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Forgive my ignorance, but ive never used android before and expecting my phone delivered tomorrow (htc hero! )
As i understand it, the android app store signs the apps similar to iphones itunes store to prevent piracy and malware.
Is this correct?
Ive read about how one can "root" the device by loading a image file thru the bootloader over usb, but i wonder, is there a sudo command or similar to temporarily enable root access and later return to default state?
I suppose i could flash it with the root image, install the app and then flash back the default os image, but that feels pretty awkward procedure and would probably raise a bunch of new problems as how the default os would launch the app installed under another os.
I was hoping to start tinkering with programming, but im unsure if i can "throw in the app" and expect it to work..?
After using mac´s for over 20 years ive become too used to stuff just working right out of the box, so i dont feel like experimenting on my own...
There is an option in the settings that lets you install unsigned apps, so no rooting required.
xarvox said:
As i understand it, the android app store signs the apps similar to iphones itunes store to prevent piracy and malware.
Is this correct?
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Click to collapse
Not exactly! Many paid apps are copy protected, but most of the free ones are not. Unlike the iPhone, where you can only install "unauthorized" apps if you jail break the device, Android allows you to install and run applications from a variety of sources on a stock device.
In essence, you do not need to root the device to develop for it, but there are certain things that applications can only be done on a rooted device (for example, receiving a file via Bluetooth, WiFi tethering etc).
I was hoping to start tinkering with programming, but im unsure if i can "throw in the app" and expect it to work..?
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Click to collapse
Well, programming errors aside ( ), and as long as you don't need to do anything that requires root privileges, yes you can. You should bear in mind that the *vast* majority of Android devices will not have been rooted, and therefore the vast majority of available applications do not require rooted phones.
Personally, I expect that later Android builds will remove many of the restrictions that require applications to have root access, so that they can function without requiring a device to be rooted.
Regards,
Dave
Ive found a app that would tether my laptop (mac) over wifi, but requires me to root the device.
Is there a way to temporarily do this, install the app and make the neccisary changes and then switch back to default state?
I don't believe so.
As far as I'm aware, the application requires the elevated privileges when it runs as opposed to just configuration changes. I don't think that even a setuid would help, since I believe the app expects to find and use su/sudo.
Regards,
Dave
Ok, So i got the new updates from Google Wallet to the new Google Wallet and Android Pay.
When I attempted to setup Android Pay, I received the error that my device couldn't be "verified as being compatible."
A little browsing turned up some information that Android Pay doesn't like rooted devices, and even gave a couple of solutions.
1. Disable Superuser access if your Superuser app has the capability.
2. If option one isn't possible, then go back to stock, activate, and re-root.
This fix will NOT work for everyone, but since it is a simple setting change, it can't hurt to try this before looking into more 'drastic' measures. This will most likely only work on rooted stock ROMS.
I know that I use Chainfire's SuperSU app, and it has the ability to be disabled so the operator does not has superuser access until it is re-enabled. Simply go to your SuperSU app, go into the "Settings," and uncheck the "Enable Superuser." Different versions and other apps may be a little different, but principle should remain the same if it is an option.
After disabling SuperSU, open Android Pay and complete your initial setup. Once completed, return to the SuperSU app and re-enable Superuser access. The Android Pay app has continued working since then for me.
Based on information given by 'rbeavers,'
https://koz.io/inside-safetynet/
Guess I'm screwed
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Click to collapse
it appears rooted stock ROMs will probably work if you disable superuser (no guarantee though). Custom and ported ROMs most likely will never work unless the devs figure out a workaround. I would also imagine a otherwise stock ROM running a custom kernel wouldn't work either based on rbeavers' link.
Another note, I've integrated updated system apps and certain other apps into the system partition, so that probably won't matter if anyone is curious about that. (Could be different for other people though.)
Original Posting:
Just got the new Android Pay. I received an error that my device couldn't be verified as being compatible. Found some where else that it doesn't like rooted devices . Fix with SuperSU is easy. Go to SuperSU, touch Settings, and uncheck Enable superuser. Setup Android Pay, then re enable it, and so far, it's working for me.
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Click to collapse
Tried it didn't work for me "turned off " SU. My bank isn't on the "list". So that might be it?
Maybe? I didn't think Android Pay used the bank account, only Wallet does. Pay requires you to link your debit or credit card. Both apps automatically pulled my information, so I didn't have to dig into that very much.
Another thing my ROM is otherwise stock.
I've also read that Android Pay just doesn't like some ROMs, so users on custom or ported ROMs and a few devices in general are probably going to be left out in the cold... unfortunately.
Hopefully someone with more knowledge of the Android system can help us out here soon.
https://koz.io/inside-safetynet/
Guess I'm screwed?
Interesting read. Thanks for sharing
So, rooted stock ROMs will probably work if you disable superuser (no guarantee though). Custom and ported ROMs most likely will never work unless the devs figure out a workaround. I would also imagine a otherwise stock ROM running a custom kernel wouldn't work either based on your link.
Another note, I've integrated updated system apps and certain other apps into the system partition, so that shouldn't matter if anyone is curious about that.
I'm running (very) outdated play services and Google apps on 3.2.5, I remember that anything higher would constantly spam errors of Play Services not working. Does anyone know if it's safe to use the current versions?
fdigl said:
I'm running (very) outdated play services and Google apps on 3.2.5, I remember that anything higher would constantly spam errors of Play Services not working. Does anyone know if it's safe to use the current versions?
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Click to collapse
Who knows with FireOS 3.2.5; that's a very old build (Jelly Bean based!). Suggest unlocking the bootloader and installing a custom rom that plays nice with Google Play Services/Store/Apps.
Davey126 said:
Who knows with FireOS 3.2.5; that's a very old build (Jelly Bean based!). Suggest unlocking the bootloader and installing a custom rom that plays nice with Google Play Services/Store/Apps.
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Thanks for the know, I was afraid to do that since I remember lots of bricking stories during the time. Any way to get SafeStrap to save a backup to external media? I want to start clean.
fdigl said:
Thanks for the know, I was afraid to do that since I remember lots of bricking stories during the time. Any way to get SafeStrap to save a backup to external media? I want to start clean.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can not save directly to external media but you can copy/move backups via tether assuming there is sufficient space on the device to hold a temporary copy.
There is no risk associated with unlocking. Problems previously occurred during the prep steps which are no longer required. Unlocking does not alter your existing environment; it is totally benign until you take action to install a custom rom, recovery, etc. Only downside is the one-time unlock procedure is a bit technical and typically requires the use of a tethered host.
Take a peek at the following thread (first post in particular) to get a sense of what's involved.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/kindle-fire-hdx/general/thor-unlocking-bootloader-firmware-t3463982
Hello,
I recently acquired a Sony Z5C, planning on switching to LineageOS sooner or later, but the android tweking world is way more complex than I initially imagined. I am mostly concerned about privacy and control but there is so much to go through I am completely lost. I thought it was all about running either Sony's rom or the lineageos rom but there seems to be a lot more to take into account.
What I am looking for:
getting rid of Sony's annoying bloatware
getting rid of Google Play Services
automatic or semi automatic security updates
fine tuning of application permissions (including ability to deny specific apps access to, say, my location, contact list, camera, internet, sms, without the apps noticing they have been denied access in the first place)
ads and trackers blocking (for instance global or per-application blacklisting of known "evil" domains)
being able to restore everything as it was when I purchased the phone
f-droid begin able to download and install updates without manual intervention
as little side effects as possible resulting from the deletion of the Google Play Services
Icing on the cake:
no loss in camera quality (I read somewhere it is sometimes possible to use image-enhancing algorithms despite having deleted the required DRM keys)
no loss in gps accuracy
same battery life (or better)
encompassing all data traffic of specific apps through tor or another technology preserving distant services from identifying me and my mobile network operator from knowing I access said services
Questions:
What is the difference between opengapps and microg? How does it relate with lineage? At which point in the installation process is it involved?
What are the consequences of rooting the device?
What is the purpose of so called "Magisk"? I read it "changes everything" but I have no idea what "everythin" was. As far as I understand, it is useful to fake a genuine configuration that have not been tempered with in order to use Google Pay or some games. I do not seem to care about that: should I? Is there more to know?
Most important question: in your opinion, considering the above points, the phone I have, current trends and hindsight, and your experience, what would be the best way to go? Should I follow the installation steps on the official lineageos page for the Z5C or do you think another option would suit me better?
