To Root, or not to Root? - General Questions and Answers

Right, I'm getting sick of waiting for the official JellyBean update for my S2, will it be worth it for me to root the fone myself? If so, how do I go about doing it?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app

Yes it is worth it. Check the international s2 forums and search it up.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

Yes it's definately worth it to root. A little risky at first but if you get rooted, your home free and will be loading custom roms almost daily. Many apps will only run on rooted phone. Go for it!

mr
yes it`s worth it.so you can install custom roms.good luck.

It's only "worth it" if you have a reason to.
It's like... "is it worth buying a 30 gallon aquarium for $10" ? Sure, if you actually want a 30 gallon aquarium, it would be - but if you don't, it's just going to sit there unused and taking up space (and in the case of root access, opening up potential vulnerability).
Some people are flash-happy, but I only update mine maybe every few weeks because it's kind of a pain. And I only rooted and flashed a custom ROM on my tablet because it's no longer supported by the manufacturer - meaning a custom ROM was the ONLY way to get updates. I rooted my phone because I wanted to install Google Wallet and that required some work-arounds since my carrier is blocking it.
If you get into unofficial ROMs of updated Android versions, unless it's a leak, there are often problems - various things won't work, bugs, et cetera. It can still be fun, but don't expect it to be perfect.
Find something that you want to do with your device that requires root access and then worry about it.

Banksy1892 said:
Right, I'm getting sick of waiting for the official JellyBean update for my S2, will it be worth it for me to root the fone myself? If so, how do I go about doing it?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you own an Android device, chances are you’ve probably heard of the term “rooting” or “rooted.” If you have and are wondering if it’s for you, this post is perfect, as we break down the major pros and cons of rooting your Android smartphone.
Before we go any further though, what exactly is “rooting”? Rooting refers to gaining access to the "root" user or command prompt of your Android phone. Root access gives users full access to the device and allows for other low-level tasks to be run. Rooting an Android phone is similar to "jail breaking" an iPhone or the "unlocking" of a Windows Phone.
When you root your Android device, you gain access to the entire file system, with full admin rights. You can customize your own boot image, create a full backup of your phone, or install a full-blown Linux distro. Basically, you can do whatever you want.
So, should you root your phone? For me, the answer to that question is a resounding yes, but before you decide, read on to see our list of the major pros and cons of rooting.
Pros of Rooting
Some of the best reasons to root your Android phone include:
1. "Tethering" your 4G/3G internet connection to a laptop computer or tablet via USB cable, Hotspot or Bluetooth. While I don’t recommend this, you will essentially be able to tether for free without paying your carrier a fee.
2. Installing custom themes, mods, and ROMS. This is probably the reason most people root their phone. The ability to deeply customize your own device and upgrade software is very appealing to a lot of rooters.
3. Backing up all the data and apps on the device.
4. The ability to install any application or game, including those "blocked" or Tegra-only games.
5. The ability to underclock the processor to conserve power. This is huge for a lot of people as Android devices are real battery hogs. I have been able to squeeze out days of battery life on a medium-sized battery by underclocking, which is pretty significant.
6. The ability to remove bloatware from your carrier-branded Android device. We all know that carriers love putting quite a bit of crap on their phones and rooting is one way to get rid of it.
Cons of Rooting
Some of the major reasons not to root your Android device include:
1. If the rooting process fails you may permanently "brick" your phone, rendering it unusable for anything other than, well, a brick. Basically, your phone will be useless.
2. Rooting your phone typically voids any manufacturer and carrier warranties. This is pretty crappy, honestly, but some OEMs won't cover certain things. It is really up to the manufacturer. You could lose out big, though, if something major breaks and you have to pay the full repair price.
3. Other drawbacks are more specific to what is done after the device is rooted, such as burning out your smartphone CPU due to overclocking, wearing out the SD card prematurely and burning out pixels in the screen. Additionally, the potential monetary costs that your carrier might apply if they see you've downloaded several gigs of data to your laptop could be big.
4. Rooting usually causes general instability of your Android smartphone. This is a given, as you are basically beta testing modifications and ROMS before they become daily drivers. Expect great performance, but a lot of bugs.
So, is Rooting really for You?
If you're a hacker or tinkerer and don’t mind bugs, I’d say yes. If you’re not, I’d say hold off and make sure it’s really what you want. You must remember that with most phones, once you root, you can’t go back. It is very difficult, in most cases, to completely reset your device to factory conditions, which is definitely something to consider before you decide.
However, if you’re like me--happy with your device as is, but just love pushing the envelope--I'd say wait until your warranty expires. After your warranty runs up, which is usually a year after purchase, there is really nothing to lose.
If you have any additional pros or cons to rooting, leave them in the comment below.

