Rooting questions

[kat.hayes]

1. Are there any downsides to rooting?
2. Can a device always be unrooted without causing any issues to the device? 3. Do things look different or function differently after rooting?
4. Can you easily remove pre installed applications if you root?

Thanks.

 

[viskon]

1. You will not get automatic updates from your manufacturer. And void your warranty, if your manufacturer comes to know of it.
2. Yes, AFAIK.
3. No. You get more functionality and options.
4. Yes. But some pre-installed apps are necessary for the system to function. Instead of deleting these apps, you can use Titanium Backup to freeze them after you are rooted.

 

[chagla]

if you have no specific reason or you are new to android, you should avoid root-ing, at least in the beginning. there are some great advantages of rooting. you can do so after a you make yourself familiar with android. if all you are looking to do is change the look of your android device, you don't need to root it. what you want to search for is "launcher" in the play store. *most* android customization can be done without rooting.

you can use ad blocker, firewall, usb boot pc from phone, backup and restore entire phone without computer using a recovery method etc etc.

 

[kat.hayes]

I'm not looking forward to figuring out the process of rooting, I only want to do it so I can install an app I found that will only work if rooted.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[appledes7]

Also, what phone you have and carrier you are on can be the difference between a super easy root and a more involved root. For example, my Nexus 4 was my very first Android phone. Never used one before that. I was overwhelmed, but still ended up rooting it before I had it for even a week because it was so easy to root and unroot.

 

[blackhand1001]

Simple root doesn't really have any downsides. You can root a stock rom on most phones. Phones like your nexus which has an unlocked bootloader are always rootable. Some phones have locked bootloaders which means to get root you have to rely on an exploit.

 

[Dontazemebro]

What app are you trying to install that requires root permission?

 

[kat.hayes]

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.iwobanas.screenrecorder.free&hl=en_GB

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

1. Are there any downsides to rooting?

Not really. The real downside might be custom recovery which can kill the process of official updating firmware. I rooted my S4 and don't have custom recovery on it, so I can still update firmware. But if you end up choosing to install custom roms, you'll need a custom recovery. Every device is slightly different on how to root it.

2. Can a device always be unrooted without causing any issues to the device?

You can toggle root on and off.

3. Do things look different or function differently after rooting?

No

4. Can you easily remove pre installed applications if you root?

Yes, but be careful in doing so. It's better to just permanently disable any apps you don't want or use.