Hello, I want to start off saying that I am not responsible for anything happening to your phone, or some other thing. Do this at your own risk and will. Anyway, I would port some GSIs, once I figure out how, for this phone. Here is what I have queued up:
AOSP (floss)
Pixel Experience (slim for less bloat)
Such a great phone with potential, yet no one pays attention to it. I mean, if you already tripped Knox, why not give this a try? Send me links of GSIs you want me to port.
Wonderful but I didn't understand well
Basically I could create packages flashable from odin that boot a custom GSI, such as AOSP or Pixel Experience.
I'm interested in a custom gsi since there is a exploit that allows me to use gsi images without a unlocked bootloader
Related
I got myself a brand new nexus S and Ive got some questions
Im debating on using a custom ROM or just go stock ICS.
A good reason why people use custom ROMs is because of better battery because of the kernel. so would it be possible to flash a better kernel on stock ICS?
If I am going with Custom,
whats the most Recommended:
way of rooting(1 click or manual, and why)
Custom recovery
best kernel
best ROM
is it possible to save a custom UI(so you could do dual booting through custom UI u made)
WoolyMarmot said:
I got myself a brand new nexus S and Ive got some questions
Im debating on using a custom ROM or just go stock ICS.
A good reason why people use custom ROMs is because of better battery because of the kernel. so would it be possible to flash a better kernel on stock ICS?
If I am going with Custom,
whats the most Recommended:
way of rooting(1 click or manual, and why)
Custom recovery
best kernel
best ROM
is it possible to save a custom UI(so you could do dual booting through custom UI u made)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can flash a stock kernel on stock ICS, this is what i have done in the past and it was great. However I will note that the new ROM modifications that increase usable System RAM make a very noticeable difference with no negatives as far as i see. You also get things like notification power toggles, more lockscreen options and so on with a custom ROM.
Anyway, to answer your questions:
1) Best way of rooting: We have a Nexus device so i would not waste time using one clicks. Unlock the bootloader using fastboot, flash a custom recovery and then either flash superuser.zip or a custom ROM. This allows the most versatility when changing ROMs, mainly if you ever decide to flash or restore a stock ROM. The Nexus S allows you to lock the bootloader if you ever need to so warranty issues based on unlocked bootloaders are minimal.
2) ClockWorkMod is generally the most favorable, compatible and least buggy of the lot. TWRP, although good, has a couple of hidden bugs in it and is no longer being developed. Further, CWM now gives you the option between a Touch based recovery and a button based one. This is up to you as they're both essentially the same, but i still prefer the buttons.
3) There is no best kernel, just the best for you. Find the features you want in a kernel first, and then pick a handful and try them all. If you are using a ROM with fixes for the extra RAM (CM9, Slim, etc), you will need a kernel that supports this.
4) Same with kernels. CyanogenMod is generally a good choice. Although on the surface it looks just like stock it is heavily modified. Others have only minor modifications and additions, practically a stock experience with a couple of extra features. Pick a handful with features you want and try each for a couple of days. Feel free to switch kernels from the one that comes with each ROM.
Custom UI? If you mean bootloader or something like that, not really. There have been one or two devs who have tried to make this possible (not specific to the Nexus S) but i don't think their (working?) attempts have taken off. Don't get your hopes up here though.
Harbb said:
1) Best way of rooting: We have a Nexus device so i would not waste time using one clicks. Unlock the bootloader using fastboot, flash a custom recovery and then either flash superuser.zip or a custom ROM. This allows the most versatility when changing ROMs, mainly if you ever decide to flash or restore a stock ROM. The Nexus S allows you to lock the bootloader if you ever need to so warranty issues based on unlocked bootloaders are minimal.
4) Same with kernels. CyanogenMod is generally a good choice. Although on the surface it looks just like stock it is heavily modified. Others have only minor modifications and additions, practically a stock experience with a couple of extra features. Pick a handful with features you want and try each for a couple of days. Feel free to switch kernels from the one that comes with each ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Im fairly new to android OS and while I do generally understand what youre saying its best you give me some links. The only root Ive done with a phone so far are 1 clicks
4. can you elaborate more of why cyanogenmod is a good rom. I hear about it alot and people recommend it,but why?
also, what ROM do you use yourself?