If your warranty is over, definitely root.
Galaxy s2 is a pretty safe and easy device to flash. No need to mess with bootloaders and all. There are many guides in the forum, check them out. If something does go wrong, you will most probably find the solution in this forum itself.
You might might end up waiting indefinitely for the official update for your country from samsung. Flashing it yourself will keep you up to date.
But its time consuming if you are new to all this. There is a LOT to read. I know because I was there. It was after a lot of reading that I felt confident enough to root my phone. But now I flash a little bit to often!
Try a custom ROM based on the latest official samsung. I use NeatROM Lite 4.3, based on LSD. Stable, fast and bloatware free. There are a lot of them, pick the one that suits your need. Or if you're feeling adventurous, try most of them like I did!

Help With Rooting My Verizon Galaxy S3
I Am New To Rooting And I Would Like To Know If It's At All Possible To Install Android 4.2 On My Verizon Galaxy S3, I Feel My Phone Is Very Sluggish And I Would Like To Uninstall All The Bloatware On The Phone. Any Positive Help Would Be Greatly Appreciated Thanks In Advance!

Root
I was feeling the same way on my Atrix HD. Now i am glad i did it, its worth doing, you have greater access to apps, programs, and other things. IT was also simple to me.
#newbie

Harley Malvado said:
I Am New To Rooting And I Would Like To Know If It's At All Possible To Install Android 4.2 On My Verizon Galaxy S3, I Feel My Phone Is Very Sluggish And I Would Like To Uninstall All The Bloatware On The Phone. Any Positive Help Would Be Greatly Appreciated Thanks In Advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google is your friend, try using it.

Root!!!! I rooted my s2 the first day of having it. Best thing ever. I only update every 2 months or so, make sure bugs are out. I am on ga10 right now which 4.1.2. Even did it to the wife's phone. Original software is not good and slow updates. I am planning on rooting whatever new I get.

definetely root, because with root you can use many hidden capabilities like reverse tethering, free wifi tethering and so on

Related

[Q] Rooting Question!

Hey so I have read a lot of the threads on rooting but I think (hope) mine is a bit original for you. I am one of those skittish goody-two-shoes type people who have a bad record of breaking their electronics. My family is updating their tmobile plan in August and I am planning on getting a lg g2x. It seems like a great phone that'll be able to keep up with the advancements of Android for a while. However I have heard the battery life is really bad (as it is for most androids) and that there are all of these great methods I could use (setCPU, Battery Calibration, etc.) and I can get rid of ads on my apps (adfree) and even use ROMs and Themes!! This sounds great EXCEPT all of the above requires rooting. So my question is, if I install Battery Calibration, setCPU, adfree, etc, while rooted and then just unroot, will they all still work??? Also, in the case that this is possible, if I have any problems with my phone and have to send it in for service, as long as it's unrooted I don't have to delete any of the apps to put it back under warranty do I? And (yes there's more) can I continuously root/unroot as I please in order to change themes and ROMs and even updating the android system once my phone is out of date (though I hope I'm not obsolete within 2 yrs) and no longer gets updates from my phone company? I know superoneclick is supposed to be really easy but as I don't have the phone yet I was wondering how fast it actually is as well.
Thanks for all of your help!!
Hmm....lots of questions young one, well 1st of all by rooting it technically voids the warranty, and yes for the programs to work properly you will need to keep it rooted because some off them actually need root access to tweak the device.
Sent from my mind
scarlet_fire said:
Hey so I have read a lot of the threads on rooting but I think (hope) mine is a bit original for you. I am one of those skittish goody-two-shoes type people who have a bad record of breaking their electronics. My family is updating their tmobile plan in August and I am planning on getting a lg g2x. It seems like a great phone that'll be able to keep up with the advancements of Android for a while. However I have heard the battery life is really bad (as it is for most androids) and that there are all of these great methods I could use (setCPU, Battery Calibration, etc.) and I can get rid of ads on my apps (adfree) and even use ROMs and Themes!! This sounds great EXCEPT all of the above requires rooting. So my question is, if I install Battery Calibration, setCPU, adfree, etc, while rooted and then just unroot, will they all still work??? Also, in the case that this is possible, if I have any problems with my phone and have to send it in for service, as long as it's unrooted I don't have to delete any of the apps to put it back under warranty do I? And (yes there's more) can I continuously root/unroot as I please in order to change themes and ROMs and even updating the android system once my phone is out of date (though I hope I'm not obsolete within 2 yrs) and no longer gets updates from my phone company? I know superoneclick is supposed to be really easy but as I don't have the phone yet I was wondering how fast it actually is as well.
Thanks for all of your help!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. If you install the root required apps, root, then unroot, they will stop working. Once an app requires root and your phone is not rooted, even if it was before but it's not now, they will not work.
2. There are many one click root apps. e.g. z4root and universal androot.
3. You will have to unroot and remove the root required apps to put it back under warranty. I say this because if you leave them, then your provider will know that you must have rooted your phone to put them on it in the first place. (It would be like sending an Iphone for servicing to AT&T with Cydia installed. They will know that you jailbroke it.
4 Superoneclick does work fast. It may take up to five minutes (depends on your phone model), but remember what I said in #2. Good luck.

