Brand New OnePlus One rooted and with adware etc
I am a very newbie to not all but many of the particular issues in this post so would be grateful of any newbie taylored advice.
Background:
==============
I purchased a Oneplus one recently, stocked and fulfilled by amazon with amazon returns policy but seller was a chineese company.
It was advertised as 100% Original Oneplus One New Cell Phone
The phone arraived and appeared to already be rooted
evidence:
Barclays App says it is rooted and won't run. It ran fine on my Nexus 4
I can connect via adb and set to su straight away
The phone appeared to have arrived with significant malware / adware with popups and auto launch ad in browser pages and bloteware / PUPS(?), and other issues. After a great deal of research checking notifications and trial and error I disabled the following, some via settings\apps some via adb, pm ... disable ...
2048 (com.digiplex.game)
App Manager (com.shyz.steward)
Browser (com.android.browser)
Caller ID (com.android.tools.callassistant)
Clean Master (com.cleanmaster.mguard)
Cool Browser (com.cool.coolbrowser)
DU Speed Booster (com.dianxinos.optimizer.duplay)
Magic Photo (cn.dotui.magicphoto)
Videos (com.haolianluo.video)
and disabled gestures due to torch issues
The phone now seems quite stable.
I installed MalwareBytes, however None of the items it identifies is it able to disable/uninstall I set it not to scan automatically but it continues to tell me I have not responded to its list of issues, but I have responded by selected them, but on selection it tries to uninstall them but fails.
I was able to disable one of them via adb because it provided the package name for that one but:
CallerID.apk (disabled in settings\apps)
coolbrowser.apk (disabled in settings\apps)
201507140923731g.apk
AppStore.apk
I do not know how to uninstall (or disable at least on 2 of them) and I do not know how to refer to them from package manager because I don't have the package name.
Key Questions:
================
I am familiar with much of software engineering and programming but not with mobile phone OS / disk / memory / file system, etc. I am having a lot of difficulty getting to grips with the vocabulary, definitions and terminology depending what you read.
- Some say OnePlus from factory comes with cyanogenmod but is not rooted
- So one wonders how my phone go to be rooted if the seller is a retailer
- Some say if the phone is rooted the warentee is invalidated. What do you think?
- WhatsApp says the phone has a custom rom and watsapp may not work properly with a custom rom
It is very difficult to get to the bottom of exactly what the difference is between a stock rom
and a custom rom. Some seem to be saying cyanogenmod is a custom rom, but then others say what
comes on the phone from the mobile manufacturer is a stock rom, eg HT Sense or in the case of
OnePlus, cyanogenmod! Is it only a custom rom if it is somehow NOT proven to be a
custom rom validated by the mobile manufacturer in factory (i.e. stock rom)?
- Some say having a custom rom invalidates warrantee, is this right?
- How do i prove that the rooting and the custom rom were not introduced by me?
- I have thought about factory reset, but I cannot manage to find anything that tells
me what this actually means and does, only how to do it.
- does a factory reset actually do what it suggests. I have read that factory reset does
not involve going to the manufacturers site and obtaining an appropriate image and flashing
it to the phone so I do not quite understand how else it could guarantee it
- If a factory reset will just make it like it was when I received it then that I do not want.
- Can I and ought I to flash a fresh image on the phone to get it like it WOULD HAVE been
had I bought it from OnePlus factory on invite and not through a mediator
- Finally. There is a notification "System Update is ready" . When I select this it appears
to download something (next version of cyanogenmod I guess though I don't recognise the version
number against any cyanogenmod versions) then it restarts and goes to a recovery app.
At this stage it is not completely intuitive what one should do and it seems to want you
to navigate to a location.
Now, I think I could probably figure this out with some reading but two things come to mind:
1) Presumably for a from factory OnePlus phone this kind of ambiguous unintuitive update
process would not be going on for people who just bought their phone and knew nothing
so it suggests the phone is in a different state to that. I also read you need root
already to install a (good) recovery app.
2) I am loath to do this update since it is not clear whether the update is this retailers
system update and will reintroduce all that I have disabled to create stability. Therefore
up to now I have always selected just do nothing and reboot. I favor stability over
features.
I am kind of inclined now I have managed to get it stable to just stick with it as it is and just use it without any further updates / resets / flashes and without returning it, but...
Sorry to ask all these questions. I would be grateful of any advice. Can be given with the assumption that I understand foundational general stuff ram, rom (though this word seems to be used differently to what I'm used to), flash, image, partition etc, but not that I actually know all about how the android/cyanogenmod platform is laid out and behaves as an installation.
Thank you.
Hi, All Oneplus One phones comes with CyanogenMod without rooted. One must Unlock bootloader and Flash custom recovery and Flash SuperSu to get root access.
Yours already says rooted means either you bought the used phone or refurbished. However even when a phone is refurbished OnePlus company locks it and make it unrooted.
OnePlus Phones warranty doesn't get over bu rooting. OnePlus actually supports rooting. Warranty becomes void when you do something blunder while flashing and your devices becomes dead aka bricked.
What I am suspecting is the chinese seller bought new OnePlus and Installed different ROM as the chinese OPO comes with ColorOS which doesn't have PlayStore. Now in the procedure they introduced unwanted Adwares which may be Intentional or Unintentional.
Now you have 2 options.
Either ask Amazon for a refund.
Or if the time is passed then I suggest you to start fresh. If you have already custom recovery installed then go ahead and install fresh stock CyanogenMod ROM from xda.
sent from Bacon (OnePlus One)
Hi Abhinav_Rakesh,
Thank you so much for your response, I really appreciate your advice. I think I understood most of what you said, generally but I am still a bit unclear on some points:
Is there any way to tell if the phone is refurbished. I would rather it were new even if they have installed a different rom.
What do you mean by "time is passed" I have only had the phone a few days. I am in a quandary whether to return it or not, whether amazon will believe it was not me who rooted it and whether I will be able to get another one that is not just the same as this one anyway since you cannot get them direct from OnePlus any more.
I saw some kind of recovery screen over one reboot but did not do the install. How do I know if this is the "custom recovery" you describe, if it is not how do I obtain / get to "custom recover"?
Can you direct me to a script that shows me how to "install fresh stock CyanogenMod ROM from xda"? Will that completely blank out everything that the chineese company may have done on the phone, or might some stuff still be left behind? Is there a risk to that process, given that I at least have a fairly stable phone now? Will it include or do I have to get separately "PlayStore" so I can download my usual apps?
Thank you again, I really appreciate it?
i suggest you to start from fresh, since obviously your OPO is not in stock state and has been tampered with..
the (general) steps to make the OPO like new are as follows..
(1) connect it to a pc via usb cable
(2) in command prompt, issue "adb reboot bootloader" (and wait for it to boot into bootloader/fastboot mode)
(3) issue "fastboot oem unlock" (to unlock the bootloader.. all data will be wiped but the warranty is not voided)
(4) issue "fastboot flash recovery custom_recovery.img" (replace "custom_recovery.img" with the actual recovery file name)
(5) power off mobile and disconnect from pc
(6) press power button together with volume down button (to boot into custom recovery we just flashed)
(7) while in recovery, install rom image (which should be put in the internal storage beforehand)
(8) reboot to enjoy the reborn mobile
to be able the complete the above steps, you need to get some files in advance:
- adb.exe/fastboot.exe (which you should already have since you could do adb)
- custom recovery (TWRP suggested.. get the image for OPO, whose codename is bacon, at http://twrp.me/ ), and put it in your pc..
- stock or custom rom (the stock for OPO is cyanogenmod, and there is also a OnePlus provided OxygenOS rom.. go to respective sites to get a copy), and put it into the mobile's internal storage..
mind you that by doing so (the fastboot oem unlock step) all your mobile's data will be wiped..
