So when I noticed my Shield downloaded the 4.4 update, and went over the notes in it, I was like I better come to XDA and see if this is for me or not.
CLEARLY being an emulation junkie I need to stick with my beloved 4.3.
What I need to know is if there are any safeguards I can take to stop my shield from updating to 4.4 accidentally / automatically, seeing as the files are already on it waiting to be updated?
Edwii said:
So when I noticed my Shield downloaded the 4.4 update, and went over the notes in it, I was like I better come to XDA and see if this is for me or not.
CLEARLY being an emulation junkie I need to stick with my beloved 4.3.
What I need to know is if there are any safeguards I can take to stop my shield from updating to 4.4 accidentally / automatically, seeing as the files are already on it waiting to be updated?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Long press the OTA notification, select app info, Uncheck the box that says show notifications. (Or go into apps and find Google services Framework, and disable it that way)
The Shield will not Automatically update on it's own regardless, but now you won't ever see the notification.
If you ever want to update just go into settings, about, Update.
There are other ways but I'm not sure if they will work with the Shield/Have not tried them.
You can also install the Gamepad Mapper, and new Tegra Zone. just grab these APKs and install them normally. This way you have the improved gamepad mapper, and remote streaming when you want it. The new Tegrazone app doesn't replace the old one, so you can still use the HQ old Tegrazone app. The Nvidia button will also only open the old app, I used Gravity box to set up the Y button to open the new Tegrazone app with a long press, and that works perfect.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2-JgUT2G-9vQjRha2JXVFBKdE0/edit?usp=sharing - TegraZone
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2-JgUT2G-9vakM2Z1M3bmQzQjg/edit?usp=sharing - Gamepad Mapper
The same thing happened to me. Since I use the Shield for emulators and some Android games (no interest with streaming PC games on a 5" display), I have no need for 4.4. Especially since emulators are reported to play slower and most of all, external writing for 3rd party apps has been killed by Goople (not spelling error).
The only catch here is the 464 MB update will still be taking up flash storage, since already downloaded. Added: Mine is still on 4.2, as was out of box when bought from Best Buy last week.
CDeviant said:
Long press the OTA notification, select app settings, disable notifications from the app that pops up. (Google services I think)
The Shield will not Automatically update on it's own regardless, but now you won't ever see the notification.
If you ever want to update just go into settings, about, Update.
There are other ways but I'm not sure if they will work with the Shield/Have not tried them.
You can also install the Gamepad Mapper, and new Tegra Zone. just grab these APKs and install them normally. This way you have the improved gamepad mapper, and remote streaming when you want it. The new Tegrazone app doesn't replace the old one, so you can still use the HQ old Tegrazone app. The Nvidia button will also only open the old app, I used Gravity box to set up the Y button to open the new Tegrazone app with a long press, and that works perfect.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2-JgUT2G-9vQjRha2JXVFBKdE0/edit?usp=sharing - TegraZone
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2-JgUT2G-9vakM2Z1M3bmQzQjg/edit?usp=sharing - Gamepad Mapper
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the reply, Some really handy information here for avoiding the update but getting the goods out of it.
I do have three follow up questions :
1. I want to really confirm what you are saying, that "the shield will not update on it's own" I've had my shield since July/13, I could swear that it's updated itself with out me pushing a button, like even the last update before kitkat, I really thought it updated on it's own. LIke if I shut the shield off, it wont force the update?
2. I have a 64gb sd card so it's not really a big deal that i lost 400megs of internal data doesn't seem like a big deal to me.
But I do wonder, there must be a way to delete those update files some how?
a. I've avoided rooting my shield mostly cause I'm lazy, never done it before, and it seems like it adds complications, should I?
3. About your work around suggestions;
a. What's the difference between the old tegrazone and new one?
b. Do I need to map a button for the new tegrazone or can I just open it like any other app?
c. What is the "remote streaming"? I mean I know about how I can stream from my PC to the shield at home, is this a feature that is new that lets me stream from like, wifi at a coffee shop or something?
4. This may be a better question for some where else, but as of right now the only real reason i'm avoiding the update is because of emulator performance. But from what I can tell there are a lot of negative things about this update.
What are the other pros and cons about the latest update? (I heard something about it effect the useability of my SD card among other things?)
I dont know if theyre in the same spot as other android devices but check the /data/fota folder for the new update files. If its there do me a huge favor please and copy the file and upload it. If you have a slow connect could u grab a couple files from it for me i need to check something.
Edwii said:
Thank you for the reply, Some really handy information here for avoiding the update but getting the goods out of it.
