Develop Bugs

Windows Port/Dual Booting?

Just recently, HTC and Verizon launched the HTC One M8 that comes stock with Windows Phone OS. Now since the phone has the exact same hardware, wouldn't that make it possible for us to port it over to our Android versions? I have seen this before on other HTC devices way back in the day as seen here. Personally, I would love to test out Windows on my M8 because I have personally never owned a Windows Phone before and having it Dual Boot would be awesome. If anyone knows about this, feel free to PM me! If I hear anything, I will update this post!
Thanks,
Rob

We won't know for sure until one of us got their hands on the M8 with Windows itself, but previous leaks have said that the bootloaders are cross-compatible. In other words, Windows can be booted on the "normal" M8 and android on the Windows m8. If this is true, we can definitely get Windows on the existing M8. The next thing would be dual boot which could be a bit more tricky, but since I am no dev myself I wouldn't be able to tell how tricky exactly.

thom109 said:
We won't know for sure until one of us got their hands on the M8 with Windows itself, but previous leaks have said that the bootloaders are cross-compatible. In other words, Windows can be booted on the "normal" M8 and android on the Windows m8. If this is true, we can definitely get Windows on the existing M8. The next thing would be dual boot which could be a bit more tricky, but since I am no dev myself I wouldn't be able to tell how tricky exactly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome! Sounds promising.

i could careless for dual booting as long as i could alternate android and windows roms, wouldnt mind flashing one every week =)

I sure hope we will be able to easily flash WP onto the existing M8 on any carrier with out a problem. Would love to go it a Sprint M8 and put windows phone on it.

Needs help, needs a dev with Kernel experience.
MultiRom

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ!!!!!!

Please use this thread for discussions on this subject from now on. Consolidation.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-one-m8/general/htc-one-m8-windows-t2852507

[Q] M8 [q] version differences in specs + [q] root/unroot info

Hi
So, after my M7 died, I'm in a need of a new phone, and, of course, I was looking towards something similar, and (surprise surprise) stopped my eye on the M8 thing.
After looking around for a while, I was able to find two versions available, regular and dual sim version. At the same time that local dealer claimed they are completely the same, on the web I couldn't find any info whether Dual Sim version has QuickCharge available or not? I know that apart from regular M8 the Android 5.0 will come a bit later, but other than that, QuickCharge seems to be the only difference. Can anyone confirm that for me?
Also, for a matter of new customer, how is M8 performing out in the field? Is it worth buying?
And even though I know M9 is about to come out, and will feature much better and power-efficient 810 processor, I kinda like the idea of having field sensor (dual camera) that M8 has, while M9 seems to not have it included... (Nor ultrapixel at all..?) But then again, how is everyone finding this feature in real life? Is it as useful as it seems, or not?
Generally, for someone who had both - how is comparison to the M7 ..?
The final question though is,
is out there available some rooting process to gain root access on stock ROM, and be able to lock it back to the factory status (including recovery and everything) before sending it for repairs, in case if needed?
I rooted my M7 and had it S-On running stock rom, and I didn't miss a thing, as all I really needed was root access to the system files... But when trying to unroot, I was having hard time to figure all processes to gain back stock recovery and removing *tampered* sign...
Thanks for any info, as it would be really helpful before I go and actually grab one from the dealer...

I'm not going to advise on any other thing.
My advice is get the single SIM one if you think that you may need some support from XDA'er
Nothing much about Dual SIM here.

Cyanogenmod Availability?

I really wish I had done a little more research before I picked this phone up as a backup phone. Usually, my first step when I pickup a new phone is to root/unlock and stick CM on it....but from what I've seen, it doesn't look like there is very active ROM development for this one, so I just wanted to check in with others to see what your preferred ROM might be on it?
My initial thoughts are that I like the phone, although it's only running 4.4.4. I see there are a few available (Beatmod, crDroid, Charm, etc...). I'm going to download all of the ROM's I can find and do some testing (since it's a backup phone, I can play with it a little more than my "work" phone). I'm hoping to find a good one (5.1.x preferably) and without a camera issue that I've seen in the forums for some of the custom ROM's. I figure that if it has a decent camera, I should at least use a ROM that it will work in. LOL
Anyway........Thanks for any suggestions, based on your use and testing. I'll also be posting my experiences with all the different ROMs I end up testing on it. Maybe I'll get lucky and find a good one to make this one my daily driver.

Test
test

ironmunki said:
test
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
welcome, go ahead and share test for 5.1 first?

HTC One M9 Variants to avoid buying (rooting, bootloader unlock, s off)?

My LG G4 is dead and i need a good substitute ASAP on a tight budget ($200-$250 max). This pretty much limits me to 2015 era phones. Not getting another LG, Samsungs are too expensive and S6 has no microSD slot anyway. Narrowed it down to either an HTC One M9 and Moto X Force. Moto's limited development as well as an alarming number of nightmarish defective OLED displays has scared me off of it (shame as I love OLEDs).
So i'm about settled on an HTC One M9. I did my best to research any deal breaking hardware defects, any problems seem far less severe or common compared to G4 or Moto. Assuming I haven't missed anything...
So that said my question now turns to the software side- are there any carriers/variants of the M9 I should try to avoid buying? As the title says, I wish to unlock the bootloader, root, and eventually install custom roms etc. I'm prepared to pay for Sunshine if necessary provided all M9 variants are supported. I've done my best to read through as many threads and pages as I could before asking this. It SEEMS like i'd be safe buying pretty much any M9 and still be able to unlock bootloader, root and s off. Even Verizon models if i'm not mistaken? Am I correct in this assumption? I wanted to ask just to ensure I didn't miss any important caveats before buying.
I messed up buying an LG, many suffer from a motherboard defect causing unfixable bootlooping and mine finally succumbed the other day. Mine was also a region that didn't allow bootloader unlocking. I could root with some effort if I didn't mind being stuck forever on lollipop, but no custom roms and other annoying limitations.
I don't wish to repeat the same mistakes if I can avoid it, so any information regarding my query would be greatly appreciated. Any other advice or things to look out for regarding the M9 would be helpful too. Thanks very much in advance.
By the way, the version i'm looking at buying is listed as an AT&T model. From what I have seen, this variant seems to be pretty much perfect for doing all I want. But I still wanted to ask this in case I either get a different variant, or if the seller is listing the wrong version of the product. If all M9s are basically equal at this point, then I don't need to worry which kind I get.

Try to buy a worldwide edition. It's the sim unlocked from factory with region 401 ie x.xx.401.xx firmware version.
M9 is a solid phone. The camera isn't the greatest but it does take good shots. It can get a bit hot if charging and playing games at the same time and it is more than capable of draining the battery in an hour or two if you use resource intensive games or apps. The sound is very clear and boomsound is a major player in the satisfaction this phone gives, making the speakers significantly bassier than other devices on the market. The speakers 'can' be a little quiet at full but they ALWAYS stay crystal clear with no distortion at all.
You MUST get a protector case for this device as the front of the actual phone can crack if you apply pressure, by the front camera lens is cracked on mine. Tech21 make a good sturdy case for this device but it is a tad expensive at £30 GBP.
I Don't recommend using custom roms with this device as not only is the risk of a brick significantly higher it is also going to result in a slightly slower phone than stock rooted.
The different variants of this device are essentially the same but carrier locked versions can be a prick to find software to fix stuff.
In all you've made the right choice of phone if you plan on keeping it stock but the wrong one if you plan on modding it.
Beamed in by telepathy.

Sorry, but I have to disagree with some points of the post above this one.
If you live in the US then choosing either the unlocked/dev variant or the version of your carrier is the best choice. SKU 401 is optimized for the EU (in regard to supported frequencies and some GPS configurations). And it's important that you choose the correct hardware version for your carrier's technology (Verizon & Sprint: CDMA - all other variants: GSM). The firmware of CDMA devices and GSM devices isn't interchangeable. You can't even flash Sprint firmware on a Verizon device (or vice versa) without damaging it. However, you can change from one GSM firmware to a different one if you want to (S-OFF required).
Just for having it mentioned (I know that you don't need this information but who knows who else is going to read this): The Verizon version's bootloader cannot get unlocked via HTCdev (unlike the bootloader of all other versions). You need S-OFF for unlocking the bootloader of that version. Since sunshine needs root on the latest firmware version the only way to unlock the Verizon variant on the latest firmware is an xtc clip/java card. (This may change with a future update of sunshine.) Or you try to get a pre-Nougat Verizon M9 and use the temp-root of the sunshine app.
In addition, HTC provides RUUs for its US devices. Therefore, getting back to stock is easier with one of them than with all other non-US variants.
And in regard to custom roms: They don't hardbrick your device. The worst thing that can happen is a soft-brick/bootloop and that will only happen if you try to flash a custom rom whose base is newer than your phone's firmware (and some nougat roms are even compatible with the marshmallow firmware so this happens quite rarely in the recent time).
Aside from that, my phone is as fast while I use Viper 6.1 as it has been while I was playing around with the stock rom. If there really is a difference then you need laboratory equipment for being able to detect it. And I'm pretty sure that you get the same performance on other (sense-based) custom roms, as well.
The only thing that you need to be aware of is that there are more and more reports of dying memory chips. These nand deaths happen on stock phones and on modified phones. As far as I read, no one has been able to repair such a dead device except for HTC itself. I don't know what's the cause of the problem since I know enough people whose M9's are still working fine without any issues.
Sent from my HTC One M9 using XDA Labs

Thanks for the reply from both of you. I'm surprised and happy a mod actually replied too!
My LG was locked out from installing custom roms and such, but I have experience installing some on a first gen Galaxy S (currently using it as backup in fact). I'm sure things have changed somewhat, but I am aware of the potential risks in flashing custom roms. I've bootlooped and soft bricked my device doing so more than once. I'm not a programmer, but I was able to fix them all with patience, research and the right tools/software. I assume there are also methods to deal with soft bricks and bootloops on HTC One M9 if you consider it less of a threat than a hardware brick (which my LG G4 got even without flashing anything). I appreciate the warning and advice either way.
I'm not concerned with the carrier compatibility that much. I don't have service with anyone at the moment and can use whatever. Seller says the device is a GSM unlocked AT&T device, if accurate then i'm perfectly content with using GSM networks. Listing says "new AT&T carrier overstock item", which I hope means the device is okay. It's being advertised as running 5.0 Lollipop, which I assume means the stock rom it came with when first released and also hope is an okay starting point for doing whatever rooting and customization I want.
I hope the NAND issue doesn't crop up on the one I get though, that doesn't sound good. HTC attracted me because i've seen fewer people complaining about widespread hardware defects compared to many other phones. It's difficult to find phones that are a good value, are reasonably free of serious problems and include features I deem important (microSD card support for instance, and having reasonably fast processors). My options are limited.
I'm not sure if i'll need s off. I'm new to that term and don't know much about it besides it being some sort of HTC security. Not sure what doors would open up by having s off, still researching. Assuming the model I buy is accurately listed as AT&T, it sounds like I should be able to unlock the bootloader, root, flash TWRP and even get custom roms without having s off. Am I correct? Not even sure if it's required to flash kernels such as ElementalX.

That can happen if you post in the forum of a device that's owned by a mod. Don't forget that we're normal members, as well, if we don't moderate.
If you face a soft-brick you only need to keep both volume buttons and the power button pressed until the phone reboots to its bootloader. From there on you can boot to TWRP and only need to flash a working rom or to restore a backup of a working (stock) rom and the problem should be fixed. Hard-bricks only happen if you flash a CDMA firmware on a GSM device (or vice versa) or a Sprint firmware on a Verizon device (or vice versa). The phone will still be booting but from what I observed here on xda your SIM card won't be detected, anymore, even if you re-flash your phone's original firmware. Aside from that you can "kill" this phone if you're impatient while it's installing an update and power it down during the process (there was a time when that happened quite often). Therefore, I suggest you to just let it do it's thing after you started the update process. Depending on which update you want to install it might take up to approximately half an hour and the phone might reboot (and therefore vibrate) several times.
Correct, for flashing custom recoveries/roms/kernels you don't need S-OFF on this phone (as long as it's not the Verizon variant). Take a look at the further reading section of the ReadMe thread. There's an article linked that explains S-OFF. And Sneakyghost's firmware thread in the development section should contain an explanation, as well. If I remember correctly it should be located in the 5th post. Be aware that you don't need to (re-)lock this phones bootloader like you needed to do on older HTC devices if you want to flash a RUU with S-ON as long as you use the SD card method. That's the recommended method, btw.
I personally don't use a custom kernel. They had a huge impact on my last device (the HTC One S - released in 2012) but HTC seems to be learning at least from some of its "mistakes" since the battery optimizations are much better on the M9. Therefore, I haven't been using a custom kernel since one of the early versions of ElementalX. On the other hand, that means that I can't tell you whether the current version got optimized that much that it actually has an impact, again.
In regard to the nand issue: Don't forget that 95% of the posts here get made by people who face problems with their phones whereas most people don't post if everything is working fine. That might cause that an issue seems to be more common than it actually is. And as said in my last post, I haven't seen such a dead nand in real life, yet, and I know a lot of people who own this phone.
And last but not least a little tip: Find out your phone's firmware as soon as you get it. If it's a pre-4.x version (everything before android n) then try to find the latest 3.x RUU for your SKU*. If you install that one you will save some time that would otherwise be needed for installing a huge amount of OTA updates. (A RUU only needs around 5 minutes if you use the SD card method.) You can't directly install a 4.x RUU since HTC changed the encryption keys between firmware 3.x and 4.x. Therefore, you need to install the 4.x update via the software update function of the phone since OTAs aren't encrypted. More information, some useful files and instructions can be found in the ReadMe thread. (It's a big wall-of-text but reading and understanding it is worth the time that you need for doing so.)
Edit: * = Here's a download link for the latest 3.x AT&T M9 RUU (directly from HTC's server). However, now that I think about it I actually can't tell you whether the AT&T variant already received android n...
Sent from my HTC One M9 using XDA Labs

Playing the Slots: Firmware Slots on the Pixel XL

So, my Google Edition Pixel XL arrives tomorrow, and I've been digging around in preparation (I've previously owned the OG Droid and Galaxy Nexus, so consider myself marginally competent as a consumer of non-OEM firmware). Anyway, I'm super intrigued by the firmware slots I've heard mentioned, but was hoping for some clarification on how they work.
-Do they run from the same Data partition, so you can run one Kernal/ROM one day, and the other on another day, back and forth, forever...
-Or are they more like a nandroid backup?
Thanks for helping me understand this new feature,
Christian

Same data.
So remember what they were built for. They were built to run the same​ OS and provide seamless updates. They were not built for dual boot.
You can do a little trickery. Like same Rom with one rooted and one not pretty easily. Beyond that it is very tricky, there are a couple of folks here that seem to habe a handle on it.
Hopefully they will be along shortly.

The slots on the Pixel XL seem to trip up a lot of people who try to install TWRP, a custom Rom or root the phone. The really frustrating thing is that I did my research too and came across completely contradictory information regarding how they relate to custom flashing and should be handled. Even worse, the custom flashing guide on XDA for this phone is terrible. If you read through all the pages at various points it tells you to do something different than at the beginning of the thread and it doesn't deal with the dual slots at all. Google also seems to keep breaking root on the Pixel XL where SU programmers have to come up with updates and new flashing procedures to keep root working. The Pixel XL is the only phone I have ever owned that I am afraid to flash on, but if you are braver than me then I certainly wish you luck.