I feel like this thread has been going in a bunch of different directions, and I’ve been struggling to follow and keep up with everything… Android 8, Android 11, Linux/postmarketOS, different features that work or don’t work, etc.
Could someone share a breakdown of the current status of the different ROM options or what the current recommended configurations are?
Android 8.1 is “stable” and still my recommendation.
Android 11 is “experimental”. It seems to solve audio problems for some people. Further development seems to have stalled, afaik.
PMOS is also experimental. It’s under active development and is already quite capable. It’s more powerful but also more complicated than Android.
I’ve been running A11 on one device for a few days now with my dashboard showing. There are definitely some benefits including better working audio and a fix to an odd problem I still have with the touchscreen on 8.1 taking a few seconds to ‘wake up’ and respond after no interaction for some time. That is a fairly major annoyance for me as if you press a button, it doesn’t immediately respond and it’s likely someone (including me) will press a second or third time resulting in unwanted results.
The down sides to A11 is a very specific issue with bubble card and popups not working after a period of time (possibly after the screen has been off and is turned back on again). That’s a very specific issue that I’m still trying to troubleshoot. Also, on A11 Go - Fully Kiosk (kiosk mode) isn’t fully supported. There is a work-around from their support site but auto starting apps cause the device to crash/lockup on start. There is a work around by using Autostart Manager app to launch Fully Kiosk but the full lockdown doesn’t work. Probably not an issue for us but in a household with lots of prying fingers, that could cause support issues maybe.
Overall, I’m really liking A11 now that I finally got it working. Both 8.1 and A11 have their issues so it’s probably a bit of a tie for me, maybe A11 edging into the lead slightly.
I do plan to try out the View-Assist functionality which I think only works on A11. If that all works for me, A11 will be the clear winner.
Like with any of these ‘hacked’ devices, the people working on getting them working can only go so far and it is possible some issues will never be resolved.
Like I said in my previous post a little way up this thread, I did try PMOS for a bit (and will probably re-visit later), as it’s Linux based, it doesn’t work as well for me as there’s no Fully Kiosk and all the lovely functionality that gives will have to be done somehow else (more difficult for sure). It also has a load of display issues in my testing and other UI elements that aren’t quite right. Shows real promise if these can be fixed but has a little further to go yet. The devs are doing a fantastic job though and it seems to be the best supported and active option so far.
Talking about A11 - has anyone managed to fix the crash to Lenovo logo when any app is set to auto start?
Hey thanks @pgale
I may be missing it, but is there a step by step guide to installing A11?
I have the same issue on my 8.1, where after a while the screen gets “sluggish”… Its literally the only issue but very annoying…
Id like to try A11…
thank you, i’ll give it a go
Guys, it seems to me that my device is bricked. I managed to run Android 11, but I decided to revert to my A8 backup, and now the device won’t turn on at all. It’s visible through EDL, but when I try to flash it again, I get an error:
Qualcomm Sahara / Firehose Client V3.62 (c) B.Kerler 2018-2023.
main - Using loader imagez/prog_emmc_firehose_8953_ddr.mbn …
main - Waiting for the device
main - Device detected
sahara - Protocol version: 2, Version supported: 1
main - Mode detected: sahara
Device is in memory dump mode, dumping memory
sahara
sahara - [LIB]: Error: Invalid mode switch
Is it possible to exit from dump to stream mode? The Lenovo recovery tool also isn’t working, but I’m not sure if it’s VMware’s fault. Thanks for any help.
EDIT:
Also edl tool is waiting forever for the device when I want to reflash 
EDIT2: Force EDL cable was the answer 
EDIT3: One think I have learned from debricking ThinkSmart - when you recover device using Lenovo tool is enabling adb even for the newest firmware 
adb logcat - doesn’t even seem to spit out any messages when I connect my USB hub (which works with my phone), or 5 different (possibly) USB OTG cables I used.
Read around online and saw settings like
“/sys/class/power_supply/usb/usb_otg” ← was zero, I used adb root to switch it to 1, and still nothing.
Also tried these usb otg checker apps which said non compatible.
Any help would be appreciated. Any chance you can list the cable that worked for you? I’m trying to connect it to an Ender 3 v2, which has a microusb connector, so maybe usb-c hub + usb-a/microusb cable is an unhappy combination.
(if it matters, I’m on build number: Lenovo_Kingston_OS_PV_191011_V0.0.35-userdebug-PIN-TEST
kernel version: 3.18.71-ge1d404943da7-dirty)
that also happened to me even when not using the HA companion app (e.g. using the Sonos S1 app). My (not ideal) workaround is to set the sleep to “Never” (Settings → Display → Advance → Sleep → Never)
I’m using newest, unlocked, original firmware and it’s blazing fast. No screen flickering, no hang ups, everything runs smoothly.
