Database Develop

I want a responsive Note 3 without a new Rom

I don't have the time to constantly be looking for new roms to make my phone run properly. My phone is always freezing up due to the stupid Touchwiz UI and I absolutely hate it. I am sick and tired of my phone freezing up and lagging constantly and having to do factory reset and reinstalling all my apps fresh.
So I was wondering, what can I do to fix this problem in a easier manner? I was thinking about rooting the phone, saving all my app data, unrooting, resetting the phone, rooting again, uninstall bloatware, reinstalling apps with their data, and unrooting.
Here are my concerns though. I want to be able to reset the phone using the orignal factory reset. I don't have time or care to install new roms on my phone as I want to keep my warranty and I want to be able to sell my phone in the future.
So what are my options here? What can I do and what are my steps to start doing them?
I am on AT&T Note 3 with kitkat 4.4.2 with my build number ending in NC2.

Is the Note 3 development this bad? Not one response in a couple days. Anyone have a simple answer?
I just want to know if I can factory reset if I root my device and how I could complete unroot.

joshlete said:
Is the Note 3 development this bad? Not one response in a couple days. Anyone have a simple answer?
I just want to know if I can factory reset if I root my device and how I could complete unroot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simple answer is root with towelroot, and when you want to do a complete factory reset, flash stock NC2 using the guide in this thread.
I think your original question about what options you have is a little more complicated...rooting your phone technically voids your warranty, but if you're referring to the KNOX warranty flag then towelroot doesn't trip that flag. Reflashing stock NC2 with Odin will unroot your phone automatically so no worries there either. What I'm getting at is flashing roms isn't going to void your warranty any more than rooting with towelroot will, on the other hand uninstalling system apps can cause lots of problems, so you may find it easier to flash a near-stock rom that has the bloatware already removed.
But if you're set on not flashing anything, then I'd suggest using titanium backup to freeze any apps you don't want instead of uninstalling them. If you uninstall the wrong app you could end up having to do a factory reset anyway just to get your phone working again. Freezing system apps can cause problems too but it's generally easier to unfreeze an app than try and find and reinstall a system apk. And as tempting as it is don't uninstall My Magazine you'll get FC all over the place and your email won't work properly

So if I install that stock rom, would I be able to update my phone using the internal updater? I just want to be able to install Android 5.0 when/if it comes out for the Note 3. Seeing how AT&T note 3 has little to no roms to install. Very disappointing.

The Odin files in that thread are for stock NC2 and unless you flashed a rom after your second post you're still on stock...it's the exact same AT&T stock build...flashing it won't really benefit you at all unless you rooted and made changes to your system. I assume by internal updater you mean the OTA updates that get pushed out from AT&T then yes since that is the official AT&T build if you flash it you will still get those updates provided AT&T is your carrier. There may not be a lot of roms but the ones we have are great I'd encourage you to try one or two there are a couple "debloated" stock roms I think would give you what you're looking for in terms of stability but of course it's up to you if you just want to stay stock

joshlete said:
So if I install that stock rom, would I be able to update my phone using the internal updater? I just want to be able to install Android 5.0 when/if it comes out for the Note 3. Seeing how AT&T note 3 has little to no roms to install. Very disappointing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow... just... wow.
This POST is disappointing.

I'm on the same boat as you OP. When time comes for a new phone, my next phone will never be another Samsung phone again. I will only consider phones that are close to stock. Most likely Motorola X or Sony Z3 Compact or similar.
TouchWiz is so disappointing. It's slow and creates lags even for just checking what time it is.
Fortunately I have some time so unlike OP, I tried debloating stock rom, tried at least 5 custom roms. Most of the custom roms have either too much theme customization (really not my taste) or something else doesn't work (NFC payment or deep sleep or some other thing). And they all claim super duper fast and rock stable, but those are hyperboles. The only time I experienced one rom being faster than the other was with Galaxy S5 port rom, but that was most likely due to the fact that standby mode is disabled because we have no way to update the firmware. In other words, uses more battery but still lasts a day. Also, I never seen the battery last exceptionally longer than the stock rom, so don't trust the super long lasting battery claims.
The easiest way to get your phone run smoothly is to factory reset it, and then only install select apps that you really need and know that it won't be a resource hog reporting your every move.
Oh, and last year's Moto X (dual core) feels faster than a quad core Note3 for everyday task in my hands. I wish we had a google experience rom for n900a.

brisinger08 said:
The Odin files in that thread are for stock NC2 and unless you flashed a rom after your second post you're still on stock...it's the exact same AT&T stock build...flashing it won't really benefit you at all unless you rooted and made changes to your system. I assume by internal updater you mean the OTA updates that get pushed out from AT&T then yes since that is the official AT&T build if you flash it you will still get those updates provided AT&T is your carrier. There may not be a lot of roms but the ones we have are great I'd encourage you to try one or two there are a couple "debloated" stock roms I think would give you what you're looking for in terms of stability but of course it's up to you if you just want to stay stock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you link me to some stock roms? I lost my game in rom finding and can't seem to get a good running/looking rom.
RErick said:
Wow... just... wow.
This POST is disappointing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most useless post of the year goes to......

joshlete said:
Could you link me to some stock roms? I lost my game in rom finding and can't seem to get a good running/looking rom.
Most useless post of the year goes to......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
UR Droid is probably the closest to stock...Knox removed, sd card write permissions fixed, etc. are the only mods...that said carl's made a ton of flashable zips too so if you did want to start making mods yourself chances are you won't have any problems while running his rom
FireKat is one you've probably run across. That is a stock rom all of the mods/optimizations/etc mega makes are from other stock builds. There's no theming or anything like that it's more like "TouchWiz optimized"...again nothing extraneous added if you want to add tethering, call recording, etc you'll have to do it yourself. FireKat is geared towards speed and battery life but it's rock solid with no known issues. All of the rom updates you see are for performance improvements as opposed to the majority of the aosp-hybrid or heavily themed roms where updates are for bug fixes.
Both devs are really helpful and responsive definitely check out their threads though since I'm not up to date with both roms. I have flashed both of them at some point and both are significant improvements over stock...of course no one can tell you what roms you'll like or should flash but I'd be pretty surprised if you have a better experience on stock than either of these roms.

I've been running a stock rooted 4.4.2 for months and it was not laggy at all.
In the application manager settings I turned off all bloatware apps that I did not use. I froze (with titanium backup) all bloatware that could not be turned off in settings and also froze anything that says "knox" in the title. I used xposed installer to install many modules that allowed me to tweak my stock rom... including greenify to auto hibernate apps, smart booster to manage ram, boot manager, and also Wanam xposed for ui customizing...
My phone has run extremely well.
I just made the jump to 4.4.4 and got it rooted (thanks to @muniz_ri and a few others).... exact same setup again... stock rooted... turn off and freeze un-needed apps... xposed modules... and again it is running nice and smooth.
I also use nova launcher prime because it feels more responsive and does more things that I want (like a home screen that will autorotate to landscape mode).

Wow, that's a lot to have for being stock .
The only way to get rid most of your concerns is to root your phone. Then you can delete all other useless apps that you don't need and slow your phone down a bit.
But installing a new Rom is the best way to have a peace in mind I think. Dynamic KitKat is one of the best roms for our phone. I've been using it for months and there is nothing I can say how much I like it. Sometimes I experience lag, but that is to be expected because of Android's ability to do multitasks.
Just my 2 cents.

[Q] Should I try Stock Andoroid before CM12?

My Nexus 6 has finally shipped! It should be here Friday!
This is my first Nexus and I have never rooted, unlocked, flashed, etc. any of my previous phones.
I have been doing a lot of research and have been considering running CM12.
My question is, should I run my Nexus 6 with stock android for a few weeks and then try CM12? Or should I just root, unlock, and flash CM12 as soon as I get it?
I know that if I wait then I will need to back up all my data because it will factory data reset but I am not worried about that... I understand it is easier to do it right out of the box because you don't have to worry about loosing anything but I can just back my info/apps up so that isn't a big deal.
Also, would you guys suggest something over CM12? Right now I am planning on using CM12 and just getting it setup how I like it then leaving it. I don't plan on always flashing and making changes but I might get sucked into it lol
Thanks everyone!

