How to security lock the bootloader on gnex? - Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Hi fellow gnex users.
I don't know if this topic of security has been discussed on here, but I can't find it anywhere. My question is pretty much summed up in the title.
I really would like to be able to lock my bootloader so that if I ever lost it after all the usual precautions have been taken, I could then prevent somebody just booting into recovery, flashing a rom and having it away with my phone.
I can do it on my laptop and would love to be have that peace of mind. Anyone got any ideas?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

No possible... yet.
Something like this was done for the Nexus One by dla5244 called Blackrose. Basically a modified bootloader which, among other things, can disallow fastboot commands. However, I don't think it will be as effective on a Samsung device, as they have download mode, which by-passes the bootloader anyway.

Related

Whether my ideas are stupidity or genius, it's up to you.

If flashtool can flash stock roms with a locked bootloader, why not the custom ones? I was thinking, what if you could fool the phone into thinking the software is stock when it's really not?
Also, regarding fastboot, if it's possible to remotely access a dongle, shouldn't it be possible to write a script that does the same thing as the dongle itself? I'd be willing to donate and start a bounty for any dev up to the task.
Another thing I thought of is this: if a hole in adb allows us to root, can it not be applied to do other things as well? If you can push system files through adb for themes, I see no reason why installing a recovery would be impossible.
Bear in mind that although I'm not a noob, I'm sure as hell not an expert or developer (though eventually in the future I want to develop) so if there are limitations preventing these things please explain what they are instead of calling me a fool.
Also, on a side note, just how difficult is the script work for Android apps? My previous coding experience is with a game server program called eAthena, if anyone is familiar and can use that for comparison.
Sent from the best phone ever
Nice ideas but i'm now about to disapoint you lol
1) The roms we flash with flashtool are signed by sony, if we was to try to flash an u unsigned rom, with a locked bootloader, s1 boot would politely tell us to F-off, flashtool or not ......
2) The dongle you are on about is used in conjunction with setool, afaik the dongle just contains account info but maybe im wrong. Eitherway its setool that does the hard work not the dongle.
3) This is not a new idea, i have had devices beofre where you could use adb/terminal to push a recovery image..... But we have no acess to /boot/ partition while device is booted and thus no way to replace kernel.
Sent from my R800i using Tapatalk
So basically, we need someone to write a program similar to setool, but one that doesn't need credits, in order to unlock fastboot, correct?
Surely someone around here would have the knowledge to do it. Freedom to customize should be available to all, not just people who can buy credits, imo.
Personally, I'm poor and could only get the phone caused I saved money for 2 months and signed a contact. Surely I'm not the only user with a tight wallet.
I say we put up a bounty to encourage the developers around here. I would much rather donate some cash towards the development of a free tool for everyone, as opposed to a single unlock just for myself.
Sent from the best phone ever
captain67 said:
So basically, we need someone to write a program similar to setool, but one that doesn't need credits, in order to unlock fastboot, correct?
Surely someone around here would have the knowledge to do it. Freedom to customize should be available to all, not just people who can buy credits, imo.
Personally, I'm poor and could only get the phone caused I saved money for 2 months and signed a contact. Surely I'm not the only user with a tight wallet.
I say we put up a bounty to encourage the developers around here. I would much rather donate some cash towards the development of a free tool for everyone, as opposed to a single unlock just for myself.
Sent from the best phone ever
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
blagus and the omnius team have to ability to write such a tool, as they already have with omnius, that can also unlock bootloaders, but i doubt they would be intrested as that would take away there business
Yeah I knew about them already.. I meant someone else.. Lol
Also, I don't suppose it'd be possible to spoof a ROM so s1 boot thinks it's signed, is it? (I suspect that would be illegal, and therefore not something done on these forums)
Sent from the best phone ever
captain67 said:
Yeah I knew about them already.. I meant someone else.. Lol
Also, I don't suppose it'd be possible to spoof a ROM so s1 boot thinks it's signed, is it? (I suspect that would be illegal, and therefore not something done on these forums)
Sent from the best phone ever
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Click to collapse
I don't think it's illegal to do that, but i do think it's impossible. Otherwise someone would of done it by now.
Sent from my R800i using Tapatalk
AndroHero said:
I don't think it's illegal to do that, but i do think it's impossible. Otherwise someone would of done it by now.
