Hey guys, sorry if this has already been answered somewhere else but I couldn't find it anywhere.
I bought a Galaxy Nexus a couple weeks ago and am loving it (except for battery life) and am interested in rooting it. But I have a few questions first:
1. What is the difference between unlocking the bootloader and rooting a phone. I know what unlocking a bootloader is, but I don't know much about rooting.
2. If I unlock and root, will I still be able to get updates from Google directly wihtout issues? Like, will I get the 4.0.3 update whenever it comes out even if I'm rooted?
3. Will my warranty be voided if I unlock the bootloader?
4. And if I do root it, what ROMs do you guys suggest I use? Which ones are the smoothest in performance and give the best battery life and customizations etc?
5. There is a new unlock/root tool made for the SGN, shown here: droid-life.com /2012/01/04/simple-galaxy-nexus-lte-rootunlock-and-unrootre-lock-tool-released/
Is it as effective as unlocking and rooting manually or does it have some drawbacks since it does everything for you automatically? BTW, thanks to whoever made that tool.
I know these are dumb questions but I'm new at this, so please bear with me. Thanks for any help in advance!
Peesashiz said:
Hey guys, sorry if this has already been answered somewhere else but I couldn't find it anywhere.
I bought a Galaxy Nexus a couple weeks ago and am loving it (except for battery life) and am interested in rooting it. But I have a few questions first:
1. What is the difference between unlocking the bootloader and rooting a phone. I know what unlocking a bootloader is, but I don't know much about rooting.
2. If I unlock and root, will I still be able to get updates from Google directly wihtout issues? Like, will I get the 4.0.3 update whenever it comes out even if I'm rooted?
3. Will my warranty be voided if I unlock the bootloader?
4. And if I do root it, what ROMs do you guys suggest I use? Which ones are the smoothest in performance and give the best battery life and customizations etc?
5. There is a new unlock/root tool made for the SGN, shown here: droid-life.com /2012/01/04/simple-galaxy-nexus-lte-rootunlock-and-unrootre-lock-tool-released/
Is it as effective as unlocking and rooting manually or does it have some drawbacks since it does everything for you automatically? BTW, thanks to whoever made that tool.
I know these are dumb questions but I'm new at this, so please bear with me. Thanks for any help in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) I have an app called All About Root which should answer the majority of all basic questions and even some advanced technical ones regarding root.
2) Yes, if you're still on stock and dont change/modify any of the stock apk/framework files. Once the OTA update finishes, root access will be removed and a stock recovery will be reloaded. Will have to fastboot flash the custom recovery back and set the permissions back on root (permissions are a topic in All About Root)
3) Depends on who is covering the warranty or another way to put it, who/where/how device was purchased.
5) I would always recommend learning the manual method. Once you load the android-sdk, which is needed for many customizations, the unlock is a simple command and learning adb/fastboot will be very useful in the future for most operations.
Hope that helps! I'm sure others will chime in with their opinions and experiences to cover any gaps I might have missed. Good luck!
1) Unlocking allows you to modify the kernel and flash custom roms. Rooting allows you root access to the OS. Root is the equivalent of an admin in windows, but in the context of android it gives you write access to the full device. Basically it allows you to access lower level system functions (ie droidwall is a gui for iptables which is a firewall).
2)My understanding is that if you unlock and root, you'll be running a custom recovery (clockwork). I'm not sure if that means you won't see the OTA or if it'll just revert to stock or it may not work at all. Perhaps someone else can explain, but frankly when you get to #4 I don't see any reason why OTA updates are relevant.
3) I think the bootload can be relocked so even if it does void the warranty it can be reversed. Whether or not they can tell that it has been unlocked I don't know, and if they wanted to find a reason to deny a warranty I'm sure they could find one whether or not it's unlocked. I'd be surprised if they denied it though since the nexus devices are important because they can be unlocked.
4) I've used Axiom pretty much since the day after I got my phone. Most of them are all the same 4.0.3 core just various modifications to 'improve' the experience. The one other rom I'd look at is kang's because it's based on CM9. Kernels are another issue from there - I've liked both leankernel and franco's. Note that you should check out the forums over at rootzwiki as their dev area seems more active than around here. The kernel is the main source of battery and performance boosts.
5) I would recommend attempting it manually. The most difficult part imo is getting the drivers installed and the device recognized by adb. From there it's just executing a single line to unlocked. Unlocking will wipe your data. I'll say it again...unlocking will wipe your data. I used superboot myself, but if you're going to a custom rom then getting root access is really only needed temporarily to get clockwork installed - any custom rom has root access already. Here's a link to superboot. I *think* you just execute it from your computer (its a batch file) and it will root the device for you. I'm not sure if it installs clockworkmod so the first thing you should do after booting is download rom manager and reflash recovery to be sure. Then you can use clockworkmod to move to a rom.
Happy flashing.
Related
Ok. I would be glad if someone could point me in the right direction here, and answer this question.
I am planning on buying an Xplay, mainly for phoning and gaming. I am very keen on keeping the Xplay "clean" and fast, and therefore wish to remove all bloatware from the beginning.
Could someone point me in a direction to where to start when I first unpack my phone? Should I accept all the updates and so on? What´s the best thing to do if I want to remove the bloatware. I might as well say that I´m pretty much a beginner when it comes to all the terms "rooting" and stuff. But I want to do it a safe way, without taking risks of breaking or bricking anything.
Thanks.
Some of the bloatware can be simply uninstalled, some cannot. For the latter you need to root your phone. I like to use SuperOneClick for rooting. Note that some firmwares (the ones whose version ends with .62 or greater) cannot be rooted, so I wouldn't update to them.
Once rooted, removing the bloatware is pretty simple. The most common way is to use Titanium Backup to uninstall it or you can even do it manually by deleting the relevant .apk files from /system/app.
Root your phone ,this is the first step that you must to do. After rooting ,you can remove bloatware from your phone and gain more free space on you internal memory.
I think that the best rooting way is the (zergRush Method):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1312859
After rooting ,download 'Root Explorer' ,go to system/app and remove all the things you don't need.
If you are getting an AT&T Xplay I would suggest installing the generic north American rom which is 2.3.4 and missing the AT&T bloat. I backed up the games from the stock rom first then installed the NA rom and reinstalled them.
First use pc companion and install the latest update. Then root and remove bloat and get everything set up like your contacts and apps. After that install cwm and make a nandroid backup and start flashing roms! Back-up your info if the rom won't carry it over. Optional: Unlock bootloader before roms. There are plenty of stock based roms to for people with locked bootloaders.
EDIT: Don't do the below, just read you don't want risk!
1. Unlock the bootloader
2. Use flashtool to install a generic ROM .FTF file (.368 has CRT animation but is old, .42 is good, .62 is good)
3. Install a kernel (DooM's is great). This will allow you to overclock, and give automatic ROOT (no need to exploit or install anything else)
4. Buy/acquire an app called "Titanium Backup" (it needs ROOT to run), and check the guide in these forums for which apps are safe to remove
The first thing to do? Here's a list:
1. READ everything you can find related to your model version of the Play. There are different versions depending on where you are in the world and who your service provider is. If you have a GSM capable phone (Europe, Canada, ATT in US just to name a few), you will have a lot more modification options available. If you have a CDMA capable phone (Verizon), you have fewer choices but there are more coming almost every day.
2. READ again - you know you only understood maybe a 10th of what you just read!
3. POST specific questions AFTER you have searched the forums. Don't be afraid to try Google - that's what it's there for.
4. THINK !!! - what is it that you expect to get from modifying your phone that it doesn't do now? If you just want to remove bloatware, you can simply root, install a custom recovery, make a backup and then go to town. No need for unlocking the bootloader or loading a custom rom.
5. SLOW DOWN !!! - don't be in such a hurry to modify your phone that you leap before you look. Most bricked phones could be avoided in the first place by taking time to understand the steps involved before making changes.
6. DON'T PANIC !!! - There are very few things you can do to your phone that the experienced folks here on the forums can't help you resolved.
