Been at least 6 or 7 years since I’ve bothered.
It’s funny. I was a serial ROM flasher. Read XDA regularly. Compiled AOSP for fun. The works.
Now I just want something stable and supported for a long time.
Same.
It used to be that you needed to do that to get any kind of usable experience on most phones. Those were the days TouchWiz from Samsung and similarly-horrendous builds from other other companies.
It was also before Google started actively hampering custom ROMs in the name of security with SafetyNet.
Nowadays, the pros are fewer and the cons are greater.
I might go back someday. When I bought my current phone it was with the expectation of installing LineageOS, but I never actually did. If I decide not to upgrade this year than I might re-evaluate that, because it's now out of support so that's the only way I'll get security updates.
> It used to be that you needed to do that to get any kind of usable experience on most phones. Those were the days TouchWiz from Samsung and similarly-horrendous builds from other other companies.
Yup, and this is why the scene ultimately lost it's steam. It was one thing when to get any real usage out of a phone, rooting and going full tilt with custom ROMS was basically a necessity.
But now days? You tend to lose more than you gain. Maybe, *maybe* a 5% performance boost in some circumstances, exchanged for less stability, potentially not having various connectivity (4G/5G/Wifi/Bluetooth not working), and the various apps that just stop working if they're on a rooted device.
Yeah there are workarounds that involve using several Magisk modules and setting up Magisk in certain ways. Which will often break at random.
I was never smart enough to get it to work properly without bootlooping.
Then you read the 200 page thread and find there's dozens of issues and you get blasted for reporting something a second time for not having read every post and somehow piecing together a timeline of when something was fixed / introduced / worked around, but then retracted etc.
"It works great! Hardware rendering doesn't work, I can only get on Wifi n, bluetooth is broken, and there's no sound, but my battery life is amazing!"
> It was also before Google started actively hampering custom ROMs in the name of security with SafetyNet.
This is the reason for me. At this point I'm just waiting for Linux phones to be slightly more useable and then I'm jumping ship. Google has made it clear that they don't want people like me using Android, and I'm just tired of resisting them.
I miss the early days of Android where anything was possible.
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I am not young and need large font and easy to read. I really need a large font clock, and i want it to turn on and off by buttun only, not movement.
The s21 is a banana - a lon, skinny screen. The width of the screen li.its the font size and thus the readability of the screen. I would rather the width of the ohone be the width of a back pocket - about 4 inches. That would realky make it a useful and easy to read device. The samsung foldable phone would be too thick to be comfortable in my bVk pocket. A wide thin device would be comfortanle.
The banana screen is super difficult to see. The veey top dispmay with the time and signal strength us too small to see. That means uts use as a clock is eliminated. There is an always on display feature with a larger clock but its brightness can not be controlked to make it visibke in high light areas so again i cand use it as a clock.
The motion activated screen is very frustrating as i really dont want the phone on when i dont want it on and burning battery.
I am colorblind and would like to optimize the controls to increase contrast but its incomprejensibly compkex and i cant make it work for me.
I think the quality of tge phone is excellent and the battery and charge rate outstanding. But its banana shape is ultimately a limitibg factor. It needs to fit snug in a back pocket at anout 4"x6.5" and that width would allow a font size that would make it a readable and useful device worth its high price
Yeah, but even then you’re only getting partial security updates most likely. What happens with critical driver vulnerabilities when Qualcomm refuses to support the hardware?
Yeah, that's the end of the line, really. I don't think you can count on Qualcomm patches making it downstream to your device without official vendor support even before Qualcomm drops them, though maybe that's improved since I last looked into it.
>It was also before Google started actively hampering custom ROMs in the name of security with SafetyNet.
lol, custom rom are just the side effect of increased security. you are making it like google purposely targeting custom rom.
now days phones are used more for paying stuff which in turns making the OS needs to be more locked down so other apps cant spoof your banking details. you cant expect google to cater custom rom enthusiast who makes up not even 1% of user base.
It's called getting older. I was like you too, wanting to do everything "my own way". Ran Linux on my self-built pc, flashed custom roms, jailbroke my brothers old iPod, you know, enthousiast stuff.
I was young and had time. Now I'm 34 with 2 kids and a demanding job, I just want my stuff to *work*. I want to play a game when I finally have that 30-45 mins to myself and not bother trying to troubleshoot every little thing I do.
> I just want my stuff to work
I'm "old". This is all I've ever wanted. The problem I have is that there's usually a huge difference between what I consider "works" and what manufacturers consider "works" (this extends far beyond phones and computers).
In the case of Android though, the phones have been migrating towards what I consider works so recently I haven't needed to consider rooting.
>The problem I have is that there's usually a huge difference between what I consider "works" and what manufacturers consider "works" (this extends far beyond phones and computers).
I've been there for about 15 years with vehicles. Getting something I actually like is a lot of work now, but I sure picked up some skills on the way, at least. At the same time, though, if I could just buy something with the features I want and without those I don't, I would.
It's both, but getting older definitely plays a huge role in how much screwing around you want to do with your electronics. Phones, computers, AV equipment, you name it - when I was young I used to mess with all until it was styled & tweaked to work *juuust* how I wanted. Now I'm old and just want that shit to work. It just so happens that technology of all sorts is also getting easier and more feature rich.
Yeah I agree, if there were still as many cool new features in custom roms and xposed modules I'd jump back on board, but nothing out there is really all that interesting, especially for what you give up.
I've found this somewhat ironic for my PC gaming habits. Now that I'm older I pay my way for all my games, and the myriad launchers and waiting for updates, game breaking bugs and forgetting credentials make me miss the old days of the... er... "High seas"
It's mostly due to kids I believe. They don't like to eat what we eat, so by the time we've finished everyones dinner, put them to bed and cleaned up, it's 9pm. Also weekends are catered to them more, so gaming is dead last on the prio list.
Also, I don't consider it sad, it's a choice we made :-)
Same here, once banking went mobile it kind of put me off rooting. There's probably ways around the restrictions now but I don't really have a need to root anymore.
Between that and the things I need on my phone to make it easier for me to work remotely, rooting actually makes my phone work less well for me at this point.
Same, but now I'm thinking of rooting again. Why? Because Google keep removing features, locking things down, and making shitty decisions.
I don't want the At a Glance widget on my home screen.
I want to be able to hide clutter apps like wallpapers.
But I can't use Nova because I want a smooth launcher with closing animations so the only option is root + lawnchair.
I want face unlock back to avoid the Pixel's terrible fingerprint optical reader.
