[GUIDE] Nexus 7 (2012) factory image w/root - Nexus 7 General

I know a couple people asked for a guide and I didn't see anything concise had been posted (Mods feel free to remove if it's a duplicate.). Things are still a bit fresh, but this should be a short list of steps to perform the upgrade of your Nexus 7 (2012) WiFi to Lollipop.
As with other guides, I make no expressed or implied warranties - you break it, it's on you.
This is how I was able to get Lollipop working on my own Nexus 7 (2012). I was coming from a rooted factory image of 4.4.4.4 which was the previous most-recent factory image released by Google for this device. I like my device as bone stock as possible and wanted to upgrade and keep it that way.
I assume the following:
You know how to use both adb and fastboot and have already configured your system to use these utilities.
You have already performed an oem unlock on your device.
That out of the way, on to the guide...
It goes without saying, but I'll call it out anyway... Take a backup of your current device setup. Most likely this is within your custom recovery or TiBu. If your not familiar with how to do so, consult the help pages for those apps.
Download & unpack the requisite files
LRX21P factory image from Google.
CF-Auto-Root from Chainfire.
OPTIONAL Only if you're upgrading from a version of Android prior to the JWR66Y Android 4.3 factory image, download the KRT16S factory image from Google.
Start by rebooting your device to the bootloader.
Code:
$ adb reboot bootloader
OPTIONAL If you have ignored my assumption and haven't already done so, now would be the time to oem unlock the bootloader
Code:
$ fastboot oem unlock
Run the following commands to prep your device to install Android L. NOTE:This will erase your device
Code:
$ fastboot erase cache
$ fastboot erase recovery
$ fastboot erase system
$ fastboot erase userdata
OPTIONAL If you are upgrading from a version of Android prior to the 4.23 bootloader release which was originally released along with the Android 4.3 JWR66Y factory image, then you will need to upgrade the bootloader also. The bootloader included in the Android L factory image is not correct and will fail to install. Your best bet is to download the KRT16S factory image from Google and use the bootloader-grouper-4.23.img file from that factory image. Be sure whatever version of the bootloader-grouper-4.23.img file you use has the correct md5sum.
Code:
$ md5sum nakasi-krt16s/bootloader-grouper-4.23.img
df53028033c9eccf4fe5ba7bc198ce24 nakasi-krt16s/bootloader-grouper-4.23.img
$ fastboot erase boot
$ fastboot flash bootloader nakasi-krt16s/bootloader-grouper-4.23.img
Now, install the actual Android L system
Code:
$ fastboot -w update image-nakasi-lrx21p.zip
Your device will automatically reboot at this point and when it does, you will be running Android L (5.0) 100% stock and WITHOUT ROOT. This boot usually takes a very long time (~5-10 minutes) as it's performing the initial setup of the OS. When the device is back up fully, you will have to go through the setup steps as if it were a new device. Once that's done, proceed to the next step.
Now that Android L is freshly-installed, not only have you lost root, but you've also lost the Developer Options menu and the USB Debugging option contained therein. So, before we proceed, we need to enable Developer options & USB Debugging in the settings menu so that adb & fastboot will work recognize the device. Again, if you have any experience with running adb & fastboot, you will know how to do this. The process is exactly the same as with previous versions, so there should not be any surprises here.
Go to the Settings menu and scroll down to and tap on "About Tablet"
On the next screen tap on the "Build Number" field seven (7) times and you'll be presented with a message of "You're now a Developer!"
Hit the back "triangle" and go into the Developer Options menu and turn on USB Debugging.
Just be sure to accept the key on your device when you connect it to your computer.
Now, we can use adb to reboot the device so we can apply the CF-Auto-Root patches and SuperSU from the bootloader
Code:
$ adb reboot bootloader
Once in the bootloader you will need to apply the cf-auto-root. Use the following command.
Code:
$ fastboot boot image/CF-Auto-Root-grouper-nakasi-nexus7.img
NOTE: Windows users have reported that the file is in the same directory so just double-check the path to the file.
This will boot the device onto a custom kernel, install the kernel fix to allow root and also install the latest beta version of SuperSU (2.20) for Android L.
You will now end up with a device running Android L with root. I did not mention at any point about installing a custom recovery. These steps will remove a custom recovery, so if you want to install that, you will need to consult the instructions for your custom recovery of choice. I usually use the CM instructions for installing CWM as they're easy to find. This is not strictly necessary for root. Similarly, my main purpose for rooting was to use Titanium Backup. The current production version of TiBu doesn't support Android L, but the TiBu team has released a test version for L via their twitter feed. Here's a direct link or you can go to their twitter feed for more info...
Questions? Comments? Did I miss something? Let me know.
EDIT: Seems that the performance has really gone down over the past few days. Not really sure what the cause of the performance degradation is but it's quite severe. I noticed last night after having left it plugged in all night that the device wouldn't even turn on or took an inordinately long amount of time (many minutes) to wake from sleep. As it stands I attempted to play a game that's slightly intensive and after a short period of time the device got really hot and started really having performance issues to the point where it rebooted on it's own. Further, I noticed a number of things aren't working that probably should... Bluetooth & "Battery Saver" mode are the first two that come to mind.
Anyone else experiencing similar issues?

worked for me, with 2 changes:
- I had to enable developer mode on my first boot into L before I could execute the command "adb reboot bootloader"
- on my Windows machine, I had unzipped the root zip file, so I executed the command this way: "fastboot boot CF-Auto-Root-grouper-nakasi-nexus7.img", leaving out the "image/"
Thanks for your guide!

SuperSU is there. It does not complain about the binary. But TitaniumBackup can't find SU...
EDIT: Found the solution for TB in another thread.

petenatas said:
SuperSU is there. It does not complain about the binary. But TitaniumBackup can't find SU...
EDIT: Found the solution for TB in another thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would you mind pointing me to it?

If you're like me and haven't updated your bootloader to 4.23 you will need to do so... sadly that which is included with the most recent files is corrupt (yes the files from google.) download the krt16s version and overwrite your bootloader-grouper-4.23.img file. Then from the command line like before type "fastboot flash bootloader bootloader-grouper-4.23.img" then "fastboot reboot-bootloader" and follow the directions above!
Enjoy!

jasoraso said:
worked for me, with 2 changes:
- I had to enable developer mode on my first boot into L before I could execute the command "adb reboot bootloader"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
added
- on my Windows machine, I had unzipped the root zip file, so I executed the command this way: "fastboot boot CF-Auto-Root-grouper-nakasi-nexus7.img", leaving out the "image/"
Thanks for your guide!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure about on Windows, but on Linux when I unzipped the root zip file, there was a directory layout as such...
Code:
cf-auto-root/
cf-auto-root/image/
cf-auto-root/image/CF-Auto-Root-grouper-nakasi-nexus7.img
cf-auto-root/root-linux.sh
cf-auto-root/root-mac.sh
cf-auto-root/root-windows.bat
cf-auto-root/tools/
cf-auto-root/tools/AdbWinApi.dll
cf-auto-root/tools/AdbWinUsbApi.dll
cf-auto-root/tools/fastboot-linux
cf-auto-root/tools/fastboot-mac
cf-auto-root/tools/fastboot-windows.exe
In any case, you were able to find it. Should be pretty obvious which file I'm referring to...

apocope said:
Would you mind pointing me to it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Added a link in the paragraph at the end.

Yes!
I needed my root. (The stock kernel underclocks like crazy, making the tablet nearly unusable.)

Thanks for the guide brother. You are awesome
I am now on a Rooted Android L tablet, thanks to the CF-Root 'boot.img' by Chainfire.
I have a question though. I wanted to ask ... this specific boot.img by chainfire seems to have automatically upgraded my SuperSU app to v2.20, so i didn't flash the 2.19 BETA. How did this happen? Any idea? (Did that CF-Root get updated after you made this guide?) i am curious to know

A very very very very usefull guide!!!!
All working fine!!!!
Thanks!!!!!!!

pyrostic said:
If you're like me and haven't updated your bootloader to 4.23 you will need to do so... sadly that which is included with the most recent files is corrupt (yes the files from google.) download the krt16s version and overwrite your bootloader-grouper-4.23.img file. Then from the command line like before type "fastboot flash bootloader bootloader-grouper-4.23.img" then "fastboot reboot-bootloader" and follow the directions above!
Enjoy!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMG corrupted bootloader AGAIN.
GOOGLE what's wrong with you???

