ROOTING YOUR SPECTRUM 2 PHONE: FAQ
In rooting your LG Spectrum 2 VS930 you can unlock your handset's full potential--an increase in speed, battery life, and customizability is just a few of the benefits. You also gain access to more options for making far more comprehensive backups (of your applications and your settings within them), some killer themes, and all kinds of wonderful interface tweaks that are so good you can't believe they're not included in Android out of the box. Real information on rooting can be hard to sort through, however, and you can find a lot of misinformation out there. Let's dispel some of the myths surrounding rooting.
Q. Is rooting my Android phone worth the trouble?
In my opinion, the answer is a resounding yes. My phone is faster than it has ever been, the battery lasts longer, and I have all kinds of new features, including free wireless tethering and notification-bar widgets. Rooting your phone is generally a fairly quick process, though the complexity depends on your specific situation. Once you're rooted your handset, you can begin installing apps (many directly from Android Market) that will take advantage of your handset's new capabilities, and generally involves your wiping all the data from your phone, but even that is worthwhile.
Q. Won't rooting my phone be complex and difficult?
Yes and no. It really depends on what model of phone you have. On many phones (such as the LG Spectrum 2 VS930) the process is incredibly easy.
It is important to note that different approaches will work for different phones. Rooting is phone/OS specific, so make sure to check that the root tool you're considering is compatible with your phone. For other models, rooting may take much more work. You might be required to connect the phone to your computer and enter some lines of code in a terminal utility.
Fortunately, more and more root apps do not require you to hook up your computer and get in that deep. Do some research as to what is required for your setup, read some step-by-step guides, and be honest with yourself about how comfortable you would be trying to follow the directions. If it feels like you'd be in over your head, it's probably best to avoid rooting.
Note that generally rooting is even tougher to do if you use a Mac, as most of the software for doing this sort of thing is written for Windows or Linux.
Q. Do I run the risk of bricking my phone?
This is one of the Internet's favorite bogeymen. "Bricking" is the idea that if you try to tinker with root access, you’ll mess something up so it becomes completely unusable, and you’ll essentially turns your phone into a paperweight. While that's certainly not outside the realm of possibility, the good news is that Android phones are generally very hard to brick.
If you do get caught in a boot loop, you may have to connect your phone to your computer and rewrite some code, but if you are patient and willing to do some more reading, you will almost always be able to find a way to at least restore your phone to its original state (click on >Restore Your Spectrum 2 Back to Clean Factory Stock).
A common mistake that actually will lead to a bricked phone is running out of battery power in the middle of trying to Root your device. The operating system only half installs, and that really is tough to fix. So always make sure that your battery is full before you start.
Also, just because a phone is root-able does not mean you can install any custom ROM you want. Different ROMs will work for different phones. Even the extremely popular Cyanogen Mod works for many phones, but certainly not all, so do plenty of research to make sure your phone is supported before trying to install a custom ROM. (No custom ROMs for the LG Spectrum 2 VS930 as of yet)
Q. If I root my phone, will I have any customer support?
Rooting can be daunting because there is no toll-free number you can call for help, and no governing body to which you can turn for definitive answers. The user-generated forums out there contain a staggering amount of information; the RootzWiki forum has answers to almost all of your questions, as has the XDA Developers forum, but you can find many more. No matter your question, the forums most likely already have threads that can answer it. You can find everything at the spectrum 2 forum, you can always start a new thread to ask your question.
Related
I'm lost >_<'
Sorry, but I don't know where to start. My friend texted me a link to this forum so I could get help. I've already spent hours, and I still don't know what I should do.
So far:
1.) I was hoping on finding a way to remove all this useless AT&T Crap, HTC Likes, HTC, Blockbuster, etc. Is there a way without rooting my phone
which brings me to...
2.) Is there a way to effectively organize the all apps section?
3.) I noticed that the battery is really low and barely lasts a day. Would underclocking the cpu be possible to save battery life if I root my phone?
4.) My friend said I should root my phone. I've been looking around the past two days about it, but I'm still confused; there's like all these various ROMs. I'm assuming this is similar to the idea of various distros that derive from Ubuntu/Debian? But my main concern is the idea of rooting something itself. I use Ubuntu and what I've learned from forums and using it is that being a superuser for the whole time is a big no-no. I know it's just a phone, but I've heard of phones being hacked so I don't know if rooting is safe... Is it? How does a rooted OS generally work? Is there like a way to not have root access at all the times (like a guest account) and use root via typing in the admin password?
