hi there. I've had my XZ2 Compact (H8324) for a while now, and I'm looking into finally switching to LineageOS on it (preferably with MicroG instead of normal GApps suite, although it looks like it's not an option for now).
the problem is, I haven't tinkered with my devices for a while now - the last time I did that was on my Xperia mini pro about 7 years ago, and obviously a lot has changed since that.
it also doesn't help that the XZ2 Compact has a bit worse dev support than my previous device used to, and the documentation of the process seems to be a bit missing, too. I've seen some discussions link to the regular XZ2 forum for certain tools, so it's a little bit all over the place.
I'm not completely sure what's the procedure now, what tools should I use to unlock and flash the device, and what precautions do I need - for example, as far as I can tell from this thread, there's no need to fix the camera if I unlock the bootloader when running Android 10, but I'd want to make sure that it's correct. any suggestions on where to start the whole thing from would be very appreciated.
the device is H8324 (dual-SIM) running the latest available version of Android 10 - 52.1.A.3.49, and all the steps that require using PC will be performed from a Linux machine.
thanks in advance!
On most phones unlocking the bootloader wipes the phone.
Before anything backup, backup, BACKUP to an external device!
This can be tricky if you're not rooted and can't use an application such as Titanium Backup.
I use SMS Backup/Restore (Google Play Store) to backup my call logs and text messages and backup contacts using default contact manager.
If you're going to unlock and root on stock ROM camera should be fine.
If you're going to run a custom ROM check the forums for known issues.
According to this thread Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact [ROM][11] LineageOS 18.1 [OFFICIAL] (XDA)
KNOWN ISSUEs
The Sony stock camera does not work at the moment.
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Click to collapse
yeah, I've got the backups covered, my SMS are saved in the Signal backup and my contacts are all synced. thanks for looking out for me though!
from what I can tell, the LineageOS issue you quoted only affects Sony's camera app, while taking pictures with alternative apps works okay - and I'm fine with that. I just wanted to double check that there's no problems with viewfinder preview and the like, like it used to be with some Xperias in the past after unlocking the bootloader.
Related
hi guys,
since 2 years i have a Galaxy s3 mini.
At the moment i´m on slimKAT 4.4.4 and TWRP 2.8.1.0.
In a few weeks i will get a new device from my provider. But i am not sure which one is the best.
I can choose from a range of 5 "minis"
- Galaxy s4 mini
- Galaxy s5 mini
- HTC one mini
- Xperia Z1 Compact
- Xperia Z3 Compact
Important for me is:
- custom ROMs available
- custom recoverys available
- good battery life
- good performance
- SD card slot for extSD
my favourite is the Xperia Z1 Compact (good ROMs on XDA, great battery life, SD card slot).
But what about routing, flashing, bootloader (i don´t know much of it cause my s3 mini haven´t one ) ...
Is it much more difficult to handle than a Samsung device (rooting, flashing, ...) or just simple?
Thx for your help and i hope you are telling me your experiences and recommendations.
moonryder
I've never had a Sony device before either, Z1c was my first Sony. Of course I had to do a little research about rooting, but I did not find it particularly difficult-and I do not consider myself a rooting genius.
Z1c is in a league of its own, the other minis are not even close. Read a little bit, learn the rooting process well and go buy it!
Melissakis said:
I've never had a Sony device before either, Z1c was my first Sony. Of course I had to do a little research about rooting, but I did not find it particularly difficult-and I do not consider myself a rooting genius.
Z1c is in a league of its own, the other minis are not even close. Read a little bit, learn the rooting process well and go buy it!
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Click to collapse
hi,
thx for your answer.
Now 3 hours later i read a lot about rooting a Z1c.
Plz tell me if i´m wrong, i will make the following steps:
1) installing flashtool-drivers on my PC to have the right drivers
2) use the tool "newroot" to get root without unlocking the bootloader
3) backup my DRM-keys with Backup-TA-9.11
4) flash Z1C-lockeddualrecovery (custom recovery)
4a) make a nandroid backup
5) unlock the bootloader on Sony Unlock Website
6) flash a custom ROM like slim or other
7) flash gapps
thx
m.
Yes, the procedure looks correct. But I have to say that I do not remember the procedure I followed exactly, it's been a long time ago and I never bothered with it again.
Phones from providers tend not to be unlockable so would check that if you want to unlock the bootloader.
As above. Plus the advantages and disadvantages of unlocking z1 compact bootloader.
If you want to flash for example custom kernels you will need to unlock it. Some actions just require an unlocked BL.
Disadvantege is that you COULD have issues when sending it in for repair when you messed up the software.
But when you are careful and backup everything you can always restore it. You can also relock it if necessary (backup TA partition!)
I always unlock the bootloaders on my devices and never had any problems.
But its up to you.
