Since I asked a lot of question on this forum I would like to share the answers with everybody and maybe help them.
NOTE: Please don't post any replys as I want to keep the post clean and room for updates, send me a PM if you have and idea or any fails that I made in this post, if this post helped you don't post hit just the thanks button. Cheers.
Current list of questions with answers(will be updated):
Why would I want to root my phone?
Is rooting worth the trouble?
Is rooting illegal?
Will I have any customer support?
Is it dangerous?
Isn't rooting a complex and difficult process?
Will I still receive operating system updates from my carrier?
Application updates?
What if I want to un-root my phone?
Do I run the risk of bricking my phone?
Could my phone overheat and explode?
Why would I want to root my phone?
Everything in a Linux system is a file, or is treated as a file. Since Android runs on top of Linux, it acts the same way. Most of the files you will need to access or change are available to you without having elevated permissions. "Most" being the key term here. When you want to do things that affect or change the core software of your device -- like updating the version of Android on your phone, or adding a nice piece of software from another device -- you'll have to do it as root. Dream and Magic users have been running Eclair on their phones for a good while now, and it’s because they have rooted their device. Rooting also gives you access to some handy software that you couldn’t use otherwise. Things like a complete system backup or ad blocking software require you to root your device. Don’t root your phone just for the sake of rooting your phone, but if you come across something you feel you could use or would like to have, then consider it. You'll find that the open source community is usually pretty helpful and encouraging new people to do new things is common. And when you get to the point where you can lend a hand to the new folks, pay it forward.
Is rooting worth the trouble?
The answer is a resounding yes. The phone is faster than it has ever been, the battery lasts longer, and have all kinds of new features, including free wireless tethering and notification-bar widgets. Rooting your phone is generally a fairly quick process, though the complexity depends on your specific situation. Once you're rooted your handset, you can begin installing apps (many directly from Android Market) that will take advantage of your handset's new capabilities. Installing custom ROMs (replacement operating systems) built by hackers is a longer, more involved process , and generally involves your wiping all the data from your phone, but even that is worthwhile.
Is rooting illegal?
Nope. You bought the phone, it's your equipment, you own it, and you can do what you want with it. No one is going to come and get you, and your service provider will not cancel your contract. In fact, the U.S. federal government recognized the legality of rooting a phone in July 2010.
What you will do, however, is void the warranty on your device. If you don't want to live without a warranty, rooting isn't for you. Personally, I finally decided to take the plunge when I realized that the potential benefits outweighed the potential consequences. My phone was becoming slow and buggy, with lots of force-closes, and I was just about eligible for an upgrade anyway.
Will I have any customer support?
Rooting can be daunting because there is no toll-free number you can call for help, and no governing body to which you can turn for definitive answers. But the collective process of rooting phones and creating custom ROMs has engendered cool and supportive communities. The user-generated forums out there contain a staggering amount of information; the CyanogenMod forum has offered answers to almost all of my questions, as has the XDA Developers forum, but you can find many more. No matter your question, the forums most likely already have threads that can answer it. If you really can't find anything, you can always start a new thread to ask your question. If you think you've really mucked things up and you need immediate help, many IRC chat channels specialize in support for rooters. (Download an IRC client on your computer and head to irc.freenode.net, where the channels #android and #android-root are particularly helpful.)
Is it dangerous?
It can be, It might, and Yes. By not allowing access to the superuser account, the manufacturer and your carrier have basically protected you from doing things that change the system and make it unusable. All it takes is one wrong keystroke to turn your shiny new Android phone into a plastic and metal brick with no connection. Most times this is recoverable, but not always. You have to decide how capable you feel you are, and how well written the instructions you’ve found seem to be. Nobody will blame you if you decide against the risk, especially your cell carrier. All major carriers and manufacturers plainly state that altering or using unapproved software voids your warranty, and rooting falls into that category. While that seems a bit harsh, they need to be able to support the products they sell. For that to happen, they need to know exactly what’s running and what it’s doing.
