Database Info

New OnePlus One Came Rooted With Adware

Brand New OnePlus One rooted and with adware etc
I am a very newbie to not all but many of the particular issues in this post so would be grateful of any newbie taylored advice.
Background:
==============
I purchased a Oneplus one recently, stocked and fulfilled by amazon with amazon returns policy but seller was a chineese company.
It was advertised as 100% Original Oneplus One New Cell Phone
The phone arraived and appeared to already be rooted
evidence:
Barclays App says it is rooted and won't run. It ran fine on my Nexus 4
I can connect via adb and set to su straight away
The phone appeared to have arrived with significant malware / adware with popups and auto launch ad in browser pages and bloteware / PUPS(?), and other issues. After a great deal of research checking notifications and trial and error I disabled the following, some via settings\apps some via adb, pm ... disable ...
2048 (com.digiplex.game)
App Manager (com.shyz.steward)
Browser (com.android.browser)
Caller ID (com.android.tools.callassistant)
Clean Master (com.cleanmaster.mguard)
Cool Browser (com.cool.coolbrowser)
DU Speed Booster (com.dianxinos.optimizer.duplay)
Magic Photo (cn.dotui.magicphoto)
Videos (com.haolianluo.video)
and disabled gestures due to torch issues
The phone now seems quite stable.
I installed MalwareBytes, however None of the items it identifies is it able to disable/uninstall I set it not to scan automatically but it continues to tell me I have not responded to its list of issues, but I have responded by selected them, but on selection it tries to uninstall them but fails.
I was able to disable one of them via adb because it provided the package name for that one but:
CallerID.apk (disabled in settings\apps)
coolbrowser.apk (disabled in settings\apps)
201507140923731g.apk
AppStore.apk
I do not know how to uninstall (or disable at least on 2 of them) and I do not know how to refer to them from package manager because I don't have the package name.
Key Questions:
================
I am familiar with much of software engineering and programming but not with mobile phone OS / disk / memory / file system, etc. I am having a lot of difficulty getting to grips with the vocabulary, definitions and terminology depending what you read.
- Some say OnePlus from factory comes with cyanogenmod but is not rooted
- So one wonders how my phone go to be rooted if the seller is a retailer
- Some say if the phone is rooted the warentee is invalidated. What do you think?
- WhatsApp says the phone has a custom rom and watsapp may not work properly with a custom rom
It is very difficult to get to the bottom of exactly what the difference is between a stock rom
and a custom rom. Some seem to be saying cyanogenmod is a custom rom, but then others say what
comes on the phone from the mobile manufacturer is a stock rom, eg HT Sense or in the case of
OnePlus, cyanogenmod! Is it only a custom rom if it is somehow NOT proven to be a
custom rom validated by the mobile manufacturer in factory (i.e. stock rom)?
- Some say having a custom rom invalidates warrantee, is this right?
- How do i prove that the rooting and the custom rom were not introduced by me?
- I have thought about factory reset, but I cannot manage to find anything that tells
me what this actually means and does, only how to do it.
- does a factory reset actually do what it suggests. I have read that factory reset does
not involve going to the manufacturers site and obtaining an appropriate image and flashing
it to the phone so I do not quite understand how else it could guarantee it
- If a factory reset will just make it like it was when I received it then that I do not want.
- Can I and ought I to flash a fresh image on the phone to get it like it WOULD HAVE been
had I bought it from OnePlus factory on invite and not through a mediator
- Finally. There is a notification "System Update is ready" . When I select this it appears
to download something (next version of cyanogenmod I guess though I don't recognise the version
number against any cyanogenmod versions) then it restarts and goes to a recovery app.
At this stage it is not completely intuitive what one should do and it seems to want you
to navigate to a location.
Now, I think I could probably figure this out with some reading but two things come to mind:
1) Presumably for a from factory OnePlus phone this kind of ambiguous unintuitive update
process would not be going on for people who just bought their phone and knew nothing
so it suggests the phone is in a different state to that. I also read you need root
already to install a (good) recovery app.
2) I am loath to do this update since it is not clear whether the update is this retailers
system update and will reintroduce all that I have disabled to create stability. Therefore
up to now I have always selected just do nothing and reboot. I favor stability over
features.
I am kind of inclined now I have managed to get it stable to just stick with it as it is and just use it without any further updates / resets / flashes and without returning it, but...
Sorry to ask all these questions. I would be grateful of any advice. Can be given with the assumption that I understand foundational general stuff ram, rom (though this word seems to be used differently to what I'm used to), flash, image, partition etc, but not that I actually know all about how the android/cyanogenmod platform is laid out and behaves as an installation.
Thank you.

Hi, All Oneplus One phones comes with CyanogenMod without rooted. One must Unlock bootloader and Flash custom recovery and Flash SuperSu to get root access.
Yours already says rooted means either you bought the used phone or refurbished. However even when a phone is refurbished OnePlus company locks it and make it unrooted.
OnePlus Phones warranty doesn't get over bu rooting. OnePlus actually supports rooting. Warranty becomes void when you do something blunder while flashing and your devices becomes dead aka bricked.
What I am suspecting is the chinese seller bought new OnePlus and Installed different ROM as the chinese OPO comes with ColorOS which doesn't have PlayStore. Now in the procedure they introduced unwanted Adwares which may be Intentional or Unintentional.
Now you have 2 options.
Either ask Amazon for a refund.
Or if the time is passed then I suggest you to start fresh. If you have already custom recovery installed then go ahead and install fresh stock CyanogenMod ROM from xda.
sent from Bacon (OnePlus One)

