Hi all,
I just ordered the A2017 from aliexpress.
I have a question : once it arrives, are there any advantages of flashing the US or EU firmware as opposed to staying with Chinese firmware?
Also, I searched and found many threads that say the Chinese version doesn't have capacitive buttons, but the seller claims the phone does have them (it's the 128GB 4GB RAM version) so which one is the right answer?
Thanks a lot.
The 4gb ram 128gb rom has the buttons like the 64gb model. They don't light up.
Also, before flashing any other version of firmware, you MUST unlock your bootloader...
Thanks for letting me know
Yeah thanks, but what are the advantages of flashing another firmware?
None as far as I know, the Chinese version, aside from having Chinese apps included and no google looks to be fairly stable.
The European verion seems to have a few limitations due toregulations there - the most annoying I've seen is the earphone volume limit - and the US seems to have some translation errors (odd they aren't in the Chinese rom) but is the easiest to unlock bootloader and has some developement for.
Ultimately, if you cn unlock your bootloader, make sure you keep a copy of your boot image and recovery in case of problems, you can go to what you want.
Mixing boot images and recovery images is a bad idea however as it seems to cause issues with WIFI and could cause other problems too...
Chinese update
Excuse if I bump this. Bought a mobile in China with data below. Works like a charm, WiFi and GSM is as Galaxy 6. Sound is very good. Camera could be better, especially in dark environment. When I try to update, I get the message that it is already up to date. Are there no more updates for the Chinese version?
Version is zte A2017CTJMV1.0.0BM1
Yes, I have B13...
Go to this thread - http://forum.xda-developers.com/axon-7/development/axon-7-chinese-stock-roms-t3436817
Update to B11 by putting update.zip on sd card. You will probably loose the ability to boot after this so BACKUP everything you want to keep onto an sd card from internal memory.
Update, if you get a message after it restarts asking for a password you'll need to format data (Again, BACKUP 1ST) . Do this in recovery.
You should then be able to update to B13 through update in settings.
Now, you will need to, after 1st reboot, go to ZTE marke and enter "Google Installer". Install gmail, play store and Google Play services.
After installing all these items, find Mi-Assisstant in your apps. Select Auto-run. Tick the above installed google apps . Log into Gmail, it will say you need to update play services. It won't be able to do it for about an hour. Keep trying then you're back to the latest stock rom...
I believe the rom has been altered if it came with Play store and google installed, thats why you can't update...
So I've been using the S8 US Unlocked Model G950U1 for a few weeks and no issues with Samsung Pay. Last night I noticed that the Samsung Pay Framework updated from 2.7.55 to 2.7.76.
Then when I opened up the Samsung Pay app (2.7.13) it says to update and then closes, but can't find an update. So I went to APK Mirror and install version 2.7.15. When I open it, it also says to update app, shows it downloading 36MB, but then says the update is not available.
Nothing I've tried works, fully uninstalling Samsung Pay, and I try to remove Samsung Pay Framework (or uninstall the update) but says it can't be uninstalled.
After trying several Samsung Pay apk files on APK Mirror, the only one that now works is version 2.8.20. I was able to re-add my Visa, but the Rewards info is gone and the layout is completely different.
Still would like to get it back to the way it was, without having to do a full factory reset.
I think the initial problem was from when Samsung Pay Framework updated from 2.7.55 to 2.7.76.
Was at a store tonight that I've used S Pay before without problem, but with the S Pay 2.8.20 and Framework 2.7.76 it would not work.
So somehow have to find a way back to the other versions (like I said, I think the issue is with the Framework).
Still would like to do with without a factory reset...but if that's what it takes...
I've got Axon 7 A2017 128GB*4GB from banggood.com. It came with Play Store and ZTE Theme app loaded and it was able to play Daydream games.
After hoping that I'll get a higher version, I have installed V2.0.0B13 full EDL package... Now the phone is:
1- showing as 64GB
2- Play Store is gone (I can sideload though)
3- Daydream apps say that the phone is not compatible.
Is there any chance I can restore it to the state it arrived in? This was supposed to be a gift to someone, now it's a mess and doesn't even do Daydream.
I have searched all over the forum and I almost bricked the device yesterday. Any help is appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
summerf said:
I've got Axon 7 A2017 128GB*4GB from banggood.com. It came with Play Store and ZTE Theme app loaded and it was able to play Daydream games.
After hoping that I'll get a higher version, I have installed V2.0.0B13 full EDL package... Now the phone is:
1- showing as 64GB
2- Play Store is gone (I can sideload though)
3- Daydream apps say that the phone is not compatible.
Is there any chance I can restore it to the state it arrived in? This was supposed to be a gift to someone, now it's a mess and doesn't even do Daydream.
I have searched all over the forum and I almost bricked the device yesterday. Any help is appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1_ I don't know but I've seen some other users have this issue too.(search forums)
2_Play Store is not pre-installed on the Chinese ROM and the seller must've done some extra things to get it pre-installed (mine was the same), so it's normal you should install it manually.
3_this B13(MiFavor5) ROM has a lot of issues and one of them is daydream doesn't work so it's ROM's issue and should be solved by future updates.
You can rollback to Marshmallow with a rollback package. Unless you have a backup of your previous ROM, you can't restore it.
Hi. Been waiting a while to post this, and playing around based on what I see, but I the last change I made to my phone hasn't worked out too well and I don't think I have enough of a grip on the process. I am an ex-computer 3rd level tech support so I have reasonable skills around computers etc.
I bought an Axon 7 (A2017G) in Germany but it got flooded one day when it went down the toilet pan, literally. So I replaced it with a 128 Gb model from China, not really thinking about the software versions. Of course it came with A2017, and more importantly, no ability got OTA upgrades from Android 6.
So recently I've been having some battery life issues so I've changed the battery.
Following guides here, I've managed to get it onto a newer A2017 version and it has taken an OTA upgrade to Android 7. The build number is B13. The boot loader is still unlocked. But it's not very stable and Google Play service has now stopped, and I can't be doing with the unreliability. And tbh although it worked, I can't remember exactly which guide or what steps I followed to do it.
So I want to put it onto a stock G version, which I think seems to be possible, based on stuff I've read here. I don't think I need root going forwards (once this is done) and I'm looking for the simplest method. Unfortunately, due to the length of time it's been live, this forum really is information-overload and I've been reading for two days now and made loads of notes but I'm not really very clear about what I need to do.
I'm quite happy to find and read the right guides but would be really grateful if someone could take a few minutes to just tell me exactly which bits are essential to be upgraded and what steps I do need to follow. If I am confused I can come back with any queries.
I'd be happy to root the phone if it's felt that is a really useful thing but I'm not really a "power user" and I'm OK with standard.
Also I'm assuming any upgrade would receive any future Android releases OTA (if there are any for this phone), but if not that's not too vital.
Thanks in advance...
Geoff
But regarding your situation: You have an A2017 with A2017G firmware, right? Can you tell us your firmware version?
Would you be fine with Chinese firmware (MiFavor 5.2, B17) or prefer stock+ (G B01/B02, U B12)?
Thanks for the quick response, really appreciated.
The firmware is still A2017 version AFAIK, but I don't know where to check. If I go to the boot loader screen it says ZTE/P996A03_N/ailsa_ii and on the next line 7.1.1/NMF26V/20170912.013327
I'm thinking I'd do the change from A2017 to A2017G to get round the annoying junk which came with the Chinese version, and also avoid the Google Play Services problem I came across. It may not be do-able but I thought I'd read it was.
I guess in addition to telling me the steps, telling me exactly which file versions to use would help a lot. I promise to keep notes!
