The best apps for rooted Android phones

Android phones are used every day by countless people. Yet only a relatively small portion of Android users unlock the full potential of their devices. Android is a customizable platform out-of-the-box, but rooting an Android handset gives you complete control over it.

If you do take the plunge and decide to root your phone, what are some of the best apps to install? Let’s take a look.

Titanium Backup

When iOS users update their firmware or switch to a new device, they can easily restore all of their apps and data via iTunes or iCloud. Android, though, offers no such integrated and complete backup solution.

Titanium Backup changes that. It gives you the ability to back up and restore apps, data, and system settings. With Titanium Backup, you will always be able to pick up right where you left off after flashing a new ROM, completely restoring your handset, or switching to a new device.

By default, Titanium Backup saves your backups to your device’s SD card, but there is also an option for saving to a Dropbox account.

SetCPU

SetCPU is one of the handiest root apps that you’ll come across. It gives you complete control over your device’s processor, letting you tweak the CPU speed to your liking.

The best part is that SetCPU can be set to change the processor to different frequencies under different conditions. This allows you to choose a low setting while the screen is off to save battery, to run it at top speeds when the battery is full, etc. If you flash a custom kernel, then SetCPU will also be the key to overclocking.

The interface, at first glance, may be intimidating to beginners, but it doesn’t take long to figure it out. Once you get the hang of it, SetCPU can be one of the most powerful apps for rooted Android devices.

Wireless Tether for Root Users

Though there are some great USB tethering apps that don’t require root (like PdaNet and EasyTether), you’ll need to root in order to create a Wi-Fi hotspot without paying extra to your carrier.

Wireless Tether for Root Users lets you do just that. It’s free, available in the Market, and is regularly updated by its developers.

Root Explorer

If you want full access to your phone’s file system, then look no farther than Root Explorer. There are other file explorers that offer basic functionality, but Root Explorer blows the doors wide open, letting you add, move, and delete system and data files, change permissions — and many other tasks that require root.

If you like to tweak your phone, Root Explorer will come in handy a million times down the road. It’s well worth the $4 admission fee.

ROM Manager

Root-access apps are only the tip of the iceberg. Once you start flashing ROMs, you open an entire new world for your device.

Custom ROMs are modified versions of Android, most of which offer something unique — whether it’s a different theme, power-saving tweaks, or extra features. With Android’s fervent development community, custom ROMs could let you have a different phone for every day of the week.

ROM Manager takes the process of finding and flashing ROMs, and makes it much easier. Rather than searching forums, downloading the file on a desktop, finding a USB cable, flashing to your phone, etc., ROM Manager automates the entire process.

Start by using the app to install a custom recovery (which let you perform full backups of your firmware), choose from a list of popular ROMs for your device, and let ROM Manager flash it for you. This app takes ROM flashing — which can be burdensome — and makes it easy and fun.

Metamorph

If you like theming your phone, Metamorph can be your greatest ally. The app has advanced features that allow you to create your own themes, but most people use it to easily install others’ themes (which there is no shortage of).

Once you find a theme that you like (make sure it’s compatible with your ROM), download it, choose it, and enjoy a new look.

Screenshot It

If you’re a former iOS user who migrated to Android, you may be shocked to learn that Android has no easy way of taking screenshots. In fact, apart from cumbersome workarounds (which require a PC), the only way to take screenshots is to root your phone.

There are several quality screenshot apps in the Market, all of which will get the job done the same. We chose Screenshot It because it’s been around for a while and offers a nice blend of options and simplicity.

Keyboard Manager

One of the best perks that Android offers is the ability to switch keyboards (even jailbroken iOS devices can’t really do this). Keyboard Manager lets you use a different keyboard depending on whether you’re in portrait or landscape mode.

So, let’s say you like Swype, but you find it annoying to use in landscape mode, where you prefer the split layout of Thumb Keyboard. Just select those preferences in Keyboard Manager, and it will take care of it.

There are more full-featured Android root apps, but Keyboard Manager offers one great function, which it does well.

Chainfire 3D

Does your device have problems playing some of the latest games? Chainfire 3D may be able to help. It serves as an intermediary between your GPU and your apps, tweaking settings to improve performance.

There will be a bit of a learning curve here for beginners, but it may be worth the time. In addition to stock configurations to reduce textures and shaders to free up memory, there are also many plugins that you can find with a quick search. There is even a plugin that will let you play Tegra Zone games (games that are exclusive to devices with a Tegra 2 or Tegra 3 chip) on non-Tegra devices.

Root Call Blocker Pro

There are too many Android call blocking apps to count, but Root Call Blocker Pro is one of the most powerful. Most other call blockers will wait for the call to ring, then cut it off. This could lead to suddenly-stifled half-rings, constantly notifying you that one of your blacklisted callers just dialed.

Root Call Blocker Pro kills selected calls before they even come through, so your phone shouldn’t ring at all. Of course it’s highly customizable, letting you choose who to block, how to block, and everything in between. It also lets you block SMS and MMS.

ADB Wireless

Many of the most advanced Android tweaks will require you to use ADB (see our introduction to using ADB). But it can be a hassle to always have a USB cable at the ready every time you want to tap into your phone via command line.

ADB Wireless removes that requirement by letting you easily send ADB commands to your phone via a local Wi-Fi network. Just press the big button (it’s a widget on your homescreen), make sure your PC sees your device (by typing “adb devices” in the ADB folder), and go to town.