I've wondered this ever since my Tab S8+ reported it's device status as official despite me having flashed the tablet with magisk-patched firmware and asked me to update. This same exact scenario has happened with my rooted Tab S7+. However, I rooted that by flashing Magisk in TWRP rather than flashing patched firmware with Odin. I don't think anyone has tried applying an OTA update on their rooted Tab S8 device since the latest firmware isn't available yet, and could result in needed to flash patched firmware again. Then again, most rooted device will have their devices report as custom instead of official, so that may be why.
I'm willing to try this out on my Tab S7+ first as that device has TWRP, and I can easily restore my device to a rooted state afterwards. Since both tablets are relatively similar, I'll assume that if root persists after updating in the Tab S7+ then it should be safe to do so on the S8+ I'm curious of doing this solely for stability and performance updates in combination with everything root access grants.
With any part of the firmware patched, OTAs won't work - they'll fail. You could also wind up with a brick - most likely one you can recover from but I wouldn't bet either way on that. As always, have everything backed up in case the worst happens.
Since I still won't get my Tab S8 Ultra for another 10 days (unless they delay again), I haven't paid too close attention to the rooting instructions specific to this, and have only made note of them, however, the basic rule still applies - if any part of the firmware has been modified from stock, then OTAs will recognize that it's been modified and fail to apply - or as I said, it could possibly try to apply what it can but you could wind up with a mix and match of different firmware versions due to the OTA failing eventually, which would need some manual work to recover from - or very worst, you might need to start over from scratch and lose everything.
When I'm on any rooted device, I go into Developer options and disable Automatic system updates. It's still possible you could get an update prompt if you manually check for an update, but it's not advised to use OTAs when rooted.
I've always been a practitioner on all devices of flashing the full new firmware updates and re-rooting, however, I know that at least with devices with dual system partitions like Google Pixels (as far as I'm aware, Samsung still hasn't adopted dual partitions yet), there have been ways to apply Magisk to a manually sideloaded OTA, although I've observed other users who do this and something inevitably goes wrong with the process from time to time.
Not that full firmware flashes are immune to things going wrong.
Edit: If you try an OTA on yours, by all means, let us know what happens.
Edit 2: Adding TWRP to the mix may, or may not, affect the viability of applying OTAs. I've hardly used TWRP on any device in the last five years, so I'm not sure if it's smart about some things and can take root into account, but since TWRP doesn't exist on the Tab S8 (I don't have any older Tab), it won't matter for me.
roirraW edor ehT said:
With any part of the firmware patched, OTAs won't work - they'll fail. You could also wind up with a brick - most likely one you can recover from but I wouldn't bet either way on that. As always, have everything backed up in case the worst happens.
Since I still won't get my Tab S8 Ultra for another 10 days (unless they delay again), I haven't paid too close attention to the rooting instructions specific to this, and have only made note of them, however, the basic rule still applies - if any part of the firmware has been modified from stock, then OTAs will recognize that it's been modified and fail to apply - or as I said, it could possibly try to apply what it can but you could wind up with a mix and match of different firmware versions due to the OTA failing eventually, which would need some manual work to recover from - or very worst, you might need to start over from scratch and lose everything.
When I'm on any rooted device, I go into Developer options and disable Automatic system updates. It's still possible you could get an update prompt if you manually check for an update, but it's not advised to use OTAs when rooted.
I've always been a practitioner on all devices of flashing the full new firmware updates and re-rooting, however, I know that at least with devices with dual system partitions like Google Pixels (as far as I'm aware, Samsung still hasn't adopted dual partitions yet), there have been ways to apply Magisk to a manually sideloaded OTA, although I've observed other users who do this and something inevitably goes wrong with the process from time to time.
Not that full firmware flashes are immune to things going wrong.
Edit: If you try an OTA on yours, by all means, let us know what happens.
Edit 2: Adding TWRP to the mix may, or may not, affect the viability of applying OTAs. I've hardly used TWRP on any device in the last five years, so I'm not sure if it's smart about some things and can take root into account, but since TWRP doesn't exist on the Tab S8 (I don't have any older Tab), it won't matter for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just attempted to OTA update on my Tab S7+ after making a backup, and it failed. When it rebooted to start applying the update, it booted into recovery to start flashing, but since I have TWRP installed, it booted to that instead, went straight to the main menu, and didn't apply the update. It's extremely ironic; my tablet says it's running unauthorized software and will no longer receive firmware updates, but it also says my device status is official and allows me to download and install updates if I check for them (it'll even mention there's an update available without having automatic download installed).
