[GUIDE] Unlock/Root Lenovo Smart Tab P10 (TB-X705F) by Chaser42

[Chaser42]

This guide will show you how to unlock the bootloader and root Android 9.0 (Pie) with Magisk on the Lenovo Smart Tab P10 (TB-X705F).

This guide is written for Lenovo Smart Tab P10 (TB-X705F). However, it can also be used for the Smart Tab P10 LTE (TB-X705L), the M10 (TB-X605F), and the M10 LTE. All of these devices are essentially identical plus or minus a couple bells and whistles. The only real important technical difference is that each Smart Tab model uses its own specific stock ROM. Keeping up with each stock ROM can be quite a chore, so I will only provide information and links specific to the P10 (TB-705F) stock ROM in this guide.

All software links including stock ROM files, TWRP, Magisk, etc. can be found at the bottom of this post.

@abramxx has a thread for the TB-X605L: HERE

NOTE THAT THIS GUIDE IS ONLY APPLICABLE IF YOUR DEVICE IS RUNNING ANDROID 9.0 (PIE). If your device shipped with Android 8.0 (Oreo), you must upgrade because the Oreo bootloader does not allow a permanent unlock.

You can determine what version the stock ROM you are running by opening Android Settings -> About Tablet. So far Lenovo has released 9 versions the P10 stock ROM:

TB-X705F_S000017_20180831_ROW (8.0 - Oreo)
TB-X705F_S000037_20181220_ROW (8.0 - Oreo)
TB-X705F_S200095_190528_ROW (9.0 - Pie)
TB-X705F_S210068_190904_ROW (9.0 - Pie)
TB-X705F_S210120_191029_ROW (9.0 - Pie)
TB-X705F_S210135_191212_ROW (9.0 - Pie)
TB-X705F_S210137_200407_ROW (9.0 - Pie)
TB-X705F_S210154_200910_ROW (9.0 - Pie)
TB-X705F_S210164_201119_ROW (9.0 - Pie) <current version>

If your device has not yet been unlocked and you are not running the current version, I highly recommend that you upgrade by using the Lenovo Moto Smart Assistant (LMSA) tool to perform a "rescue". The LMSA tool will download the full TB-X705F_S210120_191029_ROW stock ROM and flash it to the tablet. This will result in the loss of all data on the tablet. That's fine because unlocking the device will again clear all data (with the exception of the brand new stock ROM that you have just installed).

NOTE: If you can't make the rescue operation work using the LMSA tool, don't feel bad. Half the time I can't get it working either. As an alternative you can eliminate the LMSA tool all together by using the QComDLoader tool directly. You can find a link to the tool with instructions at the bottom of this post.

PREREQUISITES:

• The understanding that by making these modifications, specifically unlocking the bootloader, will likely void the warranty of your device.
• Be aware that when you modify your device you do so at your own risk. Be sure to follow all steps carefully or you could end up losing all of your data or bricking your device. IF YOU ARE UNSURE ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING THEN STOP NOW.
• As stated above, your device needs to be running Android 9.0 - Pie.
• You need to make sure you have developer settings turned on so that you can enable the "OEM unlocking" setting and the "USB debugging" setting. There are many guides available on how to turn on developer settings, so that is beyond the scope of this guide.
• The fastboot tool must be installed on the device that will be connected to the tablet via a USB cable. Your USB device drivers need to be up to date on that device. In most cases that will be a Windows 10 PC, but the fastboot tool can also be used from devices running Linux or Android. There are a lot of resources already available on how to install the fastboot tool and USB drivers, so that is beyond the scope of this guide.
• You should have a basic familiarity with the fastboot tool and the flashing of image files via the command line.
• BACK UP ALL OF YOUR DATA THAT YOU WANT TO KEEP ON THE TABLET. WHEN YOU UNLOCK THE BOOTLOADER, EVERYTHING ON THE TABLET WILL BE WIPED. THAT INCLUDES THE INTERNAL SD CARD AS WELL AS ANDROID AND APP SPECIFIC DATA. ALL THAT WILL REMAIN IS STOCK ANDROID PIE THAT HAS BEEN FACTORY RESET.

