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Hey all,
I recently sold my phone running CM 10 on eBay and the buyer said the phone is for her son, so she didn't know what software he wants on it....I figure I would be best off just sending it to them stock (stock firmware, unrooted, locked bootloader).
Is there anyway I can do this besides using Odin? I'm currently using a Mac, so anything method that I can use on OS X would be great, but if not, I can just get hold of a PC and do it via Odin if necessary
Heimdall would be your solution. It's a cross platform Odin alternative and there are native versions for PC, Mac, and Linux. The XDA thread is here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=755265
It uses the same tar files that Odin would. As far as the software, I would run a stock unrooted TW for the kid personally. That way his mom can't come back and harass you about something he did because you left him with dangerous software. If he roots it and then breaks it, it's his own fault. Just tell her you left it on a stock version with no inherent risk involved, but just incase he needs to know (have her not tell the kid) the bootloader is already unlocked.
I would do stock rooted. Rooted is always a plus and may get you a few more dollars for it. Then people could choose their own ROM if they so desire. I know I desire just being stock rooted
shredder47 said:
Hey all,
I recently sold my phone running CM 10 on eBay and the buyer said the phone is for her son, so she didn't know what software he wants on it....I figure I would be best off just sending it to them stock (stock firmware, unrooted, locked bootloader).
Is there anyway I can do this besides using Odin? I'm currently using a Mac, so anything method that I can use on OS X would be great, but if not, I can just get hold of a PC and do it via Odin if necessary
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make it Stock, locked! incase they dont like the way the phone run, they can always blame you for modding and make you take it back! and it acts as a negative point in Dispute even though you mention it!
I ended up just Odin'ing it back to stock! Thanks guys
shredder47 said:
I ended up just Odin'ing it back to stock! Thanks guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely a good call... I do that with every phone I sell.
The way I see it is that if they're not intelligent / motivated / tech savvy enough to root and load something custom on their own then they'll probably have a hell of a time navigating the random problems you'd encounter running anything other than stock.
Hello XDA Developers,
Okay so here is my unusual situation...
I have two phones. I have one Verizon (d2vzw) SGS3 that I run CM 11 on with CWM Touch installed on that phone. On my second phone which is also a Verizon (d2vzw) SGS3 i was running stock 4.1.2 ROM which was rooted with CWM recovery manager. The stock SGS3 was the baseband version that supported multi windows.
Okay so today i decided to go ahead and check for an OTA update on my stock (rooted) SGS3. I knew there had been an update available for some time but I never decided to update my phone because i figured with it being rooted and with CWM recovery manager installed there was no way that the OTA update would work...
So like an idiot i went ahead and tried the update. I figured what is the worst that could happen? I figured that at the worst it was just going to tell me that the update failed and i would just be stuck with Android 4.1.2 which isn't the end of the world. I really like the multi windows setup. Moving on...i downloaded the update and I hit the install update button. My phone booted into recovery manager and it installed the update. When the phone rebooted I saw the message "Android is upgrading" and i thought whoa! no way!. After android finished upgrading which i believe was the dalvik rebuilding I saw a message in notifications saying "upgrade installation failed", however when i went into settings it now told me that i was running Android 4.3. So to me it looked like the upgrade took but I think the problem was that when it asked me to flash the stock recovery there was an option in CWM to say no and i choose that to keep CWM recovery manager instead of the stock recovery manager. Maybe i should have let the update install the stock recovery manager...
Now i knew ahead of time that if this update worked I was going to loose root but again I didn't think it was that big of a deal since I could just re-root my phone and I would be on a newer Android version. I looked around for the best rooting option and I wanted to use Chainfire's CF-AutoRoot exploit but I know that if you do not have the bootloader unlocked that there is a chance of bricking your phone. So after some research (which i should have done before i updated my phone!) i saw that there was an exploit out called "saferoot.zip" and that you could root your phone running a windows.bat file or a shell script if you are in Linux. Even though the program is for SGS4 many users on XDA with SGS3 phones reported success with "saferoot". So i tried saferoot 2 times with no luck. Finally on the third attempt (3rd times a charm!) i was able to root my phone and SuperSU was able to "disable KNOX".
So i now had my Verizon SGS3 updated from Android 4.1.2 to Android 4.3 and I had successfully re-rooted my phone. I was feeling good...
Until I wanted to make sure that CWM Recovery Manager was still on my phone. I opened up the app "quickboot" and choose to boot into Recovery Manager this is where the trouble began...
When my phone booted into recovery mode i saw a big Yellow Triangle. Under this very scary yellow triangle it said that "Verizon has detected unauthorized software on this phone. Please turn off the phone and take it into your nearest verizon store". Other something along those lines...
I thought I was in big trouble...
I could not get the phone out of recovery mode. I tried pulling the battery but every time my phone rebooted it just kept going back into recovery mode. The trick to get out recovery mode was to hold down Volume Down + Home for a few seconds then press the power button. This brought me to a new menu and i was able to hit "cancel" on installing a new OS and it rebooted my phone back to its normal state.
So finally here is my questions...
Question 1: I know i need to unlock my bootloader again. After you apply an OTA update it re-locks your bootloader right? Does anyone know of a method of unlocking the bootloader with the Verizon (d2vzw) SGS3 baseband version I535VRUCML1 running on Android 4.3?
Before when my phone was running 4.1.2 I unlocked the bootloader with Odin and the app EZ-UNLOCK but i don't think EZ-UNLOCK is going to work with Android 4.3
Question 2: Is there a way to get rid of that message about Verizon has detected unauthorized software on this phone? Now I know that ChainFire has a Yellow Triangle Away app on the Google Play store and I will happily buy it but I know that in order for it to work you first must have your bootloader unlocked right? If i try to use that app with my bootloader in a locked state i could brick my phone permanently right?
Is there possibly any file or exploit i can flash with either Odin or the app "Flashify" so that I can unlock my bootloader. Has anyone here tried unlocking their bootloader on their SGS3 running 4.3 with the app "EZ-UNLOCK" ?
I am very concerned about damaging my phone which is a company work phone so if i mess it up i will be in deep trouble...
Oh, one last question...
Question 3: Since i got that yellow triangle message about unauthorized software when i tried to boot into recovery mode could it have possible been because CWM recovery was somehow deleted with the OTA update? After i was able to get out of recovery mode I used the app "ROM Manager" to install CWM Recovery Again hoping that I might have a recovery manager... Now ROM Manager says that CWM Touch was installed successfully but I am not sure since I am kind of scared to boot into recovery mode again until I unlock this bootloader.
If my recovery manager is being blocked until I get my bootloader unlocked could i use the app "flashify" if i need to flash any files?
I know my situation might be a bit unusual but I am really going to need some help on this and someones expertise advice.
I hope to hear from someone soon...
XDA Members, have a great New Years and make 2014 count!
I thank you all for your time and assistance.
-droidshadow
After accepting the 4.3 OTA, your bootloader is locked and there is no way to unlock it. My suggestion to you would be to grab the 4.3 ODIN file, reflash to 100% stock, root using saferoot, debloat as wanted, and hope for the best.
Probably not what you wanted to hear, but there is no way to unlock the bootloader once taking the 4.3 OTA. Attempting to do so will brick the phone.
well that stinks...
podspi said:
After accepting the 4.3 OTA, your bootloader is locked and there is no way to unlock it. My suggestion to you would be to grab the 4.3 ODIN file, reflash to 100% stock, root using saferoot, unbloat as wanted, and hope for the best.
Probably not what you wanted to hear, but there is no way to unlock the bootloader once taking the 4.3 OTA. Attempting to do so will brick the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only reason that I even attempted the upgrade is because next week I am going to purchasing the smart watch from the Samsung Galaxy Gear. For that watch (you can make calls from the watch) you need the upgrade to pair my SGS3 with my smartwatch when I get it next week.
Now this OTA update is quite new so that means that there still might be a chance to unlock the bootloader eventually when someone works it out right?
Big question:
Is it still possible to have CWM or TWRP with this 4.3 OTA update?
Thanks for the reply.
-droidshadow
droidshadow said:
The only reason that I even attempted the upgrade is because next week I am going to purchasing the smart watch from the Samsung Galaxy Gear. For that watch (you can make calls from the watch) you need the upgrade to pair my SGS3 with my smartwatch when I get it next week.
