In our articles on the Treshbox, you could find out what it is. Now it's time to deal with the disadvantages that root rights bring to Android. Why you shouldn't root your smartphone or tablet - read on the Treshbox.

Why You Shouldn't Get Rooted

Rooting Android has many advantages, but almost as many disadvantages that can lead to disastrous consequences. In this article, we have tried to bring the most significant disadvantages and dangers of getting root rights on Android.

Loss of warranty service
If you decide to root your Android device, then be prepared that your gadget will lose warranty service from the seller. In almost all cases, gaining superuser privileges will void your warranty, which means that the device cannot be repaired for free if it breaks or replaced if it is defective. Getting root rights is equivalent to opening a seal that is on the body of a gadget or getting water inside the device without proper protection.

Experienced users may try to reset their smartphone or tablet to factory firmware, but this requires certain skills. Yes, and many manufacturers (Samsung and some others) have learned to embed the so-called "counter" of obtaining root rights and carrying out other dangerous actions. What are the ways out of this situation? You can experiment on some cheap gadget from China that doesn't even have a warranty, or wait until the warranty period for your main device expires. If you like risk, then you can root your Android and hope that everything will be in order, otherwise contact third-party service centers.

It is worth noting that some manufacturers sell smartphones with built-in root out of the box and with warranty service. Mostly these are Chinese companies.

The risk of "scaling"
The process of getting root on Android is not the easiest in the case of some devices. If the user does something not according to the instructions, then with a high probability he will turn his gadget into a brick that does not turn on, or fell into a bootloop (permanent reboot without logging in). "Bricking" also means losing all data. Do not forget that you do all the actions to obtain root privileges at your own peril and risk.

You can avoid "bricking" by simply studying the topic and methods of rooting your device. Follow the instructions exactly and do not deviate from it even a step. Otherwise, your smartphone will "turn into a pumpkin." It is pointless to carry it to the SC under warranty, since such cases are not covered by the service. You will have to solve the problem in other ways or carry the device to third-party repairmen. From all this comes another drawback - installing root is difficult and time consuming.

If you have already installed root and are now only experimenting with applications and firmware, then do not forget to make full backups of the operating system (NanDroid) using . In this case, the device can be brought back to life, even if Android does not boot.

Update problems
Full root rights in 99% of cases means that you will no longer be able to receive official firmware updates. The superuser account involves changing system files in the /system directory, and this does not fit with the installation of official OTA updates.

However, there are cases when an update can be installed along with root, but after the installation is completed, the superuser account is deleted. You will have to root the gadget again, but the old method may not work in the new firmware. In general, if you received an update with root installed, and after that it installed and works fine, then consider yourself very lucky.

To receive updates, you can install a non-system root (systemless root) - a kind of root-rights that does not involve modifying the system / system directory. Instead, all the necessary files are in the /su folder.

Security and Vulnerabilities
Getting superuser rights on Android means that you open up a whole host of vulnerabilities in the operating system. And these “holes” in security are an order of magnitude more dangerous than what is used by viruses for a regular, non-rooted Android. Therefore, if you are not careful, then catching very dangerous malware with all the consequences is quite easy. The result of this may be the leakage of personal information up to the data of accounts and bank cards, as well as the introduction of viruses into the system.

But all this can be avoided if you use special utilities and do not install suspicious programs. For example, a program is specifically designed to give root privileges to other applications. If some program requests root rights, then SuperSU will definitely notify the user about this, and he can refuse or agree.

In general, great power comes with great responsibility, so be careful with root.

Why we removed Framaroot and other apps from Threshbox
Since we touched on the topic of security, we need to immediately clarify the situation with applications that can be rooted in one click. In 2015, the Treshbox was cleaned, during which we removed a number of programs for quickly obtaining root rights on old and even some new versions of Android. Among them were Framaroot, Baidu Root, CT Hack Root, Root Dashi, DingDong Root and a few others. You can no longer download Framaroot for Android on the Treshbox.

