Updated Draft Guide: Install Google Play Services

[gl00]

hi guys... I just received a new Karoo with the old firmware...
could anyone share step by step instructions to unlock the bootloader before I update the software ?

thanks !

** nevermind - just got the detailed instructions from jhazelwd

[Crewone]

I can, unfortunately, confirm that unlocking the bootloader is no longer an option. It fails with "Unlock operation is not allowed"

[RossA]

Apologies if this is an obvious answer. Having added my own apps now via unlocking the Bootlpader if I upgrade to the latest version of software (today’s) will that stop me from adding more apps and accessing them?

If the bootloader is unlocked now will it become locked when I upgrade?

[Steve]

No, your bootloader will stay unlocked. It won't re-lock your bootloader when doing an upgrade.

[jhazelwd]

Since I've given up on this device, I need to write up instructions on how to pull and tweak the update files so you can easily upgrade/downgrade the Karoo software.

Honestly, you're better off mounting your phone on your bike. Your phone is lighter (not going to break the mount), better screen, and easier to install functional software (if you care about the device data). I've been running Garmins for over 10 years now and never had an issue that wasn't easily solveable. I honestly don't care if the device info is off some, but I want consistency. I love Android and the openness, which allured me to the Karoo, but unfortunately they are closing it down little by little and their engineers aren't up to the task. I've seen this before. Programming is a skill, math is a different skill. Good data requires math expertise. Guess which part they are lacking.

I'll try to get something written up soon.

[RustedRoot]

Thanks John. Good of you to update the guide even though you've gone back to Garmin. I'm not far behind you.

[danidee]

I just got my karoo 2 weeks ago. Hoping I could sideload/install any app I want by unlocking the bootloader.
After reading this thread, I feel like I've been punched in the stomach

@jhazelwd is it really possible to revert back to an earlier version and unlock the bootloader? I really like the Karoo and it's pretty stable (Used it about 6 times now) but this is a huge deal-breaker for me because I always believed that the device was totally open.

[Steve]

You can't unlock the bootloader unless you manage to find a very early Karoo with early software, before they disabled this.

However, you can still sideload a lot of third-party apps with the locked bootloader. You don't need an unlocked bootloader for sideloading.

[dbareis]

I'm tring to unlock the bootloader via adb (disaperaing ions I assume only apply to the UI), I'm stuck at:

Code: Select all

fastboot oem unlock
(Not applicable for all) If you get a confirmation screen on your device. Press Volume Up button to highlight Yes and press Power button to select it. This will begin bootloader unlocking process, which shouldn’t last more than couple of minutes.
Once bootloader is unlocked, your device will reboot into bootloader mode. You need to boot it into system now using the command below:

The YES/NO option comes up but of course the Karoo doesn't have volume buttons (so these instructions appear to make no sense). I tried all the buttons in any case. All buttons cause "unlock failed...".

From what I understand I need to do this to install Google Play Services, and I need that to use apps that need/use notifications.

[Steve]

I'm tring to unlock the bootloader via adb (disaperaing ions I assume only apply to the UI)

I'm sorry to say that Hammerhead removed the ability to unlock the bootloader many months ago (a year ago or so?). There were protests at the time, but sadly they fell on deaf ears.

[Antonio]

What a pity, i don't plan to sideload a hundred apps, but there are some that will not work without google play

So far Telegram and Twonav work fine without google play (though the latter always pops us google play is needed, you just click on OK and the app runs fine).
I would have loved to sideload wikiloc too but that seems unfeasable without google play.

Regards

[Antonio]

Hello, I'm still curious to investigate about having Google play services.
I bought the k2 recently and within Dev options i can see "OEM unlocking, bootloader is already unlocked", greyed, what does it mean? Is the bootloader really unlocked? If yes, is out safe to follow the steps in this post to get play services?

Thanks

[JohnWick128]

I've created a first draft of an install guide containing step by step instructions on adding Google Play Services to the Karoo.

BE WARNED, THUS COULD POTENTIALLY BRICK YOUR DEVICE AND I'M NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOU TRYING THIS OUT. But, with that disclaimer being called out, I've had issues where I've booted into black screen, reboot loops, etc and was able to easily resolve. As long as you unlock bootloader and enabled USB debugging you can always reflash a full ROM image, factory reset, and poof back in business.

WhatsApp Plus is one of the most popular apps that are available in the market. WhatsApp Plus APK is a modified version of the original app, downloaded by millions of users worldwide. The best part about WhatsApp plus apk is that it does NOT require root access to install on your device! Most people who want extra features use this modified version instead of going for a custom ROM.

