A number of times I have been asked these questions: What is Rooting? How does it affect my phone? What are the advantages and disadvantages of rooting my phone? and many more… So, I decided to share with us today what rooting actually is, it's advantages and it's disadvantages, giving you better reasons to root or not to root your phone!
Rooting - What It Is
The Android phone/device is a phone/device powered by Google's open source project for mobile platforms. When an Android phone/device is newly purchased, it comes shipped with a stock software (from the manufacturer) which in a way restricts your utilization of it's potentials. A good reason for doing this usually is to keep extended features for later or to restrict these features from casual users. "Rooting" is the process which removes these restrictions and makes these extended features readily available. Rooting basically grants you root access and this allows you to tweak your phone to your taste, changing the settings,.the appearance and even the stock software! It grants you "root access" and allows you make global and system changes to your phone.
In basic terms, it means getting to the root of your phone!!!
Now, we know what rooting is, let's take a look at some of it's advantages and see if it's actually desirable...
Advantages of Rooting
◆ One of the major reasons to root is the ability to remove unnecessarily crappy default app that come pre-loaded on the phone from the manufacturers. Beats me like Cain! What do these manufacturers know about my choice of apps (not to talk of your choices)! Without rooting, the best you can do is disable these apps (or not use them at all) but rooting grants you full uninstall privileges. Deleting apps you'd never ever have need of! Ain't that a good reason to root?
◆ Deleting these application can also free up memory for your device. Creating additional storage and more room for incoming apps!
◆ Running special apps! These special apps can only be run on rooted devices. An example of such is the SuperUser app which gives you control over apps that access the device's root system.
◆ The ability to flash custom ROMs is actually the most powerful feature of rooted devices. There are countless numbers of custom ROMs out in the market that help you do a lot of things like increasing your phone speed, enhancing the battery life and changing the look and feel of your device! This, for me is way so cool!
◆ Other reasons to root your phone include the ability to perform complete backup of apps and through new-found settings and controls, extend your phone's activity life.
We've seen a few advantages! And as they say, everything that has an advantage has a disadvantage!
Disadvantages of Rooting
While the list on advantages of rooting seems to be "endless", there are majorly two disadvantages of carrying out the same procedure!
◆ Voiding your warranty is probably the greater risk of rooting your device. When you perform a root, you are most likely not going to get any help from support with respect to your warranty. Gigahertz means you can no more claim your warranty if your phone starts to malfunction or be buggy. There's a bright side to this however, as easily as you root, you can unroot... No biggy!!!
◆The second disadvantage is that you run the risk of bricking your device! What's that???
Okay, lemme explain further: bricking your phone is any method employed which turns your perfectly working device useless! This can be avoided though by carefully following the root instructions and ROM installation guide.
Or better still, stay away from rooting and installing custom ROMs!!!
Now you know what rooting is, it's advantages and disadvantages. I'm officially handing over the choice on whether to root or not to root to you!
Don't forget to tell us what you decided and why you decided what you decided. Feel free to use the comment box below.
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