This is the new official way to root the Razer! Please forget all older methods. If you follow this guide, you will not have problems.
Ok, so there isn't some file you download to fix the Wifi, but this is how you make it work, when you swear you've tried everything.
(Trust me you didn't even if you think you did.)
So I'm a very smart person and I realized why so many people are running into this problem. It's because they are used to a bad habit with the Pixel XL phones. I was a prior Pixel XL phone owner and the bad habit that I have and that you guaranteed failed to realize what you did if you have broken wifi was, you didn't flash the TWRP.zip version.
You see, with the Pixel XL, most people realized that flashing TWRP permanently was not required on the Pixel XL and therefore we only booted the TWRP.img image every time we needed to flash something. Well that flat out does NOT work here on the Razer phone and it's the reason everyone is having issues with Wifi not working after flashing Magisk. You see I figured out that TWRP.zip flashes itself onto the stock boot.img image, and when it does so, it does it in such a way that it appears stock still to Magisk. Magisk then happens to flash itself onto the image in a proper way. If you use just the stock boot.img image and flash Magisk onto it, it also detects it as a stock image, but something is bugged in the formatting which breaks Wifi. So you cannot just take a stock boot.img and flash magisk onto it and expect it to work.
In fact when you fastboot twrp.img && fastboot reboot, it literally overwrites the stock boot.img for one side. (Current slot that you are on.) Before factory images, you are then required to store the boot.img from the other slot you did not boot from. (This was what was not explained very well for the lamen to understand.) Before factory images, if you failed to do this, and flashed TWRP.zip then you basically no longer have a clean boot.img file on either slot. (Now that we have factory images, we can just extract boot.img from there and use only it.)
Therein lies the fix. You need to ensure that you have a clean boot.img from the factory images provided by Razer, you then need the TWRP.img and TWRP.zip versions. You also need Magisk v16. (Latest works great.)
Guide coming in a second, but for those who just need to reset and fix Wifi regardless of your current state here's how:
1.) Obtain boot.img from the latest Razer factory image. (If you are not already on the latest, best to just flash it using Razers guide to restore using factory image.) https://developer.razerzone.com/razer-phone-dev-tools/factory-images/
2.) Obtain TWRP.img and TWRP.zip from https://dl.twrp.me/cheryl
3.) Obtain Magisk from: https://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4427150&d=1519237503
4.) Now that you have all 3 files. I will explain twice to make this easy for the lamen depending on which slot you are starting out on.
5.) Push all 3 files to /sdcard by ensuring all 3 files are inside of your platform-tools folder with adb.exe and fastboot.exe, and with the following command: "adb push boot.img /sdcard", then "adb push twrp-installer-3.2.1-0-cheryl.zip /sdcard", then "adb push Magisk-v16.0.zip /sdcard"
6.) Now boot into fastboot by doing: "adb reboot bootloader"
7.) It's always good to test if your drivers are working by doing: "fastboot devices" If you get a serial number then it's working fine, and use a good Grade USB-A to USB-C cable.
8.) Once in the bootloader and you see "Download Mode", type: "fastboot flash boot twrp-3.2.1-0-cheryl.img && fastboot reboot"
9.) You should now be in TWRP. Select the reboot button and check which slot you are on and follow instructions accordingly below: (Skip down to "Slot B Instructions" if you are starting out on Slot B.)
Slot A Instructions:
1.) Verify that you are in Slot A by going to Reboot, then viewing what slot you are currently on. It should say Slot A.
2.) Back out and go to "Install", then select "Install IMG" button at the bottom, then browse to the boot.img file.
3.) Select boot.img and swipe to install.
4.) Go back to the main menu, and select the "Reboot" button and change your slot to Slot B.
5.) Once verified it states Slot B, select Bootloader to go back to "Download Mode" This will force it to SlotB, and re-run "fastboot flash boot twrp-3.2.1-0-cheryl.img && fastboot reboot".
6.) Once there, to go the "Install" button, and select "Install IMG" button, and select and flash boot.img again. This will give you a clean boot.img on Slot B, as well as Slot A.
Your phone is now corrected, and you can do it the proper way.
7.) Doesn't matter which flash you are on now. Go to "Install" button in the main menu, and select "Install Zip", and select the TWRP-installer-3.2.1-0-cheril.zip file. Swipe to complete. This will PATCH BOTH Boot.img images! This is required!
8.) Reboot to System so that it can get a proper boot and verify that Wifi works. (It should if you followed instructions to the letter.)
9.) Once done, type: "adb reboot recovery". (IMPORTANT!!! DO NOT DO DOWNLOAD MODE AND BOOT THE TWRP.IMG as it will OVERWRITE ALL OF YOUR WORK THUS FAR!) This takes you straight to recovery without overwriting. Go to the install button and install a zip, and select the Magisk-v16.0.zip file, and reboot to System. Congratulations! It should be working, but we've only flashed one side, we want to cover both banks, so we need to flash magisk on the second bank as well. (This is optional, but nice to have in case your phone decides to switch banks due to some error and root will still work if you do continue.)
10.) If it is and you want to be more complete. Type: "adb reboot recovery". (IMPORTANT!!! DO NOT DO DOWNLOAD MODE AND BOOT THE TWRP.IMG as it will OVERWRITE ALL OF YOUR WORK THUS FAR!) go to the Reboot Button, and change your slot, then select "Recovery" to force a reboot to force the slot change. Then go to the Install Button and select Magisk-V16.0.zip and flash it over the boot.img from the new slot we just changed too.
Now both banks are flashed properly, and it doesn't matter which one you boot from, it should work with Wifi.
Slot B Instructions: (Skip if you started originally on Slot A, you are done.)
1.) Verify that you are in Slot B by going to Reboot, then viewing what slot you are currently on. It should say Slot B.
2.) Back out and go to "Install", then select "Install IMG" button at the bottom, then browse to the boot.img file.
3.) Select boot.img and swipe to install.
4.) Go back to the main menu, and select the "Reboot" button and change your slot to Slot A.
5.) Once verified it states Slot A, select Bootloader to go back to "Download Mode" This will force it to Slot A, and re-run "fastboot flash boot twrp-3.2.1-0-cheryl.img && fastboot reboot".
6.) Once there, to go the "Install" button, and select "Install IMG" button, and select and flash boot.img again. This will give you a clean boot.img on Slot A, as well as Slot B.
Your phone is now corrected, and you can do it the proper way.
7.) Doesn't matter which flash you are on now. Go to "Install" button in the main menu, and select "Install Zip", and select the TWRP-installer-3.2.1-0-cheril.zip file. Swipe to complete. This will PATCH BOTH Boot.img images! This is required!
8.) Reboot to System so that it can get a proper boot and verify that Wifi works. (It should if you followed instructions to the letter.)
9.) Once done, type: "adb reboot recovery". (IMPORTANT!!! DO NOT DO DOWNLOAD MODE AND BOOT THE TWRP.IMG as it will OVERWRITE ALL OF YOUR WORK THUS FAR!) This takes you straight to recovery without overwriting. Go to the install button and install a zip, and select the Magisk-v16.0.zip file, and reboot to System. Congratulations! It should be working, but we've only flashed one side, we want to cover both banks, so we need to flash magisk on the second bank as well. (This is optional, but nice to have in case your phone decides to switch banks due to some error and root will still work if you do continue.)
10.) If it is and you want to be more complete. Type: "adb reboot recovery". (IMPORTANT!!! DO NOT DO DOWNLOAD MODE AND BOOT THE TWRP.IMG as it will OVERWRITE ALL OF YOUR WORK THUS FAR!) go to the Reboot Button, and change your slot, then select "Recovery" to force a reboot to force the slot change. Then go to the Install Button and select Magisk-V16.0.zip and flash it over the boot.img from the new slot we just changed too.
Now both banks are flashed properly, and it doesn't matter which one you boot from, it should work with Wifi.
This is how you correct and ensure you are rooted if you screwed up.
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Now for instructions to do it the clean way for the first time. (For those who did not muck up their phone and waited patiently to do it right the first time.)