Now this OTA update is quite new so that means that there still might be a chance to unlock the bootloader eventually when someone works it out right?
Big question:
Is it still possible to have CWM or TWRP with this 4.3 OTA update?
Thanks for the reply.
-droidshadow
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To bad you took the ota. There is a twrp flashable rom for stock 4.3. And no you can not have custom recovery.
droidshadow said:
Okay so today i decided to go ahead and check for an OTA update on my stock (rooted) SGS3...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's no need to read any further than that.... Sorry to be another bearer of bad news, but if a phone is rooted and you want it to stay that way, "OTA" should be a term that you never, ever, ever even think about !
The S4 boot loader has been locked down with Knox longer than the S3 has, and no one has cracked it yet. I'd say the chances of this boot loader being cracked wide open are slim to none. If unlocking this boot loader were as simple as using EZ unlock 1.2, it would have been written about all over these and all forums.
Sent from the Shark Tank using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
so what entails for the future of samsung phones?
landshark68 said:
The S4 boot loader has been locked down with Knox longer than the S3 has, and no one has cracked it yet. I'd say the chances of this boot loader being cracked wide open are slim to none. If unlocking this boot loader were as simple as using EZ unlock 1.2, it would have been written about all over these and all forums.
Sent from the Shark Tank using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So what is the going to happen to the future of Samsung Phones? Are we no longer going to be able to put custom ROM's and custom Recovery Managers on Samsung Phones?
Will KitKat + SELinux + Knox no longer allow us to enjoy the true beauty of Android? I think that is major BS.
So what are our options now? Are we going to simply have to choose different phones like future Google Nexus phones? I love Samsung phones and I love having the options of flashing custom roms or reverting back to stock and I really really love CWM recovery or TWRP recovery.
These phones are our property...
I understand that the software and the code is Samsung's or Verizon's yet we should be able to do what we want to our property. Could you imagine if Toyota or Chevy said that after you purchased one of their cars you could never paint it a different color or add custom rims + wheels! That would be ridiculous... It is the same concept here really.
It is really sad that Samsung and Mobile carriers such as Verizon have resorted to this...
-droidshadow
droidshadow said:
So what is the going to happen to the future of Samsung Phones? Are we no longer going to be able to put custom ROM's and custom Recovery Managers on Samsung Phones?
Will KitKat + SELinux + Knox no longer allow us to enjoy the true beauty of Android? I think that is major BS.
So what are our options now? Are we going to simply have to choose different phones like future Google Nexus phones? I love Samsung phones and I love having the options of flashing custom roms or reverting back to stock and I really really love CWM recovery or TWRP recovery.
These phones are our property...
I understand that the software and the code is Samsung's or Verizon's yet we should be able to do what we want to our property. Could you imagine if Toyota or Chevy said that after you purchased one of their cars you could never paint it a different color or add custom rims + wheels! That would be ridiculous... It is the same concept here really.
It is really sad that Samsung and Mobile carriers such as Verizon have resorted to this...
-droidshadow
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Difference is though, if you were to somehow screw up your car by customizing it you wouldn't try to take it back to the dealership and get a new car under a warranty claim. I would have to think at least part of the reason phone manufacturers and mobile carriers are locking down phones is all the "warranty" claims people are submitting after screwing up while rooting and flashing their phones. Warranty claims are for inherent manufacturer defects, not a hard brick from flashing the wrong software. If more people took responsibility for their mistakes and bought a new phone instead of making the carriers or manufacturers pay for their mistakes, perhaps this wouldn't be happening. I'm not saying absolutely, just perhaps. OK, I'll get off my soapbox now. Happy New Year everyone.
Different animal. You own the hardware, but the providers have the right to control the firmware since it can change how the phone interacts with the network.
Just like the firmware in your cars computer. The manufacturer and the federal government have control over what went in. Modifying it can be done, but it is a violation of EPA emission laws.
Modifying the paint, tires, rims etc is like putting a different case, bling etc on your phone
Your phone needs to have the 4.3 odin tar installed to clean the recovery.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
droidshadow said:
So what is the going to happen to the future of Samsung Phones? Are we no longer going to be able to put custom ROM's and custom Recovery Managers on Samsung Phones?
