OK, I didn't realize how crappy web browsing is with out Adblock! I can't live like this! I'm so tempted to bootloader unlock and root. But my concern is losing camera features. Can someone really outline EXACTLY what I will lose if I bootloader unlock and how different the camera is as well.
I actually don't take a lot of photos with my camera anyway, but I really want a list of things that change to help me make the right decision. I haven't even installed all my apps yet because we all know what happens when you BL unlock. Actually now that I think about it...I didn't install my apps because I can't restore using Titanium Backup because I have to be rooted. How anyone lived without root, adblock/adaway, and Titanium backup is beyond me. But I'm also a chronic phone swapper. It's a nasty addiction. My favorite phone thus far has been the M8 though. Definitely covered all the bases all it was missing was 3GB of ram and wireless charging. I didn't even mind Sense which I thought I would immediately get rid of and convert it to a GPe edition.
Anyway anyone with UL BL that can tell me exactly what changed I would appreciate it.
I don't know myself, but you might want to ask in the Q&A section instead.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3/general/bootloader-unlock-t2888735 - This thread contains a fair amount of information relating to what is lost, and what isn't lost.
Something worth considering and not listed nearly as often as a possible result of unlocking without trim area / DRM backup (to restore later) ~ upcoming sony apps / not yet released apps that will rely on the keys to run. (hypothetically, a video version of track I'd is released and needs the keys not to fc)
Sent from my D6653 using Tapatalk
Thanks all. I figured this has been answered but couldn't find a comprehensive list
Still.open to any other feedback that thread didn't go into a lot.of detail.
Use Firefox +ADBlock for now
Please post questions in the Q&A section
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I've been considering to upgrade a Z5 from using a LG G3 for over a year and have somehow grown attached to root for various uses.
I've read some post here and there and seems like it comes down to having to unlock your bootloader. I do understand that SONY provides OEM unlocking of bootloader but does it do the DRM thing that most people are complaining about? And what are the limitations of this lack of DRM thing?
Anyone can help to advice? I don't really need to flash roms and stuff, just root access and maybe kernal flashing will do but is it that flexiblee?
Z5 is rootable, but you must first to unlock your bootloader (if your device is unlockable).
See here for detailed explainations.
By unlocking, you will lost your DRM keys and some functionalities, but they can be recovered (the functionalities) by applying this patch.
Good luck!
Loosing DRM device key you'll loose Sony camera image optimizations, Sony X-reality engine, use of some Sony apps and other things you can find in various topics. We have a patch nowadays (thanks to a great developer), to simulate DRM key but there are still 2 problems:
- Sony warranty is VOID when DRM keys are deleted. In some Countries, depending on laws, you might still be protected, but generally if you have hardware problems you'll have to pay yourself for repair service (or hire a lawyer).
- We'll always need a patch for future android versions (and someone working on it, hoping that Sony does not prevent the method completely)
Android pie is starting to be too big of a hassle. It sucks battery, it looks weird(i wont say bad), google killed all apps for call recoding and plenty of other stuff..
So, is there a way to enable native call recording in pie? Think firmwares from india or something like that have it enabled but i may be wrong.. If that would be true, is there any problem with flashing indian rom to a international version? Any noticable differences?
Apparently rooting would help but i dont want to do that as i will lose warranty and secure folder and would gain nothing. Tried rooting my last samsung and only important thing i wanted to do i couldnt, wich is when i rooted to backup my current samsung software/partitions. TWRP wouldnt do it cos its encrypted and it needs to format it first, completely useless for making a backup, only good if one wants custom rom. Correct me if i am wrong on this one.
thanks
Hi all. I have bought FPse, currently on my new XZ2 (which I'm loving so far). I had a Play Store voucher so have some remaining credit, which I'll use to source some apps. My question is before I get involved in unlocking the bootloader, rooting etc., can I back up the apps so that I can then transfer them to my device once I have installed LineageOS or the Sony supported AOSP? I like the idea of Android, not so much Google. I don't have an SD card yet to use in this, but will be getting one in the near future (most likely around 200GB) but think I have a spare one laying around I could use in the short term for this.
The device is new and apart from a few apps and contacts, I have no data on the phone really yet so would like to get this done fairly soon before I get a lot of stuff on there.
Thanks in advance for any help with this.
Most backup apps should work. Titanium backup is one of (not the) best. There are plenty of tutorials for it
I have read about Titanium backup but my understanding is it needs root to worry properly. While the aim of this is ultimately a new room and root, I'll probably end up using Xperifix to get there, so I won't be able to backup the apps properly. I'll read some more about TB though first. Thanks for your response.