Hi Abhinav_Rakesh,
Thank you so much for your response, I really appreciate your advice. I think I understood most of what you said, generally but I am still a bit unclear on some points:
Is there any way to tell if the phone is refurbished. I would rather it were new even if they have installed a different rom.
What do you mean by "time is passed" I have only had the phone a few days. I am in a quandary whether to return it or not, whether amazon will believe it was not me who rooted it and whether I will be able to get another one that is not just the same as this one anyway since you cannot get them direct from OnePlus any more.
I saw some kind of recovery screen over one reboot but did not do the install. How do I know if this is the "custom recovery" you describe, if it is not how do I obtain / get to "custom recover"?
Can you direct me to a script that shows me how to "install fresh stock CyanogenMod ROM from xda"? Will that completely blank out everything that the chineese company may have done on the phone, or might some stuff still be left behind? Is there a risk to that process, given that I at least have a fairly stable phone now? Will it include or do I have to get separately "PlayStore" so I can download my usual apps?
Thank you again, I really appreciate it?

i suggest you to start from fresh, since obviously your OPO is not in stock state and has been tampered with..
the (general) steps to make the OPO like new are as follows..
(1) connect it to a pc via usb cable
(2) in command prompt, issue "adb reboot bootloader" (and wait for it to boot into bootloader/fastboot mode)
(3) issue "fastboot oem unlock" (to unlock the bootloader.. all data will be wiped but the warranty is not voided)
(4) issue "fastboot flash recovery custom_recovery.img" (replace "custom_recovery.img" with the actual recovery file name)
(5) power off mobile and disconnect from pc
(6) press power button together with volume down button (to boot into custom recovery we just flashed)
(7) while in recovery, install rom image (which should be put in the internal storage beforehand)
(8) reboot to enjoy the reborn mobile
to be able the complete the above steps, you need to get some files in advance:
- adb.exe/fastboot.exe (which you should already have since you could do adb)
- custom recovery (TWRP suggested.. get the image for OPO, whose codename is bacon, at http://twrp.me/ ), and put it in your pc..
- stock or custom rom (the stock for OPO is cyanogenmod, and there is also a OnePlus provided OxygenOS rom.. go to respective sites to get a copy), and put it into the mobile's internal storage..
mind you that by doing so (the fastboot oem unlock step) all your mobile's data will be wiped..

@hardya Hi .. You can follow this link to restore your phone according to OnePlus Standards. This will remove all that chinese ads and all and will make it fresh.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2970390
sent from Bacon (OnePlus One)

