Do Official OTA Updates and Factory Resets Work After Rooting? - AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III

Maybe someone can throw a new guy a bone here? ....
One thing I had on my jailbroken iPhone was free tethering. My Xfinity went down the other day and I realized I couldn't tether my new Android without paying AT$T. So from what I understand, like the iPhone I need to root it and then download a third party tethering app?
If I root now, I'll probably be tempted to give Black Jelly or Frost ROMs a try. I know with this 'Odin' program or 'Nandroid' backup with CWP (still figuring all this out) I can switch between ROMS pretty easily. It takes me about an hour though to download all my apps and reconfig my phone after a reset though. I think Titanium backup or something solves this, but seems to me using something like that with custom ROM, as opposed to a 'clean' install and just start installing/configuring from scratch may pose higher risk of having issues?
So my question is, if I root and install custom ROM, how hard is it to get the official update installed, or any more official future updates installed if I decide I don't want to stay on a custom ROM?
Being an experimental person and my first time to Android, I'm sure I'm going to eventually cave (for sure root) and try a custom ROM. I see SO many posts though in these ROM forums with all sorts of little issues. I want to go back to stock and get official updates if I need to.

When the official jb drops there will most likely be some debloated version on here in a day or so. If you're rooted with a custom recovery it will take no time to install. I would also seriously consider titanium backup, it makes the process much easier.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

OTA after Rooting - Yes and No....
jazee said:
Maybe someone can throw a new guy a bone here? ....
So my question is, if I root and install custom ROM, how hard is it to get the official update installed, or any more official future updates installed if I decide I don't want to stay on a custom ROM?
Being an experimental person and my first time to Android, I'm sure I'm going to eventually cave (for sure root) and try a custom ROM. I see SO many posts though in these ROM forums with all sorts of little issues. I want to go back to stock and get official updates if I need to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are two issues you mention: 1) Having a custom ROM and doing an Custom OTA, and 2) OTA with stock ROM and after you you have rooted your phone.
Stock ROM and OTA after Rooting
In times past, there have been vendors that look for rooting and refused to OTA the phone. Citing it violated warantee, contract, whatever. AT&T use to do it, but with current ROMs, especially with the S3, they simply turn off the SUID bit on /system/xbin/su during the update.(They turn off the Root modification, of sorts). The current OTA of 4.0.4 does this trick. Making near impossible to root afterwards.
Usually it is always best to flash back to stock to insure you get a clean OTA.
Some versions of rooting will allow you to keep root even after OTA, but I would not count on it.
The other issue that some forget is any modification to the ROM may trip a counter which may cause OTA's to fail. In the S3 there is a counter on how many times the ROM has been flashed by custom software. Once it is tripped, any warantee you have on the device is voided. You can see the information when you set your phone into flash mode.
There are programs to reset the counter, and other methods, but it gets pretty ugly and you can hard brick your phone in some cases. Just use them with care.
Custom ROM and OTA after Rooting
With custom ROM's rooting is the norm. OTA's will usually not affect them. In fact some OTA's will include updated 'su' programs. There are some custom ROM's that are not able to OTA.

So it sounds to me like if I plan on rooting to get the free tethering, I should always wait until there's a stock ROM available here and manually install it? That way, I don't lose my root and I don't increase the counter unnecessarily?
Thanks for your help.

