yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Nexus 5X Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] lllNuggetslll:
TLDR: Go to Google for warranty service. Do it.

Just want to share my experience with LG and their warranty service.

It has it's limitations, but was perfectly fine until I had to send it to LG for warranty service for black blotches on the screen. What I sent in was a white phone in pristine physical condition. Got a report in the mail saying they had received it and started 'fixing' it. They reported it didn't boot up, which was not the case and that they were replacing the board. Thought that was weird, being a display problem, but ok.

Got something back today, but it's not my phone. This Nexus is BLACK, not WHITE like my original one I sent in. To make matters worse, there was grim all over - in the screen crevices, wear and tear on the back cover. There even was an indelible imprint of some shield/emblem from a sticker on the cover. It even smelled. The only thing is, the imei number was the same, the tech just swapped it out onto someone else's dirty phone and sent it to me! The fingerprint scanner was black, separate from the case. Got in touch with LG's chat support and they said they sent the matter to the tech. Now, I have to wait for this tech to respond, and I'm pretty sure his answer will reflect his work ethic.

update: 5/19 The tech never responded. Surprising. So, I let a bit of my inner millennial out and tweet a pic to LG Mobile. They actually responded. Said I would have to send it back in and they would provide an overnight label. I slapped it on the package and it's now on it's way back to Texas.

Got back on live chat and the rep said it was sent back because of 'wrong cover' (more like wrong phone). Ugh. Will report when I find out more.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] steinwayer:
Hi everyone!

I was wondering if it's possible to flash android on the Alcatel Idol 4s Windows edition. The reason why i am asking is because i noticed that the TCL 950 (android smartphone) shares exactly the same SOC and specs with the Alcatel Idol 4s and it is actually made by the exact same company (TCL). It is basically the exact same phone, with a different brand on it and a different OS.

So i was wondering, would it be possible to flash the TCL 950 firmware on the Idol 4S windows in order to install Android on it? If yes, did any of you guys had the chance to find the firmware for the TCL 950? Cause i searched for it but didn't have any luck...

Thank you so much in advance!

I saw also that [MENTION=358779]compu829[/MENTION] commented a while back on the argument :)
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] compu829:
I still haven't found the firmware myself. As long as it was signed with the same certificate and windows phone, it should be possible.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] steinwayer:
After doing some heavy research i managed to find it!! Here it is, the TCL 950 firmware :)

http://pan.baidu.com/s/1geDBRnt

It is the official firmware directly from TCL i managed to talk with their assistance in China :)

[MENTION=358779]compu829[/MENTION] how can i flash this firmware now on my idol 4s?? :eek:

Thank you so much in advance
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] compu829:
[MENTION=8080133]steinwayer[/MENTION] I will need to download and extract it. I'll take a look later today.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] steinwayer:
Thanks [MENTION=358779]compu829[/MENTION] :)

Did you find anything interesting ?
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] jowe11:
I'm interested in the possibilities here too. Thanks for your research and sharing it!
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] compu829:
I can't download it. Can you? If so can you put it somewhere like mega.co.nz?

I was able to download the package and re-upload it to mega with some help from my friends. Here is the link: https://mega.nz/#!ITJhjYIS!R_iUZhGZMcslAK_u1wdsJ-7q-0D5ma_KrHl4pu2CPqo

I took a quick look, and it is pretty much all mbn files that the factory would flash during assembly, so you will (most likely) need a copy of QPST. We may also be able to use WDRT to flash it. In either case, flashing will fail miserably if the certificates don't match.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] steinwayer:
So how would you suggest to do this [MENTION=358779]compu829[/MENTION]?
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] snickler:
^^^ You probably won't be able to easily. At this point, no one here knows, but as [MENTION=358779]compu829[/MENTION] stated, if the certificates don't match (which they most likely don't), then you're not going to be flashing it at this point. :)
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] steinwayer:
Would it not be possible to "force" the flashing of that image? Afer all the devices are exactly the same from an hardware perspective..
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] snickler:
Same hardware != same implementation. There's mechanisms that will only allow certain things to be flashed, while all protections are still enabled on the device. Since it's a newer phone, I imagine qualcomm's security mechanisms are stepped up as opposed to how they are on older SoC implementations.

