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I come to the Droid X planet from the planet WinMo..... On my previous planet I frollicked in the flash-cooked-rom playground til I was dizzy & had a too-much-cheese-cake belly ache....so I waited 45 minutes & frollicked some more.
I've read all about rooting here, I get it. I thought, before arriving, that I'd be rooting the very night I got the DX, but that night came & went ... and so did about a week now.
I'm loving this phone in stock mode. Its so much better & faster & slicker than my Omnia that I can't honestly find a reason to root.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the primary benefits to rooting are:
More thematic control
The ability to tether
marginally better battery life
the ability to overclock
So I'm all the way through a day at work w/ some calls, 10 to 20 texts, a couple of browser sessions, and 2 hours of mp3 play which lands me home w/ 40-50% battery left.
I just don't need to tether (although it'd be cool....and I'd prolly do it)
The ability to put a picture of my honeymoon in Kauai is all the Thematic control I need.
I'm already surfing while I listen to the PowerAmp MP3 player...how much faster does it need to be that I wanna overclock it? (I mean, I get how cool it is to actually do it & enjoy the observed performance bump, but......then I'm used to it being that fast)
Why do I wanna do this? I'm not trying to debate you, I believe you all like it better...so it IS better..but why might I like it better?
Talk to me like if you get ONE MORE root convert you'll get the toaster.
< used car salesman schtick >So....what's it gonna take for YOU to put ME in a rooted X today? < /used car salesman schtick >
It's all about what you like. If you are satisfied with stock so be it. I too was satisfied with stock, but the more I hung around these forums and read. The more curious I became. Rooting and unrooting is ridiculously easy. One click. I don't use tethering so I won't be able to convince you. However on battery life it is no contest. I used to be at 40 percent at noon with heavy usage. Once I rooted and changed roms (apex 1.4.1) I saw an enormous improvement. Now I am at 50 percent by 6 at night. I make a lot of calls during the day (25+) and I am checking email and what have you. It all comes down to how happy you are with what you have. I could be happy with stock again (I actually don't mind blur). Good luck with your decision, but I must warn you. Staying around these forums will not help you stay with stock for very long.
Edit: I wouldn't make a very good car salesman.
Blur-less ROM. 'nuff said.
See, now I'd read more "marginal" battery life improvement....your experience is a significant improvement.
And yes, hanging around here is how I got to be a flash-addicted on my previous planet....all to the good I might add, although MAN I could blow some hours on that.
I'll have to do some more reading on Blur and Blur-less.
i too came from the omnia. loved that phone. ive had my DX for a few weeks now, and aside from changing how it looks drastically i havent had the need to root or ROM the phone at all so far. although, the wifi tethering is the one reason i will end up rooting later this weekend, i use that a TON throughout my workday. i have been kind of avoiding it, but its something that has been a hassle since i changed phones. im more interested in hearing more about this "oneclick" root someone in here mentioned, ive read the sticky and probably everything else in this forum about rooting the DX and havent come across a one click method so far. so, apparently ive missed the best part?
Hanover....I found this:
http://www.droid-life.com/2010/07/27/root-and-unroot-your-droid-x-with-1-click/
...but it looks like a bunch of X-ers standing around the edge of the pool daring each other to jump in & report back. I like the "Noobs Guide" here better.
Another Rooting benefit I forgot to mention was how COOL backing up the state of the phone would be. I'm guessing that's App and Settings.....from WinMo flashes I loved the Dir you could put on the SD full of the apps & settings so that if the ROM you were flashing included this particular feature, those things would be loaded & setup from the get-go....forget what it was called; flippin fabulous. This backup capability that apparently comes along w/ Rooting (which isn't available from stock? ) sounds even better.
Anybody wanna tell me what they hate about Blur?
This discussion has a few links to Blur definition and commentary.....I guess I "like" the Blur stuff, although apparently it's been diluted to a palatable level in the X's 2.2.1 Android release.
I think its creepy keepin my schtuff in teh "cloud"....until I want it reloaded to my phone & poof! Its done...then its more cool than creepy
So far I've gotten
WAY better battery management (not just a little better)
Gotta Tether
And to that list I'd add the backup ability about which I'll have to read more.
So come on Rooters.....I'm still wanting to hear the GREATEST thing for you in your new ROM that Stock never provided.....
I had the tilt before coming to the X and I loved that phone. The "one click" method I was talking about is called z4root. You don't technically click it. It is an .apk that you run. Then click either temporary or permanent root. If you click permanent root, the next time you run it unroot will appear. If you get DroidX bootstrap you can make a nandroid backup of your current phone. Everything will be saved except the data from your apps. You would have.to use titanium backup for that. Then you could experiment with roms and if you don't like them go back to your backup. Which would put you back at stock. You can also make more than one backup. Keep reading and before you know it you will break down.
Just to let you know a little more between the blur and blur"less" roms. Since blur is part of motorola when a dev takes the blur out of the rom some of the functionality of the phone is lost. I.e. no hdmi, camera is less than stellar and etc...now you can just get the blur .apk for the camera. But you still lose hdmi out.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
Thanks....I really like the camera....seems better than my Omnia's ....maybe I'm just on a honeymoon w/ the X
I'll have a few more laps in the pool here & then I'll giver a go. I mean, if I can fairly easily bop back to stock, then what's the cost? (well...besides the unlikely bricking).
So I guess I'll need to figure out which things are "Blur" and which things are "Android"....for instance:
can anybody tell me if thiese things remain in blurless ROMS?
The little red target that moves the cursor in text boxes? (love that)
the voice mic to talk in text in most text boxes?
syncing to/from my Gmail for contacts & calendar?
can I have "some" of the Motorola widgets of my choice? (or are they just bone cuz they "are" blur?)
Again, I can figure these things out first hand or read up, just checkin if one of you wanna chime in some more.
Great info. THanks for playin.
my reasons are quite simple for rooting my dx.addless apps/over clocking/"disabling"some factory installed apps/wifi tethering(not being stuck paying verison 20 bucks a month to do it).
Another reason to root and ROM is "New Phone Syndrome". I was excited like a kid in a candy store when I got my X. You couldn't pull my fingers from it. After 3 months I started to get bored. Don't get me wrong I still loved it but I needed new meat and waiting another 21 months for an upgrade didn't cut it. So if all those reasons to root and load a ROM like tethering, battery life, overclock, etc isn't good enough for you, then consider this...its like having a new phone when you load a ROM. Just my 2 cents.
DX CFU LIB 1.5
It almost sounds like you want to be convinced on something you kind of want to do because your bored,
About ROMs. Think of it like this...take two LCD TVs, one is 1080p one is 720P...if they are in separate rooms, you will never be able to tell the difference. Side by side, yes, you can see the difference, marginally. To me, all flashing a ROM does is change the transitional speed between screens, apps, etc., and remove the bloat ahead of time so you don't have to manually do it. That's my opinion. (disclaimer for the trolls ) And to be honest, that is where mainly all the praise comes from having a so called " fast ROM ", over stock. Motorola's stock transition times are slow (blur) and developers customize these settings to probably be 0. Other then that, I have had two brand new Droid X's side by side and there is no difference. Heck I have had four of them side by side and can't tell a difference in anything really besides transitioning in tasking.
How much time are people really spending transitioning between the app drawer and the home screen is beyond me lol but running any rom while in an app is never going to make a difference on a phone call, text, taking a picture etc.
If I could change these transition times myself (much like on a PC), I would love to run the stock ROM as it's 100% stable and smooth and I don't have to sacrifice a thing. If you want a different look once in a while like a black top bar or new icons, flash a theme for stock rom or an icon pack or, make your own like I do.
As far as rooting, yes, rooting for me is a must.
I root so I can have an exact backup to the state my phone was in before I start to dink around with it. I like to change my battery icons, make all my own icons and such so it helps when I flash or edit the wrong file. I like to be able to backup all my apps with a one click install after I go back to stock if need be. I like to be able to tether and to know I have that ability because times have arose when I needed to. And last but not least, have the ability to download and install non-market apps and content. There are websites out there that have plenty of apps and content not available the market that I use. Probably my biggest reason I root. Some apps require root so that will be your preference if you use those specific apps.
If you enjoy overclocking, that's another reason to root. The DX is not a PC though, I don't need to overclock to make a call and I am not playing Crysis on max resolution lol. If you are OCD about watching your benchmark scores go up and down, then overclock away!
Other then that, I have always praised that a stock, rooted Droid X with all it's bloatware removed is perfect in every way. The hardware on this awesome device is really all that you may want in a smart phone. It handles everything I throw at it and it's reliable for me. Overclocked or not, I can't tell the difference between 1Ghz and 1.3Ghz and that's on my phone alone.
Everything always comes down to preference. If you don't have a specific reason to root then don't. Unless you’re bored that is, lol.
turbo614 said:
my reasons are quite simple for rooting my dx.addless apps/over clocking/"disabling"some factory installed apps/wifi tethering(not being stuck paying verison 20 bucks a month to do it).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too. Tried all the roms, all had some shortcommings. I am now back to stock, rooted, bloat removed, themed and loving it. Best batt life I have had.
Stock , rooted, bloat removed, theme-able, sounds like a dream come true.
I appreciate the insight.
HanoverPhist said:
i too came from the omnia. loved that phone. ive had my DX for a few weeks now, and aside from changing how it looks drastically i havent had the need to root or ROM the phone at all so far. although, the wifi tethering is the one reason i will end up rooting later this weekend, i use that a TON throughout my workday. i have been kind of avoiding it, but its something that has been a hassle since i changed phones. im more interested in hearing more about this "oneclick" root someone in here mentioned, ive read the sticky and probably everything else in this forum about rooting the DX and havent come across a one click method so far. so, apparently ive missed the best part?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Z4 root! One click! just get the link to download the app if it's not in the market.
I've been playing with this tablet for about a day now and I must say, I don't think I've ever had the feeling that I didn't need to Root for any reason, but this tablet just works so well out of the box that I'm not missing anything in terms of performance or applications.
I was just wondering if anyone decided to forgo the flashing/rooting/roming process because the tablet just works.
Amen brother. So good out of the box... Just tasted Google Play Music as well... Wow! Almost don't even need Nova Launcher with stock JB 4.3 haha I might not bother rooting this time round unless something really uber comes along
Well I do think it is very nice out the box. Smooth and snappy. So, yes stock is good enough for me right now. I have root and recovery, so if some custom rom comes along and it looks interesting, I may try it out. However, until that image is released, everybody is going to be pretty close to stock. The only thing I don't like is the toggles/tiles don't work like they should. I tap the wifi tile and it opens the settings for wifi, not turn it on. Not a big deal tho...
Nope. I need the custom re-boot menu and quiet hours and I can no longer live without Pie.
THe stock worked perfectly tho. I had no issues at all.
Gotta have root for the six axis app so I can game it up with my ps3 c controller
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4
Grievance said:
Amen brother. So good out of the box... Just tasted Google Play Music as well... Wow! Almost don't even need Nova Launcher with stock JB 4.3 haha I might not bother rooting this time round unless something really uber comes along
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ended up installing Action Launcher just to have those shutters and widgets
DaemonAshra said:
I ended up installing Action Launcher just to have those shutters and widgets
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Action Launcher doesn't count in this discussion, personally. It's basically good enough to kick the tar out of launchers on just about any framework you'll ever find (although it does look a tad out of place on my otherwise Sense-running HTC One).
Mostly yes, but I still root because I enjoy using Greenify and there are some other behaviors that require more permissions than stock Android will give us. The inclusion of the app permission manager though is quite wonderful.
mssam said:
The only thing I don't like is the toggles/tiles don't work like they should. I tap the wifi tile and it opens the settings for wifi, not turn it on. Not a big deal tho...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Long hold. They reversed the behavior from 4.2. Short tap = settings, Long tap = toggle on/off. Quite honestly, I prefer it in the 4.3 way better. I really don't turn off WiFi or Bluetooth, and having to go settings -> wireless -> bluetooth to get to the bluetooth settings was a bit much.
I root for the couple of apps that need it, but I run stock otherwise. Did on my original N7 as well.
No stuck sucks..... waste...
aka420 said:
No stuck sucks..... waste...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for that brilliantly enlightening post.
I am happy with my stock setup right now. I am unlocked and rooted though. I also tried a couple of kernels but I am back to stock kernel. Same with ROMs. I will continue trying new ROMs but will keep using stock for now. My ultimate ROM will be a stable/clean ROM with Tablet UI.
aka420 said:
No stuck sucks..... waste...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. You are a shining example of conversational excellence.
Stock rom will be good enough until all if not all issues are resolved with the CM. Till then, ijust have my N7 rooted for titanium back up and other misc apps that require root.
Stock is good enough for my needs, but I installed CM anyway just to get that little extra
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Running stock + Root + Extra Power Menu
At least right now that is good enough since its so quick. I'd like to try out other roms or have a good kernel but going to wait til more testing is done with what is out there and get some of the bugs worked out as I've tried them but get mixed results for performance and stability. Right now stability is key and performance is very good as is stock, but more is always better, in due time
I find I miss the little things CM had. For example when downloading. In stock the arrow stays there constantly lit, it doesn't do the animation.
Thing is, it might look and feel smooth, but it can always get better. Rooting and custom ROMS just simply allow the further enhancements, customization, smoothness, and potential to save battery life. I really don't see any reason not to Root/use custom ROMS for any case as long as your comfortable with the process. Maybe if the device was used for business i could understand that maybe, but for personal usage why not take advantage of whats out there instead of settling for less? It's not like it voids your warranty anyways when you can always restore it to stock before turning it in.
To be honest I cant see how anyone can live without some of the great things that require root
Linaro/03 optimized kernels
Overclocking
PER APP DPI
Trickstermod
Rom Toolbox
Lux autobrightnes (If you read books on this puppy it's a must)
Fully featured equalizer - seriously this needs to be universal on all devices
SD Maid
Titanium backup
Custom toggles, and AOKP ribbon controls
Custom boot animations
...Stickmount (don't you need root for this?)
And thats just off the top of my head stuff that I personally use all the time. So I guess most of that stuff could be run on a "stock" setup, but where is the fun in that. What is the point in investing in suck an awesome dev device, and not loading up on the fantastic tools that have been made possible through the hard work of XDA's members?
McKay91 said:
I find I miss the little things CM had. For example when downloading. In stock the arrow stays there constantly lit, it doesn't do the animation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try a different browser, dolphin is awesome, and shows you tons of details when you download files. The notification icon itself is very unobtrusive.
Except that recent versions of dolphin have made it horribad. I found it so slow as to be unusable and have moved to chrome. Dolphin also force quits on my phone all the time for no apparent reason. Used to love it.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda
HI all, long time android user here (had the OG droid, then the Thunderbolt) just got a new GN3. After dealing with the thunderbolt for so many years, I was happy to be getting something in the Galaxy series so I could go back to AOSP... only to find out the GN3 will probably never get an unlocked bootloader, and thus, never have AOSP. Le sigh. Ah well, at least I find touch wiz slightly better than sense. ANYWAY, I had a few questions concerning touch wiz, rooting and other things, and was hoping you guys might be able to help. Any and all responses are appreciated.
1.) Are we still worried about using Kingo? I'm already on MJ7 and I have a feeling some of the stuff I'm going to want to do with my phone will require root access.
2.) Does safestrap entirely new partitions for each rom? I'm just wondering if I can load a few roms onto my phone to test them out and easily go back and forth.
3.) Every time I plug in an aux out cable for my car stereo the volume is reduced to a certain level. Then when I turn up the volume my phone warns me about hearing loss. Is there any way to turn this off? (I think I saw on a different page someone talking about needing root access.) (ALSO, WTF Samsung, are we all children? Oddly enough, this is only a concern when I'm using that as a general output for speakers, I always listen to music on my headphones at a very low level.)
4.) Has someone compiled a list of all the apps that come on the stock rom and what they do? I'm just trying to turn off as much stuff as possible to de-bloat and improve performance and battery life. If there's a list with all the apps one can safely turn off without affecting anything, that would be great. Also, is there any way to turn off certain apps like VZ messaging, backup assistant, etc, or do I need root and another app to do that?
5.) Is there a way to adjust the settings on the default keyboard? (Mostly I'm trying to adjust some of the autocorrect settings.) Or are you guys using an aftermarket keyboard app?
6.) What are you guys using for screen protectors? (I know there are a million threads for this, but I thought I'd just add it in.)
Thanks in advance for any and all help.
Welcome to the Galaxy family. I too had a Thunderbolt, long since retired thank goodness.
I'll answer what I can:
1) Depending on who you ask there will be different views on Kingo. I personally did not use it, I rooted when I had MI9. If you are concerned, there is a post on here detailing that you can remove the Kingo SU app; and how to flash another.
2) Yes. SS is perfect for fast, safe swapping of ROMs.
3) I believe you must be rooted and using Xposed and Wanam to accomplish this. I may be wrong though.
4) No list that I know of. To turn off system apps you'll need root.
5) May want to check your Settings -- Language and Input to see if the settings you are looking for are there.
6) I bought a Spigen case and their screen protector for now. Waiting for the glass protectors to come down in price.
HTH
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
Right, wasn't the Thunderbolt a mess? Over the last 6 months there were a few devs that put out some roms making it actually usable... but it was still rough going. Glad to be on a new device.
1.) If just switching out the Super User app is the biggest worry, that should be easy and doesn't bother me.
3.) Is this as simple as downloading the Wanum Xposed app? I've read about that in various posts on here, but never really got an idea of what it was... it's just an app that opens up a lot more customization on Touch Wiz?
4.) If there's not a big list, is there a small list of the best things to turn off to increase battery and performance?
5.) Found it, thanks.
6.) I'm currently rocking a Spigen Bounce case and one of their cheaper plastic screen protectors... but my install was pretty crappy and I want a new one cause it's gonna drive me crazy.
Thanks for all the help.
Oh yeah, it certainly was. Big, bulky, and slow.
1) One other thing to mention is that your IMEI may be sent out during the exploit process. Plenty of people have used the method and haven't said anything bad happened as a result; so hopefully that holds true since this is still the only root method for MJ7.
3) Pretty much. You would download the X posed framework. Then, from within Xposed you can download and install the Wanam module. Then from within the Wanam module there is an option to disable the volume warnings. There is a good bit of other modules available within Xposed to adjust other aspects of your phone as well.
4) Still no list that I know of; I'll try and look deeper in a bit. What I did originally once rooted on stock was use TiBu to freeze unwanted apps; then used greenify on others that I wanted to keep, but wanted to control when they would use cpu, data, etc.
5) NP, glad to hear.
6) Haha; I know the feeling. I have the Neo Hybrid; loving it. It doesn't offer as much protection, but I wanted to keep the phone thin. It has been dropped from about 5 ft up, and so far so good.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
Found a list; from a different forum: http://forums.androidcentral.com/moto-x/311475-safe-disable-apps-list-verizon-bloatware.html
Hopefully it let's me post to external source.
If it doesn't work just Google: verizon note 3 bloatware
It was a link to androidcentral; says safe to delete verizon note 3 bloatware
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
Hello. I just received my new 6P, having upgraded from a 2nd Gen Moto X. Prior to that I was a flashaholic on my S4, and S2 before that. Basically, I've been out of the Custom ROM game for a while.
I'm wondering whether to root and install custom on my Nexus, with the following goals in mind:
1. I’d like to stay very, very close to stock.
2. I'd like bug free and stable.
3. Ability to increase battery life by tweaking Doze to kick in faster.
4. Keep Android Pay and Project Fi working
Any recommendations based on that criteria? I'm currently teaching overseas, so I feel like my ability to work through bugs and issues is a bit more limited than it is when I'm back in the States.
Thanks so much.
Check out Pure Nexus.. I just installed it and so far its great!
Given that you are overseas and less able to deal with potential twists and turns of rooting and ROMing... I suggest you remain stock. This is just my opinion but I think some people are diving into rooting, ROMing, launcher-ing this phone the minute they get it because they did it on their previous carrier phone before they even give the true 6P Android experience a chance. (I don't think that applies to previous Nexus owners though)
This phone is amazing in its stock form. The only thing on your list that you won't get by remaining stock is the ability to tweak doze. Doze works quite well in its stock form. If you can charge your phone every night, I wonder if you will even find that you need to tweak doze. If you have periods where you can plug it in during the day with fast charging, there is definitely no pressing reason to tweak doze.
I know this tends to be a more root/ROM forum so my opinion here may be in the minority. I just wanted to toss out one perspective.
Hope you enjoy the phone!
Yeah, that's the thing.,.. I love stock. I do miss some minor cosmetic customisation options, but for the most part, I'm not looking to blow the whole thing up like I was on my Galaxy S phones with TouchWiz. I'm definitely leaning on staying stock over here and maybe playing around with it when we come home for the summer.
Dugan1017 said:
Yeah, that's the thing.,.. I love stock. I do miss some minor cosmetic customisation options, but for the most part, I'm not looking to blow the whole thing up like I was on my Galaxy S phones with TouchWiz. I'm definitely leaning on staying stock over here and maybe playing around with it when we come home for the summer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would definitely unlock the bootloader before you get the phone set up and maybe apply systemless root, but then give stock a go for some time and see how you like it. Then maybe try adding some third party apps like Nova Launcher and Custom Quick Settings (the latter requires root). Stock MM is really very nice.
adrman said:
I would definitely unlock the bootloader before you get the phone set up and maybe apply systemless root, but then give stock a go for some time and see how you like it. Then maybe try adding some third party apps like Nova Launcher and Custom Quick Settings (the latter requires root). Stock MM is really very nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm assuming you say unlock the bootloader now just because it wipes everything if/when I do it later?
Dugan1017 said:
I'm assuming you say unlock the bootloader now just because it wipes everything if/when I do it later?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes!
Dugan1017 said:
I'm assuming you say unlock the bootloader now just because it wipes everything if/when I do it later?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, exactly. Heisenberg has a guide if you should need any help.
adrman said:
I would definitely unlock the bootloader before you get the phone set up and maybe apply systemless root, but then give stock a go for some time and see how you like it. Then maybe try adding some third party apps like Nova Launcher and Custom Quick Settings (the latter requires root). Stock MM is really very nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, that's what I'd suggest, too. Once rooted, you can use NapTime to tweak Doze to kick in earlier. You can't use it's "aggressive" option, as it has a bug and kills stuff like being able to download new apps from the Play Store, but you can still tweak the times to make it kick in a lot sooner.
I followed the H guide and learnt/learned new stuff. Unlocking and ROM has allowed me to access the fun little options that stock couldn't give to me.
My personal favourites are really quite small things: battery display and clock centered.
I do wonder why though Chroma and Pure nexus are so popular compared to the rest in terms of views and responses. Surely this is an indication of worth, right? Or is it simply following the masses after those Roms were first in, first to serve?
Stock rom is great. I use Xposed and a few modules to get my customization fix!
Hello fellow Pixel users!
Just wanted to take a minute and start a small discussion with you about stuff that only works with root. Maybe you feel the same.
As an Android user from day 1, I always enjoyed the general "openness" of Android compared to other mobile OSs and used to frequently try out new custom ROMs, play with all the system UI tuner options and obviously got used to having a decent adblocker.
But ever since I got a Pixel XL, I was honestly surprised by the relatively small amount of ROMs and general lack of development on XDA regarding the Pixel phones. At least compared to previous phones I owned, with the exception of the Blackberry Classic maybe...
(Obviously I don't want to discredit the folks that ARE working on these devices. You're awesome and your work is very appreciated!)
Right now, I only use root for AdAway, Nova Launcher (for turning off the screen and locking it with a double tap) and Ex Kernel Manager (even though I never used it or changed any of the settings).
So what I really want to talk about is, what do you use root for? Or why did you unlock your bootloader? Is there something I'm missing?
TL,DR: Did you root your phone or unlock the bootloader? Why?
Yes and yes.
I will always run an unlocked bootloader. It's a security safety net. If my phone bricks, I have the option to flash factory images. I can always return to stock if something goes wrong.
Root, yes, of course. Because Android.
Pain-N-Panic said:
If my phone bricks, I have the option to flash factory images. I can always return to stock if something goes wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those are great points! You're absolutely right!
But what about apps or system tweaks? You said "Because Android" but how is your experience different from someone who didn't root?
paco8 said:
Those are great points! You're absolutely right!
But what about apps or system tweaks? You said "Because Android" but how is your experience different from someone who didn't root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root privileged apps- adaway, titanium backup, modded YouTube, modded Spotify, SD Maid, Substratum and a few others.
Also, custom kernel with customized color profile for a more vibrant display.
I also enjoy themeing my own device so having root is necessary for me.
I also need to root, well, BECAUSE ANDROID
Pain-N-Panic said:
Root privileged apps- adaway, titanium backup, modded YouTube, modded Spotify, SD Maid, Substratum and a few others.
Also, custom kernel with customized color profile for a more vibrant display.
I also enjoy themeing my own device so having root is necessary for me.
I also need to root, well, BECAUSE ANDROID
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
U don't need root for substratum on my 8.1 and use Andromeda add on for rootless substratum
I feel like going back to nougat and root for Xposed though...
Thanks for the suggestions!
If you ask me:
Not a fan of TB (restoring often causes problems)
or SD Maid (some cache is important and shouldn't be deleted - except for uninstalled apps),
Substratum is way too buggy for me (at least I can't seem to find a theme without bugs)
and I probably shouldn't ask about those modded apps on here, even though they sound interesting. I guess I'll have to Google that. :laugh:
After looking through Ex Kernel Manager, I can't seem to find anything that I'd want to use or fiddle with. The phone is fast enough, so no overclock. The colors are fine, so no tuning needed. And all the other stuff looks dangerous...
Where are all the awesome system UI options though? I'd love to have my clock in the center of the status bar and display battery percentage INSTEAD of the icon. I know that those are usually coded into custom ROMs but there are no 8.1 ROMs...
Oh, how I'd love to see an 8.1 DU ROM working flawlessly...
Edit: Why go back to Nougat and why use Xposed? I don't get what the big deal is about Xposed nowadays. I used it a few years ago but only because of one or two add-ons, if I recall that correctly.
I have center clock on 8.1 using a Substratum theme.
Also, you can choose to select battery percentage next to the battery icon in 8.1 battery settings.
Once source code gets released for 8.1, the SystemUI can be deodexed which will allow for 3minit battery mod to work. I believe 3minit requires root.
Reasons are getting thin aren't they. AdAway, TB, and Tasker (HBM and single tap sleep(without device admin permission thus required pin)). TB makes life easier but not a necessity. Different device wouldn't need HBM most likely. So basically it comes down to AdAway which I'm pretty sure I'd go nuts without.
TB, Tasker, lucky patcher, greenify, acr (automatic call recorder), ad away. And generally being able to mess with things.
ThePublisher said:
TB, Tasker, lucky patcher, greenify, acr (automatic call recorder), ad away. And generally being able to mess with things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Generally being able to mess with things" is the most accurate response this question for those who love Android at its core.
Pain-N-Panic said:
"Generally being able to mess with things" is the most accurate response this question for those who love Android at its core.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the technical term for it at least.
I'm down to one reason and I found out about it a few months back actually. Without it I probably wouldn't bother.
Assertive display - visibility outdoors in the freaking sun with sunglasses on? Heck yeah! The most annoying part is that it just takes two lines added to the build.prop file. If I could do this without root I sure as hell would.
Adaway
Thanks for all your answers!
This basically proves my point though in my opinion. Having a rooted Android device used to be such an open playground for fun stuff and now it's mostly just about adblockers and minor tweaks apart from a few apps that still take advantage of it like Tasker and TB.
At least the phones nowadays are fast as hell and have insane cameras. I just wish it would be more sci-fi-y if you know what I mean. Phones aren't just gadgets anymore, they're expensive pieces of hardware that seem to improve upon basic things that we could do for years.
Android updates used to have lots of cool new features with every new version number that was released and now they just seem to improve upon what they can already do and sometimes take features away or even lock them to specific phones (looking at the guy who thought it was a great idea to make stuff like "motion pictures" a feature only on Pixel 2 devices even though our device had the feature available for a day).
Guess I'll take this opportunity to spend less time messing around with tons of options and just be thankful for what they can do now. Like playing stupid gambling-like games with ps1-graphics on a device with a quad-core and 4GB of RAM. :laugh:
Am I the only one who gets turned off by games that have reviewers saying "addictive" and "great time-killer"? This thing could play GTA 4 and tons of people rather spend a hundred bucks on candy crush...
Whatever, it's all good. I guess I just have different expectations.
paco8 said:
Thanks for all your answers!
This basically proves my point though in my opinion. Having a rooted Android device used to be such an open playground for fun stuff and now it's mostly just about adblockers and minor tweaks apart from a few apps that still take advantage of it like Tasker and TB.
At least the phones nowadays are fast as hell and have insane cameras. I just wish it would be more sci-fi-y if you know what I mean. Phones aren't just gadgets anymore, they're expensive pieces of hardware that seem to improve upon basic things that we could do for years.
Android updates used to have lots of cool new features with every new version number that was released and now they just seem to improve upon what they can already do and sometimes take features away or even lock them to specific phones (looking at the guy who thought it was a great idea to make stuff like "motion pictures" a feature only on Pixel 2 devices even though our device had the feature available for a day).
Guess I'll take this opportunity to spend less time messing around with tons of options and just be thankful for what they can do now. Like playing stupid gambling-like games with ps1-graphics on a device with a quad-core and 4GB of RAM. :laugh:
Am I the only one who gets turned off by games that have reviewers saying "addictive" and "great time-killer"? This thing could play GTA 4 and tons of people rather spend a hundred bucks on candy crush...
Whatever, it's all good. I guess I just have different expectations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right! I was also using root just for the 3 reasons you specified! Adaway is the biggest reason. There are other solutions, but nothing that reliable. And next biggest is Ex Kernel Manager to set up double tap to wake without lockscreen.
As for the motion photos, you still can get it. You need to download that version of Google Camera APK and disable updates. I am using it and it looks good. But it works only in Google Photos App. So not that useful as well!
DaSmith87 said:
I'm down to one reason and I found out about it a few months back actually. Without it I probably wouldn't bother.
Assertive display - visibility outdoors in the freaking sun with sunglasses on? Heck yeah! The most annoying part is that it just takes two lines added to the build.prop file. If I could do this without root I sure as hell would.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My quick reasons for bootloader unlocking and rooting mirror many of the others here:
1) Ability to flash factory images in a recovery situation.
2) Titanium Backup - although I haven't had to actually use this to recover anything other than a specific app or 2 in the past few years.
3) Adaway
4) Ability to modify build.prop to leverage native hotspot/tethering (Verizon GUDP)
I am interested in learning more about Assertive Display and the differences between it and Adaptive Brightness. My understanding is that Assertive Display works separately from Adaptive Brightness and actually adjusts the tone/color/contrast of individual display pixels to optimize viewing in bright sunlight. Theoretically, this allows you to turn down screen brightness to achieve better viewing/contrast in bright conditions. Can you provide the link to directions you used to enable Assertive Display? Also - does it play well with Adaptive Brightness - or do you need to manually tweak screen brightness to account for Assertive Display?
Thanks!
sb1893 said:
My quick reasons for bootloader unlocking and rooting mirror many of the others here:
1) Ability to flash factory images in a recovery situation.
2) Titanium Backup - although I haven't had to actually use this to recover anything other than a specific app or 2 in the past few years.
3) Adaway
4) Ability to modify build.prop to leverage native hotspot/tethering (Verizon GUDP)
I am interested in learning more about Assertive Display and the differences between it and Adaptive Brightness. My understanding is that Assertive Display works separately from Adaptive Brightness and actually adjusts the tone/color/contrast of individual display pixels to optimize viewing in bright sunlight. Theoretically, this allows you to turn down screen brightness to achieve better viewing/contrast in bright conditions. Can you provide the link to directions you used to enable Assertive Display? Also - does it play well with Adaptive Brightness - or do you need to manually tweak screen brightness to account for Assertive Display?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I first enabled this I left my brightness at the same 50% level with the auto brightness left on. It works really well in conjunction with the normal brightness level settings. Maybe turning the brightness down could yeild better battery results but I was never one to complain by the Pixel XL's battery life.
This video from Android Authority here explains it well. I actually randomly got to the video at around midnight on YouTube a few months back. Phone wasn't rooted so I did root it in the middle of the night and followed this topic from the XDA forums to change the build.prop file. Applied the changes, rebooted phone and... Realized I have no real way to test it. Went to my kitchen's aspirator and switched the lights on, brought the phone under there super close at a very steep angle and I could still see it perfectly fine.
TL;DR - this is a great addition to the already standard brightness levels, works like magic, and hey, you can always revert if you end up not liking it.
DaSmith87 said:
When I first enabled this I left my brightness at the same 50% level with the auto brightness left on. It works really well in conjunction with the normal brightness level settings. Maybe turning the brightness down could yeild better battery results but I was never one to complain by the Pixel XL's battery life.
This video from Android Authority here explains it well. I actually randomly got to the video at around midnight on YouTube a few months back. Phone wasn't rooted so I did root it in the middle of the night and followed this topic from the XDA forums to change the build.prop file. Applied the changes, rebooted phone and... Realized I have no real way to test it. Went to my kitchen's aspirator and switched the lights on, brought the phone under there super close at a very steep angle and I could still see it perfectly fine.
TL;DR - this is a great addition to the already standard brightness levels, works like magic, and hey, you can always revert if you end up not liking it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much for the detail. I'm going to give it a whirl right now!
sb1893 said:
Thanks so much for the detail. I'm going to give it a whirl right now!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome! One thing I forgot to mention - don't bother with the flashable ZIP. It's more work than editing the build.prop file and it actually doesn't work on 8 and up. 7.1.2 was OK with it but I noticed it wasn't quite right on 8 when I tried to flash it even though it said it flashed with no errors.
sacthegreat said:
You are right! I was also using root just for the 3 reasons you specified! Adaway is the biggest reason. There are other solutions, but nothing that reliable. And next biggest is Ex Kernel Manager to set up double tap to wake without lockscreen.
As for the motion photos, you still can get it. You need to download that version of Google Camera APK and disable updates. I am using it and it looks good. But it works only in Google Photos App. So not that useful as well!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I actually did disable auto update once I had it and still have the APK. Don't know if it works after a fresh install of 8.1 though. I guess I'll try later. Google's Motion Stills as an alternative just feels weird to me.
I think it's a neat feature though. Sometimes it really helps bring a moment back to life, more than a still picture would. Especially when it's snowing or raining.
That new AR stickers thing is also funny but it needs better content IMO. Two of the packs are basically ads for the StarWars movies and Stranger Things.