• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Root ZTE ZMAX TWRP NEW VERSION 2.8.6.0

hroark13

Android Expert
Recognized Developer
Jul 15, 2011
3,280
4,113
FOR ROOTED ZTE ZMAX ONLY

Install the apk file
Open the apk file
Click "Install Recovery (this flashes TWRP to your recovery partition, and this only needs to be done once)
Click Reboot recovery
Use TWRP to do many things

Download v2.8.6
updated to 2.8.6 and some nice new mount options
https://www.mediafire.com/?smsymhdzvp6qj55


If I have helped you, and you like my work, please click on the Thanks Button and give my thread a rating by clicking on the stars above.

If you would like to buy me a beer , you can click on the PayPal button










.hK
 
Last edited:
Okay so I don't actually have a zmax but I've been considering getting one, just been waiting for root & recovery. Im going to do my best to make sense but I have a massive headache so please bear with me.

Something that worries me is the fact that you have to flash the boot.img to the recovery partition in order to boot into android with system r/w. This worries me because if you flash the boot.img to the recovery partition and mess things up to the point where the phone won't boot it seems like that would end up being a hard brick.

I was thinking, if the boot.img can be flashed to the recovery partition, can twrp also be flashed to the boot partition? If so, doing this would theoretically make it possible to recover from a bricked state when you have messed something up. From what I gather, (if it is even possible to flash twrp to the boot partition) it wouldn't be able to write to the system partition. I'm thinking that a pair of flashable zips, one that puts twrp on the boot partition and puts the boot.img on the recovery partition, and one that flashes twrp and the boot.img back to their correct partitions, might be viable, as a temporary solution, in order to make sure that nobody gets stuck "up a creek without a paddle." I apologize if I am incorrect or do not make sense.
Edit: Bought a metropcs zmax on 5/15 and had it rooted the same day.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
Okay so I don't actually have a zmax but I've been considering getting one, just been waiting for root & recovery. Im going to do my best to make sense but I have a massive headache so please bear with me.

Something that worries me is the fact that you have to flash the boot.img to the recovery partition in order to boot into android with system r/w. This worries me because if you flash the boot.img to the recovery partition and mess things up to the point where the phone won't boot it seems like that would end up being a hard brick.

I was thinking, if the boot.img can be flashed to the recovery partition, can twrp also be flashed to the boot partition? If so, doing this would theoretically make it possible to recover from a bricked state when you have messed something up. From what I gather, (if it is even possible to flash twrp to the boot partition) it wouldn't be able to write to the system partition. I'm thinking that a pair of flashable zips, one that puts twrp on the boot partition and puts the boot.img on the recovery partition, and one that flashes twrp and the boot.img back to their correct partitions, might be viable, as a temporary solution, in order to make sure that nobody gets stuck "up a creek without a paddle." I apologize if I am incorrect or do not make sense.
I have a great interest here, helping a buddy root.

I think that you're quoting the perm root instructions - and they assume (and stated) that no custom recovery existed yet (so I pointed the thread here).

I think that this changes the game yeah?

Temp root - install TWRP - perm root by flashing SuperSU zip from TWRP.

Yes?

And I'm not even sure if temp root is required, unless the TWRP install apk needs it.
 
Upvote 0
I have a great interest here, helping a buddy root.

I think that you're quoting the perm root instructions - and they assume (and stated) that no custom recovery existed yet (so I pointed the thread here).

I think that this changes the game yeah?

Temp root - install TWRP - perm root by flashing SuperSU zip from TWRP.

Yes?

