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ROOTING
Rooting is a very popular thing to do with your android phone these days. It allows you to do a number of things you wouldn't normally be able to do, such as use apps that require root permissions (wifi tethering, real backups, etc), flash custom/cooked ROM's, flash kernels, remove bloatware. and overclocking. Before you attempt rooting however, there are several things you should know first:
"Rooting" is, in vernacular terms, the Android OS equivalent of say, jailbreaking an iPhone.
To be exact, it means several things:
Name for an administrator on Android or any other Linux system.
The lowest level in a file system (for example: the root of your SD card would be the screen that comes up when you first open it, no other sub-folders.)
It also means having administrative powers over your phone.
It also voids your warranty if your phone company finds out.
So basically, by extension, rooting a phone means giving yourself rooting privileges. Think of it like this: Say you have an HTC Evo. Android is open-source, but you're only allowed to do on the phone what Sprint allows you to. Sprint wants to charge people $30 or $40 per month to do wifi tethering. A rooted phone could do wifi tethering for free, as you would be the administrator, and override the block.
PROS and CONS
1. Pros
Superuser permissions (full control over your phone, down to terminal commands).
Use root-requiring apps (wifi tether, backups, etc).
Over/underclocking
Ability to use a custom recovery.img (for flashing).
Flash custom ROMs and kernels
Flash other .zip files
Removing bloatware (apps that you don't want or need but can't normally delete)
Upgrading your firmware to later versions (such as phones that won't get the Froyo update)
2. Cons
Voided warranty
Possibility of bricking device
Possibility of damaging hardware
The cons are easy to avoid, as long as you do everything correctly and do your research first. As for your warranty, it's often just easier to say your phone was lost. If it's still covered by warranty, then you could be covered for it.
ROOTING METHOD
For how to root your phone, the internet is your best friend. However, if you are not comfortable, then look to see if you can get someone experienced to do it! All rooting will require you to put your phone in USB Debugging mode as well, which is turned on by going to Menu-->Settings-->Applications-->Check the USB Debugging box. My personal favorite resources are:
Software/apps:
Unrevoked
OneClick
SuperOneClick
z4root
Written Instructions:
Cyanogenmod Wiki
My Blog! (Still growing)
XDA Developers
Video Instructions:
Youtube
(See my youtube vids)
The Unlockr
For having someone do it for you: See craigslist. Someone may be offering the service or you can ask for it.
ALWAYS DO YOUR RESEARCH FIRST!
GROUND BASICS OF OPERATING A ROOTED PHONE:
A rooted phone acts the same as a non-rooted phone. The difference is usually under the hood.
You will need an application called "Superuser", downloadable from the app market. Most rooting methods install this automatically. It will have one of these two icons:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Any time something requires root permissions, it will ask for them. The first time around, you'll get a popup screen like this.
Just checkmark next to "remember" and you won't be prompted in the future.
Some popular apps that require superuser permissions:
Wifi Tethering - Self explanatory.
Titanium Backup - A powerful app for backing up your apps and data and restoring them (very useful if switching phones or if you wipe yours).
Autokiller - A powerful memory optimizer, helps with battery.
Overclock Widget - A widget that lets you overclock or underclock your processor. This requires a compatible kernel, which we'll get to in a second.
ROMs
ROM technically means "Read Only Memory", or your flash memory. In Android context though, it means porting a different firmware onto the phone. This is really where the magic of open-source comes into play:
ROMs usually come in ".zip" file format. DO NOT upzip them
ROMs are customized firmwares for your phone. "Customized" and "Cooked" are synonymous in Android context, and developers are the chefs. A ROM can be:
A minimalistic, fast firmware, and have certain features unlocked.
Upgrade your phone to 2.2 or 2.3 if you're stuck on an older firmware.
A completely new look and feel for people who don't like how their phone UI currently is (prevalent with many HTC Sense users).
An overclocking monster.
An undervolted battery saver.
Some combination of the above.
A quick way to brick your phone.
Bricking means your phone is an expensive paperweight, a "brick". Dead.
Notice the last bit about bricking. This is the biggest underlying risk in the rooting business. Many phones have corresponding software that will root the phone for you (Unrevoked, OneClick, SuperOneClick, z4root), but flashing is done manually, and someone who doesn't know what they're doing can brick their phone. Here is a basic guide to flashing:
Download a ROM
Good places to look are XDA or Cyanogenmod.
ROM Labels:
Vanilla - The stock ROM that comes standard on a phone.
CM - Cyanogenmod (or based on)
BACK UP YOUR INFORMATION.
This includes apps, contacts, texts (optional), and call logs (also optional).
You need to install a custom recovery, such as Amon Ra or Clockworkmod. They are both usually as easy to flash, and work generally the same.
Many softwares for rooting, such as Unrevoked, flash a new recovery image automatically.
If your method didn't, you can download an app called ROM Manager from the market. After installation, open it, and click "Flash Clockworkmod Recovery".
If the first two steps didn't work, then you'll have to research a way how.
Go to recovery mode, either from ROM Manager or manually.
Look up how to boot into recovery. For most phones, you'll navigate to it from the bootloader. which is started by turning on your phone while holding some combination of volume/camera buttons and the power button. Bootloader looks like this on most phones, though some vary (particularly Galaxy phones):
Your recovery will look like this:
Now there are a couple of important rules of thumb with flashing:
Always make a NANDROID backup. Navigate to it from the "nandroid" option in recovery. This is a little different than just backing up your contacts and pictures. It backs up your phone system as-is, like a sort of picture (metaphorically of course) of that moment. This gives you something stable to come restore to if something goes wrong.
When flashing a new ROM, if it's not just an update of the one you currently have, you SHOULD "wipe data/factory reset" and "wipe cache partition". Your information we backed up earlier is on your SD card, which remains untouched.
Now, ready to continue?
Select "install zip from sdcard", then "choose zip from sdcard".
Navigate to your ROM zip(s).
Select it, then scroll down to "YES".
