HOW TO ROOT YOUR ANDROID PHONE OR TABLET

What is rooting? Rooting is jailbreaking for Androids and allows users to dive deeper into a phone’s sub-system. Essentially, it’ll allow you to access the entire operating system and be able to customize just about anything on your Android. With root access, you can get around any restrictions that your manufacturer or carrier may have applied. You can run more apps, you can overclock or underclock your processor, and you can replace the firmware. The process requires users to back up current software and flash (install) a new custom ROM (modified version of Android). Why wouldn’t you root? There are essentially three potential cons to rooting your Android. Voiding your warranty: Some manufacturers or carriers will use rooting as an excuse to void your warranty. It’s worth keeping in mind that you can always unroot. If you need to send the device back for repair, simply flash the original backup ROM you made and no one will ever know that it was rooted. Bricking your phone: Whenever you tamper too much, you run at least a small risk of bricking your device. The obvious way to avoid it happening is to follow instructions carefully. Make sure that the guide you are following works for your device and that any custom ROM you flash is designed specifically for it. If you do your research and pay attention to feedback from others, bricking should never occur. Security risks: Rooting may introduce some security risks. Depending on what services or apps you use on your device, rooting could create a security vulnerability. For example, Google refuses to support the Google Wallet service for rooted devices. Three rooting programs that have garnered some attention in the past few months are Towelroot, Kingo Root, and KingRoot. They will root your device in the time it takes to brush your teeth. However, these rooting programs are only compatible with Android devices running below Android 5.1 Lollipop. For example, King Root claims it will root over 100,000 devices, and even some running Android 5.0, but the majority of newer devices running Android 5.1 and higher don’t make the list. Here’s Kingo’s list of compatible devices, and the following links by manufacturer are what KingRoot can handle: Google/Nexus HTC Huawei LG Samsung Sony ZTE If you’re looking to root a Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge running Android 5.1 or higher, the above methods will not work. While they might have worked on Android 5.0, Android 5.1 is a completely different story since a modified kernel needs to be flashed in order to achieve root. The kernel is the core of the operating system and it controls the hardware. Android cannot run without it. You can follow the instructions that Max Lee posted here to root your Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge on Android 5.1. The same goes for Nexus devices running Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Chainfire has posted modified kernels for those devices over at XDA. The bottomline is that you will see many developers touting how their tool takes care of all Android devices, but there simply is no such tool. If your phone is not compatible with either of the above applications, you’ll have to spend a little time researching ways to root on Android forums. The best place to start is XDA Developers Forum. Look for a thread on your specific device and you’re sure to find a method that has worked for other people. It’s worth spending some time researching the right method for your device. Preparation for root Back up everything that’s important to you before you start. You should also always back up your current ROM before you flash a new one. You’ll want to ensure that your device is fully charged before you begin. You’ll also need to turn on USB debugging, as well as OEM Unlocking. Open Settings on your device. If you do not see Developer Options toward the bottom of the Settings screen on your device, follow these steps to activate them. 1. Tap on About Phone and find the Build Number. 2. Tap on the Build Number seven times and the Developer Options will appear on the main page of the Settings. 3. Tap on the Back key to see the Developer Options. 4. Tap on Developer Options. 5. Check to enable USB Debugging. 6. Check to enable OEM Unlocking. Installing the Android SDK tools Some Android rooting methods require you to install ADB and Fastboot. Follow our instructions here to download and install them. Unlock your bootloader Before you get started, You will also need to unlock your bootloader. Bootloader is a program that determines which applications will run in your phone’s startup process. Unlocking your bootloader will allow you to customize your device. Manufacturers have responded to a demand for customization. Many of them have provided methods to help you unlock the bootloader on their website, though they are generally provided for developers, and they usually require you to sign up or register an account first. Motorola bootloader unlock program. HTC unlock bootloader page. Sony’s unlocking the bootloader instructions. Some manufacturers and carriers don’t allow bootloader unlocking, but you can often find a way around that with some searching (try the XDA Developers forum). More loading.......