Category: Android Development

  • What is Project Treble in Android OS?

    What is Project Treble in Android OS?

    Understanding Project Treble. How is Project Treble going to change update cycle of Android Operating System? How is Google going to implement Project Treble in Android OS?

    Google releases the newer Android version every year. The newest update of Android comes up with a lot of new features, improvements and with security patches. But, how many percentages of devices are able to get that update. There are so fewer devices which are getting the latest update. Many flagship devices also fail to receive time-to-time updates. How can you expect to get the latest update on your mid-range device as it releases? How Project Treble in Android OS going to affect on upcoming smartphones?

    Is Google playing with us?

    No, it’s not only about Google. Nearly 90 percent of devices come up with preloaded applications, bloatware, UI modifications. They didn’t come up with pure stock android. Device manufacturer needs to work for every separate device to release the latest update of Android. It is not possible for OEM to work on it as every year they release dozens of devices. First, they have to think about Flagship devices, then it comes to mid-range devices and so on. This makes the whole process lengthy and time-consuming. That’s the major reason why our smartphone didn’t get the latest update as it releases.

    From past two years, Google is trying to release its latest Android updates on maximum devices. Reports from last two years show that it’s not actually happening. Google has no control over smartphone manufacturer. Google can’t force them to release the latest update. That’s why the graph of Adoption of Google’s newest operating system is less than 10%. Its a big concern for Google. To fix that big issue Google changed some Android framework which is called as Project Treble. So, what is actually Project Treble in Android OS? Let’s find out.

    What is Project Treble in Android OS

    What is Project Treble?

    Project Treble in Android OS is an attempt by Google to fix clog that slows down the Android update procedure. Technically, Treble is a modification in android architecture that communicates with hardware inside the device. The upcoming Android devices will come up with futureproof vendor implementation. Starting with Android Oreo version Google is in talks with device manufacturer regarding Project Treble. It will take time to implement it on the large basis as more than half of the devices are running an older version of Android Operating System. According to Google, Project treble ensures that upcoming Android devices will get latest updates faster than ever. After reading all this stuff about Project Treble, I am still confused about how Google is going to manage all those millions of devices. 

    If you check statistics of Android’s distribution then you can observe the humongous gap between latest and previous android version. Currently, 28.1 percent of phones running Android 6.x (Marshmallow), and 28.5 percent on Android 7.x (Nougat). That means nearly half of the Android phones are running on a nearly-two-year-old operating system. And most terrible statistics is that only 4.1+ percent of devices are running on latest android version i.e., Android 8.x (Oreo). In short, we can say that nearly 96 percent of Android devices are running an old version of Android.

    How Android updates work?

    There are two parts of the operating system code:

    • The OS Framework
    • Low-Level software (Vendor Implementation)

    Project Treble in Android OS

    Why device makers like Samsung, LG, Sony are not able to give a timely update on their devices? Before rolling out the latest update, OEMs like Samsung, LG, HTC, Xiaomi, Sony needs to do major changes in code. This is likely the cause for delay in Android updates from manufacturers. With OS Framework device manufacturers also need to do modifications in low-level software. The manufacturer has to work a lot.

    After all, those implementations device manufacturer can roll out the update to devices. If any OEM wants to update their device line up. Then they have to update android os code and low-level hardware code also. After updating those codes, the update can be pushed out to devices. But problem is that the low-level hardware code is generally maintained by the chip maker. So, for example, if Xiaomi wants to push an update to one of its phones. Then they have to wait for chipmakers like Qualcomm or Mediatek to release source code which will support the latest update. Here you can see that each and every manufacturer is dependent on one other. Without their support update cannot be rolled out.

    With Android Oreo and beyond, Google has changed that scenario. Google has changed the framework of the Android operating system. Those improvements are codenamed as Project Treble in Android OS. It has separated the hardware code and OS code. With that separation, device manufacturers don’t have to wait for the chipmakers to update their low-level hardware code. It will remain the same. OEMs will be free to update their software. Here is the complete documentation of Treble by Google.

    Hopefully, it will make a significant change in the update cycle of the Android operating system. Check if your device supports Project Treble or not.

