Hey there everyone,
Just picked up my first smartphone, and obviously the first thing I had to do with it is install a different rom. I was able to get the one from here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2349077
To install just fine on my Canada SGH-I337m phone. It says one of the features of it is root privileges, and I can see SuperSU installed on the phone, but any app that actually tries to access root functions seem to just get turned away. I've tried both OpenVPN Installer and AdAway and OpenVPN is the only app that gives any helpful logs.
When I try to install it, it just fails and in the logs it's saying that /system/ is still read only even after being granted privileges by SuperSU.
Just wondering if I'm making a mistake or if I needed to do something on the phone before the root will work. I've already tried reinstalling SuperSU to no avail, and using the Motochopper root app ended up with a boot loop after it finished.
Open SuperSU and update binaries see if that doesn't cure your issue
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Yep, one of the first things I did when it didn't work was update SuperSU where it has you download/install it again from the store, which put me on version 1.65 which I believe is the latest version.
For a Canadian phone you will need to use CF-Auto root. However, trying to root a phone that is already supposed to be rooted can cause problems. I suggest you go to the CF Auto Root thread in the Original Development section and read the thread to see if any additional information or tips are given for your situation. Also, depending on the ROM you installed, you might need to install a Kernel specific for your phone to get full functionality. Again, this can be determines by reading the thread from where you got the ROM from. Good luck.
Most of us were talking about Towelroot over in Jcase's PIE thread or over in collinjames' thread, but I think it's time it deserves it's own thread.
UPDATE:
@iKrYpToNiTe made the awesome TowelPieRoot which makes this method easier to use. You can still use this thread to root your phone, but I will be using his method from now on. Happy rooting!
Important Links:
Geohot's original post.
Towelroot's Homepage
Mod Strings
What is Towelroot?
Towelroot is a rooting method for most android phones, and it uses an apk to obtain root (dead simple too, push one button, no need for other tools and workarounds). (source)
Why do we use Towelroot in conjunction with PIE?
PIE nor Towelroot disables write protection. Both of them offer a temporary root that has to be applied after a reboot. The advantage to Towelroot is that it is an APK that sits on device, so unlike PIE, Towelroot can be run later, non-tethered to a PC, should you have to power off/on. So you use PIE first while tethered and initially rooting, then Towelroot allows you to continue rooting "on the go" in the future without needing a PC.
How does it work with the Moto X?
It works the same as PIE. It gives root access but the device is still write protected. It is also temporary and must be reapplied after a reboot. However, a soft/hot reboot can keep the root access, due to soft/hot reboots only rebooting the graphical Android shell.
What does it work on?
XT1049 - Republic Wireless, not confirmed, should work.
XT1052 - European
XT1053 -T-Mobile US, not confirmed, should work.
XT1055 - US Cellular, not confirmed, should work.
XT1056 - Sprint, not confirmed, should work.
XT1058 - AT&T, Rogers, Claro, Movistar, Vivo, Oi, TIM
XT1060 - Verizon
How do I use this tool?
Remember to apply PIE first!
1. On your device, go to here.It will start to download the .apk
3. On your device, go to Settings>Security>Unknown Sources and tick the box.
4. Run the downloaded apk, tr3.apk
5. Press "welcome to towelroot" 3 times.
6. Replace the last 0 with a 1, due to modstrings.
7. make it ra1n
Your device should now be rooted and you should be able to use apps such as Greenify and Titanium Backup.
Some applications that should work with root, might not work with this method.
Some people have experimented with using Superuser apps, but I have not seen a consistent method to use one.
How are we keeping root after reboots?
We aren't rebooting! Seriously, we soft/hot reboot which allows us to keep root after a graphical reboot. And even if you do reboot, you can always reapply the root with Towelroot. You just need to make sure you have applied jcase's PIE before hand.
