Develop Bugs

Root exploit

Has anyone else noticed that root is taking longer and longer to drop? I remember note 3 & 4, root dropped before the phone was put up for sale. I think they phone manufacturers and carriers are making it harder and harder to crack bootloaders. It is sad. We pay hundreds of dollars for a device and it really is not yours. They will tell you what they want and don't want you to do with your device.
Solution...... (yes I am dreaming and understand people will not band together)
We all need to stop upgrading and getting new devices. Hit them in the pocketbook. They WILL change their policies.
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

That strategy will never work with such a popular device. There's too few people who are interested in this. The only thing that would work here is legislation.

It's the nature of Android. Not only are devices more secure, but there's fewer and fewer people who desire to root phones these days. Those that do, have mostly moved over to dev-friendly phones like Nexus, Pixel, OnePlus, etc.

There is already a few private exploits for the s8/s8+ but i doubt they will be released

No more than 10% of Android user even know what root is. Manufacturers could care less if you decide not to buy because of lack of root.

since we can flash un-branded firmware on our devices now, i honestly have no desire to root anymore. The only thing i wish is that somehow get the Wi-fi calling and volte to work with the unbranded firmware.

darthmalus said:
since we can flash un-branded firmware on our devices now, i honestly have no desire to root anymore. The only thing i wish is that somehow get the Wi-fi calling and volte to work with the unbranded firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally agree. With the unlocked firmware and all the themes in the theme store I have no need to root either. Half of the modifications people make for rooted devices are not exactly stable and will cause all sorts of instabilities with the os anyway. I've been rooting all my devices since the galaxy note, galaxy s days. I find it more useful to actually keep all my data on my device instead of flashing and reflashing all the time lol. ?
Sent from my SM-G955U1 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

That's the reason I gave up on Samsung,need root MagnumOpus, Titanium, ROM and kernel mod etc. Google Pixel XL 2.... Come to butthead
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

llawen said:
Has anyone else noticed that root is taking longer and longer to drop? I remember note 3 & 4, root dropped before the phone was put up for sale. I think they phone manufacturers and carriers are making it harder and harder to crack bootloaders. It is sad. We pay hundreds of dollars for a device and it really is not yours. They will tell you what they want and don't want you to do with your device.
Solution...... (yes I am dreaming and understand people will not band together)
We all need to stop upgrading and getting new devices. Hit them in the pocketbook. They WILL change their policies.
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The majority of users don't know what rooting or a bootloader is, so those of us who like to root our phones, unlock the booatloader, use custom ROMs, etc are a very small percentage of the Android user base. As the software has developed, the reasons some individuals ran custom ROMs has been addressed, and those of us who were once diehard modders have slowly lost interest. I know back in my older Android days (LG G2, Galaxy Note 4, etc) I refused to use a device that wasn't running on a custom ROM. Today, I couldn't care less because the issues that drove me to rooting my device and using custom ROMs are no longer there. If I do get the itch to play around with custom ROMs, I can just buy a Nexus or Pixel device to play around with and my itch is satisfied.
The majority of the user base is your typical user who just wants to use the device. Most users care more about features over modability. And once you try out a few ROMs, it's a vicious cycle. I never had a stable device back in my Android KitKat days because I was swapping ROMs every other day. Part of the reason I intentionally buy devices where the bootloader cannot be unlocked, because I know I'll find myself in that same situation again. So just buying a second device and using that as my play-around device, and using my flashy Galaxy S8+ as my main driver is the best solution for me.

The best reason for no root in my opinion is awesome security. I'm happy to see there is no root just yet. Families who use this phone for bills, money trade, etc. need a solid secure phone. On the other hand if your not using this phone for financial data, than it really does suck. It sucks because of the limitations of theming.
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

I've been rooting for many years. Met a bunch of awesome devs and remained friends with them. I can actually say rooting your device has became a thing of the past. Past few phones I've had I didn't root. Just seems like rooting now causes to many problems which is mentioned up above. It's not stable enough to count on when it's way to buggy. Not saying anything about the devs we have today but the devs even back in the day still had bugs. Just seems staying unrooted is the way to go for more stable unbuggy rom to catch an upgrade for more fixes which are stable and add on's.
Sent from my SM-G955U using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Eh, this is the first phone I've had in the past few years that I didn't feel like I needed to root. My previous phone was a Nexus 6p - while pure android and fast security updates was a definite plus, it just didn't have a lot of little features that I liked: theming, close Recents button at the bottom, stuff like that. And I never really felt that the custom kernels provided much better battery life than the stock kernel, which is the only reason that I flashed them in the first place. I'm pretty happy with the customization features present in Samsung's version of android, so I'm fine staying as is. Just being able to change carrier firmwares is enough for me.

This is also the first phone I haven't rooted on day one since the T-Mobile G1. In addition to the Samsung theme store there is now Substratum for Samsung available of which I am currently using Swift Black from the Play Store. Also on XDA there is a thread where you can use layers on your S8 or S8+. In addition to all of the customization the battery life is better than my rooted Nexus 6, best battery life of any phone I've ever had.

root has been achieved, developers are working the package:
Announced by @BotsOne
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=73336318&postcount=1235

The root package hasn't been released yet has it?

