latest
[Update 2: New Roadmap] HMD Global reveals Android 10 update roadmap for its Nokia smartphones, teases cheap 5G phone for 2020
HMD Global plans to update over 15 Nokia devices to Android 10, starting this year. They are also planning an affordable 5G device.
The latest version of Android, formerly known as Android Q, will be called Android 10 as part of Google's newest efforts to give Android a fresher look. That's it, no fluff, no dessert name---just Android 10. And while this may make sense from a business perspective, it is still not sitting well with Android enthusiasts. Nonetheless, Google made the announcement in anticipation of the OS' stable release, which should now come sooner than later, and with it, some companies have started detailing their plans for rolling out the new OS to Android users. One of these companies is HMD Global, which has outlined their Android 10 update roadmap for their Nokia device lineup.
[Update: Nokia 9 PureView too] Android 10 internal beta leaks for the Nokia 6.1, 6.1 Plus, 7 Plus, and 7.1
Android 10 internal beta builds for the Nokia 6.1, Nokia 6.1 Plus, Nokia 7.1 and Nokia 7 Plus have leaked, giving us an early look at the upcoming update!
Following the recent rollout of Android 10 on the Nokia 8.1, HMD Global is now prepping up to release the update for other devices in its lineup. The company had previously shared the Android 10 update roadmap for its devices, with the Nokia 7.1 set to receive the update in Q4 2019. Now, leaked beta builds suggest that updates for the Nokia 6.1, Nokia 6.1 Plus, and Nokia 7 Plus are also on their way.
Download an Android 10 custom ROM for the ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2, Nokia 6.1/6.1 Plus, Nokia 7 Plus, Moto G5 Plus, and HTC One M9
Android 10 based custom ROMs are now available for the ZenFone Max Pro M2, Nokia 6.1, Nokia 6.1 Plus, Nokia 7 Plus, Moto G5 Plus, and HTC One M9.
Back in September, Google released the Android 10 source code and that kickstarted the custom ROM development here on XDA. Since then, we've seen several devices receive Android 10 based custom ROMs, including the Xiaomi Redmi 2, Moto G2015, Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, HTC 10, HTC One M8, etc. Most recently, the OnePlus 3/3T, Xiaomi Mi Pad 4, Mi 6X, Huawei P Smart 2018, Galaxy A70 and Xperia XA2 Ultra received their first Android 10 based ROMs. And now, six more devices have joined the list. These include the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2, Nokia 6.1, 6.1 Plus, Nokia 7 Plus, Moto G5 Plus, and the HTC One M9.
HMD Global will continue to support its first-gen Nokia phones for another year
HMD Global is extending its promise of providing security patches to first-gen Nokia phones from two years, to a quarterly release in the third year.
Back in February 2017, HMD Global announced the re-entry of the Nokia brand with the international launch of the Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 smartphones. This was followed up by the Nokia 8 in August 2017 and the Nokia 2 in October 2017. HMD Global executives mentioned in an interview that OEM skins on top of Android aren't the way it should be and that the customers deserve to have the latest security patches from Google as soon as they are made available. Nokia phones were also promised to receive two major updates and two years of regular security updates. By and large, HMD Global has delivered on the promise, providing timely patches and Android version upgrades across the Nokia device lineup. Now, the company is announcing its intention to surpass this promise, by providing an additional year of security patches.
Nokia 6 starts receiving its Android Pie update
HMD Global has begun rolling out the stable Android Pie update for the Nokia 6 that was launched in 2017 with Android 7.0 Nougat. Read on to know more!
HMD Global's roadmap for updates of Nokia devices included a whole host of devices that would be updated to Android Pie. This included the Nokia 6, the Pie update for which was scheduled for sometime in Q1 2019. The device was launched in January 2017 with Android 7.0 Nougat, and was subsequently updated to Android 7.1.1 and then to Android 8.1 Oreo. An early Android Pie beta build for the device was leaked late last year, and now HMD Global is officially rolling out the update.
Nokia 6.1 forums are now open
HMD Global's Nokia 6.1 is a decent mid-range smartphone in the Android One program. We've just opened forums for the device, so check them out!
The Nokia 6.1 is a pretty good Android One smart phone. It launched early this year in China as the Nokia 6, but it launched in the US not too long ago for a reasonably priced $269. The phone recently received its Android Pie update as well.
Nokia 6.1 Plus regains the notch hiding feature in the Android Pie update
With the Android Pie update for the Nokia 6.1 Plus, you are now able to hide the display notch again by going into Developer Settings.
The Nokia 6.1 Plus is a strange beast in HMD Global's phone lineup. It's decidedly a mid-range phone—and a pretty solid one at that—sporting a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 chipset with up to 6GB RAM, an FHD+ IPS LCD 5.8" display, 16 MP + 5 MP dual rear camera sensors, and a decently sized 3,060 mAh battery. But what's polarizing about this mid-range device is its display notch. It's a rather small one in that its comparable to the one on the OnePlus 6, but it's joined by a thick bottom bezel with the Nokia logo. Like most phones, you had the option to hide it, at least until it was inexplicably removed in an update. With the recently released stable Android Pie update, though, the option is back just as HMD Global had promised—but not in the way you'd expect. It's actually hidden away this time around.
