yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
I assume so, I haven't flashed custom kernels in over a year and a half, and I never did with PixelFlasher.

I also have no experience with the more recent custom kernels that don't require Verity and Verification to be disabled (only the original ones that didn't, before they mostly temporarily became more difficult again), and I believe you said whichever you chose doesn't have that requirement, either.

Out of curiosity, what's the name of this custom kernel you're going to try?
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] hxxmor:
Kirisakura Kernel, I just installed it and pretty far I noticed less battery drain and WAYYYY better perfomance in games

Sent from Pixel 7 using ReLabs
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] hxxmor:
Can I ask if someone knows on how to remove the Google search bar in the home screen?

Sent from Pixel 7 using ReLabs
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
As far as I know, you can't, but maybe someone who uses Google's home screen while rooted knows better.

Personally, I've used Nova Launcher Prime for the last ~12 years. I stick with the last 7.x version of it.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] hxxmor:
Can you recommend me a thread where I should ask this?

Sent from Pixel 7 using ReLabs
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
https://support.google.com/pixelphone/thread/133065648/is-there-any-way-to-remove-the-google-search-bar-from-the-home-screen?hl=en#:~:text=The%20search%20bar%20cannot%20be,of%20them%20meets%20your%20needs.

Short version: You can't.

Edit - no idea if there's any better or different answer in this thread below. The above answer ("you can't") is definitely the most common one:

How to remove google search bar from home screen + add % in QS?

Do you guys manage somehow to remove search bar from the home screen with Pixel launcher and add % display in QS? I checked the mods in pixel 6 pro thread, but don't know if they will work on A13/7 pro.

xdaforums.com
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] VerticalCobra:
What are your reasons for sticking with v7 of Nova Launcher Prime? Something to do with the ownership? I've moved back to Google launcher for some time myself.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
Indeed, I'm not happy with Nova being sold to data-collectors. Also, after they originally said that Nova v8 would come by default set to not collect data, I very briefly tested the first Stable v8 in the Play Store and I could find no data collection toggle that didn't already exist pre-v8 (the one that defaults to off regarding automatic submission of reports). This leads me to conclude one or more of the following options, in the order of least nefarious to most nefarious:

They eliminated the new data collection. I doubt it, since it's owned by a data collection company.

They wrapped the new data collection in with the original one - which is sneaky/non-transparent, even though the option is defaulted to off.

It would be sneaky if true because it leads users to think that enabling the option does the same thing as it always did, and only that.

The new data collection toggle is named in some way that I couldn't find it - both by manually looking in places that might make sense to me, and by using Nova settings' search capability.

The new data collection might not be actually exposed anywhere that it could be disabled.

I am speculating completely - none of these bullet points are facts. There may be other possibilities I haven't thought to consider.

Beyond these things, at least the initial Stable v8 released to the Play Store did not behave like a finished product. I had noticeable and annoying issues with the Google Discover page (enabled through Nova's already existing companion app).

That and possibly other buggy behavior, in combination with the potential, unwanted data collection, caused me to re-downgrade and confirm I have the Play Store still set to never auto-update the base Nova or the Prime app. I have manual backups of both of these in multiple places, as well, and whenever I change anything in Nova, including new icons in new places on the home screen, I save Nova's settings to a folder I have for the purpose in Google Drive.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] Fishawy:
I have the last v7 apk (7.0.57) and the last v8 before Branch acquired them (v8.0.1), and you're right about early stages of v8 feeling like an incomplete product.

Used both for some time, but then updated to the latest and used App Manager / Inure to ensure that all those baked-in branch.io trackers are disabled. No issues since.

Having said that, I'm tempted to go back to v7.0.57 (please confirm this is the one you have) and just disable the updates.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] otonieru:
i personally used Nova 8 (since Nova is much better and flexible compared to pixel launcher) , and i simply block it's data connection using firewall - the launcher function doesnt need any data connection. They can try snatch my data if they want, nothing important anyway, but still, i closed it's door.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
I have Nova v7.0.58 - from memory, maybe it was when Android 14 came out, 7.0.57 had an issue, and they updated in the Play Store at the time to 7.0.58 which fixed whatever the issue was.

