What's needed for bootloader unlock - Xiaomi Mi 9 Questions & Answers

I've got my first Xiaomi device delivered today and I will be unlocking the bootloader asap. Quick question, can I debloated it now using adb or are there certain apps that need to remain until it's unlocked? From what I've read, some people have said they didn't use the phone enough and had to wait longer so I'm assuming some application or several are reporting back to the mother-ship. I don't want to remove whatever they may be, if you even can. I'm not using the phone as my main device until it's rooted.
Thanks for any information.

Related

I just bought the Nexus 6, should I root it immediately?

Hi, long time lurker here. I want to start by saying how great and informative this site is. Anyway, my nexus 6 came in from the mail like 5 hours ago, did all the updates from 5.0 to 6.0 and it's now running Marshmallow mra58n. Question is should I root it immediately and if so, are there any guides I can follow? Much love to you all, I'm not exactly pro at this kind of things but I can follow instructions since I have competently rooted my past phones which were an HTC M7, M8 and a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet.
Thank you.
Edit: Phone is also unlocked, I currently have no SIM card
start here..
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/general/how-to-nexus-6-one-beginners-guide-t2948481
At the least unlock the bootloader right away. Doing so will completely wipe the phone so it's the first thing I do.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
razortaz18 said:
At the least unlock the bootloader right away. Doing so will completely wipe the phone so it's the first thing I do.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been looking at the Nexus Root Toolkit since I am kind of confused on how to proceed with anything at all, is that ill advised since I've read that there are problems with the USB cable disconnecting during reboot?
Also, thank you for the reply.
I used the NRT without issue. Just follow the guide step by step.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
and, dont touch the usb cable while the phone is processing your commands!
j/k, never even heard of the USB cable "problem"
I just used the toolkit today to unlock and root my N6.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
I rooted last night initially using manual method described in the first link provided, however after some driver issues ultimately used the 2.1.0 rootkit to uninstall and reinstall all drivers. That too alone saved me tons of time and either method is simple if you can follow instructions.
Totally recommend rooting and then experimenting with custom roms, its like getting a new phone everyone you install a new rom.
Have fun!
Kristine,
In answer specifically to your question "Should I...?" my answer is "No". It really depends on what you think you'll get from it - why do you want to do it? What specific benefits do you want?
The reason that I say "no" is that I've been rooted on all my several phones for years, and I've decided that for me the annoyance of having to manually flash ROMs outweighs the benefits - particularly now that Google are releasing frequent security updates. The moment you root your device the OTA (over the air) updates no longer work.
For me the major reason for rooting was to have a firewall. The other things (wakelock detection, double tap to wake, auto-hibernation...) were great but not showstoppers. Now that there is a non-root firewall (Netguard) I'm happy to leave my phone unrooted. I haven't had an OTA to apply yet, so if I have any problems then I might change my mind, but my advice would be to think hard about why you want root before you buy yourself into a world of tinkering...
razortaz18 said:
At the least unlock the bootloader right away. Doing so will completely wipe the phone so it's the first thing I do.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dammit, are you kidding me? I just downloaded and setup everything, figured I'd do all everything else tomorrow... Oh, well I can do it again I suppose.
Kristine-N said:
Question is should I root it immediately....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because I don't want a white interface, rooting is necessary. Google forces to many things, like forced encryption, useless apps and a white interface (battery drain). When rooting was impossible I would not have bought a Nexus.
Short answer: No!
Long answer: Well, it's sill no, but you can or even should do a couple of things.
First if all, allow OEM Unlocking in development settings. There are gazillion how-tos to switch developer mode on, and tick that switch. Google has borked OTAs already, and if your phone doesn't boot, and the switch is off, then you're boned, you can send it for repair. But if you can unlock you bootloader, then you can flash a custom recovery and make your phone working again.
Second, if you do plan to root your phone in the near future, you should unlock the bootloader now, while it's still new, because it will erase everything (IMHO this would be sufficient as a security measure, the Enable OEM Unlocking is overkill).
As for the main question if you don't have any specific ideas what you want the root for, then don't root your phone. It's a clear and present security risk, and you're just one too many "Allow" taps from letting someone acquire your passwords, clone your IMEI, and download your personal stuff. My motto is, if you don't know what exactly root is, what it does, then you don't know how to prevent exploits that need it to run.
Also if you modify your phone in any way, and that includes rooting, you won't receive the monthly OTAs, and will have to flash it manually.
And finally, don't use toolkits on a Nexus. Spend another hour reading about the matter and you will find out typing adb and fastboot commands is a easy as clicking buttons on toolkits. There is nothing extra in them, they just download the images to flash, and "type" these commands for you.
Unlock bootloader and don't root it for now. After some time, if you feel like you're missing some features that you can obtain only with root, then go ahead. But for now I would strongly recommend to stay stock and see how it goes...

