latest
How to update your Samsung Galaxy smartphone and install official firmware
Follow these instructions to manually install Android updates through recovery and full firmware using Odin on Samsung Galaxy smartphones.
Whether you are on a tight budget or planning to pick up the latest and greatest foldable, Samsung has you covered. The Korean OEM's Galaxy lineup is among the best Android smartphones in the market. When it comes to the software update front, the company is doing a pretty decent job as well, keeping its average consumers on new and recent security patches through regular updates. However, one thing that’s not always easy to come by on Samsung Galaxy devices is the stock firmware package that you can flash to either downgrade, upgrade, or restore your phone.
How to get Samsung's One UI 5 emojis on any rooted Android device
Get the new emojis from Samsung's upcoming One UI 5 update based on Android 13 on any rooted Android device using this Magisk module.
One of the biggest reasons Android enthusiasts keep coming to the XDA forums is to find new ways to theme their phone. Luckily, for devices which aren’t heavily locked down, you can go ahead and make widespread modifications, including those that are originated from a different OEM Android skin altogether. XDA Senior Member RKBD felt the same way and wanted to spice up the emoji experience. Thanks to his work, you can now start using emojis from Samsung's Android 13-based One UI 5 on any device if you have root access.
Magisk v25.2 marks the beginning of the project's Rust-ification
The latest version of Magisk stable release (v25.2) comes with a plethora of bug fixes for MagiskInit and a Rust-powered logging interface.
Back in 2021, we saw the first baby steps toward the adoption of the memory-managed Rust programming language into the Android codebase. John Wu, aka XDA Senior Recognized Developer topjohnwu, has apparently been thinking along the same lines for the Magisk Project. As per Wu, the experimentation had already begun after releasing the v25.0 build of Magisk via stable channel. Now, topjohnwu has rolled out a new stable build of Magisk in the form of v25.2, with the whole logging infrastructure transitioned to Rust.
How to unlock the bootloader of the Nothing Phone 1 and root it with Magisk
Want to root your brand new Nothing Phone 1? Here's how to unlock the bootloader, flash a modified boot image, and install Magisk!
Upon the release of a new smartphone, a mission that many Android enthusiasts undertake is to unlock the bootloader and root the device. After this, typically comes a deluge of development in the form of custom ROMs, kernels, and other mods and tweaks. It can be said that the life of a device here at XDA doesn’t truly begin until the shackle (read "locked bootloader") has been thoroughly destroyed. For the Nothing Phone 1 community, that journey can start right now!
XDA forums now available for the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, 12S Pro, 12S, and Asus ROG Phone 6 series
The XDA forums are now open for the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, Xiaomi 12S Pro, Xiaomi 12S, Asus ROG Phone 6, and Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro.
In terms of new smartphone releases, this week was absurd, with several new devices arriving from Xiaomi and Asus. Xiaomi announced four new handsets, three of which have new XDA forums for these devices. Asus also announced its ROG Phone 6 and ROG Phone 6 Pro. We are happy to announce that XDA forums for both phones are also now open.
XDA forums now available for the Honor Magic 4 Pro, Sony Xperia 1 IV, and Oppo Reno 8 series
XDA forums are now available for the Honor Magic 4 Pro, Sony Xperia 1 IV, and the upcoming Oppo Reno 8 series. Head over by clicking on the links in the post.
Since we last added new forum pages for the latest Android devices, a few OEMs have launched a couple of new phones, while others have teased their upcoming devices. We've now opened forums for some new and upcoming devices, including the Honor Magic 4 Pro, Sony Xperia 1 IV, and the Oppo Reno 8 series.
How to unlock the T-Mobile LG Velvet bootloader and root it with Magisk
You can now unlock the bootloader of the T-Mobile variant of the LG Velvet and root it using Magisk. Read on to know how to do it!
Unlocking the bootloader, rooting a device, and flashing aftermarket ROMs are popular hobbies here at XDA. The power user community holds the ability to mod their devices in high regard, and they almost find no interest in phones if they are not able to be bootloader unlocked. Many legacy devices are actually kept alive by third-party ROMs, which are also godsends for smartphones that are standing on the verge of losing official support. LG, for example, no longer makes Android smartphones, hence owners of LG devices might want to settle with custom ROMs in the near future. However, the process isn't exactly straightforward due to LG's bootloader unlocking policy.
Descendant custom ROM's latest release brings several new features and adds support for three more devices
The June 2022 release of Descendant custom ROM brings a host of new features and official support for more phones, including the OnePlus 7.
Earlier this year in April, the team behind the Descendant custom ROM released Descendant 12.1 — the first stable Android 12L-based build of the ROM. At first, the team released the ROM for a handful of devices and it included several bug fixes. Soon thereafter, the team released the May update with a bunch of under-the-hood changes. And now, it has started seeding the June 2022 release of Descendant with support for 3 more devices and a couple of new features.
Ambient Music Mod v2 Hands-on: Google Pixel’s Now Playing feature ported to other Android devices without root
Ambient Music Mod ports the Google Pixel’s Now Playing to other Android devices. The latest release of the mod brings several new features.
Most people will agree that the software on Pixel smartphones showcase what Google believes Android should be, and as such, the software is often well-received by enthusiasts. Nonetheless, thanks to the dedicated modding community, you don’t necessarily have to own a Pixel device to take advantage of its software features. The "Now Playing" functionality, for example, has remained exclusive to the Pixel lineup, but developer Kieron Quinn, also known as Quinny899 on our forums, managed to port it to other Android smartphones in the form of a hybrid Xposed-Magisk module named Ambient Music Mod. Now, Quinn has taken things a step further and completely overhauled the mod to make it a non-root solution.
TWRP adds support for the OnePlus Nord 2, Motorola Moto G40 Fusion, and Moto G60
TWRP now officially supports the OnePlus Nord 2, Motorola Moto G40 Fusion, and the Moto G60. Read on to know more!
The Team Win Recovery Project (TWRP for short) is an essential tool for Android enthusiasts who wish to tinker with aftermarket software on their devices. With this custom recovery solution, you can flash new custom ROMs, take full data backups, modify protected files, and open new avenues of device customizations. Last month we saw the Samsung Galaxy S20 and Note 20 receiving official TWRP support. Now, three new smartphones have joined the roster: the Motorola Moto G40 Fusion, Moto G60, and the OnePlus Nord 2.
Magisk v25.0 improves SELinux handling, revises root permission management, and much more
The latest update for Magisk (v25.0) has been released with tons of bug fixes and feature improvements. Read on to know more!
At this point, we at XDA are certain that most of you have at least heard of Magisk. Created by John Wu, aka XDA Recognized Developer topjohnwu, the project originally started off as a systemless root method and has gradually evolved into a much more diverse and powerful solution beyond just a plain superuser privilege provider. It goes without saying that the developer and the contributors are always active and working hard to perfect it. The latest major update of Magisk, which corresponds to the twenty-fifth version (v25), has now arrived at the public beta branch. The changelog is subtle yet very important, so let’s dive into it.
LineageOS 19 is now available for the OnePlus 9/9 Pro, POCO X3 Pro, and Xiaomi Mi A1
Official LineageOS 19 support is here for the OnePlus 9, OnePlus 9 Pro, POCO X3 Pro, and the Xiaomi Mi A1. Read on to know more!
The LineageOS team has extended LineageOS 19 support to several devices since debuting the ROM earlier this year in April. Over the last month, devices like the Samsung Galaxy S10, POCO F3, and OnePlus 5/5T received support for the Android 12-based custom ROM. Since our previous coverage, the team has added four new devices to the official build roster.
Browservio is a speedy WebView-based browser with a built-in ad blocker
Browservio is a WebView-powered open-source browser for Android that packs an interesting feature list. Read on to know more!
One of the great things about Android is the ability to choose a different default browser. You have the most popular option in Google Chrome, along with other Chromium-derived ones like Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi, Brave, and more. However, if you have a cheaper (or older) device, you may find the top picks unsatisfactory and memory-hogging.
