Develop Bugs

[Q]Why "root" your phone ?

Hi, everyone.
I am fairly new on the forum. I keep reading about "rooting" your phone. I have a Samsung Galaxy SII T989 and my questions are:
1. What is "phone rooting" ?
2. What are the advantages of having your phone "rooted" ?
Thank you.

I'm *hoping* this is a joke, but if it isn't, here's a good place to start:
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=why+root+your+phone

unclespoon said:
I'm *hoping* this is a job, but if it isn't, here's a good place to start:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow that's pretty awesome, would have never thought about that ha ha ha
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

Yes... It is a job to think: Why would you risk to unstable your phone by "root" it?
I see that:
- people are removing the wrong apps that negatively affect their phones (e.q. a ccounts and sync).
- people's phone are missing other thinks they used to like (bars, the small flashing blue light when you scroll to the top and to the bottom of the screen).
- the pletoria of apps for rooted phone are not that great...
- the advantage you get is that you only free up some internal space?

I have no issues with my phone rooted. I am on a stock T-Mobile ROM and froze all the bloatware. You can get rids of ads in apps when rooted which is pretty damn convenient for me. Do research on what is safe to freeze and you wont have any problems. Freezing is more safe than uninstalling...
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

The reason is you then have 100% control over your system. If you know what you're doing, having root can be a very powerful tool. You can greatly speed up the phone, free up ram, theme things, it gives you total control.
Now this is a double edged sword too. All the horror stories you're hearing about root are by people who don't have the faintest idea what they're doing and are breaking things.
Think of it in terms of computers. On linux, having root is, well, having root. You have full access to the system. On windows, (vista and above mainly) it's like having an administrator account with UAC turned off. In the right hands, this is very very nice. In the wrong hands, it can cause problems.
If you don't see the benefit of rooting, then I'd highly suggest you do not do so. These devices are not windows boxes where you screw up and "oh well, guess it's time to bust out the windows cd and do a re-install. I'd also suggest perhaps looking through the market at things that require root, and the benefits they give you. (Titanium backup, for instance. Or tethering when your provider doesn't want you to.)

Sui Generis said:
Yes... It is a job to think: Why would you risk to unstable your phone by "root" it?
I see that:
- people are removing the wrong apps that negatively affect their phones (e.q. a ccounts and sync).
- people's phone are missing other thinks they used to like (bars, the small flashing blue light when you scroll to the top and to the bottom of the screen).
- the pletoria of apps for rooted phone are not that great...
- the advantage you get is that you only free up some internal space?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly if you don't want to root your phone do not root it. A lot of the problems you mention stem from people attempting to root and don't know what they are really doing. I am one of those people who are strictly against one click root methods. Because you literally don't need to read anything to understand what exactly are you doing.
If you know what you can do with a rooted phone things like
-Better battery life by manipulating the cpu cycles and governors.
-Change the entire look of the phone to look as if it a totally different os.
-Better performance overall of your phone
-Overall better experience than what the carrier give you.
I could name endless things about why rooting is better than what the stock gives you.
A lot of people I hear just say go to xda and root your phone. Which is very ignorant. Not everyone should root. If your phone is doing what it needs to do then leave it alone. My friends who have android phones ask me to root for them i tell them no root it themselves. With one click methods people make an xda account and blame the developer saying their rom sucks and is bad battery life where as the problems stem most of the time the user side.

I agree. I haven't rooted my SGS2 yet because the stock ROM, for me, seems to be serving its purpose very well. All my benchmark scores are within standard deviation of the OC kernels and now we've got wifi calling. I use ADW for a new UI and that suits me just fine. Yes, ICS will come from CM long before it does from the carriers, but I'm ok with that - even though I'll probably end up rooting and installing ICS once it's stable. My previous Android phones were rooted within days of purchase, and yes I would like to remove bloat, but with all the internal storage and my 32gb sd card I think I'll be a happy camper. It would be nice to know carrier IQ was gone, though...

rooting = control
no root = no control over settings
they don't let you root by default to prevent noobs from damaging their phone by changing some settings they should have not touched

when i rooted my phone and got beastmod 4.0 with flaux kernal my battery life increased like 50x than stock x.x
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

I personally don't think I'll be rooting (at least not while the phone's still new). I'm happy with the level of customization on the stock.
One question though. So basically, when rooted, you are "logged in" to your phone as root user? Are there any security risks with this?

Killbynature said:
Honestly if you don't want to root your phone do not root it. A lot of the problems you mention stem from people attempting to root and don't know what they are really doing. I am one of those people who are strictly against one click root methods. Because you literally don't need to read anything to understand what exactly are you doing.
If you know what you can do with a rooted phone things like
-Better battery life by manipulating the cpu cycles and governors.
-Change the entire look of the phone to look as if it a totally different os.
-Better performance overall of your phone
-Overall better experience than what the carrier give you.
I could name endless things about why rooting is better than what the stock gives you.
A lot of people I hear just say go to xda and root your phone. Which is very ignorant. Not everyone should root. If your phone is doing what it needs to do then leave it alone. My friends who have android phones ask me to root for them i tell them no root it themselves. With one click methods people make an xda account and blame the developer saying their rom sucks and is bad battery life where as the problems stem most of the time the user side.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree entirely, back on the ns forums I was constantly advising people against one click.
Sent from my Hercules with xda Premium.

eMace said:
I personally don't think I'll be rooting (at least not while the phone's still new). I'm happy with the level of customization on the stock.
One question though. So basically, when rooted, you are "logged in" to your phone as root user? Are there any security risks with this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only if you use bad apps. Its just like on any other os: if you're the administrator you have to be twice as careful wity what you install
Sent from my Hercules with xda Premium.

Rooting your phone is like getting under the hood of your car.
If you have never worked on a car, it would not be wise to just start pulling out plugs/wires, moving things around and installing enhancements as you would probably ruin your car and end up paying a mechanic to fix it.
However, if you take the time to read up on any changes before you make them, then you could end up with a turbo-boosted hot rod with a custom Chrome setup that not only looks better but performs like a champ.

www.youtube.com/themrroxtar noob tutorials and rom reviews. Check it out. Plus everyone can find how to win a free Hercules at the end of this month!
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

for me, rooting is mainly removing bloatware.
just like when you buy a new laptop, they install a lot of crap and it slow your computer down.
rooting can remove bloatware and also give you more speed, but you might lose the upgrading from the OTA(official t mobile update) and need to check update in here.
but if you are ok with the performance that you can on your phone now, stay with it.

It's all about the flash (yeah, bahby!) The custom ROM's can't be flashed without root: Forget about deleting/freezing unwanted applications and find a developers ROM you like - experiment a bit and have some fun with the phone.
As well, applications that require root - quick boot and appinstaller, are a must for me, making root mandatory for my phoning pleasure.
I had an HD2 before, and while there's greater variety in the ROM's, set-up to root is a biach on the HTC devices, so we can thank our lucky stars Samsung makes this easier (prolly not on purpose, though )

TheMrRoxtar said:
www.youtube.com/themrroxtar noob tutorials and rom reviews. Check it out. Plus everyone can find how to win a free Hercules at the end of this month!
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's up man...wheelerhomes from YouTube.
Enjoying my rooted sg2! Have to agree with some comments ...understand what you're doing or don't do it. I learned just enough to be dangerous! But am picking up more and more as I read. I do wish the tutorials went a little more into WHY you're doing this or that vs just saying do this. It confusing to grasp what rooting is but when start downloading Odin, loading superuser, clockwork mod recovery, titanium, etc its REALLY overwhelming not knowing what each step does.
I certainly did not need to root. But like all these phones, it started out nice and snappy and within a week it was glitching like my old vibrant ...all kinds of stupid crap running in the background. Rooting was stressful because I didn't know exactly why I was doing these different steps!! Once I did it I was stoked at how fast my phone was. Just flashed wifi stock rom today that whitehawkx put up and I'm already missing my Juggernaut! But wifi calling/texting is slick for my location!

OK,
- better battery life can serve me better...
- being able to install other apps (such call recorder) can also be beneficial...
The problem is that I come from the Windows side rather than the Linux or Apple so I do not excel into this so I am afraid not to brick the phone.
Having said that, it would be VERY, VERY, VERY nice of you (or everyone else with a very rooted stable phone) to post clear and "for dummies" instructions on how to:
1. root your phone
2. install customed rom (beastmod, juggernaut or odin, etc - upon your recommendation).
Many thanks in advance !

eMace said:
I personally don't think I'll be rooting (at least not while the phone's still new).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Installed clockwork mod recovery on the first boot while the phone was still in the plastic wrap. Rooted via superoneclick on the 2nd boot ONLY because you have to reboot after flashing clockwork mod.
The process is easy if you read the instructions.
Sent from my Hercules using XDA App

Tmobile SGS3, no LTE, deal breaker?

So im ready to upgrade my phones on Tmobile and I read that the SGS 3 does not support LTE on Tmobiles network. Is this a deal breaker? Ive read that LTE is a battery vampire. Tmobile LTE network isnt due till next year. I plan on keeping the SGS 3 for 2 years, hoping it would be a bit of future proofing for me since its the hottest phone right now.
Is no LTE support a deal breaker?

Nope... I'm getting 10-15 down on a rough day in greater Los Angeles area. You really need it faster? Think it's good enough to perform every day activities on the phone.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

Yeah no way. I'm getting 20mps steady. That's stupid fast. Lte if available is quicker with better ping but the phone is excellent and Lte isn't needed with the new radios.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

derek210 said:
Yeah no way. I'm getting 20mps steady. That's stupid fast. Lte if available is quicker with better ping but the phone is excellent and Lte isn't needed with the new radios.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not only this but our device supports 41mbps, which by the time LTE rolls out, will be in most cities if not already.
(I know we wont get 41mbps realistically)
I already get 25mbps in NYC which is faster than my home internet speed. Seriously LTE is overkill (literally) as it just kills your battery.

androidmonkey said:
So im ready to upgrade my phones on Tmobile and I read that the SGS 3 does not support LTE on Tmobiles network. Is this a deal breaker? Ive read that LTE is a battery vampire. Tmobile LTE network isnt due till next year. I plan on keeping the SGS 3 for 2 years, hoping it would be a bit of future proofing for me since its the hottest phone right now.
Is no LTE support a deal breaker?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should probably read before posting something that has been asked already.
The T999 has LTE bands already, they are just disabled by default.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