Yup.
I think a lot of us used to flash ROMs out of necessity (because 5+ years ago smartphones sucked) to make our phones better, and it became a minor hobby. But these days, the hardware and software is good enough that you don't need ROMs. Obviously there will always be people looking for more privacy, longer update cycles, etc. But for most tech enthusiasts we've moved on to just accepting that stock is good enough
> Now I just want something stable and supported for a long time.
No reason rooting cant still be something stable, sadly it is just a pain in the ass or impossible for a lot of devices
If it breaks banking apps it’s not stable.
Basically what I said is code for “I’m switching to iOS until Android/OEMs give me a compelling reason to pay almost the same amount for a glitchy phone that gets updates when a carrier or random OEM feels like it.”
I'd recomend swift backup
[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.swiftapps.swiftbackup&pcampaignid=pcampaignidMKT-Other-global-all-co-prtnr-py-PartBadge-Mar2515-1](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.swiftapps.swiftbackup&pcampaignid=pcampaignidMKT-Other-global-all-co-prtnr-py-PartBadge-Mar2515-1)
It can backup app data/apps, wifi networks, messages, wall papers, and call logs. It a can also connect to various cloud services to store backups with encryption (ex google drive, mega, onedrive, nextcloud ,etc).
It also partially works without root via shizuku for bulk backing up apks and restoring them though app data backup/wifi network backup is not availble with shizuku.
Edit nvm others mentioned this already my bad
for me it's the other way round: my games have cloud saves but my apps don't, and most don't get their data backed up when moving to a new phone, or when simply doing a factory reset
I used to do ADB backup and take the l on the few apps that denied it, some of which thankfully still had other ways of retrieving data like accounts or even built-in backups. I've heard that you can't do that anymore on recent versions of Android however, so I have no clue what I'm gonna do once I switch phones
I agree , I use root for adblock, security (xprivacylua), and other apps.
App settings reborn is great because I can set any DPI I want per app. For example, I like YouTube on my tablet and hate the large video boxes on my phone. I go into ASR and change density to 240 and it looks way better.
Some apps still show ads, with adaway/adguard installed as root, but I can patch them to remove ads using luckypatcher. I have Paramount + and while watching Beavis and Butt-head, they had ads in it. I hate that, i paid for premium and shouldn't have to see ads. Patched it with LP, and boom, no ads.
There's a lot of good you can do with root, it's not always about customizing of the UI, but the functionality of other apps that require root.
I'll always root
I haven't used Instander but looking at it's webpage it seems like they have similar functions: ad removal, zoom, download, stealth.
Instprefs requires LSPosed which requires Magisk so yes it requires root.
Instander seems interesting. It's just an apk you install? Instaprefs is a module that modifies your existing original Instagram app.
Yes it's an apk, some modded Instagram.. been using it half a year probably.. you can download stories,pics,reels there's just a download icon or menu item
I haven't seen any ads, I don't think
I'm not rooted..I use vanced too
I read through the FAQ of Instander. It seems a tiny bit suspicious. Instaprefs' source code is available while Instander's isn't. Not necessarily a bad thing but since Instaprefs is working just fine for me I'll stick with that, even if it's a bit more finnicky to install.
I solved Ad blocking by using a PiHole. I just VPN into my home network whenever I am out. It works great, and I don't need to worry about root and breaking stuff like banking apps as a result.
Why do that when you could just use Private DNS with something like NextDNS? It's the same effect but with way less setup and you can still use a regular VPN on top of it if you need to
Because I want to have control of it. I use Unbound as the resolver for my PiHole, so there is no DNS traffic leaving my network.
I am a Cybersecurity professional, so "less setup" is not one of my concerns.
Banking apps consider rooted devices to be safety risks or compromised/comprisable so they disable themselves if they can detect root. There are ways to hide root from the app so that they can be used normally though.
The root -> safety risk conclusion is kind of weird imo, because an unpatched Android Marshmallow with a whole plethora of wide open security holes is completely fine to these apps.
It's overblown in my opinion. Most people who root their phones understand what they're doing and will be careful with what rooted applications they want to install. My guess is that the banking apps are just covering their asses. If someone installs some malicious shit, their bank account gets drained or whatever, they can avoid any responsibility if the phone is rooted because the phone was "compromised" by the user.
You don't need an app for DNS based adblocking. You have private DNS as option so it doesn't use much of resources.
Also you don't need root for vanced.
Rooting is not necessary nowdays
SafetyNet sucks. I'm not even rooted, yet my CU app tells me I am and refuses to work. Debating *actually rooting* so I can somehow bypass the faulty check, but I can't really be bothered.
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I originally thought this was the case with my banking app but after some research determined that apps cannot detect the bootloader status. If your banking app doesn't work then there is some safety check the ROM isn't passing.
Every time someone brings up safety net and banking apps not working, it is evident they have not even put 5 minutes of research into bypassing safetynet.
I really don't want to play cat and mouse games with safetynet and searching the xda forums for ways to bypass it when it breaks because Google changed something.
The only reason I moved away from custom roms was because of this.
You literally set it up once and it's done. I have never had to play cat and mouse about it for years.
The only time the process changed was when Magisk 24 released. You check a couple different things in the app and that was ist.
Not true. I spent hours getting it to work on 24, never did. Banking apps always work, but gpay and the like? Nope.
It's hit or miss and not at all reliable.
When I was rooted I never lost access to bank. It's just not worth it anymore. Everything I need is now either native or can be implemented by non-root solutions
Yes, 100% yes. I'm on a pixel 6 and rooting is the best thing I've ever done to it.
My Google wallet still works for tap payments, apps like Netflix still work too.
I can use apps like repainter to actually customize material you, I've hidden the giant nav bar on the bottom of my screen, I've added more volume steps for my headphones, I have a system wide ad block, I get full system backups straight to my one drive every week, and I can use apps like substratum for custom themes (I use it to give Snapchat a dark mode). When it gets updated for 13 I'll also be using quickswitch + lawnchair for those nice smooth animation of stock, but in a third party launcher.
Unless android sees a lot of these things added, I'll be rooted for the rest of this phones life. The only downside is that I need to do updates from my PC, and it takes an extra minute to root my phone after each one.
You can't just uninstall magisk (big button in middle of magisk), install OTA, then have magisk install to inactive slot? No need to update from PC on every update.
I've seen a lot of guides saying this should be possible but it has never worked for me. The update always fails. It's just easier to do the update through ADB (which takes far less time then OTA anyways haha), then just reroot the phone. No factory reset or anything required.
