Rooting & It's Advantages
To
root or not to root? That is the question. Rooting your Android device
definitely pushes you up a level or two in your geekdom. It requires a
certain level of commitment, at least a little savvy, and even a modicum
of risk. So, why would you want to bother?
We've got nine good reasons for ya.
What Is Rooting?
We talk about rooting plenty
around here, but here's the high-level look for the few remaining
uninitiated. Rooting means gaining root access to your device. When you
take your phone out of the box, while there are plenty of settings you
can tweak, you can only alter what the manufacturer allows you to. By gaining root access
you can modify the device's software on the very deepest level. It
takes a bit of hacking (some devices more than others), it voids your
warranty, and there's a small chance that you could completely break
your phone forever. But you know what? It's still totally worth it for
all the goodies you get access to.
1. Apps Aplenty
If you've
spent much time in Google Play, you know you're not exactly hard-up for
good apps. But why settle for good when you can have great.
Once you're rooted not only can you get more apps, but the apps you have
access to can get way down deeper into your phone's brains. In some
cases you'll be able to do things that carriers, manufacturers, and/or
Google may not want you to do. Some will allow you to do things of
questionable legality. For example, Network Spoofer
uses your device to set up a fake wireless network. When your
houseguests sign in, you can make ever image they see inverted, or all
of the text fuzzy. It's a harmless prank, but of course it could (but
shouldn't!) also be used for stealing passwords and other nefarious
things.
Where do you find all these root-only gems? Amazingly enough, many of
them are still in the Google Play app store. Google's much more relaxed
about rooting than Apple is about jailbreaking. Some apps, like Tasker, work for factory-shipped devices as well, but get expanded superpowers when you root.
2. The Latest OS Updates
Dammit, why am I always three updates behind. This may be the most common complaint among Android users, less than half of whom have made it as far as Ice Cream Sandwich.
Between the Google, the carriers, and the hardware manufacturers, there
are a whole lot of shenanigans behind closed doors that determines when
(or if) your phone gets an upgrade. Who has the patience?
Android's
developer community, on the other hand, is a hardcore bunch. They're
often able to get the new OS onto a phone months before the carrier
releases the update, often along with a few bonus features. Once you're
rooted, you just have to find the OS version you want (optimized for
your specific device), and it's generally extremely easy to install the
latest and greatest.
3. Ditching the Skin
Android enthusiasts rightly hate the software skins
that hardware manufacturers use to brand their devices. They're often
bulky, ugly, unwieldy, or just downright not as clean and functional as
stock Android. They're also a big reason those OS updates take so long.
You're almost always better off without.
Expand
So root! Once you do, you can download and install any number of
custom-built ROMs (different versions of the Android firmware). Some of
them are highly customized and tweaked to add features, and others are
basically just stock Android. Cleaning off an ugly skin can be like a
breath of fresh air.
4. Bloat Banishment
Android
phones are plagued not only with OEM skins, but with a fistful of
superflous apps that you don't want and will never use. Generally,
they're just things to get you more entrenched in the carrier's
ecosystem. The best part? You can't remove them. In Android 4.1 (Jelly
Bean) devices, you can disable those apps so you don't see them, but they're still there, taking up space. Once you've rooted your phone, you can use Titanium Backup
to delete them once and forever. Just be careful you don't accidentally
delete something that your phone actually needs, or you'll be sorry.
5. Speed/Battery Life Boosts
Phone
starting to get laggy? Or maybe you're having trouble making it through
the day on a single charge? Rooting allows you to install customized
kernels (the software that enables the OS to talk to the hardware,
basically) that are optimized differently. Some are made for low-power
consumption, and some are built for speed. You can also use an app like Set CPU, which enables you to overclock or underclock your phone's processor, and set rules for usage.
For
example, you can set your processors to go into overdrive when you're
playing a graphically intensive game, but have them draw the bare
minimum power when the screen is off.
6. Extreme Customization
Android is already the most customizable mobile OS out there, which is
one of its big draws, but if you root your phone you can really go
nuts. If you want a total change, you can download custom ROMs that look
nothing like Android at all. Want your device to navigable entirely by
gestures? No problem, just install GMD Gesture Control
(see video). Prefer a sliding keyboard when you're in portait mode, but
a tapping, predictive keyboard when you're in landscape. Keyboard Manager
will automatically switch between your keyboards of choice whenever you
rotate your phone. You can also add features like widgets in your
notification bar, or can change the way certain features look or behave,
like the lock screen, or notification bar. The sky's the limit.
7. Infinite Features
Beyond just
customizing your phone's existing features, rooting helps you pile on
all kinds of wonderful new weirdness. You'll love it.
Want to hook up your PlayStation controller to your phone for better gaming? You can. Want to set rules for callers to decide who can and can't call you when? Why not.
Maybe your carrier has blocked certain apps, or an app isn't available
for the country you live in? There are Market Enabler apps that trick
your phone (and Google) into thinking it's on another carrier or in a
far off land. Nervous about connecting to the public Wi-Fi? Wifi Protector will keep you safe from all kinds of ARP, DOS, and MITM attacks. Or, you could put the new Android 4.2 camera on your non-Jellybean phone. Accidentally deleted something you wish you hadn't? Undelete might just save your bacon. The possibilities are virtually limitless.
8. A Free Wi-Fi Hotspot
You
probably know that your phone can function as a Wi-Fi hotspot, allowing
you to get your laptop (or tablet, or whatever) online wherever your
phone has a data connection The catch? Most wireless carriers charge you
$10 a month or more for that privilege, on top of your regular data
plan. With a rooted Android device, however, you can simply download Wireless Tether (yep, right from the Android Market), create your own mobile, encrypted Wi-Fi network, and your carrier will be none the wiser.
If you do
tether multiple devices to your liberated phone, just make sure you
don't go over your monthly cap. Data goes down a lot faster on a laptop.
9. Better Backup
There
are apps out there that kiiiiinnnnda back up your phone, but generally
it's pretty surface level stuff (contacts, pictures, music, etc.). Once
rooted you can go way, way deeper. Grab an app called Titanium Backup.
Not only can it back up all of your apps, but it can back up all of the
information stored in those apps. So if you've been doing great in
Temple Run but you want to wipe your phone and start fresh, you can use
Titanium to back up and then restore the game, and you'll be right where
you left off. It's a nice security blanket if you're going to be
messing around deep in your phone's brain.
In spite of
all these benefits, only you know whether rooting is right for you. For
some people it's just not worth the time and effort. For others, it's a
godsend that allows them to use their phones in a better way and for a
longer time. If you decide to take the plunge, read up and make sure you
follow instructions carefully. After that, go hog wild. It's your
phone, after all.
What are the chances that the phone will get "bricked" or non-functional if i get it rooted?
ReplyDeleteIf the steps are followed correctly there is hardly any chance you will brick your mobile. The main disadvantage of rooting is that your warranty would be violated so it totally depends on you.... To root or not to root
ReplyDelete