Related
Hi,
I've got one of these and I've tried all the 5.1.x ROMs I can find. But I am unable to get a status bar or navigation bar to display.
I've tried third party launchers and third party apps but none are able to get a status bar up with notifications or display the navigation bar.
Any info or guidance would be great!
Thanks,
De
I've got one of these boxes also. I use heads up notification by simen codes on playstore. Sorry I can't link. Not enough post's.
It's made things a lot better on M8S+
is there any fix to this?
There is new firmware based on 5.1.1 for Acemax M8S+ dated 19.03.2016. Search the web.
I've fashed this from system updater without wipe and status bar is working. Firmware has other fixes too. Just rememer to delete update files after flash - I hev forget to do that and my box reflashed after boot to recovery with auto full wipe.
Word of caution: this firmware has problem with loging into Google acount - i don't have solution for this (yet).
P.S. My box is OTT M8S+
P.S. 2 Problem with Google account solved: just enter system updater app (Update&Backup) and click Online Update - patch will be downloaded - instal it, reboot and enyoy Google Play
Online update’s (OTA) has never worked for me.
Looking at traffic flow I see the box trying to connect to an Amazon IP: 52.30.154.186:80
Unfortunately, that server seems down.
Do you have a copy of the patch so I can get google play working again.
I would rather not downgrade to an older firmware since I need the status bar.
Thanks
I will try searching box's root memory for that file when i get back home, but honestly i don't know what to search. The process was handled by app and system recovery.
But on chinagadgetsreviews someone posted workaround (you posted there too):
"yann said:
Apr 23, 2016 - 2:19 pm
I found a workaround to get google play working without using app/backup app, the issue with the new update is the device identifier not correct in the build.prop file so you should replace in the file to get this:
ro.product.model=M8S+
ro.product.brand=Android
ro.product.name=n200C
ro.product.device=n200C
ro.product.board=n200C
you can use BuildProp Editor (using the APK google it) it’s easy just reboot the M8S+ and you can start any google services"
Hope that helps!
P.S. I've found file that could be fix for Google Services delivered by OTA, but i dont need to flash this right and its untested by me. So check this out but i recomend to do full backup first.
I tried the update.zip and it fixed the build.prop file.
Google Play is working again. Thanks tkaczsnow.
tcpip6 said:
I tried the update.zip and it fixed the build.prop file.
Google Play is working again. Thanks tkaczsnow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great! I am glad that It helped!
Check out the universal rom i posted. It has the system ui fixes.. remote.conf and build prop should be backed up first to insure you dont loose your device specifics.
Gl
Team DevDigitel said:
Check out the universal rom i posted. It has the system ui fixes.. remote.conf and build prop should be backed up first to insure you dont loose your device specifics.
Gl
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you post the link to this ROM?
thanks in advance
vel_tins said:
Can you post the link to this ROM?
thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://click.xda-developers.com/api...ww.androidfilehost.com/?fid=24588212152304711
This is direct dl link
Should work on most all s8xx devices
Doesnt come with boot.img so you have to be on 5.1 already. Highly suggest making backup 1st.
If you have working remote make sure to save your remote.conf file to restore on my rom
Upgrade OTT M8S+ to Android 6
Hi and Happy New Year!. I have a TVBOX OTT M8S+ whith Amlogic S812 2 gb and 8 gb memoriy with 1 gb lan.. and hace installed with Android 5 and with the lastest firmware by december 2016... I only want to know if I can install the Android 6 or Android 7 or this TVBOX cannot accept more upgrades? if still upgrade to android 6 or 7.. I glad your explanation to how to do it. Thank´s
YES ,please someone explain
Updated and revised, 11-29-20
In this post I am presenting a way to slightly extend the practical range of the 8 gb Nook Tablet by using microG for Google Services Framework spoofing rather than the resource-hogging GApps. Although I have tested these ROMs thoroughly on the BNTV250a, they would all likely run just fine with GApps on the 16 gb model (I currently run AOSP 7.0 with microG on my 16 gb tablet), while only CM 11 runs acceptably on the 8 gb model with GApps. Let's get that simple setup out of the way first.
I selected the unofficial CM 11 ROM with the final security patches by Chris Hoffmann [https://www.mediafire.com/?gq1y21uz11lr1c0]. It is serviceable for me. The main drawback is the old WebView (which cannot be updated) resulting in the inability of browsers to display many sites properly, including the current default skin for XDA. Despite this, I've come to feel that it's perhaps the best option, with or without GApps. Installing this ROM is easy. Flash with the recovery listed in post #2, reboot, then flash a pico GApps package from Open GApps. To run the ROM without GApps, read on.
I made a quick tour of CM 12.1, CM 13, AOSP 6.0 and AOSP 7.0, and Lineage 14.1. In the following post I'll lay out some pros, cons and hints based on my experiences. I flashed each ROM several times, trying different things, building the system from scratch each time rather than restoring apps from backup. That gave me a chance to work with each OS and see how it would perform not only during setup, but also during a shakedown/tweaking phase. What I can say about all of these ROMs is that GApps effectively kills each and every one on the BNTV250a.
Life without GApps
I, of course, tried side-loading apps without GApps. Easy, right? I thought so until I came to a few that whined about requiring Google Play Services to run. Even mundane things like the NPR News app, my local newspaper and MX Player are "GSF dependent" (Google Services Framework). Then I tried another app that would not install at all. Turns out it did a license verification check (it's free!) and saw no Google anything, so forget it. This was sort of news to me I suppose because even my lowly NST had GApps installed once upon a time, so I never encountered this issue before. You can hunt around for apps elsewhere but if you pick up an app that happens to be featured in the PlayStore, you may be out of luck no matter where you got it from. Or maybe not.
There is a project called microG by XDA member @MaR-V-iN. It consists of a lightweight set of apps (two at minimum, a third if you want location services) which provide the needed authentication to Google servers and/or inquisitive apps. There is a catch: the ROM must support "signature spoofing".
