Related
I know this phone is fairly new and I was able to root it, but I'm wondering if there is any news on a cwm recovery being developed for it. Thanks for any info!
Is it a difficult task to make a CWM for a new phone?
i need help, i mixed up the system apk`s
can somebody help me out. i just need the app folder from root access. help me. i dont want to buy another device just for take a back up from it
can someone upload the apk`s or the folder. sorry for bad english. i hope somebody help me out! :crying:
I know you can build a cwm recovery image for this phone with mtk droid root & tools. The only catch is I think the boot loader is locked because if you try to dump or write with sp flash tool it talks about having a secure baseband and the need for a authentication file to be able to do anything with the flash with sp flash tool. Mtk droid root & tools does ask to prepare the device by writing to the boot.img I think, but it also states the recovery needs to be flashed with sp flash tool. I'm unsure if by writting to the boot.img file it unlocks the baseband or not but if it doesnt unlock the device you could end up with a brick.
hound_dog_420 said:
I know you can build a cwm recovery image for this phone with mtk droid root & tools. The only catch is I think the boot loader is locked because if you try to dump or write with sp flash tool it talks about having a secure baseband and the need for a authentication file to be able to do anything with the flash with sp flash tool. Mtk droid root & tools does ask to prepare the device by writing to the boot.img I think, but it also states the recovery needs to be flashed with sp flash tool. I'm unsure if by writting to the boot.img file it unlocks the baseband or not but if it doesnt unlock the device you could end up with a brick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A developer over at androidforums.com looked at it extensively and said it couldn't be done because the bootloader is locked. All we can do right now is root the phone.
No roms, but once root is acheived, you can install Xposed modules to get the feel of a custom rom. Gravitybox is awesome. I have:
* enabled the buttons to be illuminated when the screen is on (no more guessing where that blasted back key is)
* modified the statusbar
among a couple other minor changes. The only thing bothering me that I have been unsuccessful with as of yet is not being able to actually uninstall the factory bloatware even though root is acheived and TiBu runs fine. Other than that, this phone is damn good for what it is and what I need it for (my Nexus 7 is my workhorse and I just use this phone for **GASP**, phone stuff as well as an MP3/Podcast player thanks to it using microsd cards). It is sluggish and clunky, but it gets the job done and $50 for a brand new GSM phone off contract? Yes please. Not to mention that the Alcatel overlay is pretty unobtrusive when compared to Motoblur, Touchwiz or Sense.
(I only posted this long diatribe here because this thread is one of the top ones to show up when googling "root alcatel one touch evolve". Information for this phone is pretty scant but seems to be popular enough that some people will start looking for that info. If I need to delete this or make my own thread, I'll happily oblige).
hooah212002 said:
The only thing bothering me that I have been unsuccessful with as of yet is not being able to actually uninstall the factory bloatware even though root is acheived and TiBu runs fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I rooted my wife's Alcatel One Touch Evolve for this purpose, but TB cannot uninstall bloatware system apps. Did any one find a work around to this?
__________________
Sent from my LIFE PLAY using Tapatalk Pro.
hooah212002 said:
No roms, but once root is acheived, you can install Xposed modules to get the feel of a custom rom. Gravitybox is awesome. I have:
* enabled the buttons to be illuminated when the screen is on (no more guessing where that blasted back key is)
* modified the statusbar
among a couple other minor changes. The only thing bothering me that I have been unsuccessful with as of yet is not being able to actually uninstall the factory bloatware even though root is acheived and TiBu runs fine. Other than that, this phone is damn good for what it is and what I need it for (my Nexus 7 is my workhorse and I just use this phone for **GASP**, phone stuff as well as an MP3/Podcast player thanks to it using microsd cards). It is sluggish and clunky, but it gets the job done and $50 for a brand new GSM phone off contract? Yes please. Not to mention that the Alcatel overlay is pretty unobtrusive when compared to Motoblur, Touchwiz or Sense.
(I only posted this long diatribe here because this thread is one of the top ones to show up when googling "root alcatel one touch evolve". Information for this phone is pretty scant but seems to be popular enough that some people will start looking for that info. If I need to delete this or make my own thread, I'll happily oblige).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Were you able to make a backup of the phone before installing GravityBox?
To those wondering...The reason that TB can't remove the bloatware is it isn't in the /system/app folder.
Use some other app like Root Explorer or whatever you like and go to /system/custpack/app/unremoveable.
that's where they all are.
MrPandroid said:
To those wondering...The reason that TB can't remove the bloatware is it isn't in the /system/app folder.
Use some other app like Root Explorer or whatever you like and go to /system/custpack/app/unremoveable.
that's where they all are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't find the custpack folder.
Sorry, I meant /custpack/app/unremoveable.
It's not under /system. I apologize. So /custpack/app/unremoveable
MrPandroid said:
Sorry, I meant /custpack/app/unremoveable.
It's not under /system. I apologize. So /custpack/app/unremoveable
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for clarifying!
You're welcome! Remove bloatware away!
personally i used ES File Explorer. Worked fine for me.
Obviously, be careful what you remove and such.
Can someone point me to the rooting instructions for this?
Typed on the Nexus
Mordy,
I used Cydia Impactor http://www.cydiaimpactor.com/ and once it said "done" i installed SuperSU and rebooted my phone. That was it.
Edit:
So I've had this phone roughly 2 weeks now. Rooted it on day one. Removed a LOT of crap. Replaced some apps (IE Chrome, stock messaging app, etc)
I have to say this is a decent little phone. Not bad for $40.
removing bloatware
hey so i was wondering if there was any other way to remove the bloatware ? if not what do i do once im in this folder where the system apps are can i just do a delete the apk files ? and will that uninstall all the data for that app? thanks alot
Hello,
anyone can provide boot and recovery for this phone? i have bricked my phone using mtkdroidtools.
Regards
hooah212002 said:
No roms, but once root is acheived, you can install Xposed modules to get the feel of a custom rom. Gravitybox is awesome. I have:
* enabled the buttons to be illuminated when the screen is on (no more guessing where that blasted back key is)
* modified the statusbar
among a couple other minor changes. The only thing bothering me that I have been unsuccessful with as of yet is not being able to actually uninstall the factory bloatware even though root is acheived and TiBu runs fine. Other than that, this phone is damn good for what it is and what I need it for (my Nexus 7 is my workhorse and I just use this phone for **GASP**, phone stuff as well as an MP3/Podcast player thanks to it using microsd cards). It is sluggish and clunky, but it gets the job done and $50 for a brand new GSM phone off contract? Yes please. Not to mention that the Alcatel overlay is pretty unobtrusive when compared to Motoblur, Touchwiz or Sense.
(I only posted this long diatribe here because this thread is one of the top ones to show up when googling "root alcatel one touch evolve". Information for this phone is pretty scant but seems to be popular enough that some people will start looking for that info. If I need to delete this or make my own thread, I'll happily oblige).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So it is safe to install the xposed module?
Smarmylamb said:
So it is safe to install the xposed module?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I installed it without a problem.
D1358531 said:
I installed it without a problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok. Thanks
ZTE Z830: As some of you (who have recently broke your high-end devices like me!) know this is a cheap "GoPhone" you might have purchased as a replacement. As some of us know: the phones Hardware isn't bad for a low-end device. All very capable. The problem however; THE DAMN RESTRICTIONS ZTE HAS PUT ON THE PHONE.
Here are the problems in case you don't own a Z830:
No Apps are allowed on the SD-card
The bloatware cannot be uninstalled
Almost no internal memory (ZTE claims "4 Gigs of internal storage" but there is only around 800MB when disabling all unnecessary apps)
Anyways if you are stuck like me and have been suckered into buying this prepackaged paperweight. You most likely have one goal: ROOT IT. Which is the main point of this thread; as all of the other forum posts about this phone seem to be with people who have even less knowledge than I have about rooting. I want to figure out how to root this phone so it can live up to its capabilities.
I'm posting here about the methods I've been trying to root this phone with; so someone who has more knowledge about general rooting and coding then they can chime in and add some info.
