Desperatly need to get data out of Huawei P10 VTR-29 (Possible soft-brick) - Huawei P10 Questions & Answers

Hi!
!! This is quite serious! I need to get my data (pictures, videos) out of my phone, which is possibly soft-bricked.
I did the following in hope of more usage opportunities with my new phone:
[Unlocked bootloader + Rooted it]
1. installed TWRP following this guide https://forum.xda-developers.com/p10/development/testers-twrp-t3585256;
2. rooted following this guide https://forum.xda-developers.com/p10/help/root-huawei-p10-p10-t3589946;
3. installed few apps like greenify, wi-fi hacking apps etc, and everything was good.
BUT then 1 app (don't remember which) requested that it needs SuperSU and not the one root permission app that I had. So it asked whether I want to install it. I thought - yes, why not. Then it said that before it can install SuperSU it needs to uninstall previous permission app - I clicked OK. Then it kind of started, but then failed the installation. Ok, I kind of closed it and there were no problems. But after next restart of the phone it was stuck on boot process..
I dont really care about the phone, but data on it is so important. I tried sme fast hend methrods to boot it, like wiping catch, dalvik catch, but it did not work out.
Next I looked for possobilities to rescue data, but I didn't succeed.
Easiest mentioned option - to enter twrp and connect via usb seemed promising, BUT data are shown encrypted.
Please see the picture - I tried to be as precise as I could, so that you can understand the situation.
! I can beckup all data to micro sd card, but would it decrypt after new install of stock rom (e.g. from eRecovery that Huawei provides) and allow access or not?
Please help me. I am willing to have 1-on-1 skype chat and give some donations for this as it is so important.
To mention: Rescue apps like EaseUS seems to be useless, because they state to recover data from bricked device, but then after installing soft it askes to allow usb-debbuging, but c'mon, it's not booting up.. .
So,
1. Is there a chance to recover data?
2. Is it a good sign that 16GB of data are showing even if files are shown encrypted?
3. data are also showing on pc, when connected on twrp, but also encrypted.
Any help will be appreciated!

Additionally quite important question: at this state (possible soft brick + encrypted files), is there a chance that if I make a backup to MicroSd card of all the data and then take it our to reinstall rooted stock version of my android that later puting backup in will show my files that were backuped? Could ir be so that phone luckiliy decrypt them itself because it is the same phone? Hope this is clear what I mean.

OK, hopefully all is not lost.
First things first, be REALLY careful. If you start applying factory images, wiping things and generally messing about, if you don't know what you're doing you're putting your data in a lot of danger - Huawei devices do things in weird ways, so be super sure you know the consequences of what you're doing.
Now that's out of the way... it sounds like you haven't done anything to wipe the data. Also, you've already previously unlocked the bootloader which should put you in a good situation. You need to discount TWRP as a potential solution - there is no working decryption for TWRP yet on the Kirin 960 devices and from conversations I've had, it doesn't sound like that is imminent.
What it sounds like has happened is that messing about with root has messed up something on your system partition. Which should be fixable!
As a first step, this is what I'd do.
- Check which version your phone is on if you don't know already (you should be able to find this in ' /version/special_cust/VTR-L09/hw/eu/prop/local.prop')
- Find a full dload zip for the appropriate version (use FirmwareFinder if needed)
- Download the zip an extract the dload app
- Use splitupdate to split the images out of the dload
- Boot the device to bootloader ('adb reboot bootloader' or power on with cable connected and volume down pressed) then do 'fastboot flash system SYSTEM.img'
- Flash BOOT.img too
- Try booting
Hopefully this will fix it, but at the very least it'll get your system partition back to a stock state.
Let me know how it goes. Good luck!
P