Thanks for the guide! Works fantastically on my aging N7.
Short rundown video by me on YouTube here:

Does it wipe internal storage?

abobobilly said:
Thanks for the guide brother. You are awesome
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:good:
I am now on a Rooted Android L tablet, thanks to the CF-Root 'boot.img' by Chainfire.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:good::good:
I have a question though. I wanted to ask ... this specific boot.img by chainfire seems to have automatically upgraded my SuperSU app to v2.20, so i didn't flash the 2.19 BETA. How did this happen? Any idea? (Did that CF-Root get updated after you made this guide?) i am curious to know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I made a mistake on the version number that I listed in my instructions. When I did my N7, I had originally just tried flashing SuperSU via the standard zip file method. The most recent version of SuperSU available in the SuperSU XDA thread is/was 2.19, so I just assumed that it was the same version being used in the CF-Auto-Root. But as you correctly point out, the process installs 2.20 not 2.19. I updated the version number in the guide. Thanks.

ToucherCD said:
Does it wipe internal storage?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, unfortunately it does.
I wouldn't recommend trying to upgrade without wiping user data. There may be internal changes to the file system and layout that could make a Kit Kat install (4.4.X) incompatible with this. Best to save off your data and start from scratch.

pyrostic said:
If you're like me and haven't updated your bootloader to 4.23 you will need to do so... sadly that which is included with the most recent files is corrupt (yes the files from google.) download the krt16s version and overwrite your bootloader-grouper-4.23.img file. Then from the command line like before type "fastboot flash bootloader bootloader-grouper-4.23.img" then "fastboot reboot-bootloader" and follow the directions above!
Enjoy!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Added a link to the KRT16S factory image which contains a proper bootloader-grouper-4.23.img file that you could use.

jetsaredim said:
Yes, unfortunately it does.
I wouldn't recommend trying to upgrade without wiping user data. There may be internal changes to the file system and layout that could make a Kit Kat install (4.4.X) incompatible with this. Best to save off your data and start from scratch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi. Good job on the guide. Very detailed. That's good.
Thanks for the tip with booting CFautoroot img. I was wandering why superSU 2.16 was not working and was looking for modified karnel all morning.
BTW. I know it's not recommended, even my Tapatalk signature says it
but I didn't wipe user data while upgrading. See my post here with details.
The Answer to The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is: CLEAN FLASH.

Can I just ask about the bootloader?
I'm seeing alot of users reporting there's an issue within the bootloader that is included on the LRX21P image for Grouper, I performed a clean flash yesterday and flashed the leaked image for grouper, I haven't had any single issue flashing all of the images, even bootloader that came from the lollipop image doesn't seem to cause an issue.
Btw, everyone's suggesting to flash the bootloader from JB & KK on this lollipop build, is there any impact on the performance of why's that recommended to flash the old bootloader?
And I didn't really expect this but lollipop made it worst to run on this device! Even if it's a 2012 device, why's that it can't handle lollipop smoothly? I can't even drop the status bar down at a rate of 60fps as promised by Google, can't even swipe the screen smoothly and it's freezing as hell! It feels like something's wrong with this build.
We can't always tell the reason that this is a very old device so that it performs really bad, how come that my 2011 device with a CM11 installed that is still functioning well and smoothly performing operations on just top of its single core 1Ghz and 512 megabytes of RAM? Rather than this quad core tegra device that is WAY MORE faster supposedly?

JovieBrett said:
We can't always tell the reason that this is a very old device so that it performs really bad, how come that my 2011 device with a CM11 installed that is still functioning well and smoothly performing operations on just top of its single core 1Ghz and 512 megabytes of RAM? Rather than this quad core tegra device that is WAY MORE faster supposedly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because Asus used chip silicon chips as requested by Google to bring the cost down. They degrade with time and slow down. My wife's 32GB Grouper is unusable in my standards (using Nexus 5 for list year and OnePlus One now), it lags as hell no matter what, F2FS or ext4, stock or custom ROM, it lags. I so much regret I didn't convince her to change it to N7 2013 last year, as she didn't feel the need to spend money...
I was so looking forward to N9, but not for the price they ask. 16GB is useless, so 32GB is the only option, but 489 EUR (=610 USD) they ask in Europe is way over what I'd spend on YouTube player (that's what she most uses it for) with, wait, wrong screen aspect to watch videos!
/rant
The Answer to The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is: CLEAN FLASH.

Natakranta said:
Because Asus used chip silicon chips as requested by Google to bring the cost down. They degrade with time and slow down. My wife's 32GB Grouper is unusable in my standards (using Nexus 5 for list year and OnePlus One now), it lags as hell no matter what, F2FS or ext4, stock or custom ROM, it lags. I so much regret I didn't convince her to change it to N7 2013 last year, as she didn't feel the need to spend money...
I was so looking forward to N9, but not for the price they ask. 16GB is useless, so 32GB is the only option, but 489 EUR (=610 USD) they ask in Europe is way over what I'd spend on YouTube player (that's what she most uses it for) with, wait, wrong screen aspect to watch videos!
/rant
The Answer to The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is: CLEAN FLASH.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, I all agree of what have you said. I tried ext4, f2fs etc etc, none of them improves the N7's performance or at least the stock one has the best performance and stability for me.
Heard alot of users blaiming about the tegra chip for this, they said that tegra chips are getting worst every year and if all of these are true, I have doubts about Nexus 9's performance since even the one of the famous 'Android Police' senior editors have found that there are unusual freezes and glitches from the device itself, idk if that happened on the latest build for N9.
The 2011 device I'm currently comparing to is an Xperia Mini, snapdragon chip with 1Ghz single core, 512MB of RAM, I'll look away from tegra based devices...
Btw, do you have an N7 2013? I'm planning to buy one this December to replace my 2011 device. Can I trust this 2013 model with snapdragon processor? I always trust these snapdragon based devices.

Related

CM Recovery for Nexus Player (fugu)

