Picked up the $330 deal from Newegg Ebay. The phone is charged and unmodded / not updated. The software it came with is A2017UV1.0.0B27. There is an update pending but I've not applied it yet. I'm well versed with ADB and fastboot coming from a long line of Nexus phones that I always root...
There seems to be lots of ways forward from here but I'd like to see what people recommend. It appears that an unlocked bootloader will make it so future updates cannot be applied. I've always unlocked in the past but I hope to get wifi calling (T-Mobile) in future updates (from what I understand that's on the way but not out yet?). If a non-stock rom allows wifi calling I'd be game for that as I typically am not a fan of how companies bloat the standard android rom.
Main things I want:
TWRP
(seamless?) root (primarily for AdAway and TiBackup)
Band 12
Wifi calling
Remove any potential ZTE spyware
What do you think? Unlock the bootloader and forget future ZTE updates? Keep it locked?
Thanks!
OTA updates work just fine with an unlocked bootloader. They do not however work if the system or recovery has been modified.
I ran stock for a few weeks. Recently switched to resurrection remix. It adds a lot of additional configuration ability. Most of the settings that were/are available in gravity box. GB is no longer possible until xposed is redeveloped for 7.
I'd say unlock the bootloader first, then either try stock or one of the aosp roms. Been on RR for just two days now, first impressions include bettery battery life and faster UI interaction.
gpz1100 said:
OTA updates work just fine with an unlocked bootloader. They do not however work if the system or recovery has been modified.
I ran stock for a few weeks. Recently switched to resurrection remix. It adds a lot of additional configuration ability. Most of the settings that were/are available in gravity box. GB is no longer possible until xposed is redeveloped for 7.
I'd say unlock the bootloader first, then either try stock or one of the aosp roms. Been on RR for just two days now, first impressions include bettery battery life and faster UI interaction.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh... understood. Seamless is the way to go for future updates then. I'll unlock and take that route. Thanks much!
Lost Dog said:
Ahh... understood. Seamless is the way to go for future updates then. I'll unlock and take that route. Thanks much!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My personal experience with Lineage (never tried RR, but I guess it's close to lineage) is overall disappointment. Half of the apps I tried didn't work, especially some 3D games. The stock camera app is unbearably bad IMO, from comparisons I decided to make I hate the overall quality of the photos... ZTE's system is not even close to full of bloatware. The only added out of the box apps are WPS Office which comes in handy, AccuWeather which is kinda questionable, true; ZTE Cares which mostly tells you to reboot your phone if you have a problem (1.14 mb, never open), this WeShare thing that you can ignore completely, and the stock music, browser, etc and Gapps. Even the calculator and some kinda useful apps are all packed on one app, and you can add shortcuts... Can't really say I've seen less bloated phones in the market...
TWRP and root are completely fine on Stock
no idea about band 12
ZTE spyware... The only thing I heard about was the location provider on A2017G which is being changed on the next update. We had Qualcomm IZat (Korea) and we got changed to Tencent (China) so that's kind of a spyware. but you can uninstall that with root
and I understand people who say that the stock ROM is ugly. Just use a launcher.
the only real advantage that I can see is the possibility to use Substratum with a pitch black theme. I could get near to 2 days battery with that stuff.
^^How recently have you tried it?
I'll be out and about tomorrow so will get a chance to play with the camera to see how well it does in RR. I got both the google camera and aosp camera apps installed. We'll see how good/bad the pics come out. I don't expect dslr results out of a cell phone camera anyway so camera quality isn't at the top of the list for me.
Same with games. Can't remember the last one I played on a phone. Most of my use is email/web/navi/voip. Long battery life is at the top of my list. With typical usage, I could go 2 days between charges and still have ~40% remaining. If I get 3 days now with RR with similar usage/sot, I'll be happy camper. Not to mention, the phone is more responsive.
Stock isn't bad until you've tried something else, then you get a feel for how heavy the ui is.
Band 12 is supported on both tmo and att as far as i know. I know i've seen it a few times on att.
Does anyone have an alternative link to the files in this post:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/axon-7/development/wip-axon-7-root-bootloader-unlokced-t3441204
Dev-Host either throws out a ton of spam links or just stalls on the download.
Alright!
I'm on 7.1.1 with backed up stock bootloader and recovery. Rooted with a modified version of Magisk and passing the safetynet check.
So far, signal strength seems good and the addition of wifi calling is fantastic....