Sent from my R800i using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not illegal but when a TFT is "Signed" it simply isn't a bit that's turned on or something, it's actually a pretty large encrypted section of code. You'd have to decrypt it which would take freaking forever if at all possible. When I had my Atrix before we got the BL unlocked we tried to decrypt the code (Which was worse than the play probably) and someone figured out how long it would take to manually decrypt it. Something like 120 years running 24/7 on an i7 (I'm not kidding it was mathematically figured to be somewhere around that). If course you could get lucky and get it tomorrow but you'd have better odds winning the lottery and getting struck by lightning on a sunny day at the same time.
If there's one thing I learned from these forums it's saying something is impossible one day,and BAM it's there the next day,no big deal...
So what I'm trying to say is,there is always a workaround,but we need someone to find it...
And by the way,cant the signature just be copied? I mean if hundreds of people downloaded and used the same .ftf file...it doesn't seem unique,or that the phone has something to compare it to...
The stupidity of my posts increase over time
Read up on signing and PKI here: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Code_signing
This post also has a good explanation on encrypted bootloaders (different device, same theory): http://androidforums.com/droid-x-all-things-root/113171-official-droid-x-encrypted-bootloader-efuse-thread-13.html#post1455071
The short answer is that it's theoretically possible that there could be an exploit, than would allow you to bypass and flash unsigned firmware. However, the fact that you can do it without this (via paid methods) means that it's unlikely anyone would spend so much time investigating.

[Q] Question Purpose of Root/Unlock

This is my 3rd Nexus and this time, I'm going to try to keep this as close to Google's vision as possible. So if I'm not going to use a custom ROM, do you see any other reason to bother unlocking the phone and rooting it?
freicook said:
This is my 3rd Nexus and this time, I'm going to try to keep this as close to Google's vision as possible. So if I'm not going to use a custom ROM, do you see any other reason to bother unlocking the phone and rooting it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you dont want to alter the stock rom in any way or flash custom roms or kernels then there is no need to unlock the bootloader.
If you dont want to perform any actions that need root permission i.e. adfree to block popup ads in apps, permissions to disable certain apps permissions, setcpu to adjust profiles or titaniumbackup to make backups of your installed apps and settings then you really dont need to root your phone.
If you want to do any of those things then yes its worth it. Unlocking the bootloader and rooting your phone wont harm anything and wont affect your stock rom but they WILL give you more options in the future if you change your mind. If you get all your phone set up and then decide you want to unlock the bootloader then the process will wipe your phone and you will lose everything you have installed so its better to do it now than later
Mark.
Firstly, how in hell did you manage to already get through two Gnex's? Secondly, yes, unlocking the boot loader and rooting is still useful even if you don't want to put a custom ROM on it. You can use root tools and uninstall system apps, change the dpi, install new kernels and over clock/underclock etc etc
If you unlock the bootloader you can always manually download OTA updates from Google's server and apply them yourself instead of waiting for the update to arrive.
Sorry, I meant this is my 3rd Nexus phone. Nexus One, Nexus S, and now Galaxy Nexus.
Thank you for your replies. I think I'll just unlock it...because, why not?
the only reason i can think of is to have the carrier ic spyware removed, it's been pretty big lately.
kms108 said:
the only reason i can think of is to have the carrier ic spyware removed, it's been pretty big lately.
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Click to collapse
and its also been said that carrierIQ isnt on nexus phones FWIW
Is there a way to UNroot and LOCK the phone in case of warranty?
Flashindude said:
Is there a way to UNroot and LOCK the phone in case of warranty?
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Click to collapse
Yes:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1366806
fdm1 said:
and its also been said that carrierIQ isnt on nexus phones FWIW
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Click to collapse
where did it say that.
kms
The CarrierIQ thing is supposedly something that carriers put on themselves, not Google. If that's the case, the Nexus line of phones in the past wasn't attributed to any carriers. Looks like Verizon might actually be branding theirs, since rumors are their name will now be on the backplate.
And of course, since we're in a developer forum, it's only appropriate to echo Cyanogen and his saying that they never have and never will include the CarrierIQ statistics on their ROMs.
kms108 said:
where did it say that.
kms
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1372643&highlight=spy
but I don't know if it's true. I have just found out what carrierIQ is.
I'm not going against anyone from this forum, as i could be wrong, but i still dont believe all the BS that the companies says about not having the ciq in it's phone, also this links do say nexus phone, but does not state which one, and to my recall, the latest version galaxy nexus, the rom although vanilla google, the rom has been developed with samsung, google did not 100% made the rom, and the latest update through OTA was produced by samsung.
but you can correct me if you do think i'm wrong, as many member in this forum do have many years experiences in programming and development of roms.
I don't believe that any of the "true" Nexus devices have had this on it...otherwise myself and many others likely would have found it much earlier and we would not be wondering this now. With that being said I wouldn't count out the Nexus S(Sprint version) and the Galaxy Nexus(Verizon version) from the list of carrier IQ devices. Only time will tell as I'm not planning on ever owning either of those devices.
Justin
There was a Statement issued by Verizon That none of their phones Used Carrier IQ.. Something We Don't need to worry about on the SGN... Anyways Google handles Updates...
There's no debate: CIQ is NOT on this or any Nexus phone. AOSP is open source. It would be plainly obvious in the source code.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
Deleted...

Switched from the S2 to the GN

I've been using the s2 for more than 7 months now and recently got a Galaxy Nexus. I don't know if this is a downgrade but there are definitely a lot of areas where the s2 just trashes the galaxy nexus.
1. S2 Camera is definitely better than the galaxy nexus, although the shutter speed of the GN is faaast.
2. S2 has better codec support for movies plus it renders movies faster. I'm using MX player on the GN and it takes 3-5 seconds when jumping between scenes. Even fast forwarding is slow.
3. Super amoled + is much much brighter than regular super amoled. It took a few days for my eyes to adjust to the screen's "dimness" and yellowish color. I'm sure you'll experience this if it's your first time viewing super amoled coming from the s2.
4. Battery on the GN is a little worse than the s2, I'm usually at 30 percent before the end of the day with barely 1.5 hr screen time.
The development of the GN on the other hand is amazing. The software of the s2 has gotten pretty stale thanks to samsung and their ICS implementation just blows. A lot of guys were still on GB even when ICS came out. The GN is still a mixed bag for me, maybe by the time the next iteration of android comes out it'll pay off.
kingofthebraves said:
I've been using the s2 for more than 7 months now and recently got a Galaxy Nexus. I don't know if this is a downgrade but there are definitely a lot of areas where the s2 just trashes the galaxy nexus.
1. S2 Camera is definitely better than the galaxy nexus, although the shutter speed of the GN is faaast.
2. S2 has better codec support for movies plus it renders movies faster. I'm using MX player on the GN and it takes 3-5 seconds when jumping between scenes. Even fast forwarding is slow.
3. Super amoled + is much much brighter than regular super amoled. It took a few days for my eyes to adjust to the screen's "dimness" and yellowish color. I'm sure you'll experience this if it's your first time viewing super amoled coming from the s2.
4. Battery on the GN is a little worse than the s2, I'm usually at 30 percent before the end of the day with barely 1.5 hr screen time.
The development of the GN on the other hand is amazing. The software of the s2 has gotten pretty stale thanks to samsung and their ICS implementation just blows. A lot of guys were still on GB even when ICS came out. The GN is still a mixed bag for me, maybe by the time the next iteration of android comes out it'll pay off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And after 444 posts you still don't understand what is to put in the "Android Developement" section? That's Amazing man!!
aPiso said:
And after 444 posts you still don't understand what is to put in the "Android Developement" section? That's Amazing man!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 it's truly amazing how many people cannot read or follow rules/directions.
Pretty sure this Development section is the wrong place for an opinions thread.
To not seem like a jerk though, I'll share. I had an SG2, my GNex battery lasts on avg 35 hours with normal texting/facebook/calls. with gaming still get around 18hours.
I HATED the lag in screen wake with the SG2. (it's due to the way SG2 goes into deep sleep)
& Screen brightness? Honestly, I never have the brightness more than 60% unless showing off pictures.
Woops didnt mean that sorry . Mods if you'd kindly move my thread now before everyone flames my ass: )
Yeah one of the reasons why i wanted to switch my s2 was the wake up lag and the annoying home button lag . Seems allsamsung branded phones come with this now.
I had an htc sensation and a galaxy s2 before getting my Nexus, and all I can say is this: Root your nexus, install Aokp, foxhound, gummy, liquid, or paranoid (paranoid =coolest rom EVER) rom, install popcorn kernel and overclock to 1,4 , use root toolkit to increase camera quality to high, and then tell me if your still not happy with your Nexus :-D
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Dai323 said:
I had an htc sensation and a galaxy s2 before getting my Nexus, and all I can say is this: Root your nexus, install Aokp, foxhound, gummy, liquid, or paranoid (paranoid =coolest rom EVER) rom, install popcorn kernel and overclock to 1,4 , use root toolkit to increase camera quality to high, and then tell me if your still not happy with your Nexus :-D
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not happy that you said use toolkit. People need to start learning how to root / do things without the toolkit.
zephiK said:
I'm not happy that you said use toolkit. People need to start learning how to root / do things without the toolkit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the easiest and fastest way of doing it. What's the point of doing it differently if its going to take you longer and still gives you the same results? Just because you know more about Android than others, doesn't make you better than everyone else in here.
babymatteo said:
That's the easiest and fastest way of doing it. What's the point of doing it differently if its going to take you longer and still gives you the same results? Just because you know more about Android than others, doesn't make you better than everyone else in here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The point is that person is understanding the process of what rooting is. In the long run, it'll be better for them rather than making a new thread asking the same questions.
I never said I was better than anybody. People take things for granted, I've started using Android since the G1 days where we had to obtain root via typing things in terminal emulator / ADB to obtain root. Not use a toolkit. Having root access and flashing ROMs/kernels/radios is a valuable step in Android, it can't be spoon fed to you. The person has to put some effort into knowing what their doing. Otherwise they'll just make a bunch of threads asking the same questions because they didn't know what the toolkit was doing. Same concept goes for mathematics and science. If you don't know how the formula is derived then you're just walking in the dark.
If installing drivers for your phone then typing,
fastboot oem unlock
fastboot flash recovery <nameofrecovery>.img
is too difficult for them to understand then they shouldn't be rooting and tinkering with their phone. It is Android 101, if they dont understand the basics of ADB / fastboot then they will have problems in the long run and keep saying that their phone is bricked because they don't understand the process of fastboot flashing back to stock.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1469909 8 pages here... for the most part they agree with the point I made here.
babymatteo said:
That's the easiest and fastest way of doing it. What's the point of doing it differently if its going to take you longer and still gives you the same results? Just because you know more about Android than others, doesn't make you better than everyone else in here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not being funny but that's how You like you'r fone set up, don't mean he's gonna like it too
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
zephiK said:
The point is that person is understanding the process of what rooting is. In the long run, it'll be better for them rather than making a new thread asking the same questions.
I never said I was better than anybody. People take things for granted, I've started using Android since the G1 days where we had to obtain root via typing things in terminal emulator / ADB to obtain root. Not use a toolkit. Having root access and flashing ROMs/kernels/radios is a valuable step in Android, it can't be spoon fed to you. The person has to put some effort into knowing what their doing. Otherwise they'll just make a bunch of threads asking the same questions because they didn't know what the toolkit was doing. Same concept goes for mathematics and science. If you don't know how the formula is derived then you're just walking in the dark.
If installing drivers for your phone then typing,
fastboot oem unlock
fastboot flash recovery <nameofrecovery>.img
is too difficult for them to understand then they shouldn't be rooting and tinkering with their phone. It is Android 101, if they dont understand the basics of ADB / fastboot then they will have problems in the long run and keep saying that their phone is bricked because they don't understand the process of fastboot flashing back to stock.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1469909 8 pages here... for the most part they agree with the point I made here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also started in the G1 days, and have had 7 or 8 phones and 2 tablets. I know how to use Odin, fastboot, ect. Yeah, knowing those methods is of course great, but not relevant to what the OP is talking about right now. Having the toolkit available is another reason why I like the Nexus so much, and if he's saying he a not happy in general with the Nexus, difficult or more complex rooting methods won't help convince him otherwise.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Dai323 said:
I also started in the G1 days, and have had 7 or 8 phones and 2 tablets. I know how to use Odin, fastboot, ect. Yeah, knowing those methods is of course great, but not relevant to what the OP is talking about right now. Having the toolkit available is another reason why I like the Nexus so much, and if he's saying he a not happy in general with the Nexus, difficult or more complex rooting methods won't help convince him otherwise.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All of this is relevant. Especially when YOU told the OP to start flashing his phone etc etc. What made you think the OP is a person that likes to be flashing ROMs? He could be one of those individuals who feels that the GN is good as the way it is and wants to leave it stock and leave future updates in the hands of Google?
If anyone starts flashing their phone they should ALWAYS know the common knowledge of how to fastboot and use ADB. It is a absolute NECESSITY, especially if people are having problems with their phones. The cause of this is because people are unaware of what's going on because they're using a toolkit.
Galaxy Nexus (and other Nexus devices) are not hard to root/unlock bootloader compared to other phones. Drivers, fastboot oem unlock, flash custom recovery.
Other phones you have to do so much more.. take a look at Motorola.
That's like saying if a friend asked you for the solution to a math problem. Would you feed him the answer? No. Guide him in the right direction to learn and expand his mind. It's not that difficult. The hardest part of rooting a Galaxy Nexus is getting the drivers installed. And if you have a Mac, that's even easier. No drivers needed.
You both have valid points here...but this thread still needs to be moved
avyonix said:
You both have valid points here...but this thread still needs to be moved
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
then report the thread so a moderator can move it.
done
zephiK said:
All of this is relevant. Especially when YOU told the OP to start flashing his phone etc etc. What made you think the OP is a person that likes to be flashing ROMs? He could be one of those individuals who feels that the GN is good as the way it is and wants to leave it stock and leave future updates in the hands of Google?
If anyone starts flashing their phone they should ALWAYS know the common knowledge of how to fastboot and use ADB. It is a absolute NECESSITY, especially if people are having problems with their phones. The cause of this is because people are unaware of what's going on because they're using a toolkit.
Galaxy Nexus (and other Nexus devices) are not hard to root/unlock bootloader compared to other phones. Drivers, fastboot oem unlock, flash custom recovery.
Other phones you have to do so much more.. take a look at Motorola.
That's like saying if a friend asked you for the solution to a math problem. Would you feed him the answer? No. Guide him in the right direction to learn and expand his mind. It's not that difficult. The hardest part of rooting a Galaxy Nexus is getting the drivers installed. And if you have a Mac, that's even easier. No drivers needed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Toolkit is the greatest and best way to root. forget about other methods. simpler is always better. end results are same. i don't need to know what the process is behind rooting ...i used toolkit enough times and had no issues at all. thanks to Dev for simpler method.
so accept it that toolkit is better. just cause you know the steps behind rooting doesn't mean everyone needs to know. sure you used G1 and followed harder methods but reality is that now we have toolkit so why bother using other methods?
ThANKS
hp13 said:
Toolkit is the greatest and best way to root. forget about other methods. simpler is always better. end results are same. i don't need to know what the process is behind rooting ...i used toolkit enough times and had no issues at all. thanks to Dev for simpler method.
so accept it that toolkit is better. just cause you know the steps behind rooting doesn't mean everyone needs to know. sure you used G1 and followed harder methods but reality is that now we have toolkit so why bother using other methods?
ThANKS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. Just...no.
hp13 said:
Toolkit is the greatest and best way to root. forget about other methods. simpler is always better. end results are same. i don't need to know what the process is behind rooting ...i used toolkit enough times and had no issues at all. thanks to Dev for simpler method.
so accept it that toolkit is better. just cause you know the steps behind rooting doesn't mean everyone needs to know. sure you used G1 and followed harder methods but reality is that now we have toolkit so why bother using other methods?
ThANKS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ease of convenience does not always make for better solutions. Short cuts don't always work out so well and if your going to be modifying your device why not take the time to learn the correct methods? But on the other hand, to each their own.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
hp13 said:
just cause you know the steps behind rooting doesn't mean everyone needs to know.
ThANKS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct but if you plan on rooting it you most definitely should know the steps behind it.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
seriously? who cares how people root their phone...go outside.
and yeah op, the gnex is pretty sweet for roms and mods, but yeah the s2 has some better attributes then the nexus

phone arriving on wednesday - first things to do?

ello guys.
going from my 2 year old htc desire to this....
so...what are the first things to do with this galaxy nexus?
Vital apps needed?
specific things to do in the settings to make it run better?
it would be nice to make a guide to follow.
first thing ive done so far is buy a TPU S line case, and Expertshield screen protector.
If the battery life is rubbish i'll have to get the extension pack....but hardly anyone in the UK seems to sell them...lots of korea sales for genuine ones on ebay.
would a non-genuine thing still be as good?
heard of this dodgy issue with a 'yellowy' tint screen - what to do there? have to root the phone?
etc.etc...
