So. I did a bunch of complaining about the T-Mobile network lock and the whole waiting game.. Then I found out that I had to wait an additional undetermined amount of days tp get the OEM key from OnePlus.. Grrrrrr... Arrrggg!! Well if any of you have a Nord 10 5G from the USA and it happens to be a carrier phone its gonna take at least 45 days from Carrier to OEM before you can root the thing. Just this morning, and after a long wait with much study on this process, I finally had my climactic victory with my first rooted device with a custom ROM. I am seriously a novice when it comes to these phones. Thank Geebus I have some sort of tech understanding and a ton of patience because I now have a beautifully modded Nord N10 5G that runs like a Pixel 5 with all the bells and whistles. A great deal of thanks goes to you folks for providing me the tools and know how to get thru this. The new PixelExperience_Plus ROM worked like a charm. And my ignorant American ass got it right on the fist try! I can't wait to see what kinds of new things you all will let me chew on in the near future. Cheers!!
Spidermonkeyj75 said:
So. I did a bunch of complaining about the T-Mobile network lock and the whole waiting game.. Then I found out that I had to wait an additional undetermined amount of days tp get the OEM key from OnePlus.. Grrrrrr... Arrrggg!! Well if any of you have a Nord 10 5G from the USA and it happens to be a carrier phone its gonna take at least 45 days from Carrier to OEM before you can root the thing. Just this morning, and after a long wait with much study on this process, I finally had my climactic victory with my first rooted device with a custom ROM. I am seriously a novice when it comes to these phones. Thank Geebus I have some sort of tech understanding and a ton of patience because I now have a beautifully modded Nord N10 5G that runs like a Pixel 5 with all the bells and whistles. A great deal of thanks goes to you folks for providing me the tools and know how to get thru this. The new PixelExperience_Plus ROM worked like a charm. And my ignorant American ass got it right on the fist try! I can't wait to see what kinds of new things you all will let me chew on in the near future. Cheers!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm currently on my 6th rooted phone and I can assure you that typically it's never a relaxed process: You're always anxious because you don't want to turn your phone into a useless brick (unbootable and no possible fix).
However, just like you, all the knowledge we gain when rooting the phones it's totally worthy.
Now, since this is your first root, I want to share some useful root-required apps with you (most of them are not available on Google's play store, you can find them on F-Droid for example):
AdAway: System-wide free and open-source ad blocker. It has predefined ads lists. Some games where you get rewards for viewing ads either show an error when viewing the ad or give will simply reward you instantly without showing the ad.
AFWall+: System-wide firewall that blocks internet access for certain apps: Useful to avoid fishy apps to send your personal info to their servers. For example ATM I'm blocking Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard, Google Messages and Google Phone.
Bouncer (paid): Gives temporary permissions to the apps and remembers your option: If you want to send an image through facebook go ahead, allow the external storage access, then later a notification shows up asking you to remove the pending temporary permissions.
OverrideDNS (paid): Probably the best DNS overrider you can find, it listens for new connections and automatically changes the DNS to your desired one.
Greenify: It's a huge helper on battery saving, allows you to select apps that you don't want to allow to run on background: Greenify kills these apps. Useful if you're like me and you have lots of apps that you use ONLY when needed, for instance, I don't want any of my games to run on background and I don't want to be bothered by game notifications.
Boot animations for superuser: Allows you to flash custom boot animations. Be careful with this app, I didn't try it yet on OP N10 (since I actually like Oxygen's boot animation).
Tasker (paid): Now this is where the fun begins... You can automate pretty much anything! Let me give you some examples that I have on my tasker:
Managing some custom profiles (technically speaking, custom tasks). I have 2 pre-defined profiles: Home and Outside (they change screen brightness, volumes, vibration, display timeout, wi-fi state, mobile data state, and so on, and these values depend if I'm connected to my smartwatch or not).
If my phone connects to my car's BT system, I forced tasker into changing to my Outside profile. If my phone is at my house's coordinates, it changes to home profile.
Whenever I connect my headset, it automatically opens Spotify.
When I received a text message, my torch flashes 3 times.
If my battery reaches 10%, it automatically sends my GF a message saying my battery is running low.
Whenever I open Google Maps, my GPS turns on.
Do you have links to these wonderful apps?
Spidermonkeyj75 said:
Do you have links to these wonderful apps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
AdAway (or get it from F-Droid)
AFWall+ (you can also find it on Google Play or F-Droid)
Bouncer: You can either visit the author's website or get it on Google Play
OverrideDNS (you can find it on Google Play)
Greenify (you can find it on Google Play)
Boot animations for Super User (you can find it on Google Play)
Tasker (you can find it on Google Play)
You can also see some examples of tasker capabilities on the author's YouTube channel.
Oh man, wait until you get apps like V4A running.
It's a whole new ballpark, just gotta be careful not to hit too many foul balls.
So make sure to keep a backup whenever you start messing around.
CF Lumen (Play Store)
Titanium Backup (Play Store)
Solid Explorer (Play Store)
I thought the advantage to buying OnePlus phones is that they do not lock the bootloader, so no rooting is required (I read that somewhere online). Is that not correct?
I have been thinking about the N10 or 8T, but the lack of carrier support is making me hesitant. Also, the N10 has very good specs for the price, but with only one Android update and only 2 years of security updates, it would (I assume) need to have a custom rom installed after that to maintain security. Is that correct?
stealth49rt said:
I thought the advantage to buying OnePlus phones is that they do not lock the bootloader, so no rooting is required (I read that somewhere online). Is that not correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not correct, the bootloader is still locked but:
If you unlock it, the device will still pass Google's SafetyNet check (which is used to check if your device is reliable to use more sensitive APPs/features: Netflix, Brave's rewards feature, some payment APPs). When I rooted my Xiaomi MI A3, unlocking the bootloader made the device being marked as untrustworthy, and therefore failing the SafetyNet.
OnePlus allows users to root their phone without voiding the warranty.
stealth49rt said:
I have been thinking about the N10 or 8T, but the lack of carrier support is making me hesitant. Also, the N10 has very good specs for the price, but with only one Android update and only 2 years of security updates, it would (I assume) need to have a custom rom installed after that to maintain security. Is that correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean carrier support? The first time I bought an OP device, they weren't even officially selling in my country.
Are you telling me that your country still sim-locks the devices? Why don't you buy it directly from oneplus.com? I think those are unlocked.
If you're referring to the frequency support, you can Google to check the frequency coverage in your area and compare with the device's supported frequencies.
OP's typically have a good ROM support, try Pixel Experience...
lbsilva said:
Not correct, the bootloader is still locked but:
If you unlock it, the device will still pass Google's SafetyNet check (which is used to check if your device is reliable to use more sensitive APPs/features: Netflix, Brave's rewards feature, some payment APPs). When I rooted my Xiaomi MI A3, unlocking the bootloader made the device being marked as untrustworthy, and therefore failing the SafetyNet.
OnePlus allows users to root their phone without voiding the warranty.
What do you mean carrier support? The first time I bought an OP device, they weren't even officially selling in my country.
Are you telling me that your country still sim-locks the devices? Why don't you buy it directly from oneplus.com? I think those are unlocked.
If you're referring to the frequency support, you can Google to check the frequency coverage in your area and compare with the device's supported frequencies.
OP's typically have a good ROM support, try Pixel Experience...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I apologize for my confusing message. I am in the USA. By "carriers" I meant companies like Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc. I am currently on Republic Wireless with a Moto G5s Plus (stuck on Android 8 and no more security patches either). RW doesn't allow the N10 5G yet on their network. I have only found a few MVNOs that do (e.g. Mint Mobile). Just about all support phones from Moto and Samsung. So I feel I may be going out on a limb getting a OnePlus phone.
AT&T actually (temporarily) suspended my account for turning the N105G on, with my AT&T SIM in it. Learned the hard way no one answers the phone anymore outside business hours, glad I didn't need to make any calls or do it on Friday at 5:01p. They got fired for that.
TMobile took it happily, no issues with activation, nice 5G signal (we don't have MMw in my city, but uses one of the other bands). Speed varies by location/tower, but have clocked downloads over 380Mbs. Note that Tmobile uses IPV6 and IPV4, so for certain things like VPNs you either have to futz with the APN settings to do IPV4 only, or make sure you have IPV6 functionality on destination sites (when you do, works pretty damn slick, I must say).
The thought of using Verizon makes me want to throw up, so no comments on that one.
Hope that helps.
SomeRandomGuy said:
AT&T actually (temporarily) suspended my account for turning the N105G on, with my AT&T SIM in it. Learned the hard way no one answers the phone anymore outside business hours, glad I didn't need to make any calls or do it on Friday at 5:01p. They got fired for that.
TMobile took it happily, no issues with activation, nice 5G signal (we don't have MMw in my city, but uses one of the other bands). Speed varies by location/tower, but have clocked downloads over 380Mbs. Note that Tmobile uses IPV6 and IPV4, so for certain things like VPNs you either have to futz with the APN settings to do IPV4 only, or make sure you have IPV6 functionality on destination sites (when you do, works pretty damn slick, I must say).
The thought of using Verizon makes me want to throw up, so no comments on that one.
Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a reason why AT&T is losing customers
stealth49rt said:
I apologize for my confusing message. I am in the USA. By "carriers" I meant companies like Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc. I am currently on Republic Wireless with a Moto G5s Plus (stuck on Android 8 and no more security patches either). RW doesn't allow the N10 5G yet on their network. I have only found a few MVNOs that do (e.g. Mint Mobile). Just about all support phones from Moto and Samsung. So I feel I may be going out on a limb getting a OnePlus phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have the ability to mod your phone, I mean install a custom ROM I suggest Pixel experience and Deepest. I've run them both and you have a lot more control over your radio options and network capability. Good luck!
Spidermonkeyj75 said:
If you have the ability to mod your phone, I mean install a custom ROM I suggest Pixel experience and Derpfest I've run them both and you have a lot more control over your radio options and network capability. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Spidermonkeyj75 said:
So. I did a bunch of complaining about the T-Mobile network lock and the whole waiting game.. Then I found out that I had to wait an additional undetermined amount of days tp get the OEM key from OnePlus.. Grrrrrr... Arrrggg!! Well if any of you have a Nord 10 5G from the USA and it happens to be a carrier phone its gonna take at least 45 days from Carrier to OEM before you can root the thing. Just this morning, and after a long wait with much study on this process, I finally had my climactic victory with my first rooted device with a custom ROM. I am seriously a novice when it comes to these phones. Thank Geebus I have some sort of tech understanding and a ton of patience because I now have a beautifully modded Nord N10 5G that runs like a Pixel 5 with all the bells and whistles. A great deal of thanks goes to you folks for providing me the tools and know how to get thru this. The new PixelExperience_Plus ROM worked like a charm. And my ignorant American ass got it right on the fist try! I can't wait to see what kinds of new things you all will let me chew on in the near future. Cheers!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, i just had to ditch my pixel2 when the screen died and got the nord 10 5g. if rooted plenty of phones before but never had to wait to get an oem key from a vendor. would you mind elaborating on this point before i head into nightmare?
frankygoes said:
Hi, i just had to ditch my pixel2 when the screen died and got the nord 10 5g. if rooted plenty of phones before but never had to wait to get an oem key from a vendor. would you mind elaborating on this point before i head into nightmare?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem, if you have a T-Mobile carrier you will have to jump thru a few hoops to get your network (SIM) unlock , then you have to run a command via ADB to get the unlock code, :But WAIT ! There' s MORE" When that has al come to pass you have to get the unlock token from OnePlus and while in Fastboot Mode , you have to flash the cust-unlock.bin file to unlock the bootloader. Afterwards you can load whatever you want in there. Unfortunately, the Nord N10 5G doesn't get a lot of support or updates which sucks because it's not a bad device on the right platform. I'm looking to try the A/B GSI Flash method since the device is Treble worthy. Good luck! Hope you fare better than I did my first go-around.
thanks for the response. So i got an unlocked phone into which i put my existing SIM card. went into the developer settings and enabled "allow bootloader to be unlocked." you are saying that to now actually unlock the bootloader i need a code from oneplus?
Yep. A big pain in the ass.
Related
I just picked one of these up yesterday, the LG Tribute, the Sprint version which is model LS660P (same hardware with the Virgin Mobile version). It's a Snapdragon 400 SoC quad core powered smartphone - it's basically a mix of features between a 1st gen Moto G LTE (the SoC) and the Moto E (removable battery and microSD slot) - it's a CDMA/LTE device only so it's more akin to the Sprint/Boost/Cricket versions of the Moto G I suppose - it does have a SIM card slot but since there's no GSM radio I suppose that's a dead end. It has Sprint LTE support for LTE bands 25, 26, and 41 - it's Spark-enabled as well.
So far in using it I've been extremely pleased with the performance overall considering it's $39.99 right now at many retailers like Fry's and Best Buy (retail is $79.99).
The biggest downside is the 800x480 display resolution but honestly I could care less these days. I just owned an LG G2 and loved it but I had to sell it to cover some bills, and when I saw the Tribute specs and that low price I figured it couldn't hurt to mess around with it a bit.
But in terms of getting it up and running, the first time I powered it up I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this on the Apps screen:
Just that, and nothing else - this thing has zero Sprint bloatware on it, absolutely nothing, and nothing from LG either. Yes it just has 4GB of internal storage leaving about 1.45GB for the user but it's got the microSD slot for storage. I've done all the requisite Google stock apps updates and installed all the apps I've purchased and the free ones I regularly use and I still have 435MB left so I'm good to go. Put my 32GB microSD card in it with 6GB of Opus-encoded audio files, a couple of movies and TV shows, and so far it's been fantastic.
Current battery is showing 37% left from a 100% charge, 12 hours and 3 minutes on, 5 hours and 14 minutes of screen on time so far (and still going because I'm watching Captain America: The Winter Soldier on it and there's 1 hour and 45 mins left in the movie), Wi-Fi has been on the entire time (it's in Airplane mode, however), screen brightness using MX Player is set at 12 (of 15), volume at 15. I use Google Hangouts with Google Voice to make "phone calls" using Wi-Fi so it's in Airplane mode most of the time when I'm at home.
I expect to hit the 7 hours of SOT and this is the first full charge on the device so, consider me a very happy camper.
I know requests have been put into place for Stumproot support so a root could be possible on this device, and I know that LG has posted the 4.4.2 ROM and kernel source code (I grabbed that last night). So here's my question:
Is there anyone out there that might be interested in attempting to develop any recovery for this (assuming we get root at some point), and then perhaps developing some custom ROM for it - seems like it should be a relatively easy thing considering a) we have the full ROM and kernel source even though it's just 4.4.2 at the moment (I would guess LG has no intentions of boosting this to 5.0 so that'll most likely never happen) and b) it's so close to the architecture of the CMDA/LTE version of the Moto G LTE that some kind of port might be possible towards Lollipop if and when that happens...?
Long sentence, sorry about that, I get wordy at times.
But I just figured I'd ask if there's any interest at all. Yes, it's weak on the resolution, yes, it's not a powerhouse device, yes, it's fairly cheap but it's functional and could be an awesome little smartphone with a little "help" thrown its way like a potential for a custom kernel as well to get the quad core and the governor a bit more under control.
I fully suspect this device is easily capable of 7 hours of SOT with such "upgrades" if anyone is interested. I lack the technical know-how and skills to get buried in ROM development much less kernels, so I figured I would toss the question out considering it shares so much common with the Moto G LTE variant + the Moto E's microSD slot potential.
Just curious... any responses are welcome and appreciated, thanks.
Update:
It's even better than I'd hoped...
Almost 8 hours of screen on time - that was a full movie (2 hours 15 minutes long and I let it play the entire thing, first frame to final), 4 TV shows (about 42-45 minutes long each), music playback for almost 1 hour, a few Wi-Fi phone calls using Google Hangouts/Voice, and some web surfing using the stock browser.
$40... absolutely amazing.
I'm just concerned about the amount of CPU time the Android OS shows there - it apparently used as much battery as the screen being on for 7 hours and 38 minutes did so there's something amiss hiding inside. Will be using Wakelock Detector to see if I can detect anything I can disable on the next go considering this was the first full 100% charge and battery test. Just for the record, the Keep Awake time listed on the Android OS battery usage page is 11 hours so it's not idle, there's something going on in there that's using the battery, now I just have to find out what it is. The CPU total time was 4 hours 17 minutes for Android OS.
I'm pretty satisfied, now I wonder what this thing could really be capable of in terms of battery life with a proper custom kernel and ROM. I wonder...
I've been waiting for something to pop up for this phone. I've had it for 2 weeks now. Its great. I agree the battery life is awesome on this thing.
I have the VM version and would be willing to test if someone came up with something.
sigh
Coming from an iPhone so I'm totally new to the android platform but the storage in this thing is severely lacking. I got a micro sd for it, but barely can even get any apps to download due to lack of space. I'm assuming something like this would be helped by a root. It's driving me bananas and making me yearn for my Apple days
Tribute
I also just switched to a Tribute, with KitKat. Was incredibly pissed off to find that Android had crippled the external SD's role. I mean, WTF guys? So now I am on a mission. Every day I scour the interwebs looking for hope that someone has figured out a root exploit for this. I would even settle for being able to flash a custom ROM like Cyanogen. Just so long as I can get PodKicker to save 'casts to the friggin SD card. Is that too much to ask? Anyway, nothing i have attempted so far has worked at all.
Oh, and you got lucky with the no bloatware thing. I got mine through Boost Mobile, and they clotted this damned thing chock full of B.S. To the point that OUT OF THE BOX I couldn't install apps from Playstore without uninstalling previous updates to all the big Google apps. And without Root, I can't get rid of this BoostZone ****e.
I have my doubts as to whether or not this device will get any support here at all at this point (yes I know it's just been a day or so since I made this thread). I didn't even know about the LG L90 till earlier today and when I checked out the specs I realized that it's a better device overall than the Tribute, of course the price reflects the differences as well (larger higher resolution screen, just qHD 960x540 but still it's larger at 4.7" also), with NFC support (I actually make use of that myself), the removable battery/microSD slot, and it's got support here with its own subforum now with a lot of activity (well, a lot for it I suppose) and it even has an IR port for QuickRemote too which is pretty awesome: my Wife is deaf so anytime we go someplace like a Doctor's office or hospital with TVs on, if the captions aren't enabled I turn 'em on with the smartphone. Used to do that with my Galaxy S4 Active in the past, nice to see LG and some other companies are hopping on the "remote control" bandwagon now too.
There's root available and also a bootloader unlock apparently, source code is out and there's work being done so... I wish I had known that before yesterday basically. Fry's, where I got this Tribute, won't do a return on it because I opened the box (and obviously I've done more since I got it too) so that's a wash I suppose. It's still a damned fine little device for $40.
The L90 is "on sale" through T-Mobile's website for $100 with a coupon code right now, I would have grabbed that if I had known about it and the development in progress. Guess I'll have to keep my eyes out next time, might find one used on craigslist soon so we'll see what happens.
I'll keep the Tribute, of course, and keep hoping for a root at some point. I did ask in the Stumproot thread for someone to take a look at it and see what might be possible so, let's keep our fingers crossed.
As for the bloat, I had someone at HowardForums tell me if I activate the phone with Sprint (which I haven't done) that'll install all the Sprint bloatware so, fat chance of that happening I guess. I'll keep it as is and hope for the best.
Anyone working on this? I tried stump, and there are a ton of requests, but no one has said a word about it.
Thanks!
Still hoping but no progress has been reported. It's common knowledge these days that root on newer devices is going to continue to get more and more difficult with the potential that someday we're just not going to be able to do it on most anything. The low price of this one and lack of the high end specs makes most devs (at least in my opinion) not even give a crap about it so, if someone does and we benefit from it, that's awesome.
If nothing happens, it wasn't a complete waste, it's a fine little device with decent processing power and damned great battery life as noted so, $40 was nothing I guess.
Still looking
Still looking for root to the LG Tribute and nothing works. Has anyone heard anything new about it???
Just bumping this to revive interest.
sweetbsting said:
Coming from an iPhone so I'm totally new to the android platform but the storage in this thing is severely lacking. I got a micro sd for it, but barely can even get any apps to download due to lack of space. I'm assuming something like this would be helped by a root. It's driving me bananas and making me yearn for my Apple days
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You so realize you bought a low to mid range prepaid phone right?
I realize that but there has been quite a bit of interest in the model on the internets so unless you have something helpful to add, kindly ignore my post. Thanks.
aburn95 said:
You so realize you bought a low to mid range prepaid phone right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do understand that your comment takes away from the actual thread content, right?
Here is more information about the phone for anyone interested in development:
LG LS660 (LG Tribute) Virgin Mobile.
http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-LS660-Virgin-Mobile-tribute
Should I buy this phone and wait for a root?
