Should I root my Optimus S?

[itslikeimsayin]

Note: I feel I've read the forums, read a lot of articles about rooting and watched YouTube videos of people rooting/installing new ROMs, etc., but I'm still not convinced it's right for me. Thanks for being patient with me.

I've had my Optimus S since the end of March and for the most part, I love it. My only complaint is that the minimal internal storage prevents me from using my phone to the fullest. Earlier this week I was forced to delete some apps I liked because suddenly my phone is out of storage space and wouldn't let me send texts until I cleared up more internal storage space. I love Google Music Beta, but between the app and its data, it eats up nearly 20 MB of my internal storage. So I have the need to root, but I'm not necessarily all that technologically adept, and don't really desire to customize my phone any more than I'm able to now (other than the storage issue, of course).

So I'm wondering if some of the experts around here would recommend I root or is there another solution? Also, if I do root, I have a few questions:

How much additional internal storage can I expect if I root?
Will I lose any features? (Sprint TV, Navigation, etc. that are free on the Optimus S)
If I root, am I making an ongoing commitment to manually updating ROMs or anything?
Is there anywhere to have my phone rooted for me?

Long story short, I'd like my phone rooted. I'm just not sure I'm the right person to do it (having read Jerry's article: http://www.androidcentral.com/sometimes-root-isn’t-answer) and whether or not I'm getting in over my head if I do so.

Thanks for any tips/advice.

 

[ccrs8]

How much additional internal storage can I expect if I root?

If you root and then install a ROM that applies a particular patch (most of them do), you'll get about 50 more MB of storage.

Will I lose any features? (Sprint TV, Navigation, etc. that are free on the Optimus S)

You won't lose any features just by rooting. However, if you install a ROM, most ROMs remove the sprint-provided apps as they are either unused by most or redundant. However, they can easily be re-installed.

If I root, am I making an ongoing commitment to manually updating ROMs or anything?

Once you have rooted and installed a ROM, when a new version of a ROM comes out it is quite easy to update. However, nobody is forcing you to update and I know plenty of people who take the "if it ain't broke..." approach. If you do run in to a problem, many ROM devs will only help you if you are on the most recent version, though.

Is there anywhere to have my phone rooted for me?

Not that I know of. I guess if you happened to love close to someone on the forums and that person was nice they would do it for you.

 

[Masterjakeway]

Yes, yes, yes!
Some of us have a gig of storage!

 

[Connervt]

As the Optimus S is an older and less powerful device, compared to the newer (and more expensive) phones now available, rooting and putting a better ROM on it will make the Optimus S more enjoyable to use, and give it a more serviceable life for you.

I just recently got my Optimus S, and while I always 'tinker' with my new electronic toys, for a phone, I want something proven and stable. For me, I went with the Reborn ROM.
http://forums.androidcentral.com/lg...reborn-read-only-memory-v2-2-4-7-24-11-a.html

The instructions and support found on this site is exceptional, especially given it is all done for free.

I added a 16GB Class 6 MicroSD card to my phone, and installed data2ext. No need to constantly watch how much internal memory is left, and move apps from internal to SD. Now the phone just thinks it has 1GB of internal memory. And tons more space to keep music locally on the phone.
http://forums.androidcentral.com/lg...118297-how-data2ext-reborn-froyo-2-2-cm7.html

I also wanted to keep a few of the Sprint apps. In the second post of the Reborn ROM thread is a link to download them, to put back on your phone.

My wife has the same phone as I, but hers is completely stock. My phone is much more responsive, the battery lasts longer. I have no doubt that root/ROM was the correct thing to do.

 

[drewwalton19216801]

Not that I know of. I guess if you happened to love close to someone on the forums and that person was nice they would do it for you.

Actually there is, but I'm not allowed to publicly link to it or mention the name as per the forum rules. That's because I'm the owner of said service. If you REALLY want to know about it, PM me

 

[ndine]

I rooted my phone partly for that reason, I wanted more storage, the other is because I needed better battery life. I would suggest rooting, since i've rooted I've had 50 downloaded apps on my phone and I still had a considerable amount of space left. Now I have 30 but I still have a lot of space left.

As per the sprint apps, if you root, like the person above said, you will not lose the apps. If you install a ROM then you will. However, I use Titanium backup and restore the Apps. I'm running GRom and still have telenav and Sprint TV.

The cool thing about GRom is that it has Rom Updater, so you don't have to download a zip, put it into the sd card, and flash through recovery. I does that for you. so there is no real manual update. You don't have to update if you don't want to.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[macmccune]

I believe when I first got my optimus, (before I rooted) there was (and still is) an option,
Under settings>applications, if you choose an app as if you were uninstalling it, you could move select apps to the SD card. You couldn't move all of them, but some of the 10+ MB ones really help cut down space internally. As far as rooting, you can do as much, or as little, to your phone as you like. Keep in mind it voids the warranty if you do root and install a custom recovery.
Sent from my LS670 using Tapatalk

 

[epidenimus]

It's worth it. If you are not comfortable carrying out the procedure by yourself, ask around, Android is popular. I find myself looking for people who want help rooting and would love to find someone who asked me about it first.

 

[VW Maverick]

The answer to your question is YES!!!!
The price of the phone was right (FREE). Rooting is free.
It's a no-brainer.
My suggestion is to have someone who has already done it, root it for you.
I am pretty technical, but did not want to brick it while trying it (for the first time) myself.

Rooting it will keep me satisfied until I am eligible for my 2 year upgrade next September.

Mav.

 

[itslikeimsayin]

Thanks for everyone's responses. A few follow-up questions:

How long does the whole process take to root and install a new ROM?
How does one "shop for"/compare available ROMs or decide which one is best for me?
There are seemingly countless threads/online tutorials on "how to root/install ROMs." Is there one you consider the best?

Thanks.

 

[hlxanthus]

Thanks for everyone's responses. A few follow-up questions:

How long does the whole process take to root and install a new ROM?
How does one "shop for"/compare available ROMs or decide which one is best for me?
There are seemingly countless threads/online tutorials on "how to root/install ROMs." Is there one you consider the best?

Thanks.

First off, stick with info that is strickly for the optimus s. You will get in trouble looking anywhere else, as what works for a different phone will not always work for us. As for which rom is right for you, always read through the prerequisites for each (expecially which baseband) and look for bug list and make sure any bugs are not deal breakers for you. For uber customization CyanogenMod 7 based roms are the way to go, but they tend to be the most buggy. Stock based roms like Reborn are a lot more stable, but are not for everyone. All versions of ZVH roms are plagued with thier own issues, derived from sprint/LG created problems (though not everyone seems to have them).

As for how long the rooting and rom'ing takes, count on about an hour once you have read up on everything and have a good handle on what you are doing.

For guides (all assuming you are on ZVD) -

To achieve root http://forums.androidcentral.com/lg...ot-utility-one-click-root-multi-platform.html

Flash custom recovery http://forums.androidcentral.com/lg...covery-xionia-clockwork-cwma-v1-2518-6-a.html

(I have not used this, but may be an option to achieve root and custom recovery http://forums.androidcentral.com/lg...-root-install-custom-recov-now-installer.html )

From there it is just following the methods within whatever rom you choose.

 

[twtippets]

Thanks for everyone's responses. A few follow-up questions:

How long does the whole process take to root and install a new ROM?
How does one "shop for"/compare available ROMs or decide which one is best for me?
There are seemingly countless threads/online tutorials on "how to root/install ROMs." Is there one you consider the best?

Thanks.

How long does it take? I have done it a few times now since my whole family got this phone, and I have it down to a science, so for me I can root and put a ROM on the phone in a little less than 30mins. Having said that, my first time took about 2 hours :-( and I talked my brother through it on the phone which took about two hours as well. Count on two hours or more because there is a little bit of set up you have to do on the computer.

ROM Shopping- probably the most fun part...you just look for ROM's I would suggest looking at the forum post that has the list of all the ROM's and look at the pages one by one and seeing which one suits you best.

Tutorial to Root/ROM- It will depend on your baseband if you go to settings>about phone it should say under baseband version LS670 and then three letters (ZVC, ZVD, or ZVH) once you know which base band you have search the forum for a how to root (insert your baseband ZVC, ZVD, or ZVH). If you have ZVD I highly recommend http://forums.androidcentral.com/lg...ot-utility-one-click-root-multi-platform.html it is the easiest.

 

[itslikeimsayin]

I'm on ZVH. I've been fortunate in that the Gingerbread update had no major negative impact on my phone. It has a few of the symptoms, but nothing that's a big deal.

Thanks again for the help.