7. HAVE FUN !!!
---------- Post added at 01:16 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:14 AM ----------
Potato13 said:
First use pc companion and install the latest update. Then root and remove bloat and get everything set up like your contacts and apps. After that install cwm and make a nandroid backup and start flashing roms! Back-up your info if the rom won't carry it over. Optional: Unlock bootloader before roms. There are plenty of stock based roms to for people with locked bootloaders.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not necessarily. If you install some of the latest updates, you no longer can root. That's why some research needs to be done first.
Search google and read xda forums on a daily basis. That's the shortest route lol
1. Root using zergrush or use flashtool rooting feature
2. Unlock bootloader (this will void your warranty)
3. Install clockworkmod 5.0.2.7 for xperia phones (get it free on play store fka android market)
4. Install titanium backup and perform batch backup of your apps to your sd card
5. Get doomlord's kernel v11 (link is on my signature) and wifi modules
6. Reboot into recovery and hold down or tap volume down to enter CWM recovery
7. Flash the kernel, then reboot and flash the wifi module
8. Flash your custom rom
9. There your phone is bricked! Haha
netizenmt said:
4. THINK !!! - what is it that you expect to get from modifying your phone that it doesn't do now? If you just want to remove bloatware, you can simply root, install a custom recovery, make a backup and then go to town. No need for unlocking the bootloader or loading a custom rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the input.
The only thing that I plan to do, is probably just remove bloatware and nothing more. So I guess it´s just down to rooting the phone then, and delete the things that I don´t want? No need for unlocking bootloaders etc.?
Is there a list of what stuff that can be deleted? Or other things that can be achieved by only rooting the phone?
And the last question. Is it totally ok to accept android updates after the rooting and removing of bloatware?
silmes said:
Thanks for the input.
The only thing that I plan to do, is probably just remove bloatware and nothing more. So I guess it´s just down to rooting the phone then, and delete the things that I don´t want? No need for unlocking bootloaders etc.?
Is there a list of what stuff that can be deleted? Or other things that can be achieved by only rooting the phone?
And the last question. Is it totally ok to accept android updates after the rooting and removing of bloatware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you aren't going to get into custom kernels and overclocking, then no, you can do what you want without unlocking the bootloader.
There are some links in General and here in Q & A that make suggestions of what can be removed safely.
If you only rooted and didn't remove anything, you could accept updates. If you remove bloatware, the update won't even install. That's why I suggest installing CWM (ClockWorkMod) Recovery and doing a Nandroid Backup after you root but before you debloat.
Here are some useful links for you:
Rooted (Locked Bootloader) Phone - App Removal (Safe List)
[GUIDE] R800x owners - You got Custom ROM questions? I've got Answers!
The second one there was one I posted up for R800x users with locked bootloaders. It was all the stuff I had to glean for myself when mine was locked.
Hope this helps.
Sigh...hope this isn't too late.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=23845116#post23845116
First thing: Root right away with Flashtool (http://androxyde.github.com/) and don't listen to the others, the Flashtool nowdays contains the Exploit that you need and it works perfect to root on 2.3.4 (I did it myself when I root'd mine the first time).
I am planning on buying an Xplay, mainly for phoning and gaming. I am very keen on keeping the Xplay "clean" and fast, and therefore wish to remove all bloatware from the beginning.
I recommend the Titanium Backup as all the others, and you can use this list as help: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1046699&highlight=remove+app+list
Could someone point me in a direction to where to start when I first unpack my phone? Should I accept all the updates and so on?
Yes, do that first of all before you go ahead and root your device.
Q: Could someone point me in a direction to where to start when I first unpack my phone? Should I accept all the updates and so on?
A: Yes, do that first of all before you go ahead and root your device.
The interesting thing is that the answer to this seems to differ on who you ask. Further back in this thread, someone advised me NOT to update, as it might lead to problems when trying to root my phone. What´s the deal here?
silmes said:
Q: Could someone point me in a direction to where to start when I first unpack my phone? Should I accept all the updates and so on?
A: Yes, do that first of all before you go ahead and root your device.
The interesting thing is that the answer to this seems to differ on who you ask. Further back in this thread, someone advised me NOT to update, as it might lead to problems when trying to root my phone. What´s the deal here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you update to the .62 firmware you can't root.
Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk
silmes said:
Q: Could someone point me in a direction to where to start when I first unpack my phone? Should I accept all the updates and so on?
A: Yes, do that first of all before you go ahead and root your device.
The interesting thing is that the answer to this seems to differ on who you ask. Further back in this thread, someone advised me NOT to update, as it might lead to problems when trying to root my phone. What´s the deal here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's because it differs between models and some people aren't aware of that, while others like to be argumentative!
If you have a Verizon R800x Play, our firmware only goes up to Version 2.3.3 (3.0.1.E.0.88). If yours comes with 2.3.2, you're safe to update. You will be able to root with no problem.
If you have one of the other phones, you can apply updates below 4.0.2.A.0.62 and still root. .62 and higher, no root.
Check out this thread [HOW-TO] Root Phones w/ Android v2.2.x-2.3.x (zergRush Method) for additional information.
I just got this phone. Android 4.2.2. I was wondering if rooting is still possible. I know that there are issues with unlocking the bootloader like, we can't. So can I still root and have the rooting goodies? If so, can you direct me to the correct method of rooting? All the methods I can find include unlocking the bootloader first and I don't know if I can just skip that step or not.
Thank you for your time.
Time To Shine said:
I just got this phone. Android 4.2.2. I was wondering if rooting is still possible. I know that there are issues with unlocking the bootloader like, we can't. So can I still root and have the rooting goodies? If so, can you direct me to the correct method of rooting? All the methods I can find include unlocking the bootloader first and I don't know if I can just skip that step or not.
Thank you for your time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To answer your question you need to unlock/s-off your phone to root it, I would recommend running the rumrunner tool, installing a customer recovery and then install a custom rom. The reason I say install a custom rom even if you want to remain stock is because you can get a stock rom without any bloat. Most of the bloat apps on the HTC One and pretty much any phone, run in the background as soon as your phone starts, this eats battery life and performance. For a stock rom check out Santod040, he has a good stock rom released, personally I like NuSense and ViperOne they are both very solid roms.
Read this thread - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2473644 it is the Rumrunner tool. I believe as long as you DO NOT UPGRADE to 4.3 you can still root/unlock/s-off, after you unlock/s-off you can install whichever rom you like without worrying about losing the ability to have root access.
You will want to get into the bootloader to check which OS version you have and then download the corresponding version of Rumrunner.
Edit:
Be sure to backup your whole phone as soon as you install a customer recovery. After the backup is complete, save a copy on your computer. There will be times when you are tinkering with your phone that you will need to get your phone back to a factory state, you can use a RUU but in my opinion that is more complicated process and you have a higher risk of something going wrong compared to simply restoring a backup.
Okay. Thank you. I will look into this.
Hi All
Let me start with few good things here You guys are amazing helping and providing tweaks for us:good:
I am Nexus user. I have Installed Custom Recovery, Flashed ROMs and rooted my Nexus 4 and Nexus 5. This is my First Samsung Tablet. I have waited enough for Nexus 10 (2). I finally bought SM-P600.
I was trying to find an Guide with links for Unlocking bootloader and Updating firmware and then flash Custom recovery for this but coudnt figure it out
I have been reading lots of things about Knox and counters related to it.
Can anyone Please help me find answers straight.
1) Any Rooting and Custom Recovery tools or ADB commands without Hitting the KNOX counter {Just In case IF I wanted to return it} If not then which one you recommend ?
By the Way I found few posts related to Rooting Which has confused me more. I used to use Chainfire SUROOT:
Rooting using CF-AUTO Root
Universal Root de la Vega
2) If I Root and want to use Stock ROM of SM-P600 will all apps work normally or any known issues with it ?
3) Is Odin any tool which everyone is taking about ? I am not sure about it Can you provide any links to its dev for more info. Found it about in a Post to return to STOCK ?
4) Are these ROMS and apps Odexed or Deodexed ROM?
5) Any Dependencies for Firmware and with any of the above questions. I mean In Universal Root I saw they were talking about certain version of firmware. Also Should I update the latest firmware and do a Nandriod backup ?
