yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Android General] Letitride:
A # of us, myself included, placed our pre-sales order on ALiE - only listed & sold as one model/variant, with the global rom and one price, with Sony triple camera "as, LOL, value king" don't recall seeing "Samsung" camera in their marketing. Now that I look at AliE's screenshot closely - it only mentioned a 16MP "S5K3P3" front camera, which is by Samsung (but, not promoted as the brand - Sony was the "branding".) Questions were raised on FB and on their support/forum to explain the difference between EU and global rom, never answered or clarified. I've seen others saying the latest EU rom seemed to be better but with different camer problems, etc. In other words, a rush job to patch & fix bugs A & B, resulting in bugs C & D, and so forth.

Without PC and the basic tech skills to flash a different rom yourself and previous experience, I wouldn't advise doing it unless you have a friend that can help & feel comfortable. I flashed the entire V1.2 and V1.4 global roms - results are somewhat better with a clean, fresh setup/install vs. the OTA incremental updates, which others are faced with as the only choice ... or to return it for a refund.

My dispute is closed, I decided to take the partial refund vs. the hassle of sending it back, doing US customs declaration, packaing & going to the post office to mail it, with insurance & tracking, etc. and wait ... another 2 to 4 weeks for getting a full refund, and the promised return of my mailing cost - what a pain. Getting 20% back reduced my net cost to less, it is still mostly usable except for the camera - this will be my "cheap" Pie test bench for flashing, rooting & playing later on, most likely, and to keep track of their future Rom updates. I have 3 other Pie devices and another one Oreo device to benchmark & compare with, 2 of them rooted running Linege custom roms ... will be very interesting.

If you are replacing your 6 years old Android with the A5 Pro, I am not sure if it can be trusted as a daily, probably not - I've played with and used more than a dozen + devices during this time, this has to be the worst piece of junk, pretty & nice to look at and hold, but - no more. Take the refund & get something else better & more reliable, maybe one of the Xiaomi - cost a little more & they are reliable & predictable. The other reason I decided to hold on to this POS junk is its # of GSM/HSPA/LTE bands as I travel on a regular basis, and 3 of the other devices are all dual roms (plus an iPhone SE, which I am about to jailbreak on iOS 12.4 due to Apple's error, already patched & shut again) I might just doing a clean flash to the EU rom to see what's hiding, or wait for the findings of another XDA member posted here, and whether it's a more stable rom/build, just a few days apart. There is no indication when Umidigi is going to release the next OTA update to fix and/or improve things, maybe next month ??
[Android General] ZenMr:
I've come to conclusion that Verizon is not 100% compatible with A5 Pro. I have flashed both EU and global firmware with same results that messages on any text messaging app using phone number will not receive messages. APN cannot be edited. It seems to be something specific to sim card not allowing APN to be edited. I placed a 5+ year old deactivated sim card (ATT) that allowed APN to be added. Newer Verizon and ATT sims cannot edit. 4g VoLTE is working no issues. Making and receiving calls no issues. Sending sms/mms no issues. Receiving sms/mms are not received for Verizon. I'm thinking that when Verizon shuts off its CDMA bands it may work. On a side note my Verizon sim was used in a friend's Umidigi One Pro and is working 100%. Based on that test Umidigi X should be fully compatible as they both have CDMA/EVDO band compatibility.

If anyone using Verizon is able to receive messages let me know what settings you are using and if you have a newer sim card.
[Android General] Lethalben:
Anybody Can have the night mode ?
[Android General] Letitride:
Are you referring to "Settings > Display > Night Light" options ? It is available & works, you can set a custom schedule or set it to turn on/off ... sunset/sunrise.

For other options, like dark theme, etc. - if you are on the stock launcher, download & install/use the free Nova Laucher or Lawnchair Laucher (which I'm using) dozens of tweets & options to configure, and you can lock it down & save it to restore if necessary.
[Android General] FR8148:
Did you follow the steps on url you posted? On my phone it works as predicted (rom EU last version 1.4)
[Android General] Letitride:
Thanks, I re-checked, enabled Smart Lock & it's now working on the EU v1.4 rom, it's all good. < going to edit/mod my post above >

Camera/apps still refused to open the rear/main cameras, sometimes/randomly - had to flip to front/selfie camera first as it will trigger/enable the cameras, then switch back to rear/main cameras and then it will usually "enable" those lens.
[Android General] FR8148:
I never had any issues with cameras but focusing is not very accurate, zoomed pictures always show a little blurred.

