Dynamic Partition with GSI - Google Pixel 4 XL Questions & Answers

Does anyone have any ideas on how to flash a GSI to the Dynamic Super Partition? I've been trying for a month to flash DotOS and nothing. I can get it to flash using "fastboot flash super" but flashing to system it fails. Still doesn't boot regardless, even if I flash vbmeta and stock boot. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong.

phenomenalblaze said:
Does anyone have any ideas on how to flash a GSI to the Dynamic Super Partition? I've been trying for a month to flash DotOS and nothing. I can get it to flash using "fastboot flash super" but flashing to system it fails. Still doesn't boot regardless, even if I flash vbmeta and stock boot. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I was testing out GSI I used this method:
I would just change the rom name in .bat(?) File. Everything flashed and booted fine. The only issue I had with GSI roms & AT&T was that I couldn't get mobile service.

Better to stick with one of the many custom roms made for Pixel 4/XL. I mean I'd rather use something made for my device than something universal. Cool to try out new things though I get it. DotOS is not too much different than anything else.. DotOS has a different look, a different theme/ui.. I'm referring to DotOS Android 11. I used DOT on my OnePlus 6t, before I got my Pixel 4XL. I'll see what I can find about what you are talking about here and if and when I do find some good reads I'll return and link to them in this same post. I would definitely search high and low and look around in PHH's GSI notes and see what all is in them about this sort of thing. How are you doing your install? What is your installation process step by step?
I haven't used a GSI since my Motorola phones a few years ago but I remember depending on what device installation varies. I'll see if I can locate anything and link it here and tag you if I do. Cheers.
Edit added: Turns out DotOS devs revamped the new Android 12 theme engine and plan on releasing it once they drop v5 2 of their DotOS rom!! Maybe someone will compile DotOS. I plan on getting another better laptop in six months. If it's not available for us then I'll take a few cracks at it and if I'm successful I'll first get permission from DotOS and show them what I have and if they okay it I'll post some Pixel 4XL coral builds. But that will be six to nine months away from now. Times are hard. May happen sooner..

@phenomenalblaze I found a tool thats supposedly made for this sort of thing here:
I'm usually not HUGE on using toolkits on Android because you don't learn anything that way you know. .But figured I'd share.

Related

[Help] Unable to use custom ROMs on brand new 3T (touch non responsive once woken)

