Why should I root my Rezound?

[JeffDenver]

Thanks so much everyone for the feedback!!! Here are my hopefully final questions about rooting...

1) Backing up apps/important info on your SD card...how do you do this exactly? And should I remove the sd card before starting the process?

- Connect your phone to your computer and copy all your pictures/videos to the PC (they are stored in the DCIM folder).
- Backup your call and SMS logs (theapps I linked to earlier do this and are free).
- All your contacts should be saved in GMail already. You can verify this by simply logging into GMail on your PC and looking at your contacts. If they are only on your phone (and they shouldnt be IMO), back them up as well.
- You can probably backup your internet bookmarks...I have never done this because I dont care about them enough, but there is probably a way to do it in the browser.
- If you have eBooks or other media, you will need to back that up.
- You do not HAVE to remove the SD card...but if you dont, it will be wiped just like the internal memory. If you have stuff on it, its just easier to remove it. removing an SD card (or putting it back) should never ever screw up your phone. Android phones are all designed to work without any SD at all. It might potentially screw up an app you downloaded, but it wont mess with the phone.

2) Unlocking- This is the first process..can I delete bloatware doing just this step?

I dont think so...it is a pre-requisite for rooting. You need root access to mess with the System folder, and you will need to mess with the system folder to remove the bloat. Unlocking just allows you to root.

Unlocking is the part of the process that will wipe your phone. HTC does this on purpose for security reasons.

3) What does "flash" mean...and how do you do it?

Flashing is basically taking an image file and then wiping your phone and replacing it with that image.

4) I guess I have to install "Android SDK" on my computer before starting the process...there are two links for windows..do I DL them both? The instructions say i have to unzip them...how do you do that.

ZIP is a common compression program. It is like a suitcase where you can pack a bunch of different files together into one file. Unzipping takes all of the files out of the suitcase and makes them "normal" and separate again. Compression programs are used so that people can transport large amounts of files around as one file.

You can install ZIP programs (I used Winzip a lot, but WinRAR is another popular one and it will do ZIP files as well) - File Compression - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Download.com -

5) Future updates- So if I root my phone and ICS comes out, what happens?

If you mean the official Over The Air (OTA) update, it will probably install normally unless you have a custom ROM.

For the unlock process, I would NOT follow the instructions on Droid Forum...go directly to HTC's site and use THEIR instructions. HTC's own site has very good instructions. When you click "begin process" it will tell you what files you will need, and it will give you links to download them.

 

[not2gutta]

Oh ok thanks, I would like to root in order to get rid of the bloatware..noticed some lagging. Also I want to tether.

My main concern is doing the backup...I assumed that you would want to do this before any step, though it sounds like I do this backup DURING the process of rooting? Is backup there just to keep the bloatware? or to keep all the apps and setting you want to have incase something goes wrong?

 

[xxfallacyxx]

I'm hesitant to say the OTA will install without issue. While the manufacturer was different on the Droid X, Verizon has a stake in the apps that are installed on the phone when you buy it. With the DX, the OTA update would fail if you didn't have the bloat apps installed properly.

 

[JeffDenver]

In theory, OTA should work as long as the phone looks stock. Technically, Verizon does know when people unlock. They might exclude them from OTA. I doubt it, but it is possible.

At worst, you could always install the updates manually. I usually did that anyway, because OTA updates are deployed in waves (everyone doesnt get them at once) and I didnt want to wait. I think I remember getting prompts for OTA updates on my rooted and ROMed Droid 1.

 

[Dovahkiin]

I'm hesitant to say the OTA will install without issue. While the manufacturer was different on the Droid X, Verizon has a stake in the apps that are installed on the phone when you buy it. With the DX, the OTA update would fail if you didn't have the bloat apps installed properly.

Same thing would happen with my Droid.
I'm 99% certain that the OTA will fail unless all pre-loaded apps (bloat or not) are on the phone at the time of updating. The bloat apparently becomes "optimized" to work with whatever update the OTA is pushing, so it needs to be installed.
At least this is my understanding of it. I wouldn't be surprised an OTA simply checked to see if the bloat was installed and then said "Screw this guy!" when it noticed you removed it.