These ROMs do not have that option. You can Google "signature spoofing" to read the pros and cons. This is just information. Caveat emptor, etc. There is an Xposed module called FakeGapps which enables signature spoofing. I tried this on a few ROMs and found it worked fine. At the time I started this there was no official Xposed update for Android 7.0 and as that was one of my targets, I started looking for something else [note: Xposed has since been updated to include Android 7.0 and beyond]. That led me to Tingle by XDA member @ale5000. This is a Python/ADB based method of automatically patching framework.jar to enable signature spoofing. This seemed to me a more direct and elegant approach. Although I was intimidated by it at first, I eventually just dove in. The only thing I didn't already have was Python and that was easy enough to install. The process is basically automatic once it gets going. Unfortunately it does not work for ROMs that are odexed or deodexed. The AOSP 7.0 ROM turned out to fall in that category. Xposed must be used there.
OK, what can all this do for you? It can get you a spoof of Google Services Framework without GApps. Period. There are a few simple additions to allow for location services. It used to be that you could also enable Calendar and Contacts syncing. No more. As for PlayStore access, this is possible running microG with CM 11, but not beyond. It's just too resource intensive. For ROMs beyond CM 11 I found the Aurora Store (F-Droid) to work OK, although not always in the same way. On some ROMs you can use the anonymous Aurora Store login, on others you need to supply a Google account (email). Trial and error.
The General Process
If you have never "flashed" anything before that you can talk about at work, then you need some basic instructions for creating an SD card that will allow you to try out these procedures. The excellent instructions by @digixmax here will get you started with the SD card. You need to follow steps 1-2 to prepare the card, although the version of TWRP you use will depend on the ROM you want to try out (see second post for links). Also, the ROM itself will vary (see second post for links) and you will not want GApps (unless you are just installing CM 11 with GApps). The remainder of the steps (3-10, skipping 9) also describe the general process of flashing a ROM (or other "flashable" files like Xposed, etc.) using the SD card.
1. Flash the ROM using an appropriate recovery (I have listed the ones I used in the following post)
2. First boot, enable root, USB debugging and ADB
EITHER
3. Connect tablet to PC via USB and access via ADB ("adb devices"--some of these ROMs require that you approve PC access to the tablet via ADB, so check the tablet screen to approve that option if needed)
4. Open a command window on the PC and navigate to your Python installation directory. Because I was not sure what I was doing I just dumped the entire contents of Tingle into the Python directory. That simplified path issues for me. Type "python main.py" and select option 1. Wait for the "all done", hit CTRL-c and kill ADB server. Disconnect tablet from USB and reboot.
OR
3. Flash appropriate Xposed for the OS; reboot
4. Install Xposed installer app and FakeGApps.apk; use Xposed installer app to enable FakeGapps (signature spoofing); reboot
5. Install root file manager of choice if desired (the CM stock file managers are totally capable of the following operations if given root access; the stock file explorers of the AOSP and Lineage ROMs may allow the same, although I have had mixed results. You can always install a root file manager via ADB before continuing if all else fails) A copy of ES File Explorer is attached below.
for CM 11 without GApps but with the PlayStore:
6. Move Phonesky.apk--i.e. the PlayStore-- (old, lightweight version from a KitKat ROM: http://www.mediafire.com/file/1c2f0n3k3cwsln7/Phonesky.apk/file) into /system/priv-app; set apk file permissions to rwx-r-r.
7. Move microG component apks into /system/priv-app; set apk file permissions to rw-r-r (you need a minimum of Services Core, Services Framework Proxy for this step)
8. Reboot
9. Check microG Settings to be sure spoofing is enabled and other permissions are given; set to enable Google device registration; add an account. This process can be slow. Be patient. If you end up at a black screen, reboot and try again or see if the account is already established.
10. Open the PlayStore. Do some searching. You want to give it time to auto-update (this process may be completely silent). Exit. Check Settings>Apps>Downloaded to see if PlayStore has shown up there. If it has, then it may be updated. You can check yourself to see if the version number is higher. If there is no update, access the PlayStore again and check again. Once you have an update, you're good to go.
OR, for ROMs beyond CM 11:
6. Use root file manager to create the folder "Phonesky" in /system/priv-app. Set folder permissions to rwx-rx-rx. Use root file manager to move "FakeStore" apk into /system/priv-app/Phonesky and set apk file permissions to rw-r-r.
7. Move microG component apks into /system/priv-app; set apk file permissions to rw-r-r (you need a minimum of Services Core, Services Framework Proxy for this step)
8. Reboot
9. Check microG Settings to be sure spoofing is enabled and other permissions are given.
It's a lot, but if I could do it many times over you could do it once
In the end you'll have a tablet spoofing Google Services Framework so most apps will run without whining, but without the crushing weight of the PlayStore or the full GApps.
Contacts and Location
Life without GApps doesn't mean you have to give up these services. Just keep in mind that running background services can compromise a system that is already on the edge.
I tested the instructions that follow on a BNTV250a, using the stock Contacts and Calendar apps.
1. Contacts
There are some places in "on-line land" that describe a method for enabling contacts sync. I have not found the various methods to work any longer. It is possible to sync Contacts using DavDroid. There is only one version that will run on CM 11 and the same app will run on the other ROMs as well (attached below). However, you are adding more overhead to a device that is already pushing the limits. In the end I opted to export my contacts in vcard format and read them in as a local file. The more socially active may find this unacceptable, but it works for me.
2. Location
To enable location you will need to install an app which coordinates WiFi triangulation (something usually handled by GApps). There are two possibilities. You can get a Unified NLP apk from the microG download page. After installing the app you can check your microG settings to see if everything is OK. Then you can check Settings>Location and set it up the way you want.
If you want to use Maps you will also need to flash a maps.zip file from microG. This contains a couple of library files for Maps. As far as the Maps app itself, I have never had good performance from any version of Google Maps on my devices--until now. That's because I went fishing for an older, less bloated version that would run on the BNTV250a. It works beautifully on all my devices from KitKat to Nougat and allows pre-cache of map areas which don't expire. I've attached a copy of the apk file below.
Email
The stock Email client works great (at least for GMail accounts) and looks a lot like GMail (no surprise there). If you have your heart set on GMail, version 4.5.2--from GApps for Jellybean--seems to run just fine with a footprint of about 11 MB. I've attached a copy below.
