Develop Bugs

[Q] blocking the OTA KNOX 4.3 update ( i.e. never ever want KNOX)

What are my options for blocking the OTA update?
I need to make sure I don't wake up one morning and find my phone updated with KNOX. I read that it can be automatically installed on stock roms, even without user consent. I have CWM recovery and rooted at ver.4.2.2 and have frozen the following apps using Ti Backup:
FWUpgrade 1.2.0
LocalFOTA v2
Software update
Is there anything else I should be doing to prevent this update?
Also would flashing one of the custom roms based on TouchWiz 4.3 flash the KNOX boot-loader?
Seriously if this post sale bait and switch boot-loader lock-down cannot be averted this will, in all likelihood, be my last Samsung device. I could understand if my employer wanted a KNOX supported device on his network and I consented to allowing this to happen to my phone for the privilege of using my phone for my job, but forcing KNOX on us after the sale is down right criminal.
Edit (2013-12-10): This thread further describes how to prevent KNOX:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2560015
-chlor3

Flashing 4.3/4.4 roms through recovery will not upgrade your bootloader. Feel free to flash!
Sent from my SGH-M919 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

So what device do you plan to go to wit this level hardware? Our devs almost always figure it out.

The bootloader is not locked down. You can still flash roms after the update.
Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk 4

The Root said:
So what device do you plan to go to wit this level hardware? Our devs almost always figure it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Today at this hardware level there is just the s4 and nexus 5, but no external sd card slot make the nexus a total non-starter. So yes today I am a bit stuck with Sammy... but if they keep taking steps toward making their products like the iSandbox line, I would hope an enterprising company would produce a product that (re-) enpowered the user.
Rant:
It's not just the knox fisasco... having bluetooth tether yanked really pissed me off. Guess who has bluetooth tether on stock.... verizon ( but I really loath what they have done to all their devices bootloaders... so much so that I returned both my black friday verizon 32gb s4's for a pair of 16gb tmobile's ) Don't even talk about mobile hotspot... I get almost twice the battery life using bluetooth tether.

viskon said:
The bootloader is not locked down. You can still flash roms after the update.
Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I can flash cwm/twrp on a s4 that has been ota updated to stock 4.3 (KNOX)?

chlor3 said:
So I can flash cwm/twrp on a s4 that has been ota updated to stock 4.3 (KNOX)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is indeed my understanding. The only thing that's changed with the new bootloader is that when you flash a rom, it trips the Knox counter and invalidates your warranty. If you don't care about warranty, you can root it, install a custom recovery and keep flashing roms as before.
I myself am on stock 4.3 and have no intention to mod my device just yet. So you might want to get a few more opinions before you take the plunge.
Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk 4

viskon said:
That is indeed my understanding. The only thing that's changed with the new bootloader is that when you flash a rom, it trips the Knox counter and invalidates your warranty. If you don't care about warranty, you can root it, install a custom recovery and keep flashing roms as before.
I myself am on stock 4.3 and have no intention to mod my device just yet. So you might want to get a few more opinions before you take the plunge.
Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is also the issue of not being able to downgrade your modem as discussed here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2558847
I've read that the new modem doesn't play nice with the old roms. As I understand the state of things currently once you upgrade one can't downgrade? ( not in any attempt to remove KNOX flag, but just to be able to use the pre 4.3 roms ).

chlor3 said:
There is also the issue of not being able to downgrade your modem as discussed here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2558847
I've read that the new modem doesn't play nice with the old roms. As I understand the state of things currently once you upgrade one can't downgrade? ( not in any attempt to remove KNOX flag, but just to be able to use the pre 4.3 roms ).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The new modems are incompatible with the old MDL bootloader. Your should be fine if you are on the new MK2 bootloader .
Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk 4

I'm on Ota (kies) 4.3 with cwm custom recovery and rooted via cf-autoroot. Knox is part of the rom but isn't installed - you have to run the app and let it install.
So far no issues other than the allsharecast dongle not working. This is probably because triangle away doesn't work right in 4.3
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

