Database Users

[Q] Should I root my Galaxy S2?

Hello all,
I just picked up a Galaxy S2 and have been using it with stock for a while now. I've wondered whether or not I should root the phone. The only reason or thing i would consider doing is under clocking to get better battery life.
Should I root it for that? Is there a rom which is better than the samsung stock rom because I like the stock quite a bit.
Thanks in advance.

I don't think underclocking would get you a better battery life more than disabling some services or push emails...
So yes, I suggest root for disabling services... SGSII sleep mode does good job either way...

Hello,
This is what I've done to get a better battery life :
Get VillainRom 2.0 (you need to root your mobile for that), it really increase the battery life, and this is in my opinion the best thing to do.
Underclock your phone with setcpu.
Of course you should set your phone with basic parameters, like no GPS, no Sync, low brightness.
Cheers

SiSL said:
I don't think underclocking would get you a better battery life more than disabling some services or push emails...
So yes, I suggest root for disabling services... SGSII sleep mode does good job either way...
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Click to collapse
Well i know on the Desire Z (my old phone) I under clocked to 384 MHz and i got like 4 days battery life. I wasn't doing much intensive stuff on the device during that time but it was an improvement. As for the S2 I was able to get 1 day 4 hours and it was down to 5% with medium/light usage.
I was looking at MIUI youtube video and it looks pretty sweet, although the thread states some things still need to be done. Are their some ROMs which are 100% working order and bring some good benefits/hacks/tweaks?
What about the leak of the 2.3.4 update, i wonder how that is..

i used set cpu on my galaxy s to set cpu to 800mhz...made quite a big difference to the battery life...will.consider using it again on my gs2.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

I think you should root and either flash a ROM which is known for good battery life, or at least use Titanium Back up (requires root) to remove/freeze(paid only) bloatware. There is a list of safe apps to remove stickied.

Mine is Rooted
I rooted my phone the first day I got it because I want to use Titanium Backup to freeze wi-fi sharing apps to save battery.

Just root it. If you're here, you're considering rooting your phone. Add custom ROMs and root-only apps and try everything out. The cooks have done some impressive stuff. If you want to return it, unroot it.

My first phone ever that really didn't need a custom rom. The phone just does everything well. I use titanium backup and freeze apps I don't use.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App

Doing the same here. Don't think I'll go with a custom ROM, but I damn sure want to be able to freeze some (stock) apps

Probably a silly question but how do you root?
Must admit am very happy with the device and when you think what it's doing no wonder the battery depletes, but it's not that bad, can I read more about this rooting?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App

Ah that's a good point. I can root and don't have to use a custom rom but can if I felt like it. That's pretty good I think i'll do that
And what is this "freezing" apps?

Noobie question .How to unroot it and return to original kernel so that the service centre guy does not come to know that it has been rooted??

Yeah, i want to know if root is really usefull too !
I don't wanna switch to a custom ROM wich is not optimized for dual core, or doesn't contains some cool apps like Samsung Kies, or not being able to play some media files...
Noob spotted.

Yes you really have to root in order to get rid of the wifi sharing battery drain problem of the SGS2 which will eat away as much as 20 percent battery per day. With root you can also use apps like chainfire, ad free and titanium backup

I have rooted and underlocked my phone battery life has greatly improved.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App

I want to root my phone but after downloading my stock kernel is saw it is a zImage... any help?
Also i found my stock firmware ... so if i switch to a custom one i can go back...but all the files are .bin, disc image files or lfs files.... i can't find information on how to flash with that.
greetz
*** studpid winrar showed the .tar file as a winrar file so i extracted it.... problem solved ***

I've been rooted since day 1 and I love it.

Do custom Roms and kernels remove the lag?

Is it worth it to unlock bootloader and root for a custom ROM and kernel? Does it make a big difference in speed? Thanks and if so, any suggestion on a ROM and kernel to try out first?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

nazem said:
Is it worth it to unlock bootloader and root for a custom ROM and kernel? Does it make a big difference in speed? Thanks and if so, any suggestion on a ROM and kernel to try out first?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
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I have been a long time visitor to this site and every question like this has been given the same typical response "go try a few ROMs and see what you think". I have flashed a variety of ROMs on my N7 but have yet to find one which truly provides the user with a lag free experience across the board. I personally found SmoothROM to be one of the closest, though there are aspects of that ROM I'm not too keen on. One ROM I always find myself returning to though is Slim Bean; I guess you could make a start with those two. Irrespective of ROM I find turning sync off and removing all widgets etc. helps, though this shouldn't really have to be done!
Some will say my device is faulty, but who really knows. I guess some folk are simply less tolerant of lag than others (me being one of the former).

While it depends on the choice of the individual concerned, I for one do believe that rooting a device does have its advantages. ROMs and Kernels are a matter of choice but the most efficient way of reducing lags and increasing RAM is by removing bloatware and carrier/vendor/manufacturer apps.

diverblue said:
I have been a long time visitor to this site and every question like this has been given the same typical response "go try a few ROMs and see what you think". I have flashed a variety of ROMs on my N7 but have yet to find one which truly provides the user with a lag free experience across the board. I personally found SmoothROM to be one of the closest, though there are aspects of that ROM I'm not too keen on. One ROM I always find myself returning to though is Slim Bean; I guess you could make a start with those two. Irrespective of ROM I find turning sync off and removing all widgets etc. helps, though this shouldn't really have to be done!
Some will say my device is faulty, but who really knows. I guess some folk are simply less tolerant of lag than others (me being one of the former).
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Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply. With all these rumors of 4.3 coming in the next few days, i'll wait a couple of days then probably flash slimbean first.

Tianhe said:
While it depends on the choice of the individual concerned, I for one do believe that rooting a device does have its advantages. ROMs and Kernels are a matter of choice but the most efficient way of reducing lags and increasing RAM is by removing bloatware and carrier/vendor/manufacturer apps.
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Click to collapse
What is there that i could remove though considering it's a nexus?

Well the nexus 7 doesn't have much lag for me on stock with 1.7ghz over clock. It sits on the dock not used much all day so battery life isn't an issue, but it does only have a gig of ram where 2gb is ideal
Sent from my Nexus 4 @1.72 GHz on Stock 4.2.2

Every ROM I have been on has had lag with any kernel I have tried. Doesn't matter if it is stock or custom. What you should be asking is what tweaks and settings you can apply to reduce that lag. For instance, removing Window animation. That has drastically reduced lag for me. Every device has its own characteristics. What one person uses on their Nexus 7 may work wonders for you or may make things worse. You really have to find out for r yourself.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

I'll add my own "It depends" here as well. Though I've found half the time people who use apps more heavily kill off the lag by simply turning off surface dithering (hasn't really been a problem for my Nexus 7 though, it mainly impacts graphical apps that don't utilize GPU acceleration).

nazem said:
What is there that i could remove though considering it's a nexus?
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Click to collapse
Yes, its a Nexus (lucky you) so that scope is limited. But I even remove apps considered sacrosanct e.g. Google components like Search, Dial etc. Like a said, the choice depends on the individual. However, u have a narrow playing field considering its a Nexus!

Tianhe said:
Yes, its a Nexus (lucky you) so that scope is limited. But I even remove apps considered sacrosanct e.g. Google components like Search, Dial etc. Like a said, the choice depends on the individual. However, u have a narrow playing field considering its a Nexus!
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Click to collapse
I'll mess around with diff. apps to see what affects it the most. Thanks for your feedback man, it was helpful.

IRX120 said:
Well the nexus 7 doesn't have much lag for me on stock with 1.7ghz over clock. It sits on the dock not used much all day so battery life isn't an issue, but it does only have a gig of ram where 2gb is ideal
Sent from my Nexus 4 @1.72 GHz on Stock 4.2.2
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Yeah i think it's the RAM that probably hurts peformance. I hope the sequel has 2 gigs though.

nazem said:
Yeah i think it's the RAM that probably hurts performance. I hope the sequel has 2 gigs though.
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But at least it's aosp and not something like sense on 1gb ram.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app

kbeezie said:
But at least it's aosp and not something like sense on 1gb ram.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
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Yeah that's true.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

What to do with my slow Nexus 7

I've got a 16GB Nexus 7 that barely ever leaves my desk drawer anymore. My unit is from the batch that becomes extremely laggy if less than 4GB are free, takes a long time to charge, and loses 50% a day in standby (even with Wifi Off and nothing syncing). I'm positive the unit is faulty somehow as if all Nexus 7s were like this, there is no way they would have reached this level of popularity.
So now for the question:
What should I do with this thing? Is there an alternative lightweight OS I can flash to it? Can I turn it into a Kindle Fire or something? As it stands now, it is an expensive paperweight.

There are several things you can do to possibly increase the performance and battery. For starters, such as flashing a light weight power saving ROM and kernel then adjusting its frequency, voltage and governor. Afterwards try this - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1971852

smacman said:
I've got a 16GB Nexus 7 that barely ever leaves my desk drawer anymore. My unit is from the batch that becomes extremely laggy if less than 4GB are free, takes a long time to charge, and loses 50% a day in standby (even with Wifi Off and nothing syncing). I'm positive the unit is faulty somehow as if all Nexus 7s were like this, there is no way they would have reached this level of popularity.
So now for the question:
What should I do with this thing? Is there an alternative lightweight OS I can flash to it? Can I turn it into a Kindle Fire or something? As it stands now, it is an expensive paperweight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When is the last time you did a full wipe?

I've tried everything. Numerous wipes, numerous roms/kernels (slim, CM10, PA, etc.). In the end, the same lag and slowness always ruins the experience. I've pretty much given up on using this thing as my primary tablet. I'm now trying to decide if I should sell it, give it away, or use it for some other purpose. I've thought about flashing a bare bones version of CM10 with no apps and using it primarily as a Kindle Reader..

smacman said:
I've tried everything. Numerous wipes, numerous roms/kernels (slim, CM10, PA, etc.). In the end, the same lag and slowness always ruins the experience. I've pretty much given up on using this thing as my primary tablet. I'm now trying to decide if I should sell it, give it away, or use it for some other purpose. I've thought about flashing a bare bones version of CM10 with no apps and using it primarily as a Kindle Reader..
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Click to collapse
Have you tried a different kernel + overclock it?

Yes. Same eventual result..

Have you updated to andoid 4.3... If not, 4.3 enabled fstrim and will fix your slowness. I would update to 4.3 and do a completely full wipe (data/media/ too)
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app

I would suggest the 4.3 update as well. If that doesn't work sell it ASAP while its still worth a few bucks
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

I own a 16gb too. I do keep all my photos or whatever files all into Google drive/ dropbox and not in the device itself. I sync it across my 3 other devices.

[Q] root or not for first timer ?

hi,thinking of rooting my nexus 10 but will i notice a difference speed wise etc ? what benefits would it achive ? its a great tablet but not the quickest to be honest especially compared to ipad air

The act of rooting in itself won't make it faster but the ability to flash custom ROMs, kernels, mods, etc will. Not to mention you can block adds, theme to your liking, make complete backups, and free up device to your liking
And remember, this tablet is two years old. When it came out nothing was better but in time there will always be a faster device
Best of luck!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

ATT S4 (i337) NC1 - should i root and upgrade to 4.4.4 ?

currently i'm on att build 4.4.2 for my s4.
is it worth flashing a custom from and going to 4.4.4 ?
i know there are a couple of different roms at 4.4.4, which one does everyone like for this particular phone ?

Not really.. If Battery life and Camera performance is a priority for you I suggest you stick to stock.. My advice would be to root your phone and delete all unwanted bloatware. If your fine with subpar camera quality and battery life flash CM11 or Pac-Man.

akash4357 said:
Not really.. If Battery life and Camera performance is a priority for you I suggest you stick to stock.. My advice would be to root your phone and delete all unwanted bloatware. If your fine with subpar camera quality and battery life flash CM11 or Pac-Man.
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the battery life for me now is just ok. i'll unplug my phone at 7am, and by 2pm be at 20%. i have a bunch of email accounts on the phone so i think that could be causing the problem. that and storage space for apps are my 2 biggest things.

Storage space will remain unaffected between custom rom and stock they do not re-partition the device storage. But you can delete almost 300mb of bloatware from stock rom if rooted. I have 3 email accounts on my phone.. plus I call a lot of people .. 2 hours of music.. I unplug my phone around 7am and by 8pm I'm left with almost 35% charge on an average.

Ive rooted woth towelroot and SU for granting super user access. If that'll work, what's the easiest way for me to remove the samsung crap ?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA Free mobile app

egiblock said:
Ive rooted woth towelroot and SU for granting super user access. If that'll work, what's the easiest way for me to remove the samsung crap ?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA Free mobile app
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Root browser @ system/app
Or app deleter with root access

A lot of us like Titanium BackUp Pro
Nice UI and very good app manager--:good:

Just posting my experience. After going back and forth between stock and the JMSQ Google Edition, I agree the camera was always the reason I would flip flop back. Taking picutres was ok, but video performance was terrible.... BUT I recently purchased Camera FV5 and Cinema FV5 and the performance is about 90% back on par. Good enough for me to ditch TW for good.