6) Also read that once KNOX counter goes up, I wont get any OTA ? My Plan is I will use it till next Nexus and will give it to parents with stock ROM. If I am using I can always use an Custom Rom and get updates. But for parents I want to return it to stock so that they can easily update when OTA is available.
I would like to make one more suggestion to MOD's Please Pin the Guides like the Rooting and stuff like Return to Stock which are quite common and useful so that its easy for newbies( aka for Samsung) like me.
Thanks
Zaib.
1. This is not really a single question with a single answer I think vaguely what you are asking is if you can root without tripping knox?
Nope. Not at this time.
2. If you use CF-Auto-Root you'll likely find that the vast majority of applications keep working without issue. Of those that don't, a handful you can manage back to a working state with various tweaks, but there are a few that are probably gone for good. You can basically kiss all the Samsung hub apps goodbye, these will start claiming they are not supported in your country even if they were working perfectly prior to rooting, some may continue working for a short time after but eventually something leaks and your access is cut. Screen mirroring will no longer work though this can be fixed with a small zip file flash. OTA updates are also gone.
Forget all the talk about 'triangle away' fixing any of this, it hasn't for me.
3. Odin is a tool that is able to flash firmware files or parts thereof to your device. Heimdall is an alternative suite of applications, while there is a GUI for it, it seems fairly hit and miss on Linux these days, I've never had much luck with it, on the other hand the command line tools work perfectly fine.
Once you trip Knox, there's no turning back! You won't lose your warranty in any meaningful way, but you may end up having to argue about it and drag in government regulators to get your tablet repaired free of charge depending on the dealer response.
4. I don't think this is particularly relevant to the SM-P600. My subjective opinion would be to stick with the bog standard Samsung ROM. If you want cool themes there are a multitude of launchers, Xposed takes care most other things you might ever care to tweak.
5. You have one choice. CF-Auto-Root. Backups are healthy.
6. True, but you'll still be able to flash via Odin so it doesn't really mean much of anything. Once you trip Knox, you can also kiss OTA updates goodbye as well.
What to do
My tab crash while flashing twrp
A.ratyan said:
What to do
My tab crash while flashing twrp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How are you flashing TWRP, through recovery or Odin?
Hey guys!
First I have to explain that I'm German and englisch is not my native language.
Second thing is, I'm a complete newbie to the whole smartphone/android stuff.
My Z1c was almost unused since I bought it. I'll need it for now and want to root it and have an actual, stable and secure system/ROM on it. Therefore I'm looking for an "easy" method to root and unlock the bootloader. (I never rooted a phone so far)
Tried KingoRoot and Towelroot but doesn't worked. Google only showed "old" methods, so I rather ask here before bricking.
If it's possible I would prefer an other method for unlocking the bootloader than the official/ legit via Sony HP...
Have a way more questions after rooting and unlocking. Be warned! :laugh:
Edit: Is this (search4rootsdotcom) trustworthy?
3dg4r Fr13ndly said:
Hey guys!
First I have to explain that I'm German and englisch is not my native language.
Second thing is, I'm a complete newbie to the whole smartphone/android stuff.
My Z1c was almost unused since I bought it. I'll need it for now and want to root it and have an actual, stable and secure system/ROM on it. Therefore I'm looking for an "easy" method to root and unlock the bootloader. (I never rooted a phone so far)
Tried KingoRoot and Towelroot but doesn't worked. Google only showed "old" methods, so I rather ask here before bricking.
If it's possible I would prefer an other method for unlocking the bootloader than the official/ legit via Sony HP...
Have a way more questions after rooting and unlocking. Be warned! :laugh:
Edit: Is this (search4rootsdotcom) trustworthy?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure why you don't want to use Sony unlocking method, and also can't imagine who besides Sony would have the unlock code. Once you have the code, you could use Flashtool to unlock, but you have to go through Sony to get the code.
If you do unlock bl, rooting is easy, via fastboot/adb. If bl is locked, Kingroot works, (not sure which version you tried, but latest version is proven to work - I've done it myself at least 3 times). Most people prefer not to use Kingroot as a permanent root manager, but once you're rooted, it's easy to switch to whatever you want.
