# reason to root?



## zhakrin

I'm getting one of these next week and I've been reading up on them as much as I can. I'm coming from the Samsung Charge and it is rooted so I'm not unfamiliar with the process although I haven't updated the ROM in a long time so I'm a bit rusty on some of the terms and techniques. Anyway, I have a couple of questions...

First, is it really necessary to root this phone? I get that some people want to root it just because they can and it's a hobby for them. But my question is what do you really gain from it with this phone? With the Charge there was the battery life and it's lack of RAM that made it slow (IMHO) that gave you reasons to root. But all the reviews on this thing have really been positive, so I dunno.

Second, I keep reading things like root, but also unlock. Are they not the same? If not, which is the first step? Is there a step by step guide out there anywhere that starts with "take it out of the box" then next step, etc, etc.

Thanks in advance for anyone who has a little more insight.

Edit: Verizon is the carrier if that has any bearing...


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## Chocu1a

Unlock is unlocking the bootloader. This must be done in order to root.
Rooting will allow you to run apps like Titanium Backup, to, you know, back up all your apps & data. It can also freeze or hide programs you don't want or might be causing issues. It also allows for removal of Verizon or Samsung Bloatware.
Unlocking will allow you to run custom roms, also running the GN2 on another carrier such as gsm.


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## iStatiK

Complete customization of your phone. Xposed framework comes to mind....

Sent from Valhalla


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## nunyazz

Chocu1a said:


> Unlock is unlocking the bootloader. This must be done in order to root.
> Rooting will allow you to run apps like Titanium Backup, to, you know, back up all your apps & data. It can also freeze or hide programs you don't want or might be causing issues. It also allows for removal of Verizon or Samsung Bloatware.
> Unlocking will allow you to run custom roms, also running the GN2 on another carrier such as gsm.


well.. not exactly. You can definitely root without unlocking. I ran this way for weeks.


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## Inkdaddy66

I root every Android phone that I get. Other than the DNA I only had it for a week and couldn't get the error tools to work for me. Yeah it is a hobby but almost a necessity for me. I don't flash as much as I used to though.

For the most part I rooted due to the lack of internal storage. Getting all of that Verizon bloatware off really helps. You can flash different themes and some roms have nice features built into them. Right now I'm on the latest Eclipse build. All of the Google apps are inverted. Which is something I really like. 

53n7 fr0m m4 no7e2 via Xparen7 7apa7alk2


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## georgepink

zhakrin said:


> I'm getting one of these next week and I've been reading up on them as much as I can. I'm coming from the Samsung Charge and it is rooted so I'm not unfamiliar with the process although I haven't updated the ROM in a long time so I'm a bit rusty on some of the terms and techniques. Anyway, I have a couple of questions...
> 
> First, is it really necessary to root this phone? I get that some people want to root it just because they can and it's a hobby for them. But my question is what do you really gain from it with this phone? With the Charge there was the battery life and it's lack of RAM that made it slow (IMHO) that gave you reasons to root. But all the reviews on this thing have really been positive, so I dunno.
> 
> Second, I keep reading things like root, but also unlock. Are they not the same? If not, which is the first step? Is there a step by step guide out there anywhere that starts with "take it out of the box" then next step, etc, etc.
> 
> Thanks in advance for anyone who has a little more insight.
> 
> Edit: Verizon is the carrier if that has any bearing...


just my take on rooting....i would never, ever, buy a computer and have the salesperson say, "I'm not giving you administrative privileges, because you are getting internet services from me". It's kinda the same thing. Rooting is just gaining admin priv's to the device that you just paid for. Now if they go to subsidy phones, where you don't own it, but you also don't pay for it, then I get the argument, it's not yours. But last I looked it isn't there yet. So, for instance, someone who buys this phone outright, will spend, what....$500 or more? and have them told by VZ, no root for you! I'll hack it and gain root. Just my opinion. Have rooted 4 or 5 devices now, plus a couple insurance replaced phones (dropped in water, lost/stolet, etc.) Never bricked a phone and never needed replaced for anything I did with regards to hacking. Again, don't flame me, for having an opinion.


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## mkjellgren

Personally I think it's worth it to root simply to get all of the bloat and vzw crapware off of the device. Additionally there is obviously the option of running an aosp rom (although s-pen functionality it nerfed) as well as mods such as including all apps in multi-window, and unlocking the stock vzw hot spot app. Themes, kernel tweaks, and the ability to remove or edit system apps are also obvious benefits.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2


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## Droid_Evo_8




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## edub34

I rooted my Note 2 just because it can be done and glad I did.


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## stueycaster

If you root you can also run an ad blocker. That was first order of business for me.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2


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## gnex0422

stueycaster said:


> If you root you can also run an ad blocker. That was first order of business for me.
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2


Which one do you use?

Sent from my SCH-I605 using RootzWiki


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## stueycaster

gnex0422 said:


> Which one do you use?
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I605 using RootzWiki


Adfree Android

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2


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## zhakrin

I only made it a couple of hours and I had already rooted. Few hours after that I unlocked it and installed the Jelly Beans ROM. I don't know that what I do with a phone made it really necessary to do this, but like many I suspect I did just because I wanted to. So far I'm really loving this phone and the development on it is awesome as well.


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## sk3litor

Here's the difference in a nut shell. Just rooting will allow you to gain access to files already on the phone. Basically giving you full control over your device in the deep levels of the software. Unlocking the bootloader will give you the ability to put on a custom recovery and put different software on the phone in the form of custom roms. Now when you unlock the bootloader and put on a custom recovery you can flash a custom rom which will automatically root the phone (as long as it's a rooted rom. Which most of them are). There are unrooted roms, but this is kind of arbitrary. (Just my personnel opinion).basically the process goes unlock> install custom recovery> flash custom rooted rom=grab your phone by the balls and make it your b%=*h.







but always read about the rom to make sure its want you want.then go clunk an iphone user over the head with it and say "see, this is why android."of course do at your own risk.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2


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## yarly

Generally I think this is a question that if one has to ask, they should probably reflect on if it's a good idea to do it through reading (more than just posting a thread in a forum) and not rushing into it. Not because I don't feel the person can do it, but because if they have not looked into the reasons to do it already on their own, then they may not be prepared for the responsibilities and consequences that go with rooting and unlocking the bootloader. Just scroll through some of the support threads (not just during rooting, but after) to see what I mean and if one is prepared to deal with such things (and perhaps having a non-working device until it's fixed). Yes, there's benefits, but those may or may not matter depending on preferences and what one uses their device for. What is important to me, may not be important to anyone else.

Non-Nexus devices do generally have a small chance of destroying your device beyond the means of recovery by the typical user if not careful. That plus if one doesn't have any reasons, then there's nothing to gain, since one has not figured out if the risks are outweighed by what benefits them personally.


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## paras

It is good to root i would suggest

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 4 Beta


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