Thinking of rooting - advice?

[soma4society]

I didn't root when I first received my N4, mostly because I knew I was getting stock Android and had heard so many good things about its customization potential that I figured I wouldn't need it. Since that time, however, I've stumbled across a few niggling issues that have caused me to reconsider rooting (including, but not limited to, some people claiming much extended battery life). I know unlocking the bootloader wipes the device. So my question is, does anyone know of a reliable app/device backup program I can use that will save me time and hassle--i.e., allowing me to avoid having to re-install my apps one by one, and/or redo all my settings? Figured I'd ask before I take the plunge.

PS: if anyone can link me the best thread for dummy proof, step by step rooting this would also be appreciated.

Muchas gracias!

 

[Camaihofer]

Titanium backup and/or Carbon Backup.

[NEXUS 4 TOOLKIT V1.3.0] Drivers, Backup, Unlock, Root, Flash, Mods + MUCH MORE - xda-developers

I havent rooted my N4 yet, but I used this dev's toolkit to root my N7, was flawless and painless.,

 

[Lanhoj]

Other than battery life, what features are you looking to get from custom ROMs?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[Davidjacobs21]

can you use the toolkit on a mac. im getting mt nexus tomorrow and want to root it and install a rom and i only have a mac computer

 

[ConTejas]

I've never used it myself, but AC covered the app Carbon that can do most of what Titanium Backup and Mybackup can do WITHOUT root. So that's a good option. I suggest you read the "how to" sticky in the hacks section. I recently bought two N4s and I unlocked one using the "long" adb/fastboot way from 2defmouze's awesome guide (still very easy) and the other unlocked/rooted with MSkip's N4 Toolkit. With the N4 toolkit I was seriously unlocked/rooted with TWRP (custom recovery...CWM is other option), SuperSu (Superuser other option), and busybox in LESS THAN 10 minutes. Just read ALL of the options on each of the few screens BEFORE selecting any options. It's very well build and as idiot proof as it can be. It's good to know how to adb/fastboot, but that's the super duper easy way to do it all at once. Basically, download and install the toolkit, enable USB debugging on your phone in developer options (got to settings<about phone<tap your build # 7 times to unhide dev options...will be about about phone now), plug phone into computer, select option 1 to install the correct driver (if a windows wizard pops up after installing device...select next/next finish), once drivers are installed..UNPLUG phone from computer and power off...hold vol down power to get into fastboot mode (cannot do this while plugged in/charging), select option 8 to unlock/root/supersu/busybox, follow prompts. Boom. Done.

[NEXUS 4 TOOLKIT V1.3.0] Drivers, Backup, Unlock, Root, Flash, Mods + MUCH MORE - xda-developers

https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...S5rb3VzaGlrZHV0dGEuYmFja3VwIl0&token=veFNOMr6.

 

[ConTejas]

Titanium backup and/or Carbon Backup.

[NEXUS 4 TOOLKIT V1.3.0] Drivers, Backup, Unlock, Root, Flash, Mods + MUCH MORE - xda-developers



I havent rooted my N4 yet, but I used this dev's toolkit to root my N7, was flawless and painless.,

Obviously I took way too long typing that out lol.

 

[soma4society]

Other than battery life, what features are you looking to get from custom ROMs?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

I ran into some NFC things I'd really like to automate (e.g., airplane mode/3G to 2G and back again) but that require rooting. Small potatoes I know, but it was a little annoying to be locked out of them. I've also run across one or two handy looking apps that require a rooted device. I'm still trying to decide if it's worth it. With my iPhone it was always a simple one-click deal cause the hacking community made it exquisitely easy to JB. And you could always revert to stock if something went wrong. Is it the same with Android, as far as the restore to stock if needed goes? Having now sold my 4S, Id sure hate to brick this thing.

 

[ConTejas]

can you use the toolkit on a mac. im getting mt nexus tomorrow and want to root it and install a rom and i only have a mac computer

Certainly can do it the adb/fastboot way on the Mac (sticky in the hacks section). He's a toolkit though.

[Nexus 4 Mac Toolkit] Root, ClockworkMod, Unroot, & More! - xda-developers

 

[Lanhoj]

...
Is it the same with Android, as far as the restore to stock if needed goes? Having now sold my 4S, Id sure hate to brick this thing.

It's especially easy to root/un-root Nexus devices.

 

[soma4society]

I've never used it myself, but AC covered the app Carbon that can do most of what Titanium Backup and Mybackup can do WITHOUT root. So that's a good option. I suggest you read the "how to" sticky in the hacks section. I recently bought two N4s and I unlocked one using the "long" adb/fastboot way from 2defmouze's awesome guide (still very easy) and the other unlocked/rooted with MSkip's N4 Toolkit. With the N4 toolkit I was seriously unlocked/rooted with TWRP (custom recovery...CWM is other option), SuperSu (Superuser other option), and busybox in LESS THAN 10 minutes. Just read ALL of the options on each of the few screens BEFORE selecting any options. It's very well build and as idiot proof as it can be. It's good to know how to adb/fastboot, but that's the super duper easy way to do it all at once. Basically, download and install the toolkit, enable USB debugging on your phone in developer options (got to settings<about phone<tap your build # 7 times to unhide dev options...will be about about phone now), plug phone into computer, select option 1 to install the correct driver (if a windows wizard pops up after installing device...select next/next finish), once drivers are installed..UNPLUG phone from computer and power off...hold vol down power to get into fastboot mode (cannot do this while plugged in/charging), select option 8 to unlock/root/supersu/busybox, follow prompts. Boom. Done.