First Attempt (FAILED) to Root the Device
ALSO KNOWN AS UPDATE.ZIPThe BREAKTHROUGH Information: I've managed to find the stock recovery from the phone's firmware. By pressing Volume Up + Power I got into the phones menu with various options to "update the firmware" It looks like this:
Android system recovery <
Z830V1 . 0 . 0B14
Volume up/down to move
highlight;
Press power to select.
reboot system now
apply update from ADB
wipe data/factory reset
wipe cache partition
apply update from sdcard
apply update from cache
md5 cache
So I tried to the original rooting method and this is what happened
-- Install /sdcard ...
(Installs about 25%)
Package corrupt.
Installation aborted.
So anyways: I would love some help trying to discover how to root this damn thing. If you own one of these and find some more breakthrough info I would love to know; because I am as well messing with this thing to see if this will ever work.
Just Tried TowelRoot. Doesn't support the z830.
Bump
I didn't want to post a new thread, is there any new information on this front? It doesn't seem like this was a popular enough phone to warrant it's own set of instructions
**************************************
A few of us were successful in finding a perm root. I know the phone has aged a bit now, but it really is a nice cheap spare phone without the bloatware.
The following instructions for the ZMAX worked perfectly but TWRP does not support the touch screen for the z830 so you have to use an OTG mouse to use TWRP. Touch functionality works fine once the entire process is complete. Uninstalling bloatware seems to have to be done with a 3rd party app such as Purify.
https://boycracked.com/2016/04/16/how-to-root-installing-twrp-v3-0-1-recovery-on-zte-zmax-z970/
I have this phone and have been trying various automatic root programs for some time. No luck.
qaz1233 said:
I have this phone and have been trying various automatic root programs for some time. No luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it seems like the phone uses some sort of bizarre coding.
........
I try everthing... nothing works....
all apps and PC methods fail...
Does adb work on your device? What are the different modes for your devices? Can you get into the bootloader?
Sent from my Z970 using XDA Free mobile app
TecheTag said:
Does adb work on your device? What are the different modes for your devices? Can you get into the bootloader?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, I decided to pitch in as I also have this unfortunate phone. adb does in fact work, but it is crippled. I cannot perform "adb reboot bootloader" as it will simply reboot the phone normally. I tried to boot into the bootloader by pressing volume down+power and was entered into field test mode, as I have come to understand (says FTM on a white rectangle). Volume UP + power does put me in recovery mode, which is cool. Most interestingly, hold UP+DOWN+POWER mounts on my windows machine as ZTE handset diagnostic interface DFU... which apparently is made for flashing firmware with zte's own utility. adb reboot fastboot also just rebooted it normally.
if anyone knows of a useful test i could perform or a could point me towards new strategies i would appreciate it.
Well that sounds promising. It seems like we're breaking new ground here though.
830ingarg said:
Most interestingly, hold UP+DOWN+POWER mounts on my windows machine as ZTE handset diagnostic interface DFU... which apparently is made for flashing firmware with zte's own utility. adb reboot fastboot also just rebooted it normally..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you think there is something that can be used to flash our own custom firmware on it?
Please someone bump
I have the same phone and it's about worthless without root. Hopefully someone cam figure it out. I would even donate some cash for a solution.
Sort of temporary root achieved with KingRoot
So, I have this goofy phone and I did manage to get something that appears to be root using KingRoot. The PC version didn't work, and neither did TowelRoot or OneClickRoot. Downloading the apk for KingRoot and running it gave me root access, but only until I rebooted the phone. I managed to install SuperSU which allowed me to confirm that I had root. Unfortunately I was not able to uninstall any pre-loaded software while rooted via KingRoot or KingUser. KingRoot acted like it had successfully uninstalled the pre-installed software, but all it uninstalled were the updates. I didn't get a list of software when I tried to uninstall software via KingUser.
So we can boot into Recovery, and can get temporary root. Any ideas on how to get farther with this crippled phone?
pippinstrano said:
So, I have this goofy phone and I did manage to get something that appears to be root using KingRoot. The PC version didn't work, and neither did TowelRoot or OneClickRoot. Downloading the apk for KingRoot and running it gave me root access, but only until I rebooted the phone. I managed to install SuperSU which allowed me to confirm that I had root. Unfortunately I was not able to uninstall any pre-loaded software while rooted via KingRoot or KingUser. KingRoot acted like it had successfully uninstalled the pre-installed software, but all it uninstalled were the updates. I didn't get a list of software when I tried to uninstall software via KingUser.
So we can boot into Recovery, and can get temporary root. Any ideas on how to get farther with this crippled phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you actually gain any space when you uninstalled items with that temporary root? I am able to uninstall updates on default apps even without root. I had one time with KingoApp where it claimed to be rooted, but I lost it with reboot and haven't gotten it back. Very frustrating. Wish I had avoided the reboot.
nothing works
I too got temporary root with kingroot, got to ambitious with uninstalling system apps and got into a force close loop. A factory reset from the stock recovery got me back in business. I didn't think that a factory reset was supposed to recover apps deleted while in root access. Also kingroot didn't work the first time for me, had to try several times, that was with latest apk, 4.1 I think.
Has anyone contacted zte about a bootloader unlock code? I know most phones it is necessary to unlock the bootloader to gain permanent root access. Plus then maybe we could get a custom recovery. I tried contacting them with no luck.
Talked to zte today, won't give unlock code since it will void warranty. Told them I didn't care about warranty since phone is worthless as is, no luck.
It could work the method used in the ZTE Z970? http://forum.xda-developers.com/general/help/zte-zmax-rooted-kingroot-t3110178
I was able to get temp root with Kingroot but doesn't stick after reboot. Today I got root to stick by using Flashify to flash superuser zip (http://download.chainfire.eu/supersu). I then deleted Kingroot apps. I was able to uninstall some ATT apps but not google apps. I tried SD Card Fix but didn't work and still can't change/mount r/w in root explorer.
hey, i just registered here to inform you all that ive figured out a way to root the new rca viking pro, but i cant seem to get supersu to install its updated binaries... i went about it like this, i searched google for kingroot app, installed it, followed the instructions it came with, and for my own benefit, i ran it twice just to make sure it worked. and wala, root! but the downside is they have their own form of su called king user. and i hate it. i hope this info helps someone, as ive came to this site on so many occaisions and everytime something on here bailed me out of a jam, i figured it was bout time i gave to a site that contributed so much to me. i love xda, and i hope someone here can get some nice things going with this tablet. thanks for your time... May
info on the RCT6303W87DK
also, FOR YOUR OWN GOOD, DO NOT CHANGE THE GENERIC.kl file on this device!!! the keyboard that comes with it, and the volume and power buttons on the device will NO LONGER function!!! just got a replacement from wallyworld because of my epic failure.... YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!! :good:
I tried a few different methods last night to install supersu binaries effectively breaking root a few times all resulting in using king root to "reroot". The main issue I'm having is it immediately has an update to version 1.9.1 (tablet firmware).. To get around this prompt lock the tablet, turn screen back on but unlock it with camera (bottom right). After doing this you get home rows back. Now since root I'm getting failures to install the update and every time it comes on I'm promoted for the update multiple times. Any ideas?
reemobeens19 said:
I tried a few different methods last night to install supersu binaries effectively breaking root a few times all resulting in using king root to "reroot". The main issue I'm having is it immediately has an update to version 1.9.1 (tablet firmware).. To get around this prompt lock the tablet, turn screen back on but unlock it with camera (bottom right). After doing this you get home rows back. Now since root I'm getting failures to install the update and every time it comes on I'm promoted for the update multiple times. Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you have to be unrooted to apply system updates... then re root. king root should have an unroot option in app, so un rooting isnt hard. or you can hook the tab to your pc and use kingo to unroot. it will unroot, but it wont root...
I can confirm that kingroot does in fact have an option to unroot. I can also confirm that it is able to reroot after the 1.9.1 update.
Mine updated to that the first time I turned it on and I lost the update file. Can anyone tell a difference before and after the update?