Why? The fact is that such programs use certain vulnerabilities in the Android operating system, especially in older versions, to gain superuser rights. In this case, they often work incorrectly and can even lead to unforeseen consequences. There are many fake versions of these apps on the web, like Framaroot for Android, which not only gets root, but also installs several dangerous trojans.

Another argument against all these applications is that Google's Safe Browsing technology blocks access to Framaroot and other similar "routers". The best way to get root rights is with a computer or by installing a good third-party firmware. If it is possible not to resort to one-click rooters, then avoid them. One of the few safe one-click rooting programs is .

If you avoid getting rooted on Android, then why? Tell us about it in the comments.

Phone does not turn on

Samsung after getting Root

Increasingly, owners of Samsung mobile phones trying to get Root rights are faced with a startup problem. This applies not only to phones, but also to tablets from a Korean manufacturer, in such cases the device stops starting. About what to do in such cases, we will tell in this article.

The reason for the inadequate behavior of the device may be an inappropriate program that was used during the process of obtaining Root rights. Perhaps the problem was in the incompatibility of the firmware. In addition, unsuccessful rooting may be due to a sudden power outage or insufficient battery power. By the way, the battery should be charged at least 70%, provided that it is normal and not too worn out. The reason may be a damaged USB cable or incorrect operation of the computer.

During operation, a software failure may have occurred on the computer or device. This can also be due to broken Root files, "underloaded" or incompletely downloaded files. The same files may be incompatible, therefore, when receiving super rights, the phone does not perceive them properly, which is why it does not turn on. Another reason is the wrong installation sequence and non-compliance with the instructions.

How to fix the situation?

To correct the situation and start the phone, you can use these methods. If the screen of the mobile device displays "perpetual loading" during which the screen constantly displays the boot image, you need to do the following:

• transfer device Samsung in special mode Recovery and perform a full data reset - go to the "wipe data / factory reset" options. Reboot your smartphone and wait for the operation. If this does not help, go to the next step;
• find the firmware for your device, download it and install it using the service Odin . Restart your device and wait for the result. If it doesn't work, go to the first step and reset the data.

If the phone does not turn on at all, but when connected to a computer, a window appears as in the photo below, there are still chances to save the phone on your own. To do this, you must use the same methods as in the previous case. If the phone does not respond at all, and there are no signs when connected to a PC, the only way out is to contact a specialized service center. Recall that after obtaining Root, the warranty on the device is invalid.

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After obtaining ROOT rights, an Android smartphone or tablet from Samsung stops starting. In this article I will talk about the reasons for this behavior of the device and how to solve the problem.

Why does a Samsung device not work after getting Root rights.

Basically, all errors boil down to the fact that at the time of obtaining Root rights, the device user did something wrong. Let's look at some reasons:

• There was a failure on the device or computer at the time of obtaining Root rights, for example, the electricity suddenly turned off, the USB cable was disconnected, and other reasons.
• Attempt to download broken files.
• Attempting to download files that are not compatible with your device
• Wrong sequence of actions when obtaining Root rights

The main thing is not to panic. Now we will try to solve the problem of a non-working device.

If you see the following window:

Then you can safely take the phone to a service center. Of course, you can try to reset the settings and try to flash the smartphone through Odin, then the chances are close to zero.

It is important to remember that if Samsung shows at least some signs of life, for example, an eternal download window appears, there is a cyclic reboot, then you need to try to reset and reflash it through Odin. In all other cases, only Samsung service will help you.

Most of the articles in the X-Mobile column are devoted to hacks and tweaks that require obtaining root rights, modifying the firmware or replacing it with a custom one. However, not every reader is ready to expose their smartphone to such operations, fearing that they can turn the device into a brick or lead to instability in operation. Today I will debunk these myths and show that even in the most stalemate situation, bringing a smartphone back to life is not so difficult.