For the moment the big issue for me is random and frequent "system ui stopped". Some days almost not appearing, other days is too much frequent. I can't find a way to bypass this.
[Android General] Letitride:
Wireless OTA Update alert for all A5 Pro users - newly released, still V1.4 but dated 20190827-1920 for global rom - for camera, receiver volume/sound increased, MAC address issues fixed, and, other bugs fixed & system optimized. Release date: 2019-8-29 File sized 50.68 MB.

It appears not to be available yet for EU variant.
[Android General] pimser:
lets hope, it helps to solve the problems. though, not really think they did a big stepp.
[Android General] arifsaggio:
I already update and .....still can't open front camera and just giving rotate view from rear camera (or in Aida 64 apps: 5MP depth camera)

My dispute deadlock with no response from umidigi, the deadline dispute from aliE is September 2nd
[Android General] chooks06:
If seller does not respond by deadline, AliExpress would normally rule in your favor.
[Android General] arifsaggio:
Actually it is AliE proposal, which mean AliE step in and agree with me that umidigi phone is trash.

But after I accept AliE's proposal: I have my money back also shipping cost for sent back the phone, there is a note that I have to wait umidigi response

In this case, I think AliE don't have any power to push store to protect customer
[Android General] chooks06:
Just have to wait out for deadline to expire. Don't be surprised if seller responds just before that. They're having brand sales currently and likely focusing there.
[Android General] arifsaggio:
Well, it just give me a doubt that they will back my money, it so high risk to sent back the phone and wait so long without any sign when will my money back

If I take 1st proposal it is only given $20 for camera damage, at least I still have phone but why I save crippled phone?

I admit that I am very interested, at first, with A5 pro

Have a large rom, Sony sensor camera, Android pie with so tempting price

I know that it will be not best phone because this not flagship phone like Samsung's S series or iPhone X series but at least it work

Right now, I am in low; camera doesn't work properly, battery drain, charging not working properly, there is pixel and lag when record video at WhatsApp, a lot of pixel when record and view video at Instagram, and now look like umidigi and AliE try to steal my money

This is bad after sales from both company
[Android General] Bennie&TheJets:
FYI. I've gotten back my money after returning the phone but it took awhile. After seller agrees on the return proposal, it took them a day to get back to me on the return address. The registered mail package took 10 days to reached them. And it took seller 9 days to confirmed that they've received the package. After confirmation another 7 days for money to be credited. Dispute Opened: Jul. 11 2019 Refund Completed: Aug. 13 2019

Very important that you write the order number on the parcel or else they would not know who it belongs to. Also write your address behind. GOOD LUCK!!
[Android General] chooks06:
Ok.. Understand your feeling.

I am going off topic here..

My previous experiences with AliE is once they step in they make good. The stress is whether they refund upon receipt or otherwise. That's what we experience - the unknown while the item is shipping back.

I'm not advertising for AliE or Umidigi..I just booked the A5 Pro, after reading this thread and based on my previous experience with the Z Pro. Selling point on camera - it was s_&t till upgrade came out.

[MENTION=2556508]Letitride[/MENTION] had a different offer and given his scenario, I would take that too.

In your case, I may be wrong.. Try flashing via SPFT the relevant ROM (assuming you haven't unlocked bootloader) and see if it makes the phone works to the extent that even a $10 rebate is good enough.

If not, then it's a stress you'll have to deal with to spend extra cash sending back (absolutely with tracking!) and waiting for reimbursement.

It's a toss up. I empathise with you mate - been there, done that.

I'm sorry if I can't provide more encouraging words to ease your frustrations.

Edit - Note details mentioned by [MENTION=10071549]Bennie&TheJets[/MENTION]

Make sure your own can be properly identified.
[Android General] tjhall1000:
bought one a month or 2 ago, A5 pro was working fine at first for like 2 hours. then while watching a video on it the thing randomly shut down and tried restarting itself. then during the restart it shut down again and never came back on. cant get it to power on at all. even plugging in charger doesnt give any signs of life.

luckily umidigi (or rather AliE) refunded me the money without having me return the phone. but now i want to try and fix it and put money towards getting it working

anyone have an idea what went wrong? lol i can tell im going to have a hard time getting the back off this phone to even take a look inside they didnt leave even a small space in order to slide in anything at all to peel backing off
[Android General] arifsaggio:
Thank you for your info, really appreciate

So, you the first wave of order a5 pro, right?

