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What has been your experience with rooting your Sensation?

I've reviewed some of the ROM comments and browsed around on the net but can't seem to come to a conclusion on if I should root my device or not. I had a T-mobile G2 before and it was rooted. I loved testing out other roms and finding ones that works best as well as obviously the boosts in speeds.
The Sensation to me feels more complete and aside from some useless apps and the occasional glitchy things that happen with it I'm pretty satisfied overall.
Can anyone provide some positive user experiences with rooting their devices or if some of the roms correct some of the known issues with the Sensation reliable without causing other issues lol?
I'm really up in the air about this and can't decide, what do you guys think?

I rooted my sensation just Cos I did the same to my old x10 mini, I found rooting it was easy following the guide on here and flashing new roms is easy too, all I can suggest is that you read the instructions, try different roms to see which one works for you and don't forget that rooting voids your warranty
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using XDA App

When flashing custom roms are you losing all installed apps each time and finding you need to restore via titanium? I ask because I've seen threads say you do and don't lose your installed apps and data.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Tapatalk

johnny0313x said:
I've reviewed some of the ROM comments and browsed around on the net but can't seem to come to a conclusion on if I should root my device or not. I had a T-mobile G2 before and it was rooted. I loved testing out other roms and finding ones that works best as well as obviously the boosts in speeds.
The Sensation to me feels more complete and aside from some useless apps and the occasional glitchy things that happen with it I'm pretty satisfied overall.
Can anyone provide some positive user experiences with rooting their devices or if some of the roms correct some of the known issues with the Sensation reliable without causing other issues lol?
I'm really up in the air about this and can't decide, what do you guys think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heyya,
I'm pretty new here and my experience with android devices was 0 up to three weeks ago when i decided to buy the sensation. I then stumbled upon XDA dev forum and now i'm hooked .
I decided to root and flash a custom rom three days after getting the phone... as far as eye candy goes Sense is brilliant but the functionality is 0.
The whole process of installing clockwork, perm rooting and flashing a custom rom took exactly twenty minutes and was no hassle at all.
At the moment i run P3d Neon-No Sense and the phone is a whole lot better. Battery life is double, RAM consumption is 1/2 and overall the performance is great.
So... my advice... root and flash away!

Thanks jeryko that's the kinda thing I was looking to hear. The sensations touch screen is the only reason I'm Leary about voiding the warrenty with rooting. If you unroot the device can they still tell?
I love sense I think it integrates things nicely and visually (with the exception of a few minor things) and gives a way more polished premium feel to devices. However as stated above it does bog down the phone a bit...even with the dual core. HTC really should have added 1gb of ram I think. Overall though my phones not slow just sometimes a little stutter here and there.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App

ive rooted my sensation, well i at least i did / was rooted before the update came out. to be honest i haven't seen any reason to reroot. i still have a unlocked boot loader but the urge to root and flash roms isnt really there for me yet. this is probably because i am happy with sense 3.0 and the phone doesnt lag for me at all after the latest update. the only real thing that will probably get me to root again is when a good aosp rom releases or CM7. i really miss having then bluetooth capabilities of a stock aosp rom

No problem. Well... the sensation has it's drawbacks but price/quality it's definitely worth the money.
About the warranty issue... can't really tell you... I've read on the forum that you can Switch back to stock rom and kernel and S-ON again but the procedure (for S-ON) is a bit risky and frankly i have no clue if after you go through all that there's any way of telling that the phone has been tampered with... you'll have to ask the older and wiser folks around here for a knowledgeable answer.

Root it, stop delaying the inevitable.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G

johnny0313x said:
occasional glitchy things that happen with it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And that's why I don't regret going s-off and flashing custom ROMs. Root just comes with the territory.
Funny thing, I went custom on my Sensation within the first week while I left my wife's stock. Fast forward three weeks later, I was pretty satisfied with the speed and stability on my phone. I pick up my wife's phone and unlock it to surf the net. First thing that happens? Random restart and back to the HTC splash screen. Really?? I'd totally forgotten about the random restarts and choppy home screen scrolling. Ended up s-offing that thing and flashing a custom ROM that same night. She hasn't complained about her phone since.

