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I have a Galaxy Nexus GSM phone running Android 4.0.2. Occasionally I am noticing the following behavior:
The Data Usage section in the Settings when clicked freezes, becomes completely unresponsive and the whole Settings app needs to be "killed" using the "Recent apps" in order to function again. When I click on Data Usage again, though, the Settings app freezes again.
I noticed that when this happens the phone's wake time becomes significantly higher. The battery stats show that it is almost constantly awake even if the screen has been off for hours. Going through the application list in the Battery stats shows that "Android system" is keeping the phone awake.
I found a temporary solution to be the following - connect to a wifi network, open the browser and browse through 1-2 pages, then turn the wifi off again. This makes the Data Usage section become responsive again and the Awake time becomes significantly lower.
However, the bug comes back again in a few hours - usually in about 8-12 to 24 hours or so (I have not found any pattern and the timeframe varies greatly).
I did a factory reset and it helped for 2-3 days and then the issue started appearing again.
I have seen many threads describing battery issues but not with this exact pattern and I decided to share and see if anyone else is experiencing it?
Upping the thread a little...
I also have experience this. Yesterday I restarted my phone on a place where I have no known wifi networks and I cannot access the Data usage menu and my attempt freezes the settings window. My nexus keep awake all the time. I fixed it later by connecting to to wifi.
I experienced this before and in situation where you start the phone with wifi off, and again fixed it when you turn it on and connect to a network.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus 4.0.2.
Were you able to find a more permanent solution, apart from connecting to a wifi temporarily? This solution woks only for a little time for me and then the problem re-appears.
Personally, since the hardware itself works fine, I'd backup everything and flash the stock image from Google. If you're not comfortable with that, then have your phone swapped out under warranty. This sounds like a bad flash (before reflashing to get 4.0.4, my data viewer would miss entire apps and occasionally reset itself mid-cycle, defeating its entire purpose), so those are really your only two options.
You could also see if there's a random app causing problems, but I doubt that's the issue here.
ATnTdude said:
Personally, since the hardware itself works fine, I'd backup everything and flash the stock image from Google. If you're not comfortable with that, then have your phone swapped out under warranty. This sounds like a bad flash (before reflashing to get 4.0.4, my data viewer would miss entire apps and occasionally reset itself mid-cycle, defeating its entire purpose), so those are really your only two options.
You could also see if there's a random app causing problems, but I doubt that's the issue here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your suggestions. I have recently made a factory reset and the problem was still there, so I believe it is not caused by a 3rd patry app.
I am willing to try flashing the Google stock image. I believe I can find more details how this is done but do you think that I will be able to do it if I am not rooted?
wyvorn said:
Thank you for your suggestions. I have recently made a factory reset and the problem was still there, so I believe it is not caused by a 3rd patry app.
I am willing to try flashing the Google stock image. I believe I can find more details how this is done but do you think that I will be able to do it if I am not rooted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download the Nexus Toolkit from this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1454314
1) Select your model of phone (I'm assuming GSM/HSPA since you're from Europe)
2) Click the "Drivers" button and follow all prompts to download and install the needed PC drivers.
3) (Optional) Click Backup Apps + Data. Follow on-screen instructions to save all of your apps to your PC, because we will be wiping your phone in the next step. Do NOT save system apps and settings, since you have a bad flash. If you have anything saved to the virtual SD card, copy it off now as well.
4) Put your phone into fastboot mode (turn off, then hold Volume + and - at the same time and then press powe button). Click "Unlock" button on tollkit and follow all prompts. This will unlock your bootloader. This will also erase everything on your phone. Your phone will reboot when it's done. Turn it back off and boot back into fastboot.
5) Click "Flash Stock and Unroot" on toolkit. This will download the proper files from Google and flash your phone. Your phone will be factory-new. It will not be rooted.
6) (Optional) You can also click "OEM Lock" button if you want to relock your bootloader. This really doesn't make a difference if you're planning to stay on stock ROM. Personally, I'd keep it unlocked unless you plan on exchanging the phone.
7) Click Restore Apps + Data if you backed up your apps from before.
ATnTdude said:
Download the Nexus Toolkit from this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1454314
1) Select your model of phone (I'm assuming GSM/HSPA since you're from Europe)
2) Click the "Drivers" button and follow all prompts to download and install the needed PC drivers.
3) (Optional) Click Backup Apps + Data. Follow on-screen instructions to save all of your apps to your PC, because we will be wiping your phone in the next step. Do NOT save system apps and settings, since you have a bad flash. If you have anything saved to the virtual SD card, copy it off now as well.
4) Put your phone into fastboot mode (turn off, then hold Volume + and - at the same time and then press powe button). Click "Unlock" button on tollkit and follow all prompts. This will unlock your bootloader. This will also erase everything on your phone. Your phone will reboot when it's done. Turn it back off and boot back into fastboot.
5) Click "Flash Stock and Unroot" on toolkit. This will download the proper files from Google and flash your phone. Your phone will be factory-new. It will not be rooted.
6) (Optional) You can also click "OEM Lock" button if you want to relock your bootloader. This really doesn't make a difference if you're planning to stay on stock ROM. Personally, I'd keep it unlocked unless you plan on exchanging the phone.
7) Click Restore Apps + Data if you backed up your apps from before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The steps that you provided worked very well (I hit a few bumps with the drivers but managed to work them out). I re-flashed the stock image and everything seems to be OK so far. I will be checking if the problem with the Data Monitor is resolved and will report here.
Thanks so much for your help!
damencho said:
I also have experience this. Yesterday I restarted my phone on a place where I have no known wifi networks and I cannot access the Data usage menu and my attempt freezes the settings window. My nexus keep awake all the time. I fixed it later by connecting to to wifi.
I experienced this before and in situation where you start the phone with wifi off, and again fixed it when you turn it on and connect to a network.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus 4.0.2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Something similar is happening on my LTE Galaxy Nexus in the Settings Menu. After a while when I click 'More' in the Settings menu the Settings app freezes and must be closed, otherwise the phone is inoperable.
What's scary is that it started happening AFTER I flashed the recovery image, because I enabled encryption while running a custom ROM, so the only way out was to flash the recovery images from scratch. Perhaps something went wonky during the flashing process, so I am going to follow the steps listed in a later thread.
