Related
It has come to light that a new update has been released for the Prime version stock ROM. This update is called V6.6 (duh), and the update replaces the preloader. Some people have reported bootloops, one has gotten a brick, and I am all but certain that Amazon is trying to patch the preloader to remove any chance of rooting or converting to OEM ever again. It also replaces the boot image, which we believe is a way to re-lock the bootloader, or possibly even make fastboot ignore the unlocked status. This could also destroy your ability to root, run TWRP, or run any custom ROM ever again. If you are on the Prime stock ROM, DO NOT take the OTA to V6.6. It's really not worth it for the security patch. I also encourage all users of V6.1, V6.4, or V6.5 to go ahead and convert your phone to the non-Prime variant while you have the chance. Amazon is known for jamming updates down people's throats so I would not be surprised if they have a way of installing that update without your approval.
The conversion guide is here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/r1-hd/how-to/guide-convert-to-prime-rollback-ota-t3432499
There is some discussion about the OTA in the last few pages of the general discussion thread here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/r1-hd/how-to/blu-r1-hd-t3418354/post68565531#post68565531
We can use this thread to further dissect and discuss the update.
The boot img can lock the Bootloader.
Thanks for the warning. I would have taken it as I think V6.5 was a good update and improved performance (at the expense of battery life).
DarkBlood. said:
The boot img can lock the Bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, but some kernel/ramdisk shenanigans could lock it at boot.
We've now confirmed that this update breaks SPFT. It is currently unknown if we will be able to recover from this, but I'm hoping we can.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=68578922&postcount=1319
It doesn't appear to relock the bootloader or break fastboot in any way, so if your bootloader is already unlocked you might be okay. I still highly recommend against it.
With the fire tablet they disabled the preloader and changed the pid
ColtonDRG said:
We've now confirmed that this update breaks SPFT. It is currently unknown if we will be able to recover from this, but I'm hoping we can.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=68578922&postcount=1319
It doesn't appear to relock the bootloader or break fastboot in any way, so if your bootloader is already unlocked you might be okay. I still highly recommend against it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, I wonder then, if we dont get a custom rom soon, can the security updates be pulled from the prime OTA and be incorporated into non Prime. I bet if 6.6 plugged SPFT and makes it near impossible for new users to switch to non prime or debloat, that will be the last OTA we see for awhile.
I installed V6.6 OTA update...not sure if I'll regret it. The amazon ads haven't bothered me because I always have notifications, and the ads are smaller than them...plus I was on a CHEAP phone ($10.00) from best buy via slickdeals ad about a year ago...so now I feel like I'm on a contender...it's all relative...Compared to http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-LS620-realm I'm flying.
I am sticking to the prime version. I had disabled OTA. Bootloader unlocked. Hopefully someone can see if 6.6 has anything to offer.
DarkBlood. said:
With the fire tablet they disabled the preloader and changed the pid
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You cannot simply "disable" the preloader. We discussed what exactly Amazon did with the Fire a little bit in the private hangout the other day. The bottom line is that we still don't know exactly what shenanigans Amazon is up to, or what tricks they have up their sleeve. Knowing Amazon, it can't be good for us.
jacewt said:
I am sticking to the prime version. I had disabled OTA. Bootloader unlocked. Hopefully someone can see if 6.6 has anything to offer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has the August security patch and some things that lock things down. Nothing else that I'm aware of.
bionictoothpick said:
I installed V6.6 OTA update...not sure if I'll regret it. The amazon ads haven't bothered me because I always have notifications, and the ads are smaller than them...plus I was on a CHEAP phone ($10.00) from best buy via slickdeals ad about a year ago...so now I feel like I'm on a contender...it's all relative...Compared to http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-LS620-realm I'm flying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you unlocked your bootloader (fastboot style) via one of the methods before, you should still be able to gain root. If not, you are probably hosed, at least for now. Weather or not you will end up regretting that is up to you, but I certainly would.
kal250 said:
So, I wonder then, if we dont get a custom rom soon, can the security updates be pulled from the prime OTA and be incorporated into non Prime. I bet if 6.6 plugged SPFT and makes it near impossible for new users to switch to non prime or debloat, that will be the last OTA we see for awhile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. By the way, I will be releasing a TWRP version of the image for people who did manage to unlock their bootloader to use to convert after taking the update. I will also try to get a TWRP image of the old-school preloader image working once I've figured out if it's safe.
As for mixing the ROMs, I've considered doing it before. I worry about breaking some of the advantages of the OEM ROM. If this continues for too much longer, I'll consider it more seriously and start looking into it, but I think for now it remains a case of "there are more important things to do".
ColtonDRG said:
I agree. By the way, I will be releasing a TWRP version of the image for people who did manage to unlock their bootloader to use to convert after taking the update. I will also try to get a TWRP image of the old-school preloader image working once I've figured out if it's safe.
As for mixing the ROMs, I've considered doing it before. I worry about breaking some of the advantages of the OEM ROM. If this continues for too much longer, I'll consider it more seriously and start looking into it, but I think for now it remains a case of "there are more important things to do".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fortunately, I had OTA blocked and as I said the other day when i get downtime(hopefully Sunday), I'm back to OEM, to hell with security patches!!
@ColtonDRG, @DarkBlood., @waingro808, @kal250, @ jacewt
Do we have the zip file for the OTA update yet ?
It's usually very trivial to repackage the update zip in order to make it update only /boot and /system, and nothing else (I've done this back with V6.5 since I wanted to keep the oldest bootloaders available). This way one gets all the updates, without any impact on the preloader, unlock status, etc.
This is kind of similar to how it's done for Fire 7 :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/amazon-fire/general/howto-install-fireos-5-1-1-root-gapps-t3265594
bibikalka said:
@ColtonDRG, @DarkBlood., @waingro808, @kal250, @ jacewt
Do we have the zip file for the OTA update yet ?
It's usually very trivial to repackage the update zip in order to make it update only /boot and /system, and nothing else (I've done this back with V6.5 since I wanted to keep the oldest bootloaders available). This way one gets all the updates, without any impact on the preloader, unlock status, etc.
This is kind of similar to how it's done for Fire 7 :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/amazon-fire/general/howto-install-fireos-5-1-1-root-gapps-t3265594
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The zip is available in https://na.mirrors.coltondrg.com/coltondrg/r1hd/stockota/prime/
bibikalka said:
@ColtonDRG, @DarkBlood., @waingro808, @kal250, @ jacewt
Do we have the zip file for the OTA update yet ?
It's usually very trivial to repackage the update zip in order to make it update only /boot and /system, and nothing else (I've done this back with V6.5 since I wanted to keep the oldest bootloaders available). This way one gets all the updates, without any impact on the preloader, unlock status, etc.
This is kind of similar to how it's done for Fire 7 :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/amazon-fire/general/howto-install-fireos-5-1-1-root-gapps-t3265594
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go for it, but I'm not interested in taking any of Amazon's **** either way.