This guide is an amendment to the guide on how to sideload 3rd party apps. Please try sideloading an app first before installing the Google Applications (GAPPS). Also, ensure you’ve sideloaded a secondary launcher (nova launcher is good, but there are plenty of launcher options for Android). You’ll need a secondary launcher to access Google Play once installed as well as other applications.

NOTE: DON'T RELOCK BOOTLOADER FOR ANY REASON ONCE UNLOCKED! Most problems can be fixed, but only if bootloader is unlocked.

Download required Files:

1. Open GAPPS - https://opengapps.org/ - This includes a good set of the Google Play apps you’ll care about. Choose the following option (which is probably the best for the Karoo):
   - Arm / 6.0 / Nano
2. Titanium Backup - https://www.androidapksfree.com/apk/tit ... -download/ - Other apps will work, I just used this one because I love the tool and it makes the one change easy.
3. TWRP - viewtopic.php?f=10&t=74 - This version was built by one of the Karoo users. Be warned this version isn’t built with the correct device ID, it works beautifully but has a caveat I’ll discuss later.
4. Magisk Manager - Installing this will give you Root access to the device.
   I’m not going to get into the technicals on this, so you can read about this tool here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/m ... 6-t3618589
   Download this file: https://github.com/topjohnwu/Magisk/rel ... -v16.7.zip

yowhatsapp apk
Follow the following directions exactly so you don’t run into problems. Please note I have gotten this device into a state where it wouldn’t boot or would show just a black screen and have always been able to get it back. I’ll address how to get back from a bad place at the bottom of this guide.

1. Setup Steps: (most can be found here: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=88 )
   - Follow Sections 1, 2, and 3 of the guide included in the link above.
   Create a folder and add all of the files above to that folder (most importantly the adb and fastboot tools).
   - Attach the Karoo to the computer (or Mac) with a USB cable. You should see the device show up in the file folder.
   - In Windows 10 click in the search box (left hand taskbar to the right of the windows logo) and type cmd and hit the enter key. You should see a black window popup.
   - Type adb devices and you should see your device show up with the device id next to it. This confirms the computer is talking to the Karoo.
2. Unlock Bootloader (This will perform factory reset and all Karoo customizations will be lost. When you log back into the Karoo with your account most device specific things are restored).
   - Setup ADB and Fastboot on your PC.
   - Enable USB debugging and OEM Unlock on your Android device (in Developer Options).
   - Connect your device to the PC with a USB cable.
   - Open a command window on your PC and go to the folder where you placed all of the pre-req files. *Note: In Windows Explorer (File Manager) you can find the folder with your files, shift+right-click the folder and you should see an option to open command window in that folder.
   - Boot your device into bootloader mode using the following command:
   adb reboot bootloader
   └ You may get a request to authorize USB debugging on the device, accept it.
   - Once your device is in bootloader mode, issue the following command to unlock bootloader:
   • fastboot oem unlock
   • (Not applicable for all) If you get a confirmation screen on your device. Press Volume Up button to highlight Yes and press Power button to select it. This will begin bootloader unlocking process, which shouldn’t last more than couple of minutes.
   • Once bootloader is unlocked, your device will reboot into bootloader mode. You need to boot it into system now using the command below:
     fastboot reboot
   • During reboot, your device will go through a factory reset and then finally boot into system.
   • To verify your bootloader is unlocked, run this ADB command: fastboot getvar unlocked
   • Note: If this fails please try again until it succeeds as you’ll run into problems if the bootloader isn’t unlocked.
3. Install Magisk (giving you root access to device)
   • From command prompt window in the folder that contains twrp.img type the following:
     • Adb boot twrp.img
   • *NOTE: Never install TWRP on the Karoo itself (it may prompt you to do it, don’t do it).
   • The Karoo should boot up and launch the TWRP app (it’s touchscreen).
   • Again ensure Karoo is connected to the computer. In the Windows/Mac File Manager you should see the Karoo show up as a device called (5010). If you double click the device you should see a folder called Internal Storage, double click on Internal Storage and create a folder called Downloads (if it doesn’t already exist).
   • Place the following files into the Downloads folder on the Karoo:
     • Magisk (.zip file)
     • Latest Karoo OTA found here (you’ll need to download the latest file which are displayed from newest at the top to oldest at the bottom): viewtopic.php?f=10&t=208 (.zip file)
     • GAPPS package (.zip file)
   • On the Karoo device the top left option is Install, touch Install. If device screen has gone black, click the power button to wake the screen up and you’ll likely have to slide the slider at the bottom to the right to re-enable.
   • Click the Magisk.zip file and confirm you want to install the package. Touchscreen is finicky so if you accidently touch the wrong file just go back and try again.
   • Once installation is complete you should get a success message. Choose the wipe cache option and then choose reboot. Reboot may take a little bit as you’ll see it’s optimizing applications.
4. Install Titanium Backup (Again I’m assuming you’ve installed a custom launcher and can access the application once installed).
   • While the Karoo is up and running and plugged into computer, install Titanium Backup on the device:
     • Adb.exe install com.keramidas.TitaniumBackup_v8.1.0-397_Android-1.5.apk
   • Launch Titanium Backup (should prompt you with a requires root dialogue, grant root access).
   • Dismiss the informational dialogues (including the supersu dialogue) and choose the Backup tab
   • Scroll down to the K section (the files are alphabetical) and click on the Karoo NLP file. Uninstall Karoo NLP (required to get Google Play to work properly).
   • Reboot Device
5. Install Google Applications (GAPPS)
   • From command window (same folder as above), type adb boot twrp.img
   • Once in TWRP choose Install, then choose the opengapps package (should be a .zip file).
   • Let OpenGapps install (it will take a bit), Then wipe cache again and reboot.
   • Google Play is now installed. Open Google Play Store and log-in with your Google account, installation from Google Play is now working!
6. HELP, my Karoo won’t Boot!
   • Believe me I think I’ve tried almost everything and have always gotten the device back to booting by doing the following:
     • Typically if the device powers on you can boot into TWRP:
       From computer adb boot twrp.img, or
     • From Karoo, ensure device is off. Hold Power Button and Top Left button at the same time and continue to hold until in Bootloader. Select Fastboot option:
   • Download the latest Karoo OTA file. These are full images from Hammerhead. Found here: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=208
   • When in TWRP, copy the OTA file from your computer to the Karoo download folder.
   • From TWRP menu select flash and then install.
   • Reboot and you should be good again.
   • If you still have a problem, one last step will resolve it. Choose the wipe option, advanced wipe, and wipe system. Reflash the OTA file and then reboot and you should be back to stock.
   Follow these same steps (install Gapps, magisk, delete Karoo nlp) after each Karoo update. Also, you will need to install update via TWRP manually as it doesn't work via stock recovery.Nulls Royale Apk

