Database Develop

Should I root or not? That is the question.

I have always rooted all my previous android phones, but had not had a big need for it on XZ1c.
Partly because its actually quite tough, and partly because you can never return to "untouched state" if you want. Wou WILL loose permenentaly you android key provisioning. (introduced in android Oreo).
However now I am in doubt if I should root or not. Mainly because its just nice do have full control of your phone. And also because I like to play/geek with my phone.
Can someone help me make up my decision. So far this is the list I can come up with.
You are very velcome to add points which can help me, and probably many others take a decision, as this product is now nearly 2 years old.
Pros:
* Remove ads in app. Already use Opera to remove ads in browsing.
* Use external SD for app data, as 32GB is very limited. Link2SD working still in Pie? Or somethink better has come up?
* Add option to call recording
* Customize pie clock location - > put back to right side
* You will be able to make FULL backups with ie. Titanium. Although after Android 6.0 this is becoming more and more useless.
* Remove unneeded bloat.
* Perhaps being able to get better battery consumption. Not really proven though, as stock is getting better and better.
*..
*..
* Systemwide night mode (is this still possible in pie, where you can dimmer the navigation keys)
Cons:
* You will physically alter the phone, and cannot return to 100% stock -> loss of andorid Key Attest Provisioning. Cannot relock bootloader etc. etc.
* You will not be able to use Google Pay. And this feature will be lost forever, as this is using key attest provisioning.
* You will not be able to use Over-the-air updates from Sony, which means you will not automatically have the newest security updates to phone.
* You need to strugle with banking apps and streaming apps checking for root. So you have to trick them with magisk hide etc.. Cat and mouse all the time, as they might become better in detecting root.
* You will and spend alot of time, and need to spend more and more time on your phone, to keep up-to-date with latest xda development.
* ..
* ..
*..
*..

I'm not sure if this will change in the future or not, but for me, Google Pay and my banking apps (Chase, BofA) are currently working on my rooted XZ1C. I didn't do anything special other than installing Magisk.

You can use magiskhideprop to use Google pay and alike.
You might also need to use the avaliable hide options from magisk manager though.

Removing bloatware for sure gives the battery 5+ extra hours of use.
For me that was the main reason.
Oreo had a few hours more though is what i notice compared to Pie.

TGN said:
Removing bloatware for sure gives the battery 5+ extra hours of use.
For me that was the main reason.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can remove bloatware using adb without root.

mcmanuf said:
Can someone help me make up my decision.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By the looks of it, you’ve done a pretty good job of reasearching the points for and against, I don’t think asking the question here will bring you any new instights.
In the past, rooting unlocked the phone to lots of new ‘features’, customising and battery saving apps. But that’s long gone now, you can customise without rooting and the modern stock build is so good with battery saving that tampering with it’s clock features or running proccesses using power saving apps more often produces worse battery not better. Add to that the ability to reomve all the unwated apps you want with some prudent ADB commands, makes rooting seems like a lot of work, for not much gain. There seems to be some sort of urban legend that everything works better on a rooted phone, but I think quite often the battery performance is the same or worse.
I’m sure it’s fashinonable to say that your phone is rooted, but locking yourself out of regular security updates, having to initiate a whole update squence of flashing this file, then that file, then that file, every time there’s a firmware update is very draining and I’m sure you’ll give up after not very long (I gave up with .20 on Oreo). There’s so many more things that can wrong with a rooted phone, even if you do follow the herd and always have the latest latest build on your phone.
I’d say don’t do it and invest some time in learing how to get what you want with ADB.

mcmanuf said:
Cons:
* You need to strugle with banking apps and streaming apps checking for root. So you have to trick them with magisk hide etc.. Cat and mouse all the time, as they might become better in detecting root.
*..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can tell you that this point is 100% true. I have 3 banks. All do not work with vanilla root, but 2 of them can work if using Magisk hide. However the 3rd app (ABSA Bank south africa) cannot work no matter what... Not sure how they check, your magisk can but fully secure, pass safety net, pass cts, pass google play certification - and it will still detect root. Reading on the south african forums regarding this, nobody has been able to figure how to get this working on a rooted phone. I actually went to the bank and closed my account because of this... but this situation is surely only going to get worse.
And there is no system wide dark theme in XZ1c's Pie.
Regards,
Dean

TheVan28 said:
You can remove bloatware using adb without root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is interesting, any chance you could point me in the right direction?

l33boy said:
This is interesting, any chance you could point me in the right direction?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice XDA article here
and something more specific to our XZ1c here
You might need Sony drivers

TheVan28 said:
You can remove bloatware using adb without root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For my device, the recommended way left a few services active (Amazon Shopping), could not find data anywhere though with root explorer.
When using the Debloater module in Magisk (recommended by @andacro i saw that there were more ''leftovers'' from other removed apps as well which i previously uninstalled through the adb -uninstall method.
For my device, the Debloater module was the more complete method to get everything clean.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/xp...z1-compact-t3815157/post79558539#post79558539

What to consider before Rooting?

I was a Sony fan until lately it got a bit not worthy in my opinion.
I had Xperia mini then Xperia z3 compact until 3 months ago (that i got note 9)... it was rooted, custom rom, Xposed and stuff.
I know that by Rooting a Sony phone, you loose DRM features (camera improvement ...) that can be later restored by flashing a DRM fix zip and that's it, you still have everything.
but this is my first Samsung phone so I'm unfamiliar with all stuff(Odin, Knox, etc....)
questions I have:
1_ What I loose by Rooting? can they be restored after root?
2_ Wich method you suggest and why? magisk or SuperSU? or something else
3_ What do you recommend to install/set/tweak/flash after Rooting?
my phone: SM-N960F Running Android 9.0 updated 1 July 2019

Welcome to the dark side my friend!
Your Knox bit will flip from 0x0 to 0x1 - that's the first thing that will happen once you flash a custom recovery & kernel. This means that all Samsung features that check the bit status will permanently stop working; including, but not necessarily limited to, Samsung Pay, Secure Folder, S Health, Samsung Pass, the works. The change is permanent and can not be reversed by erasing everything and returning to stock firmware. As far as long-term effects on rooting go, that's pretty much it. Unlike on Sony Phones, outside these specific applications, there's no impact on other functionality like proprietary camera processing and image enhancement.
These days Magisk is generally recommended. SuperSU has been going downhill for a while, ever since Chainfire retired and handed off the development. It's also the only way to pass Google's SafetyNet checks while rooted.
As for recommended tweaks - well, that's up to your personal tastes. Myself, I'd protect the battery from excess wear by limiting maximum charge to 80%, and set up support for Sony's DualShock 3 I'm sure you'll find that most tweaks you liked on the Sony side will also work here.

You will lose samsung pay as well which supports MST which is a killer feature for me.

oddbehreif said:
Welcome to the dark side my friend!
Your Knox bit will flip from 0x0 to 0x1 - that's the first thing that will happen once you flash a custom recovery & kernel. This means that all Samsung features that check the bit status will permanently stop working; including, but not necessarily limited to, Samsung Pay, Secure Folder, S Health, Samsung Pass, the works. The change is permanent and can not be reversed by erasing everything and returning to stock firmware. As far as long-term effects on rooting go, that's pretty much it. Unlike on Sony Phones, outside these specific applications, there's no impact on other functionality like proprietary camera processing and image enhancement.
These days Magisk is generally recommended. SuperSU has been going downhill for a while, ever since Chainfire retired and handed off the development. It's also the only way to pass Google's SafetyNet checks while rooted.
As for recommended tweaks - well, that's up to your personal tastes. Myself, I'd protect the battery from excess wear by limiting maximum charge to 80%, and set up support for Sony's DualShock 3 I'm sure you'll find that most tweaks you liked on the Sony side will also work here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the Complete answer
I'm okay with, most of it... you know the secure folder is an awesome feature (at least for me) that is built in, super fast and integrated into various apps.
I haven't seen such an app as this stable and secure while maintaining this much functionality over many apps and locations inside the phone.
so that's a 'not sure yet' for me ... ?
can't something be made to reverse or change Knox trip to 0x0 again?
it made me interested... I want to participate or donate to such a project if it's ongoing

EL MAXERO said:
can't something be made to reverse or change Knox trip to 0x0 again?
it made me interested... I want to participate or donate to such a project if it's ongoing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, no. When an unsigned kernel is booted, the bootloader will detect it and trip a physical fuse in the SoC. There are ways to fake 0x0 status when fully booted, but since these features check the actual "eFuse", there's really nothing that can be done short of replacing the entire motherboard.
I remember this being a hot topic among developers since the Note 3 days; to this day nobody has claimed the bounty of several thousand dollars sitting in the Note 3 section of XDA Forums.

With root and Dr.Ketan ROM you basically get everything from this device:
- Native call recording
- Full/Half screen caller with native dialer
- All sorts of optimizations, memory management and tweaks
- Youtube Vanced (it can be used without root, but with root is a bit more convinient)
- GPay works with Magisk
You can see the list of all features(they are a ton) on Dr.Ketan ROM thread as well on his page http://www.drketanrom.com/
I was using the same Rom+root on my Note 8, now on my Note 9. I also got his Tweaks Pro app which is paid, but very useful. It's a no-brainer for me since I care much more about the functionalities rather than the warranty of this phone.
Ofc, this is my subjective point of view.

No more Samsung Pass? I like not having to type passwords in all the time. Is there something with similar functionality?

asif9t9 said:
No more Samsung Pass? I like not having to type passwords in all the time. Is there something with similar functionality?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LastPass works but requires a yearly subscription. You can also use the one in Google.

asif9t9 said:
No more Samsung Pass? I like not having to type passwords in all the time. Is there something with similar functionality?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pretty sure it works so does the google version called auto complete.

BajaBlast4Life said:
LastPass works but requires a yearly subscription. You can also use the one in Google.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LastPass is free. You can get a paid version but is not necessary.

In all honesty there is really not that much of a benefit in rooting a modern day android device, unless you are a developer or an android hobbiest! As the current iterations of android are pretty good right of the bat!

Why root our phone nowadays?

Hi,
I used to root my phone but since I bought the S10 I found myself using Samsung Pay instead of using my cards all the time.
Before I used to root in order to have:
- Spotify mod, but now you can hack Spotify without root installing a modded version
- adaway but you can still use adhell
- YouTube vanced worked on non-root device
So do you think it's worth rooting the phone to maybe removing some bloating and add some minor customisations but lose Samsung Pay?

ValouSydney said:
Hi,
I used to root my phone but since I bought the S10 I found myself using Samsung Pay instead of using my cards all the time.
Before I used to root in order to have:
- Spotify mod, but now you can hack Spotify without root installing a modded version
- adaway but you can still use adhell
- YouTube vanced worked on non-root device
So do you think it's worth rooting the phone to maybe removing some bloating and add some minor customisations but lose Samsung Pay?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think yeah, debloating is the first thing to pushed me to root, but more reasons exist, like tweaks to systemui, backups, also this time i use it to be able to mock locations on pokemongo hehe.
The only thing stopping me to root my s10 was securefolder, because the warranty doesn't mind if you break,wet,loose the phone and since someone found a way to use it theres no other reason to not root for me

Chuytl said:
i think yeah, debloating is the first thing to pushed me to root, but more reasons exist, like tweaks to systemui, backups, also this time i use it to be able to mock locations on pokemongo hehe.
The only thing stopping me to root my s10 was securefolder, because the warranty doesn't mind if you break,wet,loose the phone and since someone found a way to use it theres no other reason to not root for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I DO NOT ROOT ANYMORE!
Debloating is NO LONGER an excuse either!! Infact the phones are SUPER EASY to remove ALL the bloatware from!!!
Just flash a stock "unlocked" firmware and boom, bloatfree.. you dont even need to sim unlock!!!
Modded Apks are good enough for me, and work fine on unrooted devices.
You maintain ALL features...
AND YOU KEEP YOUR WARRANTY INTACT!!!

Some apps only work with root. Root also gives you access to install a custom recovery which can be used to make nandroid backups of the phone. Something stock recovery can't do unless you use the flash fire app in which case you need root to use it.

psynetkilla said:
I DO NOT ROOT ANYMORE!
Debloating is NO LONGER an excuse either!! Infact the phones are SUPER EASY to remove ALL the bloatware from!!!
Just flash a stock "unlocked" firmware and boom, bloatfree.. you dont even need to sim unlock!!!
Modded Apks are good enough for me, and work fine on unrooted devices.
You maintain ALL features...
AND YOU KEEP YOUR WARRANTY INTACT!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if thats your choice thats ok...
warranty is not a deal with because probably I'll break my phone before any factory issue also a full debloated stock firmware?
im not telling you to root but for me is not a need is because i like to do it. manually debloting a rom, use of apps that need device admin without grant it, backups,kernel wireless and framework tweaks, ui customization and a lot of things you can do with root only

Couple of reasons why I have it rooted:
- Replace the ugly Samsung Emoji for any other (I use the legacy but updated blobs).
- Full disable Google if you care "a bit" about privacy.
- Remove Bixby and remap without accepting their contract.
- Full VPN, Android by default don't tether internet with VPN
In overall, rooting is needed if you want to own your device and care about privacy. People have more usage for rooting, but that's why I prefer rooting.

The main reasons I used to root were
-Install black theme. These days every manufacturer offers black themes and Google also offers black themes.
-Adaway for ads removal. There are many alternatives for non rooted devices.
-Viper 4 Android for superior sound. I bought an external DAC which is much better.
-Debloating. Nowdays we are able to remove most of the apps we don't want.
I like my rooted LG G4 a lot, but I need my S10 to use my bank apps without hassle, so I will probably never root it.

Not any real important reasons that usually can't be done some other way, sometimes because their friends are doing it.

Tel864 said:
Not any real important reasons that usually can't be done some other way, sometimes because their friends are doing it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting is cool, only cool kids root :good:

I root my phone just because I want to have the freedom to do what I want.
I like to modify config files for apps (whatsapp for example - better photo quality, larger videos and so on).
Adhell isn't working anymore and non-root adblockers including AdGuard DNS are either sucking battery or you need to disable it often to enter websites. You can't add filters to the DNS. Adaway works great on root.
Also Substratum or similar is great and I like the Swift Black theme.
For me it's more the principe. Before I switched to Android I used to have jailbroken iPhones, only - and I loved the freedom.
But since my warranty's void and my USB port got destroyed by fake moisture I'm thinking about to suppress my thoughts of "Android freedom" - the repair shop wanted 400€ for switching the mainboard. I let them send my S10 back and now VaultKeeper prevents booting...and without USB I don't have any chance to use the phone.
So, rooting is great but if your device got damaged it gets expensive.
It's annoying that the phone brands are working so hard to prevent rooting without any logical reason...VaulKeeper and KNOX are just two examples just by Samsung. Huawei, for example, disabled the unlocking of their devices completely, this was the reason for me to switch to Samsung.

What is the difference between AOSP 10 and OneUI Pie?

Hi! I got Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Exynos. I didn't root my phone yet. I got some questions in my mind. Is it worth to root that? Maybe I can use AOSP 10 ROM but I don't want to root it for another Pie rom. So should I root it? What is the difference? I send messages to AOSP rom devs on telegram but they didn't answer my questions. I'm not using Secure folder or S note. I'm using S pen but I don't need a S Note (basic touch and recognition is enogh for me). I'm using S Pass but I can switch to Dashlane etc. I just have to be sure of them: Can I use my phone daily, Can I use my bank applications, How long is battery life for you, Is there any difference in camera quality, Is face recognition working? Thanks for answers...

Its your own choice. If you root your phone, it's like saying goodbye to volte, iris recognition and knox related apps such as spass, spay and secure folder etc. (But there is some oneui based roms that secure folder works) In my opinion you should wait little bit more. These aosp roms have very very little minor bugs and still under development. No need to run into badass gesture navigation and cool customization. About the battery life, yes aosp based roms has better battery life, performance and smoothness. ( not that much, but it can last half hour or 20 minutes longer than oneui rom) But aosp cameras has less quality than original samsung camera app. There are some gcam apps that works well, but if you wanna take some high quality pictures, then your final choice is stay at oneui. 3 or 4 months later from now, some great gcam apps may come out. Some bank apps works in rooted phone, some doesnt. It depends what bank app is it. But if you wanna work them, there is some mod for hide root status for bank app. For me aosp roms have better gaming performance and battery, so i use it as daily driver. Almost forgot bixby remapping. No issue at all. But still earlier to join experimental development.

CrystalIize said:
Its your own choice. If you root your phone, it's like saying goodbye to volte, iris recognition and knox related apps such as spass, spay and secure folder etc. (But there is some oneui based roms that secure folder works) In my opinion you should wait little bit more. These aosp roms have very very little minor bugs and still under development. No need to run into badass gesture navigation and cool customization. About the battery life, yes aosp based roms has better battery life, performance and smoothness. ( not that much, but it can last half hour or 20 minutes longer than oneui rom) But aosp cameras has less quality than original samsung camera app. There are some gcam apps that works well, but if you wanna take some high quality pictures, then your final choice is stay at oneui. 3 or 4 months later from now, some great gcam apps may come out. Some bank apps works in rooted phone, some doesnt. It depends what bank app is it. But if you wanna work them, there is some mod for hide root status for bank app. For me aosp roms have better gaming performance and battery, so i use it as daily driver. Almost forgot bixby remapping. No issue at all. But still earlier to join experimental development.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the answer. I was using HTC One m7 before and it has more ROM topics then Note 8. I think people slowly leaves ROM section and moves to ADB, non-root app alternatives for fixing their problems. I think I should stay in stock but in the future I'll probably buy OnePlus or something else because of updates. Generally I use my phones for 5 years at least and Samsung is not a good choice for this situation. I can't buy a new phone every 2 year.

To be honest there really isn't much point these days in rooting a modern android device. The only reason to do so would be if you are a developer and need Superuser access to the root. Otherwise you are fine with android right out the box.

iceepyon said:
To be honest there really isn't much point these days in rooting a modern android device. The only reason to do so would be if you are a developer and need Superuser access to the root. Otherwise you are fine with android right out the box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed m8.

2021bknox related apps not working on my knox 0x1 s8... Samsung pass at currrent worst password manager on market. Volte mhm iris recognition very secure more than fingerprint working same level as iris plus face and pin lock can do...
Sorry i dont see this false staewent repeated from manufcturers to even now users lie root is security desth for device.. Yes allows less thing exposed before get ninja updated to cover anythong was even going on...
Like that super knox case with DoD and NSA get secure galaxy for 8ts agents and two russians tare it to shreds? That secure knox? Ill have one for the people bringing back balance for tim sure his day comes where knox announcment comes one word...
Discontinued
P.s. how is it u like answet this secure folder on lnox website stated not runs any 0x1 issue isnt possible its in device hardware security feature so zerp hacks help fuse is fuse not blown can get unlblown back
So how u believe this lie is at top page up there and then srcure folder is at all secure if i can run it here 0x1 be sure i looked how is it done myself i got test s6 0x1 not work samsung didnt drop it how is bliwn fuse brought back only way left...?
Right?

Question To those of you who rooted, how's it going?

Hey there!
After 2 years I'm finally switching from a great OnePlus 7 Pro to a brand new Galaxy S21 Ultra (US, Snapdragon, unlocked).
I rooted my OP7 the first day I got it, it was pretty straightforward - OnePlus made things easier too - and keeping it updated wasn't a big deal. Maintenance was smooth. I really didn't lose any security service, all my banking and payment apps worked flawlessly.
On the other hand, I've never rooted a Samsung before, but I keep reading that it's a bit of a pain.
So I wanted to ask to those of you who already rooted the S21 how it's going. Any app/service you had to leave behind so far? Any complications or difficulties?
Cheers!

US Snap Dragon chips now have a locked bootloader countrywide in newer Samsung Galaxy phones.
no TWRP or root without going thru a paid bootloader unlock service

Yeah, I know there's no TWRP for Android 11 yet. That's why I haven't updated my OP7.
Well, sounds like this countrywide lock is a real big pain then

I'm not an S21 owner nor American, I've just seen this in the S20FE forums, that's how US networks want Samsung to do stuff.

_JuSteR_ said:
Yeah, I know there's no TWRP for Android 11 yet. That's why I haven't updated my OP7.
Well, sounds like this countrywide lock is a real big pain then
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not being able to reliably unlock the BL is why I haven't gotten a S21 Ultra. I'm now looking at the Sony Xperia 1 III.
I also have a 7 Pro

tech_head said:
Not being able to reliably unlock the BL is why I haven't gotten a S21 Ultra. I'm now looking at the Sony Xperia 1 III.
I also have a 7 Pro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
something I read on an xda news page about treble said Sony put in lots of work on getting their vendor layer perfect for treble so GSIs should work with all features on Sony phones. everyone seems to not want you leaving their ecosystems such they are.

tech_head said:
Not being able to reliably unlock the BL is why I haven't gotten a S21 Ultra. I'm now looking at the Sony Xperia 1 III.
I also have a 7 Pro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This. I'm not looking at the phone you mentioned, but I'll probably be sticking to the Pixel devices moving forward. It just stinks that Google hadn't had a proper Pixel 5 release (due to the government secretly pinning the lawsuit that was for Apple against Google instead, causing them to lose around $170M USD) and so I went to the S21U...
While I like the phone, I probably definitely won't be going back to Samsung for my next phone.

_JuSteR_ said:
Hey there!
After 2 years I'm finally switching from a great OnePlus 7 Pro to a brand new Galaxy S21 Ultra (US/Snapdragon).
I rooted my OP7 the first day I got it, it was pretty straightforward - OnePlus made things easier too - and keeping it updated wasn't a big deal. Maintenance was smooth. I really didn't lose any security service, all my banking and payment apps worked flawlessly.
On the other hand, I've never rooted a Samsung before, but I keep reading that it's a bit of a pain.
So I wanted to ask to those of you who already rooted the S21 how it's going. Any app/service you had to leave behind so far? Any complications or difficulties?
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went from a OnePlus 7T to the S21 Ultra. The flasher in me went crazy the first month or two. I kept looking for ways to unlock and root etc. Regretted my decision. BUT THEN, after exploring and research, I found that I could get rid of ads across the whole phone. Including in app ads. I could theme. I could do basically everything I wanted WITHOUT root. After gradually moving all my passwords to Knox, it's grown on me. I'm very content. Samsung UI has come a long way imo
Just think about what you want out of being rooted. Research and find outnif you can accomplish the same without root and then go from there.

How do you block app ads? @BlaaaaazedUp
Thx

if tripping KNOX is worth it, then can go ahead

Sithlordpt said:
How do you block app ads? @BlaaaaazedUp
Thx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't mind losing more battery than normal (and losing a tiny bit of browsing speed depending on your setup): AdGuard - which isn't on the Play Store. But if you want to block those ads without any issues, you'll need AdAway with root.

I rooted my OnePlus 7 Pro for adblocking (adaway + minminguard), Battery Charge Limit and some small UI improvements and app debloat - Oxygen OS doesn't require that much though. I can't say the same about Samsung.
At the moment, on my S21 I'm just using adaway VPN, which works fine but not consistently. I also tried SystemUI Tuner to remove the VPN icon from the status bar - I can't believe there's no system option for that - but it stops working when you restart the phone.
I really don't know what KNOX is for and I don't know what tripping it implies.
Other than that, I'm really forcing myself to get used to the squircle icons across the UI

Samsung removed the fastboot mode from all their devices. How is that supposed to be open source and developer friendly? No more Samsung for me. Never again. Xiaomi is much more open source and developer friendly and much cheaper. Bye bye Samsung! Good riddance.

_JuSteR_ said:
I rooted my OnePlus 7 Pro for adblocking (adaway + minminguard), Battery Charge Limit and some small UI improvements and app debloat - Oxygen OS doesn't require that much though. I can't say the same about Samsung.
At the moment, on my S21 I'm just using adaway VPN, which works fine but not consistently. I also tried SystemUI Tuner to remove the VPN icon from the status bar - I can't believe there's no system option for that - but it stops working when you restart the phone.
I really don't know what KNOX is for and I don't know what tripping it implies.
Other than that, I'm really forcing myself to get used to the squircle icons across the UI
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use Good Lock to remove any icons from statusbar and edit all the things you want, including control center, app switcher style, keyboard effects, lockscreen, clock, etc.
It's a very powerful tool.

I just found a mint 9 Pro for $900.
Still with OnePlus.

I've been rooted for 2 weeks with a hong kong model G9880, unlocking the bootloader was pretty smooth only the firmware download and extra steps to root Samsung devices are much more complicated compared to OnePlus phone including OTA updates.
Everything I've been using was without any problems so far, I've tested Samsung Health and Samsung Pay wasn't working, but not a big deal for me as I use Google Pay. Samsung DeX is working fine also. I don't like Samsung apps as I don't want to stick with them too long.
For me it was worth it to root and trip Knox, because root is a feature for me as I'm pretty nerdy about controlling things and making things my own. I mostly use root for: Tasker automation for limiting battery charging, disabling services, and so much more automations, Adaway, (LP), EdXposed: PrivacyLua, AllTrans, theming Gboard themes, disabling navbar buttons and replace them with FNG and One Hand Operation+ (now using Nova doesn't have issues with swipe gestures, yaay!), Greenify to doze apps, DarQ to make almost any apps dark mode, SD maid (rooted) for disabling apps that start up on boot, Panda Mouse Pro for mapping keyboard in games without mouse and keyboard support (activation with root doesn't need a computer and adb anymore), also i can access ADB in Termux without a computer and without LADB, and so much moooree.. I could go on all day.
After rooting, all tweaking it is SO MUCH pleasure and so smooth to use and it all depends on the user if you're satisfied the way you use your phone. Tripping KnoX may decrease sale price if you're going to sell your phone in the future but I've read they still accept your phone as a trade-in for another phone so it's great. Of course some things can also do without root but with a hassle.
I'm coming from OnePlus 8 Pro and I chose S21 Ultra for DeX mode and when I use screen mirroring I can output 120hz for gaming and bought a monitor for that.

You don't neet adguard or root to block ads. Use the global dns in settings. Use adguard dns or a custom ad blocker such as nextdns. Both are free.

i'd like to get some insights on this too. i've been with android since froyo (yes, i'm old ) and i've rooted everything i've had from day 0, whenever possible. i'm on my 3rd month with the s21u and still stock as i find most of the things i need or do have workarounds for root (like changing out macrdodroid over tasker). so to those who've rooted, did you guys gain batt improvements? this might be a clincher for me

davie9x said:
I've been rooted for 2 weeks with a hong kong model G9880, unlocking the bootloader was pretty smooth only the firmware download and extra steps to root Samsung devices are much more complicated compared to OnePlus phone including OTA updates.
Everything I've been using was without any problems so far, I've tested Samsung Health and Samsung Pay wasn't working, but not a big deal for me as I use Google Pay. Samsung DeX is working fine also. I don't like Samsung apps as I don't want to stick with them too long.
For me it was worth it to root and trip Knox, because root is a feature for me as I'm pretty nerdy about controlling things and making things my own. I mostly use root for: Tasker automation for limiting battery charging, disabling services, and so much more automations, Adaway, (LP), EdXposed: PrivacyLua, AllTrans, theming Gboard themes, disabling navbar buttons and replace them with FNG and One Hand Operation+ (now using Nova doesn't have issues with swipe gestures, yaay!), Greenify to doze apps, DarQ to make almost any apps dark mode, SD maid (rooted) for disabling apps that start up on boot, Panda Mouse Pro for mapping keyboard in games without mouse and keyboard support (activation with root doesn't need a computer and adb anymore), also i can access ADB in Termux without a computer and without LADB, and so much moooree.. I could go on all day.
After rooting, all tweaking it is SO MUCH pleasure and so smooth to use and it all depends on the user if you're satisfied the way you use your phone. Tripping KnoX may decrease sale price if you're going to sell your phone in the future but I've read they still accept your phone as a trade-in for another phone so it's great. Of course some things can also do without root but with a hassle.
I'm coming from OnePlus 8 Pro and I chose S21 Ultra for DeX mode and when I use screen mirroring I can output 120hz for gaming and bought a monitor for that.
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Good to know. Is there any difference between the Hong Kong and US version?
I used to root my phones for quite the same reasons. I stopped using Greenify ages ago though, I don't think it's necessary on modern phones. And I'm not 100% sure about EdExposed as it slowed down my OP7 Pro a bit.
How do you find yourself with Samsung and system updates? Is it a stress to update and re-root?
tiliarou said:
You don't neet adguard or root to block ads. Use the global dns in settings. Use adguard dns or a custom ad blocker such as nextdns. Both are free.
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Agree. I'm using AdAway VPN based ad blocker at the mo, but for sure it comes with some cons. It's definitely slower than using the root based version. When I switch networks - from wifi to mobile for instance - it always takes some time to reestablish the connection. Sometimes I have to force close AdAway, if i want to use internet again. I'm slowly getting used to it btw

Using adaway vpn is almost as using the built in android dns setting, although adaway app as more features.
These features can be replicated within nextdns and then you never have to worry about anything. Except if you us public open WiFi network like in malls or airports where sometimes custom dns aren't allowed.