     

  • How to check Android Device Supports Project Treble

    How to check Android Device Supports Project Treble

    We all are concerned about the regular android updates. Doesn’t matter which phone you use a midrange smartphone or flagship device. If you are not getting time-to-time Android updates and security patches then it makes uncomfortable. Leave android version updates to the side and just think about Android security patches. We use antivirus on our computer, laptop. It needs to update to the latest version. So it can protect us from outside threats. Same Android device needs monthly security patches so it can protect and secure our device from external threats. but because of some reasons, the device didn’t get those security updates on time. For that reason, Google has introduced Project Treble. Project Treble supported devices can be automatically updated to latest security patch directly from Google. We don’t require any attention from smartphone manufacturer or OEMs. How to check Android device supports Project Treble or not?

    Android Device Supports Project Treble

    How to check your Android device supports Project Treble or Not?

    To check your Android device supports Project Treble or not. You have to just follow the following simple steps.

    1. Download any Terminal application from Google Play Store.
      For example Android Device Supports Project Treble                                             Terminal Android (By Luna Inc)
      Play Store Download link.
    2. After Installation open the downloaded Application.
    3. After opening the app you will see some command window and cursor blinking.
    4. Type following commands one by one and hit enter

      (a) adb shell
      (b)
      getprop ro.treble.enabled

    5. If after second command result is true then your Android device supports Project Treble and if the result is false then your Android device doesn’t support Project Treble.

    The only Android devices running on Oreo version and higher than that can support Project Treble. Older Android version devices don’t support Project Treble. So, before testing Project, Treble support check your Android device version also.

    Learn More about Project Treble. 

  • Install Magisk Manager and Root Android Phone & Tablet

    Install Magisk Manager and Root Android Phone & Tablet

    In last thread, we talked about Magisk a System-less root. Today, we are going to talk about different ways to install Magisk Manager and Root Android Phone & tablet. One of the cleanest ways to install Magisk Manager is by using TWRP Recovery. When we flash new root binaries on the android device, old root binaries need to be removed. It helps to avoid malfunctioning and hard bricking of android phone. Flashing files on android device using TWRP recovery makes sure to replace the old binaries with the new one. That’s why flashing through recovery like TWRP always preferred to install Magisk Manager.

    Install Magisk Manager and Root Android Phone & tablet

    Follow following steps to Install Magisk Manager and Root Android Phone & tablet:

    STEP 1: Unlock bootloader of Android device

    Unlocking bootloader is one of the basic step required before experimenting with your android smartphone. It’s like unlocking the door of multiple possibilities. See this thread to know more about What is exactly Android Bootloader? and How to unlock Bootloader of any Android device?

    STEP 2: Install Custom Recovery like TWRP.

    After unlocking the bootloader of Android device, we need to flash the custom recovery on the device. Learn more about Android recovery: What is Android Recovery? The custom recovery like TWRP helps to flash .zip files as well as binary files on the android partition.

    Follow the following steps to install TWRP recovery on the android device:

    1. First Unlock bootloader of the android device on which you want to install TWRP recovery.
    2. Put your phone into Fastboot Mode or in Bootloader mode. (varies from device to device)
    3. Download the ADB files of your Android device.
    4. After downloading ADB files, open ADB shell using command prompt on Windows OS or Terminal on MAC OS. Remember to open the command window in a location where you placed ADB files.
      Install Magisk Manager and Root Android Phone & tablet
    5. Download Official TWRP Recovery for your Android device.
    6. Use the following command to flash the .img file of TWRP recovery.
      • fastboot flash recovery <recovery file name>.img

    Detail guide flash TWRP on your Android Device.

    STEP 3: Download the Magisk Manager ZIP file

    After completing the installation of TWRP, next step is to download supported Magisk ZIP file. This ZIP file will install the Magisk Framework on your phone. This framework will give your device a systemless root functionality. Get Magisk Manager for your Android device from here.

    We strongly recommend you to always use only supported files to root your android device.