Opinions on Rooting

OK I'm going to ask the million dollar question... Is rooting my Tab 7 Plus worth the risk? I understand it adds a lot of customization and more I'm sure. Is it worth the risk though? How likely am I to kill this thing/will bight me in the butt down the road.
Rooting your GT+ is totally harmless. What you do after you root your device may harm it. There are excellent applications that need root and that is why you want to do it. But at the same time if you are not sure of an application and give it root privileges, well is like giving a thief the key of your safe.
By the way, if you want to get rid of the root and are not too experienced, factory reset your device and the root is gone.
P_
Zadeis said:
OK I'm going to ask the million dollar question... Is rooting my Tab 7 Plus worth the risk? I understand it adds a lot of customization and more I'm sure. Is it worth the risk though? How likely am I to kill this thing/will bight me in the butt down the road.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a really difficult question to answer for anyone other than yourself. Rooting the tablet isn't as risky as modifying the engine in a car (which is a physical modification in most cases), but more risky than just installing (or uninstalling) an application.
Are you happy using the tablet as-is? If so, don't root it. Leave it alone. I honestly don't think a person SHOULD root the device just for the sake of rooting it.
If there's a specific reason why you want to, then go for it. However, learn as much as you can about what you are doing and what the risks are BEFORE you do it. Keep in mind that it's a slippery slope. First you root it, then you start installing recoveries, alternate firmware, different kernels, etc. It's VERY EASY to get caught up in all the tinkering. I can offer one bit of comfort: It's actually not that easy to completely brick a samsung device. As long as the bootloader is intact, you can always use ODIN to restore it to factory condition.
Good luck
Gary
Well thank you for the general knowledge. I think on it more and maybe throw a thought on here later after thinking on it more. I am happy with it as is but we'll see what happens as I am very new to the android environment. This is my first android based device I have ever owned/ used really.
The ONLY reason really pushing me to root it is the fact I have a GPS app on my TAB that doesn't install it's maps to the sd but actually to the main internal memory. That's irked me ever since I got it when I have a nice nearly empty 16GB SD card sitting inside my TAB.
Stupid question - is there a way to root the Samsung 7 yet revealed that doesn't involve a bootloader?
I would really hate to do anything that could mess up upgrading to ICS when it comes out, but I need to root to make the VPN do anything useful (like connect to our IPSec VPN with group authentication at work)
Right now I am stuck using VNC on my Samsung Epic 4G if I dont have my laptop handy and need to connect to my linux workspace. Needless to say, the experience using it on a cell phone is less than ideal.
All you have to do is flash a zip file using the existing recovery. All it does is add su. I don't know of any root that is simpler and safer than that.
IMO, rooting is a must and like the others have said, you need root to use backup apps and such. To me, it's a necessity.
vobguy said:
Stupid question - is there a way to root the Samsung 7 yet revealed that doesn't involve a bootloader?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting the SGT7+ does NOT touch the bootloader.
P_

[Q] Why root/unlock this device?

