Hudl 1 Fix

Option 1 - No tools required

Update 23 May 2023: This mechanism for recovery of a factory reset Hudl 1 no longer works.

Due to the Tesco server at https://device.tesco.mobile.com/ no longer responding correctly to requests this technique no longer works and will fail after Step 18. As far as I know my Custom ROM is now the only route to recovery for a Hudl 1. Hudl 2 owners might want to look at a possible solution documented towards the bottom of this page: https://sites.google.com/view/vivweb01/hudl2

This fix involves no ROOTing or flashing of your device. Just follow the steps below. You'll need to repeat this every time you factory reset your device. There may be easier ways to do some of this (please let me know if you find easier routes), and some of the steps may be slightly different for different software releases. This was performed on Hudl 1 devices with the last released software builds (JDQ39.20140424.153851). There are a lot of small steps documented here, but it should take you less than 10 minutes to get through them all.

Step 1: Factory Reset

WARNING: only perform a factory reset if you really need to. This mechanism for getting going again will fail if Tesco ever remove the server. You can check if the server is available by pointing a browser at https://device.mobile.tesco.com and if you get any sort of response (e.g. A privacy error from your browser) then the server is stil there. If your browser reports that the server is unavailable then think again before resetting. I can also conceive of other ways that setting the time into the past may cause problems with completing setup. If this method does fail in the future then you can try installing custom firmware: see Option 2.

If you have access to the Settings app the you can factory reset from the 'Backup & reset' page using the 'Factory data reset' option.

If you don't have access to the Settings app for any reason, then you can reset by entering the recovery program as follows: Power off the device and (with no USB cable connected to the device) then hold down the Vol+ button and press the Power button for about 5 seconds. If you've done this right then you'll see the recovery menu. Use the volume buttons to move up and down the list of options until the 'Wipe data/factory reset' option is highlighted, and the press the Power button to select that option. On the next menu select 'yes -- wipe all user data'. Once that has completed select 'reboot system now' to re-start the device.

If you're here because you already performed a factory reset and you're stuck with the Hudl reporting that it can't connect to the internet, then jump ahead to Step 5.

Escaping the Setup Wizard

In order to trick the Hudl into accepting the out-of-date certificate from the Tesco server at https://device.mobile.tesco.com we need to escape the Setup wizard and get into the Settings app so that we can manually set the time in the past. The method below was described to me by Viv, and is somewhat easier than the way I initially documented (which can be seen towards the bottom of the page by expanding 'The Old Way' section). Once you are familiar with the steps shown you should find you are able to access the Settings app in as little as 10 seconds.

Step 2: Click 'Start' on the 'Hello' page to get to the 'Select Wi-Fi' page.

Step 3: Select your wifi network.

Step 4: , Enter your wifi password and click 'Connect'.

Step 5: The wizard will move to the 'Connecting to Wifi' step and will fail with a message that it 'Couldn't access internet'. Click 'Check wifi' to return to the 'Select Wi-Fi' page.

Step 6: Click the '+ Other network ...' button at the bottom of the screen.

Step 7: The 'Add network' dialog will appear, but most importantly clicking in the 'Network SSID' field (if not already selected) will result in the keyboard appearing.

Step 8: Long press the 'mic' button (bottom left, next to the '?123' key. If you look closely this key has '...' in its bottom right. Keeping you finger in contact with the screen ,slide it up onto the settings icon that appears

Step 9: The 'Input options' selector appears - click 'Google Keyboard Settings'.

Step 10: Once in the Google Keyboard Settings scroll down and click 'About Google Keyboard'

Step 11: On the 'About Google Keyboard' page click the 'Open Source Licences' link.

Step 12: In the licensing text that appears long-press any word to select it. A menu will appear at the top - click the 'Web search' option (you may need to click the 3 dots on the right to show this option, depending on screen orientation)

Step 13: In the Google Search that appears, clear any text and start to type 'settings'. Find the entry for the 'Settings' app and click it. Congratulations, you have escaped the Setup wizard and are in the Setting app. If at this point you end up in the Chrome browser app (you can tell by the presence of tabs at the top of the screen) then scroll down and expand the 'It didn't work for me' section towards the bottom of this page

Setting the time into the past

Step 14: In the Settings app scroll down and click 'Date & Time'

Step 15: Untick the 'Automatic date & time' check box

Step 16: Click 'Set Date' and set the date before 26 Jun 2020, and click 'Done'. (I recommend using 25 Jun 2020 - setting it further in the past is unnecessary and may cause other problems.) Now power off your device.

Completing the Setup Wizard

You should now be in a position to complete setup normally. Here is a description of how best to do this to avoid further problems.

Step 17: Power your device on again, allow the setup wizard to re-start and click 'Start' to progress to the 'Select Wi-Fi' step.

Step 18: This time the device should show as 'Connected'. Proceed by clicking on the triangle button.

Step 19: Click 'Continue' to accept the Terms & Conditions.

Step 20: Set the options you want for location services, and proceed by clicking the triangle button.

Step 21: Click 'Agree' to the Location consent (if needed, depending on your location settings), and proceed by clicking the triangle button.

