Develop Bugs

Questions regarding rooting.

I've got a nexus 7 (2013) on android 6.0. Over the two years I've spent with it, I've ran into many features that require root. Now I've finally decided to do it. Right now, I'm doing it for the multi window thing.
Q.1: How long will Nexus 7 OTA updates continue to come?
Q.2: Will I get a notification that I got a system update if I'm rooted? And will I be able to keep my root while updating?
Q.3: I found a way for rooting the Nexus on Lollipop through one click( I think wugtoolkit). Will it work on Marshmallow? If not, whats the easiest way, preferably without connecting it to a computer?
Q.4: Any risks or cons? I've heard its impossible to brick a Nexus, is it true?
Thanks 

Tranquility. said:
I've got a nexus 7 (2013) on android 6.0. Over the two years I've spent with it, I've ran into many features that require root. Now I've finally decided to do it. Right now, I'm doing it for the multi window thing.
Q.1: How long will Nexus 7 OTA updates continue to come?
Q.2: Will I get a notification that I got a system update if I'm rooted? And will I be able to keep my root while updating?
Q.3: I found a way for rooting the Nexus on Lollipop through one click( I think wugtoolkit). Will it work on Marshmallow? If not, whats the easiest way, preferably without connecting it to a computer?
Q.4: Any risks or cons? I've heard its impossible to brick a Nexus, is it true?
Thanks 
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not a dev, but I have some experience rooting the N7 (2012 and 2013).
1) Well, it looks like 6.0 isn't coming to the N7 2012, so there is a good chance support for major versions will be dropped soon (within the next year?). They might continue to release patches and security fixes for 6.x a year or two after that, like they appear to be doing with the N7 2012, but this is all speculation. There are probably number crunchers looking at the sales figures and survey results to gauge interest, and there were some rumors recently of a new N7 possibly in the works. Those will both factor into whether support will continue.
2) You will get a notification, but everything I've seen has indicated that the install will fail (won't brick the tablet, but will just show an error and reboot to its previous state). What I think most people do, including me, is just flash the stock image in 'no wipe' mode and re-root after the update. You can also sideload the OTA update, depending on rooting method (I think, but haven't done this myself). Lastly, if you don't mind reconfiguring all your apps or if you have a good backup scheme, you can just do a fresh install then root. I have never had trouble flashing stock in no-wipe and re-rooting, but I've heard some people have had problems. (It's worth noting that if your bootloader hasn't been unlocked, you will have to wipe the device anyways. The unlocking survives flashing, so it's a 'one and done' thing. You only really need to lock it again if you're sending it in for warranty service.)
3) Wug's toolkit is currently borked for most people (version 2.0.6), so avoid it until the thread in the N7 development subforum has some success stories. Also, rooting in Marshmallow is possible, but seek out instructions specifically for M and use the latest versions of any linked utilities (like SuperSU and TWRP). I used Wug's toolkit 90% of the time for updating and rooting, and when it works, it's a breeze. It might be worth waiting for it to be updated to address the current issues. You can use the previous version to do some basic things and as a launchpad for manual tweaking, but the main, one click and done options will not work - I tried and was greeted with a bootloop due to an out of date SuperSU. But, in version 2.0.5 you can unlock the bootloader and flash the latest stock (haven't tried the U or V versions, but MRA58K worked fine). From there you have to root mostly manually, but there are shortcuts for some of the steps in the Advanced Utilities section.
4) It's always possible to brick a device, but it's very rare. There are 2 kinds of 'bricks'. 'Hard' brick is what most people worry about - something happens that prevents access to even the lowest level of the device. It's as if there was a hardware failure. 'Soft' bricking is what less tech literate people equate to hard bricking because to them the device is useless. In reality, it's a software issue that prevents some early stage of the boot up process. It is almost always recoverable with enough time and research. In basic computer terms, hard bricking is failing to post and soft bricking is failure of the OS to load (basically, though there are nuances). With root, you have access to everything and you're trusting whatever you install that takes advantage of that power to use it wisely. An ad blocker shouldn't need to adjust the CPU voltages. This is rare if you don't intend to overclock or mess with low level hardware tweaks. It is much more likely, but still pretty rare, to soft brick the device, which means you just have to reflash the system image. Worst case is you have to wipe the device and start over, or spend a few hours researching exactly what caused it.
Hope that helps. I'm not an obsessive ROM flasher and my experience has been only with Nexus devices, but these are my impressions.

