Firmware Update 2018-10-09

[gidds]

My Gemini (4G x27) has just offered a firmware update!  When I clicked Download, it crashed; but I was able to download it by going to Settings -> About phone -> Firmware Update.

It promises:

• The latest Android security patch has been applied, device security has been further enhanced.
• Optimize keyboard settings and performance.
• Optimize speaker sound quality.
• Optimize performance and stability.
• Fix other bugs

The PatchID shows as ‘Gemini-7.1-Planet-12062018-V2.<2018-06-1216:54>’.  (2018-06-12 was about when the last one was released; perhaps the ‘V2’ is the significant bit here.)

I'm about to try installing it — fingers crossed…  I'll post my experience here.  Please do comment if you've tried this and/or can confirm what it does!

[salvomic]

My Gemini (4G x27) has just offered a firmware update!  When I clicked Download, it crashed; but I was able to download it by going to Settings -> About phone -> Firmware Update.

It promises:

• The latest Android security patch has been applied, device security has been further enhanced.
• Optimize keyboard settings and performance.
• Optimize speaker sound quality.
• Optimize performance and stability.
• Fix other bugs

The PatchID shows as ‘Gemini-7.1-Planet-12062018-V2.<2018-06-1216:54>’.  (2018-06-12 was about when the last one was released; perhaps the ‘V2’ is the significant bit here.)

I'm about to try installing it — fingers crossed…  I'll post my experience here.  Please do comment if you've tried this and/or can confirm what it does!

I cannot succede to install nothing in my Gemini triple boot rooted Android. The build number is already Gemini-1.1-Planet-12062018-V2, however...
But here the Security Pactch Level is still November 5 2017...

Salvo

PS: I tried with Flash Tool and "Download only" method, as in dual/triple boot is NOT possibile to update via OTA...

[gidds]

The update failed! 

It took only a few seconds to apply the patch, and reboot.  But after a few seconds more it was showing the Android Recovery screen.  At the bottom it said:

Update.zip is not correct
Installation aborted.

I pressed Enter to select ‘Reboot system now’, and it then booted Android as normal.

All looks unchanged so far, with no ill effects (thank goodness).

It hasn't applied the update; the current Build number is ‘Gemini-7.1-Planet-12062018-V2’, and Firmware Update still offers to download the new version.

The only cause I can think of is that I previously installed the rooted firmware.  Maybe this update is only for the original, non-rooted version?  Though if so, I'm surprised it was offered automatically…

[DJO]

The update failed! 

It took only a few seconds to apply the patch, and reboot.

Unless you have a really fast connection that does not seem right, the patch is 187.5 MB.

I used the Detect Update option in the Android settings and it seems to have installed correctly, although for some reason it rebooted to the recovery volume but just selecting Reboot there started Android which according to the Detect Update now has the latest version..

[Jos]

Gemini-7.1-Planet-08102018-V2.<2018-10-08-19:35
Update succesfull

Original Android, not rooted/no multi-boot.

However:
1 After reboot i had to pick a language and Dutch isnt offered, so had to choose English but when complete it was all OK
2 All widgets were gone. Had to put that together again but thats not a big problem.

[gidds]

Unless you have a really fast connection that does not seem right, the patch is 187.5 MB.

Oh, it took a couple of minutes to download the update; it then took just a few seconds from tapping Install to showing the Android Recovery page.

FWIW, I found the update file: /cache/update.zip, 196600590 bytes.  ‘unzip –t’ reports that it's a valid zip file, and all the CRCs match, so it doesn't look like it got truncated or corrupted.

Looks like it doesn't work on rooted machines…

[gidds]

The file /cache/recovery/last_log looks like it might have details of the update process.

My best guess at the most relevant section is:

[    3.383955] failed to stat "/cache/saved.file": No such file or directory
[    3.383963] failed to load cache file
[    3.383971] script aborted: E3005: "EMMC:/dev/block/platform/mtk-msdc.0/11230000.msdc0/by-name/boot:<lots of numbers>" has unexpected contents.
[    3.678415] E:Error in /cache/update.zip
[    3.678461] (Status 7)
[    3.678500]
[    3.786711] W:failed to read uncrypt status:  No such file or directory
[    3.786855] I:/cache/update.zip
[    3.786861] 0

I don't really know, but if I had to guess, I'd suspect that the EMMC:… filename (which is a symlink to /dev/block/mmcblk0p22) is pointing at the boot firmware, and that the ‘unexpected contents’ is because it's checking the existing firmware before applying the upgrade.  Presumably mine doesn't match because it's the rooted one…?

[Ifanafi]

Curious that Planet has not yet updated the Gemini firmware page: http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/Gemini_Firmware

======
After tapping "Firmware Update" I see:

Progress (its' bar is not moving)
Update started, please do not power off unit...
Testing update mistake, please download the update package again.

======

Perhaps the "mistake" is auto-downloading and updating over cellular date instead of WiFi.

Re-trying via WiFi... (is SLOW) instead of fast 4G cellular data.

WiFi download is many, many minutes too slow.

Only "Patch:ID..." scrolling info.

Me thinks this update is another too-soon mistake because it is not-ready (again) for prime time use.

The download process has got to be faster... clock ticking away at 15 minutes downloading via WiFi.

WTH is up with that nonsense?!