I don't mind which firmware, so long as it works reliably and so long as I can preferably put a G version on it.
of course it's doable, the thing is that you'll need to unlock the bootloader in order to.
If you had trouble with Play Services then it's most probably on chinese firmware, finding out would be as easy as going to Settings, then About phone
The boot loader is still unlocked from when I managed to do the previous upgrade. That took me quite some hours, and it was more by luck than judgement that I got a result. This time I want to better understand what I'm doing.
Not sure what I'm looking at for the firmware, isn't it the versions I quoted above? But the menus (mostly) are in Chinese at start up, and I had to load Google Play and Play Services from the ZTEYR store so I'm pretty sure it is on Chinese firmware.
So if it is, do I just need to upgrade the firmware then the ROM (is that the terminology?). If so which versions would I use?
Ta
Geoff
EDIT I missed the kernel version - which is 3.18.31
OK so I've spent more time reading. I'm coming to the conclusion that I don't need TWRP and I don't need to update my Chinese bootloader, does that sound about right?
Is it right that all I need to do is
- find a G firmware zip file <<< may have incorrect terminology here, would appreciate a pointer to a valid download as I have many but not sure they are the right type of file
- put it on an SD card named as update.zip
- boot into recovery mode
- choose "apply update from SD card"
And, assuming I have used a stock version, will it then update to the latest version (hopefully Oreo) once it's started?
Do I need to do any formats or wipes anywhere in the process? I already have a backup of my stuff, done with AXON7Toolkit.
And can you recommend a version of firmware to go to, or does it not really matter as it'll update itself anyway?
UPDATE: MiFavor UI is v5.0
OK, so there is no real short easy answer to this.
I've used the updates from ZTE since I've had the phone until I soft bricked it.
Zte offer updates similar to this.
Eg: B06 to B08 or B08 to B09 and B09 to B12
The update has to be done in stages.
Some updates you can copy to the internal SD card then go settings > system > update, your phone should detect the updates and tap install.
Some Zip files can be done the same way after changing the file name to update.zip or Ota.zip depending on the instructions.
Some zip files have the update within the Zip so it needs to be extracted.
Make sure you have the correct version software and correct version for your phone.
After the update is done all the data etc will be still in place unless you reset your phone.
All I can say is research, research, research.
Btw if your bootloader is unlocked some updates will fail.
I hope this helps
PS: you can use the method you described as well, just follow the instructions carefully.
In most cases there is no need to wipe or format unless you are using a custom ROM etc.
Excellent, thanks.
Going back a post or two - I re-installed Google Play services but still have problems. Before a reboot it appears in the list of apps, and Play opens, but the sidebar comes straight in and behind there is a message "Error while retrieving information from server [RH-01]" . After a reboot it is no longer in the list of Apps (even when expanded to include System apps), and Play just opens and closes real quick.
So I found a thread which led me look in Settings in Play Store at the Play Protect Certification, which says the device is not certified. So I downloaded the related app and ran it, which gave me a code which I put in web page then entered the stuff into my phone but still no joy. I suspect this is causing the Play problem and I think it'd be due to trying to use Google product on a Chinese firmware (again I'm not sure my terminology is right - I mean whatever the software is which throws up the initial boot screen).
So I think I need to get off the Chinese firmware at the same time as going to a G version, and I'm even less clear on how to replace the firmware than the rest of the process - what files and how it's done.
Going back to the more recent post (Syberclone), as I have already wiped my phone I'm not concerned about keeping data. I understand about doing this is steps - I hadn't thought of doing it that way but it seems very sensible.
I found a post by Raystef66 with loads of links to software - including A2017X_B15_Universal_Bootloader.zip. Does this replace the Chinese firmware and would it work with all zipfiles? How would I apply it? (I was using Axon7ToolKit the other day and that looks quite impressive).
I am still confused over the different types of files and the naming conventions but it's slowly making more sense. Appreciate all advice.
Thanks
Geoff
Personally I use Edl packages much easier imo.
I use Miflash or Edl tool by @djkuz
I have a bad flash help page that explains the process.
The bootstacks etc are mainly for custom ROMs, if you are just looking a factory firmware, Edl's are much easier to install without worrying about bootstacks, twrp etc.
My last Edl update was from Nougat (Chinese Rom)
To Oreo A2017G I had to factory reset after the install though.
Thatnks. Today I've done a fwe more hours reading, literally. This is taking all my time!!
Anyway I decided to follow your advice and found a full EDL of Oreo, which I applied. (ZTE_A2017V3.0.0B17) and the phone is still working, and I've not lost my apps.
However I still have the problem that Play Services won't run. I've upgraded it, followed a few troubleshooting guides, used different versions ( - should I be using the 64 bit one??) but still no joy. If I could only get that going I'd stick with the Chinese firmware. It is looking to me like it can't sync, though whether that's a cause or an outcome I'm not sure. Not unexpectedly, a number of apps will not run as a result.
I haven't done a factory reset yet, I thought I'd ask here first to see if that is likely to fix it or whether anyone has any better ideas.
Despite the time this is taking I'm enjoying learning and am grateful to you all for the responses.
The play store link "device not certified" will happen when you change a ROM from its original.
So I have an A2017G, when I run any other ROM it will show "device not certified" because the link between the phone and the software isnt in sync.
When I was running the beta Oreo from the Chinese my device always had this issue and NFC does not either usually.
There is a play store app version which will work as it should however the certified is still a problem without a work around.
When I installed the G version Oreo to my device the certification is back.
I'm miss some of the Chinese ROM animations tho.
Anyway I hope this helps
I am using an A2017 ROM on an A2017. I've not changed anything else. Maybe I need to update the boot stuff (firmware?).
What I'm seeing is that Play Services always needs to be manually enabled, and seems to drop out and require re-installation sometimes. So I have an apk on my internal memory for quick access.
I'm not sure that the "device not certified" is a cause or effect really.
So I have an apk on my internal memory for quick access. It's the latest non-beta 64bit version for Android 8 - should I try a specific one, e.g. is there likely to be a specific one which matches the ROM? (An older non 64 bit one seemed to give much the same problem)
I'd put up with the problem except I can't run some Google stuff at all (Play Store for instance), and some other stuff is compromised (e.g. I can't get into Waze on my usual ID, I'm guessing Play Services plays a part in authorizing). And I can't install some stuff I'd like.
And I'd still be interested to know which bits require upgrade to go to a G version, if it is do-able and would run trouble free.
There was a play store app that worked on most ROMs.
You are on Oreo now yes?
There was a link on one of the Android pie ROMs that I used, it worked fine.
If you are still having issues you can use an app called Yalp that works like the play store.
I've used it on custom ROMs when the play store app refuses to work.
Yes, Oreo now.
I've put YALP on and that looks pretty good. I now seem to have most things working, and those that aren't I can probably live without.
I use a network tool called FING which reports my phone details, and I think it's incorrect but it's saying in one place it's a A2017U which I don't think is right. But now I am more comfortable with EDL and stuff I'm going to continue to fix this properly but the urgency is now not there. I was thinking if I couldn't fix this I might have to buy a new phone on black Friday!! So thanks for your help.
I'm still not really quite sure why I get Chinese characters at start up and what files I need to change to out a G firmware on, if that is what is wrong, and if it's do-able. I think if I knew how to do that then I could put on a G firmware and matching ROM and I'd be in business!!
The same page offered me F-DROID which seems to offer a whole load of different free apps. Maybe they don't have ads? Anyway I'll have a look.
Anyway, again - thanks!!
Geoff
Geoff I'm glad I could help
I was running the Chinese Oreo on my phone and after selecting English in setting some parts of the ROM were still in Chinese, even some notifications.
I converted to the A2017G Oreo update when it was released.
I miss some of the features in the Chinese ROM tho.
