Thursday, March 23, 2017
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Magisk - Hide Status
Magisk is a mod
developed by XDA user topjohnwu,
who is also responsible for the systemless Xposed flashable zip. Essentially,
Magisk (which is short for Magic Mask) "aims to overcome these
difficulties [of systemless mods] and create a universal interface for everyone
to develop and use systemless mods."
Magisk
first gained some popularity when it was discovered that it could enable
Android Pay on rooted devices, due to its ability to go around the
SafetyNet API. Since Pokémon GO also uses the SafetyNet API,
several users have found out that Magisk works for it as well.
The
installation of Magisk will also enable Android Pay.Prerequisites
To use Magisk, you'll need a device with an
unlocked bootloader that is running Android 5.0+. topjohnwu recommends that
your device be restored to a stock system and boot. If you can't do that, you
must fully remove any form of root access and Xposed. You will need a
custom recovery.
The Steps
All the links are at the bottom of this post.
1. Depending on where you sourced your root and Xposed
methods from, your steps may be slightly different. If you're on a custom ROM,
even unrooting may not do the trick. If you don't have Xposed, skip #2.
2. To unroot, open SuperSU, go to the Settings tab,
navigate down to the Cleanup section, and choose "Full unroot." A
bunch of prompts will pop up; do restore the stock boot image,
but don't restore the stock recovery image. Your device will
then reboot, and when it finishes, root access will be gone.
NOTE:
If you're unencrypted and restore the stock boot image, you may think that your
device is bootlooping, but it is actually re-encrypting.
3. To get rid of Xposed, go to the official
Xposed download site's uninstaller/ section, then choose the one you need.
There are also options for arm and x86 architectures.
4. To flash this uninstaller, you must enter your
custom recovery. In your custom recovery, hit "Install," navigate to
your Download folder, and flash the uninstaller. After that, click "Wipe
cache/dalvik," then "Reboot system." It'll take a while
for the apps to finish optimizing.
5. Now, head over to Magisk's XDA thread and download Magisk.
6. Flash Magisk.zip (the most current version) on your device in recovery.
After that, reboot.
7. Now, you'll have to re-root; however, you can't use a normal method.
You'll have to download a special Magisk version of phh's
SuperUser. Flash this through your custom recovery just like you did with the
Xposed uninstaller and Magisk. After that, install phh SuperUser app from
the Play Store.
8. Install latest Magisk Manager from Play Store.
9. *OPTIONAL* If you want Xposed, you must download a systemless version
(which is also by topjohnwu). To do this, download the Material Design
Xposed Installer (excellent app, by the way) and install the systemless
version from the Systemless tab. Grant Xposed Superuser access and allow the
phone to install Xposed automatically. When the phone reboots, you'll have to wait
for a few minutes for apps to optimize.
10. Now to hide Root Status, Go to Settings in Magisk
Manager and Enable “Magisk Hide” option.
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Record Or Screenshot UAC Prompts
UAC prompts are on a virtual desktop
(or something like that), the usual Alt+PrintScreen or recording the screen
using screen recorders doesn't work.
This
method using the group policy editor should do the job:
1. Run gpedit.msc
2. Under Computer
Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\SecurityOptions
3. Change “User Account Control: Switch to the
secure desktop when prompting for elevation” to disabled.
4. Now UAC prompts will look like this:
Note: Undo this change after the screenshot or
Screen recording, because it makes the system less secure!
Monday, March 20, 2017
Uninstall SuperSU Or Systemless Root
It properly restores all the original files the SuperSU installer backed up (so,
file-based OTA friendly!) and removes any files added by the installer/app. I figured other people might find
it handy as well so it's attached below. Just Flash it using TWRP Custom
Recovery. Be aware, if you flashed SuperSU twice mistakenly, the SuperSU installer wasn't written to
recognize that and so you've lost your originals; a system.img flash WILL be necessary
in your case.
Due to popular demand by the custom ROM community using this to unroot and pass SafetyNet checks/use Android Pay, etc., the script has been expanded to unroot Koush's SuperUser, ROM su binaries, as well as SuperSU Systemless and phh's Superuser (which is also systemless).
Note: To completely remove all traces of the systemless roots, you still need to flash a different, unrooted boot.img, likely the default one that came with the ROM. You can extract it from the ROM zip and flash it using TWRP's awesome "Flash Image" functionality.
Due to popular demand by the custom ROM community using this to unroot and pass SafetyNet checks/use Android Pay, etc., the script has been expanded to unroot Koush's SuperUser, ROM su binaries, as well as SuperSU Systemless and phh's Superuser (which is also systemless).
Note: To completely remove all traces of the systemless roots, you still need to flash a different, unrooted boot.img, likely the default one that came with the ROM. You can extract it from the ROM zip and flash it using TWRP's awesome "Flash Image" functionality.
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
What A Factory Reset Does?
First lets understand what a factory reset
does. It removes all USER DATA and restores the device back to factory settings
providing that the device is not rooted. User data is defined as apps, call
logs, contacts, and anything else the user has placed in the devices memory.
Stuff that is on the SDCARD is not affected by a factory reset. A factory reset
really only deals with the Data and the Cache partitions.
If you are on a Rooted device then again a factory reset will only remove the Data and Cache partitions. It does not mess with the System partition. If you have a custom ROM on the device after a factory reset you will still have that same custom ROM on the device. This is because again factory reset does not mess with the System partition of the phone.
Factory reset is given its name because the manufacturer of the device does not expect that you will change the ROM that is standard on their devices. While the practice of Rooting is not foreign to them they do not expect that the user of the device will change the basic structure of the OS. Which many who are rooted do. A factory reset will also not remove any ROM upgrades or OTA's.
Doing a factory reset has some advantages for a few purposes. One of the big ones is wanting to remove all Data from the device. This is handy if you plan on giving the device to someone else and don't want to give them your contacts or any other information. In some circumstances it can even be handy to just start over especially if you have some minor issues and you assume the issues are Data related. If rooted its a great way to wipe the Data and Cache area's to prepare to change the ROM of the device.
Hopefully by now you have a better understanding of what a factory reset is and why you would want to use it. Also I hope this has cleared up some confusion about this subject as there are plenty who use this the wrong way and then are like well poop. I know the first time I did it I though well at least I can go back to factory settings and boy was I surprised when I found that the custom ROM I put on there was still there.
If you are on a Rooted device then again a factory reset will only remove the Data and Cache partitions. It does not mess with the System partition. If you have a custom ROM on the device after a factory reset you will still have that same custom ROM on the device. This is because again factory reset does not mess with the System partition of the phone.
Factory reset is given its name because the manufacturer of the device does not expect that you will change the ROM that is standard on their devices. While the practice of Rooting is not foreign to them they do not expect that the user of the device will change the basic structure of the OS. Which many who are rooted do. A factory reset will also not remove any ROM upgrades or OTA's.
Doing a factory reset has some advantages for a few purposes. One of the big ones is wanting to remove all Data from the device. This is handy if you plan on giving the device to someone else and don't want to give them your contacts or any other information. In some circumstances it can even be handy to just start over especially if you have some minor issues and you assume the issues are Data related. If rooted its a great way to wipe the Data and Cache area's to prepare to change the ROM of the device.
Hopefully by now you have a better understanding of what a factory reset is and why you would want to use it. Also I hope this has cleared up some confusion about this subject as there are plenty who use this the wrong way and then are like well poop. I know the first time I did it I though well at least I can go back to factory settings and boy was I surprised when I found that the custom ROM I put on there was still there.
TWRP - Nandroid Backup & Restore
A Nandroid backup is essential if you’re hacking your phone. With a Nandroid backup you can restore your device to its previous state, undoing any attempted or failed hacks.
If you don’t like a ROM you have flashed, or if your device fails to boot after flashing something, restoring the Nandroid backup is the quickest way of getting your device running normally again.
To create a Nandroid backup tap the Backup option and choose the partitions to include. In most cases you should choose System, Data and Boot.
Don’t tick the Skip MD5 generation option, as this ensures the integrity of your backups and guards against errors when restoring them.
TIPS:
The boot and system partitions are the basic backups needed to boot the system and hence are the must needs.
Just to help you understand, A NANDROID backup is only helpful when you have the current Data partition which contains all the Applications, Messages, Contacts etc. Otherwise you can always flash the same Custom ROM from a zip file and go back to the initial stage but you will miss the current data.
The Cache partition is just an add-on, without which there will be no impact and the system will re-generate the cache from the data that you have. If you have the cache partition the system will boot faster that’s it.
The PDS partition basically keeps your IMEI, modem information and all which does not affected as part of a custom ROM flashing. But it is always a good idea to have this for the first time you backup.
Swipe the slider to begin the backup process. It may take a while to complete, especially if you have got a lot of data that you are backing up.
Don’t attempt to interrupt the process until it is complete.
Note: It do backup apps and their data but it skips the folder /data/media/ which is your Internal Storage media location. TWRP do not backups your media files such as Videos, Pictures, Music etc that are present in your Internal Storage.
