I am currently using an old ZTE N860, but its time is clearly up. I would like to buy an unlocked phone (up to ~250$) that I know I can root (likely from Amazon or similar). I have 4 questions:
1) I have tried rooting my ZTE device unsuccessfully, but I can see that rooting seems to always involve "flashing" (replacing?) a new ROM through recovery, which I understand is a customized version of the Android kernel: is this correct?
2) I know there are risks of bricking your device while trying to root, but as far as data privacy goes, what popular ROMs/rooting applications would you say are safe (I've seen ClockwordMod, CyanogenMod, KingRoot, SuperSU)?
3) If I'd like to make a custom ROM for my device in the future (probably just for fun), are there any tools available?
4) Any interesting suggestions for the phone itself (I've seen "BLU" phones are quite cheap)?
Thank you!
thefallenghost said:
I am currently using an old ZTE N860, but its time is clearly up. I would like to buy an unlocked phone (up to ~250$) that I know I can root (likely from Amazon or similar). I have 4 questions:
1) I have tried rooting my ZTE device unsuccessfully, but I can see that rooting seems to always involve "flashing" (replacing?) a new ROM through recovery, which I understand is a customized version of the Android kernel: is this correct?
2) I know there are risks of bricking your device while trying to root, but as far as data privacy goes, what popular ROMs/rooting applications would you say are safe (I've seen ClockwordMod, CyanogenMod, KingRoot, SuperSU)?
3) If I'd like to make a custom ROM for my device in the future (probably just for fun), are there any tools available?
4) Any interesting suggestions for the phone itself (I've seen "BLU" phones are quite cheap)?
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
This forum is for newbies finding their way around XDA Developers, It isn't a Q&A section.
You may head over to Ask Any Q Noobfriendly thread, the experts there maybe able to assist you with all the queries you stated above.
For a new device suggestion, you may visit here.
-Vatsal
Related
Sorry if i have posted in the wrong area.
I have
Device: Samsung-SGH-i957
Android: 4.0.4
Kernel version 3.0.8-1167230
I used Odin 1.83 (I believe cant remember the exact version but those of you familiar with the process will know immediately what i used) to try and root my device. Now goggled several different tutorials on how to do this. Downloaded all the Samsung device drivers. Odin and Kernel and went step by step. Now according to all the tutorials and my experience. I was successful in rooting the device. Everything works as instructed. BUT after installing Superuser, Root Checker, and Terminal Emulator, then trying to change boot screen animations, my device and above said applications have informed me that I do NOT in fact have a rooted device or permissions to access any of the root folders. Now I am all about full customization of my device. In fact that is the real reason I am trying to root it i just want to be able to do what i want on it. Ithe Samsung-SGH-i957 is a little old but I believe it is a good place to start to learn about rooted andorid device and how to work them. I believe the direction I really want to be taking is to just install a custom ROM from scratch there for not even having to worry about trying to root it. If this is indeed the direction those of you out there believe i should take i would appriciate feed back. If not and just rooting what i have is the best approach to full customization let me know. Either way I am good at following directions. Now finding good ones or perhaps googling the right key words to find good directions I am not so good at. So please suggestion on end game actions and pointers to good instructions.
yankyswag said:
Sorry if i have posted in the wrong area.
I have
Device: Samsung-SGH-i957
Android: 4.0.4
Kernel version 3.0.8-1167230
I used Odin 1.83 (I believe cant remember the exact version but those of you familiar with the process will know immediately what i used) to try and root my device. Now goggled several different tutorials on how to do this. Downloaded all the Samsung device drivers. Odin and Kernel and went step by step. Now according to all the tutorials and my experience. I was successful in rooting the device. Everything works as instructed. BUT after installing Superuser, Root Checker, and Terminal Emulator, then trying to change boot screen animations, my device and above said applications have informed me that I do NOT in fact have a rooted device or permissions to access any of the root folders. Now I am all about full customization of my device. In fact that is the real reason I am trying to root it i just want to be able to do what i want on it. Ithe Samsung-SGH-i957 is a little old but I believe it is a good place to start to learn about rooted andorid device and how to work them. I believe the direction I really want to be taking is to just install a custom ROM from scratch there for not even having to worry about trying to root it. If this is indeed the direction those of you out there believe i should take i would appriciate feed back. If not and just rooting what i have is the best approach to full customization let me know. Either way I am good at following directions. Now finding good ones or perhaps googling the right key words to find good directions I am not so good at. So please suggestion on end game actions and pointers to good instructions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh ... it's up to you. Only you know what you want to do with your device.
Here is the specific forum for your device on xda: Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9.
If you have questions about your device, please post in the Galaxy Tab 8.9 General (as there is no dedicated Q&A forum for your device).
And here you will fnd latest (ROM, kernel, recovery, etc.) development for your device: Galaxy Tab 8.9 SGH-i957 Android Development.
Take some time to read through those threads.
And always create a complete system backup (nandroid backup in custom recovery) before flashing anything. So in case something goes wrong, you can go back by restoring the last backup.
Thread closed and thank you.
Hi,
I'm about to buy a chinese device, but since I really don't trust the manufacturer and in light of all the malware that were discovered in phones I would like to wipe the device clean and put my own ROM. Like I do with a PC.
The question is dual: a) how do I do this? b) what Rom should I place? at the end of the process I would like for the device not to have root access.
Thank you very much!
PS. I a bit of a noob with rooting as you can gather from the question.
PS.PS. I obviously googled "root doogee" but in the results I get some chinese program which I meant to install... I would rather use some tool which is open source, developed by the community and that people actually know that all is well with it...
wrong forum?
oy-ster said:
Hi,
I'm about to buy a chinese device, but since I really don't trust the manufacturer and in light of all the malware that were discovered in phones I would like to wipe the device clean and put my own ROM. Like I do with a PC.
The question is dual: a) how do I do this? b) what Rom should I place? at the end of the process I would like for the device not to have root access.
Thank you very much!
PS. I a bit of a noob with rooting as you can gather from the question.
PS.PS. I obviously googled "root doogee" but in the results I get some chinese program which I meant to install... I would rather use some tool which is open source, developed by the community and that people actually know that all is well with it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know whether a Custom ROM is made for ur device or not.
So, first of all u have to flash a custom recovery
Go to this thread of mine to know more about this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3046718
And after booting to recovery wipe all things and select install from zip
I am not very experienced with phones. I have tried a few roots unsuccessfully. I can use the command prompts and copy+paste into adb. 1)Can you tell me how to just simply root without having to flash the rom to be able to uninstall the factory bloatware apps. 2) IfIf I need to install TWRP? 3) How to disable OTA updates. 4)Where i can find a good rom for gaming to flash when I can. 5) Would it be easier and how to do a 4.3 Jelly bean onto my phone to make it easier to root...if that's possible.
I know this is asking a lot and I have seen answers for these questions for other phones and this low end phone isn't listed on hardly any list. My only other option is Buying a another samsung galaxy (not 3) maybe 5 or 6. Please be detailed in your answers. I tend to get to a single step that messes me up completely.
Thanks in advance
XDA Visitor said:
I am not very experienced with phones. I have tried a few roots unsuccessfully. I can use the command prompts and copy+paste into adb. 1)Can you tell me how to just simply root without having to flash the rom to be able to uninstall the factory bloatware apps. 2) IfIf I need to install TWRP? 3) How to disable OTA updates. 4)Where i can find a good rom for gaming to flash when I can. 5) Would it be easier and how to do a 4.3 Jelly bean onto my phone to make it easier to root...if that's possible.
I know this is asking a lot and I have seen answers for these questions for other phones and this low end phone isn't listed on hardly any list. My only other option is Buying a another samsung galaxy (not 3) maybe 5 or 6. Please be detailed in your answers. I tend to get to a single step that messes me up completely.
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello, and welcome to XDA!
Sadly there is no resources on your device on site. No rooting methods, no TWRP (or any custom recovery), no custom ROM's.
1) Since there is no established method, you are left trying other methods until you find one that works, while documenting progress here in a new thread (so others can benefit - maybe even you - as it creates a circle of device experts):
> General discussion > Upgrading, Modifying and Unlocking
You have probably have seen this already as well...leaving it here just in case.
2) Probably not. LG has a habit of having no fastboot to be able to unlock bootloader or flash recovery (rather, you would flash recovery, once available, once rooted), so the classical way of rooting need not apply.
3) Accessible by the LG Hidden Menu...how you get there depends on your device config. Sorry I cannot be of more help there.
4) Too subjective of a question. Don't bother asking for such, even if a ROM did exist.
5) May make a difference. Due to Heartbleed bug in 4.3, I wouldn't bother though.
Any other questions you have, can go in that thread you have created (once you have made an XDA account, so you can post in that forum).
Hope this helps, and good luck!
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
Hello,
I see there's been a lot that's happened since I've last been on here and I'd usually follow the guide, but I see it says it's "Outdated" so I want to solicit your advice as to where I should begin. My bank has decided their mobile app will no longer work for Android 5.0 users, so I need to upgrade my phone to at least 6.0, and I figure this is a good time to root it as well (if possible). It's a Verizon phone, but I"m currently in Europe (so no OTA updates are possible, which is probably good from what I can tell on the outdated guide). I've searched youtube and found the following guide, but I have to make sure I have a CID 15 phone vice 11 (I think that's all I need to worry about, but I'm not positive and I can't remember how to figure out which version I have eaither LOL):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HuCHNCbaqc
Do you see any issues with giving that a try, or am I better off just sticking with one of the two Stickie guides at the top of the forum? The issue I see with them is they seem to be more geared towards rooting and don't get into upgrading to a newer version (while maintaining the root). I could be wrong though (or didn't get through the posts far enough to get to that part). Looking forward to hearing your advice....TIA!
As I continue to browse the forum, I came across this one that may already answer my question (doesn't seem "Outdated" eaither.....although I will need to go to that outdated thread to flash to PB1):
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ve...ewbies-guide-to-install-pb1-rom-root-t3481826
Unless someone advises otherwise, I think this is the way to go (gets me to marshmellow while maintaining Root, correct?)
As I continue to dig into this thread (https://forum.xda-developers.com/ver...-root-t3481826), it seems to be the most relevant for what I want to do (upgrade to marshmellow while keeping root access). As I go through and try to download everything that's required, I've hit a roadblock with respect to TWRP (specifically, it says to install TWRP 3.0.0 via ODIN, where you have to be sure to install the correct version of TWRP for your device). When I go to the site though, there are only a couple versions for a Galaxy S5, and I don't recognize any of them (Exynos, Neo Exynos, Mini Exynos, Plus, LTE-A, and Qualcom). Can someone point me to one that will work with mine (Verizon, OE1, CID 15)? The first link from a google search brings this up (https://dl.twrp.me/odin/twrp-3.0.0-0-odin.img.html), but it makes no reference to device versions so I'm hesitant to try it..........Or another thought may be that enough updates to TWRP have happened that they have fixed the issue where it didn't recognize SD cards after version 3.0.0, so I can just use Google Play Store to install the latest version and it should work fine.........thoughts? Many thanks!
I seem to keep answering my own questions as I continue to dig and google search. Looking further into each of the S5 TWRP devices, under the Qualcom link it specifically mentions the SM-G900v, so I'm going to go with that one and hope for the best
RetroRider said:
I need to upgrade my phone to at least 6.0, and I figure this is a good time to root it as well (if possible). It's a Verizon phone, but I"m currently in Europe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Install this app from the Market to learn if your phone can have a rooted 6.0.1.
2. In any case it's possible to flash a "European" firmware to your phone. But the bootloaders and the kernel will remain original.
Schematically, you would need to:
1. Flash a combination rom, root it and install SafeStrap recovery.
2. Flash a desired rom via SafeStrap (system only) and make some tuning from this "recovery" if necessary.
3. Flash the original kernel and bootloaders via SafeStrap or Odin.
P.S. A good bank app will not allow to run it on a rooted phone.
I installed that eMMC app and under "Brick Bug?" it says "NO. Same Chip" - not sure what that means....does it mean it can't have a rooted 6.0.1?
RetroRider said:
I installed that eMMC app and under "Brick Bug?" it says "NO. Same Chip" - not sure what that means....does it mean it can't have a rooted 6.0.1?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It also says "CID: XX......"
If XX is 15, you can have a rooted 6.0.1.
If XX is 11, you cannot.
RetroRider said:
I installed that eMMC app and under "Brick Bug?" it says "NO. Same Chip" - not sure what that means....does it mean it can't have a rooted 6.0.1?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bbsc said:
It also says "CID: XX......"
If XX is 15, you can have a rooted 6.0.1.
If XX is 11, you cannot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to clarify with what @bbsc had stated...
CID15 = "Bootloader" CAN be Unlocked
CID11 = "Bootloader" CANNOT be unlocked
BOTH the CID11 and CID15 can be rooted. Identifying the CID# is only used to see if the devices Bootloader can be unlocked.
The following thread is one of a handful of decent ones to help with identifying the CID and the steps to take for both of them. Just be sure to read the OP carefully.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3561529
Good Luck!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UNLESS asked to do so, PLEASE don't PM me regarding support. Sent using The ClaRetoX Forum App on my Enigma Machine {aenigma = Latin for "Riddle" AND Nickname for "My Ex-Wife"}.
Appreciate all the feedback and responses.....I finally cracked it last night. I struggled most of the day working my way through this guide:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ve...ewbies-guide-to-install-pb1-rom-root-t3481826
I never could get it to root (I think I came close once, but couldn't repeat it). After a while I figured I'd look and see if there were other guides and I came upon this one:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ve.../testers-required-easier-root-method-t3561529
This was much easier and quicker and I rooted/upgraded on the second attempt (would have on the first attempt had I known I needed to uncheck the reactivation lock ahead of time). Now I need to go back and find the post that has the list of bloatware that is safe to uninstall LOL
Thanks again