Lineage OS on old Samsung S7 phone and apps?

[Edgar R. Zakarian]

Hi guys, 
I couldn't install my bank app on the old samsung OS, went up to Android 8 max, the bank app requires higher.
So I found out I could install a different OS, Lineage OS on it. So now it has Android 13, and I could download the bank app.
But verification apps we use here don't allow "rooted/jailbroken phones" What can be done to like tell this stupid app that it's ok and continue?
Can I remove Root or whatever it's called from Lineage OS so it's back to "standard" ?? Confused.

 

Background: I thought it's a waste not to be able to use my phone, just because of software updates, so I tried to "forcefully update" the OS, in order not to create more E-waste and also save money, instead of buying a new phone. Should be possible, no?

[Edgar R. Zakarian]

Okay so apparently you gotta install something called Magisk then in there enable something called Zygisk something something... Trying on..
Following this guys video:

 

[Nayr438]

As far as I remember lineageos isn't rooted by default. Your likely failing SafetyNet due to the bootloader being unlocked. It however isn't uncommon for apps to also try to determine if your not using a factory rom by other means. Magisk can probably get around it, however you may have to reinstall Magisk after an update and you could be locked out of your account if it determines that you are trying to bypass it's checks.

[Edgar R. Zakarian]

9 minutes ago, Nayr438 said:

As far as I remember lineageos isn't rooted by default. Your likely failing SafetyNet due to the bootloader being unlocked. It however isn't uncommon for apps to also try to determine if your not using a factory rom by other means. Magisk can probably get around it, however you may have to reinstall Magisk after an update and you could be locked out of your account if it determines that you are trying to bypass it's checks.

Sounds like the safest way it just to buy a new phone in the end? 

[TetraSky]

Magisk would certainly hide the fact you're rooted/unlocked the bootloader if you do it right.

But, you should've also been able to simply install Lineage OS without root and have the bank app work. I've done it in the past. Not sure what you did that made it not work.

[Nayr438]

5 minutes ago, Edgar R. Zakarian said:

Sounds like the safest way it just to buy a new phone in the end? 

If it's a App you depend on and you don't want to deal with the hassle of your workaround breaking due to LinegeOS, Magisk, a Magisk Module, or the App updating, then I would just buy a new device.

Custom ROM's are great for extending the life of your device and can be fun to tinker with, but in recent years various App Developers have started cracking down on Custom Roms.

 

1 minute ago, TetraSky said:

Magisk would certainly hide the fact you're rooted/unlocked the bootloader if you do it right.

But, you should've also been able to simply install Lineage OS without root and have the bank app work. I've done it in the past. Not sure what you did that made it not work.

LineageOS will fail SafetyNet out of the box iirc. Some apps have also started checking the Android Build and what packages are installed to attempt to identify if it's a custom Rom or not.

[Edgar R. Zakarian]

58 minutes ago, TetraSky said:

Magisk would certainly hide the fact you're rooted/unlocked the bootloader if you do it right.

But, you should've also been able to simply install Lineage OS without root and have the bank app work. I've done it in the past. Not sure what you did that made it not work.

I installed with boot loader thing called twrp in order to be able to install lineage os & NickGapps from two zip files from their respective websites. Basically following this indian guys tutorial.
Not sure where I went wrong then  

[Edgar R. Zakarian]

54 minutes ago, Nayr438 said:

If it's a App you depend on and you don't want to deal with the hassle of your workaround breaking due to LinegeOS, Magisk, a Magisk Module, or the App updating, then I would just buy a new device.

Custom ROM's are great for extending the life of your device and can be fun to tinker with, but in recent years various App Developers have started cracking down on Custom Roms.

 

LineageOS will fail SafetyNet out of the box iirc. Some apps have also started checking the Android Build and what packages are installed to attempt to identify if it's a custom Rom or not.

I can't check safety net,  because it give out a google something error when downloaded from Aurora store, and I can't download it from google play store, it's greyed out when i login there on the firefox browser..

[Nayr438]

33 minutes ago, Edgar R. Zakarian said:

I installed with boot loader thing called twrp in order to be able to install lineage os & NickGapps from two zip files from their respective websites. Basically following this indian guys tutorial.
Not sure where I went wrong then  

32 minutes ago, Edgar R. Zakarian said:

I can't check safety net,  because it give out a google something error when downloaded from Aurora store, and I can't download it from google play store, it's greyed out when i login there on the firefox browser..

Do you actually have Gapps installed? It's a hard requirement for many Google Play Store Apps. The fact that you can't run the SafetyNet Check check leaves me to believe it's either not installed or it's missing pieces.

I have personally never heard of NickGapps, LineageOS only recommends the Gapps listed here, https://wiki.lineageos.org/gapps

[Edgar R. Zakarian]

43 minutes ago, Nayr438 said:

Do you actually have Gapps installed? It's a hard requirement for many Google Play Store Apps. The fact that you can't run the SafetyNet Check check leaves me to believe it's either not installed or it's missing pieces.

