Do you need to root your android phone today?

Rooting one's new smartphone was one of the most popular tasks that the "savvy" user had to perform in the early years when the Android operating system appeared on the market. But is it just as necessary nowadays? What are the benefits in today's versions of the operating system;

First of all, let's explain that rooting your Android phone means bypassing the phone's factory security and getting full access to the root of the Android operating system. By rooting a phone, you can control basic system management functions, allowing you more advanced customization of devices.

Why do people root their phones? To answer this, let's take a look at why users have root their phones and then see if these reasons still exist today.

Removing Bloatware

“Bloatware” is the term for software that is pre-installed on a device or a computer. Usually you can't choose whether it's installed or not, as it comes as part of the default package. Some Appliances allow you to uninstall these apps, while some have their pieces (archives them) at the root of the system and cannot be cleaned without having increased privileges. Root access allows you to control bloatware so you can delete even the most stubborn applications.

Does this still apply to 2018?
Yes! Most phones still come with bloatware today, some of which can not be uninstalled without first accessing the root. Root is a good way to get into controllers and clean the unwanted software from your phone.

Install applications with root access only

Some apps (such as tethering, backup, and advanced video recording applications) require full control of the hardware to work. Therefore, this means that they need access to root to fulfill their intended use. If you are thinking of installing such applications, you should root your phone so that you can take full advantage of them.

Does this still apply to Android 2018?
Yes! There are still apps on Play Store which require root privileges for their full range of features. For example, Google has denied the ability to record the screen along with audio. Screen recording apps with root access can bypass this ban and allow audio to be recorded along with the video. Another example is usually backup apps that if they have access to the root of your phone, they can copy all the high scores and credits of a game and you can copy it to another phone without losing your achievement so far.

Better performance and Android functionality

In the early days of Android it was not easy to perform specific tasks or to ensure that your phone works optimally. For example, old on Android 3.0, you could not take a screenshot without downloading the Android SDK first. You also needed access to root if you wanted to optimize your applications to save battery life.

Does this still apply to Android 2018?
Not really! Some features are now inside the Android OS. Screenshots, for example, have been included in the core software since version 4.0. Or the ability to be able to share the password of a wireless Wi-Fi now included via QR. It's also much better optimized than it was in its early days, and while a rooted phone could probably be optimized even more, the OS is now at a level where you don't need root for a proper mode.

It's easy - why not?

Android was pretty easy to become root. Old there were some easy exploits and tricks that you could use on specific models that you'll get accessed in minutes by yourself without the help of someone special. Therefore, root was something that consisted simply because it was simple to do and brought some nice benefits as a result.

Does this still apply to 2018?
No! Android devices are now much more difficult to root than in the past. Some phones are not designed to be rooted, making it procedure much more difficult for the common user. Additionally, when the phone is rooted, there are apps that can detect that you have root access and refuse to launch. Recent examples are Pokémon Go and Super Mario Run.

Do you need to root?

Let us return to the original question. Need to fix something on your newly acquired android device? In the past, Android devices were not streamlined, they did not have basic features, which required root, which was often very easy to do in minutes. Nowadays, however, root is just a "need" for users who want to do everything to get the 100% that a root device can offer them. Even so, owning one is still beyond the reach of the average person.

If you want to have full control over your phone, you want to install root-based applications, clean up bloatware, and generally hate the idea that a programmer has more control over your phone than you can, nothing can convince you to change opinion. You need to root your phone to get the benefits you want. However, since it has become much more difficult in recent years, make sure you have chosen a phone that is friendly to becoming root.

However, if you just want a phone that comes with all the basic features you can have with the latest version of android, then you do not need to root your phone and so you can enjoy the experience that the phone offers you without worry about whether a application will lock you out or if someone else steals them data you.

And while there is definitely still a "need" to root a 2018 phone today, it's not as prominent as it was in the early days of android. The common user can use with enough fluency and without problems, an unrooted phone, while someone who has realized that they want their phone to be completely their own will find no solace in modern versions of the Android operating system.