What is Rooting on Android?
“What is rooting? Why should I root my Android device?” These are common questions that I get asked quite often. Today’s lesson is to talk to you about both the advantages and disadvantages of rooting your Android devices. But before we get started, a word of caution: rooting or modifying your phone in any way will void your manufacturer’s warranty and possibly “brick” it. What does “bricking” your device mean you ask? Exactly what you think… It means screwing up your phone software so badly that your phone can no longer function properly and is pretty much as useless as a brick. I do not in any way recommend anyone to root their Android device. This article is simply to introduce you to the subject of rooting and present you with both the pro’s and con’s so that you can make an educated decision on your own.
What is Rooting?
“Rooting” your device means obtaining “superuser” rights and permissions to your Android’s software. With these elevated user privileges, you gain the ability to load custom software (ROM’s), install custom themes, increase performance, increase battery life, and the ability to install software that would otherwise cost extra money (ex: WiFi tethering). Rooting is essentially “hacking” your Android device. In the iPhone world, this would be the equivalent to “Jailbreaking” your phone.
Why is it called Rooting?
The term “root” comes from the Unix/Linux world and is used to describe a user who has “superuser” rights or permissions to all the files and programs in the software OS (Operating System). The root user, because they have “superuser” privileges, can essentially change or modify any of the software code on the device. You see, your phone manufacturer/carrier only gives you “guest” privileges when you purchase your device. They do this for good reason… they don’t want you getting into certain parts of the software on your phone and screwing it up beyond repair. It makes it much easier for them to manage and update the devices if they lock it all down. This way, all the users are running the same unmodified version of the phone’s software. This makes it much easier for them to support the devices. But, for the tech-savvy crowd, only having “guest” privileges on your device is pretty lame and it locks down a lot of potentially useful features.
Sometimes, even Android isn't open enough to give you some of the
features you want. Either an app is blocked by carriers, hacks into
Android's system files, or otherwise isn't available. Luckily, rooting
can help with that: you can install carrier-blocked apps, get features from the latest version of Android, make incompatible apps compatible, power up your hardware, get features like Beats Audio from other phones, or emulate exclusive features like those on the Moto X. Whatever you want, rooting gives you the power to do a lot more.
You've probably heard of Tasker, the awesome app that automates just about anything on your phone.
You don't need to root your phone to use it, but if you're rooted, it
can do a whole lot more. Certain tasks, like toggling 3G, GPS, changing
CPU speed, turning the screen on, and others require root access. So, if
you want to get the full benefit of an app like Tasker, you'll
definitely want to root your phone. For more automation inspiration,
check out your best Tasker actions, as well as our most recently featured Tasker tricks.
You can do a lot of things to speed up your phone and boost its battery life without rooting, but with root—as always—you have even more power. For example, with an app like SetCPU you can overclock your phone for better performance, or underclock it for better battery life. You can also use an app like Greenify
to automatically hibernate apps you aren't using—perfect for those apps
that always want to run in the background when you're not looking.
Look, we of all people understand the need for occasional ads—it's
how we make money. But ads can also get in the way and use up data. If
you want to block ads in certain apps or on certain devices, rooting is by far the best way to do so. AdFree, AdBlock Plus, and Ad Away are all great options. Of course, if you aren't rooted, going into airplane mode works in a pinch too.
When you move to a new Android device—or restore your device to stock
for any reason—you can make your life a lot easier by backing up your
apps and settings first. That way, you can get your entire setup back in just a few taps.
If you aren't rooted, you can back up a few things like apps and data,
but you won't necessarily be able to backup system apps and their data,
or automate the entire process as well as Titanium Backup can. Check out
our guide to Titanium Backup for more tips.
Titanium Backup is good for more than just backups, too. It can also
uninstall that annoying, battery-draining, space-wasting crapware that
comes preinstalled on so many phones these days—and, sadly, this feature is root-only.
Freeze them first to make sure your phone operates normally without
them, then delete them completely to free up that space. You'll be glad
you did.