Apps that run as root need a little further consideration. You need to have a level of trust in the person who wrote the app first and foremost. Does the developer have other software available? Do the user comments (for Market apps) have anything that raises a red flag? Do the requested permissions seem a little odd? These are all questions you need to think about before you allow something to run as root. For a further level of security, think about installing an application that warns you anytime something tries to run as root. SuperUser Whitelist is a great little app that does exactly that. If you decide to go on and root, ask users with the same device as you for a link to a version of SuperUser Whitelist that works with your firmware. Once installed, anytime something wants to run as root, the app intercepts and asks if you would like to allow it. You’re given the choice to accept, decline, or grant the app in question full privileges each time it runs.
One last thing to touch on here. Many custom ROMs include some sort of SSH server. This can be a wonderful tool, or it can get you in hot water. This is what caused the whole “Rick-Roll” episode with the latest iPhone jailbreak. The server sits and waits for an outside connection, and if that connection provides the right password full control of the device is turned over. In the case of the iPhone, users never bothered to change the default SSH password for root. A clever (or devious) group of users simply scanned for servers listening on the correct port, then attempted to sign in as root with the default password. Lesson learned, but this is easy to prevent. Ask other users of the ROM or firmware you’re thinking of flashing if there is a server listening, and if so how to disable it or change the default password.
Isn't rooting a complex and difficult process?
Yes and no. It really depends on what model of phone you have. On many phones (such as the Nexus One, Motorola Defy, or EVO 4G) the process is incredibly easy: You can download an app such as Simple Root, Universal 1-Click, or Z4root that will safely root your phone with a single click. Those apps are no longer available from the Android Market, but you can find them online with a simple search and install them onto an SD Card.
It is important to note that different approaches will work for different phones. For example, Z4root will work on many Android phones, but it won't work on most HTC models. Some rooting apps will work on an early build of Android 2.2 (Froyo), but will not work on later builds (though more and more apps are being released for that now). Rooting is phone/OS specific, so make sure to check that the root tool you're considering is compatible with your phone. For other models, rooting may take much more work. You might be required to connect the phone to your computer and enter some lines of code in a terminal utility.
Fortunately, more and more root apps do not require you to hook up your computer and get in that deep. Do some research as to what is required for your setup, read some step-by-step guides, and be honest with yourself about how comfortable you would be trying to follow the directions. If it feels like you'd be in over your head, it's probably best to avoid rooting.
Note that generally rooting is even tougher to do if you use a Mac, as most of the software for doing this sort of thing is written for Windows or Linux.
Will I still receive operating system updates from my carrier?
Maybe. More than likely if you’ve just rooted your phone so you could have access to the full file system and haven’t drastically changed things, the phone will still pass your carrier's checks and upgrade. If you’ve delved deeper and really customized your device, count on not being able to upgrade. Carrier updates were designed to work with the original software, so they need to be sure that’s what the phone is running. Again, this is for your own good. T-Mobile or Verizon can’t offer technical support for things they haven’t trained their technicians on, and if you flash a carrier approved update over custom software it’s probably not going to work.
The good news is that failing the checks the carrier does during an update won’t cause any damage to your phone. The update will just quit and you’ll be back where you started. Then you can decide if you would like to un-root and upgrade or take another path. The worst case scenario is that the phone passes the carriers checks, updates, and then things get broken. That’s pretty unlikely, but possible. If that would happen, you won’t be alone. Everyone in your situation will scramble to their favorite Android user forum and hopefully a work around can be found.
Note - a carrier update may also break the ability to root the device and a new method will need to be found. Any discussion of upgrading and root needs this mentioned as well. Most folks who root and decide to install a custom ROM wait for the ROM developer to provide an update that includes any bug fixes or new capabilities of the carrier update.
Application updates?
Yes. While it’s not being used, the program that allows permissions to be upgraded just sits and does nothing. Normal applications won’t even be aware it’s there, and applications that use it expect it to be there. Application updates, whether they are from the Market or other third parties will still install as normal.
What if I want to un-root my phone?
It depends on the model of your phone. Some are ridiculously easy to revert, some not so much. This is the most important question you can ask before you dive in and root your phone. Usually the website you found the method to root your phone will also have a discussion about un-rooting and going back to stock firmware. Take the time to find and read this information so you’re aware of just how difficult it’s going to be to go back. Pay close attention and create backups when recommended while you’re rooting your phone, as these may be needed to go back. I’ve not heard of any device that can’t be restored to factory firmware provided the original was backed up properly as recommended during the rooting process. The most important thing to always remember is to ask for help. If you do find yourself stuck without a backup or a working phone and need to roll back, ask for advice. Our forums are full of fine folks from all walks of life, and the majority are more than happy to help. There’s a good chance you’re not the first person in that situation and a solution has already been worked up!
Do I run the risk of bricking my phone?
This is one of the Internet's favorite bogeymen. "Bricking" is the idea that if you try to tinker with root access, you'll mess something up so it becomes completely unusable, and you'll essentially turn your phone into a paperweight. While that's certainly not outside the realm of possibility, the good news is that Android phones are generally very hard to brick. Yes, even the Droid X, which was purported to be the "unrootable" phone, has been safely rooted for quite some time (Z4root reportedly works with the Droid X).
If you do get caught in a boot loop, you may have to connect your phone to your computer and rewrite some code, but if you are patient and willing to do some more reading, you will almost always be able to find a way to at least restore your phone to its original state (read more on where that help comes from in the next section).
A common mistake that actually will lead to a bricked phone is running out of battery power in the middle of trying to install a custom ROM. The operating system only half installs, and that really is tough to fix. So always make sure that your battery is full before you install a new OS or ROM.
Also, just because a phone is rootable does not mean you can install any custom ROM you want. Differerent ROMs will work for different phones. Even the extremely popular CyanogenMod works for many phones, but certainly not all, so do plenty of research to make sure your phone is supported before trying to install a custom ROM.
Could my phone overheat and explode?
One of the major incentives to root your phone is the ability to overclock your processor to gain more speed (or underclock it to extend battery life). My phone has gotten considerably faster because of overclocking. When you overclock your processor, though, it will get hotter. If you try to push your phone too far and you don't set any fail-safes (a maximum allowable temperature in the overclocking utility), then you could burn out your processor. However, it is very easy to set safety thresholds to ensure that you don't do that.
SetCPU, the most popular app for overclocking or underclocking, allows you to set up various profiles.
Reading the rooting forums will give you plenty of advice on how far you can push your specific device and maintain stability. It pays to do some experimentation: Different phones behave differently, even if they're the same model.
Sources: androidcentral.com, pcworld.com
Useful threads:
[TUTORIAL] Unlocking, rooting, custom roms installing, going back to stock
[INDEX] HTC Desire X (protou) - Everything Desire X is here!
Reserved.
All checks and analysis were done to fresh installs only. No additional apps were installed except for those required for the security checks. The analysis is of currently active projects ONLY.
[ROM] Stock official firmware 20140513
Security Check Results;
CVE-2013-6271
CVE-2013-7373
CVE-2014-1939
CVE-2013-7372
CVE-2014-1600
Masterkey 9950697
Masterkey 10148049
USSD
Optimizations;
CPU Governor- Stock
SDCard Cache- Stock
OOM- Stock
SYSCTL- Stock
Network- Stock
Build.prop- Stock
BT Tether (watch>phone>internet);
Not working
BT Companion;
Not working
Kernel
Whatever kernel is provided.
[ROM] monxDIFIED™ SMART ROM ? SECURE + BT TETHERING v01-04
Security Check Results;
CVE-2013-6271
CVE-2013-7373
CVE-2014-1939
CVE-2013-7372
CVE-2014-1600
Masterkey 9950697
Masterkey 10148049
USSD
Optimizations;
CPU Governor- Stock
SDCard Cache- Stock
OOM- Stock
SYSCTL- Stock
Network- Stock
Build.prop- Minimal edits (Density config, Enable USB debugging, Disable debugging notify, Disable Bytecode, Disable sending data and logging)
BT Tether (watch>phone>internet);
Not properly working. Blue icon, no connection. Browser, Play Store, Voice Search, Google Now, Maps, etc., all fail to find a connection.
