wiki.mbirth.de/know-how/hardware/blackberry-keyone/_posts/2017-09-15-bb-keyone-ota-updates-for-different-variants.md

title	layout	language	created	updated	toc	tags
BlackBerry KEYone OTA updates for different variants	default	en	2017-09-15 20:32:10 +0200	2017-09-15 20:32:10 +0200	false	know-how hardware blackberry keyone ota updates firmware

Variants and update situation

The KEYone is sold as different models: BBB100-1 (US model), BBB100-2 (EMEA model), etc. And each model is distributed in multiple variants, expressed in the last 3 digits of the PRD number.

Here are a few models and variants:

Model	PRD number	Variant
BBB100-1	PRD-63116-001	Unlocked US
BBB100-1	PRD-63116-003	Bell
BBB100-1	PRD-63116-005	Rogers
BBB100-1	PRD-63116-036	AT&T
BBB100-2	PRD-63117-003	Unlocked UK
BBB100-2	PRD-63117-011	Unlocked Germany
BBB100-2	PRD-63117-015	NL, Belgium
BBB100-2	PRD-63117-023	AZERTY Belgium
BBB100-2	PRD-63117-027	Unlocked UAE
BBB100-3	PRD-63118-001	Unlocked
BBB100-4/5	PRD-63734-001	Unlocked
BBB100-4/5	PRD-63734-002	Unlocked?
BBB100-6	PRD-63763-001	Unlocked
BBB100-7	PRD-63764-001	Unlocked

While the variants of a model all have the same hardware, the different variants allow for different features being enabled, e.g. for different carriers.

The downside is that different carriers also release updates at different times. Sometimes weeks to months after other variants got them already. Luckily, all different variants of a model seem to use the same firmware. This allows to install updates from another variant should they not be available for the own device.

Update process in general

On the KEYone, there's an app called Updates pre-installed which sends the device's PRD number and current firmware version to TCL's servers which then reply with "There's no update for you." or the link to the update file.

The app then downloads said file and puts it at the right location so the Android bootloader can find and install it.

Such OTA update contains a script with all instructions about what is to be updated. This script also does various checks first to make sure it can be installed properly. So the risk using the method described below is very small as a wrong update would abort automatically.

Enabling advanced mode in Updates app

The Updates app on the KEYone has a hidden advanced mode with additional features. You can activate that by tapping the three dots in the upper right and selecting Help to get to the help screen. There, tap 8 times on the last item Checking for updates. A dialog box will appear asking you for a password.

The password can be obtained by decompiling the APK file for the Updates app, either using some online service or an app and looking at the /com/tcl/ota/AdvancedModeValidateFragment.java file.

After you've entered the correct password, three new menu items appear in the Updater's main menu: Update manually, FOTA test and Project test.

Menu item: Update manually

This one allows you to install a full firmware update manually from the device. You need to name the update file something like JSU_PRD-63117-123.zip (replace the PRD number with that of your device) and put it in the root directory of your MicroSD card or the internal storage.

It should then appear in this menu in the Updates app. You can install it by tapping the three dots behind the filename and select Install.

Menu item: FOTA test

Here you can simulate different phone models/variants with different firmware versions and test if the updater works correctly. This is exactly what we need during the process below.

Menu item: Project test

This menu item shows a few parameters like your PRD number (called Device CU Reference here), current firmware version, your IMEI and a few more parameters. You can also test the notification Spark in the BlackBerry Launcher and the Play Services.

Finding out which variant gets what update

OTAs are always differential updates for a specific firmware version to a newer one. To install it, you must have the correct initial firmware installed. Otherwise, the updater script will fail and abort the update.

To find out which updates are available for which variant, I found this script which I rewrote and improved. My version can be found here:

https://github.com/mbirth/tcl_ota_check

After downloading or cloning the repository, edit the tclcheck_all.py and change the fc.fv variable to your current firmware version. Let's assume you have a UK BBB100-2, so your PRD would be PRD-63117-003 and as of September 2017, your firmware version would be AAM481. So change the line with fc.fv to:

fc.fv = "AAM481"

Also change the fc.mode line to:

fc.mode = fc.MODE_OTA

Now run the script. You'll get an output like this:

List of latest OTA (from AAM481) firmware by PRD:
...
PRD-63117-003 failed. (No update available.)
PRD-63117-011: AAM481 ⇨ AAN358 d819919187b46793abeaeff60dd6deee17baac4b (QWERTZ BBB100-2 (Germany))
PRD-63117-015: AAM481 ⇨ AAN358 d819919187b46793abeaeff60dd6deee17baac4b (BBB100-2 (NL, Belgiums))
PRD-63117-019: AAM481 ⇨ AAN358 d819919187b46793abeaeff60dd6deee17baac4b (BBB100-2)
PRD-63117-023: AAM481 ⇨ AAN358 d819919187b46793abeaeff60dd6deee17baac4b (AZERTY BBB100-2 (Belgiums))
PRD-63117-025 failed. (No data for requested CUREF/FV combination.)
PRD-63117-027: AAM481 ⇨ AAN358 d819919187b46793abeaeff60dd6deee17baac4b (QWERTY BBB100-2 (UAE))
PRD-63117-028: AAM481 ⇨ AAN358 d819919187b46793abeaeff60dd6deee17baac4b (BBB100-2)
PRD-63117-029: AAM481 ⇨ AAN358 d819919187b46793abeaeff60dd6deee17baac4b (BBB100-2)
PRD-63117-034 failed. (No data for requested CUREF/FV combination.)
PRD-63117-036 failed. (No data for requested CUREF/FV combination.)
PRD-63117-037 failed. (No data for requested CUREF/FV combination.)
PRD-63117-041: AAM481 ⇨ AAN358 d819919187b46793abeaeff60dd6deee17baac4b (BBB100-2)
PRD-63117-042 failed. (No data for requested CUREF/FV combination.)
PRD-63117-703 failed. (No data for requested CUREF/FV combination.)
PRD-63117-704 failed. (No data for requested CUREF/FV combination.)
PRD-63117-717 failed. (No data for requested CUREF/FV combination.)
...

As you can see, our PRD-63117-003 variant doesn't have the update yet, but other variants have. Just pick one, let's say PRD-63117-011.

Doing the actual update

Now that we've chosen a variant that has the update we want, we just have to make the updater think our device is that variant.

To do this, go into the new menu FOTA test and there:

1. enable Test mode
2. set the Emulated CU Reference to the chosen variant: PRD-63117-011
3. set the Emulated current version to your current version: AAM481
4. tap the START TEST button below

You should end up back in the updater's start screen. Tap the CHECK FOR UPDATES NOW button. It should search for updates and find the OTA to version AAN358. It should also start to download the new version. When done, tap the button to start the installation.

Your phone will reboot and install the update. It'll boot up to the new version.

In the case of the `PRD-63117-003` variant and assuming a time of mid-September 2017, the just installed `AAN358` isn't the latest version. There's a newer `AAO472` version available. So change the `fc.fv` line in the `tclcheck_all.py` to `AAN358` and run it again. You'll find out that only the variant `PRD-63117-034` is currently getting the OTA update to `AAO472`. Enter that into the *Emulated CU Reference* field in the *Updates* app, change the *Emulated current version* to the just installed `AAN358` and tap START TEST again. It'll show the second update and let you install that.

(If the updater started to download the previous update file again, remove it like explained in the Cleanup section.)

Cleanup

Disabling test mode

After you've updated your device, it's important to disable the Test mode of the Updates app so it will notify you of further updates. To do this, go into the FOTA test menu and slide the switch for Test mode into the "off" position.

Removing already downloaded update

It might happen that the updater starts to download the same update (which we just installed) again. If that happens to you, first make sure the Test mode is disabled (see above), then go into the updater's Settings menu. You should find an entry about the downloaded file with a dustbin/trashcan icon. Tap that to delete the wrong file.

Disabling advanced mode

There's no built-in way to disable the advanced mode of the Updates app. So the only way is to reset all settings for the app itself. To do this, you need to go into the Android settings → Apps. There, tap the three dots menu and select Show system. Now scroll down the list to tap the Updates app. There, tap Storage and hit the CLEAR DATA button. After that, the Updates app is in "Basic" mode again.

*[APK]: Android Package *[CU]: Customer Unit *[EMEA]: Europe, Middle East, Africa *[FOTA]: Firmware Over-the-Air *[IMEI]: International Mobile Equipment Identity *[OTA]: Over-the-air *[PRD]: Product Requirements Documents *[UAE]: United Arab Emirates *[UK]: United Kingdom *[US]: United States (of America)