If you're the kind of person that likes to fiddle with every little
feature—both on the surface and under the hood—rooting is for you.
Whether you want to customize your keyboard layout with something like Keyboard Manager or give yourself faster scrolling, improved multitasking, and extra themes with Pimp My ROM,
rooting gives you the power to tweak just about any corner you can
think of. If you want to do it, chances are someone over on a forum like
XDA has created a mini-app or tweak that will help.
Some of Android's most under-the-hood tweaks require a custom kernel,
which you can only flash with a rooted device. The kernel is
responsible for helping your apps communicate with the hardware of your
phone, which means a custom kernel can give you better performance,
battery life, and even extra features like Wi-Fi tethering (on
unsupported phones), faster battery charging, and lots more. You can flash kernels manually or simplify the process with something like Kernel Manager.
Okay, so you probably already know about this one—but it's one of the
best benefits of rooting. A custom ROM is basically a custom version of
Android, and it truly changes how you use your phone.
Some merely bring a stock version of Android to non-stock phones, or
later versions of Android to phones that don't have it yet. Some add a few handy features, some add lots of really unique features, and some change your operating system from head to toe. No matter what phone you have—even if it's a Nexus—we highly recommend checking out the custom ROMs out there. You won't be disappointed. Note:
As some of you have noted, you don't actually need root access to flash
a custom ROM—though you will need to unlock your bootloader (a process
that sometimes comes bundled with root access). Still, it requires
freeing your device from manufacturer lockdowns, so we've kept it in the
list despite this technicality!
In the end, all of this boils down to one thing: you own your device,
and you should be able to do with it as you please. Certain
manufacturers and carriers try to keep that from happening, but with
root access, you truly own your device and open yourself up to all the
possibilities other parties try to block. Sure, there's some risk involved, and we don't usually recommend rooting other people's phones, but in the end, you can't put a price on true openness and control.
“What is rooting? Why should I root my Android device?” These are common questions that I get asked quite often. Today’s lesson is to talk to you about both the advantages and disadvantages of rooting your Android devices. But before we get started, a word of caution: rooting or modifying your phone in any way will void your manufacturer’s warranty and possibly “brick” it. What does “bricking” your device mean you ask? Exactly what you think… It means screwing up your phone software so badly that your phone can no longer function properly and is pretty much as useless as a brick. I do not in any way recommend anyone to root their Android device. This article is simply to introduce you to the subject of rooting and present you with both the pro’s and con’s so that you can make an educated decision on your own.
What is Rooting?
“Rooting” your device means obtaining “superuser” rights and permissions to your Android’s software. With these elevated user privileges, you gain the ability to load custom software (ROM’s), install custom themes, increase performance, increase battery life, and the ability to install software that would otherwise cost extra money (ex: WiFi tethering). Rooting is essentially “hacking” your Android device. In the iPhone world, this would be the equivalent to “Jailbreaking” your phone.
Why is it called Rooting?
The term “root” comes from the Unix/Linux world and is used to describe a user who has “superuser” rights or permissions to all the files and programs in the software OS (Operating System). The root user, because they have “superuser” privileges, can essentially change or modify any of the software code on the device. You see, your phone manufacturer/carrier only gives you “guest” privileges when you purchase your device. They do this for good reason… they don’t want you getting into certain parts of the software on your phone and screwing it up beyond repair. It makes it much easier for them to manage and update the devices if they lock it all down. This way, all the users are running the same unmodified version of the phone’s software. This makes it much easier for them to support the devices. But, for the tech-savvy crowd, only having “guest” privileges on your device is pretty lame and it locks down a lot of potentially useful features.
Top 10 Reasons to Root Your Android Phone
10. Unlock Hidden Features and Install "Incompatible" Apps
8. Boost Your Phone's Speed and Battery Life
7. Block Ads in Any App
6. Back Up Your Phone for Seamless Transitions
5. Remove Preinstalled Crapware
4. Tweak the Dark Corners of Android
3. Flash a Custom Kernel
2. Flash a Custom ROM
1. Truly Own Your Device
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