I'm going to do a full stock ROM dump tonight to share. Just in case me or anyone else screws theirs up. I want to install a custom recovery and don't want to take any chances with it. Locked mtk bootloaders are ugly. Especially on these newer chipsets which cannot be unlocked as easily as the old ones.
Btw, before I finally found kingroot I must have tried about thirty different ways to root this thing. I tried several on phone root apps and a bunch of ones which required a pc connection to work and I came up short.
I got partial root with iroot 1.7 something for PC. It installed kingroot and would say that it was granting root to apps but noting actually had root.
Finally I found the latest version of vroot. V1.8 something, it had the same root database number as the earlier iroot which I had, though. Then I installed the pdanet drivers and ran the vroot and it worked! Finally! I spent hours on the stupid thing.
I did try the kingroot (iroot) apk and it couldn't root it and suggested I try the PC version.
What I'm getting at is that possibly fw 1.9.1 is just a security patch that makes it harder to root. Because when I tried the apk it couldn't handle it and I had to use the PC version with pdanet drivers to get it to work. While the apk worked for you on v1.9.0 (mine updated the first time I powered it on).
So if you install the update you might want to watch out for that.
It may be possible to stop the forced ota with fotakill. Just Google the apk and place it in your /system/app folder, then delete it rename the update in your cache folder and restart.
That has always worked for me so far on all of my other Android devices.
Cheers,
-SS
Used titanium back up to freeze the updater. Went to Dev options, enabled show processor usage or something to that nature.. Watched for any thing popping up that said update. I don't remember the exact apk but a simple search with in titanium for the word update returns the only app containing it. This did indeed solve my problem about the constant update. Also another work around to bypass the update, tell it to "download and install" then immediately his stop/cancel download. This will be my last post for now on the device as I no longer own it.
Have a blessed day!
For those wanting wired controller support, tincore works wonderfully. Im using an official xbox360 control and it controls the ui and a majority of my games. Emulators as well. This is pretty much the only way to use a wired control on this tablet as far as i know. I've tried dozens of methods to no avail. Still trying to get su up and running as well. King root does function but id prefer something im used to. Anyone know of a custom recovery that'd work on this thing???
simstimstar said:
I can confirm that kingroot does in fact have an option to unroot. I can also confirm that it is able to reroot after the 1.9.1 update.
Mine updated to that the first time I turned it on and I lost the update file. Can anyone tell a difference before and after the update?
I'm going to do a full stock ROM dump tonight to share. Just in case me or anyone else screws theirs up. I want to install a custom recovery and don't want to take any chances with it. Locked mtk bootloaders are ugly. Especially on these newer chipsets which cannot be unlocked as easily as the old ones.
Btw, before I finally found kingroot I must have tried about thirty different ways to root this thing. I tried several on phone root apps and a bunch of ones which required a pc connection to work and I came up short.
I got partial root with iroot 1.7 something for PC. It installed kingroot and would say that it was granting root to apps but noting actually had root.
Finally I found the latest version of vroot. V1.8 something, it had the same root database number as the earlier iroot which I had, though. Then I installed the pdanet drivers and ran the vroot and it worked! Finally! I spent hours on the stupid thing.
I did try the kingroot (iroot) apk and it couldn't root it and suggested I try the PC version.
What I'm getting at is that possibly fw 1.9.1 is just a security patch that makes it harder to root. Because when I tried the apk it couldn't handle it and I had to use the PC version with pdanet drivers to get it to work. While the apk worked for you on v1.9.0 (mine updated the first time I powered it on).
So if you install the update you might want to watch out for that.
It may be possible to stop the forced ota with fotakill. Just Google the apk and place it in your /system/app folder, then delete it rename the update in your cache folder and restart.
That has always worked for me so far on all of my other Android devices.
Cheers,
-SS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I first got the tablet, i let it update then got the kingroot apk, installed it and it rooted. The one i used is in chinese but it had instructions and i followed them to the t. It worked. And the back up of the rom would be greatly appreciated by ALOT of us trust me. Especially me...?
Overall, this is a pretty nice tablet to own. The space alone is worth the price of admission. The specs are decent as well. Quad core, mali gpu, one gb ram, the detachable keyboard, oh i could go on. Im a heavy gamer and this is perfect for me. I have all the power i need to run everything i use. And with a 32 gb sdcard and 32gb internal, thats plenty storage for pretty much anything. I recommend this device to anyone looking for performance on a budget. 10/10
Yes, I'ts very nice. I couldn't find anything else that would even come close to it in that price range. Even used ones....
I was able to edit some config files for mrkdroidtools and got it working properly with mt8127 for the most part. At least now it will create the proper scatter file (in the correct format) for mt8127. Even though it's working properly to create the scatter, you have to use Windows enabler to allow to click the greyed out scatter file button. Before if you did that it would create a scatter in the old format without correctly identifying partition types and even not setting the correct partition sizes in the scatter. Also the chip was identified incorrectly before and now it's not.
All of the mt8127 scatters I have seen use scatter v1.1.2 (not the old format) and now I got it to output that. With proper scatter you can manually pull each partition correctly in spft.
Mtkdroidtools will now partially work for backup. It will pull firmware.info, mounts.info, and phone.info. along with NVRAM and /system only. Can't pull the others because the partitionsions are locked. Even with insecure adb (root ADB) and selinux set to permissive.. You can get old style scatter from firmware.info and mtk studio, but better to let mtkdroidtools pull the correct one.
It will try to make the CWM recovery but fails out. Magic twrp will now create the correct recovery and push it to the phone (with files from spft backup) but the recovery won't work due to the locked loader.
At least I know my backup works now because I was able to reflash the original recovery with it (this is how I screwed up my first one, which ended up going back to Wal-Mart). That first one stopped booting, but it was still recognized by spft. I just had no backup to fix it with. If they rma it, I'm sure it can be reflashed with original firmware and resold.
I will be putting this all in a toolkit and uploading. This can benefit all devices with mt8127, not just us. I also have the latest spft and I even found the checksum.exe in another package somewhere. This can be used to generate the firmware checksums for spft so you don't have to flash with checksum turned off (safer).
Haven't tried to reroot with mtkdroidtools because I think the supersu is pretty old. Don't think it will work properly in lollipop.
I wish there was a way to unlock the bootloader. I poked around in my backup of it and it clearly references files from NVRAM. Files with checksums and lists. I would think that there would be some other tablet sold under a different brand which is unlocked out there
Somewhere which is the same as ours.
Gotta run. I'll try to upload the toolkit after work if there is time. I need to clean up my backup to remove personal files from data before uploading. If it's an emergency and someone needs backup without /data I can provide now. Don't know if it will work though because kingroot resides on data. Perhaps it will work just can't authorize root.
Cheers!
-SimStim
Again, with the new one I got I couldn't root with the latest iRoot from the PC until pdanet was installed on the phone. Then it worked fine.
Without pdanet it will get temp root, then restart and when kingroot automatic root check runs it says no root and will try again and again in a loop.
With pdanet, temp root, reboot, and it's permanent root.
Just in case anyone is trying to root via this method.
Cheers!
-SimStim
simstimstar said:
Again, with the new one I got I couldn't root with the latest iRoot from the PC until pdanet was installed on the phone. Then it worked fine.
Without pdanet it will get temp root, then restart and when kingroot automatic root check runs it says no root and will try again and again in a loop.
With pdanet, temp root, reboot, and it's permanent root.
Just in case anyone is trying to root via this method.
Cheers!
-SimStim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may be right... The first one i had i let kingoroot on the pc download and install some drivers. And i used pdanet awhile ago for a previous rca tab and never deleted the drivers, so maybe thats why it worked flawlessly the second time. If you have a custom recovery installed, which did you use and how'd you install it?
I tried the "magic" auto-build of CWM and TWRP, but neither one works because of the locked boot loader.
Which also makes me wonder if my backup would work on someone else's tab... The 7" RCA tab on here with the prerooted ROM works because they found another tablet which was the same and had an unlocked bootloader. At least that's what understood from it. I could be wrong though. I didn't read all 35 pages (or however many).