LET IT FINISH. DO NOT TOUCH ANY BUTTONS.
Steps 1-4 of this section are what "FLASHING" means.
When it's done, repeat steps 1-4 of this section for any other zip files associated with it (themes, kernels, tweaks, etc)
When you're done, navigate back to the initial screen of your recovery mode using the "***go back***" options at the bottom of each list. From here, select "reboot phone now".
It will install any remaining packages now. Again, LET IT DO ITS WORK.
Your phone will reboot. If it locks up on boot, try reflashing, or if it just won't work, restore from a NAND backup.
There you have it. A new ROM is a big plus to many with androids. Those who are stuck with 2.1, or even 1.6 and 1.5 now can get a 2.2 ROM and upgrade their firmware, etc. You will no longer receive updates from your provider though, so it is your responsibility to keep your phone up to date by checking the developer's ROM updates, or if you like it as is and don't mind, just keep it like it is for all time.
KERNELS
Kernels are the lowest part of a system's software. It controls memory related things as well as processor things. It manages the communication between the hardware and the software, and caution should be exercised.
Kernels are flashed the same way ROMs are.
Many developers will recommend or develop a kernel to go along with their ROM.
Custom kernels are often needed to do overclocking, or undervolting (for battery optimization), etc.
Also downloaded from XDA and such.
Make sure you do your research and that it's compatible with your phone and/or ROM!
RADIOS, WIMAX, AND OTHERS
Often time you can flash updated versions of your phone's radio and wimax. Download and flash these like you would a ROM.
Thank you! Great guide, simple and clear
Thanks! Please continue commenting to keep this thread from getting buried.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Do i need a new kernel (patched) to create a custom recovery or i can use the original kernel with moded ramdisk?
Can you give same direction for create a custom recovery?
Thank you.
Sent from my Ideos S7 using Tapatalk
Just curious, but any reason you don't have the UniversalAndroot app on your list? I have used it for my old HTC (GSM) Hero, Moto Milestone and a Chinese Android tablet.
I just listed a few off the top of my head, I didn't mean to diss any software
awesome thread... thank you
Can you post a guide to getting usb debugging to work if it is not inside settings? I can't figure out how to do that.
pandafloski said:
ROOTING
Rooting is a very popular thing to do with your android phone these days. It allows you to do a number of things you wouldn't normally be able to do, such as use apps that require root permissions (wifi tethering, real backups, etc), flash custom/cooked ROM's, flash kernels, remove bloatware. and overclocking. Before you attempt rooting however, there are several things you should know first:
"Rooting" is, in vernacular terms, the Android OS equivalent of say, jailbreaking an iPhone.
To be exact, it means several things:
Name for an administrator on Android or any other Linux system.
The lowest level in a file system (for example: the root of your SD card would be the screen that comes up when you first open it, no other sub-folders.)
It also means having administrative powers over your phone.
It also voids your warranty if your phone company finds out.
So basically, by extension, rooting a phone means giving yourself rooting privileges. Think of it like this: Say you have an HTC Evo. Android is open-source, but you're only allowed to do on the phone what Sprint allows you to. Sprint wants to charge people $30 or $40 per month to do wifi tethering. A rooted phone could do wifi tethering for free, as you would be the administrator, and override the block.
PROS and CONS
1. Pros
Superuser permissions (full control over your phone, down to terminal commands).
Use root-requiring apps (wifi tether, backups, etc).
Over/underclocking
Ability to use a custom recovery.img (for flashing).
Flash custom ROMs and kernels
Flash other .zip files
Removing bloatware (apps that you don't want or need but can't normally delete)
Upgrading your firmware to later versions (such as phones that won't get the Froyo update)
2. Cons
Voided warranty
Possibility of bricking device
Possibility of damaging hardware
The cons are easy to avoid, as long as you do everything correctly and do your research first. As for your warranty, it's often just easier to say your phone was lost. If it's still covered by warranty, then you could be covered for it.
ROOTING METHOD
For how to root your phone, the internet is your best friend. However, if you are not comfortable, then look to see if you can get someone experienced to do it! All rooting will require you to put your phone in USB Debugging mode as well, which is turned on by going to Menu-->Settings-->Applications-->Check the USB Debugging box. My personal favorite resources are:
Software/apps:
Unrevoked
OneClick
SuperOneClick
z4root
Written Instructions:
Cyanogenmod Wiki
My Blog! (Still growing)
XDA Developers
Video Instructions:
Youtube
(See my youtube vids)
The Unlockr
For having someone do it for you: See craigslist. Someone may be offering the service or you can ask for it.
ALWAYS DO YOUR RESEARCH FIRST!
GROUND BASICS OF OPERATING A ROOTED PHONE:
A rooted phone acts the same as a non-rooted phone. The difference is usually under the hood.
You will need an application called "Superuser", downloadable from the app market. Most rooting methods install this automatically. It will have one of these two icons:
Any time something requires root permissions, it will ask for them. The first time around, you'll get a popup screen like this.
Just checkmark next to "remember" and you won't be prompted in the future.
Some popular apps that require superuser permissions:
Wifi Tethering - Self explanatory.
Titanium Backup - A powerful app for backing up your apps and data and restoring them (very useful if switching phones or if you wipe yours).
Autokiller - A powerful memory optimizer, helps with battery.
Overclock Widget - A widget that lets you overclock or underclock your processor. This requires a compatible kernel, which we'll get to in a second.
ROMs
ROM technically means "Read Only Memory", or your flash memory. In Android context though, it means porting a different firmware onto the phone. This is really where the magic of open-source comes into play:
ROMs usually come in ".zip" file format. DO NOT upzip them
ROMs are customized firmwares for your phone. "Customized" and "Cooked" are synonymous in Android context, and developers are the chefs. A ROM can be:
A minimalistic, fast firmware, and have certain features unlocked.
Upgrade your phone to 2.2 or 2.3 if you're stuck on an older firmware.
A completely new look and feel for people who don't like how their phone UI currently is (prevalent with many HTC Sense users).
