Attention FreedomPop users - beware data drain

spock1104 · Feb 23, 2015

If you were like me and jumped on the $25 FreedomPop deal, chances are you're just getting your phone. Chances are you're also in the situation I'm in, where your phone is going to eat a lot of data repeatedly trying to update itself! On FreedomPop, this will matter a great deal to your service. Yes, the fine folks at FreedomPop have screwed up the software, putting a custom version of B09 on the phone that can't self update to B13. For now, go into your build.prop and change the display.id to B13 and it should stop trying.

I'm attaching a verification report in case anyone else wants to start looking into this too.

Fix options:
Option 1: change display.id in your build.prop to end with B13
Option 2: go to settings, data usage, google services, and check off the restrict background data box.

I'll post as I come up with new options. When I have time I'll give better instructions for option 1. I'll also try developing a "compatibility pack" to turn the stock B13 and Sawbones999's JellyBean into working FreedomPop options.

spock1104 · Feb 24, 2015

I realize the attached log isn't the full log, but I can't get the full log to paste. I used https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=sa.ota.verifier&hl=en to obtain the log.

edit: got it, attached...

andyj9 · Feb 25, 2015

Couple of maybe silly questions - as currently not rooted device, can I just edit the build.conf or is root required?
Changing to B13 - will this prevent OTA updates? In your opinion is Freedompop going to update to B13 soon?

Thank you for your posts....
Reading/Waiting/watching/learning from all the forum posts - any additional information on rooting and still remaining a freedompop phone would be helpful. (Any CM version work?)

Thank you in advance.
Andyj9

spock1104 · Feb 26, 2015

Yes, you must have root access to do the edit. I verified that towelroot grants temporary root.

TrustME90 · Feb 26, 2015

Why not just use FotaKill.apk to stop the updates?

spock1104 · Feb 27, 2015

I didn't know about fotakill, I'll add it to the options. Still requires root tho.

andyj9 · Mar 1, 2015

Tip on editing build.prop with ES File Editor - if you get write error (read only file in your ES editor)
Open the ES application and hit Menu, then tap "Settings", this will bring you to the apps Settings Menu. Once in the Settings Menu, scroll all the way down to Root Settings. In Root Settings, "check" Root Explorer.
(or ON button in my case)

--Worked for me....
Andyj9

morchus · Mar 4, 2015

The above method wont work if there are future updates on the vesion etc. The best method to disable OTA update is

pm disable com.google.android.gsf/com.google.android.gsf.update.SystemUpdateActivity
pm disable com.google.android.gsf/com.google.android.gsf.update.SystemUpdateService
pm disable com.google.android.gsf/com.google.android.gsf.update.SystemUpdateService\$Receiver

(execute the above as root/su).

spock1104 · Mar 4, 2015

morchus said:
The above method wont work if there are future updates on the vesion etc. The best method to disable OTA update is

pm disable com.google.android.gsf/com.google.android.gsf.update.SystemUpdateActivity
pm disable com.google.android.gsf/com.google.android.gsf.update.SystemUpdateService
pm disable com.google.android.gsf/com.google.android.gsf.update.SystemUpdateService\$Receiver

(execute the above as root/su).

I assume this would have to be done on every reboot? Can also disable the same using the DisableService app.

I can pretty much guarantee that an update won't come over OTA at this point, the way that FreedomPop set the phone up breaks the update process. The updates occur through Google's servers, and all the update service sees is the display.id in build.prop. The service won't have a way of differentiating the FreedomPop ROM from the Sprint ROM. Best option right now is to migrate manually to B13, and as I said earlier, I fully intend to create a compatibility pack to flash over B13 and even sawbones' JB for FreedomPop users.

spock1104 · Mar 8, 2015

I tried out sawbones999's jellybean and by some miracle it doesn't overwrite the APNs, so the internet will work without reconfiguration. I'm just going to put together a package tomorrow that will remove the dialer, messaging, and voicemail, and put on the freedompop apps.

spock1104 · Mar 9, 2015

Thanks to an impatient friend with the same phone I finished off the zip file. Flash this over jellybean (or in theory any Force ROM) to get the FreedomPop apps without needing to download them after the fact.

http://www.mediafire.com/download/691hj4zjmnlo1c4/freedompop_compatibility_pack_force.zip

Wongeroo · May 15, 2015

I usually don't register for forums and post, but I did it for this post because FreedomPop has a nice business model we all want them to succeed. Whatever the devs did with the ZTE Force, it was somewhat botched and no one ever addressed the constant redownloading of an update that will never apply successfully. It's eating away my monthly allotment of data. I tried rooting with towelroot and editing the build.prop file, using Disable Services and FotaKill and still doesn't work. This made just mad as heck because the reps on the tech support line can't tell an apple from an orange (and therefore didn't help me). Yet, we cannot complain for something we don't have to pay for.

Anyway, enough with my rant. I fixed the data drain problem by using AFWall+ and just blocking the Download Manager from using anything else other than LAN by blacklisting all the methods it can grab the file that won't ever succeed updating. You need root, which TowelRoot provided. I also downloaded Network Connections app to look at which service was downloading 31.8 megs every reboot of the phone to validate my config is working.

Next topic - anyone successful getting this phone running on lollipop?

Attention FreedomPop users - beware data drain

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