I feel like i need to reanswer a some of your question even though some already have answered them. You seem very interested and it seems fair to clear up some things.
hardya said:
- Some say OnePlus from factory comes with cyanogenmod but is not rooted
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a little misconception about what cyanogenmod is.
The offical Oneplus One comes preinstalled with CyanogenOS (or CM12S), which is derived from Cyanogenmod. It get's a bit complicated. Cyanogen is a company founded by the lead programmer of Cyanogenmod. CyanogenOS is a commercial product, that is licensed to phone manufactures.
Cyanogenmod is the codebase for CyanogenOS. CyanogenOS adds some functionalities that are not present in the community maintained Cyanogenmod. (e.g. a alternate dialing app, theme store, etc.)
The offical Oneplus One comes NON-rooted. You need to manually enable root.
Please keep in mind that it gets REALLY complicated from this point!
The Oneplus One debuted with CM11S (CyanogenOS, the commercial version of Cyanogenmod). Cyanogen (the company) promised users 2 years of support and updates for the owners on the Oneplus One. But Oneplus and Cyanogen had some major issues that resulted in ending the partnership.
Oneplus had to offer an alternative Android Firmware for their upcoming phone Oneplus Two. So they did another android version called OxygenOS. This was installed onto all Oneplus One phones from a certain date onward!
THIS is the OFFICAL Android Software Version for your Oneplus One!!!
See: https://oneplus.net/de/support/answer/how-can-i-download-oxygen-os
I would strongly recommend to install OxygenOS, as it is the easiest way of experience the phone as Oneplus intended it to be.
Most tutorials on here are a little bit older so they are offering guides which mention either CM11S, CM12S, Cyanogenmod or OxygenOS. (or if you are more familiar with other customroms, whatever you'd like to install! But this is something you should look into, when you are more familiar with what costumroms are and what they do! There are so many excellent guides on here, which i'd recommend you to read sometime!)
- So one wonders how my phone go to be rooted if the seller is a retailer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He rooted it either manually or used an android version (e.g. something downloaded off XDA or got one from some developer). Such versions are often called Customroms.
Also note, that there are no official retailers of Oneplus phones. They are officially offered from the website only. However, there are some shops in China, that offer Oneplus phones.
- Some say if the phone is rooted the warentee is invalidated. What do you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most phone manufactures actually tell you that your warranty is void when rooting your phone.
Oneplus however is very, very supportive when it comes to rooting!
And of course installing other Android Versions and Roms!
See: https://oneplus.net/de/support/answer/will-rooting-or-unlocking-the-bootloader-void-my-warranty
- WhatsApp says the phone has a custom rom and watsapp may not work properly with a custom rom
It is very difficult to get to the bottom of exactly what the difference is between a stock rom
and a custom rom. Some seem to be saying cyanogenmod is a custom rom, but then others say what
comes on the phone from the mobile manufacturer is a stock rom, eg HT Sense or in the case of
OnePlus, cyanogenmod! Is it only a custom rom if it is somehow NOT proven to be a
custom rom validated by the mobile manufacturer in factory (i.e. stock rom)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cyanogenmod is indeed a custom rom. (or sometimes aftermarket firmware)
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CyanogenMod
A stock rom is the firmware that is installed by the manufacturer. (in your case: CyanogenOS, called CM12S. the 12 stands for the version number of Cyanogenmod. 12 = Android 5, 13 will be Android 6. There was a CM11S version, when the phone debuted last year.). The S marks it as CyanogenOS, the commercial product. So CM12 would be the community maintained Cyanogenmod. CM12S the product by the company Cyanogen. As said before, it's a bit complicated, as the current OFFICIAL rom is OxygenOS
Your findings of software not present in the official stock Oneplus One rom (which is either CM12S or OxygenOS), suggests your software on the phone is actually a unofficial costum rom.
- Some say having a custom rom invalidates warrantee, is this right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See the answer to the rooting question. Almost all major phone manufactures void your warranty if you flash a custom rom. As it involves tampering with system files and most people are not very knowledgeable when it comes to "computery things". It's just a security measure, so that people won't sue the company when something bad happens (most likely deleting precious pictures, etc.)
Oneplus actually encourages people to try other roms. This made the Oneplus One a very popular phone for tinkerers and as you can see on this forum there are a lot of custom roms you can choose from.
- How do i prove that the rooting and the custom rom were not introduced by me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the seller was not so careful, there will be a notice, which can be read by software programs available here on XDA, that say how many times a custom rom was installed.
However, i think your main concern is, that you wouldn't be able to get support form Oneplus, because you think your warranty is not valid anymore. As said above, your concerns are not that problematic. Especially as you seem to be knowledgeable enough to actually fix things on your own!
- I have thought about factory reset, but I cannot manage to find anything that tells
me what this actually means and does, only how to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A factory reset will delete all your apps and reset the system to the state"it came out of the factory". So when you start up your phone, you need to set it up again. Enter your name, configure your WiFi settings, install your favorite apps.
However. Your photos and your music files will not be deleted! Be careful though. Resetting your system will delete your app settings. I just want to point that out, because the first time a did a factory reset and reinstalled everything i thought i lost all my Whatsapp photos. They were there in the Picture folder, but weren't linked to the images in my chat window! This is a bit complicated, but can be solved quite easily, if you know what your doing (backing up your apps with certain programs, e.g. Titanium Backup).
- does a factory reset actually do what it suggests. I have read that factory reset does
not involve going to the manufacturers site and obtaining an appropriate image and flashing
it to the phone so I do not quite understand how else it could guarantee it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Factory reset is a internal function of your phone (to be precise of your phones recovery!)
However, as most people said and your suspected is: Your phone does not run the official factory image, provided by Oneplus (or Cynaogen).
The official software can be obtained from
https://oneplus.net/de/support/answer/how-can-i-download-oxygen-os
- If a factory reset will just make it like it was when I received it then that I do not want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it will most likely to what you fear. It depends on what the retailer did. Most costum roms include software in their phones, that will be installed again with a factory reset. If your seller did install the programs AFTER the phones original state (e.g installing it from an appstore or from the APK's (Androids Software Packages)) they won't be present!
- Can I and ought I to flash a fresh image on the phone to get it like it WOULD HAVE been
had I bought it from OnePlus factory on invite and not through a mediator
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely! I'd recommend you to flash a new image to your phone!
There are a lot of great programs here on XDA that offer easy and intuitive options of doing that, without even knowing anything about flashing programs! Try to take a look around and see what you can make of it.
I personally think they are great, but can be dangerous if you didn't read the proper instructions. I'm just saying, as they often delete EVERYTHING on your phone. So whatever you do to your phone, backup everything before!!!
But these simple programs are what you are looking for. They will install the firmware (Cyanogenmod or OxygenOS) that are bloatfree and as the Oneplus intended them to be.
- Finally. There is a notification "System Update is ready" . When I select this it appears
to download something (next version of cyanogenmod I guess though I don't recognise the version
number against any cyanogenmod versions) then it restarts and goes to a recovery app.
At this stage it is not completely intuitive what one should do and it seems to want you
to navigate to a location.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This further suggests, that your are not running an official version. The official update process is fully automated and doesn't need any user intervention! From your description it doesn't do anything and you are stuck in recovery, that is waiting for user input. This is not the case with proper official roms!
Now, I think I could probably figure this out with some reading but two things come to mind:
1) Presumably for a from factory OnePlus phone this kind of ambiguous unintuitive update
process would not be going on for people who just bought their phone and knew nothing
so it suggests the phone is in a different state to that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely correct! See above.
I also read you need root
already to install a (good) recovery app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do not need root to install a recovery. This is a bit complicated, as there are some misconceptions about what is what. You need to "unlock" your phone to install another recovery. This is not rooting, but is also restricted by many manufacturers. But as with rooting, Oneplus is offering support on unlocking your phone and there are lots of guides on how to do it.
2) I am loath to do this update since it is not clear whether the update is this retailers
system update and will reintroduce all that I have disabled to create stability. Therefore
up to now I have always selected just do nothing and reboot. I favor stability over
features.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wise decision.
I am kind of inclined now I have managed to get it stable to just stick with it as it is and just use it without any further updates / resets / flashes and without returning it, but...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would strongly recommend to NOT leave it this way! As you yourself found out, there are chances that there are programs on the phone, that are not to be supposed to be there. I'm not saying that there is spyware on your phone, but it is most likely that there could be malicious code running in the background of your phone. I would strongly recommend NOT to use apps, that need sensitive information of yourself!
Try to look for guides and tutorials here on XDA and just install CM12S, Cyanogenmod or even better OxygenOS, the official ROM from Oneplus! OxygenOS is not everyone's favorite choice, but that way you can be sure, that NOTHING fishy is going on on your phone!
There is an easy app available from the offical oneplus site!
https://oneplus.net/de/support/answer/how-can-i-download-oxygen-os
Or use the app that is mentioned in the post above! Will to the same thing!
Use the instructions on there and you are much safer on using your phone than you are in the present state!
BUT PLEASE, PLEASE DO A BACKUP OF YOUR DATA! I mean, your photos, contacts and everything important before doing anything to your phone. I'm just stressing that out, as so many people complain afterwards that they lost everything, etc.! Not just because the process they did was unsafe, but becaus the didn't properly read the instructions that tell people that they should make a backup, BEFORE tampering the system. It says factory RESET, so it should be clear, that everything will be reset!

I'd suggest you return it and get one through official channels. Official OnePlus devices can only be purchased through the OnePlus store.