An overclocking monster.
An undervolted battery saver.
Some combination of the above.
A quick way to brick your phone.
Bricking means your phone is an expensive paperweight, a "brick". Dead.
Notice the last bit about bricking. This is the biggest underlying risk in the rooting business. Many phones have corresponding software that will root the phone for you (Unrevoked, OneClick, SuperOneClick, z4root), but flashing is done manually, and someone who doesn't know what they're doing can brick their phone. Here is a basic guide to flashing:
Download a ROM
Good places to look are XDA or Cyanogenmod.
ROM Labels:
Vanilla - The stock ROM that comes standard on a phone.
CM - Cyanogenmod (or based on)
BACK UP YOUR INFORMATION.
This includes apps, contacts, texts (optional), and call logs (also optional).
You need to install a custom recovery, such as Amon Ra or Clockworkmod. They are both usually as easy to flash, and work generally the same.
Many softwares for rooting, such as Unrevoked, flash a new recovery image automatically.
If your method didn't, you can download an app called ROM Manager from the market. After installation, open it, and click "Flash Clockworkmod Recovery".
If the first two steps didn't work, then you'll have to research a way how.
Go to recovery mode, either from ROM Manager or manually.
Look up how to boot into recovery. For most phones, you'll navigate to it from the bootloader. which is started by turning on your phone while holding some combination of volume/camera buttons and the power button. Bootloader looks like this on most phones, though some vary (particularly Galaxy phones):
Your recovery will look like this:
Now there are a couple of important rules of thumb with flashing:
Always make a NANDROID backup. Navigate to it from the "nandroid" option in recovery. This is a little different than just backing up your contacts and pictures. It backs up your phone system as-is, like a sort of picture (metaphorically of course) of that moment. This gives you something stable to come restore to if something goes wrong.
When flashing a new ROM, if it's not just an update of the one you currently have, you SHOULD "wipe data/factory reset" and "wipe cache partition". Your information we backed up earlier is on your SD card, which remains untouched.
Now, ready to continue?
Select "install zip from sdcard", then "choose zip from sdcard".
Navigate to your ROM zip(s).
Select it, then scroll down to "YES".
LET IT FINISH. DO NOT TOUCH ANY BUTTONS.
Steps 1-4 of this section are what "FLASHING" means.
When it's done, repeat steps 1-4 of this section for any other zip files associated with it (themes, kernels, tweaks, etc)
When you're done, navigate back to the initial screen of your recovery mode using the "***go back***" options at the bottom of each list. From here, select "reboot phone now".
It will install any remaining packages now. Again, LET IT DO ITS WORK.
Your phone will reboot. If it locks up on boot, try reflashing, or if it just won't work, restore from a NAND backup.
There you have it. A new ROM is a big plus to many with androids. Those who are stuck with 2.1, or even 1.6 and 1.5 now can get a 2.2 ROM and upgrade their firmware, etc. You will no longer receive updates from your provider though, so it is your responsibility to keep your phone up to date by checking the developer's ROM updates, or if you like it as is and don't mind, just keep it like it is for all time.
KERNELS
Kernels are the lowest part of a system's software. It controls memory related things as well as processor things. It manages the communication between the hardware and the software, and caution should be exercised.
Kernels are flashed the same way ROMs are.
Many developers will recommend or develop a kernel to go along with their ROM.
Custom kernels are often needed to do overclocking, or undervolting (for battery optimization), etc.
Also downloaded from XDA and such.
Make sure you do your research and that it's compatible with your phone and/or ROM!
RADIOS, WIMAX, AND OTHERS
Often time you can flash updated versions of your phone's radio and wimax. Download and flash these like you would a ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a Galaxy 3 phone and am completely new to rooting and based in Bangalore, India. Is there a one-click app for G3 which can root my phone automatically without much of my intervention and is it safe to use this app?
Informative thread, thanks.
I'm not sure there's a way to do that
I have noooo idea. I have no experience with that phone :/
Zinglife rooting is making me mad , pls help!
how to install adb drivers if no drivers are provided , superoneclick ,z4root all fail rooting my zinglife tablet..link to my thread in my signature
When I get a new computer that's filled to the brim with bloatware, I put my cleaning gloves on and uninstall every thing on that machine until it's a clean-slate - looking like Windows was just installed.
I just got an Android phone and - surprise surprise! - it has bloatware packed in by Verizon!
Before I get ahead of myself, my device is a Droid RAZR (16GB) on the Verizon network running Android 2.3.6 using the latest OTA update of 6.12.181. (Uses CDMA, too.)
Now, when I get a new computer I do one of two things:
I manually un-install all the bloatware or
I install a clean copy of Windows.
On Android, option 1 doesn't work since the bloat is built into the device's ROM. My question is about option 2.
Now from the research I've done, a custom ROM is usually the work of a team who takes a clean Android ROM and builds on top of it, adding apps and themes.
I want to skip the middle man and just have a clean Android ROM to flash onto my device. No added applications by a team (or my carrier), just a blank slate that Google created to begin with. Sorta like installing a clean copy of Windows.
So: does anyone know where I can find this mythical ROM?
Both options you mentioned will require you to root your phone. And rooting your phone usually means that you void your warranty.
I don't think i have seen a vanilla Android ROM for the Razr, then again i haven't looked that hard.
So you have a couple of options.
1. Root your phone and manually remove the apps you don't want
2. Root your phone, install custom rom and remove the apps you don't want.
3. Root your phone, download the source code from source.android.com, compile and install.
Thanks for the heads up, I did a lot of research before this post and I have a rooted phone already. In fact, I've even installed a custom ROM but I'd much rather have a clean version of Android and build on that for myself.
I'm going to look into vanilla ROMs and if I can't find anything, I'll research into making my own ROM
Out of curiosity, why do you think that vanilla ROMs aren't as popular as modified ones? I'd imagine more people would be asking for just plain Android ROMs and installing whatever they wanted.