[NEXUS 4 TOOLKIT V1.3.0] Drivers, Backup, Unlock, Root, Flash, Mods + MUCH MORE - xda-developers

https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...S5rb3VzaGlrZHV0dGEuYmFja3VwIl0&token=Z6N466qR.

Thank you! I will do some research and take a look at the links. Sheesh. I really was spoiled by the iPhone hacking community. Plug in phone. Navigate to site. Click the big button that says "jailbreak." Done. This sounds like it has a few more steps (and a bunch of jargon I don't understand), but I do appreciate the straightforward precis at the end of your post

 

[ConTejas]

I ran into some NFC things I'd really like to automate (e.g., airplane mode/3G to 2G and back again) but that require rooting. Small potatoes I know, but it was a little annoying to be locked out of them. I've also run across one or two handy looking apps that require a rooted device. I'm still trying to decide if it's worth it. With my iPhone it was always a simple one-click deal cause the hacking community made it exquisitely easy to JB. And you could always revert to stock if something went wrong. Is it the same with Android, as far as the restore to stock if needed goes? Having now sold my 4S, Id sure hate to brick this thing.

LOL if you think JBing an iPhone is easy you're in for a treat! Yes, you can always return it to stock as easily as unlocking/rooting. Not traceable. You'll find a lot of good reason to unlock/root. No, I won't tell. That's part of the fun

Oh, and a Nexus is as unbrickable as you can get. Go to the gnex forum and look for "oh no I bricked my Nexus" and see ALL of them were softbricked and very much fixable. The stock images are released by Google so as long as you can get into fastboot/adb you're good to go. That said, I saw a post were a guy needed to flash back to stock and his microUSB was broken and the techy folks still got it done for him.

 

[TheDonJ77]

Also thinking about rooting....Never rooted before and kind of intimidated but have been doing some research online so I guess I will give it a shot.

 

[Camaihofer]

Also thinking about rooting....Never rooted before and kind of intimidated but have been doing some research online so I guess I will give it a shot.

I'd never rooted before either, that why I used the toolkit. It couldnt have been easier.
If you love to tinker/customize, you wont look back after rooting.

 

[Davidjacobs21]

Certainly can do it the adb/fastboot way on the Mac (sticky in the hacks section). He's a toolkit though.

[Nexus 4 Mac Toolkit] Root, ClockworkMod, Unroot, & More! - xda-developers

Thank you for this link. My nexus comes tomorrow. I want to unlock the boot loader, root it and then flash aokp rom. I've read that is highly recommended for the nexus 4. I assume i can still flash that using a mac. I guess i just have to find where to get the files. Ive read people saying you should make a backup of the rom that u have orginally but since im going to be doing this as the first thing, do i have to save anything? Thanks again

 

[soma4society]

I think I did it. Thanks everyone!

PS: someone else here at AC had mentioned really extending their battery life post-root. Is that the result of tweaking certain phone settings or installing an app?

Hmmm...or not. The app Root Checker says I do not have "proper root access." -ake mushrooms. I just reloaded all my apps and everything cause I assumed it worked. I hope this app is wrong.

I let the tookit do all its work, or so I thought....

Installed the drivers
Had the device in fastboot mode
Clicked on the action in the toolkit for bootloader unlock, root, etc...all actions
The phone showed that little android dude with his belly open and the twirling thingy
Then the phone rebooted and just sat there like a brand new device. So after a while I just got down to business re-loading everything.

Did I miss a step?

 

[Lanhoj]

...
PS: someone else here at AC had mentioned really extending their battery life post-root. Is that the result of tweaking certain phone settings or installing an app?
...

I believe that has more to do with the kernel you're using than the custom ROM or through an App.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[soma4society]

Yeah somehow I missed a step. It didn't root. Moral of this story? Verify the root before you re-load everything. Ugh, lol.

Update: everything's cool. I reconnected it and re-ran the toolkit. Seems that maybe it didn't quite complete the root somehow? At any rate, it seems to have done just that on the second connection and Root Checker now confirms root access. Thanks again to all

 

[gone down south]

Thank you for this link. My nexus comes tomorrow. I want to unlock the boot loader, root it and then flash aokp rom. I've read that is highly recommended for the nexus 4. I assume i can still flash that using a mac. I guess i just have to find where to get the files. Ive read people saying you should make a backup of the rom that u have orginally but since im going to be doing this as the first thing, do i have to save anything? Thanks again

Why not use stock for a while to get a baseline? There's no reason to start flashing roms if you're happy with stock.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[anon5664829]

can you use the toolkit on a mac. im getting mt nexus tomorrow and want to root it and install a rom and i only have a mac computer

Yes you can do root with a mac I dont have a link but i rooted my Nexus 4 with a guide.

 

[Davidjacobs21]

So i got the nexus yesterday. I used the nexus toolkit for mac, and everything was easy. I got unlocked the bootloader, installed cwm, and rooted it. My problem is with trying to install aokp. I downloaded the files for the rom and the google gaps. I read that i should flash inside cwm, from install files from sd card. Except when i do that, i dont see the files there. Am i doing something wrong