Nokia 6.1 now receiving Android Pie update
Android Pie is now rolling out for the Nokia 6.1, a phone that is part of the Android One program. Android Pie has a number of new features.
While HMD Global has been the subject of controversy regarding their cooperation with the custom development scene, their commitment to software updates certainly can't go unnoticed. They're one of the first major smartphone manufacturers to release Android Pie officially for their devices. They were also one of the first manufacturers to bring Google's Digital Wellbeing to their Android One-powered smartphones - the Nokia 7 Plus and the Nokia 6 Plus. At the time, HMD Global’s Chief Product Officer of Nokia products, Juho Sarvikas, also said that Android Pie would make its way to other smartphones in the company's lineup. The Nokia 6.1 is now the latest phone from the company to receive the update, and it's rolling out now.
Nokia Camera update adds Google Lens, Motion Photos, & new UI
A new update to the Nokia Camera application has added Google Lens, Motion Photos and a brand new UI for you to play with as well.
HMD Global has released a massive update for the Nokia Camera application (version 90.0.1123.20), which should run on nearly all of their devices to date. It brings many new features such as Google Lens, Motion Photos, and an all-new UI as well. It comes in at 247MB and according to Beebom, works on the Nokia 7 Plus and Nokia 8 Sirocco. The Nokia 6.1 apparently displays an incompatibility error, while the Nokia 6.1 Plus actually comes with this new camera application pre-installed.
Download the best Google Camera port for your Android device
The Google Camera Port Hub is a centralized location where you can go to find a working port for your device. Currently, the hub has over 40 devices listed.
One of the best developments in the Android community in recent years has been Google Camera ports. The Google Pixel's picture-taking ability is spectacular, even though the camera hardware may be better on other devices. A lot of the Google Pixel's photo magic comes from the Google Camera app. Features like HDR+ and portrait mode make the camera really shine. A vibrant community of developers and users has sprung up to bring these features to as many devices as possible.
These smartphones will support Fortnite Mobile on Android
Fortnite Mobile on Android launches soon. Epic Games' website confirms that 40 devices will be supported at launch. Here are the devices it'll support.
Fortnite Mobile on Android is a long-awaited upcoming release of an already massively popular game. Since launching on Apple iOS, users of Android smartphones and tablets have been wondering when Fortnite would launch on their devices too. The Android release has apparently been delayed as we recently reported that it will be launching as an exclusive with the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. This exclusivity will supposedly last 30 days. After 30 days, Fortnite Mobile on Android will become available for all supported Android devices. If you're wondering if your device will be supported, we've got the list of supported Android devices taken straight from Epic Games' own website.
How A/B Partitions and Seamless Updates Affect Custom Development on XDA
You may have heard of Seamless Updates before. It involves something called "A/B partitions." What is it and how does it affect custom development on XDA?
When Android Nougat released, it had us talking about all kinds of new features. We got a newly updated user interface for starters along with long-awaited multiwindow capabilities and Vulkan Graphics API support. But one under-the-hood addition flew over the heads of most users. Android Nougat introduced "Seamless Updates" on devices that support A/B partitions. The vast majority of existing Android devices (excluding the new Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL) did not have A/B partitions at the time and thus couldn't take advantage of seamless updates. The basic premise of this feature is that the device has a second set of the system, boot, vendor, and other important partitions, and when you get an OTA update the update happens in the background while the second set of partitions are patched which lets you reboot into an updated software build seamlessly. If an update fails, you'll be kicked back to a working build, meaning companies will have fewer headaches to deal with and consumers are better protected.
Get the latest Nokia stock apps on any Nokia-branded phone
Are you not able to get the latest Nokia stock applications on your Nokia-branded smartphone? Check out this post, it just might help you.
Do you have a Nokia phone that doesn't have all of the standard stock apps? In China, Nokia phones have an entirely different set of stock applications complete with a different UI as well. They almost aren't the same phones at all. However, XDA Junior Member Akilesh T of LoveNokia has put up all of the company's stock applications for download, so you can get the latest stock applications on your smartphone. This includes the calendar, contacts, dialer, file manager, gallery, messaging, music, and note applications. If you're interested, you can check out the link down below which has a download folder on MEGA. This folder contains all of the APK files of the stock applications you can install on your device. Check it out on our forums below, along with the screenshots!
ARCore 1.3 adds support for the OnePlus 5T, Xiaomi Mi 8, Honor 10, and more
ARcore 1.3 is rolling out on Android, and new device profiles have appeared for the OnePlus 5T, Xiaomi Mi 8, Honor 10, and more devices.
