Firmware Update 2018-10-09

[gymbo]

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!

It did the same for me: First call I was attempting to make after the upgrade didn't go trough with a warning/message of something like "the card isn't enabled, enable now?". It is of course just a matter of going into settings and change "Calls" back to "Card 1", but a bit annoying anyway. It should have worked for incoming calls even without changing the SIM back??

[Rosie]

'Tis borked here with the partition not match message.  Looking at the recovery log it ppears that the scatter file is expecting a particular partition size/layout so if you've done something rash like dual boot the device using Planet's own tool this isn't going to work for you.

I do absolutely love my Gemini but this kind of nonsense?  <SIGH>.

Rosie

[covex]

This is simple - read the docs - it states it clearly, that it is only possible to do the automatic update on non-modified android installation. As soon as you create your own partition layout, the automatic update can not work. You shoule be able to do a manual update thru SD card. This is very similar to other android devices.

My update with original Android was smooth.

I do have a different issue - before the update it was possible to select more keyboard layouts in Gemini keyboard configuration. Now there is a new dialog for the keyboard configuration and it only allows one keyboard layout selection. I can not switch the keyboard layouts fast anymore. Does anybody know how to solve this?

[Dixit]

Same here with the first phone call.

Did not work.

The thing offers "to switch on the card". Yeah.... that sounds like a good idea.

Still doesn't work.

But wait... it switched on CARD 2 and there is no CARD 2.

Sigh... computers...

Oh... and I received a new business laptop yesterday. Which is cool, of course.
But that new machine, supposed to be a copy paste of the old Windows one, is also missing all kinds of things and settings.

[jakfish]

>> You shoule be able to do a manual update thru SD card. <<

Not with this download. It's labeled ota.zip and when you try a manual install of it from sd card at boot menu, those who have used a custom scatter file will get an aborted install error.

Jake

[Rosie]

Thanks covex, that's helpful.  I'll give it a go (once I work out where to find the update.zip).

This is simple - read the docs -

What a novel idea.  

I'm guessing they might even have the download location in them as well.

Rosie

[gidds]

This is simple - read the docs -

What a novel idea.  

And where, precisely, are the docs on an OTA update??

All you get is the page listing the improvements — which I posted at the top of this topic.  Nothing there about it failing to work if you've made any changes, or direct downloads, or anything else…

Also, my Gemini is not dual-boot: I installed a rooted Android, but left the partition layout exactly the same as when it was delivered.  But the upgrade still failed.  So I think it needs not just a specific partition layout, but also a particular (non-rooted) Android firmware installed.

[Rosie]

This is simple - read the docs -

What a novel idea.  

And where, precisely, are the docs on an OTA update??

All you get is the page listing the improvements — which I posted at the top of this topic.  Nothing there about it failing to work if you've made any changes, or direct downloads, or anything else…

Also, my Gemini is not dual-boot: I installed a rooted Android, but left the partition layout exactly the same as when it was delivered.  But the upgrade still failed.  So I think it needs not just a specific partition layout, but also a particular (non-rooted) Android firmware installed.

Good call gidds, I'm having some trouble locating the elusive docs as well.  \The update.zip is downloaded to /cache.  I can't getto that as I've not rooted my phone (some of the banking apps I use won't play with a rooted phone).  As you have then you should be able to use adb to pull the update.zip to the connected computer then copy it over to an sdcard, boot to recovery and update from there.

I'm still puzzling out how to get the update.zip without rooting my phone because I don't want to spend the rest of the evening setting it up as I like it again.  Any hints appreciated.

Rosie

[pdtpoet]

Just applied Firmware Update to my Gemini 4G + WiFi running out-of-the-box stock Android.

All went well.  On bootup language was requested as was Gemini keyboard configuration.  Nothing seems to have been lost.  All apps present.  I don't use the device as a phone, only as a productivity device, so I could not test telephony.  My Sim card worked, though, as 4G was enabled.

Guess it's safe to be a simpleton.

[covex]

Here is the doc I was referring to: http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/D....2FLinux_Gemini

[Rosie]

Here is the doc I was referring to: http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/D....2FLinux_Gemini

Thanks, I knew about that one and have even read it multiple times (unconventional, I know).  It doesn't have the latest firmware available or, if it does, I can't see the link.  Just in case it's my old eyes if anyone can point me to the link I'm missing that'd be appreciated. Also, this is the procedure for completely reflashing the phone rather than just applying an update, which would mean spending an evening setting the phone up to work the way I want it to.  Again.

Rosie

[SNi]

Here is the doc I was referring to: http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/D....2FLinux_Gemini

Thanks, I knew about that one and have even read it multiple times (unconventional, I know).  It doesn't have the latest firmware available or, if it does, I can't see the link.  Just in case it's my old eyes if anyone can point me to the link I'm missing that'd be appreciated. Also, this is the procedure for completely reflashing the phone rather than just applying an update, which would mean spending an evening setting the phone up to work the way I want it to.  Again.

Rosie

You're in the right direction... My understanding is that if someone has made their Gemini multi-boot or rooted, then they have to do updates as per the link's instructions. The issue is that the latest firmware is OTA and not yet out on the Gemini Firmware page... Why these two things can't be made available simultaneously is a mystery, but I believe we just have to wait!

[salvomic]

You're in the right direction... My understanding is that if someone has made their Gemini multi-boot or rooted, then they have to do updates as per the link's instructions. The issue is that the latest firmware is OTA and not yet out on the Gemini Firmware page... Why these two things can't be made available simultaneously is a mystery, but I believe we just have to wait!

this is true. Are there good reasons to delay the "not OTA" firmware update? Please...

Salvo

[Rosie]

Good call gidds, I'm having some trouble locating the elusive docs as well.  \The update.zip is downloaded to /cache.  I can't getto that as I've not rooted my phone (some of the banking apps I use won't play with a rooted phone).  As you have then you should be able to use adb to pull the update.zip to the connected computer then copy it over to an sdcard, boot to recovery and update from there.

Though after thinking about it a bit there's probably not much point as I don't think that'll work either.  I'm not a huge expert on Android firmware but I think it's likely the partition table the update is expecting to work with is zipped up inside the update.zip.  All you'll achieve by trying to work around it this way is waste a load of time and end up exactly where you are now.

The only way I could see an OTA image for partitioned Gemini's working is if it were generated on the fly with the partition table expected zipped into the OTA image you end up downloading.  I'm guessing that something like this is whata's done with Planet's custom partition tool but the difference there is it doesn't have to worry about not destroying everything in its path as you're reflashing the phone anyway.  So the custom partitioning must just generate the scatter file with the download itself bunging all the images into the appropriate place.

Solving how to make that work for an update which could end up with an arbitrary set of partitions to work with AND doesn't lose any data would be an interesting problem to solve, though probably not an easy one.  I'm guessing that's why we're only getting the plain vanilla version of OTA and may never see a custom partition version.

Rosie

[jakfish]

It is interesting to note that even if a user uses the partition tool to return to stock android, not other installs, the OTA fails.

The scatter file, even if it's for a default reinstall, must leave some kind of byte residue that flips out the OTA.

I seem to remember reading about PC plans to allow OTAs for rooted Android--which would solve our problem, given the custom scatter--but I may be hallucinating.

Early users: did any of you ever root, then later install the June 12 OTA successfully? Or was root not available before June 12?

Jake