What is root?

Root? What is it? A root is both a structural and nutritional supplier to vegetation that….NO! Not a plant root silly, Android root! So what is Android root, you might be wondering? Well, lets start at the basics. Android root is similar to having administrator access on a Windows computer. Doing certain things on Windows requires elevated privileges, or administrator rights, to make certain system-wide changes, such as installing certain programs, deleting certain system files, and whatnot. We’ve all probably seen that pop up that says,”enter the administrator password to proceed”, especially anyone that has used school computers. Anyway, android has a very similar process built in….but not at the same level. Android’s “administrator” access is named,”root” access, as like a plant, root is the very bottom-level of the operating system. However, the main differentiating factor here is that almost all android phones have no access to root by default. The user only has limited access to their own files and installing applications from the Google Play store, but modifying the system for audio equalizers, making modifications to the OS for battery saving, or secretly saving Snapchats, root can do almost anything that a user would normally think would be impossible. Its disabled by default in the OS to protect the user from accidentally installing malware that could break a person’s phone and cause it not to boot, which makes sense, but it can be enabled through a few simple hacking methods. Personally, I used to use it to save Snapchats secretly AND without the time stamp in the corner, and also be able to have an unlimited caption length, but now I just use it for a mod named “Viper 4 Android” that allows me to have amazing sound audio equalizers, but again, there are thousands of uses. It is very similar to jailbreaking an iPhone, if you've ever heard that term coined, but it allows even more possiblities, and if you're willing to sometimes risk your warranty, it can open many cool and functional doorways for experienced users.

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