DEPRECATED
This firmware is old and deprecated.
See the below link for new firmware and a better root method.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s8/development/root-partcyborgrom-aqi6-deodexed-t3702988
You can just flash the BL_ tarball if you don't want to install a new system
but want the better screen and modem drivers.
PART 2: FIRMWARE RELOADED
I have done extensive research into the issues reported by those of you who are still experiencing screen issues.
I was unable to reproduce the screen issue on my then-current firmware with this update.
Not being content to leave people with buggy screens, I learned as much as I could about the s8 firmware.
This is what I did with that information.
Flashable Custom Firmware Package For ALL SM-G950U/U1 ON US CARRIERS
If you have a non-us G950U and want to install this pm me or ask in the thread and ill make one. Its very simple but I wanted to get this out to everyone else ASAP
NOTICE!
This an UPDATE (and More) to the Green/Garbled Screen Issue firmware.
There is NEW firmware to download below, and everyone who is rooted should read on, even if you installed the previous version.
Background
At the core of the issue with the garbled screen, modem panics, and sd card issues are two central themes: Bugs, and Incompatibilities. The S8 family of phones was fraught with issues early in its release, including the infamous "Red Tint', Fingerprint scanner malfunctions, mysteriously poor battery life, and surely a bunch of smaller others. Many of these bugs were caused by issues in the device's underlying firmware. Like most devices, Samsung has worked to fix these bugs and improve device performance throughout the phones lifetime for sale in public.
Root Bugs
The problem was unfortunately worse for users of one of the rooting methods for the S8. The biggest reason for this is that in order to relax security constraints enough to make rooting possible, a "non-user oriented", "factory" combination firmware was used. This firmware, being designed apparently for configuration/repair processes inside a factory, was not tuned to the normal level as the public firmware, likely did not go through the same testing, and ultimately any bugs unique to this "Combination" firmware that did not directly affect basic functionality or also stock were probably largely initially ignored.
This is where most of the issues that you all have had come from.
Finding a Solution
As I was unable to reproduce the issue on my device without resorting to the original firmware shipped out with the root method I used, I decided to think about what made my device different than the other devices reporting these issues. While sure we may have slightly varying hardware and that may contribute to these issues as well. What I am absolutely certain of is that most of us have different releases of software from each other. Not only have people essentially ad-hoc upgraded from the original firmware they rooted with until now, many have not upgraded at all or, only partially upgraded (such as with the pervious version of this).
While I could have simply packaged up my firmware/bootloader flashfire backup, I decided to take it a step further.
THE GOODS
Without further ado, I present to you:
S8Root Improved: A SM-G950U1 Custom Firmware Package for Root Users
This package contains a custom mix of the latest AQH3 STOCK (not combination) firmware used wherever possible with the Necessary boot/kernel images from the combination firmware necessary to keep root working with permissive SELinux. It contains all of the improvements from the previous version, and many more.
RESULTS
I can only speak for myself, but the results I experienced were amazing:
- Better UI Responsiveness.
Things surprise me how they move
- Sharper/brighter screen colors
I thought it couldn't get better than the last version but it has! Everything just looks crisper and are super bright without being oversaturated like with the Adaptie Mode.
- POSSIBLY Improved LTE network connectivity.
Note I said POSSIBLY. I personally regularly experienced 8-10Mb/s download bumps and 2-3Mb/s upload bumps in LTE while moving back and forth from this new firmware. I have my LTE radio locked to a specific channel (there are two i pick up at my place and one is terrible) and I carefully measured -107 to -112 dBm RSRP and -13 to -14 dB RSRQ prior to each measurement. I almost left this out but I figured it would be better to give you the information with no conclusion either way. It ABSOLUTELY could be Atmospheric changes, Traffic level changes, or any other of a million thins. YMMV
- Could POTENTIALLY still any remaining fix long-standing SDCard issues
I did not experience this, but had a few reports from users that did. The same pieces used in that version that would touch SDcard usage are used here, so that fix/improvement will carry over.
DISCLAIMER
Unfortunately proving beyond any shadow of a doubt that this package fixes the issue was impossible . I have TRIED AND TRIED AND TRIED to trigger the screen issues, including tweaking on and off every setting (auto brightness, multiple DPIs, different graphs modes, etc) I could get my hands on and it just was not happening. I used every software/systems trick I could think of to break this again, and I was completely unable to tickle the bug on this firmware, despite being able to reliably trigger it almost on command using my previous firmware.
The only thing left to do is either:
- Get the source from samsung, fix the bug myself, and get them to sign my new kernel image with their key so our locked bootloaders would allow it (HAHA I DOUBT IT)
- Acquire a large fleet of S8s (and S8+s) to run distributed integration testing (like the kind Android use at Google). Well if someone wants to buy me a few dozen s8s and s8+s (each) sure I'll take a month off work and squash this, but otherwise not gonna happen either.
If it STILL happens for you, I'm sorry.
I have done everything I can think of, and if it happens to you and you have suggestions, I'm all ears.
BUT HEY, but this is XDA right? Land of mods like Xposed which will brick one persons device and work flawlessly on the identical one next to it. And we love Xposed don't we?
Despite absolutely hilarious comments to the contrary, this package absolutely meets the (aka "BugFix") as well as just about any android update ever does, given the wide variety of environments, usecases and software configurations out there. I surely hope that this works for you.
Instructions
1) Download the package from the link above.
- Here it is Again for good measure.
2) Reboot into download mode and flash using Comsy Odin
Thats it! I packaged this in a way to make the process as smooth as possible.
There is NO reinstall, NO wipe of any kind, nor ANY further work on your part needed to install and use this.
The file size is small so the download is fast, and again, there is NO WIPE or config change needed.
if (for some inexplicable reason) you want to roll back, or go to 100% stock sans root, that process should not be made any more difficult as well.
Legacy Information
If you were here before and either looked at or downloaded the previous version, AND YOU HAVE NO QUESTIONS you can skip this part.
If you have questions, please read through to the end of the post before asking them, as I tried to answer as many as I could before hand and all of this information still applies.
WHAT IT IS NOT:
I wanted to outline a few things it is NOT about, to make a valliant effort to stem off the flow of questions before they begin (ha!):
NOT: A new Stock ROM for Your Phone
THIS IS NOT A FULL OS BUILD! DO NOT DOWNLOAD THE WHOLE THING AND FLASH IT EXPECTING AN ENTIRELY UPGRADED OS.
There is no full stock AQI1 image I have found. Believe me I looked a bunch of places after I found it
NOT: Oreo Early Preview
Given the predictions that the next release from Samsung would likely be Oreo, there was some initial over excitement. This wound up being NOT the case and if you read at least current Samsung Oreo projections they are predicting AQB now.
NOT: A Fix for the 80% Battery Issue
I know this is completely futile to hope for but:
THIS DOES NOT FIX THE 80% BATTERY ISSUE!!!!
NO WE DO NOT HAVE A FIX FOR THAT OR ONE COMING ANY TIME SOON!
YES SOME PEOPLE ARE STILL TRYING!
PLEASE DO NOT ASK! OFF TOPIC FOR THS THREAD
NOT: Currently Tested by ANYONE but ME
Since the moment I installed this I have not had ONE SINGLE screen issue, where previously I would have them several times throughout the day (at least 3 sometimes upwards of 6). For the case of ME and MY device, I am confident in declaring that this boot ROM does not have the same kernel bug that was causing the issue on the boot.img provided as part of your traditional root method.
NOTE: This is for the s8 G950 US Snapdragon models ONLY! Do NOT Flash this on your exynos, your Chinese/HK S8, your N8, your MOTO RAZR flip phone, whatever else you have. Kernels/boot.img files are very device specific and you will surely break it if not completely brick it.
DISCLAIMER:
YOUR WARRANTY IS ALREADY VOID if you are paying attention and are doing this to fix bugs with the existing sampwnd root.
HOWEVER IT IS EVEN VOIDER NOW. FLASH THUS TO YOUR DEVICE AT YOUR OWN RISK!
and if you break it I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE! FLASH AT YOUR OWN RISK!
As I said I have not tested this anywhere but my phone as I dont have any other s8s nor do I have access to any locally. I hope it works for you as well as it has for me.
STEPS
Download Boot Image
Use the URL here to Download the AQI1 boot.img file: Go Download the New Hotness
Prepare Phone for Flashing in FlashFire
If you did not download it on your phone, copy it somewhere FlashFire can see it.
Flash it
Open up FlashFire
Hit the "+" button
Select the "Flash Firmware Package" option, NOT the "Flash Zip or OTA" option!
You should see a popup window thing that has a checkbox next to the word BOOT, with "boot.img, 22MiB" underneath.
Make sure the checkbox is checked.
Make sure that it says BOOT above boot.img.
I have no idea if its possible for this to get messed up, but BOOT implies flashing the BOOT partition so if it says something else you are headed towards brick town, abort immediately.
Press the Check mark at the top right corner once you have confirmed the two things above.
MAKE SURE EVER ROOT IS DISABLED!!!
Click on the "Reboot" box, and choose "Recovery". MAKE SURE PRESERVE RECOVERY IS NOT CHECKED!
Back at the main menu, click the lightening bolt next to the word FLASH. Confirm.
Wait for FlashFire to do its thing. Sometimes it takes a minute for FF to wake up and start flashing. Occasionally for me it never happens, if this happens DO NOT PANIC ITS FINE. Hold down power+volDown until you eventually wind up in upload mode, then just reboot normally and everything will come back fine.
When FlashFire finishes (it will go really fast, the image is only 22MB we arent flashing a 5GB system here), it will auto-reboot your device into the recovery men
Select Wipe Cache and Confirm
This will wipe cache which is fine and safe. Again maybe not needed, feel free to skip if you know what you are doing. If you mess up and accidentally click factory reset instead, please tell me so I can laugh at you.
Reboot into a Clear New World
Select reboot and boot the system normally. If you formatted the cache partition above, it will take a little longer to start your phone. This is just the first time per normal.
Thats it! Welcome to the world of clear screens and bright colors. It could be a total placebo effect but I actually think this kernel drives the display better sometimes.
Please let me know what you think, and if this works for you. I wi;; be here for a while to answer questions or fix anything i typoed above or whatever.
FYI: A s8+ thread is coming too, as I sprung for purchasing both downloads to be an equal opportunity XDAer (at least with US flagship Samsung devices lol) but since I have an s8 and thus had the files locally already I made this one first
@jhofseth for nerding out with me the last few nights on trying crazy **** to get a bootloader unlock which prompted me to dig at this in the first place
Most of all, all of the tons of you who have made so many aewesome mods, themes, apps, what have you that I use every day and that make me enjoy my device all the more. I could not be happier to have the opportunity to give back a little.
Here is the restof the s8 combo firm if you are interested, but don't just flash this as its not a full OS:
EDIT: DOWNLOAD THE NEW ONE ABOVE
Can I Get The Link To The S8+ Boot im willing to try it
Mark805 said:
Can I Get The Link To The S8+ Boot im willing to try it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Coming very soon I promise! 10m max
Ok thanks
Mark805 said:
Can I Get The Link To The S8+ Boot im willing to try it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its up now! https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...sampwnd-root-green-screen-corruption-t3673815
whats the bootloader verison? it can be found by booting into download mode manually.
