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Hi all,
I found that Kitkat 4.4.4 for me was absolutely perfect with no issues, so I'm considering going back to it. I'm just concerned about the security updates for it and if they're still a risk or if updates and patches through the play store resolves those issues? Could anyone give advise regarding this or if there's a way I can stick with 4.4.4 without the security issues?
Thanks
if you arent an advanced user and are concerned about security, just use the phone on 4.4.4 but dont root it . As long as the phone does not have access to the system partition, you should be just fine.
Note : I been using 4.4.4 and rooted . To be safe, i dont use any banking or other financial related apps. I use my nexus 7 2013 for all those sensitive things.
i would also like to know what can be done to stay safe on the 4.4.4 rom . dont wanna upgrade to lollipop and marshmallow is not available for xt1064 yet(dont wanna use the unofficial way since mms and gps does not work)
I am currently using CM13 with December patch, but the January patch fixed a high priority exploit. I do not want to upgrade to Nougat just yet because I want to keep the Xposed framework. Is there any community build for CM13 with January Patch? Or is there an alternative ROM to switch to that will continue to update Marshmallow? And if so, will I be able to flash it without a data wipe?
ExpertMC said:
I am currently using CM13 with December patch, but the January patch fixed a high priority exploit. I do not want to upgrade to Nougat just yet because I want to keep the Xposed framework. Is there any community build for CM13 with January Patch? Or is there an alternative ROM to switch to that will continue to update Marshmallow? And if so, will I be able to flash it without a data wipe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should ask Neo from Resurrection Rom if he's still building for M
Edit: Apophis9283 made a build, check his afh mirror at his
Singularity kernel thread, may he merged the January patch
coremania said:
You should ask Neo from Resurrection Rom if he's still building for M
Edit: Apophis9283 made a build, check his afh mirror at his
Singularity kernel thread, may he merged the January patch
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought Singularity kernel is no longer under active development.
ExpertMC said:
I am currently using CM13 with December patch, but the January patch fixed a high priority exploit. I do not want to upgrade to Nougat just yet because I want to keep the Xposed framework. Is there any community build for CM13 with January Patch? Or is there an alternative ROM to switch to that will continue to update Marshmallow? And if so, will I be able to flash it without a data wipe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I read about that patch, Nexus 6 got it back in November and the 6p just got. I believe we been had this patch. Let me find where I read that.[
Here goes the article.
http://www.androidauthority.com/google-patches-exploit-nexus-6-6p-742048/
If you are running a November or December security update, your already patched it seems.
christianpeso said:
From what I read about that patch, Nexus 6 got it back in November and the 6p just got. I believe we been had this patch. Let me find where I read that.[
Here goes the article.
http://www.androidauthority.com/google-patches-exploit-nexus-6-6p-742048/
If you are running a November or December security update, your already patched it seems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info, but I would still like to know my options for the future.
coremania said:
You should ask Neo from Resurrection Rom if he's still building for M
Edit: Apophis9283 made a build, check his afh mirror at his
Singularity kernel thread, may he merged the January patch
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No he didn't include the January patch. It's stock RR with November security patch. He also added a commit to fix verizon visual voicemail (which now works) and to stop battery issues below 40%
If you really want January security patch on MM my only guess would be Mokee. Google search Mokee Shamu.
It's funny being concerned so much about security patches, when you're running a rooted phone with an unlocked bootloader lol I wouldn't stress too much over it.
ExpertMC said:
... And if so, will I be able to flash it without a data wipe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing another type ROM generally needs wiping data.
You can try to keep the data but there could be bootloop or forced closing apps.
Dopamin3 said:
....
It's funny being concerned so much about security patches, when you're running a rooted phone with an unlocked bootloader....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you for the 'stressing' part, but one of the advantages of rooting for me is that root access allows installing a firewall and blocking ads with a hosts file.
Rooting can give us more security.[emoji1]
Rooting for that simply limits how much you're tracked. There are non-root methods of reducing your tracking. Rooting, as much as we may want it, is a security hole. This is why every device manufacturer - including Google - either does not recommend it or locks the bootloader to prevent it.
Hmm; I said 'one of the advantages' another important thing is the use of layers.
