What?
This guide is for educational purposes only and might not work in future. I do not endorse any illegal activities. Use this guide at your own risk.
Knox is a security feature that comes pre-installed on Samsung devices. The UP government provides Samsung devices with Knox Manage installed on them. It is a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution that allows organizations to manage and secure their devices.
Overview
The process involves disabling the Knox Enrollment Service using the Alliance ShieldX app. This will remove most of the restrictions imposed by Knox on your device. You can also remove Alliance ShieldX if you want to.
Disabling Knox may void your warranty and certain features might not work as expected.
Prerequisites
- A Samsung device with Knox Manage installed.
- An account at Android Alliance.
- A working internet connection.
- Some common sense.
Removing Knox Enrollment Service
Prepare the Device
- Ensure the device is at the welcome screen. If not, factory reset it.
- Tap the empty space anywhere 5-10 times, and a QR code scanner will appear.
Scan the QR Code
- Scan the QR code below to proceed to the Wi-Fi setup screen.
Connect to Wi-Fi
- Connect to a Wi-Fi network and wait for the device to set up. You should see a screen like this:
Alliance ShieldX Setup
Wait for a few minutes until the Alliance ShieldX screen appears with two options and click on USE ONLY THE SHIELD, then continue until you see the sign-in screen shown in the 3rd image below.
Login to Alliance ShieldX
- Continue until you see the login screen (2nd image below).
- Log in with your Android Alliance account. If you don’t have one, you can create it here.
Disable Knox Enrollment Service
- After logging in, you’ll see the main screen with multiple options as shown above in the 3rd image.
- Go to App Manager and search for Knox.
- Open Knox Enrollment Service and select the option to disable it.
- You should see a message saying Knox Enrollment Service was disabled and the status will change to Disabled.
Complete Setup
- Keep pressing the back button until you exit the Alliance ShieldX app and see the Google setup screen.
- Continue with the setup to reach the home screen.
That’s it! You’ve successfully disabled Knox on your Samsung device. You can now proceed to the next section or skip it if you want to keep Alliance ShieldX.
Removing Alliance ShieldX (Optional)
Though most of the restrictions are removed after disabling Knox, you can remove Alliance ShieldX as well, but that will require a bit more work.
Install Required Apps
Download and install the following apps on your device:
Enable Developer Options
Enable Developer Options by tapping on the Build Number in Settings > About > Software Information 7 times.
Set Up Shizuku
- Open Shizuku and click on the Pairing button.
- Grant the required permissions. You should see a screen similar to the 2nd image below.
Enable USB and Wireless Debugging
- With Shizuku running, open developer options and enable USB Debugging and Wireless Debugging.
- Allow any prompt that appears.
- Click on the wireless debugging option and select Pair device with a pairing code.
- Enter the pairing code shown in the Shizuku notification. You should see a paired device as shown below.
Start Shizuku Service
Reopen Shizuku and click on Start below the previous Pairing button. It should start the service and the screen should close in a couple of seconds.
Authorize Applications in Shizuku
Go to Authorized Applications in Shizuku and enable the button for both aShell and Package Manager.
Disable Knox Service
Open aShell and type the following command:
pm disable-user --user 0 com.sec.enterprise.knox.cloudmdm.smdmsThis will disable the Knox service.
Uninstall ShieldX
Go back to Alliance ShieldX, open Settings, and disable the Device Admin and Owner options.
Voila! You can now uninstall Alliance ShieldX from your device.
Conclusion
You’ve successfully disabled Knox and can now use your device without any restrictions imposed by it.
Remember, if you factory reset your device, Knox will be re-enabled. You’ll have to follow the same steps again to disable it.
This guide is a simpler version of an older video.