I've just purchased a s20 ultra snapdragon variant that appears to have never been updated. I read somewhere in the forum that after a certain OTA that unlocking the bootloader would no longer be possible . I used to be heavy into Rom hopping and modding all my samsung phones because TouchWiz was such a bloated and ugly UI which is why I haven't purchased another Sammy since the S6+ edge. That and the fact that root was no-longer as easy as the earlier Sammy's. With all that being said is there any real reason to root this device? There aren't really any non-stock based roms and debloat can mostly be done by ABD. On my other devices I really only use Viper and Swift backup with root and occasionally run a fully customizable rom like Evolution or Havoc but always come back to stock (Oxygen and MIUI) because bugs are inevitable. Can anyone share why they believe the root process is worth-it for such a feature rich device?
I have delayed rooting in hopes ADB with Tasker could do many things I want to automate with my phone. For example, when I get in my car I have Tasker to unlock my phone, turn up the volume, connect bluetooth and launch maps as an example and do the reverse when I cut off my car. However, I cannot for the life of me to find a ADB solution with Tasker to unlock the S20 ultra "pattern" without rooting the phone. I too thought ADB was the solution to enable me to automate many of my tasks but at least for "pattern" unlock that has not proven to be the case. I welcome others who have solved the "pattern" by IM me separately to avoid hijacking this thread.
At this juncture without a "pattern" unlock solution, I may try a "pin" unlock solution which sounds like it might can be done but if that fails I will be at the same crossroads you are, "should I go down the path of rooting the phone" with all of the overhead relative to future updates to the phone.
There is simply no substitute for root--period. It is a travesty that the sale of a piece of hardware without the ability to run arbitrary software on it is even legal anywhere.
Related
Good evening all!
Question I have is simply when does everyone suspect a single-click Root might come along that doesn't wipe the phone's memory? I've already had to reset my phone once (because of Verizon) and hoping to not have to do it again for awhile (restoring 12k SMS takes awhile). I know many phones in the past have eventually gotten a one-click method that doesn't wipe the phone and wondering how feasible it is that we'll see one here in a short amount of time.
Thanks in advance, all! Keep up the good work.
Rooting doesn't wipe the device, the problem is that you have to unlock the device first, which will.
champers said:
Rooting doesn't wipe the device, the problem is that you have to unlock the device first, which will.
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Can I ask why? Many devices have had single-click roots that retained locked bootloaders. A reference would be my Atrix 4G. Motorola locked the bootloader fairly hard and I never unlocked mine, but I still managed to root the device using Z4Root, without a whipe. I downloaded the app, opened it, and clicked the "Root" button. I restarted the phone and the phone was rooted with SuperUser and BusyBox installed.
hotleadsingerguy said:
Can I ask why? Many devices have had single-click roots that retained locked bootloaders. A reference would be my Atrix 4G. Motorola locked the bootloader fairly hard and I never unlocked mine, but I still managed to root the device using Z4Root, without a whipe. I downloaded the app, opened it, and clicked the "Root" button. I restarted the phone and the phone was rooted with SuperUser and BusyBox installed.
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Those are usually hacks that take advantage of security flaws found in the OS or other software... the same way that malware authors find holes in Windows and write software to take advantage of it to exploit your computer. The bugs that allow you to root without unlocking are the same kind of bugs that has given Microsoft a bad reputation for security over the years, and naturally Google doesn't want security flaws in Android so they try to minimize them and fix any that are found.
A hole might be found in ICS eventually.
phazerorg said:
Those are usually hacks that take advantage of security flaws found in the OS or other software... the same way that malware authors find holes in Windows and write software to take advantage of it to exploit your computer. The bugs that allow you to root without unlocking are the same kind of bugs that has given Microsoft a bad reputation for security over the years, and naturally Google doesn't want security flaws in Android so they try to minimize them and fix any that are found.
A hole might be found in ICS eventually.
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I wasn't really asking about the ethical use of such things...just whether anyone could see it being feasibly possible in the near future. Then again, if anyone knows of a way to restore 12k SMS in 5 minutes I'm open to unlocking/rooting the old-fashioned way.