I've looked at a billion comparisons...
androidmonkey said:
So im ready to upgrade my phones on Tmobile and I read that the SGS 3 does not support LTE on Tmobiles network. Is this a deal breaker? Ive read that LTE is a battery vampire. Tmobile LTE network isnt due till next year. I plan on keeping the SGS 3 for 2 years, hoping it would be a bit of future proofing for me since its the hottest phone right now.
Is no LTE support a deal breaker?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm no expert, but not much of a life living in a new state, so I read A LOT! And most of that reading has been about computers and mobile phones. I've seen about a million opinions on this; seen a lot of speed tests and other tests comparing the 2, and absolutely every piece of factual evidence so far has shown me that the T-Mobile's HSPA+ network is absolutely comparable to LTE. There are only very slight insignificant differences in the tests - some a few degrees higher, some a few lower - according to the tester's location, device, and environment. But they always come extremely close to the same numbers. I've heard LTE does eat a lot of battery, but that's (as always) depending upon individual usage. The SGS III, from what I understand, is capable of supporting LTE, even on the T-Mo model, it's just not being used since they aren't on it, so if/when they do go LTE, your phone will support it. Until then, I think you'll be just as happy with their network. I hope that helps ya! At least I'd feel like I accomplished something with my endless hours lookin at all this crap! Good luck!

Thanks. I ended up going with the SGS 3. So far I like it a lot, its very fast. I am coming from a SGS Vibrant with Slim ICS ROM on it, so I had to install a launcher to get rid of TouchWiz (currently Im using Nova Launcher).

U'll love it!
androidmonkey said:
Thanks. I ended up going with the SGS 3. So far I like it a lot, its very fast. I am coming from a SGS Vibrant with Slim ICS ROM on it, so I had to install a launcher to get rid of TouchWiz (currently Im using Nova Launcher).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh cool! Me too, had the Vibrant and alternated between 2 ROMs at the end - ICS Passion and Doc's Master, they were both so great! Don't care for TouchWiz at all. I'm currently using Apex right now, it's simple, quick n user-friendly, and comes with the customizing I like - plus it has the capability of running themes from other home launchers, ie; GoLauncher, which I think is friggin awesome! Check it out if ya haven't already, there's not a whole lot it CAN'T do! Anyway, I think you'll LOVE this phone! I never in a million years thought I'd part ways with the Vibrant! I'm really stoked, now that I know how to do everything! If u have any questions, need help with dev stuff, or u just want recommendations, like I said - bored, not much of a life here, so helping is no problem at all! I've been through XDA quite extensively, so I know pretty much all there is to know about the 2 devices I have, just have the noob status still cuz I never post! So feel free to ask anytime! Have fun!!

crayzeeteri said:
Oh cool! Me too, had the Vibrant and alternated between 2 ROMs at the end - ICS Passion and Doc's Master, they were both so great! Don't care for TouchWiz at all. I'm currently using Apex right now, it's simple, quick n user-friendly, and comes with the customizing I like - plus it has the capability of running themes from other home launchers, ie; GoLauncher, which I think is friggin awesome! Check it out if ya haven't already, there's not a whole lot it CAN'T do! Anyway, I think you'll LOVE this phone! I never in a million years thought I'd part ways with the Vibrant! I'm really stoked, now that I know how to do everything! If u have any questions, need help with dev stuff, or u just want recommendations, like I said - bored, not much of a life here, so helping is no problem at all! I've been through XDA quite extensively, so I know pretty much all there is to know about the 2 devices I have, just have the noob status still cuz I never post! So feel free to ask anytime! Have fun!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I installed Apex last night. I might buy the Pro version if it becomes my fav. I was on the fence about waiting to get the HTC One X+ that is rumored to be released at the end of Sept. Since I have a track record with Samsung and its a very popular device (more support from devs), I decided to go with Samsung again. The only thing I really need right now is ROOT. I watched a video on Youtube and it looks like its a fairly simple process, not as easy as the Vibrant though. I mainly need ROOT to install Titanium Backup. I'm still confused though about the "flash counter" that some people mention and how Tmo/Samsung can see that you flashed your device if it were sent in for replacement/repair. Any ideas on that?

androidmonkey said:
Thanks, I installed Apex last night. I might buy the Pro version if it becomes my fav. I was on the fence about waiting to get the HTC One X+ that is rumored to be released at the end of Sept. Since I have a track record with Samsung and its a very popular device (more support from devs), I decided to go with Samsung again. The only thing I really need right now is ROOT. I watched a video on Youtube and it looks like its a fairly simple process, not as easy as the Vibrant though. I mainly need ROOT to install Titanium Backup. I'm still confused though about the "flash counter" that some people mention and how Tmo/Samsung can see that you flashed your device if it were sent in for replacement/repair. Any ideas on that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a counter that counts custom binaries, if serviced by Samsung they may check it and decline warranty. There is a no trip method in the development section that I highly recommend. Right now there is also an app anyways by guru ChainFire called triangle away, that resets the counter. Either way here's the link to the no trip method that is easy as pie for anyone. Enjoy !
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1739426

