My Nexus 4 is not rooted??

[Dx3me]

Just something I came across... I have the Nexus 4 since 2 weeks now, and was always (since it has stock Android without any added skins) under the impression that it was rooted by default.
Now that I'm trying to use Titanium Backup/Franco Kernel Update, it tells me that my device is NOT rooted???

Am I missing something??

 

[Aquila]

Just something I came across... I have the Nexus 4 since 2 weeks now, and was always (since it has stock Android without any added skins) under the impression that it was rooted by default.
Now that I'm trying to use Titanium Backup/Franco Kernel Update, it tells me that my device is NOT rooted???

Am I missing something??

They come with the bootloader unlockable by default. (By this I mean it doesn't take someone assaulting the system to find a way to do it, they just let you.) You still have to actually unlock it, flash a custom recovery and apply root manually if those are things that you want to do.

Here's a good guide for the unlock part.

How-To unlock the Nexus 4 bootloader | Android Central

This thread has some more information on the unlock/root processes and a lot of common questions answered.

http://forums.androidcentral.com/nexus-4-rooting-roms-hacks/224861-guide-nexus-4-unlock-root.html

 

[anon(847090)]

They are not rooted by default. stock Android doesn't mean they are rooted

 

[Dx3me]

Ok, think I'll leave it as it is...
Rooting might give a few cool features, but I need this phone for my company, so can't afford any issues.
And on top of that, rooting would mean I need to reboot again after the next Android update.
(way too much hassle in my opinion)

 

[Aquila]

Ok, think I'll leave it as it is...
Rooting might give a few cool features, but I need this phone for my company, so can't afford any issues.
And on top of that, rooting would mean I need to reboot again after the next Android update.
(way too much hassle in my opinion)

Good call. If you don't have a specific reason to, ie. it doesn't add any benefit and technically can present a security risk (though easily mitigated). If you do ever decide to, that 2nd link is pretty awesome for the nuts and bolts of it and everyone is more than willing to help with any questions.

 

[Dx3me]

Well, I would love to have a good backup plan such as with Titanium, or to have added battery-life with Franco...
But I can't afford myself to lose any valuable data in the process of rooting, since I need my phone for my company.
Also, when there's a new Android update on the market, I would lose my root and need to re-root again --> double the risk.

 

[Captainbob767]

Everyone I know that has a rooted phone has some kind of an issue with the phone after rooting that they didn't have when it was stock. I am leaving mine as is, everything works.

 

[Dx3me]

Thanks... I will stick to what I know, keeping my phone 'clean'/unrooted.

 

[tg2708]

Everyone I know that has a rooted phone has some kind of an issue with the phone after rooting that they didn't have when it was stock. I am leaving mine as is, everything works.

Elaborate?

 

[RumoredNow]

Everyone I know that has a rooted phone has some kind of an issue with the phone after rooting that they didn't have when it was stock. I am leaving mine as is, everything works.

Rooting a phone in and of itself should not cause issues.

It's the monkey business you get up to after rooting that causes problems. Installing/using things that require root has inherent risks. Research. planning and knowing how things interact is always smart when taking unsanctioned steps with your device. The good news is that in most cases you can revert to a state from before there was a problem... That's part of the planning stage, BTW.

Using a chainsaw could cause a severed limb (and not the one on the tree ) if operated improperly. Caution and forethought are recommended for so many things in life...

 

[JeffDenver]

Just something I came across... I have the Nexus 4 since 2 weeks now, and was always (since it has stock Android without any added skins) under the impression that it was rooted by default.
Now that I'm trying to use Titanium Backup/Franco Kernel Update, it tells me that my device is NOT rooted???

Am I missing something??

It is not rooted by default. This is for your own protection....this way you know for sure no one could have installed any malicious software that would have admin privileges. When you unlock it, you know for sure no one had messed with it before you.

When you see rooting methods for non-Nexus phones, these are usually exploiting vulnerabilities in the OS of that phone...Those companies do not want you to root the device. The fact that you can anyway is because other people found a way around their roadblocks. Even when you have root access on many of those phones, it is not "real" root access; on My Rezound you had to actually mess with the hardware to get S-OFF to change the radio settings.

Nexus devices do not place roadblocks in your way. By default you can unlock it and root it if you want. You do not have to hope someone else can find a way around the OS for you.

 

[JeffDenver]

Everyone I know that has a rooted phone has some kind of an issue with the phone after rooting that they didn't have when it was stock. I am leaving mine as is, everything works.

Unless there is some specific thing you want to do that requires root, it is best to remain stock IMO. This way you can get OTA updates without jumping through hoops. That being said, there really is no difference between stock and rooted stock. Most of the people with issues probably had custom ROMs installed.

I rooted so I could use the Franco kernel. It allows you to do stuff like adjust display settings (gamma, saturation, color balance)...the Nexus display appears washed out because of bad calibration. The kernel's tweaks fixed that. I have another app that can change the color/shape of the nav buttons.

If you do not care about stuff like that, there is no reason to root.

 

[Biggnaa20]

Everyone I know that has a rooted phone has some kind of an issue with the phone after rooting that they didn't have when it was stock. I am leaving mine as is, everything works.

What do you mean?

I've rooted phones and had no issues with it unless I muck around and do something else like flashing a ROM or kernel. Just using root to back up should be fine.

nb

 

[Biggnaa20]

Well, I would love to have a good backup plan such as with Titanium, or to have added battery-life with Franco...
But I can't afford myself to lose any valuable data in the process of rooting, since I need my phone for my company.
Also, when there's a new Android update on the market, I would lose my root and need to re-root again --> double the risk.

For back up, try Helium sync.

https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...=com.koushikdutta.backup&hl=en&token=13gX6TgK

I used it and had pretty good results, but I DID have root when I installed it. The documentation says you can use it without root though. Try it and let us know how it works out for you.

nb

 

[srkmagnus]

For back up, try Helium sync.

https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...=com.koushikdutta.backup&hl=en&token=zOkHpJ1F

I used it and had pretty good results, but I DID have root when I installed it. The documentation says you can use it without root though. Try it and let us know how it works out for you.

nb

Correct. The desktop client (PC only) works alongside the app for non-rooted devices. It's a great option if you ened to backup certain data, such as apps.

 

[dsneedmd]

I rooted my N7 & left it stock. I didn't root my n4, I can't see the difference,except for Titanium Backup. the only really good reason to root a N4 is so you can get band4 LTE( think USA T-Mobile).

- - - Updated - - -

I rooted my N7 & left it stock. I didn't root my n4, I can't see the difference,except for Titanium Backup. the only really good reason to root a N4 is so you can get band4 LTE( think USA T-Mobile).

 

[mcelmeel17]

Everyone I know that has a rooted phone has some kind of an issue with the phone after rooting that they didn't have when it was stock. I am leaving mine as is, everything works.

My N4 is working just as well, if not better than before I rooted it. I've enhanced the camera, flashed a custom kernel and added loads of custom features through various Roms (slimbean build 6 at the moment) with ABSOLUTELY NO issues. The user is the one who messes things up. Not gaining root access.

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