As @DarkBlood. said, the zip file is mirrored on https://na.mirrors.coltondrg.com/coltondrg/r1hd/stockota/prime/
I am curious, and we may already know, but did they fail to properly implement the version check in their OTA updater script? Just looking at the reviews on Amazon, it seems a few have suddenly been borked, and only able to boot to stock recovery since Sept 6th or so. I am curious as one of the recovery system check failure messages appears to be hanging up on the v6.1 files and refusing to boot saying they were modified. Was wondering if those are devices that updated from v6.1 straight to v6.6 whereas it seems Amazon/Blu should have ensured the updater abort if device was not v6.5. Thoughts? They may have created a real mess for themselves....
ariesgodofwar said:
I am curious, and we may already know, but did they fail to properly implement the version check in their OTA updater script? Just looking at the reviews on Amazon, it seems a few have suddenly been borked, and only able to boot to stock recovery since Sept 6th or so. I am curious as one of the recovery system check failure messages appears to be hanging up on the v6.1 files and refusing to boot saying they were modified. Was wondering if those are devices that updated from v6.1 straight to v6.6 whereas it seems Amazon/Blu should have ensured the updater abort if device was not v6.5. Thoughts? They may have created a real mess for themselves....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A handful of people around here actually got their phone bootlooped just after taking the upgrade straight from 6.5 to 6.6. At first I figured it was a fluke because their phones were altered, but at this point it's getting very suspicious (almost like it's a hit or miss thing for everyone, even those that haven't touched anything). I hope this doesn't damage the device's reputation too bad, and Amazon better get their **** together. Chopping off their nose in spite of their face. I guess I shouldn't be surprised at this point. This is Amazon we're talking about here.
bibikalka said:
@ColtonDRG, @DarkBlood., @waingro808, @kal250, @ jacewt
Do we have the zip file for the OTA update yet ?
It's usually very trivial to repackage the update zip in order to make it update only /boot and /system, and nothing else (I've done this back with V6.5 since I wanted to keep the oldest bootloaders available). This way one gets all the updates, without any impact on the preloader, unlock status, etc.
This is kind of similar to how it's done for Fire 7 :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/amazon-fire/general/howto-install-fireos-5-1-1-root-gapps-t3265594
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the zip can be modified, can we inject the 6.1 preloader and bootloader into the 6.6 OTA and modify it to run over current 6.6 installs allowing those who have been locked to at least unlock themselves?? I'm not savy enough to try....
Ok, I unlocked bootloader and rooted. No issues at all.
Now, I was curious on relocking the bootloader & load stock rom.
The method that I used to flashed the firmware was the Autoflash, something like that.
Now what I did was extracted all the files within that folder. And click the autoflash, mijiggy. Lol
But I believe the most current firmware was MPH24.49-18
BUT I had MPHS24.49-16 - from what I can recall.
Pretty sure that was the latest on the site.
After flashing the phone, it successfully with any issues. The root is no longer present.
But no matter how many times that I add "fastboot oem lock" which does say okay - finished.
I still get that bootloader is unlocked, after it told me it was finished, no errors....
The other issue is upgrading the software OTA, failed!
As far as the radio part, I hope it still works. I don't have an extra Sprint sim card. But I'm pretty sure it will be ok.
Appreciate your help and time to read my crazy thread..lol
Sent from my Portable
PassatSport15 said:
Ok, I unlocked bootloader and rooted. No issues at all.
Now, I was curious on relocking the bootloader & load stock rom.
The method that I used to flashed the firmware was the Autoflash, something like that.
Now what I did was extracted all the files within that folder. And click the autoflash, mijiggy. Lol
But I believe the most current firmware was MPH24.49-18
BUT I had MPHS24.49-16 - from what I can recall.
Pretty sure that was the latest on the site.
After flashing the phone, it successfully with any issues. The root is no longer present.
But no matter how many times that I add "fastboot oem lock" which does say okay - finished.
I still get that bootloader is unlocked, after it told me it was finished, no errors....
The other issue is upgrading the software OTA, failed!
As far as the radio part, I hope it still works. I don't have an extra Sprint sim card. But I'm pretty sure it will be ok.
Appreciate your help and time to read my crazy thread..lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A few problems here... First off, you likely had MPHS24.49-18-16 not just 16 (I don't think there is such a version) and the one your using MPHS24.49-18 is really old, it's the original MM firmware from Moto's website (the one on Moto's site is very old and dated incorrectly). We don't have the 18-16 image yet, so you cannot relock or even effectively fix this.
Also, you used a tool to flash, so when pieces failed to flash, you didn't even know it... And now you are in a mixed state with a ROM that is partially -18 and part 18-16, which is why an OTA won't take.
When you relock a Moto device, you don't just enter "fastboot oem lock" like a Nexus device, there is a process where you start with "fastboot oem lock begin" then flash a complete, signed factory image, wipe, and end with "fastboot oem lock" in one process.
Many parts to this process went wrong... Right now you are just kind of stuck.
BTW, relocking the bootloader has no effective gains except security... You will still be able to see in a glance it was unlocked from the bootloader screen or a fastboot command and the unlocked bootloader warning screen will still be there (you have to flash a custom logo to make it go away).
Did you make a backup of your stock ROM with TWRP prior to rooting? Restoring the backup with TWRP along with stock recovery is usually going to be the simplest and easiest way to go back to full stock.
As acejavelin stated, there really is no benefit to relocking the bootloader except from a security standpoint. As long as the stock ROM and recovery are restored to preroot condition with no system mods, you can take OTAs regardless of bootloader status.
acejavelin said:
First off, you likely had MPHS24.49-18-16 not just 16 (I don't think there is such a version) and the one your using MPHS24.49-18 is really old
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My apologies for giving the incorrect info.
When I had purchased the phone about 3 weeks ago.
I upgraded the latest software update via Sprint OTA.
acejavelin said:
And now you are in a mixed state with a ROM that is partially -18 and part 18-16, which is why an OTA won't take.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What would be the best route for me to learn.?
The phone is not going anywhere. It is a backup phone, current have a Note 5. So I might as well take advantage of the opportunity.
Being that I'm mixed with 16 - 18 firmware, should I get the latest MM? Or am I just Fubarred..lol
Now what is the latest MM that I can download? Only because I would like to do an OTA when Nougat comes out.
I guess my goal is to start fresh again which seems impossible for now..
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you again!
Sent from my Portable
PassatSport15 said:
My apologies for giving the incorrect info.
When I had purchased the phone about 3 weeks ago.
I upgraded the latest software update via Sprint OTA.
What would be the best route for me to learn.?
The phone is not going anywhere. It is a backup phone, current have a Note 5. So I might as well take advantage of the opportunity.
Being that I'm mixed with 16 - 18 firmware, should I get the latest MM? Or am I just Fubarred..lol
Now what is the latest MM that I can download? Only because I would like to do an OTA when Nougat comes out.
I guess my goal is to start fresh again which seems impossible for now..
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think 18-12 is the latest we have so far, but trying to flash it would not help... Your best bet at this point is either custom ROM or wait until we can get the image for 18-16. The problem here is Moto's don't support downgrading, it can be done but it often leaves you in a mixed state.
You could try flashing the latest version we have available manually (don't use a tool) and it might be close enough to able to OTA from there. You have some though, rumor has it initial surveys for an upgrade on the Pure just went out to MFN users this week, assuming it is the Nougat upgrade trial then once it starts you have 4-6 weeks barring any problems they encounter before public release. Assuming of course that history repeats itself and Lenovo follows the same path as Moto has previously.
So basically I'm saying have patience... We don't know when (or really if) we will get the current firmware image, sometimes it's quick and sometimes it takes months.
Update on my xt1575, that I could not take an OTA, it gave me an error - unsuccessful.
My original software was MPHS24.49-18-16, December update, latest software.
