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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.
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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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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Hello anyone. I normally lurk until I can lurk no more, but I'm struggling. I've tried to install every rom I could find, and can't seem to get any to boot. Everything either fails on crashdump during flash (repeatedly), or reboots right back into the fastboot/bootloader menu. I've had to MSM repeatedly, and even that kept failing until I realized I had the wrong version because there is one for Visible specifically (even though Visible and Global are both IN2015).
Main point: Is anybody else using the Visible variant of the Oneplus 8 and able to change roms? I despise stock roms with a passion and don't even want to start the setup process if I can get onto a custom rom instead. So if anybody has advice, I'd certainly take it, but I'm really just asking for the sake of seeing if there's anybody else that has succeeded. If so, I can go off and figure out where I keep screwing it up.
Thanks in advance!
Edit: I'm throwing in the towel. I feel like I've tried everything. Even when it looks like the ROM does finally successfully install, I just get stuck in an infinite "fastboot loop". If there's another Visible OP8 user that has managed to get a custom rom installed, please let me know!
Are you sure the Visible Oneplus is the IN2015? I'm fairly certain they are just using the Verizon 5G UW, which should be an IN2017. I doubt that Verizon or its mvnos are selling true dual sim phones (with dual imeis) even if its firmware locked.
Yeah, I'm fairly certain. It's definitely NOT dual SIM though, but the back is branded "ONEPLUS" (as opposed to "5G") and the volume buttons are higher than the ones that are moved down physically to accommodate for the mm antenna in the Verizon branded device.
The sticker on the back says IN2015, it shows up on Windows and Linux as IN2015. All of these bread crumbs lead me to believe it is a IN2015, except that no guides or outlines that I've followed for the IN2015 have worked, with the sole exception of using the MSM tool explicitly including the Visible firmware. That's what makes me think they have some slightly modified version of the IN2015 global, but haven't been able to track down specifics.
Thanks for the reply though! If there's any other information I can provide that may be helpful, I'll gladly oblige!
Edit: Attached image of the back sticker
Thought I would chime in. Visible's network is very different than you typically would expect. Even if you could flash ROMs, the likelihood of it working with Visible's network is nearly impossible. I was using a Pixel 3a XL when I had Visible. If I tried anything other than stock, it refused to connect. Heavy testing from various devs, and we never could figure out why. Ultimately gave up on it. The lack of ROM support on Visible is why I have T-Mobile now.
We (me and the wife) actually tried out T-mobile via their "Hotspot test drive" program and it just couldn't keep up with some of the "boonies" areas we frequent, so we opted for "big red" but with a cheaper access.
That's actually very helpful, because I was just thinking today that maybe I should have gotten a Pixel like the wife did. I'd be pretty disappointed to find the ROM installed but couldn't get connected (which would inevitably launch me down a wild goose chase of TWRPing modems and the like).
Both replies have been very helpful. Thank you for chiming in!
Edit: On a side note though, if there are any developers looking for a challenge and want to take on the mysterious world of Visible-compatible ROMs, you'd have at least one willing beta participant.
@stompysan How long ago were you trying custom roms with Visible? Apparently it was an issue at one point but has since been corrected? At least, that's what I gather from the discussion here.
Not that I'm trying to "gotcha," of course, but was just curious if you were on T-mobile for the past 12ish months and the problem has been corrected since you were playing with it before.
Edit: I've also dug up that it's becoming increasingly known/confirmed that Visible is rolling around with their own version of the Oneplus 8. Sort of like a hybrid between the global model IN2015, and their own build of it, as denoted by the IN68CE in the "build" section of About info.
I tried to flash stock global rom on visible and even that doesn't work. Got hardbricked to qualcomm crashdump. If anyone can flash global rom into Visible op8 please let me know. Thanks
Hoping for some good news too. I didn't realize dual sim doesn't work when I bought it on visible.
I gave up and got the 8 Pro instead. Still have my 8, but only for a little while longer. I'm going to sell it to offset the cost of the 8 Pro.
Hi I am trying to buy Oneplus 8 from Visible but doesn't intend to use it on Visible network infact i intened to use it on Tmobile network. So i was thinking of buying it from visible and flash Global Oxygen OS A11 on it and root. Use this on Tmobile network. Will this work?I mean can i flash Global Oxygen OS on it or does this had any different version similar to Tmobile branded phone.
deepu458 said:
Hi I am trying to buy Oneplus 8 from Visible but doesn't intend to use it on Visible network infact i intened to use it on Tmobile network. So i was thinking of buying it from visible and flash Global Oxygen OS A11 on it and root. Use this on Tmobile network. Will this work?I mean can i flash Global Oxygen OS on it or does this had any different version similar to Tmobile branded phone.
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As far as I know, nope. You can root and it should connect to tmobile, but the Visible model seems to be stuck running their modified version which is on a dated version of Android 10.
RileyOsno said:
As far as I know, nope. You can root and it should connect to tmobile, but the Visible model seems to be stuck running their modified version which is on a dated version of Android 10.
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Thanks that a deal breaker. I wish that wasn't the case. I thought it can be modified to global variant
Hi Everyone - Sorry in advance that I have ridiculous beginner questions, but I just moved to China AND I just bought my first OnePlus Friday. I'm coming from a Pixel 4a5G and couple pixels before that. I haven't rooted or tweaked in many years since my Galaxy Siii with CyanogenMod. As you're about to see, I have no idea what I'm doing...
My phone: OnePlus 9 LE2110 (China) running ColorOS 11.2 (LE2110_11_A.01)
Carrier: China Mobile (also have Google Fi and will probably dual sim)
Current Location: China (but travel to US, UAE and will use Google Fi there)
I just want stability, Google Apps and for all my 4G/5G service whether I am in China or in the US. I'm fine keeping ColorOS or switching to OxygenOS. Because I value stability, I am hoping to not root or do things that might jeopardize that too much.
I've been able to sideload some apps, but I don't find that to be sustainable. I've installed the Play Store and it says it is certified, but nothing will download. An app will look like it tries to download, but gets stuck at "pending." I do have ExpressV*N running and have no issues getting gmail or the other couple Google apps working. I'm running Play 25.5.27-21
Am I able to get the Play store running and apps updating on ColorOS in China? If so, any ideas what I've done wrong?
If not, do I need to do anything besides what mlgmxyysd (amazing by the way!!) listed on the downgrade post to downgrade and install OxygenOS? I saw some people having issues with IMEIs. Looks like the latest update solved it, but I have no idea if I need to do something different.
Does the downgrade here use the Indian build? If so, should I stick with that or try to upgrade eventually to the US build? Is that even possible?
My dumbest question of all: do I download the ColorOS downgrade file if I am switching from ColorOS to OxygenOS?
I promise I have done 8-10 hours of research to try and answer my own questions. It might not seem like it and I'm sure I've overlooked very obvious information, but it's because I'm dumb, not lazy.
If you've made it this far: thanks for reading and for any insight you might have.
If you want stability, then you might want to change to oxygenOS. Most of the users here are using oxygenOS. And I haven't encountered any bugs as of yet on my oneplus 9. This will most likely solve your issue on google.
eyronicc said:
If you want stability, then you might want to change to oxygenOS. Most of the users here are using oxygenOS. And I haven't encountered any bugs as of yet on my oneplus 9. This will most likely solve your issue on google.
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Click to collapse
Thanks. I finally bit the bullet and converted. No real issues except for one error that has gone away (or been hidden and doesn't matter). I still have my 5g connection which I was concerned about (I average 200 Mbps on speed test) and was able to sync with my Google account so I have Play and all my old apps.
I've gotten an OTA update for 11.2.7.7.LE25DA and I'm nervous to ruin a good thing so I haven't installed it yet. I'm also only running my China Mobile sim. I haven't added my Fi SIM to it yet, also for fear of breaking something.
Either way, this really changed my life. Thanks for your final push and for the OP of the ColorOS to OxygenOS conversion.
if rooted use magisk hide like in screenshot I make my pixel 5 change fingerprint to anything and then it should work if not do the device id and maker mine showed
obviously oxygen os is the better choice ,coloros has too many ads. And you don't have to download the degraded file between o os and color os.
Thanks, everyone. Shortly after I posted this and got a little feedback I switched to Oxygen OS. It was a game changer. I don't care so much about Color OS vs. Oxygen OS (I see some merits in both), but this is much closer to my old Pixel feel and more importantly, I have easy access to Play store.
I have only ever rooted a tablet before, it was fairly simple though I did run into a few problems. I'm in the market for a new phone and this looks promising though only if I'm able to get rid of MIUI and flash it with something like ArrowOS. I really dislike the launcher, bloatware and ads. After looking into it and reading some guides, I'm worried I'll mess something up and perm brick my brand new phone. The guide to flash ArrowOS on this forum is in-depth, but looks as if there are a lot of pre-cautions involved.
Whenever I follow a guide or tutorial step-by-step, there's an 80/20 chance I'll run into problems. This type of stuff rarely goes smoothly for me which makes me hesitant. Having said that, I really like the specs to price ratio.