1.) Type: adb reboot bootloader
2.) Type: "fastboot flash boot twrp-3.2.1-0-cheryl.img && fastboot reboot"
3.) Once booted into TWRP via the image. Push the 3 files: "adb push boot.img /sdcard", then "adb push twrp-installer-3.2.1-0-cheryl.zip /sdcard", then "adb push Magisk-v16.0.zip /sdcard"
4.) Once pushed, on the phone, select the Install button, then select "Install IMG" button, and select boot.img, then swipe to install.
5.) Once installed, go back to the Install button, and then "Install Zip", then select TWRP-Installer-3.2.1-0-cheryl.zip and install the zip.
6.) This will Patch TWRP onto both boot.img's which should both be clean up to this point. (factory image shouldn't be required)
7.) Now that TWRP.zip has been installed to both boot.img's, you must reboot to SYSTEM!
8.) Once back in the phone verify Wifi still works, then do: "adb reboot recovery" (IMPORTANT!!! DO NOT DO DOWNLOAD MODE AND BOOT THE TWRP.IMG as it will OVERWRITE ALL OF YOUR WORK THUS FAR!)
9.) Once in recovery, go to the install button, and select Install Zip, and select Magisk-v16.0.zip.
10.) Once this is done, you should do this to the other Slot. To accomplish this without screwing it up, go to the Reboot button from the main menu and switch slots. Once slots are switched, select Recovery to reboot into recovery (even though you are already in Recovery, we need a reboot to force the slot change for it to flash the correct boot flash slot) and force a Slot swap.
11.) Now verify that the Slot swapped via the "Reboot" button, back out, and install, then install zip, and select Magisk-v16.0.zip again. and swipe to install.
12.) Reboot into System or swap slots if you want and reboot into System, it should work either way, and Wifi will work!
Congratulations!
I was one of the users who bricked their phones using the old guide but following this guide I am now rooted with Magisk. In order too boot I had to swap back to my original boot slot (A) before I could boot though
Thanks OP!
I'll try this after work today.
I'm one of the people who no matter how they installed Magisk or SU I'd lose WiFi. I sure hope this works! I will report back later.
YES! Twrp and rooted with WiFi working. Great work OP!
I refrained from rooting because of the numerous sour experiences.
This guide puts me at ease in now proceeding with root.
Good work OP
I've waited patiently but now confident to run through it thanks to your guide. Will do tomorrow. Thank you.
Thanks a lot for the instruction. This worked for me. As @PupPupG suggested, I had to swap back to original boot slot (A) before I could boot though or else it bootloops.
phone no longer recognises as been connected after rebooting into bootloader via command prompt
parky169 said:
phone no longer recognises as been connected after rebooting into bootloader via command prompt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you verify you have a functional ABD Composite driver in Device Manager? This sort of thing is almost always ADB Composite driver related if ADB works but fastboot does not. Check device manager and see if you have a device with a yellow asterisk next to it when you phone is connected and in Download mode. I use the Samsung ADB Composite drivers on all phones I've had and it work fine.
Hmm... I followed to the letter. On your last step. I switched back to A, then hit reboot to recovery (to then reboot system via recovery) and it switched to "Download mode".
It's still recognised in Fastboot, but it's stuck at download mode.
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P.s. to anyone else - don't do what I did. At the very last step, just boot it while it's still in slow B. Worked a treat.
Thank you my friend!
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omg... so... do NOT forget. If you start this BEFORE you have unlocked the bootloader, then unlocking it will ERASE ALL DATA (that's not my issue).
The issue with that is it reverts all system updates. So once I finally got back to my home screen with Magisk installed etc.... I immediately got a system update which I couldn't perform.
WOOP DE DOO!
Full flash of Global Image (goodbye Three!!) and running through the latter steps again. Should be me finally sorted.. (post midnight UK time)
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Nope. On switching to slot B (clean flash of global image), I get "Updater process ended with ERROR: 1; Error installing zip file '/sdcard/magisk.zip' "
It worked for slot_A... so not sure what's going on here?
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OK so slot A definitely works fine. But I can't get slot B to flash Magisk with the global image. It was actually working with the Three image, but I decided I wanted to make my phone unbranded during this process.
If any ideas on how to bypass the error for Magisk on install for Slot_B - let me know! Goodnight!
I have not been able to flash Magisk on partition B either. I get the same message. Not a big deal for me, as I can always flash the stock boot.img to get back up.
Can't detect devices
Hello, needed some input here on what to do. Mine is a fresh install, just bought the device, so it tried following the steps but got stuck very shortly after.
At first my PC didn't manage to find the device, so i installed the latest usb drivers and it worked. However, once i reboot it into bootloader,
adb devices / fastboot devices doesn't show anything connected. I opened device manager to find my Phone with (!) mark, so i tried installing the drivers manually for Android ADB Interface, Android Bootloader Interface, and Android Composite ADB Interface. Tried both 3 and tried to check for devices, but nothing showing up. If i do any commands it just says waiting for devices.
What should i do in this case? Thanks!
Mokonae said:
Hello, needed some input here on what to do. Mine is a fresh install, just bought the device, so it tried following the steps but got stuck very shortly after.
At first my PC didn't manage to find the device, so i installed the latest usb drivers and it worked. However, once i reboot it into bootloader,
adb devices / fastboot devices doesn't show anything connected. I opened device manager to find my Phone with (!) mark, so i tried installing the drivers manually for Android ADB Interface, Android Bootloader Interface, and Android Composite ADB Interface. Tried both 3 and tried to check for devices, but nothing showing up. If i do any commands it just says waiting for devices.
What should i do in this case? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the exact same issue, word for word.
Mokonae said:
Hello, needed some input here on what to do. Mine is a fresh install, just bought the device, so it tried following the steps but got stuck very shortly after.
At first my PC didn't manage to find the device, so i installed the latest usb drivers and it worked. However, once i reboot it into bootloader,
adb devices / fastboot devices doesn't show anything connected. I opened device manager to find my Phone with (!) mark, so i tried installing the drivers manually for Android ADB Interface, Android Bootloader Interface, and Android Composite ADB Interface. Tried both 3 and tried to check for devices, but nothing showing up. If i do any commands it just says waiting for devices.
What should i do in this case? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you are in bootloader install the driver. Android ADB interface is the correct one. Once done restart your pc and check in cmd 'fastboot devices' and see if it shows your device serial number
i still have same problem as quite a few on here,device not showing once in download mode.i have been flashing roms and mods since htc wildfire so not new to this,but this is giving me a headache.if anyone has a solution please help thanks in advance
I think part of the problem is which version of the adb/fastboot/drivers you are using.. For the Razer phone they MUST BE the latest.. You need to get rid of the old ones and JUST install the newest from Google.. Dont use any of the "packages" on XDA as all the ones I've seen haven't been updated.
I had my laptop setup working adb/Fastboot/drivers that ran with my 6p fine but with razer phone I always had issues... Ie ADB would see it, but Fastboot wouldn't.. Fastboot commands would get stuck, or not even work, etc.. After much fighting I had to get the platform tools and drivers from Google directly and uninstall the previous versions of both,, did a fresh install of them and now have no problems.
D:\platform-tools>fastboot flash boot twrp-3.2.1-0-cheryl.img && fastboot reboot
error: cannot load 'twrp-3.2.1-0-cheryl.img': No such file or directory
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't seem to boot to twrp.
Any thoughts? I'm already rooted via magisk but I need TWRP to do other stuff.
hi thanks everything worked great,only downfall is as soon as i rebooted there was a system update which i cant install now...never mind cant win them all.lets hope for some rom magic now..thanks again
@leapfrog2 Your twrp.img file is not in the same Directory as adb.exe and fastboot.exe
For anyone having driver issues. Use the latest Google usb drivers from google. Your phone is in fact two devices with only one active at a time. Adb driver is for when an OS has been loaded such as twrp or android itself. Fastboot driver is the Samsung USB driver is the one that works for this device when in fastboot or download mode provided by the google USB driver set. That's because this phone uses a Samsung bootloader chip same as the Galaxy notes do which also use download mode based bootloader's. (Except ours are unlockable.?)
