Everything You Need to Know About Rooting Your Android Phone

We love Android, but rooting your phone can give you the opportunity to do so much more than your phone can do out of the box—whether it's wireless tethering, speeding it up with overclocking, or customizing the look of your phone with themes. Here's what you need to know about the rooting process, and where to find a guide for your phone.
  

What Is Rooting, Exactly?

Rooting, for those of you that don't know, means giving yourself root permissions on your phone. It's similar running programs as administrators in Windows, or running a command with sudo in Linux. With a rooted phone, you can run apps that require access to certain system settings, as well as flash custom ROMs to your phone, which add all sorts of extra features. If you're on the fence about rooting. 
There are a ton of different Android phones out there, and while some rooting methods might work for multiple phones, there is no one-size-fits-all guide for rooting every phone out there. But, there are a lot of things you should know about rooting before you start, and this guide should help you out.

Glossary of Rooting Terms

As you learn more about the rooting process, you'll probably run into a bunch of terms that can be confusing. Here are some of the most important ones and what they mean.

• Root: Rooting means you have root access to your device—that is, it can run the sudo command, and has enhanced privileges allowing it to run apps like Wireless Tether or SetCPU. You can root either by installing the Superuser application or by flashing a custom ROM that includes root access.
• ROM: A ROM is a modified version of Android. It may contain extra features, a different look, speed enhancements, or even a version of Android that hasn't been released for your phone yet. We won't discuss ROMs in depth here, but if you want to use one once you're rooted.
• Flash: Flashing essentially means installing something on your device, whether it be a ROM, a kernel, or a recovery (see below) that comes in the form of a ZIP file. Sometimes the rooting process requires flashing a ZIP file, sometimes it doesn't.
• Brick: To brick your phone is to break it during flashing or other acts. There is always a small risk with flashing, and if your phone becomes unable to function—that is, it basically becomes a brick—you've bricked your phone. The risk is very small, however, and more often than not people say "brick" when they really mean "it turns on but doesn't boot properly," which is a very fixable problem. 
• Bootloader: Your bootloader is the lowest level of software on your phone, running all the code that's necessary to start your operating system. Most bootloaders come locked, meaning you can't flash custom recoveries or ROMs. Unlocking your bootloader doesn't root your phone directly, but it does allow you to root and/or flash custom ROMs if you so desire.
• Recovery: Your recovery is the software on your phone that lets you make backups, flash ROMs, and perform other system-level tasks. The default recovery on your phone can't do much, but you can flash a custom recovery—like ClockworkMod or TWRP—after you've unlocked your bootloader that will give you much more control over your device. This is often an integral part of the rooting process.

 Frequently Asked Rooting Questions

  

People have a lot of questions about rooting, and we hear them all the time. Here are some of the most frequently asked, laid out so you don't have to ask someone else.

What's the difference between rooting, unlocking, and flashing a ROM?   

This can be confusing, since the three practices are often performed at the same time. We've detailed some of this above, but briefly: Unlocking your bootloader is usually the first step in the process and allows you to flash a custom recovery. From there, you can then give yourself root access or flash a ROM. Root access isn't required to flash a ROM, but almost all custom ROMs will come with root access built-in.

  
Can I unroot my phone? 
Yes. If you decide you don't like being rooted, you can often find instructions on unrooting your phone as well. Usually it involves flashing an RUU, SBF, or something similar to return the phone to truly stock settings.  

Is rooting illegal? 
No. Technically, it once was, but exceptions to the DCMA have made it legal for most phones (but not necessarily tablets). 

Will rooting void my warranty? 
Yes. Unlocking your bootloader will void the warranty on your phone, even if your manufacturer provides a way for you to do it. That said, if you need warranty service for a hardware issue, you can sometimes unroot your phone and take it in for service with no one the wiser. However, some phones have a digital "switch" that flips when you unlock your phone that is very difficult or impossible to revert, so do your research before unlocking if you want to preserve your warranty.

Could rooting brick my phone? 
It's possible, but pretty unlikely. As long as you follow instructions well, you probably won't brick anything (but we're not responsible yadda yadda yadda). Flashing custom kernels and radios is a little riskier than just rooting or flashing ROMs, but again, if you follow directions you should be okay. Keep in mind that bricking means your phone means it won't turn on or function at all—if you're stuck in a boot loop or boot straight to recovery, your phone is not bricked, and it can be fixed.





Will rooting speed up my phone?
Not on its own—all rooting does is give you root access. However, it does open up the possibility for other tweaks that can speed up an old phone.

Are Custom ROMs really necessary on a stock phone like the Nexus? Sure! ROMs are useful for more than just getting stock Android—they add a lot of useful features, get updates even if Google has abandoned your phone, and lots more.


Armed with the knowledge in this glossary and FAQ, along with the right rooting method on those forums, you should be well on your way to a better phone. Good luck!

H-M