As long as Google only offers white UI rooting is a must.
Except your very last sentence says "rooting can give us more security." That is absolutely wrong, thus my comments.
I do agree that theming is a reason to root, along with ad blocking. Root however is still a security hole.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
Except your very last sentence says "rooting can give us more security." That is absolutely wrong, thus my comments.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it though? What about instances of things like AdAway which edit your hosts file to block advertisements and potentially malicious websites? What about AppOpsXposed which can revoke permissions for apps even if on stock it forces you to accept and use those permissions for the app to work? How about uninstalling pre-installed carrier garbage like CarrierIQ or system apps which could invade privacy and report things either to your carrier or the app manufacturer?
Rooting doesn't give you more security. But rooting can give you more security.
Dopamin3 said:
Rooting doesn't give you more security. But rooting can give you more security.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A rooted device is a compromised device, period. In order to prevent a device from being compromised, on Linux you never run as root and execute commands via sudo. It's dangerous to run as root, yet on Android we have no choice as Android does not have the sudo command. Thus, a rooted device renders any security measures useless as root has total control over everything. The loss of security is why manufacturers do not support root, with some manufacturers taking steps to prevent it.
Using your example, malware on an untouched device is limited to infecting your data on the internal storage. On a rooted device that same malware can infiltrate the system and do damage that can only be fixed by a factory reset or worse, flashing the entire system again. By rooting, you open the door to more severe attacks than by not rooting.
Some of us on this site understand the risks involved with rooting, but every day we have noobs coming to this site trying to root for s***s and giggles, and neither thinking about or caring about the consequences. To them, it's all fun and games until some rogue app steals their information because their device is rooted, and then they come here and ask us to fix their screwups.
Rooting is not a game, but serious business. One that could cost you a lot more than you think.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
Using your example, malware on an untouched device is limited to infecting your data on the internal storage. On a rooted device that same malware can infiltrate the system and do damage that can only be fixed by a factory reset or worse, flashing the entire system again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, so what about the dirty cow exploit (and potentially others)? This would allow full root access to a device EVEN if it was unrooted. Just because you're running stock, unrooted, BL locked doesn't make it so you can never get affected by an exploit that achieves root access and totally wrecks your device.
I guess it just comes down to the user. I don't use an antivirus on any of my Windows PCs (gasp!) but have I ever been infected or compromised in any manner? No. I'm an IT technician and use common sense. Any files I'm suspicious of I will scan on virustotal.com before executing them. On Android I don't load "sketchy" apps from the Play Store and don't sideload APKs (except Kernel Adiutor-Mod). I've never been compromised on Android and while I can't guarantee it, it's unlikely that it will happen even with my rooted device. I guess I'll just agree to disagree because I do see your points.
You claim to see my points, but as an IT professional, you should not be discounting them simply because you haven't encountered them. I don't know if you have used Linux in your IT work, but Linux has always required the root account have a password. Dirty Cow wouldn't have been able to do much if root on Android required a password.
It is a proven fact that root compromises the device's security. Windows users likely wouldn't be familiar with the Linux security model as their user accounts always ran with admin privileges by default. That is one reason - the other being popularity - why antivirus and anti malware programs are so common on Windows, yet virtually nonexistent on Linux.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
.....
It is a proven fact that root compromises the device's security..,,.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dopamin3 said:
.... Just becaus I guess I'll just agree to disagree because I do see your points.
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Click to collapse
It wasn't my intention to start a discussion about security.
It can't be denyed that root access is a security issue. But I wouldn't have a Nexus phone when I could not:
- install a firewall,
- change the hosts file for ad-blocking,
- change the theme to dark (eyes),
- flash a kernel (better battery life),
- remove bloat ware,
- block/remove services I do no want/use,
- disable NFC, no pay apps,
- unencrypt for a bit more performance.
I prefer to configure devices myself instead of Google etc. I am aware that comfort and performance have a price.
@NLBeev: I believe @Dopamin3 and I are actually on the same page here. It's only a difference in perception he and I have as to the seriousness of it all. Neither of us were questioning your choices, because all of us have rooted our devices. We are I believe all aware of the risks involved. But the noobs who come in and root for the wrong reasons might benefit from the discussion.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
@NLBeev: I believe @Dopamin3 ...the noobs who come in and root for the wrong reasons might benefit from the discussion.