GDane1 said:
The root package hasn't been released yet has it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root has been released for our phones it's a lot of steps but follow everything as it says in the op and you will be fine I rooted first try
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...root-g955u-g955u1-snapdragon-sampwnd-t3658911

This is the first phone since the T-Mobile G1 that I haven't rooted on day one. I feel that there is no need for root on the S8+, we have the Samsung Theme Store and even better we now have Substratum on an unrooted S8+ plus quite a few layer to use for customization.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/substratum/7-0-substratum-sex-tw-beta-t3620796
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s8+/themes/substratum-inversion-ui-overlay-overlays-t3604341

I wouldn't buy a phone that I can't install Viper4android and Ti on it.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

True. Security is incremental: little by little security gets better & better building on previous security features. Root is nice, also true. Bootloader unlock would be awesome for development of custom roms/kernels, etc. Here's to hoping!

Nonsense!
I agree with one of you, we should look for dev friendly device.
But it will be so much pain if you face tons of unfriendly bloatware, overheat device and lag even with 4 or 6gb RAM. No matter what root still essential factor to develop friendly firmware.

G7 Unlocked (LG710ULM) Verizon/TWRP/MAGISK compatible?

I waaaaaaaaaant this phone, if it's Verizon compatible, works properly with their bands, AND is TWRP/Magisk-able, then this is finally the perfect phone I've been looking for since my old V10 died. (The HTC U11 was... until I found out the specs lied and it did not work with verizon)
So..... can I have the US unlocked LG710ULM, or one of the other models, fully working** on Verizon, rooted with recovery?
**fully working, meaning all VZW bands, no connectivity/call/sms issues, and ideally VoIP/VoWiFi

christiebunny said:
I waaaaaaaaaant this phone, if it's Verizon compatible, works properly with their bands, AND is TWRP/Magisk-able, then this is finally the perfect phone I've been looking for since my old V10 died. (The HTC U11 was... until I found out the specs lied and it did not work with verizon)
So..... can I have the US unlocked LG710ULM, or one of the other models, fully working** on Verizon, rooted with recovery?
**fully working, meaning all VZW bands, no connectivity/call/sms issues, and ideally VoIP/VoWiFi
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In all fairness youre asking about a phone thats been released 3 days in the wild [emoji4]
LG makes it fairly clear the phone supports all bands in one device. Although not Verizon, I have full services running on ATT with VoLTE, WiFiCalling, HDVoice and VVM. Unlike my previous HTC devices where we had to spoof imei's to activate services, this one turned on like butter. Since VZW carries a G7, the ULM IMEI should activate all features on your plan.
We do not currently have bootloader unlocking on the ULM (yet), nor do we have TWRP for this version. There are not KDZ files to crossflash for this version that i know of.
As for root, oddly for myself its not as urgent as previous devices. The blaotware is almost non-existent and aside ad blocking and a few more convenient features, there isnt a mission critical need for me on this handset.
Ive not owned an LG before, looooonnnnggg time HTC guy. To me, this device is a much more refined user experience than HTC sense. A lot of things i would have rooted to fix dont need it on the G7. Honestly im a bit shocked. I dont like vanilla android but this LG UI is pretty good. Few sense features i miss like secure messaging, but i can totally live without them. The G7 hardware design is more thought through than HTC, its a remarkable, unremarkable phone. Oh and the display has to be the best LCD ive ever used IRL. 15w fast wireless charging is also a bonus.
TLR - very impressed with the phone. Full carrier services on ATT. UI is better than others. Too soon for root but hopeful for sometime in the near future.
Unless your use case absolutely requires root now, get the phone. I was hesitant but this has turned out to be the best phone ive ever owned.
Sent from my LM-G710 using Tapatalk

datafoo said:
In all fairness youre asking about a phone thats been released 3 days in the wild [emoji4]
Unfortunately, being good on AT&T doesn't guarantee it'll be good on Verizon-- but it's hopeful. And I could have sworn I'd read it was released LAST month, been out a month or so by now
well, either way, I won't be able to get it until next month, anyways, so hopefully by then there'll be at least some indication someone's going to be rooting it.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

christiebunny said:
datafoo said:
In all fairness youre asking about a phone thats been released 3 days in the wild [emoji4]
Unfortunately, being good on AT&T doesn't guarantee it'll be good on Verizon-- but it's hopeful. And I could have sworn I'd read it was released LAST month, been out a month or so by now
well, either way, I won't be able to get it until next month, anyways, so hopefully by then there'll be at least some indication someone's going to be rooting it.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone was released in early June but the ULM model didn't start shipping to anyone until July 11th, hence a couple of days. It has only been physically available for 3 days. Devs cant root what isnt available [emoji4]
Sent from my LM-G710 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I also want to buy this version very much，but LG didn't add this device to the unlocked bootloader list.I am worried that this version does not support unlock bootloader.