Your backup files will get saved in
/data/media/TWRP
(or /data/media/0/TWRP
).
Remember to keep the whole folder (folder with bunch of letters and numbers). After the /data/media/0/TWRP/BACKUPS/ the folder present will be your backup. Do not rename the folder as the letters and numbers are the codes for recognizing your device.
Many people think that the backup file is a single file but its not. All the files present in that folder are important so don't delete any of them.
Restore a Nandroid backup
Put the folder with numbers and letters to the root directory of your Internal Storage or SDCard.
Now to restore the Nandroid backup tap the Restore button from the home screen of TWRP and choose the backup from those listed. Swipe to begin the restore procedure.
TWRP - Custom Recovery
TWRP is one of the two main custom recoveries for Android. It’s installed when you root your phone or tablet and enables you to carry out a host of major hacks and tweaks, from creating full backups to flashing ROMs.
What is recovery?
Recovery is small piece of software that runs in the recovery partition on your device.
It is possible to boot into this partition, enabling you to power on and access the files on your phone without loading the Android OS. Because Android isn’t loaded the Android system files are not placed in memory, which means they can be accessed, edited and replaced.
When you install a system update on your device, booting into recovery is part of the process. Every device has a stock recovery installed for this reason, but it has no user-accessible functions.
Replacing the stock recovery with a custom recovery such as TWRP (Team Win Recovery Project) gives you access to the parts of your device that were previously off limits. That’s how you start hacking your phone.
TWRP vs ClockworkMod Recovery: which to choose
The two main stock recovery systems for Android are TWRP and ClockworkMod (CWM).
In most instances you won’t need to make a choice between them; the rooting method you choose for your device will be based on the use of either one or the other.
TWRP and CWM have similar feature sets, and there’s little practical difference between them. They do have different user interfaces and are not compatible with one another. A Nandroid backup made on one cannot be restored using the other.
Flash a ROM or zip
One of the main uses of a custom recovery is to flash a custom ROM.
To do this in TWRP tap the Install button. Assuming you’ve copied a ROM (in .zip format) or other flashable zip file into the device’s internal storage you can sue the Select Zip screen to locate and choose it.
With the zip selected you will be taken to the Confirm Flash screen. You can add multiple zips if you need to, by tapping the Add More Zips button.
When done you need to confirm that you’re ready to flash by swiping your finger along the Swipe to Confirm Flash slider. As soon as you do this, flashing will begin.
Don’t forget that you should always make a full Nandroid backup before you flash anything, no matter how innocuous it is. We’ll get to the backup section shortly.
Wipe data or factory reset
Next along the grid of options is Wipe.
If you flash a ROM, wiping at least some parts of the device, if not all, is necessary. (Follow the instructions for the ROM you’re flashing for guidance on what you need to wipe.)
In TWRP the default option is a factory reset, which wipes the entire device.
Tap the Advanced Wipe button and you can choose the specific partitions to wipe—Dalvik Cache, System and Cache will be needed for most ROMs. Data will wipe your data, and is often needed. Internal Storage clears your internal store, and is something you would do for a full factory reset but is rarely needed when flashing a ROM.
Either way, make sure you’ve got your data backed up properly, and not just through a Nandroid backup. For an easy way of backing up and restoring app data check out our guide to Helium.
Again, once you have selected the partitions to wipe, you will be required to swipe the slider to confirm. There’s no going back once you do this.
Fix permissions
Fix permissions can be used if you’re encountering a large number of app problems, such as frequent crashes (and we mean frequent—it won’t solve the occasional app force close).
Fixing permissions only takes a couple of minutes to complete, and there are no downsides to doing it.
ADB Sideload
ADB Sideload enables you to connect your phone to your desktop and sideload apps over ADB, which is available through the Android SDK. A common use of this is if you’re replacing a system file with a tweaked version.
File Manager
The File Manager, as its name implies, is a tool for accessing the files stored on your Android device.
Wrap up
TWRP is a powerful tool that gives you full control over the insides of your phone without needing to boot into Android.
It can be used to flash custom ROMs or minor app mods, as well as to create and manage backups. Understanding how TWRP works and what you can do with it will make you far more confident when attempting Android hacks of various kinds. It’s also worth keeping the software updated as new features, and an extra layer of user friendliness are added on a regular basis.
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Flash SuperSU & Get Root Permissions Using TWRP
If you have an Android device that is bootloader unlockable and have a custom recovery for itself, then congratulations! Your device is eligible for the world’s easiest method to get root access.