I really don't remember, but it's possible the issue was relating to the Discover page, and if you don't use it, and have no issue with .57, then maybe there's no reason for you to use .58. Anyone else remember what the issue was?

I've attached a 7-Zip archive with the 7.0.58 installer.

Thanks regarding the feedback about blocking the Branch trackers. I'll consider it only if 7.x stops working satisfactorily for me.

I considered a blanket block of its data connection, but I think that would keep me from being able to use Nova's backup and restore function, since I backup and restore from Google Drive. But I could be wrong, and maybe it wouldn't since the Drive app is actually what provides the function.

If v7.x stops working satisfactorily for me, I'll consider it.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

So it sounds like this (the most nefarious of what I guessed) is what they did, if blocking has been the only 100% sure way of getting around it:

The new data collection might not be actually exposed anywhere that it could be disabled.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] Fishawy:
Thanks for the app, I'll keep it as a backup.

As far as I remember, v7.0.58 came after the Branch takeover (around A14 launch as you confirmed), that's why I remained on the older v7.0.57 back when I didn't want to update.

I rolled back to v7 today to test, it was smoother and the color engine was better IMHO, but newer releases have better overall experience (with disabling trackers). I guess I'll shuffle between both until v7 stops working.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
You're welcome! That's correct, .58 definitely came out after Branch acquired. If it wasn't for whatever bug (some people, including me?) had, I wouldn't have updated to it. I did keep .57 as well.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] Ghisy:
I'm just using the latest v8 and trackers are blocked through AdAway.

(Or you could use a "certain version" of the app with the trackers removed but it's not something we can really talk about here.)
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] smurfmeat:
We must be bored waiting for the June image to drop 😂

I think you're being disingenuous to Nova Launcher. Kevin is still the developer and has been for over a decade. He's consistently stated he is solely responsible for the app, including any monetization and trackers. He is on the discord server, which is really active. You can opt out of error and usage reporting, it will even show you an example of the exact data that would be sent.

I've tried all the launchers and keep coming back to Nova.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
QPR3 STABLE

June 11, 2024

:

Factory Images for Nexus and Pixel Devices | Google Play services | Google for Developers

developers.google.com

Full OTA Images for Nexus and Pixel Devices | Google Play services | Google for Developers

developers.google.com

Android Flash Tool

flash.android.com

Google Pixel Community

Android Security Bulletins | Android Open Source Project

source.android.com
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] hxxmor:
Should I update even if it's a Security patch?
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
Every month has a security update. Yes.

Android Security Bulletins | Android Open Source Project

source.android.com

For everyone:

June 2024 Feature Drop
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] Ghisy:
Woot, woot! Now, let's just wait for Freak07 to update Kirisakura and it's flashing time! 😁
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] smt0222:
Thanks... not sure why I waited so long to retry this (lost Wallet at beginning of the year - e.g., I never had Systemless hosts before). So Wallet (and hopefully tap to pay), wirelesstether, and Farmer Boys are now working... Marriott Bonvoy, 85degrees, Cash App, CPK are still stubborn.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] UberNorse:
Has anyone here successfully used Apatch on the P7P and got RCS to work with the new update? I know it just came out so probably too soon to ask, but I'm tempted to try it. Only thing is I see them saying they are patching boot with it and not init boot like we do on the Pixel but they do have this instruction from the developers, so I'm a bit hesitant to try that but I really want my RCS back. I guess I need to quit being chicken haha.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
(not regarding Apatch - I haven't played with it) I did update both slots and root with Magisk Stable v27 on my P7P without any issue at all. I had updated all modules including playcurl, PIF, and PixelXpert (to the latest Canary) before updating.