Has CM moved to 5. 1 yet?
What version android came your phone?
Depending on those two answers you have to ask yourself if you want to downgrade your phone. At least version wise
Sent from my Google N6 on VZ

DebianDog said:
Has CM moved to 5. 1 yet?
What version android came your phone?
Depending on those two answers you have to ask yourself if you want to downgrade your phone. At least version wise
Sent from my Google N6 on VZ
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point! I don't know if CM is on 5.1 yet. I just assumed it was but I will look into it. This is all new to me so thanks for pointing that out, didn't even think about that!
I won't know what version is on the phone until Friday. But even if it is on 5.0 I am sure it will notify me that 5.1 is ready to download as soon as I boot up the phone.

On my other phones I usually got rid of the stock and was on a custom ROM a pretty quick. I have tried a few ROMs on this phone as well. in my experience if you want to be on 5 .1 currently the best way to go is stock with debloating . Or use one of the clean/vanilla ROMs. Of course I did not test them all there are so many out there. Good luck with your new toy.
I will try CM after its been out a few weeks on 5 .1
Sent from my Google N6 on VZ

I'd recommend updating to 5.1 if it doesn't ship with 5.1. Then, I'd run stock for at least a few days to get a baseline for comparison. I think this is useful especially for bugs. That way you can get an idea of the issues that exist in stock 5.1 before using a custom ROM.

DebianDog said:
On my other phones I usually got rid of the stock and was on a custom ROM a pretty quick. I have tried a few ROMs on this phone as well. in my experience if you want to be on 5 .1 currently the best way to go is stock with debloating . Or use one of the clean/vanilla ROMs. Of course I did not test them all there are so many out there. Good luck with your new toy.
I will try CM after its been out a few weeks on 5 .1
Sent from my Google N6 on VZ
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, thanks for the info!
Since I ordered my phone directly from Google, do I need to debloat? Or is that just for carrier versions?

mlin said:
I'd recommend updating to 5.1 if it doesn't ship with 5.1. Then, I'd run stock for at least a few days to get a baseline for comparison. I think this is useful especially for bugs. That way you can get an idea of the issues that exist in stock 5.1 before using a custom ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another great point! I knew you guys were the people to ask! lol
What about rooting and unlocking? Would you suggest waiting on that as well? Is there really any reason to unlock and root if I won't be running CM? I was going to root so that I could decrypte but it sounds like the lag from encryption is fixed in 5.1.

Well I would guess you WILL want to unlock and root because who does want to be able to run a root level ad blocker? Who wants to wait on OTA for an update? Not me.
I got mine from Google, as well, and heres what I did:
Played with the phone in stock form for like an hour saw it was still on 5.01 even after updating
Decided this is not for me. I wanted my root apps and I wanted to copy all the stuff off my old phone with Titanium backup to the Nexus
Looked on the interwebs for the easiest way to get root
Found a tool from my old buddy WugFresh (I knew him in the Droid X days)
Prepared myself for a giant PITA night. Download, drivers, and programs, reading various sites, etc, etc, etc
Was freaking SHOCKED that the tool did ALL THIS for me. I mean I literally plugged in my phone and it collected and set up everything. (It also has a console if you feel the need to type in adb commands)
Was unlocked, upgraded, rooted with a custom recovery with all my apps copied over in less than an hour
Sent Wuggy some $$$ and a thank-you note
You only need to decrypt, IMO, if you are running high end games that demand that level of performance. I have not seen any lag myself. Again this is my own personal experience. Your results may vary. 5.1 has optimized out many of the issues I heard about in 5.01 or so I have been told.

CFrance said:
Another great point! I knew you guys were the people to ask! lol
What about rooting and unlocking? Would you suggest waiting on that as well? Is there really any reason to unlock and root if I won't be running CM? I was going to root so that I could decrypte but it sounds like the lag from encryption is fixed in 5.1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I unlocked and rooted right away, mainly for the ability to use Titanium Backup to setup my phone and in the event that I installed a custom ROM. Outside of TB, I haven't really needed or used root, but it sure is nice to have. I played with a few custom ROMs before 5.1 came out but mostly felt that I preferred the stock experience. I downloaded the MCR modpack found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=58019266&postcount=1 but have yet to install it. If/when I do, root will become more of a requirement for my uses.
I came from a Verizon Note 4 which could not be rooted. I got used to not playing with my phone and just using the stock experience. Its nice that the stock experience on the N6 is so fantastic and stable. It makes it easy to just use the phone without worry of fixing, modding, and adding features, though I still enjoy those aspects too which is why I'll likely use MultiROM next time I decide to install something custom.

Dude are you somehow tied up with this Tool Kit? You`re promoting it on so many threads i`am starting to get the impression you`re not quite objective about it There is no harm in using toolkits by xperienced users and i`am sure its well build, but for newbies its very dangerous because they`re lost if something should go wrong.

gee2012 said:
Dude are you somehow tied up with this Tool Kit? You`re promoting it on so many threads i`am starting to get the impression you`re not quite objective about it There is no harm in using toolkits by xperienced users and i`am sure its well build, but for newbies its very dangerous because they`re lost if something should go wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which is exactly why I'm promoting it it is almost bulletproof. what's the alternative loading all the different tools and drivers they need and following some instructions found on the internet.
And as I explained in my post you can just download the tool to make sure you have all the drivers and connections. use it to get the proper files you need and then run the command line like a power user if you want to feel better about yourself.
Sent from my Google N6 on VZ

DebianDog said:
Which is exactly why I'm promoting it it is almost bulletproof. what's the alternative loading all the different tools and drivers they need and following some instructions found on the internet.
And as I explained in my post you can just download the tool to make sure you have all the drivers and connections. use it to get the proper files you need and then run the command line like a power user if you want to feel better about yourself.
Sent from my Google N6 on VZ
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will never use/promote a Toolkit even if it seems very good for the reason i posted earlier. Flashing manualy in fastboot doesn`t take more time and makes users more aware about their phone and knowledge of it and gives you control over whats happening Just my 2 cents.

My two cents. I don't think you've dealt with enough newbies. on another forum it was me and a group of others that would help people get their phones out of boot loops and soft bricks. I have literally helped hundreds of people get their phone back.
even if you look here on XDA you'll see people trying to flash the wrong files download files that are not even for their phone, are following a dated instruction or don't really understand how directories work.
Sent from my Google N6 on VZ

DebianDog said:
Well I would guess you WILL want to unlock and root because who does want to be able to run a root level ad blocker? Who wants to wait on OTA for an update? Not me.
I got mine from Google, as well, and heres what I did:
Played with the phone in stock form for like an hour saw it was still on 5.01 even after updating
Decided this is not for me. I wanted my root apps and I wanted to copy all the stuff off my old phone with Titanium backup to the Nexus
Looked on the interwebs for the easiest way to get root
Found a tool from my old buddy WugFresh (I knew him in the Droid X days)
Prepared myself for a giant PITA night. Download, drivers, and programs, reading various sites, etc, etc, etc
Was freaking SHOCKED that the tool did ALL THIS for me. I mean I literally plugged in my phone and it collected and set up everything. (It also has a console if you feel the need to type in adb commands)
Was unlocked, upgraded, rooted with a custom recovery with all my apps copied over in less than an hour
Sent Wuggy some $$$ and a thank-you note
You only need to decrypt, IMO, if you are running high end games that demand that level of performance. I have not seen any lag myself. Again this is my own personal experience. Your results may vary. 5.1 has optimized out many of the issues I heard about in 5.01 or so I have been told.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info! I actually had just downloaded this program over the weekend and was planning on using it once I do decide to root... which I am thinking will be as soon as I get the phone. lol other than that I think I am going to run it on stock for a while at first and wait until CM is on 5.1 for a while....

mlin said:
I unlocked and rooted right away, mainly for the ability to use Titanium Backup to setup my phone and in the event that I installed a custom ROM. Outside of TB, I haven't really needed or used root, but it sure is nice to have. I played with a few custom ROMs before 5.1 came out but mostly felt that I preferred the stock experience. I downloaded the MCR modpack found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=58019266&postcount=1 but have yet to install it. If/when I do, root will become more of a requirement for my uses.
I came from a Verizon Note 4 which could not be rooted. I got used to not playing with my phone and just using the stock experience. Its nice that the stock experience on the N6 is so fantastic and stable. It makes it easy to just use the phone without worry of fixing, modding, and adding features, though I still enjoy those aspects too which is why I'll likely use MultiROM next time I decide to install something custom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I am planning on rooting and unlocking right away for TB and maybe a couple other little things like lightflow just for fun. Being the nerd that I am, I have a feeling that once I start playing with the whole rooting, unlocking, and flashing stuff I am going to really enjoy it.

gee2012 said:
I will never use/promote a Toolkit even if it seems very good for the reason i posted earlier. Flashing manualy in fastboot doesn`t take more time and makes users more aware about their phone and knowledge of it and gives you control over whats happening Just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply! I see what you are saying, I had already come across Wug's toolkit over the weekend and was planning on using that because it seemed so simple.
However, seeing how I still have two and a half days until my phone will be here, maybe I will look into the manual way a little more to decide which route I want to go.... Any suggestions on where to start? Threads, videos, etc?
Thanks!