Well, I went ahead unlocked the bootloader, installed TWRP, then rooted....
Days later I had decided to unroot, so I would be able to take the OTA.
While I unrooted my device, it was successful, but could not take the updates at all.
Now I reflashed again, in this order below.
Autoflash Script with MPHS24.49-18-8.
Reboot the phone, checked if it was unrooted (No root)
Now I went to software update, and the phone did it's upgrade, like last time. Did the update, device rebooted and it was SUCCESSFUL!
I am finally back to the original software MPHS24.49-18-16
Which was December 2016 update.
Sent from my Portable
Hey guys.
Really sorry for having to post this again :/
Tried posting my issue in this thread but I think that thread's gone cold.
----
I have a Moto G5 Plus US, Model XT1687
Current ROM Info:
Software channel: retus
Build #: NPN 25.137-33
Security patch: Jan, 1 2017
Baseband: M8953_02.03.07.06R POTTER_NA_CUST
On a whim, unlocked the bootloader. Now id like to lock it back.
I haven't updated my phone / installed any OTA's, phone keeps asking to update to NPNS25.137-33-5, haven't done it.
Does this procedure work for me?
Which ROM should I use?
Id like to relock the bootloader and receive OTA updates as normal on my US variant phone!
Many thanks!
I'm pretty sure Motorola hasn't released stock firmware for the retus version.
Cats_PJs said:
I'm pretty sure Motorola hasn't released stock firmware for the retus version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, there's no way for me to relock my bootloader unless motorola releases it?
Can't I use another firmware that's available here at XDA?
What would you do?
Not update OTA and wait for motorola to release the firmware, or should just leave it unlocked?
Thanks
seed_87 said:
So, there's no way for me to relock my bootloader unless motorola releases it?
Can't I use another firmware that's available here at XDA?
What would you do?
Not update OTA and wait for motorola to release the firmware, or should just leave it unlocked?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think there's a way to relock the retus version, but maybe I'm wrong.
As far as what I would do. I always run a custom ROM, so I'd flash twrp, make a backup and try a few roms..
seed_87 said:
So, there's no way for me to relock my bootloader unless motorola releases it?
Can't I use another firmware that's available here at XDA?
What would you do?
Not update OTA and wait for motorola to release the firmware, or should just leave it unlocked?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To relock the phone, you must flash a complete factory image that is the same or newer than what you have installed... Only way, not that it gains much except the ability to pass SafetyNet checks on pure stock, which you can do with some root magic anyway, but the bootloader will change to a state of 2 (Relocked), your warranty will still be void, and you will still get the bootloader unlocked warning screen (unless you flash a custom logo).
Cats_PJs said:
I don't think there's a way to relock the retus version, but maybe I'm wrong.
As far as what I would do. I always run a custom ROM, so I'd flash twrp, make a backup and try a few roms..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I originally wanted to just root the stock ROM and install a couple of things like: Adaway, some Xposed modules (Like the Youtube ad remover one), WiFi ADB (which requires root, allows one to wirelessly debug apks)
acejavelin said:
To relock the phone, you must flash a complete factory image that is the same or newer than what you have installed... Only way, not that it gains much except the ability to pass SafetyNet checks on pure stock, which you can do with some root magic anyway, but the bootloader will change to a state of 2 (Relocked), your warranty will still be void, and you will still get the bootloader unlocked warning screen (unless you flash a custom logo).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow relocking the BL sounds really useless once you realize what you're getting from it. I really don't care much for SafetyNet as (this model has no NFC). I don't use Android Pay either.
Honestly, I unlocked the BL but finally didn't root mainly because I read some issues when rooting. Please see this post
Thanks for the enlightenment!
seed_87 said:
Well, I originally wanted to just root the stock ROM and install a couple of things like: Adaway, some Xposed modules (Like the Youtube ad remover one), WiFi ADB (which requires root, allows one to wirelessly debug apks)
Wow relocking the BL sounds really useless once you realize what you're getting from it. I really don't care much for SafetyNet as (this model has no NFC). I don't use Android Pay either.
Honestly, I unlocked the BL but finally didn't root mainly because I read some issues when rooting. Please see this post
Thanks for the enlightenment!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you do decide to root, I would suggest using magisk instead of SuperSU. I switched a few months ago, and it works perfectly
Safetynet isn't just for nfc, other companies and apps have used it in their software as well ie: Snapchat, and Pokemon go are 2 I can think off the bat.
Installing and/or rooting with magisk is fairly easy and painless, and it will have superSU which will give you root.
How to:
Must have twrp recovery, or some other custom recovery, although these days I would recommend twrp, as it works and is more widely used than say cm recovery is, since cm project was taken over by lineage now. Anyways, flash a custom recovery and use it. (note: I haven't used cm recovery or any other recovery in years, so I do not know it this works with antyhing else, aside from twrp, which I know it works fine with). There are also tutorials all over xda on how to install/flash twrp, as well as youtube videos if you prefer that better.
Go grab magisk.zip, (do a google search or look on xda, it's all over the place just do a search for like magisk zip, you'll find it).
The latest as of right now I think is 14.0 and you will also (if I recall correctly) need magisk manager, (and just like the zip file you can do a quick search it's also all over the place).
Once you have that, reboot into recovery, then flash the magisk.zip file, and reboot, it should give you magisk manager app in your app drawer and you should be rooted. (Note: You may need to update magisk manager.)
To check root grab an app called root checker on the plays store. (it's free)
It's that easy.
Short summary:
1: Install custom recovery (if you haven't already)
2: Boot to recovery, flash magisk.zip
3: reboot to system, and profit from root + safetynet hide.
Quick and painless root method.
I do all my rooting now this way, in fact I recently re-flashed my nexus 5x rom and instead of flashing superSU I flashed the magisk way instead, and it cover 2 things,
1: gives you root
2: it hides root from safetynet and lets you use nfc, pokemon go, snapchat, and other apps that use safetynet as well.
Cats_PJs said:
If you do decide to root, I would suggest using magisk instead of SuperSU. I switched a few months ago, and it works perfectly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, wow, I had the (wrong) idea that the SuperSU method was the better one and superseeded magisk. If that works great then awesome I will root using magisk, thanks @Cats_PJs !
easyrider77 said:
Safetynet isn't just for nfc, other companies and apps have used it in their software as well ie: Snapchat, and Pokemon go are 2 I can think off the bat.
Installing and/or rooting with magisk is fairly easy and painless, and it will have superSU which will give you root.
How to:
Must have twrp recovery, or some other custom recovery, although these days I would recommend twrp, as it works and is more widely used than say cm recovery is, since cm project was taken over by lineage now. Anyways, flash a custom recovery and use it. (note: I haven't used cm recovery or any other recovery in years, so I do not know it this works with antyhing else, aside from twrp, which I know it works fine with). There are also tutorials all over xda on how to install/flash twrp, as well as youtube videos if you prefer that better.
Go grab magisk.zip, (do a google search or look on xda, it's all over the place just do a search for like magisk zip, you'll find it).
The latest as of right now I think is 14.0 and you will also (if I recall correctly) need magisk manager, (and just like the zip file you can do a quick search it's also all over the place).
Once you have that, reboot into recovery, then flash the magisk.zip file, and reboot, it should give you magisk manager app in your app drawer and you should be rooted. (Note: You may need to update magisk manager.)
