Related
I know there threads that cover some of my questions, but I want to make sure I have everything squared away before I go down path.
I currently have a Verizon Galaxy S4 with 4.4.2. It is rooted and has the MDK boot loader. I want to upgrade to 4.5 and use Magisk (mainly so my son can keep playing Pokemon). I am under the impression that to run Magisk I need a non rooted version of 4.5. Am I correct in this impression? Would a stock 4.5 that is Deodexed work with Magisk? Once I find one I can just flash with TWRP and then install magisk correct?
I have 3 main concerns
Don't want to lose the unlocked bootloader.
Don't want to have to wipe the phone.
Want to make sure I can still remove the OTA update app.
jed.padilla said:
I know there threads that cover some of my questions, but I want to make sure I have everything squared away before I go down path.
I currently have a Verizon Galaxy S4 with 4.4.2. It is rooted and has the MDK boot loader. I want to upgrade to 4.5 and use Magisk (mainly so my son can keep playing Pokemon). I am under the impression that to run Magisk I need a non rooted version of 4.5. Am I correct in this impression? Would a stock 4.5 that is Deodexed work with Magisk? Once I find one I can just flash with TWRP and then install magisk correct?
I have 3 main concerns
Don't want to lose the unlocked bootloader.
Don't want to have to wipe the phone.
Want to make sure I can still remove the OTA update app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, first of all, there is no android 4.5 as far as I know.
There is 4.4 and then it jumps to 5.0.
Second, your device does not have an unlocked bootloader. Verizon phones pretty much all have a locked bootloader, and no way to unlock them.
Updating to the latest Android might make rooting impossible.
And since your bootloader is locked, Magisk won't work.
GDReaper said:
Well, first of all, there is no android 4.5 as far as I know.
There is 4.4 and then it jumps to 5.0.
Second, your device does not have an unlocked bootloader. Verizon phones pretty much all have a locked bootloader, and no way to unlock them.
Updating to the latest Android might make rooting impossible.
And since your bootloader is locked, Magisk won't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was under the impression that MDK was the only unlocked bootloader Verizon ever had. It was only on the first round of phones.
jed.padilla said:
I was under the impression that MDK was the only unlocked bootloader Verizon ever had. It was only on the first round of phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure it is locked. It's just easier exploitable.
But I may be wrong.
Edit: Apparently only the Developer Edition has the unlocked bootloader. The MDK is locked.
GDReaper said:
I'm pretty sure it is locked. It's just easier exploitable.
But I may be wrong.
Edit: Apparently only the Developer Edition has the unlocked bootloader. The MDK is locked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So at this point my options are update the phone to something else with no root so I can continue to play.
Leave my phone rooted and no longer play.
jed.padilla said:
So at this point my options are update the phone to something else with no root so I can continue to play.
Leave my phone rooted and no longer play.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There was a way to "hide root", other than Magisk.
But it's a real pain. You'd have to go into recovery and type some terminal commands each time you want to hide root, and then go back into recovery and undo everything once you want to get root back.
GDReaper said:
There was a way to "hide root", other than Magisk.
But it's a real pain. You'd have to go into recovery and type some terminal commands each time you want to hide root, and then go back into recovery and undo everything once you want to get root back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that is a big fat meh then. Thanks for the help.
Hi, I am a total noob to all of this. I had LineageOS (took me roughly 10 hours to install) and decided I wanted to use Daydream, so I somehow was able to get back to stock and upgraded OTA to Nougat. Now I want to lock the bootloader as some apps (Android Pay, Netflix, etc.) will not work/download offically with an unlocked bootloader. I've read about using the 'fastboot oem lock' command, however, fastboot is not working for me. When I try to boot to bootloader the phone just boots into the system.
Before when I unlocked I had to roll back to Marshmallow as the guide I was following said it was not possible to install LineageOS from Nougat. Do I basically follow those instructions again and when I get to the unlock part I lock it instead? Or is it possible to do this from Nougat without having to rollback? Any help is greatly appreciated.
jazzytones said:
Hi, I am a total noob to all of this. I had LineageOS (took me roughly 10 hours to install) and decided I wanted to use Daydream, so I somehow was able to get back to stock and upgraded OTA to Nougat. Now I want to lock the bootloader as some apps (Android Pay, Netflix, etc.) will not work/download offically with an unlocked bootloader. I've read about using the 'fastboot oem lock' command, however, fastboot is not working for me. When I try to boot to bootloader the phone just boots into the system.
Before when I unlocked I had to roll back to Marshmallow as the guide I was following said it was not possible to install LineageOS from Nougat. Do I basically follow those instructions again and when I get to the unlock part I lock it instead? Or is it possible to do this from Nougat without having to rollback? Any help is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you search for a guide? I've seen a bunch over the last month, and surely at least one is for the A2017U
Also, you should know that relocking the bootloader is a very dangerous thing to do. I've seen a bunch of bricks because of this. If you can, avoid locking the bootloader.
Netflix is not really a problem. You can just download the APK and install it, it's not "extra-official". Android Pay is another matter though. Does it detect if the bootloader is unlocked? are you sure you're just not passing safetynet because of root?
Choose an username... said:
Did you search for a guide? I've seen a bunch over the last month, and surely at least one is for the A2017U
Also, you should know that relocking the bootloader is a very dangerous thing to do. I've seen a bunch of bricks because of this. If you can, avoid locking the bootloader.
Netflix is not really a problem. You can just download the APK and install it, it's not "extra-official". Android Pay is another matter though. Does it detect if the bootloader is unlocked? are you sure you're just not passing safetynet because of root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no guide for A2017U on Nougat B25 for locking the bootloader. I've seen tons of people do it successfully on various forums in other scenarios (on A2017G or on a different build). I'd really like to use Android Pay but I guess I will avoid locking unless I need to warranty the phone since there is some risk (but in all my life I've never had to warranty a smartphone). But even if bricked, can I use EDL to restore the phone?
