Hi All
I'm not really a junior member but couldn't be bothered to recover old redundant account which is no longer relevant to my new device. The rest is history.
Firstly, Thank you in advance for any advice given, much appreciated.
I'm slowly moving away from all things google and now already have an active protonmail email account to retain my anonymity instead of the constant intrusion and surveillance and data mining by you know who.
Anyway to get to the point: I've done this before in the past as it suited my needs perfectly where I flashed a Rom on my phone thinking this was the same thing as rooting but I am now intriguied if it is still possible to make use of googles services without having a google account? maybe I am just being dumb and ignorant?
Is flashing the same thing as rooting and if not how does it differ? I couldn't make heads or tails out of this article?
How to install Google Apps?
I am not allowed to post outside links so please accept my apologies for entire article copy and pasted here:
Background
Only Android devices that are licensed by the Open Handset Alliance contain the so called Google Apps. Usually people associate apps like Google Maps, Google Play Store, etc. with Android, but because of the open-source nature of Android, manufactures can sell Android devices without Google Apps and therefore avoid to pay the license fee.
Custom ROMs
At first cyanogenmod shipped its ROM with pre-installed Google Apps. In September 2009 the founder of Cyanogen received a cease and desist letter from Google, demanding that the Google Apps not be included in the team's ROMs, since the ROM could be ported to devices which are not licensed to have the Google Apps. In turn, that would bypass the requirement for the devices to be licensed. For a few days, development on the ROM ceased, there were outcries from Android users all over the Internet, and many bloggers suspected Google had just shot itself in the foot.
Eventually, an alternate method was found, whereby Google Apps are not included in the ROM proper but the Google Apps which came with a device would be backed up by the device's custom recovery or another app, and then re-installed onto the device once the new ROM was flashed. This would therefore "Google-ify" one's ROM.
Source
How to install Google Apps?
Generally speaking:
First download the package corresponding to your version of android. Currently (november 2015), there are several "distributors" of Gapps available. Each typically offers a set of packages per android version, each package with more content. The apps in the packages range from a lite package with the basic apps (~100MB) to all of googles apps(200+MB). The applications themselves are untouched.
If you don't want to or cannot root your device:
Flash the Gapps (Google Apps Package) zip package with a custom recovery.
You may first need to flash a custom recovery (like CWM or TWRP) using a PC tool such as Fastboot or Odin/Heimdall. This flashing in turn may require an unlocked bootloader on the phone.
If root is not a problem: (See if you can root the device)
Some stock recoveries will let you "update with adb". Just install adb, then adb command to install is:adb sideload gapps.zip--assuming the package is in the adb folder and is called gapps.zip
You may also install a custom recovery like in the unrooted case. Root typically allows android apps to flash a new recovery (i.e. without a pc).
OR
Install a ROM with the Google Framework, if it exists for your device. Though many ROM developers have followed CyanogenMod's example of separating distribution.
If you flash a Gapps ROM, it may be possible to re-flash with another non-Gapps ROM afterwards while retaining the Gapps. This assumes the android versions are compatible. Most users capable of flashing a ROM will be capable of flashing Gapps separately.
Would someone be so kind as to explain to someone as thick as me? I've managed to root a phone once merely by following a tutorial to the T and I've also managed to do a TWRP Custom recovery but don't really know what it all means? for example I thought unlocking your bootloader was rooting your phone? I also found the whole Team Win Recovery very confusing whether you were doing it just on your phone or via ADB on a desktop PC? that seriously did my nut in?
Now to bring this to a close:
I would seriously like to root my latest device a Nokia 7 Plus so that I can install a Custom Rom or TWRP or whatever, basically something that allows me to continue to use the phone as before but without having to consent to Google as my overlord!
If I were to root my phone and flash it with a custom ROM would it still be possible to utilise and sync apps such as Google maps and google Keep or really I guess what I am asking is what are the alternatives to google keep because I can totally get away with using another email provider but I use google maps and google keep a lot, they are really quite helpful. Can I use them without having a google account or again are there alternative apps equally good with nice material design interfaces?
