CyanogenMod logo on an Android phoneSource: Android Central

When you think about Android phones, what comes to mind? Maybe it's how customizable the user experience is right out of the box, or perhaps the endless options of devices you have to choose from thanks to the platform's open-source nature.

A few short years ago, one of the big draws to Android was the rooting/modding community. Between custom ROMs and things like the Xposed Framework, there were a lot of things you could do by taking some time to tinker with your phone.

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That big appeal to rooting and modding seems to have died down a bit lately, and it's gotten some of our AC forum members talking about it. Here's what they have to say.

milleniumdroid

For those of you new to the forums or just don’t know me, I do not like limits imposed by device manufacturers and even the companies behind the software that runs on said devices. I want to do with my device what I want, not what the manufacturer thinks I should do. I’ve been an Android user since I was 12 years old and I noticed that while devices are getting more powerful and letting me do...

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Rukbat

That's why I don't buy phones with locked bootloaders. (At least with Magisk, that's pretty much all it takes to root.) I also don't like phones for which there's ni implementation of TWRP (and I'm not going to get into compiling one for myself - not that I can't run a compiler, but it's easier to get a good phone for which TWRP is available). And I won't buy a phone that doesn't come with a...

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Almeuit

For me it isn't a huge issue since I don't do the whole root / ROM thing anymore. I have had no desire to have to modify any of my phones for years now.

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Mike Dee

I don't keep a device long enough to matter and I stopped rooting after OEMs basically eliminated lag in their devices, but I agree. We should be able to install anything we want on our devices. It is a little more difficult than PCs because of carrier compatibility but I'm sure that could be resolved.

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What about you? Do you still root and mod your Android phones?

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