Fast boot OEM unlock
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
Unlock the phone a root it first because unlocking it will wipe the phone clean of EVERYTHING. So get that done first and the rest is up to you stay stock or flash a rom.
Sent From My Sprint Galaxy Nexus via XDA Premium
Here are my favorite apps on my Galaxy Nexus
-Chrome Beta
-Boid (Twitter)
-Tasks (Google Tasks)
-Weather Flow
-Intsagram
-Wolfram Alpha
-Icy Time (Timer and Stopwatch)
-Wallbase (Wallpapers)
Now that you have Android 4.0 you'll most likely fall in love with the Holo design guidelines. A list of some of the apps that use these guidelines can be found here and some good looking apps in general can here.
If you plan on rooting your phone or think you might want to in the future Unlock the bootloader, if you don't you will regret it, trust me. As for the battery life, I can get through the whole day with no problems while others complain that the battery life is bad, I suggest that you use the phone for a week before you get an extended battery.
There's a forum about the yellow screen issue here if you experience this at all then send it back as soon as possible despite the desire to play with your brand new toy.
If you have more questions just ask.
Sign for it
Take it out the box
Charge it
Press power
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
If you like miui and don't want to root. Miui launcher is now available as an apk. That's one of the first things I installed when I got mine. The stock launcher is pretty good too.
Mi Launcher
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1623026
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
try ur phone with everything stock for a few days, see if everything works, no reboots, overheating etc etc (might want to check if u got an OTA update though, coz there's a big difference for example between 4.0.1 and 4.0.4 in terms of stability)... if u're satisfied with stock , there is no need to root then , if u want to play around a lil u'll figure what to do urself.
p.s. i also owned a desire, but went through some devices in the middle before the gnex, nways, the desire can't be even mentioned in the same sentence with what u're getting now. welcome aboard
First things to do:
1) Unlock your bootloader, even if you never plan on rooting or flashing a custom ROM. Do this even before booting Android for the first time.
2) Check to see if you are running yakju or takju. If you are running a build other than those two (for GSM devices), flash one of them (by following the link in my signature). Run one of those two builds for a while, so that you get a feel for what a stock ROM is.
3) Everything else.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Keep it stock for at least a week, get to know the phone. Saves having to post about problems you're having on a custom rom just to find out its not the roms fault. This will also allow you to give real feedback when comparing roms as a opposed to these douches who flashed on day one n insist that rom x is better than stock
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
i will definitely run stock for a few weeks and get used to it all.
however i am one to fiddle, but im totally new to this phone world in terms of rooting, custom ROMS etc, never bothered before.
put it this way though......i dont own any apple products
can anyone point me to the best guide for rooting, and installing custom Roms?
also can anyone link me to a list of custom roms for the gnex, that are either finished or in development?
im just asking for the links because im very sure the question 'how do you root' has been asked a hundred times - i could google it - but i presume you guys will immediately know a link to the best and safest guide.
having a read through, it seems people have already tweaked the gnex for better things - better kernels? to get better battery life? etc.etc...
is that part of the firmware? is that what you get with custom roms?
i need to understand the basics first.
(im buying the phone sim free unlocked)
Everything you need is in the q&a and development sub forums where you found this one
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
schueyisking said:
i will definitely run stock for a few weeks and get used to it all.
however i am one to fiddle, but im totally new to this phone world in terms of rooting, custom ROMS etc, never bothered before.
put it this way though......i dont own any apple products
can anyone point me to the best guide for rooting, and installing custom Roms?
also can anyone link me to a list of custom roms for the gnex, that are either finished or in development?
im just asking for the links because im very sure the question 'how do you root' has been asked a hundred times - i could google it - but i presume you guys will immediately know a link to the best and safest guide.
having a read through, it seems people have already tweaked the gnex for better things - better kernels? to get better battery life? etc.etc...
is that part of the firmware? is that what you get with custom roms?
i need to understand the basics first.
(im buying the phone sim free unlocked)
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HERE you go
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=23229558
Galaxy Nexus AOKP m5 Franco kernel m3
doesnt rooting or installing a new kernel void the warranty?
schueyisking said:
doesnt rooting or installing a new kernel void the warranty?
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You can always flash back to stock.
No warranty problems.
Backup your /efs partition... =o)
a week of stock? i don't last more than 3 hours, and that's if i'm trying to really be patient. within an hour of getting mine i had flashed the radios, bootloader, rom, and the kernel.
tspderek said:
a week of stock? i don't last more than 3 hours, and that's if i'm trying to really be patient. within an hour of getting mine i had flashed the radios, bootloader, rom, and the kernel.
