Develop Bugs

phone arriving on wednesday - first things to do?

ello guys.
going from my 2 year old htc desire to this....
so...what are the first things to do with this galaxy nexus?
Vital apps needed?
specific things to do in the settings to make it run better?
it would be nice to make a guide to follow.
first thing ive done so far is buy a TPU S line case, and Expertshield screen protector.
If the battery life is rubbish i'll have to get the extension pack....but hardly anyone in the UK seems to sell them...lots of korea sales for genuine ones on ebay.
would a non-genuine thing still be as good?
heard of this dodgy issue with a 'yellowy' tint screen - what to do there? have to root the phone?
etc.etc...

Fast boot OEM unlock
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

Unlock the phone a root it first because unlocking it will wipe the phone clean of EVERYTHING. So get that done first and the rest is up to you stay stock or flash a rom.
Sent From My Sprint Galaxy Nexus via XDA Premium

Here are my favorite apps on my Galaxy Nexus
-Chrome Beta
-Boid (Twitter)
-Tasks (Google Tasks)
-Weather Flow
-Intsagram
-Wolfram Alpha
-Icy Time (Timer and Stopwatch)
-Wallbase (Wallpapers)
Now that you have Android 4.0 you'll most likely fall in love with the Holo design guidelines. A list of some of the apps that use these guidelines can be found here and some good looking apps in general can here.
If you plan on rooting your phone or think you might want to in the future Unlock the bootloader, if you don't you will regret it, trust me. As for the battery life, I can get through the whole day with no problems while others complain that the battery life is bad, I suggest that you use the phone for a week before you get an extended battery.
There's a forum about the yellow screen issue here if you experience this at all then send it back as soon as possible despite the desire to play with your brand new toy.
If you have more questions just ask.

Sign for it
Take it out the box
Charge it
Press power
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

If you like miui and don't want to root. Miui launcher is now available as an apk. That's one of the first things I installed when I got mine. The stock launcher is pretty good too.
Mi Launcher
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1623026
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

try ur phone with everything stock for a few days, see if everything works, no reboots, overheating etc etc (might want to check if u got an OTA update though, coz there's a big difference for example between 4.0.1 and 4.0.4 in terms of stability)... if u're satisfied with stock , there is no need to root then , if u want to play around a lil u'll figure what to do urself.
p.s. i also owned a desire, but went through some devices in the middle before the gnex, nways, the desire can't be even mentioned in the same sentence with what u're getting now. welcome aboard

First things to do:
1) Unlock your bootloader, even if you never plan on rooting or flashing a custom ROM. Do this even before booting Android for the first time.
2) Check to see if you are running yakju or takju. If you are running a build other than those two (for GSM devices), flash one of them (by following the link in my signature). Run one of those two builds for a while, so that you get a feel for what a stock ROM is.
3) Everything else.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Keep it stock for at least a week, get to know the phone. Saves having to post about problems you're having on a custom rom just to find out its not the roms fault. This will also allow you to give real feedback when comparing roms as a opposed to these douches who flashed on day one n insist that rom x is better than stock
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

i will definitely run stock for a few weeks and get used to it all.
however i am one to fiddle, but im totally new to this phone world in terms of rooting, custom ROMS etc, never bothered before.
put it this way though......i dont own any apple products
can anyone point me to the best guide for rooting, and installing custom Roms?
also can anyone link me to a list of custom roms for the gnex, that are either finished or in development?
im just asking for the links because im very sure the question 'how do you root' has been asked a hundred times - i could google it - but i presume you guys will immediately know a link to the best and safest guide.
having a read through, it seems people have already tweaked the gnex for better things - better kernels? to get better battery life? etc.etc...
is that part of the firmware? is that what you get with custom roms?
i need to understand the basics first.
(im buying the phone sim free unlocked)

Everything you need is in the q&a and development sub forums where you found this one
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

schueyisking said:
i will definitely run stock for a few weeks and get used to it all.
however i am one to fiddle, but im totally new to this phone world in terms of rooting, custom ROMS etc, never bothered before.
put it this way though......i dont own any apple products
can anyone point me to the best guide for rooting, and installing custom Roms?
also can anyone link me to a list of custom roms for the gnex, that are either finished or in development?
im just asking for the links because im very sure the question 'how do you root' has been asked a hundred times - i could google it - but i presume you guys will immediately know a link to the best and safest guide.
having a read through, it seems people have already tweaked the gnex for better things - better kernels? to get better battery life? etc.etc...
is that part of the firmware? is that what you get with custom roms?
i need to understand the basics first.
(im buying the phone sim free unlocked)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HERE you go
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=23229558
Galaxy Nexus AOKP m5 Franco kernel m3

doesnt rooting or installing a new kernel void the warranty?

schueyisking said:
doesnt rooting or installing a new kernel void the warranty?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can always flash back to stock.
No warranty problems.

Backup your /efs partition... =o)

a week of stock? i don't last more than 3 hours, and that's if i'm trying to really be patient. within an hour of getting mine i had flashed the radios, bootloader, rom, and the kernel.

tspderek said:
a week of stock? i don't last more than 3 hours, and that's if i'm trying to really be patient. within an hour of getting mine i had flashed the radios, bootloader, rom, and the kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you even know what stock ICS is if you only use it for 3 hours?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

I just got my GN directly from Google and didn't do any unlocking of any sort. Just turned it on and added some apps I plan on using. Changed my homescreen and other screens/settings to fit my personal use and etc.
The phone is amazing without the need of unlocking.
Not really sure... the phone is already unlocked -.- (SIM wise)

pinoyplaya4life said:
[snip]
The phone is amazing without the need of unlocking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you understand what unlocking means? We are talking about unlocking the bootloader. Unlocking the bootloader does NOT mean that you are changing anything related to the ROM. I does NOT mean that you are "rooting", and it does not mean you are planning to use a custom ROM.
All it means is that it gives you the ability to use fastboot commands. With this ability, you may be able to save some data off your device in case something happens and your devices' OS crashes. There have been a few reports on these forums of users who kept their bootloaders locked, then something happened and they couldn't boot their device. If their bootloaders had been unlocked, they could have at least saved their personal files (photos, music, etc) from the /sdcard directory. But, because their bootloaders were locked, too bad so sad, photos gone (they were not auto-backup to the cloud).

+1
Definitely unlock the bootloader - I learned the hard way on my N1 that getting an 'unlocked phone' is different from having a phone with an unlocked bootloader. (hunting down a bootloader locked root method so I can Titanium Backup 2 years of apps and data is a PIA).
Unlocking the bootloader on a brand new phone will not outwardly do anything to your phone other than add a little unlocked padlock to the bottom of your startup screen (the one with Google written on it).
I did 2 weeks ago what you're talking about doing now. It's super easy with the Galaxy Nexus Toolkit that mskip has created.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1392310
[EDIT] P.S. - don't worry about losing warranty when unlocking the bootloader - the above GNex Toolkit can get your phone back to stock and then re-lock the bootloader for you if you ever need to use the warranty.
efrant said:
First things to do:
1) Unlock your bootloader, even if you never plan on rooting or flashing a custom ROM. Do this even before booting Android for the first time.
2) Check to see if you are running yakju or takju. If you are running a build other than those two (for GSM devices), flash one of them (by following the link in my signature). Run one of those two builds for a while, so that you get a feel for what a stock ROM is.
3) Everything else.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Few questions about the HTC One

Ok so i'm coming from an iPhone to an android to test it out try something new etc. I'm not going to fanboy about anything, I'm coming to android because I wanted to try out android so I don't need any iOS vs Android.
So I don't really know much about android in general, but I had been looking at the GS4 and HTC One and I decided that once I can upgrade, hopefully within a month, hence the reason I'm posting here.
I know rooting gets you super user, super user as in root access similar to linux, access and is somewhat similar to jailbreaking.
Since Verizon sucks and blocks apps like google wallet can it be installed and used without root or would you have to root to use it?
Is the notification LED RGB or set color?
What is the difference between the unlocked bootloader vs S-Off?
I think i read something about s-off being blocked by an update to hboot? Do the Verizon HTC One come with that update already installed?

megaorange1 said:
Ok so i'm coming from an iPhone to an android to test it out try something new etc. I'm not going to fanboy about anything, I'm coming to android because I wanted to try out android so I don't need any iOS vs Android.
So I don't really know much about android in general, but I had been looking at the GS4 and HTC One and I decided that once I can upgrade, hopefully within a month, hence the reason I'm posting here.
I know rooting gets you super user, super user as in root access similar to linux, access and is somewhat similar to jailbreaking.
Since Verizon sucks and blocks apps like google wallet can it be installed and used without root or would you have to root to use it?
Is the notification LED RGB or set color?
What is the difference between the unlocked bootloader vs S-Off?
I think i read something about s-off being blocked by an update to hboot? Do the Verizon HTC One come with that update already installed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Root
2) Set either green or red. Red while charging, green for notifications and fully charged
3) I'm not the best person for this so I'll let someone else answer
4) Yes

If you want a Verizon phone unlocked your best bet right now is the note 2. Though it's last year's specs and architectures, it runs flawlessly and has a strong dev community.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 4

megaorange1 said:
Ok so i'm coming from an iPhone to an android to test it out try something new etc. I'm not going to fanboy about anything, I'm coming to android because I wanted to try out android so I don't need any iOS vs Android.
So I don't really know much about android in general, but I had been looking at the GS4 and HTC One and I decided that once I can upgrade, hopefully within a month, hence the reason I'm posting here.
I know rooting gets you super user, super user as in root access similar to linux, access and is somewhat similar to jailbreaking.
Since Verizon sucks and blocks apps like google wallet can it be installed and used without root or would you have to root to use it?
Is the notification LED RGB or set color?
What is the difference between the unlocked bootloader vs S-Off?
I think i read something about s-off being blocked by an update to hboot? Do the Verizon HTC One come with that update already installed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
An unlocked bootloader will allow you to flash ROMs and bootlogos.
S-Off will allow you to change and flash anything to the device, including the splash screen when it first boots up. You have to be careful though, because you can really brick your phone by flashing bad radios and things.

is the att version locked down like the note 3?

The note 3 is a great piece of hardware but it was a nightmare for devs I hope they backtrack on that with this one. Not getting my hopes up though.

powdered_donuts said:
The note 3 is a great piece of hardware but it was a nightmare for devs I hope they backtrack on that with this one. Not getting my hopes up though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably...Maybe...Absolutely and most Definitely LOCKED.

powdered_donuts said:
The note 3 is a great piece of hardware but it was a nightmare for devs I hope they backtrack on that with this one. Not getting my hopes up though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course it will be locked down!!! Us consumers never really OWN our phone that WE purchase!!! So tired of AT&T and others. I sure hope Geohot can bring us some towelroot

chrispyutec said:
Of course it will be locked down!!! Us consumers never really OWN our phone that WE purchase!!! So tired of AT&T and others. I sure hope Geohot can bring us some towelroot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root took a long time for the note 3 but in the end the real fight was and still is the bootloaders. No custom kernels means even with root all you get is basically a bunch of differently themed semi customized stock Roms to play with

powdered_donuts said:
Root took a long time for the note 3 but in the end the real fight was and still is the bootloaders. No custom kernels means even with root all you get is basically a bunch of differently themed semi customized stock Roms to play with
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's right. I gave up my AT&T note 3 for T-Mobile S5 just for the unlocked bootloader. Although I really would like to see the bootloader unlocked, I can kinda live without unlocked bootloader if I have at least root. I will no longer buy a phone if I can't at least get root. I always wait until root has been achieved before making any purchase. Gotta love HTC for not locking down, but I just don't like their phones that much.

99.999% sure the ATT version will have a locked bootloader. This means it will always be a cat and mouse game with root.
My advice is to wait and not pre-order anything yet. Let the dust settle and see which device will work for you and have root available.
1. You have to ask yourself how long do you normally keep phones? Can you afford to wait 6 months or more (or never if you accidentally take an update) for root on an ATT device you are going to have for 1-2 years?
2. The Tmobile version will most likely have an unlocked bootloader which means you never have to worry about root. It will also most likely work on ATT like the GS5 and the Note3 before it and it will have updates long after Tmobile and Samsung stop supporting it.
If you have Tmobile in your area and you want root it really is the best way to go and cheaper. Why not give them a try? The next best is a Tmobile device on ATT, and third, well.... forget about root.

I have the same very question.
Being on ATT, will the Note 4 be able to be Rooted, and even more important, allow Custom Recovery for ROM's ? If not, NO WAY I can get the Note 4. And Safestrap is not an option, that's a handicapped and gimped wannabe recovery.
Nice thing with HTC, they openly and officially allow their One M8 to have the bootloader unlocked directly through HTC's own website. I did just that with my ATT carrier One M8, and converted it to a GPE. Would like to see Samsung allow that too.

Without a doubt it will be locked.

Ikr! I had T-Mobile but we moved a few years back to an area where they don't have service really at all. I wish I could let them pay my termination fees and bring my four lines there I would save money too. Oh well..

powdered_donuts said:
Ikr! I had T-Mobile but we moved a few years back to an area where they don't have service really at all. I wish I could let them pay my termination fees and bring my four lines there I would save money too. Oh well..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get the Tmobile device instead and use it on ATT. Don't be pulled in by the ATT Next hype\propaganda either. You still pay full price for the device. Why not get one that you actually own.

mircury said:
Get the Tmobile device instead and use it on ATT. Don't be pulled in by the ATT Next hype\propaganda either. You still pay full price for the device. Why not get one that you actually own.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I know I'm not falling for the next plan and all that crap not interested in adding more to my monthly bill. I thought about getting the T-Mobile version but I'm starting to just lean towards getting a nexus from google when the new one comes out. Hate to leave Samsung behind but I'm feeling like the time has come to move on

mircury said:
99.999% sure the ATT version will have a locked bootloader. This means it will always be a cat and mouse game with root.
My advice is to wait and not pre-order anything yet. Let the dust settle and see which device will work for you and have root available.
1. You have to ask yourself how long do you normally keep phones? Can you afford to wait 6 months or more (or never if you accidentally take an update) for root on an ATT device you are going to have for 1-2 years?
2. The Tmobile version will most likely have an unlocked bootloader which means you never have to worry about root. It will also most likely work on ATT like the GS5 and the Note3 before it and it will have updates long after Tmobile and Samsung stop supporting it.
If you have Tmobile in your area and you want root it really is the best way to go and cheaper. Why not give them a try? The next best is a Tmobile device on ATT, and third, well.... forget about root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not a good idea. If you want the phone, go get it now. I remember very well that after someone root the HTC phone with s-off, they make it not rootable with it being s-off. It took many months and ransom money for hacker to find it get rid of the s-off.

chong67 said:
Not a good idea. If you want the phone, go get it now. I remember very well that after someone root the HTC phone with s-off, they make it not rootable with it being s-off. It took many months and ransom money for hacker to find it get rid of the s-off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very, very bad advise. You are basically advising people to buy and hope that an exploit will be found, and it's a bad gamble at most. Have you gotten any recent Samsung phones? We aren't talking HTC here. Look at the Note 3, Galaxy S4 and S5 history. I'm not saying you shouldn't buy the phone. I'm saying you should not pre-order it or get it on day one. With the Tmobile note 3 it took a week and a half after release to confirm that it had an unlocked bootloader. At that point a custom recovery was ODIN flashable and root was forever available. It was even faster to confirm that the ATT version was locked down and as of today the bootloader has NEVER been cracked! No CM or AOSP! Only stock kernels are usable. The same with the ATT S5. The bootloader is still locked down. Root has been obtained through an exploit that has since been patched. So if you take an update you are screwed. A bootloader exploit for the latest samsung devices has not been found for the ATT S4, S5, and Note 3 for 1.5 years now.
I have a huge info thread over in the ATT Note 3 section if you want to read it.
My point is, wait for confirmation that a particular device is bootloader unlocked before you put down $750 on a device.

mircury said:
Very, very bad advise. You are basically advising people to buy and hope, and it's a bad gamble at most. Have you gotten any recent Samsung phones? We aren't talking HTC here. Look at the Note 3, Galaxy S4 and S5 history. I'm not saying you shouldn't buy the phone. I'm saying you should not pre-order it or get it on day one. With the Tmobile note 3 it took a week and a half after release to confirm that it had an unlocked bootloader. At that point a custom recovery was ODIN flashable and root was forever available. It was even faster to confirm that the ATT version was locked down and as of today the bootloader has NEVER been cracked! No CM or AOSP! Only stock kernels are usable. The same with the ATT S5. The bootloader is still locked down. Root has been obtained through an exploit that has since been patched. So if you take an update you are screwed. A bootloader exploit for the latest samsung devices has not been found for the ATT S4, S5, and Note 3 for 1.5 years now.
I have a huge info thread over in the ATT Note 3 section if you want to read it.
My point is, wait for confirmation that a particular device is bootloader unlocked before you put down $750 on a device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
better advice! But you can certainly blindly guarantee that at&t is locked down.

Am I wanting Root for wrong reasons?
I have been rooting and installing custom ROMS for a few years now. All Samsung phones.
I'm growing tired of custom ROMS. While some are very solid, I have not tried any at all that don't have one problem or another. So, I'm hoping I can be satisfied with just rooting and maybe even staying on TW. I'll be trying to analyze the features I'd lose from Nova if I stay on TW, vs the TW features of the Note 4 I'd lose by going to Nova.
But my main question is do I really NEED root? I'm thinking I want it in order to do true backups (with more concern about data than backing up apps). I am of the impression that data backups may not be possible w/o root. True? Or, depending on App? I know that TIBU seems to want root...I've never tried to use TIBU w/o root.
Also, I use other apps that seem to work better with root, ie. Lightflow, TIBU, Tasker (a must), ES File Explorer, Gravity Box, Notification Shortcuts, Utter, Widget Locker, and others I suppose.
Seems to me I NEED root. Am I misinformed?
Maybe the T-Mobile version of the Note 4 is what I should look for.

ewingr said:
Also, I use other apps that seem to work better with root, ie. Lightflow, TIBU, Tasker (a must), ES File Explorer, Gravity Box, Notification Shortcuts, Utter, Widget Locker, and others I suppose.
Maybe the T-Mobile version of the Note 4 is what I should look for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't forget adaway, my number 1 use for root, and ya you should be looking at the tmo note. That's coming from someone who did it on the 3rd gen note.

mircury said:
..., and ya you should be looking at the tmo note. That's coming from someone who did it on the 3rd gen note.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll probably look into that. I typically take advantage of subsidy, but may be worth going with TMO. If the Note 4 had 4GB mem, that would make it easier to make the extra spend. I was hoping for a phone that I may be happy with for longer than 2 years. (Of course the root issue may be the driving factor for purchasing the TMO version, irrespective of other considerations).

ewingr said:
I have been rooting and installing custom ROMS for a few years now. All Samsung phones.
I'm growing tired of custom ROMS. While some are very solid, I have not tried any at all that don't have one problem or another. So, I'm hoping I can be satisfied with just rooting and maybe even staying on TW. I'll be trying to analyze the features I'd lose from Nova if I stay on TW, vs the TW features of the Note 4 I'd lose by going to Nova.
But my main question is do I really NEED root? I'm thinking I want it in order to do true backups (with more concern about data than backing up apps). I am of the impression that data backups may not be possible w/o root. True? Or, depending on App? I know that TIBU seems to want root...I've never tried to use TIBU w/o root.
Also, I use other apps that seem to work better with root, ie. Lightflow, TIBU, Tasker (a must), ES File Explorer, Gravity Box, Notification Shortcuts, Utter, Widget Locker, and others I suppose.
Seems to me I NEED root. Am I misinformed?
Maybe the T-Mobile version of the Note 4 is what I should look for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree with you on all points. Except not sure we "have to root". The Note 4 will be able to handle all "Bloatware" and still fly. Koush's Helium does a good job backing up apps/data. No Nandroid, but if you are not rooting and running the risk of soft bricking and needing to restore a Nandroid, they won't be needed. The cloud for Google will always be there to restore those accounts. The rest you can backup to your sdcard and pc. Not sure I need theming like Xposed offers. As, I am liking the stock look of the S5 which I am running on my S4.
That all being said I would probably get a TMO one on ATT if LTE runs fine and root/flash roms since it is in the blood at this point--

Off topic...
rugmankc said:
..Koush's Helium does a good job backing up apps/data...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you posted this. I had not heard of Helium. I'll have to check it out.
One thing I like to be able to do is backup and restore just data. I'll have to see if that can be done. It's interesting that it doesn't require root, when everything else does.
....
Just went to Play Store, and leaves me a bit confuse. The instructions are a bit confusing, as 1a says "Root user? You're done", then goes on to say to install on the PC, which implies to me if non-rooted, you must do backups to PC.
I'll go and read the Wiki.
[Update]
A few things that are discouraging, from the WIKI, re: Helium:
If you're using a non-root device, you MUST connect to a PC via the USB port of your device to enable ADB backup permissions.
In problematic applications, ALL Google Apps are listed
...you are using a non-root device, you need to enable Helium at every reboot of the device. This is a PITA
You made a backup to a removable SD card. Again, not advisable as mounting then re-mounting a physical card between devices is problematic for backups. Use PC Download, a cloud destination or device-to-device sync.
Those are just the issues I'm not sure I'd want to mess with. So, hoping to ultimately achieve ROOT.

ewingr said:
Glad you posted this. I had not heard of Helium. I'll have to check it out.
One thing I like to be able to do is backup and restore just data. I'll have to see if that can be done. It's interesting that it doesn't require root, when everything else does.
....
Just went to Play Store, and leaves me a bit confuse. The instructions are a bit confusing, as 1a says "Root user? You're done", then goes on to say to install on the PC, which implies to me if non-rooted, you must do backups to PC.
I'll go and read the Wiki.
[Update]
A few things that are discouraging, from the WIKI, re: Helium:
If you're using a non-root device, you MUST connect to a PC via the USB port of your device to enable ADB backup permissions.
In problematic applications, ALL Google Apps are listed
...you are using a non-root device, you need to enable Helium at every reboot of the device. This is a PITA
You made a backup to a removable SD card. Again, not advisable as mounting then re-mounting a physical card between devices is problematic for backups. Use PC Download, a cloud destination or device-to-device sync.
Those are just the issues I'm not sure I'd want to mess with. So, hoping to ultimately achieve ROOT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can try MyBackUp Pro from Play Store--Have used it for years. Assuming it updates for Note 4--sure it will. You can email them--

[Q] Root Questions (now and later)

Hello. I guess I have a few random questions regarding root on this device. I won't bore you with pleasantries. Here are the questions:
1) What do you think the possibility of root is with this device (bounty and all)? I mean, honestly. I'm not just talking hopefulness. Do you really think it'll get root? Root means a lot to me. I enjoy everything that you can do with it. Not having it is sort of bumming me out. It's the first Android phone I've not had root on. And I really am loving the Note 4. I don't want to go to a Nexus 6 JUST for root, ya know?
2) Is root going to go away in the future (in general)? It seems like the carriers are getting very serious about locking everything down. Android L is supposed to make it even MORE difficult to exploit vulnerabilities.
Anyway, I guess that's it. Any thoughts you have about anything I mentioned above is welcomed. I mean this question to be more of a discussion than anything else.
Thanks for all of your responses.
-T

+1

Well I see this question / discussion is going over well, lol.