Many stable and very good rooms to choose from.
Once you got yourself TWRP 3 running you have a lot of options to choose from.
I've been modding my Z1C for two years now and i'm positive that for normal usage AOSP roms don't make the cut, there have been multiple occasions with AOSP / CM roms where i had bugs with latest YouTube app versions, random shutdowns and over-average battery consumption in idle despite kernel tweaking which are all not present in stock-based roms. I was using a slightly modded 14.6.A.236 for most of 2015 until now which worked fine but i cluttered the phone too much so it became super slow and almost unusable. I've very recently backed up everything and clean-flashed DStrikerZ1 rom because it's the most-followed rom for the Z1C and i have to say i'm positively surprised by it's UX performance and overall style. Once i know how to fix my mobile network* i'll probably recommend it but until then you might just wanna flash stock .236, root and then de-bloat using TitaniumBackup (or whatever you prefer) which i know will definitely be bullet-proof.
By the way i'm also from Germany so feel free to hit me up for questions, i'll help where i can.
*Edit: Mobile network working, just had to mess with the internet service provider settings a bit. That makes DStrikerZ the best rom i've used so far on this phone.
Much appreciate guys!
I've got the unlock code and will do it tomorrow.
Read all over about absolutely making an TA-Backup BEFORE unlocking the bootloader cuz of loosing the Bravia Engine, DRM-Keys and Track-ID so I was uncertain....
So I have successfully unlocked my motorola by following the official guide but am stuck on the next step because I don't know what I'm supposed to download next. I installed magisk from the official github onto my phone but that's about it. Thanks in advance for any help.
Which rom are you using?
So all I have done so far is unlocked my bootloader, do I need to download a rom next. I'm very inexperienced on this subject and saw a video of the different cool customizations you can do with a rooted phone.
So, there are two different things.
1. rooting gives you access to system files, so they can be modified/erased etc.
2. a custom ROM doesn't necessarily give you root access, but it can give you cool customizations built-in, or a newer version of Android, for example.
Personally I'm not a big fan of rooting in general. Because that comes with a couple of caveats. One being that your banking apps won't work anymore, unless you fiddle with magisk stuff to make it show like the device is not rooted, and stuff like that. I don't need root, so I don't generally need Magisk either.
But if you want to try a cool ROM for this phone, and you like stock Android, you could try the Pixel Experience ROM. The only thing that doesn't work (and I don't know how to fix right now), is VoLTE and VoWIFI. But it might work for you.
LineageOS works for VoLTE (with IMS APN added by the user), but still doesn't work for VoWIFI. It could be that it requires a few specific files to be flashed from the stock ROM. I don't know. So far I couldn't get it to work.
So, next step would be either staying on stock ROM, and fiddling with Magisk (but keep in mind some DRM apps won't work, some payment stuff won't work and so on so forth), ooor go flash a custom ROM (such as Pixel Experience), and enjoy it the way it is.
The choice is yours.
One advice I have: don't relock the bootloader unless the option in Developer Options > OEM Unlocking is ON. Doesn't matter if it's greyed out or not. But it needs to be ON.
Why? Because, if something happens and you can't boot because you locked your bootloader on a custom ROM for example (which you should never do, by the way), you won't be able to unlock it again, so you can fix your boot, if that option is OFF. So be very careful with that.
When that option is ON, it means bootloader is allowed to be unlocked (it's unlockable). When it's OFF, it's not. If it's not unlockable, you can't unlock it, so you can't flash anything. Which is really bad if you need to fix something and the only way is flashing.
Ok, I took some time to reflect based on what you said. I really do value being able to use banking apps so i guess I will try to fiddle with magisk stuff after I root my device. Speaking of which I was following this guide and I went through the procedure twice but for some reason after I ran the root checker plus app from the play store it says that root was not properly installed. Not sure what part of the process I did wrong but I await any feedback.
Technically, all you need is Magisk installed. That will also give you root access. You don't need anything else.
But maybe flashing was not done right? I don't know. Do you get an error? If so, it would be good to know which error.