Hey guys, I just bought my RN10 and am waiting for it to arrive. My plan is to turn it into a DeGoogled phone (Custom ROM + MicroG) to use as a daily driver.
As someone who has no experience doing such a thing, but who has been familiarizing oneself with the topic and keeping up with this thread for a bit; I have a few questions that I was hoping I could get some help with:
1.
Is the 168 Hour waiting time a guarantee, or are there some of you who didn't have to wait that long?
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I plan to root the device, to pass SafetyNet, get Aurora Services, get Bromite Webview, maybe install oandbackupx, etc...
2.
What is your experience with Aurora services and Bromite Webview?
Do these (+ magisk and microG) need reinstalling after updates?
What is your preferred backup solution? I plan to back up to an SD card.
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I will try out some ROMs at first to see what works best for me, before I settle on one. But I am not sure if I can just use my backups from say CrDroid in DotOS for example.
These are the ROMs I am leaning towards (in order of preference): DotOS, CrDroid, and LOS:
3.
What should I be aware regarding backups when trying these ROMs? Can I use backups in different ROMs? Does it apply to oandbackupx or just TWRP ones of data partition?
Would you say they are stable enough for daily driving? (I am aware there are some minor bugs like video recording - not a problem for me)
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I am aware that TWRP is in alpha for the RN10 bc of the A/B partitioning system, and that it will be a long time for a stable version to come out.
Once I set on a ROM, I will wait until a stable version is released before I do updates.
4.
What should I be aware of when using TWRP? (specially this alpha version)
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I use Ubuntu in my system, and I wonder what is the best approach to Unlock the Bootloader and install custom ROMs there.
5.
Is anyone in this thread also using Linux? What is your experience?
What do you guys think of XiaomiTool V2? Is it reliable?
Or would you guys recommend doing these procedures via fastboot and adb? (android-tools-fastboot & android-tools-adb)
1.
there is no way around 1 week waiting. if you are unlucky you might have to wait another week. this might happen when you didn't use the phone enough in this week period, or if you reset the mi account.
also, from this unlock faq: https://c.mi.com/thread-2262302-1-0.html
If you're facing "User Portrait Scores Too Low Or Black", please create or use a new Mi Account to unlock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what that means can only be speculated. in worst case this means, if you cover your camera so it is black, or if you have low light conditions in your drawer where to phone lies, or at the moment you press the unlock button, you can't unlock your phone.
or if the front camera can't recognize a face with its AI, so the portrait score is too low, it also might not unlock your phone. or if internet is blocked so it can't send the data home.
imho, this is a privacy nightmare, but there are no details anyware and everybody just seems to accept this insanity.
2.
I don't use aurora services, but webview browser work very well and magisk+microG does work if you get it installed once (this can be tricky because you have to find the right versions and variations that work together). if you choose a ROM that allows signature spoofing it isn't so much trouble, otherwise it gets more tricky. The rest works pretty easy with latest Magisk and MinMicroG (other microG variants I had trouble with).
You always have to reflash: 1) custom 3rd party recovery (like twrp), 2) Kernel, 3) magisk if you flash another ROM. this is always the same on every custom ROM.
3.
nandroid backup and restore is messy with TWRP currently. best way is to do backup with oandbackupX as root and/or a nandroid /data backup without encryption pin. backing up system is useless. in case of restoration install fresh ROM, start it up once for setting up encryption of /data, then restore /data partition.
you can't move /data partition between ROMs, you have to backup your apps with oandbackupX or the like.
nandroid backups on ext. SDCard currently don't work. better make space on your internal memory.
4.
TWRP is currently buggy or features not working correctly. don't expect anything that worked before in non virtual A/B environments to work perfectly fine here. upgrading was always tricky due to A and B slot changes, but thats not all a problem of TWRP but of the ROMs too.
Just read the older posts in the threads of CrDroid and LineageOS and TWRP and you will learn a lot what works and what doesn't work.
5.
Just install a virtual PC with windows 10 and use everything related to Xiaomi software in there. (most things are windows only). you can bridge your usb connected phone to the virtual PC.
There is no need for XiaomiTool V2 if you are on custom ROMs. just use fastboot/adb commands as needed.
1.
I plan to cover the front camera and not register the fingerprint scanner until I get a custom ROM on it. So I will discover if that is the case or not and let you guys know here.
2.
What is the best way to install microg? magisk module or flashing it via TWRP? I am under the impression one can go both ways about it.
having to flash the kernel is news to me. is there any post in this sub that I can read more about it?
3.
Okay, I will stick with oanbackupX for the time being then, and read about nandroid.
And could you further clarify what you mean by SD cards not working? Is it only for backups or at all? Does that apply to oandbackupX?
4. thanks I will read those posts. hopefully a stable is out soon though.
5.
I have a notebook that I am not sure is capable enough of running a Win VM. So i would really prefer to do these things on my Ubuntu install if I can. Plus it would be a peace of mind knowing i have all it needs and I am not dependent on having Windows machines near me should I have an emergency with the phone.
Is there any issue with XiamiTool V2? Would it not work to do the things i am trying to do?
Thanks in advace for your reply, they are very clarifying in getting me started on this!
best of luck with unlocking. hope you won't need another week. remember both cameras are eligible for face recognition and brightness measurement.
the way of installing microG may be different for each variation, ROM and phone (remember virtual A/B devices, read-only system, etc.). best way is to read the official installation manual that the microG variant provides. on virtual A/B devices you flash almost everything in Magisk with magisk-modules so you get a systemless patched system. the only thing you flash in recovery, beside kernels and other recoveries maybe, is actually magisk.
about kernels, just read the threads about the two released kernels so far.
well, you might be lucky if you try running the xiaomi software using wine, but it might not work. blame Xiaomi for not releasing all the wanted tools for all OS's.
for unlocking keep in mind that you don't change your setup, keep the same virtual PC, tool, data, etc. in place and don't change anything, they collect also PC data (os, hardware, ip - keep IP the same on PC and phone while unlocking!) for the unlocking process (also a privacy nightmare).. if you want to mitigate that you have to build much more around it than just a virtual pc, though.
I didn't use Xiaomi Tool so I can't really answer that. I think the software is outdated and it's main purpose is to remove some but not all bloatware on non rooted stock rom devices. you can do everything without that tool.
keep in mind that these are unofficial tools and there are many of them, and there are many fake ones uploaded to sharehosters which might be infected with malware. it's hard to find the right sources (but check the official sticky posts in this forum for links) and if you get all these tools by googling around chances are high you get some modified versions with malware.
I'd recommend doing things manually and learning step-by-step how to do things.
Oh damn, I will definitely cover the back camera after I test it then. Thanks for the heads up.
regarding flashing the kernels, I understand it now. I thought I had to reflash the stock kernel every time. silly me
keep IP the same on PC and phone while unlocking!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you mean keep the phone connected to the same wifi as the PC during the waiting period? bc otherwise I don't think that is possible at all, given that one must turn off wifi and use carrier data to add the Mi account to device.
I am not sure I understand what you mean :\
And the main purpose of the tool is to unlock bootloaders, install custom ROMs, etc. But you are right, latest version is one year old and I would like to avoid it if I can. Also there are 'official' links to download it from the Github page or the tool website.
I'd recommend doing things manually and learning step-by-step how to do things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you, I will likely do the bootloader unlock procedure on Windows and then install TWRP via fastboot/adb on my Ubuntu laptop, and move on from there. I believe it is possible to do that much on linux right?
regarding the IP, I have the suspicion that they (xiaomi) rate the IPs that you use and for some they might block the unlocking attempt. VPN, TOR and other proxies might be suspicious to them and they might block them (this is not necessarily true for all VPNs, TOR nodes, regions, etc., though). There should be no problem with your default ISPs IP address however, but you'll let your pants down using them.
First unlocking on your phone has to be with mobile data, but you could also use VPN,Tor,etc. there, thats why I'm saying it. Some people I've talked to went as far as buying burner sims just for the unlocking process because they are afraid of what china does with their data.
there should be no problem at all if you use normal mobile data for phone Mi account and your default ISP ip on the computer with the unlock tool. They just spy monitor your phone for that week (until you delete the crap) and if the score is good you are good to unlock the phone. nobody besides them knows exactly what they do but you get a clue when you read their Terms of Service. if your ip address varies geographically very much in this week it might also look suspicious, or if the ip-range is used for many different unlocks. all that obviously plays a role in the score at the end.
ok, I didn't use any other tool for unlocking the bootloader than the original and official xiaomi unlock tool. all the rest can be done without additional tools.
the only things you might need is actually MiFlash (to reset/reflash factory ROMs), MIFlash unlock for unlocking the bootloader, and the latest fastboot+adb versions for all the rest.
fastboot+adb requires the correct phone drivers to work on windows, it might be the same on linux. if they are also available for linux it should be ok. for fastboot try the official general android drivers provided by google, they might also be available for linux (or are already implemented)
I was planning on getting a burner for this. but given the covid restrictions in where I am at, it is gonna be a hassle.