The ROMs
Updated and revised 2-5-23
Generally I disabled any stock stuff I could that I would not use. Anything past CM 11 has a maddening issue I call "peek-a-boo keyboard", most noticeable when using the browsers. The keyboard drops out while you are typing or simply refuses to open without a struggle. You can solve this problem in CM 12 and minimize it in CM 13 by installing Simple Keyboard.
CM 11 is beginning to show expired certificates and SSL issues. You can try replacing or adding new certificates, but it's not easy and you're left with warning artifacts in the status bar. Ditto with CM 12 and CM 13, but they are not nearly as bad--for now. The stock browsers, fortunately, allow you to "ignore" security warnings which makes browsing more pleasant. You may not feel that's a great idea, but the reality is that browsing is the Achilles Heel for all these ROMS, and it's worse the higher you go. The stock browsers may give the best overall performance, whatever their shortcomings.
Because of the SSL issues, I don't recommend CM 11 any longer unless you are not going to do much in the way of internet stuff.
Note: I have noticed that both my Nook Tablets (8 and 16 GB) run better if they've been on for a bit. If yours is cranky when it gets up in the morning, pouring coffee on it won't help, but a little siesta after boot may be just the thing
CM 11 (but with issues as described above)
https://www.mediafire.com/?gq1y21uz11lr1c0
Flashed with SD-based TWRP 2.8.6.0, enabled signature spoofing with Tingle
This is arguably the best choice for the BNTV250a if you want something other than the stock B&N ROM. It runs smoothly enough that you could even keep the PlayStore app on it and it would still behave reasonably. It's even better without it. The only drawback with this ROM is that Android Webview cannot be updated. This means that some websites will not display properly or may simply crash, regardless of what browser you choose to use. I found the antique stock browser to be surprisingly good, but Via also works well. Also, the SSL is in need of updating, so you will run into issues with some websites and apps like OverDrive.
The lesson that this ROM taught me is that these tablets are for casual use. You can't just load them up with apps and expect them to run well. Think about what you really would like to use the tablet for. Consider older versions of apps that will probably still have more features than you will ever want but are less taxing to the system. You can see from the attached screenshot how I eventually pared my choices down. I should probably pare it down even more. Most of the apps are older versions and I've kept the total count low, certainly less than on my 16 GB tablet and other devices. You don't want to exceed about half of the internal storage capacity.
CM 12.1 (potential WiFi issue as described below)
http://www.mediafire.com/file/7zxc2e...K6-acclaim.zip
Flashed with SD-based TWRP 2.8.6.0, enabled signature spoofing with Tingle
Edit 9-30-22: I recently booted this up to find that it would no longer connect to my fairly new ATT router. Puzzled, I took the tablet to my local library and had no difficulty connecting there (open network, though). Next I started restoring backups of each of the other ROMs in this list and each one had no trouble with WiFi at home. I installed a fresh copy of the CM 12.1 ROM. It also refused to connect to the router. I scrounged around the web and found two more versions of CM 12.1. Neither would connect to my router. So...I'm not sure if there is some additional security ATT has built into their WPA2 authentication or what, but I mention this just to alert you that this might be a problem. I was even able to connect to a mobile hotspot generated by my Windows 10 machine (password needed). Why this new(?) problem for the 12.1 ROM only, I have no idea.
Before you start installing apps the behavior is sprightly, even on the BNTV250a. As the internal space decreases and RAM use increases, it becomes a little less so. Even so, when running well I think it comes close to CM 11 (with GApps), albeit with more lag.
The stock browser seems like the best bet (I tried many), though it can be slow.
For me this ROM has two major issues. When it is unhappy, it will simply shut down the tablet, literally turning it off. This used to sometimes happen when I ran it on my 16 GB model, so it's not the fault of the BNTV250a. The other issue is problems for apps writing to the external SD card. For a tablet with precious little internal space, you just don't want apps downloading into internal space or storing lots of data there. There is an edit to the file /system/etc/permissions/platform.xml which corrects this issue for some apps. Find the section of platform.xml below and add the last line:
Code:
<permission name=”android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE” >
<group gid=”sdcard_r” />
<group gid=”sdcard_rw” />
<group gid=”media_rw” />
This change enabled OverDrive and Kodi, for example, to download files to the external SD card. It might work for others.
Not as fluid as CM 11, but WebView issues are gone and you can access most up-to-date content (if slowly).
CM 13
https://archive.org/download/cmarchive_snapshots/cm-13.0-20160819-SNAPSHOT-ZNH5YAO0IN-acclaim.zip
Flashed with SD-based TWRP 2.8.6.0, enabled signature spoofing with Tingle
Never having tried this ROM on my 16 GB tablet, I was actually pleasantly surprised by its behavior on the BNTV250a. There's a funny WiFi thing where if you leave WiFi on when you shut down and then boot up again, it will not automatically connect (unless the lockscreen has come on, which is pretty fast after booting, so no biggie). Otherwise it's pretty much like CM 12 although maybe a little more stable--if you don't overdo it. The Sound Recorder app is somehow broken on the CM 13 ROM. If this is something you'd like, you can replace the broken version in /system/app/SoundRecorder with the one attached below. Make sure the permissions are rw-r-r and reboot.
Some apps can't write to the SD card (as portable storage). Kodi is an example, I'm sorry to say. I've tried many "solutions" to this problem but the only one that worked for me is to edit /data/system/packages.xml, adding the permission for each specific app you want. This is a long file and I did this using the editor from the CM File Manager. There are probably easier ways. After locating the app you want in the xml file, add this line anywhere between the <perms> and </perms> tags:
Code:
<item name="android.permission.WRITE_MEDIA_STORAGE" granted="true" flags="0" />
This change will be overwritten if the app updates, so you might want to keep that in mind.
This is the ROM I've settled on for my BNTV250a (screenshot of home screen below)
AOSP 6.01 "Marshmallow"
Box
notredame.app.box.com
(you want aosp_acclaim-ota-MOB30Z.160820.zip)
Flashed with emmc-based TWRP 3.0.2-0, enabled signature spoofing with Tingle
This is one of the ROMs built by @amaces. The AOSP builds are very lean compared to CM ROMs so I was hoping this might perform somewhat better than CM 13. But I don't think it does.
The first big hurdle is enabling root. My thanks to @digixmax for pointing out the right tool. After first boot (or maybe even before, but I did it after) you need to flash UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.46.zip. Works perfectly.
