Database Develop

What to do with a rooted Nexus One?

I'm considering rooting my phone, but I'm kind of on the fence. First, I don't really want to void my warranty, but since I bought the phone used do I even have a warranty anymore? Second, I'm not really that interested in custom ROMs at this point since I'm new to Android OS and I'm happy with the way things are stock for now. So my question is... What can I do with a rooted phone running the stock Froyo ROM? Anything cool/interesting, or does it not even pay to bother rooting if I'm going to keep it stock?

I waited 3 months before rooting and I thought the same as you, wasn't interested in custom ROMs and all. Once I finally rooted and loaded cyanogen ROM, it completely changed my thinking. I highly highly recommend using cyanogen if you root. I can't stress enough. Things wkt can do with root are many, 720p video hack, black notification bar, themes, meta morph, audio volume hack, ROM manager, titanium backup, nand backups! The list is endless. Hell nand backup alone is worth rooting.

Is there a place or a link I can find more information about just stuff that I can do with a rooted phone BESIDES installing custom ROMs? Everything I usually find is just about ROMs. I want to just get my feet wet a little before I decide to just jump right in. For now I'm just interested in stuff I can do with plain old vanilla android once it's been rooted.

Look for apps that require root, see what they are and if you need any of them.

Here's my current list of things "to root for", I haven't yet..
Reasons to root:
Just root, nothing else:
- Adblock host file
- ClockSync
- GScripter
- Remove built-in crap (Amazon MP3)
- Screenshots
After installing recovery image
- Nandroid
After installing custom rom
- Black notification bar

Depending on where you live, you might still have warranty. For example, in Europe, the warranty is by default 2 years on the device. So it doesn't matter if you got it second hand, as long as the device still has warranty, you're OK.
Secondly, you can root your device without unlocking the bootloader. Check this thread for more info. At step 18, before doing the 2 'exit' commands, also take the time to rename /system/etc/recovery-install.sh & install + make executable a file called flash_image (google it to find a download) into /system/bin. This way you can install a custom recovery (e.g. for doing nandroid backups) and will make installing custom ROMs later a lot less painful.
A rooted stock FRF91 can already do many things, search for 'root' in the market and you can find tons of apps that require root privileges and that will run fine on stock. However, the really interesting things (like color trackball alert, firewalling, proxy support, ...) will require you to install a custom ROM.
I rooted my stock N1 with the above procedure a couple of weeks ago, and installed Cyanogen6 RC2 ROM to get some of the more advanced functionality. Been working like a charm and I've actually managed to get a lot more out of my device AND have longer battery life

How long till we may see the 6 rooted?

I've never owned a Nexus/Google phone, how long would you all guess it's going to take to root the Nexus 6?
Thanks! :fingers-crossed:

Kidding I hope

Pyros2008 said:
I've never owned a Nexus/Google phone, how long would you all guess it's going to take to root the Nexus 6?
Thanks! :fingers-crossed:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before you even get it
Sent from my A0001 using XDA Free mobile app

Nope, the first time I rooted was a month ago, my Note 3. I take it the device can be rooted off the bat.. or there something else I am missing?

Give Chainfire a couple hours with the phone

Pretty sure the process will be similar to other Nexus devices... Fastboot oem unlock, etc, etc.

http://phandroid.com/2014/11/17/nexus-6-lollipop-root/

all hail king chainfire?

kgeissler said:
http://phandroid.com/2014/11/17/nexus-6-lollipop-root/
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Click to collapse
That has 6 nexus devices with root. Bit not the nexus 6.

I would make sure to wait until Google releases the factory image before rooting just in case something goes wrong

I'm pretty sure that the factory images have to be out as he has to create a modified kernel for the N6 for superuser to work on 5.0.

lordgodgeneral said:
I'm pretty sure that the factory images have to be out as he has to create a modified kernel for the N6 for superuser to work on 5.0.
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Click to collapse
I think he just patches the existing kernel so don't think he would need images. Think being the key word there as I don't know for sure how it works exactly.

You don't need a developer to root a nexus. Boot into the bootloader, connect to your computer, run: fastboot oem unlock, then install the recovery of your choice via fastboot (fastboot flash recovery blahxxx.img), then just flash whatever superuser you want (e.g. SuperSU)
Sent from my XT1053 using Tapatalk

bongostl said:
You don't need a developer to root a nexus. Boot into the bootloader, connect to your computer, run: fastboot oem unlock, then install the recovery of your choice via fastboot (fastboot flash recovery blahxxx.img), then just flash whatever superuser you want (e.g. SuperSU)
Sent from my XT1053 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry but this is no longer accurate. First off, there are no custom recoveries yet. Second, lollipop requires additional work arounds for root other than just flashing superuser.

akellar said:
Sorry but this is no longer accurate. First off, there are no custom recoveries yet. Second, lollipop requires additional work arounds for root other than just flashing superuser.
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Click to collapse
Hm? I'm running oneplus one with root on lollipop. All I had to do was just flash supersu in recovery.
Hopefully we can see a twrp on nexus 6 soon.
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

zephiK said:
Hm? I'm running oneplus one with root on lollipop. All I had to do was just flash supersu in recovery.
Hopefully we can see a twrp on nexus 6 soon.
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's likely not a complete build with the SELinux improvements that google made to the kernel. You need to modify the kernel on lollipop to have root so your one plus probably just has a ROM not a full image of the lollipop on it. Also as stated earlier you can't root anything without the factory image posted by google for the nexus. Then the developers can have at it. Until your happens we are just left waiting.

Pilz said:
It's likely not a complete build with the SELinux improvements that google made to the kernel. You need to modify the kernel on lollipop to have root so your one plus probably just has a ROM not a full image of the lollipop on it. Also as stated earlier you can't root anything without the factory image posted by google for the nexus. Then the developers can have at it. Until your happens we are just left waiting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SELinux is currently permissive and yep its built off CM12 sources. But to answer OP's question, probably won't take too long but no ETAs.

zephiK said:
SELinux is currently permissive and yep its built off CM12 sources. But to answer OP's question, probably won't take too long but no ETAs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then that's why you can flash it in recovery. Normally you wouldn't be able to if it wasn't changed.

Chainfire said:
On LPX13D, SELinux, and root
As promised, here are some more details about the current situation.
Why it breaks
Google has really put some effort into better securing Android, and we've seen a lot of SELinux related commits to the AOSP tree over the past months. There is some disconnect between the AOSP tree and actual L preview builds, some things from AOSP are not in the L preview build, and vice versa. Ultimately, it's a pretty good bet these things will mostly align, though.
On most devices and firmwares, SuperSU's daemon is started by the install-recovery.sh service script that runs at system boot time, as user root with the init context. This is what the daemon needs to function.
Recently, they've started requiring all started services to run in their own SELinux context, instead of init. Developers and security guys following AOSP have known this was coming; AOSP builds have been logging complaints about this specific service not having its own context for a while now.
Now this script runs as root, but as the install_recovery context, which breaks SuperSU's operation, as it is a very restrictive context.
In the last AOSP build I have tried (a few weeks old), there were a fair number of other holes that we could use to launch the daemon. At first glance(!), it seems those have all been closed. An impressive feat by the guys working on this, if it proves true.
How to fix it
To fix root, all that really had to be done was ensure the daemon's startup script is run at boot as the root user with the init context.
There are multiple ways to do this, but unfortunately for now it seems that it does require a modified kernel package (changing the ramdisk).
In the modified kernel packages I've posted for the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7, the daemon's startup is fixed by commenting out the line in init.rc that forces the install-recovery.sh script to run as the install_recovery context, so now it runs as init again, and all is well.
Repercussions
As stated above, it seems for now that modifications to the kernel package are required to have root, we cannot attain it with only modifications to the system partition.
Combine that with a locked bootloader (and optionally dm-verity) and a device becomes nigh unrootable - exactly as intended by the security guys.
Exploit-based roots are already harder to do thanks to SELinux, and now because of the kernel requirements for persistent root, these exploits will need to be run at every boot. Exploits that make the system unstable (as many do) are thus out as well.
Of course, this is all dependent on OEMs implementing everything exactly right. If a certain OEM doesn't protect one of their services correctly, then we can leverage that to launch the daemon without kernel modifications. While I'm fairly certain this will be the case for a bunch of devices and firmwares, especially the earlier L firmwares, this is not something you should expect or base decisions on. It is now thus more important than ever to buy unlocked devices if you want root.
It might also mean that every firmware update will require re-rooting, and OTA survival mode will be broken. For many (but far from all) devices we can probably automate patching the kernel package right in the SuperSU installer ZIP. We can try to keep it relatively easy, but updating stock firmwares while maintaining root is probably not going to work as easy and fast as it did until now.
Apps need updates
Unsurprisingly, with a new major Android release, apps will need updates. None more so than apps that go beyond the Android API, as root apps do, but even some non-root apps will be affected by the security changes.
As one example, someone posted in the SuperSU thread of a kernel flashing app that didn't work. From the logcat you could see that it was looking for partitions in /dev/block from its normal non-root user and non-init context. That used to be possible, but now it is restricted: normal apps no longer have read access there.
The solution for that app is actually quite simple: list the /dev/block contents using root instead. But simple solution or not, the app will still need to be updated.
By far most root apps should be updateable for L without too much issue. There are indeed exceptions that will need some special care, but those are rare.
Permissive vs enforcing
The kernel packages I posted for the Nexus 5 and 7 LPX13D firmware keep SELinux mostly set to enforcing. I say mostly, because SuperSU actually switches a small part of the system to permissive, so apps calling su can do most things without much interference. The details on this are lengthy (yes, your apps will be able to modify policies as well if needed, which should be rare), and I will document these for other developers after L retail release, assuming it will all still work at that time.
Alternatively, you can set the whole system to permissive or otherwise disable SELinux. There are other kernel packages released that indeed do this. The advantage here is that it instantly fixes some apps' issues, as the SELinux based restrictions have all gone the way of the dodo. The disadvantage here is that you've just shut down a major part of the security system of the device.
Some would argue that a device with an unlocked bootloader, root, encrypted modem firmwares of which nobody really knows what they're doing, etc, is inherently insecure, and thus disabling SELinux doesn't make much difference.
I personally disagree with this. While I do agree that these things weaken security down from the ideal level, I would still not disable more security features than I absolutely need to. Just because you cannot eliminate all attack vectors, is no reason to just completely give up on defending against them.
It is of course your own choice if you want to run a permissive system or not. I will strive to keep everything working in enforcing mode though, and I hope other root app developers will do the same - as stated earlier in the post, I believe this is still possible.
(everything in this post is subject to change for retail L release, obviously)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://plus.google.com/+Chainfire/posts/VxjfYJnZAXP
http://www.xda-developers.com/android/supersu-beta-2-23-lollipop/