I rebooted to system, it said they the update failed, and prompted me to download the update again and try again. I can't tell if anything got affected since it seems like because the update failed, nothing got applied or changed. This makes me slightly less willing to try and OTA update on the Tab S8+. However, since the stock recovery is still in place (no TWRP yet), the update process would probably go a long smoother. Not to mention, if something was to go wrong, and I needed to flash patched firmware again, I could just flash HOME_CSC instead of the regular CSC so I can keep my data. There's no guarantee that will work, as a failed update could require my system to prompt me to factory data reset anyway, but it's definitely an option that's available.
I'll backup whatever I can before attempting this, and I'll post the results later.
Answer would be no, doing OTA requires bootloader to be locked. But since you rooted, then you have unlocked the bootloader. So if your tab s8+ has locked bootloader then OTA will pass without a problem.
Jake.S said:
Answer would be no, doing OTA requires bootloader to be locked. But since you rooted, then you have unlocked the bootloader. So if your tab s8+ has locked bootloader then OTA will pass without a problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? I thought having an unlocked bootloader would be a non-issue since you can flashing official and unofficial firmware with an unlocked bootloader. Not to mention that the recovery has remained unaffected, and stock recovery needs to be accessed to apply the update.
SavXL said:
Really? I thought having an unlocked bootloader would be a non-issue since you can flashing official and unofficial firmware with an unlocked bootloader. Not to mention that the recovery has remained unaffected, and stock recovery needs to be accessed to apply the update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when unlocking bootloader you have to manually flash the stock firmware. Since OTA becomes unavailable when bootloader is unlocked. So if root is done in for example android 12 and you get a monthly patch then it will revoke the root since root usually modifies the OS files and gives you the root access sort off and flashing a update will write over those files and your root privileges will be removed.
Jake.S said:
when unlocking bootloader you have to manually flash the stock firmware. Since OTA becomes unavailable when bootloader is unlocked. So if root is done in for example android 12 and you get a monthly patch then it will revoke the root since root usually modifies the OS files and gives you the root access sort off and flashing a update will write over those files and your root privileges will be removed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh. I thought that doing an OTA update wouldn't remove anything that was already a part of the system and would just just update whatever needed to be updated and called it a day. With the method of patching the firmware and flashing it, I assume root would just be a regular part of the system, and an OTA update wouldn't affect it. Odd...
SavXL said:
Huh. I thought that doing an OTA update wouldn't remove anything that was already a part of the system and would just just update whatever needed to be updated and called it a day. With the method of patching the firmware and flashing it, I assume root would just be a regular part of the system, and an OTA update wouldn't affect it. Odd...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is because your normal access is only admin not root. So it has almost full rights, but when you add root access it is mostlikely a modification that you have to do, either by a command or flashing a file. But updating the OS will revoke the root since method you used becomes unavailable for next update which is why it can reset your changes backwards so your root privileges becomes lost and your access is back to default as before. But I wouldn't touch bootloader since doing that also bricks KNOX so features for KNOX will become permanently disabled since it requires a working Knox chip to work, but since KNOX chip fuse becomes blown when bootloader is unlocked then feature like Samsung pass, samsung secret folder and such will no longer work.
Jake.S said:
That is because your normal access is only admin not root. So it has almost full rights, but when you add root access it is mostlikely a modification that you have to do, either by a command or flashing a file. But updating the OS will revoke the root since method you used becomes unavailable for next update which is why it can reset your changes backwards so your root privileges becomes lost and your access is back to default as before. But I wouldn't touch bootloader since doing that also bricks KNOX so features for KNOX will become permanently disabled since it requires a working Knox chip to work, but since KNOX chip fuse becomes blown when bootloader is unlocked then feature like Samsung pass, samsung secret folder and such will no longer work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Turns out you were absolutely correct. I downloaded and attempted to install the update, it booted into the stock recovery and got to 25% before erroring out. It booted back into Android and said that the update failed. Thankfully, nothing ended up getting removed or corrupted, and I still have root access. Guess I gotta stick to finding the latest firmware and patching it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Related
I have (or had) an AT&T branded S5 that was previous rooted and running Safestrap (I don't recall the BL version). Due to some EXTREME idiocy on my part, I took an OTA update two days ago, which updated and synched everything to G900AUCU2ANG3.
