yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] mrbonine:
I have rooted Samsung s III, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10e, 20. The substantial tradeoff for Exnos rooting on 9 and 10e, sluggish and short battery life plus the complex rooting procedure was daunting. But all my soft-brick efforts were resolved with patience and help from XDA, a few grumps but mostly help.

The S20 is the best phone I've ever owned, but my rooted one got smashed and the new one: locked bootloader. Can't find a another device that fits, except the mortgage-priced Sony Xpedia high end, which simply don't deliver 2x value for 2x price

I stuck with stock, froze any system app that I could that didn't want and did regular cleanups with SD Maid. Did backups using TWRP when available (restored successfully 2 or 3 times). Magisk made life easier (for me) and added some capability with root apps (steam audio all protocols) with Air Music. i never did kernel pr other tweaks because I knew nothing of the consequences. I likes access to entire file system on several good apps. I decided today I need rooted device and that the restrictions are violating my rights to use my phone. I'm looking at Xaomi 7i lite, but it's likely too big. All I want is good water protection, removable data, headphone jack, and performance I can boost by freezing system apps & blocking their autostart. Locked bootloaders have devs moving off Samsung and they don't care - the secure xaction stuff I don't need or use. NFC with an app for car charging works great.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] spjetrovic:
I wish Google would make a smartphone with Samsung quality hardware and Google software. Why should rooting have to be a compromise. F*** the machine.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] q2n:
At this snapshot in time, rooting has become an on/off task: Root for system-level ops, then unroot for normal use. Rinse and repeat.

This because many apps, banking and other financial in particular, now have code that targets Magisk (and other rooting methods) directly.

Passing the safetynet check used to provide assurance that all apps would play nice. Now, many throw the 'Sorry, we don't run on rooted devices' error and close. Makes one want to yell out "POS! It's my phone and my risk so I get to be the one to choose which apps run!"

But so far, none of the institutions have altered their apps to allow their customers the choice. Instead, they seem to be getting more restrictive.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] bobby janow:
Because as soon as your bank account has been wiped out, your Amazon account hacked, PayPal, Ebay the first one you call is the bank and scream fraud why didn't you protect me. And more often than not you are protected up to a certain amount and they have to refund the money or make good. So you do not get to choose what apps will run on a rooted phone unless you can figure out how to legally remove all liability from the companies and have them agree to it. You need to play by the rules.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] q2n:
Haha! But isn't everyone who roots going at least a little rogue?

Point well taken on liabilities, the rationale for excluding rooted phones being the same from the beginning (of the practice). Two thoughts:

If I'm willing to assume the risks and, the worst outcome harms only me, should any institution be able to override my choice? (They clearly do already; the question is whether this is right.)

Many unrooted Chinese phones, I believe, are sending personal data right to the CCP and their minions. Why are these phones not excluded?

The bottom line is, I think, that a more comprehensive threat detection mechanism is needed to target phones for exclusion. Simply being rooted is, in the vast majority of cases, a false positive. Not saying that I have the answer, just that a better one is needed.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] bobby janow:
Can't argue with you about personal data being leaked across the board. It's troublesome at best. But as for you assuming the risk, is that really true when you are protected from fraud by the bank itself? It's their risk and it harms them not really you past perhaps $50 fee. I don't think phones are safe for transactions in banking apps and things like that but then it's the choice of the institution and thus not your liability if they make it available. As long as you are not rooted. lol.

Thing is there are ways around even a secure non rooted device but rooting just opens a hole large enough for a truck to drive through. So I agree, there needs to be better security and threat detection other than an unlocked bootloader and root access. Until that time the best they can do is what they are now doing it seems. I just did not feel it was worth it for the small amount of benefit to root the device and give up access to GPay, banking (2FA) and financial accounts. But at least for now you can do what you want with the device excluding a few things. I have a feeling that will change in the not too distant future but that's for another discussion.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] Nergal di Cuthah:
I think you guys are overthinking it. The apps can't tell if you've chosen to root or if a malicious app has rooted your phone. The same reason google splahes a screen about bootloader is unlocked, we all know our bootloader is unlocked, it's to warn those who have been compromised
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] q2n:
Overthinking? Moi? Never! :D :poop: :D
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] Guyinlaca:
My biggest frustration with the Pixel 6 Pro is that Google made some odd choices with Android 12 that require root to fix. I have not rooted yet because I'm waiting for a more stable version of Android 12. How hard would it be to add a normal looking Always on Display and Lockscreen like they had in Android 11? Why are there 3 different fonts used in the UI (Roboto, Product Sans, Google Sans) with no ability to choose a unified font? How hard would it be to add more adaptive color options? Stock Android 11 was "boring" but it had a clean base for adding features on top. With Samsung, it's the reverse, as you're given every feature and option without root, but end up having to disable all the bloat.

I unlocked the bootloader on my OnePlus 8 Pro and root was great...until an update was required. One had to disable all Magisk modules, make sure both slots were on compatible firmware, update, then reflash the modules. It's certainly more maintenance and time consuming than rooting was on the Nexus 6 and earlier. Every time you boot your phone, you are greeted with 10 second unlocked bootloader warning. Make sure that's worth it.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] billa:
Swift Backup may not be for everyone because backups are encrypted using your Google login.

If you lose access to the Google account for whatever reason which was used for the backups, you'd lose your backups. Personally I prefer to have offline access to all my backups. Here's what one of the reviews said:

Feature-wise, it's now better than Titanium Backup, and it works with modern android packages. It also backups and restores package permissions and WiFi networks. BUT all backups are forcibly encrypted, and the app won't let you have the encryption key. That key is tied to your Google account. So if Swift Backup would stop being updated, or you lose control of your Google account, your backups are useless. For this reason, not a serious backup solution. It also requires network connectivity.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] Nergal di Cuthah:
Just realized i left tasker off my list of essential needs of rooting
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] fuarkgl3:
I rooted every phone i owned since nexus 5 until p6pro, mainly to use AOSP ROMs and have gpay working but with pissel? Not worth the hassle

I host my own private DNS server which is miles better than adaway since i can exclude or block any domain on the go.

Also wireguard is now built in kernel since android 12

I will only miss swift backup but it's not needed since i won't brick my phone
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] HipKat:
Once upon a time, rooting was the only way to go. The "amateur" Developers could take the open-source that was actually posted and refine Android and make it better, faster, smoother, and prettier. The biggest name in mod'g our devices was Cyanogen I remember when we first started playing around with JIT and EXT4 and OpenGAPPS before it was ever offered in a Stock Device and rooting itself, was pretty simple. Plus, the Carriers did NOT lock down bootloaders. Rooting meant freedom to let your imagination loose and create your own personal experience(es)!

I rooted my first phone, the HTC Hero (Is HTC even a player anymore?) with a YouTube video (Shoutout to SDX-Developers, where I first learned all of this and to the great people I met there, the mIRC Channel and great memories, RIP!!!)

Hell, I wrote the comprehensive guide on the HTC-Evo. The Nexus 6 was the last phone I rooted.

I miss rooting and I can see the many advantages and I will buy an unlocked P6 (pro or not, I'm still unsure) but I can't say I'm going to root it.

I haven't followed development very closely the last few years, so I'm very uncharacteristically unfamiliar with all the current mods and technology and that's intimidating. It's sad to see that Titanium Backup, which I couldn't live without at one time isn't so great anymore.

