Hi xdadevelopers,
I ordered a Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE (xt897c) phone from FreedomPop for $25 and 28 days later it has arrived. My experience with FreedomPop has been decidedly mixed. Lots of hassle from customer service combined with a product that is sometimes very useful and always cheap. (Unless you use over 2GB of data per month) The phone itself seems very adequate for an excellent price. I would like your assistance in putting Cyanogenmod or another appropriate ROM on it.
Here's where I am,
The phone appears to have been rooted out of the box according to "Root Checker Basic" from Google Play
I installed "Superuser" from Google Play and that seems to work correctly
Busybox seems to be present already according to "Online Nandroid" from Google Play
I have created a TWRP Backup using Online Nandroid without modifying the recovery
The phone currently has Android 4.1.2
Where I want to be
I want to install a custom recovery, preferably one I can make backups from
I want to update to a more recent version of Android such as the stable one found here DUCK RULES cyanogenmod bot org /?device=xt897c or another version where everything just works
Notes. I have ADB and Fastboot installed from "Android Studio". I have an appropriate USB cable. I do not have a microsdhc card right now. It appears "Sandisk 64GB Extreme Micro SD (SDXC) Card + Adapter 60MB/s Class 10 U3 UHS-1" at DUCK RULES amazon bot com /gp/product/B00N98QLRQ is a good choice for a good price. I have this on order and should have it within the week.
I understand this phone has a locked bootloader. The "Messaging" app from FreedomPop available in Google Play seems to control messaging and the phone dialer. I went to the official Motorola Bootloader unlock page DUCK RULES motorola-global-portal bot custhelp bot com /cc/cas/sso/redirect/standalone%2Fbootloader%2Funlock-your-device-b I booted into recover with Power and volume up and volume down held, selected fastboot, connected to the computer , ran fastboot, as described, got the code, put the code in the webpage as described, and got a blank page. This happened 2x, with no emails form Motorola. I tried a third time 6 hours later, and it loaded a page with more instructions and I had the bootloader unlock code in my email instantly (There were no preceding messages, they didn't go to spam or somewhere else). I have installed TWRP Manager by Jmz software from Google Play. The standard reboot method doesn't work I changed the settings to "Reboot using an alternate method". I attempted to the TWRP recovery with the "Install TWRP". One must select their device and the closest thing to mine was "Motorola Photon 4G" codename "sunfire". This didn't appear to be it exactly but there wasn't a better choice. The next line down says "custom recovery not installed or detected". Then I selected the recovery version to install "2.6.3.0" "openrecovery-twrp-2.6.3.0-sunfire.img appeared the most recent, then I attempted to "Install Recovery" The phone downloaded the image, and said "Ensure the partition listed below is the correct one for your device..." "/dev/block/mmcblk0p10" how do I know if that's correct or not? I said yes to the question and went ahead, the phone rebooted to an Android on it's side with a yellow triangular sign with an exclamation point above it. Thirty seconds later the phone rebooted normally and everything worked no custom recovery was flashed.
Also thanks to the xdadevelopers community for your past and future efforts. I threw in my lot with Android when the neXus One launched after watching the keynote, buying it full price and paying extra for next day air shipping. I stayed stock despite the cool stuff being done by the development community until Google fell behind in updates. Then I started with CM6 and later went to CM7. That was wonderful software, thanks everyone who was involved in that. Unfortunately way late in the life of my phone I was homeless and got robbed for it. I got a used HTC HD7 Windows Phone for free from a friend. It was great for movies and music with a great screen and touch sensor but it was very early in the life of the new Windows Phone and there wasn't a lot of quality software being developed. That, and it just wasn't Android, and I longed for freedom. The integrated Web browser IE 9 variant sucked, and T-mobile denied me the final Windows Phone 7 update. The phone has gotten less and less useful as time went by though it always sucked for web browsing. This fall I got a One Plus One, it made a wonderful Wifi phablet, but when I tried to use it as a phone I found the radio was severely deficient in range, possibly due to defective manufacture as it got better range in colder weather. I had to initiate a chargeback with my credit card company to get support to talk to me and then ultimately get a refund. That's how I got where I am now and this is the first time I've needed to register for an account here. Thanks again xdadevelopers.
What is the best way to proceed? Semi detailed logical instructions please, as while I am intelligent and not a noob, I have been out of the game since CM7
Code:
.. ("`-''-/").___..--''"`-._
.. `6_ 6 ) `-. ( ).`-.__.`)
.. (_Y_.)' ._ ) `._ `. ``-..-'
.. _..`--'_..-_/ /--'_.' ,'
.. (il),-'' (li),' ((!.-'
Holy wall of text. This seems to be the crux:
Aslan_ said:
I have installed TWRP Manager by Jmz software from Google Play. The standard reboot method doesn't work I changed the settings to "Reboot using an alternate method". I attempted to the TWRP recovery with the "Install TWRP". One must select their device and the closest thing to mine was "Motorola Photon 4G" codename "sunfire". This didn't appear to be it exactly but there wasn't a better choice. The next line down says "custom recovery not installed or detected". Then I selected the recovery version to install "2.6.3.0" "openrecovery-twrp-2.6.3.0-sunfire.img appeared the most recent, then I attempted to "Install Recovery" The phone downloaded the image, and said "Ensure the partition listed below is the correct one for your device..." "/dev/block/mmcblk0p10" how do I know if that's correct or not? I said yes to the question and went ahead, the phone rebooted to an Android on it's side with a yellow triangular sign with an exclamation point above it. Thirty seconds later the phone rebooted normally and everything worked no custom recovery was flashed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why would you flash something that is OBVIOUSLY not for your device!? I sincerely hope it did nothing because you could do some permanent damage to your device by flashing stuff that's not made for it.
Did you bother looking for any recovery threads? Say my TWRP thread?
I recommend 2.7.1.2 in that thread, which is fine for CM11. If you want CM12, grab 2.8.5.0 in that thread.
Flash it per my directions using fastboot in my TWRP thread.
Got it thanks, now which rom?
Thank you very much arrrghhh. First off I sucessfully flashed TWRP 2.7.1.2. I did see the "[recovery] TWRP 2.7.1.2" thread, but it was from 2012 and it's 2015 now, plus it was 25 pages. Now I do see that the initial post was last edited 23rd July 2014, so that's better, but that's still over six months ago, so I'd have asked the question anyway having seen that. Several things to note, GooManager has been retired since the new cdn for goo.im was implemented, so that should be removed from the post. I like apps, they make me feel like there's less risk in my actions, though after some poking around I see it's probably the opposite. People are doing so much more low level stuff in apps compared to CM7 it's amazing.
arrrghhh said:
I recommend 2.7.1.2 in that thread, which is fine for CM11. If you want CM12, grab 2.8.5.0 in that thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would be nice to see that info in the 2.7.1.2 thread. that the newer version is recommended for CM12 and where to get it, that would show you're on top of the latest changes not to mention make the thread even more useful. Perhaps include the reason for stopping at 2.7.1.2, the SELinux split. Seeing a new version that works always makes me want to get the newer version, but in this case there's a good reason not too.
I'm always hated vague it's broken posts that don't adequately describe the problem, the hardware used and the environment, so I head in the opposite direction with mine.
Next question is which rom should I choose? I want something stable and secure with everything or just about everything working. I like Cyanogen Mod, but I'm open to other things. As new as I can get, but stable. I thought I needed something from download bod cyanogenmod bot org /?device=xt897c , but now looking around it looks like I might be able to use other sources like download bot cyanogenmod bot org /?device=xt897 I'm not sure though. Again I have the Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE which is CDMA, from FreedomPop running on the Sprint Network.
Code:
.. ("`-''-/").___..--''"`-._
.. `6_ 6 ) `-. ( ).`-.__.`)
.. (_Y_.)' ._ ) `._ `. ``-..-'
.. _..`--'_..-_/ /--'_.' ,'
.. (il),-'' (li),' ((!.-'
Aslan_ said:
Thank you very much arrrghhh. First off I sucessfully flashed TWRP 2.7.1.2. I did see the "[recovery] TWRP 2.7.1.2" thread, but it was from 2012 and it's 2015 now, plus it was 25 pages. Now I do see that the initial post was last edited 23rd July 2014, so that's better, but that's still over six months ago, so I'd have asked the question anyway having seen that. Several things to note, GooManager has been retired since the new cdn for goo.im was implemented, so that should be removed from the post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I no longer use this as my primary device, so my threads are basically stagnant. fastboot always works, where apps come and go... I'll try to find some time to adjust the post.
Aslan_ said:
It would be nice to see that info in the 2.7.1.2 thread. that the newer version is recommended for CM12 and where to get it, that would show you're on top of the latest changes not to mention make the thread even more useful. Perhaps include the reason for stopping at 2.7.1.2, the SELinux split. Seeing a new version that works always makes me want to get the newer version, but in this case there's a good reason not too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reason for stopping at 2.7.1.2 was they implemented MTP in 2.8.x, and I could never get it working right for both Win & Lin. I spose my bar was too high and I should've just released it, but I hate releasing half working stuff. It was a new feature that didn't work right.
Again, this is no longer my primary device so I'm not working on it very much at all. I have to pry the thing from my roommate's hands to even play with it, I haven't flashed CM12 yet (because it's no longer my device really).
I'd like to update the official TWRP, but in the meantime the CM maintainer has taken care of updating it so F2FS can be utilized.
Aslan_ said:
Next question is which rom should I choose? I want something stable and secure with everything or just about everything working. I like Cyanogen Mod, but I'm open to other things. As new as I can get, but stable. I thought I needed something from download bod cyanogenmod bot org /?device=xt897c , but now looking around it looks like I might be able to use other sources like download bot cyanogenmod bot org /?device=xt897 I'm not sure though. Again I have the Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE which is CDMA, from FreedomPop running on the Sprint Network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well obviously some of that does go down to choice - if you want CM, it is a little confusing. The device started out in CM10 as its own device, xt897 for GSM xt897c for CDMA. Then in CM11 they merged the devices into moto_msm8960. Of course they had to split again when the new bootloaders were released for the other moto_msm8960's (Razr HD, Atrix HD, etc) and moto_msm8960_jbbl was kind of a stopgap device at the end of CM11. Again, reading is your friend here although I realize all of that history is hard to glean. At least read the OP of the CM thread:
kabaldan said:
Please note:
In CM12, the Motorola 2012 msm8960 device line has been de-unified again, so moto_msm8960/moto_msm8960_jbbl builds are dead from now on.
Please check the xt897 device link for new Photon Q builds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck. The device is now semi-unified (GSM & CDMA), as xt897.
Aslan_ said:
[*]I have created a TWRP Backup using Online Nandroid without modifying the recovery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would you mind terribly to share this? My device shipped with a Sprint branded ROM and I'd like a proper backup.
I flashed CM 12.1 and lost data (3g/LTE) connection
I tried to flash FreedomPOP APN fix but it did not help
Anyone knows how to fix this?
How do I update PRL/Profile on CM 12.1?
turbozapekanka said:
I flashed CM 12.1 and lost data (3g/LTE) connection
I tried to flash FreedomPOP APN fix but it did not help
Anyone knows how to fix this?
How do I update PRL/Profile on CM 12.1?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't update PRL/Profile in CM, you do that on the stock ROM. Make sure EVERYTHING works on stock before flashing CM.
I found another APN fix and it worked.
So the result of the update PRL/Profile is stored somewhere in the phone and does not get lost when I flash a new ROM, is that correct?
The only way to update PRL/Profile is to flash back to stock, do update, reflash back to custom, right?
turbozapekanka said:
I found another APN fix and it worked.
So the result of the update PRL/Profile is stored somewhere in the phone and does not get lost when I flash a new ROM, is that correct?