These phones are our property...
It is really sad that Samsung and Mobile carriers such as Verizon have resorted to this...
-droidshadow
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its really Verizon, They have had many Moto and HTC phones with locked bootloaders , unless Verizon unlocks it, it won't be cracked.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2586319
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
DigitalMD said:
Its really Verizon, They have had many Moto and HTC phones with locked bootloaders , unless Verizon unlocks it, it won't be cracked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know but still i think it should be our choice! While there are millions of us out there that love to customize the software on our phone's by adding new recovery managers or custom rom's we are a small population to the rest of the stock phone using world...
Insurance companies make big bucks by all the people who never file a claim...but i won't get into that.
Many of you have made excellent points and i respect that. I especially liked the comparison of car rims to phone cases i thought that was great!
Hopefully someone will work it out soon or some how an unlocked bootloader will get leaked.
Come one Verizon developers! Leak it! We wont tell!
I was planning on getting the NOTE 3 but i doubt that phone comes with an unlocked bootloader so this d2vzw (sgs3) will most likely be my last samsung phone that I ever buy. I guess i will have to stick with the Nexus phones... I am going to miss micro sdcards!
-droidshadow
droidshadow said:
I know but still i think it should be our choice! While there are millions of us out there that love to customize the software on our phone's by adding new recovery managers or custom rom's we are a small population to the rest of the stock phone using world...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Having that debate at this site is kinda silly.... Fact is, "we" will lose the fight against the carriers and/or manufacturers as it stands. The only way to really impact them is to STOP giving them our money, but you know what ? The number of people who "hack" their phones is a tiny percentage in the grand scheme. We'd probably get a "good riddance" response from them anyway.
droidshadow said:
So what is the going to happen to the future of Samsung Phones? Are we no longer going to be able to put custom ROM's and custom Recovery Managers on Samsung Phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's correct and.... read on.
So what are our options now? Are we going to simply have to choose different phones like future Google Nexus phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That could be the only solution. I believe the success that Samsung/Verizon have had with locking down their phones will soon result in ALL phones on ALL carriers being locked down with little or no possibility of rooting or flashing.
I suspect we've seen the end of modifying any phone on any network. I sure hope I'm wrong....
It would be a shame....
xs11e said:
I suspect we've seen the end of modifying any phone on any network. I sure hope I'm wrong....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just rooted and got into CM in the last month. Got rid of all the bloat and installed some neat little apps. And now, just when I get hooked, it's possible that my drug of choice may be going away.
hey there guys, i know this post is a little old, but i just wanted to share my story real quickly with you and to reiterate that messing with the boot loader on an sch-i535 running 4.3 is a HORRIBLE idea.
this is the first phone i have ever tried to root. i successfully rooted the phone, immediately i tried to run cwm recovery. HARDBRICK. i was so proud for all of five minutes that i rooted a phone on my first try. The phone would not power on in ANY mode. i could only get a red light to come on by plugging my phone into my computer with the battery out of the phone. after three days and alot of reading and some help from xda i managed to (amazingly) debrick my phone. I am now very VERY cautious of what i do with my rooted sch-i535 with its HORRIBLE 4.3 crap.
If you are truly hardbricked, im told that jigs (despite what is all over the internet) will not work. (maybe they do but a shop in texas told me a hardbrick will not revive by jig).
JTAG is the most dependable repair.
I revived my phone via debrick image on an sd card.
Bottom line, do everything you can to avoid the situation in the first place.
Never take updates. I unlocked boot loader on 4.3 with ez-unlock app booted into recovery and hard bricked my phone... The fun is over after 4.3...Had to send it to Tampa fl. To get JTAG and it worked.
droidshadow said:
So what is the going to happen to the future of Samsung Phones? Are we no longer going to be able to put custom ROM's and custom Recovery Managers on Samsung Phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's correct, given the amount of time the Devs have had to find a way to unlock the bootloader on the S3 and S4 w/o success, I believe it's hopeless.
Worse, I believe Samsung will share their technology and ALL cell phones will eventually have locked boot loaders and be un-rootable, un-flashable and, to me, at least, un-desirable!