I agree. It just depends on your goal.. If you just want a solid setup with trusty performance that you can use daily for a long time, and sync your emails, social sites, financial, etc., then you're probably best off leaving it alone. If you're into customization and trying new things, it's worth it. From what I've read, the only things you lose are the official support issues mentioned above, and some kind of camera functionality that I'm not real clear about. But, there's a lot of development for this phone, and the unofficial support here is likely better than any official support, and you can probably find a solution here for anything you lose.
Thank you so much for your responses .Though I dediced to unlock it anyway. I want to try other kernels .
I have UB, my answer is no, unlock bootloader when you want to try Android 6.0.
Well. For me I decided not to unlock. More than experimenting I need stable working phone, on all areas. Especially Wi-Fi. And I have not time to play every evening with flashing and reflashing.
Stock stuff is not that bad if tuned.
Android 6 may be flashed on locked BL as far as I know.
Hi, I am also wondering if I should unlock my bootloader. Anyway, camera futures are very important for me and I am curious if I will loose for example noise cancelling. I've seen the thread about DRM functions restoration but does it work with CM based roms?
Maciek602 said:
Hi, I am also wondering if I should unlock my bootloader. Anyway, camera futures are very important for me and I am curious if I will loose for example noise cancelling. I've seen the thread about DRM functions restoration but does it work with CM based roms?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flat answer : No! 1. Either remain on Sony stock roms or 2. Say goodbye to your camera!
Maciek602 said:
Hi, I am also wondering if I should unlock my bootloader. Anyway, camera futures are very important for me and I am curious if I will loose for example noise cancelling. I've seen the thread about DRM functions restoration but does it work with CM based roms?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good thing, you will not lose camera features if you use modded stock camera and noise cancelling will not gone(even in stock). The only thing that i see that u will lose are bravia engine though i glad that is gone(i need color accuracy). though all of it are included and usable even in UB like mxrom(best lp rom i have ever tried)
After contacting google and their twitter account and even calling in without a solution, and kept referring me back to if it met the requirements and is non rooted, modified or if the device was a USA purchase etc. i decided to just play around with what i had and here we go, it turned out to be so simple and for somewhat reasons google couldn't give this as a solution.
Solution to this:
*What you'll need:
- 2 devices ( your main, secondary [doesn't matter if it's a tablet, we're using it as a dummy to add the card(s)] )
- ... that's pretty much it lols
*Procedures:
1) on the secondary device download the android pay app and login to the same google account.
2) add the card that you want and verify and confirm it.
3) on your main device (in this case the sony xperia z5 / z5P) you'll notice that you'll be able to use and add cards with no more errors.
4) enjoy!
note: i tried to make this as simple as possible, let me know if you encounter any problems, as for the device did this for the error fix was my sony z5 premium international unlocked under a stock rom and non rooted or modified. so im not sure if this same case would apply for those who're rooted or modified but give it a try and let me know ^^
[deleted]
mattabyte said:
Worked like a charm, big thumbs up!
Google kept giving me crap like, "We do not currently support international or unlocked devices..." and, "If you've rooted your phone or unlocked the bootloader then it won't be able to use Android Pay..." even though I told them over and over again that my Z5P is 100% stock, locked BL, not rooted, etc.
I'll spread the word to friends of mine with Z5/C/P phones from various different countries of origin and let them know T&P works again with this trick.
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Glad to hear it worked for as well ^^ btw, if you could please indicate your device status? Was it a rooted one?
[deleted]
Unfortunately i don't have second Android device?
Wish I can use it in Italy
Sometimes it's hard or impossible to use just a simple credit card.
Hi
I have a Honor 5X (kiwi / KIW-L21) as my daily driver and as its nearing the end of it warranty (2 years) its starting to run slower (good job, Huawei). Given this and the fact that during these two years i never received ANY update apart from an update to android 6.0.1 from android 5, im considering switching to LOS 16.
The thing is im completely new to custom ROMs, recovery, phone rooting and that jazz and im a bit scared.
I wanted to know if there is a way I can try out LOS 16 (say for example on a VM) to be sure that i like it before installing.
If not, would I be able to restore my phone back to its current OS in case i dont like LOS and want to fall back to EMUI ?
PS : I wanted to try it out on an older phone I have and for which i dont care as much, but its not supported :'( Its an Asus Zenfone go ZB552KL
Thanks in advance !
The oldphone approach is a good idea. Go to a recycling place and grab some old Motorola or Samsung phones. Broken screen is OK.
kurtn said:
The oldphone approach is a good idea. Go to a recycling place and grab some old Motorola or Samsung phones. Broken screen is OK.