Or are there other similar price and spec phones that are easier to root?
Do some phones never get rooted?
-snip-
br0adband said:
There's root available and also a bootloader unlock apparently, source code is out and there's work being done so... I wish I had known that before yesterday basically. Fry's, where I got this Tribute, won't do a return on it because I opened the box (and obviously I've done more since I got it too) so that's a wash I suppose. It's still a damned fine little device for $40.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you inform us where you found root & bootloader unlock? I've been on Android for years, but am relatively new to the root/mod side of things.
LiquidRabbit said:
Where did you download this? I am pretty curious.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't own the LG Tribute any longer but the source code was at LG's open source repository for the LS660P (the Sprint variant, but it should be identical to the others I would guess):
https://www.lg.com/global/support/opensource/opensourceList?types=NAME&search=ls660p
emarkp said:
Can you inform us where you found root & bootloader unlock? I've been on Android for years, but am relatively new to the root/mod side of things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly I can't even remember now, I saw some post at one of the other forums (AndroidPolice maybe) that said someone had discovered a working bootloader unlock, I could be wrong in that but honestly I can't recall the specifics at the momemt. As stated, I no longer own a Tribute (nothing at the moment, my sig always reflects what I own at any given time, for the record).
Good luck... it's really a fantastic smartphone for the $40 I paid for it (and Fry's still sells it for that price). I wish there was a GSM model 'cause I'd be all over it in a second flat; can't do much of anything with the CDMA model in terms of getting service here in my area. I won't deal with Sprint for service, and Boost/Virgin Mobile/etc don't have plans that come anywhere near what the $30/month T-Mobile plan does so...
For $35 a month, you get unlimited everything on Virgin Mobile...
For $20, you get 300 minutes and unlimited everything. I stuck with the $20 plan at unlimited everything as I was grandfathered in many, many years ago.
Possible root method?
Hello! I have been using android for a while and just got this phone (LG Tribute, Virgin Mobile). I was researching rooting this, and I found this: youtube.com/watch?v=ZBdrVa_bo5o
It seems to be advertising legit software, etc, but I wonder if this successfully roots the Tribute. On their website (androidphonetransfer_DOTCOM) ,they have a free trial for the software.
I'd like to try it, but I'm not sure if it would mess up my device or not (I'm new to rooting). anyone want to give this a try?
It does not work.
I am also interested. I was looking for a android phone with at least 4.5 inch screen to act as a dedicated gps navigator. LG Tribute fit the bill perfectly. Quad core processor is fast, would be nice to get rid of Sprint activation and clean the device up with a root.
I'm surprised there is not more interest in this phone. The sale price of $40 happens pretty regularly, which IMO is a great deal for this phone.
I was very excited to see a sale on the S7 at Best Buy and was finally ready to relieve my nearly 4 years old Note II of duty until I came here to look into what mod options were available... only to find that there aren't any yet.
So, for those of you who have bought the S7 and have NOT returned it, what reasons have you decided to stick it out? Were you particularly deep in modding your phone before? Are you just happy with the few tools that have come out so far? Are you holding out hope for an unlocked bootloader eventually?
I haven't completely decided against it, but I'm seriously second guessing staying a Samsung customer after this fiasco. My Note II has been solid and a best, no replacements since I bought it on release, but I am way too into my modifications that I'm not sure I'd enjoy upgrading yet or seeking a third option.
Well I really enjoyed running custom ROMs in the past especially Aosp ones, but the fact that my s5 has cracked screen I not sure I'd want to go back. Since I got the free VR which would be worthless without either S6 or S7, I'm kind of stuck. I mean S6 is no go for me no SD card also IP rating. That aside it isn't to bad I was able to get themed pretty close to Aosp without root and I still have faith that we'll unlock this beast eventually. Samsung can't keep us down.
I came from a G3, before that a Note 2. I came back to samsung because I didn't like anything about the G5 and I was tired of some of the problems in LG's software on the G3. I had both devices rooted running debloated stock roms. The main reason I root is to get rid of apps I cannot uninstall and to block ads while sticking with a stock based rom to be able to use the features the manufacturer built into the software. I am disappointed that we may never get root or an unlocked bootloader as I would like to be able to uninstall some apps like facebook, FB messenger, the 4 amazon apps and the 3 sprint apps I cannot get rid of as well as run an ad blocker.
While I still cannot get rid of ads, There are ways to disable the apps using an app called "Package Disabler Pro" or you can use Gatesjuniors' Debloater which is what I'm using because its one less app on my phone, you can find it here http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/software/debloater-remove-carrier-bloat-t2998294 . I have Nova launcher installed and have no lag, call quality is great, mobile signal strength and speed is better than I've ever had with Sprint. My wifi reception is equally as impressive as I still have very usable wifi 30+ yards away from my router through the walls in my house. My G3 had trouble connecting 10 yards away (another reason I came back to samsung).
All that being said, this is the first phone I haven't rooted within the first week of getting it and honestly, other than an annoying ad occasionally (as most of my apps and games are paid for so I don't get many ads anyway) I really see no need to root this phone at this time. I've had the S7 for 3 weeks now and I love it. Wireless charging is awesome as I haven't plugged it in to charge since the first week and on that note the fast charging is even more awesome as it will charge 50% in 30 minutes. The peace of mind in the fact that if it gets wet its no big deal. The screen and performance is phenomenal. Its so much easier to handle than the Note 2 was, I don't miss the heft of that phone at all. If you can get the Gear VR I highly recommend it, I was not a believer and thought I would just sell it but decided to try it to see if it was any good and it made a believer out of me, the Gear VR is awesome and a lot of fun.
Get the S7, it is a huge upgrade to the Note 2 and well worth it in my opinion.
I've kept it because the only reason I rooted in the first place was the free hotspot, and it's not essential that I have it, so I can go without. I'm also keeping it because it's a huge improvement in specs over the S5 I had before.
Free stuff
I came from a SGS4. Heavily modded, custom rom etc... As someone mentioned earlier, the main reason I rooted was for free hotspot activation (and some other free -cough- stuff). For now, I have the hotspot activated for free without root. Happy as a clam. The phone is fantastic. Even if/when Sprint forces an update and locks down my hotspot mod, I love the phone and would not switch to something else. I can still put free -cough- stuff on my phone without root. I'm sure someone will eventually find a way to root the device.
makane716 said:
I came from a SGS4. Heavily modded, custom rom etc... As someone mentioned earlier, the main reason I rooted was for free hotspot activation (and some other free -cough- stuff). For now, I have the hotspot activated for free without root. Happy as a clam. The phone is fantastic. Even if/when Sprint forces an update and locks down my hotspot mod, I love the phone and would not switch to something else. I can still put free -cough- stuff on my phone without root. I'm sure someone will eventually find a way to root the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well Sprint just pushed an update that gets rid of the ability to mod the phone to use hotpot. The update became available yesterday and it locks down the APN settings to where they are greyed out.
I have had no such update. I just did the mod 1 hour ago. Working fine.
Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 12:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:44 AM ----------
Macguyver said:
I came from a G3, before that a Note 2. I came back to samsung because I didn't like anything about the G5 and I was tired of some of the problems in LG's software on the G3. I had both devices rooted running debloated stock roms. The main reason I root is to get rid of apps I cannot uninstall and to block ads while sticking with a stock based rom to be able to use the features the manufacturer built into the software. I am disappointed that we may never get root or an unlocked bootloader as I would like to be able to uninstall some apps like facebook, FB messenger, the 4 amazon apps and the 3 sprint apps I cannot get rid of as well as run an ad blocker.
While I still cannot get rid of ads, There are ways to disable the apps using an app called "Package Disabler Pro" or you can use Gatesjuniors' Debloater which is what I'm using because its one less app on my phone, you can find it here http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/software/debloater-remove-carrier-bloat-t2998294 . I have Nova launcher installed and have no lag, call quality is great, mobile signal strength and speed is better than I've ever had with Sprint. My wifi reception is equally as impressive as I still have very usable wifi 30+ yards away from my router through the walls in my house. My G3 had trouble connecting 10 yards away (another reason I came back to samsung).
All that being said, this is the first phone I haven't rooted within the first week of getting it and honestly, other than an annoying ad occasionally (as most of my apps and games are paid for so I don't get many ads anyway) I really see no need to root this phone at this time. I've had the S7 for 3 weeks now and I love it. Wireless charging is awesome as I haven't plugged it in to charge since the first week and on that note the fast charging is even more awesome as it will charge 50% in 30 minutes. The peace of mind in the fact that if it gets wet its no big deal. The screen and performance is phenomenal. Its so much easier to handle than the Note 2 was, I don't miss the heft of that phone at all. If you can get the Gear VR I highly recommend it, I was not a believer and thought I would just sell it but decided to try it to see if it was any good and it made a believer out of me, the Gear VR is awesome and a lot of fun.
Get the S7, it is a huge upgrade to the Note 2 and well worth it in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can still block ads without root. adguard.com . Uses a local vpn to filter out the ads. It does consume a small amount of data to do so. Might not be the best choice on low data plans.
I know with the Sprint unlimited anything plan, they made mobile hotspot up to 3GB included. I don't actually use it much anyway, so that may be enough for me. I'm still so very on the fence.
People keep talking about free VR, how did you get it for free??
VassagoX said:
I know with the Sprint unlimited anything plan, they made mobile hotspot up to 3GB included. I don't actually use it much anyway, so that may be enough for me. I'm still so very on the fence.
People keep talking about free VR, how did you get it for free??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apart of a pre-order promo which I would guess is over now.
VassagoX said:
I know with the Sprint unlimited anything plan, they made mobile hotspot up to 3GB included. I don't actually use it much anyway, so that may be enough for me. I'm still so very on the fence.
People keep talking about free VR, how did you get it for free??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on the Sprint unlimited everything plan. I could not activate the hotspot without the mod. Of course, I activated my phone via website. But then, that's how I got my msl code to mod the apn. Oh well.
El.Dante565 said:
Apart of a pre-order promo which I would guess is over now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahhh, gotcha. Then I guess I'm out of luck on that one. Best Buy has a pretty good promo for $99 right now with a free wireless charger, so I guess that eats the cost of the VR if you wanted to buy it. I'm thinking about it.
makane716 said:
I'm on the Sprint unlimited everything plan. I could not activate the hotspot without the mod. Of course, I activated my phone via website. But then, that's how I got my msl code to mod the apn. Oh well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's strange. Are you on the $75 plan? It's supposed to be included.