This is the CM-12.1 recovery for fugu.
Use the bottom button to navigate. One push to scroll down and long press to select. I've tested both adb side load and install from internal storage. This recovery also supports adb backup, but I haven't tested it yet.
I hope you enjoy not having to fastboot everything.
Download: fugu_cm_recovery-20150418.img
To install just boot bootloader and
Code:
fastboot flash recovery fugu_cm_recovery.img
Dude, quit being so amazing. It's getting ridiculous.
Excellent! This is the first custom recovery available for this device, correct? I suppose this would open the door to something like the Xposed Framework being installed on the Nexus Player but since my device is running on Android 5.1, I'll probably wait until rovo89 officially adds support for the latest version of Android first.
Yes!!! Glad to see you!
@WugFresh
@dhacker29 Sweet! Thank you! May I suggest you don't use dev host to host this file . They use to be good a while back, but now often employ sketchy MITM type "download manager" scams, and other bad practices. From the original dev thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=54363645 -
Dear Developers,
It has come to our attention that due to excessive ads that simulate download buttons, fly-by malware APK attacks from Mobogenie, and reused (and potentially dangerous) reused short URLs, Dev-Host no longer meets our minimum acceptable requirements as a hosting affiliate. As such, we are ending our affiliation with this provider. We urge you to find a safer download host for your development projects such as our other affiliates: Goo.im and AndroidFileHost.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a heads up. I had a bad experience with them before I saw that post.
Also, it would be awesome if you had a naming convention with version number for all future releases (assuming you plan on updating it); like "cm_recovery_fugu_1.0.0.img" or something.
Thanks again! I know lots of people have been patiently waiting and hoping for a fugu recovery. [emoji106] [emoji106] [emoji106]
GabbyWC said:
Excellent! This is the first custom recovery available for this device, correct? I suppose this would open the door to something like the Xposed Framework being installed on the Nexus Player but since my device is running on Android 5.1, I'll probably wait until rovo89 officially adds support for the latest version of Android first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes this is the first recovery for the device but last I checked Xsposed had nothing to do with recovery. This will allow for custom firmware like cm-12.1 to be flashed to the device without having to use fastboot.
---------- Post added at 03:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:17 AM ----------
WugFresh said:
@dhacker29 Sweet! Thank you! May I suggest you don't use dev host to host this file . They use to be good a while back, but now often employ sketchy MITM type "download manager" scams, and other bad practices. From the original dev thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=54363645 -
Just a heads up. I had a bad experience with them before I saw that post.
Also, it would be awesome if you had a naming convention with version number for all future releases (assuming you plan on updating it); like "cm_recovery_fugu_1.0.0.img" or something.
Thanks again! I know lots of people have been patiently waiting and hoping for a fugu recovery. [emoji106] [emoji106] [emoji106]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree with Wugfresh on this bro AndroidFileHost is great. All you need to do is @ the guy on Twitter and he'll hook you up with a developer account complete with ftp access.
Wugfresh the issue with a revision on this is it's cm's android bootable recovery so technically anytime a commit is made to that repo it would be a revision change.
I'll host the updated image somewhere else tonight and I will be adding the date to the end of the image so you can tell if it is updated.
bkjolly said:
Yes this is the first recovery for the device but last I checked Xsposed had nothing to do with recovery. This will allow for custom firmware like cm-12.1 to be flashed to the device without having to use fastboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Q&A for Xposed on Android 5.0 at http://www.xda-developers.com/xposed-framework-for-android-lollipop-is-here/ contains this quote:
I want to install it. Now! What do I have to do?
Make sure that you’ve read my words above and you’re familiar with your phone’s internals. Obviously, you need to be on a Lollipop ROM and have a good backup of your data. For now, I will only publish the ARMv7 version. 64-bit is more complex, so let’s try the “easy” variant first.
For now, the installation has to be performed manually in a custom recovery. Flashing the zip file will install:
* app_process32_xposed and some symlinks
* libexposed_art.so
* libart.so and some related binaries + libraries (based on 5.0.2, enhanced with support for hooking etc.)
* XposedBridge.jar (now stored in /system/framework)
Backups of existing files will be created automatically and could be restored later.
Can confirm a working flash. Everything looks great! Thanks for all the hard work
no option to make a recovery image...whats the point of this then?
I tried to wipe my cache to free some space and it sent my nexus player into a bootloop...whats going on with this?
How exactly does this work? If my device is rooted on 5.1.0 and I flash this custom recovery. Can I make a backup of everything on the device? Then when google goes to update the android version, can I update it, then restore my backup of everything and not lose root? I'm sorry i'm new to custom recovery and not quite sure how they work. Thank you for your help!
Edit
Noob
I'm a bit of a noob - I have managed to ADB a new boot and system image to my nexus player - it's now running lollipop1.6. What does this recovery mean and how is it different than loading a boot and system image? Thanks - Does this require ClockworkMod?
dhacker29 said:
I just got my Nexus Player last night and made a working version of CM recovery for it. Use the bottom button to navigate. One push to scroll down and long press to select. I've tested both adb side load and install from internal storage. This recovery also supports adb backup, but I haven't tested it yet.
I hope you enjoy not having to fastboot everything.
Download: fugu_cm_recovery.img - 8.41 MB
To install just boot bootloader and
Code:
fastboot flash recovery fugu_cm_recovery.img
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OathYvne said:
How exactly does this work? If my device is rooted on 5.1.0 and I flash this custom recovery. Can I make a backup of everything on the device? Then when google goes to update the android version, can I update it, then restore my backup of everything and not lose root? I'm sorry i'm new to custom recovery and not quite sure how they work. Thank you for your help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you restored your backup you would be downgrading it from the update you just took. you dont need a custom recovery to back up apps and their data, there are apps for that. a custom recovery makes it so its easier to flash new/custom roms(os), make backups of the current rom(os) so if anything goes wrong you can restore it, flash zips like the supersu zip or xposed framework. if you try take an ota with a custom recovery the ota will fail to install as its looking for the stock recovery(may be diff on a nexus device but its always been like that on the devices i have owned)
OathYvne said:
How exactly does this work? If my device is rooted on 5.1.0 and I flash this custom recovery. Can I make a backup of everything on the device? Then when google goes to update the android version, can I update it, then restore my backup of everything and not lose root? I'm sorry i'm new to custom recovery and not quite sure how they work. Thank you for your help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This recovery does not provide a "nandroid" type backup where all of your info is zipped up and stored on the devices internal storage, where any application can get access to it, but rather supports adb backup. which backs up your information to a file on your computer. See http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-nexus/general/guide-phone-backup-unlock-root-t1420351 for more information on usage.
WugFresh said:
@dhacker29 Sweet! Thank you! May I suggest you don't use dev host to host this file . They use to be good a while back, but now often employ sketchy MITM type "download manager" scams, and other bad practices. From the original dev thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=54363645 -
Just a heads up. I had a bad experience with them before I saw that post.
Also, it would be awesome if you had a naming convention with version number for all future releases (assuming you plan on updating it); like "cm_recovery_fugu_1.0.0.img" or something.
Thanks again! I know lots of people have been patiently waiting and hoping for a fugu recovery. [emoji106] [emoji106] [emoji106]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I swtiched to andriodfilehost and uploaded the latest version.
dhacker29 said:
I swtiched to andriodfilehost and uploaded the latest version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for an update. I tried to full backup by following commands.
adb backup -apk -shared -all -f C:\backup20151904.ab
But getting this "Now unlock your device and confirm the backup operation" lines and asking for unlock your deivice to confirm. Any sugestion to pass this. Thanks
Yes it seems Google decided to remove the backup confirmation dialog from TcSettings
So it means adb backup of a full ROM is not possible? Going to try your rom later.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk 2

N6 5.1 assistance

I just bought a sim unlocked Nexus 6 from Amazon about a week ago and I need some help with it.... I guess I jumped the gun without gathering enough info on the N6
As soon as it was delivered I checked it out and found it had 5.0 on it.... I was unaware that there were two updates for it that increase battery life among other improvements, 5.1 and 5.1.1
( I had it search for updates 5 minutes out of the box, it said it was up to date, so I assumed it was)
So I rooted it and unlocked the bootloader and installed TWRP... I used it for several days to find the battery didn't last much past 3pm so I started researching battery issues on the N6 to find out that there are two updates for my N6 that resolve the battery issue.
So tonight I set out to try and get the 5.1 or 5.1.1 on it for the better battery life in the new updates. That's when I discovered that rooted, it won't get any ota updates...
So after reading countless posts and watching videos on trying to get the updates on a rooted N6, I installed Scotts 5.1 Rooted DeOdex Rom
HTML:
http://www.scottsroms.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=604
which is supposed to put me into a rom with the better battery life update.........
So now that 5.1 is installed I keep getting a pop up a notification that an update it available (5.1.1), I downloaded it on my phone and followed the prompts to "reboot and install"
when it reboots is goes into TWRP but I get an error message that the update failed..... So I am not sure how to install this 5.1.1 update OR if it is entirely necessary.
The error message in TWRP is as follows: "Package expects build fingerprint of google/shamu/shamu:5.1/LMY47D:user/release/keys; This device has google/omni-shamu:5.0.2/LRX22G/4:eng/test-keys.
Error executing updater binary in zip '/cache/updater.zip' E:Error installing zip file '/cache/update.zip'
Could somebody please shed some light on this for me.... I have spent hours here trying to figure this out to no avail....
Thank you
(Please don't beat me up to bad....I like to completely unlock my devices when I get a new one but I don't do this stuff very often)
jessepatty said:
I just bought a sim unlocked Nexus 6 from Amazon about a week ago and I need some help with it.... I guess I jumped the gun without gathering enough info on the N6
As soon as it was delivered I checked it out and found it had 5.0 on it.... I was unaware that there were two updates for it that increase battery life among other improvements, 5.1 and 5.1.1
( I had it search for updates 5 minutes out of the box, it said it was up to date, so I assumed it was)
So I rooted it and unlocked the bootloader and installed TWRP... I used it for several days to find the battery didn't last much past 3pm so I started researching battery issues on the N6 to find out that there are two updates for my N6 that resolve the battery issue.
So tonight I set out to try and get the 5.1 or 5.1.1 on it for the better battery life in the new updates. That's when I discovered that rooted, it won't get any ota updates...
So after reading countless posts and watching videos on trying to get the updates on a rooted N6, I installed Scotts 5.1 Rooted DeOdex Rom
HTML:
http://www.scottsroms.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=604
which is supposed to put me into a rom with the better battery life update.........
So now that 5.1 is installed I keep getting a pop up a notification that an update it available (5.1.1), I downloaded it on my phone and followed the prompts to "reboot and install"
when it reboots is goes into TWRP but I get an error message that the update failed..... So I am not sure how to install this 5.1.1 update OR if it is entirely necessary.
The error message in TWRP is as follows: "Package expects build fingerprint of google/shamu/shamu:5.1/LMY47D:user/release/keys; This device has google/omni-shamu:5.0.2/LRX22G/4:eng/test-keys.
Error executing updater binary in zip '/cache/updater.zip' E:Error installing zip file '/cache/update.zip'
Could somebody please shed some light on this for me.... I have spent hours here trying to figure this out to no avail....
Thank you
(Please don't beat me up to bad....I like to completely unlock my devices when I get a new one but I don't do this stuff very often)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't OTA update with root or custom recovery. Have to be full stock. Will have to fastboot the factory image. Might as well do latest 5.1.1 for your carrier. If going to do root and recovery will have to forget about OTAs and flash factory images.
prdog1 said:
Can't OTA update with root or custom recovery. Have to be full stock. Will have to fastboot the factory image. Might as well do latest 5.1.1 for your carrier. If going to do root and recovery will have to forget about OTAs and flash factory images.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate the reply..... that is exactly what I have come to learn.... (the hard way)
I guess I need to figure out:
1) if the 5.1.1 is much of an improvement over the 5.1 I have now
2) Find the correct 5.1.1 image for my N6
3) Learn how to fastboot it.... I seem to have issues getting the commands right....
Do you know of a step by step I can follow with all the proper commands?
You guy will have to forgive me as I am very novice in this and although I thoroughly enjoy knowing I did it, the pure terror of possibly bricking my $600 phone scares the hell out of me.
jessepatty said:
I appreciate the reply..... that is exactly what I have come to learn.... (the hard way)
I guess I need to figure out:
1) if the 5.1.1 is much of an improvement over the 5.1 I have now
2) Find the correct 5.1.1 image for my N6
3) Learn how to fastboot it.... I seem to have issues getting the commands right....
Do you know of a step by step I can follow with all the proper commands?
You guy will have to forgive me as I am very novice in this and although I thoroughly enjoy knowing I did it, the pure terror of possibly bricking my $600 phone scares the hell out of me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look here for how to flash a stock rom (in parts) http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/general/guide-flash-factory-images-nexus-6shamu-t2954008 step 2.
Look here for all Nexus 6 Images https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images.
What carrier do you use? For: T-Mobile 28E, Verizon 47E, ATT/US/International 47Z.
BTW batterylife is mainly determined by the setup of the phone and usage of the user, not so much by roms and kernels
jessepatty said:
I appreciate the reply..... that is exactly what I have come to learn.... (the hard way)
I guess I need to figure out:
1) if the 5.1.1 is much of an improvement over the 5.1 I have now
2) Find the correct 5.1.1 image for my N6
3) Learn how to fastboot it.... I seem to have issues getting the commands right....
Do you know of a step by step I can follow with all the proper commands?
You guy will have to forgive me as I am very novice in this and although I thoroughly enjoy knowing I did it, the pure terror of possibly bricking my $600 phone scares the hell out of me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More than likely your battery is being ate by something you have loaded on phone. There is a T-Mobile based rooted rom here. If want to try it can just flash in recovery but wipe everything including data in TWRP. Full wipe will make a big difference. System, dalvic, cache.and data.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=59561445&postcount=1
If know how to fastboot here is how to do it.
Drag and Drop or Copy/Paste Images to {}
STEP #1
fastboot flash bootloader {bootloader.img}
fastboot reboot-bootloader
fastboot flash radio {radio.img}
Step #2
fastboot erase recovery
fastboot erase system
fastboot erase boot
fastboot format vendor {don't need for phone}
fastboot format cache
fastboot format userdata {optional}
Step#3
fastboot flash recovery {recovery.img}
fastboot flash system {system.img}
fastboot flash boot {boot.img}
fastboot flash vendor {vendor.img}
fastboot flash cache {cache.img}
fastboot flash userdata {userdata.img}
fastboot reboot
---------- Post added at 01:55 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:50 AM ----------
gee2012 said:
Look here for how to flash a stock rom (in parts) http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/general/guide-flash-factory-images-nexus-6shamu-t2954008 step 2.
Look here for all Nexus 6 Images https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images.
What carrier do you use? For: T-Mobile 28E, Verizon 47E, ATT/US/International 47Z.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Verizon is also the Z image as per today. I updated tonight.
prdog1 said:
More than likely your battery is being ate by something you have loaded on phone. There is a T-Mobile based rooted rom here. If want to try it can just flash in recovery but wipe everything including data in TWRP. Full wipe will make a big difference. System, dalvic, cache.and data.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=59561445&postcount=1
If know how to fastboot here is how to do it.
Drag and Drop or Copy/Paste Images to {}
STEP #1
fastboot flash bootloader {bootloader.img}
fastboot reboot-bootloader
fastboot flash radio {radio.img}
Step #2
fastboot erase recovery
fastboot erase system
fastboot erase boot
fastboot format vendor {don't need for phone}
fastboot format cache
fastboot format userdata {optional}
Step#3
fastboot flash recovery {recovery.img}
fastboot flash system {system.img}
fastboot flash boot {boot.img}
fastboot flash vendor {vendor.img}
fastboot flash cache {cache.img}
fastboot flash userdata {userdata.img}
fastboot reboot
---------- Post added at 01:55 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:50 AM ----------
Verizon is also the Z image as per today. I updated tonight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thans for the info, didn`t know that. Image is not up yet atm on the Google dev site.
gee2012 said:
Thans for the info, didn`t know that. Image is not up yet atm on the Google dev site.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.droid-life.com/2015/07/01/verizon-says-android-5-1-1-lmy47z-is-ready-for-its-nexus-6/
Ok guys, I appreciate all the info. It helped allot. Thank you
I did manage to get CyanogenMod 12.1 nightly on it which is 5.1.1 but now I have run into another issue that I cannot figure out....
Whenever a notification calls for one of my added notification sounds to play, it doesn't play the sound and a pop up comes up and says "Server died" when it tries to play the sound.... It plays all the preinstalled sounds and all my added music, it's just notifications in the wav format that it keeps giving me the "Server died" error on and it's not all the wav's I added, just a few... It makes no sense to me... I've taken them back off, rebooted the phone, added them back on and it will not play them at all.. These are the same notification sounds I have used for years on all my previous android devices and never had this issue with them working before... Everytime I get a new device I just transfer them over....

A new Start !!