[Q] Upgrading to 4.3... some questions beforehand

Hi there,
I haven't been updated on rooting and all that jazz in a while, so please excuse my ignorance.
I have a Galaxy S3 (SGH-T999) on 4.1.2. It's stock rooted, but I don't have a custom Recovery or anything on it. I didn't (and don't) want to trip the root counter.
Is there a way to upgrade my phone to 4.3, have root working, and not trip the root counter? (Basically, what I currently have, except on 4.3)
Also, I Googled this new Knox feature I've seen people talk about, it seems like a lot of people here don't like it-- should I not want it on my phone too?
Happy holidays,
-Proxin

The counter is easy enough to reset if still on 4.1.2, so your best bet is to install a custom recovery through odin, then flash docholiday's 4.3 stock deknoxed rom and the new modem, and the at&t kernel for working wifi. This way you can use triangle away to reset the flash counter. If you install 4.3 with 4.3 firmware, you will not be able to root without tripping the knox counter.
Hope this helps
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app

masondoctorjt said:
The counter is easy enough to reset if still on 4.1.2, so your best bet is to install a custom recovery through odin, then flash docholiday's 4.3 stock deknoxed rom and the new modem, and the at&t kernel for working wifi. This way you can use triangle away to reset the flash counter. If you install 4.3 with 4.3 firmware, you will not be able to root without tripping the knox counter.
Hope this helps
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I understood back in the day when I got root, if you installed a custom recovery, you either triggered the counter or lost all your data/wiped the phone. Is that still the case?
Edit: Or was it un-tripping the counter that caused the data to wipe?

If you want 4.3 touchwiz, root, and a warranty, all at the same time, don't take the official update.
Instead, flash the 4.3 ROM zip, 4.3 modem, and a compatible kernel, using twrp or cwm recovery.
If you ever need to odin, do not use any version newer than MD5 or you are stuck with Knox and can never go back.
Sent from my T999L on PACman

Proxin said:
From what I understood back in the day when I got root, if you installed a custom recovery, you either triggered the counter or lost all your data/wiped the phone. Is that still the case?
Edit: Or was it un-tripping the counter that caused the data to wipe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It still triggers the counter, but it can be reset. It did not wipe my data, but backup just in case. Resetting the counter did not wipe data either. But do not update to the official 4.3 if you want to root and still have a warranty.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app

Uh oh. I searched around for guides on updating like you guys said, and followed the guide here which promised root, 4.3, and no root counter... and now I can't use root, even though I installed a pre-rooted ROM.
I'm on 4.3 now, but don't have the ability to use root. I don't seem to have the Knox thing though.
I don't understand why I don't have root on a rooted ROM... what should I do?
Edit: This is the exact version I used: root66_TMO_T999UVUEMJC.tar.md5

Proxin said:
Uh oh. I searched around for guides on updating like you guys said, and followed the guide here which promised root, 4.3, and no root counter... and now I can't use root, even though I installed a pre-rooted ROM.
I'm on 4.3 now, but don't have the ability to use root. I don't seem to have the Knox thing though.
I don't understand why I don't have root on a rooted ROM... what should I do?
Edit: This is the exact version I used: root66_TMO_T999UVUEMJC.tar.md5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To fix root, enable developer options by pressing build number 7 times, then enable root access for apps and adb under dev options.
MJC is TW 4.3 which includes knox. AFAIK the root66 version has knox removed from the rom, but it is impossible to remove it from the bootloader.

Adreaver said:
To fix root, enable developer options by pressing build number 7 times, then enable root access for apps and adb under dev options.
MJC is TW 4.3 which includes knox. AFAIK the root66 version has knox removed from the rom, but it is impossible to remove it from the bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I checked in developer options after pressing the build number 7 times, but I don't see anything about enabling root in there...
Do I have to re-root somehow? If so, will that throw off the counter?

Proxin said:
Uh oh. I searched around for guides on updating like you guys said, and followed the guide here which promised root, 4.3, and no root counter... and now I can't use root, even though I installed a pre-rooted ROM.
I'm on 4.3 now, but don't have the ability to use root. I don't seem to have the Knox thing though.
I don't understand why I don't have root on a rooted ROM... what should I do?
Edit: This is the exact version I used: root66_TMO_T999UVUEMJC.tar.md5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's why posts need read completely. It clearly says it will trip the Knox counter in 4.3 in the second paragraph of the first post under "4.3 notes" sorry that happened though.:banghead: Maybe someday someone will come up with a knox bypass in the bootloader.
Sent from my SGH-T999L using xda app-developers app

masondoctorjt said:
That's why posts need read completely. It clearly says it will trip the Knox counter in 4.3 in the second paragraph of the first post under "4.3 notes" sorry that happened though.:banghead: Maybe someday someone will come up with a knox bypass in the bootloader.
Sent from my SGH-T999L using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't understand-- it seems like it says Knox is removed in order for root to stick:
4.3 Image Notes: With 4.3 images, KNOX is removed in order for root to stick. This will flag the Knox counter. Once you flash one of these 4.3 images you now have the latest factory stock bootloader, radio, etc. Flashing a prior bootloader can hard/soft brick your device. Please read and understand what you are doing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I took it to mean root will flag the Knox counter so it has been removed from the images.
The wording is very ambiguous...
I'm pretty close to just nuking my install and starting over with CyanogenMod, not caring if I trip the counter or not. Is it possible to do so with the current setup, or will I end up with a brick/semibrick somehow? I figure I might as well, since rooting will likely trip the counter anyway.

Yes lol
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

pgarcia777 said:
Yes lol
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"It has been removed", it being Knox haha. That's how I understood it...
So yes, it's possible to get CyanogenMod working without a brick or semi-brick coming from this version I installed?

Yes, I could have been worded better. You can flash other
ROMs but make sure they don't include an older bootloader or your device will brick from what I understand.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app

masondoctorjt said:
Yes, I could have been worded better. You can flash other
ROMs but make sure they don't include an older bootloader or your device will brick from what I understand.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ended up just saying "eff it" and hopped onto CyanogenMod. Probably tripped the root counter, but by now I just don't care anymore.
Thanks for helping me in this thread though, I appreciate it.
Take care and happy holidays.

You did trip the Knox counter.
Just so anyone else reading this thread knows, if you value your warranty DO NOT UPDATE TO 4.3 VIA ODIN . Instead, flash the 4.3 rom , kernel, and modem zips in CWM or TWRP recovery.
Do not Odin MJC (or MK4 for you T999L people) if you want root and warranty, as once you are on the Knox boot loader you can't go back.
Sent from my T999L on PACman

Adreaver said:
You did trip the Knox counter.
Just so anyone else reading this thread knows, if you value your warranty DO NOT UPDATE TO 4.3 VIA ODIN . Instead, flash the 4.3 rom , kernel, and modem zips in CWM or TWRP recovery.
Do not Odin MJC (or MK4 for you T999L people) if you want root and warranty, as once you are on the Knox boot loader you can't go back.
Sent from my T999L on PACman
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One of the things that bugs me about forums, finding information is a pain the butt. I just want to get my device back to stock so I can get OTA updates, GPS doesn't suck, and can use Wifi. I don't care about root anymore or using custom roms. I'm learning Objective C right now to branch into iOS development. I'm sick of the Android ecosystem, to be frank.
I'm on Wicked Rom with Android v4.1.1
Baseband T999UVDMD5, Kernal 3.0.65-DeviantKernel_07
I'm downloading T999UVUEMJC_T999TMBEMJC_TMB.zip right now, along with root66_TMO_T999UVUEMJC_2.7z
Which one do I need to flash? if root66 gives me root, then cool I'll take it, but as I said, I don't care. I'll be using Mobile Odin since I'm on a mac and I sold my PC. If I need to install Windows via bootcamp then so be it, but I really don't want to.
If I need to update the rom, kernel, modem, etc all separately where do I find those files? *scratches head*

