[HELP THREAD] Ask ANY Question. Noob Friendly.

[immortalneo]

There are a lot of people joining XDA on a daily basis, and there are a lot of repetitive questions being asked
which clutter up the Development and 'Q & A' threads. Point them here. Feel free to ask or answer questions.

The idea of this thread is to get users to help other users with their problems/questions. People are usually
ridiculed for asking questions that other people deem stupid even though it may be a legitimate question. This
leads to new users being afraid to ask questions!

Only provide well mannered help towards users in this thread. Please do not spoon feed, but rather point in
the direction where that user can find an answer and educate himself. If you don't want to answer, at least
point out where to find the answer.


Before posting anything, I strongly advise you to read THIS thread.

Then, have a quick look at the names of threads in Post No. 2, you might find what you need right away.

Third. Even if you do get your question answered, please do come back and read threads in Post No. 2
(coming later as soon as we start getting the guides) to educate yourself. You'll be surprised how much time
and frustration it will save you in the future!


No abuse towards noobs tolerated here! That means:

NO TROLLING
NO NAME CALLING
NO RIDICULING
NO FLAMING​

ASK ANY QUESTION HERE! No question is stupid or irrelevant in this thread. You will either get an answer or will get pointed in the right direction.

*A Special Thanks to mark manning for his help in creating this thread*


HALL OF FAME

People who contributed most to this thread and helped countless number of people with their
problems/questions. In no particular order.

Bruce Wayne
post-mortem
SilentStrider
Ghostfreak NB
mayank9856
sgs22012
Zatta
ADDICT.ANK


These people also have the right to use the banner below:

Just add this code to your signature:

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[silencehope]

Thank you for your advice, but my phone is currently unable to connect to a computer, and I am unable to enter recovery mode

Try to enter to recovery mode, then you probably need to format data, or go to download mode (reboot to bootloader) from there, and flash the latest firmware, using Odin, the first method your data will be erased, and for the second, if you want to preserve it, don´t use the userdata partition, I mean, any CSC file you find in the firmware.

 

[Ayaanic]

Can Someone help me Root My SM-G988U...
S20 Ultra 5g

 

[poverome]

If these are the specs from your device, https://phonedb.net/index.php?m=device&id=4537&c=ntt_docomo_sharp_aquos_pad_sh-08e, then, it doesn´t support GSIs, and for fastboot mode, you should try commands like adb reboot bootloader or adb reboot fastboot, apart from hardware buttons combination methods.

Yes, these are the specs. And no, I can't reboot to bootloader using such commands. I always boot in system (Android user mode, the "regular" boot).
I don't know what to do, I'm locked with this device as if I were bricked, yet I can install *some* Apps...

Sigh...

 

[SubwayChamp]

Yes, these are the specs. And no, I can't reboot to bootloader using such commands. I always boot in system (Android user mode, the "regular" boot).
I don't know what to do, I'm locked with this device as if I were bricked, yet I can install *some* Apps...

Sigh...

Anyway, not much to do with, it´s a very old device, probably, the most you can is debloating it, for rooting it, you can try the EDL method, just search for "EDL and test point method", and how to flash using QPST, I guess bootloader is not locked (as the old days was), but take in account that, by changing some official image, device couldn´t boot at all.

 

[poverome]

Anyway, not much to do with, it´s a very old device, probably, the most you can is debloating it, for rooting it, you can try the EDL method, just search for "EDL and test point method", and how to flash using QPST, I guess bootloader is not locked (as the old days was), but take in account that, by changing some official image, device couldn´t boot at all.

Thanks, tried with no luck.
QPST can't see my device, and EDL reboots my device in normal mode.
=(

Edit: I can only boot in Recovery mode, with

adb reboot recovery

in that situation I can see a red triangle with a black exclamation mark above a laid green Android robot and a "No command" text below it.
After some minutes, the tablet reboots automatically to regular system, if nothing is done.