I sincerely hope I'm wrong but I believe in a year or two any cellphone will be locked down to whatever software is installed at time of purchase.
xs11e said:
That's correct, given the amount of time the Devs have had to find a way to unlock the bootloader on the S3 and S4 w/o success, I believe it's hopeless.
Worse, I believe Samsung will share their technology and ALL cell phones will eventually have locked boot loaders and be un-rootable, un-flashable and, to me, at least, un-desirable!
I sincerely hope I'm wrong but I believe in a year or two any cellphone will be locked down to whatever software is installed at time of purchase.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How's the fun over??? Haha I've seen this same junk many times... I'm running 4.3 rooted. Safestrapped (cwmis garbage) alliance 23 build ROM CSC & build prop tweaks on sch-i535v on straightalk att side. Knox removed manually by me. All bands open except domestic 3g. (Working on it now).
So the funs over? I'm confused.. And how is that? Lol take your time. Research. Learn. Adapt. Achieve. If it can be locked. It can be unlocked. I've yet to run across a phone that I couldn't bring back from the supposed "hard brick" but I did find one I COULDNT brick on purpose. And I threw everything at it. Huwaei m8665 I think it was. I tried for two days to brick that little piece of junk, and not even wrong roots etc could. Lol
An0nYm0u5.bat said:
How's the fun over??? Haha I've seen this same junk many times... I'm running 4.3 rooted. Safestrapped (cwmis garbage) alliance 23 build ROM CSC & build prop tweaks on sch-i535v on straightalk att side. Knox removed manually by me. All bands open except domestic 3g. (Working on it now).
So the funs over? I'm confused.. And how is that? Lol take your time. Research. Learn. Adapt. Achieve. If it can be locked. It can be unlocked. I've yet to run across a phone that I couldn't bring back from the supposed "hard brick" but I did find one I COULDNT brick on purpose. And I threw everything at it. Huwaei m8665 I think it was. I tried for two days to brick that little piece of junk, and not even wrong roots etc could. Lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you if there is a way to lock it there is a way to unlock it.
is just a matter of time some smart brain will figure it out how to and share LOL
I just got this phone and debating if I should root and unlock this phone. I'm a big fan of CM. I traded a friend for this phone. I used to have a gs5 and touchwiz was driving me crazy and that it could not be unlocked. This phone is way better. I have been rooting and unlocking since the days of the htc eris. I'll never buy another Samsung phone again. Sorry for the dumb post.
So do you have a question? Or what's the point behind the post
Yes, you should root and unlock. I have flashed more than a few roms on this pbone, but I have been on stock rooted for a couple months now. Mostly because it has the least amount of issues and most consistent performance. I got it all tweaked up though. IMO HTC did a great job on the stock ROM but to each there own.
And another big plus is that you can easily unroot and relock your phone back to 100% stock state (thankfully we have all the most recent stock ROM ruu's). So really as long as you know what your doing which it sounds like you do, you can only gain by rooting/s-off
No, wait a few weeks first so you know the phone works. You don't want to be those guys that spam issues in rom threads only to find out it's your phone and not the rom.
A rule of thumb I always follow is make sure it runs properly before you start modding. (Cars, phones, computers, etc.)
the real question is why wouldn't you unlock an S-OFF - full control over YOUR device for only $25 AND you can always go back to S-ON. :good:
I tried to unlock the boot loader through HTC Dev with no luck. My boot loader says ***software status*** Modified
***Locked**
He was running the phone on T-Mobile. I was wondering if he had it flashed to T-Mobile to work. Any Ideas!!
Never mind I just used sunshine apk and worked. Thank god
Bootloader still says modified. Only getting temp root, but s off
Droid0351 said:
Bootloader still says modified. Only getting temp root, but s off
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To get permanent root you will need to install a custom recovery and flash the supersu.zip and that will get you full root. You can then get rid of the temp root by uninstalling the apk
I figured it out. Its been awhile since I rooted and s-off. I already fixed the bootloader saying modified. Had to connect it to htcsync and do a repair. Thanks guys. I'm enjoying cm again.