To check root grab an app called root checker on the plays store. (it's free)
It's that easy.
Short summary:
1: Install custom recovery (if you haven't already)
2: Boot to recovery, flash magisk.zip
3: reboot to system, and profit from root + safetynet hide.
Quick and painless root method.
I do all my rooting now this way, in fact I recently re-flashed my nexus 5x rom and instead of flashing superSU I flashed the magisk way instead, and it cover 2 things,
1: gives you root
2: it hides root from safetynet and lets you use nfc, pokemon go, snapchat, and other apps that use safetynet as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome explanation @easyrider77 I will definitely try to root using magisk. Thanks for the warning, don't play Pokemon go and haven't used Snapchat in years so i'm good! I'll try flashing the latest Magisk (v14.0)
One thing tho:
I think I want to (for now anyways) stay stock-ish (stock rom + stock kernel + twrp + magisk).
If I understand it correctly, flashing a custom recovery renders the phone unable to get OTA's (Not that I'd want to apply an OTA update on a modified rooted phone and risk a brick anyways) So, how would one eventually update Android? (Keeping in mind that Motorola hasn't released any retus firmware) Can I flash other non-retus firmwares? (Which wouldn't flash over twrp I think, I would then just loose root and have to flash magisk again, right?)
Thanks a ton guys :good::good::good:
EDIT:
Short xda search pointed me to this official TWRP link, will follow fastboot method to install TWRP.
I'm not sure what exactly stops ota from coming in. I've heard unlocking the bootloader is what causes it, and I've also heard that flashing a custom recovery is what causes it, and I've also heard a custom rom is what does it.
There are options as far as ota goes though, and work the same way, but you'd jsut have to wait. People release flashable ota files all the time, and can be flashed via twrp.
If you want to keep stock, and root that's fine too, but I personally wouldn't worry much about the ota issue at all, because eventually every phone will not get ota as it will lose support, but you can still get the latest and greatest up to date rom with it's features.
Prime examples would be:
Oneplus One,
Oneplus 3
some of the samsung devices like s4
These are just a few, and although they don't receive support officially, they are sporting the brand new android 8 oreo.
Even the samsung s4 has N for it and it came out in 2013 (that's near 5 yrs ago now) and started on Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) and said it was upgradable to 5.0.1 (Lollipop), and now here we are running android 7.1.x.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-tmobile/development
(not sure if there were any unlocked variants of that phone at the time as it wasn't a common thing like it is now, that's why I chose the tmobile thread but there are other variants that get it as well)
So when it comes to ota, I personally would not an do not worry about that when I root, that's the last of my worries.
I prefer functionality and customization over ota myself, because most times someone comes out with either an official link to an ota or makes an flashable ota you can flash via twrp, although my semi-educated guess would be if you decide to install the official/stock ota, then it will erase everything you have anyways which can be a pain.
DO keep in mind once you unlock the bootloader, it "officially" voids any warranty and moto does have the option to refuse service if anything goes wrong with the phone, but I have heard some people had no issues and moto took the phone back even when rooted, but that is something you would have to make a choice and live with IF you decided to unlock the bootloader, as there is no way to undo that process.
I have re-locked the bootloader on a moto phone so yes it CAN be re-locked, but........it still gets triggered and moto will know that it's been unlocked even if you re-lock it, because that part is irreversible and cannot be undone, aside from you locking and unlocking it on your side.
As for flashing firmware and all that, make DOUBLY sure you know your phones model number and/or codename, this is key in flashing most anything you do with your phone, because even though a phone may have multiple variants, ie: tmobile, sprint, at&t versions, and even European versions, and the phones are identical in EVERY way hardware wise, you can't just simply pick a rom of choice and use it, it's a matter of knowing what your phones info is.
Example: you cannot take a t-mobile phone rom and flash it's official firmware or it's roms, and updates on a at&t variant, or a metroPCS on a tmobile variant, even though they use the same network, and are the exact same phone and hardware, there are subtle differences and can most likely brick the phone, either hard or soft.
So if I had the US variant of the g5 plus that would be codenamed the same "potter" like the rest, but, the number is different which is XT1687, so I would use that number as my reference, as apposed to the potter name, because there are 3 other variants of that phone which are Amazon Edition and the consumer cellular and of corse the European variants as well, I'm not exactly sure what numbers go with what phones other than the US unlocked variant, but on a quick look the other numbers are XT1684 and XT1685, perhaps someone else with more experience than I have can tell you what those number match up with said phone.
As far as the US variant goes though, I do not want to take a rom or firmware meant for the XT1684 XT1685 and use it on the XT1687 US variant, as it will most likely have bad results, ie: brick of some sort.
That's the main thing you have to worry about, other than that, there isn't much worry. Just do some major research and goggling and read and re-read and read again the directions on the threads at xda as most generally all of them are pretty simple to follow, if you do it step by step.
I recently bought an lg k20 plus phone from metroPCS, have never rooted that phone before and came to xda and followed the rooting thread and rooted it the first time. In a matter of 30 mins I had full root with stock rom (since there are no roms for that phone as of yet) but it is a metroPCS variant, (mp260) and in the case above, this phone is also sold by tmobile, is the exact same phones specs hardware, etc....I could not use the tmobile rom or firmware on this phone.
Hope this helps clear it up some.
Update:
I just bought a 64gb storage/4gb ram US variant of the g5 plus. It brought back some older memories of when I had my other moto, X I think it was, not sure anymore, but I DO remember you can unlock the bootloader as well as re-lock it, but, do keep in mind it still triggers something internally that can't be reveresed, so if moto did decide to check into things, they can tell if it's been bootloader unlocked.
So while you can unlock and lock the bootloader on our side, moto can still tell it's been unlocked, even when re-locked. Just hope if you send it back in they just don't check it and even if they do, hope they don't bother sending it back saying your warranty is void sorry.
Thanks @easyrider77
I used to install custom ROMs on my older phones. Recently though, stock android has gotten pretty good so maybe when this phone loses support I'll try some ROMs. Out of curiosity, what ROM/hacks/kernel do you use?
So, how does this sound:
- Install the OTA my phone's been prompting me to update to (upgrading from NPN25.137-33 to NPNS25.137-33-5 and I think it will then try to update to NPN25.137-83 with an August 1 security patch)
- Install TWRP via fastboot, make a nandroid backup!
- Root with Magisk v14.0
- Looking into maybe changing the boot.img "Your device is not trustworthy" thing
- Adaway! Xposed! Other goodies yay!
- Any other recommendations?
PS: Can Magisk root every firmware released by Motorola for the Moto G5+?
I've used it on my nexus 5x, and a lg k20 plus phone to root. I'm not sure if it has any limits when it comes to phones, but to my knowledge it should work fine.
Be careful with the boot.img file, if its not the correct size it will brick the phone too.
easyrider77 said:
I've used it on my nexus 5x, and a lg k20 plus phone to root. I'm not sure if it has any limits when it comes to phones, but to my knowledge it should work fine.
Be careful with the boot.img file, if its not the correct size it will brick the phone too.
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WIll do, many thanks for all your help guys!
@easyrider77 @Cats_PJs @acejavelin
:good::good::good:
Every rom I've tried on this phone works well, with only minor bugs. Right now I'm using the Pixel ROM. Elemental x is my kernel of choice because it's stable and has a sound option to increase volume. I use Kernel Adiutor for settings. The viper magisk module by ahrion works great, and ad away is a must. Good luck
Cats_PJs said:
Every rom I've tried on this phone works well, with only minor bugs. Right now I'm using the Pixel ROM. Elemental x is my kernel of choice because it's stable and has a sound option to increase volume. I use Kernel Adiutor for settings. The viper magisk module by ahrion works great, and ad away is a must. Good luck
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Click to collapse
Nice to hear cat.
I'm holding off on rooting just yet, although the temptation is really really great and pulling at me right now ina bad way . I just want to make doubly sure the phone isn't going to have issues, and hardware glitches. Anytime you mass produce a product, inevitably there will always be a bad batch(s) so I am just watching and waiting patiently on stock non-root (yes I said non-root LOL) but it's not as bad of an experience as I thought it would be.
I have to give this phone props, this phone is simply great. I bought the 64gb storage/4gb ram US variant, and have been nothing but happy with it, even on stock.
Camera isn't exactly your top tier phone camera but it certainly stands out as one of the not bad at all cameras. I see many saying the camera sucks, well if your zooming in and expect to get a good picture, good luck with that, simply put as I read in an article, two things 1: just don't use zoom, it's a digital zoom as apposed to an optical zoom, and simply will give you fuzzy and blurry pics a alot 2: if your after a good picture taking experience, for crimeny sake, buy a dang camera, these are phones people, NOT cameras. If they were meant for that, photographers around the world would be using phones, but guess what, news flash, they are using things called "cameras" wow what a concept LOL.
Anyways, if you just use very little zoom (I'd say 1.5 - 2.0x at most) but mostly just get closer to the subject or item you are takeing pics of, you'll have a much more pleasant experience with picture taking, trust me.
Ok of my soap box and tangent, sorry .
I will eventually root this bad boy, as I cannot resist the urge. For now I am just making sure the phone has no hiccups or glitches hardware wise, so glad to know roms are working well.
I did have a question about the sound though. I see people saying low sound volume with this phone, and I personally do not see (or hear in this case) the problems. I watched a few youtube videos last night and honestly I had to turn it down some because it was plenty loud, at least from this side.
Does the sound get lower with roms? (in wich case I can use viper) but I'm just curious.
easyrider77 said:
Nice to hear cat.
I'm holding off on rooting just yet, although the temptation is really really great and pulling at me right now ina bad way . I just want to make doubly sure the phone isn't going to have issues, and hardware glitches. Anytime you mass produce a product, inevitably there will always be a bad batch(s) so I am just watching and waiting patiently on stock non-root (yes I said non-root LOL) but it's not as bad of an experience as I thought it would be.
I have to give this phone props, this phone is simply great. I bought the 64gb storage/4gb ram US variant, and have been nothing but happy with it, even on stock.
Camera isn't exactly your top tier phone camera but it certainly stands out as one of the not bad at all cameras. I see many saying the camera sucks, well if your zooming in and expect to get a good picture, good luck with that, simply put as I read in an article, two things 1: just don't use zoom, it's a digital zoom as apposed to an optical zoom, and simply will give you fuzzy and blurry pics a alot 2: if your after a good picture taking experience, for crimeny sake, buy a dang camera, these are phones people, NOT cameras. If they were meant for that, photographers around the world would be using phones, but guess what, news flash, they are using things called "cameras" wow what a concept LOL.
Anyways, if you just use very little zoom (I'd say 1.5 - 2.0x at most) but mostly just get closer to the subject or item you are takeing pics of, you'll have a much more pleasant experience with picture taking, trust me.
Ok of my soap box and tangent, sorry .
I will eventually root this bad boy, as I cannot resist the urge. For now I am just making sure the phone has no hiccups or glitches hardware wise, so glad to know roms are working well.
I did have a question about the sound though. I see people saying low sound volume with this phone, and I personally do not see (or hear in this case) the problems. I watched a few youtube videos last night and honestly I had to turn it down some because it was plenty loud, at least from this side.
Does the sound get lower with roms? (in wich case I can use viper) but I'm just curious.
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I really don't have a problem with the sound volume, except when I plug it into my truck. If there's a good song on, and I really want to crank it up, I run out of volume, so I usually turn up the headphone gain in the kernel settings by 3.
I haven't noticed variance between ROM volumes on this phone, but I know on my old note 3 there was definitely fairly large variance between ROMs.
Bit of background.
CID: BS_US001
MID: 2PS650000
Original verizon phone that i sent to sunshine for S-off and to unlock from Verizon. Ever since receiving it, almost a year ago, I've never been able to install a custom recovery I gave up on it for months and yesterday tried again. Finally managed to get TWRP. Then I tried to install SuperSU and bootloop. There's always been an issue getting OTAs. The OTA would download, install, and during boot, would give an error or go into bootloop. So, the plan was to finally get a recovery, root it, see about getting the latest OTA etc. Obviously that didn't work out. I feel like there's an issue with the boot sector and has always been. At this point, I just want to wipe and start over but I feel if I don't get this boot sector fixed the phone will never work properly. Any ideas? An RUU will update the OS and maybe fix the bootloop for now, but it won't deal with the OTA or issues with the boot sector that seem to be ever-present. Could use some advice.
I'm also a bit confused about something. This is originally a verizon phone but has been unlocked. When looking for RUUs from HTC should i be looking for the verizon versions or unlocked version?
vijn said:
Bit of background.
CID: BS_US001
MID: 2PS650000
Original verizon phone that i sent to sunshine for S-off and to unlock from Verizon. Ever since receiving it, almost a year ago, I've never been able to install a custom recovery I gave up on it for months and yesterday tried again. Finally managed to get TWRP. Then I tried to install SuperSU and bootloop. There's always been an issue getting OTAs. The OTA would download, install, and during boot, would give an error or go into bootloop. So, the plan was to finally get a recovery, root it, see about getting the latest OTA etc. Obviously that didn't work out. I feel like there's an issue with the boot sector and has always been. At this point, I just want to wipe and start over but I feel if I don't get this boot sector fixed the phone will never work properly. Any ideas? An RUU will update the OS and maybe fix the bootloop for now, but it won't deal with the OTA or issues with the boot sector that seem to be ever-present. Could use some advice.
I'm also a bit confused about something. This is originally a verizon phone but has been unlocked. When looking for RUUs from HTC should i be looking for the verizon versions or unlocked version?
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You can't take OTAs as long as you have twrp installed or have a modified system partition, which you got after attempting to install SuperSU.
An RUU would restore all partition to a stock state, not just the OS. That's what I would do to get a clean slate, make a stock backup and then root it. Remember that the ruu will wipe your phone so backup your files. You won't find Verizon RUUs on HTC's website, but you can download them from the stock thread here.
Also make sure to fully read the instructions and FAQ posts in the twrp thread, and do the same in the root thread.
Edit: Re-read your post. Since yours is converted to U.S Unlocked, you indeed have to download the latest ruu from HTC's website. Forget about the Verizon ruu.
Tarima said:
You can't take OTAs as long as you have twrp installed or have a modified system partition, which you got after attempting to install SuperSU.
An RUU would restore all partition to a stock state, not just the OS. That's what I would do to get a clean slate, make a stock backup and then root it. Remember that the ruu will wipe your phone so backup your files. You won't find Verizon RUUs on HTC's website, but you can download them from the stock thread here.
Also make sure to fully read the instructions and FAQ posts in the twrp thread, and do the same in the root thread.
