Should I root my phone?

[mojos]

Hello! I'm kinda new here and I think this has been asked a lot of times but I'm wondering if I should root my phone? I'm using an Xperia P and since I won't be able to get the kitkat update I have decided it's best to root it and get a custom rom. Is it worth the root though? Also, what are the risks involved in getting your phone rooted? Can it permanently destroy your phone? Thank you in advance for your input!

 

[03bluecoupe]

Yes, you can turn your phone into a brick if you don't know what you're doing.

 

[mojos]

Yes, you can turn your phone into a brick if you don't know what you're doing.

thanks for the heads up! is there no such think as un-bricking your phone though?

 

[03bluecoupe]

You'd need someone more versed then me. I don't really "play" in that arena. I think you'd have to wipe the phone completely and find a custom ROM to install and customize. i just know if you aren't careful you can turn the system into toast. Without a REAL good reason along with some expert help, it's probably not advisable unless you have a phone that you're using to play with as a learning tool.

 

[Rxpert83]

Nearly everything in the root world is phone specific.

We have a forum dedicated to your device, so I'd recommend giving the all things root guide a read to see what you're getting yourself into.

If you find its missing information you've come across, let someone on staff know and we can get it added to the guide.

 

[dan330]

to root or not .. is up to you. what is important to you.. and the risk involved.


each phone is different on how it is rooted. how easy.. and how brick it can get.
brick can be soft.. which means it can fix with a little work.
brick can be.. dead.. no more.. done.. nothing but a brick!

read read and read
confirm confirm confirm
then read some more

 

[kate]

My advice is to only root/ROM if doing so will bring you a feature you want that you can't currently get. So if KitKat has features you want then go ahead

But be careful.

 

[Adauth]

I have rooted every Android device I have owned since the OG droid. I couldn't imagine having a phone without root access. Also if you do root you should check out xposed mods. Allows you to change tons of things without having to flash a rom. Rooting is actually pretty straight forward process most of the time. Just do some research and you should be fine. There are plenty of 1 click root programs out there. Basically download the root program to your PC, connect your device, run the file and it is pretty much that simple. You might need to install your devices drivers on your pc first but those should be easy to find. With a little research almost anyone can root their device. You by no means have to be an android expert. Also it's pretty difficult to permanently brick your device with absolutely no way back.

 

[03bluecoupe]

I've seen a lot of discussions regarding on how to root but I've not seen any compelling reason to actually cause me to root. I mean if there was an app to guarantee to make me rich or to get me a... well... something else then I'd consider it but I see no real reason calling me to do it. But that's just me. Sometimes I think it's a status thing more than anything. People just don't want to answer "no" when asked if they've rooted. Doesn't phase me a bit. ') Now, if I ever hear a valid reason, I may have to reconsider but I haven't heard any yet.

 

[Goodspike]

Beyond bricking your phone you might just end up with problems that are more unique or more difficult to solve (or let's just say a different set of problems running apps). You'll also lose some manufacturer specific features.

I've never rooted because I use my phones for business and just viewed it as too risky, and have not seen the benefit. As to the benefit, I don't see a benefit to stopping certain programs from loading, particularly on a phone with 2GB of ram.

 

[dr_m0x]

Root is amazing and really enhances the phone. I've rooted every android device I've owned. The risks are actually small so long as you bother to research first and follow instructions. Most bricks occur because people don't and miss something crucial.

 

[03bluecoupe]

Root is amazing and really enhances the phone. I've rooted every android device I've owned. The risks are actually small so long as you bother to research first and follow instructions. Most bricks occur because people don't and miss something crucial.

Why? And how is the phone so much better?

 

[Rxpert83]

Why? And how is the phone so much better?

Rooting is the first thing I do when I get a device. In fact, I won't buy it if it can't be rooted. Its not just to say I've rooted it, its because I want control over my device, rather than my carrier or manufacturer.

Custom Roms can add functionality the phone didn't have before as well as increase device performance. Many tines, they also bring newer versions of android to devices before the manufacturer can.

Custom kernels can increase performance and battery life

Root allows for increased customizations, modifications, ect.

For me, the list of rooting pros far outweighs the con's. I haven't gone into specifics here because many things are specific to your device, so you'll have to do the research on what's available out there for your phone.

 

[03bluecoupe]

Ok, I guess I'll take your word for it. Maybe the reason that I don't see much + to it is that I just use it as a once in a while/emergency device. I don't listen to music, watch movies, or play games on it which may be where the advantages lie.

 

[funkylogik]

Yeah unless youre a phone geek like myself who sees it as a hobby, youre probably best to keep your phone stock unless theres a root feature you really need like ad-blocking or free tethering etc :thumbup:
I see my phone as a portable android computer and get a lot of geeky (and practical) pleasure from that

 

[03bluecoupe]

I hear ya. In my past life I was a geek about my linux workstations in much the same way.

 

[Stuntman]

Hello! I'm kinda new here and I think this has been asked a lot of times but I'm wondering if I should root my phone? I'm using an Xperia P and since I won't be able to get the kitkat update I have decided it's best to root it and get a custom rom. Is it worth the root though?