Cameron581 said:
whats the bootloader verison? it can be found by booting into download mode manually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This isn't a bootloader change, it's boot.img which is the kernel and root filesystem essentially
Hey, btw this does not void warranty. I understand it's a standard disclaimer but it doesn't void it. It doesn't trip knox, so warranty is still very intact.
mweinbach said:
Hey, btw this does not void warranty. I understand it's a standard disclaimer but it doesn't void it. It doesn't trip knox, so warranty is still very intact.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uh just because their service does not catch you does not mean that technically you are not violating your warranty contract thus making using technically illegal
That would be like saying "it's not murder if you leave no forensics!" Lol
wildermjs8 said:
Uh just because their service does not catch you does not mean that technically you are not violating your warranty contract thus making using technically illegal
That would be like saying "it's not murder if you leave no forensics!" Lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i mean legally a warranty can not be void through software modifications unless it causes physical damage to the device. Since the efuse was not tripped no physical damage has been caused and no warranties have legally been void.
I had the green screen/graphics corruption after flashing this still...
goliath714 said:
I had the green screen/graphics corruption after flashing this still...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apparently this happens to some people. I am fairly certain it is a firmware combination issue but I haven't been able to track it down. One thing you can do to eliminate it if you have the issue still (please let me know if this does not work) is to disable auto brightness.
wildermjs8 said:
Apparently this happens to some people. I am fairly certain it is a firmware combination issue but I haven't been able to track it down. One thing you can do to eliminate it if you have the issue still (please let me know if this does not work) is to disable auto brightness.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have auto brightness off and still get it here and there.
goliath714 said:
I had the green screen/graphics corruption after flashing this still...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please check out the OP again and download/flash the new version. Rather than just a few files, its a whole new entire bootloader/kernel package that I assembled piece by piece to have as much latest stock firmware as possible while maintaining what we need for root.
My primary suspect for why some people experience this regression is having older parts of their system. Rather than push everyone to upgrade, I made a painless upgrade process for all of their firmware instead
This includes the Radio drivers and bootloaders, kernels and flash layer libraries. Its all either latest stock or its AQI1 Combination because it was absolutely necessary.
wildermjs8 said:
Please check out the OP again and download/flash the new version. Rather than just a few files, its a whole new entire bootloader/kernel package that I assembled piece by piece to have as much latest stock firmware as possible while maintaining what we need for root.
My primary suspect for why some people experience this regression is having older parts of their system. Rather than push everyone to upgrade, I made a painless upgrade process for all of their firmware instead
This includes the Radio drivers and bootloaders, kernels and flash layer libraries. Its all either latest stock or its AQI1 Combination because it was absolutely necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We flash the tar in the AP slot correct?
CloudyxVision13 said:
We flash the tar in the AP slot correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep
---------- Post added at 08:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:28 PM ----------
Seems to be running better to me. Thanks bro
CloudyxVision13 said:
We flash the tar in the AP slot correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It actually does not matter, as Odin will do the right thing no matter what.
Sorry I should have made that clear. I will update the op to make that clear
Just wanna make sure of something. First, I flash the first download files through modded doin, then afterwards, flash the second file in ff?
AngelIsL33T said:
Just wanna make sure of something. First, I flash the first download files through modded doin, then afterwards, flash the second file in ff?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, only need the tar file bud. The old boot.img file is just basically the previous version of this.
AngelIsL33T said:
Just wanna make sure of something. First, I flash the first download files through modded doin, then afterwards, flash the second file in ff?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The old image is actually part of the new tar, do you will have it anyway . I packaged it in Odin this time because there are some pieces of firmware FF either can't or warns against using it for. Plus one clean simple tar seemed easier, no?
Do you see the boot.img in the op? I thought I nixed all the instances of the link but I may have missed one.
I almost rewrote all the old text to reflect now but it felt like editing history so I tried to preserve what made the most sense still. It sounds like it's still a little confusing sobrskr another crack at it shortly.
Please let me know if you have any trouble! I'll be here to help all evening
Related
Hi,
I have finally received my replacement watch. (yay)
I was so discouraged after waiting 3 months to get it that I sort of fell out of the loop on what's been going on in the community.
The watch I got has the following:
(when I got to OTA) - truesmart-20140801-1006
Under About:
Android 4.2.2
Kernel - 3.4.5
OUI 2.1
Build - Omate_Truesmart_20140801.10312_v2.0
So,
Do I need to update anything?
How do I ROOT this version as what I did with my previous watch doesn't seem to work anymore.
Any suggestions for next steps or apps/things to load?
I tried going through all the old threads but there seems (to me at least) a lot of info that is no longer relavant or doesn't pertain to what I have now... I am just trying to make sure I am on the right path as I don't want to screw this watch up like the last one.
Much appreciated.
D.
what I would do
**** DO THE LAST PART OF THIS POST FIRST ***
Build - Omate_Truesmart_20140801.10312_v2.0
### First time I have seen this date on a firmware
Do I need to update anything?
### Look like you have newest firmware already
How do I ROOT this version as what I did with my previous watch doesn't seem to work anymore.
### Not sure since you have newer firmware but if it is like older versions you are sorta rooted now. If this true then all you need to do is push SU and BusyBox via ADB and set permissions. Then install SuperSU or one of the other GUI level root managers.
Any suggestions for next steps or apps/things to load?
### My touchscreen is bad and my watch is unusable but in the couple weeks I got to play with it I found that NOVA launcher + Swipe Status bar to a better desktop than the stock launcher. Google MyTracks worked great for logging walks / trips and even logged while the screen was off.
I tried going through all the old threads but there seems (to me at least) a lot of info that is no longer relavant or doesn't pertain to what I have now... I am just trying to make sure I am on the right path as I don't want to screw this watch up like the last one.
### Given your newer firmware you might just be blazing a new trail. I would find/Download the ALLTOOLS kit that Lokifish put together if you can find it. Then use MtkDroidTools to make a backup of your firmware (then share that with the rest of us, please) and your device IDs just in case. In fact I would do this first before anything else.
DO THIS LAST BIT FIRST ^^^^ !!!!
Also I don't think TWRP recovery is working for firmware 5/27/14 or newer so...
Good Luck!
walscobry said:
Also I don't think TWRP recovery is working for firmware 5/27/14 or newer so...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Daniel Ortiz (with Dees Troy) fixed TWRP for "May list #4" and later with new TWRP. (In post on July 9 on G+.)
Not sure how to tell the difference with new eemc. The scatter file is different, but you need a reference...
https://plus.google.com/111628072657804333818/posts/bVRd9aDvBwm
I'd be happy to do a dump of this firmware if it is newer than what people have.
Walk me through it and I will take care of it.
D.
thanks for the may info
Well that did lead me to the may twrp that I have been looking for but it does not work. By that I mean it only sees the boot partition and also when exiting exclaims that no rom is present. I don't think it is full aware of the partition layout of my 5/27/14 firmware after OTA update. But exiting does return the TS to normal so not much harm done in trying.
As for a walk thru. Using the MtkDroidTools is fairly read whats on screen and proceed carefully. But I will refresh myself with it and try to be ready for more questions.
FYI while in TWRP I did not get the constant screen touching and dragging from the lower right corner like I do when booted into the full OS. Some people have mentioned static. I think it might be what us HAM radio guys call getting RF back into the system. In TWRP I am guessing all radios (cell, wifi, BT) off so no RF getting into the touch controller cable. I wonder if I open it up and see if there is someplace to insert a little RF blocking foil near that cable. This might have been a fruitful try even if I still have no recovery.
Also I was asking to share the backup of your firmware only. DO not share your Device ID / IMEI numbers!
So following Davey126's advice, I started looking into doing a rollback on my apollo 3.2.5. I managed to get the play store up and running after some work, and grabbed the latest prop editor following the instructions in http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2782159 So far so good. I then edited the four lines in question, and allowed the device to reboot.
The changes didn't seem to take. After the reboot I ended up on the same version as where I started, and the four lines I changed were back to their unedited versions. Since I have run into a problem with r/w permissions before, I suspect I'm missing them here as well - but I haven't seen the thread/entry on how to change those. Any help would be appreciated.
If, those aren't the issue, then I'm lost again.
begalund said:
So following Davey126's advice, I started looking into doing a rollback on my apollo 3.2.5. I managed to get the play store up and running after some work, and grabbed the latest prop editor following the instructions in http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2782159 So far so good. I then edited the four lines in question, and allowed the device to reboot.
The changes didn't seem to take. After the reboot I ended up on the same version as where I started, and the four lines I changed were back to their unedited versions. Since I have run into a problem with r/w permissions before, I suspect I'm missing them here as well - but I haven't seen the thread/entry on how to change those. Any help would be appreciated.
If, those aren't the issue, then I'm lost again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stop!! You are following the wrong procedure and could brick your device! Don't reboot again. I will post further info shortly (on a call at the moment...).
EDIT: Sorry for the earlier drama; you were headed for a cliff ...
Recheck the guide (post #1) from the thread you linked. Note there are two sections: One for devices below 3.2.5 and a second for 3.2.5-3.26. You want the second section. There is no need to mess with build prop. You should immediately restore that file to its previous state (hopefully you have/made a backup). Then follow the rest of the instructions. Again, sorry for sounding like an alarmist worry wort. A quick check of the forums will surface many hdx carcases in the sad hands of those who didn't follow instructions or made simple mistakes (we all make mistakes).
Davey126 said:
Stop!! You are following the wrong procedure and could brick your device! Don't reboot again. I will post further info shortly (on a call at the moment...).
EDIT: Sorry for the earlier drama; you were headed for a cliff ...
Recheck the guide (post #1) from the thread you linked. Note there are two sections: One for devices below 3.2.5 and a second for 3.2.5-3.26. You want the second section. There is no need to mess with build prop. You should immediately restore that file to its previous state (hopefully you have/made a backup). Then follow the rest of the instructions. Again, sorry for sounding like an alarmist worry wort. A quick check of the forums will surface many hdx carcases in the sad hands of those who didn't follow instructions or made simple mistakes (we all make mistakes).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No worries!
1. Yes, I had a backup.
2. Nothing got broken, so everything is peachy.
3. The way that post is written, there is absolutely no easy way to tell (for the average user) that you still don't edit the file with build prop. All it appears is that you need a different roll back file for 3.2.5 and 3.2.6 variants instead of the earlier versions.
Someone should likely edit that post - or at least add something to it to make it more clear. I know I read every entry in that thread and I never caught anything that told me "hey, you are on one of these two versions. Skip the build prop step and just push the update. it'll work fine from there."
However, I thank you for the added information. I'll give it a whirl and see if that works. It would be nice to get beyond at least point C so I can get to the steps I want to do. I keep getting stuck at the point just before where things get nice.
begalund said:
No worries!