Vanilla ROMs aren't popular cause custom roms throw in stuff Google didn't give you.
Sent from my U8150 using XDA
I love Android, but rooting your phone can give you the opportunity to do so much more than your phone can do out of the box—whether its wireless tethering, speeding it up with overclocking, or customizing the look of your phone with themes. Here's how to root some of the most popular phones with minimal effort.
First, for the newbies, let me clarify what rooting is. Getting root or rooting your phone is the process of modifying the operating system that shipped with your device to grant you complete control over it.
This means you can overcome limitations that the carriers and manufacturers put on your phone, extend system functionality, and even upgrade it to a custom flavor of Android.
The name root comes from the Linux operating system world, where the most privileged user on the system (otherwise known as Administrator on Windows) is called root.
Now, I'd like to take a moment to dispel a common misconception and clarify one thing: rooting does *not* mean installing a custom ROM (a ROM is a modified, "aftermarket" OS).
Installing a ROM may require rooting first, but just rooting can be usually done in only a few minutes, keeping your stock OS otherwise completely intact.
Usually rooting is fairly simple - in most cases you can find several videos and articles on the web that explain how to do it on your specific phone model - just Google "YOURPHONEMODEL root".
Rooting is not something manufacturers or carriers approve of but they can't really prevent it from happening because the rooting process usually exploits a vulnerability in the operating system code or device drivers and allows the "hacker" to upload a special program called su to the phone. This program is the one that provides root access to programs that request it.
Contrary to popular belief, su stands for "switch user" and not "superuser."
Another program called Superuser Permissions is usually bundled with all root methods. It gives you a chance to approve or deny requests from any application that wants to utilize root. Superuser Permissions essentially replaces the conventional root password with a simple Approve/Deny prompt, which isn't as secure as having a password, but is far more convenient on a mobile device.
Now an obligatory warning: rooting your phone does run the risk of potentially bricking it (i.e. your phone could become nonfunctional) – so do your homework before attempting anything, unless you're a fan of $500 paper weights.
Benefits Of Rooting
Let’s check out some of the benefits of rooting your Android phone.
Full Control Over Android
You have access to alter any system files, use themes, change boot images, delete annoying stock apps, such as Sprint's NFL Mobile live and Nascar Sprint Cup Mobile, and other various native applications that might drive you crazy (Footprints, Voice Dialer, etc).
There is plenty of information on the web on how to accomplish this, but our favorite way is by using Titanium Backup and freezing/deleting the apps from there (root required, of course).
Titanium Backup
Download Titanium Backup from Google Play
QR code for https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.keramidas.TitaniumBackup
Titanium Backup ★ root
UPDATED
by Titanium Track
>250,000 downloads, 129635 ratings (4.7 avg)
Free
Install
Back Up And Restore The Whole System
On most rooted Android devices, you can back up your entire system to an SD card, much in the same way you can image a hard drive. This is great if you’d like to try a new ROM, as you can back up your phone, wipe it completely, flash the new ROM, and if you don’t like it, just restore from your backup to get your device back to exactly how it was before you wiped it.
The easiest way to do this at the moment is by using ROM Manager, developed by famed Android developer Koush.
ROM Manager allows you to easily flash a custom recovery image which is what you will need in order to backup and restore your phone. The recovery image is a special program that can be booted into outside of the phone's main operating system, sort of like an OS recovery console on a PC. By default, the recovery image on most Android phones only gives you a few options, mainly related to wiping the phone. Custom recovery images expand upon these options and usually include scripts that can do things like backup and restore your system, fix file permissions, or allow you to flash custom ROMs that the normal recovery image would otherwise reject.
Normally, flashing a custom recovery image requires some command line work, either on your PC, or on a terminal emulator directly on the phone, but Koush's ROM Manager should automatically flash his custom recovery image (known as ClockworkMod Recovery) for you, provided you're on one of the supported phones ( Applications > Development.
Connect your phone to the PC in charge-only mode.
Launch a Command Prompt window and browse to the location of the downloaded GingerBreak-v1.10.apk file.
Finally, enter this command:adb install GingerBreak-v1.10.apk
Having done this, you should be able to launch the app on your phone and root it using the above instructions.
Unlock root
The main function of this software is to obtain the highest system privileges, thus you can remove, install or update any softwares on your mobile phone freely. Also you can delete all the softwares added by operators and give you a clean system since you use UnlockRoot.
UnlockRoot is one of the most famous ROOT softwares on Android platform. It has powerful functions and strong compatibility, and also it is very simple to operate. Nothing to worry whether your mobile phone would turn to a brick, because this software is stable enough. It supports many brands and mpdels, such as Samsung, HTC, LG, Sony, Motorola, HUAWEI, ZTE, etc.
SuperOneClick
Download Super One Click, make sure you have the Android debugger (SDK developer kit) running, expand the Super One Click zip file and click the SuperOneClick icon to run it. When SuperOneClick launches, you’ll see several large buttons at the top of the screen. Make sure your phone is connected to the computer via USB and that the debugger can “see” it (activity will start logging). Make sure your SD card is not mounted, and go ahead and click “Root” in SuperOneClick.
android root access
You’ll see the scrolling activity as SuperOneClick does it’s job, with “OK” appearing after each task. You may see warnings, but so long as it doesn’t “hang” on waiting for device, things should keep scrolling until it finally returns the “Success!” message.
android root access
At this point, check out the installed apps on your phone and you should see a “Superuser” icon that looks like a Droid skull and crossbones. If you see it, you’re rooted. If you don’t see it, reboot the Droid. In fact, I’d suggest rebooting even if you do see it, as I had some issues getting rooted apps to work until I actually rebooted my own device.
how to root android
When you open up SuperUser, you’ll see that you can configure notifications so that no app can actually run with root access unless you give it permission. Also, according to the folks at Nexus One Forum, SuperOneClick doesn’t actually unlock the Bootloader, so you still retain your warranty. I haven’t confirmed if that’s true or not, but if true it’s a pretty good plus to using SuperOneClick with the SDK approach.
how to root android
Whenever you run an app that requires root (superuser), you’ll see a notification requesting permission. I like this because it also means that if an app gets installed and tries to utilize superuser access without your knowledge, it can’t.
how to root android
If you check off “Remember”, the program gets added to the list of “approved” apps with superuser access. You can see the ones on your list when you click on the “Apps” tab.
how to root your android phone
As you can see, once you have SDK installed and connected to your phone, the process is as simple as installing and running SuperOneClick. The program takes care of rooting your phone from the PC. Finally, you can enjoy a rooted Android phone, and all of the fun and excitement that offers!