@hardya Hi .. You can follow this link to restore your phone according to OnePlus Standards. This will remove all that chinese ads and all and will make it fresh.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2970390
sent from Bacon (OnePlus One)
I feel like i need to reanswer a some of your question even though some already have answered them. You seem very interested and it seems fair to clear up some things.
hardya said:
- Some say OnePlus from factory comes with cyanogenmod but is not rooted
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a little misconception about what cyanogenmod is.
The offical Oneplus One comes preinstalled with CyanogenOS (or CM12S), which is derived from Cyanogenmod. It get's a bit complicated. Cyanogen is a company founded by the lead programmer of Cyanogenmod. CyanogenOS is a commercial product, that is licensed to phone manufactures.
Cyanogenmod is the codebase for CyanogenOS. CyanogenOS adds some functionalities that are not present in the community maintained Cyanogenmod. (e.g. a alternate dialing app, theme store, etc.)
The offical Oneplus One comes NON-rooted. You need to manually enable root.
Please keep in mind that it gets REALLY complicated from this point!
The Oneplus One debuted with CM11S (CyanogenOS, the commercial version of Cyanogenmod). Cyanogen (the company) promised users 2 years of support and updates for the owners on the Oneplus One. But Oneplus and Cyanogen had some major issues that resulted in ending the partnership.
Oneplus had to offer an alternative Android Firmware for their upcoming phone Oneplus Two. So they did another android version called OxygenOS. This was installed onto all Oneplus One phones from a certain date onward!
THIS is the OFFICAL Android Software Version for your Oneplus One!!!
See: https://oneplus.net/de/support/answer/how-can-i-download-oxygen-os
I would strongly recommend to install OxygenOS, as it is the easiest way of experience the phone as Oneplus intended it to be.
Most tutorials on here are a little bit older so they are offering guides which mention either CM11S, CM12S, Cyanogenmod or OxygenOS. (or if you are more familiar with other customroms, whatever you'd like to install! But this is something you should look into, when you are more familiar with what costumroms are and what they do! There are so many excellent guides on here, which i'd recommend you to read sometime!)
- So one wonders how my phone go to be rooted if the seller is a retailer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He rooted it either manually or used an android version (e.g. something downloaded off XDA or got one from some developer). Such versions are often called Customroms.
Also note, that there are no official retailers of Oneplus phones. They are officially offered from the website only. However, there are some shops in China, that offer Oneplus phones.
- Some say if the phone is rooted the warentee is invalidated. What do you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most phone manufactures actually tell you that your warranty is void when rooting your phone.
Oneplus however is very, very supportive when it comes to rooting!
And of course installing other Android Versions and Roms!
See: https://oneplus.net/de/support/answer/will-rooting-or-unlocking-the-bootloader-void-my-warranty
- WhatsApp says the phone has a custom rom and watsapp may not work properly with a custom rom
It is very difficult to get to the bottom of exactly what the difference is between a stock rom
and a custom rom. Some seem to be saying cyanogenmod is a custom rom, but then others say what
comes on the phone from the mobile manufacturer is a stock rom, eg HT Sense or in the case of
OnePlus, cyanogenmod! Is it only a custom rom if it is somehow NOT proven to be a
custom rom validated by the mobile manufacturer in factory (i.e. stock rom)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cyanogenmod is indeed a custom rom. (or sometimes aftermarket firmware)
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CyanogenMod
A stock rom is the firmware that is installed by the manufacturer. (in your case: CyanogenOS, called CM12S. the 12 stands for the version number of Cyanogenmod. 12 = Android 5, 13 will be Android 6. There was a CM11S version, when the phone debuted last year.). The S marks it as CyanogenOS, the commercial product. So CM12 would be the community maintained Cyanogenmod. CM12S the product by the company Cyanogen. As said before, it's a bit complicated, as the current OFFICIAL rom is OxygenOS
Your findings of software not present in the official stock Oneplus One rom (which is either CM12S or OxygenOS), suggests your software on the phone is actually a unofficial costum rom.
- Some say having a custom rom invalidates warrantee, is this right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See the answer to the rooting question. Almost all major phone manufactures void your warranty if you flash a custom rom. As it involves tampering with system files and most people are not very knowledgeable when it comes to "computery things". It's just a security measure, so that people won't sue the company when something bad happens (most likely deleting precious pictures, etc.)
Oneplus actually encourages people to try other roms. This made the Oneplus One a very popular phone for tinkerers and as you can see on this forum there are a lot of custom roms you can choose from.
- How do i prove that the rooting and the custom rom were not introduced by me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the seller was not so careful, there will be a notice, which can be read by software programs available here on XDA, that say how many times a custom rom was installed.
However, i think your main concern is, that you wouldn't be able to get support form Oneplus, because you think your warranty is not valid anymore. As said above, your concerns are not that problematic. Especially as you seem to be knowledgeable enough to actually fix things on your own!
- I have thought about factory reset, but I cannot manage to find anything that tells
me what this actually means and does, only how to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A factory reset will delete all your apps and reset the system to the state"it came out of the factory". So when you start up your phone, you need to set it up again. Enter your name, configure your WiFi settings, install your favorite apps.
However. Your photos and your music files will not be deleted! Be careful though. Resetting your system will delete your app settings. I just want to point that out, because the first time a did a factory reset and reinstalled everything i thought i lost all my Whatsapp photos. They were there in the Picture folder, but weren't linked to the images in my chat window! This is a bit complicated, but can be solved quite easily, if you know what your doing (backing up your apps with certain programs, e.g. Titanium Backup).
- does a factory reset actually do what it suggests. I have read that factory reset does
not involve going to the manufacturers site and obtaining an appropriate image and flashing
it to the phone so I do not quite understand how else it could guarantee it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Factory reset is a internal function of your phone (to be precise of your phones recovery!)
However, as most people said and your suspected is: Your phone does not run the official factory image, provided by Oneplus (or Cynaogen).
The official software can be obtained from
https://oneplus.net/de/support/answer/how-can-i-download-oxygen-os
- If a factory reset will just make it like it was when I received it then that I do not want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it will most likely to what you fear. It depends on what the retailer did. Most costum roms include software in their phones, that will be installed again with a factory reset. If your seller did install the programs AFTER the phones original state (e.g installing it from an appstore or from the APK's (Androids Software Packages)) they won't be present!
- Can I and ought I to flash a fresh image on the phone to get it like it WOULD HAVE been
had I bought it from OnePlus factory on invite and not through a mediator
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely! I'd recommend you to flash a new image to your phone!
There are a lot of great programs here on XDA that offer easy and intuitive options of doing that, without even knowing anything about flashing programs! Try to take a look around and see what you can make of it.
I personally think they are great, but can be dangerous if you didn't read the proper instructions. I'm just saying, as they often delete EVERYTHING on your phone. So whatever you do to your phone, backup everything before!!!
But these simple programs are what you are looking for. They will install the firmware (Cyanogenmod or OxygenOS) that are bloatfree and as the Oneplus intended them to be.
- Finally. There is a notification "System Update is ready" . When I select this it appears
to download something (next version of cyanogenmod I guess though I don't recognise the version
number against any cyanogenmod versions) then it restarts and goes to a recovery app.
At this stage it is not completely intuitive what one should do and it seems to want you
to navigate to a location.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This further suggests, that your are not running an official version. The official update process is fully automated and doesn't need any user intervention! From your description it doesn't do anything and you are stuck in recovery, that is waiting for user input. This is not the case with proper official roms!