I do have three follow up questions :
1. I want to really confirm what you are saying, that "the shield will not update on it's own" I've had my shield since July/13, I could swear that it's updated itself with out me pushing a button, like even the last update before kitkat, I really thought it updated on it's own. LIke if I shut the shield off, it wont force the update?
2. I have a 64gb sd card so it's not really a big deal that i lost 400megs of internal data doesn't seem like a big deal to me.
But I do wonder, there must be a way to delete those update files some how?
a. I've avoided rooting my shield mostly cause I'm lazy, never done it before, and it seems like it adds complications, should I?
3. About your work around suggestions;
a. What's the difference between the old tegrazone and new one?
b. Do I need to map a button for the new tegrazone or can I just open it like any other app?
c. What is the "remote streaming"? I mean I know about how I can stream from my PC to the shield at home, is this a feature that is new that lets me stream from like, wifi at a coffee shop or something?
4. This may be a better question for some where else, but as of right now the only real reason i'm avoiding the update is because of emulator performance. But from what I can tell there are a lot of negative things about this update.
What are the other pros and cons about the latest update? (I heard something about it effect the useability of my SD card among other things?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. I've rebooted/power off my Shield many times, no problems. I think I've had it on 4.3 since 4/16 it's never updated on it's own, but I do have CWM (custom recovery)
2. The only way around that is unlocking the bootloader and rooting. It's a simple process, getting the environment to use ADB and getting the drivers to all work properly is key, and the hardest part. the process goes: Unlock bootloader > Flash custom recovery (CWM) > Flash root package with CWM.
3. a. Better ui, and streaming options, but lower quality video, and sound lag when streaming. Remote streaming. - New TegraZone
b. No, you can open it like any other app.
c. Exactly, it lets you stream your games away from home, and it's not bad.
4. Really the only cons I see in 4.4 are the SD restrictions, and the worse performance/battery life, everything else is great! The overall polish of Kitkat is really nice, probably my biggest pro is the immersive status bar. Being able to pull the status bar down while streaming a game is really nice (or anywhere fullscreen really)
If you do end up rooting/unlocking your shield, I recommend eventually installing the Xposed Installer and getting Gravity box, there's a lot of useful tweaks in there. :good:
Seems if the main focus is Android and emulator games, stay away from 4.4, but if main focus is PC gaming, 4.4 is the way to go. The stutter that happens due to the random throttle issues with emulators and control input ruins the emulators for me. If I had not been used to them playing smooth on my other devices and the Shield as is, perhaps I would not be as bothered. The difference though is very noticeable to me. Even NES and PCE games stutter/lag. Not good cricket!
If there is an Nvidia update that fixes this issue, I will consider starting from scratch with unlocking and then rooting to remove external write restrictions. Right now, the performance issue does not warrant the effort or free time wasted starting over again.
hexitnow said:
I dont know if theyre in the same spot as other android devices but check the /data/fota folder for the new update files. If its there do me a huge favor please and copy the file and upload it. If you have a slow connect could u grab a couple files from it for me i need to check something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Need to be rooted to access. Of course. Drat.
I would like the 4.3 update. I guess I was a week too late buying this.
4.4 No lag for me in any emulators other than some rooms in reicast. Arcade is mint. I spend a lot of time with cps2 and neo geo games. If you're having speed issues in 4.4 try a better emulator. Haven't had any speed issues with retro arch.
Sent from my LG-D959 using Tapatalk
Sess said:
4.4 No lag for me in any emulators other than some rooms in reicast. Arcade is mint. I spend a lot of time with cps2 and neo geo games. If you're having speed issues in 4.4 try a better emulator. Haven't had any speed issues with retro arch.
Sent from my LG-D959 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"A better emulator"
That just isn't really the problem though, these same emulators were perfect before.
If you have them both, please try Castlevania Aria of Sorrow on GBA.emu
It's unplayable on 4.4, but perfect on later android versions, even with 0 frameskip and hq2x rendering. Now on the other hand, the My Boy! emulator seems to work nearly as well on both android versions and I played through Tomba with FPse partly with 4.3, and finishing it on 4.4, I noticed very little difference. So not all emulators have taken a hit, but it's there even in the system.. and don't get me started on battery life.
Basically I'm kinda agreeing with you. But, there is some issue either with Android 4.4, or whatever Nvidia did.
A little more on Topic. Ever since I disabled the notification from Google Services, and deleted the update from the cache partition, It hasn't downloaded again! It's been 2 days since I did that, and It's had plenty of times to download an OTA. (reboots, sleep with wifi on, etc.) It might download if you go to the update settings, so watch out.