Android Pay is detecting the bootloader is unlocked, yes, because I do not have root. Same with Netflix, my device is 'incompatible' on the Play Store due to unlocked bootloader. I sideloaded Netflix but ideally I'd have it through the Play Store for auto updates. Netflix updates the app every couple days.
jazzytones said:
There is no guide for A2017U on Nougat B25 for locking the bootloader. I've seen tons of people do it successfully on various forums in other scenarios (on A2017G or on a different build). I'd really like to use Android Pay but I guess I will avoid locking unless I need to warranty the phone since there is some risk (but in all my life I've never had to warranty a smartphone). But even if bricked, can I use EDL to restore the phone?
Android Pay is detecting the bootloader is unlocked, yes, because I do not have root. Same with Netflix, my device is 'incompatible' on the Play Store due to unlocked bootloader. I sideloaded Netflix but ideally I'd have it through the Play Store for auto updates. Netflix updates the app every couple days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can only restore stuff through EDL if your brick is not of the ultimate, send-to-ZTE type. If you end up having a DFU brick (I'm not 100% sure if it happens on U models, but it sure does on Gs and chineses) you would have to send it to ZTE and claim that you don't know why it doesn't work, or pay a fee for them to fix it if you tip them off about what you did. Or get your hands dirty (or rather clean) and tear apart the device then get to EDL via test pads. I had to do that...
Also I don't believe that Netflix updates are critical. See, I tried a bunch of custom ROMs , and to avoid having to browse and download every app I got my apps' APKs from /data/app. So essentially I've been using a nearly one month old Netflix. And it works just like it did back then
Bump I'm in the same boat, I need to relock my BL and am on B25. Can this be done without downgrading?
adriangb said:
Bump I'm in the same boat, I need to relock my BL and am on B25. Can this be done without downgrading?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you can flash an A2017U_FASTBOOT_UNLOCK_EDL through MiFlash and get fastboot, search a bit for that
Hey guys.
Really sorry for having to post this again :/
Tried posting my issue in this thread but I think that thread's gone cold.
----
I have a Moto G5 Plus US, Model XT1687
Current ROM Info:
Software channel: retus
Build #: NPN 25.137-33
Security patch: Jan, 1 2017
Baseband: M8953_02.03.07.06R POTTER_NA_CUST
On a whim, unlocked the bootloader. Now id like to lock it back.
I haven't updated my phone / installed any OTA's, phone keeps asking to update to NPNS25.137-33-5, haven't done it.
Does this procedure work for me?
Which ROM should I use?
Id like to relock the bootloader and receive OTA updates as normal on my US variant phone!
Many thanks!
I'm pretty sure Motorola hasn't released stock firmware for the retus version.
Cats_PJs said:
I'm pretty sure Motorola hasn't released stock firmware for the retus version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, there's no way for me to relock my bootloader unless motorola releases it?
Can't I use another firmware that's available here at XDA?
What would you do?
Not update OTA and wait for motorola to release the firmware, or should just leave it unlocked?
Thanks
seed_87 said:
So, there's no way for me to relock my bootloader unless motorola releases it?
Can't I use another firmware that's available here at XDA?
What would you do?
Not update OTA and wait for motorola to release the firmware, or should just leave it unlocked?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think there's a way to relock the retus version, but maybe I'm wrong.
As far as what I would do. I always run a custom ROM, so I'd flash twrp, make a backup and try a few roms..
seed_87 said:
So, there's no way for me to relock my bootloader unless motorola releases it?
Can't I use another firmware that's available here at XDA?
What would you do?
Not update OTA and wait for motorola to release the firmware, or should just leave it unlocked?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To relock the phone, you must flash a complete factory image that is the same or newer than what you have installed... Only way, not that it gains much except the ability to pass SafetyNet checks on pure stock, which you can do with some root magic anyway, but the bootloader will change to a state of 2 (Relocked), your warranty will still be void, and you will still get the bootloader unlocked warning screen (unless you flash a custom logo).
Cats_PJs said:
I don't think there's a way to relock the retus version, but maybe I'm wrong.
As far as what I would do. I always run a custom ROM, so I'd flash twrp, make a backup and try a few roms..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I originally wanted to just root the stock ROM and install a couple of things like: Adaway, some Xposed modules (Like the Youtube ad remover one), WiFi ADB (which requires root, allows one to wirelessly debug apks)
acejavelin said:
To relock the phone, you must flash a complete factory image that is the same or newer than what you have installed... Only way, not that it gains much except the ability to pass SafetyNet checks on pure stock, which you can do with some root magic anyway, but the bootloader will change to a state of 2 (Relocked), your warranty will still be void, and you will still get the bootloader unlocked warning screen (unless you flash a custom logo).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow relocking the BL sounds really useless once you realize what you're getting from it. I really don't care much for SafetyNet as (this model has no NFC). I don't use Android Pay either.
Honestly, I unlocked the BL but finally didn't root mainly because I read some issues when rooting. Please see this post
Thanks for the enlightenment!
seed_87 said:
Well, I originally wanted to just root the stock ROM and install a couple of things like: Adaway, some Xposed modules (Like the Youtube ad remover one), WiFi ADB (which requires root, allows one to wirelessly debug apks)
Wow relocking the BL sounds really useless once you realize what you're getting from it. I really don't care much for SafetyNet as (this model has no NFC). I don't use Android Pay either.
Honestly, I unlocked the BL but finally didn't root mainly because I read some issues when rooting. Please see this post
Thanks for the enlightenment!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you do decide to root, I would suggest using magisk instead of SuperSU. I switched a few months ago, and it works perfectly
Safetynet isn't just for nfc, other companies and apps have used it in their software as well ie: Snapchat, and Pokemon go are 2 I can think off the bat.
Installing and/or rooting with magisk is fairly easy and painless, and it will have superSU which will give you root.
How to:
Must have twrp recovery, or some other custom recovery, although these days I would recommend twrp, as it works and is more widely used than say cm recovery is, since cm project was taken over by lineage now. Anyways, flash a custom recovery and use it. (note: I haven't used cm recovery or any other recovery in years, so I do not know it this works with antyhing else, aside from twrp, which I know it works fine with). There are also tutorials all over xda on how to install/flash twrp, as well as youtube videos if you prefer that better.
Go grab magisk.zip, (do a google search or look on xda, it's all over the place just do a search for like magisk zip, you'll find it).
The latest as of right now I think is 14.0 and you will also (if I recall correctly) need magisk manager, (and just like the zip file you can do a quick search it's also all over the place).
Once you have that, reboot into recovery, then flash the magisk.zip file, and reboot, it should give you magisk manager app in your app drawer and you should be rooted. (Note: You may need to update magisk manager.)
To check root grab an app called root checker on the plays store. (it's free)
It's that easy.
Short summary:
1: Install custom recovery (if you haven't already)
2: Boot to recovery, flash magisk.zip
3: reboot to system, and profit from root + safetynet hide.
Quick and painless root method.
I do all my rooting now this way, in fact I recently re-flashed my nexus 5x rom and instead of flashing superSU I flashed the magisk way instead, and it cover 2 things,
1: gives you root
2: it hides root from safetynet and lets you use nfc, pokemon go, snapchat, and other apps that use safetynet as well.
Cats_PJs said:
If you do decide to root, I would suggest using magisk instead of SuperSU. I switched a few months ago, and it works perfectly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, wow, I had the (wrong) idea that the SuperSU method was the better one and superseeded magisk. If that works great then awesome I will root using magisk, thanks @Cats_PJs !
easyrider77 said:
Safetynet isn't just for nfc, other companies and apps have used it in their software as well ie: Snapchat, and Pokemon go are 2 I can think off the bat.
Installing and/or rooting with magisk is fairly easy and painless, and it will have superSU which will give you root.
How to:
Must have twrp recovery, or some other custom recovery, although these days I would recommend twrp, as it works and is more widely used than say cm recovery is, since cm project was taken over by lineage now. Anyways, flash a custom recovery and use it. (note: I haven't used cm recovery or any other recovery in years, so I do not know it this works with antyhing else, aside from twrp, which I know it works fine with). There are also tutorials all over xda on how to install/flash twrp, as well as youtube videos if you prefer that better.
Go grab magisk.zip, (do a google search or look on xda, it's all over the place just do a search for like magisk zip, you'll find it).
The latest as of right now I think is 14.0 and you will also (if I recall correctly) need magisk manager, (and just like the zip file you can do a quick search it's also all over the place).
Once you have that, reboot into recovery, then flash the magisk.zip file, and reboot, it should give you magisk manager app in your app drawer and you should be rooted. (Note: You may need to update magisk manager.)
To check root grab an app called root checker on the plays store. (it's free)
It's that easy.
Short summary:
1: Install custom recovery (if you haven't already)
2: Boot to recovery, flash magisk.zip
3: reboot to system, and profit from root + safetynet hide.
Quick and painless root method.
I do all my rooting now this way, in fact I recently re-flashed my nexus 5x rom and instead of flashing superSU I flashed the magisk way instead, and it cover 2 things,
1: gives you root
2: it hides root from safetynet and lets you use nfc, pokemon go, snapchat, and other apps that use safetynet as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome explanation @easyrider77 I will definitely try to root using magisk. Thanks for the warning, don't play Pokemon go and haven't used Snapchat in years so i'm good! I'll try flashing the latest Magisk (v14.0)
One thing tho:
I think I want to (for now anyways) stay stock-ish (stock rom + stock kernel + twrp + magisk).
If I understand it correctly, flashing a custom recovery renders the phone unable to get OTA's (Not that I'd want to apply an OTA update on a modified rooted phone and risk a brick anyways) So, how would one eventually update Android? (Keeping in mind that Motorola hasn't released any retus firmware) Can I flash other non-retus firmwares? (Which wouldn't flash over twrp I think, I would then just loose root and have to flash magisk again, right?)
Thanks a ton guys :good::good::good:
EDIT:
Short xda search pointed me to this official TWRP link, will follow fastboot method to install TWRP.
I'm not sure what exactly stops ota from coming in. I've heard unlocking the bootloader is what causes it, and I've also heard that flashing a custom recovery is what causes it, and I've also heard a custom rom is what does it.
There are options as far as ota goes though, and work the same way, but you'd jsut have to wait. People release flashable ota files all the time, and can be flashed via twrp.
If you want to keep stock, and root that's fine too, but I personally wouldn't worry much about the ota issue at all, because eventually every phone will not get ota as it will lose support, but you can still get the latest and greatest up to date rom with it's features.
Prime examples would be:
Oneplus One,
Oneplus 3
some of the samsung devices like s4
These are just a few, and although they don't receive support officially, they are sporting the brand new android 8 oreo.
Even the samsung s4 has N for it and it came out in 2013 (that's near 5 yrs ago now) and started on Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) and said it was upgradable to 5.0.1 (Lollipop), and now here we are running android 7.1.x.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-tmobile/development
(not sure if there were any unlocked variants of that phone at the time as it wasn't a common thing like it is now, that's why I chose the tmobile thread but there are other variants that get it as well)
So when it comes to ota, I personally would not an do not worry about that when I root, that's the last of my worries.
I prefer functionality and customization over ota myself, because most times someone comes out with either an official link to an ota or makes an flashable ota you can flash via twrp, although my semi-educated guess would be if you decide to install the official/stock ota, then it will erase everything you have anyways which can be a pain.
DO keep in mind once you unlock the bootloader, it "officially" voids any warranty and moto does have the option to refuse service if anything goes wrong with the phone, but I have heard some people had no issues and moto took the phone back even when rooted, but that is something you would have to make a choice and live with IF you decided to unlock the bootloader, as there is no way to undo that process.
I have re-locked the bootloader on a moto phone so yes it CAN be re-locked, but........it still gets triggered and moto will know that it's been unlocked even if you re-lock it, because that part is irreversible and cannot be undone, aside from you locking and unlocking it on your side.
As for flashing firmware and all that, make DOUBLY sure you know your phones model number and/or codename, this is key in flashing most anything you do with your phone, because even though a phone may have multiple variants, ie: tmobile, sprint, at&t versions, and even European versions, and the phones are identical in EVERY way hardware wise, you can't just simply pick a rom of choice and use it, it's a matter of knowing what your phones info is.
Example: you cannot take a t-mobile phone rom and flash it's official firmware or it's roms, and updates on a at&t variant, or a metroPCS on a tmobile variant, even though they use the same network, and are the exact same phone and hardware, there are subtle differences and can most likely brick the phone, either hard or soft.