The only way to update PRL/Profile is to flash back to stock, do update, reflash back to custom, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct.
turbozapekanka said:
I found another APN fix and it worked.
So the result of the update PRL/Profile is stored somewhere in the phone and does not get lost when I flash a new ROM, is that correct?
The only way to update PRL/Profile is to flash back to stock, do update, reflash back to custom, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you share this "another APN fix"?
already shared here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=60153295&postcount=18
Anyone still have issues? I was running a June Nightly and it was working somewhat. It would randomly lose connection and I would have to flash the APN.zip. It happened again a few days ago and I decided to go up to 722 Nightly and now I haven't been able to connect. When I go to APNs the list is empty and even if I manually add one it does not seem to stick. The APN zip doesn't help either. The phone is connected but shows an exclamation mark next to the signal and I have no data.
Sort of solved my own problem
Flashed back to stock Spring using RSD lite and a modified XML that didn't flash the system.img since it kept giving me errors. Found a stock TWRP dump on the forums and flashed that. Updated PRL and Profile, reflahsed back to CM11 Snapshot and flashed the 2015 FreedomPOP APN fix. Working for 1 day now.
Related
Hi All,
Really sorry to post a new thread about this, but I am unable to add a post here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1911437
So, followed Member - OPs guide to manually update my A701 to JB.
Simply put, the patch would not install (failed with a permissions error)
Put JB on anyway (just to see) and this won't let me get past the choice of language and location (Also, at this stage, SuperUser tells me system is requesting SuperUser access and whatever I do, it accepts)
So, used CWM to put the 4.0.4 build back, and that worked fine - though according to About Tablet I am actually on 4.1.1
I see improved UI speed and responsiveness, it's all looking great.
But Play Store won't run. Tried adding the latest version, still 'unfortunately stops' Also Nova refuses to run.
Has anyone run into any of these issues (Patch not installing, Play Store failing) and have any ideas what I can do to fix them?
Really sorry again for making a new thread in the wrong forum, I didn't see a choice (other than waiting!)
Thanks in advance,
Al
misteral1970 said:
Hi All,
Really sorry to post a new thread about this, but I am unable to add a post here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1911437
So, followed Member - OPs guide to manually update my A701 to JB.
Simply put, the patch would not install (failed with a permissions error)
Put JB on anyway (just to see) and this won't let me get past the choice of language and location (Also, at this stage, SuperUser tells me system is requesting SuperUser access and whatever I do, it accepts)
So, used CWM to put the 4.0.4 build back, and that worked fine - though according to About Tablet I am actually on 4.1.1
I see improved UI speed and responsiveness, it's all looking great.
But Play Store won't run. Tried adding the latest version, still 'unfortunately stops' Also Nova refuses to run.
Has anyone run into any of these issues (Patch not installing, Play Store failing) and have any ideas what I can do to fix them?
Really sorry again for making a new thread in the wrong forum, I didn't see a choice (other than waiting!)
Thanks in advance,
Al
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mate, it doesn't sound good.
What I would do, at this point, is Fastboot the 4.1 image again.. And stay the heck out of CWM. If you Fastbooted the 4.0.4 image, and you still have it showing 4.1, then you have a serious issue. So boot to fastboot, and try it again. Clearly, whatever you did with CWM, didn't work,
Installing a rom from CWM, requires certain things to be done, either in the install script, or via CWM.
Most notably, Formatting User data, cache, dalvik, system, and data. If any of these do not get done, chances are, the rom install will not go good. The basic install script, generally only formats System and Flexrom. This is because Acer distributes a full rom with the understanding there is nothing on it. Most rom modders know this, which is why they give extra instructions via cwm.
The big thing, is when you boot your tablet, is if it says which bootloader you are on. So you have to look,. You want to be on the JB bootloader.
MD
Thanks for the response MD,
A tiny bit unsure how to proceed. I understand everything that you said (well, I think I understood correctly!)
I have in fact tried to fastboot the 4.1.1 image again, and again I am stuck on the language and location screen (did this last night before giving up for the day)
I have read and understood "Stay away from CWM" (and I know that it is in this case only - have used CWM on my Gnex without issue)
Please forgive me if what I am about to write is ridiculous - this is kind of where we'll see whether I understood correctly or not.
I'm thinking that if the various areas were not wiped, and that could be the reason for the snafu, then it would be worth going into CWM (which I have been warned to stay away from, and which I would stay away from except for this one thing) and formatting the user data, system, dalvik etc, then applying either the 4.1 or 4.0.4 to result in a working tablet.
Or possibly flashing the bootloader to make sure it is JB
Or going back to the weird 4.0.4/4.1.1 hybrid which works but doesn't allow Play Store and finding a way around that issue.
Mate, I'm not sure which way to go at this point!
Fastbooting 4.1 is a dead end at the moment (but could that be a bootloader issue....)
Fastbooting 4.0.4 gives me the hybrid (though I can check this again tonight)
BTW, the only CWM Rom work I have tried to do has been with the patched update (second downloadable file I think) - everything else has been done via ADB
So.....CWM to wipe/format caches? (I'm thinking 'NO! DID YOU NOT HEAR WHAT I SAID ABOUT STAYING AWAY FROM CWM????' but I'm asking anyway!)
Flash a new bootloader on? If so, any idea where I would find it (will obviously search here and Google)
Thanks anyway, and thanks in advance if you have any more advice. I really do appreciate the support!
Al
Well Al,
This is perplexing to say the least. Clearly fastbooting the 411 results in frozen at the wizard. My question, when you have the unlocked bootloader, does it say JBxxxxxxxx unlock mode when you boot the tab? Because it should. If it doesn't, then you're still on ICS bootloader. And will have to do the CWM thing to get JB installed. The 411 image flash, is to get a rooted version.
And this is the point. Personally, I do not trust the CWM's at this point. That's just me (already bricked 1 tab 3 months ago with a faulty CWM) I know the folks with ICS are using Pawitp's CWM, and haven't reported issues. But I don't know if they are doing wipes or not.
