I recently unlocked bootloader and installed /e/OS on my phone. So far, so good. I have been researching/asking/preparing to root it with Magisk, but then I wondered if I really need to…the phone is pretty much doing what I need it to, AFAIK.
So, at this point, is there a compelling reason to proceed? What am I missing, or missing out on?
(gawd…I had forgotten how much I dislike Discurse and all of the nanny-/nag-ware and we-know-better-than-you attitude by founders and developers. Hawk Tuah!!..there, that’s a little better.)
The only reason I had to root lineageOS before using eOS was to hide my opened bootloader to my banking apps. As a bonus, I could use root to grant sudo privileges to Aurora Store and FDroid to have smoother installs, and to Tasker for a few routines I liked.
Now I switched to eOS, the same banking apps work flawlessly without root. AppLounge works with elevated privileges by default. I don’t use tasker anymore. I don’t feel like going through the hassle to do so and the trouble it brings to each update.
Like you, my phone’s works perfectly and I don’t need anything more.
So I have been poking around and investigating a bit over the last few weeks…one last item or question I am left with: I downloaded a backup app (Swift) and it moans that it doesn’t have root access for several things beyond just backing up app APKs, e.g. for app data or Wi-Fi network info. It is not clear to me how important these other items that might be backed up are, really.
i.e. Important enough to move forward with Magisk? Or Shizuku, whatever that is.
To me, the pain and troubles to root through magisk (several steps to take through command line, risking of bricking my phone, having to redo it at each update) vastly outweigh such benefits (avoiding 10-20 minutes of setup in the rare case I would have to reinstall)
All important Datas are backed up through a combination of nextcloud for contacts and calendar, and ente for photos and videos. They will restore by themselves, root or not.
I keep my phone rooted with Magisk; yes, it’s annoying to have to re-apply after OS updates but it’s only a few commands (backup, run OS update, push new img, apply Magisk, pull modded img, push modded img, reboot) so I cope. It’s worth a bit of hassle to have actual control of the device.
I’ve described this process elsewhere. It’s so easy. Just download your OTA, have it installed but do NOT reboot after that. Open Magisk, choose install (Magisk, not the app) and then click “install in inactive slot (after OTA)”. Then Magisk will do all the rest for you (boot image etc.) - so there is literally nothing you need to do in command lines.
I guess it depends As the app itself states on its website, root allows to backup “App data: Restore most apps in the same condition as when they were backed up”.
If your favourite apps already have a built-in backup solution (e.g. Signal) and you already use the backup functionality (you copy the backup to your cloud/PC/…), then you do not need it.
On the other hand, you may have some apps whose data you want to keep, but which do not have a backup function. (For instance, I have a keyboard app that has learned quite a lot of words, but I am not aware of a way to back these up.) Then rooting your phone and saving your app data is a reasonable way to keep the app and its data.
Some additional remarks:
There are other backup solutions that support app data backups with root, e.g. Neo-Backup, and that are free (as in beer and in freedom). (Full disclosure: I use Neo-Backup.)
Even a backup app with root may not be able to back up secure data, i.e., data that is saved in the secure Android storage and e.g. can only be accessed after a biometric identification.
If you search in this forum, you may find alternative ways to back up apps and their data without root, e.g. Seedvault, or by using rooted ADB debugging. (Seedvault backup may finally be able to also restore data on /e/OS U; I have however not tried it!)
A final caveat: Banking apps and the like rely on the fact that the Android security model is more or less intact when using them. Rooting your phone obviously does not guarantee this (regardless of making the banking apps believe that your phone is not rooted with the usual solutions). So there is the (maybe small, but nevertheless real) risk that a banking app may be hacked on a rooted phone by another app.
Hello people, I got on this topic looking for information on the capabilities of /e/OS when unrooted (compared to a rooted stock ROM).
I currently own an aging ungoogled rooted stock-ROM Xiaomi phone, and I am wondering if I will replace it (not right know, I hope it still have some remaining lifetime) with the same kind of thing (just newer) or maybe some Murena phone, like FairPhone 5, with /e/OS.
I want as little Google and US-based big companies in my phone as possible. Rooting a Xiaomi phone is a rather decent way to get that, but maybe Murena /e/OS phones could be a better option, avoiding the need to root and the burden it implies (complicated updates and issues with banking apps).
Here is the current usage I have of root :
AdAway: same functionality available with VPN trick.
NeoBackup: same functionality available with Seedvault ?
AFWall: does /e/OS provides something similar ? Able to block specific applications from using the network without the applications knowing they are specifically blocked ? (like the phone is just in plane mode)
Also a specific issue with backup : since Seedvault does not seem to be something I can “just install” on my rooted stock-ROM phone, how to transfer data to my new phone ? (that’s just some absolutely uncritical game/app data, so loosing it is not a blocking issue ; contacts and messages can be transferred by other means).
I would really like to have answers from /e/OS users. Can the functions I get with root from NeoBackup and AFWall be achieved without root on /e/OS ?
From the previous messages, it seems that Seedvault could replace NeoBackup (but not restore backup from it), correct ? I see nothing about AFWall, but maybe /e/OS advanced privacy settings can do the same ? (block specific apps from accessing network without them knowing it is on purpose specific blocking and not just plane mode/offline)
Thanks for your answers (including the helpful previous messages).
As the app itself states on its website, root allows to backup “App data: Restore most apps in the same condition as when they were backed up”.