Related
Please help, my nexus was unlocked rooted with trinity kernel. When i pushed update, my tablet restarted with clockwokmod and failed to update
to 4.2. i believed it was because of custom kernel so i then flashed to stock factory, and re locked using nexus toolkit.
When i go to setting for update, it's showing me that my system is up to date 4.1.2. I don't understand. I thought flashing it back to stock factory will solve the problem.
Thanks a lot in advance for you hep
diamondx911 said:
Please help, my nexus was unlocked rooted with trinity kernel. When i pushed update, my tablet restarted with clockwokmod and failed to update
to 4.2. i believed it was because of custom kernel so i then flashed to stock factory, and re locked using nexus toolkit.
When i go to setting for update, it's showing me that my system is up to date 4.1.2. I don't understand. I thought flashing it back to stock factory will solve the problem.
Thanks a lot in advance for you hep
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) If you are using a custom kernel and/or custom recovery and/or removed/froze required system apks and/or modified build.prop and/or have a dozen other "custom" things, then the OTA update will NOT work. Period. You need to revert ALL of that. Stock kernel, recovery, system apks, build.prop, etc. Because if any of those aren't stock, the install will abort.
2) Having root is irrelevant. The update will remove suid access on the binary, so you will need to "re-root", but the binaries presence is irrelevant.
3) If it failed the OTA update, it won't download it again right away. Your best bet is to download the file and try to flash manually in a custom recovery (which will work as long as everything else is stock).
4) Did you say you relocked the tablet? If so, why? That was NOT required, and you just f*cked yourself, because you won't be able to flash a custom recovery back without unlocking the bootloader again, which will wipe your sdcard. There is NO reason to relock unless you are returning the device.
5) Again, this is why I hate toolkits. Learn to do things manually and you will be much better off.
At this point, assuming you relocked the bootloader, you will probably need to do a full factory reset and unlock it again. Then flash custom recovery and then flash the update. Or, since it would have been reset at that point, just download the full image from Google and flash that, then flash custom recovery.
phonic said:
1) If you are using a custom kernel and/or custom recovery and/or removed/froze required system apks and/or modified build.prop and/or have a dozen other "custom" things, then the OTA update will NOT work. Period. You need to revert ALL of that. Stock kernel, recovery, system apks, build.prop, etc. Because if any of those aren't stock, the install will abort.
2) Having root is irrelevant. The update will remove suid access on the binary, so you will need to "re-root", but the binaries presence is irrelevant.
3) If it failed the OTA update, it won't download it again right away. Your best bet is to download the file and try to flash manually in a custom recovery (which will work as long as everything else is stock).
4) Did you say you relocked the tablet? If so, why? That was NOT required, and you just f*cked yourself, because you won't be able to flash a custom recovery back without unlocking the bootloader again, which will wipe your sdcard. There is NO reason to relock unless you are returning the device.
5) Again, this is why I hate toolkits. Learn to do things manually and you will be much better off.
At this point, assuming you relocked the bootloader, you will probably need to do a full factory reset and unlock it again. Then flash custom recovery and then flash the update. Or, since it would have been reset at that point, just download the full image from Google and flash that, then flash custom recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, thanks for answering... the update came back by itself.
I was not aware of anything when i unlocked and rooted my nexus. please bare with me. I'm new to the android scene. but i'm very familiar with the hacking tool, i hacked and unlocked everything i own in my house, from 3 iphones, to my psp , xbox, ps3 and psp. when i first got my hand on the nexus i saw some dead black line of pixel that was appearing for half a second, after i read that a custom kernel can fix it,
I just did it fast and was not in a mood to start learning that sh*t from scratch. so now i'm on 4.2 , i know i lost everything. i will just have to unlock again and and root it....
diamondx911 said:
Haha, thanks for answering... the update came back by itself.
I was not aware of anything when i unlocked and rooted my nexus. please bare with me. I'm new to the android scene. but i'm very familiar with the hacking tool, i hacked and unlocked everything i own in my house, from 3 iphones, to my psp , xbox, ps3 and psp. when i first got my hand on the nexus i saw some dead black line of pixel that was appearing for half a second, after i read that a custom kernel can fix it,
I just did it fast and was not in a mood to start learning that sh*t from scratch. so now i'm on 4.2 , i know i lost everything. i will just have to unlock again and and root it....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Understood, and "hacking" android, especially Google devices, is pretty easy once you know what you are doing. The reason I dislike toolkits is that it prevents people from understanding the process, which really is fairly easy to understand, and can complicate troubleshooting steps.
The bootloader can easily be unlocked and locked. It takes one command and it's done. In order to flash anything with fastboot, you need it to be unlocked. The problem is, when you do this, it factory resets the device. So if you inadvertantly relock it, your going to need to reset it to unlock it again.
Even without the toolkit, going from unopened stock Nexus7 to fully rooted, updated and custom firmware Nexus7 only takes maybe 10 minutes, and 9 minutes of that is waiting for it to finish doing the various steps (flashing, rebooting, etc.). The most time consuming part is, unless you have good backups, restoring all your apps and settings. Titanium Backup is the best tool (IMHO) for that.
But yeah, in this case, you're going to need to unlock/wipe again. However, you CAN backup your "sdcard" to your computer and push the files back to it after the wipe. That can be very time consuming depending on how much you have.
Hello, I just today found out about the update to the Lollipop 5.0. I checked and attempted the download. It got all the way to the restart and install and then it stopped and instantly booted back up. It came up with the notification "Update Interrupted" or something very similar. I tried again after resetting the phone back to factory mode. It did the same thing. I have seen people have the problem of not enough storage but i had plenty. Especially after the factory reset. I know that this is an over wifi update and i am trying to understand why my phone isn't accepting it or why it isn't working. Thank you for any help you can offer.
Alan1727 said:
Hello, I just today found out about the update to the Lollipop 5.0. I checked and attempted the download. It got all the way to the restart and install and then it stopped and instantly booted back up. It came up with the notification "Update Interrupted" or something very similar. I tried again after resetting the phone back to factory mode. It did the same thing. I have seen people have the problem of not enough storage but i had plenty. Especially after the factory reset. I know that this is an over wifi update and i am trying to understand why my phone isn't accepting it or why it isn't working. Thank you for any help you can offer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have rooted or modified the system apps in any way then the update is going to fail. You have 2 options:
You can wipe your phone and start with a clean stock ROM; or
You can follow the guide to retain root on OC6. You don't have to be rooted for this method, but this method will allow you to update if you've modified your system.
Devo7v said:
If you have rooted or modified the system apps in any way then the update is going to fail. You have 2 options:
You can wipe your phone and start with a clean stock ROM; or
You can follow the guide to retain root on OC6. You don't have to be rooted for this method, but this method will allow you to update if you've modified your system.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My system has been rooted before but it no longer has root access.
When you say wipe and start with a fresh rom, isnt that also the same as resetting the device?
Alan1727 said:
My system has been rooted before but it no longer has root access.
When you say wipe and start with a fresh rom, isnt that also the same as resetting the device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To explain a bit further, the way the update works is there's a program built into the OTA. This program checks the signature of all the system files on your phone against a database included in the OTA. If all the signatures match then the update will proceed, but if even 1 of the signatures doesn't match then the update will fail as you have experienced.
When you root your phone you are exploiting a weakness in some aspect of android that allows you to modify system files. Once you modify system files by rooting you change their signature. Even if you unroot, it is impossible to change the signatures back to what they originally were. This is the reason that even if you unroot the update will fail.
By resetting the device you are essentially deleting all the user apps and settings, the system files go virtually unchanged. So if you unroot, your signatures still don't match and when you factory reset the device the system files don't get touched so the signatures still won't match. The only thing you can do to get the signatures to match is to flash the NE3 full Odin package. This will completely wipe out our phone and install everything (the bootloaders, modems, system files, etc.) from scratch.
So like I said you have 2 options:
Follow the guide I linked to above; or
Flash the NE3 Odin package and take the OTA.
Either way you have to use Odin at some point.
Hey everyone,
I'm over rooting. Had an issue today where a backup refused to restore and in trying to fix it, I've deleted my OS. Yes, I'm bad at this. No big deal, I have backups of all my photos and other important stuff.
I don't really want to do the rooting/flashing thing anymore and just want to get my phone back to normal/out of the box as possible so that it will receive regular OTA updates etc. I just want to simplify things.
TWRP is installed. Is it as simple as flashing the latest official update? Or do I need to relock the phone somehow too?
I was going to follow: https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-3t/how-to/guide-to-revert-oneplus-3t-to-stock-t3676210 but wanted to be sure that it would work even though I don't currently have an OS installed.
Thanks!
