Unofficial LineageOS 14.1 now available for the Gemini PDA

It’s not often that we see successful crowd-funding campaigns for smartphones. Planet Computers’ Gemini PDA is one example of a successful Indiegogo campaign, although it’s technically not a smartphone but rather a clamshell mobile device with a fully integrated hardware keyboard. The device has garnered a lot of attention from enthusiasts because it aims to revive the PDA concept but with the ability to dual boot modern operating systems such as Android and a GNU/Linux distribution. We have already seen an unofficial TWRP port for the device, and now an unofficial port of LineageOS 14.1 is now available.

This unofficial build was made by XDA Recognized Contributor deadman96385 and it is based on Android 7.1 Nougat. Most hardware is functional except for the GPS, FM radio, and cellular radio. The built-in camera doesn’t work, but the developer reports that any third party camera app should work just fine.

Unfortunately, the lack of cellular radio capability means the ROM isn’t suitable if you intend to use your device as your primary phone—at least not yet. deadman96385 informed us that he should be receiving his own test device soon, and he estimates that FM radio, cellular radio, and encryption may be fixed by next week. However, development isn’t miracle work, so please be patient as the developer works on fixing each of these issues.

It’s interesting to see such development be done for such a niche device. We typically focus on devices from the bigger brands here such as Google, Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, and OnePlus. I’m not too sure that the PDA is coming back anytime soon, but the successful crowd-funding initiative by Planet Computers shows that there’s still a market for these kinds of devices.

Download unofficial LineageOS 14.1 for the Planet Computer Gemini PDA

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How to flash a Generic System Image (GSI) on Project Treble supported devices

If you’ve only heard of Project Treble in passing but haven’t looked into it all that much, then you may have heard that it’s supposed to help major Android updates roll out more quickly. At XDA, there’s another benefit that we’ve spoken about at length: the ability to boot an AOSP Generic System Image (GSI) on any supported device. This means that devices that were once running heavily customized Android versions like Samsung Experience on the Samsung Galaxy S9 or EMUI 8 on the Huawei Mate 10 Pro can alternatively run software closer to that of the Google Pixel 2.

After-market custom ROMs (customized versions of Android software that are made by independent developers usually not affiliated with a company) are a big draw to the XDA forums, and thanks to the changes in Android that Project Treble require, Treble-supported devices will have an easier time flashing custom ROMs based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). Without Project Treble, developers have to employ a lot of tricks and hacks to get their custom ROMs working, and while Treble support doesn’t solve everything, it certainly helps kickstart the process.

Devices like the Huawei Mate 9, Honor View 10, Huawei Mate 10 Pro, Honor 7X, Exynos Samsung Galaxy S9, or Allview V3 Viper would have had either no AOSP-based custom ROMs available due to lack of developer interest or ROMs lacking some basic hardware functionality. But as we’ve seen with the in the case of each of these devices, the ROMs that are available thanks to Treble support are mostly functional (there are some differences in terms of what works and what doesn’t, and the community has put together a wiki page you should check out to find that information).

Since Treble is so new to users and the process to flash them is a little different compared to the usual custom ROMs, there’s been a lot of confusion about how to flash a GSI onto a Treble-compatible device. This tutorial will broadly walk you through how to flash such a ROM. There may be a few different steps involved depending on the device, but in general the process should be similar. Here’s how to flash a GSI on a Treble-compatible Android device.

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How to flash a Generic System Image on a Project Treble-supported device

Requirements:

• Your device MUST have an unlockable bootloader.
• Your device MUST be Project Treble compatible. That means your device meets one of the following criteria:
  • Your device LAUNCHED with Android 8.0 Oreo or a newer version (eg. Android 8.1 Oreo) AND is Google Play certified. (If you rooted your device/flashed another custom ROM and somehow ended up with your device being listed as uncertified in Google Play, then don’t worry. We’re only concerned about the status of the device as it was shipped.)
  • Your device UPGRADED to Android 8.0 Oreo or a newer version AND was made Project Treble compatible by the manufacturer. See this article for a list of such devices.
  • Your device does not meet either of the above criteria but DOES have access to an unofficial way to be made Treble compatible. Again, refer to this article for a list of such devices.
• Your device is free of any heavy modifications such as the Xposed Framework, SuperSU, or Magisk. You can re-install these afterwards, but please be sure you are using the stock boot/ramdisk before proceeding.

Devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ (Exynos or Snapdragon), Samsung Galaxy Note 8 (Exynos or Snapdragon), LG V30, Sony Xperia XA1 series, and more do not meet any of these criteria and thus cannot follow this guide. While 2018 Nokia-branded devices and the Snapdragon Samsung Galaxy S9 launched with Android Oreo and are Treble-supported, they do not have unlockable bootloaders and hence cannot flash GSIs.

Please be sure that, even if your device is listed as Treble-compatible, that you do not follow this guide unless you have actually received the Android Oreo update either officially or unofficially. If your device meets the above criteria, then you’re almost ready to flash a GSI. The last thing that we need to say is that flashing a GSI will require you to factory reset your device, so be sure you’re prepared to lose app data before you proceed with this! We recommend you make an off-device backup (such as on your PC or an SD Card) in case anything goes wrong.

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Guide to flash GSI on devices that officially support Project Treble

Preparation

1. Unlock the bootloader of your device. The steps you take here are different depending on your device. We have many guides available both on the Portal and in our forums for you to peruse. Just do a quick Google search for “XDA unlock bootloader” + your device name and you should find many guides.
2. Download the GSI of your choice onto your PC. You can either flash a pure AOSP ROM such as phh-Treble, or if you prefer more features you can grab the LineageOS 15.1 or Resurrection Remix GSIs. I have linked the threads as follows. Download the right image for your device type (ARM64 for most of you) and partition type. If your device supports seamless updates, then download the A/B image, otherwise download the A-only image.
   • phh-Treble AOSP Thread
   • LineageOS 15.1 phh-Treble Thread
   • Resurrection Remix phh-Treble Thread

The following steps depend on whether or not your device has a functional TWRP that you can use. If your device has TWRP, then we highly recommend you install that first. We have a guide for that here.

Flash GSI with TWRP

1. Perform a factory reset within TWRP.
2. Transfer the GSI from your PC to your device’s internal storage where TWRP can access it.
3. Tap on “Install.”
4. Change the type from “zip” to “image.”
5. Find and select the GSI you downloaded.
6. Choose to flash to the system partition.
7. Once that is done, reboot your device.

Hopefully, your device should boot up after a few minutes of waiting. If not, skip the following section and go to the troubleshooting tips.

Flash GSI without TWRP

1. Perform a factory reset on your device. You have two options here:
   • Open the settings app on your phone and look for the factory reset option. It’s usually under settings related to backup.
   • Reboot to your device’s stock recovery using either a button combination when booting or issuing the following ADB command when booted in Android: adb reboot recovery. Once here, use the volume keys to navigate and the power button to select the factory reset option.
2. Once your device has been factory reset, reboot to your device’s bootloader using either a button combination when booting or issuing the following ADB command when booted in Android: adb reboot bootloader
3. With your device connected to your PC, open up a command prompt or terminal window in the same directory where you downloaded your GSI of choice.
4. Enter a command in the following format: fastboot flash system name_of_system.img
   

   Example: Flashing phh-Treble AOSP System Image

5. Allow the image to flash, it could take a few minutes. Once it has completed, reboot your device either manually via power key or by entering fastboot reboot.

Hopefully, your device should boot into your GSI of choice. If not, here are some troubleshooting tips.

Troubleshooting Tips

• It’s possible that dm-verity is preventing your device from booting with the GSI. In that case, please go ahead and flash Magisk and then see if it boots. I’m told that this is required for the Razer Phone, for instance.
• On some devices like the Google Pixel 2/2 XL, Android Verified Boot (AVB) needs to be disabled. You can do so by flashing this image to the vbmeta partition (command: fastboot flash vbmeta name_of_vbmeta.img)
• As a last resort, you can try a full format of the data partition (WARNING: THIS WIPES EVERYTHING) by entering fastboot -w from a command prompt/terminal window while in the bootloader. I have had to do this on my Huawei device before it could work.

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What to do after flashing the Generic System Image

By default, there isn’t any app to manage superuser privileges. You can fix that by installing phh’s SuperUser from the Google Play Store. Alternatively, you can flash Magisk or SuperSU—it’s up to you.

Next, you can install Substratum for themes or the Xposed Framework if you want further modifications. The Magisk repository has a ton of neat modules you can try as well. LineageOS 15.1 and especially Resurrection Remix already offer a ton of features out of the box, so we don’t believe you’ll really need to tinker with a ton of extra goodies, but the choice is there.

Now, enjoy the world of stock Android! We recommend you follow the Treble-Enabled Device Development forum for any updates on your ROM. Also, follow the XDA Portal for all the latest developments related to Project Treble. The best way to do so is to set up a feed for the Treble tag.