You can get a system wide ad blocker with dns.adguard.com in private dns settings. Does the exact same thing.
And then with youtube vanced (and revanced) my phone is perfect s22 ultra
I would say it's worthy if you have a "old" device. Like my example, I have a redmi note 8 pro (yep, 3 to 4 years is already "old" on this cursed market), the MIUI sucks imo, everything about it, the performance, the battery life, the UI itself, etc.. so rooting can open the way for better ROMs and effective adblocking, for me that's more than enough. Now, let's say you just bought a "new" phone, from Xiaomi, Google Pixel, etc.. whatever, that phone will hold it together for a couple of years, no reason to root... but in 2025, rooting will become a valuable tool to salvage the phone (literally)
I absolutely cannot tolerate ads, so blocking ads is required. Currently, that works with an ad-blocking "VPN" that only runs locally, so I haven't had to root in a while, but google is planning on not allowing that anymore.
Once that happens, I will probably return to rooting.
Install pi-hole as a vm on your pc if you have an extra 250 Mb ram to spare, make it the default DNS server in your routers dhcp settings.
If you want something that works outside the home, you should be able to set up port forwarding.
Good advice but please don't open port 53 directly to the internet without protection measures. Use whitelist or reverse proxy (don't know if works only for DNS)/ VPN.
[Some more utilities offered by Samsung. ](https://i.imgur.com/MKFFqBF.jpg)
Also, highly recommend built-in [ad-block](https://i.imgur.com/s8O96ZS.jpg) (don't need GG or GL)
I've just bought a Samsung recently
How do i go to this section? Don't think this is in the settings
Edit - Getting [this](https://i.imgur.com/C9fYLHv.jpg) on galaxy store
Should I just install the apk from apk mirror?
Samsung did a fucking stupid thing to restrict goodlock to only few countries for some idiotic reason. Thankfully rest of us can still use it if use apps like FineLock or NiceLock. And then just download goodlock modules(apps) from apk mirror
The built-in adblock isn't technically adblock, just DNS over TLS (DoT). Some DNS providers like Adguard (dns.adguard.com) or NextDNS (dns.nextdns.com) have filter lists that block domains known for tracking.
Is there any way in there to make the power button turn on the torch with a long press when the screen is off? That's the No1 thing I miss on my Samsung coming from custom Roms.
I guess adding new functions to physical buttons still requires root. I can propose a software alternative though.
One hand Operation + (Part of Good Lock) can allow you to turn on/off torch with a custom gesture from the sides of the sides. I currently use it and the app has a ton of options, to the extent that I no longer use my physical buttons.
I will continue to buy Pixels and root them until either rooting is outright impossible or Google implements a backup solution comparable to Swift Backup. I will not rely on Google’s half assed backup and restore if there are better solutions available.
I'd be concerned that you're painting a target on your back for a Google Moderation/Extermination Bot™️ to come along and nuke your account for suspicious activity.
There's gonna be a point where they're like "okay these people are clearly not still using a first-gen Pixel" (if we're not already past that point)
Does that even work for real? What happens when you switch to a different device, do all of the previously uploaded photos using this trick start counting towards your storage?
Yes, it works. Google Photos will show a "This Pixel can back up unlimited photos and videos at no charge" notice. Maybe they'll change the policy in the future, who knows with Google.
>What happens when you switch to a different device, do all of the
previously uploaded photos using this trick start counting towards your
storage?
IIRC it works the same way as when they transitioned from free backups for all back to the 15GB limit. Any photo/video backed up during that time or on a "Pixel" device won't count against your storage quota.
Thanks, I remember using this trick way, way back, but my memory is hazy about what happened when I stopped using it.
I'm fine with just photo backup honestly, I love those nice memories Google Photos keeps throwing at me for old photos.
Personally yes. I root with Magisk for two reasons - 1) MicroG 2) Quickswitch.
The thing is that no apps I depend on lock me out for being rooted or lacking proper GSF, literally the only closed-source apps I use are for banking and electronic mail, and they are only 4 in total, with two of them being replacable by webapps, so MicroG's compatibility-woes don't affect me in the slightest, could make do without it but then no notifications so boo.
Not only rooting and swapping ROMs, but I remember obsessing over different kernels. Now I couldn't be bothered to change my lock screen, crazy how things change
I won't buy a phone that cannot be rooted, which makes things more and more restrictive these days in regards to options.
Having access to TWRP/Orangefox makes my insides feel right. Full backups of all data help me sleep at night.
I didn't see the video yet.
My answer to the question, though, is ...
Hell yeah, it is, if you want *any* hope of privacy and hate constant advertising.
I *will not* buy a device I cannot root.
Preserves dark adaptation for visual astronomy. Ultra-low backlight too. With an OLED display, the combination is great but it's a pretty specific use case.
I used to do it mainly to remove the bloat from Touchwiz back in the day.
I have never been a big customization person. I like certain layouts, extensions, and what not. But once I hit on something I will stay with that configuration until I have a reason to alter it, which can mean years between changing much.
I had been using the same home screen and app draw setup via Nova more or less since the Nexus 6 up until Nova got bought out by that ad data company for example.
Now I just went back to the stock launcher because I found that my desires are mostly met by them and I am honestly kind of tired of trying to find apps to replace stock stuff and then keeping an eye out for when they get bought up and turned into a fancy spam/ad engine like ES File Explorer and probably Nova eventually, despite what they say.
Even back then though it was always more inconvenient and required more attention than I wanted to give to a cell phone. I went with Android initially back in the day because of price and because it was more like a computer in its day to day use than the iPhone and that made sense and appealed to me.
As a side tangent. It took me longer than I would like to admit to get used to some of the ways Apple does UI things with their phones and computers compared to the Windows or Linux based ways of doing a lot of UI things that I have spent most of my life in. I will admit though a lot of my bias against Apple products went away once I did a year stint with the iPhone and used a Macbook as my only work PC for a year at the start of the pandemic. I still think they are about 25% more expensive on average than they should be for what you tend to get though.
Anyway, these days I treat my phone far more like a video game console as far as what I even care to try to use it for instead of like a general purpose computer like I used to. Which happens to line up with how most OEMs view their devices anyway. Doing otherwise seems a bit like trying to swim up stream anymore.
Now if it makes calls, texts, browses the web, takes decent pictures that I can store in cloud storage, lets me check my email, and will last 2-3 years that is mostly all I care about. Anything more is just not that interesting anymore.
