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February 20, 2013 By: egzthunder1
One of the biggest possible hacks for most current Android devices is the ability to completely remove security flags from the bootloader. Most companies these days will give you some way to unlock your device’s bootloaders, but many are simply partial unlocks, while others are entirely not unlockable. HTC is one such company that offers what is known as a “developer unlock” through the htcdev service. However, as stated already this is but a partial unlock, which allows you to do a few fun things like flashing custom recoveries and using them to flash new ROMs. This is good, but it is quite limited, and you must have access to a PC to use fastboot commands in order to do more. This is normally overcome by disabling the HBOOT security flags, which is not an easy task. Every time HTC releases a new HBOOT, it comes loaded with patches to try and keep people from achieving a complete unlock (S-OFF). If you have either an One S, One XL, and Droid DNA your luck has just changed, courtesy of XDA Recognized Developers beaups and XDA Elite Recognized Developer jcase.
The process involves flashing a file through fastboot, which essentially removes eMMC write protection. After that, a second file is pushed into /data/local/temp, which removes all the S-OFF flags on the device. The only real requirement to perform this procedure (aside from having a PC with adb and fastboot) is that you are SuperCID. The latter (which stands for Super Country ID in case you are not familiar) is a protection to prevent you from flashing a RUU meant for a different region. This is a protection that has been around since the days of the HTC Wizard, and it is still present to this day. The flashing of the original zip requires you to have SuperCID off (rooting and custom recovery are not required for this to work). Luckily, this has already been achieved for all three devices, but it seems to have been blocked yet again after a recent OTA update. So, if you have not SuperCID’ed your device yet, do not attempt to do this! Having said that, stay tuned; a fix is on its way.
Please read the procedure carefully and thoroughly. Achieving S-OFF does involve some risk, and as such, there is a chance of bricking. That being said, rewards await you once the device is fully S-OFF, so make haste! Oh and just as your momma told you… don’t accept candies from strangers or OTAs from manufacturers. Have fun and happy unlocking!
Welcome to Facepalm S-Off for modern HTC phones
You can visit the original threads in the One S, One XL, and DNA sections for more information.
Want something published in the Portal? Contact any News Writer
December 3, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
As our readers are no doubt aware, the PACman ROM kang has appeared on a variety of devices. It’s a truly unique concept. It represents much of the best that AOSP has to offer currently all in a single package. It’s been spreading across XDA, and it seems like it’s going to keep going. PACman is now available on the HTC One S and the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S III.
XDA Recognized Developer klin1344 released the ROMs for both devices. Both ROMs are surprisingly stable. Outside of some initial problems here and there, users have reported that both ROMs are fairly stable and users can flash them as daily drivers. Of course, users are reporting some issues, but most of them so far have been from inexperience with various settings menus. As klin1344 explains:
Attention! Because this is a mashup of CM10, AOKP, and PA, there are some settings that might conflict with others because they are duplicate. Please keep that in mind before you begin to wonder if there is a bug in this ROM. Thanks.
So if you’re having problems deciding which AOSP ROM to flash, why not try all at once? Just head to the Galaxy S III PACman thread or the HTC One S PACman thread for more details.
November 27, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
When the HTC One S was first released, it came in a sleek gray and blue color scheme. A black variant also appeared. And while the gray and blue variant is pretty sleek, some users prefer the black version. However, not all wish to buy a new phone just to update their aesthetics. There is now a way to acquire the looks of the other.
XDA Recognized Developer and Contributor Zarboz released a hardware mod tutorial that helps users deconstruct the One S and put it back together. That’s with shiny new black hardware. The process is, as one would expect, pretty complicated, and requires a good number of tools. However, Zarboz is quite helpful with that. Aside from a complete tools list, another list was also provided that details the parts that need to be replaced.
Essentially, it’s a disassemble guide except when you reassemble the One S, you’ll put the black One S parts back on it. For those who enjoy disassembling things, this will be delightful. However, it is a dangerous process that could irreparably damage the One S. Proceed at your own risk.
For the full, picture-laden tutorial, check out the original thread.
October 14, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
The last time we brought you news about TWRP, it was to announce that TWRP 2.2.2 had been released. It had fixed a lot of bugs from the initial release of TWRP 2.2 and added a few new features. Very recently, TWRP has been updated again to version 2.3.
There were a whole bunch of awesome improvements with TWRP 2.2 and a lot of unique and brand new features as well. TWRP 2.3 promises no less. The official change log includes:
Rebased onto AOSP Jelly Bean source code
Rewrote backup, restore, wipe, and mount code in C++ classes for easier maintenance going forward
NOTE: backups from prior versions of TWRP are still compatible with 2.3
ADB sideload functionality from AOSP is included in 2.3, see this link for more info
Re-wrote fix permissions entirely in C++ and runs in a few seconds instead of a few minutes (thanks to bigbiff)
Improvements to zip finding in OpenRecoveryScript (should be a lot fewer GooManager automation issues)
Faster boot times
Added charging indicator while in recovery (only updates once every 60 seconds)
Additionally, XDA Recognized Developer Dees_Troy has reported that there is now support for spaces in backup names. Before, if you added a space to the name of a backup, it would not restore. Now users can use whatever naming convention they want.
One of the biggest changes, though, is all of the TWRP being rewritten in C++ and its move to recovery API 3 instead of API 2. With the code rewrite, it will allow TWRP to update more quickly and with more stability. With the API 3 change, it means that some flashable zip files may stop working because the developer needs to update the update-binary. If you don’t want to wait for the developer, or the developer has ceased working on the project, you can find one to use on TWRP’s official website. To install the latest TWRP, you can use the Goomanager application. Simply open the application, hit menu, and install open recovery.
If you want to check out the latest TWRP recovery for your device, check one of the links below.
September 19, 2012 By: Haroon Q. Raja
If you have flashed a custom ROM on your HTC One S and subsequently noticed a drop in your HSPA+ download speed, you’re not the only one. Several users have reported speed drops to 3-4 Mbps from 10-14 Mbps after flashing a custom ROM. Luckily, we now have a solution that should bring your data speed back to the HSPA+ levels.
When XDA Forum Member TechieGeek started experiencing low download speed on his One S after switching from stock to CM10, he found that the problem was due to baseband compatibility issues. Flashing a new baseband and changing some settings in the build.prop fixed the issue. Judging from the response, the method seems to work for those who try. However, this will only help if your carrier is actually capable of delivering speeds greater than the lower values.
The complete instructions can be found in the forum thread, so head over and get your HTC One S back in the fast lane.
August 30, 2012 By: Ian Stacy
The CyanogenMod crew has added four new devices to their officially supported lineup. This is exciting news, considering the popularity of the devices in question. These four flagship-status devices are some of the most widely-used phones on the market today. The list of devices and maintainers is as follows:
This is great news for owners of these devices, since the aforementioned HTC and Samsung devices natively run HTC Sense and Samsung TouchWiz, respectively. Many users prefer a fully functional AOSP-based build to these bloated default ROMs, and CyanogenMod 10 fits the bill as an Android 4.1 ROM with some discrete, yet highly functional modifications. Keep your eye on the device forums to catch the latest release candidates, and try not to ask for ETAs!
July 29, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
The march of Jelly Bean 2012 has been a massive success. With dozens of devices getting ports that at least boot and even more scheduled to get them, Jelly Bean has been like a party that everyone is invited to. Well, the fun hasn’t stopped yet. In fact, it hasn’t even appeared to have slowed down, as even more devices are getting Jelly Bean one way or another. The most recent legion of devices include the HTC One S, the Sony Xperia X10 Mini and the Sony Xperia X8.
XDA Senior Member fipsib, posted CM10 running on XDA for the One S which was developed by XDA Senior Member xkonni with help from XDA Forum Member intervigil. For the Xperia X10 Mini and X8, the JBMiniProject lays claim and includes XDA Recognized Developer stelios97, XDA Senior Member Daveee10, and XDA Senior Member Xmaster8, with the help of a few others.