Boot into download mode, Unlock bootloader, reboot, boot back into download mode, fastboot twrp recovery, boot into recovery, reboot via recovery and install su when prompted. When you boot into android you will be prompted to update su. You now are rooted. Only other thing I would think about when you first get your device is if you want forced encryption. You will be required to wipe SD data if you decide to go with non forced encryption.
I loved cm on my previous touchwiz devices because I like stock/asop style. I find cm has bugs in early os update releases. I would only install cm if i took advantage of themes which I don't.

CFrance said:
Any suggestions on where to start? Threads, videos, etc?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can waste a lot of time while you're waiting for your phone in this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2992769
ROM Reviews (5.1) + Nexus 6 Hacking: NRT · Apps · Utilities [3.22.15]
Sent from my Google N6 on VZ

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

Hi, long time lurker here. I want to start by saying how great and informative this site is. Anyway, my nexus 6 came in from the mail like 5 hours ago, did all the updates from 5.0 to 6.0 and it's now running Marshmallow mra58n. Question is should I root it immediately and if so, are there any guides I can follow? Much love to you all, I'm not exactly pro at this kind of things but I can follow instructions since I have competently rooted my past phones which were an HTC M7, M8 and a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet.
Thank you.
Edit: Phone is also unlocked, I currently have no SIM card

start here..
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/general/how-to-nexus-6-one-beginners-guide-t2948481

At the least unlock the bootloader right away. Doing so will completely wipe the phone so it's the first thing I do.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

razortaz18 said:
At the least unlock the bootloader right away. Doing so will completely wipe the phone so it's the first thing I do.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been looking at the Nexus Root Toolkit since I am kind of confused on how to proceed with anything at all, is that ill advised since I've read that there are problems with the USB cable disconnecting during reboot?
Also, thank you for the reply.

I used the NRT without issue. Just follow the guide step by step.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

and, dont touch the usb cable while the phone is processing your commands!
j/k, never even heard of the USB cable "problem"

I just used the toolkit today to unlock and root my N6.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

I rooted last night initially using manual method described in the first link provided, however after some driver issues ultimately used the 2.1.0 rootkit to uninstall and reinstall all drivers. That too alone saved me tons of time and either method is simple if you can follow instructions.
Totally recommend rooting and then experimenting with custom roms, its like getting a new phone everyone you install a new rom.
Have fun!

Kristine,
In answer specifically to your question "Should I...?" my answer is "No". It really depends on what you think you'll get from it - why do you want to do it? What specific benefits do you want?
The reason that I say "no" is that I've been rooted on all my several phones for years, and I've decided that for me the annoyance of having to manually flash ROMs outweighs the benefits - particularly now that Google are releasing frequent security updates. The moment you root your device the OTA (over the air) updates no longer work.
For me the major reason for rooting was to have a firewall. The other things (wakelock detection, double tap to wake, auto-hibernation...) were great but not showstoppers. Now that there is a non-root firewall (Netguard) I'm happy to leave my phone unrooted. I haven't had an OTA to apply yet, so if I have any problems then I might change my mind, but my advice would be to think hard about why you want root before you buy yourself into a world of tinkering...

razortaz18 said:
At the least unlock the bootloader right away. Doing so will completely wipe the phone so it's the first thing I do.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dammit, are you kidding me? I just downloaded and setup everything, figured I'd do all everything else tomorrow... Oh, well I can do it again I suppose.

Kristine-N said:
Question is should I root it immediately....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because I don't want a white interface, rooting is necessary. Google forces to many things, like forced encryption, useless apps and a white interface (battery drain). When rooting was impossible I would not have bought a Nexus.