I've learned to live in world of stock, controlled Android. It's just easier, and that's sad. I never was a conformist, but having a device I can actually root again after all these years is very attractive to me.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] android_dan:
I do my banking at a local small town bank. Their app quite working on my unrooted OP8. Upon opening it a message would flash for just a second and the app would close. Took me opening the app a few times to read the message. It stated it was detecting I had USB debugging enabled.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] Lughnasadh:
Yeah, my ISP's app needs USB debugging to be disabled to work. They check several things these days, not just root.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] NippleSauce:
Depends on (possibly) where you live and what you do. If you're not at all familiar with root, I'd recommend staying unrooted until you do further research. If you like using banking apps for financial management, I would recommend to stay unrooted (as I have read some horror stories about some financial apps failing to work whilst rooted. Granted, on most of the stories I had read regarding this, the people were somewhere in Europe).

On the flip side, if you're familiar with what rooting allows you to do, then go right ahead! I'm rooted primarily for AdAway. But regardless, rooting requires you to unlock your bootloader which allowed for me to flash custom kernels that help with this particular phone's operating temperature and battery life. My banking app still works and I have no restrictions with my root access 🤷. But that's probably due to me being more familiar with root since I'm a professional nerd lol.

So the TL;DR would be to do your research, judge your knowledge of root access capabilities and then plunge towards a decision! Best of luck!

*Edit* - I hope all of my US fellows had a Happy Thanksgiving!
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] Gnaius:
Will I require root to get Tasker to change double-press of the power button to launch a camera mod rather than the stock camera?
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] Az Biker:
Would owning a Ferrari ne worth it? For going fast, looking cool and turning heads, sure. Until you get the bill for your first service! Suddenly going fast, and turning heads might not be worth it :p

Rooting is a option (as long as you get the correct device). If you benefit from it, do it. If you lose more than you gain by having it, don't root.

Even if I didn't need root at all, I'd still get a bootloader unlockable device just in case I wanted to root. I love having the option.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] mac796:
I will keep rooting my devices for as long as I can. I'm just glad we got magisk around. We used to have super su. If you think about it we could all be ended in an instance. Not many options for root anymore. I am very thankful.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] Morgrain:
There are two main features I want from a rooted phone, and those are

a) decent backup that saves in-app data (logins etc)

b) decent custom audio mod (like v4a with custom ddcs, convolvers).

The rest matters little. I mean yes there are a couple tweaks that prolong battery life, some people love to play around with Kernels (even though many are bogus, only few offer real battery life advantages), then you have some minor advantages like better statistic views (AccuBattery, et cetera) & an adblock like adaway - but I could live without those (especially since you can use Adaway with VPN).

So for Google to convince me not to root any more, all they have to do is make a decent backup system and give us real audio control.

Until then, yes, at least for me, rooting is worth it.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] HipKat:
2 Things that you shouldn't have to root to achieve. I have never nor will lI ever understand why you can't save App Data?? It just boggles my mind
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] Burt Squirtz:
Yes, but it's not as passive way for ad blocking, and it chews more battery than using Adaway passively in the background. I've also noticed your ping suffers slightly more than stock dns.

There really is no reason to not root a Pixel 6 Pro, I guarantee you'll be glad you did it.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] dd805bb:
I cringe whenever I hear people still using backup apps. Android has a back up mechanism using adb. Look it up. No need for root or anything else for backups. If you got a desktop (which you need for root) you should be able to adb a backup. And a whole backup. Accubattery, get rid of. Nasty battery eating app. Using the stock battery app and knowing how to find running apps will get you best battery and restrict ones you don't need running and unrestrict the ones you want running. It will work way better than accubattery. Adblocking and full screen gestures with no nav bar is my reason.. private dns providers can block ads but at a cost. You get routed to their preferred servers and those can be anywhere. Cloudflare, they rerouted everyone to China a year ago. Careful using private dns with a bad provider.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] iRhyiku:
Just having my phone backup to my own cloud server while im asleep is much better than manually doing it to my desktop.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] dd805bb:
That is expert status. Lol. I was just pointing out it can be done adb without anything extra except a PC. And in your case, that is top notch having your own cloud server.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] almahix:
Agreed! I have not rooted my P6P so I use the adb backup method. I haven't tried to restore anything; I don't know if one can restore selectively or if it is necessary to restore the whole .ab file. I'd rather use Titanium Backup that I've used since my original Droid device man ages ago.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] foobar66:
WARNING: adb backup is deprecated and may be removed in a future release
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] ajsmsg78:
Root all the way. One of the reasons I buy Pixels personally is to have root. If I couldn't root I would have stuck with my S21 Ultra.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] dd805bb:
You should probably let Google know then, because it still works... FYI.

Behavior changes: Apps targeting Android 12 | Android Developers

Learn about changes in Android 12 that will affect apps when they target Android 12.

developer.android.com

Read through, they list changes made to adb backup. If it was deprecated, they wouldn't be still making changes to it, deprecated means done, no more development on it.. but here on the official android 12 changes they list changes made to adb backup. User app data is getting restricted from user apps. System data and apps can still be backed up. But hey, I am sure they will listen to you.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] foobar66:
That is the message which I get when I run 'adb backup' ... actually with latest version from android platform tools (for linux).

Android Debug Bridge version 1.0.41

Version 31.0.3-7562133

I'll try another version ;-)
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] s3axel:
When I tried fiddling with ADB backup last time it just didn't work .... Loads of apps didn't allow backup, enabling this with a Magisk module (don't recall its name) didn't change a thing for those as well - so no luck.... And of those that were at least backed up many didn't restore well (read: functional and data restored) ....

All in all a total waste of time and by no means safe in the sense that you know a backup will be safely restored later....

So back to TiBu or now Swiftbackup - needs root, yes, but works reliably and flawless (although I see an increasing number of apps that crash after data restore - luckily all those allow for in-app backup of data so far )...

Maybe things have changed though, my experience with ADB is maybe 2 years old....

BTW I'm fully with everybody saying that full backup/restore should be part of Android and it's a shame that it isn't !
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] spotmark:
Funny story. As I have mentioned, Android has evolved to the point where I don't feel the need to root any longer. Yesterday, I was prepping the wife's Oneplus 8 Pro to sell on Swappa. We both just upgraded to the P6P. Well, in my haste, I forgot to uninstall Magisk before locking the bootloader. Having never used the MSM tool before, I spent a fair amount of time reading and downloading, before I had the phone up and running again. I used to enjoy that, but I've been doing this a long time now, and I don't think I'm going to miss it. For those of you who do still enjoy it, carry on, and have fun.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] RetroTech07:
I still root because, for whatever reason, backing up of app data doesn't exist from Google's own backup service, as some developers can choose to have that disabled. This is the one area where Apple gets it right and Google still falls short.

Even though Google offers to backup sms and MMS now through their Google One service, why this isn't done through normal means still boggles my mind. Why must a separate service do this, and when you choose to restore it only works half the time?

Using ADB to backup your apps work; sure, but their data doesn't go along with it. I've tried backing up individual apps recently using ADB, but all I get is a very small 1kb file with nothing in it. I used to use ADB in the past without root and it worked well, but now if an app provider has disallowed ADB backup, then there's not much you can do to save your app data unless the app provides that option, or you root.

I hear lots of folks using Swift, but I don't want to "make an account" where essentially an encryption key is not provided by a developer who has snarky replies to user reviews, if I ever lose access to my account and its data.

There's another backup option called OAndBackupX where you can set your own password for encryption, choose which apps to backup and where the file goes. It's similar to Titanium backup but with a modern UI.

GitHub - NeoApplications/Neo-Backup: backup manager for android

backup manager for android. Contribute to NeoApplications/Neo-Backup development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

For now, I'll keep rooting for small customization that Google doesn't provide, such as changing of fonts, small status bar tweaks, accessing and backing up my own data that developers refuse to do or provide options for, theming etc.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] Ghisy:
I've also always rooted my phones and tablets.

One, because I can and I like having control over my devices!

