Develop Bugs

Reluctant to root (noob question)

I found the cheapest Desire in the UK is at 3uk/payg - 350 Sterling
...but apparently it comes locked to the 3 network, so, before I buy I thought I'd ask:
Noob Questions:
Will rooting take care of unlocking/make it SIM Free? What about rooting AND changing the ROM? (MUST the ROM be replaced when rooting?)
Is there a way to install a stock ROM? (the new ROMs look great but are still early builds - I think the best is yet to come and would rather wait, for now)
If, as promised, the Desire gets an OTA update to support apps2SD and/or divX, etc in the future, will I have to wait for a custom ROM based on the update because I rooted the device?
(Ops, if this should be in the dev forum, feel free to move it)

Rooting should unlock it - perhaps others can step in to ensure that. The last step in the root process is installing a rooted ROM. Paul's default ROM that gets flashed in that step is nothing but the stock Desire ROM (the one from HTC direct) modded to allow root. Sounds like that's what you want.
If the Desire later gets updated and you want it, you will have to wait for HTC to come out with an official update, or (since you're rooted), you'll most likely be able to get it sooner via the rooting community. HTC has to take time and make sure everything's perfect with Sense, etc. before they release an update. The root community doesn't usually have that hold time.
If you do wait for an official ROM from HTC, there's a chance installing that after rooting will revert your root, i.e. you'll lose access to the extra fun stuff.

eesmm said:
but apparently it comes locked to the 3 network
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3's Desire's are 100% unbranned and unlocked. I've got one right here and checked it just now with an o2 sim and it worked, although I do actually use my 3 sim in it! They get them stock from HTC and bundle a SIM card pack with them - According to 3 Blog. That may well change in the future, but it was the case when I picked mine up last Sunday.

The Professor said:
i.e. you'll lose access to the extra fun stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what is this extra fun stuff? apps to SD? (doesn't really affect me). What else? What am I missing. No idea of the real advantages of rooting so hoping to learn about the practical applications of rooting.

General rooting question

Hello all, I'm new to smartphones, Android, xda and rooting in general, but I understand the concept, value and associated risks. I'm following the thread by toastcfh in the EVO Development forum about how to root the EVO, but I don't want to clutter it up with such a basic question, so I'm posting it here.
I want to have root access in order to get rid of bloatware, play with custom roms and just generally have full access to my EVO. I do NOT, however, want to get in over my head. I want to develop a better understanding of Android before taking full advantage of what rooting offers. My concern is that if I don't root it as soon as I get it, HTC will patch the holes and I won't be able to do so later.
So here is my question: Can I root the darn thing when I get it on 6/4 and continue to run Sprint's delivered ROM? Then, as I accumulate more knowledge and experience, start to dig deeper into the OS and make use of what root has to offer? Also, can Sprint or HTC "un-root" a device via an OTA update or something similar? Sorry if these are noob questions, but as a noob, they're all I've got.
Oh, and thanks to all the folks who make this site so informative. It truly is a great resource.

You can root and remove your bloatware and even continue to use the stock ROM if you want. You can flash custom ROMs as you see fit. Remember, flashing a Sprint update will most likely unroot your device, so you should always just get a custom ROM based off the latest update instead of flashing the official updates. If you need to send your phone to Sprint you can always unroot with one of these official updates so they will never know about your root.

TheBiles said:
You can root and remove your bloatware and even continue to use the stock ROM if you want. You can flash custom ROMs as you see fit. Remember, flashing a Sprint update will most likely unroot your device, so you should always just get a custom ROM based off the latest update instead of flashing the official updates. If you need to send your phone to Sprint you can always unroot with one of these official updates so they will never know about your root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info.... I'm a noob as well, and am counting on you guys with your wealth of experience to show us the way.

TheBiles said:
You can root and remove your bloatware and even continue to use the stock ROM if you want. You can flash custom ROMs as you see fit. Remember, flashing a Sprint update will most likely unroot your device, so you should always just get a custom ROM based off the latest update instead of flashing the official updates. If you need to send your phone to Sprint you can always unroot with one of these official updates so they will never know about your root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the speedy response! Regarding Sprint updates, is this something that you must accept discretely via a keystroke or check box or something similar? Can you set the phone to not check for updates until you tell it to, or will it prompt the user on some sort of routine basis?

erikivy said:
Thanks for the speedy response! Regarding Sprint updates, is this something that you must accept discretely via a keystroke or check box or something similar? Can you set the phone to not check for updates until you tell it to, or will it prompt the user on some sort of routine basis?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it is the same with the Hero, OTA updates won't work on a custom ROM. I'm also sure that you can decline an OTA update on the stock ROM.

TheBiles said:
If it is the same with the Hero, OTA updates won't work on a custom ROM. I'm also sure that you can decline an OTA update on the stock ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perfect! Thanks again.

Once on 2.2, no root....

What's the best way to get rooted. I've tried te avalauncher way, they tell me I have to be rooted to use it. I've tried the simple root OTA, but when it's suppose to take you to factory restore, my phone goes to a backup/restore screen, so it fails cause I can't restore it. Please give me assistance.
I am running 2.2 from a manual install. No root.

You have to wait until the guys here find a way for p eople to root once they have 2.2 . That could take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks

Most likely you are NOT going to be able to root since you ran the OTA update for 2.2....
That is why you should read what you are flashing and know the consequences prior to doing so. Every thread that contained the download for the 2.2 leak said that it will make you lose root and the ability ( for now ) to gain root status.
You need to wait until one of the geniuses figure out a way to do it.
Sorry about your luck.

The best way is toast method...
Good luck!
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

UND3RTAK3R said:
The best way is toast method...you can email me if you have any problems [email protected]
Good luck!
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not gonna work since he used the 2.2 update man.

EVOme said:
What's the best way to get rooted. I've tried te avalauncher way, they tell me I have to be rooted to use it. I've tried the simple root OTA, but when it's suppose to take you to factory restore, my phone goes to a backup/restore screen, so it fails cause I can't restore it. Please give me assistance.
I am running 2.2 from a manual install. No root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. wrong forum, should be in Q&A
2. if you did the manual update from Sprint, you will have to wait until the devs here create a root method for stock 2.2 is developed. Any existing root method will not work at all.

EVOme said:
What's the best way to get rooted. I've tried te avalauncher way, they tell me I have to be rooted to use it. I've tried the simple root OTA, but when it's suppose to take you to factory restore, my phone goes to a backup/restore screen, so it fails cause I can't restore it. Please give me assistance.
I am running 2.2 from a manual install. No root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You installed the plain OTA update? The one that says "not rooted yet" on the thread title?
For each new update, HTC tries to protect its software from being rooted. The last update required users to exploit a Flash Lite vulnerability and took a while. You will probably have to wait a long time before you can root this, since it doesn't have Flash Lite.
For future reference, root first THEN update to a rooted rom released by our devs. You can't just install Ava's rom on top of stock 2.2, it prevents you from doing so.

I'm sorry but HOW MANY posts were there saying if you want to keep root, DO NOT INSTALL THE UPDATE?? Ugh...
And yes I know this isn't constructive but sometimes people just need a slap on the back if the head.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

I'm in the same boat. After trying hard to resist the urge, I gave in and installed the leak. After finding the rooted version, I tried to use the 1.47 RUU to go back but it error-ed out. I'm so bummed I can't go back. Oh well; I knew the risk I was taking though so I guess I have to live with it...

Hours my my day wasted....HOURS!!!
Where's my AR-15

Wow, just wow.

I just had a thought: If there is no method for rooting yet, then how are the stock roms being rooted?

Here we go again
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

bludragon742 said:
I just had a thought: If there is no method for rooting yet, then how are the stock roms being rooted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By digging thru it and finding an exploit.
Which will most likely happen for the 2.2 update as well, just not as of yet.

bludragon742 said:
I just had a thought: If there is no method for rooting yet, then how are the stock roms being rooted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With a ROM, you can run through the zip file and essentially take out the parts that would remove root and modify as you see fit to put on an already rooted device -- the device isn't running all the security checks on the ROM, since it's already been rooted to remove those. Much easier, almost trivial.
If you have a non-rooted device, though, you have to find a way to get the device, not the ROM, rooted. The device isn't going to take an unofficial ROM. Big difference, since you have to exploit something already on the device somehow. With the last OTA update, it was Flash Lite that could be exploited for root access to the device. With this one, no one has found a method to root the device once the OTA has been applied (and probably won't really try that hard until the official version is released, in case it closes any exploits that are in the version floating around now).

