Database Develop

New to N3, quick questions regarding ATT and Root

Hey all, so Ive been lurking for a few weeks now about about to order a N3 thru ATT. Im actually coming from a Nexus 5 where things are very easy so bear with me. Just wanted to get clarity before I made a purchase
1. Not so much related to root but Im planning to get the phone, root it, and apply the Xposed modules, to see if I can live with Touchwiz. Im assuming (will need to confirm) that ATT would take back within 14 days if it doesnt go so well, assuming I dont trip warranty flags, etc. Anyone know their policy?
2. From my reading, to root this, I actually need to run a lower firmware. Is this still 4.3 or is it like 4.2.2?
3. The general process is to open device, keep off wifi, oneclick it, odin it, apply root. They to disable OTAs via Titanium Backup. Is this correct?
4. Does doing the above method trip any flags? I believe there are two, a KNOX one and a general Custom one
5. Similarly, if the answer is yes, are there methods to get it back.
6. Limitations of the root method above is that still no access to custom recoverys, so no ROMs, but the xposed framework should work just fine. Also TB cannot do restores? Anything else Im missing?
7. Last one, regarding the older firmware, any idea what is different between the rooted firmware and the 'now current' one? I mean besides probably added security to prevent root. Any actual bug fixes or features?
Sorry if most of these are obvious but appreciate the confirmation!
Thanks

1. You don't need to live with touchwiz - you can hack it up (there are modded versions with minor changes) or just replace it with Nova Launcher. Nova doesn't even need root....
2. No, this is not true. You can root via RDLV on MI9 firmware, or use Kingo root on later versions (however, there has been debate over whether kingo has malware). If you have MJ5 firmware, you cannot root via RDLV, at least not at the moment (and cannot downgrade). You can keep root with RDLV after upgrading by using supersu survival mode, according to others (I haven't tried this myself, since the update checks builtin apks and won't install if you've modified SecLauncher4.apk to customize touchwiz, so i'd have to revert that...)
3. No. See the RDLV thread, it's a bit more complicated. For kingo, I don't know anything about the process.
4. Makes it custom, but does not trigger Knox flag.
5. Custom can be undone by returning to stock. Knox is an e-fuse and can never be reset.
6. XPosed and TB work fine.
7. Was wondering the same thing myself.

Thanks. Regarding Touchwiz, as soon as the device is rooted I plan to put Nova Beta on there as well as Wanom for Xposed to more simulate the stock experience. Plus drop most of the stock Samsung apps in favor of Googles.
It sounds like a need to read up more on the firmware and root method. I suppose the RDLV was for an older firmware which, if Im buying the phone now, may no longer be possible
Is MI9 the default stock firmware the phone had been shipping with, or is it now shipping with MJ5? (or is MJ5 an OTA update only)?
Thanks!

Stock recovery and upgrading Lollipop with future OTAs after rooting

Hello everyone,
I'm back to a nexus 6 after a very short stint with a 6+.
A little background for my questions: This is the very first time that I rooted a phone. I'm rooting to only install these 3 apps:
adaway
titanium backup
greenify
I do not plan on using any custom ROMs or kernels.
I see from all the guides and tutorials that people also create a custom recovery whenever they root. I haven't done that yet and wasn't sure if I had to. I would like to maintain the stock recovery that I have currently so that I can go back to stock if I unRoot. My questions are:
1. Am I wrong in thinking that I can still use the stock recovery if I unRoot?
2. When a new OTA comes out and I flash it (since I'm rooted an no longer can install them automatically), will that also upgrade my still stock recovery properly?
3. Following up on the previous question, when I upgrade manually because I'm rooted, would that be a fresh install where I have to go in and configure things the way I like them again (system settings, apps and their settings, root the phone again, etc)?
Thanks in advance!

LordGrahf said:
Hello everyone,
I'm back to a nexus 6 after a very short stint with a 6+.
A little background for my questions: This is the very first time that I rooted a phone. I'm rooting to only install these 3 apps:
adaway
titanium backup
greenify
I do not plan on using any custom ROMs or kernels.
I see from all the guides and tutorials that people also create a custom recovery whenever they root. I haven't done that yet and wasn't sure if I had to. I would like to maintain the stock recovery that I have currently so that I can go back to stock if I unRoot. My questions are:
1. Am I wrong in thinking that I can still use the stock recovery if I unRoot?
2. When a new OTA comes out and I flash it (since I'm rooted an no longer can install them automatically), will that also upgrade my still stock recovery properly?
3. Following up on the previous question, when I upgrade manually because I'm rooted, would that be a fresh install where I have to go in and configure things the way I like them again (system settings, apps and their settings, root the phone again, etc)?
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. No, you're not wrong. Recovery will stay stock and can be used normally
2. You can't simply flash the new OTA. This will not work manually nor automatically.
3. All you need to do is not flash the user data image and you will not loose your data, settings etc. You will loose root however. See bellow.
Google posts android stock images for each device typically before OTA hits your phone. That's what you want to grab and use for the update. Just make sure you don't run the automatic scripts that come with those images because you need to avoid flashing user data image.
OTA zip file does you no good unless you get your system back to unmodified stock.

Thank you sir!

obsanity said:
1. No, you're not wrong. Recovery will stay stock and can be used normally
2. You can't simply flash the new OTA. This will not work manually nor automatically.
3. All you need to do is not flash the user data image and you will not loose your data, settings etc. You will loose root however. See bellow.
Google posts android stock images for each device typically before OTA hits your phone. That's what you want to grab and use for the update. Just make sure you don't run the automatic scripts that come with those images because you need to avoid flashing user data image.
OTA zip file does you no good unless you get your system back to unmodified stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Based on the OP, it sounds like he has only rooted. Thus, the OTA will work fine. No need to flash image files.
Edit: I see that at least one other member has stated that an unroot still did not allow OTAs to function. That's a bit strange and unique. Not sure what root is modifying to prevent the OTA.

I'm kinda curious myself. I had no idea root killed OTA's. Maybe I wouldn't have done that if I knew that. I'm very new to the Nexus device. It's my 1st. I unlocked the bootloader and rooted already.
Sent from Mark's Nexus 6

crowbarman said:
Edit: I see that at least one other member has stated that an unroot still did not allow OTAs to function. That's a bit strange and unique. Not sure what root is modifying to prevent the OTA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is pretty scary. So you can unroot and GI back to stock and still can't update in anyway?

I have always side-loaded OTAs, I have never flashed anything.
After installing an OTA, on the next reboot, Android takes some time to optimize all your apps. Does this also happen after flashing a new system image? Thanks!

LordGrahf said:
This is pretty scary. So you can unroot and GI back to stock and still can't update in anyway?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not sure what you mean by GI, but according to some others, after uninstalling root via SuperSU an OTA will still not install. This should not be the case unless the boot or recovery images are modified. Easily fixed by following the procedures above to fastboot the stock images on your phone.
kjnangre said:
I have always side-loaded OTAs, I have never flashed anything.
After installing an OTA, on the next reboot, Android takes some time to optimize all your apps. Does this also happen after flashing a new system image? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it behaves exactly the same.

crowbarman said:
Based on the OP, it sounds like he has only rooted. Thus, the OTA will work fine. No need to flash image files.
Edit: I see that at least one other member has stated that an unroot still did not allow OTAs to function. That's a bit strange and unique. Not sure what root is modifying to prevent the OTA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root on Lollipop is not what it used to be. There are files that need to be modified in order to allow root. That's why this time OTA will fail if you are rooted.
Un-rooting however, will allow OTA as long as it is done properly and all traces are covered up and returned to stock. If it does fail after you have un-rooted, go back to the developer of that un-root method and let the know they missed something.
Here is the best way to un-root. Flash all of the old stock images besides user data image.

obsanity said:
Root on Lollipop is not what it used to be. There are files that need to be modified in order to allow root. That's why this time OTA will fail if you are rooted.
Un-rooting however, will allow OTA as long as it is done properly and all traces are covered up and returned to stock. If it does fail after you have un-rooted, go back to the developer of that un-root method and let the know they missed something.
Here is the best way to un-root. Flash all of the old stock images besides user data image.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That makes sense. Is there a manual root procedure or list of required modifications for root out there? I did some precursors searches but Came up empty. Can't tell what's missing in SuperSU unroot without those details.

crowbarman said:
That makes sense. Is there a manual root procedure or list of required modifications for root out there? I did some precursors searches but Came up empty. Can't tell what's missing in SuperSU unroot without those details.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Explanation from Chainfire:
https://plus.google.com/113517319477420052449/posts/S5zoKTzKUW1

obsanity said:
Explanation from Chainfire:
https://plus.google.com/113517319477420052449/posts/S5zoKTzKUW1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this. A good read, but I'm surprised nobody has demanded more details than 'patched the policies in SELinux'. Not that I don't trust Chain fire (I do) , but who really knows what has been done to our phones?

crowbarman said:
Thanks for this. A good read, but I'm surprised nobody has demanded more details than 'patched the policies in SELinux'. Not that I don't trust Chain fire (I do) , but who really knows what has been done to our phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the problem with Chainfire's work... he does not release source.
Again, best un-root method is to flash original images less user data.

obsanity said:
That's the problem with Chainfire's work... he does not release source.
Again, best un-root method is to flash original images less user data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for sharing this info. Its a bit concerning tbh. Is there a cleaner way to root other than using superSU?

