Root [MetroPCS & T-Mobile] [RECOVERY][MS659 & P659] TWRP 2.8.0.0

[xclusive36]

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Presenting TWRP 2.8.0.0 for the T-Mobile & Metro PCS LG Optimus F3


http://teamw.in/project/twrp2

Team Win Recovery Project 2.8, or twrp2 for short, is a custom recovery built with ease of use and customization in mind. We started from the ground up by taking AOSP recovery and loading it with the standard recovery options, then added a lot of our own features. It’s a fully touch driven user interface – no more volume rocker or power buttons to mash. The GUI is also fully XML driven and completely theme-able. You can change just about every aspect of the look and feel.

Installation

• Go to the PlayStore and Download 'Flashify (for root users)'.
• Download and copy TWRP recovery to your Phone.
  
• Open the Flashify app and select 'Recovery image'.
  
• Select 'Choose a file' and browse to where you copied the image.
  
• Select the recovery image 'twrp_bumped.img' and flash.

How to enter TWRP

Power on: Hold the 'Power button' & 'Volume Down' when you turn on your phone.

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Download: twrp_bumped.img
https://s.basketbuild.com/devs/xclusive36/fx3/vm/stock

Thanks to:

gherkaul
AquaVolt
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Warning:

Your flashing this at your own risk and I'm not responsible for your device.

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[AquaVolt]

Please also be aware that turning the phone on by Power & Volume Down factory resets the phone, but enters TWRP recovery afterwards. To enter recovery without factory reseting download an app that lets you reboot into recovery or use "adb reboot recovery"

 

[xclusive36]

Or in a terminal app, type:

su
reboot recovery

 

[brotherswing]

Very pleased to have my favorite recovery finally available for our phone, but I do have one caveat. It's backup location is the internal memory, not the SD card, and there are no options to choose a different location. Not a dealbreaker, just something I noticed that I wanted to point out. Some users might be rather put off by that if they weren't aware.

 

[xclusive36]

The option is there. Click on where it says 'internal memory' and then choose external memory

 

[brotherswing]

The option is there. Click on where it says 'internal memory' and then choose external memory

Yep, I found it after I made that post. [emoji15] I just logged back in to correct myself and you beat me to it!

 

[toebus]

Noobie question...does the bootloader remain locked when you flash this recovery?

And are you able to revert back to stock if needed? Thanks.

 

[brotherswing]

Yes and yes. The recovery has no impact on the bootloader, and you can use the kdz method of reverting to stock, recovery and all.

 

[toebus]

Thanks!

 

[toebus]

Thanks!

 

[AquaVolt]

That bootloader, I wonder if it will ever get unlocked...

 

[dangtungduy]

lg f3 ms659 of my friend stuck in bootloader and i try unlock.... i try flash twrp of ls720 via bootloader but it can't touch...
re kdz... all lost

 

[xclusive36]

Your boot image is broken or damaged. Flash boot.img.

Download Stock rom.

Extract boot_bumped.img
into folder with fastboot


Type:
fastboot flash boot boot_bumped.img


Type:
fastboot reboot

*Edited

*virgin mobile stock rom

 

[AquaVolt]

how did you manage to go to bootloader mode on a phone whose bootloader is locked?

 

[xclusive36]

He either wiped the boot image with a dd command or boot image became currupt

 

[xclusive36]

you cant unlock it btw. but thats ok. we have loki and bump to bypass the security

 

[AquaVolt]

you cant unlock it btw. but thats ok. we have loki and bump to bypass the security

I'm a little confused on the whole locked bootloader and loki and bump thing. With loki and bump, is unlocking the bootloader now unnecessary or does it just allow a bit more freedom than a locked bootloader? Is having an unlocked bootloader still the best?

 

[xclusive36]

It's a little of everything. I'd say it's unnecessary for now. LG may find a way to lock us down again in the future. It gives us more freedom than we'd have but it's a hack. Having a unlocked bootloader would be best.

 

[AquaVolt]

There's a problem with TWRP, I hadn't had a reason to reboot into recovery with the button combo until now. I tested out my custom rom and when I was about to restore back to recovery, I rebooted back using the button combo since I didn't have any rebooting apps installed. Instead of rebooting into recovery, TWRP just wipes data and then reboot normally. So you actually cannot reboot into recovery using the button combo as it just does the wipe and then reboots normally. This is bad for bricks and bootloops as there's no way to enter recovery.

 

[xclusive36]

Yeah i know. I think the problem with thats the way twrp functions. The only way i know to fix it would be to use the virgin mobile aboot image

 

[AquaVolt]

Will it work with a different aboot image? I'm pretty sure it needs to have the metro/t-mo aboot image.

 

[xclusive36]

maybe, I'm not planning on messing with it. It's fine for the time being.

 

[AquaVolt]

As long as I don't brick or bootloop, but I'm smarter than what I was before. I'm not dumb enough to forget to wipe dalvik cache or to mess with files I'm not supposed to anymore.

 

[Steeb]

So I picked up an old disconnected MetroPCS ms659 from a buddy of mine and I want to install Ubuntu on it.

Will the loki and bump hack allow that, since this bootloader is apparently locked down? Been wrestling with this thing for a month now, and it just won't take this other OS. I've soft bricked and restored it half a dozen times, even got it back from a fastboot mode, which despite taking fastboot commands, and fastboot mode being what Ubuntu asks for to install, would not take the other OS. I also did it kind of accidentally, so I don't even know if I can do it again on purpose.

Don't know if it makes any difference, but it's still SIM, or network locked, and Metro has basically told me I need to connect it to service for 3 months before they will unlock it.

Another buddy of mine has a pair of old Android phones I can muck with, but I'm wondering how locked down these branded SIM locked phones are going to be in general, and not sure if Ubuntu is worth dropping money on an unlocked phone.

 

[xclusive36]

It would, but you may need to create your own boot image and then loki it with version b aboot.img