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Click to collapse
Fully agree. [emoji106]
I usually root every phone, but since this is something I do once a year, I tend to forget some basics (so bear with me). Other things, I actually never really knew.
Until now, rooting a phone and flashing a custom rom (or the factory image) were "one and done" things and I simply never updated my phone ever again, since OTA no longer works once the bootloader is unlocked, and installing a newer image forced me to wipe everything in TWRP or else I could no longer read the encrypted memory. Of course, that also forced me to re-root my phone and reinstall everything. A bit too much of a hassle for monthly security updates...
Nowadays, however, updates and security patches are more important than ever. And since I just received my rootable SD N9600, I want to do it correctly this time and stay up do date.
This begs the question: How *do* I stay up to date without basically factory-resetting, re-formatting and re-rooting my phone every month for every security update?
Google showed me a few solutions.
Pixel phones apparently have A/B partitions and a TWRP script. Not an option for the Note 9, though.
Flashfire apparently was the perfect solution that did exactly what I was looking for, but it has been abandoned by Chainfire and unfortunately it no longer works with newer Magisk versions. Even when I downgraded to a super old Magisk version, it would ultimately crash when starting the app (after receiving root permissions). So it doesn't seem to work, although staying on an old version of Magisk forever would not be an ideal solution anyway.
Is there anything like Flashfire or a simpler approach that I am missing?
Surely, I can't be the only rooted user who wants to install monthly security patches without wiping the entire phone.
Spaced Invader said:
I usually root every phone, but since this is something I do once a year, I tend to forget some basics (so bear with me). Other things, I actually never really knew.
Until now, rooting a phone and flashing a custom rom (or the factory image) were "one and done" things and I simply never updated my phone ever again, since OTA no longer works once the bootloader is unlocked, and installing a newer image forced me to wipe everything in TWRP or else I could no longer read the encrypted memory. Of course, that also forced me to re-root my phone and reinstall everything. A bit too much of a hassle for monthly security updates...
Nowadays, however, updates and security patches are more important than ever. And since I just received my rootable SD N9600, I want to do it correctly this time and stay up do date.
This begs the question: How *do* I stay up to date without basically factory-resetting, re-formatting and re-rooting my phone every month for every security update?
Google showed me a few solutions.
Pixel phones apparently have A/B partitions and a TWRP script. Not an option for the Note 9, though.
Flashfire apparently was the perfect solution that did exactly what I was looking for, but it has been abandoned by Chainfire and unfortunately it no longer works with newer Magisk versions. Even when I downgraded to a super old Magisk version, it would ultimately crash when starting the app (after receiving root permissions). So it doesn't seem to work, although staying on an old version of Magisk forever would not be an ideal solution anyway.
Is there anything like Flashfire or a simpler approach that I am missing?
Surely, I can't be the only rooted user who wants to install monthly security patches without wiping the entire phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
n9600 has limited development from the community. so if you are not going to flash a custom rom( usually thats how people stay up to date) then you will have to go through the rooting procedure each time.
bober10113 said:
n9600 has limited development from the community. so if you are not going to flash a custom rom( usually thats how people stay up to date) then you will have to go through the rooting procedure each time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So every solution that makes this easier is strictly device-specific and nothing like Flashfire (which would have worked regardless of community activity for the N9600) exists anymore?
Dark times indeed, almost makes me question if I should keep rooting my devices...
I have rooted note8 with decrypted data partition (no-verity... something script). I updated recently to newest firmware simply through odin. I flashed firmware preserving data (home csc file?). There was bootloop but after i flashed twrp and rooted with magisk phone started without problem and all settings and data was there. So this is solution for me, maybe it will work on note 9 too.
Spaced Invader said:
So every solution that makes this easier is strictly device-specific and nothing like Flashfire (which would have worked regardless of community activity for the N9600) exists anymore?
Dark times indeed, almost makes me question if I should keep rooting my devices...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally I'm sticking with phones officially supported by lineageOs (formerly cynogenmod) from now on.
