Root Instructions for SM-T290 (Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019)
- Thread starter Minionguyjpro
- Start date
I had a trouble shooting question. I followed the steps exactly and after everything with successful the tablet is stuck on the Samsung load screen any ideas
Try to wipe data in TWRP. After that, boot into the system and wait 10-20 minutes. When it has been reset, samsung logo may take longer to go away.
Sorry for the delay in my updates. Got slammed at work.
So I rooted about a dozen tablets, and each time I had to do the wipe data in TWRP. Not one of them would boot after installing TWRP. However, if I followed your instructions exactly, I found that wiping data in TWRP alone wasn't enough. In a few cases the data partition was entirely destroyed, so I had to do an advanced wipe and tell it to wipe "internal storage" as well.
I think it may have had to do with which settings were selected in ODIN when I flashed TWRP. If I followed your instructions exactly (only unselecting reboot and leaving NAND ERASE selected) then I think this problem can occur.
Since I did many tablets, I was able to recreate this. When it locks up on the second SAMSUNG screen, if I ONLY do a wipe data then it will boot, but the tablet is broken. Here are my notes:
- Storage is broken. Device care screen shows "7.1 GB / 8GB" storage, except there's nothing that is 8GB. The data partition is 24GB.
- Trying to go into the storage details in device care would just crash
- Google Play says 1.3GB of 24GB used. But trying to do any update tells me that I have to free up space.
- ADB says that /dev/root is 3.5G in size and 97% in use with 148M free (this is normal).
- Settings/Storage says 10.7GB used (System memory 9.4GB) with 920MB in apps, of 32GB total
- On another device, Device Care/Storage says 10.83 / 32.00GB in use, not the 8GB shown on the other device.
- There is no /dev/fuse -> /storage/emulated mount.
- Went into recovery, did wipe, advanced, wipe just the internal storage, and rebooted - fixed the problem!
With NAND ERASE selected, I noticed a note on the screen when flashing TWRP that said "ERASING USERDATA PARTITION" - so I assume that's what is causing the problem.
BTW This has nothing to do with rooting. I tried only flashing TWRP and multidisabler, and the problem still happened. I played around on a fresh device:
- Did the OEM unlock, factory reset, skipped WiFi and all setup, verified OEM was unlocked, installed TWRP
- There is a message on screen " SECURE CHECK FAIL : vbmeta" - this is normal.
- note that there was a message on screen when installing TWRP that said ERASING USERDATA PARTITION
- installed multidisabler, rebooted, and locks up on the second SAMSUNG screen (waited 30 minutes).
- going back into TWRP, going to mount and data won't mount and it says "Storage: Internal Storage (0 MB)".
- going into repair, the /data partition is dead, present but 0MB
- tried to repair, e2fsck returns error 8
- after wipe data, partition is present with Size: 22943MB
- I could not wipe the internal storage partition (which is /data/media) until I rebooted TWRP, then it let me.
- even after wiping it successfully (/data/media) I still can't repair it, just says "invalid partition selection" - bug in TWRP?
Because I was doing more research, I also tried taking a tablet that had an old firmware (and completely untouched from factory) and just flashing the latest official Samsung firmware (using CSC and not HOME_CSC). Upon reboot after firmware flash:
- 35 seconds to go from the first Samsung screen to the second
- 1m55s to "starting android"
- 20 seconds after that to the welcome screen where you can start setting up
What is really interesting is that taking that virgin tablet, flashing the latest official firmware (which essentially does a factory reset because I intentionally used CSC and not HOME_CSC) it takes almost 3 minutes to complete the reboot and get into android. However, doing the unlock process (which also does a factory reset) takes twice as long:
- from the fresh official firmware install mentioned above, bypass as much setup as possible (no WiFi, no accounts, etc)
- get tablet into usable state, enable developer mode
- enable OEM unlock
- reboot back into android, verify that OEM unlock option is set
- shut down
- hold down vol up+dn and plug in USB cable
- boots up into the unlock screen, proceed to unlock
- tablet reboots
- 15 seconds after reboot, android updater logo appears and after a few seconds reboots again
- Takes 5m20s to get to the starting android screen
- 20 seconds after that to the welcome screen where you can start setting up
Nice it worked well afterwards! Weird, actually I didn't need to wipe any partition and it still worked.