Nothing got broken, so everything is peachy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad nothing got busted!
begalund said:
Someone should likely edit that post - or at least add something to it to make it more clear. I know I read every entry in that thread and I never caught anything that told me "hey, you are on one of these two versions. Skip the build prop step and just push the update. it'll work fine from there."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's an old post created before 3.2.5+ was released. I do not know if the OP is still around. As many others have commented the hdx forums are generally a mess (with a few notable exceptions) as the landscape is continually changing. No one has the time/energy to create and validate step-by-step guides given the number of permutations/combinations and high risk of bad outcomes given a touchy device with limited recovery options...especially for those who can't install twrp and/or unlock their bootloader.
Note to newbies: Many tinkerers come to these forums thinking all the cautions are the byproduct of excessive hand wringers blowing smoke out of a certain orifice. Hey, if I create a brick I'll just whip out my magical fastboot cable, arsenal of fastboot commands and make everything right again. Err, no. Fastboot cables don't work on the HDX nor to most other recovery techniques. Tread carefully...respect the kindle. Rewards will come soon enough.
Hey, already pushed the thank you, for all of your help, but I've got one more fundamental question that might seem kind of stupid, but what exactly does this mean?
"4. Put "update-kindle-1X.3.1.0_user_310079820.bin" in SAME folder,
. . . . .
7. put update-kindle-1X.3.1.0_user_310079820.bin" in internal storage."
I skipped steps 5 and 6, because they make sense to me. But step 4 loses me. which "same" folder? None of the previous steps mention anything about a folder where anything is being stored. Likely this is referring back to that same previous post you referenced above.
I have no trouble with step 7 - that makes sense - but I'm suddenly worried about this mysterious step 4, especially since "SAME" is in all caps.
begalund said:
Hey, already pushed the thank you, for all of your help, but I've got one more fundamental question that might seem kind of stupid, but what exactly does this mean?
"4. Put "update-kindle-1X.3.1.0_user_310079820.bin" in SAME folder,
. . . . .
7. put update-kindle-1X.3.1.0_user_310079820.bin" in internal storage."
I skipped steps 5 and 6, because they make sense to me. But step 4 loses me. which "same" folder? None of the previous steps mention anything about a folder where anything is being stored. Likely this is referring back to that same previous post you referenced above.
I have no trouble with step 7 - that makes sense - but I'm suddenly worried about this mysterious step 4, especially since "SAME" is in all caps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tanks for the thanks. As a new comer I struggled a bit and got help from some kind souls in these forums. Giving back ...
It is a tethered operation as you probably gathered. Step 4 means you need to put the .bin file in the same folder on Windows where install.bat lives. If you edit the batch file you'll see it generates a signed flashable image from the bin file and then issues a bunch of adb commands on your behalf. For Step 7 copy the bin file to root (not sdcard) on your hdx. Then reboot.
Footnotes:
- when you download the batch file be sure to use the blue "download now" button. Filename should be "rollback.zip" .The orange button yields an executable called "rollback.zip.exe". Probably fine but since I can't see into it can't tell for sure. Also, make sure to download the file appropriate for your device (7"/Thor or 8.9"/Apollo).
- be sure to immediately disable wifi after performing the update; otherwise Amazon may push a nasty update of their own. As a precaution I would advise deleting all existing wifi profiles and make sure you are not within range of an open hotspot. Don't want the Kindle to auto connect and update while you are sleeping.
- I would strongly recommend flashing twrp immediately after, test and backup of you stock rom from within twrp. Leave the image on your kindle if you have room.
- Once everything is working to your satisfaction flash the nexus rom (v2.0.5) and optionally the 3.2.3 bootloader update as described in earlier posts. Read up on any caveats.
- (optional) Unlock your bootloader. This not necessary to run Nexus and CM11 but is for some CM12 builds. An unlocked bootloader also opens additional recovery options should you loose twrp. That said, unlocking the bootloader is not for the faint of heart and carries its own set of risks.
Davey126 said:
For Step 7 copy the bin file to root (not sdcard) on your hdx. Then reboot.
- be sure to immediately disable wifi after performing the update; otherwise Amazon may push a nasty update of their own. As a precaution I would advise deleting all existing wifi profiles and make sure you are not within range of an open hotspot. Don't want the Kindle to auto connect and update while you are sleeping.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay. New headaches.
First part of the rollback happened. I'm now on 14.3.0.0. That worked okay. I grabbed the 14.3.1.0 update and loaded it on but then nothing happened. No further updates.
At this point I figure 1 of 3 things happened. Either:
A. I put it in the wrong place - I stuck it in Internal Storage (/storage/emulated/0), I would move it to either / or /root, but I can't - "no space available" error when I attempt to move it via es file explorer
B. I could keep turning OTA off and on and hope it eventually takes, but how many times exactly?
or C. I'm missing something with wireless needing to be on (or off but in some weird mode) or whatever. I'm just worried about having an automatic update to another newer version that I can't fix.
So what am I missing?
begalund said:
Okay. New headaches.
First part of the rollback happened. I'm now on 14.3.0.0. That worked okay. I grabbed the 14.3.1.0 update and loaded it on but then nothing happened. No further updates.
At this point I figure 1 of 3 things happened. Either:
A. I put it in the wrong place - I stuck it in Internal Storage (/storage/emulated/0), I would move it to either / or /root, but I can't - "no space available" error when I attempt to move it via es file explorer
B. I could keep turning OTA off and on and hope it eventually takes, but how many times exactly?
or C. I'm missing something with wireless needing to be on (or off but in some weird mode) or whatever. I'm just worried about having an automatic update to another newer version that I can't fix.
So what am I missing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hum. Everything seems ok. Bin file is in the correct location (/storage/emulated/0). Make sure OTA is enabled using the same tool/technique you originally used to disable (there are several methods) and reboot. Some posters claim they had to toggle it on/off a few times. While my device recognized the update fairly quickly (minutes) others mentioned it took a while. Keep checking settings->device->system updates. Some say the update did not take until WiFi was disabled. Might want to try that first. I recall seeing something about airplane mode but can't immediately find the post.
btw, you can mitigate the automatic update risk by making sure there are NO WiFi profiles on your device and you are not in range of any open hotspots (if possible).
Well, still no dice.
I've reset OTA (cycled off then on) and rebooted about 10 times now. I've also attempted various options of wifi on, off, and in airplane mode. The only thing I haven't done is connected to an actual network and pushed the check now button (I'm not quite that dumb). The lovely device just keeps taunting me with 14.3.0.0 and refusing to do anything else.
Very frustrating.
I'm gonna head for bed and look at it fresh sometime tomorrow. Maybe it will miraculously fix itself while I ignore it (but I really doubt that will be the case).
begalund said:
Well, still no dice.
I've reset OTA (cycled off then on) and rebooted about 10 times now. I've also attempted various options of wifi on, off, and in airplane mode. The only thing I haven't done is connected to an actual network and pushed the check now button (I'm not quite that dumb). The lovely device just keeps taunting me with 14.3.0.0 and refusing to do anything else.
Very frustrating.
I'm gonna head for bed and look at it fresh sometime tomorrow. Maybe it will miraculously fix itself while I ignore it (but I really doubt that will be the case).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for your troubles. One or more of the following are likely culprits:
- OTA capability not fully restored (try HDX Toolkit if you haven't already)
- ensure the .bin file name matches exactly and is located in the proper folder
- Verify .bin MD5 on the device (use a tool like hash droid) MD5=0F2BC5278C057E7A6B4823B0F68D0727
- use notepad to view the batch file; make sure all the files made it to respective directories on your HDX
- repeat the preliminary steps with your device tethered
If everything checks out then the real fun begins. You'll need to comb threads for others who have experienced a similar problem. You are looking for some morsel that may provide a path forward. Frustrating - yes! One reason there are not step-by-step tutorials as everyone's device seems to respond differently; too many uncontrolled variables. Not sure anyone really knows what all those variables are.
Remain calm and don't do anything crazy. Be wary of fixes that involve manually modifying build.prop or flashing via adb. Both are legitimate tools/techniques in skilled hands. Used incorrectly they can (and usually do) yield a brick.
So I was attempting to write a nice long message about how I was using the right toolkit, and how to check on OTA messages to verify whether it was performing correctly, when all of a sudden I look down at my device and it suddenly stopped being obstinate.
No idea what I did. It just started playing nice.
14.3.1.0 now installed. I'm going to go get a drink.
begalund said:
So I was attempting to write a nice long message about how I was using the right toolkit, and how to check on OTA messages to verify whether it was performing correctly, when all of a sudden I look down at my device and it suddenly stopped being obstinate.
No idea what I did. It just started playing nice.
14.3.1.0 now installed. I'm going to go get a drink.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny how some devices take their time processing update files. Would love to know the criteria for checking and if processing can be manually triggered. Don't forget to disable OTA or keep WiFi off as long as there is a version of stock os in the system partition. One you load nexus or some other rom OTA worries will be history.
Edit: Enjoy that drink; you earned it
So I thought I would just report back with a final update as of 20 minutes ago:
Finally got the device rolled forward to 14.3.2.4
Re-rooted
Re-safestrapped
Backedup
Partitioned
And Nexus 4.2.2 running perfectly fine in Rom slot 1.
I'll go add a few apps later to personalize and make it wife-friendly. Thanks to everyone here and especially Davey126 for the patient assistance. I'll probably be back at some point in the near future to figure out the next step, but for now I'm gonna go enjoy an ad-free device for awhile.
begalund said:
So I thought I would just report back with a final update as of 20 minutes ago:
Finally got the device rolled forward to 14.3.2.4
Re-rooted
Re-safestrapped
Backedup
Partitioned
And Nexus 4.2.2 running perfectly fine in Rom slot 1.
I'll go add a few apps later to personalize and make it wife-friendly. Thanks to everyone here and especially Davey126 for the patient assistance. I'll probably be back at some point in the near future to figure out the next step, but for now I'm gonna go enjoy an ad-free device for awhile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to hear you are back in business! An interesting choice to upgrade to 3.2.4 vs 3.2.3. Native twrp requires 3.2.3 or lower so no CM11/12 or bootloader unlock. I do not believe there are meaningful differences between Nexus v1.0.1 (safestrap edition) and v2.0.5 (native) so nothing lost at this point. Plus you still have access to stock with a simple reboot which can be an advantage. But it is unlikely other roms will be adapted to run under safestrap. Btw, downgrading from 3.2.4 is a bit tricker than 3.2.5/3.2.6. You many need to upgrade first.
Don't forget to reblock OTA if you haven't already. Enjoy your 'new' device
Davey126 said:
Glad to hear you are back in business! An interesting choice to upgrade to 3.2.4 vs 3.2.3. Native twrp requires 3.2.3 or lower so no CM11/12 or bootloader unlock. I do not believe there are meaningful differences between Nexus v1.0.1 (safestrap edition) and v2.0.5 (native) so nothing lost at this point. Plus you still have access to stock with a simple reboot which can be an advantage. But it is unlikely other roms will be adapted to run under safestrap. Btw, downgrading from 3.2.4 is a bit tricker than 3.2.5/3.2.6. You many need to upgrade first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So it turns out I may have done myself a big favor by going the safe route. I'm not positive of course since I haven't tried the "non-safe route", but I'm guessing I'm right. I recently obtained a bluetooth KB to use with the fixed device - specifically the bear motion KB/case - cause I figured if I only spent $40 on the tablet, I'm not going to spend more than that on the KB. Since one of the purposes for this is to allow me to use it for remote work options, I wanted a better KB than pulling up the native one - especially if I'm running teamviewer, the screen is small enough as it is.
