Z2 owners: Need some advice, please. - Xperia Z2 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi Guys,
I’m about 99% sure that I’m moving to the Z2 after much study, but I have some questions that I hope you can clarify for me.
My only frame of reference for devices, rooting, flashing, are Samdung, via Odin and LG via some very crappy tools, and a few other devices with very minimal use of fastboot and adb, etc.
Here are my questions, and I’m trying my best to be concise:
1. How robust is the main flashtool used to flash stock ROMs?
2. Can this tool also flash custom ROMs? I think I read that it can, but I want to confirm.
3. Are Stock Firmware files available somewhere reliable/secure, like they are for Samdung devices?
4. Is there an Xposed module that will allow me to automatically close the quick toggles panel (like wifi, etc.) after I select them? I use this feature dozens of times a day, and I find it extremely useful. It’s part of Wanam Exposed.
5. D6503 can accept any firmware in the model line, correct? I’d like to download the latest stock ROM and flash to it as soon as I get it.
6. How good are the noise cancelling headphones at isolating the “blah, blah, blah” noise from a crowd? I spend a lot of time on a campus filled with people talking, shouting, etc. and I’d like to isolate some of that noise during my break time between classes. Students and other professors are often annoyingly loud.
7. Does the Xposed module for 20.7 MP Auto mode degrade picture quality over the standard 8MP? I assume it must, otherwise, why would Sony not enable it?
8. Can I use my PS4 controller to control Android games on the Z2? I read somewhere that it was possible, but not sure.
Thanks for any input.

1. flashtool is pretty solid. It's at least as good as Odin IMO.
2. yes
3. yes, these are known as FTF files
4. Not sure but lookup gravity box, it has a lot of options just like wanam for TW
5. Always flash D6503 firmware. Rom's can be flashed but the radio for the D6503 and D6502 are different
6. not sure
7. I would say the 8MP Superior auto is something Sony did to keep detail but produce more manageable filesizes. They downsample so it's still much sharper than a native 8MP smartphone pic. The 20MP setting is just not downsampled.
8.not sure, pretty sure you can.
The dev tools are different. As of right now, if you get a D6503 with an unlockable bootloader, you can root, throw on a rom, custom kernel, and have either CWM or TWRP recovery. Really happy with the Z2 so far, and as you can tell I'm pretty familiar with TW.

se1000 said:
1. flashtool is pretty solid. It's at least as good as Odin IMO.
2. yes
3. yes, these are known as FTF files
4. Not sure but lookup gravity box, it has a lot of options just like wanam for TW
5. Always flash D6503 firmware. Rom's can be flashed but the radio for the D6503 and D6502 are different
6. not sure
7. I would say the 8MP Superior auto is something Sony did to keep detail but produce more manageable filesizes. They downsample so it's still much sharper than a native 8MP smartphone pic. The 20MP setting is just not downsampled.
8.not sure, pretty sure you can.
The dev tools are different. As of right now, if you get a D6503 with an unlockable bootloader, you can root, throw on a rom, custom kernel, and have either CWM or TWRP recovery. Really happy with the Z2 so far, and as you can tell I'm pretty familiar with TW.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot. these responses help.
Are most of the unlocked non-carrier devices shipping with unlockable bootloaders? Is there any way to know without using the dialer code to check?

donalgodon said:
Thanks a lot. these responses help.
Are most of the unlocked non-carrier devices shipping with unlockable bootloaders? Is there any way to know without using the dialer code to check?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah I would say if you get an unbranded phone it'll have a unlockable bootloader.

Related

NFC functionality with battery case? And some other Q's

Looking at getting the Z Ultra, but have a few questions/concerns
1) For those of you using a battery case is your NFC still functional? and if so, to what extent compared to stock or what you would consider 'normal'?
2) I seem to read about hardware issues with this phone more often in this forum than what i've typically seen with my past phones, If you could make the purchase again would you be comfortable buying a Z Ultra with no warranty (used/gray market)
3) are the latest OTA's on this device blocking root access/ custom roms? the phone is basically worthless to me unless i can get CM10 or some other type of AOSP rom on it. If the latest OTA's are blocking root access what build number is the cutoff?
I'll probably have some other questions as well, but this is a good start. thanks for your help.
crazy talk said:
Looking at getting the Z Ultra, but have a few questions/concerns
1) For those of you using a battery case is your NFC still functional? and if so, to what extent compared to stock or what you would consider 'normal'?
2) I seem to read about hardware issues with this phone more often in this forum than what i've typically seen with my past phones, If you could make the purchase again would you be comfortable buying a Z Ultra with no warranty (used/gray market)
3) are the latest OTA's on this device blocking root access/ custom roms? the phone is basically worthless to me unless i can get CM10 or some other type of AOSP rom on it. If the latest OTA's are blocking root access what build number is the cutoff?
I'll probably have some other questions as well, but this is a good start. thanks for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
-NFC has a 4cm range. So unless you have a sizable case it will still be fine. That said, you would need to be exact when locating the NFC sensor. As you wouldn't just be able to swipe the peer'd device over the back and expect it to peer. You would have to be very close to the sensor.
-Hardware. Mine is in for repair but that's a fault that no one else seemed to have. I would most certainly check out the unit before buying. But I'm sure people would do that with any device that's over a couple hundred dollars.
=I would still buy this device again.
-OTA: You can root each version of firmware. The latest firmware is .257, and its the hardest and requires more effort, but is still rootable. So you'll be able to put CM10 on it, or CM11 on it in a couple of weeks.
=There are issues with rooting tools at the moment and you would need to investigate that when you come to rooting/ or not rooting.
crazy talk said:
1) For those of you using a battery case is your NFC still functional? and if so, to what extent compared to stock or what you would consider 'normal'?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just tested this and it works great. The SmartConnect event popped up before I even touched my smart tag. The power case doesn't interfere.

Reasons to unlock Bootloader?

OK, so I bought an Xperia Z Ultra a few days ago, and I ensured it was a unlockable device, after owning all my previous Xperia phones unlocked.
The main reason I was unlocking before on my previous Z, S and T was because battery savings, meaning custom kernel undervolting, and several battery friendly moded stock kernel options. And of course, some easy rooting, mainly for changing the ugly high dpi the Z has, and have some real screen state, not big clunky icons, fonts and stuff on a 5" display.
I never been attracted to CM and or PAC for that matter either, because they break too many things to even consider them my daily drivers IMHO, and with the arrival of the Snapdragon 800 chipsets speed is never an issue, unlike before on weak handsets like S and X10 on which a custom rom did wonders for the performance.
On the Z Ultra, on the other hand, battery life is proving itself to be outstanding, way more than I expected it to be, as I was afraid the 3000mah battery wasn't gonna cut it due to screen to battery size ratio. Standard dpi is also excellent, alongside kit kat performace. Also, having a quick look on the development section, there isn't too much going on, unlike the Z, I can't seem to find a completely stock kernel that has just undervolting and some recovery options, heck, I don't recall there being a stock based kernel at all.
So, what's your main reason for unlocking this precise device?
Also, how the battery life on stock rom compares to Google Play edition?
DrKrFfXx said:
OK, so I bought an Xperia Z Ultra a few days ago, and I ensured it was a unlockable device, after owning all my previous Xperia phones unlocked.
The main reason I was unlocking before on my previous Z, S and T was because battery savings, meaning custom kernel undervolting, and several battery friendly moded stock kernel options. And of course, some easy rooting, mainly for changing the ugly high dpi the Z has, and have some real screen state, not big clunky icons, fonts and stuff on a 5" display.
I never been attracted to CM and or PAC for that matter either, because they break too many things to even consider them my daily drivers IMHO, and with the arrival of the Snapdragon 800 chipsets speed is never an issue, unlike before on weak handsets like S and X10 on which a custom rom did wonders for the performance.
On the Z Ultra, on the other hand, battery life is proving itself to be outstanding, way more than I expected it to be, as I was afraid the 3000mah battery wasn't gonna cut it due to screen to battery size ratio. Standard dpi is also excellent, alongside kit kat performace. Also, having a quick look on the development section, there isn't too much going on, unlike the Z, I can't seem to find a completely stock kernel that has just undervolting and some recovery options, heck, I don't recall there being a stock based kernel at all.
So, what's your main reason for unlocking this precise device?
Also, how the battery life on stock rom compares to Google Play edition?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only need to unlock bootloader is to install the custom room set or custom kernel, but I'm like you and find the stock Sony experience ticks all the boxes I'm interested in. They've done a great job with the stock rom.
Guess the main appeal is for the gpe build.
Sent from my C6833 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
SpyderTracks said:
The only need to unlock bootloader is to install the custom room set or custom kernel, but I'm like you and find the stock Sony experience ticks all the boxes I'm interested in. They've done a great job with the stock rom.
Guess the main appeal is for the gpe build.
Sent from my C6833 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its funny you guys are trying to get the gee rom and I'm trying to get away from it.
So, what's your main reason for unlocking this precise device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It makes rooting incredible easy. Are you on KitKat? Just flash Jackie's kernel and flash SuperSU. Done. I also like to change ROMs and environments once in awhile, so i typically flash between stock and the GPe ROM, which brings me to....
Also, how the battery life on stock rom compares to Google Play edition?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's quite good actually. The GPe ROM doesn't have Stamina, so you have to be a little careful with IM services and stuff like that, but it's not bad at all.
canarycny said:
its funny you guys are trying to get the gee rom and I'm trying to get away from it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the thing with "Nexus'" (Nexi?). Want a different ROM environment? Too bad. You're stuck with AOSP. Got the original Ultra? You got two environments to choose from. Stock Sony and AOSP, so when you get bored with one of them, you can easily swap. That's one thing that's scarying me away from the Nexus-line. And we also have the GPe version which means that the GPe will get 4.5/5.0 early, and we'll be able to just flash it (after some minor modifications).
I guess it's possible to get a Sony ROM running on the GPe version, but there aren't that many devs around here, so stuff like that will take a fair bit of time. Just hang in there though!
LordManhattan said:
It makes rooting incredible easy. Are you on KitKat? Just flash Jackie's kernel and flash SuperSU. Done. I also like to change ROMs and environments once in awhile, so i typically flash between stock and the GPe ROM, which brings me to....
It's quite good actually. The GPe ROM doesn't have Stamina, so you have to be a little careful with IM services and stuff like that, but it's not bad at all.
That's the thing with "Nexus'" (Nexi?). Want a different ROM environment? Too bad. You're stuck with AOSP. Got the original Ultra? You got two environments to choose from. Stock Sony and AOSP, so when you get bored with one of them, you can easily swap. That's one thing that's scarying me away from the Nexus-line. And we also have the GPe version which means that the GPe will get 4.5/5.0 early, and we'll be able to just flash it (after some minor modifications).
I guess it's possible to get a Sony ROM running on the GPe version, but there aren't that many devs around here, so stuff like that will take a fair bit of time. Just hang in there though!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i more or less want the xperia apps and i've already bricked one gee trying to root so i won't be trying again until theres a dummy guide for myself. unfortunately googles choices for media suck and i feel like the xperia integration will work a lot better for me.
canarycny said:
i more or less want the xperia apps and i've already bricked one gee trying to root so i won't be trying again until theres a dummy guide for myself. unfortunately googles choices for media suck and i feel like the xperia integration will work a lot better for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that's a lot easier. The Sony KitKat apps are all over the place her at XDA, so just find and install them. I did it myself when I ran the GPe ROM and it worked just fine. You may have to adjust the DPI, but that's not an issue.
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
LordManhattan said:
Well that's a lot easier. The Sony KitKat apps are all over the place her at XDA, so just find and install them. I did it myself when I ran the GPe ROM and it worked just fine. You may have to adjust the DPI, but that's not an issue.
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair enough I've found a few and also a few that won't install I've looked for a stock camera apk and a few others I couldn't get to install without root.
I doubt the camera will work, but Album, Movies, Walkman and all those works fine (or so they should)
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
LordManhattan said:
I doubt the camera will work, but Album, Movies, Walkman and all those works fine (or so they should)
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea couldn't find a camera apk but I do have the others but did have to find an older movies apk that would actually work. My situation is that I was looking forward to trying xperia out but also wanted the 6806 model but came across a great deal for the gpe and forgot that it wouldn't have xperia on it.
Hi all,
just jumped from my Mega 6.3 to ZU, and it's been ages I've had a sony device (Arc, I think ), but the price I found it at was just too good to pass.
Now, I've been reading the various threads about downgrading FW then up again, and so on...
I have to say I am usually not afraid of that stuff, but this time I've got really no waranty, and I'm too concerned about breaking something. I already officialy upgraded to KK.
So My question : unlocking the bootloader will make me lose the DRM keys, BUT will also allow me to bipass all the downgrade stuff and jump on custom KK roms? (of course, flashing custom reco and stuff first!)
I must say i do not care for the Bravia engine and others.
Thanks to let me know
Edit : probably LordManathan answered my question :
It makes rooting incredible easy. Are you on KitKat? Just flash Jackie's kernel and flash SuperSU. Done. I also like to change ROMs and environments once in awhile, so i typically flash between stock and the GPe ROM, which brings me to....
That's fine then?
kipue said:
Hi all,
just jumped from my Mega 6.3 to ZU, and it's been ages I've had a sony device (Arc, I think ), but the price I found it at was just too good to pass.
Now, I've been reading the various threads about downgrading FW then up again, and so on...
I have to say I am usually not afraid of that stuff, but this time I've got really no waranty, and I'm too concerned about breaking something. I already officialy upgraded to KK.
So My question : unlocking the bootloader will make me lose the DRM keys, BUT will also allow me to bipass all the downgrade stuff and jump on custom KK roms? (of course, flashing custom reco and stuff first!)
I must say i do not care for the Bravia engine and others.
Thanks to let me know
Edit : probably LordManathan answered my question :
It makes rooting incredible easy. Are you on KitKat? Just flash Jackie's kernel and flash SuperSU. Done. I also like to change ROMs and environments once in awhile, so i typically flash between stock and the GPe ROM, which brings me to....
That's fine then?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess you still need to downgrade and root to backup TA partition before you unlock the bootloader and flash jackie's kernel.
manigma said:
I guess you still need to downgrade and root to backup TA partition before you unlock the bootloader and flash jackie's kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, yeah... I was hoping I wouldn't have to really care about the TA partition!
Aside from losing DRM keys, is there any other issue?
Thanks for you quick answer!
Edit:
I kept reading (yes I do read the forums a lot before and after a question, haha!) and I read that unlocking the bootloader on an official KK rom will not break x-reality ? Is that correct?
kipue said:
Haha, yeah... I was hoping I wouldn't have to really care about the TA partition!
Aside from losing DRM keys, is there any other issue?
Thanks for you quick answer!
Edit:
I kept reading (yes I do read the forums a lot before and after a question, haha!) and I read that unlocking the bootloader on an official KK rom will not break x-reality ? Is that correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There should not be any other issue. Personally I have never had good experiences with rooting and installing custom kernels/roms. Stock ROM's are always best (just disable bloatware apps, no need to delete them).
X-reality is not disabled on KK after unlocking. But you can always add xpose modules custom bravia etc after rooting.
The only reason that I might root my ZU is for 'SD card functionality' which I hope Sony re-enable in a future update.
Here sign this 'Petitioning Sony Mobile'
https://www.change.org/petitions/so...ed-to-all-our-sony-phones-via-software-update
manigma said:
There should not be any other issue. Personally I have never had good experiences with rooting and installing custom kernels/roms. Stock ROM's are always best (just disable bloatware apps, no need to delete them).
X-reality is not disabled on KK after unlocking. But you can always add xpose modules custom bravia etc after rooting.
The only reason that I might root my ZU is for 'SD card functionality' which I hope Sony re-enable in a future update.
Here sign this 'Petitioning Sony Mobile'
https://www.change.org/petitions/so...ed-to-all-our-sony-phones-via-software-update
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool.
I'll also keep it stock for a week or so, to enjoy it properly, then the flashing finger will start to hitch again
Will take it from here, thanks for taking the time to answer to me
kipue said:
Cool.
I'll also keep it stock for a week or so, to enjoy it properly, then the flashing finger will start to hitch again
Will take it from here, thanks for taking the time to answer to me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you aren't worried about the DRM keys the I would just unlock the BL. The DRM keys are needed for netflix and track ID and maybe some other things?
blueether said:
If you aren't worried about the DRM keys the I would just unlock the BL. The DRM keys are needed for netflix and track ID and maybe some other things?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My research pointed to that too, those DRM keys are actually pretty limited in scope (for me).
The biggest thing to lose is the Bravia engine, since that affects the phone in a more general way. But as I read, if unlocking the bootloader when on official Kitkat, the keys are no longer affected.
Well, I guess better safe than sorry, and I'll try to backup the TA partition anyway ^^
kipue said:
The biggest thing to lose is the Bravia engine
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure? I would think that your warranty is the most important thing to keep intact, no? Let's say you just drop backing up the TA partition and you run into some hardware issues that can't be fixed by flashing. What do you do? Throw it into the nearest river? Pay $XXX to fix it? Or, just restore the backup?
It's pretty easy and straight forward. Downgrade to 532, root, backup TA, update to 681 (KitKat) again, and do whatever you want.
LordManhattan said:
Are you sure? I would think that your warranty is the most important thing to keep intact, no? Let's say you just drop backing up the TA partition and you run into some hardware issues that can't be fixed by flashing. What do you do? Throw it into the nearest river? Pay $XXX to fix it? Or, just restore the backup?
It's pretty easy and straight forward. Downgrade to 532, root, backup TA, update to 681 (KitKat) again, and do whatever you want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, you are right of course, but this device I've got has no waranty. Well, gray market waranty at any rate where I guess they don't check the bootloader state, and any breakage will have to be paid at full price.
I will do the backup, just to be sure, as I concluded in my post
Thanks for all the advice!
kipue said:
Yep, you are right of course, but this device I've got has no waranty. Well, gray market waranty at any rate where I guess they don't check the bootloader state, and any breakage will have to be paid at full price.
I will do the backup, just to be sure, as I concluded in my post
Thanks for all the advice!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh, I see. Well, I guess you're free to do whatever you feel like then
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