Locked and Unrooted - Marshmallow 6.0.1 - Encrypted - How to Root or Unlock Phone?

I downloaded the wugfresh tool to try and unlock and root my Nexus 6 used on Verizon but obtained from the Google Play store.
Wugfresh recognizes the device. I have enabled debugging and developer options and have the phone properly set up with the original cable.
When I open wugfresh and after I download the appropriate files, I click on unlock phone and a pop up just says ENCRYPTED.
I tried googling as well as searching this forum and I cannot figure out how to remove encryption without the phone already having been unlocked and reverted back to Lollipop.
Can someone give me a hand? I'm unsure of what to do next.
Thanks!
ghostofdavid said:
I downloaded the wugfresh tool to try and unlock and root my Nexus 6 used on Verizon but obtained from the Google Play store.
Wugfresh recognizes the device. I have enabled debugging and developer options and have the phone properly set up with the original cable.
When I open wugfresh and after I download the appropriate files, I click on unlock phone and a pop up just says ENCRYPTED.
I tried googling as well as searching this forum and I cannot figure out how to remove encryption without the phone already having been unlocked and reverted back to Lollipop.
Can someone give me a hand? I'm unsure of what to do next.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All the info you need is in the stickies. Many will tell you not to bother with tool kits. This is due to that you wont know how to fix any issues that may come up. It is always best to learn what you are doing. All you re.ally have to do to un-encrypt is to completely wipe the device. Then you need a kernel that doesnt force the encryption
I checked this sticky - http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/help/nexus-6-frequently-questions-t3106029
Q17: What is encryption and should I disable it?
"First off, to best answer the "what is" question, look HERE. Now, whether or not to disable it, is entirely up to you. For the most part, the benefits are dependent on your usage. HERE is a thread discussing encryption on 5.1 so please check it out."
I clicked that link and ended up at http://forum.xda-developers.com/and...-fed-patcher-v8-forceencrypt-disable-t3234422
It appears that this would work if my phone was unlocked, but it isn't. I don't yet understand how I can flash anything if my phone is still locked and I don't know how to unlock the phone if the device is still encrypted.
I'm still stuck!
ghostofdavid said:
I checked this sticky - http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/help/nexus-6-frequently-questions-t3106029
Q17: What is encryption and should I disable it?
"First off, to best answer the "what is" question, look HERE. Now, whether or not to disable it, is entirely up to you. For the most part, the benefits are dependent on your usage. HERE is a thread discussing encryption on 5.1 so please check it out."
I clicked that link and ended up at http://forum.xda-developers.com/and...-fed-patcher-v8-forceencrypt-disable-t3234422
It appears that this would work if my phone was unlocked, but it isn't. I don't yet understand how I can flash anything if my phone is still locked and I don't know how to unlock the phone if the device is still encrypted.
I'm still stuck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read the stickies on unlocking your phone manually first.
Be careful that some of the stickies and or threads on rooting ect are old. Before you blindly follow instructions check the date and the version its meant for. If its more then a month or so old, or states a different version of android proceed with causion. Also, make sure you read the last maybe 4 or so pages of the threads if not more, as if the instructions ARE out of date you will see people note it there, and either suggest what changes are necessary or point to newer guides.
You really will help yourself out A LOT to learn the little bit it takes to do it manually. Multiple threads every day from people who have one little thing go wrong with the toolkits, that would be REALLY easy to fix if they knew what they were doing.
First read up on how to unlock, its really really easy... Once your unlocked STAY UNLOCKED, and make sure you keep "allow OEM unlock" on... Do those two things and you can almost definitely fix your phone no matter what you mess up.

Couple of questions before attempting root

Hey guys,
So before I go ahead an attempt to unlock my bootloader and root my phone, just wanted to clear a couple of things up first.
This is my first Huawei device, previous one was a Sony, so I'm a little unfamiliar with a few things.
1. Is unlocking the bootloader required for root? If not, could someone point me in the direction of a guide to root only?
On the Sony, as long as I had a compatible firmware, I could root without unlocking the bootloader.
2. Will I lose any DRM Keys, proprietary features (Force Touch, Themes etc) through unlocking the bootloader and/or rooting? If so, can these be restored afterwards, while retaining root?
Again, with the Sony, unlocking the bootloader would result in losing DRM Keys related to visual enhancements, and were required to be backed up (via TABackup) prior to unlocking the bootloader. These could then be restored after root, and function as normal.
3. If you do lose features, and they can't be restored while keeping root. If I flash a stock ROM back on, losing root in the process, will these features also be restored?
Thanks
djyoshii said:
Hey guys,
So before I go ahead an attempt to unlock my bootloader and root my phone, just wanted to clear a couple of things up first.
This is my first Huawei device, previous one was a Sony, so I'm a little unfamiliar with a few things.
1. Is unlocking the bootloader required for root? If not, could someone point me in the direction of a guide to root only?
On the Sony, as long as I had a compatible firmware, I could root without unlocking the bootloader.
2. Will I lose any DRM Keys, proprietary features (Force Touch, Themes etc) through unlocking the bootloader and/or rooting? If so, can these be restored afterwards, while retaining root?
Again, with the Sony, unlocking the bootloader would result in losing DRM Keys related to visual enhancements, and were required to be backed up (via TABackup) prior to unlocking the bootloader. These could then be restored after root, and function as normal.
3. If you do lose features, and they can't be restored while keeping root. If I flash a stock ROM back on, losing root in the process, will these features also be restored?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) I used the SRK Tool (http://forum.xda-developers.com/p9-plus/development/tool-srk-tool-huawei-bootloader-root-t3405999) and it showed step by step on rooting. Unlocking bootloader seems to be one of the steps before rooting. Maybe you can ask somboons about it.
2) For me, unlocking the bootloader basically resets my phone. And added a warning just before the phone bootup to android (from cold state or off state) that the bootloader has been unlocked and the phone is not trusted now. Just need to restore the apps and other data through the HiSuite backups after unlocking and rooting seems to be fine. Not sure about DRM keys, and others as didn't try those out before doing bootloader unlock. But I did lost my remote set up as it was not part of the HiSuite's data backup.
3) Do a backup with HiSuite should be able to help you. Just need to identify in the HiSuite that the apps and their data is being backed up.
prismfire said:
1) I used the SRK Tool (http://forum.xda-developers.com/p9-plus/development/tool-srk-tool-huawei-bootloader-root-t3405999) and it showed step by step on rooting. Unlocking bootloader seems to be one of the steps before rooting. Maybe you can ask somboons about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks mate, I did have a look at that thread as well, and another (less detailed) post. Was just wanting to confirm if there was any other method without need for bootloader unlocking. Figure the less things to modify, the less chance of something going wrong, which has worked well for me so far.
prismfire said:
2) For me, unlocking the bootloader basically resets my phone. And added a warning just before the phone bootup to android (from cold state or off state) that the bootloader has been unlocked and the phone is not trusted now. Just need to restore the apps and other data through the HiSuite backups after unlocking and rooting seems to be fine. Not sure about DRM keys, and others as didn't try those out before doing bootloader unlock. But I did lost my remote set up as it was not part of the HiSuite's data backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any way to remove that message while retaining root? Sounds similar to the 'yellow triangle' back when I had an S2, but that was able to be removed, is this the same?
Not too worried about backing up apps & data at the moment, I haven't fully set up my phone as I realised it would most likely be lost upon rooting. But thanks for the heads up!
prismfire said:
3) Do a backup with HiSuite should be able to help you. Just need to identify in the HiSuite that the apps and their data is being backed up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I was more thinking along the lines of, if any P9+ exclusive features were to be lost during root, could they easily be restored simply by flashing a stock ROM again? Apps & app data seem to be easy enough to restore via HiSuite/Titanium etc
djyoshii said:
Thanks mate, I did have a look at that thread as well, and another (less detailed) post. Was just wanting to confirm if there was any other method without need for bootloader unlocking. Figure the less things to modify, the less chance of something going wrong, which has worked well for me so far.
Any way to remove that message while retaining root? Sounds similar to the 'yellow triangle' back when I had an S2, but that was able to be removed, is this the same?
Not too worried about backing up apps & data at the moment, I haven't fully set up my phone as I realised it would most likely be lost upon rooting. But thanks for the heads up!
Sorry I was more thinking along the lines of, if any P9+ exclusive features were to be lost during root, could they easily be restored simply by flashing a stock ROM again? Apps & app data seem to be easy enough to restore via HiSuite/Titanium etc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The orange colored message i read from somewhere that it's Android security implementation standard or something. There's red message also which renders the whole phone can not boot in unless being reset.
In terms of the exclusive apps, not that I know of. Checked with my friend who kept her device as it is, without all the unlock and rooting, and compare with my device which went through and upgrade, unlock and a rooting process - no missing apps noticed.
Thanks guys
prismfire said:
The orange colored message i read from somewhere that it's Android security implementation standard or something. There's red message also which renders the whole phone can not boot in unless being reset.
In terms of the exclusive apps, not that I know of. Checked with my friend who kept her device as it is, without all the unlock and rooting, and compare with my device which went through and upgrade, unlock and a rooting process - no missing apps noticed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read ur conversation and I have been wondering if it's safe so thank you. But I still have 1 question "if I change my oem can I still use my 2 sims"?
prismfire said:
The orange colored message i read from somewhere that it's Android security implementation standard or something. There's red message also which renders the whole phone can not boot in unless being reset.
In terms of the exclusive apps, not that I know of. Checked with my friend who kept her device as it is, without all the unlock and rooting, and compare with my device which went through and upgrade, unlock and a rooting process - no missing apps noticed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So i've successfully rooted the phone, and yeah I get that 'your device has been unlocked and isn't safe' message on boot. It's not too much of a bother, besides being unsightly, but I don't really reboot my phone too often anyway.
I haven't noticed anything missing either, a few minor bugs have started to appear, but that might have to do with Xposed (I would guess).
Thanks for the advice & help!
Abdo2 said:
I read ur conversation and I have been wondering if it's safe so thank you. But I still have 1 question "if I change my oem can I still use my 2 sims"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dear Abdo2,
I'm not knowledgeable about the term oem here.
But if it is an issue of dual sim usage, I presume it's built into the ROM? What I know is all P9+ are hybrid dual sim, so it should be part of the ROM that you have.
I'm using VIE-L29C636B170. And it have the dual sim support in-built...although I've not used it yet.
See if anyone knowledgeable to your question passing by here can answer you. If not, maybe you can try the question & answer thread. Or post as another new thread if really no one got your question.
Regards.
---------- Post added at 02:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:29 PM ----------
djyoshii said:
So i've successfully rooted the phone, and yeah I get that 'your device has been unlocked and isn't safe' message on boot. It's not too much of a bother, besides being unsightly, but I don't really reboot my phone too often anyway.
I haven't noticed anything missing either, a few minor bugs have started to appear, but that might have to do with Xposed (I would guess).
Thanks for the advice & help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dear djyoshii,
Good to know.
About the security message, one of it is mentioned here:
https://source.android.com/security/verifiedboot/verified-boot.html
For minor bugs, I'm not sure what you have. I've 3 games and 1 app that behaves not like when I used my previous phone (on Android 5.0). That's around 3-5% of all the apps that I used (meaning, majority works fine). Of those some of them related to Android 6.0 issue (actually the apps not updated for the Android version well). So, for me generally I would think it's marshmallow thing.
Regards.
Hi,
long time htc user (always totally unlocked) but looking to get a p9 plus for my wife (this is the important part).
can someone give me a simple answer...
if i only root the phone (for titanium backup mainly and maybe some cosmetic mods) will i be able to unroot it and return it under warranty?
phones here in Dubai are all unbranded so no problems there.
I have no need to unlock bootloader (yet )
gazzacbr said:
Hi,
long time htc user (always totally unlocked) but looking to get a p9 plus for my wife (this is the important part).
can someone give me a simple answer...
if i only root the phone (for titanium backup mainly and maybe some cosmetic mods) will i be able to unroot it and return it under warranty?
phones here in Dubai are all unbranded so no problems there.
I have no need to unlock bootloader (yet )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dear gazzacbr,
From what I tried (been a while since I last did this), one will have to unlock the bootloader first before rooting. Apparently rooting is the last step of the whole process (if you are using the SRK tools). Now, to go back to the status of unrooted, I just use the superSU's total unroot option to unroot. And to go further back to bootloader, there is an option within SRK tool but my last attempt failed to relock the bootloader back. Didn't spend so much time to play around with the unlocking the bootloader after that. So, I just use as is - unlocked bootloader with no root.
One thing you need to note, for titanium backup, I end up just using their own desktop application called HiSuite. It does backup app and app data for you. Not system apps' data though. For theme customisation, MIUI do have a friendly Themer app that you can use to change the look. The corresponding theme files (*.hwt) are zipped, so you can always use 7zip to open and edit the assets inside to the one that you want.
Ok, thanks for the good info @prismfire. As long as it could be rooted sometime later then thats fine. Will pick up one this weekend.
Am going to be jealous though as I guess it's a step up from my 'old' M8
Sent from my HTC One_M8 dual sim using XDA-Developers mobile app

