Develop Bugs

SM p607t root/custom roms

Is any method of root or custom ROM compatible with our T Mobile Samsung Note tablet? Coming from a HTC one m7 where all rom were compatible other then CDMA/ GSM
I've used the towelroot but really looking to install aosp on this thing already
Sent from my One using XDA Free mobile app

law16 said:
Is any method of root or custom ROM compatible with our T Mobile Samsung Note tablet? Coming from a HTC one m7 where all rom were compatible other then CDMA/ GSM
I've used the towelroot but really looking to install aosp on this thing already
Sent from my One using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your best bet is to ask in the rom thread. I have yet to flash anything on my P607T other then rooting. It looks like Dev work is very slow for this tablet. So you may not get a 100% working AOSP rom any time soon. Stock rom is really fast and sable once you root and deboat it. That is what I am sticking with for awhile.

Prod1702 said:
Your best bet is to ask in the rom thread. I have yet to flash anything on my P607T other then rooting. It looks like Dev work is very slow for this tablet. So you may not get a 100% working AOSP rom any time soon. Stock rom is really fast and sable once you root and deboat it. That is what I am sticking with for awhile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm looking for ROMs too. But I think I'll stay with stock for now. Any recommendations on what apps to debloat?

dmunjal said:
I'm looking for ROMs too. But I think I'll stay with stock for now. Any recommendations on what apps to debloat?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your best way is to just use TB and froze whatever you do not want. If you run into problems just unfroze it. If you uninstall and you run into a bootloop you will need to have the stock Odin firmware ready. here is a link to get the stock odin file.
http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/3/?download=29807
I just uninstalled whatever I did not want. If you google What apps are safe to remove on a Note 3 to debloat, it will pretty much be the same as the 10.1. Both the note 3 and the 10.1 are pretty much the same other then screen.
Edit: I got this list from here
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...ZzBfWlR4MC03aDMyZ1BDUFNqU0E&usp=sharing#gid=0
Here is a a list for the GS4 which as a lot of the apps we have as well
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2317714

unlocking bootloader
I think we need to get the bootloader unlocked to get development on this thing rollin'
I'm willing to lend my device to a well-reputed senior-member/developer and pay shipping both ways if they think they can work some magic for the SM-P607T
Should I make a new post with regards to this?

Was able to root using this method no Knox either
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2785804
Sent from my SM-P607T using XDA Free mobile app

TG2008 said:
I think we need to get the bootloader unlocked to get development on this thing rollin'
I'm willing to lend my device to a well-reputed senior-member/developer and pay shipping both ways if they think they can work some magic for the SM-P607T
Should I make a new post with regards to this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bootloader is unlocked and there is no problems getting root and current Twrp can be installed which says the bootloader is unlock. if the bootloader was locked you wouldn't be able to flash Twrp. from the looks of it no one has a p607. it is all 605 or the wifi only one p600 and 601. stock rom with root and debloated works great. try a 605 rom. hopefully CM starts to pick up more then we are set.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

Do P605 ROMs even work on a P607T? I've been wondering that myself. I have a 607T and although I am very impressed with the stock ROM it just is never going to measure up to CM for me.
I've been thinking about giving the P605 CM 11 port a try in a few weeks when it's just a bit more stable, but I have no idea how similar they are or if my device would even boot after flashing it!

amirite said:
Do P605 ROMs even work on a P607T?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.

kcrudup said:
Yes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyway to flash the "modem.bin" and "NON-HLOS.bin" flash partitions yet?

kcrudup said:
Yes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And how do i install a dialer app to make voice call with my haedset on my note 10.1 2014 edition (T-Mobile) p607t..is it possible at all??

TG2008 said:
Anyway to flash the "modem.bin" and "NON-HLOS.bin" flash partitions yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guys... Did you even read that thread in the link?
You should be asking these questions there... That whole thread is dedicated to making calls on the P607T.... And if you read the thread you'll know the author hit a brick wall and a boot loader hack is needed to flash the proper modem files for phone calls.

amirite said:
Guys... Did you even read that thread in the link?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reading is Fundamental, amirite? (... sorry, couldn't resist )
But yeah, go there for any updates.

kcrudup said:
Reading is Fundamental, amirite? (... sorry, couldn't resist )
But yeah, go there for any updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha. Thank you kcrudup for pointing to that thread, gave me some useful info on using P605 Roms on a P607T.
Any idea about what sort of problems may pop up from doing this? I got a reply in the CM thread that their P605 version of CM should work fine on my P607 but... Surely it can't be that simple? Any idea what differences there are between thecode of the two tablets or is it really that similar?