Bootloader

So i have some questions on XZ2
I know that unlocking your bootloader wipes your DRM Keys but can someone give me a list of stuff that stops working afterwards?
How big is an improvement is the Z2 conpared to the Z1
-UI is more responsive... Faster?
-does the device feel nice. Buttons. Screen, flaps etc/ect?
-whats the device like to work with
Lets say i want to port Envi-OS or ubuntu touch (your choice) how hard would that be as oppsosed to porting to Xperia S or Nexus 5 (i may concider trying such a thing)
What can you do?
I do a tonne of nonsense with my phones
-i play games that destroy my battery in minuites
- i hotboot linux OSs over android
-i tinker with stuff for hours
-I watch movies/youtube nonsense for hours
-much else i do...
>you own opinion is apreciated greatly aswell
Rooting /flashing
How hard is this device to root or flash things onto
Is it as easy as using a tool to flash a supersu zip or a kernel with autoroot?(same something about that somewhere)
Envious_Data said:
So i have some questions on XZ2
I know that unlocking your bootloader wipes your DRM Keys but can someone give me a list of stuff that stops working afterwards?
How big is an improvement is the Z2 conpared to the Z1
-UI is more responsive... Faster?
-does the device feel nice. Buttons. Screen, flaps etc/ect?
-whats the device like to work with
Lets say i want to port Envi-OS or ubuntu touch (your choice) how hard would that be as oppsosed to porting to Xperia S or Nexus 5 (i may concider trying such a thing)
What can you do?
I do a tonne of nonsense with my phones
-i play games that destroy my battery in minuites
- i hotboot linux OSs over android
-i tinker with stuff for hours
-I watch movies/youtube nonsense for hours
-much else i do...
>you own opinion is apreciated greatly aswell
Rooting /flashing
How hard is this device to root or flash things onto
Is it as easy as using a tool to flash a supersu zip or a kernel with autoroot?(same something about that somewhere)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, You can use a tutorial to save your keys and unlock your bootloader! I always unlocked the official way and I have never saved any keys. I felt no difference really but I have read that some users complained about it so I will tell you to make a back up of TA. There are many tutorials available.
Well, If you talk about improvements, there are clear improvements in hardware and to the eye, you might not actually notice much unless you keep the devices side by side!
By Porting, do you mean to flash a ROM or to actually programme to PORT it for your device ? If you mean to flash, if the support is available. There would be no problem! Ubuntu has been ported easily on many devices so I dont think Z2 won't be able to handle it!
Well, you can use your phone for games, movies/ youtube and experiment with it! I have always rooted my phone within two hours of purchase so I think it is okay if you like to play with it a bit!
Heavy games drain battery really quicker whilst movies will give you 5-6 hours of play back usually. You should check out gsmarena or phonearena for battery tests on Z2 which will make it much easier for you to decide!
Rooting/Flashing :
It is getting easier and easier and my guess is that it will only take 2-7 minutes to flash a ROM/kernel or Root it depending upon if you know basics about it! Secondly remember the drivers are really important so make sure you have all the drivers before trying to root/flash as it will try to find your device forever!
Good Luck
Hnk1 said:
Well, You can use a tutorial to save your keys and unlock your bootloader! I always unlocked the official way and I have never saved any keys. I felt no difference really but I have read that some users complained about it so I will tell you to make a back up of TA. There are many tutorials available.
Well, If you talk about improvements, there are clear improvements in hardware and to the eye, you might not actually notice much unless you keep the devices side by side!
By Porting, do you mean to flash a ROM or to actually programme to PORT it for your device ? If you mean to flash, if the support is available. There would be no problem! Ubuntu has been ported easily on many devices so I dont think Z2 won't be able to handle it!
Well, you can use your phone for games, movies/ youtube and experiment with it! I have always rooted my phone within two hours of purchase so I think it is okay if you like to play with it a bit!
Heavy games drain battery really quicker whilst movies will give you 5-6 hours of play back usually. You should check out gsmarena or phonearena for battery tests on Z2 which will make it much easier for you to decide!
Rooting/Flashing :
It is getting easier and easier and my guess is that it will only take 2-7 minutes to flash a ROM/kernel or Root it depending upon if you know basics about it! Secondly remember the drivers are really important so make sure you have all the drivers before trying to root/flash as it will try to find your device forever!
Good Luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's good to know so I'm assuming unlocking your boot loader only breaks bravia engine and the usual media nonsenses
I am quite familiar with a lot of the above i was wondering about any odd things i should know
I have a Sony Xperia S and I've been test building Envi-OS for Xperia S