VassagoX said:
Ahhh, gotcha. Then I guess I'm out of luck on that one. Best Buy has a pretty good promo for $99 right now with a free wireless charger, so I guess that eats the cost of the VR if you wanted to buy it. I'm thinking about it.
That's strange. Are you on the $75 plan? It's supposed to be included.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I was. Bestbuy did not want to honor the $99.99 sale price with 2 year activation (my current contract had expired at the beginning of the month) as they said Sprint wouldn't let them. So I chewed Sprint up and down until they pushed the upgrade through at $99.99. So I did tge activation swap through the website. Now I see I'm on a DIFFERENT unlimited plan. Some kinda "framily" plan for $30. Oh well. Still unlimited
Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
makane716 said:
I have had no such update. I just did the mod 1 hour ago. Working fine.
Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 12:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:44 AM ----------
You can still block ads without root. adguard.com . Uses a local vpn to filter out the ads. It does consume a small amount of data to do so. Might not be the best choice on low data plans.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I'll give that a shot. I have unlimited data so it's not a worry.
I use about 100gb a month on data with hotspot. S7 not my option anymore. LG G5 is next.
Yeah, I think I'm going to hold off as well at this point. I want to see if they will bend under pressure.
eloko said:
I use about 100gb a month on data with hotspot. S7 not my option anymore. LG G5 is next.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T-Mobile has announced the LG G5 will have a locked bootloader. Will have to see if other providers will follow suit.
makane716 said:
T-Mobile has announced the LG G5 will have a locked bootloader. Will have to see if other providers will follow suit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What?! Oh man... Tmo and sprint are the unlocked ones.. But if tmo is locked, more likely sprint will...
Seriously?! What are these companies thinking? Do they not realize how much of their sales is due to the modifiable side of their phones?
VassagoX said:
Seriously?! What are these companies thinking? Do they not realize how much of their sales is due to the modifiable side of their phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is exactly why I moved from iOS to android. The ability to take 3rd party apps, straight out of the box and modify bloatware, the ui, etc...
Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
makane716 said:
That is exactly why I moved from iOS to android. The ability to take 3rd party apps, straight out of the box and modify bloatware, the ui, etc...
Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The first part of this post will be my response to the OP post. The second part will address the user I quoted.
I actually bought this phone because I am losing my desire to mod/flash/root etc. While it's been fun the past 8 years or so, I've realized it has consumed TONS of my time. I can honestly say it got to the point where when I got home, the first thing I would do is get on my laptop or the app and open XDA. Next thing I know I'm flashing a new ROM only to find out in a few days or so that it lacks "this" feature or "that" feature isn't working properly and I'm back on xda looking for something different. It gets old having to reflash the phone because I "couldn't hear outgoing calls" or incoming mms wasn't working. I know seasoned xda members know as well as I that once you tweak one thing it inherently messes up another. Anyhow, this phone is a beast without root. No need for overclock, or even flashing a CM/AOSP rom. If I wanted that I would've picked up a Nexus. As a previous usuer mentioned, adblocking is possible without root as well as hotspot. I'm happy with my S7 and keeping it. Now regarding the user's quote, Samsung is the driver of Android sales worldwide. They want to keep that spot and unfortunately the vast majority of their users don't care about root. Samsung is taking on Apple knuckle to knuckle and in order to win over customers from Apple, they will have to provide the same level of security and functionality as Apple which means no root. Winning over Apple customers will yield them way more profit in the short and long run vs. providing unlock for their "power" users. I'm not cheering on Samsung to continue making their devices "NSA" friendly, but in a world of ever increasing security threats particularly of the cyber nature, rooting will become increasingly more difficult as OEMs try to gain their customers' confidence in the security of their mobile devices.
What ZTE has done with the Axon 7 is nothing short of incredible. An SD820 processor, 4 GB of RAM, Front-Facing Stereo Speakers, a 5.5" QHD AMOLED panel, MicroSD/Dual-SIM support, and a fingerprint sensor. You will not find this combination on any other phone with an unlockable bootloader or CDMA support. After getting to know the device’s security, I was less than enthused. Some things, which I would consider basic features, are missing. Other [system level] security features have been altered to the point where they are useless - or at the very least handicapped. I sought to fix those problems. In sharing what I have found, I seek to help you secure your device.
A few things, going forward…
This article is written with B29 in mind. The Nougat update has just been released and I hope that it has addressed many of my concerns. With that having been said, whip out the tin foil and fashion yourself a hat.
As I write this, the fact that I am about to list security problems with this device gives me pause. I was able to find reference or information about most, but I have found problems that I have not read about anywhere else. In effect, an unscrupulous individual could use information in this guide to compromise an unsecured device. Also, while proofreading this, I was compelled to add that I am not your lawyer. I am not here to help you cover illegal activity or shield you from legal action. At the end of the day, I cannot be responsible for the actions of another. I provide this information, in good faith, to help – not to hurt.
A word on mobile security in 2017 - especially in our current political climate.
There is no going back. We use our devices for everything from paying our bills to submitting job applications. Information that your grandparents would have kept locked in a safety deposit box is now routinely transmitted at the speed of light from your device to a remote server. Given the nature of electronics and storage, if you lose possession of the device, there is no guarantee that a skilled individual could not forcibly extract and reconstruct it. Under our current leadership, surveillance laws will be expanded in the name of security. The requirement for a warrant to forcibly extract data from a device will become more lax than it already is. The operative thought process from those in power is that, ‘if you have nothing to hide…’
Second, law enforcement:
I do not want to get into this too much. I see no way to effectively describe the problem with less than a few paragraphs; So, here we go:
With regard to your tech, the Fourth Amendment is dead. Your best defense is a secure device. Reports of police officers cloning the internal storage of Android devices on the side of the road with nothing more than a black box and a data cable are rampant. In reality, the Police have been collecting ‘analytical’ data from devices for years. All of the information is input into databases, where it can be cross-referenced and used for other investigations. Google ‘Cellebrite’ for more information about this. They are one of the leading forensic software companies. Reading about what can they do is truly disturbing. Be advised that the information on their website about compatibility and capability is not up-to-date [or complete] - for obvious reasons. For this reason, I would recommend keeping USB Debugging disabled on your device when you’re not using it.
Last year, I read a police report/legal ruling where a judge granted a police agency complete power to collect enhanced biometric data on everyone in a residence while executing a search warrant for drugs. I cannot delve too deep, but essentially, there was a device and the prosecutor had some doubts that the owner of the device used their own fingerprint. Enhanced biometric information collection was authorized [and executed] for all individuals in the household. This is a more extensive data set than what is stored by the fingerprint enrollment on Android/iOS. Tech. exists to pass this collected information to the pad sensor on your device. This was a clear violation of the Fifth Amendment if they used the information to crack open the device after the owner refused to type in their password. Because of the adversarial nature of our legal system, no one will complain until someone does something about it. The case received no attention from the press. I was never privy to the outcome, but it was clear to me that they really wanted to unlock that device.
We all have stuff to hide. Whether it is personal, criminal, whatever… The reality of our legal system in this country, combined with its age, has resulted in such an extensive set of laws that you are almost certainly violating one as we speak. Did you know that it is illegal for a man with a moustache to kiss a woman in Eureka, Nevada? See what I mean? This is [obviously] not enforced, but piss the wrong person off and watch how quickly a dumb law can serve as a pretext for investigation and discovery. See Twitter: CrimeADay for a bizarre list of Federal crimes which remain enforceable to this day. Even the most well-intentioned person could inadvertently incriminate himself or herself when surrendering their device. This is all very fascinating, and probably will never happen to you, but no one wants their device to be subject to random searches. Legal information, trade secrets, etc. can be just as damaging as incriminating information can be. Additionally, all of the data they collect leaves your protection and is subject to their storage, security flaws, breaches, and decisions to sell it in the future. If you choose to surrender your data, that is your call, but I seek to make sure that it is never by force.
Now that I've given you a headache, let's move onto the biggest security flaws that I’ve found:
ZTE has removed the ability to encrypt the internal storage on B29. I do not know if this was fixed with the B15 update, but this alone made the phone unusable for me. Several apps that I use will not even start if there is no boot time encryption password set. While I’m inclined to blame the apps, I completely understand why they won’t work. Some information is too sensitive to be stored on unencrypted media.
ZTE has altered the default security behavior of Android to allow the fingerprint sensor to unlock the device, even if it has just been rebooted or locked by a Device Admin. Again, I do not know the latest update addressed this. This feature is a last resort stopgap against your data being stolen under duress. You can refuse to type in a password, but your fingerprint can be forcibly/unknowingly used to unlock your device. I’m sure that more than a few of you have seen the Vines where the suspicious female attempts to use her man’s finger to unlock his device while he’s sleeping. I was unable to fix this, and it ultimately led me to abandon ZTE’s iteration of Android.
The bootloader can be rolled back and unlocked by anyone, allowing low-level access. From here, it is not difficult to reconstruct data that is left over by the insecure factory reset process after unlocking. However, this would probably be more useful to a thief than to someone who was after information. While this is cool for us from a development standpoint, it is also a security and anti-theft nightmare.
The power menu is accessible from the lock screen. While I’ve never seen a stock version of Android lock this down, the airplane mode function is available from the power menu on ZTE’s flavor of Marshmallow. This has the unfortunate effect of bypassing any anti-theft protection on the device that requires connectivity. We will address this and as many of the aforementioned items as we can.
Custom ROMS, Bootloader Unlocking
After careful consideration, I concluded that the only way the completely guarantee the security of my device was to use CyanogenMod/LineageOS. CM has some undesirable attributes, but [in my opinion] the positives outweigh the negatives. Let's just say that I eagerly await a fully functional AOSP build. However, CM allows encryption and requires the device’s password to be entered after rebooting or locking with a Device Admin. In order to do this, the device’s bootloader must obviously be unlocked.
Post-Unlock Security, Root, and What about my warranty?
Most security conscious individuals will probably tell you that unlocking your bootloader or rooting your device is the worst thing you can do for your device’s security. I submit to you that your device’s security is already broken. With the help of this site and a few easily accessible resources, the security that your locked bootloader affords you is useless. By encrypting your /data partition, you will be increasing the security of your data by an infinitesimal factor -- assuming you use a strong password. With regard to root, the human element remains the weakest link in the chain. Having your bootloader unlocked and your device rooted might make it easier for a knowledgeable person to reset and use the device after relieving you of it, but if your device is set up properly, your data is just as safe – if not safer than it was before.
The biggest consideration is warranty. In my opinion, any manufacturer that denies a legitimate hardware-related claim on the grounds of your bootloader being unlocked is not a company that should be supported. However, it ‘is what it is’ and time will tell how ZTE will treat its customers. The choice remains yours.
Password Strength
Using a separate encryption password is a wise thing to do. Pay attention to what keyboard you're using when you type your password in...
Do me a favor. Go to this site and check your password strength. http://calc.opensecurityresearch.com/
Under keys per second, select 'Custom' and paste
Code:
1999999999999999999999
That is very close to where we are, without going over.
The Fixes:
Please forgive the breakdown of writing style from this point forward.
/data Encryption:
The only remedy for this is to encrypt the internal storage on CM and then to reinstall B29. Unlock your bootloader, install TWRP, flash CM13, boot the device and encrypt it. From here, [if warranted] you can reset the encryption password to whatever you want it to be by running
Code:
vdc cryptfs changepw password 'old_password_here' 'new_password_here'
Reboot to TWRP, wipe everything, but do not ‘Format Data’ or Factory Reset. Perform an ‘Advanced Wipe’ and wipe everything. Reinstall B29, and you’ll be prompted for your encryption password whenever you boot your device! This alone will protect your data from forcible extraction and reconstruction after the device is factory reset.
Fingerprint Sensor Unlock Policy:
Use a different version of Android. I tried everything. Locking the device with a Device Admin, killing the services using ADB while on the lock screen, unloading drivers, etc… For some reason, the damned sensor just works all of the time. Any insight on this is greatly appreciated….
Bootloader Rollback:
The B15 update contains a newer version of fastboot that, as I understand it, is fake and does not accept fastboot commands. I will be investigating the implementation of this. This would still be subject to replacement by the working version… So, it may only slow a determined intruder down.
Lock Screen Power Menu/Airplane Mode:
There is probably a way to kill the power menu when on the lock screen by editing some resource or another. My solution utilized Tasker. Disable Tasker’s battery optimization in the Android system settings. A more comprehensive write up might be forthcoming upon request, but essentially, you would do:
Code:
2 (3rd/4th optional/troubleshooting) profiles/tasks to maintain a variable as to whether or not the device had been unlocked.
Event (Display Unlocked) -> Clear Variable %Locked
Event (Display Off) -> Set Variable %Locked To 1
State (Display Off) + State (Variable Value %Locked Doesn’t Match 1) -> Set Variable %Locked To 1
Event (Device Shutdown) -> Set Variable %Locked To 1
1 Profile/Task to disable Airplane Mode
Event (Variable Set, Airplane Mode Status, value=’on’) + State (Variable Set, %Locked, value=’1’)
From here, you can either tell a task to wait a specified amount of time to turn off Airplane Mode, have Tasker immediately turn it off, or flag a variable that will be looked for the next time the display is turned off. I would suggest having the last profile set a variable, such as %DisableAeroplaneMode=1. Then do,
Code:
Event (Display Off) + Variable Value (%DisableAeroplaneMode, value=’1’)
|-> Wait 5 Seconds, Turn Off Airplane Mode, Clear Variable %DisableAeroplaneMode
And/Or
State (Display Off) + State (Variable Value, Airplane Mode Status = ‘on’ & %DisableAeroplaneMode = ‘1’)
|-> Wait 5 Seconds, Turn Off Airplane Mode, Clear Variable %DisableAeroplaneMode
By doing it the way I have laid out, where the device waits until the screen is off, the would-be thief is tricked into thinking that he has disabled the device’s connectivity. The task will repeat as many times as the attacker toggles Airplane Mode. This will not stop the attacker from powering down the device, but may give you the extra minute you need to send the self-destruct command or locate the device. The optional tasks assure that your wishes are respected even if the Display Off events are missed -- which happens.
In conclusion, ZTE should really take a hint. Don’t cheap out on security. If something is working, and has worked for a long time, there is no reason to change it. Alternatively, to employ the age-old aphorism, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I hope to have given everyone something with this write-up. A true 'pick and choose' philosophy way be the best way to proceed from here. There is no such thing as a truly secure piece of tech, and there is no such thing as a secure device that is also convenient to use on a daily basis. Take care, all.
This is my first thread in my 5 years of of XDA membership. Feedback is much appreciated.
Physical security of this device was gone the day that tenfar released the boot/recovery flashing tool. That sends the signed firehose over the USB connection, which can be picked up and used by anyone who knows how (eg. tennear). Your *only* security on the device is encryption. Period.
And just so you don't feel too bad about this, you can bet that law enforcement has, or can subpoena, the firehose from any manufacturer.
Moral: always encrypt and use a strong password. That at least gives you *some* chance of security.
Very interesting read. There's very little privacy in the connected society we will live in. Who needs any kind of tracking device when the cell phone does that and so much more. In the older days (pre 2012?) one could fully shutdown the phone by pulling the battery. This is no longer possible with sealed/embedded batteries. One certainly hopes the phone is truly off when powered down or transmitter is deactivated in airplane mode.
We've traded privacy for convenience. The other day a personal banker at my bank was trying to sell me on mobile banking. How easy and convenient it is to deposit a check or transfer funds. No thanks. Just don't trust android enough to install any finance related apps.
If you leave your wifi on, the phone scanning for an AP reveals enough about itself to be a tracking marker.
IMO, best security for a mobile device is not to contain any confidential information in the first place. There won't be anything to reveal should the device become compromised.
A fantastic read, very appreciated, thanks for your work.
I know that, amazing piece of hardware, with very poor software development, with all the rumors confirmed: terribles mistakes in almost any software aspect's.
Thanks again and please, write more often !
Great write up.
I'm on B15 and when you set a pattern lock or pin it asks you if you want the device to require the pin/password/pattern on startup. So there's some change there. I have a pattern set and after reboots it does ask me to unlock it before finger print will work.
Airplane mode still accessible from the lockscreen on B15.
LineageOS 14.1 for ZTE Axon 7
QuantumFluxx said:
What ZTE has done with the Axon 7 is nothing short of incredible. An SD820 processor, 4 GBs of RAM, Front-Facing Stereo Speakers, a QHD AMOLED panel, MicroSD support, and a fingerprint sensor. You will not find this combination on any other phone with an unlockable bootloader or CDMA support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. Especially the 5.5" 1440p AMOLED display. We have enough 5.5" 1080p slabs from the budget Chinese companies. ZTE "gets" it.
I wish Google had bought a MILLION of these, loaded on Nougat and sold them as the Pixel XL. The specs put Google to shame, and they charge twice the price.
If only ZTE had included wireless charging I would have bought 3 of them immediately. For now, I'm sticking with my 2014 Moto XT1225 -- basically the 5.2" version of the Moto Nexus 6, but with a BIGGER battery:
5.2" 1440p, Snapdragon 805, 3GB RAM, 64GB internal memory, Qi wireless charging, Qualcomm Quickcharge 2.0, 3900 mAh battery. And yes, I have three of them.
QuantumFluxx said:
The only remedy for this is to encrypt the internal storage on CM and then to reinstall B29. Unlock your bootloader, install TWRP, flash CM13, boot the device and encrypt it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CM13 is abandoned. Surely you mean CM/LOS14?
[OFFICIAL]LineageOS 14.1 for ZTE Axon 7
https://forum.xda-developers.com/axon-7/development/unofficial-lineageos-14-1-zte-axon-7-t3545679
You just wrote this three days ago. You don't know this?
ChazzMatt said:
CM13 is abandoned. Surely you mean CM/LOS14?
[OFFICIAL]LineageOS 14.1 for ZTE Axon 7
https://forum.xda-developers.com/axon-7/development/unofficial-lineageos-14-1-zte-axon-7-t3545679
You just wrote this three days ago. You don't know this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was aware. I'm even running LOS on my Axon I have personally set up an encrypted /data partition on CM13 (MM) and then reinstalled B29 (MM) without formatting /data. I haven't tried using CM14/LOS for the first step of that process. Since the recently released B15 (Nougat) update seems to have addressed the missing encryption option, this guide might mostly be deprecated -- or only useful to those who choose to remain on B29. I would not recommend using Nougat to set up a /data partition for a Marshmallow system.
This.. was very interesting. I've decided I'm not gonna buy the device until they fix this. On the other hand, my bullhead has *no* encryption as boot encryption is too much of an annoyance to me. I'm waiting for TWRP to support file-based encryption on my device (hopefully WITH f2fs) so I can contain my speed within good security. Also, on AOSP the data CAN be turned off from Quick Settings, unfortunately. I could just remove it from there I guess... (but I need to keep a watch)
I suspected that something is a miss with the device when I got it yesterday, but didn't have the time to check it out why exactly I don't see the expected encryption settings...
Saved me a lot of time and research.. Thanks for that.
Good thing that I'm actually renting the device and didn't actually bought it... I guess I won't be keeping it..
Considering ZTE has been in the frying pan by US Congress, the FBI, etc. for the past 5 years, I'm not surprised they'd make a phone our government would love everyone to get but... not use themselves. Just be glad you were able to get a fancy cheap phone to put LOS on at the moment considering Congress only recently (this past summer) gave ZTE a temporary halt on their sanctions to do business in the U.S. I read a lot before clicking "buy" but decided to pull the trigger because it is a sweet phone. Before I first used it I scanned it with practically every major antivirus and malware product, put it behind a pfSense firewall running Snort, scanned it network-side with Nessus... I'd do more if I could.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/03/technology/huawei-technologies-subpoena-iran-north-korea.html
http://intelligence.house.gov/sites...s/huawei-zte investigative report (final).pdf
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/19/...uestions-about-huawei-and-sanctions.html?_r=0
http://techonomy.com/2013/04/huawei-zte-banned-from-selling-to-u-s-government/
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/oct/08/china-huawei-zte-security-threat
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Huawei-ZTE-may-be-doing-espionage-for-China_id35269
http://www.chinausfocus.com/finance...chinese-telecom-giants-conflicts-with-the-u-s
https://www.cyberscoop.com/android-malware-china-huawei-zte-kryptowire-blu-products/
http://www.fiercewireless.com/tech/...irms-be-allowed-back-into-u-s-wireless-market
... I could go on. Literally Google Huawei and ZTE in the same search and you get this stuff.
I remember reading about Huawei's involvement in this, but not ZTE's. Corporate greed, corporate greed, corporate greed.... I guess we should all be very aware of this and any developments. Please advise us of anything you come across that doesn't look right.
jawz101 said:
Considering ZTE has been in the frying pan by US Congress, the FBI, etc. for the past 5 years, I'm not surprised they'd make a phone our government would love everyone to get but... not use themselves. Just be glad you were able to get a fancy cheap phone to put LOS on at the moment considering Congress only recently (this past summer) gave ZTE a temporary halt on their sanctions to do business in the U.S. I read a lot before clicking "buy" but decided to pull the trigger because it is a sweet phone. Before I first used it I scanned it with practically every major antivirus and malware product, put it behind a pfSense firewall running Snort, scanned it network-side with Nessus... I'd do more if I could.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
---
I'm so sorry to have played a part, but I am very glad that you were able to find all of this out before the end of your return period. At least, I assume that you're going to return it
I wrote this piece because I couldn't find something comparable on XDA or the rest of the net. Just a one sentence reference, here or there, that says someone couldn't encrypt. You would think more people would have flipped out about this, but the average 'unlocker'/'flasher' has a very poor opinion of full device encryption.
apocalypse_bg said:
I suspected that something is a miss with the device when I got it yesterday, but didn't have the time to check it out why exactly I don't see the expected encryption settings...
Saved me a lot of time and research.. Thanks for that.
Good thing that I'm actually renting the device and didn't actually bought it... I guess I won't be keeping it..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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Good luck with your upcoming TWRP update! P.S., From TWRP.me regarding the Bullhead
NOTE: Decrypting data does not work if you fastboot boot the recovery image. Decrypt works if you flash the recovery and boot it like normal. If you do not know what this means, you can ignore this note.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you install the recovery image through TWRP and reboot recovery, have you had any luck? Dunno if I'm reading that wrong.
I believe that the Nougat update re-added encryption [for the Axon].
I can help you secure your quick settings while the device is locked. You need Tasker and root.
Go to a shell and do
Code:
settings get secure sysui_qs_tiles
and take notice of the output. We will call these your 'default' settings, hereafter.
In Tasker, you would set up an event that triggered whenever the display was switched off. You could create a timer, but that would be substantially more complex than just tying the functions to the screen state of the device. The next command you will need is
Code:
settings put secure sysui_qs_tiles xxx
where 'xxx' are the tiles you want to appear on the lock screen/after the command is executed (referred to as 'modified', hereafter.)
So, 1st: Event,ScreenOff->Code,RunShell 'settings put secure sysui_qs_tiles modified', Use Root
2nd: Event,DeviceUnlocked->Code,RunShell 'settings put secure sysui_qs_tiles default', Use Root
3rd: Event,DeviceShutdown->>Code,RunShell 'settings put secure sysui_qs_tiles modified', Use Root
You will end up with 3 profiles and 2 tasks. I have attached a screenshot. This is my configuration of the 'Run Shell' command that would be triggered by the 'DeviceUnlocked' event.
You could set up the two different configurations, i.e. edit the quick settings tiles to one configuration when the device is locked, and one configuration for when the device is unlocked. Retain the output of the aforementioned 'get' shell command for each configuration and use them as the 'default' and 'modified' variables for your shell commands.
I always find it extremely difficult to write about Tasker and maintain any sense of literary professionalism. My apologies for any confusion. I'm looking at what I just wrote, and....yeah.
I have the same thing set up on my device and I would be happy to provide the exported files, if you are interested.
LazerL0rd said:
This.. was very interesting. I've decided I'm not gonna buy the device until they fix this. On the other hand, my bullhead has *no* encryption as boot encryption is too much of an annoyance to me. I'm waiting for TWRP to support file-based encryption on my device (hopefully WITH f2fs) so I can contain my speed within good security. Also, on AOSP the data CAN be turned off from Quick Settings, unfortunately. I could just remove it from there I guess... (but I need to keep a watch)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
---
Yes!!! I wholeheartedly agree. You are getting speed, reliability, support, and updates with the Pixel.
We got the speed.
We got the reliability.
We have XDA.
We finally got the updates. -- I'm on the January security patch on 7.1.1.
In short, the Pixel can remain on the top shelf. I can see no reason it is so expensive other than the fact that Google knew people would gobble it up. That's how Apple does things. smh. The Pixel (and the iPhones) are just not worth $700-870. I would pay 400$ for the Pixel and $549.99 for the XL. That is still overpriced, but much more acceptable. In my opinion, these companies would have you believe that these phones really are VERY expensive to manufacturer. From what I've heard/read, Apple is making about 200$ on every iPhone they sell. Over the years, with that amount of money coming in, there is ABSOLUTELY no excuse to release a phone with outdated hardware and inferior display technology.
By the way, your Moto sounds sweet I miss my XT1575...
ChazzMatt said:
Agreed. Especially the 5.5" 1440p AMOLED display. We have enough 5.5" 1080p slabs from the budget Chinese companies. ZTE "gets" it.
I wish Google had bought a MILLION of these, loaded on Nougat and sold them as the Pixel XL. The specs put Google to shame, and they charge twice the price.
If only ZTE had included wireless charging I would have bought 3 of them immediately. For now, I'm sticking with my 2014 Moto XT1225 -- basically the 5.2" version of the Moto Nexus 6, but with a BIGGER battery:
5.2" 1440p, Snapdragon 805, 3GB RAM, 64GB internal memory, Qi wireless charging, Qualcomm Quickcharge 2.0, 3900 mAh battery. And yes, I have three of them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
---
Thank you all for your kind words!
QuantumFluxx said:
I remember reading about Huawei's involvement in this, but not ZTE's. Corporate greed, corporate greed, corporate greed.... I guess we should all be very aware of this and any developments. Please advise us of anything you come across that doesn't look right.
---
I'm so sorry to have played a part, but I am very glad that you were able to find all of this out before the end of your return period. At least, I assume that you're going to return it
I wrote this piece because I couldn't find something comparable on XDA or the rest of the net. Just a one sentence reference, here or there, that says someone couldn't encrypt. You would think more people would have flipped out about this,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I read up on all of it beforehand and then bought it anyways. Yeah, it was mainly Huawei - probably because ZTE isn't a household name in the U.S. Regardless, they never gave any proof of tampering with spying so I ultimately wrote it off as b.S. I really think the gov't just wanted to convince people to buy from our partner countries instead of China because China has been quietly buying up a bunch of U.S. businesses and property over the past decade. They're worried about our economy, really. All I know is I want quality and affordability and of China produces that I'm going to opt for it. It is true I've been screwed on some China purchases- namely Indiegogo campaigns recently.
As I have a 2017G, the latest version available is B10. I'm interested if someone from the US with Nougat can confirm the encryption situation. I highly doubt that they have very different builds for EU/US..
According to the official German(EU) support forum of ZTE, they have said that the encryption will be available in Nougat.
So I was able to successfully get the DEMO LG Wing I bought off of ebay. (Model LMF101V) Flashed. And despite being told these didn't even have a modem in them, I am able to get 5G with a Tmobile SIM now. *I believe these were originally Verizon demo's, but I am not sure. I am missing storage, which I have seen was a problem with other LG demo models. However it appears the SD card is working, so this is not a huge deal to me. (It registers 8GB instead of 256GB) I know the storage is actually there, because prior to flashing, I was able to access and use it in the demo mode.
I was wondering if anyone could help me get the biometrics working? The hardware is present and the phone does detect a fingerprint reader, but when trying to use it, it never registers any finger prints. *It does not accept or reject, the screen changes to indicate my finger is touching the glass, but nothing happens as far as registering my fingerprint goes, it just does nothing. I do not yet know if the 50% charging limitiation is still in place or not, I will update when I find out. I am assuming this is no longer an issue.
Not bad for $180 now that it has service. I accomplished this by making my own modifications to LGUP, I will be honest, I am a newbie when it comes to this stuff. So I was poking around and changed a few things here, a few things there, and I could not tell you specifically what I did that made this work. The phone still does not show me an IMEI number. (Just a 0 in place of it.) I dont want to break the rules regarding changing IMEI's, but since this would be more like restoring the IMEI, maybe the mods will allow us to discuss potential fixes to that issue.
Interesting this demo unit. What is the firmware showing in the system menu? Could you update to any newer firmware? Or could you unlock the bootloader / flash another official fimware?
vegasflash said:
So I was able to successfully get the DEMO LG Wing I bought off of ebay. (Model LMF101V) Flashed. And despite being told these didn't even have a modem in them, I am able to get 5G with a Tmobile SIM now. *I believe these were originally Verizon demo's, but I am not sure. I am missing storage, which I have seen was a problem with other LG demo models. However it appears the SD card is working, so this is not a huge deal to me. (It registers 8GB instead of 256GB) I know the storage is actually there, because prior to flashing, I was able to access and use it in the demo mode.
I was wondering if anyone could help me get the biometrics working? The hardware is present and the phone does detect a fingerprint reader, but when trying to use it, it never registers any finger prints. *It does not accept or reject, the screen changes to indicate my finger is touching the glass, but nothing happens as far as registering my fingerprint goes, it just does nothing. I do not yet know if the 50% charging limitiation is still in place or not, I will update when I find out. I am assuming this is no longer an issue.
Not bad for $180 now that it has service. I accomplished this by making my own modifications to LGUP, I will be honest, I am a newbie when it comes to this stuff. So I was poking around and changed a few things here, a few things there, and I could not tell you specifically what I did that made this work. The phone still does not show me an IMEI number. (Just a 0 in place of it.) I dont want to break the rules regarding changing IMEI's, but since this would be more like restoring the IMEI, maybe the mods will allow us to discuss potential fixes to that issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you flash it!?
xSe7eNx said:
How did you flash it!?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Modified LGUP - Chip Erase was the only option that would do anything at all. So I first flashed a Verizon ROM and then a Tmobile ROM. Both lifted all all the limitations placed on the device. The only thing that did not work was the fingerprint sensor, but its there... so there has got to be a way. That and it wont show an IMEI number at all after that. Yet at least with Tmobile, that doesnt appear to matter.
Please direct me to the steps or page that will explain how to do what you did to remove this demo crap. Thanks in advance.
devingubler1 said:
Please direct me to the steps or page that will explain how to do what you did to remove this demo crap. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There isn't one. I figured this out on my own.
Have you played with a Velvet 5g? I just got a retail mode one.
I got ahold of 2 V60 demo units. I believe they are the Verizon ones? Anyhow i removed demo limitations to allow use of the device again, battery is at 50% llke most, and its supposedly missing the modem as i cannot get any information in Phone Information for the cellular bands etc.. It would be nice however to get them working IF they are present.
