HTC EVO Root Method and OTA Upgrade - Android Software/Hacking General [Developers Only]

I wasn't happy with all the background and idle apps that I couldn't kill or uninstall (I assumed I'd be able to control them somehow) that HTC/Sprint had continuously running on my EVO. Being new to Android, I found the solution to control this was to root the device and manually remove the applications. However, I forgot that there was an update on June 4. I'm unable to post a link to the site I used to root my phone, but it's on a site called htcevohackscom and involved rooting with an image, using recovery mode, backing up, wiping all the cache, and installing a rooted EVO ROM.
I canceled the upgrade Sprint tried to push to my phone. My question is, if I accept that upgrade or they eventually force it upon me, will that root method remain intact? My understanding of the unrevoked method is that you must run it every time the phone is restarted, and it is still restricted in some senses.
Feel free to educate me in anything I've said incorrectly.

I was wondering about that myself. I've been waiting to root mine until Froyo gets pushed. But I'm having terrible battery life and it pisses me off that things like the MP3 Store keeps launching itself and I can't uninstall it.
That said, is there an easy way to just switch to root and accomplish this? I don't mind root being temporary... I do mind puting a custom ROM on it just to get root access.

well i know on a g1 that once a custom recovery is installed root stays.
so i assume if someone makes a decent recovery image for the evo than you get your results.
i found a decent method here at xda under the evo's android development section, that includes a custom recovery

Related

[Q] Temp Root: Deleted Apps Keep Coming Back

When I temp-root my Shift, I go in and delete apps like nascar and sfl (NFL app), wait a bit, and they come back. I'd like them permanently gone to save space and CPU.
1) How do I delete them for good until reboot?
2) How do I delete them for good even after I reboot?
I guess my technical question is, there must be a script somewhere that's restoring these nuisance apps - where do I find it?
Links to people who have already asked this/existing solutions welcome. Sprint MIGHT release one more patch to this phone, so I'd ideally like to avoid going so far down the custom ROM route that I can't take advantage of that update - but it's not a must.
For the curious, I temp rooted using this method:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1185243
I have 2.3.3. Most of the posts regarding permanent root and custom ROMs focus on using 2.2 and Visionary, which only works on 2.2, so it's hard to sift through for threads that apply to my phone.
hi. download titanium back up. then temp root. then delete those stock apps from there. BUT MAKE SURE YOU DO A REGULAR DELETE. DONT DO THE DELETE THAT REQUIRES A RESTART BECAUSE THOSE STOCK APPS WILL COME RIGHT BACK. Hope this helps!!
Not sure why your so hesitant to Full Root. I sort of understand the whole waiting for the next Sprint update thing. But keep in mind when and if there is another update it will be full of bloatware. If you Full Root you will have more control over your phone. Plus if and when there is another update, I'd still wait for the Devs here to get their hands on it. It will just be better IMO
TEAM MiK
Mik Roms Since 3/13/11
With temp root they will keep coming back upon a reboot. Gotta perm root to fully delete them. And I wouldn't worry about any future Sprint OTAs, you'll be able to grab a rooted version from here. The 2.3 OTA that Sprint put out was available here, already rooted, within about 3hrs of release
I believe if you freeze the apps using titanium backup they won't come back even after reboot. If I'm wrong someone please correct me but I thought I had read that somewhere

[Q] Noob needs help with his Rooted Droid Charge :|

Didn't find the answer I needed via searching or the 5 suggested threads above, so here goes:
Background:
I just got a Samsung Droid Charge from my job, prior to that I had only had a Tmobile G1, completely stock, so I'm VERY new to it. I rooted it using a howto video made by OriginalDobo or whatever, so my phone currently has Root on it, as well as it's running Gummycharged 2.0? I believe.
Problem:
Anyways, the update prompt is driving me CRAZY! Especially knowing that if I'm kind of out of it and hit install while I'm not paying attention it'll messup my root, this angers me. I have Root Explorer, and I had been told (seemingly by an idiot) that if you change the name of the file (File was in the Cache folder, was something update.zip) from .zip to .bak it would 'freeze' it, therefore eliminating my update problem. I switch the name from .zip to .bak, and renaming it made it vanish, not entirely sure of the filename either......
Needless to say, still get the update prompts, just want to undo whatever damage I might have done (phone still works fine, I just dont like a file seemingly vanishing lol, would like to locate where it went..) and get rid of these stupid update prompts every single time I unlock my phone, it's obnoxious beyond belief.
77 views and no help?
factory reset your phone and unroot it using the same method you rooted it or by uninstalling superuser app
[email protected] said:
factory reset your phone and unroot it using the same method you rooted it or by uninstalling superuser app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want to stay rooted......... I don't want the update prompt, that is all.
Bump...
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nobody..... seriously? -_-
but if you factory reset it you can root again
how would that help my situation with the updates, though?
Nooby Root
I cannot help you, but I am familiar with your question as I had the same question on a HTC phone. The answer was that the "root" programers for the HTC Android system were a little more into the HTC system than the Samsung programers have with the Samsung way. That is why I haven't rooted my Charge yet.
This is not to belittle Samsung programmers as they are in no way lesser able, but Android is used different in the Droid and Samsung is not as popular as HTC. Yet!
My feeling is to follow the above suggestions and either unroot the phone and get the update, then re-root it (which should be easy) or let it update and re-root or Factory reset and re-root. Either way should be easy and Samsung has their own way with Android. This is just in my humble opinion.
kubla1 said:
I cannot help you, but I am familiar with your question as I had the same question on a HTC phone. The answer was that the "root" programers for the HTC Android system were a little more into the HTC system than the Samsung programers have with the Samsung way. That is why I haven't rooted my Charge yet.
This is not to belittle Samsung programmers as they are in no way lesser able, but Android is used different in the Droid and Samsung is not as popular as HTC. Yet!
My feeling is to follow the above suggestions and either unroot the phone and get the update, then re-root it (which should be easy) or let it update and re-root or Factory reset and re-root. Either way should be easy and Samsung has their own way with Android. This is just in my humble opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bah. thanks for your input at least ~
Thought this was supposed to be a place for those with Android knowledge -.-
Guess not..

