yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Lockszmith:
Reaching out for help with the lock screen on a secondary user.

Device Details:

Spoiler content hidden.

The device while on it's primary user, was properly configured to my liking by Fire Toolbox (probably V24 - which is the oldest copy I have on my machine)

Bakc then, I de-bloated it, installed Google Services, Aurora Store and F-Droid along with SmartLauncher (as a custom luncher) and lock screen completely disabled.

Today I had to switch to the other user in our Prime Household, and the lockscreen ads and lockscreen came up.

Toolbox removed the ads successfully, but when it attempts any process related to the lock screen, a lockscreen picker shows up on the tablet, but a Toolbox shows a dialog with the following message:

There is no password or PIN setup, but I've also tried this again after setting up a password or a PIN, neither options resolved the issue.

Toolbox is stuck in a loop, just showing this message over and over again, the only way to get out of it is to kill the application.

Is there a solution here? Did I stumble unto a known issue or is this a new thing?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] jhford:
But how do I install a new Launcher replacement app?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] selaudeveloper:
Hello guys, I have two Fire 7 tablets (2019) and when I set it as a custom launcher, my app was in kiosk mode, that is, those bottom buttons didn't appear, where you need to hold down the one on the left and the right at the same time. to release the application, but now it is showing, the message saying this appears, in which the customer can easily do and exit the application, including accessing the settings via the top menu, putting it in airplane mode and everything else.

I configured the Fire 7 in December and everything was fine, when I did the same another Fire 7 configured today has this problem, it doesn't stay in kiosk mode, only in full screen and pinned application, in which the person holding both buttons can exit of the application through the Fire's top menu.

When resetting the old Fire 7, configured in December, to factory defaults, I had the same problem as the one configured today, it no longer goes into kiosk mode, it just stays fixed.

Does anyone have any ideas to resolve this? I don't want the buttons to appear in the lower and upper menu
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
TL;DR Generally known issues . No easy solution available.

Some FireOS and Amazon account settings may require password/PIN authorization. Not a problem with with a stock tablet setup, but in your earlier FTB mods you probably did a general/standard debloat of Amazon/FieeOS code which may have disabled some parts of password management. On screen options appear, but there is no code to execute. Re-enabling code for a specific process is not documented.

In your situation, FTB needs password authorizations to execute some mods to account settings , but there is no FireOS response for verification. FTB probably doesn't have a process "time-out" and just hangs.

Short of a factory reset, I not aware of an easy method to reliably re-establish password management. Probably could be done from ADB , but the specific method is outside my "pay grade"

FTB isn't generally applied to secondary Amazon account profiles, so there is really no vetted process to make mods. However, Amazon allows for 2 adult profiles. The primary and secondary adult profiles are effectively peerrs, so FTB mods could be made on a secondary adult profile, although the primary account still has overall device management. Password requirements may still apply.

Secondary child/teen accounts are subordinate and require primary adult account password to make settings changes, so mods are difficult to make, even on stock tablets.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] xdafan2015:
Hello everyone.

Don't know if this is the right place to post this (not very good at using forums at all so apologize if I did this wrong)

I've successfully used FTB on my Amazon tablet Fire HD 10 (11th Generation) purchased last year.

Choose to disable and wipe out all of the Amazon junk that I could and it also works perfectly for my needs in this way.

Using NovaLauncher.

But I am wondering if a few things are possible...

I've been running Blokada 5 on the device to block ads which also worked very well.

I noticed that the tablet (even in this very clean state) calls home to Amazon servers and services a LOT.

I then switched over to AdAway running as a VPN to be able to use custom blocklists.

I've made a blocklist with the following hostnames in it that got logged by Blokada5:

127.0.0.1 128.1.168.192.in-addr.arpa

127.0.0.1 2347257ae108f17b971c2c4d18a7d5e6fc7d9b6bdd9d39e12ec41802b1ba68e.us-east-1.prod.service.minerva.devices.a2z.com

127.0.0.1 anon-book-list.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com

127.0.0.1 alexa.amazon.com

127.0.0.1 alexa.amazon.ca

127.0.0.1 api.amazon.com

127.0.0.1 api-amazondevices.amazon.com

127.0.0.1 arcus-uswest.amazon.com

127.0.0.1 assoc-na.associates-amazon.com

127.0.0.1 configuration-vending.service.amazonsilk.com

127.0.0.1 cognito-identity.us-east-1.amazonaws.com

127.0.0.1 completion.amazon.com

127.0.0.1 dcape-na.amazon.com

127.0.0.1 device-messaging-na.amazon.com

127.0.0.1 device-metrics-us.amazon.com

127.0.0.1 db7afg225qesv.cloudfront.net

127.0.0.1 dcape-na.amazon.com

127.0.0.1 dp-gw-na.amazon.com

127.0.0.1 det-ta-g7g.amazon.com

127.0.0.1 fireoscaptiveportal.com

127.0.0.1 fls-na.amazon.com

127.0.0.1 images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com

127.0.0.1 kinesis.us-east-1.amazonaws.com

127.0.0.1 kms.us-east-1.amazonaws.com

127.0.0.1 msh.amazon.com

127.0.0.1 m.media-amazon.com

127.0.0.1 prod.amazoncrl.com

127.0.0.1 r13s.service.amazonsilk.com

127.0.0.1 s.amazon-adsystem.com

127.0.0.1 sars.amazon.com

127.0.0.1 softwareupdates.amazon.com

127.0.0.1 spectrum.s3.amazonaws.com

127.0.0.1 tabletcaptiveportal.com

127.0.0.1 todo-ta-g7g.amazon.com

Also looking at the list of Amazon related services running in the background there seems to be many of them.

So what I am wondering is if it would be possible to disable these background services somehow using FTB?

Also the Alexa Video Player seems to fire up whenever I reboot the tablet. Would like to disable this also if possible.

(It pops up as a notification and then I never see it. Believe Alexa Videoplayer has been "disabled" already but still this thing pops up when rebooting/starting the tablet on reaching the launcher).

And lastly I found that disabling Battery Optimization for the "External Storage" service solved the ongoing issue of the tablet losing the MicroSD card inserted and throwing up the "configuring external storage" screen (almost everytime it had been in sleep mode/shut down, and also sometimes randomly). Maybe this feature could be implemented into FTB itself?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] jessejgm:
I'm looking for a similar solution for google maps apis. Did you achieve something?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] jessejgm:
Did you try in version 8.3.2.0?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] RobOther:
Hi,

I've used FireToolbox to install Play Services, GMail, etc on a Fire HD

Google Play seems to work fine.

GMail seems to receive but not send mail.

Google Chat doesn't even start.

Essentially, signing into a google account is mostly broken:

If I start Google Chat, or go to Google Account settings, it wants me to "Finish signing in to continue (Something went wrong and you need to sign in again".

Signing in brings up an update dialogue:

"Downloading updates to Google Play Services"​

which after 30 seconds, fails, helpfully saying "Something went wrong".

Is this a known issue? Is there any way around it?

It's a family-linked account we're trying to sign in with - could that be the problem?

Using an Amazon Fire Max 11 (13th gen) running Fire OS 8.3.2.2

Edit: The gmail app has downloaded some mails, but it isn't receiving any more. Seems the login was successful briefly to download the mails, but at some point broke
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] gnegne:
Nope. I have sold the tablet.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] DB126:
These and similar apps utilize core components (binaries, libraries...whatever you want to call them) embedded in Google Play Services; Google Maps does not need to be installed.

Identifying/installing a compatible, stable Google Play Services package can be a significant challenge on FireOS 8.3. The FTB usually gets it right; when things go wrong it can be very difficult to recover without resorting to a factory reset. This is NOT a fault of FTB. As best, Amazon devices (FireOS) are Google tolerant; they have never been Google friendly. Go with a pure Android gizmo if you want/need that.

Best practice is to install Google Play Services (includes Play Store) solo using FTB; avoid disabling Amazon apps/services on the initial go-around. Don't install other Google apps. Once you have a stable Play Store experience, including Google account sign-in, you can begin installing other apps. Go slow at first; verify each app before moving on to the next. Be cautious removing/disabling things with FTB; a 'lite touch' will generally serve better than experimenting with every knob & dial.

As for static mapping, I use the "GO" varient of Google Maps (available in the Play store). Regardless of app, dynamic mapping isn't possible as there is no onboard GPS receiver.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
A mapping app that works quite well with FireOS is OsmAnd. It's available in the Play Store. The free version comes with 7 free downloads. I suggest the World overview map, your state's map, and maybe a neighboring state's map to start with. You need to configure the program to use the correct location service, though. In Settings, tap OsmAnd Settings, then Location Source. Change it from Google Play Services to Android API. That gives you fairly good locations even without a GPS device in the tablet. It also works offline so you don't need to tether it to your phone for it to work. :)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] selaudeveloper:
hello, When Hijack is disabled, can I install it outside the toolbox?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
Maybe. Have a look at this thread. :)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] jhford:
Sorry to bother you again @Jumbo100. I'm running Nova Launcher 6.2.19. If I install Nova Launcher with FTB won't it install Nova Launcher 7.x? I don't want to do that because my widgets only run on previous versions. Can you kindly point to a proven method to allow 6.2.19 to run correctly including which flows to use and how to set up flows in Automate, which I've completely forgotten? Thanks again
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
Ahh .. see your problem now ...You may have overlooked the recent changes to some of FTB's menu layout.

You're correct that FTB wil install the latest version Nova Launcher when chosen.

FTB can still install any any alternative app launcher not listed in FTB options, as long as you have the appropriate APK file. In your case you need Nova Launcher's 6.2.19 .apk . Download the file somewhere you can easily find it.

From FTB v33.1 main page:

>Select "Custom Launcher" > open Search Dialogue (box to the right) > select "Other" > browse and select appropriate .apk file > tap "Open" and follow on with FTB instructions.

FTB v33.1 now has a function to reinstall/repair the Automate flows if they are broken. (I haven't used this function yet, so I'm not exactly sure of the process).

You may also have to use FTB "Enable Widget Support" option , if widgets aren't working natively in your Nova Launcher setup.

#EDIT

Before you proceed, uninstall any other Nova Launcher installations you may have made earlier to avoid any app version conflict.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] nmd87:
Fire Max 11 question.

Has anyone been able to properly use another launcher when also using gesture navigation?

I have my system navigation set to gestures, having enabled it with activity launcher as suggested in this thread.

Works fine with the Amazon launcher, but when I use Lawnchair or Nova and disable the Amazon launcher with FTB, the home swipe up gesture doesn't work.

If I switch back to 3 button navigation, everything works fine.

I'm now using launcher hijack as a workaround, but it's not perfect as it means the new launcher isn't a genuine launcher so becomes the first recent app when switching apps.

Maybe the home swipe up gesture is hardcoded to the Amazon launcher process?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] nmd87:
Another Fire Max 11 question.

I have installed Google services using FTB.

Play Store works fine but some apps report that Google Play Services is not uninstalled. Some of those apps still run and the warning notification can be hidden (e.g. Gboard). Others won't run at all (YouTube Kids).

Has anyone else experienced this and worked around it?

I did find another guide on how to install Google services and the versions of some of the apks different from the ones that FTB installed.

Is it possible that FTB installed the wrong versions? Or maybe this is just a limitation of the OS?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] DB126:
No great solutions to the launcher issue on FireOS 8.3.x. While Nova is my preferred launcher (used on every other Android device) I stick with the native launcher on contemporary Amazon devices. Not worth the constant headaches/struggles; trying to keep device maintenance in the background.

You might try Simple Control (available in Play Store) to augment Nova and provide a convenient mechanism for returning to the home screen. IMO a minimal toolbar positioned just above the gesture hint works best (IMHO). Best of both worlds 🙂.

See previous post regarding Google Play Services. If any apps complain GPS is not present then install is incomplete/unsuccessful. I also use Gboard and do not need to hide notifications.

My current installed versions:

Account Manager - 7.1.2

Play Services - 24.05.15

Play Store - 39.7.34-29

Services Framework - 10-6494331

You may not find those exact builds in repositories like APKMirror. Pick something close and hope for the best. As noted, FTB usually 'gets is right' if starting 'clean'.