 

[SubwayChamp]

Thanks, tried with no luck.
QPST can't see my device, and EDL reboots my device in normal mode.
=(

Edit: I can only boot in Recovery mode, with

adb reboot recovery

in that situation I can see a red triangle with a black exclamation mark above a laid green Android robot and a "No command" text below it.
After some minutes, the tablet reboots automatically to regular system, if nothing is done.View attachment 5915007

You didn´t successfully boot to EDL mode, QPST only sees device in EDL mode, if you search the complete information I pointed out, you can see the difference, EDL mode is under Qualcomm HS-USB QDloader 9008 in the device manager, once you get it, device stays there, it won´t reboot. You can only get it using the test point method, in your device, not through commands nor hardware buttons.

 

[poverome]

Argh, does this mean I have to mess with solders and PCBs?

 

[SubwayChamp]

Argh, does this mean I have to mess with solders and PCBs?

Yes, if you are not able to boot to fastboot mode to try it through it, then no other way. If there is some other official tool to flash it through fastboot, always that you find out the right combination hardware buttons, and also you find the firmware, to patch the boot image, you could avoid the EDL method.

 

[ZG089]

If you need help , i am here

 

[ZG089]

why phone Brick????

why phone Brick????

It bricks because some of system files are corrupted or removed , or the folder /system got removed from the DEVICE SYSTEM ITSELF

 

[ZG089]

It bricks because some of system files are corrupted or removed , or the folder /system got removed from the DEVICE SYSTEM ITSELF

And to solve it , you need to flash ( install ) the OFFICIAL rom for your device

 

[poverome]

Yes, if you are not able to boot to fastboot mode to try it through it, then no other way. If there is some other official tool to flash it through fastboot, always that you find out the right combination hardware buttons, and also you find the firmware, to patch the boot image, you could avoid the EDL method.

No booh :'(
Ok, I can just send somehow the tablet to Docomo, Japan, and make them unlock carrier and upgrade Android to latest supported version.
I was already aware about this, but I don't know anyone in Japan and going there personally is not an option.
There is a code you can enter to do right this and Docomo knows such code, but they require you to bring your device to a Docomo store.
After unlocking carrier, they can upgrade Android, or you can do it yourself playing with VPN/Roaming.

Thanks anyhow.

 

[mlarry]

Hello everyone.
I don't have experience in android modding, or at least it is very limited.
At this point, it seems to me that to build a custom rom for a device, its kernel's source code must be available.
Lately, a device caught my attention: the redmi note 11, codename spes. This smartphone, along with some others, was at the center of a controversy regarding its kernel, that xiaomi only open sourced about 15 months after its release.
Still, some custom roms were released for this device (I know of Pixel Experience and Paranoid Android), even without xiaomi sharing the relevant source code.
Well, I am confused. How did they do it? Did I get it wrong? Is the specific kernel's source code really necessary?

 

[Droidriven]

Hello everyone.
I don't have experience in android modding, or at least it is very limited.
At this point, it seems to me that to build a custom rom for a device, its kernel's source code must be available.
Lately, a device caught my attention: the redmi note 11, codename spes. This smartphone, along with some others, was at the center of a controversy regarding its kernel, that xiaomi only open sourced about 15 months after its release.
Still, some custom roms were released for this device (I know of Pixel Experience and Paranoid Android), even without xiaomi sharing the relevant source code.
Well, I am confused. How did they do it? Did I get it wrong? Is the specific kernel's source code really necessary?

They were probably ported from another device with the same hardware architecture that has a kernel source code that was made available to the public. If such a device exists and has released source code and has had custom ROMs made for it using the source code, ROMs from that device could be ported to other similar devices with a little work. This is pretty common and frequently done with many devices and ROMs.