datafoo said:
In all fairness youre asking about a phone thats been released 3 days in the wild [emoji4]
LG makes it fairly clear the phone supports all bands in one device. Although not Verizon, I have full services running on ATT with VoLTE, WiFiCalling, HDVoice and VVM. Unlike my previous HTC devices where we had to spoof imei's to activate services, this one turned on like butter. Since VZW carries a G7, the ULM IMEI should activate all features on your plan.
We do not currently have bootloader unlocking on the ULM (yet), nor do we have TWRP for this version. There are not KDZ files to crossflash for this version that i know of.
As for root, oddly for myself its not as urgent as previous devices. The blaotware is almost non-existent and aside ad blocking and a few more convenient features, there isnt a mission critical need for me on this handset.
Ive not owned an LG before, looooonnnnggg time HTC guy. To me, this device is a much more refined user experience than HTC sense. A lot of things i would have rooted to fix dont need it on the G7. Honestly im a bit shocked. I dont like vanilla android but this LG UI is pretty good. Few sense features i miss like secure messaging, but i can totally live without them. The G7 hardware design is more thought through than HTC, its a remarkable, unremarkable phone. Oh and the display has to be the best LCD ive ever used IRL. 15w fast wireless charging is also a bonus.
TLR - very impressed with the phone. Full carrier services on ATT. UI is better than others. Too soon for root but hopeful for sometime in the near future.
Unless your use case absolutely requires root now, get the phone. I was hesitant but this has turned out to be the best phone ive ever owned.
Sent from my LM-G710 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude, thank you so much for this. I’ve been killing myself over buying this phone for a while now. I always root my phone to only: remove in app ads and from YouTube and remove useless bloatware. That’s literally why I’ve always rooted my phones. But now, this cleared it out a little. T-Mobile currently has a deal of get one and get the other one free. I’m gonna get two of them lol

K-alz said:
Dude, thank you so much for this. I’ve been killing myself over buying this phone for a while now. I always root my phone to only: remove in app ads and from YouTube and remove useless bloatware. That’s literally why I’ve always rooted my phones. But now, this cleared it out a little. T-Mobile currently has a deal of get one and get the other one free. I’m gonna get two of them lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BTW dns66 is a non root vpn app from fdroid that allows you to encrypt and choose your own dns server as well as ad blocking servers (because its rerouting only dns requests).
It is a lifesaver for adblocking and dns privacy. No root needed.
I went with substratum/andromedia/paid theme to clean up the LG look. Macrodroid with adb hack has given me back most of my automation. 3c toolbox allows me to backup apps/data without root but im sure there are other methods.
Sent from my LM-G710 using Tapatalk

datafoo said:
BTW dns66 is a non root vpn app from fdroid that allows you to encrypt and choose your own dns server as well as ad blocking servers (because its rerouting only dns requests).
It is a lifesaver for adblocking and dns privacy. No root needed.
I went with substratum/andromedia/paid theme to clean up the LG look. Macrodroid with adb hack has given me back most of my automation. 3c toolbox allows me to backup apps/data without root but im sure there are other methods.
Sent from my LM-G710 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know I’m gonna be DMing you soon, right? I wanna do whatever you did, but I’m a little rusty. I haven’t been in the forums for at least two years now. So be ready to guide an idiot through those things. Lmao
I’m getting those two phones TODAY. I’ve been using an iPhone and I’m about to have brain cancer. Finally pulling the trigger.

I'm also unfortunately stuck with Verizon as a carrier (work phone). I've been lucky to unlock all of my devices up to this point, but the current crop of phones it doesn't seem promising at all. I'm certainly not a flash-a-holic, but i do prefer to run custom roms and have full control over my device.
Came across this thread while doing research on the current offerings from Verizon and so far your post @datafoo is the most convincing to switch. I too have been an HTC guy for a while. I love my 10 running LeeDroid but the battery is finally starting to go. It's been a great work horse for the last 2 years though.
Just wanted to post and say thank you guys for your opinions on this phone. I'm going to poke around a bit more, but i think I'll be pulling the trigger later today. Really hope we do get unlocked boot loader at some point!!!
Void4ever

K-alz said:
You know I’m gonna be DMing you soon, right? I wanna do whatever you did, but I’m a little rusty. I haven’t been in the forums for at least two years now. So be ready to guide an idiot through those things. Lmao
I’m getting those two phones TODAY. I’ve been using an iPhone and I’m about to have brain cancer. Finally pulling the trigger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Although I paid too much as an early adopter, the ULM unlocked version is on sale everywhere it seems, I don't regret it at all.
Feel free to hit me up, I'm a little slow to respond at times simply due to workload but i'll respond as time permits.
void4ever said:
I'm also unfortunately stuck with Verizon as a carrier (work phone). I've been lucky to unlock all of my devices up to this point, but the current crop of phones it doesn't seem promising at all. I'm certainly not a flash-a-holic, but i do prefer to run custom roms and have full control over my device.
Came across this thread while doing research on the current offerings from Verizon and so far your post @datafoo is the most convincing to switch. I too have been an HTC guy for a while. I love my 10 running LeeDroid but the battery is finally starting to go. It's been a great work horse for the last 2 years though.
Just wanted to post and say thank you guys for your opinions on this phone. I'm going to poke around a bit more, but i think I'll be pulling the trigger later today. Really hope we do get unlocked boot loader at some point!!!
Void4ever
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I felt like I needed to root my HTCs. I still don't feel a hard need to do it on this device. I would really like to see the unlocked bootloader and magisk on here but it's just not as mission critical on this version. Carrier models may have more bloatware and need it more but the ULM is pretty trim as it is.
I do like the stability of a non-rooted phone. No random reboots, predictable battery life. Get the ULM version as it should have all the bands for VZW and most all the bands for everyone else in case you switched carriers.
I'm still really happy with mine. The most remarkable, unremarkable phone I've ever owned.