The stock launcher is, well, funky. I replaced it with Nova Launcher but after installing a few other apps it was clear the system was under great stress. Lots of black screens and crashes. Not a good option for the BNTV250a.
AOSP 7.0
https://www.mediafire.com/?5vcw8l603d3r5sc
Flashed with emmc-based TWRP 3.0.2-0, enabled signature spoofing with Xposed
This is another ROM by @amaces and what I run on my 16 GB tablet. On that device it is virtually flawless. I really wanted to say the same for the BNTV250a, but I can't.
Enabling root for the ROM is achieved with Magisk.
The ROM appears to be odexed to Tingle and so you must flash the correct Xposed (for 7.0 and Magisk) and install the installer app along with the FakeGapps app as described in the previous post.
The stock launcher is pitiful and you need to install a root file manager to get anything done. The system is laggy and video is not smooth. Not even a potential option for the BNTV250a.
Lineage 14.1
Box
notredame.app.box.com
(there are many versions of this ROM. The link takes you to the "obsolete" folder where you need to hunt down lnos_acclaim-ota-NJH47F.180211.zip. This seems to be the only version without the shut-down bug)
Edit 2-5-23: Well...no, it does not have the classic shut-down bug (tablet reboots right after it "shuts down"). Instead, it often shuts down just fine, but occasionally locks up during shut down and has to be forced off with the power button.
Flashed with emmc-based TWRP 3.0.2-0, enabled signature spoofing with Tingle
This is a third ROM built by @amaces (his most recent for the NT). I didn't have much hope for this because if 7.0 was an issue, I didn't expect 7.1 to perform well.
The only native root capability is for ADB. To enable full root, you need to flash addonsu-14.1-arm.zip (attached below). I did that after first boot but perhaps it can be done along with the ROM.
Not surprisingly the ROM has the feel of CM. There appears to be a file manager but it is only a partial reflection of the native file explorer and is useless for the manipulations that need to be done, so you need to adb install a root file manager as described in the previous post.
The stock browser is complete rubbish. It looks to be Gello(?) but it is the most infuriating collection of electrons I have ever encountered. There are no navigational buttons, no bookmark button--no buttons at all! I really tried. I used gestures (some rude), I tried magic words (many of which do not appear in children's books). Nada. When I finally managed to reach my test site it was like wading through, well, Jello! So....attached below is the nice lightweight stock browser from AOSP 7.0. Navigate to /system/app/Browser and there you will find Browser2.apk. Rename it to something else and copy in the Browser2.apk attached below, setting file permissions to rwx-r-r. Reboot. If you are successful, you can delete the old, useless browser apk. To enable bookmarks, navigate to /system/app/BookmarkProvider and inside you will find the apk file. Tap to install. I don't know why this needs to be done, but it does even on AOSP 7.0. Reboot and you've got a functioning browser (rife with "peek-a-boo keyboard")
The ROM hates Kodi, crashing constantly. Video from other apps is not smooth. Not a viable choice for the BNTV250a.
For a lark I tried it on the 16 GB model and it's actually not bad, but then I saw that embedded browser videos (like YouTube, for example) were funky colors, so... It may be that later versions corrected this, but those likely have the shut-down bug. In any event, a terrible choice for the 8 GB model.
Took a bit of trial and error to get the perfect version of playstore to not give an error, but I got it working. Thank you a lot for this write-up!
Yes I am breathing life back into a BN Nook in 2020 (quarantine will do funny things to a guy). Thanks for the comprehensive guide. I had installed CM11 years ago and it kinda sucks as is, so looking forward to seeing how this shakes out. I have to re-educate myself on all the various steps like adb, installing root file manager etc, it has been a long while since I played around with android's innards!
denmalley said:
Yes I am breathing life back into a BN Nook in 2020 (quarantine will do funny things to a guy). Thanks for the comprehensive guide. I had installed CM11 years ago and it kinda sucks as is, so looking forward to seeing how this shakes out. I have to re-educate myself on all the various steps like adb, installing root file manager etc, it has been a long while since I played around with android's innards!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While you're becoming familiar again with the procedures, give me a day or two to update the post. I recently redid my BNTV250a with CM 13 to try some things and then finally went back to CM 11 using the MicroG components rather than GApps. I'm really happy with it, but I have to say that the tablet (just like my BNTV250 with AOSP 7) behaves better if it's been on for awhile. It can be really cranky if you try to start using it right after boot.
So I'll update the post title to include CM 11 and add some details about CM 11 to the second post in a few days.
Hey thanks for keeping up with this thread! I installed CM11 as suggested but hitting a snag with tingle. I just dumped the tingl directory into the python folder as you did and ran main.py. This was the output.
C:\Python27>python main.py
MENU
1 - Patch file from a device (adb)
2 - Patch file from the input folder
> 1 adb
ERROR: Missing adb => ['adb']
NOTE: Only one binary per type is required
ERROR CODE: 65
Not sure what I'm doing wrong
denmalley said:
Hey thanks for keeping up with this thread! I installed CM11 as suggested but hitting a snag with tingle. I just dumped the tingl directory into the python folder as you did and ran main.py. This was the output.
C:\Python27>python main.py
MENU
1 - Patch file from a device (adb)
2 - Patch file from the input folder
> 1 adb
ERROR: Missing adb => ['adb']
NOTE: Only one binary per type is required
ERROR CODE: 65
Not sure what I'm doing wrong
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't remember seeing the "adb" after "> 1", but I may just not remember. So, just in case and to be really clear (in case I wasn't before):
1. I assume you have adb working on your PC or you wouldn't have gotten to the Python step. Did you ever set the PATH for adb? I confess I never bothered until I tried this procedure. But you have to be able to access adb from the Python folder for this to work. If you're not sure, just cd to the Python folder and try starting adb. If it doesn't work then the PATH needs to be set. Here's a good description for Windows (scroll down to "Step 2"): https://lifehacker.com/the-easiest-way-to-install-androids-adb-and-fastboot-to-1586992378
2. When I said I dumped the contents of Tingle into the Python folder, I meant that literally. There is no "Tingle" folder in my Python folder,but there are a bunch of extra files that are "Tingle". Just want to be sure.
