Question Rooting Zenfone 8

[dohanin]

I understand there is no TWRP recovery for Zenfone 8 yet, but according to other posts, their are other ways to root the phone, e.g. using Magisk boot image patch method.

I tried, but I'm not able to flash the boot image in fastboot. I'm able to boot to fastboot mode, but it's showing no device when I use "fastboot devices" with USB connection. If I enter recovery mode, "adb devices" is showing unauthorized.

I don't know how to proceed. Appreciate your help!

 

[dohanin]

It's solved by plugging the USB cable to USB 2.0 port on the PC

 

[banannerz]

Good to hear it worked out. I was going to suggest installing a driver when in fastboot mode.

How did you get the boot image btw? I've never tried for anything other than a Lineage OS device, for which all the files are easily accesible.

 

[dohanin]

To get the boot image:
1. Get the full firmware form Asus official site: (must get the same version as your current phone)
https://www.asus.com/UK/supportonly/ZenFone 8 (ZS590KS)/HelpDesk_BIOS/
2. Extract payload.bin from the zip file
3. Use Payload Dumper to extract the img files, and you'll find boot.img
note. their are some versions requiring to install Python on your PC. I found this one with executable:
https://ava4.androidfilehost.com/dl...18474/2188818919693785372/Payload_Dumper.zip?
4. Use Magisk to patch boot.img.

Hope this helps.

Please note after flashing the patched boot.img, your phone will be rooted but it fails safetynet. Have to install the module "safetynet-fix-v1.1.0.zip", then everything is fine.

 

[DerSteppo]

After opening the bootloader and rooting the phone, are there any disadvantages you discovered? Warning screen on boot, (banking) apps not working, etc.?

 

[dohanin]

After opening the bootloader and rooting the phone, are there any disadvantages you discovered? Warning screen on boot, (banking) apps not working, etc.?

Yes, there is a warning screen on boot. And yes, some banking apps I use can't be cheated by Magisk Hide, but I use Work profile (via Island) to work around it. So far so good.

 

[DerSteppo]

Yes, there is a warning screen on boot. And yes, some banking apps I use can't be cheated by Magisk Hide, but I use Work profile (via Island) to work around it. So far so good.

OK thanks for the information!

 

[yunyou]

To get the boot image:
1. Get the full firmware form Asus official site: (must get the same version as your current phone)
https://www.asus.com/UK/supportonly/ZenFone 8 (ZS590KS)/HelpDesk_BIOS/
2. Extract payload.bin from the zip file
3. Use Payload Dumper to extract the img files, and you'll find boot.img
note. their are some versions requiring to install Python on your PC. I found this one with executable:
https://ava4.androidfilehost.com/dl...18474/2188818919693785372/Payload_Dumper.zip?
4. Use Magisk to patch boot.img.

Hope this helps.

Please note after flashing the patched boot.img, your phone will be rooted but it fails safetynet. Have to install the module "safetynet-fix-v1.1.0.zip", then everything is fine.

After rooting, it seems that the official ota update cannot be detected, and it cannot be seamlessly achieved by using the Magisk to install to the unused slot. Is there any other way to achieve the update? For example, OnePlus can choose to install the full ota downloaded from the official website locally.

 

[banannerz]

To get the boot image:
1. Get the full firmware form Asus official site: (must get the same version as your current phone)
https://www.asus.com/UK/supportonly/ZenFone 8 (ZS590KS)/HelpDesk_BIOS/
2. Extract payload.bin from the zip file
3. Use Payload Dumper to extract the img files, and you'll find boot.img
note. their are some versions requiring to install Python on your PC. I found this one with executable:
https://ava4.androidfilehost.com/dl...18474/2188818919693785372/Payload_Dumper.zip?
4. Use Magisk to patch boot.img.

Hope this helps.

Please note after flashing the patched boot.img, your phone will be rooted but it fails safetynet. Have to install the module "safetynet-fix-v1.1.0.zip", then everything is fine.

Ah, thanks that did help. I didn't know the full firmware was available from the site.

 

[dohanin]

After rooting, it seems that the official ota update cannot be detected, and it cannot be seamlessly achieved by using the Magisk to install to the unused slot. Is there any other way to achieve the update? For example, OnePlus can choose to install the full ota downloaded from the official website locally.

Do you mean you already tried this with Zenfone 8 OTA update after rooting? I did it with firmware "WW-30.11.51.67" and it's still the current one, so I don't know whether it would work or not.

 

[yunyou]

Do you mean you already tried this with Zenfone 8 OTA update after rooting? I did it with firmware "WW-30.11.51.67" and it's still the current one, so I don't know whether it would work or not.

I found ota's solution. Download the "WW-30.11.51.67" firmware from the official website and move it to the main storage directory of the phone. Then the phone should detect the update file, but if the phone does not prompt, then try to restart the device. When the phone restarts and enters the system again, the system will detect the update, and there will be an update launcher notification in the notification bar!
When the system update interface is over, when prompted to restart, install to an unused slot through the Magisk option. Select the installation to keep ROOT to achieve seamless ota.

 

[grootzy]

Yes, there is a warning screen on boot. And yes, some banking apps I use can't be cheated by Magisk Hide, but I use Work profile (via Island) to work around it. So far so good.

If you use DRM Info app do you still have Widevine L1 security level? (needed for netflix hd playback) thanks.

 

[dohanin]

If you use DRM Info app do you still have Widevine L1 security level? (needed for netflix hd playback) thanks.

yes, it's showing L1 in Widevine CDM

 

[grootzy]

yes, it's showing L1 in Widevine CDM

Thanks, great news that ASUS are not being dicks with the bootloader unlocking.

For anyone else who isn't too clear on the steps (like me!) - After patching the boot image with magisk you then can use adb to pull that image to a PC and then use adb reboot bootloader and then fastboot boot patched-image.img to check the rooting works without flashing anything and then use adb reboot bootloader again and then fastboot flash boot patched-image.img to write it to the flash memory if everything went smoothly. This worked for me and everything seems great. Obviously you need adb and fastboot set up on your PC for this to work. I'm not sure if this was the intended method but it is what I did.

 

[fatjoez]

Yes, there is a warning screen on boot. And yes, some banking apps I use can't be cheated by Magisk Hide, but I use Work profile (via Island) to work around it. So far so good.

did you try hiding magisk manager by changing the magisk manager package name? (it's an option in magisk manager).
some apps detect the magisk manager app to guess rooting.

If you hide magisk app + use magiskhide on the bank app it should be working.
please check let me know

 

[dohanin]

did you try hiding magisk manager by changing the magisk manager package name? (it's an option in magisk manager).
some apps detect the magisk manager app to guess rooting.

If you hide magisk app + use magiskhide on the bank app it should be working.
please check let me know

hi, yes i tried but while most apps are working fine, some banking apps can still detect root. however, for those apps, if i disable the magisk app beforehand, then it can be passed. i could not figure why since the magisk app is already with a random package name. i posted my query in the magisk forum too.

anyway, with this method, i don't need to use work profile now.

 

[ku232]

Hi everbody.

I hope someone can help me out.
I unlocked my Zenfone 8 with the official unlock tool and i want to relock the bootloader back.
I was using commands like fastboot oem asus-lock, fastboot flashing lock, but nothing works.
Did Asus changed something in Android 11?
In Android 10 the first command was working without problems.

Thanks

 

[dron39]

You can't lock it back.
Only to change motherboard.

 

[ku232]

You can't lock it back.
Only to change motherboard.

Oh that's bad news. Thank you very much for your fast answer.

 

[banannerz]

When the system update interface is over, when prompted to restart, install to an unused slot through the Magisk option. Select the installation to keep ROOT to achieve seamless ota.

Can you explain further on this? Are you saying to install the firmware to an unused slot? What exactly is an unused slot? I haven't seen anything like this in magisk.