As with the 404 image, well, why playstore doesn't work is perplexing. You could try reinstalling the playstore via manual method (root required). Which is to delete the vending.apk, install a new vending.apk (making sure permissions are the same as the other files), then reboot. Go to settings, wipe the playstore cache's. Then try Playstore again. This was an old method we used with market issues in HC.
Personally, I feel the issue is with the wipes before running the patch. But I would hate you do the wipes and formats, then discover the emmc chip bricked. So it's 50/50.
But heck, you have warranty. Just install some update.zip, and it resets your bootloader so service doesn't complain
Wish I could give you a definitive answer, but these processes are too new.
MD
Keep warranty
Moscow Desire said:
But heck, you have warranty. Just install some update.zip, and it resets your bootloader so service doesn't complain
MD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you make a short tut how to replace the old unlocked Bootloader?
My Tab has some Problems with the Display so it need a service ...
witch cwm to use?
witch update.zip?
remove cwm and su if necessary
Android Version: 4.0.4
Baseband: 11.810.922.00
Kernal:2.6.39.4+
Image:ACER_AV043_A701_RV08RC02_EMEA_DE
Build: ACER_AV043_A701_1.017.00_EMEA_DE
Hi MD,
Thanks for such a speedy and useful response!
Warranty: nope! I'm in China, bought the tablet in Shanghai (now way down south in Shenzhen) and it was a dodgy deal to say the least. I suspect they were being lifted from the factory. No complaints from me about this, or about any difficulties caused by rooting/flashing/CWM. My choice of action all the way along and I am aware of the risks
Just flashed 404 again and it is fine so far, again very nice and smooth. Going to look at the Play Store and see how it behaves, see what I can do as far as vending.apk is concerned (although I'm lost when it comes to permissions. Obviously I know what permissions are in tech terms, but no idea where they would be set, how to change them, what to use as a reference) I figure this is the path of least resistance for right now.
Then I'm going to see if I can apply the standard A701 update to JB (which I won't be able to because of rooting/unlocking but I will fiddle around) and see if I have any joy.
Got my keen eyed gf to check the message on boot, you were right that with the 411 image applied it still had an ICS bootloader, so that's good to know if I want to try going back to the flashed JB image. However, I have no idea how to flash the JB bootloader/kernel, and the CWM process for the patched update fails each time (despite editing the first line of the necessary file in META-INF/Google/Android)
So, I will keep you up to date with progress. Fingers crossed!!!
Al
Quick update.
Play Store seemed fine for quite a long time (although I didn't download anything, I was able to browse no problem)
Went to install my back up of Nova, and of course had to tick 'Unknown Sources'
As soon as I did that, allowing installation of apps not downloaded from the play store, I got the 'Unfortunately Play Store has stopped working' message. Before I installed anything else, immediately I ticked that box.
Unticked it, but still not working - installed Nova, not working.
So....
misteral1970 said:
Quick update.
Play Store seemed fine for quite a long time (although I didn't download anything, I was able to browse no problem)
Went to install my back up of Nova, and of course had to tick 'Unknown Sources'
As soon as I did that, allowing installation of apps not downloaded from the play store, I got the 'Unfortunately Play Store has stopped working' message. Before I installed anything else, immediately I ticked that box.
Unticked it, but still not working - installed Nova, not working.
So....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, seems like Nova is the culprit. I assume you are talking about nova launcher? Or nova the game?
Hi MD
Yes, Nova launcher but no, it's not the culprit. At least I don't think so.
The play store stopped as soon as I ticked 'Install from unknown sources', before I installed Nova.
Very odd.
Quick questions:
1) Any advice/links/downloads for changing to JB bootloader if I apply the 4.1.1 again? Given that I cannot run the patched update/flash from CWM, I am guessing I would need to directly install/flash the bootloader from ADB...
2) Don't kill me for asking this. I know to stay away from CWM, I have seen you post it a good few times here, I heed the warning....BUT.....
Given that I have CWM installed and it's working ok (apart from failing to apply updates) - I have 6.0.1.4 - many of the guides to updating the 701 say it needs 6.0.1.1. Would the slightly more recent version of CWM make a difference in terms of success or failure of the update? Update is failing with a 'set_perm:some changes failed' very early in the update.
Seriously, I am being extremely wary of CWM, it's just that currently I have a slightly disabled tablet and it would be great to get this sorted.
Thanks, once again, for all your help,
Al
Update again, put 404 back on (after issue with play store and unknown sources)
Opened play store, downloaded Apex launcher - all good.
Ran Apex, all good....then suddenly Play Store stops, Apex stops, never to return.
With 404 img on, About Tablet still says 4.1.1
The saga continues!!
Aaaand that's the end of that!
Put 4.1.1 back on, pushed the boot.img from the official update.
Now no CWM, so it seems no recovery mode....if I try to get there by volume down and power on, it goes into update mode.
And of course neither the official update nor the 'patched' one will apply.
Can boot to the first start screen (language/location) but can't get any further.
Maybe I can find a service center here in Shenzhen who can sort it out.....as I said before, no harm no foul, I knew the risks!
Thanks one more time MD for all your support and advice )
Or is it......?
Didn't give up, didn't surrender. Found out how to get into fastboot using frantic waggling of the rotation lock.
Just flashed 404 on again, waiting for boot to finish. Might still have a semi-usable tablet! Then I just wait till a 100% working JB manual update surfaces!
misteral1970 said:
Or is it......?
Didn't give up, didn't surrender. Found out how to get into fastboot using frantic waggling of the rotation lock.
Just flashed 404 on again, waiting for boot to finish. Might still have a semi-usable tablet! Then I just wait till a 100% working JB manual update surfaces!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HA HA, you found the User Data wipe.... Yeah, a little known secret from the 500 forums.
MD
It's so strange....so now I'm back to having flashed 404 but the tablet thinks it's 411.
Play store was fine for about 40 minutes, I quickly got chrome, currents and BBC news.
I turned off the Acer ring and play store died...
But here I am, typing to you on the tablet and it's fine. And what a change in performance. It's most noticeable in currents..the increase in speed and smoothness when scrolling between pages makes it at least ten times better than before.
But the last flash was 404....weird....
I'll leave it like this for now. No market but at least it's not semi bricked!
Super Quick update - in lieu of finding a sparkly copy of vending.apk, I tried wiping data and uninstalling Play Store (reverting to factory)
It duly downloaded a new version, and worked fine.
Then I popped Apex on, the GPS got busy, and Apex and Play Store died.
The wipe/uninstall worked again for Play Store so to be honest, I am currently quite happy. Ok, it's not perfect, but if I can quickly reinstate Play any time it fouls up, I can still build up a decent amount of apps to make the thing useful.
And seriously, whatever changes are there (considering the weird 404/411 hybrid) the performance is incredibly enhanced. All the faffing has been worth it, it is finally the tablet that it should have been from the start.
misteral1970 said:
Super Quick update - in lieu of finding a sparkly copy of vending.apk, I tried wiping data and uninstalling Play Store (reverting to factory)
It duly downloaded a new version, and worked fine.
Then I popped Apex on, the GPS got busy, and Apex and Play Store died.
The wipe/uninstall worked again for Play Store so to be honest, I am currently quite happy. Ok, it's not perfect, but if I can quickly reinstate Play any time it fouls up, I can still build up a decent amount of apps to make the thing useful.
And seriously, whatever changes are there (considering the weird 404/411 hybrid) the performance is incredibly enhanced. All the faffing has been worth it, it is finally the tablet that it should have been from the start.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, good news then. I think it's an interesting set-up. Hybrid. Still not sure though, why it pulls 411 from the build.prop as it should have been changed when you flashed the 404image. But honestly, after reading the OP's steps, I believe he references going back to 404 via CWM, and not fastboot. This of course would mean installing a full 404 original rom. I'll have to look over my JB system dump and see where the other prop would be. Maybe something changed in JB.
So if you can live with it, it's probably better to leave it be till we come up with something more definitive.
MD
"So if you can live with it, it's probably better to leave it be till we come up with something more definitive"
Yeah, totally agree.
Mate, seriously, thanks for the support and advice on this. It makes a big difference. Even as I sat there last night with what seemed to be an unusable tablet, being able to chat to you about it meant that at least I didn't feel completely adrift!
Big big thanks
Good afternoon,
I'm setting up Nine (Exchange ActiveSync) on my HTC Doubleshot, and part of the policy my work has is that the device must be encrypted. So I plug the phone into my charger, enter my password and start the process. I get the Android encryption logo but nothing else. It's been like that for three hours now.
I checked online, and there would have been a progress bar (or a reboot) by now. Is it safe to say that I can reboot my device without any ill effects (that I won't be interrupting any processes)?
I am using official Cyanogenmod 9 nightly (20130929). I'm thinking I'd get better luck with CM 9.1 (since its most stable I can think of - but do;t know if that will work either). One step at a time, but any other suggestions for CM9 ROMS if 9.1 official fails as well?
Thanks in advance.
joel.maxuel said:
Good afternoon,
I am using official Cyanogenmod 9 nightly (20130929). I'm thinking I'd get better luck with CM 9.1 (since its most stable I can think of - but do;t know if that will work either). One step at a time, but any other suggestions for CM9 ROMS if 9.1 official fails as well?
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I rebooted anyways, no issues. I put CM 9.1 back on, and started the encryption process. Same logo, no progress bar nor reboot.
So now I am looking to other ROM's that will do this trick. Do I have to be on stock (or close to it like MikTouch) to accomplish encryption? If so, how complicated would putting CM back on be?
joel.maxuel said:
I rebooted anyways, no issues. I put CM 9.1 back on, and started the encryption process. Same logo, no progress bar nor reboot.
So now I am looking to other ROM's that will do this trick. Do I have to be on stock (or close to it like MikTouch) to accomplish encryption? If so, how complicated would putting CM back on be?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did a little more research...
Looks like MikTouch can encrypt the phone:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1613917&page=34
Mind you, I cannot be stuck with Gingerbread (company policy, and nor do I want to), so I would put CM9 back on afterwards. To do this, I would need TWRP Recovery (preferably installed before I go to MikTouch so I know it works) instead of CWM (to get over the SD card and encryption issue):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1917436
If the encryption fails, or is not what what I want in the end, can I just do a factory reset in HBOOT? If so, what will I be left with... stock or MikTouch?
Does this sound like a reasonable process? Am I missing anything?
Side note: I have to be very careful with the process, as I use the same SD card as my previous Doubleshot (looks to be same radio and HBOOT version), and I left RUU on the card by mistake. I found that HBOOT scooped it up once, but called the file corrupt, so it looks like I am unable to go back to true stock with this phone.
Thanks for any pointers.
Solved! (Sorta)
Okay, so I learned a few things.
MikTouch does not have whole phone encryption as an option in security settings. I looked things up, and neither would stock. The encryption possibility is there, but only if ActiveSync invokes it.
Wait a tick ... I have ActiveSync under accounts now! So I tried this, and was able to connect (looks like a minimum OS version of 3.0 wasn't a hard requirement) without encrypting (worst I had to do was set a PIN). So not what I was expecting. I did some digging online, to see if ActiveSync is available for CyanogenMod, and there were posts about it being used in later versions.
Since I don't remember it being in my CM9.1 build, I thought I'd try 10.1 since it was already on my SD card. ActiveSync wasn't there, but Corporate was. So I tried that. After some issues with certificates, I managed to get it to work. I now have work emails and calendar items on my phone! Finally!
So the encryption part is still a mystery, but since I got my primary goal accomplished, I'm not too bothered to figure the rest out.
I have tried quite a few ROMs, and all ended up going back to stock firmware because they wouldn't boot. I know I have to format data, and some ROMs ask you to change the data partition as f2fs.
