Playing Pokémon GO despite root - how it works
The great hype surrounding "Pokémon GO" has now subsided. If you still want to play the game on your smartphone despite the root installed on it, we will show you how to do this below.
Play Pokémon GO despite root
Rooting the Android smartphone has a number of advantages, including the option of installing Custom Rom or using alternative apps. Unfortunately, with the new version of "Pokémon GO" Niantic is thwarting all root enthusiasts who want to play the game with the little monsters: Update 0.37 prohibits playing on a rooted smartphone. This is because some players have used the root features, such as various Xposed modules, to achieve success in the game faster.
- In this case "Magisk" provides a remedy. The name stands for the combination of "Magic Mask".
- In practice, "Magisk" is a mod that can bypass the so-called SafetyNet API. This is used by "Pokémon GO" as well as by "Android Pay".
- In this respect, the installation of the mod has the side effect that "Android Pay" is also activated on your smartphone.
Pokemon GO Despite Root: The Requirements
For the installation of the mod to work properly, your smartphone must meet certain conditions.
- This includes that at least Android 5.0 must be installed, and the boot loader must be unlocked. Here we show you which smartphones are particularly easy to do.
- In addition, you should first completely reset your device to the original system, start it and set it up provisionally. Against this background, a backup, for example with the root app Titanium Backup, is recommended.
- If for whatever reason you do not want this, you must at least, if you use it, uninstall "Xposed" and all associated modules. In addition, root access must be removed completely. The reason for this is that you have to import a custom recovery when installing "Magisk".
Remove Pokémon GO despite Root: Root
First you need to remove your smartphone's root access.
- To do this, open the SuperSU app that is automatically installed when you set up the root rights, go to "Settings" and scroll down until you see the "Full Unroot" option and select it.
- A few notes will pop up afterwards, confirming that the stock boot image will be restored, but not the stock recovery image. So select "No" for the corresponding request.
- Now your smartphone should restart, after which the root access is - temporarily - removed. The appropriate restart can take some time, so don't lose your patience.
- To subsequently remove Xposed - if you are using it at all - visit the official Xposed website on your smartphone and select the version appropriate for your device, depending on the type that corresponds to your processor.
- To flash the uninstaller file, you have to go to the recovery menu of your smartphone. To do this, you must first switch off your device and then press a special key combination that varies from device to device.
- Once you have arrived in recovery mode, use the volume keys to navigate to the "Install" option and then select your download folder in which the downloaded file should be located. Selecting the file and then confirming it will flash the uninstaller. Then, again in the main menu, click on "Wipe Cache / dalvik", then restart the smartphone with "Reboot system".
- Again, this process takes some time. Then all fragments of your previous root access and the Xposed modules are removed.
Pokémon GO despite root: restore root rights
After the root access has been successfully removed, it can now be set up again. However, this does not work with one of the conventional methods.
- Rather, you have to download a special version of the "Magisk" already described here. Then flash this file in recovery mode as described above.
- After that, of course after restarting the device, you have to install the phh Superuser app from the Play Store.
- You must also download and install the "Magisk Manager" here.
- If you want to use Xposed again afterwards, you must make sure to install a systemless version by downloading the Material Design Xposed Installer and granting it superuser rights. Then a restart is necessary.
- To play Pokémon GO, all you have to do is download the app and then deactivate the "Root Toggle" in "Magisk Manager". Simply activate it again after playing.
- While this is a bit of a hassle, as is the way to set up this option, it is unfortunately the only way to play Pokémon GO on a smartphone that has root privileges.
