What Rooting exactly Is???

Android and iOS are the most popular mobile operating systems on the market. Both offer a variety of apps and settings but, eventually reach their limits at a certain point. Rooting or Jailbreaking your phone (or tablet) will offer you thousands of tweaks, skins and new apps that you should not miss out on. It will also help you to remove bloatware.

Android Launchers and lock screen widgets are great tools to customize your Android experience without rooting your device. You are also able to root your device and customize it with a launcher and widgets afterwards. If your Android device is rooted but you don’t want flash a custom ROM, Xposed Framework might be the perfect solution for you. You are, however, also able to add new features to your custom ROM with Xposed.

Some android devices might require more work while others can be rooted quite easily, but in the end it’s no rocket science. Rooting and customisation is especially easy on Nexus devices as factory images are freely available on the Google website. However, many other popular devices like the can easily be restored using different tools available on XDA developers. I would suggest to have a quick look at the forums and I’m pretty sure that you’ll find help for your device.

Android Rooting Terms

Before we get started, I would like to explain a few terms because the terminology can get complicated and confusing. This will help you to understand other device specific guides. We're trying to keep it short and not go into (technical) details. Please share any questions regarding this in the comments below – I’ll do my best to answer them.

ART

ART stands for Android Runtime and replaces the formerly used Dalvik cache. It was introduced in Android 4.4 and has completely taken over in Android 5.0. I don’t want to go too deep into technical differences, but ART is said to improve battery life and app performance, amongst others.

Bootloader

The Bootloader is your phone’s software foundation. It’s basically what runs before your operating system starts (like a PC’s BIOS). As many manufactures don’t want you to modify your phone’s OS, it needs to be unlocked before you are able to root your phone or install custom ROMs (explained later).

Brick

This is something you don’t want to happen to your Android device. Like the name already implies, a bricked phone (or tablet) can only be used as a paperweight or nice decoration for your apartment. Bricked devices are irreversibly damaged and won’t work anymore. This can, for instance, happen if damaged ROMs are installed or wrong firmwares are flashed. Always make sure to read instructions and verify checksums (a set of numbers that identify the file) to make sure nothing goes wrong. If you’re lucky and your device is only soft-bricked, meaning that it does not boot but still turns on, you might be able to get it back to life.

BusyBox

Android, being based on Linux/Unix, offers a limited amount of UNIX commands (which most users won’t need anyways). BusyBox will implement more commands that are necessary for some root apps to work properly.

Custom ROM

A custom ROM is a modified version of the Android operating system. Tweaks, additional features, different themes or an enhanced performance are usually included. Custom ROMs also offer the possibility to use a newer, unreleased, version of Android on your phone that might usually not be available for your device because of 
restrictions from manufacturer or providers.

Fastboot

Fastboot is a diagnostic- and engineering tool which offers you several features such as launching in recovery mode or flashing image files.

Kernel

The kernel is the brain of your phone that controls how the system and hardware interact. It’s basically the lowest 
level of your operating system that manages memory and hardware.

NANDroid Backup

A NANDroid backup is a complete system backup of your Android device. This backup can be restored later and might save your phone after flashing a faulty ROM or theme.

Recovery Mode

Recovery mode offers you the possibility to perform system-level tasks (like formatting, defragmenting, etc.), backing-up your devices or install custom ROMs. Android offers a limited stock recovery function. More sophisticated recoveries like ClockworkMod Recovery and TWRP Recovery offer additional features and are easier to use.

Root

Rooting will give you full administrator access of your device. It might also void your warranty (depending on the device and your place of residence), so make sure to handle your device with care after rooting it. You are always able to revert this process by simply flashing a stock-ROM (the original ROM installed by your phone’s manufacturer). Doing this will also “restore” your warranty.

Superuser

Rooting your phone will create a new “account” with complete administrative permissions. This superuser account is used by some apps and functions.

Xposed Framework

XposedFramework is an app that can be installed on a rooted Android device which offers custom ROM like features on stock Android. It has been updated and is now fully compatible to Android 5.0 and Android 6.0.

Five Reasons to root your Android

With Android becoming better and better, many people ask themselves if it’s still worth rooting.

In addition to that, Android M will come with many features like “Doze” which basically replace root apps such as Greenify.

1.     You have an old(er) Android device. With root access, you’re able to flash a custom ROM with the latest version of Android. Because of this, you don’t rely so much on your device manufacturer to keep you up to date.

