I'm sure this has been breached before, but searching for a question that involves keywords of root and ROM are really tricky.
Preface, does rooting a device make it less secure? Based on my understanding of root and having used the privileges in linux on occasion I'm lead to believe the answer is absolutely. I would love to hear someone more educated on the subject confirm for me though and maybe expend a little.
Following that, if the answer is yes, once you flash a ROM onto the phone, can you "un-root" the phone while keeping the ROM? I'd appreciate any input. I'm just starting to scratch the surface in regards to security on Android. Thank you!
For both questions, yes.
Edit: consider that a custom rom might patch some security issues while creating others. Depends on the rom.
Related
Hi, I am not very tech saavy and so I am hoping that I can get some good advice from people who are more techy than me. I hear alot about rooting for android devices but I'm not too sure of exactly what rooting is other than I understand that there are certain capabilities that you can't do unless your phone or android device is rooted. In my case I have a Galaxy Tab, I would like to be able to have a back up feature but I keep on coming across the phrasing that the device must be rooted first. I looked up a couple of websites to find out exactly what rooting means and they mention the pros of rooting, but I am wondering what the cons are and if it is really necessary for me to root my device or is this something that is meant more for the "advanced" users who may be using their devices for more serious persuits vs. the casual user who just likes to play here and there...I really hope that what I am trying to say makes sense to all you out there! So in a nutshell, I guess what I'd really like is a breakdown of the pros and cons of rooting your device and when and when NOT to do it...Thank you all for your thoughts!
It's up to the user to decide whether there is a function they need, that they can only get through gaining root access to the phone. It could be that you want to alter the appearance of your phone beyond what is normally possible, or there are features included in a custom ROM that you would like to have.
You mentioned wanting the ability to backup your phone and there's no better way than to root and flash a custom recovery to achieve that. With that done you can image your phone state to your SD card so that it can be restored in it's entirety any time you wish. (Nandroid Backup).
There are also apps that can only work with a rooted device which can give you more advanced control over your device. One example is Rom Manager which is commonly used to flash custom recoveries and ROMS to your phone, and gives you an easy way to manage your Nandroid backups. Of course there are many others.
Thanks to the hard working devs on xda it's never been easier to do all these things. If you want to learn more i would suggest having a look at SuperOneClick and Rom Manager and reading the appropriate threads. Browse through guides and ask questions when you want to know more.
Hope that helps.
BTW, the only 'cons' to rooting and having a custom recovery is that you lose the ability to receive official over the air updates while your phone is in that state. Restore the Nandroid backup you made of your stock ROM though and you can re-gain that ability. I suppose the biggest 'con' of all is people not doing their research and ending up with a non-functioning device when something goes wrong. As always, RTFM!
Hello guys,
I have always admired the ingenious hackers/developers here at XDA that unlock/root phones. My question is how is it done? when you get a phone/tablet on day one that has not been rooted and custom roms flashed onto it, how do you root it and build a custom rom with all the drivers when they are not opensourced? I realize I am asking a very broad question here and that this is by no means a step by step process, so if you would be kind enough to give me a basic description of the tools used, some helpful articles that I could learn from, or even the process you used for a previous phone that has been unlocked I would be very grateful. I would very much like to join the numbers of people decrypting bootloaders and rooting phones with you guys.
+1. I am similiarly intrigued as well, such as the building of kernels, the writing of the shell and stuff like that
Update - scroll down.
First off, don't yell at me for asking these questions. I understand there are guides on xda about rooting and flashing ROMs. I'm just having a little trouble understanding which route I should take and the steps that come along with it.
I am on a TF700T (obviously), running JB with the latest update. I've never rooted or used anything other than what it came with.
I am really interested in CleanROM 2.0 and other tweaks such as browser2ram. Is it possible to a flash a ROM without voiding warranty? I understand that if the "bootloader" is unlocked, my warranty will be void. I understand that if I am rooted, I'll be able to further tweak the ROM I'm using. Does the bootloader need to be unlocked in order to gain root access?