Thanks a lot for your detailed reply.
1) I was under the impression that 6.0 would be the last updated for Nexus 7. Guess I'm wrong.
2) How long would "flashing the stock image in no wipe mode" take?
3) I'll wait then for an updated version ._.
4) Guess if I follow the steps correctly that won't happen. Prepared to take the risk.

Tranquility. said:
Thanks a lot for your detailed reply.
1) I was under the impression that 6.0 would be the last updated for Nexus 7. Guess I'm wrong.
2) How long would "flashing the stock image in no wipe mode" take?
3) I'll wait then for an updated version ._.
4) Guess if I follow the steps correctly that won't happen. Prepared to take the risk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android M is the last official update for N7 2013, the first gen N7 is done with updates. Once rooted you will not get any OTA updates anyway.
Flashing usually takes about 3-4 minutes. Booting up can take up to 10-15 min.
Just don't root on M until a stable method has been discovered.

Kay thanks.
Could you please update me when a stable way is found? Or at least provide a link where I can check myself.

You can check the marshmallow and the beta thread for updates. http://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/supersu

Tranquility. said:
Kay thanks.
Could you please update me when a stable way is found? Or at least provide a link where I can check myself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can root 6.0 pretty easy if you have fastboot installed. I've done it and can confirm it works. You just need to download the ElementalX-N7 kernel and SuperSU to your device then flash TWRP in fastboot then flash the kernel and SuperSU in TWRP. There are threads on here I believe with instructions to help you. If you need any help you can message me.

The beta SuperSU and elementalx method worked great for me and seems totally stable. I'd recommend learning fastboot/adb as mentioned. That has saved me a few times from the dumb things I've done messing around with root access.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Free mobile app

Rooting
As I mentioned in a previous post rooting using TWRP, SU I don't think fully roots
the device. When I loaded Multi-Rom, it installed in the usual fashion but only boots to the TWRP recovery utility.
In the past, one could globally root the device but the problem appears new.
Kurt

Turning Off Enable superuser in SuperSU

Just wondering if anyone has toggled Enable superuser off and on in SuperSU and whether there were any issues. I have a couple of apps that check for root and will not run if detected. In the past (ran rooted S3s for the past 3.5 years), I have just been able to turn it off to use the apps and then turn it back on with no issues, but like everyone else am still learning the ins and outs of the Pixel. I am running a Verizon Pixel XL and a non-XL (wife's phone). Both are bootloader unlocked and rooted running NDE63P. I have not had time to update to NDE63X or install TWRP yet, not that any of hat matter to the original question.

sliding_billy said:
Just wondering if anyone has toggled Enable superuser off and on in SuperSU and whether there were any issues. I have a couple of apps that check for root and will not run if detected. In the past (ran rooted S3s for the past 3.5 years), I have just been able to turn it off to use the apps and then turn it back on with no issues, but like everyone else am still learning the ins and outs of the Pixel. I am running a Verizon Pixel XL and a non-XL (wife's phone). Both are bootloader unlocked and rooted running NDE63P. I have not had time to update to NDE63X or install TWRP yet, not that any of hat matter to the original question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you running a custom kernel?
The reason I ask is because I havent tried the method you mentioned but if it turns out it doesnt work for you, I would suggest flashing(reflashing) a custom kernel because that will knock out root, then boot back into the bootloader and boot to root again.
On second thought I think I missed your intent though, Im thinking more in terms of like Snapchat which checks for root only at login (so if you logged in before rooting you will continue to be good after) as opposed to apps that check every time the app is ran. Disregard if this is not helpful.
I want to say the unroot option in the app didn't work but that may have only been for the earlier releases that were pixel compatible.

pcriz said:
Are you running a custom kernel?
The reason I ask is because I havent tried the method you mentioned but if it turns out it doesnt work for you, I would suggest flashing(reflashing) a custom kernel because that will knock out root, then boot back into the bootloader and boot to root again.
On second thought I think I missed your intent though, Im thinking more in terms of like Snapchat which checks for root only at login (so if you logged in before rooting you will continue to be good after) as opposed to apps that check every time the app is ran. Disregard if this is not helpful.
I want to say the unroot option in the app didn't work but that may have only been for the earlier releases that were pixel compatible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your are correct in your second thought. Not a Snapchat type issue, but a check each time the app runs. FWIW though , not a custom kernel but I laughed at the thought of flashing one and re-rooting each time I needed to run the apps in question

sliding_billy said:
Your are correct in your second thought. Not a Snapchat type issue, but a check each time the app runs. FWIW though , not a custom kernel but I laughed at the thought of flashing one and re-rooting each time I needed to run the apps in question
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll say though if that ends up being the path you take, to unroot and root, you should look into TWRP because at least that way you won't need a computer to fastboot the boot-to-root.img, you can just flash the SU zip.