Also I'd like to apologise for putting this question in here, I only realise afterwards that Android General isn't meant for questions.
Edit: having now read more about TB, it looks like they have added this functionality which is great news. I'll give that a try in the near future, thanks again.
Hi,
i have read here in Forum about android pie and i cant find my answer for myself.
Is it possible to Flash rooted pie on xzp with restore the drm keys?
i know the camera is workin on pie's root, but what is with the other Issues?
Is there any Solution out there?
Best Regards
Sc0rp1on said:
Is it possible to Flash rooted pie on xzp with restore the drm keys?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you can't do anything to resotre lost keys, not unless you made a backup of them first. You can fool the phone that the DRM is in place, but that's different to restoring them.
You can unlock you phone and put a custom rom on there, there are some Pie threads here on XDA, eXistenZ Pie, or LineageOS. But getting these to work isn't a simple download the rom and install it. You need to follow the instructions on the Sony unlock, then install TWRP, which will give you the ability to flash roms and recoverys.
It might be worth sticking to a stock rom and using janjan's kernel, wich will fix any DRM problems and give you compatability with Magisk
Yes, the camera does work on Pie, even with bootloader uinlocked, but there are some other features that remain disabled, but nothing important.
Thx for Reply. My Old XZP has unlocked Bootloader, Oreo Rooted within DRM Patch from XperiFix. But now, the Display is broken and the Phone is dead.
I have buy the Same Model (Locked & Fresh) and want to remove System Apps , have Root and eventually Pie. But i want to have all functions like unrooted and hoped that the time brings out new Methods for that.
I have read here, that the camera Quality gets down on pie root.
Now my Hope / Question:
Pie + Root within DRM Features (Fooled DRM is ok also) or should i Flash Oreo and use Xperi Fix again, like my old one?
Sc0rp1on said:
Thx for Reply. My Old XZP has unlocked Bootloader, Oreo Rooted within DRM Patch from XperiFix. But now, the Display is broken and the Phone is dead.
I have buy the Same Model (Locked & Fresh) and want to remove System Apps , have Root and eventually Pie. But i want to have all functions like unrooted and hoped that the time brings out new Methods for that.
I have read here, that the camera Quality gets down on pie root.
Now my Hope / Question:
Pie + Root within DRM Features (Fooled DRM is ok also) or should i Flash Oreo and use Xperi Fix again, like my old one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pie or Oreo is a personal choice and you'll get people batting for both sides on the forum here.
You can stick with what you know, or go with stock Pie and use janjan's kernel, that will get you Pie build with DRM fix.
Didgesteve said:
Pie or Oreo is a personal choice and you'll get people batting for both sides on the forum here.
You can stick with what you know, or go with stock Pie and use janjan's kernel, that will get you Pie build with DRM fix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thx for Answer.
I have read the thread about the kernel and pie and i cant find Information for camera Quality (i have read pie root make camera Quality bad) and about the Screen-Modus (Superlebendig / Professional/ Standard). My old Oreo Rooted One was running perfect, but i would try pie, only if i can get sure, that cam and Display works like stock Rom.
I hope you understand my english and my wishes
Sc0rp1on said:
Thx for Answer.
I have read the thread about the kernel and pie and i cant find Information for camera Quality (i have read pie root make camera Quality bad) and about the Screen-Modus (Superlebendig / Professional/ Standard). My old Oreo Rooted One was running perfect, but i would try pie, only if i can get sure, that cam and Display works like stock Rom.
I hope you understand my english and my wishes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The camera on the Sony works perfect or it doesn't (takes green pictures), it's a myth that there is some sort of half way 'poor' quality.
There is no degradation of camera quality with rooted Pie no DRM, if you think that might be a problem then use a 'fixed' rom or kernel.
Try Pie and if you think that the camera is broken, then go back to Oreo
Didgesteve said:
The camera on the Sony works perfect or it doesn't (takes green pictures), it's a myth that there is some sort of half way 'poor' quality.
There is no degradation of camera quality with rooted Pie no DRM, if you think that might be a problem then use a 'fixed' rom or kernel.
Try Pie and if you think that the camera is broken, then go back to Oreo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@Sc0rp1on, @Didgesteve, in my opinion, it is totally worth to backup and restore locked TA to preserve drm keys, if just only in order to be on the safe side.
The unlock procedure erases all userdata anyway, similarly as when you do downgrade to exploitable oreo...
Anyway, I am not sure about the camera quality - is it really a myth? Please see here for few pictures comparisons where differences are visible. You may visit the linked posts too for more opinions / previous discussions.
j4nn said:
@Sc0rp1on, @Didgesteve, in my opinion, it is totally worth to backup and restore locked TA to preserve drm keys, if just only in order to be on the safe side.
The unlock procedure erases all userdata anyway, similarly as when you do downgrade to exploitable oreo...
Anyway, I am not sure about the camera quality - is it really a myth? Please see here for few pictures comparisons where differences are visible. You may visit the linked posts too for more opinions / previous discussions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't advocate anyone unlock thier phone without backing up the TA partition. but I was replying to a question.
I can't see any difference in the pictures myself and I think if there were a difference more would have been said about it.
Myself I was an early jumper and unlocked my phone before backup and restore of the DRM keys was possible, so that rather shaped which version of firmware I use. I didn't step to Pie, I stuck with Oreo and a 'fix' that keeps everything sweet.
@Didgesteve, it's not easy to do a good comparison - only those who have two phones or at least have a locked _and_ unlocked TA backup of one phone could try. Although many complain about camera quality in general.
But as you could see in the linked "xz1c locked oreo vs unlocked pie comparison" post I tried to compare having two xz1 compact phones side by side, one still locked and one with lost drm keys.
And comparing the not downsized original photo images you can clearly see some differences - which are cut to attached pictures so you can find them easier in the original files available for download.
It could have been a coincidence, but it's have been done two times in a row switching the order of the phones getting very similar results of quality difference in each trial.
So in my opinion, it might be a myth or may not.
j4nn said:
[MENTION=4354390]So in my opinion, it might be a myth or may not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It may or may not, but no one else seems to have noticed.
If you think it makes a difference then use Janjan's kernel with built in 'fix'
@Didgesteve, that "no one else seems to have noticed" - a rather big assumption of yours. There are many users complaining about xzp/xz1/xz1c camera quality in general.
But just with regard to oreo vs pie, read the xzp thread from here: post#27, particularly post#30 contains very interesting internal stuff.
I would like to believe sony stopped conditioning camera with keeping bootloader locked with pie but somehow I am not sure about that at all considering all the circumstances and my linked camera quality comparison test.
Thanks for your advice, luckily I do not need janjan's kernels as I've implemented the TA backup exploit, so both my phones can have drm keys restored (in fact one of them is still locked on purpose).
I (and anybody who saved TA-unlocked.img together with TA-locked.img) can switch easily between "drm keys restored" and "drm keys lost" states for testing/comparisons.
j4nn said:
@Didgesteve, that "no one else seems to have noticed" - a rather big assumption of yours. There are many users complaining about xzp/xz1/xz1c camera quality in general......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have 3 xz premiums running pie in my household. My wifes - never unlocked. Mine - unlocked with no ta backup. And a third one which I acquired cheaply recently - unlocked with restored original ta backup running a kernel with @j4nn's commits which hides bootloader unlock status.
The photo quality appears similar on all three devices. Maybe closer scrutiny on a pc will reveal differences.
However restoring original ta with blu hide kernel will always be the optimal solution regardless of camera quality due to the fact that it also restores widevine L1 functions (eg: screen mirroring etc.)
@shoey63, that's right, on phone's display, differences are probably not visible.
But if not zoomed out images are compared on PC, you may see some differences as my test showed.
Most people just take a quick shot to post it on a social network, there you cannot see a difference at all, as the image gets downscaled automatically - so majority may not complain.
Anyway that "restoring original ta with blu hide kernel will always be the optimal solution" is right - should behave as much as in still locked state as we can get.
Mentioning screen mirroring - does it depend on drm too in case of pie?
I tested it with oreo and it needed TA-locked restored with bootloader unlock hidden to get it working - running just kernel hiding BL unlock with lost drm keys is not enough with oreo.
I cannot test it anymore and I wonder if it still depends on drm keys with pie too or if sony dropped that dependency similarly as making camera somehow working instead of green pictures with pie.
@j4nn
Screen mirroring still is reliant on drm keys on Pie.
It won't connect with unlocked bootloader and stock kernel.
However with restored TA backup and blu hide kernel it connects without issue.
The problem with screen mirroring is just the use of HDCP.
You can disable it with persist.debug.wfd.enable=1 or persist.debug.wfd.appmonitoring=1