] KitKat 4.4.4 - ART runtime not available?

I've just got D2403 with KitKat 4.4.4. I wanted to switch the runtime to ART. Although I know where this option should be located, it seems to be missing on this phone. Is there any trick how to enable it, or have Sony decided to remove ART competely?

MazeGen said:
I've just got D2403 with KitKat 4.4.4. I wanted to switch the runtime to ART. Although I know where this option should be located, it seems to be missing on this phone. Is there any trick how to enable it, or have Sony decided to remove ART competely?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried that when I got my Xperia M2, but, nothing come up. I believe that they disabled the ART Cache Runtime 'cause it wasn't fully developed. They included into Lollipop 5.0 Binaries which is fully based on it. So, you could try flash the Lollipop binaries if you want to enjoy ART Cache Runtime (?)
Regards!

This worked on my D2303
http://www.xda-developers.com/switc...-from-recovery-with-a-single-aroma-based-zip/

Thanks for your replies guys. I decided not to mess around with my xperia this way because it is actually my main telephone. When I move to another one I'll give the Switch D2A_RT tool a try.

AOSP 4.4.4 D2303 Work In Progress

Hi again all.
Another barebones AOSP for our D2303's. This time it's Kitkat (4.4.4). Again it's using Stock kernel and totally unadulterated code (as-is off the repo). This ROM was built using the Sony guides & is a demonstration that it is doable.
I have not tested this ROM yet, I will be later on tonight when I get time to TWRP backup my LP.
This ROM sort of works!
* Wifi, BT, Data, Calls, SMS work
* NFC does not for me (does on 5.0.2 though)
* Sensors do not appear to be working
* Still no camera or loudspeaker on call for me
* Few UI glitches (menus jumping left and right)
5.0.2 is more stable, however this is more responsive in general.
Flash this the same way as 5.0.2 in my other post. If you want to take a backup first, using the boot.img from OmniROM 4.4.4 for the D2303 and use "fastboot boot boot.img" - Remember not to flash (we dont need to keep this kernel, although it //may// work with this ROM, no idea) - We just boot and hit volume down repeatedly during Sony logo and get into recovery.
Root by flashing SuperSU.zip using TWRP boot method. xPosed by normal means after rooting.
Magnet Link - Please be patient - May be slow to start until more people seed
Links temporarily removed. Please read comments. Back soon
Extract the .TGZ
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash userdata userdata.img
MD5's
cf5c641c4b3a8d179a6ef39d856852b7 boot.img
5a27597159c5c65d82f3fd18a0dcaca6 system.img
336148800f5c010a1654e55087cc01ae userdata.img
I am not sure of the modem requirements of this ROM. It may work on a 4.4.4 modem, but to be safe and cautious, using a 4.4.2 should be safe (as a 4.3 should hopefully be). However, I have so far found the 4.4.4 modem just does not get on with LP. You may have diffent mileage with different modems (4.4.4 for example). I am still using a 4.4.2 modem and don't really want to go flashing a modem again to only flash back. I will be going back to the LP
Again no idea if this ROM works yet
I will test later on tonight, but I put the link up for others to try. I will give this a shot later & give it a good bashing.
Use this ROM purely at your own risk
Please feedback any success or failures.

Can you upload on MEGA? :'(

Mega link added
This time the boot.img is the proper one
I still havent tested this ROM yet, the missus and I were Ingressing all night. If anyone has tested, can they give a little info of their experiences please?
Tested it, and it's got a few shortfalls for me.. I've updated the OP to show.
Am now going to build 5.1.0 - why not eh?

Can you develope the CM11?
Sent from my Xperia M2 using XDA Free mobile app

So its ONLY for d2303?