amirite said:
I got a reply in the CM thread that their P605 version of CM should work fine on my P607- but surely it can't be that simple?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm 95% sure the only difference physically is the radio "front end" hardware is tuned for the T-Mo LTE frequencies so the modem baseband SW reflects that, and software-wise all that's new is a few pre-installed apps like the "My T-Mobile" app and that (loud-and-annoying-as-hell-and-quickly-removed) T-Mobile "jingle" on startup; I've put several P605 ROMs on my 607T and everything's worked OK ('cause the bootloader won't let me overwrite the radios and potentially-dangerous bootloader files anyway).

kcrudup said:
I'm 95% sure the only difference physically is the radio "front end" hardware is tuned for the T-Mo LTE frequencies so the modem baseband SW reflects that, and software-wise all that's new is a few pre-installed apps like the "My T-Mobile" app and that (loud-and-annoying-as-hell-and-quickly-removed) T-Mobile "jingle" on startup; I've put several P605 ROMs on my 607T and everything's worked OK ('cause the bootloader won't let me overwrite the radios and potentially-dangerous bootloader files anyway).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome info thanks so much!! So if I understand correctly, any differnces that would render my tablet completely inoperable are already protected from flashing? So I don't need to meet with the TARs for the Roms to remove the modem files or anything?
I mean, I don't mind if my radio breaks or something, I can handle flashing back to stock I am just never sure when I start flashing a new Android device what risks there are of bricking it completely (which, with Knox in the picture, could totally screw me).
So with that I will probably be going flash crazy tonight and tomorrow to test our some different 605 Roms starting with Cyanogen. I'll try to post any findings or quarks here or in those threads!

amirite said:
So I don't need to [mess?] with the TARs for the Roms to remove the modem files or anything?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will have to remove all the "*.mbn" and "*.bin" files from (Samsung-supplied) non-P607T ROMs, though- Odin will abort the flash if it receives a bad status from the bootloader when the bootloader rejects the flash operation. But it should be a straightforward unzip/rm/zip operation to repack, and I'm sure the CM flashes are just "boot" and "system" (and possibly "recovery") partitions anyway.

kcrudup said:
You will have to remove all the "*.mbn" and "*.bin" files from (Samsung-supplied) non-P607T ROMs, though- Odin will abort the flash if it receives a bad status from the bootloader when the bootloader rejects the flash operation. But it should be a straightforward unzip/rm/zip operation to repack, and I'm sure the CM flashes are just "boot" and "system" (and possibly "recovery") partitions anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so is it necessary to remove the above mentioned files. I can't just flash a p605 rom with twrp?

stoehner said:
so is it necessary to remove the above mentioned files. I can't just flash a p605 rom with twrp?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it is necessary, the .mbn files relate to the bootloader and the .bin files is the modem and NON_HLOS, being that they are for a different ROM it could cause major problems and maybe even bricking. @kcrudup even mentioned the bootloader conflicting with Odin if the device models don't match, so it seems you won't get the 605's installed without removing said files.

Prod1702 said:
Your best bet is to ask in the rom thread. I have yet to flash anything on my P607T other then rooting. It looks like Dev work is very slow for this tablet. So you may not get a 100% working AOSP rom any time soon. Stock rom is really fast and sable once you root and deboat it. That is what I am sticking with for awhile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been looking for a guide for flashing twrp onto my sm-p607t but i cant find one. I mainly need the correct twrp img.tar file for odin. I found this one ( openrecovery-twrp-2.6.3.3-lt03wifiue.img ) but I don't know if it is the right one. I used towelroot to root it and i used the proper supersu to disable knox so i just need the custom recovery now.

[Q] Upgrading Samsung SCH-I435 to Android Lollipop

I haven't found any information for my specific model for some reason.
What I want to do is install stock Android 5 (by stock, I mean what comes on the Google Nexus) on my Verizon Samsung s4 mini (SCH-I435).
To my knowledge, this would involve:
Rooting the phone
Finding a compatible ROM
Flashing the ROM
I just can't find any guides or ROMs for my specific model. Can anyone here help?

I have the exact same model of the s4-mini as you do, and I've looked around just about everywhere. It seems that the bootloader has never been unlocked for this variant of the S4-mini. Verizon also just released a new firmware update that patches the kernel, preventing the use of previous root methods, and it may be some time till someone finds a way around it. If you find anything, please tell me, as I can't stand this bloatware crap on my phone.