I'm probably asking for the impossible? lol
Thanks again
Infinitekiff
Related
I'm considering rooting my phone, but I'm kind of on the fence. First, I don't really want to void my warranty, but since I bought the phone used do I even have a warranty anymore? Second, I'm not really that interested in custom ROMs at this point since I'm new to Android OS and I'm happy with the way things are stock for now. So my question is... What can I do with a rooted phone running the stock Froyo ROM? Anything cool/interesting, or does it not even pay to bother rooting if I'm going to keep it stock?
I waited 3 months before rooting and I thought the same as you, wasn't interested in custom ROMs and all. Once I finally rooted and loaded cyanogen ROM, it completely changed my thinking. I highly highly recommend using cyanogen if you root. I can't stress enough. Things wkt can do with root are many, 720p video hack, black notification bar, themes, meta morph, audio volume hack, ROM manager, titanium backup, nand backups! The list is endless. Hell nand backup alone is worth rooting.
Is there a place or a link I can find more information about just stuff that I can do with a rooted phone BESIDES installing custom ROMs? Everything I usually find is just about ROMs. I want to just get my feet wet a little before I decide to just jump right in. For now I'm just interested in stuff I can do with plain old vanilla android once it's been rooted.
Look for apps that require root, see what they are and if you need any of them.
Here's my current list of things "to root for", I haven't yet..
Reasons to root:
Just root, nothing else:
- Adblock host file
- ClockSync
- GScripter
- Remove built-in crap (Amazon MP3)
- Screenshots
After installing recovery image
- Nandroid
After installing custom rom
- Black notification bar
Depending on where you live, you might still have warranty. For example, in Europe, the warranty is by default 2 years on the device. So it doesn't matter if you got it second hand, as long as the device still has warranty, you're OK.
Secondly, you can root your device without unlocking the bootloader. Check this thread for more info. At step 18, before doing the 2 'exit' commands, also take the time to rename /system/etc/recovery-install.sh & install + make executable a file called flash_image (google it to find a download) into /system/bin. This way you can install a custom recovery (e.g. for doing nandroid backups) and will make installing custom ROMs later a lot less painful.
A rooted stock FRF91 can already do many things, search for 'root' in the market and you can find tons of apps that require root privileges and that will run fine on stock. However, the really interesting things (like color trackball alert, firewalling, proxy support, ...) will require you to install a custom ROM.
I rooted my stock N1 with the above procedure a couple of weeks ago, and installed Cyanogen6 RC2 ROM to get some of the more advanced functionality. Been working like a charm and I've actually managed to get a lot more out of my device AND have longer battery life
Hi All,
Recently purchased a Razr I mt788 (China model) on China Mobile network. The China Mobile ROM is less than desirable, and I want to root the phone and put on a standard ROM that lets me access the Google Play store, sync with my gmail contacts, etc. I know this would void any warranties, etc., but keeping it "Chinafied" will drive me crazy.
I've done a lot of searching on forums, and have only really come up with these forum links as a solution to the mt788...albeit in Chinese, and so it's a bit hard to follow and I'm worried about the process. I rooted my old Samsung before, but it seemed more straight forward than this process...
Anyway, here is what I found for how to root and set up a recovery:
bbs.gfan.com/android-5566930-1-1.html
And here are the instructions on how to flash a standard ROM (I think):
bbs.gfan.com/android-5566976-1-1.html
To download the files, you have to register and comment, and then it grants you access, I've linked directly to the files I downloaded here:
From the first link on rooting/recovery, I downloaded what I think is a rooting application pan.baidu.com/share/link?shareid=159154&uk=4062121136, and a driver pan.baidu.com/share/link?shareid=159159&uk=4062121136
And the link for the standard ROM pan.baidu.com/share/link?shareid=159192&uk=4062121136
1) What is the driver for? Is it to install on my comp so I can sync my phone with my computer?
My understanding of the process that:
1) First I install the driver and root program on my computer.
2) Then I open my phone in boot mode and run the application to "root it"
Once rooted I would:
3) Put the downloaded ROM on my SD card and boot up the phone in recovery, and flash the ROM off of my SD card.
I don't have a great understanding of the process, so some confirmation of this would be very helpful to make sure I'm on the right track!!
Thanks in Advance!!