Short answer: No!
Long answer: Well, it's sill no, but you can or even should do a couple of things.
First if all, allow OEM Unlocking in development settings. There are gazillion how-tos to switch developer mode on, and tick that switch. Google has borked OTAs already, and if your phone doesn't boot, and the switch is off, then you're boned, you can send it for repair. But if you can unlock you bootloader, then you can flash a custom recovery and make your phone working again.
Second, if you do plan to root your phone in the near future, you should unlock the bootloader now, while it's still new, because it will erase everything (IMHO this would be sufficient as a security measure, the Enable OEM Unlocking is overkill).
As for the main question if you don't have any specific ideas what you want the root for, then don't root your phone. It's a clear and present security risk, and you're just one too many "Allow" taps from letting someone acquire your passwords, clone your IMEI, and download your personal stuff. My motto is, if you don't know what exactly root is, what it does, then you don't know how to prevent exploits that need it to run.
Also if you modify your phone in any way, and that includes rooting, you won't receive the monthly OTAs, and will have to flash it manually.
And finally, don't use toolkits on a Nexus. Spend another hour reading about the matter and you will find out typing adb and fastboot commands is a easy as clicking buttons on toolkits. There is nothing extra in them, they just download the images to flash, and "type" these commands for you.

Unlock bootloader and don't root it for now. After some time, if you feel like you're missing some features that you can obtain only with root, then go ahead. But for now I would strongly recommend to stay stock and see how it goes...

How to keep a rooted phone up to date? (monthly security patches)

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

Question Question regarding root and updates?

Hey there guys,
I just received my s21 ultra (G998B) and planning to root it. I had a few questions since I’m new to this and wanted some clarifications:
1) If I root the phone can I update it OTA through the settings or do I have to update it by another method? Will I lose root/data/apps if I do that?
2) If I lose root when updating it, can I just root again and be all set? Or do I have to follow another procedure for that?
3) I am planning to debloat a few apps and services that I won’t be using, if I update the system/software will the stuff that I debloated come back and will I have to do the debloat again?
Thank you for all the help.

paul_cherma said:
Hey there guys,
I just received my s21 ultra (G998B) and planning to root it. I had a few questions since I’m new to this and wanted some clarifications:
1) If I root the phone can I update it OTA through the settings or do I have to update it by another method? Will I lose root/data/apps if I do that?
2) If I lose root when updating it, can I just root again and be all set? Or do I have to follow another procedure for that?
3) I am planning to debloat a few apps and services that I won’t be using, if I update the system/software will the stuff that I debloated come back and will I have to do the debloat again?
Thank you for all the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1- Probably not usually the root or recovery will block OTA updates from installing, even if they download.
2- If you lose root, you can USUALLY re-root assuming the same root method wasnt patched. If it was patched, a new root method (though probably still through magisk) will be needed. If this is the case, its up to the dev to find that method, you might be without root for a while.
3-if you debloat, and receive an OTA, your will probably need to de-bloat again, thought I havent personally had experience with this.
Why are you rooting? Just to de-bloat? If so, root isn't really necessary...

As someone who's been in the rooting stage for many years, i can answer your questions.
1. You can not update your phone through OTA updates after rooting the device, as the device was modified in an unauthorized way. And since you own a galaxy phone, the e-fuse within the motherboard will blow and knox will be permanently blown. You can no longer use samsung pay, google pay, and any other app that uses the safetynet api, even after you unroot the device.
2. You will lose root every time you update. You will need ODIN on your PC in order to properly update your firmware and to re-root your device by following the procedure again that you used to root your device, unless samsung patched the method you used to root your device. You can always check what bootloader version you're on within the firmware. For example, on the galaxy S8, the firmware version is N950U1UES5CRG9. The 5th to last number of the firmware will tell you. In this case, N950U1UES5CRG9 is the 5th bootloader version. Keep this in mind once samsung starts to update your phone often.
3. You will have to debloat again from scratch. In order to fully update your device through ODIN, you need to download the full firmware file containing an AP (Firmware), BL (Bootloader) , CP (Modem), and CSC (Carrier File) and manually flash them.
Do keep in mind, it is possible to soft brick or even hard brick your device, so back up your data frequently if you decide to tinker with your device.

