four different methods to achieve this

Rooting is not as fashionable today as it was a few years ago, but there are still plenty of reasons to root Android phones, especially old phones that you have in drawers that can have a new use. Rooting an Android mobile can be complicated, but not for this reason impossible.

If you are planning to root your mobile and don’t even know where to start, we summarize here the four main methods. They will serve as a starting point for you to embark on this adventure of obtaining root access on an Android mobile.

Before rooting

Before you hit the “red button”, it never hurts to remember the downsides of rooting a terminal. Although protection tools and services have improved over time, the likelihood of making the mobile unusable – commonly referred to as brickeado– Are still here.

On the other hand, some root tools try to hide their existence from the system, but they are not always successful. It means that some apps may stop working if they detect that the device is rooted, like banking apps or games like Pokémon Go. In terminals still under warranty, this can also be a problem if you need to use the official technical service.

With all of this, we don’t want to take away your desire to root your terminal. The advantages are many, even if they have disadvantages. In the end, it will be you who will have to weigh the pros and cons and decide what is worth it, always. at your own risk and expense.

With Android apps

We’re starting our list with the easiest, but not the most recommended way to do this: apps that grant you root permission at the push of a button. Exist, exist yet its use is limited to a handful of models where security holes have been found which can be exploited to gain root permissions (usually older models). KingRoot is compatible from Android 2.0 to 6.0.

A popular app at the time was Kingo Root, sometimes called King Root and with other variations. Technically, it works – on some devices – but the problem is that after obtaining root permissions, there is no control over what the app does or stops doing with your mobile. An alternative is to use it only to obtain the root authorization, with the mobile without personal data, then to install another more reliable manager, such as an old version of SuperSu.

Using an app to root your mobile is undoubtedly the easiest way, although only available for a handful of devices at least five years ago. That said, it’s important to remember that they only work on certain models, so don’t be afraid of apps that promise one-click root on many mobiles, especially recent devices.

With applications for Windows

The concept is exactly the same as the previous one, but realized from a PC instead of a mobile application

. The mobile must be connected to your PC using a USB cable, the developer options must be enabled, as well as the USB debugging. The KingRoot itself that we mentioned earlier has a version for Windows, although other well-known names, such as OneClickRoot.

All-in-one apps for rooting from Windows can do their job with a little less restrictions than from mobile, although they still have the same issues: its success is only assured in a handful of models. Of course, in which it works, it works quite well: you press a button and wait for root access.

The security issue is the same as in the previous case. Unlike Magisk, which is open source, you need to trust the word of the developers of those apps that will allow root access and nothing else. Again, it is recommended that, if you want to take a chance, you do so with a factory restored, data-free mobile.

With magic

Magisk is one of the few root tools which remains active and updated. Root access is only part of what Magisk offers, also standing out for its ability to trick SafetyNet and its modules ready to be downloaded and activated with just a few clicks.

Unlike the rooting resources we’ve seen before, Magisk is open source, so the user community can see exactly what it’s doing and not doing. It is therefore, a relatively safe method at least with regard to the confidentiality of your data.

There are mainly two ways to install Magisk: with root and without root. Obviously, if you want to use Magisk for root access, the first one is left out, so you should be able to install it from custom recovery like TWRP. Likewise, it is possible to install custom recovery without the need for root, for example with Odin, on Samsung mobiles.

Flasheando

Speaking of recovery mode, it’s another access point to gain root access, depending on the options available. For example, on Samsung mobiles, a patched firmware including root access such as CF-Auto-Root can be flashed directly with ODIN.

On other mobiles, it will be necessary to have a custom recovery mode installed such as TWRP or the old CWM to flash a ZIP file which includes everything you need to gain root access. The problem here is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution, but you will have to find the exact solution for your specific model. The XDA Forums are a great place to start for finding the instructions and files needed for a large number of Android phones.

This method is relatively the most complicated of all, because you have to find the specific instructions and files and follow them precisely, although this is also the most common. It won’t do you any good, yes, in phones with stuck bootloader like Huawei phones.