Related
So I received a notification to download the 5.1 update this morning on my rooted Nexus 6. I proceeded to click download and then install.
However, due to that I had TeamWin recovery installed the update failed on reboot. (didn't even try to install)
Now when I click on "Check for updates" in About in System Settings menu. It says that there are no new updates??? Even though it failed to install.
Does anyone know where the update is stored on the device before installation? Maybe i need to remove it before it will try and update again? (now that i have flashed stock recovery)
Any help would be very appreciated.
You need to unroot too.
Ota can be downloaded online.
d1wepn said:
So I received a notification to download the 5.1 update this morning on my rooted Nexus 6. I proceeded to click download and then install.
However, due to that I had TeamWin recovery installed the update failed on reboot. (didn't even try to install)
Now when I click on "Check for updates" in About in System Settings menu. It says that there are no new updates??? Even though it failed to install.
Does anyone know where the update is stored on the device before installation? Maybe i need to remove it before it will try and update again? (now that i have flashed stock recovery)
Any help would be very appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once you remove root, try pulling your Sim and rebooting. Let the phone sit, without Sim, and see if update reappears.
rootSU said:
You need to unroot too.
Ota can be downloaded online.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was hoping to use the factory OTA update method for a change. (Always manually update) But might just be easier.
Downloading OTA now. Thanks for the advice rootSU
Evolution_Freak said:
Once you remove root, try pulling your Sim and rebooting. Let the phone sit, without Sim, and see if update reappears.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might give this a try first. Worth a shot. Cheers mate.
OTA update downloads to system/cache folder ... It may get deleted soon after you try installing and restart the phone. You need rooted phone and a file explorer like es file explorer for accessing system folder.
Sent from android one lollypop 5.1
---------- Post added at 12:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:38 AM ----------
Check first whether you have it in your phone already. Rooted phone go to /cache folder you'll find something.Zip there.
Ok so i managed to get the phone to download the OTA again and attempted to install it again. This time with stock recovery.
Everything was looking good but it fails with "error" below the android logo.
Any ideas?
Sorry I can't help you. I don't want that AT&T 5.1 update. So I did what you did and hit install. It of course didn't. I use TWRP also. But the damn 5.1 update is back!
Tappin from my Nexus 6
Any reason you want the OTA? you can install the factory image from here and get the same result without mucking around...
https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images
Gage_Hero said:
Any reason you want the OTA? you can install the factory image from here and get the same result without mucking around...
https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using a stock image will wipe the device each time. The posters question is even more valid now since Google's doing security patches every month.
I have the same issue & I wasn't able to find the .zip in /cache
Rocky1988 said:
Using a stock image will wipe the device each time. The posters question is even more valid now since Google's doing security patches every month.
I have the same issue & I wasn't able to find the .zip in /cache
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You only need to flash the system.img file within the Google image using fastboot.
After that, boot into TWRP and reflash SuperSU, XPosed, and anything else you've flashed that resides in /system.
Wipe caches and reboot. Easy, and no app or data loss.
Rocky1988 said:
Using a stock image will wipe the device each time. The posters question is even more valid now since Google's doing security patches every month.
I have the same issue & I wasn't able to find the .zip in /cache
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
um.. you are quite a bit late. this is an old thread, look at the dates. you responded to a question thats 6 month old.
liquidzoo said:
You only need to flash the system.img file within the Google image using fastboot.
After that, boot into TWRP and reflash SuperSU, XPosed, and anything else you've flashed that resides in /system.
Wipe caches and reboot. Easy, and no app or data loss.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except, to be more complete, it might be a good idea to flash everything except data and boot - that is, in case changes are made to radio or anything else, but if changes are done to boot and are required for system or kernel and you don't put stock boot, you're kinda screwed (you'd need a different version of twrp in this case and it probably won't be out).
My point, there really is no complete way to know if flashing just system is enough to get all the security updates unless you look at what the update replaces. That's why I'm looking for the ota.zip
Rocky1988 said:
Except, to be more complete, it might be a good idea to flash everything except data and boot - that is, in case changes are made to radio or anything else, but if changes are done to boot and are required for system or kernel and you don't put stock boot, you're kinda screwed (you'd need a different version of twrp in this case and it probably won't be out).
My point, there really is no complete way to know if flashing just system is enough to get all the security updates unless you look at what the update replaces. That's why I'm looking for the ota.zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And thankfully Google put version numbers to the other files so takes about 15 seconds to realise you only need to flash system. If a change was made to radio you can still flash in exactly the same way as the system and not lose data...
Amos91 said:
And thankfully Google put version numbers to the other files so takes about 15 seconds to realise you only need to flash system. If a change was made to radio you can still flash in exactly the same way as the system and not lose data...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you check version numbers for the other files? This may be what I'm after!
Rocky1988 said:
Using a stock image will wipe the device each time. The posters question is even more valid now since Google's doing security patches every month.
I have the same issue & I wasn't able to find the .zip in /cache
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm unable to find the latest update in the /system folder (/system/cache doesn't exist on my device) or the /cache folder either.
/data/data/com.google.android.gms/app_download/update.zip
d1wepn said:
Ok so i managed to get the phone to download the OTA again and attempted to install it again. This time with stock recovery.
Everything was looking good but it fails with "error" below the android logo.
Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use Flashify to install OTA updates instead.
At last i found it
I have clock work recovery installed on my phone. It refuses to update my OTA factory software update, i searched for it and installed it manually. It was in /data/data/com.tinno.systemupdate/files/googleota/0/update.zip
When booting TWRP using fastboot, without flashing it to the recovery partition, eg. "fastboot boot twrp-sanders-r20.img", only for the purpose of taking a partition backup, once done the device wont longer take OTA's!
