yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] GeekMcLeod:
I've only owned nexus and pixel phones and rooted every single one. Never even had a second thought to root my 6t. I probably would have been happy without root but I'm happier with it.

I love having substratum, adaway and viper4android. I agree it is quite tedious to update but I can live with it for the added benefit of the 3 apps I listed. Haven't even updated to oos 9.0.5 yet.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] coolguy:
Does anyone of these roots make it faster and more clean guis?
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] GeekMcLeod:
They don't make it any faster, but I don't feel the need for it to be any faster. Looks cleaner, to me, with substratum because everything is dark.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] coolguy:
The theme dark mode is already all dark right?
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Nosferatu.:
I use Blockada. I also have NordVPN which can block adds for me as well but that's a paid service. I use it for when travelling. I like that the "key" icon for the VPN running is hidden thanks to the notch. Coming from a 5T where there was no notch I had to have root to remove that icon as it's non-removable from the stock settings control panel.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] JedixJarf:
Only 2 reasons I still root.

Making backups with titanium backups on a schedule (don't want to lose my google authenticator and its billion codes), and adaway.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] nrage23:
I rooted just so I could black out my theme. Since Google felt the need to lock down themeing in Pie.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Poloasis:
Having root or no root is subjective and depends on what you do. Me personally I have more than 11 apps that needs root, TiB, V4A, AdBlocker kernel management are some that I use. The phone is fast and clean, with root it can be faster and cleaner.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] GeekMcLeod:
I didn't use it but I doubt it themes as much as substratum does.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] tk8lm6:
I only see Blockada DNS changer in the play store. Is there another app named Blockada that does AdBlocking? The only reason I root at this point is for AdAway. I'd like to have a solid alternative.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] EduardoZ714:
Yea I don't see a huge importance anymore on rooting my phone. I used to root my phones to get rid of bloat and have that pure android experience. OP already gives you that.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] tech_head:
I root so I can backup and restore data via Titanium.

Also I want to use a system wide ad blocker.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Incredible_Culp:
Have to get it through their website :good:

https://blokada.org/index.html
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Nosferatu.:
https://energized.pro/

https://xdaforums.com/android/software-hacking/energized-protection-ad-porn-malware-t3803773

The energized site is down for the next day or so but look up Energized on XDA. You can get Blokada on F-Droid. You're not going to find it in the Play Store. I found Blokada worked better than the DNSFilter app in said thread. System-wide ad blocking with either that or my paid VPN = no need to root for me.

The neat thing about Blokada vs the version of Adaway I used when on root is that I can whitelist particular apps that require a stock host file. Titanium Backup is nice and missed but I rarely used it. Plus if there's issues I prefer a clean install rather than injecting data. I prefer TWRP's backups over Titanium but that's a different topic of discussion.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] ram4ufriends:
To install Stereo Speaker mod..
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] tk8lm6:
Thanks. I guess I didn't realize that if you want to use this or Adguard DNS based as blocking, you can't easily use your third party VPN app (in my case ProtonVPN)

I guess I need to do some more homework.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] CodeRR:
I recieved my OP6t today and the first thing i did was unlock the BL and root it. After that i thought why. And the only thing worth rooting and losing L1 Widevine is AdAway.

5 min later, i flashed stock recovery and locked the bootloader so i can watch Netflix in HD ?

I only used Magisk and TWRP on my 5t for

- Stereo Speaker Mod (6t Speaker are awesome without Mod)

- AdAway (Just use a VPN service if you want or just use an ad block browser if the websites you use bombs you with ads, in app ads are more or less ok for me)

- Nandroid Backups (What should happen if you have everything stock ?)

- Youtube Vanced (just use the non-root Version with the right MicroG Apk)

- Viper4Android (i didn't used it anyway)

So, now full stock, always up to date without reflashing Magisk and so on. ?
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] wangdak:
You can, if you are rooted ;)
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Nosferatu.:
Correct. I don't use my paid VPN unless I'm on public wifi or international and want to be back in USA. I use it more heavily on my PC but for mobile I have both as a clickable toggle. See below. Bottom row "active" is Blokada and "quick connect" is my NordVPN. I can swipe down and toggle one off and one on and be switched in seconds. It's not that big of a deal.