I'm so tempted....you guys are evil lol Seriously though the only thing holding me back is the warrenty being voided. I didn't care so much with my G2(that thing was the most reliable phone ever) but the sensation is still new and I'm skeptical about how long the hardware will keep up and all. My biggest complaint would be the volume on some things ...everything else works great though except an occasional lack of response until I lock and unlock the phone...which is rare.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App

The ONLY reason I rooted was to remove the apps I don't want to use. I'm running my own ROM which is a basic version of 1.45.401.2 with all the crap I don't want removed. If it didn't have the **** on the ROM in the first place I probably wouldn't have bothered to root it

EddyOS said:
The ONLY reason I rooted was to remove the apps I don't want to use. I'm running my own ROM which is a basic version of 1.45.401.2 with all the crap I don't want removed. If it didn't have the **** on the ROM in the first place I probably wouldn't have bothered to root it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed....

I unlocked the bootloader as soon as I could and started loading custom ROMs. I've been running the P3D ROM (Sense version) for a few weeks now, and it's doubled my battery life plus it's faster. My brother has his Sensation still S-ON stock (latest OTA update) and we compared it side by side and we both agreed mine is noticeably faster. I also like the blue neon theme with that ROM.
Even that particular ROM aside, I've had generally better battery life with anything other than the stock ROM. That alone is enough reason to do it IMO.
Link to P3D ROM:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1206746

Ok I know that I am a noob to rooting and installing roms. Currently I am on my second one Android Revolution HD™ 3.0.3. Rooting it was the best thing I've done. i wish I would have gotten the balls to root years ago!

Hi, I know I asked earlier but when you flash a new Rom do you lose all your apps and data? I see many people flashing new roms weekly and daily and am just wondering how you deal with all your apps and data. I can't imagine everyone starting from scratch each time. I know titanium can do a batch restore, is that what everyone does? (Sorry for my noobish behavior in this thread.)
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Tapatalk

I am very happy with my rooted Sensation. My previous phone was a rooted Nexus One. I can say that rooting is a great way of customizing your phone to your liking.

gustav30 said:
Hi, I know I asked earlier but when you flash a new Rom do you lose all your apps and data? I see many people flashing new roms weekly and daily and am just wondering how you deal with all your apps and data. I can't imagine everyone starting from scratch each time. I know titanium can do a batch restore, is that what everyone does? (Sorry for my noobish behavior in this thread.)
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Titanium batch, best app purchase for the crack flasher. I timed myself, 30 mins tops to go from one rom to another
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G

+1 for Titanium batch! A must for all heavy Flashers

We should have root access out of the box. Too much fun stuff, but impossible to find a ROM perfect for you. Your going to tweak something eventually

just got my sensation 4g still in box..first thing on to do list is "root it and boot it"
currently running HTC HD2 with ndt miui rom...love it but got to have that 4g

Sensation user here considering going S-Off and rooting, advice?

Alright, so in the past I've owned an HTC HD2 that I was able to Android on by stumbling though the posts here, a Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant that I was able to root, albeit slowly and clumsily, and also my fiancee's old HTC Mytouch 3G. It has seemed though that after rooting and flashing a custom ROM on each phone, a few months later, problems begin to arise. The phone will start lagging, freezing, crashing, etc. It becomes unresponsive at times, won't receive or send calls/messages at times, etc. Now, I readily admit that this is most likely my fault due to my inexperience, so this raises my next question.
Should I attempt to go S-off and what not with my Sensation? Is it worth the risk? Could someone walk me though it, like leading the blind lol, as where to I won't make any mistakes?
A little background, I love my Sensation, and I really like the Sense 3.0 UI, though some of the widgets not updating, such as Friend Stream and News, is really rather aggravating.
So, with my history of rooted/custom ROM phones going bad, and my being mostly satisfied with my Sensation, should I bother going S-Off and rooting? Will I notice a great improvement in performance? Do any ROMs out there offer a version of Sense 3.0?
Thanks for you help, it is greatly appreciated,
Signed,
A lost noob

The whole process is easier than the hd2. It's a must for me there are plenty of roms and they all will improve the speed of your device
You can overclock your cpu to 1.5 like the processor was intended to be used. Go in to the development thread and there's a noob guide in stickies, read it a few times and go for it its easy and safe if you follow every step.
Roms are installed from sd via cwm like on the hd2
Get reading if your stuck ill help you the best I can.
Sent from my CM7 Sensation XE using xda premium

Alright, will do, thanks for that.
It'll have to wait a day, I called T-Mobile today to get a replacement phone, as I have dust under my screen, they're sending me a replacement next day air, should arrive tomorrow. That is pretty damn good service if I may say so. Though I have to keep the original back, a shame, as it has a couple nicks that bug me to no end.