Now, I think I could probably figure this out with some reading but two things come to mind:
1) Presumably for a from factory OnePlus phone this kind of ambiguous unintuitive update
process would not be going on for people who just bought their phone and knew nothing
so it suggests the phone is in a different state to that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely correct! See above.
I also read you need root
already to install a (good) recovery app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do not need root to install a recovery. This is a bit complicated, as there are some misconceptions about what is what. You need to "unlock" your phone to install another recovery. This is not rooting, but is also restricted by many manufacturers. But as with rooting, Oneplus is offering support on unlocking your phone and there are lots of guides on how to do it.
2) I am loath to do this update since it is not clear whether the update is this retailers
system update and will reintroduce all that I have disabled to create stability. Therefore
up to now I have always selected just do nothing and reboot. I favor stability over
features.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wise decision.
I am kind of inclined now I have managed to get it stable to just stick with it as it is and just use it without any further updates / resets / flashes and without returning it, but...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would strongly recommend to NOT leave it this way! As you yourself found out, there are chances that there are programs on the phone, that are not to be supposed to be there. I'm not saying that there is spyware on your phone, but it is most likely that there could be malicious code running in the background of your phone. I would strongly recommend NOT to use apps, that need sensitive information of yourself!
Try to look for guides and tutorials here on XDA and just install CM12S, Cyanogenmod or even better OxygenOS, the official ROM from Oneplus! OxygenOS is not everyone's favorite choice, but that way you can be sure, that NOTHING fishy is going on on your phone!
There is an easy app available from the offical oneplus site!
https://oneplus.net/de/support/answer/how-can-i-download-oxygen-os
Or use the app that is mentioned in the post above! Will to the same thing!
Use the instructions on there and you are much safer on using your phone than you are in the present state!
BUT PLEASE, PLEASE DO A BACKUP OF YOUR DATA! I mean, your photos, contacts and everything important before doing anything to your phone. I'm just stressing that out, as so many people complain afterwards that they lost everything, etc.! Not just because the process they did was unsafe, but becaus the didn't properly read the instructions that tell people that they should make a backup, BEFORE tampering the system. It says factory RESET, so it should be clear, that everything will be reset!
I'd suggest you return it and get one through official channels. Official OnePlus devices can only be purchased through the OnePlus store.
I'd suggest you to read this story:
https://medium.com/@tuesdev/as-many...ve-a-oneplus-2-invite-ba20ac8606ae#.qgq3fhmn7
Ctuiku,
Sorry I wasn't able to respond sooner. I really do appreciate your very clear and detailed response and it's care to address each point very clearly and to make clear distinctions between similar things gives me significant confidence in its accuracy.
I must say I appreciate the significant amount of time you have taken and I do hope that at least some of your responses were cut and pasted from text you had already written else where.
I think I may have a number of minor follow up questions, but for now I shall digest your advice and decide on my plan of action.
Thank you again for being so helpful and understanding.
Andrew
I actually didn't read much of it and the comments, but I'd suggest you to unlock the bootloader, flash TWRP, take a backup, wipe everything(not the internal storage of course) , and perform a clean flash of CM13.0 by sultanxda. It's the smoothest and the most stable ROM out there.
Well, that was all in brief. You gotta read(and understand) and perform. It's fun, just like programming. Keep flashing!
~noob (you gotta start from somewhere)
Ctuiku
Thank you again for all your help. Sorry for the delay in responding been busy with other things and also since had some time to digest...
THIS is the OFFICAL Android Software Version for your Oneplus One!!!
See: <I am not allowed to include this link in quote>
I would strongly recommend to install OxygenOS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This link appears to be out of date
or even better OxygenOS, the official ROM from Oneplus! OxygenOS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My search and his post
_forums_oneplus_net_threads_mirrors-for-official-oxygen-os-roms-and-ota-updates.387615
suggests you cannot get the official OxygenOS ROM from Oneplus, doesn't this pose some risks using TP apps to download and flash OS ROM?
There is an easy app available from the offical oneplus site!
<I am not allowed to include this link in quote>
Or use the app that is mentioned in the post above! Will to the same thing!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't this pose some risks using TP apps to download and flash OS ROM?
Also the official link
_account_onepluscontent_com_downloads_tools_oneplus-one-reflash_zip
appears to be out of date
I cannot seem to find a way to find an official location or to identify the genuineness of CM12S image or OxyGenOS image. Is there some kind of published standard hash of the file or something? How does it work?
a lot of what I read, like on the oneplus site or the way links are named seems to suggest that OxygenOS is just for OnePlus Two. I believe that OnePlus One moved to OxygenOS at some point, but I don't want to apply an OS version to a device that is under resourced. Is there a version of OxygenOS that the OnePlus One should not go beyond.
P.S. How do I get your XDA user name to appear as a link?
iamelton
Thank you so much for your advice I really do appreciate the time you took to help me. Sorry for the delay in responding. Difficult circumstances.
regarding your point (7)
(7) while in recovery, install rom image (which should be put in the internal storage beforehand)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- I wonder if you would mind indicating where beforehand in this list putting the rom image in the internal storage ought to occurr?
- Also, so sorry, but I wonder would you mind elaberating just a little on how to put the rom image in the internal storage?
Regarding the files, I am happy with adb.exe, fastboot.exe, TWRP.
However I understand that the genuineness of OxygenOS images are not provided by OnePlus, is this right?
_forums_oneplus_net_threads_mirrors-for-official-oxygen-os-roms-and-ota-updates_387615
How do confirm the genuineness of OxygenOS images?
Is it a kind of hierarchy of trust, i.e. n users use and recommend this location for the images.
Or is there some kind of standard hash for the images that is published on secure OnePlus site?
I have similar issue / understanding issue with CM12S
It would appear after roaming around forums etc that the official Cyanogen OS (not mod/custom) are located below here _builds_cyngn_com_ but the site itself seems to have no web pages I visit cyngn.com_get-cyanogen-os but can find no page with a list of rom images and their corresponding dates, attributes and inclusions etc.
I hear that some versions of CM12S do not support 64GB (as per my OPO) but I seem to have no clear certified single source way to know exactly the name/url of the CM12S I should get.
I am probably misunderstanding the philosophy behind things, but it seems if anyone can do anything with the source you would think that OnePlus would into the bargin also provide users (of which there will be a variety) a "sure fire" way to get their (grey market?) phone to (original) factory standard. They still apparently cover it for warentee, so...
Many thanks
P.S. How do I get your XDA user name to appear as a link?
Related
hi all.
like so many others, Xiaomi forced update 6.1.14 on to my phone which locked the bootloader. i even thought i had stopped the phone from auto updating, but it seems i was wrong. since then, i have been put on to the latest 2 updates. i want to get off of the rom i am on but cant do anything now with the phone in the installing rom dept because regardless of whether i try to use the 'Updater' to put a Chinese dev rom on the phone or any other rom, or if i rename a rom and put it on the root of the phone, i cannot update. i always get a message saying Unable to verify rom and the phone simply stops. when trying to go into recovery mode, as i am unable to get to TWRP, i have even been locked out of that. i applied for an unlock code, but haven't received anything and with Chinese New Year fast approaching, bringing a holiday, i can see Xiaomu ignoring those who asked for a code even longer than they have. i haven't read of a single person being sent the code at all, which is very bad on Xiaomi's part.
i was really pleased with this phone. it worked well for me and did all i wanted but now i have a door stop, to all intents and purpose. such a shame as the way things have gone, i wont be buying from them again.
does anyone have any solution to this problem?
