Rooting could get useless in future Android versions :(

This is bad news! Super SU developer, chainfire, has noticed a set of commits in the SELinux git that hints at blockage of write access to /system partition on devices even with root access in future versions of Android. However, custom recoveries would still be able to write on /system partition meaning you won’t have to do away with your custom ROMs.

The main purpose of having root access on your Android device is to be able to write to /system partition. If this commit ever sees the day of light, gets released with any future version of Android, the developers of various root apps will have to update their apps with some workaround (possibly open recovery scripts) to be able to write to system partition. But that won’t be easier either. Users on various Android devices don’t have the latest recovery versions installed, for some devices latest recoveries aren’t even available, so all this is going to be a pain in brain to address for developers. Also, there are a plenty of root apps for which the recovery method won’t be of use at all.

As for the end user the root experience would be disturbed a bit if root apps are going to do things with recoveries they’d require reboot everytime a root app has to do some function.

Thankfully, this restriction to /system partition will be controlled via the stock Android kernel, which custom kernels can easily bypass. So things will be normal if you use/run custom kernels on your device.

Also, the Android 4.4.3 update which is only a month away is said to have no such changes present on it. Justin case, a renowned developer in things related to root has claimed that he has the Android 4.4.3 update running on his phone and he’s seeing no such thing that restricts root access.

These changes either are not in 4.4.3 (which i am running), or do not impact in this way.

These commits may get reverted or changed or abandoned forever. There’s no sure word on these commits but we suspect Google is slowly nurturing Android in a direction that isn’t root access friendly.

via Chainfire (G+)

Posted by
Shivam

Shivam is our resident designer and web developer who also enjoys writing. He loves to meditate, drive on the freeways and hunt for snipers during his Call Of Duty playtime. Email: [email protected]

6 Comments

  1. Not overly horrible. Worst case scenario of it gets worse we all move to Windows Phone 😉

  2. Not overly horrible. Worst case scenario of it gets worse we all move to Windows Phone 😉

  3. Have never seen any need or major advantage to root any of my Android devices to date, just like the huge majority of Android users, so no problem for the majority of users!

  4. Have never seen any need or major advantage to root any of my Android devices to date, just like the huge majority of Android users, so no problem for the majority of users!

  5. The only pleasure with root is to save the whole system at once, or to take off certain unsuseful applications installed by the phone provider, not forgettng the pleasure to install and change at will a new customized rom. But sometimes it’s like playing with fire….
    I didn’t root my last device (S3) because it’s giving me 100% satisfaction since I succeeded to save the battery life. Plus considering that before certain Apps asking the root for working, have today been improved and are working without root..
    But the Geek side of my brain sometimes makes me regreat not to have done it.

  6. The only pleasure with root is to save the whole system at once, or to take off certain unsuseful applications installed by the phone provider, not forgettng the pleasure to install and change at will a new customized rom. But sometimes it’s like playing with fire….
    I didn’t root my last device (S3) because it’s giving me 100% satisfaction since I succeeded to save the battery life. Plus considering that before certain Apps asking the root for working, have today been improved and are working without root..
    But the Geek side of my brain sometimes makes me regreat not to have done it.

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