I'm guessing no change yet, and not rootable, still?

christiebunny said:
I'm guessing no change yet, and not rootable, still?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nope, not yet at least, we are working on options though

GROOVYJOSHCLARK said:
nope, not yet at least, we are working on options though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, now?? I ordered a VZW version last night. Hoping to be able to root it one day.

is the unlocked version worth the price over Verizon buy one get one?

Looking to get the 3XL when it comes out through Verizon. Most likely Verizon is going to run a buy one get one with adding on a new line in.
With the phone being stock Android already but with a Verizon locked bootloader is it more beneficial to give up the buy-one-get-one and just buy an unlocked one through Verizon? If I go the buy-one-get-one route myself and my brother-in-law are going to be splitting the retail cost of the one we have to buy
EDIT 10/13/2018
Come to find out we cannot have any more smartphones on our line with it being a special plan that it is. So we can't take advantage of the buy one get one

If you want root, then do not buy the Verizon version. On all previous Verizon Pixel devices "OEM unlocking" in developer options has been disabled. With that disabled you can't unlock the bootloader. With a locked bootloader you can't install TWRP. Without TWRP you can't install Magisk. Without Magisk you have no root.
If having root is not important to you, then feel free to go for the Verizon version.

Face_Plant said:
If you want root, then do not buy the Verizon version. On all previous Verizon Pixel devices "OEM unlocking" in developer options has been disabled. With that disabled you can't unlock the bootloader. With a locked bootloader you can't install TWRP. Without TWRP you can't install Magisk. Without Magisk you have no root.
If having root is not important to you, then feel free to go for the Verizon version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know the whole locked bootloader, TWRP stuff. It's probably been since my Google Nexus and I believe my Note 4 or 5 that I messed with rooting, unlocked bootloaders and roms LOL
But with it being stock pure Google is there really anything truly beneficial to having the unlocked bootloader to allow for rooting possibilities. I used to root my phone's just to run custom roms to get rid of them bloatware that other manufacturers put on it. But since the pixel doesn't have a bloat or skin overlay, is there a real reason for rooting capabilities?

Androider4Life said:
I know the whole locked bootloader, TWRP stuff. It's probably been since my Google Nexus and I believe my Note 4 or 5 that I messed with rooting, unlocked bootloaders and roms LOL
But with it being stock pure Google is there really anything truly beneficial to having the unlocked bootloader to allow for rooting possibilities. I used to root my phone's just to run custom roms to get rid of them bloatware that other manufacturers put on it. But since the pixel doesn't have a bloat or skin overlay, is there a real reason for rooting capabilities?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's always good reasons to root. Ad blocking is the number one thing that comes to mind. Utilities like Better Battery Stats to see what's killing your battery, Titanium Backup to backup your apps or uninstall system apps, WakeBlock to block or limit wakelocks so your phone isn't waking up every 10 seconds to send analytics data to Facebook/Twitter/Google when it should be sleeping, etc.
Google phones still come with bloat, it's just not as bad as Samsung or LG phones. For example, my 6P came with a ton of Google apps installed (Play Games, Hangouts, Play Movies, Docs, Slides, and **** ton more) that I would probably never use or have a desire to use. Sure you can disable most of them, but I'd rather remove them entirely.

These are the best reasons for rooting. Ad blocking is a good one, and I just enjoyed flashing new and different roms. It was fun - there was a new cm nightly every day to flash. I've got away from that partly because of less development and partly because stock android is pretty good as is. New features like android pay are very security conscious and don't play well with root. It's up to you if you want to give up the ability to root. Half price on the phone is pretty tempting. If you can't handle staying stock you could probably get your price out of the phone on Swappa and buy from Google. If there is any development to get in to. I've been stock the past year and am happy with that.

dmb219 said:
These are the best reasons for rooting. Ad blocking is a good one, and I just enjoyed flashing new and different roms. It was fun - there was a new cm nightly every day to flash. I've got away from that partly because of less development and partly because stock android is pretty good as is. New features like android pay are very security conscious and don't play well with root. It's up to you if you want to give up the ability to root. Half price on the phone is pretty tempting. If you can't handle staying stock you could probably get your price out of the phone on Swappa and buy from Google. If there is any development to get in to. I've been stock the past year and am happy with that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did not think about the swappa thing. May be a good idea depending on what it's going for on there when it releases.
If I would stick with the Verizon variant, I would just need to stay off XDA and not read "what I could be doing with the unlocked variant" lol.

Androider4Life said:
Looking to get the 3XL when it comes out through Verizon. Most likely Verizon is going to run a buy one get one with adding on a new line in.
With the phone being stock Android already but with a Verizon locked bootloader is it more beneficial to give up the buy-one-get-one and just buy an unlocked one through Verizon? If I go the buy-one-get-one route myself and my brother-in-law are going to be splitting the retail cost of the one we have to buy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ill never understand why anyone would buy a device thats locked down if they dont have to.
Absolutely Id go for the nom Verizon version....its a no brainer.
Sent from my Note 9 exynos, S9 plus exynos, Pixel 2 XL or Note FE

Don't get a locked device, especially if you're hanging out on XDA!

galaxys said:
Don't get a locked device, especially if you're hanging out on XDA!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What he said ^^

galaxys said:
Don't get a locked device, especially if you're hanging out on XDA!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, the fact that you're here is testament to the need for the unlocked Pixel. I've been mostly stock for the last couple years but tinker occasionally. I want the ability to tweak my phone even if I choose not to, especially if there is some development going on. I hope there is some life left in the Pixel community here, it's been kind of quiet. The phone is more difficult to mod and to be honest, the stock software is hard to improve on.

dmb219 said:
Yea, the fact that you're here is testament to the need for the unlocked Pixel. I've been mostly stock for the last couple years but tinker occasionally. I want the ability to tweak my phone even if I choose not to, especially if there is some development going on. I hope there is some life left in the Pixel community here, it's been kind of quiet. The phone is more difficult to mod and to be honest, the stock software is hard to improve on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was my thought too about how stock software is hard to improve on to justify buying unlocked rather than the buy one get one thru Verizon ( if they offer it) and splitting the cost of the one we have to buy.

Androider4Life said:
That was my thought too about how stock software is hard to improve on to justify buying unlocked rather than the buy one get one thru Verizon ( if they offer it) and splitting the cost of the one we have to buy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have Verizon but if I got a Pixel for half price thru my carrier I might be on that. My son has Verizon and gets his phone free from his work. He was a hacker too but has been good with a stock Pixel XL since he got it. Monthly updates - hard to beat stock on the Pixels.

As others have mentioned, having an unlocked phone generally means you are able to root the device. However, I couldn't help but noticing Google's new Titan chip that is claiming to securing passwords and the OS. My question is, how is this new "chip" going to play with "rooting" the device. Will simply having an unlocked device bypass this new Titan chip?

At this moment Verizon's 128gb model is 30$ more at 1029.99 with 9% tax 1122.69 plus $30 upgrade fee. Total $1,152.69
Google's version is 999.99 with 9% tax $1089.99
So all in all with tax one is saving over roughly 62$
Verizon is doing BOGO on the 64gb only, and offering a wireless stand. Even without the BOGO it equalizes out.
I don't need the BOGO so buying from Google is cheaper for me

I haven't rooted in YEARS. The last phone I rooted was the 1+2. OEM vanilla android is so good now I'm not even tempted. I stopped specifically when I thought about why I was installing ROMs. I wanted one that hid from Android Pay (back in the day) and allowed me to clone my phone if it broke. So, I was installing software from suspect sources to make copies of my device and perform financial transactions... Dafuq was I thinking!
This probably isn't a popular thing to say, but... how much do you really trust random dudes calling themselves "SKREET/|/KLoWnzZ", or some ****, who put together the "(-XxX[DaRTh++KriMzON ].::.KaRBoN.::.SKuLLzZzXxX-)" ROM, anyway? You've probably got some kind of banking data on that phone, right? I'm not saying Devs are crooks, but I'm certain more than one dude out there isn't on the up-and-up, I promise you. Mathematics demands it to be so. My wife would choke the piss out of me if our account got drained because I compromised our data using a hot ROM cooked up in Romania.
NOW, I get unlocked phones so I can carry a blank phone and switch carriers for trips overseas. My Pixel 2XL will replace my Nexus 6 as my travel phone, and the Pixel 3XL will be my main phone

I have been purchasing my phones directly either from Google or HTC, just so I could unlock and root. But I haven''t been rooting, even with an unlocked bootloader. I am probably not going to unlock my Pixel 3XL since I want to use Android Pay, and also play PoGo (I know Magisk can hide it, but it's always a game of cat and mouse.)

Plus, you never know. The original Verizon Pixel was unlockable for a brief time. It's unlikely, but it could happen this time as well.

Androider4Life said:
I know the whole locked bootloader, TWRP stuff. It's probably been since my Google Nexus and I believe my Note 4 or 5 that I messed with rooting, unlocked bootloaders and roms LOL
But with it being stock pure Google is there really anything truly beneficial to having the unlocked bootloader to allow for rooting possibilities. I used to root my phone's just to run custom roms to get rid of them bloatware that other manufacturers put on it. But since the pixel doesn't have a bloat or skin overlay, is there a real reason for rooting capabilities?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since the Nexus? You didn't even unlock the 5X? So the question is should I spend an extra $1000 so I can possibly use Adaware? You won't need Titanium if you're not flashing roms, Better BS works perfectly without root, and there is no bloatware any longer. I understand if these things like flashing roms from Romania (lol that post above is funny) are important to you but you haven't rooted in like what, 5 years now? This is really a no brainer.
---------- Post added at 11:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:48 AM ----------
spotmark said:
Plus, you never know. The original Verizon Pixel was unlockable for a brief time. It's unlikely, but it could happen this time as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not gonna happen like it did for that one month. That flaw has been closed. I'm just waiting for a bounty thread for temp root. And I'm wondering even with temp root if you'd be able to unlock the bootloader on this device.

bobby janow said:
Not gonna happen like it did for that one month. That flaw has been closed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm well aware of that, thanks, but I prefer to be optimistic and hope that we may get lucky. When we get them in our hands, we'll know for sure.

spotmark said:
I'm well aware of that, thanks, but I prefer to be optimistic and hope that we may get lucky. When we get them in our hands, we'll know for sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do admire your optimism but they've been at this a long time and it seems they really have it locked down this time. Unless the Pixel 3s have an exploit I just don't see it. I do hope you're right though.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Best options to degoogle G980F?