Related

General rooting question

Hello all, I'm new to smartphones, Android, xda and rooting in general, but I understand the concept, value and associated risks. I'm following the thread by toastcfh in the EVO Development forum about how to root the EVO, but I don't want to clutter it up with such a basic question, so I'm posting it here.
I want to have root access in order to get rid of bloatware, play with custom roms and just generally have full access to my EVO. I do NOT, however, want to get in over my head. I want to develop a better understanding of Android before taking full advantage of what rooting offers. My concern is that if I don't root it as soon as I get it, HTC will patch the holes and I won't be able to do so later.
So here is my question: Can I root the darn thing when I get it on 6/4 and continue to run Sprint's delivered ROM? Then, as I accumulate more knowledge and experience, start to dig deeper into the OS and make use of what root has to offer? Also, can Sprint or HTC "un-root" a device via an OTA update or something similar? Sorry if these are noob questions, but as a noob, they're all I've got.
Oh, and thanks to all the folks who make this site so informative. It truly is a great resource.
You can root and remove your bloatware and even continue to use the stock ROM if you want. You can flash custom ROMs as you see fit. Remember, flashing a Sprint update will most likely unroot your device, so you should always just get a custom ROM based off the latest update instead of flashing the official updates. If you need to send your phone to Sprint you can always unroot with one of these official updates so they will never know about your root.
TheBiles said:
You can root and remove your bloatware and even continue to use the stock ROM if you want. You can flash custom ROMs as you see fit. Remember, flashing a Sprint update will most likely unroot your device, so you should always just get a custom ROM based off the latest update instead of flashing the official updates. If you need to send your phone to Sprint you can always unroot with one of these official updates so they will never know about your root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info.... I'm a noob as well, and am counting on you guys with your wealth of experience to show us the way.
TheBiles said:
You can root and remove your bloatware and even continue to use the stock ROM if you want. You can flash custom ROMs as you see fit. Remember, flashing a Sprint update will most likely unroot your device, so you should always just get a custom ROM based off the latest update instead of flashing the official updates. If you need to send your phone to Sprint you can always unroot with one of these official updates so they will never know about your root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the speedy response! Regarding Sprint updates, is this something that you must accept discretely via a keystroke or check box or something similar? Can you set the phone to not check for updates until you tell it to, or will it prompt the user on some sort of routine basis?
erikivy said:
Thanks for the speedy response! Regarding Sprint updates, is this something that you must accept discretely via a keystroke or check box or something similar? Can you set the phone to not check for updates until you tell it to, or will it prompt the user on some sort of routine basis?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it is the same with the Hero, OTA updates won't work on a custom ROM. I'm also sure that you can decline an OTA update on the stock ROM.
TheBiles said:
If it is the same with the Hero, OTA updates won't work on a custom ROM. I'm also sure that you can decline an OTA update on the stock ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perfect! Thanks again.

Want to upgrade to 2.2, but not sure how to proceed

Greetings all,
My Evo is still at 1.47 after foolishly taking the OTA update, and I haven't yet re-rooted it after the exploit was discovered. I want to upgrade to 2.2, but I am hesitant to do so after all the warnings from last time about taking OTA updates.
I really am not interested in a custom ROMs all that much, as I prefer stability and I want my 4G to work correctly.
With that said, I do want to keep my future options open. So, with that in mind, how should I first proceed?
I don't care about losing my apps and data, etc. I will reload.
- Should I follow the tutorials to first fully unlock the NAND?
- If so, can I then apply the official 2.2 update over the air?
- If I do that, and I have unlocked the NAND, can I revert to rock stock later?
- Is there a way (kitchen?) to keep the stock ROM and just remove some apps?
Thanks for the guidance, just want to proceed cautiously.
-Rob
robroy90 said:
Greetings all,
My Evo is still at 1.47 after foolishly taking the OTA update, and I haven't yet re-rooted it after the exploit was discovered. I want to upgrade to 2.2, but I am hesitant to do so after all the warnings from last time about taking OTA updates.
I really am not interested in a custom ROMs all that much, as I prefer stability and I want my 4G to work correctly.
With that said, I do want to keep my future options open. So, with that in mind, how should I first proceed?
I don't care about losing my apps and data, etc. I will reload.
- Should I follow the tutorials to first fully unlock the NAND?
- If so, can I then apply the official 2.2 update over the air?
- If I do that, and I have unlocked the NAND, can I revert to rock stock later?
- Is there a way (kitchen?) to keep the stock ROM and just remove some apps?
Thanks for the guidance, just want to proceed cautiously.
-Rob
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DO NOT UPGRADE/UPDATE, do a full root then flash any of the Froyo/2.2 ROM's already rooted
most of the release roms have 4g working as well as are very stable. I bet if you tried any of the custom roms you would be suprised. I have very few issues with the custom roms i have used (mainly fresh and dc). As i need my phone everyday for work and am a very heavy user because of it i can tell you hat you will probably be fine with any of the big custom roms (cm6 excluded if you need 4g)
Now on to the question if you root and then take the OTA you are basically jsut wasting time as it will unroot your phone. Your best bet is to root the phone and then if you dont want a custom rom find the stock rooted 2.2 rom in the dev section and flash that. it is the stock room except it doesnt override your root. nothing else is done to it.
This would allow you to have froyo on as close to the ota as possible while not killing your ability to root or taking away your root.
This. I'm lost along with all of the other users who applied the OTA to 2.2 (I have the leaked version). Once I get root again I will never unroot, ever. Flash this ROM (Post ID: 740520, can't post links yet), it's the rooted OTA ROM for 2.2. Keep your NAND, keep your root... having official software means you're stuck with terrible "official" support from HTC and Sprint.
Best of luck.

