Database Users

Rooting as a whole

Seems after getting the Note 4 I have found my self wondering how I was ever with out root. Its crazy I cant stand this phone with out root. Its maddening to know I have Ads and apps I don't need. If Verizon didn't offer this phone at Christmas for 150.00 I would have never got it. #1 Reason no root was out yet but I took a chance. I know now or always have that you DEVS work hard to get stuff done. This was just a big ....
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK!

Root will be out soon. I had no patience and switched to the Dev edition. I HATE ads and clustered samsung status bar with passion...

WhiteReign said:
Seems after getting the Note 4 I have found my self wondering how I was ever with out root. Its crazy I cant stand this phone with out root. Its maddening to know I have Ads and apps I don't need. If Verizon didn't offer this phone at Christmas for 150.00 I would have never got it. #1 Reason no root was out yet but I took a chance. I know now or always have that you DEVS work hard to get stuff done. This was just a big ....
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Articulated very nicely. I too long for Root and full control of my phone restored in my hands.

Op is the one who has joined XDA since 2011 and more than 400+ thanks (out of 500+ posts ) Posted this in the wrong forum accidentally or didn't know this is development forum

This is exactly why I sold my Verizon n4 and got a nexus 6. I have never had a phone without root. It was driving me nuts as well. I love the phone but couldn't deal with no root. I check back periodically to see if root has been achieved. Maybe one day I will have a n4 again.

Meh... You can disable the bloat with the stock app manager... Yeah, not 100%, but I am not gonna obsess about 4 or 5 tiny apps or services running in the background that I don't see or notice anyway... I am not that much of a control freak... It's a phone, not the center of my universe that I feel compelled to bend 100% to my will.. hehe
Root would be nice I guess, but on these newer phones, the appeal is less and less. I can skin it however I want with dozens of launchers, and debloating a few extra apps with root won't make it any faster...
By the time root comes out, the devs will have moved on to newer phones so the ROM support will suck anyway...

It's unfortunate. I would love to have root access on this phone for various reasons . My next phone will have it, even if I have to leave Verizon.
Sadly, the Verizon Note 4 is never going to see it...at least not before the next round of Note flagships

First post, just got a note 4. Had a rooted lg g2 before it. I'm loving the note so far (only had it about a week), but I use limelight to play computer games on my phone and it doesn't support mouse input very well without root access. . . As has been said I've disabled most of the bloat, but it would be nice to be able to just get rid of it. Also Sixaxis controller requires root to pair a ps3 or 4 controller to my phone... I hope root comes soon, maybe I should become a developer to help the cause. I too thank you for all your work.

SquireSCA said:
Meh... You can disable the bloat with the stock app manager... Yeah, not 100%, but I am not gonna obsess about 4 or 5 tiny apps or services running in the background that I don't see or notice anyway... I am not that much of a control freak... It's a phone, not the center of my universe that I feel compelled to bend 100% to my will.. hehe
Root would be nice I guess, but on these newer phones, the appeal is less and less. I can skin it however I want with dozens of launchers, and debloating a few extra apps with root won't make it any faster...
By the time root comes out, the devs will have moved on to newer phones so the ROM support will suck anyway...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can disable any app you want using adb shell.
This issue around root has been interesting for me. For awhile, I was like you, OP and many others who feel they must have root. However, after about 5 weeks of use now, I find myself perfectly happy with the Note 4 just the way it is and I wonder if I'll even take root-ability into consideration when making my next phone purchase.

mlin said:
You can disable any app you want using adb shell.
This issue around root has been interesting for me. For awhile, I was like you, OP and many others who feel they must have root. However, after about 5 weeks of use now, I find myself perfectly happy with the Note 4 just the way it is and I wonder if I'll even take root-ability into consideration when making my next phone purchase.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am with you. Root used to be mandatory IMHO, as phone makers just didn't seem to be able to get the phone's to work properly out of the box... slow, clunky, missing things, instability, outdated software, etc...
Nowadays, I just don't see that. Typically it is the ROMs that are unstable, miss features, etc... I see thread after thread of this great new ROM! But the camera is flunky, doesn't have data, or the IR blaster doesn't work, etc...
I had an LG G2 and the ROMs didn't impress me much. Went to a GS5 and was even less impressed. None of the ones that I tried were measurably faster than stock, none were 100% functional, or if they were, they were just tweaked stock ROMs and so what's the point? Risk warranty issues or bricking it, or not able to get OTA's, for what? Just to be able to brag to my nerd friends that I had a transparent status bar because a regular one bothers me SOOOO SOOOO much? LOL
The Note 4, is amazing. Debloat it with ADB or with the app manager, install your favorite launcher and icon pack to get the look and feel that you want, and know that it will work 100%, it's fast, stable and no warranty issues, no being left out when Lollipop drops and you want it but it breaks root again so you have to stick with the old software, etc...

I'm with you guys. I come from a Nexus4 and still have a Nexus7. I miss root for Titanium backup and that's about it. Sure I'm going to once it drops but the note is a very capable device able to stand on its own.

SquireSCA said:
Meh... You can disable the bloat with the stock app manager... Yeah, not 100%, but I am not gonna obsess about 4 or 5 tiny apps or services running in the background that I don't see or notice anyway... I am not that much of a control freak... It's a phone, not the center of my universe that I feel compelled to bend 100% to my will.. hehe
Root would be nice I guess, but on these newer phones, the appeal is less and less. I can skin it however I want with dozens of launchers, and debloating a few extra apps with root won't make it any faster...
By the time root comes out, the devs will have moved on to newer phones so the ROM support will suck anyway...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4 or 5 apps? You must be oblivious to the hundreds of services and dozens of apps that are running on your phone. Don't forget about hundreds of intents that must all be doing something in your favor.
Big Red just wants your phone to run smooth and they want your battery life to be even more fabulous.

xdadevnube said:
4 or 5 apps? You must be oblivious to the hundreds of services and dozens of apps that are running on your phone. Don't forget about hundreds of intents that must all be doing something in your favor.
Big Red just wants your phone to run smooth and they want your battery life to be even more fabulous.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can disable any app on the phone with this.

xdadevnube said:
4 or 5 apps? You must be oblivious to the hundreds of services and dozens of apps that are running on your phone. Don't forget about hundreds of intents that must all be doing something in your favor.
Big Red just wants your phone to run smooth and they want your battery life to be even more fabulous.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can disable most of the things in the app manager. There are only a few that you can't, but then you can do that with ADB. Either way, you can debloat the phone, without root, and without risk of messing up your warranty or the ability to get the Lollipop OTA in a few weeks.
Also, a lot of reviews have shown that disabling everything under the sun to free up RAM, can actually slow your phone down, not speed it up.
Getting the true crap disabled, is the biggest thing and anyone can do that without root today.

It doesn't have to be the center of someone's Universe for them to enjoy changing it and making it their own, people do this will all types of things. Some would call it a "hobby" or an interest. Lots of people enjoy spending hours on Facebook or playing video games, others enjoy tinkering with their devices.
I went for a while with a retail Note 4 and ended up getting a DE. There are too many things that I missed, here are some of them:
Add WiFi HotSpot Toggle and Bypass Subscription Check
Add Flashlight Toggle
AdAway
Titanium Backup
Viper4Android
Root Explorer
Xposed Framework with the following modules:
-Youtube AdAway
-Play Store Link In App Info
-Wanam
-Swype Keyboard Tweaks
-Notify Clean (Clean notification area)
-No Map Tips (Disable Google Play Maps location accuracy tips)
-Google Play Music Listen Later (Change the default Google Play Music pane and tabs)
-Disable Clear Defaults Dialog
Chrome Pie (Add Pie control to Chrome)

SquireSCA said:
Meh... You can disable the bloat with the stock app manager... Yeah, not 100%, but I am not gonna obsess about 4 or 5 tiny apps or services running in the background that I don't see or notice anyway... I am not that much of a control freak... It's a phone, not the center of my universe that I feel compelled to bend 100% to my will.. hehe
Root would be nice I guess, but on these newer phones, the appeal is less and less. I can skin it however I want with dozens of launchers, and debloating a few extra apps with root won't make it any faster...
By the time root comes out, the devs will have moved on to newer phones so the ROM support will suck anyway...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And whats even better you can block every single possible app with adb !
Until we get root its live able without it.
Sent from my SM-N910V using XDA Free mobile app

SquireSCA said:
You can disable most of the things in the app manager. There are only a few that you can't, but then you can do that with ADB. Either way, you can debloat the phone, without root, and without risk of messing up your warranty or the ability to get the Lollipop OTA in a few weeks.
Also, a lot of reviews have shown that disabling everything under the sun to free up RAM, can actually slow your phone down, not speed it up.
Getting the true crap disabled, is the biggest thing and anyone can do that without root today.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
like I said, oblivious

The Note 4 is so sick the way it is! Do I wish we had root? Check. Do I wish we had unlocked bootloader? Check. Am I gonna give up on THE best phone out right now because I don't have those things? Hell NO! The phone is a beast! And I'll keep waiting, maybe for nothing....... but if it is for nothing, I'll live. Love the Note 4! And sticking with it no matter what.

zounduser said:
The Note 4 is so sick the way it is! Do I wish we had root? Check. Do I wish we had unlocked bootloader? Check. Am I gonna give up on THE best phone out right now because I don't have those things? Hell NO! The phone is a beast! And I'll keep waiting, maybe for nothing....... but if it is for nothing, I'll live. Love the Note 4! And sticking with it no matter what.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Phone sucks without root. Seems like you don't need your xda account anymore
Sent from my SM-N900V using XDA Free mobile app
---------- Post added at 11:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:20 PM ----------
I can't use a phone without pie controls. Comes in handywhen laying in the bed
Sent from my SM-N900V using XDA Free mobile app

I miss being able to use better battery stats to follow wakelocks. I haven't had any real issues with wakelocks so far, but it really is just a matter of time.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Blocking Ads Without Root? Will ZTE Ever Step Up?

Long story short I haven't unlocked my bootloader to root my phone yet, since ZTE are offering virtually zero support and haven't even supplied a factory image (WTF!), so I don't have a properly working method to block ads.
This makes YouTube absolutely worthless to me, I'm not going to watch a 30 second ad about something I probably hate with a fiery passion in order to watch a 2 minute video. Just simply browsing the web has become painful and indescribably annoying.
So is there any (actually effective) method out there which I can use to block the cancer of the internet known as advertisements without having root? Will ZTE ever do what every other company does and offer some bare minimum support for the community? If I knew ZTE were going to be this horrible about support I wouldn't have even bought the phone to begin with.

Cyrus D. said:
Long story short I haven't unlocked my bootloader to root my phone yet, since ZTE are offering virtually zero support and haven't even supplied a factory image (WTF!), so I don't have a properly working method to block ads.
This makes YouTube absolutely worthless to me, I'm not going to watch a 30 second ad about something I probably hate with a fiery passion in order to watch a 2 minute video. Just simply browsing the web has become painful and indescribably annoying.
So is there any (actually effective) method out there which I can use to block the cancer of the internet known as advertisements without having root? Will ZTE ever do what every other company does and offer some bare minimum support for the community? If I knew ZTE were going to be this horrible about support I wouldn't have even bought the phone to begin with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try Adguard, works like a charm

Gachmuret said:
Try Adguard, works like a charm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And it won't steal my info????

Cyrus D. said:
Long story short I haven't unlocked my bootloader to root my phone yet, since ZTE are offering virtually zero support and haven't even supplied a factory image (WTF!), so I don't have a properly working method to block ads.
This makes YouTube absolutely worthless to me, I'm not going to watch a 30 second ad about something I probably hate with a fiery passion in order to watch a 2 minute video. Just simply browsing the web has become painful and indescribably annoying.
So is there any (actually effective) method out there which I can use to block the cancer of the internet known as advertisements without having root? Will ZTE ever do what every other company does and offer some bare minimum support for the community? If I knew ZTE were going to be this horrible about support I wouldn't have even bought the phone to begin with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had my Axon 7 rooted and xposed working perfectly WAYYYYYYY before I unlocked it. And I am willing to bet that if you look in the rest of this wonderful XDA section you will find a posting or two about root without bootloader unlock, and the first step is making a backup so if something does go wrong you can use your backup!

Gachmuret said:
Try Adguard, works like a charm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's paid only in order to block ads in apps and it's not even a one time purchase, it's an annual license. I won't purchase licenses which expire for Android apps. For now I have the free version installed, but the fact that it gives a warning stating that it's reported battery or data usage will be false (other application's stats will supposedly be recorded as AdGuard's) makes it suspicious to even begin with.
tabletalker7 said:
I had my Axon 7 rooted and xposed working perfectly WAYYYYYYY before I unlocked it. And I am willing to bet that if you look in the rest of this wonderful XDA section you will find a posting or two about root without bootloader unlock, and the first step is making a backup so if something does go wrong you can use your backup!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The last time I checked on rooting without unlocking it was super convoluted and there were reports of people left and right bricking things.
- What do I even backup with and can it even be done fully without having root in the first place?
- Can it use ZTE's OTA updates without bricking if that's done?
- Is it actually a full proper root?

Cyrus D. said:
It's paid only in order to block ads in apps and it's not even a one time purchase, it's an annual license. I won't purchase licenses which expire for Android apps. For now I have the free version installed, but the fact that it gives a warning stating that it's reported battery or data usage will be false (other application's stats will supposedly be recorded as AdGuard's) makes it suspicious to even begin with.
The last time I checked on rooting without unlocking it was super convoluted and there were reports of people left and right bricking things.
- What do I even backup with and can it even be done fully without having root in the first place?
- Can it use ZTE's OTA updates without bricking if that's done?
- Is it actually a full proper root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It worked for me. On the forum for Axon 7 root without unlock the first thing you do is make a backup of the boot and recovery. You can flash those with the same program used to root it and install TWRP. After that we also have a forum here with full stock roms that you can flash with TWRP just to unbrick and they work.

I live in Spain, have a Play Music subscription (YouTube RED isn't available here... *sigh*) and have installed AdGuard two days ago to get rid of those stupid, stupid commercials, but it seriously messed up my battery info.
I would reach around 20% battery and the phone would just turn off. Completely drained. Kaput. Happened twice with full charge with original charger and cable (I thought my Moto X's QC2 had broken something, but it's the app after all).
I have it set up on manual mode now, so that I can activate it outside home and avoid YouTube's commercials and consequent date plan limit (even if I'm a paying customer! Dang it Google!!!).

The non-Play Store versions of Lightning Browser (free) have built-in adblock. You can get it from the developer's github or from F-Droid. It also has a dark theme that's perfect for AMOLED screens like the Axon 7's.

*** Thread Cleaned ***
Let's keep the comments respectful, and on-topic. If you think a comment falls outside of XDA Rules, simply hit the REPORT icon.

Cyrus D. said:
Long story short I haven't unlocked my bootloader to root my phone yet, since ZTE are offering virtually zero support and haven't even supplied a factory image (WTF!), so I don't have a properly working method to block ads.
This makes YouTube absolutely worthless to me, I'm not going to watch a 30 second ad about something I probably hate with a fiery passion in order to watch a 2 minute video. Just simply browsing the web has become painful and indescribably annoying.
So is there any (actually effective) method out there which I can use to block the cancer of the internet known as advertisements without having root? Will ZTE ever do what every other company does and offer some bare minimum support for the community? If I knew ZTE were going to be this horrible about support I wouldn't have even bought the phone to begin with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really cannot fathom why you're equating "ZTE stepping up" with "root". Because AFAIK, no OEM actively supports rooting their phones.
So what it comes down to is your unwillingness to root your phone using the proven method available here on XDA. It sounds like you're afraid for some reason, which I don't understand because it's virtually impossible to hard brick your phone at this point, assuming you can follow simple instructions.
AdAway works just fine on my A2017U running B27 and was the single biggest reason I rooted my phone in the first place. My bootloader is still locked, as well.

rczrider said:
I really cannot fathom why you're equating "ZTE stepping up" with "root". Because AFAIK, no OEM actively supports rooting their phones.
So what it comes down to is your unwillingness to root your phone using the proven method available here on XDA. It sounds like you're afraid for some reason, which I don't understand because it's virtually impossible to hard brick your phone at this point, assuming you can follow simple instructions.
AdAway works just fine on my A2017U running B27 and was the single biggest reason I rooted my phone in the first place. My bootloader is still locked, as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotta ask, adaway fails with my axon, I figured it was since we have the systemless root, how did you get it to work?

It's not ZTE's job to block ads for you. Most vendor-specific flavors of android don't offer built-in ad blocking. If you want to complain to anyone, complain to Google for not allowing extensions in Chrome. They're lagging behind IOS there.
Use adguard like others have suggested, or root your phone if you want deeper ad blocking.

Ruttix said:
Gotta ask, adaway fails with my axon, I figured it was since we have the systemless root, how did you get it to work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Adaway works with systemless root.
If you turn off /system write protection, you can use adaway fine, but it modifies /system.
If you want to do it without modifying system, you'll probably need to use magisk.

