Help Is it safe to reboot my phone?

[groston]

I have a Pixel 7 Pro which I rooted (so that I could run AdAway). I have turned off all of the settings that allow the phone to update the OS, apps, etc. I made a few small changes the other day (to reduce background data communications) and feel that the phone needs to be rebooted for these changes to come into full effect.

However, the phone is indicating:

System update – now
Android 13
Tap to learn more and install
Restart now

My concern is that if I reboot the phone, I will have to re-root it (and possibly reset a ton of settings). So, can I reboot without the phone's updating itself? If the phone updates itself and I lose my root, what is the easiest way to recover root?

More importantly, what else can I turn off so this never happens again? If this means disabling Play Store, or something like that, I am okay with that since I have yet to see an app update that matters.

 

[nickdalzell]

Play Store isn't responsible for system updates. That is a system app and varies by carrier. It could just be the stock Android FOTA app or an APK that Verizon/ATT/T-mobile uses to update.

Sadly, the update appears to have been downloaded and was set to auto-download on Wifi mostly, and after that happens, it won't let you cancel. It might let you postpone it x times, but will eventually try to update. However, if you're rooted, you should have a custom recovery (such as TWRP) so the OTA update will likely fail and keep nagging you anyway.

To prevent this in the future, either via a root explorer, remove any system APKs that are labeled "FOTA" or "System Update" "Updater" "Config Update" or anything with the name "update" in it. Or, use an app such as No Root Firewall to cut internet access off to specific system apps which is how I block them. I also don't believe in updates for various reasons, mainly because of unnecessary UI changes I never asked for and don't want to get used to.

If you are seeing this alert in your notification tray and not as a 'pop-up', tap and hold the notification and you should see either a gear, lowercase "i" or "app info". It should also identify the name of the system app involved. That way, you can use a root file explorer to both kill the process and then remove the apk and then a reboot can happen, and you'll never see it happen again, and you won't get any future Android version or security updates, but if you, like me, are fine with that, then that's perfectly fine too.

 

[mikedt]

I have a Pixel 7 Pro which I rooted (so that I could run AdAway). I have turned off all of the settings that allow the phone to update the OS, apps, etc. I made a few small changes the other day (to reduce background data communications) and feel that the phone needs to be rebooted for these changes to come into full effect.

Usually you can't run manufacturer updates on rooted and modified devices. But Pixel devices, those OS updates come directly from Google. So I don't know what might happen. Another AF member may know more about Pixel phones. Is your Pixel 7 Pro running a custom ROM and custom Recovery?

My concern is that if I reboot the phone, I will have to re-root it (and possibly reset a ton of settings). So, can I reboot without the phone's updating itself? If the phone updates itself and I lose my root, what is the easiest way to recover root?

More importantly, what else can I turn off so this never happens again? If this means disabling Play Store, or something like that, I am okay with that since I have yet to see an app update that matters.

It very likely will lose root if the update is successful. To recover root, use the whatever it was rooting method you used before? Assuming it still works.

 

[ocnbrze]

do you have twrp, a custom recovery? why not just flash lineage os and never have to worry about things like this?

Info about cheetah | LineageOS Wiki

wiki.lineageos.org

guide:

Install LineageOS on cheetah | LineageOS Wiki

wiki.lineageos.org

if you need google services like the play store and other google apps:

Google apps | LineageOS Wiki

wiki.lineageos.org

or you can try other custom roms like this one:

[ROM][13][CHEETAH] Official crDroid v9.4 [19.04.2023]

*** Disclaimer I am not responsible for any damage you made to your device You have been warned crDroid is designed to increase performance and reliability over stock Android for your device also attempting to bringing many of the best features...

forum.xda-developers.com

it is a rooted stock rom that has been optimized to "increase performance and reliability over stock"

 

[Hadron]

True, but if someone bought a Pixel for the camera, and phone cameras are more software than hardware, will they lose performance of they replace the ROM with one that's not based on the Pixel software?

