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Do i need to root my phone in order to install custom ROM?

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Vikram S

Lurker
I have a Xiaomi Mi 4 phone. android version is 7.1.2 and my phone manufacturer is not likely to release android 8 update for my model. So i plan to install android 8 using custom rom. I read steps to install different custom ROM's and i have some doubts.
Do i need to root my phone in order to install custom ROM or is if sufficient if i just unlock bootloader and install TWRP recovery? Please note rooting phone is a step mentioned AFTER unlocking bootloader and installing TWRP recovery in order to root phones but i am just wondering if this rooting step is necessary at all if my purpose is only installing custom ROM.
 
Vikram S said:
I have a Xiaomi Mi 4 phone. android version is 7.1.2 and my phone manufacturer is not likely to release android 8 update for my model. So i plan to install android 8 using custom rom. I read steps to install different custom ROM's and i have some doubts.
Do i need to root my phone in order to install custom ROM or is if sufficient if i just unlock bootloader and install TWRP recovery? Please note rooting phone is a step mentioned AFTER unlocking bootloader and installing TWRP recovery in order to root phones but i am just wondering if this rooting step is necessary at all if my purpose is only installing custom ROM.
Click to expand...
you need a custom recovery. there is no way around it. i would never root a phone unless there is a custom recovery. it is THE tool for root users. without it you can't make nandroid backups, you will not be able to flash a custom rom, you will not be able to wipe your partitions (cache and dalvik cache).

so the basic steps is to:
1.unlock bootloader
2.gain root access (usuaully through SuperSu or magisk)
3.install custom recovery (twrp is what i recommend)
4.make a nandroid backup
5.flash a custom rom of your choice.
 
Technically you don't need to root to install a custom ROM, because rooting is modifying the ROM to allow you to run apps with admin privileges. If you can unlock the bootloader and there is a custom recovery for this model then you can just install the recovery, back up your current ROM, then install a custom ROM instead. You don't need to root the current ROM first, since the recovery does all of the work.

But do back up your ROM before installing another one. Then if anything goes wrong or you just don't like the custom one it's simple to revert.

Also remember that you'll have to reset the phone during the installation of the custom ROM, so back up your data first. That is a reason for rooting the current ROM before installing the custom one, because the best backup tools require root, but you can use other backup methods as you prefer.
 
It's better to start a new thread when you have a completely different question. Taking over someone else's question is called "hijacking", and considered bad form as well as making everything harder for people to follow.
 
Vikram S said:
I have a Xiaomi Mi 4 phone. android version is 7.1.2 and my phone manufacturer is not likely to release android 8 update for my model. So i plan to install android 8 using custom rom. I read steps to install different custom ROM's and i have some doubts.
Do i need to root my phone in order to install custom ROM or is if sufficient if i just unlock bootloader and install TWRP recovery? Please note rooting phone is a step mentioned AFTER unlocking bootloader and installing TWRP recovery in order to root phones but i am just wondering if this rooting step is necessary at all if my purpose is only installing custom ROM.
Click to expand...



General speaking it depends on the Rom you install. Some come pre rooted and others allow options to choose from. TWRP is a custom recovery and is also in active development. On you first boot into TWRP it will ask for r/w permissions which is necessary when installing a custom rom. After that youll see some options. I whole hearty agree that before you continue. any further make a back up before you continue. make sure every box is checked (partitions) and external storage (sdcard or flash drive OTG) there are othere options to compress and rename but you can learn that later. For now just back up to external storage. Once this is done your not completely out of the woods yet but almost. The next step is to follow spec order of the developers instuctions as Im sure you already know. If TWRP apon exit requests to install su/binarys do not install at least that is my experience.
 
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