I really appreciate all of the work that you put into this, so I wanted to help out any way that I could. Hopefully these details will help others who get into the same problem. Feel free to update your first post so that others know as well.
I still have a lot of virgin tablets left, so let me know if there is any other experimentation. I don't know who built TWRP but there may be some fixes needed there. Unfortunately I don't have time to try to fix it myself. I didn't even need a dozen tablets rooted but it's fun to try to figure this stuff out lol.
Ok, but auto reboot directly boots the tablet, and the user is not prepared to enter the twrp recovery?
I fixed the storage issue by reparing and/or resizing the Internal Storage partition.
So the user just needs to be paying attention. I mean flashing TWRP only takes a few seconds, so it's not like you're grabbing a coffee anyway
Click to flash, and watch your tablet. As soon as you see it reboot, press the buttons.
FYI even if you leave auto reboot off, you don't need to do power+voldn to reset. You can just press and hold power+volup until it resets, that way you don't have to change the keys as it is rebooting.
Hmm ... Why come up with a new way to install TWRP and fix errors if there is a long-known way to do it?
So, flash the TWRP file and the patched vbmeta.img file, enter TWRP, install a multidisabler that disables encryption. And in order for TWRP to have access to memory, you need to do format data - yes (not wipe data!) And reboot into TWRP. Install Magisk.zip and boot into the system... That's it!
So, flash the TWRP file and the patched vbmeta.img file, enter TWRP, install a multidisabler that disables encryption. And in order for TWRP to have access to memory, you need to do format data - yes (not wipe data!) And reboot into TWRP. Install Magisk.zip and boot into the system... That's it!
Hmm ... Why come up with a new way to install TWRP and fix errors if there is a long-known way to do it?
So, flash the TWRP file and the patched vbmeta.img file, enter TWRP, install a multidisabler that disables encryption. And in order for TWRP to have access to memory, you need to do format data - yes (not wipe data!) And reboot into TWRP. Install Magisk.zip and boot into the system... That's it!
Because this device seems to be different. The main OS wants to overwrite the recovery partition and makes it very difficult to have non-standard stuff, despite allowing us to unlock the bootloader.
We were also hoping that you wouldn't need to format data again - why should that be necessary? It's not even touching the data partition, or it shouldn't be. If it's a problem, why doesn't the installer do it?
If you do not plan to use TWRP and only need Root rights, then with an unlocked bootloader, you need to do this:
1) patch the boot.img & vbmeta.img file
2) the received file is flashed via ODIN as part of the AP
We boot into the system, update the Magisk application or install Magisk.apk and use Root rights
In this case, all current data will remain, the memory will be encrypted...You can install TWRP using Root rights or through ODIN. But for TWRP access to memory, you need to disable encryption! For this, a multidisabler is installed so that the memory is not encrypted on reboots. And to decrypt the memory, it is made from TWRP format data with a set of the word yes. wipe data will not decrypt the memory, but only clear it, so we do format data ...
Regarding the features of the device:
1) there is no need to embed Magisk in the recovery section, as on new smartphone models ...
2) the bootloader can be unlocked, but with 10 and 11 androids there will still be a ban on installing a custom kernel or custom recovery ... Only with the android 9 bootloader, respectively, you can install TWRP and Root-rights. Fortunately, on Android 11 of the T290 model, the bootloader is version 3 and you can replace it with the bootloader of Android 9 of the same version 3 ...
4) with the android 9 bootloader, the device boots and works on android 10 and 11 and it's fantastic! However, the charging of the turned off device does not work, more precisely, there is no picture with percentages, the device freezes on loading ... At the same time, I absolutely do not understand the meaning of charging the turned off device
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Good that you say that, but flashing and patching the AP, it did make my device stop working. After a successful flash, the device boots up in a warning screen saying "SECURE_CHECK_FAIL: boot.img", or is this because I most not flash the BL?If you do not plan to use TWRP and only need Root rights, then with an unlocked bootloader, you need to do this:
1) patch the boot.img & vbmeta.img file
2) the received file is flashed via ODIN as part of the AP
We boot into the system, update the Magisk application or install Magisk.apk and use Root rights
You can install TWRP using Root rights or through ODIN. But for TWRP access to memory, you need to disable encryption! For this, a multidisabler is installed so that the memory is not encrypted on reboots. And to decrypt the memory, it is made from TWRP format data with a set of the word yes. wipe data will not decrypt the memory, but only clear it, so we do format data ...
