What Is Rooting?

What is rooting?

 

 

Rooting, in a nutshell, is the process that provides users with full administrator control and access to an Android smartphone or tablet. Similar to "jailbreaking" an iOS device, this is often done in order to bypass carrier or handset maker limitations or restrictions. Once you achieve "root access," you can replace or alter applications and system settings, run specialized apps, and more.

One of the more common reasons to root a phone is to replace the operating system with a ROM, another developer's version of the OS that also gives you more control over details. In rooting culture, we'd call that "flashing a custom ROM."

The process of rooting an Android phone varies for each device, but seems to have been streamlined over time. Google's Nexus line of phones, such as the LG-made Nexus 4, appeals to developers and techie types and are among the most often rooted models. 

Note that rooting will void the device warranty; however, flashing a stock ROM can revert things back to their original state.

Why root?

 

There are multiple reasons for you to consider rooting your Android handset, some more obvious than others. Chief among the benefits is the ability to remove any unwanted apps and games that your carrier or phone maker installs before you ever unwrap your phone. Rather than simply disabling these bloatware titles, which is often the best you can do within Android, rooting can grant you a full uninstallation. Deleting apps you'll never use can also free up some additional storage capacity. Another main benefit of rooting is to enable faster platform updates. From the time it takes for Google to announce a new version of Android to the time your carrier pushes it to your device can be be on the order of weeks, months, or even longer. Once rooted, you can often get some of the new platform features through custom ROMs in short order. This could, for some users, add years of life to an Android handset -- rather than buy a new phone, flash a new ROM.
Other reasons to root a phone include being able to perform complete device backups, integrate tethering and mobile hot-spot features, and extend the device's battery life through newfound settings and controls.