I'll try and double check that
Cheers,
-SimStim
simstimstar said:
I tried the "magic" auto-build of CWM and TWRP, but neither one works because of the locked boot loader.
Which also makes me wonder if my backup would work on someone else's tab... The 7" RCA tab on here with the prerooted ROM works because they found another tablet which was the same and had an unlocked bootloader. At least that's what understood from it. I could be wrong though. I didn't read all 35 pages (or however many).
I'll try and double check that
Cheers,
-SimStim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
any progress yet? ive been searching hi and lo for custom recoveries that work to no avail. i want to try and unlock the bootloader but im afraid i may screw somthing up if i cant restore a backup. i guess its a chance im willing to take if it furthers development on this tablet. i honestly want to rip lollipop off of here and run jb 4.2.2. personally i think thats the best version of android yet. at least with funcionality. and the fact you can just plug and play on that version is a plus for me!!! hope you come across something....
may
I'm planning to return mine. I started looking around at tablets in this price range and have decided to buy a Pipo M9S instead. The price is pretty close and it absolutely spanks this device in hardware specs.
I'm somewhat biased, because I have an Android tv device based on the RK3288 and I know how fast it is. The hardware video decoder is the best I've seen yet. Plus it is so nice not to have to deal with the locked bootloader.
I wanted an RK3288 based tablet before, but was put off by the $200-300 price range which I had seen on the Pipo P9 and the P1. Then just recently I found that I could get a p7 for ~150 and an M9S for ~$175, so I've decided that I would much rather go that way(M9S).
I will hang on to my backup of this device in case it will come in handy for anyone else in the future.
Cheers,
-SimStim
simstimstar said:
Yes, I'ts very nice. I couldn't find anything else that would even come close to it in that price range. Even used ones....
I was able to edit some config files for mrkdroidtools and got it working properly with mt8127 for the most part. At least now it will create the proper scatter file (in the correct format) for mt8127. Even though it's working properly to create the scatter, you have to use Windows enabler to allow to click the greyed out scatter file button. Before if you did that it would create a scatter in the old format without correctly identifying partition types and even not setting the correct partition sizes in the scatter. Also the chip was identified incorrectly before and now it's not.
All of the mt8127 scatters I have seen use scatter v1.1.2 (not the old format) and now I got it to output that. With proper scatter you can manually pull each partition correctly in spft.
Mtkdroidtools will now partially work for backup. It will pull firmware.info, mounts.info, and phone.info. along with NVRAM and /system only. Can't pull the others because the partitionsions are locked. Even with insecure adb (root ADB) and selinux set to permissive.. You can get old style scatter from firmware.info and mtk studio, but better to let mtkdroidtools pull the correct one.
It will try to make the CWM recovery but fails out. Magic twrp will now create the correct recovery and push it to the phone (with files from spft backup) but the recovery won't work due to the locked loader.
At least I know my backup works now because I was able to reflash the original recovery with it (this is how I screwed up my first one, which ended up going back to Wal-Mart). That first one stopped booting, but it was still recognized by spft. I just had no backup to fix it with. If they rma it, I'm sure it can be reflashed with original firmware and resold.
I will be putting this all in a toolkit and uploading. This can benefit all devices with mt8127, not just us. I also have the latest spft and I even found the checksum.exe in another package somewhere. This can be used to generate the firmware checksums for spft so you don't have to flash with checksum turned off (safer).
Haven't tried to reroot with mtkdroidtools because I think the supersu is pretty old. Don't think it will work properly in lollipop.
I wish there was a way to unlock the bootloader. I poked around in my backup of it and it clearly references files from NVRAM. Files with checksums and lists. I would think that there would be some other tablet sold under a different brand which is unlocked out there
Somewhere which is the same as ours.
Gotta run. I'll try to upload the toolkit after work if there is time. I need to clean up my backup to remove personal files from data before uploading. If it's an emergency and someone needs backup without /data I can provide now. Don't know if it will work though because kingroot resides on data. Perhaps it will work just can't authorize root.
Cheers!
-SimStim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you still have it, can you upload that stock image and the tools you have? or send them to me via email? ive done something terrible and i wish to go back to stock until i figure something else out. if you can do it via email, heres my [email protected]- thanks
How can I contribute
While I haven't had any issues with my DK on v1.9.1, I'm always interested in the latest and greatest Android ROM. I've got my fingers crossed for you on making restore images so you can get another ROM built on this. So, if I can contribute, even if it is paypal'ing $20 to pay toward a second tablet for you to work on, let me know.
Regards,
David
Is anyone working on unlocking the bootloader of this device? Fastboot allows me to see the "press volume up key to unlock" screen using fastboot oem unlock, however it does not respond to volume keys. Being that I got that far could it possibly succeed if it didn't have to prompt for permission?
It's going to be really tough to try and crack it. The RCA 7" tablet here on xda that got an unlocked loader because they found out that there was a Cube branded tablet which was identical, except it had an unlocked boot loader.
RCA is not the actual manufacturer (I forget who is, but cpu-z will tell you I think). Perhaps if someone were to contact the manufacturer and find out which other companies they OEM that tablet hardware to. Then check them out for unlocked bootloaders.
I would be willing to bet that they may not reveal that info so easily, so try looking around for similar hardware.
I found on a benchmarking site that the RCA 10" which doesn't have the keyboard is also the same spec and model number as a model sold by gigabyte. I don't know the status of the bootloader, though. If you flash it you risk bricking your tablet.
MTK is pretty much the opposite of rockchip, who has made their devices nearly brick proof. MTK devices with locked bootloaders are very likely to brick because of the security measures built in, odd and often encrypted filesystems with specific hashes for certain partitions, write protection on the main system partions. It's really a massive pain in the neck. Those are the reasons why I decided to get rid of mine.
It's rooted and someone who doesn't want to build custom ROMs will be perfectly happy with it. Me, I want full access! Really the tablet is pretty nice. Just not if you want custom recovery, kennel, unofficial ROMs, etc.
I'm still looking. It's probably out there somewhere. I'll be sure to post if I see anything.
Cheers,
-SS
How do you know the bootloader is locked? I see walmart has cut the price on them, I haven't seen any rca tablets with bootloader locked.
How do you root a z828 zte avid plus phone metro pcs?????
It's different than the Avid 4G. You can still get into the FTM, but I'm guessing either the script or the security is different. Mine is on Android 5.1.1 MetroPCS and I've been searching everywhere to no avail. Some help in this matter would be greatly appreciated. :cyclops:
Also desperately looking for a way to root the device. I bought it as a cheap replacement when my last phone was broken, and so far I've enjoyed the phone. This is one major pitfall, though. Ive tried plenty of rooting apps and methods, and I'm willing to test and play with more. Any help is greatly appreciated and I'm offering any assistance I can. Let's find a way to crack this thing.
hi you guys i bought the avid plus from somebody yesterday for $50 and it turned out that the phone is messed up bad it wont boot and when it does it just turns off and its hard to get to go back on, is there anyway you guys can send me a copy of a backup of your phone system files, ive been looking everywhere online for countless hours for any kind of stock file and theres none at all so please i beg you send me a link or email me a few of the main required files please my email is [email protected] thank you so much for helping
ZTE z828
wood909 said:
hi you guys i bought the avid plus from somebody yesterday for $50 and it turned out that the phone is messed up bad it wont boot and when it does it just turns off and its hard to get to go back on, is there anyway you guys can send me a copy of a backup of your phone system files, ive been looking everywhere online for countless hours for any kind of stock file and theres none at all so please i beg you send me a link or email me a few of the main required files please my email is [email protected] thank you so much for helping
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ZTE Open allows you to reinstall and recover all your system files, but you need a PC and the software/directions. Google "ZTE open" z828 and you should be able to find the info you need. :cyclops:
Has anyone found a root that works on zte avid plus z828 yet?
usershack said:
Has anyone found a root that works on zte avid plus z828 yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not yet......kingroot has a request form when you download it on your phone. As of now, there is about 5000 requests and was last seen at queue list 342 and it increase every day. my guesstimate is maybe by the end of July there will be a root program
End of July for sneaky Chinese info-thief rooting... Should be at about Android 9.2 by then. Never again owning a ZTE unless is a time machine and/ or comes with a Gremlin.
e30eternal said:
End of July for sneaky Chinese info-thief rooting... Should be at about Android 9.2 by then. Never again owning a ZTE unless is a time machine and/ or comes with a Gremlin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know how successful you can be but if you go to kingoroot.com and try you may have a chance.
Here is what I did, first I downloaded the program for the pc, then attempted to root the device. When it failed, I saved the log and emailed them. After about a week I tried again. By this time I was fooling around with the cable, restarting phone, unplugging the cable and constantly restarted the kingoroot app, then finally after an hour of doing this the root worked!!!
Give it a shot, it may be worth it!!!
I have the same problem too, the reason why many rooting apps failed because the Z828 is not yet rootable. But don't worry, it will be in the future.. just don't know when.
Root
Root successful with kingoroot.
Phone messing up and root gone upon reboot.
darkfirekid said:
Root successful with kingoroot.
Phone messing up and root gone upon reboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't use it for anything.
I got boot up and running!
Step 1: DOWNLOAD
ADB Drivers - http://adbdriver.com/
ADB Shell (guide and download) - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=48915118
kingo root - https://www.kingoapp.com/android-root/download.htm
Step 2: Command Prompt with ADB
run the CMD with admistrator privileges and use the following commands -
adb devices
[hit enter]
adb reboot disemmcwp
[Your device will now reboot with some extra write permissions]
install and run KINGO ROOT! (Yes, it's kingO root, not King) on your pc.
SHAABAAMMMM!!!!
Now we need a custom recovery for it!
PS: o/! Dont try link2sd , because it #$&*#&(*@^*$ your apks, and you can't find it in the 2nd partition.
it says that the device is offline what do i do?
It does work as stated above. Nice job, I've been trying to do this for a while now. I didnt know there was a command to make the phone reboot with more permissions. Very nice!
Seems to not work for me. I get it to connect and everything, but KingoRoot fails to keep going or it finishes at 100% and tells me that it failed to install Root.
Nevermind, I had to reboot my PC.
I'm not sure this is a true root. And how do I remove kingosu and replace with SuperSU? Super sume did not work as kingosu refused to give it a permission.
Yeah its a false root. Had to wipe and factory reset.
okay. upon third try it rooted! and even root explore r/w worked!
however i deleted the metro apps and tried to install supersu because i hear nasty comms going on between kingouser and chinra.
well i'm bricked now. lol.
wont boot past powered by android splash. possibly because i deleted the MYMETRO folder in system/app.
zte and metro dont provide the update.zip so i cant recover.
any ideas? and dont tell me go to metro because they wont help.
Same problem now bricked can only open recovery
however i deleted the metro apps and tried to install supersu because i hear nasty comms going on between kingouser and chinra.
well i'm bricked now. lol.
wont boot past powered by android splash. possibly because i deleted the MYMETRO folder in system/app.
zte and metro dont provide the update.zip so i cant recover.
any ideas? and dont tell me go to metro because they wont help.
I've made this thread to teach T337A owners how to root their device with SuperSU. Please note that this is a system-less root, meaning it's temporary, but can be re-applied. Rooting only takes about 5-7 minutes and brings numerous tweaks and advantages to your device. Just remember that every time you reboot or shut the device down, you will need to repeat the rooting process. This tutorial was designed for Lollipop 5.1.1, but it should work on KitKat as well.
Before beginning, you will need to download the following file, unzip it on your pc, then transfer it to your device's internal storage/external sd card.
T337AUCU2BOH4 (Lollipop) firmware can be found here
Root Files can be found here
Lets start!
1) Install both the APK files in the file on your device, If prompted, allow installation from unknown sources.
2) Make sure your device is connected to WiFi, then open Kingroot.
3) Once Kingroot is "Done searching for the best root strategy", click the "Try Now" button and wait about 3 minutes for KingRoot to give you a "Root Successfully" message.
4) This is where it gets kinda tricky, immediately after receiving the root success message, go into SuperSU-me, and grant root permissions when prompted.
5) Click on the big blue button in the middle of the frame and wait about 1 minute for the process to complete. DO NOT UPDATE THE SUPERSU BINARY, IT WILL CAUSE YOUR DEVICE TO BOOTLOOP.
6) IMMEDIATELY after the process has completed, go into Settings and make sure KingRoot or Purify is not installed! This is an important step because Kingroot and Kingroot adware tends to install itself in the system partition which can cause problems and frustration.
7 - Recommended) Download a root file explorer (such as ES File Explorer) and search "King" under /data and /system to ensure that the KingRoot app and its bloatware has been wiped from the system. This is to ensure that Kingroot still works properly after a reboot.
8) Enjoy root access!
If this tutorial helped you please be sure to hit the :good: button. If you had any issues or troubles during this process please feel free to let me know down below.
Cheers!
@KingOfTheNet
will flashfire work? bc it wont with kingroot
also, could itit.d be enabled and run these off of a script for example on startup so we don't have to do this after each reboot/shutdown
but i believe you would have to capture kingroots data somehow in the process of rooting
toolhas4degrees said:
@KingOfTheNet
will flashfire work? bc it wont with kingroot
also, could itit.d be enabled and run these off of a script for example on startup so we don't have to do this after each reboot/shutdown
but i believe you would have to capture kingroots data somehow in the process of rooting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FlashFire does work on SuperSU, I've tested that for myself. It does not work with KingRoot.
For the second question, I'm not sure. I haven't looked through that file myself and I might look through it later but right now, I would just avoid rebooting the tablet if you wanna keep root without repeating the process over and over again. It's what I do, repeating the process over and over again can get very tedious and annoying.
Cheers!
I assume you're talking about 5.1.1? It won't work with kingroot versions higher than 4.8. Also, flashfire will load, but if you try to flash a zip you're screwed. You can actually use replace kingroot with supersu zip in terminal emulator on any version kingroot. Same deal with su binary, don't update it. Wish I could figure out how I had permanent for with kingroot. I had to go messing with things and lost it. Nothing really special about this method, unless there's a dev out there that can do something with it.
xjimmy said:
I assume you're talking about 5.1.1? It won't work with kingroot versions higher than 4.8. Also, flashfire will load, but if you try to flash a zip you're screwed. You can actually use replace kingroot with supersu zip in terminal emulator on any version kingroot. Same deal with su binary, don't update it. Wish I could figure out how I had permanent for with kingroot. I had to go messing with things and lost it. Nothing really special about this method, unless there's a dev out there that can do something with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the late response. Yes, somethings I forgot to mention in the original post:
1)Updating the SU Binary will put your device in a bootloop
2)Flashing anything with flashfire (based on what I've seen) results in a soft brick
3) I know you can replace kingroot with SuperSU in terminal, but when you reboot, you're unrooted again.
4) I'm trying to figure out how I could altar the boot.img so we can get permanent SuperSU on this thing the same way Chainfire did it with the US and Qualcomm Samsung Galaxy S7's.
Cheers!
Hi, @KingOfTheNet, thanks for helping out with this device, i rooted my device on KK nk2 build and now updated to 5.1.1, thanks to you! now i would like to root 5.1.1 (am aware it is a temp. root)
i have superSu Pro, do i need Super Sume for this to work?
KingOfTheNet said:
Sorry for the late response. Yes, somethings I forgot to mention in the original post:
1)Updating the SU Binary will put your device in a bootloop
2)Flashing anything with flashfire (based on what I've seen) results in a soft brick
3) I know you can replace kingroot with SuperSU in terminal, but when you reboot, you're unrooted again.
4) I'm trying to figure out how I could altar the boot.img so we can get permanent SuperSU on this thing the same way Chainfire did it with the US and Qualcomm Samsung Galaxy S7's.
