It's been some time since I've been here Using Bazzite on my TV Box, which is actually a relatively inexpensive Chinese PC. Bazzite offers everything I could possibly need from Linux, and it's also relatively easy to make it compatible with Android apps. The problem is that not everything works perfectly, and some apps won't launch because they detect that the device is rooted. So here we're going to show you how. unroot Waydroid.
I don't know if anyone else is using the word "unroot," but in English, "unroot" is actually used to refer to unrooting an Android. The fact is that, in theory, Waydroid isn't rooted, but that's a different debate. Some people say it isn't, and others say it is, or else it wouldn't be possible to browse all the folders without restrictions. Whether it is or not, There are apps that say it is, and there is a way to unroot Waydroid.
Unroot Waydroid in a few steps
The process is described in this GitHub thread. It explains that you need to go to the /var/lib/waydroid path and edit the waydroid.cfg file, adding the following to the [properties] section:
# fix root liapp ro.product.brand=google ro.product.manufacturer=Google ro.system.build.product=redfin ro.product.name=redfin ro.product.device=redfin ro.product.model=Pixel 5 ro.system.build.flavor=redfin-user ro.build.fingerprint=google/redfin/redfin:11/RQ3A.211001.001/eng.electr.20230318.111310:user/release-keys ro.system.build.description=redfin-user 11 RQ3A.211001.001 eng.electr.20230318.111310 release-keys ro.bootimage.build.fingerprint=google/redfin/redfin:11/RQ3A.211001.001/eng.electr.20230318.111310:user/release-keys ro.build.display.id=google/redfin/redfin:11/RQ3A.211001.001/eng.electr.20230318.111310:user/release-keys ro.build.tags=release-keys ro.build.description=redfin-user 11 RQ3A.211001.001 eng.electr.20230318.111310 release-keys ro.vendor.build.fingerprint=google/redfin/redfin:11/RQ3A.211001.001/eng.electr.20230318.111310:user/release-keys ro.vendor.build.id=RQ3A.211001.001 ro.vendor.build.tags=release-keys ro.vendor.build.type=user ro.odm.build.tags=release-keys
In my case, I added it at the end with several line breaks in between. After saving the file, open a terminal and type waydroid upgrade --offline so that it takes the new configuration.
In part, this makes the system think that we are looking at a Pixel 5, and there are applications that will start working.
Undoing the changes involves following the previous steps, but deleting the patch text. If you want to work backwards, you can comment out the lines to return to the factory defaults and uncomment them to allow rogue apps to work.
It doesn't always work
I think it's important to mention that it doesn't always work. It's said that to unroot Waydroid this way, The Waydroid image must be the GApps version, not the Vanilla one.In the second case, even if the GApps are installed later, it can still fail. Bazzite does install a vanilla version and then add the GApps separately, so I'm not entirely sure why it fails for those who claim it does. That's not the case for me.
Be that as it may, this is how you can unroot Waydroid, at least at the time of writing this article.