Hi guys, I made kind of a boo boo while unlocking the bootloader for my M7. So here's what happened, I received an update notification OTA so I had to relock my bootloader and install a stock recovery. No problems so far, here's where I make my fatal mistake.. I used titanium backup to backup my data and stuff but completely forgot that unlocking the bootloader does a complete wipe, I thought it was only a minor wipe where it keeps the internal storage data. So I update OTA, unlock the bootloader, flash custom recovery and root it and BAM! all my stuff is gone, nothing in my internal storage! I'm so mad with myself cause I had saved messages, game saves, pics etc but it's all disappeared.. I did a nandroid backup beforehand but it's no use. If I had known it does a complete factory reset I would of simply copied everything to my computer, and it's my fault for not reading on that before..
My question. Is there a possible way to recover the lost data like software cause it took me a long time to progress with my games and have a couple of years of saved messages from my old phone to the M7 and it's all wiped, pictures I don't care about too much. I'd really appreciate if someone could help me out. Cheers
Stevo001457 said:
Hi guys, I made kind of a boo boo while unlocking the bootloader for my M7. So here's what happened, I received an update notification OTA so I had to relock my bootloader and install a stock recovery. No problems so far, here's where I make my fatal mistake.. I used titanium backup to backup my data and stuff but completely forgot that unlocking the bootloader does a complete wipe, I thought it was only a minor wipe where it keeps the internal storage data. So I update OTA, unlock the bootloader, flash custom recovery and root it and BAM! all my stuff is gone, nothing in my internal storage! I'm so mad with myself cause I had saved messages, game saves, pics etc but it's all disappeared.. I did a nandroid backup beforehand but it's no use. If I had known it does a complete factory reset I would of simply copied everything to my computer, and it's my fault for not reading on that before..
My question. Is there a possible way to recover the lost data like software cause it took me a long time to progress with my games and have a couple of years of saved messages from my old phone to the M7 and it's all wiped, pictures I don't care about too much. I'd really appreciate if someone could help me out. Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately I think it's all lost, Most Android games have a cloud backup system, Real Raceing 3 for example allows you to restore your game progress from the in game settings see attached screen shots. Most other games will restore your progress on login if you selected "Backup My Device With my Google account" when you setup your rom.
Messages, Pics, Music and so on are probably irrecoverable. It's possible a Recovery software may help but will most likely be expensive. So unless somebody has some jewel of info to post here I think it's safe to say it's lost.
For the record you don't need to relock your bootloader to install OTA updates. As long as you have a Complete stock rom with stock recovery OTA's will install fine while Unlocked with either s-on or s-off. Relocking is only required for manually updating firmware with a device that's s-on. :good:
Right thanks Danny, I'll take that into account next time. The forum said it was optional so I unlocked it to be safe but didn't realise it would be so detrimental to my files. On the bright side I did make a nandroid which included my old messages by good fortune. Pretty darn happy to retrieve those, got some of my data back and had a duplicate of my music on the laptop. Lost some of my important game states which I'm trying to salvage, but if I can't then meh.
Related
I posted this in general but it occurs to me that was the wrong forum. I apologize for the double-post.
Hey everyone, I'm kinda a newb in the android scene (long-time iphone user), and I just got an unlocked HTC One 32gb. I'm thinking about unlocking the bootloader and installing one of the custom roms available here, and I had a few questions.
First, if I unlock the bootloader, will it delete all my data and apps? I've seen that it does delete some of the pre-installed HTC apps (that can be reinstalled using a flashable package I also saw here), but what about my apps, homescreen settings, text messages, pictures, etc? Will all of that get deleted?
If it does, is there a good way to back it up so it gets put back exactly the way I set it up (in particular, the home screens?)
Finally, when flashing one of the tweaked ROMs, will that process delete the data I described above?
Gabik123 said:
I posted this in general but it occurs to me that was the wrong forum. I apologize for the double-post.
Hey everyone, I'm kinda a newb in the android scene (long-time iphone user), and I just got an unlocked HTC One 32gb. I'm thinking about unlocking the bootloader and installing one of the custom roms available here, and I had a few questions.
First, if I unlock the bootloader, will it delete all my data and apps? I've seen that it does delete some of the pre-installed HTC apps (that can be reinstalled using a flashable package I also saw here), but what about my apps, homescreen settings, text messages, pictures, etc? Will all of that get deleted?
If it does, is there a good way to back it up so it gets put back exactly the way I set it up (in particular, the home screens?)
Finally, when flashing one of the tweaked ROMs, will that process delete the data I described above?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlocking your bootloader will wipe all data from your phone including your Virtual SD Card, you can download Carbon from here to backup all your apps.
It won't save your home screens, SMS Backup and Restore (also from Play Store) can backup your SMS. Just copy any pictures etc off your device before you start.
Flashing a new custom ROM for the first time will require you to wipe everything, so do this straight after you've unlocked your bootloader and flashed custom recovery.
Then restore Apps / SMS etc..
Hi,
Just got my new Nexus 6 64GB. Rooted and I transferred my titanium backup files from my Galaxy Note 3. Everything went fine. 3 hour later all my apps are up and running and I'm peachy.
After that I was doing some reading a I stumbled upon the tutorial on how to disable encryption. I gave it a go and upon restart it asked me for my pin number. I enter the pin and then I get the message saying that the phone has to be reset. I hit reset and after the procedure finished phone rebooted and all my files where completely wiped clean. In all my previous phones I could do a reset and keep all my downloaded and backed up files. Is there a way to do this too with the nexus or every time I screw something up I will loose everything?
Stock recovery always resets /sdcard too. Custom recovery only /data and /cache, etc.
However, ALL your data is on an encrypted file system so the only way to decrypt is by reformatting the places that contain ALL the data
rootSU said:
Stock recovery always resets /sdcard too. Custom recovery only /data and /cache, etc.
However, ALL your data is on an encrypted file system so the only way to decrypt is by reformatting the places that contain ALL the data
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does this apply even if I disabled the encryption?
I love the phone but this is an issue for me. Please give me your opinion on which is the best way to go. I was thinking to not install a custom recovery so I can be able to do the OTA updates even thought I never owned a phone that I didn't root and install custom recovery and ROM from day one (Only have used Samsung Note Phones all these years). Is there a ROM that is based on the Original with encryption disabled and has some good tweaks and will be updated as soon as there is an update? Thanks for your help.
slekkas said:
Does this apply even if I disabled the encryption?
I love the phone but this is an issue for me. Please give me your opinion on which is the best way to go. I was thinking to not install a custom recovery so I can be able to do the OTA updates even thought I never owned a phone that I didn't root and install custom recovery and ROM from day one (Only have used Samsung Note Phones all these years). Is there a ROM that is based on the Original with encryption disabled and has some good tweaks and will be updated as soon as there is an update? Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All phones that have "internal storage" their stock recovery wipes "sdcard" when you factory reset.
slekkas said:
Does this apply even if I disabled the encryption?
I love the phone but this is an issue for me. Please give me your opinion on which is the best way to go. I was thinking to not install a custom recovery so I can be able to do the OTA updates even thought I never owned a phone that I didn't root and install custom recovery and ROM from day one (Only have used Samsung Note Phones all these years). Is there a ROM that is based on the Original with encryption disabled and has some good tweaks and will be updated as soon as there is an update? Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The ROMs have nothing to do with encryption. When you want to turn encryption off, all your data will be reset, there is no way around it.
However, once you have disabled encryption, then you can stay on a stock rooted ROM, or go to any ROM you like, your internal files will not be touched (data will be deleted though). If you were to stay on the stock rooted ROM, and then accept an OTA update, your phone will automatically encrypt on first boot afterwards. Most ROMs update within a day (if not hours) after the OTA update, so best bet is to flash than to accept OTA if you want to stay unencrypted.