pcriz said:
I'll say though if that ends up being the path you take, to unroot and root, you should look into TWRP because at least that way you won't need a computer to fastboot the boot-to-root.img, you can just flash the SU zip.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yeah. I have been using TWRP for many years. Just waiting for the dust to settle a little on the process of getting from where I am now to using TWRP and finding a suitable custom ROM with a current base.

sliding_billy said:
Oh yeah. I have been using TWRP for many years. Just waiting for the dust to settle a little on the process of getting from where I am now to using TWRP and finding a suitable custom ROM with a current base.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't see the initial process of loading it changing. Right now there are issues with restoring but if you don't make a back up it won't affect a thing but it will make flashing mods and updates to the TWRP easier.
Aside from using a tool kit, installing it seems to be spot on so long as all the steps are followed.
So once a stable build comes out I will simply flash in the TWRP I currently have.

why NOT root?

given all of the cool options that open up with root, im wondering why NOT do it??
i mean other than no Android Pay, and having to manually flash rather than ota on phone, is there any real downside?

byproxy said:
given all of the cool options that open up with root, im wondering why NOT do it??
i mean other than no Android Pay, and having to manually flash rather than ota on phone, is there any real downside?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use Android Pay with Magisk I believe. Magisk passes saftey net checks.

byproxy said:
given all of the cool options that open up with root, im wondering why NOT do it??
i mean other than no Android Pay, and having to manually flash rather than ota on phone, is there any real downside?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those downsides are enough for some, but the biggest PITA is if you didn't unlock your bootloader then you have to factory wipe when you unlock.

Tb0n3 said:
Those downsides are enough for some, but the biggest PITA is if you didn't unlock your bootloader then you have to factory wipe when you unlock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well google backsup your app, mms, sms etc and the way you have your phone set up. Easy to restore and takes 30 mins depending on your connection.... I say go for it!

byproxy said:
given all of the cool options that open up with root, im wondering why NOT do it??
i mean other than no Android Pay, and having to manually flash rather than ota on phone, is there any real downside?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for some it is android pay
but for others
they don't need it anymore
stock rom nowadays give us most of the options that we needed to root for back in the day
i used the pixel 2 without root for 1 week (before it came out )
and the only thing i need it for was adaway and custom kernels
i used non-root adblocker and it's actually worked fine
so if i am stuck with a phone with no root i can live with it

I always root, but the big downsides are around OTAs and needing to jump through hoops from time to time to update.
Finally it's a security issue, particularly a unlocked bootloader, it's super easy to erase pin or pattern locks from twrp. Also malware in a root app could be devastating to any info you access via phone.

byproxy said:
given all of the cool options that open up with root, im wondering why NOT do it??
i mean other than no Android Pay, and having to manually flash rather than ota on phone, is there any real downside?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because some security flaws that come along and some malicious apps expose the fact that you have root to be more effective.

If a good and stable rom like Pure Nexus that passes safety net works flawlessly on the Pixel XL 2 then that would probably be enough for me not to root. That would provide enough features and excitement to the already great experience that stock android now provides. Right now, i enjoy root in order to apply adaway and delete system apps if i so choose. Also nice to be able to use different color profiles. I am one of those that loves to be able to use Android Pay while rooted.

elreydenj said:
If a good and stable rom like Pure Nexus that passes safety net works flawlessly on the Pixel XL 2 then that would probably be enough for me not to root. That would provide enough features and excitement to the already great experience that stock android now provides. Right now, i enjoy root in order to apply adaway and delete system apps if i so choose. Also nice to be able to use different color profiles. I am one of those that loves to be able to use Android Pay while rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm just here praying they're working on Resurrection Remix.
I was on PureNexus and decided what the hell and tried RR and it has everything PureNexus has and more.