So about 3 weeks ago my 2 year old 3T just stopped working out of nowhere. I debated on whether to upgrade for over a week, but eventually decided to replace it with the same, just to have the familiar ROM, & not to have to learn anything new or mess with anything else, since I'm going through a lot of personal stuff right now. Anyway, I got the phone over a week ago and I've tried everything since then to get it running something beside OOS to no avail. Every single time it goes to sleep in another ROM, once I wake it up, touch is no longer responsive. I can't for the life of me figure out why. I have tried so many different things, in so many different ways. I know it might sound ridiculous but at this point I'm just in tears... I really need a functional phone, and I never would have bought another OP3T if I knew I'd be stuck with OOS....
The process I went through as soon as I got it:
Unfortunately I don't remember the version of OOS that it came with
- Unlock bootloader
- Flash TWRP (twrp-3.0.4-1 due to a thread I came across and was confused by)
- Wipe everything
- Flash recommended firmware for my ROM (posted in the ROM's thread)
- Flash my favorite ROM (Unofficial RR)
- Flash Magisk
- Boot, everything seems fine, screen goes off, turn it back on, unable to use touchscreen anymore.
I then used the unbrick tool, and tried again. Same problem. Used unbrick tool, unlocked bootloader, this time tried to flash this unofficial Lineage . Booted. It went to sleep. Woke up. Touchscreen nonfunctional.
I shut it down. Unbrick tool. This time I let it update itself all the way up to the very latest version of OOS. I go through the entire process again, this time flashing TWRP 3.2.1.0, it's the same thing. I've tried going up to open beta and then flashing my roms. I've tried flashing the rom without firmware, without magisk. With gapps. Without gapps. I always format and wipe everything. I also tried this on the off chance it might work.... I have seriously done the process every way imaginable, over twenty times since I got the phone last week.... nothing ever works. I also just tried Cyanogenmod, but it wouldn't flash at all.
I don't know what to do anymore. I just want to have a phone that I don't hate. At this point, I am too tired and I've got too much going on to figure this out on my own anymore. I would be grateful to pay someone at this point just to help me get this working honestly.... so if there's anyone out there who knows how to fix this, please let me know
Did you buy a new unit from somewhere or did you get a second hand unit ? In the latter case, the person who owned the device before you might have replaced the display for whatever reason, replaced displays often run into these kind of issues.
Also, does this happen on all the ROMs ? It seems you're only flashing Nougat roms, It could be that the hardware is not falling in line with the older software (just a guess). Try flashing a newer, latest updated pie rom and see how that works out.
Mizart said:
It seems you're only flashing Nougat roms, It could be that the hardware is not falling in line with the older software (just a guess).
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Click to collapse
What does that even mean? Sounds like you are just making stuff up.
---------- Post added at 12:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:19 PM ----------
SpaceOctopus said:
I shut it down. Unbrick tool. This time I let it update itself all the way up to the very latest version of OOS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At any point, did you flash a full OOS zip (over 1 GB) and not just update patches? That is where I would start, to make sure it's one a completely stock baseline (including firmware, etc.).
You can get the latest full update zip from here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-3t/how-to/official-oxygenos-5-0-1-android-8-0-t3728119
@SpaceOctopus
I would try a newer firmware like the
Stable5.0.8 Firmware+Modem_OnePlus3T.zip
I would also recommend the latest TWRP = twrp-3.3.0-1-oneplus3.img
if still not working definitely flash the flash a full OOS zip from the post above which is 5.0.8
else you should try making the jump to a 9.0 PIE ROM, I see an official and unofficial RR if that is your goto ROM, easy to locate in the [INDEX] ROMs, Kernels & Misc. for 3/3T thread
.
Mizart said:
Did you buy a new unit from somewhere or did you get a second hand unit ? In the latter case, the person who owned the device before you might have replaced the display for whatever reason, replaced displays often run into these kind of issues.
Also, does this happen on all the ROMs ? It seems you're only flashing Nougat roms, It could be that the hardware is not falling in line with the older software (just a guess). Try flashing a newer, latest updated pie rom and see how that works out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Brand new from ebay. Sealed in the box.
I did try flashing a more recent version of resurrection remix, but it failed. Any recommendations?
redpoint73 said:
What does that even mean? Sounds like you are just making stuff up.
---------- Post added at 12:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:19 PM ----------
At any point, did you flash a full OOS zip (over 1 GB) and not just update patches? That is where I would start, to make sure it's one a completely stock baseline (including firmware, etc.).
You can get the latest full update zip from here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-3t/how-to/official-oxygenos-5-0-1-android-8-0-t3728119
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean, does using the unbrick tool count? I think it completely flashes everything back to stock. Granted it's a very old version of OOS, but either way I will try that next just in case. Thank you.
hhp_211 said:
@SpaceOctopus
I would try a newer firmware like the
Stable5.0.8 Firmware+Modem_OnePlus3T.zip
I would also recommend the latest TWRP = twrp-3.3.0-1-oneplus3.img
if still not working definitely flash the flash a full OOS zip from the post above which is 5.0.8
else you should try making the jump to a 9.0 PIE ROM, I see an official and unofficial RR if that is your goto ROM, easy to locate in the [INDEX] ROMs, Kernels & Misc. for 3/3T thread
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did try that TWRP eventually. No change. I would probably have switched to pie a while ago, except one small thing. There's an xposed module I'm really attached to, and as far as I'm aware, xposed isn't available on pie? Or at least that's what I've heard/read. It's the xprivacy lua module that lets you control every type of data an app has access to. I think I've tried looking for an alternative and there aren't any, either. :'( You know, sometimes it's just that one small thing... lol
However, I did try to install the most recent version of RR yesterday, and it failed flashing. Don't know why. I'm going to try again after flashing the firmware. Maybe it'll work this time.
Anyway, I'm also going to try what you all have recommended and see what happens. Hopefully something happens. Thank you much for your help
Ok, well, this time it let me install Resurrection Remix latest version. It may not be exactly what I wanted, but it's pretty goddamn close, and it sure as hell isn't OOS! lol
Thanks for your help everyone! I really appreciate it. I do still really wish I knew wtf was happening honestly with it not properly running nougat ROM's, but hey, this works for me. It won't make me want to toss it in a dumpster and set it on fire every time I pick it up. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Maybe I can get someone to figure it out in the future or something, I don't know. I sure wish someone would convert that xprivacy module to work with Magisk though! I'm surprised nobody has even made an alternative or an app or anything like it really.
SpaceOctopus said:
I mean, does using the unbrick tool count? I think it completely flashes everything back to stock. Granted it's a very old version of OOS, but either way I will try that next just in case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the unbrick tool does flash the full OOS. But honestly not 100% sure, as I have never actually had to use the unbrick tool (knock on wood!). Which is one reason I decided to pose that as a question.
In any case, if the unbrick did flash an old OOS, best to replace with newer version (or at least the firmware). Updated firmware typically plays better with the current custom ROMs. And old firmware is often a culprit when random bugs occur after flashing a custom ROM. So again, flashing firmware and/or the full update zip (which also flashes the firmware) is best practice in such cases. And if you are in any doubt about the OOS version or corresponding firmware that was installed, it probably doesn't hurt to flash again.

