• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Should I root?

Hey guys,

First off, let me say i am absolutely LOVING android over iphone.

Now, I have a Galaxy Note I717 Its running on GingerBread 2.6.35.11
I am interested in rooting as I am told it is pretty much like jailbreaking an iPhone.

I guess I am asking the following questions:

How is rooting like Jailbreaking?

Is rooting a Galaxy Note difficult?

What are the benefits to rooting? What will I get that I don't already have
 
Rooting your Android Device involves adding in a small Linux application called “su”. It stands for SuperUser, and allows applications and commands to run with elevated permissions. Everything that runs code, whether it’s an application or the user, has a permission level set by the operating system.

Why Linux? Well the heart of the Android operating system is the Linux kernel. You'll hear a lot of nerdy geek-speak about the Linux kernel, but all you really need to know is that it's what is interfacing Android to your hardware, and ultimately has complete control. When you stray outside the "normal" way of using Android and start entering commands directly, the kernel is who you're talking to.

The root user is the boss and can do anything (good or bad) on the device. From simple things like clearing the cache from core applications, to more advanced things like wirelessly tethering a laptop or iPod touch through your phone, root can do it. The su program is a sort of gateway that lets applications or users act as root while doing tasks.

If your ever going to root your device, remember to do your homework before attempting it. The more you know, the more successful you'll be in rooting your device and not bricking it. Bricking is a term used when a phone's software has been tampered with to the point where it is no longer functional and in turn assumes the functionality of a brick.

You can find rooting instructions inside your device's sub-forum forum on top. All things root (ATR)
 
Upvote 0
Greeting Dan,

Everything that Rush said is correct. Just to break is down in layman terms. Rooting give you total access to your device. You get to go into all the nooks and crevices that you normally don't have access to. This includes the folders that the providers love to stick their own apps into, so that you can't normally delete them.

But!!!... to quote a line given to a certain super hero "With great power, comes great RESPONSIBILITY!!!!" Having access to root can be a mixed blessing. A lot of people new to Android jump in after rooting their phone, and start messing with things that they have little to no idea of the repercussions from tinkering.

Read up on how to root, how to backup!!!!, and how to recover your device before you even attempt messing with things. Rooting itself isn't bad, it's the messing with things without knowing what can happen that will kill a device.

You have no idea how many times I've read posts from people who are too impatient to backup their device, before they start deleting this and moving that. They get left with trying to solve a simple problem with advanced methods, because they didn't take time to backup.


Case in point...

http://androidforums.com/android-lo...chers-now-i-cant-do-anything-please-help.html

I'm not trying to talk down to you, just relaying some of Rush's words in a simple manner.

Hope this helps.
 
Upvote 0
Jailbreaking if quite different from rooting an Android device. I've never owned an iOS device, but having a look at the benefits of jailbreaking, it seems that most of the functionality you get from a jailbroken iOS device you would get be default (on a non-rooted) Android. This includes things such as installing software that is not on the official app market, changing the icons, widgets, different keyboard, etc.

So if that's the kind of functionality you want, it may not be worth rooting.
 
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones