[ROM][7.1.2][2018-09-26] UNOFFICIAL LineageOS 14.1 for ASUS MeMO Pad 7 (ME176C(X))

[lambdadroid]

/*
 * Your warranty is now void.
 *
 * I am not responsible for bricked devices, dead SD cards,
 * thermonuclear war, or you getting fired because the alarm app failed. Please
 * do some research if you have any concerns about features included in this ROM
 * before flashing it! YOU are choosing to make these modifications, and if
 * you point the finger at me for messing up your device, I will laugh at you.
 *
 */

LineageOS is a free, community built, aftermarket firmware distribution of Android 7.1.2 (Nougat), which is designed to increase performance and reliability over stock Android for your device.

NOTE: LineageOS 14.1 is no longer updated. Consider using LineageOS 16.0 instead.

About this project

This is not a regular ROM. Usually, ROMs are based on certain components of the stock system (e.g. the kernel and certain proprietary components). This is a completely new ROM with a new Linux kernel and new implementations for all system components. It is not goal of this project to reach full hardware support or to make it perfectly stable. I will try my best, of course, but I mostly see this as a research project for myself to see how much you can implement with open-source components.

New features

• Android 7.1.2 (LineageOS 14.1) with latest security patches
• Linux 4.14 kernel
• Vulkan graphics (experimental)
• Less/no bloatware
• Full backlight control (allows much lower brightness)
• F2FS (with a compatible recovery)
• USB OTG
• Rootless Substratum theme engine
• Signature spoofing (allows using MicroG instead of proprietary Google Play Services)
• WireGuard

Tested features

Everything not mentioned here is likely not working.

• Device boots
• Graphics (OpenGL etc)
• Charging
• WiFi
• Sound (Speaker + Headphones), Microphone (quality is pretty bad though...)
• Bluetooth (incl. Bluetooth Audio (A2DP))
• Accelerometer (used for device rotation), magnetometer (needs verification that it is reporting values correctly)
• Backlight control
• SD Card
• Hardware video acceleration (experimental)
• DRM (e.g. for Netflix and other streaming apps, experimental)
• Full disk encryption

Planned features (not working yet)

• Suspend/Deep sleep states

Not planned

• Camera: See issue #47 on GitHub
• GPS: See issue #48 on GitHub

FAQ

• How is the battery live? Screen-on time is probably similar if not longer, but there is a lot of battery drain in standby mode (even worse than on the ASUS system). I recommend that you turn off the tablet when you're not using it.
• How do I obtain root access? There are various ways, but the recommended way for LineageOS is to flash addonsu. For some reason Lineage's x86 addonsu isn't working correctly. Download and flash addonsu-14.1-me176c-signed.zip instead. However, note that this will break SafetyNet. Use Magisk alternatively.
• Can I use Netflix with this ROM? Yes.

Installation

Preparation

1. Make sure you are running Android Lollipop (5.0).
2. You need an unlocked bootloader. The recommended bootloader is me176c-boot, but in case of problems you can also use the older bootloader.
3. Install TWRP. I recommend downloading the latest version of TWRP from the separate thread.
4. Make a full backup of the ASUS system. You may want to go back to it.
5. Do a full factory reset. Wipe data and cache partitions.
6. Install the ZIP provided below.

Download

• System image (install as ZIP in recovery): lineage-14.1-20180926-UNOFFICIAL-me176c-signed.zip
• TWRP recovery image: Available in a separate thread.
• Optional: Download Google apps (x86 for Android 7.1): Open GApps
• Optional: Root access: addonsu-14.1-me176c-signed.zip (Magisk is also working if you prefer that)
• Optional: Custom build of Xposed that doesn't cause boot loops: xposed-v89-sdk25-x86-me176c-signed.zip (flash it in recovery)

XDA:DevDB Information
Unofficial LineageOS for ASUS MeMO Pad 7 (ME176C(X)), ROM for the Asus MeMO Pad 7

Contributors
lambdadroid
Source Code: https://github.com/me176c-dev

ROM OS Version: 7.x Nougat
ROM Kernel: Linux 4.x
Based On: LineageOS

Version Information
Status: No Longer Updated

Created 2017-07-07
Last Updated 2020-05-12

 

[lambdadroid]

Version History

Available on GitHub.

