yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
Welcome to XDA!

There's the problem. Having the latest updates (firmware v7.3.2.2) breaks some of the Toolbox's features. There are workarounds to some of these problems, and I'll post some sort of workaround rollup in the next few days just to document the options available so far. If you're in a hurry, search back through the last 20-30 pages and you'll see what's been accomplished.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Bettermen:
@blaacksheep I have a shiny new Fire HD 10+ winging it's way to me at the moment, wasn't until I started looking indepth at these forums that I realised the fire toolbox might not work as I hoped.

I disabled the check box linking it to my account when I purchased it, more through good fortune than anything.

So my question is will I be limited as to what I can get the Fire toolbox to actually achieve, assuming mine has the latest update. I've read on disabling Wi-Fi on initial set up so it doesn't phone home, but is it worth pursuing or should I just return it to Amazon? Thanks in advance and hello to all (y)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Indyultra:
No it doesn't look I can. Trying to figure it out. Thanks
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
Welcome to XDA!

About 10 minutes ago, I just received my new HD8 (2020) that I ordered for the express purpose of documenting various ways around the new firmware. It already came with v7.3.2.2, and I'm allowing it to update to the absolute latest version of v7.3.2.2. It appears that most to all of the older stock of tablets with previous f/w versions has been sold already. This will be an adventure in bypassing. (@Datastream33, I'm joining you in the new f/w pool!)

To answer your question, it is somewhat limited at the moment, but there seem to be very viable alternatives to the restricted parts. Hang in there and I'm sure there will be updates here to what you can do.:)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Bettermen:
Thank you so much for the reply and update! I just literally 5 minutes ago handed the package back to the driver :oops:

I'm not done yet though, I'll continue watching this thread and see what future updates there are.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
I'm foraging ahead. I want to be able to answer people's questions about this. Besides, I'm rather stubborn and I won't let it beat me. 🪛 Amazon!
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] pdxesto:
Regarding the removal of lockscreen ads:

Does the Toolbox do the same steps for removing lockscreen ads that are described in the thread titled "Remove Amazon Lockscreen Ads w/ ADB & Automate (No Root Required!)" (forum dot xda-developers dot com/t/remove-amazon-lockscreen-ads-w-adb-automate-no-root-required.3784848/)? I haven't used the Toolbox method of removing lockscreens ads because of the reports here that it doesn't work very well on 7.3.2.2 (which I have). So I followed the steps in the thread I referenced above, and it all seems to work very well! No more lockscreens ads, and they haven't come back. Very nice! Makes me wonder if the Toolbox does lockscreen ad removal some other way.

I now also realize there are 2 types of ads that Amazon feeds users: lockscreen ads and homescreen ads. The homescreen ads show up in the Fire launcher's homescreen, below the "For You / Home / Library" line and above the app icons. Does anyone know if there is a set of steps using ADB and Automate to remove these homescreen ads, similar to the steps used to remove lockscreen ads?

Thanks in advance!
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Indyultra:
Ok Got the website figured out.

Run Notepad as an Admin, then go to c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts. Search for Pastebin.com in the file and delete all entry's that is found. I also found Dropbox and deleted that also. I can reach Pastebin website now.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Datastream33:
Greetings!

Ah, the hosts file... of course! Is the Toolbox now able to download the play services files?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] yellowpage:
Tried to use toolbox but failed with error: Java.lang.NumberFormatException: Invalid int. Change USB computer connection to "Camera (PTP)" (it was using Media device (MTP) initially).

Hope this helps others.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Indyultra:
Yes all good now. Thank you for your work!!
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
I'm going to tackle this one problem at a time on my new tablet with new firmware. I'm not sure if the "old" way of removing lockscreen ads works. The Toolbox method reverts after some undetermined period of time, and you can't just issue an ADB command to disable the app that does it. I'll report back with my findings as I try different methods. Then I'll take on either the launcher, or the updates problem next.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
Yeah. I had to use Camera (PTP) on my new 2020 tablet. On my 2019 tablet, it didn't matter. Weird :unsure:
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] GraphMatix:
Hello, Just to make sure. If I order another HD 10 plus tablet from Amazon. It might have there older firmware on it? So I can use the Toolbox
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] joebob55:
Had two ordered and both still were on 7.3.2.1; a few might have newer OS installed though.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] joebob55:
Hi, new to this forum and first of all thanks for all this amazing work!

I might have missed it but is there anyway to still use the prime video app and app store after the flash and custom nova OS? For me the native amazon apps kinda stopped working and im not able to login to "sync".
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] hcour:
Just a simple request: If possible, could you add an option to increase the font size in the Toolbox for those of us with older eyes. Thankye!
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Datastream33:
Greetings!

Hey, that's a great request! I'll look into it and see if it's possible. Thanks!
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
Hi and welcome to XDA.

You will need to re-enable a few Amazon apps. First, uninstall any apps from the Google playstore that replace Amazon built-in apps. They won't work anyway. Next, use Toolbox and go to 'Manage Amazon Apps' > 'Manual' tab > 'Simple (Recommended)' > 'Restore Apps' tab. tick the boxes next to any functionality that you want to restore and also include 'Shop Amazon'. You'll need that to sign in once. You probably want 'Amazon Prime Video', 'Amazon Appstore', and 'Shop Amazon'. Then click 'Restore Selected'. On the tablet, open 'Shop Amazon'. It'll ask you to sign in. Once signed in, you will no longer need it. 'Prime' and 'Amazon Appstore' will now work.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Datastream33:
Ah, that's so good to hear my friend! Have a good day! :D
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Bettermen:
I've just purchased a used Amazon Fire HD10 (7th Gen, OS 5.7.00) Can I take it I'll be able to install the Fire Toolbox with no problems?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
You'll be able to install and use Toolbox. It's just a matter of whether or not the tablet has been on since the beginning of the year and auto-updated. If so, you'll have v7.3.2.2 and some tools won't work.

Edit: If you're on FireOS 5, that means it's an older tablet (2017). I'm not sure what the latest version of v5 prevents you from doing. You may be fine.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] klink1948:
Thanks for the info.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
You may get to the WiFi screen and the bottom navbar won't be there. Just hit "Cancel". It does the same thing.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Vince491:
I was able to create a flow myself despite being a beginner and I no longer have an issue with the launcher as it would automatically go to my preferred launcher whenever it detects the fire launcher as the foreground.

I'm planning on using it but I'm kind of wondering if Automate actually drains battery life. This is the flow I'm using by the way. (Using the latest version of the tablet.)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] masonsjax:
I didn't see the recommendation to uncheck the "Link device to your Amazon account to simplify setup" during purchase until after the device shipped. Is there a way to unlink my account before I turn on the tablet for the first time?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
Welcome to XDA!

The only reason to unlink the tablet from your Amazon account is to prevent it from automatically signing in with your automatically saved Wifi password before you can turn off automatic updates and OTA updates. You may be one of the lucky ones with a pre v7.3.2.2 tablet, in which case you'll want to keep that earlier version of FireOS.

If you didn't uncheck the box, you'll need to set it up away from your WiFi. Either turn off your WiFi for a few minutes, or power-up your tablet at a friend's house to get through the initial setup. Once you've run Toolbox on the tablet, it's safe to register with Amazon and run WiFi and run Amazon stuff like Prime Video or Amazon Appstore.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Peppertone:
I need to reset my Fire 8 HD to factory. If it updates the firmware from the reset, can I still use the toolbox? I'm trying to avoid updating the firmware.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
Resetting the tablet won't automatically apply any updates. Just make sure you don't give it your WiFi password until after you've run Toolbox on it to shut off OTA updates and Automatic updates. Instructions on how to do that are in the first post.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
Automate doesn't drain a significant amount of battery power running simple tasks from my experience. I forget that I have it running on my tablet. Android handles power management pretty well.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] #Aaron1764:
I've seen that there are some problems with the Toolbox in the replies, besides the ones with the 7.2 version of FireOS.

My question is, would it be safer to just dowload the V26?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
V26??

Ah, v26 of Toolbox.

Toolbox v27 works fine. It has several improvements over v26.1. Neither of them overcome the problems of v7.3.2.2 firmware yet. I would recommend that you download the latest v27 Toolbox.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Peppertone:
Excellent. Can you recommend a way to backup my apps?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
I'm sure someone else could give you a better method than what I use. Google remembers what I've loaded from their store, and for the sideloaded apps I have, I usually keep those apks in a separate folder on my computer. And I open my app drawer and take a picture or 2 with my phone in case I forget something. Real organized, huh?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] pdxesto:
I think I was able to duplicate your flow, but for me it takes about 5 seconds from the time I tap the Home button until the Nova homescreen shows up. Does this occur for you also?

I also tried the "Amazon Fire Tablet - Easy Home Launcher Changer" flow from the community pages of Automate, and that has the same 5 second delay.

The 5 second delay makes this a non-starter for me.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] manyxda:
Is it expected behavior for the Toolbox installation to hang without Internet access?

By "hanging" I mean this:

- Install Toolbox (v27.0) to a computer without Internet access.

- Launch Toolbox for the first time (either by checking the "Launch Toolbox" check box at the end of the install process or manually)

- See a popup with the message, "The Toolbox is starting the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) and setting up the environment. Once this process is completed the Toolbox will start."

