Root Access

Bob

18:01

Hm, interesting: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_devices_with_LTE_Advanced

@allquixotic You have me wanting to play with cheap devices again -_-

How is the Volt anyway?

allquixotic

Small. Well-built. Relatively sturdy feeling, not cheap like I'd expect. Android 4.4.2. Does 802.11n.

Stagefright is fixed though

Update says so

Bob

@allquixotic Including the new vulns?

I got that update... 3 days ago.

allquixotic

@Bob Your guess is as good as mine. I'll need to test it with the latest app from Zimperium or w/e

Bob

LG's pretty good about updates, supposedly. Though they did skip 5.1.1.

@allquixotic My guess is no, because a recent flagship only got that fix within the last few days.

It's possible, though.

allquixotic

Also, I'm seeing multiple (at least two) OTAs having to be installed in serial, here.

And the two devices didn't come with the same firmware version despite being ordered and shipped on the same day

Bob

18:05

Ah. Maybe the later one does fix the new vulns.

allquixotic

Small peculiar differences in versions of stuff

Bob

@allquixotic ...odd.

allquixotic

One phone needed updates to LG apps, other didn't

also these are the first phones I've owned that can control my Panasonic HDTV as a remote

which is awesome

fuck me - it looks like their OTAs are all in serial

Bob

@allquixotic Really? o.O

Didn't your Note have an IR blaster?

allquixotic

phone #2 - two OTAs so far

Bob

18:07

@allquixotic Yea, pretty much.

allquixotic

phone #1 - one OTA so far but the version it's currently being updated to is the version phone #2 came with

Bob

I guess it helps with the whole getting the phone into a known state first.

allquixotic

so that means phone #1 will need at least 3 OTAs

Bob

Less testing required on their part. And therefore faster updates.

allquixotic

Google Play is crashing like a bitch though

Bob

18:08

For a slightly increased risk of something stuffing up.

@allquixotic ...odd. Maybe there's an update for that?

1 GB RAM, so unlikely to be OOM.

brb

qasdfdsaq

@Bob Keeping what hidden?

@Bob?

@BOB! YOU'RE KILLING ME

Bob

shrug there goes that secret :P

qasdfdsaq

!!undo

Bob

lol.

qasdfdsaq

FUCK

Ohnana

18:11

lmao

qasdfdsaq

Wait what did he invoke?

Thanks Bob

Ohnana

i saw it

i have forbidden knowledge that i will promptly forget in a day

qasdfdsaq

Quick! Mute him!

Huh mine didn't have a description

Bob

@qasdfdsaq That's what I was messing with above.

qasdfdsaq

Ah

Bob

18:13

Took a couple tries to get the description added correctly.

The bot's parser is a bit... dumb.

On a completely different note, the neon-blue Gatorade tastes terrible.

ChatBot John Cavil

@Bob The bot's parser is a bit... RETARDED!. (source)

qasdfdsaq

Most gatorade tastes terrible to me

allquixotic

why would phone #1 be "waiting" to download an OTA when it's on wifi?

Bob

@qasdfdsaq The lemon-lime one is nice. The green apple one is... so-so.

Red one is ugh.

Blue is wtf.

qasdfdsaq

So 1 out of 4 is nice?

Bob

18:15

@allquixotic Try going to the phone update menu and telling it to check for updates?

qasdfdsaq

My statement was statistically correct! Woohoo!

Oh you people still update your phones OTA?

I can't :(

Bob

Powerade isn't quite as heavy on the dodgy flavourings.

As for why I know all this... they were on special recently, and I was curious :\

qasdfdsaq

Do user-learned commands stay forever?

Bob

@qasdfdsaq Hm?

Rooted?

qasdfdsaq

@Bob Yep.

Bob

18:16

@qasdfdsaq Until the bot's memory is purged, anyway.

Speaking of, might as well take a backup.

!!export

ChatBot John Cavil

@Bob Could not process input. Error: NETWORK_ERR: XMLHttpRequest Exception 101

qasdfdsaq

Sadly Samsung took the tact of disabling lots of useful stuff with each newer firmware

Bob

O_O

That ain't good.

@qasdfdsaq Yea, I am too. I had to temporarily unroot to get the OTA.

qasdfdsaq

It went from needing a speciall app call to open, to needing a special system app to open, to needing a special system app plus a replacement APK, to needing a special root system app and needing to disable selinux and a replacement APK.

Bob

@allquixotic Do I still have access to the bot server?

