What is android tablet rooting

Benefits of rooting your Android phone or tablet

The benefits of rooting Android devices are significant, but it’s a world not many dare venture into. We won’t blame you if you are wary of doing this. It’s intimidating when manufacturers keep telling you tinkering with a phone can void your warranty or harm your device. And it’s true — you may be left on your own if you decide to play with your phone’s stock software and something goes wrong.

With that said, we can also tell you there are plenty of reasons why rooting may be the best thing you can do to enhance your smartphone experience. Are you thinking of taking the road less traveled but need a little push? Below we talk about some of the critical benefits of rooting.

Reasons to root your Android phone

Disclaimer: Make sure you do your research well and be careful if you decide to unlock your phone’s full potential by rooting. As mentioned above, these procedures can void your warranty or brick your handset. No one but you will be responsible should it come to that.

Get rid of pesky bloatware

Here’s a significant benefit that comes with rooting: you can get rid of bloatware!

Having the ability to access administrator privileges over Android grants complete control over the applications installed. You no longer have to suffer from the cluttered app drawers and reduced memory space taken up by pre-installed carrier and manufacturer applications. Now you can instantly cut the bloatware and keep only the apps you really want.

Sure, you can disable apps in the settings, making sure they don’t show up in the app drawer. There’s also the option of hiding apps, depending on your UI or launcher. But in this case, they’re still there, eating up your memory space. Rooting is the only way to remove unwanted apps permanently, but please don’t uninstall something crucial, or your handset may stop working correctly. Apps like Titanium Backup are particularly helpful for organizing and culling this bloatware.

Real backups

This brings us nicely to the next major benefit of rooting Android, which is improved backup and restoring options. Yes, the cloud can back up some of your settings and app downloads, but that is not a proper backup; it’s just a list of things for the phone to download and change.

As already mentioned, Titanium Backup is one of the most popular backup apps used by rooters. It is essential if you’re going to start tinkering around with Android software. But as well as acting as a safety net in case you uninstall something important, Titanium Backup can also be used to backup your user data… any and all user data.

You don’t wait around for manufacturers and carriers for updates

Once you’re fully backed up, you’re ready to move up to one of the other significant benefits of rooting — installing different versions of Android.

We all know manufacturers are often slow at delivering the latest Android updates, even to their flagship handsets, let alone aging ones. Some are getting better at it, but this is still an ongoing issue for many users. If you’re not a Pixel device owner, rooting opens the door to much faster Android updates, thanks to the developers who put time into porting the latest updates to various handsets.

Pretty much every semi-popular phone has a decent following of developers working on porting the latest versions of Android to their handsets, most of which can be found over at the XDA Forums. The only sacrifice is that you won’t receive official manufacturer versions of Android, so you might not enjoy all the features your phone came with. But if you were really worried about that, you probably wouldn’t be rooting in the first place.

We can’t forget those custom ROMs

If stock Android isn’t your thing, there are also tons of other customized ROMs offering unique features and improvements to the default Android experience.

I’m sure you’ve all heard of the biggest names like Lineage OS, Paranoid Android, and OmniROM, to name a few. Many custom ROMs are actually at the forefront of innovation on Android, offering several features that aren’t available anywhere else.

But as well as these big third-party developers, you’ll also find a lot of smaller developers tweaking away at the core Android experience, offering ROMs with vastly superior battery life or overclocked processor speeds. Not to mention that most custom ROMs are updated to the latest version of Android very quickly, too, bringing you the best of both worlds.

Overclocking and underclocking

Remember when all phones were slow? Well, not all, but they all needed that extra push. A trendy thing to do among root users was overclocking the processor to make things more snappy. Even mid-end smartphones are pretty fast now, so there isn’t much of a need for that anymore, but some of you may still want to speed things up.

Even if overclocking is no longer as popular, you will find that altering processor speeds is convenient. Got a super powerful phone and want to save battery? Under-clocking is also an option. Sometimes we don’t need all the power our specs offer, and we could use saving resources. That makes this one of the most unsung benefits of rooting.

