hack or do android-root It is, for many enthusiasts of this platform, one of its greatest attractions. With Root access you can do a wide variety of adjustments and modifications, how to give a new look to your smartphone o tablets, update to a newer version of OS, make it go faster… but for less experienced users, hacking a device can be a bit daunting idea, especially if it is for the first time.

For this reason, in this article we are going to try to solve as many doubts as possible and we will explain what it is, advantages and disadvantages, how to root, as well as how to remove the root android, and we will superficially enter the world of Custom ROMs.

What does it mean to be Android root?

What is the use of being a rooter on an Android mobile

The word root means to unlock the access to advanced features and files Of the device. Those that by default, are blocked to the user. Android has an ever-improving reputation for security and vulnerability. But really the devices with this operating system are quite safe.

You can do whatever you want within limits. But accessing the system itself is not included among those barriers. It is primarily a security measure. The most important system files can be accessed. They can also be deleted, modified or replaced. But if a wrong file is deleted or edited, the device might never turn on again. And in the worst case, “brick” itself, that is, look like a beautiful and expensive paperweight. Third-party applications also cannot access the most sensitive parts of the device because of this protection.

Therefore, r Android It involves removing all these restrictions and getting all the privileges on our phone, it's like going from normal user to system administrator or super user. All of the above must be taken into account before using an application that allows us to root our mobile.

Advantages and disadvantages of rooting android

Be android-root, brings with it many advantages, which many blogs and specialized forums talk about, but unfortunately it also includes some drawbacks that it is good to know:

Advantages:

– Be able to install apps only supported with root access.
– Being able to modify or replace the original ROM with others. Update to new Android versions, with “cooked” ROMS.
– Ability to remove applications that are pre-installed by the manufacturer and operator.
– Improve device performance, including making «overclocking» which is nothing more than forcing the microprocessor to go faster. Increase battery life.
– Have full control of the device. Move apps to SD card, whether they are pre-installed or not.

Disadvantages:

– Loss of official warranty (any software failure when changing ROMs or problems caused by rooting are not covered by warranty).
– Incompatibility with some applications.
– Increases the risks for the security of our data.
– Not being able to receive automatic updates via OTA, that is, it will not be possible to install official Android updates of the brand.

The chance of breaking the device in snags has not been added since currently, there is no risk of getting bricked in the rooting process. Yes, it can be broken by making more important modifications once rooted, but only if they are done without sufficient knowledge. Before modifying the ROM or erasing and installing applications with android root access, it is important to be well informed in different forums.

How to get root access on our android?

The way to root it is different for each device, although currently there are some applications to root almost any Android smartphone, such as TowelRoot, FramaRoot or Root Master (They are not available on Google Play).

Before rooting, it is important to make sure you have a full battery, and if possible connected to the power to avoid being turned off during the process, which could cause serious damage to the device. It is also recommended to make a backup of all our data.

Being root we get access to all parts of the OS and applications too, so we must install an app to control the use of root. SuperSu will help us with this task, although there are many different applications. Install an app like this, it will help us to know if we really have access root on our android – superuser.

How to remove root access on Android?

It may be the case that, after doing root Android, we do not see the utility. That is why we decided to leave it as it was. Sometimes it's not enough restore it to factory mode. In other cases it is even counterproductive because it damages it.

That is why we leave you at the end of this article, as an example, in which we use the Samsung Galaxy S2, to help you understand a bit the process of removing root access or doing "unroot".

We have a video, already somewhat old, but in which we show how to remove root access from Android step by step.

Specifically from a Galaxy S2, (quite old):

Although it is old, it shows the steps that will be almost the same for other Android mobiles. In this way we can eliminate Android Root access.

Custom ROMs

Custom ROMs or custom ROMs are unofficial Android customizations that allow us to change the operating system installed on our device. ROM stands for Read-Only Memory. This is where the firmware that allows the smartphone to work is installed.

To change our ROM, it is necessary to have permissions Android root.

There are many ROMs, some very important such as those of CyanogenMod, MIUI o ParanoidAndroid. But it is very important that the ROM that we install is compatible with our device. Otherwise it will not work and may damage the device.

Root resources for Android

Other articles about root access for android

Here are some means android-root, previously published. As essential applications to make the most of root access - superuser. Also to unlock a mobile like the Galaxy S2, through root access. How to unroot, that is, remove root, among other content.

• How to root Android and install twrp recovery
• Improve performance with 3 Android root apps
• 5 must-have apps for rooted Android device
• Video tutorial, how to root Samsung Galaxy S2 with Android
• Video tutorial, how to root Samsung Galaxy Ace with Android
• How to unlock Samsung S2 with GalaxSim unlock app
• How to remove Android root access from any device
• Video tutorial, how to remove the Root-superuser (unroot) on the Samsung Galaxy S2 with android 4.1.2

Tutorials to root an Android mobile or tablet

And finally, to complete this review of the world for r Android, we leave you some interesting articles and links if you decide to root your android phone or tablet. On the XDA developers website, there are many resources and tutorials for rooting. Both tablets and Android phones of some brands such as Sony, LG, Motorola, Samsung.

Here are some links.

• XDA developers, for Samsung (in English), with link to Samsung phones.
• XDA dev, for HTC (in English), with link to HTC models.
• XDAdevelopers, for Google Nexus (in English), link to Google nexus phones.
• XDA developers, for Motorola (in English), with link to Google nexus models.

Your Android root experience

And you, do you have your device Android rooted? What applications do you use to improve the performance of your android-root? If you have any opinion or want to tell us about your rooting experiences, you can leave them in the comments at the bottom of this article or in our Android Forum.