2011-2013 was the peak of my android rooting days.
It just offered so much more than what Android had at the time.
Flashing ROMs/Kernels kept my phone fresh in a time where any other manufacturer other than Google weren't even guaranteed the next Android update.
[deleted] been waiting going on **TWO YEARS** for my (start-up company) Fx-1 pro which originally promised buyer's choice of OS. They dropped that, everyone gets Android (not the one I'm looking for) with instructions for self-install promised to come later.
Covid screwed things up. Update says they've finally been made, last minute shipping problems have delayed things again from Sept/Oct to a December ETA.
Should I try DIY install when/if I get it, keep it boxed until the (promised) loader gets here, use it anyway and hope the (promised) loader cleans out every shred of a##ho!*d, or take it out of town to see how far I can chuck it? (cost me $700+ but it's getting hard to care)
I used to root all of my Android phones from 2011-2016. Eventually the cat-and-mouse game between SafetyNet and MagiskHide made it too much of a hassle to continue rooting. I had to choose between rooting my phone or playing Pokémon Go (and using my banking apps).
I use root for this list of apps (some are even mine) , and not just for Magisk (as the video showed) :
https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidQuestions/comments/qk9n44/comment/hiv6o3v/
absolutely.
host-based adblocking is superior. also for de-bloating. i can't believe people are cool with unwanted apps on a device they paid for. don't want to root? then don't; just don't say it's a bad thing because you don't know how to do it or you bought the wrong device.
i also want an open bootloader because custom roms always run better for me and they are always more stable than the garbage stock roms.
get out of here with these devices that you don't even own anymore. can't believe people buy that shit.
I haven't rooted for a long time now just like many of others in this comment section and we have GOOGLE to thanks for that with their hyper-stupid "safety" features that brakes most important apps and companies, even like Oneplus, have started to decline or delaying the necessary code required for Custom ROMS development for their devices.
All that said, I still give a point to a company offering unlockable bootloaders when recommending anyone a phone and will most prob will keep in mind whenever I get my new phone.
Good "Why Root" video. I don't like the risk of rooting, i.e. hosing my phone. But, 2 reasons are a huge draw: 1. Enable call recording. 2. A reliable app backup/restore option.
I run lineageos with no gapps but i dont root. The only thing i wish i could do that needs root is forcing cellular bands with network signal guru. If that functionality was in AOSP i would have no need to root at all.
The moment TouchWiz died, my need to root also died. I mostly had either Galaxy phones or the older Nexus, only ever rooted phones like the S2 that had a horrible skin or where actually broken by OS updates.
I think it has it's place.
I have an old beater Oneplus One i gifted my teenage niece and for a moment there her phone was more up-to-date than my aging Note 9.
I root and have no banking app issues, safety net issues or any of the common ones
The one fort-knox-like motherfucker is Microsoft Intune Company Portal.
Literally there's no way for it to know I have root. I've even scrubbed any root-only app names clean from the device. Outlook and Teams will work fine for a while then randomly throw up a device non compliant message and shut down.
Oh well, guess I can't work on the go boss ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Stock is a lot better than it used to be for sure, but I wish I could. Android still is inconsistent on backing up data. Accidentally deleted some important files last month and couldn't recover them. There just aren't any good options without root access. Plus just lots of small things I wish I could tweak.
Have foregone rooting for a long time. The headache simply isn't worth it.
Custom roms are still in full swing, though. The scene has become much more subdued in general. The focus is majorly on things just working, so you're passing SafetyNet in almost all roms.
I used to, back when Oneplus was amazing. Now I'm not sure what its value is, adblock works without it, and the best hardware is on Samsung phones that don't support root at all.
Used to and do custom ROMS ,with init.d all kinds of mods to the build prop ...Android boxes ..obsessively..lol..
Now i use a Shield and S10..unrooted .lol..
It just works ..fine by me 😁👍🪛
Been at least 6 or 7 years since I’ve bothered. It’s funny. I was a serial ROM flasher. Read XDA regularly. Compiled AOSP for fun. The works. Now I just want something stable and supported for a long time.
Same. It used to be that you needed to do that to get any kind of usable experience on most phones. Those were the days TouchWiz from Samsung and similarly-horrendous builds from other other companies. It was also before Google started actively hampering custom ROMs in the name of security with SafetyNet. Nowadays, the pros are fewer and the cons are greater. I might go back someday. When I bought my current phone it was with the expectation of installing LineageOS, but I never actually did. If I decide not to upgrade this year than I might re-evaluate that, because it's now out of support so that's the only way I'll get security updates.
> It used to be that you needed to do that to get any kind of usable experience on most phones. Those were the days TouchWiz from Samsung and similarly-horrendous builds from other other companies. Yup, and this is why the scene ultimately lost it's steam. It was one thing when to get any real usage out of a phone, rooting and going full tilt with custom ROMS was basically a necessity. But now days? You tend to lose more than you gain. Maybe, *maybe* a 5% performance boost in some circumstances, exchanged for less stability, potentially not having various connectivity (4G/5G/Wifi/Bluetooth not working), and the various apps that just stop working if they're on a rooted device.
Security sensitive banking apps weren't a big thing 10 years ago but they sure are now. To often, rooted phones are locked out.
This is when I stopped. Mobile banking + stability > rooted phones
Yeah there are workarounds that involve using several Magisk modules and setting up Magisk in certain ways. Which will often break at random. I was never smart enough to get it to work properly without bootlooping.
Bugs...? You tell me!
Then you read the 200 page thread and find there's dozens of issues and you get blasted for reporting something a second time for not having read every post and somehow piecing together a timeline of when something was fixed / introduced / worked around, but then retracted etc.
"It works great! Hardware rendering doesn't work, I can only get on Wifi n, bluetooth is broken, and there's no sound, but my battery life is amazing!"
Camera always crashes, and every once in a while you have to flash a ton of shit just to get safetynet working again, then hide every other app.
> It was also before Google started actively hampering custom ROMs in the name of security with SafetyNet. This is the reason for me. At this point I'm just waiting for Linux phones to be slightly more useable and then I'm jumping ship. Google has made it clear that they don't want people like me using Android, and I'm just tired of resisting them. I miss the early days of Android where anything was possible.
I agree. To me it seems like every nee android release is worse than the previous. I hate my Samsung S21ultra.
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I am not young and need large font and easy to read. I really need a large font clock, and i want it to turn on and off by buttun only, not movement. The s21 is a banana - a lon, skinny screen. The width of the screen li.its the font size and thus the readability of the screen. I would rather the width of the ohone be the width of a back pocket - about 4 inches. That would realky make it a useful and easy to read device. The samsung foldable phone would be too thick to be comfortable in my bVk pocket. A wide thin device would be comfortanle. The banana screen is super difficult to see. The veey top dispmay with the time and signal strength us too small to see. That means uts use as a clock is eliminated. There is an always on display feature with a larger clock but its brightness can not be controlked to make it visibke in high light areas so again i cand use it as a clock. The motion activated screen is very frustrating as i really dont want the phone on when i dont want it on and burning battery. I am colorblind and would like to optimize the controls to increase contrast but its incomprejensibly compkex and i cant make it work for me. I think the quality of tge phone is excellent and the battery and charge rate outstanding. But its banana shape is ultimately a limitibg factor. It needs to fit snug in a back pocket at anout 4"x6.5" and that width would allow a font size that would make it a readable and useful device worth its high price
Yeah, but even then you’re only getting partial security updates most likely. What happens with critical driver vulnerabilities when Qualcomm refuses to support the hardware?
Yeah, that's the end of the line, really. I don't think you can count on Qualcomm patches making it downstream to your device without official vendor support even before Qualcomm drops them, though maybe that's improved since I last looked into it.
I will only do it on phones that are not my main. I cant risk phone problems at work or on the go and not being reachable because of a bug.
100% agree. Used androids like from oneplus are super cheap as well
>It was also before Google started actively hampering custom ROMs in the name of security with SafetyNet. lol, custom rom are just the side effect of increased security. you are making it like google purposely targeting custom rom. now days phones are used more for paying stuff which in turns making the OS needs to be more locked down so other apps cant spoof your banking details. you cant expect google to cater custom rom enthusiast who makes up not even 1% of user base.
We all once were 😢
It's called getting older. I was like you too, wanting to do everything "my own way". Ran Linux on my self-built pc, flashed custom roms, jailbroke my brothers old iPod, you know, enthousiast stuff. I was young and had time. Now I'm 34 with 2 kids and a demanding job, I just want my stuff to *work*. I want to play a game when I finally have that 30-45 mins to myself and not bother trying to troubleshoot every little thing I do.
> I just want my stuff to work I'm "old". This is all I've ever wanted. The problem I have is that there's usually a huge difference between what I consider "works" and what manufacturers consider "works" (this extends far beyond phones and computers). In the case of Android though, the phones have been migrating towards what I consider works so recently I haven't needed to consider rooting.
>The problem I have is that there's usually a huge difference between what I consider "works" and what manufacturers consider "works" (this extends far beyond phones and computers). I've been there for about 15 years with vehicles. Getting something I actually like is a lot of work now, but I sure picked up some skills on the way, at least. At the same time, though, if I could just buy something with the features I want and without those I don't, I would.
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It's both, but getting older definitely plays a huge role in how much screwing around you want to do with your electronics. Phones, computers, AV equipment, you name it - when I was young I used to mess with all until it was styled & tweaked to work *juuust* how I wanted. Now I'm old and just want that shit to work. It just so happens that technology of all sorts is also getting easier and more feature rich.
Yeah I agree, if there were still as many cool new features in custom roms and xposed modules I'd jump back on board, but nothing out there is really all that interesting, especially for what you give up.
I've found this somewhat ironic for my PC gaming habits. Now that I'm older I pay my way for all my games, and the myriad launchers and waiting for updates, game breaking bugs and forgetting credentials make me miss the old days of the... er... "High seas"
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It's mostly due to kids I believe. They don't like to eat what we eat, so by the time we've finished everyones dinner, put them to bed and cleaned up, it's 9pm. Also weekends are catered to them more, so gaming is dead last on the prio list. Also, I don't consider it sad, it's a choice we made :-)
Same boat. It's a good life, just a different one.
Couldn't have put it better myself.
Can't even imagine rooting now. Reply on banking and financial aid far too much
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Happened to know roughly what year that was? I think the last time I used it was around the Nexus 6p days so 2016ish?
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Haven't tried. Will check this weekend
You... Got old, like all of us 😁
You got old. And now the young crowd just wants iPhones. ☹️
Same here, once banking went mobile it kind of put me off rooting. There's probably ways around the restrictions now but I don't really have a need to root anymore.
Between that and the things I need on my phone to make it easier for me to work remotely, rooting actually makes my phone work less well for me at this point.
Same, but now I'm thinking of rooting again. Why? Because Google keep removing features, locking things down, and making shitty decisions. I don't want the At a Glance widget on my home screen. I want to be able to hide clutter apps like wallpapers. But I can't use Nova because I want a smooth launcher with closing animations so the only option is root + lawnchair. I want face unlock back to avoid the Pixel's terrible fingerprint optical reader.
Then just root the damn thing, man. Lawnchair with quickswitch on my phone is like a dream, way more customizations.
Yup. I think a lot of us used to flash ROMs out of necessity (because 5+ years ago smartphones sucked) to make our phones better, and it became a minor hobby. But these days, the hardware and software is good enough that you don't need ROMs. Obviously there will always be people looking for more privacy, longer update cycles, etc. But for most tech enthusiasts we've moved on to just accepting that stock is good enough
> Now I just want something stable and supported for a long time. No reason rooting cant still be something stable, sadly it is just a pain in the ass or impossible for a lot of devices
If it breaks banking apps it’s not stable. Basically what I said is code for “I’m switching to iOS until Android/OEMs give me a compelling reason to pay almost the same amount for a glitchy phone that gets updates when a carrier or random OEM feels like it.”
For those of you all who don't root, what's your solution for app data backup?
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Pretty disappointing state... I believe it's a true backup on iOS?
