About root Access

Hi there all,

I’ve a FP2 with FairphoneOpenOs 18.03.01, Android 6.0.1.

Rooted with the first method here :

And Root Verifier told me “DEVICE IS ROOTED”.

And right now, the root options on the developper mode is set to App only, and with the application Amaze, i’ve set the popup to “rememeber” and “accept” the root access, so this action set “alway” to the application setting about root acces. Ok. But when i launch Amaze, i can access to root folders but i can’t do anything else (create or edit files or folders). Does this means that my root don’t work correctly?

This happens, in some other app that i’ve tried. Some errors happens, or acces denied.

I don’t really anderstand if there is somthing else to do, like installing superuser as told on next parts here.

Thanks for help.

My bad, my english is far from perfection.

Be happy that your phone still works…
You flashed the Fairphone OS (with GMS) boot.img on Fairphone Open OS.
This will never work correctly.

Re-flash the FPOS boot.img and it should work as intended.

Nope. I misunderstood the exact same thing first, but @frederiiiic actually refers to simply installing Fairphone Open OS, not the superuser thing for Fairphone OS on Fairphone Open OS :wink: .

Well, it’s really not clear.

Are we okay that if i can’t edit or create files in root folder with Amaze there is a problem with my root acces?

I think i made the mistanderstanding too with this link, it put me the doubt, do i forget to do something with that boot.img or superuser things explained in that tutorial? But after your answers, i think i’ve done all right, but it’s not working as expected with Amaze for exemple, even when i update or even the phone complete reset. the only way i found to edit some root files is to boot on the recovery mode.

I think it’s not normal for rooted phone right? And that’s maybe the reason why some app with root option don’t work well too.

But i don’t know what to do because Root Verifier told me it’s ok.

To make it clear:

  • Fairphone Open OS (FPoOS or FP Open) already comes pre-rooted. You won’t need to tinker with boot.img or anything, really, just switch on the option in Developer options.
  • Fairphone OS (FPOS, the default OS that cames when you buy a Fairphone 2) comes with Google Apps and without root. To root it, that guide you linked should be followed, which includes manually flashing a boot.img.

Following the guide to root FPOS with a phone having FP Open installed will be troublesome and cause a lot of incompatibilities. Please make clear which OS you have installed.

Also, if you are more confortable writing in your native language, do it —a lot of people here in the forum could help you in their native language just fine.

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If you have just installed Fairphone Open OS, you have done nothing wrong, and we can easily make sure:

What exactly does it say in Settings - About phone - Build number?

Another thought: Did you use a switcher file (it says so in the filename) to get from an existing Fairphone OS to Fairphone Open OS or did you install manually from scratch?
The switcher installation gave some people trouble, but I can’t remember problems with root, more with booting the OS at all …

@Roboe so, we are both agree that i’ve anderstand the post quoted right. I’ve never try to root a fairphone OS, only by the first step in the theard posted. So installing FPopen and activate developper mode.
My bad i think i wasn’t clear.

@AnotherElk number build is : “FP2-userdebug 6.0.1 FP2 fp2-sibon-18.03.01 release-keys”

That was my first use of the phone, i don’t remember exactly how i installed fairphone Open OS, but i think it was with the update app. And i don’t have switched any data because it was a brand news fairphone. Anyway i just follow an official tutorial from fairphone.

But this question remain the more important :
Is that really normal with a rooted device that amaze can’t edit or create file in the rooted folder when it got root acces?

I don’t think that’s normal, but I’m on LineageOS right now.

Ok, that’s Fairphone Open OS, allright :+1: .

Sounds likely … the Fairphone 2 comes with Fairphone OS preinstalled, and the Updater App has a way to switch over to Fairphone Open OS.
I’ve never done that myself in this way, but I would assume that the Updater App uses the respective switcher file for that. Should work, but has been seen to go wrong sometimes, too, sh*t happens.

If you have important data on the phone, back that up to a safe place outside the phone, wipe the phone completely and install from scratch …

… at least that would make sure no other problem of the OS intervenes and we could cleanly work further from there.

Well done. I just wanted to be sure before suggesting anything, :slight_smile:

FP Open 18.03.01 signature, :+1:

Well, maybe. Apart from giving Amaze permissions and enabling root in it, you might need to enable mounting system in write mode to allow changes. I can’t find the option right now, but I recall something similar… :roll_eyes:

Am I making a mess here, @AnotherElk? Could you help? Long time I don’t use Amaze for tinkering, really.

Not more than me at first, I guess … but we’re getting there :slight_smile:

I’m playing around with OSes just now anyway, so why not Fairphone Open OS …

I’ve installed Fairphone Open OS 18.04.1 just now with the steps I linked to before.

  • Enabled developer options
  • Set Root access to “Apps only”
  • Enabled Apps from unknown sources
  • Installed F-Droid by downloading it from f-droid.org
  • Installed Amaze from F-Droid
  • Started Amaze
    – Prompt for access to files etc. - Granted

Without further measures Amaze gave me Internal Storage and my SD card to work with.

  • Enabled Root Explorer in the Settings
  • Prompt for superuser access - Enabled “Remember” and granted

After that Amaze additionally offered the root folder “/”, and I could navigate there and look around … so root was in effect somewhat.

I then tried to create a new file and a new folder there … both times reportedly “successful” … but both times nowhere to be seen afterwards. Hmmm.

I then navigated to my SD card and tried the same … prompts some blabla about write permission. Well, I learn that is working as intended probably.

I then went to Internal Storage into the Pictures folder to check whether creating files and folders actually worked … and I could create a file and a folder. But that worked without the Root Explorer setting, too.

So even with Root Explorer enabled it seems the OS will not let the user do everything. I can understand that, actually, but it is still unexpected when I have root.

@frederiiiic Which other App gave you trouble? Perhaps the root effect would be clearer to see there.

Did you refreshed the file list swiping from the top? I’ve suffered Amaze not refreshing file lists automatically, it’s a pain.

I did, and I had a look in TWRP’s File Manager afterwards … nothing.

Looks like Amaze is misworking, then

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@AnotherElk good to see that it’s not only on my phone.
I was trying to use call-recorder from F-droid, and there is a big difference in sound level between caller and called, so i found on the git of the app that the root option “system Mixer Incall Recording” can maybe improve that, but the phone told me “Unable to configure system mixer : unable to write changes” when i try to check this option. So i Liked that to the problems experienced with Amaze.

I tried to create a new file in the root folder (“/”) with Ghost Commander

open failed: EROFS (Read-only file system)

So Amaze only fails to give a proper error message … the user just can’t mess with the root folder, which makes some sense :slight_smile:

@AnotherElk Yes, i observed it first when i was trying to change my build.prop, impossible with Amaze, but possible on the file explorer of TWRP.

Maybe another file explorer is offering that possibilities?

Confirmed, I get that, too, even after granting Storage permission to the App.

So i think i find a way to solve it.

Amaze don’t touch to mount proprieties, so we can do it by using the Android Terminal Emulator.
And follow the instruction from Here.

I repeat it here corresponding to the problems we were talking about, maybe it can help.
Open terminal app
First type ‘su’ on the terminal to ask for the superuser rights, accept it on the pop-up.
type ‘mount -o rw,remount /’ to get the read and write right on all root folders
And now we can go on Amaze to edit or create folder where we want or in call-recorder to change the mixer option we were looking for (Mount on rw the folder /system, the same way) !
After changing it’s better to go back to read-only by typing this ‘mount -o ro,remount /’

@AnotherElk @Roboe Thanks for help guys, i would have abandonned without you!

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Keep in mind that after modifying the system image, future (incremental) updates issued by Fairphone won’t successfully install via the updater anymore. This can be worked around by using the full system images, after which you’ll need to apply any changes you made again. Not a big issue, but something to remember if/when the updater complains.

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