Hello fellas,
After a long time I've decided to be back on Nexus, can't enjoy without nexus phones, ZF2 developement is stagnant as ASUS is not releasing src, a great HW stuck by OEM limtations.
So I've got my N6 today, I've learnt a few things before like not downgrading bootloader, had a post saying which versions are safe and ones that are not iirc <71.08 shouldn't be flashed onto 71.08 existing BL right or was it 71.10 ?? (idk why will anyone want to downgrade unless they want OTAs based on Fi, root is superior to all. Heard a few CM roms had BL packed into ROMs and the updte to 5.1.x + lower BL caused hardbrick, a.k.a bootloop + noTWRP with Fastboot lockedout ).
So here's my to-do list sorry to post this long but seems like this is start for me....Please correct me If I understood anthing wrong....as It's been a long time since I used a nexus (Maguro was my first nexus and things rapidly changed these days..)
1 - mFastboot for flashing
2 - OEM unlock check prior to unlock the phone (shipped with 5.1 LMY47D so I may need to do this before proceeding)
A few questions -
3 - Does NRT has mFastboot ? I have it in my computer tho.
4 - Can any one give me crash course for SuperSU + MultiROM with 5.1.1 (Need Xposed:silly, 6.x & Nexus 6 information....
a- Like If I OEM unlock my n6 now and use 5.1.1 CM based it has pre-root right ? So I shouldn't bother with SuperSU BETA 2.6x right, next is the systemless root is because of M's warning messages ? why all this hassle of
**root** as of lately with L and M, Is it because of SELinux policies + M's changes with System related messages ?
b - MultiROM working guide on 5.1.1 plus M latest release anyone, will try the official thread tho, any info on whre to start would be awesome !!
5- I should be good if I unlock the nexus and use an EX / Lean / Despair / Blu-Spark / or any kernels - these do have modified system so how about the M's warning msgs? are the custom ROMs on M are modded to avoid any nagging messages like that?
6- Please link me any useful posts/threads that are updated to reflect latest changes like SU or any old information that is essential !! thanks !!
Ashtrix said:
Hello fellas,
After a long time I've decided to be back on Nexus, can't enjoy without nexus phones, ZF2 developement is stagnant as ASUS is not releasing src, a great HW stuck by OEM limtations.
So I've got my N6 today, I've learnt a few things before like not downgrading bootloader, had a post saying which versions are safe and ones that are not(idk why will anyone want to downgrade unless they want OTAs based on Fi, root is superior to all). So here's my to-do list sorry to post this here but seems like this is start for me.Please correct me If I understood anthing wrong....as It's been a long time since I used a nexus (Maguro was my first nexus and things rapidly changed these days..)
1 - mFastboot for flashing
2 - OEM unlock check prior to unlock the phone (shipped with 5.1 LMY47D so I may need to do this before proceeding)
A few questions -
3 - Does NRT has mFastboot ? I have it in my computer tho.
4 - Can any one give me crash course for SuperSU + MultiROM with 5.1.1 (Need Xposed:silly, 6.x & a few Nexus 6 information, any useful links would do the job.
a- Like If I OEM unlock my n6 now and use 5.1.1 CM based it has pre-root right ? So I shouldn't bother with SuperSU BETA 2.6x right, next is the systemless root is because of M's warning messages ? why all this hassle of
**root** as of lately with L and M, Is it because of SELinux policies + M's changes with System related messages ?
b - Does MultiROM work on 5.1.1 plus M latest release ?
5- I should be good if I unlock the nexus and use an EX / Lean / Despair / Blu-Spark / or any kernels - these do have modified system so how about the M's warning msgs? are the custom ROMs on M are modded to avoid any nagging messages like that?
6- Please link me any useful links that are updated to reflect latest changes like SU or any old information that is essential !! thanks !!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1.) I don't think you need mFastboot. I think you just want standard fastboot with Nexus phones
2.) I'm not sure what this means, but just follow the beginner guide in the General section to unlock the device
2a.) Follow the advice in answer 2 for fastboot information as well
3.) NRT installs standard fastboot and adb into C:\Program Files(x86)\WugFresh Development\NRT\Data\ folder
4.) Can't do it, I don't use multi-rom.
5.) There are special instructions for installing custom kernels. Follow the directions mentioned within the threads
6.) This information will be available in the custom ROM or kernel threads you choose to use
AlkaliV2 said:
1.) I don't think you need mFastboot. I think you just want standard fastboot with Nexus phones
2.) I'm not sure what this means, but just follow the beginner guide in the General section to unlock the device
2a.) Follow the advice in answer 2 for fastboot information as well
3.) NRT installs standard fastboot and adb into C:\Program Files(x86)\WugFresh Development\NRT\Data\ folder
4.) Can't do it, I don't use multi-rom.
5.) There are special instructions for installing custom kernels. Follow the directions mentioned within the threads
6.) This information will be available in the custom ROM or kernel threads you choose to use
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks,
Last time I had a nexus 6 just for a couple of days which I returned for various reasons, I had the firmware error upon flashing the imgs from 5.0.x to 5.1.1, after googling a bit I used that mFastboot, but wanna confirm it..
Ashtrix said:
Thanks,
Last time I had a nexus 6 just for a couple of days which I returned for various reasons, I had the firmware error upon flashing the imgs from 5.0.x to 5.1.1, after googling a bit I used that mFastboot, but wanna confirm it..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure mFastboot is made directly for a Verizon variant, but since the Nexus 6 is unlocked and your Verizon SIM card dictates the network you are on, I would say stick with normal Fastboot for your flashing endeavors. Good luck and read twice, flash once :good:
Edit: Quick side note, love the avatar. Good choice.
Thankyou :highfive:
Just did an OEM unlock and wierdly after that, the bugdroid loading doesn't end at all. Did an factory img flash of 5.1.1 Shamu-LMY48Y and booted in less than a min Lol.
And yes the fastboot is working, wow things are definitely wierd with Shamu (volume normalization, mFastboot previous xperience, bootloader bricks...seems like Qcom fixed that after CM brickbug and no one can help the manual bricking) but I'm ok with all these , just love this device, massive, powerful and sexy looking piece
EDIT :
Well everything's going fine but this bugdroid loading doesn't seem to be fixed at all, after bootup 23Gb was there so I did a format and again stuck, this time around I tried using TWRP to flash (CM12.1)after doing fastboot commands - fastboot format userdata, cache. Now it says unable to flash on so&so data partition, So formatted from the OS and now MTP says generical heirarchial. I don't remember any device with that format...
EDIT 2 : Device won't boot with that bugdroid formatting the Data partition. Needs to be fastboot flashed else stuck there forever again same 23Gb bootissue if I do that & Using fastboot format userdata command it formats into the 64GB - 54Gb available space but with TWRP It fails to flash - the same error, can't flash on data parition. So repeat fastboot and it's a damn cycle. Will try to flash MM if it won't then. I may have to return again...OMG
EDIT 3 : http://forums.androidcentral.com/go...ys-formatting-data-yellow-text-any-ideas.html
http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/help/help-stuck-formatting-data-t2737793
EDIT : Tried MM and after 10 mins formatted succesfully now gotta try a ROM or any, hope its fine !!
Again the GH FS is back with MTP and doesn't flash at all with TWRP. If I go for a re-lock and it it fails to boot with formatting properly...then bam nothing but a bricked Nexus !!
TWRP did the format but the device is messed up, sliptscreen issue..
I'm going to return this, enough of the hassle had me messed up totally :crying:
Seems like 6P seems better than having all these issues. Or wait for the 2016 device...
EDIT : Sorry for the GH format seems like it's normal, but the flashing issue is too wierd..
I dont know what the **** a bugdroid is.... But just use fastboot to flash things. Post up console messages and we can help.
If you flash userdata.img, its for the 32 gig model... But you can use TWRP to expand the partition to give your space back.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/general/phone-gb-storage-to-factory-reset-t3225492
Just read, its really really easy.
scryan said:
I dont know what the **** a bugdroid is.... But just use fastboot to flash things. Post up console messages and we can help.
If you flash userdata.img, its for the 32 gig model... But you can use TWRP to expand the partition to give your space back.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/general/phone-gb-storage-to-factory-reset-t3225492
Just read, its really really easy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know this issue, just a factory reset fixed this thing on my old N6 that I had for 2 days, but this takes too much of time to format....Just had TWRP do the job and flashed the Temasek but ALAS !! Splitscreen issue.

Nexus 6 Rooted and Unlocked and now new OTA - confused

Nexus 6 Rooted and Unlocked and now new OTA – confused
Dear Friends,
I am currently having Nexus 6 with Build Number MRA58N which is rooted unlocked. Last time I had to format Nexus 6 just to update to this build. The nexus toolkit was somehow not working for me.
Now I see again that there is an OTA called android 6.0.1
image hosting
Now I tried using Wugfresh Toolkit first to take android backup but it fails and shows as shown in screenshot that currently there is no modified boot.img available for MRA58N.
free photo upload
I really don’t want to flash factory image bcz it will overwrite everything and erase all.
Kindly help.
Reformatting and again restoring is too much of pain.
Google is your friend, you should Google something like that before creating a post, but anyway you can't take an Ota on a rooted device, if you want the Ota, flash system.img of the current rom, and then take the Ota
I did try and read many posts but still could not conclude anything for sure. Yes I agree OTA cannot be taken on rooted device and thats why my question. you suggested flashing system.img of current rom. Now thats where confusion starts as many posts mention that one needs to be 100percent stock. Many people recommended complete wipe and yet many posed lot of questions because of marshmallow special kernel rom issues which is beyond my technical understanding.
Hence I summarized to pose my query to get considered opinion and guidance. Your response is helpful but am not able to fully comprehend.
Hence request for more guidance.
Really appreciate if some experts would kindly reply to my query and guide me. It will be very helpful as I really want to update but really scared of messing up. Kindly respond.
http://www.droidviews.com/how-to-install-ota-updates-on-rooted-nexus-6/
also watch a few youtube vid's - it is a road well traveled.
i.e.
- Flash the system image for build that you are currently running.
- sideload the update
be patient and don't even think of interrupting the process.
Read the stickies and learn something, toolkits and no skills spell disaster.
Did all what was suggested word by word and now my device is stuck with ADB sideload step. Pls see the two screenshots which i took as photo from another phone. (So apologise pic quality).
Kindly guide what went wrong.
The current build was rooted using wugfresh toolkit.
Now i am stuck at this ADB step. Kindly help Pls.
upload an image
image hosting site over 5mb
Did all what was suggested word by word and now my device is stuck with ADB sideload step. Pls see the two screenshots which i took as photo from another phone. (So apologise pic quality).
Kindly guide what went wrong.
The current build was rooted using wugfresh toolkit. Did all what was suggested word by word and now my device is stuck with ADB sideload step. Pls see the two screenshots which i took as photo from another phone. (So apologise pic quality).
Kindly guide what went wrong.
The current build was rooted using wugfresh toolkit.
Now i am stuck at this ADB step. Kindly help Pls.
upload an image
image hosting site over 5mb
Now i am stuck at this ADB step. Kindly help Pls.
Something got messed up in the process. You can try to individually flash your corresponding boot.img from your version via fastboot. You can download and extract that boot.img from Google's stock images.
This is just me speaking my mind but why people go through the trouble to root just to keep the stock ROM is beyond me.
Given your situation you are better off wiping/formatting and reflashing a new ROM stock (hopefully not) or custom.
Offering this as a comment, not an answer. I agree with mikeprius - in your position I would bite the bullet, download the latest MMB29K image, and run flash-all to wipe and set your device to the newest version - or perhaps even wait for the one which may arrive within a few days. If you leave the device on stock, unrooted, you'll be able to apply OTAs without any problem at all.
For curiosity, why do you even need root? As you've discovered, it opens up cans of worms that can be more trouble than they're worth unless there's an *overwhelming* necessity for root.
looks like failed with verification of /boot
reflash these for build you are currently on - I've done this without losing data:
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash cache cache.img
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot flash radio radio.img
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot reboot-bootloader
it''ll probably pop up with the dead android -- don't reboot. Press
power button+vol up
you may have have to do a bunch of times -- eventually it go to the menu to allow you sideload the update.
Why are people so fixated on installing an old ROM and then sideloading the update when the obvious answer is to simply install the components of the latest ROM? I get the desire to retain the existing data, but to my eyes it looks as if the phone is now in an unstable and unreliable state and a complete refresh is the best solution.
it's a choice and there is experience gained in the exercise - and the existing data thing is big deal to many.