HOW TO UNLOCK:

1. Turn the tablet off.
2. Hold down the volume down button along with the power button so that the tablet goes into fastboot mode.
3. Using the USB cable, connect the tablet to the device with the fastboot tool installed.
4. Launch the command line or terminal emulator from the device with the fastboot tool installed.
5. Unlock the bootloader with the command:
   

   fastboot oem unlock-go

   This will begin the system wipe process and will take around 5 minutes to complete. Once it is complete, the tablet will boot up into Android starting at initial configuration wizard.

HOW TO ROOT:

1. Power the device off. Don't bother with the initial configuration wizard.
2. Hold down the volume down button along with the power button so that the tablet goes into fastboot mode.
3. From the command line, navigate to the directory containing the Magisk prepatched bootloader image (magisk_patched.img) that you downloaded in the prerequisites.
4. Flash the Magisk prepatched bootloader image with the command:
   

   fastboot flash boot magisk_patched_boot-TB-X705F_SXXXXXX_XXXXXX_ROW.img

5. Boot normally into Android with the command:
   

   fastboot reboot

6. Go through the Android setup wizard making sure that you at least configure your Wi-Fi connection.
7. Once you're done with the Android setup wizard, find Magisk Manager in the app drawer and open that app. Download and install the latest release of Magisk Manager from GitHub: LINK
8. You will be prompted to download and install the latest full version of the Magisk Manager. You will also need to grant permission allowing the APK file you just downloaded to be installed.
9. Once the newest version of Magisk Manager has been installed, open that app.
10. Magisk Manager will state that it needs to complete the Magisk setup. Begin that process. It will take a minute or two to complete and then will automatically reboot the tablet.

Congratulations. Your Lenovo Smart Tab P10 (TB-X705F) should now be fully rooted with Magisk. As a final task, it would probably be a good idea to install your favorite version of BusyBox. I highly recommend that you use the systemless version that can be downloaded and installed directly from Magisk Manager.

HOW TO INSTALL OTA UPDATES

If you are rooted with a bootloader that is patched with Magisk, then you will not be able to install OTA updates. The OTA update will look for the original unpatched bootloader image for the current build. If it is not installed then the update will simply fail.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Check to make sure which version of the stock ROM you are currently running.
   
   TB-X705F_S000017_20180831_ROW (8.0 - Oreo)
   TB-X705F_S000037_20181220_ROW (8.0 - Oreo)
   TB-X705F_S200095_190528_ROW (9.0 - Pie)
   TB-X705F_S210068_190904_ROW (9.0 - Pie)
   TB-X705F_S210120_191029_ROW (9.0 - Pie)
   TB-X705F_S210135_191212_ROW (9.0 - Pie)
   TB-X705F_S210137_200407_ROW (9.0 - Pie)
   TB-X705F_S210154_200910_ROW (9.0 - Pie) <current version>
   
   
2. Download the original bootloader image for the version of the stock ROM your are currently on.
3. Flash that bootloader image to the device.
4. Install the OTA update. You can use the automatic update app inside of Android. You can also install the update manually. Download the OTA update file you need from the software links at the end of this post. Copy that file to your external SD card. Boot the tablet up into recovery (hold power, volume up, and volume down). Choose to apply update from SD card.
5. Download the Magisk patched bootloader image for the version of the stock ROM your are upgrading to.
6. Flash that bootloader image to the device. Reboot to system and you're all done.

* NOTE: Installing an OTA update on a device running TWRP with a DECRYPTED data partition, you must follow a few extra steps. @clsA has documented that process HERE.

STOCK ROM FILES

TB-X705F_S000017_20180831_ROW:
Full Stock ROM
Original Bootloader Image
Magisk Patched Bootloader Image

TB-X705F_S000037_20181220_ROW:
OTA Update From Previous Version
Original Bootloader Image
Magisk Patched Bootloader Image

TB-X705F_S200095_190528_ROW:
OTA Update From Previous Version
Original Bootloader Image
Magisk Patched Bootloader Image

TB-X705F_S210068_190904_ROW:
OTA Update From Previous Version
Original Bootloader Image
Magisk Patched Bootloader Image

TB-X705F_S210120_191029_ROW:
Full Stock ROM
OTA Update From Previous Version
Original Bootloader Image
Magisk Patched Bootloader Image

TB-X705F_S210135_191212_ROW:
Full Stock ROM
OTA Update From Previous Version
Original Bootloader Image
Magisk Patched Bootloader Image

TB-X705F_S210137_200407_ROW:
OTA Update From Previous Version
Original Bootloader Image
Magisk Patched Bootloader Image

TB-X705F_S210154_200910_ROW:
OTA Update From Previous Version
Original Bootloader Image
Magisk Patched Bootloader Image

TB-X705F_S210164_201119_ROW: <=== LATEST VERSION
OTA Update From Previous Version
Original Bootloader Image
Magisk Patched Bootloader Image


MISC HELPFUL LINKS

Latest Magisk Releases: LINK
Latest TWRP Custom Recovery the P10: LINK *** Many Thanks to @clsA and @drmarble ***
QComDLoader Tool v1.06 with Settings Preconfigured: LINK
SEE ATTACHED QUICK REFERENCE IMAGE FOR THE QCOMDLOADER TOOL.
QComDLoader Tool Info: You can use this tool to perform a rescue without the LMSA tool. I zipped up the tool so that it is pre-configured with the proper settings. It should work with the P10 and the M10. All you have to do is tell the tool where you have unzipped the full stock ROM to. Then in order to actually perform the flash operation, tell QComDLoader tool to start listening for connections. With the tablet powered off, press volume down and simply plug in the USB cable. Keep volume down pressed for about five or six seconds until you see the red LED blink a couple times. Then just let it sit there. It will appear to be doing nothing for a couple minutes. And then all of a sudden the tool will show that it is connected and will start the flash process.

 

[vcli]

Thank you! But magisk_patched.img can't download

 

[fidelis2]

Delete

 

[vcli]

The download link works fine for me.

Thanks,good

 

[vcli]

Thank you very much! root succeeded

 

[Chaser42]

FYI - If you need Xposed Framework functionality, the new EdXposed seems to work fine.

I simply followed the instructions to get it working:

EdXposed Framework version 90.0-v0.4.5.1 _beta (4463) (Sand Hook) is active

There are two versions that you can pick from - Sand Hook and YAHFA. The documentation states that they're both nearly equivalent and to pick one arbitrarily because some variants work better with different Android devices. So I picked Sand Hook and so far so good. I took a screenshot of the EdXposed Manager showing that is happy. That image is attached.

The EdXposed Framework is still in beta so be very cautious with it. Especially considering that there is currently no P10 TWRP image for Nandroid backups. At this time I wouldn't recommend installing it unless you really have a great need for it.

Chaser

 

[Sister-of-Night]

Help!

Hello!

I have another build number TB-X705L_S200084_190614ROW. What should I do to root my device?

Thanks in advance,
Irene

 

[Chaser42]

Ah, yes. That's the LTE version of the P10. Since it has a different build number, we need the stock bootloader image file (boot.img) that is specific to that model number. That image file would then need to be pre patched with Magisk. I used the magisk installation guide as a reference. That's actually quite easy. The hard part is getting that stock bootloader image file. I was finally able to accomplish this for the TB-X705F by using the Lenovo Moto Smart Assistant tool to revert the tablet back to the original stock ROM and to apply the two OTA updates. The LMSA tool actually saved the files inside if it's application directory in Windows. Inside of the last update zip file I was able to find the stock Pie bootloader. I can only assume that we would have to go to through the same process using the TB-X705L. I'm not sure if I will be able to do it because the LMSA tool requires that you attach the tablet via the USB cable. Then it verifies the serial number and model number. I suspect that I would actually need one of the TB-X705L tablets to get the LMSA tool to download the ROM files specific that device. I will try that a little bit later when I get in front of a PC.

And now that I think about it, there's no guarantee that the TB-X705L bootloader for Pie will allow an OEM unlock. For all we know, allowing the OEM unlock for the TB-X705F bootloader was an oversight on the part of the Lenovo developers. After all, it seems pretty evident that Lenovo doesn't want this device to be unlocked. The Oreo bootloader was not unlockable as far as I could tell. I thought it was strange that the Pie bootloader magically allowed OEM unlock. If the change was intentional, Lenovo certainly didn't provide any documentation about it. They also don't allow those original stock ROM files to be downloaded from the support section of their website. Many other vendors make those files freely available on their websites. I shouldn't have to hunt down those files. They do provide the source code for the original stock ROM, but that's not very useful to the user community.

Hopefully Lenovo just hasn't had time to publish documentation for the bootloader unlock. Otherwise, it would seem that they are intentionally trying to make it difficult for power users to unlock and root these tablets.

Chaser

 

[Chaser42]

I should have mentioned in my original post that the Lenovo Moto Smart Assistant Tool is the key to restoring your device in the event that you get a boot loop or if something else wonky happens. That tool is available on the Lenovo website in their support section. Just follow the instructions to do a "rescue" and that tool will revert the tablet back to the first Oreo stock ROM. To get back to Pie you just have to go through the process of installing the two OTA updates. I did a lot of crazy stuff to my test P10 which resulted in boot loops and other problems with Android. Each time I was able to revert the tablet back to its original Oreo state using the LMSA tool.

Chaser

 

[fidelis2]

Delete

 

[vcli]

Can you provide boot.img and Recovery.img files? X705F.
Thanks!

 

[Chaser42]

Here are the Lenovo stock ROM files for the Smart Tab P10 (TB-X705F). These are the genuine files directly from the Lenovo. I have left the huge file names intact.

Original Full Stock ROM: TB_X705F_USER_S000017_20180831_Q00020_ROW.zip
OTA Update #1: TB_X705F_USER_S000017_20180831_Q00020_ROW_TO_TB_X705F_USER_S000037_20181220_Q00020_ROW_WCF52C9502.zip
OTA Update #2: TB_X705F_USER_S000037_20181220_Q00020_ROW_TO_TB_X705F_USR_S200095_190528_Q00332_ROW_WCB7188D82.zip

There is also a Qualcomm tool that LMSA uses behind the scenes. I've included it as it may be helpful for some people.

Qualcomm Tool: QcomDLoader_V1.3.0.2_WithDLL.zip

Enjoy!

Chaser

 

[thepicknick]

a quick question how were you able to upgrade to Android 9, I just bought mine tablet and android version in 8. I tried to check fro updates but it tells me the system is up to date. I also tried to upgrade my tablet via mobile assistant, but when i choose and model. and download the ROM and try to update it that way it tells me its also up to date...

 

[Chaser42]

I have a test P10 and I have taken it from the original Oreo stock ROM to Pie several times. Sometime last week I started experiencing the exact same issue. I had that device up to the first OTA update and was ready to install the second OTA update but it acted as if it was fully up-to-date. I got the same result when trying to update via the Android updater or the LMSA tool. It is almost as if Lenovo has rescinded the update.

So I found a workaround.

This actually works with both OTA updates. Copy the OTA update file to your external SD card. It must be the external SD card. Then boot into stock recovery by pressing volume up and power at the exact same time. After it vibrates and the Lenovo screen comes up keep volume up and power pressed for about three more seconds and let go. This should bring up the stock recovery menu. Choose install from SD card. You will see your update zip file. Select that file and the update should install properly.

I have tested this method a couple times now and it definitely works. Let me know if you have any trouble.

Chaser

 

[thepicknick]

I have a test P10 and I have taken it from the original Oreo stock ROM to Pie several times. Sometime last week I started experiencing the exact same issue. I had that device up to the first OTA update and was ready to install the second OTA update but it acted as if it was fully up-to-date. I got the same result when trying to update via the Android updater or the LMSA tool. It is almost as if Lenovo has rescinded the update.

So I found a workaround.