So if I had the US variant of the g5 plus that would be codenamed the same "potter" like the rest, but, the number is different which is XT1687, so I would use that number as my reference, as apposed to the potter name, because there are 3 other variants of that phone which are Amazon Edition and the consumer cellular and of corse the European variants as well, I'm not exactly sure what numbers go with what phones other than the US unlocked variant, but on a quick look the other numbers are XT1684 and XT1685, perhaps someone else with more experience than I have can tell you what those number match up with said phone.
As far as the US variant goes though, I do not want to take a rom or firmware meant for the XT1684 XT1685 and use it on the XT1687 US variant, as it will most likely have bad results, ie: brick of some sort.
That's the main thing you have to worry about, other than that, there isn't much worry. Just do some major research and goggling and read and re-read and read again the directions on the threads at xda as most generally all of them are pretty simple to follow, if you do it step by step.
I recently bought an lg k20 plus phone from metroPCS, have never rooted that phone before and came to xda and followed the rooting thread and rooted it the first time. In a matter of 30 mins I had full root with stock rom (since there are no roms for that phone as of yet) but it is a metroPCS variant, (mp260) and in the case above, this phone is also sold by tmobile, is the exact same phones specs hardware, etc....I could not use the tmobile rom or firmware on this phone.
Hope this helps clear it up some.
Update:
I just bought a 64gb storage/4gb ram US variant of the g5 plus. It brought back some older memories of when I had my other moto, X I think it was, not sure anymore, but I DO remember you can unlock the bootloader as well as re-lock it, but, do keep in mind it still triggers something internally that can't be reveresed, so if moto did decide to check into things, they can tell if it's been bootloader unlocked.
So while you can unlock and lock the bootloader on our side, moto can still tell it's been unlocked, even when re-locked. Just hope if you send it back in they just don't check it and even if they do, hope they don't bother sending it back saying your warranty is void sorry.
Thanks @easyrider77
I used to install custom ROMs on my older phones. Recently though, stock android has gotten pretty good so maybe when this phone loses support I'll try some ROMs. Out of curiosity, what ROM/hacks/kernel do you use?
So, how does this sound:
- Install the OTA my phone's been prompting me to update to (upgrading from NPN25.137-33 to NPNS25.137-33-5 and I think it will then try to update to NPN25.137-83 with an August 1 security patch)
- Install TWRP via fastboot, make a nandroid backup!
- Root with Magisk v14.0
- Looking into maybe changing the boot.img "Your device is not trustworthy" thing
- Adaway! Xposed! Other goodies yay!
- Any other recommendations?
PS: Can Magisk root every firmware released by Motorola for the Moto G5+?
I've used it on my nexus 5x, and a lg k20 plus phone to root. I'm not sure if it has any limits when it comes to phones, but to my knowledge it should work fine.
Be careful with the boot.img file, if its not the correct size it will brick the phone too.
easyrider77 said:
I've used it on my nexus 5x, and a lg k20 plus phone to root. I'm not sure if it has any limits when it comes to phones, but to my knowledge it should work fine.
Be careful with the boot.img file, if its not the correct size it will brick the phone too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WIll do, many thanks for all your help guys!
@easyrider77 @Cats_PJs @acejavelin
:good::good::good:
Every rom I've tried on this phone works well, with only minor bugs. Right now I'm using the Pixel ROM. Elemental x is my kernel of choice because it's stable and has a sound option to increase volume. I use Kernel Adiutor for settings. The viper magisk module by ahrion works great, and ad away is a must. Good luck
Cats_PJs said:
Every rom I've tried on this phone works well, with only minor bugs. Right now I'm using the Pixel ROM. Elemental x is my kernel of choice because it's stable and has a sound option to increase volume. I use Kernel Adiutor for settings. The viper magisk module by ahrion works great, and ad away is a must. Good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice to hear cat.
I'm holding off on rooting just yet, although the temptation is really really great and pulling at me right now ina bad way . I just want to make doubly sure the phone isn't going to have issues, and hardware glitches. Anytime you mass produce a product, inevitably there will always be a bad batch(s) so I am just watching and waiting patiently on stock non-root (yes I said non-root LOL) but it's not as bad of an experience as I thought it would be.
I have to give this phone props, this phone is simply great. I bought the 64gb storage/4gb ram US variant, and have been nothing but happy with it, even on stock.
Camera isn't exactly your top tier phone camera but it certainly stands out as one of the not bad at all cameras. I see many saying the camera sucks, well if your zooming in and expect to get a good picture, good luck with that, simply put as I read in an article, two things 1: just don't use zoom, it's a digital zoom as apposed to an optical zoom, and simply will give you fuzzy and blurry pics a alot 2: if your after a good picture taking experience, for crimeny sake, buy a dang camera, these are phones people, NOT cameras. If they were meant for that, photographers around the world would be using phones, but guess what, news flash, they are using things called "cameras" wow what a concept LOL.
Anyways, if you just use very little zoom (I'd say 1.5 - 2.0x at most) but mostly just get closer to the subject or item you are takeing pics of, you'll have a much more pleasant experience with picture taking, trust me.
Ok of my soap box and tangent, sorry .
I will eventually root this bad boy, as I cannot resist the urge. For now I am just making sure the phone has no hiccups or glitches hardware wise, so glad to know roms are working well.
I did have a question about the sound though. I see people saying low sound volume with this phone, and I personally do not see (or hear in this case) the problems. I watched a few youtube videos last night and honestly I had to turn it down some because it was plenty loud, at least from this side.
Does the sound get lower with roms? (in wich case I can use viper) but I'm just curious.
easyrider77 said:
Nice to hear cat.
I'm holding off on rooting just yet, although the temptation is really really great and pulling at me right now ina bad way . I just want to make doubly sure the phone isn't going to have issues, and hardware glitches. Anytime you mass produce a product, inevitably there will always be a bad batch(s) so I am just watching and waiting patiently on stock non-root (yes I said non-root LOL) but it's not as bad of an experience as I thought it would be.
I have to give this phone props, this phone is simply great. I bought the 64gb storage/4gb ram US variant, and have been nothing but happy with it, even on stock.