I am ordering a5 pro at June 14th, umidigi sent the phone at July 17th and arrived at August 21th, I am open dispute at August 22nd, AliE step in at August 27th, right now waiting for umidigi response
[Android General] Letitride:
Well, it took several dayss for me, the partial refund is done by Aliexpress (San Mateo, CA) & credited back to my bank's charge account this week ... I weighted against a refund offer by AliE but paying for postage ($21 - $25 USD for USPS Int'l mail, tracking & insurance) vs. Umidigi saying they will refund in full + reimburse postage after at first - saying they should ship a new / replacement after I send the defective one back (but postage at my expense) ... what if I get another lemon.

Mine isn't as bad, overall, as yours - battery seems ok & will fully charge in 3 to 5 hours with a certified 2A charger, no issues (yet) with pixels but even with the latest V1.4 released 0828 global rom OTA fix, cameras / app still buggy & not 99% functional, definitely not as advertised (that's deceptive !!) Youtube playback at 720p and 1080p are fine, audio is better - especialy with a pair of in-ear buds and worst case, I can use it as mini-monitor for my Xiaomi Wyze wireless security cams ... for under $70 USD, along with the aggravations - still not sure if I will sell it on eBay. Battery life is OK, not terrible but not exactly long lasting (Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite can last almost as long ... ) and MP4 playback is okay, no gaming on this for me. It has the most 4G/LTE bands among devices sold in this price range, comparable to my iPhone SE (which I just managed to jailbreak on iOS 12.4, thanks to Apple's sloppy release) and as long as I can use its dual sim APN on "my" networks of choice when traveling, I can live with the phone's handicap. Maybe, just maybe, V1.5 or later update can fix the camera -just hoping but not counting on it.

Maybe it's the early production batches that we are stuck with with poor or non-existent QC, as those that said they got it via Amazon are working fine, no problems or issues - I am, suffice to say, doubtful & skeptical - but, to each her/his own. With taxes on Amazon, am I going to bother to spend $130 to $140 AGAIN with Umidigi (a 50% markup from pre.sales pricing) - this model of ours, is not the only ones with issues & problems, just read all the posts on FB - short answer, is, hell "no" - even if getting the full amount paid on the original purchase price & return shipping reimbursed on top.

On a technical note, sound volume on a call is now better. WiFi performance is still poor on 2.4 Ghz - speed is better & faster on 5 Ghz, not always usable on open WiFi networks when traveling.
[Android General] scohut:
It seems as though the 827 update increased mobile speed on my wife's A5 pro. According to bandwidthplace, before download was usually around 5 Mbps, after it seems to stay between 10 and 20. Just sayin'. This is with Pure Talk at&t. Still same weirdness with apn settings (#163) and having to toggle airplane on/off after a reboot whether using her sim or my Red Pocket at&t sim. Camera seems to focus a little better maybe :)
[Android General] chooks06:
One off chance that the battery stats could be the cause.

Try plugging in to charger for at least half an hour. Leave it alone. If there's an indicator light see if it comes on subsequently. If it does, let it charge to 100%.

If nothing after an hour, another off chance is to try and flash the stock firmware using SPFT. Stats with the phone powered off.

I had another that died. Charger had no effect.. Tried on SPFT and it ma managed to download and i got the phone back.. Only to brick it again while flashing TWRP.

Not sure what you can replace, even if you can successfully tear down, if you can't get the parts.

Hope a miracle happens and you got yourself a free phone!
[Android General] Milkyonet:
I've just installed the new OTA (20190829 EU) and the camera focus is OK now. Finally :)
[Android General] pimser:
focus is ok, system ui-stopped didnt hapen so far?
[Android General] tjhall1000:
thanks for the reply, sadly charging no matter how long doesnt do anything, no lights or display even show up when plugging it in, and i admit im not very sure how to do firmware stuff lol but ill be sure to google it jsut to try and figure it out. otherwise for sure a take apart will be an annoying action that i must take
[Android General] Rorschach666:
Hi, sound during a conversation in my A5 PRO is very quiet, even at maximum setting. Does anyone know how I can increase the volume of voice speaker?