    STEP 4: Flash Magisk ZIP in TWRP

    Reboot your Android device into TWRP recovery mode. Then TAP the install button from the main menu. Navigate to the folder where Magisk ZIP is downloaded. Select that ZIP file and just swipe the slider at bottom of the screen to install Magisk. After completion of installation just hit button Reboot.

    twrp magisk Install Magisk Manager and Root Android Phone & tablet

    STEP 5: Install Magisk Manager APK

    After successful installation of the Magisk framework, we need to install the Magisk Manager application which will access that framework. This application is no longer available on Play Store. so, to install it you need to enable “Unknown Sources” from setting menu. Download Latest Magisk Manager application and install it.

    STEP 6: Verify Root and SafetyNet status

    Open Magisk Manager app. Now, you can see a message towards the top of the screen that says “MAGISKSU (topjohnwu)” with a green checkmark next to it. That shows your phone is now rooted. If your seeing red mark on it then follow above steps properly.

    Magisk front page Install Magisk Manager and Root Android Phone & tablet

    This way you can install Magisk Manager and Root Android Phone & Tablet. For Magisk Modules stay tuned to elitcan.com and stay updated.

  • Guide: iPhone X like Swipe Up based Gesture on Android

    Guide: iPhone X like Swipe Up based Gesture on Android

    iPhone X like Swipe Up based Gesture on any Android phone or tablet. Navigation gesture on OnePlus and MI devices.

    We saw many innovative and popular smartphone in the year 2017. List of innovative smartphones cannot be completed without iPhones. In 2017, Apple released iPhone X with a lot of new innovative features. Features like Gesture-based navigation, Full-screen display, Face ID, etc are only available exclusively on iPhone X. Difference between ordinary iPhone and iPhone X is a home button. In iPhone X, Apple replaced the Home Button with Swipe Gesture Navigation. By swiping halfway up from the bottom to left-right of the screen you can control the phone. With the help of some Android apps, a user can try iPhone X like Swipe Up based Gesture on any Android smartphone.

    iPhone X like Swipe Up based Gesture

    How to get iPhone X like Swipe up based gestures on Android phone or tablet?

    Using third-party applications like Gesture Control

    iPhone X like Swipe Up based Gesture

    Gesture Control is one of the easy and lightweight Android application available on Play Store. It provides a lot of iPhone X like Swipe Up based gesture which can be used for navigation. Those gestures can be used to access Home Screen, Open Notification Panel, access Quick Settings, go back, access recent application, etc. This type of applications helps to operate a smartphone with a large screen. Gesture Control application can be configured as per the user’s requirement. On the big screen, it makes difficult to access notification panel by swiping down the notification bar from upside to down. But by setting iPhone X like Swipe up based gesture we can access notification panel instantly.

    Play Store Link of Gesture Control – Next Level Navigation

    Some of the iPhone X like Swipe Up based gesture which can be used on any android phone, tablet using Gesture Control Application.

    iPhone X like Swipe Up based Gesture

    • Swipe Up
    • Swipe Left
    • Swipe Right
    • Double Tap
    • Double Tap and Hold
    • Long Tap
    • Swipe Up and Hold
    • Swipe Down and Hold
    • Swipe Left and hold
    • Swipe Right and hold
    • Swipe Halfway Up
    • Swipe Halfway Up and hold
    • Swip Halfway Up to Bottom

    Like Gesture Control Application there are Multiple Android applications available on Play Store which can be used to set up iPhone X like gestures on Android tablets and phones.

    How to use iPhone X like Navigation gestures on OnePlus 5T, 3T?

    One Plus started to roll out the beta version of Android Oreo for its devices. One Plus 5T and One Plus 3T are now getting updated to Oxygen OS based on Oreo. In that update, One Plus giving users the exclusive option to use iPhone X like gesture function instead of on-screen navigation keys.

    iPhone x like navigation gestures on OnePlus 3T, 5T:

    • Swipe up from the bottom-center area of the screen to go home
    • Swipe up from the bottom-left to go back or home
    • Swipe up from the bottom-right to go back
    • Swipe up and hold from the bottom-center to jump recent app list

    How to Enable iPhone X like navigation gestures on MI, Redmi Phones?

    From the year 2017, We have seen many bezel-less smartphones like Mi MIX 1, MI MIX 2, iPhone X, One Plus 5T, Samsung Galaxy S8, etc. In the bezel-less phone, navigation seems more difficult as the user has to deal with larger screen size. Sometimes jumping from one application to another makes more difficult on full-screen displays. With the introduction of navigation gestures, it gets easier to navigate on full-screen smartphones. With the release of MI MIX and MI MIX 2, Xiaomi proved that they are more than a budget smartphone. Xiaomi smartphones are powered by MIUI. MIUI is known for its features and iOS-like user interface. After the release of iPhone X, Xiaomi announced that it will bring navigation gesture support to its Full-Screen smartphones. Now, MIUI 9 Beta version of MI MIX and MI MIX 2 coming up with iPhone X like navigation gestures. Xiaomi is also set to release Redmi 5 Plus globally on 14th February 2018. According to the latest news, Redmi 5 Plus will be mid-range full-screen size smartphone. MIUI forum is claiming that Redmi 5 Plus will support navigation gesture feature out of the box. Isn’t it a great news for MI fans?

    iPhone X like Swipe Up based Gesture

    If you want to use iPhone X like navigation gesture on your MI device then update your MI or Redmi device with latest MIUI Beta ROM. You can also check the status on Official MIUI Forum. Where you will get all news regarding features rollout and support.

    Did you already receive navigation gesture support on your device? Also, Write your opinion regarding gesture-based navigation on a smartphone in the following comment.

    Fix Instagram freezing issue on iPhone X.

  • How To Flash Zip File From PC: Desktop Flasher

    How To Flash Zip File From PC: Desktop Flasher

    A man who never experienced flashing process in his android lifetime then he is missing beauty of android. From beginner android developer to experienced developer flashing is an essential process. No one can bypass flashing stage in android. It is mandatory to everyone nothing matters what purpose it is. It can be a root thing, custom ROM or hardcore android development. You can’t avoid flashing. Many time while installing or flashing any files on android system user needed to transfer that file from computer to an internal or external SD card. Today, we are giving you a simple way to flash zip files from PC to Android.

    Easy stuff…!! But Size matters…!!

    For example, Most of the custom ROMs like Cyanogen, Resurrection Remix, PAC-Man, AOSP,etc. comes up with average size of 500 MB. Then it is not a big problem. Sometimes OEM like MIUI gives system update of  1 GB or more than it. Then it gets irritated to transfer those files from computer to external storage. In such situation question arise Can we flash .zip files directly from computer? Is there any a simple way to flash zip files from PC to Android?

    Here is the answer for your question How to flash .zip file from a computer?
    This method saves time of flashing Custom MODs, kernels, gapps and ROMs. To use this method device must come up with some requirement such as custom recovery must be installed on your device. Learn how to flash custom recovery on android device.

    Old Method to flash .zip files:

    1. Install custom recovery on android device.
    2. Move files needed to flash on internal or external SD card.
    3. Then files can be flash on android device.
      This method consumes lot of time and it requires lot of free memory on internal or external SD card to process further.

    New Method:
    Today we are coming with a new method to flash .zip files. In this method, Desktop Flasher application is used. It is a small application which allows user to flash .zip files from computer to android device.

    Note: Now directly flash all your zip files from desktop to Android device on one click. Just needed to download and install the Desktop Flasher on PC which is running on windows operating system.

    Download Desktop Flasher.

    Thanks to elit filmaker
    Things to do before using that application:

    1. Install the latest USB drivers of device on PC.
    2. Enable USB debugging mode on device.

    How to use Desktop Flasher:

    desktop flasher app to flash file

    1. Open
    2. Download .zip file which you want to install
      way to flash zip files
    3. Drag and drop .zip file on the application to flash it on android device
    4. It will prompt to open custom recoveries like CWM or TWRP on device
    5. After confirmation it will start the flash process

    Just some clicks and your .zip file is flashed. Best way to flash zip files from PC to Android.

  • Tools needed to build Custom ROM for Android

    Tools needed to build Custom ROM for Android

    Android ROM development Tools Introduction

    If you search ‘build android ROM‘ then, number of results shown up. Is this so easy to build ROM for Android device? It depends on number of modifications you wanted to do. But, believe me. Without proper knowledge you can’t build perfect ROM for Android device. You must know all the things require to build Custom ROM for android device. From basic to advance, this shows how matured you are in Android development.

    Human beings are using tools from medieval era. From the ancient times tools are referred as a physical item. Due to advancement in human life, definition of tool is changed. Tool is an item which helps human for completion of work or to achieve goals. For completion of every work we require tool. Our hands, brain, body parts are also great tools which helps us to complete our goal and work. Same philosophy is followed in Software and Hardware industry. Now tools are not only limited as a physical item. Software required to develop different things are also categorized as a tool. For example, to create movie we require software like Movie Maker. Those software are nothing but a tool.

    In this guide, I am going to introduce you to different tools required to build Custom ROM for Android.

    Essential tools required to build Custom ROM for android:

    • JAVA JDK(Java SE Development Kit)
      Java is the essential part of the Android Operating System. For proper android development you must learn Java. It will help you to understand android development properly. Your Computer must know commands of java libraries. You can install those SE binaries by using JAVA JDK kit.
      Download Java JDK.
      openjdk
      Why we needed to install Java while developing app or ROM for android?
      For Android development system require multiple java applications to run. This java application requires JDK Kit to run. That’s why JDK Kit must be installed on your PC.
    • CYGWIN
      Android is Linux based Operating system. It is important to develop android from Linux based operating system. But if you want to work from Microsoft’s Windows Operating system then you need third-party software like Cygwin. It helps user to build Unix-like environment on Windows Operating System. It provides 
      native integration of Windows-based system resources with data of the Unix-like environment. It provides user functionality similar to a Linux on Windows OS.
      Download CYGWIN
    • META-INF
      META-INF needed to make flashable zip files. Using it you can club different meta and APK files in a single .zip file. Using META-INF you can flash .zip file from recovery mode.
    • Android Kitchen
      Android Kitchen software helps to build Custom ROM for android devices. With the help of Android Kitchen you can port different ROM for different android devices. You can customize the ROM according to your need.
      Download Android Kitchen UOT Kitchen or ROM Kitchen.
      Household-Kitchen-icon
      You can also try different Kitchen to cook different types of ROMs.

      Download Notepad++ and Android device drivers.

    • Notepad ++
      It is source code editor software. It supports different languages. Recommended for Windows users.
      Notepad_Plus_Plus_Logo
    • Device Drivers
      Install drivers of the device on your system. It helps system to interact with the device.
    • ADB Driver
      Install ADB driver on your system.
      ADB known as Android Debug Bridge is a command-line utility included with Google’s Android SDK. It helps system to control your device over USB.
     These is the introduction to some of the essential tools required to start developing Custom ROMs for Android devices.
  • Introduction on Development in Android Edition

    Introduction on Development in Android Edition

    What means Development in Android?

    Most of the Android user now knows about Root, ROM, Kernel, Boot-loader,etc. Earlier years, seen was different. Android device was not so handy like today. One from ten person used to come up with smartphone. Small children wanted to grow up fast so, they can have their own mobile phone. But, Today it’s not like that. Age doesn’t matter for smartphone. Now, Everyone has a smartphone. And lot of people are coming out for development in Android. That’s a good news.

    Things have changed.

    We are now living in a society where progress and development is important. Due to vast availability of smartphones and Internet now 80 percentages people know about Root, Kernel, Boot-loader like terms. Lot of people have shown interest in those things. Number of young fellows are choosing this as a career option. Those all things affecting on our life so much. We will call it as “MOBILIZATION”. Its nothing but globalization of mobile industry.

    Before 3-4 years ago, for any small thing we have to be dependent on mobile companies or shop. But, now things are changed. Every possible solution to any threat comes from developer first then it comes from Company. Every house has at least one developer who knows how to deal with those things.

    As a development how many days you are going to use resources from others. True developer is who try to design and build things differently. In this section we are going to guide you on different development sections.

    How to develop? What you should do?

    From Internet you have probably seen a large number of ROMs, Applications which are built from different sources. Many people know about ROM and how to flash it? But, why so less number of geeks are there who wanted to develop their own ROM. There are some methods of ROM developing which are unknown to us.
    This section aims to guide you on Android Development. We will start from basics to Advanced.