LOS17.1 + recovery: how to create a full backup without root and without TWRP?

LOS17.1 + recovery: how to create a full backup without root and without TWRP? - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

LOS 17.1 is now available and developers say that LOS's own recovery is going to be the preferred recovery.
Last year Google announced that adb is very likely to be removed soon.
Those two statements brings up an important question: how can users create a full backup of their devices **without** having to root them in order to make backup apps work?
I am not talking about backing up pictures, media, calendars or address books, there are plenty of ways to do this without root access. I am talking about a full backup, including the whole system partition and user data. TWRP was an excellent tool for this job: a backup could be created any time, any where, completely independent whether a PC was near or not. You could even write the backup directly onto a USB storage, and the phone could always be restored as well any where and any time.
That is a feature that I miss very much in LOS's own recovery and to my opinion this is an issue that needs to be solved.
Will this feature be added to LOS recovery in the (near) future? Or are there any other solutions to do a full backup without the need for root access?

dvdram said:
LOS 17.1 is now available and developers say that LOS's own recovery is going to be the preferred recovery.
Last year Google announced that adb is very likely to be removed soon.
Those two statements brings up an important question: how can users create a full backup of their devices **without** having to root them in order to make backup apps work?
I am not talking about backing up pictures, media, calendars or address books, there are plenty of ways to do this without root access. I am talking about a full backup, including the whole system partition and user data. TWRP was an excellent tool for this job: a backup could be created any time, any where, completely independent whether a PC was near or not. You could even write the backup directly onto a USB storage, and the phone could always be restored as well any where and any time.
That is a feature that I miss very much in LOS's own recovery and to my opinion this is an issue that needs to be solved.
Will this feature be added to LOS recovery in the (near) future? Or are there any other solutions to do a full backup without the need for root access?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Making a complete system backup requires root and/or custom recovery, period.
That is he way it is, you can't change that. There are no alternatives.
Sent from my SM-S767VL using Tapatalk

Droidriven said:
Making a complete system backup requires root and/or custom recovery, period.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pardon me, but that is a very harsh answer to a seriously asked question of common interest.
"We take security very seriously"...
Do you know where these words are written?
Maybe you'd like to try looking at this issue this way:
Many users who install LOS, are doing this because of security reasons. Imagine some of these users having bad luck and their phones get compromised by some bogus apps. And then they read an answer like this, telling them nothing different than: sorry, we can't and we won't help you!
And know imagine this:
Users can create snapshots or images of their running systems, with all of their apps included, as well as all necessary accounts, logins and passwords. When the "impossible thing" happens to a device running LOS, they have the option to restore the complete system without having to do a factory reset and without having to reinstall each and every app and the corresponding accounts.
What do you think, which one would please the users of your product more: an answer with an attitude like that one above, or the second possibility?
Furthermore: I was not bagging you to include this possibility. I was asking how this kind of back up could be made in the future, when TWRP won't work with Android 10, and when Google will remove adb. And frankly, I don't see why a recovery made by LOS should not be able to do a task that a third party recovery is capable of. If TWRP developers can put together such a piece of code, I am sure LOS developers should be able to do so as well.
Another possibility would be to reverse Google's decision and to keep adb.
So, from my perspective, there are at least two possible ways of dealing with this. But I am a user, not a developer, and I don't know if or why any one of these possibilities is a bad idea, or if there are really serious arguments against it, or whatever pro or con there might be. I simply don't know about these things and that's why I was asking about it. I am a user who doesn't like having to do a complete re-installation after a crash. And I am pretty sure that I am not the only user with this kind of antipathy.
A polite answer to the question would have included at least a glimpse of explanation why this and why not that.. And an open minded developer would have even cared to discuss about this.

dvdram said:
Pardon me, but that is a very harsh answer to a seriously asked question of common interest.
"We take security very seriously"...
Do you know where these words are written?
Maybe you'd like to try looking at this issue this way:
Many users who install LOS, are doing this because of security reasons. Imagine some of these users having bad luck and their phones get compromised by some bogus apps. And then they read an answer like this, telling them nothing different than: sorry, we can't and we won't help you!
And know imagine this:
Users can create snapshots or images of their running systems, with all of their apps included, as well as all necessary accounts, logins and passwords. When the "impossible thing" happens to a device running LOS, they have the option to restore the complete system without having to do a factory reset and without having to reinstall each and every app and the corresponding accounts.
What do you think, which one would please the users of your product more: an answer with an attitude like that one above, or the second possibility?
Furthermore: I was not bagging you to include this possibility. I was asking how this kind of back up could be made in the future, when TWRP won't work with Android 10, and when Google will remove adb. And frankly, I don't see why a recovery made by LOS should not be able to do a task that a third party recovery is capable of. If TWRP developers can put together such a piece of code, I am sure LOS developers should be able to do so as well.
Another possibility would be to reverse Google's decision and to keep adb.
So, from my perspective, there are at least two possible ways of dealing with this. But I am a user, not a developer, and I don't know if or why any one of these possibilities is a bad idea, or if there are really serious arguments against it, or whatever pro or con there might be. I simply don't know about these things and that's why I was asking about it. I am a user who doesn't like having to do a complete re-installation after a crash. And I am pretty sure that I am not the only user with this kind of antipathy.
A polite answer to the question would have included at least a glimpse of explanation why this and why not that.. And an open minded developer would have even cared to discuss about this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your reaction is a very butt-hurt reaction for a question that has been asked AND has been answered many times on this website and could have easily been found by you if you had searched.
Unless, of course, you did search and you did read where it has been answered before and, for whatever reason, you mistakenly thought that you would get a different answer just because you needed it to.
My point was, there is no way to access system partition or data partition without root. This forum is full of posts from other users asking the same thing, they all got the same answer, it can't be done without root or TWRP. Android just does not work that way, it has a linux kernel, which means, everything requires specific permissions and it is not in the best interests of OEM/carriers to allow access to /system and /data that easily and there is no way to give you "limited" access that only allows you to backup the /system and /data. There is only full permissions or none and they will not allow full permissions to the user.
That is entirely the whole point of people like us that find ways of rooting devices and installing custom recovery in the first place, because it is the ONLY way we can access /system and /data to make backups or modifications.
As for your thoughts of whether there will be a "new" way of making backups if adb and TWRP are no longer viable options....
Who knows? None of us will know until that time comes. We will all just have to wait and see if any takes the time to develop a new method.
Sent from my SM-S767VL using Tapatalk