Thanks. I’m pretty sure I have that set already but I’ll go and double check. Fully Kiosk is set to keep the screen on permanently but something is still happening or sleeping it seems, even when the screen is on and CCTV camera feeds updating et.
Has anyone had any luck getting the proximity sensor working? I’m running the recommended ROM from OP, with Automagic installed and all permissions enabled. But no matter what I do, I always see “Current Value: 0.0 cm”
Yep, mine is working, though with a bit of latency.
Also shows values other than 0 when configuring.
Did you follow the instructions in this thread? Iirc you have to adjust sensitivity
Ah sorry, sensitivity adjustment is mentioned in the blackadder link, I played around with it until it worked for me
Yes, I use Automagic (not FK), but here my notes and XMLs flows:
5. Automagic (not in the store).
1. adb connect 192.168.1.183:5555 adb -s 192.168.1.171:5555 install Automagic_1_38_0.apk
2. Get the flows and copy them over to the new tablet
1. adb -s 192.168.1.163:5555 pull /sdcard/Download/flow_Launch_Home_Assistant_20240316_103005.xml flow_Launch_Home_Assistant_20240316_103005.xml
2. adb -s 192.168.1.163:5555 pull /sdcard/Download/flow_Proximity_turn_screen_ON_20240316_103335.xml flow_Proximity_turn_screen_ON_20240316_103335.xml
3. adb -s 192.168.1.171:5555 push flow_Proximity_turn_screen_ON_20240316_103335.xml /sdcard/Download/flow_Proximity_turn_screen_ON_20240316_103335.xml
4. adb -s 192.168.1.171:5555 push flow_Launch_Home_Assistant_20240316_103005.xml /sdcard/Download/flow_Launch_Home_Assistant_20240316_103005.xml
3. Import the flows
1. Menu -> “Import flows/widgets”
2. Enable both flows
4. Reboot the tablet
<data version="1.38.0">
<trigger type="proximity_sensor">
<useDefaultName>true</useDefaultName>
<name>Proximity Sensor: Distance < 4.0cm</name>
<enabled>true</enabled>
<less>true</less>
<distance>4.0</distance>
<keepDeviceAwake>true</keepDeviceAwake>
</trigger>
<action type="execute_command">
<useDefaultName>true</useDefaultName>
<name>Execute Command: input keyevent KEYCODE_WAKEUP in</name>
<command>input keyevent KEYCODE_WAKEUP</command>
<workingDirectory/>
<timeout>30000</timeout>
<variableStdout>stdout</variableStdout>
<variableStderr>stderr</variableStderr>
<variableExitCode>exit_code</variableExitCode>
</action>
<action type="sound">
<useDefaultName>true</useDefaultName>
<name>Sound: Adara as Notification</name>
<soundSourceType>BUILTIN</soundSourceType>
<alarmName>Adara</alarmName>
<uri>content://media/internal/audio/media/29</uri>
<path/>
<audioStreamType>NOTIFICATION</audioStreamType>
<startPosition/>
<showStopSoundNotification>false</showStopSoundNotification>
<waitForSoundToFinish>false</waitForSoundToFinish>
<requestAudioFocus>false</requestAudioFocus>
<audioFocusType>TRANSIENT</audioFocusType>
</action>
<action type="turn_screen_on">
<useDefaultName>true</useDefaultName>
<name>Turn Screen On: Bright for 15s</name>
<bright>true</bright>
<duration>15s</duration>
<resetUserActivityTimer>true</resetUserActivityTimer>
</action>
<flow type="flow">
<name>Proximity turn screen ON</name>
<enabled>true</enabled>
<executionPolicy>STOP</executionPolicy>
<emergencyStopCount>100</emergencyStopCount>
<triggercontainer id="t1" x="104.999985" y="157.5">
<trigger>Proximity Sensor: Distance < 4.0cm</trigger>
</triggercontainer>
<actioncontainer id="t2" x="-140.0" y="402.5">Turn Screen On: Bright for 15s</actioncontainer>
<actioncontainer id="t3" x="245.00006" y="612.49994">Sound: Adara as Notification</actioncontainer>
<actioncontainer id="t4" x="70.00003" y="612.5">Execute Command: input keyevent KEYCODE_WAKEUP in</actioncontainer>
<connection from="t1" to="t3" type="NORMAL" sourcePosition="SOUTH" targetPosition="NORTH"/>
<connection from="t1" to="t4" type="NORMAL" sourcePosition="SOUTH" targetPosition="NORTH"/>
</flow>
</data>
Hey ! The download url for Automagic (https://automagic4android.com/download_en.html) is dead… is there an alternative for screen wakeup? thx !
On Ubuntu,
then it just stays there.
It never gets to
main - Mode detected: sahara
Device is in EDL mode .. continuing.