Magisk has basically become synonymous with root access on Android at this point. One of the most popular custom ROM distributions, LineageOS, is even dropping support for its own addonsu binary in favor of this systemless solution developed by XDA Recognized Developer topjohnwu. The developer recently talked about potential shortcomings of the MagiskHide component, originating out of some changes in Google’s SafetyNet Attestation API. While Google might take a while before fully enforcing the new rules, topjohnwu has now released another stable version of Magisk with MagiskHide disabled by default. Tagged as v20.4, the latest build is focused on the core components only, as the redesigned UI of Magisk Manager "isn't fully ready for prime time yet".

The release note posted on GitHub puts quite a lot of emphasis on the BusyBox Standalone Mode to improve script consistency, which is primarily targeted towards developers and Magisk Module maintainers. Starting with this version, Magisk forces every script to use the internal BusyBox binary, which is enhanced by XDA Recognized Developer osm0sis. Users, however, still have the option to call a command outside of BusyBox, but they need to use the full path.

Here’s the official changelog for Magisk v20.4:

  • [MagiskInit] Fix potential bootloop in A-only 2SI devices
  • [MagiskInit] Properly support Tegra partition naming
  • [General] Load libsqlite.so dynamically, which removes the need to use wrapper scripts on Android 10+
  • [General] Detect API level with a fallback method on some devices
  • [General] Workaround possible bug in x86 kernel readlinkat system call
  • [BusyBox] Enable SELinux features. Add chcon/runcon etc., and '-Z' option to many applets
  • [BusyBox] Introduce standalone mode. More details in release notes
  • [MagiskHide] Disable MagiskHide by default
  • [MagiskHide] Add more potential detectable system properties
  • [MagiskHide] Add workaround for Xiaomi devices bootloop when MagiskHide is enabled on cross-region ROMs
  • [MagiskBoot] Support patching special Motorolla DTB format
  • [MagiskPolicy] Support 'genfscon' sepolicy rules
  • [Scripts] Support NAND based boot images (character nodes in /dev/block)
  • [Scripts] Better addon.d (both v1 and v2) support
  • [Scripts] Support Lineage Recovery for Android 10+

Download Magisk v20.4 from GitHub

Google might be cracking down hard on the ability of Magisk to hide the bootloader unlock status from applications, but that doesn't lock down other potentials. From achieving true dual boot to jailbreaking an iPhone, Magisk is still being actively used by the modding community.

Source: GitHub