 

[Ruben Craveiro]

Omg, just wow, finally a custom rom, ill flash it asap

 

[Ruben Craveiro]

Just flashed the rom an hour ago, had some issues with rotating screen which i fixed by installing an app that manually changes screen rotation.
I also enabled a toggle from notifications that allowed me to set either the heaphone or the speakers.
The rom feels a lot smoother than ZenUI and I was able to install substratum and put a theme, worked just fine, I also installed magisk but unfortunately certification doesnt work.
Also Netflix says its not compatible on the playstore, and when trying to install the apk, it allways says its incompatible with the tablet. Another issue i found was that the sound sometimes makes a weird sound (more noticeable when using headphones).
The wifi seems to turn off while suspended, even if its set to not turn off while suspended.
Other than that, rom seems pretty good. Keep up the good work

 

[lambdadroid]

Just flashed the rom an hour ago, had some issues with rotating screen which i fixed by installing an app that manually changes screen rotation.

As mentioned in https://github.com/me176c-dev/device_asus_me176c/issues/7, I had the issue that the accelerometer (which is used for device rotation) doesn't report any data after a restart. However, when I turned off the tablet, waited a few seconds and then turned it back on it worked fine. Can you try that?

I also enabled a toggle from notifications that allowed me to set either the heaphone or the speakers.

I have added a custom quick settings tile as part of the ROM that can be used to toggle speaker and headphones. That's the recommended way to switch between them (or is that what you mean with "toggle from notifications")?

I also installed magisk but unfortunately certification doesnt work.

Not sure, I've never used that...

Also Netflix says its not compatible on the playstore, and when trying to install the apk, it allways says its incompatible with the tablet.

Netflix is blocked for rooted devices using SafetyNet so it's correct that it's not displayed in the Play Store. However, even if you'd manage to install it on the tablet it wouldn't work because the required DRM libs aren't included currently. That's another proprietary mess I need to add (but it's a bit complicated because the original libs are not always perfectly compatible with the new kernel version etc.)

Additionally, if a APK is reported to be incompatible it's possible that it includes native libraries only compiled for ARM. That's mostly because some developers ignore (or used to ignore, it's less frequently now) the x86 architecture because there are not too many devices using it. Intel's solution for that is a proprietary translation layer called Houdini, which is not yet included in the ROM.

Another issue i found was that the sound sometimes makes a weird sound (more noticeable when using headphones).

Have you disabled touch sounds? I've noticed that these cause weird issues quite frequently. Not sure what's causing them.....

The wifi seems to turn off while suspended, even if its set to not turn off while suspended.

That's weird because there is no suspend at all currently (the tablet will stay on the whole time). It might be some kind of power saving feature. I will try to reproduce that.

Other than that, rom seems pretty good. Keep up the good work

Thanks

 

[Ruben Craveiro]

As mentioned in https://github.com/me176c-dev/device_asus_me176c/issues/7, I had the issue that the accelerometer (which is used for device rotation) doesn't report any data after a restart. However, when I turned off the tablet, waited a few seconds and then turned it back on it worked fine. Can you try that?


I have added a custom quick settings tile as part of the ROM that can be used to toggle speaker and headphones. That's the recommended way to switch between them (or is that what you mean with "toggle from notifications")?

I also installed magisk but unfortunately certification doesnt work.
Not sure, I've never used that...


Not sure, I've never used that...

Also Netflix says its not compatible on the playstore, and when trying to install the apk, it allways says its incompatible with the tablet.
Netflix is blocked for rooted devices using SafetyNet so it's correct that it's not displayed in the Play Store. However, even if you'd manage to install it on the tablet it wouldn't work because the required DRM libs aren't included currently. That's another proprietary mess I need to add (but it's a bit complicated because the original libs are not always perfectly compatible with the new kernel version etc.)

Additionally, if a APK is reported to be incompatible it's possible that it includes native libraries only compiled for ARM. That's mostly because some developers ignore (or used to ignore, it's less frequently now) the x86 architecture because there are not too many devices using it. Intel's solution for that is a proprietary translation layer called Houdini, which is not yet included in the ROM.

Another issue i found was that the sound sometimes makes a weird sound (more noticeable when using headphones).
Have you disabled touch sounds? I've noticed that these cause weird issues quite frequently. Not sure what's causing them.....


Have you disabled touch sounds? I've noticed that these cause weird issues quite frequently. Not sure what's causing them.....

The wifi seems to turn off while suspended, even if its set to not turn off while suspended.
That's weird because there is no suspend at all currently (the tablet will stay on the whole time). It might be some kind of power saving feature. I will try to reproduce that.


Thanks

I would problably use it as my main os, but not being able to install netflix is whats keeping me from staying here, i hope you can fix it, and the sound issues, if both features are fixed ill use it since i only use the tablet for music and netflix

 

[lambdadroid]

I would problably use it as my main os, but not being able to install netflix is whats keeping me from staying here, i hope you can fix it, and the sound issues, if both features are fixed ill use it since i only use the tablet for music and netflix

Sure. I will put it on my list, but it requires a substantial amount of work due to the amount of proprietary libraries required to make it working. Could you clarify what issues with sound you have? I know that the touch sounds cause weird beep sounds and I know that there is some noise when switching from headphones back to the speaker. It works fine for me otherwise.

 

[Ruben Craveiro]

Sure. I will put it on my list, but it requires a substantial amount of work due to the amount of proprietary libraries required to make it working. Could you clarify what issues with sound you have? I know that the touch sounds cause weird beep sounds and I know that there is some noise when switching from headphones back to the speaker. It works fine for me otherwise.

On youtube app, when in headphone mode sometimes theres static sound but no actual sound, the app needs to be reopen multiple times for it to actually start playing, and the beep sound doesnt just happend to the "touch sounds", it seems to happend when the device gets hot/starts to trottle(i might be wrong but its what it seemed that was happening).
Edit: Any other issues i find, ill just post on your github

 

[jerbear294]

I'll be flashing this when I get home. This will definitely be my daily driver once charging is tested a bit more and the battery drain is resolved.

 

[Nexive]

Thank you so much for a custom rom for this device!
I also formatted data and cache partition to f2fs with your twrp build.
It's incredible fast and stable enough for my use (internet, xda'ing, facebook and youtube)
It's my daily driver for now on even with these little bugs. But I don't care if these bugs still appears, the most important things works and I'm very happy.
And in my opinion, the battery life is better and the device gets less hot then the asus rom

Thank you so much!!

ROM passes safetynet with magisk v13.1, magisk hide enabled and the universal safetynet fix v2 beta 4 from Deiki installed.

Little (cosmetic)"bugs that aren't reported yet:

- Used storage capacity is negative and comes closer to zero when you fill up the space.
- It also shows 7,43 GB of total space on a 16 GB variant.
- My external sd card gets a strange name in settings and on the system file manager.

 

[bryandroid98]

Thanks Dude for this custom rom!
I´ll try tomorrow and the 3D games works?

there is [Benchmarks] File System Performance: F2FS vs EXT4
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2697069

 

[Mystmuse]

Hi everyone. Will this ROM work with my ASUS Memo Pad 7 (Model: K013, Firmware: WW-3.1.23.158, Ru Version)? Thanks a lot!

 

[bryandroid98]

Hi everyone. Will this ROM work with my ASUS Memo Pad 7 (Model: K013, Firmware: WW-3.1.23.158, Ru Version)? Thanks a lot!

If you are running Android Lollipop (5.0) and you have unlocked bootloader (and obviously have TWRP), You can!

 

[lambdadroid]

I'll be flashing this when I get home. This will definitely be my daily driver once charging is tested a bit more and the battery drain is resolved.

As far as I can tell, charging is working fine. I've tried it again in the last days and it charged correctly, even quite quickly. I should note that I've only tested using the original ASUS AC adapter, though. Normally, charging should behave exactly the same as on the original ASUS system. (It's the same driver, just with a lot of cleanup) Unless someone else finds a problem I'll probably leave it as-is.

(At this point I should mention that ASUS charging driver is horrible, it's extremely messy and looks like it was stuffed together and never finished. There were over 2k lines of code which weren't doing anything (because they are never reached) and a lot of spammy debugging output that wasn't removed. I wouldn't be surprised if it breaks in some cases, but that is likely not my fault...)

I definitely need to work on the battery drain but the suspend procedure is quite complex on this tablet: Normal PCs usually save power by powering off all components, and only keeping the RAM alive in a low power states (suspend to RAM). That doesn't exist on Bay Trail tablets, instead there are so-called S0ix power states in which the CPU and other components enter a low-power state (but the network connection is kept alive for example). I have not been able to figure out how to make the tablet enter one of the S0ix power states. It seems like certain preconditions are required (e.g. display is powered off) but there is no clear documentation on this.... I will need to take a closer look when I'm back from vacation.

- Used storage capacity is negative and comes closer to zero when you fill up the space.
- It also shows 7,43 GB of total space on a 16 GB variant.

That's quite funny. It doesn't happen for me, but on the other hand it somehow shows a total storage of 29 GB for me... (It has only 16 GB) I'll look into this soon.

Edit: It seems like it is influenced by the external SD card. Does your external SD card have a size of 8 GB? When I removed it and rebooted it showed the correct internal storage. (My SD card is 32 GB so it previously showed something close to the size of my external SD card)

My external sd card gets a strange name in settings and on the system file manager.

That's weird! It works for me. Is your external SD card formatted using FAT32? You may want to try to format the SD card directly on the tablet (make sure to backup the files first), looks a bit like some kind of encoding problem.

Thanks Dude for this custom rom!
I´ll try tomorrow and the 3D games works?

3D stuff should work (even with more OpenGL/Vulkan features supported) but my tests have shown slightly lower performance than on the original ASUS system.

 

[Nexive]

That's quite funny. It doesn't happen for me, but on the other hand it somehow shows a total storage of 29 GB for me... (It has only 16 GB) I'll look into this soon.

Edit: It seems like it is influenced by the external SD card. Does your external SD card have a size of 8 GB? When I removed it and rebooted it showed the correct internal storage. (My SD card is 32 GB so it previously showed something close to the size of my external SD card)


That's weird! It works for me. Is your external SD card formatted using FAT32? You may want to try to format the SD card directly on the tablet (make sure to backup the files first), looks a bit like some kind of encoding problem.

Yes it was formatted as FAT32 and my external SD card is indeed 8GB. And like you said, I removed the card, rebooted my device and it shows the correct storage as long there is no SD card in the tablet.

This little bug is just ''cosmetic'' and is not that important so I don't care if it excist or not. This rom is already so much better for me than the asus rom so thanks again for this wonderful rom. :victory:

I also formatted my external SD card (on an other device because I got a timeout when I tried to format it on the me176cx) and got a normal name now for my external SD card.

 

[bryandroid98]

Can I use Netflix on this rom?

 

[Ruben Craveiro]

Can I use Netflix on this rom?

nope, tried that already

 

[ona7]

I just install it (ME176CX), is working very nice thank you.

 

[groovychap]

This is amazing. Thank you.

 

[NahuelMS]

Is this going to get further development? It sounds very promising!

Thanks!