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Click to collapse
My local trash collecting place isn't very open to people who want to take stuff (yes, what a nonesense) but i'll try that i guess. The thing is we have like 3 or 4 old phones but none of them are listed as compatible on the LOS website
IamGron. said:
My local trash collecting place isn't very open to people who want to take stuff (yes, what a nonesense) but i'll try that i guess. The thing is we have like 3 or 4 old phones but none of them are listed as compatible on the LOS website
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need official. Search XDA and you will find unofficial lineageOS for many old phones. https://twrp.me/Devices/ is a good place to find the phone's code name. With that you can check stats.lineageos.org for popular ROM versions.
Will give it a look, thanks.
If nothing usefull comes out of this investigation and I end up doing it on my 5X, is there a way for me to backup the whole phone (i mean not just data, like the whole OS) that way I can fall back to its current state if something goes wrong / i dont like LOS ?
IamGron. said:
Will give it a look, thanks..........
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Click to collapse
To be honest, there's various ways for backing up a whole device but, there's limited (possibly no) choices that all depends upon the device itself and the capabilities of said device. So there's no real way of answering this question without, also, taking under consideration that what works for one may/may not work for another.
With that stated...
I've always found that the only way to know if I like something as huge as updating the Custom Android version Firmware, is to "Hope for the Best and Prepare for the Worse".
I've been successful with Restoring TWRP Backups made but, have always had an (approximately) 50% +/- of a restoration working without any issues (a chance of requiring a fresh installation in the end).
In another words...
The only "recommended" way to upgrade/downgrade the LineageOS Android Versions is to make sure you have everything on hand for performing a fresh installation for both the upgrading and the downgrading of both Android Versions.
For anyone to guide you any other way should (ethically) be able to provide you with guidance in case something goes wrong in the process (of said guidance) with your specific device.
You should also ask for support and guidance within the LineageOS thread and, if needed, somewhere within the Device Dedicated Area of the forum that's specific to your device. This will help locate assistance from those who has your device as well.
For example...
[ROM][9.0.x] LineageOS 16.0 Official (kiwi) [NO VoLTE] by BadDaemon
[ROM] [9.x] LineageOS 16.0 Pie Unofficial for Honor 5x (kiwi) by coldhans
https://forum.xda-developers.com/honor-5x
I hope that I had explained this okay via text... :thumbup:
I wish you the best of luck!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unless asked to do so, PLEASE don't PM me regarding support. Sent using The ClaRetoX Forum App on my Apple Macintosh.
Ibuprophen said:
To be honest, there's various ways for backing up a whole device but, there's limited (possibly no) choices that all depends upon the device itself and the capabilities of said device. So there's no real way of answering this question without, also, taking under consideration that what works for one may/may not work for another.
With that stated...
I've always found that the only way to know if I like something as huge as updating the Custom Android version Firmware, is to "Hope for the Best and Prepare for the Worse".
I've been successful with Restoring TWRP Backups made but, have always had an (approximately) 50% +/- of a restoration working without any issues (a chance of requiring a fresh installation in the end).
In another words...
The only "recommended" way to upgrade/downgrade the LineageOS Android Versions is to make sure you have everything on hand for performing a fresh installation for both the upgrading and the downgrading of both Android Versions.
For anyone to guide you any other way should (ethically) be able to provide you with guidance in case something goes wrong in the process (of said guidance) with your specific device.
You should also ask for support and guidance within the LineageOS thread and, if needed, somewhere within the Device Dedicated Area of the forum that's specific to your device. This will help locate assistance from those who has your device as well.
[...]
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Click to collapse
Hi there, thanks for the answer and sorry for the delayed reaction, I was busy
I will investigate on the linked threads and see what I want to do after that. My main concern being fingerprint sensor gestures (I know, stupid habits lol) asking on the kiwi forum is definitely a good idea. Same things for installing TWRP and the recovery, someone there would probably be able to help.
Thanks a lot for your time
After a bit of research, I've noticed two common complaints. 1: The camera shows a black picture (due to missing DRM keys) and 2: When recording a voice message on Whatsapp/Snapchat, it's really quiet. I was wondering if anyone with an unlocked bootloader and root access is using their phone without these issues, and if they did have problems, what steps did they take to fix it.
As for the first issue, I found this video:
that shows the camera working just fine. It's a Docomo model, but I'm sure it doesn't really matter. Not sure if they still have their DRM keys or not. I am most certainly NOT paying for Xperifix. I've heard a few people complain that it doesn't work or they didn't get their license key after they paid for it. I would ask if anyone had a cracked version of Xperifix 3.2 but I'm not sure if it's allowed here or not.
Anyway, with my current phone (XZ1 compact) I forgot to back up my DRM keys before unlocking the bootloader, but the camera works just fine on Android 9 (latest official firmware) and Android 10 (Havoc OS custom ROM). I'm hoping it's the same here. I do occasionally get the message "Cannot start camera. Please restart the application." but I don't really mind.
LineageOS has an official 17.1 (Android 10) build for the XZ2 compact, so I'm hoping it will be stable and with minimal issues.
Anyway, let me know about your experience with this phone!