Beyond Stock Android: My Favorite Rooted Apps for a Power User Experience

It’s true that I see a lot of guides out now. These guides often focus on “how to root the Pixel.” They also discuss whether or not rooting is a good idea. Personally, I’ve loved my Pixel 9 Pro. I’ve had it stock rooted. I plan to get even more use out of it. I’ll do this once the 7 years are up and they stop making updates. At that point, I’m going to put a custom ROM on it. I haven’t seen a lot of documentation out for rooted apps, or things like that. So, I’m just gonna share a few of my favorites. If I can find a guide to go along with it, I will link that!

Before I dive in, most of what I write about today will need Magisk installed and full root privileges.

**Disclaimer:Rooting your Android phone comes with significant risks, including voiding your warranty and potentially bricking your device. Proceed with caution and at your own risk. This post shares my personal experience and favorite rooted apps.**

YouTube ReVanced

First up! YouTube ReVanced is ad-free YouTube that replaces the app that’s already on your phone with one that has way more features, SponsorBlock, and a bunch of settings to tune it to your liking! There is also a YouTube Music ReVanced with the same concept. As a power user, I want complete control over my media consumption, and ReVanced delivers that by removing ads and unlocking premium features.

Installation (for ReVanced)

You flash the files just how you would any Magisk file, and it replaces your YouTube with ReVanced, and your account should come over from the original app. Both of the zip files for Magisk are in the link below!

Magisk Modules for YouTube Revanced on Github!

System-Wide Ad Blocking

Next up! I wanted to talk about a few things that I do for ad blocking on all of my devices, and you don’t have to configure your network or anything for these. I haven’t seen an ad in quite a while other than on Duolingo because the Duolingo bird will mess you up! A power user values efficiency and a clean experience. System-wide ad blocking eliminates distractions and optimizes my phone’s performance.

Non-Rooted Ad Blocking (Brave)

For very basic web browsing, I use Brave Browser. I always set it to aggressive ad blocking, and I don’t see ads inside websites or even YouTube. If you aren’t rooted, it’s a great way to get ad-free videos! The reason I like Brave for browsing and general use is because it’s just Chrome but ad-free and very customizable!

Rooted Ad Blocking (AdAway)

Beyond Brave, for a more system-wide approach on my rooted Pixel 9 Pro, I primarily rely on AdAway. As I mentioned earlier, it modifies the hosts file to block ad servers at the system level.

This means that once configured, the ad-blocking benefits extend to almost every app and browser on your device, not just a specific browser. It’s a “set it and forget it” kind of solution that runs quietly in the background, keeping the digital noise at bay.

Installing AdAway

AdAway is a free and open-source ad blocker for rooted Android devices. Here’s how to get it:

• Adaway.org links to either F-Droid or Github, so it’s your choice how you install it. You may need to enable your browser to install files from unknown sources.

Important Notes:

• Always download F-Droid and AdAway from their official sources to avoid security risks.
• Keep AdAway updated to ensure you have the latest ad-blocking rules.

Conclusion

These are just a couple of the rooted apps that have significantly enhanced my Pixel experience. Rooting isn’t for everyone, but for power users who want to push their devices to the limit and customize every aspect of their Android experience, it opens up a world of possibilities. I encourage you to explore these apps and the wider world of rooted Android, but always remember to proceed with caution and do your research!