Running Games That Are Blocked Due To Root

I am a new member on xda, however i have read posts and forums to resolve issues with my gt-p1000n. I now own a Motorola Razr (XT910), on 2.3.5 rooted. I want to play the new 9 innings from Com2us and Inotia4. As you may all know this is not possible if your device is rooted. I have played them both on my wifes SGS2 with shell root, and sure enough...they run perfectly fine. My phone is full in root, is there any way around this? Someone please help!!!!
il0v3kush said:
I am a new member on xda, however i have read posts and forums to resolve issues with my gt-p1000n. I now own a Motorola Razr (XT910), on 2.3.5 rooted. I want to play the new 9 innings from Com2us and Inotia4. As you may all know this is not possible if your device is rooted. I have played them both on my wifes SGS2 with shell root, and sure enough...they run perfectly fine. My phone is full in root, is there any way around this? Someone please help!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you use a one click root? if so most of them can unroot, so you could just unroot for a bit to get your gaming on.
Good to know, I'm new to XDA and hacking my devices. I had know idea that some games or apps wouldn't work on rooted devices. Now I know
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
I actually did...i used super one click. Yeah it's fast once you've attained the Motorola drivers for your device. I was looking for a work around with much less hassle. In my opinion the Motorola Razr beats Samsungs Galaxy I & II in performance and video/audio quality (haven't compared against an SIII yet). Only if the Motorola Razr is rooted though. Motorola has so much more bloatware compared to Samsung, so battery life is just terrible on such an amazing device. I do appreciate the reply though, thanks! Way to make a new member feel welcomed. Looking for a full on work around, that won't require me to temoprarily unroot then reroot. Thanks though @ loosedupon!
Yup, there are quite a few actually. Don't let that stop you from rooting though, i don't know how to flash and **** like that. Personally, I'd prefer not to though. Due to all the different outcomes if you load the incorrect files. However, rooting my device has made me truly enjoy my devices (gt-p1000n & razr xt910). My Galaxy Tablet is one of the first batches out in the Latin American versions (the original 7in. with a ****ty 400 ram availability). I played Blood Brothers and Quest and Sorcery on it with little to no lags or hangs opposed to my razr. @wannahit
Try Voodoo OTA rootkeeper. It will protect root, but also allow you to temporarily unroot with the " push of a button" I use it for google movies. Works good.
Thanks chrism.brunner! I will try that. I actually tried Hide My Root, it worked. For that to work, you must set a password first. That password is needed to hide/uninstall the su apk, and su binary. I was super baked when i set mine! About 45 minutes later tried to restore my binary files. I forgot the ****ing password, [email protected]! What upset me was, there was no recovery process to have my password reset. I had to re-root my device. I will give OTA a try though. Thanks!
Just so you know, OTA Rootkeeper's latest version will not save an SU binary in /system/xbin.
So when you re-root your device, you will have to go into /system/bin and scroll down and copy SU. Then go into /system/xbin and paste it in there and set your permissions. Not having it in xbin sometimes causes some Root applications to not run.
I've use OTA on my Transformer for 6 updates now and restored each and every time. Granted that is for a Asus product. If worse come to worse, you could always just SBF back to stock using RSDlite (I'm an ex-Motorola user btw).
Thanks for the help! @ Woodrube
I actually just finished using OTA Rootkeeper. It restored my su back up fine. I tested it on 9 innings 2013, and i still ended up with the same results. I also tried the temp. unroot and ota survival options on superuser. Same as OTA Rootkeeper, i do intend on keeping the app for further uses. Hopefully i won't get the same result as 9 innings!
I am a better hands on learner than a read and study. I am also not ashamed of my ignorance. With that being said, what the f*ck is a SBF and RSDlite?
No need to be ashamed. Every one of us was new at one time.
An sbf file, is the Motorola file for reflashing the stock operating system to the phone. It returns the phone to the way it was brand new.
Rsd lite is the program used to flash the sbf file. It is installed to your computer, and and " installs" the software on your phone. It can be dangerous if you flash previous versions of android. Many have bricked their devices with this.
Once again, thanks! I was completely lost with Woodrube's reply. I am also fully aware of the possibilities of bricking while flashing. So flashing is something I refuse as a resolve. So all of that are things I won't attempt, to simply avoid that from occurring.
How about if I uninstalled root and replaced it with shell root. My wife has a GT-i9100 on 4.0.3, with shell root...I know the pro and con of shell root vs root. Surprisingly, she hasn't lost her root access! However, with shell root your device only has temporary root access. Will I still be able to grant su access, for apps such as lucky patcher, TB, and the many other apps used to tweak performance and settings?
Man this is burning out my mind!!!! Maybe, I'll just give it a try...won't know until I try right? On SuperOneClick, which exploit should I use though? Should I use motofail, zergrush, or gingerbreak? I am currently running 2.3.5 (on a Razr XT910, of course) which is a gingerbread, if I am correct. I used zergRush on my GT-P1000N running 2.3.4 which I'm assuming is a gingerbread too.
Also, what are ideal min. - max. values for over/underclocking my device? Where I won't sacrifice too much performance for battery life.
I used the automatic script for unlocking the bootloader, rooting, and installing cwm. I used unlock_ version 4.2.
As to overclocking, I don't anymore. The phone I am using now is a new one from Motorola to replace the one with constant reboots. I am told it was a hardware issue, but I'm not sure of it wasn't related to constant changing kernels and overclocking. I am actually satisfied with the atrix on the stock kernel and clock speed.
I haven't used the root that you are talking about, but it might be an option. Try it on your wifes phone, if you can.
Let me know, if you will. I'm interested now.
As to sbf files, no need to worry about it. I have found it to be totally safe. If you Need to get back to stock, it works. I have done it many times. Just flash the same or newer version.
Superuser
Could this not be worked around by denying root access to the game using superuser?
thanks, thanks! i bricked my xt910 changing the boot logo. at least i know not to change that from now on.
What app were you using to change the boot logo?
Rom Manager Pro....and no you can't work around by denying root access. The games are granted permission to see all apps running in background. I have tried denying such permissions with Permission Denied, whatever the name is. All it did was automatically close the game. Didn't even launch at all, immediately closed.
Sent from my XT910 using xda app-developers app

