Chinese Ad Pages on Phone

axel · 15 Jan 2017 at 18:22

I am trying to get rid of an annoying Chinese ad page that pops up regularly on my phone. My phone is an OneplusX bought online from China and is a great phone apart from this annoying ad. It does not appear when I am browsing on the internet, but is regularly on my phone when I open it up making it difficult to answer calls. I do not think a browser Ad Blocker would work and I tried an App Ad finder which did not work. From researching I understand that it must be an app that is bringing up this page, but I cannot find it and I do not want to try and root my phone.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Axel

deko · 15 Jan 2017 at 18:28

Without knowing enough about it, I would say that your best bet would be to install a trusted EU or UK Rom on the phone, who knows what else the dodgy ROM is doing in the background.

Mobius 1 · 15 Jan 2017 at 18:48

I echo what deko is saying. Get a trusted UK/EU ROM on there asap. That sounds dodgy as hell.

I'd even change my play store password if I used it on a phone suspected of having malware on it like that :eek:

Edit. I realise it probably isn't malware. But you can never be too sure what info this software has plucked from your phone since using it and reporting back to some Chinese super computer database.

axel · 15 Jan 2017 at 20:06

Many thanks for the quick replies.

deko said:
Without knowing enough about it, I would say that your best bet would be to install a trusted EU or UK Rom on the phone, who knows what else the dodgy ROM is doing in the background.

Does this mean rooting the phone? If so where do I get a trusted OK ROM?

Axel

koooowweeee · 15 Jan 2017 at 21:10

XDA forums

Orcvader · 15 Jan 2017 at 22:20

No, you do not need to root the phone, all you will need to do is unlock the bootloader.

Majority of OnePlus phone sold from 3rd party sellers are usually the Chinese model, with a dodgy version of Oxygen OS flashed over the stock Chinese Hydrogen OS.

Link to latest stock ROM (Oxygen OS 3.1.4): http://downloads.oneplus.net/oneplus-x/oneplus_x_oxygenos_3.1.4/

Latest TWRP: https://dl.twrp.me/onyx/

ADB/Fastboot: http://www.androidpolice.com/2017/0...ble-without-full-sdk-android-studio-download/

Once you downloaded the ADB/Fastboot files, extract the folder to anywhere you wish. Copy the TWRP img file into the folder and rename it as twrp.img

Just remember this will completely wipe the phone, so backup whatever you need.

Steps hidden in the spoiler below:

1) Go to Settings -> About Phone and tap the build number a few times until you unlock the developer options. Go back to the main setting screen and near the bottom of the menu, access the developer options.

2) In the developer options, enable USB debugging and OEM unlocking. The OEM unlocking will give a warning message and will ask for your PIN/password.

3) Connect the phone to the PC, and in the folder with the adb/fastboot files hold shift and right click, and select the open command window option.

4) Enter the follow code:

Code:

adb device

And this should trigger an option on the phone to authorise the PC. Check the always allow option and tap ok.

5) Now enter this to reboot into fastboot mode:

Code:

adb reboot bootloader

The phone will reboot and you'll see a screen stating fastboot mode when it's done.

6) Back on the PC in the command window, type the following:

Code:

fastboot device

And this should confirm the PC can see the phone in fastboot mode. If not, replug the USB cable and do the command again and that usually sorts it.

7) Now do:

Code:

fastboot oem unlock

This will warn you that it will factory reset the phone while unlocking the bootloader. Accept this and the phone will start wiping itself while unlocking the bootloader.

8) Once it's done it should automatically reboot, if not just hold the power button to power off and hold again to power on. Skip the setup stages and go back to the settings to enable developer options and USB debugging. Reconnect to PC and do "adb devices" again to reauthorise your PC.

9) Reboot back into fastboot mode with "adb reboot bootloader" again. Make sure twrp.img is in the adb/fastboot folder. Now do the following to flash TWRP:

Code:

fastboot flash recovery twrp.img

When that's done hold the power button to power off the device and unplug from the PC.

10) Hold volume down and the power button at the same time, when the phone vibrates, let go of the power button. When you see the TWRP screen, let go of the volume down key. Now reconnect it to the PC, and copy the Oxygen OS zip file onto the phone. When that is done, on the phone select wipe and wipe the system, data, cache and dalvik cache partitions. Be careful not to wipe any other partitions. Press the home button once that's done and select Install. Select the Oxygen OS zip file you just copied over to the phone, and it will begin installing that, this will take about 10 minutes or so. When it is done select the reboot option.

Now you'll have the proper stock Oxygen OS ROM on your phone without any hidden adware. Don't worry about the recovery as well, for some reason when first booting into Oxygen OS, it reflashes the stock OnePlus recovery back, noticed that on both my OP2 and my sister's OPX. So your phone will be 100% stock.

Optional, boot back into fastboot mode and do the following to lock the bootloader:

Code:

fastboot oem lock

Not really needed if you one day plan to try custom ROMs in the future, but apparently new versions of the SafetyNet API checks to see if the bootloader is unlocked and any apps that uses this will refuse to run (Android Pay, Pokémon GO, etc).

axel · 16 Jan 2017 at 07:19

Brilliant!! Many thanks.

Axel

axel · 16 Jan 2017 at 15:42

Orcvader said:
7) Now do:

Code:

fastboot oem unlock

This will warn you that it will factory reset the phone while unlocking the bootloader. Accept this and the phone will start wiping itself while unlocking the bootloader.[/spoiler]

Nothing appeared to happen from here, the phone was doing nothing and no warning message to accept? I have a screen shot of the command window but I cannot see how to insert it as the image button is asking for a URL.

Axel

Orcvader · 16 Jan 2017 at 15:50

Upload the image to something like Imgur and paste the link: http://imgur.com/

Derp, realised I messed up on the fastboot device checking command, it should be:

Code:

fastboot device

If it's stuck on waiting on device then it can't see it. Disconnect the USB cable and plug it again.

axel · 16 Jan 2017 at 16:21

I hope this works, not sure how much the BB Code to copy and paste. All of it obviously! The screen shot was from my first attempt, have not tried again and phone is back to where it was. Not sure what command was messed up it looks the same to me?

Axel

Orcvader · 16 Jan 2017 at 17:23

Oh, nevermind. I guess it might be due to my work PC having an older version of fastboot.

Looks like the command was successful, I guess there was no warning message. If I remember from the top of my head you should be able to check if it's been unlocked with:

Code:

fastboot oem device-info

If it says "Device unlock: True" then your bootloader is unlocked and you'll be able to flash TWRP onto it.

axel · 16 Jan 2017 at 17:38

Thanks again and will give it another try.

I take it the warning message would be on the phone?

Does the command "fastboot oem device-info" come after step 7?

"Device unlock: True" Will this appear in the PC command window?

Axel

Orcvader · 16 Jan 2017 at 17:43

Yeah do it after step 7. It will be in the Windows command window.

axel · 16 Jan 2017 at 20:17

Got a bit further this but now getting an error "cannot load twrp.img"

This is the folder.

The phone appears to be doing nothing during this just sitting in Fastboot Mode.

I have yet not extracted the xygenus, and I can't see this step in the instructions, so I am not sure if this is a missing step and has anything to do with it.

Sorry for being a pain but any further advice would be appreciated.

Axel

Orcvader · 16 Jan 2017 at 20:35

Do you have Windows Explorer to hide known extensions? If so then rename the file as "twrp" and try the command again, as currently it's called "twrp.img.img" as Windows is hiding the img extension.

axel · 16 Jan 2017 at 20:56

Getting there! Now on Step 10.

Orcvader said:
Now reconnect it to the PC, and copy the Oxygen OS zip file onto the phone. When that is done, on the phone select wipe and wipe the system, data, cache and dalvik cache partitions. Be careful not to wipe any other partitions.

Not sure how I copy the zip file to the phone?

After powering the phone back up I had an English or Chinese language choice and after selecting I now have what could be the TWRP screen with the following options:

Install from local
Install from USB
Wipe data and cache
Advanced
Reboot

How do I copy the Zip file over?

I have just googled image of the TWRP screen and I don't think I am there yet. This looks like an intermediate step so not sure what to do now?

Orcvader · 16 Jan 2017 at 21:45

That sounds like the stock recovery and not TWRP, did you accidentally boot into Android after flashing it? Guess we'll have to try another way. Go back to fastboot mode and do the following:

Code:

fastboot flash recovery twrp.img

Then do this to resend TWRP and force the phone to boot to it:

Code:

fastboot boot twrp.img

That should get it into TWRP.

axel · 16 Jan 2017 at 22:07

I am now getting <waiting for any device> when I enter the first command and the phone is connected.

And yes I did have an extra boot slip in when I was powering down and up again.

Orcvader · 16 Jan 2017 at 22:13

In the command window press ctrl + c to cancel it. Unplug the phone and plug it again, then try the fastboot commands again.

axel · 16 Jan 2017 at 22:18

Same again.