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Somehow I had it permanently rooted with kingroot a while back. I had the 4.9.6 apk on my tab at the time, is all I know. I could've updated from an earlier version, and maybe that was the cause. I've tried so many different versions of kingroot with no luck, but one peculiar occurrence; if I open kingroot, get into the settings and uninstall kingroot without saving a backup of root, then delete all the files in the tablet's main directory, and reinstall kingroot version 4.8.0, it somehow retains a partial permanent root. At least on my T337A running 5.1.1 BOH4 it will, as long as I get a fresh install of 4.8.0, let it root, then hit the optimize button right after. Then wait until it finally tells me that kingroot has been deployed as a system app. After that, when I try to open any root apps, the screen will darken as it does when the root permission tab pops up, but it never pops up. The app just freezes. I can kill it in the task manager screen to just go back to using my tablet. After I restart the tab, sometimes it'll tell me an app has been granted superuser permissions. If I open up terminal emulator, type in the 'su' command and hit enter, the screen will turn dark again like it's going to ask me to allow or deny superuser permission, but it just freezes like that again. I've tried all kinds of stuff with 4.8.0, but I still can't get it to stick. If you don't hit the optimize button in kingroot right after rooting, and just wait for kingroot to install as a system app, the allow/deny prompt comes up without freezing, but the partial permanent root glitch doesn't remain. ugh, tired of messing with it though. lol
Edit: I may be wrong. It might need to be rooted with 4.8.0, optimized, then rebooted right away for the partial root. I'll try to do it again and let you know what I find.
bklyndiaz said:
Hi, @KingOfTheNet, thanks for helping out with this device, i rooted my device on KK nk2 build and now updated to 5.1.1, thanks to you! now i would like to root 5.1.1 (am aware it is a temp. root)
i have superSu Pro, do i need Super Sume for this to work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm happy to help out! You'd need king root installed, root the tab with king root, then use SuperSU me to replace the kingroot binaries with the SuperSU ones. It is an automatic process and should only take about 30 seconds or less. Pro version of SUPERSUme is not required, free version should work just fine.
Cheers!
xjimmy said:
Somehow I had it permanently rooted with kingroot a while back. I had the 4.9.6 apk on my tab at the time, is all I know. I could've updated from an earlier version, and maybe that was the cause. I've tried so many different versions of kingroot with no luck, but one peculiar occurrence; if I open kingroot, get into the settings and uninstall kingroot without saving a backup of root, then delete all the files in the tablet's main directory, and reinstall kingroot version 4.8.0, it somehow retains a partial permanent root. At least on my T337A running 5.1.1 BOH4 it will, as long as I get a fresh install of 4.8.0, let it root, then hit the optimize button right after. Then wait until it finally tells me that kingroot has been deployed as a system app. After that, when I try to open any root apps, the screen will darken as it does when the root permission tab pops up, but it never pops up. The app just freezes. I can kill it in the task manager screen to just go back to using my tablet. After I restart the tab, sometimes it'll tell me an app has been granted superuser permissions. If I open up terminal emulator, type in the 'su' command and hit enter, the screen will turn dark again like it's going to ask me to allow or deny superuser permission, but it just freezes like that again. I've tried all kinds of stuff with 4.8.0, but I still can't get it to stick. If you don't hit the optimize button in kingroot right after rooting, and just wait for kingroot to install as a system app, the allow/deny prompt comes up without freezing, but the partial permanent root glitch doesn't remain. ugh, tired of messing with it though. lol
Edit: I may be wrong. It might need to be rooted with 4.8.0, optimized, then rebooted right away for the partial root. I'll try to do it again and let you know what I find.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kingroot does allow your device to retain permanent root after a certain time. However, Kingroot is not as powerful as SuperSU, is very limited in terms of what It can do, and has it's own 'bloatware' titled Purify. I'd honestly stick with SuperSU because it's (probably) the most powerful and efficient way to root your phone. I'd also suggest avoiding having to reboot the tablet at all with temp root because you would have to take 5 minutes to install it again, which was a pain in the butt for me.
As for the kingroot app freezing, that's usually the result of a bad download or a bad root. Plus kingroot is very limited in terms of what you can do on your kingrooted device. SUPERSU is the equivalent of an IOS jailbreak. SUPERSU gives you full control of your device, with no bloatware and limits, unlike kingroot.
Kingroot does sometimes delete the su binaries upon rebooting, which is another reason I don't like it all that much.
Another theory I thought of is that it's not Kingroot that's deleting the binaries, it's actually something that's set to happen when the device boots up. Either the actual Android os or the bootloader searches for and deletes the su binaries to prevent root.
I don't know for sure, I've kinda slowed down work on this device mainly because of a project I've been working on with the Samsung Galaxy S7 AT&T (SM-G930A). I'll look into these things when I get the chance.
Cheers!
I understand the limitations of Kingroot, and certainly supersu by all means is better. In the case of flashfire with supersu in this scenario, it's merely the difference of being able to open and run it just enough to work improperly and brick your device vs. Kingroot not being able to open it at all. I posted in a thread long before this one, how to replace kingroot with supersu, only I use the zip file in terminal emulator. Pretty sure I went over flashfire as well. The terminal emulator method works with new versions of kingroot, unlike supersu me. Are you suggesting that the T337A running 5.1.1 BOH4 can achieve permanent root via kingroot after "a certain amount of time"? Because I'm the only one I've seen on xda who's ever posted that they had permanent root from kingroot, but I didn't know how I did it. After I messed with things, i softbricked and had to flash back to stock, which, no offense, the stock file was available way before you posted it. Anyway, it's not the kingroot app freezing per se, i was talking about after rebooting, and without re-rooting, when trying to use rooted apps, they actually start to engage in the kingroot request superuser permissions pop-up. So, no, it's not a bad download, etc. I believe an older version of kingroot somehow permanently rooted my tab, perhaps with the help of something I was messing with at the time, perhaps not. I've intentionally rebooted my tab an unimaginable amount of times, testing to see if I possibly regained permanent root to no avail, so I know how that works. And it's not about having a hard time deciding on kingroot or supersu for a temproot, it's the interest in permanent root, the possibility off something like safestrap, and/or flashing custom roms, etc. When people say temproot is better or safer, i say boo. How many custom roms include a root toggle in the settings? Anyway I wish I could've gotten hold of a developer while I had permanent root. Maybe I could've done a system dump, or even try replacing the permanent kingroot with supers and drying out that could've stuck. You say you slowed down on this device, do you mean you were pursuing permanent root for it? Are you a developer? I have the AT&T S7 Edge (G935A). What's your project on the 930? Is it something for rooted S7's? I still have my edge running the engboot with the echoRom. Anyway, thanks for your reply.
---------- Post added at 01:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:51 AM ----------
https://forum.xda-developers.com/tab-4/help/t337a-temp-root-bootlp-fix-tar-official-t3473737
*https://forum.xda-developers.com/tab-4/general/permanent-root-t337a-5-1-1-kingroot-t3518334
A couple of threads I started a long time ago that may be of interest to you.
xjimmy said:
I understand the limitations of Kingroot, and certainly supersu by all means is better. In the case of flashfire with supersu in this scenario, it's merely the difference of being able to open and run it just enough to work improperly and brick your device vs. Kingroot not being able to open it at all. I posted in a thread long before this one, how to replace kingroot with supersu, only I use the zip file in terminal emulator. Pretty sure I went over flashfire as well. The terminal emulator method works with new versions of kingroot, unlike supersu me. Are you suggesting that the T337A running 5.1.1 BOH4 can achieve permanent root via kingroot after "a certain amount of time"? Because I'm the only one I've seen on xda who's ever posted that they had permanent root from kingroot, but I didn't know how I did it. After I messed with things, i softbricked and had to flash back to stock, which, no offense, the stock file was available way before you posted it. Anyway, it's not the kingroot app freezing per se, i was talking about after rebooting, and without re-rooting, when trying to use rooted apps, they actually start to engage in the kingroot request superuser permissions pop-up. So, no, it's not a bad download, etc. I believe an older version of kingroot somehow permanently rooted my tab, perhaps with the help of something I was messing with at the time, perhaps not. I've intentionally rebooted my tab an unimaginable amount of times, testing to see if I possibly regained permanent root to no avail, so I know how that works. And it's not about having a hard time deciding on kingroot or supersu for a temproot, it's the interest in permanent root, the possibility off something like safestrap, and/or flashing custom roms, etc. When people say temproot is better or safer, i say boo. How many custom roms include a root toggle in the settings? Anyway I wish I could've gotten hold of a developer while I had permanent root. Maybe I could've done a system dump, or even try replacing the permanent kingroot with supers and drying out that could've stuck. You say you slowed down on this device, do you mean you were pursuing permanent root for it? Are you a developer? I have the AT&T S7 Edge (G935A). What's your project on the 930? Is it something for rooted S7's? I still have my edge running the engboot with the echoRom. Anyway, thanks for your reply.
---------- Post added at 01:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:51 AM ----------
https://forum.xda-developers.com/tab-4/help/t337a-temp-root-bootlp-fix-tar-official-t3473737
*https://forum.xda-developers.com/tab-4/general/permanent-root-t337a-5-1-1-kingroot-t3518334
A couple of threads I started a long time ago that may be of interest to you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No offence taken on the firmware post, I was simply trying to spread the fact that the firmware for the device does exist but is very hard to find and is often posted on shady websites for money, unless you're looking in the right places. It only took me 5 minutes on Google to find one of those sites.
You asked if I was saying that the Tab 4 BOH4 firmware allows you to retain permanent root after some time, and yes, that's exactly what I was saying. I rooted my tablet with Kingroot 4.8.0 a while back and after about 4 - 5 reboots (I counted how many times I rebooted it, but the numbers could vary), It retained root. All I do today is avoid rebooting the tablet at all costs. I prefer SuperSU because, like we've said, there are almost no limitations of what you can do in terms of being rooted. I'm trying to find out how I can make root permanent on the tab with SuperSU by using the eng-boot method used to root all Qualcomm variants of the Galaxy S7, but that may take a while. Since my S7 has the eng-boot root method, I can reboot it all I want and it stays rooted with SuperSU. But at this point, It's just an Idea. I mainly need to find out whether or not the bootloader or the os is wiping the binaries on boot. Some older and newer versions of kingroot can retain root after reboot, but I have yet to find a version of the app that can do so.
Actually, some versions of Cyanogenmod and other custom roms had root pre-installed (not like SuperSU, but close enough), and like CM specifically, there was a section in the settings app for this pre-baked root. Even if I still used CM today, I still would've flashed SuperSU. But on a small number of devices, temp root really is better. However, most of those devices that would be on that list have very little to no development on them. Thus, they are not yet (and may never be) supported for permanent root.
I am partially on the road to becoming a developer, but I don't know how far that's gonna go (my prediction is not that far at all). I was doing research on how I could make an eng-boot for the Tab 4, but I became interested in my Galaxy S7 (AT&T). By that, I mean I wanted to make my own custom version of the stock Marshmallow rom ("Custom but stock OS"). To shorten it up, I wanted to create a .zip flashable "super package" which included SuperSU v2.79, Viper4Android, Overclock tools, and other stuff. I've kinda been on and off in terms of motivation to make this idea a reality, primarily because most of the things I wanted to include in this "package", can easily be installed by you in like 3 minutes, or maybe less. The original motive behind the idea was to lessen the work for power users who wanted to free their device "from the shackles". I've been on and off on work between both devices, but It's hard for me to continue the work without proper motivation. These projects are merely just an Idea at this point, but some drafts and copies do exist on my computer.
Creating a custom Android rom straight from my own head is basically an impossible task for me, considering most of the devices I work with have locked bootloaders. I am still learning Java and other Android programming languages in some of my free time but, again, the motivation to continue is something I struggle to find.
Cheers!
Upgrading OS and rooting
I am currently running my t337a on 4.4.2 with build NK2. I was able to root with towel root awhile ago. I want to upgrade my os to 5.1.1 and root after but would like to make sure I go about it the right way.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
loc626 said:
I am currently running my t337a on 4.4.2 with build NK2. I was able to root with towel root awhile ago. I want to upgrade my os to 5.1.1 and root after but would like to make sure I go about it the right way.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
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Click to collapse
You can root on the latest Lollipop firmware, but it's systemless supersu/temporary, meaning it will go away if you shutdown or reboot the device (you can re-root it, of course, but It can be annoying). The option to upgrade is up to you, and once you do upgrade, you can't downgrade (Locked bootloader & different bootloader versions. Lollipop has the new bootloader.) If you are going to upgrade, you can flash the Lollipop firmware via Odin or upgrade via OTA. If upgrading, I recommend taking it over the air, mainly because I'm still working up Odin packages for them. The Odin packages that I do have available are the BOH4 (the previous and the initial Lollipop update) ones, so if you upgrade OTA, it'll take away one step in the upgrade process, making your life a tad bit easier. Reply back if you need further help or have any more questions.
Cheers!
KingOfTheNet said:
You can root on the latest Lollipop firmware, but it's systemless supersu/temporary, meaning it will go away if you shutdown or reboot the device (you can re-root it, of course, but It can be annoying). The option to upgrade is up to you, and once you do upgrade, you can't downgrade (Locked bootloader & different bootloader versions. Lollipop has the new bootloader.) If you are going to upgrade, you can flash the Lollipop firmware via Odin or upgrade via OTA. If upgrading, I recommend taking it over the air, mainly because I'm still working up Odin packages for them. The Odin packages that I do have available are the BOH4 (the previous and the initial Lollipop update) ones, so if you upgrade OTA, it'll take away one step in the upgrade process, making your life a tad bit easier. Reply back if you need further help or have any more questions.
Cheers!
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Click to collapse
I'm highly considering an upgrade for the feel and hopefully a better performance. Also, a few apps I have need updates but only compatible on Android 5 and up. I have the OTA ready to go. Would I need to unroot before upgrading the OS?
loc626 said:
I'm highly considering an upgrade for the feel and hopefully a better performance. Also, a few apps I have need updates but only compatible on Android 5 and up. I have the OTA ready to go. Would I need to unroot before upgrading the OS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would be best to unroot before installing to avoid any issues during the installation. Other then that, you're in the clear! Just remember, you cannot downgrade after the install!
Cheers!
KingOfTheNet said:
4) I'm trying to figure out how I could altar the boot.img so we can get permanent SuperSU on this thing the same way Chainfire did it with the US and Qualcomm Samsung Galaxy S7's.
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Click to collapse
I have always been under the assumption that the boot.img for the locked BL on the s7 was literally an engineering kernel from Samsung, and not something Chainfire created. The reason Im saying this is because if Chainfire created a boot image that can get around a locked bootloader, then logic should state that he cracked Sprint/ATT's signature for the BL. So my way of thinking is the success of even one locked boot loader ... it should apply across the board for all, correct? Or am I waaaaay off? lol
leeboski44 said:
I have always been under the assumption that the boot.img for the locked BL on the s7 was literally an engineering kernel from Samsung, and not something Chainfire created. The reason Im saying this is because if Chainfire created a boot image that can get around a locked bootloader, then logic should state that he cracked Sprint/ATT's signature for the BL. So my way of thinking is the success of even one locked boot loader ... it should apply across the board for all, correct? Or am I waaaaay off? lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(1st question) Actually yeah, lol. It was an engineering kernel, he didn't make it . I'm assuming that was used during the development of the phone so Samsung and AT&T could construct the OS without running into any issues with the phones locked bootloader. At the time, I thought that Chainfire thought of some "mad science" to altar the boot.img so that it wont check the signatures of any of the files on boot.
Now I'm thinking:
1) He found a way to obtain all the phones signatures so that way he knows what signature the desired files (like a build of TWRP, or instance) would have to have so it can flash and boot properly.
