Database Users

[Q] Stock vs Custom Rom, Hacks and Mods etc.

Amidst all these activities of custom roms, hacks, mods, roots etc I wonder how pervasive are these activities in the mobile phone community in the U. S. of A versus those who just use their devices without modification to how they came from the factory or carrier. What do you think those "stock" users might be missing?

They are missing the visual treats and tweaked performance..
But ICS and sammys TW has its own merits...so they wont feel left out..

I root because I need apps that require root (ie. button savior, reboot to recovery, jkay deluxe, root explorer so I can change boot animation, mobile odin, nandroid backups).
Flashing is actually pretty dangerous but:
I flash because I live on CassiesXtraLite. I need a slim rom.
I'm on CM9 release candidate now.
The only reason I would go back to stock is for the FM Radio app or to sell my phone. And since I won't be going to any drive-in theatres or getting rid of my phone anytime soon....
in my own personal opinion, i think you're missing a lot by not getting cassiesxtralite.

People buy the device for what's been advertised, so they do not lose anything at all.
People root and customize because they want something which is not offered officially.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda app-developers app

for tweaked performance
There is lot of bloatware that i don't want on my phone which i can uninstall by rooting and custom roms are always perform well compared to stock..

Thinking of Rooting or adding ROM

Hi guys, I'm totally new, as in I know not a thing about rooting or changing the ROM or anything, and after 1.5 years of owning this on stock android, it's time to take the plunge and see what ROMs are efficient and fast.
From what I heard, the ROM is like the OS. Do I need to Root in order to change the ROM? If yes, how long does it take? If not, how long does it take?
That's it for now, I am interested in the newest and fastest ROMs, I think CM 10 was one of them which I was looking at.

Yes you need to be rooted... you can search in Google on how to root the nexus as though I highly recommend going to 'nexus s hacks' website for a good tutorial :thumbup: and yes I do suggest cm10 with Marmite kernel
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium

Thank you! Is it a quick process? Or will it take hours? And, are there any cons to switching to a new ROM?

OnlySkills said:
Thank you! Is it a quick process? Or will it take hours? And, are there any cons to switching to a new ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The pros are that u can customize ur phone any way u want and u get rid if the unwanted junk apps that ur cell provided makes u have when u get a phone... its called bloatware! Custom ROMs speed up ur phone and once u get used to it, then u can add a better kernel and other tweaks that will keep u and ur friends in awe.
Its a quick process.... less than 30 minutes
But
read, read and read some more.
Ur only as good as the info u read and understand cuz if u flash(install) an improper ROM then ur phone is dead!
So Google some searches for ur phone only and read of possible errors & tips so u know where to look in case u screw up.... cuz we all do screw up.
Roms: look at the development section and see what ROM interest U. I wouldn't flash a different kernel until U actually know what one is. And dont be to concerned with themes until u pick a stable ROM cuz some ROMs already come themed.
Good luck and do not take some of the smartalics or jerks on these threads to serious.... they mean well but are just tired of the same new Rooter's ignorant questions they just forgot that they were once new to all this.
And if someone does help u then hit the "thanks" button below the reply since some of these guys need them or it just makes them feel better about using their time to actually reply to ur needs. I myself can care less for them but I've read enough that some developers need them for status and money backing to their ROM's development hard work and time.
Vs Nexus S4G using tapatalk2

You can also use a one-click-root tool. This will root your phone with your just one click. Its as easy as that. I highly recommend you to Google that as well. I used this as well as the method described on http://www.nexusshacks.com.
WARNING 1: UNLOCKING YOUR BOOTLOADER WILL ERASE ALL DATA ON YOUR MEMORY. MAKE A BACKUP OF YOU MOST IMPORTANT STUFF!!! You will have to unlock your bootloader only once. afterwards, you can flash as many ROMs as you wish to, without losing any of your data on the storage.
WARNING 2: Be prepared to get heavily addicted to XDA
WELCOME TO THE COMMUNITY!!!

Thank you!!
I am extremely busy with school.. hopefully I find the time (a couple of hours) to root my phone and get a new ROM running..
And hopefully I don't get ADDICTED!! Haha!! But I have a feeling I will..
So, once I unlock the bootloader, and flash a new ROM, everything else is erased right, and I start from scratch? My contacts are the only thing saved on my SIM card/Google account?
And secondly..what ROM do you guys recommend, the one I am looking towards is CM 10, it is the latest and that's the one I've heard the most when it comes to ROMs..