Save battery life

No one likes it when their smartphone is running out of its battery charge. While we have seen advancements in terms of battery charging speeds, the truth is that lots of apps drain your battery. This is the case even when the app is not in use. It’s also true that batteries lose life in phones over time.

Having a rooted phone allows users to download apps that can actually save battery life. One of our favorites is Greenify, which can discover which apps on your phone are draining your battery charge while not in use. The app puts them info full hibernation mode, so your phone battery can last much longer than usual.

Apps that do more

As rooting opens up administrator type privileges on your handset, you’ll instantly have access to all the core files on your handset. File browser apps can take full advantage of this, allowing you to move stuff around on your internal memory if so required.

App-wise, we’ve already touched on Titanium Backup, but far more apps can make use of root permissions. Fans of custom ROMs can even use a ROM manager to install and update their operating system without the need to flash zip files from Recovery.

There are a lot of other great apps that only work on rooted devices. We won’t list them all here, but you can check out the 15 best ones in our dedicated post linked right below.

Dress to impress

The last reason for rooting your handset is the broader range of customization and theming options. After all, who doesn’t want their home screens looking snazzy?

Although there are options to tweak themes that don’t require rooting, usually through third-party launchers such as Apex and Nova, rooting gives you access to the important files needed to make changes in folders usually hidden from users. Access to the /system/fonts folder allows users to install and replace custom fonts. You can also flash zip files from Recovery to install themes too. But if all that folder browsing isn’t for you, there are also some great root-only theme applications to choose from.

Not convinced about having a rooted Android phone? There are ways to reverse your handset to stock software. Just check out our guide on how to unroot your Android phone.

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What is Android Rooting?

Android Rooting is the art of technique with the help one can get easily unrestricted access to the System files. Access means change, delete or modify according to the needs. Equivalent to the JAIL Breaking executes in IOS. It gives the power to modify the software code on the device or install other software that the manufacturer wouldn’t normally allow to and for good mobile security reasons. Rooting can give tremendous gains over a regular Android Phone or Tablet but gaining access to the sensitive files can create any kind of problems for the user as well as Android Phone.

Note: Rooting, in this context, has nothing to do with the term root folder in reference to the location of something in the folder hierarchy.

Before Rooting the Phone

Android Phone works on Linux distribution System. Android uses Linux for its device drivers, memory management, process management, and network. When we execute an app and the app is restricted to do certain things based on user permissions. Particular apps have a type of user ID, and they all have permission to do a certain task. An app present on the phone, can’t access another app’s data. All apps that are installed assigned a UID (Unique User ID) by the system. This mechanism works until we give root access to that app. To provide root access to any app we have to give external permission to a particular app to bypass all the restrictions.

Note: Your Device needs to be rooted to fulfill this request otherwise Android will automatically reject the request.

There are so many apps that require root permissions to executes their operations. In the above image, the MyBackup app requires a superuser root request to make the backup of the entire data of the Android Phone. Deny means reject the root access and Grant means to allow the root access.

Effects on System OS After Rooting

When you root your phone, you add a binary and an app to manage it. Granting an app root access, it can execute commands and have permissions it normally can’t. There are so many third-party apps that internally execute you root your Android device and add a small file called SU is placed in the system and provide permissions so that another user can run it. It stands for Switch User, and if you run the file without any other parameters, it changes the credentials and permissions from a normal user to the superuser. After giving Grant permission the app is free from all the restrictions.

How to Check the Root Status of the Phone

Applications like Kinguser or Superuser on the device is an obvious sign that the device has been rooted. These applications are installed as part of the rooting process to allow access to superuser permission. These apps are also used for rooting the device lower version device as well as check the status of the root. For some devices, the user can simply go to their Settings and click “About Phone” to review the software versions on their device. Any irregularities in the software will be noted.

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Root Android: Everything you need to know!

One of the best things about Android is how customizable and flexible it is. Android lets you use it the way you want to, whether that means changing the launcher, or setting up a host of unique automatic functions with Tasker. But for some, that isn’t enough. You can gain near full control of the OS if you root Android.

This isn’t as common as it once was, but there are still benefits to rooting Android. If you like the sounds of that, but find yourself feeling a little anxious about “hacking” your much-loved (and probably expensive) device, then read on to learn everything you need to know about rooting Android. It’s actually easier than you might think.