xeno314 said:
With a ROM, you can run through the zip file and essentially take out the parts that would remove root and modify as you see fit to put on an already rooted device -- the device isn't running all the security checks on the ROM, since it's already been rooted to remove those. Much easier, almost trivial.
If you have a non-rooted device, though, you have to find a way to get the device, not the ROM, rooted. The device isn't going to take an unofficial ROM. Big difference, since you have to exploit something already on the device somehow. With the last OTA update, it was Flash Lite that could be exploited for root access to the device. With this one, no one has found a method to root the device once the OTA has been applied (and probably won't really try that hard until the official version is released, in case it closes any exploits that are in the version floating around now).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Beat me to it and said it better.

bludragon742 said:
I'm in the same boat. After trying hard to resist the urge, I gave in and installed the leak. After finding the rooted version, I tried to use the 1.47 RUU to go back but it error-ed out. I'm so bummed I can't go back. Oh well; I knew the risk I was taking though so I guess I have to live with it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no idea how it was "hard to resist" when AVA's rooted version showed up at 5:30pm and netarchy's showed up around 9pm. They showed up before any official sprint OTA. Lets also not forget the hundreds of posts warning people that this would happen.
bludragon742 said:
I just had a thought: If there is no method for rooting yet, then how are the stock roms being rooted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The "rooting method" allows you to get into restricted areas of the phone to install stuff. The act of rooting is breaking into the phone itself, not into the rom. The rom itself is fully accessable and can be hacked up, its just getting it onto the phone is the hard part.
Essentially your phone, stock, is a box that's locked from the inside. For older versions people figured out how to unlock it, so that you can put any hacked up rom onto it. The new OTA, no one knows how to get in yet.
Don't know if that makes sense. It's pretty easy to understand if you understand OS permissions.
EDIT: what the other guy said.

bludragon742 said:
I just had a thought: If there is no method for rooting yet, then how are the stock roms being rooted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because someone takes the CONTENT of the update, and applies it piece-by-piece to an already rooted image, ignoring the bits that replace HBOOT and etc.

Mad06STi said:
I have no idea how it was "hard to resist" when AVA's rooted version showed up at 5:30pm and netarchy's showed up around 9pm. .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll tell you why. The thread gets to 200 pages. There are people saying it works, sucks, bricks, awesome, hate it, stay away, success, etc. After reading 40 pages of it you have no idea up from down. Speaking from someone that is not familiar with Android rooting. It's frustrating. Then you go to one of the other 50 threads and it's all the same.
I never saw anywhere that if I installed the leak i'd be screwed. I'm fine with that though. I have 2.2 and can wait. Just annoyed i've spent hours of my day on this.

This thread was a funny read.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Root After Update?

I've been considering rooting my phone at some point. I read in one post that the new OTA update might make rooting impossible. Is this true?
As a follow up question- Seems from the forum posts that some people end up with various problems after flashing. Is it really worth rooting and flashing? What are the most important advantages and improvements?
Thanks
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App

Dude just root your phone. Having complete control over your device is reason enough to do it. Some programs don't even work without it. Rooting is simple too btw with Unrevoked3. Make sure to get unrevoked3 because unrevoked forever will void any chance at a warrenty claim.

I'm a total noobie to rooting and flashing so please excuse me if I have this wrong.
I would be fine waiting for the official OTA update and then rooting and flashing a cooked ROM but I read on some posts that rooting may not be possible after the update. The advice seems to be to run unrevokedforever to get "s-off" and gain permanent root access. My biggest concern with this is voiding my warranty. I already had to return one of these for a bad speaker.
Can I just refuse the OTA until unrevoked gets s-on?

Before you do any rooting; consider the reason you want to root your phone. If you want official OTA updates then don't bother. IF you want to have the freedom and take on the responsibility of doing whatever you want to your phone and the consequences of not fully understanding what you're doing, then root your phone.
Rooting is not for everyone, decide what you want from your phone first, then consider what you'll gain from having root.
You can re-root your phone, but like anything else it carries risks, be ready to buy a new phone for $600 when you blow this one up. Then you are ready to root for certain.

Good advice DIC. I certainly don't want to shell out the dollars for a new phone. My main reasons for rooting and flashing would be:
- Better battery life
- wifi tethering
- having control for reasons I might realize later
- fun
Will the OTA update address the first 2 issues?
Will rooting still be possible after the OTA? If so I can just enjoy the benefits of that and then root and flash if I still want to.

Rooting after the 2.2 OTA
I ran across some older Unrevoked comments that were in the vein that all of their exploits had been plugged in the 2.2 OTA so finding new ones might take time. That was a few weeks ago so who knows what they have now. So if you accept the 2.2 OTA without the S-OFF mod, then you will have to wait for Unrevoked 4(?) to find a new exploit.
S-OFF on the other hand will let you accept any official, locked down update, load you own recovery (ClockworkMod) and from there load su/Superuser.apk.
I happen to be a Linux developer, so I'm interested in unlocking the phone so I can understand the lower levels (below the Android java machine). But I am also cautious, so I would prefer to start with stock and mod the system in bits and pieces as I need and understand it.

S-OFF on the other hand will let you accept any official, locked down update, load you own recovery (ClockworkMod) and from there load su/Superuser.apk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So are you saying you recommend applying forever and s-off now before accepting the OTA update?
As a "cautious" linux developer what have you done with your phone at this point?

I think I will root the phone with unrevoked3 and just install wireless tethering from the app store for now.
I would also like to update the radio for better performance. I read I can only update to 2.05 without applying s-off and that it can brick my phone if I install it twice. Is this a good idea?
If the official OTA shows up can I run it on a rooted phone? I assume I can. More importantly, do I want to?

marcmarshall said:
So are you saying you recommend applying forever and s-off now before accepting the OTA update?
As a "cautious" linux developer what have you done with your phone at this point?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I applied the S-OFF mod specifically because I want to use stock as a starting point rather than relying upon a rebuilt or reconstructed MOD from someone else. Not that I don't trust the developers - they do a lot of great work. But with so many files flying around and very little source code behind those mods, I rather build the pieces myself (as much as is feasible). Koush has a lot of his work available on github, for example, and you can see exactly how he goes about replacing a kernel. I've also been able to recompile the kernel from the HTC released sources - now if I can find the configuration files that the Hydra Kernel developer uses, then I can roll my own kernels - again from stock sources.
To address your second question - I've done a network port scan on my phone to identify open TCP or UDP ports and found an unidentified UDP port listening. I posted a thread and some deductive reasoning from other XDA users narrowed down the source to the new Chrome to Phone feature. I'll be able to verify this after the stock 2.2 OTA comes through, but the phone is really a little Linux system under the Java machine that "traps" most of the Android apps. Root privilege bypasses the Android security and the hardware security (NAND lock) and could allow a "root" only app to install something under the hood. The phones are trapped in Verizon's network, so they are hard to get to, but the standard firewall (iptableS) is down by default.
So as Spiderman's Uncle Ben says, "With great power comes great responsibility". If you root your phone, but do not compile your own apps/mods from source, then you must rely upon the integrity of the community and file sharing systems for the mods that you install. S-OFF will let you install stock images and then as a minimum you need a replacement recovery (ClockworkMod) and the superuser package. But from there, you can work as you see fit.
It may benefit the community to have some form of central "Modding integrity verification" system for example where source codes, update zips and md5sums are fully documented so that if you pull down a mod from a file sharing site, then you have a good idea that the file is from the original developer. Then if the developer is good with changelogs and source, the user can feel reasonably good as to the integrity what's running on the phone. It would slow down innovation however.

I like the way you think Starfire. Last night I rooted with Unrevoked3, no s-off. I've only added a few root only apps and removed a couple bloats so far. I'm concerned about not being able to root after the OTA update so I think I will stop worrying so much and apply Unrevoked forever, update the radio, and apply the leaked or a custom ROM.
I like Sense and I would like a kernal with the adaptive cpu clocking, or whatever it is called, so I can improve battery life. Any suggestions?
Thanks much............mm

If you wait for the official ota its gonna be a while until a developer group like unrevoked finds a way to root it. If you want wifi tethering and froyo now I suggest rooting.
youtube.com/user/mejdam
^has several guides on how to root upgrade to baseband 2.05 and downgrade back to stock. Most roms can run on 2.05. If you want to extend battery life I suggest installing a hydra kernal that is undervolted or kingxkernal (if you want more control in oc). Also only way to get true wifi tethering for free is through rooting.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App

marcmarshall said:
I like the way you think Starfire. Last night I rooted with Unrevoked3, no s-off. I've only added a few root only apps and removed a couple bloats so far. I'm concerned about not being able to root after the OTA update so I think I will stop worrying so much and apply Unrevoked forever, update the radio, and apply the leaked or a custom ROM.
I like Sense and I would like a kernal with the adaptive cpu clocking, or whatever it is called, so I can improve battery life. Any suggestions?
Thanks much............mm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I played with SkyRaider 2.2 Sense and liked it a lot. 2.5.2 sounds even better although I have not tried it because (1) I have my phone S-OFF, rooted stock 2.1 with the stock 605.2 recovery waiting a few more days for the OTA and (2) there was a lot of back and forth with boot loops, sound fixes, Hulu fixes, etc. so I'm letting it settle out a bit. The SkyRaider dev does a great job with extras and themes available through ROM Manager. If the OTA takes too much longer, I may give that one a shot again - and keep looking under the hood.