ZTE Z830 (Compel) Rooting Thread

ZTE Z830: As some of you (who have recently broke your high-end devices like me!) know this is a cheap "GoPhone" you might have purchased as a replacement. As some of us know: the phones Hardware isn't bad for a low-end device. All very capable. The problem however; THE DAMN RESTRICTIONS ZTE HAS PUT ON THE PHONE.
Here are the problems in case you don't own a Z830:
No Apps are allowed on the SD-card
The bloatware cannot be uninstalled
Almost no internal memory (ZTE claims "4 Gigs of internal storage" but there is only around 800MB when disabling all unnecessary apps)
Anyways if you are stuck like me and have been suckered into buying this prepackaged paperweight. You most likely have one goal: ROOT IT. Which is the main point of this thread; as all of the other forum posts about this phone seem to be with people who have even less knowledge than I have about rooting. I want to figure out how to root this phone so it can live up to its capabilities.
I'm posting here about the methods I've been trying to root this phone with; so someone who has more knowledge about general rooting and coding then they can chime in and add some info.
First Attempt (FAILED) to Root the Device
ALSO KNOWN AS UPDATE.ZIP​The BREAKTHROUGH Information: I've managed to find the stock recovery from the phone's firmware. By pressing Volume Up + Power I got into the phones menu with various options to "update the firmware" It looks like this:
Android system recovery <
Z830V1 . 0 . 0B14
Volume up/down to move
highlight;
Press power to select.
reboot system now
apply update from ADB
wipe data/factory reset
wipe cache partition
apply update from sdcard
apply update from cache
md5 cache
So I tried to the original rooting method and this is what happened
-- Install /sdcard ...
(Installs about 25%)
Package corrupt.
Installation aborted.​
So anyways: I would love some help trying to discover how to root this damn thing. If you own one of these and find some more breakthrough info I would love to know; because I am as well messing with this thing to see if this will ever work.
Just Tried TowelRoot. Doesn't support the z830.
Bump
I didn't want to post a new thread, is there any new information on this front? It doesn't seem like this was a popular enough phone to warrant it's own set of instructions
**************************************
A few of us were successful in finding a perm root. I know the phone has aged a bit now, but it really is a nice cheap spare phone without the bloatware.
The following instructions for the ZMAX worked perfectly but TWRP does not support the touch screen for the z830 so you have to use an OTG mouse to use TWRP. Touch functionality works fine once the entire process is complete. Uninstalling bloatware seems to have to be done with a 3rd party app such as Purify.
https://boycracked.com/2016/04/16/how-to-root-installing-twrp-v3-0-1-recovery-on-zte-zmax-z970/
I have this phone and have been trying various automatic root programs for some time. No luck.
qaz1233 said:
I have this phone and have been trying various automatic root programs for some time. No luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it seems like the phone uses some sort of bizarre coding.
........
I try everthing... nothing works....
all apps and PC methods fail...
Does adb work on your device? What are the different modes for your devices? Can you get into the bootloader?
Sent from my Z970 using XDA Free mobile app
TecheTag said:
Does adb work on your device? What are the different modes for your devices? Can you get into the bootloader?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, I decided to pitch in as I also have this unfortunate phone. adb does in fact work, but it is crippled. I cannot perform "adb reboot bootloader" as it will simply reboot the phone normally. I tried to boot into the bootloader by pressing volume down+power and was entered into field test mode, as I have come to understand (says FTM on a white rectangle). Volume UP + power does put me in recovery mode, which is cool. Most interestingly, hold UP+DOWN+POWER mounts on my windows machine as ZTE handset diagnostic interface DFU... which apparently is made for flashing firmware with zte's own utility. adb reboot fastboot also just rebooted it normally.
if anyone knows of a useful test i could perform or a could point me towards new strategies i would appreciate it.
Well that sounds promising. It seems like we're breaking new ground here though.
830ingarg said:
Most interestingly, hold UP+DOWN+POWER mounts on my windows machine as ZTE handset diagnostic interface DFU... which apparently is made for flashing firmware with zte's own utility. adb reboot fastboot also just rebooted it normally..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you think there is something that can be used to flash our own custom firmware on it?
Please someone bump
I have the same phone and it's about worthless without root. Hopefully someone cam figure it out. I would even donate some cash for a solution.
Sort of temporary root achieved with KingRoot
So, I have this goofy phone and I did manage to get something that appears to be root using KingRoot. The PC version didn't work, and neither did TowelRoot or OneClickRoot. Downloading the apk for KingRoot and running it gave me root access, but only until I rebooted the phone. I managed to install SuperSU which allowed me to confirm that I had root. Unfortunately I was not able to uninstall any pre-loaded software while rooted via KingRoot or KingUser. KingRoot acted like it had successfully uninstalled the pre-installed software, but all it uninstalled were the updates. I didn't get a list of software when I tried to uninstall software via KingUser.
So we can boot into Recovery, and can get temporary root. Any ideas on how to get farther with this crippled phone?
pippinstrano said:
So, I have this goofy phone and I did manage to get something that appears to be root using KingRoot. The PC version didn't work, and neither did TowelRoot or OneClickRoot. Downloading the apk for KingRoot and running it gave me root access, but only until I rebooted the phone. I managed to install SuperSU which allowed me to confirm that I had root. Unfortunately I was not able to uninstall any pre-loaded software while rooted via KingRoot or KingUser. KingRoot acted like it had successfully uninstalled the pre-installed software, but all it uninstalled were the updates. I didn't get a list of software when I tried to uninstall software via KingUser.
So we can boot into Recovery, and can get temporary root. Any ideas on how to get farther with this crippled phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you actually gain any space when you uninstalled items with that temporary root? I am able to uninstall updates on default apps even without root. I had one time with KingoApp where it claimed to be rooted, but I lost it with reboot and haven't gotten it back. Very frustrating. Wish I had avoided the reboot.
nothing works
I too got temporary root with kingroot, got to ambitious with uninstalling system apps and got into a force close loop. A factory reset from the stock recovery got me back in business. I didn't think that a factory reset was supposed to recover apps deleted while in root access. Also kingroot didn't work the first time for me, had to try several times, that was with latest apk, 4.1 I think.
Has anyone contacted zte about a bootloader unlock code? I know most phones it is necessary to unlock the bootloader to gain permanent root access. Plus then maybe we could get a custom recovery. I tried contacting them with no luck.
Talked to zte today, won't give unlock code since it will void warranty. Told them I didn't care about warranty since phone is worthless as is, no luck.
It could work the method used in the ZTE Z970? http://forum.xda-developers.com/general/help/zte-zmax-rooted-kingroot-t3110178
I was able to get temp root with Kingroot but doesn't stick after reboot. Today I got root to stick by using Flashify to flash superuser zip (http://download.chainfire.eu/supersu). I then deleted Kingroot apps. I was able to uninstall some ATT apps but not google apps. I tried SD Card Fix but didn't work and still can't change/mount r/w in root explorer.