Southrncomfortjm said:
I'm over rooting. Had an issue today where a backup refused to restore and in trying to fix it, I've deleted my OS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That isn't root. That is your lack of knowledge of the functions of custom recovery, and what the results will be. Better learning and knowledge, and a little more care could have easily prevented it from happening. You wiped the selections in the "Advanced" wipe section of TWRP. And the fact it's called "Advanced" should have been a good clue to not mess with it, unless you know exactly what you are doing.
It's also an easy condition to recover from.
Southrncomfortjm said:
I don't really want to do the rooting/flashing thing anymore and just want to get my phone back to normal/out of the box as possible so that it will receive regular OTA updates etc. I just want to simplify things.
TWRP is installed. Is it as simple as flashing the latest official update? Or do I need to relock the phone somehow too?
I was going to follow: https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-3t/how-to/guide-to-revert-oneplus-3t-to-stock-t3676210 but wanted to be sure that it would work even though I don't currently have an OS installed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That guide is needlessly complicated. Just download the flash the "full" update zip using TWRP, from here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-3t/how-to/official-oxygenos-5-0-1-android-8-0-t3728119
Make sure you are using a version of TWRP which supports Oreo (if you were on Oreo when you wiped OS, it should be okay). And that is all there is to it. You will be fully restored to stock, and after rebooting, stock recovery will replace TWRP.
You don't need to lock the bootloader to do this, and you don't need it for future OTAs. But a locked bootloader is arguably more secure, if you really don't need custom recovery or root.
On the other hand, if you still want to give root/phone mods a shot; the way to restore, and still have root is the same (flash full update zip). But just flash Magisk or SuperSU before rebooting, and you will be rooted, and still have TWRP.
Can a rooted phone be updated? If i root my razor, will i be able to update without re-rooting?
ChronosTrigger said:
Can a rooted phone be updated? If i root my razor, will i be able to update without re-rooting?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it fails to install. You need to reflash the stock boot image to take an OTA.
Confused still
CurtisMJ said:
No, it fails to install. You need to reflash the stock boot image to take an OTA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm Sorry i'm so nooby in this regard.
So do you mean i have to basically get the stock ROM back again.
Then I can re-root like i did with the earlier version?
ChronosTrigger said:
I'm Sorry i'm so nooby in this regard.
So do you mean i have to basically get the stock ROM back again.
Then I can re-root like i did with the earlier version?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Razer's update engine doesn't seem to have the option to download full images like some other OEMs, so only fully stock ROM can be upgraded.
On that note, Razer seems to have set a week as the delay for releasing factory images, so if you want to keep root you might want to wait after an OTA, though we may be able to reproduce a slot earlier if someone captures the OTA package (but it's not as verifiable of course)
CurtisMJ said:
Yes. Razer's update engine doesn't seem to have the option to download full images like some other OEMs, so only fully stock ROM can be upgraded.
On that note, Razer seems to have set a week as the delay for releasing factory images, so if you want to keep root you might want to wait after an OTA, though we may be able to reproduce a slot earlier if someone captures the OTA package (but it's not as verifiable of course)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WARNING: This file is really intended for a developer to use in making a rooted slot. Flashing the file below could? remove root or cause other issues if you're rooted. Brick maybe? Although, mostly likely, it won't flash at all if you are rooted.
I used adb to capture the Razer Phone 2 MR2 OTA. It's located here.
I also downloaded it... but figure y'all would prefer a link straight to the Google source
SHA1 is the file name so you can verify it. E9F494FACBF8B7A6DF32F342C84459A7051ACE24
The SHA256 I calculated was: FF571E225BC81C8D450964E0C7BA28DF13E963798F9E5AF7E7C142DE7FBE51A5
translucentfocus said:
WARNING: Flashing the file below could? remove root or cause other issues if you're rooted. Brick maybe? I'm not rooted, just trying to help people get the files they need.
I used adb to capture the OTA. It's located here.
I also downloaded it... but figure y'all would prefer a link straight to the Google source
SHA1 is the file name so you can verify it. E9F494FACBF8B7A6DF32F342C84459A7051ACE24
The SHA256 I calculated was: FF571E225BC81C8D450964E0C7BA28DF13E963798F9E5AF7E7C142DE7FBE51A5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So With this. You can root, AND if they have any Update for the phone in the future, I can Update it without losing my root?