BT Companion;
Not properly working
Kernel
Whatever kernel you have prior to flashing is what you get.
[ROM] 07.06 EnSec STOCK Secure
(Continuation of the, Omate officially supported and approved, EnSec Project by Adam Outler, ClearD , Dees Troy, kuronosan and others.)
Security Check Results;
CVE-2013-6271
CVE-2013-7373
CVE-2014-1939
CVE-2013-7372
Masterkey 9950697
Masterkey 10148049
USSD
Optimizations;
CPU Governor- Tuned for lower CPU clocks under load to save battery
SDCard Cache- Tuned for optimal R/W speeds
OOM- Stock
SYSCTL- Tuned
Network- Tuned
Build.prop- Multiple edits (Density config, Network, playback, etc....)
BT Tether (watch>phone>internet);
Not working
BT Companion;
Not working
Kernel
Device specific matched kernel.
[ROM] mystery companion ROM
(if you don't know, don't ask. If you do know, don't tell)
Security Check Results;
CVE-2013-6271
CVE-2013-7373
CVE-2014-1939
CVE-2013-7372
Optimizations;
CPU Governor- Tuned for lower CPU clocks under load to save battery
SDCard Cache- Tuned for optimal R/W speeds
OOM- Tuned
SYSCTL- Tuned
Network- Tuned
Build.prop- Multiple edits (Density config, Network, playback, etc....)
BT Tether (watch>phone>internet);
Not properly working
BT Companion;
Mostly functional. Working notifications, working contacts sync, working remote app management, working speaker phone. Remote camera control not working,
Kernel
Whatever kernel you have prior to flashing is what you get.
How did you perform these security checks? I would like to check my own device.
Belarc
Bluebox
Dou Security XRay
Eeye
Secunia
SRT App Integrity
(all in attached zip)
USSD can be checked by going to ESET. You can also create your own page to check USSD and have it issue more aggressive codes, that what I've done. CVE-2014-1600 has to be checked by hand.
I'm still running EnSec + Operative Casual Edition 20140318 20140120 firmware ONLY!
It suits my purposes. The watch does what it's supposed to do. Tethering would do me no good unless I could tether to Maemo 5 or Meego Harmattan, which seems singularly unlikely.
Should I be worried and reflashing to something else, or is there no real point in a change from what I'm running right now?
EnSec STOCK Secure is a continuation and is based on newer firmware. There may be some sensor fixes and a couple of other things but other than that is very close to the original EnSec. Even though neither are perfect, both are still the best choice for security at this time. I personally would suggest flashing kuronosan's EnSec simply because it is a current and active release.
I have not tested the current version of monx ROM as every dev that was here prior to monx has quit releasing on xda for this device. I have quit dev support for the device on xda as well. You can pretty much thank monx for that.
So ClearD is gone, kuronosan is only providing support, and Dees wasn't surprised at what happened. Adam Outler is off on other projects. Any other dev I've talked to also found monx's kanging, games and insults a bit offensive. Enjoy your monx flavored icing as, from what we can tell, there is almost no real ROM work and mostly themeing. But what do we know, we are nothing but wannabe devs according to monx anyway.
You guys are so pathetic, NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR ISSUES
Focus on your own roms and ignore the rhetoric, because no one actually cares.
xcooling said:
You guys are so pathetic, NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR ISSUES
Focus on your own roms and ignore the rhetoric, because no one actually cares.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want to support somebody that stole Adam Outler, Dees Troy, kuronosan, ChiefzReloaded, ClearD and my work then calls the very same people whose work he stole fakes and wannabe's go ahead. Enjoy your easily hacked, unoptimized theme being passed off as a ROM.
And it wouldn't have been a problem if he had simply done the proper thing and asked and credited and not called everybody else a fake and wannabe. Not a problem though as of 8/7/2014 I have rescinded any and all permissions for xda and it's members to use my works, reference my works and mirror my works.
awesome, what a helpful person.
Thanks for standing by the community.
xcooling said:
awesome, what a helpful person.
Thanks for standing by the community.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Adam Outler, Dees Troy, kuronosan, ChiefzReloaded, ClearD and myself all work(ed) together on the TrueSmart/x201. Almost all work released on xda and any other forums, English or otherwise, is either based on our work, or authorized mirrors of our work. Some of our work is even in official firmware as we have worked with Omate since October of last year on issues.
I maintained an updated archive of almost every firmware and ROM released for not only the TrueSmart but the entire x201 platform and did security checks on all of it as well as look for any changes that may benefit all x201 users. I was also responsible for the core ROM work as well as being part of the early TWRP development and assisting the other devs with their work. Adam Outler, Dees Troy and kuronosan have all referenced my work at one point or another for their own works. In fact my work was called "amazing" by Adam Outer and "required" buy multiple other devs.
monx STOLE the work of at least five other devs and never even so much as apologized, then have repeated called other devs wannabe's.
And as far as the security and optimizations analysis, those results are after a peer review in which all the results matched. monx has called it b$ and and yet again called multiple devs wannabes.
I have better things to do than be part of a community that allows an ass like monx to kang, distribute an admitted trojan infected ROM and call multiple devs that came before him wannabe's and be a general ass with little repercussions.
In short. This section would not even be here if it was not for myself and a couple others. Also, the vast majority of the work, support and info would not even exist. This is not the first device I've done this for either. I did my part, and more.
xcooling said:
awesome, what a helpful person.
Thanks for standing by the community.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When several MTK developers (who have coded custom ROMs, kernels, and firmwares for MTK devices) tell you that your ROM has issues and you call them wannabes or haters, you really don't deserve any sort of adulation.
Besides, I'm still here providing support. Much of what I've discovered while working with other developers has become commonplace on future firmwares. I don't appreciate being called a "wannabe" or "hater" when calling people out on stupid mistakes.
XDA is not a place for Solid Snakes. It's a place for developers to work together. Not helping others is the peak of asshole-i-tude and accepting contributions to your work while not contributing to that of others is the antithesis of XDA.
Loosers attitude: give up and run away, complain because you were not given enough credit or fame
Winners attitude: would be to make your rom better, keep helping the community as you have done.
xcooling said:
Loosers attitude: give up and run away, complain because you were not given enough credit or fame
Winners attitude: would be to make your rom better, keep helping the community as you have done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool story bro
So you support lying, theft of intellectual property and copyrights and acting like an 3 year old by calling people names? If that's the case then let me steal his work, improve it and call it my own vs trying fixing real problems like the ability to erase the IMEI with nothing more than a webpage or destroy the partition map with an email. Themes are the least of this devices problems.
Awesome. This device already had a bad rep with the devs for various reasons, then this monx guy swoops in to crush any remaining hope we had. Oh well, I'm thankful for what you guys have done, I actually enjoy my TS because of you guys, and that's all I could have asked for.
speedyink said:
Awesome. This device already had a bad rep with the devs for various reasons, then this monx guy swoops in to crush any remaining hope we had. Oh well, I'm thankful for what you guys have done, I actually enjoy my TS because of you guys, and that's all I could have asked for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm still working on quite a few projects. Stay tuned. They likely won't end up here, but you never know.
Glad to hear kuronosan! I understand if you don't want to release it here, maybe you could PM me where you plan to release it or something? I've been interested in what you've been doing, and you have said some things in the past that sound promising (like news of KK and the like).
Thanks for sticking with it, and again to all the devs for all the previous work that helped us get as far as we are.
Lokifish Marz said:
Adam Outler, Dees Troy, kuronosan, ChiefzReloaded, ClearD and myself all work(ed) together on the TrueSmart/x201. Almost all work released on xda and any other forums, English or otherwise, is either based on our work, or authorized mirrors of our work. Some of our work is even in official firmware as we have worked with Omate since October of last year on issues.
I maintained an updated archive of almost every firmware and ROM released for not only the TrueSmart but the entire x201 platform and did security checks on all of it as well as look for any changes that may benefit all x201 users. I was also responsible for the core ROM work as well as being part of the early TWRP development and assisting the other devs with their work. Adam Outler, Dees Troy and kuronosan have all referenced my work at one point or another for their own works. In fact my work was called "amazing" by Adam Outer and "required" buy multiple other devs.
monx STOLE the work of at least five other devs and never even so much as apologized, then have repeated called other devs wannabe's.
And as far as the security and optimizations analysis, those results are after a peer review in which all the results matched. monx has called it b$ and and yet again called multiple devs wannabes.
I have better things to do than be part of a community that allows an ass like monx to kang, distribute an admitted trojan infected ROM and call multiple devs that came before him wannabe's and be a general ass with little repercussions.
In short. This section would not even be here if it was not for myself and a couple others. Also, the vast majority of the work, support and info would not even exist. This is not the first device I've done this for either. I did my part, and more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could just not ignore him,,, I only flashed the rom to see what the BT tethering was like out of curiosity (its very slow and useable)... will be ditching the ROM when I can get round to it... been annoying me all week I can't wear my watch has it just drains flat with this ROM....
speedyink said:
Glad to hear kuronosan! I understand if you don't want to release it here, maybe you could PM me where you plan to release it or something? I've been interested in what you've been doing, and you have said some things in the past that sound promising (like news of KK and the like).
Thanks for sticking with it, and again to all the devs for all the previous work that helped us get as far as we are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've personally approached monx about sharing work and ideas but he clearly has no intention of doing so; he has not responded but he continues to post in his topics.
That's fine. I'm only interested in continuing to better this watch and I have my own things to work on. As far as battery tweaks, I've managed to stabilize that (one of my users mentioned battery life 4-5 days with regular use) and I've managed to make quite a few gains.
Some of the things I would like to share involve making BT more stable and accessible across all ROMs, but again... he has no interest in sharing.
So while some of you hang from his beard as though Loki is the bad guy here, remember the ROM you love so much came from Loki's work and from the relationship I continue to foster with the CEO of this company.
But hey, no worries. Keep on praising a glorified themer who won't share his work with anyone else.
I'll be back here when I get my hands on the KK build.
Well, I'm gonna stick to my MotoACTV for a little longer. Planned on buying a TS secondhand, but hardware issues, software issues, and the current bout of drama, are very well keeping me from upgrading.
I understand your (TS devs) positions and motives. I know that there's a reason why you left the development on this device, and I'm glad you've simply quit development, rather than fighting and starting a riot.
However, with nearly all of the developers having abandoned the device, I don't see a good future coming from this.
I was hopeful through the kickstarter phase, and it's a pretty cool piece of tech, but, chances are, Omate will support it better than the community, until someone stands up, starts their own thing, and isn't afraid of getting their work ripped off.
Anyway, thanks for the development it did get, and all the cool things you guys do. If it weren't for you, this device would probably be dead in the water unless the OEM goes above and beyond to support it for a while.
Freetel Samurai Kiwami (FTU152D)
Any current development? Considering buying it. Surprising to me there's no easy way to root & ROMS galore for this. I mean the specs & the build quality are amazing for $95 new.
Thank you.
It's a nice phone but be careful rooting and flashing, make sure backup beforehand. I wrote a few posts a while back on rooting, backing up, and restoring etc. but other than that there is not much development for this phone because the manufacturer never updated beyond lollipop for the US version of this phone. I got close to getting the ftj152d's marshmallow rom working on this phone but just couldn't restore the IMEI info after updating to marshmallow.
Thank you. I did search & read your informative posts.