Specialk47150 said:
Alright, will do, thanks for that.
It'll have to wait a day, I called T-Mobile today to get a replacement phone, as I have dust under my screen, they're sending me a replacement next day air, should arrive tomorrow. That is pretty damn good service if I may say so. Though I have to keep the original back, a shame, as it has a couple nicks that bug me to no end.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Be careful, as I almost rooted my phone two months ago when ROM's started flying around this forum. Thankfully I waited, since I am now on my third replacement Sensation because they have all developed dust under the screen. If you root it, dont expect to be able to return it. You better REALLY like that dusty look if you do!

webmaster said:
Be careful, as I almost rooted my phone two months ago when ROM's started flying around this forum. Thankfully I waited, since I am now on my third replacement Sensation because they have all developed dust under the screen. If you root it, dont expect to be able to return it. You better REALLY like that dusty look if you do!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So wait and be sure that I have a good phone and don't root until I do, ok, lol, thanks.

Assuming this is the guide in question?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1192300

webmaster said:
Be careful, as I almost rooted my phone two months ago when ROM's started flying around this forum. Thankfully I waited, since I am now on my third replacement Sensation because they have all developed dust under the screen. If you root it, dont expect to be able to return it. You better REALLY like that dusty look if you do!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But you can go back to Stock ROM without root an S-ON. I had to return my device, so I flashed the stock ROM and went back to S-ON. It was no problem at all...

Specialk47150 said:
Assuming this is the guide in question?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1192300
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apart from Revolutionary not working for three times and CWM not installing through Revolutionary everything went fine. If something doesn't work as expected just google it - there is someone out there with the same problem.
I tried a few ROMs and kernels out there and i can strongly recommend Bulletproof due to its stability. The best about it is that it's stock based (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1214023).
It will work even better with the Bricked Kernel (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1256668) and system tuner of the market. I am using the new 1.2.5 test-kernel (it's unbelievable fast).
There is only a issue with the camera causing an fc. But you can fix it using the sense 3.5 hack from faux: http://www.multiupload.com/7BIGBQTDLF
greetings

Manuel Büchel said:
Apart from Revolutionary not working for three times and CWM not installing through Revolutionary everything went fine. If something doesn't work as expected just google it - there is someone out there with the same problem.
I tried a few ROMs and kernels out there and i can strongly recommend Bulletproof due to its stability. The best about it is that it's stock based (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1214023).
It will work even better with the Bricked Kernel (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1256668) and system tuner of the market. I am using the new 1.2.5 test-kernel (it's unbelievable fast).
There is only a issue with the camera causing an fc. But you can fix it using the sense 3.5 hack from faux: http://www.multiupload.com/7BIGBQTDLF
greetings
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, hopefully I don't run into any problems, I'll end up bricking my phone if I do...
As for the ROM, I've been strongly considering Android Revolution HD.

I have never rooted a phone before now. The process was so simple, if you follow the guide correctly. I'm on Android Revolution HD 3.6.2 and loving it. Very fast a stable, no issues or force closing.
Just remember to back up everything.

[Q] Why should i root?

I loved rooting my g1 and my mytouch slide 3g but i'm not sure if it's worth it with the sensation. i think the phone is great with the stock software and since it's already on 2.3.4, what are the benefits? it even has screen shot built in :/
please help!

The only thing that has me ever so slightly interested in rooting, is the Amaze camera mod, however I'm more inclined to sit tight and wait for an official update.

Having a Recovery based Backup through CWM and being able to backup with Titanium might be useful.
Also useful if you like removing bloatware.
.......
Mind you the phone works well as standard, so YMMV.

I like to root to have the newest updates.
In Swiss we had the problem that many branded Sensations had call problems (call aborted after one minute). A friend of mine had this problem, I with my rooted sensation not. So I rooted her device and flashed the newest Radio rom and the problem was gone...
You can also use the leaked Sense 3.5 Roms with a rooted phone ;-)

Look through all the threads in the development section and see all the things which you WONT get if you stay unrooted, all the things which you will miss out on, rooting gives you the ability to use programs which need lower level access than others, simply put you are missing out on a lot of features if you do not root, but hey no one has a gun to your head so make up your own mind, personally i find the whole rooting process worthwhile so i can flash custom roms and make my phone a better device to use.
The sensation on stock is a slow and underpar phone which could have been great, let down only by rushed development and poor handling of the code, if you flash a rom cooked up by one of XDA's dev's then you will see a huge difference in terms of performance and looks, there simply is no comparison.