ChronosTrigger said:
So With this. You can root, AND if they have any Update for the phone in the future, I can Update it without losing my root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not quite... The update will likely fail to apply due to checksum failures. If it did go through it would probably brick the kernel so that's a good thing. Sorry, there's not really a way to automatically root after official OTAs as they update block by block between two known states, and neither is rooted. It's just sort of not possible, by design. You have to unroot, update and root again.
The OTA package translucentfocus has provided allows us to reproduce a single slot before the week's wait for the factory image so we can root sooner.
translucentfocus said:
WARNING: Flashing the file below could? remove root or cause other issues if you're rooted. Brick maybe? I'm not rooted, just trying to help people get the files they need.
I used adb to capture the OTA. It's located here.
I also downloaded it... but figure y'all would prefer a link straight to the Google source
SHA1 is the file name so you can verify it. E9F494FACBF8B7A6DF32F342C84459A7051ACE24
The SHA256 I calculated was: FF571E225BC81C8D450964E0C7BA28DF13E963798F9E5AF7E7C142DE7FBE51A5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
which OTA is this? Also how to update
xterminater07 said:
which OTA is this? Also how to update
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I didn't specify. It's the MR2 update for the Razer Phone 2. Original reply has been also updated with version information in bold.
How to update? Actually, I posted the OTA because it's really for someone to make a slot with root before Razer releases the Factory MR2 Images--as @CurtisMJ mentioned previously.
CurtisMJ said:
Yes. Razer's update engine doesn't seem to have the option to download full images like some other OEMs, so only fully stock ROM can be upgraded.
On that note, Razer seems to have set a week as the delay for releasing factory images, so if you want to keep root you might want to wait after an OTA, though we may be able to reproduce a slot earlier if someone captures the OTA package (but it's not as verifiable of course)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to bring back an old thread but just a few questions if you don't mind.
I just bought a used Razer 2 seems like the user rooted it (I was unaware) and it has been years since I rooted anything. I downloaded root checker and it said I was rooted. I assume I'm running the stock rom, though magisk manager was installed on the phone when I turned it on so I guess it's not stock. I guess this means I can not take any OTA or it could brick? I went into system update and it still checked to make sure I was up to date so maybe OTA isn't disabled? So much has changed with apps and rooting since I messed with it that I don't know enough and I don't want to brick or bootloop the device.
Thanks
Univsoldur said:
Sorry to bring back an old thread but just a few questions if you don't mind.
I just bought a used Razer 2 seems like the user rooted it (I was unaware) and it has been years since I rooted anything. I downloaded root checker and it said I was rooted. I assume I'm running the stock rom, though magisk manager was installed on the phone when I turned it on so I guess it's not stock. I guess this means I can not take any OTA or it could brick? I went into system update and it still checked to make sure I was up to date so maybe OTA isn't disabled? So much has changed with apps and rooting since I messed with it that I don't know enough and I don't want to brick or bootloop the device.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that sounds about right. When rooted the OTA function doesn't disable right away. Only after its downloaded an update and actually tries to apply it it'll refuse. The new Android update engine is pretty good at not bricking. My guess is probably stock. If it's rooted, then the bootloader is unlocked, and it's not too bad. For magisk root at least all you need to do is flash the stock boot image and the OTA will apply. With factory images around and an unlocked bootloader you'll have a hard time bricking it. Just don't untick "OEM Unlocking" in developer options. Ever. (Or at least until you've fully restored stock firmware. It's supposed to be disabled so you can't make that mistake but Magisk hide tricks the firmware into believing the bootloader is locked so it's enabled. Whaddayagonnado)
CurtisMJ said:
Yes. Razer's update engine doesn't seem to have the option to download full images like some other OEMs, so only fully stock ROM can be upgraded.
On that note, Razer seems to have set a week as the delay for releasing factory images, so if you want to keep root you might want to wait after an OTA, though we may be able to reproduce a slot earlier if someone captures the OTA package (but it's not as verifiable of course)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CurtisMJ said:
Yes, that sounds about right. When rooted the OTA function doesn't disable right away. Only after its downloaded an update and actually tries to apply it it'll refuse. The new Android update engine is pretty good at not bricking. My guess is probably stock. If it's rooted, then the bootloader is unlocked, and it's not too bad. For magisk root at least all you need to do is flash the stock boot image and the OTA will apply. With factory images around and an unlocked bootloader you'll have a hard time bricking it. Just don't untick "OEM Unlocking" in developer options. Ever. (Or at least until you've fully restored stock firmware. It's supposed to be disabled so you can't make that mistake but Magisk hide tricks the firmware into believing the bootloader is locked so it's enabled. Whaddayagonnado)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the detailed response I managed to get up with the previous owner on swappa last night. He told me he unlocked the phone but never actually got around to rooting it. He also said it is running stock and the reason magisk is still on the phone after a wipe is because magisk persists after a wipe.
