First-time rooter; long-time reader...

[anon(9072051)]

Is there any sort of rule of thumb for which apps to grant superuser permission and which to deny?

Each time I get one of those damn pop-ups, I freeze and just hit "Deny" because I don't really know why I should or shouldn't grant an app root permissions. Feels cowardly, but there it is.

And do apps with root permissions become battery hogs eventually?

 

[Aquila]

Only apps you explicitly want to have root access should be granted root access.

 

[anon(9072051)]

Only apps you explicitly want to have root access should be granted root access.

'kay. But why do I explicitly want some of them to have root access? I mean, if Android Pay asks for root access, I'll smell a rat. But what about LTE Discovery? or Project Fi? or Substratum?

How do I know when to say, "No root for you!" vs. "Why, yes, right this way"?

 

[Aquila]

Nothing unless there is a specific root requiring task that you want. Many apps want root privileges but almost none should actually have them.

 

[Golfdriver97]

I don't recall Android Pay asking for root access. I usually only grant access to ones I sought out that require root.

 

[anon(9072051)]

Many apps want root privileges but almost none should actually have them.

Thanks. It helps to know that I should dole those permissions out sparingly instead of assuming that every toast implies an urgent need for access.

I don't recall Android Pay asking for root access.

No, hence the thing about smelling a rat. Since root breaks SaftyNet, the AP app would never request root access.

 

[smvim]

You've got some suspicious activity going on. Apps like Android Pay and any banking app won't run on a rooted device. (You can bypass this but it requires additional, and specific actions, on your part.) Most apps won't even run as root anyway. The developer(s) must intentionally enable this in their own app. That's why if you start up the SuperSU app for example, you cannot just add any app you want to be run as root, it only lists the apps that are specifically coded to be run as root.

 

[xocomaox]

I've rooted my Android devices for years.

I set my root management app to default grant and hide the toast notification. Only because i know the apps i have installed are trustworthy and it is annoying granting apps root.

You'll not see "random apps"requesting root access. Only a handful of apps are designed to use root, and you'll be installing them with that knowledge.

If you are in the habit of testing out root apps (especially downloaded from outside the Play store), you'll want to set your management app to prompt for security purposes.

OT: What root apps are you looking to use? I saw you mention Substratum, which is awesome.

 

[anon(9072051)]

OT: What root apps are you looking to use? I saw you mention Substratum, which is awesome.

I'd like to use Substratum again, but the ROM I'm using is on a 7.1.2 build for the Nexus 6, and I don't want to mess with the Swift Black theme I was using until it's updated for 7.1.2. I can't be certain, but the overlays may have been causing crashes when I was using it even before the 7.1.2 update. After all the wiping and reflashing I had to do to get rid of the crashes and battery draining, I didn't feel like putting Substratum back; but I do miss my black Settings card and black notifications.

I haven't gone searching for specific root apps yet. I do know that when I first flashed Magisck I was getting toasts about root access from a number of apps when I opened them; LTE Discovery, Fi Switch and Total Commander are the three I granted superuser status. I just felt stupid doing it because I didn't really have a reason for granting access other than the fact that I use them a lot.

You've got some suspicious activity going on. Apps like Android Pay

No, no. There's nothing funny going on. The line about AP was just a wisecrack because I couldn't remember the names of the apps that asked for root access but didn't get it (and they didn't get it only because I got tired of all the pop-up toasts about access).

All of my apps are from the play store; there's not a sketchy one in the bunch. Just some that I ought to delete because I don't use them.

 

[bigmatt503]

You've got some suspicious activity going on. Apps like Android Pay and any banking app won't run on a rooted device. (You can bypass this but it requires additional, and specific actions, on your part.) Most apps won't even run as root anyway. The developer(s) must intentionally enable this in their own app. That's why if you start up the SuperSU app for example, you cannot just add any app you want to be run as root, it only lists the apps that are specifically coded to be run as root.

"any" banking app is a bold statement. My us bank, capital one, citi bank and discover all run just fine on my rooted nexus 6p (not rooted with magisk).

 

[smvim]

"any" banking app is a bold statement. My us bank, capital one, citi bank and discover all run just fine on my rooted nexus 6p (not rooted with magisk).

Good catch, absolutes rarely if ever have merit.

 

[anon(9072051)]

My us bank, capital one, citi bank and discover all run just fine on my rooted nexus 6p (not rooted with magisk).

This is worth knowing. I just assumed Cap One wouldn't work; didn't even try it.

 

[xocomaox]

I would recommend using Magisk to hide root. Working very well for me on my Pixel XL. I also stopped playing Pokemon, but works with that as well.

 

[anon(9072051)]

I would recommend using Magisk to hide root.

Yep. Magisk works like a charm for that. Nice that the Magisk manager includes a SafetyNet check, too.

Oh, and I'm back to using Substratum again now that I know it wasn't conflicting with the ROM. Great to have a dark theme on my Nexus 6 at long last.