Upgrading Nokia X to CyanogenMod 11 (via Ubuntu)

The Nokia X seems to be a nice piece of hardware for just around $125 AUD. Nothing spectacular in terms of computing power, but much better build quality than your average cheap Chinese Android clone. I have always been a fan of Nokia hardware until they decided to commit suicide by firstly adding CEO Stephen Elop and ditching all of their software for Windows Mobile.

The problem with the device out of the box is that is has a horribly butchered version of Android. And by horribly I mean way worse than the usual bloat and crapware that poor Samsung, HTC or Sony users are normally subjected to. Hopefully this is only Nokia’s first step to a more open platform, but I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one.

Before committing to buy this device I made sure that I could flash it to CyanogenMod as soon as it arrives. Sidenote: I purchased from Mobicity AU – which turned out to be a big mistake. Do yourself a favour and go somewhere else unless you have weeks to wait.

Boot Mode – Nokia X

Nokia Recovery Mode:

1. Turn off your device
2. Press Volume + and Power Button 15 seconds

Dependencies

If you haven’t got the Android SDK or tools yet you need to install

sudo apt-get install android-tools-adb android-tools-fastboot

USB Configuration

sudo vim /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules
#add the following line
SUBSYSTEMS=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="0421", MODE="0666", OWNER="plugdev"
sudo service udev restart

vim ~/.android/adb_usb.ini
#add at the end of the file
0x0421

sudo adb kill-server
sudo adb devices

Rooting the device

Download ClockWorkMod Recovery (or TWRP if you prefer).

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2703708

Check USB debugging in “Settings –> Developer Options” (it seems that the NokiaX has debugging enabled out of the box)

Boot into Recovery (see above)

sudo adb reboot bootloader
sudo fastboot -i 0×0421 flash recovery cwm-6028-normandy.img
sudo fastboot reboot

Installing CyanogenMod 11

Please note that currently this is not an official CM release but an unofficial port, however CM has already committed to taking this device onboard as an officially supported one in the near future.

EDIT 2014-06-17: WIFI is currently not working which should be a showstopper for day-to-day use.

Boot into Recovery (see above) – this should now be CWM Recovery rather than the previous Android Recovery.

Download files:
CM 11 ROM for Nokia X (Android 4.4.2)
Google Apps for CM 11

EDIT (2014-09-29): There seems to be a more complete version of CM11 here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/nokia-x/development/rom-cyanogenmod-11-m8-4-4-4-t2838336

In CWM recovery, select “Data Wipeout / Factory reset” option and wipe the data.
Select “Wipe Dalvik cache” from the Advanced Option
Select “Install ZIP –> Install ZIP from sideload”

sudo adb sideload cm-11-20140426-UNOFFICIAL-normandy.zip

Select “Reboot system now”

Note: the reboot can take about 1 minute to get started due to a bug in the current CWM Recovery.

Enjoy !

EDIT 2014-07-22: Since there doesn’t seem to be any active development on the CM port for Nokia X (which seems a shame since they are so cheap) I found an AOSP ROM (based on Android 4.1.2) which seems to be workable as a day-to-day phone.
ROM Download: http://loki.rombitch.com/Devs/Dhacker29/NokiaX/msm8625-ota-eng.dhacker29-custom.zip
Discussion: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2710107