Database Develop

What should we do now?

I rooted my phone using Kingo. It has been perfect. It appears to be totally fine. I get up this morning and find the below comment and closed thread. Do we need to undo root and flash back to stock? Someone please help with this situation. I'm sure a bunch of people did this and would like to know what we should do now. Thanks Devs.
Kingo and vroot have been determined to be malware and unsafe for use, as such all threads will be closed and links removed.
Thank you

LuckyColdJohnson said:
I rooted my phone using Kingo. It has been perfect. It appears to be totally fine. I get up this morning and find the below comment and closed thread. Do we need to undo root and flash back to stock? Someone please help with this situation. I'm sure a bunch of people did this and would like to know what we should do now. Thanks Devs.
Kingo and vroot have been determined to be malware and unsafe for use, as such all threads will be closed and links removed.
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This thread would be more helpful if it had an informative subject line, such as "What to do about Kingo malware?". The subject you provided ("What should we do now?") gives readers no clue what the thread is about.
Anyway, does anyone know how the malware determination was made, and by whom? Does the purported malware afflict the PC that runs the software, the phone that gets rooted, or both?
Also, I notice that the locked Kingo thread in the dev forum only mentions the malware determination in the last post of the thread. Anyone who just reads the initial post, or who doesn't read all the way to the end, will still think the software has been confirmed ok. (I know the download link in the initial post has been removed, but that has little effect since the software is trivially Googled.)

Gary02468 said:
This thread would be more helpful if it had an informative subject line, such as "What to do about Kingo malware?". The subject you provided ("What should we do now?") gives readers no clue what the thread is about.
Anyway, does anyone know how the malware determination was made, and by whom? Does the purported malware afflict the PC that runs the software, the phone that gets rooted, or both?
Also, I notice that the locked Kingo thread in the dev forum only mentions the malware determination in the last post of the thread. Anyone who just reads the initial post, or who doesn't read all the way to the end, will still think the software has been confirmed ok. (I know the download link in the initial post has been removed, but that has little effect since the software is trivially Googled.)
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Looking at it now, I agree with the subject line needing to be a little better.
I was just told by a MOD the following. >
So now that I already have Kingo, what do you think I should do ? Keep it, our undo it? Please let me know, because I dont see anything wrong with it. Phone is working great.
MOD Get rid of it, it steals your information and sends it to remote servers and leaves back doors on your device and pc
MOD Correction, it's thought to do these things
Okay, I will undo it......When I plug my phone back up to PC and run Kingo, it has an Unroot option. Should I do it that way? Or should I look for STOCK files that came with the phone and us Odin to flash it? Thanks for your time.
MOD Stock, don't use the app anymore

If it's really malware (I don't know how that determination was made), any passwords, credit-card or bank-account numbers, etc. on your PC or your phone may have been exposed and should be changed now. Your PC and your phone may need to be disinfected, preferably by clean-installing a known-good system.
Just for future reference, when a company with no known track record offers free, unvetted, closed-source software, it's risky to install it on any system whose integrity you care about. That's especially the case when they claim to be a commercial venture but they say that their product will always be free, and there's no apparent way for them to profit from it.
I still don't know what evidence, if any, shows that this software is malicious. But it seemed blatantly suspicious from the beginning, so I've refrained from installing it.
---------- Post added at 11:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:15 AM ----------
LuckyColdJohnson said:
MOD Get rid of it, it steals your information and sends it to remote servers and leaves back doors on your device and pc
MOD Correction, it's thought to do these things
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Thought by whom, and on the basis of what evidence, if any?

Gary02468 said:
If it's really malware (I don't know how that determination was made), any passwords, credit-card or bank-account numbers, etc. on your PC or your phone may have been exposed and should be changed now. Your PC and your phone may need to be disinfected, preferably by clean-installing a known-good system.
Just for future reference, when a company with no known track record offers free, unvetted, closed-source software, it's risky to install it on any system whose integrity you care about. That's especially the case when they claim to be a commercial venture but they say that their product will always be free, and there's no apparent way for them to profit from it.
I still don't know what evidence, if any, shows that this software is malicious. But it seemed blatantly suspicious from the beginning, so I've refrained from installing it.
---------- Post added at 11:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:15 AM ----------
Thought by whom, and on the basis of what evidence, if any?
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Well lets see here. The Devs and Moderators do a lot here at XDA. We trust them, and we do things to our phones.
Why wouldn't we trust what they say about certain methods? Threads and links being closed. I'm just saying...
Now I really want to make my phone go back to how it was when I bought it.
If there is anybody that's done it, I would love to know how.
It would be great if I could just use Odin with a file and not trip anything and go back. Please help me/others if this is possible.
Im sick to my stomach now. I knew I should of waited. **** !!!

LuckyColdJohnson said:
Well lets see here. The Devs and Moderators do a lot here at XDA. We trust them, and we do things to our phones.
Why wouldn't we trust what they say about certain methods?
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So far, no dev or mod has claimed here to have specific evidence that the software in question is malicious.
Sure, there's reason to be suspicious. But that was already obvious just from looking at the Kingo website.

Gary02468 said:
So far, no dev or mod has claimed here to have specific evidence that the software in question is malicious.
Sure, there's reason to be suspicious. But that was already obvious just from looking at the Kingo website.
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I don't know what to do. I have been rooting and modding phones and other electronics for years and now I feel like it's just not worth it. I trusted XDA and the Devs a lot. Heck a dev said that this way was easier and closed an old thread. So I ran with it and now 2 days later it's closed as well. I'm disappointed

LuckyColdJohnson said:
I don't know what to do. I have been rooting and modding phones and other electronics for years and now I feel like it's just not worth it. I trusted XDA and the Devs a lot. Heck a dev said that this way was easier and closed an old thread. So I ran with it and now 2 days later it's closed as well. I'm disappointed
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I think you need to look more closely at what it means to trust someone.
I do trust the devs here regarding the integrity of their own software, because their track record gives me evidence that they're trustworthy in that regard. I've flashed ROMs from here many times.
But I don't trust the devs--or anyone in the world--in the sense of automatically believing what they say about everything. I'm sure they wouldn't expect me to.
So if a dev makes an offhand remark that someone else's software (that they have no way of examining) is safe, then of course I'm not going to just take their word for it. And if they make an equally offhand remark that the software is malicious--but fail to mention why they think so--then I'm not going to automatically believe that, either.