5.) Warranty - So I have 30 days to return the phone if I don't like it (which is unlikely ). Anyway, say something bad happens (e.g. I flash some ROM and I can't figure out how to fix my GPS or something). Is there a way to get it back to a stock, unrooted ROM incase something goes wrong? In other words, if for any reason I want to (and can) return my phone, is there a way to get back to unrooted-unmodified Froyo?
6.) Speaking of flashing, I've read terms about a goldcard, S-Off, and clockwork. The first two has to do with the sim card and making the phone unlocked I think? If so, is it necessary to have these/do these things in order to root a phone? I don't care much about unlocking my phone; I'm stuck on AT&T (I don't pay for the plan; my older bro does). As for clockwork, I think it has to do with recovery of something? Can someone elaborate on this for me
7.) Flashing - I've read about flashing ROM's but I also heard about flashing the radio and it being more, if not very risky. If I want to root my phone, is it necessary to flash the radio?
8.) Kernels - I know kernels have to do with a phone's performance, battery consumption, etc. but I see different kernels being used with different ROM's. Are they interchangeable or are the custom ROM's built around each kernel making it unique?
9.) IF I do decide to root my phone, which custom ROM should I use? I really like the HTC sense so I'm hesitant to change if I lose it.
Sorry, I know this is too a lot. I read the stickies, but there's only two question marks under "Guides | Rooting: (The guides to the basics)." Hope someone can answer these questions
Start here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=961406
No, you can't remove at&t apps without rooting.
Rooting is fine. You're not personally messing around with system files just casually using your phone. They're modified when you install roms, kernels and radios.
I have never owned a cell phone before (yeah, I'm one of the last three who never has), and now am wanting to buy one. My preference is Android. I have some questions about this whole space:
* I don't want a contract. Is it generally true that I can buy any unlocked phone, and a prepaid SIM from Amazon or somewhere, and use them together?
* I'm old (early 60's) and have some generational cultural differences from many (but not all) of you that grew up with and accept social networking. Specifically, I have a zero tolerance policy towards my phone leaking ANY data, under any situation, and a zero tolerance policy for any outside control of the device. That is to say, I will not accept remote updates of software, nor any software which "phones home". I will only accept a phone that is 100% under my control. This seems to create complications, even under Android. If I run a custom firmware such as CM7, is this a goal that I can reasonably achieve? Perhaps with a local firewall on the device?
* I want to use the GPS for wilderness hiking, specifically, to retrace my (approximate) path in the unlikely event I become lost. Is the onboard GPS on phones adequate for such a purpose? I don't need meter-accuracy, but 10 or 15m accuracy would be nice, along with software that would sample my position every (say) 60 seconds and overlay this on a map that MUST be stored locally on the device. I will be out of cell tower range.
* These devices can carry a lot of data, but this seems dangerous on a device that may be lost or stolen. I know there can be a numeric code to unlock the device, but that provides no real security in practice. Is it possible for me to use encryption at the block level with a filesystem on an SD card? Conceptually, I want to mount that card through an encrypted loopback device, with a timeout that will unmount it after a period of inactivity. Possible?
* Specific phones: I liked the LG2X, but it seems many people have big problems with it. I liked the Sensation, but it has a locked bootloader -> nonstarter. So I'm looking at the Mytouch 4G. How big a limitation is GSM in practice, within the continental US?
* When 802.11 is available, will I be able to use my existing VOIP provider instead of a cell network to make voice calls?
Thanks for any help that anyone might give a complete phone newbie.
Is there perhaps a more suitable forum for me to ask "hey, I've never even owned a cell phone before" type questions? If someone could point me to a better place to ask my clueless questions, that'd be wonderful.
Maybe you will buy HTC HD2?
It's a good phone for start, and it has all of the things what you need
Thanks Rafal.Sw, but that seems to be a Windows Mobile phone, and I'd prefer to stick with open source operating systems.
In any case, I'm more after information here than specific phone recommendations. Thanks for your reply though.
But you can always install android on this Phone, i have it and it's wonderful for me
The specific phone model is really not my primary question. I'm looking for information on my questions above, or failing that, a place more appropriate for novices to ask such things.
Thanks...