[GUIDE] Unlock bootloader, root the device and install any custom ROM! (ALE-L23/21)

Hi all! So, you have a P8 lite in your pocket and you hate EMUI? Well, that was my case too, it's uncustomizable, ugly, and removes plenty of features from android stock. I do not like it one bit, and I like even less the fact that this phone is getting no more updates, ever. This sucks, it all sucks, luckily we can say "F all that" and do whatever we want with this device, provided you follow this guide.
I am making this guide because I want to condensate every single thing I know about this device in one single thread. One big guide to help all of you out installing custom ROMs. Without this, you would have to do research along multiple threads, often with conflicting information, and what's even worse, DEAD LINKS! There's nothing more frustrating than finally finding the solution to your problem, just one download away, just to be greeted by a dead link, and you would need to scout for another file that may or may not work... ugly stuff.
So, the point of this is to bring up to date info so you can make this device rock. This guide assumes you have Huawei's EMUI 4.0 installed which runs on Android 6.0. I'm also assuming you have your bootloader locked, and I will explain how to unlock it FOR FREE. No need to pay to some shady site in order to access what effectively belongs to you.
These are the requirements for this guide:
Code:
#USB cable
#A PC
#Some charge on the device to ensure nothing goes wrong
#An SD Card
#Patience
Before beggining, a quick disclaimer:
Code:
#It's not my objective to break your device, however there's always a risk when doing these kind of things.
#When you follow this guide's steps your are accepting the risks and are taking full responsiblity for whatever may happen to your device.
#Don't blame me for breaking your stuff if that happens, all I'm listing here worked for me, and should work for you.
#I won't be babysitting anybody to help solve their specific problems, don't PM me asking me why X doesn't work.
#I am unaware if this works in other versions of this device, but I'm positive this works on both ALE-L23 and ALE-L21
#If you have a "CAM-XXX" device, it's highly likely this works for you too, but as with everything, TRY AT YOUR OWN RISK.
#YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Ok, so let's begin. As the title says, the guide is applicable to any custom ROM. However, I will be installing Lineage OS 14.1 which runs on (almost stock) Android 7.1.2. Regardless, the final step where we install the custom ROM is interchangable, and you can use whichever you please.
This process WILL wipe all of your data (except SD card). Make sure to make a backup of everything you want to save (app configs, photos, videos and whatever else).
1. DOWNGRADING TO ANDROID 5
As you may know, Huawei has stopped providing bootloader unlock codes for very stupid reasons. This has led to many unable to unlock their bootloader and having to pay for third party apps in hopes they don't get scammed. There are some trustworthy sites where you can get these at a fee tho (mainly DC Unlocker at 4 bucks), so if you want to pay up to avoid having to downgrade to Android 5, you can do so. However, I understand that you may not want to pay at all, I didn't want to either.
To get the bootloader unlock code, we need root, and to get root, we need Android 5. Why? Because getting root in Android 6 requires us to flash some zips, and for that we need TWRP, and for that we need an unlocked bootloader, everyhing closes up very nicely. So, we have no choice but to downgrade.
An SD card is not needed for this process, but it is going to be required at a later point, so why not use it now too?
NOTE: It may be a good idea to make a factory reset at this point, to avoid issues. For that, do the following:
Turn your phone off.
Boot the phone by holding the power button and the volume up button at the same time.
Wait untill the Huawei logo appears, then let go of both buttons.
You should be in recovery mode, navigate with the volume keys to the "Wipe data/factory reset" option.
Select it with the power button and wipe everything.
Reboot the device with the option in the menu.
Once the device has booted up, follow the guide.
Alright, once that's done, connect your phone to the PC to transfer some files:
NOTE: There's two Stock Android 5s downloads ("HW_Android_5_Transition.zip" and "HW_Stock_Android_5.zip"). One is a transition package, as the name implies, and the other is Huawei's EMUI 3.1 in all of it's glory. What's the difference? The transition package is a much smaller file that is designed to downgrade the phone from EMUI 4.0 (Android 6) to EMUI 3.1 (Android 5). If you are running EMUI 4.0 (which should be the case) then you can use the transition package which will take less to download. If you have another version (i.e. EMUI 4.1) you should use "HW_Stock_Android_5.zip". However, the latter is the safe bet. If you are not sure which one to use, use "HW_Stock_Android_5.zip". The process is exactly the same for both packages.
Extract the "UPDATE.APP" file from "HW_Stock_Android_5.zip" or "HW_Android_5_Transition.zip".
Navigate to your phone's internal memory or SD card (whichever you want to use) and locate a folder called "dload". If there's not one, create it.
Put the "UPDATE.APP" file inside of the "dload" folder.
Turn your phone off.
Once it's off, press the power button and the two volume buttons until you see the Huawei logo.
That should make the phone recognize the "update" and start flashing it. Once it finishes, it will try to boot by itself, so pressing those 3 buttons was your last input until the phone boots into Android 5. It will take a long time for it to both finish and boot, don't be afraid, the phone is not bricked. If you think the phone is indeed bricked because it has been stuck at the logo screen for way to long (longer than an hour) then proceed to the "Unbricking" section of this guide. However, it's highly unlikely that this will happen, as Huawei checks the file before flashing it, so if it's incompatible with your device it should not do anything and boot again into Android 6 with everything untouched.
2. ROOTING ON ANDROID 5 AND EXTRACTING BOOTLOADER UNLOCK CODE
Once you are in Android 5, we will need to root the device. Download KingRoot (proved to work) or another one click root app of your choice. I'm aware of KingRoot's bad reputation because of the spyware accusations, but the phone will be wiped anyway and we are sure it works, so it doesn't really harm at all. If you still don't want to use it, check with other apps, I haven't done so myself so I don't know what else works.
Once your phone is rooted, we will need to use the terminal for the first time. We will need to setup ADB and Fastboot, if you already have that, skip this step.
Extract the "platform-tools" folder from the zip and place it somewhere nice.
Shift right click on a blank space INSIDE of the "platform-tools" folder.
Select "Open command window here".
This should be enough to get ADB working, but we need to make some config on the phone itself too.
Go to Settings -> About Phone
Look for a line that says "Build Number" and tap it multiple times.
When the message saying "You are now a developer" pops up, go back and enter the new "Developer Options" menu.
In there, look for an option called "USB Debugging" and turn it on.
Connect the phone to your PC via USB cable.
A message should have popped up on the phone asking for permission to use USB Debugging, tap on "Always allow from this PC" and then on "Allow".
NOTE: If the message doesn't pop up, you can try a number of things. I prefer to tap the "Revoke USB debugging authorizations" button to ensure that no PC is authorized, so the message must pop up at some point. Once you revoked authorizations, disconnect and connect the phone again, if you still don't see it, try to select MTP as the transfer protocol. If not, then PTP, if you still don't see it install Hi Suite on your PC and open it, it should pop up now.
Once you have everything working, type the following in the terminal in your PC:
Code:
adb devices
If you see a serial number there, that's your phone, and that means everything is set up correctly (make sure you don't have any other device attached to your PC, or you could confuse the two and make bad stuff happen for that other device). If you don't see it, make sure USB Debugging is enabled. You can try to use different cables if you still have problems. Now type:
Code:
adb shell
And then:
Code:
su -c "grep -m1 -aoE 'WVLOCK.{14}[0-9]{16}' /dev/block/mmcblk0p7 |grep -aoE '[0-9]{16}'"
KingRoot (or the app you used to root) should prompt you (in your phone) if you want to give ADB root access, make sure to allow it to make this work. This should give you your unlock code. SAVE IT INTO A TXT FILE AND COPY THAT FILE TO ALL OF YOUR PCS, ALL OF YOUR CLOUD ACCOUNTS AND ALL OF YOUR MOBILE DEVICES.
(Maybe the terminal gets stuck at this point, press CTRL + D (or C) to get it unstuck).
Seriusly tho, it didn't happen to me, but it is a possibility that your Bootloader can re lock after doing some of the things that follow, in which case you will need to unlock it again, and if you don't have that code... it's back to square one.
3. GOING BACK TO ANDROID 6
Now that we have done all that we wanted on Android 5, it's time to go back. The process is exactly the same.
Extract the "UPDATE.APP" file from the "HW_Stock_Android_6.zip" file and move it to the dload folder (SD card or Internal).
Turn off your phone and turn it on again with all three buttons pressed.
Wait.
???
Profit.
So, we're back on Android 6. Why did we go back you may ask? Why did we not just flash our precius custom ROM? Well, for once, this gives people the chance to stay on EMUI if all they wanted was to unlock the bootloader and maybe root on Android 6 (which I will explain how to do too, in case you want to). Another, more important reason, we need Android 6 to install the B895/B896 update, which is a requirement for any custom ROM (mainly Android 7.0+) if you don't want any problems with your SIM card (and others that may arise).
4. UNLOCKING BOOTLOADER AND FLASHING TWRP
Now, we need to turn on USB Debugging again, and to allow our PC... again. Do so, and check that everything is right with:
Code:
adb devices
If that's the case, then type the following:
Code:
adb reboot bootloader
Your phone will reboot, and you should see a white screen with a wasted android above a green text saying "PHONE LOCKED". If that's the case, take a moment to say goodbye to that green text, because it will soon turn very red. We will need to unlock the bootloader with the code you got from the previous steps, for that type the following:
Code:
fastboot oem unlock ****************
In place of the "****************" you must enter your code, of course. And that was it, now the green text is replaced with a red "PHONE UNLOCKED". This are good news. Now, we need to flash our custom recovery if we want to do anything fancy with the device. For that, extract the "recovery.img" file from the "TWRP_3.1.1.zip" file and paste it into the same folder where all of the ADB files are located (where "adb.exe" is). Now type:
Code:
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
This will flash TWRP into your device, hooray! Now type:
Code:
fastboot reboot
And your device should turn back on, today is a bright day my son. Now you must take a decision, do you want to flash a custom ROM and get very nice and fancy features or do you want to stay with what you have? If you prefer Huawei's EMUI 4.0, then follow to the next step. If you want to flash custom ROMs, then skip the next one.
5. ROOTING ON ANDROID 6 (OPTIONAL)
I don't know why you would prefer EMUI over... anything else really, but it's your call. I'll tell you how to root it so you can at least take some advantage of it. You see that file called "HW_Android_6_Root.zip"? Extract it, inside there will be... another folder called Root... huh? Redundant. Anyway, inside of that there should be two zips. 1.zip and 2.zip. You will need to place the folder called "Root" inside of your SD card or your internal storage. Then, go back to the terminal and type:
Code:
adb reboot recovery
You should reboot into TWRP, isn't it nice? Anyway, we have to flash some zips! Go to "wipe" first and wipe the "Cache" partition and the "Dalvik" partition. Once that's done, go to install and navigate to the Root folder your placed... well, you know where. Select 1.zip and flash it, once it's finished reboot the device. If TWRP prompts you to install it's app, DO NOT DO IT. Once the phone has rebooted (it will take longer because of the cache and dalvik wipe), repeat the process but flash 2.zip this time, reboot and your phone should be rooted. This is the end of the line for you now, as you don't want to make anything else to the phone. However, you can go to the final chapter where I explain how to install Xposed framework, if you want more customization. EMUI doesn't like Xposed very much, so there's little you can do with it, but it's something I guess.
6. INSTALLING THE B895/B896 UPDATE
So, you followed the power user path, the one we all really want deep down. That's cool, I respect you. We gotta use that custom recovery we just flashed, but first we need to transfer some files into our phone's memory. We need to install an update to the phone, for which you need Android 6 (that you should already have anyway). There's two different updates, B895 and B896. As you may guess, B896 is newer. However, any of these two will (or rather should) work without issues. I personally used B896, but some people claim B895 is more stable. I can't find a difference really, but the process is the same regardless of which you choose. Once you have made that decision, move "B895_update.zip" or "B896_update.zip" to your phone's internal storage or SD card AS IS (don't extract it). Then type into the terminal:
Code:
adb reboot recovery
You should be in TWRP now. Go to wipe and select the "Cache" and "Dalvik" partitions ONLY, then wipe them. Once that's done, go to install and flash your update of choice. Once finished, reboot the device. If TWRP prompts you to install it's app, DO NOT DO IT. The boot should take longer than usual because of the "Cache" and "Dalvik" wipe... and because of the update too. Once booted, you should be in EMUI 4.1. Go to settings and into "About Phone". In there, look for a field called "IMEI". If you see a number, that means you did everything properly, if you see "unkown" or nothing at all, then that means you lost your IMEI... which means you will have connectivity issues. To fix this, you will need to do a full wipe (so, boot into recovery (we lost TWRP due to the update) and then go to wipe, in there select everything except SD card) and follow the steps again starting from 3, this time flashing the other update (so if you flashed B895, flash B896 this time and vice versa)).
Now, this last step we made has wiped our custom recovery... so sad. We have to flash it again, but we are almost finished!! Now it's time for you to move the custom ROM you want to your SD card (SD card is mandatory, as we will wipe internal storage). You should also move your custom ROM of choice. If you want root, also move the "SuperSUv82.zip" file.
OPTIONAL:
If you want Gapps, that means the Google apps, so PlayStore, Google services and such (and you really should want them, as Android without PlayStore is kinda rough), then you need to download them separately.
So, go to the Gapps website and select the pacakge you want. You NEED to choose the ARM64 platform, the android version depends on the ROM you are flashing, so check which version it runs, and the package itself is personal preference. Here you can see a comparison of each package, detailing what each one contains so you can make a decision. The aroma package is kinda bugged, I would avoid it. Choose wisely, as flashing another Gapps package once you have flashed a different one can and most likely will cause issues. If you want my opinion, I would stick to the nano package. It offers the basic Google functionality and allows you to download other Google apps you may need/use with the PlayStore once you are booted up.
Once you choose your package, move it to your phone's SD card along with the ROM and the SuperSU zip if you want it.
Check that USB Debugging is still enabled, and then type:
Code:
adb reboot bootloader
Once into the bootloader, flash the custom recovery once again with:
Code:
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
Then:
Code:
fastboot reboot
Once booted up again, type:
Code:
adb reboot recovery
And now it's time to drop the bomb, say bye bye to EMUI, and say hello to... whatever it is you are installing.
7. FLASHING YOUR CUSTOM ROM OF CHOICE
MOST CUSTOM ROMS REQUIRE AN LTE CAPABLE SIM IN ORDER TO HAVE CELLULAR NETWROK WORKING CORRECTLY, THIS DEPENDS ON A ROM TO ROM BASIS, DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE FLASHING
Once in TWRP, go to wipe and check every box, I'm serius, check everything except the SD card. Once that's finished, the moment of glory has come. Go to install and flash your ROM. It will take a while, and when that's done reboot. The phone should boot into your ROM. If you want either Gapps or SuperSU, make a quick setup and enable USB Debugging again, then reboot to recovery with:
Code:
adb reboot recovery
Once in TWRP, go to install and flash the Gapps package and the SuperSU zip (in that order) if you want it. Reboot. That should be it! You are done!
8. UNBRICKING
I don't know why, but with all the flashing and the testing I've done you would have thinked that I should have suffered of a brick state at least once... that was, luckily, not the case. I haven't suffered a single brick. I don't know if I'm extremely lucky or if this phone is tremendously resilient, but the case is I haven't had any issues of this kind.
However, I can understand that it is a possibility, so if this happens to you my best advice is to do the following: Boot into recovery mode (either stock or TWRP depending on where in the whole process you got stuck), make a full wipe and apply the update from "HW_Stock_Android_6.zip" with the dload folder and the three buttons method. That should get it unstuck, if not... try the same with the "HW_Stock_Android_5.zip" 's "UPDATE.APP".
9. INSTALLING XPOSED FRAMEWORK (OPTIONAL)
What? A custom ROM is not enough for you? Getting freed from EMUI is not enough? Well fear not then, because there's one last step for the true power user, for that man who thinks that everything is not enough, the good old Xposed Framework *queue fireworks and trumpets.
So, you need to install the Xposed Installer apk. Get it from here, and ONLY THERE. I once installed an apk from another source... ended up being adware, not fun. The apk is at the very bottom of the thread. You will also need the framework itself, get it from here.
Get the latest (arm64) version for your ROM. This depends on what Android version it is running on:
Code:
SDK21 = Android 5.0
SDK22 = Android 5.1
SDK23 = Android 6.0
SDK24 = Android 7.0
SDK25 = Android 7.1
SDK26 = Android 8.0
SDK27 = Android 8.1
You should also get the uninstaller in case things go south.
Once you got the files, install the apk on your phone. Open the app once. Transfer the framework and the uninstaller into your SD or internal storage. Boot into TWRP recovery and install the framework, reboot the device.
NOTE: Android 6.0 takes about 20 mins to boot, wait about an hour before deciding that it's bricked. Android 7.1.2 took me about 2 mins. I'm unaware of the boot times of other versions, but be aware that it can take LONG. If you think it really got bricked, boot into TWRP again and flash the uninstaller. That should get it unstuck and you can either try again or leave it as is.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well guys, that's all I got, quite a big write up huh? I don't really have nothing else to say, just remember that what you are doing here is at your own risk and I don't want anybody blaming me for the bad things that can happen. I will proceed to leave you with the download links so you can try this yourself. I'm currently running Lineage OS 14.1 which features Android Nougat 7.1.2 on my Huawei P8 lite ALE-L23, I've never been happier to be free from the manufacturer's ROM.
