Hi,
a few weeks ago I bought the SE Xperia Play and so far I love it. But I know there is more going on in the Android world. So I browsed through the Xperia Play sections and read trough a couple of threads to get answers to most of my questions I had.
But there are still a few remaining, which are:
1) Is there a way to backup the WHOLE phone ? By "whole phone" I mean TA/GDFS areas as well. My current phone is still in it's stock form, here are a few infos:
Modelnumber: R800i
Android version: 2.3.2
Baseband version: ....-1290_14-10
Kernel: 2.6.32.9-perf
Build: 3.0.A.2.181
It's SIM Free with bootloader still in it's locked state. Is there anything special about my phone that devs might want? Just ask and I'll try to provide.
Or is there a reason not to unlock / update / root for me because of low versions that might come in handy in the future for me?
2) Is there a recovery image in development which works on the Xperia Play ? I couldn't find one, but afaik "xRecovery" seems to be the recovery image for Sony Ericsson devices. Or am I mistaken here?
3) By unlocking the bootloader, the Xperia Play loses it's DRM certificates, which makes a couple of apps useless, like Track ID. What other apps won't work anymore after unlocking ? And are there ways to reconstruct / recreate these cerificates and carry them over to custom ROMs which may appear in the future ?
4) MoDaCo released a custom kernel which enables su shell and adb remount. But he managed it w/o unlocked bootloader. How's that possible? Does it only take place in RAM ? Or did he managed to install it in flash ?
5) In a today's thread about the rooted 2.3.3 image I saw that the provided image is an UK image. Is it ok to install such image on a german device ? Or shouldn't I care about the region the FW comes from ? Could I install a US image ? Or are UK images for all european devices?
6) In case I brick my device for some reason while updating it to 2.3.3. Could I recover it by using the UK generic .184 FTF image? Or do I always have to use the latest FW I tried to install on the device?
7) Last but not least. I flashed my buddys HTC Legend with CM7 and I love this ROM. I saw that Blagus is working on a CM7 port for the Xperia Arc. The Arc and the Play seem to be identical HW / SW-wise, does it mean that his port (in case the finishes it) will run on the Play as well (given with a few code changes of course) ?.
Sweet lord, turned out to be more questions then I planned But I guess it's good to have a FAQ kinda place where noobs like me can directly go to and get most important questions answered at once rather then spread all over the place
A big thanks to all in advance and keep up the work here !
Regards,
iCEQB
I am noob just like you and I managed to root my play in like 10 minutes after reading some threads here. Try to find some topics like rooting for beginners and another one which says the options that you have after rooting. I used gingerbreak and managed to get root access in about 5 minutes. As for the bootloader unlock I wouldn't recommend on doing that as there are no custom roms to flash our phones yet and personally I am very hapy with the original rom. The key is to root it with gingerbreak and get rid of all the useless apps that Sony has put in your phone and by doing this you get better battery life, better response and more free space. The apps that I use after rooting are busybox, titanium backup pro(to be able to freeze some apps and not delete them as I didn't know what they were doing) , adfree to get rid of the adds and many others. As for the other questions that you have, a more experienced android user should answer you. I didn't update to 2.3.3 as I will lose the rooting option which is necessary for me right now.
My questions are not about "how to root" as you can clearly see. They are rather about making 100% sure, not losing anything that might be valuable I maybe never get back, which could come in handy, like low system versions, a way to relock the bl with a TA backup, or DRM certificates.
I know how to root my phone and I know about the available options, but as I said, these questions are not about how to pull it of
Thanks anyway,
iCEQB
Sorry for the misunderstanding, I would also like to know these things and thats the reason why I used gingerbreak cause you have the option to unroot and you dont touch anything else. I also agree that we need an all-around FAQ topic which will include your questions.
Also n00b but will try... here goes lol
1. I dont think there is anyway to back up the whole phone. Best you can hope for is backing up settings when rooted. No need to hold off updating. But if you go to 2.3.3 rooting is not possible unless the bootloader is unlocked and you flash the rooted img (problem is if you leave the bootloader locked and update with SEUS it will install 2.3.3 so you will be unable to attain root, for now). No custom roms so i wouldnt unlock just yet (can unlock at anytime just will wipe your phone)
2. dont know
3. dont know (since mine is still locked)
4. dont know lol
5. If your xplay is the r800i. Cannot really see any problems . People who have confirmed the rooted img works are from around the world (uk, Hong Kong, Netherlands)
6. Again people who have used the UK generic .184 FTF image are from around the world. If the device is not sim locked (such as yours i dont think it matters )
7. I think it will, the software is basically the same so as you said a few tweaks and it should work. I think he started on the arc since the fourms are alot more active. Will possibly be unlocking the bootloader myself when some roms appear.
My bad if i interpreted your questions wrong as stated im a newb trying to learn fast lol
p.s you could pm the people who made the ftf files and then make a version of your own? if you want the low system version and as far as ive read its not possible to relock the bl once unlocked, yet? If you deffo know youre going to install custom roms wouldn't it be better to unlock the bootloader sooner rather than later since it wipes the phone?
Thanks for your answers so far !
Your answer for the 5th question bothers me though. What different models are there ? I know of R800i and R800a and I thought the letter behind the number is just some carrier marker or something like that or are there any other differences ?
Are there more modelnumbers existing ?
Thanks,
iCEQB
I hope this helps:
1) Is there a way to backup the WHOLE phone ? By "whole phone" I mean TA/GDFS areas as well. My current phone is still in it's stock form, here are a few infos:
Blagus is working on that, to no avail as of today. Maybe you'll want to contact him as he was looking for people with no SIM-lock, but locked bootloaders.
2) Is there a recovery image in development which works on the Xperia Play ? I couldn't find one, but afaik "xRecovery" seems to be the recovery image for Sony Ericsson devices. Or am I mistaken here?
If you mean Recovery such as CWM, no there's not. I'm not aware of xRecovery...
3) By unlocking the bootloader, the Xperia Play loses it's DRM certificates, which makes a couple of apps useless, like Track ID. What other apps won't work anymore after unlocking ? And are there ways to reconstruct / recreate these cerificates and carry them over to custom ROMs which may appear in the future ?
AFAIK, the other big loss is that you can't update through SEUS and you're forced to use Flashtool.
4) MoDaCo released a custom kernel which enables su shell and adb remount. But he managed it w/o unlocked bootloader. How's that possible? Does it only take place in RAM ? Or did he managed to install it in flash ?
He didn't release a kernel, he released an apk. Plus, the Xperia Play forum in MoDaCo has been empty for a whole week. I guess he's dropped it.
5) In a today's thread about the rooted 2.3.3 image I saw that the provided image is an UK image. Is it ok to install such image on a german device ? Or shouldn't I care about the region the FW comes from ? Could I install a US image ? Or are UK images for all european devices?
I bought my phone from Germany as well, and I've flashed the 2.3.3 updates (both the .FTF and the fastboot .img) without any issues.
6) In case I brick my device for some reason while updating it to 2.3.3. Could I recover it by using the UK generic .184 FTF image? Or do I always have to use the latest FW I tried to install on the device?
I guess you can always revert to the .184 one.
7) Last but not least. I flashed my buddys HTC Legend with CM7 and I love this ROM. I saw that Blagus is working on a CM7 port for the Xperia Arc. The Arc and the Play seem to be identical HW / SW-wise, does it mean that his port (in case the finishes it) will run on the Play as well (given with a few code changes of course) ?.
I guess only Blagus is fit to answer that, but if they're so similar, it should be an easy fit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much for your answers !
The loss of using SEUS shouldn't be a problem in any way since FlashTool does the same job, if not better
I'll contact Blagus and see if he needs something from me to get his work done.
Thanks again,
iCEQB
SE_iCEQB said:
Thanks for your answers so far !
Your answer for the 5th question bothers me though. What different models are there ? I know of R800i and R800a and I thought the letter behind the number is just some carrier marker or something like that or are there any other differences ?
Are there more modelnumbers existing ?
Thanks,
iCEQB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Models so far?;
r800i (uk, europe, asia?)
r800a (canada, rogers?)
r800at (usa?, at&t?)
r800x (usa? verizon?)
Z1i (china?)
I think other than r800i, others are mostly locked to phone providers? (unless bought sim free in their native country not sure tbh even the r800i is locked to some carriers i think?) I think r800x & maybe r800a are unable to unlock bootladers dues to restrictions from their carriers? Not sure tbh. I think all people in europe got the r800i? Dont know about differences since i got the r800i only
Thank you for answer and the nice list of modelnumbers. Yeah the problem with the few models which bootloaders can't be unlocked seems to be due to their SIM lock (at least it's the only I can find in the bootloader unlock thread ).
Regards,
iCEQB
Fantastic thread! As a new Xperia Play owner coming form a Droid 1, I'm very interested in the mod scene as it pertains to this phone. Great questions, OP!
Great thread lets keep it growing!
Sorry to hijack your thread. N00B here, so apologies in advance. I have read many of the threads on here since getting my xperia play and have joined just to ask a few questions if I may.
I want to root my phone to remove bloatware and more importantly remap the circle button for playing emus.
Q1. How do I know if my phone is bootlocked?
Q2. Is it as easy as run gingerbreak, delete bloatware, install apk, remap button?
Q3. Do i need to be running a certain FW, ie: can only be rooted on old FW.