So I finally pulled the trigger and ordered a G930F. Sorry for the noob question, but when it arrives, what should I do with it and in what order? End goal would be to be able to install custom roms easily when new roms are released.
I was thinking:
1. Flash new firmware
2. Enable OEM unlock from settings
3. Disable auto updates
4. Flash recovery TWRP
5. Wipe data
6. Root
7. Setup phone
Thoughts?
Also for the firmware, I'm going to be using this on US T-mobile. Should I do UK firmware or German T-Mobile?
Thanks
Any suggestions guys?
Sorry if this question sounds stupid. I've had my current phone (HTC One M7) for 3 years now and it's at a state where I can just flash a new rom whenever I want. It's been a long time since I did the initial setup of unlocking, installing the custom recovery and initial rooting that I can't really remember what I did and what order they have to be done. I just want to make sure I don't do them in the wrong order and have to redo any of the previous steps again.
Thanks
johnusesandroid said:
So I finally pulled the trigger and ordered a G930F. Sorry for the noob question, but when it arrives, what should I do with it and in what order? End goal would be to be able to install custom roms easily when new roms are released.
I was thinking:
1. Flash new firmware
2. Enable OEM unlock from settings
3. Disable auto updates
4. Flash recovery TWRP
5. Wipe data
6. Root
7. Setup phone
Thoughts?
Also for the firmware, I'm going to be using this on US T-mobile. Should I do UK firmware or German T-Mobile?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love root as well, but the S7 is so good, really doesn't require root at this point. If root is what you desire, you can look in the S7 forums, and they should walk you through what you should do, but your set-up doesn't seem bad. I still suggest sticking to the S7 at least for a week and see if you really need root. With Samsung's Theme store, launchers, and etc, besides removing bloat, having exposed and etc, not sure why its important to root at least at this point.
I'm not clear on whether the bootloader on the 930F can be unlocked; you might want to check on that first.
In terms of root, I still use Xposed and Titanium Backup. Yes, you can already hide the quick-connect icon, but the brightness slider is locked on there (SQL Editor needed to get rid of it, another root app). You can also use the fun features of root - I use Tasker to turn NFC on only for those apps that need it and turn it off when I don't, use Keepass2Android's automatic keyboard switching, etc.). I rooted mine within the first hour of having the phone home and turned on. The phone still isn't perfect, and honestly still not as flexible as many of us would like, but it's not a do or die situation anymore either.
Truth6199 said:
I love root as well, but the S7 is so good, really doesn't require root at this point. If root is what you desire, you can look in the S7 forums, and they should walk you through what you should do, but your set-up doesn't seem bad. I still suggest sticking to the S7 at least for a week and see if you really need root. With Samsung's Theme store, launchers, and etc, besides removing bloat, having exposed and etc, not sure why its important to root at least at this point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah I'm just the kind of guy who can't stand not having admin/root rights on my stuff :laugh:
but yeah a couple root only apps that I can't live without are xposed (and the hold power button to turn on flashlight mod), titanium backup, f.lux, etc...
databoy2k said:
I'm not clear on whether the bootloader on the 930F can be unlocked; you might want to check on that first.
In terms of root, I still use Xposed and Titanium Backup. Yes, you can already hide the quick-connect icon, but the brightness slider is locked on there (SQL Editor needed to get rid of it, another root app). You can also use the fun features of root - I use Tasker to turn NFC on only for those apps that need it and turn it off when I don't, use Keepass2Android's automatic keyboard switching, etc.). I rooted mine within the first hour of having the phone home and turned on. The phone still isn't perfect, and honestly still not as flexible as many of us would like, but it's not a do or die situation anymore either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
awesome sounds like the kind of setup I would do, thanks
but the order of what I'm planning on doing is correct though, right? If I'm understanding them correctly, I need to do firmware before root since firmware flash would get me back to root-less stock I think. I need to do root right after twrp and data wipe because of that boot loop issue they described in the twrp thread. so firmware first, twrp second, then root third?
johnusesandroid said:
yeah I'm just the kind of guy who can't stand not having admin/root rights on my stuff :laugh:
but yeah a couple root only apps that I can't live without are xposed (and the hold power button to turn on flashlight mod), titanium backup, f.lux, etc...
awesome sounds like the kind of setup I would do, thanks
but the order of what I'm planning on doing is correct though, right? If I'm understanding them correctly, I need to do firmware before root since firmware flash would get me back to root-less stock I think. I need to do root right after twrp and data wipe because of that boot loop issue they described in the twrp thread. so firmware first, twrp second, then root third?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems right. Plug your SIM in first by the way; the phone does a wipe when it gets a sim for the first time (not sure about thereafter; don't have a second sim to test with). But yes, your process is essentially what I did.
