How Updates Work (or Why OTAs Break Root)

Updates can make or break functionality on your phone or tablet. No matter which operating system you may have (iOS, Android, Windows Phone, etc.), updates can be troublesome, as they can break your jailbreak/root that you may have worked hard on to get (and make it harder to re-obtain it). But before we can explain why they are so destructive to custom tweaks, we must first explain what updates are and what they consist of.

What are updates?

Updates (known as OTAs, or over-the-air updates, to Android users) are patches to an operating system that can add, remove, or change functionality of said operating system. Updates can be made to patch only certain system files (minor updates), or they can be made to patch the entire operating system (major updates). For example, an update can contain fixes for security breaches or hacks that can be exploited to create a jailbreak/root. If you're a user that is security-minded and/or ready to try new concepts as they are deployed, OTAs can be very useful. However, if you're a person that likes to jailbreak/root and tweak the operating system(s) installed on your device, OTAs can be bad. For example, a version of an OS that could be jailbroken/rooted via an exploit can be patched in an update, making it harder to jailbreak/root your phone/tablet. Sometimes updates will leave custom tweaks as is, but this is usually not the case.

Why are updates so destructive to custom tweaks?

Updates are often destructive to custom tweaks for a few reasons: 1) they can wipe the entire operating system core (usually leaving alone apps and user data stored in internal memory and/or an external SD card) and copy in all core OS files from the update; 2) they can make modifications to only certain files, breaking tweaks dependent upon said modifications; 3) they can safely remove any and all custom modifications to the OS; and/or 4) they can create file patches that will need to be bypassed in order to preserve root and/or re-obtain it. Not all files used in rooting (Android only) may be removed with an OTA, so re-rooting could be easier. Also note (Android only) that performing a factory reset may not remove root and/or other tweaks, as a factory reset will usually only overwrite user data and not system files (although custom tweaks may be dependent upon certain user data), while an OTA will typically do the opposite (keep user data, overwrite system files).

Is there anything that can be done to preserve my root/jailbreak when an update occurs?

While not guaranteed, there are steps you can take to attempt to preserve your root/jailbreak and/or custom tweaks. If you're using the SuperSU app on Android, you can try checking the "OTA Survival" checkbox in the SuperSU settings, although OTAs may fail while the checkbox is checked. Make sure to search the Web to check if your device root will survive or break after a particular OTA or if the "OTA Survival" setting will prevent an OTA from being applied. You may find after an update that root is preserved through the OTA with the OTA survival setting off, in which case that particular OTA is probably a minor one. For iOS, an OS update will almost certainly patch a jailbreak, so if you wish to keep it for future use, make a backup of your OS before you update so you can revert to it in a later point in time. As for Windows Phone, you may not have an option to keep your jailbreak after an update, so update only when a way of jailbreaking the latest update is available. One surefire way of preventing a root/jailbreak loss is to not update (or if you must update, wait until a method of jailbreaking/rooting the update is available). Another option is to install a custom OS (each device has a specific way of doing this), but you will often need to unlock your bootloader, install custom firmware to bypass any security measures implemented by your carrier/device manufacturer, and/or void your warranty. For instance, CyanogenMod and most derivatives of it come with root and Busybox (a package for rooted Android users that allows you to use a broader spectrum of typical Linux commands) by default, so you can update these without worrying about breaking root, but OTAs/updates of custom operating systems of any kind may break custom tweaks.

Use ES File Explorer to Unlock Hidden Android Apps (#12daysoftips)

If you have an Android device that you didn't purchase from Google directly (and even so, this trick may apply to you), then the company that made your device (and usually the Android OS as well) has probably hidden some (or most) of the stock Android apps that should be packaged, and replaced them with their own apps (or they just don't replace them at all). It is possible to find these apps, however, thanks to a nifty tool named ES File Explorer. You can download it here for Google Play devices, or here for those of you with Kindle Fires.

Top 5 Chrome Extensions

(Image by Google)

Google Chrome has a wide variety of apps, extensions, and themes to improve your browsing experience. From security to notifications, there are thousands of extensions. How do you know which ones are right for you? Is it the web developing tools, or is it the browser tuning tools? Here is wCross
Technology's 2 top 5 Chrome Extensions.

1. Jolidrive New Tab Page- The JoliDrive extension redesigns the new tab page within Google Chrome. The JoliDrive service is made by JoliCloud, which has a new approach to internet services. There approach is to combine all online cloud services together, into one fast and easy place. They do a spectacular job achieving this goal. This extension revamps the new tab page, so it shows the JoliDrive interface, and makes it easy to get into your internet services. Get the JoliDrive Chrome extension here.

2. Chrome Remote Desktop- This is the remote desktop app from Google. Although it is built into Google Chrome, it is a full fledged remote desktop program will full features. It offers as quick tech support, or as a long distance log in. CRD is a cross-platform app, so you can control a Mac using Windows, or the other way around. Get CRD here.

3. avast! Online Security- This is the browser-based security extension. We trust Avast for all of our security. This app protects you from many threats, and you can view the rating of the website. The rating of the website is a rating averaged from multiple people. After rating the website, you choose the category of the website (Shopping, News/Blog, Etc...). Get avast! Online Protection here.

4. Gtalklet / Hangouts- These extensions are both IM communication extensions. Gtalklet supports Google Talk (old version), Facebook chat, and other XMPP chat services. Hangouts on the other hand, supports The new version of Google Talk. They are both high quality apps, so choose the one that fits your lifestyle. Get Gtalklet here or the Hangouts extension here.

5. Google+ Notifications- This is the app to see notifications from Google+. Google+ is now the #2 social network (Source: Forbes), and is replacing Facebook. This app with appear with your notifications in a small little notification bell in the corner. It is a simple app, but quite helpful. Get G+ notifications extension here.