To root or not to root? - Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers

UPDATE: Just got a conversation with CS in my country. It seems that the article provided by sir gnmmarechal is 100% confirmed. Here are screenshots of our conv.
Spoiler
https://ibb.co/cEDxfk
https://ibb.co/dLo8mQ
Hey guys, so the question is simple. Should I or should I not? At least not for a month or two.
I've had this habit of tripping knox after 1-2 months of use ever since the Galaxy S5. But now I've been missing all my purchased root apps and especially the v4a. However, what I'm worried about are those few issues poppin out after some time like what happened with the S7e. So I'm torn between rooting or not.
Any suggestions? Thanks guys.
Edit: So here are the few things you guys have shared (so far):
* Rooting doesn't void warranty: https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/...iphone-rooting-android-does-not-void-warranty
Few Alternatives for staying unrooted:
* TitaniumBackup Alt: Helium
* Adaway alt: Adhell. Also, samsung's own browser now supports extensions and you can download an adblock for it.
* v4a alt: none atm
* xposed alt: none atm
* expanded reboot menu: none
* doubletap statusbar to lock: none
Thanks:
* @gnmmarechal
* @LudoGris
* everybody else
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Go for it! I don't remember the last time I didn't root a device within the first week of owning it
Sent from my cave of despair where I collect souls

I didn't have Samsung since S6 which was disaster, then I had two iphones: 6s and recently 7 respectively. Now I moved back to Samsung, as I bought S8. Personally, I find rooting useless at least for now. There aren't any major/valuable tweaks available around. Unless you really want that V4A (which is overrated in my opinion), then don't root it. I rooted my S6 after about 3 months. What I would really like to see is a stereo mod that would enable front speaker to play music.

gnmmarechal said:
Go for it! I don't remember the last time I didn't root a device within the first week of owning it
Sent from my cave of despair where I collect souls
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm just worried that samsung might not accept my warranty if an issue pops out.
Monnq said:
I didn't have Samsung since S6 which was disaster, then I had two iphones: 6s and recently 7 respectively. Now I moved back to Samsung, as I bought S8. Personally, I find rooting useless at least for now. There aren't any major/valuable tweaks available around. Unless you really want that V4A (which is overrated in my opinion), then don't root it. I rooted my S6 after about 3 months. What I would really like to see is a stereo mod that would enable front speaker to play music.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I actually miss really are Root Explorer, Adblock, V4A, Titanium Backup. After switching to this new phone, I can't handle those ads constantly annoying me everytime I press something on my screen when browsing. Haha
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

annson08 said:
I'm just worried that samsung might not accept my warranty if an issue pops out.
What I actually miss really are Root Explorer, Adblock, V4A, Titanium Backup. After switching to this new phone, I can't handle those ads constantly annoying me everytime I press something on my screen when browsing. Haha
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/...iphone-rooting-android-does-not-void-warranty
Sent from my cave of despair where I collect souls

gnmmarechal said:
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/...iphone-rooting-android-does-not-void-warranty
Sent from my cave of despair where I collect souls
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a great article, I also got on different conversation before regarding this. Some are claiming that they are still able to claim their warranty after tripping knox (like the artile also said) just as long as the issue is not related to it but some says differently so I'm not confident enough with the claims. Let me try to ask the CS here in my country.
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

annson08 said:
I'm just worried that samsung might not accept my warranty if an issue pops out.
What I actually miss really are Root Explorer, Adblock, V4A, Titanium Backup. After switching to this new phone, I can't handle those ads constantly annoying me everytime I press something on my screen when browsing. Haha
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root Explorer - The My Files App isn't that bad. Only thing you really miss is the ability to edit root folders, which what do you need that for?
Adblock - AdHell on Samsung Galaxy Store. Uses Knox to block all ads on your phone. No need for rooting for this anymore.
V4A - can't help you here
Titanium Backup - Samsung and Google do a pretty good job of backing up all my apps. Only thing I really lose is the data from the apps.
All in all I don't root anymore due to the best abilities of the phones coming with everything I have wanted. Sure, I could customize a slight bit more with a rooted phone, but the downsides of rooting - being a flashaholic, worrying about tripping hardware mines, bad ROMs, bootloop, etc. - are enough to make me stay away now. I get everything I want from the Samsung phone the way it is now.
I can't believe I just wrote that! I have been rooting for years now. What is wrong with me!!!!

LudoGris said:
Root Explorer - The My Files App isn't that bad. Only thing you really miss is the ability to edit root folders, which what do you need that for?
Adblock - AdHell on Samsung Galaxy Store. Uses Knox to block all ads on your phone. No need for rooting for this anymore.
V4A - can't help you here
Titanium Backup - Samsung and Google do a pretty good job of backing up all my apps. Only thing I really lose is the data from the apps.
All in all I don't root anymore due to the best abilities of the phones coming with everything I have wanted. Sure, I could customize a slight bit more with a rooted phone, but the downsides of rooting - being a flashaholic, worrying about tripping hardware mines, bad ROMs, bootloop, etc. - are enough to make me stay away now. I get everything I want from the Samsung phone the way it is now.
I can't believe I just wrote that! I have been rooting for years now. What is wrong with me!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, thanks for this. Unfortunately adhell doesn't support our S8/+ just yet. Maybe you guys are right, there is not enough reason to root, thanks for the suggestion guys.
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

annson08 said:
Haha, thanks for this. Unfortunately adhell doesn't support our S8/+ just yet. Maybe you guys are right, there is not enough reason to root, thanks for the suggestion guys.
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True. Did you take advantage of the Disconnect offer when it was free? It works great on the S8. Blocks all ads for me.

Nevermind, apparently the one we can download from galaxy apps is outdated, just updated adhell from playstore and now I can activate it. Haven't tested it yet tho.
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

I have been rooting for years. Now the only reason I would do that is Beats Audio. Much, much better than V4A

LudoGris said:
Root Explorer - The My Files App isn't that bad. Only thing you really miss is the ability to edit root folders, which what do you need that for?
Adblock - AdHell on Samsung Galaxy Store. Uses Knox to block all ads on your phone. No need for rooting for this anymore.
V4A - can't help you here
Titanium Backup - Samsung and Google do a pretty good job of backing up all my apps. Only thing I really lose is the data from the apps.
All in all I don't root anymore due to the best abilities of the phones coming with everything I have wanted. Sure, I could customize a slight bit more with a rooted phone, but the downsides of rooting - being a flashaholic, worrying about tripping hardware mines, bad ROMs, bootloop, etc. - are enough to make me stay away now. I get everything I want from the Samsung phone the way it is now.
I can't believe I just wrote that! I have been rooting for years now. What is wrong with me!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This posts was what i've been looking for...I haven't pulled the trigger on the S8 because i'm still debating to get snapdragon or go international with exynos. My main concerns for root were adblock, titanium backup, and the lack of ability to do a nandroid backup. I've been searching for good alternatives

im under the same dilemma of whether to root or not, i have rooted all my previous phones from the s2,3,4,5,6 and the s7 edge. Now im actually considering not rooting this phone. The main things i used to root the phone for were
1) adblock - but as mentioned im going to try adhell when i get the phone
2) Titanium backup - Havent found a great alternative for this however a few people have recommend Helium
3) GameGuardian - Cant help but hack pvz2 and others when they keep asking you for money for gems/coins
4) Xposed - a)Currently using a mod for the AOD on the s7 edge which lets me set custom pictures on the phone which is amazing,
b) XtouchWiz to auto expand my audio group when pressing the volume button, havent found a replacement for this either.
But rooting would cost me the Iris scanner(need this thanks to the horrible position of the fingerprint sensor) and samsung pay(not that big a deal) and of course warranty.

custom font
annson08 said:
Haha, thanks for this. Unfortunately adhell doesn't support our S8/+ just yet. Maybe you guys are right, there is not enough reason to root, thanks for the suggestion guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would say if you don't have to "don't root." My main reason for rooting is to get my mother language (font) on my galaxy which usually is only done by root + ifont.

I've come from a rooted Nexus 6P. I still use Power Toggles because it allows one touch location switching. I also use Lux and Llama for automation. Anyone know of good alternatives without root?

dahray02 said:
This posts was what i've been looking for...I haven't pulled the trigger on the S8 because i'm still debating to get snapdragon or go international with exynos. My main concerns for root were adblock, titanium backup, and the lack of ability to do a nandroid backup. I've been searching for good alternatives
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad I could be of help!
silentwitness1 said:
im under the same dilemma of whether to root or not, i have rooted all my previous phones from the s2,3,4,5,6 and the s7 edge. Now im actually considering not rooting this phone. The main things i used to root the phone for were
1) adblock - but as mentioned im going to try adhell when i get the phone
2) Titanium backup - Havent found a great alternative for this however a few people have recommend Helium
3) GameGuardian - Cant help but hack pvz2 and others when they keep asking you for money for gems/coins
4) Xposed - a)Currently using a mod for the AOD on the s7 edge which lets me set custom pictures on the phone which is amazing,
b) XtouchWiz to auto expand my audio group when pressing the volume button, havent found a replacement for this either.
But rooting would cost me the Iris scanner(need this thanks to the horrible position of the fingerprint sensor) and samsung pay(not that big a deal) and of course warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can now set a picture of your choice on AOD - but if you mean behind the clock, that is not yet possible. Though still nice to be able to use your own photos.
Also, the volume rocker now at least lets you choose whether it controls the ringtone or media by default. I changed mine to media as I set the ringer to a specific volume and normally leave it that way, but media I change all the time.

LudoGris said:
Glad I could be of help!
You can now set a picture of your choice on AOD - but if you mean behind the clock, that is not yet possible. Though still nice to be able to use your own photos.
Also, the volume rocker now at least lets you choose whether it controls the ringtone or media by default. I changed mine to media as I set the ringer to a specific volume and normally leave it that way, but media I change all the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes but nothing like what i have right now. Currently I have a folder with images and it changes the image automatically every 1 hour. Also all notifications that come in scroll on the bottom of the screen not just a stupid icon of whatsapp.

Please download adhell from Google Play.
Samsung store version is not updated yet
---------- Post added at 09:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:27 PM ----------
annson08 said:
Haha, thanks for this. Unfortunately adhell doesn't support our S8/+ just yet. Maybe you guys are right, there is not enough reason to root, thanks for the suggestion guys.
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Adhell does support Nougat.
download it from Google Play
Samsung store version is not updated yet

raiym said:
Please download adhell from Google Play.
Samsung store version is not updated yet
---------- Post added at 09:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:27 PM ----------
Adhell does support Nougat.
download it from Google Play
Samsung store version is not updated yet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, just did and it worked. Thanks.
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Related

After Rooting : what's your experience with the tablet so far

Now after many of you guys who could have the tablet already were able to root and remove your bloat , so after rooting and being able to customize your tablet and DPI etc. how is it with the tablet going for you ? Would appreciate you sharing your experience so far
p.s ... this baby will cost a solid 1000$ in my country for LTE model .
It's definitely more responsive after freezing a bunch of unnecessary (for me anyway) applications.
For me my primary reason for purchasing was for s-pen in a large form factor. Based on that I expected to just de-bloat and use stock s-pen applications. I have no interest in any other Android tablet at this time.
Question is sort of odd though; I wouldn't expect a lot of people to have gone through the hard decision of rooting such an expensive device and then say they felt it wasn't worth it.
muzzy996 said:
It's definitely more responsive after freezing a bunch of unnecessary (for me anyway) applications.
For me my primary reason for purchasing was for s-pen in a large form factor. Based on that I expected to just de-bloat and use stock s-pen applications. I have no interest in any other Android tablet at this time.
Question is sort of odd though; I wouldn't expect a lot of people to have gone through the hard decision of rooting such an expensive device and then say they felt it wasn't worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well its not that odd bc its not just about the money etc its about the whole experience etc and what could you get out of the tablet with the more real estate and i have seen some people regretting buying it etc. am a junior architect and i was waiting for something that big to use it with the s-pen too .. in my place you wouldn't be able to resell the tablet if you didn't like it or didn't get what you expect from it etc even i watched many reviews about it and sounds pretty interesting the limitations around me makes me have some concerns thats it
Right, my point is the "is it worth it" evaluation for a person who has rooted their device will have already occurred before rooting so of course you'll get more responses in the affirmative. I suppose it's not impossible that some will chime in to say that even after rooting it's unacceptable. ...perhaps odd is the wrong thing to say...just don't expect a majority of people who have rooted to tell you that they wish they hadn't.
muzzy996 said:
Right, my point is the "is it worth it" evaluation for a person who has rooted their device will have already occurred before rooting so of course you'll get more responses in the affirmative. I suppose it's not impossible that some will chime in to say that even after rooting it's unacceptable. ...perhaps odd is the wrong thing to say...just don't expect a majority of people who have rooted to tell you that they wish they hadn't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get your point and edited the post of course we all root to get more out of the tablet
Sent from my SGH-I777 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
the lag is the same! i remove some of the bloat and not freezing. and im using nova prime launcher.
i guess we need to wait for the dev to release some ROM
and by the way, why are you guys freezing your stuff when your knox is already tripped?
ad78 said:
and by the way, why are you guys freezing your stuff when your knox is already tripped?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's sometimes good to freeze (at least as a test-bed) because some apps no matter how innocuous they may seem could be an integrated part of the system. Removing them might break functionality within other apps or even the system itself. For example, on some systems if you remove the pre-installed file manager because you prefer another (Solid Explorer RULES!), it might break the Gallery app which could interfere with setting wallpapers even from other apps. That example - from my phone.
I want root to address the following things...
1. Remove multiwindow application restrictions
2. Use LMT or similar launcher for home, back, menu, etc.
3. Change the DPI (smaller icons, more real estate).
4. Backup/restore with Titanium Backup
5. freeze/remove system apps/bloat.
6. Install AOSP browser w/Flash
Rooting I noticed nothing different. I installed xposed and wanam to get the things I like. The main thing that changed was I lost the symbols on my keyboard. I can still get them by hitting the sym key, but can't long press the letter keys to get the symbol. It doesn't matter what language it's set to, they are not there.
Also, my video player developed an issue when it set to fullscreen. Lines through it and very choppy.
So I have un installed wanam and exposed, and video is normal, but still no symbols. Had them out of the box.
Thinking about Un rooting to see if it fixes the issue on the keyboard.
---------- Post added at 11:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:58 PM ----------
rkirmeier said:
I want root to address the following things...
1. Remove multiwindow application restrictions
2. Use LMT or similar launcher for home, back, menu, etc.
3. Change the DPI (smaller icons, more real estate).
4. Backup/restore with Titanium Backup
5. freeze/remove system apps/bloat.
6. Install AOSP browser w/Flash
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4.4 will not support flash I've experienced. Let us know if you get that working.
You can get symbols back in wanam in security hacks and check secure keyboard
sthrnsprtsmn said:
You can get symbols back in wanam in security hacks and check secure keyboard
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did try that with same results, I should have said that. I thought that would solve that too. With wanam and exposed uninstalled, I still can't get it back.
jackwagon06 said:
I did try that with same results, I should have said that. I thought that would solve that too. With wanam and exposed uninstalled, I still can't get it back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's strange. I have Wanam installed and my keyboard is unchanged.
KestrelX said:
That's strange. I have Wanam installed and my keyboard is unchanged.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right.....I think it happened upon root. Didn't notice it right away. Root is the only thing left to try with out having to odin Stock and start again. I have removed wanam and still unable to get it back. Thanks for letting me know that it's possible with wanam though!
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
Actually it's under system and enable keyboard symbols in wanam
sthrnsprtsmn said:
Actually it's under system and enable keyboard symbols in wanam
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried that as well. It should be enabled without wanam as well. As in Stock rooted. Not sure why I don't have it anymore
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 02:02 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:51 AM ----------
jackwagon06 said:
Tried that as well. It should be enabled without wanam as well. As in Stock rooted. Not sure why I don't have it anymore
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Update: I reinstalled xposed before I Un rooted, which I will not be doing. Installed the alternate keyboard symbols module, and they are back. I'll try wanam again, but leave the current module running.
Thanks for all the suggestions! Back to the rooted fun.
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
jackwagon06 said:
Rooting I noticed nothing different. I installed xposed and wanam to get the things I like. The main thing that changed was I lost the symbols on my keyboard. I can still get them by hitting the sym key, but can't long press the letter keys to get the symbol. It doesn't matter what language it's set to, they are not there.
Also, my video player developed an issue when it set to fullscreen. Lines through it and very choppy.
So I have un installed wanam and exposed, and video is normal, but still no symbols. Had them out of the box.
Thinking about Un rooting to see if it fixes the issue on the keyboard.
---------- Post added at 11:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:58 PM ----------
4.4 will not support flash I've experienced. Let us know if you get that working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got flash working using a modded flash.apk and Dolphin browser with jetpack. Works great!
muzzy996 said:
Right, my point is the "is it worth it" evaluation for a person who has rooted their device will have already occurred before rooting so of course you'll get more responses in the affirmative. I suppose it's not impossible that some will chime in to say that even after rooting it's unacceptable. ...perhaps odd is the wrong thing to say...just don't expect a majority of people who have rooted to tell you that they wish they hadn't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me, personally, no device is "worth it" without root access. So, I guess you can put me down for a "worth it." An unrooted device just... feels... it just plain feels wrong, man. *shivers*
rkirmeier said:
Got flash working using a modded flash.apk and Dolphin browser with jetpack. Works great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have any links to the modded files?
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
jackwagon06 said:
Have any links to the modded files?
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forums.androidcentral.com/an...king-flash-player-dolphin-browser-kitkat.html
rkirmeier said:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/an...king-flash-player-dolphin-browser-kitkat.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Working like a champ! Thanks again
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk

Rooting as a whole

Seems after getting the Note 4 I have found my self wondering how I was ever with out root. Its crazy I cant stand this phone with out root. Its maddening to know I have Ads and apps I don't need. If Verizon didn't offer this phone at Christmas for 150.00 I would have never got it. #1 Reason no root was out yet but I took a chance. I know now or always have that you DEVS work hard to get stuff done. This was just a big ....
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK!
Root will be out soon. I had no patience and switched to the Dev edition. I HATE ads and clustered samsung status bar with passion...
WhiteReign said:
Seems after getting the Note 4 I have found my self wondering how I was ever with out root. Its crazy I cant stand this phone with out root. Its maddening to know I have Ads and apps I don't need. If Verizon didn't offer this phone at Christmas for 150.00 I would have never got it. #1 Reason no root was out yet but I took a chance. I know now or always have that you DEVS work hard to get stuff done. This was just a big ....
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Articulated very nicely. I too long for Root and full control of my phone restored in my hands.
Op is the one who has joined XDA since 2011 and more than 400+ thanks (out of 500+ posts ) Posted this in the wrong forum accidentally or didn't know this is development forum
This is exactly why I sold my Verizon n4 and got a nexus 6. I have never had a phone without root. It was driving me nuts as well. I love the phone but couldn't deal with no root. I check back periodically to see if root has been achieved. Maybe one day I will have a n4 again.
Meh... You can disable the bloat with the stock app manager... Yeah, not 100%, but I am not gonna obsess about 4 or 5 tiny apps or services running in the background that I don't see or notice anyway... I am not that much of a control freak... It's a phone, not the center of my universe that I feel compelled to bend 100% to my will.. hehe
Root would be nice I guess, but on these newer phones, the appeal is less and less. I can skin it however I want with dozens of launchers, and debloating a few extra apps with root won't make it any faster...
By the time root comes out, the devs will have moved on to newer phones so the ROM support will suck anyway...
It's unfortunate. I would love to have root access on this phone for various reasons . My next phone will have it, even if I have to leave Verizon.
Sadly, the Verizon Note 4 is never going to see it...at least not before the next round of Note flagships
First post, just got a note 4. Had a rooted lg g2 before it. I'm loving the note so far (only had it about a week), but I use limelight to play computer games on my phone and it doesn't support mouse input very well without root access. . . As has been said I've disabled most of the bloat, but it would be nice to be able to just get rid of it. Also Sixaxis controller requires root to pair a ps3 or 4 controller to my phone... I hope root comes soon, maybe I should become a developer to help the cause. I too thank you for all your work.
SquireSCA said:
Meh... You can disable the bloat with the stock app manager... Yeah, not 100%, but I am not gonna obsess about 4 or 5 tiny apps or services running in the background that I don't see or notice anyway... I am not that much of a control freak... It's a phone, not the center of my universe that I feel compelled to bend 100% to my will.. hehe
Root would be nice I guess, but on these newer phones, the appeal is less and less. I can skin it however I want with dozens of launchers, and debloating a few extra apps with root won't make it any faster...
By the time root comes out, the devs will have moved on to newer phones so the ROM support will suck anyway...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can disable any app you want using adb shell.
This issue around root has been interesting for me. For awhile, I was like you, OP and many others who feel they must have root. However, after about 5 weeks of use now, I find myself perfectly happy with the Note 4 just the way it is and I wonder if I'll even take root-ability into consideration when making my next phone purchase.
mlin said:
You can disable any app you want using adb shell.
This issue around root has been interesting for me. For awhile, I was like you, OP and many others who feel they must have root. However, after about 5 weeks of use now, I find myself perfectly happy with the Note 4 just the way it is and I wonder if I'll even take root-ability into consideration when making my next phone purchase.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am with you. Root used to be mandatory IMHO, as phone makers just didn't seem to be able to get the phone's to work properly out of the box... slow, clunky, missing things, instability, outdated software, etc...
Nowadays, I just don't see that. Typically it is the ROMs that are unstable, miss features, etc... I see thread after thread of this great new ROM! But the camera is flunky, doesn't have data, or the IR blaster doesn't work, etc...
I had an LG G2 and the ROMs didn't impress me much. Went to a GS5 and was even less impressed. None of the ones that I tried were measurably faster than stock, none were 100% functional, or if they were, they were just tweaked stock ROMs and so what's the point? Risk warranty issues or bricking it, or not able to get OTA's, for what? Just to be able to brag to my nerd friends that I had a transparent status bar because a regular one bothers me SOOOO SOOOO much? LOL
The Note 4, is amazing. Debloat it with ADB or with the app manager, install your favorite launcher and icon pack to get the look and feel that you want, and know that it will work 100%, it's fast, stable and no warranty issues, no being left out when Lollipop drops and you want it but it breaks root again so you have to stick with the old software, etc...
I'm with you guys. I come from a Nexus4 and still have a Nexus7. I miss root for Titanium backup and that's about it. Sure I'm going to once it drops but the note is a very capable device able to stand on its own.
