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Tuesday, December 16, 2014

How to Root an Android Phone

Guys... This post may come as a bit of a deviation from my usuall Networking blogs... but it's a cool stuff.. which I did on my Android phone... so wanted to share it with everyone!!

Reason for doing this : I wanted to enable Screen-sharing feature of AirDroid, which requires a Root / Super User access to the phone.

First things first :

For the beginners, what is "Rooting" an Android Phone ?

Every Android Phone that you buy, comes with an entire range of restrictions, which the phone manufacturer has set upon you. A day-to-day user may not be aware of this, but Android programmers actually are.

"Rooting your Android phone will remove the restrictions placed on its use by the manufacturer by giving you administrator rights to the phone’s system files."

For guys, who have used iPhones previously and have done some meddling with iOS, this is no different than "jailbreak".

Here is how I nailed it down:

1. Make sure your phone does not run out of battery!! You will need to have at least 80% battery life on your phone before you start the rooting process so that it doesn’t get interrupted by the power turning off.... Best way - just start this drill, while it is charging simultaneously.

2. Software : Well, you know these days, the world will come to a standstill, if not for that lovely software!! You will need one here as well. "UnlockRoot Pro". The software is available for free from the UnlockRoot website. Make sure that your device is supported by checking the documentation on their website... Fortunately mine was!!

UnlockRoot


3.  Drivers : Unless you are using a "Stone-Age" Android phone, most of the phones these days are simply plug-and-play... Meaning, once you connect the phone to your PC (via USB), the drivers will get installed automatically.. or your PC will search and download them from the internet.. No big deal.

4. Run UnlockRoot Pro. Select your phone for the dropdown menu. Press the Root button once you have selected your device.

5. Put your phone in Download mode. The UnlockRoot software will display specific instructions for your device. You can check the following youtube video for entering in Download Mode.. I guess, this may vary from one device to another...




6. Your phone will reboot after a few moments. It will then reboot again and enter Recovery mode.


UnlockRoot Rooting Progress window

7. Wait for the phone to reboot a few more times. As the phone reboots, you will see the progress bar in UnlockRoot fill up. Once the bar is full you will receive the message “OK, Root success”. Your phone is now rooted and you can use programs such as SuperUser and Titanium Backup.