======

UPDATE: Download failed three times.

Gemini popup wants (SLOW and  ONLY) WiFi on for downloading. It refuses download via cell data and that means turning the SIM card off.

======

UPDATE: Download success on the fourth attempt because SIM card / cell data switched OFF.
That seems counter-intuitive and a waste of time trying successively to get this DL to happen and installed.

"System Upgraded - Congratulations....!" popup.

Settings>About Phone>Build number: Gemini-7.1-Planet-08102018-V2

======

[Dixit]

What Jos said.

My update worked flawlessly and the current "Firmware" screen confirms that it is the update of 10082018 and no newer available.

Indeed, I needed to pick the language.
The entire language list was in Dutch (Engels/English , Italiaans/Italiano, Frans/français... you got the picture).
Only one language was missing: Nederlands/Dutch !

Whatever...

I chose Engels VK / English UK and got the entire Gemini in English.
I then went into configuration, added Nederlands, changed its priority to #1... and hey, presto... the Gemini is back in Dutch again !

Otherwise, it seems to be fine.

Well, it needed to confirm its quirky reputation...

[jakfish]

I got a fail too.

Specs: Gemini x27/US Keyboard; T-Mobile; 3 partitions [ 1) Stock Android 2) Debian 3) Sailfish--partitioned with same sample sizes from tutorial ]

Download is correct, authenticated, but on reboot:

Error: Partition table not match
Update.zip not correct
Installation aborted

Tried 3 times, same result (also copied ota.zip to sd card and upon reboot, tried to install from sd card with same fail),
Jake

[RickDeckard]

I just installed the update. Now my Gemini keeps booting into TWRP. Any suggestions?

[jakfish]

Another fail from my device. I had been meaning to wipe Debian and Sailfish and go back to stock Android full-time.

I did so, successfully, and I'm STILL getting a "Error: Partition table not match" upon reboot.

So my amateur opinion is that if you have custom flashed your device, even if you've returned to stock settings afterwards, you're SOL, so far, with this update.

Geez,
Jake

[RickDeckard]

Another fail from my device. I had been meaning to wipe Debian and Sailfish and go back to stock Android full-time.

I did so, successfully, and I'm STILL getting a "Error: Partition table not match" upon reboot.

So my amateur opinion is that if you have custom flashed your device, even if you've returned to stock settings afterwards, you're SOL, so far, with this update.

Geez,
Jake

UGH!!!!!! Now I'm without a phone today because of this update which is bad news for me to get any work done at all.

[gymbo]

What Jos said.

My update worked flawlessly and the current "Firmware" screen confirms that it is the update of 10082018 and no newer available.

Indeed, I needed to pick the language.
The entire language list was in Dutch (Engels/English , Italiaans/Italiano, Frans/français... you got the picture).
Only one language was missing: Nederlands/Dutch !

Whatever...

I chose Engels VK / English UK and got the entire Gemini in English.
I then went into configuration, added Nederlands, changed its priority to #1... and hey, presto... the Gemini is back in Dutch again !

Otherwise, it seems to be fine.

Well, it needed to confirm its quirky reputation...

I too got the update without any problems. (But was a bit apprehensive of the screen with "reboot now" and some other options; thought it would restart automatically by it self. Could I have messed things up with choosing another option...??)

What DID puzzle me a bit was that the only "Norwegian" I could choose in the setup after applying the update was "nynorsk" (which is a "construct" of a written language from different dialects in Norway back in the 1840's to "counter" the terrible written language we had which was heavily influenced by Danish, since we recently were under Danish rule, and traded much with them...), and not "bokmål" (a little more than 10% in Norway prefer "nynorsk" the rest prefer "bokmål"). I needed to go into the settings and correct it again afterwords. (YEs, you assume correctly that I am no big fan of "nynorsk"...)

And it, as usual, didn't take my keyboard selection from the setup after upgrading, I needed to set it up from settings (actually from the notificatin the first time). And when I changed to "bokmål" instead of "nynorsk" it broke the keyboard-setting again...

The update has brought these changes as far as I can actually SEE so far:

• I've got system wide spell-checking! (I needed to set it to Google to get Norwegian, and you need to go in to settings to change it if you temporarily need another language. And don't know how it plays with office-editors with their own spell-checking yet...)
• You can now disable the silver button from starting voice-assistant! (And a few other new settings too under "Gemini settings"...)

I still have a "shortcut-list", which doesn't do what it says (I thought it had disappeared, after seeing it under "Gemini-Keyboard" configuration earlier, but I think it has been there all the time). It is under "Language and input" or something similar (my Gemini is still in Norwegian...). Under "Physical keyboard" the bottom choice is "Shortcut-keys" or something similar. It lists a few "magnifying glass" + "key" (which should be the silver button + "key"...). But I can't get it to do what it says... Anybody else getting any shortcuts to work? It even lists correct icon for just the silver button, so it must have some access to the system (I have set up Saiy for voice assistant).

[David H]

My upgrade completed successfully or so i thought. I missed a call which went to answer phone. This asked me to phone an 0800 number. When trying to use the phone it refused to make the call as card 2 had no provider! My sim to Virgin is in slot 1 with no card in slot 2. Why did it try to use slot 2 to make the call? It has worked using the sim in slot 1 and the update obviously changed a setting when it shouldn't have done!