Those are my only ideas at present. I hope one of them does the trick!
Ah yes path variable did the trick! On to the next steps, I'll keep you posted!
Ok, now i am at the play store step - keep getting error "unfortunately google play store has stopped." Over and over again when attempting to open. After reboot too.
denmalley said:
Ok, now i am at the play store step - keep getting error "unfortunately google play store has stopped." Over and over again when attempting to open. After reboot too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you
1. Check microG settings to be sure everything is OK?
2. Sign in to your Google account from the microG settings (add account)?
3. Then try the PlayStore (check permissions on Phonesky folder and app)
One part I'm not clear on. I placed all of the apks where you say to (steps 6-8), once I reboot, is play store supposed to just appear? When I do self-check in microg everything is checked except playstore and the bottom two (location). I got the impression from your instructions that I'm supposed to wait for some background processes to appear.
denmalley said:
One part I'm not clear on. I placed all of the apks where you say to (steps 6-8), once I reboot, is play store supposed to just appear? When I do self-check in microg everything is checked except playstore and the bottom two (location). I got the impression from your instructions that I'm supposed to wait for some background processes to appear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the PlayStore icon should appear--admittedly a very old and funky one with this old version.
The Playstore automatically updates. I wish it did not, but there is no way to stop it. But to have that happen you have to access the Playstore at least once, maybe even download an app, and leave wifi on awhile.
On my main microG settings screen I show Google device registration ON. On the self-check screen, everything is checked except the last box. I have the location stuff installed.
So if PlayStore is unchecked, something is not right. Perhaps the app got corrupted when I uploaded it. I am shut down right now but can reup tomorrow. Or you can just get another app from Apkpure or similar. I used to use something around 8.02 to get started.
I am very much stuck at this point (unless I guess I continue with regular gapps which goes against the whole point of this approach). I tried nuking and redoing the whole process with the same result. Attached screenshots of all relevant screens to show permissions/settings/etc.
Also I can't find a "phonesky.apk" anywhere, only full-blown google store apks which are much larger than the phonesky.apk you provided and so I must assume are not the correct thing.
denmalley said:
I am very much stuck at this point (unless I guess I continue with regular gapps which goes against the whole point of this approach). I tried nuking and redoing the whole process with the same result. Attached screenshots of all relevant screens to show permissions/settings/etc.
Also I can't find a "phonesky.apk" anywhere, only full-blown google store apks which are much larger than the phonesky.apk you provided and so I must assume are not the correct thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Phonesky=PlayStore, just renamed--microG expects to see Phonesky
Something is not right with the app. I have to run, but here is a link to v. 8.02 which I have used in the past:
https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/google-play-store/google-play-store-8-0-23-release/
Rename to Phonesky before using. It will be a little more cranky but it will work to get you going. I hope.
Edit: or, if you prefer, go to OpenGapps and download a KitKat pico GApps. Extract from that zip the Phonesky app and use it.
Edit, Edit: yeah, I tried reupping a copy of the Phonesky app but when I downloaded it the file size did not match. So I changed the first post and inserted a link to a copy on my mediafire account. That downloads with the right file size.
Well, I think I'm giving up. I've redone the process three times now. I used your new Phonesky.apk this last time and I still can't get the play store to show up. Only other thing I can think to ask - if I add a google account through microg settings, is it supposed to change to indicate that account is now added? Because if I go in there it will still say "add acount" even though I can see in the regular settings under accounts that a google account is present.
edit
The only other thing I haven't yet tried is redownloading everything and maybe even using a different PC. Ah heck who am I kidding, like I've got anything better to do. I'll keep cracking at it.
denmalley said:
Well, I think I'm giving up. I've redone the process three times now. I used your new Phonesky.apk this last time and I still can't get the play store to show up. Only other thing I can think to ask - if I add a google account through microg settings, is it supposed to change to indicate that account is now added? Because if I go in there it will still say "add acount" even though I can see in the regular settings under accounts that a google account is present.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm really baffled by this behavior. When you add a Google account via microG nothing changes on the microG settings page, but the account should show up in the CM11 settings under "accounts".
When you prepare the system for flashing, do you do an Advanced Wipe? I'm a little AR about this sort of thing, especially as my devices have been flashed with different OS's many times. I start with an Advanced Wipe, clearing out everything except, of course, the microSD card, and then I follow that by a regular wipe. Then I start flashing.
If you are still having trouble, let me know and I'll wipe my current system (I have a backup) and start again from scratch, downloading copies of the files I have posted to see if I can duplicate what is happening to you. Maybe Google has changed something in the time since I did my newest configuration and the microG folks have not caught up with it yet. This appears to be true for Contacts because I cannot get them to sync up or even see my Google contacts. This was not the case in the past. There is chatter about it on the microG site, but none of the "solutions" go anything beyond what I have already related and some of the conclusions are like "and it just started working..."
I did not do the advanced wipe, so let me try that. I'm also going to redownload everything and give it another go. No need to wipe your device just yet - you've already done WAY more than I expected to help! I will do this over the next few days and keep you posted.
Well I tried six different ways, full wipe, change the "group" set for the group permissions to "root" (it had been set to sdcard), redownloaded every last bit of software used in this process, used a different computer, etc etc etc. Nothing is working. Still no play store. Everything else seems to be fine except that.
So anyway, I finally just did a full wipe, flashed the CM11 unofficial that you provided in second post, and grabbed a kk gapps package and flashed that. Switched from trebuchet to nova and I've got a tablet I can live with! Working much better then the cm10 rom I had on there before (like swipe to unlock screen, wait 5 seconds....touch app drawer, wait 5-10 seconds....touch an app, wait 30 seconds....slooooooow).
Thanks for pushing me along in this direction, before I started back into this process I had completely forgotten all the little intricacies which would have gotten me hung up and possibly bricked. And all the of the other guides out there have broken links, outdated info, etc. So I'm happy with where I landed and very much appreciate the help, even if we didn't quite get there with your proposed improvements! I now have a capable e-book, backup songbook for gigs, and a spare digital mixer controller that I can clean up the personal stuff from and hand off to an assistant.
denmalley said:
Thanks for pushing me along in this direction, before I started back into this process I had completely forgotten all the little intricacies which would have gotten me hung up and possibly bricked. And all the of the other guides out there have broken links, outdated info, etc. So I'm happy with where I landed and very much appreciate the help, even if we didn't quite get there with your proposed improvements! I now have a capable e-book, backup songbook for gigs, and a spare digital mixer controller that I can clean up the personal stuff from and hand off to an assistant.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad you reached a point where you feel good about the outcome but sorry that you had to waste so much time.