Just so you can all understand, I know a grand total of sweet F-A about phones and rooting etc. Half of the abbreviations used, I've had to google to find out what they mean lol. As a 33 year old man, I'ts a strange feeling to be in my situation, its like being back at school and sitting my 1st algebra lesson!! Its all Greek and Double Dutch to me!
As in the OP, I also have a sim free phone running;
Model: R800i
Vers. 2.3.2
Base: -1290_14-14
Kernal: 2.6.32.9-perf
Build: 3.0.A.2.184
will this be a problem/is this helpful to a Dev?
Basically Im after a bit of reassurance/guidence as I really dont want to make my phone an expensive paper weight lol.
Thankyou all in advance, and agin sorry to OP for the Hi jack, but was going to post a thread with same name
Oh 1 last thing, if anyone lives in the South London area who knows what they are doing and fancies sorting my phone out for me, gets some drink tokens from me and a big thank you
Martin
Flipfoot said:
Sorry to hijack your thread. N00B here, so apologies in advance. I have read many of the threads on here since getting my xperia play and have joined just to ask a few questions if I may.
I want to root my phone to remove bloatware and more importantly remap the circle button for playing emus.
Q1. How do I know if my phone is bootlocked?
Q2. Is it as easy as run gingerbreak, delete bloatware, install apk, remap button?
Q3. Do i need to be running a certain FW, ie: can only be rooted on old FW.
Just so you can all understand, I know a grand total of sweet F-A about phones and rooting etc. Half of the abbreviations used, I've had to google to find out what they mean lol. As a 33 year old man, I'ts a strange feeling to be in my situation, its like being back at school and sitting my 1st algebra lesson!! Its all Greek and Double Dutch to me!
As in the OP, I also have a sim free phone running;
Model: R800i
Vers. 2.3.2
Base: -1290_14-14
Kernal: 2.6.32.9-perf
Build: 3.0.A.2.184
will this be a problem/is this helpful to a Dev?
Basically Im after a bit of reassurance/guidence as I really dont want to make my phone an expensive paper weight lol.
Thankyou all in advance, and agin sorry to OP for the Hi jack, but was going to post a thread with same name
Oh 1 last thing, if anyone lives in the South London area who knows what they are doing and fancies sorting my phone out for me, gets some drink tokens from me and a big thank you
Martin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. If you havent unlocked the bootloader yourself it will be still be locked. No need to unlock the bootloader to root. Unlocking is only needed if you want to install custom roms.
2. Since you are still running 2.3.2 Build 3.0.A.2.184 gingerbreak will still be able to root your phone. If you update though to 2.3.3, gingerbreak will be unable to root your phone since the exploit gingerbreak uses has been patched.
If you stay on 2.3.2 all you have to do is run gingerbreak http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1044765 follow the instruction in the thread then you can uninstall any of the apps (bloat) on this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1046699 using titainium backup free.
No need to root to remap the O button in emulators. In most the keypad mapping sets O to exit, all you have to do is set exit to another key then O to the key you want.
3. See 2.
May I ask why you want to re-map Circle? I had the hardest time mapping the Cross button because it's like a default Enter button. Finally, I read that if you simply use the touch screen to select the command you want to map, it will let you press the Cross button and map it.
Sorry if I'm off the mark here. That was just a big revelation when I learned that.
Mozza2k11 said:
Models so far?;
r800i (uk, europe, asia?)
r800a (usa, rogers?)
r800at (usa?, at&t?)
r800x (usa? verizon?)
Z1i (china?)
I think other than r800i, others are mostly locked to phone providers? (unless bought sim free in their native country not sure tbh even the r800i is locked to some carriers i think?) I think r800x & maybe r800a are unable to unlock bootladers dues to restrictions from their carriers? Not sure tbh. I think all people in europe got the r800i? Dont know about differences since i got the r800i only
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey hey hey hey hey!
r800a = CANADA rogers.
thanks.
AriStar said:
hey hey hey hey hey!
r800a = CANADA rogers.
thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol my bad , il change it
Mozza2k11 said:
1. If you havent unlocked the bootloader yourself it will be still be locked. No need to unlock the bootloader to root. Unlocking is only needed if you want to install custom roms.
2. Since you are still running 2.3.2 Build 3.0.A.2.184 gingerbreak will still be able to root your phone. If you update though to 2.3.3, gingerbreak will be unable to root your phone since the exploit gingerbreak uses has been patched.
If you stay on 2.3.2 all you have to do is run gingerbreak http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1044765 follow the instruction in the thread then you can uninstall any of the apps (bloat) on this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1046699 using titainium backup free.
No need to root to remap the O button in emulators. In most the keypad mapping sets O to exit, all you have to do is set exit to another key then O to the key you want.
3. See 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many thanks! I now have a rooted Play, bloatware gone, big smile on my face!!!!
Related
Hi all, I'm quite new to this forum and I hope I dont break any netiquette with my question.
