Database Users

To root or not to root?

I know most people are gonna tell me I should root my phone, but just hear me out really quickly...
I just got my Samsung Vibrant and I truly love the phone. It's a huge upgrade from my G1 in pretty much every way I can think of. I had my G1 rooted since like the second week I had it. I started off with JesusFreke's ROMs and then made my way to Cyanogen's ROMs with a few others that I tried here and there. I tried a bunch of different themes and I used quite a few root apps. I know my way around the rooted Android scene (or at least the rooted G1 scene) pretty well, but I'm not entirely sure if I want to root my Vibrant and here's why:
I'm afraid of voiding my warranty.
There's not really anything that I want to do with the phone that it can't already do (for example, it has plenty of space for apps without the need for A2SD).
I don't want to risk losing things like my text messages over and over again from switching to different ROMs (this happened to me quite a bit with my G1).
My G1's battery and overall performance were much much worse than my friends' G1s which were not rooted. I don't want this happening with my Vibrant.
Some people will think that these reasons are either unimportant or nonexistent, but I disagree. Again, before people start saying "these are the risks of rooting, deal with it or leave," I want to stress that I'm not a newbie at this.
Anyway, the main reason that I DO want to root the phone, regardless of the fact that I told myself I wouldn't, is because of all this junkware that T-Mobile preinstalled the phone. I didn't know the phone came with this crap (like GoGo, TeleNav GPS, Slacker, etc.). We all know that you can't remove this stuff without rooting...I've counted 11 apps that I want to remove from the phone because they're effectively advertisements and I don't want them. So before I make a decision, I'd like to ask some questions...
Would you root the phone if you were ME?
Is it possible to root the Vibrant, remove the apps, and then unroot it, thus leaving the apps gone?
If not ^^, then is it possible to root the Vibrant and keep the stock ROM? I really don't want any custom ROMs...I just want to remove the junkware.
I'm sorry if similar questions have been asked before, but I feel like my specific needs and concerns probably aren't shared by most of the XDA community so I created my own post...
Thanks,
Gerard

actually I think what most are going to say is search the forum... There are several threads on the topic.
You don't have to add any roms if you're rooted. Yes you can remove the bloatware with root. Yes its easy to take your phone out of root, but with the bloatware missing its not hard to see that you have had root at one point.

I actually did root my phone just to remove the junkware....and then used titanium backup to remove what I didn't want....it took me 3 mins to root compared to the 15 mins it took for my nexus....i say its worth it....you can't even tell its rooted so I'm pretty sure the warehouse will never catch it if a exchange is ever needed.....you ll personally make up ur mind as soon as u see the cyanogen 2.2 rom come out hopefully that will be soon....I SAY GO FOR IT
Sent from my Samsung™ Vibrant using XDA App

I'm not bothering to root while I can still return the phone (1st 30 days) and not all the HW issues are know. Once a decent custom ROM is available I'll start looking into rooting, customer recovery, etc. The only thing I'm missing a bit from not being rooted is my Wifi tethering...

Thanks for the replies, guys (and/or girl(s) it looks like lol). I'm glad I wasn't destroyed by people telling me to search the forums...
I'll probably end up doing root sooner or later with very few modifications (if any). I'll wait it out a bit, though. My questions have been answered.
Thanks again!
Gerard

Droid x compared to other phones "In relations to hacking and modding"

Im just curious if anyone can give me any insite on how you like modding the dx? I'm from t-mobile "my touch slide" and I love modding and stuff. I've done light research and it seems there is not much offered for this phone. Could anyone explain that to me for a reason? Anyone give me any insite about this phone?
I just ordered a new plan with verizon and I can always send the phone back but it looks soooo sweet with all of the features but I'm more a guy that likes to change his phone. thanks for any help

Look around that is what this forum is for. Start here http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=691, that is all custom stuff for the phone. You will so much if you just start looking and reading. Many of the questions you have will have already been answered. I have only have my phone a few weeks and have already tried alot of stuff. Have fun.

