Database Info

May Update Help?

Google Store purchased, currently have root and twrp installed, bootloader unlocked.
I read briefly that to accept the new update and keep root, you have to mess with the bootloader? Is there some sort of simplified guide on this?

Thanks to chainfire, there is a guide for updating to may version and keep may bootloader.
First, you have to flash new factory image or sideload the ota
Let it reboot, now you lost recovery, custom kernel, root etc..
Reboot to bootloader and boot to twrp, flash supersu and the zip provided by chainfire for signing the bootloader
Reboot and you should have root with may update
If you want a custom kernel or twrp you should flash the zips and the verification tool, i didn't understand the right process for this, for me it looped a couple of times but after flashing those files a bunch of times in different orders it succesfully booted with no errors.
I'm currently running stock 7.1.2 may update with supersu 2.79 SR3, TWRP 3.0.1 RC1, franco kernel r15 with no errors, everything running perfectly

Where can we get the May ota download and a refresher on sideloading it? I've done that before but don't do it often enough to get through it quickly... currently running 7.1.2 / NHG47K on my Google bought Pixel which has been unlocked, and rooted. Though I've not installed TWRP, I can bootload into it fine....
My phone app has suddenly started acting all wonky, so I'd really like to update and see if that will help straighten things up.
Thanks for the assistance...

Got the May ota and will now sideload it. Where is this 'guide' that you mentioned Chainfire has setup to assist folks handling the May update?? I'd like, specifically, to get a copy of the zip file that signs the bootloader.
Thanks!!

I am wondering also. Still using NDE63P from October, wasn't aware we could take OTA's at all and keep root. Been having so many Bluetooth issues, it's worth a shot given their focus on it a month or so ago.

Well... up until this recent May ota release, it used to be pretty easy to simply download the latest Superuser zip file and re-install it on your phone, thereby re-establishing root access (assuming your phone is / was unlocked and rooted prior to taking the update). That is not the case going forward.... but I am still researching it.... follow along by looking here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/an...signing-boot-images-android-verified-t3600606

Oh wow, that's super easy. Sweet! Now I need to find out where the past OTA's are so I can flash all of those...
I'm going to give all that a try soon, if anyone following this thread needs help or has questions, feel free to reply here with them.
To dumb down that entire OP into the reason why it's needed: the OTA's being sent out up through April 2017 was just the OTA itself. In May, they started requiring them to be encrypted with a certificate, but didn't provide requirements on from whom the certificate comes from. This means that now, instead of just flashing the ZIP, you first encrypt it with your own certificate and then flash the result of that.
They mention the private keys can be discarded later, given they are generated for the sole purpose of uploading OTA's to the phone, I would think keeping them on the internal SD card of the phone itself would be suitable. Heck, zip those puppies up and email them to yourself, they're not being used for security, why not, right?

Try here: https://developers.google.com/android/ota
Just sideload the latest... you only need one

pstgh said:
... https://developers.google.com/android/ota
Just sideload the latest
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pstgh said:
... follow along by looking here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/an...signing-boot-images-android-verified-t3600606
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the first link is the ota repositories, download the zip of may, then put it in the adb folder, reboot to recovery, go in advanced menu and start sideload, without wipe cache or dalvik.
Then in cmd just type "adb sideload <name-of-the-ota.zip>"
Let it finish both steps and reboot, then you are ready to boot to twrp and flash supersu and the zip v3 from chainfire's thread for signin the bootloader.
That's it

Agree. Pro tip: after downloading the proper ota update, rename it to something simpler so you can more easily enter that adb sideload ota-filename.zip command!

pstgh said:
Agree. Pro tip: after downloading the proper ota update, rename it to something simpler so you can more easily enter that adb sideload ota-filename.zip command!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
better pro tip: tab auto completes the filename.

exad said:
better pro tip: tab auto completes the filename.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Expert pro tip: shift+right click the file, "Copy As Path", paste into the terminal.
(I use ConEmu, so right-clicking the terminal itself pastes what's on the clipboard; some Linux distros do this also Command Prompt I think right click is done on the title bar or some obscure thing like that, can't remember).

Expert pro tip: shift+right click the file, "Copy As Path", paste into the terminal. -
I like this one but when I tried it, fyi, it pastes the path with quote marks on either end.... which is burdensome

Quotes are accepted in the adb commands. Without them, each space in the path is interpreted as an argument delimiter.
adb some-command C:\Program Files\Some-Program\Main.exe
passes "C:\Program" and "Files\Some-Program\Main.exe" as two different arguments to adb. Surrounding​ it with quotes instead allows adb to use the full path correctly. Common practice with command-line apps, although not universally supported.
It does work with adb/fastboot though, just did it a couple days ago to upgrade my Huawei Watch with the Wear 2.0 OTA that it kept failing to detect was available.