WoolyMarmot said:
1. Im fairly new to android OS and while I do generally understand what youre saying its best you give me some links. The only root Ive done with a phone so far are 1 clicks
4. can you elaborate more of why cyanogenmod is a good rom. I hear about it alot and people recommend it,but why?
also, what ROM do you use yourself?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It'll all make sense as soon as you do it, I assumed you had a read through some rooting guides for the Nexus S.
The Nexus S uses a little flashing utility called fastboot. fastboot gives us the ability to replace certain parts of our phone with customised versions. For example, you can replace the stock Recovery partition (which only lets you install Google-signed .zip files) with a custom one, such as TWRP or ClockWorkMod (which let you install any correctly-formatted .zip file). To be able to use fastboot, you need to unlock the bootloader. On our phones it is possible to lock it again afterward with no trace, but the phones warranty would technically be voided (<-- scare tactics). So basically, you unlock the bootloader, flash a custom recovery and then you can freely install a .zip file through the recovery which gives you root privileges. Afterward with this new recovery, feel free to install custom ROMs and the such straight through it.
I personally used Zedomax's guide found here. This does exactly what i stated above and gives you all of the tools to do it, as well as a video. Just follow the video to a T and you'll be fine, it is all pretty simply laid out. I personally use CWM recovery though, not TWRP as it is no longer being developed. I'm pretty sure i explained what each of the steps do above.
CyanogenMod, unlike most other ROMs, have a somewhat large team of developers working together. They add many features to many phones which are often ported to other ROMs, whether it be the concept or the code. It is a great ROM once stable with countless features and they generally do a great job making sure everything is just about perfect, and there is plenty of support and a large userbase. This doesn't mean it's the best, it is just one of the most known.
I personally use Slim ICS daily right now. Largest benefit at the moment is compatibility with CMs bigmem mod, the phone loves the extra RAM.
well in that case I dont wanna use cyanogenmod. I was thinking something as close to stock(or just simple) as possible because I plan on using themes and widgets to customize it.
1 more question before I root, does it matter which version of OS it has? For example, this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1007782
nvm, phone already rooted
new question: is it possible to dual boot roms? Ive been reading and they say its possible with using particular apps and an SD card, but the nexus S has no sd slot so...
Is it true just because we have root does not mean that we can flash custom rooms and kernels?We still need the bootloader unlocked before we can flash custom roms and kernels right?and the bootloader needs to be unlocked in order to be able to flash a custom recovery onto the G7 correct?so if this is all correct then basically just being rooted don't really do alot for us without the bootloader being unlocked.could someone please tell me if I'm right or wrong. Thanks!!!
You are correct however there are alternatives to these things
1. Custom recovery: FlashFire.apk (This app allows you to flash zip files)
2. Custom ROMS: Launchers that can be modified by installing xposed modules (basically adding simple customization)
3. Kernals: Nothing... (As of now there isn't anything we can really do)
But basically yeah, without boot loader unlock we are very limited but there's always hope for development. So for now let's just sit tight and wait for the community and dev's to make some progress
Just think about it... It only took 5-4 months for devs to release root for the Qualcomm S7 (That to me is pretty freaking amazing).
With root you can use Xposed, and im not to sure of very many things you can't achieve with some xposed modules. Don't get me wrong you won't be flashing any cyanogen or similar but a xposed tweaked custom rom via wanam is a pretty bad mutha!. I flashed the deodexed rom from our dev section and have added xposed and I must say this s7 is finally the kind of impressive im used to.
biggest thing for me is the use of wifi tether. as long as you dont hook it to your xbox or other game console, it is really hard to determine what is using the band width...
Hello, everybody there!
I managed to unlock bootloader and root my Nokia 3. Actually my OS is Nougat 7.0. I hope some expert may answer these questions I have. If I failed to post such a thread here, please take my excuses by now and move the message where it should have been posted instead.