LuckyColdJohnson said:
I don't know what to do. I have been rooting and modding phones and other electronics for years and now I feel like it's just not worth it. I trusted XDA and the Devs a lot. Heck a dev said that this way was easier and closed an old thread. So I ran with it and now 2 days later it's closed as well. I'm disappointed
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Why don't you reroot using De La Vega by DG? Although his method will wipe your phone back to stock but at least you know it works and it's safe.

Gary02468 said:
I think you need to look more closely at what it means to trust someone.
I do trust the devs here regarding the integrity of their own software, because their track record gives me evidence that they're trustworthy in that regard. I've flashed ROMs from here many times.
But I don't trust the devs--or anyone in the world--in the sense of automatically believing what they say about everything. I'm sure they wouldn't expect me to.
So if a dev makes an offhand remark that someone else's software (that they have no way of examining) is safe, then of course I'm not going to just take their word for it. And if they make an equally offhand remark that the software is malicious--but fail to mention why they think so--then I'm not going to automatically believe that, either.
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I agree man. Thanks for your input, I'm just a little mad. I did pay 399.00 for this and now, I just want it back to Stock. Thanks again, looking for a way.

ukic said:
Why don't you reroot using De La Vega by DG? Although his method will wipe your phone back to stock but at least you know it works and it's safe.
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Yup. If the phone is infected, wiping it clean is what you want to do anyway.
---------- Post added at 12:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:33 PM ----------
LuckyColdJohnson said:
I agree man. Thanks for your input, I'm just a little mad. I did pay 399.00 for this and now, I just want it back to Stock. Thanks again, looking for a way.
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I think your course of action depends on how much you have at risk. Do you have sensitive/valuable passwords, account numbers, etc. on your phone or your PC?
If you don't, then you might want to just ignore the risk until and unless someone establishes that Kingo is really malware.
But if you do have sensitive information at risk, your decision is trickier. The only really secure course of action would be to wipe both your phone and your PC, and to reset all your potentially-exposed passwords and financial accounts. But that's a lot of work to go to for a threat that might not even exist. So it really depends on what you have at stake.
In any case, I wish you the best of luck!

If all it does is send info to their servers I ponder if I could just start it under a virtual machine with no internet connection and root.
is the internet connection required?
I would much rather flash two second than a 2 gig file it just sounds alot riskier
Sent from my XT907 using xda app-developers app

mrkhigh said:
If all it does is send info to their servers I ponder if I could just start it under a virtual machine with no internet connection and root.
is the internet connection required?
I would much rather flash two second than a 2 gig file it just sounds alot riskier
Sent from my XT907 using xda app-developers app
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These are just rumors and a Moderator let us know it wasn't safe so,,,,,,I just want to go back. Cant right now. Cant find the At&T Firmware,,I dont think its available yet.
For all we know, Vroot and Kingo could be okay. IDK

Grrrr so we shouldnt use Kingo unroot method...Im a feard...anyone know what to do now
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app

mrkhigh said:
If all it does is send info to their servers I ponder if I could just start it under a virtual machine with no internet connection and root.
is the internet connection required?
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I was thinking this as well but if the application leaves a back door open on the device itself then unless you plan on having your phone in Airplane mode 24/7 it would eventually send its payload over the wire.
I think the PC portion is controllable, its the mobile portion that has a lot of people on edge.
I found this website:
www[dot]majorgeeks.com/files/details/kingo_android_root[dot]html
Which seems to have links back into XDA about who made the claim and what not.
I see it like this, until someone can prove without a doubt that it is opening holes in devices and leaking information, its just another "he-said-she-said" argument.

exaltedgod said:
I was thinking this as well but if the application leaves a back door open on the device itself then unless you plan on having your phone in Airplane mode 24/7 it would eventually send its payload over the wire.
I think the PC portion is controllable, its the mobile portion that has a lot of people on edge.
I found this website:
www[dot]majorgeeks.com/files/details/kingo_android_root[dot]html
Which seems to have links back into XDA about who made the claim and what not.
I see it like this, until someone can prove without a doubt that it is opening holes in devices and leaking information, its just another "he-said-she-said" argument.
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Or someone is mad because they didn't come up with a root solution like this first, LOL just saying.
I tried the Vroot first, and it had a superuser app (from playstore) but its all in Chinese letters.
So I uninstalled that super user app and used Kingo to unroot (Which works perfectly)
Then I rebooted and rooted using Kingo. (Worked perfectly)
It put the superSU on there (In English) and has been awesome
Now Im going back to stock and never rooting again in my life because it pisses me off I can't trust ...Never mind
I will be using Vega method soon as I get home and Im done. This sucks. Battery life will also suck. Aw well. At least my info will be protected
I guess. Kingo,,,I wish they wouldn't of said that about you. Now I want you gone.

I've contacted Kingo on their website and asked them to comment, hopefully they will respond to the possibility of their app being permanently declared malware on the largest Android forum on the net. We'll see what they have to say about it, if anything.

Response from Kingo.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2515879
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app

Im back on stock and honestly, the phone fly's better.
I also have the watch so I'm going to wait for a new root method on new updated firmware.
This phone feels better and I got a better AnTUTU score without root.

LuckyColdJohnson said:
I agree man. Thanks for your input, I'm just a little mad. I did pay 399.00 for this and now, I just want it back to Stock. Thanks again, looking for a way.
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Root De La Vega works fine. Yes it does take a little more work and you have to wipe data but I've rooted/unrooted/rooted again and I've had no issues using DesignGear's method. DesignGear's is a great Dev...I don't think him telling people to use Kingo should change that opinion. Kingo seemed really, really weird to me from the beginning...but it does root the phone!

Should I root

Does rooting provide any protection against malware or does it make it worse?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

Best protection against malware = user.

If you just root, and don't use a custom recovery and custom ROMs, immediately install SuperSU, antivirus, and make sure you protect yourself. SuperSU will at least notify you when an application is trying to use root permissions (aka - modify or access system files) which is not something you want every program doing.
The nice thing about having root is you can change things on your phone a launcher can't touch - boot animation, screen DPI, backup apps like Titanium Backup, and of course clearing out carrier bloatware.
If you do go with a custom recovery, TWRP for example, and flash ROMs, CyanogenMod for example, you are often provided with SuperSU tools and other options as part of the package. Just be very sure you are using images from reputable sources. Lord knows what kind of stuff someone who published a custom ROM could get off your device if they had ill intents.
If you are new to rooting, flashing, etc then I would suggest starting with root access only. Explore what you can do with it, learn it, and be conscious of security as you go. After you are comfortable with it, try CyanogenMod to see how a custom ROM really differs from stock.

Rooting will not give any protection against malware you have to install antivirus or use any app that will help you against this with root

Oh, and to answer the question 'should you root'... We tinker with all the things because we like to. We like knowing how all the things work. We like having more control of all the things. If you don't like this, then don't.

clago87 said:
Does rooting provide any protection against malware or does it make it worse?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
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Android is blamed for earning malware for your device but hey! the user of the device is 100% responsible for it. Stop clicking on spammy links and visiting those websites which allow you to earn malware Problem will be solved.
Now rooting. Rooting is the best way to taste your android device at fullest. Use custom ROM, tweak the kernel and much more

clago87 said:
Does rooting provide any protection against malware or does it make it worse?
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I'm not an expert and have found the site to be filled with a lot of great, detailed information including howto instructions if you decide to root. I've rooted a few phones but not the N6 yet. I'm waiting for 5.1 to be available only because I'd rather the OTA download and didn't want it to break root and have to spend a day playing with the phone to get it set up again. Yes, lazy too. My two cents:
There were a few articles back when 5.0 was being released saying how root for this OS would need to bypass much of the built-in security features with this OS version. I don't have a clue if it is true. If I decide to root, I'll go back and see if this is a real problem.
Why root? The exposed framework gives you nice features. Apps can have access to the phone os/hardware that is blocked, for example, you can get the notification LED to work, the battery statistics allow more access so you can see what app is killing your battery. There was one or two other apps I used that required root, can't recall now.
Its easy to say malware is a user problem, some of it is like careless sideloading. But I have no idea if a web page is loading something on my phone. Worse, if you look at the permissions you grant apps, you would load very few on your phone. I find the service providers , like T-Mobile (mine) and Verizion (Fios) to be the worst in asking for access to the phone data for no apparent reason. Does my app to see visual voicemail really need access to my microphone and camera or apps I have loaded on the phone? In my opinion this is spyware as you have no idea what is being uploaded to the app developer. Many of the apps in google play have questionable permission requirements.
That's actually another reason to root, the xposed xprivacy module (haven't used it). Or, using a DNS that will filter malware web site (I think you need root to change the DNS in Android). I'm not sure about the status of xposed on the nexus 6 so you have to read the threads. I don't know why you want to root, so you have to determine if it is worth the effort.

Simple answer is No.
if you're asking if you should root then you do not know what root is and the benefits to it. if you are happy with the phone and all the apps you have suit your needs, then stay as you are and do not download any dodgy apps from the play store

IINexusII said:
Simple answer is No.
if you're asking if you should root then you do not know what root is and the benefits to it. if you are happy with the phone and all the apps you have suit your needs, then stay as you are and do not download any dodgy apps from the play store
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Couldn't agree more. If you have to ask, the answer is no.

IINexusII said:
Simple answer is No.
if you're asking if you should root then you do not know what root is and the benefits to it.
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Terrible answer! Just because someone doesn't already know something is piss poor justification for telling them not to learn it.
If someone asked the forum if there were any benefits in C#, would you tell them not to bother learning to program, just keep buying Microsoft products?
FFS...

Elnrik said:
Terrible answer! Just because someone doesn't already know something is piss poor justification for telling them not to learn it.
If someone asked the forum if there were any benefits in C#, would you tell them not to bother learning to program, just keep buying Microsoft products?
FFS...
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What a terrible response. is root a programming language?

Elnrik said:
Terrible answer! Just because someone doesn't already know something is piss poor justification for telling them not to learn it.
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No, it is the best answer. He is not asking to learn it, he is askign us to make a decision as to whether he should root or not. If he knows the benefits of root, he should make teh decision himself based on the usecase. If he doesn't know the benefits, he should read a sticky thread that lists the benefits. If he doesnt know whether he should root, then he shouldnt because it is not something to um and ahh over.

Rooting in and of itself will have no effect on your getting infected with malware or not. It may affect the degree in which something can muck up your system, because if rooted, that program can get further into the OS than if you were not.
Now, that said, the real meat of it is that if you allow sideloading, that's the one that will let apps install from downloaded files, etc.
Ever notice where they say all the android handsets are getting infected? not here in the US anyways.
If you stick to known downloads and are not trying to get hacked apps, you won't have to worry.
I have to agree with RootSU here, his last paragraph sums it up nicely.