Edit: Re-read your post. Since yours is converted to U.S Unlocked, you indeed have to download the latest ruu from HTC's website. Forget about the Verizon ruu.
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Sorry about the late reply. I was traveling. First off, thanks for your response. I guess my only remaining question then is what RUU do i go for? Unlocked developer? I'm just worried there might be a clash with my CID/MID. It's happened before on a previous phone. At this point, all i really want is to get stock back, make sure it's carrier unlocked, update to Oreo, and then, if I'm feeling lucky, root it, though I might just pass on that. So, would you say unlocked developer RUU is my best bet?
Again, thanks for your help.
vijn said:
Sorry about the late reply. I was traveling. First off, thanks for your response. I guess my only remaining question then is what RUU do i go for? Unlocked developer? I'm just worried there might be a clash with my CID/MID. It's happened before on a previous phone. At this point, all i really want is to get stock back, make sure it's carrier unlocked, update to Oreo, and then, if I'm feeling lucky, root it, though I might just pass on that. So, would you say unlocked developer RUU is my best bet?
Again, thanks for your help.
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Click to collapse
If it's an originally verizon phone which was converted to US Unlocked, then use the latest ruu for unlocked on HTC's website. It won't cause you to lose your carrier-unlocked status. It will take you to latest Nougat version. From there, take the OTA update
Tarima said:
If it's an originally verizon phone which was converted to US Unlocked, then use the latest ruu for unlocked on HTC's website. It won't cause you to lose your carrier-unlocked status. It will take you to latest Nougat version. From there, take the OTA update
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Well, it worked. I'm currently on Oreo which is awesome. So first off, thank you very much. Not sure why it didn't work last year, but water/bridge etc.
This brings me to one more question. I want to get rid of some bloatware but would rather not do a full root. I've heard Magisk will give me the benefits of root without the security headaches that prevent things like Google Pay from working. You familiar with that? I also need 2 apps that require root. Never worked with Magisk but I have rooted a bunch of times and honestly, I kinda don't feel like doing it again, especially if I can maybe get the best of both worlds with Magisk. I just don't know enough about it. Figured maybe you might.
vijn said:
Well, it worked. I'm currently on Oreo which is awesome. So first off, thank you very much. Not sure why it didn't work last year, but water/bridge etc.
This brings me to one more question. I want to get rid of some bloatware but would rather not do a full root. I've heard Magisk will give me the benefits of root without the security headaches that prevent things like Google Pay from working. You familiar with that? I also need 2 apps that require root. Never worked with Magisk but I have rooted a bunch of times and honestly, I kinda don't feel like doing it again, especially if I can maybe get the best of both worlds with Magisk. I just don't know enough about it. Figured maybe you might.
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I use Magisk myself. I prefer it to flashing the classic supersu for root.
Install latest twrp (make sure its the latest twrp for the 10), then flash Magisk. Then install Magisk manager app. As simple as that.
Read the instructions here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/magisk/official-magisk-v7-universal-systemless-t3473445
You rock man. Thanks for all the help.
vijn said:
You rock man. Thanks for all the help.
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No worries, glad it worked.
I'm expecting delivery of 2 V20s in the next couple of days. These are "refurbs" of the VS995 variety. These are advertised from the seller as "unlocked." I will be using these on Verizon (or MVNO).
I did some basic research before I bought and I was pretty sure I saw info on rooting this model and the ability to do custom ROMS on an unlocked, but I am a little concerned.
I have 3 main questions:
1) I see there is both a VS995 and a US996. I'm having a hard time finding info on the differences spelled out exactly - but it appears that the VS995 is locked to verizon and US996 is unlocked for all GSM. Is this correct? If so, wouldn't an "unlocked" VS995 be equivalent to a US996? If not, what would be different.
2) I want to do a comprehensive check on these phones before I start tinkering to make sure everything works. My last HTC phone had a hidden diagnostics menu which would test everything (battery, compass, gps, sensors, buttons, etc, etc...). I would like to know if the V20 has something similar? Also I want to know what the "problem areas" of V20s are. Things I should check out to make sure they aren't wonky.
3) I need to know if I can root this phone. I've seen a couple methods but I'm not sure now if they apply to my model and if they still work and/or if they are safe (relatively speaking). I definitely need root and would also like to load custom recovery so I can do alternate ROMS, thought I probably will run with stock for a while to get used to it. I would like to upgrade to latest official ROM (for the newest features), but don't want to do any upgrades if it will ruin my chances to root/unlock/etc. What do I need to check on the phone and what is the method I should follow (links are fine for this).
I recently bought a refurb VS995 because I like my original VS995 so much and I am thinking that shortly after the Oreo upgrade comes out, any refurb might come with Oreo and may or may not be easily rootable. (and it is looking very unlikely any phone in the future will come with replaceable batteries) That said, mine came with 15A and I was easily able to roll back to 12A with the 'hacked' LGUP tool and then root it and flash the at-the-time current AlphaRom (now discontinued) without issue. AFAIK *all* current VS995 ROMs can be rolled back to 12A (rootable), up to the latest 1BA. This may or may not change soon (some versions of the V20 CANNOT be rolled back after they take specific updates) The SuperV20 ROM is running the almost up to date version 1AA (with hints of an update coming soon) so you'd be up to date with a close to stock ROM. I will say the rooting process on the V20 is a bit more convoluted than most other phones, which leads to the issue that the rooting threads are nearly incomprehensible anymore-- too many people not following directions, not reading, and complaining about tons of "normal" issues-- static screen (normal after rooting with stock kernel, once the phone boots up fully cover the proximity sensor until the 2nd screen blanks out and then the static will go away-- replace the stock kernel with the mk2000 kernel to fix), phone vibrates on boot after charging (no fix, but will stop the first time it's made to vibrate after booting). I would stay stick to the original rooting thread and READ CAREFULLY. I had issues trying to follow some of the "updated"/new threads where I had issues trying to get the phone to boot properly.
That said, if you do hit a roadblock, DON'T PANIC. The V20 is more resilient than you might think and you can almost always get it back from soft bricking with the LGUP tool (I had to reflash mine 2 or 3 times before I finally got root to stick with the ORIGINAL DirtySanta thread). Basically, the process is flash it back to 12A, use DirtySanta, **boot it once or twice after getting root via DS** (first reboo.t may take a while, with a static screen and vibrating phone, let it sit 10-15 minutes before panicking as it's rebuilding the app cache), then get into TWRP, do a factory reset, flash the new ROM and BTTF kernel, then it should work.
The VS995 has a more limited LTE band selection than the US996. While it can sort of work with other carriers (you'll have to search for instructions/compatibility), the US996 will provide a better experience.
Keep in mind, each version of the phone is SLIGHTLY different, so MAKE SURE you're always using VS995 builds of ROMs/kernerls/recoveries. Apparently you can use US996 ROMs as well but I've never bothered. (you gain a few things, you lose a few things [like wifi calling I think], do your research) Trying to use anything other than VS995 or US996 roms is asking for trouble/limited functionality/soft bricking.
I haven't really used my refurb all that much but it seems mostly fine. The only glitch I see is that the battery seems to drain faster than my original V20 but that might have more to do with the battery condition-- I need to get around to swapping batteries between the phones to see what happens. Given everything else is fine I am very hesitant to return it under warranty. I don't know if there is a way to run a self-test, I would hope there is..!
