How to Unlock Bootloader on Honor 8

 

Before you can root your Honor 8 or install a custom recovery, you'll want to unlock your bootloader. In this tutorial, I'll show you how to get the unlock code for your device and how to use ADB to unlock your bootloader.

Backup your data first. Unlocking the bootloader will wipe the data on your Honor 8.

Get your unlock code

• Go to this website and create an account.
• Go to Downloads > Unlock Bootloader
• Fill out the form with the S/N, IMEI, product code and model number
• Your unlock code will be shown on the same page, at the bottom of the form

Turn on USB Debugging and OEM Unlock

• On your Honor 8:
• Go to Settings > About
• Tap on Build Number seven times
• Go to Developer Options
• Check Enable OEM Unlock
• Check USB Debugging

Unlock VIA ADB

If you haven't installed ADB yet, see this thread for instructions.

• Plug your phone into your computer VIA USB
• Type the command 'adb reboot bootloader' and hit enter.
• Once in bootloader mode, type 'fastboot oem unlock [unlock code]'
• Follow the on-screen instructions

If you see this warning when your phone reboots, then you have done everything correctly.

We are working closely with Honor and several developers to make sure that there will be more development content for this device in the future.

For more Honor 8 content, check out the Honor 8 XDA forums.

from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2f1829z
via IFTTT

Root is now available for the Google Pixel and Pixel XL: Here’s what Changed and what Works

As promised, systemless root for the Google Pixel and Pixel XL is now available. XDA Senior Recognized Developer Chainfire was working on root for the Google Pixel phone running Android 7.1 Nougat these past few days, and he has reached a stage in his development where he is now comfortable enough sharing his work with the community.

Root access for the Google Pixel and the Google Pixel XL is available by flashing SuperSU 2.78 SR2, which enables su access without touching anything in the /system partition and allowing for dm-verity to be toggled. Before you can root your device, you will first need to have your bootloader unlocked. The first step in unlocking your bootloader is to download the adb and fastboot binaries (we recommend grabbing Minimal ADB & Fastboot from our forums) and then installing the appropriate Google USB Driver for your machine.

If you've purchased your Pixel device straight from Google, then you only need to issue a fastboot flashing unlock command followed by fastboot oem unlock. In case you purchased your Pixel from Verizon or EE, you would need to unlock your bootloader through the dePixel8 tool. But hurry, because the SunShine developers have mentioned that their bootloader unlock exploit may be patched in the upcoming November security update!

---

Immediate Uses of Root Access

By the way, besides the usual functionality that root access should bring we've gone ahead and tested a few things that we knew you all would be interested in. First up, can you bring back Google Now on Tap? The answer is yes! All you need to do is edit build.prop with the following change, reboot, and clear Google App data and you'll no longer be greeted with the Google Assistant.

Change

  ro.opa.eligible_device=true  

to

  ro.opa.eligible_device=false  

What about another commonly hidden feature: double-tap-to-wake? We've looked around for the hidden toggle, and have discovered what appears to be it.

  sailfish:/sys/devices # echo 1 > ./soc/7577000.i2c/i2c-3/3-0020/input/input3/wake_gesture  

Unfortunately, when we changed the value it didn't seem to stick. For now, it seems you'll have to flash a custom kernel such as ElementalX to get d2tw working.

Some other things we've tested include whether or not Titanium Backup works (it does), Better Battery Stats (works) Substratum/Layers Themes (seems to be having some issues), and ad-blocking (fails). Ad-away fails to work currently because /system cannot be mounted read-write by default, so we'll have to wait until TWRP is available before we can flash the systemless workaround for Ad-Away. And yes, we've already tried using FlashFire to flash the Ad-Away enabler for systemless root, but that doesn't seem to be working either at this time.

  sailfish:/sys/devices # mount -o rw,remount /system  mount: '/system' not in /proc/mounts  

Here are some screenshots showing that Titanium Backup works, though. So if you're coming from another device and you would like to restore all of your backed up apps, you can be rest assured that all of your app data will be now be restored.

We'll continue to dive deep into our Pixel devices to see what we can toggle. Which "Pixel exclusive" feature will be the next to fall?

---

The Struggle to Achieve Root

Chainfire is fairly meticulous when it comes to release notes. When you're the developer providing tens of thousands of users a method to achieve root access, it makes sense to be as transparent as possible lest you face a horde of confused users wondering why something is broken. While his Twitter account (@ChainfireXDA) is reserved more for short announcements, Chainfire tends to post much-welcome, lengthy explanations on his Google+ account. This time is no different.

---

To download SuperSU for the Google Pixel phones, head on over to the XDA forum thread. A big thanks to Chainfire for bringing root over to the devices! Let the Tweaking Games begin!

Visit the SuperSU XDA Subforum!

This story is developing and will be updated as we receive new information. One Google Pixel was sacrificed in the making of this article. RIP Jeff's data.

from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2f3OT5c
via IFTTT

UMi Plus XDA TV Review

As we all know, flagship phones are not cheap. Many people simply do not have the money to spend on a high end flagship device. Today we are going to be looking at a phone that, while not a flagship, has many of the specs and features that you'd expect in one. This is the $200 UMi Plus.

 

Check out the YouTube video review from Miles to see how you can win an UMi Plus for yourself.

Thanks to UMi for sponsoring this video and letting us check out the UMi Plus.
See more info about the UMi Plus here.

from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2eYUqLP
via IFTTT

Tiered Fees are Coming to Swappa on November 1st

If you haven't already heard of the service, Swappa is an online marketplace that was launched for people to buy or sell mobile devices. Over the years, the types of products available for listing on the site have expanded to include tablets, laptops, wearables, and even VR headsets. With other reseller marketplaces such as eBay becoming cluttered and expensive for the seller, Swappa quickly caught on among enthusiasts. When we shut down the XDA marketplace back in 2013, partnering with Swappa was a no brainer to fill the gap left behind by our now-defunct marketplace.

Since Swappa launched, the company has only charged a measly $10 fee to the seller when their device was sold. If the device goes unsold, then the seller isn't charged a penny which is more than you can say for some of the competitors out there. But with such growing demand for the service, it seems that this service model was not sustainable for Swappa to continue offering to its customers. Swappa has just announced that they will be introducing a tiered fee system that will be applied to all devices listed on the site starting on November 1st. The result is that some sellers will be charged more than the previous $10 flat fee, but it's still much less than its competitors.

To break things down, if your device is sold on Swappa within the $0 – $100 price range then the fee will only be $5. If the device you just sold on Swappa was priced between $101 and $300, then your fee will be the same $10 like it always has been. Any devices sold at a price over $300 will be subject to an additional $5 per price tier increase, as listed in the chart below.

Be sure to check Swappa's fee page for the full details, but looking at the price difference between the available services it's clear that Swappa's tiered pricing system makes Swappa the preferable choice for enthusiasts looking to buy or sell their device. If this article is the first time you've ever heard of Swappa, then go register an account using the XDA-Developers username integration, and keep on the lookout for great sales on a wide variety of products.

Source: Swappa

from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2dPWDLN
via IFTTT

Sony Announces PS Vue for Android TV

Sony just made a big announcement for PS Vue users who also have a smart TV or a standalone box running Android TV. PS Vue on Android isn't new, as the app has been available on mobile devices for a few months now. The big news this week is that PlayStation Vue is finally available for Android TV. Sony says you can download the new PS Vue app on your Android TV device that's running "Android OS 4.4 or higher" (even though we know Android TV launched with 5.0 Lollipop).

If you already have a PS Vue subscription, then you can download their new Android TV application from the Play Store and instantly start watching the content on your TV right now. Those who have yet to try out PS Vue, Sony is offering a free seven-day trial over on the PS Vue website. After you sign up, you can easily connect your Android TV device to your newly-created account.

PS Vue comes with a number of different subscription plans that try to fit your personal usage. The Access plan starts at $30 per month, but could be $40 if you live in a city with "major live local broadcast stations". This plan comes with over 55 channels including live cable TV, movies, and sports. The Core plan is priced at $35/$45 and comes with over 70 channels including live national and regional sports networks.

The Elite PS Vue subscription plan will cost you $45/$55 and it comes with over 100 channels that add in movie and entertainment channels. Lastly we have the Ultra plan that will run you $65/$75, and adds in both Showtime as well as HBO. These plans also come with Sony's cloud-based DVR system that enables you to "record hundreds of shows at once with no scheduling conflicts."

Sony also tells us that PS Vue will be launching on both the PC as well as macOS soon, and that subscribers can stream PlayStation Vue content on up to five devices at the same time.

Source: PlayStation Blog

from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2e5akoA
via IFTTT

Oracle Files for an Appeal in its Case Against Google

Soon after Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems, the company went after Google for allegedly infringing on copyrights and patents that are related to Java. It took two years before the case went to trial and Oracle eventually lost as the courts were unable to find any evidence about what the company had claimed. Oracle then decided to revive part of its case thanks to the appeals process in the United States, with the second trial focusing solely on the APIs for Java.

During this time, we watched as Android 7.0 would not use Oracles proprietary Java APIs, an Oracle attorney revealed Android revenue information that was meant to be for their eyes only, the judge accused both Oracle and Google they were setting up the jury to fail. Oracle felt that Google should pay $9.3 billion for the way they used Java's APIs, but the settlement talks ended up falling through.

The jury agreed that Google's use of the Java APIs were considered fair use, and that they shouldn't be penalized for how it was implemented in Android. Oracle even tried to have their copyright trial loss thrown out because Google hadn't told the courts they were planning to launch Android apps on Chrome OS. This request was denied, but now they have filed for an appeal to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

It's unclear at this time if they will be granted the appeal, but it is highly likely since it is such a high profile case. If granted, Oracle will have an uphill battle as the tests for whether something is fair use or not are pretty subjective. So the case is now going back to the Federal Circuit, which is the same appeals court that originally said APIs could be copyrighted. Still, it will be a long and difficult road for Oracle's lawyers to try and pull off a win.

Source: Ars Technica

from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2fnTiUM
via IFTTT

Which Past Phone Did You Like for its Innovation?

The recently released Xiaomi Mi MIX has opened up to a lot of appreciation for its bold approach in imagining what the smartphone future would look like, while still maintaining commercial sense (even if SHARP has done similar things before). With a nearly bezelless display, and all the innovation that went into making the phone possible, the Mi MIX is a breath of fresh air in the world of ordinarily rounded rectangles.

But the Mi MIX is not the first one to have experimented. There have been a lot of phones, both smart and feature phones alike, that stood out of the pack. They chose to redefine what the smartphone experience of the future would be like, albeit not all tasted the same success. So we ask you,

Which phone from the past did you like for its innovation? What did the phone bring to the market that was not considered ordinary at that time? Was it a new set of features, or was it a new software experience? How popular did the phone get, and how did it influence the future that we are living in today?

Let us know in the comments below!

from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2dU2A5P
via IFTTT