I will run through the procedure again in the next few days. Maybe there's something that got garbled in the updating of the post. In any case I'd feel better if my instructions actually achieved the intended result.
nmyshkin said:
I will run through the procedure again in the next few days. Maybe there's something that got garbled in the updating of the post. In any case I'd feel better if my instructions actually achieved the intended result.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well.....I'm not sure how the error crept in, but it looks like the creation of the Phonesky folder was the issue. This is needed for ROMs beyond CM11, but there are no folders in /system/app or /system/priv-app for CM11. Thus for CM11 only, the files like Phonesky.apk are simply dropped into /system/priv-app and the permissions set as described, Then everything works as it should.
I've corrected the instructions. My apologies.
Hello everyone.
I have installed on my Dell Optiplex 745 the Phoenix OS. Everything works fine, except for 5 applications:
1) Serie A TIM
2) TIMVision
3) Mediaset FAN
4) RAIPlay
5) Slack
The problem is common: app loads forever and I can't use it.
I did some Googling, I wrote to the developers, I also asked for help on the Phoenix OS forums.
Nothing.
Please, can anyone test this and help me finding a solution?
The apps 1, 2, 3, 4 are what I use the most on my phone.
Alternatively, I'd consider plugging MHL & OTG at the same time, if is supported, to my SM-G900F.
I tried some cables, they work a hit or two, then stop working.
Please, give me help.
Thanks in advance if you do.
Google Play Services
I guess this problem arises from play services installation, because I get error 501 everytime I try to install it.
But, just downloading an APK and installing it, it works half: play services enabled apps still require a play services update and asks.
So, what can I do?
By the way, I neither know which GPS APK is the latest one.
Thanks if you help (and please, do)
Confirmation
Ok, last update: I really need to update Google Play Services, as almost every app I listed above requires it (and it's telling me at app start).
Now, This time I didn't use an APK downloaded from anywhere, I'm just looking to solve this 501 error.
Thanks if you help. Here it's 21.38 PM, tomorrow I'll call Google to see if I can do anything.
Cheers.
Nevermind: I replaced Phoenix oS with Remix OS and now everything works just fine.
A word ahead, I am far away from beeing an expert. I read and tested a lot, but can't answer all your question.
Instead this thread is intended to share experiences as I spend quit some days to become my phone as free from Google.
I did this on a Galaxy A3 (2017) with LOS.
First of course is not to install Gapps. We can replace many of its functionality. First of all we need a store to download apps. I highly recommend FDroid as a first choise. You can download the app at their website.
With this you get a variety of apps for almost all, but not all problems. Nevertheless I recommend to take your time and check what is offered there, even if you used other apps before.
If you don't find an equivalent, you might want access the google playstore. In FDroid there are two apps available for this purpose. With both you can anonymously access all (not payed) apps on Playstore. You can of course login with your google accound, but ... ok, that's not so anonymous anymore
What else do we miss without Gapps. There is a way of receiving push notifications, that is often handled via GCM (google cloud messanging).
First of all we need to enable spoofing. This was quite a challange, as usual tools (tingle, ...) work with non-odexed ROMS, while that for A3 is an odexed ROM.
Finally I found a zip here, that works for me:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=77456471&postcount=3775
Download that zip, goto TWRP.
Before installing it you have to do two steps.
Mount /system
Create a link (with advanced/terminal): ln -s /system/vendor /vendor
Otherwise install of this zip will fails. Be patient, it takes around 5..10min to pass.
Now we can work with microG, that will replace some google-APIs.
Add the repo "microg.org/fdroid/repo"
Then install micoG core, fakestore and proxy.
To get unifiedNLP running (this is for location services) the microG core must be a system app.
So do a reboot in the TWRP. Mount system first.
Than copy with integrated filemanager the folder com.google.android.gms-xxxx
from /data/app/
to
/system/priv-app
and reboot.
You will find in your app-overview the microG app - please open and let selftest run.
Enable permissions there and also disable battery optimisation
unifiedNlp should be registered. Next is to enable them.
Download from FDroid these two apps:
Local GSM Location (with this you can download a database of cell towers and their location, giving you a chance to get a rough estaimatin where you are, without waste of energy for GPS)
and
NominatimNlpBackend (to get your position as street/city/country instead of coordinates).
Very important:
Apps that require this gapps need to be installed after microG. Otherwise they will not work properly.
I guess that are usually apps that needs location.
Feedback for microG installation
I´ve tested your microG installation these days. Worked like a charm ! Thanks for your post.
The Nanodroid patcher referred in your link was gone, so i used http://downloads.nanolx.org/NanoDroid/Stable/NanoDroid-patcher-18.1.20180909.zip.
I had the same problems with Yalp downloads you´ve described earlier, after reboot it worked.
GCM works, but just not with Threema ;-( But it´s a known problem.
Getting NLP to work was a little bit of hassle, but I found many articles about it. Was not sure which of the backends to use, there are many.
What is interesting - I didn´t use encryption and patched the ashyx_no_encryption patch right after flashing LOS and I didn´t use SU or Magisk right now. Result: absolutely no boot loops and no reboot after power off !
From which stock variant you came ?
@cyberbix:
The patcher for spoofing was quite beta at that time. Did you have to do any preparations to let it run? I remember in TWRP I had to mount /system and create that /vendor-link. Is it still required? I reported my issued there but I am not sure he cooked it with these patches finally.
The Yalp issue is completely independent on microG. It seems that there is a bug in the Downloader of LOS15.1. There are others suffered from this issue, not just the A320FL. The workaround to use internal download works.
Can you give more details about the NLP-hassle? That might help others to not go that painful way. Imho all is fine if you copy (or move) the folder I described above and reboot.
About the backends ... I think there is no alternative for Nominatim, which works only online. For the cell bases location I prefer a offline solution, I found that "Local GSM Location". The microG-Packages usually contain the mozilla-online backend.
