Database Users

[Q] I've searched, no one asked: Should I root my Vibrant?

Ok...
No one has debated or have asked this question:
Should I root my Vibrant?
I'd like to actually see a debate whether or not rooting is better or stock is better. I know you have to root in order to do custom ROM, but what I'm trying to achieve on this thread is, the benefits of rooting (since I know there are plenty). I just want to give noobs and new users of Vibrant the flexibility of deciding whether they need to root, or not. I myself, have a rooted vibrant, and LOVE IT.
So, is rooting for me? Should I root the Vibrant? Or stick with the stock?
P.S.
I used "me" as an example. It isn't necessary that I want to ask the question, i just thought it's better if i put "me" on the question...

Rooting is ALWAYS better.

Certainly the VAST majority of people do not need to root their phones for any reason. I have several friends with Vibrants that are quite happy with their phones as-is.
You gain absolutely nothing by rooting your phone, there is absolutely no difference in any way shape or form except you can now do modifications that non-rooted phones can not. The question isn't whether to root or not, the question is whether or not you want to do something with/to your phone that requires root access.
For me, I would have had to stick with my Blackberry simply to have tethering ability, it is a feature I have had to use many, many times. Since I never got Kies working right, I had no choice but to root in order to install MobileAP which has been a real life saver for me when I absolutely had to have internet access on my laptop and their was no alternative. This is the same reason I had to root my wife's 3G Slide. She absolutely has to have internet access and it is her only means to get it in some places.
That will probably be the only reason for her. Me, being a techie, I have flash Franken-Twiz, Bionix 1.8, 1.9, and am now running Fusion and absolutely love my phone now.

djquick said:
Rooting is ALWAYS better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How come it is ALWAYS better? What makes rooting better for you?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

@ Kerry
Well put. Hopefully this would bring light to new users.
Personally, rooting is a must for me, because of the fact I'm always on the road, having a tethered phone has an advantage.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

I rooted because I could...
I like the ability to do different things with my phone - I'm not one to leave it stock if I don't have too.
but it's weird, I haven't jailbroke my ipod yet - never really felt the need to nor the desire.
with my phone (and this is my first android) it just seemed like the right thing to do, then after bricking during the OTA I dived right into flashing ROMs and overclocking...yeah, rooting like a gateway drug...and I'm so happy...
but I was the noob on rooting/flashing/ etc up until the other week...and now I have a flashing problem...hahahaha

I rooted my phone just to delete the bloatware.

There is a whole section of "things to do with root" in the general sticky....
I mean, that IS the reason to root... to open up options.
Want to control which apps can open at startup? Want to tether? Want to flash a custom rom? Want to overclock the processor? Want to get rid of bloatware? Want to create backups of your phone for an "oh $hit" moment?
I really do not see any reason not to. Especially since it is so easy to get back to stock/non-root.

I owned a G1 previously and never thought rooting was for me. Less than 2 weeks after getting my Vibrant I decided to give rooting a go and instantly loved it. I was actually mad at myself afterwards for not even considering rooting my G1 and running stock for almost 2 years. I don't even use custom ROMs but I love being able to take screen caps, Mobile AP, and being able to block ads.

djquick said:
Rooting is ALWAYS better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That depends on who is using the phone. I mean for someone that doesn't care for rom or doing anything other than making phone call, text, and browse the web, he or she will not really need to root. They will not find root better. Like my GF thinks root is too much work and hassle. For me, I think root is better since i actually like to try new roms and get updates before the OTA. Root will give you the ability to tether and use custom recovery to backup/restore.
Now to the OP, it just depends on what you are looking to do with your phone. If you are just using it to make calls and browse the web, you can just keep it unrooted. If you plan to use tethering or make any system changes, you will need to root. Also, if you root, it doesn't mean you have to do anything else to your phone. You can still keep it in its stock form and have the option to do whatever you want later. It's up to you.

Shakespeare Said it is better to root
Shakespeare says it is better to root Ahhhh .... Yes to Quote:
"to Root or not to root"... that is the question
"Is it better to suffer the slings and bloatware from the carrier" or to
Just Root the phone and make it more versatile, delete the bloat and do what and when you want to the phone YOU own
I personally never like outside controls on objects that I buy.... neither would Shakespeare
Rooting is always better unless you are only interested in the retail version only type device.
Listen to Kerry G he has it right

Tether
Just a note! I can tether with PDAnet using bluetooth and I'm not rooted.
Rooting isn't a requirment to tether, However there may be other options that do require root access.

Great feedback.
s15274n said:
There is a whole section of "things to do with root" in the general sticky....
I mean, that IS the reason to root... to open up options.
Want to control which apps can open at startup? Want to tether? Want to flash a custom rom? Want to overclock the processor? Want to get rid of bloatware? Want to create backups of your phone for an "oh $hit" moment?
I really do not see any reason not to. Especially since it is so easy to get back to stock/non-root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, somehow i knew s15274n would reply. Not many people know that rooting is a good thing or a bad thing. They don't know that they got options. I've been reading and been surfing on XDA for a long time, I had an old handle here, when WinMo was popular. But then when i got promoted, I started to be on the road, i've lost touch (and my account i closed).
Many people I encounter across the country don't know why they should root, or skeptical to root. Since I got the Vibrant, i rooted it right away, and plenty of my clientèle are amazed of what that Android phone can do. Most have Crackberry, and I've led them to this site and found it very usefull.
They don't see the stickies, or such, so i made a thread that i could access on my phone to show them. They ask the same thing all the time, "Should I root/Why do you root/I'm afraid to root/I don't know Andriod" Most of them don't have the time to read stickies. SO, i tell them. But I tell them of what MY opinion is (and why I wanted to root), and so i decided to thread and ask other people's opinion on why they would root.
Great feedback guys

oka1 said:
Shakespeare says it is better to root Ahhhh .... Yes to Quote:
"to Root or not to root"... that is the question
"Is it better to suffer the slings and bloatware from the carrier" or to
Just Root the phone and make it more versatile, delete the bloat and do what and when you want to the phone YOU own
I personally never like outside controls on objects that I buy.... neither would Shakespeare
Rooting is always better unless you are only interested in the retail version only type device.
Listen to Kerry G he has it right
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good one!

Am I right to be afraid?

I'm actually kind of afraid to root my device. I just don't want to mess anything up. And we only have one Rom. Is it right to just wait? I loved having root on my sensation but I really really don't want to mess up my galaxy.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

Assuming the method of obtaining root is safe, you don't really have anything to worry about by just having root access.
It's only dangerous if:
A) The method of obtaining root initially is dangerous in some way
B) You start giving apps root permission that may be malicious
C) You use root access to start modifying system files carelessly
So as long are you are careful and follow the advice from helpful users who have confirmed which apps are safe to disable and such, you should not have any problems.
I don't have my device yet, as it's pre-ordered on Verizon, but I could never live without root on an Android device. As soon as we get custom ROMs though, I'll be flashing one of those.

I am too....but for fear of messing up my warranty due to the flash counter
Sent from my MB865 using XDA App

916x10 said:
I am too....but for fear of messing up my warranty due to the flash counter
Sent from my MB865 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly! I really don't want to screw my warranty up!
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

If anything, give it a week or two to make sure your specific phone doesn't have any manufacturer defects that you'd have to return it for warranty on. If all looks good, go for root without worries. That's how I do it.

if you have sprint they dgaf about the flash count or even ir your rooted running a leaked jellybean rom they will still help you out and the flash process is simple just watch qbking77 videos on hius youtube channel root gives you access to more apps such at titanium backup and allows you to delete apps that you never use

MacTheRipperr said:
Exactly! I really don't want to screw my warranty up!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me either, which is why I tend to wait for my 1 year to be up before rooting.
At the very least, I wait for a safer, more painless root... Looking briefly at the root instructions for the SGSIII, it seems there are several opportunities to brick your phone if you F something up. Granted, if you're careful and you're remotely competent, it shouldn't happen, but it still can. I can't guarantee that I will make it the whole 1st year... but I'm pretty sure I will at least wait for one of those "download-this-program-which-roots-the-phone-for-you" type tools (a la "Unrevoked" on my beloved Incredible).
As for the warranty... I may be persuaded to root my phone earlier than the 1 year if there is a reliable unroot that leaves virtually no traces behind. I'm not sure what the "flash counter" is exactly, but unless it's something that shows up on the bootloader screen or anything like that, I'm sure Verizon won't notice. Unless anyone out there has had a different experience?