Well I'm glad that I checked out XDA before I purchased a shield. I was looking for emulators, some android gaming, and for sure PC streaming since I have a powerful rig. I'll wait until Nvidia gets this stuff sorted. I planned to root and unlock so I'm not too worried about the external storage issues.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
CDeviant said:
"A better emulator"
That just isn't really the problem though, these same emulators were perfect before.
If you have them both, please try Castlevania Aria of Sorrow on GBA.emu
It's unplayable on 4.4, but perfect on later android versions, even with 0 frameskip and hq2x rendering. Now on the other hand, the My Boy! emulator seems to work nearly as well on both android versions and I played through Tomba with FPse partly with 4.3, and finishing it on 4.4, I noticed very little difference. So not all emulators have taken a hit, but it's there even in the system.. and don't get me started on battery life.
Basically I'm kinda agreeing with you. But, there is some issue either with Android 4.4, or whatever Nvidia did.
A little more on Topic. Ever since I disabled the notification from Google Services, and deleted the update from the cache partition, It hasn't downloaded again! It's been 2 days since I did that, and It's had plenty of times to download an OTA. (reboots, sleep with wifi on, etc.) It might download if you go to the update settings, so watch out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless you are a gamer/emulator fan, you probably will not notice as much, but we do. Smooth with 4.2 to stuttery with 4.4 is not an option IMO, so 4.4 is not happening- unless there is an update to fix it
People refer to Retroarch, but compared to the other dedicated emulators, it does not have the same level of features (nor perform as good with some). Also, the lack of individual system defined directories for the different roms is a major pain. :silly:
I see there are several custom marshmallow ROMs for the Nvidia Shield Portable. I'm thinking of upgrading as I'm sick of always having to move my apps around and not being able to update them. Adoptable storage solves that issue.
The ones I've found are:
CM: https://forum.xda-developers.com/nv...t/rom-cyanogenmod-12-shield-portable-t3042192
LineageOS: https://forum.xda-developers.com/nvidia-shield/development/rom-lineageos-shield-portable-t3562831
RR: https://forum.xda-developers.com/nvidia-shield/development/resurrection-remix-t3465740
Which of these is the most stable and supported? It appears CM or LineageOS.
Are any shield features supported on these? Such as (in order of importance):
Console mode
Controller
Gamestreaming (using official app, not moonlight)
Gamepad mapper
Thanks!
I'm running CM13 for the same reason, adoptable storage. Controller works but most shield specific stuff does not and other apps are needed. Let me know which one you end up on. Haven't booted mine for a while and thinking of wiping it again.
LineageOS is the continuation of CyanogenMod, I wouldn't use the cm builds anymore. And wow, somehow I missed RR getting released, need to go take a look at it sometime.
As for feature support (should apply to all custom ROMs, but I can't be 100% sure about RR):
Console mode: Yes, works fine.
Controller: Built-in works, wireless does not. Been working on the wireless support for years. I can make them pair and work, but there's no user friendly way to do so yet. See the end of the shield apps thread in the tablet section for more info.
Game stream official: No, does not work. As far as I can tell, support for the tegra 4 was completely removed from the M version of the shield hub streaming. As such, I cannot fix it. Moonlight does work, I am told. Don't use streaming myself as I don't have windows.
Gamepad mapper: This is virtually impossible to port from stock. Tincore is the alternative, but is a pain to set up.
Thanks for the informative response! Sounds like LineageOS is the way to go. If I decide I'm going to keep my portable I'll probably flash LineageOS (I'm debating selling it as I bought a GPD Win, but it's found a use as an Android TV system for my wife... so I'm debating keeping it or selling it and buying a cheap chinese system).
I've posted an atv build or two in my cm thread. Working on making atv work better in lineage right now. Been having troubles the last couple weeks, but have a couple more devs looking at the problems now. Once those settle down, I'll run another build for roth. It worked really well for the short time I had it installed. Might even end up my normal install once the kinks get worked out. But if you're interested in atv, I am working on it. If you want a really nice dedicated atv system, the shield android tv is amazing. For kodi, retroarch, etc, etc. A bit pricy, but totally worth it for the features.
Thanks, I'll look into it, but it's just a kitchen TV machine. All she really uses it for is CrunchyRoll and YouTube (hence why a cheap chinese system would be perfect).
Steel01 said:
LineageOS is the continuation of CyanogenMod, I wouldn't use the cm builds anymore. And wow, somehow I missed RR getting released, need to go take a look at it sometime.
As for feature support (should apply to all custom ROMs, but I can't be 100% sure about RR):
Console mode: Yes, works fine.
