Rooting An Android Device
Ways Advantages and Disadvantages
Before I define root, it's important to understand why it exists and how it works. It's because Android based OS uses permissions (Linux-based permissions, to be exact) in the file structure. Every file, every folder and every partition has a set of permissions. These permissions decide who can read a file (look at or access the contents without changing them), write to a file (be able to change the contents of that file, or create a new file inside a folder or partition) and execute a file (run the file if it's a type that can run, like an app). This is done based on users and permissions — certain users have access, while users who don't have the right permissions are blocked from having access.
And hence, Rooting is the process of allowing users of smartphones, tablets and other devices running the Android OS to attain privileged control (known as root access) over various Android subsystems. It gives access to every nook and corner android kernel. Rooting an Android device gives similar access to administrative (superuser) permissions as on Linux or any other Unix-like operating system. As the Super User you can do anything to any file, folder or partition on your Android. By anything, we mean literally anything.
Root access is sometimes compared to jailbreaking devices running the Apple iOS operating system. However, these are different concepts: Jailbreaking is the bypass of several types of Apple prohibitions for the end user, including modifying the operating system ,installing non-officially approved applications via sideloading, and granting the user elevated administration-level privileges .However only a minority of Android devices locks their bootloaders, and many vendors such as HTC, Sony, Asus and Google explicitly provide the ability to unlock devices, and even replace the operating system entirely. Similarly, the ability to sideload applications is typically permissible on Android devices without root permissions. Thus, it is primarily the third aspect of iOS jailbreaking (giving users administrative privileges) that most directly correlates to Android rooting.
WAYS OF ROOTING:
As we encounter a pile of android accessories there are plenty of option, how you root you Android platform devices. Some rooting methods involve use of the command prompt and development interface called Android Debug Bridge (ADB), while other methods may use specialized applications and be as simple as clicking one button. Devices, or sometimes even different variants of the same device, can have different hardware configurations. Thus, if the guide, ROM, or root method used is for a device variant with a different hardware setup, there is a risk of bricking the device.
The distinction between "soft rooting" through a third-party application which uses a security vulnerability ("root exploit") and "hard-rooting" by flashing SU binary executable is sometimes made. If a phone can be soft rooted, it is vulnerable to malware. For soft booting third-party application like ‘ Kingo Root’, ‘Towel Root’,’Root master’,’Farmaroot’ ect. are used. Whereas hard-rooting is performed by using Odin (flashing the SU binary).
Many phones and some root methods do things a little differently (Android 4.3 brought a lot of changes) and require scripts or a daemon instead of just dropping the SU binary in place. These are used to call SubstituteUser so you can switch to the root user just like the raw binary method. The people who figured out how to root your phone have sorted all this out and it will work the same on the user-facing side.
ADVANTAGES OF ROOTING:
Rooting a phone give us following advantages:
- Support for themes, allowing everything to be visually changed from the color of the battery icon, to the boot animation that appears while the device is booting, and more.
- Full control of the kernel which, for example, allows overclocking and underclocking the CPU and GPU.
- Full application control, including the ability to backup, restore, or batch edit applications, or to remove bloatware that comes pre-installed on many phones.
- Custom automated system-level processes through the use of third-party applications.
- Ability to install a custom firmware (also known as a custom ROM) that allows additional levels of control on a rooted device.
DISADVANTAGES OF ROOTING:
There are two main disadvantages to rooting and Android phone;
- Rooting immediately voids your phone's warranty- Once rooted, don't try to bring your phone back for service or warranty work. You are on your own!
- Rooting involves the risk of "bricking" your phone- In essence, a "bricked" phone is no better than carrying around a brick in your pocket. The phone is dead when it has been "bricked."
Other potential disadvantages, though less severe, are still worthy of consideration;
- Poor performance-Though the intention of "rooting" a phone is to give the phone more performance, several users have found that, in their attempts to speed up the phone or add additional features, that their phones lost both performance speed and features. Remember that when you "root" your Android phone, you are making changes to the stock OS.
- Viruses-Yes, even phones can get viruses. A common practice that people do with "rooted" phones is to flash their ROM's with custom programs. Whenever you make changes to the code of a software, you run the risk of introducing a virus.
- Also rooting a phone is not accepted legally in many countries. The 1996 World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty requires nation’s party to the treaties to enact laws against DRM circumvention. The American implementation is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which includes a process for establishing exemptions for non-copyright-infringing purposes such as rooting. The 2001 European Copyright Directive implemented the treaty in Europe, requiring member states of the European Union to implement legal protections for technological protection measures. The Copyright Directive includes exceptions to allow breaking those measures for non-copyright-infringing purposes, such as to run alternative software.Also countries like Australia, Canada, United kingdom, Singapour, New Zealand and Indai also have effective laws against rooting.
So, with all these information the decision to "root" your Android phone is one that should not be rushed into. Though the allure of having an unlocked phone is powerful, having a "bricked" phone is, trust me, not very much fun.