Treble ROMs

Hi guys, I have an SM-N960F dual sim exynos Note 9 and i have recently discovered this whole other element of ROM flashing known as project treble ROMs. I tried to flash a few different ones and i could only get one to work and the rest all just either bootlooped or stayed on the initial splashscreen. I was wondering if anybody could shed some light on them a bit for me and perhaps knew exactly the best way to flash them, and what firmware is best to start on beforehand etc? I found the whole thing EXTREMELY confusing especially with venfor images and kernel images etc...
Thank you for any input/help!
We can't really use the term Project Treble when talking about Samsung phones. Technically it is implemented, but Samsung being Samsung, it's quite a non-standard implementation and not really compatible with anything else.
oddbehreif said:
We can't really use the term Project Treble when talking about Samsung phones. Technically it is implemented, but Samsung being Samsung, it's quite a non-standard implementation and not really compatible with anything else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive flashed a few of them onto my phone but it seems to be a bit of hit and miss as to whether they boot up or not. The ones that do have been good in terms of the size and speed etc, I even flashed a generic copy of OneUI which worked well.
I am on Pie base using the Dr.Ketan rom, so I tried a few GSIs which are supposed to be compatible with Pie base. I took them from here.
The way I flash them is:
1. Factory reset from TWRP
2. Flash the GSI as system image
3. Flash stock kernel otherwise you will be stuck on boot logo or you will get into bootloop. To flash the stock kernel I just use Dr.Ketan's rom, because the UI upon flashing allows you to choose and flash stock kernel and skip everything else.
(They mention that we should flash Permissiver also, but it gives error so I can't flash it)
So those GSIs boot up, but they are barely usable. The "System is finishing update" and "System setup will start soon" are stuck for me and never finish. Also for example in the PixelExperience9 from this collection I was not even able to add my Google account because of the system auto-closing almost all system apps that I try to open.
It might be that these things should be done in a different way, but this is my experience for now. So..... back to Dr.Ketan ROM. I was really hoping to get the MIUI GSI as daily, but it seems impossible to me.
EDIT: Lol I realised we are the same people talking on the other thread also, so you gave me the link to the treble collection.

No TWRP for the Pixel 4 because of Android 10?

So it seems TWRP might be an issue getting it on our Pixel 4's.
According to @Dees_Troy, its a problem. Seems they don't even have one for the Pixel 3 on Android 10.
@Dees_Troy
"Pixel 4 is in real danger of not getting TWRP for a while after it's released due to all of the changes made in how recovery works in Android 10."
https://mobile.twitter.com/Dees_Troy/status/1171151359564890113
We'll see, fortunately we know we have a working magisk and that actually takes care of everything I do although I miss the convenience of TWRP, no question. The guy seems to work miracles so I wouldn't be surprised to see him figure it out. If not, I suppose I can only be thankful for everything he's done for us already and wish him luck in his next endeavor. I gotta be honest here, way back on windows phone I was surprised the door wasn't being closed on all this stuff. When Android came along it was like the wild west and I thought there was no way it could go on. Now we're here and iin many respects still having our way with our phone. It's been a pretty good ride.
krabman said:
We'll see, fortunately we know we have a working magisk and that actually takes care of everything I do although I miss the convenience of TWRP, no question. The guy seems to work miracles so I wouldn't be surprised to see him figure it out. If not, I suppose I can only be thankful for everything he's done for us already and wish him luck in his next endeavor. I gotta be honest here, way back on windows phone I was surprised the door wasn't being closed on all this stuff. When Android came along it was like the wild west and I thought there was no way it could go on. Now we're here and iin many respects still having our way with our phone. It's been a pretty good ride.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, hopefully I pray he'll figure it out for sure.
Sent from my VS996 using Tapatalk
MicroMod777 said:
So it seems TWRP might be an issue getting it on our Pixel 4's.
According to @Dees_Troy, its a problem. Seems they don't even have one for the Pixel 3 on Android 10.
@Dees_Troy
"Pixel 4 is in real danger of not getting TWRP for a while after it's released due to all of the changes made in how recovery works in Android 10."
https://mobile.twitter.com/Dees_Troy/status/1171151359564890113
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He will get it there is always a way
Damm that's not good.
Personally, I don't need recovery. My first pixel device and the last thing I want to do is flash some half baked custom ROM for it. Everything I need can be flashed through magisk or EXKM. As long as I can root, I'm good
I'll leave @Dees_Troy's full statement - dated 23rd October 2019 - given on the official TWRP website here as well:
Please note that this post is primary related to TWRP and the Pixel 3 and 4 and devices that may ship in the future that ship with Android 10 as their original version of Android. Older non-Pixel devices that shipped with older versions of Android and receive upgrades to Android 10 are not affected.
Long story short, TWRP support for Android 10 is going to take a while.
Android 10 brings about the largest changes to the way AOSP implements recovery since Google shifted recovery from C to C++ when they moved from Android 4.0 to 4.1 more than 7 years ago. A lot of components in AOSP recovery were moved into subfolders, which makes merging the latest changes into TWRP more time consuming. At least on the Pixel 3, the ramdisk that we use for recovery is now handling part of normal boot in addition to recovery, so we're not sure what the best way will be to go about replacing recovery without affecting the ability to boot up normally. In addition, the way Google is building the ramdisk on the Pixel 3 is a lot different than the past. In the past, the executable binaries in the ramdisk were built as static binaries with no linked libraries. TWRP has almost always been built with separate linked libraries. The new dynamically linked stock ramdisk will make it harder for us to slip TWRP into the ramdisk.
Once we get TWRP compiling with the new changes from 10, we have some additional items that need consideration. As mentioned above, the stock ramdisk is using dynamic linking. Unlike TWRP, the stock ramdisk places the executables and libraries in the usual locations inside a /system folder. Normally TWRP leaves /system alone so that we can mount the system partition to its usual location of /system. If we leave things the way they are on the Pixel 3, mounting the system partition gets tricky. A lot of custom zips depend on mounting the system partition to /system.
Android 10 also introduces a new dynamic partitioning system. Instead of having a dedicated system partition and a dedicated vendor partition, etc. Android 10 uses a super partition. I like to think of the super partition as a partition that contains a bunch of smaller partitions. One of the side effects of this dynamic partition system is that Google has chosen to use a form of the ext4 file system that is for all intents and purposes, read-only. This choice means that even if you wanted to, you can't easily mount and modify the system partition. We haven't really discussed this with other developers yet, but it may impact your ability to do things like install Gapps. In addition, the dynamic partition model means that eventually, we should probably provide you, the user, some GUI driven tools in TWRP to allow you to manage the dynamic partitions that are on the super partition.
On top of all of the above, I, Dees_Troy, am the one who usually handles merges of new versions of Android. My wife is currently pregnant with our fourth child. I am quite busy with my growing family and the need to find a bigger house, so my time for working on TWRP right now is somewhat limited. So, I guess please be patient, or feel free to download the TWRP source code and make the needed changes yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Source: twrp.me
My guess is: we got to get familiar with manually patching boot images regarding Magisk, and maybe with flashin ROMs shipping as a GSI (Generic System Image). First time I made such an assumption was, when the first GSIs startet popping up in the respective section here on XDA, and I still guess that this is the way to go for future modding.
5m4r7ph0n36uru said:
I'll leave @Dees_Troy's full statement - dated 23rd October 2019 - given on the official TWRP website here as well:
Source: twrp.me
My guess is: we got to get familiar with manually patching boot images regarding Magisk, and maybe with flashin ROMs shipping as a GSI (Generic System Image). First time I made such an assumption was, when the first GSIs startet popping up in the respective section here on XDA, and I still guess that this is the way to go for future modding.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This has been known since before we even got our devices in hand, statement has been shared long ago... When it was new.
wrongway213 said:
This has been known since before we even got our devices in hand, statement has been shared long ago... When it was new.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I know. But I saw yet another thread about TWRP for Pixel on Android 10 popping up, which implies that this thread, as well as this information still isn't widely spread/known as of yet. Just wanted to prevent further TWRP threads popping up on Pixel 4 forums.
Sent from my Google Pixel 4 XL using XDA Labs
5m4r7ph0n36uru said:
Yes, I know. But I saw yet another thread about TWRP for Pixel on Android 10 popping up, which implies that this thread, as well as this information still isn't widely spread/known as of yet. Just wanted to prevent further TWRP threads popping up on Pixel 4 forums.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't prevent the inevitable. There's always going to some users who don't understand how to use Google or XDA search
GOOGLE Pixel 4XL (coral) - QQ1B.200105.004 - Android 10 . My same rig.
Any updates on TWRP?
kb5rir said:
GOOGLE Pixel 4XL (coral) - QQ1B.200105.004 - Android 10 . My same rig.
Any updates on TWRP?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No
Can you boot (not flash) to TWRP on the Pixel 4 XL? The only convenience I'll miss compared to my Pixel 2XL is being able to boot to TWRP and flash Magisk if so...
WorldOfJohnboy said:
Can you boot (not flash) to TWRP on the Pixel 4 XL? The only convenience I'll miss compared to my Pixel 2XL is being able to boot to TWRP and flash Magisk if so...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it's got to do with the dynamic partitions and mounting /system. From what I've read, even if you booted twrp it would no be functional.
I can only imagine the effects of this dynamic partition on other useful projects like microG...we have our work cut out for us here. I smell innovation!

[GUIDE] Install GSI on U.S. Snapdragon S9/S9+ [U/U1 Variants]

