Hello, I used App2Sd to integrate updates with system and after reboot my phone messed up!
So I reflash entire system with flashtool.
There is a way to integrate updates with system without any problems?
Tried to integrate updates in system with Titaniumbackup messed up my phone several times.
Im interested in a proper working solution too.
Related
Hi,
I wanted to update my phone to the new 45.4.13(?) update but it keeps giving me errors since I uninstalled some of the stock apps that were useless (for example, AdService.apk). Is there a way to either mount a partition that has the factory setting stuff, or modify the update to not check the hashes of the stock apps I don't have, and if I can do the latter, would that break the update/my phone?
Also I want to hear if anyone has updated their thing to 2.3.5 after superuser released their ota survival, and did that work?
-BananasGoMoo
So I have quite an amount of questions for my own phone. No one here seems to know how to solve my problems, not even the community in another forum I'm part of.
First of all, I'm using Lenovo S650, Android 4.2.2, with firmware S650_ROW_S305_140820, rooted and removed some system apps.
1. What does S650_ROW_S308_150121 contain? Does it fix graphic issues? I have some apps that show black on parts that shouldn't have. The worst part is everything looks fine at the time of display rotation, pressing Home Button or even a Screenshot. But only for that second. I believe that this update might fix these apps' issues.
Some of the apps that have graphic issues/ won't successfully start: Thomas Was Alone, Mystery Room Layton Brothers, The Sandbox, Monument Valley.
2. I've read that removing System Apps might be the issue. But how do I recover them? Factory Reset? If so, where is this option located?
3. I already tried updating several times but update keeps failing and I already have a backup of the .zip file. But in addition to above, What can Titanium Backup do backup of? Installed apps and saves? Or is there another way to update my firmware without the use of Factory Reset? A Custom Rom?
I hope that someone could help me and fix everything.
Sony Xperia SP C5306
Jellybean 4.1.2
Rooted
I'm having an issue, wherein the stock browser uninstalls itself on every boot.
The .apk is still in the 'system/app' folder but the icon is gone from the app list, and when I try to open a link, I'm told there is no application with which to perform the task.
I've deleted the app and it's .odex file, as well as the data in 'data/data' etc, and reinstalled it both manually as well as with Titanium Backup.
It works fine, (using it now in fact), but upon rebooting, it's gone again.
The only thing that has significantly changed prior to this was the installation of 'Cydia Backport'.
After uninstalling 'Cydia', I lost the browser.
I reinstalled 'Backport', hoping to regain functionality, but the issue persists.
Also, when I boot into TWRP and attempt to backup or restore, I'm informed that it was unable to 'unmount' the system.
This behavior did not pre-exist 'Cydia' either.
'Cydia Backport', is intended to insert recent Android security updates, into older OS's.
Any ideas, folks?
Is there a command somewhere in the boot script that could be doing this?
If so... Can I edit it?
I, have emulators and editors available, I just can't find the 'uninstall your browser every boot', command.
Is boot logging available somehow so I can see where the command initiates?
:-S
Solved!!!
As per usual, I slashed and burned, and raped and pillaged, and after a harrowing fight with the demon, I once again have full control of my browser (post boot), and 'Cydia' is a thing of the past. No thanks to Avast, and Malwearbytes - neither of which detected significant changes to the OS.
Why doesn't Android have an equivalent of Windows SFC???
so I picked up a used pixel from craigslist. seems ok. but I starting thinking... how can I be certain this phone is not booby trapped. it would be awful to have a trojaned device and not really know it.
I searched quite a bit about about malware that can survive factory reset. so it seems that simply resetting is not so great.
then I thought adb sideload an official google factory image to both slot a and slot b would purge any demons. but then again, I cannot find any documentation that make it clear what get overwritten and and what doesn't. (eg do the bootloader or recovery partition remain intact... seems like a great place to hide malware on a booby trapped phone). similarly, it is unclear what /system paritition blocks get replace.. all of them? some of them? can a clever trojan/rat survive an ota?
and then there is the full factory image install via fastboot. the problem is that I cannot enable oem unlocking b/c Verizon locked bootloader. booooooo
final thing. and the trigger that really had me thinking about this. after setting up the phone and connecting to the network, I saw a notification that subtley asked to install a Google screen reader. no idea why. and no google searches return anything useful. was this device hacked already??!
specifically the notification said:
"install app for screen share" and "tap to install from the play store"
so, any security minded android users out there who can help me understand if I need to trash this phone?
Infrequent pop-ups when using a web browser or when running an app can be normal. However, if you are getting pop-ups even when you’re not opening a browser or when using a totally different app, there could be malware in your phone. Malicious pop-ups are often brought about by a bad app that you may have installed in the past. In some cases, legit looking apps may update to a sinister version after some time and cause pop-ups to be displayed.
Run the phone in safe mode and observe it. Safe mode is great tool in detecting a problem app. On this mode, all third party apps will be suspended so if the problem is absent when your Android is running on safe mode, that means there’s a malicious app in the system. While in this mode, you should be able to use preinstalled apps normally as well as use basic networking services without a problem.
My recommendation to have a malware-free phone:
Do a factory reset
Before re-installing any app install an anti-virus app
So will sideloading an official factory OTA image using adb from recovery, completely remove any malware? (I read about malware that can survive a factory reset.)
Also, has anyone else ever seen a notification asking to install a screen reader? This appeared after a factory reset, immediately after connecting to the wifi network. No apps installed.
A factory reset really only deals with the Data and the Cache partitions. System partition isn't affected. This is true regardless device is rooted or not So if malware got installed in System partition it survives a factory reset. A factory reset will also not remove any ROM upgrades or OTA's.
Hopefully by now you have a better understanding of what a factory reset is.
May be the browser - what typically is installed as system app / system-privileged app - is the culprit: Use another browser and see what happens.
I think I understand how the factory reset works. For this discussion, I am do used on Google Pixel line, no modifications, and no root, and only app from the official Play Store.
The adb sideload of a Google factory OTA is the part I don't fully understand.
For example, doe the OTA merely replace files? Or does to do a bitwise blocklevel swap? Does it modify anything in the bootloader, or recovery partitions?
I cannot find clear documentation on this.
The notification requests to install Screen Reader do not come from Chrome or any browser. They appear to come from the system. (Android 10).
So what I am trying to figure out is whether some malicious actor/app installed a persistent malware into the system partition, or the bootloader, or the recovery. Such that a factory reset cannot remove it (like with xHelper malware)
Like for example, can a malware get into the system partition, and a manual adb OTA sideload , or even manual fastboot factory image install, fail to remove the malware from the system partition? That would be. a nightmare for security.
Finally, I cannot find any documentation from Google that Pixel (3) on Android 10 will automatically try to install a screen reader as a native operation.
Basically, is this used, never rooted phone, permanently Trojan-ed junk now?
@thehighhat
Sorry to say this: I'll no longer waste my time with this ...
oops: duplicated post deleted
jwoegerbauer said:
...
My recommendation to have a malware-free phone:
Do a factory reset
Before re-installing any app install an anti-virus app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK. Not sure why you're done with this - if you have insight, sharing it is good for everyone.
anti-virus (13 different ones) all show no malware. shows it is clean.
there are well known malware that can survive a factory reset.
the notification to install "screen reader" occurred immediately after a newly wiped phone connected to internet, even before any of the default apps (chrome, settings, etc.) opened
still looking for answers from someone who knows:
has anyone ever seen a system notification asking to install a "screen reader"?
does anyone know if
Code:
adb sideload official.google.ota.img
on a pixel modifies the boot partition or the recovery partition?
does anyone know if that manual ota install will guarantees the system partition contains only unmodified valid files/blocks?
thehighhat said:
OK. Not sure why you're done with this - if you have insight, sharing it is good for everyone.
anti-virus (13 different ones) all show no malware. shows it is clean.
there are well known malware that can survive a factory reset.
the notification to install "screen reader" occurred immediately after a newly wiped phone connected to internet, even before any of the default apps (chrome, settings, etc.) opened
still looking for answers from someone who knows:
has anyone ever seen a system notification asking to install a "screen reader"?
does anyone know if
Code:
adb sideload official.google.ota.img
on a pixel modifies the boot partition or the recovery partition?
does anyone know if that manual ota install will guarantees the system partition contains only unmodified valid files/blocks?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you fastboot flash an official google system.img partition. From Google. With the correct hash value to insure correct download. It should flash the entire partition. Same goes for any other partition. If you have a certified unmodified image and flash it, the entire partition should be flashed, not just part of it.
