[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySNStU8OTuk[/youtube]
How many times over the years do you think we have seen the question “How do I unroot?” pop up in the comments or our inbox? Without an official count, I’d say we’re hovering around 52,342…wait 52,343 now. With warranty claims or new OTA updates seemingly always on the horizon, you get where we are going with this, right? As much as we like to root phones and tablets, there are plenty of occasions that require you to return your phone back to somewhat of a factory state.
Enter Matt Groff’s Universal Unroot application that was released to Google Play, today. Assuming you already have root access (if you don’t, then why are you attempting to use this app?), Universal Unroot will unroot your device with the tap of a single button. As you’ll see in the video we have included up top, this app should work on a variety of phones (mostly Motorola devices seem to have been tested). Should your device come back with an error and not unroot, hit up the Play store listing and email him so that he can work on compatibility.
We reached out to Matt to see exactly what is being removed during this process and he said that it “unroots all possible locations and names of the su binary and all versions of Superuser.” So there you have it.
Unroot without the hassle.
Play Link ($0.99)
OK, I may provide a reason why I am not rooted, but still want an unrooter. I wanted to install google wallet on my phone, it complained my phone was rooted. The thing is, my phone was not rooted at the moment, however, it was rooted before, but was upgraded through OTA and lost root, but /system/xbin/su was not deleted. Wallet detected this file and decided not to serve me.
So basically, I have an unrooted phone, but I still want to un-root it completely. I tried some unrooter on google play, none worked, since I didn’t have root permission. I had to do it through adb manually, but that’s another story.
If you have an s3 odin back to stock, go on xda and search
if anybody can make this app work it’s matt
Not to be disparaging to the developer of this app, but this really seems to have very limited usefulness and there are already free programs that will do this for you (e.g. voodoo ota rootkeeper does it). Removing the SU binaries and the SU app is usually a simple process, and should be if you know enough to know how to root in the first place.
Oh yeah also I have a machine that will smash a phone into a thousand pieces with a single button.
I got really excited because I misread the title as saying “root any phone” and not unroot
Me too =(
i tried watching the video, but it looks like YouTube is taking the evening off.
this does NOT re-lock the phone though…correct??? If warranty claim, wouldn’t I still need to re-lock the bootloader as well??
This does nothing to your bootloader, just unroots.
That is in fact, correct. Removing su and the su binaries has nothing to do with a locked device.
However, if you did the cool thing and set up an SDK instead of one touch rooting, all you need to lock after you unroot is a simple “fastboot OEM lock” command shell away..
Trickster mod in the play store unlocks the bootloader with one click and does not even delete data.
I don’t understand how this would work. What if you’re running a custom ROM? How does an app erase the custom ROM and replace it with the stock stuff which usually you have to do with a computer? I ask because I have to unroot and relock to bring my gnex back to Verizon. Every method I’ve read required me to plug into computer and run some adb commands.
This won’t get rid of a custom rom.
It would be great on a stock rooted rom though.
Trickstermod in the play store allows you to lock the boot loader with one click and does not delete any data then you can use ota root keeper to remove root.
what would happen if.. i make an isurance claim on a broken device for a replacement and send it in rooted and unlocked? do you think assurion cares?
nope.. Asurion couldn’t care less.. Moto doesn’t even care.. I’ve tested them
Asurion insurance won’t care. They cover loss as well, so if phone was rooted and lost, there is nothing to return. Warranty replacement cares, so if you put in a warranty claim (to carrier or phone manufacturer….usually only covered for 1 year….), then you would need to unroot.
Nope, I just did it yesterday and have done it a ton of times. They are gonna reflash the firmware anyways so they’ll probably never even notice.
Why can’t I get a one push and give me a cookie button!?
You can, but you’re going to have to write it.
Why would i really want to remove root access
From the article: “warranty claims or new OTA updates” but that’s just the most common reasons. I can’t say for sure why you would want to remove root.
Sometimes if people mess something up they want to return to 100% stock including unrooting so they can start “fresh” as if it’s out of the box.
I have actually considered it. I have a 32 gig gnex and the memory is pretty full. Instead of going through tons of files and figuring out what I can and shouldn’t delete, I have thought about starting fresh. Regardless, I would still root and flash a ROM. But this app only removes root, so it does not apply to me!
Warranty repair?
This works provided you have modified the system exactly zero…
No, it does work. If you flash back to a STOCK rom and then relock bootloader and then Unroot, you will then have a completely stock device.
I can just see someone use this app to unroot but then try and return their device for a warranty claim or whatever but when the representative takes a look at the device only to see there is some root app that didn’t get erased!
Cool
Why am I getting a scroogled ad here on DL?
People as awesome as matt deserves the attention.
They don’t choose what ads go on here.
You’re being shown that based on your previous activity, or someone on your computer. Either you are seen as a relevant audience (you’re on an android site, so that fits considering keyword context) or you’ve been there before, and they are doing what’s called “retargeting” you. That’s like when you browse on amazon or new egg or something, and then notice that the ads seem to follow you – they retarget you because you were already at their site and clicking around.
Funny, sgroogled advertises with Google
Google isn’t going to turn down a chance to make money 😛