WHY should i root my phone ?

[kcbuds2]

As the title says..
I have a HTC sensation just updated to ics but it has slowed my phone down, lagging opening and closing apps, when browsing the net it takes a few seconds to stabilize. imo ics is rubbish the only good thing is being able to unlock phone with your face..

so I want to know what's so good about rooting your phone? what are the risks,advantages and disadvantages ?
thanks

 

[ouch1976]

Rooting is fun. It allows you to customize your phone much more so than the manufacturer/carrier allows. You can delete bloatware, you can overclock your processor, you can tweak the phone for better battery life. As someone who was scared of rooting for a long time, I'm really happy that I went to the dark side. It really opens up the capabilities of your phone.

If you're not happy with the stock system, I'm sure you'll find something great if you root. Go to the Sensation forum on AF and read about All Things Root...

Good luck!

 

[kalpet89]

Risks
You might brick your device if you do something wrong in the rooting process

Advantages
Remove limitations that the manufacturer/carrier put on your device
Extend system functionality
Full control of your device, access system files
Customization
Install custom ROMs (there are plenty of them)
Uninstall stock apps that you don't want, making your device faster

Disadvantages
You will lose your device warranty
Again make sure you know what you are doing before rooting, or you might damage your device

 

[kcbuds2]

Thanks for the replies guys, I love been able to change stuff and customize my phone so I think I might give it ago, as for the risk of bricking I think I will insure my phone first just incase I "lose" it

so what cool things have you guys done since rooting ?

also would they be any issue with downloading apps from market ?

 

[pool_shark]

I think most would disagree with your assessment that ICS is rubbish.
Since your device received an OTA update to a new OS, perhaps you need to do a factory reset.

 

[ouch1976]

Rooting, just by itself, does nothing different to your phone. In fact, you will not notice any difference between a rooted phone and a stock phone aside from the rooted device having an extra icon (called SuperUser). The market works in the same way. Your apps will all be available. You really won't see any difference.

But, what rooting allows you to do is: you can load custom ROMs onto your phone. A ROM is basically a new OS and there are a bunch of different ones out there. Some are meant to mimic other "skins", ie running HTC Sense on a Motorola device, or running Moto Blur on a Samsung device, etc. But others just pick and choose the best features out there and create a very smooth, cool system.

Good idea to get the insurance, but with all the one-click rooting options out there these days, it's unlikely you'll brick your device.

Good luck! I hope this helps!

 

[finndo77]

Your warranty will only be void, if there is not an unroot method available for your phone.

Your phone well run faster, even if you do not use a custom Rom, if you remove the unnecessary apps. Read the forums closely, and read the root instructions three times before trying it. Also, if it is a script to root your phone, read the script. Even if you don't understand what it says, you will recognize the steps when you run it, if you read it. And it will make you feel more comfortable when you see stuff go by on the screen you recognize.

Rooting rules:
Don't unplug your phone while rooting
Don't pull your battery while rooting
Don't take your eyes off your phone while rooting, if you've never done it before (hard to get help when something goes wrong, of when asked what happened, you respond "I don't know, I was in the bathroom")
Read everything three times
Check the forums for other's experiences