I don't have T-Mobile, but I believe the latest update, v. 7.1.1 B19 includes WiFi calling.
ETA: Oops. I guess that's what I get for getting distracted and posting a response an hour after I started it.
As everyone on here probably knows, z5 premium will not be getting any further security updates. Its timing couldn't have been any worse either. When I bought this premium phone (which costs almost as much as a flagship iphone), I didn't expect to have my security updates cut in just 2 years. I was planning to hang onto this phone for a few years until something worth upgrading to came out.
So like many who still own this phone, I am wondering is there anyway to keep my phone secure and still use it? My phone is unlocked and rooted and I am running the latest firmware. I unfortunately didn't back up my drm keys so I had to use the hack method to keep my phones functionality (fingerprint sensor, camera...etc) I'm wondering what is the best close to stock firmware to use to get the latest security updates and also how much functionality is lost by using those? It's to my understanding the camera only works the best with the official camera app and 4k only works on the album app and movie app. Will I lose 4k capability by switching to a custom firmware?
Any insight on any of this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks to all who took the time to read this and a big thanks in advance to anyone who can provide any input.
Mostly updated custom kernel + custom ROMs (Sony Stock ROM + kernel based)
e.g. https://forum.xda-developers.com/z5-premium/development/m-rom-t3781969
and
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76269595&postcount=418
well, newer custom kernels will have WPA2 KRACK protection, protection/mitigation against Meltdown/Spectre (a class of timing-based) attacks and other fixes & improvements
updated binaries for e.g. wpa_supplicant might be needed but I haven't really looked into those details yet
Thanks. Is it possible to use a custom kernal like the one you provided in your second link with the latest official firmware (32.4.1.54) since I only care about updating my security?
Mike3009 said:
Thanks. Is it possible to use a custom kernal like the one you provided in your second link with the latest official firmware (32.4.1.54) since I only care about updating my security?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sure, flash TWRP (if not already done so),
do a backup of each partition separately (/boot , /data , /system)
and flash the kernel
it'll update /boot and modules in /system
zacharias.maladroit said:
sure, flash TWRP (if not already done so),
do a backup of each partition separately (/boot , /data , /system)
and flash the kernel
it'll update /boot and modules in /system
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate the help and sorry for all the questions. Is backing up the partitions still necessary if I already have a backup of the firmware from xperifirm? Yes I already have TWRP because I used it to root my device. Also I'm assuming the kernal I want is on the first post of the second link you shared with me but there are two files to be downloaded and I'm not sure which to use. I'm on a z5 premium e6853.
Thanks again.
Mike3009 said:
I appreciate the help and sorry for all the questions. Is backing up the partitions still necessary if I already have a backup of the firmware from xperifirm? Yes I already have TWRP because I used it to root my device. Also I'm assuming the kernal I want is on the first post of the second link you shared with me but there are two files to be downloaded and I'm not sure which to use. I'm on a z5 premium e6853.
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just flashed over the first one with fastboot. Worked fine. Security is still showing September 2017 though. Is there anyway I can know if I'm more secure now?
Mike3009 said:
I just flashed over the first one with fastboot. Worked fine. Security is still showing September 2017 though. Is there anyway I can know if I'm more secure now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you take a look at the source in github
sorry, the ROM base is the same [and thus you're affected by the vulnerabilities, so best would be to re-enable SELinux which gives quite a good protection itself],
kernel-side however got you covered (well, it really depends how much the kernel is patched up).
You, of course, could try out RR, LineageOS which are somewhat more up-to-date (updates stopped being added November / December last year for Android 7.1.y),
but there you'd lose e.g. picture stabilization on video recording, MHL, MirrorLink, superior post-processing on pictures, etc.
The problem with these device (Snapdragon 810) is that Qualcomm dropped support for the msm8994 platform,
and since we're stuck with 3.10 kernel it's a community effort to get it patched up somewhat.
There'd be the possibility to upgrade & port the kernel to 4.4 but since the API, etc. would mismatch and newer drivers are missing it's basically not worth the effort
zacharias.maladroit said:
you take a look at the source in github
sorry, the ROM base is the same [and thus you're affected by the vulnerabilities, so best would be to re-enable SELinux which gives quite a good protection itself],
kernel-side however got you covered (well, it really depends how much the kernel is patched up).
You, of course, could try out RR, LineageOS which are somewhat more up-to-date (updates stopped being added November / December last year for Android 7.1.y),
but there you'd lose e.g. picture stabilization on video recording, MHL, MirrorLink, superior post-processing on pictures, etc.