For software: Use latest platform-tools from Google. Just Google search "platform-tools" then select Windows (unless on Linux) for adb.exe and fastboot.exe. Put all files mentioned in the OP in this same Directory.
The One-for-All Guide to rooting, improving, and fixing various errors in Xiaomi Redmi Go!Hello everyone! This thread that I made is for all people who wants to modify and gain full access, as well as to repair their Xiaomi Redmi Go devices the well-guided way, I've noticed that nobody has made an all-in-one guide for this phone so I decided to do it, this thread will keep on expanding depending on what I will discover about this phone, but for now, here is the thread, i expect that you have at least a little amount of knowledge when it comes to phones such as ADB and Developer Options.
What can we do with Xiaomi Redmi Go:
1. We can root it, and the best root manager for this phone is Magisk, SuperSU is also good, but if you're planning to use your phone for mobile banking, then Magisk is right for you. (Unfortunately this isn't true right now due to ctsProfile being hard to manipulate, Redmi Go supports hardware backed key attestation which means your device will definitely be not certified no matter what you do, so until we get a new method, don't root your phone if you want to use apps like Google Pay
2. TWRP is the current custom recovery available for this phone, it has flaws, but its currently the best out there, so its worth the shot to install it, the thread for it will guide you.
3. No custom kernels, people said that they have managed to install AOSP 9 and GSI on this device and made it boot up, but for me, it's better to wait for the official ROM update, after all, the device is still supported.
Prerequisites:
1. Xiaomi Redmi Go
2. An internet connection, a strong one is recommended if you want to download a ROM.
3. A computer with SDK Platform Tools ready to use, this is required, the link is here: https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
Don't forget to also get its driver! The link is also here: https://developer.android.com/studio/run/win-usb
The drivers are tricky to install but I will guide you on doing it in the easiest way possible, please continue on the thread.
4. SD card, your user data will be erased later, better back your files up, this is a warning.
5. Turning on "OEM unlocking" and USB Debugging in Developer Options, this is also really important!
Table of contents:
1. Unlocking the bootloader (and setting up ADB)
2. Rooting
3. Applying the custom recovery
4. Additional modifications
5. Stock ROM links
6. Bonus Section
WARNING: I am not responsible for anything that happens to your device as you follow my guide, do not blame me if you turned your device into a paperweight, made it explode, made it fly or whatever it may be, you chose to modify this phone and you should be accountable for it, you must know the consequences of what you're doing, try to point your finger at me because of what YOU did and I will laugh at you.
I am ready to assist though, so please feel free to ask some questions!
Let us begin, this will take several minutes, so please be patient and avoid rushing.
1. Unlocking the bootloader.
NOTE: This requires your computer to have SDK Platform Tools extracted to any location as long as its easy to access, and its really complicated to talk about it here, this step doesn't include the method where you request a code from Xiaomi, but I've provided a link for it.
A. First, get your phone up, and open the folder on where the SDK Platform Tools are placed, make sure that your in the directory where you see the .exe files of the SDK, now, hold Shift on the keyboard and click "Open Command Prompt here" and type "adb reboot bootloader", without quotes don't forget! This applies to all the steps that I will provide, don't forget to change the USB connection mode of your phone to PTP for it to be detected by ADB! (Only applies to Windows 8/8.1) Once your phone is asking for an authorization, check "Always allow this computer" then tap allow.
B. Once your device has been booted up into Fastboot or the bootloader, check first if your device is being detected, type "fastboot devices", if yes then proceed, if no, then stop here for now.
1B. If this happens then you may have to check your drivers and see if its installed correctly, once your device can be seen at "adb devices" it should also been seen in "fastboot devices" and when the phone is in adb sideload, if not then you have to reinstall ADB, get the proper drivers and do it again.
C. Now, type "fastboot oem unlock-go", the terminal will warn you that all of your user data will be removed, if you have them backed up then and go ahead and enter the command, if not, then just type "fastboot reboot" and start backing up your files, then do this again.
D. The phone will boot up and say "Erasing", to confirm that your phone has its bootloader unlocked, once it boots up again see if it says "Unlocked" on the bottom part of your screen, if there is then congratulations, it should be unlocked at this point.
1D. https://www.getdroidtips.com/unlock-bootloader-xiaomi-redmi-go/, this one particular link provides you on how to unlock the bootloader by entering a certain code, I believe this is a safer method but requires a bit of time, go here if you're interested.
NOTE: The phone supports the command "fastboot flashing unlock_critical" if you are going to unlock your phone with the normal command (fastboot oem unlock_go/fastboot flashing unlock), consider using this 2nd command too, what it does is that it allows you to also flash partitions you supposedly don't have access to, just be very careful not to flash any wrong file! It will be useful to make the "flash_all.bat" script work that you can find on the fastboot ROM for this device, more below!
Once your bootloader has been unlocked, you can now proceed to the other steps that I provided here, don't forget to enable USB Debugging on your Developer Options.
1.2 Setting up ADB
1. Grab your phone, unlock and open your Developer Options then enable "USB Debugging", then change your connection type to "PTP" if you are using Windows 8/8.1, I am not sure if this is required on 7, but it is not needed on Windows 10.
2. Go to this link: https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools and download the .zip file, then extract it to a location that is easy to access, like your desktop.
3. Get the official Google drivers here: https://developer.android.com/studio/run/win-usb download the .zip file as well, and extract it too.
4. Go to the extracted folder of your SDK Platform Tools, and go to the directory where you can see various .exe files such as "adb.exe", now, hold the Shift key then click the Right mouse button, then click "Open command prompt here" If this doesn't work for you, open up CMD with admin rights, then type in cd *the location of your platform tools* say on mine, I will input cd C:\Users\James\Downloads\platform-tools_r31.0.3-windows\platform-tools then enter
5. Open your Device Manager by pressing Windows + R, put "devmgmt.msc" without any quotes then Enter, do not close the Device Manager until you're done with all the steps! And please be fast here too or else ADB will not work, now go to your extracted folder of the Google USB driver, and look for the file "android_winusb.inf", copy the location path of it as you will need the exact location path of the file later, in my case it was "C:\Users\Symphony\Desktop\latest_usb_driver_windows\usb_driver\android_winusb.inf".
4A. There are 3 main ADB devices that you have to install, Android ADB Interface, Android Bootloader Interface and Android Composite ADB Interface, so I will divide this into 3 sections, have your Device Manager, and the exact location of the .inf.
NOTE: Turn off the internet connection of your computer, why? Because, if you let Windows install the drivers for you, the drivers may be incorrect and will break things apart, as we will encounter several "Unknown devices" in the Device Manager and we have to update them with the extracted files from Google.
Android ADB Interface
1. Now, make sure that USB Debugging is enabled, now plug in your phone and let the drivers install WHILE your computer is offline, now go to your Device Manager after the driver installation and you should see that there is a driver named "Android" with an exclamation mark.
2. Select the "Android" driver with an exclamation mark, then click "Update device driver", click "Browse my computer for driver software" then click "Let me pick from the list of devices on my computer", click Next, then click "Have Disk", now, remember the location path you copied earlier? Now paste that path (like C:\Users\Symphony\Desktop\latest_usb_driver_windows\usb_driver\) to the white bar under "Copy manufacturers files from:", overwrite the A:\ with your copied path then Browse, select the "android_winusb.inf" and click OK, now, select the "Android ADB Interface", once the driver has been installed and the interface doesn't give errors such as "The device cannot start", then you're good to go.
NOTE: If you plug your phone and there is no "Android" device with exclamation mark, you can proceed to try and see if adb detects your device by typing "adb devices" in the command right now, it should be since this is what I experienced when setting up my device in Windows 10, this step usually applies only if you are using Windows 8/8.1
Android Bootloader Interface
1. To test, go to the command prompt you opened earlier, and type "adb devices", the device should now be detected at this point, when it does, type "adb reboot bootloader".
2. Now, make sure USB Debugging is enabled on the device before booting it into bootloader, now plug in your phone again and let the drivers install WHILE your computer is offline, Go to your Device Manager after the driver installation and you should see that there is a driver named "Android" with an exclamation mark.
