If you consider yourself a power user in the Android ecosystem, then the name "Magisk" definitely needs no introduction. Thanks to this creation of John Wu, a.k.a. XDA Senior Recognized Developer topjohnwu, one can easily gain root access on an Android device by patching its boot image. However, because of the modifications that Magisk has to do to offer a systemless-root interface, it usually needs to be updated to be compatible with the latest Android release. Now that Android 12 has hit the stable channel, topjohnwu has come up with a new Canary build of Magisk that can root the latest iteration of Android.

More than five months have passed since the last major release of Magisk, hence this update is quite significant. This is the first build of Magisk published by John Wu after he left Apple to join Google's Android security team, and apart from bringing support for Android 12, the initial Canary build also permanently retires the MagiskHide component. The centralized Magisk module repo has also been removed from the Magisk app, as indicated by topjohnwu back in August.

Best Magisk Modules: Call Recorder, Font Manager, 1Controller, and more!

For root enthusiasts, though, there is a new element to play with. “Zygisk” i.e. Magisk in Android's Zygote process is the evolution of the systemless interface that topjohnwu and several other developers have been working on for a while. With this Canary release, you can now explore the preliminary capabilities of Zygisk. If you are into module creation, then you should take a look at the Zygisk API and sample module.

The complete changelog for the latest Magisk Canary release (d7e7df3b - 23010) is as follows:

  • [General] MagiskHide is removed from Magisk
  • [General] Support 64-bit only systems
  • [General] Support Android 12
  • [Zygisk] Introduce new feature: Zygisk
  • [Zygisk] Introduce DenyList feature to revert Magisk features in use selected processes
  • [MagiskBoot] Support patching 32-bit kernel zImages
  • [MagiskBoot] Support boot image header v4
  • [MagiskInit] Support /proc/bootconfig for loading boot configurations
  • [MagiskInit] Better support for some Meizu devices
  • [MagiskInit] Better support for some Oppo/Realme devices
  • [MagiskSU] Use isolated devpts if the kernel supports it
  • [resetprop] Deleted properties are now wiped from memory instead of just unlinking
  • [App] Build a single APK for all ABIs
  • [App] Switch to use standard bottom navigation bar
  • [App] Downloading modules the Magisk app is removed

To get started with root on Android 12, download the latest Canary release or switch to the Canary release channel in the Magisk app settings and then update the app. If you experience any issues, file a bug report on the project’s GitHub repository.