Besides the small amount of bloat that can be hidden with the launcher, the phone works flawless for me. If there was a way to go back to 100% stock on a T-999, I'd maybe do it.

Well I'm currently on T-Mobile. And I have had my device a week and have had no issues what so ever besides the black blotches I didn't even notice until reading the defect screen and I only have 2 tiny spots that don't bother me at all. I have never had to replace any Samsung device I have ever purchased. But I cannot say the same for HTC. That Damn counter is the only thing stopping me
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

RampageRR said:
If anything, give it a week or two to make sure your specific phone doesn't have any manufacturer defects that you'd have to return it for warranty on. If all looks good, go for root without worries. That's how I do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^This
and never delete apps, IMO it's always better to just "freeze" them with Titanium Backup, because they can always be restored.
If you delete a system app (aka uninstall it) many times it cannot be restored via Titanium, so it's always risky to do that.

I've decided to wait for a one click root option.

The actual process of rooting is simple, only problem is if u dont read or rush through it. No worries there.
Sent from my MB865 using XDA App

You guys should not be scare to mess things up... i mean the root its so easy .... but like the other guy said just wait for a week or two to see the results...

I'm holding off rooting as well to make sure there isn't any issues with the phone. And if everything is working properly I will root. I do love this device though. Came from the Samsung Vibrant who has served me well for the two years I had it.

Rooting itself is not dangerous. When someone has root and does something they don't know how to fix, that is when it becomes dangerous.
A gun isn't dangerous until it is loaded. You can give a gun to any idiot but you have to be careful with who you give bullets to.
Sent from my Axiom MAXX!!

I agree, but there is always that what if? I suppose that's the risks we take
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

You all just need to read all instructions and follow them perfectly. If you rely solely on One Click Roots and things of that nature, you'll never really learn how to work with Android. It might look daunting at first, but ADB and related stuff really isn't bad at all. Take the time to read and learn, and if in the rare case you should mess up, you'll have the knowledge of how to fix it yourself.
Also, don't be afraid to ask questions on how to do things rather than jump in head first and brick your phone. People here will be glad to help, just ignore the few idiots who flame you to make themselves feel better. We all started without knowledge at one point or another.

[Q] Knox - Does it really matter?