3. Select the "Android" driver with an exclamation mark, then click "Update device driver", click "Browse my computer for driver software" then click "Let me pick from the list of devices on my computer", click Next, then click "Have Disk", now, remember the location path you copied earlier? Now paste that path (like C:\Users\Symphony\Desktop\latest_usb_driver_windows\usb_driver\) to the white bar under "Copy manufacturers files from:", overwrite the A:\ with your copied path then Browse, select the "android_winusb.inf" and click OK, now, select the "Android Bootloader Interface", once the driver has been installed and the interface doesn't give errors such as "The device cannot start", then you're good to go.
Android Composite ADB Interface
1. Before proceeding, type "fastboot devices", the device should now also be detected on fastboot, now, type "fastboot reboot", and afterwards, enable "USB Debugging" on the Developer Options, then go your command prompt, then type "adb reboot recovery".
2. Now, now plug in your phone again and let the drivers install WHILE your computer is offline, now go to your Device Manager after the driver installation and you should see that there is a driver named "Android" with an exclamation mark.
3. Select the "Android" driver with an exclamation mark, then click "Update device driver", click "Browse my computer for driver software" then click "Let me pick from the list of devices on my computer", click Next, then click "Have Disk", now, remember the location path you copied earlier? Now paste that path (like C:\Users\Symphony\Desktop\latest_usb_driver_windows\usb_driver\) to the white bar under "Copy manufacturers files from:", overwrite the A:\ with your copied path then Browse, select the "android_winusb.inf" and click OK, now, select the "Android Composite ADB Interface", once the driver has been installed and the interface doesn't give errors such as "The device cannot start", then you're good to go.
2. Applying the recovery/custom recovery
A. Open up your phone and ensure that USB Debugging has been enabled, now, open up your command prompt just like in Step 1 in Unlocking the Bootloader and type "adb reboot bootloader"
B. Next up, type "fastboot flash recovery path/to/recovery.img", substitute the path/to/ with the actual location of your recovery, and please make sure that the name of the image is "recovery.img"! Or else it will not overwrite/update the recovery, you can also put your recovery.img directly within the platform-tools folder so that all you have to type is "fastboot flash recovery recovery.img" then press enter.
C. Once your done, reboot the phone and press Volume Up + Power at the same time, and the recovery will start. (You may want to do this else the recovery will be automatically removed and replaced with the stock one)
1C. For the stock recovery, once you press the combination, the phone will say "No command", at this point, hold your Power button and press Volume up one time to get into recovery.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/development/recovery-twrp-3-3-0-redmi-t3929282 here is the link of the TWRP recovery, I encourage you to follow the steps mentioned in the post properly.
WARNING: The fix I provided below is now pushed here for 1 certain reason, before you try to root your phone and do everything else, you must decrypt your internal storage first and it is quite easy, first you must get the decrypt.zip linked in this thread (if the .zip cannot be found, I still have a copy of it), go to TWRP and do "format data", not Wipe Data! How so? Once you reboot to TWRP, it will show you the "Wipe" button, tap that, then the "Format Data" button should show up, this will require you to type in "yes" so type it in, then once it is done formatting, go back to the main TWRP screen, tap "Reboot", then "Reboot to Recovery", afterwards you must go to "Install" then proceed to install the "decrypt.zip", after that you can now flash .zip files from your internal storage too, but beware that you must do this every time you update your device!
3. Rooting your phone
A. To get started, install TWRP for your phone first.
B. Get the .zip file of Magisk/SuperSU so you can install them, the links are https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/magisk/official-magisk-v7-universal-systemless-t3473445 and https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/supersu/stable-2016-09-01supersu-v2-78-release-t3452703
C. Reboot your phone to recovery or just plug it in, open the command prompt again just like in the previous step and put "adb reboot recovery" without quotes.
D. Tap "Install" on your TWRP recovery and select the respective installation .zip file of your chosen root management app, and wait for it to finish.
1D. The .zip for both SuperSU and Magisk can be installed through "adb sideload", if incase you don't have an SD card! It may also work with fastboot as well but I need someone to confirm this.
E. When it's done, wipe the cache first, then reboot.
1E. If the root management app didn't appear in your phone after boot, just install the APK of it in the Play Store and check if root has been applied, if not, repeat step C and D again.
BONUS: It may be useful also to grab EdXposed or LSposed for Magisk and the link is here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...or-of-xposed-oreo-pie-q-r-2020-07-19.4070199/ and here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...e-magisk-module-edxposed-alternative.4228973/, please choose only one! You will use the normal Xposed if you're using a different root management app such as SuperSU, the link is here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3034811
What this does is that if the app is an Xposed/EdXposed/LSposed framework module, any modifications it does to your phone will be based on memory only, it won't modify your phone directly which means your device will be clean, and if it incase the said modification bricks your phone, you can easily recover from it too!
BONUS 2: I also recommend getting the Busybox module from Magisk itself, it can easily be downloaded from the Magisk app, you will need this module if you want your root applications to work more efficiently and avoid errors, as most of them requires Busybox to work, don't use the Busybox installer apps on Play Store as they modify /system directly, only use it if you are using SuperSU.
4. Additional modifications
Once you've managed to root your phone and everything else, what I recommend you could do with your device is to get the following apps:
Titanium Backup - It has the ability to back up apps on your phone, and even its data! this app could do so much more than with what I just mentioned.
LSpeed - A root boosting app that has almost every root tweak packed into it, its really convenient to use! I do not recommend using Entropy tweaks as I heard it is a placebo.
Greenify - For me, this is the only legit battery saving app aside from LSpeed which also offers tons of battery saving features, it requires Xposed to have more options you have to buy it to gain full functionality
ROM Toolbox - This app pretty much contains everything a rooted user needs, such as a terminal and root-based file manager.
System app uninstaller (optional) - Just in case if you're planning to remove some bloatware (the list of it is below)
Root Browser - An alternative to ROM Toolbox, this root explorer is really popular and gets the job done without any interruptions.
Terminal emulator - This will allow you to enter various commands on your phone, like being able to reboot the phone without using any keys.
In order to make the phone as fluid as possible, just leave it with stock ROM installed, try to also use lite apps like Facebook Lite to reduce RAM and battery consumption.
Kernel Adiutor - Another great root application, it's like LSpeed but it doesn't automate tweaks, it instead allows you to modify most of it on your own, then it reapplies your tweaks every time your cellphone will boot up if you tap the "Apply on startup" switch. the link for the app is here: https://m.apkpure.com/kernel-adiutor-root/com.grarak.kerneladiutor
NOTE: Most of these apps can be found on the Play Store, and please don't install any more similar root boosting apps such as HEBF, scripts such as V6 Supercharger, or modifying files like build.prop, it is due to the fact that this will conflict with LSpeed, as LSpeed contains most of the tweaks that past scripts and apps provide, this will result in your phone slowing down a lot, Greenify will require Xposed Framework which is mentioned above on the Rooting section, the link to LSpeed is here https://github.com/Paget96/LSpeed, because the app has been removed from Play Store.
WARNING: The perf.zip https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/development/-t3935220 here, that was provided in Xiaomi Redmi Go forum section must be applied with extreme caution, you have to make a backup of your build.prop in /system, and build.prop + default.prop in /vendor for easy recovery, you can use ZipMe to easily make a backup for these files.
5. Stock ROM links
https://xiaomirom.com/en/rom/redmi-go-tiare-global-fastboot-recovery-rom/, this link so far provides all the ROMs (both recovery and fastboot) available for download on this phone, and they are actually light enough, so it will be easy to download them.
https://xiaomifirmwareupdater.com/archive/miui/tiare/ a new link I've found recently, this rom contains the .tgz format of the latest ROM for the Xiaomi Redmi Go, which could be used for fastboot and Mi Flash Tool, just search for the model and go for Global.