Related

How-To: Samsung Allshare Cast dongle with custom N7100 ROM

Hey guys,
I was having serious issues getting my Allshare Cast dongle to work with my rooted Note 2 (N7100). It either broke off the connection because of the flash counter or (even worse), when I ran TriangleAway beforehand, always rebootet my phone.
I've dug through countless threads addressing this issue and offering all kinds of different until I was finally able to make it work - still being rooted and using a custom rom. So I thought I'd just share my solution with anybody here who may find it useful.
*Edit*
Seems like Allshare Cast still tends to be a bit picky. The first connection is stable, but a second one reboots my phone after a few minutes. Quite annoying, but at least it works.
As usual, I will not be held responsible for any damage that might occur, so don't blame me if your phone blows up itself, or your house. :angel:
This works *for me*, other phones might yield other results.
These are step-by-step instructions if you're coming either from a f%*'ed up ROM that needs major repairs anyway (like me), or from a different android version. If you're running a 4.1.2 ROM you can try to jump directly to step 2. c). Still, I'd suggest you backup everything, see below 2. a)
Here we go:
1. Things you'll need:
a) Wanamlite 3.9 (http://wanamlite.com/2013/07/19/wanamlite-mg1-v3-9-android-4-1-2-clean-stable/) by Wanam (who saved me from ruining my phone btw: tried Wanamlite 4.2 with new bootloader, and without his warning, I would've used the MK4 bootloader instead of MJ5 and would've been stuck with Android 4.3/Know forever...)
b) Adam Kernel v2.7, Odin and/or CWM version (http://wanamlite.com/2013/07/19/adam-kernel-v2-7/) by Wanam
c) Stock recovery, kernel, etc. (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=31986738&postcount=7), provided by dr. ketan. I'm using this one: http://d-h.st/gwn (Stock Recovery/Kernel/Modem from XXDMB6 19th March13)
d) Mobile Odin (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1347899) by Chainfire
along with the FlashKernel file (MobileODIN_FlashKernel_N7100-v5.0.apk) further down on the same page. if v5.0 doesn't work, try v4.0 instead.
e) TriangleAway (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1494114) by Chainfire
f) I'm assuming you're already rooted and therefore have a working CWM/TWRM running.
2. What to do (step-by-step):
a) I'm being a bit paranoid by now, but for various good reasons. These instructions may be a bit overcautious, but at least your data will be safe from being accidentally erased. Trust me, you do not want that ever to happen... :crying:
Also, I always carry a ROM with me so I can repair my phone on the go. So of course, you can also do the flashing via PC Odin, but I prefer the CWM method I've described further down.
- backup everything. And I mean EVERYTHING! I did a full backup, i.e. Titanium Backup, TWRP backup, and I copied the whole contents of my internal and external SD cards to my PC. I'd even suggest you use another extSd during this process (which will save you from the hassle of copying the whole thing btw). This whole backup thing took me about 2-3 hours, but I would've gone mad if I'd lost either internal or external SD data.
- copy Wanamlite 3.9 onto the external SD your're going to use.
- power off your phone (take out the battery to be sure)
- take out your external sd to protect all your precious data. Just in case you accidentally do something wrong and end up formatting the extSd (in TWRM, this option hovers dangerously between "Factory Reset" and "Format Data")
- boot into recovery and do a full wipe (Wipe Cache / Wipe Dalvik Cache / Factory Reset / Format Data)
- power off your phone (take out the battery to be sure), re-insert the external SD
- boot into recovery and flash Wanamlite 3.9 (follow the instructions on his site). Be sure to chose Adam Kernel and checke "Allshare Cast" during the installation process. The Adam Kernel works best with TriangleAway, because (unlike the stock kernel provided with his ROM) you can reset the flash counter without rebooting.
Now you have an absolutely clean 4.1.2 rooted custom ROM running on your phone.
b) Restore your data.
- run Titanium Backup, and restore everything that's important (all user apps w/ data, call logs, messages, email etc.). I'd suggest you just leave out system apps if you're coming from another ROM. You can try to restore everything of course, worst thing to happen is that you'll habe to re-wipe and then re-flash the ROM. In my case, it was no problem, because I had made my backup from this very ROM version.
- Next, copy at least the "Android" folder (containing /data and /obb) from your backup back to your internal SD card. By default, TB doesn't backup large files and folders, so all the bigger apps (like e.g. games) are still missing. If asked to overwrite, simply say "yes". If you want to make sure everything's back to how it was before, copy your whole internal SD backup back to your phone.
c) You've spent an awful lot of time by now, and still, Allshare Cast won't work. So let's go for it:
- install Mobile Odin and the appropriate Flashkernel.apk
- install TriangleAway
- unpack and then copy the contents of "Stock Recovery/Kernel/Modem from XXDMB6 19th March13" to your internal or external SD card (doesn't matter which one).
- run TriangleAway. It should read "Counter: 1 /Binary: Custom".
- tap "Reset flash counter". TriangleAway confirms that the counter was reset to 0 and closes.
- restart the app. Now you should see "Counter:0 / Binary: Official".
- run Mobile Odin, chose the stock kernel (tap "Kernel" -> "[path where you stored the kernel.tar from the archive]")
- tap "Flash Firmware". Your phone will reboot.
Congratulations! If you did everything correctly, you should now be running Wanamlite 3.9 (JB 4.1.2) ROM with rooted stock kernel. Allshare Cast works like it should. FIFA14 or DIII4A are really fun on a 40" screen.
If you don't want to use the stock kernel all the time, flash Adam Kernel v2.7 through Mobile Odin or CWM. Allshare Cast functionality will be broken, but you have all the nice benefits of the custom kernel like STweaks or BoefflaSound. To make Allshare Cast work again, simply repeat the last five steps from above: "c) - run TriangleAway... etc."
That's it. I hope this is helpful! Suggestions are welcome. If something's missing, or if I posted anything dangerous, please feel free to scream, and I'll correct it ASAP.
Cheers,
- Alex
Thanks for the nice review. I have these and wholeheartedly recommend them as well.
does anyone know how to update Allshare Dongle via N7100?
I've had many ROMs and on every single one I have message that update was downloaded and to restart the dongle, but after I restart the dongle it connects again with the same message, so it is infinite loop. I can connect, but sometimes it laggs, so I assume that newer firmware would fix that issue.
I've even contacted Samsung's support service and they couldn't help me. They told me to wait for update, but even on the newest stock it is still the same.
If anyone knows the solution please share.
thanks
thanks for the review its really helpful