Pilz said:
Then that's why you can flash it in recovery. Normally you wouldn't be able to if it wasn't changed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good news everyone, starting one of the upcoming SuperSU updates, modified kernels will no longer be needed for root on Android 5.0 ... !
Click to expand...
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https://twitter.com/ChainfireXDA/status/535253476021116928

Android Pay on Custom ROM?

So Google wallet didn't work because of like of open source modules for part of the NFC hardware. Has anyone tried Android Pay on something like CyanogenMod? I think its supposed to work a bit differently and it says it should work on any device with NFC. I"m on the stock rom and needed to unroot before it worked, you may need to turn it off in your settings.
Thanks!

Lots of muddy water out there right now. Some people working, others not. I'm on a stock, deodexed 5.1 rom flashed through TWRP. I can't get it to work for the life of me. Tried root cloak, couple of xposed modules, etc. No go. Keep getting the compatibility error when trying to add a card.

I'm on the stock ROM but am rooted and have an unlocked bootloader and I too could not add a card to Android Pay because 'Google is unable to verify that your device or the software running on it is Android compatible'.
sleepy

working Android Auto app with rooted rom?

I'm no stranger to development here but have been out for a while. I just got a new car with a touch screen and continued to add Android Auto app for navigation etc. I was still on kitkat lol due to difficulty of going back and horror stories of poor batter life on lollipop/marshmallow. So... I went ahead to latest stock marshmallow. it works fine and AA is nice. As soon as I decided to root with permissive kernel, auto app stops working. Apparently, it's beastmode kernel. The question is, does anyone know if a particular rom or kernel works well with android auto for the t910? Does old school root (non systemless) work with just a stock kernel? Thanks for any help, fellas!