Kriomag said:
I have rooted note8 with decrypted data partition (no-verity... something script). I updated recently to newest firmware simply through odin. I flashed firmware preserving data (home csc file?). There was bootloop but after i flashed twrp and rooted with magisk phone started without problem and all settings and data was there. So this is solution for me, maybe it will work on note 9 too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I have a Note 9 that was rooted with Magisk and running on Oreo 8. I updated it via Odin to Android 10. I have a bootloop. What should I do? Please help me
What I see re the Pie problem on the Lenovo forum is that several people have tried doing a factory reset to fix things. Some seem to think that works, but others say the improvement is only temporary, and the laggy performance returns after a week or two. Would you expect there to be any difference between doing a factory reset versus flashing what is presumably(?) the same rom using the methods found here on XDA? Seems both should put the phone in the exactly the same state.
I'm still on Oreo, and decline the repeated notifications to update. to Pie. And I've turned off automatic system updates in the Developers menu. Does anyone know if that will prevent the Pie update from being forced through? Is there any way to turn off the update notifications?
Is there any indication that Motorola/Lenovo is doing anything to fix this problem? There's a 43-page thread on their forum on this, which they abandoned as "solved" early on. If I could stop the notifications, I would happily stay on Oreo if they would let me do that.
Thanks for any insights or suggestions.
Peabody424 said:
What I see re the Pie problem on the Lenovo forum is that several people have tried doing a factory reset to fix things. Some seem to think that works, but others say the improvement is only temporary, and the laggy performance returns after a week or two. Would you expect there to be any difference between doing a factory reset versus flashing what is presumably(?) the same rom using the methods found here on XDA? Seems both should put the phone in the exactly the same state.
I'm still on Oreo, and decline the repeated notifications to update. to Pie. And I've turned off automatic system updates in the Developers menu. Does anyone know if that will prevent the Pie update from being forced through? Is there any way to turn off the update notifications?
Is there any indication that Motorola/Lenovo is doing anything to fix this problem? There's a 43-page thread on their forum on this, which they abandoned as "solved" early on. If I could stop the notifications, I would happily stay on Oreo if they would let me do that.
Thanks for any insights or suggestions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, Peabody424...
It's always a bit tricky making recommendations to someone, based on one's own experiences, such as with an OTA update, and particularly when there's such a seemingly wide range of reported user experiences, ranging from the good to the bad to the outright atrocious! And like yourself, I'd also read similar (nightmare) accounts over on the Lenovo forums about the Pie update - so I was similarly cautious when I received the notification towards the end of March that a system update for Pie was awaiting my confirmation to go ahead and install it.
One of the major issues I'd read about Pie, was people's inability to access their device after the update, due to their password/lock-screen pattern not being recognised. And the only solution was to perform a factory reset via the stock recovery - not a good result at all!
This was obviously a significant concern to me, along with other reports of sluggish and poor screen responsiveness, with various solutions being proffered, such as using a custom launcher - I use Nova Prime anyway, so I've never actually used the stock Moto Launcher - and disabling Motorola's own background data collection processes (Android Settings>>System>>Advanced>>
Motorola privacy>>[DISABLE EVERYTHING THERE]), apparently is also reported to have helped make the device more responsive.
Anyhow, I'd prepared in advance of Pie, by ensuring everything on my device was backed up somewhere else, should I need to perform a factory reset in the event of possible problems after the Pie update.
So... after about an hour of downloading and installing Pie... Everything worked perfectly - in fact, Pie managed to resolve some long standing screen glitches I'd been having with Oreo, ever since I bought my G6 back in July of 2018.
Since the March 2019 Pie update, I've subsequently received two further OTA updates - in August and September.
The one in August was a security patch update for 1 June 2019, but it also included Google's Digital Wellbeing App, which for some strange reason had been omitted in the original Pie update back in March. Although this OTA update installed without any noticeable problems, I decided immediately afterwards to perform a factory reset... It just seemed a prudent measure to take - to clear the decks, so to speak, and begin afresh with a clean slate.
---------------------------------------
Here's a list of my Pie/Security patch updates, so far this year...