To illustrate my technical knowledge: I have been a gnu/linux user for almost a decade but I am completely ignorant of the Android world and feel lost. In particular the concept of "root" and how user and system data is organized on the filesystem(s) (especially on Sony devices) seem different. I am willing to learn and get technical, but there is too much information and I do not know where to start with zero experience.
Thank you very much for your help.
I am in same situation. Did things like that for Moto and Samsung already, but I am new to Sony.
Key is to install TWRP. This is some kind of recovery where you can
- make a backup
- install LOS
- recall backups.
Once this is done:
- install root/su
- tingle the framework (to get microG running)
- install microG
- install afwall (firewall)
- install adaware
only than plugin a SIM and/or enable Wifi.
So: first thing is to install TWRP
unlock Bootloader:
To be able to unlock your Xperia Z5 Compact, prepare it by following these steps:
Go into Settings > About phone and tap seven times on Build number to enable developer options.
From Settings, go into Developer options and enable OEM unlocking.
Warning: Device protection features will not work on this device while this setting is turned on.Please note! It will only be possible to unlock the boot loader for certain releases. You can check if it is possible to unlock the boot loader of your device in the service menu by following the steps below:
In your device, open the dialer and enter *#*#7378423#*#* to access the service menu.
Tap Service info > Configuration > Rooting Status. If Bootloader unlock allowed says Yes, then you can continue with the next step. If it says No, or if the status is missing, your device cannot be unlocked.
TWRP
https://forum.xda-developers.com/z5-compact/development/twrp-twrp-3-2-1-z5-compact-t3748952
A few words to your queston:
opengapps are not open source, they just add normal google apps to Custom Roms. With all pros and cons.
MicroG is offering some kind of api, so that most features can be used (notification, google maps, access to playstore).
They are installed after the custom rom. Some people don't install any of them, use FDroid as a store.
root gives you the chance to change settings, for a few advanced configurations it is required (or makes it easier): firewall, ad remove ...
No experience with magisk. It is another way of "rooting" it, gives more features (hide the root status) which is required for some games. Not needed it til now.
What seems to be missing from previous post is to backup your DRM keys since unlocking your bootloader means losing them FOREVER.
Regards,
Aeny
Aeny said:
What seems to be missing from previous post is to backup your DRM keys since unlocking your bootloader means losing them FOREVER.
Regards,
Aeny
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right, but didn't you need TWRP to make a backup. And that is on my list, first point. Or is it a special step to do?
Thank you for your help and valuable information which now raises even more questions
If I get things right TWRP is low level stuff that would allow me to backup and restore the system whenever I need to. Say for instance I just installed LOS and configured it as desired so I use TWRP to get a backup and if I later mess things up I can restore this backup without having to go through the whole installation and configuration process? How does the official LineageOS installation guide fit in all this, sould I follow it? Do I need to follow a completely different procedure? I am not planning to tinker anympre once everything has been set up, is TWRP only recommended for people who often experiment and change things or is it recommended for everyone?
The DRM keys are removed when unlocking the bootloader but since TWRP requires an unlocked bootloader they have to be backed up beforehand, am I right? Does it mean I can restore them afterwards once the bootloader has been unlocked without locking it up again? How can I back them up in the first place?
I cannot seem to picture how all the pieces fit together, which is low level stuff, which is high level. When you say "install microg", "install afwall", "install adaware", what are microg, afwall, adaware? Are they regular applications? Regular applications with root access? Low level modules? How is root managed in comparison with a gnu/linux system where I can either directly log as root, change user to root with "su", or get temporary privileges with "sudo"? When you say "install root/su", are we simply talking about installing the equivalent of "su" or "sudo" on a linux distribution? Is there a root password I shall input each time it is required or provide some applications root privileges through a configuration app? Is such an application to be installed separately?
Thank you for the clarification about opengapps/microg. I am interested in microg although I can give a try without in the beginning as long as it is still possible to install microg later.
fetchaspade said:
WRP only recommended for people who often experiment and change things or is it recommended for everyone?
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Click to collapse
Yes, highly recommended if not even required. All my LOS setups run via TWRP.
fetchaspade said:
The DRM keys are removed when unlocking the bootloader but since TWRP requires an unlocked bootloader they have to be backed up beforehand, am I right? Does it mean I can restore them afterwards once the bootloader has been unlocked without locking it up again? How can I back them up in the first place?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point. Don't know where do I need this DRM keys for, as I did't faced off this with other mobiles.
I think you have to make a backup of the TA partition:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/crossdevice-dev/sony/iovyroot-temp-root-tool-t3349597/
fetchaspade said:
I cannot seem to picture how all the pieces fit together, which is low level stuff, which is high level. When you say "install microg", "install afwall", "install adaware", what are microg, afwall, adaware? Are they regular applications? Regular applications with root access? Low level modules? How is root managed in comparison with a gnu/linux system where I can either directly log as root, change user to root with "su", or get temporary privileges with "sudo"? When you say "install root/su", are we simply talking about installing the equivalent of "su" or "sudo" on a linux distribution? Is there a root password I shall input each time it is required or provide some applications root privileges through a configuration app? Is such an application to be installed separately?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
addsu is to flash via TWRP in same manner like LOS itself - as a zip. Others are regualar applications (installed like that) but required root privileges to work. No root password required. Once an app needs it it will ask you, and if you like it remembers you allowed it (so it will ask just once usually). Recommend to try this. You can't do much wrong if you create a backup
fetchaspade said:
Thank you for the clarification about opengapps/microg. I am interested in microg although I can give a try without in the beginning as long as it is still possible to install microg later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MicroG is a bit more fiddling to install than gapps and seems to has limitations. There are separate threads for just this.
Just start, you will get a feeling for that all.
Edit: But
there is already a lineagos with microG built-in:
https://download.lineage.microg.org/suzuran/
Thank you starbright_
To recap, I am to unlock the bootloader, install TWRP, flash addsu via TWRP, flash lineage enhanced with microg, and I'm good to go.
I'm still stuck on the very first step: backing up the TA partition. If I'm not mistaken I need the TA backup tool which requires root access. Root access requires an unlocked bootloader (which would remove the TA partition and the DRM keys) or is achieved for a limited amount of time thanks to exploits. According to both https://forum.xda-developers.com/crossdevice-dev/sony/iovyroot-temp-root-tool-t3349597/ and https://forum.xda-developers.com/z5-compact/general/guide-how-to-root-z5c-painful-using-t3549388, it won't work on recent versions (7.1.1) so I need to downgrade. How can I do that? I imagine I need a tool to flash an old official rom: where am I to find an old official rom? How can I flash it without having an unlocked bootloader?
Backing up the TA partition really seems cumbersome. Is the loss of quality really noticeable on photos and videos? I find photos quite disappointing already and I fear it would get even worse.
On an unrelated topic, do you now of any way to backup SMS conversations as a simple file to import later on the same or different device? All I can find are applications that back up messages on a GMail account (no thanks) or any IMAP server (in what world is it simpler than an xml or simple text file ?).
Maybe you can translate this:
https://reraise.eu/2016/09/05/xperia-z5c-so-sicherst-du-die-ta-partition-teil-1
On an unrelated topic, do you now of any way to backup SMS conversations as a simple file to import later on the same or different device? All I can find are applications that back up messages on a GMail account (no thanks) or any IMAP server (in what world is it simpler than an xml or simple text file ?).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using titanium backup for that.
(menu / backup data to xml)
@fetchaspade
Did you start your project? I would appreciate to take notes of your step. That's not only helping others, but also yourself once you have to do the steps again once.
Are there any members who have been able to encrypt a rooted Android Galaxy A8 (SM-A530F) with Android Pie. Or at least with an Android phone running Android Pie? I would be very interested to know how you did it? Rooting was straight forward but root with encryption so far has been unsuccessful.
I have tried suggestions from the following forum posts, with no luck:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s7/help/to-magisk-data-encryption-s7-t3667007
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-8/how-to/guide-how-to-root-device-encryption-t3742493
Regarding encryption, can anyone recommend any other good encryption alternatives that I could use instead of full device encryption? For example an encryption solution that will encrypt all personal data or a mounted encrypted home folder(similar to Linux) where all personal information can reside and be encrypted.
Any good encryption apps? I see that there are many in the play store, but which one, are they any good?
Grateful for any help/suggestions. Thanks.