I'm not really comfortable with following a generic guide. I'm more interested in having experienced users help me with my specific situation.
P.S. Is CleanROM 2.0 the best/fully working ROM?
I'm also open to having someone experienced guide me through the process via IM.
Update: I now understand that rooting does not require an unlock and is just for granting higher permissions. Now I am wondering if flashing a custom ROM is more effective than just rooting and tweaking. Aren't you essentially creating your own version by rooting and tweaking? I know there is a method for rooting the Infinity on ICS but will it work with JB?
Sent from my ADR6425LVW
same here..
i'm with the same issue,
after upgrading to jb, is there a way to use NVflash? downgrade maybe?
is there a safe way to install CleanRom?
if yes, what are the steps i need to do? (nothing touched except asus upgrades to jb.)
Joeful said:
Update - scroll down.
First off, don't yell at me for asking these questions. I understand there are guides on xda about rooting and flashing ROMs. I'm just having a little trouble understanding which route I should take and the steps that come along with it.
I am on a TF700T (obviously), running JB with the latest update. I've never rooted or used anything other than what it came with.
I am really interested in CleanROM 2.0 and other tweaks such as browser2ram. Is it possible to a flash a ROM without voiding warranty? I understand that if the "bootloader" is unlocked, my warranty will be void. I understand that if I am rooted, I'll be able to further tweak the ROM I'm using. Does the bootloader need to be unlocked in order to gain root access?
I'm not really comfortable with following a generic guide. I'm more interested in having experienced users help me with my specific situation.
P.S. Is CleanROM 2.0 the best/fully working ROM?
I'm also open to having someone experienced guide me through the process via IM.
Update: I now understand that rooting does not require an unlock and is just for granting higher permissions. Now I am wondering if flashing a custom ROM is more effective than just rooting and tweaking. Aren't you essentially creating your own version by rooting and tweaking? I know there is a method for rooting the Infinity on ICS but will it work with JB?
Sent from my ADR6425LVW
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CleanROM 2 is by far the best ROM on the TF700 right now, untill official Cyanogenmod 10 is up and running at least...
Anyway to answer you question: Yes you can root your TF700 without unlocking the bootloader, but no you can't flash a custom ROM (such as CleanROM) without a custom recovery. To get this custom recovery you need to unlock your device, thereby voiding its warranty. So if you must have your warranty, the best you can do is root the device, but it won't make such a huge difference to the tablet. Also know that if you are rooted but not unlocked, and you break some part of the software, you won't be able to fix it at all. And you won't be able to unlock either. This one is probably just me, but I feel safer knowing I have a custom recovery that allows me to fix issue mysself, than I would feel if I still had warranty.... but if my drop my tablet and some hardware part of it breaks... I'm SOL. Hope this helps you.
What do you mean by "break some part of the software"? If I messed something up while rooted, couldn't I just reformat my Infinity back to square one?
I mainly wanted to root for browser2ram and some other tweaks. I love this tablet but the browsing issue is a little aggravating.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T
pietpodlood said:
Also know that if you are rooted but not unlocked, and you break some part of the software, you won't be able to fix it at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can always use the stock recovery to install the stock ROM and start over.
Joeful said:
Update: I now understand that rooting does not require an unlock and is just for granting higher permissions. Now I am wondering if flashing a custom ROM is more effective than just rooting and tweaking. Aren't you essentially creating your own version by rooting and tweaking? I know there is a method for rooting the Infinity on ICS but will it work with JB?
Sent from my ADR6425LVW
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, yo uare indeed creating a custom version with tweaking and rooting for root access, but to be very frank, given your reluctance to follow even the very simple and detailed guides we have put up here, I do not think you have the skill or determination (yet) to follow through with that. A good example is your question regarding the rooting of JB -- has been asked over and over -- and there are several threads tut'ing the process.
Again, no offense meant, and I'm certainly not 'yelling at you', but I am not going to hold your hand in person when so much information is readily available that you obviously do not care to read and take in.
