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I posted some boot images (and basic how-to to make your own) for all the 6.0 Nexuses and a special installer ZIP (TWRP) for SuperSU on XDA.
Together, they allow root without modifying /system. It's an experiment, but it works out rather cleanly. See the linked thread for further details.
EXPERIMENT: Root without modifying /system - Post #2 - XDA Forums
Fantastic, thanks!
This should retain Android Pay, right?
Fantastic concept.
All hail Chainfire, the modder god!
+Andrew Morykin if it does, then it's by accident and not by design, and Android Pay will be updated to block it.
+Chainfire Oh, umm... There I have a question: How would apps check for root then? The usual method with checking for a su file doesn't work, then.
Looks very promising!!
+Frieder Zimmer what about it? This is for nexus devices. Google doesn't care if you root
+Bryant Moeller if Google doesn't care if you root, then why did they put a E-Fuse in the 6P? Why are they locking down things like on M where you have to allow access to files, etc. Just my 2 cents, and if they REALLY didn't care if you ROOTED, they wouldn't make it so Android Pay wouldn't work IF rooted.
+Timothy Richardson Google probably doesn't care, or root just straight up wouldn't work. Google's partners in the financial industry care.
+Nicholas Kelley good point except that even if Google cared about root people would still find a way.
+Max Müller You shouldn't be checking hard coded paths for a su file. This method looks like the su command will still be there.
What voodoo magic is this?
+Chainfire keep on the good work! You are the best! :)
+Timothy Richardson lol. If you think Android pay doesn't work because google doesn't want you to root you need to think about that
+Timothy Richardson the question before that rant of nonsense was about the warranty. Rooting does and will not void the warranty on a nexus device.
+Bryant Moeller Is that a change in policy? Rooting my original Nexus 7 voided my warranty which I found out the hard way when I had a problem with it. I've heard of people getting warranty work done on a formerly rooted device. In my case, they looked at Google Play and saw that I had installed root apps and refused to honor my warranty.
+Matthew Arnold well that's some bullshit then on their part.
Checking for root apps on Google play. You know how many dumb asses who don't even know what root is have downloaded root apps on the play store?
Hell I even installed root apps on fully stocked devices via Googles auto restore app crap. I'd raise freaking hell if they tried that crap
Um what? Motorola doesn't VOID warranty for root or unlocking bootloader.
+Jan Helmlinger coolie woolie
+Matthew Arnold No, thats not a change in policy.
You can go ask nexus support yourself. They'll tell you they dont care if you root and it wont affect the warranty.
https://support.google.com/nexus/?hl=en#topic=3415518
Don't believe everything you read on shitty android blogs. They feed into the misinformation out there
In your guide you write:
"- /system should never be remounted r/w, I hope I didn't miss anything here"
What this mean ? That in future we can't mount system r/w at all ?
Without mounting system r/w how can we edit build.prop, remove bloatwares and other basic things ?
I hope I have got it wrong.
+Bryant Moeller In my case, I'm working on firsthand information. Google rejected my warranty claim because it was rooted even though rooting was not the source/cause of the problem.
+Matthew Arnold why didnt you warranty it through Motorola?
+Matthew Arnold buddy, you can re-flash stock images then file for the warranty claim. That's the whole point of Nexus devices.
+Max Müller - Checking for root considered harmful.
Not sure I like the idea. Needs a new boot img for each update, much more complicated than flashing a Zip.
Does it work on android one?
+Haowen H. I understand that. That's what I had done before making the warranty claim. The person I spoke with at Google looked on my Google Play apps, saw I had installed root apps, and for that reason refused my warranty repair. Maybe it's arbitrary, I don't know. This was back in the fall of 2012 though so it's all water under the bridge now.
+Matthew Arnold probably a bad rep, you can also unlink* installed/downloaded apps from ur Google account.
+Matthew Arnold which Nexus was that?
+Timothy Richardson Original (2012) Nexus 7. +Haowen H. I didn't think about that. I'll have to remember that if I get a Nexus in the future that needs repair.
Will you be adding a Nexus 4 boot image?
This is very interesting!
+Alexander M. It means only that SuperSU itself should never remount /system r/w. You (the user, and your apps) can still do so whenever you want. On some devices, remounting only once can prevent OTA, I just try to make sure SuperSU is not the cause for that.
+Laurent Dinclaux A new boot image is only needed when you update the firmware itself. SuperSU can update without updating the boot image. On several devices a modified boot image is already needed for root either way, so might as well not mess up /system if we don't have to.
Obviously patching the boot image will be automated and in the end the experience will be the same as flashing one of the old SuperSU ZIP files - if this experiment is succesful.
Note that the old way with modifying /system is still fully supported. I can't predict what those who try to hack the US locked bootloader devices may or may not need, so I leave all avenues open.
I apologize if this is too noob to even be responded to, but where do I find a stock /system for the Nexus 6 and how do I flash it? Does this mean I can just flash back to the stock-based custom ROM I was running a few hours ago and flash the boot image and new SuperSU from there?
Love this idea... I don't have a Nexus, but have a LG G4 (H811) with stock system available and modfiable boot.