How do you usually unlock the bootloader?

19lmyers said:
How do you usually unlock the bootloader?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Usually people create software, such as Cyanogenmod, that exploit vulnerabilities in the software on the phone, giving them access to the bootloader. One of the many issues with this variant is that it is distributed by Verizon, and Verizon is very vigilant about patching vulnerabilities.
EDIT: After a little more digging, I found that the bootloader is completely locked and there is a 99.9999999% chance that it will never be unlocked, typical Verizon for you.

Stuckurface said:
Usually people create software, such as Cyanogenmod, that exploit vulnerabilities in the software on the phone, giving them access to the bootloader. One of the many issues with this variant is that it is distributed by Verizon, and Verizon is very vigilant about patching vulnerabilities.
EDIT: After a little more digging, I found that the bootloader is completely locked and there is a 99.9999999% chance that it will ever be unlocked, typical Verizon for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't you mean never?

19lmyers said:
Don't you mean never?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty much.

Correction
You can root the SCH-I435 with towel root, install SuperSU and Busy Box from Play store. Then flash phils touch recovery and then flash a rom from SD card in recovery. Beware, if you are on Bluegrass cellular. Any rom must be for CDMA phone for the SCH-I435.

Where would I find a compatible ROM?

looking for too!
I have been looking too. Tried a couple, but lose phone service. Everything else works.

I discovered this. Is it legitimate?
phoneupdateblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/working-tutorial-how-to-updateupgrade_70.html

19lmyers said:
I discovered this. Is it legitimate?
phoneupdateblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/working-tutorial-how-to-updateupgrade_70.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely not legit. They simply have tons of links on their site to upgrading every single phone to lollipop. Inside of each page is exactly the same link to the same "ROM" for every phone, and the comments at the bottom of the page aren't actually real, they are just a picture. Try changing the number at the end of the link "...updateupgrade_70.html" and you will see what I mean.

I was able to successfully root my phone by flashing 4.4.2 NE1 (opposed to the latest version) via Odin and using Towelroot.
Has there been any progress on the addition of a custom recovery?

19lmyers said:
I was able to successfully root my phone by flashing 4.4.2 NE1 (opposed to the latest version) via Odin and using Towelroot.
Has there been any progress on the addition of a custom recovery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found something interesting that might be worth looking into. This guy (http://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-s4-mini/527518-serious-question-needing-advice.html) claims to have installed a custom rom that was designed for the GT-I9195 on his SCH- i435. I have actually run into him before on other on some other threads and he seems to be legit. But the problem still remains that when he installed the rom his sound and mic didn't work. Still worth looking into though.
The thread I ran into TheGhost1951: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2575913
His profile on xda: http://forum.xda-developers.com/member.php?u=1561233

Stuckurface said:
I found something interesting that might be worth looking into. This guy (http://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-s4-mini/527518-serious-question-needing-advice.html) claims to have installed a custom rom that was designed for the GT-I9195 on his SCH- i435. I have actually run into him before on other on some other threads and he seems to be legit. But the problem still remains that when he installed the rom his sound and mic didn't work. Still worth looking into though.
The thread I ran into TheGhost1951: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2575913
His profile on xda: http://forum.xda-developers.com/member.php?u=1561233
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I sent him a PM. Maybe he can shed some light on this

Just curious, would over of the international variant ROMs work if we managed to unlock the bootloader or would the SCH-I435 require its own specific one?

I found an app called Flashify that claims to be able to flash a boot loader or recovery to your device from your device.
Do you think flashing CWM or TWRP would work this way?

19lmyers said:
I found an app called Flashify that claims to be able to flash a boot loader or recovery to your device from your device.
Do you think flashing CWM or TWRP would work this way?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems that the only thing that this has to offer for us is a way to flash your phone without using a computer, and to back up your phone (I haven't actually tried restoring from a backup). But we still need a version of CWM or TWRP that is made for the sch-i435.

Stuckurface said:
It seems that the only thing that this has to offer for us is a way to flash your phone without using a computer, and to back up your phone (I haven't actually tried restoring from a backup). But we still need a version of CWM or TWRP that is made for the sch-i435.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But we'd still need to unlock the boy loader...

SCH-I435
Anyone got success for installing custom recovery and custom ROM on SCH-I435 Verizon? Please help if anyone have done that all.

kjaved8 said:
Anyone got success for installing custom recovery and custom ROM on SCH-I435 Verizon? Please help if anyone have done that all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So two years later - has this ever been done?
I need to put android 5.0 on my S4 Mini so I can use the Square app to accept credit card payments for my business. Their app will not work on anything earlier than 5.0. Otherwise I will have to buy a new phone!:crying:

Need a good ToDo list for a new OnePlus 5T with project Treble

Hi guys, I'm going to buy a OnePlus 5T, coming from a Motorola Moto X Play.
I used to do basic and old modding, without a need to think about project Treble or encrypt/decrypt.
I know now it is project Treble enabled also in stable channel, so now I would like to take away some doubts.
I actively watched threads and updates but I'm really confused by a big amount of things to consider, like:
- Do I need a Treble compatible Magisk?
- Do I need a Treble compatible TWRP?
- What's "no-verity" useful for? Why could I need to decrypt my OP5T?
- Do I have to follow a specific procedure to flash official updates if I have a custom recovery and Magisk installed?
So... A good list of ToDo, things I need to know before bricking the new beautiful entry is the request :angel:
If you can help me also with links, I'll appreciate.

nplezka said:
- Do I need a Treble compatible Magisk?
- Do I need a Treble compatible TWRP?
- What's "no-verity" useful for? Why could I need to decrypt my OP5T?
- Do I have to follow a specific procedure to flash official updates if I have a custom recovery and Magisk installed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This guide is great to give you a start.
- No, you don't need Treble compatible Magisk. Magisk 16.0 works fine.
- Yes, you need the latest blu_spark or codeworkx TWRP. You can get to them from the guide above. Don't use the official TWRP btw.
- (I'm not very knowledgeable about this) I believe no-verity is to keep the device decrypted. I'm running it encrypted at the moment and see no reason to decrypt the phone.
- Kinda specific but nothing special. Here's my procedure (I'm running stable OOS ROM):
Download Full ZIP file (~1.6 GiB), not the OTA one. If your phone is rooted, system update will download the full file (instead of the ota); or you can use Oxygen Updater from the app store.
Change lockscreen lock from passcode to none (because my TWRP can't run properly with passcode. I have heard that many people don't need to do this)
Reboot to TWRP recovery
Flash Full Zip and Magisk in that order
(Some people say clear cache/dalvik before and after flashing, idk)
Reboot to system and change lock screen back to normal.
I think there's no big to do stuff with oneplus if you only do basic modding but I run my device fairly basic anyway so others can chime in with more advanced stuffs.

squaresmile said:
[*]Change lockscreen lock from passcode to none (because my TWRP can't run properly with passcode. I have heard that many people don't need to do this)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe it's a stupid question, but I never had a pin or password on my lockscreen, and for sure I will simply use the fingerprint (or face-unlock? ?) on my future OP5T, so this point is only for who use a password/pin/sequence, right?

nplezka said:
Maybe it's a stupid question, but I never had a pin or password on my lockscreen, and for sure I will simply use the fingerprint (or face-unlock? ) on my future OP5T, so this point is only for who use a password/pin/sequence, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty sure you need password/pin to use fingerprint/face unlock. However, I have heard that others can go to TWRP fine with a password/pin so you probably will be fine. I must have messed up somewhere I'm too lazy to fix now.

squaresmile said:
Pretty sure you need password/pin to use fingerprint/face unlock. However, I have heard that others can go to TWRP fine with a password/pin so you probably will be fine. I must have messed up somewhere I'm too lazy to fix now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you think I have to do something in particular when I'll update to the OOS update with Treble, starting from the in-built firmware (don't know the exact version, but I'm talking about Nougat)? Or I can update normally?
It'll be the first thing I'll do, before unlocking and rooting. :cyclops:

nplezka said:
Do you think I have to do something in particular when I'll update to the OOS update with Treble, starting from the in-built firmware (don't know the exact version, but I'm talking about Nougat)? Or I can update normally?
It'll be the first thing I'll do, before unlocking and rooting. :cyclops:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably not if you follow the updater in settings. I would expect the stock update process to be pretty stable.

Question I'm very overwhelmed please help

The last time I rooted a phone was 3 years ago, in general whenever I try to root a phone I feel like the entire process has changed and im completely out of the loop.
All i want to do is make it so i can install f.lux and youtube vanced, how do I do this?
I know that I need to install magisk but apparently I also need to enable the bootloader whatever that means?
Sideload, flashing, caprip, boot-image, fastboot, TWRP: these words mean nothing to me, they serve to confuse and demean me.
Is there any resource for figuring out how to go from a new out-of-the-box moto g30 to one which lets me install youtube vanced? Usually I'd look up a tutorial but the only one I found was in spanish and I don't speak spanish.
Thanks for any help you can give.

