# Rooting Your Android Phone/Getting Rid OF Bloatware
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-your-android-phone-getting-rid-of-bloatware/570839
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [February 10, 2011, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-your-android-phone-getting-rid-of-bloatware/570839 "2011-02-10T01:28:29Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2011, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-your-android-phone-getting-rid-of-bloatware/570839/1 "2011-02-10T01:28:29Z")
Hey. I have an HTC EVO and I’d very much like to get rid of the applications on it that came preinstalled. I’m sure others are in the same boat, but don’t know what to do.
I’m one of those people. I’ve heard that I should try Titanium Backup (it can’t access root privileges on my phone).
I don’t know what I’m doing with it, so I’m reticent to start poking and prodding, especially when I have no clue and don’t desire to brick my phone because of fat fingers.
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### Author:  [@Cell\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cell_Guy)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-your-android-phone-getting-rid-of-bloatware/570839/2 "2011-02-10T02:24:54Z")
[Idiot Proof Guide to Rooting the EVO.](http://gizmodo.com/#!5574353/idiot+proof-guide-to-rooting-the-evo)\* It’s a few months old but should work.
You can also try SuperOneClick and then install Uninstaller for Root to get rid of that bloatware.
Your best bet would be to roam around the XDA forums for a bit to find the best option for you. If it’s possible with Android those XDA folks know how to do it.
Keep in mind, rooting your phone will void your warranty (says the guy running a leaked and rooted 2.2 on his Galaxy S).
\*And you’re not an idiot.
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### Author:  [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2011, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-your-android-phone-getting-rid-of-bloatware/570839/3 "2011-02-10T02:26:27Z")
Don’t worry about voiding your warranty though, most if not all roots can be completely undone should you need to exchange the phone through warranty for some reason.
Also, it’s very difficult to completely brick Android phones. You may “soft brick” it but that’s nothing that starting from scratch won’t fix.
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### Author:  [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2011, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-your-android-phone-getting-rid-of-bloatware/570839/4 "2011-02-10T03:55:51Z")
I highly recommend [unrevoked](http://www.unrevoked.com/recovery/). I used it to root my HTC Incredible. It was very, very easy. The site says it will work with your EVO, too.
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### Author:  [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2011, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-your-android-phone-getting-rid-of-bloatware/570839/5 "2011-02-10T17:25:23Z")
> [@Cell\_Guy](#):
>
> [Idiot Proof Guide to Rooting the EVO.](http://gizmodo.com/#!5574353/idiot+proof-guide-to-rooting-the-evo)\* It’s a few months old but should work.
>
> You can also try SuperOneClick and then install Uninstaller for Root to get rid of that bloatware.
>
> Your best bet would be to roam around the XDA forums for a bit to find the best option for you. If it’s possible with Android those XDA folks know how to do it.
>
> Keep in mind, rooting your phone will void your warranty (says the guy running a leaked and rooted 2.2 on his Galaxy S).
>
> \*And you’re not an idiot.
Ugh. That sounds like a pretty involved process.
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### Author:  [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-your-android-phone-getting-rid-of-bloatware/570839/6 "2011-02-10T17:31:06Z")
Which UnrEVOked do you recommend? The regular one or Forever?
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### Author:  [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-your-android-phone-getting-rid-of-bloatware/570839/7 "2011-02-10T17:35:18Z")
Also, do you download the reflash\_package.exe to your computer or to your phone?
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### Author:  [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-your-android-phone-getting-rid-of-bloatware/570839/8 "2011-02-10T18:02:36Z")
I just got an LG Optimus. Among other things, there are bookmarks that I can’t seem to delete (I can delete bookmarks I created, but pre-installed bookmarks such as Fox Sports don’t have the delete option), and some apps that are pre-installed that I have no use for but can’t delete (e.g., Diner Dash2). At first I thought I was doing it wrong, but this thread suggests that it’s not just me.
But I’m completely new to the world of smartphones, so could be in the wrong place. Is this what this thread is about? What is “rooting” a phone? Similar to jailbreaking? Does each phone have a different set of tools? Where do I start learning about things?
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### Author:  [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-your-android-phone-getting-rid-of-bloatware/570839/9 "2011-02-10T19:29:32Z")
Rooting is similar to jailbreaking, but the terms are not to be used interchangeably unless you want to out yourself as being ignorant.