Xposed:
jpond83 posted up some instructions in the PIE thread about how to get Xposed to work:
Make sure you have installed PIE before you try to use Xposed or it will NOT work. View jcase's PIE thread for more details.
jpond83 said:
1) install towelroot. Xposed installer, Busybox installer, power menu
2)run towelroot, click "welcome to towelroot", replace 0 with 1, make it rain.
3) run xposed and click install
4) run busybox installer and click install
5) run power menu and click "hot reboot"
6) enjoy root without using a PC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Current problems/bugs
Some users have problems with soft/hot rebooting. Reapply PIE.
Random reboots.
Warning about using this exploit
Myself or anyone that has helped develop this are not responsible for anything that occurs to your phone by using this method.
As for this thread, feel free to post your experiences with this tool or any supplements to add.
I'm glad this finally has a dedicated thread. Good job OP
I finally got it working. When I installed SuperSU it was lagging. But I kept it off. I even have hkthememanager running with KitKat all white settings from the nexus forum.
Sent from my XT1058 using XDA Free mobile app
The softboot/hot boot issue comes from not having busybox installed.
jpond83 said:
The softboot/hot boot issue comes from not having busybox installed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've installed 3 different Busybox installers:
Busybox by Stephen (Stericson)
Busybox Installer by JRummy Apps Inc.
Busybox X by Robert Nediyakalaparambil [root]
The first and the third one said they installed successfully, but the second one did not.
Even after 2 installations succeeding, I was still unable to soft/hot reboot.
Any ideas?
I use busybox installer with the blue icon. Never had a issue with softboot as long as I install everything in the order I stated in the other thread.
jpond83 said:
I use busybox installer with the blue icon. Never had a issue with softboot as long as I install everything in the order I stated in the other thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guessing that is the Busybox Installer , I just get this when I try to install it. I have root access, but Busybox is not installing.
But when I use Busybox by Stephen, it says it installs correctly, and my Busybox checker says it does too, but Power Menu still won't Hot Reboot.
Have you ran pie root before? It needs to be ran on the device once before for it to work.
jpond83 said:
Have you ran pie root before? It needs to be ran on the device once before for it to work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Replying the PIE exploit has seemed to fix it. Thank you.
Should I add to the original post that you need to install PIE?
dier325 said:
Replying the PIE exploit has seemed to fix it. Thank you.
Should I add to the original post that you need to install PIE?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, its a must. It should only need to be ran once. After that you should never need it again unless you factory reset.
jpond83 said:
Have you ran pie root before? It needs to be ran on the device once before for it to work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait, so you need to use PIE to make stuff work under towelroot work on the X?
If so, why not just stick with PIE? Why add towelroot?
KidJoe said:
Wait, so you need to use PIE to make stuff work under towelroot work on the X?
If so, why not just stick with PIE? Why add towelroot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you read??? You only need to use pie once. After that you can reboot your phone as much as you want and just root with towelroot.
KidJoe said:
Wait, so you need to use PIE to make stuff work under towelroot work on the X?
If so, why not just stick with PIE? Why add towelroot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Towelroot can work just by itself, but PIE adds some functionality that allows for easier softbooting.
jpond83 said:
Did you read??? You only need to use pie once. After that you can reboot your phone as much as you want and just root with towelroot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sorry that it bothers you so much that I have a question I'm asking. But if you must know, YES I READ. I've read this thread, the PIE thread, and Does Towel Root have any potential in the Motorola field?
And if you can read, you would know that you didn't even answer my question of "why use both?". Instead you just sort of flaming me for asking something and said pie only needs to be run once which is already stated very clearly in what I quoted.
What I'm getting at with my question is something that is implied, but not stated.....
It is understood that since neither PIE nor Towelroot disables write protection on locked bootloaders, if you root with either PIE or Towelroot, you need to re-root after power off/on (or "hard" reboot as some are calling it). It appears the advantage to Towelroot is that it is an APK that sits on device, so unlike PIE, Towelroot can be run later, non-tethered to a PC, should you have to power off/on. So you use PIE first while tethered and initially rooting, then whatever it does allows Towelroot APK to continue working properly when "on the go" in the future without needing a PC.