First things first.
Android has Night Light built in and Youtube Vanced doesn't need root.
But, if you're still serious about rooting and installing magisk to make use of all of the really useful modules, you'll need:
An Unlocked Bootloader: Motorola's Own Guide
Keep in mind that unlocking the bootloader will wipe your phone and void its warranty, so be absolutely sure you want to do it and back up your files.
Then you'll need to manually patch a boot.img from your stock ROM (can be found here.) and flash it using ADB (Android Debug Bridge) using your PC.
I rooted mine within 3 days of owning it and have been enjoying it with no problems whatsoever ever since.
I used this guide as reference. If you have any questions you can always just message me here or on Telegram (@Kuntitled).

samjoebobtomted said:
The last time I rooted a phone was 3 years ago, in general whenever I try to root a phone I feel like the entire process has changed and im completely out of the loop.
All i want to do is make it so i can install f.lux and youtube vanced, how do I do this?
I know that I need to install magisk but apparently I also need to enable the bootloader whatever that means?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bootloader is small program which runs before Android operating system running. Bootloader is first program to run so It is specific for board and processor. -RootJunky
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlocking the bootloader
You can flash a custom system only if the bootloader allows it. Note, though, that the bootloader is locked by default. You can unlock the bootloader, but doing so deletes user data for privacy reasons. After unlocking, all data on the device is erased, that is, both private app data and shared data accessible over USB (including photos and movies). Before attempting to unlock the bootloader, back up any important files on the device. - https://source.android.com/setup/build/running
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
samjoebobtomted said:
Sideload,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Generally sideload means installing an app without the playstore.
samjoebobtomted said:
flashing,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing usually refers to installing through fastboot mode or recovery
samjoebobtomted said:
caprip,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
codename or development name for Moto G30
samjoebobtomted said:
boot-image
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The boot.img is the fie that creates the boot partition
/boot​This is the boot partition of your Android device, as the name suggests. It includes the android kernel and the ramdisk. The device will not boot without this partition. Wiping this partition from recovery should only be done if absolutely required and once done, the device must NOT be rebooted before installing a new one, which can be done by installing a ROM that includes a /boot partition.
-RootJunky
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
samjoebobtomted said:
fastboot,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fastboot refers to several things
Fastboot is the fastboot protocol to communicate with an Android device.
Fastboot.exe is the part of SDK Platform-Tools used to communicate with an Android device when it's in fastboot mode.
samjoebobtomted said:
TWRP:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Twrp is a Custom recovery,
The stock recovery has very limited functions,
a custom recovery has more options
/recovery​This is specially designed for backup. The recovery partition can be considered as an alternative boot partition, that lets the device boot into a recovery console for performing advanced recovery and maintenance operations on it. -RootJunky
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
samjoebobtomted said:
these words mean nothing to me, they serve to confuse and demean me.
Is there any resource for figuring out how to go from a new out-of-the-box moto g30 to one which lets me install youtube vanced? Usually I'd look up a tutorial but the only one I found was in spanish and I don't speak spanish.
Thanks for any help you can give.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have general Moto rooting instructions here
[Guide] Root Motorola with Magisk (UnLocked Bootloader)(Non-TWRP method)
Root Motorola Devices with Magisk Note: This method has been working with most Moto Devices that the Bootloader can be UnLocked. If the Bootloader cannot be Unlocked this method will not work. Please only use this as a reference. If you require...
forum.xda-developers.com

Kuntitled said:
First things first.
Android has Night Light built in and Youtube Vanced doesn't need root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait really I didn't even realize I didn't need a root for that lol.
Kuntitled said:
But, if you're still serious about rooting and installing magisk to make use of all of the really useful modules, you'll need:
An Unlocked Bootloader: Motorola's Own Guide
Keep in mind that unlocking the bootloader will wipe your phone and void its warranty, so be absolutely sure you want to do it and back up your files.
Then you'll need to manually patch a boot.img from your stock ROM (can be found here.) and flash it using ADB (Android Debug Bridge) using your PC.
I rooted mine within 3 days of owning it and have been enjoying it with no problems whatsoever ever since.
I used this guide as reference. If you have any questions you can always just message me here or on Telegram (@Kuntitled).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi thanks this really helped me get the grip of things haha.
I managed to unlock the bootloader but I'm a bit confused on what stock ROM you were referring to, the link you sent had a bunch of possibilities, I assume I need a reteu one since that's the name of my phone's software channel but there's a wide variety of them and the guide you sent seems to have their own ROM as well.
Either way thanks for all the help!