Your thought process is exactly my thought process I went through. I was able to emulate system-wide adblocking and get iTYBP running. Themes and Titanium Backup was it. ViperAudio will be missed but the OP buds + phone don't match my desktop based dedicated DAC/AMP so if I truly want good sound I go there. Otherwise, there were other little "tweaks" I had root apps for but they certainly aren't missed and weren't deal breakers.

If someone can figure out how to keep L1 provision with an unlocked bootloader then I would be more inclined to root it again.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Frankenscript:
Titanium. Not sure how I would move appdata to new phone without it. Some Apps like Angry Birds2 don't have an obvious way to Port to new phone unless you use Facebook (I don't).
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] pkadavid:
I'm in the no-root camp. Since my previous phone (Moto Z Play), I didn't feel a need to root. It just took up too much time with little added benefit that I could fill with much more useful activities. It was fun to mess around with root for a while, but I just grew out of it.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Lost Dog:
I was pondering this myself as well....

First thing I did when I got my phone yesterday was root and flash Magisk. I then set up the phone and was amazed to find that 95% of my apps imported the settings and accounts. The ones that didn't import were easy to do manually without the need for Titanium. AdAway is the one root app I really care about, but at home I run a network wide ad block on my router (Diversion) and when I travel I have a travel router that I connect through for secure browsing to my home network (which then has the ad blocking).

I no longer use the Google Authenticate, in favour of FreeOPT (which with a minimal bit of effort you can back up your keys).

I'm seriously considering just going back to stock with locked bootloader and not have to mess with Magisk hide and the impending games of finding workarounds when Google plugs security holes.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Nosferatu.:
The OnePlus switch app worked great for me. Shockingly dumping stuff from my 5T to 6T it took almost everything with it like a Titanium Backup. It even dropped my audio, pictures, and other things straight over from internal storage. :good:
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Vodderz:
I know what you mean. I've found that, over time, I'm less interested in keeping up with the next update of a custom ROM, waiting for issues to be fixed and living with workarounds, substratum overlays breaking etc. I'm more interested in having a stable device that works first time, all of the time. That being said, I still rooted my 6T as soon as it was out of the box. For me, the audio mods that Magisk provides are too good to miss out on, as well as a custom kernel, systemised Cerberus, Titanium and AdAway.

I will be sticking on OxygenOS though. I didn't give it a chance on the 3T, I moved straight into custom ROMs. It wasn't until I got the 6 that I stuck with OxygenOS and quickly learned how stable and snappy it was.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] magnumtripod:
Before this phone I had the Google pixel. I bought it straight from Google and it came bloat free so I didn't feel the need to root.

This phone is from T mobile and has a few things on here I don't want, so i would like to root just for titanium backup. That's about it. If rooting is going to mess up Google pay or any future updates, I'll just forget about it though
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] imatts:
The 6T is the first phone I havent rooted straight out of the box. Not because root advantges have non-root alternatives, but because ive just grown out of it, and most of the stuff I did root for, are included in custom roms which are no linger exclusive to root.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Crazywhitie:
Blockada doesn't work will for me.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Nosferatu.:
Unlocking your bootloader (required to root) breaks Widevine DRM. It'll drop phone from L1 to L3 provision. That means no HD content for DRM content. Popular ones being Netflix and YouTube TV. For those reasons I've kept mine root-free. The day someone can figure out how to not trip Widevine and make the device drop from L1 provision to L3 provision is the day I'll consider unlocking the bootloader again (and therefore getting root).
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] tech_head:
Neither is an issue for me.

