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PSA: Xposed Framework for Marshmallow now available

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The Xposed framework is one of best ways to customize your device to exactly the way you want it. From UI tweaks to hardware modifications, Xposed makes it possible for users to tinker with their devices without needing to flash a whole new ROM.

It takes time for its developer to make sure everything works when a new version of Android comes out, so many wait for Xposed to work before flashing their device to a new ROM. Fortunately, Xposed for Marshmallow did not take as long to bring over as its predecessor and is now available.

It is important to note that many modules will need their developers to update them in order to work on the latest version. Not all Xposed APIs were fully tested and while your phone may boot up without any errors, some customizations might not be fully working and can result in crashes.

The full list of current limitations are:

– I have only tested this with SuperSU installed, due to which dm-verity and some SELinux rules are disabled. Especially dm-verity would definitely conflict with the modifications of the system partition.
– Access to preferences files might be blocked by SELinux, and Xposed is currently not able to work around that. (*) Some modules might be affected by this, nevertheless I strongly recommend to keep SELinux enabled and enforcing to keep your device as safe as possible.
I could not test all Xposed APIs. The system is booting without any error messages from Xposed, but some functions that the framework makes available might still need to be adjusted for Marshmallow.
– Obviously, modules themselves might need to be updated as well due to changes in AOSP. Please be patient and give module developers the time to make the required changes. If you absolutely “cannot live” without module X, don’t update to Marshmallow yet.
– Some issues might arise from JIT (disabled by default, even in AOSP) and the “optimizing” compiler (which rewrites apps’ code to be more efficient, due to which some calls might simply be skipped). Both of these are new in Marshmallow and might have various consequences in combination with Xposed, from hooks that silently don’t work to crashes. However, as it’s running stable for me, I decided not to disable them and will instead look into them in more detail if concrete issues are reported.

Head on over to the XDA thread to read the instructions and to download Xposed for your Marshmallow device.

Camera app mod improves quality and increases video recording times on Samsung Galaxy Note 4

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We already described the camera performance of the Galaxy Note 4 as “pretty incredible” in our detailed review, but if you’re willing to root your device, a new XDA modification lets you push the camera app even further.

First, the mod removes the slight file-compression Samsung applies to still photos, increasing the JPEG quality from 96% to 100%. Video recordings get a much more substantial boost in quality, from 20-28mbit (depending on mode) to 40-65mbit. It also significantly increases video recording times … 
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Android Lollipop unofficially ported to Nexus 4, 5, 7, 10 and Xperia Z

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While the wait continues for Google to release Android Lollipop as an over-the-air software update and post official factory images of the latest operating system version, a number of developers over at XDA-Developers have taken it upon themselves to take the Lollipop source code and create builds for the Nexus 4, 5, 7, 10 and other devices.
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Developers grab the Nexus 5 camera by the horn, improve it with software

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I’ve already written about my disappointment in the Nexus 5 camera and that’s exactly why this news out of XDA Developers is grabbing my interest. A developer by the name of Jishnu Sir created a flashable .zip file that is said to greatly improve the quality of the camera. Any flashable file requires an unlocked bootloader and a custom recovery but beyond those extras, the “new” camera app will add or improve:


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Google investigating GPS problems with new Nexus 7

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If you’ve been having problems with GPS on your new Nexus 7, you’ll be happy to know that Google has confirmed that it is investigating the problem and likely working on a fix. Phonearena points us to complaints from users on the Google product forums and elsewhere, one of which includes a comment from Google Community Manager for Android, Paul Wilcox, noting that the team is looking into the problem.

Several users on XDA, Nexus 7 Google+ Communities, Android Central, etc… including myself, are having GPS problems with the N7 2013. It will get a satellite lock and work fine for anywhere between 10-30 minutes (longer for others) then it will go back into a “Searching” mode with the GPS icon blinking. Sometimes a reboot helps, others not.

I’m curious if any others on here have experienced this problem on the Nexus 7 2.0 or had any thoughts/suggestions above and beyond what has been discussed at XDA and AP.

After doing my own troubleshooting, factory defaulting my device, then returning/exchanging my device with the reseller… I reached out to Google Play Support for help and they stated that they are aware of the issue, that it was affecting N7 owners, and that engineering should be issuing a patch fix at some point… they were very vague on any details when asked for clarification.

Flipboard for Android now unofficially available to all

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We already know Flipboard made its Android début last week with the introduction of Samsung’s new Galaxy S III, but today the app is available to everyone willing to download and install the APK themselves. XDA-developer forum user Valcho uploaded the .apk that he extracted from the Galaxy S III, which means you’re getting the actual app. It should also be easily installed through your device’s Web browser, so you will get to try it before its official release on Google Play. Go over to the XDA forums to grab it now.


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Researcher who exposed Carrier IQ tracking software gets legal threats

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Some pretty alarming news coming from the Android hacking community today. If you haven’t yet heard of Carrier IQ, it’s essentially tracking software that has been found loaded into the source code of several devices being shipped by Samsung, HTC, and other Android vendors. The software is said to track and log user activities. Now, this has been known for sometime and wouldn’t normally be newsworthy at this point, but the company behind Carrier IQ is now actively threatening XDA-Developers member Trevor Eckhart, a.k.a TrevE, the same dev who first discovered the software.

As part of Eckhart’s research to expose the software, he posted training material that the company had already made available publicly online. Following his analysis and criticism of the software, Carrier IQ  removed the training material from their own website and issued a cease-and-desist letter to Eckhart demanding that he remove the documents and replace his report with a statement written by Carrier IQ renouncing his research. They also want him to issue that statement as a press release.

Eckhart didn’t back down, fortunately. On his behalf, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has issued a response to Carrier IQ’s cease-and-desist letter. Here’s an excerpt:

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