Did you give any of the one-click Android root apps a try? How was your experience? Share your rooting adventures in the comments section below.
UniversalAndRoot
Universal Androot is the popular one-click rooting solution that used to be able to root almost any device. Now that it’s in the Android Market it will still root many devices just not all of them.
The handsets that it will work on include the following:
Google Nexus One (2.2)
Google G1 (1.6)
HTC Hero (2.1)
HTC Magic (1.5) (Select Do not install Superuser)
HTC Tattoo (1.6)
Dell Streak (2.1)
Motorola Milestone (2.1)
Motorola XT701
Motorola XT800 (2.1)
Motorola ME511
Motorola Droid (2.01/2.1/2.2 with FRG01B)
Sony Ericsson X10 (1.6)
Sony Ericsson X10 Mini (1.6)
Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro (1.6)
Acer Liquid (2.1)
Acer beTouch E400 (2.1)
Samsung Galaxy Beam
Vibo A688 (1.6)
Lenovo Lephone (1.6)
LG GT540 (1.6)
Gigabyte GSmart G1305
The handset list that it doesn’t cover is much shorter than the one above. The reason it will not work on the following devices because they are equipped with the FRG22D version of Froyo. However, we may see one-click root coming to them in the near future.
Samsung i9000 / i6500U / i7500 / i5700
Motorola ME600 / ME501 / MB300 / CLIQ XT
Motorola 2.2 FRG22D
Archos 5
HuaWei U8220
HTC Desire / Legend / Wildfire (/system 無法寫入, 不過可以靠 Soft Root)
HTC EVO 4G / Aria
SonyEricsson X10i R2BA020
myTouch Slide
Universal Androot is available now on the Android Market.
Sources:androidpolice.com
various other articles
If you are going to steal articles the least you could do is provide credits to the original writers or source links. Example is this: http://www.androidpolice.com/2010/0...top-5-benefits-of-rooting-your-android-phone/
You clearly copied most of this from there and again you're acting like you did all the job just like you do on the Galaxy Y boards, I wonder why you haven't been banned yet. Why does an internet thanks meter matter to you so much?
GUIDE SGS4 GSM vs CDMA, Unlocking, Rooting,Info on XDA, Flashing,4 noobs & beginners
First off: if you find this useful, please hit the THANKS button, instead of posting thank you in the comments
Over the course of the past three months (and more specifically, over the past week), I'd like to think I've gone from complete noob to proficient android ROM flasher/ phone dude. However, it took many, many hours of searching for info scattered across this site and others, so I figured I'd give compiling all I've learned a shot, into one comprehensive thread that really covers all the stuff you need to learn from the ground up.
Will do so in the next couple 10 posts, topics being:
*Step (-1): What type of network/ phone technology does your phone use?
*Step (0): is your phone networked locked?
*Step (0.5): DECIDING YOU WANT TO ROOT YOUR DEVICE!/ Put a custom operating system on that thaaaang
*Step1: figure out what your device is- specific phone and model
*Step2: figure out how to root (gain root access to) your device looking at XDA forums
*Step3: Follow instructions, root device
*Step4: backup all your apps and app data
*Step5: Install a custom recovery either ClockWorkRecovery (CWR) or Team Win Recovery Project (TWRP), and do a nandroid backup!
*Step6: Choose which ROM or multiple ROMS you want to try out, and download the zipfile to your phone's internal memory or
*Step7: Step 7: flash the ROM and restore your apps!
NOTE: YOU TWEEK YOUR PHONE/ FOLLOW MY ADVICE AT YOUR OWN RISK
I just learned this stuff myself, so I thought now would be a good time to explain it, while I can still remember what if feels like to have no idea what I'm doing haha.
Before I go further, there are similar intro threads to this...for example, this one does a decent job of explaining that by modding your phone, you may void the warranty (although there are ways to restore your device to a state such that you can't tell you ever modded, it, like triangle away, etc.) http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1118120
I posted this here because a couple of these steps use the Galaxy S4 i9500 as an example...so if you have that phone this thread should be particularly helpful.
Step(-1): What type of network/ phone technology does your phone use?
If you are OUTSIDE the USA, 99% chance the answer to this question is GSM, meaning your phone number is attached to a little plastic sim card that you can put into/ out of your phone...you should check anyways though to be sure.
If you are in the US, you may have a phone which uses CDMA, a technology that does not use Sim cards (true if your carrier is Verizon or Sprint). Phones that JUST use CDMA are sort of "Hardwired" to their networks, making it much more of a hassle to switch carriers; plus, basically everywhere else in the world uses GSM, so if you plan on traveling outside the USA, you probably won't be able to use your phone abroad. If you have a fancy new smart phone, it may have the hardware to use both CDMA and GSM networks, (for example, all Iphones models 4s and above), so check your phone specs.
In the US, the major carriers that use GSM are ATT and Tmobile. I prefer getting phones from these guys, because I know I'll be able to relatively easily use my phone anywhere in the world, and easily switch between cheap, prepaid, contract free plans (like straight talk or ultramobile), which rent out the networks of major carriers like ATT and Tmobile.
Step(0): is your phone networked locked?
ans: This is mostly a non-issue to folks outside the US, or if you don't plan on switching your carrier, but if you plan on travelling abroad or switching your carrier, and have a CDMA phone, you have a tough road ahead that I cannot advise you on . I would suggest checking out this site and buying a slightly used android gsm phone (att or tmobile branded) http://swappa.com/ .