Hello all! I have a galaxy s20 g980f stock with oneui 4 beta 1. What are my options to get rid of as much as possible bloatware, de-google, de-samsung etc.? im aware of adb debloating, but it has certain lmitations like knox. so what else? Custom rom? Which one is most debloated and 100% functional?

and1ronik said:
Hello all! I have a galaxy s20 g980f stock with oneui 4 beta 1. What are my options to get rid of as much as possible bloatware, de-google, de-samsung etc.? im aware of adb debloating, but it has certain lmitations like knox. so what else? Custom rom? Which one is most debloated and 100% functional?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
De-bloating is subjective: one man's bloat is another man's treasure. Moreover, aggressive debloating tends to result in broken functionality and it is time consuming to track down the removed package that causes a failure.
Custom ROMs vary greatly in objectives and quality. At the end of the day, the only way you will get exactly what you want is to roll your own.

sjevtic said:
De-bloating is subjective: one man's bloat is another man's treasure. Moreover, aggressive debloating tends to result in broken functionality and it is time consuming to track down the removed package that causes a failure.
Custom ROMs vary greatly in objectives and quality. At the end of the day, the only way you will get exactly what you want is to roll your own.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I cant agree here. I assume there is a common meaning for debloating - getting rid of all preinstalled software that has spying and advertising functions, and replacing it with analog functional software without spying and advertising parts. For example i uninstalled samsung keyboard and replaced with one of foss options.
Now the main and only problem I got is that i was not able to find official detailed explanation of each stock package - over 400 of them. Do you now where this can be found?

and1ronik said:
Well, I cant agree here. I assume there is a common meaning for debloating - getting rid of all preinstalled software that has spying and advertising functions, and replacing it with analog functional software without spying and advertising parts. For example i uninstalled samsung keyboard and replaced with one of foss options.
Now the main and only problem I got is that i was not able to find official detailed explanation of each stock package - over 400 of them. Do you now where this can be found?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is exactly my point. I actually like the Samsung Keyboard. That said, if you *really" want every last piece of invasive software off, you will likely be better served with LineageOS or some other close descendant of AOSP. For what it's worth, one of the most invasive pieces of software on just about any stock device is Google Play Services. However, without it, most of the Google apps won't work, and plenty of other apps downloaded from the Play Store will have issues too.
The closest I've seen to a list of stock packages I've seen is this: https://docs.samsungknox.com/CCMode/G980F_R.pdf. It doesn't provide descriptions though.
As you encounter .apk files in the firmware package, here's an easy way to determine the package name from the occasionally less than informative file name:
Bash:
aapt dump badging file.apk | grep -Po "^package: \Kname=\'\S+?\'"
Attached is the list of bloat specs I used when building my image for the G986B culled from a variety of sources. It should serve as a useful starting point.

Try florisboard from f-droid, i personally found it perfect. But off course I understand your point, it is common too. I go radical, i deleted google play, framework and all google apps, i simply do not use any soft that requires google, for me its an affordable price for privacy and freedom.
By the way for debloating I am using AppManager from Muntashirakon, in ADB mode. I see the packages there, but no description, so yeah its a hit or miss. But there is an option to disable, then you see what happens and if problems you enable it back. Pretty decent, but not perfect. I wish I could root at least, but i guess need to wait for full A12 firmware and a matching TWRP recovery. Currently device is running on A12 Oneui 4 beta1.
Thanks a lot, I was going to ask you for this, where to start putting together own rom!!
Wondering, why are Calyx and Graphene roms not getting much attention here on XDA? And linux phones deserve some, even though they're technically not XDA..
The g980f in subject I just happen to have, if i would have to buy a phone now I wouldn't consider Samsung at all for the restrictions. Few months ago I disabled Samsung Pay Services - phone got locked irreversibly. I called Samsung and only option they offered is hard reset. Lost some sweet stuff with it and will never go Samsung again.