I have to say yes for it being only for the d2303. Without another variant of the handset or anyone to test, nobody can say for sure. Sorry about this, blame Sony.
I only tinker, Galaxyfreak is the best guy for CM work
Sent from my Xperia M2 (AOSP) using XDA Free mobile app

I can be there for testing part for d2302 model if you try to port it to d2302.. @Dutch Burdock

Ive removed the download links as I noticed why this ROM is buggy. I did not clean out the old build and the kitkat is using binaries for LP. I will rebuild again soon and repost. Sorry for this.
As for the testing on other devices, since I am not a developer, the only thing I can suggest is you take a good backup and try flashing one of these ROMs (my 5.0.1 build is the most stable minus camera.) I would like to think itd work, minus second sim function, but i have no way of knowing unless someone braves this attempt. BACKUP IS IMPORTANT. Flashtool is your friend.
Sent from my Xperia M2 (AOSP) using XDA Free mobile app

Don't think it would work otherwise it would be in the device tree. It's not a lte model so would not boot up dual is only 3g and 2g
D2303 stock 4.4.4 KK rooted philz touch recovery xposed Bravia engine 2 x-reality

Sony sucks..!!

Xperia Z3 5.1.1 - random system restarts

Hi guys,
My girlfriend purchased a brand new Xperia Z3 D6653 not too long ago (about 2 months ago?). I flashed the 5.1.1 pre-rooted firmware for her and it's working fine and all but it does a random reboot every day or so, at random times, with random applications.
I have tried 2 different pre-rooted 5.1.1 firmwares already (yes, the correct model D6653 as well) and it still does it. The System Incident reports don't really say much (in fact you only see details about when it crashed, nothing else), and it seems like Google Play Services is the only thing mentioned in the Application Report.
The same thing also happened (more frequently) when she was on the 5.0 pre-rooted firmware. I'm not sure why, I haven't unlocked the bootloader or anything, it's just stock pre-rooted ROM, that's it. I haven't flashed any other ROMs other than the official pre-rooted ones.
Furthermore, before I flashed the 5.0 and 5.1 firmware for her, the phone came with Android 4.4.4. She used it for a month and reported several crashes as well, so that's with the original factory firmware, unrooted, unmodified etc.
She doesn't run any dodgy or random apps, she's just a typical girl that use Facebook and texting, that's pretty much it. I've done a lot of research on this issue and it seems to be quite common, however there isn't really a solution to this. The same apps she currently use never caused any issues on her older phones.
Also in case anyone asks, the only reason I flashed the pre-rooted 5.1.1 firmware for her is because it makes it easier for me to manage her phone (with Teamviewer, you can remote into the phone as long as it's rooted). Also, I get to backup her phone and do tests etc, makes it easier for me.
Also, I'm not using any custom kernels or overclocking the CPU etc. Everything is just stock but rooted.
Could this be caused by a hardware fault in the phone? I'm not sure what else I can do and would appreciate some suggestions.

Nobody have this issue??

Well, how about you try to flash a full, clean, stock ROM, don't root it, don't install any unnecessary app and see where it goes? If the issue persists, try getting a logcat from the phone and we can take a look at it. If it works fine after returning to stock, there might be a problem with the ROM or some apps you are using.
If it really is Gapps that are causing all the trouble, go to APKMirror and download the latest apps available (Play Services, etc) and see where it goes.

As mentioned already, prior to flashing anything, my girlfriend was running a completely stock, factory version of the phone. It came with Android 4.4.
I could flash a completely stock 5.1 ROM but was hoping that someone would share their experiences or a potential solution to this, considering this is quite commonly asked. I would also like to avoid doing this if possible, because if I were to go back to rooting the device, I'd have to downgrade to v4.4 pre-rooted, then flash to 5.1 rooted with custom recovery. It's just a lot of work for a simple testing that could be answered by others if possible.
Anyway, she didn't have any apps installed other than Facebook and Whatsapp, that's it. I might test with GAPPS and see how it goes, but I thought I'd ask here in case someone knows it's definitely a hardware issue or something else.

i would definitely give a pure stock 5.1.1 a go. I used to get the random reboots on the previous versions but i no longer have such issue.. Make sure you do a clean wipe and do it a few times.