LineageOS 19 adds support for the OnePlus 5/5T, and Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite LTE
The LineageOS team has extended LineageOS 19 support to three more devices, including the OnePlus 5, 5T, and Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite LTE.
Want to breathe new life into an old phone you have lying around? Sick of the dated OEM skin on your device and want to try something new? If you have a OnePlus 5, OnePlus 5T, or the LTE variant of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, then you're in luck. The owners of these devices can now install official LineageOS 19 builds, the latest version of LineageOS based on Android 12.
Some Vivo devices with Qualcomm processors can now be bootloader unlocked, unofficially
You can now unofficially unlock the bootloader of the Vivo X70 Pro Plus and a couple of other Vivo smartphones. Read on to know more!
What’s the best modding-friendly Android OEM in the market right now? Depending on who you ask this question to, the answer could range from Google to OnePlus to Xiaomi to something else entirely. And that is perfectly alright, as each of those companies have their own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to aftermarket development, and they satisfy different needs for different people. But if you were looking to buy an affordable smartphone solely for modding, Vivo will confidently not be your first choice.
Developer brings Wear OS to the ancient Samsung Gear S3
A developer is working on turning the Samsung Gear S3 into a Wear OS watch, and it may actually be possible to do just that.
The skill of aftermarket developers in the Android modding scene is often incredibly impressive, especially when it comes to getting hardware to do things it shouldn’t. This time, one modder managed to get Google's Wear OS booted on the Samsung Gear S3 — a Tizen-based smartwatch released back in 2016!
LineageOS 19 builds are here for the Samsung Galaxy S10, POCO F2 Pro, POCO F3, and more
The first builds of LineageOS 19 are out for the Galaxy S10, Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, POCO F2 Pro, POCO F3, Mi 10T/10T Lite, and Essential Phone.
The LineageOS team has been hard at work extending official LineageOS 19 builds based on Android 12 to as many devices as possible. The developers released the first official builds for nearly 40 devices back in April and added some more smartphones to the roster over the next few weeks. Now, the maintainers have extended support to several more devices, including the POCO F2 Pro, POCO F3, and the global Exynos edition of the Samsung Galaxy S10.
TWRP adds official support for the Samsung Galaxy S20, Note 20, and more
The Team Win Recovery Project (TWRP) team has released builds for several new devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Note 20.
Team Win Recovery Project, more widely known as TWRP, is the most popular custom recovery solution for Android devices. TWRP allows you to do everything from flashing custom ROMs to creating full backups, all in a few taps. But in order to do any of this with full compatibility, you need to have a device that’s officially supported by the project. Thankfully, the team behind TWRP keeps adding support for devices ever so often. Since our previous coverage, TWRP developers have expanded support to the Samsung Galaxy S20 lineup, the Galaxy Note 20 series, and a few more devices.
Paranoid Android Sapphire Beta is now available for more devices
The Paranoid Android team is now rolling out Paranoid Android Sapphire Beta 1 to the OnePlus 7 Pro, 7T, 7T Pro, POCO F2 Pro, and the POCO F3.
Over the last couple of months, the Paranoid Android team has released a bunch of Android 12-based alpha builds of the popular custom ROM. With each new build, the team has added new features to the custom ROM and extended support to more devices. The team showed us the first glimpse of Paranoid Android "Sapphire" beta back in March, albeit the release was limited to the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro. If you’ve been waiting to try out the latest Paranoid Android release on your device, you’re in luck. The developers have now released beta builds for a few more devices, including the POCO F3 and the OnePlus 7T series.
OnePlus 9RT gets unofficial LineageOS 19 and Pixel Experience ROMs based on Android 12L
You can now install unofficial Pixel Experience 12 and LineageOS 19 custom ROMs based on Android 12L on the OnePlus 9RT. Read on!
OnePlus is sweating it hard to improve its ColorOS-flavored OxygenOS 12 UI to be more user-friendly and less buggy. The stable version of the software is already available for users of the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 8 series. It's also available as a closed beta for the OnePlus 9RT. However, if you’re among those who prefer a clean and minimal, stock Android interface, then you’ll be happy to know that the OnePlus 9RT has now got two great options.