My second question: when I try to TWRP flash, I get the following message:

fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
Sending 'recovery' (32768 KB) OKAY [ 2.099s]
Writing 'recovery' [B]FAILED (remote: not allowed in locked state)[/B]

What should I do in such a case? :confused:
[Android General] arifsaggio:
I just wanna ask before I sent back the phone, mine is global version rom, can I manually update to EU rom without any flash? I found zip file of EU rom (date 0829) at umidigi community and there is manual update via micro SD card; can I do that without flash the phone? Sorry, if my question little bit silly for you guys here, all the master of phone
[Android General] Schwester_Gabi:
You have to unlock the bootloader first. Also enable oem unlock. Oem unlock is under settings/developer options and than you have to boot to fastboot mode and enter "fastboot oem/bootloader unlock" (IAM NOT SURE WITCH IS THE RIGHT COMMAND. PLEASE SEARCH FOR THE RIGHT COMMAND!!! And if you send the command to phone ALL DATA GET LOST!!!. it's like an factory reset. So make a backup of your data.). Than you can flash TWRP.

---------- Post added at 09:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:16 PM ----------

That's an flash like ota update or flash via tool. If you go via ota update I think nothing should happen to your data (except os update). IAM not sure what happens if you try the SD card update. But I think flashing the smaller (~50 mb) file updates the is without deleting your data. But I am not sure. Make a backup, try it and report back here.
[Android General] gomax:
EU version (rooted and TWRP) previously updated ok.

Latest wireless OTA gives Error 7 : This package for A5_Pro devices, this is a A5_Pro_e

Tried downloading OTA update from Umi, manual install from TWRP or phone settings menu gives same result
[Android General] chooks06:
Read about how to flash FW using SPFT. There's a pretty good set of info in the A5Pro thread in Umidigi community.

I got my dead Blackview recovered yesterday- let the battery run itself down.

Plugged in to PC, Windows failed to install driver though device detected. All this while just holding on to vol+ (for Umidigi should be power button) and walla SPFT connect and dl. After that full charge and I'm using it to reply you.

You've nothing to lose trying out flashing if you think your phone is dead. Having used a few MTK phones, I'm convinced that if it's a software issue, SPFT helps.

Edit - when the Blackview "died" it had no recovery image and not image was corrupted. Warning "red state' and kept boot looping. Couldn't shut down to connect to SPFT, Windows detected as incompatible USB device.
[Android General] StaryMuz:
Have you tried the fastboot key combination?

You can also be in Diagnostics mode.

However, its switching capability is device-dependent and different.

https://miui.blog/redmi-note-7/unbrick-redmi-note-7-without-authorized-mi-account-edl-test-point-mode/

https://in.c.mi.com/thread-371200-1-0.html
[Android General] Rorschach666:
Thank you for your help, I was able to flashing, but now I can't run the TWRP recovery. After pressing power and vol down(-) button, the phone starts in the normal recovery mode, so that I cannot install the Magisk zip. :(
[Android General] Darkoverlordoftheabyss:
Network failure

Network Vodafone GR

After the latest update the smartphone no longer receives sms or in calls , i used to fix that by switch from 4g to 3g but now it no longer works i am really disappointed with this purchase wish i never got it in the first place. :crying::crying::crying:
[Android General] chooks06:
For the Blackview, it's the vol+ key that will trigger SPFT. My previous experiences with Umidigi was it activates via power.

At that time, the phone was boot looping and can't even shut down.

Holding down both vol buttons also couldn't power it down.

Had to let it drain battery flat. When next plugged in, recovery button combination works and from there, any selection gets the phone into the boot loop. (Sorry for blurred screenshot).

Anyway managed to get it flashed via SPFT and I'm using it right now.
[Android General] chooks06:
If I'm not wrong, it should be VOL+ and power.

You will come to a screen with very small fonts and 3 options - recovery, fastboot, normal.

Use the VOL+ to move to the mode you want. Then use VOL- to select.

If you boot into normal recovery, use VOL+ or VOL- to navigate the menu and POWER button to select.