dvdram said:
...
Last year Google announced that adb is very likely to be removed soon.
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android Debug Bridge (ADB) is a Server - Client pair software
ADB Server runs in the Android device
ADB Client runs in Windows / Linux / Mac iOS
ADB completely is open source. Hence everyone can grab the source code and compile it matching the target Android OS / computer OS. Manufacturers like Samsung & ZTE actually already provide their build of ADB Client suitable to their Android devices: they don't recommend to make use of universal ADB Client that floats around the WEB.
AFAIK Google announced to remove backup / restore feature from ADB Client, not ADB at whole.

jwoegerbauer said:
Android Debug Bridge (ADB) is a Server - Client pair software
ADB Server runs in the Android device
ADB Client runs in Windows / Linux / Mac iOS
ADB completely is open source. Hence everyone can grab the source code and compile it matching the target Android OS / computer OS. Manufacturers like Samsung & ZTE actually already provide their build of ADB Client suitable to their Android devices: they don't recommend to make use of universal ADB Client that floats around the WEB.
AFAIK Google announced to remove backup / restore feature from ADB Client, not ADB at whole.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I can't see Google completely removing adb, it is too valuable of a tool for development even for the stuff the carriers and their developers do on their end. Removing it would be like building cars and engines but completely disallowing the production or use of tools to assemble/disassemble the cars or engines.
Sent from my SM-S767VL using Tapatalk

Droidriven said:
My point was, there is no way to access system partition or data partition without root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that and I understand that. I've been using Linux on my private and on my working machines for at least 30 years now, and I know about permissions. And I also understand that there are good reasons for not rooting an Android device.
But that is not the point here.
I am and I always was talking about the recovery here, not the running LOS system, that you run every day to make any use of your phone at all. From my point of view, as a Linux user, booting into recovery is like taking a secondary boot device, eg a USB memory, and starting another Linux system that is completely independent of the one that my PC is running in normal cases. Using this secondary Linux I can do anything to the system and the hard drive that I want, regardless of permissions. I can re-install the boot manager, I can copy or delete files, I can repair the file system, and, most important: I can create images and snapshots of the system that will serve as an lifeline, a certain point in time that I can return to if it should become necessary.
My question was and still is, why a custom recovery like TWRP can include this function, but the recovery made by LOS can or will not do so, or if there is a chance that the LOS recovery will include this function in the future.
Again: I am not talking (and I never was) about making root available in LOS.

@dvdram
...
My question was and still is, why a custom recovery like TWRP can include this function, but the recovery made by LOS can or will not do so, or if there is a chance that the LOS recovery will include this function in the future.
....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wondering why you don't ask this question to the developers of LineageOS?

jwoegerbauer said:
@dvdram
Wondering why you don't ask this question to the developers of LineageOS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Silly me! I actually believed there would be developers reading this forum. How could I mistaken this statement on the starting page:
"XDA Developers was founded by developers, for developers."
I guess the word "developers" must have another meaning than I have always believed. Thank you for showing me my wrong!

Related

Temporary root access to install unsigned software?

Forgive my ignorance, but ive never used android before and expecting my phone delivered tomorrow (htc hero! )
As i understand it, the android app store signs the apps similar to iphones itunes store to prevent piracy and malware.
Is this correct?
Ive read about how one can "root" the device by loading a image file thru the bootloader over usb, but i wonder, is there a sudo command or similar to temporarily enable root access and later return to default state?
I suppose i could flash it with the root image, install the app and then flash back the default os image, but that feels pretty awkward procedure and would probably raise a bunch of new problems as how the default os would launch the app installed under another os.
I was hoping to start tinkering with programming, but im unsure if i can "throw in the app" and expect it to work..?
After using mac´s for over 20 years ive become too used to stuff just working right out of the box, so i dont feel like experimenting on my own...

There is an option in the settings that lets you install unsigned apps, so no rooting required.

xarvox said:
As i understand it, the android app store signs the apps similar to iphones itunes store to prevent piracy and malware.
Is this correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not exactly! Many paid apps are copy protected, but most of the free ones are not. Unlike the iPhone, where you can only install "unauthorized" apps if you jail break the device, Android allows you to install and run applications from a variety of sources on a stock device.
In essence, you do not need to root the device to develop for it, but there are certain things that applications can only be done on a rooted device (for example, receiving a file via Bluetooth, WiFi tethering etc).
I was hoping to start tinkering with programming, but im unsure if i can "throw in the app" and expect it to work..?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, programming errors aside ( ), and as long as you don't need to do anything that requires root privileges, yes you can. You should bear in mind that the *vast* majority of Android devices will not have been rooted, and therefore the vast majority of available applications do not require rooted phones.
Personally, I expect that later Android builds will remove many of the restrictions that require applications to have root access, so that they can function without requiring a device to be rooted.
Regards,
Dave

Ive found a app that would tether my laptop (mac) over wifi, but requires me to root the device.
Is there a way to temporarily do this, install the app and make the neccisary changes and then switch back to default state?