Thanks for your information, it was helpful to me.

[shiruba]

Hmm, I have to say I am quite disappointed by this.

I recently purchased a Karoo 2 and Leomo Type S, and while they have positives and negatives, the fast that the Karoo 2 does not let you install Google Play is very limiting.

To Note: Mine says "Already unlocked" when I look at the bootloader setting page in settings, but the "fastboot" command returns something like "Command not found". Has anyone else seen this scenario?

I am not sure why the stock software conflicts with Google Play in the first place. For example, I have an Amazon fire, and I was able to install and use Google play on that without issues.

The official Hammerhead site says something like the unit "has everything you need", and they don't want to "force" us to install Google Play. The first is quite presumptuous (and just plain wrong for many of us), and the second doesn't make sense. They don't need to force us to install Play, just make sure that it *can* be installed for those who want to.

The Karoo has a higher res/brighter screen, built in Varia Radar support, live streaming maps, etc., but given the lack of ability to properly use Google Apps, and lack of even shipping to many countries, I have to say the Leomo is bar far my favorite of the two right now. (Note: I am probably about the only person in Japan who even has a Karoo - in order to get it, I had it shipped to a US address and then a friend re-shipped it to me. This is especially silly since it seems to be made in China, which means it went from China to USA and then back to Asia!).

[immortalGoku1452]

I has issue with my Google play services, Gbwhatsapp so I installed it from the Google site.

[Opperhoofd]

The lost of downloadable OTA's is empty, anyone who can halep me with that one?

[kirito]

Thanks Jhaze for sharing the instructions...hope all work out well for me following the guideKinemaster MOD APK

[joi121]

I has issue with my Google play services, Gbwhatsapp so I installed it from the Google site.

yes installtion its eassy

[thomas121]

The lost of downloadable OTA's is empty, anyone who can halep me with that one?

Hallo opperhoofd A full update is an OTA package that contains the entire final state of the device (system, boot, and recovery partitions). As long as the device is capable of receiving and applying the package, the package can install the build regardless of the current state of the device.. i hope you would have liked thanks..
remini mod apk

[Rony5]

Hey, I am still curious to investigate about having Google Play Services.
I bought the k2 recently and within Dev options i can see "OEM unlocking, bootloader is already unlocked", greyed, what does it mean? Is the bootloader really unlocked? If yes, is out safe to follow the steps in this post to get play services?

Regards,
Rony