BTW: Did you use one of the zip-packages to install microGSMcore, fakestore, GsfProxy ... or manually via FDroid as I did?
I had latest Oreo 8.0 installed before. But I am not sure whether or not I updated the bootloader too with Odin.
@starbright_
Did you have to do any preparations to let it run?
Yes. I did exactly the same as you did in TWRP.
Can you give more details about the NLP-hassle?
I wasn´t sure if its needed at all and even if microG went green, the backends seemed not wo work at all.
BTW: Did you use one of the zip-packages to install microGSMcore, fakestore, GsfProxy ... or manually via FDroid as I did?
I did it in the same way as you. Flashed the patcher, installed the rest from FDroid. That´s it.
Moreover: i didn´t install Magisk or any other root and I didn´t use Xposed. I used the push notification tester to test GCM. Everything was fine.
I can check if installing an su package or Magisk will lead into the same problems.
Installed Magisk on top of your microG setup. Everything works, see McFys thread. I guess you just didn´t read what TB tells about SU.
starbright_ said:
A word ahead, I am far away from beeing an expert. I read and tested a lot, but can't answer all your question..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My experience below:
-LOS by McFy with Magisk+Xposed+nanodroid
- installed only. MicroG package +all backends+yalp
- the self check is good except the last box which is noto green
-yalp works fine, i like it, but in the end i had to use my goggole account instread of the experimental 'internal account' and this because of gmaps
-gmaps works fine BUT it doesn't find the current gps position unless i restart it (long press on back arrow). This is odd because other map-apps (openstreet, tomtom..) work! Also, when i need to use the google account to save some locations or simply the offline maps, it does work only for the first time, later it doesn't recognize my (already set) googke account
-i don't know if it's related to microg but camera doesnt find the gps, while opencamera yes, fotej camera neither
-again, i don't know if it's related to microg but each time i add the google account i loose my contact list
-apps that need to talk with playstore doesn't work at all, I wanted to use Europe3D by geoflier and it didn't load properly until i installed also the playstore
- the same for those apps that need to purchase some addons
-BUT worst, above all (crying) is that the speechTotext is not wotking and it's a feature I really miss!
I don't know if a proper patched rom would work better, I always hope that mcFy finds some time to release the rom already patched.
Anyhow next days I will try to reinstall the stock rom to see if these behavioours happen also there.
I did another installation again. More details next.
But finally I gave up. I couldn't solve two issues
- neither telegram nor whatsapp works after a few minutes (doesn't wake up at incoming calls)
- heavy instabilities with LOS15.1/Magisk/Xposed/microG
I didn't find which component is responsible for that, but I remember that I didn't always get SU with Magisk. After a reboot it works again.
Even such components as DuckDuckbrowser crashed.
I couldn't recover my apps backup by TB from my previous S5mini on A3 with TB and Magisk (Parser error).
I need a rest from all this stuff.
starbright_ said:
I
I need a rest from all this stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it took it some days and many reinstallations before i found out the right sequence!
i think everything related to microg is stable enough except what i wrote before
pink0 said:
it took it some days and many reinstallations before i found out the right sequence!
i think everything related to microg is stable enough except what i wrote before
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So what is the sequence? This:
"-LOS by McFy with Magisk+Xposed+nanodroid
- installed only. MicroG package +all backends+yalp
- the self check is good except the last box which is noto green"
And it is stable for you? Never get problems with not granted root?
What is last box: cell based location? Same for me... But I am not sure what exactly means this.
I installed localGSMbackend which created an offline database with celltowers. This works fine in energy saving mode I get a rough position without any waste of energy or privacy (as offline).
Altogether I did at least 20 complete wipes and started from scratch.
At the first I started early with root (either Magisk or LOS-addsu).
Than there are two options to get a spoofed ROM.
Either via Xposed/Fakestore module or via nanodroid patcher.
Both works in general.
Than installed microG (different ways - manually, nanodroid, unofficial installer, that are the 3 options I know).
But it always become instable. Apps don't get root anymore or does FC ....
So I did it another way around.
I first installed all required via FDroid (without any root, Xposed ...). That seems to me rather stable. The good thing: this are around 80% or apps I need. Than I did a backup, so that I don't have to starts from scratch, which is painful as hell with around 40 .. 60 apps.
My last attempt was after that install Magisk, Xposed, Fakestore. Spoofingchecker was red, but a microG gets green.
I installed it with nanodroid (created first with setup wizard a file, so that only microG and mapsapiv1) gets installed.
This was first time my apps work fine with maps. Other attempts to manually install the maps framework/lib wasn't succesful (why ever).
Problems started when installing TB. First it doesn't get root permission. After a restart it works, but I get parsing errors. If I understand FAQ this is due to different busyboxes ?!? Ok, the backups I created at another device with LOS14.1 and addsu.
But this was not the only issue. Browser crashed and I never get neither Telegram nor Whatsapp to get wake up after a few minutes of deep sleep (they arn't get registered at microG too, so this might be another issue).
@pink0:
Did I understand it right, you use GMaps?
@cyberbix:
My problems with whatsapp and telegram (not registering in GCM) - did you found a way, maybe with an older version of whatsapp?
Does your system keeps stable after all?
To be honest, that Magisk and Xposed seems to add to much intrusive stuff that might fail altogether. But even with the manual way it wasn't perfect. Maybe after a rest and with the next version from McFy I try this again. Good luck I didn't sell my old S5min til now.
starbright_ said:
So what is the sequence? This:
"-LOS by McFy with Magisk+Xposed+nanodroid
- installed only. MicroG package +all backends+yalp
- the self check is good except the last box which is noto green"
And it is stable for you? Never get problems with not granted root?
What is last box: cell based location? Same for me... But I am not sure what exactly means
@pink0:
Did I understand it right, you use GMaps?.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's here i writed down because my personal memory buffer, at my age, is really small
yes gmaps is working quite good except the behavour I wrote, but enabling developer options I can easily kill the program to get the new/current position (also I noriced tgat because of this gps problem ir cannot calculate any route while navigating)
I also dislike the idea of using xposed bexause I never needed it but now it's different
about telegram/whatsup i'm not using such softwae so I can't say what's wrong
starbright_ said:
...My problems with whatsapp and telegram (not registering in GCM) - did you found a way, maybe with an older version of whatsapp?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not use WhatsApp, I use Threema and Threema has known problems with microG GCM.
starbright_ said:
Does your system keeps stable after all?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but I didn´t flash Xposed, just Magisk.