The problem with these device (Snapdragon 810) is that Qualcomm dropped support for the msm8994 platform,
and since we're stuck with 3.10 kernel it's a community effort to get it patched up somewhat.
There'd be the possibility to upgrade & port the kernel to 4.4 but since the API, etc. would mismatch and newer drivers are missing it's basically not worth the effort
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's too bad. I guess it's as I thought; there's no real perfect solution to staying secure at the time being. Well, thanks for the kernal anyways. I can't believe how much better my phone is now. It has me puzzled why Sony didn't release it like this in the first place.
Mike3009 said:
As everyone on here probably knows, z5 premium will not be getting any further security updates. Its timing couldn't have been any worse either. When I bought this premium phone (which costs almost as much as a flagship iphone), I didn't expect to have my security updates cut in just 2 years. I was planning to hang onto this phone for a few years until something worth upgrading to came out.
So like many who still own this phone, I am wondering is there anyway to keep my phone secure and still use it? My phone is unlocked and rooted and I am running the latest firmware. I unfortunately didn't back up my drm keys so I had to use the hack method to keep my phones functionality (fingerprint sensor, camera...etc) I'm wondering what is the best close to stock firmware to use to get the latest security updates and also how much functionality is lost by using those? It's to my understanding the camera only works the best with the official camera app and 4k only works on the album app and movie app. Will I lose 4k capability by switching to a custom firmware?
Any insight on any of this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks to all who took the time to read this and a big thanks in advance to anyone who can provide any input.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes! sony treated this device as their step son!
released late 2015, hit market 2016, and was already in LEGACY DEVICES in 2017, the whole series discontinued and after many months they released android 7.1.1 and thats it, no more builds or updates!
feel sorry for the device, it has all the premium features but treated badly!
- the 4k capability depends on which 3rd party rom you are using! , btw not many roms are available for z5p
YasuHamed said:
yes! sony treated this device as their step son!
released late 2015, hit market 2016, and was already in LEGACY DEVICES in 2017, the whole series discontinued and after many months they released android 7.1.1 and thats it, no more builds or updates!
feel sorry for the device, it has all the premium features but treated badly!
- the 4k capability depends on which 3rd party rom you are using! , btw not many roms are available for z5p
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I know, it's pathetic really. It's still a very current device as it was a very high spec phone when it was released. High spec phones like these don't get outdated that quickly. It's even more insulting that they cut support right as the meltdown vulnerability came out. They knew what they were doing -it's like a forced upgrade. Problem is: there is nothing released by Sony that really surpasses this phone in specs, or at least not enough for most people to be willing to spend all that cash on a new phone when their current one works perfectly. I don't see any compelling reason to run out and get an xz premium unless my phone breaks and dislike the xz2 premium. Oh well, I'll just have to use caution and hope for the best until a phone worth upgrading to comes out or my phone dies. Whatever happens first I suppose. Thanks for the sympathy.
Mike3009 said:
Yeah I know, it's pathetic really. It's still a very current device as it was a very high spec phone when it was released. High spec phones like these don't get outdated that quickly. It's even more insulting that they cut support right as the meltdown vulnerability came out. They knew what they were doing -it's like a forced upgrade. Problem is: there is nothing released by Sony that really surpasses this phone in specs, or at least not enough for most people to be willing to spend all that cash on a new phone when their current one works perfectly. I don't see any compelling reason to run out and get an xz premium unless my phone breaks and dislike the xz2 premium. Oh well, I'll just have to use caution and hope for the best until a phone worth upgrading to comes out or my phone dies. Whatever happens first I suppose. Thanks for the sympathy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sony never forgets to disappoint their customers by keep releasing unfinished flagships on the frequency of new bulletins!
whole z series abandoned after z5p due to huge billions of book losses to sony in xperia project. the device should have been with 4gb ram! but instead it was kept on 3gb!
z5p is awesome device, stable, stays in control and maintain itself amazinly!
now xzp came out finally with 4gb ram (should have been 6)
where xz2p is coming with 6gb ram and strange bumpy design and misplaced finger print sensor!
i don't know what sony is up to!
What's really disappointing is the lack of roms being developed. The prices are getting pretty nice right now for the z5 premium after support was dropped making it an attractive, affordable 4k smartphone for new comers. Also for those of us who already own it, having at least one decent rom solution would be really nice. It's pretty sad that I'd have to give up some of the functionality that I paid for in order to continue to keep my device secure. I'm going to stick to official firmware with anti-virus along with this updated kernel and hope for the best. I'd very much appreciate it if anyone finds a good custom firmware solution, to please let me know. Thanks in advance.