Ohnana

18:18

@Bob oh noooooooo

Bob

@qasdfdsaq Wait, what's this for?

qasdfdsaq

@Bob To change the network band -_-

Bob

@qasdfdsaq ...wut.

qasdfdsaq

Course on Sony phones you just go to the dialler cause they never hid it in the first place

Bob

Also: why do you need to do that? :S

qasdfdsaq

18:19

@Bob Because I prefer to force my phone to stay on LTE only

allquixotic

@Bob do you???

qasdfdsaq

(Also to switch bands when one is congested)

(And to study network rollouts in a plane)

(Nerd level: OVER 9000)

Someone please star that, it's the funniest thing I've said all day

3

Bob

@qasdfdsaq I think I can do that via the service menu on my G4 :P

qasdfdsaq

lol

@Bob Pretty much all android phones have it.

Except Samsung decided to hide it.

And hide it even more with each firmware update.

Bob

@qasdfdsaq The dialer? Odd.

I've actually never seen that option on an Android phone.

qasdfdsaq

18:22

@Bob Easiest way to get to service menu is the #*#4636#*# code on any android dialler

@Bob askvg.com/google-android-hidden-secret-codes

Bob

Oh. That.

I thought you meant switch bands directly from the dialer.

qasdfdsaq

Most of what people call "Android codes" are actually Samsung proprietary.

@Bob Nah, just launching the requisite app

Bob

That code doesn't work on my G4 btw. 277634#*# here

Worked on my S4, and I still remember it :P

qasdfdsaq

Heh, it's one of the few on that page that is actually Android-global and not samsung specific

Works on HTC and Sony phones I've tried it on

Bob

Oh, you were missing a couple *s.

I TRUSTED YOU

qasdfdsaq

18:25

The 2263 and 197328640 and 0011 one other one I can't remember, are Samsung specific

Bob

Yea, works on my G4 now. To a different testing menu.

I was talking about this service menu.

qasdfdsaq

Oh lol. Sorry

Most phones/manufacturers have a manufacturer-specific one, and the Android global one

Bob

lulwut

tapped Phone Information

qasdfdsaq

Hah

HTC/Sony/Samsung/LG all have their own service menus, plus the 4636 except on Sony their own one is disabled, on Samsung they're both disabled

@Bob Are you trying to hide your IMEI information?

Bob

@qasdfdsaq Maaaaybe.

!!tell 25214561 nothinghappened

ChatBot John Cavil

18:28

qasdfdsaq

Too late, I have it. And it starts with 35987!

Though the first digits indicate the phone make and model so its not exactly private info

The rest can be used to grief people so even I'm rather careful with it

Bob

Hm. If I tap wifi info...

qasdfdsaq

(Unlike most people I don't give a bleep if people have my IP address)

Bob

> Unfortunately, the process com.android.settings has stopped.

@qasdfdsaq Yea... I'd appreciate it if you could keep it secret. And/or forget it.

I don't exactly need my phone reported stolen by some troll.

qasdfdsaq

Can't you delete it off imgur?

Bob

18:31

@qasdfdsaq Already did.

qasdfdsaq

Huh.

Bob

You're probably the only one with a copy now, if you opened that image.

qasdfdsaq

Ah had to force refresh

Yeah I get this now

Dammit, should have taken a screenshot of the screenshot... too late now.

... there goes my blackmail material

Bob

ibtimes.co.uk/lg-g4-how-enable-hidden-lte-hsdpa-bands-1507064

wat

qasdfdsaq

... or "leverage" as criminals call it

allquixotic

18:32

@Bob Not unexpected, but the Droid Maxx from 2013 is way faster than the LG Volt. :P

Volt has some nifty features though

qasdfdsaq

@Bob Err wat indeed. I've gotta check that out when I get back.

Gotta go though

Bob

@allquixotic Such as?

qasdfdsaq

(It's not uncommon for you to be able to enable "hidden" bands in service menus the phones don't have actual hardware for, so it doesn't actually work)

Bob

@qasdfdsaq Well, considering it's an SDR, the hardware is always there.

But apparently this works.

The only band I'm missing with my H815 (vs the local H815T) is 40. But that's only in use by Optus down in Canberra so it doesn't affect me.

qasdfdsaq

@Bob Not neccessarily. SDRs still need the correct amps, LNRs, and diplexers.

Bob

18:35

If they ever roll it out here and I'm still with Optus I might enable it.

@qasdfdsaq Having different hardware might be more trouble than it's worth.

allquixotic

@Bob Remote, FM radio

jokerdino

Does anyone know how to enable 'Save to pocket' button in the Firefox reader view?

Bob

@allquixotic Oh yea, FM radio. Annoying how many phones have dropped it, even if I don't use it much anymore.