 

[Anon1onexp]

cm-12.1-20160425-unofficial-kyleve lollipop rom auto restarts trying to find a fix,didn't know where to ask the question, forgive me,,thanks for any help

 

[Drunk1n]

I have a Ulefone Armor 12 5G, it recently has started to have an issue where I can't install apps from the playstore, search functionality in a few apps has stopped functioning, so I need to hard reset my phone and figured it would be nice to root it, remove bloatware, and upgrade it to the newest version of Android (currently on Android 11).

Searching everything related to my phone doesn't show much, it does show how to root it, and mentions it is the same as the Armor 10 but that is all.

For more obscure devices like mine, which ulefone doesn't even have a manufacturer subgroup, is it easier to root the device and remove bloatware manually, install a generic ROM, or make a custom ROM using the OEM ROM as a base?

It's been about a decade since I really did any ROM work so I'm well out of practice (I believe gingerbread was the last time I did any ROM work). So lots has changed, and it would be nice to have an ability to keep my phone on the newer versions but also would like some level of stability on a phone that the manufacturer has stopped offering updates for outside of security related updates.

 

[SubwayChamp]

cm-12.1-20160425-unofficial-kyleve lollipop rom auto restarts trying to find a fix,didn't know where to ask the question, forgive me,,thanks for any help

A clean flash, often, can solve this, either, formatting data previous to the installation, or doing it, after, before to boot. Of course, all that, is assuming that the ROM is good to run, but...if this is the ROM you are talking about https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...s7392-lmy49g-cyanogenmod-12-1.3322742/page-31 it has terrible reviews, so, no guarantee at all.

 

[SubwayChamp]

I have a Ulefone Armor 12 5G, it recently has started to have an issue where I can't install apps from the playstore, search functionality in a few apps has stopped functioning, so I need to hard reset my phone and figured it would be nice to root it, remove bloatware, and upgrade it to the newest version of Android (currently on Android 11).

Searching everything related to my phone doesn't show much, it does show how to root it, and mentions it is the same as the Armor 10 but that is all.

For more obscure devices like mine, which ulefone doesn't even have a manufacturer subgroup, is it easier to root the device and remove bloatware manually, install a generic ROM, or make a custom ROM using the OEM ROM as a base?

It's been about a decade since I really did any ROM work so I'm well out of practice (I believe gingerbread was the last time I did any ROM work). So lots has changed, and it would be nice to have an ability to keep my phone on the newer versions but also would like some level of stability on a phone that the manufacturer has stopped offering updates for outside of security related updates.

Easy is a very relative concept, To figure it out, keep in mind that you´d need to: unlock the bootloader, patch a boot image (usually with Magisk), and flash it back using a tool like SP flash tool, to can reboot, you may or may not need to flash a vbmeta and/or format data, depending if your device had no issues at the time to reboot.

For updated Android versions, if there is not some devs interested, you should focus, either, in making it by your own, or flashing a GSI that´s compatible.

 

[Anon1onexp]

Thank you, I get it

 

[Drunk1n]

Easy is a very relative concept, To figure it out, keep in mind that you´d need to: unlock the bootloader, patch a boot image (usually with Magisk), and flash it back using a tool like SP flash tool, to can reboot, you may or may not need to flash a vbmeta and/or format data, depending if your device had no issues at the time to reboot.

For updated Android versions, if there is not some devs interested, you should focus, either, in making it by your own, or flashing a GSI that´s compatible.

Yes I agree easy is relative, and I guess that would also mean it depends on how integral the manufactures bloatware is to their own ROM on whether it is "easier" to remove the bloatware or develop my own ROM.

It's good to know that I wasn't finding it because it is obscure and not because I'm now forum inept.

So as someone that is new to XDA, how do I start to create some breadcrumbs for us ulefone users. Can I make a Ulefone manufacturer subforum, or is that admins only? If I can then I'll start my own thread for my progress on a ROM for the Ulefone Armor 12 5G in that subforum, otherwise what subforum should I start my ROM build thread in so I don't mess up the archival process...