[UN] Official Questions Thread - No Question too Small

Here it is folks. You can post any questions you think you will get yelled at or criticized for because you don't know the answer or you didn't search hard enough. Agent had a great idea when he posted this over in the galaxy note 3 forum.
Ask any question you wish, the only stupid question is the one that's been answered 150,000 times. Just kidding, ask whatever you want as long as it's AT&T HTC ONE M8 related. I'll even go with HTC related.
Forum Rules: MUST BE FOLLOWED
If somebody helped you don't be afraid to hit the "Thanks" button.
Don't forget to rate the thread if you found it helpful!
Any flaming will be reported!
I'm going to add a spot on the OP for helpful members so they can be recognized in someway for helping other members, and give them a spot for credit in the future if they want to become a recognized contributor or anything like that. If you think you should be recognized in the OP then PM me. As the thread gets bigger I won't be able to find all the post by people just by reading page by page. I'll add people as they continually help on this thread as well.
Update: If you feel that you are a contributor on this thread, please PM me and I will review your post and add you here.
Much to my surprise, this thread has gotten off to a rocky start so I'll kick it off with some questions of my own.
In order to unlock the bootloader for the M8 on AT&T, there is no other way that I've found where HTCDEV can be circumvented. For those that have used HTCDEV to unlock, why were you content with giving HTC your devices information? Are you not concerned about warranty issues down the road? As user redpoint73 pointed out in a similar thread, AT&T has a history of not caring whether your device is unlocked, s-offed, modded etc, but in 6-8 months down the road when AT&T might not have an M8 in the store to replace yours and you have to deal with HTC, then what?
Please post your opinions as to why or why you haven't unlocked\rooted\s-offed\supercided, experiences in the past that relate to warranty (as in within the first year you have dealt with AT&T with regards to factory warranty or you had to deal directly with HTC), or if you have managed to unlock without throwing your warranty down the stairs and what method that was.
pls discuss
brianray14 said:
In order to unlock the bootloader for the M8 on AT&T, there is no other way that I've found where HTCDEV can be circumvented. For those that have used HTCDEV to unlock, why were you content with giving HTC your devices information? Are you not concerned about warranty issues down the road? As user redpoint67 (I'll edit this if i've got the name wrong) pointed out in a similar thread, AT&T has a history of not caring whether your device is unlocked, s-offed, modded etc, but in 6-8 months down the road when AT&T might not have an M8 in the store to replace yours and you have to deal with HTC, then what?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
redpoint73. I'm not as old as you think I am!
Unless its within the first 14 days of purchase (where you can exchange in store for a brand new phone) warranty returns are dealt with through the mail, and you will get a refurb, not a new phone. Alternately you can go to an AT&T Device Service Center, if you happen to have one nearby.
The chances of them running out of refurb units is relatively low, although it does happen. But then you just get backordered until they are back in stock. The extreme case is that they no longer offer refurbs (when the device is EOL), in which case AT&T will offer you a comparable available device, or possibly even a newer device, and let you pay the difference in price.
I don't believe at any time will they force you to go through HTC. At least, I haven't heard of that happening.
redpoint73 said:
redpoint73. I'm not as old as you think I am!
Unless its within the first 14 days of purchase (where you can exchange in store for a brand new phone) warranty returns are dealt with through the mail, and you will get a refurb, not a new phone. Alternately you can go to an AT&T Device Service Center, if you happen to have one nearby.
The chances of them running out of refurb units is relatively low, although it does happen. But then you just get backordered until they are back in stock. The extreme case is that they no longer offer refurbs (when the device is EOL), in which case AT&T will offer you a comparable available device, or possibly even a newer device, and let you pay the difference in price.
I don't believe at any time will they force you to go through HTC. At least, I haven't heard of that happening.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My apologies sir! My post has been edited to reflect that you are not as old as i thought you were, lol
Here are a couple (and the answers will help with my Index thread):
1) After unlocking the bootloader, how have most folks rooted (aside from toolkits, which I am not a fan of)?
I just installed custom recovery and flashed a custom ROM, as the custom ROM was my goal for unlocking the bootloader, anyway. But I know that some folks just want to stay on the stock ROM, and root it. In the past, the method I have seen to do this is flash an SU or SuperSU file. Is there a concensus place to get this from?
Or just download SuperSU or SU from the Play Store?
2) Which recovery to use?
I'm using TWRP, but CWM is confirmed to work on the AT&T variant?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2703223
redpoint73 said:
Here are a couple (and the answers will help with my Index thread):
1) After unlocking the bootloader, how have most folks rooted (aside from toolkits, which I am not a fan of)?
I just installed custom recovery and flashed a custom ROM, as the custom ROM was my goal for unlocking the bootloader, anyway. But I know that some folks just want to stay on the stock ROM, and root it. In the past, the method I have seen to do this is flash an SU or SuperSU file. Is there a concensus place to get this from?
Or just download SuperSU or SU from the Play Store?
2) Which recovery to use?
I'm using TWRP, but CWM is confirmed to work on the AT&T variant?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2703223
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't speak on unlocking bootloader yet (still kinda weirded out by doing it through HTC) or recoveries but after searching extensively, reading posts and watching youtube vids, http://download.chainfire.eu/396/SuperSU/UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.94.zip?retrieve_file=1 is where i found the latest superSU to flash
For Philz touch, this link http://goo.im/devs/philz_touch/CWM_Advanced_Edition/m8 has latest for the M8 however, we'll need someone to confirm whether it works for AT&T or it's international version
Found latest TWRP recovery here http://techerrata.com/get/twrp2/m8/openrecovery-twrp-2.7.0.2-m8.img
Philz Touch does work on At&t as I am currently using it.
brianray14 said:
hey redpoint73, I'm still running stock sense which is rooted and s-off'd and I'm curious as to what added functionality custom ROMs add (i know this is highly dependent on the ROM) and whether or not it's really worth the hassle of backing everything up, wiping the device completely, installing the ROM, restoring your apps, redoing all the settings etc etc which usually takes me from my past experience a good two hours to complete. Feel free to just use the example of the ROM you're using and what added functionality it provides that the stock experience does not. I know this is a subjective question which usually would return the typical "Flash one yourself and find out" response if it were posted anywhere else.
I'm actually digging the stock experience and I'm mainly asking because I've read multiple times that sense degrades and responsiveness slows over time and also if your or another ROM had some "i can't possibly live without these features" kinda thing. Thanks in advance for any insight. Other users that have custom ROMs installed, feel free to comment as well
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I highly recommend using Titanium Backup, and paying the few dollars for the "Pro" key which has the batch backup/restore functions. Using Titanium, I can do all the backups (nandroid and TB of apps), flash a ROM, and be back up and running (TB to batch restore apps and app data; but then just manually redo home screen widgets and settings) in less than half an hour. And that is probably a generous estimate, and can probably finish quicker if I really wanted to.
Whether its "worth it" or not to flash ROMs depends on what functions you want, and your own personal preferences. As you probably know, there is a huge range of variety in custom ROMs, from "stockish (just debloated and optimized); ones loaded with various customizations and mods; to GPE or AOSP based ROMs. The added features possible with custom ROMs is almost too much to name, but just a sampling:
- Xposed Framework (which allows the installation of a huge number of customizations and tweaks)
- Overclocking/underclocking or governor options
- Different themes to aesthetically change the look of the OS
- Audio mods such as enabling Harmon Kardon, or the Viper sound mod
True, the stock ROM for the most part works just fine, for the most part. But personally, I couldn't stand all the bloat, disabled WiFi hotspot, and AT&T network icons. True, most or all of this can be changed piece by piece with root. But I just flashed a custom ROM and did it in less steps.
Although not for everyone, some people will find that flashing ROMs is inherently fun, even addictive. Personally I'm enjoying the "stockish" custom ROM I'm on. But I still find myself checking out some of the more feature packed and customizable ROMs, just for the heck of it.
As far as suggesting custom ROMs, unfortunately I'm going to have to go with the "typical" response of not playing favorites with the ROMs. I find it rather insulting to the hard working developers to name one over another; as recommending one suggests the others are somehow inferior. As you already mentioned, its highly subjective to personal tastes. I wouldn't presume to pick a ROM for you, anymore than I would pick what color shirt you should wear tomorrow. Honestly, all the ROMs I've tried are awesome in one way or another, and I don't see any reason not to think the same about the ones I haven't tried.
redpoint73 said:
I highly recommend using Titanium Backup, and paying the few dollars for the "Pro" key which has the batch backup/restore functions. Using Titanium, I can do all the backups (nandroid and TB of apps), flash a ROM, and be back up and running (TB to batch restore apps and app data; but then just manually redo home screen widgets and settings) in less than half an hour. And that is probably a generous estimate, and can probably finish quicker if I really wanted to.
Whether its "worth it" or not to flash ROMs depends on what functions you want, and your own personal preferences. As you probably know, there is a huge range of variety in custom ROMs, from "stockish (just debloated and optimized); ones loaded with various customizations and mods; to GPE or AOSP based ROMs.
True, the stock ROM for the most part works just fine, for the most part. But personally, I couldn't stand all the bloat, disabled WiFi hotspot, and AT&T network icons. True, most or all of this can be changed piece by piece with root. But I just flashed a custom ROM and did it in less steps.
Some people will find that flashing ROMs if fun, even addictive. Personally I'm enjoying the "stockish" custom ROM I'm on. But I still find myself checking out some of the more feature packed and customizable ROMs, just for the heck of it.
As far as naming custom ROMs, unfortunately I'm going to have to go with the "typical" response of not playing favorites with the ROMs. I find it rather insulting to the developers to name one over another. As you already mentioned, its highly subjective to personal tastes. I wouldn't presume to pick a ROM for you, anymore than I would pick what color shirt you should wear tomorrow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for relocating this to its proper place and I apologize for potentially cluttering your index thread.
I definitely see your point on not recommending one ROM over the other as it is an insult to devs who continuously put in countless hours to perfect their own recipe and selflessly make it available for all.
I've also read through quite a few of the ROMs available in the dev section and while you most certainly can read about features and the changelogs, determining whether it will perform responsively and fluidly is a totally different scenario that only flashing the ROM for yourself will provide an answer. I think a lot of ppl asking about which ROMs to flash mainly have that single question in mind when asking that question. Others might be just flat out lazy but that's another topic.
Titanium backup pro is absolutely worth its weight in gold when a user has determined that flashing is fun and addictive as it saves a great deal of time. I personally use ROM toolbox as it's much more user friendly and offers a wider range of functions but again, it's all about personal preference and what you're already accustomed to using.
Since I started flashing ROMs back in 2010, I probably have been through the process at least 80 times and with each clean flash, never have I had my device up and running EXACTLY the way I want in less than an hour unless of course I dirty flashed and this was using as much automation as possible. Perhaps I'm just anal and like things just so.
Also within that time, I can't tell you how many times I flashed a ROM only to find that A) it runs subpar, B) it has an annoying glitch not reported, C) it grinds to a halt due to mem leaks, D) random reboots (but naturally only when I needed the phone to function correctly and\or D) the reason I flashed it in the first place were some features listed only to find that they are only working somewhat and it wasn't listed as semi working.
Yes, custom ROMs are highly subjective and even function differently across the same exact devices but there are definitely unforeseeable factors that either are not listed in the OP or within the Q&A which have lead to me wasting countless hours either troubleshooting errors at crucial times or just simply getting the phone set up to my standards for daily usage only to find the last ROM I was on functioned way better.
Sorry for the wall of text but I've reached a point where I'm quite happy running a bug free ROM that just works whether it's stock or otherwise. I'm sure I'll get bored as the months go by and want to switch it up but there will have to be a solid reason for me to do so.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
brianray14 said:
Since I started flashing ROMs back in 2010, I probably have been through the process at least 80 times and with each clean flash, never have I had my device up and running EXACTLY the way I want in less than an hour unless of course I dirty flashed and this was using as much automation as possible. Perhaps I'm just anal and like things just so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, everyone is different. I've seen one XDA user claim it takes him 6 or 7 hours to get his phone flashed and configured the way he wants it, which is just plain insane! Of course, if it were this way for me, I surely would not flash many ROMs at all (if any)!
There are some variables I can see at play, like if you connect to a lot of WiFi networks and/or Bluetooth devices (although I think Titanium can also restore these - but I don't use it for that). Or have lots of home screen panels and widgets. I do run a fairly simple setup: 3 home screen panels, only one WiFi network, a couple Bluetooth devices, then just change a few things in Settings, like ringtone and notification tone.
brianray14 said:
Also within that time, I can't tell you how many times I flashed a ROM only to find that A) it runs subpar, B) it has an annoying glitch not reported, C) it grinds to a halt due to mem leaks, D) random reboots (but naturally only when I needed the phone to function correctly and\or D) the reason I flashed it in the first place were some features listed only to find that they are only working somewhat and it wasn't listed as semi working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry you've had such a negative experience flashing ROMs. Honestly, I've flashed a couple now for this device, and haven't found much to not like. And I did my fair share of ROM flashing on the One X (EVITA) and didn't run into too many bugs like you mentioned. Could be that I tend to stock to custom ROMs that are based on the stock Sense ROMs, just debloated, and with some minimal optimizations and features.
I can see bugs on a cutting edge type ROM, like when a new android version is ported to a device. But if you choose mature ROMs by seasoned developers, its my opinion you are not going to encounter many issues.
I will agree the stock ROM is quite good. But I couldn't stand the stock AT&T ROM in particular. The ROM I am on is very close to stock "international" ROM.
redpoint73 said:
Yes, everyone is different. I've seen one XDA user claim it takes him 6 or 7 hours to get his phone flashed and configured they way he wants it, which is just plain insane! Of course, if it were this way for me, I surely would not flash many ROMs at all
Sorry you've had such a negative experience flashing ROMs. Honestly, I've flashed a couple now for this device, and haven't found much to not like. And I did my fair share of ROM flashing on the One X (EVITA) and didn't run into too many bugs like you mentioned. Could be that I tend to stock to custom ROMs that are based on the stock Sense ROMs, just debloated, and with some minimal optimizations and features.
