Background information
Old smartphone hardware with Android 13: my custom ROM journey
by Martin Jud
My favourite root apps for Android 13
21.7.2023
Translation: Megan Cornish
What are the best apps or features that only work with a rooted phone? After a few months of searching, I’ve found my favourites.
A cheap four-inch phone has been my daily companion for a good five months now. It’s a Cubot KingKong Mini 2 Pro which arrived with Android 11, but I manually installed Android 13 on it and rooted it. Root access is to Android what administrator privileges are to Windows. It allows you to use special apps that regular users can’t. In this post, I’ll introduce you to the root apps I no longer want to be without. From A (AdAway) to X (XPrivacyLua).
For the backstory, take a look at the following three articles:
AdAway – my favourite ad blocker
AdAway is a free, open-source ad blocker. You can use it on both rooted and non-rooted smartphones, although it’s apparently more reliable on the former. It blocks ads by redirecting ad network connections to a local IP address (127.0.0.1). Hosts files from different sources determine which connections are blocked. You can also add other sources yourself. As ads are blocked at the system level, AdAway works not only in the browser but also in apps.
The app is reliable and hides ads on almost all websites and apps. On some pages, such as heise.de, I continue to see self-advertising, which is probably being played independently of advertising networks. And then there’s YouTube, which is unaffected by AdAway’s official host lists and continues to serve ads.
Aptoide – my favourite alternative app store
Aptoide is an alternative Android app store that’s been around since 2011. You don’t need a rooted device to use it. However, if you use it with a rooted device, you can use it to update apps automatically. Aptoide offers a wide range of free apps – most of which can be found on the Play Store – plus apps you won’t find anywhere else. This includes ad blockers like AdAway. Developers also have the option of running their own store for their apps in Aptoide.
BusyBox – my favourite command line functions module
BusyBox offers advanced command line capabilities. It’s an app or module that provides a range of Unix utilities and commands. Root functions of other apps need it to work – such as the well-known Titanium Backup (which doesn’t work on Android 13).
DiskDigger Pro – my favourite data rescuer… and killer
A slightly slimmed down, free version of DiskDigger is available here. The Pro version can be found here on the Google Play Store.
LiveBoot – the best boot animation ever
Tired of your previous start animation and looking for something different? Install an alternative. My favourite animation is LiveBoot by Chainfire.
The developer describes the boot animation as: «a boot animation that shows you logcat and dmesg output on the screen as it happens.» This means you can see what the system is doing during the boot process.
It looks like this:
The colour shows you if something isn’t running smoothly. I accidentally caused a bootloop with a Magisk module once. This is when the system gets stuck starting the operating system and can’t get out of a loop. LiveBoot was generating red text almost non-stop. I saved my smartphone by following this guide (under the first question).
If you like, you can also deactivate the colours and view the boot process in black and white. You can also adjust settings for the background, number of lines and other elements. If you treat yourself to a pro version of the module, you’ll not only be supporting Chainfire; you’ll also get additional features.
LSPosed – my favourite framework module for even more modules
The most prominent example that the framework requires is XPrivacy (XPrivacyLua on Android 13). It’s a module that tames the data-gathering frenzy of other Android apps without stopping them from working.
Magisk – the best root app ever
But the banking app in question (Postfinance) still refuses to work, throwing up an error message about root/jailbreak. I strongly suspect that while it doesn’t recognise the root state, it still recognises that the bootloader is unlocked. Meaning that an alternative Android is installed and it’s another bank restriction to refuse to use the app.
Root Uninstaller Pro – I’ve had it for ages and it still works
I’m not sure if there’ll ever be a better alternative to this app from developer AntTek Mobile. Not just because the last version was released eleven months ago and it can no longer be found on the Play Store. Nevertheless, I’ll keep using it as long as it still works.
The main great thing about Root Uninstaller Pro is that you can use it to uninstall not only normal apps but also system apps. The second-best thing the app can do is freeze apps and unfreeze them later. If you’ve had enough of WhatsApp or all the other social media noise, give yourself a break and put the app in the virtual freezer. It’ll disappear from your smartphone’s app manager and you won’t read anything from it until you unfreeze it again.
Other functions include backing up, restoring and resetting individual apps or changing their categorisation. You can make a system app a normal app or vice versa.
SD Maid Pro – my favourite app and system cleaner
Swift Backup – my second favourite backup tool
I used to use Titanium Backup when I wanted to make a local copy of all my apps and their data. But it doesn’t work on Android 13. The best alternative I’ve come across is Swift Backup. Its scope isn’t quite as large as that of Titanium, but it does an impeccable job. You can use it to back up and restore all apps, including system apps, Wi-Fi networks, wallpapers, SMS and call logs.
If you want to keep your old backup when you make a new one, it’s easy. The targeted deletion of apps that are no longer available from the backups and automatic backup schedules are also part of the app. You can get Swift Backup here on the Play Store.
XPrivacyLua – my favourite privacy manager for Android 13, which is unfortunately no longer being developed
XPrivacyLua allows you to protect your privacy – the clue’s in the name. It helps you block apps from revealing sensitive data. You decide which permissions you revoke for each app. However, XPrivacyLua doesn’t actually revoke authorisation; it uses fake data to feed the app or simply doesn’t provide any data. So, the app thinks it still has access. This often results in apps continuing to work without the data actually requested being missing.
As you can see in the two screenshots, you can individually influence a number of different authorisations such as location queries or accessing the call log. It’s great, and I’ll need to replace it soon when Android 14 comes out.
The long route to my smaller data slingshot
Header image: Martin Jud
Martin Jud
Senior Editor
martin.jud@digitecgalaxus.chI find my muse in everything. When I don’t, I draw inspiration from daydreaming. After all, if you dream, you don’t sleep through life.
Background information
Interesting facts about products, behind-the-scenes looks at manufacturers and deep-dives on interesting people.
Show all