IINexusII said:
What a terrible response. is root a programming language?
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Well, I can't resist using your own logic... If you don't know that root isn't a programming language, you shouldn't root. You probably shouldn't even reply to posts. Further, If you can't understand the example I provided, I'm not going to waste my time and explain it. You should just go read the stickies on the benefits of examples, or something. After all, you shouldn't um and ahh over this.
Facetiousness aside, if you read my example you'd see that I in no way called root a programming language. My entire point is that there are better ways to tell someone not to root. If your point to the OP is this: No, you shouldn't root because it can be dangerous, can brick your device, and that you really need to do your homework on it before you just go and do it, then tell them that! Don't condescend to them and/or future readers of the thread that not knowing it is reason enough not to do it ever. It's insulting. At least it is to me. It IS a discouragement, and in IMO, and in the spirit of XDA, we should try to point people in the right direction so they can learn and make them aware of the risks and benefits so they can make informed decisions. Sure, if it's already been covered, post a link to the thread or sticky. No need to rewrite it. But sending the message of "If you don't already know, abandon all hope now" is crap.
If you disagree with me, then I'll agree to disagree with you.
That's the last I'll say about this.
Peace

Elnrik said:
Terrible answer! Just because someone doesn't already know something is piss poor justification for telling them not to learn it.
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I interpreted it to mean that learning more about root and what it might offer/require of a user is probably best before actually rooting and then deciding later on if that's what you really wanted to do. That is, being conservative here is probably not the worst suggestion.
- ooofest

Chainfire and Kingteam going head to head

Looks like kinguser and supersu are going head to head.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=61899071&postcount=1277
I sort of agree with kingteam on this, without their hard work there would be no root for a lot of people.
On the other hand they shouldn't force a third party app on to someone's device, but maybe offer it as part of the root process.
Still supersu doesn't block users from changing to another super user app, so they shouldn't neither.
So now we know why Chainfire won't support kinguser in flashfire.

hopefully Kingteam changes their policy about removing their propriety apps. Super-sume wouldn't have been made if it were for Kingteam's policies.

The question is why anyone who offers a rooting method wishes to force the use of their software.

louiscar said:
The question is why anyone who offers a rooting method wishes to force the use of their software.
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Well i think thats obvious. If youve ever spent time and effort developing something you'd understand, its not nice that a developer puts all the effort in and then the glory is taken by another. Its obvious Kingteam put a lot of effort into their root methods and creating the root management for it to just be immediately removed without even trying it. Its actually quite good, i used it for months on my htc m8 to no ill effect.
Itd be a shame if they decided to throw in the towel and discontinue any more development because of it.

ashyx said:
Well i think thats obvious. If youve ever spent time and effort developing something you'd understand, its not nice that a developer puts all the effort in and then the glory is taken by another....
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I don't think this is about glory. I understand your point but ... the whole idea of rooting is to gain control of your device, so prohibiting you from being able to choose what you have running on your device is defeating that purpose and fundamental principle.
Although I'm prepared to accept that their reasons for doing this may not be malicious it does little to encourage trust when they appear this desperate to stop you removing their software especially since it has root access. AFAIK this isn't open source and perhaps a lot of other stuff isn't but we have a basis of trust in most of those cases.
IMHO their strategy should be as any other dev who has gained a reputation, through the right channels (such as Chainfire). It takes time but their efforts and results would speak for itself and they could allay any fears by showing their code is safe. IF they really want people to TRY their software then the route to this is not to create fear and doubt about the integrity of their software but to do the exact opposite and allow people to have peace of mind whilst they give it a bash.
They claim that their reaction to Chainfire et al not responding to their communication has resulted in the denial to the user of the rights to choose what software runs on their devices. This reaction to me is rather childish and does little to persuade the likes of Chainfire or Supersume devs to change their minds.
They (Chainfire / Supersume) may or may not be actively trying to throw this software out or 'bad mouthing it as such', I don't know I've not heard their story but it could just be they are simply maintaining the ethics of user choice in offering to remove something that Kingroot team have deliberately made difficult to do.
On the other hand if they are telling people that Kinguser 'causes conflicts' they should back that up openly and offer the choice to remove purify or not - it is a request I note Kingxteam make and would be valid IMO unless there are good reasons why not. Good reasons would be closed source or why the code may conflict, if no one can verify the software is doing only what it is supposed to (now and in the future) it's a good reason not to have it in your device.
Call me sceptical but what is really in it for them? They aren't gaining any money by you running their software, but they sure act like there is something to gain. They spent a lot of time and effort in finding root solutions but they don't appear to be like other devs who do it for the challenge, or for themselves with a mind to share and who by the way don't try to 'sell' or 'force' their methods on us - you take it or leave it, and we do with thanks and donate or buy their pro versions to show appreciation.
Kingroot (Kingteam) on the other hand appear more like a company to me but who knows. That's the whole point, we don't seem to know a whole lot about their motives and that perhaps creates doubt whether rational or not.
And I agree providing there's nothing nasty in there it would be a shame if they threw in the towel but they are going the wrong way about it to gain people's trust - I'm sure many people would love to try their software and apps provided they don't have any nagging doubts.

You misunderstand what I'm saying. I don't condone the way they are going about things, but I do agree with their reasons. Its wrong that everyone is automatically removing kingroot/kinguser without even trying it.
Like I say I used it for a while and I actually preferred it to supersu, but now that devs like chainfire have prevented the use of kingsu with flashfire and only allows the use of his own or cwm there's no choice but to use supersu.
Now why has chainfire done that? He has basically forced people to use his own app. That's just as bad as what kingteam have done.
Don't get me wrong Chainfire is a stellar dev, but I dont understand that and that's how a lot of this has come about. Many have been converting to supersu to use flashfire. I bet there are loads that would have stuck with kinguser just for simplicity's sake if flashfire worked with it.
They don't prevent the removal of purify, I don't even think it gets installed as a system app, so its no big deal to remove. They shouldn't force install it though, that should be offered as a choice after successful root.
Neither do they prevent removal of kingroot and kinguser, it can all be cleanly removed from within kinguser.
As for being closed source that's no different to chainfires apps. His root solution is closed source and so is flashfire.
Kingteam have been around now for a while and have gained notoriety lately because their root solutions have worked for many. If they had any dishonorable intentions I'm sure it would have come out in the wash by now, but asfaik nothing untoward has happened to anyone.
I'm not protecting them in anyway just understanding their point of view, put it this way how many how have used their root exploit then clicked the link to their XDA thread and thanked them?
Probably not many, credit were credit's due I say.
Hard work deserves some recognition. Maybe I should add the link in my root thread.

Sad that this situation has occurred. I am very appreciative of Kingroot providing a method to root my Tab S without tripping KNOX. Without it I would not have rooted until my warrenty had come close to expiring. Unfortunitely I would have removed Kingroot apps for SuperSU for a few reasons
1) I already paid for SuperSU Pro and use it on my other devices
2) Flashfire providers most of my custom recovery needs which Kingroot does not. There is an argument for Flashfire being decoupled from SuperSU but not the development overhead when you flash an updated firmware ( e.g. B0E2 to B0E3). Flashing an upgrade requires the preservation of the root manager. I want OS updates that automatically preserve root so need Flashfire. Of course I've not mentioned other Flashfire features but I'm trying to stay relevant to the topic.
3) SuperSU's policies have provided methods to work around Samsung's bootloader SELinux enforcement. Without it I would not be able to use Viper4Android and an Ext4 formatted OTG microSD card.
I would have been happy to donate money to Kingroot for their rooting service but to the best of my knowledge they do not have a donate option. I would have only done so through PayPal or the Playstore. That brings me to my hesitation to using rooting methods from sources I do not know. I can say I was hesitant to use Kingroot at all and let others be the guinea pigs. Call me paranoid but I've seen first hand and read everyday the malicious nature of the net. At least Chainfire is a known developer on the Playstore.
In the end what maybe more of a question is the lack of rights that customers who purchased, not rented, their devices have. Why are unlocked bootloaders not a right with root management built in? Where do the manufacturers get off restricting me from doing what the heck I want with my devices? Sure limit my warrenty in some way (e.g. Overclocking burnout) but if hardware becomes faulty independent of rooting why should they be off the hook?
I hope some balance/compromise can be met between these important contributors.
Sent from my SM-T800 using XDA Premium HD app

ashyx said:
Its wrong that everyone is automatically removing kingroot/kinguser without even trying it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you say that? The main reason people do it is because of the doubt and uncertainty of something new. Getting root is one thing and people are grateful for that but running something they are not familiar let alone trust is another.
And of course as for me too this is one of my reasons:
3DSammy said:
1) I already paid for SuperSU Pro and use it on my other devices
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.. and I'm used to using it. I should have that choice surely? And his other reasons are good and valid too.
ashyx said:
... devs like chainfire have prevented the use of kingsu with flashfire and only allows the use of his own or cwm there's no choice but to use supersu.
Now why has chainfire done that? He has basically forced people to use his own app. That's just as bad as what kingteam have done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree and I wish they'd discuss it more. I would like to know what is really going on with all this.
ashyx said:
I bet there are loads that would have stuck with kinguser just for simplicity's sake if flashfire worked with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure but it's difficult to know how many more would. Some people just want root to get some degree of control. Not all are flashaholics. Doubt and uncertainty are more prevalent here because of the immediate perceived need to remove it as soon as possible.
ashyx said:
Neither do they prevent removal of kingroot and kinguser, it can all be cleanly removed from within kinguser.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't mind losing root. So it's a pointless exercise and it's a kind of blackmail.
ashyx said:
As for being closed source that's no different to chainfires apps. His root solution is closed source and so is flashfire.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But as I say there is a basis for trust that doesn't exist with Kingroot ... yet anyway.
ashyx said:
Kingteam have been around now for a while and have gained notoriety lately because their root solutions have worked for many. If they had any dishonorable intentions I'm sure it would have come out in the wash by now, but asfaik nothing untoward has happened to anyone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let's just turn on [paranoia mode] for a moment. They aren't doing anything now perhaps they just want to get as many devices running it then on a future update ..... [/paranoia mode off]
3DSammy said:
I would have been happy to donate money to Kingroot for their rooting service but to the best of my knowledge they do not have a donate option. I would have only done so through PayPal or the Playstore. That brings me to my hesitation to using rooting methods from sources I do not know. I can say I was hesitant to use Kingroot at all and let others be the guinea pigs. Call me paranoid but I've seen first hand and read everyday the malicious nature of the net. At least Chainfire is a known developer on the Playstore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly the point. Again what is their motivation? What are they getting out of all this furious hard work on multiple devices? I looked at the purify thread - it's a fully responsive engagement of support which is not unlike a company that has a paid product out there and keen to support it for more sales.
Cloud servers, a large (don't know) team of people? Often devs like Chainfire have little time to engage on this level, they are too busy on the product AND with their own lives / jobs. This is not their full time job in most cases.
This psychology isn't unusual. If someone came to you and offered you a free lunch you are going to be suspicious right? The first thing you are going to think of is 'what's in it for them'. Right or wrong this is how we work.
3DSammy said:
I'm not protecting them in anyway just understanding their point of view, put it this way how many how have used their root exploit then clicked the link to their XDA thread and thanked them?
Probably not many, credit were credit's due I say.
Hard work deserves some recognition. Maybe I should add the link in my root thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right - their threads do have a lot of thanks but perhaps not nearly as many as have used their solution - perhaps because of threads like yours where you provide a solution for a particular device so we don't automatically go to the Kingroot thread and leave our thanks. But bear in mind that the appearance of threads like yours in the first place were to tell people how to get rid of Kinguser after rooting.
Yes put a link and prompt to give thanks to them it's right.
For my part I would like to see some pressure or prompting for both parties to get something sorted out. Kingxteam to stop throwing toys out of the pram and writing restrictive code into their apps and Chainfire et al to come out and discuss their own restrictive policies and explain their concerns.