Yep!
androidmonkey said:
Thanks, I installed Apex last night. I might buy the Pro version if it becomes my fav. I was on the fence about waiting to get the HTC One X+ that is rumored to be released at the end of Sept. Since I have a track record with Samsung and its a very popular device (more support from devs), I decided to go with Samsung again. The only thing I really need right now is ROOT. I watched a video on Youtube and it looks like its a fairly simple process, not as easy as the Vibrant though. I mainly need ROOT to install Titanium Backup. I'm still confused though about the "flash counter" that some people mention and how Tmo/Samsung can see that you flashed your device if it were sent in for replacement/repair. Any ideas on that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I bought the Apex Pro, and I don't normally buy many paid apps - I just really like how easy it is to integrate with other things like themes, which I mentioned earlier, and then other things too, ie; lockscreen apps, status bar apps, fonts, icons...so even if I want just one thing different that Apex doesn't have, I can still get that thing and use Apex at the same time!
Rooting!! OK here's what I did, and not a single problem! This is the fastest, easiest time I have ever had rooting and/or flashing by a MILE! I was leery due to the IMIE issues being reported and also, like you, the flash counter voiding the warranty. (if anything happened and I was out of an almost $700 phone, I'd be seriously PISSED!!) So if you do decide to root and/or flash, I would HIGHLY recommend doing these things! 1st, go here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1804123 and back up your IMEI. Just follow the instructions (super simple) to make a backup. I don't think u need to do a full NV backup (u'll understand what that means if u read thru the posts on this issue, but it doesn't matter) because you'll already have your IMEI backed up beforehand. I did it anyway tho, just because I felt safer that way. Up to you! Bookmark that thread tho, in case you ever encounter any IMEI or data probs cuz they're the go-to guys for that, and have all the RIGHT fixes! You'll see the other guy I'm referring to's method and a link to his thread referenced there, where there's a lot more background info, but the guy's thread I gave you the link for is WAY easier for performing the backup. As far as checking the backup to be sure it's there, that can get confusing - If you followed the directions, I promise it worked, just gets techie when trying to read phone stuff on a PC. All info on the subject is in those 2 threads, you'll see it! N E way, do that FIRST BEFORE ANYTHING!!
Next, go here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1746682 and install this to your PC. This is the coolest thing ever to get you backed up, rooted, flashed, whatever. It's called the "Snapdragon Toolkit" I cannot begin to say enough about it! It does EVERYTHING you need - installs the correct drivers, roots, unroots, flashes ROMs, gives u ClockworkMod Recovery AND Odin, and also gives you a full perfect backup - Nandroid backup for CM, .tar file for ODIN - of your stock firmware to keep on your PC in case you run into an issue or just decide to go back to stock. Also provides a walk-thru for resetting the flash counter back to zero using an app called Triangle Away by Chainfire!! It gets u into download mode, roots, gives you Superuser, busybox, CWM, all necessary root stuff, and reboots your phone all automatically in just a quick click! You might have read secure vs insecure kernels - gives you the choice. Insecure leaves you rooted. You can also use it to just kind of temp-root to do something that like say, requires ADB (which requires you to be rooted to use) Do it thru the toolkit, and it will get you (for instance for adb access) the insecure kernel alone, temporarily, until you're done with your task. You can do each thing separately like that or everything all at once. His thread, as well as inside the toolkit itself, when you open it on your PC, gives you total kindergarten instructions and explanations for each thing it does. I have never seen a faster, simpler, more user-friendly program for getting these things done - and all in one place! So get that, and per the instructions, open it and install the drivers 1st before plugging in your phone with ur USB. You probably have the right drivers already, but just in case there are extra drivers there needed for the program or anything it does, I'd go ahead and install them. It'll then open a window that looks old DOS command-line like, and will ask which model you have. Every time you're making any choice in the program, you'll be typing your answer at the bottom of the screen and hitting "enter" to submit. Type the number 3, it's the one for T-Mo T999 UVALEM, and hit enter. It then displays the menu with the list of all the options. You can plug in to be sure the phone's detected, and check it by looking at the top of the window; it'll show it under "List of devices attached." If you do what I did, which was the all-at-once option, you'll hit the number 2 and enter for thr rooting options menu, then 3, enter to choose all-in-one and follow the on-screen instructions for when to plug in the phone and such.
To simplify things further, so you can save some time, I've got all the files you need already, to do your IMEI backup, stock firmware backup,(the Nandroid copy of the firmware and the .tar ODIN copy), the drivers, the most recent ClockworkMod Touch and ODIN files, the Toolkit, and all the .apk files of the apps that are safe to remove from the original firmware if you want that. I didn't remove all of these, for the same reason I haven't flashed AOKP or CM9/CM10 yet; I'm not sure I want to lose the new Samsung stuff like SVoice and the motion features. It's a list others comprised, actually probably really outdated, containing the ones confirmed safe to remove. I just kept in case I wanted any of 'em back! I can personally confirm all the T-Mobile ones, ChatOn, Flipboard, all the Yahoo stuff, self, factory and LCD tests, Samsung's Media Hub, Game Hub, SSuggest, and More Services, Google's Books, Music, TV/Movies, Talk, and Google+(Plus One), Amazon, Polaris Viewer, Facebook SMS, and the system Music and Video apps. I say probably outdated cuz I'm sure the Maps from Google and Samsung, the Cloud sync apps from them all, and the Email apps, for example, are all fine to go too, and probably verified by now. (I mean seriously, do I need Samsung, T-Mo, Google+, GMail, Dropbox, Sugarsync, AND Facebook ALL syncing my stuff?! JEEZUSS!!!) Anyway, all the files are in my dropbox here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8f2wjlz1enkb8wp/saTe7MW0fE
There's also a way to flash CWM Touch Recovery without having to pay for Rom Manager Premium and without tripping the flash counter in there with instructions if you want it, but you have to be ok with entering command line script with adb or a terminal emulator. I just used the Triangle Away app, worked perfect!
Whew! What a novel, huh?! Just wanted to be sure I was thorough so you or anyone reading has specifics so there are no problems for you! I honestly didn't have a single hiccup, and all of it took less time than it's probably gonna take u to read this post! Have fun!

New To Android, but bricked my phone?