If your TWRP was successfully installed, selecting recovery will boot into TWRP.
[Android General] Rorschach666:
I finally succeeded in getting to the TWRP screen, but now it asking me to Enter Password. What should I put in?
[Android General] pimser:
you need to do a format and flash dm- variety to bypass this
[Android General] chooks06:
Sorry if I can't give you anything specific as I've not tried installing TWRP on Android 9.

You may want to read through this https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/201044/twrp-password-decrypt-storage.

Google "how to decrypt data in TWRP" for similar info for reference.

Perhaps check back with the site from where you got the instructions to install the TWRP.

Bottom line - you will lose all your data as the device will get wiped clean. So make a backup of important files first before trying.

Been quite some time since I installed TWRP so am a bit rusty in memory.

Sorry if I'm being of no help.
[Android General] Rorschach666:
If someone had a similar problem - it helped me to use the Wipe from the TWRP interface.

Now I'm looking for an mixer_paths.xml file, it should be in a root/system/etc directory, anyone knows where I can find it? With it, I wanted to increase the call volume, with which I have a problem from the beginning... :rolleyes:
[Android General] Hans de Groot:
I bought mine at dx.com for 99 dollar. It did not work (camera was fine but it crashes with in minutes after reboot no matter which update). They told me to send it back and send them my receipt and they payed me my 26.50 euro shipping fee back the day after my phone arrived in HK. Also I took the customs insurance (cost me 1.40 euro) and of course customs picked out my package. They payed that back (31. euro) once I send them the receipt. Now I am waiting for new stock them to ship me a replacement.

I buy stuff for years from them and they always fix my problems so far. (like packages never arriving) But you need a lot of patience. I ordered my phone june 26. Got it on august 2nd. send it back august 15th. Arrived in HongKong august 27th and still waiting for them to send one back.
[Android General] IcedFlame:
I bought my A5 from dx as well. Black color, Eu version, and they sent me a wrong color. Phone is really working ok, so I didn't want to risk by sending it back and receive another with problems a lot of people reported here. They even offered a $10 refund, so that was ok.

However, i find gearbest, banggood and aliexpress support much better and more efficient. On dx I usually have to open a PayPal dispute to get any answer at all.

On a positive note, A5 pro is a great phone for under 90 bucks, and it's been my daily since the first day. No crashes, hickups or faults. I don't use Google duo, but I realized that green flickering issue with camera is caused by software stabilization. If you turn it on in Open Camera, you'll get the same problem. After installing open camera and activating Api 2, the camera is great with all the manual options you get. Turn on the noise reduction, and even low light photos look fine.

The only things I really miss on this phone are double tap to wake and notification led.
[Android General] zee-wolf:
Refund

Bought mine on Ali Express. Still can't get it to receive mobile data, so I opened a dispute and told them since I only have half of the functionality I want a 50% refund... and I got it. Didn't want to return it and get a full refund coz that will cost me as much as the 50% refund is worth.
[Android General] IcedFlame:
Go to mobile networks - Advanced settings - Preferred network type and set it to 3G. Wait for network to reset and check if you have internet. After that, you can switch back to 4G.

It worked for me as I didn't have mobile data after the last update, but after this, everything is fine.
[Android General] ZenMr:
I was wondering if anyone using Verizon service has been able to receive text messages for A5 Pro. I'm using Verizon post paid not MVNO. I have also tried changing to "LTE only" but have been unsuccessful with A5 Pro. I so happened to get a Umidigi S3 Pro and F1 as well. Both work flawlessly with Verizon. I did notice that they have the CDMA bands (BC0/BC1) that A5 Pro is missing. I am thinking Verizon may be using 3G for part of their SMS service. Any thoughts or opinions?

Note: 4G/VoLTE, sending SMS/MMS, and calls work. I just can't receive messages through native app. I have also tried various other messaging apps that use sim card number. All same results.
[Android General] tutaqq:
SPFT format

In a desperate attempt to fix camera problem (front upside down, rear and flash not functional) I did SPFT format,

backing up nvram, nvdata and nvcfg first. After flashing again and recovering those partitions, wifi is working,

phone too, but can not setup security (Pin, pattern) plus no options for fingerprint setup. Once I draw pattern second time, phone freezes for a minute or two, then reboots. Also battery drains 3-5 times faster on standby without apparent reason. Any ideas?