That is IMHO a very unexpected behavior, as booting this way and keeping system read only should mean that nothing on the phone gets changed (well except the data partition if a backup is saved on these one).
One would expect this not to mess with the OTA process.
Now, this twrp at least: https://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-g5s-plus/development/recovery-twrp-3-1-1-r7-t3694910 does, after some investigation i found out that it is mounting the oem partition writable and modifying it adding a .twrp file to the root. Since the OTAs are checking and patching this partition of cause they will fail.
Luckily there is a way out, you can reflash the OEM partition for example from here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-g5s-plus/how-to/tutorial-fhash-oreo-8-1-stock-global-t3852967
that is assuming that you are running the first Oreo 8.1 update, if you had an other version when the issue hit, you will need to find the right OEM partition image for you actual build.
IMHO this behavior of TWRP is unacceptable and should be fixed in a new release ASAP.
DavidXanatos said:
When booting TWRP using fastboot, without flashing it to the recovery partition, eg. "fastboot boot twrp-sanders-r20.img", only for the purpose of taking a partition backup, once done the device wont longer take OTA's!
That is IMHO a very unexpected behavior, as booting this way and keeping system read only should mean that nothing on the phone gets changed (well except the data partition if a backup is saved on these one).
One would expect this not to mess with the OTA process.
Now, this twrp at least: https://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-g5s-plus/development/recovery-twrp-3-1-1-r7-t3694910 does, after some investigation i found out that it is mounting the oem partition writable and modifying it adding a .twrp file to the root. Since the OTAs are checking and patching this partition of cause they will fail.
Luckily there is a way out, you can reflash the OEM partition for example from here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-g5s-plus/how-to/tutorial-fhash-oreo-8-1-stock-global-t3852967
that is assuming that you are running the first Oreo 8.1 update, if you had an other version when the issue hit, you will need to find the right OEM partition image for you actual build.
IMHO this behavior of TWRP is unacceptable and should be fixed in a new release ASAP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed; received today a security update for my moto G5S plus (didn't root till i got the official 8.1 Oreo update) and every time i try to install takes me to TWRP and i keep it as READ ONLY (since TWRP itself says if u modify u won't b able to receive OTA updates) and... even without the modification i still can't get the update. this has to be fixed ASAP by TWRP
I did discover that if you keep the OTA files for older updates, you can re-run them to update the OEM partition. Unfortunately it only works one update generation.
I wonder if we just delete the .TWRP file if it can recover it. I'll test later this week. The OTA has a way to repair partitions
pizzaboy192 said:
I did discover that if you keep the OTA files for older updates, you can re-run them to update the OEM partition. Unfortunately it only works one update generation.
I wonder if we just delete the .TWRP file if it can recover it. I'll test later this week. The OTA has a way to repair partitions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
keep us posted man
pizzaboy192 said:
I wonder if we just delete the .TWRP file if it can recover it. I'll test later this week. The OTA has a way to repair partitions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
imho 99% sure, it still will fail, the partition does not just have to be semantically unchanged it must be 1:1 bit wise identical with what is expected.
I'll see what happens. I'm not a developer but I have pointed this out a few times to the developers of both TWRP threads, along with sharing these issues on the telegram group, but everyone else is focused on the latest custom ROM and doesn't care about stock, so the issues have fallen on deaf ears
in a nutshell how can i receive the last OTA security? do i revert to stock , install then root again? holy moly that's a lot of work
TheKicKer69 said:
in a nutshell how can i receive the last OTA security? do i revert to stock , install then root again? holy moly that's a lot of work
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately until they fix TWRP so it doesn't damage the OEM partition, you need a clean copy of the OEM partition to take the OTA.
However, there is a way you can prevent this, but it is a little hairy (you can't use any magisk modules). You can use the magisk app to patch the boot.img file that is from a slightly older Oreo firmware and flash that with fastboot, without using TWRP.
---------- Post added at 07:35 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:30 AM ----------
DavidXanatos said:
imho 99% sure, it still will fail, the partition does not just have to be semantically unchanged it must be 1:1 bit wise identical with what is expected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup. Just confirmed that deleting the .twrp file does not fix it.
I've reached out to Motorola to update their Lenovo Motorola Smart Assistant tool to support the official Oreo OTA which will allow us to download the latest full firmware file, which would give us the OEM partition to reflash before the next OTA.
I'll bother the TWRP devs again this week to get this unexpected behavior removed so we don't need to bother anyone in the future.
Update: none of the TWRP maintainers currently have replied to me about this issue.
@CheckYourScreen hasn't been active for a while but hasn't responded to a few different attempts to point this issue out (Been over a month since first notification with no acknowledgement)
@MasterAwesome has a custom TWRP that is latest, but they're still working on it. They're our best bet to possibly get it fixed since they're actively working on it. They've also been made aware, but no response yet (4 days since notifying and it was a weekend, so hopeful)
@GeneticEnginer was notified today. They developed the first unofficial TWRP (3.1.1) and might be able to help, but not holding my breath
I've also contacted a few people who do unofficial TWRP ports for some tips on unpacking one of our existing TWRP files and fixing it myself. It may be the way to go.
Hi guys. Final update. I've fixed TWRP temporarily. If we're not going to run custom ROMs, use this TWRP to backup. It does a bitwise backup of OEM and doesn't mount it as RW so it WILL work for restoring fully OTA capable stock ROM. It is NOT treble compatible as the treble compatible ones do weird things that I haven't documented.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/mo...-r20-stock-t3869192/post78205758#post78205758
If you haven't already, you should be receiving a notification that the Stable Android 12 or "S" Build is lurking in the shadows of your Pixel 5a handset. If you're currently on the (only) beta version we received OTA, your update won't inconvenience you for too long, as it weighs in at <4 mb, all in.
Safe Journey's...evnStevn
The factory images are up on Google's developer site, and when I tickled the system update found the 12 upgrade. I'm downloading the factory image now (for rooting with Magisk) then will upgrade to 12. Then more to learn...
CarinaPDX said:
The factory images are up on Google's developer site, and when I tickled the system update found the 12 upgrade. I'm downloading the factory image now (for rooting with Magisk) then will upgrade to 12. Then more to learn...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right-On, I'm not ready for that, the Big League's (yet) as I'm still down here playing T-ball !
CarinaPDX said:
The factory images are up on Google's developer site, and when I tickled the system update found the 12 upgrade. I'm downloading the factory image now (for rooting with Magisk) then will upgrade to 12. Then more to learn...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Attempted the upgrade last night, seems there's some new things required if you want to flash the modified boot image and successfully boot. I believe you need to wipe the data partition and also pass along a few flags during install. However, temp root is an option if you want to avoid that for now (I did) by simply booting the image in fastboot vs flashing it. Just FYI!
Edit. Sounds like SafetyNet won't pass yet if you do end up going the permanent route? I could be wrong but I believe that's what's I've read. I just checked on mine and the temporary boot image does seem to so that's good.
If you read this thread you will see how to do it, as done on beta releases. https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/guide-flash-magisk-on-android-12.4242959/ It is possible to achieve permanent root on 12 without wiping the personal data but it is a delicate dance. I have not tried it yet but as I understand it the process is to unroot 11 and at least remove Magisk modules, take the 12 update, boot into bootloader and use fastboot to remove boot verification and replace vbmeta.img, then flash patched boot.img, reboot and reinstall magisk. It seems there is a problem with just flashing the new factory image with the wipe option (-w) removed. Instead of fastboot flashing the patched boot.img it is also possible to directly patch the boot.img from Magisk while temporarily booted from the patched boot.img (via fastboot), again after removing the verification checks. It may be critical as to when the 5a is rebooted or not; it needs to have a normal reboot after the OTA upgrade in order to complete the upgrade, then boot to bootloader for fastboot operations. I am going to go back and make instructions for myself before proceeding, and will do a Titanium backup before doing anything else.
Edit: it appears that some have achieved permanent root and still passed the SafetyNet check. IIRC it was done through the OTA upgrade path but I need to check that. If you are willing to wipe your data then just installing the factory image and then doing the fastboot commands it might work but that is not clear. Too many attempts at root and SafetyNet failed while flailing so hard to know right now if there are good alternatives to OTA.
CarinaPDX said:
If you read this thread you will see how to do it, as done on beta releases. https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/guide-flash-magisk-on-android-12.4242959/ It is possible to achieve permanent root on 12 without wiping the personal data but it is a delicate dance. I have not tried it yet but as I understand it the process is to unroot 11 and at least remove Magisk modules, take the 12 update, boot into bootloader and use fastboot to remove boot verification and replace vbmeta.img, then flash patched boot.img, reboot and reinstall magisk. It seems there is a problem with just flashing the new factory image with the wipe option (-w) removed. Instead of fastboot flashing the patched boot.img it is also possible to directly patch the boot.img from Magisk while temporarily booted from the patched boot.img (via fastboot), again after removing the verification checks. It may be critical as to when the 5a is rebooted or not; it needs to have a normal reboot after the OTA upgrade in order to complete the upgrade, then boot to bootloader for fastboot operations. I am going to go back and make instructions for myself before proceeding, and will do a Titanium backup before doing anything else.
Edit: it appears that some have achieved permanent root and still passed the SafetyNet check. IIRC it was done through the OTA upgrade path but I need to check that. If you are willing to wipe your data then just installing the factory image and then doing the fastboot commands it might work but that is not clear. Too many attempts at root and SafetyNet failed while flailing so hard to know right now if there are good alternatives to OTA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the link. I downloaded the full Android 12 image, installed it, disabled verity and wiped my data via fastboot, then flashed the magisk-patched boot. Worked like a charm and safetynet passed after hiding Magisk and installing Riru and the universal-safetynet-fix.
michaelc5047 said:
Thanks for the link. I downloaded the full Android 12 image, installed it, disabled verity and wiped my data via fastboot, then flashed the magisk-patched boot. Worked like a charm and safetynet passed after hiding Magisk and installing Riru and the universal-safetynet-fix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am hoping to avoid wiping data by taking the OTA and then rooting - I just need to find the time to backup and write down the process first. I knew that the update could be done directly with the factory image, then rooted, but that requires the data wipe. If I encounter a problem that is the fallback approach - then restore data with Titanium.
I don't mind wiping data once. But if I have to wipe data for each update just to root, I'll stay on 11 for now until there's a better way to root
Exactly.... I'll wait for a better way to upgrade and keep my root on 12
You don't "keep your root" on 11 updates; you unroot, take the OTA, then root again with a newly patched boot.img. And the data isn't wiped when moving to 12 if done through the OTA, just like 11 updates. If flashing a factory image the data is always wiped. What is different with 12 is that there is a verification of the boot.img and this has to be turned off (because the boot.img is patched), with a single fastboot command. It does appear to be sensitive to some details, so best to have a detailed procedure written down before starting the process. But those that have done it do not report a long or difficult process - just a finicky one.