In any event, the Nexus SS edition has troubles pairing up with the KB (already logged a bug report on it), so I'm probably going to have to swap over to a different rom. Since I've already been through the process, and I've seen your updated posts in another thread, I'll just upgrade, rollback, and follow the twrp, cm11/12 route instead.
I just need to check and see if anyone has used this combination of hardware with another rom and made them work out.
begalund said:
So it turns out I may have done myself a big favor by going the safe route. I'm not positive of course since I haven't tried the "non-safe route", but I'm guessing I'm right. I recently obtained a bluetooth KB to use with the fixed device - specifically the bear motion KB/case - cause I figured if I only spent $40 on the tablet, I'm not going to spend more than that on the KB. Since one of the purposes for this is to allow me to use it for remote work options, I wanted a better KB than pulling up the native one - especially if I'm running teamviewer, the screen is small enough as it is.
In any event, the Nexus SS edition has troubles pairing up with the KB (already logged a bug report on it), so I'm probably going to have to swap over to a different rom. Since I've already been through the process, and I've seen your updated posts in another thread, I'll just upgrade, rollback, and follow the twrp, cm11/12 route instead.
I just need to check and see if anyone has used this combination of hardware with another rom and made them work out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried stock Fire OS yet? Should be an easy test given you are on Safestrap with (presumably) stock in the base slot. That would help rule out any native compatibility issues.
If you opt for a different rom might try the native version of Nexus first (v2.0.5) after you get twrp loaded as it's an easy test. Possible (albeit unlikely) Safestrap is interfering. Of the two CM varients CM11 would see the better choice today as the latest CM12 build still seems to have some issues with BT. As always, watch the forums for updates.
Davey126 said:
Have you tried stock Fire OS yet? Should be an easy test given you are on Safestrap with (presumably) stock in the base slot. That would help rule out any native compatibility issues.
If you opt for a different rom might try the native version of Nexus first (v2.0.5) after you get twrp loaded as it's an easy test. Possible (albeit unlikely) Safestrap is interfering. Of the two CM varients CM11 would see the better choice today as the latest CM12 build still seems to have some issues with BT. As always, watch the forums for updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Second thing I did. Rebooted into the stock rom and retested. KB works fine on that slot. So it doesn't appear to be a safestrap issue - more than likely a problem with the SS version of Nexus - else it might be a Nexus compatibility issue with the KB itself.
I haven't had time to do any more playing with the tablet - Wife's birthday, but I'll retest once I know more. Should probably make a new thread however....
begalund said:
So it doesn't appear to be a safestrap issue - more than likely a problem with the SS version of Nexus - else it might be a Nexus compatibility issue with the KB itself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, that's verified. :good: Although on the plus side, I did have a completely problem free rollback to 14.3.1.0, got twrp installed, and then cycled through a couple of the roms available looking for one that worked with the KB. Again, much thanks for all the assistance - including the assistance you lent to another user in the main thread - it helped immensely with getting twrp working on the first attempt. :victory:
Native Nexus - no go. It had the same issue. Eventually found it, but never recognized any key strokes. :crying:
Swapped to CM11 and at first it appeared to not work either (more on this), as the rom never got past the boot stage, so I bootloaded and realized I made an error (forgot to mount). Then the rom loaded but everything crashed on opening (rebooted again, wiped and reinstalled) now everything worked but the KB - I'll come back to this one.
Was about to try magic beans when I read something about the KB being "finicky" - so I swapped back to native nexus and played with the BT a bit. after 20 minutes of trying it never synced up, so I went back to CM11.
Turns out it does actually recognize it. You need to turn the KB on, then press its BT pair button, and then have the system search for new BT devices (in that order). It still has an issue where certain apps like titanium backup (or anything else that makes root calls) cause the system's BT to drop the KB - but it does find it and it works just fine 90% of the time. And when it does drop, it can be reset pretty easily in settings by removing the pairing and going through those steps again. You'll also have to do this every time the system is first turned on and you want to use it. A bit aggravating, but better than not having it any functionality or needing to swap back to FireOS.
Plus it appears that CM11 works just slightly better than nexus for the apps I tend to use anyway - so that's another bonus.
begalund said:
Plus it appears that CM11 works just slightly better than nexus for the apps I tend to use anyway - so that's another bonus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for posting your BT findings with various HDX roms (below). Helpful to others who may be experiencing similar issues. I agree Nexus (based on Jellybean) is getting a bit long in the tooth. I stick with it given overall stability for the apps and and devices that I use including a AmazonBasics keyboard which pairs fine. I have been monitoring the HDX CM11/12 threads and will likely move there as the few remaining issues of concern to me are hammered out. Been running CM11 on another device (HD) for 15+ months; great rom that brought new life to an aging device.
Hello!
Recent proud owner of new Z5 Compact, U.S. edition (E5803, CDA 1298-3109). Excited to start tweaking it, but I want to have a copy of the shipping stock firmware before I begin messing with anything. I've already successfully created a TA backup, so we're good there. But I am BEYOND frustrated at the fact that it is seemingly impossible to obtain a copy of an FTF for the exact firmware version that my phone was preloaded with from the factory.
My phone was apparently manufactured in spring 2016 and came stock with 32.2.A.0.224, "Customized US". Does anybody have an FTF for this for my exact CDA? I haven't managed to find a copy anywhere, and of course XperiFirm doesn't show it as available for download from Sony's servers. (I'm having a little trouble believing that it is unavailable from Sony direct, given that OTA updates for older versions are still distributed...my phone is prompting me to accept an OTA for 32.2.A.0.253, which can't be obtained via XperiFirm, either.) I know I can flash FTFs for other CDAs on my phone (even for E5823s) but my goal at this point is simply to get one that matches what I already have exactly. It boggles the mind that nobody bothered to make a backup of this when Sony was still distributing it and that it isn't available for download anywhere (at least that I can find).
Barring that, though, I had another thought: pull a bit-for-bit image of the boot and system partitions. I'm concerned that a standard TWRP backup would not suffice given the existence of dm-verity, but I'm wondering if this would work:
1. Unlock bootloader
2. Boot TWRP with fastboot
3. Access an ADB shell, and then use dd to clone the necessary partitions to an SD card or attached USB drive
Then if I ever wanted to go back to the original factory firmware, I boot TWRP, use dd to write the clones back to the partitions, restore the TA to re-lock, and Bob's your uncle. Anybody see a problem with this plan?
Thanks much!
-- Nathan
P.S. -- Is there some super secret stash of FTFs for the Z5 Compact somewhere that I just haven't stumbled upon yet? In addition to hunting down this particular firmware build, I would also be interested in obtaining copies of other Sony stock firmwares (other than the most recent) for this particular CDA. Again, frustratingly hard to come by...
Darn it, I meant to post this to the Q&A forum. I swear that was the one I was browsing...grr. Anyway, mods, feel free to move, and my apologies.
-- Nathan
So, I guess I'll just keep talking to myself here...
I can confirm (in case anyone who stumbles across this thread in the future cares) that a bit-for-bit backup of all partitions using 'dd' works just fine, and that restoring that backup in reverse also works fine and does not risk a brick. I was 99% sure this was probably the case but wanted to make sure. I made a backup of every partition except userdata and cache, and then downgraded to Lollipop, and restored back to the shipping firmware by booting off of TWRP, clearing userdata and cache, and restoring each partition I had previously backed up (including my TA backup w/ bootloader lock & DRM keys). Phone booted up and went through OBE setup, and all DRM keys were present and accounted for.
I can't, however, get the FOTA update from .224 to .253 to take. Phone downloads it, reboots, goes through some kind of firmware verification process, reboots, and .224 boots up again and the Sony Updater says there was some kind of failure and to try again. If you try again, it re-downloads the whole update again and does the same thing. Not a huge deal, but I thought it would prove interesting if it were still possible to get all the way to 7.1.1 from the shipping firmware incrementally, especially since Sony seems to have pulled the full versions of those updates from their servers.
I'm still on the hunt for archives of firmware releases; I've found a few here and there, but it would be nice to find some Customized US releases. I'm particularly interested in 32.0.A.6.209, which I believe was the one and only Lollipop release that ever shipped on the U.S. models (since they were so late to market here).
-- Nathan
Can you post the img files?
Hey, as you can imagine I ****ed up. If you could do me a favor and post those images that you got from your phone somewhere that would be incredibly useful for me. Thanks.
nlra said:
I'm still on the hunt for archives of firmware releases; I've found a few here and there, but it would be nice to find some Customized US releases. I'm particularly interested in 32.0.A.6.209, which I believe was the one and only Lollipop release that ever shipped on the U.S. models (since they were so late to market here).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You probably won't find much US firmware floating around because of the disabled fingerprint reader, and I daresay the relatively tiny US market share Sony enjoys.
On top of that, I don't think anyone has compiled a database of Z5C FTFs unfortunately, so it's difficult to locate a particular version, and extra hard to find a specific version + region combo.
Honestly, I don't think there's any advantage to using a US-based firmware other than potential warranty validity reasons (if they even check it).
By hanging on to US firmware, you're missing out on a really useful feature that your phone hardware supports but can't let you use because business.
Since it sounds like you're comfortable with flashing ROMs, and have an understanding of making proper backups, I suggest you flash another region's firmware to enjoy the full potential of your phone.
Hey, thanks for the response.
mhaha said:
[...]I don't think anyone has compiled a database of Z5C FTFs unfortunately, so it's difficult to locate a particular version, and extra hard to find a specific version + region combo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do find this especially sad and frustrating, especially given that we know that Sony is apparently willing to delete older firmwares from their server. (Bad on Sony, BTW!)
mhaha said:
Honestly, I don't think there's any advantage to using a US-based firmware other than potential warranty validity reasons (if they even check it).
By hanging on to US firmware, you're missing out on a really useful feature that your phone hardware supports but can't let you use because business.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't had the chance to run tests yet myself to confirm or deny this, but if you read some of the "enabling fingerprint scanner on U.S. models" threads for both the Z5 and the X/XZ, there is some unfortunate evidence that points to there being some kind of difference when it comes to LTE reception in U.S. firmware vs. other regions...some people claim that non-U.S. firmwares simply show "less bars" in the status area but that the phone's radio is still seeing the same RX levels (making it just a cosmetic thing), while others say that for them, it is not simply cosmetic and it quantifiably impacts their phone's radio's performance. I'm not sure why there would be any difference at all, but it is something to keep in mind, and is a potential "cost" one should take into account when using international firmware on a U.S. model.
Also, there are as-yet-unknown and undocumented differences between functionality in the various firmwares from different regions, making it extremely difficult to determine which is the "best" one to use. Arguably the only thing that the U.S. firmware lacks is the fingerprint scanner and is otherwise fully functional. I happen to know from reading other threads that all German firmwares, including the generic carrier-unbranded one, for some reason have SIP/VoIP calling ripped out of the system phone app, which makes absolutely no sense to me. Who knows what other features are missing or crippled in that region or in others.
