Are there any members here who root Android devices?

[lidspinner]

I have a AT&T note 3 and have been looking into rooting it...... I have been researching all about it for a few weeks now and I am more confused now than I was 2 weeks ago.

A few questions I have are as follows

-1.....how safe is it to root.... I just want to be able to get my phone back to normal if I want to.... Especially if rooting is not something that I end up liking.

-2.....which method should I use to root? There are a few that I've looked into and they both seem credible to a certain point.... You can just research for a few hours and read countless bad points about almost any rooting method.. i.e. Kingo and odin

-3.....do I need a computer as in a home system? All I have is a note 10.1 2014 edition.... An ipad2....and a Dell laptop. I just don't want to get started and not have the proper required equipment..

4.....i have owned every iPhone up until 6 months ago and I bought the note 3 and it's been the best decision I have ever made considering phones.... I have grown to love every thing about the note 3 and the Android way of life..... By rooting my phone am I going to have to get used to a entire new way of using my phone? I love using Nova for my launcher, will I still have that or is everything different with a rooted device

5.....can I still purchase the same apps using the play store as I do now or am I limited to only buying apps that require a rooted phone..... I think I know the answer but with all the reading I have done I am lost. I think everything stays the same as it does now but I just now have better access to my phones abilities


I have already researched numerous Android and rooting websites..... I am looking for the opinion of my fellow Reds brethren.... Have you rooted your phones, what and how do you use, have you had any negative dealings with your rooted phone?

I am open to all and any advice... Links to other websites are great but I'm sure I've read from that site..... I'm putting more trust in your opinion than I am the opinions of those websites where I don't have trust..... I trust you all, strangers or not I'd rather listen to a reds fan as opposed to a android fan boy

[kpresidente]

Just go to XDA Developers website, find the forum for your phone and the thread about rooting it and follow the directions exactly. Read through all the directions first so there's no surprises. If you don't understand one of the directions... google it until you do. Do that and you'll be fine. If it's your first phone its a real pain but just don't get impatient and try to cut corners. Also, its really hard to permanently damage your phone, so don't panic if something doesn't go right. There's almost always a fix, its just that the fixes are usually even bigger pains, so don't get sloppy, either.

[kpresidente]

Also, here's a link to the XDA Developers site for the ATT Note 3.....

http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-3-att#root

[kpresidente]

Also, once you've got it rooted, I wouldn't worry about installing any custom ROMs or anything until you play with it rooted for a while and have a better idea about what rooting actually means. Not because of damage to your phone or anything, just as a way to contain the confusion. After you've been rooted for a while it all starts to make sense and becomes easy...and better! You'll want to root all your phone from now on.

[kpresidente]

Here's specific answers to your questions....

1. Rooting your phone, by itself, is safe. What you're doing is giving yourself access to the "root" folder. If you're familiar with windows, it's basically the same as giving yourself access to the C: drive. Now in windows, you have access to that right out of the box, but in Android it's locked down, so you have to bypass that lock. Once you (and by extension, the apps you install) have access to the root drive, you (and the apps) can do more powerful things with the phone. That's all rooting is, so by itself, that can't hurt your phone.

2. Hard for me to answer since I don't have a Note 3, but my experience is do what the guys at XDA do. In that video, they use Odin.

3. Your Dell laptop should be fine. I'm assuming it has windows?

4. Rooting your phone changes nothing as far as the software or OS is concerned. Like I said earlier, all it does is give you access to the "root" drive. After you root, you can install what are called ROMs, and they can change the phone software more dramatically, but that's why I suggested you not worry about ROMs yet. Think of a ROM as like a customized version of Android.

5. Yes, you will still be able to buy the same apps. The advantage is that you will also be able to buy MORE apps, INOW, you can buy apps that require root access. One caution, though, is that a few apps (maybe some that are made by your cell provider) will check to see if your phone is rooted and won't work if it is, but those are very few and far between.

[lidspinner]

Kpresidente.... Thank you.... Tons of helpful and useful info in your posts. I have lived on that xda forum these past few weeks and I'm sure after for doing it, but also more confused.....

I guess you really helped me get past one of my questions..... I thought once you rooted then you Must flash a custom rom.... I thought that was step 2 in the root deal.... I thought you rooted the flashed a rom of your choice..... So from reading your advice it sounds like I can root and continue on using my phone just like I would before root.... Everything will be the same as far as look and appearance but I just gain the ability to make more changes..... I think it's a little clearer now.

It sounds as if you root your phones Kpresidente..... Is this true? What guide did you use and did and have you ever had issues rooting?

Thanks again for your advice.... Stick around as I'm sure I'll be asking you lots more questions..... Go reds... Heisey just hit his walkoff as I was typing this post.

[gilpdawg]

I've always rooted....I don't ROM anymore because I find it more enjoyable to just use Xposed Framework to do all the things I would ROM for. (like getting rid of some of those horrible UI pieces, I'm looking at you Samsung)

It's also useful to spoof location and get around blackouts on MLB.TV, but I use an old Android tablet for that. It's literally the only thing I use it for. I have an iPad for everything else and jailbreak isn't out for 7.1 yet. The MLB At Bat app won't let you stream anything with "mock locations" enabled, so you have to convert your GPS Spoof app to a system app and then it will work, in case anyone was curious.

[lidspinner]

I've always rooted....I don't ROM anymore because I find it more enjoyable to just use Xposed Framework to do all the things I would ROM for. (like getting rid of some of those horrible UI pieces, I'm looking at you Samsung)

It's also useful to spoof location and get around blackouts on MLB.TV, but I use an old Android tablet for that. It's literally the only thing I use it for. I have an iPad for everything else and jailbreak isn't out for 7.1 yet. The MLB At Bat app won't let you stream anything with "mock locations" enabled, so you have to convert your GPS Spoof app to a system app and then it will work, in case anyone was curious.

yes I was wondering about that as well....I will look into that....let me ask you this....is there a certain place other than the google play store where you go to get apps that require root access? I know the play store has a few apps for rooted devices but I am talking about another central location just like the play store where you can get apps? in other words, how do you know what apps you need to able to take advantage of all your now rooted abilities? Like I said earlier, the more i research the more I get confused at how this all works....I am pretty good at understanding what the term room means and what it does to your phone, but where do you get all this info? I have played around on xda site but its just as confusing to get around than rooting itself is......by the time I click a few links on the xda site, I am lost and traveled to another website and I just dont know what and who to trust.

[gilpdawg]

The Play Store has 99% of what you would need. Just do a search for best root apps or something like that. I only really use a few.

Fake GPS
Titanium Backup
Root File Browser
Xposed Framework (not on play store, do research before diving in fully)
G2 Xposed (an Xposed module for my particular phone)
G2 Tweakbox (same)

[lidspinner]

I've always rooted....I don't ROM anymore because I find it more enjoyable to just use Xposed Framework to do all the things I would ROM for. (like getting rid of some of those horrible UI pieces, I'm looking at you Samsung)

It's also useful to spoof location and get around blackouts on MLB.TV, but I use an old Android tablet for that. It's literally the only thing I use it for. I have an iPad for everything else and jailbreak isn't out for 7.1 yet. The MLB At Bat app won't let you stream anything with "mock locations" enabled, so you have to convert your GPS Spoof app to a system app and then it will work, in case anyone was curious.

would you mind going into some detail on what I have bolded and under lined in your post? I am not real literate in rooting terms.....I am not real literate in cell phones in general but I have to have them for work..so why not use them for fun also.....I am now rooted but thats as far as I am comfortable going right now.

[gilpdawg]

I'll get something typed up for you in the next couple of days....I just got back from Chicago and I'm probably going to veg out today and may not be on the board much, except maybe a game thread.

[lidspinner]

I'll get something typed up for you in the next couple of days....I just got back from Chicago and I'm probably going to veg out today and may not be on the board much, except maybe a game thread.

Sounds good.... Whenever your ready.

[gilpdawg]

Crap. I forgot all about that. I'll get on that.

[gilpdawg]

OK, here's the deal. The MLB At Bat app will not stream ANY video regardless of your location if you have "mock locations allowed" checked in your development menu, which, if you don't know where that it, don't worry about it, it's not important to this. The app checks for that. That used to be how we got around it. They closed that hole.

So, what you have to do is download these two apps.

Fake GPS
System App mover. This app will allow you to spoof location without "mock locations" being enabled.

Install the Fake GPS app and then install System App mover. Open up System App mover, choose Fake GPS on the list and move it. The app will do that automatically for you. Reboot.

Make sure under your location access settings that GPS is checked but WIFI or mobile network is NOT checked. Open up Fake GPS and choose where you want your location to be. You can put it in anywhere you want I guess, as long as it's out of the blackout area of the game you want to watch.

Open up At Bat and enjoy. Sometimes it doesn't work the first time right away. You'll still get the blackout warning pop up. If that happens reboot everything and try it again. Sometimes you can click it and get denied and wait a second and click it again without doing anything and it will load up. I don't know why that is. Keep trying and eventually it should work for you.

[lidspinner]

sorry to complicate things.....but there are I think 2 different apps named Fake GPS....which one do I install? could you link me to the one or tell me the devoloper name? or does it even matter which one I download?

2nd question is the system app mover....there are also 2 of those apps in the play store.....they look like this

/system/app mover
system app mover (ROOT)

I am assuming the root one if the app you are referring to but I just want to double check before I try it....I am actually planning on using it today if possible...thanks again friend..