Controller: Built-in works, wireless does not. Been working on the wireless support for years. I can make them pair and work, but there's no user friendly way to do so yet. See the end of the shield apps thread in the tablet section for more info.
Game stream official: No, does not work. As far as I can tell, support for the tegra 4 was completely removed from the M version of the shield hub streaming. As such, I cannot fix it. Moonlight does work, I am told. Don't use streaming myself as I don't have windows.
Gamepad mapper: This is virtually impossible to port from stock. Tincore is the alternative, but is a pain to set up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for doing all this work! As you saw based on the other threads, I am using LineageOS now. I haven't fully tested everything yet, but so far things are mostly working well.
Hello, great forum!
Joined specifically to ask these questions. I did use "search" here for a while before registering but, never found a clear-cut answer.
So, can I turn my fire 8hd into a regular android tab? Is it possible to COMPLETELY wipe the amazon os and run a normal launcher?
-I never registered device to prime, I followed a guide to add google stuff and nova launcher but, I hate hitting the home button and seeing the amazon home flash before going to nova. It is updated to 5.60. I've been reading some of the threads for hijacking the os (so many versions!) and it just made me even more confused.
Any and all help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
Hi, at the moment there is no other OS for these tablets but you can use Launcher Hijack V3 with nova launcher, this should get rid of the flickering of fire OS showing and at least give the appearance of a normal android tablet.
abacabie said:
Hi, at the moment there is no other OS for these tablets but you can use Launcher Hijack V3 with nova launcher, this should get rid of the flickering of fire OS showing and at least give the appearance of a normal android tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply!
Yup, I had installed Hijack v3 when I added everything else but I still see the amazon home flicker briefly.
Next questions would be, have previous version been successfully completed in removing all the amazon stuff and making it a normal android tablet?
If so, is there a general feeling around here that this will be possible in the future with 5.60?
What steps should I take now to block future updates in hopes of making this a normal tablet?
The older Kindle HD (from 2012) can do this, as they've managed to run custom recovery on it. A custom recovery (TWRP or similar) is the first step to being able to actually replace the OS, and as far as I know only the older HD model had that available. Without it, you're stuck with Fire OS for the foreseeable future.
My old 2012 KFHD ran Android 6 Marshmallow for nearly the last 2 years until the charging port starting going haywire, and in an attempt to repair it I accidentally bricked it.
I was going to get another one to replace it, but decided to spend a little more on a more recent edition, the last generation (2016) HD 8. Why? Because as much as I like stock Android, I actually lost access to high definition content in Netflix and Amazon Video streaming services, since it was no longer recognized as a certified device for that. Uncertified devices only get access to lower resolution video, which begs the question- why have an HD tablet for low res video?
Turns out I use my laptop more for work, and this is just a reading/video/casual gaming device for me. The new version is a little faster and has more RAM, and those things work fine if not better in the original Fire OS, so I'm OK with that.
I came here actually wondering if any progress had been made in custom roms/recoveries for the HD8, but this thread confirms what I already figured. If you want a Kindle that you can remove and replace the OS, you need to go back some generations and get an older one.
Hello everyone i have a question for you that will make a choice for me to root/modify/upgrade (or whatever you guys doing) my tablet or just leave it alone.
First of all i have a Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition tablet running Android 4.0.4. I have software and hardware experience on pc windows and linux but not so much on android.
My main problem with my tablet is its running Android 4.0.4 and when i tried to install apps (especially multimedia apps like netflix , bein connect and youtube) it says my device is not compatible. And in general my tablet feels slower to when i bought it first time about 5 years ago.
My questions are;
1-Would i be able to upgrade android to newer editions at least android 5.0.0? I am asking this because my phone has android 5.0.0 and i have no problems with apps as of now.
2-If i root/modify android can i run apps like netflix and youtube or there are more problems waiting?
3-Would modifying help the speed of tablet or would it slow it down even more? Like trying to install windows 8 on a windows xp level of pc.
I'm asking these because i dont want to spend days just to find out it was not the answer i was looking for.
I hope i made myself clear please add any suggestion or roadmaps for a newbie like me. Thanks in advance.
Technically rooting doesn't allow you to upgrade your version of Android, it's the custom recovery you install that does. If there's a custom ROM out there that supports your old tablet it will work. Youtube is unaffected by root and I don't think Netflix is either. Finally, rooting technically could help the speed of your tablet if you change things like disabling fsync or running TRIM, but rooting itself doesn't change performance. Just be warned that there might not be a Lollipop or newer custom rom for your tablet!