[LIST] Rooting and Xposed Apps

Let me start by mentioning that /e/OS does not require Rooting. Rooting also requires technical understanding of the ROM and is not for the average user.

That being said, users keep requesting information on the subject, especially Root and Xposed apps. Keeping those request in mind, starting a user editable list.

Feel free to share information on the subject

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Thank you @Manoj for opening this topic. As you have described above, there is absolutely NO NEED to root /e/OS. But since rooting offers the option for modules to enable on your phone, I wanted to start a topic to discuss those.

In this topic we do NOT discuss HOW TO root! This topic is only to speak about Magisk and Xposed modules / apps, and how they can help us in our daily lives! If you do not know what root is, please first start reading XDA forums etc.

Rooting requires (to simply say) an open bootloader, which directly has a disadvantage because some apps (like banking) check for that and might refuse to work. Luckily, rooting also gives you tools to HIDE an unlocked bootloader for (some) apps. Now, let’s start “exploring what we have”!

To give it a start, I use standard Magisk 26.1 (26100). I have LSPosed installed in order to use Xposed modules. This is my current setup:

Magisk:

Advanced Charging Controller
accompanied by the app “AccA” (F-Droid) which makes it really easy to handle charging limits

AFWall Boot AntiLeak
prevents app sharing data before AFWall actually is fully booted

AOSP Mods (2.4.1 - this is the version to use for A12)
Since /e/OS is based on LOS and since LOS is AOSP, the combined Magisk/Xposed module AOSP Mods can be used. It offers many, many, many tweaks to the UI of your device.

F-Droid Privileged Extension
for systemless installation

Magisk Bootloop Protector
Does what it says, saved my arse a couple of times already :wink:

Magisk built-in BusyBox

NoStorageRestrict
Making all folders available for all apps

Shamiko
Replacing Magisk blacklist for apps

Snapdragon Scaling
Specific for Snapdragon 888-devices

Systemless hosts
To make AdAway fully operational

Universal SafetyNet Fix
Great add-on to pass SafetyNet for rooted devices

Zygisk LSPosed
To have the Xposed framework available

Zygisk Sui
Needed for some apps, I believe but am not quite sure AppOpps uses it!

Xposed

AOSP Mods
As described above

Disable-FLAG_SECURE
Makes screenshots available throughout my phone without any app blocking it!

GravityBox (S)
Probably the last version to work (Android 12). Quite like AOSP Mods, giving you many UI tweaks

NekoSMS
Let’s you blacklist certain SMS-messages likes “Hi, welcome to Country XXX” - just saving nerves

UpdateLocker
Some apps are not to be updated to keep working (for various reasons). This module fixes just that! Works with App Lounge, F-Droid, Aurora, PlayStore and many more.

XPrivacy Lua
Well, still the app not to be missed if you want to block like any kind of app nosyness

Root apps
Some apps don’t require Xposed and are not Magisk Modules but just require root. Here’s a small list of what I find usefull:

AdAway
Add-blocking to the max

Androidacy Module Manager
Is a small programm that tells when Magisk Modules new versions are released and update them directly

Neo Backup
Since I found out Titanium BackUp kind of stopped working for most apps since Android 11 I was searching for an alternative to do just that: back up apps including settings, data etc. and be able to retrieve them. Works great.

ReVanced manager
Search XDA for more. Kinda tweak YouTube to the max. There is a Magisk module for it too but I can’t figure out how to make that work.

Tiles
Quite an old app I suppose that makes you put extra tiles in your tapbarpulldown menu

AFWall+
Gives you the option to block internet (LAN, WiFi, network) access PER APP!

WiFi Password Viewer
Makes once entered password for WiFi networks visable.

AppOpps
Kind of like a mega advanced settings app. It makes you decide which settings an app may use (location, storage, run in background etc.) but with also an option to spoof the data so the app doesn’t crash.

APK Extractor
To just make an APK-file of any installed app on my phone in order to duplicate it fast and quick.

That’s my setup. I hope you like it, and that you might get expired. Feel free to post your settings, apps, modules etc. Looking forward to see yours!

Infinity

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Really like and appreciate the short descriptions. Great.

So how is that GravityBox for A12? Ever since KitKat I always had to have a full navbar of five butions. If there was nothing like SmartBar then GB had to be installed. No GB for Android 12 was a bummer. Read about the unofficial stuff early on but wasn’t too promising.

I know that one of those is actively developed, covering A12.1. Briefly tried A12 but didn’t like it, even with AOSP Mods. Have a test device so might try again if GB is usable on it.

You will find a GravityBox [S] on XDA. It is a NON-OFFICAL version and not everything works. I mainly use it to configure my buttonbar and the behaviour of the buttons since I find the options in AOSP way too limited. It depends a bit on your ROM what works and what doesn’t, but it seems quite stable. I do recommand to install some kind of bootloop-protector-module in Magisk, though, in case you start experimenting.

Most other tweaks I handle with AOSP Mods (2.4.1 for A12) but this doesn’t have so many button-configs. A12 does have a beautiful statusbar-tweak-menu allowing you to put (max.) 4 symbols next to each other and make 2 rows (8) visible by pulling down. That’s so much better as stock AOSP (LOS - /e/).

If you need more info, feel free to ask, happy to help!

XLauncher Unlocked: https://github.com/Rikj000/Android-Auto-XLauncher-Unlocked/releases

Ironically, I don’t use this one specifically with my /e/OS phone. Given the inconsistent-at-best functionality of Android Auto with AOSP ROMs, my thought was to get an inexpensive phone with all of its googleness, root it, sideload my podcast app and an offline map application, and never connect it to a Google account, never give it cellular data, and use AFWall+ to block off internet access to all the apps. In this way, I never have to give an app on my real phone my location, ever, and the phone that has my location, has nothing else and nowhere to send that data.

…the only problem is that Google won’t show apps on Android Auto if they’re sideloaded. Long story short, this little Xposed beauty allows me to show whatever apps I want on Android Auto, and I can have my offline GPS (Sygic / HereWeGo), my podcasts (Antennapod / PocketCast), my copied-over music library (Poweramp), and even watch video on my head unit (fermata, and I don’t do it while driving).

So, that’s my story of an indispensable Xposed add-on.

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APatch works on /e/os, an alternative to Magisk.
I haven’t needed to use any modules but are supported.
Some apps I need root for are App Manager and PCAPdroid.

Now works for google.

Is Open Source stolable ?