[ROM][Ubuntu Touch][UNOFFICIAL] SM-T510/T515 - Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2019)

[MIDHUN.V.NADH]

I have been developing Ubuntu Touch for the Tab A 10.1 2019
This ROM has been tested on both SM-T510 (WiFi version) and SM-T515 (WiFi + LTE)

Any developers reading this and has the device with them and are interested in the project may contact me :
@midhunvnadh on Telegram

Not Working :-

• Bluetooth
• Audio
• Anbox (Android Emulator)
• MTP

I am trying to fix these.

Download Files

Download the Halium arm32 GSI file : from Here

(Optional) Download SamsungUSBTethering zip : from here

Ubports Patched Kernel : from here

Get all the above files copied to your External SD Card

Installation
WARNING : I am NOT responsible for any damage caused to your device
If you are following this post, please takeup full responsibility of your device.


Noobs at flashing ROM's can click here :https://telegra.ph/Installing-Ubuntu-Touch-T510T515-08-22
Thanks to @ahamshubham for making this

1.0 Flash STOCK Android 9.0 Pie on your device and install TWRP.
(Because not tested on STOCK Android 10.0)

1.5 Boot into TWRP and Wipe all except external SD. REBOOT to recovery.

2.0 On TWRP : Flash the Lineage 16.0 build. DON'T REBOOT.

3.0 On TWRP : Goto Install -> Install Image -> (Flash halium-boot.img) DON'T REBOOT.

4.0 On TWRP : Goto Install -> (Flash ubports_GSI_installer_V1-arm32.zip).

5.0 (Optional) : Goto Install -> (Flash samsung-usb-tethering.zip)

5.1 Reboot.
(Incase : unable to boot ? , boot into TWRP -> reboot -> system)

samsung-usb-tethering.zip is used to get an SSH console from device to PC. Credits to @erfanoabdi

Please report all the errors you encounter here.

Sources

• Kernel : https://github.com/midhunvnadh/android_kernel_samsung_gta3xlwifi
• Device Tree : https://github.com/midhunvnadh/device_samsung_gta3xlwifi
• GSI arm32 : https://github.com/midhunvnadh/android_device_halium_ubport

The Device tree is a dummy tree with kernel sources linked. Which serves a purpose of compiling halium-boot.img. For more info contact me.

Donations are always appreciated : Just click here

 

[MIDHUN.V.NADH]

Reserved

Reserved

 

[mikehunt723]

Pick me! Pick me!

I will gladly take that on. Just got down installing lineage ,17.1 with Kali Linux.. I will see what I can't get done tonight.

 

[MIDHUN.V.NADH]

I will gladly take that on. Just got down installing lineage ,17.1 with Kali Linux.. I will see what I can't get done tonight.

Hello, you gave me a first reply... !!!
This is my real thread post on ROM's.
I didn't understand what you meant by "Pick me" and "I will gladly take that on. "
Are you looking forward to make contribution to this project ?

 

[Akhil99]

Bruh this is amazing work, keep it going!

 

[nubianprince]

This looks like an interesting project, none of the download links work for me

 

[MIDHUN.V.NADH]

This looks like an interesting project, none of the download links work for me

It is a direct link. It works for me ?

 

[Mohamed677]

Can you support Galaxy Tab A6?

 

[MIDHUN.V.NADH]

Can you support Galaxy Tab A6?

I can try if you can give me a device.

 

[antoine62]

Can you support Galaxy Tab A6?

The sm-t580? I tryed like a month ago, and i got the boot.img file to compile for halium7, but not the system image, and los14 is broken so it cant work anyway, and, when i tryed to compile using halium9, i had missing libs.

I also tryed postmarketOS, and it did not boot
(Well, if it did, and i think it did because it didnt reboot into download mode automatically), and screen and usb wasnt working

 

[aveemashfaq]

1.0 Flash STOCK Android 9.0 Pie on your device and install TWRP.

Wow. This is exciting news. Really have been longing for a non-android based OS for a long time. Thanks a ton. Will surely donate when I get a job(currently unemployed due to covid):good:

What do you mean by installing stock? You are going to installing LOS 16.0 so can that not be the starting point? Do I have to go back and install stock using Odin and do the whole process again?

 

[MIDHUN.V.NADH]

Wow. This is exciting news. Really have been longing for a non-android based OS for a long time. Thanks a ton. Will surely donate when I get a job(currently unemployed due to covid):good:

What do you mean by installing stock? You are going to installing LOS 16.0 so can that not be the starting point? Do I have to go back and install stock using Odin and do the whole process again?

Yes, you have to do all those steps.
Why I am asking everyone to install Stock 9.0 is because :
1. On Samsung Exynos Devices developers have an hard time developing Ubuntu Touch.
2. There are changes in partition structure going on from upgrade to Stock 9.0 to 10.0
3. The kernel source of stock Android 9.0 is VERY different from 10.0
4. I wasn't able to get logs from Stock 10.0 due to the partition changes mentioned on (2)
5. Halium 9.0 (Build Engine for Touch) highly recommends Android 9.0/Lineage 16.0 as a base to install upon.
6. Moreover I haven't tested if it boots on stock 10.0 because of (2), (3), (5) and I am currently fixing the bugs.

Please try to out on AOSP 10.0 and let me know if it work

 

[Geek_Ceará]

Hello! I installed it on my Galaxy Tab A 2019 T510, however, a strange problem happens. Suddenly the screen goes dark and I can't do anything, even pressing the power button. A little while later the screen goes black, forcing me to use the Volume - / Power keys to restart. Anyone else going through this? I have another question: the installation file (ubports gsi) says arm32. Is the architecture of this tablet arm34 or arm64?

 

[MIDHUN.V.NADH]

Hello! I installed it on my Galaxy Tab A 2019 T510, however, a strange problem happens. Suddenly the screen goes dark and I can't do anything, even pressing the power button. A little while later the screen goes black, forcing me to use the Volume - / Power keys to restart. Anyone else going through this? I have another question: the installation file (ubports gsi) says arm32. Is the architecture of this tablet arm34 or arm64?

Hi !, Were you able to boot into the OS ?
I haven't faced that issue can you elaborate ?

The Tablet has an arm64 kernel but the vendor and system are both arm32.
I had to make the arm32 GSI for ubuntu touch to run on this tablet.
The GSI will also work for devices with the arm32 vendor and system.

 

[MIDHUN.V.NADH]

Hello! I installed it on my Galaxy Tab A 2019 T510, however, a strange problem happens. Suddenly the screen goes dark and I can't do anything, even pressing the power button. A little while later the screen goes black, forcing me to use the Volume - / Power keys to restart. Anyone else going through this? I have another question: the installation file (ubports gsi) says arm32. Is the architecture of this tablet arm34 or arm64?

Hi ! Thank you for your reply.

Were you able to boot into the OS ?
I haven't faced that issue. Can you elaborate ?

The Tablet has an arm64 kernel but the vendor and system are both arm32 eventhough some devices with the same SoC has full arm64.
I am trying to port arm64 vendor into the device but I think arm32 will be better because the device only has 2GB RAM (Atleast on my device)
I had to make the arm32 GSI for ubuntu touch to run on this tablet.
The GSI will also work for devices with the arm32 vendor and system.

 

[ahamshubham]

Worked!!

I was looking forward to run Ubuntu Touch on my Samsung Galaxy Tab A (SM-T515NZKDINU). I contacted MIDHUN.V.NADH, he helped me through the process and we got Ubuntu Touch running on my device. I would like to thank him for his help and his post. I, however, felt that I could not follow the instructions in the post very easily. Maybe, this is because I am doing something like this for the first time. So, I compiled a list of instructions to follow. I will send him this list of instructions and post them here too. I feel they will be helpful for people looking to run Ubuntu Touch on the same device.

 

[Geek_Ceará]

Hi !, Were you able to boot into the OS ?
I haven't faced that issue can you elaborate ?

The Tablet has an arm64 kernel but the vendor and system are both arm32.
I had to make the arm32 GSI for ubuntu touch to run on this tablet.
The GSI will also work for devices with the arm32 vendor and system.

Yes. I managed to initialize, however, this problem happens to me. I uninstalled Ubuntu and returned to android. Someday, when I have something stable, I test it again.

And about the processor architecture, I understand your explanation. Thank you!

 

[ahamshubham]

Just adding instructions on how I did it on my device

My device details:
Device Model Number: SM-T515 (NZKDINU)
Linux Kernel Version: 4.4.111-17420370

Instructions for SM-T515:

1) Download these files using the links given in the post I am commenting on:
a) Halium arm32 GSI file
b) Ubports Patched Kernel
c) (Optional) SamsungUSBTethering zip

2) Copy all the above files to your External SD Card and insert this SD card in the device (tablet)

3) Flash STOCK Android 9.0 Pie on your device (tablet) and install TWRP:
a) For installing TWRP, use the following post: https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...very-twrp-3-3-1-2019-galaxy-tab-10-1-t3934805. The instructions for installing TWRP as given in this post are:
i) Unlock bootloader (See the end of my comment)
ii) Hold Vol Up & Vol Down buttons during restart to enter Download mode
iii) Install TWRP to AP with Odin
iv) Hold Power & Vol Up buttons during restart to enter TWRP recovery
v) On TWRP: Swipe to allow modifications
vi) On TWRP: Wipe -> Advanced Wipe -> Select all except SD card
vii) On TWRP: Reboot -> Recovery

4) On TWRP: Go to Install -> Install Image -> (Flash halium-boot.img. Partition to flash image is BOOT). DON'T REBOOT. PRESS BACK.

5) On TWRP: Go to Install -> (Flash ubports_GSI_installer_V1-arm32.zip. Don't check any check boxes)

6) (Optional) On TWRP: Goto Install -> (Flash samsung-usb-tethering.zip)

7) Reboot

8) Ubuntu Touch will open. The password is: phablet

Unlocking Bootloader (Check this post: https://www.getdroidtips.com/oem-unlocking/):
1) Enable Developer Mode in Device Settings
2) Enable OEM Unlocking Option in Developer options after connecting to WiFi and setting the year in the phone to the year 2019
3) Get into Device Unlock Mode: Press (Volume Up Key + Volume Down Key + Insert USB Cable in the phone) while restarting the phone
4) Unlock bootloader. (Very Important!!) DON'T LET THE DEVICE BOOT INTO THE ANDROID OS AFTER UNLOCKING DEVICE BOOTLOADER

 

[aveemashfaq]

Yes, you have to do all those steps.
Why I am asking everyone to install Stock 9.0 is because :
1. On Samsung Exynos Devices developers have an hard time developing Ubuntu Touch.
2. There are changes in partition structure going on from upgrade to Stock 9.0 to 10.0
3. The kernel source of stock Android 9.0 is VERY different from 10.0
4. I wasn't able to get logs from Stock 10.0 due to the partition changes mentioned on (2)
5. Halium 9.0 (Build Engine for Touch) highly recommends Android 9.0/Lineage 16.0 as a base to install upon.
6. Moreover I haven't tested if it boots on stock 10.0 because of (2), (3), (5) and I am currently fixing the bugs.

Please try to out on AOSP 10.0 and let me know if it work

Hi, I just tried it out on my device. I had stock 9.0 over which I had flashed Lineage OS 17.1(based on Android 10). Over that, I flashed LOS 16, halium-boot, ubports-gsi and usb tethering. Worked for me.

I have to say, I have a pinephone and it seems that ubports on Samsung tab is faster than on pinephone.

 

[CactiChameleon9]

The sm-t580? I tryed like a month ago, and i got the boot.img file to compile for halium7, but not the system image, and los15 is broken so it cant work anyway, and, when i tryed to compile using halium9, i had missing libs.

I also tryed postmarketOS, and it did not boot
(Well, if it did, and i think it did because it didnt reboot into download mode automatically), and screen and usb wasnt working

Did you ever get this to work/ any tips for trying because I really want this to work (I am trying at the moment).