Related
The EMUI 9 Product Manager Q&A gave users the chance to have their questions addressed by the product manager of Honor's EMUI. With a lot of users posting great questions, I pulled some of the most interesting answers from Honor.
Question:
When will Magic UI come to the Honor Play?
Answer:
So far, we have already finished some open Channels markets HOTA push (the Android P/Android 9.0/EMUI 9.0 update) for the products of Honor Play. Detailed information is as follows:
Release Schedule
Question:
When is EMUI 9.0 coming to the Honor 8 Pro?
Answer:
Thank you for showing your interest for Android Pie, we would like to inform you that our software team has confirmed the compatibility of device with EMUI 9.0/Android Pie and expected to be released the final version of EMUI 9.0/Android Pie in batches tentatively by end of Apr'19. We request you to kindly stay tuned to our official pages, HiCare App for more information. We appreciate your understanding and patience.
Question:
Will the headphone jack will be present in upcoming Honor phones?
Answer:
Although many smartphones abandon the 3.5mm headphone jack. our research shows that the headphone jack is still popular among most of the users. That’s why we still keep it on the slim and compact HONOR View20.
Question:
Are you unlocking the bootloader on all your devices from now on?
Answer:
Thank you for supporting Honor products. Honor used to provide users with corresponding unlock codes to meet personalized requirements due to the usage of different ROMs. However, due to possible problems caused by such unlocking, such as system built-in function failure, device freezing, and power consumption increase, bootloader unlock codes has been ceased for devices launched after May 25, 2018.
Limited bootloader unlock codes were provided for qualified Honor developers.
Question:
How is Magic UI different from EMUI? Going forward, should we expect to see much more differentiation between EMUI and Magic UI? Will Magic UI be a separate brand in future?
Answer:
Magic UI will be the system UI for all HONOR smartphones in the future. To satisfy consumer demands for better user experience, the system will be continuously improved with regards to design and features with the young generation in mind. Magic UI aims to provide intelligent user experiences for HONOR’s users. The system will be adopted by all HONOR smartphones in the future.
Hey Developers, I am interested in your opinions.
I have an app published on Google Play. Its minSDK currently is set to API 16, which is Android 4.1. To ensure compatibility, I left off some of newer design features that are not included in the androidx packages. In the past few days, I read about some apps that are dropping their support for Android Kitkat with API 19. I personally have been looking forward to this for a few months now, knowing that I can get rid of ensuring compatibility with these old devices, as there several times were unexpected problems, and my testing capacities are quite limited.
I checked out my Developer Console to see how the Android versions of my app users are distributed, and the installations on devices with Android from API 16 to API 19 in the past 180 days made 8% of the total installations number. As I am rather new to app development, I'm highly interested about your opinions, how long I should keep supporting pre Lollipop Android?
Regarding monetarization, I use in app purchases. So only a small amount of the users pays for the app.
Thanks in advance!
LineageOS (LOS, https://lineageos.org/) the successor to Cyanogenmod, is probably the most commonly used alternative Android operating system.
microG (https://microg.org/) is a free-as-in-freedom alternative to Google Play services. Unfortunately, Android ships in a state that allows only software from Google, Inc to provide play services. Users can override this by either including a signature spoofing patch when they compile their kernel or modifying their system after the fact (https://github.com/Lanchon/haystack & others).
Many users want microg installed in their kernel to avoid the hassle of modifying their system after installation. Unfortunately, the LOS team has decided not to allow the signature spoofing patch in mainline kernels. Thus, the microG team compiles its own kernels with microG and signature spoofing already installed. These are available at https://download.lineage.microg.org/.
Maintaining software is difficult and time consuming. The LineageOS team only supports devices for which someone has volunteered to be a maintainer. That is, someone has to volunteer to ensure that patches, security updates, and changes do not break the kernel. If the maintainer leaves (stops maintaining), the LOS team discontinues kernel builds for the device.
They also delete existing kernel builds from their website. Since microG follows the lead of LOS, they delete their "discontinued" builds too.
This has the effect that a user might not be able to access a ROM today that they could have downloaded last week.
I believe that people should be able to decide what ROM is best for them according to their own needs and at their own risk. Therefore, I am posting links to archived Samsung Galaxy Note II (t0lte) LineageOS for microG roms. These roms were archived by the Internet Archive (https://archive.org/).
Some disadvantages of these roms include that they are not updated and will likely receive no further updates (lack of security updates implies security vulnerabilities) and that there is no support for them.
On the other hand, they are cryptographically signed by the microG team and can be verified using the instructions on https://lineage.microg.org/. Some people want a plain ROM with minimal "extra features" and find that LineageOS provides this. Others disagree. You may decide that, on the whole, the security advantages of this ROM outweigh its disadvantages. Or not. As the user, its up to you.
All information and files — both in source and compiled form — are provided on an as is basis. No guarantees or warranties are given or implied. The user assumes all risks of any damages that may occur, including but not limited to loss of data, damages to hardware, or loss of business profits. Please use at your own risk. Note that unless explicitly allowed by the warranty covering your device, it should be assumed that any warranty accompanying your device will be voided if you tamper with either the system software or the hardware.
https://web.archive.org/web/20191215024949/https://download.lineage.microg.org/t0lte/lineage-14.1-20190303-microG-t0lte.zip
Wayback Machine
I am not a developer. I did not create, code, or compile this ROM. If you choose to use this ROM, you will need to figure out how to install it separately.
This may be stupid, but I couldn't find any resources regarding this. We have custom recoveries for android devices but why isn't there custom bootloaders like there is for PCs ? Like in the PC space we have the likes of reFind and gnu grub.
Thanks
There are some instances of alternate bootloader projects. Just that they are not popular,
[Bootloader] LK for Xperia T
LK for Xperia T LT30p Only - Unlocked Bootloader Required WARNING 1: This modification makes changes to the devices partition table. I (lilstevie) am not responsible for any damage to your device or data loss that may occur. WARNING 2: ICS...
forum.xda-developers.com
EFIDroid
EFIDroid is a easy to use, powerful 2ndstage-bootloader based on EDKII(UEFI). It can be installed one-click with the EFIDroidManager app. You can add/remove/edit multiboot ROM's. There's no special support needed by ROM's or RecoveryTools(no...
forum.xda-developers.com
The developer of EFIdroid stopped developing in 2019.
efidroid on Android 9 and 10 devices ? · Issue #152 · efidroid/projectmanagement
Hi, I just want to know if efidroid supports devices with 6 GB RAM and 64/128 GB Storage devices running Android 9 and Android 10 ? thanks.
github.com
Not to mention you would need OEM's to cooperate....
Thanks @karandpr for that github comment a lot of info there. Thanks @galaxys too. So a quick summary would be that the reason is that for the bootloader to work smoothly there has to be support from the kernel too, which the OEMs should do and probably would not. But I didn't think about the support in the kernel was an issue. That does seem to be a lot of work and I see the reason now.
al_l_en said:
Thanks @karandpr for that github comment a lot of info there. Thanks @galaxys too. So a quick summary would be that the reason is that for the bootloader to work smoothly there has to be support from the kernel too, which the OEMs should do and probably would not. But I didn't think about the support in the kernel was an issue. That does seem to be a lot of work and I see the reason now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think Google intends to open up android anymore. They want restrictions like iOS but pretend to be open source for the "goodwill". What's the use of AOSP if you cant effectively install it on a device or your important apps don't work?
I believe PinePhones are the ones that can have truly open-source compatible hardware. The specs are underwhelming but the community is really good.
You can get spares easily and the battery is removable.
Only thing is they are mostly out of stock.
karandpr said:
I don't think Google intends to open up android anymore. They want restrictions like iOS but pretend to be open source for the "goodwill". What's the use of AOSP if you cant effectively install it on a device or your important apps don't work?
I believe PinePhones are the ones that can have truly open-source compatible hardware. The specs are underwhelming but the community is really good.
You can get spares easily and the battery is removable.
Only thing is they are mostly out of stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah those are great but the problem is that they are not usable for "normies" which will prevent mass adoption and hence cannot have a sustainable business model.
But I think google is not the only one to blame, like couldn't the OEMs actually provide bootloaders that can boot signed os images. Or is there any technical or security difficuties in doing that.
al_l_en said:
Yeah those are great but the problem is that they are not usable for "normies" which will prevent mass adoption and hence cannot have a sustainable business model.
But I think google is not the only one to blame, like couldn't the OEMs actually provide bootloaders that can boot signed os images. Or is there any technical or security difficuties in doing that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Normies are afraid to change the default browser, so bootloader is really out of their leagues.
Phone tinkering is a hobby, not a necessity. Phone tinkering itself is not a sustainable model.
Google is to blame primarily. Because they have a stringent list of requirements for devices to pass CTS. You can read the bootloader requirement and judge yourself.
Android 11 Compatibility Definition | Android Open Source Project
source.android.com
Without passing CTS, devices cannot use Google apps, they cannot get push notifications and they cannot pass SafetyNet checks used by most banking apps.
At the end of the day do I want to spend 100s of hours to bring a feature to an android phone which will probably be used by 10 users and deprecated by the time I finish doing it?
or do I want to buy a phone which will allow me to tinker freely in a community and ecosystem which allows modification?
For our tinkering pleasures, Pinephone is the way to go for now. They have support from Manjaro, Debian and KDE. Which is a big thing IMO.
Or else there you can roll your thing in RaspberryPi?