Simple explanation - the Droid X (along with Droid 2, Pro, and 2 Global) have a locked bootloader. Because of this, we can't install custom kernals. Therefore we are stuck using Motorola's Blur kernal. Hopefully the bootloader will be cracked soon, then we can see ROMs such as Cyanogen Mod come to be.

But just because we don't have a cracked bootloader doesn't mean we can't have fun. We're still rooted, and we can install roms, we can overclock (although not as good as if we had custom kernels), dozens of themes, etc.

rooted vs unlock bootloader
Since the question is already set.
Can someone explain if I'm right or wrong?
I think that someone had unlocked the "bootloader"
but with the new Motorola official update froyo 2.2.1
I believe it is locked again the Bootloader.
So maybe I totally misunderstand it but changing the Kernel only make some kind of performance improvement (sometimes this improvements are only notice for the expert people, not to regular people who don't get his phone to the extreme of performance).
So if it is actually "rooted" the DroidX, it means that I can only change themes and put&take off some apps and that is, or what else?
I guess time ago I used the sentence "Flash a ROM" when I actually replace/change the system file or kernel, and use the word Theme/Mod when only change some UI and apps, so to "Rooted" is not as flashing a ROM?
I'm correct or something more deep is missing in my idea??
Sorry but everybody start being a noob (in Android) before get the knowledge.
Thanks in advance Sa6r0s0 :thumbright:

[Q] Rooting my Note3, what and how now?

Hey guys, just a quick question. Please please excuse me for I am definitely a noob, but I've done some research about rooting and what it offers yet I still don't know how to use it. It feels much like learning how to drive a stick... understanding in theory, but difficult in application until practice. My note 3 is rooted, but I still have no idea what and how much I can do from here. Not to mention, while I'm doing research and trying to educate myself, there are some names and terms I do not understand. Anyway, let me just write some of the questions I have in a list:
1) Cyanogenmod. Is it available for verizon note 3 running 4.3? I keep getting search results that there are while the cyanogenmod website itself doesn't offer it? I also got a Nexus 7 to try to expand my knowledge in this field, and it does have cyanogenmod installed. Now, to my understanding, it runs side by side with the Android OS while it basically strips the device's bloatware, giving you the pure, simple, raw experience of Android OS. If I were to install cyanogenmod to the note 3, how would it affect the camera functions and the s pen functions? The reason why I ask about the camera is because using my Nexus's camera and looking at some youtube videos of note 2's with cyanogenmod, it seems like it would actually be a downgrade from the note 3's stock camera. And as far as the S pen goes, I've realized that I would lose the action notes, s notes, and sketchbook for galaxy apps, wouldn't I? How could I go around that?
2) Flashing ROMS. What exactly does this do? All I can find is that it allows me to customize my phone, but I don't seem to understand to what extent.
3) Kernels. What are these?
Lol, so sorry for such basic questions. But I would really really appreciate your patience and information!

CyanogenMod is unofficially available for the Note 3. Not everything works. CyanogenMod is a ROM that changes the software on the phone. It's a more customized version of Android, and very close to "stock". If you use CyanogenMod however, you will lose your S-Pen and it's features, along with all of the other TouchWiz features of the phone (gestures, split screen, etc.). The S-pen will act as a basic mouse pointer. CyanogenMod is not pure AOSP, it's quite far from it. It's similar, but very different from a pure Google experience. It's really a beast of it's own in my opinion, and is now a stand alone company that will seek to profit off of the ROM (likely by coming standard on some devices). That's not to say it isn't good, I run it on most of my other devices but on the Note 3, without the S-Pen it's just a big phone.
ROM's are customized versions of Android typically created by a developer or group of developers. The features of each ROM will change. A 4.3 TouchWiz rom might remove all of the carrier bloat (applications not likely used, but run in the background and offer little no actual use to anyone). They'll also provide enhancements and tweaks that make life a little easier like a quick-access flashlight tied to your volume up button, or the ability to remove certain icons from the notification panel, a batter percentage indicator in the notification panel, removing the exchange security permissions, or just general speed improvements over the factory settings. There are many advantages to a ROM and once you use them you'll likely never go back to stock. The ROM features are typically listed in the ROM's topic.
There are many ROM's out there for many different devices, so make sure you only install one that is made for your phone. You'll also hear about AOSP ROM's, these are stock or close-to-stock versions of Android, typically found on Nexus devices. The way Google intended Android to be used.
Android uses a Linux Kernal. It's a customized version of Linux. It's the base operating system behind Android. Similar to ROM's, different kernals can offer different levels of customization, however they won't be as prevalent as a ROM since they deal more with the core of the operating system. The Kernal will manage the drivers for all the different components of the phone, like your radios (how you receive a phone signal), your sensors, camera, CPU, etc. Be especially careful when changing Kernals, it can drastically affect your phone, and possibly permanently.
I'll put in the caveat that this is my understanding, and may not be 100% accurate. People are welcome to correct my mistakes and misunderstandings I may have =)
I hope you find it helpful!

Thank you for your response and information!
Okay, so I guess Cyanogenmod for the Note 3 is not an option for me since I enjoy using my S pen (I mean, why else would I have gotten the phone in the first place haha)
Could you direct me to some useful ROMs or recommend me some? The thing is, I had the Motorola Droid as my first smartphone and never really got into rooting or anything, and when I got the iPhone 4s, that's when I started learning about jailbreaking and got pretty good at it too. Now that I'm back to Android and learning about root, I've realized just how.. simple and basic jailbreaking is compared to rooting. So, would these ROMs be similar to tweaks you can get from the Cydia store in, let's say, behavior of the phone?
I don't think I would want to mess with kernels for a long while either, not until I get more acquainted with rooting in general.

ch0i said:
Thank you for your response and information!
Okay, so I guess Cyanogenmod for the Note 3 is not an option for me since I enjoy using my S pen (I mean, why else would I have gotten the phone in the first place haha)
Could you direct me to some useful ROMs or recommend me some? The thing is, I had the Motorola Droid as my first smartphone and never really got into rooting or anything, and when I got the iPhone 4s, that's when I started learning about jailbreaking and got pretty good at it too. Now that I'm back to Android and learning about root, I've realized just how.. simple and basic jailbreaking is compared to rooting. So, would these ROMs be similar to tweaks you can get from the Cydia store in, let's say, behavior of the phone?
I don't think I would want to mess with kernels for a long while either, not until I get more acquainted with rooting in general.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well first thing you need is safestrap so you can actually flash a ROM link here
This allows you to create limited size slots to flash a ROM to without effecting the stock ROM. There is a way around the size limitation of the slots, but I wouldn't worry about that yet. Just get a feel for it first before you risk bricking.
As for a ROM, head on over to the android development section and pick one. They all have great descriptions of what they have and what they don't. Personally I run hyperdrive and it makes a great daily driver. Still has enough of the original Samsung stuff to look like a Note 3 but allows you to tweak it much further. There are plenty others, and that's the beauty of safestrap, flash to your heart a content until you find one you like.
Kernals aren't something to worry about yet because the boot loader is still locked, limiting our ability to flash a kernal or a custom recovery at that. Unless something has changed that is... Has it? Did it get unlocked while I was asleep.
I you ever get stuck, search then ask. You might also want to read about ODIN here. since you're already rooted some of this doesn't pertain to you, but is still a good read as ODIN will help you recover from some problems.
Hope that helped.

blksprk said:
Well first thing you need is safestrap so you can actually flash a ROM link here
This allows you to create limited size slots to flash a ROM to without effecting the stock ROM. There is a way around the size limitation of the slots, but I wouldn't worry about that yet. Just get a feel for it first before you risk bricking.
As for a ROM, head on over to the android development section and pick one. They all have great descriptions of what they have and what they don't. Personally I run hyperdrive and it makes a great daily driver. Still has enough of the original Samsung stuff to look like a Note 3 but allows you to tweak it much further. There are plenty others, and that's the beauty of safestrap, flash to your heart a content until you find one you like.
Kernals aren't something to worry about yet because the boot loader is still locked, limiting our ability to flash a kernal or a custom recovery at that. Unless something has changed that is... Has it? Did it get unlocked while I was asleep.
I you ever get stuck, search then ask. You might also want to read about ODIN here. since you're already rooted some of this doesn't pertain to you, but is still a good read as ODIN will help you recover from some problems.
Hope that helped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It did! Thank you very much!