I had to manually check for integrity again (through the Play Store's Developer Options is how I do) and my P7P meets basic and device integrity. The Play Store still says "Device is not certified", even after another reboot, but I know it can take some time after an update, so we'll see.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
Awesome! You're welcome.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] Ghisy:
You can usually be back to certified by deleting data for the Play Store and relaunch it (no reboot necessary). Make sure you pass integrity first though (I still use PF Next for that).
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] smt0222:
Having just done this, I went from not certified to certified by clearing storage in Play Store, Wallet, then reboot. I could not find a way to clear GP framework or GP services. Gpay no longer exists.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
Someone reports success with APatch on the Pixel 8 Pro:

Thank you for the reminder. I'll attack it again sometime tomorrow, I hope. :)
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] UberNorse:
I've got the Patch manager installed and my boot.img already patched and ready to go. I've already updated to June with Magisk, but with RCS broken and not being able to hide Magisk Canary it's really tempting to make the leap. As soon as that user confirms he used boot.img for sure then I'll jump with him.

Of course I'm planning on reflashing with FullOTA and uninstalling Magisk completely.

Then proceeding with the Patch process and hoping RCS will be back!
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
I look forward to hearing what you and @Asma12 report.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] UberNorse:
Okay, so here is my experience and steps taken with Apatch on the P7P on the June update.

Firstly, I was already on June update rooted with Magisk 27.2. Prior to this I had already extracted Junes boot.img and patched with Apatch used superkey with it and stored it back in my adb folder.

Edit - Want to add I was using Platform Tools 35.0

I removed all modules.

Flashed stock init_boot.

Rebooted.

Uninstalled Magisk.

Rebooted.

Flashed June FullOTA - cheetah-ota-ap2a.240605.024-feba1b34.zip

Rebooted.

Removed all biometric locks and passcode.

Booted to fastboot mode - adb reboot bootloader

fastboot devices - device was communicating properly

Tried to boot from patched boot.img from apatch which was renamed to boot.img from name given by apatch using- fastboot boot boot.img

Phone rebooted showing unlocked bootloader screen and then Google logo, it immediately looped back to the unlocked bootloader screen and back to Google logo before giving me the device is corrupt message and cannot boot to which I simply selected "try again" since I only tried to boot from the modified boot.img and not flash it. The phone booted normally.

This may give different results simply from actually flashing the Apatch modified boot.img rather than attempting to softboot from it, or maybe if I hadn't renamed the Apatch modified boot.img and left the name Apatch had given it. I didn't try either scenario.

For now I have simply reinstalled Magisk and patched init_boot again and reflashed to obtain root back with Magisk.

I may experiment more with different options over the next few days but as of now this was a failed attempt and I didn't want to push any further and brick my phone.

Take this as you want and you're welcome to try the other options I mentioned but I won't do that for now. I am simply going to revert to Magisk for the time being until we get a better understanding of what is actually expected to happen.

Had this booted up properly with the modified Apatch boot.img then I would have proceeded -

adb reboot bootloader

fastboot devices

fastboot flash boot boot.img

fastboot reboot

Open Apatch and enter superkey you created when you patched the stock boot.img file in the beginning.

Hopefully, someone else might have better luck or maybe I missed a step but I listed everything I did here in specific order and thoroughly.

Maybe we can re-obtain RCS in another means.

Good luck and be careful.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] Asma12:
On P8P I've patched the stable AP2A.240605.024 factory image with PixelFlasher and latest magisk canary, then flashed it and stucked in bootloop. So I've reflashed with PixelFlasher the stock factory image without patch, booted succesfully without root, installed APatch app version 0.10.7 (10763) via PixelFlasher, patched again the factory image with PixelFlasher and APatch, reflashed the patched image via PixelFlasher and always is working.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] Ghisy:
Hmmm, just updated to June and rooted. I can't get the Play Store to be certified as usual. Wallet works fine with PIF Next but I'm only passing basic integrity.

Weird. Maybe I just need to wait for a few minutes? Or is Google up to something again? 🤔
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] otonieru:
Flashed June QPR3 using Pixel Flasher. Retaining data, Kitsune, Modules and everything,

Flashed Kirisakura after first reboot, and everything works as it should. Integrity passed and certified as well.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
I had the P7P off for the last 14+ hours, since it's my spare. Of course, when I just now powered it back on, the Play Store still said uncertified. I wiped its cache and data, checked it - at first it didn't say anything regarding certification, so I swiped the Play Store away, relaunched it, checked again, and it says it's certified.

Yay!

I'm still using @chiteroman's [MODULE] Play Integrity Fix (SafetyNet fix) along with daboynb's playcurl.

Edit: Oh, after wiping cache and data for the Play Store, I have to re-enable its Developer options.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] Ghisy:
I installed both of these (removed PF Next) and my Play Store is certified again! Thanks as always! 👍
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
Awesome! Glad I could help you back.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] chiteroman:
You don't need playcurl, my module has the latest working print built-in. Just plug and play ☺
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
Oh! Thank you, @chiteroman! I'll add your quote to my OPs.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] weriwd:
Sorry for being annoying, but I really want to avoid boot loops and forced wipes on my device. My current version is UQ1A.231205.015. There shouldn’t be any boot loops or errors with directly installing the full OTA AP2A.240605.024, right? Of course first I will pause all magisk modules.

Edit: I just managed to complete the update, but everything got wiped despite removing the -W from flash-all. Fun stuff 😁. Funnily, NeoBackup didn't manage to restore my codes (Google Authenticator) for all apps that require 2FA, but somehow I managed to shenanigan them through my older Android, and now they are restored.

Edit2: Despite the annoying need to restore everyting... call dropps still persist 😖
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
I'm sorry that I didn't see your post before now, although I wouldn't have been able to prevent what ended up happening. I've been dealing with my own issues on a different phone. :)

If you use the Full OTA Zip method instead of using the factory image, you'll never have any need to worry about it wiping.

I can only guess what would've happened that you got wiped with the factory image despite removing the -W, but I think we've all been there and accidentally either forgot the save the flash-all.bat, and I recommend even saving it, exiting the editing of it, load it again and verify the -W is still gone. But these are just examples of what could've happened. Who knows at this point.

I mainly just wanted to point you to the Full OTA Zip method, since there's no possibility for an OTA to wipe your phone.

I'm still using Authy on all my Android devices, along with its optional encrypted cloud backup/sync, for what it's worth. It's such a pain to change 2FA clients once you've got 40 things set up in one, though, and Authy doesn't provide any way to make it easier, if I did want to switch. There used to be root/hack methods to be able to get the data out and get it into another client, but they don't work anymore.

I haven't found another solution that works as well, though, so I don't have enough motivation to go to another solution anyway. I briefly tried some others out, but without the seamless syncing, I can't see myself switching.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] weriwd:
Upon second check of the #2 post, I noticed that actually the Full OTA is a completely different procedure from the previously known fastboot (Factory Image / Android Flash Tool method). Lesson learned; I will use this method from now on. However, what still bugs me is the annoying call dropping. I think that my device might be faulty. :(
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
Good luck with your future flashing!

You could try flashing the last radio(etc filename).img that worked well for you to the radio partition - the worst it will be is you'll have a different experience and you can always flash back to the updated radio.img. You can refer to the flash-all.bat for the command, and just adjust for the filename of the old radio.img. Don't use the flash-all, just issue the fastboot flash radio radio.img command with the proper filename for the radio.img.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] weriwd:
I am unsure if the A14 was stable at all, but I suppose that flashing from A13 wouldn't boot at all. Maybe I can try with version 14.0.0 (UP1A.231005.007, October 2023), but I am still afraid of bricking something.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
Flashing just the radio from any old firmware shouldn't cause the phone to have any trouble booting. The radio will either work or not work, or work better, worse, or equal, but the phone should still work in all other ways. There wasn't a more recent month's update that the radio worked better for you, though?
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] weriwd:
Well, I have only been on the December update until now. I just tried with two different SIM cards and the problem remains. In my current location, my device has 2-3 bars of signal, compared to everyone else around me who have full signal or one bar less than full. The issue I'm experiencing is that when I take a call, it hangs up by itself after 10-40 seconds or people are unable to hear me...