But you aren't going to be able to go forever without rebooting. If you have a custom recovery I would expect the update not to work, but I'd back up anything important first just to be safe. If you haven't then yeah, it will at least try to update (if it detects changes to the system it might refuse to try, though in the old days when I did this sort of thing it would just install and undo the rooting).

Stopping it in future? I would have expected just turning off the auto download would have done that (US carrier phones force updates, but usually no others).

 

[svim]

The Play Store app only pertains to maintaining/updating the apps you've installed on your phone. Version upgrades and those monthly security updates are a separate matter. Those get provided to you by a mix of Google, the manufactures, and your carrier.
When you root your phone, that involves a change to the permission levels of the installed Android operating system on your phone. (well, unless you Magisk, a system-less quasi-root solution.) So just a typical reboot won't affect that. The problem is apparently a version upgrade might be involved. When a new version gets installed onto your phone, that also returns your phone back to a stock firmware (it's a new OS version) so you do need to go through the root process again.

 

[groston]

Thanks all.

I had time today, so I rebooted my phone. That did make an upgrade install, but I was able to quickly re-root the phone.

As noted, I had already disabled “Automatic system updates”.However, based on what I read, this will stop the phone from applying updates when the device restarts, but it will still download and install the new updates. Such stupidity…

Per nickdalzell, I search the root folder of my phone (using X-Plore) for the following:

• *FOTA*
• *update*apk

And I found:

• (two files in magisk/mirror – these I ignored)
• /product/priv-app/Config/Updater/ConfigUpdater.apk
• /product/priv-app/Dreamliner/Updater/DreamLinerUpdater.apk

I tried to rename these files, instead of deleting them, to _orig.*, but I was not able to do so with X-Plore. Any suggestions? Now, I simply need to check the phones various settings to make sure that when the OS upgraded, it didn’t open things up…

 

[nickdalzell]

There should also be a APK called 'system update' with an android icon. Nowadays, the system apps are under /system/priv-app instead of previously being under /system/app. the /system/app folder is empty today.

You can also use No Root Firewall to disable the internet to the system update process.

 

[groston]

nickdalzell - I read your suggestion about using No Root Firewall earlier, but you simply said 'system update process' and I am not certain if that is sufficient information for me to block the proper process(es).

Also, I just looked at the folder /system/priv-app. It has 36 subfolder, each with one apk, but nothing that matches *update*. /system/app looks the same, but only has 23 subfolders. I did a search on /system for *update* and nothing was found.

 

[nickdalzell]

System updates is just the listing for the app. It would be under system apps, and the app manager (and no root firewall settings) doesn't list system apps by default (you have to go to advanced and tell it to 'control system apps' or hit three dots and then 'show system apps') It will just be listed as 'software update' or 'system updates'. I just err on the side of caution and turn off anything with 'update/updates' in the name to not take chances.

 

[svim]

When you have a rooted device, try using this Root Explorer file manager app instead. It's by design intended for rooted devices and includes a wide range of features, Be sure to dig into the app's Settings menu to set it up to your particular preferences.

Root Explorer - Apps on Google Play

The ultimate file manager for rooted devices. The original and still the best.

play.google.com

Regarding the No Root Firewall app, keep in mind that may or may not be an abandoned project, its last update was January 2020. (Check in About this app in the app's Play Store page.) The last previous update for the app was 2014, not a good indicator of support for something that involves direct interactivity with the continuously getting worse Internet. It was in its day a pretty big deal, but unfortunately its now just idling on its legacy.

NoRoot Firewall - Apps on Google Play

Firewall WITHOUT ROOT. Host name name filtering, fine-grained access control.

play.google.com

With a rooted device, there's a much better alternative. Try AFWall+. It's a root-required firewall app that functionally can provide a much more robust firewall service than any non-root firewall app.

AFWall+ (Android Firewall +) - Apps on Google Play

[ROOT] AFWall+ is a front-end application for the powerful iptables firewall.

play.google.com

AFWall+ (Donate) - Apps on Google Play

[ROOT] AFWall+ is a front-end application for the powerful iptables firewall.

play.google.com

When you rely upon a non-root firewall app, it's a half-measure that involves using an internal VPN service (runs only locally, within the device, not an outward sourced VPN service you sign up with an account). But note that any non-root firewall app is going to be installed like any other typical app so it only has limited access status like any other app. It only has user-level permissions and simply has no capability to access system-level processes. In the Android kernel there's an existing firewall service,either iptables (older devices) or nftables (newer devices). A root-required app like AFWall+ can use that existing firewall service as its base, a non-root apps not having similar access to system-level processes have to use other less invasive alternatives.

 

[Milo Williamson]

When you have a rooted device, try using this Root Explorer file manager app instead. It's by design intended for rooted devices and includes a wide range of features, Be sure to dig into the app's Settings menu to set it up to your particular preferences.

Root Explorer - Apps on Google Play

The ultimate file manager for rooted devices. The original and still the best.

play.google.com

Regarding the No Root Firewall app, keep in mind that may or may not be an abandoned project, its last update was January 2020. (Check in About this app in the app's Play Store page.) The last previous update for the app was 2014, not a good indicator of support for something that involves direct interactivity with the continuously getting worse Internet. It was in its day a pretty big deal, but unfortunately its now just idling on its legacy.

NoRoot Firewall - Apps on Google Play

Firewall WITHOUT ROOT. Host name name filtering, fine-grained access control.

play.google.com

With a rooted device, there's a much better alternative. Try AFWall+. It's a root-required firewall app that functionally can provide a much more robust firewall service than any non-root firewall app.

AFWall+ (Android Firewall +) - Apps on Google Play

[ROOT] AFWall+ is a front-end application for the powerful iptables firewall.

play.google.com

AFWall+ (Donate) - Apps on Google Play

[ROOT] AFWall+ is a front-end application for the powerful iptables firewall.

play.google.com

When you rely upon a non-root firewall app, it's a half-measure that involves using an internal VPN service (runs only locally, within the device, not an outward sourced VPN service you sign up with an account). But note that any non-root firewall app is going to be installed like any other typical app so it only has limited access status like any other app. It only has user-level permissions and simply has no capability to access system-level processes. In the Android kernel there's an existing firewall service,either iptables (older devices) or nftables (newer devices). A root-required app like AFWall+ can use that existing firewall service as its base, a non-root apps not having similar access to system-level processes have to use other less invasive alternatives.

Thank you! I was wondering if the NO root firewall would of been just laying around!!

 

[svim]

A good alternative to NoRoot is the NetGuard firewall app, it's an Open Source project (no ties to corporate oversight) and still actively supported:

NetGuard - no-root firewall - Apps on Google Play

A simple way to block access to the internet per application

play.google.com

 

[nickdalzell]

Netguard is my mainstay as well but I got a lot of people criticizing it not working as well as No Root Firewall hence why I mentioned it instead.

I wish an app existed that would allow an app to still get internet but block specific parts of it from doing so, such as keeping Samsung Health (an older version with the whimsy intact that got removed in 2020) able to work with the Together function (which requires internet) but avoiding it forcing an update and exiting if you tell it no (which it does on all OneUI devices if you're on an old enough version). Or to block the ads from some apps but allow them to get their data from their respective clouds aka blocking the ads in WeatherBug (since they ended support for the one-time paid version WeatherBug Elite)

 

[svim]

Conversely, I've found NetGuard to be functionally better than NoRoot. Perhaps NoRoot has a nicer user-interface but that's a subjective call. My bias is I prefer to use an app that works better than one that looks better -- i.e. NoRoot doesn't support IPv6 connectivity.