(Yeah, I know... I'm a bit OCD, keeping a detailed record of such things)
Moto G6 OTA (PPS29.55-24) Android 9.0 Pie Update (from Android 8.0 Oreo) with 1st January security patch. Notified: 01:05, Tue 24 Mar 2019. Downloaded: 01:43 to 02:02 (17 mins to download 1431.2Mb). Commenced installation at 02:02; Completed at 02:37 with no problems.
Moto G6 OTA (PPS29.55-37-4) with 1st June security patch. Notified: 21:41, Mon 5th Aug 2019. Downloaded: 21:42 to 21:54 (12 mins to download 818.6Mb). Commenced installation at 22:00; Completed at 22:28 with no problems.
Performed a factory reset after this OTA, just to clear the decks and begin afresh.
Moto G6 OTA (PPSS29.55-37-4-3) with 1st August security patch. Notified: 04:15, Thu 12th Sept 2019. Downloaded: 04:17 to 04:20 (3 mins to download 155.4Mb). Commenced installation at 04:20; Completed at 04:46 with no problems.
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In conclusion then, I'm afraid I cannot give any assurances that the Pie update will NOT give you any problems - there are no guarantees here, unfortunately, and whilst my Moto G6 has been improved with Pie, there's no denying that there have been many reports of Pie OTA related problems with this device. I would strongly recommend that if you do take the Pie update, prepare for a possible factory reset, by ensuring everything in the internal storage that is important, is safely backed up elsewhere first.
With regards to possibly reflashing the G6,
maybe back to Oreo, I'm afraid I can't help or advise you there. I haven't reflashed or rooted a device for about two years now - the benefits of doing so seem to me to be fairly marginal these days - so my knowledge about such things is a little out of date. My own Moto G6 will likely be my first device who's bootloader will probably never be unlocked.
As far as Lenovo fixing anything... Well, I wouldn't put money on it! They don't seem to be overly concerned with the kind of problems that I've seen reported on their forums.
---------------------------------------
Apologies for my somewhat non-committal response to your implied question ("Should I update to Pie?"), but as I mentioned at the beginning, my own experiences of Pie may not be reflected by others. Indeed, when reading through the posts on the Lenovo forums about Pie, a few months ago, I was very surprised by the largely negative response that the Pie OTA had engendered, and when the time came for me to update to it, I was even more surprised when everything went perfectly, with none of the problems that had been reported there.
All I can say then, is that Android 9.0 Pie on my Moto G6 has been problem free, and is an improvement over its predecessor, Android 8.0 Oreo.
Hope this helps - and apologies for this rather long post - I do go on a bit sometimes
Kind Rgrds,
Ged.
Thanks very much, Ged. I really appreciate the info on your experience with the Pie update. I guess my first reaction is that you are in the UK, and the updates you received may or may not be at all similar to what's being offered to me in the US (PPS29.118.11.1 to update to Pie). One of the missing pieces of information is whether the problems are only with US phones, or even within the US, what percentage of phones have these problems.
I still wonder about the idea of flashing the latest rom from the archive here. I don't understand how/why that would be different from allowing the OTA update, then doing a factory reset. The latter process has been reported as providing only temporary benefits. And of course I would also like to find a way to turn off the update notifications.
Peabody424 said:
Thanks very much, Ged. I really appreciate the info on your experience with the Pie update. I guess my first reaction is that you are in the UK, and the updates you received may or may not be at all similar to what's being offered to me in the US (PPS29.118.11.1 to update to Pie). One of the missing pieces of information is whether the problems are only with US phones, or even within the US, what percentage of phones have these problems.
I still wonder about the idea of flashing the latest rom from the archive here. I don't understand how/why that would be different from allowing the OTA update, then doing a factory reset. The latter process has been reported as providing only temporary benefits. And of course I would also like to find a way to turn off the update notifications.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi again, Peabody424...
Appreciate your kind works, and yep, you're correct in your deduction that I'm in the UK. I should have mentioned that in my prior post... My Moto G6 update channel is retgb.
Personally, I would be very hesitant to flash anything, from any archive. I used to flash stuff, frequently, on previous devices, some years ago. But it seems to me, reading here on these Moto G6 forums, that such things have become ever more complicated in recent years, and potentially prone to error, and possibly a device hardbrick.