[ROOT][TUTORIAL] How to root your SM-T337A with SuperSU (Temporary root)

I've made this thread to teach T337A owners how to root their device with SuperSU. Please note that this is a system-less root, meaning it's temporary, but can be re-applied. Rooting only takes about 5-7 minutes and brings numerous tweaks and advantages to your device. Just remember that every time you reboot or shut the device down, you will need to repeat the rooting process. This tutorial was designed for Lollipop 5.1.1, but it should work on KitKat as well.
Before beginning, you will need to download the following file, unzip it on your pc, then transfer it to your device's internal storage/external sd card.
T337AUCU2BOH4 (Lollipop) firmware can be found here
Root Files can be found here
Lets start!
1) Install both the APK files in the file on your device, If prompted, allow installation from unknown sources.
2) Make sure your device is connected to WiFi, then open Kingroot.
3) Once Kingroot is "Done searching for the best root strategy", click the "Try Now" button and wait about 3 minutes for KingRoot to give you a "Root Successfully" message.
4) This is where it gets kinda tricky, immediately after receiving the root success message, go into SuperSU-me, and grant root permissions when prompted.
5) Click on the big blue button in the middle of the frame and wait about 1 minute for the process to complete. DO NOT UPDATE THE SUPERSU BINARY, IT WILL CAUSE YOUR DEVICE TO BOOTLOOP.
6) IMMEDIATELY after the process has completed, go into Settings and make sure KingRoot or Purify is not installed! This is an important step because Kingroot and Kingroot adware tends to install itself in the system partition which can cause problems and frustration.
7 - Recommended) Download a root file explorer (such as ES File Explorer) and search "King" under /data and /system to ensure that the KingRoot app and its bloatware has been wiped from the system. This is to ensure that Kingroot still works properly after a reboot.
8) Enjoy root access!
If this tutorial helped you please be sure to hit the :good: button. If you had any issues or troubles during this process please feel free to let me know down below.
Cheers!
@KingOfTheNet
will flashfire work? bc it wont with kingroot
also, could itit.d be enabled and run these off of a script for example on startup so we don't have to do this after each reboot/shutdown
but i believe you would have to capture kingroots data somehow in the process of rooting
toolhas4degrees said:
@KingOfTheNet
will flashfire work? bc it wont with kingroot
also, could itit.d be enabled and run these off of a script for example on startup so we don't have to do this after each reboot/shutdown
but i believe you would have to capture kingroots data somehow in the process of rooting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FlashFire does work on SuperSU, I've tested that for myself. It does not work with KingRoot.
For the second question, I'm not sure. I haven't looked through that file myself and I might look through it later but right now, I would just avoid rebooting the tablet if you wanna keep root without repeating the process over and over again. It's what I do, repeating the process over and over again can get very tedious and annoying.
Cheers!
I assume you're talking about 5.1.1? It won't work with kingroot versions higher than 4.8. Also, flashfire will load, but if you try to flash a zip you're screwed. You can actually use replace kingroot with supersu zip in terminal emulator on any version kingroot. Same deal with su binary, don't update it. Wish I could figure out how I had permanent for with kingroot. I had to go messing with things and lost it. Nothing really special about this method, unless there's a dev out there that can do something with it.
xjimmy said:
I assume you're talking about 5.1.1? It won't work with kingroot versions higher than 4.8. Also, flashfire will load, but if you try to flash a zip you're screwed. You can actually use replace kingroot with supersu zip in terminal emulator on any version kingroot. Same deal with su binary, don't update it. Wish I could figure out how I had permanent for with kingroot. I had to go messing with things and lost it. Nothing really special about this method, unless there's a dev out there that can do something with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the late response. Yes, somethings I forgot to mention in the original post:
1)Updating the SU Binary will put your device in a bootloop
2)Flashing anything with flashfire (based on what I've seen) results in a soft brick
3) I know you can replace kingroot with SuperSU in terminal, but when you reboot, you're unrooted again.
4) I'm trying to figure out how I could altar the boot.img so we can get permanent SuperSU on this thing the same way Chainfire did it with the US and Qualcomm Samsung Galaxy S7's.
Cheers!
Hi, @KingOfTheNet, thanks for helping out with this device, i rooted my device on KK nk2 build and now updated to 5.1.1, thanks to you! now i would like to root 5.1.1 (am aware it is a temp. root)
i have superSu Pro, do i need Super Sume for this to work?
KingOfTheNet said:
Sorry for the late response. Yes, somethings I forgot to mention in the original post:
1)Updating the SU Binary will put your device in a bootloop
2)Flashing anything with flashfire (based on what I've seen) results in a soft brick
3) I know you can replace kingroot with SuperSU in terminal, but when you reboot, you're unrooted again.
4) I'm trying to figure out how I could altar the boot.img so we can get permanent SuperSU on this thing the same way Chainfire did it with the US and Qualcomm Samsung Galaxy S7's.
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Somehow I had it permanently rooted with kingroot a while back. I had the 4.9.6 apk on my tab at the time, is all I know. I could've updated from an earlier version, and maybe that was the cause. I've tried so many different versions of kingroot with no luck, but one peculiar occurrence; if I open kingroot, get into the settings and uninstall kingroot without saving a backup of root, then delete all the files in the tablet's main directory, and reinstall kingroot version 4.8.0, it somehow retains a partial permanent root. At least on my T337A running 5.1.1 BOH4 it will, as long as I get a fresh install of 4.8.0, let it root, then hit the optimize button right after. Then wait until it finally tells me that kingroot has been deployed as a system app. After that, when I try to open any root apps, the screen will darken as it does when the root permission tab pops up, but it never pops up. The app just freezes. I can kill it in the task manager screen to just go back to using my tablet. After I restart the tab, sometimes it'll tell me an app has been granted superuser permissions. If I open up terminal emulator, type in the 'su' command and hit enter, the screen will turn dark again like it's going to ask me to allow or deny superuser permission, but it just freezes like that again. I've tried all kinds of stuff with 4.8.0, but I still can't get it to stick. If you don't hit the optimize button in kingroot right after rooting, and just wait for kingroot to install as a system app, the allow/deny prompt comes up without freezing, but the partial permanent root glitch doesn't remain. ugh, tired of messing with it though. lol
Edit: I may be wrong. It might need to be rooted with 4.8.0, optimized, then rebooted right away for the partial root. I'll try to do it again and let you know what I find.
bklyndiaz said:
Hi, @KingOfTheNet, thanks for helping out with this device, i rooted my device on KK nk2 build and now updated to 5.1.1, thanks to you! now i would like to root 5.1.1 (am aware it is a temp. root)
i have superSu Pro, do i need Super Sume for this to work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm happy to help out! You'd need king root installed, root the tab with king root, then use SuperSU me to replace the kingroot binaries with the SuperSU ones. It is an automatic process and should only take about 30 seconds or less. Pro version of SUPERSUme is not required, free version should work just fine.
Cheers!
xjimmy said:
Somehow I had it permanently rooted with kingroot a while back. I had the 4.9.6 apk on my tab at the time, is all I know. I could've updated from an earlier version, and maybe that was the cause. I've tried so many different versions of kingroot with no luck, but one peculiar occurrence; if I open kingroot, get into the settings and uninstall kingroot without saving a backup of root, then delete all the files in the tablet's main directory, and reinstall kingroot version 4.8.0, it somehow retains a partial permanent root. At least on my T337A running 5.1.1 BOH4 it will, as long as I get a fresh install of 4.8.0, let it root, then hit the optimize button right after. Then wait until it finally tells me that kingroot has been deployed as a system app. After that, when I try to open any root apps, the screen will darken as it does when the root permission tab pops up, but it never pops up. The app just freezes. I can kill it in the task manager screen to just go back to using my tablet. After I restart the tab, sometimes it'll tell me an app has been granted superuser permissions. If I open up terminal emulator, type in the 'su' command and hit enter, the screen will turn dark again like it's going to ask me to allow or deny superuser permission, but it just freezes like that again. I've tried all kinds of stuff with 4.8.0, but I still can't get it to stick. If you don't hit the optimize button in kingroot right after rooting, and just wait for kingroot to install as a system app, the allow/deny prompt comes up without freezing, but the partial permanent root glitch doesn't remain. ugh, tired of messing with it though. lol
Edit: I may be wrong. It might need to be rooted with 4.8.0, optimized, then rebooted right away for the partial root. I'll try to do it again and let you know what I find.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kingroot does allow your device to retain permanent root after a certain time. However, Kingroot is not as powerful as SuperSU, is very limited in terms of what It can do, and has it's own 'bloatware' titled Purify. I'd honestly stick with SuperSU because it's (probably) the most powerful and efficient way to root your phone. I'd also suggest avoiding having to reboot the tablet at all with temp root because you would have to take 5 minutes to install it again, which was a pain in the butt for me.
As for the kingroot app freezing, that's usually the result of a bad download or a bad root. Plus kingroot is very limited in terms of what you can do on your kingrooted device. SUPERSU is the equivalent of an IOS jailbreak. SUPERSU gives you full control of your device, with no bloatware and limits, unlike kingroot.
Kingroot does sometimes delete the su binaries upon rebooting, which is another reason I don't like it all that much.
Another theory I thought of is that it's not Kingroot that's deleting the binaries, it's actually something that's set to happen when the device boots up. Either the actual Android os or the bootloader searches for and deletes the su binaries to prevent root.
I don't know for sure, I've kinda slowed down work on this device mainly because of a project I've been working on with the Samsung Galaxy S7 AT&T (SM-G930A). I'll look into these things when I get the chance.
Cheers!
I understand the limitations of Kingroot, and certainly supersu by all means is better. In the case of flashfire with supersu in this scenario, it's merely the difference of being able to open and run it just enough to work improperly and brick your device vs. Kingroot not being able to open it at all. I posted in a thread long before this one, how to replace kingroot with supersu, only I use the zip file in terminal emulator. Pretty sure I went over flashfire as well. The terminal emulator method works with new versions of kingroot, unlike supersu me. Are you suggesting that the T337A running 5.1.1 BOH4 can achieve permanent root via kingroot after "a certain amount of time"? Because I'm the only one I've seen on xda who's ever posted that they had permanent root from kingroot, but I didn't know how I did it. After I messed with things, i softbricked and had to flash back to stock, which, no offense, the stock file was available way before you posted it. Anyway, it's not the kingroot app freezing per se, i was talking about after rebooting, and without re-rooting, when trying to use rooted apps, they actually start to engage in the kingroot request superuser permissions pop-up. So, no, it's not a bad download, etc. I believe an older version of kingroot somehow permanently rooted my tab, perhaps with the help of something I was messing with at the time, perhaps not. I've intentionally rebooted my tab an unimaginable amount of times, testing to see if I possibly regained permanent root to no avail, so I know how that works. And it's not about having a hard time deciding on kingroot or supersu for a temproot, it's the interest in permanent root, the possibility off something like safestrap, and/or flashing custom roms, etc. When people say temproot is better or safer, i say boo. How many custom roms include a root toggle in the settings? Anyway I wish I could've gotten hold of a developer while I had permanent root. Maybe I could've done a system dump, or even try replacing the permanent kingroot with supers and drying out that could've stuck. You say you slowed down on this device, do you mean you were pursuing permanent root for it? Are you a developer? I have the AT&T S7 Edge (G935A). What's your project on the 930? Is it something for rooted S7's? I still have my edge running the engboot with the echoRom. Anyway, thanks for your reply.
---------- Post added at 01:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:51 AM ----------
https://forum.xda-developers.com/tab-4/help/t337a-temp-root-bootlp-fix-tar-official-t3473737
*https://forum.xda-developers.com/tab-4/general/permanent-root-t337a-5-1-1-kingroot-t3518334
A couple of threads I started a long time ago that may be of interest to you.
xjimmy said:
I understand the limitations of Kingroot, and certainly supersu by all means is better. In the case of flashfire with supersu in this scenario, it's merely the difference of being able to open and run it just enough to work improperly and brick your device vs. Kingroot not being able to open it at all. I posted in a thread long before this one, how to replace kingroot with supersu, only I use the zip file in terminal emulator. Pretty sure I went over flashfire as well. The terminal emulator method works with new versions of kingroot, unlike supersu me. Are you suggesting that the T337A running 5.1.1 BOH4 can achieve permanent root via kingroot after "a certain amount of time"? Because I'm the only one I've seen on xda who's ever posted that they had permanent root from kingroot, but I didn't know how I did it. After I messed with things, i softbricked and had to flash back to stock, which, no offense, the stock file was available way before you posted it. Anyway, it's not the kingroot app freezing per se, i was talking about after rebooting, and without re-rooting, when trying to use rooted apps, they actually start to engage in the kingroot request superuser permissions pop-up. So, no, it's not a bad download, etc. I believe an older version of kingroot somehow permanently rooted my tab, perhaps with the help of something I was messing with at the time, perhaps not. I've intentionally rebooted my tab an unimaginable amount of times, testing to see if I possibly regained permanent root to no avail, so I know how that works. And it's not about having a hard time deciding on kingroot or supersu for a temproot, it's the interest in permanent root, the possibility off something like safestrap, and/or flashing custom roms, etc. When people say temproot is better or safer, i say boo. How many custom roms include a root toggle in the settings? Anyway I wish I could've gotten hold of a developer while I had permanent root. Maybe I could've done a system dump, or even try replacing the permanent kingroot with supers and drying out that could've stuck. You say you slowed down on this device, do you mean you were pursuing permanent root for it? Are you a developer? I have the AT&T S7 Edge (G935A). What's your project on the 930? Is it something for rooted S7's? I still have my edge running the engboot with the echoRom. Anyway, thanks for your reply.
---------- Post added at 01:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:51 AM ----------
https://forum.xda-developers.com/tab-4/help/t337a-temp-root-bootlp-fix-tar-official-t3473737
*https://forum.xda-developers.com/tab-4/general/permanent-root-t337a-5-1-1-kingroot-t3518334
A couple of threads I started a long time ago that may be of interest to you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No offence taken on the firmware post, I was simply trying to spread the fact that the firmware for the device does exist but is very hard to find and is often posted on shady websites for money, unless you're looking in the right places. It only took me 5 minutes on Google to find one of those sites.
You asked if I was saying that the Tab 4 BOH4 firmware allows you to retain permanent root after some time, and yes, that's exactly what I was saying. I rooted my tablet with Kingroot 4.8.0 a while back and after about 4 - 5 reboots (I counted how many times I rebooted it, but the numbers could vary), It retained root. All I do today is avoid rebooting the tablet at all costs. I prefer SuperSU because, like we've said, there are almost no limitations of what you can do in terms of being rooted. I'm trying to find out how I can make root permanent on the tab with SuperSU by using the eng-boot method used to root all Qualcomm variants of the Galaxy S7, but that may take a while. Since my S7 has the eng-boot root method, I can reboot it all I want and it stays rooted with SuperSU. But at this point, It's just an Idea. I mainly need to find out whether or not the bootloader or the os is wiping the binaries on boot. Some older and newer versions of kingroot can retain root after reboot, but I have yet to find a version of the app that can do so.
Actually, some versions of Cyanogenmod and other custom roms had root pre-installed (not like SuperSU, but close enough), and like CM specifically, there was a section in the settings app for this pre-baked root. Even if I still used CM today, I still would've flashed SuperSU. But on a small number of devices, temp root really is better. However, most of those devices that would be on that list have very little to no development on them. Thus, they are not yet (and may never be) supported for permanent root.
I am partially on the road to becoming a developer, but I don't know how far that's gonna go (my prediction is not that far at all). I was doing research on how I could make an eng-boot for the Tab 4, but I became interested in my Galaxy S7 (AT&T). By that, I mean I wanted to make my own custom version of the stock Marshmallow rom ("Custom but stock OS"). To shorten it up, I wanted to create a .zip flashable "super package" which included SuperSU v2.79, Viper4Android, Overclock tools, and other stuff. I've kinda been on and off in terms of motivation to make this idea a reality, primarily because most of the things I wanted to include in this "package", can easily be installed by you in like 3 minutes, or maybe less. The original motive behind the idea was to lessen the work for power users who wanted to free their device "from the shackles". I've been on and off on work between both devices, but It's hard for me to continue the work without proper motivation. These projects are merely just an Idea at this point, but some drafts and copies do exist on my computer.
Creating a custom Android rom straight from my own head is basically an impossible task for me, considering most of the devices I work with have locked bootloaders. I am still learning Java and other Android programming languages in some of my free time but, again, the motivation to continue is something I struggle to find.
Cheers!
Upgrading OS and rooting
I am currently running my t337a on 4.4.2 with build NK2. I was able to root with towel root awhile ago. I want to upgrade my os to 5.1.1 and root after but would like to make sure I go about it the right way.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
loc626 said:
I am currently running my t337a on 4.4.2 with build NK2. I was able to root with towel root awhile ago. I want to upgrade my os to 5.1.1 and root after but would like to make sure I go about it the right way.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can root on the latest Lollipop firmware, but it's systemless supersu/temporary, meaning it will go away if you shutdown or reboot the device (you can re-root it, of course, but It can be annoying). The option to upgrade is up to you, and once you do upgrade, you can't downgrade (Locked bootloader & different bootloader versions. Lollipop has the new bootloader.) If you are going to upgrade, you can flash the Lollipop firmware via Odin or upgrade via OTA. If upgrading, I recommend taking it over the air, mainly because I'm still working up Odin packages for them. The Odin packages that I do have available are the BOH4 (the previous and the initial Lollipop update) ones, so if you upgrade OTA, it'll take away one step in the upgrade process, making your life a tad bit easier. Reply back if you need further help or have any more questions.