Lastly, please contribute to the Treble Experimentations wiki page so others will know about any potential issues with the ROM (and so developers will know what to fix!)

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Here’s a list of Android devices updated with Project Treble support

Whereas Apple is able to keep most of their devices, even many older ones, up to date with the latest software (which sometimes involve rather controversial features), Android device makers have varying degrees of success keeping their devices up to date. Some device makers like Essential and Google are pretty good at providing security patches, while others can delay updates by months at a time. That’s without considering major software updates such as from Android Nougat to Android Oreo, a software release which is installed on only slightly more than 1% of all Android devices. To combat slow Android updates, Google introduced Project Treble.

Project Treble is a major re-architecture in the way Android works. In essence, it separates the Android operating system (the Android ‘framework’) from the vendor Hardware Abstraction Layers (‘HALs’) that allow for the OS to work with the device’s hardware. Before Project Treble, the Android framework and the HALs usually reside within the same area (the system partition). With Treble, the HALs are moved to their own area (a vendor partition) and now communicate with the Android framework in a more standardized way. The benefit of this is that it allows for companies like Samsung, LG, HTC, and others to work on modifying the stock Android framework while they wait for vendors such as Qualcomm to provide updated HALs. Theoretically, this means that updates should happen more quickly.

For the Android enthusiast community, though, Project Treble has provided another benefit: the ability to quickly boot functioning AOSP ROMs without the need for many hacks. Now, it hasn’t been a perfect solution for those looking to enjoy custom ROMs such as LineageOS or Resurrection Remix since there still may be some lingering issues or certain hardware doesn’t work because it isn’t supported yet in AOSP (such as iris scanners), but it has certainly led to a revolution in custom ROMs for devices that previously never had them.

With how exciting Project Treble is, I’m sure you’re wondering if your device is Treble compatible. We have previously written a tutorial on how to check for Project Treble compatibility on your Android device, but to save some of you trouble we’ll also be cataloging those devices into a handy list that you can refer to below.

This list will be continuously updated as we learn of new devices updated, both officially and unofficially, with Treble support. This list will not cover every single device that supports Treble—that would make this list too long since Google requires every device launching with Android 8.0 Oreo and above to support Treble.

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Devices officially updated with Project Treble support

Google

• Google Pixel. Source
• Google Pixel XL. Source

Honor/Huawei

• Huawei Mate 9. Source
• Huawei Mate 9 Pro. Source
• Honor Mate 10 Lite.
• Honor 7X. Source
• Honor 8 Pro. Source
• Honor 9. Source
• Honor 9i.
• Huawei P10. Source
• Huawei P10 Lite
• Huawei P10 Plus. Source

Miscellaneous

• ASUS Zenfone 4 (No vendor partition, so cannot flash GSI). Source
• Essential Phone. Source
• Razer Phone. Source
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro. Source

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Devices unofficially updated with Project Treble support

• Lenovo ZUK Z2 Plus. Source
• Lenovo ZUK Z2 Pro. Source
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Pro. Source
• Xiaomi Mi 5. Source
• Xiaomi Mi 5s. Source
• Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus. Source
• Xiaomi Mi 6. Source
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 5/Redmi 5 Plus. Source

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If your device receives an update to Android Oreo and you think it should be on this list, please check out our guide on finding out if your device supports Project Treble and leave a comment below so we can update this article!

Also, check out our Project Treble device development forum for all the latest updates on generic custom ROMs like LineageOS and Resurrection Remix! Lastly, check out our guide on how to flash a Generic System Image in case you have a Treble supported device and you want to install a custom AOSP-based ROM!

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Here’s a list of Android devices that support Seamless Updates

While some of our readers feel lucky to even receive updates on a consistent basis, others might dread them because of how long an update can take. On most Android smartphones and tablets, an update can take a couple of minutes of your time as the updater has to patch all of the system files which can’t happen while you’re booted into Android. That’s why Google introduced “seamless updates”—a new A/B dual partition scheme with Android Nougat.

The internal storage of each Android device is separated into partitions such as system and boot. Most devices have only a single copy of each partition, but devices that support seamless updates have two copies of certain partitions—slot A and slot B, hence A/B—so that one copy of the partition lies dormant while the other is in active use. Because each partition is a copy, they can be used interchangeably to boot into Android. This also means that you can update one partition in the background and then swap to it when you reboot—thus your update is seamless!

