GPD XD Plus - Ultimate Noob Guide

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Author: 
S8Admin
Post date: 
04/07/2020 - 15:21
Device Model: 
GPD XD Plus
Tutorial Category: 
Firmware
Recovery
Difficulty Level: 
2
Index: 

 

Getting Started

  1. Play with it! - Yeah you heard me
  2. Install Mediatek Drivers on your PC
  3. Install SP Flash on  your PC
  4. Install CleanROM firmware on your GPD XD Plus
  5. Take Control of Your App Updates 

 

Additional Help - FAQ

Summary: 

I am going to try and answer the very popular question: "I just got my GPD XD Plus, what do I do now? ". I will try and break down the process down to basic steps that anyone can follow. Please feel free to give feedback here and any suggestions that could improve the tutorial.
I am not going to explain why you should install CleanROM and the benefits that come from it.

If you would like more info on CleanROM you can find it here: What is CleanROM?

Preparation: 
  • You will need a GPD XD Plus
  • You will need a PC ( I have not found a way to install CleanROM without a PC yet )
  • Micro USB cable
  • MicroSD card - 32GB or bigger recommended
  • Diet Mountain Dew and snacks

1.) Play with your GPD XD Plus

If you are new to Android, emulation, or just to tech in general I would suggest you grab your GPD XD Plus and just play with it right out of the box. Get familiar with everything. Download apps, games, emulators and roms. Get a feel for the device. Just keep in mind that when you proceed to the next step you will have to wipe all memory and you will have to start from scratch. 

For those more advanced gamers, skip this step. Most hard core gamers go straight to optimizing their device at the beginning.

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2.) Install Mediatek Drivers on your PC

You will need to install these drivers for your computer to know how to completely recognize your GPD XD Plus when you connect it. If you do not install it or you install it wrong you will have trouble when it comes time to install CleanROM. SPFlash will freeze.

 

You can use this video for the install too : GPD XD Plus: SPFlash Setup

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3.) Install SP Flash on  your PC

This is the program that will install or "flash" the custom firmware CleanROM to your GPD XD Plus. If SPFlash freezes and can not connect to your GPD XD Plus, you may have to reinstall the drivers from the last step.

 

You can use this video for the install too : GPD XD Plus: SPFlash Setup

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4.) Install CleanROM firmware on your GPD XD Plus

The guide may seem overwhelming but as long as you follow each step, you shouldn't have a problem. It really is easy. As I mentioned at the start of the guide I am not going to give you reasons as to why you should install CleanROM because there are plenty of sites, threads, and discussions on that subject already.

If you want more info on CleanROM you can have a read here: What is CleanROM?

To install CleanROM:

 

You can use this video for the install too : GPD XD Plus: Installing CleanROM

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5.) Take Control of Your App Updates

You want to take control of your GPD XD Plus and make sure you know what is happening in the background. There are many times that apps auto update in the background without you knowing it. Some apps have been known to stop working and some even have the potential of bricking your device ( very rare but it has happened ). My advice is to make a habit of making backups and prevent as many apps as you can from auto updating. This way you have complete control over what is being updated. If something were to stop working or if your Plus doesn't boot, you will have a pretty good idea of what caused it. I am not saying not to update. Just update at your convenience, if needed.

  • The biggest culprit is Google PlayStore. Go into your PlayStore settings and make sure that auto-updates is turned OFF!
  • If the apps themselves have an auto update feature, make sure to turn it off

 

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Updating CleanROM

So you have CleanROM and now you want to update. Installing CleanROM was the hardest process - and that really wasn't hard at all! Updating is even easier.

If you do not already have CleanROM installed, please start this guide from the beggining. Back to top

If you have CleanROM installed:

 

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What is a Launcher?

From CNET.com:
One of Android's best features is that you can design your phone's interface. Unlike the iPhone, where Apple dictates how iOS looks and feels, you can personalize your Android home screen or app drawer with almost no effort. All you need is a launcher, also called a home-screen replacement, which is an app that modifies the software design and features of your phone's operating system without making any permanent changes. Read more from CNET.com

 

From joyofandroid.com:
We are quite familiar with the term Android Launcher. However, do we really know what is Android Launcher? These are applications that allow users to tweak the device’s home screen and add other functions that best suits your taste.
You have the power to customize the home screen and application list drawer with minimal effort. These Android Launchers will quickly modify the software features and designs of the operating system of your device. Does your phone have outdated software and annoying default features? Well, you will be overwhelmed with the Android experience you will get with these Android launchers.
However, you should not be worry because this is only temporary. You can uninstall the app launcher if you want to the default Android launcher again.
Now, what are the things you have to remember when picking the best Android Launcher? Read more from joyofandroid.com

 

GPD Central:
Using the community I have put together a list of Launchers and other apps here: GPD XD Plus: Recommended App List

 

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How do I format SDCard?

Prepping your MicroSD Card before you put it into your GPD XD Plus:

Many people will want to try and get a start with downloading apps and roms and putting them on their card and they want to know how to format the card. My first suggestion would be NOT to format the card at all. There is no real prep for your card. Wait until you have your GPD XD Plus in your hands before you do anything. There have been a few times that people loaded their cards up with 100s of GBs of Roms in preperation for their incoming device. The problem is that the Plus can be picky and if it does not like your card it will demand you format it again. This means there will be hours of transfer again because the data will be wiped.

  • Wait until you have your unit before you put the card into it and format it. It will then ask you to either format it or it will do whatever is necessary to make it compatible with your GPD XD Plus. So do not format the card as Fat, Fat32, exFat, or any other format. Just wait.

 

The GPD XD Plus is asking me how I want to use my MicroSD Card
( Portable vs Internal ):

Internal Storage: Using the internal storage will make your card part of the internal memory and will just end up making it seem like you have GPD XD Plus storage + MicroSD Card storage. So if you have a 32GB MicroSD Card, your internal storage will report back having near 64GB of memory. This could help if you are a big Android Game player where the apk and install files are really big. When you use an app like and emulator, the bulk of the size comes from the games themselves and you can put the games on a card and not have a real issue with needing space. The problem with the "internal" setting is that you will no longer have the ability to read the card on any other device. Once you use the "iinternal" setting, the GPD XD Plus will be the only device able to read the card. The other big problem is that TWRP will not know how to read your internal memory or your card. So you will lose the ability to fully backup your GPD XD Plus using TWRP.
Portable Storage: This is the best setting in my opinion. The "portable" setting treats the card just like most devices. This will not affect the internal memory and you will not be able to install apps into the card- not using the normal method. If you use this setting there are ways to use it as internal memory. It just isn't as simple as it would be using the "internal" setting and more steps would be involved. You can use apps like "Folder Mount" and "app2sd". The biggest bonus to using this setting is the ability to take full advantage of TWRP and make full backups to include internal memory. Making a backup of your card is as simple as putting it into your PC and dragging and dropping.

  • Use Portable Storage. There just isn't enough of an advantage to using the "internal" setting. It just causes too many problems with different apps and utilities. I just like the ability to pull my card out and use my PC to transfer files. Combine this with the fact that TWRP likes this setting more, and there is just no reason not to use this setting. Once again, use Portable Storage!

 

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Making Backups

For whatever reason you may find that you screwed up your GPD XD Plus playing with it, tweaking it, or it just randomly happens. Most users spend many hours or even days setting up their portable gaming rig. It would be a shame if you had to do it all over again. TWRP grants you the ability to save your GPD XD Plus data in a complete manner and allows you to restore it exactly in the state in which you backed it up in. You could even transfer your save to a new GPD XD Plus.
So after any major changes I would suggest you backup and even move your backup to another storage device as added security. Always, always, always backup.
If you have some experience in burning data CD/DVDs then you could compare a TWRP backup as making a CD/DVD image file. You could use apps to try and make backups of all your apps individually and that would be similar to dragging and dropping folders to another location, where making a TWRP backup is more of just making an img file of the entire GPD XD Plus

So, to proceed:.

  • You need CleanROM installed ( Keep it updated ) ( You can not backup Stock Rom )
  • You need to have a MicroSD Card with enough space
  • Your MicroSD card has to be set as Portable Storage ( Not Internal Storage )
    ( If you need more info, read : How do I format SDCard? )

Make your backup and use a MicroSD Card. You can backup to internal memory but I highly advise to use a MicroSD Card. It wont damage anything, it just makes the process much easier.

 

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What is Root?

Root is the superuser. Your Android phone uses Linux permissions and file-system ownership. You are a user when you sign in, and you are allowed to do certain things based on your user permissions. Root is also a user. The difference is the root user (superuser) has permissions to do anything to any file any place in the system. Rooting is jail-breaking for Androids, and allows users to dive deeper into a phone’s sub-system. [ obtained info from here ]

So what does that mean? It gives apps more power to do more things.

How is this useful? Well you can open up your device to add more features. For example:

  • Make your device more compatible with apps and games. ( Usually in Google Playstore )
  • Give more power to security apps. ( anti-virus, malware, firewall)
  • Power to automate just about anything using apps like Tasker.
  • Boost speed and battery life.
  • Ability to use more powerful backup apps.
  • Remove preinstalled bloatware ( apps promoting manufacturer or carrier, or just unneeded apps)
  • Modify your device in so many ways. ( bootanimations, themes, keyboards )
  • Flash a custom rom
  • Give you the ability to do what you want to YOUR device and not be restricted by what the manufacturer dictates.

Does CleanROM have Root?

Technically CleanROM does not have root and can run perfectly fine without it, BUT If you followed one of my guides then you will get to the part where you install Magisk.zip. That is the root installation. If you do not wish to have root, just skip that part of the guide. You will have TWRP installed and if you choose to root your GPD XD Plus later, than it will be very easy. I really do not see any reason not to root though. Just make sure to only give root access to the apps that you trust. 

What is Magisk?

If you’ve been around the Android world for the last few years, you’ve probably heard the term “Magisk” being thrown around. It’s a relatively new tool for customizing Android devices. It was developed by XDA Developer topjohnwu in 2016. Magisk is an alternative to the long-standing SuperSU, but it’s much more than just a root method. There are some key things you should know about this popular tool before you dive in.
Read more at : Xda-developers.com

 

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There is no sound coming from my speakers

Dont freak out! You will probably see a headphone icon at the top right of the status bar. The reason this is happening is that somewhere down the line GPD decided to change the headphone jack used for the GPD XD Plus. When it was switched out they ended up reversing the polarity of the positive and negative lead. As a result GPD now has to release 2 versions of their firmware to take the headphone jack into account. If you select the wrong firmware, the GPD XD Plus will think you have headphones plugged in and it will not play the sound through the speakers. You can test this out by plugging in headphones and like magic the sound comes out of the speakers and not from the headphones that are plugged in. So if you are on stock rom and happen to choose the wrong firmware you will have to reinstall the other version of the firmware.

But what about CleanROM? No worries! The developer ( Black-Seraph ) installed a simple toggle to account for the hardware change. So....

If you have CleanROM installed:

  • Drag your status bar down
  • Tap on the little down arrow to show more options
  • Select Settings ( The little gear icon )
  • Go to CleanROM settings
  • Next to Headphone jack polarity there willbe a toggle - Tap on it
  • Reboot and it is fixed!

 

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Something is wrong with my screen

I am going to split this up into the two biggest problems that come up related to the screen.

Screen Burn issues ( if you have these problems proceed to the Screen Burn section below ):

  • The screen flickers
    ( in any position or angle that you open the screen to ) - Try this method but if it doesnt fix it refer to Bad LCD cable
  • There is a faded image flickering on the front of the screen that doesn't go away
    ( old game screen or most of the time the power menu "shutting down" or something similar )

 

Bad LCD cable issues ( if you have these problems proceed to the Bad LCD cable section below ):

  • The screen flickers
    ( only in a certain angle, it stops when you change the angle of the screen )
  • Touchscreen does not work but everything else works fine
  • The screen shows a black edge and fades into the center
  • Screen stops working, then later works fine
  • Screen doesn't work ( shows black ) but you get sound, or you can see screen when you connect hdmi only

 

Screen Burn Issues

Some of the GPD XD Pluses released have a problem with either the software or the hardware related tothe screen. This is not a huge problem in my opinion, but more of an annoyance. Somehow an image will stuck on the screen and when the screen refreshes it will not go away. Sometimes it is very noticeable and you canmake out the image thatis burned in, and other times it is less noticeable and it seems like the screen just flickers. In any case there is a relatively painless fix for this. You can either goto Youtube and do a search for "Screen Burn Fix", or you can use this one that I use: Screen Burn Fix Link. Run the video for 10 minutes or so and it should go away. If you do not have access to the internet or just don't want to go online you can wait it out and  it will eventually go away after a few hours. I believe you can also just let the GPD XD Plus sit and wait it out while it is off for a while.

If you just bought the GPD XD Plus and you find that you have this issues and it is something you do not want to deal with I suggest you record the problem while it is happening and review the return policy of the vendor and ask them for a replacement or a refund.

 

Bad LCD Cable Issues

This issue has some obvious signs and some are not so obvious. If you open your screen up and it shows signs of going bad in certain angles then it is most likely the LCD ribbon cable that has gone bad. Sometimes the touchscreen just stops working. In some cases the screen will start turning black on the edges and slowly works its way to the center and eventually will just stop working. Unfortunately there is no real way of fixing this without opening the device up and replacing the cable. If you want to get it fixed locally you can buy the cable online and take the device to your local phone repair shop. They should be able to help you. If not here are some options.

​Do it yourself repair:

​Repair service in the United States only ( service I provide ):
If you need repair or help with anything feel free to email me at: repairI@HategpdcentralSpam.Botscomwith a passion.

 

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