LordGrahf said:
Thanks for sharing this info. Its a bit concerning tbh. Is there a cleaner way to root other than using superSU?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm afraid not but Chainfire's is probably the cleanest possible. Koush was the one with an open source solution but he hasn't updated his to 5.0 yet.

obsanity said:
I'm afraid not but Chainfire's is probably the cleanest possible. Koush was the one with an open source solution but he hasn't updated his to 5.0 yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is an argument that publishing the method would allow Google to close it that much quicker, I suppose.

crowbarman said:
Thanks for this. A good read, but I'm surprised nobody has demanded more details than 'patched the policies in SELinux'. Not that I don't trust Chain fire (I do) , but who really knows what has been done to our phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The base changes and reasoning for those changes are actually documented on my website. Specific policy adjustments are present in plain text in the supolicy executable, as any hex editor will show you. Those who really wanted to know rather than whine about OSS, know.
By far most policy adjustments just drop audit log output for contexts that are already permissive, though.
All that information is still completely useless unless you understand SELinux in detail and how it's implemented on Android, though.

I assume that the encryption doesn't get in the way of being able to flash the images?
When I went from 5.0 to 5.0.1 on my old Nexus 5 all I did was flash the two new 5.0.1 images I extracted from the full factory image, then re-rooted. This is far cleaner than reverting back to the previous image then doing an OTA. I've not had to update my N6 yet so I don't know if my method will work still, but I hope it does.

Chainfire said:
The base changes and reasoning for those changes are actually documented on my website. Specific policy adjustments are present in plain text in the supolicy executable, as any hex editor will show you. Those who really wanted to know rather than whine about OSS, know.
By far most policy adjustments just drop audit log output for contexts that are already permissive, though.
All that information is still completely useless unless you understand SELinux in detail and how it's implemented on Android, though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the additional information.
I did spend a fair amount of time reading your documentation but failed to utilize a hex editor. I am not 'whining' about the lack of open source, rather, simply mildly surprised, but your website aptly describes the challenges with 5.0. Many are used to various root methods being available.
Your solution is fine with me.. I love your work.
Edit: I thought I'd add that the discussion has devolved from the OP, which was whether an OTA can be applied after uninstalling root. The answer was no, due to the unknowns about what still might be modified following the uninstall via SuperSU.

Some guidance in removing ads from BLU R1 HD

Hello
I've been following this guide for rooting/bootloading and removing the amazon ads from the BLU R1. I am a bit new to this but have done it before, a while back.
I just need some guidance on the steps.
I found this page with two methods: http://forum.xda-developers.com/r1-hd/development/r1-hd-amazon-bootloader-unlock-method-t3426104
It says to do the bootloader first (first youtube video) then the flashing and TWRP second....or is this in reverse, to use TWRP to backup, flash and then bootloader?
And then I find this apparently newer version of removing partial ads which allows for background updates to occur: http://forum.xda-developers.com/r1-hd/how-to/guide-ad-removal-debloat-block-ota-easy-t3429555
which also has a bootloader instruction at the end.
Can someone just give me some guidance in steps on what to start with and then whats next, and whats last. is it flash and twrp backup, then bootloader, then the instructions for the partial debloater. I can do the steps listed on each page just need to know which to do in order.
Thanks!!

ebaydan777 said:
Hello
I've been following this guide for rooting/bootloading and removing the amazon ads from the BLU R1. I am a bit new to this but have done it before, a while back.
I just need some guidance on the steps.
I found this page with two methods: http://forum.xda-developers.com/r1-hd/development/r1-hd-amazon-bootloader-unlock-method-t3426104
It says to do the bootloader first (first youtube video) then the flashing and TWRP second....or is this in reverse, to use TWRP to backup, flash and then bootloader?
And then I find this apparently newer version of removing partial ads which allows for background updates to occur: http://forum.xda-developers.com/r1-hd/how-to/guide-ad-removal-debloat-block-ota-easy-t3429555
which also has a bootloader instruction at the end.
Can someone just give me some guidance in steps on what to start with and then whats next, and whats last. is it flash and twrp backup, then bootloader, then the instructions for the partial debloater. I can do the steps listed on each page just need to know which to do in order.
Thanks!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The easiest method I have found is here, it involves converting your R1 from prime to non prime and then directions for unlocking bootloader then twrp and root.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/r1-hd/how-to/guide-convert-to-prime-rollback-ota-t3432499
The only downside to this, is there have been no updates yet for non prime(though there are reports of one being released, I have not yet received one) so currently it only has the June 2016 security patches.
If you prefer to follow rootjunkys method he has a firmware on his site that flashes OTA 6.5 with Ads already removed, but OTA disabled after you flash his rom you then unlock bootloader, then flash twrp and root his guide is located here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/r1-hd/development/blu-r1-hd-remove-amazon-ads-ota-updates-t3427303
I suggest you read both and determine the best route for you.

kal250 said:
The easiest method I have found is here, it involves converting your R1 from prime to non prime and then directions for unlocking bootloader then twrp and root.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/r1-hd/how-to/guide-convert-to-prime-rollback-ota-t3432499
The only downside to this, is there have been no updates yet for non prime(though there are reports of one being released, I have not yet received one) so currently it only has the June 2016 security patches.
If you prefer to follow rootjunkys method he has a firmware on his site that flashes OTA 6.5 with Ads already removed, but OTA disabled after you flash his rom you then unlock bootloader, then flash twrp and root his guide is located here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/r1-hd/development/blu-r1-hd-remove-amazon-ads-ota-updates-t3427303
I suggest you read both and determine the best route for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the response I really appreciate it!
What's the downside of the OTA being disabled btw? I noticed on my link there's a partial and full debloat file. Was going to use the partial since it allows background updating

kal250 said:
The easiest method I have found is here, it involves converting your R1 from prime to non prime and then directions for unlocking bootloader then twrp and root.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/r1-hd/how-to/guide-convert-to-prime-rollback-ota-t3432499
The only downside to this, is there have been no updates yet for non prime(though there are reports of one being released, I have not yet received one) so currently it only has the June 2016 security patches.
If you prefer to follow rootjunkys method he has a firmware on his site that flashes OTA 6.5 with Ads already removed, but OTA disabled after you flash his rom you then unlock bootloader, then flash twrp and root his guide is located here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/r1-hd/development/blu-r1-hd-remove-amazon-ads-ota-updates-t3427303
I suggest you read both and determine the best route for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the response I really appreciate it!
What's the downside of the OTA being disabled btw? I noticed on my link there's a partial and full debloat file. Was going to use the partial since it allows background updating

ebaydan777 said:
Thank you for the response I really appreciate it!
What's the downside of the OTA being disabled btw? I noticed on my link there's a partial and full debloat file. Was going to use the partial since it allows background updating
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your rooted with a custom recovery like twrp installed its not really going to matter if OTA is disabled, it won't install an update if your rooted anyways

I recommend to convert your phone to non-Prime.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/r1-hd/how-to/guide-convert-to-prime-rollback-ota-t3432499
Don't use the other debloat link. It's liable to brick your phone.

ColtonDRG said:
I recommend to convert your phone to non-Prime.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/r1-hd/how-to/guide-convert-to-prime-rollback-ota-t3432499
Don't use the other debloat link. It's liable to brick your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For whatever reason, the non prime variant has worked out better for me!! I have bounced back and forth a few times, think im on flash #5, I went back to Prime with your 6.1 restore then updated to 6.5 and then TWRP, root and debloat W/ad block and disabled OTA. I have maintained bootloader unlock through all flashes. I'm waiting for some downtime to switch back to non prime and wait for "promised" OTA. Non prime for whatever reason gives me better results with apps not disappearing from adopted storage. Also since 6.5, I have experienced data loss and sometimes very sluggish behavior requiring a reboot to revive performance. Again all related to adopted storage apps. Not sure what's causing it, I'm using the same apps on SD adopted, but non prime seems to be much friendlier to adopted storage than prime?? Maybe its as simple as one of the July security updates broke something, not sure but there is definitely something going on with 65 vs 12. Hopefully the Devs come up with something better we can rely on . All the Drama aside I know I appreciate all the time everybody has put in on this.

The great adventure of rooting the XZ1C

Hello everyone,
I have to say I am completely lost regarding the whole rooting process for the XZ1C. I usually manage to get where I want just by carefully reading the forums, but with this device, I feel overwhelmed by information. And I sometimes feel like what I am reading contradicts what I though I understood from previous reads...
I will try to sum up what I know so far.
First of all, I have a just-out-of-the-box Sony model G8441 with firmware 47.1.A.12.179 / Oreo 8.0.0 (never been connected to the outside world yet), and I want to properly root the device and install TWRP with no loss of feature.
What I think I understand:
To root, I first need to unlock the bootloader, which seems to be a trivial operation. However, this will break some functionalities due to DRM keys being erased. Once it is done, there is no way, ever, to get them back. There are however ways to "trick" DRM-related functionalities into believing DRM keys are still there.
Alternatively, there seems to be a way to backup the DRM keys prior to unlocking the BL, and this backup can somehow be reused and injected back into the unlocked device. If true, then this would certainly be a preferable method than the previous one, which would then be obsolete. However, it obviously doesn't look obsolete when I read the related topics, so I must be missing something...
Another thing I noted (but do not quite understand): There are ROMs for this device that "include" a DRM fix.
Last important thing I read: there is a paid "do-it-all" tool which takes my locked device and, with one click, makes it unlocked - rooted - DRM-fixed - TWRP-enabled. Now that sounds really good! Maybe too good?
As far as i know (but I learn new stuff every day on this topic) this DRM stuff is the main difficulty here. I understand that the rest of the process (root + TWRP) will be much simpler (although I'm old-school and completly missed all this magisk trend...!)
What I don't understand:
I read that some people downgrade to Oreo to be able to root properly, and at the same time, I read that Pie removed the restrictions on unlocked bootloader. So I still have no idea if I should connect and receive Sony updates, or avoid them.
Another thing I don't get, is how many ways do we have to root this thing? In the past, I was used to see, for a specific device, always one major and widly used rooting method. Here I fail to identify it...
What I think I will do:
1. Backup TA partition with j4nn's tool. This will probably imply flashing an older firmware right? Is there any link that could help me with this flashing process? (I only know Odin - did I mention old-school?) I saw this page for generic sony Z devices, but the thread is from 2013 and now closed. Is it still up-to-date or is there a newer thread?
2. Unlock bootloader and restore TA partition.
3. Wait for Sony updates? Or should I first hide unlock status?
3bis. Alternaltively to waiting for updates, maybe I can just flash the latest build? (47.2.A.8.24 if I am not mistaken)
4. Flash modpunk's TWRP.
5. Flash janjan's Boot.img to get root functionalities?
Alternaltively to all the above (except maybe step 1 that I will probably do in any case), buy the paid all-in-one tool (Xperifix), plug, click and wait... But will I really end up the same as with the manual way?
I saw a few other methods in the forums but it seems my brain is currently refusing to bring them back...
That's all I have right now. I would really appreciate if you guys could share some insight and tell me what you think about this, whether there are missing steps, useless steps, incorrectly ordered steps, silly steps, or if I'm just completely wrong about the whole thing.
Feel free also to correct me on the assumptions I made at the beginning.
Thank you very much for reading this repulsive piece of text.

SunJu22 said:
I would really appreciate if you guys could share some insight and tell me what you think about this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By the looks of it you have done a great deal of research on the project.
Yes, go down the route of backing up your TA partition first, but that is not a small step in itself, it's pretty complicated and if you get that working then the rest of the project will be a breeze.
You don't say what version of firmware you want to end up on. If you want to end up on Pie then forget the DRMfix . But if you're staying on Oreo and can't be bothered with lots of files & flashing, then this is the easy way out, I bought the paid version and can verify it works.
More recently I ended up janjan's kernel (Oreo build). Hidden root (Google Pay works), lots of performance tweaks, DRM completely working.
It's unlikely that anyone will bother making a DRM fix for Pie as the camera works and there are only a couple of other features that get disabled.
It sounds like you're not the sort of person who's only going to read the first couple of pages of a thread (or the last) flash the xxxxxx and then complain when it's broken.
The people on the forum here are very helpful and if you go into any of the threads you mentioned in your post with a question, you'll get a reply.
Good luck.

I agree, there is a lot of information out there and different methods of achieving what you want - very confusing if you have not been following the threads since the beginning.
In my opinion, the preferred method is j4nn's method outlined here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/xp...devonly-exploits-temp-root-to-backup-t3795510
Use that post as your main guide (the final step in that guide, #13, is how you will achieve root). You will use Newflasher to flash the various firmwares along the way (this is linked from j4nn's procedure in step #2). User munted made a very detailed pdf file that fills in some of the details on j4nn's procedure - see the following post and download the pdf attached: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=78255334&postcount=382
Most of the other methods out there came before j4nn's work - they didn't include DRM backup/restore.
If you follow j4nn's procedure, you won't need to use the janjan kernel as you assumed - janjan method is different and does not overlap with j4nn.

SunJu22 said:
Feel free also to correct me on the assumptions I made at the beginning.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I didn't point out that I was one of the early 'jumpers' who unlocked their bootloader without any backups, so I have been forced into always using fixes and all the information I have is based on having to fix your phone for it to work, but that's all changed now. I'm so out of date :-/
 @camaro322hp is right, if you follow j4nn's method correctly you'll be rooted with no DRM loss. All of the other stuff is not required.

Thank you Digesteve and camaro322hp for your help.
From what I understand the XZ1C didn't get as much love as other devices, thus there was a long period of tinkering before a "do-it-all guide" could be considered "the" solution. That could explain all these different approaches that are proposed. Like you said camaro322hp it's rather difficult to jump on this train, and I can only guess how interesting this ride has been.
Anyway, I didn't see that the TA backup thread from j4nn also encompassed all the information I needed; I am glad to finally know that there is indeed a centralized "do-it-all guide" . To make it easier for XZ1C newcomers, I think j4nn should update his opening post to make this clearer.
Since I managed to grab the attention of 2 XZ1C power users, I would like to ask you: Did you keep stock? Did you try alternative ROMs? Do you like some of them? Do you prefer Oreo or Pie?
For information, the most up-to-date experience I have on a Android phone is my LG90 with CyanogenMod 11 (KitKat 4.4.4! Yes sir!). I heard that it's becoming less and less useful to flash a custom ROM due to major OS improvements, but I would still enjoy the simplest and lightest Android possible.

SunJu22 said:
Did you keep stock? Did you try alternative ROMs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've always been on stock, the camera is an important part of what I want from my phone and although there's lots of alternative camera apps, there's no competition to the stock camera app. Then I theme it black with swift installer and just uninstall or freeze any apps I don't want with Titanium Backup. I have stuck with Oreo, everything works perfect and I remember seeing so many people jumping to 9 then wanting to go back to 8 because they didn't like it. Something about changing the way the drop down menu works, among other things, but having never installed it, I'm not the person to comment on if it's any good or not.
I have been watching the XZ1c thread and Lineage is gaining ground, it even has a stock camera now. I would have thought something like that with miniGapps is going to be pretty lightweight and very similar to your carbon rom of before. At the moment this is based on 8, but is working well. Depends how keen you are to move to Pie.

Thank you Digesteve.
One thing I still don't understand. Part of the process is to hide unlock status. If I do this, FOTA will be applied and I will automatically end up on Pie, right? Should I skip this step if I want Oreo?
EDIT: when you say "a stock camera", you mean the Sony camera?

@SunJu22 I've stuck with the Sony ROM. A rooted stock ROM meets all my needs, so I've never felt the need to experiment with custom ROMs. There are some custom options out there that people seem fairly happy with, so if that's your thing, I'd encourage it.
Without going into too much detail, I'm still on Oreo for the moment, for a variety of reasons, but I don't know of anything that would keep me from recommending Pie.

One thing you should note is that once you unlock, there is no going back. AFAIK there is no known or working method to relock the bootloader.

SunJu22 said:
FOTA will be applied and I will automatically end up on Pie, right? Should I skip this step if I want Oreo?
EDIT: when you say "a stock camera", you mean the Sony camera?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I'm not entirely sure why having your rooted phone try and update itself is an advantage, but something I'd recomend avoiding.
Stock camera is the Sony camera, yes.

Thank you everyone, I believe I now have enough information to jump into this with confidence. The adventure begins, and will be reported in this thread for future reference, in the hope that it will help others like me!

Well, I am a bit sad... I wanted to report my "adventure" here in detail, but I'm afraid I have nothing to say.
Indeed, following the procedure from j4nn with a printed copy of munted's awesome guide, I managed to do all I wanted on the first attempt.
I don't have anything to add to this guide, everyone wanting to root their XZ1C can do it just by reading the opening post from j4nn and the mentioned guide. It takes a bit of time but nothing complicated thanks to the clear and detailed explanations.
I now have a fully functional rooted XZ1C (including camera) on Pie with Magisk root and TWRP.
Thank you all again from pointing me to the right direction.
I however have a slight disappointment. I wanted to start with Oreo and make an Nandroid backup before moving to Pie, but I didn't find Oreo builds on Xperifirm. So I jumped straight to Pie.
In case I want to test Oreo, I read that a downgrade is more complicated than an upgrade, but apart from the fact that a factory reset is needed for downgrade, I couldn't find an explanation for this. Any idea?
Last but not least: I looked for the latest Oreo build version number but couldn't find it. Do you guys know what it is and where I can download it?
I guess this will be all for this thread after this. Although it is very convenient to have my own thread to ask questions rather than finding the relevant page for each one, I don't want to annoy you too much...
EDIT: Please ignore the last question. I found out last Oreo build is 47.1.A.16.20, and I found the files via the download link in the opening post of the Lineage thread.

SunJu22 said:
In case I want to test Oreo, I read that a downgrade is more complicated than an upgrade, but apart from the fact that a factory reset is needed for downgrade, I couldn't find an explanation for this. Any idea? Lineage thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is an easy solution to downgrade:
Newflasher

Hi, I've been thinking about rooting my XZ1c for a long time now. So, do I understand correctly that the ONLY disadvantage compared to non-rooted device is not possible to receive the OTA updates from Sony anymore?

mEREHAIGE said:
Hi, I've been thinking about rooting my XZ1c for a long time now. So, do I understand correctly that the ONLY disadvantage compared to non-rooted device is not possible to receive the OTA updates from Sony anymore?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you can flash a kernel to hide the bootloader unlock flag, this will mean that you will receive OTA updates, although depending on how you're rooted an update will most likely break your phone, so not that useful.

*made a thread*

Thanks--rooted withOUT adventure too
Very happily rooted now. Just wanted to say a quick thanks and add a few notes:
1. j4nn's renoroot to enable TA key backup and restore is fantastic. My advice: use and donate
2. munted's guide is excellent. clear and thorough...a rare combination.
3. do expect that renoroot may need to be restarted a couple of times. it took me 3 or 4 attempts to get temp root to pull the TA keys, although it took only 1 effort to get root back to restore.
4. topjohnwu's magisk is, of course, a key component to all this. Thx and $s there too.
I did a few things slightly differently/additionally than SunJu22.
5. I am on T-Mobile US, so I opted to create a hybrid Pie FW to get wifi calling and VoLTE. There are a number of discussions on this. I did it by combining the vendor**.sin and system**.sin files from custom-CH FW with the other files from custom-US FW. Of course (a) use IDENTICAL release numbers only, e.g. 47.A.2.10.28 w/ 47.A.2.10.28 and (b) you still need to delete .TA and persist files from the hybrid before you flash it.
Note: I don't really care about these features, but I have *heard* that T-mobile won't allow BYOD on their band-12 sites if they don't have VoLTE. Don't know if it is true (or where it is true) but figured why not?
6. I decided (for now, at least) to leave boot and recovery stock. So, I am using fastboot to run TWRP or a rooted kernel. Thanks again to j4nn for the method.
Note: I don't plan on allowing FOTA upgrades---I just like passing all the security checks and being able to *see* if updates are available.
That's all. Fine work in development and guides has made life simple and happy for me

kirkzp said:
Very happily rooted now. Just wanted to say a quick thanks and add a few notes:
1. j4nn's renoroot to enable TA key backup and restore is fantastic. My advice: use and donate
2. munted's guide is excellent. clear and thorough...a rare combination.
3. do expect that renoroot may need to be restarted a couple of times. it took me 3 or 4 attempts to get temp root to pull the TA keys, although it took only 1 effort to get root back to restore.
4. topjohnwu's magisk is, of course, a key component to all this. Thx and $s there too.
I did a few things slightly differently/additionally than SunJu22.
5. I am on T-Mobile US, so I opted to create a hybrid Pie FW to get wifi calling and VoLTE. There are a number of discussions on this. I did it by combining the vendor**.sin and system**.sin files from custom-CH FW with the other files from custom-US FW. Of course (a) use IDENTICAL release numbers only, e.g. 47.A.2.10.28 w/ 47.A.2.10.28 and (b) you still need to delete .TA and persist files from the hybrid before you flash it.
Note: I don't really care about these features, but I have *heard* that T-mobile won't allow BYOD on their band-12 sites if they don't have VoLTE. Don't know if it is true (or where it is true) but figured why not?
6. I decided (for now, at least) to leave boot and recovery stock. So, I am using fastboot to run TWRP or a rooted kernel. Thanks again to j4nn for the method.
Note: I don't plan on allowing FOTA upgrades---I just like passing all the security checks and being able to *see* if updates are available.
That's all. Fine work in development and guides has made life simple and happy for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now riddle me this cause I'm on Tmo USA as well and I did the hybrid work fine as well but heres the question, does googlepay and banking apps still work with a unlocked bootloader or did you flash a modified kernel to hide the unlocked status.
Sitting on the fence about unlocking mine so I can do a full nandroid before trying out some gsi pie roms infact this is the first phone I haven't unlocked or least put twrp on since my samsung sidekick 4g o.o

kernel with hide-unlock
T_Tank said:
Now riddle me this cause I'm on Tmo USA as well and I did the hybrid work fine as well but heres the question, does googlepay and banking apps still work with a unlocked bootloader or did you flash a modified kernel to hide the unlocked status.
Sitting on the fence about unlocking mine so I can do a full nandroid before trying out some gsi pie roms infact this is the first phone I haven't unlocked or least put twrp on since my samsung sidekick 4g o.o
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Full disclosure: I don't use Google pay or too many banking apps, so YMMV. But, I am using j4nn's kernel with unlock hidden. (See link in my note 6.) You can flash this, or you can leave in your stock kernel and merely fastboot to this. From what I have seen, it hides most - if not all -- indicators that the phone is rooted and the BL in unlocked.

Does somebody has :
G8441_1310-7123_47.1.A.16.20-R7B_Customized_CE1.ftf ?
Only backup i did not make, and its gone from XperiFirm.
Still have the feeling battery life was better in Oreo, and would be nice for experimenting.
Would be nice.
Thanks in advance.

Question Question regarding root and updates?

Hey there guys,
I just received my s21 ultra (G998B) and planning to root it. I had a few questions since I’m new to this and wanted some clarifications:
1) If I root the phone can I update it OTA through the settings or do I have to update it by another method? Will I lose root/data/apps if I do that?
2) If I lose root when updating it, can I just root again and be all set? Or do I have to follow another procedure for that?
3) I am planning to debloat a few apps and services that I won’t be using, if I update the system/software will the stuff that I debloated come back and will I have to do the debloat again?
Thank you for all the help.

paul_cherma said:
Hey there guys,
I just received my s21 ultra (G998B) and planning to root it. I had a few questions since I’m new to this and wanted some clarifications:
1) If I root the phone can I update it OTA through the settings or do I have to update it by another method? Will I lose root/data/apps if I do that?
2) If I lose root when updating it, can I just root again and be all set? Or do I have to follow another procedure for that?
3) I am planning to debloat a few apps and services that I won’t be using, if I update the system/software will the stuff that I debloated come back and will I have to do the debloat again?
Thank you for all the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1- Probably not usually the root or recovery will block OTA updates from installing, even if they download.
2- If you lose root, you can USUALLY re-root assuming the same root method wasnt patched. If it was patched, a new root method (though probably still through magisk) will be needed. If this is the case, its up to the dev to find that method, you might be without root for a while.
3-if you debloat, and receive an OTA, your will probably need to de-bloat again, thought I havent personally had experience with this.
Why are you rooting? Just to de-bloat? If so, root isn't really necessary...

As someone who's been in the rooting stage for many years, i can answer your questions.
1. You can not update your phone through OTA updates after rooting the device, as the device was modified in an unauthorized way. And since you own a galaxy phone, the e-fuse within the motherboard will blow and knox will be permanently blown. You can no longer use samsung pay, google pay, and any other app that uses the safetynet api, even after you unroot the device.
2. You will lose root every time you update. You will need ODIN on your PC in order to properly update your firmware and to re-root your device by following the procedure again that you used to root your device, unless samsung patched the method you used to root your device. You can always check what bootloader version you're on within the firmware. For example, on the galaxy S8, the firmware version is N950U1UES5CRG9. The 5th to last number of the firmware will tell you. In this case, N950U1UES5CRG9 is the 5th bootloader version. Keep this in mind once samsung starts to update your phone often.
3. You will have to debloat again from scratch. In order to fully update your device through ODIN, you need to download the full firmware file containing an AP (Firmware), BL (Bootloader) , CP (Modem), and CSC (Carrier File) and manually flash them.
Do keep in mind, it is possible to soft brick or even hard brick your device, so back up your data frequently if you decide to tinker with your device.

Thank you for the detailed answer. I just updated my software to the latest official one by Samsung (April 1st security patch) but I am not rooted yet. I guess I could live with the fact that I can root the phone now and stay on this software version/security patch until I upgrade, since I would have to go through a lot of hassle to set-up the phone the way I wanted. But the main reason why I want to get the official updates is because of the camera improvements that Samsung does, since the main reason of me getting this phone is the camera. And there are some root-required tweaks that I absolutely need such as Viper, and some xposed tweaks also. I like the Stock ROM of Samsung, it really has come a long way at least imo throughout the years, as I have been a Samsung user since day 1 but:
Would it be a good idea to install a custom ROM then? I am reading the description of a few custom ROMs and it seems like I can “retain everything” by simply dirty flashing the ROM and following the dev’s instructions on how to retain root whenever the developer updates it. Is that a better route to take you think? I can keep my device rooted, and still get the updates through a custom ROM.

paul_cherma said:
Thank you for the detailed answer. I just updated my software to the latest official one by Samsung (April 1st security patch) but I am not rooted yet. I guess I could live with the fact that I can root the phone now and stay on this software version/security patch until I upgrade, since I would have to go through a lot of hassle to set-up the phone the way I wanted. But the main reason why I want to get the official updates is because of the camera improvements that Samsung does, since the main reason of me getting this phone is the camera. And there are some root-required tweaks that I absolutely need such as Viper, and some xposed tweaks also. I like the Stock ROM of Samsung, it really has come a long way at least imo throughout the years, as I have been a Samsung user since day 1 but:
Would it be a good idea to install a custom ROM then? I am reading the description of a few custom ROMs and it seems like I can “retain everything” by simply dirty flashing the ROM and following the dev’s instructions on how to retain root whenever the developer updates it. Is that a better route to take you think? I can keep my device rooted, and still get the updates through a custom ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That really varies depending on the custom rom you go for. Usually when you dirty flash a rom, you would need to re root your device, but some (not all) roms are persistent with root after system updates. Do keep in mind if you switch to a custom rom, your system might be more buggy and crash more often. One thing i will say though is that xposed is outdated. The last android version xposed officially supported was either 8 or 9. When it has to come down to certain mods you'd wish to have with root, take that into consideration too, as it might make your device really unstable if it's too outdated or if there's a buggy port available. I've dealt with that issue too many times on my phones.

HighOnLinux said:
That really varies depending on the custom rom you go for. Usually when you dirty flash a rom, you would need to re root your device, but some (not all) roms are persistent with root after system updates. Do keep in mind if you switch to a custom rom, your system might be more buggy and crash more often. One thing i will say though is that xposed is outdated. The last android version xposed officially supported was either 8 or 9. When it has to come down to certain mods you'd wish to have with root, take that into consideration too, as it might make your device really unstable if it's too outdated or if there's a buggy port available. I've dealt with that issue too many times on my phones.
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Click to collapse
if xposed is outdated, what is the new thing the comunity is migrating to? All the privacy, security, and customizability tools available through xposed must go somewhere, right?

Twodordan said:
if xposed is outdated, what is the new thing the comunity is migrating to? All the privacy, security, and customizability tools available through xposed must go somewhere, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's buggy ports thats flashable on magisk. While you still can get xposed, it'll be an unofficial version, and more likely to run into issues within your rom and daily use into your device.

HighOnLinux said:
There's buggy ports thats flashable on magisk. While you still can get xposed, it'll be an unofficial version, and more likely to run into issues within your rom and daily use into your device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean xprivacy on xposed was the must have killer feature for any android device to turn your device into anything other than a privacy nightmare. If we can't do that any more we are f'd.
[EDIT] Looks like the new version of xprivacy, xprivacyLua is still supported for android 11, with magisk and EdXposed or LSPosed:
[CLOSED][APP][XPOSED][6.0+] XPrivacyLua - Android privacy manager [UNSUPPORTED]
XPrivacyLua Really simple to use privacy manager for Android 6.0 Marshmallow and later (successor of XPrivacy). Revoking Android permissions from apps often let apps crash or malfunction. XPrivacyLua solves this by feeding apps fake data...
forum.xda-developers.com
XPrivacyLua/README.md at master · M66B/XPrivacyLua
Really simple to use privacy manager for Android 6.0 Marshmallow and later - XPrivacyLua/README.md at master · M66B/XPrivacyLua
github.com