CarinaPDX said:
You don't "keep your root" on 11 updates; you unroot, take the OTA, then root again with a newly patched boot.img. And the data isn't wiped when moving to 12 if done through the OTA, just like 11 updates. If flashing a factory image the data is always wiped. What is different with 12 is that there is a verification of the boot.img and this has to be turned off (because the boot.img is patched), with a single fastboot command. It does appear to be sensitive to some details, so best to have a detailed procedure written down before starting the process. But those that have done it do not report a long or difficult process - just a finicky one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok ...have you done it yet?....can you tell me your process or elaborate more to my understanding
CarinaPDX said:
You don't "keep your root" on 11 updates; you unroot, take the OTA, then root again with a newly patched boot.img. And the data isn't wiped when moving to 12 if done through the OTA, just like 11 updates. If flashing a factory image the data is always wiped. What is different with 12 is that there is a verification of the boot.img and this has to be turned off (because the boot.img is patched), with a single fastboot command. It does appear to be sensitive to some details, so best to have a detailed procedure written down before starting the process. But those that have done it do not report a long or difficult process - just a finicky one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want to upgrade ota....but what do i have to do to achieve root without loosing files, setup, etc
No, I have not done it yet - oddly enough I have other things needing doing. The information needed to do it is in this thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/guide-flash-magisk-on-android-12.4242959/ Unfortunately since it started during the 12 beta program, and there was a lot of trial and error, it is necessary to work through the long thread and sort out the process - which appears to be fairly simple (if inflexible).
When updating or upgrading there are always two paths to take: 1) take the OTA that is offered (after unrooting), or 2) flashing the full factory image. Generally speaking, OTAs are designed to keep the user data untouched [edit: not untouched but just converted where needed for the new system] and the factory image is intended to put the phone to factory condition (i.e. no user data present - starts from scratch). Updates (i.e. not upgrades between Android major versions) over-the-air (OTA) are replacing blocks of the stored image, which is very efficient, but requires a pristine stored image (hence the need to unroot to pass the check). Upgrades (new Android versions) seem to download the entire image, IIUC, and then clean up any data (like config files) that are not compatible with the new system. Sometimes the result has been less than perfect, although it is mostly reliable. Ultimately a factory image is the guarantee of getting a known good system, which can then be set up to the user's taste. Backing up user data (e.g. with Titanium Backup) and restoring can make this easier but again, config files from the previous system if restored on the new system can cause problems. Some people prefer to flash the factory image and reinstall the apps as new to get the highest confidence in the result. Most of us just take the OTA and trust the process, prepared to wipe config files or even flash the full factory image if there is a problem. Your choice.
After I write a procedure for myself, and successfully upgrade, I will post it.
So those of us that never rooted can just skip the unroot process and do the rest I assume?
CarinaPDX said:
No, I have not done it yet - oddly enough I have other things needing doing. The information needed to do it is in this thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/guide-flash-magisk-on-android-12.4242959/ Unfortunately since it started during the 12 beta program, and there was a lot of trial and error, it is necessary to work through the long thread and sort out the process - which appears to be fairly simple (if inflexible).
When updating or upgrading there are always two paths to take: 1) take the OTA that is offered (after unrooting), or 2) flashing the full factory image. Generally speaking, OTAs are designed to keep the user data untouched [edit: not untouched but just converted where needed for the new system] and the factory image is intended to put the phone to factory condition (i.e. no user data present - starts from scratch). Updates (i.e. not upgrades between Android major versions) over-the-air (OTA) are replacing blocks of the stored image, which is very efficient, but requires a pristine stored image (hence the need to unroot to pass the check). Upgrades (new Android versions) seem to download the entire image, IIUC, and then clean up any data (like config files) that are not compatible with the new system. Sometimes the result has been less than perfect, although it is mostly reliable. Ultimately a factory image is the guarantee of getting a known good system, which can then be set up to the user's taste. Backing up user data (e.g. with Titanium Backup) and restoring can make this easier but again, config files from the previous system if restored on the new system can cause problems. Some people prefer to flash the factory image and reinstall the apps as new to get the highest confidence in the result. Most of us just take the OTA and trust the process, prepared to wipe config files or even flash the full factory image if there is a problem. Your choice.
After I write a procedure for myself, and successfully upgrade, I will post it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok cool and thanks....that was awesome info
anubis2k3 said:
So those of us that never rooted can just skip the unroot process and do the rest I assume?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is the case. It seems that some with 12 beta got tripped up by not getting unrooting/removing Magisk and/or its modules right so that is one less thing to worry about. If you have never rooted then the OTA should work as expected. Rooting can be done in two ways, either by achieving a temporary root and using magisk to directly patch the boot.img, or by patching the boot.img and flashing it, right after removing verification and flashing the new vbmeta.img (in both cases). Of course you first have to unlock the bootloader and enable USB debug, install the Android tools on your computer (minimum version: you only need ADB and fastboot), and connect your computer to the phone with a USB cable. Again, refer to that thread or wait until I can write something up.
CarinaPDX said:
That is the case. It seems that some with 12 beta got tripped up by not getting unrooting/removing Magisk and/or its modules right so that is one less thing to worry about. If you have never rooted then the OTA should work as expected. Rooting can be done in two ways, either by achieving a temporary root and using magisk to directly patch the boot.img, or by patching the boot.img and flashing it, right after removing verification and flashing the new vbmeta.img (in both cases). Of course you first have to unlock the bootloader and enable USB debug, install the Android tools on your computer (minimum version: you only need ADB and fastboot), and connect your computer to the phone with a USB cable. Again, refer to that thread or wait until I can write something up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do one remove verification?