Camera isn't exactly your top tier phone camera but it certainly stands out as one of the not bad at all cameras. I see many saying the camera sucks, well if your zooming in and expect to get a good picture, good luck with that, simply put as I read in an article, two things 1: just don't use zoom, it's a digital zoom as apposed to an optical zoom, and simply will give you fuzzy and blurry pics a alot 2: if your after a good picture taking experience, for crimeny sake, buy a dang camera, these are phones people, NOT cameras. If they were meant for that, photographers around the world would be using phones, but guess what, news flash, they are using things called "cameras" wow what a concept LOL.
Anyways, if you just use very little zoom (I'd say 1.5 - 2.0x at most) but mostly just get closer to the subject or item you are takeing pics of, you'll have a much more pleasant experience with picture taking, trust me.
Ok of my soap box and tangent, sorry .
I will eventually root this bad boy, as I cannot resist the urge. For now I am just making sure the phone has no hiccups or glitches hardware wise, so glad to know roms are working well.
I did have a question about the sound though. I see people saying low sound volume with this phone, and I personally do not see (or hear in this case) the problems. I watched a few youtube videos last night and honestly I had to turn it down some because it was plenty loud, at least from this side.
Does the sound get lower with roms? (in wich case I can use viper) but I'm just curious.
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I really don't have a problem with the sound volume, except when I plug it into my truck. If there's a good song on, and I really want to crank it up, I run out of volume, so I usually turn up the headphone gain in the kernel settings by 3.
I haven't noticed variance between ROM volumes on this phone, but I know on my old note 3 there was definitely fairly large variance between ROMs.
I'm expecting delivery of 2 V20s in the next couple of days. These are "refurbs" of the VS995 variety. These are advertised from the seller as "unlocked." I will be using these on Verizon (or MVNO).
I did some basic research before I bought and I was pretty sure I saw info on rooting this model and the ability to do custom ROMS on an unlocked, but I am a little concerned.
I have 3 main questions:
1) I see there is both a VS995 and a US996. I'm having a hard time finding info on the differences spelled out exactly - but it appears that the VS995 is locked to verizon and US996 is unlocked for all GSM. Is this correct? If so, wouldn't an "unlocked" VS995 be equivalent to a US996? If not, what would be different.
2) I want to do a comprehensive check on these phones before I start tinkering to make sure everything works. My last HTC phone had a hidden diagnostics menu which would test everything (battery, compass, gps, sensors, buttons, etc, etc...). I would like to know if the V20 has something similar? Also I want to know what the "problem areas" of V20s are. Things I should check out to make sure they aren't wonky.
3) I need to know if I can root this phone. I've seen a couple methods but I'm not sure now if they apply to my model and if they still work and/or if they are safe (relatively speaking). I definitely need root and would also like to load custom recovery so I can do alternate ROMS, thought I probably will run with stock for a while to get used to it. I would like to upgrade to latest official ROM (for the newest features), but don't want to do any upgrades if it will ruin my chances to root/unlock/etc. What do I need to check on the phone and what is the method I should follow (links are fine for this).
I recently bought a refurb VS995 because I like my original VS995 so much and I am thinking that shortly after the Oreo upgrade comes out, any refurb might come with Oreo and may or may not be easily rootable. (and it is looking very unlikely any phone in the future will come with replaceable batteries) That said, mine came with 15A and I was easily able to roll back to 12A with the 'hacked' LGUP tool and then root it and flash the at-the-time current AlphaRom (now discontinued) without issue. AFAIK *all* current VS995 ROMs can be rolled back to 12A (rootable), up to the latest 1BA. This may or may not change soon (some versions of the V20 CANNOT be rolled back after they take specific updates) The SuperV20 ROM is running the almost up to date version 1AA (with hints of an update coming soon) so you'd be up to date with a close to stock ROM. I will say the rooting process on the V20 is a bit more convoluted than most other phones, which leads to the issue that the rooting threads are nearly incomprehensible anymore-- too many people not following directions, not reading, and complaining about tons of "normal" issues-- static screen (normal after rooting with stock kernel, once the phone boots up fully cover the proximity sensor until the 2nd screen blanks out and then the static will go away-- replace the stock kernel with the mk2000 kernel to fix), phone vibrates on boot after charging (no fix, but will stop the first time it's made to vibrate after booting). I would stay stick to the original rooting thread and READ CAREFULLY. I had issues trying to follow some of the "updated"/new threads where I had issues trying to get the phone to boot properly.
That said, if you do hit a roadblock, DON'T PANIC. The V20 is more resilient than you might think and you can almost always get it back from soft bricking with the LGUP tool (I had to reflash mine 2 or 3 times before I finally got root to stick with the ORIGINAL DirtySanta thread). Basically, the process is flash it back to 12A, use DirtySanta, **boot it once or twice after getting root via DS** (first reboo.t may take a while, with a static screen and vibrating phone, let it sit 10-15 minutes before panicking as it's rebuilding the app cache), then get into TWRP, do a factory reset, flash the new ROM and BTTF kernel, then it should work.
The VS995 has a more limited LTE band selection than the US996. While it can sort of work with other carriers (you'll have to search for instructions/compatibility), the US996 will provide a better experience.
Keep in mind, each version of the phone is SLIGHTLY different, so MAKE SURE you're always using VS995 builds of ROMs/kernerls/recoveries. Apparently you can use US996 ROMs as well but I've never bothered. (you gain a few things, you lose a few things [like wifi calling I think], do your research) Trying to use anything other than VS995 or US996 roms is asking for trouble/limited functionality/soft bricking.
I haven't really used my refurb all that much but it seems mostly fine. The only glitch I see is that the battery seems to drain faster than my original V20 but that might have more to do with the battery condition-- I need to get around to swapping batteries between the phones to see what happens. Given everything else is fine I am very hesitant to return it under warranty. I don't know if there is a way to run a self-test, I would hope there is..!
Good luck, the phone is amazing once you get it tamed...