Still, I think that there may be no ROMs that currently work for the US variant. One guy said LOS 13 worked, but when I flashed it, it failed. If someone has gotten it to work, can you please post as many steps as you remember on how to get it work?
Debrand to BLN-L21 following this guide and you're ready to flash cooked ROMs https://forum.xda-developers.com/honor-6x/how-to/guide-successful-debranding-to-bln-t3701050
RedSkull23 said:
Debrand to BLN-L21 following this guide and you're ready to flash cooked ROMs https://forum.xda-developers.com/honor-6x/how-to/guide-successful-debranding-to-bln-t3701050
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, but wouldn't there be more issues down the line with a debranded phone? What if I soft-bricked my phone, it seems like it'd be really hard to restore? Has anyone actually ever done this on a BLN-L24?
Hello all,
I too am having issues with flashing roms to this device, US variant (BLN-L24). In my particular case, the rom boots up (EliteRom v7.1) and will actually function. However, wifi does not work, as well as I have no sound whatsoever. Youtube also will not play, nor will any videos, which I'm guessing is tied to whatever issue is with the sound. I have flashed multiple times per the step by step instructions, as well as following the Youtube video, all with the same result over the last few days. At this point, my phone is effectively useless to me, though cellular data does still work, just no calls can be answered. Anyone have any suggestions I might be able to follow? Also, even my TWRP backup that I made before installing the rom will not restore at this point. Any help is appreciated, thanks.
Jessooca said:
You must be missing a step or something, because [Elite ROM][EMUI 5.1] Elite ROM v7.1 for Honor 6X by HassanMirza01 works on the L24 us variant without issues, I have none.
Perhaps go back to stock and start over. I haven't had any issues with his rom and I didn't do anything more than what's needed to root/install twrp and flash the rom per his instructions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just followed the instructions; I believe to the best I could, and I'm stuck in a bootloop now. Which version of EMUI were you on before flashing? I was on EMUI 5.0 which may be my issue.
I started from EMUI 5.0
Unlocked my bootloader
Let it factory reset
Installed the Elite TWRP on the page
Booted to Elite TWRP
Formatted all partitions excpet for external sd card
Reformatted Data to f2fs
Re-wiped data
Checked that it was f2fs
Installed Elite ROM zip
Installed open gapps 7.0 ARM64
Installed the patch
Rebooted
Bootloop
i4ybrid said:
I just followed the instructions; I believe to the best I could, and I'm stuck in a bootloop now. Which version of EMUI were you on before flashing? I was on EMUI 5.0 which may be my issue.
I started from EMUI 5.0
Unlocked my bootloader
Let it factory reset
Installed the Elite TWRP on the page
Booted to Elite TWRP
Formatted all partitions excpet for external sd card
Reformatted Data to f2fs
Re-wiped data
Checked that it was f2fs
Installed Elite ROM zip
Installed open gapps 7.0 ARM64
Installed the patch
Rebooted
Bootloop
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On one of the attempts that I did for installing, I installed the patch and it put me in a boot loop. Maybe not installing the patch can help you?
I cant get anything to work for the US version. Sure stuff boots but some of it is just broken. On octOS i am unable to use root unless i switch supersu to automatically grant root to apps. I cant get root access by using prompt because nothing pops up. On crdroid i have the same exact issue. Id rather have the prompt than allow any app root access without my knowledge. With ELITE ROM my first boot brings up a home screen with no keyboard. It completely skips any kind of setup screen. I can get the setup screen by flashing a keyboard from an aroma gapps installer but then i lose google services. The US version also seems to be forgotten as for most roms you wont see it anywhere under supported lists.
I've never been able to get a custom rom to work on my BLN-L24. Everything just ends in a never-ending bootloop of frustration.
Though, I have only ever tried with EMUI 5.0+. Maybe an earlier version of EMUI gets better results...?
code_name_duchess said:
I've never been able to get a custom rom to work on my BLN-L24. Everything just ends in a never-ending bootloop of frustration.
Though, I have only ever tried with EMUI 5.0+. Maybe an earlier version of EMUI gets better results...?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It really sucks that nothing seems to work. Ive tried flashing using multiple recoveries and ive tried all kinds of flashing to fix issues with the ROMS. Nothing helps. If anyone has successfully gotten a ROM fully working on BLN-L24 they need to tell people exactly what they did step by step.
It seems that for the roms located here, they seem to all assume that the phone has been debranded to bln-l21 variant. I don't know if it has any bearing on the current issues we're all experiencing, but I did notice that all twrps available for this device on the forums state they are the "Open Kirin Edition". It's been a while since I've rooted or rom'd a phone besides this one, but I've never encountered a twrp with a custom name like that.
I know that the developer of the EliteRom had his custom twrp, but is there a different twrp besides that one that does not state it is an "Open Kirin Edition"? Like I said, not sure if it has any bearing on things here, but I've been very confused about that.
TurtlePwr82 said:
It seems that for the roms located here, they seem to all assume that the phone has been debranded to bln-l21 variant. I don't know if it has any bearing on the current issues we're all experiencing, but I did notice that all twrps available for this device on the forums state they are the "Open Kirin Edition". It's been a while since I've rooted or rom'd a phone besides this one, but I've never encountered a twrp with a custom name like that.
I know that the developer of the EliteRom had his custom twrp, but is there a different twrp besides that one that does not state it is an "Open Kirin Edition"? Like I said, not sure if it has any bearing on things here, but I've been very confused about that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For most phone i've ever owned you never had to change the recovery for each ROM. Its confusing. Most recoverys say Open Kirin Edition when booting. What confuses me is why we need to debrand to get the ROMS to work. If the phone pretty much run on the same hardware then why is L24 having so many issues? Why are the devs not testing on these devices?
BakedOnSomeSour said:
For most phone i've ever owned you never had to change the recovery for each ROM. Its confusing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right, that's what I was thinking. For any phone I've ever rom'd, there was always just one twrp that everyone worked from.
