Xiaomi Installing LineageOS and gcam on Redmi Note 5 Global - My experience as a new Android user [Long]

Installing LineageOS and gcam on Redmi Note 5 Global - My experience as a new Android user [Long]
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Redmi 5 Plus just updated to Android 8.1!
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Lineage OS 16
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Does the Pocophone have a better camera than the Redmi Note 5?
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Can i flash miui 10 without TWRP if i have unlocked bootloader on Mi8?
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As someone who is in US (NYC) what's the best Xiaomi to get for a replacement OP3T?
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Keep getting this error a number of times every day... Have a xiaomi mi a2 lite running android 8.1.0... Any help appreciated!

Installing LineageOS and gcam on Redmi Note 5 Global - My experience as a new Android user [Long]

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 08:17 PM PDT

Introduction

This isn't a guide. I simply want to share my experience with installing LineageOS 15.1 and gcam on the phone and as a new user to Android. This is what worked and didn't work for me. If I did anything wrong or if I should've done something differently, let me know.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Global

I'm in the US and needed something on a low budget, but I still wanted a good value phone. After checking what bands I needed here in Los Angeles, I confirmed that I could use the RN5 with AT&T and T-Mobile and that Band 4 was important. I bought my Redmi Note 5 Global from Amazon. I ordered from the seller Mobiles International LLC and received model M1803E7SH. I was expecting to receive M1803E7SG, but from what I've read, the one I received is better because the one ending in SH is the Taiwanese global version which also has support for Band 2 and that's used outside of cities here in the US. I don't know how to confirm this so if you have any info on this please share.

Mint Mobile

I decided on Mint Mobile which operates on T-Mobile and I ordered the $5 Mint Mobile starter kit from Amazon. I went through the setup and the only problem I ran into was having to configure the APN info manually. After doing that, Mint Mobile worked fine. LTE speeds are a bit on the low side, but I suspect that T-Mobile users are getting priority. It isn't a big deal to me since I expect to always be near Wi-Fi and I don't have a need for a lot of data at this time. Once I confirmed Mint worked on the RN5, I went ahead and signed up for 3 months.

Unlocking and MIUI Info

After setting up Mint, I spent about a day testing all the basic features of the phone to make sure nothing was defective. I didn't go through much customizing or downloading many apps because I was planning on unlocking the phone and didn't want to lose anything when it resets. I followed the wiki:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Xiaomi/wiki/bootloader

A couple notes, on MiUnlock I had to click the gear icon and install the driver to have my phone detected. In order to see the hours left, I had to go through the process with MiUnlock as if I was already unlocking the phone. It'll go through all the steps and after the last step it will fail and show the hours. I don't know if there's another way to check the hours left. I set up a google calendar event to remind me when time was up. I should point out that during the wait I updated MIUI to version 9.5.19.0 when I received the notification.

LineageOS

In the 2 weeks I was waiting to unlock, I decided on switching to LineageOS. As a new user to Android, I had nothing to compare with MIUI so I didn't think it was bad, but I knew that long term it would be better for me to go with a custom ROM. I've seen Pixel Experience getting recommended more and more, but from what I read and videos I watched, LOS seemed to be the most consistent of the popular ones. I might try out PE in the future after a few more updates.

Unlocking (continued)

Finally it was time to unlock. I hooked up the phone to my PC and switched from USB charging to transfer files so I could backup the few pictures and videos and then I unlocked. I don't know why this step made me nervous, it went smoothly and the phone was back to the way it was when I first received it. Now that the phone was unlocked it was time to install LineageOS.

TWRP

First, I needed to install TWRP and I ran into some problems. I followed the wiki:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Xiaomi/wiki/twrp

I couldn't use the Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot Tools. I'd click the .jar and nothing would happen other than a process running in task manager. Later I figured out my java needed to be updated. Instead of those tools, I switched to using the guide for LineageOS which includes instructions for installing TWRP through the command prompt on Windows:

https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/whyred/install

First, I had to follow these instructions for adb and fastboot:

https://wiki.lineageos.org/adb_fastboot_guide.html

I ran into another problem here. I couldn't get my phone to show up when I used the command adb devices. After wasting a lot of time, I realized that the phone has to be in MTP mode (media transfer protocol) by switching the phone from USB charging to transfer files in order to have adb functionality. This is probably common sense, but as a new user it was something I didn't know. This also applies to getting Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot tools to detect your device in the adb tab. I should note that using adb in this manner isn't even necessary in the process at this point. Everything will be done via fastboot which worked fine as soon as I tried it. I just got a little obsessed when my phone wouldn't show up with the command adb devices.

TWRP (continued)

With that sorted out, back to installing TWRP. Now, still following the LOS install guide, when trying to flash TWRP, I get the error:

FAILED (remote: Anti-rollback check failed)

I spent another chunk of time figuring out what the best way around this. This link got referred to more than a couple times in regards to this error:

https://forum.xda-developers.com/redmi-note-5-pro/how-to/warning-update-to-recent-miui-builds-t3814895

It only has a small section for TWRP that I felt wasn't helpful for a new user. With this small bit of info, the plan was to boot with TWRP, install TWRP from recovery, and then flash lazyflasher. I got impatient at this point trying to find a download for a version of lazyflasher that would simply allow me to install TWRP. I said forget it, I'll just try out redwolf instead. Then I found that official redwolf didn't support the RN5 so I came across Redwolf Vince which does. As I was about to download, I thought about it and decided I wanted to stick with TWRP since just about every single guide uses TWRP and not redwolf. Being that I didn't want to complicate things more for myself, I decided to keep pushing for a solution without redwolf. Then I came across a video that linked this guide:

https://www.androidexplained.com/redmi-note-5-install-twrp/

This was a little more helpful for this line specifically:

"If you plan on using a custom ROM like LineageOS or a custom kernel then it will include support for dm-verity already and you won't have to install the ZIP file." Now the plan was boot twrp, install twrp from recovery, and install LOS immediately after.

Open GApps

I grabbed the latest LOS for whyred and, since I'm a google user, I also wanted to grab a gapps package. I followed the links in the LOS install guide and grabbed mindthegapps package at first. I wasn't sure why it had a different name (I thought they might be the same thing, just one being a mirror) so I went to the opengapps link, too. It was obvious I wanted to go with opengapps and not mindthegapps. After reading over the hover popups, I decided that the stock package is what I wanted. It's slightly bloated, but it has a couple things the smaller packages don't have that I wanted. THIS IS WHERE I RAN INTO THE MOST ANNOYING PROBLEM IN THE PROCESS. Do NOT install Google Camera from opengapps.

Excluding Google Camera from Open GApps

If you install google camera from opengapps, you can't use google camera ports. Uninstalling it won't matter. Whatever gcam port you use will simply fail when you launch it. You must install LOS with opengapps fresh and without google camera to use a gcam port. At least, this became my understanding of the matter. I saw lots of people recommending mindthegapps or the opengapps nano package as a workaround, but I insisted on using the opengapps stock package. Using this guide in their wiki, it was simple to disable google camera from being installed: https://github.com/opengapps/opengapps/wiki/Advanced-Features-and-Options

I simply created a text file:

gapps-config.txt

and in it all I had was:

Exclude CameraGoogle

That was it. This prevented Google Camera from being installed. You could also exclude anything else you want, just refer to the guide. The file is automatically used during installation as long as it's in the same directory as the opengapps zip file.

Installing TWRP, LineageOS, and Open GApps

Now that I had the twrp image, the lineageos zip, the opengapps zip, and gapps-config.txt, I was ready to install everything in one go… and it must be installed in one go. I'll switch to a step by step format for this portion, but please note that this is only what I remember. I'm not going to redo the process again for this post. As I mentioned earlier, this is not a guide, I'm just sharing what I remember from my experience. Also, this is based on following the basic steps of the LOS install guide while making necessary changes for my situation. Use your best judgement and YMMV.

The Steps I Took

Downloaded the 3 files on my pc (twrp, lineageos, opengapps)

Saved in the same folder with gapps-config.txt

Connected my phone to my pc and switched from USB charging to transfer files

Copied the 4 files to the same folder, the Downloads folder already on the phone

Turned off phone

Booted into fastboot by holding volume down and power buttons

Opened command prompt on Windows 7

Typed fastboot devices to confirm phone is detected

Typed fastboot boot

and dragged the twrd image into the command prompt so it looked something like

fastboot boot C:\MiSoftware\twrp-3.2.3-0-whyred.img

Hit enter

Once done, I unplugged my phone for comfort for the rest of the process

I rebooted into recovery by holding volume up and power buttons

Didn't get impatient, made sure I held them long enough

It booted into twrp

I think I swiped at this point to allow modifications

I had a PIN on my phone so this is the password I used when prompted by twrp

(Without entering password, you can't see the downloads folder)

Tap Install on main menu

Navigate to downloads folder

Make sure install image is selected on bottom

Select twrp image

Tap Install

I can't remember if prompted for partition, choose recovery if asked

Once complete and successful, tap home button to go back to main menu

Tap Wipe

SKIP FORMAT DATA STEP IN LOS INSTALL GUIDE

DO NOT FORMAT (is this necessary? no videos or guides did it from what I recall)

Tap Advanced Wipe

Leave Internal Storage, USB-OTG, Micro SD Card UNCHECKED

All others checked

Swipe to Wipe

Once complete, go back to main menu

Tap Install

Make sure install zip is selected

Select LineageOS zip

Add another zip

Select opengapps zip

Swipe to install

If screen turns off, just hit power button and swipe to unlock

Once complete, reboot

If you're a visual person, here is a video that shows the process, it's not exactly what I did, but very close:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBrcsYOrNHI

A minor issue I ran into

A quirk I ran into during my 3 installations of LOS [as I was trying to figure out the camera problem] is that a couple times the phone would hang on either the Mi logo or the LOS loading screen. I was trying a lot of stuff that wasn't working so I'm sure something I did caused this problem. I think it usually happened whenever I selected to reboot directly into system or recovery from the twrp reboot menu or using the advanced restart options enabled with the developer settings in LOS. It also might have happened after I rooted. If it happens, just hold the power button to reboot the phone. If it still hangs, boot manually into recovery and choose power off from the twrp reboot menu. Don't force a shutdown the first time you boot LOS, that does take a while and it's normal.

Confirm Google Camera is Not Installed

Once you're in LOS, confirm you don't have google camera installed. You should only have the stock camera. If you have google camera installed, you're going to have to install LOS and gapps again after figuring out what went wrong.

Enabling Camera2 API

Now to get a gcam port working. This is where I started with the safest method. I used the wiki:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Xiaomi/wiki/camera2

By this point, I had updated java and got the tools working. I followed the guide, but it wouldn't detect my phone while in twrp. One possible issue I ran into that may have caused this is that after inputting my password in twrp, I didn't get asked if I wanted read only. That option only comes up when when I don't put in my password so I tried it that way. Doing it without my password, the tools found my phone and I clicked enable camera2. I rebooted and tried a version of gcam that I was confident should work and it didn't. Next I tried installing a couple files like camera2api enabler that didn't require root and they gave me errors. Since my phone wasn't rooted, I tried installing them via twrp instead of Magisk like a couple have the option to do.

Enabling Camera2 API (continued)

After feeling I was wasting too much time trying to find a non-rooted solution, reading the same types of responses referring to the same 2 or 3 xda threads, I decided to go ahead and root so I could edit build.prop. I downloaded on my PC both Magisk and Magisk Manager from xda and transferred them to my downloads folder on my phone. I installed Magisk from twrp and when I rebooted into LOS I installed Magisk Manager. Then I installed build.prop from the play store and opened it to confirm it worked. For good measure, I rebooted and then I opened build.prop again. I searched for persist.camera to see if HAL3 was enabled from my other attempts and it wasn't there. I tapped the menu button to make sure a backup was created and then I tapped the edit button. I scrolled to the bottom and added the necessary line:

persist.camera.HAL3.enabled=1

Then I hit enter a couple times and saved and exited. Then I rebooted.

Choosing and Installing a Google Camera Port

Now came time to choose and test a gcam port. There's 2 that I see regularly recommended, Arnova's and BSG's. In my research, I found that BSG's is usually in the guides specifically for the RN5 so that's what I went with. Specifically, I downloaded MGC_5.2.022.apk from here:

https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/dev-bsg/

I went with the most recent version in bold. I can always try other versions like Arnova's later. For now, I just wanted something that I could be confident would work. Once again, I downloaded it on my PC and I transferred it to the downloads folder on my phone. Installed it, rebooted my phone for good measure again, and it worked.

