first time playing with this, confused, terrified

[Droidintorrance]

Steve.. there isn't much you can do the first time you unlock the phone.. this is not like a OTA where everything stays the same..

Yes it is a PITA but you will be forces to know your phone inside and out like never before...

It used to take me weeks to set the phone back up.. but now a couple of hours..

If U install a launcher.. you are already going to loose your home screens.. so its up to you.. I like the bone stock look.. and I don't mind setting everything up manually..

But as my guide said...

Take screen shot of everything! I mean everything.. your home screens.. your folders.. settings.. then go thru my each app and and make sure you know how to log back in.. I like to tag the activating email.. with account name and password.. I know where to search..

Everyone should be doing all this.. just in case.. you ever need to do a factory reset or turn in your phones..



Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Android Central Forums

 

[draftpeppin]

The GUI option someone I know had referred to turned out to be from a "Wugfresh" and this page seems to indicate that you can back up settings: How to Backup Galaxy Nexus Apps & Data without Rooting

I think that's partly what he's referring to when he says you can backup. Is that incorrect? There are a lot of spelling errors in there, so it's entirely possible I'm interpreting it wrong.

 

[windhorser]

I was in your situation a few months ago. I agree with you, it is a fair amount of work, and depending on how you feel about fooling around with your phone, it might not be worth it. Some of the ROMS are updated very frequently, and if you choose to install each new version you'll be spending some serious quality time with your phone. The amount of work that developers do with their ROMs is impressive....it gives me a bit of appreciation for why Verizon takes so long to release an update (unpopular minority opinion). And for what it's worth, (another unpopular minority opinion) I didn't find Jelly Bean to be all that much of an improvement--most of the changes are under the hood. The biggest change is that the animations are much smoother (like butter..) and you might or might not find that important. I do like it, but if I think about what I would actually pay for that, and then think about how much my personal time is worth, it might not be such a bargain.
On the other hand, I decided to go for it because the one-time effort allows me to back up the entire phone. You just can't do that without root. Then, I lose my phone, or it's damaged so that I can't access its data, one I get my replacement phone I can reinstall the complete backup--everything--in just a few minutes.
Once I did it, I was glad that I had tried. It really didn't seem difficult to me. And actually, it was fun. Watch out if you tend to get addicted to technology and gadgets!
My advice? Follow the advice above about what to read, root, find a ROM that works for you, set it up perfectly, make a nandroid backup (details elsewhere), and then don't fuss with it too much. Back it up again occasionally. Even if you root but stay with the stock ICS ROM ( a reasonable choice, IMHO), you'll have more security and flexibility.
Obviously, this is just my opinion, many here would disagree with much of what I said, and I am still a beginner.
Finally: this forum is great, everything that you would ever want to know is here, it's very well organized and has very supportive and friendly members. The moderator is fantastic.
Sorry for the long reply, but I've been there. Good luck!

p.s
I use:
JellyBelly 6.4.1 (most recent version is 6.6, it's updated often)
Franco's kernel
Nova launcher

 

[triptosyll]

You know man, four mos. ago, I didn't even know what the word rooting meant. Really. But I read...and read...and read a little more, and now, I'm able to theme any ROM, and I've successfully built my own ROM from source on my computer. I'm learning java because of it.
I flash a different ROM to my phone at least twice a week, which means A LOT of time spent with it in my hand. I USED to just find one I liked, and stick with it, but it gets addicting. U wanna know more, do more....change more! But once u root (let go of having to reconfigure ur phone, there's no way around it if u wanna root) and u get to know titanium backup, it'll make ur life A LOT easier. It even backs up the apps themselves so u don't even have to redownload them from the market. Just download titanium backup, the restore what u backed up.
Give rooting a shot, and I promise u u won't regret it. :thumbup:

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Android Central Forums

 

[draftpeppin]

You guys really are like salesmen for the rooting cause. By the answers I have gotten so far, it seems that the answer is that this GUI program I referenced last night does not back up settings, app settings, etc. Neither really addressed it directly. More like sales pitches to encourage me to do it anyway. Which sounds like they're saying it doesn't do what I'm asking about.

 

[svfd757]

The first time you unlock/root, its kinda terrifying. The more you do things, the easier it becomes. You will still have those oh $hit moments, but practice makes perfect. There is not a whole lot you can't undo with the Gnex.

 

[triptosyll]

You guys really are like salesmen for the rooting cause. By the answers I have gotten so far, it seems that the answer is that this GUI program I referenced last night does not back up settings, app settings, etc. Neither really addressed it directly. More like sales pitches to encourage me to do it anyway. Which sounds like they're saying it doesn't do what I'm asking about.

Yes, we ARE answering you.
1. The first time u root ur phone, ull most likely loose everything(everything being ur settings, home screen layout, yada yada)....unless u learn how to manually root ur phone by pushing certain apps to your phone via adb, and u instead to do some kinda one-click method, u will mostly likely lose ur settings.
2. U WANT to b rooted. The pros way outweigh the cons.
3. Once ur rooted, you can use titanium backup to backup all ur apps. I don't think ur understanding what that means. U CAN back up all of your settings too. Titanium backup will backup ur settings.apk, off u want. App and data. So when u wipe everything so u can flash a new ROM or something, download titanium backup and use that to restore everything.
4. If u want to backup ur home screen layout, ull have to be using a launcher. Using a launcher means setting that up at least once too. So, you see, if u want ANYTHING to do with rooting, ur gna have to go thru re-setting up your phone once at the very least.
Anything I missed that ur still questioning?

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Android Central Forums

 

[MRW1215]

Am I the only dirty minded person that chuckled after reading the topic title? Heh.

Unlocking and rooting is the hardest part, in my opinion, and even that's not too difficult. I *think* (but can't remember for sure) its possible to root without unlocking; at which point, you can use an app like Titanium Backup to back up all your apps and their data (don't do system or Google apps, though). Back up this folder on your computer, then when you unlock and get back up and running, you can just put the backup folder back on your phone and restore all your apps that way.

 

[A-android-B]

Don't even worry about trying to restore your settings because odds are that your new rom will likely have more options and settings than your current stock rom anyway. Sometimes it's just plain best to start fresh with apps and data again too to help avoid future issues as well.

Sent from my LG-VM670 using Android Central Forums

 

[DevilJack]

I did it all from here and I was a special case being a mac user but, I am one satisfied member and live the fact my phone is the way I want it... Not the way someone else wants it.

From the Darkside of the Womb

 

[dmmarck]

Yes, we ARE answering you.
1. The first time u root ur phone, ull most likely loose everything(everything being ur settings, home screen layout, yada yada)....unless u learn how to manually root ur phone by pushing certain apps to your phone via adb, and u instead to do some kinda one-click method, u will mostly likely lose ur settings.
2. U WANT to b rooted. The pros way outweigh the cons.
3. Once ur rooted, you can use titanium backup to backup all ur apps. I don't think ur understanding what that means. U CAN back up all of your settings too. Titanium backup will backup ur settings.apk, off u want. App and data. So when u wipe everything so u can flash a new ROM or something, download titanium backup and use that to restore everything.
4. If u want to backup ur home screen layout, ull have to be using a launcher. Using a launcher means setting that up at least once too. So, you see, if u want ANYTHING to do with rooting, ur gna have to go thru re-setting up your phone once at the very least.
Anything I missed that ur still questioning?

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Android Central Forums

Keep in mind it's not the rooting process that wipes the phone, it's the unlocking process.

 

[draftpeppin]

Thanks guys.

 

[triptosyll]

Keep in mind it's not the rooting process that wipes the phone, it's the unlocking process.

yeah, ur right, I just wasn't thinking, cuz I'm using a Samsung, and I believe they all pretty much come with unlocked bootloaders out of the box. Haven't had to unlock one since I had my HTC desire.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Android Central Forums

 

[TabGuy]

yeah, ur right, I just wasn't thinking, cuz I'm using a Samsung, and I believe they all pretty much come with unlocked bootloaders out of the box. Haven't had to unlock one since I had my HTC desire.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Android Central Forums

Since unlocking the bootloader wipes the device, I would consider a locked bootloader a security feature.

 

[triptosyll]

Since unlocking the bootloader wipes the device, I would consider a locked bootloader a security feature.

The locked bootloader does nothing but hinder my ability to mess with my phone, so to me, if the phones bootloader is locked, its just an obstacle...

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Android Central Forums

 

[Foyt20]

OP, if I was in your shoes, I would do A LOT more research before jumping into this, to get your technical skills up to speed. Then hax away.

There is always a drop in the pit of your stomach when doing this stuff, so tread lightly and enjoy when you do jump into it.

 

[TabGuy]

The locked bootloader does nothing but hinder my ability to mess with my phone, so to me, if the phones bootloader is locked, its just an obstacle...

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Android Central Forums

Yes but you are not the only one in the universe. I would feel a lot better if my doctor has a locked boot loader so when he loses his phone all the info on it gets wiped if it gets in nefarious hands. If that makes your life inconvenient then so be it.

 

[dmmarck]

Yes but you are not the only one in the universe. I would feel a lot better if my doctor has a locked boot loader so when he loses his phone all the info on it gets wiped if it gets in nefarious hands. If that makes your life inconvenient then so be it.

And that's why it ships "locked" but can be unlocked--it accommodates everyone .

 

[triptosyll]

And that's why it ships "locked" but can be unlocked--it accommodates everyone .

Yeah, but we'll see how long they continue making phones with locked bootloaders. Seems they're phasing that out. Good ridance! :thumbup:

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Android Central Forums

 

[dmmarck]

Yeah, but we'll see how long they continue making phones with locked bootloaders. Seems they're phasing that out. Good ridance! :thumbup:

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Android Central Forums

It'll depend. A Nexus device will never have an easily unlockable bootloader, but other devices? Who knows.