I'm fairly new to Android and the Nexus 7. I am unlocked, rooted, and have installed Ti Backup. I just recently received the OTA for 4.4.4 and installed it, and then manually loaded TWRP back and rerooted.
This doesn't seem like the cleanest install (maybe it's my OCD tendencies with hardware and software), so I'm wondering what is the best way to install Android updates? Should I reset to the factory image and then use Ti back up for all my apps? Is the way I proceeded just as good as other possible methods? My goal is to follow a plan that will support the 7 performing as best as possible.
Any info or opinions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Rick
C5Longhorn said:
I'm fairly new to Android and the Nexus 7. I am unlocked, rooted, and have installed Ti Backup. I just recently received the OTA for 4.4.4 and installed it, and then manually loaded TWRP back and rerooted.
This doesn't seem like the cleanest install (maybe it's my OCD tendencies with hardware and software), so I'm wondering what is the best way to install Android updates? Should I reset to the factory image and then use Ti back up for all my apps? Is the way I proceeded just as good as other possible methods? My goal is to follow a plan that will support the 7 performing as best as possible.
Any info or opinions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Rick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I prefer using multirom. What I do, is wait for a flashable full version of the latest and greatest stock from Tasssadar (he usually has one the same day or 2), then flash it as secondary, root it, install xposed, gb, and a couple other modules and viper4android, qualcom dalvik and bionic patches, flash elementalx, go into primary, make backups with TiB, go into recovery and do a complete nandroid, put them onto my meenova (and pc), delete all the big apps that take up a lot of room, then boot into secondary, restore android ID with TiB, install only small apps I need (I prefer reinstalling instead of restoring from backup), then use TiB to restore app data only (only the things I need) and wifi networks, once I am satisfied with it being complete, I use multiroms swap rom function to swap secondary to primary, then confirm it works, then I delete the secondary (which is the old version), then I install and restore data for the big items. If you have a 32GB N7, you probably can be more careless with the deleting of big app data.
This way I get a clean start, loose nothing and have multple ways of going back if I need to, also I can take my time restoring stuff and still use my working older version until I am ready.
C5Longhorn said:
I'm fairly new to Android and the Nexus 7. I am unlocked, rooted, and have installed Ti Backup. I just recently received the OTA for 4.4.4 and installed it, and then manually loaded TWRP back and rerooted.
This doesn't seem like the cleanest install (maybe it's my OCD tendencies with hardware and software), so I'm wondering what is the best way to install Android updates? Should I reset to the factory image and then use Ti back up for all my apps? Is the way I proceeded just as good as other possible methods? My goal is to follow a plan that will support the 7 performing as best as possible.
Any info or opinions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Rick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, i think it depends a bit on what kind of update it is. Usually the "smaller OTA updates (like 4.3.1 to 4.3.2) doesnt wipe your system, so all you have to do is re-root it again (if you want). All Apps and Data is kept. If the update is one that changes the Android Version like 4.1 to 4.3 (wich wont happen on the Nexus) then i would suggest a factory-reset before and maybe even after again, yes.
Off topic a bit: To be honest, i never bothered with backup systems because i somehow doesnt feel its a good idea but that is really my own thinking, im very aware that many ppl use backups successfully.
Games i play are usually saved on the server anyway, contacts, emails and all that are automatically there anyway if you use a google account and if your system is set to automatically restoe apps then all the apps get automatically downloaded again anyway.
Somehow i dont seem to use a single app that needs data to be backed up. And theres none that comes to my mind, besides savegames of non-server-saved games probably. But for that theres Helium. The cloud (be it "owncloud" or the official ones) saves me all this trouble with backups.
For the cleanest install I can think of (and usually do myself):
1. Grab latest factory image from Google and extract it so you're left with a folder with scripts and stuff (can be 4.4.4, or even L preview atm; folder should look similar to razor-lpv79)
2. Get platform-tools (either straight from Android SDK or from a trusted location (do not use a toolkit) ; make sure it's up-to-date, and for a good idea, add the executable path to PATH)
3. Boot N7 to Bootloader (power it off, hold vol down + power)
4. Unlock bootloader via fastboot oem unlock (confirm it on N7 with vol and power buttons)
5. Run flash-all.bat found in the factory image folder (fastboot executable either needs to be put into that folder, or you need it on PATH already)
6. Watch the tablet and wait for it to reboot, immediately when it reboots, hold vol down and go back to bootloader
7. Do fastboot oem lock to re-lock the bootloader
8. Boot to recovery
9. Clean Cache, then Data/Factory Reset (in that order)
10. Reboot
11. Profit
That process should ensure future updates work without issue or snag But of course you'd lose root. You probably don't have to re-lock the bootloader though.
espionage724 said:
For the cleanest install I can think of (and usually do myself):
1. Grab latest factory image from Google and extract it so you're left with a folder with scripts and stuff (can be 4.4.4, or even L preview atm; folder should look similar to razor-lpv79)
2. Get platform-tools (either straight from Android SDK or from a trusted location (do not use a toolkit) ; make sure it's up-to-date, and for a good idea, add the executable path to PATH)
3. Boot N7 to Bootloader (power it off, hold vol down + power)
4. Unlock bootloader via fastboot oem unlock (confirm it on N7 with vol and power buttons)
5. Run flash-all.bat found in the factory image folder (fastboot executable either needs to be put into that folder, or you need it on PATH already)
6. Watch the tablet and wait for it to reboot, immediately when it reboots, hold vol down and go back to bootloader
7. Do fastboot oem lock to re-lock the bootloader
8. Boot to recovery
9. Clean Cache, then Data/Factory Reset (in that order)
10. Reboot
11. Profit
That process should ensure future updates work without issue or snag But of course you'd lose root. You probably don't have to re-lock the bootloader though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In fact, unless it's going back to the factory I'd recommend never relocking it.
mdamaged said:
In fact, unless it's going back to the factory I'd recommend never relocking it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not really too much trouble to unlock it again, but if anything, re-locking it can be pretty nice from a security-standpoint.
I mainly just re-lock it just to keep that Google experience
espionage724 said:
It's not really too much trouble to unlock it again, but if anything, re-locking it can be pretty nice from a security-standpoint.
