Hi guys. I made a mistake and formatted my S8 Active on V3 before backing up all the photos, and I have some indispensable photos there. I decided not to use it and get another phone instead so as not to overwrite the deleted data while I wait for V3 root to come out.
So my question is: should I even bother waiting? Some people seem to have given up on any prospect of a V3 root.
Thanks.
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Hi. Been playing with smartphones for a long time, but I'm no developer, and definately not an expert. So I look to those more experienced than I for an answer to this question.
Dropped my Note II and shattered the screen. Hadn't done this since a Windows Phone back the 3.0 or so OS days (when if you pulled the battery, you lost all the data stored on the phone). Knew full well I wasn't going to be able to get one under contract, having got the Note II only months prior, so I went to Engadget and saw the "best available" was the Galaxy S 4. And word was the Google Play edition was a little faster without the bloatware or carrier stuff, so that's exactly what I ordered and have now.
Got the phone and read about the 4.3 update, and how that messed up 3rd party app ability to access the memory card. Having a 64GB card, I wanted full functionality. And as I didn't see anything about an Official Google update or patch (4.31 perhaps?), I followed instructions to root the phone, installing the recovery partition as part of the process, and using SuperSU to allow me to edit the file for memory card permissions to work correctly. ONLY AFTER I had done the fix, did I install my memory card from the Note II and it's seem to work perfect.
So I'm using my phone Thursday, and I remember how Flixster won't work with SuperSU installed. And looking for an app that will hide my SuperSU unlocked from from Flixster, everything says the S 4 is different and this won't work atm. Thinking to myself, "Well... I don't really need my phone unlocked... as I'm not updating the OS nightly or anything, maybe I can just remove SuperSU and I'll be fine. This actually DID work, thought not EXACTLY how I'd have preferred. I CAN use Flixster with SU gone from the device, but when I reboot the phone it STILL shows the unlocked symbol at the bottom of the front page. Would love to fix this, but the articles I've read seem to indicate using SU rights to change it.
So my phone is unlocked, and probably still rooted, but I do NOT have Super User permissions atm. If I wanna get the first screen at reboot to NOT show my phone unlocked (because I'm OCD and it's BUGGING me), do I have to go through reinstalling SU somehow? Or is there some way to make the boot logo go back to the old way?
If you want to read the below learning experience you may gain some knowledge but at this point I believe my method may have flaws. While it seemed fine at first the problem listed directly below could not be fixed without using Odin to flash a stock ROM back onto the phone. It had checked the hidden menu settings for MTP and ADB and PDA, CP etc and all were correct (I have another good working S5 to compare these values to). I tried an earlier restore of a TWRP backup and that just blew up with all sorts of FC's on boot. So thank goodness for Odin. After flashing the stock rom it booted fine and I can now write files from the PC to the phone again via USB. In the process right now of re-rooting, installing TWRP and doing a restore of my last backup.
Note : I have found one problem I am currently working on after using this method. I can hook up the phone to the PC and get a link, open folders on the phone and can copy file from the phone to the PC but can NOT copy files from the PC to the phone. More later .....
I've got a Samsung Galaxy S5 from US Cellular. Other than a few people in the Motorola subforum here trying this I haven't seen this exact method described here so apologies if I missed it somewhere - tried many searches. It seemed so easy - maybe it is just considered SOP for some - don't know so I'm going to run the details by here anyway in case it saves anyone some trouble. Do read my warnings below though before you attempt this.
1 - You want TWRP installed (or Philz CM Touch will probably work too - seems a bit more complex though) If you are flashing ROM's having TWRP or some other custom recovery is always a good idea and I'm sure most people have one of them.
2 - Always do a complete backup with TWRP before flashing anything new. You did a backup before going to Lollipop didn't you?
3 - So you are tired of the white screen, battery sucking, quirky Lollipop or maybe that Cyanogen Lollipop mod didn't quite work for you and you want the old Kitkat back. So fire up TWRP, go into Advanced wipe and wipe Dalvik Cache, System, Data and Cache. You aren't done wiping yet though. After you swiped to wipe those go back to the previous page and Swipe to Factory Reset. That may not actually make any difference but I just did it for good measure and my method worked great.
4 - Now without out even needing to reboot find your latest backup of Kitkat 4.4.2 that you have on your Internal SD or External SD card (you do keep one there don't you in case your phone glitches on you while you are out and about?)
5 - Do a Restore of everything - Boot, Recovery, System, Data, Cache.
6 - Reboot. You are done.
