[Device Reviews and Information] _martin:
[Guide] How to root Cubot Dinosaur

This guide is for

everyone

(including non computer enthusiasts) who wants to root the CUBOT DINOSAUR phone in order to get rid of the nasty standby problem, or power saving app bug (http://forum.cubot.net/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=615).

Note: I successfully rooted my Dinosaur (V10_20160516) with Windows 10 Pro (64 Bit) by doing everything described in the steps below. However, I do not guarantee for anything. You are on your own responsibility! Also by rooting your device, the warranty is lost! You can unroot the phone, but I don't know if Cubot has a built in warranty-bit, like Samsung do (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Knox).

Note: My Dinosaur has no SD-Card inserted. That means, whenever I connect the phone with a computer and put files on it, those files are copied to the internal storage. This may vary, if an SD-Card is used with the phone.

Since I did not figure out any of those steps on my own, I want to thank:

IronSouL for bringing up the bug in Cubot Forum

wiedster for finding out, that freezing "the sh*t out of the power saver app" is the only working solution by now (14. August 2016)

skeleton1911 for the very detailed guide on MTK USB driver installation on Windows 10

welder_pb for the working TWRP recovery ROM

vsrookie for the Grorkmod without Xposed would not run on the Dinosaur and others

and of course the people from TWRP, SuperSU and Xposed - your work is amazing!

1. Download and unzip this:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/yyg9x9ul6bylh4e/Cubot Dinosaur Root Package.zip?dl=0

Unzip it only once, packages like SuperSU need to stay zipped. In the further guide, this folder is referenced as THE FOLDER.

THE FOLDER contains:

Windows 10 MTK VCOM USB Preloader Drivers

SP_Flash_Too_v5.1512.00.000

TWRP 3.0.2 Recovery ROM with MT6735 Android scatter file

SuperSU 2.76

Grorkmod for Xposed

Xposed V86 SDK23

XposedInstaller 3.0 aplha4

You may want to use more recent versions of those files. It's your decision. I can only say that all of those worked just fine for me.

2. Fully charge the phone

3. Make backups

If everything went well, there is no need for a backup. But if not... you know, safety first! There are several options, I did all three of them.

3.a Backup with phone

Generally, go through all your apps and think if there are any data which need to be saved.

SMS/MMS and call-lists can be saved with an app like SMS Backup & Restore (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.riteshsahu.SMSBackupRestore)

Images, wallpapers, notes and a couple of other files can be uploaded to the cloud (Google Drive, or others)

Whatspp and Nova Launcher - if you are using them - offers both backup options in the settings

3.b Backup files to Computer:

Connect the phone via USB to the computer and just copy everything. You need to go through it folder by folder, because some folders can't be copied and Windows aborts the copy-process.

3.c ADB Backup

ADB Backup does not include everything, it's not a full system backup! But at least, you can grab some apps and settings. Follow this guide to do so: http://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-create-a-full-backup-of-your-android-device-without-root/

4. Copy files

Plug in the phone via USB and copy for later use:

THE FOLDER -> 4_SuperSU ->UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.76-20160630161323.zip

[OPTIONAL] (read more about it on Step 11)

THE FOLDER -> 5_Grorkmod -> grorkmod_v1.0.zip

THE FOLDER -> 6_Xposed -> xposed-v86-sdk23-arm64

THE FOLDER -> 6_Xposed -> XposedInstaller_3.0_alpha4.apk

5. Unlock bootloader

Unlocking the bootloader is critical! Do the following:

on your phone, go to "Settings" -> "Developer Options "

If there is no such, do this: http://www.greenbot.com/article/245...-options-on-your-android-phone-or-tablet.html

enable "Developer Options "

enable "OEM unlocking"

enable "USB debugging"

6. Install Windows 10 Drivers

Your phone is recognized when you connect it with a computer, but it's not enough for us. Also, you don't need to download and install the Windows 10 drivers provided in the Cubot Forum (http://forum.cubot.net/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=502). You can't install them.

Instead, simply follow this guide: http://xdaforums.com/elephone-p8000/help/guide-windows-10-mtk-vcom-usb-drivers-t3264884

Download the drivers provided in the guide, or use the one from THE FOLDER. They are the same.

7. Flash TWRP Recovery ROM

The recovery ROM is a small and limited operating system, which comes with Android. You can install updates or do a factory reset with it.

But that's not enough for us. We want to install software into the Android system and therefore, we need an alternative recovery ROM: TWRP to the rescue!

The only way to install this new recovery ROM is to flash it into the phone. Here we go:

7.a Shut down the phone

press and hold the power button until some options appear on the screen

select "Power off" and confirm with "OK"

7.b Flash TWRP

go to THE FOLDER -> 2_SP_Flash_Tool_v5.1512.00.000

run flash_tool.exe

in Flash Tool, go to "Options" -> "Options"->"Download" and set "DA DL All with Checksum"

close the window

go the tab "Download"

make sure, that the Download Agent is "MTK_AllInOne_DA" from the Flash Tool folder

click on "Scatter-loading" and navigate to: THE FOLDER -> 3_Recovery_ROM and select "MT6735_Android_scatter.txt"

The Scatter-file tells the Flash Tool where all the subsystems, like the recovery ROM, are stored. It's basically an index of your phone memory chip. Double check that you are using the right scatter file in order to not mess up your phone!

the new recovery ROM should have been auto selected and listed

If not, click in "recovery"-row - "Location"-column and navigate to THE FOLDER -> 3_Recovery_ROM and select "recovery.img".

check and double check if only - ONLY! - the "recovery" box is checked

also, make sure the options-menu shows "Download Only"

It should look like this:

now, click on "Download" to flash the recovery ROM to your device

only now connect your switched off phone with the computer

The status bar at the bottom of Flash Tool should fill very quickly and the whole flashing process should be finished within seconds. When a window with a green check mark appear, everything went well and you have successfully flashed TWRP to your Dinosaur!

If nothing happens and the status bar isn't filled, click on "Stop" and go to "Help" -> "Open Logs Folder", those logs may help to trace down the problem.

8. Install SuperSU

With SuperSU you are able to give apps root rights. This functionality is basically available on all Linux-systems (Android is based on Linux), but was removed in Android for safety reasons, I guess.

Restoring this functionality is the actual rooting. Let's go:

8.a Enter TWRP

while your phone is still shout down, press and hold the power button and volume up until the screen goes on

You should see the TWRP splash screen. If you end up with a Chinese menu instead, you pressed power + volume down, not volume up! This is the factory mode, you can run several tests here, but also clear the whole phone memory! Do not do anything and gently remove the battery. Insert battery again and restart this step.

on first run, TWRP asks you if you want to leave the system partition unmodified

I selected "Keep Read Only", but I'm not quite sure about the effects of this selection

you can now enter "Settings" to select your language and some other stuff, but it's not necessary

8.b Install SuperSU

in TWRP main screen, select "Install"

You should already be located at your internal storage. If not, touch on "Select Storage" -> "Internal Storage" or "SDCard", if you copied the files from Step 4 there.

search for "UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.76-20160630161323.zip" in the list and select it for installation

Command lines should run over the screen and the installations process should be done after a few seconds.

clear Dalvik Cache

It's recommended to do it in order to prevent system conflicts. This cache is basically an index of your installed apps and gets new and fresh rebuild, as soon as the system starts up.

now, tap on "Reboot" in the TWRP main screen and select "System"

It could take a while until Androids starts up, because the Dalvik cache gets rebuilt. If the phone is constantly attempting to re boot, you have a "boot loop". Press and hold the power button until the screen goes off and try to restart the phone. If this is not helping, reinstall SuperSU. If this is still not helping, make sure you have unlocked the bootloader as described in Step 5. If you have done it, re-flash TWRP and try again or search the internet for a solution.

9. Freeze the Power Saving App

Now, you are in *control* of your phone! You can not only stop the faulty Power Saving App, but also some of the preinstalled apps like Browser, E-Mail, Calendar and so on, and you can install apps which require root access.

But one word of warning: You can also completely mess up your system or open up security leaks! So, whatever you do: think twice. And if you are not sure: research.

9.a The SuperSU App

With the installation of the SuperSU Software, the SuperSU app got installed as well. Whenever an app requests root access, SuperSU will prompt a dialog where you can allow or deny this access.

Understand this as a security level and always have an eye on which app requests root access! In the SuperSU app you can manage apps with root access and there are also some settings, which you can

explore by yourself.

9.b App freezer

Now to the main part!

Search in Google Play Store for an "App freezer", some are free, some not. I used Titanium Backup (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.keramidas.TitaniumBackup), but one must buy the pro version to freeze apps. When you found an app freezer which you like, grant it root access and search for "Power Saving Mode 1.0"-App and freeze it. Done!

I also tried uninstalling, but it comes back after restart. So just deactivate it by freezing it. You can now freeze some of the other preinstalled apps too, but watch out and keep my words of warning in mind.

All frozen apps did not appear in the system anymore. You can't search for them, you can't see them in the app drawer, they are not starting up, when the phones is booting and - of course - they are also not prompting any messages. They just disappeared.

However, you can still find them in "Settings" -> "Apps", they are marked as "deactivated" there.

If you now try to enter the "Power saving mode", the settings are closed with a message: "Unfortunately, Settings has stopped.". Don't worry, you can just restart settings by tapping on it. Just don't tap on Power Saving Mode anymore.

9.c Root File Browser

Finally, you may want to get access to all the files and folders on the phone. Therefore, you need a root file browser. I recommend FX (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nextapp.fx).

10. Lock bootloader

There is no need for an unlocked bootloader anymore.

on your phone, go to "Settings" -> "Developer Options "

disable "OEM unlocking"

disable "USB debugging"

disable "Developer options"

[Optional]

Now with a rooted phone, you can install Xposed Framework and GravityBox.

The Xposed-Framework is a bit like the Playstore. It offers you access to a lot of toolboxes and tweaking-apps, like GravityBox.

With GravityBox, you can make modifications, like changing hardware key behavior. I used it to enable Google "Now on tap" feature, which don't work natively on the Dinosaur.

But there are a lot more options, which you can explore by yourself.

11. Install Grorkmod and Xposed Framework

To install Xposed Framework, you need to install the Grorkmod. Read more about here: http://xdaforums.com/elephone-p9000/development/mod-grorkmod-eragon-aerom-v0-5-beta-t3395667

If not already done in step 4, connect the phone via USB and copy:

THE FOLDER -> 5_Grorkmod -> grorkmod_v1.0.zip

THE FOLDER -> 6_Xposed -> xposed-v86-sdk23-arm64

THE FOLDER -> 6_Xposed -> XposedInstaller_3.0_alpha4.apk

power off the phone and enter TWRP (step 8.a)

install the same way you did in step 8.b:

Grorkmod

clear Dalvik Cache

Xposed

clear Dalvik Cache again

now, tap on "Reboot" in the TWRP main screen and select "System"

It could take a while, because the Dalvik cache gets rebuilt. If you run into a boot loop, power off the phone and restart it. It happened to me at this point, but a simple restart did it. If it's not helping, download the Xposed Uninstaller (http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=3034811) and repeat this whole step.

if everything went well and you are again on your home screen, use your file explorer (step 9.c) and navigate to your internal storage

select and install "XposedInstaller_3.0_alpha4.apk"

you can now enter the Xposed Framework

12. Install GravityBox

in the Xposed App, tap Download and search for "GravityBox [MM]"

download and install the module

Xposed may asks you to activate app side load ("Allow installation of apps from unknown sources"), just do it!

now, open the GravityBox App and have fun!

Note: I made this guide as complete and detailed as possible. However, if something is missing or wrong, please contact me or write in the comments.

Thank you for reading.