Can a beginner root this phone? Is it a pain to get everything working or is it fairly straightforward? Thinking of ordering this phone now so that I can unlock it asap and wait the 7 day period..
Is it worth the root if you just want to get rid of bloatware? I'm also considering just using Lawnchair and ADB to get rid of everything I don't like. I think that would be the safer option. If I use the Lawnchair loader, get rid of bloatware and disable ads I still think that would be good enough. Thoughts? Should I root and flash with custom ROM, lawnchair and adb w/no root, or just get a different phone??
One of the reasons I want a custom ROM is so that I can use something less privacy-invasive. I'm not overly concerned with gaming as I only really use my phone for youtube, texting and videoing.
How often does it overheat??
Yes it is. I haven't been into rooting since 2014, so all this stuff like magisk, etc was completely new to me. But there's a general guide here that's easy to follow (with screenshots as well). You literally can't go wrong since it shows even the smallest of steps. Phone performance wise is amazing, definitely a worthy purchase.
Totally yes. The last device I rooted had Android 4 I believe and this one wasn't hard. I also tried 7 Roms, kernels, etc... Just read carefully and follow instructions as texted. You can get some bootloop for not paying attention or touching things you didn't learn how to use.
dantevn said:
Yes it is. I haven't been into rooting since 2014, so all this stuff like magisk, etc was completely new to me. But there's a general guide here that's easy to follow (with screenshots as well). You literally can't go wrong since it shows even the smallest of steps. Phone performance wise is amazing, definitely a worthy purchase.
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Click to collapse
I bought the phone and currently waiting the 7 day period, I'm gonna flash ArrowOS
What US carriers allow the X3?
Also thinking of this phone due to the price and ease of putting a custom rom on, but I know AT&T will not allow it anymore (2022)
Mint Mobile shows many xiaomi are allowable with them, but don’t list the X3 Pro (I assume cause it’s new)
Thebacklash said:
What US carriers allow the X3?
Also thinking of this phone due to the price and ease of putting a custom rom on, but I know AT&T will not allow it anymore (2022)
Mint Mobile shows many xiaomi are allowable with them, but don’t list the X3 Pro (I assume cause it’s new)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey Im from Spain but I checked mint mobile just out of curiosity and is compatible. Is on the list as X3 Pro
Under bring your own phone, as xiaomi?
I see the X3, X3 NFC and a Poco X2, but no Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro.
I’m on mobile atm.. so maybe mintmobile .com works better at home.. I’ll look later.
For the price, I’m tempted to just buy it anyway even if I can’t use it as a phone..
Thebacklash said:
Under bring your own phone, as xiaomi?
I see the X3, X3 NFC and a Poco X2, but no Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro.
I’m on mobile atm.. so maybe mintmobile .com works better at home.. I’ll look later.
For the price, I’m tempted to just buy it anyway even if I can’t use it as a phone..
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Click to collapse
Yes, they just don't put the complete name in the new models as I saw.
Easy to install TWRP and then a custom ROM. Just the 7 day wait. I'm sure rooting is easy too.
I see questions about Carriers. I use Google Fi without a problem. They use T-Mobile towers and so does Mint. In theory it should work.
Hey guys,
I got the popup to update to Android/OOS 12 on my Oneplus 8 (Europe/BA variant) recently and I've been thinking - should I do it? Some other forums say it's a total dumpster fire but I'm not sure if it's just irrational hate. I'm being prompted to download IN2013_11.C.16_1160_202204222304 so this isn't the first version. I'm satisfied with the current performance of my phone for now but I'm trying to find out for the future.
Are there any game-breaking bugs or battery life concerns?
Sorry if it's been posted before, I couldn't find this topic. Thanks--
Stay away from it. it's real crap.
Your phone will be slower, many gestures will be slowed down and you will regret the update very soon. Also the latest versions have big problems with Google sync, you will not receive notifications and updates from Google applications.
If you have wifi calling turned on don't upgrade. It's gone in v12.
Other than that, I find things seem to work. Some of the notification sounds have changed, but it's easily fixed.
Alan
Not sure about all of the haters on here, but wifi calling is still available on Android/OOS12. Also, google notifications work fine. I have been using a rooted stock rom on 12 and it has been working well. My only issue is that I lost root with this latest update, but Android 12 is pretty solid.
Thanks for the answers!
crashfly said:
Not sure about all of the haters on here, but wifi calling is still available on Android/OOS12. Also, google notifications work fine. I have been using a rooted stock rom on 12 and it has been working well. My only issue is that I lost root with this latest update, but Android 12 is pretty solid.
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How do you get at wifi calling? In my UK phone, it's not there.
Alan
I just read the first post again, and I am on the global version, so that may be the difference.
For me:
Settings -> Mobile network -> Select sim card with number [Square at the top] -> Wi-Fi Calling
Specifically on the SIM info & settings page, I see the following:
Enable {selector}
SIM name
SIM number
Data roaming {selector}
VoLTE calls {selector}
Wi-fi Calling {sub menu}
Preferred network type
Access point names
Carrier
Maybe that will help.
I did the upgrade about two months ago, and let me tell you is a mess. Stay away from it. Ghost touches, the screen goes ON for no reason, plenty of issues. To me OnePlus has lost its course, this will probably be my last OnePlus device.
ryantek said:
I did the upgrade about two months ago, and let me tell you is a mess. Stay away from it. Ghost touches, the screen goes ON for no reason, plenty of issues. To me OnePlus has lost its course, this will probably be my last OnePlus device.
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Click to collapse
Oh yeah, this is definitely my last OnePlus device too, on that we can surely agree. With the price hikes they're just not an option anymore, in stark contrast to before when they were my undisputed #1 pick.
They used to do software, pricing and performance extremely well, now they don't do either one right, and nothing has really improved in the last 2+ years.
I just want to use this phone "securely" until it falls apart cause I'm very happy with it right now.
Even after two years of heavy use it still works flawlessly and the battery is still very good.
I have a long thread about it on the Oneplus support site. Buggy software is pretty common these days, but having a release that has so many bugs in it, is troublesome, to say the least. I have contacted OnePlus support and their solution is for me to wipe the phone - like that is going to fix anything?
Not to criticize, but I think OnePlus has lost it, Support does not have a clue, and nobody that can provide answers is reading the forums or paying attention to what the community and users are saying and going thru with their devices.
Is not only the OP8 that is having upgrade issues, the other models too are plagued with buggy software too.
What the least should do is to acknowledge it, Put a communication out, in the proper channels admit that there have been errors and if you are working on it provide a timeline and that is what a reputable company does. By not doing anything, their reputation is going down the drain, the users are left scrambling trying to get a usable phone.
crashfly said:
I just read the first post again, and I am on the global version, so that may be the difference.
For me:
Settings -> Mobile network -> Select sim card with number [Square at the top] -> Wi-Fi Calling
Specifically on the SIM info & settings page, I see the following:
Enable {selector}
SIM name
SIM number
Data roaming {selector}
VoLTE calls {selector}
Wi-fi Calling {sub menu}
Preferred network type
Access point names
Carrier
Maybe that will help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NO I don't have VoLTE or WI-fi Calling. I'm on the EU version (in the UK).
My advice, don't upgrade to OS12. For me it has been a disater.
I haven't had any major issues, but the OS feels much more clunky designed and sluggish to me. There are a few designs I like more, but the update doesn't seem worth it. Also somehow using up much more of my storage space. It says I have 51GB of apps when the total is more like 10-15GB, and 30GB used for system/other.
I just updated my OnePlus 8. I have had Android 12 on it for a few months. It did feel clunky. I just updated it with a 1GB update to OS12. It has greatly improved the performance of the phone. It feels like the original out of box phone now.
I am on global rom and the release landed within the last 3 or 4 days.
TinkerBwoy said:
unless you are having issues with the phone, i dont think you need to reset it. C.16 seems to be super stable with respect to battery life and performance. I see only minor bugs like Processor name showing incorrectly (865 reported as 855), battery % not showing in status bar on swipe down etc.
In short, you should be fine without a factory reset
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Two Sheets said:
I just updated my OnePlus 8. I have had Android 12 on it for a few months. It did feel clunky. I just updated it with a 1GB update to OS12. It has greatly improved the performance of the phone. It feels like the original out of box phone now.
I am on global rom and the release landed within the last 3 or 4 days.
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Click to collapse
Same here. It runs perfect since the last major update for me as well on Global rom. This is my first OnePlus phone and an almost flagship phone. I just read that OnePlus will be releasing Android 13 on the 8. This is very good news.
Two Sheets said:
Same here. It runs perfect since the last major update for me as well on Global rom. This is my first OnePlus phone and an almost flagship phone. I just read that OnePlus will be releasing Android 13 on the 8. This is very good news.
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Click to collapse
Only if they bring back wifi calling on the EU version. Otherwise, I won't bother, but move to Samsung.