When you've read up a bit and undertake something and get stuck, chime in.
MartyHulskemper said:
Well, yo uare indeed creating a custom version with tweaking and rooting for root access, but to be very frank, given your reluctance to follow even the very simple and detailed guides we have put up here, I do not think you have the skill or determination (yet) to follow through with that. A good example is your question regarding the rooting of JB -- has been asked over and over -- and there are several threads tut'ing the process.
Again, no offense meant, and I'm certainly not 'yelling at you', but I am not going to hold your hand in person when so much information is readily available that you obviously do not care to read and take in.
When you've read up a bit and undertake something and get stuck, chime in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you aren't going to contribute to my thread, please don't post. Thank you.
It never surprises me when someone says "no offense" followed by something condesending and unhelpful.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T
Hello,
I hope you are doing well!
I am looking to be pointed in the right direction as someone who is brand new to rooting and has done some research but is still confused by the process.
I am looking to improve the performance of my Samsung Galaxy S 5. I researched a little about rooting and came across Cyanogenmod. Essentially, I'm looking to install it on my phone, however getting from point A, having a basic phone, to point B, having a rooted phone with Cyanogenmod, has been a little trickier than I thought. I am stuck honestly. I apologize for not knowing essentially anything. I stayed up all night trying to figure this out and it seems every website has a different set of instructions and they have their own complexities, for example, many of them are for Windows, and I could not find any for Mac users. Is there one reliable set of instructions you know that are best suited for someone who has never rooted before?
From my understanding, I first need to root my phone, flash it, and install Cyanogenmod. This all seems much easier than it looks. To me at least. I came across a rooting tool, which I believe is developed by XDA, called CF-Auto-Root. The only problem is it requires you to install another program called Odin which is only for Windows users.
Basically, is there a guide out there that explains step by step how to root, flash, and install ROMs AND that is Mac friendly?
Another question I have is about the pre-loaded google apps that come with the phone. As I understand, once I run or boot from Cyanogenmod, I won't have any of the google apps, meaning I will not have the Play Store installed. There is a GApps pack that comes with many of the google apps which can also be installed using the recovery menu. Is this difficult?
Thank you for your patience and your help in advance! I really tried to avoid going to forums because I know people get tired and frustrated when new people post questions without researching. I feel I have all the research done, I know what I need to do, I just do not know how. Most guides are dependent on the user having preexisting knowledge about rooting, which I do not have.
Here are my phone specs:
Samsung Galaxy S5 T-Mobile
Model Number: SM-G900T3
Android Version: 6.0.1
Build Number: MMB29.G900T3UVS3GPI1
I want to do the heavy lifting, just please show me the way!
Thanks again!
RansomRenso said:
Hello,
I hope you are doing well!
I am looking to be pointed in the right direction as someone who is brand new to rooting and has done some research but is still confused by the process.
I am looking to improve the performance of my Samsung Galaxy S 5. I researched a little about rooting and came across Cyanogenmod. Essentially, I'm looking to install it on my phone, however getting from point A, having a basic phone, to point B, having a rooted phone with Cyanogenmod, has been a little trickier than I thought. I am stuck honestly. I apologize for not knowing essentially anything. I stayed up all night trying to figure this out and it seems every website has a different set of instructions and they have their own complexities, for example, many of them are for Windows, and I could not find any for Mac users. Is there one reliable set of instructions you know that are best suited for someone who has never rooted before?
From my understanding, I first need to root my phone, flash it, and install Cyanogenmod. This all seems much easier than it looks. To me at least. I came across a rooting tool, which I believe is developed by XDA, called CF-Auto-Root. The only problem is it requires you to install another program called Odin which is only for Windows users.
Basically, is there a guide out there that explains step by step how to root, flash, and install ROMs AND that is Mac friendly?
Another question I have is about the pre-loaded google apps that come with the phone. As I understand, once I run or boot from Cyanogenmod, I won't have any of the google apps, meaning I will not have the Play Store installed. There is a GApps pack that comes with many of the google apps which can also be installed using the recovery menu. Is this difficult?
Thank you for your patience and your help in advance! I really tried to avoid going to forums because I know people get tired and frustrated when new people post questions without researching. I feel I have all the research done, I know what I need to do, I just do not know how. Most guides are dependent on the user having preexisting knowledge about rooting, which I do not have.
Here are my phone specs:
Samsung Galaxy S5 T-Mobile
Model Number: SM-G900T3
Android Version: 6.0.1
Build Number: MMB29.G900T3UVS3GPI1
I want to do the heavy lifting, just please show me the way!
Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Greetings and welcome to xda. First of all most custom roms are pre rooted so you just need to install a custom recovery like twrp then use this to flash your custom rom. All CM based roms will also provide a link to a google apps package which you install in the same way as the custom rom (flashing through recovery). Installing a custom recovery is slightly more complicated with a mac than windows pc as you will need to use heilmdall but once you have your custom recovery installed everything else can be done through the phone.
Anyway if you ask your questions here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s5/help
the experts there will be able to guide you
Good Luck
Sawdoctor
sawdoctor said:
Greetings and welcome to xda. First of all most custom roms are pre rooted so you just need to install a custom recovery like twrp then use this to flash your custom rom. All CM based roms will also provide a link to a google apps package which you install in the same way as the custom rom (flashing through recovery). Installing a custom recovery is slightly more complicated with a mac than windows pc as you will need to use heilmdall but once you have your custom recovery installed everything else can be done through the phone.
Anyway if you ask your questions here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s5/help
the experts there will be able to guide you
Good Luck
Sawdoctor
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much!!!
I will head over there and post my question.
Thanks again!
RansomRenso said:
Thank you so much!!!
I will head over there and post my question.
Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any time :good::good: If there is anything that you are unsure with don't hesitate to ask
So I'm planning on learning how to port roms to (currently) unsupported devices. The phone I currently have for testing is an Alcatel 3X (2019). I have already unlocked its bootloader, which luckily was an easy process, so I'm covered on that front.
Problem is, I haven't found many guides detailing how to do it, and many ask for previous experience with phones that I simply don't have. I have tons of experience with Linux and CLI, but I've never delved into Android's development environment. I've never built AOSP or anything like that for instance.
But before I even begin with any of this, I'd like to know what I should take into account, and what precautions I should take to ensure I do not screw up the device. It'll probably be hard to find the stock ROM and recovery if I ever brick it, so I would need to know how to back it up. That I guess is my *main* concern, since you can unscrew yourself from most situations by just flashing the stock ROM.
What I'm looking for is basically some tips and advice before I get to it from more experienced users. Hope I don't bother with such a broad question.
Thanks.
If you're wanting to build for an Alcatel device, you're most likely not going to have much luck as they don't seem to release kernel sources. If you're wanting to just see how the basic build process works, I recommend following a guide from Lineage OS. https://wiki.lineageos.org/build_guides
Ah, so these kernel sources are needed? No way around that?
Hey! I just found the kernel source code here: https://sourceforge.net/projects/alcatel/files/5048Y_5048D_20200508.tar.xz/download
So that's good right? My particular model seems to be 5048A, but pretty close I guess.
If you want to delve inside Android development I strongly suggest Xiaomi as your first devices. They share the entire code and everything is at your fingertips. Plus some devices already have so much custom rom support. Alcatel isn't the same, you will struggle a lot.
I already have a Huawei phone on which I installed an unofficial custom ROM. Since the phone is old and it's not getting updates anymore, I wanted to get into it to update it myself. But since it's my daily driver, I can't just test on it.
I just happen to have this Alcatel device because a relative of mine recently changed their device, so I can use it to test on it. I do not have a Xiaomi device nor could I buy one anyway.
I have found both the kernel source code and some firmware files for the phone. Is this enough to get started? Even if it's a pain, I want to learn how to do it.