Cheers!
KingOfTheNet said:
You can root on the latest Lollipop firmware, but it's systemless supersu/temporary, meaning it will go away if you shutdown or reboot the device (you can re-root it, of course, but It can be annoying). The option to upgrade is up to you, and once you do upgrade, you can't downgrade (Locked bootloader & different bootloader versions. Lollipop has the new bootloader.) If you are going to upgrade, you can flash the Lollipop firmware via Odin or upgrade via OTA. If upgrading, I recommend taking it over the air, mainly because I'm still working up Odin packages for them. The Odin packages that I do have available are the BOH4 (the previous and the initial Lollipop update) ones, so if you upgrade OTA, it'll take away one step in the upgrade process, making your life a tad bit easier. Reply back if you need further help or have any more questions.
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm highly considering an upgrade for the feel and hopefully a better performance. Also, a few apps I have need updates but only compatible on Android 5 and up. I have the OTA ready to go. Would I need to unroot before upgrading the OS?
loc626 said:
I'm highly considering an upgrade for the feel and hopefully a better performance. Also, a few apps I have need updates but only compatible on Android 5 and up. I have the OTA ready to go. Would I need to unroot before upgrading the OS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would be best to unroot before installing to avoid any issues during the installation. Other then that, you're in the clear! Just remember, you cannot downgrade after the install!
Cheers!
KingOfTheNet said:
4) I'm trying to figure out how I could altar the boot.img so we can get permanent SuperSU on this thing the same way Chainfire did it with the US and Qualcomm Samsung Galaxy S7's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have always been under the assumption that the boot.img for the locked BL on the s7 was literally an engineering kernel from Samsung, and not something Chainfire created. The reason Im saying this is because if Chainfire created a boot image that can get around a locked bootloader, then logic should state that he cracked Sprint/ATT's signature for the BL. So my way of thinking is the success of even one locked boot loader ... it should apply across the board for all, correct? Or am I waaaaay off? lol
leeboski44 said:
I have always been under the assumption that the boot.img for the locked BL on the s7 was literally an engineering kernel from Samsung, and not something Chainfire created. The reason Im saying this is because if Chainfire created a boot image that can get around a locked bootloader, then logic should state that he cracked Sprint/ATT's signature for the BL. So my way of thinking is the success of even one locked boot loader ... it should apply across the board for all, correct? Or am I waaaaay off? lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(1st question) Actually yeah, lol. It was an engineering kernel, he didn't make it . I'm assuming that was used during the development of the phone so Samsung and AT&T could construct the OS without running into any issues with the phones locked bootloader. At the time, I thought that Chainfire thought of some "mad science" to altar the boot.img so that it wont check the signatures of any of the files on boot.
Now I'm thinking:
1) He found a way to obtain all the phones signatures so that way he knows what signature the desired files (like a build of TWRP, or instance) would have to have so it can flash and boot properly.
--OR--
2) He somehow obtained or reproduced the engineering kernel that, like I said, was most likely used during software development for the phone (constructing the OS and the rest of the software).
I've done a little research on what engineering kernels actually do and why they are so useful now (to most people, the name is enough, lol). Apparently, they completely skip some of the signature checks on boot, primarily for /SYSTEM (The OS), which is why we were able to achieve permanent root the Qualcomm Galaxy S7 & S7 edge models. I do not think they skip signature checks for /RECOVERY or /BOOT, but we know that if we either reproduce or obtain the engineering kernel for this tablet, we can achieve permanent root the exact same way. I could be wrong, as I do not know for certain the Ins and outs of engineering kernels and how to get them, but It is very possible.
(2nd question) Now, I do not have much knowledge of bootloaders and signature checks, but I would go to the best assumption that since Sprint & AT&T, for example, are 2 completely different companies and are not affiliated (as of writing this), their bootloaders and updates would not have the same signatures. If they did, then Sprint would have to go to AT&T to sign their updates and such, and AT&T would have to do the same thing for Sprint. It just wouldn't really make sense. Lets think of it this way, If Target wants to sell a product in their stores that's already sold at Walmart, then should Target have to go to Walmart to get that approved? Or if Walmart wanted to sell something that's already sold at Target, then should Walmart have to go to Target for approval? Absolutely not, that wouldn't make any sense. Once again, I could be wrong, but it would make the most sense.
Please, anyone, correct me if I'm wrong.
Cheers!
KingOfTheNet said:
(1st question) Actually yeah, lol. It was an engineering kernel, he didn't make it . I'm assuming that was used during the development of the phone so Samsung and AT&T could construct the OS without running into any issues with the phones locked bootloader. At the time, I thought that Chainfire thought of some "mad science" to altar the boot.img so that it wont check the signatures of any of the files on boot.
Now I'm thinking:
1) He found a way to obtain all the phones signatures so that way he knows what signature the desired files (like a build of TWRP, or instance) would have to have so it can flash and boot properly.
--OR--
2) He somehow obtained or reproduced the engineering kernel that, like I said, was most likely used during software development for the phone (constructing the OS and the rest of the software).
