Chronicles of building Android-8.1.0_r15-G8342-Dual - Sony Xperia XZ1 Guides, News, & Discussion

Hello user space,
A couple days ago I decided to take a chance by building AOSP for my G8342 Dual, the experimentation was quite... let's call it adventurous. It all started by firing up my VM, which I currently use to build, unofficially, LineageOS for my Nexus 5. I'd set a side enough space for the VM to cover the LOS build, not remembering the amount space used I was oblivious. I then jumped on Sony dev site, just to find out the XZ1 had been added to the list of unlockable devices, sweet! I backed up my current XZ1 data not sure whether the bootloader unlock would wipe all data, after sweeping the web for more information, it was confirmed that data would be wiped. I should have known because my N5 did wipe data, which I take is a security measure.
Back on the VM, per Sony's dev site, I made sure the necessary packages were installed which was all of them minus maybe one that wasn't. After all this VM builds for another device so it should be 98% complete. With haste, I 'repo sync'd that bad boi, and 'repo_update'd and on to the 'make -j4'. Little did I know, I had space issues. Remember that space issue up there?^^ It came to haunt me later, like 78% building complete later. :/. #$%^&(* I created a new VM with more space for both N5 builds and Xperia. The build was completed successfully, 3.xx-hrs later.
AOSP was manageable on the N5 with Google proprietary vendor files, etc. But this XZ1 is just blah.. even with the sony binary(4.4). By the way, without the sony binary(fastboot flash oem *.img) the thing will not boot. I flashed an unofficial gapps package from back in Dec. 2017, which I believe is the only functional(per xda) one for Oreo. Needless to say, the gapps package works.
Here are my issues with the AOSP XZ1: Android-8.1.0_r15
-SIM2 is defunct. I selected option 48 from lunch menu. Option 48 was aosp-g8342-userdebug.
-The camera, I know, DRM is sorta still there, with limits :/.
a.) Noise reduction is nowhere to be found even under good light. This camera has a good f-stop.
b.) HDR? It's there but is it actually performing its best work? No.
c.) Camera focus at close range, under a foot? Problematic or mostly nada on screen tap.
-A minor change: screenshot capture is now Volume down + power button. Aosp style!
Non-issues:
-Its plain vanilla, flat as a soda that's been seating out open all day.
-Because I built a userdebug version, root is automagically embedded.
https://source.android.com/setup/building#choose-a-target
Code:
You take on the responsibility of your device. Backup your data because the images will wipe everything.
=============How to flash=============
Get a copy of the latest binary here: software-binaries-for-aosp-oreo-android-8-1-kernel-4-4-yoshino
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash vendor vendor.img
fastboot flash userdata userdata.img
fastboot flash oem SW_binaries_for_Xperia_AOSP_O_MR0_4.4_<release version>_<platform>.img
====================================
===============8.1.0_r20==========================
-Grab a copy of this aosp-g8342_dual-userdebug:
AOSP_Android-8.1.0_r20_G8342_Dual.zip
-Grab a copy of this aosp-g8341_single-userdebug:
AOSP_Android-8.1.0_r20_G8341_Single.zip
===============8.1.0_r20==========================
Here are a few screenshots:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
perhaps it was a nice story to tell.... have a nice day xda.

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Hello. Nice story. I have the single Sim version so I don t know if this will work, but have you had a chance to check the fingerprint sensor? Thanks

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Can u build g8341 aosp?

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emyjojo said:
Hello. Nice story. I have the single Sim version so I don t know if this will work, but have you had a chance to check the fingerprint sensor? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will not work with single sim. Yes I have checked the fingerprint even registered two of them. I've attached some pictures for you to see.

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dcrin3 said:
It will not work with single sim. Yes I have checked the fingerprint even registered two of them. I've attached some pictures for you to see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's great news, as it was not working in the previous builds. Would you have the time to build a version for the single SIM model? Would like do give it a shot.
Thank you.

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AOSP_Android-8.1.0_r15_G8342_Single
emyjojo said:
That's great news, as it was not working in the previous builds. Would you have the time to build a version for the single SIM model? Would like do give it a shot.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know I just realized that my Dual device is not listed on the Supported devices and functionality page.
The XZ Premium has a dual edition listed but not the XZ1, I wonder why.
Well that makes some sense now.
Code:
Please be aware that I've not tested this package as I do not have the device(You take on the responsibility). Backup your data because the images will wipe everything.
Here is the single version:AOSP_Android-8.1.0_r15_G8341_Single.zip
You let me know if its at least fingerprint and sim1 functional.
see ya.

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dcrin3 said:
You know I just realized that my Dual device is not listed on the Supported devices and functionality page.
The XZ Premium has a dual edition listed but not the XZ1, I wonder why.
Well that makes some sense now.
Here is the single version:AOSP_Android-8.1.0_r15_G8342_Single.zip
You let me know if its at least fingerprint and sim1 functional.
see ya.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi fingerprint is working rom boots fine thank you

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yoyoyed said:
Hi fingerprint is working rom boots fine thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you think of its vanilla-ness? its tooo plain no?

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dcrin3 said:
What do you think of its vanilla-ness? its tooo plain no?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like it for me perfect can you please support this and keep it updated in the future. Thanks

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Hello, It works fine for me as well, but we still need to do the trick with Google Play, in order to get it to work. Will test drive this for a while. Thank you for your efforts.

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I have a couple of questions.
1: Does the data activate immediately or does it take several minutes to become active upon booting?
2: Does "OK Google" work from any screen as it does on the stock ROM. (I attempted to run a previous build of AOSP on my 8341 and that feature wouldn't work properly and it drove me insane as i use it all the time.)
3: Is this package a flashable zip or do we have to install each file seperately via fastboot?
Thanks

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N1ghtr08d said:
I have a couple of questions.
1: Does the data activate immediately or does it take several minutes to become active upon booting?
2: Does "OK Google" work from any screen as it does on the stock ROM. (I attempted to run a previous build of AOSP on my 8341 and that feature wouldn't work properly and it drove me insane as i use it all the time.)
3: Is this package a flashable zip or do we have to install each file seperately via fastboot?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
The data activates immediately upon booting, i do not use google assistant so can't really help about the second point. It is not a flashable zip, you will need to flash each .img via fastboot.
A new thing that I've noticed, the fingerprint sensor is always on, it can unlock the device with the screen turned off.
Hope this helps.

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N1ghtr08d said:
I have a couple of questions.
1: Does the data activate immediately or does it take several minutes to become active upon booting?
2: Does "OK Google" work from any screen as it does on the stock ROM. (I attempted to run a previous build of AOSP on my 8341 and that feature wouldn't work properly and it drove me insane as i use it all the time.)
3: Is this package a flashable zip or do we have to install each file seperately via fastboot?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1 For me data working immidiately
2 ok google only on google app
3 package flash via fastboot
And instal gapps is no issue on this rom works fine

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Thanks for the replies. The big issue for me is Google Assistant. If I can't use it from anywhere/with the screen off then it's a no go for me. I'm glad I asked this question before I flashed. Going back to stock is always time consuming.
---------- Post added at 12:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:02 PM ----------
yoyoyed said:
1 For me data working immidiately
2 ok google only on google app
3 package flash via fastboot
And instal gapps is no issue on this rom works fine
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you please try something for me? Delete your trained voice from the Google app then retrain it again but when saying the "ok Google" command, say each of the 3 commands from different distances from the microphone, for example the first really close to the phone, second about 1ft away, 3rd about 2ft away. After its retrained please answer back and let me know if there's any difference please.
I really rely on the Google Assistant so I'm hoping we can fix it somehow.
---------- Post added at 12:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:08 PM ----------
I also found this via search...
I opened the Google App and went to Settings in main menu. Then "'OK Google' detection". Then I disabled all 3 OK Google settings ("Say 'OK Google' any time", "Trusted voice", and "While driving"). Then I re-enabled all 3 and it asked me to retrain by saying "OK Google" 3 times (which is weird because I never explicitly deleted the training data). Then "OK Google" seemed to work fine again after Oreo upgrade.
Could you try that if the first one didn't work?

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It seems that it was a false positive with the fingerprint scanner, at least for me. After a Day of usage, it says no fingerprint hardware. It works briefly after a reboot, but it stops.

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I figured out a partial fix for Google Assistant not working. The only caveat is that it won't work from a locked screen and unlock the phone, but it works from any screen while the screen is on.
This problem that u have can occur if the Google app is not installed as a system app .
So to fix this ,follow the next few steps -
1) Convert Google app into system app using apps like Titanium backup or anything of your preference. (I found that doing this caused a never ending process and it is fixed by simply going to Titanium Backup so permissions then force stop the app.)
2) Using any root Explorer navigate to Root > system > app and search for an app named similar to 'googlesearchbox' and cut the app from this folder.
3) Now Navigate to Root > system > priv-app and paste the app.
4) Reboot and now the problem will be gone
5) Finally go to the app permissions of the Google app then clear the cache and data then reboot.
The problem should be solved and you should be able to retrain the voice commands.

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@yoyoyed
"I like it for me perfect can you please support this and keep it updated in the future. Thanks"
I will certainly entertain the idea. I need to start utilizing twrp backup now that the bootloader is unlocked.
It takes too much time to restore this beast to its working condition.
@emyjojo
"Hello, It works fine for me as well, but we still need to do the trick with Google Play, in order to get it to work. Will test drive this for a while. Thank you for your efforts."
I may have a dirty trick to pull that off. I need to spend more time in the android playground, experimenting. You're welcome @emyjojo
@N1ghtr08d
"2: Does "OK Google" work from any screen as it does on the stock ROM. (I attempted to run a previous build of AOSP on my 8341 and that feature wouldn't work properly and it drove me insane as i use it all the time.)"
That's a low possibility of it happening but along the same experimenting as above ^^^ it may come through. But I'm not promising.
"3: Is this package a flashable zip or do we have to install each file seperately via fastboot?"
That is possible with me spending more time in the playground.
@emyjojo
"It seems that it was a false positive with the fingerprint scanner, at least for me. After a Day of usage, it says no fingerprint hardware. It works briefly after a reboot, but it stops."
After testing out some of the ideas above I will opt to test the phone(AOSP) for a couple days. I want to see how the fingerprint handles on longer usage scenarios.
thank you all for testing it out.
see ya!

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dcrin3 said:
@N1ghtr08d
"2: Does "OK Google" work from any screen as it does on the stock ROM. (I attempted to run a previous build of AOSP on my 8341 and that feature wouldn't work properly and it drove me insane as i use it all the time.)"
That's a low possibility of it happening but along the same experimenting as above ^^^ it may come through. But I'm not promising.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bro, look at the post directly above yours. I solved the issue with Google assistant!

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@dcrin3
I have a logcat of the fingerprint failure if it will help:
08:42:26.134 V/FingerprintService(952): request stop current client com.android.systemui
03-21 08:42:26.134 W/FingerprintService(952): stopAuthentication: already cancelled!
03-21 08:42:29.137 W/FingerprintService(952): Client com.android.systemui failed to respond to cancel, starting client com.android.systemui
03-21 08:42:29.138 V/FingerprintService(952): starting client AuthenticationClient(com.android.systemui), initiatedByClient = false)
03-21 08:42:29.164 W/FingerprintService(952): startAuthentication failed, result=1
03-21 08:42:29.780 E/KernelUidCpuTimeReader(952): Failed to read uid_cputime: /proc/uid_cputime/show_uid_stat (No such file or directory)
03-21 08:42:32.176 V/FingerprintService(952): stop client com.android.systemui
03-21 08:42:32.179 W/FingerprintService(952): client com.android.systemui is no longer authenticating
03-21 08:42:32.180 V/FingerprintService(952): startAuthentication(com.android.systemui)
03-21 08:42:32.182 V/FingerprintService(952): request stop current client com.android.systemui
03-21 08:42:32.182 W/FingerprintService(952): stopAuthentication: already cancelled!
03-21 08:42:35.185 W/FingerprintService(952): Client com.android.systemui failed to respond to cancel, starting client com.android.systemui
03-21 08:42:35.185 V/FingerprintService(952): starting client AuthenticationClient(com.android.systemui), initiatedByClient = false)
03-21 08:42:35.210 W/FingerprintService(952): startAuthentication failed, result=1
03-21 08:42:42.948 E/KernelUidCpuTimeReader(952): Failed to read uid_cputime: /proc/uid_cputime/show_uid_stat (No such file or directory)
03-21 08:42:48.287 E/KernelUidCpuTimeReader(952): Failed to read uid_cputime: /proc/uid_cputime/show_uid_stat (No such file or directory)
03-21 08:42:50.184 I/PowerManagerService(952): Waking up from sleep (uid=1000 reason=android.policyOWER)...
03-21 08:42:50.211 E/KernelUidCpuTimeReader(952): Failed to read uid_cputime: /proc/uid_cputime/show_uid_stat (No such file or directory)
03-21 08:42:50.218 V/FingerprintService(952): stop client com.android.systemui
03-21 08:42:50.218 I/DisplayPowerController(952): Blocking screen on until initial contents have been drawn.
03-21 08:42:50.220 W/FingerprintService(952): client com.android.systemui is no longer authenticating
03-21 08:42:50.221 V/FingerprintService(952): startAuthentication(com.android.systemui)
03-21 08:42:50.221 V/FingerprintService(952): request stop current client com.android.systemui
03-21 08:42:50.221 W/FingerprintService(952): stopAuthentication: already cancelled

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Very good job, nice to see people caring about bringing stock android to the XZ1.
What about treble generic ROMs? Did u try?
Can't wait to have a official treble Ressurection Remix!