If that is truly the case, then I think that should be highlighted better, and @dier325 should add it to the OP as many are missing that bit of information. It would also cut out some of the frustration by those encountering issues when running PIE again, after they had to power off/on. (as they could use PIE when first setting up, then towelroot if they lose root while away from their PC).
But it does beg a few more questions (at least by someone who is READING all of this, but not using either PIE or TowelRoot)...
Is PIE needed once before Towelroot only if you want Xposed? Or is it always needed once if you ever plan on using Towelroot? (i.e. Are there any cases where Towelroot alone works? like if you only want to block ads or tether. Or must you have used PIE once already, if you want to make use of Towelroot to root at all?)
Must it be done in a certain order? I.e. if you've used towelroot and realized you forgot PIE, can you just run PIE and be good? or must you reboot, use PIE, then use Towelroot again?
What changes are made by PIE that survive power off/on and enable Towelroot to work when trying to use Xposed?
If this information is accurate, can Geohot and Jcase work together on a single solution, and possibly single on device solution for the X?
KidJoe said:
It is understood that since neither PIE nor Towelroot disables write protection on locked bootloaders, if you root with either PIE or Towelroot, you need to re-root after power off/on (or "hard" reboot as some are calling it). It appears the advantage to Towelroot is that it is an APK that sits on device, so unlike PIE, Towelroot can be run later, non-tethered to a PC, should you have to power off/on. So you use PIE first while tethered and initially rooting, then whatever it does allows Towelroot APK to continue working properly when "on the go" in the future without needing a PC.
If that is truly the case, then I think that should be highlighted better, and @dier325 should add it to the OP as many are missing that bit of information. It would also cut out some of the frustration by those encountering issues when running PIE again, after they had to power off/on. (as they could use PIE when first setting up, then towelroot if they lose root while away from their PC).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a great explanation of why we are using both. I will add a paragraph to the OP that paraphrases what you just said.
KidJoe said:
Is PIE needed once before Towelroot only if you want Xposed? Or is it always needed once if you ever plan on using Towelroot? (i.e. Are there any cases where Towelroot alone works? like if you only want to block ads or tether. Or must you have used PIE once already, if you want to make use of Towelroot to root at all?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Towelroot alone works, but we've found that some applications (i.e. Xposed, Busybox) don't work unless you have PIE. Using them together allows us to use them.
KidJoe said:
[*]Must it be done in a certain order? I.e. if you've used towelroot and realized you forgot PIE, can you just run PIE and be good? or must you reboot, use PIE, then use Towelroot again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The method of each one must be done in order but it does not matter which one you apply first to the device. In fact I just had Towelroot running on my device and then applied PIE allowing for Xposed to work.
KidJoe said:
[*]What changes are made by PIE that survive power off/on and enable Towelroot to work when trying to use Xposed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PIE allows us to keep Busybox installed on the device which allows us to Soft/hot reboot.
KidJoe said:
[*]If this information is accurate, can Geohot and Jcase work together on a single solution, and possibly single on device solution for the X?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want to remind everyone that there are very few of us who are using both of these methods together currently. It is fine for these questions to be brought up for the uninitiated. As for them working together, I think Jcase stated that he wants to move away from the X, as well as I think he is on holiday due to his current signature. I don't know about Geohot but some people have created a thread over in the Moto G forum raising some money to buy the device for him after he said he would try to work on it if he had one.
