Is root required?

[Capone76]

Hi guys Im just trying to find out if our Nexus has to remain rooted after flashing a ROM? And can we unroot the phone in supersu and still flash ROMs?

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[syndicate0017]

I know you can flash a pre-rooted ROM while unrooted (and unlocked) to gain root, but I'm not sure if you can wipe /data and /system from recovery while unrooted, which is what you would need to do to flash a new ROM. Why do you feel it's necessary to unroot?

 

[cupfulloflol]

Hi guys Im just trying to find out if our Nexus has to remain rooted after flashing a ROM? And can we unroot the phone in supersu and still flash ROMs?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Droid Forums

You can unroot and still flash ROMs, as flashing only depends on you having a custom recovery. You may lose some functionality of the ROM without root though.

I also am a little curious as to why you would want to unroot.

 

[tgyberg]

Yea, Y U No want superuser privileges?

 

[xDMONEYx]

Once you unlock and root once, you void the warranty. Which voiding the warranty is the only disadvantage of rooting this phone, since it is unbrickable. If you're gonna root, might as well stay that way. Since the only reason not to has already taken effect the first time.

 

[tgyberg]

Once you unlock and root once, you void the warranty. Which voiding the warranty is the only disadvantage of rooting this phone, since it is unbrickable. If you're gonna root, might as well stay that way. Since the only reason not to has already taken effect the first time.

Right. Make sure you call vzw and tell them that you rooted because that it the only way they could find out! :biggrin:

 

[xDMONEYx]

Right. Make sure you call vzw and tell them that you rooted because that it the only way they could find out! :biggrin:

There's that point. Because you can always unroot and relock if you ever have to return it for a warranty issue. They'll never know, and probably wouldn't even if you left it rooted and unlocked on a stock ROM.

 

[Capone76]

Hey guys I'm simply thinking for security purposes. My thought was a unrooted phone was more secure. Thanks for all the advice.

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[zomnomnombie]

Hey guys I'm simply thinking for security purposes. My thought was a unrooted phone was more secure. Thanks for all the advice.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Droid Forums

An unrooted phone can technically be more secure. But the only way a rooted phone would be less secure is if you gave an app superuser and it was malicious. A malicious app that is meant to utilize superuser permissions is more dangerous. Although you probably wouldn't install such an app much less give it SU unless you were sure about its designs,

 

[Capone76]

Very good point. Now do ROMs have permissions?

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[zero7404]

An unrooted phone can technically be more secure. But the only way a rooted phone would be less secure is if you gave an app superuser and it was malicious. A malicious app that is meant to utilize superuser permissions is more dangerous. Although you probably wouldn't install such an app much less give it SU unless you were sure about its designs,

this is the reason why i use ota rootkeeper. i run my fone on the stock os, unrooted, backed up su with rootkeeper, then i root only when i want to do something that requires the fone be rooted, like titanium backup, changing a system file or something else.

a malicious app that can access the phone's data and hardware is not something i want to deal with when i use google wallet, password managers, email, etc .... basically my private info ....

posted via android ....

 

[jetguat]

this is the reason why i use ota rootkeeper. i run my fone on the stock os, unrooted, backed up su with rootkeeper, then i root only when i want to do something that requires the fone be rooted, like titanium backup, changing a system file or something else.

a malicious app that can access the phone's data and hardware is not something i want to deal with when i use google wallet, password managers, email, etc .... basically my private info ....

posted via android ....

I want to do something very similar. I'm ok with the stock Vzw ICS ROM. but i do want to do a factory reset and recover some apps that have private data. so I'm thinking that I need to root to be able to backup stuff with titanium. But once I'm dont backing up, doing the factory reset, then restoring apps, I want to go back to normal operations (dont think I need root). But I DO want to receive future OTA updates. Not clear if I will or will not. Not sure if haveing root access changes that. Do you now?

Does it matter which root method you use to do what you did above. I dont know much about rootkeepr or how you backup as you suggest. Canyou provide more pointers?

 

[syndicate0017]

I want to do something very similar. I'm ok with the stock Vzw ICS ROM. but i do want to do a factory reset and recover some apps that have private data. so I'm thinking that I need to root to be able to backup stuff with titanium. But once I'm dont backing up, doing the factory reset, then restoring apps, I want to go back to normal operations (dont think I need root). But I DO want to receive future OTA updates. Not clear if I will or will not. Not sure if haveing root access changes that. Do you now?

Does it matter which root method you use to do what you did above. I dont know much about rootkeepr or how you backup as you suggest. Canyou provide more pointers?

You would still get OTA updates if you were rooted (the OTA would just patch root). The only way you wouldn't get an OTA update after being rooted is if you removed something from /system/app, flashed a ROM or kernel or changed basebands, or froze the SDM updater. The OTA root keeper he mentions is really easy...once you gain root, run the app and back up your root privileges. Then once you want to regain root you just click (I think) "restore root" or something along those lines.

I would suggest unlocking your bootloader, but it's entirely up to you (as it wipes internal storage). If you want to root with a locked bootloader then follow this tutorial.

[HOW-TO] [GSM & CDMA] How to root without unlocking bootloader (for ITL41D to JRO03O) - xda-developers

 

[jetguat]

You would still get OTA updates if you were rooted (the OTA would just patch root). The only way you wouldn't get an OTA update after being rooted is if you removed something from /system/app, flashed a ROM or kernel or changed basebands, or froze the SDM updater. The OTA root keeper he mentions is really easy...once you gain root, run the app and back up your root privileges. Then once you want to regain root you just click (I think) "restore root" or something along those lines.

I would suggest unlocking your bootloader, but it's entirely up to you (as it wipes internal storage). If you want to root with a locked bootloader then follow this tutorial.

[HOW-TO] [GSM & CDMA] How to root without unlocking bootloader (for ITL41D to JRO03O) - xda-developers

I will read the post you mention. A followup came to mind reading your reply. If I'm rooted. and I install the OTA root keeper. I understand you say i will backup root privledges. But you say if I want to regain root.. I just click. what would cause me to loose root? a new OTA itself? or is there some way to transition switch from root to unroot?

 

[syndicate0017]

I will read the post you mention. A followup came to mind reading your reply. If I'm rooted. and I install the OTA root keeper. I understand you say i will backup root privledges. But you say if I want to regain root.. I just click. what would cause me to loose root? a new OTA itself? or is there some way to transition switch from root to unroot?

An OTA would cause you to lose root or if you temp unroot with root keeper (which would be the easy transition between root and no root you mention).

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