Xiaomi Poco F1 (Beryllium)

joel · 16 Jul 2020, 00:59

This is a port of Ubuntu Touch to Xiaomi Poco F1 (Beryllium).

Sources: https://gitlab.com/ubports/community-ports/android9/xiaomi-poco-f1

What Works

Wifi
Bluetooth
Mobile Data
Calls
Audio
GPS
Fingerprint
Sensors

What Doesn't Work Properly

Automatic Brightness
Offline charging

You can track the overall porting status here : https://devices.ubuntu-touch.io/

Instructions
Requires Unlocked Bootloader and Custom Recovery (TWRP recommended). Backup your files. We will be doing a clean installation.

Recommended way to install is using the Ubports installer: https://devices.ubuntu-touch.io/installer/

The instruction to install ubports without Ubports installer or pc: (Not recommended, as it will install old version of ubports which needs to be updated after installation. So do it only if not able to use the ubports installer)

Download the android pie firmware from here : https://xiaomifirmwareupdater.com/firmware/beryllium/stable/V11.0.5.0.PEJMIXM/
Download Ubports recovery from here: https://github.com/ubports-beryllium/artifacts/releases/download/v3/recovery.img
Download android pie vendor from here: https://github.com/ubports-beryllium/artifacts/releases/download/v3/vendor.img
Download the boot and system image from ubports gitlab ci. U can to select the latest "devel-flashable" ci job from the link. Then "Browse" artifacts from the right sidebar which u can get by clicking on the "<<" button in top right corner if u r using mobile phone to download it. Then click on the out folder. Download boot and system image file from there
https://gitlab.com/ubports/community-ports/android9/xiaomi-poco-f1/xiaomi-beryllium/-/jobs
As of writing this, the link of latest job is
https://gitlab.com/ubports/community-ports/android9/xiaomi-poco-f1/xiaomi-beryllium/-/jobs/1489635621/artifacts/browse/out/
Copy these files to pendrive using otg or memory card as we will format data.
Take backup of ur internal storage data, if needed, as everything will be erased during the installation.
Reboot into twrp. Wipe cache, system, etc. Then click "Format Data" option. This will erase all ur data.
Reboot into twrp AGAIN. Install the latest firmware zip file from memory card/otg pendrive.
U can use twrp to flash the image files too by clicking "Install image" option in twrp. Then select

Boot image and flash to boot partition.
Recovery image to recovery partition (remember twrp will be replaced with ubports recovery. This is needed for updating ubports properly)
Vendor image to vendor partition
System image to system partition.

Reboot to system. And it should hopefully boot Ubports. If it doesn't boot on the 1st attempt. Try rebooting few times and see if it boots.
Once it boots, go to settings and update the os 1st. As the ci has old version of ubports.

Issues/Bug Reports
Feel free to report issues here: Gitlab. Do attach the below logs for debugging:
kernel log:
dmesg

syslog:
cat /var/log/syslog

logcat:
sudo -s
then
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/system/lib64 lxc-attach -e -n android -- /system/bin/logcat

Hack, Have Fun and Peace!

TotalSonic · 16 Jul 2020, 20:55

@joel - Thanks so much for this!
What is the current status for camera, camera flash/zoom, torch, and video encoding/decoding for the F1?

Best regards,
Steve Berson

mikhael · 28 Jul 2020, 04:19

@joel Thank you very much! Works great!

@TotalSonic said in Xiaomi Poco F1 (Beryllium):

What is the current status for camera, camera flash/zoom, torch, and video encoding/decoding for the F1?

Camera works, recording videos works, flash works, torch works. Haven't tried playing local video files other than taken with camera, but youtube in Morph works.

Fartroice · 16 Sept 2020, 07:43

@joel said in Xiaomi Poco F1 (Beryllium):

This is a port of Ubuntu Touch to Xiaomi Poco F1 (Beryllium).

Sources: https://github.com/ubports-beryllium
Kernel: https://github.com/ubports-beryllium/android_kernel_xiaomi_sdm845
Device: https://github.com/ubports-beryllium/android_device_xiaomi_beryllium
Halium: https://github.com/ubports-beryllium/local_manifests/blob/master/roomservice.xml

What Works

Wifi

Bluetooth

Mobile Data

Calls

Audio

GPS

Fingerprint

Sensors

What Doesn't Work Properly

Dual Sim usage. Sometimes calls on sim 1 crash with dual sims. Best config is a single sim on slot 2.

The wifi driver doesnt go into sleep mode leading to battery drain when left on for a long time.

Overall Reliability. This is an early/initial effort to run linux on Poco F1. Expect lot of bugs.

You can track the overall porting status here : https://github.com/ubports-beryllium/projectmanagement/issues/20

Instructions
Requires Unlocked Bootloader and Custom Recovery (TWRP recommended). Backup your files. We will be doing a clean installation.
Wipe Dalvik/ART Cache, Cache, System, Data.

Download Android Pie firmware V11.0.5.0 from here and install it from twrp.

Download and install Lineage-16.0 (Pie) from twrp.

After installing lineageos, FORMAT DATA from twrp. (Your Internal Storage will be wiped)

Download the latest UBports GSI image from here and copy it to your device and install the zip file from twrp.

Download the latest halium-boot image from here

You can copy it to device, and use "Install Image" option in twrp to install the halium-boot.img to the Boot partition.
or
You can use your computer to flash the halium boot image using fastboot.

Reboot to the system. Ubuntu should boot.

