yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Fire General] DB126:
Initial Config

Wasn't sure where to post this (didn't want to start a new thread) so I'll plunk it here for generic consumption; sorry if OT.

As all of my devices are rooted (and generally unlocked) I wanted to tinker with a stock 7th gen device to see what has changed over 5th/6th gen predecessors. Snagged a HD 8 on promotion for a brief spin. Decided to share my initial config in the event it might benefit to others. This is not an Rx; just a few Q&D bullets. Pretty much what I do on every new device. Everything here can be applied to any 3rd-7th gen Fire.

- initial boot tethered directly into stock recovery

- flush caches (kill any preloaded updates); factory reset (deregister from Amazon)

- reboot to bootloader; probe for weaknesses (none found - as expected)

- reboot system; decline registration and WiFi setup (temporary network isolation)

- verify FireOS build [ 5.4.0.0 - drat :) ]

- enable developer options and adb; grant permissions

- adb install Adguard and configure universal network block -> kills OTA updates, ads and all network activity

- adb install Opera Mini (fast/simple browser), preferred file manager and few other core apps/tools from APKMirror

- define AP to WiFi; observe notifications to see who/what want's network access and configure accordingly

The tools mentioned above are my preferences which gravitate toward rock solid reliability, stability and ease of use. Many other options/approaches to satisfy individual preferences. Rather fascinating observing how 'chatty' FireOS is (all of it blocked). From this point forward I can observe and experiment without exposing personal details or tinkling in the well by munging native permissions, files, services, etc. When complete device will likely go back to Amazon.

Initial impressions:

- FireOS runs much nicer on the HD 8 than Fire 7; additional memory makes a big difference

- IPS panel under-performs; washed out colors and limited brightness (still not bad for a budget device)

- reconfirmed UX is well designed for target audience IMO (obviously some won't like it; good for most)

- Amazon app store is as horrible as ever; obviously taking clueless clues from Microsoft :)

- despite various shortcomings HD 8 and (to a lesser extent) Fire 7 remain excellent buys...especially on promotion

Note to purists: A VPN based firewall is obviously susceptible to early boot leakage and potentially an ungraceful exit under high load conditions. I'm not personally concerned with either scenario given exposures, probability and consequences (all minimal). Privacy wonks and other paranoids should consider a hardware/network based alternative.
[Fire General] Hallo32:
Hi,

I lived around 20 years in the rural area. (I hope I have chosen the right term.) At least I know, that the the milk isn't growing on trees. ;)

I'm not absolutely sure about the 3rd party repairs through private persons / unskilled persons.

Replacing light bulbs should be possible for everyone with free available documentations or video guides for the latest generation.

Replacing safety parts like breaks is an other part and should be done by skilled persons.

Seems to be time to take a closer at the used ICs. No I'm not asking the Amazon service. :cool:
[Fire General] DragonFire1024:
I think this is a good spot. I think the two threads we have on our little trick, are enough for now. Maybe it's just me, but I'd prefer to read through one or two whole threads where 98% of the conversations have taken place, to get help, answers or to make changes, as opposed to reading 3, 4, 5 or 6 threads (I've seen that happen a lot in the more active categories). I understand some threads overstay their welcome with age, but for now I think we have a good thing going. One place to describe this manual undertaking as you and I have done. And another place for the more automated type. I think any modifications we make, that aren't bigger tricks themselves, and are a result of this trick, should be between the two threads if possible. So I welcome and encourage anyone to post their configurations. Yours could help someone else :)

I don't really have much concern for privacy at the moment. I've done too many resets to have had anything private on these things and you need to take a few steps to access my information anyways. I don't do online shopping or banking from a mobile device either. Paranoid? Maybe a little. But I do have a few small reasons to be just a little paranoid, stories that are for another place and time lol. I like to see myself more as a freedom fighter. With that said, I agree 100% in regards to the firewall. My OTA to 5.4 got through mine, but I had made a settings mistake. With that also said, there is no real sure fire way to stop OTA. We don't even yet know if disabling the OTA functionalities actually stop OTAs. I'm still convinced that when active, the guest user receives OTAs. Other than a week or two ago, I have yet to be able to activate guest again, but it does appear in the user list.
[Fire General] DB126:
Example of many articles on this subject. Obviously less egregious on older equipment. And yes, it can get down to the light bulb level depending on the failing component.