When you wipe your phone in recovery yo flash a different ROM, you do a custom wipe, where you uncheck "internal storage", so your files/pictures/etc don't get deleted.
The cool thing about the N6 is the restore option. If you were to completely wipe right now and go to a different ROM, on first boot, upon logging in you will be asked if you want to restore a backup (if you have enabled backup apps, data, WiFi passwords for your google account). If you select yes, all your apps will automatically be downloaded from the play store, you won't have to do it manually. However, I have seen data for the app is not restored, but you can log into most apps and most games save your progress on the cloud now.
Hi,
I have a Nexus 6 with a shattered screen, and just bought another one to replace it (exact same model, XT1103 32GB).
I want to make a Nandroid dump of the old device by booting into TWRP temporarily, then restoring the backup to the new phone using the same method. Both phones are bootloader unlocked and totally stock (latest Android update).
Is there anything in particular that I should watch out for? Which partitions should I not touch - a friend on another forum suggested that I should not touch EFS?
Cheers,
Su
If you restore the efs from one to the other you'll loose your imei number on the second one
needleyepoke
---------- Post added at 07:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:47 PM ----------
I've cloned a Nexus 5 but I'm not sure if it's the same way.... P.S. of course your not supposed to do it unless you own both phones... From what I've been told
needleyepoke
Hi,
I don't want to mess about with the IMEI etc - I just want the same system settings, apps etc.
What partitions should I backup/restore? I guess just System, Data, Cache, Boot & Recovery should be enough?
Thanks,
Su
[edit] This seems to suggest just System, Data and Boot is ok - but is that all I need if I am restoring to another device?
Sumanji said:
Hi,
I don't want to mess about with the IMEI etc - I just want the same system settings, apps etc.
What partitions should I backup/restore? I guess just System, Data, Cache, Boot & Recovery should be enough?
Thanks,
Su
[edit] This seems to suggest just System, Data and Boot is ok - but is that all I need if I am restoring to another device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes if they're on the same version. I cloned a 32 into a 64.
Ok I just tried this now, and it is not working...
The restore to the new device worked fine, but when I power up I get the "your device is corrupt screen" (which I think is normal if you use TWRP), but then after that it's just a blank screen...
The phone is still able to boot into bootloader and recovery (stock).
Any ideas what could have gone wrong please?
Thanks,
Suman
I think this might be something to do with encryption... when booting into TWRP the new phone still requires the encryption pin I set up from its original software....
Do I need to start again?
Ok, I flashed the new phone with the factory image and started again... this time, when I restore the backup it just hangs on the white Google logo screen...
Any help appreciated please!
Thanks,
Su
If your firs N6 was encrpted (default) there's no way to clone it. Android will generate different encryption keys etc.
Secure lockscreen is a big no-no too. With it, you can't even properly restore backup on the same device!
Trying to take the lazy way out is just asking for trouble. There are many things that can go wrong.
Also just a side note. Cloning devices is illegal, even if you own both devices. The was set by the cell phone cloning laws set up by the FCC.
Your best bet is just to reset it up from scratch.
zelendel said:
Trying to take the lazy way out is just asking for trouble. There are many things that can go wrong.
Also just a side note. Cloning devices is illegal, even if you own both devices. The was set by the cell phone cloning laws set up by the FCC.
Your best bet is just to reset it up from scratch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh well,
I'm remembering what I did and I did not restore the Nandroid from Device A to Device B, I titanium Backup'd all the apps and moved them to TitaniumBackup folder on the new phone, restored from there.
For /sdcard/ I had to copy and paste it from one phone to the other...
I'm going to reply this to your reddit thread also.
Lawstorant said:
If your firs N6 was encrpted (default) there's no way to clone it. Android will generate different encryption keys etc.
Secure lockscreen is a big no-no too. With it, you can't even properly restore backup on the same device!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah dang, so there is no way for me to do what I want then... that's annoying, I would have bought a different phone in that case!
I believe Google requires encryption to be active in all devices with Android 6.0.1 installed, so any new device you purchase will have this (non-) issue.
Think of the alternative however. You could always be dealing with Samsung and Knox.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
I believe Google requires encryption to be active in all devices with Android 6.0.1 installed, so any new device you purchase will have this (non-) issue.
Think of the alternative however. You could always be dealing with Samsung and Knox.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe that is correct. All Nexus devices going forward will have the kernel force encryption. The only way around it is to format data in TWRP (completely wipe the phone) and then when you re setup your ROM (or even the stock image) just make sure you flash a custom kernel that doesn't force encryption (which pretty much all custom kernels don't) before booting into OS for the first time. I run mine unencrypted because nandroid backups are wayyyyy quicker without encryption. I know the security isn't as good but not a deal breaker for me.
I asked this question a while back when I was in the same situation, and was told that it's a bad idea.
TriguyRN said:
I asked this question a while back when I was in the same situation, and was told that it's a bad idea.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is a bad idea. Restoring any system files from one device to another is a risky game. I wouldn't even recommend restoring data from one device to another.
Start fresh, clean. No need to bring junk over, or risk issues. Takes 15 minutes to setup a phone how I like it after a clean rom flash. That's not a long time.
Last year I returned my N6 because of the peeling-back problem. I had a full TWRP backup on my laptop. I loaded it on to the replacement N6, renamed the backup folder to the new device id, and restored it. Worked perfectly, no problems.
I was trying to recover some pictures that apparently deleted themselves or maybe I somehow deleted without myself realizing it. The phone is not rooted and from some of the posts, it seems like I will need to root it to gain access to recover the files. But I am fearing that the rooting process would wipe out some of the pictures that may still be in the memory. What would be my best way to proceed here?
Thanks!
You need an unlocked bootloader to root your device. Unlocking your bootloader will wipe all your internal storage...
Hi all, this forum has been great for providing answers, so ive got 1 last question before i do anything to my phone.
Obliviously installing a custom recovery like TWRP requires bootloader unlocking which wipes data. I want to perform a backup of my phone, a complete backup, system, apps the works so if anything is wrong i can restore the backup, no when i say backup i mean almost like a Nandroid backup you can perform with a custom recovery, is this possible?, or ate very least is there any 3rd party apps that will perform a backup of everything inc Apps and App data, so for instance, passwords etc are backed up as well for each app which saves a ton of time having to reinstall them and remember all the passwords. Nandroid backup were easy on previous phones because on some bootloader unlock wasnt required just to install TWRP. Can anyone help with this issue, id really like to have a full backup for peace of mind. Many thanks in advance.
Swift backup is the closest I have come across
gazza35 said:
Hi all, this forum has been great for providing answers, so ive got 1 last question before i do anything to my phone.
Obliviously installing a custom recovery like TWRP requires bootloader unlocking which wipes data. I want to perform a backup of my phone, a complete backup, system, apps the works so if anything is wrong i can restore the backup, no when i say backup i mean almost like a Nandroid backup you can perform with a custom recovery, is this possible?, or ate very least is there any 3rd party apps that will perform a backup of everything inc Apps and App data, so for instance, passwords etc are backed up as well for each app which saves a ton of time having to reinstall them and remember all the passwords. Nandroid backup were easy on previous phones because on some bootloader unlock wasnt required just to install TWRP. Can anyone help with this issue, id really like to have a full backup for peace of mind. Many thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately with a lock bootloader, you can't really create a full backup of data of apps. You can only back the APK file and some data. Even if you somehow did, restoring backups is also a problem as some backups aren't compatible with a different rom. Nandroid backups aren't an option too as restoring those from a different rom will cause issue due to incompatibly (someone tried before and caused destroyed system).
What I did in my preparation before is backed up important files through drive or cloud storages. I also rely on password managers for log-ins. I also created a separate Google Account solely for storage for my backup too. If you have, I highly advise backing up using SD Cards. They're quite an essential especially for phone modding and backup restores. Also before unlocking, make sure to have a plan on what to do after, do you stay on MIUI or try some mods or custom roms etc... So that you can switch afterwards before restoring your backup.
Lastly, if anything goes wrong, you can always reflash the stock MIUI ROM using MiFlash.
BigChungus321 said:
Unfortunately with a lock bootloader, you can't really create a full backup of data of apps. You can only back the APK file and some data. Even if you somehow did, restoring backups is also a problem as some backups aren't compatible with a different rom. Nandroid backups aren't an option too as restoring those from a different rom will cause issue due to incompatibly (someone tried before and caused destroyed system).
What I did in my preparation before is backed up important files through drive or cloud storages. I also rely on password managers for log-ins. I also created a separate Google Account solely for storage for my backup too. If you have, I highly advise backing up using SD Cards. They're quite an essential especially for phone modding and backup restores. Also before unlocking, make sure to have a plan on what to do after, do you stay on MIUI or try some mods or custom roms etc... So that you can switch afterwards before restoring your backup.
Lastly, if anything goes wrong, you can always reflash the stock MIUI ROM using MiFlash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for all that useful info. I do have a 128gb sd card in the phone as well as the inbuilt 128gb, so plenty storage. Im just so used to other phones where backups where simple of bl unlock wasnt required to flash twrp etc, i did try the phones inbuilt backup system to backup the apps, it seemed to backup some info but not the apps which is odd, google backup ive never used so im unsure. ill try and look for a password manager and see if i can find a way to backup passwords at least. From what ive read everything with this phone seems impossible without first unlocking the BL, i just wish i didnt have to wait 7 days or wipe the phone to do it lol. My main aim is to downgrade back to Android 11 stock Miui, im not convinced custom roms available for this device are at a daily driver stage yet, as for mods, i may end up rooting at some point and get magisk, i think most mods i used would be mainly aesthetic, like changing splash screens etc etc, simple stuff. Anyway i have drivers installed, i have Miflash unlock installed. i shall start getting my passwords and some apps saved off etc and go from there. As always, thankyou once again for the detailed reply, youve been great help
Found Wondershare MobileTrans. Thankfully it backs up most stuff inc apps, havent found any other way as yet. Thanks again.
gazza35 said:
Thanks for all that useful info. I do have a 128gb sd card in the phone as well as the inbuilt 128gb, so plenty storage. Im just so used to other phones where backups where simple of bl unlock wasnt required to flash twrp etc, i did try the phones inbuilt backup system to backup the apps, it seemed to backup some info but not the apps which is odd, google backup ive never used so im unsure. ill try and look for a password manager and see if i can find a way to backup passwords at least. From what ive read everything with this phone seems impossible without first unlocking the BL, i just wish i didnt have to wait 7 days or wipe the phone to do it lol. My main aim is to downgrade back to Android 11 stock Miui, im not convinced custom roms available for this device are at a daily driver stage yet, as for mods, i may end up rooting at some point and get magisk, i think most mods i used would be mainly aesthetic, like changing splash screens etc etc, simple stuff. Anyway i have drivers installed, i have Miflash unlock installed. i shall start getting my passwords and some apps saved off etc and go from there. As always, thankyou once again for the detailed reply, youve been great help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright. Also some points that I would like to add, since like you said, you're staying at A11 Miui which for the most part is now forgotten (or at least have the minority using it), you'll have to use the official twrp instead of the newer unofficial ones due to compatibility and it's the only recovery in a11 which can decrypt the storage (newer ones can only decrypt a12-a13, not a11...weird). Also, this is just a suggestion but obviously unlocking bootloader results in failing integrity API test (formerly safety net) so you'll have to really root and spoof the device to pass integrity API test and use banking apps etc... Good luck though and yeah you can't skip that 7 day wait, it's a good time to backup and prepare.