Links:
Downgrade: the VS995 "all in one" thread has a good video for this. That said I think I had to piece together a working LGUP from a few threads since you need a tweaked DLL file. https://forum.xda-developers.com/v20/how-to/lgv20-vs995-verizon-aio-post-06-19-2017-t3624326 (when I tried to follow the root directions in that link I had issues and had to re-flash 12A and start over, YMMV)
DirtySanta: https://forum.xda-developers.com/v20/development/ls997vs995h910-dirtysanta-bootloader-t3519410
Once you get a working TWRP from DirtySanta, update it to this one: https://forum.xda-developers.com/v20/development/recovery-twrp-3-2-1-0-t3720239
SuperV20 ROM: https://forum.xda-developers.com/v20/development/rom-superv20-h918-t3764390
mk2000 kernel (I'd use the "back to the future" version of the kernel to start): https://forum.xda-developers.com/v20/development/h918-h910-us996-ucl-mk2000-kernel-t3708330
Buzzy42 said:
Good luck, the phone is amazing once you get it tamed...
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thanks.
Been doing research for the past hour or two and am getting a little bit of a better handle. I've seen the downgrade tutorial and looks solid.
I'm not worried about "convoluted" and the phone seems pretty brick proof so I'm good there.
Just to confirm - if I want root I need to go no later than 13A firmware? My understanding is "firmware" in context of this phone is ROM+Kernel rolled into one.
So if I want root, I can't be on the latest stock ROM (18A), right? Looks like features are all the same - although I do like having the latest security updates, but I guess I will need to forgo those for root?
One other thing I'm looking at is that I prefer to root with Magisk. I've seen a couple threads dealing with this and they recommend to use the "reStock" kernel. My understanding is that you would flash the "reStock" after reverting to the 13A firmware. What I'm trying to understand is if the kernel can be separated from the ROM, could one not flash 18A and then the reStock kernel (which is based on 10b)?
Also, still really interested in the answer to my 2nd question in OP regarding accessing diagnostics for the phone and any problem hardware/screen/etc issues to look out for before I accept this "refurb" as golden.
Yeah, the phone is mostly brickproof and most issues you run into can be solved. If all else fails, just re-roll it back to 12Ain download mode (pull battery, hold down volume, plug in USB cord which will make the phone boot into download mode) and start over. I've seen very little signs of anyone TRULY bricking a V20 who wasn't really trying. (I.e., doing major hacking on it or totally throwing caution to the wind and flashing something they shouldn't have flashed)
You have to downgrade to 12A or 13A to root the phone and get TWRP properly installed the first time, but then you can flash any ROM/recovery you want, so you don't need to worry as much about security patches (just find a ROM that's as up to date as possible). There was AlphaRom up to 1AA which works great (and what both of my V20s are on), Super V20 is being updated but apparently has known issues on the VS995 that the developer has issued a patch for... you might want to skim the various ROM threads to know what works for you. My V20s are both using Magisk.
You can flash kernels and ROMs separately. Some ROMs have a kernel baked in-- I usually boot them once or twice and then re-flash the kernel if I want to. Some ROMs need a kernel flashed separately during the install process. So yeah, you could install an 18A based ROM and then the reStock kernel. (some ROM/kernel combinations work better than others, but you'll have to figure out what you want as some kernels do more than others-- specifically look for KCAL color adjustments, as you can slightly tweak the colors on the screen to help with the screen retention issue the phone has)
The kernel versions and ROM versions are different. I don't fully understand it myself either but AFAIK kernels based on 10b are the latest for the VS995. ROMs based on 1BA would be the latest (they're using hex numbers, so releases go 11A, 12A, 13A.... up to 1AA, 1BA). Some variations of the V20 seem to have more versions of the kernels than the 995 does.
Buzzy42 said:
...
You have to downgrade to 12A or 13A to root the phone and get TWRP properly installed the first time, but then you can flash any ROM/recovery you want, so you don't need to worry as much about security patches (just find a ROM that's as up to date as possible). There was AlphaRom up to 1AA which works great (and what both of my V20s are on), Super V20 is being updated but apparently has known issues on the VS995 that the developer has issued a patch for... you might want to skim the various ROM threads to know what works for you. My V20s are both using Magisk....
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Thanks. I'm wanting to run stock for a while (with Root though) so I can get a feel for how everything is "supposed" to work.
I'm not sure if I will find benefit in the "Second screen", but if I do I would like to find a ROM that supports it.
I've been running latest LineageOS on my HTC M8 for a while now and wouldn't mind sticking with it. However I would like to find some ROMS that are still being actively developed. Honestly I plan to have this phone for at least 2 years so the most up to date stuff I can find now will hopefully future proof me a little from that angle.
TraderJack said:
Thanks. I'm wanting to run stock for a while (with Root though) so I can get a feel for how everything is "supposed" to work.
I'm not sure if I will find benefit in the "Second screen", but if I do I would like to find a ROM that supports it.
I've been running latest LineageOS on my HTC M8 for a while now and wouldn't mind sticking with it. However I would like to find some ROMS that are still being actively developed. Honestly I plan to have this phone for at least 2 years so the most up to date stuff I can find now will hopefully future proof me a little from that angle.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, totally understand not wanting to jump in to custom ROMs right away, especially if you're testing a refurbed phone. Flashable truly stock ROMs have been a weakness of the V20, but I think a version of 17A was floating around if you want something a bit newer than the 12A/13A that are rootable. Someone else might be able to help with that. Sadly there isn't a lot of development-- there have been big bursts of activity, then a lot of silence-- which mostly mirrors LG's seeming abandonment of the phone. You should still be able to flash other kernels (restock, mk2000, etc) over whichever rom you run, though. Be careful not to take any official OTA updates because the rooting process installs a debug-bootloader (someone got a hold of an engineering sample of the phone and dumped that phone's bootloader which is what allowed us all to get rooted with an unlocked bootloader) that gets wiped out and leaves the phone in a weird state.
The second screen is really useful once you look at it as a very powerful LED notification light. It takes a while to get used to but I don't know if would want to use a phone without it (or some sort of always-on feature) now. Unfortunately the Lineage ROMs lose a lot of the cooler functionality of this phone due to it having some many weird non-standard functions, but for some people that's not as big of a deal as staying current, so it's whatever your priority is. I am really hoping once the phone gets Oreo (which seems to be "real soon now"..) that we'll still be able to upgrade to it and use that as a base for a while, but keep root/etc..