(Myphone Uno) ota update problem

For those who have myphone uno plss help me it won't update
If someone kind enough to share the link of
ota zip I can just flash It in stock recovery
gabisonfire98 said:
For those who have myphone uno plss help me it won't update
If someone kind enough to share the link of
ota zip I can just flash It in stock recovery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok lmy47o patch zip is just 23 mb
guys,
i also have a myphone uno rooted but no custom recovery as of now. i had no problem updating the previous system updates. the recent one came in just fine. then now, the phone (every time it connects to wi-fi) would offer a new sys update. but when this is applied, the procedure results with an ERROR. i wonder if you guys are getting similar results.
bodega1968 said:
guys,
i also have a myphone uno rooted but no custom recovery as of now. i had no problem updating the previous system updates. the recent one came in just fine. then now, the phone (every time it connects to wi-fi) would offer a new sys update. but when this is applied, the procedure results with an ERROR. i wonder if you guys are getting similar results.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have the same problem. my current system is version is 5.1.1. i'm using stock recovery. my phone is rooted using superSU.
guys,
i've recently just tried doing a FACTORY RESET (myPhone UNO), Android 5.1.1, and to no avail: still an error when updated a 18MB update. either the update file has an error or my rooted settings are preventing a clean OTA update.
bodega1968
dude,
I finally resolved the update issue. will give you the instructions soon. got to go... but will get back to you once I have composed the procedures... I believe the cause is having rooted and changed some data in the system cache.
bod98
SOLVING [one solution] OTA PROBLEMS in myPhone UNO (sprout)
Background.
Phone model: myPhone UNO (sprout hardware)
Android 5.1.1
*Problem: OTA update failure.
*Log message:
Finding update package...
Opening update package...
Verifying update package...
Installing update...
VErifying current system...
"/system/bin/app_process32" has unexpected contents.
E:Eror in 0/cache/recovery/block.map
(Status 7)
*Possible Cause: Occurred after rooting with anil293 (Android Root Kit here). I’m not saying that this program is bad, but only to caution anyone who may want to root and possibly lose OTA updates.
Solution. (*This worked for me since I had done a previous NANDROID backup (NB) of the phone prior to any system changes (i.e. rooting, custom recovery, etc.). The following steps were written to help those who may not be too familiar with some basic non-GUI (graphic user interface) commands in order to restore one’s device to it’s original and working condition.
Step 1: I chanced upon DEVAM30’s wonderful contribution on how to run RECOVERY without installing it ‘permanently’ into the phone. Check out his page here. This allowed me to make my NB. Download from this page the PHILZ8.img (*This will be the 'virtual' recovery file which you will boot into in order to make your NB)
Step 2: Assuming that you have a previous NB, this (huge file) should be located in the clockworkmod folder in your SDCard. You will refer to this once you have successfully booted in the PHILZ8 recovery.
Step 3: Set your phone to allow USB Debugging. (*This can be done in the Developer’s Section) NOTE: Prior to all this, make sure you BACKUP your critical personal files (i.e. contacts, SMS, data, etc. GOOGLE this to find out how to backup your personal data. The next steps will ERASE everything in your phone. I will not be responsible for any data lose or the bricking of your phone.
Step 4: Boot your device in FASTBOOT mode (FM). (*Power OFF the device, then after 5-10 seconds, press POWER ON + VOL UP. When screen turns on, release VOL UP followed by POWER ON). MENU comes up. Use VOL UP to SCROLL among the choices, and when you have selected FM, press VOL DOWN and the phone should pretty much be in FMode.
Step 5: While your phone is in FM. In your PC you should have ADB/FASTBOOT functions already set up. Check the link here on how to install and work in fastboot mode. When you have properly installed everything in this STEP, you must copy the PHILZ8.img into the adb/fastboot folder. You may rename it into something simpler like recovery.img
Step 6: Connect your phone (*already in FM) to the PC.
Step 7: In your PC, in adb/fastboot folder (*check if your device is connected properly – adb devices or fastboot devices). If your device is detected some number should appear in the screen. Then you type: fastboot boot philz8.img or the name you gave to the .img file.
Step 8: Wait for the PHILZ8 recovery to kick in. Once it boots up you’re now ready to do a RESTORE of your NB. You will see a TOUCH menu in your screen. You will carry out two important steps. (a) wipe the cache and (b) restore the NB image from the SDCard.
Step 9: Choose the wipe menu. In my case, I chose to WIPE (*Choose wipe cache options) cache and the dalvik cache. The former one will take a while, and the latter only takes a few seconds. Once done, +++GO BACK++ to the main menu and then TAP on RESTORE. It will ask you where you will restore the image from. Choose SD card. If it doesn’t do this automatically, you may have to navigate to the clockworkmod folder where your NB image is located. Choose that image and you’re good to go!
Step 10: Once the entire procedure is over (*be patient, it may take some time to finish the entire restoring of the image), you will now opt to REBOOT the SYSTEM. Now, this is critical (in my opinion) because the virtual recovery (PHILZ8) will ask if you wish to install root. Choose NO! Otherwise, it may make some changes in the system settings that will conflict with the OTA updates we want to work.
The device will reboot and you will pretty much be back to its original settings (more than a simple factory reset). And your phone will update a few times and no error will come out.
For those of your who don’t have or have not been able to make a CLEAN NB, I uploaded this RAW image phone (it does not contain any personal data or programs) . You may download it here.
bod68
*updated 9IX15
LINK to my NANDROID BACKUP
gabisonfire98 said:
Ok lmy47o patch zip is just 23 mb
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
gabisonfire98,
dude, if you're patient enough to follow my 'SOLUTION' to regaining OTA updates, check out the procedure i outlined below, september 4, i believe it was.
the link to my NANDROID BACKUP which could be RESTORED to your device (*Using the wonderful procedure outlined by DEVAM03)!
Download the image here
Just email me if you find some of the instructions confusing, just email me.
bod68

TWRP Backup/Restore ERROR 255

I don't think this is a Moto X (XT1096) specific problem, but more so with TWRP. Phone works fine, just can't backup or restore
I'll try to get a log as soon as I can, just need to figure out how
Problem
I can't backup or restore (and maybe can't delete via TWRP?) from TWRP, getting errors at the start (can't access .../data/cmthemes and can't access .../data/motogallery) and then at the end TarFork() process ended with ERROR=255
Tried Solutions
Reflash TWRP (broke, had to use TWRP app to fix)
Upgrade TWRP (says it failed, but worked)
Enable Compression (no real difference that I can tell)
Cause?
I was on CM13 (2/2 ?), upgraded to most recent (2/6), didn't like it so wiped and flashed to original (1/29 ?) then restored backup (2/2). Probably wasn't the best way to do that, oops. Since then I have wiped and reflashed 2/2 and upgraded to 2/7, haven't done anything since (besides mess with TWRP)
Any help or ideas would be appreciated!
Please lock/delete
Solution: Factory reset, only method that worked for me
Be sure to clear cache
Solution: There is a file on the phone that is preventing the backup. Not sure what is creating it. It could be an artifact of a TWRP backup restoration, which is the first time I had the problem.
Look in the TWRP log ([SDCard]/recovery.log) and scroll near the end - you will find the culprit there, almost always in the [root]/SYSTEM folder but sometimes in multiple folders. It has many names. I've seen it called, simply "999". On my Moto G4, it was "d.addon". Delete the folder and you're good to go.

Full image backup without unlocking bootloader?

Hi,
Pls pardon my noob questions...
I just gotten my 3T about a week now and after spending over 3 days setting up everything from scratch (eg installing numerous apps and configuring them one by one, setup emails, sms, contacts, icons packs, settings, etc) and finally gotten the phone to a state where I am very satisfied, a question dawn on me - How can I do a full image backup so that if anything happens, I can do a full image recovery and get back the "perfect" state?
After doing so much reading, it seemed the full image backup is called a "nandroid" backup and I need to first unlock the bootloader and flash TWRP in-order to perform this backup. But my predicament is, if I proceed to unlock bootloader, then all my configurations, setups and data will be wiped. So it became a chicken and egg scenario.
And the 2nd problem is that, worst comes to worst I decide to bite the bullet and proceed with unlocking and flashing TWRP, when booting into TWRP can I select "read only" and not agree with modified system since I have no intention to root. Will this cause boot loop problem if it is "read only"?
Can "read only" state in TWRP allows me to perform nandroid backup and restoration later on?
May I skip the next step of flashing anti dm verity file / root? I don't really want to go root since I am very happy with stock OOS at the moment.
So the big question is, is there anyway out there in the universe where I can do as close as possible to a nandroid backup without going bootloader unlocking route as that is not an option for me as I can't afford to have all the data, settings and configurations wiped. I heard about Helium app which can backup app data but that's about it. Everything else has to be setup from scratch.
Zegnalabel said:
Hi,
Pls pardon my noob questions...
I just gotten my 3T about a week now and after spending over 3 days setting up everything from scratch (eg installing numerous apps and configuring them one by one, setup emails, sms, contacts, icons packs, settings, etc) and finally gotten the phone to a state where I am very satisfied, a question dawn on me - How can I do a full image backup so that if anything happens, I can do a full image recovery and get back the "perfect" state?
After doing so much reading, it seemed the full image backup is called a "nandroid" backup and I need to first unlock the bootloader and flash TWRP in-order to perform this backup. But my predicament is, if I proceed to unlock bootloader, then all my configurations, setups and data will be wiped. So it became a chicken and egg scenario.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, a Nandroid backup is what you want, and yes, you need an unlocked bootloader for that, and yes, you need to wipe your data to do that. That's why it's highly recommended that unlocking your bootloader is the first thing you do as soon as you get your phone (though that's obviously too late for you). To help ease the pain, you can do an adb backup as described at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1678239. This will preserve most but not all of your stuff, and doesn't need an unlocked bootloader. Once you do that, you can unlock the bootloader, restore the adb backup, then take a nandroid backup.
Zegnalabel said:
And the 2nd problem is that, worst comes to worst I decide to bite the bullet and proceed with unlocking and flashing TWRP, when booting into TWRP can I select "read only" and not agree with modified system since I have no intention to root. Will this cause boot loop problem if it is "read only"?
Can "read only" state in TWRP allows me to perform nandroid backup and restoration later on?
May I skip the next step of flashing anti dm verity file / root? I don't really want to go root since I am very happy with stock OOS at the moment.
So the big question is, is there anyway out there in the universe where I can do as close as possible to a nandroid backup without going bootloader unlocking route as that is not an option for me as I can't afford to have all the data, settings and configurations wiped. I heard about Helium app which can backup app data but that's about it. Everything else has to be setup from scratch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you should mount /system read-only. You don't need to root or disable dm-verity as long as you do that. (By the way, Helium is pretty much just a nice wrapper around adb backup.)
josephcsible said:
Yes, a Nandroid backup is what you want, and yes, you need an unlocked bootloader for that, and yes, you need to wipe your data to do that. That's why it's highly recommended that unlocking your bootloader is the first thing you do as soon as you get your phone (though that's obviously too late for you). To help ease the pain, you can do an adb backup as described at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1678239. This will preserve most but not all of your stuff, and doesn't need an unlocked bootloader. Once you do that, you can unlock the bootloader, restore the adb backup, then take a nandroid backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many thanks Joseph for your advice! I really appreciate it! You're totally right, I'll do an adb backup followed by bootloader unlocking and TWRP installation. :good:
Yes, you should mount /system read-only. You don't need to root or disable dm-verity as long as you do that. (By the way, Helium is pretty much just a nice wrapper around adb backup.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
May I further check with you what are the limitation bring about when choosing "read only" when first enter TWRP? As in won't be able to flash ROM, flash supersu, etc thereafter?
Once again, thanks for your help, Joseph!
Zegnalabel said:
May I further check with you what are the limitation bring about when choosing "read only" when first enter TWRP? As in won't be able to flash ROM, flash supersu, etc thereafter?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All it means is that you won't be able to modify /system with file manager or the shell. Flashable zips almost all contain code that remounts /system read-write (as the TWRP screen warns you about). Also, you can always change your mind and make it read-write later (though the reverse is not true; once you mount it read-write, putting it back to read-only doesn't fix anything unless you reflash the ROM).
Many thanks Joseph for your sound advice.
After taking some time to read through all the links and sub-links getting to know the varied means of backups available, I have decided that my backup strategy will be as follows since non of the methods offer comprehensive backup and a mixed of the lots will be required to get as fool-proof as possible, before embarking on a data wiping journey with bootloader unlocking.
(i) I first perform a backup using google native backup and restore function under setting no matter how limited it is, to be use as a safety net.
(ii) Next, adb backup. The limitation with adb backup is that since Android 6.0, it obeys AndroidManifest.xml and will not backup data of those apps which has android:allowBackup set to false. The challenge is, I will be held in the dark which app falls into this category when performing adb backup and won't know until after I had done the actual restoration. Its like a blackbox you won't know what you gonna face until the aftermath had hit. Therefore to get around this, I'll be using Helium app (a wrapper around adb backup) instead of the actual adb backup since both methods refer to AndroidManifest.xml when deciding which app data it can or cannot backup. And Helium shows exactly which app it can backup vs that which it can't. Good info there for a start.
After installing Helium and activating it via PC client, I found out it does backup:
A) SMS and call logs
B) User dictionary
C) Accounts
D) Bunch of apps and their data
List of apps and data it can't backup:
1) Contacts
2) browser bookmarks
3) Calender
4) System settings
5) APNs
6) Homescreen shortcuts
7) Widgets
8) Alarms
9) Photos
10) Music
11) Videos
12) MMS
13) Google AUTHENTICATOR!!! - I have over 15 profiles that I'll have to re-setup one by one... what a nightmare.
14) Line
15) Whatsapp
16) wechat
17) Signal
18) Nova launcher - luckily its setting can be exported and backup via the app's functionality.
19) QQMusic - all my thousands of songs! - even if I back this up manually using ES explorer the app's internal linkage between playlist to songs will be broken. Will have to re-download all the songs to repair linkage and this means wasting another month of subscription fees for songs re-download. This is one of the most problematic app but it has DTS plagin which makes your music sound fantastic even with cheap earpiece, so I am putting up with it.
20) Skype - not much chat in there so that's fine to start over.
(iii) After backing up the limited stuff using Helium, I shall proceed to use another app to backup (1) to (12). And that app will be "MyBackup" (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rerware.android.MyBackup&hl=en). The app developer confirmed in its app's features that (1) to (12) are supported. Note "MyBackup" does not backup any app data at all when device is not rooted therefore step one using Helium is still necessary.
(iv) Next, to circumvent the limitation with failure to backup app & data for (13) to (20), my initial thought were to patch each app's manifest using this method (https://forum.xda-developers.com/an...g/guide-how-to-enable-adb-backup-app-t3495117). But then, as I studied further, I realized another chicken and egg scenario. That is, the decompiling, editing, recompiling and signing of the patched apk would need to take place first before using the app and not after. So in another word this method with each newly patched app will not seemlessly replace the existing app but rather the existing app will first have to be uninstall before the patched app can be installed, and that very act would mean losing existing data altogether.
To install on android the patched apk, you must first uninstall your previous version, and this is because the key used to sign the apk is different. If you try to install one app itself with a different signing key, you will get this error: [INSTALL_FAILED_ALREADY_EXISTS] [Unquote]
Given this ****ty situation, I guess I am still hesitant and not ready to move forward with bootloader unlocking. Sigh...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Question Backup partitions from different GSI ROMs