Now I have a N1 I bought on ebay, used, rooted and perfectly functioning.
I don't remember how, but I was able to update it to FRG83D downloading the rom, renaming it, copying on my sdcard etc ...
Now ...
I can't update to FRG83D.
I understood that having a rooted N1 NO OTA UPDATE shall ever work for me, not the manual update is available.
I was able to skip the "no signature verification" error suing clockwork mod, but i can't install the patch anyway, the system alway replies "assert failed: apply_patch_ckeck (" stystem app accountandsyncsetting . apk" ... then a serie of letters and number follows.
I know nothing about this, I must confess, but my suspect is that the update fails because something doesn't match between the update and the ROM which is working on my N1 (which is by the way the original one build frg83d
baseband version
32.36.00.28U_4.06.00.12_7
kernel
2.6.32.9-27240-gbca5320 android-build apa26 #1
Any sugestion ?
I mean and idea about where I can download a FRG83D version suitable for my phone ?
If you just want stock with very little tweaks, may i suggest Geo's Rom. It's basically the latest stock rom w/ superuser, busybox, trackball alert etc. Runs amazing too =)
As for breaking any netiquette, you're suppose to post this in the questions forum not the general. Have fun with your phone.
worked!
Thanks Mokurex!
It worked.
It's unbelievable.
I spent three nights in search of an answer, and then you solved it in few seconds.
I'm new to Android, and I must confess that I'm quite disoriented.
There hare hundred of versions, produced by individuals, companies, etc ... The one I used, I mean the one you suggested me, seems to be the fruit of an individual's work in the US.
It's ok to me, sounds and works good.
But It's not the original one, I mean the one released by ... Google ? or ... what ?
It doesn't matter, but I just want to say that it would be easier for us all, newbies, to have some clear guidelines on this, an online guide for dummies, something or somebody who would explain us the difference between a odexed or deodexed versions, what are the pro and cons of rooting a N1, the fact that rooted phones loose the OTA update (which is very VERY painful for us newbies, etc ...).
I understand that we can rely of forums and on kind people like you, but having some clear cut guidelines would be very useful.
... and looking at the future ... I guess I'll have the same problems when I'll have to update to Gingerbread.
I's very frustrating to search the web for a suitable ROM for your phone ...
stefanopelloni said:
[snip]
But It's not the original one, I mean the one released by ... Google ? or ... what ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it's not the original. That one is deodexed, so any future OTA updates will not work (as Google's stock ROMs and updates and not de-odexed). You will have to wait until someone repacks the update, then apply it.
stefanopelloni said:
[snip]
It doesn't matter, but I just want to say that it would be easier for us all, newbies, to have some clear guidelines on this, an online guide for dummies, something or somebody who would explain us the difference between a odexed or deodexed versions, what are the pro and cons of rooting a N1,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you read the wiki? There are lots of posts/threads/guides available.
stefanopelloni said:
[snip]
the fact that rooted phones loose the OTA update (which is very VERY painful for us newbies, etc ...).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are you trying to say? Phones running a rooted, but otherwise stock ROM will certainly received the OTA updates. Now if you use a non-stock ROM, you may or may not receive the OTA update. But whether you receive it or not, you will not be able to apply it as is, until someone repacks it (unless you are using the stock ROM, rooted or not).
I believe you have to use the stock recovery as well if you wanted to update via OTA.
If you want to get Gingerbread by way of OTA, then revert to stock rom and recovery. Everything you need is in the sticked thread in the development section.
Mokurex said:
I believe you have to use the stock recovery as well if you wanted to update via OTA.
[snip]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you do not. You just need a newer version of Amon_RA (1.9+) or CWM.
Thank you for the correction.
Efrant, Mokurex,
perhaps it's my problem.
My original plan was to restore my phone is a status capable of receiving OTA updates. Considering that I'm not an IT expert it would be easier for me ho have such a phone.
Wandering on the web, I discovered that rooted phones are not eligible for OTA updates.
And most important of all, I'm not eligible to manually update is as well using the patches on the net (signature verification errors ... and many others seen above).
Mokurex helped me a lot (actually, solved my problem by now) suggesting that version of the ROM (I mean Geo's one) but it's the fruit of a work of an individual. I'm very grateful to him as well, but who knows about the future. Will Geo provide a similar version of Gingerbread as well ? Because without him I can't upgrade.
Efrant, got your remark.
I have CWM, latest version, I also bought the premium version (in oder to show to the programmer of it my appreciation) but in my case it just doesn't work.
With it, I can bypass the signature issue, but then I got stuck at assert failed: apply_patch_ckeck (" stystem app accountandsyncsetting . apk
Oh, by the way, I also tried to go back to ERE27 or something like that (unrooted version etc ...) but the mobile just doesn't work at all ...
I understood that the only way to unroot my phone (actually, any phone) and qualify for the OTA is via SDK.
