Database Develop

Root w/ Encryption

I did a couple of searches and came up empty but I am wondering if any ROM developers are working with encryption and root?
When I had my Galaxy S5 (Tmobile) it was first encrypted. I recall then once I rooted it I was no longer able to encrypt the device. I think there may have been some workarounds but they were pretty cumbersome to say they even worked at all.
I'm wondering if any developers are working that angle and if so should my inquiry be presented to developer of said ROM?
I also realize that encrypted devices do tend to read a bit slower than those no encrypted but I think I can live with that.
Please advise.
Best,
Hiatt

cwhiatt said:
I did a couple of searches and came up empty but I am wondering if any ROM developers are working with encryption and root?
When I had my Galaxy S5 (Tmobile) it was first encrypted. I recall then once I rooted it I was no longer able to encrypt the device. I think there may have been some workarounds but they were pretty cumbersome to say they even worked at all.
I'm wondering if any developers are working that angle and if so should my inquiry be presented to developer of said ROM?
I also realize that encrypted devices do tend to read a bit slower than those no encrypted but I think I can live with that.
Please advise.
Best,
Hiatt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello Hiatt,
Thanks for using XDA Assist. What specific device do you currently have? There are so many devices here and each might deal with your question differently. I moved your other thread to off topic since it was referring to iPhones, but this one seems to have a more specific device in mind.
Thanks,
coal686

I presently have a Tmobile Galaxy S6 which is rooted and running Sick as Hell (version X).
From what I have read and heard it seems as though root and encryption together don't always play well together.
Also, it was the other post of mine that mentioned iPhones (the one about factory resets and eDiscovery).

cwhiatt said:
I presently have a Tmobile Galaxy S6 which is rooted and running Sick as Hell (version X).
From what I have read and heard it seems as though root and encryption together don't always play well together.
Also, it was the other post of mine that mentioned iPhones (the one about factory resets and eDiscovery).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, that's what I said. The other post was more about the iPhone issue so I moved it to off-topic. Since you have a Galaxy S6, I'll move this thread there so people with that device can give you a more personalized answer.

I don't think that having root is an issue with encryption. I Had my S5 encrypted only problem was a ui crash when entering the boot password. That was specific to the rom I was using and simply had to enter password 1 or 2 characters at a time between errors.
But I do think there may be a problem with custom recovery and encryption.
My S5 was verizon, thus still locked bootloader and used safestrap to get to a custom recovery which wasn't always active.
I would talk to someone with a lot more knowledge then I about this further. But pretty sure just having root is not a problem the recovery is where you can have issues

cwhiatt said:
I did a couple of searches and came up empty but I am wondering if any ROM developers are working with encryption and root?
When I had my Galaxy S5 (Tmobile) it was first encrypted. I recall then once I rooted it I was no longer able to encrypt the device. I think there may have been some workarounds but they were pretty cumbersome to say they even worked at all.
I'm wondering if any developers are working that angle and if so should my inquiry be presented to developer of said ROM?
I also realize that encrypted devices do tend to read a bit slower than those no encrypted but I think I can live with that.
Please advise.
Best,
Hiatt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi there,
Root + Encryption can work together as long as no custom recovery involved, so if you get your root by exploit instead of installing custom recovery almost 99% chance you can have your phone encrypted while preserving the root privilege.
My case explained here : http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-3/general/success-root-encryption-t3372958

I didn't have a problem with encryption and root. The only problem that I had was that my Galaxy S6 Edge needed to be encrypted before root. I could not encrypt my phone with the "stock" rooted kernel. Once I was encrypted, I could install TWRP and root via supersu systemless root.
Once I had root, I would use flashfire to back up and install because TWRP could not read the DATA partition since it was encrypted. For some reason, it seems once the phone has been decrypted, the data partition could be backed up with flashfire, and I would be able to restore a backup as well.
This is where I ran into issues. If you are flashing a custom rom that will require you to wipe data, your device will lose encryption. Because I can be somewhat of a crack flasher at times, and that I am too lazy to deal with having to re-encrypt and reinstall all my settings, I just opted to stick with an unencrypted phone.
Hopefully at some point, TWRP will be compatible with encryption so that lives will be easy for us crack flashers..until then, I will probably stick with an unencrypted device unless I just want to stick with a stock rom, or a custom rom that I can load up and not have to wipe data every time there is an update.

Has Google gotten much stricter when it comes to rooting?