I have jcases pie root on my x and g and i either always soft boot in xposed framework and keep phone on airplane mode when not in use and charge when necessary
KidJoe said:
If that is truly the case, then I think that should be highlighted better, and @dier325 should add it to the OP as many are missing that bit of information. It would also cut out some of the frustration by those encountering issues when running PIE again, after they had to power off/on. (as they could use PIE when first setting up, then towelroot if they lose root while away from their PC).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have added another section to the OP explaining the situation.
cell2011 said:
I have jcases pie root on my x and g and i either always soft boot in xposed framework and keep phone on airplane mode when not in use and charge when necessary
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Adding them together allows you to root without having to use a PC if you do reboot your device, say it dies.
Thanks guys for clearing this up. I think Towel root should be renamed to something less middle east reference and it would be welcomed more.
So basically if we want more functionality with our root, we should do PIE first? I clicked over onto the PIE page but didn't really how it's done. I have towelroot down, but it seems PIE is a good idea to use in combo with towel root. I could be missing something though cause I'm in the XDA app at work.
I do understand though that PIE is a one time thing and we should just use towel root thereafter when we reboot and need to reroot again.
Sent from my XT1060 using XDA Free mobile app
Using PIE in conjunction with Towelroot allows you to use apps such as Xposed.
Sent from my XT1060 using XDA-FORUM, powered by appyet.com
I just rooted using towel root. Planning on staying stock just needed to make one modification. Everything is perfect including knox and flash counter. Is it okay to keep the phone rooted without having the SU app installed?
If I install supersu will it trip my flash counter? If I use it to unroot will it trip?
Thanks
Sent from my SM-G900W8 using XDA Free mobile app
Some questions are asked over and over. Which is why we can tell that you didn't do a search or take ten minutes to read a few threads - you couldn't have avoided finding the answers if you had. You'd also have gotten a quicker answer if you had tried searching.
Super SU won't increment Knox by itself. The flash counter per se can be reset. It's a widely respected and robust app and you didn't give any specific reason why you wouldn't want to use it. If you remove Super SU without manually adding more cumbersome alternatives, you won't be rooted anymore. If it is your intention to remove root, then go ahead. If you want to remain rooted, then you should do some reading as it would seem that you don't understand what Super SU does.
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fffft said:
Some questions are asked over and over. Which is why we can tell that you didn't do a search or take ten minutes to read a few threads - you couldn't have avoided finding the answers if you had. You'd also have gotten a quicker answer if you had tried searching.
Super SU won't increment Knox by itself. The flash counter per se can be reset. It's a widely respected and robust app and you didn't give any specific reason why you wouldn't want to use it. If you remove Super SU without manually adding more cumbersome alternatives, you won't be rooted anymore. If it is your intention to remove root, then go ahead. If you want to remain rooted, then you should do some reading as it would seem that you don't understand what Super SU does.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the quick reply. I actually Googled and read through the few rooting threads I found but couldn't find the answer for this specific question. Towelroot rooted the phone and supersu was not installed. I don't want to increase flash counter or have custom status as I want to continue to receive OTA updates. I only rooted to access a sql dB which I needed to modify.
I was never under the impression that SU will trip knox, I was wondering if it would trip my flash counter. Also, my question was based more on security. If I don't have supersu to allow root access I would assume any app can get it and would that be a security issue?
Sent from my SM-G900W8 using XDA Free mobile app
In might be a theoretical advantage to not be rooted. But you loose a lot of functionality for that security "gain". Pragmatically though there have been plenty of malware exploits that can root your device as part of their incursion. So it's hard to believe that you are gaining much security by avoiding root on your handset.
Your device will never be completely secure. Most of your risk is removed if you make a best effort to only use apps from legitimate sources and apply security updates. If you are keen you can also install a antimalware app like lookout or configure iptables.
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fffft said:
In might be a theoretical advantage to not be rooted. But you loose a lot of functionality for that security "gain". Pragmatically though there have been plenty of malware exploits that can root your device as part of their incursion. So it's hard to believe that you are gaining much security by avoiding root on your handset.