and1ronik said:
Try florisboard from f-droid, i personally found it perfect. But off course I understand your point, it is common too. I go radical, i deleted google play, framework and all google apps, i simply do not use any soft that requires google, for me its an affordable price for privacy and freedom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That keyboard actually looks pretty good. That said, I don't have the patience to fully cut Google/Samsung out of my life.
and1ronik said:
By the way for debloating I am using AppManager from Muntashirakon, in ADB mode. I see the packages there, but no description, so yeah its a hit or miss. But there is an option to disable, then you see what happens and if problems you enable it back. Pretty decent, but not perfect. I wish I could root at least, but i guess need to wait for full A12 firmware and a matching TWRP recovery. Currently device is running on A12 Oneui 4 beta1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know that you need an Android 12-based TWRP, but you definitely need a compatible version of Magisk. Modding is generally a lot harder when you're on the bleeding edge, and is further complicated by the fact that you can't roll back the bootloader; you'll never find me on the latest build. It looks like there is a Android-12 compatible Magisk Canary build but I haven't tried it yet.
and1ronik said:
Wondering, why are Calyx and Graphene roms not getting much attention here on XDA? And linux phones deserve some, even though they're technically not XDA..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because the Android phone market is too fragmented. Any custom ROM is available for at most a handful of the hundreds of actively marketed devices in the Android ecosystem.
Of course the bigger question is why we even need the abomination of an OS that is Android. In short, we don't: Sharp was already selling its Zaurus line of Linux PDAs 20 years ago. Google, however, decided it needed to insert itself into the mobile market, and the rest is history.
and1ronik said:
The g980f in subject I just happen to have, if i would have to buy a phone now I wouldn't consider Samsung at all for the restrictions. Few months ago I disabled Samsung Pay Services - phone got locked irreversibly. I called Samsung and only option they offered is hard reset. Lost some sweet stuff with it and will never go Samsung again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung's "security" practices are obnoxious, though at least in the US, the carriers share plenty of blame for phones being locked down. That said, I have yet to find to find hardware that is more compelling--the lack of a SD card slot is a deal breaker.

By the way i am on beta oneui 4, and i'm not going to update to full A 12 yet, so I keep an option to go back to 11 anytime, and there I can go custom rom or root at least.
And the lack of sd card in pixels is the only thing holding me from switching too.. but very little, im actually going to get a pixel 5 as parallel to the s20. Lack of SD card can be partiality cured by cloud storage. I guess its less inconvenience comparing to struggling with samsung's bs..
From what i see online, pixels have widest rom options, Calyx, Graphene, e/OS, so I can experiment and see what works best for me.

Question What do you loose if you root or flash a galaxy z fold, is Knox still an issue like before?

With samsung releasing necessary bits for the development of Custom ROMs is there still dramatic downsides to flashing any of these potential roms onto a samsung device, is the dreaded Knox still an issue in this department?

I am rooted what can i test for you?
Not sure how to test KNOX...
See my "how to root" thread for known issues (galaxy wear can't connect watch)

justloyld said:
With samsung releasing necessary bits for the development of Custom ROMs is there still dramatic downsides to flashing any of these potential roms onto a samsung device, is the dreaded Knox still an issue in this department?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I rooted an s20 Ultra a couple of years ago the following issues occurred.
I had a Galaxy watch 2 and 3 both would fail to sync with the phone
s-health would not work
Samsung pay would not work
the secure folder would not work
Samsung pass also stopped working
these apps did fail to work but relocking the bootloader brought the google play certification back
google play store became uncertified which made google pay and my banking app also stop working
OTA updates stopped to
wasn't worth it for me haven't done it since the s20 ultra.

cooldude20000 said:
my banking app also stop working
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Click to collapse
did you try magisk hide or zygisk? if you dont mind what banking apps do you use?
I only ask because I haven't experienced any issues with the banking apps (Chase, Discover, USAA) I used on my last device, a rooted oneplus 7T Pro.

justloyld said:
With samsung releasing necessary bits for the development of Custom ROMs is there still dramatic downsides to flashing any of these potential roms onto a samsung device, is the dreaded Knox still an issue in this department?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
99.99% sure that KNOX eFuse will be blown with root ... and - in UK at least - your warranty is instantly & permanently void.

Yeah, AFAIK it blows the knox fuse, so anything with personal data from Samsung stops working. That includes pay, wear, health, sec folder etc. Also Google stuff becomes a pain. Probably work around for that, but honestly, doesn't give you anything, and just causes issue, so don't bother

the_ape said:
Yeah, AFAIK it blows the knox fuse, so anything with personal data from Samsung stops working. That includes pay, wear, health, sec folder etc. Also Google stuff becomes a pain. Probably work around for that, but honestly, doesn't give you anything, and just causes issue, so don't bother
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree. Rooting a phone in 2022 is as useful as buying a house with an outside toilet. Not many want this feature in their life.

Rooting doesn't make any sense anymore. on the contrary it brings so many issues especially regarding banking and password managing applications.
I was a flashcoholic during the good old days, and rooting a phone was the first thing I did when I purchased any phone. but that was because of the software limitations and the mostly not up-to-date Android on the phones I bought. Add to that I didn't have bank apps back then.
Now Samsung has almost the best software update policy, you can buy the phone today and have OS updates for the next four years, add to that the maturity the software and the UI have reached. Tweaks are barely needed and if so, there is the Good Lock app which has many useful additions and customization.

ghassan haddad said:
Rooting doesn't make any sense anymore. on the contrary it brings so many issues especially regarding banking and password managing applications.
I was a flashcoholic during the good old days, and rooting a phone was the first thing I did when I purchased any phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
#MeToo. I am a recovering root-a-holic from late 2000s to mid 2010s but rooting a samsung in the 2020s is more trouble than benefit for anyone who is not an active XDA custom rom dev.

i did root my fold 4 because several apps (titanium, Lucky Patcher) i use need root access.
and LP is so important because i can disable annoying ads in apps.
banking apps do run great with zygisk in magisk.

Thrudvangar said:
i did root my fold 4 because several apps (titanium, Lucky Patcher) i use need root access.
and LP is so important because i can disable annoying ads in apps.
banking apps do run great with zygisk in magisk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or just use Pihole and all your devices are add free... As for lucky got no need for it, didn't even realise still going..

the_ape said:
Or just use Pihole and all your devices are add free... As for lucky got no need for it, didn't even realise still going..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does Pihole work for blocking Ads from apps?
Do you recommend it run on router or device or?

I've got it running in a container on my home server, but did have it on a raspberry pi for a bit. Works great and stops from everything

People who are talking that root is not as important as before. Give me an alternative to Viper4android without root. and I will get Convinced.

mastrok said:
People who are talking that root is not as important as before. Give me an alternative to Viper4android without root. and I will get Convinced.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No idea why you need it, the sound profile is decent out of it with a little tweaking of the dsp settings and decent headphones. After all your listening for the most part over a lossy connection (Bluetooth) anyhow. But if you 'need' it, then more power too you, but a synthetic dsp is not worth the agro impo

the_ape said:
No idea why you need it, the sound profile is decent out of it with a little tweaking of the dsp settings and decent headphones. After all your listening for the most part over a lossy connection (Bluetooth) anyhow. But if you 'need' it, then more power too you, but a synthetic dsp is not worth the agro impo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been using Viper for more than 13 years not since I owned a Samsung Galaxy S4, running by Huawei phones, Oneplus. I have never seen any OEM Audio tuning that brings the same quality and crisp sound that viper brings, and tons of customizations.. I make my phones sound better with Airpods pros than iPhones themselves..
I would really like to invest in a fold 4. but If I can't get it to sound like my rooted Oneplus 7t pro I will be very disappointed..

mastrok said:
People who are talking that root is not as important as before. Give me an alternative to Viper4android without root. and I will get Convinced.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont know what new functionality V4A would give me and I'm obviously not missing it as I haven't felt the need to root any phone for well over 5 years. Android 12/13 and Samsung UI is plenty flexible and open enough for the vast majority of users not to NEED to root.
Nobody is saying you don't have the right to root,... you do have the right! Go root yout $2000 device if you want to Its your choice
...but root with your eyes open and research the pros and cons before you flash a non-samsung image & permanently trip the knox efuse.
HOWEVER.... look again at the title of this forum topic
What do you loose if you root or flash a galaxy z fold, is Knox still an issue like before?​Answer: You lose a heck of a lot in most regions of the world ! .... Banking apps, Samsung Pay... Warranty. and Knox eFuse is tripped permanently.

in
mastrok said:
I have been using Viper for more than 13 years not since I owned a Samsung Galaxy S4, running by Huawei phones, Oneplus. I have never seen any OEM Audio tuning that brings the same quality and crisp sound that viper brings, and tons of customizations.. I make my phones sound better with Airpods pros than iPhones themselves..
I would really like to invest in a fold 4. but If I can't get it to sound like my rooted Oneplus 7t pro I will be very disappointed..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi mastrok. i felt the same like you. i was using v4a since many many years and i loved it.
so then i did buy a fold 4 and i started to realize that v4a will not work on this phone. this was very sad and disappointing for me.
so i had to look for an alternative solution.
i installed jamesdsp via magisk and i use poweramp.
in jamesdsp i only set up the convolver. in poweramp i set up the equalizer and the bass and treble adjustment.
for me the sound is now like in v4a.
i am satisfied with that solution.
but to come back to the topic: you need root access for that i assume.

dezborders said:
I dont know what new functionality V4A would give me and I'm obviously not missing it as I haven't felt the need to root any phone for well over 5 years. Android 12/13 and Samsung UI is plenty flexible and open enough for the vast majority of users not to NEED to root.
Nobody is saying you don't have the right to root,... you do have the right! Go root yout $2000 device if you want to Its your choice
...but root with your eyes open and research the pros and cons before you flash a non-samsung image & permanently trip the knox efuse.
HOWEVER.... look again at the title of this forum topic
What do you loose if you root or flash a galaxy z fold, is Knox still an issue like before?​Answer: You lose a heck of a lot in most regions of the world ! .... Banking apps, Samsung Pay... Warranty. and Knox eFuse is tripped permanently.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why do you say that you loose banking apps and samsung pay with root? that is not true!
and after root my knox status remained at knox 0x0 as i remember when i was the last time in download mode.
i can easily unroot it if i want.

Thrudvangar said:
why do you say that you loose banking apps and samsung pay with root? that is not true!
and after root my knox status remained at knox 0x0 as i remember when i was the last time in download mode.
i can easily unroot it if i want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It IS true in the UK that some banking apps wont run on rooted devices (santander, HSBC for 2 examples)
My understanding was that knox is tripped permanently first time you flash a custom rom or a non samsung image.
News to me that this has changed, but good luck to you.
I will never root a samsung phone again ever ever. no need. too many downsides. too few upsides.
Finally, there was a poll in XDA last month about who plans to root their Fold4. 75% of recipients said never ever. 25% said maybe.
Rooting is now un unpopular and specialist option less than 25% of XDA members want. This is fact, stats taken from an open poll.