Rooting

What Is Rooting, Exactly?PSEXPANDRooting, for those of you that don't know, mns giving yourself root permissions on your phone. It's similar running programs as administrators in , or running a command withsudoin Linux. With a rooted phone, you can run apps that require access to certain system settings, as well asflash custom ROMsto your phone, which add all sorts of extra ftures. If you're on the fence about rooting, check out ourtop 10 rsons to root your Android phonefor some motivation.P


There are a ton of different Android out there, and while some rooting methods might work for multiple , there is no one-size-fits-all guide for rooting every phone out there. But, there are a lot of things you should know about rooting before you start, and this guide should help you out.PGlossary of Rooting TermsPSEXPANDAs you lrn more about the rooting process, you'll probably run into a bunch of terms that can be confusing. Here are some of the most important ones and what they mn.PIf there are any other terms you think we should add,let us knowand we'll put them in!PRoot: Rooting mns you haveroot accessto your device—that is, it can run thesudocommand, and has enhanced privileges allowing it to run apps likeWireless TetherorSetCPU. You can root either by installing the Superuser appliion or by flashing a custom ROM that includes root access.PROM: A ROM is a modified version of Android. It may contain extra ftures, a different look, speed enhancements, or even a version of Android that hasn't been relsed for your phone yet. We won't discuss ROMs in depth here, but if you want to use one once you're rooted, you canrd more about doing that here.PKernel: A kernel is the component of your operating system that manages communiions between your software and hardware. There are a lot of custom kernels out there for most , many of which canspeed up your phone and incrse your battery life, among other things. Be careful with kernels, though, as a bad one can cause serious problems with your phone and possibly even brick it.PRadio: Radios are part of your phone's firmware. Your radio controls your cellular data, GPS, Wi-Fi, and other things like that. You can sometimes find custom radios for your phone that you can flash yourself, but beware as sometimes these can cause problems.PFlash: Flashing essentially mns installing something on your device, whether it be a ROM, akernel, or a recovery (see below) that comes in the form of a ZIP file. Sometimes the rooting process requires flashing a ZIP file, sometimes it doesn't.PBrick: To brick your phone is to brk it during flashing or other acts. There is always a small risk with flashing, and if your phone becomes unable to function—that is, it basically becomes a brick—you've bricked your phone. The risk is very small, however, and more often than not people say "brick" when they rlly mn "it turns on but doesn't boot properly," which is a very fixable problem. See the FAQ below for more information.PBootloader: Your bootloader is the lowest level of software on your phone, running all the that's necessary to start your operating system. Most bootloaders come locked, mning you can't flash custom recoveries or ROMs. your bootloader doesn't root your phone directly, but it doesallowyou to root and/or flash custom ROMs if you so desire.PRecovery: Your recovery is the software on your phone that lets you make backups, flash ROMs, and perform other system-level tasks. The default recovery on your phone can't do much, but you can flash a custom recovery—like ClockworkMod or TWRP—after you've unlocked your bootloader that will give you much more control over your device. This is often an integral part of the rooting process.PNandroid: From most third-party recovery modules, you can make backups of your phone called nandroid backups. It's essentially a system of your phone: Everythingexactlyhow it is right now. That way, if you flash something that brks your phone, you can just flash back to your most recent nandroid backup to return everything to normal. This is different from using an app likeTitanium Backupthat just backs up apps and/or settings—nandroid backups backup the entire system as one . Titanium backups are best when switching between ROMs or .PADB: ADB stands for Android Debug Bridge, and it's a command line tool for your computer that can communie with an Android device you've connected to it. It's part of theAndroid Software Developers Kit (SDK). Many of the root tools you'll find use ADB, whether you're typing the commands yourself or not. Unless the instructions call for installing the SDK and running ADB commands, you won't need to mess with it—you'll just need to know that it's what most of the tools use to root your phone.PS-OFF: use a fture called Signature Verifiion in HBOOT, their bootloader. By default, your phone has S-ON, which mns it blocks you from flashing radio s—the that manages your data, Wi-Fi, and GPS connections. Switching your phone to S-OFF lets you flash new radios. Rooting doesn't require S-OFF, but many rooting tools will give you S-OFF in addition to root access, which is nice.PRUU,SBF, andOPS: ROM Upgrade Utilities (for ), System Boot Files (for ), and OPS and PIT files (for ) are files direct from the manufacturer that change the software on your phone. RUU and SBF files are how the manufacturers deliver your over-the-air upgrades, and modders often post RUU and SBF files for flashing when the updates haven't been relsed yet. They're also handy whendowngradingyour phone, if a rooting method isn't available for the newest software version yet. You can flash RUUs right from your phone, but users will need a program calledRSD Liteto flash SBF files, and users will need a tool calledOdinto flash OPS and PIT files (note there is a specific version of Odin for ch device).PFrequently Asked Rooting QuestionsPSEXPANDPeople have a lot of questions about rooting, and we hr them all the time. Here are some of the most frequently asked, laid out so you don't have to ask someone else.P



What's the difference between rooting, , and flashing a ROM?This can be confusing, since the three practices are often performed at the same time. We've detailed some of this above, but briefly: your bootloader is usually the first step in the process and allows you to flash a custom recovery. From there, you can then give yourself root access or flash a ROM. Root access isn't required to flash a ROM, but almost all custom ROMs will come with root access built-in.P