Research is key. Search button is your friend and essential. friendly reminder as always
Yes unlocked GSM devices are able to connect to a compatible carrier / sim card. For instance I have an unlocked GSM from att but i hate contracts and burning a hole in my pocket. So.. i went to best buy and grabbed an h2o sim kit and poppeed. It in VOILA. Service= no contract = more money. Of course there are plenty others. With different. Pre paid plans. That's just one of many i use.
Alot of these devices will work around the world ESPECIALLY an unlocked GSM device. Of course they will have to have the WORLD phone type basebands. To achieve this if traveling the world.
GPS has come along way since eclair, and is getting signifucally better all the time. However this really depends on your device and its hardware/software When you see a phone you like find the oppropriate forum and thread and learn about that device. Here on xda.
As far as security with android its great and getting better and better. They stay up to date with the latest. The biggest RISK/ ONLY common are with an OPEN all wifi access connection. Also The problem lies when someone( the user) puts bad apps or pirate apps and files in the device making it vulnerable.
To keep data safe on your phone can be achieved in a number of ways, to name a couple, numerous locks can be applied on apps files even before the device boots up, there are also apps that will wipe every thing on your device if lost or stolen by using your computer to control it. Also apps that will track your phone so you can find it
I to are very strict on the control of my device and with that there are great apps with the kind of extra protection you look for ex. Firewalls, malwate spyware blockers etc. There is no need to unmiunt an SD card. Do you take out your harddrive on your computer when not in USE? "Rhetorical "
CM7 is built AOSP from the ground up. They are in no way or have anything to do with the carrier or its original manufacture. Its totally custom build. Extremely knowledgeable developers who take pride in their work for all of us for free. This is not for your average user. These builds are still in ongoing development and not available for every device. However these builds are very stable for and a daily driver
YES YOU CAN, For VOIP calls, there are apps for that and I've used it for a couple years now, alot of devices can and have already support it, and takes a litle tinkering to get them to work. Now days the Devices coming out have VOIP already ready for setup out of the box. With easy setup
If you want the the best bang for your Buck,
Samsung Galaxy S 2. Is what i recommend. It's truly the best of the best. Along with EVO 3d. And Motorola D3
Sent from SGS Captivate CM7 or MIUI with Escapist orTKGlitch using XDA premium app.
Search button is your friend and essential
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
<nod> I've done some, but there are things I can't quite find anyone discussing, like the use of GPS for wilderness hiking, or the details of block level encryption.
I agree with you 100% about contracts. I'm not sure why they're so popular. They seem more expensive overall, and less flexible.
There is no need to unmiunt an SD card. Do you take out your harddrive on your computer when not in USE?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, no, but I don't carry the whole machine around in my pocket, either. Somehow the only thing I really trust to keep my data secure is encryption, but then there's this issue of how long the data stays decrypted. You have to be able to use it, but if you lose the device, no one else should be able to see it.
CM7 is built AOSP from the ground up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, which is why I'd trust it more than the carrier supplied software. I'm pretty much restricting my device choices to ones that CM7 supports, which does rule out several otherwise attractive phones.
Thanks - the Galaxy S2 does look interesting. Is it supported by CM7? Their "devices" page only lists the Galaxy S.
Thanks for the insights, rwells813!
YES, Samsung has sent a SGS2 over to an Cm7 dev. To play with. So i assume in do time it will be a supported mainline. I believe he has test builds for it already . I haven't tried them yet with mine yet. I stick with one dev. Phone at a time. My captivate is the Guinea. Pig. Good luck mate.
Sent from SGS Captivate CM7 or MIUI with Escapist orTKGlitch using XDA premium app.
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
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.
Im looking for a new phone. My main concern is being able to run without bloatware. I don't want to root the phone or disable via usb debugging. I'm looking for the most friendly out of the box phone that lets you inherently disable/uninstall apps you don't want as a user. Please exclude iPhone, I have no interest in using an iPhone.
Ultimately I want a phone that is responsive and I don't have to constantly be bombarded by app "notification" aka ads. I know some will allow better control of notifications but, I just don't want them running in the first place.
Thanks...
Taboriious said:
Im looking for a new phone. My main concern is being able to run without bloatware. I don't want to root the phone or disable via usb debugging. I'm looking for the most friendly out of the box phone that lets you inherently disable/uninstall apps you don't want as a user. Please exclude iPhone, I have no interest in using an iPhone.
Ultimately I want a phone that is responsive and I don't have to constantly be bombarded by app "notification" aka ads. I know some will allow better control of notifications but, I just don't want them running in the first place.
Thanks...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck with finding a device that does all of that, IF it even exists, which I doubt. There is no such thing as an out of the box android device that doesn't have notification services running in the background, you will have to settle with using the user settings to disable/enable the notifications to suit you, regardless of the device you get.
There are devices that do not have manufacturer or carrier bloatware, but I suspect that what you would call "bloatware" isn't technically bloatware, they would just be apps that you would prefer not having on your device.
But honestly, based on what you say you're looking for, you will need a device that can be rooted in order to remove the things you don't want because what you are looking for doesn't come "standard" on any device that I know of.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
Im not worried about notifications, I know those can be managed. Im more concerned with apps that I dont want on the system and cant be uninstalled or disabled without root privileges. There are a ton of apps not needed, a slew of samsung as well as my carrier.
So, what Im being told there is no phone model by any manufacturer that comes rooted or allows you to remove all unwanted apps...???
Taboriious said:
Im not worried about notifications, I know those can be managed. Im more concerned with apps that I dont want on the system and cant be uninstalled or disabled without root privileges. There are a ton of apps not needed, a slew of samsung as well as my carrier.
So, what Im being told there is no phone model by any manufacturer that comes rooted or allows you to remove all unwanted apps...???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are plenty of phones that can be easily rooted after buying them then remove the apps you don't want.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
I understand there are plenty of phone that you can root. My question was are there any "open" by default, to which I was told no. Understood. The follow up question is, which are the most friendly to the rooting process. Some phones are more difficult to perform the root process than others I would assume. So, which are the best(overall well functioning phones) and the most friendly to the rooting process to avoid bricking or causing other issues with the phone
Taboriious said:
I understand there are plenty of phone that you can root. My question was are there any "open" by default, to which I was told no. Understood. The follow up question is, which are the most friendly to the rooting process. Some phones are more difficult to perform the root process than others I would assume. So, which are the best(overall well functioning phones) and the most friendly to the rooting process to avoid bricking or causing other issues with the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The eaaily rooted phones were the Google phones, but when they released the Pixel devices, that was no longer the case.
In the US, it is more of a matter of which carrier you get the device from than it is about what device you get. Some carriers lock the bootloader on their device and some don't. The ones with locked bootloader are the difficult devices to root and flash ROMs, the ones without locked bootloader are easier but not necessarily "easy".
The devices that are the easiest to root and flash ROMs are the devices with MediaTek processors. They are also the easiest to unbrick if a problem occurs, but that only applies to the MediaTek devices that have a stock firmware that is available to the public, the ones that don't have an available stock firmware or stock source code should be avoided because they are near impossible to unbrick if something goes wrong. But, MediaTek devices are the cheapest devices and they aren't very well made. Some offer good specs but the hardware is inferior, a powerful car is no good if it won't stay together very long, if you understand the comparison. It's like having a cheap car that is easy to work on and make faster, but that is no good if the parts are not available to fix it if something breaks. You would be better off buying a car that costs more.
HTC devices are fairly easy to root and flash ROMs(but they do have some tricky stuff in the process) and they offer excellent software support, they make their stock firmware available and their stock source code available to make repairs and build ROMs.
Instead of asking which devices are easier, just look around, find some devices that you like, and then do some Google searches using that device's model number to see if root is available for that model and if custom recovery and custom ROMs are available for that model. I say this because it is more of a matter of which actual devices root and ROMs are available for instead of a matter of what type of devices are easier to modify. Take HTC, for example, "this" model number of HTC device might have root and ROMs but "that" model number of HTC won't. Or "this" model number of Samsung might have root and ROMs but "that" model number of Samsung won't. You need to look at this on a device by device basis, not by "type" or "brand" of device.
Do you see that you are looking at this with a top down view when you should be looking from the bottom up or jumping in and looking around. It is like looking at an aerial photograph of a town/city, you can see things about it but that doesn't tell you anything about the place, you have to be on the ground in the midst of the town/city to be able to really tell anything about the place. You can look for the most descriptive aerial photo but it still doesn't tell you anything. Stop looking for a photo, go actually take a walk around the town, then you will know what the place has to offer or not.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk