AskVG

[FAQ] All About Rooting Android Mobile Phones and Tablets

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If you are using an Android mobile phone, you might be aware of the term “Rooting“. Many times when we search for apps, mobile firmware, etc on Internet, we come across this “Rooting” term. Many people regularly ask me various questions regarding rooting Android mobile phones. The most frequently asked questions include what is rooting, how to root Android mobile phones, what are the benefits of rooting, will it damage my phone, etc.

Root_Checker_Android_Mobile_Application.png

So today in this tutorial, I’m going to answer all these frequently asked questions regarding rooting Android devices. I’ll try to make this topic an ultimate guide for rooting Android mobiles.

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For readers convenience I have divided this guide in following categories:

  • What is Android mobile phone rooting?
  • What are the benefits/advantages of rooting?
  • What are the disadvantages of rooting?
  • How to root Android mobile phones and tablets?
  • What to do after rooting Android mobiles or tablets?
  • How to Unroot Android devices?

So without wasting time lets start the ultimate guide for rooting Google Android mobile phones and tablets:

1. What does Rooting an Android Mobile Phone Mean?

Rooting an Android device means gaining root (Superuser) permissions on your Android device. It can be considered similar to Using built-in Administrator account in Windows or root user (superuser) in Linux operating systems.

In Linux/Unix, “Root” is the user who has superuser permissions i.e. elevated user privileges in the operating system. Since Android is based on Linux kernel, rooting an Android device means the same thing. Once you root an Android mobile phone or tablet, you get root or superuser access on the files and programs in Android OS software.

In other words, after rooting an Android device you get full control on your device. All software limitations are removed and you get full access on Android OS.

Many people compare Android devices rooting with jailbreaking Apple iPhones as you are unlocking your Android device OS to obtain root access.

2. What are the Benefits/Advantages of Rooting?

There are many advantages of rooting Android devices and some of them are as following:

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  • You can access and modify system files and apps in the OS
  • You can install many special apps from Google Play Store which require rooting
  • You can flash custom ROM (i.e. install 3rd party firmware to enjoy latest Android version)
  • You can remove preinstalled crapware i.e. useless OEM apps
  • You can install carrier-blocked as well as incompatible apps
  • You can unlock many hidden Android features which were blocked by mobile company
  • You can increase device performance, improve battery life, etc using special apps

In other words, you become the boss of your Android device.

3. What are the Disadvantages of Rooting?

Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. If you are planning to root your Android mobile phone or tablet, you should remember following things:

  • Rooting your Android device will void warranty
  • You might not be able to receive OTA (over-the-air) updates from your carrier after rooting
  • Rooting can brick your Android device i.e. it’ll not turn on

Normally rooting doesn’t brick your Android device but installing incompatible custom ROMs can definitely damage your phone.

4. How to Root an Android Mobile Phone or Tablet?

Now the most important question comes! How to root Android devices? There are many ways to root Android mobile phones and tablets. Some of the easiest and 1-click methods can be found in following exclusive tutorial:

[Guide] How to Root an Android Device?

5. Things to Do After Rooting Android Devices

Once you root your Android device, you must check out following useful apps for rooted mobile phones on Google Play Store:

  • Titanium Backup
  • Greenify
  • Set CPU
  • ROM Manager
  • RAM Booster
  • ROM Toolbox
  • NoBloat

You can search on Play Store for many other useful apps specifically developed for rooted devices.

You can also try custom ROMs to change your Android mobile phone’s look-n-feel.

If you have a Samsung Galaxy phone, you can enable several hidden secret features and options after rooting your mobile. Check out following tutorial for more details:

[Tip] Enable Hidden Secret Features in Samsung Galaxy Smartphones

6. How to Unroot Android Device?

Almost all PC software and mobile apps which allow you to root your Android device, also allow you to unroot the same device. You can also try “OTA RootKeeper” or “SuperSU” apps to unroot your Android device. If you don’t find the option to unroot your device, you can flash an official stock firmware/software on your Android device to make it unrooted.

That’s all for now. I hope you’ll find this guide useful. Feel free to ask any question and share your feedback in your comment…

Published in: Mobiles and Internet

About the author: Vishal Gupta (also known as VG) has been awarded with Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) award. He holds Masters degree in Computer Applications (MCA). He has written several tech articles for popular newspapers and magazines and has also appeared in tech shows on various TV channels.

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Comments

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  1. Can you read minds? I was about to research about rooting and you came up with this guide. A big thanks man.

  3. Installing a custom recovery and CyanogenMod are definitely the two things to do after rooting a device. Sadly, not every device has a custom recovery and/or CyanogenMod port… specially if we are talking about cheap Android devices.

  4. Have a look at these two sites, this is where I learnt to root and modify my own roms:
    flashmyandroid.com
    forum.xda-developers.com

    Also an app worth mentioning is PurePerformancesX

    Hope this helps 🙂

  5. There’s an app that doesn’t allow it to run because the phone is rooted somehow..
    I can’t say what app it is but yeah, it’s considered “illegal access detected” just saying. 🙂

  6. “Rooting your Android device will void warranty” isn’t always true. It depends on where you live.

    Some countries have consumer protection laws to prevent companies from denying their customer’s warranty, simply because they installed custom software.

  7. can pls you make a guide for MTK devices such as Lenovo A2107-H etc? already rooted , need a guide to flash

  10. This is byfar the most suitable information on the context, although process is not given as it is widely distributed. Still, it is quite good! 🙂

  11. Dear VG, I have tried almost all the above methods like farmaroot, towelroot etc. to root my celkon campus colt a 401but in vain. is there any android app to root my device? pls suggest.

  12. *Nice! Tutorial, i forgot to check this part (Gadget) is available in your site. Glad to came here for such both nice tutorials Computer & Gadget.
    *Keep it up.. (^.^)Y”

  13. My SKK tablet (I live in the Philippines) is filled with bloatware cr-p and turned into an virus. After installing Pretendo DS Emulator, it stared filling it with nonsense bloatware. I also accidentally uninstalled my CoC because I was frustrated (It’s just like Angry Birds being distracted and pigs are going to steal the eggs).
    First stage: A fake settings app that turned into an “system” app. It puts “Lucky Try” / “Recommended” shortcuts.
    Second stage: On every boot, an dialog “Android is upgrading” is appearing that installs the following apps: Lazada, LINK, looloo, PlayUp, ShareIt (not by Lenovo).
    Third stage: Installed an “Search” app that is similar to the default one, same icon, and turned as “System” app.
    Fourth stage: Installed “MonkeyTest”, “TimeService”, com.android.providers.contacts2 and com.android.providers.ad.sprovider.
    Fifth stage: Installed an fake “Packages” app, icon similar to that of Google’s.
    Sixth stage: Boot dialog now bundles “Pepper”.
    Seventh stage: Boot dialog now bundles “Zipt”.
    Eight stage: Installed “MonkeyTest” and “TimeService” (another version) as “system” apps.
    Ninth stage: Boot dialog now bundles “Privacy Guard” and “Power Clean”.
    Tenth stage: Backdoor now installs over Wi-Fi.
    Now it’s getting worse!!!
    It justs wastes space.
    I’m scared of rooting, I might brick my tablet.

  14. UPDATE: After an factory data reset w/o harming tablet storage, bloatware didn’t go away. Auto-installing apps are solved (disable unknown sources). Also now an virus (confirmed by McAfee and AVG.)

  15. 2nd UPDATE: Things got worse. 4 apps bypassed my setting “Disable apps from unknown services”.
    The eleventh stage is: Installs Battery Doctor, DU Battery Saver, WeCal and Omni Swipe.
    VG please help

  16. ^^ You should reinstall the firmware. If you are unable to reinstall firmware, you should contact the service center or a local repair technician.

  17. ^^ Oh no. However, I am not scared of root anymore. Just doing some research and saving some battery. How to reinstall firmware?

  19. ^^ No. You’ll need to manually unroot the phone using the tools or apps. Or you can reinstall phone firmware.

  20. If you don’t root your Android device is the same like having a Ferrari with a “speed-lock” of maximum 60Km/h.

    If you are afraid of rooting then go to iphone (it can be “jailbreak” too) or don’t have a smart phone for the sake of fashion.

    Hey Vishal, you should set a section with tutorials for power Android apps like Super SU, Titanium Backup, SD Maid, Xpose Framework, Xprivacy, Greenefy, root firewalls, File Managers, Terminal Emulators, Lucky Patcher, etc.

    The Android Root section is missing from your website; themes, skins or interfaces are not the priority.

  22. I have rooted my micromax A066……………phone…………..
    after some weeks my play store stopped working ………….
    than after trying some methods ………………
    i have reset my phone……………..
    all data including google account was erased………….
    now when,,,,,, i am trying to create a new google account ……..
    it shows that i dont have internet connection ……………..
    i am not able to create google account ..
    can you help me,,…………………

  25. Is there any possible way I could root my Alcatel onyx 5008r? If so can you please tell me?

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