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Android 7.1 feature spotlight: A closer look at seamless updates, partition changes, and new fastboot commands

Cody Toombs

During the I/O 2016 Keynote presentation, and again at the October 4th Pixel announcement, Google made brief references to newly added support for seamless updates in Nougat. To make this work, many changes had to be made to the structure of Android and its assorted system partitions. As a result, there have also been some changes to the fastboot utility many of us use when new factory images become available. This post covers a few of the technical details and also demonstrates some of the ways to use the new features.

How it works

Seamless updates are accomplished by creating a second set of logical partitions in device storage.

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[No Cables, No Problem] Fastboot Gains Networking Capabilities, Wireless Flashing Isn't Far Off

Cody Toombs

If I were to say that I'm going to flash a new system image to your Nexus phone without attaching a USB cable, you might think I'm a little crazy. Well, I could be a little crazy, but that thing about the cable is definitely coming true in the very near future. Google has added networking support to the fastboot tool. When paired with a phone with a supported bootloader, it will be possible to perform all of the usual fastboot commands wirelessly.

In a recent commit to AOSP, support for the TCP protocol was added to fastboot. The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is one of the basic building blocks of communication on the Internet, used for reliable transmission of data from one point to another.

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PSA: Unlocking The Nexus 6P Bootloader Requires The New 'Flashing' Command, Likely To Become Common For Many Devices In The Future

Cody Toombs

By now most orders for the Nexus 6P have been delivered, or at least getting close. If you haven't tried unlocking the bootloader yet, it might come as a surprise that the 'fastboot oem unlock' command no longer works. Attempting to use it with the Nexus 6P fails with a message that it is an unknown instruction. Don't worry, this doesn't have anything to do with drivers, and it isn't a fluke. Google had Huawei replace the oem command in the Nexus 6P bootloader with the new flashing command. Here's what it will look like:

fastboot flashing unlock

fastboot flashing lock

fastboot flashing unlock_critical

fastboot flashing lock_critical

fastboot flashing get_unlock_ability

There are two levels of unlocking: normal and critical.

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[Android M Feature Spotlight] ADB Can Now Reboot Directly To Sideload Mode, Adds A Few Other Commands

Cody Toombs

The preview release of Android M has shown magnificent growth in the platform. There are new things for everybody to enjoy. While we're always excited to see new APIs and cool features – not to mention some pretty important bug fixes – we shouldn't overlook the interesting changes that have also come to the tools we use to work with Android and our devices on a different level. The preview SDK brings an updated version of ADB with a few new commands, including a handy new shortcut to reboot directly into Sideload Mode.

The new commands are visible on ADB's help text.

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Official TWRP Custom Recovery Now Available For The Nexus 9 With Lollipop Tweaks

Ryan Whitwam

The Nexus 9 is still a new device, but it's a Nexus, and that means developers are going to tinker with it. In order to flash ROMs and whatnot, you need a custom recovery. Now there is one for this device. An official build of TWRP is live, and it brings some changes that take into account Lollipop's new security measures.

nexus2cee_wm_DSC05626

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[Update: Gear Live (sprat) Too] TWRP Recovery Now Available For The LG G Watch (dory): Phenomenal Flashing Power, Itty Bitty Screen Space

Cody Toombs

Big things are happening for the smallest of Android devices. Over the last month, we've seen several attempts to extend the capabilities of Android Wear, some have worked out, while others haven't fared so well. Most of the activity has come in the form of 3rd-party apps, so there hasn't been much action for dedicated modders. That is, until today. Team Win just posted its first official custom recovery for the LG G Watch (dory). Say goodbye to your warranty folks, the age of ROMing your wristwatch is upon us.

bxysghdysou

As you can see from the picture, the default TWRP theme isn't quite optimized for such a small screen, so those of us with larger digits will have to be careful.

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The Unofficial CyanogenROM Downloader Adds Scheduled ROM Flashing And Backups - Safely Applying Nightlies Has Never Been Easier

Bertel King, Jr.

Our readers already know about CyanogenMod, as it's only the most popular Android ROM out there, so I won't waste time with an introduction. Many also already use CyanogenROM Downloader to get their hands on the latest versions, even though it's not an official updater. The app's already awesome, but its author sent out a tease a few days ago implying that it could be even better - that it could automatically update your ROM to the latest version overnight, do a backup beforehand, and install your preferred custom kernel without a single touch. Today an update has rolled out making all of these things come true.

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[New App] Saurik's Cydia Substrate Allows Any App To Be Modded, Frees Rooted Users From Flashing ROMs

Bertel King, Jr.

Cydia by developer Saurik has been around the block a few times, beginning in 2008 as a means of installing and modifying software on jailbroken iDevices. A diverse ecosystem has sprung up around the platform, expanding what iOS fans can do on their usually restricted devices. Saurik's Cydia Substrate, a platform for modifying devices without flashing new ROMs, has now made its way over to Android.

Cydia1 Cydia2

Cydia Substrate does not do anything interesting on its own, but developers can use the platform to distribute extensions that modify software without requiring access to source code. Rooted users are free to load these extensions to pimp out their phones without having to go through all the hassle of installing custom ROMs.

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[Update: TWRP Support Added] ROM Manager Adds Support For Delta Downloads

Liam Spradlin

Update: Over the course of the evening, ROM Manager was updated yet again, to version 5.5.2.0 - this time adding support for the TWRP recovery, which is undoubtedly a feature many users have been wanting for some time. Just update ROM Manager in the Play Store and you'll have it.

ROM Manager, one of the most useful and versatile tools available for a consummate ROM-flasher, got an update today, bringing the app up to version 5.5.1.9. The update brings just two changes – a bug fix, and something much more significant: support for delta downloads.

For those who are unfamiliar with the term, "delta downloads" are like the Play Store's smart updates, CyanogenMod's built-in update system, or the files users can download with CyanDelta – bite-size update files that only pack the things that have changed since your ROM's last build.

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[Update] Google Appears To Have Backpedaled On Music Deauthorizations, Now Allowing More Than Four Devices To Be Removed

Eric Ravenscraft

Well, that didn't take long. Earlier today, we reported that Google was limiting the number of devices that can be deauthorized from your Google Music account. The official limit on Google Music devices was 10 active devices, with the proviso that up to 4 devices could be removed from your account every year. As of this moment, the Google Music help page still echoes this, but Google might be back pedaling. We're hearing reports that some users are able to deauthorize devices after being told just this morning that they'd reached their limit. Cameron, who had already reached his limit this morning, tried it out and lookie here:

sorrrrrydeauth camdevicespost

Earlier this morning (left), and around 3:30 EST (right)

While it's unclear how Google's stance on this has changed (we've reached out to Google for comment), it does seem very clear that some customers are now able to deauthorize devices that, just hours ago, they could not.

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