Destroying myths

Let's talk about what it is to “turn a smartphone into a brick” and what other pitfalls a user can expect on the way to changing the system and installing custom firmware. What glitches can be caught in this case and is it possible to kill a smartphone by flashing it incorrectly? Will you lose the warranty forever or can the smartphone be returned to its previous state? Can custom firmware really let down a smartphone owner at the most inopportune moment and are they worth it?

Myth 1. Incorrect flashing can kill a smartphone

A fall from the fifth floor can kill a smartphone, but not a flashing. The main problem that anyone who wants to flash a smartphone faces is that during the installation of the firmware, a failure can occur, which will lead to its inoperability, and the smartphone will actually turn into a brick.

All this is true, but only on paper. To understand why, it is enough to understand how the smartphone flashing process works and what system components are used. To be able to install third-party firmware on your smartphone, you need to unlock the bootloader (not in all cases), get root and install a custom recovery console (ClockworkMod or TWRP) that can install firmware with any digital signature.

The recovery console is stored in a separate section of the internal NAND-memory and is in no way associated with the installed operating system. After installing a modified version of the console, it will be possible to flash custom firmware or even another OS (Firefox OS, for example). If the firmware installation fails, the smartphone will not be able to boot it, however, the recovery console will remain in place, and all that needs to be done is to boot into recovery again and reinstall the firmware.

In addition, any custom recovery console contains a backup / restore function that allows you to backup the main firmware and restore it unchanged (with all applications, settings and data) in case something goes wrong. In fact, the smartphone can be returned to its original state.

You may ask: what happens if there is a failure during the installation of the Recovery Console itself? Nothing, in this case the reverse situation will turn out, when the operating system itself will remain in place, and the console will be lost. To deal with it, just re-flash recovery directly from Android.

Hypothetically, one can imagine a situation where both the firmware and the recovery console are killed (although this is quite difficult to do), but even in this case, the primary bootloader, flashed into the permanent memory of the smartphone, will always remain in place.

Conclusion: it is impossible to kill a smartphone by installing third-party firmware through a custom recovery console. Either recovery or the primary bootloader will always remain in place.

Myth 2. Custom firmware is unreliable

Firmware firmware is different. On the World Wide Web, you can find a huge number of Android assemblies for every taste and color, and most of them are really slag, which can lead to instability in the smartphone and loss of some functionality. Therefore, the first thing to remember is that you should only deal with serious custom firmware developed by large teams of experienced developers. First of all, these are CyanogenMod, Paranoid Android, AOKP, OmniROM and MIUI.

Second. There are two types of firmware: officially supported and ported by third-party developers. The same CyanogenMod, for example, has an official version for the Nexus 4 smartphone, but does not have one for the Motorola Defy. But for Defy there is an unofficial port of CyanogenMod 11 from a developer with the nickname Quarx. Their difference lies in the fact that the CyanogenMod team is responsible for the support and proper operation of the first, while the second is Quarx personally. Official firmware versions are usually fully functional, but the correct operation of the latter depends on a third-party developer.

Well, the third. There are stable and development versions of the firmware. Stable versions of CyanogenMod have the index M (CyanogenMod 11.0 M7, for example). This version of the firmware usually does not contain bugs. Development versions (in the case of CyanogenMod, these are daily nightly builds) may contain bugs and are therefore not recommended for everyday use.

Conclusion: if you install a stable official version of the “normal” firmware on your smartphone, the risk of running into bugs is minimal. Everything else is for experimenters.

Myth 3. Software that requires root rights can corrupt a smartphone

In theory, an application with root rights can do anything with the firmware of a smartphone, including erasing it completely. Therefore, with such software, you must be extremely careful. The software that we talk about on the pages of the magazine is completely safe and tested on its own skin. In addition, for the entire time of using smartphones on Android (and this is starting from version 1.5), I never did not encounter a situation where root-supported software would kill a smartphone.

Software distributed through Google Play usually fully corresponds to the declared characteristics, and if it led to a brick or left a backdoor in the bowels of a smartphone, it would not last even a week in the store. In any case, here you need to follow the “trust but verify” rule and carefully read the instructions for using root applications.