I mainly just re-lock it just to keep that Google experience
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To each their own I guess.:good:
Thanks to all who responded. Good info and ideas on installs. I may end up doing a clean install and following the methods you all mentioned. Right now, I'm monitoring the performance to see if anything further is necessary.
Thanks,
Rick
espionage724 said:
It's not really too much trouble to unlock it again, but if anything, re-locking it can be pretty nice from a security-standpoint.
I mainly just re-lock it just to keep that Google experience
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree that it's not too much trouble to unlock the bootloader BUT... you will completely wipe your entire device everytime you unlock the bootloader! There is only one way that I know of to get around that. "BootUnlocker for Nexus Devices" is supposed to be able to unlock the bootloader without wiping the device but for it to work you will have had to unlock the bootloader to gain root beforehand, then you can use the app to lock unlock. I've never used "BootUnlocker for Nexus Devices" so I can't make any claims as to how well it works or if it will continue to work after future updates. If you ever want to fastboot flash the factory image or parts of a factory image the bootloader will need to be unlocked. And as far as I know to flash images with a toolkit (I don't use any) like Wug's the bootloader needs to be unlocked. Unlocked bootloader from a security standpoint? You're absolutely right that there is a risk! IF your device physically ends up in someone else's possession. We do have the "Android Device Manager" now that gives the ability to locate and wipe our devices. And, I have an additional theft warranty provided by Ruger so I don't spend much time worrying about losing any devices. ; ) There are much bigger security risks from just being rooted and/or having "unknown sources" enabled, web exploits and sideloaded apps. Unless you leave your device completely stock and unrooted, relocking your bootloader can create a significant hurdle that needs to be overcome to solve problems, especially for inexperienced android users. For what it's not worth, just my 2 cents! ; )
Update: after doing some research and installing BootUnlocker it seems to work well! Sweet! I don't need it and prefer to just stay unlocked so I'm deleting the app. Downside of having a locked bootloader is if you can't boot up and want to flash the system or factory images you'll need to "fastboot oem unlock" which equals "wiped device"
C5Longhorn said:
I'm fairly new to Android and the Nexus 7. I am unlocked, rooted, and have installed Ti Backup. I just recently received the OTA for 4.4.4 and installed it, and then manually loaded TWRP back and rerooted.
This doesn't seem like the cleanest install (maybe it's my OCD tendencies with hardware and software), so I'm wondering what is the best way to install Android updates? Should I reset to the factory image and then use Ti back up for all my apps? Is the way I proceeded just as good as other possible methods? My goal is to follow a plan that will support the 7 performing as best as possible.
Any info or opinions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Rick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you and I feel the same way about OTA updates. I've always felt that flashing the factory image will provide a much more consistent and reliable result. I'm not a big fan of using the OTA's but do use them occasionally for very small updates like 4.4.4. Usually the bigger OTA updates will fail because I have too many modified files in the system and because they are bigger I would rather flash the image anyway. Generally, for the most part, I will open the factory image and pull (extract) from there the specific images that were updated in the OTA and fastboot flash those. On the N7 only the system image was changed with the 4.4.4 update. The 4.4.3 update changed the boot and system images. You can either flash the images that are needed for the update individually or the whole factory image. Flashing the individual images will not wipe your storage, settings or user apps and the factory image Can also be flashed without wiping your storage, or losing your installed apps and settings. When you extract the factory image you will see;
bootloader-flo-flo-04.02.img
flash-all.bat
flash-all.sh
flash-base.sh
image-razor-ktu84p.zip
Inside the "image-razor-ktu84p.zip" is where you will see the individual images;
android-info.txt
boot.img
cache.img
recovery.img
system.img
userdata.img
To flash the factory image without wiping data all you have to do is open up the 'flash-all.bat' with editpad lite or whatever notepad you use and remove the -w from the text. The -w flag will cause the userdata.img to be flashed which wipes your device. If you really want to make sure the os is clean you can do a factory reset with TWRP after flashing the images which will wipe the cache, data and dalvik and remove any settings but will leave your storage intact. I seldom do that though. If you are using a custom recovery it will be replaced with the stock recovery image when you flash the factory image which is why I generally flash the images separately. Not a big deal though because it only takes a few seconds to fastboot flash a custom recovery. My bootloader is always unlocked and I always have TWRP installed on my devices. Leaving TWRP installed gives the ability to flash an OTA that you sideloaded if you don't want to wait for it to get to your device. When you flash the system image, factory image or an OTA you will always lose the supersu binary which causes you to lose root. Before booting up after flashing the images you can go into your custom recovery and flash the supersu zip to regain root. Which is what I always do and I always leave a recent copy of the supersu zip on my devices. I always recommend learning how to use adb/fastboot, toolkits work fine for a lot of people but learning adb/fastboot is not hard and gives you more options and a better understanding of what is being done. A lot of problems you see posted here in the forums are from inexperienced users that are using toolkits. Just saying! ; )
Thanks for the response. I'm actually going back to just using adb/fastboot and flashing. I seem to run into more hiccups using toolkits that just a command line window.
Rick
In my defence, m’lud, I spent about 6 hours yesterday reading through a great many threads before posting this one. It’s amazing how hard it can be to pick up a slightly unfamiliar technology when it’s not the one you're used to… I spent the latter half of my life in IT (Windows), but really struggle with this phone stuff.
I expect it's just the terminology… when you guys talk about a bootloader, I’m thinking that’s roughly the same as a BIOS on a computer…? Then there’s the “recovery” thingy… is that like a recovery partition on a Windows machine? But then some threads seem to suggest you over-write that when rooting, so is the original factory image lost forever?
My main reason for wanting to root my M8 is to remove all the bloatware HTC put on it. I can read the instructions for rooting here, but I don’t like blindly following anything I don’t understand, for obvious reasons!
I kind of gather that the “ROM” is the operating system… if I root the phone, does that automatically obliterate the existing one, necessitating a new one, or can I just gain the access I need to delete the horrible factory apps, and keep everything else?
I’ve read through several tutorials, and they’re easy to follow, but not easy to understand, if you get me… they’ll say things like download this, flash that… but I don’t really know what’s going on when you flash something – what am I over-writing etc.
Is there a thread anywhere which explains what these various things actually ARE?