Buzzy42 said:
...My V20s are both using Magisk....
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Is there a special process to use Magisk instead of SuperSU? My search found some convoluted answers which "required" the reStock kernel to get it working.
I don't know if Magisk has been updated to make it easier...but is there any instructions/link you can forward on how to get rooted with Magisk after I do the 13A downgrade?
Also, it would appear that everything up to 1BA does *not* have anti rollback enabled (ARB=0). Is this correct?
I was told on reddit that you can only root firmware where ARB=0, but clearly this is not the case if you can't root anything past 13A.
Do you have any idea what specifically is the block as to why we can't root past 13A?
thanks
TraderJack said:
Is there a special process to use Magisk instead of SuperSU? My search found some convoluted answers which "required" the reStock kernel to get it working.
I don't know if Magisk has been updated to make it easier...but is there any instructions/link you can forward on how to get rooted with Magisk after I do the 13A downgrade?
Also, it would appear that everything up to 1BA does *not* have anti rollback enabled (ARB=0). Is this correct?
I was told on reddit that you can only root firmware where ARB=0, but clearly this is not the case if you can't root anything past 13A.
Do you have any idea what specifically is the block as to why we can't root past 13A?
thanks
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I'm trying to remember what I did for Magisk. There wasn't anything particularly special. That said, I switched to Magisk when I re-flashed the phone (so I flashed the rom/kernel/Magisk together, in that order I think), I didn't try to just swap between SuperSU and Magisk on a running ROM. Once you get TWRP going you *should* be ok to just remove SuperSU and then reboot into TWRP and flash Magisk. I am on the mk2000 kernel with Magisk so you definitely don't need to be on Restock.
I am not sure if it is possible to do the rooting process without SuperSu and using Magisk instead, if that's what you're asking. I think it'd be safest to use SuperSu and then switch it out later once you're sure you're rooted in the first place.
As for the rollback, there are a few different issues here.
12A/13A have the Android vulnerability which allows DirtySanta to work to root the phone. This was patched after 13A, so DirtySanta can't run and you can't root the phone on a later version of the firmware. If you run anything later than 13A you can't start the rooting process (but you can upgrade your rooted phone past 13A using TWRP to flash an appropriate ROM, but not through the OTA process)
ARB (anti-rollback) prevents you from rolling back to a previous version of the firmware. It has nothing to do with rootable/non-rootable. But it prevents the phone from going back to a rootable firmware on SOME V20s. So far, no firmware on the VS995 has enabled this, so you are safe rolling back to 12A and trying to root with any firmware currently available up to 1BA (definitely 1AA but I have read a few comments that 1BA is still safe). On SOME other models of the V20, ARB *has* been set, which prevents you from rolling back to a previous version of the firmware with ARB=0 (if you try to roll back on a phone with ARB=1 you get an unrecoverable brick.)
So if tomorrow Verizon released a hypothetical update with ARB=1 and you updated, you could no longer roll back to 12A or 13A to root your phone, and you'd be stuck without root unless someone developed a new workaround.
Does that make more sense? Keep in mind that with all of the different versions of the V20, what is appropriate (or even relevant) for one model may not apply at all to another. Thankfully the VS995 still is pretty hackable at this moment. This could all change at any time.
Buzzy42 said:
...12A/13A have the Android vulnerability which allows DirtySanta to work to root the phone. This was patched after 13A, so DirtySanta can't run and you can't root the phone on a later version of the firmware. If you run anything later than 13A you can't start the rooting process (but you can upgrade your rooted phone past 13A using TWRP to flash an appropriate ROM, but not through the OTA process)...
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Hold on.. So are you saying I can flash 13A, then root with Magisk, then upgrade the ROM itself to 18B to get all the latest patches?
If so, I haven't seen any instructions yet for doing that method, but that would be ideal for me for starters until I want to mess around with custom ROMS and Kernels.
TraderJack said:
Hold on.. So are you saying I can flash 13A, then root with Magisk, then upgrade the ROM itself to 18B to get all the latest patches?
If so, I haven't seen any instructions yet for doing that method, but that would be ideal for me for starters until I want to mess around with custom ROMS and Kernels.
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Not quite that simple-- you have to downgrade to 13A if you're not already there when you get the phone.
When you run the DirtySanta rooting process, when it's done, you will end up with a rooted 13A with TWRP and SuperSu. I believe it will have the debug kernel which has a lot of issues, but you can flash any kernel you want at this point (like ReStock to get rid of the static screen you'll see at every boot). That way you'll have a 99% stock (except the ReStock kernel tweaks), rooted, 13A phone.
You can now flash any ROM you want in TWRP. If you want to stay truly stock, I'm not sure what is out there that is flashable, beyond I vaguely remember there was a 17A flashable. You do need to use a repackaged update in TWRP no matter what you want to update to, if you try to just take whatever OTA update the phone offers you (the "software update available" notification pops up and asks you to install while you're using it), you'll lose root and have to do everything over again. This is where you will most likely not be able to get to a truly stock 1BA unless it's floating around.
If I were you, I'd roll it back to 13A, get it rooted (with Supersu), flash the Restock kernel, disable updates (use Titanium Backup to freeze "FOTA Update 7.0") and stay there for a while for testing. If you want to try to switch to Magisk, remove SuperSu and flash Magisk through TWRP. The phone's functionality hasn't changed much/at all. When you're more comfortable, move forward to a ROM based on 1BA.
When you flash a new ROM most will include a kernel or ask you to flash a kernel along with it.
Basically, any updating you do has to go through TWRP. After you get root initially, though, it's really straightforward.
TraderJack said:
I'm expecting delivery of 2 V20s in the next couple of days. These are "refurbs" of the VS995 variety. These are advertised from the seller as "unlocked." I will be using these on Verizon (or MVNO).
I did some basic research before I bought and I was pretty sure I saw info on rooting this model and the ability to do custom ROMS on an unlocked, but I am a little concerned.
I have 3 main questions:
1) I see there is both a VS995 and a US996. I'm having a hard time finding info on the differences spelled out exactly - but it appears that the VS995 is locked to verizon and US996 is unlocked for all GSM. Is this correct? If so, wouldn't an "unlocked" VS995 be equivalent to a US996? If not, what would be different.
2) I want to do a comprehensive check on these phones before I start tinkering to make sure everything works. My last HTC phone had a hidden diagnostics menu which would test everything (battery, compass, gps, sensors, buttons, etc, etc...). I would like to know if the V20 has something similar? Also I want to know what the "problem areas" of V20s are. Things I should check out to make sure they aren't wonky.
3) I need to know if I can root this phone. I've seen a couple methods but I'm not sure now if they apply to my model and if they still work and/or if they are safe (relatively speaking). I definitely need root and would also like to load custom recovery so I can do alternate ROMS, thought I probably will run with stock for a while to get used to it. I would like to upgrade to latest official ROM (for the newest features), but don't want to do any upgrades if it will ruin my chances to root/unlock/etc. What do I need to check on the phone and what is the method I should follow (links are fine for this).
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I found your thread her and on Reddit and was hoping you have found an answer to the hardware check feature you were looking for. I am having radio off issues with my V20 and was hoping to have the phone run a hardware check. It seems that someone posted the code "##22378" to do this but this does nothing for my older sprint v20 and my Verizon model has the MOBO back in a bag of rice. Is this only code?
redsphinx said:
I found your thread her and on Reddit and was hoping you have found an answer to the hardware check feature you were looking for. I am having radio off issues with my V20 and was hoping to have the phone run a hardware check. It seems that someone posted the code "##22378" to do this but this does nothing for my older sprint v20 and my Verizon model has the MOBO back in a bag of rice. Is this only code?
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Click to collapse
I had a Verizon V20 (VS995) and these are all the codes I found (from my notes):
Hardware Diagnostics
To run in-built hardware diagnostics use the following phone code:
##228378
Select Device Test > SAAT
Other Diagnostic Menus
##DEBUG
##PROGRAM
##PROGRAM995
##FEATURE
** Service codes for all above should be "000000" **
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I'm pretty sure the ##228378 code was the one that brought up a pretty comprehensive hardware test menu. But, as you know each vendor does their own and this very possibly doesn't work on non-Verizon models. Sorry that's all I got!
EDIT 3: It appears this device has a locked bootloader, which means that twrp wont work, and that device tree was a waste of time... I guess I'll just wait until someone or Samsung releases the firmware for Magisk.
EDIT 2: I have successfully built a device tree for this device using TWRPBuilder's script on github. Although it might not be fully complete, it is still a start. Note: I built using an android 8 release. Does the boardconfig.mk file still work for android 9????
I plan on comparing it with a different device tree to make sure nothing is blatantly wrong with it, but I'm not a developer so I don't know if that will help.
(Anyone willing to help me? If I could efficiently navigate the linux CLI I would probably be much faster...)
My current plan is to build TWRP for this device to back up the ROM so that I can use Magisk.
https://github.com/TwrpBuilder/twrpbuilder_tree_generator/blob/master/README.md
Link to device tree builder for those interested. Dont even ask how long it took me to realize I had to add the commands to the end of the java executive instead of typing TWRPBuilder -r recovery.img. command.
-------
EDIT: To those that read, Samsung has restrictions against downgrading apparently. Currently, the only way for root is by waiting for someone to share the official stock ROM. The first half of this method about getting the firmware Does Not Work I don't know about the rest...
-----
Hello everyone,
I would first like to say that I think this is a working method, but I want to double check with someone who has rooted before.
I have the above mentioned phone, and after a ton of research, have determined a path to rooting it through Magisk. I'm currently running Android Pie 9, on the latest stock firmware from att.
This phone does not have A/B partitioning, but has system-as-root and it will require a copy (and Magisk patched) ROM to root.
One of the main problems I have is not having the latest firmware for my device. (Don't tell me to look it up. Its non-existent on the web) I have found that Samsung's Smart Switch will allow you to obtain the official ROM.
However, to download the ROM, I have to have an outdated phone. The most recent update for my phone was to upgrade from Android 8.0 to 9.0.
I assume such an upgrade requires the whole ROM to be downloaded.
Is it possible to use an outdated ROM for my phone (Yes, I have one for android 8) and downgrade my OS so that I can then update from Smart Switch and get a copy of the current firmware to use with Magisk?
Edit: apparently Samsung has protections against downgrading. I tried samfirm but to no avail.
Anyone know of any compatible custom ROMs?
Will keep trying to root though...
I know many people will immediately say yes, but this phone is different.
There is no OEM unlock in Developer options (read more about this further!), and there is no fastboot. There is no TWRP for this phone either (some older threads on Magisk mentioned TWRP, so I am confused if I need it for rooting via Magisk)
I have discovered, that if you were to hold HOME + POWER + UP, on powerup, you can get to a warning about installing custom OSes and an option to continue.
I pressed continue.
Someone on the web said pressing up will wipe the phone, since it unlocks the bootloader.
My phone did not get wiped.
Is my phone's bootloader/OEM unlocked?
I want to know because I Think Magisk requires an unlocked bootloader.
If Magisk doesn't, I'm all good, and I am glad I can install custom OSes (not my goal, but will do if desperate)
If it does require it, I believe my hone already has an unlocked bootloader/OEM
One last note, does downgrading trip anything? I have no warranty, but I know there are other protections (like KNOX) that could affect the outcome.
(I've heard downgrading won't change anything)
Is there anything I need to turn off?
To Recap:
Downgrade OS
Update via Smart Switch to get stock ROM
Use Magisk to root my phone.
I'm simply asking if everything will turn out OK.
(Sorry for the exceedingly long post)
Thanks.
I don't have this phone but I wanted to have one, but after I realized there is no method to unlock it, you are out of luck I also have a phone laying around (Zte Avid Plus with android lolipop), I built a ROM and recovery for it but I realized there is no method to unlock the bootloader. The only method is to get your hands on the bootloader from this device and try and modify it and pray that it works. That is just how a lot budget devices are built nowadays. And that's sad. The thing is that there was a successor to the Zte Avid with the same specs but it ran Android Oreo. Meanwhile the Avid ran Lolipop. A method from manufacturers to always force us to buy new phones.