It's not something you should do lightly, and not without a considerable amount of reading and research beforehand. Now, maybe I'm being a little over cautious, and some longstanding Moto G6 flashing expert will post saying so... But I'd rather be cautious and have a device that works with Oreo, rather than one that doesn't (maybe permanently) with an attempted failed flash of Pie. Or maybe I'm just getting old, and don't much care for the risks anymore...
--------------------------------
Regarding disabling OTA updates... I'm fairly certain you need root for that.
However... If you look in Android Settings>>Apps & notifications>>Advanced>>See all apps, then tap on the 3 dot overflow menu at the upper right hand corner of the screen, and select Show System... then scroll down to locate an app called Motorola Update Services. Tap to enter, and you'll notice that whilst it can be forced-stopped, the disable button is greyed-out, and is thus not available.
But you COULD disable it's notifications as illustrated in my screenshot below... Not sure if that would work in the long term, 'cos the update would still be pending, you just wouldn't be being notified of it - and maybe the update would/might proceed anyway, at some point - I'm just not sure, to be honest.
Hope this helps, and good luck, whatever you choose to do
Rgrds,
Ged.
Thanks, but I turned off notifications for Motorola Update Services in the beginning, and the system update notifications still come through. I suspect it's not possible to turn them off without disabling the Update app.
Peabody424 said:
Thanks, but I turned off notifications for Motorola Update Services in the beginning, and the system update notifications still come through. I suspect it's not possible to turn them off without disabling the Update app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Peabody,
I also saw your post in the other thread, so here is my $.02. I have a US retail unlocked phone that is running PPS29.118-15-11. I updated from 8.0 (OPSS27.104-92-6) to Pie with the PPS29.118-11-1 OTA. My experience was different from GedBlake in that the update almost immediately showed signs of lagginess. For me it seemed that anytime the phone tried to access anything from the network in the background, it would lag the foreground. I uninstalled stuff, played with settings, even reset to factory, to no avail. Then someone recommended that I use RSD Lite to reflash PPS29.118-11-1. The difference is, that unlike the OTA, RSD Lite wiped the phone entirely and gave me a fresh starting point. Why a factory reset did not obtain the same state, I have no idea. But what I can tell you is that my G6 ran like glass after that. I got nervous when I got the notification to update to PPS29.118-15-11 OTA, but I bite the bullet and the upgrade went fine and it still runs like a champ.
-Chris
First to say is to disable the update notification you have to freeze Motorola-Updateservices (com.motorola.ccc.ota)
Code:
pm disable com.motorola.ccc.ota
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To Ged Blake:
If your password/lock-screen pattern is not being recognised, you should erase locksttings.db in /data/system via adb/TWRP. It resets your lockscreen pattern and you can access your device.
--------------------------------------------------------------
If you update to Pie you can't downgrade to Oreo without losing your Wifi signal!!!
WoKoschekk said:
First to say is to disable the update notification you have to freeze Motorola-Updateservices (com.motorola.ccc.ota)
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To Ged Blake:
If your password/lock-screen pattern is not being recognised, you should erase locksttings.db in /data/system via adb/TWRP. It resets your lockscreen pattern and you can access your device.
--------------------------------------------------------------
If you update to Pie you can't downgrade to Oreo without losing your Wifi signal!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, WoKoschekk...
Yeah, the password/lockscreen problem was just something I'd read about over on the Lenovo Motorola forums - it was never a problem for me. And your solution of using TWRP, whilst useful to know, likely wouldn't have helped most of the posters there, as most, if not all, are running bootloader locked devices with no TWRP installed. I seem to recall that running unmodified factory stock is a condition of posting there, if you expect a response from a Motorola Service Agent, which I suppose is understandable.
Your solution of disabling Motorola's OTA update app using ADB is something that occurred to me too, but I'm not too enthusiastic about recommending procedures that I've not tried myself... I didn't want to suggest something that might have screwed up the OP's device, however unlikely that may be.
Anyhow, @Peabody424...
This article may be worth reading for more details in how to disable/freeze the OTA app, as suggested by WoKoschekk...
https://www.xda-developers.com/disable-system-app-bloatware-android
Rgrds,
Ged.
You won't have any negative effects by disabling this app. Since it's not possible to deactivate it this might be the only way to turn off the notifications permanently. You can enable the app when ever you want it.
Thanks very much for the responses.
In years past, I have flashed new rom to an old Hisense tablet, but that was a high-anxiety process since I was a total newbie. I'm still basically a civilian here, but understand that it's not entirely impossible that I would be able to do these things successfully. But just so I understand:
Using ADB to disable the update app would (probably) stop the notifications and prevent Motorola from forcing through the update to Pie. But it is not rooting, is reversible, and (if reversed) wouldn't void my warranty. Right?
Using RSD Lite does root the phone, which is not reversible, and does void my warranty. (The rom is factory stock, but you can't un-root.) Also, it's not possible to revert to Oreo after flashing Pie. Right?
Edit: It looks like I was wrong about not being able to un-root. A Youtube video by RootJunkie suggests using RSD Lite restores the phone to stock in every way, and it would become unrooted. So no warranty issues?
Chris, your experience with RSD is really encouraging. From what you said, you did try a factory reset after the OTA update, and it was not successful. But the RSD re-flash of the same rom did work, and continues to work. I just wish I understood why the reset didn't work but RSD did. Anyway, there are now several more updates after 29.118.11.1. Should I let the 11.1 OTA happen, then do RSD LIte, or just do RSD Lite from the existing Oreo, or do RSD Lite from Oreo to the latest rom? I guess we don't know whether any of that matters.
I tried to download RSD Lite from rsdlite.com, but got a 404. Is it available directly from Motorola? Also, I have a Win7/64 computer and an XP computer. Does it matter which one I use for RSD Lite?
Thanks again for everyone's suggestions.
A new post appeared today on the Lenovo forum:
"I did a factory reset on the first of September (2019-09-01). The phone is now back to how it was: lagging, freezing, slow to open apps, slow keyboard, Chrome is laggy and pops up with "app is not responding" prompt.
For me, the factory reset fix lasted a little over a month before the phone got bogged down again."
Chris, I think you did the RSD Lite flash a month earlier than this guy did the factory reset. Have you seen no deterioration in performance? I'm sorry to be so goosey about this, but I don't understand why the RSD Lite flash should leave the phone in a different state than a factory reset of the OTA update, and I just dread doing the Pie flash only to get the same result as the other guy got a month later - as I understand it, I wouldn't be able to go back to Oreo.
Peabody424 said:
Thanks, but I turned off notifications for Motorola Update Services in the beginning, and the system update notifications still come through. I suspect it's not possible to turn them off without disabling the Update app.
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Peabody424 said:
A new post appeared today on the Lenovo forum:
"I did a factory reset on the first of September (2019-09-01). The phone is now back to how it was: lagging, freezing, slow to open apps, slow keyboard, Chrome is laggy and pops up with "app is not responding" prompt.
For me, the factory reset fix lasted a little over a month before the phone got bogged down again."
Chris, I think you did the RSD Lite flash a month earlier than this guy did the factory reset. Have you seen no deterioration in performance? I'm sorry to be so goosey about this, but I don't understand why the RSD Lite flash should leave the phone in a different state than a factory reset of the OTA update, and I just dread doing the Pie flash only to get the same result as the other guy got a month later - as I understand it, I wouldn't be able to go back to Oreo.
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Click to collapse
I do see slow downs in the phone from time to time, but these can be and usually are explained by external forces, such as wifi strength, and lack of cell service. That said, these are nothing like the lag I experienced after the first OTA to Pie. BTW - RSD Lite does not root the phone, it is only a tool used to flash images to the phone. So if you are flashing an official image, you are not voiding the warranty. Historically, I've been a big fan of rooting phones, however with the G6, I simply haven't found a good enough reason to do it yet. Here is a link for RSD Lite - http://download.canadiancontent.net/RSDLite.html - I used this and downloaded version 6.2.4. I ran it on Windows 10, and ran into a issue with the USB 3.0 port I was connected too. I had to switch to an older port - luckily my system still has a few. I would suggest using the Windows 7 system you have.
-Chris
cdaly1970 said:
I do see slow downs in the phone from time to time, but these can be and usually are explained by external forces, such as wifi strength, and lack of cell service. That said, these are nothing like the lag I experienced after the first OTA to Pie. BTW - RSD Lite does not root the phone, it is only a tool used to flash images to the phone. So if you are flashing an official image, you are not voiding the warranty. Historically, I've been a big fan of rooting phones, however with the G6, I simply haven't found a good enough reason to do it yet. Here is a link for RSD Lite - http://download.canadiancontent.net/RSDLite.html - I used this and downloaded version 6.2.4. I ran it on Windows 10, and ran into a issue with the USB 3.0 port I was connected too. I had to switch to an older port - luckily my system still has a few. I would suggest using the Windows 7 system you have.
-Chris
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I believe you said in the other thread that you did do a factory reset after the original OTA update, but found that it didn't fix things. If that's the case, then it seems pretty clear that the RSD Lite flash leaves the phone in a different state than the factory reset, although nobody knows why that would be the case since the rom is presumably the same either way.
Thanks for the clarification on rooting. The only reason I would need to root the phone is to be able to hide certain pictures and apps, but I may be able to do that without rooting.
So I have both the 11-1 and 15-11 roms and RSD Lite, and I have the v6.4.0 drivers although I don't think I need them since Win7 already communicates with the G6. If I can muster up the courage, I'll go ahead and give it a try, probably with the 15-11 rom.
A couple more questions: I don't have an SD card installed, but what about the SIM? Is it ok to leave it in the phone when doing RSD Lite? And do I need to set any Developer options, like USB debugging?
Thanks very much for your help on this.
GedBlake said:
Anyhow, @Peabody424...
This article may be worth reading for more details in how to disable/freeze the OTA app, as suggested by WoKoschekk...
https://www.xda-developers.com/disable-system-app-bloatware-android
Rgrds,
Ged.
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Click to collapse
I decided to try this, disabling com.motorola.ccc.ota for user zero as described in that article. And it appears to have worked. Well, normally I would have received the Pie OTA notification immediately on power-up, and after 20 minutes now it hasn't arrived. So while it may be a bit early to count chickens, I'm encouraged. If I decide at the last minute not to risk upgrading to Pie, maybe at least I can continue to run Oreo in peace.
When I go to Settings/Apps&Notifications/AppInfo/ShowSystem/Motorola Update Services, it shows "Not installed for this user". I think that's a good sign.
I did have to install the Motorola ADB driver for this to work. The article doesn't mention that, but I guess it would be obvious to anyone but me.
A question has come up in the Lenovo forum thread as to whether it is necessary to unlock the bootloader in order to run RSD Lite on newer phones like the G6. Chris, or anyone else who knows, can you clarify this? My understanding is that the whole point of RSD Lite was to restore a phone to factory condition, and that flashing stock roms signed by Motorola permitted them to be flashed without unlocking or rooting or anything else.
JimmiH on the Lenovo forum has found "Lenovo Moto Smart Assistant", a new utility from Motorola, which is installed on your PC (Win 7 or 10). Included in the utility is a "rescue" function which appears to do the same thing as RSD Lite - resurrect a phone from any software issues. It downloads the correct official rom and reflashes it to the phone. JimmiH will be reporting back over the next few weeks as to whether the rescue has permanently solved his Pie lagginess issues.
The advantage of this LMSA over RSD Lite is that it runs on Windows 10, and presumably works with USB3 ports, while apparently neither was the case with RSD Lite. And of course you don't have to go hunting for the right rom.
This could potentially be a nice easy fix. Let's hope so.
Curious as to the results of the the "Lenovo Moto Smart Assistant" reflashing method on moto G6. Has anyone had sustained success using this method?
I factory reset my phone in an attempt to cure the Pie lagginess, and had limited success - as other users describe there was a joyful month without lag, then a return to lag over the following months. Within two months you will be back to the same state of constant lag.
I am preparing to move to a Google Pixel 3a but wanted to give the G6 one last chance. I will be attempting the LMSA fix and hope to report back within a few months if this solution is permanent.
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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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