BigChungus321 said:
Alright. Also some points that I would like to add, since like you said, you're staying at A11 Miui which for the most part is now forgotten (or at least have the minority using it), you'll have to use the official twrp instead of the newer unofficial ones due to compatibility and it's the only recovery in a11 which can decrypt the storage (newer ones can only decrypt a12-a13, not a11...weird). Also, this is just a suggestion but obviously unlocking bootloader results in failing integrity API test (formerly safety net) so you'll have to really root and spoof the device to pass integrity API test and use banking apps etc... Good luck though and yeah you can't skip that 7 day wait, it's a good time to backup and prepare.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, sounds like a lot of Work, Another question for you, if i stay on A12, 12.0.3.0 which worked amazing until it upgraded, will i have to do the whole same spoofing thing?, i did forget about my banking apps. And where can i find Disable Dmverity and will that sort out the banking apps, i know itll let me keep cust recovery, I see reference to it but i cant find it anywhere, is there like a certain website or something where people download their mods and stuff.
gazza35 said:
Ok, sounds like a lot of Work, Another question for you, if i stay on A12, 12.0.3.0 which worked amazing until it upgraded, will i have to do the whole same spoofing thing?, i did forget about my banking apps. And where can i find Disable Dmverity and will that sort out the banking apps, i know itll let me keep cust recovery, I see reference to it but i cant find it anywhere, is there like a certain website or something where people download their mods and stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, unlocking your bootloader will cause you to fail integrity test so you'll have no choice but to root and spoof if you're going to use banking apps. I can help you with this process if you want.
You can get the DM Verity file I used here:
https://zackptg5.com/android.php , it also includes some of my favorite mods like JamesDSP. You'll probably get something like DisableDMverity_forceencrypt zip or something like that so be sure to rename the zip file only to "Disable_Dm-Verity" zip (it's one of those zips where it uses the name of the zip to select what it's patching, it is recommended to keep force encryption enabled as to avoid data theft when you lose your phone). You flash the disable dm verity right after TWRP so you can boot to your rom afterwards. And yes dmverity won't help you pass integrity API.
As for themes/mods and such, I mostly get them here from XDA, Telegram groups, or Github. Mostly telegram tbh. But be sure to check whether it's safe to use as some bundles their modules (or once the app gets root access) will cause damage to your phone.
BigChungus321 said:
Yes, unlocking your bootloader will cause you to fail integrity test so you'll have no choice but to root and spoof if you're going to use banking apps. I can help you with this process if you want.
You can get the DM Verity file I used here:
https://zackptg5.com/android.php , it also includes some of my favorite mods like JamesDSP. You'll probably get something like DisableDMverity_forceencrypt zip or something like that so be sure to rename the zip file only to "Disable_Dm-Verity" zip (it's one of those zips where it uses the name of the zip to select what it's patching, it is recommended to keep force encryption enabled as to avoid data theft when you lose your phone). You flash the disable dm verity right after TWRP so you can boot to your rom afterwards. And yes dmverity won't help you pass integrity API.
As for themes/mods and such, I mostly get them here from XDA, Telegram groups, or Github. Mostly telegram tbh. But be sure to check whether it's safe to use as some bundles their modules (or once the app gets root access) will cause damage to your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thankyou i think i have everything i need, ive backed up My 3rd party apps, all my Passwords, calendar, contacts etc etc, so, im ready to move forward and just wait for phone to be unlocked now. Youve been a great help, thankyou very much indeed.
RAMBO29 said:
Swift backup is the closest I have come across
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But if the file get large size about 6-8 gb it was hard to transfer it to pd or sd card and something it shows error while transferring