Jailbreaking (most commonly used when talking about iPhones) simply means allowing the user access to applications Apple would let them near.
Rooting (usually in reference to Android phones, because of how their OS works, Linux-based) will allow you to acquire applications that may not be allowed by your service provider (usually via sideloading, which some carriers don’t allow), but rooting is much more than just allowing yourself access to different applications. Rooting is essentially giving the user “super user” access to the phone. With the right set of tools and a rooted phone, you can just about any and everything you could want with the phone.
**[Here](http://theunlockr.com/2010/08/27/android-101-rooting-jailbreaking-and-unlocking/)** is an article explaining the difference and it’s on a site you should become familiar with if you’re interested in rooting your phone.
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### Author:  [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-your-android-phone-getting-rid-of-bloatware/570839/10 "2011-02-10T19:51:00Z")
Great site, thanks.
So rooting is basically the same thing as logging on as a Linux superuser? [Awesome](http://xkcd.com/149/).
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### Author:  [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2011, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-your-android-phone-getting-rid-of-bloatware/570839/11 "2011-02-10T21:09:05Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#):
>
> So rooting is basically the same thing as logging on as a Linux superuser? [Awesome](http://xkcd.com/149/).
Not basically, it _is_ the same. 🆒
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### Author:  [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2011, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-your-android-phone-getting-rid-of-bloatware/570839/12 "2011-02-11T04:48:30Z")
So, yeah, I failed at doing it.
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### Author:  [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2011, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-your-android-phone-getting-rid-of-bloatware/570839/13 "2011-02-11T07:13:38Z")
Here are two YouTube videos for rooting your Evo. **[This one](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXTC0BcM0nU)** is if you have 2.1 and **[this one](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgOdvb8JBgc)** is for 2.2.
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### Author:  [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2011, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-your-android-phone-getting-rid-of-bloatware/570839/14 "2011-02-11T08:18:56Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#):
>
> Also, do you download the reflash\_package.exe to your computer or to your phone?
Download it to your computer. You also need to enable USB debugging- Settings\> Applications \> Development.
I did unrevoked forever. I bookmarked a good walkthrough, I’ll post the link when I get home from work.
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### Author:  [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2011, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-your-android-phone-getting-rid-of-bloatware/570839/15 "2011-02-11T12:28:25Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#):
>
> So, yeah, I failed at doing it.
Did you install the drivers first? You mentioned an .exe, so I assume you’re using Windows.
I found [this walk-through](http://www.incredibleforum.com/forum/htc-incredible-hacks/5506-rooting-stock-2-2-using-unrevoked-3-32-a.html) to be extremely helpful. It has a link to the Windows drivers you need, too.
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### Author:  [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-your-android-phone-getting-rid-of-bloatware/570839/16 "2011-02-11T16:36:18Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#):
>
> Here are two YouTube videos for rooting your Evo. **[This one](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXTC0BcM0nU)** is if you have 2.1 and **[this one](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgOdvb8JBgc)** is for 2.2.
Now that I’ve rooted it and rebooted it, and I think I’ve Forrest Gumped my way through most of the process, It has me at Android 2.1. Also, when I try to flash the ClockworkMod Recovery, I get “An error occurred while attempting to run privileged commands!”
So, I’m stuck at 2.1, I think. I tried going through the normal channel to upgrade the phone, and it didn’t act like there was a 2.2 even available.
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### Author:  [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-your-android-phone-getting-rid-of-bloatware/570839/17 "2011-02-11T16:37:23Z")
> [@St.Urho](#):
>
> Did you install the drivers first? You mentioned an .exe, so I assume you’re using Windows.
>
> I found [this walk-through](http://www.incredibleforum.com/forum/htc-incredible-hacks/5506-rooting-stock-2-2-using-unrevoked-3-32-a.html) to be extremely helpful. It has a link to the Windows drivers you need, too.
I think so? I don’t know. I just followed directions. from the first link provided here. I think I’m almost home free, but like I said in the previous post, I have a roadblock.
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### Author:  [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2011, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-your-android-phone-getting-rid-of-bloatware/570839/18 "2011-02-12T03:32:47Z")
Okay, think I fixed it. All seems to be well, however, I can’t find out how to get my voicemails.