Help How risky/simple is rooting an Alcatel c564?

[Kenzou]

Hi,

I can't seem to find much info online for doing this, so I may consider avoiding it. I want to be able to use the SD card for extra space, as the absurd storage capacity of 4GB on this thing isn't suiting my needs.

Alternatively, can someone tell me how to essentially delete all apps in order to partly fix the weird space issues I keep having, but retain the phone number/contacts and not have to set it up again in that way? Thanks. I could just delete each app individually, but I'm starting to think the space is being taken up by some other unseen factor, as I keep deleting stuff and yet I never have enough room to even perform some basic functions any more. This wasn't a problem 6 months ago when I had twice as many apps on here.

 

[scary alien]

Hey @Kenzou .

Yeah, if this were me, not having an abundance of information (and therefore support / help / commiseration) available to you regarding rooting a device, would certainly give me pause and think twice before rooting.

One really needs resources to help you with issues should you encounter them.

Aside from that, simply rooting without being able to have a custom recovery installed to take a Nandroid backup and subsequently potentially restore should something go awry is another red flag (I don't know if that's true for your device or not--I'm just speaking in general terms here).

You could try clearing some cache and/or removing some apps to help you reclaim some space for apps. Barring that, a factory reset (which would wipe-out your apps and their settings) might be your next, although probably undesirable, step.

Hope that helps a bit.

Cheers!

 

[Kenzou]

Thanks for the quick reply!

Yeah, I think these Alcatels tend to be a bit more primitive, so info on rooting them isn't widely available and therefore it's probably riskier than with, say, a Samsung or LG. The space on this thing is pathetic, though, and I say that as someone that really only needs a handful of apps.

I've removed most apps I used to have on here, plus disabled updates on nearly all of them that I don't use(which is a lot,) and it still manages to keep telling me my space is low.

Would a factory reset still keep my phone number and texts intact(or at least just my number?)

 

[scary alien]

A factory reset should/would not change your device's phone number, but you would lose your apps and their settings/data.

You should be able to backup your texts with something like SMS Backup although I've not used that app before so you'd have to read/research how and where it saves the data to and make you squirrel those away off of your device.

BTW, here's the items that a factory reset will clear:

- Your Google account
- System and app data and settings
- Downloaded apps
- Music
- Photos
- Other user data​

So, be sure to back-up / save-off what you worry about losing.

 

[Kenzou]

Thanks. That's informative. A reset doesn't sound ideal, but I may have to. I'd hate to re-enter my contacts, though. It'll require I do that, right?


In any case, I can't figure out how to factory reset this thing. Looked in every menu.

 

[scary alien]

Thanks. That's informative. A reset doesn't sound ideal, but I may have to. I'd hate to re-enter my contacts, though. It'll require I do that, right?

In any case, I can't figure out how to factory reset this thing. Looked in every menu.

Are your contacts synced with Google (i.e., in the Settings -> Accounts -> Google -> <account> -> Contacts [enabled/on])? If so, they should be auto-restored for you.

You should have an option somewhere in your Settings app called "Backup & reset" where you should be able to find the "Factory data reset" option.

edit: take your time and make sure you've got your stuff saved / copied / backed-up/off...since your device is still working, there's no need to rush it, eh?

 

[Kenzou]

No, I synced most or all of them with my phone itself, due to privacy concerns(not that I know all there is to know about that.) I can probably live with manually restoring them, but it's a matter of preparing myself for doing so.

I think I found the factory reset option, but have yet to brave it.

Yes, taking my time is key here. I just feel pretty confident it's going to give me this same inexplicable low space problem again within a few months, though. I wonder how easily malware might have gotten onto it given it's Android? Surely not very, but on the other hand, my job requires me to visit malicious websites for testing, so it's more feasible for me than for average users.

Edit: How likely is it to save my number after resetting? Is that how Android phones normally work?

 

[scary alien]

Edit: How likely is it to save my number after resetting? Is that how Android phones normally work?

Your phones number is not stored in place where a factory reset will change it.

If you go into Settings -> About phone -> Status (and maybe -> SIM status) you'll see the "My phone number" row/entry and that there's not a way to change that, so no worries there .