I don't see how your velvet has the modems unless perhaps it was specific verizon ones which these devices were rumored to have the ability of a full device (modem and everything else) once flashed to different firmware.
If you could walk back through what you do (i know im guilty myself of forgetting to write things down) and try to remember exactly what all you did this would help a lot on these demo units. I see a people wanting to convert them more these days since the phones are getting more hi tech. 5-7 years ago and so you could covert these,, Before that demo phones.. well they were all real. Was never an issue getting them cheap and no need for converting.. Wish it was like that today!
Any updates on this? Local used phone stores want $450 starting, I see a handful on eBay for anywhere from $120+, non-demo ones average around $350+. I'd like to get one that's unlocked (currently on Sprint/TMobile) but likely gonna be switching to AT&T. I see a lot of phones that say unlocked but I don't know if they're truly unlocked and/or how to do it myself if they're in fact not unlocked. 10+yrs ago I used to bake my own ROM's and whatnot but nowadays it feels like Spanish to me so I don't wanna buy the wrong phone and have it not work (demo issues) or not be able to easily switch providers.
noidodroid said:
I got ahold of 2 V60 demo units. I believe they are the Verizon ones? Anyhow i removed demo limitations to allow use of the device again, battery is at 50% llke most, and its supposedly missing the modem as i cannot get any information in Phone Information for the cellular bands etc.. It would be nice however to get them working IF they are present.
I don't see how your velvet has the modems unless perhaps it was specific verizon ones which these devices were rumored to have the ability of a full device (modem and everything else) once flashed to different firmware.
If you could walk back through what you do (i know im guilty myself of forgetting to write things down) and try to remember exactly what all you did this would help a lot on these demo units. I see a people wanting to convert them more these days since the phones are getting more hi tech. 5-7 years ago and so you could covert these,, Before that demo phones.. well they were all real. Was never an issue getting them cheap and no need for converting.. Wish it was like that today!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The lg velvet retail modes do take the korean firmware. Everything works even 5g. Battery works 100%.
m5james said:
Any updates on this? Local used phone stores want $450 starting, I see a handful on eBay for anywhere from $120+, non-demo ones average around $350+. I'd like to get one that's unlocked (currently on Sprint/TMobile) but likely gonna be switching to AT&T. I see a lot of phones that say unlocked but I don't know if they're truly unlocked and/or how to do it myself if they're in fact not unlocked. 10+yrs ago I used to bake my own ROM's and whatnot but nowadays it feels like Spanish to me so I don't wanna buy the wrong phone and have it not work (demo issues) or not be able to easily switch providers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup i was able to flash the lg velvet retail modes with korean firmware. 5g even works with att. Hotspot isnt even locked like it would be on stock att firmware. Im really loving these lg velvet retail mode phones. If you can find them cheap get one.
vegasflash said:
So I was able to successfully get the DEMO LG Wing I bought off of ebay. (Model LMF101V) Flashed. And despite being told these didn't even have a modem in them, I am able to get 5G with a Tmobile SIM now. *I believe these were originally Verizon demo's, but I am not sure. I am missing storage, which I have seen was a problem with other LG demo models. However it appears the SD card is working, so this is not a huge deal to me. (It registers 8GB instead of 256GB) I know the storage is actually there, because prior to flashing, I was able to access and use it in the demo mode.
I was wondering if anyone could help me get the biometrics working? The hardware is present and the phone does detect a fingerprint reader, but when trying to use it, it never registers any finger prints. *It does not accept or reject, the screen changes to indicate my finger is touching the glass, but nothing happens as far as registering my fingerprint goes, it just does nothing. I do not yet know if the 50% charging limitiation is still in place or not, I will update when I find out. I am assuming this is no longer an issue.
Not bad for $180 now that it has service. I accomplished this by making my own modifications to LGUP, I will be honest, I am a newbie when it comes to this stuff. So I was poking around and changed a few things here, a few things there, and I could not tell you specifically what I did that made this work. The phone still does not show me an IMEI number. (Just a 0 in place of it.) I dont want to break the rules regarding changing IMEI's, but since this would be more like restoring the IMEI, maybe the mods will allow us to discuss potential fixes to that issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there any chance you could share what you did to get this working? I've been trying to flash stock firmware to my Wing but haven't had any success. All of my attempts have either caused LGUP to crash, fail, or "successfully" flash but never actually do anything to the phone.
9
gd243 said:
Is there any chance you could share what you did to get this working? I've been trying to flash stock firmware to my Wing but haven't had any success. All of my attempts have either caused LGUP to crash, fail, or "successfully" flash but never actually do anything to the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont use the gui tool. Learn to flash from terminal and you will be set.
I could never get the tool to work outside of the cmd promt.
LGUPED said:
9
Dont use the gui tool. Learn to flash from terminal and you will be set.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright, I'll give that a shot. Any specific firmware I should go for? I have the Korean and Verizon, not sure which is better. This is a Verizon demo unit, btw.
Edit: If you could link me to the terminal version, that would be appreciated.
gd243 said:
Alright, I'll give that a shot. Any specific firmware I should go for? I have the Korean and Verizon, not sure which is better. This is a Verizon demo unit, btw.
Edit: If you could link me to the terminal version, that would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just search xda or reddit on how to use lgup in command prompt. Ive been successful with the korean firmware.
gd243 said:
Alright, I'll give that a shot. Any specific firmware I should go for? I have the Korean and Verizon, not sure which is better. This is a Verizon demo unit, btw.
Edit: If you could link me to the terminal version, that would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally cant wait until firehose comes out for the lg velvet. I have a few of those. They work great on att 5g. Almost feels exactly like my s20 ultra in my hand. Too bad lg stopped making phones.
Terminal version worked perfectly! The korean firmware works and seems to be fully functional, although I will have to do more testing. I may try flashing US carrier firmware at some point if it's compatible (probably T-Mobile as I use that), but for now this is fine.
Been using the phone for a few days now. It's largely been fine, however the fingerprint sensor doesn't seem to work as the OP mentioned. Still, if anyone has a demo device, it's much better then using the gimped firmware it comes with.
gd243 said:
Been using the phone for a few days now. It's largely been fine, however the fingerprint sensor doesn't seem to work as the OP mentioned. Still, if anyone has a demo device, it's much better then using the gimped firmware it comes with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/fingerprint-loss-on-boot-unlock.4270491/
BrianMF said:
Try this: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/fingerprint-loss-on-boot-unlock.4270491/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried without downgrading the firmware (if that's even possible- I don't think the Wing came with Android 9). ( #*462633*#100# ) got me into the service menu, did the fingerprint test and now it recognizes me putting my finger against the sensor, but tells me "Cover the entire sensor with your finger" every time.
Edit: To be clear, I'm using the latest Korean firmware. I'm not sure if downgrading it would work, since as far as I know it's all Android 10.
Quick preamble note: This is a long read, but it's because it's been a long time since I touched a V30. So it's hard for me to put a TLDR synopsis at the bottom like I would normally do.
Hey all. It's been a while since Ive been in this part of the cell-iverse and I'm hoping you current V30 users can catch me up , please and thanks!
So a few days ago, one of my old posts in here got a little traction and it made me nostalgic, so I busted out the old v30 and started playing around with it. And if it were still 3 years ago, I could do no wrong to my trusty V30. Brick it? NBD! I can fix it... But a pandemic and few phones later I'm rusty and behind with all things Root / Magisk etc and even having a tough time remembering why I installed X module or disabled Y module and so on.
Maybe you're wondering, why bother messing with your old device? Well I had forgotten how many features Google had blocked between ol Android 8 and 13, and it turns out I really missed some of those and want to mess around with them. But, since updating or installing anything current could mean death for my 30, I'm hoping I can post my current Magisk config here and some kind folks will alert me as to what I should and shouldn't do / update / upgrade.
Specs:
Sprint (not currently connected to any network, and disabled anything I could think of to avoid getting hit by a TMo or Google Update)
LG-LS998
Android 8.0
security patch January 1 2019
build # OPR1.170623.026
SW: LS99827a
If anyone has a suggestion for what I need to disable to be sure it won't shadily get nerfed by Google, please let me know (auto updates/ota updates should be disabled still, but only by whatever standard we were using 3 years ago)
So first biggie is: Can I update Magisk? Currently I'm running 23.0 and its recommending an update to 25.2
Anyone know if this is going to be a compatibility issue?
As it stands, my Magisk Hide ft. seems to be working for everything i had it set up before. But I did install an old copy of an old APK and hide it, and Play is kinda having a fit about it and sending me notifications even after hiding it. (I dont think Im allowed to use the name of the app here, so I guess all I can say is Google has always tried to ban it and it's the same version as before but now they can see its installed somehow)
Ok, so let's talk modules....
Currently only looking at one possible update. That's for the dialer framework for the Google Phone. Now I know Google has opened up availability to their dialer to most phones now, maybe all of them. But I don't know if it's backwards compatible all the way to 8. I also don't know if updating the dialer framework will actually make it work. So any advice there is welcome.
Modules loaded & their status :
Abd & fastboot for Android NDK. Enabled.
Seems to be working fine. Or at least not causing an issue. I haven't run any log cats yet though. (Prob should , will do soon)
Anxious V30 v324 / Disabled.
I do remember I loved her mods that she was putting out. And then I remember a bunch of people giving her a hard time and she stopped releasing them which was a shame. But I don't remember why I disabled it so for now it's staying disabled unless someone has some info for me.
App systemizer (terminal emulator) / enabled
Seems to be running fine, but I completely forget how to actually use it and I'm going to have to read up on that again. But if anyone has any notes for me like that it doesn't work anymore please feel free to give me a heads up.
******
Okay well I just realized there's like 19 more of these and this is already so long I don't know if anyone's going to care to read it LOL... So I'm just going to stop here for now and see if this post gets any kind of traction or if anyone has any kind of insight before I take the time of writing out the rest of these. Or at least wait to edit this till I'm on a computer and not just my phone. But a definitely need some info on things like APP OPS, which is no longer working for me, & things like Riru & SUI which I just read up on a little but am not sure will work on OS 8.
But for now any insights anybody has are welcome. Would love to hear from any of you that have been active in the last few years to now.
Personal Throwback Note: I love that all of my wifi scanners actually work now, I can review and diagnose my own network and the apps on my own phone and what their sending and where.. And that I can share files, cast, beam, and just about send anything anywhere I want, like the old days.
It's amazing how badly Google nerfed all of these things since back then.
Are you planning on connecting this to a carrier, or just using it on Wifi or something?
Generally speaking, I would recommend moving to the latest US998 ROM, as it seems to be the most cross-compatible and capable. UNLESS you're going to put it on a carrier, like VZW, in which case you would want the VZW ROM instead, to allow VOLTE/VOWIFI to work. I think other carriers may not be as tricky about these, which is why US998 should work, but I'm not sure myself (I'm a VZW MVNO user).
As for Magisk, the last I heard was that you can update it after you've installed it. In other words, you can't install newer versions via TWRP, but if you install 18.x (whichever it was - I forget, check the WTF thread) then you can let the Android manager update it. Last I think I did was to 22 or something. Basically, give it a try and see what happens - worst case, drop back into TWRP, use the Magisk remover, and then reinstall the old 18.x... it should recover with that.
I'm not sure of modules. I didn't use too many... I found Magisk modules to cause lots of problems, so I stopped using them. That may be why you disabled Anxious' module... because it's out of date now anyway.
I'm curious, what are you "missing" from the newer Android versions? I'm curious... because I don't mind it much. Things have moved. Some things have been "automated"... but that happens with every OS... change is part of the game.
schwinn8 said:
Are you planning on connecting this to a carrier, or just using it on Wifi or something?
Generally speaking, I would recommend moving to the latest US998 ROM, as it seems to be the most cross-compatible and capable. UNLESS you're going to put it on a carrier, like VZW, in which case you would want the VZW ROM instead, to allow VOLTE/VOWIFI to work. I think other carriers may not be as tricky about these, which is why US998 should work, but I'm not sure myself (I'm a VZW MVNO user).
As for Magisk, the last I heard was that you can update it after you've installed it. In other words, you can't install newer versions via TWRP, but if you install 18.x (whichever it was - I forget, check the WTF thread) then you can let the Android manager update it. Last I think I did was to 22 or something. Basically, give it a try and see what happens - worst case, drop back into TWRP, use the Magisk remover, and then reinstall the old 18.x... it should recover with that.
I'm not sure of modules. I didn't use too many... I found Magisk modules to cause lots of problems, so I stopped using them. That may be why you disabled Anxious' module... because it's out of date now anyway.
I'm curious, what are you "missing" from the newer Android versions? I'm curious... because I don't mind it much. Things have moved. Some things have been "automated"... but that happens with every OS... change is part of the game.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the info! This will definitely give me a starting point Tomorrow as I will be attempting to reload my most recent back up and get back up and running. (Yes, I have been smited by the update gods)
I was planning to keep it as a network testing device and not activate on a carrier. But that was a shortlived dream.
As for what's missing since the older versions, I can only give vague examples due to my own level of non-expertise in these areas... But the short answer is connections, ports and just overall access and compatibility within the devices itself and with other products. My current device (Samsung s22 ultra) can barely cast to my tv. While my V30 when it was working well, could basically cast or connect to any device in my home. Plus full dlna access. I could also use the old versions of my network apps to see every piece of data coming and going on my network. (This is possible today with apps that do so by acting as a VPN, but back in 2019 it was accessable by any app that could put out a "get" command). And there was more customizable settings for things like GPS (remember when we could choose between 3 different versions of location access?)
I should also say that I prob misspoke by blaming the os versions. After having my V30 nerfed out of root in under 2 hrs of usage, I'm now pretty sure the features I was referring to have been removed with security updates and not full os updates.
I tried, unsuccessfully, to block play services from installing a 550mb "security "update that they claimed was going to ensure my VOLTE would work after January 1st 2022. (Even though my VOLTE was already enabled and working fine as far back as 2019). I took a screenshot that I need to get off the device before re flash. I was trying to pull the update file so I could dig through it, but not install. Things went poorly lol.
But anyway, stay tuned, as I know that was a half ass answer and poor explanation, but when I have some time tomorrow, I'm going to reply here with a full write up on the differences, screenshots, and whatever else I can come up with.
I'm sure this will prob only be interesting to about 4 of us, so this is mostly going to be for my own curiosity and I don't expect to really achieve much, but please feel free to jump in with any questions or comments or point out anything I get wrong, as I'm happy to have company on my tinkering through tech time journey.
I have an S10+ now... and I'm quite happy with it. The key is that I gave up root to be on this... I had root on the V30. I know many complain about losing root, and I get it... I'd certainly prefer to have it. However, fact is, I really don't miss it. Yes, things are different without root, but you can do most things without it. But, that's just my take on it...
Without a carrier, I'd say do US998. I forgot to mention, I would recommend sticking to a non-Pie version of the OS as well. Pie was released on these phones, but it wasn't reliable from what I heard. I never went to it, and stuck with Oreo. The version numbers would be 20-ish for Oreo, and 30-ish for Pie. I did see that the US998 might be a bit better on Pie, but I knew VS996 (VZW ROM) was not great, which is why I stayed off it.
Yes, various things were removed with app updates and Google services updates. For example, call recording is being blocked these days, from what I've been reading. That's partly why I have not updated my S10+ either... it's on Android 11. I still use the same old app I used ages ago on my V30 and it works great, so why bother, you know?
I expect OTA OS updates are gone... and being off a carrier you won't get them anyway. So I don't think you need to worry about that specifically, but app updates will happen, of course... potentially. Just remember that with root you can uninstall the update and push an older version (from APKpure, for example) so I'm not sure I'd worry about that so much?
My V30 is using US998 as its base on Android Pie. US998 runs VoWifi and VoLTE well.
I'm still running Magisk 22.1 on mine. You only really need to update Magisk if you're using a newer Android version. I only run three modules: ACC, Systemless Hosts and Systemless TZData.
On the Google side, disable Play Store and uninstall all Google Play Services updates. Then run Aurora Store as its replacement. That way, Play Store will not auto-update Play Services.
aospray said:
My V30 is using US998 as its base on Android Pie. US998 runs VoWifi and VoLTE well.
I'm still running Magisk 22.1 on mine. You only really need to update Magisk if you're using a newer Android version. I only run three modules: ACC, Systemless Hosts and Systemless TZData.
On the Google side, disable Play Store and uninstall all Google Play Services updates. Then run Aurora Store as its replacement. That way, Play Store will not auto-update Play Services.
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I'm curious what carrier do you use, where you are getting VoWIFI and VoLTE on stock US998 firmware? Originally T-mobile (and their MVNOs) allowed VoWIFI on US998, but with carrier system updates post-Sprint merger that reportedly went away. First with newer SIM cards and then even for those who stubbornly stayed on older SIM cards, by carrier side server changes.
ChazzMatt said:
I'm curious what carrier do you use, where you are getting VoWIFI and VoLTE on stock US998 firmware?
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Oh, I should have mentioned I'm in Canada. Currently on Freedom Mobile. I made a post about this here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...unctional-and-available.3834267/post-87838705. Forgot that the mobile situation in the US is different
Greetings all.
Merry Christmas / Happy Hanukkah, and so on to everyone. Apologies on my delay, my timeline was interrupted by the obligatory holiday errands and what not. Hoping to have some time tomorrow to finally post some screen grabs and a write up over the next day or two.
Have a great weekend everyone!
I hate being the guy that doesn't follow through with his plans/posts, but I definitely overestimated my free time around this time of year (I work in the entertainment industry and in the tech industry simultaneously, so end of year is a bit double down crazy for me) So I still haven't had a chance to boot up my V30 again since that first day I used it and lost root (somehow OTA) in a matter of hours.
But that's said, all of this has created a new interest for me, and it will prob turn into a post elsewhere in the forum down the road, but for now I'll expand on it here since it's mildly related and stemmed from my curiosity about features being lost over time...
I've been noticing, almost daily, that Google is restricting more and more parts of the Android OS. Curious if the rest of you have noticed this as well.
On my current device, an update from this past week, restricted general access to the Android > Data folder.
Now I'm all for better security on our devices, but a change that big out of the blue has major effects on the average user.
My personal example: an app I use for songs and separate app that I use for video, both got firewalled with this change. They can both still operate and save files to their default locations inside the data folder. But now I cannot reach it through a file manager, or the app I was using to sort media on my device. That app now cannot see any media that isn't in the general download, music, video, or documents folders.
But the real problem is neither can my video or audio players.
The newest security does allow the "Data" folders to be accessed when done so through a computer. But what a hassle that is. Especially if you're like me and have always cheaped out and bought the smaller storage option devices. Back when expandle storage worked properly that was an easy fix, and after that and until now its always been fairly easy to push excess files to a cloud drive. But with this new change, making files invisible to file managers, you can literally fill your whole phone with media without realizing it's hidden somewhere and the only way to find what's taking up space now is to connect to a computer, or to open individual apps and check their own defined storage. App by app. Ughh.
I know this complaining is a bit off topic, but TBH I wouldn't even know where to start a post about general annoyances with over zealous security policies. I'm sure some of the devs here will be posting about it in their app threads soon if not already. And I have already seen a couple apps on my device update with half way work arounds to combat these changes. But, if this is the direction things are going, it's only a matter of time before any loophole is closed and that's no longer an option for devs. Personally, I'm planning to root my current device as soon as I have an hour or two, and will prob only be purchasing devices I know can be rooted going forward. I just refuse to wait around while the growing pains associated with this big of a change ripple through each app and developer, and everyone finally sorts out their stuff.
This is just another example of Google cutting off access to parts of the device I paid for and was using, ota, with no choice in the matter.
I know I prob sound like a lunatic, but it's lunacy to me how often and how many of these kind of changes have happened in just the last few months, especially after just starting this thread and airing out similar concerns.
And don't even get me started on the whole "tv play store app policies" vs "regular app store apps policies" and all the changes happening there (they crippled live channels + and I now have to purchase some apps twice to use it on my phone & tv!?!?)
(Btw if anyone, member or mod, has a suggestion on where I can start a thread about this just to discuss it, please let me know. As this issue is spreading and even if it hasn't been noticed by everyone yet, it's sure to affect everyone in some way soon. I.e. apps, particularly, paid apps, that no longer function and essentially won't be able to function. Google just made 1000s of apps worthless, with no recourse for the developers or the users who paid their hard earned money for them).
Interesting side note: I did find a hidden developer menu on my current samsung device that grants access to some of what was taken away from "wif related" apps. I had assumed the functionality was removed altogether but then was surprised to see the OS can still pull up a lot of what was banned from apps. For anyone interested, I'll be making a post on the Samsung forum later and will post an updated link to it here.