Guide to root your android phone
Have you ever felt the need to have unrestricted control on your phone ? Rooting your Android smartphone opens up a world of possibilities, but it also has its drawbacks – mainly being irreversibly damaging your smartphone if the rooting process is not done correctly. Manufacturers therefore , have a genuine interest in discouraging their users from rooting their smartphones. If done correctly however, the possibilities of customizing your device are endless.
Rooting : pros and cons
Probably the biggest incentive to root your device, is to remove the bloatware piled on by your manufacturer. Not everyone likes skins and special apps that are installed by default, even more so when they use up a major chunk of your RAM. On some devices, rooting will let you access previously restricted features. One benefit is being able to install specialized tools and flash custom ROMs each of which can add features and abilities onto your device. There might not be a huge number of must-have apps that need your device to be rooted but enough exist to make it worth your while.
Reasons for not rooting your device :
- Voiding your Warranty
Some manufacturers or even carriers will void the warranty of your device if you root it. Therefore, if you wish to root your device while its still within its warranty period, make sure to have a backup of the original ROM which can be used to unroot your device if the need arises.
- Bricking your phone
If the process does not go as planned, you run the risk of corrupting your device aka making it as useful as a brick hence, the name. Make sure the guide you are following to root your device is up-to-date and the custom ROM that you flash works with your particular device.
- Security
Doing anything that’s out of the ordinary always comes with a security risk. Depending upon the services and apps on your device, you could create a security vulnerability for yourself. And certain malware takes advantage of rooted status to steal data, install additional malware, or target other devices with harmful web traffic.
- Disabling apps
While there exist apps that only work on rooted devices, the reverse also exists. There are quite a few apps that will not work if your device is rooted, Google’s Android Pay and Barclays Mobile Banking to name a few. If you depend on such apps, it is suggested not to root your primary device.
Prepare your device for rooting
One of the easiest way to root your device is by using an app. We have mentioned the steps needed to root your devices using 2 popular apps that should have your device rooted in lesser time than it takes for you to read this entire article. Before you get into that, some preparatory steps. First things first, backup everything on your phone that you find essential. You should also backup your phone’s ROM before you flash a new one onto it.
You will need to activate USB debugging and OEM Unlocking on your device before proceeding. To activate them head over to Developer Options in your phones settings. If you do not see it, follow these steps:
- Tap on About Phone and find the Build Number.
- Tap on the Build Number seven times and the Developer Options will appear on the main page of the Settings.
- Tap on the Back key to see the Developer Options.
- Tap on Developer Options.
- Check to enable USB Debugging.
- Check to enable OEM Unlocking.
Next you will need Androd SDK tools
- Download the Android SDK tools from Google’s developer site by clicking here.
- When asked to choose a directory to install it to, it is recommended to install it to C:android-sdk. If you choose a different location, be sure to remember it.
- Once installed, launch it from the Start Menu.
- The SDK Manager will open. Just uncheck everything except Android SDK Platform-tools. It’s at the top.
- Click on Install 2 packages at the bottom right.
- Check Accept license and click Install.
Next, you will need to install device drivers onto your PC if you haven’t done it already. The drivers can be found on your device manufacturer’s website. Nonetheless, we have listed the most popular manufactures down below. Just follow the steps mentioned and you will be good to go.
Unlocking the Bootloader
The next step is to unlock the bootloader – which as the name suggests, loads the device’s operating system. Some manufacturers require you to obtain a key to unlock the bootloader after registering for a developer account. Motorola, HTC, and Sony provide step-by-step instructions on the process. Once done, you will need to place your device on fastboot mode. It varies for different phones, but for most of the devices you need to press and hold the power and Volume Down keys for 10 seconds.
Once your device in the fastboot mode, move over to your PC and open the command prompt by hitting Shift+Right Click and choosing “Open a Command Prompt Here.” If your device is one that requires a code, you would have received a string of characters. Paste it into the box on your device manufacturer’s website, submit the form, and await an email with a key, file, and further instructions. After this, the steps for unlocking your particular device might vary. You should search for the specific commands needed for your own device. Confirm the unlock and you’re one step closer to rooting your device. We’re providing the commands for Google’s Nexus and Pixel devices below.
- Nexus phones: Type “fastboot oem unlock” (without quotes) and hit enter
- Pixel phones: Type “fastboot flashing unlock” (without quotes) and hit enter
Rooting your device
As we mentioned earlier, the best way to root your device is by using an app and we have listed two of the most popular apps for the purpose. The first one is Kingo Root and they have multiple steps for different devices. Below are the steps to root a popular device – the Samsung Galaxy S8. For other devices, be sure to check out their website.
Step 1: Free download and install Kingo Root Android (PC Version).
Step 2: Double click the desktop icon of Kingo Root and launch it.
Step 3: Plug your Android device into your computer via USB cable.
Step 4: Enable USB Debugging mode on your Android device.
Step 5: Read notifications carefully before rooting your device.
Step 6: Click “ROOT” to root your device.
Step 7:Root succeeded.
Step 8: Check the root status of your device.
The second app that’s been popular is King Root – do not get confused with the similarity in their names. King Root also lets you root your device equally fast. The steps for the process are as follows:
- Download and install Kingroot PC software on your PC.
- Run Kingroot Software(choose “Run as Administrator”) on your PC and connect your Android device to PC via USB cable.
- Click on the ” Connect ” button and wait for Kingroot PC to build the connection between PC and Device.
- Once the device is detected it will pop-up a warning on the device screen saying that ” Installation Blocked”. Click ” Install anyway ” to proceed.
- After that you will be redirected to another menu, click on the ” Try to Root ” button to begin rooting and wait for some time to complete.
- Kingroot PC will show a ” Successful ” notification if the system is rooted properly. Rooting Android Nougat is really easy with Kingroot apk and Kingroot PC.
You can alternatively, watch a video tutorial of the process
Now that your phone is rooted, you might want to know how to unroot your device if the need ever arises. Fret not, because we have also covered how to unroot your device