I think Xiaomi does most of that because of the people who buy their phones from China, unlock them, put a custom rom and resell them. I think I should be in the clear though, I wanna get a custom rom working asap, so I wont try using tor and vpn and risk it.
I really don't plan on reflashing the stock rom ever again, unless I absolutely need to. I think i read that there are some cases where one must reflash the stock rom in between custom rom installs(?), but I hope that it is not the case for me. I only plan to try dotos and crdroid, maybe los.
and I would think there is a way to get the drivers for Linux, given that xiomitool v2 does get drivers from somewhere and its available on Linux. I gotta do some digging here though
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I took a gamble buying a Chinese phone redmi-note 2 but sadly! it hasn't worked out for me.
All I wanted from it, was for it to do what it is supposed to do.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth doesn't connect to any of my devices, car, Hi-fi and not even my nexus 7!
Miui updater
Totally useless on my phone. This app crashes every time I select "choose update package"
I have looked for help on YouTube but the majority of videos seem to be Indian, using Indian versions of software where the updater app seems to work perfectly.
I managed to root my nexus 7 with ease but the redmi-note 2 is a nightmare.
I could really do with some of you android guru's to point me in the right direction! in finding a good beginners guide to finding all the apps and suitable rom for my phone, Or better still.! A way to get Bluetooth to work.
First of all check if your device has official rom or custom (if you bought it from China it probably has custom rom so flash official one).
Mine is working very good...
I second what ibeqa said - you're probably running a crapware-loaded ROM. Crashing updater is a good hint. You could also look into "about phone" section for the MIUI version, if it's something like 9.99.99 then it's crapware. "Legit" ROMs have version 7.xx.yy or 6.xx.yy. The crapware ROMs are IMHO the main reason why Xiaomi decided to lock the bootloader on RN3 and other newer phones. Because obviously, those ROMs give them bad reputation even though it's not their fault.
Bluetooth works fine for me, but sometimes it hangs up forcing me to restart it - not optimal but doesn't happen too often.
As for rooting, rooting the Nexus 7 (2012) was the same as RN2 for me - connect to PC in fastboot mode, flash recovery.img, reboot to recovery and flash a custom ROM. There are enough guides out there. For the RN2, fastboot can be accessed by starting the phone with the volume down key pressed.
Agree with the above. Please re-flash using official ROM via fastboot method and then try again. See http://en.miui.com/a-234.html
Android version 5.02 LRX22G
MIUI Version 66.77.33.00(LHMCNCH) Stable
Cpu octo core 2.2Ghz
Ram 2GB
I Have downloaded Update supersu 2.4 and miui HMNote2Global v7.2.2.0LHMMIDA_DA_d71ff21b81_5.0.zip are these correct please?
I installed CWM but have read that TWRP is the one I should be using! is that correct?
The trouble with the redmi 2 ,is there is too much conflicting information out there, making it very difficult for a newbie.
Is there any other things that I need to download?
This whole thing has really put me off the Xiaomi brand. I just expected bluetooth to work ! it is supposed to be standardised worldwide.
To you Guys it is probably fun to mess about with different roms, all I wanted was a working phone.
"MIUI Version 66.77.33.00" <- that's your problem right there. You reseller installed a crapware loaded ROM and has modified the version so that you never get an update (= he can spy on you forever), had you bought from another one, you would have gotten a working phone. I know mine did.
Putting blame on Xiaomi for this is misplaced, unless you want to blame them for being dev-friendly and leaving the bootloader unlocked. They reconsidered by now, though, their newer phones are locked.
In any case, yes TWRP is the way to go personally. CWM has cut important features like backup/restore (at least the version shipped with cyanogen roms I tried), so it's basically useless.
For the ROM, if you have downloaded it from the xiaomi page, then yes. You could also get the rom from xiaomi.eu if you want to use an European language.
If you just want official MIUI then you don't need to install custom recovery (use fastboot method instead as per official instructions). In fact the custom recovery will get removed next time you receive an OTA update.
Personally I use TWRP from this link http://en.miui.com/thread-224679-1-1.html because I wanted to install root. But only do this AFTER you install a clean ROM at the first place.
Crim Soukyuu said:
"MIUI Version 66.77.33.00" <- that's your problem right there. You reseller installed a crapware loaded ROM and has modified the version so that you never get an update (= he can spy on you forever), had you bought from another one, you would have gotten a working phone. I know mine did.
Putting blame on Xiaomi for this is misplaced, unless you want to blame them for being dev-friendly and leaving the bootloader unlocked. They reconsidered by now, though, their newer phones are locked.
In any case, yes TWRP is the way to go personally. CWM has cut important features like backup/restore (at least the version shipped with cyanogen roms I tried), so it's basically useless.
For the ROM, if you have downloaded it from the xiaomi page, then yes. You could also get the rom from xiaomi.eu if you want to use an European language.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought the phone from Gearbest.EU and expected it to be direct from Xiaomi, as I have never had a problem with this company before.
I have had another go at installing a new rom with the Mi suite and also with the miui flash tool and am not getting anywhere with it. I can't even root the damned thing as it boots into Mi when pressing vol up and start. This happened with CWM and TWRP.
I have said before,that I have little experience with android and perhaps I am going wrong somewhere! or the tutorial posters are using phones that have totally different roms to mine. ,It is very difficult when you have Indian,Chinese and global versions with many variations of each, the same seems to apply to CWM and TWRP.
Is there a way to install this via windows, ie formatting the phone and running an installer direct from pc?
I had a dabble with Linux mint and Artist in the past and found them quite user friendly, I can't believe that android is Linux based! I could have done a fresh install of windows, several times by now,the amount of time I have spent on this. Of course windows truly is global with only a couple of variations . Format disk, run and your away. Then hours installing software.
I am fast getting to the stage where I shall give it a bounce test, from a great height. :crying:
Important notice! : iLLNiSS made me aware of a serious risk!
If you play with the firmwares manually and not with the flash all bat then DO NOT flash the blobs!
These are the actual bootloader files and stuffing up here will cause a hard brick!
I have to stress this out as it is serious thanks to not having working APX drivers a flshing programs for the Shield!
For starters, I uploaded a copy of the 7.2 developer firmware here:
7.2 developer ZIP on Dropbox
It is the full 1.1Gb update and not the 422mb block based one.
I have done some extensive tests since the first block based update wrecked my rooted Shield.
Some of it will end up in this post as info for everyone.
But lets start with what seems to be the problem for a lot of users right now who run a rooted Shield : Fixing the problem
A downgrade is officially not supported by Nvidia but my tests showed it works just fine if you only go back to the 7.1.
So far my tests showed differen sources for a Shield no longer working after the OTA.
1. The device had an unlocked bootloader and you got the 422mb block update.
This would have stuffed your bootloader and the Shield won't go past 1/4 on the progress bar for the update.
You are in luck as just flashing the 7.1 bootloader will fix it.
After that just dismiss the update and change the settings to manual updates.https://forum.xda-developers.com/editpost.php?do=editpost&p=78466377
2. Your device was already fully rooted and you got the full update that resulted in your Shield doing all sorts of thing but nothing properly anymore.
As long as your apps are still there and the Shield is still somhow usable you are lucky again.
A downgrade to 7.1 will fix it, I will explain the steps required further down.
3. You made bid mods, used Magisk or other rooting tools and now your Shield complains that your system is corrupt.
Bad luck if your bootloader is locked as you loose it all.
Lucky if the bootloader is unlocked as you might be able to keep most if not all during the downgrade.
General words of warning:
Even if your bootloader was unlocked from day one I can not garantee that the downgrade will keep all settings, apps, databases and so on.
For me it works fine as I kept all vital databases on external storage.
The procedures are all based on the developer firmware, on the stock firmware some things can still be done but then again you should not have more than software problems.
On the stock firmware the bootloader is locked by default and you can use some things required to owngrade due to the restrictions of a stock system.
General downgrade procedure for the developer firmware to get back to 7.1 :
If the update did get stuck on the progess bar early on and a reboot won't fix it so you can dismiss the update you just follow the steps.
If you can reboot into the 7.1 then just dismiss the update.
Trust issues or curruption warnings at boot but an otherwise working shield on 7.1 require to flash the 7.1 bootloader again.
In some cases it is possible to skip the corruption warning with a connected controller.
A reboot once you got to the homescreen will determine how bad it is.
Reboot goes fine: You are good.
Reboot keeps nagging with warnings other than the unlocked bootloader: Downgrade.
The downgrade is only required if you have problems or the Shield already runs on the 7.2!
In almost all other cases just flashing the 7.1 bootloader is sufficient.
Fixing a stuffed Shield by sideloading the 7.1 firmware while keping all apps and things:
Enable USB debugging and allow the connections for the computer if you still have access to the settings.
Otherwise you need to flash the 7.1 fresh and might loose vital things that need to install again.
Reboot into the stock recovery, if you use TWRP flashed on the Shield already then please flash the recovery from the 7.1 firmware first.
Hook up the controller and pressing A or B should get you into the normal recover screen past the dead droid.
ADB sideload XXX - where the xxx stands for the filename you have for the developer ZIP.
After the rebbot you should be back on your 7.1 homescreen and can dismiss the 7.2 update.
Also change the update settings while at it
Fixing a fully stuffed Shield and then downgrading to the 7.1 firmware:
If all went down south then you tried a few things and realised there is no way to get your data back and even less to prevent the 7.2 update.
Installing the 7.1 from scratch forces the setup wizard and before you can get anywhere you need to update to 7.2
So much easier to use the linked 7.2 update from above until Nvidia provides it on their download servers.
A vital thing to do is to keep the bootloader locked!!
Same for NOT having TWRP installed on the Shield!
If in doubt flash the 7.1 boot and recovery partitions first then go back into the stock recovery and wipe the cache.
Coming from a stock developer firmware with just an unlocked bootloader you are good to go.
Sideload the 7.2 update.
Unplug when the reboot starts and go into fastboot to lock the bootloader: Fastboot oem lock.
This is a vital step as the new kernel otherwise could ruin the completion of the install.
Ignore the double hassles and go through the wizard so you can enter the settings again to enable the developer mode and USB debugging.
Unlock the bootloader so you can do it all again Last time I promise!
Once you have both the bootloader unlocked AND the Shield in a usable condition past the setup wizard:
Reboot into the recovery to sideload the 7.1 firmware.
After the next reboot you are back on the 7.1 homescreen drirectly and can dismiss the update.
Possible tricks that can help you to prevent the installation of the 7.2 update if you come from a fresh 7.1 install instead:
Don't allow the reboot and instead use ADB to reboot into the recovery.
Wipe the cache - this will remove the scripts required to start the update after the reboot.
The next reboot should bring you back to the homescreen where you can stop the new download of the update and change the update settings.
TWRP, full root and new security measures in 7.2:
The 4.9 kernel used also makes use of a Fstab configuration that no longer includes the system partition.
This and other restrictions currently make the normal use of Magisk impossible.
With no system partition available to Magisk the changes in the boot process come to a stop and the Shield gets stuck during boot.
The added restrictions also make it very, very hard to manually add SU and busybox.
At least without getting the currupt system popup on every boot and finding out that a lot of things still don't work properly.
A final 7.2 firmware is said to be available on the download servers today.
If this final is no different from the current OTA then it will not be of any use for users requiring a fully rooted devices.
With the stock recovery still using the old kernel all attempts to use recovery functions to alter the system for rooting fail as well.
Can't blame the company as all this is part of Google revamp og security and closing backdoors and loopholes for possible attackers.
Personally I think it is Googles way of keeping control over devices they don't actually own.
Anyways I did make some little progress:
Plans for the near future:
Security is good but I like to know what my Android devices are doing and especially what Google likes to collect if I can not find ways to stop it.
So I will not try to use any backdoors or secrurity vulnerablilites in the new kernel to allow a full root on my Shield.
I will go the route I know best: Manual labour
The bootloader is already fixed to allow what we are used to from previous developer firmwares.
As SU and busybox can not be manually entered at this stage I will try to include them directly in the stock 7.1 firmware while renaming the OTA updater to have it a bit easier.
Assuming that works as expected I will do the same on the 7.2 firmware and compare the corresponding scripts and so on.
If the standard SU still works on an "unlocked" 7.2 I should be able to adjust the Magisk ZIP accordingly to implement it into the bootloader.
Only need to figure out if Magisk then has enough rights to work and the system is still happy to accept the changes.
I noly have the 16Gb 2017 model to work with but since the bootloader seems to be same for all Shield models I think if it works then it should do so for all models.
In the meantime I hope the infos here will help some pople to get their shield back without the need to sent it in.
Update 25/12/18: I got TWRP working on 7.2
This is only true for the 2017 model though as I have only this for testing.
Currently creating a backup to the internal storage.
If the restore works then I will upload the new TWRP - for the said model only!
Give me a day or two to fix it for the other models too.
There is progress on the rooting front as well.
Created new scripts for my kitchen to be able to handle the new file_context thing.
A fully pre-rooted and totally unsecure (in terms of ABD, DM-verity and such) is already cooked, just did not dare yet to try it out as I have a real life job too.
As for the pre-rooted firmware:
Things have changed quite a bit with the new kernel in terms of "just adding SU or Magisk".
Magisk might see an update for this problem soon, SU however seems to tally fail on two levels.
So far I was unable to do a full install of the modded firmware.
Flashed all at once and the boot just hangs.
Bootloader, reboot, then the rest seems to work.
At least for the basic install of the system.
If I add SU and busybox the system still ends up with a corrup notice during boot and then it fails.
Tune in over the next few days for progress updates at the end of the thread.
Major developments will be added right here.
Just a matter of finding the last restrictions.
Once that is done Magisk should be possible as well.
Ok, TWRP boot fine, does a backup but fails to restore the system to a bootable state.
Will now check if at least installing a zip works.
Well, it did not, so TWRP has to wait a few more days
I edited post 3 with instructions on how to "unbrick" and go back to 7.1.
Update 27/12/18: A friend of mine found some intersting stuff.
A 7.2 firmware offering a pure Android without any TV stuff but also a full root possible.
I hope he will share his finding here soon or allow me post it all in his name.
For now lets just say: It really works if done the rght way!
Full write rights, installing Magisk modules and all.
All thanks to an undocumented flaw in the device security structures, so even without any hidden backdoors or such LOL
Update: Whiteak was so kind to provide a working root solution in post 36, please check it.
I can confirm it is working as promised.
So the credits for this one go to Whiteak and the credits for the idea and use of the DTB file to Zulu99 - great idea!
To prevent any problems I advise to perform a factory wipe after the install and before the first boot.
Switch to the stock recovery to do this then boot as normal an enjoy.
A complete firmware with the required mods is sitting on my PC just waiting for idiot behing the keyboard to figure out how to pack it properly for flashing.
Once that problem is sorted and also TWRP working again things will get a lot easier.
Annoying update:
I was not able to confirm my web findings on the 7.2 firmwares bootloader but it seems other devices running the same type of kernel and bootloader and a bit lost now.
AVB is fully implemented on the latest level.
(Again I am working on confirming or denying these findings!)
This means any alteration to vital parts of the system will fail with a corruption warning or worse.
Custom recovery access is limited if not fully restricted.
But even if it works you still need a firmware to flash that either is able to disable all this crap, hoping the bootloader alone will allow it, or
to hope Nvidia will provide a future bootloader update with these restrictions removed.
We can not downgrade the bootloader and even if there is some old one out there that would actually be flashable the risk is high to end with a brick anyway.
The DTB, at least in my tests gives us the required system wide write access but I have no information about the AVM verfified boot other than that Zulu99's firmware works.
But if it was compiled with the NVidia developer suite then it will be signed accordingly so the bootloader accepts it.
Could not find any info on how his firmware was actually created.
It gives me the hope though that once I have a fully working TWRP again that my modded 7.2 will work as expected and with no restrictions anymore.
Thanks for the info.
Edit: Will use this post to list options to recover the Shield is all seems lost.
As a result of far too much rom cooking and mods I needed a 100% working way to recover the Shield in case things turn very ugly.
So lets sum up what I define as very ugly when playing with firmwares:
1. Firmware installed but the Shield just hangs on the logo.
2. Firmware installed and now the system is corrupt and even it is boots it takes forever to get around the nag screens.
3. Firmware downgrade attempted but now the Shield won't even boot anymore.
4. Anything that would qualify for a soft brick.
My worst case when I only got a flashing white screen after trying to restore a TWRP backup under 7.2.
There any many way that work for a variety of boot problems but it takes too long to list all cases I encountered with a list of fixes that work or a comment that only the below way works.
So just to be clear here: This is not for any recovery purpose other than fixing what can't be fixed through a factory reset or fresh flashing of the firmware!
1. Get the Shield into Fastboot mode: Connect wired controller and male to male USB cable.
2. Power the Shield up while holding A and B on the controller.
Keep holding until you see the fastboot menu on the screen.
3. Install the 7.1 recovery firmware for your Shield type after unpacking it.
With Fastboot connection working type: flash-all.bat and hit enter.
4. Keep an eye on the progess!
5. Once the Shield is finnished and reboots, hold the A and B buttons on the controller again to enter fastboot mode!
Do not let the Shield boot up other than into the fastboot mode!
6. Lock the bootloader! Fastboot oem lock
Confirm with the controller, then go down and select the recovery kernel.
7. Once the dead droid is on the screen press B on the controller to enter the real recovery.
If B does not work try A
8. Select the factory reset option to wipe all!
9. Once the wipe is done you can boot into 7.1 as normal again.
10. With a bit of chance you might even get directly to the homescreen if the previous setup was completed.
If you need the full seup wizard again and are forced to update to 7.2 then at least the update will work fine this time around.
In case you desire to go back to the 7.1:
If you just finnished the above only to end with the 7.2 then set it up and flash the 7.1 - you won't get the setup wizard again and can skip the update.
If you are on a working 7.2 that was update the OTA way but want to go back:
1. Install the 7.1 firmware.
2. Lock the bootloader.
3. Boot and then skip the update to 7.2.
Any idea what to do if the Shield sticks at the NVidia logo when you select Recovery from Fastboot? I reflashed boot and got the same result.
psycho_asylum said:
Any idea what to do if the Shield sticks at the NVidia logo when you select Recovery from Fastboot? I reflashed boot and got the same result.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It won't work from fastboot.
Fastboot operates on a different level and calling the recovery from there lets it end up in nowhere with no access to the system.
You need to boot into recovery through ADB as (for the new model) without a power button and usable hardware buttons we can't get into it otherwise.
Having said that, the fastboot way should still work with an unmodified bootloader.
When the dead droid is on the screen the recovery should be available after pressing the A button on the wired up controller.
But during my tests on 7.2 it did not always work, so you might have to try a few times and also try the B button.
Downunder35m said:
It won't work from fastboot.
Fastboot operates on a different level and calling the recovery from there lets it end up in nowhere with no access to the system.
You need to boot into recovery through ADB as (for the new model) without a power button and usable hardware buttons we can't get into it otherwise.
Having said that, the fastboot way should still work with an unmodified bootloader.
When the dead droid is on the screen the recovery should be available after pressing the A button on the wired up controller.
But during my tests on 7.2 it did not always work, so you might have to try a few times and also try the B button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not been able to get to the dead droid screen.
Downunder35m said:
For starters, I uploaded a copy of the 7.2 developer firmware here:
7.2 developer ZIP on Dropbox
It is the full 1.1Gb update and not the 422mb block based one.
(snip)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for posting this, but please note that this firmware is only for the 2017 16GB model and cannot be used with a 2015 or Pro model.
I just got a 7.2.1 update that forced me to update. Wouldn't give me an option to skip it... As soon as I turned on my Shield, it said something about the 7.2.1 update and then rebooted and installed.
I was holding off on updating too so I didn't lose root. Now I'm unrooted and am unable to get Magisk working again until I can get my hands on a 7.2.1 bootloader... Bleh.
Weird, I am not getting the 7.2.1 at all here.
And since yesterday the OTA only tries the block based but not the full image.
AthieN said:
I just got a 7.2.1 update that forced me to update. Wouldn't give me an option to skip it... As soon as I turned on my Shield, it said something about the 7.2.1 update and then rebooted and installed.
I was holding off on updating too so I didn't lose root. Now I'm unrooted and am unable to get Magisk working again until I can get my hands on a 7.2.1 bootloader... Bleh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was able to downgrade using the 7.2 image after setting up the device on 7.2.1 OTA just make sure you disable automatic updates
Thanks downunder this kind of in-depth info is always appriciated man........i like to learn these kind of things, having bits here and bits there gives a better picture of the whole, while also giving us upto date current info.
Thanks for taking the time to write this :good:
---------- Post added at 07:35 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:27 AM ----------
Edit
Hi downunder, could you confirm i have this correctly
With no access to fastboot thus no twrp or root, are you implying, assuming your able to inject root into stock firmware, that, i'd be able to flash this stock+root rom in STOCK recovery, which i do have access to?
Edit: im under the impression that stock firmware zips are checked by stock recoveries, so modifying a stock firmware zip tends to fail this check and thus wont install/flash.......which makes me think im misunderstanding here......or just hoping im not
If so, im interested
Edit
i just read your second post which near enought answers my curiousity, so that'll teach me to read beyond the first post before asking answered questions ........even if the post excites me............ahhh, who am i kidding, ill probabably do it again........the equivelancy of a mental post boner........not controllable
Sorry for the disgusting analogy
SyberHexen said:
I was able to downgrade using the 7.2 image after setting up the device on 7.2.1 OTA just make sure you disable automatic updates
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did I understand it correctly? You successfully downgraded from 7.2.1 to 7.2?
ErAzOr2k said:
Did I understand it correctly? You successfully downgraded from 7.2.1 to 7.2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes,
Just ran flash all from the bootloader. For the newly released 7.2 developer_rooted factory image.
As long as we don't jump to Android 9 we should always be able to downgrade through a full factory firmware.
Once Android 9 comes this might not work anymore due to the massive changes involved for the boot and system checks.
@banderos101: Unless you really did something bad you should always be able to enter the fastboot mode to flash a full firmware.
If I have some time after xmas I will have another look on the options of signing the zip properly or simply to fake it.
Biggest problem will be to generate the corret SHA checksums ince all is installed so I can use the same checksums in the check files.
The bootloader needs them to identify the system and vendor as genuine.
The system needs them to confirm all is actually unmodified as otherwise all fails to boot at some stage.
Modding a proper userdebug firmware is not really that hard, but converting a release version that also is a true and secure user release...
Lets just say that it won't be an easy task.
As it looks like the kernel is a keeper I might have to figure something out unless TopJohnWu won't enjoy a break after his exams and works on a way to get Magisk working with out kernel.
At least I figured out why the recovery trick isn't working for me.
The system partition is not mounted for the sideload mode.
To apply an update the stuff is written directly onto the partition, so no file level access left to play with and break things
In comparison you could say the shield is now like a modern car with keyless operation only.
You know you can start it with ease, if you only could the remote that you left in the drivers seat when you locked the door
SyberHexen said:
Yes,
Just ran flash all from the bootloader. For the newly released 7.2 developer_rooted factory image.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just wondering what is achieved by going back to 7.2?
What do you mean "going back"?
Right now the 7.2 is the official and latest firmware.
I was unable to get my hands in the 7.2.1 but guess it might have been a testversion for certain models only.
I wasted a few hours trying to fix the system image.
First stage was only to get the basic "features" back, like full ADB support, enabling the support to use SU and busybox....
Just what is required to actually allow these nice apps we like to gain root to work.
This backfired badly as right after the start the bootloader complained about the system being corrup and no override to get past this worked.
So of course I then removed the known restrictions from the bootloader...
As you guessed it the damn thing then did not even boot at all, just jumped right into the (locked) recovery mode.
A half decent comparision with my last manual root on a tv box that was a success showed I still did the right things...
If anyone wondered why we needed a new bootloader for the support of smart helpers an some codes stuff:
We didn't as all this could have been done with the 7.1 bootloader as well.
Since my root attempts so far all ended either in disaster or in a root access that failed shortly after/corrupted the system, I took a look of the general kernel changes that were published for other devices.
Before I could find anything meaningful I realised the 4.9 kernel is actually a requirement for Android Pie!
With that info sorted I started digging inti the new "security" features Pie can offer.
I will try to keep it simple and to the stuff that actually concerns us for rooting purposes:
The new boot process with Pie is aimed at being secure from the hardware level up and all the way into the system partion once the boot is completed.
So the hardware checks if the bootloader is actually usable - we had that for a long time, nothing new.
Once the bootloader starts and reaches the point of actually getting somewhere, all partitions required will be checks by either a hash check or a trusted certificate gererated at boot time that is compared to the previous certificate.
Only if that is fine the bootloader will call upon the system and vendor partitions.
The handover of control from bootloader to the system is made far more secure as well.
SELinux is called early on to ensure that only trusted apps and tasks can work but also to all a new control level.
System related apps no longer run as root or with special permissions.
Instead every single app and service runs as its own user!
And under SELinux conditions this means nothing can access anything that it is not entitled to unless included as a user for the other app.
And with that sorted the vendor stuff is called to ensure all hardware and vendor related stuff is still genuine - this include the required certs but also the recovery and bootloader hash codes and certs.
So if something is fishy either SELinux will stop us or the vendor stuff will just overwrite it all.
Once we finally reach the system stage the recovery is checked if called from within the system, if fully implemented it could mean that using an official update on a modded firmware will delete all data as the encryption from the old system is declared invalid.
Sadly it does not stop there because even with full rigths (faked or otherwise) to access the system partition with write access we still can not just change things.
If something belongs to a user (a secure app) than a change will corrupt the system.
To overcome all this without using vulnerabilities that so far no one has found, a compatible userdebug release has to be created from the official user firmware.
DM-Verity needs to be disabled as well as all partition encryption stuff.
The bootloader needs to be adjusted to reflect these changes and the required turst certificates generated and included in both system and boot images.
The only problem here is that the kernel won't allow these changes unless it itself is a userdebug kernel.
After that it is only the little efford to go through about 60 different scripts to remove or redirect the calls for all boot and system security related things.
If then by some chance all this actually boots up and goes all the way into a usable homescreen the entire stuff needs to be secured again.
This time so that the final system has a correct cert and checksum that matches those we need to include in the bootloader.
Anyone knows how to gain full access to the trusted keystore on the 4.9 kernel? LOL
For the moment I don't really care about all the stuff above.
I would be happy to figue out what to make out of these new fstab configurations without the vital partitions listed.
The real aprtitions used have not changed but it is impossible include them in the fastab, doing so causes the bootloader to fail.
Presumably because the kernel realised we try to get around the verification process.
This and some other minor things are also the reason TWRP fails so badly, same for the stock recovery by the way.
Since TWRP is toy a lot us like:
TWRP and 7.2....
Without a system partion in the bootloader fastab TWRP can not mount it.
Same for all other things TWRP needs to mount as it simply does not have the right to access these areas.
To make things worse, we need system access to even start TWRP through fastboot.
So, now matter if we flash or start it through fastboot: The bootloader and system will realise our recovery does not match the checksum.
What does al this now mean in terms a lot more people are able to understand?
Let me try...
Imagine the 7.2 in a running version would be just some encrypted file with a lot of folders in it.
And like PGP or other encryptions software we know there is a private and a public key.
With the public key you can see a lot and use most the encrypted file - but only to a level that is required, nothing above your low level clearance.
For every attempt to write into this file or to make changes we need the private key.
If you follow so far then lets just say the recovery (stock) and Fastboot can be, to some extent, used for this access.
But since every folder in the encrypted file also uses private and public keys it is like tracing a tree.
Although it is getting too long, let me give you the example of just adding SU to the sytem partition:
Adding SU into the system image is no big deal.
Singing this image to get a usable key and including this key into the keystore is.
Assume we would just be able to do it....
SU needs to be called quite early in the boot process.
It then elevates the access level for certain things and also intercepts all root related requests from apps and services.
Except of course those that already had these rights by default.
Problem here is that adding the scripts we need plus changing some others means violating the tree of trust on the device and we get locked out.
Finding a spot to add the required rights for SU might be still possible.
On the other hand it will be impossible to give SU any rights or access to "trusted user" owned parts, files, folders, partitions....
The entire concept of SU just fails.
I will have to check how much of the new features are active in the 7.2 kernel that hinder us.
If I find enough it might be possible it enough to call for a Magisk update.
But I guess it is of little use for just one set of devices, so maybe once more devices on the 4.9 kernel fail to work with Magisk it will be easier to spot a usable pattern.
In case someone else if already working ona mdified system: Please let me know how you made it boot after the changes
Shield Tv 16 2017 - OTA update 7.2.1 Ready for updating
Im on 7.1. I have been waiting for 7.2 developer image, which is now out and just noticed 7.2.1 is available OTA. I'm really confused what to do. I want to keep root without bricking my Shield. Should I Stay with what I have as it is running well.
I am not even sure if it is safe trying to update to dev 7.2 image (or if I would want to) by hooking to computer and using ADB Fastboot tools.
Is there any good reason to update to 7.2 or 7.21? and if so how would I go about doing it? Which program is good for flashing developer images or OTA updates. I used to use flash-fire, which seems to be obsolete now and have heard TWRP is incompatible rooting with SU with OREO updates????
Should I play it safe and stay with what I have rather than experiment and end up with a brick? (wouldn't be the first time)
Anyone know if 7.21 is some-kind of bug fix?
Alot of questions but hope someone has some answers.
Thanks for any info.
"You know you can start it with ease, if you only could the remote that you left in the drivers seat when you locked the door "
My fastboot issue
Yeah, i think i busted the microusb somehow with a faulty usb hub, whenever i plug the usb to my raspberrypi/windows box(for adb/fastboot) now, it turns off all usb ports on the pi aswell as the windows box, even when the shield is unplugged, some sort of earth problem maybe
......all i have is adb over network, adb reboot bootloader simply reboots back to system, adb reboot recovery works though.
ive read that fastboot over tcp(ethernet) had been introduced a couple of android versions ago, but i dont think its been implemented in our shields
infact heres a link
https://www.androidpolice.com/2016/...-capabilities-wireless-flashing-isnt-far-off/
Looks like it needs to be specifically added onto a build
As far as you making a stock root build, if you can, that would awesome, more then awesome, but if it becomes more work then you thought dont worry about it, its not like their making it easy
Also, sounds like 4.9/future android is gonna be a nightmare for root......... having the ability to root so that the option is there to see whats going on in the background of these devices, these devices posessing cameras/microphones/old+latest sensors/personal files/personal info, which reside on our personal beings or in our homes........is just one reason why i dont want to see root go away
So what is the purpose of the developer image of 7.2?
Rather, I know the stated purpose of the developer image, but if it is locked in the way described it sounds like the benefit is negated for typical developers.
(e.g. sometimes I debug an application without permissions in order to benchmark or debug a problem).
For casual users of the shield, using ad blockers and whatnot, is there any benefit to derive from installing the developer rom over stock? Does "adb root" still work?
What is left as the difference. It doesn't sound like they produced a userdebug build of the OS.
Thanks
The 2 new updates are horrible. I have gone back to 7.1. They have crippled my shield. I'll wait for a new update.
Hello,
I'm thinking of purchasing a Pocophone after using iPhones for the last 10 years - I've never used an Android device before. I'm really looking for a stock Android experience (I really dislike bloat and vendor customizations in general) and I am a bit confused by all the conflicting information regarding custom roms.
Basically I want to have the Pocophone with the Pixel Experience custom rom with the minimum amount of problems possible. Here's what I've gathered so far:
- I'd need to unlock the bootloader (takes three days) so I can replace it with TWRP.
- I then have to get into TWRP, wipe everything on the device and tell it to install the custom rom .zip file
My questions are:
- I already created my Mi account and downloaded the unlock tool from Xiaomi's website. Do I still need to wait three days after I get the actual phone?
- Do I need to do anything else in this process? I've read some stuff about vendor firmware, disabling encryption, formatting the device after installing the custom rom... is any of this necessary? What else do I need to know?
- If a new version of Pixel Experience is released and I want to update it, what is the process that I have to go through? Can I update/upgrade it without losing my data?
- I've read that some applications, such as Netflix, do not work and/or don't even show up on the play store. Is this true? How can you fix it?
Any and all clarification on this matter would be greatly appreciated.
lixoman100 said:
Hello,
I'm thinking of purchasing a Pocophone after using iPhones for the last 10 years - I've never used an Android device before. I'm really looking for a stock Android experience (I really dislike bloat and vendor customizations in general) and I am a bit confused by all the conflicting information regarding custom roms.
Basically I want to have the Pocophone with the Pixel Experience custom rom with the minimum amount of problems possible. Here's what I've gathered so far:
- I'd need to unlock the bootloader (takes three days) so I can replace it with TWRP.
- I then have to get into TWRP, wipe everything on the device and tell it to install the custom rom .zip file
My questions are:
- I already created my Mi account and downloaded the unlock tool from Xiaomi's website. Do I still need to wait three days after I get the actual phone?
- Do I need to do anything else in this process? I've read some stuff about vendor firmware, disabling encryption, formatting the device after installing the custom rom... is any of this necessary? What else do I need to know?
- If a new version of Pixel Experience is released and I want to update it, what is the process that I have to go through? Can I update/upgrade it without losing my data?
- I've read that some applications, such as Netflix, do not work and/or don't even show up on the play store. Is this true? How can you fix it?
Any and all clarification on this matter would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Yes. After binding the device with your mi account and apply for the bootloader unlock using the MiFlash tool, you need to wait for 72 hours. It will reflect on MiUnlock tool as well.