Moving OT; my bad for introducing.

---------- Post added at 03:25 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:26 AM ----------

Block DeviceSoftwareOTA.apk in your VPN firewall; you'll be fine. Been doing this for awhile across various Amazon devices and FireOS versions. Always get a chuckle about the creative yet often ineffective approaches to blocking OTA updates. :)

Android can't use back channels provided VPN is properly configured.
[Fire General] DragonFire1024:
And can't provide OTA if the function doesn't exist...we hope. Just mind you, download manager is sneaky. I will experiment with a 3rd party download manager a bit later.
[Fire General] DB126:
FUD - research how VPNs work on Android. That said, solution is not perfect due to boot/startup delays, FW misconfiguration or potential OOM kill (which shouldn't happen on a healthy device with proper LMK values) as previously noted. "Sneaky" doesn't come into play.
[Fire General] DragonFire1024:
Oh I just meant that for now, our hope is that by disabling DeviceSoftwareOTA.apk, it also stops OTA. Also, I monitored heavily, download manager of Amazon. It would connect to the internet when it didn't need to, it was "talking" to I forget who, I would need to see if I still have that file of packets. But it was enough for me to say wait a minute. I blocked both of them from accessing the internet unless I needed them at the time. I will probably do the same until I test out another.

So far the guest account also hasn't reactivated. I still have my concerns about the packages there as they are still enabled so presumably OTA and what not could still happen. What is stopping an OTA from being sent, downloading there and being applied system wide?
[Fire General] DB126:
Sigh - believe I answered both concerns in prior post. Will leave it an an exercise to build confidence or offer evidence of leakage.
[Fire General] DragonFire1024:
I would love to offer evidence, if I knew how. Been trying to think of ways to monitor it without 'signing it up.' Because I wonder if you create a real user from Guest, does another Guest appear?
[Fire General] DragonFire1024:
My current desktop for the moment.
[Fire General] DB126:
Personally I think the whole guest account/user thing and its devious activities is overblown at best. I don't doubt you saw (or think you saw) a guest user or account. Its purpose, capabilities and privileges are pure speculation. Even if it were Sir Evil's blood relative getting past an active/configured VPN would nearly impossible.

Moving on; dead subject.
[Fire General] DragonFire1024:
I did and I just explored it. Well sorta. At least through the shell. To activate it you have to use Activity Launcher, all activities, settings, users. Tap on guest, and it switches you. You are then prompted with a registration screen for Amazon. I stayed there and went to ADB

adb shell pm list users
$ UserInfo{0:eek:wner:13} running
UserInfo{10:Guest:13} running

I then typed pm list packages and all the same ones that were/are on mine, were there. Exception: King Root put's its Helper APK there. I disabled the OTA apk and hit the power button to activate the lock screen. I tapped on the person icon at the top right and it asks if you want to remove guest. I selected yes...now it doesn't say it removes the user itself, just ALL APPS and their DATA associated with the user. Once you do that, you're kicked back to your account and the Guest account is dormant again.

My conclusion: It is an account, and it isn't. It's function ceases when the user leaves it and removes it. Unless there is a back door, it's not done through the APKs on Guest because they won't technically exist on that account anymore.

EDIT: lol at the code. It's supposed to say Owner but I can't change it
[Fire General] DB126:
Pretty much the way the guest account/mode/user works on AOSP (do a search for details). So it would appear the underpinnings to permit the use of Guest services are also present in FireOS. Not really a surprise. My previous remarks pertained to a persistent Guest account/user that could be activated serendipitously to perform evil deeds.
[Fire General] DragonFire1024:
Possible? Perhaps. But via OTA type? I don't think so. I really do think it ceases actual functionality until someone or something tries to log into it.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] panitsos:
Hi can someone please help me out. Last night i had to reflash the rom for some reason my phone kept on shutting off and rebooting on its own, so i reflashed the rom and its working fine again, the problem i'm having is i cant log into my snapchat again. i had the same issue when i first flashed the rom and was instructed to use "suhide-gui" and back then it worked. I tried the same method again and its not working now. Is there a fix for this? I've been using Jovy's Darthstalker Rom btw.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] eventheodds1:
snapchat fix

there is only one method that works for sure and it's pretty painful.