The One S CM10 is quite functionally complete, with only a few features not working. These include the camera, USB Tethering, and a few quirky issues like echos during phone calls. Many of the issues have hotfixes that haven’t been merged into the ROM yet. But aside from a few little glitches, the ROM is actually quite usable.
It’s much the same on the X10 Mini, with WiFi, Camera, and Mic being the biggest issues. The X8 is a little behind, missing features like data, WiFi, Mic, Camera, and several more. These Xperia builds probably can’t yet be used as daily drivers, at least not until a few more things are fixed. However, they are certainly off to a great start. While we don’t normally write about tales from the grapevine, the word around is that the X10 Mini Pro is also getting a CM10 port pretty soon.
For additional information, check out the corresponding links below.
July 28, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
We’ve brought you news of camera mods being ported and released across XDA. With popular HTC devices such as the Sensation and EVO LTE receiving camera mods, it was only a matter of time before other members of HTC’s lineup including the HTC One S were given such changes.
Called ZeroCamera, the mod focuses more on video quality rather than picture quality, but includes both. Developed by XDA Senior Member zeroprobe, the mod increases video quality during 1080p recording. The result is a much cleaner, much better video experience for users.
The encoding settings available are:
20Mbps / JPEG 100
20Mbps / JPEG 100 + Volume Shutter
40Mbps / JPEG 100
40Mbps / JPEG 100 + Volume Shutter
Stock 12Mbps
Stock 12Mbps / JPEG 100
Stock 12Mbps / JPEG 100 + Volume Shutter
Stock 12Mbps + Volume Shutter
For download links, screen shots, and more, check out the original thread.
July 19, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
Not too long ago, we brought you news that allowed HTC EVO 4G LTE users to customize their bootloaders. The process was pretty cool, allowing users to make their bootloader look however they want—including making it look unhacked. After the initial project was released, users clamored for this to be made available to more devices. The requests were heard and responded to. Now, the plugin has been made available to make the bootloader customizer for a number of HTC devices.
The process for a developer to port this is not hard. XDA Recognized Contributor regaw_leinad, who developed the application and plugin, takes a time out from the stags (yes, that’s really him) to explain how:
it’s basically all written, they just need to fill in the values for their hboot, and embed the hboot.img into the exe. I already have a placeholder for the hboot.img and android-info.txt so a drag and drop over them should keep it embedded.
Regaw_leinad is also creating the application for the supported devices, but wanted to release the plugin first so users had a chance to get it sooner. The current list of supported HTC devices include:
While the list is quite large, one must keep in mind that not all of these devices have S-Off, and users must have S-Off in order to actually use this application. To get started, visit the original thread.
July 12, 2012 By: Will Verduzco
Just about three months ago, we brought you news that the Team Win Recovery Project had received a massive update to version 2.1. April’s release largely heralded the start of a new age in recoveries—where one would no longer have to deal with cumbersome menus, instead interacting with a very user-friendly GUI.
It wasn’t simply about the GUI either. In addition to bringing an unrivaled level of UI polish, TWRP 2.1 offered users many advanced features such as update.zip queuing, a basic file manager, and dual storage support for Nandroid backups. Additionally, TWRP added support for the open source scripting engine OpenRecoveryScript, which works in conjunction with the previously covered GooManager.
How do you follow up something as revolutionary as TWRP 2.1? With TWRP 2.2, of course. That’s how! The new release builds on the previous offering by delivering many recovery “firsts.” For starters, this is the first recovery to feature on on-screen keyboard. Why would you want such a thing? How about naming and renaming Nandroid backups! TWRP 2.2 is also the only recovery to split extremely large backups, allowing users to backup and restore /data partitions larger than the 2 GB FAT32 file size limit.
In the words of XDA Recognized Developer Dees_Troy:
- On-screen keyboard in recovery! — supports long press, backspace repeat, and swipe left deletes everything left of the cursor
- Name new backups and rename existing backups
- Rename files and folders in the file manager
- Pseudo-terminal emulator
- Support decrypting an encrypted data partition on Galaxy Nexus (enter password using keyboard)
- Backup archive splitting — allows backup and restore of data partitions larger than 2GB
- Simplified XML layout support between resolutions
- Added dual storage selection radio buttons to zip install, backup, and restore pages
- Improved zip install compatibility
- Updated update-binary source code
- Numerous small bug fixes and improvements
Eager to get started? I know I am. Head to the links below to obtain the appropriate version for your device:
June 21, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
Init.d has a special place in Android. With it, users can install scripts and mods to run at boot, and thus modify almost any aspect of the phone that they want. There are battery tweaks, performance tweaks, GPS tweaks, signal tweaks, and the list goes on and on. However for these scripts to work, the phone must first have init.d support. Typically, Ramdisks provide init.d support, but sometimes it is possible to gain init.d support without flashing a new Ramdisk, or even without altering the Ramdisk at all.
This is something that XDA Recognized Developer smokin1337 has been working on for a number of devices. With a mod called EZ InitD, smokin1337 looks to help users add init.d support easily. Additionally, the developer gives a couple of options on how to use the mod. One version is for users to flash via custom recovery, while the other is for ROM developers to include in their ROMs. The best part is, it’s simple.
After the mod is applied, anything in your init.d folder will run on boot, as it normally would. In the ROM developer version, developers can actually change the directory to whatever they want. In other words, there could be ROMs made with init.d support but without an actual init.d folder. (Ed: I’m thinking /etc/NyanCat or /etc/bacolicious, myself.) The method has been tested on the HTC One S and the HTC One X, but it should actually work on any device. As many users will tell you, init.d support comes from the Ramdisk. This is not necessarily true. According to smokin1337:
This mod will add init.d support to any rom even stock roms without editing the ramdisk. Instead it uses the post_boot.sh file that is in most if not all roms. It should work on most devices, if it does not work on yours please look in /system/etc and post the name of the file that contains “post_boot.sh”.
So, given this method, it’s actually possible to gain init.d support without switching, editing or otherwise touching the Ramdisk or kernel. For additional information, check out the original thread.
June 7, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
While Ice Cream Sandwich brought with it many important and needed changes to Google’s star OS, it frustrated many users and developers because many popular tools for modifying files such as APK Tool and APK Manager didn’t always work as planned, particularly when OEM skins such as Sense 4 were added to the mix. Currently, Sense 4 is the big culprit as there is apparently a nice list of compilation errors associated with modifying its proprietary files in APK Tool and APK Manager. Thankfully, there is now an answer.
In particular, XDA Recognized Themer he_stheone64 noticed that three important files created fatal errors—framework-res.apk, com.htc.resources.apk, and systemui.apk. He was kind enough to figure out why the errors occurred and create workarounds. In his words:
The 3 most important files framework-res.apk, com.htc.resources.apk and systemui.apk all create fatal errors, when using latest apktool 1.43 version. Apktool`s error log is always a big help to solve compile issues, but you need a bit of compile and coding experience to finally solve these. After I stumbled about many people having Sense 4.0 compile issues, I decided to post this guide. Hopefully this will encourage more guys to add mods to One S, after they might have hit a wall before.
Although originally intended for the HTC One S, the modified files are present in all Sense 4.0 ROMs, so this guide has the potential to help anyone looking to modify Sense 4. For more information, visit the original thread.
We recently brought you coverage of dual-core tweaks for the HTC EVO 4G LTE. For those who don’t remember, the modification boosted performance by forcing the device’s second core to remain on at all times. Given the performance increases seen in certain situations, you would assume that this would be ported to its sibling devices featuring the same SoC.
XDA Recognized Developer -viperboy- has done exactly this for users of the HTC One S. Once the One S users got in the action, it couldn’t possibly be long before AT&T and Rogers One X owners wanted in as well. Worry not, as -viperboy- explains:
Hello everybody, I was asked to bring this mod over from the EVO 4G LTE section and since the One X and One S use the same file I am modifying, both devices will get it.
While the modification was not tested by the developer on the AT&T and Rogers One X, it should still work given the device’s similarities with the other variants. However, proceed with caution as it is untested. Users should keep in mind that this is for the Snapdragon S4-toting AT&T and Rogers One X—not the quad-core Tegra 3 International variant.
Visit the original thread for more information and download links.
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