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HTC One M8 on Verizon. Android version 5.0.1. I did a lot of research yesterday, and could not find any working solution to root the phone. It's hard to find anything on Google because generally the information will be outdated (from last year or the year before). So can someone fill me in on what exactly I'd need to do? This is my first smartphone and I've never rooted an Android device before.
ziddy5 said:
HTC One M8 on Verizon. Android version 5.0.1. I did a lot of research yesterday, and could not find any working solution to root the phone. It's hard to find anything on Google because generally the information will be outdated (from last year or the year before). So can someone fill me in on what exactly I'd need to do? This is my first smartphone and I've never rooted an Android device before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Assuming you are still S-On and locked then you are stuck without root for now.
BladeRunner said:
Assuming you are still S-On and locked then you are stuck without root for now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what I was afraid of. How can I keep track of when there is an update to the situation?
ziddy5 said:
This is what I was afraid of. How can I keep track of when there is an update to the situation?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
keep checking these forums and/or follow @teamandIRC on twitter
Rooting the already updated HTC One M8
It's going to be difficult. I've been scouring the webs for weeks looking for the answer to that one. The Sunshine S-off didn't work for me. The only way I can find right now to do this requires finding somone that has purchaced the elusive "HTC java card" sometimes called the HTC S-off card. They can s-off your phone in a heartbeat. Wish I had one, I just can't see forking over 375.00 to get one.
So if your S-off there is a root method available ? I haven't found it if there is.
I'm running 5.0.1 Verizon S-off
Thanks in advance
jjmstang said:
So if your S-off there is a root method available ? I haven't found it if there is.
I'm running 5.0.1 Verizon S-off
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're already s-off then just install twrp and flash, reboot recovery and it should ask you if you want to install root
BladeRunner said:
If you're already s-off then just install twrp and flash, reboot recovery and it should ask you if you want to install root
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Click to collapse
It seems you have to be rooted to install TWRP........at least what found
You only have to be rooted to install it with their app. If you are s-off you can download it from their site and flash it with fastboot.
mpappas87 said:
You only have to be rooted to install it with their app. If you are s-off you can download it from their site and flash it with fastboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I followed this method and I have re-gained root
http://forum.xda-developers.com/ver...ow-to-root-ota-pc-s-off-t3048604#post59750567
Now I'm going to try and flash the Dragon ROM with Sense 7
Thanks again for the help
same boat ; old filmware?
just received this HTC One M8 thru verizon, lollipop 5.0.1 after day 2 OTA update. I've been rooting every device i've owned since 08. Busy with daily tasks I haven't had a chance to sit and try unlocking bootloader until this weekend. I hit a wall when HTCdev returned an error after entering the identifier token \(^~^)/ . I did some reading, couldn't find anything.
I'm coming from a xt912 I've pretty much squeezed all I can get out of it since I got that brand new. I put CM12 on that just recently this HTC makes that the moto seem primitive. After bricking that (moto)spyder a few times flashing bad zips or doing things out of sequence I've put it thru the ringer and used RSDlite to just start from scratch. I have also found these device can put up with a lot and still bounce back. Geeze, I have three years of continuous text and data backed up on SD, lol . Something I haven't tried and wonder, does anyone know, is there any old VZW filmware for this M8 maybe 4.4.2 and try un locking from that point or Does the token id stay the same no matter what filmware?
Htcdev won't work on our phone because it's blocked by Verizon. Also, it's not possible to downgrade firmware or the OS without having s-off. At this time there's no way to get s-off on lollipop so you're pretty much stuck where you're at until an exploit is found by someone. Sunshine works for anything up to 4.4.4 but it won't work on a Verizon phone that's running 5.0.1. About all you can do right now is wait to see if Jcase and Beaups come up with a way to make it work on a Verizon phone too. I know that's not what you want to hear but that's how it is at the moment.
benjdevel said:
I've been rooting every device i've owned since 08. weekend. I hit a wall
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, glad I didn't spend too much time trying to figure this out, never rooted a device before
Gotcha . ...Stupid vzw ? I glanced at a procedure to unlock SIM. Have no idea if that would help anything. Havent tried it. Ill have to keep a watch out for something. Really compaired to that spider this thing is like a ferrari. Not too much bloatware. Lollipop rocks and knowing Im up to date for the most part calms me a little. I still dont like the idea of not having complete control of my device. I've already received a few notification marketing related from verizon that i could not close unless i looked at it. I did notice control over saving things to my ext sd i do like. I am a student just getting into the ist world.wish there was something i could help with. 5 classes is killing me at the moment though. I did also try to install an imsi catcher apk updates version and it seemed like it ran fine. I could of swore that app needed root access. I could be wrong with the newest version though.
Joint Java Card?
Same boat (Verizon, htc one m8) . . . For some reason I was thinking Lollipop was the update which was still able to be handled by Weaksauce 2. So I accepted the OTA, without thinking. -hadn't gotten around to s-off, etc., before this time around.
So, in some 2013 posts, I saw that some people had tried to pool resources and share a Java Card, etc. But sending phones to a "card keeper", is expensive, and unsafe (besides having to live without your phone for a few days.). jcase, on their company's IRC support channel, indicates that the card is more than just a simple microSD card, which one might be able to dd a filesystem image from (i.e. copy it for distribution). That's entirely possible, since all SD cards have micro-controllers for dealing with failed sectors, etc (check out "Bunnie's Blog"). Basically, the controller could make it tough/impossible to access part of the card, and can take care of decrimenting credits, encryption, signing, etc. Even if it were a basic SD card, the use of signed binaries, and external license/resource server, etc. could still make it tough . . . -although the card I found states it needs no internet connection. It would be much cheaper to send the card, rather than phones. But how to coordinate and pool the cost seems like it could be a pain?
So here's what I'm thinking about:
Someone (me?) could purchase a legit, new htc Java Card. After I use my 2 or 3 credits to s-off/unlock my phone, I could put the card on, say, ebay for maybe $5 less than what I bought it for. Then, another person could use some credits, then sell it again, for a little cheaper, etc. If we want to keep it "in-house", we could just send to each other and pay with PayPal or Google Wallet. But, with e-bay, one could just copy/build on the ad the first person started. Take a picture of your phone's screen, when the remaining credits are shown, and put it on the ad. With 2000 credits, my conservative estimate is that it could cost less than 72 cents, for each unlock. The $5 incremental discount might be close enough to cover re-shipping costs.
The Sunshine guys have, for free, helped many of us over the years. So I was planning to purchase their solution, if it worked for this situation. But their download page states that "Verizon 5.0.x users will have to wait until we update.". They indicate they could get us supported soon, but they also indicate that Lollipop is much more secure, with SELinux updated and better enforced., etc. So I am a little concerned about when that will actually happen. I see they've been posting updates for Motorola, and making sure people are able to pay them via PayPal, etc. But nothing yet for Verizon 5.0.x.
Does anyone know/recall how long after the last android update, someone came up with a root exploit? I'm just trying to get a rough guesstimate about the minimum time people will have to wait this time. -then add time because Lollipop is apparently significantly more secure. I guess I don't completely mind that my phone might be secure enough to not make it tougher for someone to get into the deepest parts of it, without specialized hardware (Java Card), if I were to lose it.
But, really, what Verizon and htc and others have done to these devices . . . They are, essentially, specialized computers. It would be like if Dell or another computer manufacturer sold you a computer, without allowing you access to your administrator account (and no clear/easy way to boot from another drive, to recover/fix things, etc.). That's crap.
I dunno. What do people think? I suppose I could just try it, and see.
Are new devices updated already? If I were to get a phone from verizon today will it already have the Lollipop update or would I get a still root-able device that I can deny the update?
libredroid said:
But, really, what Verizon and htc and others have done to these devices . . . They are, essentially, specialized computers. It would be like if Dell or another computer manufacturer sold you a computer, without allowing you access to your administrator account (and no clear/easy way to boot from another drive, to recover/fix things, etc.). That's crap.
I dunno. What do people think? I suppose I could just try it, and see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like the idea of that Java card:good: and I completely agree with you on how wrong it is restricting administrative rights, especially considering these things are comparable to a new computer.
dimsumx said:
Are new devices updated already? If I were to get a phone from verizon today will it already have the Lollipop update or would I get a still root-able device that I can deny the update?
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Click to collapse
No guarantees either way.
What is the status on SunShine for our device?
I got the Java Card.
@vazersecurity: still "Verizon 5.0.x users will have to wait until we update.", as of today.
I got the card, as previously proposed, and was able to get S-Off on my USA-Verizon HTC One M8 with the Lollipop OTA.
I needed to download and place two files in the root of the card (now done).
I then (CID changed) was able to use htcdev.com to unlock my bootloader, and ultimately gain root. I'm now happily running a current Cyanogenmod ROM. To regain some functionality from my camera, etc., I installed the htc camera, HTC Gallery, and Zoe apps from the Play store.
So I've already created a listing for the card on eBay. I assume the forum rules won't allow me to post the link. But I, honestly, always intended to use that as a way to make it more convenient to share with a community of people who wish to join in. -not to try and make any money off the card. Again, rather than have people ship phones to one person (with the shipping cost, and being without their phone), if figured it would be cheaper, and less disruptive, to ship the actual card. So, you'd purchase the card from the previous user, then re-list it for a bit less than what you paid for it. With the starting cost and credits, S-Off is about 30 cents, each. As the card credits get used up, it gets cheaper. Maybe each person would end up paying a few dollars for S-Off, when you factor in the shipping.
Maybe a moderator could chime in about whether it might be OK to post a link to this "community-intended" listing. -or suggest a better contribution/distribution method.
Also, since many users in our situations have been out of luck regarding S-Off, for a few months now, might a moderator or someone suggest/implement a way to post/place this information more prominently, in the forums?
Thanks.
Hey all,
I'm thinking of buying a Mate 7 and switching over from my Moto X Pure. Mainly for the size, metal body, and the battery. Right now I can get it for ~$330 on Amazon. The only thing that's held me back is the software. I've read the stock software is very annoying with constant notifications about apps using up too much RAM/battery. But all these reviews were from the phone's release, I haven't been able to find much information since it's been updated to Marshmallow. I typically like very light ROMs like CM but I see there hasn't been a whole lot of development for this phone other than the KangVIP ROM which seems to have a lot of issues. So I guess my question is how do you all like the stock Marshmallow ROM and is it still good on battery life?
Also I've seen a lot of threads about how to downgrade the software to earlier versions of Android, is this just to install an earlier version of Cyanogenmod? I've not been able to find a "why" in all the threads I've seen on the subject. I've found plenty of Chinese phones that are ~6" with a big battery and metal body but LTE bands are always an issue. This is the only phone I've come across that seems to have everything, other than my concerns about the software. I'm also thinking of holding out and seeing if the Asus Zenfone 3 and the LeTV Max Pro end up having U.S. LTE bands.
Anyway, any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated!
It's getting old now, still a really nice phone but I'd be looking at newer devices at this point. People regress to earlier versions of Android as the MM beta releases often dissapoint. I stuck with the latest release of Lollipop as I have some limited functionality with Xposed, got ViPER4Android working etc, it's smooth and stable. Battery is great. It's hard to describe just how much freedom that allows you compared to other devices. My Oppo Find 7 is a nice phone too, but it just doesn't last long enough and being used to the Mate 7, that annoys me greatly. I do find that the oppo at 5.5" is better to handle and fits a pocket easier. That extra half inch really is noticeable on the Mate. It is one device that does feel a little special though. Once it's optimised and personalised, it's gorgeous.
As for ROMs, not going to happen any time soon. I'm happy with stock, rooted and modded. Doesn't worry me apart from limiting lifespan, but if development did take off, I would be happy.
Huawei just don't understand the international market yet and if they did, and fostered good relations and supported development, they would be able to become #1 I think, but at this point their thinking is still very Chinese.
RobboW said:
It's getting old now, still a really nice phone but I'd be looking at newer devices at this point. People regress to earlier versions of Android as the MM beta releases often dissapoint. I stuck with the latest release of Lollipop as I have some limited functionality with Xposed, got ViPER4Android working etc, it's smooth and stable. Battery is great. It's hard to describe just how much freedom that allows you compared to other devices. My Oppo Find 7 is a nice phone too, but it just doesn't last long enough and being used to the Mate 7, that annoys me greatly. I do find that the oppo at 5.5" is better to handle and fits a pocket easier. That extra half inch really is noticeable on the Mate. It is one device that does feel a little special though. Once it's optimised and personalised, it's gorgeous.
As for ROMs, not going to happen any time soon. I'm happy with stock, rooted and modded. Doesn't worry me apart from limiting lifespan, but if development did take off, I would be happy.
Huawei just don't understand the international market yet and if they did, and fostered good relations and supported development, they would be able to become #1 I think, but at this point their thinking is still very Chinese.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the quick reply RobboW! I've always had phones that had a lot of development so I've kind of taken it for granted. A couple years ago I wouldn't have even considered a phone without a lot of development but my ROM addiction has really subsided and I only recently put a custom ROM on my Moto X. Honestly I don't do much customization anymore, the thing that made me apprehensive about the Mate 7 was all the "battery saving" shenanigans. If there's some way to disable those while still keeping good battery life (which definitely should be possibly with the 4100 mAh battery) then I'll be happy with the ROM, provided there's no lag. I don't do any kind of gaming or anything, just browsing the web, videos, texts, and emails, but I can't stand any kind of lag.
Thanks again for your help, it's been a grueling process trying to find a phone that meets all my criteria for a reasonable price. The Mate 7's hardware hits it perfectly, so if I can live with the software I still think it's a good deal.
It sounds like your user case is much like mine then. The Mate 7 (get 32Gb version and insert a 128Gb uSD) should serve you well. Update it from kitkat to lollipop for UI smoothness, unlock bootloader, install TWRP recovery, root and do a little debloat, although there's really not much bloat, install Viper if sound is your thing. You will need a different launcher and icon pack to get away from Huawei launcher which is terrible.
For the notifications, it has a notification manager so you can customise that to your liking. Mine doesn't bombard me with warnings. The battery is awesome, just go to power saving settings, ignore the savings and set it to normal. It still easily goes a day with heavy use.
My son liked mine and wanted to update his galaxy S4 so got a Mate 7 32Gb and I did all these things to his. He has wifi and BT on all day, facebook messenger always on etc and it never has a battery problem. He is still gobsmacked by it. Says it's better in every way to the S4 other than maybe the lack of ir blaster (which he doesn't care about) and amoled screen in the S4 but the Mate 7 screen is really nice anyway. I actually like the IPS panel better than amoled as I think amoled is gharish, too colourful, just not realistic and the IPS seems much nicer, more realistic for photos and video. It's actually a warmish tint, unlike my oppo which has a very stark, cold tint and is harder on my eyes.
You can adjust the screen and I set it to it's coldest but it's still warmer than the oppo.
I've been toying with the idea to go back to using the Mate 7 as my daily phone instead of the oppo. I was going to use the Mate 7 as a tool, like a small tablet because it will be the database and interface (BT) between an electrical test tag machine and a label printer. The camera is really good at macro focus and reads barcodes very well.
I didn't want to talk it up to someone expecting a 6P and lot's of custom roms, but for the price they can be bought for now, and your user case, it will make a great daily driver. Just be very sure it works on the correct bands you need there in the US. It works great here in Australia.
Edit: I'm having an issue with my Oppo where sometimes I can't view an email when others work ok. The Mate 7 doesn't have the issue and I've been going through settings looking for differences as the two phones are set up almost the same. Cannot find the problem so I have my SIM in the Mate again (Titanium Backup is so handy for transfering sms and call data) and will try to get a custom ROM in the Oppo.
The Mate works great. No desire for a ROM in that unless I update to MM when/if I can get a stable final release that is originally OTA.
Well I went ahead and bit the bullet and I'm going for it. I'll probably need to be pointed in the right direction once it arrives as far as which ROM to install and how I go about downgrading it if I need to. Thanks again for your help! I'm excited to check it out.