I'd suggest you to read this story:
https://medium.com/@tuesdev/as-many...ve-a-oneplus-2-invite-ba20ac8606ae#.qgq3fhmn7

Ctuiku,
Sorry I wasn't able to respond sooner. I really do appreciate your very clear and detailed response and it's care to address each point very clearly and to make clear distinctions between similar things gives me significant confidence in its accuracy.
I must say I appreciate the significant amount of time you have taken and I do hope that at least some of your responses were cut and pasted from text you had already written else where.
I think I may have a number of minor follow up questions, but for now I shall digest your advice and decide on my plan of action.
Thank you again for being so helpful and understanding.
Andrew

I actually didn't read much of it and the comments, but I'd suggest you to unlock the bootloader, flash TWRP, take a backup, wipe everything(not the internal storage of course) , and perform a clean flash of CM13.0 by sultanxda. It's the smoothest and the most stable ROM out there.
Well, that was all in brief. You gotta read(and understand) and perform. It's fun, just like programming. Keep flashing!
~noob (you gotta start from somewhere)

Ctuiku
Thank you again for all your help. Sorry for the delay in responding been busy with other things and also since had some time to digest...
THIS is the OFFICAL Android Software Version for your Oneplus One!!!
See: <I am not allowed to include this link in quote>
I would strongly recommend to install OxygenOS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This link appears to be out of date
or even better OxygenOS, the official ROM from Oneplus! OxygenOS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My search and his post
_forums_oneplus_net_threads_mirrors-for-official-oxygen-os-roms-and-ota-updates.387615
suggests you cannot get the official OxygenOS ROM from Oneplus, doesn't this pose some risks using TP apps to download and flash OS ROM?
There is an easy app available from the offical oneplus site!
<I am not allowed to include this link in quote>
Or use the app that is mentioned in the post above! Will to the same thing!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't this pose some risks using TP apps to download and flash OS ROM?
Also the official link
_account_onepluscontent_com_downloads_tools_oneplus-one-reflash_zip
appears to be out of date
I cannot seem to find a way to find an official location or to identify the genuineness of CM12S image or OxyGenOS image. Is there some kind of published standard hash of the file or something? How does it work?
a lot of what I read, like on the oneplus site or the way links are named seems to suggest that OxygenOS is just for OnePlus Two. I believe that OnePlus One moved to OxygenOS at some point, but I don't want to apply an OS version to a device that is under resourced. Is there a version of OxygenOS that the OnePlus One should not go beyond.
P.S. How do I get your XDA user name to appear as a link?

iamelton
Thank you so much for your advice I really do appreciate the time you took to help me. Sorry for the delay in responding. Difficult circumstances.
regarding your point (7)
(7) while in recovery, install rom image (which should be put in the internal storage beforehand)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- I wonder if you would mind indicating where beforehand in this list putting the rom image in the internal storage ought to occurr?
- Also, so sorry, but I wonder would you mind elaberating just a little on how to put the rom image in the internal storage?
Regarding the files, I am happy with adb.exe, fastboot.exe, TWRP.
However I understand that the genuineness of OxygenOS images are not provided by OnePlus, is this right?
_forums_oneplus_net_threads_mirrors-for-official-oxygen-os-roms-and-ota-updates_387615
How do confirm the genuineness of OxygenOS images?
Is it a kind of hierarchy of trust, i.e. n users use and recommend this location for the images.
Or is there some kind of standard hash for the images that is published on secure OnePlus site?
I have similar issue / understanding issue with CM12S
It would appear after roaming around forums etc that the official Cyanogen OS (not mod/custom) are located below here _builds_cyngn_com_ but the site itself seems to have no web pages I visit cyngn.com_get-cyanogen-os but can find no page with a list of rom images and their corresponding dates, attributes and inclusions etc.
I hear that some versions of CM12S do not support 64GB (as per my OPO) but I seem to have no clear certified single source way to know exactly the name/url of the CM12S I should get.
I am probably misunderstanding the philosophy behind things, but it seems if anyone can do anything with the source you would think that OnePlus would into the bargin also provide users (of which there will be a variety) a "sure fire" way to get their (grey market?) phone to (original) factory standard. They still apparently cover it for warentee, so...
Many thanks
P.S. How do I get your XDA user name to appear as a link?

!!To all the new Essential Phone owners who recently cashed in on the Amazon deal!!!!

read this 3 times from start to finish before you start asking questions....itll help with most of your questions...also...
When your unlocking your bootloader using the "fastboot flashing unlock" command....after the system has booted.... boot back into fastboot and also run the "fastboot flashing unlock_critical” this makes this device nearly unbrickable.... please do it you won't regret it.
Next twrp is in boot.img with a/b devices..so if you flash twrp and want to root you have to reflash the stock boot.img of your rom before you flash magisk....if you don't you'll have a bootloop that gets you nowheres
http://mata.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

Also, welcome to the forums! Hopefully posts this don't scare away people and potential new devs since it's dead enough around here already.
Feel free to message me if you have questions, I won't jump down your throat.

Thank you for this.
Switched over from a Nexus 6P (that is still working great, to be honest). can't wait to start flashing

Thanks for the link to the document. Didn't realize there are two partitions.
I'm sure this question has been answered before but I'll ask here again for the newbies.
If I root the device with Magisk but stay with the stock ROM, does the OTA updates work? If the updates do work, do I have to root each time after the update?
TIA.

csrow said:
Thanks for the link to the document. Didn't realize there are two partitions.
I'm sure this question has been answered before but I'll ask here again for the newbies.
If I root the device with Magisk but stay with the stock ROM, does the OTA updates work? If the updates do work, do I have to root each time after the update?
TIA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They don't work if rooted, however I, and many others, have issues with the OTAs in general anyhow.
It's super quick to just fastboot flash the firmware files yourself anyhow (modify a boot.img beforehand with magisk), and then flash the modified boot.img at the end.

I got in on the Amazon deal...should be here next week. Will be coming from a Nexus6.

Quick question for a Prime Deal newbie. Do you have to unlock the bootloader if you are just side loading the OTA file? I know you have to in order to fastboot any images but I thought the ota file would be fine. No biggie if not just curious.
After another search it looks like you do not have unlock the bootloader just to flash the ota.

Really helpful and it definitely going to keep the rest of the section tidy!

Picked one up also. Coming from/still have a Pixel 2 xl and previously a first gen pixel, so I'm familiar with a/b slots. Not having a perm twrp suuuuuucks. I got my ph1 on Sept security patch and it's updated twice now to the Jun patch will that cause issues with any root or roming?