Good luck, the phone is amazing once you get it tamed...
Links:
Downgrade: the VS995 "all in one" thread has a good video for this. That said I think I had to piece together a working LGUP from a few threads since you need a tweaked DLL file. https://forum.xda-developers.com/v20/how-to/lgv20-vs995-verizon-aio-post-06-19-2017-t3624326 (when I tried to follow the root directions in that link I had issues and had to re-flash 12A and start over, YMMV)
DirtySanta: https://forum.xda-developers.com/v20/development/ls997vs995h910-dirtysanta-bootloader-t3519410
Once you get a working TWRP from DirtySanta, update it to this one: https://forum.xda-developers.com/v20/development/recovery-twrp-3-2-1-0-t3720239
SuperV20 ROM: https://forum.xda-developers.com/v20/development/rom-superv20-h918-t3764390
mk2000 kernel (I'd use the "back to the future" version of the kernel to start): https://forum.xda-developers.com/v20/development/h918-h910-us996-ucl-mk2000-kernel-t3708330
Buzzy42 said:
Good luck, the phone is amazing once you get it tamed...
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thanks.
Been doing research for the past hour or two and am getting a little bit of a better handle. I've seen the downgrade tutorial and looks solid.
I'm not worried about "convoluted" and the phone seems pretty brick proof so I'm good there.
Just to confirm - if I want root I need to go no later than 13A firmware? My understanding is "firmware" in context of this phone is ROM+Kernel rolled into one.
So if I want root, I can't be on the latest stock ROM (18A), right? Looks like features are all the same - although I do like having the latest security updates, but I guess I will need to forgo those for root?
One other thing I'm looking at is that I prefer to root with Magisk. I've seen a couple threads dealing with this and they recommend to use the "reStock" kernel. My understanding is that you would flash the "reStock" after reverting to the 13A firmware. What I'm trying to understand is if the kernel can be separated from the ROM, could one not flash 18A and then the reStock kernel (which is based on 10b)?
Also, still really interested in the answer to my 2nd question in OP regarding accessing diagnostics for the phone and any problem hardware/screen/etc issues to look out for before I accept this "refurb" as golden.
Yeah, the phone is mostly brickproof and most issues you run into can be solved. If all else fails, just re-roll it back to 12Ain download mode (pull battery, hold down volume, plug in USB cord which will make the phone boot into download mode) and start over. I've seen very little signs of anyone TRULY bricking a V20 who wasn't really trying. (I.e., doing major hacking on it or totally throwing caution to the wind and flashing something they shouldn't have flashed)
You have to downgrade to 12A or 13A to root the phone and get TWRP properly installed the first time, but then you can flash any ROM/recovery you want, so you don't need to worry as much about security patches (just find a ROM that's as up to date as possible). There was AlphaRom up to 1AA which works great (and what both of my V20s are on), Super V20 is being updated but apparently has known issues on the VS995 that the developer has issued a patch for... you might want to skim the various ROM threads to know what works for you. My V20s are both using Magisk.
You can flash kernels and ROMs separately. Some ROMs have a kernel baked in-- I usually boot them once or twice and then re-flash the kernel if I want to. Some ROMs need a kernel flashed separately during the install process. So yeah, you could install an 18A based ROM and then the reStock kernel. (some ROM/kernel combinations work better than others, but you'll have to figure out what you want as some kernels do more than others-- specifically look for KCAL color adjustments, as you can slightly tweak the colors on the screen to help with the screen retention issue the phone has)
The kernel versions and ROM versions are different. I don't fully understand it myself either but AFAIK kernels based on 10b are the latest for the VS995. ROMs based on 1BA would be the latest (they're using hex numbers, so releases go 11A, 12A, 13A.... up to 1AA, 1BA). Some variations of the V20 seem to have more versions of the kernels than the 995 does.
Buzzy42 said:
...
You have to downgrade to 12A or 13A to root the phone and get TWRP properly installed the first time, but then you can flash any ROM/recovery you want, so you don't need to worry as much about security patches (just find a ROM that's as up to date as possible). There was AlphaRom up to 1AA which works great (and what both of my V20s are on), Super V20 is being updated but apparently has known issues on the VS995 that the developer has issued a patch for... you might want to skim the various ROM threads to know what works for you. My V20s are both using Magisk....
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Thanks. I'm wanting to run stock for a while (with Root though) so I can get a feel for how everything is "supposed" to work.
I'm not sure if I will find benefit in the "Second screen", but if I do I would like to find a ROM that supports it.
I've been running latest LineageOS on my HTC M8 for a while now and wouldn't mind sticking with it. However I would like to find some ROMS that are still being actively developed. Honestly I plan to have this phone for at least 2 years so the most up to date stuff I can find now will hopefully future proof me a little from that angle.
TraderJack said:
Thanks. I'm wanting to run stock for a while (with Root though) so I can get a feel for how everything is "supposed" to work.
I'm not sure if I will find benefit in the "Second screen", but if I do I would like to find a ROM that supports it.
I've been running latest LineageOS on my HTC M8 for a while now and wouldn't mind sticking with it. However I would like to find some ROMS that are still being actively developed. Honestly I plan to have this phone for at least 2 years so the most up to date stuff I can find now will hopefully future proof me a little from that angle.
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Yeah, totally understand not wanting to jump in to custom ROMs right away, especially if you're testing a refurbed phone. Flashable truly stock ROMs have been a weakness of the V20, but I think a version of 17A was floating around if you want something a bit newer than the 12A/13A that are rootable. Someone else might be able to help with that. Sadly there isn't a lot of development-- there have been big bursts of activity, then a lot of silence-- which mostly mirrors LG's seeming abandonment of the phone. You should still be able to flash other kernels (restock, mk2000, etc) over whichever rom you run, though. Be careful not to take any official OTA updates because the rooting process installs a debug-bootloader (someone got a hold of an engineering sample of the phone and dumped that phone's bootloader which is what allowed us all to get rooted with an unlocked bootloader) that gets wiped out and leaves the phone in a weird state.
The second screen is really useful once you look at it as a very powerful LED notification light. It takes a while to get used to but I don't know if would want to use a phone without it (or some sort of always-on feature) now. Unfortunately the Lineage ROMs lose a lot of the cooler functionality of this phone due to it having some many weird non-standard functions, but for some people that's not as big of a deal as staying current, so it's whatever your priority is. I am really hoping once the phone gets Oreo (which seems to be "real soon now"..) that we'll still be able to upgrade to it and use that as a base for a while, but keep root/etc..
Buzzy42 said:
...My V20s are both using Magisk....
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Is there a special process to use Magisk instead of SuperSU? My search found some convoluted answers which "required" the reStock kernel to get it working.
I don't know if Magisk has been updated to make it easier...but is there any instructions/link you can forward on how to get rooted with Magisk after I do the 13A downgrade?
Also, it would appear that everything up to 1BA does *not* have anti rollback enabled (ARB=0). Is this correct?
I was told on reddit that you can only root firmware where ARB=0, but clearly this is not the case if you can't root anything past 13A.
Do you have any idea what specifically is the block as to why we can't root past 13A?
thanks
TraderJack said:
Is there a special process to use Magisk instead of SuperSU? My search found some convoluted answers which "required" the reStock kernel to get it working.
I don't know if Magisk has been updated to make it easier...but is there any instructions/link you can forward on how to get rooted with Magisk after I do the 13A downgrade?
Also, it would appear that everything up to 1BA does *not* have anti rollback enabled (ARB=0). Is this correct?
I was told on reddit that you can only root firmware where ARB=0, but clearly this is not the case if you can't root anything past 13A.
Do you have any idea what specifically is the block as to why we can't root past 13A?
thanks
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Click to collapse
I'm trying to remember what I did for Magisk. There wasn't anything particularly special. That said, I switched to Magisk when I re-flashed the phone (so I flashed the rom/kernel/Magisk together, in that order I think), I didn't try to just swap between SuperSU and Magisk on a running ROM. Once you get TWRP going you *should* be ok to just remove SuperSU and then reboot into TWRP and flash Magisk. I am on the mk2000 kernel with Magisk so you definitely don't need to be on Restock.
I am not sure if it is possible to do the rooting process without SuperSu and using Magisk instead, if that's what you're asking. I think it'd be safest to use SuperSu and then switch it out later once you're sure you're rooted in the first place.
As for the rollback, there are a few different issues here.
12A/13A have the Android vulnerability which allows DirtySanta to work to root the phone. This was patched after 13A, so DirtySanta can't run and you can't root the phone on a later version of the firmware. If you run anything later than 13A you can't start the rooting process (but you can upgrade your rooted phone past 13A using TWRP to flash an appropriate ROM, but not through the OTA process)
ARB (anti-rollback) prevents you from rolling back to a previous version of the firmware. It has nothing to do with rootable/non-rootable. But it prevents the phone from going back to a rootable firmware on SOME V20s. So far, no firmware on the VS995 has enabled this, so you are safe rolling back to 12A and trying to root with any firmware currently available up to 1BA (definitely 1AA but I have read a few comments that 1BA is still safe). On SOME other models of the V20, ARB *has* been set, which prevents you from rolling back to a previous version of the firmware with ARB=0 (if you try to roll back on a phone with ARB=1 you get an unrecoverable brick.)
So if tomorrow Verizon released a hypothetical update with ARB=1 and you updated, you could no longer roll back to 12A or 13A to root your phone, and you'd be stuck without root unless someone developed a new workaround.
Does that make more sense? Keep in mind that with all of the different versions of the V20, what is appropriate (or even relevant) for one model may not apply at all to another. Thankfully the VS995 still is pretty hackable at this moment. This could all change at any time.
Buzzy42 said:
...12A/13A have the Android vulnerability which allows DirtySanta to work to root the phone. This was patched after 13A, so DirtySanta can't run and you can't root the phone on a later version of the firmware. If you run anything later than 13A you can't start the rooting process (but you can upgrade your rooted phone past 13A using TWRP to flash an appropriate ROM, but not through the OTA process)...
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Hold on.. So are you saying I can flash 13A, then root with Magisk, then upgrade the ROM itself to 18B to get all the latest patches?
If so, I haven't seen any instructions yet for doing that method, but that would be ideal for me for starters until I want to mess around with custom ROMS and Kernels.
TraderJack said:
Hold on.. So are you saying I can flash 13A, then root with Magisk, then upgrade the ROM itself to 18B to get all the latest patches?
If so, I haven't seen any instructions yet for doing that method, but that would be ideal for me for starters until I want to mess around with custom ROMS and Kernels.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not quite that simple-- you have to downgrade to 13A if you're not already there when you get the phone.
When you run the DirtySanta rooting process, when it's done, you will end up with a rooted 13A with TWRP and SuperSu. I believe it will have the debug kernel which has a lot of issues, but you can flash any kernel you want at this point (like ReStock to get rid of the static screen you'll see at every boot). That way you'll have a 99% stock (except the ReStock kernel tweaks), rooted, 13A phone.
You can now flash any ROM you want in TWRP. If you want to stay truly stock, I'm not sure what is out there that is flashable, beyond I vaguely remember there was a 17A flashable. You do need to use a repackaged update in TWRP no matter what you want to update to, if you try to just take whatever OTA update the phone offers you (the "software update available" notification pops up and asks you to install while you're using it), you'll lose root and have to do everything over again. This is where you will most likely not be able to get to a truly stock 1BA unless it's floating around.
If I were you, I'd roll it back to 13A, get it rooted (with Supersu), flash the Restock kernel, disable updates (use Titanium Backup to freeze "FOTA Update 7.0") and stay there for a while for testing. If you want to try to switch to Magisk, remove SuperSu and flash Magisk through TWRP. The phone's functionality hasn't changed much/at all. When you're more comfortable, move forward to a ROM based on 1BA.
When you flash a new ROM most will include a kernel or ask you to flash a kernel along with it.
Basically, any updating you do has to go through TWRP. After you get root initially, though, it's really straightforward.
TraderJack said:
I'm expecting delivery of 2 V20s in the next couple of days. These are "refurbs" of the VS995 variety. These are advertised from the seller as "unlocked." I will be using these on Verizon (or MVNO).
I did some basic research before I bought and I was pretty sure I saw info on rooting this model and the ability to do custom ROMS on an unlocked, but I am a little concerned.
I have 3 main questions:
1) I see there is both a VS995 and a US996. I'm having a hard time finding info on the differences spelled out exactly - but it appears that the VS995 is locked to verizon and US996 is unlocked for all GSM. Is this correct? If so, wouldn't an "unlocked" VS995 be equivalent to a US996? If not, what would be different.
2) I want to do a comprehensive check on these phones before I start tinkering to make sure everything works. My last HTC phone had a hidden diagnostics menu which would test everything (battery, compass, gps, sensors, buttons, etc, etc...). I would like to know if the V20 has something similar? Also I want to know what the "problem areas" of V20s are. Things I should check out to make sure they aren't wonky.
3) I need to know if I can root this phone. I've seen a couple methods but I'm not sure now if they apply to my model and if they still work and/or if they are safe (relatively speaking). I definitely need root and would also like to load custom recovery so I can do alternate ROMS, thought I probably will run with stock for a while to get used to it. I would like to upgrade to latest official ROM (for the newest features), but don't want to do any upgrades if it will ruin my chances to root/unlock/etc. What do I need to check on the phone and what is the method I should follow (links are fine for this).
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Click to collapse
I found your thread her and on Reddit and was hoping you have found an answer to the hardware check feature you were looking for. I am having radio off issues with my V20 and was hoping to have the phone run a hardware check. It seems that someone posted the code "##22378" to do this but this does nothing for my older sprint v20 and my Verizon model has the MOBO back in a bag of rice. Is this only code?
redsphinx said:
I found your thread her and on Reddit and was hoping you have found an answer to the hardware check feature you were looking for. I am having radio off issues with my V20 and was hoping to have the phone run a hardware check. It seems that someone posted the code "##22378" to do this but this does nothing for my older sprint v20 and my Verizon model has the MOBO back in a bag of rice. Is this only code?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a Verizon V20 (VS995) and these are all the codes I found (from my notes):
Hardware Diagnostics
To run in-built hardware diagnostics use the following phone code:
##228378
Select Device Test > SAAT
Other Diagnostic Menus
##DEBUG
##PROGRAM
##PROGRAM995
##FEATURE
** Service codes for all above should be "000000" **
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Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure the ##228378 code was the one that brought up a pretty comprehensive hardware test menu. But, as you know each vendor does their own and this very possibly doesn't work on non-Verizon models. Sorry that's all I got!