@RobboW has said pretty much all there is that's worth mentioning about the device. If you're after stellar battery life and a solid daily driver you can't go wrong, but don't expect the flexibility of devices that are more open to customization.
I've updated to the official MM release and have yet to encounter any of the issues people complained about in the beta releases. While the LP release is fantastic (and Viper actually works on it, which I miss), the MM build offers even better responsiveness and an overall better-rounded software experience, although that's not saying I wouldn't flash something entirely different in a heartbeat (if only I could....).
The camera is also not very great. On paper it's decent, but photos almost always come out blurry (as there's no OIS) and washed out. A but of tinkering on Snapseed can make a big difference though, but don't expect anything too great.
If you already bought it I'd suggest that you immediately install a 3rd party launcher of your choice to avoid the stock launcher (which really is horrendous), and then root if that's your sort of thing.
Enjoy!
Scruffykid said:
The camera is also not very great. On paper it's decent, but photos almost always come out blurry (as there's no OIS) and washed out. A but of tinkering on Snapseed can make a big difference though, but don't expect anything too great.
Enjoy!
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Click to collapse
Scruffy, set the saturation in the camera app settings a notch higher. You can also set the brightness down a little if needed. I actually find the camera pretty good. It's not a flagship camera but it's also not a cheap one.
I've got my SIM back in my Oppo today, got OmniROM set up pretty nice now. So much better than ColorOS from Oppo. The B331 LP Mate 7 ROM is quite nice for a stock ROM IMO and I'm still happy to keep it. If the Oppo is stable on OmniROM, maybe I'll look at updating the Mate 7 to MM, but not if I can't have Xposed and ViPER4Android......
I'm on Marshmallow on the Oppo now and it's a PIA with some things. File explorers have issues with access, notifications are more intrusive, but it is a nice OS other than that. I actually found Lollipop easier to use.
---------- Post added at 10:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:47 AM ----------
Prozart said:
Well I went ahead and bit the bullet and I'm going for it. I'll probably need to be pointed in the right direction once it arrives as far as which ROM to install and how I go about downgrading it if I need to. Thanks again for your help! I'm excited to check it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will ship with Kitkat so you boot and see which firmware version it's on and what OTA update it wants to install when it goes online, but don't install it straight away, come back to the forum with the information and then the correct update tree can be looked at.
Don't leave it on Kitkat, IMO, you either use B331 Lollipop or a Marshmallow ROM. Nothing earlier. Some of the MM ROMS do need an earlier Lollipop version to update from, but sometimes you can flash the ROM anyway, as long as the phone is compatible with it.
RobboW said:
Scruffy, set the saturation in the camera app settings a notch higher. You can also set the brightness down a little if needed. I actually find the camera pretty good. It's not a flagship camera but it's also not a cheap one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't seem to find the settings you're mentioning in my camera settings. Perhaps it was removed on the MM builds? Anyway I think simply installing 3rd party camera software should make a big difference. As you and I both said, most of what's wrong with the camera is software.
Haven't tried MM on my Mate 7 so couldn't speculate, but from Google Play, give Open Camera a try, it's free. See if pics match the viewing angle you expected.
For a paid app, Camera FV-5 is very good. It's supposed to mimmick a DSLR.
Edit:
Just installed Open Camera (by Mark Harmon) on both phones. Works well. Two things I like are the availability of grid lines and a level indicator. Makes quite a difference when doing landscape photography. I live in a seaside town and getting horizon level is so important with shots including ocean. If it had panorama mode I'd be a happy chappy!
I haven't been bothered with camera apps on my Mate 7 as it has a good camera on KK and LP and I had no need to look for better. The Oppo Find 7 is another matter. Oppo camera was good with ColorOS, but now on OmniROM, I needed to look at camera apps, but had already found the others with my previous phone as it was a THL W200 and stock software was pretty crap.
RobboW said:
It will ship with Kitkat so you boot and see which firmware version it's on and what OTA update it wants to install when it goes online, but don't install it straight away, come back to the forum with the information and then the correct update tree can be looked at.
Don't leave it on Kitkat, IMO, you either use B331 Lollipop or a Marshmallow ROM. Nothing earlier. Some of the MM ROMS do need an earlier Lollipop version to update from, but sometimes you can flash the ROM anyway, as long as the phone is compatible with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright so it arrived today with KK 4.4.2 build number 120SP04. I went to the updater and it said no updates are available. I don't have a SIM card in it so I don't know if that makes a difference. I didn't realize it didn't have a nano sim slot so I'll have to go to my carrier to get a micro. In the mean time, what are my upgrade paths to a good Lollipop or Marshmallow? I'm in North America and on the main page I only saw update packages for India, Europe, and China I believe. Would I just go with the European ones?
Prozart said:
Alright so it arrived today with KK 4.4.2 build number 120SP04. I went to the updater and it said no updates are available. I don't have a SIM card in it so I don't know if that makes a difference. I didn't realize it didn't have a nano sim slot so I'll have to go to my carrier to get a micro. In the mean time, what are my upgrade paths to a good Lollipop or Marshmallow? I'm in North America and on the main page I only saw update packages for India, Europe, and China I believe. Would I just go with the European ones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will you be using an SD card? Slot 2 takes either an SD or a nano SIM, not both at once though.
That's the same ROM my phone came on. It's the standard international ROM for a non carrier locked TL10 goldie.
It will update to B130 OTA
From B130 I flashed mine to B331 Lollipop (newest lollipop). Just a download of ROM and place in dload folder and point the updater to it, then it does it from within the OS. It won't go past B130 on an OTA.
If you want MM, that needs to be loked at as there are stacks of vesions. I'm inclined to think if it can be flashed up to MM from B331 it's reasonably new. That's my aim. I won't go to an older LP to get up to a buggy old beta MM.
Here's the download link where I got my stable Lollipop.
http://www.carbontesla.com/2016/01/download-ascend-mate-7-full-b331-lollipop-firmware-europe/
It seems to me that Huawei are still slowly releasing updates so I would rather sit on a stable LP and wait for the last MM rather than join the unhappy bunch of early flashers who have bugs or bricks.
B331 LP works well and can get some limited use of Xposed and full use of Viper4android.
You need to keep stock recovery to flash an update but unlocked bootloader is fine, so I'd look to unlock the bootloader after it gets B130 update.
It will have a choppy UI on KitKat, it's normal. Lollipop fixes that.
I reckon you'll last maybe 5 minutes trying to use the Huawei launcher. Don't fight that, just install another, lol. Have to go into settings and choose default launcher in the app management section.
RobboW said:
Will you be using an SD card? Slot 2 takes either an SD or a nano SIM, not both at once though.
That's the same ROM my phone came on. It's the standard international ROM for a non carrier locked TL10 goldie.
It will update to B130 OTA
From B130 I flashed mine to B331 Lollipop (newest lollipop). Just a download of ROM and place in dload folder and point the updater to it, then it does it from within the OS. It won't go past B130 on an OTA.
If you want MM, that needs to be loked at as there are stacks of vesions. I'm inclined to think if it can be flashed up to MM from B331 it's reasonably new. That's my aim. I won't go to an older LP to get up to a buggy old beta MM.
Here's the download link where I got my stable Lollipop.
http://www.carbontesla.com/2016/01/download-ascend-mate-7-full-b331-lollipop-firmware-europe/
It seems to me that Huawei are still slowly releasing updates so I would rather sit on a stable LP and wait for the last MM rather than join the unhappy bunch of early flashers who have bugs or bricks.
B331 LP works well and can get some limited use of Xposed and full use of Viper4android.
You need to keep stock recovery to flash an update but unlocked bootloader is fine, so I'd look to unlock the bootloader after it gets B130 update.
It will have a choppy UI on KitKat, it's normal. Lollipop fixes that.
I reckon you'll last maybe 5 minutes trying to use the Huawei launcher. Don't fight that, just install another, lol. Have to go into settings and choose default launcher in the app management section.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome, thanks for your help! Since its saying "no updates available" should I manually update it to B130 and then to the link you provided for B331?
And yeah I've already got a launcher I've been using and like, I'm already sick of the stock launcher, lol. Also, strangely, the play store force closes after a few seconds of opening. I'm not too worried about it as I'll very soon be flashing different firmware, but still strange. Also, this is the MT7 L09 version, should I still update B130>B331?
And as far as Marshmallow is concerned I'm inclined to take your path with a stable Lollipop until they get MM all worked out.
Prozart said:
Awesome, thanks for your help! Since its saying "no updates available" should I manually update it to B130 and then to the link you provided for B331?
And yeah I've already got a launcher I've been using and like, I'm already sick of the stock launcher, lol. Also, strangely, the play store force closes after a few seconds of opening. I'm not too worried about it as I'll very soon be flashing different firmware, but still strange. Also, this is the MT7 L09 version, should I still update B130>B331?
And as far as Marshmallow is concerned I'm inclined to take your path with a stable Lollipop until they get MM all worked out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
L09, well that changes everything. You can go to B522 MM on that already. Update to B331, see how you like it. You can update to B522 from there anyway.
Google Play FC will be it trying to update itself whilst you're using it.
Check your ROM matches the number of the update. There are update notes included with it. If it doesn't match, it will fail to flash once most of the way through it. This is the CUST folder and is ROM specific for different areas of the world. It's where most naive users brick their phone.
For instance, mine is C900B331 and the original would have been C900B120SP04
That C900 is most important.
What many don't realise is that the number of the ROM doesn't always mean newer. It could be for a different region and that region has a different sequence of ROM designations.
RobboW said:
L09, well that changes everything. You can go to B522 MM on that already. Update to B331, see how you like it. You can update to B522 from there anyway.
Google Play FC will be it trying to update itself whilst you're using it.
Check your ROM matches the number of the update. There are update notes included with it. If it doesn't match, it will fail to flash once most of the way through it. This is the CUST folder and is ROM specific for different areas of the world. It's where most naive users brick their phone.
For instance, mine is C900B331 and the original would have been C900B120SP04
That C900 is most important.
What many don't realise is that the number of the ROM doesn't always mean newer. It could be for a different region and that region has a different sequence of ROM designations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks to you I successfully updated to B331. I got my launcher installed and now I just need to change the DPI as everything is huge, lol. So now I need to unlock bootloader and root it. But so far everything is smooth, no problems yet.
Edit: Quick question. I went into the APN settings and accidentally clicked on preferred network type. Before I went in there it was set to LTE (and I was successfully connected to LTE) but that wasn't an option to click on when I went into the settings. It's only showing me these three and so I'm not getting LTE anymore. Any ideas?
Check dual card settings for default 4G slot.
Edit: Why am I suggesting that for an L09, lol.
Have you done anything to upset the settings for APN?
Have a look in power saving settings to see if anything there cuts it back to 3G to save juice.
4G really sucks battery compared to 3G.
RobboW said:
Check dual card settings for default 4G slot.
Edit: Why am I suggesting that for an L09, lol.
Have you done anything to upset the settings for APN?
Have a look in power saving settings to see if anything there cuts it back to 3G to save juice.
4G really sucks battery compared to 3G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't find anything i n the power settings regarding network modes, I believe the only thing I've changed is putting the power plan on Normal and turning off Power-intensive prompt.
Also on the keyboard, the keys aren't vibrating. I went into the keyboard settings and made sure it was turned on. Also tried toggling it off and on with no success. Are there any other vibration settings hidden somewhere that I'm missing?
I wonder if a factory reset is in order. Just to count out any leftovers. I do wonder though, if there is something funny about the bands the carriers allow to work in the US. I often see comments from US XDA members about bands. Like the US is really different than the rest of the world or something.
RobboW said:
I wonder if a factory reset is in order. Just to count out any leftovers. I do wonder though, if there is something funny about the bands the carriers allow to work in the US. I often see comments from US XDA members about bands. Like the US is really different than the rest of the world or something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I may try that when I get home tonight. I need to unlock bootloader and root anyway so that'll wipe it. It's just so weird cause I had LTE up until the point when I went into settings and clicked on WDCMA or whatever and now there's no option to get back to LTE. It's also not connecting via bluetooth to my car. It had no problems connecting to my Moto 360, I don't know what would be different about my car. But it's not detecting it at all. Perhaps a factory reset would help solve that.
I spent about an hour last night reading up on unlocking the bootloader. I tried emailing Huawei and they directed me to log in to my Huawei account and I'd be able to get the code after 14 days. Is there any other way to do this? I mean I can survive a couple weeks without root, but it's not optimal, lol.
Don't root it yet and don't flash recovery.
Unlock the bootloader first. Read the following thread where I show the trick for getting your code easy and free.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/mate-7/general/bootloader-unlock-longer-anymore-t3296725
I've put mine back to stock B331 as much as possible tonight and flashed stock recovery then dirty flashed B331 back over it. About to factory reset it then attempt flashing Marshmallow.
Edit:
Reset went ok.
Edit:
Started the update, got to 96% and failed (CUST FAIL) and rebooted, sat on the start screen for quite a while and then booted. It's on C900B522 Marshmallow but I'm not sure what impact the cust fail has, but it seems to run fine. The dual card management settings are there so it is running as the TL10 that it is, although in settings it's calling itself a JAZZ.
RobboW said:
Don't root it yet and don't flash recovery.
Unlock the bootloader first. Read the following thread where I show the trick for getting your code easy and free.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/mate-7/general/bootloader-unlock-longer-anymore-t3296725
I've put mine back to stock B331 as much as possible tonight and flashed stock recovery then dirty flashed B331 back over it. About to factory reset it then attempt flashing Marshmallow.
Edit:
Reset went ok.
Edit:
Started the update, got to 96% and failed (CUST FAIL) and rebooted, sat on the start screen for quite a while and then booted. It's on C900B522 Marshmallow but I'm not sure what impact the cust fail has, but it seems to run fine. The dual card management settings are there so it is running as the TL10 that it is, although in settings it's calling itself a JAZZ.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I upgraded to 522 and so far it seems to be working well. Having some problems with Google Play Services (says it needs to update but the option isn't available in the play store) but otherwise seems great. Got LTE back and I've connected via Bluetooth to my car. I'm thinking about upgrading to 560 tonight. So I'm trying to follow your instructions on unlocking the bootloader but I don't understand where I need to go to type in the IMEI. I went to the website and logged in but then it takes me to this page (which doesn't seem to have an English version) and I have no idea where to go from there.
Hey!
I have currently a Vivo NEX on order from AliExpress.
I wonder how fast (if at all) there will be a way to root the device, and most importantly: install Google Play and custom launchers on it.
A custom ROM; something stock like would also be exciting to see soon.
Another question that I have is: will I be able to use the in-display-fingerprintsensor when I install a custom launcher?
I guess that's a very noob question but I really have not much experience with that because this will be my fist phone with a fingerprintsensor at all.
Greeting from Austria!!
LOL Meister said:
Hey!
I have currently a Vivo NEX on order from AliExpress.
I wonder how fast (if at all) there will be a way to root the device, and most importantly: install Google Play and custom launchers on it.
A custom ROM; something stock like would also be exciting to see soon.
Another question that I have is: will I be able to use the in-display-fingerprintsensor when I install a custom launcher?
I guess that's a very noob question but I really have not much experience with that because this will be my fist phone with a fingerprintsensor at all.
Greeting from Austria!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root and custom roms will be available as soon as Vivo release source code and blobs, and yes you can use the fingerprint sensor on custom launchers, even if it doesn't have play store you can still install launchers and apps from an apk.
Exanneon said:
Root and custom roms will be available as soon as Vivo release source code and blobs, and yes you can use the fingerprint sensor on custom launchers, even if it doesn't have play store you can still install launchers and apps from an apk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats great news actually. I have successfully rooted and installed a custom ROM on my galaxy S5. But I am still quite new to the topic and therefore I want to ask: if some videos or websites claim that they have a way to root *any* android device: can that be true from a technical standpoint or is such a thing always scam?
LOL Meister said:
Thats great news actually. I have successfully rooted and installed a custom ROM on my galaxy S5. But I am still quite new to the topic and therefore I want to ask: if some videos or websites claim that they have a way to root *any* android device: can that be true from a technical standpoint or is such a thing always scam?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is definitely a scam, there's no way of rooting *any* phone, it's true that most phones become rootable sooner or later, but that depends on the manufacturer and those who modify the device. The thing is that technically any android phone can be rooted, but that can only be done if one first has access to a bootloader which they can send commands to, such as flashing a recovery. Apps or sites that say they can root any phone is a very deceptive way of tricking inexperienced users, based on somewhat facts.
The process of rooting a phone goes something like this:
1. Manufacturer releases software which allows a pc to communicate with the phone, therefore allowing for the pc to send commands such as flashing a recovery, sideloading a custom rom, restoring stock firmware, etc.
2. At that point, the user has complete access to their phone, just as the manufacturer would, so they can flash a recovery, through which they could flash supersu or magisk in order to root their phone, or a custom rom.
Now the thing about apps that can supposedly root a phone through the os, without it having root, is that some of them are legit, but they work in many different ways, those ways vary from each device. Apps such as kingroot (roots the phone without the need of a pc) is that they normally look for system apps which they can exploit and use as a backdoor to gain root access for the device, such apps can indeed root multiple devices, but no app can root literally any phone. This is because, if for example there was a phone that was released 15th june, 2018, and would have extremely good security, no apps that could be used as a backdoor, the app simply couldn't exploit that device. This is exactly why very new phones (such as the vivo nex) have no custom roms or root, because they're so new that no exploits have been found, and the manufacturer hasn't released software for users to root, nor have they released source code for developers to start building custom roms for them.
Sorry for the long paragraphs, hope I helped.
Moral of the story: don't trust weird apps saying they can root any device.
Exanneon said:
It is definitely a scam, there's no way of rooting *any* phone, it's true that most phones become rootable sooner or later, but that depends on the manufacturer and those who modify the device. The thing is that technically any android phone can be rooted, but that can only be done if one first has access to a bootloader which they can send commands to, such as flashing a recovery. Apps or sites that say they can root any phone is a very deceptive way of tricking inexperienced users, based on somewhat facts.
The process of rooting a phone goes something like this:
1. Manufacturer releases software which allows a pc to communicate with the phone, therefore allowing for the pc to send commands such as flashing a recovery, sideloading a custom rom, restoring stock firmware, etc.
2. At that point, the user has complete access to their phone, just as the manufacturer would, so they can flash a recovery, through which they could flash supersu or magisk in order to root their phone, or a custom rom.
Now the thing about apps that can supposedly root a phone through the os, without it having root, is that some of them are legit, but they work in many different ways, those ways vary from each device. Apps such as kingroot (roots the phone without the need of a pc) is that they normally look for system apps which they can exploit and use as a backdoor to gain root access for the device, such apps can indeed root multiple devices, but no app can root literally any phone. This is because, if for example there was a phone that was released 15th june, 2018, and would have extremely good security, no apps that could be used as a backdoor, the app simply couldn't exploit that device. This is exactly why very new phones (such as the vivo nex) have no custom roms or root, because they're so new that no exploits have been found, and the manufacturer hasn't released software for users to root, nor have they released source code for developers to start building custom roms for them.
Sorry for the long paragraphs, hope I helped.
Moral of the story: don't trust weird apps saying they can root any device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for the detailed explanations!
That with the bootloader makes a lot of sense to me as I work a lot with microcontrollers especially; AVRs and PICs. Some of them have a dedicated part of the FLASH where you can keep code around that runs at system startup. A bootloader. That per example lets the AVRs flashed with an Arduino Bootloader communicate with the PC without the need for a programming device!
So I won't load any itchy software on my new device haha.
An other question I have is:
Are there any disadvantages of having a Chinese ROM other than having to install all Google services manually?
LOL Meister said:
Thanks a lot for the detailed explanations!
That with the bootloader makes a lot of sense to me as I work a lot with microcontrollers especially; AVRs and PICs. Some of them have a dedicated part of the FLASH where you can keep code around that runs at system startup. A bootloader. That per example lets the AVRs flashed with an Arduino Bootloader communicate with the PC without the need for a programming device!
So I won't load any itchy software on my new device haha.
An other question I have is:
Are there any disadvantages of having a Chinese ROM other than having to install all Google services manually?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well most of the time stock android is always faster and more stable, be it touchwiz, miui, flyme. Touchwiz for example uses very high resolution icons for the ui, which take up more ram (and make the rom size much bigger, therefore sacrificing internal memory) making the phone more sluggish. Basically roms that aren't stock always have some element to them which is likely to make them slower, or have more bugs, possibly.
Because how can you have a better android rom than pure android? Building upon it is always a good thing, but changing it completely usually results in a not so good experience. These sort of things certainly don't apply to what oneplus do with oxygen os and whatever the stock rom is for motorola phones.
As much I fall in love with this phone but VIVO is totally developer unfriendly.
Due to unavailability of kernel sources third party developers couldn't build any custom aftermarket ROM's.
It’s the opposite from what OnePlus offer.
I will wait 6-9 months we will see many other OEM building same design and feature 3d fingerprint reader under the screen and most important developer friendly.
Even Samsung device it’s very very easy rooting and installing twrp and has plenty of development support with custom rom,tweaks and mod.
This Funtouch OS out of the box Vivo phones is totally not acceptable and DOA to me.
It’s a shame such wonderful device with really bad and closed software.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
paatha13 said:
As much I fall in love with this phone but VIVO is totally developer unfriendly.
Due to unavailability of kernel sources third party developers couldn't build any custom aftermarket ROM's.
It’s the opposite from what OnePlus offer.
It’s a shame such wonderful device with really bad and closed software.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well dammit then. I came here to check about this, potential availabilty of any custom roms (linegae / RR)
I'm gonna check about others vivo. Thanks for warning
I think I'm sort of hijacking the thread but it's on topic so should be ok ... I hope.
I've never bought a Chinese phone, but this year I will be getting my first Chinese Android device (Vivo or not).
I've rooted phones in the past so not worried about it but is it required to get Google Play Store and framework on the device? Basically I'm asking how does one make this Chinese phone into a Westernized one.
01alim said:
I think I'm sort of hijacking the thread but it's on topic so should be ok ... I hope.
I've never bought a Chinese phone, but this year I will be getting my first Chinese Android device (Vivo or not).
I've rooted phones in the past so not worried about it but is it required to get Google Play Store and framework on the device? Basically I'm asking how does one make this Chinese phone into a Westernized one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Basically you cann install the playstore through the gmail hack. You install gmail via the included chinese store app. Then it will automatically load playstore on the device.
If you pick your seller with care they will have a semi western rom on the phone. I (I posted the link to the seller in the where to buy thread) ordered my vivo nex from a seller who does that. They will have english language, playsore gmail, maps youtube etc preinstalled.
Despite the not open software of the nex just because its sheer popularity there will be custom roms and hacks. You can bet on that! Just not as many of corse.
so not open software is final ?
It's one of many deciding factor for me.
ayamgoreng said:
so not open software is final ?
It's one of many deciding factor for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess noone can say for 100% sure because the phone will start selling just tomorrow. But people with vivo expreince have claimed that the software on vivo phones is generally not very developer friendly.
Even if there won't be custom ROMs I can still have a custom launcher on it.
ayamgoreng said:
so not open software is final ?
It's one of many deciding factor for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Our only hope is for wider spread selling across globe and not only Asia that maximaze possibilities.
As more and more users across globe getting know Vivo then its more possible.
Don't forget Vivo is major sponcored of World Cup 2018 that's major worldwide athletic event and think Vivo has ambition to sell to western world some time(not to far hope)
LOL Meister said:
Basically you cann install the playstore through the gmail hack. You install gmail via the included chinese store app. Then it will automatically load playstore on the device.
If you pick your seller with care they will have a semi western rom on the phone. I (I posted the link to the seller in the where to buy thread) ordered my vivo nex from a seller who does that. They will have english language, playsore gmail, maps youtube etc preinstalled.
Despite the not open software of the nex just because its sheer popularity there will be custom roms and hacks. You can bet on that! Just not as many of corse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you.
So what's the things we are missing using a semi westernised ROM over a full western ROM?
How are sellers able to get custom ROMs on the phone so early? (Or are they not custom ROMs?).
01alim said:
Thank you.
So what's the things we are missing using a semi westernised ROM over a full western ROM?
How are sellers able to get custom ROMs on the phone so early? (Or are they not custom ROMs?).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think they might have some contracts with Vivo...
Even more proof of that if you look on AliExpress they charge way premium for the devices. I paid 800€ on the 8G 128G version!
I think that there are no disadvantages besides anything regarding their AI tech which will only understand Chinese I think.
Once I am not planning to use that, that's no problem. People claim that the funtouch OS is somewhat unstable but I will test that for myself. The seller I ordered from claims that I will be able to receive over the air updates so they will surely patch things over time.
Remember that if you do not like their OS you can still install a launcher from playstore.
But if any of that holds true, I will see when my phone arrives. The seller claims that they will ship it out over the next 7 days per DHL.
I will update here on my experience, installing launchers, if playstore is there or not etc.
LOL Meister said:
Basically you cann install the playstore through the gmail hack. You install gmail via the included chinese store app. Then it will automatically load playstore on the device.
If you pick your seller with care they will have a semi western rom on the phone. I (I posted the link to the seller in the where to buy thread) ordered my vivo nex from a seller who does that. They will have english language, playsore gmail, maps youtube etc preinstalled.
Despite the not open software of the nex just because its sheer popularity there will be custom roms and hacks. You can bet on that! Just not as many of corse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
will the gmail hack enable google services like Calender and contact sync also??
When you open the developer options, your phone will keep warning on status bar???
野比君 said:
When you open the developer options, your phone will keep warning on status bar
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you serious??
Btw, do you know if you can eliminate the chinese software that comes pre-installed? And can you configurate everything you need as if it were a "normal western android"? (contacts, calendar sync, emails, etc)
LOL Meister said:
Hey!
I have currently a Vivo NEX on order from AliExpress.
I wonder how fast (if at all) there will be a way to root the device, and most importantly: install Google Play and custom launchers on it.
A custom ROM; something stock like would also be exciting to see soon.
Another question that I have is: will I be able to use the in-display-fingerprintsensor when I install a custom launcher?
I guess that's a very noob question but I really have not much experience with that because this will be my fist phone with a fingerprintsensor at all.
Greeting from Austria!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the Vivo Nex now. Can't use third party launcher unless you sign up for a vivo account which can only be done with a China phone number. This is a new development as I was able to get nova on vivo x21 without account.
Really annoying.
radioraheem2 said:
I have the Vivo Nex now. Can't use third party launcher unless you sign up for a vivo account which can only be done with a China phone number. This is a new development as I was able to get nova on vivo x21 without account.
Really annoying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for informing! I really hope that someone finds a workaround soon!
Just a note at the side: I don't know about stability but even though the Vivo OS looks a lot like iOS especially for larger phones like that things like the quick draw from the bottom are quite nice features.
DrG0nz0 said:
Are you serious??
Btw, do you know if you can eliminate the chinese software that comes pre-installed? And can you configurate everything you need as if it were a "normal western android"? (contacts, calendar sync, emails, etc)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also interested in this one, since the phone is available now! Mine will take some time in shipping though.
Xiaomi implemented anti-rollback feature ( more like a headache) with miui 8.7.6. In this thread I will tell you my experience:
So, I was just browsing through mi community and this post about anti-rollback caught my attention. I wasn't much concerned about it and thought why would someone want to downgrade their phone, I didn't read it completely and that was my mistake. So, you see I had flashed miui 8.7.5 from twrp and did ota update of 8.7.12 to save data as ota is smaller. Now I don't know why but I thought of installing Xposed on my phone. I flashed it and my phone entered bootloop. As this was not knew I calmly booted to twrp and flashed the file of 8.7.5 and pressed reboot.... 1 sec nothing, 2 sec nothing, 3 second nothing and in the 4th second I realised what I had done. I had become a victim of the outrageously implemented anti roll back feature. I left my phone and the next day I found it was alarmingly warm. It stayed warm for like 36 hours and then the battery died. I didn't have time so my phone was a paperweight for 1 week. Then on Saturday( this incident happened three weeks earlier on Sunday) I took it to the middle service centre. Actually around the same time as me a YouTuber named "tech star shahrukh" had bricked his device and posted a video telling how he got his motherboard change. I was sure that service center guys would ask me to pay if I told them the actual reason, so I told them my phone got dead when updating to miui 10. The guy told me with great confidence that they will repair it in two hours, I said ok. Here comes the interesting part. Now I being one of the more stupid personality had actually washed my phone under a tap a long time ago and that had lead to water in my charging board. He told me that I will need to pay 800 INR for the repair, thankfully the motherboard had not got water( they have these little white stickers that turn red on water contact). So I paid an advance 500 and waited. After about 3 days I got a call saying my sub board( charging board) was replaced and any further repairs would come under warranty. I was happy. So after exactly one week of submitting my phone and almost 2 weeks after bricking it, I got it back. Motherboard changed and with miui 9.2.4. So, that was my experience with anti roll back. Thankfully I replaced INR 8000 motherboard by paying 800.
Now it is showing 9.2.13 update, but I won't update. I have had enough of xiaomi. 2 weeks without my phone is just not worth a feeble security feature. So, what are your thoughts on this?are you happy with the current implementation (absolutely not). Suggest how do you think this feature should be implemented.
So you washed your phone and what it has to do with ARB?
Or if I do not understand you right, correcr me.
Arb was implemented for people to stay on latest firmware, as any manufacturer wants to owners be, I totally agree with that, except it was introduced silently which lead to many troubles. Personally I think there was major security bug in previous rom, thats why they changed arb to 4 in that firmware.
d1g1m4n said:
So you washed your phone and what it has to do with ARB?
Or if I do not understand you right, correcr me.
Arb was implemented for people to stay on latest firmware, as any manufacturer wants to owners be, I totally agree with that, except it was introduced silently which lead to many troubles. Personally I think there was major security bug in previous rom, thats why they changed arb to 4 in that firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look, actually I had washed my phone a long time ago. So there was no damage but the sticker above the sub board had turned red indicating water damage. My phone was working perfectly even after washing. I bricked it due to anti-rollback when I tried to flash 8.7.5 over 8.7.12. xiaomi has a policy under which if there is liquid damage to a part you need to pay for it to get replaced. There were two stickers in the phone, one over the sub board and another over the motherboard. Only the sub board one had turned red, meaning I had to pay for the sub board replacement(INR 800), So the service centre people first replaced my sub board and then they realised that the phone's motherboard was also messed up, so they replaced it under warranty. I hope you understand now. Washing had nothing to do with arb, just that it made me pay 800 RS.
Okay great, congratulations. But before every flash better be sure what you are doing. And in case of Xiaomi better get full permissions account before any flashing
d1g1m4n said:
Okay great, congratulations. But before every flash better be sure what you are doing. And in case of Xiaomi better get full permissions account before any flashing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right man.
But I still think it wasn't implemented properly. Don't you think that wrecking the motherboard just for a little mistake of flashing a lower version too much? They should at least allow us to disable it. Not everyone is lucky enough to get a motherboard replacement for free...
Same for me. After bricking the device, board was needed to be changed and got it changed under warranty. Something strange happened after change of board, Internal memory got reduced by 4GB and RAM by 40MB. Xiaomi will push update 9.5.19 with ARB V4 even if auto update is off. Check internal storage for downlaod_rom folder. It will get automatically updated during sleep time. Replace the downloaded update file with a text file with same name to stop the updater from triggering it.
I dont understand whats the problem.. In my eyes only mistake by xiaomi was introducing ARB, and only after first bricks releasing official statement.. apart from that its a good feature. Normal users will never face any problems, as they are using official builds, and never go downgrade route.. Users like you, who unlock bootloader, flash beta roms, dev roms, god knows what other roms, should be skilled enough to not break their phone. I mean if you cant follow simple instructions of NOT downgrading bootloader, maybe this whole thing is not for you... By unlocking bootloader you agree with possible damage, no one else is responsible but you. Btw you dont have to change motherboard, all you need is account with permission to flash rom. In the end, all roms gonna be ARB 4, and this whole thing gonna be forgotten. Oh i also was ARB 3 and aware of this whole situation, but updated to .19 ARB 4 rom without fear, because as i said earlier, if you know what you are doing, this brings you no trouble at all..