many TIA,
Prettygrim
Download stable ROM - http://bigota.d.miui.com/V7.0.16.0.LXKCNCI/miui_MI4c_V7.0.16.0.LXKCNCI_cba5b6c4a8_5.1.zip
Update your phone to that ROM
You will lost all data and setting (/sdcard is safe)
Bootloader unlocked
Flash CM13
cowithgun said:
Download stable ROM - http://bigota.d.miui.com/V7.0.16.0.LXKCNCI/miui_MI4c_V7.0.16.0.LXKCNCI_cba5b6c4a8_5.1.zip
Update your phone to that ROM
You will lost all data and setting (/sdcard is safe)
Bootloader unlocked
Flash CM13
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And stay away from dev ROMs unless you have an unlock code.
hi and tnx for the replies.
to cowithgun:
unfortunately, i cannot update to that or any other rom, as i stated above. trying to do so via the 'Updater' and all i get is 'Unable to verify rom', that is after being told i must connect to the WLAN. the speed of that is almost non-existent.
if i try to do so by putting the rom in the root of the drive, renaming it 'update.zip' i again get told 'unable to verify rom'. because of the failure to be able to do anything 'conventional' was the reason i asked for help. i have even tried Kingroot and Kingoroot but both have failed.
to qtotter:
one of the methods i was asked to try was to try to use a Chinese dev rom, but i cant even get one of those on the phone (my wife is Chinese, so no language issues).
with the upcoming Chinese New Year, i can see Xiaomi using that as an excuse to delay giving out unlock codes, if it intends doing so at all. i am extremely p****d off at what they have done and in my case, they have turned a phone that i really liked into half a phone. such i stupid stunt to pull when the 'unlocked' was a feature used to actually make the phone a more attractive sale. really disappointed
should have asked guys, what method would you suggest i try to get this rom, (if the blasted phone doesn't give me the same message as before about cant verify it) installed on the phone? bear in mind i have no official recovery and obviously no TWRP.
TIA
Prettygrim said:
hi and tnx for the replies.
to cowithgun:
unfortunately, i cannot update to that or any other rom, as i stated above. trying to do so via the 'Updater' and all i get is 'Unable to verify rom', that is after being told i must connect to the WLAN. the speed of that is almost non-existent.
if i try to do so by putting the rom in the root of the drive, renaming it 'update.zip' i again get told 'unable to verify rom'. because of the failure to be able to do anything 'conventional' was the reason i asked for help. i have even tried Kingroot and Kingoroot but both have failed.
to qtotter:
one of the methods i was asked to try was to try to use a Chinese dev rom, but i cant even get one of those on the phone (my wife is Chinese, so no language issues).
with the upcoming Chinese New Year, i can see Xiaomi using that as an excuse to delay giving out unlock codes, if it intends doing so at all. i am extremely p****d off at what they have done and in my case, they have turned a phone that i really liked into half a phone. such i stupid stunt to pull when the 'unlocked' was a feature used to actually make the phone a more attractive sale. really disappointed
should have asked guys, what method would you suggest i try to get this rom, (if the blasted phone doesn't give me the same message as before about cant verify it) installed on the phone? bear in mind i have no official recovery and obviously no TWRP.
TIA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tested it myself, it should work. More precisely, I did this:
1. Download this into your computer: http://bigota.d.miui.com/V7.0.16.0.LXKCNCI/miui_MI4c_V7.0.16.0.LXKCNCI_cba5b6c4a8_5.1.zip
2. Connect phone to computer via USB, copy the zip into your phone, say /sdcard/downloaded_rom/miui_MI4c_V7.0.16.0.LXKCNCI_cba5b6c4a8_5.1.zip
3. Start Updater, press the "..." on upper right and select "Choose update package", select the ROM.
4. Installing older developer ROM will causes the error you mentioned, but if you have 6.1.14, installing stable 7.0.16 is OK and tested working. Not sure what is changed but if it still wont work, try the latest 7.1.6 stable instead.
5. It will warn you of losing setting. Please YES.
6. When it's done, you will have a MIUI ROM but bootloader no longer lock.
7. Install CM13 as soon as you can!
Sounds like the problem is your recovery. You said you have no official recovery.
Sent from my Mi-4c using Tapatalk
just tried it and no luck, i'm afraid. still getting the message 'Cant verify update'. also tried moving the file to root of phone, renaming it to 'update.zip' and still no luck, still getting the same message. it seems that the phone is well and truly locked down so it wont even take one of Xiaomi's own official updates, unless it is a progression from the present rom. that in my view is well over the top!!
tnx for trying and if you or anyone has another idea, please let me know. it appears that the thing to turn off is the verification of the rom. is that possible, and if so, how?
one thing i have noticed in the settings -->developer options is 'verify apps over USB. could this be anything to do with the rom verification failure? the txt for that is greyed out with the button on (redish) but i cant see how to change the setting. worth a try maybe? anyone know how to change it?
Ulver said:
Sounds like the problem is your recovery. You said you have no official recovery.
Sent from my Mi-4c using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you may well be right, but if that's the case, it was done by Xiaomi. is there a way of getting it to work? how do i actually check it isn't working? as stated before, when 'booting into recovery', i get an image of the phone on screen with the USB cable either connected or disconnected, depending on the actual state and nothing else happens. i have to do a reboot holding the start button to achieve this
Prettygrim said:
bear in mind i have no official recovery and obviously no TWRP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm still waiting for my mi4c to come from China, and this is the reason why I'm gonna flash the latest (unlocked) official "stable" ROM first only to update the recovery and radio partitions right after I receive the phone. Resellers in China sometimes put their custom ROMs, recovery images or malware in the phones.
I don't think I'd flash twrp right away. I'd install cm12.1 or cm13 by "fastboot boot recovery.img" leaving the official recovery left in the phone so that I could go back to the official ROMs in the official way, and confirm if everything works as expected before flashing twrp.
What I don't understand is why people flash the dev (locked) ROMs as they are downloaded. What they need is just boot.img and /system, isn't it?? I'd replace "firmware-update" folder, where bootloader, radio and recovery images are located, in the dev ROM with the one from the stable ROM if I wanna try dev ROMs. Or I'd replace boot.img and system.* in the stable ROM with the ones in the dev ROM. Those modded ROMs should be able to be flashed with twrp...
the main reason for using the Chinese dev roms is because they are supposed to bee already rooted. once any of these roms is on the phone, according to what else i read, any rom going over the top would keep root. personally, i didn't find any rom that had root already and had to root my phone, following instructions i found on the MIUI and other sites. the built in recovery on my phone does nothing.
i had issues with TWRP when first using it, but put that down to being a novice. i found the files needed and the procedure to get out of the constant TWRP loop, which meant the phone was basically soft bricked and all was good. however, even that method fails now with the message something like 'phone is locked, cannot continue.
i have put an official complaint into Xiaomi about the bootloader locking and also about the time being taken to issue unlock codes, which is much longer than 3-21 days in some cases.
if i get anywhere, i'll post what i'm told
Since the latest miui ROMs are all based on Android 5.1.1, it's really easy to root mi4c yourself even on official standard ROMs. You don't have to flash dev ROMs or flash custom recovery like twrp. You can just run twrp on the fly like "fastboot boot twrp.img" to flash SuperSU.zip as long as bootloader is unlocked.
I'd say it's more dangerous to flash dev ROMs only for rooting especially if it's for your wife, not for yourself... Dev ROMs are for people who want to try new functions and designs still under development.
Anyway, I hope you will get an unlock SMS from xiaomi soon!
Had same Problem
search for miui_MI4c_V7.1.6.0.LXKCNCK_1debc127a9_5.1.zip
Hope it helps
So if the bootloader is locked, you can unlock it by flashing an older dev rom?
ermacwins said:
So if the bootloader is locked, you can unlock it by flashing an older dev rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. Older Developer ROM will not work. Updater will refuse to update it. I tested a few of them back then, only by flashing the latest stable ROM back then (7.0.16) work.
cowithgun said:
No. Older Developer ROM will not work. Updater will refuse to update it. I tested a few of them back then, only by flashing the latest stable ROM back then (7.0.16) work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And now flash the lastest developer and try roll back one o two a time (this work for my with the original recovery) and later use one rom from xiaomi.eu that one has not locked bootloader .
Sorry for my bad english.
i'm probably being real thick here guys. please bear with me. i am, as i said before, new to all this stuff with phones.
remember too that i have an unlocked bootloader now, courtesy of Xiaomi.
so, just to be clear, i am using miui_MI4c_5.12.31_5d6537a0b8_5.1.zip. to remove the possibility of Xiaomi doing something else to the phone that i dont want, i would like to get on to the xiaomi.eu_multi_libra roms. how do i go about doing this in idiot-proof steps, please? also, if i manage to achieve what i want, how do i stop the phone taking official updates? there must be a setting in the phone somewhere that can be disabled and prevent it updating to what i dont want. i found the one in the 'updater settings' but am of the opinion there is another somewhere that i cant find.
hope someone will be gentle with me
TIA
If you're already on Xiaomi.EU ROMs, you won't get OTA updates directly from Xiaomi that will lock your bootloader.
Sent from my Mi-4c using Tapatalk
i am on
miui_MI4c_5.12.31_5d6537a0b8_5.1.zip
which is an official rom, i believe. hence the questions in my former posts. i want to get on to the libre eu roms but am unsure how to go about it. i have read about using various roms first but i believe doing so is under certain circumstances, ie, bootloader locked, phone not rooted. my phone has the bootloader unlocked now by Xiaomi and i have rooted the phone. this is where my confusion comes in that i was hoping someone could clarify
You have unlock permission from xiaomi now, which means you don't need to worry about updates. You can unlock your phone again anytime you want. It's not one time only thing.
well that's a relief! tnx, qtotter! i didn't want to have to go through all this again, just because the maker decided i hadn't actually bought the phone, i had just bought permission to use it, as long as it was how he wanted me to use it!
bloody USA judge who decided that must have been paid a small fortune to rule in favour of this! just what the entertainment industries and others wanted!! didn't care what the implications were or ow the industries would take the p**s out of customers!!
My question current is really about better understanding something in this whole Root and Linux learning adventure I think I am totally confused about.
Basically if no custom ROM exist or your device is not listed on the supported list of devices in any recovery program....
OR as in my case you want desperately to get the thing back running on it's true stock what do you do?
Your rooted, but stuck.
So my main question is:
What is the best way to bring a device back to stock if there is no stock ROMs available and factory reset will not work?
On any device in this situation. Mostly I am hoping to have it explained in a way I can really finalize this confusing hole in my logic.
Like can a recovery program find it if it is still on the device somewhere and if not, why not?
Thanks in advance.
Additional backstory if helpful.
I have a Wacom Cintiq Hybrid running Android 4.1 that is ( now ) rooted..
This is a very bad thing. The Real Stock ROM has palm rejection and all the drivers to make it work as a tool. So stock is the ideal but it is clearly not stock as my device supposedly came in the
box running 4.2 and with software and drivers to make it work properly with the pen. This has nothing. No software and the smallest amount of apps possible. Worse this is no custom ROM its on ( I think) as it would be the worst one ever and it was not rooted on arrival. I have no idea what happened before I got it. I may have made the mistake of rooting it really as I found out to my dismay there is no ROM support. So back to square one. I bought it ( very cheap for one of these ) "stuck and unable to go to the play store" and I did not realize until I got it, on a version of Android it was not meant for. Wacom is totally and woefully unhelpful in every way. They seem to want to quietly put this device behind them at the expense literally of their customers.
I have discussed this problem in another thread if more details on all this specific to this device are of interest.
Duende101 said:
My question current is really about better understanding something in this whole Root and Linux learning adventure I think I am totally confused about.
Basically if no custom ROM exist or your device is not listed on the supported list of devices in any recovery program....
OR as in my case you want desperately to get the thing back running on it's true stock what do you do?
Your rooted, but stuck.
So my main question is:
What is the best way to bring a device back to stock if there is no stock ROMs available and factory reset will not work?
On any device in this situation. Mostly I am hoping to have it explained in a way I can really finalize this confusing hole in my logic.
Like can a recovery program find it if it is still on the device somewhere and if not, why not?
Thanks in advance.
Additional backstory if helpful.
I have a Wacom Cintiq Hybrid running Android 4.1 that is ( now ) rooted..
This is a very bad thing. The Real Stock ROM has palm rejection and all the drivers to make it work as a tool. So stock is the ideal but it is clearly not stock as my device supposedly came in the
box running 4.2 and with software and drivers to make it work properly with the pen. This has nothing. No software and the smallest amount of apps possible. Worse this is no custom ROM its on ( I think) as it would be the worst one ever and it was not rooted on arrival. I have no idea what happened before I got it. I may have made the mistake of rooting it really as I found out to my dismay there is no ROM support. So back to square one. I bought it ( very cheap for one of these ) "stuck and unable to go to the play store" and I did not realize until I got it, on a version of Android it was not meant for. Wacom is totally and woefully unhelpful in every way. They seem to want to quietly put this device behind them at the expense literally of their customers.
I have discussed this problem in another thread if more details on all this specific to this device are of interest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello & welcome to xda-assist,
If you rooted the device you changed the system /kernel in the process, if root is all you done you should be able to unroot by using the unroot option in your root management application, if you did further changes like deleting system apps and so on it gets more complex, the best and easiest way to get back to the original state would be a copy of the latest firmware.. If it doesn't exist you're somewhat out of luck, please refer to this link for further help & information..
http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/help
Sam Nakamura said:
Hello & welcome to xda-assist,
If you rooted the device you changed the system /kernel in the process, if root is all you done you should be able to unroot by using the unroot option in your root management application, if you did further changes like deleting system apps and so on it gets more complex, the best and easiest way to get back to the original state would be a copy of the latest firmware.. If it doesn't exist you're somewhat out of luck, please refer to this link for further help & information..
http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. So no way to get the extract the original firmware? I don't wish to un-root. The device was set to a very sad state of affairs when I got it, unrooted, with something very unlike the stock firmware and factory date reset not helping at all. Persistently locked into a lower version of Android than it was not meant for and not running the drivers or software it would seem I need to make it function properly that came with the device.
Basically it lead to my curiosity of how one goes about extracting or mining the data that is stored somewhere on the device if all I did was root. Which is all I did.
It should still be there. Basically how do I get to it?
The link takes me back to the forums for help, however I found no help there after much searching before I asked here but thanks
Duende101 said:
Thanks for the reply. So no way to get the extract the original firmware? I don't wish to un-root. The device was set to a very sad state of affairs when I got it, unrooted, with something very unlike the stock firmware and factory date reset not helping at all. Persistently locked into a lower version of Android than it was not meant for and not running the drivers or software it would seem I need to make it function properly that came with the device.
Basically it lead to my curiosity of how one goes about extracting or mining the data that is stored somewhere on the device if all I did was root. Which is all I did.
It should still be there. Basically how do I get to it?
The link takes me back to the forums for help, however I found no help there after much searching before I asked here but thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The intended of xda-assist is to direct you to the most suitable board of xda, we do not solve issues for you or do technical support, please be patient, it often takes time for exotic devices / questions to be seen by someone who can give hints and answers..
Edit: but it's not that the original firmware is stored somewhere on the device by default where you can grab it and reinstall it..
Sent from my OnePlus 2 using XDA Labs
Sam Nakamura said:
The intended of xda-assist is to direct you to the most suitable board of xda, we do not solve issues for you or do technical support, please be patient, it often takes time for exotic devices / questions to be seen by someone who can give hints and answers..
Edit: but it's not that the original firmware is stored somewhere on the device by default where you can grab it and reinstall it..
Sent from my OnePlus 2 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally cool. It's a tough question.
The OG firmware thing is the toughest part to understand. Just wanted to make sure I was clear in my explanation and question.
Hi Everyone,
Living in Japan, we have no official channel to purchase a OnePlus handset here.
Really wanted to get a OnePlus 7 Pro as I felt it is the best model on the market as of today.
Knowing that, I got mine on Amazon Japan from a HK online shop which had very good reputation.
Now, the problem is these phones always come already opened as they say they need to confirm operation before sending it.
I have been reading news and article about this where we see more third party companies flash their roms with malware/ransomeware already built in...
In these situation, the best way to clean the phone is to do a full re-install of the OS.
I did review a bunch of article on XDA and it seems that now, due to the A/B partition setup, we can't just use official OnePlus image to load from the fastboot easily.
We have to rely on community provided too and stock rom to be able to do so....
When I raised the question to OnePlus and Oneplus forums, they mentioned to me that installed the updated like here (Page: support.oneplus.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4312/~/oxygen-os-for-oneplus-7-pro)would do the trick using the local update function.
What I was directed to do is use the recovery boot to delete system settings/cache and everything data user and then, run the local update. Doing so, that would do it while not using community tools.
Here are my questions and which I would hope to get your experience:
1 Is the process I did really does use a brand new clean OS and do not rely/integrate part of the OS that came with the handset originally (that was the target).
2 Is there a way for me using OnePlus only provided tools and image to fully delete the phone and install the OS (maybe I am thinking this too much like a PC which I have more experience with...)
3 The OS looks fine and no strange apps shows up at all but how can I be sure nothing dodgy is running? Is there tools I could use to confirm this?
Sorry if I sound paranoid. Ideally, I understand the best thing to do was to buy directly from Oneplus and work a way to have it shipped to Japan but thought it would be interesting for me to learn more about android.
With previous Oneplus, it was easier as they were provided this type of official file for recovery but they stopped...
Thank you again for your time and hopping to learn more about how new android setup works.
Is the bootloader locked? Is Widevine (Netflix HD) certification still there? You can check these things to see if the phone has been tampered with.
brissoukun said:
Hi Everyone,
When I raised the question to OnePlus and Oneplus forums, they mentioned to me that installed the updated like here (Page: support.oneplus.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4312/~/oxygen-os-for-oneplus-7-pro)would do the trick using the local update function.
What I was directed to do is use the recovery boot to delete system settings/cache and everything data user and then, run the local update. Doing so, that would do it while not using community tools.
Here are my questions and which I would hope to get your experience:
1 Is the process I did really does use a brand new clean OS and do not rely/integrate part of the OS that came with the handset originally (that was the target).
2 Is there a way for me using OnePlus only provided tools and image to fully delete the phone and install the OS (maybe I am thinking this too much like a PC which I have more experience with...)
3 The OS looks fine and no strange apps shows up at all but how can I be sure nothing dodgy is running? Is there tools I could use to confirm this?
Thank you again for your time and hopping to learn more about how new android setup works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good questions. Before you start, check the model number of your device through Settings > About. I'm assuming it's the international/global/unlocked version (GM1917).
With regard to question 1, a full build downloaded from the link you provided should contain every part of the OS, and flashing it through local update should overwrite anything that was there before. Before flashing, I would perform a full data wipe through recovery like you mentioned.
Q2: There is an MSM tool that will completely flash a system image for the OP7 Pro. I don't think they're generally intended for public use but they always get leaked anyways. They write an image (in the case of OnePlus, a .ops file) to the phone using a PC and USB connection. Here is a link to a thread which contains the MSM tool:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-7-pro/how-to/guide-mega-unbrick-guide-hard-bricked-t3934659
Download the tool for the model of your phone (probably the international, firmware GM21AA), and extract its contents into a directory. In order for the tool to work, you need the OnePlus USB drivers installed on your PC. Plug the phone into your PC with it on, and enable USB file transfer. Open File Explorer and you should see a drive labeled "OnePlus drivers" or similar. Open it and run the driver setup executable file. You'll also need ADB to make your phone reboot into a mode that will allow the tool to perform its tasks. Here is a guide to installing ADB:
https://www.xda-developers.com/what-is-adb/
Once you've set that up, make sure the phone is plugged into the PC and the MSM tool is open. Make the phone boot into edl mode by typing
Code:
adb reboot edl
and once it says Connected next to a COM port in the tool, press start. Don't interrupt the process until it completes the download and the status message turns green. The phone should automatically reboot. This method is arguably more risky than using the local upgrade option, so do it at your own risk.
Q3: Make sure that OEM unlocking is turned off in developer settings and that the bootloader is locked (if the bootloader is unlocked, you'll see a yellow warning message after you power on the device from a power off state). Without an unlocked bootloader it would be pretty difficult to make any deep modifications to the device.
Hi @Zocker1304 and @TManchu,
Please let me thank you very much first for your kind and detailed reply, this is really welcome.
@Zocker1304:
I checked using the ADB/Fastboot connection that indeed, the Bootloader is locked so, that looks good.
Also installed (using a separate Google account) DRM Info app to confirm that the Widevine is properly installed and at L1 level which indeed again, looks good.
@TManchu
Thank you again for your very detailed reply! This was exactly what I needed as information.
I did already exactly as mentioned for the #1 so, it looks I should be good now with a proper rom from OnePlus (and did a full wipe in the Recovery boot mode)
For #2, I think I will skip that since as you rightly said, with #1, it should be fine so, prefer to keep with the recommended step.
For #3, we are covering what Zocker1304 mentioned too and I could confirm it.
My only concern about #3 was that you can actually relock the bootloader but (and please correct me If I am wrong), you can only do so if you are using stock OnePlus images (to date...seems like dev teams are working to have this changed? Bootloader locked with custom firmware?) which then means the image is safe.
I suppose the last item was my only open query for your thoughts but so far, the handset looks fine.
Thanks to you and the community, I have learned about the A/B partition scheme, msm tool, Fastboot/Recovery mode and Bootloader and ADB tools.
It is always good to learn more about the tech we use (especially phones, we have so many sensitive information stored into them today).
Not being careful could potentially means quite a lot of troubles down the road with Ransomeware/data leak tools.
Of course again, I could have simply purchased a JP phone from a brick and mortar shop next to my place and be fine with it. :silly:
brissoukun said:
.
For #3, we are covering what Zocker1304 mentioned too and I could confirm it.
My only concern about #3 was that you can actually relock the bootloader but (and please correct me If I am wrong), you can only do so if you are using stock OnePlus images (to date...seems like dev teams are working to have this changed? Bootloader locked with custom firmware?) which then means the image is safe.
I suppose the last item was my only open query for your thoughts but so far, the handset looks fine.
Thanks to you and the community, I have learned about the A/B partition scheme, msm tool, Fastboot/Recovery mode and Bootloader and ADB tools.
It is always good to learn more about the tech we use (especially phones, we have so many sensitive information stored into them today).
Not being careful could potentially means quite a lot of troubles down the road with Ransomeware/data leak tools.
Of course again, I could have simply purchased a JP phone from a brick and mortar shop next to my place and be fine with it. :silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem! I’ve just done some reading and from what I understand, re-locking the bootloader on anything other than a completely stock ROM will result in a bricked phone. I believe this is due to the way Android handles data encryption. If what you’ve heard is true, being able to lock your bootloader on a custom ROM would be great for device security. However, should something go wrong with the ROM having a locked bootloader might make it more difficult to fix.