I decided against & bought a used [mint? we'll see, hasn't shipped] Motorola Nexus 6.
I'll be reading & searching like mad before asking & rooting. That is if it's in mint condition.
Android# said:
It's a nice phone but be careful rooting and flashing, make sure backup beforehand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been reading up on XDA over the last couple of days on this device and appreciate that information also.
I've written directly to Freetel to see if the Marshmallow (6.0) update is obtainable here in the USA, as I doubt it will come over the air, but one was made available.
I decided to ask the following here since it's one of the more recent threads on this device: Has anyone used it with T-Mobile's network in the USA and, if so, are you able to get 4G LTE on the device? Also, is the GPS any good?
I am currently using it with T-Mobile and getting LTE fine. Last week I used this phone with a GPS intensive app, while it worked, it was a bit laggy/delayed, it takes the phone up to a minute sometimes to update its GPS location.
As far as 6.0, I have tried the ROM for Japanese version of this phone, imei info disappears for both sim slots and the US radio bands (such as band 12, needed for T-Mobile also get greyed out, and instead Japanese region bands become enabled with that ROM). I also contacted freetel multiple times but they were not willing to provide a ROM link. I am trying a different approach to try mix a ROM from another phone such as redmi note 2 or 3 to see if it works.
I really appreciate your taking the time to make this response and for being so thorough.
The phone looks great overall, I just hate using an unsupported version of Android and that's why I was hoping that either the 6.0 version from Freetel was available in the US version or that someone might have made a custom mod by now, but it appears not.
With regard to your GPS, have you tried GPS Status & Toolbox to see just what's going on with its ability to get and keep a fix? It's a wonderful utility and gives you scads of detailed information. GPS Test is good, too, and a bit more user friendly in its presentation but not quite as detailed. Both can give you some useful information as to what's happening with the GPS "under the hood".
I am wondering if you had any success with putting together a 6.0 Rom that kept the bands and imei info correct. I wish I knew more about all the software you have talked about in your great help article for people who have tried to flash the ftj152d rom. If there is any way I might help you in your efforts please let me know. I really like this phone and I would like to have more control of it.
Thanks.
So, I've got the Blackview BV9900Pro which as you probably know if you are reading this, is a wonderfully well priced, rugged phone with the Lepton FLIR camera built in. Being a Treble device, it is possible to install most GSI ROMs to it, however there is currently no build of TWRP, and thus far, nobody seems to have been able to get the FLIR working on the GSIs. This presents two problems. First, recovery is a wonderfully useful tool to have, and the stock recovery leaves a lot to be desired, Second, the FLIR is the main reason for buying the pro model of this phone, rendering custom ROMs virtually useless.
That being said, I love this phone, and want to start to work on both. This will be a major learning curve as a) I'm not a developer by trade (I'm a marine engineer and environmental officer on a cruise line) and b) My job takes 10+ hours a day, 7 days a week when I am on board leaving me with limited time to put into it. I've built Linux from scratch (LFS back a number of years ago) which gave me good experience with the build environment and with compiling code / troubleshooting issues so I am confident I can pull it off, but I'm intersted in gauging if there is interest in publishing my work for others ot use.
If you have the 9900Pro phone, and are intersted in either TWRP and/or custom ROMs that support the FLIR, drop me a reply here and let me know. If you have any experience with modifying custom ROMs to work with vendor hardware, I would LOVE to hear about it - it will perhaps help guide me in my efforts. One of my biggest peeves with the phone is the lack of support for basic features (ie, SIP calling is not natively supported in the vendor's ROM) and the bugginess of the OS (apps being closed int he background, widgets not loading on boot etc). The GSI I am running now (Lineage) solves these issues, but the lack of IR camera really devalues the phone, so I'm hopeful that I can resolve the issue, and make this phone worth having.
Also, if anyone knows how to go about adding a new device to the forum tree, please chime in. I'm completely new to this whole developer support thing but comitted to making it work!
Cheers everyone!