I don't use them.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] phillymade:
I'm with the OP. There was a time when I would not consider a device that could not be rooted, but those days appear to be over. The last device I had that was rooted was my Nexus 6P. Since then I have had three devices that had no root, Huawie Mate 9, Mate 10 Pro and the TMO LG G7 (not to mention lack of dev support). I have learned that all the contributions from this community and others like it, are the reason I don't feel the need to root. Android has come a long way and many of the mod's I rooted for no longer need root (there baked in or have stand alone apps that only need a simple adb permission). Don't get me wrong, I had fun with it and learned a lot along the way, but at this point in my life, I want stability and don't feel like going through the process of backing up, unlocking, flashing, rooting, restoring, workarounds and all. Perhaps one day I may root this device as I still have my G7, but for now, I don't feel the need, but it's fun to follow along and see whats going on.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] TheKnux:
What settings do you use for Blockada?
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Nosferatu.:
Black List - Toggle "Energized Blu (recommended)"

White List - Setup apps you don't want to adblock. For example, my media apps like NBCSports and one of my work apps require exceptions in the host file so I just don't let it adblock those particular apps. YMMV.

Default DNS remained untouched

Notifications off

Advanced settings - update weekly and start on boot

Lastly, go into phone settings and set this app to "not optimize"

Enjoy system-wide ad-blocking with no notifications (aka seamless) :cool:
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] amg83:
The t-mo variant 6t is the first OP I've not rooted out of the box. I used TitaniumBackup for certain apps but they aren't deal breakers. I like having the option for the freedom but I don't think I will be rooting this one. That's the first phone in many years that I haven't rooted. I've had every generation of OP and honestly after they brought the Paranoid Android team in house to develop OOS (I used PA almost exclusively before that) I haven't felt a need to get a custom rom or a custom kernel. All the reasons I had to root have been solved by OP bringing in 3rd party rom devs to make official like 3rd party with all the customizations that come with that.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] borijess:
No
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] TheKnux:
Sent you a PM.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] JoaoVr:
The OP6T will be the first phone I will not ROOT, so far so good except the lack of proper ad-blocking, Blockada makes my internet surfing sooo slow.... Any fast alternatives?
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] havis23:
The first thing i did to OP6T out of the box was unlock the bootloader. I didn't root or flash twrp or do anything else even if i can.

Reason? because i didn't feels that i need YET.. so when the times comes for me to do so, i can straight up do so without fearing i would need to unlock the bootloader and lose all my data again.

And about DRM stuff, i dont watch movies on phone or tablet, so no HD is fine for me, and 720p for youtube is enough for me too
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Josh McGrath:
The second biggest I root is for Xprivacy(LUA). There's absolutely zero reason angry birds or some stupid app like that needs my contacts, phone number, Imei, wifi network name, call log, location, etc and Google only let's you turn off some of those
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] jcasares:
I rooted all my android phones but the last two ones. The 3T and now 6T will remain forever without root. There are two things to consider:

1. Android is quite mature now and there are not many (important) things you need root for.

2. Rooting gives you headaches, but mostly what is associated with it. You mostly do it to experiment, use other ROMs, try hacks... I found myself at a point in time I don't want to continue wasting time on that. It could be different for you.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] NAB4:
I've arrived at the same place. I did root my 3T and I'm not finding any benefits to rooting the 6T. However, I do like having an option to do so, if I wanted to.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Nosferatu.:
There's also different layers of "security." You cannot have you cake and eat it too.

Like the other guy said, you can root, and gain more control of your device to revoke permissions and whatnot. Okay, more secure. On the flip side, having root inherently introduces a security risk. Someone with some expertise could get themselves in front of a computer with my device and find a way in. Without root and the bootloader locked you can try all day (even with brute force but no simple PIN here) but if you want to try and root and get in you'll have to unlock my bootloader. Device formats. :cool:

As the OP, 3 weeks on, I still don't miss root at all. Having gone through a few updates (currently on 9.0.6) I must say it's nice just seamlessly updates and reboots without any drama. No having to check substratum themes, magisk modules, etc. etc. etc. I do enjoy reading the threads and see where the development goes. I've said it before, if they can figure out a way to get L1 Widevine DRM encryption to work on a device with an unlocked bootloader will be the day I'll consider rooting it yet again.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] deadzombieseverywhere:
I had to have Swift Theme Installer. Stock OP theming only works for OP apps and even then a few areas aren't blacked out that you'd expect, most noticeably on the quick drawer.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] sssarg:
The only bad thing with root is the unlocked bootloader message during boot, and that's just annoying and has no impact whatsoever on anything else.

As for OTA updates, with a fast enough internet the difference in updating is minutes, during which time you're likely doing something else anyway. Sure, it's 2 more steps in Magisk to make it work (restore images and then install on other partition before rebooting), but that's seconds.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Josh McGrath:
The issue there is that yes root makes it much easier to get your info or load malware etc, but if a professional or someone who really knows what they're doing, then they are getting in anyway. I don't really care if law enforcement or the like want in my phone, they'd be really bored. I just don't want it to be free and open by Joe blow if I lose my phone which it is not. So I'll stick with root for now :)

Plus you can't even securely wipe a file on Android without root, which is a very stupid limitation in itself.

Edit: also I can't even run a decent adblocker and my VPN at the same time, so adblocking is no 1 for me
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] tk8lm6:
As someone else pointed out, some VPNs (TorGuard for example) allows you to set an ad blocking DNS server, obviating the need for an ad blocker so that prevents you from running your VPN
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Josh McGrath:
I actually use torguard and it didn't work at all for blocking ads so I had to use blockada for now

Spoke too soon...I didn't have it activated. Thanks man!!
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] xrelic7:
I root for the sole purpose of getting rid of ads on browser and youtube but i also like the fact that i can change almost everything about my device roms/kernels/etc

if i had a bloated phone/samsung i would def root so i can debloat all that junk that comes preinstalled
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] soundneedle:
I was using note 9 before switching to OP6t. Prior to the note, always rooted. Thought the note had enough "features" to make rooting unnecessary. Got the OP. Rooted. Holy ****. cannot live without root!

Adaway (but used adhell on note)

Nothing comparable on non-rooted:

Viper4Android (EVERYTHING sounds a billion times better---phone speaker, BT speakers/earphones, etc)

GMD Gestures (love gesturing letters to launch apps/shortcuts/tasker---draw c to launch chrome, etc.)

Bonus:

CarStream for youtube/plextv on my car's android auto
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] dannejanne:
You grow out of rooting sooner or later. I did that a few years ago already. Mobiles are good enough out-of-box today for the most part so I gain nothing at all with root. I did it for Viper4Android mostly earlier but I don't think it's needed now on many phones.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] sruel3216:
This is exactly me lol. Got a note 9 and sold after 3 weeks and so happy to have root on OP
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] KOLIOSIS:
The reasons people root their phones are numerous.

The fact that you choose to no longer do is fine, your phone, your choice.

However, the view that it's something you grow out of is laughable at best, as if it's an affliction, or something seedy, etc....

Perhaps there should be a sub-section in the OP6T forums specifically for unrooted users, lest you should have to mingle with the unwashed masses who mod their devices...... ?
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Harmtan2:
I root for Adaway & Network Signal Guru. I'm a giant nerd with signal watching. Especially in new B71 areas. I like to know what I'm conected to & what the bandwidth is. Haven't figured out how to do that through any sort of engineering mode via the dialer. Otherwise, I probably would just call it a day using blokada for adblocking instead of Adaway.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] KOLIOSIS:
Try the apps CellMapper & LTE Discovery, if you haven't already.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Harmtan2:
I'll toy with them. I tried in the past and they didn't give me any Carrier Aggregation information. Have you found those in there?
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] __NBH__:
I ran my 6T unrooted for about 2 weeks but then decided to root, mainly for swift themes as I like a black theme on my phone. I also added viper, Greenify and adaway.

I just think it's sad that Google feels the need to block themes in pie for unrooted users. If I wanted a phone that looks like everyone else's I would get an iPhone :silly:. Why is it so bad that people want to customise their phone and have it look the way they want?
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Koont:
Yeah, rooting does seem useless since all the advantages are now on the non root side of things. But, there's one major reason to root, for me. And it's for going googleless with Nanodroid. I've got my LG V20 that way and will more then likely get this OP6t there too. Exiting the Matrix
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Nosferatu.:
Losing Widevine L1 provision with unlocked bootloader so not exactly no impact. :)
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] sssarg:
Magisk takes care of that, doesn't it?
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Striatum_bdr:
No, it's a hardware based 'feature' that can't be bypassed by software
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] sssarg:
So what consequences of that are there? Anything that actually impacts anyone?
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Striatum_bdr:
Low res Netflix and 720P YouTube. Google it
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] sssarg:
I'm pretty sure I read that Magisk or something took care of that.

Otherwise it would be strange, considering I've got an unlocked bootloader and can watch 1080p video on youtube just fine.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Nosferatu.:
No there isn't a Magisk module that fixes it.

YouTube itself works fine, there's no DRM based encryption.

YouTube TV

DOES

use Widevine DRM encryption and your device will only do 480p @ 30 FPS. I could care less it's not 720p/1080p but I do care about the frame rate drop from 60 FPS.

Netflix, Amazon Prime video, and anything else that uses the encryption will not work in HD resolutions once the bootloader is unlocked. There is NO software solution.

EDIT: Here if you're bored...I posted about this a LONG time ago.

https://xdaforums.com/oneplus-6/help/windvine-drm-compatibility-t3793475
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Josh McGrath:
I don't know what you're talking about because my stock 6t is L1 and my rooted all to hell with magisk with Xposed and everything V30 H932 is also L1

V30 is version 1 and on oreo

6t is version 14 and Pie. Kinda weird but it's still L1 on both

And I was even running YoutubeTv for a while on my v30 and running at 1080p constantly. Somewhere along the lines some information about widevine got crossed. We need to clear this up somehow
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] knedge:
For system-wide ad blocking without root, I am using BlockAda, a free app.

Just got my 6t. I don't think there is a valid reason to root except for TiBU, may favourite backup app.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Nosferatu.:
Sorry bud unlocking bootloader downgrades provision to L3 on just about any modern phone that's easily rooted (Pixel, OnePlus, etc). The DRM keys become unreadable. You will not get L1 provisioned content once it's unlocked. You can relock the bootloader and read them again and reacquire L1.

I'm all ears if you think you have the solution but it clearly isn't there. Sign up for a free trial of YouTube TV and your max resolution on your rooted device will be 480p @ 30 FPS.

My wife's OnePlus 6 out of the box played fine 720p@60 and 1080p@60. I rooted it and bam 480@30 and dropped to L3. She likes her dark themes and doesn't use YouTube TV so she's happy with where it's at.

Anyways, in no particular order...here's a few topics on Widevine with OnePlus.

https://forums.oneplus.com/threads/...ere-any-way-to-have-l1-on-custom-roms.839791/

https://xdaforums.com/oneplus-6/help/l1-drm-unlocked-bootloader-t3825275

https://www.reddit.com/r/oneplus/comments/8lwcsk/widevine_on_oneplus_6/

https://forums.oneplus.com/threads/closed-widevine-drm-on-op6.815683/page-2#post-18477195
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] SrbinYU:
Oxygenos is great and has al the features i need, last couple of years i only rooted for adaway but blokada is just fine, so no need for root anymore.
[OnePlus 6T  Questions & Answers] Archer:
Dude, this is twice I've had to point out to you that there's a report button on every post. Please don't try to back-seat mod. It's rude and gets nothing done. Trust the mods and let THEM know - they'll deal with problems appropriately. Thanks :)

Back on topic, I've not rooted a phone for ages now. The fact that I have about 5 or 6 different banking/financial apps is my main reason, but the OS has come on so well over the years that the things I used to root for I no longer need. I'm not even interested in custom ROMs any more, and find myself wanting a more and more pure Android experience with each device. That's the main reason I'm with OnePlus and will probably stick with them for the foreseeable future.

tl;dr No.