2. Just download the latest TWRP from here and flash it (Link: https://forum.xda-developers.com/poco-f1/development/recovery-twrp-3-2-3-decryption-t3853004) and no need to flash DFE (Disable ForceEncryption). Don't worry about it being unofficial. Even though it's unofficial, it is the best solution for us as of now.
A piece of advice: Never use a decrypted device if you are concerned about the security of your device. Infact, never flash anything suggested by anyone without cross checking the authenticity of the file. You will come across many users suggesting you to flash this and that when the fact is,they are afraid to try on their own and rather want you to be the guinea pig.
3. When a new update comes in, you will get notified automatically. Or there is an option on settings to check for new updates. Just download the update and dirty flash it on TWRP (Dirty flash is flashing without wiping any other partition except /Cache and /Dalvik). However, sometimes when a ROM gets some major changes, you should clean flash it in order to avoid any possible issue. But if it is required, it will be mentioned by the developer (which means you need to be active on XDA to see the developer's note).
4. Netflix doesn't show up only if the Play store (and the device in terms) is "Uncertified", however on PE, play store is already certified as it is using the fingerprint of Pixel 3 in order to pass safetynet. So, don't worry about it. If you still can't see certain apps on Play store after flashing PE, just download them from apkmirror and sideload them. APKmirror is a legit place and doesn't support pirated/cracked or malware apps.
Rowdyy Ronnie said:
1. Yes. After binding the device with your mi account and apply for the bootloader unlock using the MiFlash tool, you need to wait for 72 hours. It will reflect on MiUnlock tool as well.
2. Just download the latest TWRP from here and flash it (Link: https://forum.xda-developers.com/poco-f1/development/recovery-twrp-3-2-3-decryption-t3853004) and no need to flash DFE (Disable ForceEncryption). Don't worry about it being unofficial. Even though it's unofficial, it is the best solution for us as of now.
A piece of advice: Never use a decrypted device if you are concerned about the security of your device. Infact, never flash anything suggested by anyone without cross checking the authenticity of the file. You will come across many users suggesting you to flash this and that when the fact is,they are afraid to try on their own and rather want you to be the guinea pig.
3. When a new update comes in, you will get notified automatically. Or there is an option on settings to check for new updates. Just download the update and dirty flash it on TWRP (Dirty flash is flashing without wiping any other partition except /Cache and /Dalvik). However, sometimes when a ROM gets some major changes, you should clean flash it in order to avoid any possible issue. But if it is required, it will be mentioned by the developer (which means you need to be active on XDA to see the developer's note).
4. Netflix doesn't show up only if the Play store (and the device in terms) is "Uncertified", however on PE, play store is already certified as it is using the fingerprint of Pixel 3 in order to pass safetynet. So, don't worry about it. If you still can't see certain apps on Play store after flashing PE, just download them from apkmirror and sideload them. APKmirror is a legit place and doesn't support pirated/cracked or malware apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for all the detailed information. One last question, I've heard of problems of Pocophone not supporting Widevine L3 which caused Netflix (and others) to stream at a lower quality, and I've read somewhere that Xiaomi might be trying to get that problem fixed. Would this problem affect Pixel Experience if I had it installed on the Pocophone? If so, and Xiaomi fixed the issue in an update, would I be able to get the fix without reverting back to the stock rom?
lixoman100 said:
Thank you for all the detailed information. One last question, I've heard of problems of Pocophone not supporting Widevine L3 which caused Netflix (and others) to stream at a lower quality, and I've read somewhere that Xiaomi might be trying to get that problem fixed. Would this problem affect Pixel Experience if I had it installed on the Pocophone? If so, and Xiaomi fixed the issue in an update, would I be able to get the fix without reverting back to the stock rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest, I still don't believe when Xiaomi says they will make Poco widevine L3 supported. If they do something like this, it will be amazing. But till then, I won't believe them. And 540p is not that bad anyway. If the device had an AMOLED display, you would realize that 540p is actually quite good which doesn't consume lot of data and still gives a pleasurable viewing experience. And if Xiaomi manages to rollout supoort for WV L3, all other custom ROMs need yo depend on Xiaomi if they release the source code. Just like Xiaomi didn't release the source code of their face unlock feature. Hence, custom roms are using Google face unlock which is a disaster.
Rowdyy Ronnie said:
To be honest, I still don't believe when Xiaomi says they will make Poco widevine L3 supported. If they do something like this, it will be amazing. But till then, I won't believe them. And 540p is not that bad anyway. If the device had an AMOLED display, you would realize that 540p is actually quite good which doesn't consume lot of data and still gives a pleasurable viewing experience. And if Xiaomi manages to rollout supoort for WV L3, all other custom ROMs need yo depend on Xiaomi if they release the source code. Just like Xiaomi didn't release the source code of their face unlock feature. Hence, custom roms are using Google face unlock which is a disaster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you again for all the information :good:
Have a nice day.
New here. Didn't see a forum for the Moto G Pure XT2163. Mods - I am sorry. Please move wherever's best.
Discovered that the version Verizon is selling (notably the slickdeals thread on the one from Visible) is different. It's -2 vs. -4.
Looks like VZW disabled most of the bands that T-Mobile/Sprint use - 25, 41, 71, for example.
Looking to see if it's possible to enable those bands. One report on SD thread says they bricked their device trying RETUS version but IDK if the bootloader needs to be unlocked first, or if it would even help. Probably more work to unlock these bands if it's even possible.
Downloads look available here https://mirrors.lolinet.com/firmware/moto/ellis/official/
Haven't messed with flashing a phone in years. May be able to try later but hoping anyone else here can look into this.
I'm going to guess as is the case with most other Android devices branded by Verizon that the bootloader will be restricted from being unlocked. There is really no way around this as it's an OEM based policy. If you want to play with custom ROMs or root based modding, I would highly recommend ditching the Verizon or any other carrier branded variant with the exception of T-Mobile/Metro and Google Fi (there are others) that actually allow OEM unlock. Not only that, but if you're looking for certain connectivity bands, you don't want to settle for a carrier device variant designed to use a particular set of bands which don't include the ones you need. No sense getting a Verizon variant to run on T-Mobile/Sprint bands when you can, you know, get the T-Mobile variant in the first place. Get the global unlocked variant model if you can and start from there. Far easier than the headaches you'll get trying to transform VZW to TMUS.
Cross-flashing is not going to unlock bands, you need to change modem configuration. Throw your SoC(Mediatek) followed by "unlock bands" into Google and see if you have any luck.
I also didn't see a forum for the Moto G Pure and was wondering if anyone knows of a custom bootloader like TWRP or CWM for it? I think I have enough understanding of how to sideload the app, I just need something to send the phone. I tried using a random TWRP mod on it but it fails, invalid signature. I haven't tried doing the phone rooting thing in years now, but I have this Moto G Pure phone without any service on it that I'm willing to experiment on. It can be used as a test bed or data extraction device to put code from it on the internet if someone needs it to help custom rom makers for example by testing stuff on it. Perhaps that's why no one has a custom recovery for it yet.
I don't know exactly how to extract the phones current ROM data so all I've done so far is unlock the bootloader. The phone's carrier based on the unactivated sim card shows it's a T-Mobile branded device, but the T-Mobile and other carrier software is inactive other than the few Moto apps. An article on XDA say's the phone's suck, but that's just not true at least not to me. It's a fine phone like it is, but if I can format it's SSD and only install what I want it to have on it that would be great. It's just a spare sim locked phone that I can't use my active sim card in. So with that it's now a project phone. I would like to mainly just unbloat it and free up all that used space occupied by the recovery partition. I don't necessarily need a whole new ROM, just want to root it. That's the only way to erase those factory files that I know of.
For me unlocking the bootloader wasn't to hard to do. You have to make sure the drivers from Motorola are installed and have a current version of ADB available on a computer. I still had a version of ADB tools that was almost a decade old now so I had to update that for the fastboot oem_unlock_unlockcode (automated code from Motorola support) command to work. To find out if it can be unlocked or not go here:
https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/standalone%2Fbootloader%2Funlock-your-device-b
At the Moto site they will guide you on how to generate the code they want you to send them. You have to sign in to their site to use that function though. After I finally figured out what to type in the CMD window it generated that code and I edited it down to one long line of numbers and give it to the page. In seconds I had an email with the unlock code inside.
Unlocking it seems to help with uninstalling some of the built in stuff, before I could only disable most of the apps that come with it. The apps are still probably on there I just have to factory reset it and they'll come back. Now however the removed apps don't show as using any internal storage, all the apps info numbers go to 0 bytes, but still even doing that it's still over 10GB of unmovable data. When it should really be more like 2-3 GB for the entire system. I hate how Google just inserts itself in your life even when you don't want it at all.