Your device will never be completely secure. Most of your risk is removed if you make a best effort to only use apps from legitimate sources and apply security updates. If you are keen you can also install a antimalware app like lookout or configure iptables.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree 100%. Hence my concern about being rooted currently and not having SuperSU installed to control what apps can gain and use root access. Installation of SuperSU was a byproduct of every other root method I've used and thus I was concerned about having rooted with towelroot and not having SuperSU installed.
Sent from my SM-G900W8 using XDA Free mobile app
tawheed12 said:
Agree 100%. Hence my concern about being rooted currently and not having SuperSU installed to control what apps can gain and use root access. Installation of SuperSU was a byproduct of every other root method I've used and thus I was concerned about having rooted with towelroot and not having SuperSU installed.
Sent from my SM-G900W8 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you choose to root your phone you should forget about OTA`s imo as this causes only issues in most cases and the loss of root. Disable/uninstall or freeze all system apps regarding OTA`s and flash an updated rom with Mobile Odin Pro and you`ll keep root BTW rooting has so much more advantages like AdAway adblocker, freezing all the unused Samsung apps/widgets, backup and restoring of apps with TB etc etc.
You dont need SuperSU for root. Its on a handler for it. It stops malware accessing root without your notice....
I had been researching root apps as an experiment for a classified android project I have going on and decided to use one of my less important phones to test my theory. While "fooling around", I decided to use Kingoroot apk on my Droid Mini and surprising enough, it works, which I have tested it on a few other devices and it fails. It seems there really is a superuser binary installed, but SuperSU cannot go any further, assuming because of the R/W protection. i have tested a few apps and all seem to point to a successfully LIMITED root. Sunshine apk is the only app not necessarily detecting the root. It seems odd enough, and upon reboot, root is lost. Also things tend to crash sometimes after the first root attempt. Kingoroot seems to have its own concerning/interesting thread here on XDA in which people point it out their experiences, comments and concerns here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2604749
Anybody willing to probe the matter further with me?
"Classified"... Woah, sounds too scary for me.
Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
http://forum.xda-developers.com/droid-ultra/general/root-kingroot-4-4-4-su-6-7-t3117552
Right nextdoor
Hi
I want to know is there any way to root without using pc. My bootloader is unlocked. Need to flash twrp.
mapbond said:
Hi
I want to know is there any way to root without using pc. My bootloader is unlocked. Need to flash twrp.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't think so, no. Not without root anyway.
Kingroot might work but it's a horrible app that isn't worth the trouble it creates. If Kingroot works on this phone then you can probably install a custom recovery via something like Flashify or the TWRP app. The problem with Kingroot is that it's basically malware. It installs adware on your phone and won't give root access to anything that interferes with its functioning like Adaway or an alternate root app. It also sends God only knows what data from your phone to China. You are honestly better off not being rooted at all than using Kingroot. There are instructions for rooting with Kingroot and then switching root to SU but unless the instructions are extremely up to date they will not work. Kingroot is updated with the specific purpose of preventing you from being able to do anything that reduces the power Kingroot has over your phone. It can be uninstalled but the app makes certain you completely lose root functions before that happens.
no support
jhs39 said:
Kingroot might work but it's a horrible app that isn't worth the trouble it creates. If Kingroot works on this phone then you can probably install a custom recovery via something like Flashify or the TWRP app. The problem with Kingroot is that it's basically malware. It installs adware on your phone and won't give root access to anything that interferes with its functioning like Adaway or an alternate root app. It also sends God only knows what data from your phone to China. You are honestly better off not being rooted at all than using Kingroot. There are instructions for rooting with Kingroot and then switching root to SU but unless the instructions are extremely up to date they will not work. Kingroot is updated with the specific purpose of preventing you from being able to do anything that reduces the power Kingroot has over your phone. It can be uninstalled but the app makes certain you completely lose root functions before that happens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i tried kingroot there is no support from there end. so i uninstalled it.
You can't. You need to unlock the bootloader if this phone and this requires a PC