Myth 4. Root rights make the smartphone vulnerable to viruses

It is not root rights that make a smartphone vulnerable to viruses, but the bugs used to obtain them. Rooting tools and viruses can use the same Android vulnerabilities to gain root permissions, so the mere fact that the device is rooted does not change anything. A well-written virus will not ask for permissions in the standard way, giving away its presence, instead it will take advantage of the same vulnerability to get them stealthily.

Moreover, having root, you get the opportunity to install the latest version of Android (in the form of custom firmware), in which these bugs have already been fixed. Also, do not forget that most custom firmware allows you to disable root or create whitelists of applications that can use these rights.

Myth 5. A rooted smartphone can fail

Rooting software does four simple things: runs an exploit that allows you to gain root permissions on the system, mounts the /system partition in writable mode, copies the su binary required to gain root rights later on into the /system/xbin directory, and installs a SuperSU or SuperUser application that will take control every time any application asks for root permissions with su.

None of these steps can crash or kill a smartphone. The only thing that can happen is that the exploit will cause a segmentation error and the smartphone will go into reboot, after which it will continue to work normally.

Myth 6. Rooting and installing custom firmware will void my warranty.

The warranty is lost not from the very fact of getting root, but because of its discovery by the service center. Most devices can be unrooted using the Universal Unroot app, or by reinstalling stock firmware using the manufacturer's official app.

There are, however, two exceptions to this rule. The first is the Knox system, which is preinstalled on new Samsung smartphones and tablets such as the Galaxy S4, S5, Note 3 and Note 10.1. Knox provides an increased level of Android security by responding to any firmware modifications and the installation of third-party kernels and firmware. In the event that the user performs these actions, the system sets a trigger that confirms the fact of modification. The trigger is implemented in hardware (eFuse chip), so resetting it to its initial position will not work. On the other hand, it is not entirely clear whether the service center will refuse to repair the device on this basis. Secondly, the eFuse chip is also installed on some other devices (for example, smartphones from LG), and it also allows you to accurately determine whether the smartphone has been rooted or flashed.

If we talk about custom firmware, everything is more complicated. Usually, the flashing operation requires unlocking the bootloader, and this can be done either using special exploits or using the smartphone manufacturer's web service. In any case, the unlocked bootloader will definitely indicate that the smartphone belonged to a far from blonde woman.

On some smartphones, it is possible to lock the bootloader back, but you should learn about this separately, and keep in mind that a newly locked bootloader will most likely receive the Re-locked status, and not Locked, as it was originally (this happens on HTC smartphones, for example). The only exceptions here are smartphones and tablets of the Nexus line, the bootloader of which can be locked and unlocked in three clicks without any dancing with a tambourine, and no one will find fault with anything.

INFO

On Linux, ADB and Fastboot can be installed separately from the Android SDK. On Ubuntu: sudo apt-get install android-tools-fastboot. On Fedora: sudo yum install android-tools.

To prevent Knox from interfering with root applications, it can be disabled using the following command from the terminal: su pm disable com.sec.knox.seandroid.

conclusions

Getting root and flashing a smartphone are absolutely safe operations that cannot corrupt a smartphone for purely technical reasons. The only exception is an attempt to hack the bootloader in order to unlock it. In this case, the eFuse chip (if there is one in the smartphone) may work and block the ability to turn on the smartphone.

Fortunately, today smartphone manufacturers either prefer not to block the ability to turn on a smartphone with a hacked bootloader (by setting a trigger indicating the fact of such an action, as Knox does), or implement a special web service that allows you to painlessly unlock the bootloader with a loss of smartphone warranty. which saves users from having to risk breaking the bootloader.

Problems that may arise when flashing

So, now let's talk about what problems can arise when getting root and flashing and how to deal with them.

