Root Question re: turning off app "notifications"

[Thana Niveau]

Sorry if this is a dumb question. I've got my phone set up to alert me with a sound ONLY if someone sends me a text (I've also got SMS Pop-Up installed). But last night and this morning both Dropbox and an HTC Sense update bleeped with news. If I go into SETTINGS --> APPS and tick "turn off notifications", does that make them stop? Or does that just mean I'm disabling the little graphic that appears at the top of the phone to tell me there's an update?

(I had this problem once before with Facebook and was able to shut off notifications via the FB website but the Dropbox one doesn't have any such setting.)

Also - my phone is so loaded with bloatware I'm running out of space but I just don't dare try and root it myself. I've heard both that it's dead easy to do and that you risk bricking your phone if you don't know exactly what you're doing, so I can't afford to take the chance. Are there people you can pay to root your phone?

 

[El Presidente]

For dropbox, that should work, although what was the notification for? I've been using it for ages and I don't think it's notified me of anything.

When you turn off notifications that way, you're pretty much stopping the app notifying you of anything. When you get update notifications, that's generally from the Play Store and you'll need to turn off notifications via Play -> Settings -> Notifications.

The HTC Sense update sounds like a system update?

There are a few sites that offer to root for money, but for the most part, they're scams. Root methods for HTC handsets are generally very easy nowadays thanks to the bootloader unlock solution HTC provide. Have you looked in to the process at all?

 

[Thana Niveau]

For dropbox, that should work, although what was the notification for? I've been using it for ages and I don't think it's notified me of anything.

Just that someone had added something to a shared folder. Never got one of those before.

When you turn off notifications that way, you're pretty much stopping the app notifying you of anything. When you get update notifications, that's generally from the Play Store and you'll need to turn off notifications via Play -> Settings -> Notifications.

Thanks! I didn't realise those update notifications were coming from Play and not the apps themselves. Particularly annoying with the 30+ ones I never use! But I've disabled quite a few of them and that seems to have helped.

The HTC Sense update sounds like a system update?

It was. Hopefully that won't happen too often. The last major system update (from ICS to Jelly Bean) seemed to slow the phone down even more.

There are a few sites that offer to root for money, but for the most part, they're scams. Root methods for HTC handsets are generally very easy nowadays thanks to the bootloader unlock solution HTC provide. Have you looked in to the process at all?

I kinda figured the sites I'd found were scams. I did look at the process when I first got the phone (February) but as it's my very first smartphone I'm still not totally conversant with it (or Android) and it all looked too technical and too dangerous to attempt. I'll look up the HTC solution you mention and see if it looks any easier.

Many thanks for your help!

 

[El Presidente]

The HTC method doesn't actually root the phone, it would unlock the bootloader which is the first step in the process.

I'll be tied up for most of the day, but let me see if I can find a decent set of instructions for you later on.

 

[Thana Niveau]

I'll be tied up for most of the day, but let me see if I can find a decent set of instructions for you later on.

That's very kind of you - I really appreciate it!

 

[El Presidente]

Ok, I think this does everything for you: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1943822

Have a read, does anything seem too complicated/not make sense?

Did you check out the official htcdev site for the bootloader unlock?

And, you're aware of what rooting pertains and what it does yeah?

(Sorry, had to ask the last one)

 

[Thana Niveau]

Ok, I think this does everything for you: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1943822

Have a read, does anything seem too complicated/not make sense?

Did you check out the official htcdev site for the bootloader unlock?

And, you're aware of what rooting pertains and what it does yeah?

(Sorry, had to ask the last one)

My understanding of rooting is that it gives you admin access, right? So I could delete the bloatware apps I don't want or move them to the SD card?

I registered at the htcdev site but got nervous when I saw the warning messages about opening the bootloader so I decided to wait to see if you could find instructions before I tried it.

Your link has this on it: "THIS IS FOR THE PC ONLY. No plans ever for Mac or Linux. Sorry." (I've got a Mac and can't open .rar files at all.) Does the rooting have to be done via a computer? I thought you did it through the phone. If it's just instructions in the toolkit file, I've got an ancient Windows laptop I could possibly open the file on but I wouldn't want to connect my phone to it.

Sorry to be such a clueless nuisance! See what I mean about it being easier just to pay someone to do it? LOL

 

[El Presidente]

You're not being a nuisance, don't worry about it. A few years back when I first rooted one of my handsets, it was all totally alien to me. Terms like fastboot, bootloader, ADB etc were terrifying so I know how you feel.

Yeah, root does all that. It also means you can't install OTA updates (because of the custom recovery which is one of the steps required for root), or at the very least OTA updates will break root.

I think there are instructions for unlocking via a mac on htcdev? You may need to do it manually.

If moving stuff to SD Card is all you're after, is there an option in Settings -> Apps- > "App Name" to move stuff to SD Card?

 

[Thana Niveau]

You're not being a nuisance, don't worry about it. A few years back when I first rooted one of my handsets, it was all totally alien to me. Terms like fastboot, bootloader, ADB etc were terrifying so I know how you feel.

Yeah, that's me - don't know what any of that means! LOL

Yeah, root does all that. It also means you can't install OTA updates (because of the custom recovery which is one of the steps required for root), or at the very least OTA updates will break root.

Oh dear, all of that's a foreign language to me too. That's the other worry - even if I manage to root it, if something goes wrong I won't be able to fix it because I don't really understand the process anyway.

I think there are instructions for unlocking via a mac on htcdev? You may need to do it manually.

Is the bootloader on htcdev the same as rooting?

If moving stuff to SD Card is all you're after, is there an option in Settings -> Apps- > "App Name" to move stuff to SD Card?

Can't see any "app name" option in Settings -> Apps. If I could move all that junk to the SD card that would more or less solve the problem.

 

[El Presidente]

Sorry for the delayed response.

App name could be anything, so if you wanted to move Angry Birds to the SD Card, it would be Settings -> Apps -> Angry Birds -> Move to SD. Make more sense now?

The root process goes a little like this:

Bootloader Unlock
Flash Recovery
Flash Root zip files

When you unlock the bootloader via htcdev, that allows you to flash what's called a recovery image. Your phone already has a recovery image installed, but it will only allow you to flash stuff that's been released/signed by HTC. A custom recovery allows you to install different software, root your device etc, but with a custom recovery, you can't install OTA (Over The Air) Updates from HTC.

Does that make sense (in a roundabout sort of way).

 

[Thana Niveau]

OK, I understand what you're saying now. I was able to move a few things to the SD card and make a bit more space but the option of moving a lot of the pre-installed bloatware is disabled. Ah well.

All the root process terms sound like another language to me, I'm afraid! LOL I wouldn't really have any idea what I was doing and if I screwed something up I wouldn't know how to fix it either. So I'll just have to leave it as it is. But thank you for at least helping me figure out how to move stuff. It has definitely helped clear up some space!

 

[El Presidente]

No problem, I'm more than happy to have helped.