I don't believe so.
As far as I'm aware, the application requires the elevated privileges when it runs as opposed to just configuration changes. I don't think that even a setuid would help, since I believe the app expects to find and use su/sudo.
Regards,
Dave

Advantages of rooting

What Is Rooting?
First, for the newbies, let me clarify what rooting is. Getting root or rooting your phone is the process of modifying the operating system on your device to grant you complete control over it.
This means you can overcome limitations that the carriers and manufacturers put on your phone, extend system functionality, and even upgrade it to a custom flavor of Android.
The name root comes from the Linux operating system world, where the most privileged user on the system (otherwise known as Administrator on Windows) is called root.
Now, I’d like to take a moment to dispel a common misconception and clarify one thing: rooting does *not* mean installing a custom ROM (a ROM is a modified, "aftermarket" OS).
Installing a ROM may require rooting first, but just rooting can be done in only a few minutes, keeping your stock OS otherwise completely intact.
Usually rooting is fairly simple – in most cases you can find several videos and articles on the web that explain how to do it on your specific phone model – just Google "YOURPHONEMODEL root".
Rooting is not something manufacturers or carriers approve of but they can’t really prevent it from happening because the rooting process usually exploits a vulnerability in the operating system code or device drivers and allows the "hacker" to upload a special program called "su" to the phone. This program, not present or requiring a password by default, is the one that provides root access to programs that request it.
Now an obligatory warning: rooting your phone does run the risk of potentially bricking it (i.e. your phone could become nonfunctional) – so do your homework before attempting anything, unless you’re a fan of $500 paper weights.
Benefits Of Rooting
Let’s check out some of the benefits of rooting your Android phone.
Full Control Over Android
You have access to alter any system files, use themes, change boot images, delete annoying stock apps, such as Sprint’s NFL Mobile live and Nascar Sprint Cup Mobile, and other various native applications that might drive you crazy (Footprints, Voice Dialer, etc).
There is plenty of information on the web on how to accomplish this. Here is one example with instructions and some apps you can remove safely.
Back Up The System
On most rooted Android devices, you can back up your entire system to an SD card, much in the same way you can image a hard drive. This is great if you’d like to try a new ROM, as you can back up your phone, wipe it completely, flash the new ROM, and if you don’t like it, you can just restore from your backup and your phone will be exactly how it was before you wiped it.
The easiest way to do this at the moment is by using ‘Rom Manager’ (easily installable from the Android Market), developed by famed Android developer Koush.
Rom Manager allows you to easily flash a custom recovery image which is what you will need in order to backup and restore your phone. The recovery image is a special program that can be booted into outside of the phone’s main operating system, sort of like the BIOS on a PC. By default, the recovery image on most Android phones only gives you a few options, mainly related to wiping the phone. Custom recovery images expand upon these options and usually include scripts that can do things like fix your file permissions, or allow you to flash custom ROM’s that the normal recovery image would otherwise reject.
Normally, flashing a custom recovery image requires some command line work, either on your PC, or on a terminal emulator directly on the phone, but Koush’s Rom Manager should automatically flash his custom recovery image (known as ClockworkMod Recovery) for you, provided you’re on one of the phones listed below.
In order to use Rom Manager, you’ll need to make sure you’re using one of the supported devices, and that it is already rooted. Here is the list, as of today:
HTC Droid Eris (CDMA), AKA: Verizon Droid Eris
HTC Hero (GSM)
HTC Hero (CDMA), AKA: Sprint Hero
HTC Dream, AKA: T-Mobile G1
HTC Passion, AKA: Google Nexus One
HTC Magic (Sapphire 32A)
HTC MyTouch/Ion (Sapphire 32B)
Motorola Droid/Milestone
Using Rom Manager is pretty simple. Download and install the application from the market, fire it up, and you’ll be prompted with a disclaimer. If you’re feeling brave, go ahead and hit continue. You’ll be prompted to allow the application superuser permissions during this process – make sure you allow it access.
The first thing you’ll need to do is flash the ClockworkMod recovery image that I mentioned earlier, which can be done right in the app (it’s the first option). Rom Manager should automatically find the latest version of the right image for your phone, download, and install it – the whole process is seamless.
After that is done, you can simply use the ‘Manage and Restore Backups’, and ‘Backup current ROM’ options to, well, backup your current ROM or restore from an existing backup. It’s that simple!
At Android Police, we always encourage supporting developers, so please check out Rom Manager Premium if you enjoyed the free version!
Save Space On Your Phone
Move cache data to SD card
Moving cache data makes for a speedy system. Rooting allows you to save things like browser cache to your SD card to free up space. Its not too complicated a process, but does take a bit of skill. XDA Developer’s have instructions posted on their forum if you want to tackle the task, it is definitely worth it.
Move installed applications to SD card
Moving and storing apps on internal memory can significantly slow your device down. If you root, you can avoid that completely.
The easiest way to move applications to your SD card would be to flash a custom ROM that just does it for you (using an app called Apps2SD) – Cyanogen ROM is always a good choice.

Wow ! I'm more than confused now. I've been reading in this forum for 3 months now. And still consider my self a newbie. I don't think this post will help out some noobs like me. Sorry I had to say.
Sent from my LG-P500h using XDA App

Excellent post. Very helpful to a n00b like me. Thanks a lot.
Sent from my LG-P500 using Tapatalk

@marty.....this post s for the beginners those who dono abt the concept of rooting and it may be helping to them....not for u...thanks for reading my post
Sent from my LG-P500 using XDA App

Sorry, but I never flashed a rom before reading your post. Just did it 3 days ago And from reading a lot of posts, rom manager can go wrong installing clockworkmod. I don't know why. So as a beginner, I don't think going this way to instal a recovery was a good idea. But that's my point of view.
I bricked my first O1 with KDZ for downgrading. And surprise...the post I red was not complete and bricked my phone with is method.
All I want from this is to make sure people read more before trying anything considered easy for others. From reading a lot, I never had any problem since and know exactly what I'm doing.
peace...
Sent from my LG-P500 using XDA App

I'm welcoming your good thought from saving others from bricking their phone.....i just wanted to share some info about the concept of rooting for the new users and wanted them to know wat the android is capable of doing.......cheers up man.............
Sent from my LG-P500 using XDA App

U're right.
i bricked my phone last night . thanks to ROM MANAGER
but u can always recovery ur phone.. I wrote a short guide -
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1102694
I'm a NOOB too

Actually, I recommend people rooting and take the advantages on low-ended phones, such as our O1.
because the performance offered, is really really bad and we need a better tweak of a low-priced phone.
if you are satisfied with a high-ended phone, remember, DONT ROOT IT!

I dnt agree mate. I believe that rooting and installing custom roms are for further improving the performance of high-ended phones.. my bro owns xperia x10i.. but the default firmware literally sucks. This is why high ended phones need rooting too

Also, now a days, rooting and flashing are highly fashionable things in the android phone world. In this android fashion shows like Google I/O, We need our phones to walk the ramp in a new sexy dress frequently. So body building (performance boost) and makeover (a new rom/theme) is the need of the hour nowadays.
So be ready to walk the ramp. Start bodybuilding, do a makeover and be called a hunk.
Otherwise remain feminine.
Sent from my LG-P500 using Tapatalk

lekhwani said:
Also, now a days, rooting and flashing are highly fashionable things in the android phone world. In this android fashion shows like Google I/O, We need our phones to walk the ramp in a new sexy dress frequently. So body building (performance boost) and makeover (a new rom/theme) is the need of the hour nowadays.
So be ready to walk the ramp. Start bodybuilding, do a makeover and be called a hunk.
Otherwise remain feminine.
Sent from my LG-P500 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah abs true mate

Personally, I've never felt prettier.

shankesh said:
What Is Rooting?
First, for the newbies, let me clarify what rooting is. Getting root or rooting your phone is the process of modifying the operating system on your device to grant you complete control over it.
This means you can overcome limitations that the carriers and manufacturers put on your phone, extend system functionality, and even upgrade it to a custom flavor of Android.
The name root comes from the Linux operating system world, where the most privileged user on the system (otherwise known as Administrator on Windows) is called root.
Now, I’d like to take a moment to dispel a common misconception and clarify one thing: rooting does *not* mean installing a custom ROM (a ROM is a modified, "aftermarket" OS).
Installing a ROM may require rooting first, but just rooting can be done in only a few minutes, keeping your stock OS otherwise completely intact.
Usually rooting is fairly simple – in most cases you can find several videos and articles on the web that explain how to do it on your specific phone model – just Google "YOURPHONEMODEL root".
Rooting is not something manufacturers or carriers approve of but they can’t really prevent it from happening because the rooting process usually exploits a vulnerability in the operating system code or device drivers and allows the "hacker" to upload a special program called "su" to the phone. This program, not present or requiring a password by default, is the one that provides root access to programs that request it.
Now an obligatory warning: rooting your phone does run the risk of potentially bricking it (i.e. your phone could become nonfunctional) – so do your homework before attempting anything, unless you’re a fan of $500 paper weights.
Benefits Of Rooting
Let’s check out some of the benefits of rooting your Android phone.
Full Control Over Android
You have access to alter any system files, use themes, change boot images, delete annoying stock apps, such as Sprint’s NFL Mobile live and Nascar Sprint Cup Mobile, and other various native applications that might drive you crazy (Footprints, Voice Dialer, etc).
There is plenty of information on the web on how to accomplish this. Here is one example with instructions and some apps you can remove safely.
Back Up The System
On most rooted Android devices, you can back up your entire system to an SD card, much in the same way you can image a hard drive. This is great if you’d like to try a new ROM, as you can back up your phone, wipe it completely, flash the new ROM, and if you don’t like it, you can just restore from your backup and your phone will be exactly how it was before you wiped it.
The easiest way to do this at the moment is by using ‘Rom Manager’ (easily installable from the Android Market), developed by famed Android developer Koush.
Rom Manager allows you to easily flash a custom recovery image which is what you will need in order to backup and restore your phone. The recovery image is a special program that can be booted into outside of the phone’s main operating system, sort of like the BIOS on a PC. By default, the recovery image on most Android phones only gives you a few options, mainly related to wiping the phone. Custom recovery images expand upon these options and usually include scripts that can do things like fix your file permissions, or allow you to flash custom ROM’s that the normal recovery image would otherwise reject.
Normally, flashing a custom recovery image requires some command line work, either on your PC, or on a terminal emulator directly on the phone, but Koush’s Rom Manager should automatically flash his custom recovery image (known as ClockworkMod Recovery) for you, provided you’re on one of the phones listed below.
In order to use Rom Manager, you’ll need to make sure you’re using one of the supported devices, and that it is already rooted. Here is the list, as of today:
HTC Droid Eris (CDMA), AKA: Verizon Droid Eris
HTC Hero (GSM)
HTC Hero (CDMA), AKA: Sprint Hero
HTC Dream, AKA: T-Mobile G1
HTC Passion, AKA: Google Nexus One
HTC Magic (Sapphire 32A)
HTC MyTouch/Ion (Sapphire 32B)
Motorola Droid/Milestone
Using Rom Manager is pretty simple. Download and install the application from the market, fire it up, and you’ll be prompted with a disclaimer. If you’re feeling brave, go ahead and hit continue. You’ll be prompted to allow the application superuser permissions during this process – make sure you allow it access.
The first thing you’ll need to do is flash the ClockworkMod recovery image that I mentioned earlier, which can be done right in the app (it’s the first option). Rom Manager should automatically find the latest version of the right image for your phone, download, and install it – the whole process is seamless.
After that is done, you can simply use the ‘Manage and Restore Backups’, and ‘Backup current ROM’ options to, well, backup your current ROM or restore from an existing backup. It’s that simple!
At Android Police, we always encourage supporting developers, so please check out Rom Manager Premium if you enjoyed the free version!
Save Space On Your Phone
Move cache data to SD card
Moving cache data makes for a speedy system. Rooting allows you to save things like browser cache to your SD card to free up space. Its not too complicated a process, but does take a bit of skill. XDA Developer’s have instructions posted on their forum if you want to tackle the task, it is definitely worth it.
Move installed applications to SD card
Moving and storing apps on internal memory can significantly slow your device down. If you root, you can avoid that completely.
The easiest way to move applications to your SD card would be to flash a custom ROM that just does it for you (using an app called Apps2SD) – Cyanogen ROM is always a good choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are using copy/paste method, at least please:
1) Post link of source text (http://www.androidpolice.com/2010/0...top-5-benefits-of-rooting-your-android-phone/)
2) Do some formating for better reading
3) It should be normal ask for approve before posting
You are lucky men, that ROM manager works now, because it is not so long, that it didn't work. In past it completely screw up our device. Now it working fine, because it have proper custom ROM loaded into it.
Thanks.

damn good !
Hi ! appreciate a lot your post and this helps me so well migrating from wm to android using now my wildfire !!!

How to verify integrity of installed android image?

Greeting's, I would like to know if there's a way to verify android installation (or image, i'm unsure on which is the correct reference; pardon me.). I own a Nexus 5 (32GB) and my phone recently received 5.1 update. Update process finished normally, there was a reboot and the standard optimizing app's screen. Few days later, when I rebooted my phone; the same optimizing apps process started. I had checked that my 5.1 update was to build LMY47I and there is no further update to this build. At this point, I am bit concerned as to - 1) Why the optimizing application process started? 2) While I did google around a bit, I did not find any definitive way to check integrity of installed android image.
I'm a information security architect and almost all OS's have a way to verify its installed integrity. Windows for PC's have sigverif and SFC commands. Traditional BIOS is being replaced with UEFI which helps verify and maintain boot cycle integrity.
So, in android is there such process or tools or commands to verify integrity of installation?
Thanking you in anticipation,
Parth Maniar

It is doing it because something wiped the cache. There is no way to check at the moment. If it doesn't install properly then it will kernel panic and not boot at all.

zelendel, thank you very much for your reply. I personally did not wipe the cache partition. Also, will this occur every time cache partition is wiped? Because I've at times manually wiped the cache partition but application optimization has never started. Is there a logging mechanism to check why this was invoked? Is there a way I can enable, disable or control logging parameters? For example - In a PC environment, I can log all network traffic using syslog standard or enable logging using group policy in windows. Does android have any such option?
Please don't mind my questioning and don't let that make you feel that I'm doubting your answer. I am just trying to learn. I would like to once again thank you for your prompt answer.
Parth Maniar.

ParthManiar said:
zelendel, thank you very much for your reply. I personally did not wipe the cache partition. Also, will this occur every time cache partition is wiped? Because I've at times manually wiped the cache partition but application optimization has never started. Is there a logging mechanism to check why this was invoked? Is there a way I can enable, disable or control logging parameters? For example - In a PC environment, I can log all network traffic using syslog standard or enable logging using group policy in windows. Does android have any such option?
Please don't mind my questioning and don't let that make you feel that I'm doubting your answer. I am just trying to learn. I would like to once again thank you for your prompt answer.
Parth Maniar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As to why it happened I am not sure. I normally happens when the delvic cache partition its self is wiped. There are some tools that might help with what happened. You could look into logcats and last_kmsg HERE is a great tut on them that might help. There are also a few on device apps like catlog and a few others that might help.
Oh no not at all. I understand completely where you are coming from. Most of the error logging is done in a linux setup and not on device or windows really. It also depends on the device and the distro of android your using.

I'm currently using stock androind (AOSP) on my Nexus 5. One of the reason's that I've never tried running other android built is mainly my lack of understanding. Not that I know how AOSP works but I feel tad bit secure knowing it's the official build. Like your signature say's "Security is an illusion".
I would love to play around with Android but where would you suggest is the best and safest way to start, from the perspective of a clean restore. For example - PC's have virtual environments where I can do testing or even trying to break a software just to learn how it works. What kind of process or tools are used for android.
I have one more question (Pardon me for the question parade ) but how does one verify tools posted on Internet which deal with reseting firmware or even factory flags. I have tried on a test phone resetting LG flag for tampered. I had manually flashed the phone with android 5.0 image which required unlocking the bootloader. So to ensure I can claim warranty i used the temper reset tool. While I truly appreciate the author(s) of that particular and such other tools which assist "hackers" (this would be the correct use of the word) immensely. How can one be sure that no malware code is present.
If you've ever researched on this - There are couple of companies out there giving tools (software) for complete control of the phone. Most of them excel at giving features for Android. While that scares me, it also gives an opportunity to learn on detection and remediation.

ParthManiar said:
I'm currently using stock androind (AOSP) on my Nexus 5. One of the reason's that I've never tried running other android built is mainly my lack of understanding. Not that I know how AOSP works but I feel tad bit secure knowing it's the official build. Like your signature say's "Security is an illusion".
I would love to play around with Android but where would you suggest is the best and safest way to start, from the perspective of a clean restore. For example - PC's have virtual environments where I can do testing or even trying to break a software just to learn how it works. What kind of process or tools are used for android.
I have one more question (Pardon me for the question parade ) but how does one verify tools posted on Internet which deal with reseting firmware or even factory flags. I have tried on a test phone resetting LG flag for tampered. I had manually flashed the phone with android 5.0 image which required unlocking the bootloader. So to ensure I can claim warranty i used the temper reset tool. While I truly appreciate the author(s) of that particular and such other tools which assist "hackers" (this would be the correct use of the word) immensely. How can one be sure that no malware code is present.
If you've ever researched on this - There are couple of companies out there giving tools (software) for complete control of the phone. Most of them excel at giving features for Android. While that scares me, it also gives an opportunity to learn on detection and remediation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could use a live disc and run Linux which would allow you all the great tools. I would start with the android SDK which allows for virtual devices. I have a dual partition set up to boot up linux so I can download all the source code and go from there. As you have a nexus you have almost complete freedom in that aspect. When dealing with devices like LG, HTC or the worst being Samsung it gets alot harder dealing with resetting flags. They are working harder and harder to lock things like this down. Now that Samsung has given alot of the Knox code to google for use in the base AOSP code it will get harder. Alot of the newer devices with knox cant even have the bootloader unlocked.
As for being sure there is no malware included that gets a bit harder. Most rely on a good malware software. I can not attest to any as I dont use any of that myself, I am just very careful with what I download. Any company that is giving away software that claims to allow you to completely control a device is bound to have some sort of malware involved. I have seen a few and alot of them have ransom ware deeply embedded in them.

Thank you very much again, zelendel. I wanted to correct or better explain what I already mentioned. I was referring to companies which offer hacking services .. I've had couple of run downs with them and they "sell" products, with capabilities well beyond general publishing. I wanted to learn on how to counter them. Sadly, I'm not a programmer and downloading source code will help me little. But i will still setup as you've mentioned. What linux distro do you use? I hate multi boot with UEFI especially since i use a FDE product. Ah, the fun of setting up a lab.
Thank you very much again. Journey in Android begins now.
PS: Have you used any other android build except the AOSP? I would like your take on that too.

ParthManiar said:
Thank you very much again, zelendel. I wanted to correct or better explain what I already mentioned. I was referring to companies which offer hacking services .. I've had couple of run downs with them and they "sell" products, with capabilities well beyond general publishing. I wanted to learn on how to counter them. Sadly, I'm not a programmer and downloading source code will help me little. But i will still setup as you've mentioned. What linux distro do you use? I hate multi boot with UEFI especially since i use a FDE product. Ah, the fun of setting up a lab.
Thank you very much again. Journey in Android begins now.
PS: Have you used any other android build except the AOSP? I would like your take on that too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally Use Ubuntu as it is the supported android building setup. It was easy to setup and use for a Linux noob like I was. Oh God I know what you mean with UEFI.
As for countering them. The easiest way would be to pay attention to what gets root access. This would be the only way they could really do anything major. Mainly with the new sandboxing in android 5.1
I have used just about every distro of android available. I have used OEM Roms like HTC Sense, Samsung Touchwiz. I have used all of the AOSP based roms. CM, Slim, AICP, DU (my current), PA. I now avoid CM based builds and stick to builds that work off of AOSP instead of CM based. This is due not only to the companies BS stand on removing Google from android but they have a bad habit of treating others like trash and merging untested code which can cause issues like the recent string of nexus 6 bricks.

Is it Possible to Fully Format Partition and install drivers, OS etc. on Xperia Z2?

Hello,
I've been wondering if it is possible to fully format the hard drive on my Z2?
I've had my Z2 for a while and I've been picking compounding software errors from previous bad updates, installs etc.
One for example, before I rooted and unlocked my bootloader, I received an update and my camera stopped working because I denied Google play permission to the camera. I've tested the phone on various OS and Kernel installs and the camera is still working, in fact it doesn't shut down, but it is inaccessible because some file somewhere where I can’t reset the permissions.
I’ve also had various other software errors compromising my screen, battery etc. The same errors tend to keep popping up and it doesn’t matter whether I am running stock or customised kernels and OS’.
Like I said, I was wondering if it would be possible to completely format the hard drive and start with a blank slate, so to speak, where I can reinstall everything from the drivers the phone needs to the Kernel and OS of my choice.
I would really like if someone could please tell me where to start and maybe how this could be done.
Thanks for checking out this post.

