Ubuntu Touch OS for Fxtec Pro1

[order#10248 65]

I am not sure if it already had come to notice here in this forum: There is a funding campaign to have a professionally skilled developer working on Anbox container for Ubuntu Touch:

https://gofund.me/acb31504

I think it is worth to be supported.
Anbox is kind of a container running an android environment so that native android apps could be run. Of course this could be more convenient than dual boot 😉

Cheers, Ulle

 

[ScarFez 1]

On 6/20/2020 at 12:55 PM, order#10248 said:

Download Ubuntu Touch OS for Fxtec Pro1 from the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qQtVgbmRezbGWovfxulUvhiOkhtehfTP/view?usp=sharing
ubports-fxtec-pro1-v0.5.zip (811M)

 

Seems like the download no longer exist

[EskeRahn 5,471]

10 minutes ago, ScarFez said:

Seems like the download no longer exist

Try this https://devices.ubuntu-touch.io/device/pro1/

[phukfxtec 23]

On 11/11/2021 at 6:29 PM, EskeRahn said:

Try this https://devices.ubuntu-touch.io/device/pro1/

which to download? i dont see artifacts.

where is ota 5 build?

[EskeRahn 5,471]

1 hour ago, phukfxtec said:

which to download? i dont see artifacts.

where is ota 5 build?

You are quoting a three year old reply - sorry I have zero recollection

"The F(x)tec Pro1 is not supported by the current Ubuntu Touch release."

[Hook 3,043]

56 minutes ago, phukfxtec said:

which to download? i dont see artifacts.

where is ota 5 build?

First, off, warning... I have never installed UB Touch.  Also, I'm not clear enough on what you have already done to know if I'm just suggesting something you have already tried.

Looking at this page (I'm assuming you have the Pro1x):

https://devices.ubuntu-touch.io/device/pro1x/

It appears to me you download an installer (links at the bottom of the page) to your computer and it downloads and installs UB Touch (presumably OTA-5, since that is listed as the stable version on that page).

Again, I may be making way too many assumptions, but if I were interested in UB Touch, that's what I would try.  But I am not planning on doing it.

[phukfxtec 23]

already tried installer. does not work:

 

 

[Hook 3,043]

15 minutes ago, phukfxtec said:

already tried installer. does not work:

 

 

At this point, I think your best bet is to seek support, maybe from @TheKit, on their forum (I haven't seen him here is a long time) and see if they can help you figure out what went wrong.

Again, if you have already done that, sorry.  I've got nothing else.

[claude0001 1,352]

2 hours ago, phukfxtec said:

already tried installer. does not work

On discord they helped some guy install UBtouch manually after the installer didn't work for him either, basically following this how-to:

https://gitlab.com/ubports/porting/community-ports/android11/fxtec-pro1x/fxtec-pro1x

3 hours ago, phukfxtec said:

i dont see artifacts.

To get all the partitions required for flashing, you need a "devel-flashable" zip. Unfortunately, the last successful job of that kind at UBports was 9 months ago, and the resulting artifacts.zip is no longer available for download:

https://gitlab.com/ubports/porting/community-ports/android11/fxtec-pro1x/fxtec-pro1x/-/jobs

So self-building the system partition image from an OTA, as hinted in the how-to above, might be the only way. For that the artifact.zip from the latest "build" job *should* be sufficient:

https://gitlab.com/ubports/porting/community-ports/android11/fxtec-pro1x/fxtec-pro1x/-/jobs/7607090641

Disclaimer: I'm not using UBTouch myself. Ask on discord if you run into trouble. Regarding non-Android OSs, it's more active than this place.

[phukfxtec 23]

@claude0001 thanks.

I eventually ended up compiling from source then manually flashing via fastboot.

Finally in Ubuntu!

The documentation / process needs updating. Newer builds. Better device detection. This is not user a friendly process for those unfamilar with the command line.

[Dr.Colossos 15]

Hi everyone, after waiting 4 years, I finally got my phone.

Now, I'd like to give Ubuntu Touch a try, afterall, I am running on Ubuntu since 10.04.

However, reading here in the forum, I am under the assumption that if I flash Ubuntu, I will no longer be able to go back to stock Android or LineageOS with working sensors, as the Ubuntu flash messes with the persist partition.

One can back up those (cf. guide here), but there is no way to restore them ...

So, if my experience with Ubuntu Touch is miserable, I might try to sell this thing ... which simply won't work, if the device is basically broken due to non-working sensors. What are my options here ..?

• Stick with stock ..?
• Go for Ubuntu and eventually break it?
• Go for Ubuntu, and there is actually a way to restore stock with working sensors, etc ..?

Thanks for any insights!
Cheers

[suicidal_orange 103]

On 10/31/2024 at 8:34 PM, Dr.Colossos said:

I am under the assumption that if I flash Ubuntu, I will no longer be able to go back to stock Android or LineageOS with working sensors

Glad you wrote this, I was considering trying it too but sounds a bit scary.

[Dr.Colossos 15]

3 hours ago, suicidal_orange said:

Glad you wrote this, I was considering trying it too but sounds a bit scary.

Yeah, perhaps someone with more experience can chip in, and clarify, if this really is the case. There is really no point in basically making the device unusable for non-Ubuntu usage ... if I am left uncertain on this, I fear I need to sell it on ebay .. would be sad, now as I finally got this thing ... I do not have the highest expectations, but it does look, feel like a decent phone to me ...

Anybody can share his/her insights on Ubuntu-flashing and it's consequences ..?

Cheers

[Hook 3,043]

16 hours ago, Dr.Colossos said:

Anybody can share his/her insights on Ubuntu-flashing and it's consequences ..?

I wish I were that person or anyone actually qualified to help (I'm strictly a lineage guy), but I do reasonably believe that using the QFIL method of reflashing stock Android 11 should work as it is capable of working even with bricked Pro1xs (in theory-- I have never done it.)  I know it worked recently with someone who mistakenly flashed stock Android 9 for the SD 835 Pro1 on a Pro1x resulting in not being able to even boot.

So, all I'm doing is pointing to something that might (in theory) work without being able to say how much of a gamble it is.

If you have a Linux computer, there is the also the Restorecon folder repair method which @mosen declares works 100%. The method was added at the bottom of the OP in the whole confusing persist partition thread. 

I'm not much help, sorry.  Just pointing to the two things that are supposed to work,,,  but have no experience here.

I do hope someone who has been through this pops up.  You might also try the ubuntu-touch room in the unofficial F(x)tec Discord.

[Dr.Colossos 15]

@Hook thanks for your comment.

I indeed misinterpreted the restore parts of that thread, I thought the warning under (1) would also apply to the section "Repair sensors/ folder in persist.img" (2), but now after re-reading, I am pretty sure you are right, that are two totally different things.



I could go the "restorecon" way, I even could dig up a Windows machine somehow, but not too familiar with that OS anymore ...

I will ponder a bit more, on how to proceed. I always wanted to have "Convergence", i.e., run all my tools on one machine, and one machine only, but I doubt that I would reach that with Ubuntu Touch on the Pro 1x (I am actually rather close with Termux X11 and proot Debian). And I am not sure if the experiment to veri/falsify this is worth risking to shred a device I could resell for maybe close to 600€ ...

No matter how I decide, I will post again ...

[Dr.Colossos 15]

So, here comes finally my "guide" ...

Disclaimer: I failed! I now got an incomplete keyboard, special keys are not working, and sensors seem to be off, as the screen in restored Android *does no longer rotate* when I open the keyboard. I have an IMEI for slot 1 and 2 according to system settings, though.Any help to resolve this, would be very much appreciated ...

The "guide" will follow in the next post, shorty ...

I got it all (?) back working ... I will update my guide below ...

Edited November 29 by Dr.Colossos

[Dr.Colossos 15]

How to flash Ubuntu Touch and revert back to stock Android

0. Warranties, Guarantees

1. There are none. Proceed at your own risk. If you loose data, or damage your phone, even beyond repairs, you, and only you are to blame. Please read the full guide first before doing anything with your phone. Only proceed if you think you are capable of doing each part of it. Do not proceed if you feel unsure.
2. Again, no warranties, no guarantees, that this is working for you, and that your device is usable after following this guide.

1. Assumptions

1. This guide assumes you have the F(x)tec Pro1 X, not some other phone, e.g. its predecessor being the F(x)tec Pro1.
2. This guide assumes your main machine is running Ubuntu. This guide was specifically written for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. Nothing really is specific to Linux or Ubuntu, so with slight adaptations, most of this would work under Windows, too, but I won't cover this here.
3. This guide does not assume you want to back up any data. If you wish to do so, you need to find out yourself.

2. Prerequisites

1. You need the Platform Tools package, you can install them with `sudo apt-get install adb fastboot`
2. You must have USB debugging enabled on your F(x)tec Pro1 X. If this is not yet done, please do so, by following one of the various guides in the internet, e.g, as explained in 3. in this pdf linked at
 

3. Flashing Ubuntu Touch

1. In Ubuntu terminal, do `sudo snap install ubports-installer --edge` to install UBports installer
2. Run `ubports-installer`
3. UBports will tell you, that your device is not supported, but the process still works, no worries

4. So click "Select device manually", and from the list, choose of course "F(x)tec Pro1 X"

5. Confirm that your device is unlocked ...

6. ... and click "Install" ...

7. ... with the following options set, and click "OK"

8. Sit tight, and let the installer do it's thing ... this will take less then maybe 5 minutes ..

4. [Optional] Restore the stock ROM (this requires a machine running Windows OS)

1. You need to follow the guide linked @ Pro1-X: Flashing Stock Android with QFIL (Windows PC only), and while it looks and reads tedious, it really does work well - at least did for me. Just be sure to not miss any of the mandatory steps
2. Despite the process under 4.1. being successful and your Pro1-X will happily boot into Android, you will notice that some things won't work properly, like screen rotation, keyboard backlight, maybe more. This is because your sensors partition has been nuked by the Ubuntu Touch installation.
3. Therefore, you now must also root your phone, as described in detail here @ https://community.fxtec.com/topic/3690-pro1-x-rooting-with-magisk/ to be able to fix those issues in the next step. So, go ahead and root your Pro1-X.
4. With the phone now being rooted, finally issue these commands from a Linux terminal.

adb shell
su
restorecon -vRF /mnt/vendor/persist/sensors/
reboot

5. After the reboot is done, you should have a fully working Pro1-X again, with stock Android 11. Congratulations!

If you find any errors in this guide, please ping me. I went through this process myself as described, and with some help from the forum here, I made it work. I hope you can too!

Thanks!

Edited November 29 by Dr.Colossos
improved guide, added better screenshots

[claude0001 1,352]

Have you performed the steps listed in section "Repair sensors/ folder in persist.img" of this post:

I understand those steps are necessary after flashing back to stock from UBTouch. Note that you need to root the device.

Also, please note that I never tried Ubuntu on the Pro1X, so I never had to do this procedure myself. Just trying to point you into what I think is the right direction ...

Edited November 29 by claude0001

[Dr.Colossos 15]

2 hours ago, Dr.Colossos said:

So, here comes finally my "guide" ...

Disclaimer: I failed! I now got an incomplete keyboard, special keys are not working, and sensors seem to be off, as the screen in restored Android *does no longer rotate* when I open the keyboard. I have an IMEI for slot 1 and 2 according to system settings, though. Any help to resolve this, would be very much appreciated ...

The "guide" will follow in the next post, shorty ...

I think I only need to ...

adb shell
su
restorecon -vRF /mnt/vendor/persist/sensors/
reboot

... but for that, I first need to root ... I will update all this later today, or later this weekend.

[Dr.Colossos 15]

3 minutes ago, claude0001 said:

Have you performed the steps listed in section "Repair sensors/ folder in persist.img" of this post:

I understand those steps are necessary after flashing back to stock from UBTouch. Note that you need to root the device.

Also, please not that I never tried Ubuntu on the Pro1X, so I never had to do this procedure myself. Just trying to point you into what I think is the right direction ...

yeah .. I read all this 6 weeks ago, and finally had some time in my hands last night, and started right away ... since when isn't that a smart idea !?!?! 😄

Thanks, as posted right above, I think I have a path forward ... thanks!

[claude0001 1,352]

3 minutes ago, Dr.Colossos said:

I think I only need to ...

Yep, think so too, see above.

[Dr.Colossos 15]

Thanks @claude0001 and to the whole forum. I went from stock Android to Ubuntu Touch and back, without rendering my device (even more) useless.

And while Ubuntu on a phone is nice, it really is far less powerful then I have imagined. No Firefox, no Thunderbird, ages away from running docker ... it sure works, it's also actually nice, but by no means could that ever be my daily driver in that setup.

Still, as I waited almost 4 years for this device, I wanted to give it a try. At least I squeezed out the guide, hoping this is helpful for another lost Linux-Phone person out there.

Edited November 29 by Dr.Colossos

[claude0001 1,352]

On 11/29/2024 at 10:06 PM, Dr.Colossos said:

while Ubuntu on a phone is nice, it really is far less powerful then I have imagined. No Firefox, no Thunderbird, ages away from running docker ...

Back in the days, Canonical wanted people to believe Ubuntu Touch was the Ubuntu GNU/Linux distribution for PCs, just repackaged for their mobile phones.

Of course UBTouch is nothing even close to that. Fun fact, it does not even use a Ubuntu Linux kernel! It runs on the same Android kernel and proprietary drivers than Stock, interfacing them using middleware layers. The latter, however, can be used only by specific "native" UBTouch apps, not by your random favourite software from the full Ubuntu distribution.

You can run Linux Firefox or Thunderbird on UBTouch just like you can on Android: Using some Unix container technology and without any hardware acceleration. This leaves you with no real advantage over a Termux setup on Android, and is of course not what the "Real-Linux-in-your-Pocket"-promise of Ubuntu Touch once made people expect ...

At the end of the day, Ubuntu Touch is just another phone OS, based on Android technology and copying Android concepts. Imho that's why it never really succeeded even in the Linux community and was abandoned by Canonical.

Edited December 1 by claude0001

[Dr.Colossos 15]

8 hours ago, claude0001 said:

You can run Linux Firefox or Thunderbird on UBTouch just like you can on Android: Using some Unix container technology and without any hardware acceleration. This leaves you with no real advantage over a Termux setup on Android, and is of course not what the "Real-Linux-in-your-Pocket"-promise of Ubuntu Touch once made people expect ...

Yeah, that was exactly what I came to realize. I wanted to give it a try, as said, to give my funding for the Pro1 X campaign some sense. I still think the campaign anf Pro 1X is cool, despite all the struggles they and we went thru. But I already run a Astro Slide with Termux X11 on Android there, and that works surprisingly well, without me being forced to jump thru hoops getting, e.g., 2FA banking apps to work, which simply run on main Android.

Also, in the past maybe two years, I found myself using the keyboard, Linux environment less and less, so there is really no point for me to even considering to migrate to the Pro 1X, be it on Ubuntu Touch, Android, or anything. I stick to my Astro Slide, and just hope the (real-)Linux-on-a-(real-)Phone journey is not dying.

As a matter of fact, my Pro 1X is now listed on ebay, and I am willing to give a discount to any Linux enthusiast from this community, would someone be really interesed .. if so, just post or PM.

[claude0001 1,352]

On 12/1/2024 at 9:53 AM, Dr.Colossos said:

Termux X11 on Android there, and that works surprisingly well, without me being forced to jump thru hoops getting, e.g., 2FA banking apps to work, which simply run on main Android.

This.

That's precisely why I gave up on all those alternative OSes that are said to be more "Linux-like" than Android but, actually, are just AOSP piggybacking another UI via libhybris.

Like you, I settled early for a combination of (Google-free) LineageOS and a chrooted Debian Linux install, giving me native access to the huge Android ecosystem of apps. Unfortunately, the latter is just necessary nowadays. On the bright side, I can cover almost all my needs with FLOSS Android apps.

Installing some alt OS that claims to be "real Linux" but, actually, runs on a containerized version of Android (Hybris/Halium) hidden beneath? That still has me run my desktop Linux software in another container -- just like native Android? All that to end up using Android's Firefox or Chromium Apps nonetheless (because the alt-OS's "native" browsers don't cut it) -- using even more container tech (Anbox/Waydroid) for that? Technically interesting, maybe. Makes practical sense? Not to me. 🙂

Edited December 3 by claude0001