Firstly I need to add that I had flashed Cyanogen Mod 12.1 (Lollipop 5.1) after following directions here in the main Cyanogen subforum to flash that on my KitKat 4.4.2 Galaxy S5 phone. What may be noteworthy is that after flashing CM 12.1 I ran the App PhoneInfo Plus (made mostly for Samsungs) and the OS version showed as Lollipop 5.1 but some of the build numbers to my recollection showed 4.4.2. So this was not a stock Lollipop OTA - it was the Cyanogen mod of Lollipop made by developers here. I just assumed they started with Lollipop to make that latest 5.1 build but I haven't followed the Cyanogen mod much at all so I don't know if they have borrowed bits and pieces of Kitkat in their builds. If they have done that then this downgrade method may not work the same for an OTA Lollipop.
Another warning - I noticed in the Motorola subforum here that some people bricked their phone trying this type of downgrade with TWRP however I believe that is because they had Verizon phones with locked bootloaders and that is not the case for my phone (US Cellular) or any other phones beside VZ as far as I know. If you have a Verizon with locked bootloader beware! I will also add that on my first boot after restoring Kitkat 4.4.2 that the second the home screen was up I started quickly scanning through my app pages and the phone rebooted itself. I believe it wasn't fully done loading the OS and it just was a hiccup. It has not happened since after trying all sort of things. Everything is working great.
I saw most people recommending to use Odin to flash a stock Kitkat firmware back on the phone in order to downgrade from Lollipop. Then you need to re-install all your apps or maybe do a restore of a recovery but with this method using TWRP you bypass most of that and get it all done in one TWRP session.
Another note about what I read people having a problem with upon downgrading - some were losing their IMEI when using Odin to flash the original firmware. I still have my original IMEI with no problem. That is another reason I think this method may be better than using Odin for this downgrade. I'll add that there are a lot of people around here with a whole lot more knowledge about flashing and custom ROM's than me so don't take my ideas as hard fact without doing your own research for your particular phone and particular situation.
I can copy FROM the internal and external SD card to PC but not PC to either internal or external SD card and the permissions seem to be correct for the folders I'm trying to copy into. Anyone have any ideas on that? However I was able to use AirDroid (Wifi) to copy files to the phone from the PC - no real surprise there but it reaffirms that I can write to those folders - just not with the USB cable.
More info. I just decided to run the App KitKat external SD Card patch. It failed. I believe I ran that before flashing Lollipop and it worked but now it fails. ?? I don't know if it is related to this problem since both internal and external SD are having a problem - but only via USB.
I tried another Galaxy S5 with same computer and cable and that one works fine to copy to the SD cards so that eliminates the cable or computer. AirDroid - Wifi works but only a problem one way with USB - WTF?
droidzer1 said:
I tried another Galaxy S5 with same computer and cable and that one works fine to copy to the SD cards so that eliminates the cable or computer. AirDroid - Wifi works but only a problem one way with USB - WTF?
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Well thanks to TWRP AND Odin all is well once again in Androidland
I tried searching for awhile and couldn't find anything too related to the exact question. Seems like with every update coming out storage shows the system taking up 1gb more than previous. Its as if it doesn't delete previous android versions. Its gone from 2.5gb few updates ago to now 5.6gb but the android updates are no more than 1gb. Its about when I started to notice this, 3 big updates ago all being around 1gb each.
My phone is completely stock, would a full stock flash delete everything and start the phone over? Also reading the general topic a few different methods mostly for unlocked bootloader., which one is the best for a locked bootloader? I was wanting to do this anyway because I have other unrelated issues with the phone such as gboard constantly crashing and photos not storing properly/overlapping eachother in memory that seems to happen with every update no matter what.
MadBullBunny said:
I tried searching for awhile and couldn't find anything too related to the exact question. Seems like with every update coming out storage shows the system taking up 1gb more than previous. Its as if it doesn't delete previous android versions. Its gone from 2.5gb few updates ago to now 5.6gb but the android updates are no more than 1gb. Its about when I started to notice this, 3 big updates ago all being around 1gb each.
My phone is completely stock, would a full stock flash delete everything and start the phone over? Also reading the general topic a few different methods mostly for unlocked bootloader., which one is the best for a locked bootloader? I was wanting to do this anyway because I have other unrelated issues with the phone such as gboard constantly crashing and photos not storing properly/overlapping eachother in memory that seems to happen with every update no matter what.
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Before doing anything rash, you should probably start by clearing cached data @ Settings.>>Storage>>Cached Data. Also booting the phone to stock recovery and wiping the cache partition may help with any apps that are wigging out. Lastly, you really cannot "flash" anything with a locked bootloader. You can, and may later decide to wipe/factory reset from stock recovery. That would wipe your data and return your phone to the blank Android version you had installed last (7.1.2?) and yes, it would wipe/reclaim space, but you can do that manually without a factory reset. Before you go down that road make sure you enable the Google backup of your account so all your app/app data is saved. If you have photos, let Photos sync fully before the reset so your photos will be backed up to the Cloud. Also note that if you decide to unlock the bootloader (good choice) it will automatically perform a full wipe/factory reset. There is a sticky in General on how to do this.
v12xke said:
Before doing anything rash, you should probably start by clearing cached data @ Settings.>>Storage>>Cached Data. Also booting the phone to stock recovery and wiping the cache partition may help with any apps that are wigging out. Lastly, you really cannot "flash" anything with a locked bootloader. You can, and may later decide to wipe/factory reset from stock recovery. That would wipe your data and return your phone to the blank Android version you had installed last (7.1.2?) and yes, it would wipe/reclaim space, but you can do that manually without a factory reset. Before you go down that road make sure you enable the Google backup of your account so all your app/app data is saved. If you have photos, let Photos sync fully before the reset so your photos will be backed up to the Cloud. Also note that if you decide to unlock the bootloader (good choice) it will automatically perform a full wipe/factory reset. There is a sticky in General on how to do this.
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Thanks for the input, but thats something I've been trying after every update already.
I found another site with clearer setup and instructions to do a stock flash with a factory rom and not OTA. Only reason why I had an issue with not wanting to unlock the bootloader was because im on windows 10 creators and it uses powershell now. So I had to figure out how to use fastboot/adb with powershell since cmdprompt wasn't the same. Doing a flash of a factory rom indeed fixed my gboard/photo storing overlapping issue that every ota update and factory reset through bootloader wouldn't solve.
Although my original question still remains, the system data in my storage is still 4.5gb with 7.1.2, better than the 5.5gb it was but I'm pretty sure its not supposed to be that big, any ideas why every update keeps taking up more space on the phone? The rom was even 1gb being flashed on the phone and I swear I remember the amount of space it took up when I first got the phone was around 2gb.
MadBullBunny said:
Thanks for the input, but thats something I've been trying after every update already.
I found another site with clearer setup and instructions to do a stock flash with a factory rom and not OTA. Only reason why I had an issue with not wanting to unlock the bootloader was because im on windows 10 creators and it uses powershell now. So I had to figure out how to use fastboot/adb with powershell since cmdprompt wasn't the same. Doing a flash of a factory rom indeed fixed my gboard/photo storing overlapping issue that every ota update and factory reset through bootloader wouldn't solve.
Although my original question still remains, the system data in my storage is still 4.5gb with 7.1.2, better than the 5.5gb it was but I'm pretty sure its not supposed to be that big, any ideas why every update keeps taking up more space on the phone? The rom was even 1gb being flashed on the phone and I swear I remember the amount of space it took up when I first got the phone was around 2gb.
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I always flash a full images- not OTA... but I've always been unlocked on all my Nexus devices going back to the Galaxy. You cannot flash a full image without unlocking the bootloader but yet you say your bootloader is locked? For comparison, my untouched System is using 4.57 GB. I am running stock 7.1.2 ROM, rooted and EX Kernel.
PS...there is a toggle switch in Windows 10 settings to select command shell or powershell. It's as easy as a toggle to restore the command shell (or switch back).
Hey there folks so I have a Note 4 that has been giving me lots of difficulty. I was hoping to upgrade but it looks like that is still a long ways off. I'm only willing to give up my S View and battery for the Note 10+ lol.
About a week ago it just shut off and when it came back on it was in setup mode. I lost everything, or did I?
Now it only has 421MB of the 32GB actually being used but it always says it's full. So apparently the old data is still there I just can't access it. I know nothing about rooting and I don't want to root and install a different operating system I just want to do a root to keep everything as is just give me access to the internal storage entirely.
It looks like when it reset it created another partition maybe?
I have thought about doing a factory reset but I don't want to lose the chance to possibly recover this data.
So is there a way to root so I don't have to get rid of everything and flash a whole new OS/UI?
I would research more but I have autism and this is all just getting very overwhelming.
I can't seem to figure out how to post screenshots.