1) You have to reflash fully stock (no su, root etc) than download snapchat, login.

2) After doing so, flash rom without wiping anything

3) let it reboot it should work.

Extra info

If you want to wipe everything and flash other rom and use titanium backup. Copy the file TB somewhere else (computer), flash rom, wipe everything and once booted etc... than using tb bring back snapchat data
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] panitsos:
thank you i'll try it!
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S6] ashal:
I had my phone updated to Nougat and then my EFS got corrupted and lost my IMEI. I then sent the phone for repair to a guy who had boxed like Z3X and Octoplus, so he fixed the IMEI, and unlocked the phone again, but for that he had downgraded my phone to Marshmallow, I went home and updated the phone back to Nougat, and phone got relocked after that, I took it back to that guy, and he asked me not to upgrade to Nougat because it can't be unlocked. So now I got my phone unlocked, but I'm stuck with Marshmallow (rooted), so is there any way to save my SIM unlock and upgrade to Nougat?
[Tilt, TyTN II, MDA Vario III Accessories] Cavey.co.uk:
I realise there have been a bunch of other posts on the topic of cases (see here and here) but I am after something a little bit different.

I have just had a forced upgrade from a hermes (ie I broke it and can't get a new one on my insurance, so had to "settle" for a Kaiser) which was working fine for me and I am now having o upgrade my accessories, but due to the way I use my phone I want particular style of case and either can't find it or it has been superceded by a "better" case.

Basically, it boils down to me wanting a one-handed case WITHOUT a belt clip (it's fat enough already, and I never use them).

And "one handed"? In other words I can take it out of my pocket with one hand, read the screen and put it back in my pocket without having to use my other hand. I am currently using the standard case and in order to read a text or see why it is buzzing I have to take it out of my pocket, open the case, take out the phone, put it back and put it back in my pocket, which seems bloody hard to do without using my other hand. An example of this is the PDair aluminium case for my old Hermes (which fits, but presses on the camera button, so is not suitable :( ).

So having exhausted my usual sourcs (MobileFun and Expansys), does anyone know of anything like this for sale in the UK?

Aside - I was interested in the Seidio Rubberised case, but I don't think it is available in the UK (I don't really want to be stung for £8/$15 Royal Mail charges when it is imported from the US), nor does it have a built in screen cover. If people know where to get one of those, that would be appreciated too.
[Tilt, TyTN II, MDA Vario III Accessories] Zoidy:
Hi,

I am in a similar boat although I bought the Kaiser via T-Mobile out of informed choice and love the phone. The only case I have managed to find is the Seidio which seems to be perfect for what I need but yes, I too don't want to pay the high postage prices. I think the whole cost comes to around £35 in total, but if we could get it in the UK I'm sure it'd be under £20 retail. Maybe Expansys will stock it?

If Seidio are reading - are you in talks with expansys as a UK partner?

Cheers,

Pete.

UPDATE: Just heard from Expansys that they will be stocking the Seidio rubberised hard case in the very near future so just have to hang on a little longer for that perfect slim case.
[Tilt, TyTN II, MDA Vario III Accessories] Cavey.co.uk:
I was continuing to look around and ordered a metal one of ebay. I was a little dubious, but it ended up costing me under £10 and fits my Kaiser and seems up to general wear and tear, which is what I wanted. And it really seems as good as the PDair one I had for my Hermes which cost me more.