I haven't been able to permanently root android 12 without wiping my data. I'm not talking about upgrading from 11 to 12. I'm talking about after installing 12, I still have my data. Any attempt to permanently root 12 causes errors unless I wipe my data. This was detailed quite a bit in the link you posted. Have you tried permanently rooting 12 and keeping your data?
As I said before, I have not had time to try the upgrade. Also, that thread has multiple conflicting posts which is why I know it will take time to go through and parse out what works and what doesn't. There are posts IIRC where root was achieved with data retained - but exactly how that was accomplished is not clear (or even if that really did happen). Since we have not had our phones for long there shouldn't be too much in data to lose, and there is always Titanium, so I will give it a go when I have time.
One of the things that I would like cleared up is if the way to 12 and root is to stop the OTA upgrade process at some point and remove verification and/or root before continuing, or possibly root fails because it is attempted before the upgrade is complete. IIRC the OTA has at least one reboot involved, with some processing after the reboot (probably fixing the data to be 12-compatible). Clearly if the upgrade can be done while retaining data and then successfully rooted then it must be done in a precise way; the lack of precise explanations of successful roots is very disappointing.
Edit: If it does turn out that data must be wiped every time 12 is rooted then that means backing up and restoring will be needed for each update, as well as unroot/root, and possibly removing verification each time. That would be a huge PITA. Let's hope that isn't so.
BlvckSensei816 said:
How do one remove verification?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is explained in the thread I linked. But at this point unless you are willing to wade through 14 [make that 16 and counting...] pages of posts it is better to wait until someone posts a good procedure. Anyone not familiar with flashing is liable to get into trouble and needing a factory flash. However good 12 is, it is not so good that we can't wait a bit.
I thought I would just casually go through my installed apps and clean some up. I disabled the following...
1. Accessibility Suite
2. Gmail
3. Google TV
4. Google Music
5. Chroma
6. Razor Store
7. Logo+ (Uninstalled)
I then thought to myself that I would probably need the Accessibility Suite for apps that needed that as a permission to work. So I re-enabled it and it updated. I then rebooted and now the phone hangs at the Razor logo. I do have TWRP installed so I can get to that. I also have a complete backup from about a year ago using TWRP which I would like to use as my last resort. I am thinking that by disabling one of the above apps caused this issue. So, can I fastboot and re-enable them using adb? If so what is the command and the name for each app above? I am not an adb guru so the exact commands and names would help. Or if someone can think of another way to get my phone working besides a complete wipe I would greatly appreciate it! I am running MR1 stock with Magisk/art97. I do remember back in the day having a similar problem and I ended up re-flashing the ROM or something and it kept all my data but I think it just repaired the OS or something and that fixed a not booting issue. That was a long time ago so I cannot remember all the specifics but if that rings any bells for anyone as to another way I can approach this I am all ears. Thank you!
Logo+ - you uninstalled it. I dont think any others will prevent booting. If there is no logo, it will sit till it gets one. Reflash logo+ if at all possible. (I have a logo.img in my firmware, but different fone.
Pachacouti said:
Logo+ - you uninstalled it. I dont think any others will prevent booting. If there is no logo, it will sit till it gets one. Reflash logo+ if at all possible. (I have a logo.img in my firmware, but different fone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply. Logo+ is not a system app and shouldn't have anything to do with the Razor logo when booting up. Logo+ is a 3rd party app that allows to manipulate the colored logo on the back of the phone. For example when a notification comes in Logo+ can light up the colored logo on the back of the phone or make it flash. The app is from here. I've actually uninstalled and reinstalled Logo+ in the past when updating and such with no adverse effects. I can't imagine Logo+ would be the culprit here. What do you think?
I think only logo+ is capable of preventing boot, because your bootlooping. all other apps should NOT cause ANY bootloop, because they do not access anything previous to logo+, your first step in your problem.
Try this...
Logo+ if incorrect in any way will not show. This CAN cause bootloops. No other app you mention can. Perhaps your fone took a silent update, maybe it checked for the Logo+ and 'kicked' you for messing with it. Maybe google decided not to like it, so silently ordered your fone to delete the logo you installed leaving you with no logo+, and until you can see a logo+ your fone will stay there, so try my suggestion, seems your only choice. I have been flashing chips for years so can help, just go with my suggestion, reflash ONLY stock system.img/.bin using your stock flashing application, you'll be glad you did.
Pachacouti said:
I think only logo+ is capable of preventing boot, because your bootlooping. all other apps should NOT cause ANY bootloop, because they do not access anything previous to logo+, your first step in your problem.
Try this...
Logo+ if incorrect in any way will not show. This CAN cause bootloops. No other app you mention can. Perhaps your fone took a silent update, maybe it checked for the Logo+ and 'kicked' you for messing with it. Maybe google decided not to like it, so silently ordered your fone to delete the logo you installed leaving you with no logo+, and until you can see a logo+ your fone will stay there, so try my suggestion, seems your only choice. I have been flashing chips for years so can help, just go with my suggestion, reflash ONLY stock system.img/.bin using your stock flashing application, you'll be glad you did.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will follow your instructions but I am needing some clarification please.