Hi everyone,
I just arrived here from the world of Nook Color where for 20 months I have been rooting and installing CM roms. For the Nook that was essential since out of the box it was not an Android tablet.
I have had the tf700 for only 4 days, and I am delighted with it. Upgraded it to JB and have no complaints. My question is - what is the rationale for rooting and unlocking my new toy? Are there some issues with stock that need addressing, or is it just to satisfy the innate hacker that lives in all of us?
I'll do it if there is a point to it, but I am pretty happy with everything I see right now...
Derek
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda premium
derekr said:
Hi everyone,
I just arrived here from the world of Nook Color where for 20 months I have been rooting and installing CM roms. For the Nook that was essential since out of the box it was not an Android tablet.
I have had the tf700 for only 4 days, and I am delighted with it. Upgraded it to JB and have no complaints. My question is - what is the rationale for rooting and unlocking my new toy? Are there some issues with stock that need addressing, or is it just to satisfy the innate hacker that lives in all of us?
I'll do it if there is a point to it, but I am pretty happy with everything I see right now...
Derek
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are happy, I think no reason to. I have mine rooted because I wanted to buy things from Japanese Market i.e. needed to use Market Enabler. Another benefit is Browser2ram. Though browser on JB is so much better, browser2ram can make even better. Having said this, the gain to me is not as noticeble as it was with ICS. So yes. not much reason to root unless you need to use root only application.
As far as unlocking, I think main reason is to use custom rom but I am personally satisfied with stock rom so have not unlocked personally.
My reasons:
1. Titanium Backup (ease of restore after factory reset)
2. Ad Away (Ads drain my battery)
3. Cerberus, device tracker (root users can make app a system app then remotely enable GPS)
4. Orbot, useful for encrypting traffic on unsecured wireless networks (Only with root can you enable "transparent proxy")
Just to name a few reasons. Not as many reasons as why I need root on my phone but ill edit if I remember more.
TeCKNeiC said:
My reasons:
1. Titanium Backup (ease of restore after factory reset)
2. Ad Away (Ads drain my battery)
3. Cerberus, device tracker (root users can make app a system app then remotely enable GPS)
4. Orbot, useful for encrypting traffic on unsecured wireless networks (Only with root can you enable "transparent proxy")
Just to name a few reasons. Not as many reasons as why I need root on my phone but ill edit if I remember more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Titanium Backup is a biggie for me. Couldn't do without it.
2. Total Commander needs root access to be able to manage the external memory cards. I use them for storing large files (movies, documentaries, etc.).
3. AdAway -- they not only waste bandwidth and battery, but they burn my retina away. (I'm so thankful for donation versions, so I can kick the ads out and support the dev in the meantime.)
4. BetterBatteryStats
Those are the few that are currently listed with SuperSU -- I do have browser2RAM installed, but to be honest I didn't notice any tangible improvement.
It's worth the root
Great post!
I'm happy with no root for now.
Lost it when the 4.1 update showed up.
I was running a few apps needing root, yet I don't really miss them...well except for b2ram.
Can't answer about unlocking...I don't want to do that until I buy another tablet.
I'll probably mess with rooting eventually when I get really bored or when quick and easy solution appears if ever.
For now like yourself the hacker in me is taking a break
Thats OK said:
For now like yourself the hacker in me is taking a break
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe the saying goes something like "the bow cannot always stand bent." ; )
My reasoning was that my stock experience was real glitchy (launcher crashes, freezing, random reboots, stuttering from bloat running in the background)... wanted a streamlined ROM and the ability to use AutoStarts. And TB and Ad Away are never bad things to have, either.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
at this point, as stated above, is about the apps you want to use. I suggest rooting since it doesn't void warranty. There are plenty of good apps that make use of it. Unlocking, that does void warranty. I would wait till your satisfied with the build of your Infinity In addition, wait till there is that must have rom or kernal. Since you mentioned Cyanogenmod, it hasn't officially been released yet. There is some work being done, but as usual with early builds, not everything is working yet.
I rooted mine so I can set up a chroot environment running a real GNU/Linux distro in order to do things like connecting to my home networked filesystems over a VPN service that I pay for in addition to accessing that machine for development purposes while travelling away from home using software that I trust and know has a good reputation within a wider, respected community of developers (openvpn, openssh-client, vim, etc etc).
I unlocked mine so that I can experiement with building Yocto-based filesystems which I eventually plan to flash to my device, and also so I can contribute testing/development effort to Debian's armhf architecture. Also, I want to learn what free AND copyleft touchscreen input translation layers are available that allow one to emulate traditional mouse pointers when using applications not originally intended for touchscreen interfaces.
I am not particularly happy with Android or the contortions that its developers push themselves through to restrict what can be done with it "out-of-the-box"; though I do recognize it as a preferred alternative to other systems that disrespect user freedoms such as iOS and WE. I also understand that there are arguments to be made in favor of Android's disrespect of user freedoms such as the need to protect consumer devices that are difficult to fix after hard bricking.
So yeah, I guess it boils down to is, I want to use the software I prefer and am familiar with as well as satisfying my desire to learn and contribute to the free software community.
help help!!!
pls i just go my tf700 2 days ago. with building number IML74K.US_epad-9.4.5.26-20120720,. i want to root and need jelly bean on it, but i dont know how to go about it. also i have no memory card yet, pls someone enlighten me on the steps:crying:
I was also fine with mine stock but I needed root to connect to my university's wifi which has a proxy, theres an app called proxyfier that enables system-wide proxy access, but it needs root... As some others said, if there's no specific reason why you'd want to root/unlock... don't.
My opinion is, UNLOCKING your device is something you need to think about. It's void your warranty and if you don't plan on playing with custom rom then don't do it. However, rooting is a great benefit to your device and you always can un root if you like.
buhohitr said:
My opinion is, UNLOCKING your device is something you need to think about. It's void your warranty and if you don't plan on playing with custom rom then don't do it. However, rooting is a great benefit to your device and you always can un root if you like.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 Listen to this man - he knows what he is talking about. :fingers-crossed:

[Q] Can I root but still have most of Android/Samsung experience too?

I am accustomed to using and working within the generic android environment. I generally like it. I am pretty much exclusively a Samsung guy but I just recently got my wife a G3. I have read all the things about how I can make my phone lightning quick without all the bloatware and I can be entitled to all the event driven programming that stock android allows me but I have to say, I 90% like what I get out of the box. Sure, there are little annoyances that come up but mostly what I want to gain is the 10%. I don't want to reinvent the wheel and put in a new launcher and then have to get accustomed to a whole new way of doing things. Or worse, my camera might not work as well etc.
I am mostly sold. I don't care about voided warranties. I am going to drop $800 on a Note 4 in the coming weeks when it finally rolls out and frankly I would like to really access the power of that processor and ram (whether it is 3 or 4 gigs - only Samsung knows right now). A big part of my buying the phone is the compatibility with the SPen. I am a business man so it would negate me buying it, to root it and then see the SPen go bye bye. In short, this phone is to be a simple tool for my business but I am afraid of what I am about to get.
Let me go back a bit. Last week, I bought my wife a G3. Another top of the line phone. I bought it and am considering the note 4 for the same reason, they can do split screens. I thought I might be able to do limitedly with the phone on the go what I do with my laptop, drag and drop from email to email, files. The note 4 is going to be a powerful phone but who knows if we are there yet. Regardless, from these forums and around the net, it seem the technology is there. So what is there to do? I like the bulk of Samsung's programming but it really angered me when I started toying with the LG G3 and I discovered that I could not open all apps in their duel mode. I mean what the H E double hockeysticks! How does LG know what I would find valuable to have open at once?
So, I am committed to the Note 4 because I know I will get top of the line. I am assuming that I am going to be restricted from using the phone like I want, like the LG and will be faced with: to root or not to root. What I am saying is, can I root the phone and still keep all the stuff I like? yes I know one of you nifty busy-bodies have not even gotten your hands on the phone yet to discover how to mess with it and get by knoks etc but do you feel my pain and understand my quandary?
It is not that I am afraid to root. I am adventurous at heart but I need to make money. I am a business man. I don't make money by the hour but by the opportunity. When I see something that can help me be productive, I try to implement it into my way of doing things. I like tinkering like you guys. I appreciate you but I only have limit time to do these things, otherwise they become distractions. So I don't have hours to figure out why my main camera is now only taking selfies on the face of the phone instead or why the SPen doesn't work. I want what I want but the move needs to make sense to me.
So the basic question is: if I go down this path (with any phone) can I root and still have touchwiz experience, for instance just so I can mess with the phone ever so slightly? A side question would be - am I going to find many disadvantages for the right of having full control of my phone such as having to update the phone or having bugs? I guess, the simple short question is: Do the challenges outweigh the benefits?
I have currently an old S2 that is working. I am using a galaxy LTE awaiting, the note 4. But, I assume I am going to get pretty angry when I find that an $800+ phone won't what a hack can make it do. I just don't want to lose everything else for the sake of one entitlement. So, I can practice seeing what it is like doing these things with my S2 or even my recent LTE. I just have not seen anyone bring this up. People go on about the romance of blanking out a phone for total freedom but they don't tell me much about how close the new launchers are going to be to what I am used to.
Thanks, community for all that you develop. You are cool. I only wish I had countless hours to mess around with this stuff but money has to be made. Believe me, I am looking for any excuse to have a "lightning fast" phone or to do some funky things like you guys do, but give me the war stories. Tell me if I have to decide to compromise. Recommend a launcher maybe. Yes I know the Note can't even be developed yet but it will someday. Anyway, thanks.
I'm not sure you understand exactly what root does. Root gives you "root" level access, aka Superuser, aka Administrator access. Think of Android like a computer in a public library. Lots of things (settings, certain programs, certain directories mainly) are locked down and inaccessible by people who don't have the password or an admin account, because they don't want people messing around with them. Android is the same way. Many (most?) people think of smartphones as just that - phones. They don't think of it as a computer, even though that's exactly what it is, in every aspect of the word. Without restrictions, it would be very, very easy for the average user to completely screw up their phone.
And that is why Android comes with these restrictions (which carriers exploit to install unremovable apps). Rooting your phone removes many of these restrictions, which is also why rooting typically voids your warranty. You might want to root to get rid of useless bloatware like NFL Mobile or Verizon Navigation or Samsung's browser because you only use Chrome. But it's just as easy to (accidentally or stupidly) delete a core Android program, and now your phone is stuck in a crash loop and you've got a $700 battery powered paper weight.
That said, root gives you Superuser access. And that's it. Root doesn't change anything, for better or worse.
It's what you do with that access that matters. Freezing/deleting bloatware that would otherwise be constantly running in the background can improve your phone's performance. You can install the Xposed framework to clear up your notification panel and status bar, add functionality to your buttons, and port features from other brands to work on yours. Tasker is a very powerful (and very confusing) app that you can use to make your phone do things automatically depending on where you are, when it is, etc. You can block ads within games and browsers. You can do back-ups of your apps and data and share them between devices, or when moving from and old phone to a new one. With root sometimes you can bypass restrictions imposed by the carrier because they want to milk you for more money (like wifi hotspot).
I'm also not certain you understand what a launcher is. The launcher is merely the interface. Homescreens, app drawer, dock, icons, etc. I honestly don't know what a 3rd party launcher like Nova, Apex, or Go does to S-Pen functionality on the Note series. But it's merely a different interface, which can be disabled or uninstalled without issue.
What you might be thinking of is the ROM itself. ROM is a bit of a misnomer (meaning Read Only Memory, like a CD_ROM or DVD-ROM), but in the Android world, the ROM is what we have taken to call the operating system. For example, a TouchWiz ROM is heavily modified, and very different than the ROM of a Nexus, which is 100% "stock" Android. Then you have custom ROMs like Cyanogenmod. Installing a different ROM on your Note 4 will absolutely kill your S-Pen functionality, unless it's based on the stock N4 ROM (for example, stock, but debloated, streamlined, and tweaked a bit) and retains those features that Samsung built into it.
With a launcher you can make one phone's homescreen and app drawer look like another's. But when you go into the settings, they'll look different, because that's the ROM, not the launcher you're looking at.
One thing to nota bene is that Samsung has become increasingly restrictive about root and unlocked bootloaders. An unlocked bootloader is required to flash a different ROM (although running different ROMs in Safestrap is usually still possible). Samsung flagships from AT&T and Verizon are notoriously restricted. Google "towelroot" to find out just how restrictive they're getting. Of the "big 4" US carriers, T-Mobile is undoubtedly the least restrictive. With AT&T and T-Mo you also have the option to buy an "unlocked" device, but you won't get the pay-over-time benefits of a subsidy or payment plan. "Unlocked" refers to carrier compatibility, not the bootloader (although carrier unlocked phones are typically easier to unlock the bootloader). But if you subsidize a phone from VZW or AT&T, particularly one from the Samsung Note or Galaxy S line, it's entirely possible that root might never be achieved, or might take a long time. We're talking about rooting a phone that isn't even out yet, and we have no idea what kind of "security" measures are in store.
Root is a powerful tool, but the most powerful tool for your phone other than root is knowledge. Read, read, read, read, ask some questions, and read and read. Find some "for dummies" guides and read those. Watch some youtube videos. The problem with XDA, if there is one, is that stuff like this doesn't have a learning "curve" so much as a learning "sheer cliff made of buttered ice". Lots of acronyms, jargon, technical terms, and other gibberish. Grab some coffee or Red Bull, and start learning.