By the way, even the way unlocking/rooting is accomplished now is considered a "hack". Using ADB to unlock/root the phone isn't the way it's meant to be used. ADB stands for Android Debugging Bridge...it's meant to debug, not crack open the bootloader.
hotleadsingerguy said:
I wasn't really asking about the ethical use of such things...just whether anyone could see it being feasibly possible in the near future. Then again, if anyone knows of a way to restore 12k SMS in 5 minutes I'm open to unlocking/rooting the old-fashioned way.
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Sorry about that, I didn't mean to imply any ethics here. I was just trying to answer the question about why there isn't a one-click root. I may have misinterpreted your "why?" question.
I don't see that happening any time soon. It's so effortless to unlock the bootloader that why would anyone waste their time trying to find a workaround.
jhuynh said:
I don't see that happening any time soon. It's so effortless to unlock the bootloader that why would anyone waste their time trying to find a workaround.
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I wouldn't call re-configuring everything effortless lol I'd rather spend 45 minutes unlocking and rooting than spend 5 minutes doing it and another hour getting it set up...again. Restoring all of your stuff can be a pain if you don't have it empty. It downloads the apps but it doesn't set them up.
Have you tried restoring a massive number of text messages? I had to delete half of mine simply because it took well over an hour and a half to restore the first time and I had to reset the phone anyway. It's extremely time-consuming to have to clear out the phone. I'd say it was a strong 2 1/2 or 3 hours from start to finish yesterday to do it (and yes, there was a reason I couldn't unlock+root at the same time).
Hi im just about to get my M8 and wonder if its worth rooting or not
Whats the pros and cons?
Also is there a sim unlock that works?
Many Thanks
Pros:
Ability to flash custom ROMs and other mods
Remove bloatware, carrier IQ and the like
Flash custom kernels to overlock, undervolt, etc.
Some useful apps that require root (Titanium Backup, ad blocking apps, and lots more)
Circumvent annoying carrier limitation (depending on your carrier)
Cons:
May void your warranty
Not much else except maybe the amount of time used once you become addicted to flashing ROMs and mods
Honestly, there isn't much you that can't be put back to stock (or close to it). So aside from the warranty issue, there isn't much "con" to rooting.
There is no working "free" SIM unlock for Lollipop. But if you are on an older KitKat stock software, there is an old method that may work (s-off required). Of course, you can always try the various paid SIM unlock services as well.
Thanks for the reply
Some others
Reenable Mass storage mode for usb connection
100% true firewall with incoming protection also
Ability to use apps that circumvent some tether protection with some carriers.
Ability to run some pretty dam interesting scripts that require su
ability to sync your clock to the internet clock everytime you connect to the internet.
These are pretty much what i use root for.
I have determined that I at least will need to unlock my bootloader which I am already loathing since that means everything on my phone will get reset. We also don't even have signed firmware for this device. I don't care about root, but I also don't use any of this pay nonsense. I do play a certain game that will moan about my phone being modified though. I was already looking at the nougat thread regarding root and passing everything but I'm not interested in magisk and the headache that comes with having to deal with safetynet updates.
Far as I understand:
1. Get TWRP, can I get away with just booting it and not actually flashing?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/mo...recovery-unofficial-twrp-moto-z-play-t3495629
2. I guess tomparr's zimage kernel zip found here: https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=457095661767134479 is required since the system is going to be changed for what I want to do
3. Steps somewhere a long the lines of this http://www.theandroidsoul.com/enable-tethering-nougat-alongside-android-pay/
a. Add the net.tethering.noprovisioning=true line
b. Open Terminal emulator on your device and issue the following commands one-by-one:su
settings put global tether_dun_required 0
exit
If I am understanding anything wrong or anyone wants to point me at anything else to read that would be great.
