Database Info

[Q] Shouldn't Bother Rooting?

I'v jailbroken itouches several times flawlessly so the concept of rooting is not new to me. I understand what has to be done and what it does for the device, positively anyway. I'v had the G2x for about 2 weeks now and i'm thinking about rooting it, but i don't want to do it without knowing all of the cons. I know i would be voiding my warranty, and that i might not get direct updates from my service provider anymore. I'v also read a lot about people rooting it without error, but for some reason after rooting the phone crashes. i took the risk of jailbreaking my itouch because i had it for 2 years already when i decided to jailbreak it, and because it's basically still just an mp3 player. This time it would be a phone which is more important to me. im also aware that gingerbread is coming out soon, so if someone could explain to me what the negatives are or at least point me in the right direction if this thread is already answered i would appreciate it.

With my phone, unrooting is easy if you know what you're doing, so I don't worry about the warranty part. The usual horror stories about rooted phones are usually due to user error. If you don't know what you're doing and don't fully read the instructions, you can end up doing some damage that is either difficult or impossible to fix. I think some people root their phones just for wireless tether, ad blocking, screenshots, or some "root only" app they see in the market. Then they decide they want to change their status bar icons or something and flash something that was not made for their phone or the stock rom... or whatever the situation may be.
My point is, if you know what you're doing you'll be fine. You should be able to go back to stock, unrooted - I'm not familiar with your phone, so I'm speaking in generalities. There are already Gingerbread roms out for many devices that haven't received official updates yet, even for phones that will never receive an official 2.3 update.
The only downside of rooting that I can think of is that you won't be able to put your phone down. Ultimately the choice is yours. If you don't want to put the time into learning, don't do it. It's a ton of fun though, I couldn't imagine not being rooted... there's so much more available for rooted phones.
My Evo + xda Premium App = This post.

[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_

Why Not Root?

Why wouldn't somebody want to root their phone? I just don't understand why. I mean maybe they're worried about warranties or wanting to return the phone, but that's all I can think of. Does anybody know why people are so scared to root? My friend just refused to let me root his phone because he thinks I'm "breaking" it.
Lay out the advantages of having a rooted device and an unrooted device. Try not to mention returning a phone or warranty issues, because that isn't totally relevant to my argument with my friend (he is NOT turning in his phone anytime soon ). Right so I'm just curious. I can't imagine having an Android phone and it NOT being rooted.

Pros:
POWER (so much power)
BLN/BLD/Voodoo/Touchwake/OC/UV
Custom Kernels
Custom ROMs
Proper terminal/busybox
Adblock
ClockSync (these android phones have appalling timekeeping)
General customisation (build.prop, icons)
And of course wifikill (this links back to POWER)
etc etc
Cons:
Warranty, though hardware should be under warranty anyway as long as it has nothing to do with software malfunction (power button, usb port, etc).
Damn windows drivers

Maybe if it requires a lot of work and they do not appreciate customization or control. Perfect iPhone user if you ask me.
My brother in law had a Droid X and you had to jump through 15 hoops to root it and flash custom ROMs. He has a Galaxy Nexus now and has no desire to unlock and root it. :screwy:
My coworker has a Xoom and a Bionic and has not rooted either. Then he was complaining how long it was taking for the OTA ICS to be rolled out.

Nick N said:
Maybe if it requires a lot of work and they do not appreciate customization or control. Perfect iPhone user if you ask me.
My brother in law had a Droid X and you had to jump through 15 hoops to root it and flash custom ROMs. He has a Galaxy Nexus now and has no desire to unlock and root it. :screwy:
My coworker has a Xoom and a Bionic and has not rooted either. Then he was complaining how long it was taking for the OTA ICS to be rolled out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.......
for Nexus series , unlock and root is absolutely required , because they are google's sons and pure blood of Android , with Nexuses you can do all kinda things
Nexuses are for people like us who is DEV or likes flash ROM over and over and over ...
okay , i 'm sorry that off the subject.
but , honestly , for crazy users like we are do need it , because lots thing we do daily needs root access
but for a normal user , that kinda people who doesn't know much things about flash ROM or something , it's kinda not need to be rooted...
root or not , it depends on your usage.
for the people who only use phone to talk to SMS to Gmail and to browser webpage, what roots for ???

qtwrk said:
.......
for Nexus series , unlock and root is absolutely required , because they are google's sons and pure blood of Android , with Nexuses you can do all kinda things
Nexuses are for people like us who is DEV or likes flash ROM over and over and over ...
okay , i 'm sorry that off the subject.
but , honestly , for crazy users like we are do need it , because lots thing we do daily needs root access
but for a normal user , that kinda people who doesn't know much things about flash ROM or something , it's kinda not need to be rooted...
root or not , it depends on your usage.
for the people who only use phone to talk to SMS to Gmail and to browser webpage, what roots for ???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you're arguing that unrooted is simplicity from what I gathered in that text lol ? I don't know. I'm still not convinced. I believe it is better to root. If you root you will finally be able to get that "one" thing your phone is missing. Ever single person in this world has had a moment where they say "I wish my phone could..." ... well it can if they root it
Nexus S - AOSP+ Neapolitan flavors 3.0, Glados kernel 2.8