So...
The U.S. variants finally have root, this is a very exciting moment for S9/N9/S9+/N9+ users that always wanted to do more with your device. I wanted to create this thread separate from the root thread as I think GSIs are a whole different thing. It's actually pretty simple once you've read, understood and even tried the root method running Oreo Samsung Experience. The steps are very similar but you just swap out the system image.
So please, take the time to read the thread for the Extreme Syndicate root method here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...pment/root-t4041815/post81608559#post81608559
I am going to quote some of the stuff in that thread directly as all of it still applies here.
Please take your time and make sure you follow the instructions carefully.
This method is brought to you entirely by @elliwigy He is the reason for this exploit and method.
With that being said, Extreme Syndicate Root is now available!
​
Disclaimer:
The Extreme Syndicate team and it's affiliates are not responsible for your actions or your device if any issues are to arise. You flash this and utilize these files at your own risk. You have been warned!
The Adventure!:
I will not get into any technical details here. Just know that this method has taken me ~1 year from start to finish. I also went through a number of devices during this time (at least 7 devices), even sold my original N9 then somehow ended up with another one before this root method was found. Some of us devs might be a bit burnt out so don't get upset if we are not in here all day every day answering everyones questions. We hope users will help eachother, that is what XDA is all about! Also, if you want more real time conversation/support then please join our Telegram group (link posted below) as this is easier for us to moderate and allows discussion to be had in real time. I don't always check XDA messages or PM's as it can be a lot and very tiresome so your best bet is Telegram!
Also, donations/money is not expected or required but if you feel obliged to share what you can then that would be greatly appreciated! Donations keep me on the grind and sometimes can even help me in acquiring other devices to work on. I had issues with Paypal a while back (SamPWND days) and do not have a Paypal account. I do however have a Venmo and Transferwise accounts that work in most situations.
Venmo - http://www.venmo.com/Thomas-Huntington-10
Transferwise - PM @elliwigy for info to donate using Transferwise.
Now Let's get into the files/method!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Download the following:
- Root files from Extreme Syndicate that belong to your device
- The GSI you want to download (for these devices you need arm64 a-only. With gapps included should be your priority)
- Sh remover zip uploaded here.
- Alternative: ODM nosu zip
2. In odin folder flash the combo firmware
3. Once combo is booted up run the root bat. When done phone will reboot to download.
4. In odin flash the bootswap.tar.md5 file. What this does is swaps the boot and recovery images which allows system to be mounted rw.
5. Now when done flashing you need to hold the buttons to boot to recovery but since we swapped boot and recovery images it will boot system.
6. Now put your phone in airplane mode. This must be done whenever using Flashfire. Copy the system.img (your GSI img) , vendor.img, Sh remover.zip and ODM zip files to your phone.
- NOTE: Flashfire doesn't let you chose the partition on where it's going to flash any image. It decides on where to flash based on the name of the image. So if your gsi is named GSIName-arm64-a-nosu.img then flashfire will have no idea where to flash it. I would rename the img to something like system-GSIName-arm64-a-nosu.img.... or just system.img lol
- NOTE 2: I uploaded a ODM NOROOT.zip. Reason being that some gsi come preloaded with supersu. In theory, using the regular ODM_ROOT.zip from the Extreme Syndicate method should work fine even if the GSI comes prerooted, I just didn't test it with that lol. You should definitely use the root variant if the GSI doesn't say it comes rooted.
7. In Flashfire, choose zip and select the odm zip (root or unrooted, your choice. Read note above). Make sure you select "Mount /system read/write" when the Options pop up. This is necessary or else it will not boot, always chose this on everything. Then choose firmware and choose the system.img and the vendor.img. Then choose data wipe and wipe user and system data (the default choices). Make sure inject super su is NOT enabled. Disable it. Do not let flashfire inject root!!. Then choose zip again and select the Sh remover.zip (select to mount system read/write)
- NOTE: I added the Sh remover zip because some GSI (particularly Android 9 GSI) have a track record of having some problems booting up in Samsung devices. This zip should remove the system/bin/rw_system.sh file. There's no bad side of not having this file on GSI's that don't share this problem, so I'm making it a mandatory step to avoid as much problems as possible
8.. Now click flash. When finished you will have to hold buttons to reboot to recovery until you see boot animation. You must do this on every reboot. If you do not it will reboot to stock recovery. If it reboots to stock recovery just reboot system and hold buttons to reboot to recovery again.
9. When rom is booted up your computer will not recognize the phone for mtp file transfer. Adb does still work so you can transfer stuff that way (you need to switch to ptp transfer method in the dropdown) or use USB adapter and use a thumb drive.
10. Biometrics do not work so don’t try to setup fingerprint or face recognition.
And that's it, you should have your GSI up and running.
Let's keep all the GSI talk on this thread please. I will do my best to keep this thread updated with fixes, compatibility and news. For now, take a look at the confirmed working GSI:
Confirmed working:
- PHH Android 9 GSI
- HavocOS 2.9
- PHH Android 10 GSI (Added bug: WiFi is broken, working on a fix)
Confirmed not working:
- Pixel Experience Android 9
- OxygenOS (Erfan's GSI) (I wouldn't recommend GSI from other OEMs anyway)
ShoutOuts:
@elliwigy For the method and help and everything else
@klabit87 - Ditto
@me2151 - Ditto
@gsm-CHEN - Ditto
@jrkruse - For all the help and support for S9 variants
@everyone else I am forgetting!
ENJOY!
Join is in Telegram where we can discuss GSI and help with problems more quickly
Link: https://t.me/joinchat/HYvgAlUgyqKq9__Y5yg1uA
Reserved 2
Nice guide! I'm sure you'll have plenty of input from others that have tested various gsi.
klabit87 said:
Nice guide! I'm sure you'll have plenty of input from others that have tested various gsi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the plan. To hopefully fill this thread with GSIs that work, the ones that don't and any additional fixes to get some to boot.
Great news. Seems HavocOS 2.9 (Android 9) boots pretty well. This is great! Udating post to add link.
EDIT: Also added PHH Android 10. It boots!
just so everyone knows, so far the bugs with the PHH 9 GSI is that no mobile data,messaging and calling will work.
Root on "U" variants! Wahooooo!! Ooo! Ooo!
Anyway, I've been doing this since the galaxy s3 and jailbreaking iPhone since the 3gs... but it's not a every day thing for me and I would assume the same for many others. I do it full tilt "all of my personal time" for a few months get stuff working, backup and then go about my business. I have been forced to switch from my beloved note 4 to this corporate controlled piece or Samsung stuff for $1K and finally someone hacked it! Well done and thank you soooooo very much!!
Anyway, this GSI thing is entirely new to me. I dont know what it is, how it works, what is means etc... it seems to be a relatively new thing. Maybe within the past year or so?
So what I would recomend and ask for is a brief history and explanation of what it is and what is does, where it came from etc... does it make my touchwiz phone like stock android? What aspect of the rom does it replace? System.img I assume but why is it needed? What is the reason it's not needed for Android 8 but is needed for 9 and up?
Of course all of us can google it and and wade through all the documentation on it which I will do and eventually figure it out but I noticed on telegram there are a ton of questions about it since, well, almost everyone has Android 9 on their devices. So it might help in reducing the repetitive questions if there was a quick but detailed write up on GSI from some of you ultra smart type peeps that know about it. My guess is most people won't spend the necessary time required to research GSI which can take days, weeks, months... some of us have kids and demanding jobs and have to cook, clean, repair, work, doctors, school, etc etc.. while others such as myself have opted to go the route of a professional career with no kids and can spend the time researching... Just a suggestion...
Again thank you to all the super smart type fellas and ladies aka DEVs that continue to fight the good fight and make this entire thing possible for the rest of us that are less capable in this area of expertise . You guys rock! Like kick serious @$$ kinda rock!
Zaileion said:
Root on "U" variants! Wahooooo!! Ooo! Ooo!
Anyway, I've been doing this since the galaxy s3 and jailbreaking iPhone since the 3gs... but it's not a every day thing for me and I would assume the same for many others. I do it full tilt "all of my personal time" for a few months get stuff working, backup and then go about my business. I have been forced to switch from my beloved note 4 to this corporate controlled piece or Samsung stuff for $1K and finally someone hacked it! Well done and thank you soooooo very much!!
Anyway, this GSI thing is entirely new to me. I dont know what it is, how it works, what is means etc... it seems to be a relatively new thing. Maybe within the past year or so?
So what I would recomend and ask for is a brief history and explanation of what it is and what is does, where it came from etc... does it make my touchwiz phone like stock android? What aspect of the rom does it replace? System.img I assume but why is it needed? What is the reason it's not needed for Android 8 but is needed for 9 and up?
Of course all of us can google it and and wade through all the documentation on it which I will do and eventually figure it out but I noticed on telegram there are a ton of questions about it since, well, almost everyone has Android 9 on their devices. So it might help in reducing the repetitive questions if there was a quick but detailed write up on GSI from some of you ultra smart type peeps that know about it. My guess is most people won't spend the necessary time required to research GSI which can take days, weeks, months... some of us have kids and demanding jobs and have to cook, clean, repair, work, doctors, school, etc etc.. while others such as myself have opted to go the route of a professional career with no kids and can spend the time researching... Just a suggestion...
Again thank you to all the super smart type fellas and ladies aka DEVs that continue to fight the good fight and make this entire thing possible for the rest of us that are less capable in this area of expertise . You guys rock! Like kick serious @$$ kinda rock!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can sort of give a very brief explanation of sort of how I see it.
And I say sort of because I really don't consider myself an expert, just read a few things here and there