Regarding the features of the device:
1) there is no need to embed Magisk in the recovery section, as on new smartphone models ...
2) the bootloader can be unlocked, but with 10 and 11 androids there will still be a ban on installing a custom kernel or custom recovery ... Only with the android 9 bootloader, respectively, you can install TWRP and Root-rights. Fortunately, on Android 11 of the T290 model, the bootloader is version 3 and you can replace it with the bootloader of Android 9 of the same version 3 ...
4) with the android 9 bootloader, the device boots and works on android 10 and 11 and it's fantastic! However, the charging of the turned off device does not work, more precisely, there is no picture with percentages, the device freezes on loading ... At the same time, I absolutely do not understand the meaning of charging the turned off device
My device didn't need to. It just worked by flashing TWRP, installing all ZIPs and done. Not needed to wipe and/or format data or unselect any box in ODIN. I just tried to use the steps how I flashed it.
On the TWRP thread, I also saw a version of Multidisabler for Samsung devices that KEEPS encryption. This way you should also keep encryption. Here:If you do not plan to use TWRP and only need Root rights, then with an unlocked bootloader, you need to do this:
1) patch the boot.img & vbmeta.img file
2) the received file is flashed via ODIN as part of the AP
We boot into the system, update the Magisk application or install Magisk.apk and use Root rights
You can install TWRP using Root rights or through ODIN. But for TWRP access to memory, you need to disable encryption! For this, a multidisabler is installed so that the memory is not encrypted on reboots. And to decrypt the memory, it is made from TWRP format data with a set of the word yes. wipe data will not decrypt the memory, but only clear it, so we do format data ...
Regarding the features of the device:
1) there is no need to embed Magisk in the recovery section, as on new smartphone models ...
2) the bootloader can be unlocked, but with 10 and 11 androids there will still be a ban on installing a custom kernel or custom recovery ... Only with the android 9 bootloader, respectively, you can install TWRP and Root-rights. Fortunately, on Android 11 of the T290 model, the bootloader is version 3 and you can replace it with the bootloader of Android 9 of the same version 3 ...
4) with the android 9 bootloader, the device boots and works on android 10 and 11 and it's fantastic! However, the charging of the turned off device does not work, more precisely, there is no picture with percentages, the device freezes on loading ... At the same time, I absolutely do not understand the meaning of charging the turned off device
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I added and changed some stuff. Hope it will help others!
If the full firmware of Android 11 was installed, then the bootloader, even when unlocked, will not allow you to flash a custom kernel or recovery ... You need to change the bootloader to Android 9, but in fact there are only 2 files from BL, this is aboot.mbn & vaultkeeper.mbn, which I posted earlier and I'll add it again:
I will keep TWRP. It has some good functions and features, so keeping it is better. (for me atleast).
I will keep TWRP. It has some good functions and features, so keeping it is better. (for me atleast).
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Root Instructions for SM-T290 (Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019)
Welcome! This is my first guide on XDA Developers. This will tell you how to root a Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019, specially for the SM-T290 model of it. I hope you like it and it works! It has exactly 30 steps.
Disclaimer
UPDATE YOUR TABLET TO VERSION T290XXU3CVG3 AND NOT HIGHER!!!
Please update your tablet to the version listed above and NOT higher. Make sure it is fully upgraded to Android 11, so that you can use the better version of TWRP. BUT NOT HIGHER THAN THE VERSION ABOVE, AS THE DEVICE WILL LIKELY NEVER BE ABLE TO BE ROOTED AGAIN. Update by flashing T290XXU3CVG3 with Odin. Download the firmware for your country. Soon I might will update this guide so that TWRP will work on the latest firmware, but for now, DO NOT GO HIGHER THAN T290XXU3CVG3!!! If you have bootloader version 4, it is impossible to flash any of the stuff described here and your device won't be able to have a downgraded bootloader, making it currently impossible to flash any custom stuff when you have bootloader version 4!