The app Logo+ never came with the stock OS or the Razor Phone 2. It is a separate app made by a 3rd party. So flashing the system.img will not bring back Logo+. So should I first attempt to flash the Logo+ app using TWRP?
If you want me to reflash the stock system.img, I don't believe I have that. How can I obtain this? And could you please provide me with the steps to reflash? Should I use TWRP or fastboot and use Windows adb?
So the Logo+ is only an app. Not a zip. So I don't believe I can flash that. Should I attempt to sideload it? Can I install an app on the phone when the phone cannot boot?
So logo+ IS your prob. Personally I would never use an app to do such work, I'd edit and flash it myself, but hey, you prob know this by now.
Go to (motorola?) Razor support, look for your firmware, it may help if you have phone plugged in while doing so in case they have a detector script to detect firmware for your fone.
Regardless, grab stock offered for your fone. This should also point you in the direction of the correct flashing frmware. once you have them, get back to me.
Or look at what I found using startpage/google:
Need help in flashing stock rom on Razer Phone 2 ! (Stuck in Bootloop)
Hello Everyone , I have ran into a very bad problem and would appreciate some help. I tried rooting my phone (Razer Phone 2 Atnt varient) with the following method...
forum.xda-developers.com
Take your pick, so many stock firmares online here:
Startpage Search Results
www.startpage.com
(I use startpage for these results)
Choose what you believe is for your fone, then read the XDA razor thread I linked to above, I will guide you once you have your files if you still need it, but read the razor thread first
Pachacouti said:
So logo+ IS your prob. Personally I would never use an app to do such work, I'd edit and flash it myself, but hey, you prob know this by now.
Go to (motorola?) Razor support, look for your firmware, it may help if you have phone plugged in while doing so in case they have a detector script to detect firmware for your fone.
Regardless, grab stock offered for your fone. This should also point you in the direction of the correct flashing frmware. once you have them, get back to me.
Or look at what I found using startpage/google:
Need help in flashing stock rom on Razer Phone 2 ! (Stuck in Bootloop)
Hello Everyone , I have ran into a very bad problem and would appreciate some help. I tried rooting my phone (Razer Phone 2 Atnt varient) with the following method...
forum.xda-developers.com
Take your pick, so many stock firmares online here:
Startpage Search Results
www.startpage.com
(I use startpage for these results)
Choose what you believe is for your fone, then read the XDA razor thread I linked to above, I will guide you once you have your files if you still need it, but read the razor thread first
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Razer Phone 2 is made by Razer https://www.razer.com/mobile. Motorola makes the Razr which can be confusing.
I don't know how to edit and flash the Logo+ app. Can you do this for me and I'll test? The app is located here https://github.com/CurtisMJ/LogoPlus/releases.
As I understand it as soon as I flash the stock rom it'll put me back to factory settings right? So I'll have to re-personlize my entire phone from scratch. I'd like to leave this as my last resort if possible. So if we can I'd like to flash the Logo+ if you can make that zip for me.
Hi, developer of Logo+ here
I think there's maybe some misunderstanding as to what the app does. It doesn't work on the bootloader splash in any way (this can actually cause failed boots). It's for controlling the RGB on the Razer logo on the back of the device. I named it "Logo+" to avoid any legal issues with caling it "Chroma" since thats a trademark of Razer. The app is entirely user space and is not active during boot. It modifies the lights via sysfs values (with root) that are entirely in RAM so they're cleared on boot.
You can typically just put the .apk in /data/app in recovery mode to install it. I think this may have changed slightly with newer android versions.
Ultimately I don't think Logo+ is needed for or can interfere with boot. I would suggest flashing the system image as suggested for a clean slate.
EDIT: You may end up having to use your last resort backup if you're not keen to loose *too* much data. Not booting is a difficult thing to troubleshoot because there's no feedback as to what went wrong on Android. If its a data thing and not a system thing that is. You could try fastboot flash each system image part to maybe fix any corruption
EDIT2: Take another backup before you do anything though. Titanium back can extract app data from TWRP backups so you can restore your user data at least
CurtisMJ said:
Hi, developer of Logo+ here
I think there's maybe some misunderstanding as to what the app does. It doesn't work on the bootloader splash in any way (this can actually cause failed boots). It's for controlling the RGB on the Razer logo on the back of the device. I named it "Logo+" to avoid any legal issues with caling it "Chroma" since thats a trademark of Razer. The app is entirely user space and is not active during boot. It modifies the lights via sysfs values (with root) that are entirely in RAM so they're cleared on boot.
You can typically just put the .apk in /data/app in recovery mode to install it. I think this may have changed slightly with newer android versions.
Ultimately I don't think Logo+ is needed for or can interfere with boot. I would suggest flashing the system image as suggested for a clean slate.
EDIT: You may end up having to use your last resort backup if you're not keen to loose *too* much data. Not booting is a difficult thing to troubleshoot because there's no feedback as to what went wrong on Android. If its a data thing and not a system thing that is. You could try fastboot flash each system image part to maybe fix any corruption
EDIT2: Take another backup before you do anything though. Titanium back can extract app data from TWRP backups so you can restore your user data at least
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for taking the time to chime in here @CurtisMJ. I did end up gettijg it to boot now in partition a. I went into TWRP and switched to partition a and phone boots but no longer has root or magisk. I'm not sure how the partitions work but it looks like there are two that the Razer uses. A and b. And I guess I've been using b since the beginning and since b won't boot now I tried booting off partition a and the phone seems to work as it did. All apps and widgets are in the same place except magisk and phone isn't rooted. I could reflash the system image but the amount of time to re-personalize everything will be extensive. So I just wanted to make sure I did everything I could before that. I'll try copying the apk as suggested and see if that works.