I'm going to go over what "Project Treble" really is, I don't know if you've heard this term thrown around when talking about GSI.
Google made "Project Treble" much more simple with the intention that OEMs would hurry up and release updates faster lol
What happens now is that there is a new partition of where the Android OS takes its resources, and that's the "/vendor" partition. Everything from the drivers to the bluetooth, wifi, sensors, camera, etc.... is found here
Every device that are "Treble" enabled means that they have this "/vendor" partition
So why the S9? Why not the S8, S7, etc...?
Google made it mandatory for all the devices that released with Android Oreo to be "Treble Enabled" out of the box and made it up to the manufacturer to make old devices Treble compatible
But let's not kid ourselves, we all knew that Samsung wouldn't go back on the S8, S7, Note 8, etc... and treblelize them, that's not their style. Though most OEM's didn't do that anyway, there are a very few that actually did.
From the S9 and onwards, all these devices have Project Treble.
So, now we get to what the GSI actually are.
Think of it as ROMs, pretty straight forward.
Now the AndroidOS takes all its hardware resources from "/vendor", these GSI can work on almost all devices out there. Sure there may still exists some compatibility issues here and there but it's much easier to fix them.
So in theory, even if Samsung stops development on the S9 with Android 11, which of course we're all expecting, we can still flash Android 11 GSI when they start coming out because the S9 is Treble enabled
I hope this sort of gave you an idea of what the whole GSI and Project Treble situation is.
PHH Android 9 GSI - Calls no Volume Fix
Just to add onto that, I would like to say that If you are to flash PHH Android 9 GSI and HavocOS 2.9. It doesn't have the calling feature working from the get go. You would be able to make a call to a person, but you won't be able to hear them or they won't be able to hear you. This is an ongoing problem with that GSI. A possible work around for that would be found on
https://forum.xda-developers.com/as...-to/guide-call-fix-patch-gsi-testing-t3791660
Although, I haven't tried it. I am in the process to try and fix this. Will update once done. I cannot thank enough the author and everyone else involved in getting this root to work and along with that being able to flash custom Roms. This is amazing.
What about AOSP 9.0 and 10.0? Do those work?
Mogster2K said:
What about AOSP 9.0 and 10.0? Do those work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally haven't tested any more, been busy. You are free to test them yourself and post links to which work. The one consistent bug we did find on Android 10 GSI is broken WiFi.
This works on the 965U, the locked ATT version? This does work on the 965U, I answered my own question.
EDIT: this does not trip knox, sorry for the question. I am RTFM now
Which vendor.img should we use if flashing PHH's GSI 9 or 10?
Mogster2K said:
Which vendor.img should we use if flashing PHH's GSI 9 or 10?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The latest Oreo one included in the Syndicate root method
I've run into a problem. I thought PHH's GSI did not have root installed but apparently it does. Unfortunately I flashed ODM_ROOT.zip instead of ODM+NOROOT.zip, and it seems to have broken FlashFire. It's stuck on "Acquiring root access" even tho it already has root. Is there a way to fix this without losing root, or is there another app I can use besides FlashFire? Thanks
Mogster2K said:
I've run into a problem. I thought PHH's GSI did not have root installed but apparently it does. Unfortunately I flashed ODM_ROOT.zip instead of ODM+NOROOT.zip, and it seems to have broken FlashFire. It's stuck on "Acquiring root access" even tho it already has root. Is there a way to fix this without losing root, or is there another app I can use besides FlashFire? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh... so now we know that a rooted GSI + the ODM_ROOT zip DOES cause a problem.
Yeah it sucks that on some GSI, the devs don't disclose it's got SU binaries already
What I would do is to look inside one (or both) of your SU apps and see if Flashfire has requested for SU access and it's got it negated for some reason.
If not, then I would just start over with the whole rooting process
Mogster2K said:
I've run into a problem. I thought PHH's GSI did not have root installed but apparently it does. Unfortunately I flashed ODM_ROOT.zip instead of ODM+NOROOT.zip, and it seems to have broken FlashFire. It's stuck on "Acquiring root access" even tho it already has root. Is there a way to fix this without losing root, or is there another app I can use besides FlashFire? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also clear the data for flashfire and force close it. I. The past we had to just grant all su permissions to get it to work flashfire has been real buggy on s8 and up sometimes
Safe strap possibly.
ShaDisNX255 said:
Huh... so now we know that a rooted GSI + the ODM_ROOT zip DOES cause a problem.
Yeah it sucks that on some GSI, the devs don't disclose it's got SU binaries already
What I would do is to look inside one (or both) of your SU apps and see if Flashfire has requested for SU access and it's got it negated for some reason.
If not, then I would just start over with the whole rooting process
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, that's what I ended up doing. I managed to get the rooted Oreo image installed. Another note: PHH 10 v213 does not work with Spectrum Wireless (code CHA). I had no wifi and no mobile data and was stuck on the Google setup for a long time. Anyone here have Spectrum working on a GSI?
Just confirmed that Spectrum Wireless data doesn't work on PHH 9.0 v123 either.