For my friend, his reason not rooting is because he's really lazy. And the possibility of his phone bricking is too worry some for him to root especially when he doesn't really need to.
When I was deciding not to root or not was because of the warranty. I just realized I could lock it again and return it for warranty if anything

Well, how should I suppose to say this. The only reason I buy Android phone is because it could be rooted. And this is where all the fun is!!!

You'll only brick it if you're are "smart" enough not to read what the ROM or whatever you're using supports your phone. Warranty issues are not includes for just such reason lol. If somebody can give me 3 point how rooting is better I will praise you and my friend. So fair stock:0 rooted:a heavy amount
Nexus S - AOSP+ Neapolitan flavors 3.0, Glados kernel 2.8

I am always worried of the EFS folder
BTW : would that folder be at risk if the device is rooted ? and would rooted devices are at more risk that some app would screw an original one ?

Because most people only care about 3 things
1) Can it make calls
2) Can it send SMS/MMS
3) Can I browse the web
If a phone matches that criteria most are good to go
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk

I am not a dev, nor am I a programmer. The most I can do is follow instructions and edit simple things like font style and color in XMLs. I don't dare flashing bleeding edge stuff, so I always read reviews and go with something other people have tried first.
Still, I think that for an Android phone, rooting is much better than not rooting if you want to get the most out of your money. The performance and battery life can be improved, depending on the phone model, one can get a mild improvement (like with Nexus S) or dramatic change that makes you feel as if your phone gets a new life. Some people may not be inclined to backup often or spend time read up on XDA, but if they have a friend/relative who likes those stuff, it would be nice to have that friend/relative pick a stable setup and put those in (and set periodic auto backup for apps/messages). When others are whining "updates where? I have waited for MONTHS for GB/ICS", custom ROM users are already enjoying the new features.
Warranty still applies as long as you have the card. I've fixed the power button of my under-warranty LG Optimus One and they got it done with no questions asked. I know someone who had their Nexus S bricked due to wrong flashing and they still get to claim warranty.
If a person only uses their phone for calls, text and the occasional browsing, buying an Android phone is probably a waste of money.

Hey budday...
To answer the initial question as to why some one, but in this case I do not want to root is out of fear bricking my phone. Also I've found it fairly easy to customize without ..but in this case if you can lay out an easily read diagram or some sh!t then maybe people(me) will be more compelled to. Or for your sake make your argument a better one !
Especially with this ridiculously delayed OTA for my nexus ..and with no indication as to why! ? That's what I really wanna know!
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

Maybe they want to leave it stock to not deal with the headache. Most ppl root just to tether for free and thats it.
Sent from my MIUI.us Sensation 4G using XDA App

..

My work place is gey. In order to access the Corporate Exchange server using the Good for Enterprise app, my phone has to be unrooted. The Good app sees that I have superuser binary on my phone and won't allow access. I can't use my phone without it rooted, I'll go nuts. So I ditched Good, and my phone stays rooted. Why are Corporations afraid of rooted phones?
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium

..

Election Day said:
Try calling someone's customer support and explain any problem you are having in full detail. They will still treat you like a complete idiot that does not have a clue what he/she is talking about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, i know what you're saying. but they don't do that to insult you or imply you don't know anything. They don't know who you are or how much you know. It is simply the best way to approach a problem. If a user said they did something, how do you really know? (e.g. user says they rebooted the computer. but what they did was log out and log back in)
Anyways, there are different reasons why someone might not wanna root. If they don't wanna hear it then stop pushing. who doesn't hate that religious guy insisting you go to his church? when you keep pushing people to root you are that guy.

..

fergie716 said:
Because most people only care about 3 things
1) Can it make calls
2) Can it send SMS/MMS
3) Can I browse the web
If a phone matches that criteria most are good to go
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any finished (decent) ROM does that better and it does ALOT MORE
Nexus S - AOSP+ Neapolitan flavors 3.0, Glados kernel 2.8

As a new Nexus S user who is yet to root, it is something I am planning on doing, but the shear number of ROMs and kernel's is very daunting, and it seems I'm going to have to set aside a fair few hours when I finally decide to do it. I'm sure once it's done I'll be hooked, it's just the initial jump that's delaying it for me.
Due to the huge number of people involved in Nexus S development (and this is not a bad thing by any means!) I am finding it difficult to find a suitable starting point.

To Root, or not to Root?

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