I don't know how it's mistaken for anything else but I guess I have to clarify. By ZTE steping up, I didn't mean that they should provide us with direct root or adblock or anything like that. I meant they should have offered the basics everyone does, like a freakin' factory image and clear info so those who brick their phones can figure out how to fix it without praying someone on some forums can save them.
As for no company supporting root, even if they don't directly state it, that's pretty much OnePlus's thing, the direct competitor to ZTE right now.

Ruttix said:
Gotta ask, adaway fails with my axon, I figured it was since we have the systemless root, how did you get it to work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Type this in terminal:
Code:
reboot disemmcwp

AdGuard lifetime license is cheap. Especially because you can switch currencies when you add it to your cart, and then switch it back to your currency when you enter your credit card. I got 3 lifetime licenses for like 8 bucks apiece just last week.
I got a refund, though, because I had too many questions that it didn't answer. I think it's a legit product but I've gotten used to NetGuard's logging functions whereas AdGuard is kinda "set it and forget it" but their advanced functions feel clunky.

Cyrus D. said:
It's paid only in order to block ads in apps and it's not even a one time purchase, it's an annual license. I won't purchase licenses which expire for Android apps. For now I have the free version installed, but the fact that it gives a warning stating that it's reported battery or data usage will be false (other application's stats will supposedly be recorded as AdGuard's) makes it suspicious to even begin with.
root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are wrong,
There's life time subscription.
I've bought 4 licenses for using it at 2 Windows and 2 android device.
No impact on battery life over 6 months I'm using on 2 smartphone and 2 windows(surface pro 4 and thinkpad 8)
I'm also using at my iPad as free safari extension and battery life is once again rock solid.
And is doing very very good job indeed blocking not only ads but other on line threads too.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

paatha13 said:
You are wrong,
There's life time subscription.
I've bought 4 licenses for using it at 2 Windows and 2 android device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There was only one purchase link, and it took me to a page which was offering annual licenses. That's it.

I don't understand why this thread is still going strong.
It's virtually impossible to brick your phone (the U variant, anyway) just by rooting.
AdGuard sucks, rooting is easy, and AdAway is free.

rczrider said:
I don't understand why this thread is still going strong.
It's virtually impossible to brick your phone (the U variant, anyway) just by rooting.
AdGuard sucks, rooting is easy, and AdAway is free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@rczrider: I want to do what you have described, i.e. root to get AdAway installed. I understand about rooting, but what OTAs from ZTA? Do they still work without problem or does one have to unroot (and perhaps even undo AdAway) first?
I know that that info exists somewhere in the the thread about rooting, but that is now very long and that info is not easy to find.
Thanks

What do you miss most about having root?

Hello all,
My Lg G4 experienced a dreaded boot loop because of overheating and Sprint decided it was best to give me the Lg G5 instead. The "upgrade" bothers me because there is no root yet for this phone, making it the first time I'll be without root access.
Root is indispensable namely for full, proper backups (Titanium Backup) and WiFi hotspot/tethering. I do not use the latter every day but it is indispensable for me.
Other aspects include Xposed (some tweaks are impossible even with separate apps), moving photos and videos to SD card, and some programs such as SoundAbout.
Formerly rooted users - how has life been for you without root? What apps do you miss, and how did you get around them?

I don't even know where to start. I've been using Android since the HTC Evo, and pretty much had a new Android phone every year...ALL rooted.
I basically, mostly miss all the things you mentioned though, such as titanium backup, and wifi tethering. Also used rom toolbox and other apps to make small tweeks as far as performance upgrades and visual preferences.
But the thing i might possibly miss the most, is the ability to BLOCK ADS!! Omg i didn't realize how much i despised seeing ads in my apps until i couldn't use root. I love this phone itself, but without root, Im pretty sure I'm going to be getting the Google Pixel soon. Nexus phones are usually rooted fairly easily and the phone itself is great also.
Sent from my LGLS992 using XDA-Developers mobile app

mistermidas said:
But the thing i might possibly miss the most, is the ability to BLOCK ADS!! Omg i didn't realize how much i despised seeing ads in my apps until i couldn't use root. I love this phone itself, but without root, Im pretty sure I'm going to be getting the Google Pixel soon. Nexus phones are usually rooted fairly easily and the phone itself is great also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can do that without root. Check out Adgaurd and or Adclear.
I use Adgaurd paid myself.

geeksmurf said:
You can do that without root. Check out Adgaurd and or Adclear.
I use Adgaurd paid myself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I've used adguard but it messes up my connection. It will stop my downloads and in general makes everything slow as hell. With root I can just put a hosts file in my etc folder and actually seems to speed up my connection.
Sent from my LGLS992 using XDA-Developers mobile app

i miss putting on a half baked CM rom that degrades photo quality, breaks core features of the phone and generally sucks just so i can say i rooted my phone.
/s
only thing I really miss is hot spot usage.
oh and the ability to fix this f*cking wakelock that won't go away and I can't trace without root.

This thread makes me sad inside because my buddy on T-Mobile just flashed cm and is making me jealous and angry that I bought this phone without doing research first. Lol.
I miss all the root and fun of trying new roms

Hotspot, hands down. Ad blocking (including YouTube ads) is 2nd.

AdBlock, unbloating, and the greatest thing I miss, viper4android.

How on Earth do I get rid of Sprint's visual voicemail? Before I just got rid of the program in Titanium Backup, either by uninstalling it or freezing it. Same with a bunch of other programs I can't get rid of
Even something as simple as getting rid of some notifications in the menu area - impossible without root.

I miss orbot,as for adblockers I use adguard,its the best I've used,paid or free. The thing I miss most is AOSP Roms

I would have to say it would be being able to delete unwanted apps, change my battery icon, take out ads on you tube and apps, being able to do full backups of my phone, and tethering my phone with wifi.

Everything... I hate this phone. I had all my tasker tasks, and all my games backed up on titanium backup. I want vanilla Android back. I want my foxfi back. I just want to be able to use my phone without stipulations. I will never buy another LG again. I'm going back to HTC.
Sent from my LGLS992 using XDA-Developers mobile app

You can remove ads in youtube using no root data firewall and using an adblock dns for that firewall so it uses that dns. Dont know why android blocks ability to set dns on mobile argh
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jianjia.firewall&hl=en
https://alternate-dns.com/ 198.101.242.72 and 23.253.163.53 as your DNS server
WHAT I MISS MOST:
Stop these stupid programs from having ability to autorun in background. With root on my amazon tablet, I can remove those handlers. I wonder if this can be done through adb?

Is ROOT G935T worth it? Advice needed

The question is simple enough... Is it worth ROOTING the T-mobile G935T Galaxy S7 Edge ?
I'm late to the game with the S7E - Quite literally just bought one... And this will be my first device with a locked bootloader. My Note 4 was fully rooted with tons of support and development.
I see there is not much (hardly any) rom development for the S7E G935T, and I see several threads mentioning root and guides, but then I see it bootloops several days later, or people going back stock and just not messing with it. So the question I ask is this: Is it worth rooting the S7E ? or is the root not worth the effort... Also since I'm used to a root with my Note 4 - will the Root for the G935T be the same? or a limited root?
Sorry if this is confusing, just wanted a more current answer since I'm sure there have been lots of changed from March-July 2016 where most of those other threads started.

No, it's not worth it in my opinion. I could never get rid of the heat and the lag. However, goodlock provides most of the the UI customizations I prefer, and the Samsung theme engine compliments that, along with Nova launcher. Adhell blocks ads, the Ufirmware gets rid of the annoying T-Mobile bootscreen and bloat, and you get to keep Samsung pay. I pay for google play music, so YouTube red takes care of YouTube ads. Honestly, this phone has enough going for it that (I can't believe I'm saying this!) root is not needed. In fact, as a long time rooter myself, aside from flashing a new custom ROM every week, the isn't any functionality that I miss that I can think of. If I didn't pay for YouTube red, youtube ads might annoy me I suppose

Thanks @dave812 I appreciate you taking the time to write that.
I have a couple questions, if you (or any one) has the time to answer...
I have Nova launcher prime. I've installed a couple Samsung themes but I can not see the themed icons in Nova? Only TouchWiz.
I'll for sure try ad hell, I tried ad clean and the battery usage was insane. Nearly 30% during a days use... That's too high.
Good lock I've never heard of. I'll check that out.
Any other advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S7E

Araltd said:
The question is simple enough... Is it worth ROOTING the T-mobile G935T Galaxy S7 Edge ?
I'm late to the game with the S7E - Quite literally just bought one... And this will be my first device with a locked bootloader. My Note 4 was fully rooted with tons of support and development.
I see there is not much (hardly any) rom development for the S7E G935T, and I see several threads mentioning root and guides, but then I see it bootloops several days later, or people going back stock and just not messing with it. So the question I ask is this: Is it worth rooting the S7E ? or is the root not worth the effort... Also since I'm used to a root with my Note 4 - will the Root for the G935T be the same? or a limited root?
Sorry if this is confusing, just wanted a more current answer since I'm sure there have been lots of changed from March-July 2016 where most of those other threads started.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have mine rooted running Echoes Rom 1.5 with Xposed using a custom Aod screen. It's not really worth root because of less than stellar battery life but I love to root so I did it anyway.

I was a long time Rooter as well and built themes for the Note 4. Samsung Themes are pretty good @Araltd but with Nova the Icon Packs will not carry over. The only launcher I have found to do this is Action Launcher, but it doesn't have the features of Nova IMO.

@PapaMag yeah I remember the themes! I ran a few of them on my note 4.
I'm shocked no one has come up with a way to get the Samsung theme icons to carry over to Nova? But since I have no clue, I'm assuming it's not easy to do.
When you say you were a long time rooter does that mean you do not root anymore?
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S7E

My opinion... no. Root isn't worth it. Not until an unlocked bootloader becomes available (IF).
No custom roms (well... slimmest that I've ever seen anyway.)
No Samsung Pay
Poor battery life
Lag (even after "fixes")
No OTA.
No Nouget (more than likely)
I believe at this point it might be easier to ask, "What's the benefit of having root?"

dave812 said:
Adhell blocks ads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had never heard of Adhell before this post. I've been using Adguard but I *hate* having the VPN icon in the notification bar, plus it messes up battery stats. You're basically my favorite person right now, Adhell has totally made my day!
---------- Post added at 12:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:35 AM ----------
Binary100100 said:
I believe at this point it might be easier to ask, "What's the benefit of having root?"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At this point, viper. I don't think superior audio quality is worth all those other drawbacks.

I'm in the same boat. Got an S7E on day one, rooted that one (but overheated and lagged like hell). Went through the whole Note 7 debacle and am now back with a S7E. The only thing I'm really hoping for is the Nougat update soon. It carries over a lot of the N7 features and UI. Would anyone suggest going with the Verizon Nougat Beta, or just suck it up and wait?

Well honestly I've found ez package disabler to disable most of the bloat. Gets themes too ??
I've got Adhell running and disconnect pro which are both administrative level ad blockers... I'm used to ad away, which is amazing... These other two in conjunction block about 90% I guess. I'm running TouchWiz with the theme's right now (I also own Nova prime) but Nova won't use the TouchWiz system icons so I'm playing around right now.
I've got super swiftkey with all its themed keyboards. I have not used samsung/Android pay yet, but since it's stock APK1, it (they) should work.
I do notice some heating up from time to time.. The only app I've got that lags badly right now is my security camera app (q-see view) which makes the phone crawl so bad, I can not always exit the app properly. Sometimes I have to press recent apps and close all to make it end... Didn't have that problem before on the note 4.
I looked at good lock, it seems like a fancy lock screen replacement. I personally don't see a need for that. Unless I didn't find the right app? It didn't seem to offer any UI tweaks, just lock screen functions...?
All I can say is, nougat can't get here fast enough for me.
Thanks for all the help and advice! Please keep it coming. If more of us post results with apps and tweaks, rooting won't be missed as much. Thanks again to everyone for participating here!
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S7E

By my the way, I'm giving thanks to everyone who posts here because I appreciate your opinions, suggestions and participation. Thanks again!
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S7E

What's that ufirmware? How can I disable t mobile bloat ware? Any free software? Also anyone facing signal issues?

Ez package disabler let's you disable a bunch of stuff without root.
Sent from my SM-G935T

Binary100100 said:
My opinion... no. Root isn't worth it. Not until an unlocked bootloader becomes available (IF).
No custom roms (well... slimmest that I've ever seen anyway.)
No Samsung Pay
Poor battery life
Lag (even after "fixes")
No OTA.
No Nouget (more than likely)
I believe at this point it might be easier to ask, "What's the benefit of having root?"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm about to unroot today, it's been horrible ( the lag that is) even with the fixes it's like your'e using half a phone constant freezing lag

I rooted yesterday - and yes my phone was very hot. And it lagged, but I followed all the instructions in this thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/tmobile-s7-edge/how-to/guide-post-root-common-bugs-fixes-t3427600
My phone is now running fine. It is not hot and it does not lag. I'm really glad I rooted. I was able to install xposed and modules today.

k8108 said:
I rooted yesterday - and yes my phone was very hot. And it lagged, but I followed all the instructions in this thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/tmobile-s7-edge/how-to/guide-post-root-common-bugs-fixes-t3427600
My phone is now running fine. It is not hot and it does not lag. I'm really glad I rooted. I was able to install xposed and modules today.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except for SU needing to be updated huh?

Binary100100 said:
Except for SU needing to be updated huh?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, it's still worth it. I can live with the hashtag until I can find a way to get rid of it.

k8108 said:
Haha, it's still worth it. I can live with the hashtag until I can find a way to get rid of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been rooted for a couple of months. I have no SU hashtag. Also no heat or lag. I am running U fimrware with T-Mobile modem.

My stance on rooting is no for s7 edge for the following reasons.
1. Samsung Pay ( Soooooooo convienient. My wallet only has my ID, a debit card and credit card thanks to it)
2. S Health ( There are other ones out there but I prefer S health that provides a lot of benefits without ads in my face every 10s)
3. Stock is very stable.
4. Samsung theme store ( enough customization options here )
5. Security in general ( not tripping knox, plus complete stock may get better resale value )
For the bloatware issues, I'm rocking stock ROM for 935u, the unlocked US version. I would suggest going this route if bloatware and performance is an issue for you. It isn't that hard to flash. It doesn't trip knox. You keep all the benefit of a stock phone and a very, very stable phone. There's a thread on XDA which I followed https://forum.xda-developers.com/tmobile-s7-edge/how-to/stock-official-sm-g935us-g935uueu4apl4-t3535408.

Binary100100 said:
Except for SU needing to be updated huh?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just flash new versions using flashfire. Auto updates are disabled of course.

root or not

I just got this device and haven't rooted any phone in a while. Is it worth rooting or no? What really are the advantages? BTW I decided to buy this from BB instead of a V20 from someone off of CL (doohhhh!!!) Lol.

From day to day uses performance and battery is quite good so if you don't care about latest Android version , security patches and heavy customisation you will be fine without root.
Because stock android on G5 plus is super smooth its first phone that I didn't root although I purchased g5plus because of development for Moto is very good but I don't ever feel that I need to root my device because I am quite happy with battery life and performance.
Hope it helps you to decide.

carnivalrejectq said:
I just got this device and haven't rooted any phone in a while. Is it worth rooting or no? What really are the advantages? BTW I decided to buy this from BB instead of a V20 from someone off of CL (doohhhh!!!) Lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I sed to root mainly to install ad block and maybe to try and get extra battery for my old NExus 5x but battery on the G5 Plus is good and I now use dns66 for adblock.

carnivalrejectq said:
I just got this device and haven't rooted any phone in a while. Is it worth rooting or no? What really are the advantages? BTW I decided to buy this from BB instead of a V20 from someone off of CL (doohhhh!!!) Lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me, the only real reason I root is to that I can install Adaway and remove bloatware.

badtlc said:
For me, the only real reason I root is to that I can install Adaway and remove bloatware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I should've bought the v20. Some guy on CL was gonna sell it for 200. I was just skeptical cuz it wasn't unlocked and idk, have been burned before.

carnivalrejectq said:
I should've bought the v20. Some guy on CL was gonna sell it for 200. I was just skeptical cuz it wasn't unlocked and idk, have been burned before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You were right to be wary. That is definitely one of those "sounds too good to be true" situations.
Personally I like to root. Ad blockers, mods, debloating, backups, etc are all advantages I like to have.

Even with root adaway mostly remove ad from browsers for that you can have any third party chromium based browser. And if you want to black ads in all apps you can use adguard adclear or DNS they work better then AdAway without xposed even with rooted device you can not do.muchnfor the ads and even if you can do adguard is blbettef
As for the debloting you can remove system users for primery users with ADB you can find tutorial on XDA. You can use greenify without root you just have to grant ADB permission same goes for the app which stop any background service for apps.
You can remove YouTube and install ad free and background playback enabled version of YouTube.
And as for the customisation no offence but all custom ROM have some kind of bugs I try many custom roms on different device but something was always broken in custom ROMs. So in my opinion you cannot reli in custom roms
You can customise navigation bar and increase number of tiles in quick pulldown from 5 to your liking without root.
7.1.1 shortcuts works better then 7.1.1 on nova with sesame.
So basically you can block ads , remove bloat and customise navigation bar and quick setting without root.so until xposed is there I don't see any reason to root. Only think you can think of is security patches.