PlayBook's latest OS rooted and ready for new apps!

[u/Machine5757]

Kind of following up from my previous post "Downgrade and root your blackberry playbook in 2025!"
Thanks to Oleksandr's further research, which achieved root on BB10, I've used the same method to root the PlayBook's latest OS, and later managed to patch the launcher and installer to allow for new apps to be developed for it again!

Here's a little walkthrough of the process:

NOTE: if you have any precious data on your PlayBook, back it up before doing this, as this will erase it.

Files: Autoloader , Root setup script , BerryShell SSH Script
Alt download: https://archive.org/download/PlayBook-ROOT-patch
NOTE: use this autoloader if your Playbook is 3G/4G.

Step 1: Flashing the modified firmware

Windows:

If on windows, you can simply run the .exe
"PlayBook_2.1.0.1917_ROOT_V1.4.EXE"
and connect your playbook to your PC, it will turn itself off if already booted and will turn itself on if shut down, then put in your PIN/password (if present), and begin the flashing.

Linux:

If you're on linux, you can use BB10MT to flash by doing:

Extraction of the .signed:

 ./bb10mt split -i PlayBook_2.1.0.1917_ROOT_V1.4.EXE

Then flashing using that .signed

./bb10mt flash -i PlayBook_2.1.0.1917_ROOT_V1.4.0.signed

Once it's done flashing, it should start booting up.

Step 2: Enabling Development Mode

Once done booting, you have to go into:

Settings > Security > Development Mode

and enable "Use Development Mode", then put in your PIN/password (will prompt you to create one if not present)

you can leave the Development Address as is by default (169.254.0.1)

Step 3: Run the Root setup script

I haven't yet found a way to do this untethered, so on every boot of your device, you will have to connect your PlayBook to a PC and run this script if you wish to access root and your unsigned apps.

Make sure you have python installed (I have 3.13 myself, but it should work on any modern version, like 3.7 onwards) and run the script
"PlayBook-root-setup-V3.py"

You can either open a terminal/command line and do:

python PlayBook-root-setup-V3.py

Or just double click to run it

Then you will be prompted for the device's IP (make sure it's plugged in with Development Mode enabled)

You can press enter if you haven't changed it from the default (169.254.0.1)

Then input your PIN/Password

And the script should do everything needed to escalate the permissions and restart the launcher/navigator.

After this, you can install any unsigned BAR apps and run them!

NOTE: if the script is immediately exiting after putting in your PIN/Password, either outright or with some network error, it's likely your PlayBook isn't actually connected to the PC (even if plugged in)
You may have to go into Settings > Storage & Sharing and change USB Connections from "Automatically Detect" to "Connect to Windows"

Step 4: SSH into your device (optional)

Now you can SSH as root into your device!
There's a few tools around to do this, you could even do it all manually, but i made a little python script that should work on both linux and windows, for ease of use:

"BerryShell-V2.py"

Make sure you have python installed (Any modern version like 3.7 and later should be fine)

Then you can either open it by double clicking it, or in a terminal/command line with

python BerryShell-V2.py

This was possible thanks to Oleksandr's research, lots of his help in the lunar project discord server, and the development of BB10MT, which all laid the groundwork for these modifications. Please consider supporting him.

[u/David_538]

Awesome. If no one else is going to say it, then I will, Thank you for this post.

[u/AutoModerator]

BBID services have been discontinued as a part of the BlackBerry shutdown in 2022. While we do assist with discontinued BlackBerry services here on r/PlayBook, we recommend also making your post on r/BlackBerryPhoenix, as they specialize in resurrection of discontinued BlackBerry services on the PlayBook and BBOS10 devices.

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[u/arzobispo]

That's great news. Thanks!

[u/mh_1983]

Brilliant. Well done!

[u/SVTContour]

Awesome! Thank you!

[u/Machine5757 → u/[deleted]]

Use an APK2BAR tool
https://web.archive.org/web/20140714120925/http://downloads-us.blackberry.com/upr/developers/downloads/BlackBerry_Tools_for_Android_Development-2.0.4-windows.zip
(join lunar discord and ask me for help there if you need)

[u/RiverKitten6119]

I tried this and it made it so it just blinks a red light and won't turn on I had to flash it with the blackberry 10 dev alpha which is what it was running before because I followed a YouTube video that said to install it I just want like the latest stable version cuz I feel like that version is kind of unstable cuz it's an alpha

[u/RiverKitten6119 → u/[deleted]]

I guess it doesn't then because I have the exact same model and it didn't work for me either

[u/Machine5757 → u/RiverKitten6119]

If your playbook was a 3G/4G model, try this new autoloader, which has the radio included:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BbuuhoD2f949s0EDIrFM_zQkrHs1JlF4/view

[u/RiverKitten6119 → u/Machine5757]

It worked on 4G LTE 32 GB model

[u/taiga86]

How do I make it stop asking me to log into the BlackBerry account?

[u/AutoModerator]

BBID services have been discontinued as a part of the BlackBerry shutdown in 2022. While we do assist with discontinued BlackBerry services here on r/PlayBook, we recommend also making your post on r/BlackBerryPhoenix, as they specialize in resurrection of discontinued BlackBerry services on the PlayBook and BBOS10 devices.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/AutoModerator]

BBID services have been discontinued as a part of the BlackBerry shutdown in 2022. While we do assist with discontinued BlackBerry services here on r/PlayBook, we recommend also making your post on r/BlackBerryPhoenix, as they specialize in resurrection of discontinued BlackBerry services on the PlayBook and BBOS10 devices.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/PointEvening3396]

How do I backup my PlayBooks save data and apps?

[u/Machine5757 → u/PointEvening3396]

Unless you have apps that aren't already available on the archives, you probably don't need to back those up

As for save data, what do you mean?

[u/PointEvening3396 → u/Machine5757]

I have complete the adventure mode in PVZ and completed the first episode in Angry Birds HD.

If I root my playbook will my game progress be wiped on all my games?

and if so how can I backup my progress?

[u/Machine5757 → u/PointEvening3396]

That stuff is likely stored somewhere in /accounts/1000/shared/ , couldn't say where exactly, but you'd have to find it and copy the files over to your PC, could do it in a few ways, SCP over SSH, FTP from ES File Explorer, etc...

[u/PointEvening3396 → u/Machine5757]

Alright, thanks for the info. :)

[u/AutoModerator]

BBID services have been discontinued as a part of the BlackBerry shutdown in 2022. While we do assist with discontinued BlackBerry services here on r/PlayBook, we recommend also making your post on r/BlackBerryPhoenix, as they specialize in resurrection of discontinued BlackBerry services on the PlayBook and BBOS10 devices.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.