I have personally never heard of NickGapps, LineageOS only recommends the Gapps listed here, https://wiki.lineageos.org/gapps

I got this one, but maybe it didn't install then? Not sure xD
NikGApps - Custom Google Apps Package! | NikGapps Website
Should've install Core version of it at least.

[Edgar R. Zakarian]

In any case it seems like I can't really run banking stuff without magisk etc. so it's shady and I guess I'm dropping it. Don't want my wallet emptied  

[OhioYJ]

On 3/26/2023 at 8:55 AM, Edgar R. Zakarian said:

In any case it seems like I can't really run banking stuff without magisk etc. so it's shady and I guess I'm dropping it. Don't want my wallet emptied  

Magisk is fine. Lineage is not rooted by default. Some apps however will not work with an unlocked bootloader. While you can lock the bootloader on Lineage this has to be done in a very specific way, and can be risky, as you can brick your device if not done properly.

 

This is why it's easier to use Magisk and actually root the device to hide the fact that you are rooted and have an unlocked bootloader. 

 

There are a couple other add-ons you will need as well to accomplish this. Let me know if you want to try it I'll post up the links and how I do this on my devices.

[E-waste]

So, your bank doesn't have a website to use?  Surely they do.

[Edgar R. Zakarian]

On 3/28/2023 at 8:47 PM, OhioYJ said:

Magisk is fine. Lineage is not rooted by default. Some apps however will not work with an unlocked bootloader. While you can lock the bootloader on Lineage this has to be done in a very specific way, and can be risky, as you can brick your device if not done properly.

 

This is why it's easier to use Magisk and actually root the device to hide the fact that you are rooted and have an unlocked bootloader. 

 

There are a couple other add-ons you will need as well to accomplish this. Let me know if you want to try it I'll post up the links and how I do this on my devices.

Could you please? Also please include which Google apps package you install. I'd like the standard items like play store and maps to work.

[Edgar R. Zakarian]

On 4/8/2023 at 2:34 AM, E-waste said:

So, your bank doesn't have a website to use?  Surely they do.

Yeah they do indeed! So I can easily do it on the PC. It's not a problem. But it's nice to have the app on your phone to be able to quickly check balance and pay bills etc. on the go.

[OhioYJ]

5 hours ago, Edgar R. Zakarian said:

Could you please? Also please include which Google apps package you install. I'd like the standard items like play store and maps to work.

 

At this point I mainly using MindTheGapps on almost all my devices. This what is recommended by LOS actually for pretty my all officially supported devices I believe. 

 

For Magisk, at this point I would recommend either two options:

 

Official Magisk Builds

 

Huskydg Magisk Builds - these are what I'm using at this point, for several reasons. 

 

Some will say this is not needed, it still works for me. 

 

Magisk Hide Props  - after installing this in Magisk, you need a terminal emulator, and have to run the command props. There is documentation in that post about this one. 

 

Safety Net Fix - I have a link at home that has slightly newer versions of this one, I'll try and remember to update this later. This will help hide unlocked bootloader. 

 

Make sure after doing this you hide Magisk (rename it), and configure the hide list for basically everything Google, Banking, video (Netflix things like that) related. You should be good to go. If the play store still shows up as "not certified" wipe data and cache for the play store and search for something (anything doesn't matter) and check again. It should come up as certified. You can always enable force basic attestation in Magisk Hide Props if you have to. 

 

[OhioYJ]

@Edgar R. Zakarian

 

Here's the newer Safety Net Releases Link, I said I would post.

[Edgar R. Zakarian]

Maybe a weird question, but how do you as a user trust these hacky apps, in not sniffing your banking information and some guy behind them suddenly emptying your bank account?  Like how do you/people know it can't happen?

[OhioYJ]

5 hours ago, Edgar R. Zakarian said:

Maybe a weird question, but how do you as a user trust these hacky apps, in not sniffing your banking information and some guy behind them suddenly emptying your bank account?  Like how do you/people know it can't happen?

Well they are open source, you can look and see what they are doing. You can bet the community finds this stuff pretty quickly too. When Magisk Alpha (an unofficial fork, I used to use this one) started sending out debug information (back to the developer) there was backlash and it was noticed quickly. News spread quickly.  I would just make sure you download from legitimate / official sources. 

[Edgar R. Zakarian]

23 hours ago, OhioYJ said:

Well they are open source, you can look and see what they are doing. You can bet the community finds this stuff pretty quickly too. When Magisk Alpha (an unofficial fork, I used to use this one) started sending out debug information (back to the developer) there was backlash and it was noticed quickly. News spread quickly.  I would just make sure you download from legitimate / official sources. 

Alright, thank you ! 