I anyone passing by reading this post needs more details please let me know and I'll try to get the information or even data files from the phone. Would a copy of it's stock firmware be of any help? If so let me know how I would go about saving a copy of it. I'll keep looking for answers but it seems this phone is not high on the priority list or is new or something. So there is only scam guides trying to tell you "How to unlock your phone" or "Install TWRP on Motorola devices" and other clearly click bait sites. I can't even find the stock rom for it on Motorola's site, just outdated versions from 2016, with different build numbers, that can't be right.
All I know is unlocking the bootloader was the first step on all the guides and I've done that. Got a warranty voided notice and everything. There currently isn't a custom recovery mod for this model as far I can tell. If I can ever find that then I can try Linage or just debloat Android 11 which is probably the safer and easier option provided I can find that Custom Covery'.
When it boots up now, it has to tell me it's unlocked and all the dangers it poses. Dangerous if you cared about what was on it I suppose. There is nothing on it I can't just copy back over to it, other than the stock operating system.
Oh yeah, it's model number and other side of the box information is:
Model Name: Moto G PURE
SKU: MO-XT21634-AJB (MOXT21634AJB)
Software Version RRH31.Q3-46-20
Production date was 12/15/2021
I'm not sure what other information to include.
BrittonCBurton said:
I also didn't see a forum for the Moto G Pure and was wondering if anyone knows of a custom bootloader like TWRP or CWM for it? I think I have enough understanding of how to sideload the app, I just need something to send the phone. I tried using a random TWRP mod on it but it fails, invalid signature. I haven't tried doing the phone rooting thing in years now, but I have this Moto G Pure phone without any service on it that I'm willing to experiment on. It can be used as a test bed or data extraction device to put code from it on the internet if someone needs it to help custom rom makers for example by testing stuff on it. Perhaps that's why no one has a custom recovery for it yet.
I don't know exactly how to extract the phones current ROM data so all I've done so far is unlock the bootloader. The phone's carrier based on the unactivated sim card shows it's a T-Mobile branded device, but the T-Mobile and other carrier software is inactive other than the few Moto apps. An article on XDA say's the phone's suck, but that's just not true at least not to me. It's a fine phone like it is, but if I can format it's SSD and only install what I want it to have on it that would be great. It's just a spare sim locked phone that I can't use my active sim card in. So with that it's now a project phone. I would like to mainly just unbloat it and free up all that used space occupied by the recovery partition. I don't necessarily need a whole new ROM, just want to root it. That's the only way to erase those factory files that I know of.
For me unlocking the bootloader wasn't to hard to do. You have to make sure the drivers from Motorola are installed and have a current version of ADB available on a computer. I still had a version of ADB tools that was almost a decade old now so I had to update that for the fastboot oem_unlock_unlockcode (automated code from Motorola support) command to work. To find out if it can be unlocked or not go here:
https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/standalone%2Fbootloader%2Funlock-your-device-b
At the Moto site they will guide you on how to generate the code they want you to send them. You have to sign in to their site to use that function though. After I finally figured out what to type in the CMD window it generated that code and I edited it down to one long line of numbers and give it to the page. In seconds I had an email with the unlock code inside.
Unlocking it seems to help with uninstalling some of the built in stuff, before I could only disable most of the apps that come with it. The apps are still probably on there I just have to factory reset it and they'll come back. Now however the removed apps don't show as using any internal storage, all the apps info numbers go to 0 bytes, but still even doing that it's still over 10GB of unmovable data. When it should really be more like 2-3 GB for the entire system. I hate how Google just inserts itself in your life even when you don't want it at all.
I anyone passing by reading this post needs more details please let me know and I'll try to get the information or even data files from the phone. Would a copy of it's stock firmware be of any help? If so let me know how I would go about saving a copy of it. I'll keep looking for answers but it seems this phone is not high on the priority list or is new or something. So there is only scam guides trying to tell you "How to unlock your phone" or "Install TWRP on Motorola devices" and other clearly click bait sites. I can't even find the stock rom for it on Motorola's site, just outdated versions from 2016, with different build numbers, that can't be right.
All I know is unlocking the bootloader was the first step on all the guides and I've done that. Got a warranty voided notice and everything. There currently isn't a custom recovery mod for this model as far I can tell. If I can ever find that then I can try Linage or just debloat Android 11 which is probably the safer and easier option provided I can find that Custom Covery'.
When it boots up now, it has to tell me it's unlocked and all the dangers it poses. Dangerous if you cared about what was on it I suppose. There is nothing on it I can't just copy back over to it, other than the stock operating system.
Oh yeah, it's model number and other side of the box information is:
Model Name: Moto G PURE
SKU: MO-XT21634-AJB (MOXT21634AJB)
Software Version RRH31.Q3-46-20
Production date was 12/15/2021
I'm not sure what other information to include.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey i just came up on one of these today, nice phone considering... Any luck with trying to find a custom recovery? I have been looking as well but development seems pretty sparse right now. I am in the same boat as you, unlocked bootloader, locked everything else lol. I cant even find a way to root it without TWRP! I am curious if one of the other moto G series phones would have the same TWRP? Also check this out. It sounds legit but IDK...https://www.getdroidtips.com/root-motorola-g-pure-xt2163/
Agent_Orange1488 said:
hey i just came up on one of these today, nice phone considering... Any luck with trying to find a custom recovery? I have been looking as well but development seems pretty sparse right now. I am in the same boat as you, unlocked bootloader, locked everything else lol. I cant even find a way to root it without TWRP! I am curious if one of the other moto G series phones would have the same TWRP? Also check this out. It sounds legit but IDK...https://www.getdroidtips.com/root-motorola-g-pure-xt2163/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I was able to use Magisk to "root" it with the patched boot file trick, but still that's not the same thing as I did before with a Samsung phone and the CWM recovery deal. That gave the user all the control they wanted. Even though the phone claims I have root access, I'm not sure what to do with Magisk's root trick. I still don't see a way to backup or install a different operating system or just a blank Android 11 OS. My knowledge there is limited and there isn't a custom recovery for this model as far as I can tell.
So I still can't wipe the drive or remove the OEM partition that contains the installers for the bundled stuff. I'd still need some form of interface that has more features than the stock Fastboot and Bootloader modes offer I guess, or I just don't know how to use the software tools correctly. It's still locked even with root as far as I can tell but if there is something more I'm missing or an additional app to install for example, like SU. Is that still a thing? If I'm on the right track let me know.
BrittonCBurton said:
Well I was able to use Magisk to "root" it with the patched boot file trick, but still that's not the same thing as I did before with a Samsung phone and the CWM recovery deal. That gave the user all the control they wanted. Even though the phone claims I have root access, I'm not sure what to do with Magisk's root trick. I still don't see a way to backup or install a different operating system or just a blank Android 11 OS. My knowledge there is limited and there isn't a custom recovery for this model as far as I can tell.
So I still can't wipe the drive or remove the OEM partition that contains the installers for the bundled stuff. I'd still need some form of interface that has more features than the stock Fastboot and Bootloader modes offer I guess, or I just don't know how to use the software tools correctly. It's still locked even with root as far as I can tell but if there is something more I'm missing or an additional app to install for example, like SU. Is that still a thing? If I'm on the right track let me know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply!!! I am speaking from a place of semi-ignorance here but I would thing that you could install SuperSU from inside the system, right? As long as the root binary is there...idk though and from what I hear, chainfire is not responsible for SuperSU anymore so it has become somewhat sketchy. I saw a post (about this phone, I think) that mentioned having to install terminal emulator and running root command from there to achieve legit root after flashing the patched boot.img. I will see if I can find the post again and update you. Is there anyway you could post the boot.img? Or give me a link for it?
Agent_Orange1488 said:
Thanks for the reply!!! I am speaking from a place of semi-ignorance here but I would thing that you could install SuperSU from inside the system, right? As long as the root binary is there...idk though and from what I hear, chainfire is not responsible for SuperSU anymore so it has become somewhat sketchy. I saw a post (about this phone, I think) that mentioned having to install terminal emulator and running root command from there to achieve legit root after flashing the patched boot.img. I will see if I can find the post again and update you. Is there anyway you could post the boot.img? Or give me a link for it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I can try and learn how to extract the phones information to my computer. I don't know how to do that exactly. The way I was able to get a hold of the phones stock firmware data was by using Lenovo's Smart Rescue and Recovery software.
You have to enable usb debugging mode, attach the phone to the computer with the software running and make sure that you didn't disable/delete Device Help. That app is what makes the Lenovo software work, otherwise the Recovery software fails to see the phone. If it sees the phone correctly then you can see the preselected target firmware it wants you to download under the Rescue tab along the top.
