Rootingis the Android equivalentof jailbreaking,a means of unlockingthe operatingsystem.
You’ve probably heardof people“rooting”their Android phones.If you’ve ever wondered how to do thatyourself– or wonderedwhy peoplewould bother– you’re in luck. You can root your Android in justa few minutes.
After rootingyour device,you have full accessto the entire systemand can run specialtypes of apps thatrequire root permissions.These apps can disable bloatware, control app permissions,enabletethering,and do lotsof other cool things.
What is “Root,” Anyway?
Android is based on Linux. On Linux and other UNIX-like operatingsystems,the root useris equivalentto the Administratoruseron Windows.The root userhas accessto the entire operatingsystemand can do anything.By default, you don’t have root accessto your Android device,and certain apps won’t functionwithout root access.
With root access,you can disable the bloatware thatcomes with your phone,manually denyapp permissions,run a firewall, accessthe entire file system,or tetheryour device,even if tetheringfunctionalityhas beendisabled.You’ll find many apps thatrequire root accessin the GooglePlay store(formerly knownas the Android Market), althoughthey won’t function untilyou root your device.
Rootingisn’t mandatory – you only needto root your deviceif you want to do thingsthatrequire root access.
Warnings
Before you root your Android phoneor tablet, thereare a few thingsyou should be aware of:
Warranty –
Somemanufacturersassertthatrootingvoids your device’swarranty. However, rootingwill notactually damage your hardware. You can “unroot” your deviceand manufacturerswon’t be able to tell if it’s beenrooted.
Security –
GoogleWallet,in particular,has a vulnerabilityon rooteddevicesthatcouldallow other apps to accessyour PIN and other walletinformation. GoogleWalletdisplays a warning messageif you run it on a rooteddevice.If you’re oneof the few peopleusingGoogleWalletfor NFC payments,you may want to reconsiderrootingyour device.
Bricking – Rootinga deviceis a very safe process. However, there’salways somedanger of “bricking”a devicewhen you go outsidethe normalparametersand hackaroundwith it — particularly if you’re tryingto root a deviceor operatingsystem versionnotsupportedby a tool.
“Bricking”
refersto breaking the device,making it aboutas useful as a brick. When you root, jailbreak, or install a customROM, or otherwisehackaround, you do so at your own risk. It’s a goodidea to do a little bit of researchfirst and seeif other peoplereportsuccessrooting your device.
Setup
The actualrootingprocessitselfshould only take a singleclick. However, you’ll needto do a few quick thingsfirst:
Download and install the Java JDK and Android SDK on your computerbefore continuing.Java mustbe installedbefore the Android SDK.
Enable USB debuggingon your Android. On the device,go into the Settingsscreen,tap Applications,tap Development,and enablethe USB debuggingcheckbox.
Connectyour Android to your computerusingits includedUSB cable. Don’t mountthe device’sSD card on your computer– justplugit in.
You’ll also needthe USB driversfor your phoneor tablet installed.SuperOneClickitselfshould be able to automatically install the appropriatedrivers– however,if thisfails, you’ll needto downloadand install the appropriatedriversfrom the devicemanufacturer’swebsite.
Rooting With SuperOneClick
We’ll be rootingwith SuperOneClickhere. It’s a single-click way to root thatsupportsa wide variety of differentdevices and should work for mostpeople.If SuperOneClickdoesn’t supportyour Android device,head over to the Android Developmentand Hackingforumsat XDA Developers . There are subforumsfor mostAndroid devices– type your device’s name into the search box and you’ll probably find information from other peoplethathave successfullyrootedit, perhaps by usinganother tool.
You can find downloadlinks for SuperOneClickat
shortfuse.org , SuperOneClick’s official website. After downloadingit, run the SuperOneClick.exeapplication.
www.howtogeek.com/115297/how-to-root-your-android-why-you-might-want-to/