Stock rom in case be Hose the Note 8?

how about if i were to hose my note 8 and need to recover to complete stock. is there anything out yet for the US WIFI version? just wondering as i might wait untill i root, install recovery etc...
I am downloading the UK version as per the suggestions in a post on the first page to this thread. I was told it is the same.I hosed mine trying the multi boot option on one of the dev threads, Cant get to my recovery so I'm kinda screwed.
dvigue said:
how about if i were to hose my note 8 and need to recover to complete stock. is there anything out yet for the US WIFI version? just wondering as i might wait untill i root, install recovery etc...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now the only way you can hose your stock firmware is to mess up a flash, or purposefully delete system files in the root.
With that said, you can safely root with Saferoot.zip. It does not flash our change your counter. So a OTA or Kies update will work as if you never touched the device.
Now that you have rooted safely, you can install Xposed framework and it's modules... they will not hose your device as they are boot only system options.
I recommend Ti backup pro, and Solid Explorer but be careful about doing anything in root, as their may be irreparable consequences without a proper ROM.
Now for recovery with a replacement ROM. There will be a new ROM release soon, so when it does come out, it will be available to download. That will be your best option to recover if needed. Note... The only way you will hose a device is through a bad flash. So I would stay away from flashing any custom bootloaders, recoverys, kernels or ROM. Until you read up and are well educated on proper flashing techniques. All I can say is stick with developers threads on the specific model and have given plenty of info on the subject. Never blindly take chances.
As for recovery after saferoot.zip... as long as you never flash afterwards, you will never need triangle away, which is a plus... all you need to do is do a factory restore. Yep, no need to run any un-rooting tools, though you can use Supersu's clean up for reinstall and reboot if you want before doing the factory reset.
I know, I have done plenty of testing with custom and factory ROMs. I have personally found no need for customized bootloaders or roms, once I have found where and what to tweak. What little benefit from the customized options that are available, were too little for the trouble involved.
I actually posted about how to mod your device using Xposed installer and 2 to 3 modules and thats all you need to get that really cool custom look if thats what you are going for. With Gravity Box and HK Themer you can mod away semi safely. You still need to be careful with any mod that makes changes in system.
Sent from my GT-N5110 using XDA Premium HD app

[Q] Is it safe to OTA update to 4.3 on my rooted phone?

So I rooted my phone using the method outlined in this thread here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1771687
I used odin to flash the 4.1.2 T-Mobile image and I stopped at the part that said "If you just want a stock, rooted phone with no custom recovery, no plans to flash custom roms, etc. then you can stop HERE" because I only wanted root so I could fix the keyboard bug (keyboard would revert to stock one after resets).
So my question is, can I update to 4.3 via the OTA update that is in the About Device > Software Update section in the phone? Looking elsewhere the official instructions say that the phone should not be rooted before updating. If so, can I get rid of the root in order to update? (As far as I know, the keyboard bug doesn't exist in 4.3 anyway so I don't think I need the root anymore). If not, how can I update to 4.3?
Lastly, and somewhat unrelated, can I use the factory data reset in the Back up and reset section of the settings? Previously in my experience with roms, this would lead to a boot loop but I'm not sure if that is the case with this so-called rooted stock rom.
Thanks in advance.
You can use OTA RootKeeper to temporarily disable Root so that you will receive the update. Or you could also visit the Root66 thread you have linked. There you will see Rooted version of the 4.3 update.
Having said that, You will want to Research the consequences of the 4.3 Stock update. In particular you wish to research the consequences of CIQ, KNOX and the new EFuse Bootloader.
I am by no means an expert but I figure I just did this so it may help you out. I updated my phone to 4.3 accidentally on purpose and then I decided to root my phone like the next day. I used Mr Robinson's method and then used his third method to download the ROM manager and install CWM Recovery and then I put Cyanogen on it. I have not had any issues except the app Trailer Addict doesn't work with it but that is not a big issue. I have everything else that I wanted and more. I don't care about the flash counter since I am not under warranty. Oh and you can use Titanium Backup to back up your apps. I didn't do this the first time so I had to back up from Kies 3 by dragging files onto my SD card and not all worked. I hope I helped a little.