Do you know if there is a way to enable system apps when they've been disabled like I did when phone won't boot? I am in partition a right now and booted and I reinstalled logo+ and saw that all the apps I disabled in OP are back to being enabled. So I am not sure if partition a and b share the same system and user data but everything is exactly what it looks like from partition b. So it is a good chance they share everything except magisk which I guess is flashed at the partition level. Just trying to make sense. Thanks for everyone's time.
So the A-B partition layout is a thing that was introduced by google for more reliable system updates. Effectively the phone has 2 copies of the OS, including system partition,kernel,vendor etc and the phone flip-flops between them on every update, updating the "other" partition to the one its running so if it fails it can boot to the still good one. So you effectively went a system update backwards, but using the same user data partition (or Magisk kept an old copy of the system around). System apps disabled status is stored in /data/system/users/0/package-restrictions.xml which can edited in TWRP with some effort. Magisk is likely flashed to kernel B so you're correct in that its a partition level thing.
CurtisMJ said:
So the A-B partition layout is a thing that was introduced by google for more reliable system updates. Effectively the phone has 2 copies of the OS, including system partition,kernel,vendor etc and the phone flip-flops between them on every update, updating the "other" partition to the one its running so if it fails it can boot to the still good one. So you effectively went a system update backwards, but using the same user data partition (or Magisk kept an old copy of the system around). System apps disabled status is stored in /data/system/users/0/package-restrictions.xml which can edited in TWRP with some effort. Magisk is likely flashed to kernel B so you're correct in that its a partition level thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much for that explanation. That makes a lot of sense. My OS has been MR1 for a long time and OTA has been turned off so I guess there hasn't been any OS updates so there's been no reason to switch between partition a and b I guess. So I guess there's technically been a backup of my OS all this time with the double partition thing which is cool. And I guess I could magisk and root partition a. If I reflash the system image to partition b will that effect partition a?
I think he's talking bootloaders re: a/b partitioning, The point of A/B being if your using 'A' to boot, and you update, the updated BOOTLOADER is flashed to 'B' and when you reboot the f'n, 'B' becomes your main bootloader until next update where that update will use 'A' having been 'emptied' after the previous update sort of thing, I dont have a/b, but this is my understanding of the a/b partitioning,,,?
Opens up the options for dual booting fone with or without magisk, If I had a/b, i'd flash magisk to one and stock to the other...
Pachacouti said:
I think he's talking bootloaders re: a/b partitioning, The point of A/B being if your using 'A' to boot, and you update, the updated BOOTLOADER is flashed to 'B' and when you reboot the f'n, 'B' becomes your main bootloader until next update where that update will use 'A' having been 'emptied' after the previous update sort of thing, I dont have a/b, but this is my understanding of the a/b partitioning,,,?
Opens up the options for dual booting fone with or without magisk, If I had a/b, i'd flash magisk to one and stock to the other...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking the same. I believe I have the opportunity to stick with the working partition which is a, and magisk that. And then for the partition b I could put the official lineage OS on there. My only concern is if lineage had an update does it update both a and b partitions which I would lose my original OS then. I guess I'll have to research.
I think it's safe to assume that when an update takes place, upon reboot, whichever bootloader you WERE using, a OR b, is now empty... it's staring you in the face
Just remember what we agreed on. Once you magisk your current bootloader, make a backup of said bootloader, store it on main computer, because when you flash lineage, your magisk in your current slot will be wiped. Once you have installed Lineage, you will need to boot into fastboot to re-flash magisk, and then use fastboot boot a or b for dual booting until you get an app or sumat to choose in gui what you choose to boot into
What I am thinking I will do for the time being is stick with booting into partition a which is currently not rooted and I am fine with that. At least it works unlike partition b. This is my main phone, my only phone, and I need it to work right now so would rather not risk causing issues flashing stuff. I know enough about flashing to be dangerous.
Currently the official release of lineage for the Razer Phone 2 is still not stable yet according to the forum here. So camera still doesn't work and I need the camera to work. So I'll wait until the camera is fixed which hopefully will be soon.
You stated in your previous post "sumat to choose in gui what you choose to boot into" can you clarify? Are you saying there is a GUI that helps choose what to boot into? Currently I am using TWRP to select partition a or b to boot into. It takes about a minute to load into TWRP but I wouldn't be doing it often. I don't think I really have a use for dual booting.
I appreciate the help. As soon as I am ready to proceed I'll update this post and If you're still around I'll receive your assistance. Thank you for your time.
Updating from an update fileI have been seeing a lot of posts about people not receiving the OTA on their phone, and got tired of linking my instructions, so I decided to make a separate post
Download the version that you need from the Asus Zenfone 8 Support page (Note that if you are not on the latest Android 11 firmware (30.12.112.72), you will not be able to Android 12. So you need to do these steps with the latest Android 11, and then re-do them for the Android 12 firmware)
Plug in your phone to your computer, make sure the computer is trusted and that you can transfer files from the PC to the phone.
Move the zip file of the update in the base directory of the phone (The same directory as Alarms, Downloads, etc).
Wait for the transfer to finish, then you can unplug your phone if you want.
Reboot the phone
After the reboot, the phone will take a few seconds/minutes and will notify you that an update file was found, select the option to update the phone
It will then extract the update and install it all by itself, the normal update procedure starts from there
not work for me :/
I've spent a couple of hours yesterday to get this thing working. Basically, the Android 12 update will only update from specific image. I will try to describe the whole process below.