... but I'm afraid it's just a bridge too far for my poor knowledge.
Geo has been quick to update his rom to the newest version. To upgrade to gingerbread, i'd assume that it would be like flashing any other custom rom, but there might be a bit more steps involved.
If you want completely stock, no root whatsoever, go here.
stefanopelloni said:
[snip]
Wandering on the web, I discovered that rooted phones are not eligible for OTA updates.
And most important of all, I'm not eligible to manually update is as well using the patches on the net (signature verification errors ... and many others seen above).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I said it before, and I'll say it again: rooting has no bearing on the phone's ability to receive and install OTA updates -- what matters is which ROM you have. I rooted my phone when I bought it, and it had Eclair on it. I have received EVERY OTA update without any problem.
stefanopelloni said:
[snip]
Efrant, got your remark.
I have CWM, latest version, I also bought the premium version (in oder to show to the programmer of it my appreciation) but in my case it just doesn't work.
With it, I can bypass the signature issue, but then I got stuck at assert failed: apply_patch_ckeck (" stystem app accountandsyncsetting . apk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is probably because you were not using a stock ROM...
stefanopelloni said:
Oh, by the way, I also tried to go back to ERE27 or something like that (unrooted version etc ...) but the mobile just doesn't work at all ...
I understood that the only way to unroot my phone (actually, any phone) and qualify for the OTA is via SDK.
... but I'm afraid it's just a bridge too far for my poor knowledge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want a stock ROM, you can go here: http://developer.htc.com and download a Nexus One image to your sdcard, rename it to PASSIMG.zip and boot the phone into bootloader (by holding the trackball and powering up the phone). It should automatically detect the file and allow you to flash it.
Files from the site are official. If you get them from anywhere else, you can't really know what's been modified.
Dear Efrant,
if you were a girl, and in Italy, I would probably kiss you.
Now I have a bright-clear picture of the situation.
During the next holiday, I'll try and flash a stock version of the OS and then try the OTA update.
By now, the version mokurex suggested me work brilliantly and after so many nights wasted in a desperate search of an answer my myself i'm going to have a break.
... but thanks a lot. thanks indeed !!!
Sorry to disturb you again Eftant.
The fact is that today decided eventually to follow your step, but encountered another unexpected problem.
downolaed the original HTC rom - done
renamed it passimg.zip - done
turned on the N1 pressing trackball - done
expected detection of PASSIMG.zip - done
opening passimg.zip - done
checking passimg.zip - done
and then .. nothing
once the N1 load the passimg.zip file (i notice it from a loading bar on the upper right conder of the phone) it just allow me to
1)run bootloader agan
2) lock sim
3) restore something ...
... and that !
No possibility to "flash" rom as you wrote.
Did I miss anything ?
I see from the web that a lot of people bring back the N1 to the stock image using SDK from PC (MAC in my case) but the steps are not so clear considering the fact that I'm not that comfortable with the shell and the Android SDK is not intuitive (... to me).
Thanks in any case for your attention!
Try wiping your device then download the FRF91 image from the same site, rename it to PASSIMG.zip and save it to the root of your sdcard. Put your sdcard back into your device, and boot into the bootloader (by holding down the trackball as you push the power button). Once it flashes, wait for the OTA to FRG83G. Some users have said that the later images don't work using, particularly if you have updated to the 0.35 version of the bootloader.
Hello,
I'm not new to rooting, but the Xoom scene is very confusing at the moment and I just need somebody to direct me to the proper guides and confirm that I'm not going to blow up my Xoom and/or tear a hole in the space time continuum.
Situation is this: I have a stock UK wifi Xoom and want to get to Android 3.1. I'm not willing to wait until 2013 for Motorola to pull the finger out and give their European customers an update.
SO
Obviously I need to root and apply the update manually.
I'm willing to risk the one-click method (I've seen other UK Xoomers have had some success with it).
Where do I go from there? One-click method says it will install tiamat kernel... but I've read that this isn't compatible with 3.1. So is there a guide that will take me from tiamat to 3.1? Do the update methods replace that kernel anyway? Am I going to go completely f*cking crazy if I have to trawl through another 50+ page thread full of conflicting info? (Yes.)
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Im not an expert at any of this, just a regular user but heres the guide i followed to get my uk wifi xoom updated. Http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1074609
However you need to be aware that this software is the us version and you will ony have access to American English. You will lose all the European languages.
Also you need to be aware that if you unlock your bootloader with "fastboot oem unlock" you can not relock it. Trying will brick your zoom. (Currently)
If you could do a full system dump of your xoom as is with the UK wifi software that would be awesome as currently nobody has uploaded one and im trying to get back to stock and Motorola have only posted the us images
Thanks. I don't mind losing the languages. I'm using SwiftKey so I can just download any language modules I need.