And I'm not even sure if temp root is required, unless the TWRP install apk needs it.


no the system has write protection when you boot from the "boot" partition if you boot from "recovery" partition the write protection is off

this is initiated in the boot loader, and can only be turned off with a boot loader unlock


the people that need to have system R/W access have been flash the boot image to the recovery partition

this will boot Android, but since you booting from the recovery partition you can re-mount system as R/W


to answer MC's question
if you flash TWRP to the boot partition, it would boot twrp, but you would not be able to install Roms and stuff because system is locked
 
Upvote 0
no the system has write protection when you boot from the "boot" partition if you boot from "recovery" partition the write protection is off

this is initiated in the boot loader, and can only be turned off with a boot loader unlock


the people that need to have system R/W access have been flash the boot image to the recovery partition

this will boot Android, but since you booting from the recovery partition you can re-mount system as R/W


to answer MC's question
if you flash TWRP to the boot partition, it would boot twrp, but you would not be able to install Roms and stuff because system is locked
Well I'm glad you were able to make sense of what I was saying. I figured booting twrp from the boot partition wouldn't allow /system to be rw but my line of thought was that it would be like a safety net in case someone screwed things up really bad. That's where the other zip that flashes twrp and the boot.img to their correct partitions would come into play. After putting twrp and the boot.img back where they normally go you could reboot into twrp again with /system rw and restore a backup. The idea of flashing the boot.img to the recovery partition and not having a recovery just sounds like a recipe for disaster. With the way I suggested people would at least have a way to restore a backup if they accidentally messed things up really bad while booted in android with system rw.
 
Upvote 0
Metro 4.4.4
I'll upload a twrp backup of the system and boot partitions and send you a link.
I have the MetroPCS 4.4.4 version also
Edit: I've finished uploading the backup and, I've added a link in post#2 of this thread so that it will be easy to find for anyone who may need it.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
you sir are awesome. Question could you make a flashable version of that twrp... im stuck in a bootloop with access to ftm with root and normal recovery and i was hoping that if i could flash it from normal recovery i could unbrick. i have a family mobile tmobile 4.4.2 version
The only thing you would be able to flash through the stock recovery would probably be official system updates from zte. If you have a computer with adb installed you could put your phone in ftm mode and connect it to your computer and use adb to flash twrp with shell commands. I cannot go any further into detail as I am not knowledgeable enough to give you step by step instructions on this. I just got my zmax yesterday so I'm still learning the ins and outs of things.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CYCONUMNUM
Upvote 0
to answer MC's question
if you flash TWRP to the boot partition, it would boot twrp, but you would not be able to install Roms and stuff because system is locked
I got a ZMAX of my own on Friday and I made the two zips that I was asking about and they work. I made zip#1 (ZMAX_TWRP_&_BOOT_SWITCHER.zip) which flashes the boot.img to the recovery partition for system rw and flashes TWRP to the boot partition in case the s### hits the fan. If I soft brick my phone I can then boot TWRP from the boot partition and use zip#2 (ZMAX_TWRP_&_BOOT_RESTORE.zip) to flash the boot.img back to the boot partition and put TWRP back on the recovery partition. After I flash zip#2 I can reboot recovery and flash zips or restore backups. Once I'm done using twrp I can then flash zip#1 and reboot into android with system rw. This gives me full root capabilities while still having twrp installed at all times. May I share these zips with others? I really think it would cut down on the number of noobs bricking their phones.
 
Upvote 0
I got a ZMAX of my own on Friday and I made the two zips that I was asking about and they work. I made zip#1 (ZMAX_TWRP_&_BOOT_SWITCHER.zip) which flashes the boot.img to the recovery partition for system rw and flashes TWRP to the boot partition in case the s### hits the fan. If I soft brick my phone I can then boot TWRP from the boot partition and use zip#2 (ZMAX_TWRP_&_BOOT_RESTORE.zip) to flash the boot.img back to the boot partition and put TWRP back on the recovery partition. After I flash zip#2 I can reboot recovery and flash zips or restore backups. Once I'm done using twrp I can then flash zip#1 and reboot into android with system rw. This gives me full root capabilities while still having twrp installed at all times. May I share these zips with others? I really think it would cut down on the number of noobs bricking their phones.
You read my mind I was thinking of doing that's, if you want I can add them into my post with all the links and just copy your post as directions?
 
Upvote 0
You read my mind I was thinking of doing that's, if you want I can add them into my post with all the links and just copy your post as directions?
I don't think hroark13 will have a problem with me posting them but I don't want to do it without his permission since the recovery in my zips is his work. The zips I have made are for the metro zmax. In order to make them for tmobile zmax I will need the boot.img from the tmobile Rom.
 
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones