I figured out a way to do a manual install using TWRP of an old version of UBPorts, then I can use the UBPorts installer on a phone that has UBPorts on it already. So I do not need to try building from source and doing these things. Marked as solved. I put the steps I took in the OnePlus specific forum instead of the general support area.
If on the off chance anybody actually knows how to use this script, I would like to hear about it. Feel free to put the information out there.
Summary: After a long tortuous string of failed attempts to simply install using the UBPorts installer on my OP6t, I finally got it installed using a more manual method. My install steps were as follows:
The longer story for anybody that wants or needs it. Resource links at the bottom.
The most important item in all of this, for me, was the MSMTool. When I originally got a Pixel 3aXL and installed UBPorts on it the process was so simple and so easy that I did not expect the brutal experience I found when I obtained a OP 6t. I have easily bricked this phone close to 10 times trying and failing to attempt to install using pretty much just the UBPorts installer without already having UBPorts on the 6t.
The first time I tried installing using the official installer I didn't think anything of it when I got the message that "sdm845" is a "Device not supported" since the 6t is listed on the official list of supported devices. The page itself says "Developers from the community built this port and reported full functionality." and it also says on this page (link 1) "Easy install with UBports installer" - Wrong. Wrong wrong. I learned the hard way. If you get the message that sdm845 is not supported and you attempt to install, it WILL brick your phone. Maybe its just me, but I see a lot of reports both on Github/Gitlab as well as this forum about the sdm845 error message so I think some others can relate to my experience.
After the first brick happened MSMtool (link 2) became my golden ticket to unlimited 1-UPs. After getting the unlock bin from One Plus, I tried manually installing in Fastboot, tried manually installing in recovery, manually with the phone booted. Nothing would work. All I got for my efforts was brick after brick after brick after brick. So I sought out videos online that might shed clues. I kept seeing people that said they had it working. What mysterious magic were they conjuring to do this? - because I just was not seeing it. Someone out there has this working. I know I can get it to work and I've got MSMTool so I can do it again and again.
Geotechland really filled in most of the gaps I needed (link 3) and overall it is a great video. But where the video is most crucial, that information is missing. Around the 8, 9, 10 minute mark of the video does not show the final intricate steps taken to do the install. Geotechland links to a Github page for the 6t (link 4), which is where I get my original files from. These files work and result in a successfully working UBPorts phone. I first used the target.zip as specified in the instructions, then a short while later used the halium-boot.img file.
In order to understand TWRP I watched this short video (link 5). Also bricked the 6t twice on this, mainly just getting the order of operations wrong attempting to work with slot a and slot b. The most important thing is do not install TWRP but only use it "live". Now maybe I could learn how to install TWRP and also install UBPorts, but I do not care to do that. I only want rid of Android and only want UBPorts installed, so I also quickly gave up on the slot a / b stuff. I don't need that. Using TWRP "live" is important to simplifying the install process in all of this. Don't install TWRP.
Finally, the steps listed on the OP6t Github page below are pretty much correct. (link 4) First, Android 9, then unlocking, then TWRP, then old UBPorts images from their offerings.
I do not know exactly what version of UBPorts this Github has on it, but I suspect it's either 15.04 or 16.04. And its very unstable, or at least it was for me. Once UBPorts is installed though, just enable developer mode and the UBPorts installer on the computer no longer fails during installation causing a brick. I did still have to do a manual install and select the OP6t out of the list. I used installer version 0.10.0.
Now I have 20.04 OTA-4 on the OnePlus 6t.
I tried to be thorough not just for the sake of others, but I may need this information again myself later as long as the installer is not totally supportive of the OnePlus 6t. Perhaps it's because I have the T-Mobile version, and maybe the installer works fine with non-T-Mobile versions of this phone. I can only speculate what the issue is.
I apologize if I got excessively wordy, I basically did a brain dump.
Link 1: Supported devices: / 6t
https://devices.ubuntu-touch.io/
https://devices.ubuntu-touch.io/device/fajita
Link 2:
OnePlus MSM Download tool for One Plus 6t / T-Mobile
https://xdaforums.com/t/tool-t-mobile-oneplus-6t-msmdownloadtool-firmware-9-0-13-8-9.3868916/
Link 3:
How To Install Ubuntu Touch On A Oneplus 6/6T
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKv5uM694so
Link 4:
https://github.com/ubports-oneplus6/documentation
Link 5:
Unlock Bootloader, Install TWRP, and Root OnePlus 6T
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A7BESc1-7g
Just wanted to clarify,
Yes, it was two monitors but they were mirrored, not extended. Makes the second monitor pointless for now.
@wally said in Why does picture messaging stop functioning after a few months?:
@ezst036 Sorry to hear those things haven't worked. I assume that if restarting nuntium didn't fix the problem, it's just a different issue than I was having.
I hope you're able to resolve it somehow without a full backup and re-install. I presume that in the past when this has happened to you, flashing without wiping data didn't fix the issue?
I have only found backing up and using the UBPorts installer to start fresh as a resolution.
It's working again now, wiped and now have OTA-5.
@wally said in Why does picture messaging stop functioning after a few months?:
@ezst036 Can I ask what device you're using?
I currently have a Fairphone 4. I started out with a Pixel3a though and it happened on that one once too.
I followed the steps you provided as best as I could:
change my MMS APN to something incorrect, disable MMS, restart phone, correct the MMS APN, enable MMS again, restart phone again, and then it works.
This did not work, but I could not follow the steps as typed. It seems that on 20.04 OTA4 when the phone restarts all APNs are enabled, not the disable as I left it. I thought I might get around this by shutting off all mobile data in its place within these steps, but the icon still only spins and spins.
@arubislander said in Why does picture messaging stop functioning after a few months?:
The equivalent command to yours is:
systemctl --user restart nuntium.service
Thanks for helping sort this out!
Sadly though, this did not do anything appearing to resolve the issue. The nuntium logs used to be located at: ~/.cache/upstart/nuntium.log
Do you know where they are located at now due to systemd?
In that case, it is not a combined APN setting. Only works if APN has the same name.
Thank you for clarifying that. I will try resetting the APNs, rebooting and ensuring no wifi, but having done these a few times already I don't expect much of it.
Hopefully I can collect more info on how to actually troubleshoot this instead of doing a re-install, I would need to put in some kind of bug report that amount to more than just "it's broken" as that won't help me nor anybody else.
If you confirmed that you toggled On Cellular Data ( and toggled Off Wifi ) when sending MMS and it still don't work, then 99,9% chance is a APN setting issue. Depending of your provider, but for mine ( La Poste Mobile in France ), even if it is shown that 2 APN need to be set ( one for Internet, the other for MMS) , i had to create a "combined APN setting Internet & MMS", it means removing the current setup and recreate one.
Thanks, is this a semi-common thing that proper APN settings are working and then, just, one day no longer working that they should require this kind of removal procedure?
That's really what I want to wrap my mind around. When OTA5 was announced, I specifically didn't upgrade because I figured the phone worked, and since then I have sent a few more MMS messages and it was working.
How do you deal with combining your APN setting when your web APN is different than your MMS APN and the phone only has one line? Which one do you choose?
@wally said in Why does picture messaging stop functioning after a few months?:
Here's something to try. I can't say whether it will definitely fix things, but it's quick and it won't break anything.
Open Terminal
type "initctl --user restart nuntium"
Thanks, this sounds promising.
Except, when I type in that command or just when I type in initctl I get:
bash: initctl: command not found
Whoops. Best I can tell initctl ought to have been installed already and just be there. So maybe something somehow got damaged. Just so it is asked, wouldn't this nuntium be restarted if I do a phone shutdown or reboot?
I seem to be having this issue where after about six months, sending and receiving picture MMS messages no longer works. The icon just spins in txt messaging but the image never gets sent. If someone sends to me, I'll never know about it unless I'm told.
Is my only option to make a backup of my text messages and photos and do a full/system reinstall? That seems excessive to do every six months.
I've checked my MMS APN, reset the settings, rebooted, but non functionality stays the same.
Just wanted to clarify,
Yes, it was two monitors but they were mirrored, not extended. Makes the second monitor pointless for now.
@thedeafenguy Thank you, but following the steps in this order and doing other order that I can think of does not help.
I'll take a look around and see if I can find out the steps needed to back up and restore my text messages and photos so I can do an absolute re-install leaving nothing behind.
For phone usage (text, limited internet/browser, calls) I found a Pixel 3a to be more than adequate. I don't use WayDroid or other functionality all that much on a phone, the screen is simply too small.
I noticed some performance uptick with a OnePlus 6T but not really a "necessary" upgrade. The main thing moreso is 'does the UBPorts software support the phone or are there missing features because of the port itself'.
My current FairPhone 4 is decidedly snappy during use, but what I thought was most interesting is it works quite well with a docking station, even with dual monitors. I have tried both the Dell WD15 K17A and WD22TB4 docks and found them to be completely compatible. The WD22TB4 is significantly faster.
What I need most is stronger camera performance but Android has certain things on lockdown that prevent some camera potential from being tapped.