I would certainly be willing to upload that if I had the faintest idea of how to do it! If I can get a step by step guide I can give it a go... and as long as I know I'm not also uploading my personal details and authorisation tokens etc along with the software!
Any particular reason you're going back to stock? Bugs or anything?
Edit: the canadian system image has the full set of languages if that's what you're looking for...
Sorry, didn't have time to wait for a reply, going out in a while.
I did a factory reset and then an adb pull so I've got all the system files etc on my PC. Not quite sure what to do with them, though. They're not in .img format, just in a folder?
Anyway, now rooted and running 3.1. Cheers for the link above.
As I stated in the title. Anyone know how long the wait may be before those of us with unlocked bootloaders and rooted Xplays are able to get this in a ftf or update.zip format to flash manually? I am liking the 720p camera and of course the auto brightness option.
Or if someone knows if its a pain in the ass to create one of the above? I am sure that in order for any of this to happen someone would have to gain root access and then flash a recovery to do a complete backup, then piece it together and or convert it to one of the above formats.
Are you sure 2.3.4 is out for Verizon?
2.3.3 came out like 5 days ago.....
sorry, your right. I meant 2.3.3. By the way, would it be possible to flash a 2.3.4 ROM from the UK and then just flash the CDMA files from Frasertags ROM?
Do we know what the changelog is or the Verizon update? I cannot find it anywhere.....
Also, I now its the wrong thread but if I relock my phones bootloader and relfash stock ROM so I am unrooted, and I flashed the new 2.3.3 ROM, if I wanted to unlock the bootloader then would it be the same key I used to unlock the first time?
jgregoryj1 said:
sorry, your right. I meant 2.3.3. By the way, would it be possible to flash a 2.3.4 ROM from the UK and then just flash the CDMA files from Frasertags ROM?
Do we know what the changelog is or the Verizon update? I cannot find it anywhere.....
Also, I now its the wrong thread but if I relock my phones bootloader and relfash stock ROM so I am unrooted, and I flashed the new 2.3.3 ROM, if I wanted to unlock the bootloader then would it be the same key I used to unlock the first time?
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Click to collapse
Sorry I run my phone stock not sure if any of that will work.
As for the changes, there is no changelog but there is another thread I think in Q&A where everyone has been documenting changes. 720P video recording is not one of them.
The major ones: better autobrightness and a way to disable it and Media Server (awesome feature, stream stuff from your phone wirelessly to any DLNA device).
Thanks Rogue, I found the thread about the changelog stuff..... where people are posting there findings. The 720p is from 2.3.4.
To answer earlier questions: If you re-lock your bootloader you _SHOULD_ be able to safely apply the OTA (or a flash file) and then re-unlock using the same code. However, I would probably try to do it via SEUS instead of the OTA. That way you can have the files ready just in case you need to unbrick and re-do it. There are unbrick from bad OTA threads around in case you booger the thing.
I wonder if somebody who hasn't unlocked could use SEUS (SonyEricsson Updater Service software) and download a copy of the flash and post it up for us. I imagine the Devs would like to have it, as well as the general unlocked community. I saw what looked like a link to a .IMG file over in the dev section that somebody was claiming was the R800x 2.3.3 (the new OTA) but I haven't verified it yet.
Hi, i just ordered an xperia arc s,bafter telling myself ill never buy a non google experience phone due to update issues with non google phones, cos the arc s just looks so nice and distinguished. So now i have a question about how updates work.
As far as i know from experience, updates are carrier based. For example i had a lg optimus before this, and its european version was slightly lagging behind with bug fix updates than my us carrier version, and short of custom rom, there was no way to oficially update the software to eu version.
With the arc s, my phone is unlocked, internstional version, bought off amazon. As far as i can tell its similar to the ones SE sells on its website which arent locked to any specific carrier. How do the updates on these official carrier free sim unlocked phones work? Are they quicker since they are not carrier dependent? Or are they on European schedule since this is an european phone? Im looking forward to ics and hope i get it soon,bso if someone could educate me id appreciate it..
Non carrier phones get it faster than branded ones.
ICS will come in April to Arc (S)
Sent from my iPad 2 using Tapatalk
Flash whatever firmware you wish mate.
First thing I did was erase the branded fw and flash a generic fw.
Sent from my Arc via transwarp beacon.
Lord Takyon said:
Flash whatever firmware you wish mate.
First thing I did was erase the branded fw and flash a generic fw.
Sent from my Arc via transwarp beacon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive read guide upon guide of flashing different firmware, but for the life of me just can never figure it out. So for now im staying away fromm it. I actually think sonys android skin is pretty nice. Once sony leaves behind the device from updates then sure ill flash a different firmware, for now though the convenience of ota uodates, which are available for official firmwares but not for hacked ones, is too much to give up.
There's nothing wrong with the se skin, I prefer modded stock roms to miui/cm7. The branding is from the carrier, but if yours is a generic rom then there shouldn't be much to remove. Mines was sim-free but there are still delays to updates region-wise, which is why I unlocked my bootloader. Flashing roms is pretty straightforward once you have flashtool/fastboot/cwm.
sinkster©
zanky said:
Ive read guide upon guide of flashing different firmware, but for the life of me just can never figure it out. So for now im staying away fromm it. I actually think sonys android skin is pretty nice. Once sony leaves behind the device from updates then sure ill flash a different firmware, for now though the convenience of ota uodates, which are available for official firmwares but not for hacked ones, is too much to give up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use flashtool, it is really simple. Just go slow the first time so you don't make any errors.
Sent from my Arc via transwarp beacon.
So i just received my phone in canada (Lt18i), the international version, since im not using it in canada, its a gift for someone in europe. The box was sealed when i got it, and it said for sale in france, and it has a bunch of crap installed apps like canal+, warnervod, etc. does this mean this is specific to some carrier and thu would have carrier dependent updates? I was really hoping since it unlocked i wouldnt have all this junk on it. Itmdoesnt have any references though to any carrier in the documentation, neither does it have any carrier specific apps i can see. The version on it is 0.42 and it says no updates available. I did read about some 0.62 version out there.
So i have a few questions off topic:
- can i remove the crapware without rooting my phone? I tried es explorer but it tells me uninstll not successful for those apps.
- i did a factory reset the first time, and now the default pictures thwt came with it to show off the beautiful screen are also gone. I found the default ringtones and notificwtion by searching but have not found the default pics. Anybody got a source as to where to find these?
- if i want to stick with the sony software and sony updates, what is the downside of rooting my phone just to delete those bad apps? I read somewhere i lose ota update absility? True? Also can i root, delete the apps, and then unroot?
- what is the difference between simply rooting the device, and unlocking the bootloader, i thought they were both the same
Thanks
zanky said:
...
So i have a few questions off topic:
- can i remove the crapware without rooting my phone? I tried es explorer but it tells me uninstll not successful for those apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No.
zanky said:
- i did a factory reset the first time, and now the default pictures thwt came with it to show off the beautiful screen are also gone. I found the default ringtones and notificwtion by searching but have not found the default pics. Anybody got a source as to where to find these?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If someone doesn't have them zipped already, I can probably find them on my phone and upload them.
zanky said:
- if i want to stick with the sony software and sony updates, what is the downside of rooting my phone just to delete those bad apps? I read somewhere i lose ota update absility? True? Also can i root, delete the apps, and then unroot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do NOT lose OTA update abilities as long as you don't modify any system apps/files. e.g. notifications bar, battery indicator, etc.
Updates are based on whatever firmware you have on the phone.
e.g. I flashed my Rogers arc to a generic USA firmware. It typically gets updated 2-3 weeks before Rogers since they have to do their customization to it. Similarly, users will flash an international firmware or another region's if that region has released an update.
You can flash ANY firmware onto ANY arc and still get 3G in its coverage zone. (All firmwares contain BOTH software radios: i, a. However, HARDWARE is fixed: "a" radio, "i" radio and will ONLY get 3G in their respective coverage zones.)
That is, you can flash an "i" firmware onto an "a" phone and still get 3G in an "a" zone.
However, this does NOT work in reverse. You CANNOT flash an "i" firmware to get "i" 3G in an "i" zone on an "a" phone.
zanky said:
- what is the difference between simply rooting the device, and unlocking the bootloader, i thought they were both the same
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting = deeper access to the software on the phone. Does NOT allow you to load recoveries like ClockWorkMod or load non-Sony firmwares.
Bootloader unlocking (either paid or free) allows custom firmwares, overclocking, etc.
Flashing a (generic) firmware is quick and painless:
Backing up your current firmware:
Rooting:
Bootloader unlock process & FAQs:
You have no idea how helpful your info and those videos have been!! I think im actually going to attempt the generic rom thing especially because it says i dont even need to be rooted. And the vidos make it ridiculously easy to do it. After half a dozen guides this demystifies the whole process.
So just to confirm, if i update to a generic other rom, ill still be able to get ota updates based on that region? In your opinion which rom is the best for an lt18i? And by best i mean the one i can expect quickest updates on and with least amount of bloatware, cos i doubt there are or differences in them.European, north american. Or global generic?
Btw im on firmware 0.62 anything special i need to consider before attempting this?
This page has links to firmware for lt18i but no global. And the uk version is older. Should i just flash The uk version even though its older and then ota update?
Regarding the stock photos, would be awesome if you could zip and upload to your mediafire page, maybe other people can find them useful too.
P.s. your donate button is broken paypal says theres an issue with your email address.