 

[xxfallacyxx]

Hmmm, from my experience on the DX I can tell you that while on the stock ROM, you would get the update notification and the update would download. However(!), if you had removed certain apps (amazon mp3, VZW Navigator, anything that VZW had a stake in) when you go to update the phone, the update process checked to see if those apps were installed an functioning properly on the phone. If they were not, then the update process would abort.

Reasons why I did away with the stock ROM lol

 

[not2gutta]

Thanks again for the great info!! I am a bit hesitant of rooting due to the fear of not being able to get ICS in the near future. I understand you can perhaps install a ROM that would provide ICS though would it function as well as the official update(such as encountering bugs or something)? I was considering of using the "cleanrom"..tho I would hate to jeopardize my phone of never getting ICS lol. Weird the bloatware would have such impact on the OTA update, being the nexus is free from bloatware n so on(though I understand the phones differences lol). Again, thanks so much for tips!

 

[buckifvr]

So I backup my apps and data using Titanium Backup Pro and used it to uninstall all the bloatware. If an "Official" ICS OTA update became available, do you thinkTitanium Backup Pro would restore the bloatware to proper working order, so the OTA update would work?

 

[xxfallacyxx]

The reason there is bloatware: Money. Companies pay Verizon money to ensure that their apps are on our phones. Verizon likes money, so Verizon is absolutely okay with forcing us to have those apps on our phone, even if it deviously means halting our OTA update process.

 

[Dovahkiin]

So I backup my apps and data using Titanium Backup Pro and used it to uninstall all the bloatware. If an "Official" ICS OTA update became available, do you thinkTitanium Backup Pro would restore the bloatware to proper working order, so the OTA update would work?

Titanium Backup has a restore function. Just make sure you backup whatever it is that you wish to keep.

 

[JeffDenver]

If you are at all uncertain, then do not root or unlock. Once you unlock, you can never go back.

 

[buckifvr]

Titanium Backup has a restore function. Just make sure you backup whatever it is that you wish to keep.

Yeah, I did that prior to debloating, and I knew Titanium Backup has a restore function, I just didn't know if after you restore whether the bloat is functional or corrupt in some way. I'd assume it is completely functional.

 

[xxfallacyxx]

It should restore it to the way it was prior to you uninstalling it, so one would assume functional.

 

[JeffDenver]

I just found this article on Gizmodo - 10 Reasons to Root Your Android Device

 

[not2gutta]

Nice-thanks Jeff for the great help...I'm thinking of waiting for the ICS update to come before I root this baby!!! wooo

 

[buckifvr]

I just found this article on Gizmodo - 10 Reasons to Root Your Android Device

Jeff thats a pretty good, concise article, Thank you for pointing it out.

 

[xxfallacyxx]

One thing to consider is once ICS drops on the Rezound, there is most likely going to be another waiting period before root for the OTA update is achieved.

 

[buckifvr]

So if we are rooted but install and OTA we need to reroot? But the bootloader remains unlocked?

 

[xxfallacyxx]

Yes, the bootloader *should* remain unlocked.

From my experiences with having a rooted Droid X, any OTA update contained a patch for whatever root method was used, and reset superuser access(remove root). It was usually a little while before another exploit was found which allowed root. For DX users once Gingerbread was released, you have to SBF(flash) back to 2.2, root, and then install a rooted version of 2.3 instead of accepting the OTA update.)

 

[MrSmith317]

So if we are rooted but install and OTA we need to reroot? But the bootloader remains unlocked?

An OTA can do any number of things to you, including relock the bootloader. However with HTC's current stance on unlocking I'd assume we'll be ok there. As far as rooting, it all depends on whether we get an incremental or full update. Having never gone through an HTC OTA, I couldn't say but chances are we will need to re-root.