Author: Manoj

If you have been following Android news lately then you may know that the CyanogenMod project has been shut down. The homepage for Cyanogen Inc. is down since last week. However, a new group of developers have taken over the very popular open source Android project and has now been officially named Lineage OS. The Lineage sources are very similar to that of CM and only the name has been changed for now – with little tweaks here and there. With a new set of developers, the user interface may gradually change and some new features shall be added in…

The January 2017 security patch updates for the Google Nexus and Pixel (XL/C) phones are now live for download as OTA zip files as well as factory images. This new update fixes the critical bug that suddenly caused force close and crash on the Pixel (Xl) and some Nexus 5X phones. January 3, 2017, security update comes to Nexus devices including Nexus 6P, 5X, and Pixel C with firmware build number N4F26I. Moreover, Pixel and Pixel XL have been upgraded to NMF26U and NMF26V builds. Nexus Player and Nexus 9 received NMF26R and N4F26M builds respectively. This time again the…

We have already posted the December security updates for the Android wear earlier. A number of vulnerability patches and bug fixes are released every month under the AOSP project. Moreover, the Android Wear 2.0 Developer Preview is also available for some devices including the Huawei Watch, LG G Watch Urbane, etc. However now, the January security update has been released for Huawei Watch with firmware build number M9E42C. It is based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and not the Android 7.0/7.1.1 Nougat. The official Android Wear 2.0 is on its ways to many smart gears like the Moto 360, LG G…

With the launch of Google Pixel phones, including the original Pixel and the XL, came a lot of different Google products and services. The most surprising service was the company’s very own Google Assistant. Just like Siri for iPhone and the Cortana from Microsoft, the Google Assistant is backed by an adaptive Artificial Intelligence technology. The assistant service is only available for the Google pixel phones. Although, it should be released publicly on the Play Store anytime this year, the assistant service can only be used via the Allo app for now. Allo, as we know is the new messaging…

The Hydrogen OS (H2OS) is an alternate ROM for the OnePlus devices. Similar to the Oxygen OS, the H2OS is basically for the Chinese variants of the OnePlus phones. The H2OS currently runs on the Android 7.0 Nougat version; just like the Oxygen OS 4.0.1 that was released earlier this month. If you want to try this alternate ROM and try all of its features, then here is the Nougat based H2OS for you. There is quite a difference between the Oxygen OS and the Hydrogen OS. First off, the H2OS doesn’t come with any of the Google products and…

One of the most popular China-based smartphone manufacturer, OnePlus, has already rolled out the latest Android 7.0 Nougat based Oxygen OS 4.0.1 firmware upgrade to its flagship phones including OnePlus 3 and the 3T. Moreover, the Oxygen OS 4.0.2 has also been confirmed. Alternatively, the company has also released the beta testing version under its Open beta program. However, switching between the two firmware is not possible using adb sideload method. Upgrading to latest Open Beta 10 from Oxygen OS 4.0 is possible via adb sideload. However, restoring the official stock OOS 4.0.1 via sideloading is not possible. This tutorial…

Updated October 12, 2018: Download latest XperiFirm 5.3.7 for all Sony Xperia devices with better stability. XperiFirm lets you download and install full stock firmware FTF Sony files based on Android 9.0 Pie and Android 8.0 Oreo. The major Japanese smartphone manufacturer Sony has been rolling out the latest Android 9.0 Pie and 8.0 Oreo firmware update for many of the Xperia XZ and XA series devices. Normally, your device would receive the software update over-the-air (OTA). However, for the users who have rooted their Android or setup a TWRP recovery, the OTA won’t be of much use. Hence, you…

Android has turned out to be the most popular open source operating system for mobile phones. The OS can be customized, modified or even personalized in numerous different ways. Gaining root access has become quite common with Android due to the various privileges that come with it. However, in order to get into Android development, you need to get familiar with ADB and Fastboot commands. So here are the most useful ADB and fastboot commands for you. ADB, which stands for Android debugging, can be used to issue a set of array commands to your Android device through a terminal…

Update: Latest working Huawei Finder Rewrite tool is now available for download for Windows and Android phones. There are numerous Huawei devices just like the Samsung ones. Keeping track of all the firmware updates for tons of Android phones becomes overwhelming. However, just like the Samsung Firmware Downloader or that for the Sony devices, there is a similar application called Huawei Firmware Finder (HFF) that will let you find and download full stock firmware as well as incremental OTA updates; whichever is available. Moreover, with the latest 2.2.2 update, the application can also install the firmware using a proxy server.…

System apps, sometimes misinterpreted as stock apps, come with the Android system which cannot be manipulated or uninstalled. These are deeply integrated into the Android operating system. The system apps include the Settings, Contacts, Download manager, Package installer, etc. Stock apps, on the other hand come as a part of the stock firmware developed by the manufacturer. For instance, the stock Oxygen OS apps from OnePlus like the OnePlus Gallery, OnePlus Camera or File manager. Similarly, the TouchWiz Samsung stock apps include SPanel, Samsung Gallery, etc. Stock apps are developed by the manufacturers and integrated into their respective ROMS. The…