Good luck!
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
Some thoughts on your issues on your Fire Max 11 :

- gesture navigation mod has only been recently recognised and only vetted on Amazon Fire Launcher.

- some alternative launchers may have an Advanced Feature option to toggle upsweep gestures off/on.

- LauncherHiiack app stopped development in late 2019 and is not optimized for FireOS 8.

- Fire Launcher cannot be disabled on f/w 8.3.1.9 and later and remains the active default app launcher; LauncherHijack just redirects app calls and is subordinate to Fire Launcher.

LauncherHijack app was "blacklisted" by Amazon on later FireOS 7 f/w ; may eventually do the same with FireOS 8. A more substantial launcher "workaround" mod solution (similar to f//w 7.3.2.2 and later mods) may need to be developed.

More thoughts:

Ongoing incompatibility/instability with FiresOS 8 and Google Play Services infrastructure; affects everybody running FireOS 8 on Gen 12/13 Fire tablets. Google-branded apps (and apps relying of Goggle Play Services) mostly affected. YMMV.

Some earlier suggestions to mitigate situation:

- app compatibility much improved with f/w 8.3.2.0 and later. Upgrade with caution as required.

- some app compatibility may be improved by enabling all app permissions possible.

- overall compatibility may be improved by turning off Battery Optimizations for Play Services. Available from FTB Manage Goggle Play Services sub-tool.

- web app versions of affected apps may be a more reliable workable option.

Specifically, installing earlier version YouTube Kids worked for some uses; ver 6.37.5 (October, 2021) apparently works.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Lockszmith:
When I get to the point I want to redo everything, I might try a factory reset and undergo the process for both accounts - for now, this is the only nuesance, and a rather small one at that.

Thanks @Jumbo100 this was helpful.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Top4eat21:
Thanks
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Top4eat21:
True
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] grocerylist:
Hi,

I've got something weird going on. Fire Max 11 was working as well as could be expected with running 8.3.x.x

But about a week ago I had an issue with apps installed from the Play Store not opening. For example, Plex, when I click the app icon, you get the animation like the app is opening with the Plex graphics but then it crashes or something and goes back to the app drawer. This also happened for Netflix but I was able to uninstall/reinstall through FTB.

I tried sideloading Plex through FTB... it installed but it still crashes when launching.

I don't know if this is due to a recent Amazon Fire OS update. I've tried disabling OTA updates by setting metered wifi connections but occasionally I have to set back to unmetered to download large files.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this? Have a solution/fix? Should I factory reset and start over? Is FTB working to potentially defeat Amazon Fire 8.3.x.x issues?

Thanks!
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] nmd87:
Thanks for such a quick and detailed reply!

I don't actually know what firmware I have as I disabled updates and therefore can't check, but it must be an early one because I can disable the Amazon launcher with FTB (which I did before realising it broke the swipe up for home gesture).

I guess I will look to update and hopefully get better compatibility for apps, because the only benefit to the old firmware seems to be the ability to disable the launcher, which only works with button navigation.

I did use FTB to disable the GPS optimisation but it's made no visible difference.

Thanks again!
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
A quick note: You CAN check your firmware version using Toolbox. Connect to your PC, launch Toolbox. In the lower left, click on your tablet's description. It will open a dialog with all sorts of info on your tablet including your firmware version. :)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
Your Plex issue is typical of sideloaded apps, especially media streaming apps. Part of the general app incompatibility of FireOS and Google Play infrastructure. Apps relying on Google Play Framework to function will invariably have some degree of problems.

Wherever possible, always try to install apps from Amazon AppStore. Devs from major brand-name companies have coded/recoded their apps to run specifically on the Amazon ecosystem. Official Plex and Netfix apps are available on Amazon AppStore. If you choose this route, uninstall all previous sideloaded apps to avoid app version conflict.

Another option is to use Plex ( and Netfix) web app from your browser of choice; agnostic to OS platform and should run smoothly.

