DEV Community

Cover image for Rooting your Android in 2021.
Pranav Patel
Pranav Patel

Posted on • Updated on

Rooting your Android in 2021.

You've undoubtedly seen and read about rooting if you've browsed anything about Android on the internet. There was a period when many Android phones didn't perform up to their potential and rooting was the solution. Androids nowadays are far superior to those of the past. Even the cheapest phone or tablet accessible in 2021 will perform better and do more than the finest Android phone available few years ago. Many of us, however, are still interested in rooting our phones and are seeking for additional information.

What exactly is rooting?

Every Android phone is based on the Linux kernel and middleware, and root grants you the necessary permissions to render it all, giving you full control over the operating system.
To put it in simpler words, Linux permissions and file-system ownership are used by your Android phone. When you sign in, you become a user, and your user rights determine what you are permitted to do. Root is a user as well. The only contrast is that the root user (superuser) has complete access to all files on the system.

Should you root your phone?

The next thing you'd be wondering is whether to root your Android or leave it just the same. Obviously, this is a personal preference, but both sides have concrete arguments. Trying to keep this article short and sweet, I'll be soon making an entirely new blog post just to discuss both sides; stay tuned! :)

Getting ready

To prepare your phone for rooting, you'll first need to unblock the bootloader of your smartphone. To avoid the fuss of installing and setting up the substantially large tool Android SDK, you can instead download Minimal ADB and Fastboot from XDA Developers, which only contains the ADB and Fastboot components needed for rooting as well as unblocking the bootloader.
Unlocking the bootloader differs a bit depending on the phone you have. The standard method is to use the OEM unlock command. You'll have to attain an official cryptographic token to unlock your bootloader if you have a Motorola, Sony, or LG device.

WARNING: Keep in mind that unlocking your Android's bootloader will void the warranty (except Xiaomi phones, mi allows you to root without voiding its warranty). You will lose all your data on rooting or unblocking your device's bootloader; Have a complete backup of your phone before preceding.

Easiest way to root in 2021

Rooting your device is a lot easier now than it used to be. The easiest approach is to install a simple root software like KingRoot, KingoRoot, or OneClickRoot, that allows you to root Android with literally just one click. The app automatically checks for compatibility and roots the phone accordingly.
However, the safest and honest way through this is by patching your boot image and installing Magisk systemlessly using a custom recovery. This is the most reliable and safest option out of all. It could get overwhelming to look at it first, but XDA has you covered; they've managed to thoroughly explain it here here with the help of screenshots.

Oldest comments (0)