I've been an Android user for a long time and was into the rooting and custom ROM scene in the days of the DROID phones, Nexus, and early Pixel devices.
Once I got my Pixel 3 and then a Samsung S20 after that I didn't really have a reason to root any longer as I didn't want to mess with custom ROMs.
Now I'm using a Pixel 5 and while I still don't really want to root it seems to be the only way to hide the nav bar in conjunction with Fluid Navigation Gestures. This is a big deal for me as I have been using FNG for years now and really don't like Google's default gesture nav. I'm using 3-button nav for now but would love to get FNG back.
Anyways, I'm looking into rooting the Pixel 5 and the process seems much more involved then it used to be, and I see lots of people talking about not getting OTA updates (minor security patches, not even whole Android version updates).
From what I remember back when I was rooting phones ~5 years ago it was much simpler and did not preclude you from getting OTA updates. Especially on Nexus devices, and even early Pixels if I'm remembering correctly, rooting was simple and didn't break when you updated.
Amy I remembering this correctly? Is Google cracking down on rooting much more these days? I would just be so happy if I could get proper FNG back, this phone would be absolutely perfect for me if I could just do that without much fuss.

skytbest said:
I've been an Android user for a long time and was into the rooting and custom ROM scene in the days of the DROID phones, Nexus, and early Pixel devices.
Once I got my Pixel 3 and then a Samsung S20 after that I didn't really have a reason to root any longer as I didn't want to mess with custom ROMs.
Now I'm using a Pixel 5 and while I still don't really want to root it seems to be the only way to hide the nav bar in conjunction with Fluid Navigation Gestures. This is a big deal for me as I have been using FNG for years now and really don't like Google's default gesture nav. I'm using 3-button nav for now but would love to get FNG back.
Anyways, I'm looking into rooting the Pixel 5 and the process seems much more involved then it used to be, and I see lots of people talking about not getting OTA updates (minor security patches, not even whole Android version updates).
From what I remember back when I was rooting phones ~5 years ago it was much simpler and did not preclude you from getting OTA updates. Especially on Nexus devices, and even early Pixels if I'm remembering correctly, rooting was simple and didn't break when you updated.
Amy I remembering this correctly? Is Google cracking down on rooting much more these days? I would just be so happy if I could get proper FNG back, this phone would be absolutely perfect for me if I could just do that without much fuss.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't speak for the topjohnwu (Magisk "Magic" man) but for us end users, rooting is pretty easy for Pixel phones. Install Magisk manager, put copy of boot.img on phone, patch it through Magisk manager, put patched boot image on pc and flash it in fastboot. All after unlocking bootloader and enabling USB first.
I've always downloaded and installed my own updates so getting ota's is not an issue for me. I use FNG as well.
I had the original Samsung Nexus. First phone I ever rooted. I had so much fun with that phone. Seems like there was a limitless amount of custom roms. I was hooked.

It may seem that way as we do not have TWRP so you're doing different steps. They aren't necessarily harder steps, just different. I've only owned this phone for 1 update cycle but it took perhaps 10-15 minutes to upgrade, re-root and be back up and running as I was before.

Tulsadiver said:
had the original Samsung Nexus. First phone I ever rooted. I had so much fun with that phone. Seems like there was a limitless amount of custom roms. I was hooked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those wher the days! I just had mine in my hands a few hours ago, when i was rumaging in my old phones box...

Ducter said:
It may seem that way as we do not have TWRP so you're doing different steps. They aren't necessarily harder steps, just different. I've only owned this phone for 1 update cycle but it took perhaps 10-15 minutes to upgrade, re-root and be back up and running as I was before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. When you rooted the phone originally did you have to do a factory reset? And when you update and re-root do you have to reinstall the magisk modules or does everything just start working again like it was before the update?

Tulsadiver said:
I can't speak for the topjohnwu (Magisk "Magic" man) but for us end users, rooting is pretty easy for Pixel phones. Install Magisk manager, put copy of boot.img on phone, patch it through Magisk manager, put patched boot image on pc and flash it in fastboot. All after unlocking bootloader and enabling USB first.
I've always downloaded and installed my own updates so getting ota's is not an issue for me. I use FNG as well.
I had the original Samsung Nexus. First phone I ever rooted. I had so much fun with that phone. Seems like there was a limitless amount of custom roms. I was hooked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Do you have to wipe the phone as part of the rooting process?
Also, when you do update do you have to re-enable 3-button nav so that when you are unrooted (after update) you can use the phone? Do all the magisk modules and other root-only things just come back on their own once the phone is rooted again?

skytbest said:
Thanks. Do you have to wipe the phone as part of the rooting process?
Also, when you do update do you have to re-enable 3-button nav so that when you are unrooted (after update) you can use the phone? Do all the magisk modules and other root-only things just come back on their own once the phone is rooted again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlocking bootloader will wipe your phone. Most of your settings are remembered when applying new firmware as long as you remove the -w from the update-all.bat
It is recommended that you remove all modules before updates so that when you re-root you don't bootloop (in case the mods need updated to new firmware).

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

Question about updating to Android 12

I am currently rooted running stock A11. I noticed that the update to A12 is now available. Just for fun, I checked updates on my phone & it says there is an update for A12 available. I thought being rooted, with the boot-loader unlocked, I wouldn't get updates. But there it is, asking me to download it.
Would it work if I downloaded and installed it via OTA on my phone? Would it wipe all my data (internal storage) and un-root me? Would it brick me? Just asking because I thought the proper way to update while rooted was this way (step #4), but doing it via OTA doesn't get much easier.
I am currently happy with how my phone is set up and running. I don't have an urgent need to update and really dislike setting up a phone as new. Of course, if an update to new a new OS is available...I'm going to want to install it eventually.
Thanks for the advice!

I'm not going past Q on my stock N10+'s, one still running very well on Pie. It's load is over 1.5 years old.
The first thing I do on my stock phones is disable OTA Updates. I may eventually update the Pie one to Q but it's more restrictive than Pie. I gain some nice features and it runs a bit faster, but loose some functionality as well.
Security simply isn't an issue with Pie in everyday use. Q may prove more troublesome.
Going to R would break them. It's a mess. CPU cycle burning scoped storage and tard repetitive security permissions. All my apps are vetted and trusted, many wouldn't load on R. Some aren't replaceable like my free office app which I use a lot. Plus forced encryption on first boot up... trashware.
Trust 12 to be better? When pigs fly.
Rule #1, if your OS is running fast, stable and fulfilling its mission let it be.
At the best you'll waste a lot of time that wasn't worth the trouble and at the worst end worse off than before. I'm not buying the hype.

mn1968 said:
I am currently rooted running stock A11. I noticed that the update to A12 is now available. Just for fun, I checked updates on my phone & it says there is an update for A12 available. I thought being rooted, with the boot-loader unlocked, I wouldn't get updates. But there it is, asking me to download it.
Would it work if I downloaded and installed it via OTA on my phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you can update via OTA.
mn1968 said:
Would it wipe all my data (internal storage) and un-root me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The OTA preserves /data, but because it updates the boot image, you will lose root.
mn1968 said:
Would it brick me? Just asking because I thought the proper way to update while rooted was this way (step #4), but doing it via OTA doesn't get much easier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why would an OTA update brick your device? The answer is no. However, due to Android Verified Boot features, you will need to disable both dm-verity and vbmeta verification in order to flash and boot a patched boot image. Unfortunately, this has required a data wipe to work. Those of us on the Pixel 5 are experiencing the same issue and are still working on the "why". If you leave /vbmeta and /boot stock, you can still temporarily boot a patched image....which just means that you'll lose root when you reboot.
mn1968 said:
I am currently happy with how my phone is set up and running. I don't have an urgent need to update and really dislike setting up a phone as new. Of course, if an update to new a new OS is available...I'm going to want to install it eventually.
Thanks for the advice!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Understandable. As I mentioned above, if you want to upgrade to Android 12 and have permanent root, it's likely that you will have to wipe. However, you can try following this guide and see if it works for you. Be warned, the user that posted that was on the 12 Beta, and had wiped previously when upgrading from Android 11. It won't cause a brick, but you may still have to wipe your device. If you're prepared to bite that bullet, you can give it a try.
Ultimately, you have 3 options:
Stay on Android 11 with root
Upgrade to Android 12, keep data, but lose root
Upgrade to Android 12, most likely wipe data, and reroot.

blackhawk said:
Rule #1, if your OS is running fast, stable and fulfilling its mission let it be.
At the best you'll waste a lot of time that wasn't worth the trouble and at the worst end worse off than before. I'm not buying the hype.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a certain degree of logic to this. I used Windows 7 and refused to update to 8.1 or 10 for a long time. Now that I'm on 10 Enterprise LTSC, I'm refusing to upgrade to 11. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Question Will root persist after an OTA update?