DevanteWeary said:
I'm just here praying they're working on Resurrection Remix.
I was on PureNexus and decided what the hell and tried RR and it has everything PureNexus has and more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ill keep that in mind. Did RR pass safety net out of the box on the pixel XL?

elreydenj said:
Ill keep that in mind. Did RR pass safety net out of the box on the pixel XL?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't remember. Sorry. :/

I used to be an avid rooter and custom rom user. For me, I'm contempt with the stock factory images. May give PureNexus a shot if it comes around.
Besides, I had an incident with Chase Bank once where I was having trouble getting text alerts. After an hour on the phone with support, they noticed and mentioned I had a "tampered" device. Not that my problem had anything to do with my device being tampered with (rooted), and not that I had any modifications which could cause harm to my banking information, but in the long shot case something did ever happen with your money, I'm sure the banks would have no problem pointing their fingers at your phone.
So if a company like Chase scans to see if your device is rooted, I'm sure most app developers do without telling you.
If someone wants to chime in, not exactly sure how apps see it if you have a rom like Resurrection Remix, or PureNexus, and actually dont root it. I wonder if the apps still consider the device tampered with if there is no root access

byproxy said:
given all of the cool options that open up with root, im wondering why NOT do it??
i mean other than no Android Pay, and having to manually flash rather than ota on phone, is there any real downside?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can MOST definitely have Android pay with Root in Pixel. That is the beauty of dual partition setup. Have one partition rooted and other non-rooted, with both sharing the same data partition.
I had done this for the past year on the OG Pixel XL. The only time I would need non-root would be for Android pay - I would just boot to the other slot. Use Android pay and then reboot to the previously active slot after finished.
As for Custom ROM - I'm hoping against hope. Hard to imagine life without the features of PN or RR. However, it is not encouraging given that there is no a single OREO based Custom ROM yet for the OG Pixel XL. Who knows how many developers actually end up getting the Pixel 2 XL - which is more expensive. That is the only reason I'm still waiting with bated breath until my return period for Pixel 2 XL expires. Luckily, the One Plus 5t launches on Nov 16th and the reviews would be out soon. I know OP5 has RR custom ROM which is a big deal..

abogrhen said:
for some it is android pay
but for others
they don't need it anymore
stock rom nowadays give us most of the options that we needed to root for back in the day
i used the pixel 2 without root for 1 week (before it came out )
and the only thing i need it for was adaway and custom kernels
i used non-root adblocker and it's actually worked fine
so if i am stuck with a phone with no root i can live with it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes to all this. I haven't rooted since my Galaxy S5. I was perfectly fine with my Nexus 5X stock and do use Android Pay often enough to want to remain unrooted. I actually used to root and install stock-like ROMs so now that I've been getting Google phones, I have no need.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

New to Android with OnePlus 5T

Hello XDA, I am new to Android world since two days ago with my new OnePlus 5t.
I was an iPhone user ever since, but i sold my iPhone 6 because I needed a newer phone with bigger screen and utilities!
I can't afford high Apple prices of iPhone X so here I am in the Android community with my new 5T!
I set up my new phone, I installed Nova Launcher and I think I am good with the settings I've decided to use. However I am still exploring Android world and I am searching for apps and modifications I could use and could help me.
So, can you suggest some must have apps or modifications and moves that someone is good to do in the Android and especially on OnePlus 5T that I might not know?
And for the end, I bought the Karbon Case with the glass protector. Should I remove and change the pre installed glass that OnePlus have or should I keep the pre installed glass until is full of scratches and I can't use it anymore and then install the one I bought?
I hear some people say that with the pre installed glass on I "loose" a lot of the screen quality and have more fingerprints on my screen. Is that true? And is the original protector better than this?
I've written an article here, sorry for the big amount of questions, but I am new to this and I would love a little help!
Have a good day and a happy new year!
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5010 using Tapatalk

I'll reply about software mods. I will ignore Root & custom recovery as you are new to android & FREEDOM. Consider Root etc as advanced. Aftewer reading tutorials you can decise next move.
1st - review Nova Launcher. Consider installing it, consider buying pro version.
What is Nova: an app which displays your home screen & app drawer (where all your app icons exist). It is highly customisable & extends your android experience.
2nd - Custom icon packs & themes
What they are: android lets you change app icons, made much easier by using Nova launcher. There are free & paid icon packs in Play Sore. They can be changed system wide.
Themes
hmm you may need to Root to get full themes...read up on substratum and OOS, see what you learn. YOu can change the look of EVERYTHING with substratum.