I agree the stock ROM is quite good. But I couldn't stand the stock AT&T ROM in particular. The ROM I am on is very close to stock "international" ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh for heavens sake, 6 hours? That's ludicrous. Thought 2 hours was pretty bad, I'm feeling a little better now, lol.
My past experiences are all Samsung related devices/ROMs and I never opted for any based on stock touchgiz garbage as I hated it with a passion. Mind you, some of those experiences were from the eclair/gingerbread era. By the time ICS and JB rolled around, I knew who the best devs were and only selected their ROMs. That being said, invariably, annoying glitches still did persist from time to time. Very few times did I land a ROM that worked 100% error free
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
Hotspot question
Ive read many post of people saying that they have no hotspot or tethering capability.
I am 100% stock, att variant. My hotspot works just fine. Tethering i have not tried yet but will tonight.
Am i the only one??
thaigir99 said:
Ive read many post of people saying that they have no hotspot or tethering capability.
I am 100% stock, att variant. My hotspot works just fine. Tethering i have not tried yet but will tonight.
Am i the only one??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine works fine too. Not quite sure if AT&T would tack on an extra fee for usage tho. Perhaps a custom ROM would have some mod baked in that masks it somehow. Personally, I haven't had any use for it in the past nor the present
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
thaigir99 said:
Ive read many post of people saying that they have no hotspot or tethering capability.
I am 100% stock, att variant. My hotspot works just fine. Tethering i have not tried yet but will tonight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your plan includes tethering (many of the tiered plans do now, over a certain GB amount, forget what that is) then tethering and WiFi hotspot works fine. If your plan does not include tethering, the AT&T ROM will block you, and tell you to contact AT&T to add a tethering enabled plan. Flashing any non-AT&T base ROM (including Sense) removes this. It just removes the phone side limitations. AFAIK, there is no custom ROM or tweak that can mask tethering activities. AT&T can still determine tethering network side. But depending on your usage, you may still go undetected.
On one hand, one can argue that AT&T is just enforcing the policy terms. On the other hand, it can be argued that regardless of whether you are on a tiered or unlimited plan (especially now they are throttling after 5GB/month), you've paid for the data and its pretty arbitrary for AT&T to dictate how you may use your data connection. Of course, AT&T is just using this as another means to encourage folks to give up their grandfathered unlimited data plan, and make more money on tiered plans.
Flashboot erase cache - not responding
In the spirit of this thread...
New to Android....switched mid April to HTC One M8 ATT US version, from iPhone. Every iOS version I was actively jb'ing for enhanced UI and tweaks. Many times in a jam, read, research, fix. Now...want to do the same with the M8 (well, save for the fix part, but it seems I'm already there).
Early May I followed (after a couple days of reading, researching, watching several videos) Sakitech's method of rooting, doing S-Off, Nandroid backup, TWRP, adb, changed CID, fastboot (all not necessarily in that order obviously). I installed the KK 4.4.2 GPE ROM with OTA updates (following links to here from Sakitech's website). Things went smoothly, I can still power off/on and reboot to it. But now I'm wanting to either move to Viper rom or the Android Revolution HD rom. Started reading, googling, etc. a couple days ago on the process.
So...now what I'm running into is that adb devices command will recognize my M8 and shows its number. But, I can't get into recovery via any method (from ROM toolbox pro, from the power/volume down fastboot process, etc.). It always ends up with the android with red triangle when I try to get to recovery. Searching that fix....I get/found that I should use fastboot erase cache....and this is where nothing happens, it always says 'waiting on device' and nothing on the M8 changes. Searching that....instructions say to remove and reinstall drivers on my PC (Windows 7 Pro IBM laptop). But....adb does see the device.
Don't mind researching/reading/learning....but I'm in need of a push/help on what direction to go now to be able to get fastboot to work so I can get into recovery.
Thanks in advance for any and all replies!
sttw1fa said:
But, I can't get into recovery via any method (from ROM toolbox pro, from the power/volume down fastboot process, etc.). It always ends up with the android with red triangle when I try to get to recovery. Searching that fix....I get/found that I should use fastboot erase cache....and this is where nothing happens, it always says 'waiting on device' and nothing on the M8 changes. Searching that....instructions say to remove and reinstall drivers on my PC (Windows 7 Pro IBM laptop). But....adb does see the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Red triangle is stock recovery. Somehow, you reverted to stock recovery at some point.
You will need to reinstall custom recovery to flash custom ROMs, but of course you have the fastboot issue.
Does the following command get a response listing the device:
fastboot devices
I know you said adb sees the device, but want to make sure fastboot does as well.
redpoint73 said:
Red triangle is stock recovery. Somehow, you reverted to stock recovery at some point.
You will need to reinstall custom recovery to flash custom ROMs, but of course you have the fastboot issue.
Does the following command get a response listing the device:
fastboot devices
I know you said adb sees the device, but want to make sure fastboot does as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info....that helps me further understand stock recovery vs. custom recovery.
'fastboot devices' immediately returns me back to a cmd prompt. I've tried 'fastboot erase cache' and it says 'waiting on device' and never does anything.
Thanks again!
sttw1fa said:
Thanks for the info....that helps me further understand stock recovery vs. custom recovery.
'fastboot devices' immediately returns me back to a cmd prompt. I've tried 'fastboot erase cache' and it says 'waiting on device' and never does anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't get the device name back after "fastboot devices" you have a fastboot connectivity issue. Yes, its strange that adb connects, when fastboot does not. But its not unheard of, as I've seen it before on other devices.
Try re-installing HTC drivers.
redpoint73 said:
If you don't get the device name back after "fastboot devices" you have a fastboot connectivity issue. Yes, its strange that adb connects, when fastboot does not. But its not unheard of, as I've seen it before on other devices.
Try re-installing HTC drivers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have deleted the HTC drivers, rebooted, and let Windows 7 Pro reinstall them when I reconnected my HTC One M8. Same problem. 'fastboot devices' does not show the M8 connected (immediately returns to the command prompt), but 'adb devices' does show the M8.
I also went into Device Manager and chose the device drivers while the M8 was connected, and chose the option to check for driver updates. It did do a net search and update the driver (even after I had just installed it). The HTC One M8 does appear and disappear in Device Manager as it's connected/not connected.
I even tried a different USB cable to the M8. Nada.
So...I do have a Mac desktop also. I downloaded the Android SDK, installed the latest version, and started using Terminal to run adb and fastboot. Here's where it gets me stumped...again. 'adb devices' on the Mac (using terminal) works, and shows the M8. 'fastboot devices' immediately returns me to a terminal prompt. 'fastboot erase cache' just says "waiting for device".
Any ideas? Same issue, two different computers, one Mac, one PC.
Thanks!
some progress...
Continuing with my stupidity and noobness (so it appears)....
With adb commands, the M8 can be in 'any state' and it will respond, correct?
With fastboot, does the M8 have to be in the fastboot menu state (power off, then the power button + vol down button, then choose the fastboot option) to respond to fastboot commands?
Because it will respond to fastboot commands when I am in that screen, but not in the first fastboot screen, nor the regular booted OS (like it's a normal phone). When it is responding to fastboot commands, it does say 'FASTBOOT USB' in red roughly 1/3 way down screen, with the menu items and options below.
If that's the case, it seems the M8 is responding to fastboot commands.
I did a fastboot erase cache and it worked. Just need to know where to go from there.
Thanks!