Hi all, it's been a while but I thought I'd post an update and share what I've found/learned so far....
Basically, I'm still getting the frequent random reboots. I've tried reflashing the ROM and also tested out the latest .232 pre-rooted stock ROM, still getting the same issue. I've noticed that other than Google Play Services, sometimes Gapps will crash as well. But most of the time, there's nothing reported in the system or application crash logs. I've tested with everything running as stock, no additional apps installed. I then decided to flash the Minimal GAPPS 5.1.x and that sort of made the phone a bit more stable, but still reboots randomly every now and then.
Later on, I decided to try a custom ROM that still works on a locked bootloader. I found this here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3/development/d6603-23-1-1-28-t3102271
The chef has provided a .232 firmware for you to flash in recovery, as well as the ROM base for the D6603 model. Mine is a D6653, but luckily the chef has also provided a D6653 patch for you to flash as well. I've flashed the ROM like so:
1. Wipe everything except my external microSD in TWRP. So basically, wipe system, data, cache, dalvik, internal storage etc.
2. Install .232 firmware.
3. Install v10.5
4. Install v12.0
5. Install D6653 v5 patch
It boots up fine but after using it for a while, I still get the random reboots. What's interesting is that I've also tried without flashing the D6653 patch, which essentially means I'm running just the D6603 base ROM on my D6653. It works, but still crashes as well. I just found it quite surprising that a D6653 could run a D6603 ROM, but it does make sense considering the main differences is just the baseband/frequencies.
Anyway, I later on decided to flash the pure 5.1.1 stock ROM, still getting the crash. Again, everything is tested on pure stock, no additional apps etc installed.
I'm starting to think perhaps this is a hardware issue on my phone?? I noticed that sometimes, my screen will show a bit of tearing and then it'll crash not long after. BUT, I also know that as soon as gapps or google play services crash, the phone will crash not long after as well.....
In fact, I later on used Titanium Backup to convert Google Play Services from a System to a User app, the phone will just boot into the lockscreen and then restart every time. This is a bit ridiculous because I've done this several times on other phones before and they never had such an issue. Of course, I'm not saying I always run Google Play Services as a User app, but that was just for testing and I honestly don't think it should cause a bootloop just because of that. I've also cleared dalvik and cache by the way, so it doesn't make sense that the phone boots into the lockscreen and then just restarts randomly.
I haven't tried uninstalling Google Play Services completely, but at this point I'm back to square one as I've exhausted pretty much all my options and it's been a complete waste of time. I'm beginning to hate this phone more and more. The only thing left is to unlock bootloader and play with other custom ROMs. But yeah, flashing the .232 firmware didn't fix it, AND flashing pure stock 5.1.1 Android didn't fix it either...
Just wondering if others have the same issue and any ideas what could be causing it? If I provide some Logcat logs, would someone be kind enough to look into this for me?

Update:
I'm still getting the random reboots and I think it's very likely to be hardware related. But sometimes also a bit related to software, specifically with Google Play services. I've had more time to test out a few things since my last update, they are as follows:
- Tested complete stock 4.4 ROM without root. Still crashes every now and then, but not as much compared to 5.0 and 6.0 (doesn't matter if it's stock or custom ROM).
- Finally gave in and unlocked bootloader (backed up my DRM keys of course). I thought perhaps that the stock Sony roms (and even the stock-based Sony custom roms) have issues for some reason. They are all the same base, so I thought I'd do a fair test by trying a completely different based rom, such as AOSP. I've used CM 1.2.1 nightly here:
forum.xda-developers.com/z3/development/rom-cyanogenmod-12-nightlies-xperia-z3-t3010201/page117
And yes, I know that nightly have bugs, but the nightly build as of 2016-03-03 seemed pretty stable according to most users. I've tried various other AOSP based roms and stock based Sony roms (for unlocked bootloaders) and they all produce crashes.
I've flashed custom kernels as well and updated my recovery to TWRP 3.0, but all the same results. On all of the custom ROMs I've flashed, the only thing I've done was setup my Google account (so I have my contacts and Gmail) and that was it. No other apps installed. I wanted to limit the environment down to just the stock setup of the ROM itself, as this helps me rule out any potential bugs caused by 3rd party apps.
Having done all of the above and still resulting in crashes, it's safe to assume that this is most likely unrelated to the software, but hardware. I've noticed that sometimes when I scroll a page too fast and move it up and down with my thumb, the screen will freeze and restart.
However, sometimes I will get crashes related to Google Play Services. Anything that relies on Google Play Services will crash randomly. If you re-open the apps, it just crashes again. If you force stop the app and open it, still crashes. The ONLY fix is to restart the phone. I have tried flashing different GaPPs, starting with the pico and nano versions, as well as the ones recommended by the ROM chefs. Still the same result.
So the conclusion is, I haven't really gotten anywhere with this annoying issue. There's definitely an issue with the phone somewhere, maybe a bit of software related, but mostly hardware.

