[Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (Snapdragon) ROMs, Kernels, ] Phionex25:
Hey guys, something weird happened to me recently and I figured I should ask here before doing anything else. My SM-N9600 has been rooted since last year. Can't remember exactly when, but I'm sure you can find my joyous post on this thread, haha. Running Stock android 8, plus klabit's reccomended kernel and magisk. I have a couple xposed and magisk modules running, and a good number of root required apps. Allowed Magisk and Magisk Manager to update ever since.

I've successfully rooted a Galaxy Nexus and 6P before this phone, and I've Never Lost Root Status.

I can't imagine why this is happening but all symptoms point to it. I figured since rooting has gotten more complicated since those phones, I better ask some questions before I risk getting prenormal locked out, haha.

Here's what happened:

A few weeks ago, a handful of apps were randomly crashing in the background. I'd be watching a YouTube video, listening to music, or browsing the web when a pop up that so and so app has stopped. I figured I'd apply the basic fix of clearing their cache. But instead of going into each one manually and clearing them, I went to TWRP and Wiped all cache and Dalvik cache. Upon rebooting the phone, almost every app was crashing. Pop up after pop up were overlapping each other to tell me what app had just stopped. I couldn't tap fast enough to clear them all until the last one. Most of them root apps. Some of them regular apps like facebook messenger. But all of the system spps are fine. Like baked in Samsung apps.

So I made a Titanium Backup, and a Nandroid Backup of everything. Then restored a Nandroid Backup of the moment I achieved full root access. As I restored all my previously installed apps, I still had random app crashes. I should also note that titanuim was hanging during batch restore. Some apps had to be skipped over of the restore process. Once I restored as many as possible, upon loading them, some stalled on their loading screen, some crashing the moment they're tapped. As I understand it, a nandroid is a perfect picture of a phone's setup. But what I was experiencing was far from the perfectly working state that the first day of root offered me.

From here I started troubleshooting. Manually force stopping, clearing cache, then app data, one by one. Some sppeared to be remedied, only to resume crashing again in a few days.

Then I downloaded a free root checker, and it said root had not been installed. I couldn't believe it. So I downloaded another, and same result. Next I restored the nandroid backup of fresh root again, and ran the root checkers. One said no root, one said rooted. I checked magisk. Saw that it wasn't passing Safety Net and did some reading on Google's latest moves to combat magisk hide. Somewhere along the way, magisk joined the other apps in crashing and randomly refusing to load completely. So I flashed an installer and reinstalled it before booting to system. Ever since then, there will be times Magisk Manager won't open. But after a few reboots, it'll cooperate.

After a while, I went back to the Nandroid Backup I made before restoring fresh root, because I couldn't get a conclusive fix. Used a root checker and it says not rooted.

As it stands now, none of my root apps want to load, except for Tasker and Titanium Backup. Titanuim says its rooted and can perform root functions. Tasker's plug ins that require root don't. But some profiles still execute. I'm posting this from the XDA app, so I'm thankful to have that, haha. But mostly I'm relying on Samsung's baked in apps to use the phone. I even had to resort to Samsung Keyboard, because Touchpal is one of the misbehaving apps.

Next I'm thinking of flashing Klabit's updated kernel and a fresh magisk to get root back. What do you guys think? Is this a safe next step?

TLDR:

I don't know exactly how, but my phone seems to have lost root. Root checker apps confirm this, and root requiring apps are stopping/crashing, along with several regular apps. I want to flash Klabit's latest kernel and a fresh install of magisk to remedy this. Is this a good course of action? Or is there other advice you guys have? Maybe I should just do the entire root process again? But that's a little scary since I was stuck with the RMM Prenormal issue the first time around, haha. So I hope I don't have to. I guess I'm only worried about going ahead because I've never had to deal with Knox.

As far as I've read, Google's new safety net check only exposes that we're rooted. It shouldn't interfere with our ability to use root required apps. Snapchat issue shouldn't apply here.

I'm so done thinking about this by myself, haha. I can't wait to hear what you guys have to say.

Any and all advice is welcome and appreciated!!! ???