At least with the U.S. firmware, it appears to be possible to restore the files that are missing from it in order to resurrect the fingerprint scanner (after rooting, of course). Given the minefield presented by the uncertainties when it comes to firmwares for other regions, this might arguably be the best way to go if you are in the U.S. and want a working fingerprint scanner.
-- Nathan
DRHARNESS said:
Hey, as you can imagine I ****ed up. If you could do me a favor and post those images that you got from your phone somewhere that would be incredibly useful for me. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, somehow I missed seeing this reply! You want the images for 32.2.A.0.224 that I pulled? Just to clarify, these were pulled as bit-for-bit rips from the phone's partitions (so they're big; even leaving out cache and userdata we're talking about 6GB here), and are not in FTF format nor flashable with Flashtool or Emma. To flash, you'd have to have your bootloader unlocked, put the image files on an SD card, put the SD card in the phone, boot TWRP over USB with fastboot, and then use dd to flash each partition from the command line.
If you're still interested, send me a PM and we'll work out a way to get these to you.
-- Nathan
SamFail presents...
PartCyborgRom
BQL1
A Rooted Custom Rom
For G950U/W, Bootloader Revisions 1 or 2 only any higher are not currently rootable or vulnerable to this exploit
Updates
New Release and a new OP that I hope is easier to read.
Send feedback or suggestions on improvements to me via pm here or on telegram.
Heads Up
You may notice that the BL version of this release is different than the system rom part.
The rom version is in fact BQL1, but the BL is a new version of AQK2. The reason for this is because
the latest combination, ARA1, has a number of sensors not working. I figured out a fix but it requires splicing
stuff in from other versions, and it didnt feel like the battery lasted as well. I am still testing though and
the next release if its ready will come with ARA1. This is not the same BL as the previous
release though, so if you upgrade also flash this new BL!
Thanks!
Featured Modifications
Deodexed
Deodexed for all devices.
I found a way that works!
It should keep working as long as nougat
(is that a haiku?)
Xposed Preinstalled
PCR now comes out of the flasher with xposed pre-installed!
NOTE: Xposed Installer may crash on first boot. It will not crash after setup finishes and you reboot
New Boot Animation
Another great one from @Ryan-refoua.
This one is my favorite so far.
JamesDSP
I added another DSP style audio mod. JamesDSP is similar to V4A in how it operates and what features it has, but it has some really awesome features that have made me a fan and a regular user. Among other things, it has a better convolver (IRS processing) implementation, and its bass boost is significantly better than v4a. If there are things you like about V4A you can use both at the same time.
ITYBP Modded YouTube
A last minute addition, this is a really nice youtube mod brought to you by @laura almeida, @Razerman and @ZaneZam. It features some cool additions like native adblocking (no more xposed module), overriding your max youtube resolution (you can watch 4k videos on your phone, but not 4k hdr). I have been using it for a while and really like it. A big thanks to them for letting me include it with PCR
Improved Debloating
Found better stuff to delete. Added back some stuff I took out before that some of you asked for.
If you find something missing that you want back, pull it from the stock rom and install it in /system/app or /system/priv-app, wherever you got it from.
Improved Battery Life
Thanks to some battery sleuthing by @TheMadScientist, this release comes with a nice big bump in efficiency. With just some very minor tuning using amplify and a service disabler, I can get around 1%/h drain.
Performance Improvements
That increased battery life does not come at the cost of performance. In fact performance is better too. Part of that is due some personally tested build.prop tweaks. Another part is some data optimisation scripts that now run at boot. You wont notice those, but they are there doing their thing.
Other Features
New for first time flashers
- Pre-Rooted with SuperSU installed
- CSC OYN pre-installed. Tested working on several carriers
- RCS and VoLTE icons removed from status bar.
- High quality audio mods, including
- Viper Audio (V4A)
- Dolby Atmos from the Axon 7
- Pandora hifi audio framework
- Native Google Dialer & Contacts support, including local search, spam call blocking
- Oreo 8.1 Emoji Icon Set
- Custom Lockscreen Clock font
- Stock system display fonts replaced with Apple's original San Francisco Font
Special Thanks
- @ahiron and @Zackptg5 for the killer sounds from V4A and Dolby Atmos Mods!
- The Aiur crew for Pandora (now a legacy mod but works great on the s8)
- @syndre for the Google Dialer and Contacts framework mod
- @rayan-refoua for the beautiful Tech Lines Custom boot and shutdown animations!
- Last but not least, my new friend @laura almeida, along with @Razerman amd @ZaneZam for letting me include the iYTBP - injected YouTube Background Playback Mod
- everyone who tested
Warnings/Disclaimers/Known Issues
- 80% Battery life like every other rooted US snapdragon device
- Flashing on a USB 3.0 port will likely cause corruption in your flash that can cause kernel panics, loss of root, and occasionally very strange other errors. If you get something like this, its not the rom its a hardware conflict that can only show up with larger images like are used in SamFail flashing. See the section below on Kernel Panics for more.
- If there is an app or apk from the stock rom that you wish you had installed, the best solution is to extract it from your stock rom image and copy it to the same place in /system using a root file manager.
SamFail Rooting Process
and Rom Installation
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING WILL ERASE YOUR WHOLE PHONE
If you have a SDCard, remove it from your device. Occasional firmware incidents have wiped SDCards in the past. It has neer happened to me, but I have a backup of my sdcard so I can be a little more risky. Better safe than sorry.
Prepare the Following:
- complete stock rom at your bootloader rev in case things dont work
- Everything backed up
- Both Prince Comsy Odin, and Regular Odin for flashing stock
- A USB 2.0 Port. If you attempt to flash with a USB 3.0 port it may work, but if you get kernel panics, or unexpected bad behavior and/or crashes your usb3 is absolutely to blame. some people get lucky and suceed after a few tries, YMMV. If you can not acquire a machine with a usb2.0 port, get a usb2.0 hub and run your phone into that & that into your machine. Reports are that has made things work for some, but we get few reports back.
What is my Bootloader Revision?
Your bootloader revision is part of the baseband build number of the firmware you are currently running. Lets use this rom as our example. The full build number is as follows: G950USQS2BQL1
Start from the right and count 5 characters back. See that 2? That is the bootloader revision for the firmware that came with this rom. But we are not flashing the BQL1 firmware (or Baseband), We are using an older version because it works better. The version we are flashing is: G950UEU2AQK2. Can you tell which revision it is?
Is my Phone Compatible?
Is it a G950U? Is it a G950W? If you answered "yes" to one of those questions, then the answer is "yes". That being said, flashing this rom if you are on bootloader revision 1 will upgrade your bootloader revision to 2, which means that any previous rom you were running wont work, so be prepared by having a copy of stock for bootloader version 2. If you don't want to move to version 2, you can still run the latest PartCyborgRom though, just use the G950UEU1AQk1 BL_ tar under Old Downloads in place of the one that came with this one. It will work just fine. However if you are unsure I suggest you go ahead and upgrade, there are not really any benefits to staying on 1 at this point.
Steps to Root
1) Download and unzip AP Part 1 and BL Part 2 zip files.
2) Download and unzip Prince Comsey Odin and start it up
3) Reboot device into Download mode and connect it to your pc
4) Open Comsy Odin and only add the AP Part1.tar.md5 file. Select only the following options:
- "Auto-Reboot"
- "F-Reset Time"
- "Nand Erase All"
NOTE: Odin will freeze while checking the AP tar.md5 hash.
Be patient, it will come back. If your computer is old this will take even longer.
5) Click "Start" and wait for the system.img.ext4 file to flash fully to your device. This will take a while too.
ATTENTION
When the flash finishes, this is when the SamFail magic happens. Instead of saying "Failed (Auth)" like it should, the device will crash into upload mode with "Unknow Error".
If your device does not do this, and just says "Failed (Auth)" or something similar and stays in download mode, you need to start again from the beginning, but using a different set of usb ports as you have suffered from the usb3 corruption.
When you see the upload mode page, do the 3 button salute to reboot into download mode again.
WARNING: When you reboot from upload mode, it wont look like download mode. You will see an error.
When you reboot back into download mode, your screen will say that you had a failed update and you need to do emergency repair or take your device to a service center.
Rest assured, your phone is actually in download mode, and Odin will have recognized it and said "Added!" along with the com port lighting up underneath the progress bar. Just continue the process. It is safe to do so and that error will go away after the next step.
6) Close and re-open Comsy Odin or hit the reset button, and add BL_PartCyborgRom-BootLoopEdition-<version>.tar.md5 to the BL section.
7) Leave the default checkboxes for "F Reset Time" and "Auto Reboot" checked. Uncheck "Nand erase all". Click "Start" and flash the BL (part 2) to your device.
Note: If you forgot to uncheck nand erase all, don't worry. You are just wasting time doing something again that you already did, the outcome is the same. "All" in "Nand Erase All" means "all userdata", which means cache and, well, userdata. Nothing else is deleted.
8) Wait for the flash to finish . It won't take very long at all as the files are small.
9) When it has finished, Odin will say PASS and your device will reboot into recovery.
From this point forther the scary download error message will be gone for good (or until next flash). Don't go looking yet though, you have more work to do to get root.
Warning: Failure to follow this step could lead to a corrupted instance with no cell coverrage
10) When in recovery issue a factory reset. This ensures that your device has a userdata and cache partitions that are valid, and that the csc is processed correctly. Failure to do the reset could cause issues with either.
11) Boot the device as normal. Wait for it to come up. Its deodexed so it will take longer than even your average odexed rom.
All done!
FlashFire Instructions
- Get the ROM on your phone and unzip it
- Open up FlashFire
- Add a Wipe task, select the top 3 items only
- Select Flash Firmware and load up the AP_PartCyborgRom-BootLoopEdition-<version>.Part1.tar.md5 file to flash your new system
- Select Reboot to Recovery
- Make sure "Inject Root" is NOT checked
- Press go. Wait for the rom to flash and your device to reboot into recovery
- From recovery do a factory reset
- Then select reboot to Download Mode
- When device reboots into Download mode, flash BL_PartCyborgRom-BootLoopEdition-<version>.Part2.tar.md5
You have to use odin for the BL file because flashing bootloaders in FlashFire is a bad idea.
Dirty Flashers
Yes, you can dirty flash this rom to upgrade, however it is problematic and can cause issues. I did it for a long time, but my install was a mess by the time I gave up and reset.
To dirty flash, follow your preferred method of flashing above, but skip the Wipe step.
Odin
Skip "Nand Erase All" during the Part 1 flash. Do everything else the same
FlashFire
For the first Wipe task, instead of selecting the top 3, select only Dalvik like the second wipe task.
NOTE: This procedure is ONLY for people upgrading from an earlier PartCyborgRom version. If you are coming from stock you can not dirty flash because you userdata is encrypted which is not supported by the Factory firmware. If you are coming from other rom, or stock, I have no idea man but don't look at me if it blows up.
ANOTHER NOTE: This method of flashing is unsupported! If you do this and you have issues, you are on your own. If you think they are the rom, then back up your entire rom, wipe and reproduce them.
Help! I Got a Boot loop!
If you get a boot loop or your device hangs at boot, try the following:
1) Reboot to recovery and factory reset again.
To get to recovery hold power+vol-down until screen goes black, then wait till upload mode (press power key for 7+ secs) comes up. Then press vol-down+power again and hold it till it reboots and as SOON as the screen goes black switch to holding vol-up+power+bixby. Hold it for 5-7sec then let go and you will wind up in recovery mode. If this doesnt help, or you can't get to recovery because you cant press the buttons right, proceed to the next step.
2) Try flashing just Part 2 (the BL) again. not only will this get you back in recovery, it will also format your cache again. Its worth a shot and doesnt take long.
Kernel Panic, Invalid Argument
Start Over
Go back to the beginning and do everything again. If it fails again, even in a slightly different way this time, bad interaction between the s8 and your USB port/controller/cable/etc are causing the image to be corrupted as its being written to disk. Try the following:
1) New USB Ports. If you have them, use a different set of usb ports (not the one next to it, but one further away). Its possible that that will be your "good" port, and that will be enough. Lots of machines also have some USB3 ports and some USB2.
2) New Cable. Its less likely, but maybe a new cable will help. Do the whole thing over with a new cable.
3) Try a few times. It sounds silly, but people who have had this issue have reported that eventually it just works. Try a few times until you get sick of trying. If you try like 10 times it probably wont work on the 11th though.
I Dont Have Another USB Port!
Try to borrow your partner/spouse/roommate/friends computer for a quick flash. Ask about the USB ports though, because another 3.0 port may not help you.
If you can't get someones computer, you can purchase a USB2.0 Hub online or at your friendly neighborhood electronics store. They arent very expensive, and I have heard positive reports from people saying it did the trick.
None of that Worked! I'm Screwed!
No you probably arent. I can count on one hand the number of people who someone couldnt get this working eventually. Some of us will be here to help. Check out our telegram channel, where people will be around that can help you. Its right here!.
And they all rooted happily ever after.
The End.
XDA:DevDB Information
PartCyborgRom, ROM for the Samsung Galaxy S8
Contributors
partcyborg
ROM OS Version: 7.x Nougat
ROM Kernel: Linux 4.x
Based On: TouchWiz/Samsung Experience
Version Information
Status: Stable
Current Stable Version: BQL1
Stable Release Date: 2017-12-10
Created 2017-12-11
Last Updated 2018-2-10
Downloads
BQL1 (G950U and G950W)
AP_PartCyborgRom_G950U_BQL1.Part1.zip
[Alternate Mirror]
BL_PartCyborgRom_G950U_BQL1.Part2.zip
[Alternate Mirror]
Other Downloads
Remove OTA apps, downloads and debug messages
Remove RCS and VoLTE Icons Zip (Flash in FlashFire)
Odin3-v3.12-PrinceComsy-.zip
[/SIZE]
Previous Versions
G950USQU2BQK5
Bootloader Version 2
AP_PartCyborgRom-G950USQU2BQK5_Part1.zip
BL_PartCyborgRom-G950USQU2BQK5_Part2.zip
Alternate Download Links
Bootloader Version 1
AP_PartCyborgRom-BootLoopEdition-G950USQU1AQK3.Part1.zip
BL_PartCyborgRom-BootLoopEdition-G950USQU1AQK3b.Part2.zip
SM-G950W
AP_PartCyborgRom_G950WVLU1AQJ4.Part1.tar.md5.zip
BL_PartCyborgRom_G950WVLU1AQJ4.Part2.tar.md5.zip
SM-G950U AQI6v2
AP_PartCyborgRom-AQI6_Part1.tar.md5.zip
[This was updated from the original Part2]
Download BL_PartCyborgRom-AQI6_Part2r3.tar.md5
Flashed fine through flashfire(AP only) was a bit worried because after I flashed the bootloader I got a kernel panic upload mode, but I reflashed the bootloader and it worked out fine. Running it for a few hours now and I noticed right away the difference in battery drain, as in, amazing job at extending the battery life. Thanks for your work, look forward to Future updates :good:
Update: only bug I've found is auto rotate doesn't really work, and internet connection issues(might be my network)
I'm new to SIM unlocked and haven't rooted since s4 so possible newb question but
Can I use this rom to root unrooted AQH3?
I'm on sim-unlocked G950U.
Thanks for any help.
Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk
Followed everything and when it went to go reboot the SAMSUNG GALAXY S8 logo popped with the little custom lock but its almost as if its just there like its not really rebooting just a screenshot of it it wont go away after a certain time period or anything,I also tried re-flashing the BL and it still didn't boot up as it should of. Any idea on what I should do?
I will test this with my unlocked g950u1 on tmobile
OMEGAHORSE said:
Followed everything and when it went to go reboot the SAMSUNG GALAXY S8 logo popped with the little custom lock but its almost as if its just there like its not really rebooting just a screenshot of it it wont go away after a certain time period or anything,I also tried re-flashing the BL and it still didn't boot up as it should of. Any idea on what I should do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here.
I tried the first method (fully stock) and it failed badly to where download mode did not work, had to use Smart Switch emergency recovery
First attempt without flashing CSC on TMo resulted in Kernel Panic after reboot from Download mode. I ended up flashing the CSC and now the Tmobile boot splash is showing up and seems to be working, will update to confirm in a few minutes.
Update: booted just fine now into Setup Wizard...
Will someone upload the files elsewhere? I cannot download it tells me that the OP has reached daily traffic limit on website
TimelessPWN said:
Will someone upload the files elsewhere? I cannot download it tells me that the OP has reached daily traffic limit on website
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry about that! I'm taking care of it now
@partcyborg.
So... I just got an S8 from Boost Mobile after my LG Optimus f7 started FINALLY failing. Had it rooted and cwm thanks to the genius and hard work of devs like GameTheory and PlayfulGod!
1. Should it be safe to use this method and flash this particular ROM?
2. Do I need to do anything special because it's Boost n not vzw?
3. It was mentioned that in spite of 80% battery issue, battery life is extremely well optimised. Anyone else with S8 on Boost try this? Worth it to take the plunge?
Don't care about Knox, Safety Net, etc. I don't use my device for transactions via Samsung/Android Pay, nor Gaming. Wondering if this will nix Playstore purchases via credit card on file? NOT a deal beaker by any means. Just curious.
I desperately miss having root and custom recovery. siiiiiigggghhhh...
Anyway, Thanks for any info and THANK YOU @partcyborg for all the time and hard work you've put into trying to help us get the most out of these phones!
This is my first $700 phone and I'll probably have her as long as I did my f7. ( as log as battery doesn't die or I can have it replaced at a repair shop when the time comes, for less than a fortune. lol)
Attached is a screen of my phone's specs if it helps.
Thanks again,
- TheJackalsMARK
TimelessPWN said:
Will someone upload the files elsewhere? I cannot download it tells me that the OP has reached daily traffic limit on website
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The links work again. Sorry for the temp issue!
thejackalsmark said:
@partcyborg.
So... I just got an S8 from Boost Mobile after my LG Optimus f7 started FINALLY failing. Had it rooted and cwm thanks to the genius and hard work of devs like GameTheory and PlayfulGod!
1. Should it be safe to use this method and flash this particular ROM?
2. Do I need to do anything special because it's Boost n not vzw?
3. It was mentioned that in spite of 80% battery issue, battery life is extremely well optimised. Anyone else with S8 on Boost try this? Worth it to take the plunge?
Don't care about Knox, Safety Net, etc. I don't use my device for transactions via Samsung/Android Pay, nor Gaming. Wondering if this will nix Playstore purchases via credit card on file? NOT a deal beaker by any means. Just curious.
I desperately miss having root and custom recovery. siiiiiigggghhhh...
Anyway, Thanks for any info and THANK YOU @partcyborg for all the time and hard work you've put into trying to help us get the most out of these phones!
This is my first $700 phone and I'll probably have her as long as I did my f7. ( as log as battery doesn't die or I can have it replaced at a repair shop when the time comes, for less than a fortune. lol)
Attached is a screen of my phone's specs if it helps.
Thanks again,
- TheJackalsMARK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is about all we have as far as ROMs go. We don't have a custom recovery because our bootloader is locked and it's not looking like it's going to be unlocked ever. You can flash this on any G950U phone, carrier doesn't matter.
thejackalsmark said:
@partcyborg.
So... I just got an S8 from Boost Mobile after my LG Optimus f7 started FINALLY failing. Had it rooted and cwm thanks to the genius and hard work of devs like GameTheory and PlayfulGod!
1. Should it be safe to use this method and flash this particular ROM?
2. Do I need to do anything special because it's Boost n not vzw?
3. It was mentioned that in spite of 80% battery issue, battery life is extremely well optimised. Anyone else with S8 on Boost try this? Worth it to take the plunge?
Don't care about Knox, Safety Net, etc. I don't use my device for transactions via Samsung/Android Pay, nor Gaming. Wondering if this will nix Playstore purchases via credit card on file? NOT a deal beaker by any means. Just curious.
I desperately miss having root and custom recovery. siiiiiigggghhhh...
Anyway, Thanks for any info and THANK YOU @partcyborg for all the time and hard work you've put into trying to help us get the most out of these phones!
This is my first $700 phone and I'll probably have her as long as I did my f7. ( as log as battery doesn't die or I can have it replaced at a repair shop when the time comes, for less than a fortune. lol)
Attached is a screen of my phone's specs if it helps.
Thanks again,
- TheJackalsMARK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm happy enough with the battery. Bonus is that you won't wear it out charging to 80% only apparently.
It's a multi CSC so you should be fine on boost. I can't test it though I only have VZW. Worst case flash the CSC but only do that if it fails to boot.
adj998 said:
This is about all we have as far as ROMs go. We don't have a custom recovery because our bootloader is locked and it's not looking like it's going to be unlocked ever. You can flash this on any G950U phone, carrier doesn't matter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, Bootloader's a major buzzkill.
Root and decent custom ROM would be a nice consolation prize.
What's your take on the battery afterwards? I practically live on my phone and with not being able to swap batteries, a major hit to battery life is pretty much a deal breaker. BTW, thx for the quick reply!
- TheJackalsMARK
Sent from my Samsung SM-G950U using XDA Labs
reggie cheeks said:
I'm new to SIM unlocked and haven't rooted since s4 so possible newb question but
Can I use this rom to root unrooted AQH3?
I'm on sim-unlocked G950U.
Thanks for any help.
Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No but you can install rooted aqi6 with it. This literally flashes /system and replaces what you have installed. I find aqi6 much improved TBH
OMEGAHORSE said:
Followed everything and when it went to go reboot the SAMSUNG GALAXY S8 logo popped with the little custom lock but its almost as if its just there like its not really rebooting just a screenshot of it it wont go away after a certain time period or anything,I also tried re-flashing the BL and it still didn't boot up as it should of. Any idea on what I should do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Factory reset. Sorry I should have mentioned that in the op. I will update
partcyborg said:
I'm happy enough with the battery. Bonus is that you won't wear it out charging to 80% only apparently.
