I first saw the Fujitsu F-04J while browsing phones that have both infrared file sharing and NFC-F (FeLiCa, an NFC protocol mostly used in Japan that is not compatible with most American devices).
Curious to see if this phone could be switched to English, I did some internet research. All I found was a person who created a custom installation script, but would only share it if you reached out to him on Facebook.
Not looking to message random folks on Facebook, I continued to seek alternative solutions. Along the way, I discovered a few things:
First, the hacker in this video does not have some special custom firmware. All he is doing is sending commands via ADB to uninstall a variety of stock applications and install a few basic UI applications. If you watch the video slowly, you can copy the exact commands he uses and send them to your own device.
Second, the hacker in this video returns the phone to native Android – but I want to keep the cute icons you get with the simplified operating system.
Thankfully, I found it’s possible to have your cake and eat it too. And you don’t even need to root your phone!
Changing System Language to English
The F-04J phone actually has an English language system UI built in. This isn’t obvious since the phone’s Settings app does not include an option to change languages. However, if you install a supplemental settings app and select the option to change language, you will be able to change the phone to English (mostly).
Some apps that could work for this include Android Hidden Settings or Change Language.
Since some systems app are natively programmed to operate in Japanese, changing the system language will not update the language in these apps. However, there should be enough English to navigate most of the phone.