Rootng without bootloader unlock

I've read all over the place about not being possible to unlock the bootloader when it says no. That's fine. I assume I can still root it, using a specialist tool. I'll look into that bit spearately.
My question is, if I can root it, delete everything I don't want and make it as stock as possile without installing a custom rom, then just block Google Play Services ever using the internet with a firewall, will it work and give me the privacy I want from Android? I don't want to go back to Apple, or buy another device, so any help much appreciated.
If it's now possible to bypass the unlock bootloader allowed: no, even better!
TIA.
No way so no.
Unless you find a hack.
When you decide to buy a phone it is good to read about it beforehand , xda forum can give you all the details you want , but the most important thing is not to buy a phone as soon as it appears, it is good to spend some time so you can collect all the data about it

Bootloader Xiaomi Redmi 9

Hello to everyone reading this, wish you all the best in the New Year.. Now let's get to the problem I have.. I'm using Brave as my browser and I am sure most of you are familiar with Brave Ads, well they don't work on my phone.. While duckduckgo-ing through I stumbled on possible reason why it may not work, the said reason was unlocked bootloader.. It was suggested to download SafetyNet test and check if everything is as it should be. To my surprise my bootloader was unlocked (I double checked via developer options since Xiaomi offers information on that there as well) but the issue is I never flashed any ROM or Firmware nor anything similar, it's stock as it can be from the store.. Now that I elaborated the best I can (Since my native language is not English) I need to ask 3 questions as stupid as the may sound.
1. Is it possible that bootloader unlocked by itself or some shady app?
2. Does that lock icon below front camera unlocks bootloader by tapping when you turn on the phone? (Since it was locked before and now its not)
3. Is there a way I can lock it without using PC and adb tools?
Thank you for your answers and time, much appreciated!
PS: I would add pictures if needed but since I didn't tamper with the phone nor change anything in developer options I doubt it's of any help.
To lock the bootloader in mi you need to flash the stock rom and if you only need to pass the safety net checks install magisk canary and it's not actually possible to unlock an mi device without the authentication of Xiaomi so it can not unlock by itself as far as I know. Are you totally sure you or someone in your family or friends didn't unlock the bootloader because if not this may be a dangerous exploit used by a shady app and should be reported to Xiaomi now.
Not a single soul have a access to my phone, and if they did they sure as hell don't know hot to flash custom roms or unlock bootloader.. So it might be some shady app.. But how would I check and see if that is true?
PS: And about magisk canary I don't see it in google play store, but I suppose that is apk for rooted phones? The issue is my phone is not rooted if that is the case.

Categories

Resources