NOTE: Most of the ROMs for this phone provided on several sites, even on the actual Xiaomi website, has an invalid format of .zip, and doesn't contain a flashall script, as a result, Mi Flash Tool will never be able to use these ROMs, you could not also use adb sideload and fastboot for these ROMs, only the stock recovery of the phone could install the ROM, due to the links provided above finally giving the latest ROM versions for the phone, extracting the stock recovery is very easy now, you can do it yourself but if you need a link, tell me.
5A. Applying the stock ROM
This section will be divided into 2 sections, flashing the ROM through recovery, flashing the ROM through fastboot manually, or automatically with flash_all.bat
Stock recovery method.
A. Download the stock ROM with .zip format and put it into your SD Card.
B. Flash your recovery back to stock with the steps given above, boot into your stock recovery, then using your Power button and volume keys to navigate, select "Apply update from SD card".
C. Select the .zip file and wait for the update to finish.
D. The device will boot up automatically after, if not, just go back to the main menu of the recovery and select "Reboot system", enjoy!
Fastboot manual flashing method.
A. Ensure that you have prepared your device and computer for ADB, now grab the ROM given in this thread in .tgz format, and keep extracting the file until you see the files such as "flash-all.sh" after extraction, as you need to extract the .tgz ROM two times before you could use it properly.
B. Now go to the extracted folder of the stock ROM, go the "images" folder and copy the following image files: boot.img, system.img, recovery.img (make a backup of this file somewhere!), vendor.img, cache.img, userdata.img, persist.img, and splash.img.
C. Paste them to the extracted folder of your SDK Platform Tools where various .exe files are located such as "adb.exe", or in my case the location is "C:\Users\Symphony\Downloads\platform-tools_r29.0.4-windows\platform-tools".
D. Now open your command prompt on this directory, or Shift + Right click, then plug in your phone, now type "adb reboot bootloader" so your phone will go to bootloader, don't forget to enable "USB Debugging" and PTP connection mode before rebooting! (only applies to Windows 8/8.1, it may vary on Windows 7 but it is different on 10, no need for PTP connection mode, you can just turn on USB debugging and that's all)
E. Now, this is a little tricky, but try to follow me as much as you can, make sure first that you are detected with "fastboot devices", input the following commands that I will give so you can flash the ROM to your phone, now go to the command prompt and:
To flash the boot.img to your phone, put the command: "fastboot flash boot boot.img"
For the recovery, the command is: "fastboot flash recovery recovery.img"
For the system or main OS: "fastboot flash system system.img"
For cache: "fastboot flash cache cache.img"
For persist: "fastboot flash persist persist.img"
For the vendor or additional system files: "fastboot flash vendor vendor.img"
For data or apps: "fastboot flash userdata userdata.img"
For splash or probably boot animation: "fastboot flash splash splash.img"
D. After that, type "fastboot reboot", and enjoy!
Fastboot automatic flashing method (NEW!)
A. Extract the fastboot ROM 2 times as instructed, after getting the files, grab all the files and copy it to the directory of your platform tools where files such as "adb.exe" can be found, just copy all the files in there and that's all you have to do.
B. Open the "flash_all.bat" on Notepad and remove the following lines:
fastboot %* getvar product 2>&1 | findstr /r /c:"^product: *tiare" || echo Missmatching image and device
fastboot %* getvar product 2>&1 | findstr /r /c:"^product: *tiare" || exit /B 1
Afterwards, save the .bat file, that should be ready to use now
C. As instructed above, you must also do "fastboot flashing unlock_critical" after unlocking your bootloader the normal way, this will act as your 2nd unlock command, without this, the flash_all.bat will not work as it should be.
D. Boot up your phone in fastboot mode, open up your adb devices and make sure that your phone is seen in "fastboot devices", once it does, type in "flash_all.bat" without any quotes and execute it, the command will now automatically flash everything without you doing anything else, it will also automatically reboot after doing so.
Bonus section:
1. TWRP-compatible stock ROM
For this part, in order for you to generate a TWRP-flashable stock ROM is by basically making it yourself, you have to make sure that your patch is latest, and its pretty much a good idea to just tick everything in the backup selection except for the recovery, as well as the cache as you don't need those.
Once you have it, go ahead and keep it somewhere safe but easy to find, so if case that you need to use it, you could get it immediately, this is extremely useful so please just do it, as of now, I've confirmed that only the /data backup was usable, but please try to confirm if other partition backups are working for you.
Certain custom ROMs that can boot up in this device could be flashed through TWRP though, and the links of them are provided here in this thread.
2. GSI, AOSP 9 and custom ROMs
The link for AOSP is provided here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/development/redmi-aosp-9-t3922192
The link for GSI is right here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/general/tested-gsi-redmi-t3924705
These images/ROMs can be applied with TWRP, just make sure to follow the steps mentioned in these posts to avoid inconvenience, don't forget to take precautions too! I haven't tried them, but so far I believe that these are stable to use.
There are also custom ROMs released for the device but I am lazy to link all of them, they can easily be found by going here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/tags/xiaomi-redmi-go/
Please take note that I haven't tested these custom ROMs yet and I most likely never will, since the stock ROM for the device is already good enough, you can comment here and tell me what custom ROMs are stable so I can link them here for future reference.
3. Current status
My phone is still working, yes! and it's still staying strong, updated to 2.25 using the fastboot method and it is still fast, the only issue currently is that SafetyNet is a lot more secure than before, so it will be impossible to use stuff like Google Pay for now.
I usually decided to lay low and just stay with my LSpeed, Kernel Adiutor and Greenify, all I had to do is to tinker with these apps and my phone just reached into a whole new level! The performance improvement is nice, that I didn't need to use a custom ROM anymore.
4. How to install a OTA update after rooting your device
Due to the changes made by Google on SafetyNet, and the fact that this device will always require you to wipe the device every update, it is pretty much the same, it doesn't matter anymore if you are certified or not, you will still receive an OTA update even if your device is not certified as long as you are using the stock ROM, you only won't be able to install it, and if you want to install the OTA update you must install it by flashing the updated fastboot ROM, I have links for it above, you can try installing the OTA updates yourself through the settings but you will still have to do a factory reset anyway, you have to also unroot also and revert to stock recovery, else the installation will fail, and your device may slower afterwards.
5. Bloatware you can safely remove (NEW!)
So, like I said above, as much as how lightweight the device is, there are still bloatware that you can remove if you really want, but it's only 3 of them:
Mi Video
Mint Browser
Mi Music
The rest such as Mi Share and Mint Launcher are also bloatware, you can remove them but to me they are useful so I didn't, do not remove the "Cleaner" app, if it however says something like "com.CleanMaster", you can try removing it but take caution as your Play Store may be removed along with it too.
Credits to everyone who made the apps/tools that I mentioned here! such as @topjohnwu for the Magisk, and @YasiR Siddiqui for the TWRP, @Paget96 for the awesome LSpeed app, @rovo89 for the Xposed Framework and many more, you guys totally rock!
Hello and thank you for this tutorial. I'd like to ask. Do You know a way where I can unlock the bootloader without permissions or oem unlock? I have a soft-bricked device and for me, there is no way I can get into the OS and manually switch the Oem unlock setting. I've tried different softwares, different adb commands, different region firmwares, still no luck. I can't also get into the the download mode. I mean, yeah, I get the "no command" screen but after pressing power button + up volume button my phone restarts into the fastboot mode and there is no way I can normally boot. It's looping to fastboot mode over and over...
TheAngryGuitarist said:
Hello and thank you for this tutorial. I'd like to ask. Do You know a way where I can unlock the bootloader without permissions or oem unlock? I have a soft-bricked device and for me, there is no way I can get into the OS and manually switch the Oem unlock setting. I've tried different softwares, different adb commands, different region firmwares, still no luck. I can't also get into the the download mode. I mean, yeah, I get the "no command" screen but after pressing power button + up volume button my phone restarts into the fastboot mode and there is no way I can normally boot. It's looping to fastboot mode over and over...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you please elaborate all of what you've done so far? I will also ask you a few questions.
1. Is your phone usable with the platform tools? I mean with adb and such.
2. Did you try going into recovery and flashing stock ROM through there?
3. Is your phone being detected by "fastboot devices"? The fastboot mode of Redmi Go is its download mode, and i've provided the link for the stock ROM that's usable thru fastboot mode, as well as on how to apply it.
My phone is usable with adb and such, the recovery mode was not working, only the fastboot. I've tried flashing stock rom with the flash tool but I had no success with a bricked soft and a locked bootloader. I've finally fixed it by going into the edl mode by test point method then I flashed the stock rom, and I've fixed my problem this way. I couldn't unlock the bootloader manually from adb or the unlocker tool, but I've did it in the edl way.
TheAngryGuitarist said:
Hello and thank you for this tutorial. I'd like to ask. Do You know a way where I can unlock the bootloader without permissions or oem unlock? I have a soft-bricked device and for me, there is no way I can get into the OS and manually switch the Oem unlock setting. I've tried different softwares, different adb commands, different region firmwares, still no luck. I can't also get into the the download mode. I mean, yeah, I get the "no command" screen but after pressing power button + up volume button my phone restarts into the fastboot mode and there is no way I can normally boot. It's looping to fastboot mode over and over...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TheAngryGuitarist said:
My phone is usable with adb and such, the recovery mode was not working, only the fastboot. I've tried flashing stock rom with the flash tool but I had no success with a bricked soft and a locked bootloader. I've finally fixed it by going into the edl mode by test point method then I flashed the stock rom, and I've fixed my problem this way. I couldn't unlock the bootloader manually from adb or the unlocker tool, but I've did it in the edl way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you please elaborate the term "edl mode"?
Good job then, usually, before you modify the phone and start doing something crazy out of stock, your number one step is to really unlock the bootloader, and in order to make things more easier, you should allow your OEM to be unlocked through the developer options, after that you can now unlock the bootloader with fastboot.
_XblackshadowX_ said:
Can you please elaborate the term "edl mode"?
Good job then, usually, before you modify the phone and start doing something crazy out of stock, your number one step is to really unlock the bootloader, and in order to make things more easier, you should allow your OEM to be unlocked through the developer options, after that you can now unlock the bootloader with fastboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it's the emergency download mode. You use it when there is nothing you can do about the soft of your device. It automatically unlock the bootloader and you can flash the stock rom. Well, my problem was another. I did not tried to flash roms or recoveries with a locked bl. My phone automatically rebooted into the fastboot mode and from there I was not able to start my phone normally. I've tried rebooting fastboot from adb, unlock bl from adb, no success. I had to dissamembly the phone and make a short-circuit to the test points while slowly pushing in the mtp cable with the battery disconnected. Once I saw the Qualcomm driver on device manager I was able to flash the stock rom. You can search if you want to, for the test pins of this device. Btw, thank for your advice, you are really helpful to the community! ?
TheAngryGuitarist said:
Yes, it's the emergency download mode. You use it when there is nothing you can do about the soft of your device. It automatically unlock the bootloader and you can flash the stock rom. Well, my problem was another. I did not tried to flash roms or recoveries with a locked bl. My phone automatically rebooted into the fastboot mode and from there I was not able to start my phone normally. I've tried rebooting fastboot from adb, unlock bl from adb, no success. I had to dissamembly the phone and make a short-circuit to the test points while slowly pushing in the mtp cable with the battery disconnected. Once I saw the Qualcomm driver on device manager I was able to flash the stock rom. You can search if you want to, for the test pins of this device. Btw, thank for your advice, you are really helpful to the community!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Woah, you really had to open the phone before doing it, that's an interesting method!
That part where your phone booted into fastboot was kind of scary, any ideas why it booted into fastboot in the first place? It has to be reported if incase, seems like a dangerous bug.
_XblackshadowX_ said:
Woah, you really had to open the phone before doing it, that's an interesting method!
That part where your phone booted into fastboot was kind of scary, any ideas why it booted into fastboot in the first place? It has to be reported if incase, seems like a dangerous bug.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not really sure if a malware caused this issue or a failed system update over-night.
TheAngryGuitarist said:
I'm not really sure if a malware caused this issue or a failed system update over-night.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I usually had failed system updates numerous times because when i install them, the phone has already been modified by a lot, and that's actually riskier.
That's why i recommend unrooting and putting back the stock recovery before updating first, still works on mine even with "Device is not certified" by Play Store.
The TWRP linked here is for Pie 9, I couldn't get it to boot on my phone, it shows vertical lines.
This is the older version for Oreo 8...
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/general/twrp-xiaomi-redmi-beta-t3918993
I formatted the phone from TWRP it so it was no longer encrypted.
Mounted the drive from TWRP and installed the "decrypt.zip" from the other TWRP...
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/development/recovery-twrp-3-3-0-redmi-t3929282
I unlocked the bootloader successfully.
In the setting up ADB step, I don't clearly understand. When I connect my device to the pc, no drivers are installing. And there is no driver named "Android" with an exclamation mark. But my device is getting recognized in "portable devices >> redmi go". I'm very new with adb it would be a lot of help.
I've attached the screenshot of my device manager,
bhattinb said:
I unlocked the bootloader successfully.
In the setting up ADB step, I don't clearly understand. When I connect my device to the pc, no drivers are installing. And there is no driver named "Android" with an exclamation mark. But my device is getting recognized in "portable devices >> redmi go". I'm very new with adb it would be a lot of help.
I've attached the screenshot of my device manager,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try turning on USB Debugging on Developer Options? Did you try installing the USB drivers from Google?
_XblackshadowX_ said:
Did you try turning on USB Debugging on Developer Options? Did you try installing the USB drivers from Google?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I've done everything you told, I also turned the connection mode to PTP also. Somehow it just not showing that android with an exclamation mark.
after that, I even tried to use the 15-second ADB installer. after installing that I tried to flash recovery but that just didn't do anything. After using that flashing command, I had the same stock recovery.
I'm really thankful you took the time to answer my question.
Help!! My device stuck on screen saying your system has been destroyed. What I had done is locked the bootloader using command fastboot oem lock then this happened. Now i can boot device in stock recovery and bootloader too but when i am trying to unlock bootloader it says device is lock and also i am not able to flash anything. Plz help.
I am not able to flash TWRP on my redmi go
How to update the redmi go to the latest version without formatting/Factory Reset should I just follow Fastboot flashing method and if so which files should I just flash. Thank you
bhattinb said:
I unlocked the bootloader successfully.
In the setting up ADB step, I don't clearly understand. When I connect my device to the pc, no drivers are installing. And there is no driver named "Android" with an exclamation mark. But my device is getting recognized in "portable devices >> redmi go". I'm very new with adb it would be a lot of help.
I've attached the screenshot of my device manager,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi! sorry for the late reply, if this is the case then it's fine, you can just connect the device, open up adb tools, type adb devices and ensure that your USB debugging is on, and the device will connect immediately, at that point all you need is the adb driver for Fastboot
akki_007 said:
Help!! My device stuck on screen saying your system has been destroyed. What I had done is locked the bootloader using command fastboot oem lock then this happened. Now i can boot device in stock recovery and bootloader too but when i am trying to unlock bootloader it says device is lock and also i am not able to flash anything. Plz help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh no, but why lock your bootloader? you can try using a recovery ROM, you must have a spare SD Card within you, grab a recovery ROM, put it in your sd card then put it into the phone and use it on stock recovery, you should be able to apply it and boot back into the system, please update me
igpraan said:
I am not able to flash TWRP on my redmi go
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you must have unlocked bootloader if you want to do so.
niknah said:
The TWRP linked here is for Pie 9, I couldn't get it to boot on my phone, it shows vertical lines.
This is the older version for Oreo 8...
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/general/twrp-xiaomi-redmi-beta-t3918993
I formatted the phone from TWRP it so it was no longer encrypted.
Mounted the drive from TWRP and installed the "decrypt.zip" from the other TWRP...
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/development/recovery-twrp-3-3-0-redmi-t3929282
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's strange, the TWRP I linked isn't giving me any vertical lines
Hello,
I'm posting this guide for those (like me) who can't do without TWRP on their device.
I'm providing only a step-by-step explanation. Credits to @nikamura for his kernel and TWRP: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/twrp-3-4-0-0-for-sunfish-testing.4179101/
Credits to @Zackptg5 for his guide, from which I've started: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/guide-unlock-root-safetynet-for-pixel-4a.4153773/
Credits to @topjohnwu for Magisk: https://github.com/topjohnwu/Magisk
DISCLAIMER: I don't take any responsibility if your phone explodes or anything... The guide is provided as is.
FIRST STEP: UNLOCKING THE BOOTLOADER
Download USB drivers for your phone here: https://androidfilehost.com/?fid=8889791610682922010
Download SDK Platform-Tools for Windows here: https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
Extract the SDK Platform-Tools to a directory of your choice.
Open your command prompt, change directory to where you extracted the Platform-Tools and type "fastboot". Depending on your Windows setup (I'm a linux guy, so I've used an ancient win8.1 installation in a VM...) you might receive a message of a missing dll (api-ms-win-crt-convert-l1-1-0.dll): if so, download and install the Universal C Runtime from https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...-windows-c0514201-7fe6-95a3-b0a5-287930f3560c
If you try the "fastboot" command once more, it should now work.
On your phone go to system settings -> About phone -> tap on 'Build number' several times until Developer Options is enabled.
Back out into settings and go to System -> Advanced -> Developer Options -> Enable 'OEM Unlocking'.
Switch off the phone.
Boot into fastboot by holding Vol Down + Power.
Plug the phone into a usb port of your pc.
In your command prompt type "fastboot devices". If there is no output, it means you have to install the USB driver. So, open "Device Manager" on your pc, right click on your Pixel 4A (should be on top of the list with a yellow exlamation mark) and update the driver choosing the USB drivers you previously downloaded. In Device Manger you should now read "Android Bootloader Interface", with no exlamation mark.
Now back to the command prompt, "fastboot devices" should now output a string with "fastboot" written next to it.
Now type 'fastboot flashing unlock' -> Follow prompt on the device to unlock the bootloader (note that this will FACTORY RESET the device).
The bootloader is now unlocked! You can now safely reboot (or it reboots on its own, I don't actually remember).
Note that after you unlock the bootloader you will see a reminder for a few seconds every time you reboot, reminding you that the phone is unlocked. That's normal and we have to live with that, as far as I know.
SECOND STEP: USING THE FACTORY IMAGE TO DOWNGRADE TO ANDROID 10
At present, TWRP is not available for Android 11. So we have to downgrade.
Download A10 factory image (version qd4a.200805.003) here: https://dl.google.com/dl/android/aosp/sunfish-qd4a.200805.003-factory-fac7c08d.zip
If you are paranoid like me, check the SHA-256 checksum of the download with some freeware hashing tool. The SHA-256 checksum should be: fac7c08d3d4cb92078fbcdbcc7e80fc4c438612a1a004d3d12814f51928458f3
Extract the files contained in the downloaded archive into the folder where your fastboot.exe is. To be clear, flash-all.bat should be in the same folder as fastboot.exe.
Place your phone in fastboot mode (Vol Down + Power).
Connect your phone to your PC.
In your command prompt type "fastboot devices" to make sure there is proper connection.
Double click "flash-all.bat".
The phone is going to reboot a few times. Just wait patiently until you read "Press any key to exit..." in the command prompt.
You've now downgraded to Android 10!
THIRD STEP: FLASHING A CUSTOM KERNEL AND TWRP
A custom kernel is needed for TWRP to work, because the stock kernel comes with no LZMA support. Just download the kernel provided by the same developer of TWRP (@nikamura): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nuXc88t0Iokc0ha-AicOtZEUeGCGwQ-R/view?usp=sharing
And download TWRP, obviously: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PZaU9PpYmdcAHlyi0zhNwEGnBsAHDW_E/view?usp=sharing
Place both the kernel and TWRP where your fastboot.exe is.
Note that since you just used the factory image you have to boot Android 10 at least once and run the first boot wizard, before you can flash the kernel and TWRP. Also, turn on "USB debug" in Developer Options (see "FIRST STEP" for how to reach Developer Options).
Now, connect your phone to your PC.
In your command prompt type "adb devices". Follow prompt on your phone to permanently allow the adb connection to your pc.
Type the following commands (without quotes):
"adb reboot bootloader"
"fastboot flash boot TKernel-sunfish_V0.1.img"
"fastboot reboot bootloader"
"fastboot boot sunfish_twrp201017-test5.img"
The phone should now boot into TWRP on-the-fly, but it's not been flashed yet.
Place TWRP file on your phone with the following command:
"adb push sunfish_twrp201017-test5.img /sdcard/"
Now in TWRP go to "Install" > "Install Image" > "sunfish_twrp201017-test5.img" > "Install recovery ramdisk" > Swipe.
Now back to the home of TWRP > "Reboot" > "Recovery".
The phone should now boot into TWRP! And this time it's properly installed (not just sideloaded).
You can now reboot into Android 10.
FOURTH STEP: ROOTING WITH MAGISK
Now, you need to grab your current boot image. To do this, boot into TWRP (Vol UP + Power) > "Backup" > flag only "Boot (64MB)" > "Options" tab > unflag "Enable compression" > "Backup" tab > Swipe.
Reboot to Android 10.
Disable "Automatic System Updates" in Developer Options.
Connect phone to PC.
If you browse your phone, in /sdcard/TWRP/BACKUPS/xxxxxxxx/xxxxxxx/ there will be a file named "boot.emmc.win". That's your boot image and you can rename it "boot.img". It should weigh exactly 64MB.
Download Magisk Manager apk (credits @topjohnwu): https://github.com/topjohnwu/Magisk/releases/download/manager-v8.0.7/MagiskManager-v8.0.7.apk
Copy Magisk Manager apk to your device.
Install Magisk Manager apk.
Open Magisk Manager. My locale is not English, so the following commands might slightly differ from what you will see, but still they should be easy to understand. Select 'Install' (Magisk) -> 'Select and Patch File' -> select your boot.img file -> 'Go!' -> it'll output the patched boot image to your Download folder.
Copy the magisk_patched_xxxxxx.img from Download folder to your pc, where your fastboot.exe is.
In your command prompt type:
"adb reboot bootloader"
"fastboot flash boot magisk_patched_xxxxxx.img"
"fastboot reboot bootloader"
You're now rooted!
Enter recovery to make sure TWRP is still working.
Reboot system.
Check in Magisk Manager the resulting installed version of Magisk is 21.4 (=rooted).
This worked great for me - thank you for the post!
Why would you patch the boot.img via Magisk Manager when you can just flash the Magisk v21.4 zip in TWRP?
I;m still confused AF why you would Patch the Boot.img with a working TWRP.img?
BTW: Are you passing safety net, not that it matters, but i figured i'd would on stock Android 10 at least....
Moto_Fan said:
Why would you patch the boot.img via Magisk Manager when you can just flash the Magisk v21.4 zip in TWRP?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that should supposedly work the same, although not personally tested.
Moto_Fan said:
I;m still confused AF why you would Patch the Boot.img with a working TWRP.img?
BTW: Are you passing safety net, not that it matters, but i figured i'd would on stock Android 10 at least....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before flashing TWRP you need custom kernel.
Safetynet is ok, at the moment. Just need to flash this Magisk module: https://github.com/kdrag0n/safetynet-fix/
nor-ric said:
Yes, that should supposedly work the same, although not personally tested.
TESTED AND WORKED PERFECTLY!!!
Before flashing TWRP you need custom kernel.
Safetynet is ok, at the moment. Just need to flash this Magisk module: https://github.com/kdrag0n/safetynet-fix/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, I already found out about the module, and it did indeed work and passed safety net after cts profile failed.
Now on too Pixel 4a #2 ON android 12 PDP1, too ROOT or NOT to ROOT??? We'll find out soon enough i guess???
nor-ric said:
Hello,
I'm posting this guide for those (like me) who can't do without TWRP on their device.
I'm providing only a step-by-step explanation. Credits to @nikamura for his kernel and TWRP: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/twrp-3-4-0-0-for-sunfish-testing.4179101/
Credits to @Zackptg5 for his guide, from which I've started: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/guide-unlock-root-safetynet-for-pixel-4a.4153773/
Credits to @topjohnwu for Magisk: https://github.com/topjohnwu/Magisk
DISCLAIMER: I don't take any responsibility if your phone explodes or anything... The guide is provided as is.
FIRST STEP: UNLOCKING THE BOOTLOADER
Download USB drivers for your phone here: https://androidfilehost.com/?fid=8889791610682922010
Download SDK Platform-Tools for Windows here: https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
Extract the SDK Platform-Tools to a directory of your choice.
Open your command prompt, change directory to where you extracted the Platform-Tools and type "fastboot". Depending on your Windows setup (I'm a linux guy, so I've used an ancient win8.1 installation in a VM...) you might receive a message of a missing dll (api-ms-win-crt-convert-l1-1-0.dll): if so, download and install the Universal C Runtime from https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...-windows-c0514201-7fe6-95a3-b0a5-287930f3560c
If you try the "fastboot" command once more, it should now work.
On your phone go to system settings -> About phone -> tap on 'Build number' several times until Developer Options is enabled.
Back out into settings and go to System -> Advanced -> Developer Options -> Enable 'OEM Unlocking'.
Switch off the phone.
Boot into fastboot by holding Vol Down + Power.
Plug the phone into a usb port of your pc.
In your command prompt type "fastboot devices". If there is no output, it means you have to install the USB driver. So, open "Device Manager" on your pc, right click on your Pixel 4A (should be on top of the list with a yellow exlamation mark) and update the driver choosing the USB drivers you previously downloaded. In Device Manger you should now read "Android Bootloader Interface", with no exlamation mark.
Now back to the command prompt, "fastboot devices" should now output a string with "fastboot" written next to it.
Now type 'fastboot flashing unlock' -> Follow prompt on the device to unlock the bootloader (note that this will FACTORY RESET the device).
The bootloader is now unlocked! You can now safely reboot (or it reboots on its own, I don't actually remember).
Note that after you unlock the bootloader you will see a reminder for a few seconds every time you reboot, reminding you that the phone is unlocked. That's normal and we have to live with that, as far as I know.
SECOND STEP: USING THE FACTORY IMAGE TO DOWNGRADE TO ANDROID 10
At present, TWRP is not available for Android 11. So we have to downgrade.
Download A10 factory image (version qd4a.200805.003) here: https://dl.google.com/dl/android/aosp/sunfish-qd4a.200805.003-factory-fac7c08d.zip
If you are paranoid like me, check the SHA-256 checksum of the download with some freeware hashing tool. The SHA-256 checksum should be: fac7c08d3d4cb92078fbcdbcc7e80fc4c438612a1a004d3d12814f51928458f3
Extract the files contained in the downloaded archive into the folder where your fastboot.exe is. To be clear, flash-all.bat should be in the same folder as fastboot.exe.
Place your phone in fastboot mode (Vol Down + Power).
Connect your phone to your PC.
In your command prompt type "fastboot devices" to make sure there is proper connection.
Double click "flash-all.bat".
The phone is going to reboot a few times. Just wait patiently until you read "Press any key to exit..." in the command prompt.
You've now downgraded to Android 10!
THIRD STEP: FLASHING A CUSTOM KERNEL AND TWRP
A custom kernel is needed for TWRP to work, because the stock kernel comes with no LZMA support. Just download the kernel provided by the same developer of TWRP (@nikamura): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nuXc88t0Iokc0ha-AicOtZEUeGCGwQ-R/view?usp=sharing
And download TWRP, obviously: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PZaU9PpYmdcAHlyi0zhNwEGnBsAHDW_E/view?usp=sharing
Place both the kernel and TWRP where your fastboot.exe is.
Note that since you just used the factory image you have to boot Android 10 at least once and run the first boot wizard, before you can flash the kernel and TWRP. Also, turn on "USB debug" in Developer Options (see "FIRST STEP" for how to reach Developer Options).
Now, connect your phone to your PC.
In your command prompt type "adb devices". Follow prompt on your phone to permanently allow the adb connection to your pc.
Type the following commands (without quotes):
"adb reboot bootloader"
"fastboot flash boot TKernel-sunfish_V0.1.img"
"fastboot reboot bootloader"
"fastboot boot sunfish_twrp201017-test5.img"
The phone should now boot into TWRP on-the-fly, but it's not been flashed yet.
Place TWRP file on your phone with the following command:
"adb push sunfish_twrp201017-test5.img /sdcard/"
Now in TWRP go to "Install" > "Install Image" > "sunfish_twrp201017-test5.img" > "Install recovery ramdisk" > Swipe.
Now back to the home of TWRP > "Reboot" > "Recovery".
The phone should now boot into TWRP! And this time it's properly installed (not just sideloaded).
You can now reboot into Android 10.
FOURTH STEP: ROOTING WITH MAGISK
Now, you need to grab your current boot image. To do this, boot into TWRP (Vol UP + Power) > "Backup" > flag only "Boot (64MB)" > "Options" tab > unflag "Enable compression" > "Backup" tab > Swipe.
Reboot to Android 10.
Disable "Automatic System Updates" in Developer Options.
Connect phone to PC.
If you browse your phone, in /sdcard/TWRP/BACKUPS/xxxxxxxx/xxxxxxx/ there will be a file named "boot.emmc.win". That's your boot image and you can rename it "boot.img". It should weigh exactly 64MB.
Download Magisk Manager apk (credits @topjohnwu): https://github.com/topjohnwu/Magisk/releases/download/manager-v8.0.7/MagiskManager-v8.0.7.apk
Copy Magisk Manager apk to your device.
Install Magisk Manager apk.
Open Magisk Manager. My locale is not English, so the following commands might slightly differ from what you will see, but still they should be easy to understand. Select 'Install' (Magisk) -> 'Select and Patch File' -> select your boot.img file -> 'Go!' -> it'll output the patched boot image to your Download folder.
Copy the magisk_patched_xxxxxx.img from Download folder to your pc, where your fastboot.exe is.
In your command prompt type:
"adb reboot bootloader"
"fastboot flash boot magisk_patched_xxxxxx.img"
"fastboot reboot bootloader"
You're now rooted!
Enter recovery to make sure TWRP is still working.
Reboot system.
Check in Magisk Manager the resulting installed version of Magisk is 21.4 (=rooted).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would like to go this route for reasons you have stated above. Have a few questions:
1: If you use normally use Linux why did you use a Windows VM rather than simply do all operations in a Linux terminal?
2: After the above transition will SU required programs such as Titanium Backup and Adaway install and function as they have in the past? I had previously rooted current P4a and neither of the above programs would install?????
3: Will SuperSuperuser be installed under this environment?
I have rooted several devices in the past using varied methods and things seem to have changed drastically since my previous Nexus 6p
Thanks
CarlInMO said:
2: After the above transition will SU required programs such as Titanium Backup and Adaway install and function as they have in the past? I had previously rooted current P4a and neither of the above programs would install?????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did the above steps and titanium backup, root explorer and other root apps work great.
CarlInMO said:
3: Will SuperSuperuser be installed under this environment?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will NOT use a separate SU app - Magisk has a built-in SU interface that will pop-up and grant SU permission when an app asks for it - just like the old SU app used to do.
JohnC said:
I did the above steps and titanium backup, root explorer and other root apps work great.
You will NOT use a separate SU app - Magisk has a built-in SU interface that will pop-up and grant SU permission when an app asks for it - just like the old SU app used to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the quick response, again!!! I like this phone but it looks at this point as if it has a rather small following here. Are you using the stock build or have you moved on to a custom ROM?
CarlInMO said:
Thanks for the quick response, again!!! I like this phone but it looks at this point as if it has a rather small following here. Are you using the stock build or have you moved on to a custom ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using stock android 10 image from google because TWRP and Edxposed are stable with android 10, not 11.
And what happens to root & TWRP after upgrade back to Android 11. I assume installed apps continue to operate OK
TWRP has now been modded and is working with A11! Details in the TWRP thread!