Messages from him.
Sorry about that, I did unlock the bootloader but I never actually got around to rooting. I usually relock the bootloader before I sell it but I completely forgot. You can apply an ota because I never installed a custom recovery, something else I didn't get around to doing. You can easily relock the bootloader using adb. If you need help with this let me know and I can walk you through it. But the bootloader being unlocked has zero effect on ota's. You are all good to go as far as that goes.
Oh no you're absolutely fine with an ota. I just looked it up and you're absolutely right, magisk does survive a reboot now. Since I didn't load a custom recovery though an ota will install just fine. Although when an ota does install though it will most likely remove magisk because it will write over the boot.img with the factory one. Here is the link to the factory images. It includes instructions on how to install it. But honestly a new ota should be released any time now since the last one I think was November. Once that installs you will be completely back to stock.
Does this sound accurate to y'all. Thanks again
@Univsoldur His knowledge seems a little dated. Kind of how mine was a few months ago Anyways here goes:
If a root checker says it's rooted then it probably is. I'm not sure why he says it isn't.
Magisk does indeed persist through a data wipe. I wasn't aware magiskinit could unpack the manager APK though. Neat
He's right in that an unlocked bootloader won't affect OTAs, but having magisk installed will.
The RP2 uses the new A/B update scheme. In this case it doesn't matter whether a custom recovery was ever installed. Recovery mode is not used during the process of installation. Unfortunately the new update scheme is also heavily based on deltas, even on the kernel image, so OTAs will be broken as it won't be able to retrieve a full kernel image from the OTA servers. Some OEMs' ROMs can do that, but Razer's can't. You can flash the factory images if you truly want a clean start, but to fix OTAs and remove magisk, reflashing just the kernel image with one from the factory image should be sufficient. The magisk uninstaller won't work due to the data wipe so that's probably the only option.
CurtisMJ said:
@Univsoldur His knowledge seems a little dated. Kind of how mine was a few months ago Anyways here goes:
If a root checker says it's rooted then it probably is. I'm not sure why he says it isn't.
Magisk does indeed persist through a data wipe. I wasn't aware magiskinit could unpack the manager APK though. Neat
He's right in that an unlocked bootloader won't affect OTAs, but having magisk installed will.
The RP2 uses the new A/B update scheme. In this case it doesn't matter whether a custom recovery was ever installed. Recovery mode is not used during the process of installation. Unfortunately the new update scheme is also heavily based on deltas, even on the kernel image, so OTAs will be broken as it won't be able to retrieve a full kernel image from the OTA servers. Some OEMs' ROMs can do that, but Razer's can't. You can flash the factory images if you truly want a clean start, but to fix OTAs and remove magisk, reflashing just the kernel image with one from the factory image should be sufficient. The magisk uninstaller won't work due to the data wipe so that's probably the only option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you think to get it back to stock I could just go here.
https://developer.razer.com/razer-phone-dev-tools/factory-images/
Will that remove magisk and return it back to stock I would assume there is no threat of flashing the stock image. Besides that do I need to mess with the kernel?
I'm wondering if it would be possible to flash the unlocked Razer phone 2 firmware to the AT&T version. Would the bootloader need to be unlocked?
Univsoldur said:
So you think to get it back to stock I could just go here.
https://developer.razer.com/razer-phone-dev-tools/factory-images/
Will that remove magisk and return it back to stock I would assume there is no threat of flashing the stock image. Besides that do I need to mess with the kernel?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that will return it to stock and remove Magisk. No, if you flash the factory image you don't need to do anything further with the kernel.
---------- Post added at 11:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:11 PM ----------
DrGonzo6o said:
I'm wondering if it would be possible to flash the unlocked Razer phone 2 firmware to the AT&T version. Would the bootloader need to be unlocked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The bootloader needs to be unlocked, yes. I had the unlocked one from the start, so I can't comment on how well that will work though.
Has anyone with an AT&T version successfully flashed unlocked firmware?
Univsoldur said:
So you think to get it back to stock I could just go here.
https://developer.razer.com/razer-phone-dev-tools/factory-images/
Will that remove magisk and return it back to stock I would assume there is no threat of flashing the stock image. Besides that do I need to mess with the kernel?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did post a full unroot guide...
I've wondered this ever since my Tab S8+ reported it's device status as official despite me having flashed the tablet with magisk-patched firmware and asked me to update. This same exact scenario has happened with my rooted Tab S7+. However, I rooted that by flashing Magisk in TWRP rather than flashing patched firmware with Odin. I don't think anyone has tried applying an OTA update on their rooted Tab S8 device since the latest firmware isn't available yet, and could result in needed to flash patched firmware again. Then again, most rooted device will have their devices report as custom instead of official, so that may be why.
I'm willing to try this out on my Tab S7+ first as that device has TWRP, and I can easily restore my device to a rooted state afterwards. Since both tablets are relatively similar, I'll assume that if root persists after updating in the Tab S7+ then it should be safe to do so on the S8+ I'm curious of doing this solely for stability and performance updates in combination with everything root access grants.
With any part of the firmware patched, OTAs won't work - they'll fail. You could also wind up with a brick - most likely one you can recover from but I wouldn't bet either way on that. As always, have everything backed up in case the worst happens.
Since I still won't get my Tab S8 Ultra for another 10 days (unless they delay again), I haven't paid too close attention to the rooting instructions specific to this, and have only made note of them, however, the basic rule still applies - if any part of the firmware has been modified from stock, then OTAs will recognize that it's been modified and fail to apply - or as I said, it could possibly try to apply what it can but you could wind up with a mix and match of different firmware versions due to the OTA failing eventually, which would need some manual work to recover from - or very worst, you might need to start over from scratch and lose everything.
When I'm on any rooted device, I go into Developer options and disable Automatic system updates. It's still possible you could get an update prompt if you manually check for an update, but it's not advised to use OTAs when rooted.
I've always been a practitioner on all devices of flashing the full new firmware updates and re-rooting, however, I know that at least with devices with dual system partitions like Google Pixels (as far as I'm aware, Samsung still hasn't adopted dual partitions yet), there have been ways to apply Magisk to a manually sideloaded OTA, although I've observed other users who do this and something inevitably goes wrong with the process from time to time.
Not that full firmware flashes are immune to things going wrong.
Edit: If you try an OTA on yours, by all means, let us know what happens.
Edit 2: Adding TWRP to the mix may, or may not, affect the viability of applying OTAs. I've hardly used TWRP on any device in the last five years, so I'm not sure if it's smart about some things and can take root into account, but since TWRP doesn't exist on the Tab S8 (I don't have any older Tab), it won't matter for me.
roirraW edor ehT said:
With any part of the firmware patched, OTAs won't work - they'll fail. You could also wind up with a brick - most likely one you can recover from but I wouldn't bet either way on that. As always, have everything backed up in case the worst happens.
Since I still won't get my Tab S8 Ultra for another 10 days (unless they delay again), I haven't paid too close attention to the rooting instructions specific to this, and have only made note of them, however, the basic rule still applies - if any part of the firmware has been modified from stock, then OTAs will recognize that it's been modified and fail to apply - or as I said, it could possibly try to apply what it can but you could wind up with a mix and match of different firmware versions due to the OTA failing eventually, which would need some manual work to recover from - or very worst, you might need to start over from scratch and lose everything.
When I'm on any rooted device, I go into Developer options and disable Automatic system updates. It's still possible you could get an update prompt if you manually check for an update, but it's not advised to use OTAs when rooted.
I've always been a practitioner on all devices of flashing the full new firmware updates and re-rooting, however, I know that at least with devices with dual system partitions like Google Pixels (as far as I'm aware, Samsung still hasn't adopted dual partitions yet), there have been ways to apply Magisk to a manually sideloaded OTA, although I've observed other users who do this and something inevitably goes wrong with the process from time to time.
Not that full firmware flashes are immune to things going wrong.
Edit: If you try an OTA on yours, by all means, let us know what happens.
Edit 2: Adding TWRP to the mix may, or may not, affect the viability of applying OTAs. I've hardly used TWRP on any device in the last five years, so I'm not sure if it's smart about some things and can take root into account, but since TWRP doesn't exist on the Tab S8 (I don't have any older Tab), it won't matter for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just attempted to OTA update on my Tab S7+ after making a backup, and it failed. When it rebooted to start applying the update, it booted into recovery to start flashing, but since I have TWRP installed, it booted to that instead, went straight to the main menu, and didn't apply the update. It's extremely ironic; my tablet says it's running unauthorized software and will no longer receive firmware updates, but it also says my device status is official and allows me to download and install updates if I check for them (it'll even mention there's an update available without having automatic download installed).