--OR--
2) He somehow obtained or reproduced the engineering kernel that, like I said, was most likely used during software development for the phone (constructing the OS and the rest of the software).
I've done a little research on what engineering kernels actually do and why they are so useful now (to most people, the name is enough, lol). Apparently, they completely skip some of the signature checks on boot, primarily for /SYSTEM (The OS), which is why we were able to achieve permanent root the Qualcomm Galaxy S7 & S7 edge models. I do not think they skip signature checks for /RECOVERY or /BOOT, but we know that if we either reproduce or obtain the engineering kernel for this tablet, we can achieve permanent root the exact same way. I could be wrong, as I do not know for certain the Ins and outs of engineering kernels and how to get them, but It is very possible.
(2nd question) Now, I do not have much knowledge of bootloaders and signature checks, but I would go to the best assumption that since Sprint & AT&T, for example, are 2 completely different companies and are not affiliated (as of writing this), their bootloaders and updates would not have the same signatures. If they did, then Sprint would have to go to AT&T to sign their updates and such, and AT&T would have to do the same thing for Sprint. It just wouldn't really make sense. Lets think of it this way, If Target wants to sell a product in their stores that's already sold at Walmart, then should Target have to go to Walmart to get that approved? Or if Walmart wanted to sell something that's already sold at Target, then should Walmart have to go to Target for approval? Absolutely not, that wouldn't make any sense. Once again, I could be wrong, but it would make the most sense.
Please, anyone, correct me if I'm wrong.
Cheers!
KingOfTheNet said:
(1st question) Actually yeah, lol. It was an engineering kernel, he didn't make it . I'm assuming that was used during the development of the phone so Samsung and AT&T could construct the OS without running into any issues with the phones locked bootloader. At the time, I thought that Chainfire thought of some "mad science" to altar the boot.img so that it wont check the signatures of any of the files on boot.
Now I'm thinking:
1) He found a way to obtain all the phones signatures so that way he knows what signature the desired files (like a build of TWRP, or instance) would have to have so it can flash and boot properly.
--OR--
2) He somehow obtained or reproduced the engineering kernel that, like I said, was most likely used during software development for the phone (constructing the OS and the rest of the software).
I've done a little research on what engineering kernels actually do and why they are so useful now (to most people, the name is enough, lol). Apparently, they completely skip some of the signature checks on boot, primarily for /SYSTEM (The OS), which is why we were able to achieve permanent root the Qualcomm Galaxy S7 & S7 edge models. I do not think they skip signature checks for /RECOVERY or /BOOT, but we know that if we either reproduce or obtain the engineering kernel for this tablet, we can achieve permanent root the exact same way. I could be wrong, as I do not know for certain the Ins and outs of engineering kernels and how to get them, but It is very possible.
(2nd question) Now, I do not have much knowledge of bootloaders and signature checks, but I would go to the best assumption that since Sprint & AT&T, for example, are 2 completely different companies and are not affiliated (as of writing this), their bootloaders and updates would not have the same signatures. If they did, then Sprint would have to go to AT&T to sign their updates and such, and AT&T would have to do the same thing for Sprint. It just wouldn't really make sense. Lets think of it this way, If Target wants to sell a product in their stores that's already sold at Walmart, then should Target have to go to Walmart to get that approved? Or if Walmart wanted to sell something that's already sold at Target, then should Walmart have to go to Target for approval? Absolutely not, that wouldn't make any sense. Once again, I could be wrong, but it would make the most sense.
Please, anyone, correct me if I'm wrong.
Cheers!
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Click to collapse
No that makes perfect sense and thanks for clearing it up.
The whole thing about the signature being the means by which the bootloader is locked is important. Atleast to me it is, so thank you for clearing that up. :good: And so, it makes sense that the System partitions Signature check being skipped IS what allows access to root. But where my opinion differs on this is the Boot and Recovery implementation of the Signatures. I believe that it IS the carriers implementation that does not allow the Recovery and Boot partitions to be modified. If it were Samsungs then how is Samsung going to incorporate a Universal bootloader that knows how to load all carriers data, policy, etc?
And possibly this is what you were saying above and I am misreading it...
***EDIT*** I see you said that the signatures would NOT be the same between carriers, so I am in line with your theory there as well.
leeboski44 said:
No that makes perfect sense and thanks for clearing it up.
The whole thing about the signature being the means by which the bootloader is locked is important. Atleast to me it is, so thank you for clearing that up. :good: And so, it makes sense that the System partitions Signature check being skipped IS what allows access to root. But where my opinion differs on this is the Boot and Recovery implementation of the Signatures. I believe that it IS the carriers implementation that does not allow the Recovery and Boot partitions to be modified. If it were Samsungs then how is Samsung going to incorporate a Universal bootloader that knows how to load all carriers data, policy, etc?
And possibly this is what you were saying above and I am misreading it...
***EDIT*** I see you said that the signatures would NOT be the same between carriers, so I am in line with your theory there as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad I could be of help, however I don't see where I stated that the signature implementations on the BOOT and RECOVERY partitions was Samsung's idea not the carriers, if you could point that out for me that would be great.:good:
The engineering kernels skip SOME signature checks, both when flashing and booting into partitions, but I do not know exactly which ones they skip. We know it skips some of the signatures for /SYSTEM, but it does not do the same for the 2 other main ones, those being /BOOT & /RECOVERY. We know because "one of our own" attempted to flash their own build of TWRP recovery to the device (SM-G930A to be specific) only to get a signature check fail when booting the phone, which of course means that the phone has a locked bootloader and that the signatures for the /RECOVERY partition are still checked, but I do not know for certain about /BOOT. If I had to assume I'd say that /BOOT isn't checked, given the fact that if your phone is rooted then you would have had to flash the engineering kernel, which, like I said, skips some signature checks.
I hope I've cleared most things up for you.
Cheers!
KingOfTheNet said:
I've made this thread to teach T337A owners how to root their device with SuperSU. Please note that this is a system-less root, meaning it's temporary, but can be re-applied. Rooting only takes about 5-7 minutes and brings numerous tweaks and advantages to your device. Just remember that every time you reboot or shut the device down, you will need to repeat the rooting process. This tutorial was designed for Lollipop 5.1.1, but it should work on KitKat as well.
Before beginning, you will need to download the following file, unzip it on your pc, then transfer it to your device's internal storage/external sd card.
Root File: https://mega.nz/#!74Jl0ZqY!knlHuexbYGFkk1f4wHxq16u3L38EtfR9scQ0H7hISTA
Lets start!
1) Install both the APK files in the file on your device, If prompted, allow installation from unknown sources.
2) Make sure your device is connected to WiFi, then open Kingroot.
3) Once Kingroot is "Done searching for the best root strategy", click the "Try Now" button and wait about 3 minutes for KingRoot to give you a "Root Successfully" message.
4) This is where it gets kinda tricky, immediately after receiving the root success message, go into SuperSU-me, and grant root permissions when prompted.
5) Click on the big blue button in the middle of the frame and wait about 1 minute for the process to complete. DO NOT UPDATE THE SUPERSU BINARY, IT WILL BOOTLOOP.
6) IMMEDIATELY after the process has completed, go into Settings and make sure KingRoot or Purify is not installed! This is an important step because Kingroot and Kingroot adware tends to install itself in the system partition which can cause problems and frustration.
7 - Recommended) Download a root file explorer and search "King" under /data and /system to ensure that the KingRoot app and its bloatware has been wiped from the system.
8) Enjoy root access!
If this tutorial helped you please be sure to hit the :good: button. If you had any issues or troubles during this process please feel free to let me know down below.
Need T337A firmware? Check out my thread here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/tab-4/general/download-sm-t337a-lollipop-firmware-t3536509
Cheers!
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Click to collapse
The firmware you provided saved my sm-t337A tablet from being soft bricked. Although I was able to gain temp root from this method, king root tried to disable the SELinux on my device and after trying to temp root again caused the app to implant itself as bloatware into the /systems folder and was non functional when using the app. Do you happen to know of a custom recovery (TWRP or CWM) which would work for this device?