2.     AdAway. While I’m all-in for supporting developers, some apps don’t offer an ad-free paid version. With AdAway you’re able to get rid of all unwanted ads which is simply not possible without root.

3.     Titanium Backup. Android M will bring Auto Backup for Apps, but unfortunately it’s still up to the developer if he/she wants to implement it or not. TitaniumBackup is a simply but powerful tool that backups simply everything.

4.     Change DPI. With many devices coming with high-res displays nowadays, some people prefer to have more screenspace than big app icons. While changing DPI can also be done without root, it often breaks different apps.

5.     Remove bloatware. This one is easy. Remove all the crap your mobile carrier put on your device.

How to Fully Backup Your Device Without Root

If your Android device is not rooted yet, you won’t be able to perform NANDroid backups. I wouldn’t suggest to root your tablet or phone without having a proper backup, because there is always a chance of error and you don’t want to brick your device.

Simple ADB Backup let’s you create a full backup of your device without root access and is the perfect solution for users without root access. The free program also offers a restore function and runs on Windows and Linux.

If you’re already rooted, make sure to check out our guide on performing a NANDroid backup.

Custom Recovery Mode

The standard Android recovery mode is very limited and does not offer many features. That’s where replacement recoveries like Team Win Recovery Project (TWRP) and ClockworkMod Recovery (CWRM) come in place. They offer the possibility to flash custom ROMs which is not possible with the stock recovery mode. Other features include a file browser for update.zips, adb shell and NANDroid backups. Without a custom recovery you won’t be able to flash a custom ROM.

It does not really matter which replacement recovery you install, just go with the one that suits you most. In some rare cases the root script or custom ROM installation only works with either TWRP or CWM. Nowadays, TWRP is the king of custom recoveries and would be a suggestion for you to use.

Custom ROMs

Custom Roms offer you a variety of new features, tweaks and visual enhancements. The best source to find a working one for your device is the XDA-Developers forum. Many custom ROMs are based on the two big releases: CyanogenMod and Paranoid Android. The easiest way to find the best custom ROM for you is to compare their features or simply test them for a few days.

If you really want to dive in it is recommended checking out your device specific sub forums on XDA developers. With Android modding becoming more and more popular, you’re often able to find many different custom ROMS for your device, especially if it’s one of the more popular phones or tablet.

Device-specific custom ROMs

The custom ROM scene developed itself into a certain direction in the last year, especially with stock ROMs including more and more features. As device manufacturers often don’t publish official drivers, custom ROMs like CyanogenMod are not able to support all features. Because of this, custom ROMs are often developing in a direction of adapting ads to devices. Because of this, I cannot give you great recommendation for all devices. I would personally suggest to either go with the big players like CyanogenMod or look for a popular specific ROM for your device.

Apps

Rooting your Android device will offer you many benefits. Besides the features mentioned above, you can also install great apps that require to go deep into the system. Using them with an un-rooted device is not possible. Below I’ve listed a few apps that I like and use on an everyday basis. Feel free to share other apps in the comments section below!

Titanium Backup

Titanium Backup is a great backup tool for android devices that offers tons of features. It provides the possibility to backup your data, settings and apps. Scheduled backups are also available. The paid pro version offers lots of great features like syncing backups with cloud-based storage providers such as Dropbox, Google Drive or Box. In my opinion this is one of the best root apps and a must-get. Especially if you’re a flash-a-holic, performing and restoring quick backups of all your apps (incl. settings and save games) is really easy and convenient with Titanium Backup.

ROM Manager

When you constantly switch between custom ROMs, ClockworkMod’s ROM Manager is one of the essential apps to get. Besides flashing ClockworkMod recovery, it will help you to organise and install your custom ROMs and backing-up your Android device. The paid premium version includes additional features like automatic backups, web connect and incremental ROM downloads.

Xposed Framework

XposedFramework is a great app that offers the possibility to add features to your Android devices without flashing a custom ROM (or in addition to it).  You’re able to install modules which offer visual customisation or battery improvements, amongst others.

Greenify

Greenify is a great app to improve battery life and system performance because it puts selected apps in hibernation mode. Not having tons of apps stored in RAM or running as system processes will make your Android device faster and increase your user experience.

This is all we have. We will soon post a complete Rooting Process till then follow us and keep supporting us.