I'm game to mess around on it if you're up to experimenting with this model. Let me know if you're interested.
What does it means? Does it mean that you can get system updates even though you have rooted? ?
+Alexander M. When you mount /system as r/w you change some values in ext4 meta data, like, mount count field. On dmverity world each block on the raw device has a signature which is being verified at device boot. If one of the is wrong the device won't boot. Regarding bloatwares, in latest Android a new partition was introduced named /oem
+Chainfire Regarding : "transparently placing files in /system without modifying the actual partition" I think you can use fuse (http://sourceforge.net/projects/fuse/)
it is also being used in Android for sdcard.
One question : How this rooting method can handle devices which their boot image is signed ?
My aunt bought the Samsung Galaxy S6, so it would be a dream to boot once with root, then throw out all the Samsung crap, after reboot, its save to use again for "an aunt".
+Chainfire +Sagi Ben-Akiva regarding "transparently placing files in /system" could this be implemented in such a way that root apps attempting to modify /system instead modify a linked userspace
+Sagi Ben-Akiva +Stephen Hale Seriously? This has been discussed repeatedly in the SuperSU forums. It is the ideal solution - heck, I even mention overlayfs/unionfs in my posts - but there is currently not a package that is available/working on all the platforms SuperSU supports.
Why not search/read before you write?
+Chainfire Nexus 6 here :D
Has the systemless boot version forceencrypt disabled (like the standard mod) or do I have to use an additional patch afterward like FED-Patcher?
Do i need to reflash the stock boot.img before every ota?
thx, it works well with my phone
Cool as sky won't detect it either then
Anyone get busybox working with this?
Como configurar o Supersu corretamente.
Does this mean successful OTA installation in spite of being rooted?
+Chainfire how would one go about modifying the build.prop with this root method?
+Morgan Risch you can use /data/local.prop instead ;-)
I love it
Thanks for the great work!
Hi.Please make root for LP 5.1.1 for Sony Xperia.
+Branislav Švec you just need to install custom recovery and download a supersu.zip file from chainfire website.
I cant install recovery.i need root
i need root only bro
does the modified image work ok with MRA58N?
and by the way thanks for the awesome work
,k
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+Chainfire how long should uninstalling #SuperSU within the app itself take? It is currently in the "Uninstalling, please wait" message for about 15 minutes.
I just wanted to install the currently OTA #security #updates and therefore uninstalled #TWRP and now trying to unroot. Updating without TWRP but with SuperSU resulted in an error. Any advice?
I can't remember anymore which SuperSU version I have. Probably 2.52 or 2.56 on #Marshmallow
EDIT: Nevermind, I killed SuperSU via App-Manager and retried.
+Chainfire Very nice work! I'm interested to know, will there be Nexus 4 support, or build instructions for the matter? Thanks!
I think back in 2012 the companies were dusputing whether or not rooting a device should be legal or not. I believe they decided to leave it up to the service providers. Other then that all devices are basically experimental due to rapid growth in technology. My advice is to consider the price. You usually get what you pay for.
+Chainfire after doing this method I have root but super user app isn't showing.
Chainfire I got a question I just rooted my gala
Xy note 3 and downloaded titanium back up but it says I need a hypershell and I have no idea where or what that is. Can u help a brother out. Thanks
+Paul Richards I think that's the premium version of titanium? But I'm not a dev. Just helping.
Good day chainfire. I have rooted my sm-p605 with p0605xxucnf2 since month and all working well (as all you are doing). Now I would like to update my note 10-1 to lollypop keeping root, what shall I do?
I broke my s5 screen I need amdigitizer I bought the glass..ty truly
I only have one question.Will OTA still work after I root my Nexus 6P in the new way? +Chainfire
Hay looking for a cracked galaxy s5
is it stable on nexus 5? can I install hammerhead-mra58k-boot-systemless.zip for mra58n ?
How about my low end at&t zte maven lol... I'd love to try...broke many phones, fixed many ;-)
Can't wait to update my note 4 to Android M. Not rooted till this moment. :(
Good
+Chainfire does ur system less root work on lg g4 h811
+Chainfire please may I have a direct the channel to contact you about perhaps one of the most surgically precise and customized creative conceptualisation I have ever developed in my life, and it was specifically for you?.. An email address?
Thanx??
Can anyone tell me except hurting your device?why is root dangerous to developers?doesn't give super hacker abilities or anything?I guess I'm not educated enough?but root only hurt my own stuff,,like twenty tablets!but most where trying to root?only 5 playing with ROMs,,,but sorry for the lengthy letter?
Plz add a cf auto root for samsung galaxy j1 ace SMJ100F
All the icyption sounds like a hider or follower or are all these people right i tell everyone and your momma haha ya ya! i buy it i break it warranties void haha but fake windows isnt cutting it as a os its just an adroid period.the idea was stolen from windows io!admit its fake.and i think a recall on it should take place for faulty on off switches giggle giggle ha haå
No disrespect to chainfire but some troll lead me to this post talking smack one of these post it gangsters say it again mf! Sorry for intrupting your channel chains......
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Waiting for infinix zero4+