[Q] Why Root the One plus one?

Hi all
i Just got my one plus one last week
it was amazing , it was snappy , the screen is gorgeous , and the CM is plain great , albeit many apps did find unresponding oddly enough
i've had many phones in the past that are not so great x10 mini , x8 , galaxy ace, galaxy nexus
all of which are miles away when compared to the one plus
and since they are so freaking lag i decided to root them and gave them root and changed their bootloader
but from one phone to the other all of them seems to die out in about 9 months after i root them , and i don;'t know what i did wrong , most of them are dead because i fried the motherboard or something
still why would you root the one plus when it's already so fast ? i am considering rooting mine but i am really scared i might kill it
First, rooting doesn't make it faster or slower. Also, it doesn't broke the phone neither now or in 12 month time.
Second, you need root for some in depth access on your phone, or some programs like Titanium Backup may require root to work.
Third, the rule of the thumb say, if you don't need it, don't do it!
greenify, adblock, titanium more than enough reasons to root.
I go by the old saying "If you have to ask, you'll never know"
Generally anyone who's asked me if they should root their phone, or install 3rd party firmware, my answer is no. It has to be something you want to do and something you're willing to accept the risk doing. I'm a flashaholic. I flash a new rom every few days, or update existing ROM i have. I'm never content with the status quo on my phone and devices and always play. I accept the risk of running into a situation where I go to make a call, watch a movie, or open a email and my phone locking up due to running bleeding edge untested code. Mind you I can always recover from bootloader and know how so I know I won't permanently screw a phone, just until I can flash a older rom, or recover with a PC. If you have to ask, it means you're not sure about what you're getting into. If you fall into this situation I would refrain from asking others and instead read around in the 1,000's of posts in this OnePlus forum and decide for yourself.
Not that being said, root is simple. It's a more of a "Set it and forget it" type of deal, at least until a OTA update arrives. Custom roms is where the aforementioned comes into play mostly. If you want to start getting into the Flashing world with Android its the place to start. Myself I read and read after I got my Galaxy S4, first real Android phone, and went straight to CyanogenMod with it. Skipped rooting.
WoodburyMan said:
Generally anyone who's asked me if they should root their phone, or install 3rd party firmware, my answer is no. It has to be something you want to do and something you're willing to accept the risk doing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He may not be aware of what can be accomplished with root access and find the profits interesting. He doesn't necessarily know if he wants to do if he doesn't know it exists/is possible.
I don't want to flame or anything, but since you've been around for almost 3 years, you should really know better.
Firstly, rooting does not fry your motherboard. Seriously, why would you think so?
The fact that your previous phones became slow after a short while is because you probably got them stuffed with bloatware and have not maintained your phone in a healthy way.
As to why you should root your phone,...
Well, most apps that help you maintain your phone and keep it as optimized as possible require root.
This kind of proves my previous point regarding the speed of your previous phones.
I would start reading some more and eventually you'll be able to answer your own question.
Good luck!
Well that's easy, if your not interested in using apps that need root access there's no use in rooting your device. It's nothing magic which will make your device fly or make a cup of coffee for you.
Why not?

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