The Android operating system developed by Google is open source and, on paper, it can be modified and adapted according to the mobile phone in which it is installed. If this could be a winning weapon, it turned into a big flaw for Android smartphones because the mobile phone manufacturers who chose this operating system (Samsung, Huawei, Motorola, LG and others) customized the operating system by blocking it with the their proprietary applications pre-installed and preventing any unauthorized modification.
If in some cases mobile phones are provided with useful basic applications to be used for pleasure and for work, in some smartphones the same are superfluous and heavy, making the smartphone less efficient.
In order to get rid of unnecessary apps and to unlock new features, we can act by activating root permissions .
In this guide we will see together how to root Android on most devices, recommending the procedures for everyone and advanced procedures.
READ ALSO -> Remove the Android root with a click
Before continuing, it is important that you are aware of the risk: enabling root permissions will invalidate the warranty of the smartphone, therefore in case of problems, blockages or damage, the manufacturer may not repair the device (they manage to notice the root permissions installed ).
If you want to continue, we recommend that you root only on out-of-warranty devices (therefore more than 2 years from purchase), so as not to have any kind of regret in case of problems and malfunctions.
As understood, the procedures can also lead to the breakage of the device, therefore act only if aware of the risk (the NavigaWeb website does not assume any kind of responsibility).
1) Preliminary operations
Before going into the world of root permissions, we will have to modify our Android smartphone so that it can be unlocked.
Many modern Android phones have the bootloader block, i.e. that part of the system that makes Android start and checks for any additions: if there is no digital signature of the manufacturer, any changes are blocked .
Root permissions are not among the "signed" things, so in order to proceed we will first have to unlock the bootloader on our Android device.
To do this we recommend reading our dedicated guide -> How to unlock the Android Bootloader .
We carefully follow the procedure (this is the most complicated part of the Android root also because the memory is deleted and the phone is reset) so that we can customize our Android device.
After this procedure, our phone will be restored and will return to the factory settings: let's put it on charge (until it reaches 100%) so that we can follow the rest of the guide safely.
After unlocking the bootloader, the second preliminary operation involves replacing the recovery, i.e. the part of the system that takes care of installing new system files.
To do this it would be better to use the ADB and Flashboot commands (see point 4 below) or you can follow our dedicated guide -> How to install a Custom Android ROM.
In this case we can avoid installing a Custom ROM immediately, but follow the part of the guide that shows how to install a new recovery; among all the recommended one is TWRP .
2) App to get the Android root
The easiest way to get root on Android is to use apps designed to unlock root permissions, through exploits or automated procedures (available for the vast majority of devices).
The apps we can install to try to get root permissions are:
- KingoRoot
- iRoot
- Root Master
To use them, just install the APK on our Android device, then press the Root button to start the search for compatible exploits.
If our phone is compatible with the procedures offered by the app, it will unlock the root permissions and automatically restart the device, so as to be able to benefit immediately.
There is currently no faster method of obtaining root permissions, but some modern devices (with Android 8.0 or higher) may not yet be compatible.
3) Windows programs to get the Android root
If the previous apps have not worked, we can try to obtain root permissions using specific programs for Windows.
The programs in question are:
- dr.fone - Root
- OneClickRoot
Using them is as simple as the apps: let's start them on Windows, connect our smartphone to a PC with a USB cable, wait for the program to read and recognize the device in question then click on Root or Root now at the right time to start the execution of the exploit or of the personalized procedure for that specific Android device.
After a few minutes the phone will restart (if the procedure went correctly) and we will have root permissions enabled on our device.
This is the most effective method (much more than the app), which we recommend following immediately if we are willing to make a few more clicks and if we have a computer and a USB cable at hand.
4) Manual procedure
If none of the previous procedures worked, it's time to use the more advanced procedures, those intended only for expert users.
On this page we download the drivers for any model of the Android phone; on Android mobile we enable USB Debugging (present in Settings -> Developer Options ; if this menu is not present, unlock it by clicking on Build Number present in the Info menu on the phone many times), install the ADB components and finally connect the smartphone to the PC via USB cable.
For each Android mobile phone there is a separate guide, so we recommend checking immediately on XDA Developers, where it will be sufficient to specify the smartphone model owned which you want to root to find the various guides.
If you do not find anything, do not resign yourself: most likely the procedure for the root has not yet been implemented, but it may be in a few weeks or a few months (better to check again often).
5) How to check if root permissions are active
After following one of the best practices, we check that the root is actually active with the free Root Checker app.
This app will check and immediately give us feedback on the correct installation of the permissions.
Among its features it also offers a guide on how to root on that model (showing external links) and the difficulty of success (which should not be underestimated).
If the root is active you will need a management app, so that when the permissions are required you can decide whether to use them or not (on the other apps).
The best root management app is definitely SuperSU .
With this we will receive notifications in the foreground when an app asks for root permissions and we will have a list with all the apps already allowed, so we can remove some dubious or useless requests.
6) What to do after the root
After having rooted an Android phone, it is always advisable to make a backup of all Android apps (including data and system apps), so that you can restore your phone immediately in case of problems.
With the Titanium Backup application we can make a backup of the installed applications, the address book, messages and everything in the microSD memory card that may be present.
After having rooted the Android phone, we can install a new version of Android and the absolute best is definitely LineageOS, of which we have made a very complete guide -> Install CyanogenMod (LineageOS), the best Android ROM, on the phone.
On the new system we must also install Google Apps which also include the Android Store to have new applications; on this page we find the latest versions of the Google Apps For Android (they are different depending on the processor of the smartphone and the Android version installed, so be careful).
If we want the most from our phone's interface, we can also install an alternate Launcher for Android.
With an unlocked Android phone we can enter the mobile phone to browse the Android system files (always keep an eye on what we touch or modify, or the phone breaks!), Block ads, unlock new features but above all uninstall unnecessary system apps and heavy.
To this end, we recommend that you read the guide to the best ones to use with root permissions, available below.
READ NOW: Best apps for Android phones unlocked with root