Thanks for your help
TL;DR - I found a procedure to system / firmware update stock rooted, without needing to wipe data. Would people find a sort of noob-friendly guide useful? Reading up on other posts through the history of this subforum seem to be filled with misinformation that updating firmware on stock rooted = you will need to wipe no matter what...
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Hey guys, so I got a really reaaaallly good deal on the Galaxy Tab S6 (NON-Lite), and the nicer variant (256gb storage / 8gb RAM). Combining with 10% rakuten cash back, student discount, referral discount, and a slightly unethical "trick", I essentially bought it straight from the Samsung store for ~$280-$290-ish when all is said and done.
So anyway, seeing as how there's no original / non-stock Android development for the Galaxy Tab S6, I decided to mess around with the stock ROM for our device, the Tab S6 Lite. From the ~2 months I've owned this tablet, I've only used LineageOS. I only ever was in the stock ROM to unlock the bootloader. Literally less than an hour messing with the stock system. So my experience with stock was somewhat limited obviously.
Having read these forums before I bought the S6 Lite, and even now whilst doing research about stock ROM, it seems that the general consensus is that THERE IS NO WAY TO UPDATE THE STOCK ROOTED ROM WITHOUT WIPING DATA. That info was from several months ago, but it still seems that no one has explicitly stated that it actually is indeed possible? Now, I know that when you initially root, you will have to factory reset / wipe data. Also when you unlock bootloader. However, I've seen many posts saying that just to do an OTA update (obviously via Odin, as system update is disabled after root), you are SOL and will need to wipe data again.
Like I said, I have a Galaxy Tab S6 on the way, which only has stock-based ROM's. I'm not even going to use any custom ROM's and will instead go full stock + Magisk, just like I do with my daily driver phones. No TWRP either, encryption left default enabled. Actually, since the HTC U12+, I prefer going stock and no TWRP, relying on adb / fastboot (and in this case, Odin). Magisk and EdXposed bridge all the gaps I need in terms of mods, and I can't beat the stability and retention of all OEM features (as much as I hate Touchwiz... I don't care if it's called OneUI now lol). I figured I would play around with the Tab S6 Lite in order to get used to how I'll be operating with the Tab S6. My last Samsung device was the Galaxy S5 (phone, not tablet. "KLTE" model), and that feels like long AF ago.
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So anyway, back to the Tab S6 Lite - I was messing around with the stock firmware and found that you can indeed install firmware / system updates via Odin on stock rooted ROM, without the need to wipe data. But a lot of old posts, and even newer posts, seem to claim that you will have to factory reset / wipe again in order to update your firmware if you're rooted. Ain't nobody got time fo dat!! Well, I was able to update, without losing data and keeping root, and tested it by updating thru 2 different firmware levels (09-2020 -> 10-2020 -> 12-2020). Just needed to do things in a pretty specific order, but each time Odin flashed the new firmware, the next boot said "Optimizing Apps" or whatever, and I was updated to the new firmware / system update without losing data.
Again, no TWRP, no flashing special verity / vbmeta / etc packages. Just bone stock, Magisk-rooted. Like taking regular system OTA (the tablet being updated itself), but doing it manually with manual steps required.
Hopefully, assuming this will also work with the Galaxy Tab S6, this makes me much more confident that I can have a nice and smooth experience when I get the new tablet in.
So - my big question, especially to those who are more involved and/or have been around this subforum for more than me - were you guys already aware that it's indeed possible to system / firmware update while rooted on stock WITHOUT wiping data? If not (or even if you did), would you guys find a more noob-friendly guide to be useful or helpful? I just find it very strange that the possibility has been so far dismissed. Wiping data every time you need to update sucks!!
I'd love to hear some feedback... I also posted the bootloader splash warning removal guide over in the Guides subforum, and see a decent number of people have downloaded, but the thread has received no feedback whatsoever. I'm not sure if anybody is actually interested or if it would be worth my time sharing another guide. Anyway, thanks all and stay safe.
EDIT: I just downgraded back to 09-2020 firmware. I'm going to try setting up the tablet in its entirety this time before updating the firmware (last time, I didn't bother signing in and installing my apps and stuff since I was just testing and expecting to bootloop / softbrick at some point). Going to do each release sequentially again. But it's getting late and gonna go to bed for now. Still has another 100+ apps to install anyway, lol.
EDIT 2: Yup, all went good. Magisk 21.4 + EdXposed 5.2.1, a bunch of modules, etc. System updates went perfectly smoothly with no need to wipe. SafetyNet passing, etc.
What was your procedure to OTA update a tablet which is running stock + Magisk?