Oh, and I’ve been playing various King games for years, and have got a long way. I’ve tried to figure out how to back them up – the King website is possibly the most unhelpful I’ve come across. People mention various utilities (I think maybe Titanium etc), but if they only work on a rooted phone, they presumably can’t be used to back the games up prior to rooting…
Sorry about all this guys – not asking you to re-invent the wheel, but f there are specific threads that already answer my questions to get me started, I’d be VERY grateful
Thanks
Roger
Roger465 said:
In my defence, m’lud, I spent about 6 hours yesterday reading through a great many threads before posting this one. It’s amazing how hard it can be to pick up a slightly unfamiliar technology when it’s not the one you're used to… I spent the latter half of my life in IT (Windows), but really struggle with this phone stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aye, it takes a bit of time to learn all the things and understand them.
Me, after being really familiar with a Sony device had to spend XX hours reading about HTC and after few years there are still things that I don't know
Roger465 said:
I expect it's just the terminology… when you guys talk about a bootloader, I’m thinking that’s roughly the same as a BIOS on a computer…? Then there’s the “recovery” thingy… is that like a recovery partition on a Windows machine? But then some threads seem to suggest you over-write that when rooting, so is the original factory image lost forever?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd rather say recovery is closer to bios., but bootloader matches too.
Recovery is a partition that all android phones have and it can be accessed in case when the system dies to factory reset and things. Stock recovery is good, but it can't be used to flash things like roms and kernels, so we use TWRP - a custom recovery with many options.
Original recovery is overwritten, but can be restored.
As for bootloader it's kinda like a gate - a locked one prevents booting and flashing of any unauthorized files, like custom recovery for example. Unlocking it removes this restriction. That's one fuction of bootloader, another one is starting up the system - like a bios - and can be accessed by a button combination durning boot up, it's also called hboot. In it you can see some essential info about phone software and boot to recovery.
Roger465 said:
My main reason for wanting to root my M8 is to remove all the bloatware HTC put on it. I can read the instructions for rooting here, but I don’t like blindly following anything I don’t understand, for obvious reasons!
I kind of gather that the “ROM” is the operating system… if I root the phone, does that automatically obliterate the existing one, necessitating a new one, or can I just gain the access I need to delete the horrible factory apps, and keep everything else?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ROM is the android itself, drivers, kernel and manufacturer's interface, apps, tweaks, settings. and probably something else I've missed. I think it would be somewhat correct to call this operating system. Rooting is gaining superuser access on the phone - it can be used to give extended functionality to apps, like making modifications in system itself. Pretty similiar to "run as administrator" in windows. Rooting itself won't remove the rom.
Roger465 said:
I’ve read through several tutorials, and they’re easy to follow, but not easy to understand, if you get me… they’ll say things like download this, flash that… but I don’t really know what’s going on when you flash something – what am I over-writing etc.
Is there a thread anywhere which explains what these various things actually ARE?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those should give you a basic knowledge:
https://www.androidcentral.com/dictionary
https://android.gadgethacks.com/news/big-android-dictionary-glossary-terms-you-should-know-0165594/
Roger465 said:
Oh, and I’ve been playing various King games for years, and have got a long way. I’ve tried to figure out how to back them up – the King website is possibly the most unhelpful I’ve come across. People mention various utilities (I think maybe Titanium etc), but if they only work on a rooted phone, they presumably can’t be used to back the games up prior to rooting…
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Titanium backup is an app used to backup other apps, but it requires root. To get root you need a custom recovery and for it you need an unlocked bootloader.
Unlocking the bootloader will wipe all data from the phone. I'm not aware of many working methods to backup apps and their data.
There's an app called Helium, but there are many complaints that it doesn't fully work. You can try syncing all data to your google account or adb backup.
A lot of the basic terminology is explained here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=52484527#post52484527
My responses below in red font:
Roger465 said:
when you guys talk about a bootloader, I’m thinking that’s roughly the same as a BIOS on a computer…?
I'd say that is a pretty good analogy. It's responsible for loading the OS, same as BIOS does on a PC. And as long as you can get into bootloader, the phone is recoverable almost regardless of what else you did (within some limits).
Then there’s the “recovery” thingy… is that like a recovery partition on a Windows machine? But then some threads seem to suggest you over-write that when rooting, so is the original factory image lost forever?
Recovery is the tool for making or restoring backup (and also flashing ROMs and other mods like root). And not the actually backup itself. So that is one important distinction to remember.
Installing custom recovery (TWRP) will overwrite the stock recovery, that is true. You can only have one recovery at a time.
Stock recovery is easy to restore; and the stock recoveries are available on this forum. But stock recovery is close to useless. The only reason you would need stock recovery, is to install an official OTA (over-the-air) upated. And HTC was done updating this phone a long time ago (with Marshmallow) and there will be no more updates. Therefore, no need for stock recovery.
Since you've decided to do to the dark side and root; custom recovery TWRP as vastly more useful than stock recovery (as also mentioned in the previous response). To be honest, I can't say I've booted to stock recovery on this or any HTC device I've owned (and it's been several) even once. Never used it, and never needed to.
I kind of gather that the “ROM” is the operating system… if I root the phone, does that automatically obliterate the existing one, necessitating a new one, or can I just gain the access I need to delete the horrible factory apps, and keep everything else?
Depending on root method (SuperSU or Magisk), root will make changes to the system and/or kernel (which comprise the OS or ROM). It's still the stock ROM, just with some minor changes to allow superuser access. You can and should make a backup or your stock ROM, before rooting, using TWRP custom recovery. This gives you an easy way to restore to stock unrooted ROM, if you ever want to. And also gives you an easy "escape hatch" if anything goes wrong while trying to root. There are other tools on this forum for restoring the stock ROM. But best practice (and just plain common sense) is to make a backup in TWRP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
---------- Post added at 10:33 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:24 AM ----------
Phalangioides said:
There's an app called Helium, but there are many complaints that it doesn't fully work. You can try syncing all data to your google account or adb backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All backup methods are far from perfect, especially before/without root. I'll agree that Helium is probably the best bet for the OP to backup things like game saves.
---------- Post added at 10:36 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:33 AM ----------
Roger465 said:
It’s amazing how hard it can be to pick up a slightly unfamiliar technology when it’s not the one you're used to… I spent the latter half of my life in IT (Windows), but really struggle with this phone stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stick with it. Every technology has its own lingo and nuances. Even from one Android device to another, there is a learning curve. I've found myself wondering: "WTF is a blob, or Odin" when switching to other Android devices.