Step 22: Click 'No thanks' in response to the 'Set up Google?' prompt. You can easily set up an account after you complete the wizard, and will need to do so to update Google Play and Play Services, but if you try to do it at this point it will fail (due to the time being in the past) and you will need to power cycle your Hudl and restart at Step 17

Step 23: Click 'No' to a having a Tesco Account.

Step 24: Click 'Skip this step for now' instead of registering for a Tesco account.

Step 25: The app will talk to the Tesco server and prepare to update (if needed, although I think there are no updates available). Click 'Download' on the 'Updating apps ...' page.

Step 26: Click 'Finish' on the 'All done' page. Congratulations, you've completed the Setup wizard, but there are a few more screens to go through before your Hudl is ready for action ...

Step 27: Click 'No Thanks' on the 'Sharing your Hudl with a Child' page.

Step 28: Click 'OK' on the 'World of Tesco' page

Step 29: Click 'OK' on the 'Welcome to your home screen' page.

Step 30: You're done with the official Tesco setup. To complete the process launch the Setting app from the app drawer and re-tick the 'Automatic date & time' check box. This is important otherwise many things won't work correctly.

Step 31: Launch the Play Store app, creating a Google account as needed. Allow the app to update. When you get a notification that 'Google Play Services needs to update', then click the notification, and then click the 'Update' button when it appears in the Play Store screen.

Step 32: Delete the apps and widgets you don't want from the home pages; In Setting->Apps->All you can also disable most of the Tesco/Blinkbox apps and that will hide them from the rest of the system.

Congratulations … you have just converted your Hudl from an expensive paperweight back into a functioning Android tablet ... If that's saved you time or money then maybe you'd consider buying me a coffee?

It didn't work for me

So you're struggling to get the steps to work as documented? I have had a few reports of issues, see if yours is in this list:

When trying to escape the setup wizard I end up in the Chrome browser, not the Google search app (You're in the chrome app if you see browser tabs at the top of the screen). This appears to happen if your Hudl is on an older stock firmware than the one I had (JDQ39.20131016.200812, and probably any earlier versions). It is possible to work around this using the 'Old Way' documented in the next section, but escaping the setup wizard and getting into settings is unreliable and may take a number of attempts. It might be that your best bet is to look at Option 2 which should work for everyone, and has the advantage of getting you onto the most recently released firmware.

If you need additional support then I suggest creating an account so that you can ask for help by posting to this thread (I'm monitoring it): https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/help/past-wifi-selection-hudl-1-t3892505

The Old Way

This section maintains earlier versions of the instructions ...

Escaping the setup Wizard

Once you have performed a factory reset and re-started the device the setup wizard will automatically start. Booting may take somewhat longer than normal as the device finishes the reset process. Click 'Start' on the 'Hello' page to get to the 'Select Wifi' page. Select your wifi network, enter the necessary credentials and click 'connect'. The wizard will move to the 'Connecting to Wifi' step and will fail with a message that it 'Couldn't access internet'. Click 'check wifi' to return to the 'Select Wifi' step. Now power-off the device.

Power the device on again, allow the setup wizard to re-start and progress to the 'Select Wifi' step again. This time the device should show as 'connected' - you have internet access! Click the '+ Other network ...' button at the bottom of the screen. The 'Add network' dialog will appear, but most importantly clicking in the 'Network SSID' field (if not already selected) will result in the keyboard appearing. Long press the 'mic' button (bottom left, next to the '?123' key. If you look closely this key has '...' in its bottom right. This will bring up the 'Input options' selector - click 'Google Keyboard Settings'.

Once in the Google Keyboard Settings scroll down and click 'About Google Keyboard' and on the 'About Google Keyboard' page click the 'Privacy Policy' link. This should launch the Google Chrome browser. Congratulations you have escaped the setup wizard.

Getting into the settings app

Once Chrome starts you can choose whether to sign in or not (I didn't at this stage). In the Chrome search bar type in 'google play app' and hit the 'Go' button on the keyboard. What we need is a link that will launch the Google Play app. When I do this search the first result is an ad titled 'Google Play App Store' click this (or any app store link) and you should end up with a 'Complete Action Using' dialog. Select 'Play Store' and click 'Just once'. This will launch the play store. At this time you will need to add a Google Account to access the store and the 'Add a Google Account Wizard' will start. Follow the instructions to add your account or create a new one. Complete the 'Backup and Restore' wizard page and click the triangle (bottom right) and you should find yourself in the Play Store. I had to click 'accept' on an empty dialog.

In the app store search for the 'Open Settings (shortcut to setting)' app by DXIDEV. Install it. Once installed open it, read the information, and proceed by clicking 'Open settings and do not show this program again'. If all has gone correctly you should now be in the settings app.

** I've had several reports of the play store failing to download the settings app, and I've seen this myself occasionally. My current solution is to factory reset again and restart, but to step through the process fast enough that the play store has not been updated by the time I come to use it. It's be great to hear from anyone who has a more reliable way of getting into the settings app. I think there is an issue with the store app being updated, but not the underlying play services ... this all appears to resolve itself once setup is complete, but until then the only solution appears to be quick getting to download the 'open settings' app.

Now continue from Step 14 above.

Useful threads/links:

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