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[Update: It's Back] HMD Global's bootloader unlock server for the Nokia 8 has been down for days
The bootloader unlock server has apparently been shut down by HMD Global. The Nokia 8 can no longer be unlocked officially.
HMD Global wasn't the fastest to jump onto the 5G bandwagon, but they did bring the first Android One smartphone with global 5G support. The company has a clear Android 10 update roadmap for its users, and they are not shy to explore the possibility of running a touchless version of Android on feature phones. However, the brand hasn't caught on among a segment of power users due to its controversial bootloader unlock policy. HMD Global took a long time to set up an official method to unlock the bootloader - and it only did so for the Nokia 8 - but it seems that they have now pulled the plug.
Nokia 8 Sirocco and Samsung Galaxy A30s receive stable Android 10 update
Samsung Galaxy A30s and HMD Global's Nokia 8 Sirocco are now getting the latest Android 10 stable update in select countries. Read on to know more!
HMD Global relies on a number ODMs like Foxconn (and its subsidiary, FIH Mobile) and Longcheer to manufacture its Nokia-branded Android smartphones. While the practice is certainly useful to keep costs down, it has unintentionally exposed the company's internal firmware hosting servers multiple times. For example, the pre-release Android 10 update packages for the Nokia 5.1 Plus and the Nokia 8 Sirocco have been leaked quite recently. The latter has now started receiving a stable Android 10 update across the globe.
Android 10 internal beta leaks for the Nokia 8 Sirocco and Nokia 5.1 Plus
Android 10 internal beta builds for the Nokia 8 Sirocco and Nokia 5.1 Plus have leaked. Head on over to get an early look at the upcoming update.
HMD Global’s bootloader unlock policy might be a mess, but the company still has a pretty good reputation among Android enthusiasts due to their speedy update schedule and minimal software changes. Be it the entry-level Nokia 2.2 or the mid-range Nokia 7.2, HMD Global has kept its promise to roll out the Android 10 update according to the roadmap published by the OEM. The COVID-19 outbreak has delayed the rollout a bit, but leaked beta builds suggest that updates for the Nokia 8 Sirocco as well as the Nokia 5.1 Plus are on their way.
[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.
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.
The Nokia 8 bootloader can now be unlocked
HMD Global previously did not allow users to unlock bootloaders. However, that is changing as it's now possible to unlock the Nokia 8 bootloader.
It was almost exactly one year ago when HMD Global said they would look into the possibility of unlocking the bootloader on the Nokia 8. The company's policy does not allow users to unlock bootloaders for security reasons. However, that is changing as it's now possible to unlock the Nokia 8's bootloader.
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.
Android P Beta 4 is here for Google Pixel/Pixel XL & Google Pixel 2/Pixel 2 XL
Google has just released the final Android P Developer Preview (Android P Beta 4) for the Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL.
Today just got a lot more exciting. Google has just released the final Android P Developer Preview for the Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL. This is Developer Preview 5 and Android P Beta 4, for those keeping track. Factory Images and OTA Files are available now!
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.
Custom themes now possible on rooted Android P devices with Substratum
Substratum, the popular third-party theme manager, has been updated to support rooted Android P devices like the Google Pixel, Google Pixel 2, and more.
Android P's user interface changes were initially met with some controversy (mostly due to perceived similarities with iOS and obvious accommodations for devices with notched displays), but it seems that the criticisms have died down some as people have gotten used to the changes. There's one missing feature that Android enthusiasts have begging for over the past few years: custom themes. Android Oreo introduced Sony's theme framework which the popular third-party Substratum theme manager hooked into to provide rootless custom themes. Unfortunately, Android P blocked third-party overlays from being installed by requiring overlays to be signed by the system. For those of you itching to get a system-wide dark theme on Android P, however, the Substratum team has just released a new beta that supports rooted devices.
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.
Download: Nokia Camera with Lumia's Pro Camera Mode for the Nokia 7
We've gotten our hands on the latest Nokia Camera app version with the famous Lumia Pro Camera mode. This works on the Nokia 7 and possibly other Zeiss-optic Nokia phones like the Nokia 8!
The Nokia brand has been doing rather well under HMD Global. Although we lament the company's failure to release kernel source code or bootloader unlock tools, we applaud HMD Global's commitment to the Android One program and timely security updates. The Nokia 7 Plus and Nokia 8 Sirocco are among the latest mid-range and high-end devices from HMD Global announced at Mobile World Congress 2018, and while the company's full-throttled support of the Android One program took center stage, there was another exciting announcement for Nokia fans: the return of the Lumia Pro Camera mode in the Nokia Camera app.
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.
The Nokia Lumia's Pro Camera Mode is coming to Nokia-Branded Android devices
The Nokia 8 Sirocco and the Nokia 7 Plus are arriving with the Nokia Lumia's Camera Pro mode, and what's more, it may be back-ported to previous Nokia devices with ZEISS optics.
While Nokia Lumia Windows Phone smartphones were largely considered a flop, there was one feature that fans of the platform knew was miles ahead of the competition, and that was the camera app. It wasn't even necessarily the quality that set it apart from the competition, but rather the features provided by the camera application. With features like manual shutter and focus, it was unparalleled even in the Android and iOS world. It's been a few years now since we've seen that camera application, but Nokia is bringing the Pro Camera mode back with the release of the Nokia 7 Plus and the Nokia 8 Sirocco.
DxOMark Reviews the Nokia 8's Camera, Gives a Poor Overall Score of 68
DxOMark has reviewed the camera of the Nokia 8, HMD Global's current flagship smartphone. It didn't fare well -- the camera received a poor overall score of 68.
DxOMark is a well-known camera review website, but its reviews of smartphone cameras have been controversial in the past. Questions have been raised about the company's credibility, and it's received criticism for scoring smartphone cameras seemingly arbitrarily in the past.
XDA User 3D Prints a Case for his Nokia 8
XDA Inactive Recognized Developer HD2Owner has worked on and released a 3D printable case for the new Nokia 8 flagship smartphone.
Many people waited patiently for Nokia to release their first flagship Android smartphone (and still wait for a bootloader unlock) but right now, there don't seem to be any cases available for the Nokia 8. Thankfully though, XDA Inactive Recognized Developer HD2Owner started working on a 3D printable case for the device. After multiple iterations, they feel it is optimized to the point that it is ready for the community. Not only that, but they released the design in a 3D-Printable STL format that you can download right now! If you have access to the necessary hardware, you should check it out by following the link in the button below!