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How do you even know what stock ICS is if you only use it for 3 hours?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
I just got my GN directly from Google and didn't do any unlocking of any sort. Just turned it on and added some apps I plan on using. Changed my homescreen and other screens/settings to fit my personal use and etc.
The phone is amazing without the need of unlocking.
Not really sure... the phone is already unlocked -.- (SIM wise)
pinoyplaya4life said:
[snip]
The phone is amazing without the need of unlocking.
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Do you understand what unlocking means? We are talking about unlocking the bootloader. Unlocking the bootloader does NOT mean that you are changing anything related to the ROM. I does NOT mean that you are "rooting", and it does not mean you are planning to use a custom ROM.
All it means is that it gives you the ability to use fastboot commands. With this ability, you may be able to save some data off your device in case something happens and your devices' OS crashes. There have been a few reports on these forums of users who kept their bootloaders locked, then something happened and they couldn't boot their device. If their bootloaders had been unlocked, they could have at least saved their personal files (photos, music, etc) from the /sdcard directory. But, because their bootloaders were locked, too bad so sad, photos gone (they were not auto-backup to the cloud).
+1
Definitely unlock the bootloader - I learned the hard way on my N1 that getting an 'unlocked phone' is different from having a phone with an unlocked bootloader. (hunting down a bootloader locked root method so I can Titanium Backup 2 years of apps and data is a PIA).
Unlocking the bootloader on a brand new phone will not outwardly do anything to your phone other than add a little unlocked padlock to the bottom of your startup screen (the one with Google written on it).
I did 2 weeks ago what you're talking about doing now. It's super easy with the Galaxy Nexus Toolkit that mskip has created.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1392310
[EDIT] P.S. - don't worry about losing warranty when unlocking the bootloader - the above GNex Toolkit can get your phone back to stock and then re-lock the bootloader for you if you ever need to use the warranty.
efrant said:
First things to do:
1) Unlock your bootloader, even if you never plan on rooting or flashing a custom ROM. Do this even before booting Android for the first time.
2) Check to see if you are running yakju or takju. If you are running a build other than those two (for GSM devices), flash one of them (by following the link in my signature). Run one of those two builds for a while, so that you get a feel for what a stock ROM is.
3) Everything else.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
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[Q] Root Questions (now and later)

Hello. I guess I have a few random questions regarding root on this device. I won't bore you with pleasantries. Here are the questions:
1) What do you think the possibility of root is with this device (bounty and all)? I mean, honestly. I'm not just talking hopefulness. Do you really think it'll get root? Root means a lot to me. I enjoy everything that you can do with it. Not having it is sort of bumming me out. It's the first Android phone I've not had root on. And I really am loving the Note 4. I don't want to go to a Nexus 6 JUST for root, ya know?
2) Is root going to go away in the future (in general)? It seems like the carriers are getting very serious about locking everything down. Android L is supposed to make it even MORE difficult to exploit vulnerabilities.
Anyway, I guess that's it. Any thoughts you have about anything I mentioned above is welcomed. I mean this question to be more of a discussion than anything else.
Thanks for all of your responses.
-T
+1
Well I see this question / discussion is going over well, lol.
The Galaxy line is by far the hugest force in Android, its development community is massive. That said, we're a spin off Galaxy phone, and a carrier specific. I've been with Android phones and the Galaxy line since its inception, and if nothing else, the one thing that always hold true is; we always find a way. There may be a day when OEMs and Carriers can go toe to toe with XDA, but that day won't be today. We'll have root soon.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA Free mobile app
That was an awesome response! It was like a halftime speech. I am ready to run through a brick AT&T wall!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app
1.) Root on KitKat will be found. It's just a matter of time and effort.
2.) Root on Android L is going to be a different story. Once this phone is upgraded to lollipop it will be impossible to root without an unlocked boot loader. This is because of the new implementation of SELinux, which will require a custom kernel in order to maintain root access during the boot of the device. At least this is what Chainfire had stated. Therefore people need to focus on the boot loader NOT root.
Also definitely don't upgrade to lollipop until the borrower has been unlocked otherwise you may be SOL.
Just my 2 cents.
Sent from my SHIELD Tablet using XDA Free mobile app

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