Not rooted is like a computer but you are the user. While the rooted phone it acts like you are the admin you can do whatever you want to your precious phone.
Sent from my HTC Sensation with Beats

I agree with all above.
I've rooted every android phone i've ever had, starting from the original desire.
It enables you to tinker with, and improve, on so many things. I also had incredible heat with my sensation on stock. I rooted it and it stopped.
I wouldn't even ponder the thought of keeping an android phone stock anymore.
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e with Beats Audio using xda premium

But again if you need to ask...you No need to root
Hi my name is DloBrown and Im A nightly addict who've been sober for too long!!!

Things i should know... :D

Hi Guys.
I have my Sensation coming tomorow, what are the things i should know, from you experiences of this from the moment you get it out the box.
Thanks in advance
Oliver

Common issues include:
Horrid battery life due to phone not properly sleeping (can be fixed by flashing another rom)
Dust underneath the screen
Two different displays, one is cooler and one is warmer.
Phone seemingly to suddenly die, battery goes out and phone refuses to turn on.
Heat, plenty of it when using the phone actively for 15 or 20 minutes.
Now I don't want to scare you, I've never experienced any of these issues aside from the heat thing (which doesn't hurt the phone). But I feel you should be unbiasedly prepared.
Good things:
Speedy, I recommend Android Revolution HD 3.x until ICS is stable.
Sharp display, qHD resolution makes a huge difference.
AOSP and Sense roms available.
Rooting is easy and with any HTC, clockworkmod is permanently installed. No loopholes or exploits just to get to it - unlike my sister's Sidekick 4G or father's DEFY.
Great mobile data speeds
And of course, it's the true first Beats phone if you flash an XE rom (Im looking at you, Verizon and Rezound.)
It's a great phone, and stable ICS is just around the corner.

Hi. I consider buying this phone as well. mattbutsko, thanks for sharing your impressions on the device.
I have to say that sometimes I visit the Sensation thread just to read some news/ information. I remember that some users have complained about the 3.5mm jack (the paint on the edge wears off which creates connectivity issues with the headset). Other users have issues with the responsiveness of the display; the quality of the power button; the quality of the back housing panel (The 'HTC' logo on the back falling off); etc.
IMO the Sensation is a great phone and I am a little surprised of all that user complaints. Currently I have the Wildfire S and I am stunned by the Sense interface and all. At the same time I don't experience any problems with the hardware or the build quality. Still, I feel it's time to move onto the next level and to give my WfS to my girlfriend or my sister (we'll see ) as a present. But I don't want to regret switching my phone afterwards...
So what would you advise me? What do I have to check to be sure as much as possible that I'm not buying a "faulty" unit - when buying the phone? Thanks again!

Cheers, i'll probably wait a couple of weeks before rooting etc to make sure everything is alright with the phone, but after that i would imagine i'll put an ics rom on. i'll see how it goes... Thanks =D

Hi!
I have the XE about a week now and everything is great so far. None of these problems exist, not even the overheating(which I was warned that in the first two charges would be intense) . I'm really happy with it ( but as I said I own it about a week now so ... )
What does annoy me though is the WiFi deathgrip... But I think that's solvable with a case
Sent from my HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio Z715e using XDA App

I got my Sensation about two months ago and I would never change it due to a few "problems" that could occur... Came from a Wildfire, this thing was an issue itself. Sensation is GOLD, compared to that.
Flashed different kind of ROMs, now testing Virtuous Inquisition v1.3.0 Senseless ICS (4.0.1), great ROM so far!
Never had any problems while flashing ROM or Radio/Kernel, rooting, make phone have SuperUser or CID!

best.phone.ever...of course, running ics 4.0.3

vctrdnl said:
Hi. I consider buying this phone as well. mattbutsko, thanks for sharing your impressions on the device.
I have to say that sometimes I visit the Sensation thread just to read some news/ information. I remember that some users have complained about the 3.5mm jack (the paint on the edge wears off which creates connectivity issues with the headset). Other users have issues with the responsiveness of the display; the quality of the power button; the quality of the back housing panel (The 'HTC' logo on the back falling off); etc.
IMO the Sensation is a great phone and I am a little surprised of all that user complaints. Currently I have the Wildfire S and I am stunned by the Sense interface and all. At the same time I don't experience any problems with the hardware or the build quality. Still, I feel it's time to move onto the next level and to give my WfS to my girlfriend or my sister (we'll see ) as a present. But I don't want to regret switching my phone afterwards...
So what would you advise me? What do I have to check to be sure as much as possible that I'm not buying a "faulty" unit - when buying the phone? Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would say to go for it. for all the users that have the major issues, a far greater number don't. This phone's great now, but ICS will make it even better, like, substantially better.

Horrid battery life due to phone not properly sleeping (can be fixed by flashing another rom)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm new to Sensation's as well, can someone care to explain this problem? What exactly is the problem with it? Do all default phones come with this problem or does it depend on what ROM is pre-installed on it? And what ROM versions fix it?

dexter93 said:
Hi!
I have the XE about a week now and everything is great so far. None of these problems exist, not even the overheating(which I was warned that in the first two charges would be intense) . I'm really happy with it ( but as I said I own it about a week now so ... )
What does annoy me though is the WiFi deathgrip... But I think that's solvable with a case
Sent from my HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio Z715e using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is also my experience so far with my XE, I don't see how a case will help with death grip though.
Sent from my HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio Z715e using xda premium

aLlamaWithARifle said:
I'm new to Sensation's as well, can someone care to explain this problem? What exactly is the problem with it? Do all default phones come with this problem or does it depend on what ROM is pre-installed on it? And what ROM versions fix it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well there are three states your phone can be in. Screen on and in use, screen off and in use, and screen off and sleeping. There's a problem that can arise where the phone doesn't go into sleep mode and continues to run "awake". This drains battery quickly. Good news, it doesn't happen to everyone and most roms don't suffer from it (although my stock rom did - Sensation 4G TMO here). Someone tried to say it was a hardware issue some time back but I'm pretty sure that's flat out wrong.

I've only had it for a few Weeks now but I love it. I only had it a week before I rooted it, very easy to do. I was using the stock Tmobile updated rom and everything worked very well. I have it in a case and haven't noticed any dust under the screen, but I also haven't been looking for it. I also haven't noticed the wifi grip issue.
As for rooting and roms, ether are many to choose from, sense 3.0 or 3.5, cm7, and now I've betas. I'd hope within the next few months we will see an official ics released.
Sent from my NookColor using xda premium

We got 2 in the family and we haven't experienced any of the mentioned faults in our phones. I got mine in early June, it's rooted and I run LeeDroid SuperSensational 4.2.1 on it and its really superfast. My husband's got the other one about 3 month ago, it runs stock and that one also works perfectely!

Thanks for all this guys!
But i am now getting rid of my sensation... i know ive only had it under a week.
Anyway the reason for this is tablets... i wanted to get one, but it would mean my phone was more pwerful than my tablet, which to me at least seems odd. so anyway im getting a galaxy not as a compromise between the both.
Thanks for all your help!

Well, can't say as I understand your reasoning, I don't really see how a tablet can replace a phone or vice versa, but glad you're happy with your decision.

[Q] Selling sensation & need most stable rom

Hey guys I'm selling my sensation on eBay since I'm getting the gs3 Thursday & I'm wondering what is the most stable rom for me to flash that the new, possible noob, user shouldn't have any problems ru.ning? I've been on virtuous Inquisition for several months but it does have some bugs & quirks, and I don't want someone ordering the phone & then complaining that they're having issues w/ it. This happened too me about a year ago when someone who had no concept of what a rooted phone is ordered my g2 from me.

androholic said:
Hey guys I'm selling my sensation on eBay since I'm getting the gs3 Thursday & I'm wondering what is the most stable rom for me to flash that the new, possible noob, user shouldn't have any problems ru.ning? I've been on virtuous Inquisition for several months but it does have some bugs & quirks, and I don't want someone ordering the phone & then complaining that they're having issues w/ it. This happened too me about a year ago when someone who had no concept of what a rooted phone is ordered my g2 from me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mike's newest rom. It's super smooth
Sent from my HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio using XDA

Personally, I would just run the TMOUS ICS RUU and be done with it. The ICS release we got from TMOUS is actually very stable, is easy on battery and is pretty good on speed.

rawrfische said:
Personally, I would just run the TMOUS ICS RUU and be done with it. The ICS release we got from TMOUS is actually very stable, is easy on battery and is pretty good on speed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed with that, tmobile seems to have fixed all the stupid bugs htc left in their RUU's.
Also if you're selling it, it would probably be better on a stock RUU like the tmous one than a custom ROM

I'm definitely recommending stock non-rooted ROM. It will be stable, secure and new phone owner always will be able to install ROM of his choice if he will need to.