Should I root my Galaxy Nexus? What are the pros?

[alexadigiacomo]

I'm a real newbie. I've never rooted or unlocked a phone in my life. I'm also pretty stupid w/ technology.

I love my Nexus. Never had an issue w/ the mic, signal issues or anything else people seem to have problems with.

I would like to have the most current Operating System such as Jellybean. I would like it if you guys told me what the benefits are of rooting. I'm aware it would void the warranty, yadda yadda yadda.

What are the pros and cons? I'm really on the fence here.

 

[gabbott]

For one, as you mentioned you want to try Jelly Bean, if you root you don't have to wait. On my Sprint gnex, JB runs great.

 

[dmmarck]

I'm a real newbie. I've never rooted or unlocked a phone in my life. I'm also pretty stupid w/ technology.

I love my Nexus. Never had an issue w/ the mic, signal issues or anything else people seem to have problems with.

I would like to have the most current Operating System such as Jellybean. I would like it if you guys told me what the benefits are of rooting. I'm aware it would void the warranty, yadda yadda yadda.

What are the pros and cons? I'm really on the fence here.

Please read my Don't Panic guide, located in my signature .

 

[Crossfire503]

I want to second reading the Don't Panic! guide.

The advantages are many. You can make full backups of your entire phone in case a software glitch screws you up. Many apps have additional root options, such as alternate launchers allowing widget adding through the app drawer. And, of course, there's the customization and ROM options, which it sounds like is a big motivation for you. If you want Jelly Bean now, you need to root. Additionally, from a personal development standpoint, you really learn a lot about how to use android. Iv'e learned more about organizing files and transferring them to my PC, and how to copy them back to the phone myself, then I ever would have guessed. You learn how to structure the files so that they work correctly, how to copy media back to the correct folders on the phone, and how to utilize recoveries like clockworkmod to really control your phone.

To briefly sum up the cons, there's a few tools out here that make most of the potential downsides less awful or mitigate them all-together. If you use Wugfresh's toolkit, you can back up and restore just about everything. This means that, when you unlock the bootloader and lose everything, you can at least get most of it back with a minimal amount of setting things up. Additionally, it takes all of the real guesswork out of installing PC drivers, which were never working correctly for me, but now are installed and perfect. And, as the Don't Panic! guide cannot stress enough, if you happen to brick your phone while flashing that much desired Jelly Bean, there's almost always a solution to the problem. Especially if you're going through the steps in the toolkit and clockworkmod, you'll always have a just-in-case available to you. Attention to details is a must, but If you read through the stickied guides and take things one step at a time, it's all good.

 

[greyhd]

Download Wug's kit, it makes rooting easy, just follow directions to a T. I rooted my GN and I had never done it before. Read dmmarck's guides before starting so you have an idea of what exactly the kit is doing. Once you are rooted, you do not have to wait for the Verizon OTA when JB is released after their testing.

 

[smokie11]

Your question only asks what are the pro's, I don't know if you care to know what can go wrong. My former phone the Fascinate I rooted to allow me to tether which is a necessity to me, the Nexus does not have such shortcomings. You stated that you have never rooted a phone before and that you are very happy with your Nexus; so it seems Jelly Bean is your reason for asking the question.

Jelly Bean is coming OTA and it will not require rooting, my personal opinion about rooting is that it should provide me a benefit I lack and need, otherwise I leave well enough alone. This is not intended to imply you should not root or that I will not root my Nexus in the future, if your curiosity about JB cannot wait than go for it. With me rooting is about filling a specific need. Whatever you decide I am sure the members of this forum will help you along the way.
Good Luck.

 

[jessthegirl]

i want to root my gnex! should i????????????????? im scared ill mess it up...and i am so STUPID at these thigs..never have i ever rooted before! what do i do???

 

[jessthegirl]

do you have any tips for "" me the dumb girl who dosent know what shes doing"" lol

 

[2defmouze]

do you have any tips for "" me the dumb girl who dosent know what shes doing"" lol

Yes.. Ask yourself why you would like to unlock and root..? If you don't have a good reason, then honestly you probably shouldn't bother. If you do, read some guides in the Rooting section. There are many guides and threads where you can get information, and you can find a plethora of info around Android Central Forums about what you can gain from rooting and whether you should or not. Sorry I'm away from a computer and can't link you now. After you do some research and learn a bit more, if you decide you would like to we can help you out

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[jessthegirl]

i honestly belive i do want to!!! but then theres the worry in the back of my mind that i will screw up everything..like i dont know how to back up my pics or numbers or anything like that...and i know you have to download somethings on your computer..idk!

 

[jessthegirl]

i honestly belive i do want to!!! but then theres the worry in the back of my mind that i will screw up everything..like i dont know how to back up my pics or numbers or anything like that...and i know you have to download somethings on your computer..

 

[2defmouze]

i honestly belive i do want to!!! but then theres the worry in the back of my mind that i will screw up everything..like i dont know how to back up my pics or numbers or anything like that...and i know you have to download somethings on your computer..

Pics and other sd card stuff you want to back up to your computer. When you connect and are browsing they are in the DCIM folder on your internal storage.

Contact info you just want to have attached to your main gmail account. If it currently isn't and is in verizons backup assistant you can import it:

Just sign into MyVerizon on computer, find online backup assistant, select all contacts, export as csv file. Log into Gmail, go to contacts, import the csv file. Set up your contacts, and when done you don't need verizons app again. Your contacts will sync to your phone as soon as you login to your Google account.



Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[EquiPro]

Hi. I realize that this is a Nexus phone forum, but I've gotten a lot of info here and you seem to reply quickly, so if you don't mind answering a couple of questions about rootinging my new Nexus 7 tablet, I would appreciate it.

I'm considering rooting my tab because I want to be able to use my Verizon Mifi with it to have internet access away from regular wifi. From what I'm able to find, I need to root this tab in order to do this.

I'm a relatively competent computer user, am able to follow good directions very carefully and feel that I'm able to follow the video provided in order to root my devise. I have watched the video very carefully several times, downloaded and installed the necessary files onto my computer's c-drive and am ready to go. My Nexus is only a few days old, so there isn't anything on it that I'm too worried about backing up. However, this brings me to question 1:

Even though this is a new devise with almost nothing on it, should I back it up? If so, how do I make sure that I've copied the correct files. I know that I read about a download that I should use, and I can do that. I just wanted to understand that I need to backup even a new devise.

Question 2: Once I've rooted this devise, will it behave as it does now? I'm only interested in rooting it for a couple of items and I would want it to behave like a new tablet with regards to being able to ad apps from Google Play and such. How will the rooted tablet behave differently from one that isn't rooted with regards to every day use?

Question 3: The most important reason for me to root this is to able to tether either my phone or my Mifi to it to have internet access to it away from wifi. Will rooting it allow me to do this?

BTW, as a side note, I read the terms dictionary carefully and several times. There was no definition for the word "flash" as used in these processes. I think that I understand it....does it mean that it is a way to add applications (ie: I'll have to flash Jelly Bean onto my tablet), similar to using the world "install" for programs on a computer? If so, then what does "flashing" your devise mean/ do?

Thanks for your help.

 

[stacman.nexus]

It's kind of a brainless proposition since it's so easy, and the benefits far outweigh anything else. Besides, the Smith's have already rooted theirs, so you have to keep up.

Use Wug's Toolkit (newest version 1.52) and follow the directions. You won't mess up, and you can always take it back to the stock configuration with the same toolkit. There's even a link on this forum where you can find the various carrier's stock ROMs in case you want to do that. I recommend making a backup of your current ROM before doing anything, and the toolkit will help you do that too.

 

[elranchero]

I rooted my Google Nexus 7 tablet.
The benefit I have got out of that is - I can connect an "on the go" mini-usb cable to a 64 gb usb stick and copy files back and forth to the Nexus 7. Also I can connect a USB keyboard and mouse to the Nexus7 - something I did once ,and never did again.
Just throwin in my 2 cents.
Harry

 

[mechapathy]

You don't need root to flash ROMs, tether or make nandroid backups. All you need is an unlocked bootloader so you can boot to an alternate recovery. Then you can flash the official ota if you want jelly bean. Native tethering can also be enabled without root, by flashing a file in the linked thread. Under mods.http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1860817

Check XDA for the Galaxy Nexus Toolkit, which makes booting to an alternate recovery, and many other operations, dead simple.

Root isn't for everyone. It gives some great advantages, but can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[TabGuy]

IMO, The big advantage to rooting is the ability to use Titanium Bakup.

 

[habanophile]

Follow Dmmarck's two sticky guides. Even a caveman could do it. You won't regret it. Happy Rooting!

 

[shadwe11]

How did you get on I'm thinking of doing this and wondered