This actually works with both OTA updates. Copy the OTA update file to your external SD card. It must be the external SD card. Then boot into stock recovery by pressing volume up and power at the exact same time. After it vibrates and the Lenovo screen comes up keep volume up and power pressed for about three more seconds and let go. This should bring up the stock recovery menu. Choose install from SD card. You will see your update zip file. Select that file and the update should install properly.

I have tested this method a couple times now and it definitely works. Let me know if you have any trouble.

Chaser

oh the problem is i don't have an any SD card I can put into the tablet but also what OTA update are you referring too? are you talking about the link you posted in this thread Update 1 update 2? because my build number is newer then those. my build is TB-X705F_S000041_20190322_ROW and that correspond to Android 8

 

[Sister-of-Night]

Unable to update to Android 9

I succesfully went back to the stock version, after that had 2 OTA updates... and now I can't update to Android 9 to get rom-file needed to root my device ( Both Smart assistant and OTA update are writing "your system is up to date"...

 

[Chaser42]

Currently I only know of one way to install the second OTA update. That is the update that will bring you up to Android 9. It requires that you use an external SD card (even if you just insert one temporarily for this purpose). Per standard Android documentation, you should be able to install the update using ADB sideload but that method is broken. I have only had success updating manually from the external SD card.

Here are the steps to manually install OTA update #2 (Android 9) via the external SD card:

• Download the zip file for OTA #2 (I provided a link in a previous post)
• Copy that zip file to the top folder of the external SD card.
• Boot into stock recovery (power off device then press volume up and power simultaneously).
• From the stock recovery menu, choose "Apply update from SD card".
• Select the zip file for OTA #2
• Profit

I don't know why the P10 currently thinks it is fully up-to-date at Oreo with OTA update #1. I know that it used to work and now it doesn't. I'm not a big conspiracy theorist, but it's almost like Lenovo rescinded the update. This happened a week after I posted the bootloader unlock instructions. Maybe they never meant for the bootloader to be unlocked and they are cooking up a replacement update. But I don't know why they would bother because we already have the copy of the bootloader that allows the unlock and they can never undo that.

I should just use Occam's Razor and go with the simplest solution... Lenovo doesn't seem to know their head from their ass when it comes to the software support of this tablet. Just look at the LMSA tool. It's practically useless. The only thing it gets right is the rescue feature that brings you to the original stock Oreo. Actually, the Qualcomm update tool should get the credit there as LMSA uses that to install the ROM in the background.

This is really great device device, especially considering the price. I have used a lot of tablets and I am very pleased with the P10. The people that designed the P10 from a hardware standpoint did a good job. Even the people who made the stock ROM for Oreo and Pie did a good job. However, the people in charge of the support software are freaking idiots.

Let me know if you run into any problems installing OTA update #2 (Android 9).

Chaser

 

[Sister-of-Night]

Android 9

I've called to Lenovo support and they say that this update is expected to come till the end of September. I hope they don't want to fix the opportunity to unlock the bootloader...

P.S. Sorry for possible mistakes in writing, English is not my language

 

[Chaser42]

Wow, so Lenovo has confirmed that they recalled the update and are coming out with another update next month. I don't really know what to think about that. They will probably roll up the latest Android security updates with the new update. It doesn't make sense that they would recall an update unless they found something wrong with that update. But they still have to deal with the fact that OTA update #2 was released and is running on a lot of P10 tablets in the wild. The new update will have to have the ability to upgrade devices at OTA #2 and devices stuck at OTA #1. As it is, I'm never going to delete my copy of OTA #2. I will make it available on my Mega share if they take it down from the official Lenovo download links.

I'll have to double check, but per my understanding of how OEM locking and unlocking works, Lenovo should not be able to force an OEM lock with an OTA update. The whole point of the security mechanism is that it requires physical access to the device. You can't lock or unlock unless you are able to hold the device in your hand. As it stands, they released a copy of the bootloader into the wild that is capable of performing OEM unlock. Lenovo can't undo that. It will forever be available on fine sites like XDA in a thread like this.

Chaser

 

[ShieldPower]

Very good thing

With thins unlock guide i got know a rooted devices thanks!