While going through related details I found an article about google probably switching to hardware based safetynet checks which could be ending google play compatibility on custom roms.
It really seems like google is using security as an excuse to make sure that there are no competitors in their business space.
Maybe this is because I have been only doing web development and only started learning app dev, but the reasons google use for CTS like for enforcing DRM, is also handled on websites while allowing openness and being neutral (or maybe the web is not as secure as something like this, so forgive me if I am wrong). Android could really take pages off the web ecosystem for being a neutral platform.
I really appreciate the patience for hearing out and also the references(and the rabbit holes that it was followed by) really taught me a lot about general android architecture.
al_l_en said:
While going through related details I found an article about google probably switching to hardware based safetynet checks which could be ending google play compatibility on custom roms.
It really seems like google is using security as an excuse to make sure that there are no competitors in their business space.
Maybe this is because I have been only doing web development and only started learning app dev, but the reasons google use for CTS like for enforcing DRM, is also handled on websites while allowing openness and being neutral (or maybe the web is not as secure as something like this, so forgive me if I am wrong). Android could really take pages off the web ecosystem for being a neutral platform.
I really appreciate the patience for hearing out and also the references(and the rabbit holes that it was followed by) really taught me a lot about general android architecture.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Theoretically, Google can end GPlay compatibility on Custom ROMs anytime they wish. It's just that lot of App Developers don't use SafetyNet the way it is intended and Google doesn't roll out its strict check. They do it once in a while.
They don't have any competitors in their business space. It's a very well-thought monopoly.
CTS restricts Google Play API access to vendor operating systems. So vendors like Samsung, OnePlus and others have to play by their rules. IIRC, the cost of Play API is around 15$ per device but it is subsidized for large quantities.
End users don't really care about Play API. But App Developers do.
Without Play services, there is no easy way to integrate push notifications, ads, maps, analytics, metrics, and so on. Rolling your own thing will take years to develop and won't work as seamlessly as the play service counterparts.
I don't think Google will ever cede their monetary interests for open collaboration.
karandpr said:
I don't think Google will ever cede their monetary interests for open collaboration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that's for sure. The only way this monopoly can break is when an opensource alternative to google play services and other apis exist and while doing that it must be compatible with the existing google apis. And that is probably not going to happen in a long time. Although microg does solve this to some extent, but still it is a second citizen.
Some of the functionality is already there, like most of the google apps like docs and drive could replaced by nextcloud and then maps could be replaced by osmand. If some company, preferably an OEM, comes and integrates all of these into a package maybe there's hope. I think /e/ os tries to do this to some extent.
You might find this resource useful. As they have gone over a comprehensive set of bootloader software and tried to outline their primary features in detail. Hopefully, you’ll be able to determine the best one for your use case. https://www.ubuntupit.com/best-linux-bootloader-for-home-and-embedded-systems/
hello world
unfortunately one sees more and more so called 'custom roms' including GApps by default
this brings up a question: is this legal?
as an example reading:
Google apps are the proprietary Google-branded applications that come pre-installed with most Android devices, such as the Play Store, Gmail, Maps, etc. Due to licensing restrictions, these apps cannot come pre-installed with LineageOS and must be installed separately. The Google apps are not required to boot or run LineageOS, however many users find them beneficial to take full advantage of the Android ecosystem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SOURCE: https://wiki.lineageos.org/gapps
or something like this:
Take note that Open GApps does not provide you with any license for Google’s APKs included in the package. The Open GApps packages merely provide a convenient way to sideload APKs to your device. It is your own responsibility to obtain the proper permissions by e.g. buying an OHA-licensed device with pre-installed Google Apps and/or acquiring the applications from Google’s Play Store.
The pre-built packages from OpenGApps.org are provided ONLY as courtesy by OpenGApps.org without warranty of ANY kind, under the terms that they can be freely used for personal use only, and are not allowed to be mirrored to the public other than OpenGApps.org.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SOURCE: https://opengapps.org/#aboutsection
one can even read:
Custom ROM developers, however, can’t easily bundle these Google apps and services with their builds. As these apps are not using the Apache or GPLv2 license, bundling them within the ROM presents legal challenges.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SOURCE: https://www.xda-developers.com/download-google-apps-gapps/
as i am not an expert i hope this post can help to answer the question.
furthermore it will help to create some kind of orientation.
Hmm...
As far as XDA is concerned. We allow gapps in ROM.
The gapps thing was between Cyanogenmod and Google.
It's legal to run those apps on devices whose manufacturers signed up with Google.
On other devices, it was not allowed by Google
CyanogenMod had a device that was not CTS compatible so they received DMCA which prevented them from distributing ROMs with gapps.
So it depends on whom you are asking.
You can argue, "If you have purchased a device and the manufacturer has paid a license to run Gapps then you can run those gapps on your device. "
or you can argue "Google has allowed you to run gapps only on firmware approved by google so you shouldn't run gapps"
Regardless they have systems in place to prevent you from not using apps like Gpay via PlayIntegrity/SafetyNet.