With OTA updates. You only get patches. At least that's how the normal process goes. You got the smaller sized ota update and it only modifies the specific files that are being patched for that particular OTA update.
So with normal OTA only pieces of the partitions get updated. Sometimes they all are not touched with every update.
Delgoth said:
If you fastboot flash an official google system.img partition. From Google. With the correct hash value to insure correct download. It should flash the entire partition. Same goes for any other partition. If you have a certified unmodified image and flash it, the entire partition should be flashed, not just part of it.
With OTA updates. You only get patches. At least that's how the normal process goes. You got the smaller sized ota update and it only modifies the specific files that are being patched for that particular OTA update.
So with normal OTA only pieces of the partitions get updated. Sometimes they all are not touched with every update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. This is exactly what I was looking for
So it sounds like file level replacement instead of block level.
Does the ota verify the other files on the system partition that it does not intend to modify?
thehighhat said:
Thank you. This is exactly what I was looking for
So it sounds like file level replacement instead of block level.
Does the ota verify the other files on the system partition that it does not intend to modify?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does in the sense that it verifies before and after the process begins/ends, the correct size of the partition. This is true in the sense of Ssmsung devices and how the typical standard recovery image works.
But it is the update zip that does most if not all of the size/digest verifications after the files have been patched. Because there is no real way for the rom to know how big the updated build(s) is going to be before the update arrives.
Generally I've seen it verify all the hash values are the same as last time it updated when it begins. And the update zip specifies the ending size.
Hello all,
my Question is:
How to Embedding a custom APK inside Android 11 Stock ROM as part of the System?
I want this APK to survive a Reset to factory settings and to be installed again as part of the system no matter how many times I reset to factory settings or wipe/format the device!
My device is: Samsung SM-M315F/DSN
should this APK goes inside:
"system\system\priv-app" or "system\system\app" or "/product/priv-app/" or "/product/app/"
I need help achieving this please on Android 11?
I can Root my Device if it's needed at first, but the idea is after I do all the necessary steps for embedding this APK into system that I'll UNROOT my device.
thats it. I hope to find help please.
thanks.
If you wipe / format an Android device by nature all data housed therein are lost - Android OS included, hence it doesn't matter where the APK in question gets installed to.
but jwoegerbauer, when I reset to factory settings android device already gets back to system defaults and preinstalled stock apps!
thats what I need, is to make my APK part of the stock apps, so when I reset to factory its installed as well.
eg. same like google play store, samsung members, galaxy store, etc.
these apps above are part of the system and no matter how many times u reset, they will be installed.
thats my idea..
and btw, thx for your ADB-FASTBOOT-INSTALLER
Correct: A Factory Reset does NOT affect Android's core components such as system-apps ( along with apps pre-loaded by your carrier and/or manufacturer into the system partition ).
So converting / installing an user-app to / as a system-app might be a good idea. But this requires device's Android must got rooted.
it is rooted already but thats not the idea.... coz it's very easy.. all I need to do is using a root file explorer and create a folder with the apk file in it inside app folder inside /system/system/app or /priv-app or /app and give proper permission to folder and to file inside it and reboot and this APK will be installed and be part of the system and even with reset it'll keep be installed
this is not what I'm aiming for or is not my question.
my question is for EDITING stock rom itself and embedding this APK inside it, without the need to root
or
even if I do so with this APK using root method, I then need to UNROOT my device, and if I do so, this private or user APK I installed/embedded will be lost.
and I dont want to lose it.
any help?
used CRB doesn't help and now S.U.R says Format not supported!