Also coming from the Nexus 6. Looking forward to this phone.

thank you for the heads up.
Sent from my SD4930UR using XDA Free mobile app (Yep Firephone)

crixley said:
Also, welcome to the forums! Hopefully posts this don't scare away people and potential new devs since it's dead enough around here already.
Feel free to message me if you have questions, I won't jump down your throat.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the welcome everyone!!
Coming from a Nexus 6 running PureNexus. Phone is still rocking, but my goodness you should see how busted my screen is.
I'm excited to get the Essential set up and flash some ROM and camera goodies!

Tech_Savvy said:
read this 3 times from start to finish before you start asking questions....itll help with most of your questions...also...
When your unlocking your bootloader using the "fastboot flashing unlock" command....after the system has booted.... boot back into fastboot and also run the "fastboot flashing unlock_critical” this makes this device nearly unbrickable.... please do it you won't regret it.
Next twrp is in boot.img with a/b devices..so if you flash twrp and want to root you have to reflash the stock boot.img of your rom before you flash magisk....if you don't you'll have a bootloop that gets you nowheres
http://mata.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the heads up, wonder if it will help the people who don't know which hole to put the sim card removal tool into.

[emoji23] I watched my brother keeps poking the microphone hole for like the 5th time until he figured it out. It is kind of a bad design imho tho.
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk

This seems a welcome thread. I haven't tweaked Android for about 2½ years. From 2010 on I always had custom recovery and root and ROMs, but my last device (htc10) I didn't root, life got too busy.
Just got essential from Amazon, and trying to figure out what this AB slot stuff is is confusing the hell out of me. Also, this phone seems laggier than any device I've had, and I also just noticed a lot if the text is outlined with black, like on the LG get. Gotta get rid of that.
Sorry if this is the wrong place for those comments.
If anyone could give an explanation to what the AB slot is, to someone who is already pretty familiar with using custom recoveries, and understanding the partions (to a degree), I'd super appreciate it.
Again, I've been away from xda and customizing Android for about 3 years.
Anyone else feeling like this device isn't quite what they hoped? I always saw it at sprint stores and couldn't put it down. Now it's in my hand, doesn't seem so great. Think my htc10 is better, but maybe I'm missing how to make it great.
I hope this is in the right place.

scottspa74 said:
Anyone else feeling like this device isn't quite what they hoped? .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can't beat it for $250, but I think I'm getting the OnePlus 6T or OnePlus 7 when it comes out.
installing TWRP and customs roms is such a chore on this device. I had AOSiP installed...but for some reason which I couldn't explain, it didn't feel like AOSiP on my Nexus 6P or OnePlus5 (that I just gave to my mom). Substratum worked...Magisk worked. But something didn't feel right. If I'm going to have to be on a stock ROM, I'd rather be on OxygenOS with its additional customizations.
only one of my 9 USB-C to USB-A cables seem to work for file transfer AND fastboot AND charging. It also happens to be the shortest cable I have.

See this weirdness where text is surrounded by black outline? That happened on LG g stock rom. It was fixed. Is a custom rom only way to fix this on ph1. ? Much thanks.

scottspa74 said:
See this weirdness where text is surrounded by black outline? That happened on LG g stock rom. It was fixed. Is a custom rom only way to fix this on ph1. ? Much thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think your phone high contrast text mode is on. Uncheck that under accessibility

scottspa74 said:
This seems a welcome thread. I haven't tweaked Android for about 2½ years. From 2010 on I always had custom recovery and root and ROMs, but my last device (htc10) I didn't root, life got too busy.
Just got essential from Amazon, and trying to figure out what this AB slot stuff is is confusing the hell out of me. Also, this phone seems laggier than any device I've had, and I also just noticed a lot if the text is outlined with black, like on the LG get. Gotta get rid of that.
Sorry if this is the wrong place for those comments.
If anyone could give an explanation to what the AB slot is, to someone who is already pretty familiar with using custom recoveries, and understanding the partions (to a degree), I'd super appreciate it.
Again, I've been away from xda and customizing Android for about 3 years.
Anyone else feeling like this device isn't quite what they hoped? I always saw it at sprint stores and couldn't put it down. Now it's in my hand, doesn't seem so great. Think my htc10 is better, but maybe I'm missing how to make it great.
I hope this is in the right place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am with ya on that...I started with Samsung devices, So using Odin for flashing was my cup of Tea. The Nexus6 was my first device using Fastboot, but I ended up using Wug's toolkit most of the time.
From what I gather the A/B slot partitions are the same thing. You basically have a kernel and ramdisk on both partitions. The ramdisk is now your recovery. You just have to make sure when you flash anything, it's to the active partition. The point of A/B slots is so Android can install upgrades seamlessly while still running by installing them to the inactive partition. Click the link in the OP, it explains things pretty well.

I have been pretty happy with the PH-1 so far. I really like the form factor and the notch hasn't bothered my at all. Coming from Note 3/4 and the 6P which was super easy to flash by the extra steps on the Essential don't seem to bad. Sucks that you need a computer most times to flash but not the end of the world.
I haven't flashed a custom ROM yet but I did bump to the P preview for a day or two and then back to stock with EX and Magisk. No issues there but I'm comfortable with ADB and fastboot. No issues with various cables as well whatever I used on my 6P seem fine for this phone as far as charging, adb and file transfers go.
Overall pretty happy.

Custom recovery anytime soon?

Any word on whether custom recovery can be available anytime soon for the 4a? Mine arrives in 2 weeks or so and I hope it's available by then.

Crickets... Is this because the device is shipping globally pretty slowly? I figured with a Pixel we'd see this sooner.

With the new security enhancements of android there isnt a custom recovery for android 10 so I doubt there will be one going forward.

It's really unnecessary these days anyhow

Still seems to me like there is a role for custom recovery to play. If the phone won't boot, it's a way to get in and unscrew it or at least do a full backup before any sort of full reset. I do see Pixel 4 has an experimental version for Android 10.

cmstlist said:
Still seems to me like there is a role for custom recovery to play. If the phone won't boot, it's a way to get in and unscrew it or at least do a full backup before any sort of full reset. I do see Pixel 4 has an experimental version for Android 10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree - the ability to do a full backup on the device and restore it is a nice-to-have, and an unofficial version does exist for A10 Pixel 4.
That said, the September update is probably the last update of A10 for this device.

That backup is fully available function of adb
https://9to5google.com/2017/11/04/how-to-backup-restore-android-device-data-android-basics/
But based on this I will admit, when it's not creating problems twrp can be quite convenient and simplify many processes. I'm building it now, will post soon™

It's going to be an adjustment having to flash ROMs through ADB/fastboot. I've kept my 2xl up to date solely through TWRP for months.
Gonna have to dust off my computer!

EDIT: oops double posted

xstefen said:
That backup is fully available function of adb
https://9to5google.com/2017/11/04/how-to-backup-restore-android-device-data-android-basics/
But based on this I will admit, when it's not creating problems twrp can be quite convenient and simplify many processes. I'm building it now, will post soon™
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my experience, adb backup can have unpredictable results. Plus if I need to unscrew a non booting device, I can't get into adb without a recovery. Glad to hear you are working on a build! My 4a should arrive in a week or two and I can test it eventually.

xstefen said:
That backup is fully available function of adb
https://9to5google.com/2017/11/04/how-to-backup-restore-android-device-data-android-basics/
But based on this I will admit, when it's not creating problems twrp can be quite convenient and simplify many processes. I'm building it now, will post soon™
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any luck? ?

Well my Pixel arrived (Canada). I guess no recovery available for now. Hoping that with increased global distribution of the 4a as of this month, we'll see dev interest pick up.

Flashing through ADB isn't so bad. Just got DU flashed without a hitch

For me the primary benefit of a recovery is ability to extract data from a non bootable device. Gives the ability to recover from a flashing disaster.

xstefen said:
I will admit, when it's not creating problems twrp can be quite convenient and simplify many processes. I'm building it now, will post soon™
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any updates? ?

As mentioned previously, the unofficial TWRP does work in fact for Android 10 because I tested it with a backup from one device and then did a restore to another device and they were both identical:
TWRP 3.7.0-12 for Sunfish[Testing]
[RECOVERY] TWRP 3.7.0-12 - TeamWin Recovery Project Introduction: Team Win Recovery Project or TWRP for short, is a custom recovery built with ease of use and customization in mind. We started from the ground up by taking AOSP recovery and...
forum.xda-developers.com
*You just need to flash it with a compatible kernel - this guide is a very good how to:
[GUIDE] UNLOCKING, DOWNGRADING TO A10, TWRP, ROOT
Hello, I'm posting this guide for those (like me) who can't do without TWRP on their device. I'm providing only a step-by-step explanation. Credits to @nikamura for his kernel and TWRP...
forum.xda-developers.com

Is there Any beta version for k20Pro/Mi9T which doesn't Require Pc and Other things? Just download Package and install.

Hi,
I'm MadWolF_x. My Question is - Is there Any beta version for k20Pro/Mi9T which doesn't Require Pc and Other things? Just download Package and install.
Not me alone, there are lots and lots of people Asks and Seeks this question.

madwolfbad1 said:
Hi,
I'm MadWolF_x. My Question is - Is there Any beta version for k20Pro/Mi9T which doesn't Require Pc and Other things? Just download Package and install.
Not me alone, there are lots and lots of people Asks and Seeks this question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If there are that many people looking for it and none have found it, then that is quite a bit of evidence that suggests it probably doesn't exist, otherwise, one of you would have found something.
If you are like the rest of us and use mobile devices all the time and you want to be able to flash, update, modify or repair the devices yourself then you need to invest in a PC whether you like it or not. If you do not want to invest in a PC then be prepared to not be able to do these kinds of things with your devices.

Droidriven said:
If there are that many people looking for it and none have found it, then that is quite a bit of evidence that suggests it probably doesn't exist, otherwise, one of you would have found something.
If you are like the rest of us and use mobile devices all the time and you want to be able to flash, update, modify or repair the devices yourself then you need to invest in a PC whether you like it or not. If you do not want to invest in a PC then be prepared to not be able to do these kinds of things with your devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Oh Good God. I just did. And thank you for letting me know that there are * None * how about I create one? Ttyl soon Senior Member

madwolfbad1 said:
Oh Good God. I just did. And thank you for letting me know that there are * None * how about I create one? Ttyl soon Senior Member
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It may out there, who knows? It doesn't hurt to keep looking. As for making your own, as far as I know, there is no way to officially sign whatever you might create in order for it to flash at all via stock recovery, adb sideload or stock system update center.

Droidriven said:
It may out there, who knows? It doesn't hurt to keep looking. As for making your own, as far as I know, there is no way to officially sign whatever you might create in order for it to flash at all via stock recovery, adb sideload or stock system update center.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't get hurt man. As we all own flagships and some of us doesn't like what rom we use. I've been reading threads after threads, doing things my own, sleepless nights, weeks!!!! At some point i thought lets just post something which is most searched.
Reaching Finish line sometimes looks tough but i believe maybe I can. And don't get offended about what i wrote because * Own A Pc * comment made me go nuts. Not everyone knows about xda. They search on YouTube. Instead of reading people chooses to listen. I know how it feels to actually reading what you wrote. Well i should be thankful to those who made me feel bad, cause if i Never felt bad, i would never had any clue about my true potential.
I work alone, i don't have people helping me out. I've never found someone who works more for others, never found someone who can handle mental pressure like i do. And definitely, you will never know with whom you had this conversation \Peace/