Two, for backing up apps using TiBu until now and maybe Swift Backup or OAndBackupX from now on when I move over to my P6P.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] otto888:
I would have rooted, but it's probably a matter of when, not if, apps that use SafetyNet start requiring hardware backed attestation to pass. There is also the risk of a wipe when applying OTAs if you forget one of the new steps to keep root.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] dilruk:
Anyone got 5G/VoLTE/VoWifi working after rooting? Unfortunately there is no way to get these in an unsupported country, as of now.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] Vash369:
I used to root, but now don't feel the need to any more. Feel it's more trouble to use it now. Don't miss viper anymore as my headphones sounds great and can tinker if needed with Poweramp. Google backup is good enough nowadays and can manually backup or use tasker as a workaround from Swift Backup. Still miss AdAway at times, but have workarounds for it as well.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] galaxys:
reminds me of a old poem:

It's hoot to boot after you root :) Cheers 🍻
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] GOOGLE_USER:
Poem?

Root, boot, hoot. :unsure: -- HMMM, you coulda said that somewhere else. :cautious::p (y)
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] trimax84:
Crap should I delete my Cloudflare Magisk module?
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] iLLdWes:
Just did this... Was looking to root and use AdAway but if this works well enough on chrome I'll be happy... Thanks
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] co9:
This is the only reason i consider rooting.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] dilruk:
Ya I got this figured. But not 5G
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] 96carboard:
There is no option to properly back up everything without root.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] almahix:
I am accustomed to rooting, primarily to run Titanium Backup so I can restore apps and data after checking out new ROMs. I have no desire to use a different ROM as long as this one is supported, so I have no need. I did have a problem trying to download the December patch and had to wipe data in order to restore. Everything I would have restored WAS restored by Google, except the history of some word games I amuse myself with. No great loss. I unlocked the bootloader when unboxing but haven't done anything else. If someone ever comes up without a TWRP for this phone I may because it that makes it so much simpler.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] christopher68369:
It all really depends on what you really want different than the stock rom. In the past many of us rooted because of new ideas others had that Android was lacking at that time. Double tap to sleep/wake, tethering, AdBlock, overclock just to name a few. Now many of the Android phones have these features with regular stock rom and because of that some decided that theirs no point. Also rooting now is different than old root like say the original droid when it first came out. It just really depends on what the user really wants from their phone.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] somethingsomethingroot:
Started a new job and the mobile apps can detect root no matter where you hide Magisk and what's on your DenyList. So there's a con.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] RetroTech07:
pardon my ignorance, but are you rooting a work device or just using work apps on your personal rooted device?
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] B from C:
Using Shamiko to enforce the denylist instead of the native Magisk has been a game changer for me and has handled everything I've thrown at it including GPay and my banking apps. Have you given that a spin?

Download Shamiko [Zygisk Module] Magisk | MagiskRoot

Download Shamiko Zygisk Module Latest Version for Magisk. It requires Magisk v24.1+ and can be used to Hide root to run Bank Apps.

magiskroot.net
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] p51d007:
The last phone I rooted, was the original OnePlus One.

I'm to the point that the phone is a "work tool" and at the end of the day,

I rarely pick it up save for a phone call.

Out of the box, with developer options turned on and tweaked is about it

for me these days.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] SigmundDroid:
Now imagine this:

Linux or Windows would be released without root/admin and they'd say: "It's for your own safety".
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] somethingsomethingroot:
Work apps on a personal device. Previous jobs provided a phone for work stuff, but this one does not.

Admittedly, no. But I've already had to reimage, as one of the apps can check if you have an unlocked bootloader.

I can deal with the cat and mouse games when banking apps some Play Store apps are the sacrifices. Didn't wanna risk it for work notifications.
[Google Pixel 6 Pro] 73sydney:
I wouldnt own a phone i couldnt root

I would use root for Migrate backups alone...apps AND data AND permissions....

oh and to run dnscrypt-proxy so i didnt have to run a battery draining VPN to block most of the crap on the interwebs....