Thank you for the detailed answer. I just updated my software to the latest official one by Samsung (April 1st security patch) but I am not rooted yet. I guess I could live with the fact that I can root the phone now and stay on this software version/security patch until I upgrade, since I would have to go through a lot of hassle to set-up the phone the way I wanted. But the main reason why I want to get the official updates is because of the camera improvements that Samsung does, since the main reason of me getting this phone is the camera. And there are some root-required tweaks that I absolutely need such as Viper, and some xposed tweaks also. I like the Stock ROM of Samsung, it really has come a long way at least imo throughout the years, as I have been a Samsung user since day 1 but:
Would it be a good idea to install a custom ROM then? I am reading the description of a few custom ROMs and it seems like I can “retain everything” by simply dirty flashing the ROM and following the dev’s instructions on how to retain root whenever the developer updates it. Is that a better route to take you think? I can keep my device rooted, and still get the updates through a custom ROM.

paul_cherma said:
Thank you for the detailed answer. I just updated my software to the latest official one by Samsung (April 1st security patch) but I am not rooted yet. I guess I could live with the fact that I can root the phone now and stay on this software version/security patch until I upgrade, since I would have to go through a lot of hassle to set-up the phone the way I wanted. But the main reason why I want to get the official updates is because of the camera improvements that Samsung does, since the main reason of me getting this phone is the camera. And there are some root-required tweaks that I absolutely need such as Viper, and some xposed tweaks also. I like the Stock ROM of Samsung, it really has come a long way at least imo throughout the years, as I have been a Samsung user since day 1 but:
Would it be a good idea to install a custom ROM then? I am reading the description of a few custom ROMs and it seems like I can “retain everything” by simply dirty flashing the ROM and following the dev’s instructions on how to retain root whenever the developer updates it. Is that a better route to take you think? I can keep my device rooted, and still get the updates through a custom ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That really varies depending on the custom rom you go for. Usually when you dirty flash a rom, you would need to re root your device, but some (not all) roms are persistent with root after system updates. Do keep in mind if you switch to a custom rom, your system might be more buggy and crash more often. One thing i will say though is that xposed is outdated. The last android version xposed officially supported was either 8 or 9. When it has to come down to certain mods you'd wish to have with root, take that into consideration too, as it might make your device really unstable if it's too outdated or if there's a buggy port available. I've dealt with that issue too many times on my phones.

HighOnLinux said:
That really varies depending on the custom rom you go for. Usually when you dirty flash a rom, you would need to re root your device, but some (not all) roms are persistent with root after system updates. Do keep in mind if you switch to a custom rom, your system might be more buggy and crash more often. One thing i will say though is that xposed is outdated. The last android version xposed officially supported was either 8 or 9. When it has to come down to certain mods you'd wish to have with root, take that into consideration too, as it might make your device really unstable if it's too outdated or if there's a buggy port available. I've dealt with that issue too many times on my phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if xposed is outdated, what is the new thing the comunity is migrating to? All the privacy, security, and customizability tools available through xposed must go somewhere, right?

Twodordan said:
if xposed is outdated, what is the new thing the comunity is migrating to? All the privacy, security, and customizability tools available through xposed must go somewhere, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's buggy ports thats flashable on magisk. While you still can get xposed, it'll be an unofficial version, and more likely to run into issues within your rom and daily use into your device.

HighOnLinux said:
There's buggy ports thats flashable on magisk. While you still can get xposed, it'll be an unofficial version, and more likely to run into issues within your rom and daily use into your device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean xprivacy on xposed was the must have killer feature for any android device to turn your device into anything other than a privacy nightmare. If we can't do that any more we are f'd.
[EDIT] Looks like the new version of xprivacy, xprivacyLua is still supported for android 11, with magisk and EdXposed or LSPosed:
[CLOSED][APP][XPOSED][6.0+] XPrivacyLua - Android privacy manager [UNSUPPORTED]
XPrivacyLua Really simple to use privacy manager for Android 6.0 Marshmallow and later (successor of XPrivacy). Revoking Android permissions from apps often let apps crash or malfunction. XPrivacyLua solves this by feeding apps fake data...
forum.xda-developers.com
XPrivacyLua/README.md at master · M66B/XPrivacyLua
Really simple to use privacy manager for Android 6.0 Marshmallow and later - XPrivacyLua/README.md at master · M66B/XPrivacyLua
github.com