Google has just released the Android Security Bulletin for May, and it did something unexpected with Google Pixel and Pixel XL phones rooted using Chainfire’s SuperSU – that is, the May security update caused these phones to lose root access. The legendary developer details what went wrong, and how to fix it.
The reason that these Google Pixel and Pixel XL phones lost root access, according to Chainfire who did some digging for the issue, is due to the fact that the bootloader included in the May 2017 security update no longer accepts flashing unsigned boot images. Of course, root via SuperSU would require to flash the bootloader – so the problem is there, and root access was nullified.
Chainfire said that there is a fix. Google appears to be using Android Verified Boot (AVB) to verify that boot images are signed. The developer has given detailed steps for developers to generate their own custom signing keys so that users on the Pixel and Pixel XL with the May security update can enjoy root access.
You can check the official thread and post of Chainfire on XDA, so that you can get root access back again on your Google Pixel. This will entail some developer knowledge on your end. Or, you can just wait for these devs – including Chainfire – to publish a fix that you can easily use.
SOURCE: XDA