1. Should I decide to flash the OREO rom for my device, then, will I be able to root it just by flashing the SuperSU zip, the same way I did fot Nougat (with TWRP recovery of course)?
2. Possibile that you cannot find any custom rom for this device?
3. According to your experiences, a device like this, is better to be keept on Nougat, or does it run better on Oreo?
4. About Substratum theme engine. I have installed it and installed practically all of the themes around. To be honest, my goal was to apply the simplest theme of all, the Default Dark Theme. I just wanted to have a dark theme and choose an accent that was different from that cyan/teal you have by default. NOTHING. I got always errors, especially when I tried to apply system / UI parts. Now... is an issue related to the specific device I am using? As you know, Nokia roms are almost pure stock roms, so why cannot I apply themes that claims to be compatible with aosp roms? Should I remove SuperSU and install Magisk, things could work as expected or this is not something related to the point?
5. About Magisk. I would like to test it. I read the thread that talks about this. You provide there the boot.img of Nougat 7.1 and Oreo 8.0. Can anyone provide (or tell me how can I obtain it) the boot.img of a Nokia 3 with Nougat 7.0? Also, I read something about Magisk and modules. I see there is not so much modules to download... and among these, it appears the xposed one... Can you tell me what modules for Magisk justify to move from xposed to Magisk?
Many thanks in advance for your attention, mates!
Regards
Cosimo
jimgordon said:
Hello, everybody there!
I managed to unlock bootloader and root my Nokia 3. Actually my OS is Nougat 7.0. I hope some expert may answer these questions I have. If I failed to post such a thread here, please take my excuses by now and move the message where it should have been posted instead.
1. Should I decide to flash the OREO rom for my device, then, will I be able to root it just by flashing the SuperSU zip, the same way I did fot Nougat (with TWRP recovery of course)?
2. Possibile that you cannot find any custom rom for this device?
3. According to your experiences, a device like this, is better to be keept on Nougat, or does it run better on Oreo?
4. About Substratum theme engine. I have installed it and installed practically all of the themes around. To be honest, my goal was to apply the simplest theme of all, the Default Dark Theme. I just wanted to have a dark theme and choose an accent that was different from that cyan/teal you have by default. NOTHING. I got always errors, especially when I tried to apply system / UI parts. Now... is an issue related to the specific device I am using? As you know, Nokia roms are almost pure stock roms, so why cannot I apply themes that claims to be compatible with aosp roms? Should I remove SuperSU and install Magisk, things could work as expected or this is not something related to the point?
5. About Magisk. I would like to test it. I read the thread that talks about this. You provide there the boot.img of Nougat 7.1 and Oreo 8.0. Can anyone provide (or tell me how can I obtain it) the boot.img of a Nokia 3 with Nougat 7.0? Also, I read something about Magisk and modules. I see there is not so much modules to download... and among these, it appears the xposed one... Can you tell me what modules for Magisk justify to move from xposed to Magisk?
Many thanks in advance for your attention, mates!
Regards
Cosimo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. There is a root/twrp thread on XDA for the Nokia 3 covering nougat and Oreo.
All your questions and concerns with a full tutorial (android 7.0 / 7.1.1 + android 8.0) is answered there.
2. There are NO custom ROMs as yet for Nokia 3, but Nokia have released the source and kernel codes for the Nokia 3.
This means development can now start - read the Nokia 3 development thread here on XDA for further information.
3. My Nokia 3 is way better on Oreo than it was on nougat (faster with much better battery life)
4. I've never had much success with substratum on any stock android device, but it does work very well on devices with lineage OS and similar custom ROMs.
Substratum doesn't like stock ROMs for some reason, even pure android ones like our Nokia, but it's excellent on custom ROMs.
5. Magisk is better than SU - there really is no argument there and most people will agree with that or tell you that.
FYI
All the information you asked is readily available in the Nokia 3 threads here on XDA.
Whilst I appreciate you want some feedback, in my own experience following others advice blindly can lead to issues that end in tears........I'll never ask other users for their suggestions or help here simply because the difference in answers is unbelievable and some people make out they know everything and in reality they know nothing at all.