Scenario one: after an unsuccessful flashing, the smartphone stopped loading

Unsuccessful flashing can be caused by several factors: the battery is dead, and the firmware is only half full, the firmware turned out to be faulty or intended for a different smartphone model. In the end, the smartphone simply did not have enough space, which can happen when trying to install the latest version of Android on a smartphone three or four years ago.

Outwardly, all these problems usually manifest themselves either in endless resets of the smartphone to the initial manufacturer's logo, or in the so-called boot-loop, when the loading animation spins on the screen for more than five to ten minutes. There are also problems with the screen (multi-colored ripples) and a non-working touch screen, which also prevent the use of a smartphone.

In all these cases, it is enough to do one simple thing: turn off the smartphone by long pressing the power button, then turn it on with the volume down button held down (some smartphones use a different combination), and after you get into recovery, reinstall the firmware (Install zip from sdcard - > Chooze zip from sdcard) or restore backup (Backup and restore -> Restore). Everything is easy and simple.

Scenario two: the firmware works, but recovery is not available

This can happen after a failed installation or update of the Recovery Console. The problem is that after rebooting the smartphone and turning it on with the volume down button held down, a black screen appears, after which the smartphone either resets or hangs.

Solving this problem is not easy, but very simple. You can install the recovery console on the vast majority of smartphones using the TWRP Manager, ROM Manager or ROM Installer applications. They themselves determine the smartphone model, download and flash the required recovery without requiring a reboot. If with their help it is not possible to restore the console, it is enough to find instructions on the Web for installing recovery on your device.

Scenario three: neither firmware nor recovery is available

To be honest, it is difficult for me to imagine such a scenario, but, as practice shows, it is quite real. There are two ways to get out of this situation: use fastboot to upload recovery to your smartphone, or use a tool from the manufacturer to install stock firmware. We will take a closer look at the second method in the next section, and I will talk about fastboot here.

Fastboot is a tool that works directly with the primary bootloader of the device and allows you to upload firmware to your smartphone, recover and unlock the bootloader (in Nexus devices). Fastboot support is available in many smartphones and tablets, but some manufacturers block the ability to use it. So you will have to consult the Internet about its availability.

To access fastboot, you will need drivers and the Android SDK. When they are installed, open the command line, go to the SDK installation directory, then to the platform-tools directory, turn off the smartphone, turn it on with the volume buttons held down (both) and connect it with a USB cable to the PC. Next, you need to find the recovery image in .img format for your device and run the command:

$ fastboot flash recovery image.img

Or even force the smartphone to download recovery without actually installing it:

$ fastboot boot image.img

In the same way, you can flash official firmware update:

$ fastboot update update-file.zip

You can find a recovery suitable for your device either on the TWRP website, or in the XDA-Developers and w3bsit3-dns.com forums.

We return the smartphone to its original state

In this section, I will talk about ways to return a smartphone to a clean drain, no matter what state it is in. These instructions can be used both for scratching a smartphone and for removing traces of rooting and flashing. Unfortunately, I can't talk about all the possible models, so I'll focus on the four most popular flagships: Nexus 5 (I call this sample), Galaxy S5, LG G2 and Sony Xperia Z2.

Nexus 5 and other Google phones

Restoring Nexus devices to their original state is easier than any other smartphone or tablet. In fact, it is so simple that there is not even anything to talk about. In fact, all you need to do is install the ADB / fastboot drivers (on Linux you don't even need them), download the firmware archive and run the script. Step by step, the whole operation looks like this:

1. from here.
2. Download and install the Android SDK.
3. Download the archive with the firmware for the desired device from the Google website.
4. Turn off the device, turn it on with the volume buttons pressed (both) and connect using a USB cable.
5. Unpack the archive with the firmware and run the flash-all.bat (Windows) or flash-all.sh (Linux) script and wait for the operation to complete.
6. We launch the command line, go to the directory with the Android SDK, then platfrom-tools and execute the fastboot oem lock command to lock the bootloader.

For those who are wondering what the script does, here is a list of commands:

Fastboot flash bootloader bootloader-DEVICE-NAME-VERSION.img fastboot reboot-bootloader fastboot flash radio radio-DEVICE-NAME-VERSION.img fastboot reboot-bootloader fastboot flash system system.img fastboot reboot-bootloader fastboot flash userdata userdata.img fastboot flash recovery recovery.img fastboot flash boot boot.img fastboot erase cache fastboot flash cache cache.img

Galaxy S5

With the Galaxy S5 smartphone, everything is somewhat more complicated, but overall it is quite simple. This time you will need the Samsung Odin application, with which the smartphone will be flashed. Sequencing:

1. Download and install the latest Samsung USB drivers from here.
2. Download and install the latest version of Odin from here.
3. We go to the site samfirmware.com, enter the SM-G900F model in the search, find the firmware marked Russia, download and unpack.
4. We turn off the smartphone and turn it on with the volume down and "Home" buttons held down, wait five seconds until a warning message appears.
5. Press the volume up button to put the smartphone into Odin mode.
6. We connect the smartphone using a USB cable.
7. We launch Odin, press the PDA button and select the file with the tar.md5 extension inside the directory with the unpacked firmware.
8. Press the Start button in Odin and wait until the firmware process is completed.

As I said, this operation will return the smartphone to its original state, but will not reset the trigger set by the Knox system (if it was in the standard firmware). Therefore, the service center may refuse to repair.

LG G2

Restoring the LG G2 to its factory state will also not cause any problems. The number of steps in this process is somewhat larger, but in themselves they do not require special training and knowledge. So, what to do to return the factory firmware to the G2:

1. Download and install ADB Driver Installer from here.
2. Download the official firmware (Europe Open 32G or Europe Open) from here.
3. Download and install LG Mobile Support Tool and FlashTool (goo.gl/NE26IQ).
4. Turn off the smartphone, hold down the volume up button and insert the USB cable.
5. Expand the FlashTool archive and run the UpTestEX.exe file.
6. In the window that opens, select Select Type -> 3GQCT, Phone Mode -> DIAG, in the Select KDZ file option, select the firmware downloaded in the second step.
7. Press the CSE Flash button at the bottom of the screen.
8. In the window that opens, click Start.
9. In the next window, select the country and language and click Ok.
10. We are waiting for the end of the firmware, and then turn off and turn on the smartphone.

It's all. But keep in mind that, just like with Samsung, the smartphone will still be rooted, and this cannot be fixed.

Sony Xperia Z2

Now about how to return the Sony Xperia Z2 smartphone to the factory state. As in the previous two cases, this will require stock firmware and the official firmware utility. You run the utility on your PC, connect your smartphone with a USB cable, and start the update process. Step by step it looks like this:

1. Download and install ADB Driver Installer from here.
2. We reset the smartphone to factory settings.
3. Download and install the Flash Tool from the official Sony website and the latest firmware from here.
4. Copy the firmware file to the C:/Flashtool/Firmwares directory.
5. We turn off the smartphone and turn it on while holding down the volume down and "Home" keys.
6. We connect the smartphone to the PC using a USB cable and run the Flash Tool.
7. Press the button with the lightning bolt icon in the Flash Tool. In the window that opens, select Flashmode, double-click on the firmware in the list that opens.

WARNING

In many smartphones, the unlocked bootloader will not allow you to update over the air.

In 90% of cases, unlocking the bootloader will result in the deletion of all data from the smartphone, including the memory card.

conclusions

Flashing a smartphone, and even more so getting root access, is not at all such scary and dangerous operations as they might seem at first glance. If you do everything right and do not resort to tools that unlock the smartphone's bootloader bypassing the manufacturer's tools, you will not be able to corrupt the smartphone. Yes, in some cases you will have to tinker to get everything back in place, but is it better to use a locked smartphone that does not allow you to do half of the things that it is capable of, or to take full control of the device? After all, reinstalling Windows on a PC doesn't scare anyone.

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