I've wondered this ever since my Tab S8+ reported it's device status as official despite me having flashed the tablet with magisk-patched firmware and asked me to update. This same exact scenario has happened with my rooted Tab S7+. However, I rooted that by flashing Magisk in TWRP rather than flashing patched firmware with Odin. I don't think anyone has tried applying an OTA update on their rooted Tab S8 device since the latest firmware isn't available yet, and could result in needed to flash patched firmware again. Then again, most rooted device will have their devices report as custom instead of official, so that may be why.
I'm willing to try this out on my Tab S7+ first as that device has TWRP, and I can easily restore my device to a rooted state afterwards. Since both tablets are relatively similar, I'll assume that if root persists after updating in the Tab S7+ then it should be safe to do so on the S8+ I'm curious of doing this solely for stability and performance updates in combination with everything root access grants.

With any part of the firmware patched, OTAs won't work - they'll fail. You could also wind up with a brick - most likely one you can recover from but I wouldn't bet either way on that. As always, have everything backed up in case the worst happens.
Since I still won't get my Tab S8 Ultra for another 10 days (unless they delay again), I haven't paid too close attention to the rooting instructions specific to this, and have only made note of them, however, the basic rule still applies - if any part of the firmware has been modified from stock, then OTAs will recognize that it's been modified and fail to apply - or as I said, it could possibly try to apply what it can but you could wind up with a mix and match of different firmware versions due to the OTA failing eventually, which would need some manual work to recover from - or very worst, you might need to start over from scratch and lose everything.
When I'm on any rooted device, I go into Developer options and disable Automatic system updates. It's still possible you could get an update prompt if you manually check for an update, but it's not advised to use OTAs when rooted.
I've always been a practitioner on all devices of flashing the full new firmware updates and re-rooting, however, I know that at least with devices with dual system partitions like Google Pixels (as far as I'm aware, Samsung still hasn't adopted dual partitions yet), there have been ways to apply Magisk to a manually sideloaded OTA, although I've observed other users who do this and something inevitably goes wrong with the process from time to time.
Not that full firmware flashes are immune to things going wrong.
Edit: If you try an OTA on yours, by all means, let us know what happens.
Edit 2: Adding TWRP to the mix may, or may not, affect the viability of applying OTAs. I've hardly used TWRP on any device in the last five years, so I'm not sure if it's smart about some things and can take root into account, but since TWRP doesn't exist on the Tab S8 (I don't have any older Tab), it won't matter for me.

roirraW edor ehT said:
With any part of the firmware patched, OTAs won't work - they'll fail. You could also wind up with a brick - most likely one you can recover from but I wouldn't bet either way on that. As always, have everything backed up in case the worst happens.
Since I still won't get my Tab S8 Ultra for another 10 days (unless they delay again), I haven't paid too close attention to the rooting instructions specific to this, and have only made note of them, however, the basic rule still applies - if any part of the firmware has been modified from stock, then OTAs will recognize that it's been modified and fail to apply - or as I said, it could possibly try to apply what it can but you could wind up with a mix and match of different firmware versions due to the OTA failing eventually, which would need some manual work to recover from - or very worst, you might need to start over from scratch and lose everything.
When I'm on any rooted device, I go into Developer options and disable Automatic system updates. It's still possible you could get an update prompt if you manually check for an update, but it's not advised to use OTAs when rooted.
I've always been a practitioner on all devices of flashing the full new firmware updates and re-rooting, however, I know that at least with devices with dual system partitions like Google Pixels (as far as I'm aware, Samsung still hasn't adopted dual partitions yet), there have been ways to apply Magisk to a manually sideloaded OTA, although I've observed other users who do this and something inevitably goes wrong with the process from time to time.
Not that full firmware flashes are immune to things going wrong.
Edit: If you try an OTA on yours, by all means, let us know what happens.
Edit 2: Adding TWRP to the mix may, or may not, affect the viability of applying OTAs. I've hardly used TWRP on any device in the last five years, so I'm not sure if it's smart about some things and can take root into account, but since TWRP doesn't exist on the Tab S8 (I don't have any older Tab), it won't matter for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just attempted to OTA update on my Tab S7+ after making a backup, and it failed. When it rebooted to start applying the update, it booted into recovery to start flashing, but since I have TWRP installed, it booted to that instead, went straight to the main menu, and didn't apply the update. It's extremely ironic; my tablet says it's running unauthorized software and will no longer receive firmware updates, but it also says my device status is official and allows me to download and install updates if I check for them (it'll even mention there's an update available without having automatic download installed).
I rebooted to system, it said they the update failed, and prompted me to download the update again and try again. I can't tell if anything got affected since it seems like because the update failed, nothing got applied or changed. This makes me slightly less willing to try and OTA update on the Tab S8+. However, since the stock recovery is still in place (no TWRP yet), the update process would probably go a long smoother. Not to mention, if something was to go wrong, and I needed to flash patched firmware again, I could just flash HOME_CSC instead of the regular CSC so I can keep my data. There's no guarantee that will work, as a failed update could require my system to prompt me to factory data reset anyway, but it's definitely an option that's available.
I'll backup whatever I can before attempting this, and I'll post the results later.

Answer would be no, doing OTA requires bootloader to be locked. But since you rooted, then you have unlocked the bootloader. So if your tab s8+ has locked bootloader then OTA will pass without a problem.

Jake.S said:
Answer would be no, doing OTA requires bootloader to be locked. But since you rooted, then you have unlocked the bootloader. So if your tab s8+ has locked bootloader then OTA will pass without a problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? I thought having an unlocked bootloader would be a non-issue since you can flashing official and unofficial firmware with an unlocked bootloader. Not to mention that the recovery has remained unaffected, and stock recovery needs to be accessed to apply the update.

SavXL said:
Really? I thought having an unlocked bootloader would be a non-issue since you can flashing official and unofficial firmware with an unlocked bootloader. Not to mention that the recovery has remained unaffected, and stock recovery needs to be accessed to apply the update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when unlocking bootloader you have to manually flash the stock firmware. Since OTA becomes unavailable when bootloader is unlocked. So if root is done in for example android 12 and you get a monthly patch then it will revoke the root since root usually modifies the OS files and gives you the root access sort off and flashing a update will write over those files and your root privileges will be removed.

Jake.S said:
when unlocking bootloader you have to manually flash the stock firmware. Since OTA becomes unavailable when bootloader is unlocked. So if root is done in for example android 12 and you get a monthly patch then it will revoke the root since root usually modifies the OS files and gives you the root access sort off and flashing a update will write over those files and your root privileges will be removed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh. I thought that doing an OTA update wouldn't remove anything that was already a part of the system and would just just update whatever needed to be updated and called it a day. With the method of patching the firmware and flashing it, I assume root would just be a regular part of the system, and an OTA update wouldn't affect it. Odd...

SavXL said:
Huh. I thought that doing an OTA update wouldn't remove anything that was already a part of the system and would just just update whatever needed to be updated and called it a day. With the method of patching the firmware and flashing it, I assume root would just be a regular part of the system, and an OTA update wouldn't affect it. Odd...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is because your normal access is only admin not root. So it has almost full rights, but when you add root access it is mostlikely a modification that you have to do, either by a command or flashing a file. But updating the OS will revoke the root since method you used becomes unavailable for next update which is why it can reset your changes backwards so your root privileges becomes lost and your access is back to default as before. But I wouldn't touch bootloader since doing that also bricks KNOX so features for KNOX will become permanently disabled since it requires a working Knox chip to work, but since KNOX chip fuse becomes blown when bootloader is unlocked then feature like Samsung pass, samsung secret folder and such will no longer work.

Jake.S said:
That is because your normal access is only admin not root. So it has almost full rights, but when you add root access it is mostlikely a modification that you have to do, either by a command or flashing a file. But updating the OS will revoke the root since method you used becomes unavailable for next update which is why it can reset your changes backwards so your root privileges becomes lost and your access is back to default as before. But I wouldn't touch bootloader since doing that also bricks KNOX so features for KNOX will become permanently disabled since it requires a working Knox chip to work, but since KNOX chip fuse becomes blown when bootloader is unlocked then feature like Samsung pass, samsung secret folder and such will no longer work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Turns out you were absolutely correct. I downloaded and attempted to install the update, it booted into the stock recovery and got to 25% before erroring out. It booted back into Android and said that the update failed. Thankfully, nothing ended up getting removed or corrupted, and I still have root access. Guess I gotta stick to finding the latest firmware and patching it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