Please don't let anyone talk you into doing something you are not comfortable or confident in doing - I learned that lesson the hard way, with having to buy an expensive device replacement for tampering with a device when I did not know what I was doing whilst others claimed they did and tried to talk me through every proceedure, only to then completely disappear off the face of the earth when I ran into problems.
Never again!
Regards.
Hi Folks,
I hope you guys can shed some light into this, sorry if this is long and if this has been asked I'm sorry but I could not find the answers I was looking for, as some results they sound almost the same and some had not specified enough. So I hope the clever people here can explain a few things before I go ahead.
Background on my Phone (don't know if its relevant or not)
I own an Exynos SM-G970F, on One UI 3.1, June 2021 Update, this was purchased in Australia. Now that my phone is out of warranty I was thinking of installing a custom ROM. The main motivation was to reduce CPU usage and improve battery life.
I have installed a custom ROM and rooted my tablet for practice and it was easy to follow. I gotta say it was phenomenal how it brought back ancient hardware to buttery smooth performance of newer android versions. I wanted this same experience on my daily driver phone and there are some security based questions I would like to know.
Questions
1. First off unlocking the bootloader, I have read that it reduces your security of the phone as this allows hackers to gain access to your phone unlike a locked bootloader. As far as I understand the bootloader is to check if the system partition is a Samsung ROM. So in an unlocked state it will still load the kernel and run the system regardless if the ROM is Samsung or not, am I correct in this?
1a. If that's the case and if I installed the custom ROM and then locked the bootloader I would brick my phone right? as the bootloader is looking for a Samsung ROM but since it can't recognize the ROM it will boot loop.
1b. So in this case how would an unlocked bootloader make it vulnerable apart from accessing the OS? I'm thinking in a real word scenario if I were to lose my phone and someone found it, they could have means of access from an unlocked bootloader? but then again they could have access through custom recovery?
1c. Would it be necessary to lock a bootloader once you install a custom ROM? Do some custom ROM support signing bootloaders?
2. SafetyNet, as far as I understand this is a Google thing? like the app from Play store will check your system for any tampered software before functioning or at least warning the consequences of using the app in a custom ROM, is this right?
2a. So this could lead to some banking apps not working as it requires a SafetyNet pass on your device. But this only happens if you end up rooting your device? I understand Magisk is systemless root so the SafetyNet should pass in theory?
Primarily I'm concerned of the security and privacy of the phone but nothing is perfect, so there has to be some give and take with privacy and security? Though I will lose some privacy as I will install OpenGApps for some applications to work. So security would be the most important thing. What would be some best practices for a daily driver phone on custom ROM?
I imagine that hackers are not interested attacking an individual as this takes a lot of time and energy, unless they are bored or something like that.
Thanks for taking the time to read all this and if you can shed more information that would be great! I would like to learn more before giving the green light for custom ROM on my Samsung S10e.
With the caveat that I'm really bad at Samsung, I'll try to give a couple of answers. Sounds like you have the gist of it though...
Unlocking the bootloader is necessary to install anything custom, yes, and it does reduce the security of the device but mainly if someone has physical access to it. Keeping the device encrypted can help protecting your data though. There are some devices that allow locking the bootloader with custom firmware installed, but those are few. General rule: don't even try. I've seen some talk from people at Google about letting custom ROMs be certified, so that you could lock the bootloader with them, but currently there's nothing like that (that I know of). Once in a while I see people talking about trying to sign their images to lock the bootloader, but IMHBCO it's not worth the effort (if it's possible). If you're going custom, keep the bootloader unlocked.
About SafetyNet, it's an API provided with Google's play services and can be used by apps to check if a device's security has been compromised. Far from all bank apps will be using this and many instead have their own ways of detecting a "tampered" device (more on that below). SafetyNet will trigger from a number of things:
Unlocked bootloader
Custom ROM
Root
Etc...
So, as you see it's not only rooting that will cause you problems. There are ways around it though, mainly with the help of Magisk.
When it comes to what bank apps will detect, that could include a custom ROM, root apps, files on your device, Magisk, etc. They're often much more picky than SafetyNet even...