@karandpr
the vast majority of all xda-topics are about:
gpay/safetynet not working help urgent now!!!
so one can asume, it ist prevented by g and so not legal
please be so kind and help me find one so called 'custom-rom-gapps-included'
that can provide a proper licensed gapps
Tom Mix said:
@karandpr
the vast majority of all xda-topics are about:
gpay/safetynet not working help urgent now!!!
so one can asume, it ist prevented by g and so not legal
please be so kind and help me find one so called 'custom-rom-gapps-included'
that can provide a proper licensed gapps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can still access play store to download apps.
You can use apps that don't use SafetyNet.
Just because apps throw attestation failure doesn't mean it is illegal to run gapps.
SafetyNet | PlayIntegrity matches device firmware and root status.
Once you unlock Bootloader ,SafetyNet can flag it as Unsafe.
This is an old article on how safetynet works but the base of how it works is similar.
SafetyNet: Google's tamper detection for Android · Yiannis Kozyrakis ~ blog
thoughts on mobile security
koz.io
Technically SafetyNet is an API that is used by other apps to detect whether phone is rooted/BL unlocked or not.
Let's say you have a BL locked phone which runs Stock Android 13, and then you have a BL Unlocked phone which runs the same firmware.
However, in the later case SafetyNet will throw attestation failure.
Thats how safetynet is supposed to work./
I found a quite old article but it explains why the majority of AOSP ROMs are licensed when flashed onto compatible devices.
There are two kinds of Android forks - 'compatible' and 'non-compatible'. 'Compatible' Android forks are those that are based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP); comply with the Android Compatibility Definition Document (CDD); and pass the Compatibility Test Suite (CTS).
'Compatible' forks may or may not include Google apps (gApps) or Google Play Services, but, because they're 'compatible', gApps and Play Services can be sideloaded or added later by users, meaning they can participate fully in the Play app ecosystem. Examples include CyanogenMod and the MIUI OS.
Google-certified CyanogenMod phones Oppo N1 and the OnePlus one have passed Google’s CTS and CDD, meaning that they officially run Google's apps and access the Google Play Store out of the box.
'Non-compatible' forks are built on AOSP, but are built to run their own ecosystems. Examples of 'non-compatible' Android devices include the Amazon Fire phone and the Blackphone with PrivatOS.
source: https://deviceatlas.com/blog/android-forks-why-google-can-rest-easy-for-now
As I understand, CyanogenMod haven't lost a lawsuit, they simply stepped back preventive of the power of Google.
My conclusion, if one is able to install GMS/Play Services, the device is compatible - hence legal.
@alecxs
very interesting article at deviceatlas! thanks for the link
the most interesting part is:
Custom ROM-makers like Cyanogen aren’t OEMs, so the same rules don’t apply to them – passing the CTS, compliance with the Android CDD. If the custom ROM is flashed onto a ‘compatible’ phone, then everything is gravy… except for the pesky issue of Google apps, which need to be licensed. Cyanogen found this out the hard way in 2009, when Google slapped lead developer Steve Kondik with a Cease and Desist letter, the gist of which was that he wasn’t licensed to distribute Google apps with CyanogenMod.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
indeed no lawsuit just:
ingenious solution: users could Google-ify their CyanogenMod installations by backing up the Google parts already on their phones, and reactivating them after installation – without incurring Google’s wrath.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so flashing afterwards is okay, but not distributing with custom-rom
All those post sound to me like Liability Notices that if you use Gapps. They are not liable for any of the content given or damage to you. So They don't get sued for content you download from it or basically any liability that could develop. In so many words. You can't sue them if you use the unlicensed apps and the content creators can't sue them and have to sue you the user instead if you obtain from their service paid content. So idk. If you want the answer to this I'd call a lawyer or just don't use Google services and avoid all apps that require the use of Google and you shouldn't have a issue.
Tom Mix said:
so flashing afterwards is okay, but not distributing with custom-rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
both is fine on compatible forks.
@alecxs
maybe it is a language-barrier on my side but the article
and the other sources state that it cant be bundeled,
though flashed afterwards
even the g-lawyers said no! and bundled distribution was omitted.
and regarding LOS in particular one can assume that
the distribution of 'LOS-roms' including gapps is not allowed
Tom Mix said:
even the g-lawyers said no! and bundled distribution was omitted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't matter what google lawyer says. As long as there is no court verdict nothing prohibits you to bundle gapps for compatible devices.
I payed for all my modding software from google. the programers are msging the google is a bumb bussness on playstore. really about playstore its got other investments not everyone 2$ 4$ app people. Ill creep my mods with luck on my shoulder tweaken on my stuff. lol sick