- See the popup stay up indefinitely with no sign of the Toolbox main window.

- Close the popup manually.

- See the Toolbox main window appear with no content (i.e. all white).

If it is expected behavior, I believe there should be a warning (in the install process) so someone does not waste his time trying different things (e.g. log into Windows as administrator).
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] CaptainFrostty:
Currently my Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021) has a small issue with the camera's gallery as it does not show it when we try taking pictures. It's odd and I am unsure why it does that. Any reason why it would? The only error its gives me is that there is parental controls on the gallery app and its off oddly enough so what is going on?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
You may have Prime Photos disabled which is needed for the gallery to function. Use Toolbox, go to Manage Amazon Apps > Manual tab > Simple (Recommended) > Restore Apps tab. Tick the box next to Prime Photos and then Restore Selected. That should fix the problem. (And welcome to XDA!)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] RiCkLaR:
The Automate Community Flow Amazon Fire Tablet - Easy Home Launcher Changer is the best option until another solution is found. Been using it for the last few days. My suggestion is to use an alternative NavBar, like Navigation Gestures or Taskbar, an app that can eliminate the HOME-button or HOME-action, yes it will be a learning curve to train yourself not to use the HOME-button. An example of the Community Flow working perfectly for me is that more than half the time I use Recents + ClearAll, which I do a lot, there is less than a 1/2 second delay before the Nova Launcher is loaded. In other scenarios the delay can be 3 seconds to 10 seconds which can be a pain, but using the Taskbar app has a built-in app drawer so don't really ever need to hit the HOME-button.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] RiCkLaR:
PSA for others that can't find the Community Flow when searching through Automate Community, make sure you have upgraded the apk version through the Google Play Store, because the flow was created with the latest version so it is not visible if you are using the Automate installed with the FireToolbox v27.0
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] joebob55:
Hi, thanks for the solution as it may help anyone else!

For me weirdly after a couple of hours the amazon sync would work again, which was the core of the problem (had no promt screen where i would need to login and sync with my original amazon acc.).

Temporary workaround was with any chosen browser (brave or chrome in my case) would also let me acces the webpage of prime video or any amazon service.

With the apps working ofc way less "hassle". I hope i can help anyone else with similiar issues!
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
Yeah, some of the scripts that update the software in FireOS seem a bit "laggy". Many times people have reported that their non-working app just started working after a few hours. I'm glad it's all working for you and you were able to find a workaround in the meantime.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] klink1948:
I cannot open or uninstall the Amazon Alexa App installed from the Google Play Store.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Tech0308:
It won't ever work, uninstall updates and update it from the Amazon app store :)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] manyxda:
PHENOMENON

Blocking tabletcaptiveportal.com (at the router) deprives an Amazon Fire tablet of Internet access.

QUESTION

Have people experienced that?

Is there a way to get round that?

BACKGROUND

I have an Amazon Fire 10 (2021 version) running on software version 7.3.2.2.

I was trying to use the "router method" for blocking software update per the instructions on: https://xdaforums.com/t/windows-tool-fire-toolbox-v27-0.3889604/page-380#post-86125413

One of the address listed on that post is: tabletcaptiveportal.com

Findings

- When tabletcaptiveportal.com is blocked, the tablet can log on to Wifi but has no Internet access.

- When tabletcaptiveportal.com is NOT blocked, the table has Internet access just fine.

It seems to me that, once the tablet can "call home" to a single Amazon server, blocking any other server may be useless. That single server could send new addresses of update servers (ones not yet blocked at the router).

Amazon is at least honest. Look at the name: tablet captive portal.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Tech0308:
Is it internet access or just wi-fi icon? I think some devices use that address to check for internet for the icon and as an alternative to checking Google.com, so apps might be able to use the internet fine with the address blocked. The other use is as a way to access the sign in page at public WiFi/hotspots.

Anyway, you shouldn't need to block that, if you go to the page, it tells you what it does in fancy words, Amazon doesn't own that web page.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] klink1948:
Thanks! I tried that before and it didn't work, but it did this time.

Edit: The problem with this method is that the Alex App still appears in the Play Store available updates. If there are more than one I cannot do update all. Is there a way to get rid of it?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] manyxda:
For tablets running on 7.3.2.2 I've seen many references to what is called the "homekey re-routing method" without actually being able to find the instructions on how to do it.

Could someone please direct me to the right page? Thank you.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] manyxda:
You were totally right in your suspicion: When tabletcaptiveportal.com is blocked, the tablet places an exclamation mark on the Wifi icon and reports (under "Settings > Internet") "[SSID] / No internet," but continues to have Internet access! Thanks very much.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
That method is in Toolbox as the last of 4 methods (and the only one available on the new 7.3.2.2 f/w) under Custom Launcher when you select your launcher of choice. It is pre-selected if you have that firmware, and has to be run again each time the tablet is rebooted. Thank you Amazon!
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] veda1:
Hi, any updates? Thanks
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] manyxda:
Thank you! That worked perfectly.

A followup questions please.

Now that the homekey starts (in my case) Nova, how do I start (see) Amazon's native launcher if ever I wanted to do that?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] manyxda:
QUESTION

Does a firmware update tend to degrade tablet performance?

BACKGROUND

The question is asking whether the following excerpt is true.

Source: https://ebookfriendly.com/amazon-fire-tablet-things-to-know/

Excerpt:

--quote--

2. Don’t expect to use your Fire longer than a year

Tech specs of new Amazon Fire models make them useful in the first months after the launch. With every update of the operating system, the tablet’s performance is visibly deteriorating.

It may turn out that after a year it’s hardly possible to use the Fire, although it is in an excellent physical condition. Loading the home screen or single apps may take ages. The tablet may stall or respond after a few seconds. You may notice the battery gets drained extremely fast.

--unquote--

I want to make sure that my question is distinguished from the following. I am not asking

- whether updates tend to restrict freedom

- whether performance tends to degrade in the time it takes for updates to come out (whether through accumulation of junk or otherwise).

The question is whether firmware upgrade tends to degrade performance.

Now why would that happen (if it does)? Because Amazon develops a firmware version for a newer model and thoughtlessly apply it to an older? Because they want you to buy a new model after a year?

Anyway, the excerpt seems rather bogus to me because "first months" or "a year" does not even seem to correlate with firmware update cycles.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
You can always get to the Amazon Launcher by pressing the "recents" button, swiping all the way to the right, and pressing "Clear All". You can also just wait an hour or so and it will revert by itself. Once again. thanks Amazon!

Any firmware update is like a new version of Windows coming out. It always wants more processor power. Besides the newer restrictions that will accompany a f/w update causing performance issues, your best experience with your tablet will likely be with the original f/w and only running a handful of aps on it - the ones that work well. Mine is the HD 10 (2019) running 7.3.1.2, and it runs as fast as ever. The f/w has never been updated.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
Yeah, the tablet arrived on schedule, and I allowed it to update to the latest firmware, although it was already on 7.3.2.2. I wanted to start with the worst case scenario that a new person would encounter. Boy, they put a lot more restrictions on it. I've got the update problem solved, and I've got the lockscreen ads solved - both with the same method. I've got 5 URL's blocked that solve both problems. You can do it with an open source VPN type ad blocker that lets you add your own lists to it's hosts file. It's now time to move on to the launcher problem and how to make a free replacement navbar behave like the original navbar and assign the home button to a new launcher. So far I've downloaded and run quite a few free ones, but they all want money to remap the home button. I'm still fooling around with several more before I give up and just use a gesture navbar replacement. I'm also starting to write up my experience to post for anyone that wants to explore this further.

It's taking longer than expected because I can only work on it for an hour or two a day before my head feels like it's going to explode! o_O Give me a little more time. When I'm done, I think it will be worth the wait. Thanks for being patient. :)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] veda1:
For sure, Looking forward to your step by step post. :)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] jhford:
A couple of months ago Amazon did something that thwarted the Toolbox. So, I returned my HD 8+ to Amazon. If it fixed now? Shall I buy a new HD 8+? Thanks
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] manyxda:
Eagerly awaiting your (more complete) post. I hope you will tell us which are the 5 URLs and the app names of "an open source VPN type ad blocker" we might try.

Also, please (in your post) tell us what is a "VPN type" ad blocker in terms of how it works.

Sorry. I edited out my earlier, silly questions on "VPN type" that stemmed from conflating it with the (better known) "VPN" you might use to connect machines securely across the Internet. Looks as though the "VPN" in a "VPN type ad blocker" happened all inside the Android machine itself. That would be great. I won't have to ban things at the router level and can take the tablet to a cafe and the internal VPN would still work. Even your passing reference to a "VPN type" has helped me tremendously already. Anyway, eagerly awaiting. Thanks.

A link for any newbie like me interested in the topic:

https://block.blokada.org/post/2018/06/17/how-does-blokada-work/
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] RiCkLaR:
If you want to disable everything Amazon, use a Custome Launcher by default , and Block Homescreen Ads easily... then still NOT going to be possible. The recent firmware(s) are all blocking this from happening, maybe if an HD 8+ shows up in 'Amazon-Warehouse' deal as a refurbished or open-box, it might not have had its firmware updated and you can gamble on one of those, but really not worth the headache.