I know that there are ways to sign system and boot images so that you can lock the bootloader with them installed, but I think that would still show a warning though I'm not sure.
Anyways, if all the build dates and numbers in the system info are correct, the firmware should be stock and as long as the bootloader is locked too, I don't believe you can tamper with that.
Hi Gents,
Thank you very much for the answer to the thread and much appreciated.
Apologies for not getting back to you all earlier as yesterday was family day...haha!
Well, since things looked good on the OS and the build, I went ahead and started to use the phone properly setting up my accounts. It did give me some incentive to get all my sensitive accounts setup with 2FA so that in case I get hacked with my passwords in the future...they would still need the 2fa (using Google Authenticator).
I did check also all system apps/running process and didn't see anything shady.
Just for reference, here were the type of articles I was refering too for the OS being plagued with malware even out of the box:
Page_theverge.com/2019/6/6/18655755/google-android-malware-triada-ota-rom-ads-spam-oem (sorry gents, new account, cannot put links yet)
However here, it seems it is due to lax review from the maker to third party tools which were including malware...
To have the same level on the oneplus I bought from the HK shop, they would have needed access to OnePlus Dev team to inject the malware in official image (knowing anyway I have re-installed a new image from the local update).
Otherwise, I was reading on the web about the fact to relock the bootloader with a custom roam and there seems to have a lot of messages but not concrete steps. It seems it depends a lot on phone model and brand.
When you are checking
Page_gizmochina.com/2019/06/10/relock-bootloader-oneplus-7-pro/
This is where you can read at the end:
"The above method only works if OnePlus 7 Pro is running on stock recovery and stock firmware. The ability to relock devices running custom recovery is expected in the next few weeks. "
That was published last month so, not sure if they got this to work on the OnePlus 7 pro yet.
So that's it, I am now using my new device which looks to work great and hopefully, won't get any bugs down the road.
I appreciate you taking the time to get back to me and will continue to learn about android.:good:
Seems like development in general has really dropped off over the past year or two. Used to be TWRP would be out within 1-2 weeks, now it's almost 3 months and nothing. Makes me sad to see us going the direction of accepting factory builds
in_dmand said:
Seems like development in general has really dropped off over the past year or two. Used to be TWRP would be out within 1-2 weeks, now it's almost 3 months and nothing. Makes me sad to see us going the direction of accepting factory builds
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was just thinking this the other day. The whole scene of Rooting and flashing ROMs seems to be coming to a dead end. Kinda sucks, I've always enjoyed tweaking my phone in my spare time..
in_dmand said:
Seems like development in general has really dropped off over the past year or two. Used to be TWRP would be out within 1-2 weeks, now it's almost 3 months and nothing. Makes me sad to see us going the direction of accepting factory builds
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Used to take 1-2 weeks when things were simple and easier.
Your comment about factory builds doesn't make sense considering you don't need TWRP to flash custom ROMs etc
Mackay53 said:
Used to take 1-2 weeks when things were simple and easier.
Your comment about factory builds doesn't make sense considering you don't need TWRP to flash custom ROMs etc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, but it does seem like it has greatly hindered rom development... It wasn't until very recently there were any roms even available.
in_dmand said:
True, but it does seem like it has greatly hindered rom development... It wasn't until very recently there were any roms even available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More cheaper phones will have a higher user base so more development activity.
I think Pixels already has solid software so not much to add and the high price point will hold it back a little
in_dmand said:
Seems like development in general has really dropped off over the past year or two. Used to be TWRP would be out within 1-2 weeks, now it's almost 3 months and nothing. Makes me sad to see us going the direction of accepting factory builds
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://twrp.me/site/update/2019/10/23/twrp-and-android-10.html
Root-Maniac said:
I was just thinking this the other day. The whole scene of Rooting and flashing ROMs seems to be coming to a dead end. Kinda sucks, I've always enjoyed tweaking my phone in my spare time..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No we all just have to move on to next generation rooting an modding. Magisk can be flashed, or the Manager App is used to patch the boot.img manually and flash it afterwards. GSIs ROMs can be flashed via fastboot from fastboot mode as well. So in my opinion it is fastboot flashing an GSI.img, Custom (optionally Magisk patched) boot, or Stock Magisk patched boot. That's it. It's even more, as it's back to the roots of adb and fastboot. TWRP has been there on U12+ for as long as the device exists, bit I never used it, as I switched to GSIs instead, and of on Stock the Magisk ROMs of LeeDrOiD and Team Viper could be easily installed through Magisk Manager. We should all have taken a look at phhussons work much earlier to accommodate to the things that got moving by Googles change in architecture when they introduced treble. We've only been to lazy, and many of today's users on this board, hardly know anything in-depth about adb and fastboot, but only scratch the three or four superficial standard commands. Technical affinity is more in demand again, and our good old adaptability.
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using XDA Labs
uicnren said:
https://twrp.me/site/update/2019/10/23/twrp-and-android-10.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh wow, thanks for posting that! I certainly don't expect dees Troy to handle that difficult of a problem by himself with his wife pregnant and everything. Thanks again
5m4r7ph0n36uru said:
No we all just have to move on to next generation rooting an modding. Magisk can be flashed, or the Manager App is used to patch the boot.img manually and flash it afterwards. GSIs ROMs can be flashed via fastboot from fastboot mode as well. So in my opinion it is fastboot flashing an GSI.img, Custom (optionally Magisk patched) boot, or Stock Magisk patched boot. That's it. It's even more, as it's back to the roots of adb and fastboot. TWRP has been there on U12+ for as long as the device exists, bit I never used it, as I switched to GSIs instead, and of on Stock the Magisk ROMs of LeeDrOiD and Team Viper could be easily installed through Magisk Manager. We should all have taken a look at phhussons work much earlier to accommodate to the things that got moving by Googles change in architecture when they introduced treble. We've only been to lazy, and many of today's users on this board, hardly know anything in-depth about adb and fastboot, but only scratch the three or four superficial standard commands. Technical affinity is more in demand again, and our good old adaptability.
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I agree on most points of you. GSIs are wonderful especially for phones at release start when there are no custom roms available yet.
And luckily device specific custom roms can be flashed over fastboot, too.
But for one reason i want a twrp for our device:
I find data backups with twrp much more easier as without. At least on my pixel 4 xl i miss a twrp somehow because Titanium Backup doesn't work on the gsi which i'm using.
I must create all my app folders again on my phone when i update it and backup all my stuff manually on my pc in extra folders and files.
I could spare me all that with twrp.
(I know there is the Google Cloud too as possibility but i refuse to use it)
dhacke said:
I agree on most points of you. GSIs are wonderful especially for phones at release start when there are no custom roms available yet.
And luckily device specific custom roms can be flashed over fastboot, too.
But for one reason i want a twrp for our device:
I find data backups with twrp much more easier as without. At least on my pixel 4 xl i miss a twrp somehow because Titanium Backup doesn't work on the gsi which i'm using.
I must create all my app folders again on my phone when i update it and backup all my stuff manually on my pc in extra folders and files.
I could spare me all that with twrp.
(I know there is the Google Cloud too as possibility but i refuse to use it)
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Click to collapse
Why do you refuse to use Google cloud
ceelos218 said:
Why do you refuse to use Google cloud
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Because i don't want to feed Big G with my data.
And GSIs give me the possibilty to use my pixel without all the Gapps and the Google Play Service. That's a reason too why i like GSIs.
dhacke said:
Because i don't want to feed Big G with my data.
And GSIs give me the possibilty to use my pixel without all the Gapps and the Google Play Service. That's a reason too why i like GSIs.
