Known Issues

This page documents known problems, along with workarounds if available, for the system and apps. See also the functionality tables page and the bug reporting page if necessary.

Apps¶

Mull¶

  • On DivestOS 19.1 and 20.0 the initial install of Mull may not have Internet access, go to its `App info` screen then `Mobile data & Wi-Fi` and enable `Allow network access`. [likely fixed]
  • Only uBlock Origin is recommended and supported.
  • Dark Reader is known to be incompatible with the Mull changes and will cause significant breakage/slowdowns.
  • Dark mode for websites is disabled due to resist fingerprinting. Please do not disable RFP.
  • Refresh rate is capped to 60hz due to resist fingerprinting. Please do not disable RFP.
  • If audio/video content fails to play in private tabs navigate to about:config and change browser.privatebrowsing.forceMediaMemoryCache to false, this is however a privacy risk.
  • Mull disables the JavaScript JIT to increase security at the cost of slowing down webapps, complex websites, and the PDF viewer. Navigate to about:config and change javascript.options.ion and javascript.options.baselinejit to true to restore their performance.
  • Mull has strict certificate revocation checks. The CA revocation servers are frequently down/blocked/inaccessible and will result in a "Secure Connection Failed" error. Navigate to about:config and change security.OCSP.require to false, this is however a security and privacy risk.
  • Mull requires safe renegotiation for connections. Some few websites do not support this and will result in a "Secure Connection Failed" error. Navigate to about:config and change security.ssl.require_safe_negotiation to false, this is however a security and privacy risk.
  • Mull has strict certificate pinning. If you are using a proxy or VPN that does HTTPS manipulation you'll encounter a "Secure Connection Failed" error. Navigate to about:config and change security.cert_pinning.enforcement_level from 2 to 1, this is however a security and privacy risk.
  • Mull does not trust user-added CA certificates, you can optionally enable them at your own extreme risk: Settings > About Mull > Tap Mull logo until debug settings are enabled > back a menu > Secret Settings > Use third party CA certificates > Enabled, this is however a security and privacy risk.
  • Mull has stripped referrers. This often breaks loading of images on websites with hotlink protection. Navigate to about:config and change network.http.referer.XOriginPolicy from 2 to 1, this is however a privacy risk.
  • Mull has WebAssembly disabled by default. This is often used for web apps. Navigate to about:config and change javascript.options.wasm to true if needed, this is however a security risk.
  • Mull has WebGL disabled by default. This is often used for games and maps. Navigate to about:config and change webgl.disabled to false if needed, this is however a privacy risk.
  • Mull has WebRTC disabled by default. This is often used for audio/video calls. Navigate to about:config and change media.peerconnection.enabled to true if needed, this is however a privacy risk.
  • If the button to "Accept the risk & continue" doesn't work: navigate to about:config and change browser.ssl_override_behavior from 1 to 2.
  • If you want to access Onions using Mull and Orbot: navigate to about:config and change network.dns.blockDotOnion to false. Tor Browser for Android however should be preferred.
  • If you want to install addons from addons.mozilla.org: navigate to about:config and change privacy.resistFingerprinting.block_mozAddonManager to false. The effects of this are currently unclear.
  • If you have issues playing some videos: navigate to about:config and change media.android-media-codec.preferred from true to false. This may reduce battery life.
  • When adding a custom search engine that contains a `:` you must replace it with `%3A` to workaround an upstream substitution bug.
  • Upstream issues: background timers, bookmark import/export, disable images, , download location, duplicate tab, FIDO, Fission, isolatedProcess, language issues, open .html file, RFP canvas exception, Sync broken by RFP, touch gestures

Others¶

  • F-Droid will not suggest updates for Mull if the version on the official F-Droid repo is older than the DivestOS repo. Enable "Unstable updates" in its Settings for faster updates.
  • F-Droid will reset its database on the second start in many cases. [upstream]
  • F-Droid will sometimes crash when downloading large apps. [upstream]
  • To use gmail.com with the F-Droid variant of FairEmail you must use an App Password.
  • Silence will crash if first started without a SIM-card inserted. [upstream]
  • SMT / Fossify Gallery will fail to render images on select older devices. Disable 'deep zooming' in its settings to workaround. [hardware limitations]

System¶

Not Supported¶

  • Changing device identifiers like the IMEI is NOT supported.
  • Encryption cannot be disabled.
  • Fonts cannot be easily added to the system.
  • Google Apps or microG or Sandboxed Play Services are NOT supported.
  • Granting apps special permissions via ADB is NOT supported and can/will compromise privacy/security/reliability of your device.
  • Other WebView providers such as Bromite are not currently supported. They were briefly supported in the past but caused boot issues on 15.1 for unknown reasons.
  • Remote desktop host apps like AnyDesk and TeamViewer are not supported. They rely on special system permissions enabled by vendors signing helper apps on their behalf.
  • Removing system apps via ADB is NOT supported and will break things.
  • Root is NOT supported.
  • SELinux is always enforcing and cannot be set permissive or disabled.
  • Signature spoofing is NOT supported.
  • Torrents will not be offered for downloads/updates. They don't work well on mobile and they leak IP addresses of users.

Notes¶

  • 16.0 and higher will warn when running an app that is not targeting Android 9.0 API for the first time.
  • 17.1 and higher will warn when running a 32-bit app for the first time on a 64-bit device. Sometimes this warning is not accurate.
  • Compiling is non-trivial and has many undocumented steps.
  • Devices using 'encryptable=footer' in their fstab will not be encrypted by default. These devices typically are unable to be encrypted on the very first boot.
  • If your device is not detected by your computer use a USB 2.0 port. If you don't have any USB 2.0 ports use a USB 2.0 hub. If that still doesn't work try another cable.
  • IMS/VoLTE may or may not work. [upstream? deblobber? carrier?]
  • Incremental updates will often fail to successfully apply on non update-engine devices. [releasetools]
  • It is strongly recommended to leave OEM unlocked enabled to allow for recovery if unbootable and locked.
  • Sensors Off toggle on 17.1/18.1 also turns off the camera and microphone.
  • 'Storage Manager' is non-functional in some cases.
  • The ADB toggle in developer options has absolutely zero effect on whether or not you can use ADB in recovery.
  • The default password for Android encryption is `defaultpassword`.
  • The DivestOS recovery is automatically installed on supported devices each successful boot. If you externally change it, you must not boot the system to use it.
  • The 'enable native code debugging'/ptrace_scope toggle does nothing on devices without stacked YAMA, ie. kernels before 3.10.
  • The Updater may not show very recent updates due to the server's 2 hour cache.
  • The Updater will show the currently installed update, this is expected.
  • When sideloading a final percent of 90-94% is expected and not signs of failure.
  • You can quickly access the default keyboard settings by long pressing on the comma key.
  • Etar may not have its battery management set unrestricted. It'll prompt on opening if it doesn't. When restricted it cannot provide reliable event notifications.

Papercuts¶

  • On 20.0, when taking a picture from an app the confirm/retry buttons will be invisible. Tap in the bottom right to confirm/attach the image. Fixed in April 2024 update.
  • When tethering hotspot clients through the active VPN via the "Allow clients to use VPNs" option it must be noted that they will bypass the VPN if it is stopped/disabled/deactivated even with "Block connections without VPN" enabled.
  • Block encrypted devices will fail to shutdown from secure boot screen on 18.1. Force power off via power button to workaround. [help wanted]
  • Bluetooth phone calls may not work.
  • Captured photos may have incorrection orientation. [various]
  • Devices with less than 2GB of RAM *will* likely out-of-memory more often than usual. [various]
  • Disabling Storage Manager is strongly recommended, it may choose to delete your old files after 90 days otherwise.
  • Fingerprint readers may work inconsistently, this is usually not actually caused by DivestOS.
  • If `fastboot update` fails on identifying device you can try the force option, otherwise extract the zip and `fastboot flash` each partition manually.
  • If Seedvault is set to backup to a USB flash drive and it is later plugged in, the automatically started backup may fail. If so, you must invoke the backup manually. [upstream]
  • If you have banking or game apps that do not work, ensure the `Enable native code debugging` toggle is enabled in Settings > Security. Such apps use ptrace as a form of crude anti-tamper mechanism.
  • MediaProvider error toast on some boots of <=16.0. [permission issue?][tracking][help wanted]
  • Most devices may take up to the full 12.5 minutes to acquire a GPS lock. Locks will often be quicker, especially if recently locked. Please test using GPSTest app with *clear* and *direct* line of sky. [deblobber][link]
  • Mull is not installed by default, only an empty shim/placeholder is. F-Droid will prompt you to "update" it on first run which will install it.
  • Phone call audio is distorted sometimes until speaker phone is toggled. [deblobber?]
  • Recovery will not be updated on each boot on 14.1. [upstream]
  • Search in Trebuchet when a work profile is available may cause the view to wrongly switch.
  • The OLED screen protection mechanism may push the clock off the screen for a minute every now and then. [help wanted]
  • The changelog link in the Updater links to the LineageOS changelog for your device. However devices Lineage no longer compiles for don't have such a page.
  • The secondary user logout button on the lockscreen will overlap the unlock icon on some devices. [help wanted]
  • Trebuchet, the launcher, on older versions will randomly enter a half-broken state where you cannot long press any apps. Force stop Trebuchet from Settings or reboot to fix. [help wanted]
  • TWRP (which isn't supported) often cannot decrypt/unlock /data due to it being incompatible/outdated.
  • Updater JSON parsing error on 14.1. [upstream?][tracking][help wanted]
  • `Wallpapers & Styles` may crash after upgrading to 20.0 from 19.1, clear it's app data to fix.
  • `Wallpapers & Styles` may not show homescreen icon previews if grid size is greater than 5x5.
  • `Wallpapers & Styles` will not show wallpaper previews if not granted `Music and audio` permission in addition to `Photos and videos` on 20.0.
  • When `Private DNS` is enabled for the system, Chromium based browsers will automatically handle DNS themself bypassing the /etc/hosts based blocking function. Disable `Secure DNS` to work around.
  • When `Private DNS` is disabled for the system, using anything in the VPN slot will likely bypass the /etc/hosts based blocking function. Read here for more information.

Bugs¶

  • 15.1 will bootloop if a pin/password/pattern is not set or is removed/unset. [???][tracking][help wanted]
  • Flutter-based apps may show graphical artifacting on older (msm8974 era) devices. [help wanted]
  • Older Unity engine games will likely crash on 16.0+ due to the hardened memory allocator. A workaround is to install the 32-bit variant of the app. [Unity engine bug][tracking]
  • Select older devices running 17.1/10 or higher will fail to connect to 802.11w (optional/required) enabled Wi-Fi networks due to lack of PMF support. [hardware]
  • System profiles option to disable lock screen under certain scenarios can prevent the navigation bar from working. [upstream][tracking 1][tracking 2]

Devices¶

Devices listed as "Tested/Reported Working" on Downloads page will not be listed here if they are fully working as expected and do not have any quirks.

apollo/thor¶

  • Encryption is not supported. [upstream blobs]

athene¶

  • Wi-Fi country code MUST be set via advanced settings before connecting. Will bootloop otherwise. [???]
  • Using GPS causes a reboot. [???]
  • Encryption is not supported. [???]

bacon¶

  • Video recording doesn't work [???][help wanted]

beryllium/dipper/equuleus/polaris/ursa¶

  • (confirmed report) Camera is non-functional. [kernel][help wanted]

clark¶

  • Camera is very slow to start and sometimes won't start at all. [upstream]
  • Camera can be very slow to take pictures at higher resoutions. [???]

crackling¶

  • Mobile data doesn't work. [hmalloc incompatibility][help wanted]

d852¶

  • Sensors will not work unless you have a hybrid v220k modem which requires an a10b bootloader. [firmware]

FP4¶

  • Do NOT attempt to lock the bootloader if fastboot flashing get_unlock_ability returns zero or else it will brick. EDL access is not available on this device and you will have to send it in for service. [upstream][forum thread]

d850/d851/d852/d855/f400/ls990/vs985/G3¶

  • Wi-Fi tethering may not work. [???][help wanted]
  • Bluetooth likely won't start due to missing MAC address. [hwaddrs selinux? /misc corrupt?][help wanted]
  • Device will often fail on reboot and become unresponsive, requiring the battery to be pulled. [hardware]

h830/h850/rs988/G5¶

  • Bluetooth likely won't start due to missing MAC address. [hwaddrs selinux? /misc corrupt?][help wanted]
  • (unconfirmed) NFC doesn't work. [???]
  • (unconfirmed) GPS doesn't work. [???]
  • (unconfirmed) Torch doesn't work. [???]

davinci¶

  • Wi-Fi does not work under 20.0. [???][help wanted]
  • FM radio causes reboot on headphone plug/unplug, app can be disabled as workaround. [???][help wanted]

enchilada/fajita¶

guacamole*/hotdog*¶

  • (reported) Occasional bouts of rapid battery drain. [???]
  • (reported) Having fingerprints registered can cause the sensor to trigger at random causing the screen to flicker green. [???]
  • (reported) Automatic brightness may not be available. [???]
  • (reported) Charge history may not be available. [???]
  • Second SIM non-functional. [disabled, some variants lack the necessary firmware]

flox¶

  • Device powers off after sleeping for an unknown time. [???]

grouper¶

  • Camera is non-functional. [upstream kernel]
  • Device is extremely slow. [hardware?]
  • Relocking bootloader with an AOSP/Lineage/DivestOS recovery flashed will result in a *permanent hard brick* unless you have acquired your NvFlash recovery token! [bootloader][guide]

hammerhead¶

  • 15.1: Wi-Fi tethering doesn't work. [???][help wanted]
  • 16.0: Camera, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi tethering doesn't work. [???]

herolte/hero2lte/S7¶

  • (reported) bootloops. [???][report][help wanted]

i9300/i9305/S3¶

  • Web browsers and other complex apps fail to open at all or may open and then later crash. [kernel? memory?][help wanted]
  • USB MTP is likely not functioning. [SELinux?][help wanted]
  • NFC is likely not functioning. [SELinux?][help wanted]
  • (reported) SIM card detection issues. Likely fixed in 2021-06 build. [SELinux][report][help wanted]

lavender and maybe jasmine_sprout/platina/twolip/wayne/whyred¶

  • Do NOT use fastboot update on lavender or jasmine_sprout, it has been reported to brick.
  • Recovery doesn't update on system update due to missing install-recovery.sh. [upstream][help wanted]

kccat6/lentislte¶

  • Sideload doesn't work in recovery, use TWRP instead. [help wanted][tracking]

klte and maybe hlte¶

  • SD cards might fail to mount or format. [vold + selinux?]
  • USB ADB only works when MTP mode isn't set. [FunctionFS corruption?]

m8/m8d¶

  • Recovery doesn't boot, use TWRP instead. [???][upstream]
  • FM radio doesn't work. [???][upstream]
  • IR blaster doesn't work. [???][upstream]

maguro/toro/toroplus¶

  • Not encrypted by default. [OMAP SMC limitation]
  • Camera unavailable until reboot occasionally. [ducati cma issues?]

mako¶

  • /system needs to be resized to fit 17.1 or higher. [too small partition]
  • Will fail to boot on first boot. Force off once after 3 minutes. Likely fixed in 2022-01 builds. [modem subsystem service startup failure with forceencrypt]

mata¶

  • Images will often fail to install via recovery. [fstab /vendor/firmware_mnt][help wanted]
  • Speaker phone volume cannot be changed from maximum.

harpia/merlin/osprey/surnia¶

  • Recovery doesn't boot, use TWRP instead. [defconfig?][help wanted]

nex/n900¶

  • Camera is non-functional. [upstream blobs?]
  • Encryption is not supported. [upstream device tree?]
  • GPS is non-functional. [deblobber]

cheeseburger/dumpling¶

  • 20.0 won't automatically update the recovery. [selinux?][tracking][help wanted]

taimen/walleye¶

  • (reported) APN persistence issues. [???]
  • (reported) SIM detection issues. [???][upstream]

pioneer¶

  • 19.1 and 20.0 stopped booting after the September update. [???][help wanted]

pro1x¶

  • (reported) Fingerprint reader doesn't work. [???]

star*lte¶

  • Uses the stock /vendor partition, making many of the deblobber benefits unavailable. [upstream]

vayu¶

  • Wi-Fi does not work under 20.0. [???][help wanted]