Naturally, this borked root. But there's some weirdness going on. Even after the OTA update, the phone's device status still says "Custom". And I still see the custom text when the phone boots. Is this Knox related?
Further oddness is that the phone keeps trying to pull down a second OTA update that looks identical to the first based on the filesize (over 400 MB). It goes through the motion, boots into recovery, and starts installing this second update, but stops partway through. Upon rebooting, the phone tells me the update was interrupted and can't be installed.
I realize I may never get root back, but I'm alarmed the phone's status still says "Custom" and that it's trying (and failing) to install this second OTA update.
I've tried factory resetting the phone, both within KitKat and via recovery, but these issues remain. Should I just reapply NG3 via Odin?
Thanks in advance!
fleggett1 said:
I have (or had) an AT&T branded S5 that was previous rooted and running Safestrap (I don't recall the BL version). Due to some EXTREME idiocy on my part, I took an OTA update two days ago, which updated and synched everything to G900AUCU2ANG3.
Naturally, this borked root. But there's some weirdness going on. Even after the OTA update, the phone's device status still says "Custom". And I still see the custom text when the phone boots. Is this Knox related?
Further oddness is that the phone keeps trying to pull down a second OTA update that looks identical to the first based on the filesize (over 400 MB). It goes through the motion, boots into recovery, and starts installing this second update, but stops partway through. Upon rebooting, the phone tells me the update was interrupted and can't be installed.
I realize I may never get root back, but I'm alarmed the phone's status still says "Custom" and that it's trying (and failing) to install this second OTA update.
I've tried factory resetting the phone, both within KitKat and via recovery, but these issues remain. Should I just reapply NG3 via Odin?
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What does your "android version" say in settings. If your still on 4.4.2 you can downgrade bank to nce and reroot with towel root.
dirtydodge said:
What does your "android version" say in settings. If your still on 4.4.2 you can downgrade bank to nce and reroot with towel root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I'm still on 4.4.2. Like I wrote in my OP, though, I'm VERY concerned that this second OTA update keeps failing. I'm also perplexed as to why the device is still in some sort of custom state since I thought taking the OTA update would, in essence, reset everything except user data.
Is my phone borked in some way? I mean, it works just fine otherwise, but the device's inability to install this second OTA update really sticks in my craw.
I might reapply NG3 via Odin and see what happens. Couldn't hurt, right?
fleggett1 said:
Yes, I'm still on 4.4.2. Like I wrote in my OP, though, I'm VERY concerned that this second OTA update keeps failing. I'm also perplexed as to why the device is still in some sort of custom state since I thought taking the OTA update would, in essence, reset everything except user data.
Is my phone borked in some way? I mean, it works just fine otherwise, but the device's inability to install this second OTA update really sticks in my craw.
I might reapply NG3 via Odin and see what happens. Couldn't hurt, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3149146
If you want root, go to the OP in that post, scroll down to step 4 or the notes section and download the "downgrade to nce.zip" flash that in odin "ap" slot. Then root with towel root. After that you can either download titanium backup and fees the ota's or use that same thread to upgrade to the OF2 version and keep root.
Edit:
If you want to just take the OTA's and not root your phone then still download the "downgrade to nce.zip" flash in odin but don't root. The ota's will push through with no problem then. But you won't be able to downgrade and root if you take the OTA's all the way up to oc4 i believe.
OK I got the notification to update today it's MMB29S, I am on K. I am rooted but stock, unlocked using systemless root for root. I've always been rooted and expected it to fail and have to install manually but this time because I'm not rooted like the old way. So i downloaded and went to install to my surprise dead Android with the triangle didn't show but it went to custom recovery screen twrp. I just hit restart because I've never not had a fail and never seen it do this before. Well when it restarted I was not updated and still on K. I also for the life of me can't get it to redo the ota. Tried to clear system service in apps and recheck but nothing.
So my question is since I'm new to systemless root what should I have done when it went to custom recovery? So that way if I can get it to pop up again I can be updated. Thank you in advance for any help and it would be awesome if possible to update this way without having to manually do it.
My best guess, based on what Chainfire replied to me when I asked about OTA, is that because you're somehow rooted the OTA will refuse to install. He said that using the "unroot" function in v2.63 (and I suppose in subsequent versions) he was able to apply the OTA and then just had to re-root.
As to the OTA, I read in the long-distant past that once it's been provided to your device you sort of go to the back of the queue, and even pressing the "check for system update" button has no effect. One day your turn will come again. When it happens, before you press the "install now" button, use the unroot function, reboot, and give it another go.