Well, I got it working if anyone's interested or was stuck in the same position as me. Apparently, systemless root isn't too bad once you figure out how to do everything. Just follow this threads directions. https://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/unofficial-systemless-xposed-t3388268 Install the TWRP recovery via Odin, flash SU systemless root, install the xposed installer from that thread, install magisk manager, flash the zip magisk provides after letting it auto select the position in recovery, then install the systemless root version of xposed via xposed installer. It sounds a bit daunting but if you know how to use Odin well enough you can always recover if you get stuck in a bootloop. It's not as nice as old style root (there do seem to be some limitations but at least Android Auto works and your phone isn't so limited as stock. I got AdAway to work, YouTube Background Playback module, and SD card fix for marshmallow. Maybe this is known to many people already but our sub-forum seems to be dead since our phones are so old now.
On a final note, there aren't many new phones to choose from if you want a higher-end phone with a removable battery. The only one that seems worth it is the LG V20. It seems like the G6 and V30 won't have removable batteries. Samsung seems like they're making a new Note but I doubt it will have a removable battery. They seem to be disappearing. If they had used one on the last Note.... The exploding battery issue could have been fixed rather easily and way less embarrassingly.
I hope this helps someone!

A More Simple Solution
This post is for anyone who ran into this same issue recently just as I have. There is a simpler way to resolve it. I installed a new Kenwood navigation unit into my 2000 Nissan Maxima. I'm on a custom ROM with BeastMode kernel. All I did to resolve the issue was replaced BeastMode kernel with Emotion kernel version r26. Now I'm able to use Android Auto with my new navigation unit. If you find yourself in this situation, go to the link below and download the latest kernel from Emotion.
Emotion thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/note-4/orig-development/tw-kernel-emotroid-team-t2990557

Question Question regarding root and updates?

Hey there guys,
I just received my s21 ultra (G998B) and planning to root it. I had a few questions since I’m new to this and wanted some clarifications:
1) If I root the phone can I update it OTA through the settings or do I have to update it by another method? Will I lose root/data/apps if I do that?
2) If I lose root when updating it, can I just root again and be all set? Or do I have to follow another procedure for that?
3) I am planning to debloat a few apps and services that I won’t be using, if I update the system/software will the stuff that I debloated come back and will I have to do the debloat again?
Thank you for all the help.

paul_cherma said:
Hey there guys,
I just received my s21 ultra (G998B) and planning to root it. I had a few questions since I’m new to this and wanted some clarifications:
1) If I root the phone can I update it OTA through the settings or do I have to update it by another method? Will I lose root/data/apps if I do that?
2) If I lose root when updating it, can I just root again and be all set? Or do I have to follow another procedure for that?
3) I am planning to debloat a few apps and services that I won’t be using, if I update the system/software will the stuff that I debloated come back and will I have to do the debloat again?
Thank you for all the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1- Probably not usually the root or recovery will block OTA updates from installing, even if they download.
2- If you lose root, you can USUALLY re-root assuming the same root method wasnt patched. If it was patched, a new root method (though probably still through magisk) will be needed. If this is the case, its up to the dev to find that method, you might be without root for a while.
3-if you debloat, and receive an OTA, your will probably need to de-bloat again, thought I havent personally had experience with this.
Why are you rooting? Just to de-bloat? If so, root isn't really necessary...

As someone who's been in the rooting stage for many years, i can answer your questions.
1. You can not update your phone through OTA updates after rooting the device, as the device was modified in an unauthorized way. And since you own a galaxy phone, the e-fuse within the motherboard will blow and knox will be permanently blown. You can no longer use samsung pay, google pay, and any other app that uses the safetynet api, even after you unroot the device.
2. You will lose root every time you update. You will need ODIN on your PC in order to properly update your firmware and to re-root your device by following the procedure again that you used to root your device, unless samsung patched the method you used to root your device. You can always check what bootloader version you're on within the firmware. For example, on the galaxy S8, the firmware version is N950U1UES5CRG9. The 5th to last number of the firmware will tell you. In this case, N950U1UES5CRG9 is the 5th bootloader version. Keep this in mind once samsung starts to update your phone often.
3. You will have to debloat again from scratch. In order to fully update your device through ODIN, you need to download the full firmware file containing an AP (Firmware), BL (Bootloader) , CP (Modem), and CSC (Carrier File) and manually flash them.
Do keep in mind, it is possible to soft brick or even hard brick your device, so back up your data frequently if you decide to tinker with your device.