MAKE A BACKUP!
Be sure to make a complete backup first of all important stuff you have! When you have TWRP (and likely also ROOT), you are able to make a COMPLETE backup of your tablet, including partitions like boot and data and allows apps with complete data to be restored, be sure to use this feature when you have installed TWRP.
Known issues
- Charging the device while it is powered off will power it on again. The device will always be on when charging.
- Sometimes, when you wipe and/or format data, the storage space is seen as 8GB, while it has 32GB. You can find the fix here.
- The battery may drain fast. If this is your case, check this fix.
- You may get a black screen after you have flashed TWRP. This means that this method likely doesn't work for your device, because your device came with Android 10 instead. This means that the Android 9 bootloader doesn't work properly on this device. We know the device can be used by using screen mirroring from ADB, but we need more research.
Issue tracker
You can report issues here. This repository is used to report issues for all my XDA threads. You MUST add the label 'Root Instructions For SM-T290', so I know where to post this issue.
Instructions for ROOT
1. Power on your device.
2. Open the settings app.
3. Go to 'About device/phone/tablet'
4. Click on 'Software info'.
5. Tap on the build number for 7 times until a message pops up saying "You are now a developer!".
6. Go back to home menu of settings app and click on 'Developer options'.
7. Enable the OEM unlock switch.
Optional: Unlock the bootloader using the steps below, go through setup, enable developer options and check if the option is still enabled.
8. Turn your device off and reboot into download mode by plugging the device into a PC using an USB cable and holding Pwr+VolUp+VolDown after being plugged in.
9. Disable the OEM lock and enable bootloader by holding VolUp for 10 seconds and then follow the instructions.
10. After that, you should see a download icon saying (downloading...).
11. Download Odin Flash Tool 'Odin3-v3.14.4.zip' from the files below.
12. Extract the ZIP file.
13. Open the ODIN executable.
14. Connect your tablet with a micro-USB to USB-A adapter (Your charging cable).
15. Download TWRP recovery image by clicking here. It should work with any version on your tablet. (TWRP XDA Thread)
16. Go back to ODIN, click OK.
17. Go to 'options' tab.
18. Disable 'Auto Reboot'. (not required, keeping enabled may be needed if you can't install and/or use the device.)
19. Click the check box before 'AP'.
20. Click on 'AP'.
21. Select the TWRP file 'twrp-3.7.0_11-0-T290XXU3CVG3-20221120.tar.md5'.
For users with auto-reboot enabled: read step 22, 23 and 24 first to do it correctly.
22. Click 'start'.
23. Wait until you see 'PASS' in the left upper corner.
24. READ THIS WHOLE STEP BEFORE YOU EXECUTE IT! On your tablet, hold the Pwr+VolDown button for 10 seconds until it reboots. From then, you need to be fast. When you see the logo, hold Pwr+VolUp. When you see a warning, IMMEDIATELY press ONLY Pwr for once. After that, hold Pwr+VolUp again as fast as you can until you see the TWRP logo. You successfully managed to install custom recovery! If you fail, you must redo step 16-18 until you get into TWRP.
25. Swipe the box to the right so that you can make modifications and can install Magisk (App for ROOT) and Multidisabler (Disables VaultKeeper, so that ROOT and TWRP will not be uninstalled after normal boot).
26. On the computer, download 'Magisk-v25.2.apk' from here and 'multidisabler-samsung-3.1.zip' from below (under thread), and copy these 2 files to the root directory of the tablet's internal storage by selecting the tablet in Windows Explorer, selecting 'Internal Storage' and pasting them there. If you see weird directories, you may need a SD card connected to the tablet and paste the file there, which was my case. For SD card, you are going to select 'SD Card' instead of 'Internal Storage'.
27. Press 'Install' on tablet.
28. If you have an SD Card, click 'Select storage' and click on '(micro)SD Card'. Select 'Magisk-v25.2.apk' and then swipe to install. Wait until this is done. After that, repat step 21-22 for 'multidisabler-samsung-3.1.zip' and do the same, but this time, also click 'Wipe cache/dalvik' afterwards to make sure it can build new, fresh cache.
