Do You Still Root Your Android Device?

DroidModderX

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Way back in the beginning of Android there was a very strong Root community. In those days root was necessary to do the essentials like overclocking your cpu to rid your device of lag, unlocking free wifi tethering, or even just applying a simple theme. Today there is no longer a need for root in many of these cases. Today's phones are powerful enough to not need overclocking, tethering is included in most data packages, and OEMs like Samsung and HTC have begun to include their very own theme engines. There are still valid reasons to root your Android device, but these days those reasons are more for the tinkerers. If you want to customize your skin you need a root enabled app like Xposed framework. If you wan't a full backup including app data a root app like Titanium backup is useful.

While root may be useful it can also cause some annoyances. If you are rooted you won't be able to utilize some device features. One thing stopping me from rooting my Galaxy S7 Edge is so that I can continue to use Samsung Pay. When rooted you are not able to install official OTA updates. You often have to flash back to stock prior to receiving the update.

Still some choose to root their handsets just to stick it to the man. They are of the mindset that they should have full superuser access to a device they have paid for. You can run whatever software you want on your PC so why not on your Android? Then there are those that would like to root, but rooting has become quite the pain in the neck. Back in the day you could download an app from the Play Store like "Z4 root". The app would have a button to click and about 30 seconds later your device was rooted. These days it is much more complicated. Most root methods are specific to a single device. There aren't many one size fits all roots these days. Some devices are locked down so tight that the dev community could spend months finding a root method. When they finally do much of the community has moved on to another device.

I ran a twitter poll yesterday asking the question, "Do you still root your Android phone?". Out of about 600 participants 62% said that No they do not root their phone. Mostly they stated that Android comes stock with the features they need and there is no point. Only 38% of the participants said they do still root, but this bunch was far more likely to give a reason why. Mostly they stated backups, kernels, general customizations, xposed, removal of bloatware, and AdAway as the reasons they continue to root. Where do you stand? Are you still rooting your Android? If so why? If not why not?
 

pc747

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nope. Though my Nexus 5 is still rooted it was the last device I rooted. Owning a nexus I am free of bloat, get swift updates, and I like the Google interface. I no longer see the need to root because I am satisfied with stock android.
 

Smith 001

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Nope, I don't root my phone anymore, because I would like to receive update monthly.
 

redbert31

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No, I don't. Back in the day when I was tempted, I was afraid to brick my phone. Now that I'm braver, I don't because I'm satisfied with my Droid z Force just the way it is

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 

dezymond

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I haven't rooted since my Note 5. Even with my s4 the main point of root for me to rid of ads by an adblocking app. I haven't rooted my Pixel because I don't find the ads to be too troublesome anymore, not worth the hassle of completely resetting my phone and setting everything up again. Plus I would like the latest security patches as well by getting them the easy way with the push of a button instead of the whole process flashing an update takes with root.

The days of flashing ROMs are long over....
 

Jeffrey

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It's gotta be 3 years since I rooted any device.. Just don't see the need anymore.
 

Dark Lazer

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No I don't.

I stopped when I bought a Note 5 through T-Mobile. Since I signed up for the Jump On Demand plan, I knew I'd likely be trading it in at some point, and I didn't want to root and potentially cause any issues if I traded it in. This made me realize I didn't miss rooting as much as I was expecting to. The last phone I rooted was my OnePlus One.

Plus, when I used to root, I was constantly flashing new roms/updates which would break little things here and there. I just don't feel the need to do so anymore.
 

LoneWolfArcher

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Nope. Did with my first one (Droid Eris) and even my second one for a little while (Droid Razr) to get specific features. However, I reverted eventually. Just don't see a lot of need for it these days.
 

kixfan

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The last phone I rooted was my Note 3. The only reasons I can think of to root now would be removal of bloatware and use of Titanium Backup, which I paid for years ago. At this point I think I would lose more than I would gain by rooting. Android Pay would probably stop working, Pokemon Go would also stop working. Overall I think I just got sick of waiting for and/or chasing down new root methods. Less stressful to just use the phone as is. It does pretty much everything I rooted for anyway.
 

The Stig 04

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No I don't.

I stopped when I bought a Note 5 through T-Mobile. Since I signed up for the Jump On Demand plan, I knew I'd likely be trading it in at some point, and I didn't want to root and potentially cause any issues if I traded it in. This made me realize I didn't miss rooting as much as I was expecting to. The last phone I rooted was my OnePlus One.

Plus, when I used to root, I was constantly flashing new roms/updates which would break little things here and there. I just don't feel the need to do so anymore.
I stopped for the same reason...T-Mobile and the fact that I would be trading in phones after a few months. I still have my 6P which is rooted which I guess doesn't make me miss it as much. I use that at night in bed to watch YT since xposed lets me block ads.
 

tgyberg

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No, dont really need to bother anymore. These phones running stock android are so fast now. Done and done!
 

Hodor

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Nope. Last phone I rooted was my Razor Maxx HD. Can't see any reason to anymore.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 

johnomaz

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I stopped for the same reason...T-Mobile and the fact that I would be trading in phones after a few months. I still have my 6P which is rooted which I guess doesn't make me miss it as much. I use that at night in bed to watch YT since xposed lets me block ads.

I had the original JUMP program that let me upgrade every 6 months no matter what I owed on the device left. I never had an issue when I would root the phones and upgrade. I however have stopped rooting because frankly, I don't feel like I need to anymore. So many features of ROMs are built into Android now. Home launchers have themeing options too. I prefer my phone to just work these days and not worry about a buggy kernel or a ROM that has missing features.
 
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