And I would really appreciate it if you could report back on the success or failure, just so we all know - thanks...
And before I close... your alternative is just to download the full ROM from Google, unzip everything in sight (including the zip within the zip), copy system.img to a convenient folder, and use Fastboot to flash system. After that you'll need to re-root (simple flash) and when you reboot everything will be as it was, apart from the version and security update date. I did it myself to MMB29S a week or so ago.
But my lawyer advises me to advise you to take a full backup first and store it off your device before you do anything to your device - just in case, you know?
I will definitely reply if I get the update again in a few days. If it doesn't I'll probably do it manually. I was just really surprised I hadn't gotten the error, just so used to it. Thank you for the info though.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but to install an OTA don't you need to be completely stock, including recovery?
If I'm not mistaken but since 4.3 (I'm probably wrong) if your rooted (before systemless root) when you try to the ota you will always get the dead Android because rooting changes the system files causing the update when it does is checks to think your system is corrupt.
Also it was really bad when people tried going from 5.x.x to 6.x even doing it manually some of us got bootlooped or when starting the phone up after updating manually saying system is corrupt but still starting up fine. Leaving like me having to completely clear out everything and installing the factory image just to not be corrupt and able to use Android pay.
Systemless root though I've not had a single problem and still able to use AP. And is also the first time in years I've gotten as far as I did with the OTA.
Rbh50815 said:
OK I got the notification to update today it's MMB29S, I am on K. I am rooted but stock, unlocked using systemless root for root. I've always been rooted and expected it to fail and have to install manually but this time because I'm not rooted like the old way. So i downloaded and went to install to my surprise dead Android with the triangle didn't show but it went to custom recovery screen twrp. I just hit restart because I've never not had a fail and never seen it do this before. Well when it restarted I was not updated and still on K. I also for the life of me can't get it to redo the ota. Tried to clear system service in apps and recheck but nothing.
So my question is since I'm new to systemless root what should I have done when it went to custom recovery? So that way if I can get it to pop up again I can be updated. Thank you in advance for any help and it would be awesome if possible to update this way without having to manually do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These small ota's can be done with boot modifications because they don't include any boot.img changes and if they do then they just blanket overwrite what's already there. The only part that is checked is /system. However TWRP won't ever install an ota update for compatibility reasons. Even if you reflash the stock recovery then you'll fail the ota because when you installed TWRP it protected itself (by modifying /system) from being overwritten by the stock recovery which is what unmodded stock android will always do on boot by default. And there are 2 things the ota verification looks for when updating: 1. It looks for whether /system has been ever mounted as Read/Write. 2. It hash checks the /system, if it finds any mismatch it fails. As for the update not showing up again, the ota checker hides the update after a failure to stop from flooding the download server. If you want to extract the update zip you can look in /cache for the zip. But since you don't have an unmodded /system you might as well just download the newest factory image and manually flash the system.img
You can use Wug NRT, unroot with MMB29S provided in the NRT , then root.
Since there are not too many stable ROMs available on the XT1096 that support CDMA (I am using Verizon's network). I decided I would unlock my bootloader, flash TWRP and root the stock firmware. Well, the past few days I guess I did not update my phone all the way before doing this since I just got it not even a week ago and keep getting prompts to install an OTA. This will obviously not work with TWRP and when I flashed TWRP I selected to modify the system so the stock firmware would not rewrite recovery on boot. This has become a complete pain in the ass for me. Accidently I selected to install the OTA since it is always in my notifications and when it happened it would obviously fail in TWRP but then it would boot back into the ROM and then power cycle back into TWRP. The only way to stop it was to do a factory reset which is not what I would like to do every time I accidently select to install this OTA. So my questions to you awesome people who know more about this device are. 1. is there a way I can enable the to option to where I will always have a stock recovery and then I can just fastboot boot into TWRP if needed? Or is there another way where I can just possibly stop this OTA all together even though the prompt already says it's downloaded and waiting for me to hit install. Like can I just go into rootexplorrer and delete or modify a few system files that'll stop the phone for looking for OTAs? I don't reallyl care about the OTA since it's obviously not 6.0 since VZW got boned on that one. Looks like it's just some security patches.
