Dear all...

After skirting round the forums and doing my best to help (I am not a coder/hacker/programmer), I thought I would give some advice for people coming to Ubuntu Touch (UT) from Android based ROM's. Most of you are looking to install UT on a spare device or looking for an alternative to Android to use as your main device (daily driver), so you kind of want your device to function like and Android device which I get.

UT is open source and maintained by people in their spare time, hobbyists, enthusiasts - people from all walks in life who have interests elsewhere. This means that a device may be well maintained, may not be, may full of bugs and so on, so before jumping in to install on your device, please:

1. Make sure it is on the devices list

2. Check the maintenance state of the device

3. Read through all the issues. If you want fully functioning telephony and there is no sound in calls for your device, then don't put UT on and/or look at a better supported device.

4. Plan ahead - backup anything you want to keep, make sure you read up on the device, read @Lakotaubp Frequently asked questions, read the forum pages for the device you wish to install UT too for tips and tricks to install, that are not always clear.

5. Plan ahead - plan and think what to do if UT fails to install with the installer. Have you installed the correct version of Android? Is the bootloader unlocked? and so on...

6. Plan ahead - download and keep the version of stock Android that is required for UT and look at how to install it, in case UT is not for you and you wish to go back to Android. This should put any partitions that have been resized back to the original size.

7. To run UT, the bootloader on the device has to be unlocked. Google search (or whatever your search engine may be) for that particular devices way to unlock the bootloader. UT will NOT install or work with a locked bootloader.

8. If for whatever reason you return to Android my advice is and the consensus of opinion from other forums is DO NOT RELOCK the bootloader. This can brick the device, i.e., render it useless, unless you get a new motherboard or split it for parts.

9. If i didn't mention before plan ahead and read up on what UT is all about.

10. There are reasons why you have to install a particular version of Android in order to install UT. This is usually down to Vendor BLOBs (ie think of it as drivers for the hardware and on devices a lot of these are closed source (proprietary)).

11. Follow the installers instructions.

12. Keep it simple. Use the installer, that's what it is there for. Even if you are good with the command line, the installer can make it easier. It can also make it easier to back track if any issues arise.

I have too many PC's and devices (as my other half continually reminds me). I mainly use windows 10/11 to install UT (I need M$ stuff - being polite - for work) which works the majority of the time so I install Android Studio and update it -

13. Have the latest version of Fastboot and ADB drivers installed on your PC. This resolves a multitude of issues. I install Android Studio to get the latest versions. You don't need to, but my advice is that it does help.

My go to Linux is Ubuntu as it works for me, so I have a low powered Ubuntu machine to install to certain devices if Windows fails, but that is me.

14. Your PC (inc laptop) which you use to install UT to your device, make sure the operating system is up to date, nothing worse than in the middle of pushing UT to a device the PC reboots after an update (thanks windows).

@UBportsNews Please don't apologise for this issue. it happens. This is done by volunteers in their own time and is way above what myself and others can do, for which myself personally am very grateful for. Please keep up the good work it's greatly appreciated.

Just found Tweak Tool for Focal and the parts I use are working, yeah.... :beaming_face_with_smiling_eyes:
Many Thanks to Imran Iqbal for this most useful of apps!

I have held off on this thread, but I thought I would put my bit in now!

Bought 2 x BQ Aquaris e4.5 when Canonical and BQ put them on the market that day. One was mine and the other was mine too, but I handed it out for people to play with.

As a phone, text, MMS, camera and web browsing, most used and thought it was adequate. For social media, it was no and a resounding no at that.

Ok so come to 2022/2023. Canonical has devolved Ubuntu Touch to the community when the phones and tablets did not take off as planned - you have to try these things! So now Ubuntu Touch is run as a charitable foundation (UBports) by volunteers. There is some commercial working from what I can see, but most is run by enthusiasts and volunteers. This means your data is not going to be scraped and sold to the online bidders so you can get spammed with ads (thanks Amazon, Google, Apple, Xiaomi......). It also means that some things work, some things don't and it is not for everyone as they want a device that just well works for what they they want.
Some things won't work as UT is open source, i.e. Internet banking apps (encryption), Social Media, such as SnapChat and Whatsapp and so on. (BTW this is my opinion from what I have observed and read).

The Browser issues has been strongly covered with reasons why Morph is used and not Chromium or Firefox, but I find Morph overall very usable and suitable for me.

The Apps issues has also been extensively covered and again a lot are coded by volunteers and enthusiasts who spend their own free time and money running and maintaining them (kudos given for that). If you want an app that is not in the store, create it yourself, or use the browser, or heaven forbid, use your Android or Apple phone. It is that simple. What I cannot use on UT, I will use on my computers, or Android phone (my Iphone is out of Action, but was needed for one app).

I don't use Waydroid as I don't see the point personally (using UT is to avoid some Android apps), as I said if I need to use an app that is not in the store, I will use it on another device. But for some Waydroid is convergence with Android apps and I see why people are enthusiastic about it and again Kudos to the people setting it up and running with it.

Options, options and options, there are so many to do what you want. There is always a way and work around.

Thank you all for your hard work on UT and also the criticism as criticism makes things better in most cases.

Kind regards to all,
Mr T10001:zany_face: (I pity the fool).

Volla Tablet is launching tomorrow - 17/4/2024 on Kickstarter.

Link

Got hold of a Oneplus 6. Running Android 11, so downgraded using OB25 build from here.
Unlock the device (open developer options by tapping build in about device until it states "you are now a developer", back to System, Developer options, enable OEM unlock and USB debugging). In a command prompt use ADB to reboot to bootloader and then use the fastboot command "fastboot oem unlock", then when done reboot the device and set Android up again. Set up developer options and USB debugging, set it file transfer and copy the OB25 file to the root of the device (i.e. not in a folder). Go to system update and check local update and tap the zip file. Allow it to do its thing and tap reboot when done. The set android up again and hey you are on Android 9!
Then just follow the UT installer.
Installed so easily, I thought it was a Nexus 4 (apart from the Halium splash). Less than an hour and it is up and running. Good device so far!

@daemonicvs It is more than that, it is about Lineage support and getting hold of Vendor Blobs ( a lot of vendor blobs are proprietary so they have to be reverse engineered - think of a blob as a driver in PC terms). It is the ability to unlock the boot loader so vendors like Huawei are out. It is also the ability to get the right Android on the device, some devices the Android version needs rolling back and it cannot be done without bricking the device.

And one of the main restrictions is having an enthusiastic person who has the ability and time to a) create the UT port and b) to maintain it.

@SpecterFortress This is a fantastic guide to installing on the Rabbit R1. I followed it, had to deviate some bits as even though I had rabbit.tech enable developer options, it didn't sync so I had to unlock it manually and booted to fastboot using chrome.

Not a question, but please give a shout out to Brian for his work on the App store:

Link here to new store

It is looking good. It requires testing still.

@snailc it is always best to use the ROM the porter specified, some may work, but most won't.

@Amarurtuuq Bengal is correct, it is the code name of the SoC (System on Chip) for this device, Billie2

@Amarurtuuq

@Amarurtuuq that's normal if you are installing from fastboot. Select your device from the drop down menu.

@Amarurtuuq OK hold the Volume up, Volume down and power together for about 40 seconds, that should turn the device off.

Just for your info, I had the same issue on one of my N100's. Charging it to 100% resolved the issue (for now, it is still working).

@Moem The banks in the UK are really pushing you to use their app. For example if you log in on a browser, it will push you to authenticate with your app on your phone or tablet. The banks have close the vast majority of counters and now run a service (no cash withdrawals) where a van goes from community to community on set days for all banks to cater for those who don't online bank. Likewise if you do need a big cash withdrawal (i.e over 1000 euros) then they question you like you are a naughty child. (Think of Greta Thunberg saying "how dare you withdraw your own money, how dare you!).

Then to work you now have to have an authenticator app and I have to have the M$ authenticator, no choice. If I don't have it I cannot get into works systems!

The UK is really going to rack and ruin......

@Amarurtuuq MSM Download tool is the tool (Windows only) used to flash a stock Android ROM onto this device. If the RAM chip has gone then this isn't worth doing as it can be finicky to get this device into EDL mode (Emergency Download mode) and it will unlikely not work.

To boot into recovery mode, where you can wipe cache, power off the device and hold volume down and power, when the device boots, release the power button, but hold the volume down button until it reaches recovery. If it won't reach recovery, leave it powered off on charge overnight and try again. If that fails it is battery or motherboard.

Things to try. Power off the device.

1. Boot int the bootloader (fastboot mode) and see if the PC recognises the device in a fastboot terminal.

2. See if it boots into recovery and if it does, wipe cache.

3. Power off the device and put it on charge and see if it charges up.

You may need to spend cash now if all the above fails.

If it still boots to this Qualcomm CrashDump Mode you may need to replace the battery.

If that fails, it is usually a RAM chip failure, either the chip has failed or it requires a reball/reflow or a replacement and it may be cheaper to get a broken use device or mainboard from Aliexpress and replace it.

From experience, most Qualcomm CrashDumps are due to a weak or low charge battery.

@k.nacke That will be the reason. 2Gb and less is not enough to run the system and Waydroid on any UT device.

@TheTrench You need to delve deeper into 5G and what 5G is, plus what Android version supports 5G on that device. 5G falls into two categories - 5G Non Stand Alone (NSA) and 5G (SA). 5G NSA piggybacks of the 4G LTE infrastructure end to end in simple terms. 5G SA is full 5G end to end. This can be affected by available networks, service providers, Android versions and vendor BLOBs and device hardware.

You cannot expect newer firmware files to work on an older version of Android without issues or just not working.

I bought a 5G device when 5G was in its infancy and always got 4G LTE indicated and 4G speeds. 5G has a better infrastructure now and it still shows 4G LTE in a lot of cases. My new device is 5G and always shows 5G and is a bit quicker, but not in all cases.

I got my (x2) BQ Aquaris 4.5 on the day of release. I spammed that buy button and got 2 before they all sold out. I used it as a daily driver for quite a bit (didn't Internet bank then or (have to) use Microsoft Authenticator) back then, the other was for demonstrating. Loved Scopes and would like to see them come back again. I still have one device (on Xenial) which will soon be defunct as a phone as 3G and 2G are going soon.