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Privacy is an illusion unless you go completely offline.
zetsumeikuro said:
Privacy is an illusion unless you go completely offline.
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So we should stop fighting for this? Sry but that isn't a option for me.
Yes complete privacy isn't possible mostly but there are ways to improve it. With privacy friendly services, FOSS Apps such as AfWall, AdAway and Ad and Tracking Blockers in Browsers, Linux instead if Windows and no use of Gapps etc.
I know that my comment is probably off topic so sry.
dhacke said:
So we should stop fighting for this? Sry but that isn't a option for me.
Yes complete privacy isn't possible mostly but there are ways to improve it. With privacy friendly services, FOSS Apps such as AfWall, AdAway and Ad and Tracking Blockers in Browsers, Linux instead if Windows and no use of Gapps etc.
I know that my comment is probably off topic so sry.
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No worries man my comment was also off topic. I too used to a lot of what you currently do. Even using the magisk script Energized which does blocking of ads,trackers etc. But when I saw the sheer amount of information Google has collected even when I opted out of it, just made me realize how futile it almost all is. These companies will never be 100% transparent and honest with us since they're making money off selling our information.
zetsumeikuro said:
No worries man my comment was also off topic. I too used to a lot of what you currently do. Even using the magisk script Energized which does blocking of ads,trackers etc. But when I saw the sheer amount of information Google has collected even when I opted out of it, just made me realize how futile it almost all is. These companies will never be 100% transparent and honest with us since they're making money off selling our information.
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I have a hobby of reversing stuff, Ive given up trying to go private. With gms code I've seen, they check for so much it's ridiculous. I think a better method for the future is us (the custom rom community) coming together to find a way to block outgoing traffic via an open source app
Surge1223 said:
I think a better method for the future is us (the custom rom community) coming together to find a way to block outgoing traffic via an open source app
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I think we already have this with AfWall+.
I just wanted to chime in here with a tip to help fill the TWRP void that many are facing right now, especially with Android 10. You can use a manual file flashing app to do most of the same things that TWRP allows you to do, minus the recovery part, of course. You can flash all the TWRP mods you want using this method without needing a custom recovery. Just in case some people didn't know.
You can even install image files too, which means you don't need to be tethered to a computer once you get all set up. This guide should help you understand the power of manual file flashers without having to rely on TWRP for installing certain mod files.
StrifeSoldierVII said:
I just wanted to chime in here with a tip to help fill the TWRP void that many are facing right now, especially with Android 10. You can use a manual file flashing app to do most of the same things that TWRP allows you to do. You can flash all the TWRP mods you want using this method without needing a custom recovery. You can even install image files too, which means you don't need to be tethered to a computer once you get all set up. This guide should help you understand the power of manual file flashers without having to rely on TWRP.
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It's not Just about flashing. It's about recovery. You can't use a flashing app if you are in a bootloop.
Tulsadiver said:
It's not Just about flashing. It's about recovery. You can't use a flashing app if you are in a bootloop.
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Oh definitely! Nothing worse than a bootloop. I was just specifically talking about the flashing part. I know a lot of people have been lost without TWRP, so they aren't installing certain mods as much right now since it takes more steps without it. But you can at least do the installing part without TWRP using a file flasher. I don't think as many people are aware of this. It's handy to know. You can use it as a stop-gap until TWRP arrives for any device you want.
the backup and restore functionality of twrp is what i am missing most. just in case something goes wrong with a flash.
is there a way to backup/restore without a custom recovery?
Looks like I'm gonna get a free P2 from my son. It maybe has 1 update left before Google abandons it. When I get it I want to root and put Lineage on it, or maybe a different rom based on opinions provided.
I have some questions:
1- I'm looking for the simplest method to unlock the bootloader and root, as I am not the most knowledgable Android/Linux user. I'm familiar with adb, although best if I can follow a written script. I would appreciate a recommendation on which method posted on XDA. I've seen Deuces and Nathanchance's methods. They seem easy enough to follow along with.
2- I'm a little confused about the Pixel factory images that folks mention in their posts. I see that Google has images catalogued on their site for downloading. How do you choose which one to flash to the phone after bootloader/root process? Does it matter? I'm located in Canada if that makes a difference.
3- I have used TWRP and never used Magisk for loading roms. I also see from one of the bootloader unlock/root methods that TWRP may not be all that reliable. Would TWRP be good enough to flash the factory image with, or should I get familiar with Magisk?
4- Am I correct in thinking that the Google image is flashed first to get the phone up and running, followed by Lineage (and gapps), or an different rom that would be flashed thereafter with TWRP/Magisk?
5- If I screw up during the unlock/root is there a recovery method available?
Thanks for any help provided.
jjcdennis said:
Looks like I'm gonna get a free P2 from my son. It maybe has 1 update left before Google abandons it. When I get it I want to root and put Lineage on it, or maybe a different rom based on opinions provided.
I have some questions:
1- I'm looking for the simplest method to unlock the bootloader and root, as I am not the most knowledgable Android/Linux user. I'm familiar with adb, although best if I can follow a written script. I would appreciate a recommendation on which method posted on XDA. I've seen Deuces and Nathanchance's methods. They seem easy enough to follow along with.
2- I'm a little confused about the Pixel factory images that folks mention in their posts. I see that Google has images catalogued on their site for downloading. How do you choose which one to flash to the phone after bootloader/root process? Does it matter? I'm located in Canada if that makes a difference.
3- I have used TWRP and never used Magisk for loading roms. I also see from one of the bootloader unlock/root methods that TWRP may not be all that reliable. Would TWRP be good enough to flash the factory image with, or should I get familiar with Magisk?
4- Am I correct in thinking that the Google image is flashed first to get the phone up and running, followed by Lineage (and gapps), or an different rom that would be flashed thereafter with TWRP/Magisk?
5- If I screw up during the unlock/root is there a recovery method available?
Thanks for any help provided.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would appreciate some help...
Pixel 2 was updated to android 11, and will likely continue to to get monthly security updates until the release of android 12, so you should have about another year if staying stock.
As far as rooting, the xda guides as you mentioned are pretty straightforward and comprehensive.
Pixel factory images are the stock system images that are provided by google. They are what you would flash if you wanted to run a stock system, and also the means for 'resetting' the phone back to a factory state in the event of a screwup. On the site, you'll notice that google has each of the images organized by phone type (the Pixel 2 is walleye) and within each phone type is operating system version going from oldest at the top to newest at the bottom. Typically you'd want to flash the newest os version unless you have a special use case. There are also cases where a particular version is only for a particular carrier, in which case google will note it under the version number.
As far as flashing lineage, I'm not too sure. I run stock (rooted) on my P2, but lineage is it's own rom so would be flashed directly via twrp. I would image the lineage thread would have install instructions and q/a.
clcdev said:
Pixel 2 was updated to android 11, and will likely continue to to get monthly security updates until the release of android 12, so you should have about another year if staying stock.
As far as rooting, the xda guides as you mentioned are pretty straightforward and comprehensive.
Pixel factory images are the stock system images that are provided by google. They are what you would flash if you wanted to run a stock system, and also the means for 'resetting' the phone back to a factory state in the event of a screwup. On the site, you'll notice that google has each of the images organized by phone type (the Pixel 2 is walleye) and within each phone type is operating system version going from oldest at the top to newest at the bottom. Typically you'd want to flash the newest os version unless you have a special use case. There are also cases where a particular version is only for a particular carrier, in which case google will note it under the version number.
As far as flashing lineage, I'm not too sure. I run stock (rooted) on my P2, but lineage is it's own rom so would be flashed directly via twrp. I would image the lineage thread would have install instructions and q/a.
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Click to collapse
Thanks very much for the help.