Should we upgrade to 5.1 ?

Hi, I have D2403 with zexperience installed on it and I wanted to hear your guys oppinions on 5.1.I have locked bootloader and I can't unlock it and I dont understand is it safe to root now or no with Locked BL? Is it worth to update 5.1 or should i stay with my current system etc..?
cheers

Yes you can update of you want to, it does take up slightly more room than kk did. it took about two weeks for my battery life to settle down but once it does battery life is better than kk for me never get less than 5-6hrs screen time sometimes a bit more and that's with the zram as Sony intended. yes root is available for LB but only by flashing a pre-rooted zip via recovery on rooted kk and recovery is only available at the minute by using t2u nut dual recovery(not ideal but it does work). If you're totally stock and don't want root I'd update by Sony pcc. Only thing I'm really missing is xposed I think it was worth the wait myself.
D2303 5.1lollipop customised NCB rooted LB t2u nut dual recovery bravia engine+x-reality debloated

Weekend Offender said:
Hi, I have D2403 with zexperience installed on it and I wanted to hear your guys oppinions on 5.1.I have locked bootloader and I can't unlock it and I dont understand is it safe to root now or no with Locked BL? Is it worth to update 5.1 or should i stay with my current system etc..?
cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting is as safe as ever. Just more complicate to enable it (basically start from KK, root it, install recovery, make PRF file with 5.1.1 system, flash PRF file from recovery, flash rooting zip from recovery, flash remaining 5.1.1 components with Flashtool and restart all over downgrading to KK if anything goes wrong).
Regarding if it's worth it.. The current issues are:
- The camera sucks for many. Even Xperia Blog reported it now.
- It uses more RAM (which is vey disappointing. I thought ART was going to need less memory?!). Disabling the zram and setting the minfree as they were in KitKat one gets nearly zero multitasking
- Frequent I/O wait even with the zram disabled (but not as bad as with the zram. Unfortunately see above)
- The WiFi has different functionalities from KK (it stays connected to the WiFi even if the AP drops the internet connection. The option to disable it has gone. In other cases it shows an exclamation mark due to something with Captive Networks)
- It seems to me it lags more. But I have plenty of apps installed.
- Few old apps perform poorly
- Many old KK Xperia themes won't work in full , yet (at least the ones I liked the most)
- Potential issues with the GPS (it seems to be a bug in Lollipop generally speaking)
- I hate the new notifications
The Pros:
- Better Stamina mode
- The slick new UI, I especially love the new open applications list (which finally puts a separate window for apps open inside other apps. IMDB from TV Sideview excluded, though)
- Some newer apps make full use of the Lollipop API and more will follow
IMO KitKat is more stable and efficient. But I like Lollipop nonetheless so I decided to stick with it. The few bugs around aren't a deal breaking to me.

Yes you should always upgrade to the newest android.

After battery drain,gps and camera issue I am back to 4.4.4 and ALL work fine and i am happy.

I'm holding back to see if we can get a working recovery (other than Nut's T2U) on a locked bootloader and hopefully then @linuxct will cook us up a new version of his Lite ROM based on 5.1.1 with all the kinks of the official software ironed out

gordonthegopher said:
I'm holding back to see if we can get a working recovery (other than Nut's T2U) on a locked bootloader and hopefully then @linuxct will cook us up a new version of his Lite ROM based on 5.1.1 with all the kinks of the official software ironed out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We (@AleksJ and I) are currently working on a fully functional recovery solution for both Lollipop and KitKat (No need to use T2U solutions anymore, which is quite RISKY as I explained in some threads before).
If there aren't any inconveniences, we should be releasing it soon. After that I'll start the Z4 eXPERIence 4.0 (it'll be a light edition) development.

Yea true, two days ago linuxct told me that he's found a way to use a good bueselinux module by zxz0O0 in our recovery installer.
Well fine the installer is back on the game, it can be used on the recent Android release with old recovery. But....recently we also noticed a very nasty touch screen issues the reasons for which are unclear for now.
p.s.
The PhilZ Touch project is "End Of Support", but believe or not with this recovery boot.img I can install and run on my unlocked M2 the latest Omnirom and CM (without sensors lib) in the same way as CWM and TWRP..)
Of course I can't and don't want to tell anyone what and how to do. Just share my opinion.

Hi, when can we expect the new Z4 eXPERIence 4.0to arrive? if You need some Beta testers, I would be happy to asign
(Sorry if this isn't the right thread for the question!)

@semil
Linuxct said he will work on updating that rom after he and AleksJ finish working on a legit recovery for LB.

Xperia M2 D2302 Camera issue

Hi
My M2 is running on build 18.6.A.0.182 lollipop and tried to downgrade to kitkat 4.4.4 using flashtool. But it resulted in a bootloop.
After that using PC companion I repaired it back to 5.1.1 and got it back working .But now the camera is showing some white noise lines while shooting pictures on indoors where there is a bright highlighted area. This happens only in HDR mode. One time I saw it also in Superior auto mode where the auto scene selection was shown as Backlight HDR. So is this a sensor problem or a software issue?
I had a backup firmware of lollipop that I copied from C:\ProgramData\Sony Mobile.
I copied that to the location before repairing it using PC Companion so that the PC Companion wont download the entire firmware which is about 1.1 GB and there by saving my limited data plan. Is there a problem by copying the firmware before repair process?

zankdroid said:
Hi
My M2 is running on build 18.6.A.0.182 lollipop and tried to downgrade to kitkat 4.4.4 using flashtool. But it resulted in a bootloop.
After that using PC companion I repaired it back to 5.1.1 and got it back working .But now the camera is showing some white noise lines while shooting pictures on indoors where there is a bright highlighted area. This happens only in HDR mode. One time I saw it also in Superior auto mode where the auto scene selection was shown as Backlight HDR. So is this a sensor problem or a software issue?
I had a backup firmware of lollipop that I copied from C:\ProgramData\Sony Mobile.
I copied that to the location before repairing it using PC Companion so that the PC Companion wont download the entire firmware which is about 1.1 GB and there by saving my limited data plan. Is there a problem by copying the firmware before repair process?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you wipe clean the device when trying to downgrade to KK you must wipe user data and cache in flashtool when going from lollipop to KK and vice versa I'd try another software repair as it'll re-install the whole ftf from scratch. Pretty sure sony pcc will always download the latest available firmware from sonys server's before completing a software repair don't think there's anyway round it. It should fix the camera issue

Hi
Solved the problem. Yesterday I downgraded to KK using flashtool 0.9.18.6 . Previously I used 0.9.19.8, in which there was only an option to clear user data and not clear cache.
Flashtool 0.9.18.6 provided both the options and I also read on an XDA post that 0.9.18.6 is best suited for Xperia M2.
Now I am on kitkat 4.4.4 build 18.3.1.B.1.8. Now the camera issue is gone. No more white noise lines on camera pics. Focusing got faster and better. HDR video mode now equalizes bright and dark areas more efficiently as before. In Lollipop videos shot were wobbly with Steadyshot turned on. That was not a problem with KK then and now. Also I got back about 1 GB of Internal memory that was taken up by lollipop .
I love KitKat. But still I miss Lollipop for it's notification design. Can I get a full Lollipop interface on KK without rooting? . I have no idea about rooting modding and all.

zankdroid said:
Hi
Solved the problem. Yesterday I downgraded to KK using flashtool 0.9.18.6 . Previously I used 0.9.19.8, in which there was only an option to clear user data and not clear cache.
Flashtool 0.9.18.6 provided both the options and I also read on an XDA post that 0.9.18.6 is best suited for Xperia M2.
Now I am on kitkat 4.4.4 build 18.3.1.B.1.8. Now the camera issue is gone. No more white noise lines on camera pics. Focusing got faster and better. HDR video mode now equalizes bright and dark areas more efficiently as before. In Lollipop videos shot were wobbly with Steadyshot turned on. That was not a problem with KK then and now. Also I got back about 1 GB of Internal memory that was taken up by lollipop .
I love KitKat. But still I miss Lollipop for it's notification design. Can I get a full Lollipop interface on KK without rooting? . I have no idea about rooting modding and all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not that I'm aware of and the one I used on KK that was almost like lollipop needed root and superuser mod anyway. Kk sucks compared to 5.1 lollipop in every way but each to their own and all that and rooting 5.1 is also easy now with linuxcts root tool almost a one click job compared to how it was

Ok. is there any way to integrate kitkat camera firmware to lollipop 5.1.1 ?. Or any better camera firmware for M2 in lollipop? . Camera and Internal storage are the main gripe I have with lollipop.
Also I encountered another problem in lollipop recently as I was changing pattern lock. I forgot the pattern lock and it never asked for Google password for recovery. I had smart lock enabled with face detection. It didn't even asked that and I had to perform an ADM erase. Why does this happen with lollipop.
I would like to know about Deodexing. What is that? Is it like rooting? . Will it compromise security?.
In this link http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-m2/development/stock-xperia-m2-deodex-patch-t3243891 , it is mentioned Sony shipped the stock with corrupt odex files. Is there any issues with Sony stock firmware?

zankdroid said:
Ok. is there any way to integrate kitkat camera firmware to lollipop 5.1.1 ?. Or any better camera firmware for M2 in lollipop? . Camera and Internal storage are the main gripe I have with lollipop.
Also I encountered another problem in lollipop recently as I was changing pattern lock. I forgot the pattern lock and it never asked for Google password for recovery. I had smart lock enabled with face detection. It didn't even asked that and I had to perform an ADM erase. Why does this happen with lollipop.
I would like to know about Deodexing. What is that? Is it like rooting? . Will it compromise security?.
In this link http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-m2/development/stock-xperia-m2-deodex-patch-t3243891 , it is mentioned Sony shipped the stock with corrupt odex files. Is there any issues with Sony stock firmware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They use different frameworks from KK to LP so it wouldn't be possibly to port over. I thought the M2 had an update that fixed your camera problems?
Deodexing is basically a method to allow for modifications to the system and user apps. Sony accidentally/purposely prevented deodexing, so an alternative method is needed. It's harmless on its own though.

zankdroid said:
Ok. is there any way to integrate kitkat camera firmware to lollipop 5.1.1 ?. Or any better camera firmware for M2 in lollipop? . Camera and Internal storage are the main gripe I have with lollipop.
Also I encountered another problem in lollipop recently as I was changing pattern lock. I forgot the pattern lock and it never asked for Google password for recovery. I had smart lock enabled with face detection. It didn't even asked that and I had to perform an ADM erase. Why does this happen with lollipop.
I would like to know about Deodexing. What is that? Is it like rooting? . Will it compromise security?.
In this link http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-m2/development/stock-xperia-m2-deodex-patch-t3243891 , it is mentioned Sony shipped the stock with corrupt odex files. Is there any issues with Sony stock firmware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Camera on 18.6.A.0.182 is fine, if rooted with a few tweaks even better(I'm using cam2 ui with a combination of KK+L settings+z5+x framework files). The corrupted services.odex file shipped with 5.1 on M2,t2u and c3 only these three devices are affected(funnily enough the three not originally planned for 5,1) basically it means deodexing the stock 5.1 firmware is impossible and xposed won't work. To get round this @Gaurav007 and Co ported z1c + z2(the better port) deodexed system+framework this brings ultra stamina bravia engine x-reality(only on locked Bootloader) assertive display(must be edited to correct M2 screen size) and gives the m2 z2 features I've been using it since just after 5.1 was released no problem at all I highly recommend it for a good base to start with if on stock and want xposed, the only bug is just a annoying toast message when turning off Bluetooth it actually works fine as I use it for my sbh20's. There's also z5 style rom by @linuxct this also uses gauravs z1c port as it's base but is heavily de-bloated(to much if you ask me)With root and a few tweeks the m2 is a good device. I'd have a read through the threads in here you'll find all the information you need any problems post in here.