I think I will play a little wait and see also. I was also leaning to skyraider based on what I had read. I might use it and then patch this kernal http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=760050&highlight=cpu+rom+battery . It is optimized for battery usage. I need to do some homework about it though to see if Skyraider is not already using the same optimization and that it is stable.
Thanks!

Question about rooting LG G2 (Sprint) and OTA Updates.

Good afternoon guys,
I have a few set of questions and I will be glad if someone is able to kindly help me out. Please keep in mind that I am not an android expert as far as rooting, custom roms, etc... So I ask for patience from you guys!
Now... into the questions. I got my LG G2 2 weeks ago from Sprint. Great solid phone with killer specs. I previously had a Galaxy Epic 4G Touch. I was looking into rooting my LG G2 phone. However, somewhere in an article online, I read that, if I were to root my LG, I would no longer receive OTA software updates... Like an updated android version for example.. Is that true? I dont care about loosing root after updating. I just dont want to root my phone, receive an OTA update and then mess up my phone.. So thats my first question.
Next... I've done quite a few research online on how to root the G2 from sprint. What i am currently having issues with is finding the drivers. I know I must install them prior to attempting anything else. I read that I could use the Tmobile version drivers even though I am on sprint. But no luck finding those either. Could someone provide me with a link to download the drivers? Thanks! (Windows 8)
And last... I've seen many methods on rooting this device, that at the end, was confused on which one to use. Soo.. could someone share a link of a working method to root the LG G2 from Sprint (Android 4.4.2)
Thank you guys and I will be very grateful for any help. :good:

Any change of the android operating system with ota can fail. They are looking it seems note for any excuse to break the phone if you do anything. Best idea is to make sure you can unroot, then take ota.
Best way to root is go with ioroot25. I believe it is in lg g2 general.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Thank you for your reply.
How would I unroot my G2? Would I use ioroot25? Or is there some type of app that I would have to download? Correct me if I'm wrong, but... Is it possible to unroot with SuperSU ones is installed on your phone after a sucessful root?
Thanks.! :good:

SuperSU can unroot (and temp unroot, though anybodies guess if it'll survive an OTA). There's several other temp unrooters, I often use Hide My Root (try to get some perspective on what the device *actually* works like). Otherwise, removing su, supersu, busybox (if installed) and whatever else until /system looks unmodified works. If there's custom recovery, you (as well as I) probably need to flash that back to stock as well. Or.. quite likely there will be a version around to flash without taking the actual OTA update if there isn't already (haven't checked the other thread). That'll likely be the easiest rather than bother with redoing the work to fix it up again.
Nothing is risk-free of course, but unrooted and flashed back to stock recovery it should be at least fairly unlikely to hurt anything. Of course that's often the stuff I mess up.

Robles23 said:
Good afternoon guys,
I have a few set of questions and I will be glad if someone is able to kindly help me out. Please keep in mind that I am not an android expert as far as rooting, custom roms, etc... So I ask for patience from you guys!
Now... into the questions. I got my LG G2 2 weeks ago from Sprint. Great solid phone with killer specs. I previously had a Galaxy Epic 4G Touch. I was looking into rooting my LG G2 phone. However, somewhere in an article online, I read that, if I were to root my LG, I would no longer receive OTA software updates... Like an updated android version for example.. Is that true? I dont care about loosing root after updating. I just dont want to root my phone, receive an OTA update and then mess up my phone.. So thats my first question.
Next... I've done quite a few research online on how to root the G2 from sprint. What i am currently having issues with is finding the drivers. I know I must install them prior to attempting anything else. I read that I could use the Tmobile version drivers even though I am on sprint. But no luck finding those either. Could someone provide me with a link to download the drivers? Thanks! (Windows 8)
And last... I've seen many methods on rooting this device, that at the end, was confused on which one to use. Soo.. could someone share a link of a working method to root the LG G2 from Sprint (Android 4.4.2)
Thank you guys and I will be very grateful for any help. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I took a OTA update this morning not thinking.....rooted but stock rom and now my phone wont come out of recovery.....Trying to fix this now...ugg! Not fun