So I did that and grabbed the files it created without actually applying them to the device. The whole thing is a little over 2GB and difficult to host but I put the stock boot.img file here for anyone who needs it. If anyone wants all the files I can try to upload the whole thing one file at at time. That's the way it was sent to me, an uncompressed folder. If I zip it all up and try to upload it most sites will say file size exceeded. Anyway here's the link...
boot
MediaFire is a simple to use free service that lets you put all your photos, documents, music, and video in a single place so you can access them anywhere and share them everywhere.
www.mediafire.com
Thanks I was able to patch it with Magisk and achieve root. It looks like Magisk is an SU manager anyway. I have never used it before so this is a first for me. The root and bootloader unlock seem a little pointless without any recovery or ROM though....I guess it's time to learn how to compile one lol
I just picked up the Moto G Pure (XT2163-4) Android 11 aka Red Velvet Cake *sounds yummy lol*....I've been searching around and not seen any info about any rooting method for this device....besides the "Root All Motorola Phones" crap...and I don't feel like risking making a paper weight with it. Even on here it doesn't show up in the...add device list....was going to add to my profile...but can't.
Agent_Orange1488 said:
Thanks I was able to patch it with Magisk and achieve root. It looks like Magisk is an SU manager anyway. I have never used it before so this is a first for me. The root and bootloader unlock seem a little pointless without any recovery or ROM though....I guess it's time to learn how to compile one lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah now we're on the same page then. I thought the same thing, not much use to have an unlocked boot loader and root access without software to make use of it. I gave the phone to my nieces to play with for now, but it's with in arms reach if I need it for instructions yet to be defined. I should receive updates to this post if anyone else responds.
Gamekeeper408 said:
I just picked up the Moto G Pure (XT2163-4) Android 11 aka Red Velvet Cake *sounds yummy lol*....I've been searching around and not seen any info about any rooting method for this device....besides the "Root All Motorola Phones" crap...and I don't feel like risking making a paper weight with it. Even on here it doesn't show up in the...add device list....was going to add to my profile...but can't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah appears it was produced in late 2021 or sold at that time so it's new and no one has made any custom firmware's or recoveries for it as far as I know. I don't know how to do that, requires computer programming skills. I don't have any of those.
Gamekeeper408 said:
I just picked up the Moto G Pure (XT2163-4) Android 11 aka Red Velvet Cake *sounds yummy lol*....I've been searching around and not seen any info about any rooting method for this device....besides the "Root All Motorola Phones" crap...and I don't feel like risking making a paper weight with it. Even on here it doesn't show up in the...add device list....was going to add to my profile...but can't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel your pain! Had mine a few days and of course came to XDA immediately to find the DL on this joint but no luck... Ya I definitely don't recommend one click root method for this. If you want, I can post/link the patched boot.img i made with magisk. Mine boots with it and have confirmed root.
BrittonCBurton said:
Yeah now we're on the same page then. I thought the same thing, not much use to have an unlocked boot loader and root access without software to make use of it. I gave the phone to my nieces to play with for now, but it's with in arms reach if I need it for instructions yet to be defined. I should receive updates to this post if anyone else responds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent, it's nice to be caught up with everyone else haha!! I am going to do some digging and posting and whatnot to try to find some info on porting a recovery for this model. I feel like it can't be too different from at least one or two of the other G series phones. I will see updates as well so please post if you come up with anything!!
BTW does anyone know the process of creating a device page for this joint?! I think this phone is definitely worth some development...
Agent_Orange1488 said:
Excellent, it's nice to be caught up with everyone else haha!! I am going to do some digging and posting and whatnot to try to find some info on porting a recovery for this model. I feel like it can't be too different from at least one or two of the other G series phones. I will see updates as well so please post if you come up with anything!!
BTW does anyone know the process of creating a device page for this joint?! I think this phone is definitely worth some development...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck finding anything that will load onto the phone. Seems like it would be possible to install LineageOS on it if nothing else. You'd think by now installing a phone's operating system would be similar to how operating systems are installed on other computers. All I get is invalid signature, way to much security (for them) on phone OS'es. With phones and PDA's apparently you can't just find the OS you want to use and install it. Where's the generic and bloat free Andriod 11 stock OS/firmware at? No such thing? It's either "Gaggles" way or nothing apparently. (It's ok if you don't know either, maybe someone else has more information about that.)
BrittonCBurton said:
Good luck finding anything that will load onto the phone. Seems like it would be possible to install LineageOS on it if nothing else. You'd think by now installing a phone's operating system would be similar to how operating systems are installed on other computers. All I get is invalid signature, way to much security (for them) on phone OS'es. With phones and PDA's apparently you can't just find the OS you want to use and install it. Where's the generic and bloat free Andriod 11 stock OS/firmware at? No such thing? It's either "Gaggles" way or nothing apparently. (It's ok if you don't know either, maybe someone else has more information about that.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya I'm definitely not going to try anything on the actual device, (ESPECIALLY if I am trying to put it together myself) but I am pretty sure you can test that stuff on a virtual system. Some kind of android emulator or whatever. As for a stock/debloated/de-odexed ROM, I haven't seen one but that couldn't be all that difficult to put together, right? I mean as long as the patched boot.img is included anyway. I feel like a recovery would be a higher priority though...? BTW, I have never used Lineage before, how is it?
Agent_Orange1488 said:
I feel your pain! Had mine a few days and of course came to XDA immediately to find the DL on this joint but no luck... Ya I definitely don't recommend one click root method for this. If you want, I can post/link the patched boot.img i made with magisk. Mine boots with it and have confirmed root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be great if you could share that patched boot.img......it is for the XT2163-4 MOTO G PURE correct?
Gamekeeper408 said:
That would be great if you could share that patched boot.img......it is for the XT2163-4 MOTO G PURE correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agent_Orange1488 said:
I feel your pain! Had mine a few days and of course came to XDA immediately to find the DL on this joint but no luck... Ya I definitely don't recommend one click root method for this. If you want, I can post/link the patched boot.img i made with magisk. Mine boots with it and have confirmed root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would also like the patched boot.img if it is for the XT2163-4. Thanks
Hey boys I actually got rid of the moto g pure...for now at least lol! GREAT phone and I would be willing to get it back once there is some dev work done on it...will definitely be watching the threads on it. Good luck boys!!!
Hi
I read the above posts, and it seems like even if I am able to root it using Magisk, I won't be able to flash it with custom rom?
Thank you Agent_Orange1488 for the posts.
Hello out there,
it might be an easy question for some of you, so please be so kind and help me out: I highly appreciate your answers.
--
The Samsung Bootloader, which can't be changed due to the burning of the eFuse (yet I do not understand, why one can't use the same method of digitally signing an own bootloader and load it onto the flash without burning the eFuse) boots from a certain file on the flash, which should be Linux-Standard /boot/vmlinuz.
Why can't one backup the whole flash with Samsung Tools and install an own Linux System to boot from?
I now know that the kernel protection is based on a google development, where several virtual machines are loaded and one of those is then the Android System and Kernel, with a Platform where the Apps can be started from (Dalvik) and this virtual machine can be checked for manipulations - so to speak: Software protection = of no use for me or my choice to implement or program my own version of such a protection, but it has nothing to do with a hardware based (knox) protection. Is this correct?
(I do not want to blow the fuse, but use a custom rom. Any solution for this?)
--
I could analyse the open source code of Android and maybe able to initialize an update process, which might replace the whole file system, but doing so might be a bit dangerous if you don't know what you're doing.
Thanks for answering.
TheLazyGuyDE
TheLazyGuyDE said:
(...)
(I do not want to blow the fuse, but use a custom rom. Any solution for this?)
(...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have already received an answer in your previous threads.
So I don't understand why you keep asking the same thing.
Let me specify my question:
I asked the question in relation to a customization of the bootloader, but I didn't ask it in relation to probably existing Tools, maybe from Samsung (I don't know), which might backup the flash and may be able to put something onto the flash or is this not possible? Why should I change the bootloader (and blow the fuse) if I have all the functionality I need already on the phone? - That's the question.
I've heared something about "download mode" where you can communicate with the smartphone and I've watched a custom rom installation.
I think the installed bootloader is able to backup and restore. But will installation of a custom rom do anything that isn't reversible (like blowing the fuse)?
Or is it fully reversible if I some day re-install the backup I made prior to installing the custom rom?
Is it possible to directly mount the flash under Linux?
Is the bootloader itself directly in the knox-chip? How should the chip otherwise recognise that the bootloader changed?
(a brief overview would be nice)
As you can see: I am very careful and I don't want to do anything wrong, which I'd definitely repent later on. "Just go ahead" without careful planning is not my style. That's the reason why I want to know everything before I start.
I appreciate every answer.