It's a multi CSC so you should be fine on boost. I can't test it though I only have VZW. Worst case flash the CSC but only do that if it fails to boot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thx, man!
And Great Work, again, on this!
- TheJackalsMARK
Sent from my Samsung SM-G950U using XDA Labs
Hello,
Recently the forced upgrade of the Sony Xperia X OS to Oreo destroyed certain functionalities which were critical to my phone's utility. Functionalities for which I had indeed selected and purchased the phone in the first place. Having suffered similar problems in the past, I postponed the upgrade for weeks and sought advice from Sony on declining the update. Of course they said this was not an option and that my files would be unaffected, and of course this was false information.
As someone on the Autism spectrum, I have always struggled with digital merchandise and the tendency for suppliers to alter their products after I have purchased them. It is necessary for me to have consistency, and to be able to organize things in a certain way without worry of having them altered. I familiarize myself with how to use the product and then, silently, menus change, operations reorganize themselves entirely and it becomes difficult to perform the basic tasks that I have learned at great personal difficulty to navigate on my device already. This is a big problem. I do not want the latest and the greatest. I want consistency. I want my device to continue operating as it did when I purchased it less than a year ago.
All of this is to say that when the latest update destroyed the very things that gave my phone value to me and for which I had painstakingly selected it, I was thrown into a mild state of panic. After confirming with Sony that the upgrade was irreversible, and finding no other alternative, I elected to purchase the very same phone that I already owned for a second time, knowing that the Operating System would not yet have been upgraded.
The problem, now, is how to use the phone without risking the same forced OS upgrade and rendering the repurchase entirely pointless.
My understanding is that the only way to accomplish this would be to root the new phone. Please correct me if I am wrong. Given my circumstances, I have always seemed an obvious candidate for rooting my devices in order to maintain control of operations. Unfortunately I am not very technically inclined, and Root tutorials simply bamboozle me with their jargon. Given the sensitive nature of the rooting process, in that it seems very easy to make a misstep or run into complications, I have been excluded from taking advantage of this obvious solution.
Yet here I am, with a brand new phone that I cannot use unless I am able find a way to prevent the Operating System from updating.
My questions are:
Is there any way to block OS updates without rooting, that I am unaware of?
If rooting is the only method, what is the safest way that a layman like myself might confidently pursue this route?
Thank you for your time.
wynden said:
My questions are:
Is there any way to block OS updates without rooting, that I am unaware of?
If rooting is the only method, what is the safest way that a layman like myself might confidently pursue this route?
Thank you for your time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. But if I remember correctly, you can just not update your phone. Or you can try to unpack the firmware, edit it manually, delete the app which updates your system, repack the firmware and flash it. Or you can freeze it through ADB... But, the best way, of course, is root.
It's quite easy if you'll follow the instructions.
In short:
Flash Android 6.0 through Flashtool. Not as hard as it sounds, but it's mandratory.
Save your TA partition. One bat-script on Android 6.0 with locked bootloader, and you are ready.
Unlocking your bootloader. Sony have their own instructions which are pretty easy to follow.
Delete the app which updates your system. The easiest step.
Last: if something went wrong with your hardware - just relock your bootloader with the keys you've backed up - and you have your phone in a factory new condition!
Good luck! Ask here if you need any additional information!
Gray47Maxx said:
No. But if I remember correctly, you can just not update your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gray, thank you for your reply. It does not seem that just not updating is an option, as the phone keeps harassing the user to download the update, and there is no way to disable those push notifications, as far as I am aware.
In short:
Flash Android 6.0 through Flashtool. Not as hard as it sounds, but it's mandratory.
Save your TA partition. One bat-script on Android 6.0 with locked bootloader, and you are ready.
Unlocking your bootloader. Sony have their own instructions which are pretty easy to follow.
Delete the app which updates your system. The easiest step.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate the summary, but I don't know what a flash tool is, or a TA partition, or a bat-script, or a bootloader, etc. This is why I feel unqualified to tackle such a sensitive operation. I have googled instructions on rooting, but since I do not understand what is being asked of me, I cannot proceed. What is the best way for a layman who is easily overwhelmed to familiarize themselves with the technology to become reliably competent at tackling such a project?
Last: if something went wrong with your hardware - just relock your bootloader with the keys you've backed up - and you have your phone in a factory new condition!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My understanding was that a root was irreversible. This is a major contributor to my trepidation. Is this not the case?
Additionally, I have gathered from various forums that the process of rooting Xperia has been particularly problematic and frequently unsuccessful. Do you know if there is any truth to this? I would not have a clue what to do if I encountered a problem.
wynden said:
Gray, thank you for your reply. It does not seem that just not updating is an option, as the phone keeps harassing the user to download the update, and there is no way to disable those push notifications, as far as I am aware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's only a push notification, and it can easily be ignored. But it's very annoying, I know.
wynden said:
I appreciate the summary, but I don't know what a flash tool is, or a TA partition, or a bat-script, or a bootloader, etc. This is why I feel unqualified to tackle such a sensitive operation. I have googled instructions on rooting, but since I do not understand what is being asked of me, I cannot proceed. What is the best way for a layman who is easily overwhelmed to familiarize themselves with the technology to become reliably competent at tackling such a project?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best way is to try to find a person who is familiar with Sony devices - then you'll have less chances to break something. If you don't have anyone familiar with Sony - then XDA have some good threads (this or this, for example) for self-learning.
My own experience with rooting, tweaking, making things started with bootloader unlocking, and my only helpers were guides and members of one famous Russian geek forums. So, maybe soon you'll join this community as a full member. Who knows ;^)
wynden said:
My understanding was that a root was irreversible. This is a major contributor to my trepidation. Is this not the case?
Additionally, I have gathered from various forums that the process of rooting Xperia has been particularly problematic and frequently unsuccessful. Do you know if there is any truth to this? I would not have a clue what to do if I encountered a problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root is reversible, so do bootloader unlocking. A little bit complicated, but possible.
Yes, and as someone mentioned there, in terms of security Sony is an Apple of Android world here. Their devices are hardest to modify, they are overcosted, but there is nothing impossible.
So, in short:
You have two ways:
You can downgrade your phone, ignore that push notifications and keep your phone intact.
You can unlock your bootloader, root your phone and delete the app that updates your phone.
P.S. If I remember correctly, there was a way to "freeze" (force app to stop all of its activity) this app without rooting, unlocking, and so on. If I'll find it - I'll share it here
Thank you for your reply.
Gray47Maxx said:
It's only a push notification, and it can easily be ignored. But it's very annoying, I know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, not at least not in my case. Moreover it is only too easy to accidentally enable it when you are trying to do something else, entirely.
Thank you for directing me to those links, I will investigate the guides and see if they are any more illuminating than others I have read. I do not have a personal acquaintance familiar with Sony devices, unfortunately. They seem rather hard to come by even online.
If Sony devices are, indeed, the hardest to modify, then I feel my apprehension is justified. Is it wise to proceed without a technical expert to consult? Is there anyplace where I might find help if I need it? How likely is it that I will do irreparable damage to the device?
You can downgrade your phone, ignore that push notifications and keep your phone intact
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you say "downgrade", do you refer to restricting the second model I purchased to the OS it came with, or do you mean to suggest that my original phone can be downgraded? I had been told that even with root an OS update could not be reversed.
P.S. If I remember correctly, there was a way to "freeze" (force app to stop all of its activity) this app without rooting, unlocking, and so on. If I'll find it - I'll share it here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is definitely something I would be interested in exploring before proceeding with more drastic alternatives. If you have any suggestions as to where I might look for more information, please do let me know.
Again, thank you very much for your help and correspondence in this matter. It is greatly appreciated.
wynden said:
Is it wise to proceed without a technical expert to consult? Is there anyplace where I might find help if I need it? How likely is it that I will do irreparable damage to the device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. If you've learned everything from the threads and you are following instuctions step-by-step - then yes, it is OK.
2. The great place to find a man who can help you is to check some local repair shops (especially ones where you can repair Sony phones) and make some good relations with a local master/technician. If something went wrong - they'll fix it! Plus if you make friends with them, I'm sure they will help you in such a hard procedure.
3. Only one thing is irreparable - DRM keys. So, you must save them before doing anything. Everything else can be fixed pretty easily.
wynden said:
When you say "downgrade", do you refer to restricting the second model I purchased to the OS it came with, or do you mean to suggest that my original phone can be downgraded? I had been told that even with root an OS update could not be reversed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thankfully, it can be reversed - it's Android after all. There's a special program for doing updates and downgrades - it's called Flashtool. And, of course, you can downgrade your phone to 6.0 without unlocking bootloader with this program. There you can download an OS and here is a complete video how to flash your device through it.
wynden said:
That is definitely something I would be interested in exploring before proceeding with more drastic alternatives. If you have any suggestions as to where I might look for more information, please do let me know.
Again, thank you very much for your help and correspondence in this matter. It is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure!
Good luck in Flashtool using!
P.S. It looks like you can stop downloading your OS update.
When you'll downgrade to 6.0, go to Updater app -> Settings -> Automatic updates download -> OFF. Boom, only notification left.
SONY IS THE APPLE OF ANDROID ( WELL SAID) (Y)
its a Cryptex scroll, one key wrong and the secret is destroyed for ever!
as 8 years Sony Xperias user coming from various devices, era, and Security policies of SONY here what i have found
1. SE phones were the easiest to root , Pre 2012 (last known device Xperia Ion)
2. 2013, Z series launched and thru out life of Z (c6602 / C6603 ) rooting was Piece of cake
3. then came Z3 with Devil in the Details. Sony Started using DRMKEYS (Digitial Rights Managment Keys) the are Stored in Hidden Partition and Every time you wana use Premium features (which you paid for) ( such as Image Enhancement Features withing Camera and Movie Player) (Blue Tooth 5 technology) ( FastCharge options) ( SD cards above 32Gb support) and much more, Xperia will ask KERNEL to Check where DRM KEYS are Instated or not. if Kernel output is 1 then all these features works perfect.
4. Z3, Z3+ Z4v , Z5 and Finally Z5p etc landed in hands having LP (android lollypop) kernels (KK for Z3) and KINGROOT was able to Find Android Exploits and used to Root easily! however from MM kernel, when SONY gripped its security with SONY RIC, every attempt from KINGROOT to root Xperia went on BOOTLOOPS. hence the only way to ROOT sony was to FLASH MODIFIED KERNEL. and to FLASH MODIFIED kernel you must UNLOCK the BOOTLOADER and when you do that, TA partition will be WIPED and you will loose you DRM KEYS FOREVER. even when you root your Stockrom and have /system access, failure kernel finding drmkeys will always make your sony device entry level droid.
5. A fresh breeze , when DIRTY COW script found this exploit in MM kernel when newly purchased Xperia (like X) came in to your hands having Android 6.01, just connect it to WIndows PC, enable usb debugging and run the TA Backup Script AKA dirtycow script and it will SPEW this TA-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxx.img file (2mb) in the same folder! run it more than one! it will spew same file with different timestamp in that same folder. So now you have something SONY never wanted you to have!
6. More Over a very amazing Kernel Modding script called ROOTKERNEL SCRIPT by @tobias.waldvogel was primed and later taken over by @serajr which basically takes given kernel.elf file from the downloaded Stockrom and switch off all securties and add line in kernel to always prompt all SONY APPS for the existance of DRM KEYS Provisioned! even if they arent. this scripted supported z3, z3+, z4v, Z5c, X5 , z5p, X, Xc, Xperf, Xz and XZs from kernels LP, MM, N and O making whole drm keys concept mockery for Sony.
7. from XZP sony changed the way drm works and now for every device there is hidden location where you cannot know and even if you add line in kernel to point memory block for existing drmkeys. it will fail so kernel fix for DRM is gone. However the controversial commercialized xperifix by member name //storm does the job.
coming back to you
your X falls under the glory period of numerious options and fixes where not only drmfix is possible in kernel but also you can extract your drm keys TA.img and one day you can use to relock your bootloader !
I would suggest you to
1. use dirtycow script! extract TA.img
2. unlock boodloader
3. ROOT your MM kernel , disable all software updates!
4. relock the bootloader using that same TA.img (if you want)
and i agree! all sony devices came in my hands were always the BEST with the OS; they left the FACTORY! later it was just unfinished Roms to SUPPORT its successors! , for X the OREO is horrible! its designed to Support XZ2 and XZP but since the tree starts from X so they had to include X also.
YasuHamed said:
For X the OREO is horrible! its designed to Support XZ2 and XZP but since the tree starts from X so they had to include X also.
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Click to collapse
Completely disagree with you. Oreo for X is the best stock ROM I've used so far. Stable, fast, battery life friendly, secured and just ideal. Why do you think it is bad?
BTW I've used XZ2 less than a week ago, both of them runs almost equal. So...
Gray47Maxx said:
The great place to find a man who can help you is to check some local repair shops
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Click to collapse
I was unable to locate a mobile repair shop anywhere near me, although that is what I had initially hoped I would be able to do. Still, I expect they would take exception with me if I wanted them to assist me in doing something that the manufacturers disallow, so I don't know that it would have helped.
It is news to me that the phone can be downgraded, contrary to what Sony informed me. Do you think it would be better for me to go this route before attempting a root?
I suspect a root will still be necessary, if only because it will continue prompting me to update. You mentioned that I can turn Automatic updates off, but I believe what you are referring to is a setting I had already enforced. I made sure that the phone does not automatically download the updates in the settings, but it nonetheless harasses me with push notifications that I cannot dismiss.
Thanks again for directing me to these resources and helping me begin to understand the nuances of what I'm attempting.
YasuHamed said:
coming back to you
your X falls under the glory period of numerious options and fixes where not only drmfix is possible in kernel but also you can extract your drm keys TA.img and one day you can use to relock your bootloader !
I would suggest you to
1. use dirtycow script! extract TA.img
2. unlock boodloader
3. ROOT your MM kernel , disable all software updates!
4. relock the bootloader using that same TA.img (if you want)
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Click to collapse
Thank you for the overview, it does help me better understand the conflicting information I have been finding online, and your remarks about the X are very reassuring and do give me some confidence and hope for success. Are there any simplified, step-by-step tutorials for implementing this method that you have recommended, which you could direct me to? Figuring out which one to follow is one of my primary points of confusion.
Gray47Maxx said:
Completely disagree with you. Oreo for X is the best stock ROM I've used so far. Stable, fast, battery life friendly, secured and just ideal. Why do you think it is bad?
BTW I've used XZ2 less than a week ago, both of them runs almost equal. So...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Third generation of Oreo for Sony X is less horrible .2.50 but still heatsup more than Nougat and starts hanging, lagging. Since I reside in a country where its 45C usually,for me Nougat .0.252 (came dec2017) was the best rom!
wynden said:
Thank you for the overview, it does help me better understand the conflicting information I have been finding online, and your remarks about the X are very reassuring and do give me some confidence and hope for success. Are there any simplified, step-by-step tutorials for implementing this method that you have recommended, which you could direct me to? Figuring out which one to follow is one of my primary points of confusion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I own X so Trust me The device is over all LOVE,
1. the modified kernels, instruction, Trivia can be found in my post https://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-x/how-to/root-xperia-x-f5122-android-n-34-2-2-47-t3594502
2. BASIC INFO about Xperias, Unlocking bootloader and using Dirtycow Script MUST BE READ at https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=72141176&postcount=7
3. Since you are on Android MM, Enable usb Debugging from Developer Options and run Dirtycow Script - FULL GUIDE at
https://forum.xda-developers.com/crossdevice-dev/sony/universal-dirtycow-based-ta-backup-t3514236
4. The Only Shepard for flashing Xperias EVEN when Sony's own Xperia Compainion Fails (many times) to flash your device is THE FLASHTOOL, www.flashtool.net , once boot is unlocked! sony will no longer recognize your device. Flashtool has inbuilt Xperfirm and you can download firmwares of all device across time (selective)
(literature)
. A very Promising Detailed, Library level guide by @DHGE on DRM KEYS CONCEPT at https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=70504721&postcount=2
YasuHamed said:
Third generation of Oreo for Sony X is less horrible .2.50 but still heatsup more than Nougat and starts hanging, lagging. Since I reside in a country where its 45C usually,for me Nougat .0.252 (came dec2017) was the best rom!
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Click to collapse
That's strange. My phone was fast as hell on all of the Oreo ROMs. Maybe I haven't noticed any heatups, because I have the latest revision (and mfg date is 06.2017) and everything is OK with the hardware there, so it just CAN'T heat up in my case...
Anyways, maybe you should try XGEN + FSC + Debloater?)
Gray47Maxx said:
That's strange. My phone was fast as hell on all of the Oreo ROMs. Maybe I haven't noticed any heatups, because I have the latest revision (and mfg date is 06.2017) and everything is OK with the hardware there, so it just CAN'T heat up in my case...
Anyways, maybe you should try XGEN + FSC + Debloater?)
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Click to collapse
I am actually on Xgen which is built on latest! its bit cooler and makes me survive the lagging!
the temperature in my country goes up to 50C
A few suggestions:
Turning off notifications:
(not certain it applies to those "forced" notifications by the update app, but I suspect if you disable the "fota service" and "fota application" [search for similar terms] it'll stop being displayed)
https://www.digitaltrends.com/android/how-to-turn-off-notifications-in-android/
https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-t...how-disable-notifications-in-android-3614881/
In any case - you can attempt to disable the (most likely) offending apps, being the "fota" components via adb:
(for this you need to enable "USB debugging" via "developer options": Settings -> about phone -> Build number -> Tap 7 times)
https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/3eav7t/get_rid_of_unwanted_system_apps_adb_shell_pm_hide/
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g3/general/disable-apps-root-disabled-disable-t3491624
https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/56620/enable-and-disable-system-apps-via-adb
Doing it the root way would be installing Magisk (= root) and purchasing & installing "Titanium Backup root" + the "Titanium Backup PRO Key root".
https://forum.xda-developers.com/xp...peria-x-to-t3785135/post76404647#post76404647
How exactly to do that:
others please chime in
Hope that helps in any way
zacharias.maladroit said:
In any case - you can attempt to disable the (most likely) offending apps, being the "fota" components via adb:
(for this you need to enable "USB debugging" via "developer options": Settings -> about phone -> Build number -> Tap 7 times)
https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/3eav7t/get_rid_of_unwanted_system_apps_adb_shell_pm_hide/
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g3/general/disable-apps-root-disabled-disable-t3491624
https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/56620/enable-and-disable-system-apps-via-adb
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Click to collapse
That's what I was looking for. IMHO this is the best variant if you don't want to upgrade or unlock your bootloader. You should give it a try!
Do not worry
good afternoon
Since you have a "limitation" I will try to guide you as best as possible in what you want to do.
I do not know how the "spectrum of autism" works, but if I'm too technical, you can mention it and I can try to break down a bit more what I'm trying to say.
First, Sony as a company that creates devices with "updates" will always sell the idea that the updates are irreversible, is common and normal in the software and telecommunications companies so it goes without saying that they "destroyed your phone " second: no, it was not necessary to buy another phone, with which you had the problem could be solved only if it is normal that among "non-technical" users are at a crossroads when updates make notable changes to the system and often create confusion.
Now, your simplest solution is to find a trustworthy technical service that can return your phone to a later version for which you are more familiar. probably this version is the initial with which the phone came at the time of its release to the market, in this case with xperia x was 6.0.1 named with its own name as "marsmallow".
then, if what you want is to try to solve it for yourself there is a lot of information in this forum, very helpful and in some cases quite explained so that less experienced users manage to make various changes or modifications to their phones.
take it easy, an update does not damage your phone, it is understandable that you feel fear or disappointment but these things that you tell us that happened to you with your phone have a solution, if you want more information I can help you through this means. or you can read and inform yourself about everything that goes with it.
Finally, words like: fastboot, root, flashtools, are just slang for processes that are not usually so complicated, there are even videos on YouTube that explain them very detailed.
luck and I hope your problem can be solved :laugh:
PS: I'm sorry for my bad English
winsters said:
good afternoon
Since you have a "limitation" I will try to guide you as best as possible in what you want to do.
I do not know how the "spectrum of autism" works, but if I'm too technical, you can mention it and I can try to break down a bit more what I'm trying to say.
First, Sony as a company that creates devices with "updates" will always sell the idea that the updates are irreversible, is common and normal in the software and telecommunications companies so it goes without saying that they "destroyed your phone " second: no, it was not necessary to buy another phone, with which you had the problem could be solved only if it is normal that among "non-technical" users are at a crossroads when updates make notable changes to the system and often create confusion.
Now, your simplest solution is to find a trustworthy technical service that can return your phone to a later version for which you are more familiar. probably this version is the initial with which the phone came at the time of its release to the market, in this case with xperia x was 6.0.1 named with its own name as "marsmallow".
then, if what you want is to try to solve it for yourself there is a lot of information in this forum, very helpful and in some cases quite explained so that less experienced users manage to make various changes or modifications to their phones.
take it easy, an update does not damage your phone, it is understandable that you feel fear or disappointment but these things that you tell us that happened to you with your phone have a solution, if you want more information I can help you through this means. or you can read and inform yourself about everything that goes with it.
Finally, words like: fastboot, root, flashtools, are just slang for processes that are not usually so complicated, there are even videos on YouTube that explain them very detailed.
luck and I hope your problem can be solved :laugh:
PS: I'm sorry for my bad English
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Click to collapse
your English is perfect <3 WOW!
please convert my graffiti, gibberish instructions to your perfect English Guide <3
1 . https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=72141176&postcount=7 ( wrote few months ago)
2. https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76429289&postcount=7 ( wrote recently)
3. https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76484508&postcount=2 ( wrote recently)
Gray47Maxx said:
That's strange. My phone was fast as hell on all of the Oreo ROMs. Maybe I haven't noticed any heatups, because I have the latest revision (and mfg date is 06.2017) and everything is OK with the hardware there, so it just CAN'T heat up in my case...
Anyways, maybe you should try XGEN + FSC + Debloater?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am too facing problems in oreo, and will probably go bak to 6 for more mods / better battery life