Ok.That spoofing can happen via Xposed Module or nanodroid patcher. For non-odexed ROMs are more options (tingle,...) but not for ours.
So after all I am now happy with my current installation:
- install TWRP via ODIN
- Wipe in TWRP (system, data, cache, dalvik)
- install Lineage via TWRP
- boot into system
- install FDroid
install and setup most of needed apps - there is a good selection of apps in FDroid now
- Create Backup (via TWRP)
- Install Magisk (viaTWRP) and Magisk Manager in LOS
- Setup adaware and afwall (both from FDroid as they need root)
- Installing microG (via TWRP) with packets from here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/magisk/module-nanomod-5-0-20170405-microg-t3584928
( use patcher for spoofing the ROM, setup to create a control file and than a minimal setup with microG, maps-api, FakeStore).
- install Yalp from FDroid and via Yalp the missing apps that are not available via FDroid.
I found that Telegram (and Whatsapp not 100% sure yet) push-notification work. I disabled battery optimization for both.
starbright_ said:
So after all I am now happy with my current installation:
[...snip..]
- Installing microG (via TWRP) with packets from here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/magisk/module-nanomod-5-0-20170405-microg-t3584928
( use patcher for spoofing the ROM, setup to create a control file and than a minimal setup with microG, maps-api, FakeStore).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for your post!
- did you run the nanodroid patcher itself or you deodexed tje rom by hand?
- do you notice any difference between a magisk-through instlation of nanodroid and a direct one?
- which build of LOS are you using?
pink0 said:
thanks for your post!
- did you run the nanodroid patcher itself or you deodexed tje rom by hand?
- do you notice any difference between a magisk-through instlation of nanodroid and a direct one?
- which build of LOS are you using?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not sure, but the LOS15.1 for A3 2017 (by @McFy from 08/21) ROM is in a state you need the patcher. Other methods (as tingle - what I used before with other mobiles) don't work.
Not sure what is odexed and deodexed. The only other method works for spoofing is Xposed framework. There is a module that fakes this. But until now I did't see a need for Xposed and I don't want to increase complexity. (From that point of view I rather should go for addsu instead of Magisk)
I did first a Magisk installation, as root is more important and you have later the chance to chose between microG and Gapps. (Did it step by step with backups not to start again from scratch).
But I didn't use Magisk for installation, but TWRP. How does it works? I am a Magisk newbee.
An update of LOS15 requires to redo it. I also updated microG in this sequence. Just as a short summery:
- boot into TWRP
- wipes system/cache/dalvik
- installed new LOS
- installed Magisk
- reboot into system (just for curiosity, probably not required) and back to TWRP
- let run uninstaller of microG (I used the zips from here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/magisk/module-nanomod-5-0-20170405-microg-t3584928)
- install (run) the patcher (be patients, that takes long time, maybe 15min)
- install (run) setup wizard (selected only few things, as maps-api, can remember exactly)
- install the real package (install what has been selected in setup).
check this out https://hackernoon.com/e-first-beta-soon-to-be-released-82d7ec950dd
basically, this is a LOS-based rom including microG, aiming at avoiding google applications/usage.
or https://download.lineage.microg.org/a5y17lte/
Nominatim backend
Has anyone using microG got the NominatimGeocoderBackend to work ? On the LOS15 or on LOS16 builds of McFy ? With Nanodroid or with microG core setup ?
The Self-Check in the microG Settings app on the LOS16-microG-build-20190412 with Nanodroid 20190310 from McFY fails the self-test "UnifiedNlp do not have Location to test Geocoder"
The NominatimGeocoderBackend is installed, activated and configured for OSM.
No big deal, everything else works fine.
cyberbix said:
Has anyone using microG got the NominatimGeocoderBackend to work ? On the LOS15 or on LOS16 builds of McFy ? With Nanodroid or with microG core setup ?
The Self-Check in the microG Settings app on the LOS16-microG-build-20190412 with Nanodroid 20190310 from McFY fails the self-test "UnifiedNlp do not have Location to test Geocoder"
The NominatimGeocoderBackend is installed, activated and configured for OSM.
No big deal, everything else works fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My selfcheck gives just 2 unchecked points:
Playstore signature (I installed Fakestore+Yalp and Fdroid)
Radiocell based location (altough Nominatem is setup).
"Playstore signature" I could manage after apply permission spoofing to Fake Store (system app).
But, I don't get any app registered, although I have enabled Google registration and GCM.
I even deinstalled ebay and installed it again - no effect. ?!? What can I do?
I remember @cyberbix mentioned the Push notification tester:
It fails for me with step1 - "No register" ?!? How can that be? What did I miss.
[/COLOR]
starbright_ said:
?!? How can that be? What did I miss.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you do the device check-in ?
See https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.thermatk.android.xf.fakegapps/
What is push notifcation exactly claiming ? Unable to register or missing Play services ?
[GUIDE] New method to install Google Mobile Services on Huawei P40 Pro+
Hi guys!!!
I'm thrilled to report that I just found this new way to get Google Mobile Services to work on Huawei and Honor devices that don't have them.
It's totally working [today is 20 june 2020] and it SOLVES the new problem that doesn't let the users sign-in to their Google accounts at the time of the installation.
Everything is very detailed and shown step-by-step on the following video...
Please be sure to download the .zip file that has all the stuff needed to get this to work. Using this method, that zip file must be copied to the root a pen-drive. It's here, for Android 10: https://bit.ly/2ATWPGE
[UPDATE - 29 / June / 2020]
Important stuff:
- You must have your phone in english in order to proceed with this method.
- After it is complete you can switch back to your preferred language, without problems.
- If you want to add more Google accounts, you should do this procure while you are installing GMS. Use this link: https://youtu.be/jgCN6SeP32c?t=1418 It guides directly to the right moment in that video.
By the way, it's working great for a lot of users. Push notifications, though, aren't working.
Still, I believe this is the best method around.
Cheers!