AndroidAndroid support guideline / rooting / megathread
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AndroidAndroid support guideline / rooting / megathreadPosted:

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This should generally make it easier for people to understand what you need in this forum. Along with some useful tips and opinions



Introduction - Make it clear what you need help with and provide some specifics.
Specifics - Model number, or device name. What you're looking for brick help, root help, app help.

Those are the two main parts that need to be understood, an example post that would be nice to see, but won't always happen would be.

Question: or answer it doesn't really matter, just have the question above model.
Model: phone model, or model number.


Something as simple as that would make it so much easier for some people to understand what you're looking for.



EXAMPLE

Question: How can I root, or is there a root available for 4.4.4 or 4.4.2 stock?
Model: xt907 - Droid RAZR M



Please do not just go around posting like this.

EXAMPLE

How can I "hack" a game for more in game products?

How do I "mod" my apps so I can get free stuff?


Now this is just generally annoying as considering a lot of the android and google play games are all server-side based, or at least a lot of these ones, people are wanting to "mod" or "hack".

If you're looking for server-side mods, it would like be using one of the few rooted mod apps.

xgamemods would be your best bet for most games. plenty of in-game tweaks that give you a slight advantage.

Before you go about posting think about what you want to get in response, this sort of deals with the beginning of this topic, but be specific to a level, see I had only given a example of needed help. We have some tweakers, on this site, and by tweaking is usually referred by Apple products you can on Android, it is literally just called modding.

This will be useful for some people.



Tweaking Apps

  • SuperSU
  • Jrummys toolbox
  • dumpster
  • Servicely - app shutdown and power management.
  • Flashify - flash from phone
  • Terminal - Linux based command line but on android, the commands are very similar and can be turned into a full virtual env.
  • Greenify - another power management
  • Drive Droid - Have you ever wanted to dual boot your PC or laptop from your phone? now you can!


These are just a few useful apps, and sure, you can flash custom ROMS, but a lot of time, people tend to get confused on that. So that would be one you're better off asking about.



Why is android better than apple in some aspects?

This is a major topic that has been argued for the longest time and been answered in several different ways.

With android you can unlock your phone, you're not as limited and if you somehow manage to brick it or get locked out you can fix it without having to hassle support, unlike apple.

You have a wider range of apps and plenty of tweaking apps without root. You can force yourself into Developer mode, or well Developer options. Every phone is different but a lot of them work on the same basis to unlock developer options.

You can root and have full device control, unlike apple when you jailbreak all you're really limited to is tweaks, as with root think of it like a Linux box, root is SU and SU is just superuser. You can do virtually anything you want with sudo in Linux. Android is a very modified mobile version of it if you think of it that way.

To add on to what I just said above with android, you can flash different ROM's, Recoveries, FS ETC.

With Android you do get a better battery life there is no doubt about that with some models from Motorola pushing 48+ hours. Whereas apple yes has a decent battery sometimes, that is generally only when idle even then they don't carry out that long.

Once again I would like to see what some people think on this .



Rooting

You may be wondering why this is at the bottom. Mainly because people will tend to do it and not give a look into the risks.

What is rooting - I'd like to think of it as full device control as said multiple times throughout this post. You virtually have all control over what your devices do and will do you can change, just about everything with root.

People always wonder how do you root? Well, I did say this towards the top that not all Phones/Devices are root prone.

continuing above, there are plenty of ways to root. You also have the old ADB and or Linux way, doing it all manually. There are plenty of guides for this.

Some of the more popular one clicks, and flashers.

Flashers
  • RSD
  • ADB
  • Odin3 (primarily Samsung)
One click

  • dr.fone
  • OCR
  • iRoot
    • no viable way to unroot with this method
  • Towelroot
  • Kingroot
  • KingOroot



Since I never went into a good amount of detail on "How to root" well; I have a little time free, so I will explain the Samsung method. (slightly outdated but still applicable.)

Getting everything ready:
  • Navigate into settings, and find your "about phone" section, and find your build number.
    • Tap it seven times, until it says you are a developer.
  • Go back, and navigate into Developer Options, find USB Debugging, enable it. See if you have "OEM Unlocking", if not 90% you won't be able to root from flashing (most Samsung phones allow it).
    Unlock your bootloader & install drivers:
  • Simply find your developer options, and find "unlock bootloader", plain and simple.


Install SDK and ADB: nothing to say here you can find the links you need just by looking.

Reboot:
  • Power down, then hold your power, vol down&up, and boot into fastboot, each device is different, so read the documentation of the program and unlock your bootloader.
  • After that, you can either flash the rootable firmware or the rooted image using RSD lite. You could also simply open one of the one-click apps above.


is rooting still worth it 2019-20

This is a question i have been asked a few times recently. While there are always going to be advantages of having a vanilla phone the answer is still yes.
  • Unlocked core
    • This attaches full device control. Unlocking the core allows for over/under-clocking. Other low level options if you're into that as well.

  • Unlocked developer controls (extended from what you get simply opting into DT)
  • Third party and or restricted apps (granted this can be done with some signing and installing from unknown sources [to the extent of what non rooted devices allow settings wise]) rooting allows for apps that can change system options to be installed.
    • You take your own risks here. This is an area you really do need to pay attention to.

  • Full device control (essential for some people wanting to get rid of bloatware
  • ability to completely reimage your device with a ULBL.
    • I can't stress that an unlocked bootloader works wonders on rooted devices sometimes


    while all of this is nice i do understand there are plenty of people that don't want to root. There is a need to restate those opinions as well as many people just act without research.

    Some of the Cons that still exist

  • Possibility of bricking the device
    • The amount of times this happens is astounding. it is HIGHLY recommended that you do hefty research prior

  • Locking yourself out (still possible to recover)
  • Loss of warranty
    • Device tampering shouldn't need much more of a introduction
    • In almost all cases the warranty is lost.

  • rooting is a 50/50 on all devices. Some will benefit where others still can deter negatively.
    • Once more, do some research and see if it is beneficial for you or not prior.

  • While rooting is fun and all you must be weary of what you're installing. As the repercussions can be worse than the outcome.


Pros / Cons of a rooted device.

PROS:
  • Full general controls.
  • Customization
  • Root only apps
  • Easy flashing
  • Unlock your device.


Now I did not list a lot here, I wouldn't mind seeing what some others think are pros/cons of a rooted device.

disclaimer: We are not responsible for any damage caused to your device. You root on your own terms.




What is Android

This is a question that many know the answer to and many don't.

  • Android is the opensource operating system meaning literally anyone, could make a version/flavor(our) of it, much like Linux. Android comes in many different forms on the OS alone, we have more recent 5.0+(lollipop) and we have 4.4.4(KitKat) down.

  • Throughout the years Android has been the shadowed edge of smartphones with more optimization and compatibility. Apple has always hands down won in the cell phone area in the earlier years of Android due to the quality, and well you are paying more for a better phone, but when companies like Samsung and Motorola decided to step their game up a little around the release of the RAZR M, and the Galaxy S3. Both of the phones were fairly made for the time being and gave apple a run for their money.
    • Better overall OEM parts.
    • Better overall price to performance
    • Better cameras, batteries, displays, chassis.



I will cover this later in the topic but Android is GNU/Linux based. It uses a very Linux like kernel, which is the dominant examples in free software.

The History of Android


  • 1.0
  • 1.1
  • 1.5 (cupcake)
  • 1.6 (donut)
  • 2.0-2.1 (eclair)
  • 2.2-2.2.3 (froyo)
  • 2.3-2.3.7 (gingerbread)
  • 3.0-3.2.6 (honeycomb)
  • 4.0-4.0.4 (Ice cream sandwich)
  • 4.1-4.3.1 (jellybean)
  • 4.4-4.4.4 (kitkat)
    • Before the UI overhaul
  • 5.0-5.1.1 (lollipop)
    • 5.0 was a stepping stone for all of android. This was the first major UI overhaul in years. It was quickly adopted and carried on, while samsung had always used a custom UI this was one of the first official releases with it.
  • 6.0-6.0.1 (marshmallow)
  • 7.0-7.1.1 (nougat)
  • 8.0-8.1 (Oreo) (coming sometime within the next year)
  • 9.0 (P) (coming sometime within the next year[hinted to be shown in may] name unknown as of now.)
  • 9.0 (pie)
  • 10 (Android 10)
  • Android is opensource, meaning the code is out there and anyone who wants to apply their own bits and use it personally they can. It is free license. Very few things Android related are priced in terms of OS.
    • Being open source allows for various developers alike to congregate and at times release their own solo distributions. This has been done countless times and is primarily used in rooting/flashing a new ROM.

  • Google, for a matter of fact, owns the term and main base of Android, but it is commonly distributed across different platforms.
    • Much like Samsung and Motorola, they both use the same versions of android but look completely different that is where the opensource comes into play.
    • Android is highly customizable and can be altered to your liking, whether it be ROM mods, Rooting mods, Plugins, themes ETC.
    • Built around a Linux kernal



If you do NOT know what Linux is feel free to look over at Gary's Megathread. He did a great job covering the basis of the OS, as well as gave some good insight as to what you can do with it.

One of the key advantages to me at least with select phones is the ability to run a VM, or even install the mini-OS onto your phone. Yes, Samsung, and very few Motorola phones can do this, they support native Linux distributions made to run on phones.

Places you can find Android?

  • Smart TV's! They are a great example of using lightweight chips, and light Android/Linux mixes to make the OS.
  • Android boxes, a small box that runs Android for light gaming and media!
  • Some computers can come with it (raspi), and even some desktops that people decide to run
  • Android on for whatever reason.
  • Last but not least, your phone. Most phones, other than apple run some form of android heavily modified to their companies liking.




DISCLAIMER

If you're an outstanding member of society who values all their values rooting isn't for y- ok no.

Rooting is a method of unlocking your devices. While not condoned you agree to do it on your own with no influence and accept the terms that come with rooting your device. The guarantee of getting your warranty back after removing your root is limited. Do your research first.




Last edited by 16 ; edited 19 times in total

The following 7 users thanked 16 for this useful post:

BladedNarwhal (12-10-2017), TOXIC (12-02-2017), Sleep (09-06-2017), i0S (07-25-2017), Mr_Robot (12-03-2016), BJP (11-29-2016), dj (11-29-2016)
#2. Posted:
Mr_Robot
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They need to give you the rank of "Android King"

Haha but seriously man, thanks for the post. It should help alot of people

Here's some rep
#3. Posted:
Saku
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Thanks for the info bro this will help me more
#4. Posted:
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UPDATE 5ish:

Fixed news section again.
Some spelling fixes.
Added device section.
Edited the "what is android" section again.
#5. Posted:
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UPDATE 6ish:

Rearranged some of the rooting section.

Added, in a few things (tools ETC)
#6. Posted:
i0S
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Really nice thread, great for both basic and advanced users. This topic should really be a sticky topic, as it could get lost and a lot of people might miss out on useful content
#7. Posted:
Gantai
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Question: is it possible to root? And how so?
Model: Blu R1 Plus,

I know you can the R1 HAD, but I can't find anything for the Plus. Any help would be greatly appreciated
#8. Posted:
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Eyepatch wrote Question: is it possible to root? And how so?
Model: Blu R1 Plus,

I know you can the R1 HAD, but I can't find anything for the Plus. Any help would be greatly appreciated


Latest firmware, I am guessing? If so bootloader is locked, or well on the newer models of the R1 it is. PM too keep this topic clean.
#9. Posted:
Loke
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Motto: The best is yet to come.
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Motto: The best is yet to come.
nice post it should be a sticky tho
#10. Posted:
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Update 7:

Actually addressing oreo/editing list a little.
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