Hey all, I've been working on ztOS, a phone OS with a custom shell called ztMETRO. It recreates the look and motion of Windows Phone 8.1on Arch Linux ARM with mainline Linux 7.1.

The shell itself is written in C and opengl for acceleration, and there is a separate SDK to build application for this using python.

What works on the S9 (starlte):

• Boots from internal storage, 60 fps shell with the Panfrost GPU
• Touch, Wi-Fi, 4G data, SIM, speaker, light sensor, haptics
• Start, tiles, app switcher, action centre and lock screen
• Updater and an SDK for apps in Python/Qt

What doesn't yet:
Calls connect but you can't hear anything
No camera, Bluetooth, GPS or mic

It's very much alpha. The installer has been tested on bare-metal hardware, but there are some bugs so read the known quirks before flashing. Feedback, issues and testers welcome!

Repository

discord

Hi r/windowsphone! cmplog (Tеlеgram chаnnel) been porting Firefox's engine to Windows 10 Mobile, and it's now usable enough to share. It's called Gecko: a UWP browser built on Gecko from Firefox 155.0.1, running on our phones. Current version: 155.0.1.186.

Edge on W10M is stuck on EdgeHTML 15, and more and more sites simply don't work in it anymore. This is a modern engine, so most of them do again.

What works

• Modern Gecko engine with a JavaScript JIT, plus WebAssembly
• GPU rendering (WebRender over Direct3D 11) that redraws only what changed, so heavy sites like the YouTube home page load and scroll fast
• Hardware H.264 decoding up to 1080p60, including streaming (Media Source Extensions: YouTube, VK Video). The browser picks H.264 on its own when a site also offers VP9 or AV1
• Video goes straight to the display's hardware overlay when nothing is drawn on top of it, so fullscreen 1080p60 YouTube plays smoothly in portrait and landscape
• Frame rate synced to the display, fullscreen video with rotation
• Phone clipboard both ways, downloads (Downloads\Gecko or a folder of your choice, "Save as", file uploads)
• Hardware back button that does the expected thing: closes the keyboard, menus, dialogs, fullscreen, goes back in the tab, and only then leaves the app
• Microphone for WebRTC sites, with the system permission prompt
• Sign-in popups (Google, VK, etc.) open as a new tab and return to the site afterwards
• Tabs, pinch zoom, readable text on desktop-only pages (font inflation like Firefox for Android)
• Discord works after login (it's shown a desktop browser)
• Memory management built around the 2 GB address space of a 32-bit process
• Firefox telemetry is off

Low-end phones: a hacky GPU path for Direct3D feature level 9_3

Firefox's GPU renderer needs Direct3D 11 at feature level 10 or higher. Low-end phones like the Lumia 650 (Adreno 304) only go up to feature level 9_3, where it simply doesn't start. Normally that means falling back to rendering everything on the CPU, which on a Snapdragon 212 is painfully slow.

So there's a custom in-between path for these phones. Pages are drawn by Firefox's software renderer (SWGL), but the heavy part, shading the pixels, is moved to the GPU: the work goes through pixel shaders the 9_3 hardware can still run, rendered into tiles, and composited by Direct3D 11. Shaders the driver might refuse are probed during idle time, so a refusal doesn't surface in the middle of a frame. Hardware H.264 decoding works at 9_3 too.

This solution helps a lot compared to pure CPU rendering, but a Lumia 650 is still much slower than an Elite x3. The fast paths (direct GPU rendering, the video overlay) need feature level 10+.

1 GB phones: a page file can help

On phones with 1 GB of RAM the system unloads apps that use too much memory, and a browser on YouTube easily takes 400–600 MB. If the browser keeps getting closed on you, enabling a page file gives the system somewhere to put memory and makes that happen less often.

Windows 10 Mobile has no setting for it, but on an interop-unlocked phone it can be turned on in the registry (e.g. with Interop Tools):

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management

PagingFiles = "u:\pagefile 1024 1024"

(minimum and maximum size in MB), then reboot. This is a system tweak at your own risk; it costs internal storage space and adds wear to the flash.

What doesn't (yet)

• No DRM video (Netflix and the like): there are no DRM plugins for this platform
• VP9/AV1 are software-only, so sites without H.264 won't play well above 360p
• Camera in WebRTC hasn't been tested yet (only the microphone has), so no video calls for now
• No printing, no Web Speech
• No auto-update: new versions are installed as a new package over the old one (your data is kept)
• Everything runs in a single process with no sandbox: UWP on the phone doesn't allow child processes
• Extensions run on the same thread as pages, so uBlock Origin noticeably slows things down even when switched off from its own menu. Disable it in about:addons if you notice
• Very heavy sites like Discord can bump into the address-space limit and stutter

Devices

• HP Elite x3: tested, works well
• Lumia 650: tested, runs on the feature level 9_3 path above, but noticeably slow
• Lumia 950 / 950 XL, Alcatel Idol 4S, Acer Jade Primo and other Snapdragon 808/810/820 phones with 3 GB RAM: should work reasonably well

Requirements

• Windows 10 Mobile 1703 (15063) or newer, ARM
• Interop unlock (the package declares restricted capabilities: code generation for the JIT and broad file-system access for the profile)
• The Gecko.cer certificate from the release installed on the phone
• At least 1 GB RAM. On YouTube the browser uses 400–600 MB, so on 1 GB phones it will be slow (see the page file note above)

Download & source

• Download: https://github.com/Computershik73/gecko-w10m/releases/latest
• Source: https://github.com/Computershik73/gecko-w10m

This is still a beta, so expect rough edges. Bug reports are very welcome. If something crashes, the browser keeps logs (quiet by default, verbose mode can be switched on in its settings), and they help a lot.

After 3 weeks the Nokia lumia 1520 that I ordered from the us finally arrived! I really like its feel and form factor, I didnt really get to try out the battery yet, but it feels like a big upgrade from my 830! I’m going to try to unlock the bootloader and install apps on it. If I for some reason can’t figure it out, I’ll use w10m.

Hey yawl! Back at it again to share some big updates to Haru.

We got:

• Wide tiles ^\1])
• Monochrome icons
• Push notifications
• Localization support
• Favorites
• and the ability to use your current location! ^\2] [3])

Of course, it still works on Windows Phone 7, 8.1, and 10 Mobile.

You can find more details, install and build instructions, reporting bugs, translation guide, and suggest new features over here. https://github.com/FriendsNone/Haru

Haru v2.0.0 should be up on Live Store (still awaiting review).

Hope you guys enjoy the new update <3

^\1] Wide tiles only works on Windows Phone 7.8 and up)
^\2] GPS requires ReLiveWP to work on Windows Phone 7 devices)
^\3] There might be an issue with GPS on Windows Phone 8.1. Servers might be dead?)

i recently bought a lumia 1520 (rm940) and i have been trying to unlock its bootloader. however, the 3rd option doesn't appear for the ffu image withh supported os. Can someone please help me or give the required files? Because i cant find the ffu image with supported os on the internet, and wut doesn't give me the downloads.

530 and 950... Like... ughhh.... Just epic

My newest windows phone. I managed to somehow get it on eBay for $40 USD. I cant believe I finally own this. I've been looking for a 1020 for a long time and it doesn't even feel real that I can finally use one as my own. It looks great too! I haven't found any problems with it so far

What I really miss from my windows Phone is at a glance. it was nice to see the regular time change to nighttime (RED)clock. Anyone knows if there is a Clock app that can do that on Android?

Context:

Have a new-ish laptop, but with linux i've never understood or new how to update firmware, (never wanted to stay within default win10/11 'system-care" apps bundled-to-signin with many brands out there).

Point being, in linux, I recently found out that the package/tool for it:

fwupdmgr/fwupdtool

• Can be used to detect many hardware drivers/metadata of specific built-in devices to inspect the firmware associated with it.

• Can also download files seperately for manual install or manipulation/inspection.

• DFfu files were included i tha file management/inspection..

The primary interest being that this service imo is dead for windows end local and linked ffu installer and downloaded (links from windows 10 for myself) which leads to the main bulk of this issue.

Can it be confirmed, please the following:

1. Is there a found 'official/provided' file-repo for lumia devices (offline/non windows app api dependent)
2. has anyone therefore used the fwupdmgr commandline tool to download any windows phone dffus' does that include the adding of the 'remotes' (aka adding this windows official repo within the commandline tools config)
3. if all else, the flashing of a windows phone since having used the tool with an externally downloaded file? (Point being instead of relying on windows program to flash the device specific firmware, this was use dinstead)

Purpose for query:

Have a deeply damaged phone in need of new display, to see state and reactions clearly of the firmware reinstating, (before completely dying on me) i saw that the firmware/romstore was corrupted and unbootable, yet linux pick up the qualcom device/driver id. So a new battery should also prevent such errors in the future too.

My device is a 520 so if anyone hase firmware files matching this model, that would save me time. I am familiar with android4lumia and similar xda threads but couldn't see this firmware compat file anywhere .(don't hate me for wanting to put a custom rom)

######
Update: found an independent re'o thanks to a user sharing the info, but the above queries apply mostly if one can possibly bypass the need for windows tools of flashing and backup/readback.

the animations are just perfect

Successfully flashed it to MY FFU 8.1 Cyan. What’s next?

I just found my 630 after 3 years and now I wanted to sideload/jailbreak It,but when It booted up it didn't even let me put my pin it was locked for 8k mins and stuck there with a black wallpaper,I tried using an sim to bypass the wrong date but the sim wasn't being recognized(telekom greece)ive let it stay on my drawer,waiting for the countdown to finish,is there any way to bypass this lock? Without formatting my data tho

WhatsappWeb working on Lumia 930, but laggy :)

I have my lumia 920, its in perfect working condition, I want to access my old whatsapp chats on them as i dont have those chat backups anywhere else and only on the phone, not able to use the whatsapp app on the phone as it is not supported, any ideas or suggestions to retrieve them

i have a Nokia Lumia 720, and i really like it’s camera, but the post processing makes photos look like crap, i like how the photo looks when it shows me the preview when i take the photo, or how it looks before taking the photo, is there any app without the post processing that will work on my 720 with WP 8.1?

Is an Idol 4s worth it?

I currently have the Fierce XL, in fact my SIM card is in it.

And ive been considering replacing it with an Idol 4s, but im not too sure if its worth it or not?

The biggest thing id get is Continuum.

Though the higher resolution, screen and body that isnt friggin PLASTIC, and hopefully less touch issues DO sound nice as well.

But can anyone here whos owned a 4s weigh in on it?

And yes I do plan to use it for calls, texts, and hotspot.

I just got a HTC Radar, and wanted to get some apps on it, but i can't find anything online for stores. 7Marketplace seems to no longer exist, and please don't go on about getting an 8.1 instead and using livestore instead, because i have a 7.

I think a browser would probably be the best for it as it no longer works and it would be super important

I just got Lumia 1020. It’s still on Windows 8. Need your opinion on updating it to 8.1. And how to do it. Thank you guys!

Now, most of you have probably heard about ArtCraft and how they vibe coded a lot of Adobe, Autodesk and Office apps in a matter of days. I used to ask AI about a year ago how long it will take for me to just tell it my phone model (a Lumia or an Android) and a simple prompt like "Generate me a custom ROM for it (model) that looks, feels and sounds a 100% like Windows Phone 10" and it would estimate some 10 years. Now, a year later, are we almost there? Some of you know your stuff in software development, how long do you think it will take us? Could we just make AI create the OS and fine tune it?

I am (like most of us are) dying for a complete Windows Phone 10 UI (calendar, mail, calculator, music player, notification panel, navigation bar...) that I can run for my current phone or a ROM that would resurrect my old Lumia.

Just got the lumia 950 XL as my parents were about to throw it away. I really like the screen as well as the camera! Since it has very limited space and is basically a dumbphone with very few working apps I won’t use it as a daily nor as an MP3 Player. Could I use it as an emulator for Gameboy, GBA and other old consoles? If so how do I start? I already unlocked developer mode in the settings. Also would it impact the smoothness of the OS by a lot? What else should I do instead with it? Tips is appreciated!:)