SuperSU is a superuser manager app by developer Chainfire, which manages root permissions on your device once it’s rooted. And thankfully, Chainfire has also created a recovery flashable zip file for SuperSU which contains the SuperSU app and the binaries required to get root access. What this means is you can flash the SuperSU zip via a custom recovery and get root access on any Android device.
Grab the latest SuperSU file from the link below and follow the instructions on how to flash it using TWRP recovery.
How to Flash SuperSU zip via TWRP Recovery
- Download and transfer the SuperSU zip file from the download link above to your device’s storage.
- Boot your device into TWRP recovery.
- Tap on Install and select the SuperSU zip file that you transferred to your device in Step 1.
- After selecting the .zip file, do Swipe to Confirm Flash on the bottom of screen to begin the flashing process.
- Once SuperSU is flashed, you’ll get Reboot System option, select it.
Congratulations! Your device should be rooted now. Look for the SuperSU app in app drawer.
Download & Install Google Apps
If you want to access the glory that is Google apps and services on your Android phone, you need Google Apps, or GApps. Each GApps package will include Play, Camera, Keyboard, Gmail and much more. Of course, if you have the Play store, along with obligatory Play Services, you’ll have access to the entire catalogue of Google content whether it’s apps, music, movies, books and more. It’s the holy grail, baby. Here we will show you how to get the most recent GApps package and install it on your device.
In this article we will assume you have Root Access and a Custom Recovery. If not, we have guides on how to root your Android device and how to install a custom recovery.
When installing GApps, you’ll want to make sure that you install the version that matches your Android ROM. For example, if you are running Android 4.4 Kit Kat, download and install GApps for KitKat. You can find your Android version number by going to Settings and About device. It’s as easy as cheesy.
Step 1: Download
There are several places where you can download GApps. Use the link below, and choose the right version for your phone.
Download GApps Here
Once the file is downloaded, save it to your SD Card. If you don’t have an SD Card, do not fret my pet, just save it to a folder on your device that you will remember like Downloads.
Step 2: Boot into Recovery
Now that you have your GApps file, boot into recovery using your recovery combo buttons. If you don’t know which buttons to press, to access recovery, take a look at our handy guide on just that topic. If you want to get right to it, Hold Vol Down + Power for 5 seconds, which should work on most phones.
Once you are in recovery, you should see something like this (within this article we’ll show how things look on TWRP on the left, and ClockworkMod on the right)…
Step 3: Find the file and flash it
Now go ahead and select “Install”Step 3: Flash GApps…
Step 4: Flash that shiz
Once you have selected your GApps file, it’s time to flash the file!
Step 5: Clear yo’ cache!
After the install is complete, back out and clear your cache…
After you have cleared the cache, reboot your phone. You should now have successfully installed GApps
Unlock Bootloader & Install TWRP
Important:
- Make sure there is at least 80% battery left on your smartphone before begin rooting your device.
- Before following this guide do take the full backup of your phone like data, images, video, files, emails, contacts etc
- Install the ADB and Fastboot drivers on your PC
- Enable USB debugging on your Yureka Plus smartphone, go to settings >> developers option. If developer’s option isn’t visible on your Galaxy device, simply go to about phone under settings and scroll down to build number, then tap build number up to 7 times to make developers option visible.
- Enable Usb Debugging & Advanced Boot Option.
- Now Connect your phone to the PC with USB cable and open a command prompt window in your fastboot/adb folder (C:\adb\). (Hold Shift button on your keyboard and right-click on the empty space of the folder.
- Now in the command prompt windows enter the following command:-
adb devices
- If your device is connected you will get it in connected devices
- Now enter the following command to boot your phone in bootloader mode:-
adb reboot-bootloader
- Now Your phone will restart into the bootloader.
- You need unlocked bootloader now. Run the command below to check whether the bootloader of your device is lock or unlocked. By default, it comes locked.
fastboot -i 0x1ebf oem device-info
- If your bootloader is unlocked, it will say “True”, else it will say “false”. If it is False, then do the next step
- Now enter the following command to unlock the bootloader
fastboot -i 0x1ebf oem unlock
- Now your phone will reboot automatically, if not enter the following command to boot.
fastboot reboot
- Now bootloader is unlocked
INSTALL TWRP CUSTOM RECOVERY:
- Download the TWRP image file.
- Now again type the below command to install TWRP (From the fastboot mode)
fastboot -i 0x1ebf flash recovery TWRP.img
- Now the TWRP recovery on your device. Now, boot your device into recovery mode. For this, first enable the Advanced reboot option in Settings > Developer options. Then hold the power button to get pop-up, then tap on Reboot > Recovery.
- You are in the TWRP recovery