Rooting for pokemon Go

[pokemongorooting]

So as far as my pokemon go needs go.... I'm set. I'm doing this for a family member as a potential gift.

Anyway pokemon go has a 4.4 android os (kitkat) or above & a 2gb ram requirement (also phone requires a gyro scope for optional AR mode... not needed tho). It's very easy to find a cheapo android phone that has the operating system requirement but lacks the ram requirement as most cheapo phones only come with 256mb, 512 mb of ram. I did read that once a phone is rooted that you can turn a micro sd card into partitions & format those partitions into part storage & part ram (I also know to look up the micro sd card size compatibility)

So I'm looking for an android 4.4 or above phone that I can guarantee a root will work. I will probably use kingoroot. I'll use the mobile app first then pc method if need be. Said android phone also needs a micro sd card slot that can handle at least an 8gb micro sd card. I want to format 2,3 gigs into ram... maybe even 4 then the rest for storage.

Any intel on a cheapo phone that I can guarantee a root from would be appreciated.

 

[pokemongorooting]

pokemon go isn't optimized for tablets (some lady at gamestop said she played on her tablet) but I'd be willing to try to root a cheapo android tablet 4.4 (or above) as long as it can handle an 8gig micro sd as well.

I recommend the Moto E 2nd gen, $30 from Boost Mobile

And this a rooting recommendation correct?

 

[codesplice]

If you're interested in rooting primarily to use a bit of the SD card as RAM (AKA swap), I'd encourage you to reconsider. I used to use hacks like that for extending my internal storage capacity so I could install more apps and games; the SD card is going to be slower than the internal storage, so there was a noticeable performance hit. Internal storage is even slower than RAM, which means the performance hit when using the SD card as virtual memory would be HUGE. That's likely going to be a pretty miserable experience.

Why not just get a cheap phone which meets the requirements for Pokemon Go out of the box? You can get one from Amazon for $60, unlocked.

 

[pokemongorooting]

If you're interested in rooting primarily to use a bit of the SD card as RAM (AKA swap), I'd encourage you to reconsider. I used to use hacks like that for extending my internal storage capacity so I could install more apps and games; the SD card is going to be slower than the internal storage, so there was a noticeable performance hit. Internal storage is even slower than RAM, which means the performance hit when using the SD card as virtual memory would be HUGE. That's likely going to be a pretty miserable experience.

Why not just get a cheap phone which meets the requirements for Pokemon Go out of the box? You can get one from Amazon for $60, unlocked.

I understand virtual memory & actual ram difference can be huge. But I was hoping the speed of phone ram was nowhere near the speed of ram of an average desktop/laptop. Since some people do use virtual memory on computers; I thought virtual memory could be viable for phone apps.

Also I don't have prime so that phone would cost me $110 lol

https://www.boostmobile.com/shop/phones/moto-e-lte/

This phone would suit your needs perfectly and you can unlock the bootloader yourself from Moto's website using fastboot from your computer

This one looks nice. I love the fact that the micro sd card can handle up to 32gb as well as an actual gig of ram. I could set up a lot of virtual memory with this device. Thank you for the 411

 

[codesplice]

Seriously, I wouldn't buy a device with the intention of hacking it to use the SD card as virtual memory - doubly so if, as you mention, you're planning on giving it as a gift. You don't want to be the guy stuck supporting it when/if it gets an OTA update that breaks everything.

 

[ciresiuol123]

OK... Virtual RAM has it's uses, but PokèGO is not one... Virtual RAM is DECENT for running more apps at once, not one app that uses 1-2gb RAM itself...
The OS reads (and writes) to physical/virtual RAM separately... If your physical fills up, it will transfer what it can to virtual...
It may transfer PokèGO to the virtual, but it would be slow, which would cause in-game issues... You'd be better off getting a device with 1-1.5gb RAM and force closing (and maybe freezing/disabling/uninstalling) as much other programs as possible...
Galaxy Avant for T-Mobile/MetroPCS is usually pretty cheap on eBay and I know from my personal usage that it can handle PokèGO (most of the time... Does close itself rarely, most likely due to RAM)... Galaxy Amp Prime from Cricket is very similar and was on sale for $50 with activation last I checked... Might still be...
As for Boost, I'd suggest the same as Slayer72...

 

[ciresiuol123]

Sorry for the double post, but the previous was long enough already...

If you do want to set up some virtual RAM, I'd suggest making the partition smaller than the actual amount of RAM PokèGO uses, so the OS moves other apps to virtual and keeps PokèGO in physical... 512mb should do... Might be able to go as high as 768, or maybe as low as 384 or even 256mb...

 

[svim]

Virtual memory is essentially swap, there's going to be a guaranteed hit in performance and in a situation like this with an app like Pokemon Go after using it for an extended length of time, stability. You're going to put in time, money, and effort into making a phone that simply doesn't meet minimum hardware specs. Memory paging switching back and forth from actual to virtual RAM is a last resort measure, not appropriate for gaming device. At the very least be absolutely sure whomever you're giving this substandard Pokemon Go phone to is aware of its limitations and drawbacks.