More annoying that no phone really supports DAB/DAB+.

allquixotic

It's apparently a standard feature on low-end smartphones

paradoxical really

Bob

@qasdfdsaq Seems to work fairly often: forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s5/general/…

@allquixotic But geeeeeeeeeeestures

You can now wave your hand over your phone and look like an idiot, why would you need FM radio?

allquixotic

18:40

OK, this phone is old

I'm sitting here and I'm literally impressed with what it can do

I like it and that's troubling me

Bob

lol

Too much time with Apple? :P

Oh yea, you never answered: doesn't your Note have an IR blaster?

allquixotic

NO, look -- for my day to day usage iOS is perfect for me, but the fact that this phone can do things my main phone can't, is appealing

@Bob don't think so

oh, and to put a big fat exclamation point on everything

it has a fucking SD card slot and removable battery

goddamnit, what is wrong with these "high-end phone" manufacturers

Bob

@allquixotic this implies it does

allquixotic

why can LG from (2014? 2013?) do things better

Bob

@allquixotic glances at G4 with those :P

I think only Samsung has dropped FM radio

But Samsung flagships should have the IR blaster

allquixotic

18:44

not good software for interfacing with my HDTV though apparently

Bob

Huh. Interesting.

They use WatchON, IIRC

Peel Smart Remote?

allquixotic

so in terms of things like physical size (I prefer bigger), raw CPU power, built-in NAND storage, I/O performance, RAM (and thus multitasking capability), recentness of the Android OS... I prefer flagships

in terms of "auxiliary" features, cost (FreedomPop is FREE!!!!!!!!!!!), I prefer low-end Android

Bob

But you can have flagships that still have those features.

allquixotic

meh

Bob

lol

allquixotic

18:46

btw my Droid Maxx got a third update from 4.4.4 to 4.4.4

this one fixed (at least part of) stagefright

DavidPostill

@allquixotic from "4.4.4 to 4.4.4" An update that did nothing? ;)

allquixotic

@DavidPostill it didn't change the Android version, but it fixed bugs.

DavidPostill

My moto just got updated to 5.0.2 but I didn't bother to see what wasupdated ;)

qasdfdsaq

@Bob Well if it has the correct hardware, why did they bother disabling it in the first place?

Bob

@qasdfdsaq Regulatory reasons?

qasdfdsaq

18:49

That's also the reason behind the first iPhone only having single-band LTE - "too costly" to put in the hardware for additional bands...

@Bob What regulatory reasons? Other phones don't have problems with regulatory reasons?

Phones always passive-scan anyway

Bob

@qasdfdsaq Other phones do.

qasdfdsaq

@Bob Such as?

Bob

@qasdfdsaq gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s6-6849.php

> LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700), 17(700), 18(800), 19(800), 20(800), 26(850) - G920F
LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700), 17(700) - G920T
LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 17(700), 20(800) - G920A

qasdfdsaq

That's physically different hardware (the NORMAL way of doing it), not regulatory reasons

Bob

Could also be intentional market segmentation so they can price phones differently in different markets and make them harder to grey import.

@qasdfdsaq You got anything to support that?

qasdfdsaq

18:51

@Bob Teardowns showing they have different motherboards?

@Bob The fact that you cannot cross-flash firmware from one to the other?

Bob

@qasdfdsaq Really? Ok, then.

qasdfdsaq

The fact that.. well, that's the way Samsung's always done it

Bob

@qasdfdsaq That could be as simple as setting a different flag in the bootloader.

Easier than designing different boards.

Though I suppose Samsung shifts enough phones in each region that the extra design and factory setup costs are worth it.

qasdfdsaq

@Bob So they set a flag in the bootloader that allows anyone to load any firmware they want EXCEPT the manufacturer's own firmware for a different band?

Other than that being absurd in itself, you'll see around XDA forums lots of custom modem firmwares being distributed

(and being hacked, and being modded)

DavidPostill

Something to do with lollipops ;) I've no idea how to find a readme for the update ... :/

qasdfdsaq

18:54

@Bob HTC don't. Though they used to. They used to even use different screens in different areas.

I also remember having a Samsung phone once which had a different screen, possibly because of the midplane layout

The iFixit teardowns are quite nice as they explicitly list the radio chips and modems found on each board

Bob

@qasdfdsaq this one?

> Samsung Shannon 928 RF Transceiver

They don't actually seem to say which variant this is.

qasdfdsaq

More important is the Skyworks 78041 Hybrid Multimode Multiband (MMMB) Front-End Module

Datasheet here: skyworksinc.com/Product/3084/SKY78041 but tl;dr: only supports bands 26,8,12,20,13

Bob

Interesting.

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