[rant] What an annoying experience this has been, before a few hours ago I praised motorola(lenovo) for what an amazing phone this was, that is until I got that ridiculous update pushed to my phone. Yes, it is definitely snappier and more responsive, but I'm not giving up functionality because the developer of the dammed OS caved into pressure from carriers. I bought an unlocked phone an no carrier has any right to restrict any of my phones features just because they think they can. I work in an office where login into the wif is a thing and I will have multiple devices with me sometimes, so I used to just bluetooth tether the other devices from my main phone and not have to deal with mutliple logins, there are also times when out and about where my gf's signal isn't great and she will use my data to be able to keep using her phone. DAMMIT THIS IS FRUSTRATING.... [/rant]
Total noob here, looking for a bit of help. Never messed with smartphones before in terms of flashing, rooting, etc.
I have a replacement Note 7 which they sent me after the first recall. I didn't send it back when the second recall happened. I've never opened the box. I'm in Canada so I guess it's Snapdragon processor. I want to flash a custom ROM so I can use it as a phone, and of course avoid Samsung's update which apparently stops you from recharging the battery. I suppose I will have to make sure there is no active wifi in my area when I start it up for the first time, then immediately turn off wifi so it won't update.
So, can anyone recommend a free custom ROM? I don't care about features, don't care if the phone will have iris scanner and so on. Also don't care which version of android it's based on. Just something that is easy to install and will allow me to use it as a phone. All it really needs to do is make calls, send texts, run WhatsApp and FB and play music.
Is there one that comes with clear and easy instructions? Something that any computer literate person would be able to follow even if they have no experience with smartphones. Also something known to be stable and easy to use. Thanks for any advice.
as i backup everything (WebView Bug) i started to think about rooting my device.
What are the benefits? Back in the days, rooting was necessary for me.
but since i own a note10+ i dont really miss anything.
is there any reason to root and install a cfw?
BlechBoX said:
as i backup everything (WebView Bug) i started to think about rooting my device.
What are the benefits? Back in the days, rooting was necessary for me.
but since i own a note10+ i dont really miss anything.
is there any reason to root and install a cfw?
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Click to collapse
(sorry for my bad English, I'm using an online translator)
To be frank with any modern Android cell phone I don't see any real benefit to rooting a phone, I even dare to say that it generates the opposite.
Root access in Android/Linux is similar to administrator access in Windows UAC. Which means that you are gaining access to higher levels within the system and this means that in the same way that you have access, any app can have it (you can grant it) and this includes good apps as well as malware apps.
Root has benefits when it comes to modifying the system... But do you really need to modify your system or change it completely?
And this approach comes from the fact that most users use their phone for recreational purposes (chat, play a game, watch a movie, etc). That is, they have no reason to need more than what most OEM configs offer. Even many OEMs have security systems (like Knox) that are compromised by getting root access to your terminal.
Of course, this excludes developers, who have to root it for technical reasons, or simply users who want to try new things (new GSIs, kernels, etc.) Or even who want to learn more about how Android works. But unless you have these intentions, rooting it is unnecessary and exposes your phone to risks.
I don't see too many advantages to rooting it... just -don't- upgrade to Q!!!
I'm using PD MDM package disabler and Karma Firewall to lock mine down as well as to control it. For me the current configuration provides a fast, stable, predictable platform that fullfills its mission role completely... and I like the way it looks/runs.
Even though I'm running Pie and surf a lot I never had to do a forced reload due to a virus, malware, etc; it's fairly secure. Side loading introduces the opportunity for rootkits and other crap. Flashing poorly vetted firmware is an invitation for disaster... of all kinds.
No worries about bricking it or investing lots of time for rooting or the reconfiguration that would be necessary. I already spent the time needed to optimize my stock 10+; rooting would require many more hours with only a slight performance return. Rooting would also be detrimental in a number of ways that could easily cost more than just time... I'm still covered by the carrier insurance.
For me factory resets now, when needed, are fairly quick with no data loss. Rooting could help a little but not much but could also end up costing much more reload time then it takes me now.
I use the SD card as a data drive then back that up at least 3X. I can do a full restore with little or no internet connection and no PC in about 2 hours as long as the SD card data is intact.