Well i think it is. I rooted my phone last night and installed the beats drivers from the Play Store. Shortly, it froze and went straight to the Samsung logo. I can still go into both recovery and download mode, but what do I do after that? I've heard about Odin....but how do i exactly put the custom roms into my phone, and which ones? And if any one can point me to a guide or tutorial, ill be extremely relieved. I'm new to the website as well as android, so if anyone could please help me out, thanks

When you rooted did you NANDROID backup ? If not go into recovery and clear cache and then go into advanced and wipe delvik cache. reboot
If that fails go back into recovery and do a factory reset and you should be ok.

touchdownadrian said:
Well i think it is. I rooted my phone last night and installed the beats drivers from the Play Store. Shortly, it froze and went straight to the Samsung logo. I can still go into both recovery and download mode, but what do I do after that? I've heard about Odin....but how do i exactly put the custom roms into my phone, and which ones? And if any one can point me to a guide or tutorial, ill be extremely relieved. I'm new to the website as well as android, so if anyone could please help me out, thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1727401

This is why noobs shouldn't be rooting, hell I'm on my 4th android phone and I'm still holding off on rooting it. And I was constantly popping new ROMS on my Vibrant, never bricked any phone

z0phi3l said:
This is why noobs shouldn't be rooting, hell I'm on my 4th android phone and I'm still holding off on rooting it. And I was constantly popping new ROMS on my Vibrant, never bricked any phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree as long as you are willing to learn from the mistake all is good. I had a Samsung Exhibit II and deleted touch wiz launched (I was using go launcher) later I would do a factory reset and well... learned that system files do not get restored when you do a factory reset...oops
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

I agree, we all were NOOBS at some point. That's the one thing I love about XDA is that with patience and the help of the users any noob can learn how to mod their devices. One piece of advice that I can offer is before you do any type of modding is READ and keep on READING. I have bricked the first device I ever rooted because I did not READ the forums as they are meant to be read.

z0phi3l said:
This is why noobs shouldn't be rooting, hell I'm on my 4th android phone and I'm still holding off on rooting it. And I was constantly popping new ROMS on my Vibrant, never bricked any phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, not cool dude..remember that WE were all NOOBS at some point in time, therefore we should support and help one another. As for what to do next, follow "Saldebot's" instructions and you should be fine. Sounds like it's only a soft brick. Just keep reading and learning as much as you can bud.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

Thanks guys, it worked. And my bad for not reading alot, im kinda new to this lol
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

not fair
z0phi3l said:
This is why noobs shouldn't be rooting, hell I'm on my 4th android phone and I'm still holding off on rooting it. And I was constantly popping new ROMS on my Vibrant, never bricked any phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude the vibrant is bullet proof . Now HTC that's a mother.
:silly:

touchdownadrian said:
Thanks guys, it worked. And my bad for not reading alot, im kinda new to this lol
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not the noobs who shouldn't be rooting... It's the lazy and careless who should stick to stock. If you are careful and diligent, rooting and all the good stuff that comes with it is easy and rewarding.

TheSeanTeam said:
It's not the noobs who shouldn't be rooting... It's the lazy and careless who should stick to stock. If you are careful and diligent, rooting and all the good stuff that comes with it is easy and rewarding.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I whole-heartily agree, I was a freshman noob August 1st this year, by August 4th I was flashing like a pro. Left and right, ROMs, Kernels, Modifying system files, you name it. I wanted to streamline my phone and future proof it somewhat by overclocking. I spent 3 days researching and educating myself, finding the best ROMs, weighing pros and cons, and when it came time to flash, I was on my PC all day making sure whatever I did wouldn't brick me. I carefully analyzed and learned about virtually all methods of flashing by watching tons of videos and reading a bunch of tutorials by several sources. I MD5 checksum'd every zip to be flashed on my phone using an app (to ensure download and transfer was successful). I must have verified that the files I was preparing to flash were indeed for my device make and model about a dozen times before ever touching a button. When I went to flash over my first custom Kernel (even though I had already flashed 2 custom ROMs shortly before that), on that last button my hands were literally shaking, I could not afford a second Galaxy S III. Everything went beautifully, all of my careful planning and hours of invested research payed off. I had done everything right and was rewarded with better battery life (about +50% on heavy load and +500% on idle) and performance (+25%).
My girlfriend also has a Galaxy s3 and she wanted the same performance I was getting. I flashed the exact same software to her device I had to mine, no changes.
Total time invested in flash on my device: 36 hours, at least
Total time invested in flash on her device: 1 hour... if that
The bottom line is yes, if you're not willing to put forth the effort and educate yourself first, you probably shouldn't be doing this. There are guides and tutorials out there for noobs and I would recommend you go there first until you know your way around your device. That way at least you have a little experience on your belt before you start doing anything too advanced (I did this when I was rooting my device for the first time).
As a side note, I know there are a lot of people out there worried about doing anything that could potentially brick their device. That is always a real possibility, I'm not going to lie to you, it happens more often than you think. However in just about every case of bricking you'll ever hear about, it's usually someone flashing something they're not suppose to, like a ROM designed for a different make and model of device, or something experimental that wasn't ready yet. Do all your homework (from multiple corroborating sources) before you undergo a flash and as long as you do everything "by the book" (so to speak) and don't rush through things by being lazy, you should be fine. Some even flash nightlies (yeah they're called that for a reason, updated versions of the ROM they currently have) EVERY NIGHT!!! In the end when you have an android device, you have an open source platform at your fingertips and you should take advantage of that, it would be a waste not to. If not, your next device might as well be an iPhone. They're great for noobs and as long as you're ok drinking whatever punch Apple gives you, they're pretty much impossible to brick since you can't do a whole lot with them. Apple will be happy to take your money and stiff you with closed source for it.

lordazoroth said:
I whole-heartily agree, I was a freshman noob August 1st this year, by August 4th I was flashing like a pro. Left and right, ROMs, Kernels, Modifying system files, you name it. I wanted to streamline my phone and future proof it somewhat by overclocking. I spent 3 days researching and educating myself, finding the best ROMs, weighing pros and cons, and when it came time to flash, I was on my PC all day making sure whatever I did wouldn't brick me. I carefully analyzed and learned about virtually all methods of flashing by watching tons of videos and reading a bunch of tutorials by several sources. I MD5 checksum'd every zip to be flashed on my phone using an app (to ensure download and transfer was successful). I must have verified that the files I was preparing to flash were indeed for my device make and model about a dozen times before ever touching a button. When I went to flash over my first custom Kernel (even though I had already flashed 2 custom ROMs shortly before that), on that last button my hands were literally shaking, I could not afford a second Galaxy S III. Everything went beautifully, all of my careful planning and hours of invested research payed off. I had done everything right and was rewarded with better battery life (about +50% on heavy load and +500% on idle) and performance (+25%).
My girlfriend also has a Galaxy s3 and she wanted the same performance I was getting. I flashed the exact same software to her device I had to mine, no changes.
Total time invested in flash on my device: 36 hours, at least
Total time invested in flash on her device: 1 hour... if that
The bottom line is yes, if you're not willing to put forth the effort and educate yourself first, you probably shouldn't be doing this. There are guides and tutorials out there for noobs and I would recommend you go there first until you know your way around your device. That way at least you have a little experience on your belt before you start doing anything too advanced (I did this when I was rooting my device for the first time).
As a side note, I know there are a lot of people out there worried about doing anything that could potentially brick their device. That is always a real possibility, I'm not going to lie to you, it happens more often than you think. However in just about every case of bricking you'll ever hear about, it's usually someone flashing something they're not suppose to, like a ROM designed for a different make and model of device, or something experimental that wasn't ready yet. Do all your homework (from multiple corroborating sources) before you undergo a flash and as long as you do everything "by the book" (so to speak) and don't rush through things by being lazy, you should be fine. Some even flash nightlies (yeah they're called that for a reason, updated versions of the ROM they currently have) EVERY NIGHT!!! In the end when you have an android device, you have an open source platform at your fingertips and you should take advantage of that, it would be a waste not to. If not, your next device might as well be an iPhone. They're great for noobs and as long as you're ok drinking whatever punch Apple gives you, they're pretty much impossible to brick since you can't do a whole lot with them. Apple will be happy to take your money and stiff you with closed source for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. It took me months of researching on my vibrant before flashing my first rom (bionix 1.6 by teamwhiskey). As I progressed, I did brick left and right but I always managed to bring it back to life with my prior knowledge. Now I'm eagerly waiting for my computer to be done downloading the root files and get started.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

Cr vibe said:
Dude the vibrant is bullet proof . Now HTC that's a mother.
:silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Omg I LOVED THE VIBRANT! Restoring it from a brick was a piece of cake
Sent from my SGH-T999

Cr vibe said:
Dude the vibrant is bullet proof . Now HTC that's a mother.
:silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+++++++1 on that.... DAMN talk about headaches....

dmarco said:
Yea, not cool dude..remember that WE were all NOOBS at some point in time, therefore we should support and help one another. As for what to do next, follow "Saldebot's" instructions and you should be fine. Sounds like it's only a soft brick. Just keep reading and learning as much as you can bud.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:good::good:

Yeah one of the only other IMPORTANT thinks i could add would be always do a factory reset before flashing roms.. some people like to flash "dirty" i wouldnt recommend it cause you will ALWAYS have issues maybe not in a hour but guaranteed you will... but knowledge is power dude.. i two read for about 36 hours before rooting my phone.. i rooted my wifes phone days after a rooted mine back in the day it only took like 15 mins.. another thing let phone sit 10 mins before ya play with it... gotta let the cache settle... the ten min wait is well worth it.. ive been doing it that way since the vibrant bro.. happy flashing and welcome..

I read constantly things change hourly like when that new leaked kernels came out for sgs2 and the emmc was trashed never to come back from a brick again. To anyone that cares if you love your phone read more than just the root and flash stuff learn what makes your phone tick from the factory hardware software and added crap from your carrier it all play's a part in the end result. Its as easy as you make it.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

Nabeel10 said:
Omg I LOVED THE VIBRANT! Restoring it from a brick was a piece of cake
Sent from my SGH-T999
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive passed down two vibrants (both rooted) to my sons so they can learn to flash roms and everything else that comes from the joys of root.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

[Q] How difficult is it to root?

Just made an account today. I've always wanted to root my phone to get the updates faster, consdiering Verizon is a trash company when it comes to giving their users updates. Anyway, it seems rather difficult to root the phone. If I rooted it and kept my stock Jellybean 4.1, would I still get the update from Verizon when they eventually come?
Also, would anyone be willing to help me with the root process?

Could not be any easier. Just follow the sticky right at the top of this section.
And remember, don't skim, READ.

I use Nexus Toolkit and it's as easy as selecting your device and choose the root option
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

ragde085 said:
I use Nexus Toolkit and it's as easy as selecting your device and choose the root option
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Toolkits are awful. They keep people from learning to properly adb/fastboot when once they learn that they can pretty much recover from just about anything completely on their own. It's not at all difficult to just suck it up and follow directions.

OP, just so you know, being rooted doesn't get you updates faster all by itself.
Sent from my i9250

There are two ways:
1. Via Gnex Toolkit (the easiest)
2.Via adb with a command pompt.
However udates dont come faster with root. With root and a custom recovery u would be able to flash custom roms, mos and themes..
Official updates is up to your carrier..

063_XOBX said:
Toolkits are awful. They keep people from learning to properly adb/fastboot when once they learn that they can pretty much recover from just about anything completely on their own. It's not at all difficult to just suck it up and follow directions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm . . . halfway with you. It's good to read, follow directions explicitly, and puzzle through your first root yourself. You learn a bit about adb, fastboot, and other tools that will make you feel like you really control your phone. (And you WILL control your phone!) After you're somewhat familiar with them, though, I don't think there's anything wrong with using something like the GNex Toolkit. It made things pretty simple when I moved up from my Optimus S.
tl;dr: Do it once yourself so you know how the wheel works. After that, feel free to take advantage of the spiffy wheels offered by others.

I learned the hard way with adb and fast boot, but not everyone loves to do everything by hand. Given that I end up formating and installing roms very often, I rather use quick options when possible.
IMHO if you want the stuff just done use the wizards and toolkits, if you really want to learn the inner workings do it manually step by step
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

Why did I get another Android phone?

I was so excited to get a different phone. I had been contending with the insufferable Galaxy Note 2 for 9 months. I really believed that getting the LG Optimus G Pro would be great.
Now I come to find out that there is this locked bootloader? yes before you even start typing: I already know about Freegee. I put it on my phone, it did its work. I have CWM on my phone. I cannot install a different rom. It aborts every time.
And nobody here can help. Its not like you don't see my posts. You see them. You just see them and decide to go on to something more interesting figuring that someone else will help the poor guy.
Hey guess what. I took programming in college. Only one course in VB but I did take it. And I've put up several websites back in the day. ("back in the day is a United States colloquialism")
My point is, even though I have a bit of experience with computers (linux distros, html, visual basic) I still can't figure out the quagmire that is Android.
Once the iPhone 6 comes out, I really have no reason to stick with Android anymore. I mean, if rooting and rom-ing the phone is more boringly laborious than jailbreaking, then what is the point of Android?
For example, lets say I do clear the hurdle and then flash a rom so I can get decent sound? THEN my wifi won't work. Or Some other crucial functionality will be fubar-ed. Okay okay... you say you have a fix for that? Well when its all said and done, the time/energy costs just aren't worth it, now is it?

0 #!*! Given ?

That's interesting because I never took any classes and have never had a problem rooting or doing Roms on any android phone. Sorry your experience has been bad but my questions have always been answered by somebody in the related thread. I would try asking again in the ROM's thread to see what is happening.
Sent from my LG-E980 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

G pro is the note 2 killer...... Just follow instructions of any op to the T and you should be fine.... It's simple lol
2SHAYNEZ

I agree. I don't post often but I really do hate Apple. Android kicks Apple's you know what many times over. Talk about being locked down.... If I've ever had a problem with a Rom someone has always helped me figure it out. Sorry about your problems though.
sent from my lgog pro. I just had to go bigger.

@Perry2547,
If CWM doesn't work then try TWRP, even i had problems with CWM.either install it from freegee or install this
copy this to sd card and then flash it in CWM and reboot.

I believe the OP just wanted to start a thread...
So you all may ignore him

Thanks @sukesh.
I tried the twrp you linked to and now my phone will let me flash.
Unfortunately, Camera has stopped.

Close thread please.
2SHAYNEZ

I don't even remember how I rooted this phone... I know I found a thread that had comprehensive instructions, links, etc and believe it was as simple as downloading/extracting an executable file on my PC and plugging the phone into USB at the right moment. I've flashed CM, stock 4.4, Slim and always find my way back to stock 4.1.2, modded to my liking. If you can't flash something in a custom recovery, it's likely your phone is protecting you from failure to completely read/follow a prior mod or a prerequisite to the ROM/Mod you wish to flash.
Sent from my LG E980 via Tapatalk Pro (and stupid-fast LTE)

But seriously y'all, I'm just glad I have another two hours if battery life left. That means I will vhave to recharge this phone only 3 more times today.
Unfortunately, Camera has stopped.

I too just got new lg ogp phone. Been trying to customize it to my liking for the past 3 days and night. All I can say about android is it is not for everybody. Sure, you can use it as it is when you first get it as a stock device, and it will work as advertise. But there is a reason that you try modifing it regardless of breaking the manufacturer's warranty (yes, once you start rooting it, you violate the agreement.) You have personality of the kind that thinks you can fix anything by yourself. Nothing wrong with that, I'm in same personality group too, many Android owners are. After all, what is the point if you can't modify the phone to your liking? Might as well get an Iphone right? Sadly though, it seems the new android trend is just heading the way of iphone, where users have to be protected from harming themselves. I noticed all the difficulties when I tried to root this LG phone, as compared to the phone I had two years ago. But android users are a persistent lot, more securities mean inventing more ways to break them. If you have problem installing ROM, try cm11 nightly build, it works for me. Post the specific problems and situations. We should be able to help each other. After all, android owners are together in a special community where we can relate to each other because of ideas we have for our phones. My advice to you is make sure you have the newest recovery and you are properly rooted. I can't use the script method where you run a msdos batch file. Since atnt suppose locked the boot.img file or something. Had to use a program called root master.
Sent from my LG-E980 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Nobody gives a damn, get life!

Antigen said:
Nobody gives a damn, get life!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha
2SHAYNEZ

hawkwind212 said:
I too just got new lg ogp phone. Been trying to customize it to my liking for the past 3 days and night. All I can say about android is it is not for everybody. Sure, you can use it as it is when you first get it as a stock device, and it will work as advertise. But there is a reason that you try modifing it regardless of breaking the manufacturer's warranty (yes, once you start rooting it, you violate the agreement.) You have personality of the kind that thinks you can fix anything by yourself. Nothing wrong with that, I'm in same personality group too, many Android owners are. After all, what is the point if you can't modify the phone to your liking? Might as well get an Iphone right? Sadly though, it seems the new android trend is just heading the way of iphone, where users have to be protected from harming themselves. I noticed all the difficulties when I tried to root this LG phone, as compared to the phone I had two years ago. But android users are a persistent lot, more securities mean inventing more ways to break them. If you have problem installing ROM, try cm11 nightly build, it works for me. Post the specific problems and situations. We should be able to help each other. After all, android owners are together in a special community where we can relate to each other because of ideas we have for our phones. My advice to you is make sure you have the newest recovery and you are properly rooted. I can't use the script method where you run a msdos batch file. Since atnt suppose locked the boot.img file or something. Had to use a program called root master.
Sent from my LG-E980 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly.
If android is going to be locked down, what is the point? With iPhone bringing in 3rd party keyboards and phablet size phones, might as well go with them instead of utilitarian design devices made by dictator led countries where creativity is frowned upon.
Unfortunately, Camera has stopped.

Perry2547 said:
Exactly.
If android is going to be locked down, what is the point? With iPhone bringing in 3rd party keyboards and phablet size phones, might as well go with them instead of utilitarian design devices made by dictator led countries where creativity is frowned upon.
Unfortunately, Camera has stopped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh lawdy... Then go to iPhone buddy .. Lol see ya
2SHAYNEZ

But Apple has been implicated in planned obsolescence as well.
Does that matter to you?
To me, it makes me a bit upset that I could work on my vehicle twenty years ago, but now it's not possible. Planned obsolescence.
Make everything sweepstakes m disposable. Lock it down too. Keep every one buying the upgrades.
Unfortunately, Camera has stopped.

Are you still having problem installing the ROM? You have never tell us what kind of problems you ran into specifically. You just ventted your frustration here, nobody wants to hear that. If you want people to help, describe the issue. Go to this site and download the program vroot.
http://www.mobilepoint.us/2013/10/android-root-master-one-click-vroot.html#.U9XRXYfwJGo
The program is in Chinese, so you may want to watch youtube videos on the master root program first. Do a factory reset, clean wipe, run master root program, and hopefully you should be able to install the recovery. Once the recovery is properly installed, you can install the custom rom. Since there aren't many, I suggest you try cyanogenmod.
Sent from my LG-E980 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

hawkwind212 said:
Are you still having problem installing the ROM? You have never tell us what kind of problems you ran into specifically. You just ventted your frustration here, nobody wants to hear that. If you want people to help, describe the issue. Go to this site and download the program vroot.
http://www.mobilepoint.us/2013/10/android-root-master-one-click-vroot.html#.U9XRXYfwJGo
The program is in Chinese, so you may want to watch youtube videos on the master root program first. Do a factory reset, clean wipe, run master root program, and hopefully you should be able to install the recovery. Once the recovery is properly installed, you can install the custom rom. Since there aren't many, I suggest you try cyanogenmod.
Sent from my LG-E980 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got a ROM to install. I indicated so in the thread. It was the E988 rom on the E980 thread.
I do a lot of whining and complaining but its for the best.
I hope that the complaining I did about Samsung's crappy products has saved a few people from buying...that is the only way that company will learn their lesson. Why pay $800 for a device only to get screen burn in.
But I never ever never ever BRICKED my Note 2.
I've bricked this OGP more times than I can count.
We should have the options to remove the locked boot loader. I would gladly sign an agreement acknowledging the risks.
We're going backwards. We're not making progress.
Same things is happening in desktop/laptop computers. I had to do something unusual to remove the UEFI on a Windows machine I bought last year just to install Lubuntu.
Speaking of Lubuntu, I had an ASUS Netbook with Windows 7 and an Atom processor. Needless to say, it ran slow. So I installed Lubuntu. Then , wow, the device ran so fast and smooth, and the already good battery life got three times better.
Why can't we have an option like that for our smartphones? I want to run the equivalent of Lubuntu on my OGP.
And another thing: Why are some custom roms dimming the display? Is it to make it appear as if the rom is giving better battery life?
Peace out bro.. but yeah, I'm not stopping my rants. If you don't like what I've got to say, simply don't read it.

This phone is not much more difficult to root than any Samsung phone I used. Also why didn't you do research before buying the phone? It was stated clearly that the boot loader was locked. However since day one of purchase I was able to follow a thread and have my phone rooted in ten minutes. It is really not that hard. Now there are a bunch of one click roots. This phone installs custom Roms every time with ease for me. I am no expert but I can read instructions. If you follow them, 99% of the time things will work. I love android for the fact that I have options. I am running a rooted stock ROM now but I love knowing that in ten minutes time I can have a new ROM flashed. This community has been so helpful and responsive.
Sent from my LG-E980 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app