Do you need to root your android phone today?

Rooting one's new smartphone was one of the most popular tasks for the "savvy" user 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?

To begin with, explaining that rooting someone's Android phone means that it bypasses the factory security of the phone and reaches full access to the root principle, that is, the root of the Android operating system. By accessing the root of a phone, you can control the basic management functions of the system, allowing you to customize the device more advanced.

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

Το "Bloatware" είναι ο όρος για το λογισμικό που είναι προεγκατεστημένο σε μια συσκευή ή σε έναν υπολογιστή. Συνήθως δεν μπορείτε να επιλέξετε αν θα είναι εγκατεστημένο ή όχι, καθώς έρχεται ως μέρος του προεπιλεγμένου πακέτου. Ορισμένες συσκευές σάς επιτρέπουν να απεγκαταστήσετε αυτές τις applications, while some have their pieces (files) in the root of the system and cannot be cleaned without having elevated privileges. Root access gives you control over bloatware so you can delete even the most stubborn apps.

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 applications (such as tethering, backup and advanced video recording applications) require full control of the hardware to function. So this means they need root access to fulfill their intended use. If you are thinking of installing such apps, 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 the Play Store that require root permissions for their full range of features. For example, Google has denied its registration screens along with sound. 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 Wifi has now been 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 become root than in the past. Some phones are not designed to have roots, making the process much more difficult for the common user. In addition, when the phone has become root, there are apps that can detect that you have root access and refuse to boot. 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 that you can have with the latest version of android, then you do not have to root your phone and so you can enjoy the experience of the phone without you are worried about whether an application will lock you out or if another one steals your data.

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 average user can use a non-rooted phone quite easily and without problems, while someone who has realized that they want to have their phone all their own will find no comfort in modern versions of the Android operating system.