YES! I've used the search until my head started to spin and got no real answer to this.
I've read and read about the "Knox thing" and that it trips the flag, and so did it on my phone when I did an upgrade.
How how does tripping the Knox affect my phone?
In what way does it change it?
I know, you have no warranty, but that is always a risk you have to take with any phone/hacking. That is my decision to take.
But any REAL implications? I tried to read and read up about it and I don't see the "thing" with it?
I read and read posts about how to not trip it so I really wonder if it does something that affects the phone in a negative sense?
Does it hinder me to have root and load custom roms?
Does it hinder me in side-loading things?
What does this damn flag really do with the phone???
I read that I can't downgrade my roms from 4.2.2 to an older version but then, why should I?
I want the newest, coolest, best roms that I can get here by the amazing devs!
When I had my HTC One X I had to register on HTC-Dev to get a key to unlock the phone, so I knew what I was doing.
I was breaking the warranty and I was willingly doing that because I wanted to have custom roms.
I like to hack around and I soft-bricked more phones and times then I can remember.
In the Samsung world there is/was the Triangle away since Samsung has the counter for how many times you flashed
(but it doesn't seem to affect the phone in anyway, as far as I have read or does it?). So you might have been a bit spoiled
If this is "just" about warranty then I read that some tripped it with a normal Kies upgrade so I doesn't seem perfect.
Please, enlighten me. I can't find any good answers on this.
As a matter of fact I actually will get a new S4 soon and I'm very curious what firmware it will contain?
And this is why - Off-topic (I tend to be that).
I got a post-anesthetic amnesia after a surgery. What they told me was that I tried to start up my phone but it didn't want too (BAD Foxdoggie! )
so I threw it in the wall 2 times and then I broke it in half when they forbid me to throw it anymore.
No recollection at all, but I wish I had since breaking a phone in 2 parts isn't something you do every day
The insurance company wanted me to send in the phone for repairs and it was in at least 512 parts.
Was quite fun to go to the store and ask them to send it to service. :laugh:
Btw, keep away from the glass if it breaks! It gets razor sharp. The next day I have to pull out micro-parts from my hands that was lodged in the skin and my hands was cut all over, but then I'm good with a scalpel
So again, can someone please explain to me the negative implications of Knox?
If there are anything that will make my phone function in worse way I will make a formal complaint to Samsung here in Sweden since
I didn't buy a car to find that after a routine service, suddenly had the speed limited to 70 km/h...
I talked to my phone-company and they didn't knew what Knox was? AT ALL.
He just told me to use Triangle Away if it would break (or the same if I would jail-break my iPhone)!
So you even get instructions on what to do to make it "look" ok from your own provider since they are so well aware that people hack/root their phones.
Someone said in a post that only 1% root/jailbreak. I call that bull. But I think that more people jailbreak their iPhones then root their Androids.
But 1%? Just the fact that your cell-provider informs you how to "restore" your phone (and even asked me what rom I'm using!?!).
So maybe hard-core freaks are 1% but "normal" rooters/jailbreakers are way way way more.
It's the same with internet. Right now I have 500 Mbit and do the provider REALLY think I use that to browse Facebook faster?
So they all play a double game. At least in Sweden but I think that is quite universal?
This is my first Samsung. I'm a HTC-guy and if this Knox hinders me while other companies open up theirs instead, it will be my last.
I got a great deal on this phone and thought that since Samsung has the largest base it would be nice to see the awsome devs here.
And WOW. I was not wrong
Btw, Foxie, I love your rom, but it's just not post-surgery safe. You should add that as a warning
/Absie

Cool story bro
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app

Did you not spot the KNOX sticky? All questions and answers to your questions in there.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

nikzDHD said:
Did you not spot the KNOX sticky? All questions and answers to your questions in there.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I have. It's kind of messy and is still not answering the my question.
Yes, I have read the Samsung page. I'll continue in the "real thread".
I just want to know.
Can I flash roms, can I gain root, can I load apps like before? I don't give a duck about the corp stuff. I just want to continue to flash my device and be happy with it
/Absie

absolon_se said:
Yes, I have. It's kind of messy and is still not answering the my question.
Yes, I have read the Samsung page. I'll continue in the "real thread".
I just want to know.
Can I flash roms, can I gain root, can I load apps like before? I don't give a duck about the corp stuff. I just want to continue to flash my device and be happy with it
/Absie
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well as far as i know you can do all that as long as you don't care about the warranty, but root apps might nor work as they should(or may not work at all).
i could be wrong about all this
Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk

nikzDHD said:
Did you not spot the KNOX sticky? All questions and answers to your questions in there.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
negrobembon said:
well as far as i know you can do all that as long as you don't care about the warranty, but root apps might nor work as they should(or may not work at all).
i could be wrong about all this
Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just continued here to avoid comments about my sight... :cyclops:
(I did, didn't had a clear answer. Asked here. Wooboo. Will never do that again. Promise. )

KNOX is a security feature enabled by Samsung for corporate things. Does a normal end user need it probably not and should be an option. However Samsugn decided to roll it out to all phones regardless.
If you have a KNOX enabled handset, you can do as you please, root, install custom recovery, flash roms, flash kernels, however it will disable KNOX and will set the KNOX couneter to 0x1, once this is done you can not reverse it.
As an effect to warranty, it's probably country dependent. There is a warranty thread, some users have sent their phones in once KNOX has been tripped and phones have been repaired.

