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The general feeling among the modder community is that carriers make their Android UIs to benefit their businesses, not the user. If you want the best user experience, you have to flash a custom ROM that was actually made for users.
The term custom ROM is somewhat of a misnomer, but basically it is a customized UI for Android, and there are many from which to choose. Some of them focus on giving you the latest version of Android before your carrier releases an official update, while others focus on extra functionality or speed and stability.
There are too many Android mods to cover here, but you'll want to determine your priorities and pick one that's best for you. Or, you could get Boot Manager ($2.99) from the Android Market, which lets you choose between five different installed custom ROMs at startup.
Some of the most popular custom ROMs include CyanogenMod, which focuses on maximizing performance over flashy looks, but does let you choose themes. Based on Gingerbread, it gives you a Touch to Focus feature in the camera, custom gestures, permission management and much more.
MIUI, a Chinese-developed ROM, is also based on Gingerbread and provides a very distinct look. It only supported 16 devices at the time of this writing, but it's updated every Friday and presumably will add more device support as its ICS-based ROM becomes more stable.
To find a ROM for your device, you can drill down to your device in the XDA-Developers forums, or check out this list on Theunlockr.com.
Are you incredulous that you still don't have a Gingerbread update for your Froyo phone after more than a year? By the time the carrier gets around to updating it (if it does at all), you may have a perfectly stable ICS update waiting for you if you were to root your phone.
Android custom ROMs allow you to get the latest Android OS before it is ordained from up on high by the company you're paying a monthly bill to. At the time of this writing, there were even a variety of Android 4 ICS ROMs hitting the interwebs, although in general, stability is still a factor with them. It won't be too long before those ICS ROMs are working as smooth as baby food, and it's likely to happen before a whole lot of native ICS devices and sanctioned ICS updates come out.
Many of the custom ROMs available aim to improve battery life through internal efficiency settings, app and network activity management, and the removal of bloatware. There's also an experimental app in beta right now called Superpower, available on the Android market in a free and paid ($4.25) version. There are plenty of other battery-saver apps out there--many not requiring root access--but SuperPower goes to the extreme, aiming to provide automatic management of your data connection and radio bands, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, CPU speed, and more. that management is based on factors such as screen state, Wi-Fi connection state, download speed, foreground application, tethering state, sleep mode, charging state, etc. There's no reward without risk, however; the developer wants you to know that the app is still buggy in beta and that you use it at your own risk.
By now you know what Carrier IQ is, and you may have a rough idea of who's using it. For example, Sprint has since vowed to stop using it. But trying to get a straight answer about how the information Carrier IQ extracts is being used could you take you down a long a frustrating road, ending in a dead end of paranoia. It would be faster and less mind-numbing to just trash it from your handset.
Thanks to Trevor Eckhart, the very man who discovered Carrier IQ on his Android phone, you can do just that. He posted a free .apk called Logging Test App over on the XDA-Developers forums that can show you if a program like Carrier IQ resides on your device. If the test comes up positive, head over to the Android Market and support this modern-day hero by plunking down a measly buck for the Logging Test App Pro Key, which enables you to remove Carrier IQ or other offending software. Of course, none of this is possible unless you root your Android phone first.
Finally, just like building your own PC, there's a subjective sense of satisfaction and independence you get from rooting an Android device. Even beyond that, there's a hint of a more rare intangible attached to it: duty. In some way, it's your duty to flip the bird to the manufacturers and carriers that pay you lip service but not nearly enough real service. It's your duty and your privilege to root, because you can. Google made Android open source, and thousands of good people are working on apps and ROMs for you to enjoy, giving you the opportunity to wield the most powerful smartphones available. Passing up the ability to root is akin to missing that opportunity.
You may not be a car enthusiast, but imagine you're cruising on a German autobahn in a fresh Porsche Boxster with nothing but open road and perfect conditions in front of you. Do you keep it to a conservative 75mph? No, you jack it up into triple digits… because you can. You may not be an incorrigible drunk, but if you're on a long weekend in New Orleans, you pour some booze into a plastic cup and stroll down Bourbon Street… because you can.
You bought an Android phone, which probably means that either 1) you know diddly about smartphones and just got whatever was free on contract or looked cool, or more likely 2) you're somehow attracted to the flexibility and customization freedom of Android that you don't find in other mobile operating systems. So here you are. Live a little. Void that warranty! Root your Android, for all of the above reasons, and also just because you can. It's not that hard to do, it's kind of fun, and just like in a clichéd rom com, you'll discover the value of what was right in front of you all along.
What reasons for rooting did we miss? We'd be honored if you shared your wisdom in the comments below.
@MaxTechMarkkus on da Twittah.
Comments are closed on this article
schwit
January 09, 2012 at 11:15am
Reason 11 - security. Rumors abound that other vendors such as RIM, Nokia, and Apple have provided governments with backdoors into their devices.
archimedez
January 06, 2012 at 5:14pm
Infinite Up-votes: the most usefull, informative article I've read in years.
FYI: I've already filed complaints with FCC and FTC due to data-roaming charges I incurred from (bloatware) apps activated by the Verizon salesperson that I can not de-activate or uninstall. Verizon has offered to reverse the charges for the first month ($51); but steadfastly refuses to disable or uninstall the (bloatware) applications, as does HTC. Further HTC support managers have confirmed the existance of a contractual obligation that "forces" them to disable Android's native commands for uninstalling specific apps. That, my friends constitutes COLLUSION, and is worthy of an anti-trust investigation. Watch this space.
gtubbesing
January 04, 2012 at 10:55am
Your link to the XDA Developer's Forum at the top of the article is bad. It includes a parenthesis at the end of the link.
MrSelatcia
January 04, 2012 at 9:53am
Great article. You forgot my favorite rooted only app though; WifiKill. Being able to see other users easily and having the ability to cut them off is useful, and fun.
NUCLEARWARFAIRY
January 04, 2012 at 8:23am
Overheating in the original atrix is a major problem. With a hex, some arctic silver thermal paste and a drill, the back cover of the phone and battery cover are easily modified to allow for heat dissipation. Now it doesn't kill while playing angry birds or gta iiiae. But root is acquired and games are installed and paid for if they were good. Now other than ubberoid cyanogen clemsync or adam, wtf do I do with my viewsonic gtablet beside read your website from the bathtub?
kixofmyg0t
January 04, 2012 at 10:14am
I have a Atrix 1....never ever had a overheating problem. Btw a hex wont do you a bit of good at all. I replaced the ITO in my Atrix and it takes a T5 torx screwdriver to dissassemble the whole phone.
Plus noone is gonna take a drill to their phone dude.
tony2tonez
January 04, 2012 at 8:04am
I havent rooted my phone yet but been wanting too. The one thing I will say is the iOS and jailbreak makes rooting iphones easy. Granted it just 1 OS, where as Andriod you have multiple phone makers out there coming up with some flavor of it. The pain on some driod phones is that the rooting process is easier on some phones then others. But XDA Forums is the best place to look for your phone and the process to root. And the process to root is becoming more streamline and easier. Mine was rooted but now im back to stock. but i do plan to root again.
stradric
January 04, 2012 at 7:57am
It's worth noting that installing a custom ROM is time consuming. Once it's installed, which is really quite easy thanks to ROM Manager and ClockworkMod, there's a lot of time spent configuring the phone to how you want it. I highly recommend purchasing TitaniumBackup as it gives you the ability to reinstall all your apps using HyperShell (i.e. you don't have to accept permissions on each one). It's really a great app and supporting the developers keeps it great, so that $7 is much better spent there than on a Starbucks coffee.
ROM Manager can also do an image backup, which will allow you to jump right back to the original stock phone exactly as it was. So installing a custom ROM is really not even that risky. It's just time.
Vano
January 04, 2012 at 4:27am
So, why exactly we have to use exploits for a root?
Why can't an open source OS come with an option to enable/disable root access? The option doesn't have to be easy accessible by average user, it could be a command line thing, which would require some knowledge, therefore avoiding accidentally enabling it by unaware user.
What's wrong with this?
appdeveloper
January 04, 2012 at 1:13am
Nice blog ,The images are very informative.It can be helpful for any user.You have discussed very imporant point here like screenshots,performance.
Gumby
January 04, 2012 at 12:12am
I love the hardware on my Motorola Defy (its the toughest smartphone ever), but I hated the Motoblur from day one. Rooting and switching to Cyanogenmod instantly improved everything on my phone. The straight "vanilla" Android is far superior to Motoblur. Motoblur made me want to buy a new phone. CM7 makes me want to keep this one forever.
Keith E. Whisman
January 03, 2012 at 7:57pm
If you call yourself a nerd and want the most from your android phone or tablet then you need to root and either build a custom rom or install one froj a third party. My acer a500 tablet is great but running custom roms have given me better performance, enhanced functionality, and a better overall user experience.
If you have an android phone with a carrier modified UI like motoblur then you definitely have to root and install a custom rom. Free android phones are usually less than spectacular so you will upgrade to a better phone quickly. Free phones are a lot more pleasing when they are upgraded with a better rom. My old moto cliq2 was a lot more entertaining and useful after installing a custom rom.
win7fanboi
January 03, 2012 at 7:34pm
Here are some reasons not to root :
- Stability : Adding features and giving root access to apps usually have unforeseen consequences.
- Security : Chinese-developed ROM, really? Do I have to spell it out? What if any of the root app developer has malware?
- CarrierIQ : Was never installed on Nexus One.
- Waste of Time : Although being a geek I love to mess with stuff like this, there isn't always time to deal with a failed root, and recovery there after. Especially after you have customized the phone just as you like it.
- It's still primarily a phone : At least to me. I know it is a mini computer in it's own right but I still primarily use it to make phone calls and adding all the root apps and custom roms don't help me one bit in that regard.
MSSlave
January 05, 2012 at 10:00pm
Reasons to root: 1. You can! 2. You're a geek! Admit it. Your reading this on your phone or a tablet i'd bet. 3. Security and stability from multiple users rating the apps. 4. Because you're a geek you like things after your signature saying "rooted CM7 DroidX running liquid mod,...". Face it, brother, your right at home with the rest of us! At least enjoy yourself while you're here!
tony2tonez
January 04, 2012 at 8:08am
5. There are ROM you can load for the RADIO, not the same as the OS ROM that actually can improve signal and better gps results. So those are to reach dead spots soon become 'can you hear me now...great'
Besides, they make a iphone for you with no worries as your controls are given over to apple.
win7fanboi
January 04, 2012 at 12:15pm
iPhone can be jailbroken. If you don't know that you may want to stop pretending to be an uber-nerd. Flashing your phone with a custom rom maybe the smarted thing you did in life but that's not the case for me.
Also, I don't have any dead spots near where I work, travel or live but good to know.
winmaster
January 04, 2012 at 7:33am
1. Many custom ROMS are more stable than their official counterparts.
2. Again, many custom ROMS are more secure than their official counterparts.
3. Not everyone has a Nexus One.
4. Don't fail at rooting.
5. Then maybe you should purchase a "dumb phone" and be on with your day.
win7fanboi
January 04, 2012 at 12:05pm
Again, many custom ROMS are more secure than their official counterparts. - "Sure".
Have fun trusting your email, location info, bank info (if you use banking apps), to not just google but every app that has root access along with the custom ROM maker.
Just because you download a custom rom file and press few buttons to root your phone, it doesn't make you any smarter than someone who is not willing to make their device less secure. Rooting doesn't give me any great feature that I am missing.
compro01
January 04, 2012 at 7:13am
1. So you tell those problem children "No root for you" and go on your merry way.
5. I would consider adding the ability to block out calls from people (or companies for that matter) you don't want to talk to be quite helpful in that regard.
win7fanboi
January 04, 2012 at 12:11pm
I think I provided a better articulated list of reasons against rooting, which your translated in to caveman english.
I use google voice and that feature is built in and is mainly the reason why I use GV.
kixofmyg0t
January 03, 2012 at 5:37pm
Rooted my Bionic within the first 20 mins of owning it. Had a custom ROM installed a few days later. Now on my 3rd ROM since.
limitbreaker
January 03, 2012 at 4:47pm
i was able to Unlock my galaxy S with an app after i rooted my phone and it was free.
qhoa1385
January 03, 2012 at 4:32pm
hehe was going to comment
"because Android can"
but then saw #1... indeed