DOWNLOADS
(The B895 and B896 update's links are not mine)
Huawei's Stock Android 5:
Android Filehost
Mediafire
Huawei's Android 5 Transition:
Android Filehost
Mediafire
Huawei's Stock Android 6:
Android Filehost
Mediafire
Huawei's Android 6 Root:
Android Filehost
Mediafire
EMUI 4.1 (B895):
Android Filehost
EMUI 4.1 (B896):
Android Filehost
Platform-Tools:
Android Filehost
Mediafire
TWRP 3.1.1:
Android Filehost
Mediafire
Gapps:
Open Gapps
SuperSU:
Android Filehost
Google Drive
Hi,
I didn't understand what do you mean whan you write: Once booted, you should be in EMUI 4.1. If you retained your IMEI, you are in good path, if not... then do a factory reset (wipe everything) and repeat the steps starting from 3.
Could you explain it better?
Thank you
ilmatte said:
Hi,
I didn't understand what do you mean whan you write: Once booted, you should be in EMUI 4.1. If you retained your IMEI, you are in good path, if not... then do a factory reset (wipe everything) and repeat the steps starting from 3.
Could you explain it better?
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it's basically this: If you go into the "About Phone" section you will see that there's a field detailing your IMEI. I won't lie, I don't know exactly what it is, but it's a unique number for every phone and has something to do with your cellular network connection.
If you messed up at some point, you can lose your IMEI (i.e. you won't see it in that field or it will say "unknown" or something of the sort). If that happens, then it means you did something wrong, and proceeding in this state will make you have problems with your connection. The signal would be really unstable and it would be practically unusable.
To make a simpler check, if you have a cellular network connection, and can make calls and send/receive SMS on EMUI 4.1, then you won't have any problems.
Ah ok it wasn't so clear but I know what an imei is luckily it didn't erase it in my case. Anyway, I don't know how to thank you bro! You saved my life. I beleived to be screwed when I learned that Huawei stopped releasing the bootloader unlock code. How stupid they are. I blamed them through the customer support. I'm running lineage now! Kiss my ass Huawei!
ilmatte said:
Ah ok it wasn't so clear but I know what an imei is luckily it didn't erase it in my case. Anyway, I don't know how to thank you bro! You saved my life. I beleived to be screwed when I learned that Huawei stopped releasing the bootloader unlock code. How stupid they are. I blamed them through the customer support. I'm running lineage now! Kiss my ass Huawei!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to hear I helped! Mind dropping a thank on the main thread? Hope you enjoy your phone
Thanks <3 -notes
Thank you tralph3, you make my life so easy, great easy guide. I have a few suggestions for improving clarity:
Step 1. "Stock_Android_5.zip" contains "transitional" android 6.0 ALE-L21C900B500 firmware According to including Spanish documentation "3., 3.1 Download the Android5.0 update package" It must be downloaded another 5.0 firmware. I use this 5.0 firmware to make kingroot preform root.
Firmware: huaweidl.com/download/p8-lite/ale-l21/b204/
Look for a line that says "Compilation Number" and tap...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Step 2. second point 2. Change to "Build Number"
su -c "grep -m1 -aoE 'WVLOCK.{14}[0-9]{16}' /dev/block/mmcblk0p7 |grep -aoE '[0-9]{16}'"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Step 2. getting unlock code. After executing command. Add step -Kingsroot display root access prompt ALLOW it.
t
Thanks for your work.
BelisTT said:
Thank you tralph3, you make my life so easy, great easy guide. I have a few suggestions for improving clarity:
Step 1. "Stock_Android_5.zip" contains "transitional" android 6.0 ALE-L21C900B500 firmware According to including Spanish documentation "3., 3.1 Download the Android5.0 update package" It must be downloaded another 5.0 firmware. I use this 5.0 firmware to make kingroot preform root.
Firmware: huaweidl.com/download/p8-lite/ale-l21/b204/
Step 2. second point 2. Change to "Build Number"
Step 2. getting unlock code. After executing command. Add step -Kingsroot display root access prompt ALLOW it.
t
Thanks for your work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for pointing this stuff out, I'll make those changes you suggested and try to fix some typos too. So, what I gather from what you told me about that Android 5 thing is that in order to correctly flash the update I'm providing you NEED to be in Android 6, right? Whereas with the one you are providing me it should boot into Android 5 regardless of what you currently have. If that's the case, I'll include both and tell people of the distinction between the two so they can use the one they want/need (after all, the transition package is much smaller and easier to download). I'll download the package and upload it to Android Filehost along with everything else. I think I'll keep the mediafire downloads as a mirror. I'll get to that, thanks.
tralph3 said:
.... in Android 6, right? Whereas with the one you are providing me it should boot into Android 5 regardless of what you currently have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, exactly. Thanks for curating this additional download, good idea.
Does this also work for the PRA-LX1 version?
I have Android 8.0 on it and absolutely no idea what EMUI version or eben the firmware version.
I want to put crDroid on this phone because EMUI ... you know, it's bad.
Otherwise: I am ok with paying these 4€ if this payed unlock works.
WHICH of all these DC Unlocker Apps do I need for getting the unlock code?
Badoolo said:
Does this also work for the PRA-LX1 version?
I have Android 8.0 on it and absolutely no idea what EMUI version or eben the firmware version.
I want to put crDroid on this phone because EMUI ... you know, it's bad.
Otherwise: I am ok with paying these 4€ if this payed unlock works.
WHICH of all these DC Unlocker Apps do I need for getting the unlock code?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DON'T TRY ANY OF THIS. All of what I've detailed is for the P8 lite 2015, your phone is a different 2017 version that's basically another completely different phone with the same name, because Huawei doesn't know how to namr their devices. You have a different chipset, doing anything of what's described here will most likely brick your phone. With that said, maybe the bootloader unlock method works IF YOU FIND ANOTHER WAY TO ROOT YOUR PHONE. DON'T ROLL BACK TO ANDROID 5 WITH THE FILES I'M PROVIDING PLEASE.
This forum is dedicated to P8 lite 2015, you can see there's a different forum for 2017. Good luck.
Hello, I have ALE-L21 with EMUI 4.0.3 - MM 6.0 - version B633 and i can not downgrade to android 5, phone says : update failed, or stuck on 5%. could someone help me please ?
I tried a lot of stock ROMs, 5.0 , 6.0 etc, nothing worked for me.
Thanks,
Ax1qwer said:
Hello, I have ALE-L21 with EMUI 4.0.3 - MM 6.0 - version B633 and i can not downgrade to android 5, phone says : update failed, or stuck on 5%. could someone help me please ?
I tried a lot of stock ROMs, 5.0 , 6.0 etc, nothing worked for me.
Thanks,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you using the stock package or the transition package? If you are using the transition package, try stock.
I tried both, with no success. And many others.
I tried to update via internal storage and SDcard too, with no success.
If phone is connected to pc, updating stuck on 5%, if not connected to PC, update fails.
Ax1qwer said:
I tried both, with no success. And many others.
I tried to update via internal storage and SDcard too, with no success.
If phone is connected to pc, updating stuck on 5%, if not connected to PC, update fails.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you wipe all of your data with the stock recovery? If nothing works then I could suggest you to try to apply the downgrade with sideload. (Boot into recovery and select to apply update from adb, then you type adb sideload <filename>)
I'm clueless on why it doesn't work on your device, it should.
Also, you can try to flash the stock android 6 rom first, that's an older emui version (4.0). If you can flash that, then maybe you can flash android 5 after it.
i have tried intalling both the 5.0 stock roms but it always fails at 5%. i got ALE-L21C02B896 with emui 4.1 and android 6.0. i've been trying different guides but all lead me to dead ends. please help
thanks in advance
Wazu786 said:
i have tried intalling both the 5.0 stock roms but it always fails at 5%. i got ALE-L21C02B896 with emui 4.1 and android 6.0. i've been trying different guides but all lead me to dead ends. please help
thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the exact same firmware(ALE-L21C02B896) that you have and I also cant downgrade to android 5.0 using any of the tutorials that I found in XDA Furum.
razorfancy said:
I have the exact same firmware(ALE-L21C02B896) that you have and I also cant downgrade to android 5.0 using any of the tutorials that I found in XDA Furum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it very frustrating, please let me know if you find a way and ill do the same.
Wazu786 said:
Yeah it very frustrating, please let me know if you find a way and ill do the same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Told you guys, try to flash android 6 and see if that works, afterwards you can flash android 5.
tralph3 said:
Told you guys, try to flash android 6 and see if that works, afterwards you can flash android 5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried your Huawei's Stock Android 5, Huawei's Android 5 Transition and Huawei's Stock Android 6 and all failed to install giving error at 5 percent.
tralph3 said:
Told you guys, try to flash android 6 and see if that works, afterwards you can flash android 5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i tried android 6 also and it also failed at 5%, please is there anything else i can try?

Categories

Resources