Well I would say your suggestion is good but well, in fact, there are some tens of partition on our phone eMMC. Some can be accessible via normal user and root user, such as /data and /system; however there are also some partitions that are hidden from the users and only the manufacturer have the keys and tools to access it, for instance /loader, /fotakernel. So the only way to perform your tasks is to apply for a job at SONY or Qualcomm and use their bunch of development tools.

Thanks for the help.
The Z2 is a great phone unfortunately I don’t like it enough to work for Sony unless I could get a job as one of their very sarcastic and unhelpful ‘specialists’ on one of their forums.

Eddy-Pooh said:
Thanks for the help.
The Z2 is a great phone unfortunately I don’t like it enough to work for Sony unless I could get a job as one of their very sarcastic and unhelpful ‘specialists’ on one of their forums.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well you're already halway there......

You can semi-natively run linux on your phone via Linux Deploy app
It uses the phones own kernel
If you're thinking of windows then thats not realy doable unless via x86 emulation
Sent from my E6653 using XDA-Developers mobile app

A lost beginner looking for privacy and control

Hello,
I recently acquired a Sony Z5C, planning on switching to LineageOS sooner or later, but the android tweking world is way more complex than I initially imagined. I am mostly concerned about privacy and control but there is so much to go through I am completely lost. I thought it was all about running either Sony's rom or the lineageos rom but there seems to be a lot more to take into account.
What I am looking for:
getting rid of Sony's annoying bloatware
getting rid of Google Play Services
automatic or semi automatic security updates
fine tuning of application permissions (including ability to deny specific apps access to, say, my location, contact list, camera, internet, sms, without the apps noticing they have been denied access in the first place)
ads and trackers blocking (for instance global or per-application blacklisting of known "evil" domains)
being able to restore everything as it was when I purchased the phone
f-droid begin able to download and install updates without manual intervention
as little side effects as possible resulting from the deletion of the Google Play Services
Icing on the cake:
no loss in camera quality (I read somewhere it is sometimes possible to use image-enhancing algorithms despite having deleted the required DRM keys)
no loss in gps accuracy
same battery life (or better)
encompassing all data traffic of specific apps through tor or another technology preserving distant services from identifying me and my mobile network operator from knowing I access said services
Questions:
What is the difference between opengapps and microg? How does it relate with lineage? At which point in the installation process is it involved?
What are the consequences of rooting the device?
What is the purpose of so called "Magisk"? I read it "changes everything" but I have no idea what "everythin" was. As far as I understand, it is useful to fake a genuine configuration that have not been tempered with in order to use Google Pay or some games. I do not seem to care about that: should I? Is there more to know?
Most important question: in your opinion, considering the above points, the phone I have, current trends and hindsight, and your experience, what would be the best way to go? Should I follow the installation steps on the official lineageos page for the Z5C or do you think another option would suit me better?
To illustrate my technical knowledge: I have been a gnu/linux user for almost a decade but I am completely ignorant of the Android world and feel lost. In particular the concept of "root" and how user and system data is organized on the filesystem(s) (especially on Sony devices) seem different. I am willing to learn and get technical, but there is too much information and I do not know where to start with zero experience.
Thank you very much for your help.

I am in same situation. Did things like that for Moto and Samsung already, but I am new to Sony.
Key is to install TWRP. This is some kind of recovery where you can
- make a backup
- install LOS
- recall backups.
Once this is done:
- install root/su
- tingle the framework (to get microG running)
- install microG
- install afwall (firewall)
- install adaware
only than plugin a SIM and/or enable Wifi.
So: first thing is to install TWRP
unlock Bootloader:
To be able to unlock your Xperia Z5 Compact, prepare it by following these steps:
Go into Settings > About phone and tap seven times on Build number to enable developer options.
From Settings, go into Developer options and enable OEM unlocking.
Warning: Device protection features will not work on this device while this setting is turned on.Please note! It will only be possible to unlock the boot loader for certain releases. You can check if it is possible to unlock the boot loader of your device in the service menu by following the steps below:
In your device, open the dialer and enter *#*#7378423#*#* to access the service menu.
Tap Service info > Configuration > Rooting Status. If Bootloader unlock allowed says Yes, then you can continue with the next step. If it says No, or if the status is missing, your device cannot be unlocked.
TWRP
https://forum.xda-developers.com/z5-compact/development/twrp-twrp-3-2-1-z5-compact-t3748952
A few words to your queston:
opengapps are not open source, they just add normal google apps to Custom Roms. With all pros and cons.
MicroG is offering some kind of api, so that most features can be used (notification, google maps, access to playstore).
They are installed after the custom rom. Some people don't install any of them, use FDroid as a store.
root gives you the chance to change settings, for a few advanced configurations it is required (or makes it easier): firewall, ad remove ...
No experience with magisk. It is another way of "rooting" it, gives more features (hide the root status) which is required for some games. Not needed it til now.

What seems to be missing from previous post is to backup your DRM keys since unlocking your bootloader means losing them FOREVER.
Regards,
Aeny

Aeny said:
What seems to be missing from previous post is to backup your DRM keys since unlocking your bootloader means losing them FOREVER.
Regards,
Aeny
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right, but didn't you need TWRP to make a backup. And that is on my list, first point. Or is it a special step to do?

Thank you for your help and valuable information which now raises even more questions
If I get things right TWRP is low level stuff that would allow me to backup and restore the system whenever I need to. Say for instance I just installed LOS and configured it as desired so I use TWRP to get a backup and if I later mess things up I can restore this backup without having to go through the whole installation and configuration process? How does the official LineageOS installation guide fit in all this, sould I follow it? Do I need to follow a completely different procedure? I am not planning to tinker anympre once everything has been set up, is TWRP only recommended for people who often experiment and change things or is it recommended for everyone?
The DRM keys are removed when unlocking the bootloader but since TWRP requires an unlocked bootloader they have to be backed up beforehand, am I right? Does it mean I can restore them afterwards once the bootloader has been unlocked without locking it up again? How can I back them up in the first place?
I cannot seem to picture how all the pieces fit together, which is low level stuff, which is high level. When you say "install microg", "install afwall", "install adaware", what are microg, afwall, adaware? Are they regular applications? Regular applications with root access? Low level modules? How is root managed in comparison with a gnu/linux system where I can either directly log as root, change user to root with "su", or get temporary privileges with "sudo"? When you say "install root/su", are we simply talking about installing the equivalent of "su" or "sudo" on a linux distribution? Is there a root password I shall input each time it is required or provide some applications root privileges through a configuration app? Is such an application to be installed separately?
Thank you for the clarification about opengapps/microg. I am interested in microg although I can give a try without in the beginning as long as it is still possible to install microg later.

fetchaspade said:
WRP only recommended for people who often experiment and change things or is it recommended for everyone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, highly recommended if not even required. All my LOS setups run via TWRP.
fetchaspade said:
The DRM keys are removed when unlocking the bootloader but since TWRP requires an unlocked bootloader they have to be backed up beforehand, am I right? Does it mean I can restore them afterwards once the bootloader has been unlocked without locking it up again? How can I back them up in the first place?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point. Don't know where do I need this DRM keys for, as I did't faced off this with other mobiles.
I think you have to make a backup of the TA partition:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/crossdevice-dev/sony/iovyroot-temp-root-tool-t3349597/
fetchaspade said:
I cannot seem to picture how all the pieces fit together, which is low level stuff, which is high level. When you say "install microg", "install afwall", "install adaware", what are microg, afwall, adaware? Are they regular applications? Regular applications with root access? Low level modules? How is root managed in comparison with a gnu/linux system where I can either directly log as root, change user to root with "su", or get temporary privileges with "sudo"? When you say "install root/su", are we simply talking about installing the equivalent of "su" or "sudo" on a linux distribution? Is there a root password I shall input each time it is required or provide some applications root privileges through a configuration app? Is such an application to be installed separately?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
addsu is to flash via TWRP in same manner like LOS itself - as a zip. Others are regualar applications (installed like that) but required root privileges to work. No root password required. Once an app needs it it will ask you, and if you like it remembers you allowed it (so it will ask just once usually). Recommend to try this. You can't do much wrong if you create a backup
fetchaspade said:
Thank you for the clarification about opengapps/microg. I am interested in microg although I can give a try without in the beginning as long as it is still possible to install microg later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MicroG is a bit more fiddling to install than gapps and seems to has limitations. There are separate threads for just this.
Just start, you will get a feeling for that all.
Edit: But
there is already a lineagos with microG built-in:
https://download.lineage.microg.org/suzuran/

Thank you starbright_
To recap, I am to unlock the bootloader, install TWRP, flash addsu via TWRP, flash lineage enhanced with microg, and I'm good to go.
I'm still stuck on the very first step: backing up the TA partition. If I'm not mistaken I need the TA backup tool which requires root access. Root access requires an unlocked bootloader (which would remove the TA partition and the DRM keys) or is achieved for a limited amount of time thanks to exploits. According to both https://forum.xda-developers.com/crossdevice-dev/sony/iovyroot-temp-root-tool-t3349597/ and https://forum.xda-developers.com/z5-compact/general/guide-how-to-root-z5c-painful-using-t3549388, it won't work on recent versions (7.1.1) so I need to downgrade. How can I do that? I imagine I need a tool to flash an old official rom: where am I to find an old official rom? How can I flash it without having an unlocked bootloader?
Backing up the TA partition really seems cumbersome. Is the loss of quality really noticeable on photos and videos? I find photos quite disappointing already and I fear it would get even worse.
On an unrelated topic, do you now of any way to backup SMS conversations as a simple file to import later on the same or different device? All I can find are applications that back up messages on a GMail account (no thanks) or any IMAP server (in what world is it simpler than an xml or simple text file ?).

Maybe you can translate this:
https://reraise.eu/2016/09/05/xperia-z5c-so-sicherst-du-die-ta-partition-teil-1

On an unrelated topic, do you now of any way to backup SMS conversations as a simple file to import later on the same or different device? All I can find are applications that back up messages on a GMail account (no thanks) or any IMAP server (in what world is it simpler than an xml or simple text file ?).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using titanium backup for that.
(menu / backup data to xml)

@fetchaspade
Did you start your project? I would appreciate to take notes of your step. That's not only helping others, but also yourself once you have to do the steps again once.

Better Mobile App

welcome