However, if you have a GSM phone you got in the US, your phone may be configured so that putting sim cards from different carriers in it won't give you any service (aka "locked" or "network locked"). Check by taking a friend's Sim card using a different network than you and popping it into your phone; if you have service/ can make and receive calls, the phone is NOT locked. There are probably more sophisticated ways of checking if your phone is network locked, but above is probably the most straightforward.
There are some methods of unlocking your phone for free, but if you have a newer phone it may not work. Plenty of online sites that sell you unlock codes for between $7-$25, and send the code over email either instantly or a day at most after you buy it. Definitely worth it in my opinion; one site I've used a bunch is http://www.cellunlocker.net/
NOTE: if you have your phone on a contract, you are still obligated to pay your carrier throughout the time of your contract, else you pay some cancellation fee. So be aware of that.
Step 0.5 DECIDING YOU WANT TO ROOT YOUR DEVICE!/ Put a custom operating system (ROM)
SO, now let's say you've network unlocked your awesome GSM android smartphone, and you want to travel with it to another country, like for example, India. Because you unlocked it, you can buy a cheap local Sim card and use it in your phone, fully enjoying mobile 4g data (well, more like 3.5G, using HSPA+, not so much 4G LTE in India yet, but I digress). OR, you can use a $45 a month prepaid plan where you get unlimted everything and have no contract, instead of paying $80 a month or some garbage. AWESOME!
However, let's say you got a Tmobile phone and want to use the phone's capability of being a portable wifi hotspot, broadcasting the mobile data it's getting to your computer...turns out you can't do that in India (or on cheap prepaid plans in US, for that matter). I discovered that since I was using a Tmobile branded phone, the Tmobile "stock" operating system of the phone won't let you use the wifi hotspot unless you have Tmobile's special "hotspot plan"...it also hard codes a bunch of shi**y bloatware apps on your phone that suck. Some BULLS**T, eh?
Luckily, there are plenty of free and easy ways to "root" (gain root acccess) to your phone (and plenty of resources telling you how to do so!), and install custom android operating systems on your phone, which
1.) don't have any stupid bloatware apps
2.) let you use all the hardware features of your phone regardless of carrier
The result is a more powerful phone that runs faster, uses less battery life, and is generally just way more badass. Probably the best resource for how to do all of this is the xda-developers forums (http://forum.xda-developers.com/ ) Very vibrant community, and lots of people will help...just follow the rules though, explained tongue and cheeck in the following video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmvCpR45LKA ). The main site for xda-developers is www.xda-developers.com, they also do cool vides and stuff on what's up with phone stuff. HOWEVER, if you are not careful you can mess up your phone, so that it's about as good as a paperweight (called "bricking" your phone). So just read all the instructions before you do stuff, yeah?
The following is more or less the beginning steps I did to root and install a custom ROM on a friend's Galaxy S4, which is an international model and so not network locked. The same general process could be applied to your phone as well, but again--this is only a general guide--your phone can (and probably will) have it's own exceptions to the general process. LOOK THEM UP!
Steps 1,2,3: find device model, research how to gain root, ROOT!
Step1: figure out what your device is- specific phone and model
ans: for example, my friend's phone I am setting up for him is the Samsung Galaxy S4 model i9500
**************************************************
Step2: figure out how to root (gain root access to) your device
ans: Off all the devices on xda forums (http://forum.xda-developers.com/index.php?tab=top), found my device ( http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4) , found the proper forum (http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4/help) , then searched in that specific forum to find the proper thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2419762 , see Q4
**************************************************
Step3: Follow instructions, root device
ans: Instructions are at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2292615
NOTE: You must have the proper USB drivers installed, meaning either installing the sdk (software developer kit) from google and getting adb (android debugging bridge) set up (this is the best way to do it, really, especially if you want to mess around with phones more...tutorial on how to setup adb here http://androidcentral.us/2013/08/how-to-install-android-adb-and-fastboot-on-windows/ ) . If you can already transfer music and stuff from your computer, it may work without adb. Be sure your USB cable is not too beat up, and if possible, is the one that came with the device.
adb is very useful for communicating between pretty much any android phone and your computer. You can use it to push files on the computer through the terminal interface, even if the phone's file system doesn't show up for whatever reason on the computer when you connect it via USB ( more on that here http://log.amitshah.net/2012/05/using-adb-to-copy-files-to-from-your-android-device/ ), and a cool little program to send files from your computer to the device in a slightly more straightforward way, if you already have adb installed (http://www.xda-developers.com/android/push-files-to-your-device-with-quick-adb-pusher/)
Also, make sure you have USB debugging enabled. It should be in the Develpors options, which you may have to "activate" to see...see here http://gs4.wonderhowto.com/how-to/enable-hidden-developer-options-your-samsung-galaxy-s4-0146687/
If you are rooting a samsung device, you will probably have to use a program called ODIN. Other android devices allow you to do root through a method called flashboot. In general there are tons of ways to root devices, just make sure the one you are using has been tested and you follow the instructions exactly.
CONGRATS! you are rooted. That's half the battle. Rooting the phone will add a "Super User" app of some kind, which will basically controll which apps have access to the internal files of the phone (located on the "root" of the phone's flash drive). Some apps that are very useful for flashing custom ROMS (like ROM manager) and backing up your apps and their associated data (like Titanium backup) require root access, so you'll need to have rooted your phone first, and then when you open those apps for the first time, tap "allow" when it asks about granting root access.