I'm sure this is probably a really stupid and simple question, so I apologize in advance. But thank you SO MUCH to anyone who decides to help me out. I will appreciate it GREATLY!!!
aeb401 said:
Since there are not too many stable ROMs available on the XT1096 that support CDMA (I am using Verizon's network). I decided I would unlock my bootloader, flash TWRP and root the stock firmware. Well, the past few days I guess I did not update my phone all the way before doing this since I just got it not even a week ago and keep getting prompts to install an OTA. This will obviously not work with TWRP and when I flashed TWRP I selected to modify the system so the stock firmware would not rewrite recovery on boot. This has become a complete pain in the ass for me. Accidently I selected to install the OTA since it is always in my notifications and when it happened it would obviously fail in TWRP but then it would boot back into the ROM and then power cycle back into TWRP. The only way to stop it was to do a factory reset which is not what I would like to do every time I accidently select to install this OTA. So my questions to you awesome people who know more about this device are. 1. is there a way I can enable the to option to where I will always have a stock recovery and then I can just fastboot boot into TWRP if needed? Or is there another way where I can just possibly stop this OTA all together even though the prompt already says it's downloaded and waiting for me to hit install. Like can I just go into rootexplorrer and delete or modify a few system files that'll stop the phone for looking for OTAs? I don't reallyl care about the OTA since it's obviously not 6.0 since VZW got boned on that one. Looks like it's just some security patches.
I'm sure this is probably a really stupid and simple question, so I apologize in advance. But thank you SO MUCH to anyone who decides to help me out. I will appreciate it GREATLY!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try using your favorite applications manager for root and freeze MotorolaOTA. This will prevent the update from being downloaded and you won't get messages about installing the OTA update.
Can a rooted phone be updated? If i root my razor, will i be able to update without re-rooting?
ChronosTrigger said:
Can a rooted phone be updated? If i root my razor, will i be able to update without re-rooting?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it fails to install. You need to reflash the stock boot image to take an OTA.
Confused still
CurtisMJ said:
No, it fails to install. You need to reflash the stock boot image to take an OTA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm Sorry i'm so nooby in this regard.
So do you mean i have to basically get the stock ROM back again.
Then I can re-root like i did with the earlier version?
ChronosTrigger said:
I'm Sorry i'm so nooby in this regard.
So do you mean i have to basically get the stock ROM back again.
Then I can re-root like i did with the earlier version?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Razer's update engine doesn't seem to have the option to download full images like some other OEMs, so only fully stock ROM can be upgraded.
On that note, Razer seems to have set a week as the delay for releasing factory images, so if you want to keep root you might want to wait after an OTA, though we may be able to reproduce a slot earlier if someone captures the OTA package (but it's not as verifiable of course)
CurtisMJ said:
Yes. Razer's update engine doesn't seem to have the option to download full images like some other OEMs, so only fully stock ROM can be upgraded.
On that note, Razer seems to have set a week as the delay for releasing factory images, so if you want to keep root you might want to wait after an OTA, though we may be able to reproduce a slot earlier if someone captures the OTA package (but it's not as verifiable of course)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WARNING: This file is really intended for a developer to use in making a rooted slot. Flashing the file below could? remove root or cause other issues if you're rooted. Brick maybe? Although, mostly likely, it won't flash at all if you are rooted.
I used adb to capture the Razer Phone 2 MR2 OTA. It's located here.
I also downloaded it... but figure y'all would prefer a link straight to the Google source
SHA1 is the file name so you can verify it. E9F494FACBF8B7A6DF32F342C84459A7051ACE24
The SHA256 I calculated was: FF571E225BC81C8D450964E0C7BA28DF13E963798F9E5AF7E7C142DE7FBE51A5
translucentfocus said:
WARNING: Flashing the file below could? remove root or cause other issues if you're rooted. Brick maybe? I'm not rooted, just trying to help people get the files they need.
I used adb to capture the OTA. It's located here.
I also downloaded it... but figure y'all would prefer a link straight to the Google source
SHA1 is the file name so you can verify it. E9F494FACBF8B7A6DF32F342C84459A7051ACE24
The SHA256 I calculated was: FF571E225BC81C8D450964E0C7BA28DF13E963798F9E5AF7E7C142DE7FBE51A5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So With this. You can root, AND if they have any Update for the phone in the future, I can Update it without losing my root?
ChronosTrigger said:
So With this. You can root, AND if they have any Update for the phone in the future, I can Update it without losing my root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not quite... The update will likely fail to apply due to checksum failures. If it did go through it would probably brick the kernel so that's a good thing. Sorry, there's not really a way to automatically root after official OTAs as they update block by block between two known states, and neither is rooted. It's just sort of not possible, by design. You have to unroot, update and root again.
The OTA package translucentfocus has provided allows us to reproduce a single slot before the week's wait for the factory image so we can root sooner.
translucentfocus said:
WARNING: Flashing the file below could? remove root or cause other issues if you're rooted. Brick maybe? I'm not rooted, just trying to help people get the files they need.
I used adb to capture the OTA. It's located here.
I also downloaded it... but figure y'all would prefer a link straight to the Google source
SHA1 is the file name so you can verify it. E9F494FACBF8B7A6DF32F342C84459A7051ACE24
The SHA256 I calculated was: FF571E225BC81C8D450964E0C7BA28DF13E963798F9E5AF7E7C142DE7FBE51A5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
which OTA is this? Also how to update
xterminater07 said:
which OTA is this? Also how to update
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I didn't specify. It's the MR2 update for the Razer Phone 2. Original reply has been also updated with version information in bold.
How to update? Actually, I posted the OTA because it's really for someone to make a slot with root before Razer releases the Factory MR2 Images--as @CurtisMJ mentioned previously.
CurtisMJ said:
Yes. Razer's update engine doesn't seem to have the option to download full images like some other OEMs, so only fully stock ROM can be upgraded.
On that note, Razer seems to have set a week as the delay for releasing factory images, so if you want to keep root you might want to wait after an OTA, though we may be able to reproduce a slot earlier if someone captures the OTA package (but it's not as verifiable of course)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to bring back an old thread but just a few questions if you don't mind.
I just bought a used Razer 2 seems like the user rooted it (I was unaware) and it has been years since I rooted anything. I downloaded root checker and it said I was rooted. I assume I'm running the stock rom, though magisk manager was installed on the phone when I turned it on so I guess it's not stock. I guess this means I can not take any OTA or it could brick? I went into system update and it still checked to make sure I was up to date so maybe OTA isn't disabled? So much has changed with apps and rooting since I messed with it that I don't know enough and I don't want to brick or bootloop the device.
Thanks
Univsoldur said:
Sorry to bring back an old thread but just a few questions if you don't mind.
I just bought a used Razer 2 seems like the user rooted it (I was unaware) and it has been years since I rooted anything. I downloaded root checker and it said I was rooted. I assume I'm running the stock rom, though magisk manager was installed on the phone when I turned it on so I guess it's not stock. I guess this means I can not take any OTA or it could brick? I went into system update and it still checked to make sure I was up to date so maybe OTA isn't disabled? So much has changed with apps and rooting since I messed with it that I don't know enough and I don't want to brick or bootloop the device.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that sounds about right. When rooted the OTA function doesn't disable right away. Only after its downloaded an update and actually tries to apply it it'll refuse. The new Android update engine is pretty good at not bricking. My guess is probably stock. If it's rooted, then the bootloader is unlocked, and it's not too bad. For magisk root at least all you need to do is flash the stock boot image and the OTA will apply. With factory images around and an unlocked bootloader you'll have a hard time bricking it. Just don't untick "OEM Unlocking" in developer options. Ever. (Or at least until you've fully restored stock firmware. It's supposed to be disabled so you can't make that mistake but Magisk hide tricks the firmware into believing the bootloader is locked so it's enabled. Whaddayagonnado)
CurtisMJ said:
Yes. Razer's update engine doesn't seem to have the option to download full images like some other OEMs, so only fully stock ROM can be upgraded.
On that note, Razer seems to have set a week as the delay for releasing factory images, so if you want to keep root you might want to wait after an OTA, though we may be able to reproduce a slot earlier if someone captures the OTA package (but it's not as verifiable of course)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CurtisMJ said:
Yes, that sounds about right. When rooted the OTA function doesn't disable right away. Only after its downloaded an update and actually tries to apply it it'll refuse. The new Android update engine is pretty good at not bricking. My guess is probably stock. If it's rooted, then the bootloader is unlocked, and it's not too bad. For magisk root at least all you need to do is flash the stock boot image and the OTA will apply. With factory images around and an unlocked bootloader you'll have a hard time bricking it. Just don't untick "OEM Unlocking" in developer options. Ever. (Or at least until you've fully restored stock firmware. It's supposed to be disabled so you can't make that mistake but Magisk hide tricks the firmware into believing the bootloader is locked so it's enabled. Whaddayagonnado)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the detailed response I managed to get up with the previous owner on swappa last night. He told me he unlocked the phone but never actually got around to rooting it. He also said it is running stock and the reason magisk is still on the phone after a wipe is because magisk persists after a wipe.
Messages from him.
Sorry about that, I did unlock the bootloader but I never actually got around to rooting. I usually relock the bootloader before I sell it but I completely forgot. You can apply an ota because I never installed a custom recovery, something else I didn't get around to doing. You can easily relock the bootloader using adb. If you need help with this let me know and I can walk you through it. But the bootloader being unlocked has zero effect on ota's. You are all good to go as far as that goes.
Oh no you're absolutely fine with an ota. I just looked it up and you're absolutely right, magisk does survive a reboot now. Since I didn't load a custom recovery though an ota will install just fine. Although when an ota does install though it will most likely remove magisk because it will write over the boot.img with the factory one. Here is the link to the factory images. It includes instructions on how to install it. But honestly a new ota should be released any time now since the last one I think was November. Once that installs you will be completely back to stock.
Does this sound accurate to y'all. Thanks again
@Univsoldur His knowledge seems a little dated. Kind of how mine was a few months ago Anyways here goes:
If a root checker says it's rooted then it probably is. I'm not sure why he says it isn't.
Magisk does indeed persist through a data wipe. I wasn't aware magiskinit could unpack the manager APK though. Neat
He's right in that an unlocked bootloader won't affect OTAs, but having magisk installed will.
The RP2 uses the new A/B update scheme. In this case it doesn't matter whether a custom recovery was ever installed. Recovery mode is not used during the process of installation. Unfortunately the new update scheme is also heavily based on deltas, even on the kernel image, so OTAs will be broken as it won't be able to retrieve a full kernel image from the OTA servers. Some OEMs' ROMs can do that, but Razer's can't. You can flash the factory images if you truly want a clean start, but to fix OTAs and remove magisk, reflashing just the kernel image with one from the factory image should be sufficient. The magisk uninstaller won't work due to the data wipe so that's probably the only option.
CurtisMJ said:
@Univsoldur His knowledge seems a little dated. Kind of how mine was a few months ago Anyways here goes:
If a root checker says it's rooted then it probably is. I'm not sure why he says it isn't.
Magisk does indeed persist through a data wipe. I wasn't aware magiskinit could unpack the manager APK though. Neat
He's right in that an unlocked bootloader won't affect OTAs, but having magisk installed will.
The RP2 uses the new A/B update scheme. In this case it doesn't matter whether a custom recovery was ever installed. Recovery mode is not used during the process of installation. Unfortunately the new update scheme is also heavily based on deltas, even on the kernel image, so OTAs will be broken as it won't be able to retrieve a full kernel image from the OTA servers. Some OEMs' ROMs can do that, but Razer's can't. You can flash the factory images if you truly want a clean start, but to fix OTAs and remove magisk, reflashing just the kernel image with one from the factory image should be sufficient. The magisk uninstaller won't work due to the data wipe so that's probably the only option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you think to get it back to stock I could just go here.
https://developer.razer.com/razer-phone-dev-tools/factory-images/
Will that remove magisk and return it back to stock I would assume there is no threat of flashing the stock image. Besides that do I need to mess with the kernel?
I'm wondering if it would be possible to flash the unlocked Razer phone 2 firmware to the AT&T version. Would the bootloader need to be unlocked?
Univsoldur said:
So you think to get it back to stock I could just go here.
https://developer.razer.com/razer-phone-dev-tools/factory-images/
Will that remove magisk and return it back to stock I would assume there is no threat of flashing the stock image. Besides that do I need to mess with the kernel?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that will return it to stock and remove Magisk. No, if you flash the factory image you don't need to do anything further with the kernel.
---------- Post added at 11:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:11 PM ----------
DrGonzo6o said:
I'm wondering if it would be possible to flash the unlocked Razer phone 2 firmware to the AT&T version. Would the bootloader need to be unlocked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The bootloader needs to be unlocked, yes. I had the unlocked one from the start, so I can't comment on how well that will work though.
Has anyone with an AT&T version successfully flashed unlocked firmware?
Univsoldur said:
So you think to get it back to stock I could just go here.
https://developer.razer.com/razer-phone-dev-tools/factory-images/
Will that remove magisk and return it back to stock I would assume there is no threat of flashing the stock image. Besides that do I need to mess with the kernel?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did post a full unroot guide...
I usually root every phone, but since this is something I do once a year, I tend to forget some basics (so bear with me). Other things, I actually never really knew.
Until now, rooting a phone and flashing a custom rom (or the factory image) were "one and done" things and I simply never updated my phone ever again, since OTA no longer works once the bootloader is unlocked, and installing a newer image forced me to wipe everything in TWRP or else I could no longer read the encrypted memory. Of course, that also forced me to re-root my phone and reinstall everything. A bit too much of a hassle for monthly security updates...
Nowadays, however, updates and security patches are more important than ever. And since I just received my rootable SD N9600, I want to do it correctly this time and stay up do date.
This begs the question: How *do* I stay up to date without basically factory-resetting, re-formatting and re-rooting my phone every month for every security update?
Google showed me a few solutions.
Pixel phones apparently have A/B partitions and a TWRP script. Not an option for the Note 9, though.
Flashfire apparently was the perfect solution that did exactly what I was looking for, but it has been abandoned by Chainfire and unfortunately it no longer works with newer Magisk versions. Even when I downgraded to a super old Magisk version, it would ultimately crash when starting the app (after receiving root permissions). So it doesn't seem to work, although staying on an old version of Magisk forever would not be an ideal solution anyway.
Is there anything like Flashfire or a simpler approach that I am missing?
Surely, I can't be the only rooted user who wants to install monthly security patches without wiping the entire phone.
Spaced Invader said:
I usually root every phone, but since this is something I do once a year, I tend to forget some basics (so bear with me). Other things, I actually never really knew.
Until now, rooting a phone and flashing a custom rom (or the factory image) were "one and done" things and I simply never updated my phone ever again, since OTA no longer works once the bootloader is unlocked, and installing a newer image forced me to wipe everything in TWRP or else I could no longer read the encrypted memory. Of course, that also forced me to re-root my phone and reinstall everything. A bit too much of a hassle for monthly security updates...
Nowadays, however, updates and security patches are more important than ever. And since I just received my rootable SD N9600, I want to do it correctly this time and stay up do date.
This begs the question: How *do* I stay up to date without basically factory-resetting, re-formatting and re-rooting my phone every month for every security update?
Google showed me a few solutions.
Pixel phones apparently have A/B partitions and a TWRP script. Not an option for the Note 9, though.
Flashfire apparently was the perfect solution that did exactly what I was looking for, but it has been abandoned by Chainfire and unfortunately it no longer works with newer Magisk versions. Even when I downgraded to a super old Magisk version, it would ultimately crash when starting the app (after receiving root permissions). So it doesn't seem to work, although staying on an old version of Magisk forever would not be an ideal solution anyway.
Is there anything like Flashfire or a simpler approach that I am missing?
Surely, I can't be the only rooted user who wants to install monthly security patches without wiping the entire phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
n9600 has limited development from the community. so if you are not going to flash a custom rom( usually thats how people stay up to date) then you will have to go through the rooting procedure each time.
bober10113 said:
n9600 has limited development from the community. so if you are not going to flash a custom rom( usually thats how people stay up to date) then you will have to go through the rooting procedure each time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So every solution that makes this easier is strictly device-specific and nothing like Flashfire (which would have worked regardless of community activity for the N9600) exists anymore?
Dark times indeed, almost makes me question if I should keep rooting my devices...
I have rooted note8 with decrypted data partition (no-verity... something script). I updated recently to newest firmware simply through odin. I flashed firmware preserving data (home csc file?). There was bootloop but after i flashed twrp and rooted with magisk phone started without problem and all settings and data was there. So this is solution for me, maybe it will work on note 9 too.
Spaced Invader said:
So every solution that makes this easier is strictly device-specific and nothing like Flashfire (which would have worked regardless of community activity for the N9600) exists anymore?
Dark times indeed, almost makes me question if I should keep rooting my devices...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally I'm sticking with phones officially supported by lineageOs (formerly cynogenmod) from now on.
Kriomag said:
I have rooted note8 with decrypted data partition (no-verity... something script). I updated recently to newest firmware simply through odin. I flashed firmware preserving data (home csc file?). There was bootloop but after i flashed twrp and rooted with magisk phone started without problem and all settings and data was there. So this is solution for me, maybe it will work on note 9 too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I have a Note 9 that was rooted with Magisk and running on Oreo 8. I updated it via Odin to Android 10. I have a bootloop. What should I do? Please help me