Both the default username and password is "phablet". You can change it later from terminal using passwd command as in linux os.
To install the proper camera app with fix, open the terminal app in the phone
OR connect your phone to the computer with USB and ssh phablet@10.15.19.82
and run the following commands (Internet Required)
wget https://static.peat-network.xyz/junk/ubports/com.ubuntu.camera_3.1.2+gstdroid3_armhf.click

pkcon install-local --allow-untrusted com.ubuntu.camera_3.1.2+gstdroid3_armhf.click
Thats it!

Issues/Bug Reports
Feel free to report issues here: Github. Do attach the below logs for debugging:
kernel log:
dmesg

syslog:
cat /var/log/syslog

logcat:
sudo -s
then
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/system/lib64 lxc-attach -e -n android -- /system/bin/logcat

Hack, Have Fun and Peace!

Hi, will this receive OTA updates in line with the official UBports Rom?

AppLee · 16 Sept 2020, 13:23

@Fartroice
If I'm correct, depending on how well featured is the port it will then be added to the installer:
https://forums.ubports.com/topic/4328/qa-checklist-for-ported-devices

But I don't know the details.

mikhael · 24 Dec 2020, 09:44

@joel thank you for your work!

I'm using Ubuntu Touch on Poco as my daily driver and with the latest update to the halium-boot it seems really stable and won't even discharge anymore! Really, today is fifth day since i've charged it and it still has 35% of battery remaining.

Peter Gamma · 24 Dec 2020, 12:54

@mikhael Thanks for sharing. Xiaomi devices become more and more interesting. Xiaomi Redmi6 is one of the few devices which have native ANT+ support for sports sensors. I never saw a custom ROM with ANT+ support.

Peter Gamma · 29 Dec 2020, 16:09

@joel, great work. I was looking for a mobile device for EEGLAB/BCILAB. EEGLAB runs on Linux Octave and needs according to the system requirements 4 GB of RAM. I wrote a feature request in the PinePhone community for more RAM for the PinePhone, but there are no signs that this dream comes true. So I will definitely have an eye on this powerful Xiaomi phone on the long term. Thanks a lot for your contribution :smiling_face: .

libremax · 29 Dec 2020, 18:06

@peter-gamma said in Xiaomi Poco F1 (Beryllium):

@joel, great work. I was looking for a mobile device for EEGLAB/BCILAB. EEGLAB runs on Linux Octave and needs according to the system requirements 4 GB of RAM. I wrote a feature request in the PinePhone community for more RAM for the PinePhone, but there are no signs that this dream comes true.

This dream can't come true, the SOC Allwiner A64 support "Up to 3GB address space":
https://files.pine64.org/doc/datasheet/pine64/Allwinner_A64_User_Manual_V1.0.pdf , page 62.

Peter Gamma · 30 Dec 2020, 09:55

@libremax thanks, good to know. Maybe the system requirements of EEGLAB (with the real-time EEGLAB plugin BCILAB) is 4 GB only in combination with Matlab, since Matlab requires 4 GB, and running on Octave it is lower, I did not test it, but it is better to be on the sure sight.

Peter Gamma · 31 Dec 2020, 20:16

BCILAB does not run yet on Octave, but Arnaud Delorme, EEGLAB developer from the Swartz Center of Computational Neuroscience says:

"I do not think that it is too far out if somebody wanted to take the lead on that."

https://github.com/sccn/BCILAB/issues/36

If this software runs on the Pocophone F1, then it could become an attractive research device for neuroscientists.

Peter Gamma · 14 Jan 2021, 09:01

There is a thread on xda developers about the Pocophone F1 and Ubuntu touch. He had problem with the SD card. Does SD card read write work with your installation?

Peter Gamma · 18 Jan 2021, 19:18

@mikhael said in Xiaomi Poco F1 (Beryllium):

@joel thank you for your work!

I'm using Ubuntu Touch on Poco as my daily driver and with the latest update to the halium-boot it seems really stable and won't even discharge anymore! Really, today is fifth day since i've charged it and it still has 35% of battery remaining.

This is great. Reviews say battery life of Poco F1 is around 7 to 8 hours. I'm looking for a linux device for 24h * 7d sensor data aquisition, this requires the device run. 24h * 7d. How long is battey life of the Poco F1 in this mode?

Peter Gamma · 15 Feb 2021, 04:36

An advantage of the Poco F1: I suppose it should be possible to use it with an usb-c adapter, for instance to get an additional port for charging, HDMI, keyboard and other periferals:

https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/rom-ubports-gsi-ubuntu-touch-for-poco-f1-pie-based-alpha-2-unofficial-updated.4133513/page-4#post-84490099

Xiaomi Redmi 7 Onclite has no usb-c, only micro usb.

Hasodikis · 7 Jan 2022, 07:15

I just installed Ubuntu Touch to my old Pocophone F1 using the Ubports Installer.
It was a pain in the @ss to do everything in mac os x (i even managed to unlock the bootloader in mac os x with an app that had to be modified and rebuilt)..... but in the end everything worked !!!!!

I am impressed by you job and efforts.... CUDOS!!!

The only thing that bothers me is the notch.
I applied the notch fix..... but still cannot see the top bar in the homescreen. It corrected things when i pull down the menu.... but at the "home" screen the notch still gets in the way...

Peter Gamma · 30 Mar 2022, 16:45

The Poco F1 is a powerful device, I have several of those, but still genuine. Unfortunately, it is not possible to write to the external SD card with Ubports, which is essential for me personally, what I found out recently.

Solution:

install PostmarketOS on it
but before this, a solution which I could live with, what about:

Setting up a SMB(Windows) file server

https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=4983

do you think it works on a Poco F1 Uborts?

darkeye · 27 May 2022, 17:58

Hey,
Does anyone knows whatbisbthebissue with the automatic broghtness?
As it seems that the proximity and light sensors are working, is hust missing repowerd configuration or is there othee issues with it?

Thank you