tweeny80 said:
I'll reply about software mods. I will ignore Root & custom recovery as you are new to android & FREEDOM. Consider Root etc as advanced. Aftewer reading tutorials you can decise next move.
1st - review Nova Launcher. Consider installing it, consider buying pro version.
What is Nova: an app which displays your home screen & app drawer (where all your app icons exist). It is highly customisable & extends your android experience.
2nd - Custom icon packs & themes
What they are: android lets you change app icons, made much easier by using Nova launcher. There are free & paid icon packs in Play Sore. They can be changed system wide.
Themes
hmm you may need to Root to get full themes...read up on substratum and OOS, see what you learn. YOu can change the look of EVERYTHING with substratum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you a lot for the reply!
I surely not thinking about rooting for the time being until I learn a lot more about the phone and Android. In addition to that many users say that rooting in this device with this software is kind of unnecessary and it has only a small impact and amount of stuff to offer! Is this nevertheless true?
I 've already bought Nova Launcher and it's incredible program with a lot of features!
I'll search for icon packs in Play Store!
What's different with a theme except wallpaper and icons?
Is there any other program or tool except look customization that it might be useful?
Thank you again !
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5010 using Tapatalk

You can do quite some stuff with your device if you root it. But, you can do a lot without root as well...
If you do decide to root, remember that you're going to have to unlock the bootloader (there are guides all over xda and it's not difficult) and that will wipe your device. ALWAYS keep a backup of important files...
There are currently two major ways to go if you want to root: Magisk or SuperSU.
Unfortunately, SuperSU has been sold to a company that seems to really have dropped the ball and are losing a lot of the trust that @Chainfire built up over the years. It's also closed source, something that can be considered an issue with this kind of software.
Magisk is open source and very actively maintained and developed. That does sometimes cause some instabilities and there's currently some issues with OnePlus Oreo releases and Magisk v15.1. As long as you do your homework before flashing anything you should be good though.
And, ALWAYS keep a backup of important files.
Once rooted there are two fun things for modifying your device: Magisk and Xposed.
Magisk can inject modified files into your system without actually touching the system files. This is useful if you want to keep your device untouched so that you can update it with OTA updates. It also helps with hiding root and some modifications from apps and services that don't work on rooted devices (i.e. banking apps, SafetyNet, etc).
Xposed injects code into your system and alters how apps work in major ways. This can be made systemless as well with the help of Magisk by installing Xposed as a Magisk module. With Xposed there's hardly any restrictions on what kind of modifications can be done... In theory. Not currently available on Android Oreo, but from what it sounds like, it's not that far away. Xposed is one of those mods that are really hard to hide, so if you need to use something like SafetyNet, systemless is the way to go since you then can disable and enable it when needed.
There's a lot to read, so (again) make sure you do your homework before doing anything.
And, ALWAYS keep a backup of important files.

Didgeridoohan said:
You can do quite some stuff with your device if you root it. But, you can do a lot without root as well...
If you do decide to root, remember that you're going to have to unlock the bootloader (there are guides all over xda and it's not difficult) and that will wipe your device. ALWAYS keep a backup of important files...
There are currently two major ways to go if you want to root: Magisk or SuperSU.
Unfortunately, SuperSU has been sold to a company that seems to really have dropped the ball and are losing a lot of the trust that @Chainfire built up over the years. It's also closed source, something that can be considered an issue with this kind of software.
Magisk is open source and very actively maintained and developed. That does sometimes cause some instabilities and there's currently some issues with OnePlus Oreo releases and Magisk v15.1. As long as you do your homework before flashing anything you should be good though.
And, ALWAYS keep a backup of important files.
Once rooted there are two fun things for modifying your device: Magisk and Xposed.
Magisk can inject modified files into your system without actually touching the system files. This is useful if you want to keep your device untouched so that you can update it with OTA updates. It also helps with hiding root and some modifications from apps and services that don't work on rooted devices (i.e. banking apps, SafetyNet, etc).
Xposed injects code into your system and alters how apps work in major ways. This can be made systemless as well with the help of Magisk by installing Xposed as a Magisk module. With Xposed there's hardly any restrictions on what kind of modifications can be done... In theory. Not currently available on Android Oreo, but from what it sounds like, it's not that far away. Xposed is one of those mods that are really hard to hide, so if you need to use something like SafetyNet, systemless is the way to go since you then can disable and enable it when needed.
There's a lot to read, so (again) make sure you do your homework before doing anything.
And, ALWAYS keep a backup of important files.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am sure that I have to learn Android first and then root!
I read about Magisk and I think is the best way to root my device!
Currently though I can't find any reason to root. I used to have iOS so the modifications I can do to my phone without root are already a lot!
When I learn Android and read a lot more about rooting my device and feel that I need it, I will!
I have backup of my device to On, but is this the best way to backup?
Is there any way that backups all my settings, apps and appearance of my phone??
So that I can restore exactly the same image of my phone as it is now and after rooting?
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5010 using Tapatalk

