root

Android is a highly customizable operating system but there are still some things that you can’t easily change. Almost ironically, the simplest customization, applying themes, isn’t possible without rooting your device. In Android 8.0 Oreo, however, developers have found a way around that limitation, creating the Substratum app and subsequent themes around it. Starting Android P, however, that workaround will no longer work and you’ll have to make do with theme engine your OEM has or, in the case of Google Pixel phones, none at all.

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Samsung boasts of how it has reimagined the smartphone camera in the Galaxy S9 and S9+ but it might still fall short for some more professional mobile photographers. There are certain restrictions placed that may not make sense for some of these advanced users. Those might need more than just a simple third-party camera app. The Zero Camera Mod is definitely more than just that and can greatly improve the Galaxy S9 camera experience, provided you're willing to go for a bit of an adventure.

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Some have been prophesying the eventual death of rooting on Android. If true, it's a very slow death. While it will probably never go away, development might soon be left to languish by the wayside. Especially when some of the main developers in the community start riding into the sunset. The most recent, and perhaps the biggest, blow is the famed Chainfire. After retiring from active root development last year, he is now putting a complete and indefinite halt to the apps themselves.

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This morning the creator of the app Magisk Manager discovered and announced the appearance of the same app on Google Play - only something was off. It would appear that the app on Google Play wasn't released by the creator, John Wu, at all. Instead of the app coming with the same features as the original, it came with malware.

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For one reason or another, there may be a time when you will need to record phone calls on your phone. Never mind the legal considerations, the technical hurdles might be harder to overcome. Not all phones expose that functionality even if, in theory, the device is more than capable of handling it. Fortunately on Android, you do have a choice and a way to enable call recording, like for the Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro. The catch is that getting there is actually the hard part.

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Having a bit of Star Wars or Stranger Things envy from those with the Google Pixel phones? Worry not for the Force is strong with the Android community. Especially if, like a true Rebel, you have rooted your phone. If you are one of the Chosen few with a rooted Nexus 6P, OnePlus 3 or 3T, or a Xiaomi Mi 5, you can also join in on the whimsical fun of having Storm Troopers and very imaginative kids invade your world with Google’s latest AR Stickers.

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Today a bit of a security flaw was found in macOS High Sierra, Apple's latest MacBook operating system. This flaw includes a few taps of the login submit button, the entering of the name ROOT, and a password field left blank. That's all it takes to log in to a MacBook with High Sierra onboard. Until Apple submits an update which fixes this security flaw, you're going to want to follow the directions provided below.

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With just days left before its final hurrah for the year, OnePlus seems to be involved yet again in a controversy surrounding privacy and security. No, it's not a rehash of last month's data collection scandal. This one is potentially more harmful, especially since OnePlus itself may be unaware of its existence until now. The startup apparently left a diagnostic app preinstalled on its smartphones since the OnePlus 3 that, with just some simple nudging, can be used to gain root access to the device, with or without the user's knowledge.

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Android powers users today have it somewhat easy. In the past, they'd have to wait for months to have a rooting method available for their shiny new phone. And even then, it involved a painstaking process with lots of room for errors that could brick your phone. Nowadays, the tools and steps are easily available, and sometimes in no time flat. Though it did take a bit more than one month, the rooting methods for the Galaxy Note 8 are finally available, but you should still be doubly sure if you really need to.

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It was a long time coming but, as they said, good things come to those who wait. And wait Android power users did, for over a year. The Xposed Framework (which has nothing to do with Sony Xperias) is finally available, in stable form, for Android 7.0 and 7.1 devices. This great news comes at a time when the Android rooting community has more or less been thrown into an emotional rollercoaster with the retirement of SuperSU creator Chainfire.

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A pebble dropped in the Android ocean and it might cause large waves that will be felt long after. Chainfire, the Android superstar behind root utility SuperSU, has announced his retirement from development of the tool that has become synonymous with his name, and vice versa. This is actually nothing new and is only fulfilling the word he gave two years ago. He does assure SuperSU users and fans that development of the rooting system will continue. But that will continue without his input or purview under the hands of new owners Coding Code Mobile Technology, LLC.

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Having a bit of Galaxy Note 8 envy but don't have the opportunity to get even a considerably cheaper Galaxy S8? If you have a more or less recent Samsung phone, or at least one that's running Android 7.0 Nougat or later, then you're in luck. XDA Senior Member AlexiXDA has just extracted and ported some of the Note 8's apps to work on such Samsung devices. Best of all, they will work whether you're on a stock Samsung ROM or a custom one. The catch? You have to be rooted.

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