oneplus – Terence Eden’s Blog

What doesn't work in LineageOS 20

@edent — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 12:34:26 +0000

My OnePlus 5T is beginning to show its age. After replacing the battery a few years ago, I felt it was time to upgrade its software to Lineage 20.

Everything went smoothly - but there are a few niggles you should be aware of. Some of these are Google's fault - they truly have contempt for their users - and some could be fixed by Lineage if there were sufficient demand.

I've mostly posted this list so that someone from XDA can tell me I'm an idiot and there's an easy fix for all of these issues.

Google Wallet. I knew this was unlikely to work. Even with Magisk's Deny List and the Universal SafetyNet Fix, I couldn't convince GPay to run. The "lack" of security also stopped the Barclaycard App (Error 00006) and one of my doctor's apps. Weirdly I could run all my other banking, credit card, and health apps.

The default webview doesn't support WebAuthN - so I couldn't use my Yubikey to set up BitWarden. I ended up side loading Firefox so that I could get it to work.

Flicking the 5T's side switch to silent doesn't activate "Do Not Disturb".

It is impossible to disable an inserted SIM card. The UI instructs you that the only option is to remove the card. That's a bit annoying (and battery draining).

Google killed native SIP calling. I now need to find a separate app for making and receiving VoIP calls. Weirdly, carrier VoWiFi works just fine.

Call recording works - but it isn't automatic. I have to remember to press a button. Not a show stopper, but a bit annoying.

Lineage doesn't use the latest Noto fonts. I know this because they don't display the Unicode Power Symbol. There are a few default fonts installed, and you can change between them - but there's no way to install your own fonts. Well, there's a command line Magisk module - but requires a reboot each time.

Themes are still a bit hit and miss. All the light themes have poor contrast on some UI elements (white icon on light backgrounds). The dark themes are OK, but then force most apps and websites into dark mode - which isn't always easy to change back.

I find the "jelly" overscroll animation annoying. The only way to disable it is to remove all animations - which makes any transitions really jerky.

Moving the clock to the centre of the shade leaves an gap on the left where it used to be.

No split windows. The launcher doesn't allow for split screen.

The notification panel sometimes goes behind the on screen navigation buttons.

PIN entry requires you to hit the submit button. Older versions of Android would unlock as soon as the correct PIN was typed. But Quick PIN Unlock is unsupported.

The AOSP keyboard refuses to run if any other keyboards are installed. It kept crashing, so I swapped to OpenBoard

Those are all fairly minor complaints. For daily use, Lineage's Android 13 runs just fine - especially considering this phone is 5¼ years old. The team at Lineage continually prove that older devices can be supported, despite the intransigence of most manufacturers.

If you know how to fix any of these problems, let me know in the comments.

New Batteries Make Everything Better

@edent — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 11:34:31 +0000

It has been 4 years since I got my OnePlus 5T. For a mobile geek like me, that's unbearably long! In recent months, the phone has become temperamental and the battery barely made it through the day without a couple of charges. Using the OnePlus Diagnostic Tool, I could see that battery health had fallen below 50%.

New batteries cost around £15 on eBay - and come with the tools needed to disassemble the device. But, in recent years, I've become wary about fiddling with delicate electronics. If I broke it, that'd be an expensive trip to the upgrade store. So I found one of those local "we fix any phone" places. They offered to replace the battery for £30. Paying an extra £15 to let someone experienced do the hard work seemed like a fair deal.

I factory reset the phone⁰ and handed it over. A couple of hours later, I took it back. How did the new battery perform? Over 28 hours of battery life - and 8 hours of screen time!

It's like having a brand new phone.

One of the reasons I got out of the mobile industry was because I thought it had reached a local plateau. There's a limit to how high a resolution a screen needs. Clusters of megapixel cameras are pointless for most people. High-def stereo audio isn't going to get magically better. Biometrics are a solved problem. 5G isn't magic - just a bit faster. Flexible screens are gorgeous - but flip-phones feel a bit retro to me.

And batteries? Any advance in battery tech is quickly eaten by background apps, bright screens, and power-hungry network communications.

There's nothing a 2021 model can do that my 2017 model can't¹.

Reduce. Reuse. Repair. Recycle.

So that's where I am. After repairing this device, I don't see a pressing need to upgrade. It'll probably be another year before I get the gadget lust again.

For both security and to wipe off any lingering apps still draining the battery. ↩︎
Fight me in the comments. ↩︎

Check your battery stats with the OnePlus Diagnostic Tool

@edent — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 11:36:27 +0000

My OnePlus 5T is 3.5 years old and, after daily abuse, its battery life is starting to fade. But how bad is it?

OnePlus have a diagnostic tool which, annoyingly, isn't available in the Google Play store. And is a bit of a pain to run. So here's a quick tutorial.

APK Mirror have a copy of OnePlus Diagnostic 2.1. There may be a later version by the time you read this.

Download and install it. But how do you run it? I couldn't find it in my app list.

Install App Manager

From the F-Droid repository, install App Manager. This will show you all the apps on your phone and all the activities which can be launched.

Open the "Diagnose" app:

Under "Activities" click the "View Battery Status":

That will give you your battery state:

Mine is at 54%, so looks like I need a new battery!

OnePlus 5T - two-and-a-half years later

@edent — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 11:02:48 +0000

Back in November 2017, I treated myself to my first new phone in ages - the OnePlus 5T. I was pretty excited!

This week, 928 days after I bought it, OnePlus pushed an upgrade to Android 10!

Back in 2011, I was moaning that Sony Ericsson didn't even support their phones for a year. How times have changed!

Android devices aren't yet at the longevity of the iPhone, and they're still a long way away from Linux's ability to run modern software on ancient systems. But this is a positive step.

The hardware is still pretty decent. It runs all the apps I need, streams videos in both directions, and the battery is holding up OK.

We've reached a local maxima on smartphones. What innovations have there been in the last few years? Slightly better cameras? In-screen cameras? They're pretty cool, but it's not like the jump from black-and-white to colour, is it?

I paid £450. So it has cost me 50p per day. Pretty reasonable for something I stare at for hours on end! How much longer can I keep using it? While we're in lockdown, it isn't like I need wireless charging and gigapixel telephoto lenses.

But, whatever I choose, it'll be something which promises multiple years of updates.