Posts From Skanda Hazarika

Skanda Hazarika
Skanda Hazarika

DIY enthusiast (i.e. salvager of old PC parts). An avid user of Android since the Eclair days, Skanda also likes to follow the recent development trends in the world of single-board computing.

Realme X3 SuperZoom gets unofficial bootloader unlock method, while Realme C3 receives it officially

Realme X3 SuperZoom gets unofficial bootloader unlock method, while Realme C3 receives it officially

July 22, 2020
Realme usually ships their phones with an unlockable bootloader, but you can't simply use a typical Fastboot unlock command to accomplish the task. Unless you're dealing with the Realme 2 or C1, you have to first install a model-specific app known as In-Depth Test to validate the eligibility of bootloader unlocking. The app sends a...
[Update: July 22 builds] Download the MIUI 12 Closed Beta for Xiaomi and Redmi devices

[Update: July 22 builds] Download the MIUI 12 Closed Beta for Xiaomi and Redmi devices

July 22, 2020
The latest version of Xiaomi's custom Android skin - MIUI 12 - is finally here. The company has dropped the curtain yesterday, alongside the Mi 10 Youth Edition launch event in China. Compared to MIUI 11, the stable version of which was released less than six months ago, MIUI 12 brings in a slew of...
Energy Notch battery indicator adds support for the OnePlus 6/7/7T, POCO F1, Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G, Redmi Note 7/7S, and the Motorola One Power

Energy Notch battery indicator adds support for the OnePlus 6/7/7T, POCO F1, Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G, Redmi Note 7/7S, and the Motorola One Power

July 22, 2020
Android is all about customization, and the aftermarket development community is the driving force behind that liberty. The developers often come up with creative ideas to re-use an existing design component in a completely different way than the one it is intended for. Take the example of Energy Notch by XDA Recognized Developer jagan2 - a...
Developer ports One UI 2.1 and Galaxy S20 features to several Samsung Galaxy phones with the Exynos 7870

Developer ports One UI 2.1 and Galaxy S20 features to several Samsung Galaxy phones with the Exynos 7870

July 22, 2020
Back in April 2020, Samsung delivered the Android 10 update to the Galaxy J6 sans the One UI 2.1-specific software features. The phone is powered by the Exynos 7870 chipset, a 14nm octa-core SoC from 2016 that also powers several mid-range Samsung Galaxy phones. Many of those Exynos 7870-equipped devices are excluded from getting the...
Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G/Mi 10 Youth Edition 5G, Realme X50 Pro Player Edition, and Moto G7 Play Android 10 kernel sources are now available

Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G/Mi 10 Youth Edition 5G, Realme X50 Pro Player Edition, and Moto G7 Play Android 10 kernel sources are now available

July 21, 2020
Alongside the flagship Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro smartphones, Xiaomi also offers a more affordable variant of the lineup called the Mi 10 Lite 5G. The Snapdragon 765G-powered device runs MIUI 11 on top of Android 10 out of the box, while its MIUI 12 update is now gradually rolling out in Europe. The...
Download: Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 7S receive stable beta Android 10 update with MIUI 11

Download: Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 7S receive stable beta Android 10 update with MIUI 11

July 20, 2020
Launched back in 2019, Xiaomi's Redmi Note 7 brought 48MP camera to the masses. The company decided to use a different camera sensor on the Indian variant, but they quickly phased out the initial model in favor of the Redmi Note 7S with a 48 MP primary rear camera. There is virtually no difference between...
Pterodon Recovery Project is a new custom recovery for Android devices with an optimized GUI and more features

Pterodon Recovery Project is a new custom recovery for Android devices with an optimized GUI and more features

July 19, 2020
The "recovery" environment on Android-powered devices is a lightweight runtime mode that is usually separate from the actual Android user interface. On most occasions, the recovery is powered by a standalone kernel which means the device can boot to the recovery mode even if the main Android OS is unbootable. Such a design makes the...
Enable NFC SIM support on the OnePlus 8 Pro

Enable NFC SIM support on the OnePlus 8 Pro

July 19, 2020
NFC, short for Near Field Communication, is a short range wireless communication protocol that is nowadays mostly used at contactless payment terminals. The NFC Forum is also working on a wireless charging solution that will let you charge your devices via NFC chips instead of dedicated wireless coils. However, smartphone manufacturers often drop NFC support...
Native Alpha lets you transform any website into a native fullscreen web app on Android

Native Alpha lets you transform any website into a native fullscreen web app on Android

July 18, 2020
A native application may offer richer integration with the underlying OS thanks to having access to more APIs, but running a web-based application comes with its own set of benefits. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) can not only improve the mobile experience but can also behave closely to regular Android applications thanks to the WebAPK standard....
Here’s how to unlock the bootloader of the Verizon Google Pixel/Pixel XL running Android 10

Here’s how to unlock the bootloader of the Verizon Google Pixel/Pixel XL running Android 10

July 17, 2020
Back in 2016, Verizon secured a carrier exclusivity deal with Google for sales of the first-generation Google Pixel and Pixel XL within the United States. Unlike the regular variants of the Pixel/Pixel XL, the devices purchased from the carrier came with a permanently locked bootloader. A free-to-use bootloader unlock exploit named dePixel8 was released rather...
TWRP is now available for the ASUS ZenFone 5Z and BQ Aquaris VS/VS Plus, Xiaomi Redmi 6/6A support also readded

TWRP is now available for the ASUS ZenFone 5Z and BQ Aquaris VS/VS Plus, Xiaomi Redmi 6/6A support also readded

July 16, 2020
Team Win Recovery Project, or TWRP for short, has become synonymous with custom recovery for Android devices. The open-source solution offers a plethora of features that are otherwise not provided by a stock recovery environment, such as the ability to flash ZIP packages that contain aftermarket OSes or different mods, make and restore partition-level data...
Tecno Pouvoir 4 is the first smartphone with a MediaTek SoC to get Android 11 Beta 1 build

Tecno Pouvoir 4 is the first smartphone with a MediaTek SoC to get Android 11 Beta 1 build

July 16, 2020
The stable version of Android 11 is still months away, but Google has already finalized the relevant SDK, NDK APIs, and other components in the second beta of Android 11 that came out earlier this month. The beta testing initiative isn't limited to Google's Pixel lineup, as various other OEMs have released similar beta builds...