some cool apps can only be downloaded if your phone has Root, like this gameboy emulator: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.codlab.src.game&hl=en
and here are some good Root apps to have, apparently
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX4ir9r84YA
Step4: backup all your apps and app data
When you do eventually install a custom ROM on onto your phone, it will start out with little to no apps. The best way to get up and running again as quick as possible is to back up all your apps and data with Titanium Backup (mentioned above), which requires root access. Here's a great video on How to use the free version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQWoWfTA88k ....the video makes a good point in that if you are backing up your apps for a new ROM you are about to flash, you should only backup the User apps. Backing up and restoring the system data as well might cause some problems in the new ROM
While you don't need to to buy the pro version, I would recommend it--7 bucks, but it allows you to restore all the apps you've backed up much faster by letting you back them up into a zip file that you'll later be able to flash on your phone. Very useful, more on that in a bit...video talking about that here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRR5FONGJUA
Step5: Install a custom recovery either ClockWorkRecovery (CWR) or Team Win Recovery
By "custom recovery", i mean a custom version of the boot/ recovery interface, which lets you do a lot more with your device besides just restore it to factory settings. These custom recoveries will let you do a full backup of your device (often called a "nandroid backup"--this should be the first thing you do after you root your device!), as well as flash custom phone operating systems (ROMS) onto your phone; useful if you want to fully use all the hardware features of your phone, and not have the bloatware apps from the manufacurers hard-coded into your phone.
It's worth noting here that it's VERY important to install the correct version of CWR or TWRP. Usually to download CWR for your device, you can just download an app called ROM manager (again, after you've rooted your phone), which will recognize your device and then install the proper CWR version on it.
NOTE: If you have a more esoteric model of phone (like I do--the Samsung Galaxy S3 T999L, an LTE version of the S3 that came out in 2013, a while after the initial S3 launch), you may have to flash a custom recovery of a similar and more popular phone model to flash some custom ROMS (in my case, I had to flash the the Galaxy S3 model T999 version of CWR). For weird esoteric cases like this, it may be worth it to buy a useful app, ROMToolbox pro, which will let you flash a custom recovery for a userdefined device onto your phone in the paid version (it's like $5). Most times you shouldn't have to worry about this stuff, but just make sure you read any instrutions on XDA forums carefully before doing stuff.
As mentioned before, before messing around with your phone anymore, do a nandroid backup--super easy and essential if you make a mistake installing the wrong ROM or Recovery. Doing a nandroid backup will create a .zip file that contains a full "image" of your phone--all your data, apps, settings, a snapshot of your phone exactly the way it was when you took it. In creating this backup you can save it to your phone's micro SD card, or the phones internal memory. Regardless, always a good idea to save a copy on your computer too when you are done.
For the Samsung galaxy S4 i9500, looks like TWRP is the recovery to flash: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2361122
Step6: Choose which ROM or multiple ROMS you want to try out, and dl zipfile to phone
Now comes the fun part. Do some research on what custom ROM you'll want to try out. Some basic principles about ROMS:
Roms based on the Stock OS: These ROMS are based on the manufacturer firmware/ OS that the phone shipped with. So for Samsung devices, for example, these types of ROMS are Touchwiz based (because "TouchWiz" is the name Samsung has given to it's proprietary software that is responsible for a lot of the bell and whistle tricks you see in Galaxy S4 commercials, for example) These Roms are usually about 700 MB in size, and may still have some of the samsung apps installed if you do like to use them.
AOSP or AOKP ROMS:
AOSP (Android Open Source Project) ROMS are those that ship with "vanilla" android, meaning they don't have any manufacturer bloatware--they come with more or less the bare bones apps required to run the system. These ROMS will be much smaller, around 100-150 MB in size. The most popular of these is CyanogenMod, which is often referred to as just CM (for example, CM11.0.1 stands for CyanogenMod version 11.0.1). The guy who made clockworkrecovery, Koush (a legendary android developer of sorts, it seems), now works for the CyanogenMod development team ( think)
AOKP is the name of another popular AOSP based ROM. AOKP stands for Android Open Kang Project, Kanging being some jargon for stealing code and messing with it or something. Apparently it was used as a joke and then stuck, in the same sense that their mascot being a unicorn stuck (which I think is awesome haha).
IMPORTANT POINT ABOUT AOSP ROMS:
If you flash an AOSP Rom, the google play store will NOT be installed by default. In order to fix that, you'll need to flash another zip file containing the play store app as well as other basic google apps (gapps for short) as soon as you flash the Rom itself. You can find the proper gapps zips that go with the proper AOSP roms here: http://goo.im/gapps
There are couple apps that will let you download the ROM files directly to your interal storage from the app itself, like Rom Manager. However, to make sure you have the most up to date version of the ROM, you should visit the ROM's website directly.
Custom ROMS will often have a most recent stable build, and a most recent "nightly" build. The nightly builds may have some new experimental features, but may be a little buggy.
Step 7: flash the ROM and restore your apps!
So here's a pretty good short video walking through how to flash a ROM, although uses a different recovery interface besides CWR or TWRP : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxTwGwtUBbk ....this does a good job of explaining the basic idea, however--
A.)you get the zip file of the ROM you want to flash on your internal or removable SD card
B.) reboot into recovery mode (often by holding down the volume down key and power button at the same time when your power is off, but you should look up what it is for your specific device)
C.) do a Wipe or Factory Reset. THis should not wipe the data on your SD card or phone's Internal SD card
D.) Wipe the Cache or the Dalvik Cache, whatever it is called (though on TWRP, the wipe feature does both a factory reset and cache wipe at once)
E.) install from SD card the zip file containing the ROM you are going to flash
F.) If the Rom is an AOSP based ROM, install the zip file containing the proper package of google apps
G.) reboot system
Again, the above are just general steps. If you want to see someone flashing a ROM with the recovery you are using (and I would recommend CWR or TWRP), just search for it on Youtube.
Now, if you plan on restoring your apps by flashing a Titanium Backup zip file, you first want to reboot into the new ROM, and skip the part when it asks you if you want to restore your phone using your google account (you can do that later). Then reboot into recovery and flash the Titanium backup zip file. got this info here: http://www.s3forums.com/forum/galax...backup-pros-update-zip-restore-your-apps.html
And that's about it! let me know if I got anything wrong. If you do have questions, I'll try my best to answer them, but again, I've just learned all this stuff as well, so I may not know.
