How do you guys root your smartphones with Free Software only?
Hey guys,
So I am in the process of setting up some Android devices for home use and want to have them running as much Free Software only as possible. Too bad none of my devices support Replicant so I am going with LineageOS, or at the very least remove all the Google Apps and Vendor Apps as I can.
First thing is of course, to root the devices. I already have adb, fastboot and heimdall installed. However, all the tutorials I see online end up using SuperSu to actually root. And as far as I understand, SuperSu is non-free software. F-Droid has SuperUser but they clearly state that it is not the full version (lacks su binary) and should not be used to root a phone.
So, how do you guys do it?
Thanks.
> First thing is of course, to root the devices.
If you replace Android with LineageOS, then it won't matter what privileges you had in the Android system, so I don't think you need to bother with root access in Android; you can just go straight to installing LineageOS.
I used to think that, but most tutorials I see online actually say that you need to root before you can install a custom rom. Might be hardware specific I don't know...
In the mean time I found this https://github.com/donjajo/one-click-root
It seems like the license is GPL3 but it has SuperSu, which makes me confused as to how free is SuperSU.
In a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 I got AOSP 7.1.2 installed using a mix of https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-10-1/general/stable-7-1-setup-google-voice-bigger-t3768344 and https://www.piglets.org/blog/2017/04/23/installing-android-nougat-on-a-stock-galaxy-tab-10-1/
AOSP is the most FLOSS you can get (second to Replicant) right? From what I understand AOSP is the Android system as Google publishes, plus the proprietary code necessary for each device, right? At least that's what it feels like, I didn't see any Google Apps or any other stuff. It wasn't very stable to be honest but still...
> Might be hardware specific I don't know...
Perhaps. I didn't have to do this when I installed Replicant on a Samsung phone, but maybe it varies by device. I suggest following the LineageOS installation guide for each device to determine which actions are necessary.
https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/
> Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
This device is compatible with both Replicant and LineageOS.
https://redmine.replicant.us/projects/replicant/wiki/GalaxyTab2Px1xxInstallation
That's what I thought at first but sadly... no. Replicant only supports the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (which has a p51XX code) while mine is a Samsung Galaxy Tab (which as a p75XX code). Therefore it is most likely to brick the device.
Anyway, I am happy with the AOSP rom that I installed, it is very barebones, and after the first reboot it actually got stable (on first boot everything was crashing but now it doesn't crash a single app!). I has no google or samsung apps installed and I can use only F-Droid. It's not that fast but it suffices for the intended usage.
I am now at war with an Asus Zenfone 2 ze551ml. I didn't want to go with the "official" bootloader unlocker as it will require communicating with Asus HQ, but all instructions that I find to do it other way require Windows. The official LineageOS instructions found here https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/Z00A/install actually say to use the official app of course. I think I will end up giving up and using it. But I still wonder exactly how much of the software we use to root/unlock/customize a smartphone is actually free... Even in linux instructions you will find some suspicious binaries here and there.
If you (or anyone else) can help with the Zenfone thing I will appreciate it.
And thanks for your replies chaosmonk
I now have a Lineage device without Google services, but just having F-droid with my stock root manager. :)
I also need Tab 2 10.1 for drawing my own comics which show my political and Christian views and watching PassionTimes which is far-right Hong Kong TV vendor. At Hong Kong Tab 2 10.1 is now just costed for about 1280 HKD from Sincere Smartphones Place Mongkok.
The only worry for Tab 2 10.1 is wifi issue if nonfree firmware can be bypassed to directly start wifi without USB adaptions.
If you have the right model you could use Replicant and a USB wifi dongle. ThinkPeguin could possibly provide the correct device.
Do you have any of your comics published online? I like comics, if you have a link please post it ;)