madwolfbad1 said:
Don't get hurt man. As we all own flagships and some of us doesn't like what rom we use. I've been reading threads after threads, doing things my own, sleepless nights, weeks!!!! At some point i thought lets just post something which is most searched.
Reaching Finish line sometimes looks tough but i believe maybe I can. And don't get offended about what i wrote because * Own A Pc * comment made me go nuts. Not everyone knows about xda. They search on YouTube. Instead of reading people chooses to listen. I know how it feels to actually reading what you wrote. Well i should be thankful to those who made me feel bad, cause if i Never felt bad, i would never had any clue about my true potential.
I work alone, i don't have people helping me out. I've never found someone who works more for others, never found someone who can handle mental pressure like i do. And definitely, you will never know with whom you had this conversation \Peace/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you unlock your bootloader or is it already unlocked? If either of these is yes then you have a chance if the stock source code for your device is available. If the stock source is available, you might be able to build your own custom recovery and custom ROMs. If the stock source code isn't available then true custom ROMs are out of the question but you could still try making your own modified stock ROMs using your stock ROM as a base then modifying it with elements from other devices that have your exact same CPU architecture/chipset. Or you could port stock ROMs from other similar devices with the same architecture/chipset using your device's stock ROM as a source to convert the other device's ROM to be compatible with your device. Mind you that any part of all of that will require an unlocked bootloader and TWRP custom recovery.
You can also try finding a GSI ROM that is compatible with your device's CPU architecture/chipset but that will also require unlocked bootloader and TWRP.

Well, Thank you
Droidriven said:
Can you unlock your bootloader or is it already unlocked? If either of these is yes then you have a chance if the stock source code for your device is available. If the stock source is available, you might be able to build your own custom recovery and custom ROMs. If the stock source code isn't available then true custom ROMs are out of the question but you could still try making your own modified stock ROMs using your stock ROM as a base then modifying it with elements from other devices that have your exact same CPU architecture/chipset. Or you could port stock ROMs from other similar devices with the same architecture/chipset using your device's stock ROM as a source to convert the other device's ROM to be compatible with your device. Mind you that any part of all of that will require an unlocked bootloader and TWRP custom recovery.
You can also try finding a GSI ROM that is compatible with your device's CPU architecture/chipset but that will also require unlocked bootloader and TWRP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Well thank you. That was helpful. Everyone is trying almost same thing. I'm trying something which is unique and different. Can't say much. Publicly i don't post anything, or write. This post was worth it. Being only a listener is bad which i Realized.
Your an Amazing Person, be Amazing. Will you please leave your personal email address? Thanks

The struggle... (64 bit recovery porting)

I've got the Oukitel WP16 which a 64 bit and has an octa-core MediaTek Helio P60 MT6771V on Android 11. Actually a pretty decent rugged phone. Originally tried to root it through fastboot and bricked it about 2 weeks after getting it. For the life of me, I couldn't bring it back to life. Finally after 4 months of it just sitting in a drawer, I went about flashing it to bring it back to life a little differently than I was before and it stuck. Very thankful that it was working again because in those months I had destroyed 3 of your average break if you touch them phones. However me being me, getting it going again wasn't enough. So I gave rooting it a try again. Got it! Rooted with Magisk. Now because I have one of those devices I believe is under rated and under developed, I can't find any kind of development done on it whatsoever and want to build/port TWRP so I'm able to try a GSI ROM. My problem is that every tutorial I read or watch has nothing like what is my stock ROM. Either names of files are different or I find the files in other folders, I've got more folders than what I'm trying to port, and, I would need to double check again, but I wanna say that I've even found them in different partitions. So my question is, what do I do? Like fstab is not in the recovery but in something else. That something else that has fstab in it, my port doesn't have that folder at all. And there are others like that. I've tried several, I repeat SEVERAL different tutorials and cannot figure out what to do. I know it's beyond the capabilities of the tool, but I even tried one of those Hovatek port tools. Obviously didn't work because of the kernel. So to say I'm lost is an understatement. This isn't the first phone I've tried this with. Had another 64 bit with the same chipset that actually had a unofficial TWRP built for it. But when it came to try to port a ROM, I was left with files in different folders and things that weren't in the ROM i was trying to port. I eventually just have up because I kind of had to since scuba diving with the phone here in the Mexican Caribbean finally took it's toll on the phones external hardware. But yeah, back to my only question. What do I do in this situation? I'm mainly concerned about it because this WP16 has a night vision camera on it which I use quite often and don't want to lose that. Recovery has nothing to do with the camera but the ROM I'd like to port will. So figuring out what to do with the recovery could eventually lead me to my answer with the ROM. Anyway, kind of a long winded explanation just to get to what may seem like a simple question to some. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

finnroth69 said:
I've got the Oukitel WP16 which a 64 bit and has an octa-core MediaTek Helio P60 MT6771V on Android 11. Actually a pretty decent rugged phone. Originally tried to root it through fastboot and bricked it about 2 weeks after getting it. For the life of me, I couldn't bring it back to life. Finally after 4 months of it just sitting in a drawer, I went about flashing it to bring it back to life a little differently than I was before and it stuck. Very thankful that it was working again because in those months I had destroyed 3 of your average break if you touch them phones. However me being me, getting it going again wasn't enough. So I gave rooting it a try again. Got it! Rooted with Magisk. Now because I have one of those devices I believe is under rated and under developed, I can't find any kind of development done on it whatsoever and want to build/port TWRP so I'm able to try a GSI ROM. My problem is that every tutorial I read or watch has nothing like what is my stock ROM. Either names of files are different or I find the files in other folders, I've got more folders than what I'm trying to port, and, I would need to double check again, but I wanna say that I've even found them in different partitions. So my question is, what do I do? Like fstab is not in the recovery but in something else. That something else that has fstab in it, my port doesn't have that folder at all. And there are others like that. I've tried several, I repeat SEVERAL different tutorials and cannot figure out what to do. I know it's beyond the capabilities of the tool, but I even tried one of those Hovatek port tools. Obviously didn't work because of the kernel. So to say I'm lost is an understatement. This isn't the first phone I've tried this with. Had another 64 bit with the same chipset that actually had a unofficial TWRP built for it. But when it came to try to port a ROM, I was left with files in different folders and things that weren't in the ROM i was trying to port. I eventually just have up because I kind of had to since scuba diving with the phone here in the Mexican Caribbean finally took it's toll on the phones external hardware. But yeah, back to my only question. What do I do in this situation? I'm mainly concerned about it because this WP16 has a night vision camera on it which I use quite often and don't want to lose that. Recovery has nothing to do with the camera but the ROM I'd like to port will. So figuring out what to do with the recovery could eventually lead me to my answer with the ROM. Anyway, kind of a long winded explanation just to get to what may seem like a simple question to some. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your device already have TWRP [Firmware version: OUKITEL_WP16_RU_V04_20220621 ] but you not need Custom Recovery for install GSI. Use stock recovery.
About GSI with a night vision camera support so is much expensive solving that. You can try but need very experience and patience of the tests and solutions.