AkriPro said:
I am sure that I have to learn Android first and then root!
I read about Magisk and I think is the best way to root my device!
Currently though I can't find any reason to root. I used to have iOS so the modifications I can do to my phone without root are already a lot!
When I learn Android and read a lot more about rooting my device and feel that I need it, I will!
I have backup of my device to On, but is this the best way to backup?
Is there any way that backups all my settings, apps and appearance of my phone??
So that I can restore exactly the same image of my phone as it is now and after rooting?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will tell you, though, that you shouldn't be too scared of rooting. I rooted my very first Android device back in like 2011, and as long as you just follow the instructions, there is really almost no way to muck anything up. Also, after you unlock your bootloader, you can always recover from (AFAIK) any software error.
Also, I would also say there is not nearly as much reason to root these days and almost anything can be had without it (especially with some new stuff in Oreo), but if you're still on Nougat (Android version 7), then you might want to have a look at Substratum (which is a theming engine for Android). Substratum is pretty much the reason I root, so I can theme my whole phone to be dark grey and black (with Mono/Art and Swift Black) with the simplest procedure (since there's this rootless Substratum module called Andromeda for Oreo, but I haven't even checked it out yet, despite being on an 8.0 AOSP ROM). Of course, you might already like the the theming options the 5T has (and Substratum Legacy support, which is all OxygenOS regrettably has, is really not that great anyway), but it's something to consider in the future.
Also, the best way to back up everything is to get a custom recovery (which needs an unlocked bootloader etc) and backing up from there. I've done that in the past, though, and it has failed to restore often (and I don't profess to being super knowledgeable about it, so I may have mucked something up, but if you're completely new to Android anyway, then that might be a fear worth having). These days, I just use Titanium Backup to back up individual apps, because with Titanium Backup, you can back up an app so that all of the app's settings are kept (which is especially useful for something like Nova Launcher, so that it keeps all of your settings and you can just restore it and use it the way it was before). With that said, Titanium Backup also needs root. The best way to rootlessly back up is...whatever Google back-up options are in the settings, I think.
With that said, just so we're on the same page, you should know that rooting does not wipe your device - unlocking your bootloader does. After you unlock your bootloader, you can root or unroot and you won't lose your data. I'm a pretty reckless person with warranty generally, so I always unlock the bootloader on every new Android I get almost immediately, so I won't have to wipe after that, but you should keep in mind that it does "void warranty" (though I sent in my bootlooping Nexus 6P - which had an unlocked bootloader - to Huawei, and they didn't mind at all, sending me a new 6P as a replacement).

This is a OnePlus device. Unlocking the bootloader does not void the warranty...
https://oneplus.net/support/faq#85000005+GD00000034

Can someone explain magisk and its relation to the m9 and android in general?

I know there is plenty of info out there. I have read about it and watched some videos.
I wanted to hear what magisk is and what people think of it from the m9 users and modders out there. I imagine it will work slightly different on most phones. especially when were modding them.
I recently updated my phone to android 7. Im using leedroid.
I noticed all the new roms use magisk and systemless root to pass androids new safety checks so i figured id try it out.
Which involved updating my firmware so i cant go back.
What im noticing is most of the things i actually used root for are not working anymore. mostly the adblockers.
When i download the magisk modules they either dont show up or just do not do anything (unified hosts).
Im not sure if this is just my phone or if we are just not caught up with the new work arounds for android.
Can we still use supersu and have all the old mods like xposed working? or are we stuck with this half a root thing?
Just some questions. But mainly just want to start a discussion about it.

Although I've never used magisk I understand it to be another supersu.
I found rooting phones is a waste of time and effort. I was like you and rooted for adblocking but then I found adguard which made root useless for me. I unrooted and updated to 7.0 and have never looked back.
People will argue that root is for custom roms etc but what they don't seem to realise is stock roms are always best, fastest and most reliable. Custom roms use improvised methods to get the hardware working.
The only reason left to root is to cheat games and that makes the games boring after 5 minutes so what's the point anymore..