SquireSCA said:
Meh... You can disable the bloat with the stock app manager... Yeah, not 100%, but I am not gonna obsess about 4 or 5 tiny apps or services running in the background that I don't see or notice anyway... I am not that much of a control freak... It's a phone, not the center of my universe that I feel compelled to bend 100% to my will.. hehe
Root would be nice I guess, but on these newer phones, the appeal is less and less. I can skin it however I want with dozens of launchers, and debloating a few extra apps with root won't make it any faster...
By the time root comes out, the devs will have moved on to newer phones so the ROM support will suck anyway...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4 or 5 apps? You must be oblivious to the hundreds of services and dozens of apps that are running on your phone. Don't forget about hundreds of intents that must all be doing something in your favor.
Big Red just wants your phone to run smooth and they want your battery life to be even more fabulous.
xdadevnube said:
4 or 5 apps? You must be oblivious to the hundreds of services and dozens of apps that are running on your phone. Don't forget about hundreds of intents that must all be doing something in your favor.
Big Red just wants your phone to run smooth and they want your battery life to be even more fabulous.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can disable any app on the phone with this.
xdadevnube said:
4 or 5 apps? You must be oblivious to the hundreds of services and dozens of apps that are running on your phone. Don't forget about hundreds of intents that must all be doing something in your favor.
Big Red just wants your phone to run smooth and they want your battery life to be even more fabulous.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can disable most of the things in the app manager. There are only a few that you can't, but then you can do that with ADB. Either way, you can debloat the phone, without root, and without risk of messing up your warranty or the ability to get the Lollipop OTA in a few weeks.
Also, a lot of reviews have shown that disabling everything under the sun to free up RAM, can actually slow your phone down, not speed it up.
Getting the true crap disabled, is the biggest thing and anyone can do that without root today.
It doesn't have to be the center of someone's Universe for them to enjoy changing it and making it their own, people do this will all types of things. Some would call it a "hobby" or an interest. Lots of people enjoy spending hours on Facebook or playing video games, others enjoy tinkering with their devices.
I went for a while with a retail Note 4 and ended up getting a DE. There are too many things that I missed, here are some of them:
Add WiFi HotSpot Toggle and Bypass Subscription Check
Add Flashlight Toggle
AdAway
Titanium Backup
Viper4Android
Root Explorer
Xposed Framework with the following modules:
-Youtube AdAway
-Play Store Link In App Info
-Wanam
-Swype Keyboard Tweaks
-Notify Clean (Clean notification area)
-No Map Tips (Disable Google Play Maps location accuracy tips)
-Google Play Music Listen Later (Change the default Google Play Music pane and tabs)
-Disable Clear Defaults Dialog
Chrome Pie (Add Pie control to Chrome)
SquireSCA said:
Meh... You can disable the bloat with the stock app manager... Yeah, not 100%, but I am not gonna obsess about 4 or 5 tiny apps or services running in the background that I don't see or notice anyway... I am not that much of a control freak... It's a phone, not the center of my universe that I feel compelled to bend 100% to my will.. hehe
Root would be nice I guess, but on these newer phones, the appeal is less and less. I can skin it however I want with dozens of launchers, and debloating a few extra apps with root won't make it any faster...
By the time root comes out, the devs will have moved on to newer phones so the ROM support will suck anyway...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And whats even better you can block every single possible app with adb !
Until we get root its live able without it.
Sent from my SM-N910V using XDA Free mobile app
SquireSCA said:
You can disable most of the things in the app manager. There are only a few that you can't, but then you can do that with ADB. Either way, you can debloat the phone, without root, and without risk of messing up your warranty or the ability to get the Lollipop OTA in a few weeks.
Also, a lot of reviews have shown that disabling everything under the sun to free up RAM, can actually slow your phone down, not speed it up.
Getting the true crap disabled, is the biggest thing and anyone can do that without root today.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
like I said, oblivious
The Note 4 is so sick the way it is! Do I wish we had root? Check. Do I wish we had unlocked bootloader? Check. Am I gonna give up on THE best phone out right now because I don't have those things? Hell NO! The phone is a beast! And I'll keep waiting, maybe for nothing....... but if it is for nothing, I'll live. Love the Note 4! And sticking with it no matter what.
zounduser said:
The Note 4 is so sick the way it is! Do I wish we had root? Check. Do I wish we had unlocked bootloader? Check. Am I gonna give up on THE best phone out right now because I don't have those things? Hell NO! The phone is a beast! And I'll keep waiting, maybe for nothing....... but if it is for nothing, I'll live. Love the Note 4! And sticking with it no matter what.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Phone sucks without root. Seems like you don't need your xda account anymore
Sent from my SM-N900V using XDA Free mobile app
---------- Post added at 11:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:20 PM ----------
I can't use a phone without pie controls. Comes in handywhen laying in the bed
Sent from my SM-N900V using XDA Free mobile app
I miss being able to use better battery stats to follow wakelocks. I haven't had any real issues with wakelocks so far, but it really is just a matter of time.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Is ROOT G935T worth it? Advice needed

The question is simple enough... Is it worth ROOTING the T-mobile G935T Galaxy S7 Edge ?
I'm late to the game with the S7E - Quite literally just bought one... And this will be my first device with a locked bootloader. My Note 4 was fully rooted with tons of support and development.
I see there is not much (hardly any) rom development for the S7E G935T, and I see several threads mentioning root and guides, but then I see it bootloops several days later, or people going back stock and just not messing with it. So the question I ask is this: Is it worth rooting the S7E ? or is the root not worth the effort... Also since I'm used to a root with my Note 4 - will the Root for the G935T be the same? or a limited root?
Sorry if this is confusing, just wanted a more current answer since I'm sure there have been lots of changed from March-July 2016 where most of those other threads started.
No, it's not worth it in my opinion. I could never get rid of the heat and the lag. However, goodlock provides most of the the UI customizations I prefer, and the Samsung theme engine compliments that, along with Nova launcher. Adhell blocks ads, the Ufirmware gets rid of the annoying T-Mobile bootscreen and bloat, and you get to keep Samsung pay. I pay for google play music, so YouTube red takes care of YouTube ads. Honestly, this phone has enough going for it that (I can't believe I'm saying this!) root is not needed. In fact, as a long time rooter myself, aside from flashing a new custom ROM every week, the isn't any functionality that I miss that I can think of. If I didn't pay for YouTube red, youtube ads might annoy me I suppose
Thanks @dave812 I appreciate you taking the time to write that.
I have a couple questions, if you (or any one) has the time to answer...
I have Nova launcher prime. I've installed a couple Samsung themes but I can not see the themed icons in Nova? Only TouchWiz.
I'll for sure try ad hell, I tried ad clean and the battery usage was insane. Nearly 30% during a days use... That's too high.
Good lock I've never heard of. I'll check that out.
Any other advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S7E
Araltd said:
The question is simple enough... Is it worth ROOTING the T-mobile G935T Galaxy S7 Edge ?
I'm late to the game with the S7E - Quite literally just bought one... And this will be my first device with a locked bootloader. My Note 4 was fully rooted with tons of support and development.
I see there is not much (hardly any) rom development for the S7E G935T, and I see several threads mentioning root and guides, but then I see it bootloops several days later, or people going back stock and just not messing with it. So the question I ask is this: Is it worth rooting the S7E ? or is the root not worth the effort... Also since I'm used to a root with my Note 4 - will the Root for the G935T be the same? or a limited root?
Sorry if this is confusing, just wanted a more current answer since I'm sure there have been lots of changed from March-July 2016 where most of those other threads started.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have mine rooted running Echoes Rom 1.5 with Xposed using a custom Aod screen. It's not really worth root because of less than stellar battery life but I love to root so I did it anyway.
I was a long time Rooter as well and built themes for the Note 4. Samsung Themes are pretty good @Araltd but with Nova the Icon Packs will not carry over. The only launcher I have found to do this is Action Launcher, but it doesn't have the features of Nova IMO.
@PapaMag yeah I remember the themes! I ran a few of them on my note 4.
I'm shocked no one has come up with a way to get the Samsung theme icons to carry over to Nova? But since I have no clue, I'm assuming it's not easy to do.
When you say you were a long time rooter does that mean you do not root anymore?
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S7E
My opinion... no. Root isn't worth it. Not until an unlocked bootloader becomes available (IF).
No custom roms (well... slimmest that I've ever seen anyway.)
No Samsung Pay
Poor battery life
Lag (even after "fixes")
No OTA.
No Nouget (more than likely)
I believe at this point it might be easier to ask, "What's the benefit of having root?"
dave812 said:
Adhell blocks ads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had never heard of Adhell before this post. I've been using Adguard but I *hate* having the VPN icon in the notification bar, plus it messes up battery stats. You're basically my favorite person right now, Adhell has totally made my day!
---------- Post added at 12:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:35 AM ----------
Binary100100 said:
I believe at this point it might be easier to ask, "What's the benefit of having root?"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At this point, viper. I don't think superior audio quality is worth all those other drawbacks.
I'm in the same boat. Got an S7E on day one, rooted that one (but overheated and lagged like hell). Went through the whole Note 7 debacle and am now back with a S7E. The only thing I'm really hoping for is the Nougat update soon. It carries over a lot of the N7 features and UI. Would anyone suggest going with the Verizon Nougat Beta, or just suck it up and wait?
Well honestly I've found ez package disabler to disable most of the bloat. Gets themes too ??
I've got Adhell running and disconnect pro which are both administrative level ad blockers... I'm used to ad away, which is amazing... These other two in conjunction block about 90% I guess. I'm running TouchWiz with the theme's right now (I also own Nova prime) but Nova won't use the TouchWiz system icons so I'm playing around right now.
I've got super swiftkey with all its themed keyboards. I have not used samsung/Android pay yet, but since it's stock APK1, it (they) should work.
I do notice some heating up from time to time.. The only app I've got that lags badly right now is my security camera app (q-see view) which makes the phone crawl so bad, I can not always exit the app properly. Sometimes I have to press recent apps and close all to make it end... Didn't have that problem before on the note 4.
I looked at good lock, it seems like a fancy lock screen replacement. I personally don't see a need for that. Unless I didn't find the right app? It didn't seem to offer any UI tweaks, just lock screen functions...?
All I can say is, nougat can't get here fast enough for me.
Thanks for all the help and advice! Please keep it coming. If more of us post results with apps and tweaks, rooting won't be missed as much. Thanks again to everyone for participating here!
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S7E
By my the way, I'm giving thanks to everyone who posts here because I appreciate your opinions, suggestions and participation. Thanks again!
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S7E
What's that ufirmware? How can I disable t mobile bloat ware? Any free software? Also anyone facing signal issues?
Ez package disabler let's you disable a bunch of stuff without root.
Sent from my SM-G935T
Binary100100 said:
My opinion... no. Root isn't worth it. Not until an unlocked bootloader becomes available (IF).
No custom roms (well... slimmest that I've ever seen anyway.)
No Samsung Pay
Poor battery life
Lag (even after "fixes")
No OTA.
No Nouget (more than likely)
I believe at this point it might be easier to ask, "What's the benefit of having root?"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm about to unroot today, it's been horrible ( the lag that is) even with the fixes it's like your'e using half a phone constant freezing lag
I rooted yesterday - and yes my phone was very hot. And it lagged, but I followed all the instructions in this thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/tmobile-s7-edge/how-to/guide-post-root-common-bugs-fixes-t3427600
My phone is now running fine. It is not hot and it does not lag. I'm really glad I rooted. I was able to install xposed and modules today.
k8108 said:
I rooted yesterday - and yes my phone was very hot. And it lagged, but I followed all the instructions in this thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/tmobile-s7-edge/how-to/guide-post-root-common-bugs-fixes-t3427600
My phone is now running fine. It is not hot and it does not lag. I'm really glad I rooted. I was able to install xposed and modules today.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except for SU needing to be updated huh?
Binary100100 said:
Except for SU needing to be updated huh?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, it's still worth it. I can live with the hashtag until I can find a way to get rid of it.
k8108 said:
Haha, it's still worth it. I can live with the hashtag until I can find a way to get rid of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been rooted for a couple of months. I have no SU hashtag. Also no heat or lag. I am running U fimrware with T-Mobile modem.
My stance on rooting is no for s7 edge for the following reasons.
1. Samsung Pay ( Soooooooo convienient. My wallet only has my ID, a debit card and credit card thanks to it)
2. S Health ( There are other ones out there but I prefer S health that provides a lot of benefits without ads in my face every 10s)
3. Stock is very stable.
4. Samsung theme store ( enough customization options here )
5. Security in general ( not tripping knox, plus complete stock may get better resale value )
For the bloatware issues, I'm rocking stock ROM for 935u, the unlocked US version. I would suggest going this route if bloatware and performance is an issue for you. It isn't that hard to flash. It doesn't trip knox. You keep all the benefit of a stock phone and a very, very stable phone. There's a thread on XDA which I followed https://forum.xda-developers.com/tmobile-s7-edge/how-to/stock-official-sm-g935us-g935uueu4apl4-t3535408.
Binary100100 said:
Except for SU needing to be updated huh?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just flash new versions using flashfire. Auto updates are disabled of course.

[Open discussion] what to do with root?

So I just rooted my tmobile gs7 running 7.0 and I have no idea what to do. I've been looking and looking. searching and searching and I can't find anything useful as far as apps or mods or even roms. I'm just wondering if rooting was a waste of time or if there is actually stuff out there? What's everyone else woth American models doing with their rooted s7? Should I just unroot and go ahead and upgrade to the s8?
It depends of you, if you root and don't need root, then why root?
I personnaly rooted it to have full control over my phone, install some mods and do some theming over system apps.
Good luck
...it is really simple, one app will make a big difference now that you are root: AdAway (goodby ads)
And if you despice bloatware, go for Titanium Backup and get rid of all those stupid carrier and maker apps.
And if you need a little more performance and keep apps off your RAM, try Greenfy.
?
This is why I root:
1. AdAway
2. Titanium Backup - uninstall and freeze any app, including system apps and bloatware.
3. Greenify - force close apps at any moment, might be useful for battery drainers like the facebook app or any other app that causes battery issues.
Thanks for the responses. I rooted simply for the fun of it. I remember back when I had my gs3 and rooted there was a bunch of roms and cool mods and apps to do pretty much anything u could think of. I thout it would be the same thing this time around but I ended up stumped when I couldn't find anything.
I rooted my phone so I could use an ad blocker, replace Samsung's emoji, and to properly install the Pixel Launcher. I was very disappointed that there's no TWRP or much in the way of custom ROMs.
Just out of curiousness. I am looking into rooting and now with this thread I have an idea of what I want to do. What method was the most efficient to root for you?
holmes901 said:
Just out of curiousness. I am looking into rooting and now with this thread I have an idea of what I want to do. What method was the most efficient to root for you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used max lees method on YouTube. He has a site called high on android and another called galaxys7root.com (forgive me devs if him or his methods are banned) just make sure rooting is really what u wanna do. I say that because your phones performance will decrease. Even after tweaking the cpu and all that good stuff my phone still runs inefficiently compared to pre root. Best of luck
Root and download and install superman rom
vibealite said:
Root and download and install superman rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll look into that. Thanks
Ur welcome i havent rooted yet my self but i have been thinking about it just to install superman rom looks really good
Just not 100% on how to root yet
vibealite said:
Ur welcome i havent rooted yet my self but i have been thinking about it just to install superman rom looks really good
Just not 100% on how to root yet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my honest opinion it'd probably be better to wait. So far it's done more damage to my phone than it has helped and to make things worse I have yet to find a solid unroot method so now I'm stuck with a slow phone that force closes and lags all the time
Roni P. said:
In my honest opinion it'd probably be better to wait. So far it's done more damage to my phone than it has helped and to make things worse I have yet to find a solid unroot method so now I'm stuck with a slow phone that force closes and lags all the time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you'd like to unroot just simply flash a stock odin tar. If you don't want to wipe I'd uninstall any root applications and flash the csc_home.
Roni P. said:
I used max lees method on YouTube. He has a site called high on android and another called galaxys7root.com (forgive me devs if him or his methods are banned) just make sure rooting is really what u wanna do. I say that because your phones performance will decrease. Even after tweaking the cpu and all that good stuff my phone still runs inefficiently compared to pre root. Best of luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the method I was,looking at. If you rooted already how's it holding up?
I rooted today and installed superman rom only problem i have is with my vr is jittery when i move my head
Roni P. said:
So I just rooted my tmobile gs7 running 7.0 and I have no idea what to do. I've been looking and looking. searching and searching and I can't find anything useful as far as apps or mods or even roms. I'm just wondering if rooting was a waste of time or if there is actually stuff out there? What's everyone else woth American models doing with their rooted s7? Should I just unroot and go ahead and upgrade to the s8?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After rooting my phone for a couple of weeks I came to the conclusion that it's not worth it. Here's why.. the biggest issue I had was my phone was constantly over heating and the battery was draining much faster than when on stock. Yes I tried things like greenify and other apps that are supposed to help battery life and several cooling apps for the over heating issues, but none really fixed the problem completely nor even that much at all. Rooting also made my phone lag and run very glitchy. I was very disappointed because I really like using Xposed to customize my phone, switching emojis to iPhone style, and getting rid of ads but all in all, those things just didn't outweigh the issues that came with rooting. I think the root for snapdragon models is just very sloppy and isn't as good as it can be and until then, I would not recommend.
---------- Post added 9th May 2017 at 12:01 AM ---------- Previous post was 8th May 2017 at 11:57 PM ----------
Roni P. said:
In my honest opinion it'd probably be better to wait. So far it's done more damage to my phone than it has helped and to make things worse I have yet to find a solid unroot method so now I'm stuck with a slow phone that force closes and lags all the time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What carrier do you have for your s7? I've had to unroot several times and have not had any issues what so ever.
How about S-Health
Hi, everyone,
I have a question, I had a SM-G930F, I rooted it and after, I wasn't able to use S-Health anymore. So I sold it and buy a new SM-G930V.
Will I have the same problem if I root it? or there is a trick to make S-Health work with rooted S7(snapdragon of courses)?
Thank's for your reply.
rooting used to be a way to hide tethering from your carrier. i have 14 gigs of hotspot plus unlimited data on tmobile so i dont need to hide it.
my main reason for wanting root is to debloat the phone. i would also love to install vanilla android but i doubt that will happen.
arorakotoary said:
Hi, everyone,
I have a question, I had a SM-G930F, I rooted it and after, I wasn't able to use S-Health anymore. So I sold it and buy a new SM-G930V.
Will I have the same problem if I root it? or there is a trick to make S-Health work with rooted S7(snapdragon of courses)?
Thank's for your reply.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
edit build.prop
search ro.config.tima.
switch from 0 to1 or 1to0
done
thegreatkazoo said:
rooting used to be a way to hide tethering from your carrier. i have 14 gigs of hotspot plus unlimited data on tmobile so i dont need to hide it.
my main reason for wanting root is to debloat the phone. i would also love to install vanilla android but i doubt that will happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you dont need root really to debloat it you can flash the unlocked s7 variant rom thru odin theres also an app called package disabler pro which really helps as well.

Non Root alternatives

It seems that the days of rooting our phones is slowly coming to an end. The latest carrier phones are all very difficult or impossible to root. I have had every android phone I have owned since 2011, rooted. So I am very dependent on things like Titanium Backup, Adaway, Root explorer & various battery utilities. My question is, if I did not root, what are some alternatives to these apps that do not require root. I use Titanium for de-bloating & backing up. Here are a couple of screenshots that show what I use root for. Appreciate any comments on this.
Pat
patcal said:
It seems that the days of rooting our phones is slowly coming to an end. The latest carrier phones are all very difficult or impossible to root. I have had every android phone I have owned since 2011, rooted. So I am very dependent on things like Titanium Backup, Adaway, Root explorer & various battery utilities. My question is, if I did not root, what are some alternatives to these apps that do not require root. I use Titanium for de-bloating & backing up. Here are a couple of screenshots that show what I use root for. Appreciate any comments on this.
Pat
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's a start https://forum.xda-developers.com/s7-edge/how-to/root-modifications-t3339094 it's for the S7 edge and has some great information. I also recommended adhell for blocking ads.
sabresfan said:
Here's a start https://forum.xda-developers.com/s7-edge/how-to/root-modifications-t3339094 it's for the S7 edge and has some great information. I also recommended adhell for blocking ads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. I obviously did not search enough.
Pat
I have to admit there are some cool apps & mods in here.
Even though this is an older thread, I thought I'd mention a couple of apps I use.
Hiya is an unknown caller identifier & blocker, it was built into one of the note 7 ports I ran in my note 4 and have since been using it on my S7E (it may have been the default unknown caller identifier on the note 7?). It's free, it works, and I like it. (some people like true caller which is an alternative but I had read that people's unsolicited sales calls went up after installing true caller? I don't know if that's true, I read it somewhere so I'm sharing that info. I have NOT noticed any of that in the months I've been running hiya for the record btw)
Hiya caller ID and blocker
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.webascender.callerid
DNS66 is another completely free ad blocking VPN (like block this, adguard, etc) this one uses adaway host files (among others) and has whitelist for apps too. Seems to work, but there has been some serious debate in here about ad blocking, so I'll just mention it and let the android warriors decide on there own. AFAIK it blocks system wide, in browser and in apps?
DNS66 VPN system wide ad blocking with multiple host file selections including adaway host file, custom entries, whitelist and more.
https://github.com/julian-klode/dns66
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 01:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:00 PM ----------
Well this post was made to he wrong threads, go to the one sabresfan linked to above... It's worth reading regardless if you have root or not. Great info there. I'm just going to leave that info posted above since I think those are good apps and worth installing irregardless.
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
Thanks for the info. I am really not wanting to give up root but the "writing is on the wall" so to speak. I played around with Helium backup yesterday. Compared to Titanium, I was underwhelmed.
I've yet to see a backup app in the same league as TiBU, PDP does a great job of disabling unwanted apps.
For backup, I've been using Samsung cloud account. Its not perfect but works ok I guess.
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
Araltd said:
I've yet to see a backup app in the same league as TiBU, PDP does a great job of disabling unwanted apps.
For backup, I've been using Samsung cloud account. Its not perfect but works ok I guess.
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Am I correct in that PDP just disables the apps, not removes them?
patcal said:
Am I correct in that PDP just disables the apps, not removes them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it just disables them from loading or starting but they still take up space. Which honestly is no big deal imo. Disabling them eliminates them loading at all so essentially they are not there...
Sent from my Rooted Galaxy S7 EDGE on Android 7.0 Nougat, here's the instructions how to do it!

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