It's ebay item number 160196604008 if you want one.
[Tilt, TyTN II, MDA Vario III Accessories] dirlan2001:
Seidio has a 'European' outlet in Spain. http://www.seidioonline.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=21

Cheers,

Dirk
[Tilt, TyTN II, MDA Vario III Accessories] Jamiewalshe:
expansys uk carry the seidio case in all its colours- and its brilliant

apparently due march 10th

http://www.expansys.com/p.aspx?i=163264
[Xperia Z5 Premium Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] NJ_RAMS_FAN:
HI all, I might know the answer to this but might as well ask. I recently acquired a Z5 premium that had an unlocked bootloader. I restore everything to stock but don't have DRM. Fido_keys is not provisioned. I asked the previous owner and said he doesn't have the backup file. So my question is, is it even possible to restore DRM? I mainly got it for PS4 remote and back up phone. My main phone is lg v20. so if i can't restore, so be it... Ps4 remote works flawlessly. I have ps4 remote on my v20 but ps4 controller can't be pair. I found a few threads about restoring but they were for other Z phones..
[Xperia Z5 Premium Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] DarkSilentSC:
Restoring genuine DRM partiion is not possible. Your best bet is tobunLock he bootlpader and consult one of the kernels in the forum and/or DRM patch available in Sony Cross-Device Development forum.
[Xperia Z5 Premium Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] YasuHamed:
if you send you mobile to sony and order NEW MOTHERBOARD they will give you new drm keys!

but then, the use of drm keys is to make few sony proprietary software work to its full extant. drm FIXED kernel will do!

https://xdaforums.com/z5-premium/de...883-32-4-0-t3629001/post72845404#post72845404
[Xperia Z5 Premium Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] NJ_RAMS_FAN:
Interesting. I'll have to recheck kernels. New to Sony. I always been a Nexus guy.
[Xperia Z5 Premium Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Aphex33:
Just search DRM fix. There are multiple options.
[Samsung Galaxy S8+ Accessories] LioRiX:
Hi everyone so I just ordered S8+ via Amazon, very excited as it's supposted to arrive this weekend.

I'd like to hear your opinions on the best Case and Screen Protectors there are out there.

I don't care about price, and/or if it will cover the back; I just want them to be the best protections there are for my phone.

Ty
[Samsung Galaxy S8+ Accessories] Mr. Orange 645:
Ok, this is going to come across like I'm being a ****, and I swear I'm not. Did you look at any of the threads here already? There's TONS of threads addressing this very question, including at least two labeled "Best screen protector."

The other issue is the "best" case or screen protector is such a subjective question, as people's taste, desires, and needs vary wildly. There is no "best," only opinions. So search through some threads, read those opinions, look at the pictures posted and links posted, then tell us what you went with and if you're happy with it or not.
[Samsung Galaxy S8+ Accessories] therock3181:
You can look at this section

https://xdaforums.com/galaxy-s8+/accessories

Look on YouTube for reviews.

Like the post on top of mine, one can say it's the best but for me it might not be.
[Samsung Galaxy S8+ Accessories] mstormer:
while I agree with others that there are plenty of threads already, but here's my set up: rhinoshield crashguard with white stone dome tempered glass and dbrand dragon skin. beautifully, slim, protective, and best of all, they work perfectly with each other.

enjoy the phone :)
[Samsung Galaxy S8+ Accessories] Mr. Orange 645:
Can you post a picture? I was considering the same setup.
[Samsung Galaxy S8+ Accessories] mstormer:
well i can borrow someone's phone to take the pics but here's a youtube link to a similar setup https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ObFLMC7vFM

his take on the crashguard is bad, i had to do modification on mine to make the buttons easier to press. Also, I believe they updated the crashguard for better fit, but for now, im happy with mine.
[Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Android Developmen] ZakooZ:
/*
* 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. Hard. A lot.
*/

What works?

Other issues

Major features

Minor Features

How to install

Downloads

Note: n1awifi is the same device as lt03wifi - the SM-P600

Thanks to

Changelog

Source code

XDA:DevDB Information

[P600][ROM][unofficial] Paranoid Android 7.2.0 - AOSPA - n1awifi, ROM for the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition)

Contributors

ZakooZ, Exynos5420 Team

Source Code: https://github.com/AOSPA

ROM OS Version: 7.x Nougat

ROM Kernel: Linux 3.4.x

ROM Firmware Required: LL Bootloader

Based On: AOSPA

Version Information

Status: Stable

Created 2017-07-14

Last Updated 2017-07-15
[Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Android Developmen] ZakooZ:
You may post.

This ROM was tested under the following conditions:

1. Wipe/Factory reset

2. Flash ROM, Gapps, SuperSU, in that order

Any other conditions may cause problems

This is the first build, there may be issues that I didn't test for, but major functionality is OK.
[Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Android Developmen] ollimi1:
[MENTION=4810273]ZakooZ[/MENTION]

Is it possible to use the latest 7-11-17 kk_bl.img with this rom? It is from mosimchah from his AICP rom and includes the latest changes. I would like to give Paranoid a try but as you know I'm still locked on the old bootloader.
[Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Android Developmen] ZakooZ:
I highly doubt it

I just made this: PA_KK_BL_kernel.zip. Try it, flash after rom+gapps and before supersu. I haven't tested it so I can't guarantee it does work.
[Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Android Developmen] ollimi1:
Okay, guys!

Short review!

I've tested the rom for a few days now and so far it is rock stable. All works fast and smooth and battery seems on par with AICP/LOS/RR.:highfive:

I'm missing a lot of features like more quick settings tiles, more customizable navbar, statusbar center clock and so on... :crying:

It's almost like stock android with another browser, calender and music app and theming options, which I've not tried yet.

I know, it's an early build but I need too much of additional apps to get the missing features back, so I'll switch back to my prefered rom for now.

Maybe when more features are added and the rom is more like PA in 2014/15 was....but it is a start!:good:
[Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Android Developmen] DeanoD:
ROM Looks Tasty

I'm always up for a port that tries a new direction and this seems to do that. All my tests with new ROMS is always full format and wipe, running current stable TWRP, LP BOOTLOADER, etc. It looks like this work runs plain Super SU without Magisk, and you indicate open gapps. Could I use magisk at all? And I find the BEANS Gapps to be more reliable.

Not to pry, but where are you focusing now for these versions? Are you still going to keep up with the big changes that PA brings, or work further with Oreo developement?

Either way, I'd like to give this one a run just for fun.

Thanks as always for your work that keeps my tabs, and my wife very happy. ;DeanoD

---------- Post added at 01:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:04 AM ----------

I'm always up for a port that tries a new direction and this seems to do that. All my tests with new ROMS is always full format and wipe, running current stable TWRP, LP BOOTLOADER, etc. It looks like this work runs plain Super SU without Magisk, and you indicate open gapps. Could I use magisk at all? And I find the BEANS Gapps to be more reliable.

Not to pry, but where are you focusing now for these versions? Are you still going to keep up with the big changes that PA brings, or work further with Oreo developement?

Either way, I'd like to give this one a run just for fun.

Thanks as always for your work that keeps my tabs, and my wife very happy. ;DeanoD

---------- Post added at 01:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:11 AM ----------

I missed something here; I have Prime kernel on all my units. Is it essential to switch to the Lineage Kernel that you provide? Always curious about inter-compatibility with such things to keep it working well.

With that said, I need an updated to my TWRP version. In which order to flash TWRP, KERNEL, ROM, AND SUPERUSER. (Or TWRP, ROM, MAGISK- or is that asking for trouble? Thaks again. ;-DeanD
[Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Android Developmen] DeanoD:
Solid ROM. Nice, Simple, Clean

I flashed this ROM last night, and so far, I'm very impressed. While it lacks some of the bells and whistles from the RR build, it has a solid feel to it. Speed and performance are great as well. Other than a slight keyboard lag, this could work well as a daily driver on my stable of three smp600 units. I started with one, found one online when my wife wanted one, and then I got another for backup (and tinkerin') . While the ROM flashed perfectly, the suggested kernel was a bust. But, the build is I think more robust than the other's I've tried. I do miss having a recents menu, and I haven't been able to find any pie controls. I'm glad that I was scouring the forums and found this gem. Great Work! ;-DeanoD
[Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Android Developmen] DeanoD:
"Official Devices"?

I'm interested about the improved pie controls listed under the features of this ROM.

I could not find them. I'm guessing that my smp 600 is somehow not an "Official Device" for this ROM. Just curious. ;-DeanoD