lopestom said:
Seriously? Thank you! I'm guessing the link is gonna be in 4pda being that it's Russian? I've spent a month searching and haven't found anything whatsoever. And since I don't read Russian, I always overlook 4pda even though it's been a great resource in the past. And yes, I'm aware you don't "need" custom recovery for GSI's. It does make things a little easier for me though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

The recovery issue will be solved since there is a recovery out there. That still doesn't solve the mystery and problem i have of files being in different places though. In that case what do I do if the files isn't in the same place in the port as it is in the stock, or the other way around? Add the stock file to the same folder it is in for the port? Or should I make a new folder in the port that's name is the same as in the stock? If neither, what do I do?

finnroth69 said:
Seriously? Thank you! I'm guessing the link is gonna be in 4pda being that it's Russian? I've spent a month searching and haven't found anything whatsoever. And since I don't read Russian, I always overlook 4pda even though it's been a great resource in the past. And yes, I'm aware you don't "need" custom recovery for GSI's. It does make things a little easier for me though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No! Search my repository in the github in the release option.
finnroth69 said:
The recovery issue will be solved since there is a recovery out there. That still doesn't solve the mystery and problem i have of files being in different places though. In that case what do I do if the files isn't in the same place in the port as it is in the stock, or the other way around? Add the stock file to the same folder it is in for the port? Or should I make a new folder in the port that's name is the same as in the stock? If neither, what do I do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I wrote before, it is very difficult to solve issues like the original stock ROM camera. There are even one or two people who managed to get this to work.
Now what you don't understand: If you want a Custom ROM, use GSI and adapt, solve, analyze and test by changing some stock ROM files in GSI. You must understand that you need experience and time. You can even compile a Custom ROM - any GSI - specifically for your device. So you just need to have the source code of your device, have the GSI source code and know how to compile the file so that you can do the tests. Again, you must understand that you need experience and time.
If you haven't researched what is GSI and still think that Custom ROMs portability that happened before until Android 7.1 then look, read and update yourself.
In your questions, be as detailed as possible. You write a lot of parts and you scramble the words.
As for having GSI normally I already wrote where there is an instruction to install and you follow. As for TWRP, look it up on my github.
As for solving something in the GSI, if you managed to install it and still used the phh options to try to fix any bad part, then it is only you who will be able to solve any error/adaptation/bug/extra installations that there.

Trust me when I say I understand what you're saying. I have done some testing I have watched tutorials, I have studied. but everything that I have seen is basically switching a file from a folder on the stock ROM to a folder in the ported ROM with the same name as what's in the stock ROM, and possibly adding a little script to something. What I'm trying to figure out is what I asked. Fstab is not in recovery on my phone's stock ROM. It is in something else. But fstab is in and a part of recovery for TWRP. So even though there might be a TWRP for my phone doesn't help me to know if I should be creating that same folder that's in my stock ROM in the ported one for fstab or other files that are like it. I have downloaded the TWRP from your profile and I've gone to the 4pda and discovered that you're the dev who ported it with and without encryption. Nice work and thank you! I would like to move beyond being a flash baby though. So I'm simply trying asking that one specific question to help me learn because it is something I am lost on. Whether it is to port recovery, port a ROM, or whatever, I don't know what to do when the location of the files I need to port from the stock aren't matching with the with the location of the files in the port itself. Fstab is just one example. I'm gonna send you a friend request. Later when I fire up my laptop, I'll take screenshots to physically show you exactly what I mean. Please be patient and don't get upset at me for trying to learn. As well as please take your time in responding. It's no rush since I've got a business to run and this is something I'm trying to teach myself on the side. It really is something I'm lost on, and if I'm lost on it, how many others has it confused as well?

As for the camera app issue. We can forget I asked that also. I understand completely what you're saying about it being far beyond my reach right now. Thank you for the heads up on that.

Mr. Lopestom can you please help me with your recovery images? I cannot seem to get any of them to boot. I've tried the with script found on 4pda, without that script, I've tried flashing an empty vbmeta, but nothing is getting the images to boot. See attachment for script I'm talking about. Attachment only shows me running it, but I have tried without.

What sense does it make to flash an empty VBMETA ? You typically pull the existing VBMETA and pass this file to Fastboot what rewrites 2 bytes in that file.

finnroth69 said:
Mr. Lopestom can you please help me with your recovery images? I cannot seem to get any of them to boot. I've tried the with script found on 4pda, without that script, I've tried flashing an empty vbmeta, but nothing is getting the images to boot. See attachment for script I'm talking about. Attachment only shows me running it, but I have tried without.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is not in the vbmeta file. You can use this one if you can: Post in thread 'Looking for a walkthrough on installing a custom ROM on a BLU G90 PRO' https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...om-rom-on-a-blu-g90-pro.4253737/post-85180967
The big fact is that the company put a recovery.img stock file inside /vendor/etc/ and you should know how to deal with it. So only removing this recovery.img and repacking modified vendor.img made by u; install that in your device so you can have TWRP.

jwoegerbauer said:
What sense does it make to flash an empty VBMETA ? You typically pull the existing VBMETA and pass this file to Fastboot what rewrites 2 bytes in that file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure to be honest with you. Like I told lopestom, I'm just trying to teach myself as I can in my free time. A lot of what I do is imitate what I see or read. While reading post about flashing twrp i had read something about flashing an empty vbmeta file.