Google adopted this style of partitioning with the Google Pixel and Pixel XL after seeing success on its Chrome OS devices. Besides faster updates, A/B seamless system updates also gives you a fallback in case something goes wrong when updating, and also means you won’t have to have enough free space in order to download an update package.

Unfortunately, many Android device makers choose not to implement A/B seamless updates for one reason or another. We can’t offer an explanation as for why they chose not to support it, as Google explains that A/B dual partitions don’t really take up that much more space compared to non-A/B setups. So if every phone doesn’t have this update system, how do you know if yours does? We previously wrote an article on how to check if your device supports seamless updates, but we’ve also decided to catalog the devices that support it for your convenience. We will update this list if we learn of new devices with A/B seamless system updates.

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List of Android devices with A/B Seamless Updates

• Google Pixel. Source
• Google Pixel XL. Source
• Google Pixel 2
• Google Pixel 2 XL
• Motorola Moto Z2 Force. Source
• Nokia 6 (2018)
• Nokia 7
• Nokia 7 Plus
• Nokia 8
• Nokia 8 Sirocco
• Razer Phone. Source
• Sony Xperia XZ2. Source
• Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact. Source
• Sony Xperia XA2. Source
• Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra. Source
• Xiaomi Mi A1. Source

If you think you have a device that should be on this list, please check out our guide on finding out if your device supports seamless updates and leave a comment below so we can update this article!

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Nexus and Pixel Security Bulletins for April are Now Available with OTA and Factory Images

A new month means it’s time for a new security patch. Google has just released the April 2018 security patch for Nexus and Pixel devices. Factory images and OTA files are already available for download. The devices included are the Google Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, and Pixel C.

The April patch includes 62 issues that have been resolved. As usual, the vulnerabilities range from high to critical, but Google says there are no reports of users being affected. Like last month, the most severe vulnerability has to do with the media framework and the possibility of a remote attacker using a “specially crafted file” to execute arbitrary code. Here’s the full list of functional updates:

Improvement	Devices
Enable Assisted Dialing support	Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Improve anomaly detection metrics	All
Improve diskstats logging	All
Improve handover from VoLTE to VoWi-Fi during Emergency calls on certain carriers	Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Improve microvideo performance in Google Camera	Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Reduce delays upon opening specific apps	Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Improve decoding of certain video streams	Pixel, Pixel XL
Improve fingerprint and keyboard latency in certain situations	Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Adjust notifications when entering or exiting Wi-Fi coverage during a video call	Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Enable IMS911 on certain networks	Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel, Pixel XL
Detect Wi-Fi Passport statistics for developers	All
Improve lock screen performance	All
Improve start time logging	All
Improve magnetic sensor performance	Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Reduce battery drain after modem issues	Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Improve modem stability on Pixel and Pixel 2 phones	Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Adjust Call Forwarding UI	Nexus 5X, Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Improve multi-calling performance over Wi-Fi	Pixel, Pixel XL
Improve data connectivity for T-Mobile users in parts of Australia	Pixel, Pixel XL
Update certification	Pixel, Pixel XL
Improve Wi-Fi stability on Pixel 2 phones	Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Improve handover to Wi-Fi Calling in low-coverage areas	Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Improve conference call performance over Wifi	Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Improve VoLTE performance for some carriers	Nexus 5X, Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Adjust APN updating behavior	All
Improve settings app icons	All
Upgrade certificates to ensure continued service	Nexus 5X, Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Add methods to PeerHandle API for developers	All
Update Verizon Service APK for Pixel phones	Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Improve Wi-Fi and RPM logging	Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Improve connectivity and performance on certain carrier networks	Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Improve notification listening apps	All
Address call forwarding issue	All
Improve internet connectivity on Pixel 2 on certain WiFi networks	Pixel 2
Adjust APN settings	Nexus 5X, Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Improve MMS messaging performance on certain carriers	Nexus 5X, Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Adjust battery learned capacity increment and decrement limits	Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Change voice domain to CS for certain carriers	Pixel XL
Adjust timeouts for Phone App	All
Improve stability for Pixel 2 devices in certain parts of Canada	Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Improve instant Apps performance	All
Improve indicators for emergency call connectivity	Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Optimize search logic to improve battery performance	Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Improve battery logging for Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL	Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Improve GPS Time performance on Pixel 2 XL	Pixel 2 XL
Improve audio speaker performance during phone calls	All
Adjust advanced calling settings for Verizon	Nexus 5X, Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Change to prioritize certain bands	Nexus 5X, Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Improve in-call performance for some carriers	Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
Improve network performance on Simyo carrier	Nexus 5X
Improve connectivity metrics	All
Improve experience switching between LTE and Wifi	Pixel 2 XL
Improve data performance for devices with certain SIM cards	All
Improve autofill logging	All
Improve internal troubleshooting tools	All
Improve network logging	All

The Pixel/Nexus Security Bulletin is live right now. The general Android bulletin should be available sometime soon. You can find the OTA files and factory images for your device from the links below.