[E-waste]

You don't need to update / upgrade android.  It's all a scam to sell you hardware you never knew you wanted.

 

I'm still on Android 8, and have had my device since Android 7 or so.  If I want a new app, I just use https://apkpure.com

 

or F-droid

 

My phone works fine, and I would advise NOT using a bank app.  That's a scam too.  It may be "more convienient" but that is only because they are not properly optimising their website, which can easily be done with the programming options available today.

 

Just set your bank website as a bookmark, and leave it at that.

[Edgar R. Zakarian]

On 5/21/2023 at 7:25 PM, E-waste said:

You don't need to update / upgrade android.  It's all a scam to sell you hardware you never knew you wanted.

 

I'm still on Android 8, and have had my device since Android 7 or so.  If I want a new app, I just use https://apkpure.com

 

or F-droid

 

My phone works fine, and I would advise NOT using a bank app.  That's a scam too.  It may be "more convienient" but that is only because they are not properly optimising their website, which can easily be done with the programming options available today.

 

Just set your bank website as a bookmark, and leave it at that.

Thanks for the input Mr. E-waste ! 
I agree, and that's what I've actually been doing until now, just using my old original samsung S7 with its original OS so far.
The other Samsung S7 phone with Lineage OS I put in the box again as I wasn't sure I could trust both Lineage os and then some apps like Magisk, Zygisk and what have you. People say they're safe because they're open source, but hey, who knows if they've actually ever been checked by anyone. Call me paranoid, but I'm a bit reluctant to use such apps in combination with ID verification and Banking.

 

- This brings me to the next point, at some point I will HAVE to update my phone due to android level, because in Denmark we use an APP to enter anything personal called MitID (My id). At some point, this app likely will also require android versions above 8 (which is the highest the Samsung S7 can be updated to officially).

[OhioYJ]

4 hours ago, Edgar R. Zakarian said:

 People say they're safe because they're open source, but hey, who knows if they've actually ever been checked by anyone. Call me paranoid, but I'm a bit reluctant to use such apps in combination with ID verification and Banking.

With them being open source you can look at the code yourself if you want. Also things like Lineage, there's a Long list of current developers actively working on it. This doesn't include all the unofficial builds and such. All these people have eyes on the code. 

 

Some open source projects do actually pay for security audits (the ones that come to mind right away are encryption software), but this is not one of those cases. 

 

Honestly I'm far less concerned about what's hiding in the code that I can see and that is openly available, and much more concerned about what's hiding in the code that is not available to me. I'd be more concerned about the factory OS, or Windows where you have no control, and can't see what they are doing. Just me though. Just depends which side of the fence we're on I guess. 

[E-waste]

8 hours ago, Edgar R. Zakarian said:

- This brings me to the next point, at some point I will HAVE to update my phone due to android level, because in Denmark we use an APP to enter anything personal called MitID (My id). At some point, this app likely will also require android versions above 8 (which is the highest the Samsung S7 can be updated to officially).

This is ridiculus.  It's idiocracy, we are already there.  Thought it would take longer.

 

I had this same discussion with another forum member here, where in Singapore, you have to have Android 8 to be able to use a specific app to pay for some things.

 

If you care about this issue as much as I do, I would like you to write them an email, and send it a few times, to make sure they see it, if they have an email!

 

Somehow, find a way to contact them, and ask them to develop a website.  If they have people developing an app, SURELY they can develop an html website wih minimal use of javascript, surely.

 

So please, for the sake of my username, I would like you to look into contacting your area's IT department and explaining how an html website works, why it is accessible on any computer with almost no serious hardware requirements, and very low software requirements.

 

Firefox can be run on any Linux system with 384MB of system memory with a swap memory partition on the storage device.  You don't need much for a webpage, and it prevents the need to purchase new devices every few years.

 

Please have this conversation with whoever decided to produce an app, to let them know a website is accessible to all, no matter the device, whereas an app requires a specific model which will be quickly obscolete according to the program they make.

 

I really appreciate @OhioYJtepping in, I share those beliefs, open-source is far safer than Windows or Google Chrome, as you can actually see the code.

 

If you really are this paranoid, you don't happen to use Google Chrome do you?  Firefox started development in 1996 with a different name, I think Pheonix, it's now Fennec in the Android F-droid app store, which is for open-source software.

 

People who write open-source code mainly do it for their own wants, they aren't going to waste their time write two or three versions of the same software, keep the "good" one for themselves and then publish two malicious versions.

 

I get them impression they are passionate about computing and keeping devices and holding on to fundamental rights of software and hardware freedom, and they also want to share that with others.

 

If you can, I'd stick it out with LineageOS, you are lucky enough not to put in too many updates like I did, use it!

 

Play with the color controls in the settings too, you can make a candle-light orange screen at night, and an aqua-blue screen with no red during the day.