Edit: found this while looking through the roll back to stock forum. I don't know if it will help anyone else, but figured I'd put it here as well if it might. All credit for this goes to the original poster johnnyrichter:
johnnyrichter said:
Tried this method after being on LineageOS for a week or two and having poor LTE signal, no MMS, and voicemail issues so I'm trying to go back to stock so I can have a fully functional phone since I rely on it heavily for work. Followed all steps using BLN-L24 B360 firmware. On step 10 I rebooted to update and it went right to "5% Installing Update" and stuck there for 5 mins, then rebooted itself, has been sitting at "honor" boot screen for 14 minutes so I made it reboot to EMUI recovery, wiped/factory reset, rebooted, loaded EMUI afte 2 more minutes. Appears to have worked and hopefully my issues are fixed!
Edit: Signal, mms, and voicemail issues fixed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hopefully will benefit someone here as well.
When debranding the BLN-L24, and branding it to BLN-L21, are there any issues with the ROMs once they're installed? I imagine the radios, and such are different for the two models??
BakedOnSomeSour said:
Why are the devs not testing on these devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Devs can only test devices they have in possession. If they don't have your phone model, how are they going to test it?
galapagos said:
Devs can only test devices they have in possession. If they don't have your phone model, how are they going to test it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well, many don't want to give them a phone because most developers here tend to stop work on a ROM and leave people hanging.
I have gotten several ROMs working on L24 variant...
Yes it seems to me any Elite kernel based ROM works or should work on the L24. But /data must be ext4 format. Then even that the ROM works, the fingerprint scanner never allows a complete successful scan. I think because it must be f2fs format for that encryption to work or something. This is the link to those ROMS https://hassanmirza01.blogspot.com/p/custom-roms.html?m=1
On the other hand the LOS based ROMs never work or at least they reboot and the screen is always black or the ROM branding just stays there flashing. This sucks cause I want to run the newest Resurrection ROM but I ask the developer about why I have that problem or how long that ROM takes to boot and I never get an answer. He also just put a new beta AOKP ROM up and it does the same black screen thing too.
I am also suspicious it has to do with the version of TWRP. I think some are capable of formatting f2fs correctly or the encryption or whatever. Point is some of the devs need to be a little more consistent answering questions at a minimum. I know it takes time to fix bugs but give us a little heads up.
As we all know there is a point during setup where you put in your google account and it asks to restore from a phone or start fresh. When I got to that part, there were no backups to restore from. I confirmed that my Essential Phone and my Pixel XL backup were still present on my drive. Then after the setup was complete, I noticed that there wasn't Android 8.1 on the Premium, despite having the April security update. Being impatient, I looked it up and I saw that 8.1 was available and out for OTA. Since I don't have a carrier-locked device, theoretically I could receive all updates as they roll out from Sony. I thought since my backups were from an 8.1 device, they were incompatible to downgrade to 8.0. Still being impatient, I looked over XDA and found that Unlocking the bootloader and loading a custom ROM would be fine, but that's where I ran into issues.
Half of the threads that supported G8412 (Dual Sim) were either edited to "working" or out-of-date or closed by a moderator (I downloaded the Turbo mod before it was deleted, and I only discovered it was deleted when I logged on to thank him).
TL;DR:
-Unlocked my bootloader, which turned out to be a terrible mistake on my part
-Cant seem to find a stable ROM (the flash-and-forget kind) that supports my model
-Apparently now the camera is broken and unusable on most ROMs?
-Can't migrate any of my data due to a (theoretical) Android 8.1/8.0 clash
Anything I am missing on the forum would be appreciated. I've looked at Storm's thread (closed), Turbo's thread (closed), Snappatch (DRM Fix required). It seems like a lot of ROMs that are still active require the DRM fix by Storm except for the Carbon ROM. So, any suggestions as to what to do going forward? Is there something I am missing?
(Edit: upon reading, this looked more like a blog post so I cut it down)
I'm personally using the official CarbonROM 8.1 on my G8142. Been running it for a few weeks and it's pretty stable.
Thunder_47 said:
As we all know there is a point during setup where you put in your google account and it asks to restore from a phone or start fresh. When I got to that part, there were no backups to restore from. I confirmed that my Essential Phone and my Pixel XL backup were still present on my drive. Then after the setup was complete, I noticed that there wasn't Android 8.1 on the Premium, despite having the April security update. Being impatient, I looked it up and I saw that 8.1 was available and out for OTA. Since I don't have a carrier-locked device, theoretically I could receive all updates as they roll out from Sony. I thought since my backups were from an 8.1 device, they were incompatible to downgrade to 8.0. Still being impatient, I looked over XDA and found that Unlocking the bootloader and loading a custom ROM would be fine, but that's where I ran into issues.
Half of the threads that supported G8412 (Dual Sim) were either edited to "working" or out-of-date or closed by a moderator (I downloaded the Turbo mod before it was deleted, and I only discovered it was deleted when I logged on to thank him).
TL;DR:
-Unlocked my bootloader, which turned out to be a terrible mistake on my part
-Cant seem to find a stable ROM (the flash-and-forget kind) that supports my model
-Apparently now the camera is broken and unusable on most ROMs?
-Can't migrate any of my data due to a (theoretical) Android 8.1/8.0 clash
Anything I am missing on the forum would be appreciated. I've looked at Storm's thread (closed), Turbo's thread (closed), Snappatch (DRM Fix required). It seems like a lot of ROMs that are still active require the DRM fix by Storm except for the Carbon ROM. So, any suggestions as to what to do going forward? Is there something I am missing?
(Edit: upon reading, this looked more like a blog post so I cut it down)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think turbo said he might bring it back he is just away right now(work)
also for camera you can go here https://forum.xda-developers.com/xz-premium/how-to/xz-premium-145-twrp-root-fix-t3783036 and download the drm fix.
blweldon2 said:
I'm personally using the official CarbonROM 8.1 on my G8142. Been running it for a few weeks and it's pretty stable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the CarbonROM require any upkeep? I see it says "Weeklys" in it's title, so for the uneducated, does that mean it is updated Weekly with new features/fixes?
raven213 said:
i think turbo said he might bring it back he is just away right now(work)
also for camera you can go here https://forum.xda-developers.com/xz-premium/how-to/xz-premium-145-twrp-root-fix-t3783036 and download the drm fix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did get the firmware that is .145, and I do have a DRM fix currently, however I do not remember where I got it from. I wish Turbo the best of luck in bringing back his work and collab with that other guy.