I've done a little research on what engineering kernels actually do and why they are so useful now (to most people, the name is enough, lol). Apparently, they completely skip some of the signature checks on boot, primarily for /SYSTEM (The OS), which is why we were able to achieve permanent root the Qualcomm Galaxy S7 & S7 edge models. I do not think they skip signature checks for /RECOVERY or /BOOT, but we know that if we either reproduce or obtain the engineering kernel for this tablet, we can achieve permanent root the exact same way. I could be wrong, as I do not know for certain the Ins and outs of engineering kernels and how to get them, but It is very possible.
(2nd question) Now, I do not have much knowledge of bootloaders and signature checks, but I would go to the best assumption that since Sprint & AT&T, for example, are 2 completely different companies and are not affiliated (as of writing this), their bootloaders and updates would not have the same signatures. If they did, then Sprint would have to go to AT&T to sign their updates and such, and AT&T would have to do the same thing for Sprint. It just wouldn't really make sense. Lets think of it this way, If Target wants to sell a product in their stores that's already sold at Walmart, then should Target have to go to Walmart to get that approved? Or if Walmart wanted to sell something that's already sold at Target, then should Walmart have to go to Target for approval? Absolutely not, that wouldn't make any sense. Once again, I could be wrong, but it would make the most sense.
Please, anyone, correct me if I'm wrong.
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No that makes perfect sense and thanks for clearing it up.
The whole thing about the signature being the means by which the bootloader is locked is important. Atleast to me it is, so thank you for clearing that up. :good: And so, it makes sense that the System partitions Signature check being skipped IS what allows access to root. But where my opinion differs on this is the Boot and Recovery implementation of the Signatures. I believe that it IS the carriers implementation that does not allow the Recovery and Boot partitions to be modified. If it were Samsungs then how is Samsung going to incorporate a Universal bootloader that knows how to load all carriers data, policy, etc?
And possibly this is what you were saying above and I am misreading it...
***EDIT*** I see you said that the signatures would NOT be the same between carriers, so I am in line with your theory there as well.
leeboski44 said:
No that makes perfect sense and thanks for clearing it up.
The whole thing about the signature being the means by which the bootloader is locked is important. Atleast to me it is, so thank you for clearing that up. :good: And so, it makes sense that the System partitions Signature check being skipped IS what allows access to root. But where my opinion differs on this is the Boot and Recovery implementation of the Signatures. I believe that it IS the carriers implementation that does not allow the Recovery and Boot partitions to be modified. If it were Samsungs then how is Samsung going to incorporate a Universal bootloader that knows how to load all carriers data, policy, etc?
And possibly this is what you were saying above and I am misreading it...
***EDIT*** I see you said that the signatures would NOT be the same between carriers, so I am in line with your theory there as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad I could be of help, however I don't see where I stated that the signature implementations on the BOOT and RECOVERY partitions was Samsung's idea not the carriers, if you could point that out for me that would be great.:good:
The engineering kernels skip SOME signature checks, both when flashing and booting into partitions, but I do not know exactly which ones they skip. We know it skips some of the signatures for /SYSTEM, but it does not do the same for the 2 other main ones, those being /BOOT & /RECOVERY. We know because "one of our own" attempted to flash their own build of TWRP recovery to the device (SM-G930A to be specific) only to get a signature check fail when booting the phone, which of course means that the phone has a locked bootloader and that the signatures for the /RECOVERY partition are still checked, but I do not know for certain about /BOOT. If I had to assume I'd say that /BOOT isn't checked, given the fact that if your phone is rooted then you would have had to flash the engineering kernel, which, like I said, skips some signature checks.
I hope I've cleared most things up for you.
Cheers!
KingOfTheNet said:
I've made this thread to teach T337A owners how to root their device with SuperSU. Please note that this is a system-less root, meaning it's temporary, but can be re-applied. Rooting only takes about 5-7 minutes and brings numerous tweaks and advantages to your device. Just remember that every time you reboot or shut the device down, you will need to repeat the rooting process. This tutorial was designed for Lollipop 5.1.1, but it should work on KitKat as well.
Before beginning, you will need to download the following file, unzip it on your pc, then transfer it to your device's internal storage/external sd card.
Root File: https://mega.nz/#!74Jl0ZqY!knlHuexbYGFkk1f4wHxq16u3L38EtfR9scQ0H7hISTA
Lets start!
1) Install both the APK files in the file on your device, If prompted, allow installation from unknown sources.
2) Make sure your device is connected to WiFi, then open Kingroot.
3) Once Kingroot is "Done searching for the best root strategy", click the "Try Now" button and wait about 3 minutes for KingRoot to give you a "Root Successfully" message.
4) This is where it gets kinda tricky, immediately after receiving the root success message, go into SuperSU-me, and grant root permissions when prompted.
5) Click on the big blue button in the middle of the frame and wait about 1 minute for the process to complete. DO NOT UPDATE THE SUPERSU BINARY, IT WILL BOOTLOOP.
6) IMMEDIATELY after the process has completed, go into Settings and make sure KingRoot or Purify is not installed! This is an important step because Kingroot and Kingroot adware tends to install itself in the system partition which can cause problems and frustration.
7 - Recommended) Download a root file explorer and search "King" under /data and /system to ensure that the KingRoot app and its bloatware has been wiped from the system.
8) Enjoy root access!
If this tutorial helped you please be sure to hit the :good: button. If you had any issues or troubles during this process please feel free to let me know down below.
Need T337A firmware? Check out my thread here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/tab-4/general/download-sm-t337a-lollipop-firmware-t3536509
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The firmware you provided saved my sm-t337A tablet from being soft bricked. Although I was able to gain temp root from this method, king root tried to disable the SELinux on my device and after trying to temp root again caused the app to implant itself as bloatware into the /systems folder and was non functional when using the app. Do you happen to know of a custom recovery (TWRP or CWM) which would work for this device?

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