[Q] Rooting 4.3 - please advise

I've read through all the relevant threads. I suspect I know the answer to this question, but I wanted to ask to make sure.
I picked up a new T-Mo Note 2 yesterday, was on 4.1. (without reading first) I did the OTA to 4.3.
I would like to keep the stock ROM but have root access.
I would like to have the option to install other ROMs, if needed.
I don't care about losing the data on the phone right now (it is new...)
I don't care about the warranty.
I don't need to unlock (right now) - but am going to Europe in a few months and will probably want to then.
I don't know if I need to care about Knox.
Should I go through mrRobinson's process?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1975560
using V2
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=48414379&postcount=446
Thank you for the information. I know the answers lie in the threads here, and I've tried to sort it out. I just want to be clear.
Thanks.

Yes. I think that's the easiest method to root without tripping the Knox Binary Counter. (But I wouldnt know because I'm still on 4.1.2 Rooted and Rom'd)

I think rooting via this method trips the counter. Anyone on Mr Robinsons rom please confirm if Knox counter has tripped ?
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app

ciphercodes said:
I think rooting via this method trips the counter. Anyone on Mr Robinsons rom please confirm if Knox counter has tripped ?
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any thoughts? Should I Just wait a few weeks?

If you do not care about warranty like you said then you can flash Mr Robinsons v2 rom as its pre-rooted and is Knox-free.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app

volcs0 said:
I've read through all the relevant threads. I suspect I know the answer to this question, but I wanted to ask to make sure.
I picked up a new T-Mo Note 2 yesterday, was on 4.1. (without reading first) I did the OTA to 4.3.
I would like to keep the stock ROM but have root access.
I would like to have the option to install other ROMs, if needed.
I don't care about losing the data on the phone right now (it is new...)
I don't care about the warranty.
I don't need to unlock (right now) - but am going to Europe in a few months and will probably want to then.
I don't know if I need to care about Knox.
Should I go through mrRobinson's process?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1975560
using V2
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=48414379&postcount=446
Thank you for the information. I know the answers lie in the threads here, and I've tried to sort it out. I just want to be clear.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ciphercodes said:
If you do not care about warranty like you said then you can flash Mr Robinsons v2 rom as its pre-rooted and is Knox-free.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used Mr. Robinson's
Pretty sure it trips the counter - I had already tripped it...
First of all, if you don't care about the warranty, then all that really matters is this...
It is a great rom for fixing problems you may encounter after rooting incorrectly and establishing a "fresh root". I use it whenever I go to a new rom now. It has never failed to make things go smoother. Just used it to upgrade to the new ezKAT rom. Now I have Note 3 and S5 features on my Note 2, and it works beautifully. But I had nothing but problems with the installation until I went to my old fail-safe of flashing Mr. Robinson first and then dirty-flashing ezKAT over it. Voila - perfection!:laugh::good:
I now consider Mr. Robinson's rom as basic as a screwdriver in my rooting tool box. And it's especially useful for noobs.

[Q] M919UVUEMK2 Rooting Questions!

Hello All,
I'm currently running CarbonRom on my GS3 (d2spr) but I'm sick of Sprints terrible service so I purchased the SGH-M919 from a T-Mobile store last night and I'm really stuck. Out of the box it's stock M919UVUEMK2.
1. What are my chances of rooting and flashing recoveries, ROMs and kernels? I checked the guide and it only supports the M919UVUAMDL firmware.
2. Is it possible to downgrade to M919UVUAMDL?
3. I absolutely loathe TouchWiz so should I return it to T-Mobile and order the Google Play Edition online? (not crazy about white electronics)
Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.

You don't lose any changes of rooting and flashing, even with the newest NB4 update.. Just flash a recovery with Odin and flash a GPE ROM or aosp/CM.. You will however trip the Knox counter
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

serio22 said:
You don't lose any changes of rooting and flashing, even with the newest NB4 update.. Just flash a recovery with Odin and flash a GPE ROM or aosp/CM.. You will however trip the Knox counter
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I'm not familiar with Knox but know that it is bad news. Can Knox be removed or will it brick my phone?

Its not as bad as they make it seem unless you care about warranty, which it technically voids if you trip it
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

serio22 said:
Its not as bad as they make it seem unless you care about warranty, which it technically voids if you trip it
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. So I can root, install CWM and flash ROMs with no interference from KNOX? Would device performance or carrier service be affected in any way?

Xerran said:
Thanks. So I can root, install CWM and flash ROMs with no interference from KNOX? Would device performance or carrier service be affected in any way?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is not any performance issue with Knox. It is just an eFuse that Samsung put on the phone to record if you ever installed a non-stock recovery. It gets tripped and no one has found a way to reset it back to 0.
Also, no one has said that Samsung or T-Mobile has not performed warranty work if it has been tripped, but that they MAY not do service on it.
Reading more about it, it seems that the Knox counter may be more tied to Enterprise security, so that an Enterprise or a shop that has BYOP, can check that, and then shut down the phone if it gets tripped. But, can't be sure of that either. It just seems to be there right now. Not sure what they are really doing with it.
Rob

Xerran said:
Thanks. So I can root, install CWM and flash ROMs with no interference from KNOX? Would device performance or carrier service be affected in any way?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No root needed, just flash a recovery and your ROM of choice, they are all prerooted unless stated otherwise.. But yeah no interference from Knox or device performance or carrier issues
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

rlichtefeld said:
There is not any performance issue with Knox. It is just an eFuse that Samsung put on the phone to record if you ever installed a non-stock recovery. It gets tripped and no one has found a way to reset it back to 0.
Also, no one has said that Samsung or T-Mobile has not performed warranty work if it has been tripped, but that they MAY not do service on it.
Reading more about it, it seems that the Knox counter may be more tied to Enterprise security, so that an Enterprise or a shop that has BYOP, can check that, and then shut down the phone if it gets tripped. But, can't be sure of that either. It just seems to be there right now. Not sure what they are really doing with it.
Rob
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the insight. I chose the S4 because I figured it a much more mature device in terms of development. I got worried since I paid full price for the phone and did not want any complications.

serio22 said:
No root needed, just flash a recovery and your ROM of choice, they are all prerooted unless stated otherwise.. But yeah no interference from Knox or device performance or carrier issues
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you recommend a guide or should I just go the Cyanogenmod installer route? I was thinking about doing that and then flashing CarbonRom.

[Q] Short Knox question

If I trip knox, is there anything more happening despite that my warranty could be void and I couldn't use Knox apps?
(example: not beeing able to flash certain things or entering recovery etc.)
Thank you!

Just the warranty bit nothing else
Sent from my GT-I9192 using Tapatalk

fburgos said:
Just the warranty bit nothing else
Sent from my GT-I9192 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aight, thank you for the quick response man! :good:
maybe one last question,
are there ways to avoid tripping it always, or is it more like "if you go customizing it fully you'll automatically have the Knox triggered"?

Aronuser said:
Aight, thank you for the quick response man! :good:
maybe one last question,
are there ways to avoid tripping it always, or is it more like "if you go customizing it fully you'll automatically have the Knox triggered"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
to avoid this is by not using odin to flash bootloader\downgrade\custom recovery or custom kernel
if u touch the bootloader\kernel\recovery or downgrade or used odin to do so u will knox it up ... i knoxed my device as
it got into a bootloop

rrgrrg said:
to avoid this is by not using odin to flash bootloader\downgrade\custom recovery or custom kernel
if u touch the bootloader\kernel\recovery or downgrade or used odin to do so u will knox it up ... i knoxed my device as
it got into a bootloop
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! :good:

You can root using saferoot an customize with xposed framework, remove bloatware and everythin that not involve flashing with Odin
Sent from my GT-I9192 using Tapatalk

It's not android without a custom recovery and kernel etc. :laugh:
Also stock was kinda slow!
So I knoxed it up now lol
Gonna install paranoidandroid on it