Welcome to a free world.
Kingroot are free to make their software anyway they want.
Chainfire is free to make his software any way he wants.
You (the user) is free to use one or the other or neither if you want.
If you dislike how kinguser is handeling this situation, but you still want a way to root without tripping knox then, you are free to design and write that code yourself.
Also as for what is in it for the kingxteam remember google, facebook, and quite a few others made products with not very solid monetarization ideas and now they are worth quite a bit. Much of the internet age has been make a product many ppl use and figure out a way to turn a profit afterwords.

Agreed, user choice at the end of the day, we get this same attitude in the HTC forum regarding sunshine s-off.
If you don't like it don't use it or remove it, they don't stop you doing that.
As for the fear factor of using an unknown app, isn't that what millions of people do everyday when installing apps on their device?
The average user never pays any mind to the permissions some of those apps use.
If it works they use it, simple as.
If your happy to let an exploit hack your device and gain high level privileges to it you can't be that concerned with Security otherwise you wouldn't root in the first place.
Too much paranoia going on here me thinks.
Personally I don't give a fig about kingteam planting a time bomb on my device, what's the worst that can happen? Once I get root I can weed out any naughty stuff.
Today's devices are becoming very secure for the average user, but the tinkerers don't like that, so what do the majority do? Root, flash custom kernels, Roms and recoveries and override all that security that's been implemented.
And were worried about a couple of little apps? Come on.

acdbrn2000 said:
Welcome to a free world.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's always someone who'll come up with the age old saying of 'well if you don't like it don't use it.'
Frankly there's not a lot left to say to such posts and that is probably a good point to leave it.

Well it's quite interesting to read this over a year later and seeing how Kingroot has an app in the play store but I have looked everywhere and it's installed as a system app on my phone, I was actually researching FlashFire hoping to be able to get an OTA update and now I am looking to uninstall KingRoot 5.0.0 to go back to an older version of KingRoot. I would like to be able to switch out KingSU for supersu. But each belongs to each developer.

Noob wanting to root

Hello, I'll get straight to the point.
I've been itching to root my phone since I got it back in launch. I have verizon sm-n950u android version 7.1.1 which to my understanding means nougat. NOW I am a casual rooter, I watch tutorial videos and read how-to threads over and over and over and still manage to miss a crucial/key step and get stuck in a bootloop of some sort before coming here, begging for help via thread resurrection, or just with more searching but with random key words.
I ask you, anyone who is able and willing, help. I'm ready to root, yes I can/have read some of the posts, but the terminology in some of them are not noob friendly. A lot of it assumes I should already know the basics but really I don't. I can work my way around odin, but that's about it. Normally i'd be all over anything freeza makes but he's moved on to a different phone now it seems, no more samsung.
I'm hoping someone can help me to pretty much root and get xposed framework. All the roms are very nice but are a bit too advanced for me atm because I dont know what any of the features they have mean.
Thanks and sorry for the rambling post that you probably all get all the time.

Hi. Not to discourage you but you may wish to know that if you root, you will trip Knox and lose access to Secure Folder and Samsung Pay.
No way to get them back.
Which modules in xposed do you want/need?

VerucaSalt said:
Hi. Not to discourage you but you may wish to know that if you root, you will trip Knox and lose access to Secure Folder and Samsung Pay.
No way to get them back.
Which modules in xposed do you want/need?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wrong. He is Snapdragon. Warranty bit isnt tripped. so returning to stock gets back secure folder and sammy pay no problems. Also Xposed DOES NOT WORK on Snapdragon models at the moment. Anyway Also agree with you that he shouldnt root. If he doesnt understand even half of whats said on a fairly noob free guide then its not for him.

OP, do you even know WHY you want to root?
What is in Xposed, that you need so bad?
Like the other posters here, I agree; there is NO WAY you should mess with your 1000 dollar phone until you gain ALOT more knowledge

We do not discuss lucky patcher on XDA...

Hey sorry for the late response(currently at youmacon) and I appreciate the thoughtful replies. As I think I mentioned. I've been a fan of freeza's work I've rooted my past phones with his beast mode kernels. I might have overplayed my ignorance, but it's mostly because the lingo itself can be rather daunting, especially when looking at all the amazing roms being released.
I want exposed so I can try to get at least SOME of the features back that i had on my note 3. An app that cant be named itself is enough for me to root. Idk what the Samsung folder thing is and I don't intend to use Samsung pay either. I'm not all that afraid of tripping Knox, I'm more afraid of being stuck in a boot loop.
Edit: had to re-send this without mentioning a certain app. That was my bad mods and admin, I was unaware.

drewskiwooski said:
Hey sorry for the late response(currently at youmacon) and I appreciate the thoughtful replies. As I think I mentioned. I've been a fan of freeza's work I've rooted my past phones with his beast mode kernels. I might have overplayed my ignorance, but it's mostly because the lingo itself can be rather daunting, especially when looking at all the amazing roms being released.
I want exposed so I can try to get at least SOME of the features back that i had on my note 3. An app that cant be named itself is enough for me to root. Idk what the Samsung folder thing is and I don't intend to use Samsung pay either. I'm not all that afraid of tripping Knox, I'm more afraid of being stuck in a boot loop.
Edit: had to re-send this without mentioning a certain app. That was my bad mods and admin, I was unaware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Xposed still doesnt work

So I'm still waiting anyway lol. So at this point there's really no reason for a guy like me to root. Most of what I wanted all came from xposed.
Sorry for wasting everyone's time, you dudes are helpful as always.

