ASUS ROG Phone II Developments: Google Camera, LineageOS 17.1, and more

The ASUS ROG Phone II was inarguably one of the most iconic phones from 2019. Along with great performance chops, the device also offered users a unique design and some innovative features like the AirTriggers, all of which was accompanied by a rather affordable price tag. In an attempt to generate more interest in the device among the Android development community, ASUS shipped out a few units of the ROG Phone II to custom ROM and kernel developers late last year in December. Shortly thereafter, the device received support for the popular TWRP custom recovery allowing users to flash custom ROMs and kernels on the device. Most recently, ASUS rolled out Android 10 for the ROG Phone II and released the kernel source code for the device. This seems to have led to a bump in third-party development for the device, with an increasing number of custom ROMs and kernels being released on our forums. In this ROG Phone II development update, we’ll be listing down all the new custom ROMs, kernels, and mods that are now available for the ROG Phone II.

ASUS ROG Phone II XDA Forums || Buy the ASUS ROG Phone II from Flipkart (₹37,999)

Unofficial LineageOS 17.1

Following the release of the Android 10 kernel source code for the device, we now have our first Android 10-based custom ROM for the ROG Phone II — LineageOS 17.1. This unofficial build of LineageOS 17.1 will give your device a stock Android look and feel, while also unlocking a plethora of customization options. To try it out for yourself, you can download the ROM from the forum link below and follow the instructions in the comments to get started.

Unofficial LineageOS 17.1 for the ASUS ROG Phone II

Kirisakura kernel

If you like trying custom kernels on your device, then you can check out the Kirisakura kernel for the ROG Phone II. The Android 9 Pie-based kernel is just an enhanced version of the stock kernel which upstream changes to various subsystems to offer excellent performance and reliability. You can download the kernel from the forum post linked below and follow the instructions mentioned in the post to get it up and running on your phone.

Kirisakura kernel for the ASUS ROG Phone II

TWRP recovery

In order to install a custom ROM or kernel on your ROG Phone II, you’ll first need to flash a custom recovery on the device. Thankfully, both unofficial and official builds of the popular TWRP custom recovery are already available for the device. In case you aren’t sure how to go about installing the custom recovery on your device, the forum post linked below has a detailed guide that will help you along the process.

TWRP recovery for the ASUS ROG Phone II

ASUSUpdater

In case you’re facing issues updating to the latest firmware release on your ROG Phone II, you should try out the ASUSUpdate app. The app directly interacts with the ASUS servers to look for updates and easily bypasses any regional restrictions set in place by the company.

ASUSUpdater for the ROG Phone II

Google Camera port

While the ROG Phone II is a great smartphone overall, it significantly lags behind the competition in the camera department. Which is why you’d be glad to know that a Google Camera port is now available for the device and with it you’ll be able to greatly improve the device’s photography chops. Most of the Google Camera features will work as soon as you install the modded APK on your device, however, if you wish to use the Playground or Sticker features, you’ll need to follow a separate guide.

Google Camera port for the ROG Phone II

Custom fonts

For those of you who enjoy using custom fonts on your device, you can try out the FlipFont app on the ROG Phone II. While the app doesn’t natively support the device, a user has managed to figure out a workaround that will allow you to install any font on your phone. To try it out for yourself, just download the APK from the link below and carefully follow the instructions highlighted in the post.

Custom fonts for the ROG Phone II

Guides

Along with the aforementioned ROMs, kernels, and mods for the ROG Phone II, there are a couple of essential guides for the device that you should know about. These include a step-by-step guide to convert the Chinese Tencent Games ROM to the International ROM and one to help you enable VoLTE and VoWiFi services on the device.

Convert CN to WW ROM: In case you’re using a Chinese Tencent version of the ROG Phone II and wish to switch to the international firmware, you can follow the guide linked below. What’s really great is that the guide also works the other way round, in case you ever wish to roll back to the original firmware.

Guide to convert CN to WW ROM on ASUS ROG Phone II

Enable VoLTE/VoWiFi: In case you’re facing issues with VoLTE/VoWiFi services on your ROG Phone II, you can follow this detailed guide to enable VoLTE/VoWiFi on your device. However, before you start with the guide, you’ll first need to enable DIAG support on the device by following this separate guide.

Guide to enable VoLTE/VoWiFi on the ASUS ROG Phone II

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Volume Styles lets you theme Android’s volume panel with different styles

Android’s volume panel has seen a fair few customizations over the years. However, the changes are a little difficult for the average users to keep track of, mainly because this is one area that OEM skins end up customizing to suit their own overall design aesthetic. These UX skins themselves tweak and vary their design languages across flagships and generations. The end result is that we have seen a lot of volume panel designs over the years, but no real way to customize the panel beyond what the OEM has provided for, if they have. If you are looking to change things up on your phone, check out Volume Styles, an app that lets you customize the volume panel on your Android device.