I rebooted to system, it said they the update failed, and prompted me to download the update again and try again. I can't tell if anything got affected since it seems like because the update failed, nothing got applied or changed. This makes me slightly less willing to try and OTA update on the Tab S8+. However, since the stock recovery is still in place (no TWRP yet), the update process would probably go a long smoother. Not to mention, if something was to go wrong, and I needed to flash patched firmware again, I could just flash HOME_CSC instead of the regular CSC so I can keep my data. There's no guarantee that will work, as a failed update could require my system to prompt me to factory data reset anyway, but it's definitely an option that's available.
I'll backup whatever I can before attempting this, and I'll post the results later.
Answer would be no, doing OTA requires bootloader to be locked. But since you rooted, then you have unlocked the bootloader. So if your tab s8+ has locked bootloader then OTA will pass without a problem.
Jake.S said:
Answer would be no, doing OTA requires bootloader to be locked. But since you rooted, then you have unlocked the bootloader. So if your tab s8+ has locked bootloader then OTA will pass without a problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? I thought having an unlocked bootloader would be a non-issue since you can flashing official and unofficial firmware with an unlocked bootloader. Not to mention that the recovery has remained unaffected, and stock recovery needs to be accessed to apply the update.
SavXL said:
Really? I thought having an unlocked bootloader would be a non-issue since you can flashing official and unofficial firmware with an unlocked bootloader. Not to mention that the recovery has remained unaffected, and stock recovery needs to be accessed to apply the update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when unlocking bootloader you have to manually flash the stock firmware. Since OTA becomes unavailable when bootloader is unlocked. So if root is done in for example android 12 and you get a monthly patch then it will revoke the root since root usually modifies the OS files and gives you the root access sort off and flashing a update will write over those files and your root privileges will be removed.
Jake.S said:
when unlocking bootloader you have to manually flash the stock firmware. Since OTA becomes unavailable when bootloader is unlocked. So if root is done in for example android 12 and you get a monthly patch then it will revoke the root since root usually modifies the OS files and gives you the root access sort off and flashing a update will write over those files and your root privileges will be removed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh. I thought that doing an OTA update wouldn't remove anything that was already a part of the system and would just just update whatever needed to be updated and called it a day. With the method of patching the firmware and flashing it, I assume root would just be a regular part of the system, and an OTA update wouldn't affect it. Odd...
SavXL said:
Huh. I thought that doing an OTA update wouldn't remove anything that was already a part of the system and would just just update whatever needed to be updated and called it a day. With the method of patching the firmware and flashing it, I assume root would just be a regular part of the system, and an OTA update wouldn't affect it. Odd...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is because your normal access is only admin not root. So it has almost full rights, but when you add root access it is mostlikely a modification that you have to do, either by a command or flashing a file. But updating the OS will revoke the root since method you used becomes unavailable for next update which is why it can reset your changes backwards so your root privileges becomes lost and your access is back to default as before. But I wouldn't touch bootloader since doing that also bricks KNOX so features for KNOX will become permanently disabled since it requires a working Knox chip to work, but since KNOX chip fuse becomes blown when bootloader is unlocked then feature like Samsung pass, samsung secret folder and such will no longer work.
Jake.S said:
That is because your normal access is only admin not root. So it has almost full rights, but when you add root access it is mostlikely a modification that you have to do, either by a command or flashing a file. But updating the OS will revoke the root since method you used becomes unavailable for next update which is why it can reset your changes backwards so your root privileges becomes lost and your access is back to default as before. But I wouldn't touch bootloader since doing that also bricks KNOX so features for KNOX will become permanently disabled since it requires a working Knox chip to work, but since KNOX chip fuse becomes blown when bootloader is unlocked then feature like Samsung pass, samsung secret folder and such will no longer work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Turns out you were absolutely correct. I downloaded and attempted to install the update, it booted into the stock recovery and got to 25% before erroring out. It booted back into Android and said that the update failed. Thankfully, nothing ended up getting removed or corrupted, and I still have root access. Guess I gotta stick to finding the latest firmware and patching it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