If you are an Android user, you might have heard about the term “root”. There was a time when many of the Android phones available didn’t live up to their potential, and root was the answer. So here is full guide/tutorial to Root Android 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 for the user. 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 come great responsibility and all that!
More specifically, adding root to Android means becoming a superuser, which is a Linux function that 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!
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.
Rooting Dictionary
Bootloader: The bootloader is the piece of software on your phone that boots up the system recovery and the operating system. When you boot up the phone, this is the first piece of software that runs. Or simply bootloader is Lowest level software on your phone that starts up recoveries and then the main operating system.
Root: The term “root” is a relic of the Linux world (Android runs on Linux). Gaining root access means gaining administrator or superuser access to the entire device, at its most basic level.
Recovery: The first thing the bootloader rings up is the recovery. A custom recovery like TWRP will let you back up the entire device, flash tweaks, and install a new custom operating system. Or simply it is a Low-level software that can create and restore full system backups. Accessed before the main OS.
Custom ROM: A custom ROM is a replacement operating system. It’s compatible on the most fundamental level but customized or changed in some other aspect. A custom ROM can have special apps, extra features, or tweaks to the code that make your phone faster and more secure.
SuperUser: When you root your phone, it installs a “su” binary. You can use apps like SuperSU to manage superuser access. Grant it to apps so they can interact with the root level of the operating system.
ADB(Android Debug Bridge): Android Debug Bridge lets you communicate to your Android device from your PC using the command line. For some devices, this is the only way to gain root access. OR A command line tool that is part of the Android SDK, which supports communication between a computer and an Android device.
Kernel: A kernel is what sits between the phone’s hardware and software, making it easy for the software to communicate, interact, and tinker with the hardware. If you’re the ambitious kind, you can switch out the kernel for something custom. This can give you a performance increase and access to more features.
Xposed Framework: Xposed is a modding tool. The modules available for Xposed let you tweak system and app behavior. You can get features from custom ROMs without actually switching to one.
Brick: When your phone just won’t boot up, it’s officially bricked. Don’t worry — you can usually get it up and running again by restoring a Nandroid backup.
Nandroid: Once you’re rooted, you’ll be able to perform Nandroid backups using the custom recovery. This backs up your entire phone, including apps and data that you can restore after you’ve installed a different custom ROM. So even if you update a ROM, you won’t lose out on any data.
How Rooting Actually Works?
Usually, rooting is a three-step affair: Unlock the bootloader, flash a new recovery, then use the new recovery to flash a.ZIP file that will give you root access.
The first thing you need is an unlocked bootloader. For most popular devices, there’s some kind of workaround to unlock the bootloader. Before going forward, check if your device’s bootloader can be unlocked via a quick Google search. Every Android device is different.
Here is a tutorial to install Android SDK: How to Install Android SDK
- HTC bootloader unlocking
- Motorola bootloader unlocking
- LG bootloader unlocking
- Huawei bootloader unlocking
- Sony bootloader unlocking
Once the bootloader is unlocked, the next thing is to switch from the system recovery to a custom recovery. A third-party recovery like TWRP lets you do things like flash.ZIPs, install tweaks, make backups, and execute commands. We’ll use our new recovery to flash a.ZIP that will give us root access.
Should You Root or Not?
Now that you know what rooting is and how exactly you go about it, now is the time to ask the question: Should you root?
Yes. No. Maybe. All three answers are perfectly valid. 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 a number of cool apps and customization options. It also lets you upgrade older phones to newer versions of Android, long after your manufacturer and carrier have forgotten about your device. 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.
Third Party Rooting Apps
Using commercial rooting apps like Kingo Root or One Click Root is straightforward, and can be done with or without a computer. While these apps can’t root every phone, the people who make them are doing as best they can to keep the application’s current.
While we can’t validate the theories that these applications could potentially contain malware or send your data off to a server in some unfriendly nation, plenty of folks around the web have expressed concerns and doubts. You shouldn’t ignore them. We recommend that you factory reset your Android before you download, install or run these applications to be safe. Your phone will remain rooted afterward, and you can factory reset once again then sign in normally. Better safe than sorry.
Using Kingo Root
KingRoot is root for people who just want to have root access to their devices, and not necessarily wanting to flash anything extra. It works on almost all devices from Android version 2.x to 5.0. Working of KingRoot is based on system exploit. The most suitable root strategy will be deployed from the cloud to your device according to the ROM information on the device. The best part of using this root method is that it does not trip KNOX and have the ability to close Sony_RIC perfectly.
Framaroot
Many devices can be rooted using this application. Check your device for compatibility.
Towelroot
Created by XDA Recognized Developer geohot, Towelroot is another root exploit app that is compatible with a large range of devices. The root exploit itself is built around Linux kernel CVE-2014-3153 discovered by hacker Pinkie Pie, and it involves an issue in the Futex subsystem that in turn allows for privilege escalation. Although specifically designed for certain variants of the Galaxy S5, it is compatible with the majority of devices running unpatched kernels.
CF-Auto-Root
Created by XDA Senior Recognized Developer Chainfire, CF-Auto-Root is a root for “rooting beginners” and those who want to keep as close to stock as possible. CF-Root is meant to be used in combination with stock Samsung firmware as well as Nexus devices, and be the quickest and easiest way for your first root. In essence, it does nothing but installs and enable SuperSU on your system, so apps can gain root access.
How to Root Android Device?
How you root your Android is going to depend on which one you have. There are over 12,000 different Android models (and that’s only counting ones that can access Google Play) from hundreds of different manufacturers. Some of those are easy to root, while some of them aren’t.
The bad news is that there isn’t a one size fits all solution when you root Android phones and tablets and different brands and even software versions can vary quite widely. 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 which is stated above.
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 mean using a custom recovery, or it might mean 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 root possible.
Before rooting your device it’s always a good idea to backup first.
Unrooting Your Device
What if you change your mind? Or you want to sell your device? No problem, rooting is reversible. If you’ve rooted your phone without flashing a custom ROM, you can use the SuperSU app to unroot. The app has a section called cleanup, which has a full unroot option. Tapping that will walk you through the unrooting process. If that doesn’t work, you may have to unroot your device manually. If you did flash a custom ROM, you’d need to reset your device to factory settings. The methodology for this is different for every manufacturer. How-To Geek has a helpful guide that outlines where to find instructions based on the device’s manufacturer and operating system that it’s running. Unrooting is somewhat complicated, so again, be sure to backup all of your data before proceeding.
Root Apps You Must Try
You have come through post till here means you have successfully rooted your android device. Then there many rooted apps which will you change smartphone experience.
Follow this link for best root apps: 9 Best Apps for Rooted Phone
Follow this link for best magisk modules. : 10 Best Magisk Modules For Your Rooted Phone
Custom ROMs to Try
A custom Android ROM refers to a phone’s firmware, based on Google’s Android platform. Android is open source and therefore any developer can edit the code, recompile it, and re-release for a wide variety of devices.
Follow the link for best Pie Based Custom ROMs: 10 Best Android Pie Based Custom ROMs
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