Hi all,
Background:
I bought an android phone from Chinavasion. It is described as
Wholesale Waterproof Android Phone - Mini Android Phone From China
I cannot identify its device type which is why I am posting here. The play store identifies the phone as
Alps Ratech72_wet_rlk_lca
The phone has a MT6572 Dual Core 1GHz CPU and runs Android version 4.2.2.
I want to increase the ram of the phone. It is 256MB. I want to use virtual memory. I have a 2GB sdcard in the phone. I am planning to give it 512MB. Can I do this without rooting? If I have to root it, then how do I do so? I would prefer not to use an exploit.
Anyone any suggestions?
Pranav
Hiya,
I went around looking for some hints on this phone as well but didn't come up with anything.
I got my device yesterday and I understand your issue. I have no sollution for you but I do have a solid work-around to get some more app space which, I'm afraid, involves rooting.
Activate USB debugging, connect your device to a PC. Download and run Kingo Android Root and follow the instructions.
After that I "adb'ed" to make the phone choose the SD-Card as the default installing path. Run th following command with adb.
Code:
# adb shell pm set-install-location 2
For the apps that wouldn't move to the SD-Card, due to su issues, I moved manually with the app called Move app to SD card.
Grant the app root access to sort out the apps not willing to move by themselves.
With this sorted I now have 500 mb of apps installed on the SD-Card. I am running low on memory now due to some parts of the app still installs on the phone memory.
Not a real app2sd script but it certanly will get you some more apps installed!
Another hint: When I ordered the phone they said it supported 16 GB SD-Cards only but I'm running flawless with a 64 GB card!
I'd love to see a costum recovery (since I don't know chinese) and CM for this device, but since it's not a western phone I guess we'll have to settle with stock.
Hope this helps.
A few hours has gone by and without doing any backups I replaced some system apps and now I can bearly work the phone! Haha.. Thou shall not do this sort of thing after 2 h sleep.
Anyway, don't be afraid of doing what I wrote in the previous post, it worked just fine! I'm hoping you'll do it, it's the only way I can think of to get the system files back. :-S
Since there seem to be no one but you and me who have bought there phones..
edit: Sorted out my problem, got it running again! However, if you are going to root it, please do share the stock files! :-S
PranavLal said:
Hi all,
Background:
I bought an android phone from Chinavasion. It is described as
Wholesale Waterproof Android Phone - Mini Android Phone From China
I cannot identify its device type which is why I am posting here. The play store identifies the phone as
Alps Ratech72_wet_rlk_lca
The phone has a MT6572 Dual Core 1GHz CPU and runs Android version 4.2.2.
I want to increase the ram of the phone. It is 256MB. I want to use virtual memory. I have a 2GB sdcard in the phone. I am planning to give it 512MB. Can I do this without rooting? If I have to root it, then how do I do so? I would prefer not to use an exploit.
Anyone any suggestions?
Pranav
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
to use virtual memory you would have to root it and plus you cant get that much more ram with virtual memory, 256mb of ram on a 4.2.2 phone? i hope you got a good deal for it because 256mb will get you nowhere with nowadays google play apps updates hogging all the ram.
Some more info. Appearently the phone is also called "Nanex" and/or Z18 Mini Smartphone.. Maybe it's called different things in different regions?
Move to SD card SUCCESSFUL!
Im so glad there was this thread, it seems like nobody else knows about this awesome little phone!
I followed the instructions that "pingaan" posted and it worked! now i can install as many apps to SD card as i want, awesome!
I'm glad I could help.
I've been using this device for about a week now and I have to say that the stock rom is horrible! There are many flaws and no updates incoming, as far as I know.
Another disappinting thing is that the screen material is >VERY< easily scratched so DO NOT order this phone without screen protection.
I am going to order a new one cause I love that it's so small! It's even smaller than my old "dumbphone", but I don't see myself using stock rom. I'd rather not use the phone at all.
I'm going to try to compile a custom recovery and port a suitable CM11 rom to this device for proper usage.
Don't expect it any time soon, cause my days are normally filled up with family, house and work.
Regards.
pingaan said:
I've been using this device for about a week now and I have to say that the stock rom is horrible! There are many flaws and no updates incoming, as far as I know.
Another disappinting thing is that the screen material is >VERY< easily scratched so DO NOT order this phone without screen protection.
I am going to order a new one cause I love that it's so small! It's even smaller than my old "dumbphone", but I don't see myself using stock rom. I'd rather not use the phone at all.
I'm going to try to compile a custom recovery and port a suitable CM11 rom to this device for proper usage.
Don't expect it any time soon, cause my days are normally filled up with family, house and work.
Regards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
everything about this phone is pretty good for the size, except the ram is so ridiculously small, i've tried to add virtual ram with link2sd and partitioned sd card, but apparently link2sd won't work without hacing the bootloader unlocked first, but i can't unlock the bootloader as it seems like there doesn't seem to be proper drivers for this phone.
if you are planning to do a custom rom on there, please let us know how when and how you managed to get the bootloader unlocked plz! :fingers-crossed:
Since I noticed the screen being easily scratched I ordered a new device from a different retailer, along with a plastic screen protection.
There is an interesting thing about this. The bootanimations are different and there's also a reboot option in the powermenu on the new.
Maybe the bootloader already is open? I mean, if you can change the power menu you need to alter the framework, right? The bootanimation is quite easy to change with root access however.
Have you checked the built-in recovery? There is actually an option for installing "update.zip"..
Do you have a proper app2sd script that I can try out on my old device?
Cheers...
Anyone have a backup of the ROM for ratech72_wet_rlk_lca ?? I plugged in a MTK Tool and I seem to have corrupted the system ;-( ... Didn't even get a chance to backup!
Help would be appreciated!
z18 ROM
regardtv said:
Anyone have a backup of the ROM for ratech72_wet_rlk_lca ?? I plugged in a MTK Tool and I seem to have corrupted the system ;-( ... Didn't even get a chance to backup!
Help would be appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyone find a copy of the ROM I need it also?