[HELP] Features Missing after unlocking bootloader

Well although I planned to unlock bootloader after a few months I decided to grab the opportunity when unlock page started working and with the ultimatum by Huawei about providing unlock codes, but ever since I unlocked and fixed multiple boot loops I noticed few apps and features are now missing such as
HiFi Huawei sounds in Settings is gone
Unable to change or apply themes
smart remote Control is now gone,
Phone no longer stay awake while looking at it
There might be more stuff missing which I haven't noticed
I mean it feels absurd I just unlocked bootloader why are these stuffs missing this makes no sense to me, all I did is installed twrp, installed magisk no modules nothing, in fact, my favorite mods are giving boot loops anyway but that aside I do need the above things back please help out a friend, anyone else faced this ?
I have a theory like Miui had a "region" option and apps changes according to regions set. So does something like this happens in EMUI as well, I don't remember exactly but I believe I set region/language as the UK while completing the setup, if so how can I change it back(PS: I live in India)
or its the side effect of root perhaps?
PHONE: HONOR VIEW 10
Current EMUI ver:8.0
Varient:BKL-09(C675D2)
Current Version of Update:8.0.0.140

(--light--) said:
Well although I planned to unlock bootloader after a few months I decided to grab the opportunity when unlock page started working and with the ultimatum by Huawei about providing unlock codes, but ever since I unlocked and fixed multiple boot loops I noticed few apps and features are now missing such as
HiFi Huawei sounds in Settings is gone
Unable to change or apply themes
smart remote Control is now gone,
Phone no longer stay awake while looking at it
There might be more stuff missing which I haven't noticed
I mean it feels absurd I just unlocked bootloader why are these stuffs missing this makes no sense to me, all I did is installed twrp, installed magisk no modules nothing, in fact, my favorite mods are giving boot loops anyway but that aside I do need the above things back please help out a friend, anyone else faced this ?
I have a theory like Miui had a "region" option and apps changes according to regions set. So does something like this happens in EMUI as well, I don't remember exactly but I believe I set region/language as the UK while completing the setup, if so how can I change it back(PS: I live in India)
or its the side effect of root perhaps?
PHONE: HONOR VIEW 10
Current EMUI ver:8.0
Varient:BKL-09(C675D2)
Current Version of Update:8.0.0.140
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow well I expected a better response from the community or some response for sure.. Well turns out these all apks were in data partition, so they got removed when phone storage was formatted, makes sense now
Extracted the apks and pushed them myself... Features are back

(--light--) said:
Wow well I expected a better response from the community or some response for sure.. Well turns out these all apks were in data partition, so they got removed when phone storage was formatted, makes sense now
Extracted the apks and pushed them myself... Features are back
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No idea what kind of issues you had, but none of those vanished after unlocking my bootloader.
I've been able to use themes just like before, the display stays on when I look at it and those Huawei sounds in settings are still there as well. No idea about the remote since I never used it anyway.
So idk what went wrong on your phone but it doesn't look like that's anything "normal"

Help please !
Bro, can you please please please extract upload C675 system.img stock so that I can come back on stock?
(--light--) said:
Wow well I expected a better response from the community or some response for sure.. Well turns out these all apks were in data partition, so they got removed when phone storage was formatted, makes sense now
Extracted the apks and pushed them myself... Features are back
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

oreopie said:
Bro, can you please please please extract upload C675 system.img stock so that I can come back on stock?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
c675 firmware is now available in firmware finder , but if u still need it let me know , i'll try upload it

Nimueh said:
No idea what kind of issues you had, but none of those vanished after unlocking my bootloader.
I've been able to use themes just like before, the display stays on when I look at it and those Huawei sounds in settings are still there as well. No idea about the remote since I never used it anyway.
So idk what went wrong on your phone but it doesn't look like that's anything "normal"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am guessing it as per different variant, perhaps in mine these apk were in the data partition, Microsoft translator was missing as well
I pushed those apks extracting from firmware to the system partition and its back to normal

You are a savior then !
Yes bro, please upload it. It would be a pleasure for me and several others. I'm dying to get that.
(--light--) said:
c675 firmware is now available in firmware finder , but if u still need it let me know , i'll try upload it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

oreopie said:
Yes bro, please upload it. It would be a pleasure for me and several others. I'm dying to get that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just realized the firmware on firmware finder seems rather incomplete, update.app is just 300 MB or so, no way it contains full system.img
so am gonna have to take twrp backup b ready for 3gb download, anything else u want other than the system?

From LOS to Stock
Thats not a problem bro, have a 50mbps 250gb monthly plan in broadband. Wanted you to know that I am coming from LOS to stock as much as I know it would require only system.img. But if you think anything else would be required, then please upload that too, as I have only the stock recovery and nothing else.
Thanks for your help !

oreopie said:
Thats not a problem bro, have a 50mbps 250gb monthly plan in broadband. Wanted you to know that I am coming from LOS to stock as much as I know it would require only system.img. But if you think anything else would be required, then please upload that too, as I have only the stock recovery and nothing else.
Thanks for your help !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_Boc9uk2CwrHzBgE-ljexntxuac9GOs0
here you go, its rar5 with high compression so PC is recommended for unzipping,
after unzip paste in twrp folder and restore

So i have to flash system image in fastboot i'm not wrong.. ? How to flash this zip ? Should i extract image from this ??
(--light--) said:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_Boc9uk2CwrHzBgE-ljexntxuac9GOs0
here you go, its rar5 with high compression so PC is recommended for unzipping,
after unzip paste in twrp folder and restore
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

oreopie said:
So i have to flash system image in fastboot i'm not wrong.. ? How to flash this zip ? Should i extract image from this ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it is not flashable, just extract the content of the zip,
paste it in the twrp folder of the phone and use restore option of twrp

(--light--) said:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_Boc9uk2CwrHzBgE-ljexntxuac9GOs0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mate, thank you for this upload. I am also having the same problems(C675). You are a life saver.
1. Could you please elaborate the steps in detail, where to place system.img in twrp folder(In Internal or sd card)?
2. Also what is the version u have uploaded mate(8.0.0.140/8.0.0.151)?
3. Also can you upload ramdisk, kernel, stock recovery also?
4. Is there any way to get FULLOTA-MF for India as provided in other regions?
Thank you.

I flashed it bro but no network.
I think I need radio/modem files.
Could you please upload? I'm waiting.
oreopie said:
So i have to flash system image in fastboot i'm not wrong.. ? How to flash this zip ? Should i extract image from this ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

oreopie said:
I flashed it bro but no network.
I think I need radio/modem files.
Could you please upload? I'm waiting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CzhlQcv6Ck-gzTTmk55D1NUUc0241EKi/view?usp=sharing
here you go , rest of the partitions
Do the same unzip in PC- Copy all these files inside twrp backup folder, go to twrp and use restore option hopefully it will work
this is 140 update backup I haven't received 151 officially due to unknown reasons, but I had made changes to my system partition so it contains almost all new features and fixes of 151 except the 3D creator cam,
3D creator is in my data partition which i did not backup

Hey, Are you sure taking restore of this one alongwith previous one will do the job ? I guess imei resides in efs partition which I cannot see here. Can you confirm this once please ?
and thanks for your time and effort bro
(--light--) said:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CzhlQcv6Ck-gzTTmk55D1NUUc0241EKi/view?usp=sharing
here you go , rest of the partitions
Do the same unzip in PC- Copy all these files inside twrp backup folder, go to twrp and use restore option hopefully it will work
this is 140 update backup I haven't received 151 officially due to unknown reasons, but I had made changes to my system partition so it contains almost all new features and fixes of 151 except the 3D creator cam,
3D creator is in my data partition which i did not backup
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

(--light--) said:
Wow well I expected a better response from the community or some response for sure.. Well turns out these all apks were in data partition, so they got removed when phone storage was formatted, makes sense now
Extracted the apks and pushed them myself... Features are back
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, could you share how did you manage to extract the apks? I downloaded the firmware using the Firmware Finder and found the HwRemoteController.apk but when I try to install it via adb I get a signature failure.

Mate, thank you for this upload.
1. Is there any way to get FULLOTA-MF for India as provided in other regions?
2. How to install the latest update with root?. Is there any solution available?

Jorooo87 said:
Hey, could you share how did you manage to extract the apks? I downloaded the firmware using the Firmware Finder and found the HwRemoteController.apk but when I try to install it via adb I get a signature failure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
U need to place them directly in /system/app
Or /data/apps and give permission rw-r--r--
Or try signing the apk it should work I guess if libs are not there

oreopie said:
Hey, Are you sure taking restore of this one alongwith previous one will do the job ? I guess imei resides in efs partition which I cannot see here. Can you confirm this once please ?
and thanks for your time and effort bro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take your own backup first... Try installing only one partition at time... To be honest this EMUI is very new to me... Dont know y they made so many different partitions
Or maybe it's a kirin's thing... I should have just gone with Op5t like rest of the world... Its just chaos and confusion here

[Guide] How to get rid of force encryption/dm-verity on Huawei MediaPad T3 10 (AGS-W0

I was frustrated by the huawei encryption and decided to get rid of it once and for all.
At first I faced many bootloops but i finally figured out what was going on. Formatting user data through TWRP is not enough because after booting the device, encryption is still there. This happens because the kernel encrypts the device when booting up. Simply modifying the boot.img file to remove file encryption also doesn't work because you still boot into an already encrypted stock user data. So the answer was pretty obvious by now.
The trick is to format data using TWRP AND THEN boot to bootloader to flash a modified boot without encryption. So let's get to it.
How to create a modified boot.img without file encryption/dm-verity
1. Find and download your current firmware from Huawei Firmware Finder Dtabase (Team MT), or from a source that you trust. (Using a firmware with different cust version or a different update will most likely not work).
2. Download Huawei Update Extractor and use it to extract the stock boot.img file from UPDATE.APP
3. Download ASSAYYED_KITCHEN.
4. Place your stock boot.img file in the "WORK" folder of ASSAYYED_KITCHEN.
5. Launch ASSAYYED and select the 12th option (KERNEL/RECOVERY MENU) and then the 1st one (Unpacking Kernel).
6. The ASSAYYED options don't work for me so i did it manually. Go to your work folder and open the folder boot_unpacked\ramdisk.
7. You will see a file named "fstab.qcom", open it using WordPad.
8. Find the line:
Code:
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/userdata /data f2fs nosuid,nodev,noatime,discard,inline_data,inline_xattr wait,check,fileencryption
and delete ",fileencryption".It should now look like that:
Code:
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/userdata /data f2fs nosuid,nodev,noatime,discard,inline_data,inline_xattr wait,check
9. (This step is optional,follow it only if you also want dm-verity removed) Use the same method to remove dm-verity.
Code:
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/system /system ext4 ro,barrier=1 wait, verify
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/vendor /vendor ext4 ro,barrier=1 wait, verify
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/product /product ext4 ro,barrier=1 wait, verify
(Just delete the ",verify" part.)
10. Save the file.
11. Launch ASSAYYED and select the 12th option (KERNEL/RECOVERY MENU) and then the 2nd one (Packing Kernel).
12. Follow the instructions below to properly flash your modified boot.img and get rid of encryption.
Removing file encryption/dm-verity from the device
1. Unlock your device.
2. Flash this TWRP on AGS-W09 or the appropriate custom recovery for your device.
3. Boot to TWRP and FORMAT user data (note that it is very important to format data and not just wipe it). •WARNING• this will delete all your data!
4. Go back to the reboot menu of TWRP and select reboot booloader (it's important to not allow your device to boot into system yet).
5. Using fastboot, flash your modified boot.img that you created earlier.
6. Reboot your device (you might get a bootloop on the first boot but force rebooting your device again by holding the power button will fix that).
7. After booting up, your device should not be encrypted anymore.
8. You can now use the root method that you like to root your device and internal storage should be visible on TWRP. TWRP backup should also work normally.
How to fix Magisk modules not showing up on Magisk Manager (! /data/adb/magisk_merge.img mount failed error)
I am not going to get into the technical staff you can find more info here
Edit: As of Magisk 19.0, the following method becomes obsolete. Magisk modules should now work as expected without issues. This method now concerns those who want to stick to an older version of Magisk
1. Download f2fsfix-2018.9.2.zip provided by VR25 on the thread above.
2. Download all the magisk modules that you need to flash and place them on your device.
3. Download the latest Magisk uninstaller along with the latest installer.
4. Boot to TWRP and flash Magisk uninstaller. (If you don't have Magisk already installed, skip this step)
5. Wipe Davlik Cache.
6. Install the latest Magisk.
7. Wipe Davlik Cache.
8. Flash the "f2fsfix-2018.9.2.zip" immediately followed by your modules.
9. Reboot (it should take more than usual).
10. Open Magisk Manager and check your Modules. Hopefully they'll show as installed and function correctly.
Note: This method should also work on similar devices. Just make sure you know how to recover your device in case something goes wrong.

I can confirm this worked for me. I was able to run a full nandroid, but haven't tried to restore. Wasn't running any magisk modules, so haven't tried that part of the guide. Flashed Xposed in TRWP and installed greenify, etc Seems to be working. So far no errors. Be warned, this is like a restore. You'll be starting from scratch again.
Also thanks for the boot image trick Thanostsak. I couldn't find stock fimware for my version (AGS-L03) anywhere. He suggested to use the Magisk's boot image backup. Worked like a charm. Still looking for AGS-L03 stock if anyone has one, knows where to get one please post!

TRS_80 said:
I can confirm this worked for me. I was able to run a full nandroid, but haven't tried to restore. Wasn't running any magisk modules, so haven't tried that part of the guide. Flashed Xposed in TRWP and installed greenify, etc Seems to be working. So far no errors. Be warned, this is like a restore. You'll be starting from scratch again.
Also thanks for the boot image trick Thanostsak. I couldn't find stock fimware for my version (AGS-L03) anywhere. He suggested to use the Magisk's boot image backup. Worked like a charm. Still looking for AGS-L03 stock if anyone has one, knows where to get one please post!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad it worked for you. Yes this is the downside. The device already comes with an encrypted userdata, so it needs to be formatted. So anything you do before that becomes obsolete. That's why this procedure is much more convenient when it happens after the unlock,when the userdata is wiped by the stock recovery to get a stock condition.

AGS-L09 LTE
I just followed your detailed guide to my tablet and finished all the processes perfectly.
Working..Twrp, Magisk, removed encryption & verify from boot.img and from Data successfully.
A big THANKS for your guide, links and trick all in one post!!!!.

Thanks for the info.
I am new to android (but have jailbroken iOS for years).
I have received a Huawei MediaPad T3 AGS-W09 (AGS-W09C100B278) today.
I have managed to unlock and install TWRP 3.2.1 but also want to install SuperSU, but of course the filesystem is encrypted, which brings me here.
I have searched all over for Huawei MediaPad T3 AGS-W09 (AGS-W09C100B278) firmware which contains boot.img but cannot find it. Even the rom on the AGS-W09 thread on this forum doesnt contain the .img file. Am I missing something ?
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks again

mr_fingy said:
Thanks for the info.
I am new to android (but have jailbroken iOS for years).
I have received a Huawei MediaPad T3 AGS-W09 (AGS-W09C100B278) today.
I have managed to unlock and install TWRP 3.2.1 but also want to install SuperSU, but of course the filesystem is encrypted, which brings me here.
I have searched all over for Huawei MediaPad T3 AGS-W09 (AGS-W09C100B278) firmware which contains boot.img but cannot find it. Even the rom on the AGS-W09 thread on this forum doesnt contain the .img file. Am I missing something ?
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I strongly suggest using Magisk to root your device instead of SuperSU. The good thing about Magisk is that everything happens systemlessly, so it doesn't matter if the kernel is encrypted in order of it to work. If you still want to use SuperSU though, my guide should provide all the info you need.
To answer your question you can find two OTA firmware updates for your device here. If that doesn't work (if the OTA updates don't include the boot.img file ) i will let you know how to use magisk to get a copy of your current boot.img

Thanostsak said:
I strongly suggest using Magisk to root your device instead of SuperSU. The good thing about Magisk is that everything happens systemlessly, so it doesn't matter if the kernel is encrypted in order of it to work. If you still want to use SuperSU though, my guide should provide all the info you need.
To answer your question you can find two OTA firmware updates for your device . If that doesn't work (if the OTA updates don't include the boot.img file ) i will let you know how to use magisk to get a copy of your current boot.img
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info.
I have been looking down the Magisk avenue too.
My plan is, decrypt is then root it.
I did download those firmware files earlier but as you say, no .img files.
I have tried to follow a guide on youtube from rootjunky but got as far as running the info gathering piece to gather mount points, but it fell over. Don;t know if thats because I was using adb sideloading via TWRP .. ?
I attempted to run the commands from the batch file direct but no joy.
It would be really appreciated if you could point me to a guide to extract the img. It's my day 1 of this device and Android (already voided warranty from Amazon within 1 hour ha) but as I say, I have experience in most of what is needed from my iOS jailbreaking and bringing phones back from bootloops and the brink of bricks.
When you mention rooting with Magisk .. Can that be achieved in the state my device is in now, which is TWRP'd but encrypted ?
I also notice the "Ultimate Backup Tool, No Root Required" thread (cant put URL's yet as I'm a n00b member). Could that export my boot.img ?
I am done for today. I am working from home and it the device got delivered at 9:30 ish. I was hacking around with it all day and did about 20 min work. I'm fried now :-O
Thanks again

mr_fingy said:
Thanks for the info.
I have been looking down the Magisk avenue too.
My plan is, decrypt is then root it.
I did download those firmware files earlier but as you say, no .img files.
I have tried to follow a guide on youtube from rootjunky but got as far as running the info gathering piece to gather mount points, but it fell over. Don;t know if thats because I was using adb sideloading via TWRP .. ?
I attempted to run the commands from the batch file direct but no joy.
It would be really appreciated if you could point me to a guide to extract the img. It's my day 1 of this device and Android (already voided warranty from Amazon within 1 hour ha) but as I say, I have experience in most of what is needed from my iOS jailbreaking and bringing phones back from bootloops and the brink of bricks.
When you mention rooting with Magisk .. Can that be achieved in the state my device is in now, which is TWRP'd but encrypted ?
I also notice the "Ultimate Backup Tool, No Root Required" thread (cant put URL's yet as I'm a n00b member). Could that export my boot.img ?
I am done for today. I am working from home and it the device got delivered at 9:30 ish. I was hacking around with it all day and did about 20 min work. I'm fried now :-O
Thanks again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get what you are saying. Going from iOS to android is a big step. Since the firmware files don't contain the boot.img and having in mind that you want to decrypt, getting a boot.img file is a must.
There are ways to get the boot.img without root but the ones i tried don't work. But there is an easy way that i know of that requires installing Magisk. When you flash Magisk from TWRP it roots your device. However, apart from rooting it also creates a backup of your boot.img in case something goes wrong.
Decrypting requires formatting your device, so Magisk will be removed too. So its only purpose for now is to provide you with a boot.img file.
Here is what you need to do
1. Download the latest magisk installer from the magisk threat
2. Save the file in your SD card (internal storage is encrypted)
3. Flash the Magisk installer from TWRP
4. Boot your device and navigate to /data
5. There should be a stock boot_xxx.img.gs file in there. Copy it to your storage, move it to a computer and extract it. You should get a boot.img file that you could use to decrypt.
6. Follow my guide to decrypt the boot.img and then flash it from bootloader
7. Since your device is now formatted from the decryption, you can choose the root method that you like.

Thanostsak said:
I get what you are saying. Going from iOS to android is a big step. Since the firmware files don't contain the boot.img and having in mind that you want to decrypt, getting a boot.img file is a must.
There are ways to get the boot.img without root but the ones i tried don't work. But there is an easy way that i know of that requires installing Magisk. When you flash Magisk from TWRP it roots your device. However, apart from rooting it also creates a backup of your boot.img in case something goes wrong.
Decrypting requires formatting your device, so Magisk will be removed too. So its only purpose for now is to provide you with a boot.img file.
Here is what you need to do
1. Download the latest magisk installer from the magisk threat
2. Save the file in your SD card (internal storage is encrypted)
3. Flash the Magisk installer from TWRP
4. Boot your device and navigate to /data
5. There should be a stock boot_xxx.img.gs file in there. Copy it to your storage, move it to a computer and extract it. You should get a boot.img file that you could use to decrypt.
6. Follow my guide to decrypt the boot.img and then flash it from bootloader
7. Since your device is now formatted from the decryption, you can choose the root method that you like.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Makes total sense. I just installed Magisk now from SD, thing is, the only spare SD I had was 128MB !! So I dont know if the .img was saved correctly. I will look into it tomorrow. My other large SD is corrupted but I have a 32GB one in the dashcam I will use tomorrow.
That leads me to a question. Is the auto created .img saved on the card or the internal storage ? I am assuming its card but I could not see it.
Will look more tomorrow.
Thanks

mr_fingy said:
Makes total sense. I just installed Magisk now from SD, thing is, the only spare SD I had was 128MB !! So I dont know if the .img was saved correctly. I will look into it tomorrow. My other large SD is corrupted but I have a 32GB one in the dashcam I will use tomorrow.
That leads me to a question. Is the auto created .img saved on the card or the internal storage ? I am assuming its card but I could not see it.
Will look more tomorrow.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is actually on the internal storage. Now that you are rooted you can use a root file explorer to get it. (128mb should be enough for this task)

Thanostsak said:
It is actually on the internal storage. Now that you are rooted you can use a root file explorer to get it. (128mb should be enough for this task)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On it now before work
Extracted stock_boot_(IDremoved).img.gz which contains the img
Will run your guide against this img
---------- Post added at 09:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:33 AM ----------
All done. Nice and easy
No issues other than sweaty palms on Huawei long boot screen after flash :silly:
No reboot loop and no Magisk errors
Much appreciated for the help

Correction,
Magisk is giving the the errors when installing modules.
Followed your guide and all good

mr_fingy said:
Correction,
Magisk is giving the the errors when installing modules.
Followed your guide and all good
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great! If you need anything feel free to ask.

Well... I followed your steps to remove force encryption and install Magisk, everything seems to be perfect. The Magisk and modules are funtional. However after reboot all modules are dispeared, but magisk is still recognized by magisk manager. I don't know where is the problem...
Model: AGS-W09
f2sffix version: 2018.10.9
magisk version: 17.2 (At first I used the latest 18.0 version, but after this problem appeared, I noticed that f2sffix-20181009 only support magisk version 17.2 or older, so I retry your method with magisk 17.2, but the problem remains.)

TimYuan said:
Well... I followed your steps to remove force encryption and install Magisk, everything seems to be perfect. The Magisk and modules are funtional. However after reboot all modules are dispeared, but magisk is still recognized by magisk manager. I don't know where is the problem...
Model: AGS-W09
f2sffix version: 2018.10.9
magisk version: 17.2 (At first I used the latest 18.0 version, but after this problem appeared, I noticed that f2sffix-20181009 only support magisk version 17.2 or older, so I retry your method with magisk 17.2, but the problem remains.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should use the latest version of f2sffix (10.9) and then follow the procedure again. After your first boot follow VR25's recommendation and you should be good to go.
VR25 said:
Those getting everything broken after a second reboot, try the following workaround...
After the first reboot (right after installing), remove </sbin/.core/img/f2fs*bla*bla/service.sh>, </data/adb/magisk_merge.img> and </cache/magisk_merge_.img>.
Note that after doing this, you'll only be able to install modules and update Magisk from TWRP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Thanostsak said:
You should use the latest version of f2sffix (10.9) and then follow the procedure again. After your first boot follow VR25's recommendation and you should be good to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It works!!! You are my hero!

TimYuan said:
It works!!! You are my hero!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad it worked for you.
Kudos to VR25 for making this amazing module even though he is not personally benefited by it.

Thanostsak said:
Glad it worked for you.
Kudos to VR25 for making this amazing module even though he is not personally benefited by it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what if there is no fstab.qcom in kernel but stored in vendor/etc partition?
i've already edited the fstab, but still my system partition become ro (read only) when i made a change in system. all file manager error even previously has root.
please take a look at attachment . thanks in advance

an-_-dro said:
what if there is no fstab.qcom in kernel but stored in vendor/etc partition?
i've already edited the fstab, but still my system partition become ro (read only) when i made a change in system. all file manager error even previously has root.
please take a look at attachment . thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe that what you are missing is after changing forceencrypt=footer into encryptable=footer you should also do a full data format through TWRP.

Thanostsak said:
I believe that what you are missing is after changing forceencrypt=footer into encryptable=footer you should also do a full data format through TWRP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
encryption is not a problem. since the first place already done with that data partition.
my problem is system partition, every time i made a change to system (for example deleting chrome.apk), something triggered that makes my system weird (magisk forceclose, all file manager become malfunction because system become read only). something lock my system partition if system change.
i thought change fstab.qcom <mnt_flags and options> ro,errors=panic to >> errors=continue (deleting ro/read only) will change my system behaviour, but it's not

Samsung Xcover 4 SM-G390F Root Magisk + TWRP +Disable Encryption Oreo/Pie (2019/2020)

Hi,
Finally I had time to finish my work on Xcover 4. I couldn't disable ForceEncryption by any flashable tool so I prepared 2 version of firmware (Oreo and Pie), both prerooted (Magisk) and free from Force Encryption. Everything except boot.img left untouched, both ROMs are BTU so no brand.
Just flash it with Odin 3.13.3. I recommend to flash CSC_BTU instead of HOME_CSC_BTU. HOME BTU should work as well but then probably You gonna have to format data with TWRP. CSC_BTU is already tested and there are no problems with Encryption.
After flashing just install Lastest Magisk Manager. SafetyNet Passed.
Oreo: G390FXXU4BSB3_BTU_G390FBTU4BSC1_Patched_By_Chamelleon
Code:
https://mega.nz/#!ONoFTIhD!rBOhDR0j874zpyeLiDVwfwOcodRi5OhdxyF0ZTRMslE
PIE: G390FXXU4CSF9_BTU_G390FBTU4CSFA_Patched_by_Chamelleon
Code:
https://mega.nz/#!XBhnRCCY!_IOOtXcLsGZQfVY17JD4YxxzaAWJqy2NoxVSrsJRs5M
If You need TWRP (not necessary to flash this ROMs) flash this version:
TWRP: TWRP-3.1.1_SM-G390F_by_nemo-nemo
Code:
https://mega.nz/#!DIo1SSBT!w4dPPAF3BEcfQmsy7mANO33Lb5Gj4jzDkrrPfbH56uo
Working on both versions, Oreo and Pie. I didn't test backup and recovery options but flashing is working on both. ADB and MTP are not working.
To remove Security Log Agent notifications use SecurityLogAgent Disable. It will disable this annoying app completely.

Hello!
Can you explain because i would like only to root my phone in oreo 8.1 without losing apps and data. Is it possible with your method?
thank you for your answer.

Would anyone happen to know if I can use TWRP for SM-G390F's on SM-G390W's? (the only differences I know of between them are the supported LTE frequencies)

You can try to flash it, just backup your data and if something goes wrong just flash it with back with stock firmware.

Updated main thread

Hi mates
very interesting matter. Will like to make it from a ubuntu 18.04 system? Did someone had tried it ?

Yea, it's a normal ROM so you can flash it with Heimdal.

Chamelleon said:
Yea, it's a normal ROM so you can flash it with Heimdal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you C for this fast answer .
Here is the second point :
IS this rom free from google , I mean enough
And the third
any visible amelioration from the XCOV 2 Model in battery standing . I do not care about photos for my purpose .
Only memory, increased by SD, and lasting time

It's completely stock rom without any modifications except integrated Magisk and disabled force encryption. Rest is untouched.

I don't understand what file I should use to flash with Odin.. in the link you posted sends to a download of a zip file of almost 2gb in which there are many files, so from those files which one should I set in Odin?