Question (Q) GSI images

Have never needed to install a GSI before but as we're kind of stuck here without a single custom ROM, I thought I'd have a look.
AFAIK installing one of these would still leave the door open for stock recovery to be used should something go wrong, so as long as you've made a back up it should be fine.
I'm just curious as to the method of installation?
Has anyone had any experience with GSI ROMs before.
How was it? Did it work?
Would DSU image loader be an option?
I've attached what treble version we have and the relevant info required from the treble info app.
Apparently we have VNDK compatibility, not sure what that is but we have it.
Hi @dladz, I ran into a similar question three years ago when I bought a Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro. I was so used to using custom ROMs that I didn't even check before I bought it whether any custom ROMs would be available.
I was honestly shocked to see that that wasn't the case - there was absolutely NOTHING available - and that I had ended up with a device that couldn't even be unlocked right away, you had to wait and open a Mi account to be allowed to unlock it. I couldn't believe it at the time, I had come from a OnePlus X and had helped others root and install custom ROMs on other OnePlus phones without any problems, so I felt like I had just thrown quite some money out the window to run around with a mobile Chinese Spyware gadget I didn't want to use.
That was the first time I ever came across the term GSI ROM and it took me several weeks to figure out how to flash a ROM that I could also use afterwards. I knew I wouldn't want to have a stock ROM by a company that has very loose data privacy standards and even clearly states they collect your data (Lesson learned, I thought, I just had to buy a "proper" phone again and no more phones from budget manufacturers).
Several weeks later, after I had finally managed to get a custom GSI ROM working on my device I posted a lengthy how-to here on XDA.
Again, it took me weeks to get everything to work that I could not go without. And even then, I had to resign to the fact that many features of the phone would not be working (The fingerprint sensor, for example. Also, the Xiaomi Mi stock rom apparently had excellent GPS support (dual GPS support) but GPS positioning is just alright on the GSI ROM I'm using, also there were many cool Xiaomi apps like a compass app that wouldn't work outside MIUI). But I was more than happy I had gotten different GSI ROMs to work in the end and settled on one that I could live with, knowing my phone wouldn't be sending data to some Chinese servers constantly.
Now that the Mi 8 Pro has become a bit slower over time with all the latest apps, I took the plunge and spent a ton of money on the OnePlus 10 Pro 256 GB version only to be disappointed again, but this time by a company that used to be the epitome of openness when it came to custom development.
I got my OnePlus 10 Pro on release in my region in April, together with the 50W wireless charger and both have been sitting here since April, I'm not touching that phone until I can remove all the Spyware it comes installed with. At this stage, I'm not yet willing to go through the weeklong trial-and-error again that it took to get the Mi 8 Pro running a custom GSI ROM (also considering that some of its features never worked...), but if OnePlus doesn't get its **** together soon with the MSM tool and some openness towards developers, I will seriously just consider selling it on eBay again (It is brandnew after all) and will never buy another phone from OnePlus again. This has been an extreme disappointment and I'm still struggling to understand why they wouldn't support custom development any more. I had checked the OnePlus 9 Pro threads on XDA just to see if there's still custom development going on for OnePlus and it seemed everything was still OK, but now... .
On a more positive note: The Mi 8 Pro did eventually get some custom ROM love and there are now several ROMS to choose from, so to answer your original question - If you ask me, don't bother with GSI ROMs until we can be sure there won't be any custom ROMs for our phone. I'm still hoping that will be the case.
Gsi will work but no fingerprint or faceunlock.
Installing is easy just reboot to fastbootd open device with fastboot enchanted and delete all _cow files and reboot too bootloader flash stock vbmeta with
"fastboot --disable-verity --disable-verification vbmeta vbmeta"
Download gsi that you like and flash it in fastbootd using "fastboot flash system gsi.img"
MrScarl3t said:
Gsi will work but no fingerprint or faceunlock. And many more visual glitches.
Installing is easy just reboot to fastbootd open device with fastboot enchanted and delete all _cow files and reboot too bootloader flash stock vbmeta with
"fastboot --disable-verity --disable-verification vbmeta vbmeta"
Download gsi that you like and flash it in fastbootd using "fastboot flash system gsi.img"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well... I tried GSI and some steps and sure enough I broke my phone (hard brick) so now I'm on Google 6 pro
MrScarl3t said:
Gsi will work but no fingerprint or faceunlock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless someone posts a step-by-step guide with screenshots of a successful flash, I wouldn't believe anything.
This sounds more like it:
Twiggy000b said:
Well... I tried GSI and some steps and sure enough I broke my phone (hard brick) so now I'm on Google 6 pro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It took me weeks going back and forth, going back to stock and retrying again before I had any luck at all with my Mi 8 Pro.
Theoretically, it should work, but you can easily hard-brick your phone if you take one wrong turn and then goodbye to a phone with a premium price tag and no open MSM tool available... .
yo-less said:
It took me weeks going back and forth, going back to stock and retrying again before I had any luck at all with my Mi 8 Pro.
Theoretically, it should work, but you can easily hard-brick your phone if you take one wrong turn and then goodbye to a phone with a premium price tag and no open MSM tool available... .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah was not happy said screw it and went back to google at least ive got lineage os now lol but still what a waste of 1k
Twiggy000b said:
Yeah was not happy said screw it and went back to google at least ive got lineage os now lol but still what a waste of 1k
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try sending it in?
I'll make a guide just like I did with the Xiaomi 11t pro. Post it within a week
Already did it when I got the device but I use the fingerprint alot so not for me.
Only tricky is reflashing system when you want to go for stock again.
nah i reached out and oneplus never got back to me.
sorry to hear that :/
Twiggy000b said:
Well... I tried GSI and some steps and sure enough I broke my phone (hard brick) so now I'm on Google 6 pro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What phone was you on mate??
MrScarl3t said:
I'll make a guide just like I did with the Xiaomi 11t pro. Post it within a week
Already did it when I got the device but I use the fingerprint alot so not for me.
Only tricky is reflashing system when you want to go for stock again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be great, I'll be your test subject, I can live without fingerprint and face unlock.
Think the camera might be a bit meh but maybe I can live with that.
Another odd thing is I got treble check and it said I cannot use treble ROMs?
No idea if that's true but that's what the app said.
dladz said:
That would be great, I'll be your test subject, I can live without fingerprint and face unlock.
Think the camera might be a bit meh but maybe I can live with that.
Another odd thing is I got treble check and it said I cannot use treble ROMs?
No idea if that's true but that's what the app said.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah camera is gcam but the main sensor is fine with it.
Every OnePlus 10 pro works with gsi, and general boot images as well. I will start tomorrow making the guide.
Will test if you can use rollback zip to get back to stock
Here you go https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/how-to-flash-a-gsi-on-oneplus-10-pro-t.4479429/
MrScarl3t said:
Here you go https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/how-to-flash-a-gsi-on-oneplus-10-pro-t.4479429/
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