Update
After a bit of research, I did find that getting the 8.1 Carbon Rom with the AOSP upgrade below would be best. As seems like the current trend where some users report successes and others report failures and there really isn't an "in-between" of a particular combination, this one seems to have the most credibility as of May 8. Carbon Rom's thread hasn't been active for about a month, however and the author behind the Snappatch upgrades seems to have left XDA..
Any other users that have Android 8.1 have anything else to say/suggest?
Carbon Rom:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/xz-premium/development/8-1-x-carbonrom-cr-6-1-t3771540
AOSP Upgrade (Snappatch)
https://forum.xda-developers.com/crossdevice-dev/sony/pom-snappatch-xperia-aosp-t3777322
blweldon2 said:
I'm personally using the official CarbonROM 8.1 on my G8142. Been running it for a few weeks and it's pretty stable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you do to flash it when I do it it's stock at Sony logo
SilverGamer_YT said:
How did you do to flash it when I do it it's stock at Sony logo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make sure you flash the AOSP userdata image. Can obtain it by compiling from source or grabbing it from one of the AOSP roms compiled from source. Just flash it in fastboot and then flash the rom in TWRP. Only need to flash userdata once.
Cant flash twrp nor the patched magisk boot img to both slot a and b.
Bootloader is unlocked.
Flashing scripts via .bat files for stock zips of both android 10 and 12 results in "FAILED (remote: Partition product not found)" or "FAILED (remote: variable not found)" respectively.
I have no recovery.
When I had twrp, I've made the mistake of wiping my whole android 12 data, storage, and system and flashing an android 10 rom without reading up of the separate a and b boot slots nor the effects of my actions leading to bootlooping. (I've done with this other devices before with no problems). This in turn wiped the twrp recovery I had flashed and left me only fastboot commands and a twrp version up to 3.3 and 3.2 with no hope of getting usb otg to work as it was only available with the later versions of twrp and since I and now technically on an android 10 bootloader, any attempt at that time to flash twrp 3.6 was met with a (remote: Error calling AvbLoadAndVerifyBootImages Load Error) or some kind of other error I have no logs for. Now I cant even tetherboot to twrp 3.2 nor 3.3 and I get that error regardless.
[Boots to bootloader no matter what. Shows as UFS:Micron, Error reason - reboot bootloader - bootloader version is b1c1-0-4-7617406]
I believe I can get access to internal storage to flash these updates once I get a recovery tethered from the bootloader. I do not know if its possible to boot to fastbootd or whatever its called (used for write permissions/sideload update zips) even if I hadn't gotten into this predicament. I will be buying another Pixel 3 in the meantime as I have money to burn and like to hurt myself financially, and emotionally to get to my goal with this device. ( Didn't buy another one, I was committed to the cause!)
I am not a noob nor a pro, but somewhere in between. My biggest point of failure is not reading up on how the partitions are set up and the various issues others had when flashing android 10 and 11 roms. Any suggestions other than "uPdAtE tHe fAsTbOoT aNd AdB dRiVeRs" are not welcomed. Thank you. I will update once I find a soluton to my problem Which I Will.
Again, my main concern right now is getting tethered twrp to work again and need suggestions. I have older versions of platform tools and the latest so please non of those comments I see on literally every other thread.
Edit: I didn't mention this before, but I did have the ability yo sideload when I had twrp at the time before crapping everything out the window, but nothing would work and gave up. Just wanted to add if anyone was wondering.
First update, I used the propriatary "Tool All In One Tool" and I was able to boot to fastbootd, and wipe my data and storage, while updating my stock zip to android 12. Now I can tetherboot twrp 3.6.1_11-0 with the option for usb otg, wish me luck boys. I'm in.
Second update. Still stuck on first update, but weighing my options in the meantime. I flashed twrp via the flash current twrp option, but when I boot to it, touch is disabled so thats great... I can fast boot to only the twrp versions after 3.6+, so not so bad. I have no os installed, but I will try my hand again at that tool all in one tool again. I'll update tomorrow if anything comes of it.
3rd update. FROM THE BRINK OF DEATH!!! WHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! I got the pixeldust rom flashed and working like a BOSS!!!!! You won't believe the 2 days I've had trying to get this thing to work. All in all 1 out of my 3 flashdrives finally worked with otg. I had a windows recovery drive premade on it so I just copied and pasted the files there without a hitch! Thank you Google for having to make me miss work and actually do research to get this thing working again! Thank you for the guys at Tool All In One Tool for making this recovery possible, I will shout out your thread. If anyone who's in a similar situation needs any help from me or any info, I'll be glad to help. This will be the second to last update. I can also make phone calls and use data so Pixel Dust rom is good to go if that was one of your concerns. See ya!
Final update, I got crdroid flashed with root and safetynet passed, I just found out that google Pay was imbedded in gapps so now I don't need the pay app anymore to do transactions! My banking app also works, got vanced finally installed (couldn't do it on regular stock ROM) some glitches with the ROM here and there but no worries. For who ever reads this. There's hope. I fd up as bad as you can get shy of a hard brick. I still don't know too much but learned near twice as much as I knew just a few days ago. If you need help just DM me and I'll work my hardest to bring the light. This phone is absolutely amazing and on god wished google was a better company to praise. I have more plans for these phones and hope more Roms come out to support it.
I have one question however, how do I make a backup of my system/system_ext partitions? I can make a back up of everything else but that with these two Roms... I have a backup of it with my stock ROM, but it resumed to mount when I used otg... Didn't try internal yet but I'll assume the same, is it a glitch with current twrp?