With your IT experience, it shouldn't take much to pickup the necessary knowledge.
Thanks guys, kind of you to go to so much trouble to explain for me. Wish I had two phone,s then I could play around messing one up... will read a bit more, then give it a go in a day or two I think. But just to clarify again, can I give myself the rights to remove stock bloatware, while maintaining my familiar Android environment, the apps I use at the moment etc, or do I have to install a custom ROM if I root?
Cheers
Roger465 said:
can I give myself the rights to remove stock bloatware, while maintaining my familiar Android environment, the apps I use at the moment etc, or do I have to install a custom ROM if I root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the OS will remain the same.
Whether you can remove bloat apps after root is a little complicated to explain. You would normally expect to be able to delete system apps (which bloat apps are) with root. However, for whatever reason, HTC decided to write-protect the system partition, even with root. This means that if you try to delete apps when the phone is booted to OS, (depending on what method you used to delete the apps) you will find they return when the phone is rebooted.
You can flash a kernel mod to disable the write protection, or install a custom kernel. Or you may find the easiest work around (after root) is to use the file manager within TWRP to delete the bloat apps.
---------- Post added at 12:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:11 PM ----------
Vomer's guide is a good one, for unlocking the bootloader, custom recovery and root:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-one-m8/general/vomerguides-m8-bootldr-unlock-s-off-t2800727
It's a bit outdated, so some words of advice:
- Only follow parts 0 and 1 of the guide. The sections after that aren't needed (s-off and SuperCID) for root, and the s-off method no longer works.
- Use an updated version TWRP from what is in the guide. If you are currently on Marshmallow, the current version TWRP 3.2.1.0 should work. Or basically any version 2.8.7 or later. You can get TWRP here: https://dl.twrp.me/m8/
- Similarly, use current version SuperSU 2.82 (use TWRP flashable zip from here): https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/supersu/stable-2016-09-01supersu-v2-78-release-t3452703
Or alternately, you can use Magisk to root, instead of SuperSU. Honestly, Magisk is really cool, and has lots of features that SuperSU doesn't. So I suggest checking it out: https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/magisk/official-magisk-v7-universal-systemless-t3473445
redpoint73 said:
Vomer's guide is a good one, for unlocking the bootloader, custom recovery and root
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hhmmm, not getting very far with that procedure. Difficulties so far:
- Enable USB debugging in your phone's Developer options - DONE
- Un-check "Fast boot" on your phone by going to Settings -> Battery Manager – NO SUCH OPTION
- Install ADB and Fastboot on your computer - DONE
- Make sure to back up all of your app data using either ADB or HTC Sync, because you will be wiping your phone – JUST PLAYING AROUND WITH CONNECTING TO THE PHONE AT THIS STAGE
- Install the HTC One M8 drivers on your computer (if you have HTC Sync installed, then you already have them) - DONE
Enter Fastboot (bootloader) Mode
Place your device into fastboot mode by plugging in your HTC One to your computer,
then powering it down by holding both the Power and Volume Down buttons until you see the screen below – WHEN I DO THAT, IT JUST TAKES A SCREENSHOT
Roger465 said:
Hhmmm, not getting very far with that procedure. Difficulties so far:
- Un-check "Fast boot" on your phone by going to Settings -> Battery Manager – NO SUCH OPTION
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was only available back on 4.4. It was removed in 5.0 and above, no need to worry about it now.
Roger465 said:
Enter Fastboot (bootloader) Mode
Place your device into fastboot mode by plugging in your HTC One to your computer,
then powering it down by holding both the Power and Volume Down buttons until you see the screen below – WHEN I DO THAT, IT JUST TAKES A SCREENSHOT
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The guide is a bit inaccurate in this one. Turn off your phone, then press power and vol down - you should get into bootloader. Select fastboot and when it gets into fastboot, plug in the usb, it should change to "fastboot usb" - or at least I think it was like this.
My phone refuses to boot up after I turn it off. Have to help it with a soft reset and then hold vol down so it gets into bootloader, so I can't fully confirm.
Roger465 said:
- Un-check "Fast boot" on your phone by going to Settings -> Battery Manager – NO SUCH OPTION
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As mentioned in the previous response, this doesn't apply anymore. The feature doesn't exist (hasn't since Kitkat) and therefore does not need to be turned off.
Also note, this option is not to be confused with the fastboot/adb interface (virtually the same name, for different things) which is still fully working, and required to unlock the bootloader and flash custom recovery. The power option "Fast boot" was just a feature used by HTC to make the phone turn on faster. It was merely a "deep sleep" trick which was not a true "power down" and would interfere with accessing bootloader/fastboot mode if you tried to it from a "power off" condition (since in fact it wasn't truly powered off).
Again, it's irrelevant now, and you don't need to worry about that step at all.
---------- Post added at 09:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:00 AM ----------
Phalangioides said:
The guide is a bit inaccurate in this one. Turn off your phone, then press power and vol down - you should get into bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, the guide is a little incorrect on that step, and I hadn't caught that (error in the guide) before. Power+vol down to access bootloader, will only work when the phone is powered off.
To the OP, another method/trick to access bootloader:
1) While the phone is on, reboot the phone by holding down the power button, and select "reboot" (or restart, I forget exactly what it says)
2) Once the screen goes dark to reboot, but before the white HTC logo screen appears, hold down the vol down button. Don't let go until you see the white bootloader screen.
3) If the phone simply restart to OS, you simply got the timing wrong. You either started pressing vol down too late, or let go too early. Just repeat steps 1 and 2 until you get it right.
Another alternative, is to force a reboot by holding power+vol up. Again, once the screen goes dark to reboot, but before the HTC logo screen appears, hold the vol down button only. In this case, you simply let go of the power button, and slide your finger down to the vol down button, and don't let go until the bootloader screen appears. This method is handy to know, since it works in all cases when the phone is powered on, even of the phone is "frozen" or stuck not loading the OS.
Phalangioides said:
Select fastboot and when it gets into fastboot, plug in the usb, it should change to "fastboot usb" - or at least I think it was like this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the phone is already connected to the PC by USB cable before going to bootloader, it should default to fastboot mode once the bootloader is accessed.
