XDA Android

Saturday, September 2, 2017

Unofficial Android 8.0 Oreo Experimental Build Arrives on the OnePlus One

The OnePlus One will always be remembered as controversy's love child; the device that pushed OnePlus into the headlines for quite a few reasons and not all of them were positive either. But despite all the questionable tactics of the past, there is no denying that the One was a legendary device. Because of its fairly open hardware, its $299 starting price in 2014 and some beastly specifications that punched above the price at the time, the OnePlus One quickly became an enthusiast's choice when looking for a device with great value.

It's Settled: The OnePlus One has Stood the Test of Time

Just as we have predicted time and time again, the OnePlus One continues to be a flashaholic's best friend multiple years later, and has received its first builds of unofficial AOSP based on Android 8.0 Oreo. This experimental build comes to us courtesy of XDA Senior Member Agent_fabulous and team, and offers users of the aged device a chance to try out the latest Android version available right now.

The working feature list for the ROM includes key functionality like WiFi, Bluetooth, RIL, audio and video playback, NFC and more. But because of its early and experimental nature, a few key aspects like the camera and camcorder are disabled while others like the graphics and 3D rendering are considered a work-in-progress. There's also an issue with AOSP and its support for hardware navigation keys, because of which both the on-screen navigation bar and the hardware keys are enabled.

The ROM is fairly stable for an early build, but many would agree that it is not exactly something one would recommend using as a daily driver on the OnePlus One/bacon in its current state. That however, does not take away from the fact that you can enjoy the sweetest Android dessert right now on the flagship killer of 2014.

Do you still use the OnePlus One as your daily driver? Have you tried out Android Oreo on your OnePlus One? Let us know in the comments below!

Unofficial AOSP Oreo Builds for the OnePlus One

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Early Ports of Android Oreo Available for the Galaxy S6, Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 WiFi (2016)

Thanks to an early port released by XDA Member lukasb06, Samsung Galaxy S6 users can now get the sweet taste of Android Oreo on their devices, too. The port is based on LineageOS and should work on both flat screen Galaxy S6 and curved screen Galaxy S6 Edge models. Since it's an early build, there are still quite a few bugs to be ironed out, however, basic functionalities such as WiFi, RIL, Bluetooth, NFC, and fingerprint scanner are reportedly working fine. If you want to give it a shot, be sure to check out the main thread for detailed instructions.

Check out the Android Oreo port for the Samsung Galaxy S6

Meanwhile, an unofficial build of LineageOS 15.0 has also been ported to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 WiFi (2016), courtesy of XDA Recognized Developer LuK1337. As far as stability is concerned, everything seems to be working fine in the early build, except the fact that the camera is broken and SELinux Policy couldn't be set to Enforcing. For more information, check out the main thread by clicking on the link below.

Check out the port of LineageOS 15.0 for the Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 (2016)

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Android Oreo Unofficial Port Released for the Xiaomi Mi Max

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 received an unofficial port of Android Oreo just the other day, and now the Xiaomi Mi Max has received a port of Android Oreo in part thanks to the Redmi Note 3 version.

This release has all of the same bugs as the Redmi Note 3 release (no USB tethering, no VoLTE and so on) and a few of its own, but as a proof of concept, it certainly works. Other known issues include the camera not working, nor the flashlight or camcorder, and the device randomly reboots. Still, this is a pretty impressive first port and shows the dedication our forums have to Xiaomi devices. Check it out down below!

Android Oreo for the Xiaomi Mi Max

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LG V30 Camera App Ported to the LG G6, Brings Graphy Features and More

The LG V30 is now officially here. And perhaps one of the biggest improvements compared to other LG devices is in the camera department. You could say that LG designed the V30's camera with camera buffs in mind: a 16-megapixel dual camera with a 13-megapixel wide angle lens, a f/1.6 aperture (although exif data says otherwise) and lots of other features. The newest flagship from LG also comes with a feature-rich camera app to match. And while LG G6 users are officially staying with the lesser one (at least until the next update), the V30's camera app has already been ported to the G6 in our forums.

This news comes a couple of days after the LG V30 was officially announced. Ported to the LG G6 by XDA Recognized Developer / Recognized Contributor xpirt, the LG V30 camera mod includes all existing LG G6 features, plus all V30 new modes (except Cine mode), all Graphy features completely functional and manual options working as well. While it was initially only compatible with Fulmics ROM for the LG G6, it has since been ported to all G6s as long as you're on the stock ROM. You'll need a rooted LG G6 in order to use this port.

