Roots To Your Phone

By: Master 1 comments

Have you ever come across the word 'rooting' while reading about the Android OS? Wondered what rooting is all about? Any idea how to go about it? Let us cut through the jargon and tell you about the advantages and disadvantages of "rooting". A word of caution before we proceed: rooting is not recommended by the manufacturers, so what you do will be at your own risk.

WHAT IS ROOTING?

Manufacturers of Android devices often disable many software and hardware features to exploit them in the future. By rooting an Android phone, you can get rid of these limitations and gain full access to the kernel and the phone's hardware. The root user is similar to the Administrator user on Windows. Or, you can say that rooting an Android phone is just like jailbreaking the iPhone. Once rooted, you can upload custom ROMs, install custom themes, increase performance and carry out several other things. A reason why manufacturers restrict you from certain features is that it is easier for them to manage and update locked devices. Unlocked devices will have modified versions of the phone's software that becomes difficult or impossible to repair.

ADVANTAGES OF ROOTING?
There are many advantages of rooting.

• Custom ROM: The basic software is stored on the 'Read Only Memory' of the device. But there are plenty of custom ROMs that not only make your phone look different, but also enhance overall performance. For instance, if you want to upgrade your phone from Android Froyo to Ice-Cream Sandwich, you can do so by flashing one of the custom ROMs available. Search for the one that is best for your phone.
• Overclocking/undervolting: The access to hardware components after rooting makes it possible to overclock or undervolt the Android processor. There are special apps in the Google Play store to handle this task.
•  Performance: Overclocking and kernel tweaks help improve the overal performance of the phone. But this can also severely damage your phone.
• BaseBand: Post-rooting, you can also update the baseband of the smartphone to improve signal strength.
• Unlocking additional features: You can also gain access to features such as Wi-Fi and
• USB tethering. Although operators in India support these features, carriers abroad charge extra for the same. Similarly, if the phone is designed to be NFC-enabled, rooting will unblock the same.

DISADVANTAGES OF ROOTING:
While rooting offers plenty of benefits to the end user, you also invite some trouble. Do remember that if you root the device, your will void the warranty of the smartphone. The risk of "bricking" is also associated with rooting. This means that rooting can mess up the phone's software so badly that it won't work any more and your phone will be as useless as a brick.

HOW DO YOU ROOT?
After good research, rooting an Android smartphone might seem like child's play. The rooting process differs from one Android smartphone to another. So it is always advisable to read about the handset you are planning to route. The Internet is flooded with discussions about rooting, but the most popular forum for details on rooting Android smartphones is the XDA forum. Read what people have to say about rooting a handset, the method they used and the issues they encountered afterwards. Proceed only if you are confident.

ROOTING METHODS
While there are a plenty of methods to root an Android device, here are few popular ones that we are listing. Please note, all the three process uses Android DeBugging.

• One of the most popular and universal rooting procedures is using the application z4root, which has a single button to root your smartphone. This application is not available on Play Store and you will have to download the .apk file from the web. Plug your phone to the PC using the USB cable, copy the .apk file to the root of the SD card, open the z4root apk file using file manager, install and select the root option. It is compatible with many phones. Do search the web for the same.
• SuperOneClick is another simple tool for rooting. Compatible with a wide range of Android phones, it permits partial or full rooting and can also be used for unrooting. However, it involves a few steps. Download Super One Click. Turn on USB Debugging mode on the smartphone-this can be located under settings (development). Connect the phone to the PC. Expand the Super One Click zip file and click the SuperOneClick icon to run it. The SD card should not be mounted.
• If you have enough knowledge about technology you can go in for this third method. This method involves turning S-OFF, installing custom recovery and then flashing Rooted ROM. For instance, the most popular S-OFF tool for HTC smartphones is the 'Revolutionary' tool.

ROOTED OR NOT?
There are a plenty of apps available on the Android market to check whether the phone is rooted or not. You can get numerous apps with the title 'Terminal' that can do this job. While the 'Android Terminal Emulator' can be used for checking the rooting status, it can be use for rooting as well. But as the display size of the phone is small, we don't suggest you to use it for rooting. While checking the status, if the '$' sign appears, your phone has been successfully rooted. In case '#' appears, it indicates that the phone is not rooted.