How to Install an Android OTA Update Without Losing Root
Over-the-air updates have long been the bane of many rooted Android users’ existences. It’s an endless battle: installing the update breaks root or won’t flash at all, but everyone wants the latest version of their mobile OS. Thanks to a new tool called FlashFire, the struggle may be over. Android is based on Linux, so Android devices come with a “root” user that functions like the Administrator user account on Windows. By default, Android doesn’t give you access to the root account. Rootin So far, it has been tested extensively on Nexus and Samsung devices, though theoretically it should work on most Android 4.2+ handsets. However, if you’re running a rooted device that’s getting a full version update—from Lollipop to Marshmallow, for example—things may get a little murky. Since there’s no way to root Marshmallow without an unlocked bootloader, you’ll completely lose root access if your device’s bootloader is locked. That’s unavoidable. If you’ve unlocked the bootloader, howe...