Thank you for the detailed answer. I just updated my software to the latest official one by Samsung (April 1st security patch) but I am not rooted yet. I guess I could live with the fact that I can root the phone now and stay on this software version/security patch until I upgrade, since I would have to go through a lot of hassle to set-up the phone the way I wanted. But the main reason why I want to get the official updates is because of the camera improvements that Samsung does, since the main reason of me getting this phone is the camera. And there are some root-required tweaks that I absolutely need such as Viper, and some xposed tweaks also. I like the Stock ROM of Samsung, it really has come a long way at least imo throughout the years, as I have been a Samsung user since day 1 but:
Would it be a good idea to install a custom ROM then? I am reading the description of a few custom ROMs and it seems like I can “retain everything” by simply dirty flashing the ROM and following the dev’s instructions on how to retain root whenever the developer updates it. Is that a better route to take you think? I can keep my device rooted, and still get the updates through a custom ROM.

paul_cherma said:
Thank you for the detailed answer. I just updated my software to the latest official one by Samsung (April 1st security patch) but I am not rooted yet. I guess I could live with the fact that I can root the phone now and stay on this software version/security patch until I upgrade, since I would have to go through a lot of hassle to set-up the phone the way I wanted. But the main reason why I want to get the official updates is because of the camera improvements that Samsung does, since the main reason of me getting this phone is the camera. And there are some root-required tweaks that I absolutely need such as Viper, and some xposed tweaks also. I like the Stock ROM of Samsung, it really has come a long way at least imo throughout the years, as I have been a Samsung user since day 1 but:
Would it be a good idea to install a custom ROM then? I am reading the description of a few custom ROMs and it seems like I can “retain everything” by simply dirty flashing the ROM and following the dev’s instructions on how to retain root whenever the developer updates it. Is that a better route to take you think? I can keep my device rooted, and still get the updates through a custom ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That really varies depending on the custom rom you go for. Usually when you dirty flash a rom, you would need to re root your device, but some (not all) roms are persistent with root after system updates. Do keep in mind if you switch to a custom rom, your system might be more buggy and crash more often. One thing i will say though is that xposed is outdated. The last android version xposed officially supported was either 8 or 9. When it has to come down to certain mods you'd wish to have with root, take that into consideration too, as it might make your device really unstable if it's too outdated or if there's a buggy port available. I've dealt with that issue too many times on my phones.

HighOnLinux said:
That really varies depending on the custom rom you go for. Usually when you dirty flash a rom, you would need to re root your device, but some (not all) roms are persistent with root after system updates. Do keep in mind if you switch to a custom rom, your system might be more buggy and crash more often. One thing i will say though is that xposed is outdated. The last android version xposed officially supported was either 8 or 9. When it has to come down to certain mods you'd wish to have with root, take that into consideration too, as it might make your device really unstable if it's too outdated or if there's a buggy port available. I've dealt with that issue too many times on my phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if xposed is outdated, what is the new thing the comunity is migrating to? All the privacy, security, and customizability tools available through xposed must go somewhere, right?

Twodordan said:
if xposed is outdated, what is the new thing the comunity is migrating to? All the privacy, security, and customizability tools available through xposed must go somewhere, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's buggy ports thats flashable on magisk. While you still can get xposed, it'll be an unofficial version, and more likely to run into issues within your rom and daily use into your device.

HighOnLinux said:
There's buggy ports thats flashable on magisk. While you still can get xposed, it'll be an unofficial version, and more likely to run into issues within your rom and daily use into your device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean xprivacy on xposed was the must have killer feature for any android device to turn your device into anything other than a privacy nightmare. If we can't do that any more we are f'd.
[EDIT] Looks like the new version of xprivacy, xprivacyLua is still supported for android 11, with magisk and EdXposed or LSPosed:
[CLOSED][APP][XPOSED][6.0+] XPrivacyLua - Android privacy manager [UNSUPPORTED]
XPrivacyLua Really simple to use privacy manager for Android 6.0 Marshmallow and later (successor of XPrivacy). Revoking Android permissions from apps often let apps crash or malfunction. XPrivacyLua solves this by feeding apps fake data...
forum.xda-developers.com
XPrivacyLua/README.md at master · M66B/XPrivacyLua
Really simple to use privacy manager for Android 6.0 Marshmallow and later - XPrivacyLua/README.md at master · M66B/XPrivacyLua
github.com