BluechipJ said:
Updates are based on whatever firmware you have on the phone.
e.g. I flashed my Rogers arc to a generic USA firmware. It typically gets updated 2-3 weeks before Rogers since they have to do their customization to it. Similarly, users will flash an international firmware or another region's if that region has released an update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ifna bump is acceptable, bump.
zanky said:
You have no idea how helpful your info and those videos have been!! I think im actually going to attempt the generic rom thing especially because it says i dont even need to be rooted. And the vidos make it ridiculously easy to do it. After half a dozen guides this demystifies the whole process.
So just to confirm, if i update to a generic other rom, ill still be able to get ota updates based on that region? In your opinion which rom is the best for an lt18i? And by best i mean the one i can expect quickest updates on and with least amount of bloatware, cos i doubt there are or differences in them.European, north american. Or global generic?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Typically, Nordic gets updates first because Ericsson is Swedish. (From past observations, it typically goes Nordic, German, Hong Kong, UK, Asia, North America.)
zanky said:
Btw im on firmware 0.62 anything special i need to consider before attempting this?
This page has links to firmware for lt18i but no global. And the uk version is older. Should i just flash The uk version even though its older and then ota update?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. There isn't anything you need to "do". If you're concerned about data, use a backup program such as Sony's original Backup & Restore that came with the X10 (still works). (http://jp1.ca/androidstuff)
This link should have the latest "i" version: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1330314
zanky said:
Regarding the stock photos, would be awesome if you could zip and upload to your mediafire page, maybe other people can find them useful too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which folder(s) are you looking for?
zanky said:
P.s. your donate button is broken paypal says theres an issue with your email address.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I'll update it!
The link you sent me only has a generic world for lt18i. This other thread i read though said that there is no such thing as generic world, and its just called that but its always for some region of the other. (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1210776&page=3)
Not sure how accurate that is but i dont see the nordic one on the link you sent me anyway
Also another thread said that there will always be 8-9 bloatware apps on any firmware such as canal+, warner vod, etc. is this true or false?
Lastly, say i find an older version of the nordic flash file, can i just flash that instead of the 0.62 and then just get an ota update? I didnt see france on your list of status of updates, any idea where that is?
As for pictures, not sure what folder but i believe there were some stock pics that came with the phone to show off the home screen photo widget. If you dont know what im talking about dont worry about it.
BluechipJ said:
Typically, Nordic gets updates first because Ericsson is Swedish. (From past observations, it typically goes Nordic, German, Hong Kong, UK, Asia, North America.)
Nope. There isn't anything you need to "do". If you're concerned about data, use a backup program such as Sony's original Backup & Restore that came with the X10 (still works). (http://jp1.ca/androidstuff)
This link should have the latest "i" version: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1330314
Which folder(s) are you looking for?
Thanks. I'll update it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
zanky said:
The link you sent me only has a generic world for lt18i. This other thread i read though said that there is no such thing as generic world, and its just called that but its always for some region of the other. (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1210776&page=3)
Not sure how accurate that is but i dont see the nordic one on the link you sent me anyway
Also another thread said that there will always be 8-9 bloatware apps on any firmware such as canal+, warner vod, etc. is this true or false?
Lastly, say i find an older version of the nordic flash file, can i just flash that instead of the 0.62 and then just get an ota update? I didnt see france on your list of status of updates, any idea where that is?
As for pictures, not sure what folder but i believe there were some stock pics that came with the phone to show off the home screen photo widget. If you dont know what im talking about dont worry about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi! I was on the same situation as you when I got my device as this was my 1st ever android device and I was also curious about firmware regions. So I tested each and every firmware region I could get on .42 and all I can say is there's not much difference on all of them.
1. is of all the regions there each firmware differs only by so called bloatwares.
2. there are only 2 major differences of all the regions. Asia region contains Chinese keyboard, Japanese Keyboard & international keyboard but no arabic support. While non-Asia regions only has International Keyboard included + arabic support.
That's pretty much about it. All others softwares are similar like baseband version, branding, kernel version, applications, themes, etc.
I was happy because I bought a US997 , but then when I was following the tutorial to unlock the bootloader I found that is a weird unespected Z version (which I still don't know what it means or what it is this version)
Well, I want to flash with my pc the stock room again (just to have a clean restart, because I bought it used) it have the 11A but I saw that the 16A is up, the questions are
Can I flash the 16A? How? Where can I download the clean image, etc?
Use the search function...
basicreece said:
Use the search function...
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Click to collapse
Oh wow, it would be amazing if I hadn't used it before made this post.
I can't find anything about the "Z" version of the US997.
Clearly haven't used it correctly then. Also life hack, Google is your friend.
From what I have found, you can't unlock the bootloader on the Z version:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g6/help/us997-model-bootloader-unlock-supported-t3668594
Where did this phone come from originally? Is it US Cellular?