Google ARCore is a platform for augmented reality applications on Android. Version 1.3 of the Android application started to roll out on the Play Store today, and within the APK are new device profiles hinting at support for a plethora of new devices including the OnePlus 5T, Xiaomi Mi 8, Honor 10, Nokia 6, Nokia 7 Plus, and much more.
Nokia Camera with Pro Camera mode ported to Nokia 3, Nokia 5, Nokia 6, and more
XDA Senior Member hikari_calyx has released a port of the Nokia camera with Nokia Pro Camera mode to other Nokia smartphones including the Nokia 3, Nokia 5, Nokia 6 and others.
Earlier this year we learned that HMD Global was bringing the well-known Nokia Pro Camera mode to the Nokia Camera application for their Zeiss optics branded Android smartphones. This was first announced for the Nokia 7 Plus and Nokia 8 Sirocco and has since been released for the Nokia 7 and the Nokia 8. The company is working to optimize the Nokia Camera application for their other Nokia devices as well, but the Pro Camera mode may not arrive on their other Nokia-branded devices. If you would rather not wait, XDA Senior Member hikari_calyx has released a port of the Nokia Camera app with Nokia Pro Camera mode for other Nokia-branded smartphones including the Nokia 1, Nokia 2 (2017 and 2018), Nokia 3 (2017 and 2018), Nokia 5, and Nokia 6.
Nokia 6.1's May security update is causing major Wi-Fi issues for many
The Nokia 6.1 is HMD Global's Android One device, meaning that it gets quicker updates than most of the competition. The problem is that the May security update has made Wi-Fi unusable for many.
The Nokia 6.1 is HMD Global's first Android One device to launch in the United States. Hardware wise, it's identical to the Nokia 6 (2018) which launched in China earlier this year. The U.S. version, of course, has near stock Android software due to the Android One program, and thanks to HMD Global's speed at rolling out security patches the Nokia 6.1 already has the latest May 2018 security patches. The May security patch update for the Nokia 6.1 has been causing a ton of problems for some users, however, with multiple reports on the Nokia support forums stating that the Wi-Fi is a bit broken right now.
Here's a list of Android devices that support Seamless Updates
Android Nougat added an update system called "seamless updates" where updates take place in the background thanks to a dual A/B partition setup. We've put together a list of Android devices that support the A/B seamless system updates, come check it out!
While some of our readers feel lucky to even receive updates on a consistent basis, others might dread them because of how long an update can take. On most Android smartphones and tablets, an update can take a couple of minutes of your time as the updater has to patch all of the system files which can't happen while you're booted into Android. That's why Google introduced "seamless updates"—a new A/B dual partition scheme with Android Nougat.
Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 Android 8.1 Oreo stable update rolling out in select markets
The Nokia 5 and the Nokia 6 are starting to receive the stable Android 8.1 Oreo update in some markets. The update brings March 2018 security patches, a revamped power menu, and more.
The Nokia brand made a comeback in smartphones last year as HMD Global acquired the rights. The company released the Nokia 6, Nokia 5, and the Nokia 3 as its first ever Android smartphones. The phones were followed by the flagship Nokia 8 and the low-end Nokia 2. At Mobile World Congress this year, HMD Global released its new device portfolio which includes the Nokia 6 (2018), the Nokia 7 Plus, the flagship Nokia 8 Sirocco, and its first Android Go phone in the form of the entry-level Nokia 1.
Exploit Targets Qualcomm's EDL Mode, Affects Some Xiaomi, OnePlus, Nokia and other Devices
Qualcomm devices have an EDL mode, which as it turns out seems to be exploitable if you have the right tools released by the OEMs.
Devices with Qualcomm chipsets have a Primary Bootloader (PBL) which typically boots the Android system, but also houses an alternative boot mode known as EDL mode. EDL mode is Qualcomm's Emergency Download Mode and allows an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to force flash software on a device. This cannot be modified (read-only mode) and has full control over the device's storage. Many OEMs including OnePlus and Xiaomi have released tools (known as programmers) which utilize EDL mode and a protocol known as Firehose to unbrick a device, while other tools from companies such as Nokia have leaked. Firehose can utilize a number of commands to flash devices, along with the ability to examine the data within a device's memory. Security researchers Roee Hay (@roeehay) and Noam Hadad from Aleph Research have discovered critical device vulnerabilities using this mode, which effectively grants an attacker full device access.
How to Root the Nokia 6
XDA Member hikari_calyx has taken the time to write up a complete guide on how to flash a custom recovery and gain root access to the retail Nokia 6.
Some devices are rather easy to root as it just requires you to unlock the bootloader, flash a custom recovery and then follow that up with your root solution. Others can be more complex and so detailed step by step guides are incredibly helpful. XDA Member hikari_calyx recently took the time to write an entire guide for how to flash a custom recovery and gain root access to the retail Nokia 6. So far the OP has only tested this on the D1C/TA-1000 variant of the Nokia 6, but says that in theory it should work on any variant.