Volume Styles by XDA Senior Member TomBayley1 lets you customize the volume panel in several different ways. For one, you can choose from the pre-existing styles present within the app, ranging from Stock Android, Samsung One UI, iOS, MIUI, OxygenOS, EMUI, a Wave design, Windows 10, Android Horizontal, Elastic design, and Emoji design.

Volume Styles does have a few options present behind an in-app purchase — namely full-color customization, unlocking auto-expanding volume panel setting. But the rest of the options are easily accessible and should suffice for a lot of users. For instance, after selecting your main style, you can:

• Select whether it follows dark mode
• Change corner radius
• Change panel position between left or right
• Select the slider types that will be visible or hidden
• Change vertical position, i.e. from top to bottom
• Change panel timeout
• Change vibration setting when a shortcut is selected
• Adjust volume key repeat delay and initial delay
• Allow changing auto-brightness
• Dim the background behind the panel

These settings give you a lot of control over how the Volume Panel should look and behave on your phone. Do keep in mind that the app needs to run as an Accessibility service to intercept the volume button presses.

If you are interested in changing the look of your volume panel, check out the app thread below:

Volume Styles — XDA Discussion Thread

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Volume Styles - Customize your volume panel (Free⁺, Google Play) →

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TWRP adds support for the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 and Mi Mix 3 5G

Replacing the stock recovery with a custom recovery like TWRP gives users the option to try out aftermarket mods and customize their Android devices by installing custom ROMs and kernels. Apart from the regular features like complete data backup and restore, TWRP can be modded even further to support true dual booting. The project is open source, thus community developers are happy to expand the list of supported devices. Now, official support has been added for the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 and Mi Mix 3 5G.

The camera-centric Mi Note 10 is nothing but a rebranded edition of Xiaomi’s China-exclusive Mi CC9 Pro. The phone features a penta-rear camera setup with the 108MP Samsung ISOCELL Bright HMX sensor as the primary one. Xiaomi did a great job regarding the release of the kernel sources, which helped XDA Senior Member mauronofrio to quickly whip up a working build of TWRP for the Mi Note 10 back in December 2019. The developer has fine-tuned it since then by adding support for Android 10 and proper decryption. The official build is being maintained by the same person, albeit you can check out the discussion thread to grab unofficial builds with bleeding edge fixes.

Mi Note 10 TWRP || Mi Note 10 XDA Forums

The 5G variant of Mi Mix 3 was unveiled more than a year ago as an upgrade over the regular Mi Mix 3. The phone has yet to receive the taste of MIUI 11 and Android 10, unlike it’s 4G counterpart. Xiaomi, however, published the kernel source code for the Mi Mix 3 5G, which was the foundation of the custom ROMs available for the device on our forums. Although the collection is fairly limited, things could pick up with official TWRP now available. Once again, mauronofrio is the man behind the scene, who is also offering a discussion thread on our forums.

Mi Mix 3 5G TWRP || Mi Mix 3 5G XDA Forums

None of the aforementioned devices utilizes the A/B partition scheme, so users should stick with the standard flashing method, i.e. fastboot flash recovery twrp.img command. You’ll need to unlock the bootloader (which might be a lengthy step) before flashing, of course.

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LG unveils its new smartphone design with curved edges and a “Raindrop” camera

LG’s mobile division hasn’t been performing too well of late and the company has been working to shake things up internally in order to renew interest among buyers. To do so, the company planned on shifting focus to mass-premium and mass-tier 5G products instead of its yearly flagship releases. Rumors also suggested that the company was planning on dropping its flagship LG G-series lineup, in favor of a Snapdragon 700-series powered premium mid-range device. Earlier this week we learned that LG was planning on releasing the new lineup on May 15th and now, the company has shared an update on its new design language that will make its debut with the upcoming devices next month.

As per a recent post shared on the LG Newsroom, the upcoming devices will feature a design that makes use of the company’s new design language which draws inspiration from nature. Instead of featuring a large rectangular camera bump on the back, which is slowly becoming mainstream, the upcoming LG devices will feature a “Raindrop” camera module. The company has revealed that the upcoming smartphone series will feature a triple camera setup, with the cameras arranged vertically in descending order by size along with the LED flash. The new camera module is meant to evoke images of falling raindrops, with the main camera sitting slightly above the surface while the other two lenses lying completely flush with the back glass.

Along with the updated camera module, the upcoming LG devices will feature the 3D Arc Design, where the edges of the display and the back are symmetrically curved. LG claims that this new design approach will make holding the devices a more natural experience when compared to older phones from the company. In a statement regarding the new design approach, the company’s head for the Mobile Communications Design Lab, Cha Yong-duk, was quoted saying, “Our upcoming smartphone will draw on the rich history of classic LG design which have always been distinctive at first touch. This handset will be a first-look at the competitive edge we will be bringing to every LG smartphone going forward.”

While details about the upcoming LG devices are scarce, rumors suggest that they will feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G chip, a 48MP primary camera, and a 4,000mAh battery. The devices are expected to feature a screen between 6.7 to 6.9 inches in size, with support for LG’s Dual Screen attachment.

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Source: LG Newsroom

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Realme X3 SuperZoom gets certified by Thailand’s NBTC

Realme’s X series has evolved along as the OEM evolved over the months. The series started off with the Realme X, which was seated as an early mid-range device. It then moved on to the Realme XT, then the Realme X2 and X2 Pro, and then to the Realme X50 Pro 5G. The jump from the X2 series to the X50 did not make a whole lot of sense from the perspective of branding and marketing, but those two are highly susceptible to consumer expectations and so we avoid attempts at making sense out of them. The jump did initially signal that the X series was moving ahead with the X50 branding, but it seems that Realme has some other plans as the Realme X3 was just spotted as it went through certification.

A Realme device with the codename RMX2086 just passed through Thailand’s NBTC certification website. Apparently, the marketing name of the device will be “Realme X3 SuperZoom”. The certification does not give us other consumable information beyond this name. What we can conclude from this is that there is a proper Realme X2 series successor in the works, and the device will likely have some sort of focus on zoom capabilities. The branding focus may have originated from the recent trend of advertising zoom capabilities as a talking point, as seen on several flagships and on some of Realme’s direct competitors such as the Redmi K30 Pro Zoom Edition. It isn’t immediately clear if the phone will have decent optical zoom capabilities or if it will primarily rely on digital zoom. From an advertising and marketing perspective, digital zoom will likely be highlighted simply because it is a bigger number. But as per recent multi-camera trends, there is likely to be some level of optical zoom also present alongside.

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Source: NBTC

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LineageOS 17.1 adds support for the Google Pixel, Pixel XL, and Nexus 6

Earlier this month, the team behind the LineageOS custom ROM officially rolled out LineageOS 17.1 based on Android 10. The update introduced several new features to the ROM family, including a new partial screenshot UI that lets you select smaller parts of your screen to capture and edit, a new ThemePicker app from AOSP, the latest Android security patches, support for on-screen fingerprint sensors, support for pop-up and rotating cameras, and much more. As with previous iterations of LineageOS, LineageOS 17.1 was initially available for a handful of popular devices, a list of which can be found in our original announcement post. As expected, the team has now added support for a couple of more devices, including the original Google Pixel, the Pixel XL, and the Nexus 6.

Google Pixel XDA Forums || Google Pixel XL XDA Forums || Nexus 6 XDA Forums

The original Google Pixel (sailfish) and Pixel XL (marlin), which were released all the way back in 2016, received the official Android 10 update back in September last year. Even though there are a plethora of Android 10-based custom ROMs available for these devices already if you’re someone who enjoys additional customization options over stock Android, you can now flash an official build of LineageOS 17.1 on your Google Pixel and Pixel XL by following the links below.

LineageOS 17.1 for the Google Pixel || LineageOS 17.1 for the Google Pixel XL

Along with the original Pixel series, the LineageOS team has also added LineageOS 17.1 support for the Nexus 6 (shamu) from 2014. The device was originally released with Android 5.0 Lollipop and it was only upgraded to Android 7.1.1 Nougat officially. Thanks to the LineageOS 7.1 support, you’ll now be able to enjoy Android 10 on your Nexus 6. You can download the official release by following the link below and follow the instructions in our original announcement post to flash the ROM on the device. In case you hit a snag, you can also visit our Nexus 6 forums to troubleshoot any issues.

LineageOS 17.1 for the Google Nexus 6

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Google is offering 2 months of Stadia Pro for free

One of the interesting side effects of people being cooped up in their homes is the outpouring of content. Movies have been released digitally early, online classes for kids have gone free, and many paywalls have been lifted. Google is now joining in by making Stadia Pro free for 2 months and they’re removing the hardware kit buy-in.

All you have to do to take advantage of this offer is go to stadia.com and sign up with your Google account. Then you will need to download the Stadia app on your Android or iOS device. You can also play on your computer or Chrome OS device with an HID-compliant USB controller or mouse/keyboard. There’s no requirement to buy the $129 hardware kit to get started.

Google isn’t forgetting about current players either. If you’re an existing paid Stadia Pro user, you won’t be charged for your next 2 months. This offer is only available in 14 countries and will be rolling out over the next couple of days. Those countries are the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland.

Once you sign up, you will have free access to 9 games, including Destiny 2: The Collection, GRID, and Thumper. Also, since there is an increased strain on internet traffic, Google is working to reduce the load by changing the default resolution from 4K to 1080p. There may be a limited number of spots available for this free Stadia Pro offer, so act fast.

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Source: Google

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