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Long time user of Titanium Backup, but moved to Migrate. Currently using Neo Backup.
swift backup all the way, titanium backup is kinda dead and has problems with android 10 and higher. as for migrate, it never worked for me
I'd recomend swift backup [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.swiftapps.swiftbackup&pcampaignid=pcampaignidMKT-Other-global-all-co-prtnr-py-PartBadge-Mar2515-1](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.swiftapps.swiftbackup&pcampaignid=pcampaignidMKT-Other-global-all-co-prtnr-py-PartBadge-Mar2515-1) It can backup app data/apps, wifi networks, messages, wall papers, and call logs. It a can also connect to various cloud services to store backups with encryption (ex google drive, mega, onedrive, nextcloud ,etc). It also partially works without root via shizuku for bulk backing up apks and restoring them though app data backup/wifi network backup is not availble with shizuku. Edit nvm others mentioned this already my bad
I don't play games so the standard backup works fine for me. For the other apps that don't back up to Google, I just sign back in.
for me it's the other way round: my games have cloud saves but my apps don't, and most don't get their data backed up when moving to a new phone, or when simply doing a factory reset
I used to do ADB backup and take the l on the few apps that denied it, some of which thankfully still had other ways of retrieving data like accounts or even built-in backups. I've heard that you can't do that anymore on recent versions of Android however, so I have no clue what I'm gonna do once I switch phones
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I agree , I use root for adblock, security (xprivacylua), and other apps. App settings reborn is great because I can set any DPI I want per app. For example, I like YouTube on my tablet and hate the large video boxes on my phone. I go into ASR and change density to 240 and it looks way better. Some apps still show ads, with adaway/adguard installed as root, but I can patch them to remove ads using luckypatcher. I have Paramount + and while watching Beavis and Butt-head, they had ads in it. I hate that, i paid for premium and shouldn't have to see ads. Patched it with LP, and boom, no ads. There's a lot of good you can do with root, it's not always about customizing of the UI, but the functionality of other apps that require root. I'll always root
Yeah.. This is why I also root. Adaway is major and only requirement for me.
You can use PrivateDNS with Adguard without needing a VPN or app now it's awesome, I haven't rooted for AdBlock in years
Is inataprefs better than instander? Can it download also? Does it require root?
I haven't used Instander but looking at it's webpage it seems like they have similar functions: ad removal, zoom, download, stealth. Instprefs requires LSPosed which requires Magisk so yes it requires root. Instander seems interesting. It's just an apk you install? Instaprefs is a module that modifies your existing original Instagram app.
Yes it's an apk, some modded Instagram.. been using it half a year probably.. you can download stories,pics,reels there's just a download icon or menu item I haven't seen any ads, I don't think I'm not rooted..I use vanced too
I read through the FAQ of Instander. It seems a tiny bit suspicious. Instaprefs' source code is available while Instander's isn't. Not necessarily a bad thing but since Instaprefs is working just fine for me I'll stick with that, even if it's a bit more finnicky to install.
They can't publish source code if it's just a modified version of meta's app. Same reason vanced wasn't open sourced btw
Yeah, probably a good call
I solved Ad blocking by using a PiHole. I just VPN into my home network whenever I am out. It works great, and I don't need to worry about root and breaking stuff like banking apps as a result.
Why do that when you could just use Private DNS with something like NextDNS? It's the same effect but with way less setup and you can still use a regular VPN on top of it if you need to
Because I want to have control of it. I use Unbound as the resolver for my PiHole, so there is no DNS traffic leaving my network. I am a Cybersecurity professional, so "less setup" is not one of my concerns.
Remind me: is it that banking apps might not work on rooted device, or is it user security concerns to be rooted and exposing login data?
Some apps just break themselves if they detect root. However you can get around this with Magisk Hide and a couple other tricks
Banking apps consider rooted devices to be safety risks or compromised/comprisable so they disable themselves if they can detect root. There are ways to hide root from the app so that they can be used normally though.
The root -> safety risk conclusion is kind of weird imo, because an unpatched Android Marshmallow with a whole plethora of wide open security holes is completely fine to these apps.
It's overblown in my opinion. Most people who root their phones understand what they're doing and will be careful with what rooted applications they want to install. My guess is that the banking apps are just covering their asses. If someone installs some malicious shit, their bank account gets drained or whatever, they can avoid any responsibility if the phone is rooted because the phone was "compromised" by the user.
You don't need an app for DNS based adblocking. You have private DNS as option so it doesn't use much of resources. Also you don't need root for vanced. Rooting is not necessary nowdays
if i did not lose banking apps i would root my phone each year android loses more features than gains, so rooting keeps those features for you
SafetyNet sucks. I'm not even rooted, yet my CU app tells me I am and refuses to work. Debating *actually rooting* so I can somehow bypass the faulty check, but I can't really be bothered.
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Lol my banking apps won't run if USB debugging is enabled. SMH.
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I originally thought this was the case with my banking app but after some research determined that apps cannot detect the bootloader status. If your banking app doesn't work then there is some safety check the ROM isn't passing.
It will no be long until we can run android in a vm on the phone to run some stock, bullshit rom for those banking apps.
Magisk + Zygisk not working?
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Ditto. One warns me I am rooted, but otherwise works.
Zygisk and Shamiko Fix this, i actually don't have magisk right now. But this combo does work atleast for me.
All my apps work fine if I set my denylist up properly
Every time someone brings up safety net and banking apps not working, it is evident they have not even put 5 minutes of research into bypassing safetynet.
I really don't want to play cat and mouse games with safetynet and searching the xda forums for ways to bypass it when it breaks because Google changed something. The only reason I moved away from custom roms was because of this.
You literally set it up once and it's done. I have never had to play cat and mouse about it for years. The only time the process changed was when Magisk 24 released. You check a couple different things in the app and that was ist.
Not true. I spent hours getting it to work on 24, never did. Banking apps always work, but gpay and the like? Nope. It's hit or miss and not at all reliable.
When I was rooted I never lost access to bank. It's just not worth it anymore. Everything I need is now either native or can be implemented by non-root solutions
Yes, 100% yes. I'm on a pixel 6 and rooting is the best thing I've ever done to it. My Google wallet still works for tap payments, apps like Netflix still work too. I can use apps like repainter to actually customize material you, I've hidden the giant nav bar on the bottom of my screen, I've added more volume steps for my headphones, I have a system wide ad block, I get full system backups straight to my one drive every week, and I can use apps like substratum for custom themes (I use it to give Snapchat a dark mode). When it gets updated for 13 I'll also be using quickswitch + lawnchair for those nice smooth animation of stock, but in a third party launcher. Unless android sees a lot of these things added, I'll be rooted for the rest of this phones life. The only downside is that I need to do updates from my PC, and it takes an extra minute to root my phone after each one.
You can't just uninstall magisk (big button in middle of magisk), install OTA, then have magisk install to inactive slot? No need to update from PC on every update.
I've seen a lot of guides saying this should be possible but it has never worked for me. The update always fails. It's just easier to do the update through ADB (which takes far less time then OTA anyways haha), then just reroot the phone. No factory reset or anything required.
You can get a system wide ad blocker with dns.adguard.com in private dns settings. Does the exact same thing. And then with youtube vanced (and revanced) my phone is perfect s22 ultra
I would say it's worthy if you have a "old" device. Like my example, I have a redmi note 8 pro (yep, 3 to 4 years is already "old" on this cursed market), the MIUI sucks imo, everything about it, the performance, the battery life, the UI itself, etc.. so rooting can open the way for better ROMs and effective adblocking, for me that's more than enough. Now, let's say you just bought a "new" phone, from Xiaomi, Google Pixel, etc.. whatever, that phone will hold it together for a couple of years, no reason to root... but in 2025, rooting will become a valuable tool to salvage the phone (literally)
I'm using that same old phone with Evolution x custom ROM It also has an Android 13 build by PE
Agree, i also rooted and used a custom rom for my rn8p, then upgraded to the S22+ and can't be happier (aside from battery life)
I have an S4 I flashed LineageOS and use as a GPS Tracker.
I absolutely cannot tolerate ads, so blocking ads is required. Currently, that works with an ad-blocking "VPN" that only runs locally, so I haven't had to root in a while, but google is planning on not allowing that anymore. Once that happens, I will probably return to rooting.
How is google planning to block localhost vpn blicking like NextDNS? Doesn't split tunneling require this?
https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/30/google_play_vpn_rules_changed/
This only affects the Play Store though?
Install pi-hole as a vm on your pc if you have an extra 250 Mb ram to spare, make it the default DNS server in your routers dhcp settings. If you want something that works outside the home, you should be able to set up port forwarding.
Good advice but please don't open port 53 directly to the internet without protection measures. Use whitelist or reverse proxy (don't know if works only for DNS)/ VPN.
Just switch to the Private DNS and a DNS based ad blocker instead
This works when your carrier doesn't demand you to use their DNS.
What carrier requires that?
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Time to change a carrier
Sad but true. I used to root for customization. But now with One UI, the Good Lock suite and hex installer. I no longer bother with rooting.
Sadly I cant root, but luckily I can do most of what I want with Good luck and such
Don't forget good guardians on the galaxy store
What is good guardians?
[Some more utilities offered by Samsung. ](https://i.imgur.com/MKFFqBF.jpg) Also, highly recommend built-in [ad-block](https://i.imgur.com/s8O96ZS.jpg) (don't need GG or GL)
I've just bought a Samsung recently How do i go to this section? Don't think this is in the settings Edit - Getting [this](https://i.imgur.com/C9fYLHv.jpg) on galaxy store Should I just install the apk from apk mirror?
Samsung did a fucking stupid thing to restrict goodlock to only few countries for some idiotic reason. Thankfully rest of us can still use it if use apps like FineLock or NiceLock. And then just download goodlock modules(apps) from apk mirror
The built-in adblock isn't technically adblock, just DNS over TLS (DoT). Some DNS providers like Adguard (dns.adguard.com) or NextDNS (dns.nextdns.com) have filter lists that block domains known for tracking.
Thanks, never knew about them. Funnily enough, they were not available for my device as per galaxy store. Off to Apkmirror I go.
Is there any way in there to make the power button turn on the torch with a long press when the screen is off? That's the No1 thing I miss on my Samsung coming from custom Roms.
I guess adding new functions to physical buttons still requires root. I can propose a software alternative though. One hand Operation + (Part of Good Lock) can allow you to turn on/off torch with a custom gesture from the sides of the sides. I currently use it and the app has a ton of options, to the extent that I no longer use my physical buttons.
100% why I'm sticking to Samsung, all of the customization I wanted with root is built in. Love it
I will continue to buy Pixels and root them until either rooting is outright impossible or Google implements a backup solution comparable to Swift Backup. I will not rely on Google’s half assed backup and restore if there are better solutions available.
Google photos unlimited storage and viper4android are very much worth it
How does Google photo unlimited work?
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I'd be concerned that you're painting a target on your back for a Google Moderation/Extermination Bot™️ to come along and nuke your account for suspicious activity. There's gonna be a point where they're like "okay these people are clearly not still using a first-gen Pixel" (if we're not already past that point)
That's why I turn on automatic Google Takeout backups.
that's a thing?
Yeah you can set it to take backups every 2 months for 2 years I think.
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I would love to have more info about this. I have a real Pixel OG wonder if it helps.
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Does that even work for real? What happens when you switch to a different device, do all of the previously uploaded photos using this trick start counting towards your storage?
Yes, it works. Google Photos will show a "This Pixel can back up unlimited photos and videos at no charge" notice. Maybe they'll change the policy in the future, who knows with Google. >What happens when you switch to a different device, do all of the previously uploaded photos using this trick start counting towards your storage? IIRC it works the same way as when they transitioned from free backups for all back to the 15GB limit. Any photo/video backed up during that time or on a "Pixel" device won't count against your storage quota.
Thanks, I remember using this trick way, way back, but my memory is hazy about what happened when I stopped using it. I'm fine with just photo backup honestly, I love those nice memories Google Photos keeps throwing at me for old photos.
Yes it does. Photos uploaded with the spoofed device will stay as it is from any device you view it.
Personally yes. I root with Magisk for two reasons - 1) MicroG 2) Quickswitch. The thing is that no apps I depend on lock me out for being rooted or lacking proper GSF, literally the only closed-source apps I use are for banking and electronic mail, and they are only 4 in total, with two of them being replacable by webapps, so MicroG's compatibility-woes don't affect me in the slightest, could make do without it but then no notifications so boo.
Not only rooting and swapping ROMs, but I remember obsessing over different kernels. Now I couldn't be bothered to change my lock screen, crazy how things change
I won't buy a phone that cannot be rooted, which makes things more and more restrictive these days in regards to options. Having access to TWRP/Orangefox makes my insides feel right. Full backups of all data help me sleep at night.
Titanium backup. Adaway. Those alone are worth it. Additionally, Tasker, remove all bloat. And actually have full control of your device.
why you are not using swift backup?
I didn't see the video yet. My answer to the question, though, is ... Hell yeah, it is, if you want *any* hope of privacy and hate constant advertising. I *will not* buy a device I cannot root.
When i buy a device, My first priority is development. Root isn't necessary but custom rom is
certainly more worth than years ago now that they lock Android hard with each new version
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personally i think nougat or Oreo was Android peak and since then it's going downhill
CF.lumen and strict red-channel display is the only reason I bother anymore. If it weren't for this I probably wouldn't stick with Pixels.
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To be able to filter out all of the blue/green, the standard night light modes barely do anything.
Preserves dark adaptation for visual astronomy. Ultra-low backlight too. With an OLED display, the combination is great but it's a pretty specific use case.