I will try flashing the UP1A.231005.007 October 2023 radio update. If it's still not working, I will try the A13 radio. Hopefully, no weird behavior will occur making by device being stuck in some state... 😅

EDIT1: I can't believe it—or it might be too early to say—but I manually flashed the current radio from ap2a.240605.024 following your ADB command, and guess what? Calls are not dropping anymore. Maybe I was having radio issues because my device's radio was using an older incompatible version with the December software. But the question arises: why didn't flash-all.sh did not update the radio for the last 2 updates...🤔

I will edit the comment again in a few days. Hopefully, my issue is finally resolved. 🥳
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] badabing2003:
Have you looked into FreeOTP+ ?

I don't remember if I use the Fdroid version or the Google Play Store version, but it's really good, it does everything I want it to do.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
Thank you, I can't remember if I looked at it yet. I'll take a look!
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
You had that issue on the December firmware, too? If December's radio worked better for you, I'd stick with that one to try first.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] weriwd:
I think its fixed now 🤞. Check my edited previous post.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
Interesting, thank you. I'll be interested in the results long term.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] dimm0k:
mind sharing the trackers associated with Nova?
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] Ghisy:
Hmmm, they're part of a private AdAway list I'm using. I'll try to find out!
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] hxxmor:
How do i update via Full OTA zip method via pixelflasher?
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
You should ask about this in the PixelFlasher thread. :)

But you click the diagonal arrow beside "Device Image" on the left, click OTA, click the latest OTA available, wait for it to download, then click "Browse" on the far right of that line, load the OTA you just downloaded, then click "Process". After Process is done, it'll show the stock kernel in the area blow the Device Image line, click it, choose "Patch" and "Magisk" if you're rooting it. Once it's patched, click the patched copy of the kernel (actually init_boot.img not boot.img on this phone). It should already say "Full OTA" below the box with the stock and Magisk-patched kernels. Click "Flash Pixel Phone". Don't touch or move the phone until it's fully done.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] hxxmor:
Does me having a custom kernel or my phone already rooted matter?
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
It doesn't change what I said.

After that, you'll need to flash the updated custom kernel that matches or has been reported to work with the new firmware. Custom kernels from previous months don't always work with the latest firmware.

You'll have to follow the directions for your custom kernel as far as installation of it.

Already rooted, no, doesn't matter, the process is still the same.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] Fishawy:
In addition to the suggestion from @badabing2003 , I use 2FAS. Encrypted backup/restore, G-drive sync, as well as importing tokens from other 2FA apps. It actually saved my work logins once when my older phone went kaput.

Check it out, you won't regret it.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
Thank you. I know I checked it out before, but it might've been before Authy announced they were stopping support for their Windows / desktop apps. I'll check it out again.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] Lughnasadh:
Off Topic: It's interesting that Authy dropped support for the desktop version, yet I got an update for it a couple of days ago and it's still working for me. Maybe one last update???

Back to On Topic......
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] roirraW "edor" ehT:
I noticed the update, too. I've only still used the desktop program for things I already had configured in there before it stopped being supported, up to now. I just checked, and the desktop app does have my most recent 2FA for a site that I configured on my phone, so it appears it's still completely working.

I also have no idea if I'd be able to connect a new installation of the desktop program with my cloud backup. I could test that in a virtual PC, though. I do have a Hyper-V virtual PC running all the time with Android x86 just for Authy, just in case, but I think it doesn't support copying and pasting (blame Hyper-V) done that way.
[Google Pixel 7 Pro] Fishawy:
Here you go.