What is Rooting on Android? The Advantages and Disadvantages
Beginners29
“What is rooting? Why should I root my Android
device?” These are common questions that I get asked quite often.
Today’s lesson is to talk to you about both the advantages and
disadvantages of rooting your Android devices. But before we get
started, a word of caution: rooting or modifying your phone in any way
will void your manufacturer’s warranty and possibly “brick” it. What
does “bricking” your device mean you ask? Exactly what you think… It
means screwing up your phone software so badly that your phone can no
longer function properly and is pretty much as useless as a brick. I do
not in any way recommend anyone to root their Android device. This
article is simply to introduce you to the subject of rooting and present
you with both the pro’s and con’s so that you can make an educated
decision on your own.
What is Rooting?
“Rooting” your device means obtaining “superuser” rights and
permissions to your Android’s software. With these elevated user
privileges, you gain the ability to load custom software (ROM’s),
install custom themes, increase performance, increase battery life, and
the ability to install software that would otherwise cost extra money
(ex: WiFi tethering). Rooting is essentially “hacking” your Android
device. In the iPhone world, this would be the equivalent to
“Jailbreaking” your phone.
Why is it called Rooting?
The term “root” comes from the Unix/Linux world and is used to
describe a user who has “superuser” rights or permissions to all the
files and programs in the software OS (Operating System). The root user,
because they have “superuser” privileges, can essentially change or
modify any of the software code on the device. You see, your phone
manufacturer/carrier only gives you “guest” privileges when you purchase
your device. They do this for good reason… they don’t want you getting
into certain parts of the software on your phone and screwing it up
beyond repair. It makes it much easier for them to manage and update the
devices if they lock it all down. This way, all the users are running
the same unmodified version of the phone’s software. This makes it much
easier for them to support the devices. But, for the tech-savvy crowd,
only having “guest” privileges on your device is pretty lame and it
locks down a lot of potentially useful features.
What are the Advantages of Rooting?
Custom Software (ROM’s)
You may have heard of people loading custom “ROM’s” on their devices.
A “ROM” is the software that runs your device. It is stored in the
“Read Only Memory” of your device. There are many great custom ROM’s
available that can make your Android device look and perform drastically
different. For instance, you might be stuck with an older Android
device that is stuck on an older version of the Android OS and it is not
getting any of the newer updated versions of Android. With a custom
ROM, you could load up the latest and greatest available Android
versions and bring that antiquated device up to par with some of the
newer ones. There are lots of great ROM’s available for many different
phones and it is up to you to find the one that best meets your needs.
The best place that I have found to find custom ROM’s for Android
devices is the XDA Developers Forums. The XDA community is filled with
smartphone enthusiasts and developers for the Android platform. Check
them out and see if you find any ROM’s that would meet your needs. [
Link Here
Custom Themes
Themes are basically the graphics that appear on your Android device.
Rooting your device allows you the ability to fully customize just
about every graphic on your device. You can load custom themes that
totally change the look and feel of your device. Here are some examples:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=527
Kernel, speed, and battery
There are many custom ROM’s and apps available for rooted devices
that will allow you to drastically improve the performance (speed) and
also extend battery life on your device. A lot of developers tweak the
kernels (layer of code that handles communication between the hardware
and software) for added performance, battery life, and more.
Baseband
Rooting your device grants you the ability to update the Basebands on
your smartphone. The Baseband is what controls the radio on your
device. By updating to the latest Basebands, you can potentially improve
both the signal and quality of your phone calls.
Latest Versions of Android
As mentioned earlier, custom ROM’s can allow you to update to the
latest version of the Android OS before they are officially released.
This is a great feature for those who are tech-savvy and want to stay on
top of the latest and greatest software updates before it hits the
mainstream crowd. This is also useful if you have an outdated device
that is no longer being updated by the manufacturer.
Backing up your device
The ability to easily backup all of your Apps and Data is one feature
that is sorely missed on the stock build of Android devices. But if you
root your device, backing up everything on your device (both apps and
data) becomes a simple task. Titanium Backup is a must have app for
anyone who has rooted their devices and wants to backup and restore
their phones. [
Market Link]
Unlocking Additional Features
By rooting your Android device you also gain the ability to unlock
some features that your carrier may charge for. One example is enabling
free WiFi and USB tethering, which many carriers charge money for. Now,
I’m not suggesting you do this. But I did want to make you aware of the
fact that it is possible to do this. However, your carrier may catch on
to the fact that you are using your device as a free WiFi hotspot and
figure out a way to charge you for it. So use this feature at your own
risk!
What are the Disadvantages of Rooting?
Bricking
The number one reason not to root your device is the potential risk
of “bricking” it. As mentioned earlier, “bricking” your device means
screwing up your phone software so badly that your phone can no longer
function properly and is pretty much as useless as a brick. You would
likely need to purchase a new Android device since the manufacturer of
your device will void the warranty after any attempts at rooting.
Security
There is an increased risk of unknowingly installing malicious
software when you root an Android device. Root access circumvents the
security restrictions that are put in place by the Android OS. There
isn’t really an effective way to tell just what the application intends
to do with that “superuser” power. You are putting a lot of trust into
the developer’s hands. In most cases, these applications are open source
and the community can take a look at the source code to assess the
risk. But, nevertheless, the risk is there. Fortunately, malicious
software on rooted devices hasn’t really been a problem as of yet. But I
thought it was worth mentioning since this could be a potential risk in
the future. I’d recommend installing an Anti-Virus and Security App
just to be safe. Lookout Mobile Security seems to be one of the best
ones available at the moment. [
Link Here]
Can I Unroot my device if I change my mind?
Yes. You would need to do some research for your specific type of
device. As mentioned earlier, the XDA Developer Forums is the best place
to start. [
Link Here]
How do I learn how to root my device?
Unfortunately, there is no easy way to teach someone how to root
their Android device. Each device has a unique method to rooting and
some research most be done on your part. As I mentioned earlier, the
best place to start would be the XDA Developer Forums. [
Link Here]
Another option is to simply Google your model phone and the term root
(ex. “HTC EVO root”). Have fun and good luck to all of you! I hope you
found this lesson on rooting to be helpful. If you have any questions,
please feel free to leave a comment below