Rooting Android:

Editor’s note: Rooting Android devices requires a high level of tinkering and modifying your phone’s software. This can be risky, and there is a chance you’ll damage your handset. This is bad news considering rooting Android may void your warranty. Always do your research and be sure you’re confident about the steps you’re taking, as no one but you will be responsible should anything happen to your device.

What is rooting?

While it might sound scary, rooting simply refers to the act of obtaining access to commands, system files, and folder locations that are usually locked off. Rooting Android can be thought of as promoting yourself from a system user to an administrator, with the additional freedom and risks that come from more control over the deeper workings of your device. With great power comes great responsibility and all that!

More specifically, adding root to Android means becoming a superuser, which is a Linux function you may be familiar with. In many ways, then, you could view this more as restoring a function that should have been there, to begin with!

Users can install and run applications on rooted Android phones and tablets that require special privileges, bypass carrier installed software, and even remove bloatware applications (as opposed to simply disabling them). Root access is even needed if you want to install trivial things like certain custom fonts, and rooting Android can also unlock new features in certain apps and launchers.

Rooting is no longer always essential for flashing a custom ROM. However, it is advisable to root Android in some cases to make use of the most interesting features.

Handy rooting terminology:

• Bootloader: Lowest level software on your phone that starts up recoveries and then the main operating system.
• Recovery: Low-level software that can create and restore full system backups. Accessed before the main OS.
• ADB (Android Debug Bridge): A command-line tool that is part of the Android SDK, which supports communication between a computer and an Android device.

To root or not to root?

The next question is whether you should root Android or leave it as it is. That, of course, is a matter of personal preference, but there are some compelling arguments both for and against.

On the plus side, it gives you more access to several cool apps and customization options. It also lets you upgrade older phones to newer versions of Android, long after your manufacturer and carrier have stopped supporting it. As mentioned, rooting Android will let you change things that you otherwise couldn’t, and it will also let you use a host of cool apps.

Android root apps and options

Here are just a few things you can do with a rooted Android device:

• Overclock or underclock the CPU.
• Increase battery life.
• Greatly enhance the power of Tasker.
• Remove preinstalled bloatware apps.
• Make real backups.

• Install custom ROMs.
• Further customize your phone’s looks.
• Install apps that do more than basic ones.
• You can even do things like installing Ubuntu for desktop.

For some people, rooting Android is also something of a statement. You paid for this device, so why shouldn’t you use it exactly as you wish? Especially if it means removing cynical and unhelpful bloatware. There’s also a certain status that comes from it, and a great sense of accomplishment when you achieve root access for the first time.

And obviously, if you’re a developer hoping to create your own root apps, you need to start somewhere!

Will you damage your device?

That said, there are also some potential downsides to rooting.

For one, even once you know how to root Android, there are some risks involved. Get this wrong, and there is a slight chance of bricking your device (it’s happened to me). It’s definitely easier and safer on some devices than others, but if you’re not overly confident with your tech wizardry, then you may prefer to leave well enough alone.

Furthermore, rooting can cause some issues with official OTA handset updates – but it is usually fine to install new software manually once you’re rooted. Updating will often cause root permissions to be lost, in which case the procedure will need to be performed again. Occasionally, an update will block old root methods, and sometimes rooted devices will fail to install updates. If your device stops booting after an attempted root exploit, you can usually restore it to factory specifications rather easily.

Warranties and legalities – is rooting legal?

This leads us nicely onto warranties, which is another grey area in the world of rooting. While carriers don’t like you tampering with their hardware and software, some manufacturers have become kinder to rooters and even those who install third-party software. However, few have a clear stance on what software tweaks will void your warranty, and you certainly can’t count on having your rooted handset fixed if something goes wrong. Devices with locked bootloaders, the very low-level software that starts up your phone, are designed specifically to prevent rooting, so don’t expect any sympathy from these companies.

Manufacturers and sellers can often identify root, even after you unroot, thanks to clues like Knox on Samsung. Note that there are ways to hide evidence of having rooted your device, but these won’t always work. There’s a kind of arms race going on between hackers and manufacturers, and your chances of unrooting and covering your tracks will often come down to who is winning at the time! This is why a lot of people only root older phones that are already out of warranty.