SM-P600

Hi All
Let me start with few good things here You guys are amazing helping and providing tweaks for us:good:
I am Nexus user. I have Installed Custom Recovery, Flashed ROMs and rooted my Nexus 4 and Nexus 5. This is my First Samsung Tablet. I have waited enough for Nexus 10 (2). I finally bought SM-P600.
I was trying to find an Guide with links for Unlocking bootloader and Updating firmware and then flash Custom recovery for this but coudnt figure it out
I have been reading lots of things about Knox and counters related to it.
Can anyone Please help me find answers straight.
1) Any Rooting and Custom Recovery tools or ADB commands without Hitting the KNOX counter {Just In case IF I wanted to return it} If not then which one you recommend ?
By the Way I found few posts related to Rooting Which has confused me more. I used to use Chainfire SUROOT:
Rooting using CF-AUTO Root
Universal Root de la Vega
2) If I Root and want to use Stock ROM of SM-P600 will all apps work normally or any known issues with it ?
3) Is Odin any tool which everyone is taking about ? I am not sure about it Can you provide any links to its dev for more info. Found it about in a Post to return to STOCK ?
4) Are these ROMS and apps Odexed or Deodexed ROM?
5) Any Dependencies for Firmware and with any of the above questions. I mean In Universal Root I saw they were talking about certain version of firmware. Also Should I update the latest firmware and do a Nandriod backup ?
6) Also read that once KNOX counter goes up, I wont get any OTA ? My Plan is I will use it till next Nexus and will give it to parents with stock ROM. If I am using I can always use an Custom Rom and get updates. But for parents I want to return it to stock so that they can easily update when OTA is available.
I would like to make one more suggestion to MOD's Please Pin the Guides like the Rooting and stuff like Return to Stock which are quite common and useful so that its easy for newbies( aka for Samsung) like me.
Thanks
Zaib.
1. This is not really a single question with a single answer I think vaguely what you are asking is if you can root without tripping knox?
Nope. Not at this time.
2. If you use CF-Auto-Root you'll likely find that the vast majority of applications keep working without issue. Of those that don't, a handful you can manage back to a working state with various tweaks, but there are a few that are probably gone for good. You can basically kiss all the Samsung hub apps goodbye, these will start claiming they are not supported in your country even if they were working perfectly prior to rooting, some may continue working for a short time after but eventually something leaks and your access is cut. Screen mirroring will no longer work though this can be fixed with a small zip file flash. OTA updates are also gone.
Forget all the talk about 'triangle away' fixing any of this, it hasn't for me.
3. Odin is a tool that is able to flash firmware files or parts thereof to your device. Heimdall is an alternative suite of applications, while there is a GUI for it, it seems fairly hit and miss on Linux these days, I've never had much luck with it, on the other hand the command line tools work perfectly fine.
Once you trip Knox, there's no turning back! You won't lose your warranty in any meaningful way, but you may end up having to argue about it and drag in government regulators to get your tablet repaired free of charge depending on the dealer response.
4. I don't think this is particularly relevant to the SM-P600. My subjective opinion would be to stick with the bog standard Samsung ROM. If you want cool themes there are a multitude of launchers, Xposed takes care most other things you might ever care to tweak.
5. You have one choice. CF-Auto-Root. Backups are healthy.
6. True, but you'll still be able to flash via Odin so it doesn't really mean much of anything. Once you trip Knox, you can also kiss OTA updates goodbye as well.
What to do
My tab crash while flashing twrp
A.ratyan said:
What to do
My tab crash while flashing twrp
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How are you flashing TWRP, through recovery or Odin?

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