I will take delivery of a new Pixel 3a later this week. I will thoroughly read through “How to root the Pixel 3a with or without twrp & take OTA updates once rooted” and “How to Root Your Pixel 3a and Install Magisk (on Pie & Q) with or without TWRP”. But before unlocking bootloader and rooting should I accept all updates first during the initial setup?
MrTooPhone said:
I will take delivery of a new Pixel 3a later this week. I will thoroughly read through “How to root the Pixel 3a with or without twrp & take OTA updates once rooted” and “How to Root Your Pixel 3a and Install Magisk (on Pie & Q) with or without TWRP”. But before unlocking bootloader and rooting should I accept all updates first during the initial setup?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes
bejunk said:
Yes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. The little reading I have done so far, it sounds like you can not flash or boot TWRP in Android 10. Won't all the updates take me to 10? I will want to back up my ROMs.
MrTooPhone said:
Thanks. The little reading I have done so far, it sounds like you can not flash or boot TWRP in Android 10. Won't all the updates take me to 10? I will want to back up my ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, i forgot as i dont use TWRP anymore.
Yes TWRP only works on Android 9.
However you can't install it like in the past time. You can only boot it via fastboot. You need to do this everytime you want to use TWRP. However when i tried it in past times it did not work well afaik, a full backup did not work at all.
So yeah try it with Android 9 first.
But with all the google backups nowadays i dont have the need for a nandroid (twrp backup)...
Especially as you can just reflash the stock image with deleting /data.
Here is the main thread, i think it will be more helpfull than i am https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-3a/development/twrp-3-3-1-pixel-3a-t3943413
The very first thing to do is minimal setup so you can enable developer settings and allow bootloader unlocking. That's a sticky setting, so then you can update, factory reset, etc. before actually unlocking the bootloader and rooting. Especially important if you're US/Verizon (don't put your SIM in until bootloader unlocking is enabled).
mike.s said:
The very first thing to do is minimal setup so you can enable developer settings and allow bootloader unlocking. That's a sticky setting, so then you can update, factory reset, etc. before actually unlocking the bootloader and rooting. Especially important if you're US/Verizon (don't put your SIM in until bootloader unlocking is enabled).
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Thanks. So I read the two rooting threads I referenced above. I have always used TWRP in the past, but seeing it not supported in Android 10, I am considering skipping that. Do you think TWRP will support Android 10 in the future? I am a little nervous making changes without a backup. My plan would be to stick with a rooted stock at first than consider migrating to a custom ROM. Any recommendations are appreciated. Phone will be delivered tomorrow.
bejunk said:
But with all the google backups nowadays i dont have the need for a nandroid (twrp backup)...
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I am not sure what you mean by "google backups nowadays". Is it the availability of stock ROMs?
MrTooPhone said:
I am not sure what you mean by "google backups nowadays". Is it the availability of stock ROMs?
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No , I think most people use a TWRP backup because it restores you to a specifiic point with all your apps, user settings and your data in those apps.
Thats why i used it in the past times. Setiing up a phone in the past could be really time consuming and frustrating.
But nowadays, if you use the google backup (in Settings > System > Backup) (and the whatsapp one for messages - thtas the only messenger i use, but every other popular messager has a backup feature now) setting up the phone takes maybe 10 mins when i flash the factory image, it even gets my homescreen layout and my wallpaper back, also my settings. Apps which support that also keep their settings.
In the past i allways had a custom rom, because stock rom sucked. But with the Pixel theres no reason for me to use a custom rom anymore.
About root, i rooted my phone since i first used android, ca. 2010. But now I really dont need it anymore, so i just keep things stock.
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MrTooPhone said:
Thanks. So I read the two rooting threads I referenced above. I have always used TWRP in the past, but seeing it not supported in Android 10, I am considering skipping that. Do you think TWRP will support Android 10 in the future? I am a little nervous making changes without a backup. My plan would be to stick with a rooted stock at first than consider migrating to a custom ROM. Any recommendations are appreciated. Phone will be delivered tomorrow.
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I dont think TWRP will be supported in the futur on A10. Google locked up /system and some other partitions the TWRP team needs to find new solutions but there id not much hope.
Did you buy your phone unlocked? If yes, the worst part you should be worried about is losing you app data from some apps. You cant really brick your phone. In the worst case you just need to flash a factory image.
You should know that rooting your phone will probably break google pay and banking apps. May i ask what did you want use root for?
I dunno, I really like Lineage OS, but it just feels like a downgraded stock rom.. (I used it before all the time on all phones before getting a pixel).
Also, for every update (monthly) you need to patch your boot.img, flash it, and the apply the update. Its some work which i dont think is worth it anymore.
bejunk said:
May i ask what did you want use root for?
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Thanks for the detailed reply. I am coming from a MotoG3 (rooted stock), a 2015 era phone. So a lot has changed. I really have not seen a mid range phone I really liked, so I jumped on the P3a when I heard the news they were being discontinued.
I use root mainly for Adfree, SD-Maid, and Titanium Backup. I used to use Cerberus until the developer reneged on a lifetime subscription. I don't mess with the system apps much, but I do keep a few apps frozen except for the times when I seldom need them.
Magisk is the best way to root your phone as it still passes the SafetyNet check and google pay and banking apps continue to work. There is an excellent thread here on how to do it.
[Guide] How to root the Pixel 3a with or without twrp & take OTA updates once rooted
Every month, I "uninstall" magisk (which really just restores the original boot files) and sideload the latest update, then I install the magisk-patched boot.img and my phone is rooted again.
To be honest, I don't miss twrp at all. adb and fastboot are all that's needed. The backup in android 10 is perfectly sufficient.
This phone is practically impossible to brick. I love my Pixel 3a, except for the one problem I had when the bottom speaker died and I had to have it repaired under warranty at the local ubreakifix in less than an hour.
MrTooPhone said:
Thanks for the detailed reply. I am coming from a MotoG3 (rooted stock), a 2015 era phone. So a lot has changed. I really have not seen a mid range phone I really liked, so I jumped on the P3a when I heard the news they were being discontinued.
I use root mainly for Adfree, SD-Maid, and Titanium Backup. I used to use Cerberus until the developer reneged on a lifetime subscription. I don't mess with the system apps much, but I do keep a few apps frozen except for the times when I seldom need them.
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Yeah, I had that phone too It was pretty good for its time. I even replaced the screen once, but its really complicated on that phone... To your needs:
Adfree: you can setup a custom DNS server (i think it was adguards one) in the settings menu which will block all ads, so no real need anymore for adaway or root for this. Just google a bit.
Titanium backup: I does not work so well is what i heard and like said nowadays most apps backup over Google backup. With Android11 it will get even harder as /data partition is even more protected now. Not really worth it imho.
Froze system apps: Pixel Android is really barebones. The few apps which i dont need (like Google Music/Video PixelBuds app etc) you can just disable them in the settings. This will freeze them, its like uninstalling them, they wont show up at all.
SD Maid is great but only rooting it for using it, is not worth it. You can clear the cache of the apps which hoard a lot of data by yourself. Also, when you uninatll an app, it asks you if you want to delete your userdata as well. The phone takes care of the rest.
Cerberus: If you keep your bootloader locked, when your phone gets stolen, nobody can access your phone. Even if they reflash it, on first boot it will ask to login to the gmail last time set up. Theres no workaroud. Google aslo has a find my device thingy, wher you can track or delete your device remotly.
I would suggest to use your phone unrooted for some time, and if you really need to root it for something, you can still do it.
Welcome to team Pixel, mate!
(sorry my grammer im to lazy to double check it...)
@bejunk Just a not to say thanks again. I took your advice and did not root. However, I did flash with GrapheneOS and then re-locked the bootloader. Time will tell if I like it.