This might also lead you to wonder whether rooting your device is even legal? This is tough to answer as it depends on your own country’s laws. Many countries allow for the bypassing of digital rights management and locks, providing that this is not used for other illegal purposes, such as circumventing copyrights. Rooting has been legal in the USA since 2013.

Security

It’s also worth noting that some apps and features will stop working once you root. For example, banking apps will often stop working due to the perceived security risk. Even Snapchat and Pokemon Go take issue with root! That said, there are also often countermeasures to these limitations – though your mileage may vary. As you can probably tell by now, rooting typically means creating more work for yourself, but it’s really fun work!

The final major point to be aware of is security. With a greater level of control comes a greater level of risk, and rooting your phone can open up your device to more dangerous pieces of malware. This is where governor applications come in, which monitor and control which processes are given root permissions. You may be familiar with SuperSU or other similar apps. These are very straightforward to use and simply display a pop-up whenever an app or process wants root access, which you can either deny or allow and save your preference if you trust the app.

Of course, if you aren’t automatically receiving the usual updates, it also falls on you to ensure you are getting all the latest security patches. In theory, with the right root apps, you could actually improve your privacy. But it’s on you. It should also be noted that SuperSU developer Chainfire hung up his root apps, so most rooters have now switched over to Magisk.

So, should you root Android?

With all that in mind then, should you root your Android device?

Ultimately, that comes down to what you intend to use your device for. Do you even need to root Android? If you have a specific use-case scenario in mind, and you understand the risks and limitations, then there’s nothing to stop you from learning how to root Android and giving yourself that extra freedom.

On the other hand, the argument for rooting isn’t quite as compelling as it once was. These days, one can do many things that were once limited to root users (adding a custom ROM, recording your screen, and so on). Not to mention that even budget phones are fast these days, so overclocking is no longer an important reason to root Android.

Seeing as root might also mean you lose functionality, it’s no longer a straight win across the board. It’s fun, powerful, and useful, but it’s not quite as useful as it once was.

For me, the obvious answer is to only root on older devices. Keep your daily driver clean while it’s still getting new updates and patches, but root secondary gadgets that you want to tinker with. That way, you get to have your cake and eat it too.

How to root Android devices

Should you decide to go ahead, then you’ll probably be wondering how to root Android. Let’s lead you in the right direction!

The bad news is there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution when you root Android phones and tablets. Different brands and even software versions can make the rooting process vary. Even within handset variants, you may find that some techniques work and others don’t.

The good news is that in many cases, rooting is much easier than it once was. In fact, the easiest method is usually to use a simple root app. These apps let you root Android with a single tap, with some popular examples being KingRoot, KingoRoot, and OneClickRoot. Simply download your app of choice. The application will first check compatibility, then go ahead and root your device for you.

This is a minimum-fuss method that will work in a large number of cases. However, it’s worth noting that some come with annoying push notifications and ads. I’d advise checking reviews before settling on which one to use. Some would even say that if you can’t figure out how to root your device without one of these apps that perhaps you shouldn’t be doing it at all (because if you encounter problems during the process, you won’t know what to do).

If a one-click solution doesn’t appeal to you, though, things get a little more complex, and you’ll need to look for specific instructions for your device. This might mean using PC software and connecting your phone via USB. It might also mean using a custom recovery, or downloading additional software like Odin for Samsung devices. The best part about these options is that you learn a lot along the way.

I recommend either Googling “root [YOUR DEVICE NAME HERE]” or heading over to XDA Developers, which is a great place to start. Many of the best root apps available today were developed by members of this community. Just be sure to use the search function first before asking noob questions! And don’t forget to thank and support the devs that make rooting possible.

Before rooting your device, it’s always a good idea to backup first. Then settle in, read a lot, triple-check the instructions, and dive in. Crossing your fingers and holding your breath would be a good idea, too, because you just took the red pill! The world of Android rooting is exciting, empowering, frustrating, and engaging – you’ll learn tons about how Android works, what your phone can do, and how awesome Android can be when you get in the driver’s seat.

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