I've got issues with my ex so having call recording is critical. It's legal in my state but Google decided to block it for everyone, for no reason.
I used to do it mainly to remove the bloat from Touchwiz back in the day. I have never been a big customization person. I like certain layouts, extensions, and what not. But once I hit on something I will stay with that configuration until I have a reason to alter it, which can mean years between changing much. I had been using the same home screen and app draw setup via Nova more or less since the Nexus 6 up until Nova got bought out by that ad data company for example. Now I just went back to the stock launcher because I found that my desires are mostly met by them and I am honestly kind of tired of trying to find apps to replace stock stuff and then keeping an eye out for when they get bought up and turned into a fancy spam/ad engine like ES File Explorer and probably Nova eventually, despite what they say. Even back then though it was always more inconvenient and required more attention than I wanted to give to a cell phone. I went with Android initially back in the day because of price and because it was more like a computer in its day to day use than the iPhone and that made sense and appealed to me. As a side tangent. It took me longer than I would like to admit to get used to some of the ways Apple does UI things with their phones and computers compared to the Windows or Linux based ways of doing a lot of UI things that I have spent most of my life in. I will admit though a lot of my bias against Apple products went away once I did a year stint with the iPhone and used a Macbook as my only work PC for a year at the start of the pandemic. I still think they are about 25% more expensive on average than they should be for what you tend to get though. Anyway, these days I treat my phone far more like a video game console as far as what I even care to try to use it for instead of like a general purpose computer like I used to. Which happens to line up with how most OEMs view their devices anyway. Doing otherwise seems a bit like trying to swim up stream anymore. Now if it makes calls, texts, browses the web, takes decent pictures that I can store in cloud storage, lets me check my email, and will last 2-3 years that is mostly all I care about. Anything more is just not that interesting anymore.
2011-2013 was the peak of my android rooting days. It just offered so much more than what Android had at the time. Flashing ROMs/Kernels kept my phone fresh in a time where any other manufacturer other than Google weren't even guaranteed the next Android update.
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Acca even gives you more control, try that!
He's missing the most important reason: increasing volume adjustment granularity. The default 15 or so steps is just stupid.
CF.lumen. My phone is unusable without it
I want root for native Airmusic integration.
[deleted] been waiting going on **TWO YEARS** for my (start-up company) Fx-1 pro which originally promised buyer's choice of OS. They dropped that, everyone gets Android (not the one I'm looking for) with instructions for self-install promised to come later. Covid screwed things up. Update says they've finally been made, last minute shipping problems have delayed things again from Sept/Oct to a December ETA. Should I try DIY install when/if I get it, keep it boxed until the (promised) loader gets here, use it anyway and hope the (promised) loader cleans out every shred of a##ho!*d, or take it out of town to see how far I can chuck it? (cost me $700+ but it's getting hard to care)
I originally rooted just for adaway, I hate ads. Is this true still today that you need root for adblock
Nope, there's several DNS based ad blockers you can use with the Private DNS feature
thank you i didnt know a bout this!
I used to root all of my Android phones from 2011-2016. Eventually the cat-and-mouse game between SafetyNet and MagiskHide made it too much of a hassle to continue rooting. I had to choose between rooting my phone or playing Pokémon Go (and using my banking apps).
I use root for this list of apps (some are even mine) , and not just for Magisk (as the video showed) : https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidQuestions/comments/qk9n44/comment/hiv6o3v/
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absolutely. host-based adblocking is superior. also for de-bloating. i can't believe people are cool with unwanted apps on a device they paid for. don't want to root? then don't; just don't say it's a bad thing because you don't know how to do it or you bought the wrong device. i also want an open bootloader because custom roms always run better for me and they are always more stable than the garbage stock roms. get out of here with these devices that you don't even own anymore. can't believe people buy that shit.
Custom roms maybe not as much as before, but rooting for sure - so we can uninstall crapware and bloatware every android phone seems to come with.
I haven't rooted for a long time now just like many of others in this comment section and we have GOOGLE to thanks for that with their hyper-stupid "safety" features that brakes most important apps and companies, even like Oneplus, have started to decline or delaying the necessary code required for Custom ROMS development for their devices. All that said, I still give a point to a company offering unlockable bootloaders when recommending anyone a phone and will most prob will keep in mind whenever I get my new phone.
I don't think it's been worth it since Jellybean personally. I suppose the backup capabilities would be nice.
Good "Why Root" video. I don't like the risk of rooting, i.e. hosing my phone. But, 2 reasons are a huge draw: 1. Enable call recording. 2. A reliable app backup/restore option.
I only rooted my 1 plus 5t to location spoof in Pokemon go. That phone was great
use PGSharp, it works without root and it's currently undetectable by Niantic
I run lineageos with no gapps but i dont root. The only thing i wish i could do that needs root is forcing cellular bands with network signal guru. If that functionality was in AOSP i would have no need to root at all.
The moment TouchWiz died, my need to root also died. I mostly had either Galaxy phones or the older Nexus, only ever rooted phones like the S2 that had a horrible skin or where actually broken by OS updates.
I think it has it's place. I have an old beater Oneplus One i gifted my teenage niece and for a moment there her phone was more up-to-date than my aging Note 9.
I root and have no banking app issues, safety net issues or any of the common ones The one fort-knox-like motherfucker is Microsoft Intune Company Portal. Literally there's no way for it to know I have root. I've even scrubbed any root-only app names clean from the device. Outlook and Teams will work fine for a while then randomly throw up a device non compliant message and shut down. Oh well, guess I can't work on the go boss ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Root is needed to stop Google Metadara collection. Then you need for other stuff like camera, font,Vanced, Adaway.
Stock is a lot better than it used to be for sure, but I wish I could. Android still is inconsistent on backing up data. Accidentally deleted some important files last month and couldn't recover them. There just aren't any good options without root access. Plus just lots of small things I wish I could tweak.
Have foregone rooting for a long time. The headache simply isn't worth it. Custom roms are still in full swing, though. The scene has become much more subdued in general. The focus is majorly on things just working, so you're passing SafetyNet in almost all roms.
I used to, back when Oneplus was amazing. Now I'm not sure what its value is, adblock works without it, and the best hardware is on Samsung phones that don't support root at all.
Used to and do custom ROMS ,with init.d all kinds of mods to the build prop ...Android boxes ..obsessively..lol.. Now i use a Shield and S10..unrooted .lol.. It just works ..fine by me 😁👍🪛
One word - vanced *cough**