I unlocked my bootloader and flashed redwolf twrp at 9.5.19.0 stable and after I flashed miui 10 8.6 beta my device is bricked I went to service centre they changed my motherboard
Anutha02 said:
Xiaomi implemented anti-rollback feature ( more like a headache) with miui 8.7.6. In this thread I will tell you my experience:
So, I was just browsing through mi community and this post about anti-rollback caught my attention. I wasn't much concerned about it and thought why would someone want to downgrade their phone, I didn't read it completely and that was my mistake. So, you see I had flashed miui 8.7.5 from twrp and did ota update of 8.7.12 to save data as ota is smaller. Now I don't know why but I thought of installing Xposed on my phone. .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you flashed xposed through Magisk or twrp?
Why people downgrade the miui rom? Answer is simple. In each and every new update, new bug is being introduced. When I was on 9.2.4 only issue was with audio over headphone. After each new update and now on 9.5.17 the issues I face are heating during youtube through firefox, When Connected to pc through mtp, folder access is limited. I use ADM do download files and it will be inside adm folder. if i need to access the files, First it should be copied to download folder from adm folder using file manager. ChromeCast gets disconnected often during 9.5.17. Screen mirroring gives artifacts. Audio over Bluetooth is low. Now after anti v4 anyone who wants to go back to much stable version such as 9.2.4 will be bricked. Once in anti v4, there is no way to get back to anti v 3. even to work simple fast boot commands of anti 4 , first dummy file is needed to be flashed which is rather annoying. Last miui version with anti v 3 is 9.5.17.
Incogn said:
I dont understand whats the problem.. In my eyes only mistake by xiaomi was introducing ARB, and only after first bricks releasing official statement.. apart from that its a good feature. Normal users will never face any problems, as they are using official builds, and never go downgrade route.. Users like you, who unlock bootloader, flash beta roms, dev roms, god knows what other roms, should be skilled enough to not break their phone. I mean if you cant follow simple instructions of NOT downgrading bootloader, maybe this whole thing is not for you... By unlocking bootloader you agree with possible damage, no one else is responsible but you. Btw you dont have to change motherboard, all you need is account with permission to flash rom. In the end, all roms gonna be ARB 4, and this whole thing gonna be forgotten. Oh i also was ARB 3 and aware of this whole situation, but updated to .19 ARB 4 rom without fear, because as i said earlier, if you know what you are doing, this brings you no trouble at all..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no problem with arb, I have a problem with the way it is implemented. Agreed that we should be careful while flashing roms but hard bricking the device does not make sense. What if even xiaomi accidentally releases an update with anti lower than 4 or we get a buggy update and want to revert. They should at least allow us to disable it or provide us an easy way to restore our device(using our mi id in some tool like mi flash). I understand that it is a security feature, but it has not been implemented correctly. They should have gone the Google way...
Guys, seriously, let me throw in my two bits for you all to chew on: why would you trust _any_ OEM (Samsung, LG, Sony, Xiaomi, etc.) to build a ROM with the users' best interest at heart? Doesn't make sense. That's why we buy devices that we can unlock, and break free. We should be supporting community ROMs and developers and help them to port features we need. There are lots of open source options out there (LOS, RR, etc.) that don't compromise your data or lock you in under the guise of "stability and security".
Thanks for reading.
temporarium said:
Guys, seriously, let me throw in my two bits for you all to chew on: why would you trust _any_ OEM (Samsung, LG, Sony, Xiaomi, etc.) to build a ROM with the users' best interest at heart? Doesn't make sense. That's why we buy devices that we can unlock, and break free. We should be supporting community ROMs and developers and help them to port features we need. There are lots of open source options out there (LOS, RR, etc.) that don't compromise your data or lock you in under the guise of "stability and security".
Thanks for reading.
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Because OEMs are strictly regulated by various institutions, unlike developers. And even tho i love LOS, RR or any other custom rom, in 10years of flashing custom roms, i never had one that was more stable and bugfree than original OS that came with phone..
Incogn said:
Because OEMs are strictly regulated by various institutions, unlike developers. And even tho i love LOS, RR or any other custom rom, in 10years of flashing custom roms, i never had one that was more stable and bugfree than original OS that came with phone..
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"Stable" is a relative term. My current custom ROM (Bootleggers) is very solid and probably has more features/options than MIUI ever will, I'm sure. More importantly, I know it doesn't do things behind my back and will not turn on me (eg. anti-rollback, etc.) down the road. Above all, quite often, custom ROMs get security patches long after the OEM has dropped support for the device. My $0.02.
temporarium said:
"Stable" is a relative term. My current custom ROM (Bootleggers) is very solid and probably has more features/options than MIUI ever will, I'm sure. More importantly, I know it doesn't do things behind my back and will not turn on me (eg. anti-rollback, etc.) down the road. Above all, quite often, custom ROMs get security patches long after the OEM has dropped support for the device. My $0.02.
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Stable is not a relative term. Stable is stable, with all functions working, not crashing, and not having bugs. Features is different topic, stability and features are different thing. Most often the more features, the more trouble you have. You say its very solid, but if you go to thread and read comments, there are many different bugs and problems. You will never find that many different problems in official miui
Incogn said:
Stable is not a relative term. Stable is stable, with all functions working, not crashing, and not having bugs. Features is different topic, stability and features are different thing. Most often the more features, the more trouble you have. You say its very solid, but if you go to thread and read comments, there are many different bugs and problems. You will never find that many different problems in official miui
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I have had zero FCs/crashes on my ROM. It's as stable as they get. And I trust it.
temporarium said:
I have had zero FCs/crashes on my ROM. It's as stable as they get. And I trust it.
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Good for you then Sad about that bug you reported 2 days ago lol. Same for me with official firmware, which was created by same people who designed the phone and chose hardware . I mean i dont understand whats your point. Custom rom is better? If thats it, then 95% of owners will disagree, because they have no idea what custom rom, root, or unlocked bootloader is. Official roms are for casual users, who want phone to be reliable, simple, and functioning. They happen to be the vast majority of buyers. Custom roms are either for tech junkies, or people who like playing around with their tech and dont rely on their phone daily. If you discourage trusting companies like samsung, xiaomi, etc., why are you thrusting google? Its their OS after all, they wrote it. Sure, its based on open source linux, but its still googles code. You use google apps, that have all the permissions in the world. What can OEMs possibly take from you that google already didnt lol?
Incogn said:
Good for you then Sad about that bug you reported 2 days ago lol. Same for me with official firmware, which was created by same people who designed the phone and chose hardware . I mean i dont understand whats your point. Custom rom is better? If thats it, then 95% of owners will disagree, because they have no idea what custom rom, root, or unlocked bootloader is. Official roms are for casual users, who want phone to be reliable, simple, and functioning. They happen to be the vast majority of buyers. Custom roms are either for tech junkies, or people who like playing around with their tech and dont rely on their phone daily. If you discourage trusting companies like samsung, xiaomi, etc., why are you thrusting google? Its their OS after all, they wrote it. Sure, its based on open source linux, but its still googles code. You use google apps, that have all the permissions in the world. What can OEMs possibly take from you that google already didnt lol?
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Thanks for contributing.
The "bug" was actually a misconfiguration on my part, not the ROM. I rely on my phone and use it daily with no issues.
XDA is geared towards the 5% that know what a custom ROM is and can make the choice.
I don't trust Google. I don't use Google apps. What I use is open. I've got microG installed so I don't leak my info all over the place. Custom ROMs allow you to do that. Official ROMs don't.
temporarium said:
Thanks for contributing.
The "bug" was actually a misconfiguration on my part, not the ROM. I rely on my phone and use it daily with no issues.
XDA is geared towards the 5% that know what a custom ROM is and can make the choice.
I don't trust Google. I don't use Google apps. What I use is open. I've got microG installed so I don't leak my info all over the place. Custom ROMs allow you to do that. Official ROMs don't.
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Oh i agree to that, but still dont understand what your point was then..? And what does it have to do this topic?
Incogn said:
Oh i agree to that, but still dont understand what your point was then..? And what does it have to do this topic?
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This is not the first device, nor the first OEM, that does things in an underhanded way, where you can never be sure if the next upgrade is going to take your device to a point of no return. My point being that the experience with ARB will (hopefully) alert other MIUI users to what may lie ahead and show Xiaomi that they don't approve. Just an opinion. ?
Does anyone know when Google will start to actually post the images? This is the first phone I can remember having in my hand without any factory images posted.
I was wondering the same thing. Since no factory images are up, I tried the Android Flash Tool, which correctly identified the phone as a 4a, but said it was "unsupported". I've never tried the Flash Tool before, fairly easy to use, but I do wonder how fast the downloads will be. But, yeah, factory images should be up. I never completely trust a phone out of the box, prefer to do a wipe and flash before setup and use. I mean, it was probably built in China, right? I don't need any Chinese spies looking at my porn.
Well, today (Aug 20) was supposed to be the official debut, even though many of us have had these phones at least a couple of days now. If they dont have the images posted by tomorrow, then someone at Google is asleep at the wheel!
Maybe Android 11 is coming so soon they'll wait to post that?
Pig Vomit said:
I mean, it was probably built in China, right? I don't need any Chinese spies looking at my porn.
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I think I read somewhere that, as Google is moving away from China, they've been producing more in Viet Nam. The Pixel 4a is supposed to be the first phone to be fully produced outside of China. That's cool, right?
i started tweeting at @madebygoogle & @googledevs asking them to upload factory images & kernel source lol maybe itll get someones attention but not counting on it
I emailed google support to ask if unlocking the bootloader and rooting the pixel 4a with magisk would void the warranty. The response was that it would not void the warranty. That convinced me to buy a second Pixel 4A to replace my other moto x4 as well.
I need to root only becaasue I need telephone call recording with bluetooth. I have paid versions of both Call Recorder (skvalex) and BoldBeast, but neither work with bluetooth if the phone is not rooted, so it is good to know I can root as soon as an image is available. Here is the response I got:
" I understand you'd like to know if unlocking the bootloader and rooting the device would void the warranty. Let me help you with the details. Warranty of your device is still covered regardless of whether a device was rooted or unlocked. However, if you are experiencing any issue after rooting the device, we might suggest you to unroot the same in order to get the issue resolved. Android is not against rooting, but we can't guarantee functionality if the source code for the Android OS has been modified hence we might ask you to unroot the device before helping you with the warranty options."
Reacon said:
I think I read somewhere that, as Google is moving away from China, they've been producing more in Viet Nam. The Pixel 4a is supposed to be the first phone to be fully produced outside of China. That's cool, right?
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Box says phone made in Vietnam, accessories made in China. My problem with China is with human rights more than a concern about spying. My original post was meant to be funny. That having been said, Vietnam's human rights record isn't so great, either.
xenokc said:
Maybe Android 11 is coming so soon they'll wait to post that?
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I'm kinda thinking this as well. I've got the final/release candidate Android 11 beta on my Pixel 2XL right now. It's pretty good, but there are a few problems I've noticed that should be cleaned up before it goes final. It wouldn't surprise me if they release another beta/Release Candidate #2. Google probably was shooting for a simultaneous launch, but couldn't get 11 finalized in time. I also assume there's a beta version of 11 for the 4a, because there has to be if it's about to be upgraded to 11, right? At least post those images up.
Pig Vomit said:
Box says phone made in Vietnam, accessories made in China. My problem with China is with human rights more than a concern about spying. My original post was meant to be funny. That having been said, Vietnam's human rights record isn't so great, either.
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China has been throwing its economic weight around to effectively undercut any and all competition. It's just a reality if you want to have a manufacturing-based economy in 2020 that you'll have to make an incentive to drive business your direction. Unfortunately, many companies were in a catch-22 where if they report the rampant IP-theft in connection with the CCP they would either lose their competitive margin or potentially lose the ability to manufacture their product at all, because China also has hoarded the best tooling tech.
If there's one thing that the US' current administration has done correctly, it's to bare China's fangs. Hopefully, with commerce forcefully directed elsewhere, the dire need for profit margin will ease a bit in the poorer countries of the region, giving way for better human rights adherence. At least, that's my wishful thinking.
nogods said:
I emailed google support to ask if unlocking the bootloader and rooting the pixel 4a with magisk would void the warranty. The response was that it would not void the warranty. That convinced me to buy a second Pixel 4A to replace my other moto x4 as well.
" I understand you'd like to know if unlocking the bootloader and rooting the device would void the warranty. Let me help you with the details. Warranty of your device is still covered regardless of whether a device was rooted or unlocked. However, if you are experiencing any issue after rooting the device, we might suggest you to unroot the same in order to get the issue resolved. Android is not against rooting, but we can't guarantee functionality if the source code for the Android OS has been modified hence we might ask you to unroot the device before helping you with the warranty options."
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Save that e-mail! While that rep said it won't, that doesn't mean it is true as a company policy. But the fact that you have it in writing from a Google rep gives you some ammunition in case they do try and say your warranty is void.
Yeah, I fired off a few tweets to @google asking them about the factory images. I think the more people who ask, more of a problem it will be for them,,,maybe.
renzyyy said:
i started tweeting at @madebygoogle & [URL="https://twitter.com/googledevs" @googledevs[/URL] asking them to upload factory images & kernel source lol maybe itll get someones attention but not counting on it
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Does make for a September update a big question. Could G just start it on 11? Device rollout was delayed. Maybe a thought. I am hoping for a 10 release of at least our current as released build QD4A.200805.003. Especially if 11 bootloader has issues with . . . .
A nice comparison to my 3a, 3 is side by side the case of a 3 in size and a display more than 3a. Surprised hole punch (which would not think) goes away in most use...
reached out to google support team after making a fuss & finally got a pretty good answer...
In regards to Factory image availability on our developer page, the image would be updated post security patch of Sept. As it's a new device we are shipping the devices with August update, once the device specific builds are released it will reflect on Developer images.
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kkjb said:
I am hoping for a 10 release of at least our current as released build QD4A.200805.003.
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This is the build that it was released with. I was surprised, because I had read so many articles saying the phones had been assembled months ago and were in a warehouse waiting for release. I doubt they re-flashed all the phones, so I suspect they were manufactured more recently. I had expected a very old security release to be on them, but it's the August release.
Build # convention for .003 was carrier specific builds on rest of Pixel line...is a wonder.
Since I have a audience I get no Sprint dial code switching on Google Fi Network.
So TMobile here now...no chat messenger!
US Cellular is my other provider same thing. Call screen is working.
Radio sensitivity is better than 3a nice to have in the boonies here.
Yeah I kinda figured they would wait til the Sept patch is out to provide the factory images. Sucks a little that is over two weeks from now.
renzyyy said:
reached out to google support team after making a fuss & finally got a pretty good answer...
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I'm usually a happy silent observer because the factory images are usually out when the phone comes out, but I am a little annoyed because I have my new phone and I don't want to set it up again in two weeks.
Is there any reliable way to dump the ROM and get the boot image without root?
SexySOnic23 said:
I'm usually a happy silent observer because the factory images are usually out when the phone comes out, but I am a little annoyed because I have my new phone and I don't want to set it up again in two weeks.
Is there any reliable way to dump the ROM and get the boot image without root?
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Why would you have to set it up again? You can unlock the bootloader now.
digger16309 said:
Why would you have to set it up again? You can unlock the bootloader now.
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Just because I want to flash Magisk, I can't do that without the boot image. Once I went TitaniumBackup, I never went back. But ya know, I need root for that
SexySOnic23 said:
Just because I want to flash Magisk, I can't do that without the boot image. Once I went TitaniumBackup, I never went back. But ya know, I need root for that
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Yes, I do, too. But I roughed it out setting up the phone without it. Most of my apps had data in the cloud or their own backup file. I transferred other files manually. I'll root, but I don't need to setup my phone twice because I unlocked the bootloader first.