Hello,
I wanna put Firefox OS on my GT-I8160 and get rid of that ... Android. What do I do? I don't have no big experience with moddin my smartphone, other than puttin 4.1.2 ROM on it. Based on some other threads I reviewed before, being:
[Q] Firefox OS on Samsung Galaxy Ace 2x
[Q] [ROM][B2G][LWW] Firefox OS
[Q] Firefox OS
, there're some ROMs but buggy (no WiFi, camera, GPS etc.). Have these been fixed in the newest ROMs for GT-I8160. Please guide me thru.
NOTE: I want to GET RID of Android (that's why I'm doin it), not install no plug-ons like 'Firefox OS experience for your Android device'.
Thank you very much in advance!
rafal723 said:
Hello,
I wanna put Firefox OS on my GT-I8160 and get rid of that ... Android. What do I do? I don't have no big experience with moddin my smartphone, other than puttin 4.1.2 ROM on it. Based on some other threads I reviewed before, being:
[Q] Firefox OS on Samsung Galaxy Ace 2x
[Q] [ROM][B2G][LWW] Firefox OS
[Q] Firefox OS
, there're some ROMs but buggy (no WiFi, camera, GPS etc.). Have these been fixed in the newest ROMs for GT-I8160. Please guide me thru.
NOTE: I want to GET RID of Android (that's why I'm doin it), not install no plug-ons like 'Firefox OS experience for your Android device'.
Thank you very much in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take these sources: https://github.com/mozilla-b2g
Add our device source tree and kernel, modify ramdisk, apply our STE patches (the ones from j-aosp should fit aosp base of firefox os).
Then compile it.
But with your experience in that it will be almost impossible.
Personally I wanted to port it before, but realized that I'm in lack of time, and I don't really need it.
Ahhh,wait.... Firefox os is fully based on android.... Only one difference: it uses HTML applications instead of java.
Yeah, I'd probably need some help with these. Do you have any info on if this particular ROM still has them problems i described previously? Where can I find these things you listed? Is it all in the phone's general? Anyway, can I ask for links just for the sake of makin sure I got THE right one?
Isn't FOS better on security aspect because of sandboxin?
Is there ANY alternative OS you'd recommend to me, especially speakin of security? I DO mind Google knowin all where I'm even though I think my GPS' s off, and knowin all my data etc. . Thank you for reply BTW!
@up
You should compile from sources every alternative OS. You can't take it from other phone and port it. All bugs are device-specific.
There is no tutorial. Only generic-device ho-to-build tutorial. For FOS it's https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Firefox_OS/Developing_Firefox_OS/Porting
You should also adapt all STE patches. No one will teach you. It's simply impossible.
Alright, I'll read these, and try to find more on my own as well. Is there ANY PARTICULAR OS you'd recommend to me?
rafal723 said:
Alright, I'll read these, and try to find more on my own as well. Is there ANY PARTICULAR OS you'd recommend to me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you actually tried the custom ROMS for our device?
For a budget phone, it does have quite some options, and most are running well.
I'm thinking of buying a Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite, and I want to install a quality open-source ROM on it since I don't want the Chinese or Google spying on me.
I've never installed a ROM before, and I don't think I really need any fancy features (except for basic smartphone things, like support for camera, flashlight, WiFi, Bluetooth, phone calls, audio/video recording and playback, GPS, etc.). I guess my only other requirement is that it can support something like aptX/aptX HD so I can use it with Bluetooth headphones and it won't sound like ass.
I've got some questions:
Do most ROMs generally tend to work with most phones? Can I just download some random ROM and have it work most of the time?
Are the 2 pages of ROM threads listed on this forum the only ones this phone can support? Or are these just the ROMs that forum users have tested it with? A lot of these ROMs I've never even heard of, and many are listed as [UNOFFICIAL].
Cyanogenmod has been discontinued, but could it still work on newer devices? There's projects like freecyngn which can remove propriety Google Analytics stuff from it, and I don't know if any similar tweaks exist for Cyanogenmod's successors.
What's a good resource for de-googled ROMs with no proprietary software? And which can support aptX/aptX HD or an alternative. And would hopefully actually work with the phone.
Sorry, someone is always out there listening, watching, monitoring and data mining - regardless of the OS eco-system. Learn to built your own and have fun. Good luck !
P.S. Stay away from smartphone, go back to a "dumb" phone. Find yourself a good old Motorola Startac classic or Sony-Ericson ... maybe. That is, if backdoors were not integrated at the chipset level.
Letitride said:
Sorry, someone is always out there listening, watching, monitoring and data mining - regardless of the OS eco-system. Learn to built your own and have fun. Good luck !
P.S. Stay away from smartphone, go back to a "dumb" phone. Find yourself a good old Motorola Startac classic or Sony-Ericson ... maybe. That is, if backdoors were not integrated at the chipset level.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not asking for a phone to go off the grid and hide in the amazon jungle with, but there's an obvious difference between an OS bloated with proprietary spyware garbage and an OS that's as barebones and open-source as possible. I want to make the best choice when it comes to what's installed on my smartphone, or as close as to the best choice as I can get.
I don't think programming is something I'll ever learn to do, let alone build my own OS. The best I can do is make a table with fancy text in HTML.
Let's start with your Google account if you want to stay under the radar - it's a given with Play Store, unless you feel comfortable going without it and sideload Gapps or manually install/update from APK mirror. A2 Lite is a good but entry level smartphone, don't expect nor realistic to count on extensive custom rom development.
You will need to learn and experiment to find out for yourself, start with rooting the A/B partition and installing TWRP, then select a ROM ... you will be flashing at least several of these to decide what work best for you. Read - there is plenty of comments, feedbacks and caution.
I run the stock Global rom, Android One - which is as close to "pure" without bloatware as it can be (having owned, used & played with probably 2 dozens+ smartphone in this decade) - and have no problems - unlike others and not eveyone is having issues with WiFi & bluetooth.
I run Lineage OS on the Huawei Honor 5X ... and there are custom roms that are barebone and/or need only minimal Gapps to be flashed (nano or pico) - it comes down to the question for you, what is your definition of spyware, proprietary or stock/OEM and preloaded. If you are paranoid, don't use it, disabled it, block it and change permission - IMHO, with Oreo & Pie roms - it will probably crippled your device badly.
Trust me, "they" all know where you've been and just left, approximate time spend and what you clicked. Give it a rest unless you have reasons to worry.
I don't know what I should download because I have no idea what would work with this phone. Online it says that Android One "only runs on certain smartphones", so probably not that. If Oreo/Pie stop working if you disable certain bloat, then I'm fine with using something older or even ancient, as long as it can function. And I'm probably going to be installing Play apps from APK mirror instead of the Play Store. What actually is the difference between that and sideloading? I thought when you installed an .apk from APK mirror it meant you were sideloading.
Again, my expectations for an OS are quite modest - basic smartphone features, along with the ability to use aptX/aptX HD or some other variants.
Can you link some de-googled and de-bloated ROMs I can choose from? I can't find any ROMs named "nano" or "pico" on the ROM section for this phone, or on Google.
dooshbagel said:
I'm thinking of buying a Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite, and I want to install a quality open-source ROM on it since I don't want the Chinese or Google spying on me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Roms listed here are the ones you need, they are the ones for this phone. Successor of CM is LineageOS and people are happy with it. Being such a noob do your reading before you get into flashing, that prevents pulling too much hair. Mi A2 lite is a good phone.
Ah, avoid stock, it's a mess according to people who used it. I erased it as soon as I got the phone. I run AOSiP and am content with it.
On this phone you can also flash GSI systems (more reading), ArrowOS 9 worked just fine for me, others may be good too.
dooshbagel said:
I'm thinking of buying a Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite, and I want to install a quality open-source ROM on it since I don't want the Chinese or Google spying on me.
I've never installed a ROM before, and I don't think I really need any fancy features (except for basic smartphone things, like support for camera, flashlight, WiFi, Bluetooth, phone calls, audio/video recording and playback, GPS, etc.). I guess my only other requirement is that it can support something like aptX/aptX HD so I can use it with Bluetooth headphones and it won't sound like ass.
I've got some questions:
Do most ROMs generally tend to work with most phones? Can I just download some random ROM and have it work most of the time?
Are the 2 pages of ROM threads listed on this forum the only ones this phone can support? Or are these just the ROMs that forum users have tested it with? A lot of these ROMs I've never even heard of, and many are listed as [UNOFFICIAL].
Cyanogenmod has been discontinued, but could it still work on newer devices? There's projects like freecyngn which can remove propriety Google Analytics stuff from it, and I don't know if any similar tweaks exist for Cyanogenmod's successors.
What's a good resource for de-googled ROMs with no proprietary software? And which can support aptX/aptX HD or an alternative. And would hopefully actually work with the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just try this https://forum.xda-developers.com/mi-a2-lite/development/rom-barebones-lineageos-16-0-t3931121
celrau said:
On this phone you can also flash GSI systems (more reading), ArrowOS 9 worked just fine for me, others may be good too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is GSI? And I don't see ArrowOS 9 listed anywhere in this phone's forum section. Can I just download it anywhere from the internet and have it work with the A2 Lite?
dooshbagel said:
What is GSI? And I don't see ArrowOS 9 listed anywhere in this phone's forum section. Can I just download it anywhere from the internet and have it work with the A2 Lite?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GSI stands for generic system images but as I said, do your own reading on all these. ArrowOS is here and you will need AB. And no, you can't just download it from anywhere on the internet and have it work. Search for what treble and GSI are, how to flash them and so on. Theoretically GSIs are easier to deal with since you don't need to change slots (don't ask me what slots are, you have the internet) but they are generic and some features may not work. If this is too much for you there is a thread here about debloating the stock rom, maybe that's more in tone with your current level of experience.
dooshbagel said:
I'm thinking of buying a Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite, and I want to install a quality open-source ROM on it since I don't want the Chinese or Google spying on me.
I've never installed a ROM before, and I don't think I really need any fancy features (except for basic smartphone things, like support for camera, flashlight, WiFi, Bluetooth, phone calls, audio/video recording and playback, GPS, etc.). I guess my only other requirement is that it can support something like aptX/aptX HD so I can use it with Bluetooth headphones and it won't sound like ass.
I've got some questions:
Do most ROMs generally tend to work with most phones? Can I just download some random ROM and have it work most of the time?
Are the 2 pages of ROM threads listed on this forum the only ones this phone can support? Or are these just the ROMs that forum users have tested it with? A lot of these ROMs I've never even heard of, and many are listed as [UNOFFICIAL].
Cyanogenmod has been discontinued, but could it still work on newer devices? There's projects like freecyngn which can remove propriety Google Analytics stuff from it, and I don't know if any similar tweaks exist for Cyanogenmod's successors.
What's a good resource for de-googled ROMs with no proprietary software? And which can support aptX/aptX HD or an alternative. And would hopefully actually work with the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trying to reply in a simplier manner than previous comments:
I come from the similar direction to yours. I am not a whistleblower, but I'm sick of all the data collection, all my moves logged on Google servers, all the synchronization and all the targeted ads.
For downloading apps you don't need to sideload, just use F-Droid + Aurora Store for Play Store.
LineageOS is the continuation of Cyanogenmod project.
The best you can find right now is this build of Lineage: https://forum.xda-developers.com/mi-a2-lite/development/lineageos-16-0-xiaomi-mi-a2-lite-t3919060
Be aware that it has unofficial status by now and it's unclear if it's gonna change anytime soon. It means you have to put all your trust in the maintainer, plus it doesn't use official Lineage infrastracture for delivering updates etc. Also SELinux is not active, at least yet.
The phone itself I definitely recommend - cheap, 10+ hours of SOT, fast enough, camera is ok for random pic taking.
celrau said:
GSI stands for generic system images but as I said, do your own reading on all these. ArrowOS is here and you will need AB. And no, you can't just download it from anywhere on the internet and have it work. Search for what treble and GSI are, how to flash them and so on. Theoretically GSIs are easier to deal with since you don't need to change slots (don't ask me what slots are, you have the internet) but they are generic and some features may not work. If this is too much for you there is a thread here about debloating the stock rom, maybe that's more in tone with your current level of experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright, cheers. What are the basic procedures if I lightly or horribly screw up something while I'm doing this? Resetting, etc.
Might I respectfully suggest that you brew a cup of coffee or tea or whatever beverage, sit back and do some serious reading. Maybe, buy this device first and/or play with something you currently owned to get a better feel of how flashing & other basics like ADB and installing of ADB works.
You will probably need to be comfortable using (Xiao)MiFlash to fix any possible soft/hard brick to recover it back to OEM stock condition. All of the above plus other suggested files, roms and tools on your PC, ready to do its part. I also agreed, perhaps, once you decide to buy this device - start with debloating the stock rom as a beginner, to see what all this is about - before freaking out in a panic about all those warnings & errors on the device's screen as it boot up.
dooshbagel said:
Alright, cheers. What are the basic procedures if I lightly or horribly screw up something while I'm doing this? Resetting, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As the other guy is saying, best do some basic reading and install adb and fastboot on your computer, you will need them. If you stay with stock and just get rid of Google and friends (highly recommended for worm up) but **** up at some point and you can't boot or it bootloops, restart in recovery and reset. Or if you boot and something is not working but you have access to settings app, reset from there. Here, I'm doing your homework. DuckDuckGo is your friend.
dooshbagel said:
1-Do most ROMs generally tend to work with most phones? Can I just download some random ROM and have it work most of the time?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the past years, unlike PC systems, a ROM was device specific and each supported device (of Cyanogenmod, let's say) was maintained by a dedicated developer. We still call it the same version of the said ROM, but each one has specific drivers files for its compatible device. It's still the case nowadays, and that's what you'll see in the ROM section of this device.
However, beginning from Oreo, google introduced a project called "Treble" that intended to separate the common Android System from the device specific files and driver's, by separating the classic system partition to a "vendor" partition, which contains all the hardware specific stuff, and a "system" partition containing a only generic universal Android system.
With this "Treble" project, a new type of ROMs emerged, called GSIs. These ROMs work on all Treble compatible devices (the Mi A2 lite included), and don't need to be maintained for each one. The Treble forum is here ; you'll find a more large selection with GSI ROMs, but I advice you to stay with the device specific ROMs on the Mi A2 Lite forum, which are more optimised for their specific device.
dooshbagel said:
2- Are the 2 pages of ROM threads listed on this forum the only ones this phone can support? Or are these just the ROMs that forum users have tested it with? A lot of these ROMs I've never even heard of, and many are listed as [UNOFFICIAL].
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As answered above, these are the specific ROMs especially developed for this device, they'll be the more adapted to the Mi A2 Lite.
UNNOFICIAL just means that the developer that buildt the ROM for this device isn't working directly with the team responsible of the ROM. (For example the CrDroid ROM being official, it's A2Lite version will be hosted in the CrDroid site, an unofficial one won't).
It can be an indicator of stability, but you may find a very stable and clean UNNOFICIAL rom.
Now almost all the ROM that you've seen in the list are based on LineageOS, itself the son of CyanogenMod. We'll come to this point now.
dooshbagel said:
3- Cyanogenmod has been discontinued, but could it still work on newer devices? There's projects like freecyngn which can remove propriety Google Analytics stuff from it, and I don't know if any similar tweaks exist for Cyanogenmod's successors
4- What's a good resource for de-googled ROMs with no proprietary software? And which can support aptX/aptX HD or an alternative. And would hopefully actually work with the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The CyanogenMod project was going on like one week after it was discontinued, under the name of "LineageOS". Its 100% the same source and base, and the LineageOS team is the part of CM team that wanted to continue the CM rom developpement after their team split.
If you want a clean ROM with the basic features and independent from Google software, LOS is the more advisable. They provide their own version of all the basic feature apps (dialer, camera, music player etc) so that you don't need using Google software, and are in general VERY privacy axed, and have a centralised interface called Trust from which you can control what informations each app have access to.
Like I said above, almost all the ROMs (in the A2 Lite section) you'll see are based on LineageOS, adding customization features mostly. So if you just need the vanilla Android feature, with no obscure ROM additional software, and axed on privacy and security, I think LineageOS is your best shot.
The LineageOS 16build for this device is unnoficial but is fully buggless and regularly updated and maintained by a xda recognized developer.
Lastly, unrelated to you questions but you may need to read some "A/B devices - seamless updates" documentation, and carefully read the guides, or you risk bricking your device. (And possibly provide yourself with all the necessary stuff to unbrick your device, just in case)
Thanks GDFI, great post.
Alright bois, time for me to do some research then.
I built a custom version of LineageOS for personal use, with some built-in apps removed, patches for signature spoofing and some (mostly FOSS) apps included (microG, F-Droid, Lawnchair, etc.)
https://rarepepes.faith/lineage-16.0-20190606-UNOFFICIAL-daisy.zip
You can't really go full FOSS with any of the Android phones (Samsung S3 + Replicant ROM is as good as it gets), but you can minimize Google stuff on your device and filter network connections using apps like AFWall
Have fun!
You kids can try to Port "mokee os" ?
Hi, I recommend you to stay with AndroidOne OS.
I don't know why you want to change OS because Xiaomi still releasing security patch which is very important to protect your phone.
Custom ROM rarely update and maintain.
Not to mention in order to flash it, you need patient and time to learn the knowledge.
It is only suitable to go for custom ROM when Xiaomi not longer support Mi A2 Lite.
coolwei1 said:
Hi, I recommend you to stay with AndroidOne OS.
I don't know why you want to change OS because Xiaomi still releasing security patch which is very important to protect your phone.
Custom ROM rarely update and maintain.
Not to mention in order to flash it, you need patient and time to learn the knowledge.
It is only suitable to go for custom ROM when Xiaomi not longer support Mi A2 Lite.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Obscurantism at its best :good:
When nobody use a custom rom, nobody will develope on this device. Ergo no stable custom rom in the end of service for mi a2 Lite