29. When you are done, click 'Done'.
30. Click 'Reboot' and then 'System'.
Hooray! You have rooted your SM-T290 tablet successfully. You can close/exit everything now! The app for root is 'Magisk', so verify that you have root completely by opening it, and looking at the 'Installed' column in the 'Magisk' section. If it says 'Installed 25.2 (252XX)', and ROOT is succesfully installed! If it doesn't say this, reboot into TWRP and repeat step 21-22.
(Maybe edited so please stay tuned.)
TWRP image could not be upload here due to XDA not allowing me to upload it due to the .tar.md5 file extension.
Recommended TWRP flashable ZIPs
- Open Gapps - Replaces/Installs more up-to-date apps from Google: https://opengapps.org
- Samsung Game Services (by me) - Installs Samsung Game Booster + Launcher + Optimizing Service on any Samsung device with OneUI: https://github.com/minionguyjpro/Samsung-Game-Services-Installer
Troubleshooting
Problem: 8GB on a 32GB device
Fix: Turn your device off, boot into TWRP by holding Pwr+VolDown, pressing Pwr once immediately on the warning prompt, and pressing Pwr+VolDown again, until you boot into TWRP. Then go to Wipe > Advanced Wipe > Select System > Repair or Change File System > Resize File System > Swipe to the right. If that doesn't work, you can also try the Data partition, and/or the other option 'Repair File System'.
Problem: Fast battery drain
Fix: Turn your device off, boot into TWRP by holding Pwr+VolDown, pressing Pwr once immediately on the warning prompt, and pressing Pwr+VolDown again, until you boot into TWRP. Then go to Wipe > Advanced Wipe > Select Dalvik / ART Cache > Swipe to Wipe. If that doesn't work, try to factory reset the device, look for apps that may cause a fast battery drain or use a Custom ROM that is faster and has a better battery life.
Offline instructions and data
The offline guide and data are also available below:3Couple points of note:
- To enter recovery mode, hold Volume UP (+), not Down (-). Do not hold Power, it will force a reboot again.
- After unlocking the bootloader, the best course of action is to allow the device to boot into Android and enable Developer Options, then check to ensure OEM Unlocking is still there and grayed out (should show Bootloader is already unlocked). If not, this may cause problems when attempting to flash TWRP. See here
- TWRP 3.6.0_11 is here: XDA Thread Download link
- It's not necessary to change the Magisk extension from .apk to .zip. TWRP will still install it as a ZIP.
- The only acceptable source for Magisk is the Magisk Github
- It is not necessary to use an SD card, although it's recommended given the tablet's limited storage. MTP should work while in TWRP; the user can transfer both Magisk and the Multidisabler to the internal storage via USB and install them before wiping data.
2{{extremely long string of expletives removed}}
Ok, so...
I had tried two different computers. I mean, c'mon, that's like the first thing when diagnosing problems right?
Both computers were coincidentally set up similarly. Older laptops, used for mucking around and all sorts of tablets and phones have passed through their hallowed USB halls. Various fastboot and manufacturer specific drivers have been installed.
@Talich52 before responding to you, I was thinking "ok fine, I'll try one more computer - my wife's - since I've never done anything messy on that one".
Booted up into the bootloader unlock screen first damned try. All 4 of the tablets that I've been playing with. There's not even a catch to it. Just press both buttons and plug in the USB cable. You don't even have to wait a minute or anything like that.
So - clearly - something to do with the drivers must intercept whateverthehell the tablet uses to "detect" a computer plugged in to kitckstart the unlock process...
So, in the end, thank you everyone for your suggestions and patience. I can't believe in the end it was this stupidly simple.2
On the T290, it doesn't quite work this way. The device has to be powered off, then leave it for about a minute to let everything truly power down; then, while holding Vol Up and Down simultaneously (no Power), plug the USB cable in.
Booting into download mode with the Power button seems to depend on what firmware is installed. Some will do it, others won't. The USB method seems to be the only way that does it every time.
Neat...although I don't know if this will make any difference for me?2THERE IS A NEW VERSION OF TWRP FOR THIS DEVICE (3.7.0). I WILL UPDATE THE THREAD IN AFTERNOON. It has the newest kernel, so maybe the charging issue is resolved!
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