Be carefull. I checked the website you refer to and it mentioned that it is rooting for the XT788 only. There is a difference between the XT788 and the MT788. The MT788 is China Mobile specific and has different hardware, since the phone can access China Mobile 3G, which is usses different hardware than the XT788. Installing a XT788 ROM might brick your phone.
Advise don't use files from this website.
laoweichina said:
Hi All,
Recently purchased a Razr I mt788 (China model) on China Mobile network. The China Mobile ROM is less than desirable, and I want to root the phone and put on a standard ROM that lets me access the Google Play store, sync with my gmail contacts, etc. I know this would void any warranties, etc., but keeping it "Chinafied" will drive me crazy.
I've done a lot of searching on forums, and have only really come up with these forum links as a solution to the mt788...albeit in Chinese, and so it's a bit hard to follow and I'm worried about the process. I rooted my old Samsung before, but it seemed more straight forward than this process...
Anyway, here is what I found for how to root and set up a recovery:
bbs.gfan.com/android-5566930-1-1.html
And here are the instructions on how to flash a standard ROM (I think):
bbs.gfan.com/android-5566976-1-1.html
To download the files, you have to register and comment, and then it grants you access, I've linked directly to the files I downloaded here:
From the first link on rooting/recovery, I downloaded what I think is a rooting application pan.baidu.com/share/link?shareid=159154&uk=4062121136, and a driver pan.baidu.com/share/link?shareid=159159&uk=4062121136
And the link for the standard ROM pan.baidu.com/share/link?shareid=159192&uk=4062121136
1) What is the driver for? Is it to install on my comp so I can sync my phone with my computer?
My understanding of the process that:
1) First I install the driver and root program on my computer.
2) Then I open my phone in boot mode and run the application to "root it"
Once rooted I would:
3) Put the downloaded ROM on my SD card and boot up the phone in recovery, and flash the ROM off of my SD card.
I don't have a great understanding of the process, so some confirmation of this would be very helpful to make sure I'm on the right track!!
Thanks in Advance!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
I have searched for hours for information in the XDA threads that give an updated and vetted method of rooting a Moto Droid by Verizon. Maybe someone can help?
First, I am practicing rooting an old phone (Original Droid) before I mess with my new phone. I have the Moto Droid by Verizon version 2.2.3, build FRK76. It is not activated for phone service so I will not have any access to Google Play unless I can activate the wifi receiver (which currently sees networks, connects briefly and then disconnects).
As I understand, first comes the root, second comes the ROM, third comes a kernel, fourth comes the fun! I'm not backing up because the phone is basically empty of any apps or data.
Thanks,
Jeremy
There's no mandatory order to keep.
You can just root the stock ROM using "Universal Androot" (Google it to find newest release and mirrors).
You can go right away, install a custom recovery and flash a custom ROM. They're usually root-enabled.
Flashing different Kernels is a bonus for the extra-curious - or those who know exactly what they're doing.
This guide takes you through the major steps. Try it first.
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Install_CM_for_sholes
Thanks.
I tried to download Universal Androot and SuperOneClick from a thread in XDA. Both are being flagged by my virus software as viruses. Is this normal? Also, it appears the most recent version of UA is 1.6.
These Root-methods use exploits that will be flagged by any Antivirus because they COULD be used for malicious purposes.
Since we are actively trying to hack our device this is no problem.
Thank you.
OK, kind of a strange question but . . .
My daughter sent me this phone cause she got it as a freebie from TMobile and it came with the stock Gingerbread / bloatware configuration on it. I immediately Googled some info on how to root it, installed ClockworkMod and CM 11 and have been pretty happy.
Now I want to install the latest CM12 build. I grabbed the TWRP tool and the CM12 built and am ready to go, but first I would like to understand what I can safely delete and what features Google duplicates that CM provides. For example, I have three launchers on my phone (Trebuchet, Nova, and Google) and I am sure that is one, maybe two, too many. Ditto picture and sound apps.
I am not averse to actually reading documentation, but can somebody point me to a tutorial site where I can educate myself and do some reading. I prefer a skinny configuration that only has the stuff I need but I need a little guidance before I start nuking away.
Also, since I flashed this phone within hours of receiving it in the mail I never backed up anything in Gingerbread before the flash. I assume that I will have to reinstall all my apps and data after I flash to CM12 or is there a way to just flash the OS and leave the rest untouched?
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