You have to do this process to upgrade all the way up to 30.12.112.7. If you have anything else, it won't work.
First, I've reverted back to stock, using
WW-ZS590KS-31.0803.0403.54-user_20210831-release.zip
... which contains the full flash scripts.
In my case, I had to do these delta upgrades manually (so copying the zip to root of sdcard memory).
UL-I006D-ASUS-30.12.112.56-1.1.31-user.zip
UL-I006D-ASUS-30.12.112.62-1.1.31-user.zip
UL-I006D-ASUS-30.12.112.72-1.1.31-user.zip
UL-I006D-ASUS-31.1004.0404.81-1.1.25-2111-user.zip
Number 4 is actual android 12 update. Hope this helps anyone.
eVen123 said:
I've spent a couple of hours yesterday to get this thing working. Basically, the Android 12 update will only update from specific image. I will try to describe the whole process below.
You have to do this process to upgrade all the way up to 30.12.112.7. If you have anything else, it won't work.
First, I've reverted back to stock, using
WW-ZS590KS-31.0803.0403.54-user_20210831-release.zip
... which contains the full flash scripts.
In my case, I had to do these delta upgrades manually (so copying the zip to root of sdcard memory).
UL-I006D-ASUS-30.12.112.56-1.1.31-user.zip
UL-I006D-ASUS-30.12.112.62-1.1.31-user.zip
UL-I006D-ASUS-30.12.112.72-1.1.31-user.zip
UL-I006D-ASUS-31.1004.0404.81-1.1.25-2111-user.zip
Number 4 is actual android 12 update. Hope this helps anyone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that what is needed is to update to the latest firmware, then Android 12. So if you are already on Android 11, but not latest firmware, install it with the instructions, then do the same to update to Android 12's latest version.
drum94 said:
not work for me :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What part does not work? Please be more specific and also, you should re-read the steps more carefully, in case you missed something
The android version I currently have is 30.12.112.72
I downloaded version 31.1004.0404.81 from the asus site to have android 12 on my zenfone 8.
I copied the folder without extracting it and put it in my phone's internal storage next to the other folders.
Once the copy was finished I restarted my phone so that it offered me the update but it did not offer it to me.
I do not understand why .
drum94 said:
The android version I currently have is 30.12.112.72
I downloaded version 31.1004.0404.81 from the asus site to have android 12 on my zenfone 8.
I copied the folder without extracting it and put it in my phone's internal storage next to the other folders.
Once the copy was finished I restarted my phone so that it offered me the update but it did not offer it to me.
I do not understand why .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It also depends what prefix your installation has. See the first letters
UL-...
If you are from some other region, it could be that UL- is not a fitting upgrade option for you. As far as I can tell, it's not possible to tell which of the versions you have.
I give you the build number which is marked in the software information:
RKQ1.2021022.002.30.12.112.72
I have the right version or not suddenly?
Thank you for the quick tutorial. I was doing this via fastboot till now.
However: I upgraded to the latest firmware BEFORE Android 12. No issues.
Then I upgraded to the Android 12 firmware: stuck. Gave me some kind of ram dump, reboot returned me to the same error: bootloop. I was able to reboot and get to the bootloader. After selecting "recovery" it actually booted Android. And now for the weird part: it looks like I have a mix of Android 11 and Android 12 now! The phone is all but unusable for how slow it is. But the main UI looks like Android 11 still, but things like the reboot screen now look like Android 12. Bizarre...
I was at least able to enable ADB debug again, so I think I will be able to recover the phone. Still a weird issue though. Don't know if flashing with fastboot would have prevented it...
If anything fails, you can always try the Asus flash script it will solve most of the issues with your phone, just note that it installs Android 11 (30.11.51.115)
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/full-recover-to-stock-if-things-went-really-bad.4337467/
EDIT: nvm, I saw your other reply, you alreay tried that. Were you able to get it working again?
Going from WW-30.12.112.82 to WW-31.1004.0404.107 worked flawlessly, i did not lose settings or data on that upgrade (but I want to stress that a good backup is STILL a very good thing to have!) It then started downloading the 31.1010.0410.43 upgrade on its own. (shown in the ui as SKQ1.210821.001.31.1010.0410.43)
Why didn't I upgrade to the latest one myself? Simple: I goofed up and downloaded the older one.
change the name in UL-ASUS_I006D-ASUS-99.1004.0404.82-1.1.31-9999-user.zip
Hi, has anyone tried to upgrade a firmware that has Magisk and TWRP installed? Today Android 13 has been released for the Zenfone 8, but I wouldn't really like to do something really dumb such as upgrading, rebooting to recovery to reinstall Magisk only to discover that TWRP has been replaced by the stock recovery and the phone completely erases any data it has stored.
You can update by putting the fw in sdcard folder, while keeping magisk (you need to restore images before updating and reinstalling magisk in the inactive slot after updating, then reboot). Otherwise, you can just update through system or through twrp, and after that, boot/flash twrp and install magisk again. In both ways you won't lose any data
Rokcy98 said:
You can update by putting the fw in sdcard folder, while keeping magisk (you need to restore images before updating and reinstalling magisk in the inactive slot after updating, then reboot). Otherwise, you can just update through system or through twrp, and after that, boot/flash twrp and install magisk again. In both ways you won't lose any data
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! As this is my first phone with A/B slots, I wasn't completely sure about how to proceed. I'll follow your instructions! The only thing I don't get is where is TWRP stored and why it won't be overwritten by the update.
EDIT: installed successfully, thanks!