If you need help with getting SafetyNet and banking apps working on a custom ROM, with Magisk, I've got a few resources and tips collected here:
https://www.didgeridoohan.com/magisk/HomePage
Regarding security and custom ROMs it's pretty much the same as on a stock device. Don't install weird apps from outside the Play Store, don't click links in emails, etc. On to of that, another thing to look out for is SELinux. Don't use a ROM that has it disabled. It's quite important for the security of the OS... And if you do root, be careful with what apps you give root access, since an app with root access can do whatever it wants.
No idea if this cleared anything up or just created more questions. If there are Samsung specific stuff I've gotten wrong or missed I hope that someone that actually knows what they're talking about shows up...
Didgeridoohan said:
With the caveat that I'm really bad at Samsung, I'll try to give a couple of answers. Sounds like you have the gist of it though...
Unlocking the bootloader is necessary to install anything custom, yes, and it does reduce the security of the device but mainly if someone has physical access to it. Keeping the device encrypted can help protecting your data though. There are some devices that allow locking the bootloader with custom firmware installed, but those are few. General rule: don't even try. I've seen some talk from people at Google about letting custom ROMs be certified, so that you could lock the bootloader with them, but currently there's nothing like that (that I know of). Once in a while I see people talking about trying to sign their images to lock the bootloader, but IMHBCO it's not worth the effort (if it's possible). If you're going custom, keep the bootloader unlocked.
About SafetyNet, it's an API provided with Google's play services and can be used by apps to check if a device's security has been compromised. Far from all bank apps will be using this and many instead have their own ways of detecting a "tampered" device (more on that below). SafetyNet will trigger from a number of things:
Unlocked bootloader
Custom ROM
Root
Etc...
So, as you see it's not only rooting that will cause you problems. There are ways around it though, mainly with the help of Magisk.
When it comes to what bank apps will detect, that could include a custom ROM, root apps, files on your device, Magisk, etc. They're often much more picky than SafetyNet even...
If you need help with getting SafetyNet and banking apps working on a custom ROM, with Magisk, I've got a few resources and tips collected here:
https://www.didgeridoohan.com/magisk/HomePage
Regarding security and custom ROMs it's pretty much the same as on a stock device. Don't install weird apps from outside the Play Store, don't click links in emails, etc. On to of that, another thing to look out for is SELinux. Don't use a ROM that has it disabled. It's quite important for the security of the OS... And if you do root, be careful with what apps you give root access, since an app with root access can do whatever it wants.
No idea if this cleared anything up or just created more questions. If there are Samsung specific stuff I've gotten wrong or missed I hope that someone that actually knows what they're talking about shows up...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Didgeridoohan,
Thank you for taking the time to comb through my queries and I believe you have answered what I was looking for. So it has dispelled any myths and misconceptions of custom roms.
Personally I use the phone most and my significant other uses my phone for some games. So physical access is not likely to fall in the hands of someone else unless I lost it. Encrypting the phone is a good safety measure, I assume this is something that can be done in the settings of the OS?
With banking I guess I will have to install and see if it works out, otherwise I don't mind going to a phone web browser and do it that way.
I appreciate your link for further info of Magisk, I will be reading through the page to get better insight.
Regarding SELinux, I had seen this on my phone though it says SE for Android Status and says 'Enforcing' and on the Custom ROM on my tablet in the settings it also says 'Enforcing'. So I can assume that its ensuring the security of the OS.
I didn't have the intention of rooting as I thought I can root at any point in time but if its good practice to do it when flashing the custom ROM please let me know.
I had planned on installing TWRP and use either Lineage or crDroid (kinda leaning to this one). They both are supported on their website so I don't think I will run into issues.
Once again thanks for your help and advice on the custom ROM, I think my questions were broad and it may not be Samsung specific as there are features I know I will lose but have never used when I had the original ROM.
dude777 said:
Encrypting the phone is a good safety measure, I assume this is something that can be done in the settings of the OS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Just make sure that any ROM you choose is compatible with encryption. And remember that if you ever want to remove the encryption you'll have to wipe the device.
Regarding SELinux, I had seen this on my phone though it says SE for Android Status and says 'Enforcing' and on the Custom ROM on my tablet in the settings it also says 'Enforcing'. So I can assume that its ensuring the security of the OS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. That's the way it should be if you want to keep some security on your device.
I didn't have the intention of rooting as I thought I can root at any point in time but if its good practice to do it when flashing the custom ROM please let me know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can wait with rooting. If you don't have any need for it, why bother? I use Magisk to hide the fact that I have an unlocked bootloader (and to hide Magisk from some apps), to use a custom hosts file (for adblocking) and for app backups (I use Swift Backup, works great).
Once again thanks for your help and advice on the custom ROM, I think my questions were broad and it may not be Samsung specific as there are features I know I will lose but have never used when I had the original ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are some things you'll lose when unlocking the bootloader on a Samsung, due to the tripped Knox fuse. I can't say much about that though, since I don't do Samsung...
Have fun!
Thanks Didgeridoohan,
This has given me some confidence in going forward with custom ROM. I will make some backups and take measures and if it doesn't work out I can go back but I probably wont .
I've been running LineageOS on my Exynos S10e for a few days now and it's great, better battery life than on Samsung's firmware too from what I can see.
Settings say encryption is enabled. I'm assuming on /data only, I'll have to poke around as I've been away from Android for a while and I haven't been keeping up with what's going on.
I had to use the Magisk props module (selected the same phone model) to pass SafetyNet and enable Google Pay. Banking apps here in Australia don't seem to care, at least CommBank, Bendigo, AMP by I did select them in MagiskHide just in case.
If you decide to go for it, remove all your accounts before flashing the LineageOS recovery. I didn't and wasn't able to flash recovery until I re-added and removed them (Factory Reset Protection kicked in apparently). Smooth ride after I did this.
If you don't like the LOS gestures use Fluid (FNG), I love how customizable it is. You can hide the navigation bar in Termux by running:
su
props qemu.hw.mainkeys 1
Good luck and feel free to ask me questions if you have any!
So I'm planning on learning how to port roms to (currently) unsupported devices. The phone I currently have for testing is an Alcatel 3X (2019). I have already unlocked its bootloader, which luckily was an easy process, so I'm covered on that front.
Problem is, I haven't found many guides detailing how to do it, and many ask for previous experience with phones that I simply don't have. I have tons of experience with Linux and CLI, but I've never delved into Android's development environment. I've never built AOSP or anything like that for instance.
But before I even begin with any of this, I'd like to know what I should take into account, and what precautions I should take to ensure I do not screw up the device. It'll probably be hard to find the stock ROM and recovery if I ever brick it, so I would need to know how to back it up. That I guess is my *main* concern, since you can unscrew yourself from most situations by just flashing the stock ROM.
What I'm looking for is basically some tips and advice before I get to it from more experienced users. Hope I don't bother with such a broad question.
Thanks.
If you're wanting to build for an Alcatel device, you're most likely not going to have much luck as they don't seem to release kernel sources. If you're wanting to just see how the basic build process works, I recommend following a guide from Lineage OS. https://wiki.lineageos.org/build_guides
Ah, so these kernel sources are needed? No way around that?
Hey! I just found the kernel source code here: https://sourceforge.net/projects/alcatel/files/5048Y_5048D_20200508.tar.xz/download
So that's good right? My particular model seems to be 5048A, but pretty close I guess.
If you want to delve inside Android development I strongly suggest Xiaomi as your first devices. They share the entire code and everything is at your fingertips. Plus some devices already have so much custom rom support. Alcatel isn't the same, you will struggle a lot.
I already have a Huawei phone on which I installed an unofficial custom ROM. Since the phone is old and it's not getting updates anymore, I wanted to get into it to update it myself. But since it's my daily driver, I can't just test on it.
I just happen to have this Alcatel device because a relative of mine recently changed their device, so I can use it to test on it. I do not have a Xiaomi device nor could I buy one anyway.
I have found both the kernel source code and some firmware files for the phone. Is this enough to get started? Even if it's a pain, I want to learn how to do it.