samjoebobtomted said:
Wait really I didn't even realize I didn't need a root for that lol.
Hi thanks this really helped me get the grip of things haha.
I managed to unlock the bootloader but I'm a bit confused on what stock ROM you were referring to, the link you sent had a bunch of possibilities, I assume I need a reteu one since that's the name of my phone's software channel but there's a wide variety of them and the guide you sent seems to have their own ROM as well.
Either way thanks for all the help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should check the Build Number under "About Phone" in settings, and match it what you find on that link i sent.

Question Help me understand GIS for Xperia 10 III

I think I understand the idea behind the device-specific Treble system, and the device-agnostic GIS images, which can work on any phone that has Treble. The app "Treble Check" says that the Sony Xperia 10 III is fully supported.
Here's my questions / educated guesses, please tell me if they're wrong or right:
1. This phone already comes with a Treble-compliant hardware layer (kernel+drivers) and GSI-compliant user-facing ROM, directly from Sony.
2. I can install any other GSI ROM (or from XDA) as long as it's an A/B arm64 ROM, and the hardware should work perfectly.
3. Can the phone still get OTA vendor updates for the hardware stuff after I unlock bootloader/install 3rd party GIS, or do I have to get the new images and flash them manually? Or do I get cut off from them altogether?
4. The original bootloader can take commands from the standard fastboot util in the Android SDK Platform Tools.
5. I understand I need to unlock the bootloader in order to be able to flash anything, but why is it necessary to overwrite the vbmeta partition?
6. Is the procedure to get Magisk working still patching the bootloader, regardless what GSI ROM I install?
7. Did anybody pass Safety Net with Magisk and a 3rd-party GIS ROM? Can it be passed anymore after unlocking bootloader?
8. I see there's no TWRP recovery for this device. Does it matter? Are there alternatives? In theory, if I have Magisk->root I can do pretty much anything so it doesn't sound like a big deal.

wirespot said:
1. This phone already comes with a Treble-compliant hardware layer (kernel+drivers) and GSI-compliant user-facing ROM, directly from Sony.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
wirespot said:
2. I can install any other GSI ROM (or from XDA) as long as it's an A/B arm64 ROM, and the hardware should work perfectly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In theory. In practice it still depends on how the GSI ROM was implemented, there can still be issues.
wirespot said:
3. Can the phone still get OTA vendor updates for the hardware stuff after I unlock bootloader/install 3rd party GIS, or do I have to get the new images and flash them manually? Or do I get cut off from them altogether?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not totally sure about this one. I think you don't get to install OTA updates anymore. You can probably download a new firmware with XperiFirm and flash pieces of it but no idea how that would work or what would happen.
wirespot said:
4. The original bootloader can take commands from the standard fastboot util in the Android SDK Platform Tools.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Sony did a great job going for standard things.
wirespot said:
5. I understand I need to unlock the bootloader in order to be able to flash anything, but why is it necessary to overwrite the vbmeta partition?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The original vbmeta partition contains a mechanism that checks for the other partitions to not be modified. The image downloaded from Google disables that mechanism, so you can put whatever you want on any partition.
wirespot said:
6. Is the procedure to get Magisk working still patching the bootloader, regardless what GSI ROM I install?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it's for the best. A large amount of what Magisk does is based on it being "hidden" from the regular system. Not just for hiding from SafetyNet, since you may not care about that with a 3rd party GSI ROM, but because keeping system modifications separate and keeping the original ROM is a very, very good practice.
wirespot said:
7. Did anybody pass Safety Net with Magisk and a 3rd-party GIS ROM? Can it be passed anymore after unlocking bootloader?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can pass SafetyNet on the stock ROM, with unlocked bootloader and boot image patched to load Magisk. See my how to guide. I don't know about 3rd party GIS ROMs.
wirespot said:
8. I see there's no TWRP recovery for this device. Does it matter? Are there alternatives? In theory, if I have Magisk->root I can do pretty much anything so it doesn't sound like a big deal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've looked into this some more. The biggest downsides seem to be inability to restore backups of the userdata, and inability to disable problematic Magisk modules. There are modules such as Magisk Bootloop Protector which will disable all modules if it detects a bootloop, but if the problem is not a bootloop and still prevents your access you're out of luck...
Please feel free to add more info.