YasuHamed said:
yes! sony treated this device as their step son!
released late 2015, hit market 2016, and was already in LEGACY DEVICES in 2017, the whole series discontinued and after many months they released android 7.1.1 and thats it, no more builds or updates!
feel sorry for the device, it has all the premium features but treated badly!
- the 4k capability depends on which 3rd party rom you are using! , btw not many roms are available for z5p
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
zacharias.maladroit said:
you take a look at the source in github
sorry, the ROM base is the same [and thus you're affected by the vulnerabilities, so best would be to re-enable SELinux which gives quite a good protection itself],
kernel-side however got you covered (well, it really depends how much the kernel is patched up).
You, of course, could try out RR, LineageOS which are somewhat more up-to-date (updates stopped being added November / December last year for Android 7.1.y),
but there you'd lose e.g. picture stabilization on video recording, MHL, MirrorLink, superior post-processing on pictures, etc.
The problem with these device (Snapdragon 810) is that Qualcomm dropped support for the msm8994 platform,
and since we're stuck with 3.10 kernel it's a community effort to get it patched up somewhat.
There'd be the possibility to upgrade & port the kernel to 4.4 but since the API, etc. would mismatch and newer drivers are missing it's basically not worth the effort
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How can we enable selinux?
I'm currently using the Android 9 OminROM on my X Compact. It's updated pretty frequently but so far I'm still frustrated by some bugs and general instability. I'd prefer to use a more stable ROM, because I don't need the latest features, but the only just basic AOSP ROM I see here was last updated more than a year ago.
I'd like to use something more stable but I worry about not having the latest security patches and getting my device compromised - is this a legitimate fear? I do have a desire for some security on my phone.
Are there any ROMs that can just provide a reliable Android experience while staying up to date on important patches?
I am not a developer but I think I can say that to find what you look for, you have to find someone who thinks like you there are constantly new commits. Sometimes they can broke working parts or cause regressions. What you ask requires to pick some commits while avoiding others which is hard to do constantly.
I'm about 2 years into my ownership of Moto G7, and have yet to root or install any custom ROM, so I'm running the latest OTA update of Android 10. In recent weeks, I'm really starting to notice a big slow down. So looking for quick and honest advice: will it be worth the time and effort to root and flash a custom ROM? Will that noticeably improve my performance and make me happy continuing to use this phone for a while? What's the best custom ROM for this phone right now? Thanks!
Probably should have stopped OTA updates on the last good version. Updates kill phones.
If the OS is fast, stable and fulfilling its mission... let it be! I'm still running on Pie on my 10+, no updates for over 1.5 years... and zero issues.
Security simply isn't an issue with Androids most times even with outdated firmware unless you do something stupid.
My current OS load is over a year old...
Try a factory reset if you haven't done one since a major firmware update. That may resolve the issues.
...or find whatever is slowing u down. or I can recommend Lineage OS 18...constantly updated and polished...lots of users hence good support!
I'd say yes, but have a backup phone. Maybe have a plan to buy a new one if this fails. It has been two years since I rooted my black/blue one and I haven't regretted it. Some of my apps require it.
I just got another one like it only in white that's badly broken. I have tried to root it but I'm tired and pain meds are making my mind unclear. I did unlock the bootloader without any trouble. Mainly I wanted it so I could change its battery without damaging it, then decide if I want to change the battery in the black one or take it to a shop.
If I can bring the project phone up to speed I'll run it with my secondary line.
In short, though, yes. Be sure to back it up first, as this will delete all user data. The G7 64 ROM / 4 RAM is a very capable phone even as old as it is.
Finally mustered the courage and did it. So far, so good. Glad I did. Thanks for the advice!
Hey guys,
recently I decided to degoogle my life, and I landed on the cutom ROM named GrapheneOS.
I checked the list of supported devices, and I find it very weird that all of them are devices manufactured by Google.
Since Edward Snowden himself vouched for thie custom ROM, Im taking a leap of faith and assuming, there is a good reason for Pixel devices being optimal for a secure privacy-oriented Android-based custom ROM.
Can someone please explain to me what makes these phones so special ?
Regular updates with latest security.
Frequent bug fixes.
Easy bootloader unlock.
Developers buy the phone.
Etc.