Flash it like any other stock ROM:
BL file in BL
AP file in AP
CP file in CP
CSC_BTU file in CSC

Everything works great:]
Thanks man.

Hi Chamelleon and thanks for all the effort you've made already!
I successfully flashed the Pie variant of the two ROMs and got it to work. However, turned out that in an app that I'm developing, for some reason, when my device is equipped with G390FXXU4CSF9_BTU_G390FBTU4CSFA, the app doesn't behave in the same way as when G390FXXU4CSF9_ G390FXEO4CSFA has been installed. That's why I would like to be able to root the XEO-version of the firmware. Moreover, there will be many other non-rooted devices equipped with the XEO-version using the app in the near future.
Having flashed my device with G390FXXU4CSF9_ G390FXEO4CSFA, I tried installing the version of TWRP you have provided but I can't figure out how to install Magisk from there. By default, TWRP can't find the Magisk zip-file that I push onto the device. I tried formatting data, as per this post. The post lead me to believe that the files could be found after formatting but even though there were now plenty of TWRP-related folders, I couldn't find the zip. And as ADB and MTP don't seem to work in recovery mode, I'm unable to get the zip file on board after formatting. Booting to system doesn't work either after allowing modifications for TWRP, which might be due to dm-verity preventing boot, but franky I don't understand much of that topic.
You mentioned that you couldn't disable Force Encryption with any flashable tool. Is that the reason why TWRP (or any other tool) couldn't reach the zip file for Magisk?
This is the first time I've attempted rooting a phone so my knowledge regarding the topic is pretty basic.
So I suppose preparing a prerooted and Force Encryption free version of the firmware might be a possibility? I have no idea how to patch a ROM though. Any advice on how to proceed?

Hi, I had no time to play with this during Christmas. If you send me your boot.img I can modify it for you. If You just flash magisk with TWRP it will root your phone but after first reboot whole data partition will be encrypted again and you wont be able to flash anything with twrp or modify data partition without full wipe. For some unknown reason this and probably more Samsung models have different structure of files responsible for encryption and because of this none of pre-made patches are working. Only manual kernel modification can safe from encryption, at least for now.
I'm not a developer so I don't know how to prepare patch for this to allow anyone to flash it, I just found few lines of code in kernel You need to modify to disable encryption.

Chamelleon said:
Hi, I had no time to play with this during Christmas. If you send me your boot.img I can modify it for you. If You just flash magisk with TWRP it will root your phone but after first reboot whole data partition will be encrypted again and you wont be able to flash anything with twrp or modify data partition without full wipe. For some unknown reason this and probably more Samsung models have different structure of files responsible for encryption and because of this none of pre-made patches are working. Only manual kernel modification can safe from encryption, at least for now.
I'm not a developer so I don't know how to prepare patch for this to allow anyone to flash it, I just found few lines of code in kernel You need to modify to disable encryption.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I really appreciate the help!
I sent the boot.img to your paypal donation email. Let me know if you want me to send it to you some other way.

How to flash firmware on linux?
I know that i have to use heimdall but how to load these files into the program because filenames say basically nothing to me.
Thanks in advance.
Also does it delete user data?

SpurguX said:
Hi, I really appreciate the help!
I sent the boot.img to your paypal donation email. Let me know if you want me to send it to you some other way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Flash clean ROM, same as boot you send me)
2. Enable OEM Unlock in Developer settings
3. Flash patched boot with Odin as AP/PDA.
4. Install Magisk Manager app
5. Install TWRP and format data partition, option where you need to type "YES"
6. Reboot system and then back to TWRP. If you can mount data and there are no errors it's done.
AndroidBroker said:
How to flash firmware on linux?
I know that i have to use heimdall but how to load these files into the program because filenames say basically nothing to me.
Thanks in advance.
Also does it delete user data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry but I never had a chance to use Heimdall. You can't dirty flash this because when your phone is encrypted and you can't replace kernel corrupting data.

But do I lose my data(Apps settings etc.)?
I'm OK with setting everything up back ,but it would be cool if it kept data.
(I'm going to use other computer that has windows on it btw, and I'm going to flash it with odin)

If your data partition is encrypted you gonna corrupt it by changing kernel. It means You wont be able to access, so yes, you will loose it.

What you mean by encryption some option in the Android or what?
If that's what you mean I haven't set up anything like this

[OTA] [DUMP] [BOOT] 10.0.15.0 original and magisk patched

original
boot_10.0.15.0.img
magisk patched
patched_boot_10.0.15.0.img

Thank you, but do you have 10.0.14.0 stock boot img?

Frano35 said:
Thank you, but do you have 10.0.14.0 stock boot img?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can find it somewhere in the forums.

yashinodon said:
You can find it somewhere in the forums.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I found it, but I rushed with my questions, found them 2 minutes later. My bad

thanks dude

psyriccio said:
original
boot_10.0.15.0.img
magisk patched
patched_boot_10.0.15.0.img
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any guides about how you got these boot images?

yashinodon said:
Any guides about how you got these boot images?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I updated the real device.
Unlocked the bootloader.
Booted into TWRP recovery (via fastboot).
Dumped the boot partition.
Patched image using Magisk Manager v20

psyriccio said:
I updated the real device.
Unlocked the bootloader.
Booted into TWRP recovery (via fastboot).
Dumped the boot partition.
Patched image using Magisk Manager v20
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never thought of this method. Thanks for sharing.

psyriccio said:
I updated the real device.
Unlocked the bootloader.
Booted into TWRP recovery (via fastboot).
Dumped the boot partition.
Patched image using Magisk Manager v20
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
may i ask what TWRP did you use and how did you decrypt the device?

barumbads said:
may i ask what TWRP did you use and how did you decrypt the device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
twrp-3.2.3-0-daisy.img
fastboot boot ./twrp-3.2.3-0.daisy.img
boot partition not crypted
I use OTG-connector with USB flash drive to store backup of boot partition

psyriccio said:
original
boot_10.0.15.0.img
magisk patched
patched_boot_10.0.15.0.img
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Question, just to be sure... the boot_10.0.15.0.img you upload is about 64mb, last 10.0.14.0.img is 27mb or I am missing something or the original boot from 14 to 15 increased its size?
Thanks

sebadamus said:
Question, just to be sure... the boot_10.0.15.0.img you upload is about 64mb, last 10.0.14.0.img is 27mb or I am missing something or the original boot from 14 to 15 increased its size?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The partition is 64Mb. If you extract from the partition that's the size file you get.
If you decode the image you can find its actual size and truncate it. That's a bit nontrivial, but definitely possible.
If you get Magisk Manager to patch a file, it does this and you get a 27Mb file.
It does not hurt to flash "extra" data after the image so the only reason to truncate the image is to save space. My PC has 100Gb or more for various phone files, space is of no concern to me

a1291762 said:
The partition is 64Mb. If you extract from the partition that's the size file you get.
If you decode the image you can find its actual size and truncate it. That's a bit nontrivial, but definitely possible.
If you get Magisk Manager to patch a file, it does this and you get a 27Mb file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi! I’m on Mi A2 lite and curious about the procedure to extract the boot.img. Can you explain it to me?
I know that there are 64 MB boot.img, which I believe are created by making a backup of the entire boot partition, using the TWRP via fastboot. Then these boot.img are reliable too, because they aren't modified in some way by the installation of the TWRP. Right? But I can't really know if the TWRP was used via fastboot or installed on the phone, so I think it's better to always use boot.img of about 30 MB.
Sorry for my bad English!

DekiS3 said:
Hi! I’m on Mi A2 lite and curious about the procedure to extract the boot.img. Can you explain it to me?
...
I think it's better to always use boot.img of about 30 MB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A certain paranoia is warranted. I do not trust random boot.img files from the internet. I would rather patch my own image. Most people do not seem to care enough to take the time to do things themselves, and will happily use files someone has uploaded to simplify things.
I am a longtime Linux/Unix user so I know my way around a command line, partitions, filesystems, etc.
This phone has a large number of partitions, including one for the boot image. It's possible to identify the current (A/B) from fastboot or a running system. That let's me identify the current or other partition.
The dd command is a low-level command to read and write data. It's commonly used to make a raw backup of a disk or partition. To extract the boot image I tell dd to read from the boot partition and write to a file. I do a vanilla backup after installing the OTA but before reboot, which means the other boot partition. After installing Magisk, I backup the current boot partition (which will be the same one, since the OTA changes A/B).
Because it is a low-level tool, dd does not understand what it is copying. Either you tell it how much data to read, or it reads until it runs out of data. That's why my boot backups are 64Mb, it's how much data dd reads.
If you have root, you can run dd from the phone (I normally use adb for easier typing). Otherwise, you can run it from TWRP.
I think TWRP may have partition backup stuff that provides a GUI around dd but given my history, I'd rather use the dd tool I'm already familiar with.
If you want to see exactly what I do, see my Advanced OTA guide on this forum.
Hope that helps explain things for you.

a1291762 said:
The partition is 64Mb. If you extract from the partition that's the size file you get.
If you decode the image you can find its actual size and truncate it. That's a bit nontrivial, but definitely possible.
If you get Magisk Manager to patch a file, it does this and you get a 27Mb file.
It does not hurt to flash "extra" data after the image so the only reason to truncate the image is to save space. My PC has 100Gb or more for various phone files, space is of no concern to me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, V10.0.16.0 patched boot image isn't already up. Can you please make it and upload it?? :angel:
Thanks!

benropo said:
Hi, V10.0.16.0 patched boot image isn't already up. Can you please make it and upload it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I posted this on https://forum.xda-developers.com/mi-a2-lite/help/magisk-november-update-t4003283
https://yasmar.net/xda/patched_boot_10.0.16.0_201.img.gz
https://yasmar.net/xda/vanilla_boot_10.0.16.0.img.gz
As the name hopefully implies, this is patched with Magisk 20.1

By flashing this would my device be eligible to receive the stock OTA Android One release of Android 10 once it's released?
Thanks

ConsistentCarl said:
By flashing this would my device be eligible to receive the stock OTA Android One release of Android 10 once it's released?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone won't install an OTA while partitions are modified. Magisk and TWRP both require modifying the boot image. There are guides on how to get an OTA to work with one/the other/both installed.

Not sure if this came across, but I would like to wipe my custom ROM once Android 10 OTA is released--I don't want both. In theory couldn't I install this and that should do the tragic? Or do I need to take extra steps like re-locking the bootloader?
Thanks

ConsistentCarl said:
Not sure if this came across, but I would like to wipe my custom ROM once Android 10 OTA is released--I don't want both. In theory couldn't I install this and that should do the tragic? Or do I need to take extra steps like re-locking the bootloader?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends on what you modified to install the custom ROM... You need to revert all partitions to stock. The easiest way would be to just get the most current fastboot image and flash that. If you wait, the android 10 OTA is likely to be accompanied by a fastboot image so you could just flash that.
I think most custom ROMs get you to modify the vendor partition to disable encryption. Reverting that could encrypt automatically but I'm not sure... If you're intending to preserve data you'll probably need to backup and restore.