OnlySkills said:
Thank you!!
I am extremely busy with school.. hopefully I find the time (a couple of hours) to root my phone and get a new ROM running..
And hopefully I don't get ADDICTED!! Haha!! But I have a feeling I will..
So, once I unlock the bootloader, and flash a new ROM, everything else is erased right, and I start from scratch? My contacts are the only thing saved on my SIM card/Google account?
And secondly..what ROM do you guys recommend, the one I am looking towards is CM 10, it is the latest and that's the one I've heard the most when it comes to ROMs..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are many ROMs out there that are awesome ! It just depends on you taste though and yes when you unlock your boot loader everything in your phone is erased but you can backup your contacts to Google account and I'm running on slimbean because I love the dual pane mode
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium

OnlySkills said:
Thank you!!
I am extremely busy with school.. hopefully I find the time (a couple of hours) to root my phone and get a new ROM running..
And hopefully I don't get ADDICTED!! Haha!! But I have a feeling I will..
So, once I unlock the bootloader, and flash a new ROM, everything else is erased right, and I start from scratch? My contacts are the only thing saved on my SIM card/Google account?
And secondly..what ROM do you guys recommend, the one I am looking towards is CM 10, it is the latest and that's the one I've heard the most when it comes to ROMs..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah its all erased. I use Google voice for backing up all my texts, voicemail call log etc... its also a great way to never miss a text or call... just go online or open up the app.
Backup ur files to ur computer and then root. Then put back ur media files... music, movies & pics.
Always sync Google acct b4 flashing and
I recommend the newest slimbean 3.0 also since it has everything including a great kernel.
Happy flashing
Vs Nexus S4G using tapatalk2

I recommend using MMetal Dragon Overlord 4.1.2 because it is extremely smooth! although its not even close to cm10 on tweaking and modding base. A cm10 stable has just been released, so check that out as well!
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2

WOW...1.5 years using nexus with stock rom?
what an ......... (don't know what's the best word to say, LOL)
marvellous....
to have your phone rooted is just take less than 1 hour (if and only if you've already had all files needed and no errors occured )
My Nexus S is just stand for 3 days using it's Stock ROM, LOL
don't worry...being a crack flasher is not a crime.. LOL
welcome to the rooted Nexus company then....
don't forget to backup all your datas before doing all rooting processes

for some reason CM10 Nightly 11-23 version + matr1x v24.0 (OC'd @ 1320mhz) is the FASTEST combination for my i9023 so far.
Temple Run Brave doesn't lag at all.

After 6 years with iPhone Operating System my 3GS left me and took the kids so here I'm enjoying this brave new world.
6 hours stuck with stock
At first I got cm10 thinking that was already 4.2 because I used gapps 4.2
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

I've had my NS for a year or so now...and I thought very long before finally taking the plunge to root & flash Althought I have only flashed 2 different custom ROMs so far, I am constantly looking for furthermore to enhance my phone. Initially I only wanted to root to get to overclock my phone and for BLN access, since my only grudge with the NS was that it didn't have the notification LED. But now I'm totally absorbed by the various extra settings and customisations that these custom ROMs bring with them
I haven't used a 1-Click tool for rooting so the initial process to unlock the bootloader & root took me quite some time...but after that flashing the ROMs and kernels is only a matter of minutes. I definitely recommend it!

gunner49 said:
But now I'm totally absorbed by the various extra settings and customisations that these custom ROMs bring with them
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree with you on this. My only regret is that i should have made this jump much earlier .
I was also unhappy about no notification lights on the Nexus S. I just tried the CM 10 ROM and was surprised that the touch keys light up for notifications.

ROM better Stock
I prefer use custom rom (4.2 for nexus S) because reactivity and performances are better.
Why use 1GHz phone when you can have 1,4GHz....?

Custom rom = Customisation
With custom rom you can custom all in your device
And you can have the latest version of android
Send form Nexus S on android 4.2

slab62 said:
With custom rom you can custom all in your device
And you can have the latest version of android
Send form Nexus S on android 4.2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Amen to that. I'm still discovering and tweaking 4.1.2 though!

[Q] Would rooting/installing custom rom improve Nexus7?