If anything, it will NOT be an easy feat to accomplish, so I will say no to a way of "forcing" it to flash at the moment.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] steinwayer:
It makes perfect sense :)

What i was thinking tho is that probably the two devices have even a different bootloader. Meaning that it would be a total wipe of the entire disk including swap partition and try to flash that rom.

I was thinking: imagine a bricked device, sometimes is possible to wipe out completely the memory on it and just flash the right rom. Sadly i do not habe much experience in mobile devices.. been developing only for desktops for years.

But if you guys manage to accomplish that it would be great.

The alcatel idol 4s is a great phone for both specs and design and is currently EXTREMELY cheap to. Buy on ebay (you can even find it at 100 bucks) mainly because of its OS

Being able to turn it into an Android phone would be an amazing feat :)
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] steinwayer:
Also, a very important factor is that the phones are made by the same shenzhen manufacturer most likely in the same plant. The only thingthey really change is the logo on the back, which comes later on, and the OS.from aanufacturing perspective it would not make much sense to lock with certificates the devices,slowing quite a bit he manufacturing process.it would have sense if the two devices were to be released in the same country, but in this case, tcl 950 is just available in asia, where idol 4s isnot. How can we verify this certificate thing [MENTION=358779]compu829[/MENTION] ? We have an Idol 4s
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] steinwayer:
hello [MENTION=2854207]snickler[/MENTION] do you think that doing this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwkx5CFRFKo

would give me a chance of success?

Also, in case of failure for differente certificates, do you think the process would not even start or would it start and brick my device?

Thanks
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] steinwayer:
Update: I am trying to let QFIL to see my device.

First i put my device in flash mode by shutting it down and then immediately pressing and holding the volume up key. It goes in flash mode. I launch QFIL , connect the phone over the USB port, but the tool does not see my device.. i tried installing several qualcomm usb drivers, but till now no luck.

You guys have any suggestions??

[MENTION=2854207]snickler[/MENTION] [MENTION=358779]compu829[/MENTION] ?

Thanks in advance :)
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] snickler:
It won't work. This is for phones stuck in QDLoader 9008 mode (DEAD MODE) and DLOAD mode. The Sahara protocol only accepts signed programmers that are stored in the UEFI. You also need the exact flashers for the particular phone for it to work as it's specific to the phone's bootloader (which is definitely signed)
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] steinwayer:
Which method would you suggest me to try??
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] compu829:
I don't know what QFIL is, but vol up and power will put the windows phone in a flash mode that is compatible with WDRT. This mode is completely different than the Qualcomm mode. You most likely need to intentionally brick your device to enable Qualcomm recovery mode.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] snickler:
No method. It's probably not best to randomly try things without understanding the underlying mechanisms and the implications of what could happen in the end.

Honestly, IMO, if you want Android then buy an Android phone. I understand that it would be cool to be able to swap out, but the likelihood of this happening right now is close to zero.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] steinwayer:
If only i could put my hands on the software they use at tcl to flash their devices... :P

This is oje of the reasons why smartphones are still way behind computers. Not much freedom of choice and yet theorically it would be more than possible to allow a certain level of freedom on it :)
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] steinwayer:
I know also that Heathcliff some time ago released a handy tool to unlock windows phones bootloader , gain root access and flash custom roms on it.

I was wondering if that could be a viable solution to achieve our result :)

[MENTION=3254428]Heathcliff74[/MENTION] what do you think?
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] snickler:
[MENTION=8080133]steinwayer[/MENTION],

Realize that [MENTION=3254428]Heathcliff74[/MENTION]'s work was something that happened for specific Nokia phones that had a specific implementation. We won't be able to achieve this right now with this phone.

As I noted earlier, it's best to just buy an Android phone instead of trying to find ways to throw it on to a Windows Phone, especially one that has a newer architecture and security implementation.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] Heathcliff74:
First I gotta ask.. if you want an Android phone, why didnt you buy an Android phone??

About flashing Android on the Idol 4S:

- All hardware may be the same, the hash of the certificates in the QFuses are different. I checked it for you. The Android version of the phone has proper certificates, generated by TCL. The Windows version of the phone has everything signed with Qualcomm test certs. So, you can't flash the Android bootloader to the Windows Idol 4S. It won't be accepted and it will never boot due to SecureBoot technology.

- Since the Windows version of the phone has everything signed with Qualcomm test certs, you could try to find the private keys of those certs. Maybe some leaked Qualcomm SDK contains those certs. If you can find them, you can theoretically use that to sign the Android aboot, then generate a new emergency payload file and sign that too. The format of the payload file is not documented, so good luck with that. If you manage to do that, you can flash the android bootloader to the Windows device, using Thor2. You should then use Android flash tools to manually flash the OS partitions.

- You will still not have dual boot. Implementing dual boot on the phone will be really tricky and needs other hacks too. And it is also completely useless. Imagine: "Ow wait, let me reboot my phone to the other OS, because the contact I need to call is in the phonebook of my other OS"...

Good luck and happy bricking your Idol 4S!

Heathcliff74
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] Asadullah:
I don't have the phone but a couple years ago (galaxy s5 days) I got a leaked copy of the Qualcomm signing certs would that help?
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] compu829:
as long as you have the private keys and the cert have the same signature hash as the ones in the idol 4s that would help!
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] Asadullah:
I just sent it to you. I uploaded it to Google docs
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] steinwayer:
Thank you so much for the precious informations heathcliff :) regarding the first question, well it is just my nerdy spirit that makes me wonder that kind of stuff eheheh . It was like managing to get proper 3d acceleration on an ATI GPU in the early 2000s on Linux in order to get that damn compiz cube to work. Let's face, it was completely useless from a daily usage perspective, but it literally kept me up for a lot of nights ahahah (p.s. at the end i managed to do it ahah. I am talking about the compiz thing of course, not the Alcatel one ahaha)
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] mobilemeneer:
Is there any progress on this topic? For the ones asking why we bought the windows version, it's because of the specs. The windows version has better specs.

The phone would be even better if android can be installed on it.

Where can we start or can someone help us? Maybe donate something for the devs working on it
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] pfranciulli:
Blackberry Dtek60 has the same hardware too

Blackberry Dtek60 has the same hardware too- Can anyone say or try if is this easier to find te firmware and certificate for this phone instead TCL950?

---------- Post added at 01:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:19 PM ----------

Hello Heathcliff74: What about hash of certificates in the Blackberry Dtek60? This fone also has the same hardware.

Thank you!
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] snickler:
You guys seem to be going down a rabbit hole on this one.

1) It's not going to be an easy process to pull off AT ALL even if somehow there was a certificate presented and there's a huge chance it's not going to work.

2) If any leaked certificates were to uploaded to XDA, they would get removed immediately as to avoid any legal issues that would arise from it

3) BUY AN ANDROID PHONE. Yes, you may like the hardware that the Windows Phone version has, but the reality is that you'll just have to buy an Android phone :)

4) You can search throughout XDA for terms involving running android on windows phone hardware and you won't find anything conclusive. It's a very difficult thing to do and it would be more of a waste of resources to attempt to pull this off. It will involve some pretty brilliant people who know the ins and outs of these devices at a super low-level + bypassing any Microsoft protections. I know [MENTION=3254428]Heathcliff74[/MENTION] doesn't have all this time to throw towards it.

Yes, this text sounds very off-putting, but it's a reality that we have to deal with.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] pfranciulli:
Thanks [MENTION=2854207]snickler[/MENTION] and [MENTION=3254428]Heathcliff74[/MENTION] ! Some people simply like to face very big challenges to learn new things, and this is one really big.

Other solution for those to want to switch this phone to Android OS would be asking to Alcatel to release any secure metod to do this, appealing to the fact that Microsoft has cheated its users by letting their operating system die, but Alcatel can demonstrate their commitment to they users giving them the possibility to change the software... ¿?
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] pfranciulli:
Possible solution?

I have no knowledge at all but seems viable. I don't know if that tool "Windows Phone Internals" has support for Alcatel Idol 4S.

We need advice and help from [MENTION=3254428]Heathcliff74[/MENTION] to have a clear picture, and to know if it can be done more or less easily for beginners. Whether installing the Rom of the Blackberry Dtek60 or TCL 950

Of course, I would gladly provide him donations as a thank you for your help
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] besweeet:
Is it safe to say that Android on this phone will never happen? It's more powerful than the actual Android version, so it would obviously be nice to see.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] asimthair:
Hi , and Good work ..........seem to me you Ppls will gona do it :good:
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] CharlieChan2010:
I have the same problem as most of you... I purchased the phone thinking the app/game devs would do more work with the device since it's way over powered on Windows 10, but have seen nothing but disappointment... With all the searching I have done into this subject I've decided to no longer try getting Android on this device and just purchased the lg G6... If any one is interested in the device or would like a second device to try any attempts at doing any of these hacks/mods feel free to contact me as I WILL be selling the device with all items in original box..(phone, VR headset and charger)
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] asimthair:
Hi Everyone , long time no reply from anyone ?, i have the phone and im ready to flash it , just guide how can i
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] bbrooks182:
I'd really like to buy this phone, especially at its current price at the Microsoft Store. It has everything I'm looking for just need to flash an Android Rom.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] cdwood:
Can TCL 950 android version be converted to Alcatel 4 Pro Windows 10 version?

In China, only TCL 950 android version is sold. The phone 's specs are the same as Alcatel 4 Pro Windows 10 version sold in Europe. By the latest offical Windows Phone Recovery Tool, the ROM with only FFU file for Alcatel 4 Pro Windows 10 version can be got. Can TCL 950 android version be converted to Alcatel 4 Pro Windows 10 version with the ROM?

In fact, the Xiaomi 4 LTE, originally an android phone, can be converted to a Windows 10 phone with a official Windows 10 ROM with 1 FFU, 1 mbn and 2 XML files from MS, and visa versa.

As I know, the flash modes include 2 ways: Card Flash and line Flash. By the card flash mode , a card flash ROM without mbn and XML files is pushed to the internal memory or copied to the SD card of a phone, and is used by the recovery program of an android phone. By the line flash mode, a ROM with 1 mbn and 2 XML files can be flashed on a PC to a phone by tools such as MiFlash, QSPT(QFIL).

Can the TCL 950 android version be flashed with the Alcatel 4 Pro Windows 10 ROM by line mode with a tool such as FFUTool?
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] ykhehra1:
+1 on this os replacement option.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] sco1984:
I ordered alcatel idol 4s Windows from US with hope that 1 day I'll be able to flash Android :D [My friend took the device to India from US with him]

I am using this device in India.

Initially I wasn't sure if it'll work in India as it's a 'Unlocked' device as per the listing at Microsoft store.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] sco1984:
[MENTION=8080133]steinwayer[/MENTION] : Have you tried other Qualcomm tools like Qualfast, QComDLoader Flash Tool, Lenovo Downloader or Xiaomi Mi Flash Tool? Thanks.

---------- Post added at 12:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:19 PM ----------

[MENTION=8080133]steinwayer[/MENTION] : Are you able to see these options? https://imgur.com/a/7fyr1
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] cgigate:
dead Windows 10 Mobile ...
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] x000x:
idol 4s windows version is now down to $100 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sto...93t646gz04f7/07gb?activetab=pivot:overviewtab
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] besweeet:
Great price for the hardware, but otherwise makes no sense.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] Dude905:
What makes this phone dead, is it only because there no apps available ? One still can use it if there interest is only calling and texting, yes ? I just bought it for $124.99 and I don't care for games or even the internet, is this phone still dead ? thanks
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] partha06:
can u make it work with JIO or other 4G in india? and what about 3g?
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] SaintSeya84:
Any update?

Hi guys

With Microsoft selling this phone for $99 with Galaxy S7 hardware it would be terrific if someone succeeds to install Android on it! Is any hope or update on this?
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] besweeet:
I have an early review unit of the device. Sometimes they have write access available. Are there things that I can check that might help?
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] waseem.khan:
how to convert alcatel idol 4s window 10 to android. plz advise
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] richardyiu:
Page 1 of this thread has the android version rom: https://mega.nz/#!ITJhjYIS!R_iUZhGZM...a_KrHl4pu2CPqo

but it just we can't flash it due to signature mismatch

or you may watch this thread about this phone's hacking:

https://xdaforums.com/windows-10-mobile/alcatel-idol-4s-windows-10-development-t3558286
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] besweeet:
What's the method to flash it? I have a pre-production review unit that might have some permissions provided already.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] richardyiu:
you need QPST tool to flash it. you can google on the instruction to flash rom via QPST.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] sco1984:
All Indian sim works in this model on 4G & LTE but not VoLTE.

3G= No.

Connection speed offered under Settings > Sim card settings > Mobile networks are = LTE, 4G & 2G. No 3G option in the list.

Regards,

Amey.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] besweeet:
In this case, "4G" is 3G.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] partha06:
is your top speaker working fine?
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] sco1984:
Yes but phone gives wi-fi issues.

Sometimes never connects to wi-fi.

Also, phone camera fails to scan whatsapp web QR code.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] Carnaradak:
Any Luck>

Hey, any luck installing Android on your Idol?
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] richardyiu:
does the tcl950 rom work for your unit?

---------- Post added at 03:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:54 PM ----------

Does the tcl950 rom work for your unit?
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] besweeet:
I'm not confident in trying it unless there's a clear path to reversing everything.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] walliot:
Any news on installing the android ROM unto a Windows Idol 4s? What was the workaround for the signature mismatch? Thanks!
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] ivantinkers:
Got stuck with one too!

I see I am not the only one looking to save the hardware features in the Windows Idol 4s. I had a thought while trying to make this phone run on android. Would changing the logic boards between a Windows Idol 4s and Android 4s do the trick? Any thoughts? Thanks.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] besweeet:
What's the point of swapping logic boards? Just use the actual Android model...
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] ivantinkers:
Buying a damaged cellphone or just the board on eBay. But I am sure that varying specs would probably cause trouble such as the better camera.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] bbrooks182:
The Android model has much lower specs than the Windows version
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] oquesereu:
Missing files

In the files shared by TCL are missing the following files needed for a firmware change via QFIL:

prog_emmc_firehose_8996.mbn (TCL/Alcatel/Blackberry)

rawprogram0.xml

patch0.xml

gpt_main0.bin

gpt_both0.bin

gpt_backup0.bin

I have searched everywhere (even in the Chinese forums), but I have not been successful, if anyone finds or knows how to make these files, please share, thank you.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] besweeet:
Are those found on the Windows phone OS? My model has full read / write access to the OS. Not sure if that helps.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] oquesereu:
Emergency files

As far as I know, these files are memory partitioning, system startup, etc. The manufacturer's emergency files (in this case, TCL/Alcatel/BlackBerry) and Qualcomm. The Windows version brings all the packages into a single compressed .FFU file.
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] :
is there any way to extract the files? Link to the Firmware file?
[Alcatel Idol 4S Questions & Answers] oquesereu:
File and link

Hello, the file I downloaded was made available by [MENTION=358779]compu829[/MENTION] on the first page of this post (MEGA.NZ), but it does not have the files mentioned above, which are primordial for the exchange of firmware via QFIL.