Not sure if it will automatically switch to fastboot mode if you are in bootloader, then plug in the USB cable. But that may well be true (and would make sense).
In either case, if it's not in fastboot mode, simply select "fastboot" by using the vol buttons, and confirm the choice by pressing the power button. You should see "fastboot" highlighted in red near the top of the screen.
Phalangioides said:
Turn off your phone, then press power and vol down - you should get into bootloader. Select fastboot and when it gets into fastboot, plug in the usb, it should change to "fastboot usb" - or at least I think it was like this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wahay! That worked fine, thanks both. Hope you can appreciate, though, how scary it can be for somebody like me following instructions I don't really understand, when the expected thing doesn't happen – visions of bricks keep coming into my mind
OK, will practice these steps a few times till they’re 2nd nature. I have managed to retrieve my phone identifier thingy though
Roger465 said:
Hope you can appreciate, though, how scary it can be for somebody like me following instructions I don't really understand, when the expected thing doesn't happen – visions of bricks keep coming into my mind
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't worry, you won't brick this device with what you are doing (unlock bootloader, custom recovery & root). In fact, this device is very hard to brick. As long as the screen comes on, it can almost always be recovered.
Worst case, is that something goes wrong, and you can't boot the phone. Maybe you did something wrong, or maybe just some random event that was not fault of yours. And maybe it takes you an (hairpulling) hour to find the answer, and figure out what went wrong (or how to recover from the problem). But that pretty much happens to everyone who mods these devices from time to time. If you work IT, you've been there. Stressful, but hardly ever catastrophic.
Woo hoo! Got my unlock code. Now time for some more studying before I do anything drastic - specifically how to back up.
I think the HTC Sync Manager will handle most of it? My contacts are all on Google anyway... main worry is 2 years' progress on various King games
Roger465 said:
Now time for some more studying before I do anything drastic - specifically how to back up.
I think the HTC Sync Manager will handle most of it? My contacts are all on Google anyway... main worry is 2 years' progress on various King games
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't use HTC Sync, personally. So I really don't know. I typically root my devices pretty soon after getting them, and therefore never had to use any no-root backup solutions (Titanium Backup is my go-to backup app, but requires root). A number of folks around these forums have suggested Helium for backing up app data when no rooted (and it was mentioned before on this thread).
redpoint73 said:
I don't use HTC Sync, personally. So I really don't know. I typically root my devices pretty soon after getting them, and therefore never had to use any no-root backup solutions (Titanium Backup is my go-to backup app, but requires root). A number of folks around these forums have suggested Helium for backing up app data when no rooted (and it was mentioned before on this thread).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah... it doesn't fill me with confidence. I'm sure I'd do exactly as you if it was rooted. I'll probably do it with several different backup apps, and hope that one of them will do it
Roger465 said:
Yeah... it doesn't fill me with confidence. I'm sure I'd do exactly as you if it was rooted. I'll probably do it with several different backup apps, and hope that one of them will do it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The first unlock bootloader will restore your phone. Cross your finger if the game data has been backed up. :fingers-crossed:
redpoint73 said:
I don't use HTC Sync, personally. So I really don't know. I typically root my devices pretty soon after getting them, and therefore never had to use any no-root backup solutions (Titanium Backup is my go-to backup app, but requires root). A number of folks around these forums have suggested Helium for backing up app data when no rooted (and it was mentioned before on this thread).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't play games so I can't really confirm all games are same.
On my experience transfering games data from one device to another (for nieces & nephews), the data is stored in internal storage android\data\games folder & android\obb\games folder. I copy these two out and transfer them to new device.
(Also check sdcard android folder)
Roger465 said:
Yeah... it doesn't fill me with confidence. I'm sure I'd do exactly as you if it was rooted. I'll probably do it with several different backup apps, and hope that one of them will do it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with the approach, make different backups and hope one or more works properly. Games and other apps don't all save data the same way, so no single approach will work in all cases.
Me again, sorry… shortly after that post, I dropped the thing and broke the screen. For one reason or another, I ended up getting a Samsung S6, which I’m quite happy with.
But I want to use the HTC as a spare/emergency phone – trouble is I can’t remember what I’ve done to it, apart from installing something which was recommended as part of my attempted rooting process.
When I switch it on I get the screen below – but no matter which option I select, it just seems to either switch it off or loop back to this screen.
I didn’t go any further than install whatever software it was that gives me this boot menu screen.
I’m no longer interested in rooting it etc – just went to restore it to factory settings and leave it.
Can anybody tell me how please…?
Thanks
Roger465 said:
I can’t remember what I’ve done to it, apart from installing something which was recommended as part of my attempted rooting process.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Obviously, if you don't know what you did, it's hard for us to figure out as well.
The "LOCKED" banner at the top of the bootloader screen means the bootloader was never unlocked. So really, no actual mods were done to the phone by you.
All I can think, the "something" what you installed was possibly the Helium app (recommended by another user back up on this thread) which can be used to backup/restore your app data.
Roger465 said:
I didn’t go any further than install whatever software it was that gives me this boot menu screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know what you're trying to say here. You'll need to be more specific (at least try) than "whatever software". Did you flash something to the phone? Or only installed something to your PC (drivers, fastboot, etc.).
We need to properly understood what you've done, before we can assist further.
redpoint73 said:
Obviously, if you don't know what you did, it's hard for us to figure out as well.
The "LOCKED" banner at the top of the bootloader screen means the bootloader was never unlocked. So really, no actual mods were done to the phone by you.
All I can think, the "something" what you installed was possibly the Helium app (recommended by another user back up on this thread) which can be used to backup/restore your app data.
I don't know what you're trying to say here. You'll need to be more specific (at least try) than "whatever software". Did you flash something to the phone? Or only installed something to your PC (drivers, fastboot, etc.).
We need to properly understood what you've done, before we can assist further.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah… sorry, I’m aware how unhelpful my post is. Unfortunately, it was a while ago now, life went tits up for quite a while, and the phone lay in a drawer, being a very low priority. I used to take it out occasionally and charge it up – it started normally.
The other day, I realised I hadn’t charged it in many months, so took it out, and sure enough it was completely dead – so I plugged it in, and it came up with the screen as posted. I let it charge for a couple of hours, then rebooted, and it came up that way again. No matter which option I select from the menu, it either just shuts down, or reboots to that screen.
I’m virtually certain I didn’t do anything other than enable the mode which lets you get to that boot screen, and that I didn’t get as far as flashing the phone or anything. Don't think I installed Helium - if I did, I didn't actually use it.
So it may just be that the phone has died from being left flat for so long… is that likely do you think?
Thanks and sorry again for the lack of info – I completely understand if you can’t help!
Roger465 said:
I’m virtually certain I didn’t do anything other than enable the mode which lets you get to that boot screen, and that I didn’t get as far as flashing the phone or anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, so it was somewhat confusing, as you said previously (twice) that you "installed" something. But I think you are just confused, thinking that installing something is necessary to get to the bootloader screen. Which it isn't, that screen is part of the bootloader, without which your device would be a paperweight. It will sometimes default to this screen by virtually no action of yours (except powering it on) in cases when the Android Operating System (OS) is missing or damaged. Or you can simply access the bootloader screen by holding the button combo power+vol down.
Roger465 said:
So it may just be that the phone has died from being left flat for so long… is that likely do you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We've seen it a number of times, actually. The OS was probably corrupted or damaged by being powered off (battery dead) for so long. This condition is over recoverable, as long as the phone can power on, and you can get to bootloader (which you can).
You can restore the OS with the RUU (ROM Update Utility) tool. You can get the RUU, and instruction how to flash it from here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=64926626&postcount=6
Note: there is no need to lock the bootloader as the first part of the instructions say (your bootloader is still locked).
It's been some time since I've done this so I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction. I've had my Pixel 2 XL for like a month now...but since day one I've gotten occasional force closes of various apps. Well next week I'm going with a new carrier (Koodo here in Canada) and I thought it would be a great time to flash a factory image to make sure everything is correct. Also when does Google release monthly updates? Is it the first week of April, maybe I'll just wait and flash that factory image when it comes out. Thanks for the help.
acheney1990 said:
It's been some time since I've done this so I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction. I've had my Pixel 2 XL for like a month now...but since day one I've gotten occasional force closes of various apps. Well next week I'm going with a new carrier (Koodo here in Canada) and I thought it would be a great time to flash a factory image to make sure everything is correct. Also when does Google release monthly updates? Is it the first week of April, maybe I'll just wait and flash that factory image when it comes out. Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your wanting to flash a factory image, you'll need a few things first.
I would highly recommend that you look over the linked thread carefully. It has many links and tips to help you on your way :good:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-2-xl/how-to/guide-unlock-flash-root-pixel-2-xl-t3702418
acheney1990 said:
It's been some time since I've done this so I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction. I've had my Pixel 2 XL for like a month now...but since day one I've gotten occasional force closes of various apps. Well next week I'm going with a new carrier (Koodo here in Canada) and I thought it would be a great time to flash a factory image to make sure everything is correct. Also when does Google release monthly updates? Is it the first week of April, maybe I'll just wait and flash that factory image when it comes out. Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://developers.google.com/android/images
Make sure you have the latest adb and fastboot. Get them from Google...
Go get the latest image and Unzip it. Do not Unzip the folder inside. Move everything you just unzipped into the folder with adb and fastboot.
Now, if you've unlocked and unlocked critical, great. If you haven't unlocked critical, you'll have to. The system image won't install if the bootloader is out of date. Sadly, this will wipe your data.
If both are already unlocked, then open the flash-all file with a text editor and remove the,"-w" and the space preceding, then save the file. Removing the -w will keep your data. Run the flash-all.bat file and in about 10 minutes everything will be flashed.
back to stock
how to back on stock ....i sell the phone and want all stock...no root no boot loader unlocked ...what is the fastest way pls
lomski said:
how to back on stock ....i sell the phone and want all stock...no root no boot loader unlocked ...what is the fastest way pls
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First thing!! Forget fast!! You need to fastboot flash a full factory image with the -w still in the script. Maybe even do it twice. Then go in and do a factory reset from the OS for good measure. Once that is done and you know it reboots you can go through the locking command. I would NOT toggle the OEM switch in dev though.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using XDA Labs
So this has been a a very frustrating experiance but I think I've got everything working again. I don't know how many times I've flashed different factory images and then tried to install TWRP and then install a new custom rom. So I want to explain all of the steps I took (if I remember them all).
0. I couldn't boot into my system but had TWRP installed. At this point I should have tried to get all my data from the sd card via "adb pull /sdcard" .
1. I didn't find any option to fix my system. So I followed this guide to install a factory image (link).
3. I skipped through all of the setup processes and gave my phone wifi. Then I went into the system and did a factory reset.
4. After skipping thourgh the setup again I enabled adb and bootet into the bootloader "adb reboot bootlader"
5. From the bootloader I booted into TWRP by "fastboot boot twrp-3.3.0.0-taimen.img. In the recovery I set the display time out to 300s because for some reason once the phone timed out I could get into twrp any more and the screen stayed black.
6. I transferred the twrp installer and my rom by " adb push TWRP_installer.zip /sdcard/Download" and " adb push ROM.zip /sdcard/Download"
7. I first added the TWRP installer to the flash queue and then I added the rom and then falshed them both. This allowed me to install the rom.
8. For some reason TWRP was not installed. So repeat step 5 and only flash the TWRP_installter.zip
Problems I had:
- In twrp I often got errors that said unable to mount system or vendor. I decided to ignore the error but this thread might help
- Installing TWRP while the stock rom is installed led to the problem that touch didn't work in TWRP
- Entering a pin for the stock rom and then installing TWRP led to TWRP asking for a pin to decrypt my data. Apparently this is not the case if you use a stock image which is older
After flashing stock ROM ota and twrp installer zip the only way to get TWRP to respond to touch is if you disable screen lock and connect to your PC before booting TWRP.
I've found the most reliable way to flash factory images is do it manually with fastboot, latest platform tools installed and a Linux OS like Ubuntu or pop os.
But first do some research and get comfortable with fastboot commands. And dear god don't relock your bootloader unless you're ?% sure it's totally stock.