Feedback and a New Problem

If anyone sees any problems with what I did and has some input, I would greatly appreciate the feedback. I may have done things out of order and I may have made decisions that weren't necessary. I would have preferred to get gcam working without rooting, but I was in so deep with trying different things I figured I'd just go all the way. Did I make a mistake when trying to enable the camera2api without rooting that caused me to fail? Is it possible to do it without rooting and is it possible to un-root so I can go back and do it that way? There's a problem with rooting and magisk currently because now I can't pass the safetycheck in Magisk Manager and I'm afraid some apps are going to complain about it failing (like my bank app). It's a known problem and it looks like it's getting fixed, but it's inconvenient for now.

https://twitter.com/topjohnwu/status/1029239685338419200

https://twitter.com/topjohnwu/status/1032113117503860736

https://twitter.com/topjohnwu/status/1032113345514676225

In Closing

Other than the safetynet problem, I'm glad I got LineageOS and gcam working. Whether I did it the right way or the wrong way, it was a good learning experience. I hope my experience can help others. Any input or recommendations on changing what I did is welcome. It might be too late to change some things, but it might help the next person that is planning on doing the same thing.

New Google Camera Patch?

I did all this yesterday and I just saw this reddit post linking a Google Camera Patch/Fix today. I might look into it later.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Xiaomi/comments/9awxk4/google_camera_patchfix_for_redmi_note_5_global/

submitted by /u/RoloisRight
[link] [comments]

Google rolling out Google Pay in India, NFC services to follow soon. This makes it even more important for all Xiaomi's to have NFC !

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 02:36 PM PDT

submitted by /u/kokroo
[link] [comments]

Redmi 5 Plus just updated to Android 8.1!

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 06:46 AM PDT

submitted by /u/callesucia
[link] [comments]

Xiaomi Pocophone F1 launches globally in 65 countries

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 05:03 AM PDT

submitted by /u/Saki_EU
[link] [comments]

Xiaomi Mi A2 & Mi A2 Lite kernel source code now available

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 05:02 AM PDT

submitted by /u/Saki_EU
[link] [comments]

( FRANCE ) Where can i buy the Poco F1 for 329€ instead of 359€ and the -30€ promo ?

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 09:50 AM PDT

submitted by /u/justjack1234
[link] [comments]

Redmi Note 5 4GB (Taiwanese Global Ver. w/ Band 2 & 28) is Back at $177!

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 05:22 PM PDT

The deal is back for a limited time at $177 with eBay Code: PREGAME15. Link

Expires tonight on 8/28 at 10 pm PT.

submitted by /u/crispswish
[link] [comments]

Xiaomi Vacuum 1gen - broken wheel?

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 09:38 AM PDT

submitted by /u/nevermind21
[link] [comments]

Issue with File Manager

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 09:04 PM PDT

I use the mi stock file manager and whenever I try to transfer files from my PC to the phone via FTP, it gets stuck towards the end and never gets completed. Anyone know a fix to this?

submitted by /u/Lorne_Soze
[link] [comments]

Is Xiaomi A1 a good GAMING phone?

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 08:16 PM PDT

My Samsung J7 2016 broke and i need a new phone. Looking to play games (like PUBG/Fortnite) mostly, but i'd like to know if it has any features that set it apart from other phones. It's sort of cheap too which is great! I will appreciate any recommendations for other Xiaomi phones too.

submitted by /u/IanTheMax
[link] [comments]

Charging Behavior

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 04:18 PM PDT

Can someone tell me whats happening here. I just noticed that my Redmi 5 Plus showed me "about 4hours until full" when I plugged in my charger. It really takes longer than usual which is only "about 2hrs and 30mins until full". I didnt update any system updates or anything. Kept it stock as much as possible. And I am using the 2amp charger by Xiaomi as well. Can somebody give me an idea whats happening on my device? I would really appreciate it thanks.

submitted by /u/armnmnlses
[link] [comments]

Any *real* feedback about Global Stable update 9.6.3.0 (Redmi Note 5 AI)

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 07:19 PM PDT

Hey there, As you guys probably know, the official Mi Forums are simply a mess and it's impossible to know if an update truly has no issues or not because of the spam of battery issues posts within 5mn of a ROM release. Stable updates are supposed to be, well, stable but you never know. I've seen a lot of posts about a high decrease in camera quality and some resolution glitches in certain apps. I just wanted to know if some of you guys had any issue with this update. Thanks a lot!

submitted by /u/MarshallRawR
[link] [comments]

Is the 128GB version of the F1 worth it?

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 06:48 PM PDT

I'm thinking of getting this version, altough i'm only getting it for 379€, not more, do you think it's worth it?

submitted by /u/DiligentCode
[link] [comments]

Lineage OS 16

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 06:41 PM PDT

Dear Developer, I installed Lineage OS 15.1 based on android 8.1 in my Redmi 4A, and I really thankful to all you team members for such generating such a great piece of code. The 4A is working absolutely great. While moving through XDA forum, I came across your new version 16. When will we 4A users get the same.

submitted by /u/subirranjan
[link] [comments]

POCOPHONE F1: Teardown | Take a ride with the #MasterOfSpeed

Posted: 27 Aug 2018 11:34 PM PDT

submitted by /u/Respac
[link] [comments]

Does the Pocophone have a better camera than the Redmi Note 5?

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 06:17 AM PDT

Screen broke on my redmi note 4 and all I really wanted in that phone is a better camera.

submitted by /u/someWizard
[link] [comments]

Google app crashing after August patch in Mi A1.

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 09:23 AM PDT

Ever since I installed the August patch, the Google app stops working every now and then and "send report" message pops up. Is anyone else facing the same issue? Is there any fix?

submitted by /u/demonic_wrath
[link] [comments]

To those who own the Soocare or Soocas x 3 toothbrush

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 10:15 AM PDT

To those who own the Soocare or Soocas x 3 toothbrush:

how are the Clean brush heads? Are they hard or soft? 'Cos I've got gum recession and the Inter brush heads are no longer in production.

Thanks!

submitted by /u/theroastedmushroom
[link] [comments]

Best Xiaomi Phones in 2018

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 05:03 AM PDT

submitted by /u/Saki_EU
[link] [comments]

Can i flash miui 10 without TWRP if i have unlocked bootloader on Mi8?

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 01:05 PM PDT

Got my bootloader unlocked, can i flash miui 10 global rom on Mi8 with only miflashtool? Currently on 9.5.14 oearufa

submitted by /u/raclariu
[link] [comments]

Question in regards to Anti Rollback protection (Mi Max 3)

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 12:50 PM PDT

I received my phone a week ago with a vendor rom and unlocked bootloader. I immediately flashed official chinese 8.8.9 followed by TWRP and Xiaomi.eu 8.8.9. Yesterday I updated to Xiaomi.eu 8.8.23 and the rom seems laggy compaired to 8.8.9. checking anti rollback status I get the following..

getvar:anti FAILED (remote: GetVar Variable Not found)

Does this mean I am still unaffected by ARP and can safely go back to 8.8.9?

submitted by /u/keenan316
[link] [comments]

Will any USBc headphones work with the Mi A2?

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 12:40 PM PDT

Quick questions:

(1) Will any USBc headphones work with the Mi A2?

(2) If you happen to use a USBc type adapter for your earphones:

(2.1) How uncomfortable is it to carry the set-up in your pant's pockets?
(2.2) Do the earphones or adapter have a tendency to unplug when carrying them in your pockets?

Making my mind about A2 v. A2 Lite. Any insight would be much appreciated!

submitted by /u/GlensGoo
[link] [comments]

As someone who is in US (NYC) what's the best Xiaomi to get for a replacement OP3T?

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 03:54 PM PDT

After seeing the release of the Poco it drew my attention to Xiaomi and I really like everything they are doing. Unfortunately it looks like I'd be taking a chance getting the same POCO due to LTE supported bands. I've had my eye on Mi 8 & Mi Max 2S but they are little over my price point.

So they title says it all...what would be the best equivalent to my OP3T? My screen cracked and rather than get a replacement screen I'd rather put that money towards something new.

submitted by /u/MonteReddit
[link] [comments]

Why is Mi 6 abandoned by Xiaomi?

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 09:40 AM PDT

Hi, long time lurker and first time posting.

I have last year flagship Mi 6 from Xiaomi but it feels as it has been abandoned and the mid-range and budget phones are better supported in terms of software updates. Last security patch is May 2018 and it's almost September with no updates still.

Looking at the launch of Poco F1, I'm tempted to change phones but one feature I use is not there, IR blaster. As for NFC, I don't really use it even tho it's nice to have if you forget your wallet. Also I don't really like the trend of bigger phones.

Anyway, just a bit of a rant post I hoped buying a flagship would not mean having to change the phone the next year, but at least 2 years.

submitted by /u/Ph1User
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Keep getting this error a number of times every day... Have a xiaomi mi a2 lite running android 8.1.0... Any help appreciated!

Posted: 28 Aug 2018 12:32 AM PDT