The developer notes that he made the camera available since he's not sure yet whether full UX 6.0 will come to Fulmics or not. He also notes that the Cine mode will never come to the G6 because it's sensor-dependent, meaning that it relies on the improved capabilities of the V30's sensor. You'll need to flash the new camera app through TWRP since it replaces the stock G6 camera. With a little more modding this could even be ported to other phones like the V20 or the G5, according to the developer, so we're excited to see how this turns out. Interested? Head to our forums in order to download the flashable ZIP.

Source: Forums

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Huawei Removes EMUI Firmware Downloads from their Website

Some of us are used to being able to visit a website to directly download a new update for a smartphone or tablet. Google does this and OnePlus does as well, but even community members maintain websites for other OEMs as well. Huawei used to do this via a downloads page on the emui.huawei.com website, but XDA Senior Member RedSkull23 just brought to our attention that this is changing. If you visit this downloads page right now you'll be greeted with the following message. . .

To deliver a more convenient and satisfactory update service, Huawei now only provides online updates for its phones, Tables, etc. SD card update packages are no longer supplied.By this time,all the SD card upgrade packages will be removed from the website and the download page will be closed.

Join the discussion in our Honor 6X forum

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The Google Play Store may be Soon be Available in China, Cuba, and Others

According to a developer by the name of stereomatch on Reddit, Google has added more countries to the Google Play Developer Console. Previously, the countries of China, Cuba, Iran, Macau, Myanmar, and Sudan could not access the Google Play Store, or could not access paid services. The list of countries which can access the Google Play Store has also been updated in their support section.

This is interesting to note, as phones in China cannot come preloaded with Google Apps. This has led to users looking for applications to go through unofficial means, which can lead to malware and security issues. Those who do not know about APKMirror may be leaving themselves vulnerable, having to resort to other APK sharing websites. What's even more interesting is the lack of payment options in the newly launched Google Play Store in China. If you look at the support page above (and the Reddit thread), you will see that payments cannot be enabled in China.

The screenshots above (from stereomatch's Google Play Developer Console) show that those releasing their app in China are warned that their application must be free to launch in said country, or else they can't release it there. This is the same situation in Iran, Myanmar and Sudan. Users cannot see paid applications, nor can they buy in-app purchases if they are available in a free app. Interestingly, residents of Macau seem to be receiving the full Google Play Store experience. They are able to purchase applications and make use of in-app purchases.

Overall, this expansion by Google would be a good thing. In these countries, there obviously is a desire for APKs and unofficial application market stores, which can be incredibly unsafe and offer apps injected with adware or malware. With the launch of the Google Play Store in these locations, users should be safer with an official market to download applications from.

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Google is Mandating Linux Kernel Versions in Android Oreo

Google has been offering Android as a mobile operating system for close to a decade. The company acquired it in 2005, unveiled it to the public in 2007 and then in 2008 we saw the first commercially available Android smartphone. There are some rules and limitations that Google has in place for a company to be allowed to use the main configuration of Android (which they have faced legal action about in the past), but for the most part they're giving companies free reign with certain aspects. One aspect that has been up to the OEM is the Linux kernel version but this is changing with Android Oreo.

As long as the OEM was able to pass the certification tests that Google lays out, then they didn't care what kernel version was used in a new device. This generally wasn't an issue as most OEMs would use the same version of the kernel for that generation that other OEMs were using, as it is tied heavily to what the hardware drivers support. However, some had been falling through the cracks and this started to cause security issues. This is something that Google has been taking seriously lately so it makes sense that they would want to start mandating this.

When we take a look at kernel.org, we can see that version 3.18 of the Linux kernel is EOL. Starting this year with smartphones which ship with Android Oreo, Google is requiring that all SoCs productized in 2017 must launch with kernel 4.4 or newer. Not only is this version of the Linux kernel more secure, but it also means the companies won't need to put as many resources to keep it secure going forward. While being on a newer kernel version does not guarantee that all vulnerabilities will have been found, it does go a long way towards reducing the number of vulnerabilities, and reducing the effort that needs to be put in to backport security fixes.

Google is also requiring new devices launched with Android Oreo to be configured to support Project Treble right from the start, which will hopefully make it easier to upgrade Linux kernel versions in the future, and reduce the efforts that will need to be put into backporting security patches. Currently existing devices that are upgraded to Android Oreo are only required to run kernel version 3.18 or newer, and will not have to be upgraded to support Project Treble.

Source: Google

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