Curious on how many Wilders members root their phones as well as those that do not. I've been seriously considering this but don't care to brick my phone either.
Some years ago I had a Gingerbread Phone with root, in that time it had a tangible advantage to do so, but nowdays I am totally against root, save to install some custom rom on a unsupported old phone. Root is very detrimental to modern Android security architecture and personally I dont see the reason to root my phone, I have much more to lose because I have a Samsung Galaxy S8 + (Knox security/Samsung Pay features).
Absolutely. Began with android jellybean via ADB-fastboot, installed TWRP for backups and frankly haven't needed much else since you can dig as deep as needed if you are up to all that, because it can be time consuming and lots of efforts to dress up or down the internals of android. Likely any other mobile O/S for that matter.
Rooting a phone is like using the super-admin account on Windows, insane in term on security. you do it if you have very serious reasons, not just for removing few bloats. Then if you do, you have to use lot of security apps to compensate the holes you opened.
Yes. I'm running a rooted Google Motorola Nexus 6 (2014) with AOSiP Oreo 8.1 & 09.29.2018 security updates. I got monster control over EVERYTHING! Love it. My favorite phone is retired because I picked it 1st WITHOUT consulting the XDA dev community. Not widely supported or for long. My MISTAKE. If you want to root I suggest consulting XDA for phones at least released for a year. To see how easy rooting is & if there's lots of devs & ROMS. Also have a backup phone in case you bork. If you decide to root ACCEPT ALL RESPONSIBILITY for borking your phone. The only place I recommend 100% is XDA. Then READ READ READ READ READ READ READ. Pay attention: instructions are carrier, model #, revision #, OS version, bootloader status, age of posts & responses, OP, posters & dev dependent.
Exactly! Reason on this end is the learning curve was well worth the time n effort early on since I doubt I would want to repeat all of that all over again. Windows tasks enough time as is
Guys, that's simply not true. Rooting a phone is usually done by installing Magisk, SuperSU or AddonSU (for LineageOS). Installing one of them gives the user full access to the OS and its resources. But this does not mean that every app has root permissions - contrary to a widespread myth! Every time a specific app needs root permissons it requests them from, e.g., AddonSU. Then the user must decide if he/she grants those root permissions for the respective app only either temporarily or permanently. In other word: You need not grant permanent root permissons to, e.g., a file manager if you just want to edit a file for which root is required. However, there are apps which require permanent root permissions. One example is the excellent AFWall+ firewall. Another one is AdGuard for Android: Normally it does not require root as it ceates a local VPN in order to filter network requests. But if you want another VPN on your phone (like NordVPN or whatever) you need to make AdGuard using a HTTP proxy instead - which requires root - as using 2 VPNs in parallel is not possible in Android. These are examples that permanent root permissons for specific apps are absolutely legitimate. So again, rooting a phone is not insane at all. Needless to say, though, that rooting gives the user a power which should be used responsible-minded.
Thanks for clarifying what some of us are long already aware of. Rooting is NOT as unsafe as people would have them believe so long as they LEARN what they are doing, why, and the where it is of most use for the user. SuperSU pops up every time any app makes the request as you mentioned, that user needs first to allow or not. So on and so forth.
Whenever I'm switching to a new phone, or installing new custom firmware on my current firm, I root my phone so that I can backup all my apps and their data. I then root the new phone or my old phone again, after I've installed the new firmware, so I can reinstall all my apps and the app data. That is the only reason for me to root a phone.
It might not be an issue because malicious apps could get root permissions, but what about the ROM you used that is thrown together by some dudes as a hobby somewhere, having god knows what for security holes?
It's not a ROM "thrown together" but a slightly modfied original Android system which receives the Google security patches very fast. LineageOS - as the most prominent example - is the only choice for many smartphone to get updates for many years as the original manufacturers often don't care any more after a couple of months. EDIT: And as a sidenote - as LOS does not automatically contain the Google Apps (which have too be installed separately) it's the only possibility to ungoogle an Android phone if you want to avoid their endless data mining.
Exactly, but we all know how people are unresponsible, downloading shiny fancy apps from unknown sources... Then happy clicking. Not saying even aware people won't know what the ROM/apps they download may contains? Maybe it is weaponized, who knows? I see no valid reason for rooting a phone those days. You want experiment? Cool, be my guest, but don't say you were not warned if you get screwed.
I don't understand this reasoning. Following this logic, the admin account and UAC in Windows should be completely abolished, too. Are you really suggesting this? Besides, rooting a phone is not trivial. Most vanilla smartphone users are unable to cope with it. By implication this means that people who root their phone usually know what they are doing (contrary to most people who disable UAC). I'm not suggesting to use any random ROM available on the internet. LineageOS (and its predecessor CyanogenMod) is trustworthy. It has been there for many years without any single breach of trust. @roger_m and myself have presented several examples where rooting makes sense.
It should indeed, SUA is the account people should use by default, not admin, who must be used only for admin tasks. In corporate environment, employee are on SUA and locked out from any possibility of installing crap... On Linux, the default account made during the installation is a limited account. Windows stupid decision of creating the default account as admin is part responsible of the spreading of malware. people don't need to root it themselves, they go to a shop or friend that does it...i did several times for others... security theater is the same whatever the device, people just don't care when they want something. They just install it and keep clicking allow... People in forums are a niche, and indeed are more conscious of the risks, but still a minority... in modern (decent)phones, they should allow the transfer of datas and apps without rooting...my Sony Xperia does and it isn't a high end phone.
Yes, absolutely. I'm a Linux user so I know what I'm and what you're talking about. And in Windows (which I'm still running in a VM) I've been exclusively using a SUA for ages. But again, your logic implies that even UAC (which comes closest to what, e.g., AddonSU does) should be removed. Well, it's impossible to eradicate foolishness for sure. But that's another aspect. Your statement was that rooting a phone is "insane in term on security". I'm saying: This is a sweeping statement which is wrong.
Rooting is an inviting terminology where concerns wireless phones and perhaps that's where some enter the environment with blind ambition (but not good experience) the same as a technician/vendor's expert chart of the device. Solid additional security is attainable courtesy charting and modifying normally concealed paths to various internal settings etc. and that does require some dedication and time as well as reliable resources. And is why vendors will void warranty's if a noob brings their brick into a service store and it's discovered the device is been poked around on. In conclusion, and only IMHO, rooting is not anything of the sort crazy except for all those who do it or have it done just so they can allow "apps" to tap into areas of the O/S that requite R00T in order for them to do whatever the "app" claims it is for. To that end I would highly recommend against it. The only reason mine are rooted (or I bothered at all) is because stupid Windows drove my own ambition over the edge to the point where I seen an opportune chance to prevent my smartphone from becoming another victim of takeover malware in much the same manner we all have had to put up with courtesy Windows. If I see and know the layout myself, I can choose to put measures in place to better guard against uninvited incoming signals that have no business on the carpet Remember, just one point of view.
No yet. But definetely going to just after I get second (cheap one of course ) phone to play with and start making my own android version.
I wish...but people will crybaby... Then i hope for you rooters, that Android malware who will execute silently won't exist...
It already exists but will be met with a lot of noise the moment it triggers an entry attempt as well as suspended in transit, along with a backtracking log where it tried to mask itself.
