[1.1.1.27] Slow installation problem/experience and solution

asked 2014-12-23 13:51:18 +0200

stoft
311 ●11 ●13 ●18

updated 2014-12-23 16:57:03 +0200

TL;DR Update can be really slow so give it a lot more time than you expect, then hopefully you'll avoid problems. The installation experience needs to be improved with clearer feedback.

This is my installation experience to provide feedback to the Jolla team and also to potentially help others who run into the same/similar problem.

The initial state of my phone:

• 1.0.8.21
• Dev mode + ssh enabled
• Connected to my wifi
• Openrepos enabled
• 4GB free (backup created on SD card)

Steps taken:

1. Download and start install
2. Watch 30mins of video on youtube waiting for the install to complete
3. Progress bar disappears, screen is black, phone is unresponsive
4. Long press power button to reboot phone (probably a mistake on my part)
5. After reboot Jolla logo appears then goes black, phone unresponsive
6. Login using ssh, greeting screen says 1.0.8.21
7. version command shows 1.1.1.27
8. Diagnosis: incomplete upgrade
9. Disable all openrepos to be on the safe side (maybe not necessary)
10. Run version --dup, this is an R&D tool that will complete the install
11. Wait ~1.5 hours (!) for upgrade to complete
12. Since errors (timeout or some such) were thrown during the upgrade...
13. Run version --dup repeatedly a few more times until all is success
14. Reboot phone

Most likely what happened is that the installation took much longer than expected. On the Jolla site it says "It takes usually about 10 minutes to install an update." which made me hard reboot the device after 30mins thinking it was done but hadn't rebooted correctly whereas it was in fact probably still installing (this is corroborated by version --dup running for so long). I have no idea why it took so long. My connection at home is fast but sometimes unstable so it could be a network situation on my end. It could just as well have been a network situation on Jolla's repo servers.

Fortunately it turned out well without having to do a reset or recovery of some kind and I'm now very happy with my phone again, which almost feels like new with the OOM improvements in the latest version. :) However, for the Jolla team I feel that the upgrade experience needs to be improved with clearer feedback to the ordinary user what is actually happening. Had I not had dev mode/ssh enabled a factory reset or worse would've been necessary.

A big thank you to the people on IRC (#jollamobile on freenode) who helped out!