So... without wishing to prolong this... your phone was Chinese (as mine was) and you are now running a Global version and all you upgraded was the ROM? And are you able to use the Play Store and you don't have any issues running apps I - and can you run, say, Google Maps?). Is your bootloader still unlocked and if so is the menu at boot time still in Chinese?
Or have you upgraded something other than the ROM?
I actually have an Axon 7 A2017G here in Australia.
I soft bricked it when I accidentally made a mistake flashing a ROM.
I searched for a suitable stock firmware but I could only flash the Chinese Oreo Beta. It had to be modified to run on my device until the Oreo package for my A2017G had been uploaded.
I've now running the proper software for this phone.
Thanks.
Another couple of hours and I have made a Major breakthrough! I went back over all my notes and checked what i'd done and one thing I hadn't remembered doing was setting the Pay Store to Autorun. So using the Mi-Assistant I have done this, and most of the stuff which wasn't working now is. I am still working on why OK Google won't work, but the list of things I might have to live without is now quite short!! The one major benefit is that my battery life seems to be greatly increased. Boot time is also much quicker which is a bonus but not critical.
Nice, yes battery life is improved, actually the Chinese Oreo Beta has a better battery life than my current Oreo.
I could get up to 4 days out of the Chinese ROM, my current ROM can manage just over 3 days at best.
I have battery saver mode on but not ultra battery saver.
I hope this has been a good learning experience for you?
"I hope this has been a good learning experience for you?"
For sure it has. Back in the days when I was 3rd level computer techie, the best learning came from other experts and from being thrown in the deep end, rather than what they taught you in the classroom!
I'm a user who really loves these apps - however they are not available in my region and when I download download them I am told "Google Pay is updating at the moment, so you won't be able to access the app." Is there any way at all to fix this? I can install any apps needed, as long as they don't need root.
You can use a foreign VPN or change the CSC on your phone to launch the app without this message, but the payment itself will still remain an issue.
Sorry I'm new to this. What would changing my CSC do? I have the UK BTU one. And how would I do it?
Also which apps are the one which the VPN needs to change? I'm using Orbot.
Note that if you're rooted Google Wallet may detect it and stop you from using it: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/discussion-google-pay-magisk-discussion-thread.3906703
aricooperdavis said:
Note that if you're rooted Google Wallet may detect it and stop you from using it: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/discussion-google-pay-magisk-discussion-thread.3906703
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not rooted, it used to work until I updated it.
I have a non-rooted Galaxy S20+, Germany (DBT) CSC and it's stuck in Google Pay is updating.
Tried clearing data/cache and uninstalling/reinstalling Google Play Services and Google Pay.
Have had this issue for months and I ignored it, but now that Google Wallet is a thing I wanted to try it but no luck.
Any ideas?
try this:
1) unlock bootloader
2) fastboot erase cust
3) relock bootloader
see if it works that way after setup.
P.S.
You must enter a pin code during setup for google pay to show up.
Hi guys,
I am posting here in hopes that my solution will help you also!
I have a stock Mate 20 Pro and a few days ago after a factory reset I,ve encountered the "Google Pay is updating at the moment, so you won't be able to access the app." error.
I am from Romania and here GPay transformed onto GWallet. But never the less the error is the same. I've tried all solutions found on the Internet but none worked( clear cache for G play services and G play store, uninstal and reinstall GWallet app, install older versions of GPay and GWallet, even formatted the phone once more). Nothing worked.
The solution that worked for me and there is no reference of it over the net:
1. Find/install on the phone the proprrietary wallet app. Eg: For Huawei - Huawei Wallet, for Samsung - Samsung wallet/Samsung Pay.
2. Open it and give permissions to everything that is asking for. Go until adding a card if it lets you but do not add it.
3. Close the app.
4. Open Google Wallet / Google Pay depending on the country you're in.
5. Enjoy once again GPay!
Hope this will help!