Source: Pixel/Nexus Security Bulletin
Source: OTA Images
Source: Factory Images

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Google will start removing Chrome extensions with cryptocurrency mining scripts

Despite new regulatory hurdles and a market downturn, the adoption of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin shows no sign of slowing down. In fact, it has given rise to a cottage industry: cryptocurrency mining, or the process of validating transactions and obtaining cryptocurrency in return. Those transactions become more computationally intensive over time. These days, mining profitably requires powerful hardware. That’s encouraged some malicious actors to target computers through Chrome extensions, but Google’s putting a stop to the practice.

Starting today, the Chrome Web Store will no longer accept extensions that contain cryptocurrency mining scripts. Existing extensions will be removed in late June.

Until now, Google has permitted developers to submit cryptocurrency mining extensions to the Chrome Web Store that (1) are solely intended for mining and (2) don’t try to obfuscate their mining behavior. But according to the search giant, the vast majority of mining extensions—approximately 90%—failed to comply with its policies.

“Over the past few months, there has been a rise in malicious extensions that appear to provide useful functionality on the surface, while embedding hidden cryptocurrency mining scripts that run in the background without the user’s consent,” James Wagner, Extensions Platform Product Manager at Google, wrote in a blog post on the Chromium blog. “These mining scripts often consume significant CPU resources, and can severely impact system performance and power consumption.”

The ban on cryptocurrency mining extensions won’t impact extensions with other digital currency-related functionality, such as Bitcoin price checkers, cryptocurrency wallet managers, and blockchain browsers. That’s an important distinction. Apps like MetaMask, a popular extension that acts as a middleman between Chrome and Ethereum, will still be allowed.

“The [Chrome] extensions platform provides powerful capabilities that have enabled our developer community to build a vibrant catalog of extensions that help users get the most out of Chrome,” Mr. Wagner wrote. “This policy is another step forward in ensuring that Chrome users can enjoy the benefits of extensions without exposing themselves to hidden risks.”

Chrome isn’t the only Google platform that has been the target of malicious cryptocurrency miners. In November, Ars Technica uncovered a number of popular Android applications with mining scripts, two of which had been downloaded 50,000 times. In December, Sophos published a report on Loapi, a new form of cryptocurrency-mining malware that masquerades as pornography content and antivirus software on the Play Store. And in January, Trend Micro said that a cryptocurrency mining service called Coinhive was hijacking YouTube users’ computers to mine Monero, a digital currency.

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Google is possibly preparing a mid-range Pixel device to launch in India

Google, like many other smartphone OEMs, realizes India is one of the biggest emerging markets when it comes to mobile and online activity. The market in India is unique compared to Google’s home country of the United States. This has resulted in the company going the extra mile to meet the demands of these potential customers. Some of the products from Google’s hardware division are priced right for India, but the Pixel lineup most definitely is not. Google has Android Go as a way for local OEMs to bring low-end devices to market but a new report says they’ll be launching a mid-range Pixel smartphone around July or August.

The introduction of this new mid-range Pixel smartphone for India is part of a larger push into the country. Executives recently held meetings with select retailers in Malaysia, the UK, and the US last month with select Indian retailers taking part of the conversation. ET tech reports that Google will be launching their smart speakers, high-end Pixelbook Chromebook, and their intelligent home automation products including Google WiFi and Nest’s doorbell, camera, alarm system, and smoke detector.

Some of these products are instantly going to be too expensive for a lot of people within the country of India. The Pixelbook alone has been criticised for its high price in the Chromebook market in multiple countries around the world. Another product that Google has received complaints about is the Pixel smartphone series. It’s clear they want to use the high-end Pixel devices to compete with the likes of Apple and Samsung, but that is not what will help bring the “next billion” online that Google has talked about so often.

The introduction of a mid-range Pixel smartphone sounds like a great idea in general but it could really help to bolster the company’s hardware presence in the Indian market. Additional details of the device itself (including hardware) have yet to be revealed but it is something we will be anxious to learn about more in the future.

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Source: ET tech

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