The Galaxy line is by far the hugest force in Android, its development community is massive. That said, we're a spin off Galaxy phone, and a carrier specific. I've been with Android phones and the Galaxy line since its inception, and if nothing else, the one thing that always hold true is; we always find a way. There may be a day when OEMs and Carriers can go toe to toe with XDA, but that day won't be today. We'll have root soon.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA Free mobile app

That was an awesome response! It was like a halftime speech. I am ready to run through a brick AT&T wall!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app

1.) Root on KitKat will be found. It's just a matter of time and effort.
2.) Root on Android L is going to be a different story. Once this phone is upgraded to lollipop it will be impossible to root without an unlocked boot loader. This is because of the new implementation of SELinux, which will require a custom kernel in order to maintain root access during the boot of the device. At least this is what Chainfire had stated. Therefore people need to focus on the boot loader NOT root.
Also definitely don't upgrade to lollipop until the borrower has been unlocked otherwise you may be SOL.
Just my 2 cents.
Sent from my SHIELD Tablet using XDA Free mobile app

Is there an actual need to root?

I've recently rooted my phone and now I am questioning why I did it. The first phone I rooted was my Nexus One and I've been a member of this site since the release of the Galaxy S2 so I am no novice. It used to be a necessity to root for the increased control it gave, but now all I seem to be doing is finding solutions to get back functionality that I've lost through tripping Knox. Please, can anyone give me a reason or list the advantages of rooting the current generation of phones because I'm struggling to justify keeping the bootloader unlocked and not going back to stock?

No. I wouldn't... for you though the cat's already out of the bag.
If running on Pie I definitely wouldn't update to 10 or worse 11.

mckeowngoo said:
I've recently rooted my phone and now I am questioning why I did it. The first phone I rooted was my Nexus One and I've been a member of this site since the release of the Galaxy S2 so I am no novice. It used to be a necessity to root for the increased control it gave, but now all I seem to be doing is finding solutions to get back functionality that I've lost through tripping Knox. Please, can anyone give me a reason or list the advantages of rooting the current generation of phones because I'm struggling to justify keeping the bootloader unlocked and not going back to stock?
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Like you, I've been rooting since my HTC-Hero way back in the early days of Android. It was necessary for better kernels, better battery life, better RAM and CPU management, better file systems (Early days of ARM and EXT4) and of course those cool themes and apps that only work with Root (Titanium Backup, Gosh I miss you!!). Not to mention what was my favorite, MIUI!
The last phone I rooted was the Nexus 6. It was a powerhouse! I still have it in a drawer full of old devices in my desk and miss it! Someone once told me when checking out my N6, "Your phone is like a muscle car!"
I miss rooting and I hate that carriers have locked the Bootloaders down. Android was founded on and was expanded by the Amateur Development community. Look up Cyanogen for details!.
I just bought my daughter this device outright - first, one I've ever bought that wasn't through my carrier and I'll be doing the same with the Pixel 6 for myself later this year which means I can finally go back to rooting and hopefully back to what earned me the RC title, but I also wonder, do I really NEED to root these??
My daughter isn't a power user. She's probably happy with whatever native settings and Samsung themes she can find on her own. My Pixel 4 XL has been great as is. so I applaud your question because I also wonder if rooting is still necessary or is it just a way to feel rebellious and outside the fray?

I also own a Pixel 4, bought to scratch an itch when I wanted to try out GrapheneOS.
I think I will go back to stock, which is sad as I enjoyed the process of modifying the phones software. If there was a net gain or increased functionality to keep the phone rooted, I would but unfortunately there isn't a compelling reason to keep the bootloader unlocked.
Am I wrong? Is the scene, at least for Samsung phones, dead and this forum obsolete?

Root is a must for me. Just being able to debloat. Either way I bought a unlock token

I understand the debloat of carriers useless apps, but since I found that ADB can basicly remove the programs I don't need root for that. But I still like root for change hosts files and such.