What feature or features available in KitKat that isn't available in your existing OS version do you really need and cannot live without? If there isn't, then you don't really need to root. A large number of people are not using KitKat and are perfectly happy with it.

 

[funkylogik]

From my point of view, kitkat is fast, efficient and looks good. It brings the option of Android Run Time which makes such an improvement to older or lower specd devices, performance and battery life

 

[mojos]

From my point of view, kitkat is fast, efficient and looks good. It brings the option of Android Run Time which makes such an improvement to older or lower specd devices, performance and battery life

Yes, exactly why I want the KitKat. Hmmm.. I'm definitely leaning towards rooting my phone now. However, I'm gonna practice first with my older Android devices since a lot of you guys keep mentioning on bricking and destroying my phone. Also, I'm gonna do a lot more reading with regards to this.

 

[davoid]

From my point of view, kitkat is fast, efficient and looks good. It brings the option of Android Run Time which makes such an improvement to older or lower specd devices, performance and battery life

funky beat me to it. I was going to say that the OP's interest in rooting was the lack of kitkat for his device. I wholeheartedly back funky's recommendation of kitkat and the option to use ART.

Other advantages I can think of are:

The ability to install a firewall on your phone which allows you to block or allow access to the internet on an app by app basis. Very useful when installing 3rd party keyboards which could be key logging etc. It also stops ads in blocked apps.

The ability to use automation apps like Tasker to override lockscreen patterns or PINs when you are at home and connected to your home wifi. Not that major a feature, but saves you unlocking your phone all the time. Neat.

Ability to use Clocksync app to automatically sync your phone's clock with an online atomic clock. Awesome.

Ability to use Xposed framework and its ever-increasing list of 3rd party modules. Again, awesome.

Custom roms! Get rid of all the system bloat that comes installed by the manufacturer and network provider. Have a sleek, fast, cutting edge device.

The ability to use Titanium Backup to back up your apps and data to an SDcard or the Cloud.

Ability to connect phone to PC in USB Mass Storage mode.

Ability to boot your PC from boot disk ISOs stored on your phone using DriveDroid app. Geekiness personified.

Control of your device in ways not dictated by the manufacturer/network provider.

General awesomeness.

The ability to say 'yes' if people ask you if it's rooted.
(Nobody has ever asked me that, unfortunately )

I'm sure people can think of more reasons.

 

[funkylogik]

Lol the only people in the real world i know who even know or care what root/rom means are my 11yr old geek nephew and my wife
+1 for Xposed Framework although it doesnt work with ART yet

 

[03bluecoupe]

funky beat me to it. I was going to say that the OP's interest in rooting was the lack of kitkat for his device. I wholeheartedly back funky's recommendation of kitkat and the option to use ART.

Other advantages I can think of are:

Spoiler

The ability to install a firewall on your phone which allows you to block or allow access to the internet on an app by app basis. Very useful when installing 3rd party keyboards which could be key logging etc. It also stops ads in blocked apps.

The ability to use automation apps like Tasker to override lockscreen patterns or PINs when you are at home and connected to your home wifi. Not that major a feature, but saves you unlocking your phone all the time. Neat.

Ability to use Clocksync app to automatically sync your phone's clock with an online atomic clock. Awesome.

Ability to use Xposed framework and its ever-increasing list of 3rd party modules. Again, awesome.

Custom roms! Get rid of all the system bloat that comes installed by the manufacturer and network provider. Have a sleek, fast, cutting edge device.

The ability to use Titanium Backup to back up your apps and data to an SDcard or the Cloud.

Ability to connect phone to PC in USB Mass Storage mode.

Ability to boot your PC from boot disk ISOs stored on your phone using DriveDroid app. Geekiness personified.

Control of your device in ways not dictated by the manufacturer/network provider.

General awesomeness.

The ability to say 'yes' if people ask you if it's rooted.
(Nobody has ever asked me that, unfortunately )

I'm sure people can think of more reasons.

Thanks, and good reasons. I suspect what will happen is when I get a new tracfone which will probably be a while, I'll root the L39C as a play/learning exercise. If for no other reason than I have always enjoyed dorking around with operating systems.

Thanks

 

[wonky]

Other advantages I can think of are:
Ability to connect phone to PC in USB Mass Storage mode.

Can't all Android phones do this?

 

[03bluecoupe]

Mine certainly can and it's not a high end phone.

 

[boyo1991]

I feel like root SHOULD be given as a default. But requires a little work so people who have no idea what theyre doing wont scre up the system..

The idea i have is to just use a terminal emulator to gain root.. like sign into it?

Most of the modern linux world uses tgis by default altho in a much more graphocal sence.. like ubuntu asking for passwords everywhere ect.

But i understand then its too easy for ppl who dont know what theure doing....

Either way i like the idea lol.. but google understands most of the world is not as geeky as us so they wont impliment it haha

Im not rooted because i feel like im not using official android software.. i already feel that way with samsungs bloatware lol but hey, if u wanna do it, use a different device first do u can go through the motions..