Also a better, more robust solution to blocking OTA updates and adware is to use RethinkDNS firewall/DNS resolver app; more reiable than just using metered WiFi connections. Technically a little more difficult to implement but well worth the effort. FTB Community recommended. @blaacksheep (mentor to the Community) has a great guide outlining the process under his sig.

A factory reset is a drastic process and probably won't improve your app compatability issues at this time.

Ongoing app incompatibility/instability is a continuing legacy of the great Amazon/Google corprate feud of 2017-2019. FTB is caught in the crossfire and can only mitigate some of the problems. ☹️
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] grocerylist:
So I was lucky that things worked normally previously? Before this randomly stopped working, I'd never had problems on this Fire 11 Max, nor 3 other Fire HD+ 8s that I've owned.

I've since deleted my side loaded Plex install and attempted to install Plex from the Amazon Appstore but for some reason the App store shows a button to 'Open' Plex and no option to install or uninstall Plex. Not sure what's going on there.

I'll definitely look into ReThinkDNS as that sounds like a much more convenient solution than constantly toggling back and forth between metered/unmetered.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
There's a strange dynamic between FireOS and Google Play Framework. Just when you think you have a stable setup , Amazon/Google will release an update which will upset your mods (for better or worse) . That's why blocking Amazon OTA updates is so important; Google releases updates at least monthly (but often more frequently) and there is no specific process to block Google updates. What works today could be unraveled by an update tomorrow.

The Plex problem is caused by conflicting Plex app versions as discussed earlier; even though you uninstalled Plex (Play Store), there maybe remnants of cod/settings that is confusing Plex(AppStore) to think that Plex (AppStore) is already installed.

To do a thoroughly cleanup your setup, you should reinstall Plex from Play Store , then:

- from Settings > Apps & Notifications > > open See all xx apps > select and open Plex > Force Stop Plex > open Storage and tap Clear Storage and tap Clear Cache

- Reboot tablet to repopulate Amazon App Store status > then back up a level to App Info , tap Uninstall

This should have cleared all the Plex (Play Store) settings and should allow you to install Plex (AppStore).

To complicate matters, Play Store will probably still show an entry for Plex.; uninstalled apps are part of the uninstalled Play Sore app database (to make for easy reinstallation). Open the Plex description and de-select "Enable auto-update"

This is a convoluted process, but is necessary to prevent auto-updating of apps from the "wrong" app store.

To be prudent, it may be good practice to disable universal auto-updating in both AppStore and Play Store to present app version update conflict.

Sorry for awkward process, but that's part of the Amazon/Google way of life (as I know it) !

Installing RethinkDNS is a good thing and will give you a lot more "peace of mind".
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] grocerylist:
Thanks for your help, this is all great information! Unfortunately when I followed the procedure, at the end when trying to install Plex through Amazon Appstore (this time rather than the 'Open' button, I did get the 'Install' option) the install fails but doesn't provide anymore information.

I found @blaacksheep post about installing RethinkDNS and completed the installation. At this point, I don't know what else to try other than a factory reset, then installing RethinkDNS ASAP along with FTB and all my other apps unless you have any other suggestions.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
That guide is quite old and needs to be updated. At least you were successful in blocking the 4 programs. If you do a factory reset, make sure to block updates immediately or keep wifi off until you at least mark the connection as "Metered". Then install the Plex app from Amazon's appstore. Make sure to disable automatic updating of apps from both Google an Amazon. Especially Google. Get it all working before you get too deep into disabling Amazon stuff because a lot of Amazon apps replace Google API's that are expected to be there by other programs, but Amazon has removed them in FireOS. I recommend using the Manage Amazon Apps > Manual > Simple (recommended) tool instead of a debloat script to remove things. If an app doesn't work, just re-enable what you just disabled and check again.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] jhford:
I think you're on to something, but I probably need more assistance with Automate and it's integration with FTB > Custom Launcher > Other. Also, see attached. I can't see "Disable Fire Launcher." Also, should Automate be uninstalled before I run FTB > Custom Launcher > Other? Someone in this thread has probably done what I need to do to my HD 8 Plus but I don't know how to find the thread. Thanks again