Do I need to root nexus 4 before using Franco's Kernel?

[ziggyland]

Hello,

I have a question regarding using kernels on this phone. I was planning to run the "Franco's Kernel" on the nexus 4 to see if it improved battery life; but not sure if it requires rooting the phone first?
I see that I can download Franco's kernel updater from the google apps store, so do I just run it from there and it should be fine?

Thanks in advance.
P.S. If anyone has experience doing this or know a forum post that explains some steps, please link here. Really appreciated as I am new to smartphones.

 

[Paul627g]

Hello,

Yes you need to unlock & root the device in order to flash a custom kernel. The updater you found is just a handy app that will provide quick updates and access to Franco's kernel.

 

[RumoredNow]

P.S.: We are still waiting to see a stable of franko.Kernel for N4 on 4.3...

I think the paid App for franco.Kernel Updater is well worth the couple of dollars. Careful on what changes you make as you are new to smartphones... You may want to read the threads about the kernel over at XDA before diving in. At least with the paid App you can do backup/restore and that will help undo any mistakes that might be made along the way as you learn about tweaking a kernel.

 

[Paul627g]

P.S.: We are still waiting to see a stable of franko.Kernel for N4 on 4.3...

I think the paid App for franco.Kernel Updater is well worth the couple of dollars. Careful on what changes you make as you are new to smartphones... You may want to read the threads about the kernel over at XDA before diving in. At least with the paid App you can do backup/restore and that will help undo any mistakes that might be made along the way as you learn about tweaking a kernel.

To add to what was said here about backup/restore, you should ALWAYS make a full system backup in your custom recovery before attempting any system altering changes. Think of that extra 5 or 10 minutes of your time to do so a VALUABLE safety net in the event something goes wrong you can restore back to a working, stable state.

 

[digitalslacker]

r174 is pretty stable for me, much better than 173 but yeah it's still a nightly and since Franco hasn't dubbed it a stable version it's subject to all the disclaimers that come with that.

You don't need root to flash the kernel manually (you just need a custom recovery for that)
You do need root to flash it through his app and to use his app to control and change settings, which is kinda the whole reason to use his app so i'ts probably worth doing.

 

[ziggyland]

P.S.: We are still waiting to see a stable of franko.Kernel for N4 on 4.3...

I think the paid App for franco.Kernel Updater is well worth the couple of dollars. Careful on what changes you make as you are new to smartphones... You may want to read the threads about the kernel over at XDA before diving in. At least with the paid App you can do backup/restore and that will help undo any mistakes that might be made along the way as you learn about tweaking a kernel.

Hmm, alright. I think I'll stay with stock 4.3 when my nexus 4 then, till franco has released a stable kernel. My main goal is just to improve or get the best battery life possible, as I only use wifi and no Data what so ever.