Would it be possible to backup different images from different GSI ROMs to be able to test and restore each one without losing all the apps, configuration, etc. in the process.
For example:
1. Install "GSI name1" configure it, install apps, my Google account, etc.
2. Somehow, make a backup of the required partitions "backup name1" (At the computer?)
3. Install "GSI name2" configure it, install apps, my Google account, etc. (Not necessarily the same apps than before).
4. Somehow make a backup of the required partitions "backup name2".
5. Continue testing other GSI or restoring one of the previous ones from the backups and be able to use the phone as it was before, including apps, configuration, etc.
I can imagine two ways to face this task:
A. Using a custom recovery to backup partitions to SD card.
B. Using fastboot or mtk_client to backup partitions to the PC.
Would be easy? Possible? Not recommendable for some reason?
I am new on this flashing-bricking-sweating-unbricking thing, so I would appreciate feedback.
Thank you!
Hi
If your goal is to test the GSIs, it's easier to use the DSU-sideloader instead of the backup.
This app enables you to dual boot.
You will be able to move back and forth between images. Even if you get into a boot loop, you can return to the original image just by rebooting. 
If you have root, this app will be easier because there will be less operations.
https://github.com/VegaBobo/DSU-Sideloader
I have been taking a look to the DSU concept. It is interesting, but not what I want. Also, it requires the main ROM to be stock ROM (maybe in future is fine to use with custom ROMs).
DSU would be perfect if you want to keep romA and romB working in parallel in your daily life (for example, one for work and business and the other one for gaming and social apps).
What I want to do is to test romA for a while, move to romB for a while, if I prefer romA, reinstall it and forget about romB (literally, delete it). Maybe in few months, backup romA again and check romC for a while...
As I do not want to be swapping from one to another in daily life, it does not make sense to reserve space for having both simultaneously ready to work on the phone.
By now I have been learning about adb and recovery backup options. I need to check more during the next days, but I noticed that from Recovery, I can also use adb (it says not authorized device, but that is for not being rooted yet, I suppose). If it is possible to use adb from recovery after rooting, it would be easy to have a PC software for backing up ROMs easily (system, data and userdata partitions?).
I will keep researching about it...
The DSU does not have to be a stock rom.
It's just desirable.
Currently I have crdroid GSI as the first OS and the second OS is trying several OSs.
If you try it, you'll notice how easy it is.
Currently, TWRP does not support backup or encryption on Android 12. It is the same even if it is the official latest of other models.
I have a 128GB model, so it took too long to back up using mtkclient and I quit halfway through.
The problem is time and encryption, keep them in mind.
Currently, TWRP does not support backup or encryption on Android 12. It is the same even if it is the official latest of other models
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Well, definitely untrue now as most devices have got it sorted out with decryption, Android 12 being a pain some devices got 13 done before 12, but as of the time you wrote this post my device Motorola stylus 22 5g Qualcomm, we hadn't figured out the decryption yet but you could definitely just patch your fstab in vendor either by hand or with DFE neo, to disable the encryption and TWRP would run fine. You would just have to make that first format reboot back to recovery immediately and while it still stays the data from a fresh format flash the other handy RO2RW re zip and DFE neo. Honestly the boot times are so much better without decryption I don't think I would go back as long as I've got a password on orange fox or whatever.

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