Can you try to trace CLK and CMD connection to any accessible pad or smd part?
Maybe on the other side, near the SOC?
Any possible unlock for the Fire TV Stick 4K Max?
- Thread starter Skel40
- Start date
Maybe on the other side, near the SOC?
yes that's great, I have to get my scanner fit again then I can take good pictures from the stick.
I hope that I can still find breakout points so that the emmc does not have to be unsoldered.
I trace the pads later, no time at the moment.
I hope that I can still find breakout points so that the emmc does not have to be unsoldered.
I trace the pads later, no time at the moment.
I thought they'd have encryption with their devices. As in no encryption, would that count towards some chance for an unlockable Max?
Without encryption, we can read/write to the eMMC like evil_santa, which is good.
It will be even better, if evil_santa finds breakout pins for CLK and CMD
But read/write access wont be so easy like for the 4k, only for people with soldering skills.
In theory it may be possible to unlock it, but I guess the 4k Max is probably the most secure fireStick ever.
If you take an uart log, you see that this stick uses a whole bunch of fuses, seems it checks really a lot of them during boot, probably/maybe this is an antidowngrade measure, which makes a downgrade to unlockable images problematic. This means if an exploit gets written that works the most current PL/LK images, it wont work anymore if amaz. updates the images to a higher version. If you want a better chance, keep the stick always offline.
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I think Amazon will start using FBE (File Based Encryption) early as with Android 10 where it is enabled by default and tested enough. Even Fire OS 7 is based on Android 9, so there is hope that they won't use it.
Blocking updates is maybe more granular, it should be enough to just block the Amazon URLs.
But maybe we have luck with a mod without eMMC hardware flashing: Although Mediatek SoC are suprisingly secure nowadays, a bunch of vulnerabilities have been found a few days ago: https://research.checkpoint.com/2021/looking-for-vulnerabilities-in-mediatek-audio-dsp/
It's a bit similar to the powerful Qualcomm DSP vulnerabilities that were found two years ago (and which were followed by modem vulnerabilities last year). Will have a look if an exploit appears.
The HD trust level for streaming services could be a bummer though ...
Blocking updates is maybe more granular, it should be enough to just block the Amazon URLs.
But maybe we have luck with a mod without eMMC hardware flashing: Although Mediatek SoC are suprisingly secure nowadays, a bunch of vulnerabilities have been found a few days ago: https://research.checkpoint.com/2021/looking-for-vulnerabilities-in-mediatek-audio-dsp/
It's a bit similar to the powerful Qualcomm DSP vulnerabilities that were found two years ago (and which were followed by modem vulnerabilities last year). Will have a look if an exploit appears.
The HD trust level for streaming services could be a bummer though ...
![20211130_114744[1].jpg](/data/attachments/3957/3957921-8be8390c1796d56fc0e8c572be05658b.jpg)
Would blocking all the update packages still give me a better chance to prevent image updates?
You can do both on the Max. Due to Android 9, (Fire OS 7) apps from unknown sources are different and are under each app permission.
So if I don't want the box, then do you think the Max is the next best choice? I plan to plug in a 2 gig HD with a OTG adapter. Not that I'm really sure I need it.
What I really need to find out is if there are any apps that I can get the premium movie channels with, like HBO, Cinemax and the like. Like I used to do with Kodi. I have paid Netflix, Hulu and Prime and can't afford any others on my Disability income.
The Max would be your best bet if you want to connect a hard drive. The great thing about the Max is Fire OS 7 and the ability to add USB devices as internal storage however you want! If you want more CPU go with the second gen cube! It's far more superior than the 4K Max hardware wise unless you choose a cheaper option! All your apps should be supported except the Google services. You have a ton of options to choose! IMDb for free, Plex, Tubi, etc!
I just bought one yesterday for $29 (after trade-in of my older firestick) to replace my old Firestick 2nd generation which was even slower and clunkier since the forced update earlier in the week. I bought the Max because I want smooth streaming, snappier menu response and faster opening of apps; the 2nd gen stick was woefully inadequate in this after the update. I suspect it will succeed in all these areas but I'll just return it if it's sh*t. Are there any tips I should know about the new stick or can you can point me to a thread for new owners? First thing I want to do is disable forced updates if possible.
With the Max you can disable hdr permanently and control Bluetooth volume with the fire tv remote. Everything else is the same like your previous setup except for unknown sources for each app you put on the Max. Update wise, yes you can disable forced updates by enabling adb debugging in settings and installing downloader. Here's the Fire OS update blocker found here:
TDUK FireOS Update Blocker | TechDoctorUK
www.techdoctoruk.com
Does adb backup and restore still work on some apps? If you're backing up system apps you need root for that
The problem is that it won't give the prompt on the screen to begin it. Didn't know if anyone had the same experience?
With the Max you can disable hdr permanently and control Bluetooth volume with the fire tv remote. Everything else is the same like your previous setup except for unknown sources for each app you put on the Max. Update wise, yes you can disable forced updates by enabling adb debugging in settings and installing downloader. Here's the Fire OS update blocker found here:
TDUK FireOS Update Blocker | TechDoctorUK
Thanks for the info and the link. well, I got my Firestick 4K Max today and it runs so much better than my old 2nd gen non-4K stick. However, I am disgusted (as many others seems to be) that the new FireOS takes up more than a gig of precious internal storage than the old 2nd generation stick used. They should have at least increased internal storage. I was planning on installing the update disabler but foolishly booted my new stick up immediately to make sure it wasn't defective and was rewarded with an update first thing before even entering Wi-Fi or amazon account data. There's goes another half gig of storage :\ I'm down to just 3.5 GB and barely installed any apps. Can you or anyone recommend a good debloater so i can get some of that space back? Otherwise I really like the new stick. It's everything I expected it to be outside the stingy internal storage.
One other thing: Amazon said they'd give you a 20% trade-in on your old stick but after I filled out the info, they send me a promisary emaill for what appears to be only $3 (!) when they receive the old stick. That can't be right, can it?
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9Dumping right now.
I'll take pictures later. can I set the dump here or does it cause trouble?76unfortunately it will take until the weekend again. here are a few more pictures that I took with my smartphone.4just a little, unfortunately I could not scan the board properly because the focus of the scanner is insufficient.
I couldn't find the dat0 point yet, but vcc and vccq. I will stay tuned but if I have made progress I will let you know.
Btw.
is it possible to get into the u boot console? I found this maybe it is useful.