ch0i said:
It did! Thank you very much!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only option with Safestrap and therefore on newer Verizon Note 3's is a ROM based on stock, so Cyanogenmod isn't an option at all.
I would consider Hyperdrive. Enhanced app windowing options, Xposed framework to get rid of earphone hearing damage warning and never ending reminder about how to clear default apps and tons of little customizations. Getting rid of boot sound is reason enough for me.
Other things on your checklist whether you get a custom ROM or not is Adaware, which you can download on xda to block ads. Need Titanium Backup to back up apps with data, something you can't do without root and very useful when switching ROMs or phones. Lots of other useful tools like Root Explorer on Google Play. If you stick with your stock ROM, do the mod to allow free tethering for Wi-Fi.
Since you like your S Pen, you need Pen Window Manager, available on Play to choose for yourself which apps can run in a pen window. That was one of the big reasons I wanted to root this phone.
By the way, once you find a ROM you like, it's best to nandroid back it up, backup the stock ROM for safety, then restore your custom ROM to the Safestrap stock slot. The ROM 1-4 slots have limited storage so not great long term solution if you have a lot of apps, etc.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

[Q] Looking to get started with Rom cooking / Development, hoping for some advice!

Hey All,
Long time lurker and consumer of ROMs for previous phones (Most recently the Razr) and recently decided it was time for an upgrade. I did my homework and it looks like the Galaxy S5 is the best phone out there in terms of features. I have grandfathered data on big red for now and I'd kind of like to keep it. I almost switched away because of how horrid VZ is being about locking their phones down, but I came across the Dev edition and figured I'd give it a go. It should be here Friday.
I've noticed that there's a flourishing community for the naively unlockable S5's but no such luck for the VZ phones, and that seems like a gap that I might be able to fill. I have a basic background into the parts of a ROM (Kernel, Bootloader, Libs, Recoveries) and do have a solid foundation of programming knowledge, but I have never built a rom nor ported one (nor written an app), so I'm popping a big cherry here.
I'm doing my research (xda-university, developer.android.com and some threads I found ) by searching and have a lot to learn, but I wanted to get some dev's perspective on what specifically I need to learn in order to successfully get started on S5 development.
First thing I'd like to do is go through the steps of building a 'beginner' ROM (Maybe an AOSP rom? or port an existing rom to the VZ dev edition? Might even just start with a de-bloat of the stock software) Basically I'd like to start getting my hands wet and learning what it takes to cook roms.
Specific questions i'd like to pose to the chefs/devs out there are:
Do you think a port or AOSP build is the best first step? If not, what should be?
What do I need to do to get started? Any additional guides or reading would be greatly appreciated.
What tools that I need to learn about?
Anything specific to Samsung / Galaxy devices that I won't find in the "General purpose" guides that I should google?
What should I NOT do in my first forays? I'm looking to cook roms, but not looking to have a $600 doorstop!
Finally, hopefully someone with more Samsung / Dev edition experience might be able to answer my last (and to me personally, most important) question:
From what I've read, it sounds like Samsung is crap about releasing OTAs / New Android builds that are compatible with the dev editions - Will this stop those of us that have dev editions from upgrading to further versions of android? A big reason I bought such a powerhouse of a phone is to somewhat future-proof it against future versions of android inevitably becoming more resource heavy. If we're not going to be able to upgrade I'm not sure I chose the right device.
Thanks in advance!!
-McAtom

I'm running a custom ROM, Why Don't You?

I have been using my Nexus 6 ever since I abandoned Apple. I owned every iPhone from the 3GS to the 6. I picked up my 64GB Cloud White from Amazon when they were $250 and haven't looked back since. I've always been a big techy and can't believe I stayed on boring IOS so long.
That said, when I first got my Nexus 6 of course I stuck to the stock ROM. MRA58K ended up being my favorite. I just liked having the Marshmallow update before everyone else. It was fun trying out the latest features in Android. It was all new to me.
Now, I've come to the point where I like the features in custom ROMs over stock. I prefer Android to IOS regardless. The damn App drawer is enough to make me never go back. Stock Android is good, but the things that can be achieved with root and/or custom ROMs is so much better. I don't necessarily need to use Android Pay, but it can be achieved with systemless root on stock and some custom ROMs anyway. So I run a custom ROM. I know how to use fastboot and TWRP so I can either flash a new ROM or fastboot flash stuff and call it a day.
So, why do you prefer stock ROMs / Kernels and not having ROOT to custom ROMs? Like, what are your deal breakers that pull you from root / custom ROMs and Kernels to stock Android?

Dopamin3 said:
I have been using my Nexus 6 ever since I abandoned Apple. I owned every iPhone from the 3GS to the 6. I picked up my 64GB Cloud White from Amazon when they were $250 and haven't looked back since. I've always been a big techy and can't believe I stayed on boring IOS so long.
That said, when I first got my Nexus 6 of course I stuck to the stock ROM. MRA58K ended up being my favorite. I just liked having the Marshmallow update before everyone else. It was fun trying out the latest features in Android. It was all new to me.
Now, I've come to the point where I like the features in custom ROMs over stock. I prefer Android to IOS regardless. The damn App drawer is enough to make me never go back. Stock Android is good, but the things that can be achieved with root and/or custom ROMs is so much better. I don't necessarily need to use Android Pay, but it can be achieved with systemless root on stock and some custom ROMs anyway. So I run a custom ROM. I know how to use fastboot and TWRP so I can either flash a new ROM or fastboot flash stuff and call it a day.
So, why do you prefer stock ROMs / Kernels and not having ROOT to custom ROMs? Like, what are your deal breakers that pull you from root / custom ROMs and Kernels to stock Android?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to root my phone for two reason. 1) I liked stock android over the other skins that LG, Samsung, and the like put on their phones, and 2) I liked to run custom kernels to squeeze every last bit of performance out of my single core phones. Fast forward to 2015. I have a Nexus 6, so I have stock Android out of the box with all the benefits that come with a Nexus phone. Also with modern hardware, a custom kernel really doesn't offer enough of a performance increase for me to warrant adding root and all the things that come with flashing a custom ROM. I used to love to tinker, but now at the end of the day, I just want my phone to work, and stock Android on my Nexus phone does all I want it to do.

as always, with Android, its all about choice.
and, even though stock Android blows away anything on the IBone, the reality is that at least 80% of the users on XDA are using custom roms, or at least rooted.
If you want to stay stock, good for you; if you want to stay stock and rooted, that's even better.
But if you dont know why most folks want to root, then you might be frequenting the wrong web forum..
Dont kid yourself; the VAST MAJORITY of members on XDA come here for custom roms, custom hacks, custom anything and everything..

I already have the Federal Government telling me what is good for me and what will make me happy, I'd rather not have Google do the same with a stock ROM.

I've ran many custom roms, but I'm not on my Nexus 6. I like the stock rom. I'm happy with just root and custom recovery on my stock setup. Device runs great and I get great battery life. I can use the root apps I want and that's enough for me.

Here is a much more important question:
I don't post repeated things in separate threads to keep the forum clean. Why don't you?
Here is your original post on the present thread:
Dopamin3 said:
I have been using my Nexus 6 ever since I abandoned Apple. I owned every iPhone from the 3GS to the 6. I picked up my 64GB Cloud White from Amazon when they were $250 and haven't looked back since. I've always been a big techy and can't believe I stayed on boring IOS so long.
That said, when I first got my Nexus 6 of course I stuck to the stock ROM. MRA58K ended up being my favorite. I just liked having the Marshmallow update before everyone else. It was fun trying out the latest features in Android. It was all new to me.
Now, I've come to the point where I like the features in custom ROMs over stock. I prefer Android to IOS regardless. The damn App drawer is enough to make me never go back. Stock Android is good, but the things that can be achieved with root and/or custom ROMs is so much better. I don't necessarily need to use Android Pay, but it can be achieved with systemless root on stock and some custom ROMs anyway. So I run a custom ROM. I know how to use fastboot and TWRP so I can either flash a new ROM or fastboot flash stuff and call it a day.
So, why do you prefer stock ROMs / Kernels and not having ROOT to custom ROMs? Like, what are your deal breakers that pull you from root / custom ROMs and Kernels to stock Android?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And here is a substantially identical thread at http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/general/im-sticking-to-stock-dont-t3383517
Techbyte said:
I have been using my Nexus 6 ever since I abandoned Apple. I owned every iPhone from the 3GS to the 6. I picked up my 64GB Cloud White from Amazon when they were $250 and haven't looked back since. I've always been a big techy and can't believe I stayed on boring IOS so long.
That said, when I first got my Nexus 6 of course I started trying out some custom ROMs. Pure Nexus ended up being my favorite. I just liked being able to mod my status and nav bar really. It was fun trying out ROMs, Kernels, etc. It was all new to me.
Now, I've come to the point where it just doesn't really matter to me. I prefer Android to IOS regardless. The damn App drawer is enough to make me never go back. I like stock Android the way it is. I also like using and having the ability to use Android Pay. So I roll stock. I take my OTAs and Security updates as they come and call it a day.
So, why do you prefer custom ROMs / Kernels and having ROOT to stock Android? Like, what are your deal breakers that pull you from stock to rooted / custom ROMs and Kernels?
EDIT:
Thank you all for your responses. I was in no way trying to down people for modding out their own property, I was actually looking to see why some people feel root / roms are required. I just read through all of the responses and I seen quite a few that I didn't even know about or think of. Interesting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Am I missing something or is this some kind of joke?

I'm cooking my own, as for how much it is custom, that's another question. Since it's a hobby project for me, and since I code for a living, and have family and kids, I don't even touch the code every weekend.

najoor said:
Here is a much more important question:
I don't post repeated things in separate threads to keep the forum clean. Why don't you?
Here is your original post on the present thread:
And here is a substantially identical thread at http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/general/im-sticking-to-stock-dont-t3383517
Am I missing something or is this some kind of joke?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I smell a "Spambot"

najoor said:
Here is a much more important question:
I don't post repeated things in separate threads to keep the forum clean. Why don't you?
Here is your original post on the present thread:
And here is a substantially identical thread at http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/general/im-sticking-to-stock-dont-t3383517
Am I missing something or is this some kind of joke?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LMAO! Dopamin3 is most definitely not me, but I see where his choice of thread title and having the Nexus 6 made you think that. Purely coincidental I assure you. I have one account and this is it.
EDIT: Wait, wtf? I posted before I read the thread. He straight up copy and pasted one of my posts. Just added a little to it. Oh Wow. No wonder.... Still not me though.

Techbyte said:
LMAO! Dopamin3 is most definitely not me, but I see where his choice of thread title and having the Nexus 6 made you think that. Purely coincidental I assure you. I have one account and this is it.
EDIT: Wait, wtf? I posted before I read the thread. He straight up copy and pasted one of my posts. Just added a little to it. Oh Wow. No wonder.... Still not me though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uh... right.
Why would anybody do that, especially for something as pointless as THIS?

doitright said:
Uh... right.
Why would anybody do that, especially for something as pointless as THIS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No idea. Maybe he seen my post and was in a similar situation. First time jumping from iPhone, picked up the Nexus 6 on that Amazon sale. I am sure they sold thousands of them. I could care less to be honest. I just responded because that is not me.

It's been said by others above, but the fact is that the monthly security updates and getting the latest Android (well, maybe not the final release of N, but still), there just isn't as much reason for a custom ROM for me. I use Helium Backup, which works pretty well without root, and backup/restore was one of the few reasons I would root previously.
I have it OEM unlocked, custom recovery, but no root. Things seem to "just work", and I can't be bothered with the idiosyncrasies of running a custom ROM especially on a Nexus phone.

Custom roms since joining XDA, it's what I enjoy and I would miss the "high" otherwise!