Can i use SPAY on rooted Note 9 N960F ?

Title says all. i REALLY need to use the spay or atleast get past "Rooting detected. Use another payment method" also, if i went back to stock rom, will spay work or is it gone forever ?

Chappi3 said:
Title says all. i REALLY need to use the spay or atleast get past "Rooting detected. Use another payment method" also, if i went back to stock rom, will spay work or is it gone forever ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Search, this question has been asked and answered 100's of time so search before posting.
To answer your question its gone forever, you obviously did not do your research before rooting, people get sick of answering these sorts of questions when they have been asked and answered before because people do not do a search first..
Even going back to stock it will not work.
Cheers

samorgs said:
Search, this question has been asked and answered 100's of time so search before posting.
To answer your question its gone forever, you obviously did not do your research before rooting, people get sick of answering these sorts of questions when they have been asked and answered before because people do not do a search first..
Even going back to stock it will not work.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
your answer is incorrect and then you went on to chastise a member for not researching. SPay has worked for folks who have rooted via Magisk modules. There is also work going on in the S10 forum about making it work more easily.
Ive personally used SPay on my Gear S3 thru a rooted phone, which was also supposed to be impossible due to tripping knox. Just to put your idea down before it even pops up, the watches knox wasnt tripped which is what non-believers used as their scapegoat justifying why it worked. SPay doesnt live on the watch, it lives on the phone. Which was VERY rooted and knox tripped.
Dont chastise members for "not researching before asking" when you cant even give accurate information in your scathing replies
Also, you had better get used to the idea that more and more repetitive questions are going to get asked because more and more people now have smartphones than ever before. And they arent forum veterans like some of us. Also also, the search results are usually quite swampy, so sometimes asking a question that has indeed been asked tons of times before is necessary to avoid 4 hours of reading to get an answer that could have been resolved in 15 min
---------- Post added at 10:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:10 AM ----------
Chappi3 said:
Title says all. i REALLY need to use the spay or atleast get past "Rooting detected. Use another payment method" also, if i went back to stock rom, will spay work or is it gone forever ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
going back to stock wont fix it. Check into the Magisk developments as they have had some success masking root. Do you use it on the phone or do you have a watch?

samorgs said:
Search, this question has been asked and answered 100's of time so search before posting.
To answer your question its gone forever, you obviously did not do your research before rooting, people get sick of answering these sorts of questions when they have been asked and answered before because people do not do a search first..
Even going back to stock it will not work.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Instead of being a dickhead for no reason, simply answer the question, you got sick of answering ? then dont answer and just move on. people already can use spay thru their sgear but i dont have one. i've searched alot before posting this and haven't found an up-to-date thread about this.

youdoofus said:
your answer is incorrect and then you went on to chastise a member for not researching. SPay has worked for folks who have rooted via Magisk modules. There is also work going on in the S10 forum about making it work more easily.
Ive personally used SPay on my Gear S3 thru a rooted phone, which was also supposed to be impossible due to tripping knox. Just to put your idea down before it even pops up, the watches knox wasnt tripped which is what non-believers used as their scapegoat justifying why it worked. SPay doesnt live on the watch, it lives on the phone. Which was VERY rooted and knox tripped.
Dont chastise members for "not researching before asking" when you cant even give accurate information in your scathing replies
Also, you had better get used to the idea that more and more repetitive questions are going to get asked because more and more people now have smartphones than ever before. And they arent forum veterans like some of us. Also also, the search results are usually quite swampy, so sometimes asking a question that has indeed been asked tons of times before is necessary to avoid 4 hours of reading to get an answer that could have been resolved in 15 min
---------- Post added at 10:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:10 AM ----------
going back to stock wont fix it. Check into the Magisk developments as they have had some success masking root. Do you use it on the phone or do you have a watch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THANK YOU so much for your detailed answer, i was just lookin' for good answer like yours but couldn't, is there anyway to use the spay without the gear ? i've rooted my phone and have Magisk installed everything works fine but not the spay when i try to purchase something off the galaxy store. is there a way to fix that or hide something inside the magisk that gives me access to purchasing via spay ?

Chappi3 said:
THANK YOU so much for your detailed answer, i was just lookin' for good answer like yours but couldn't, is there anyway to use the spay without the gear ? i've rooted my phone and have Magisk installed everything works fine but not the spay when i try to purchase something off the galaxy store. is there a way to fix that or hide something inside the magisk that gives me access to purchasing via spay ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i would have to go poke around in the S10 forum to find it. But thats one thing ive learned over the decade or so that ive been on XDA, especially as of late with mfg's releasing new phones every 5.25 days. If the subforum youre diving into isnt of much or any help, i guarantee you that there are other subforums that very well might have the conversation youre looking for already going. And very especially when talking about the new blood Samsung phones. They are all SUPER similar these days and the devs are spread out across 73 different device subforums. Dont be afraid to look in subforums of phones similar to yours for stuff.
ill see if i can find that thread for ya, but i completely disregarded it as i dont plan on rooting any time soon due to the finagling you hafta do to get SPay working again.

youdoofus said:
your answer is incorrect and then you went on to chastise a member for not researching. SPay has worked for folks who have rooted via Magisk modules. There is also work going on in the S10 forum about making it work more easily.
Ive personally used SPay on my Gear S3 thru a rooted phone, which was also supposed to be impossible due to tripping knox. Just to put your idea down before it even pops up, the watches knox wasnt tripped which is what non-believers used as their scapegoat justifying why it worked. SPay doesnt live on the watch, it lives on the phone. Which was VERY rooted and knox tripped.
Dont chastise members for "not researching before asking" when you cant even give accurate information in your scathing replies
Also, you had better get used to the idea that more and more repetitive questions are going to get asked because more and more people now have smartphones than ever before. And they arent forum veterans like some of us. Also also, the search results are usually quite swampy, so sometimes asking a question that has indeed been asked tons of times before is necessary to avoid 4 hours of reading to get an answer that could have been resolved in 15 min
---------- Post added at 10:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:10 AM ----------
going back to stock wont fix it. Check into the Magisk developments as they have had some success masking root. Do you use it on the phone or do you have a watch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
spay on the actual phone itself?
i think not.
please enlighten us because saying it works without proof or a means to do so is just as bad.

bober10113 said:
spay on the actual phone itself?
i think not.
please enlighten us because saying it works without proof or a means to do so is just as bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
all i can say is that there are people in other forums who state that they have had success with it. SPay isnt relegated to the note. The issue youre experiencing is caused by there being a TON more than just last years irrelevant galaxy phones. There used to be 1 a year, then 2 with the addition of the note series. Back then it wasnt hard to keep all the relevant information on one page and everybody with a sammy phone was in the same group. Not anymore.
Think what you like, but when it comes right down to it, the e-fuse is merely a software controller. There isnt anything that the e-fuse physically interrupts to stop SPay or anything else for that matter. Its all coding. Coding that CAN be circumvented. SPay being broken by knox being tripped is a 2 year old problem, the minds that the old galaxy devices used to have laser focused on one device are now scattered to the wind, but that doesnt mean that the answer isnt out there.

youdoofus said:
all i can say is that there are people in other forums who state that they have had success with it. SPay isnt relegated to the note. The issue youre experiencing is caused by there being a TON more than just last years irrelevant galaxy phones. There used to be 1 a year, then 2 with the addition of the note series. Back then it wasnt hard to keep all the relevant information on one page and everybody with a sammy phone was in the same group. Not anymore.
Think what you like, but when it comes right down to it, the e-fuse is merely a software controller. There isnt anything that the e-fuse physically interrupts to stop SPay or anything else for that matter. Its all coding. Coding that CAN be circumvented. SPay being broken by knox being tripped is a 2 year old problem, the minds that the old galaxy devices used to have laser focused on one device are now scattered to the wind, but that doesnt mean that the answer isnt out there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
please take a few minutes to point where we can find information on using samsung pay on rooted/knox tripped device.spay for the phone not the watch.( s8,s8+,s9,s9+,note8,note9,s10,s10+,s10+5g,n10,n10+,n10+5g)
you've stated your opinion. now i need to see where this information of yours comes from.( aka show proof.)
regards

bober10113 said:
please take a few minutes to point where we can find information on using samsung pay on rooted/knox tripped device.spay for the phone not the watch.( s8,s8+,s9,s9+,note8,note9,s10,s10+,s10+5g,n10,n10+,n10+5g)
you've stated your opinion. now i need to see where this information of yours comes from.( aka show proof.)
regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i pop around so much between pages that it would be virtually impossible to find it again and honestly it isnt worth my time. its just like everyone has always said, research before you post. at this point, just go ahead with your thought that nobody has figured out a way to get around the knox issue and probably arent wanting the fix to spread like wildfire which would alert samsung to the vulnerability and patch it. youre right, im wrong. technically not true, but if it makes you feel better, fine....

youdoofus said:
i pop around so much between pages that it would be virtually impossible to find it again and honestly it isnt worth my time. its just like everyone has always said, research before you post. at this point, just go ahead with your thought that nobody has figured out a way to get around the knox issue and probably arent wanting the fix to spread like wildfire which would alert samsung to the vulnerability and patch it. youre right, im wrong. technically not true, but if it makes you feel better, fine....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think ure mixing up google pay and samsung pay.
if something as groundbreaking as having spay work as mentionned, even with you popping up everywhere, a simple search would make it also "pop up" as well in the results.
annnyways... talk about the blind leading the blind.
OP is not much more better off by you than by the user you chastised about chastising.

bober10113 said:
i think ure mixing up google pay and samsung pay.
if something as groundbreaking as having spay work as mentionned, even with you popping up everywhere, a simple search would make it also "pop up" as well in the results.
annnyways... talk about the blind leading the blind.
OP is not much more better off by you than by the user you chastised about chastising.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nope. the posts i refer to specifically spoke to g-pay not being much of a problem to get working with root. It even went into the process of pulling the SPay app from the firmware and adb installing it after root is done and magisk has hidden root. Im not going to argue about this anymore as your opinion of me doesnt concern me in the slightest. The OP might find the solution with patience and perseverance as some have reported success with it and it is still definitely being worked on. SHealth has been made to work with root and SPay likely uses a similar code to disable it when it detects root. Devs arent dumb. Devs also know that once samsung knows of a security hole, they do the opposite of Sony and patch it. It wouldnt even begin to shock me if the posts got pulled to prevent this from happening to those who figured it out. Im not sure how long youve been arounf xda, but entire threads just disappear from time to time. Mods arent dumb either, they know a lucky penny when they turn up and getting something to sneak by knox is about as lucky of a penny as there even possibly could be.
Like i said, youre right man. Nobody has figured it out. Nobody will. SPay and SHealth are lost causes.
Oh, and for the op not being any better off with any of my comments vs being chastised, whenever i see a$$holes talking down to people for no conceivable reason whatsoever, they will hear about it from me