Perks of rooting Nexus 4/is it worth it?

[briancb]

I agree.... and if you do not like to see unused system programs hanging around your app screen ... go to settings/apps/all, and disable them, for that clean look... just make sure you have already installed your preferred replacement so you do not loose that functionality. I use Smart Launcher Pro (Paid Version) by the way..... it's clean and intuitive.

 

[ziggyland]

From all the users of Nexus 4 here, Does anyone experience overheating in daily usage? How much of battery life is improved with rooting, and do you guys have any recommendations of good simple mods that allow for basic battery life improvement?

I use the phone with just basic talk/ text.

Thanks

 

[ziggyland]

Firstly, you need to realize there is a difference between rooting and unlocking your bootloader. Unlocking your bootloader is required before you can root and will wipe your phone. A quick summaries:
-Unlocking your bootloader allows you to install or fastboot a custom recovery. From the custom recovery, you can install the SU binaries (which will ROOT your phone). Having root has some pros and cons. The pros are that you can install some powerful apps, mods, and roms. The cons are that, once you mod, you are probably not going to be able to install ota updaes. You will have to either wipe your phone or flash a factory image. Another (less likely) con is that granting an app root access could potentially make your phone more vulnerable.

It is possible (and common) to unlock the bootloader and root AND remain on the stock rom. This is how my phone is right now. But rooting also allows for mods and custom kernels. I am using Franco Kernel on stock 4.2.2.

My last bit of advice is this: Do your research and don't be afraid to ask questions. You have the right phone to learn about this stuff on. It's virtually impossible to brick it. If you get stuck I'm sure someone can help you get things working again.

Hey, about rooting and unlocking I have a question about the difference. Is rooting just the action of using apps after?
I am planning to just run franco's kernel to improve battery life.
How to Root Nexus 4! [Android 4.2.1/4.2.2/4.3][ADB Backup] - YouTube
I watched this video about rooting the nexus 4 and in the video process, the status changed to unlocked. So are they both the same action just difference of terms?

 

[fuzzylumpkin]

Hey, about rooting and unlocking I have a question about the difference. Is rooting just the action of using apps after?
I am planning to just run franco's kernel to improve battery life.
How to Root Nexus 4! [Android 4.2.1/4.2.2/4.3][ADB Backup] - YouTube
I watched this video about rooting the nexus 4 and in the video process, the status changed to unlocked. So are they both the same action just difference of terms?

As said in the post you quoted, rooting and unlocking the boot loader are not the same.

Root allows access to the system partition, so you can install higher privileged apps and edit system files, which can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. You need an unlocked boot loader before you can root. The process is

Unlock boot loader > install custom recovery (or fast boot one) > root (by flashing a super user .zip)

If you install a custom kernel like franko, don't play with the settings until you know what you're doing, you will kill your phone!

Posted via Android Central App

 

[TelusBB]

Since you are asking the question. Unlock your bootloader now. Don't wait 6 months then decide you want to unlock to root. You WILL LOSE EVERYTHING when you unlock (did that with my Galaxy Nexus and lost all game progress witch can be a pain). But I have gotten over flashing roms personally. I unlocked mine and my girlfriends and had mine rooted untill the ota to 4.2.2. These days I only root to save progress and data in apps so if an app gets updated and I don't like it, it won't work now, or would have to get a new phone, I can install the previous version where I left off. Once you are unlocked you can root and lose root all you want and will not lose any data, only the unlocking will wipe everything. On my Galaxy Nexus AOKP worked the best overall for me, but it can get time consuming flashing different roms all the time. It was fun for a while for me, but now I need to focus the few short hours a week after work that I get to other, more grown up things than my phone.

Oh by the way, Wugs toolkit is great. You can revert back to factory state easily if need be. Also can unlock, relock, root and unroot all recent nexus devices easily and quickly. But if you do go down that route, learn to use ADB and how to flash things manually. Worst case senario, the only way to bring your nexus back from the dead is flashing images manually, without help from Rom Manager (Which I would only use to download roms on your phone, nothing else). Learn the hard way first, then enjoy the easy one click methods later, it will be worth it in the long run. 2defmouze has great stickies, read them.

Which apps you use to backup and restore progress data in apps and games? I'm new to Android and rooting in general. I used the Nexus Root Toolkit a few days ago to root. I tried 2 custom Roms. I originally used the backup app data in the toolkit. I restored to 2 custom Roms I tried(Pacman & Slimbean 4.3). I had a issues with both. I did research and downloaded Titanium BU. I backed up my apps and restored them but when I'd open them it was like the first time I opened the app or game my progress wasn't there. I ended reverting to the recovery of my stock 4.3 and restoring the app backup from the NRT. All my progress is there now. It seems that there's an issue with the NRT restoring the data to custom Roms. So what I'm asking is there a way for me to backup all my app/game progress and restore it across any ROM or software version?