I recently rooted and installed a custom rom on my phone and noticed huge improvements. Noticed my nexus was lagging on things that I would think shouldn't be that taxing on the device. Thought the OTA update to 4.2 would help but it didn't. Would rooting it get rid of that lag or is it just a nexus thing?

sourshin said:
I recently rooted and installed a custom rom on my phone and noticed huge improvements. Noticed my nexus was lagging on things that I would think shouldn't be that taxing on the device. Thought the OTA update to 4.2 would help but it didn't. Would rooting it get rid of that lag or is it just a nexus thing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally because of the big change over from 4.1 to 4.2 i decided to go back to stock for awhile and wait for the bugs to be sorted.
Re-unlocked and rooted, flashed faux kernel and is the best experience i have had to date. Meaning the least lag. Stock and custom kernel. Just unlock - root and then flash kernel. :good:
Not a detailed description but if you need further advice just say so......Just means unlocking installing CWM and SU...Then flash kernel of choice. recommend faux..

I've tried out a rooted nexus 7 and to be honest didn't see a huge improvement so I've decided to wait until Key Lime Pie comes out and see if they sort out the bugs otherwise I will root.

Kind of discouraging

root doesnt automagically improve the devices performance, its what YOU do with root access. oh, and what lag? not the tiniest bit of lag on my device. custom rom/kernel, and some optimizations. couldnt be happier. btw, mostly whatl root does is let you use root apps. you dont need root to flash custom roms/kernels. but you do need an unlocked bootloader. with root, you can control that rom/kernel, get to the devices main file system, change whatever you want, and otherwise be in complete control of your device.

I get my nexus 7 today, after a hour I rooted it, just for ad block plus and the ability to customize the navbar. Love root.

Blixz said:
I've tried out a rooted nexus 7 and to be honest didn't see a huge improvement so I've decided to wait until Key Lime Pie comes out and see if they sort out the bugs otherwise I will root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There will most likely be more updates to 4.2 before Android 5.0 comes out.

I personally think it does make it better. It all really matters how you use your tablet and what you put in it like the Kernel you install. Roms it really doesn't matter really what you get but I have always been a big fan for CM since first getting the G1, nexus one, the HTC G2/Desire z and it has always been the fastest rom for me.
Sent on my rocken Nexus 7

simms22 said:
root doesnt automagically improve the devices performance, its what YOU do with root access. oh, and what lag? not the tiniest bit of lag on my device. custom rom/kernel, and some optimizations. couldnt be happier. btw, mostly whatl root does is let you use root apps. you dont need root to flash custom roms/kernels. but you do need an unlocked bootloader. with root, you can control that rom/kernel, get to the devices main file system, change whatever you want, and otherwise be in complete control of your device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had thought you needed SU access in order to flash a custom rom. Or is that just to use CWM which needs SU? Anyways if you unlock you must as well root it.....yes....!

Yeah as a few people have already said root alone will do mouthing for performance faux kernel, as far as I'm concerned, is a great addition to this great tablet.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

I actually get a lot of performance lag. Might be from alot of email sync but still it shouldn't have a half second delay after lock screen and moving between screens etc.
And I thought I would need to root to get my bootloader unlocked? I'm sure it's easier for the nexus than my HTC One X. Which was kind of a pain.

Yes using different roms and or kernels will make a massive difference to performance and or battery life but thats determined by which kernels and roms you use some are built for speed others for battery. If you had searched the forum you would have found this :silly:

Root will break some apps.
Just wanted to mention that unlocking your bootloader and rooting will break a few apps for the Nexus 7. I was all gung-ho to root my Nexus the first week I had it. Then I discovered I could no longer stream cable tv to it with Time Warner Cables app. Google Wallet also wouldn't let me link any cards to it's app while rooted or with an unlocked bootloader. A quick skim of the forum shows that rooting breaks streaming functionality on other subscription video apps as well. Depending on how you use your tablet, this might not matter to you. I ended up going back to stock for now, just because I wanted to use these apps. There is probably workaround, but I just didn't want the extra work....around. I think the Nexus 7 ultimate toolkit might let you gain temp root, I don't remember for sure tho.

Rooting will not effect performance at all. Your just gaining access to the root directory. It's what you do after that effects performance. Also just rooting does not effect the wallet app at all, this is wrong information. Wallet does a root check for security purposes and will show "unsupported device" within the app after rooting. Ignore that, it is just a root notification. Cards add correctly and it functions correctly. I can't speak on the other apps mentioned, but ill take a stab in the dark and start at user error
Custom roms will definitely increase performance. Stock 4.2.1 is a bit laggy, I recommend flashing liquidsmooth and see the difference!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

I stream movies using Flixster with my rooted N7. It's simple if you are rooted with Supersu. I go to settings in the Supersu app and uncheck Enable Superuser. After I finish streaming, I go back and enable it again.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app

Debating on rooting my S4

Hi everyone! I just upgraded to the AT&T version of the Samsung Galaxy S4. Before I had the original Galaxy Note. I've rooted and loaded custom ROM's on all my previous Android devices (Captivate, Inspire 4G, Galaxy S II, and Galaxy Note), but I'm debating on rooting this device. It's running great on the stock ROM.
Has anyone else debated this? If so, did you go ahead and root and loaded a ROM then regret it or were you glad you did it?

You can run it absolutely stock and still be rooted. Rooting gives you the advantage of certain apps that require it, as I'm sure you know, such as Titanium Backup, Root explorer and others. Plus ability to get rid of AT&T apps you never do or never will use. fwiw

Root it! You want regret it. The possibilities are endless. And if you do prefer a stock like rom, well believe me there are GREAT custom stock like roms that these great devs have put together that run flawlessly with added benefits. Hope this helps. Happy Rooting
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

even if you plan to keep the stock ROM, its worth it to root so you can uninstall the AT&T bloatware and remove the AT&T splash screen on start-up.

lazard said:
even if you plan to keep the stock ROM, its worth it to root so you can uninstall the AT&T bloatware and remove the AT&T splash screen on start-up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am on stock with root. I rooted it using Adam's casual only to have TiBu work. I froze all ATT bloats and some google and samsung apps. The stock is very fine for me.
Now I am debating to flash Paranoid rom to try their multiwindow and halo features...

Thanks for all the input everyone, I appreciate it. Knowing me I'll end up rooting it and loading a ROM since I can't leave stuff alone. HA!
Does anyone know if there's a ROM out there that someone has gotten Bluetooth Tethering to work? That's one thing I miss from ICS on my Galaxy Note.

Hey gk
In same boat, been flashing roms hundreds of times for over 3 years from early Nexus One days. Most of the reasons were to get newer OS's without waiting. However, one of the reasons I got the S4 was it already has the latest as in 4.2.2.
One thing I have learned as most of us have is there always seems to be something not 100% on each rom for some folks. Goes with the territory as we know. Although, I have been lucky in that area. Maybe due to lots of reading and proper pre-install wipes. Hats off to all the devs though for their long and tiresome hours giving us these great roms.
My concern, since this is early on with the S4 and no unlocked bootloader, are our chances higher to have issues.
My phone with all it's "gimmicks" is running fast and perfect--NO issues. I also would like TiBu and eventually a custom recovery for nandroids even if I don't flash a custom rom. Used both CWM and TWRP in the past. Also, Amon_Ra. All worked great for me.
But, like you and others will probably root and flash a custom recovery anyway.
Damn Samsung for making this so tough of a decision--

I was in same position lol I've been flashing andneven Ade a few Roms but ya know its cool and all but its a hassel sometimes enough for me to be stock! There's no reason IMO to flash anything this phone is packed to the gills with features already and its on a very new os so I feel like I wanna root and flash away but have found no reason to YET key word there and of course its purely my own standpoint
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Root it! You can get new features before they come to your carrier. ... I debated it and told myself I would stay rooted but run stock rom.... now they figured out ways to bypass the bootloader and flash roms and im back to crack flashing lol. ..

Yup. I thought I wouldn't root this thing. That lasted a week. Then I told myself it's fine the way it is, I don't need to flash a rom. That lasted 3 weeks. I'm not a flashaholic though. I usually pick one and stick with it for a while.
You think it runs fine until you've rommed it and added a kernel. Then you realize you had no idea how fine it could be.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

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I wouldn't ever even own a phone that I couldn't root. It just gives you freedom over your phone. Again you don't NEED to run a custom rom to be rooted, but check out some of the TW custom Tom's that just take the phone to another level but still being stock
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

Custom toms are bad ass lol I had to say it
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

The Mint Jelly Rom battery life is insane ..it's worth rooting for that alone. Definitely root
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app

I'm more than likely going to root and load a ROM soon. I'm between two different ROMs.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2280556
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2305752
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium

I was a flashaholic on the captivate, and S II. I loved trying new ROMs like Miui and AOKP. But, since I got the Note II and now the S 4 I don't have that desire. My only reason for rooting usually was TiBu, and only from flashing so often. Without flashing a new ROM each week I had little need for restoring apps. After three weeks I finally rooted and started trying ROMs on this phone. It was about the same for my Note. I really like TouchWiz, and miss some of those features on AOSP based ROMs. I don't see the performance need for custom ROMs on either of these phones like I did on the older phones. I guess it just came out of boredom, in the end.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337

Well, I finally gave in and rooted--knew I would
Used Adam's Casual--very easy--much more so than my HTC phones
TiBu and Nandriods already in use
Next step roms--

Still haven't rooted yet. I probably will over the weekend. Why can't I leave stuff alone? HA!

To root or to not root?

Hi everyone,
I've been using my OP5 for the past year and now I've exhausted my full 64Gb of storage. Was planning to backup my data onto my laptop and start afresh but I thought it is time to root. I've rooted pretty much every phone I've had in the past for some or the other reason like increasing battery life, overclocking, debloated roms for more storage etc. etc.
I have been technologically dead for the past 2 years so I'm kind of lost right now and in confusion on as to whether to root or not? What would be the main advantages I'd be getting if I root. My phone is still blazing fast, has amazing battery life and OOS is really smooth.
Just in a lot of confusion and want to find more reasons to root.

If you have to ask, you don't need it.

If you root your phone you'll be able to actually use your phone. The only disadvantage to rooting your phone that I see would be that whenever I see a new rom, I want to flash it. I've never understood why somebody would not want to root their phone. Maybe warranty? But then again, I think there are ways around that?

Rickyloc said:
The only disadvantage to rooting your phone that I see would be that whenever I see a new rom, I want to flash it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This! +1

Dirk said:
If you have to ask, you don't need it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should have seen a reply like this coming my way. Buddy, I've rooted every other phone I've had in the past. Either for updates, better battery life, smoother ram management and so on.. The only thing I couldn't understand is this phone isn't lacking in any of the above mentioned points including updates **touch wood** so wanted to understand others thought process on the advantages cause I am unaware of all the cool mods you can do at the moment, if there are any.

Rickyloc said:
If you root your phone you'll be able to actually use your phone. The only disadvantage to rooting your phone that I see would be that whenever I see a new rom, I want to flash it. I've never understood why somebody would not want to root their phone. Maybe warranty? But then again, I think there are ways around that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, this was helpful.. I don't see why i shouldn't root it too. I'll probably be rooting too. Which Rom would you suggest for stability and everyday usage with some good extra additional functionality?

Kunal5894 said:
Thank you, this was helpful.. I don't see why i shouldn't root it too. I'll probably be rooting too. Which Rom would you suggest for stability and everyday usage with some good extra additional functionality?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My favorite rom is Codename Phoenix. It's fast and it's not on XDA, which is probably why I like it. It's got a lot of features. If there is a feature a rom doesn't have you can always get Xposed or something to enable.
But the main reason for rooting my phone is so that I can use gcam properly. I love Photoshop and gcam offers the best photos. In my opinion, far better than stock or any other.

There's an option just to flash a custom ROM and leave it unrooted ?
I can recommend Resurrection Remix unofficial. Simply followed the steps with unlocking the bootloader and gaining root on stock ROM, then flashed a custom ROM without rooting it.
If you thought battery life was great with stock OOS you're going to be pretty surprised with battery at Resurrection Remix and Flash Kernel ?

Kunal5894 said:
Thank you, this was helpful.. I don't see why i shouldn't root it too. I'll probably be rooting too. Which Rom would you suggest for stability and everyday usage with some good extra additional functionality?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best combination of stability and improved battery life is between the stock stable OxygenOS paired with the latest Franco kernel. I have tried pretty much all of the custom ROMs but every time the battery life of my phone was getting worse (compared to fully stock) until I tried stock OOS with Franco Kernel. But I have to say that I only have rooted my phone to use the Franco Kernel Manager and I do not have any add-ons into Magisk. Root + Franco and everything else is stock. I am not flashing new roms/kernels like crazy and really often, because the stable OOS is getting released once in two or even three months. Franco's kernel is being updated, hm, let's say once in a month or two months. So 99% of the time you are going to use your phone without flashing anything new.