Root or don't Root? That's the question!

As title... I came from an HTC One M8, that got root 1 sec later I got it out from the box lol.
2 years with rom, flashes, kernels, xposed and and lot of other things.
Well S7 Edge it's a fantastic phone, but without root I feel "empty", I feel something it's wrong with my device lol.
Help me guys, should I root and make my soul happy, but lose warranty, or wait and keep the phone in warranty?
It's the first time I have such a problem, I totally hate this damn knox, but completely love this phone... Help me lol.

Razun92 said:
As title... I came from an HTC One M8, that got root 1 sec later I got it out from the box lol.
2 years with rom, flashes, kernels, xposed and and lot of other things.
Well S7 Edge it's a fantastic phone, but without root I feel "empty", I feel something it's wrong with my device lol.
Help me guys, should I root and make my soul happy, but lose warranty, or wait and keep the phone in warranty?
It's the first time I have such a problem, I totally hate this damn knox, but completely love this phone... Help me lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I myself am fighting for the urge to root. This is my first time not rooting a phone out of the box. I'm trying to keep in mind that the SGS7E is a fragile device so might be a good idea to maximize warranty for as long as you can resist the urge to root.
Sent from my SM-G935FD using Tapatalk

Removed.

J89613 said:
As long as you don't need KNOX, and take good care of your phone then why not? I say go for it
Side note: Does your White LED come out as Purple, and your Yellow LED come out as Orange?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah but I will lose warranty...
And I never noticed it, I'll do some test later

I still don't know what to do lol.. I hate myself )

Funny question, I actually have a personal custom rom baked and ready but my S7E is still a virgin lol
I know I'm able to turn a nice device into a killer device but something is holding me back. Since I'm from the Netherlands I don't even have to fear loosing warranty but still I didn't go for root and custom rom world.
Good luck deciding what to do as I can imagine the pain you're in.
Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-G935F met Tapatalk

re: Warranty - Root
Razun92 said:
Yeah but I will lose warranty...
And I never noticed it, I'll do some test later
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not spend a little time reading posts about loosing warranty
due to being rooted here in xda and then make up your mind.
Please let me know if you find any posts by anyone here in any of the xda forums and threads that says:
"I could not return or exchange my defective phone because it was rooted and is no longer under warranty".
Good luck,
Have a great day!

Root it and have fun .
otherwise that itch will never go .
it's your phone , you bought it, do with it whatever you want (unless you tend to break stuff ,and care for warranty-even though many carriers don't check for this KNOX thing anyway )

Depends. If you don't need Knox and don't use Samsung Pay, then go ahead and root.

I can understand your worries.
At first I was not too sure if I should root it or not... but I could no longer resist after 5 hours without root ^^
Root it and be happy

Removed.

Time to root guys. I'll soon do it. I'm just choosing which rom flash lol

J89613 said:
I have to find something out first before I root, because I night have to send my phone to be repaired.
Do any of you notice then the Yellow LED Orange and the White is Purple?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do.
I thought it was normal on Samsung devices not being able to show all colors correctly.
Is this a known issue that needs to be fixed?

Removed.

Razun92 said:
As title... I came from an HTC One M8, that got root 1 sec later I got it out from the box lol.
2 years with rom, flashes, kernels, xposed and and lot of other things.
Well S7 Edge it's a fantastic phone, but without root I feel "empty", I feel something it's wrong with my device lol.
Help me guys, should I root and make my soul happy, but lose warranty, or wait and keep the phone in warranty?
It's the first time I have such a problem, I totally hate this damn knox, but completely love this phone... Help me lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to love rooting and customising my phones. I have an S7 edge and haven't done anything to it apart from change the launcher. So far I haven't needed to do anything else. Part of why I don't want to root is for apps that don't work such as my bank app. I'm not sure if I'll ever root this phone. It might depend how long I keep it for.

Phone without root?
Impossible. No flashing, no low level apps... Took me 30 minutes to root my phone after getting home from the shop. I wouldn't bother using a phone which is not rooted.
Knox/Samsung pay? Not a problem.

Adaway, viper mod, are just 2 reasons for root, made it a month with no root, like it way better now... But that's me.
Sent from my SM-G935W8 using Tapatalk

Rooted, and I'm happy like a little baby

No root no party

Still not rooted. Not needed to

How to Root my S8 to remove that damn Facebook App

So I just discovered I can't uninstall the Facebook app which thoroughly pissed me off. If it's not system critical then I think I aught to be able to uninstall it. Especially with all the news about Facebook scraping phone messages and what not without permission.
So mostly I'm pretty happy with the phone. Still annoyed Google includes pointless uninstallable apps I'm never going to use. For the most part I just disable those and move on. With Facebook, I want it gone.
I'm happy to unroot my device when done or leave it rooted. I've never actually rooted a phone before and the closest I can say I've come is I've jailbroken an old ipod touch before.
So if someone could point me in the right direction to help me remove this blasted Facebook app then I'd be mighty happy about that.
Thanks
Firedingo

You should just be able to disable it without the need for root via the apps menu. If that fails, there's this: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kunkunsoft.packagedisabler or another app callled Package Disabler Pro which should do the job.
I've also read about an app called Adhell which will work too.

Firedingo said:
So I just discovered I can't uninstall the Facebook app which thoroughly pissed me off. If it's not system critical then I think I aught to be able to uninstall it. Especially with all the news about Facebook scraping phone messages and what not without permission.
So mostly I'm pretty happy with the phone. Still annoyed Google includes pointless uninstallable apps I'm never going to use. For the most part I just disable those and move on. With Facebook, I want it gone.
I'm happy to unroot my device when done or leave it rooted. I've never actually rooted a phone before and the closest I can say I've come is I've jailbroken an old ipod touch before.
So if someone could point me in the right direction to help me remove this blasted Facebook app then I'd be mighty happy about that.
Thanks
Firedingo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Post above me is right, just for disabling/uninstalling Facebook, it might be overkill to root.
You have to know: There are different variants of the galaxy s8, based on the geographic location of where you bought it.
The international/european version is "easy" to root, while it's not possible to root an american Galaxy s8. There also is the fact that you void your warranty rooting, if you're outside of the EU ( see this)
So rethink your decission and if you still want to root, we can than show you a guide on how to

jaannnis said:
Post above me is right, just for disabling/uninstalling Facebook, it might be overkill to root.
You have to know: There are different variants of the galaxy s8, based on the geographic location of where you bought it.
The international/european version is "easy" to root, while it's not possible to root an american Galaxy s8. There also is the fact that you void your warranty rooting, if you're outside of the EU <URL trimmed because the system doesn't like it with me as a new user>
So rethink your decission and if you still want to root, we can than show you a guide on how to
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an international version, Australia to be exact. Yeah I knew that rooting voided the warranty. That said, the Australian Consumer Law is NOT voided despite me rooting the device so I may or may not have protection on that front depending on the issue.
I'd still like to know how to root my device. But thank you for raising those relevant points.

Firedingo said:
I have an international version, Australia to be exact. Yeah I knew that rooting voided the warranty. That said, the Australian Consumer Law is NOT voided despite me rooting the device so I may or may not have protection on that front depending on the issue.
I'd still like to know how to root my device. But thank you for raising those relevant points.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In order to root you flash a custom Recovery (TWRP in our case) via Odin on PC (Samsungs flash tool). You than boot up into that recovery and flash either Magisk or SuperSu.
Here is the thread: [RECOVERY][OFFICIAL] TWRP for Galaxy S8 and S8+ (Exynos)+
See post #3 for instructions.

Uninstall facebook without rooting even when its system app .

. Still annoyed Google includes pointless uninstallable apps I'm never going to use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty sure google's AOSP doesn't have this. This is a Samsung decision, not Google.