Thinking about picking one up

I'm thinking about picking up a z ultra considering the immense price drop. I can get a brand new one unlocked on amazon for 315 dollars. Since it's getting the lollipop update I'm not hesitant at all. But I'd still like to ask some questions.
Now one how much does the no flash on the camera actually affect you? I don't use flash that much but there are times when I need it. Is the camera at least decent and if you've tried other phones is there one you can compare it to? I have a g2 right now and it takes pretty good pictures but I need to replace it since screen broke and I take lots of pictures especially of my little brother though they just need to be decent not super amazing.
2) I love big screens so the size won't bother me and the slim design is awesome. But what kind of reaction do you guys get from other people? Lots of slack about it for looking ridiculously big or is it alright?
3) is it better to get gpe or xperia edition? I love stock android but xperia version has some nice features. I also noticed that gpe can't really run stock xperia software while the xperia one can easily run a custom ROM to get that Google look. Now that leads to my biggest question
4) how easy is it to install Roms and kernels and how's the development for it? I had a xperia play before and it wasn't too difficult but with that phone the ROM and kernel had to be flashed separately and the recovery was built into kernel since there was no recovery partition so it was kind of annoying. Is this better in that aspect? Also how stable are the Roms? On my g2 they're alright but still not completely ironed out.
5) (last thing) is it possible to get the camera features of the z2 and z3 on here like slow motion video and ar effects? My brother has a z2 and those are some neat features though I didn't see them in any reviews on the z ultra so I'm guessing it doesn't have them.
I'm looking the look of this phone a lot especially at its price tag. But if it's really not worth it then I may just wait a couple more months and get the z3.
(I was going to get the nexus 6 but the more I think about it the more I feel it's price isn't really justified for what I'd use it for. I just wouldn't have really needed all that it offered since really this phone is just as capable and half the price.)
Sent from my LG-VS980
Oh yeah and if anyone can respond as soon as possible please do because I'm currently bidding for a couple on eBay that end tomorrow as well so I'd like to know if I should continue or not since lots of the bids on there brand new are ending at around 285 I can save another 30 dollars. Thanks
Sent from my LG-VS980
OK sorry for all the questions but I have one more lol. Does unlocking the boot loader mess anything up? Like the z3 unlock makes the low light camera pics not too great. Is there anything like that with the z ultra?
Sent from my LG-VS980
1. If you use the camera a lot you my find it a bit limiting, but learn how to use a good camera app and set the ido low and it takes ok to good photos. Have a look at the two photo threads.
2. A year ago it was like wow... now its more normal. I've had a couple of people lately say something like 'wow that's a nice big screen, is that the 6+'
3. Go with the Sony one, then you can flash the GPe rom to it.
4. Unlock is easy (root first and back up TA), then install custom rom. The first rom you will probably have to flash either recovery or kernel with recovery (yes they are still baked together). Mostly stable, although carbon is having issues at tje moment
5. I think some of the camera functions have been backported, but the zu does have a different processor so I think superslow doesn't work etc
blueether said:
1. If you use the camera a lot you my find it a bit limiting, but learn how to use a good camera app and set the ido low and it takes ok to good photos. Have a look at the two photo threads.
2. A year ago it was like wow... now its more normal. I've had a couple of people lately say something like 'wow that's a nice big screen, is that the 6+'
3. Go with the Sony one, then you can flash the GPe rom to it.
4. Unlock is easy (root first and back up TA), then install custom rom. The first rom you will probably have to flash either recovery or kernel with recovery (yes they are still baked together). Mostly stable, although carbon is having issues at tje moment
5. I think some of the camera functions have been backported, but the zu does have a different processor so I think superslow doesn't work etc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the response. I do use the camera a good amount but I've aosp had the nexus 5 with an 8 mp camera and it was good enough for me so hopefully this will be too. Only thing was nexus 5 had ois so not sure how that will affect it.
And when you said root first and backup TA what is TA stand for? Thanks again
Sent from my LG-VS980
the device is awesome, except to take pics
you can use almos anything to play with screen, there are apps that recognize that objects as an stylus pen
buy the normal Z Ultra - you can install GPE ROM on it if you want - the opposite is more difficulto or even impossible, I'm not sure
abdel12345 said:
Thanks for the response. I do use the camera a good amount but I've aosp had the nexus 5 with an 8 mp camera and it was good enough for me so hopefully this will be too. Only thing was nexus 5 had ois so not sure how that will affect it.
And when you said root first and backup TA what is TA stand for? Thanks again
Sent from my LG-VS980
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have a read of the stickies if you do buy a ZU, every thing is in there but TA is Trim Area partition. This contains DRM keys (and lots of other things), the DRM keys [and other bits?] are wiped when the bootloader is unlocked. The TA partition can only be backed up with root
blueether said:
Have a read of the stickies if you do buy a ZU, every thing is in there but TA is Trim Area partition. This contains DRM keys (and lots of other things), the DRM keys [and other bits?] are wiped when the bootloader is unlocked. The TA partition can only be backed up with root
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK I'll make sure to read through those threads first before doing anything else. And I think I'm decided on getting one. It's still a great phone and that price is just awesome. I can't see it getting much cheaper anytime soon so I'll just get it now. If a new version comes out I'll still be able to get it considering I'll only be spending half as much as I'd spend on another phone.
Now last quick question is I've been seeing some stuff about this being fragile and cracking easily. Is that true? I'll probably put a case on it anyways but just wondering. Because the z1 drop test didn't even get scratched or cracked and this has a similar build so I was surprised to hear that
And I just read through the root thread and it says .681 firmware doesn't need to backup TA? I'll still backup just in case but does that mean it won't lose the DRM keys when unlocking on that firmware version
If you buy a new Ultra, it will have .108 preinstalled, which is easy to root with Easy Root Tool. Then take the TA backup and go ahead with flash of a new ROM and kernel.
It is much easier to root the C6833 today than it was one year ago (root required unlocked bootloader and this was before TA backups were available).
It is always better to get the Xperia edition since the GPe ROM is ported and the developer community is much bigger with a better ROM selection. Since there is a different partition scheme on the GPe, it isn't possible to cross-flash since re-partitioning hasn't been developed yet (i.e. fully convert the Xperia edition to a GPe).
The most common reaction I got is "Is it a tablet?" or "Is that a phone?"
ROMs are very stable, the GPe is absolutely rock solid but others are working well too.
I would say that kernel and ROM installation is easy peasy: root with Easy Root Tool, take your TA backup, fastboot DoomKernel, reboot into recovery and flash. I was up and running with my C6833 in no time, much easier now than last year when I had the C6802 unrooted for three weeks until vRoot came out and then had to flash pre-rooted images.
You have to unlock the bootloader for custom kernels but that is easy to do through Sony (getting the code) and then fastboot oem unlock insert code and everything is set. I would say that it is almost Nexus procedure here.
On the camera side of things, I say this: if you want really great pictures, get one of the lens cameras - Sony has a camera cover for the Ultra. Otherwise, the internal camera works. It is not great but it works. My viewpoint has always been to get the DSC-QX series of cameras instead of having to choose devices depending on their camera quality.
E90 Commie said:
If you buy a new Ultra, it will have .108 preinstalled, which is easy to root with Easy Root Tool. Then take the TA backup and go ahead with flash of a new ROM and kernel.
It is much easier to root the C6833 today than it was one year ago (root required unlocked bootloader and this was before TA backups were available).
It is always better to get the Xperia edition since the GPe ROM is ported and the developer community is much bigger with a better ROM selection. Since there is a different partition scheme on the GPe, it isn't possible to cross-flash since re-partitioning hasn't been developed yet (i.e. fully convert the Xperia edition to a GPe).
The most common reaction I got is "Is it a tablet?" or "Is that a phone?"
ROMs are very stable, the GPe is absolutely rock solid but others are working well too.
I would say that kernel and ROM installation is easy peasy: root with Easy Root Tool, take your TA backup, fastboot DoomKernel, reboot into recovery and flash. I was up and running with my C6833 in no time, much easier now than last year when I had the C6802 unrooted for three weeks until vRoot came out and then had to flash pre-rooted images.
You have to unlock the bootloader for custom kernels but that is easy to do through Sony (getting the code) and then fastboot oem unlock insert code and everything is set. I would say that it is almost Nexus procedure here.
On the camera side of things, I say this: if you want really great pictures, get one of the lens cameras - Sony has a camera cover for the Ultra. Otherwise, the internal camera works. It is not great but it works. My viewpoint has always been to get the DSC-QX series of cameras instead of having to choose devices depending on their camera quality.
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Thanks a lot. I'm really convinced on getting this, I'll probably make an order today and if I really don't like it (but I think I'll love it) then on amazon there's easy returns so it won't be an issue. And I'll check out those lense cases if they aren't too expensive
abdel12345 said:
Thanks a lot. I'm really convinced on getting this, I'll probably make an order today and if I really don't like it (but I think I'll love it) then on amazon there's easy returns so it won't be an issue. And I'll check out those lense cases if they aren't too expensive
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I think you will be happy with it. I am so happy with the Ultra that I have two. One C6802 bought on august 1 last year and a C6833 from a week ago since I wanted LTE and couldn't find any viable replacement.
The Ultra with the GPe ROM and Xposed Framework is an absolutely unsurpassed piece of equipment. Even things like multiwindow works great and there is also an app called Floating Apps that fully replaces the Sony Small Apps as well. I found it yesterday, installed the trial and bought it ten minutes later - it is absolutely great.
Floating Apps from Google Play
Edit: BTW, Google Hangouts Dialer is a complete replacement for T-Mobile WiFi Calling and the C6833 works great with their LTE. I have been pulling down data with up to 53 Mbit/s according to my SpeedTests.
I would also recommend you to get a data only plan, I pay $30 for 3 GB data, no talk and text since I do everything through Hangouts and Hangouts Dialer (which means free unlimited talk and text in the US, ¢1 and up per minute for international calls through GV). Better sound quality as well compared to classic calling. I have no plans on returning to a regular talk/text/data plan again, just data is perfect.
E90 Commie said:
I think you will be happy with it. I am so happy with the Ultra that I have two. One C6802 bought on august 1 last year and a C6833 from a week ago since I wanted LTE and couldn't find any viable replacement.
The Ultra with the GPe ROM and Xposed Framework is an absolutely unsurpassed piece of equipment. Even things like multiwindow works great and there is also an app called Floating Apps that fully replaces the Sony Small Apps as well. I found it yesterday, installed the trial and bought it ten minutes later - it is absolutely great.
Floating Apps from Google Play
Edit: BTW, Google Hangouts Dialer is a complete replacement for T-Mobile WiFi Calling and the C6833 works great with their LTE. I have been pulling down data with up to 53 Mbit/s according to my SpeedTests.
I would also recommend you to get a data only plan, I pay $30 for 3 GB data, no talk and text since I do everything through Hangouts and Hangouts Dialer (which means free unlimited talk and text in the US, ¢1 and up per minute for international calls through GV). Better sound quality as well compared to classic calling. I have no plans on returning to a regular talk/text/data plan again, just data is perfect.
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I currently have a 23 dollar plan for unlimited talk text and data (only 100 mb LTE then drops to 3g/normal 4g speeds) its with lycamobile who runs on T-Mobile. I like this plan because I text a lot and most of my friends have iPhones and don't use hangouts. Only thing that sucks is once the 100 mb runs out pretty quickly the 3g is alright but sometimes gets frustrating. But this plan is too cheap to give up lol.
Just checked out the floating apps app on my nexus 10 and g2 and it's great. I'll definitely buy it considering it's only 2$. I've decided to place thus order. And I checked out the camera attachable lens accessory but the cheapest one is 200 and I really don't need the camera that much to justify buying it. Plus I probably wouldn't really use it that much. It's just too big of an attachment
Sent from my LG-VS980
I too will make a purchase in a few weeks, just waiting to see if there is any further reduction (Black Friday/end of year stock clearout). I played with this phone in a store yesterday. I can only answer the first 3:
1) Camera seemed not so great to be honest.
2) It is a mini tablet with phone capability. If you go around holding it up against your face people will laugh.
3) I'd suggest the stock Xperia (C6833).
jess91 said:
I too will make a purchase in a few weeks, just waiting to see if there is any further reduction (Black Friday/end of year stock clearout). I played with this phone in a store yesterday. I can only answer the first 3:
1) Camera seemed not so great to be honest.
2) It is a mini tablet with phone capability. If you go around holding it up against your face people will laugh.
3) I'd suggest the stock Xperia (C6833).
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Good idea I completely forgot about black Friday/ cyber Monday it might get even cheaper then.
Also what store did you try it at? Id love to try one in person. I was just about to make my order now too but I think I'll wait another 2 weeks and see the prices then. And for phone calls I usually have headphones with me so I'll just talk through those rather than putting it against my face.
Sent from my LG-VS980
Oh and what do you guys prefer white or black? I like that the black looks really nice and uniform but it does look like the white hides the smudges better. Is the white have the silver frame like the z2 does? It looks really nice but kinda distracts you from the rest of the screen. So I'll probably go with black unless there's another benefit to the white
Sent from my LG-VS980
abdel12345 said:
Oh and what do you guys prefer white or black? I like that the black looks really nice and uniform but it does look like the white hides the smudges better. Is the white have the silver frame like the z2 does? It looks really nice but kinda distracts you from the rest of the screen. So I'll probably go with black unless there's another benefit to the white
Sent from my LG-VS980
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I personally prefer the black one. I don't like it when a device is only part white. I would've chosen the white one if it was completly white, like the Z3 Compact Tablet, but it isn't, so that's why i went with black.
abdel12345 said:
I currently have a 23 dollar plan for unlimited talk text and data (only 100 mb LTE then drops to 3g/normal 4g speeds) its with lycamobile who runs on T-Mobile. I like this plan because I text a lot and most of my friends have iPhones and don't use hangouts. Only thing that sucks is once the 100 mb runs out pretty quickly the 3g is alright but sometimes gets frustrating. But this plan is too cheap to give up lol.
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Hangouts gives unlimited texting (regular SMS) in the US and unlimited talk to regular landlines and cellulars as well.
So you don't need a regular talk/text plan in order to have unlimited talk and text to regular phone numbers any more. Hangouts and Hangouts Dialer solves everything and I can attest this since I do all my communication that way.
E90 Commie said:
Hangouts gives unlimited texting (regular SMS) in the US and unlimited talk to regular landlines and cellulars as well.
So you don't need a regular talk/text plan in order to have unlimited talk and text to regular phone numbers any more. Hangouts and Hangouts Dialer solves everything and I can attest this since I do all my communication that way.
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Click to collapse
But does the dialer use your phone number? So will people see my number and can call me back on it? Also you can text anyone even if they don't have has hangouts free? Because that seems too good to be true but if it is I'll check out that plan

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