@schpongo,
Also, a good point to keep when flashing via TWRP is to flash/install ONE AT A TIME. As per the great @Az Biker, you should even reboot to the bootloader after each subsequent flash/install. So, in your case, it seems that you might/should be rebooting to the bootloader three times; one for TWRP installation, one for flashing the custom ROM, and one more for any other subsequent installation (i.e. custom kernel or custom font)...
Also, as it's been said before, but stock kernel doesn't play nice with touch commands on TWRP, and (usually) the only way around it is to reboot into bootloader using the adb command -- as opposed to holding the volume-down button or from an app.
I know you figured this all out already, but it might bear repeating just in case you didn't know and/or to help any other users here...
.
rodagola said:
Hello everyone on xda, please bare with me. Here's my story
I own a Redmi Note 8 pro, chinese rom model. It was running miui 11.0.3 over android 9 If I recall correctly.
Ok so... I was tired of some of the china apps pushing their notifications over and over and auto installing stuff, so I looked up how to apply adb commands to remove such bloatware, which was a fairly simple process. I copied and pasted a list of safe stuff to delete I found around some forums.
then... there were some other packages I checked out using an app called "app inspector", which directly tells you which app is under which package (totally useful for this purpose).
I tried to be careful not go overboard since I don't have any root access, or custom recovery, and wasn't really planning to have these, just wanted to keep this as my simple daily driver cellphone, but also perform this little maneuver to get rid of some bloatware.
little did I know, I was about to somehow softbrick it. More info: I did not use a screen lock method other than the "swipe up".
Ok, so I uninstalled some packages I cannot remember exactly how they went, but they had the terms "xman" and "yman" on them I think, I wasn't so sure about them because I looked them up on the web yet they didn't appear anywhere. I think they went something among the lines of "com.android.miui.xman". I also uninstalled 2 or 3 more, but after googling, they seemed unsuspecting.
Anyways, I'm aware there's a command to reinstall the packages because they're still on the phone's ROM image. That is in case I had to restore anything back to normal. Turns out I later rebooted the phone and when it launches the lock screen, I keep swiping up but it won't take me over to the actual MIUI launcher. The screen is frozen on the lock screen.
I'm not freaking out at this time because I still tried to connect the device to the pc, and it still shows as connected, I then go to the adb console and type "adb devices", it is still recognized, however, it says next to it that it is unauthorized... damn it. So now I might not be able to run the commands that allow me to reinstall the exact packages that are rendering the phone softbricked (I guess), plus I'm not really sure which package caused this.
After about a minute or two on the lock screen, the phone takes me to the "redmi-recovery 3.0",
which displays 3 options:
Reboot to system: which basically forms a loop
Wipe date: godforbid... really don't want to do it since I likely had many files not backedup
Contact miassistant: not sure what to do with this, says "pcsuite.mi.com" at the bottom
on the miassistant option you can apparently sideload stuff, idk how to go about this, maybe it allows me to install a slightly upgraded ROM, which in turn will work the same as if it was an OTA update (so it will keep my data as it was instead of wipe)? Because the point is not to erase my user data!!
I'm not sure how to feel or what to do without losing my pictures, notes and documents
I have hopes this situation can be turned around back to normal, and like the title implies... I'm WILLING to PAY you through paypal or something to WHOEVER offers to guide me through in the best way possible. Please if you have the knowledge/experience don't hesitate I'll also be grateful timelessly.
I'm not an expert at these scenarios so I might as well ask on xda where most are really skilled! Thanks in advance to those amazing souls
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tldr;
If you can boot into fastboot mode you can just flash a official MIUI fastboot ROM:
Xiaomi Firmware Updater (where you can download official MIUI ROMS): https://xiaomifirmwareupdater.com/
This is the current hard unbrick method: https://telegra.ph/Installing-Redmi-Note-8-Pro-firmware-via-SP-Flash-Tool-01-21
It should also work in your case and there's even a video guide.
This is another video guide for fixing a hard brick:
Both methods above will format your phone though (afaik all data will be lost).
Compass.
.
rodagola said:
are these the kind of roms that you unzip and have the BL, AP, CP, CSC files? I could try that, but I've heard installing home_csc will not override/wipe my personal data. If this is what you meant, can you confirm? Or do you reckon these linked video tutorials would not wipe the data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, it doesn't.
If you can boot into Fastboot, flash the ROM using Mi Flash, otherwise, use this tutorial:
.
Compass Linux and juliusjr have told you the method, so I will just add supplemential infos.
In your case, I think simple upgrade will do the trick, dirty flash is applicable both via fastboot flash (mi flash) and recovery flash (the mi assistant method). If you want to stop the ads, I will recommend you to unlock your bootloader, move to global, root, and use an adblocker (a bare minimum config, in trade of some bangking apps being blocked).
I don't know the corresponding version for miui china rom, but in global rom, prior 12.0.0.7 (the one with the early 2021 security update), you can dirty flash back and forth while keeping your data.
.
rodagola said:
Hi, thanks for your info, I would like to try the mi flash tool as I've been told before the stock recovery thing has less chances of working. However, I had dev options turned on before but didn't manage to turn on the "OEM unlock" option, will flashing original ROMs work this way? or did I need that option toogled on? That's my last doubt, and thanks a lot. Btw, the China ROM this Redmi N8P had never ever showed me any ads, but thanks a lot as well for such input
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You still have a locked bootloader? (How do I know? You will see "Unloked" on the bottom of the screen everytime your device reboots and showing mi logo if your device is unlocked)
Hmm, mechanically it work like normal ota update. Full recovery update will ony erase nessesary partitions (system, boot, and some other things) while keeping your data intact. So doing this to your phone technically safe. You can do this with MiFlashPro, do a recovery update using a recovery rom (the 2 gigs one) greater than your current MIUI version. But please bear in mind that I have never done this before to a locked phone. A same distribution version IS A MUST (i.e. global with global).
Oh and it will need you to log in to your xiaomi account. My guess is you need the flash permission open for your account (if you have unlocked your phone you shouldn't have a problem). I have never flashed with an account that never have been used to unlock a bootloader, so I might be wrong.
If your phone is bootloader unlocked, Mi Flash is the least demanding and it can retain your data with "save user data" in the bottom right corner option on, regardless your miui version (but I think there will be some problem with installed apps if you downgrade from A10 to A9).
Hope this help.