Using root rights on Android. Root access using the VROOT program

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Everyone has heard of such a concept as root rights, why it is needed and how to get it. We will try to answer these questions. Let's start with whether the average person needs root rights, perhaps not, for the most part, the functionality of the smartphone out of the box meets the requirements ordinary users. Root rights are used in service centers to flash firmware and restore smartphones; they are also used by advanced users who want to get the most out of their phone. How dangerous is this? The first warranty expires, the second auto-update stops coming, and then various errors arise in the system, and what do we get in return: the opportunity to update the software, change the design, overclock the hardware, install a pure Android, etc. This article explains everything in more detail.

So, what is Root?

Root (from the English root - root; read “root”), or superuser - a special account in UNIX-like systems with an identifier (UID, User IDentifier) 0, the owner of which has the right to perform all operations without exception.

Benefits of Root

Having access to the main administrator profile (superuser), you get a number of features that are not available in normal mode work.

First of all, obtaining Root makes it possible to delete standard applications, imposed by device manufacturers, change themes and shortcuts, as well as launch specialized applications, significantly expanding the capabilities of the smartphone (usually such applications require Root rights). In addition, it becomes possible to change system files(Recovery image, Bootloader or images displayed during boot), launch executable Linux files, install applications on the memory card or transfer the program cache to it. In some cases, after modifications to the OS, available only after obtaining Root rights, it is even possible to achieve a small but still increase in time performance battery life.

Disadvantages of Root

As with everything else, gaining Root access has its drawbacks. First of all, the device will lose its warranty in the event of “something like that”, provided that you cannot roll back your “device” to official firmware, you will have to repair it exclusively at your own expense.

The rooting procedure is simple - by doing everything in accordance with the descriptions, you can achieve what you want, but if you do not have any experience, the potential risk remains - under unfavorable circumstances, the device may turn into an unusable “brick”.

Another important drawback is that opening Root privileges implies interference with system files and entails the loss of the ability to update over the air (install OTA updates). More precisely, the ability to update may not be lost, but the consequences of the update will be unpredictable. The most harmless of them is the loss of root privileges, but more fatal options are also possible - up to and including obtaining a brick.

Types of Root rights

There are several types of Root rights:

Full Root - permanent rights that remove established restrictions. It is not recommended to update the operating system.
Shell Root is similar to Full Root, but without access to the system folder.
Temporary Root – temporary Root access. After rebooting the device it disappears.

How to get Root rights?

The 4PDA forum describes a lot universal methods and methods for obtaining Root rights on devices running Android control. Most of them involve the use of special programs and a computer. Among such programs, Universal AndRoot, Unlock Root, z4root, Revolutionary and others are well known, promising to get what you want in “two clicks”. Unfortunately, not all of them are able to 100% help you achieve what you want, specifically for your mobile device. Moreover, such software can be detected as a virus because it makes changes to the kernel operating system Android. IN in this case The antivirus is partly right - all these programs are virus exploits that penetrate the system kernel and when downloading or installing them, it is recommended to disable the security software.

Another way to obtain Root rights is to install it on your smartphone modified firmware. In this case, all the work has already been done for you by specialists, and all you have to do is choose the firmware that is suitable specifically for your device. By the way, there you will also find various decorations and additions for your smartphone model.

It is worth noting that some phones have protection supplied by the manufacturer - NAND lock. Most often, HTC was guilty of this, so the owners of such devices were out of luck - NAND lock prohibits making any changes to the /system partition (it will not allow anything to be written/deleted to/from the /system partition, even if it is remounted for writing), which is why It is impossible to install the Superuser program in the /system folder.

It is still possible to Root phones with NAND lock, but it will not be fully functional (you can only get Shell root or Temporary Root). You can find out whether your device has NAND lock in the discussion thread for your model in the section Android - Devices.

How to check that root rights have been obtained?

It is possible (but not necessary) for an application called Superuser or SuperSU to appear in the list of programs
When running programs that require root privileges, a corresponding prompt will pop up
Programs that previously did not work, citing lack of rights, are now fully functional
In a terminal emulator, when you enter the su command, a hash prompt appears: #
This verification method depends on the method of obtaining root rights (for example, when using Universal Androot, this verification method is unacceptable). In a terminal emulator, type the command "/system/bin/id". If you get "uid=0(root) gid=0(root)" in response, then you have achieved what you wanted.

Let's sum it up

Now you know why you need to obtain Root rights in the Android operating system. Some users believe that Root is necessary, while others live quite well without it. It’s up to you to decide whether to perform this procedure or not, just don’t forget about the warranty and everything will be fine.

Recovery guides always state that a particular application requires root access to function properly. What is it, why is it dangerous and why do you need root access? Read about it here.

What are root rights (superuser rights)

Ruth- This is an analogue of jailbreak in iOS. It allows Android users dive deeper into the phone subsystem, work with it the same way as with an SD card or internal memory mobile device.

Android uses permissions similar to Linux. Everything you do is performed on behalf of your user with a limited list of rights. Any running application may also use these rights with the user's consent.

Root-user = superuser. His rights are not limited, he can access any file or folder, perform any file operation in Android OS.

Speaking in simple words, root access is the ability to work with the root file system in the Android OS without restrictions.

What happens when rooting?

Rooting– modification of the file system in order to provide superuser rights to the root directory of the smartphone/tablet.

The root program receives full access to Android. As a result, a root user has an unlimited list of rights on an Android device. If the program is granted superuser rights, it can also do whatever it wants on the phone.

How to find out if your phone is rooted

In fact, it is very easy to find out whether it is installed on root phone. If you recently bought a phone and are using the standard Android firmware, it is logical that you do not have root access.

If the phone is used or you don’t remember whether you installed root, you can check the status using Root programs Checker. The app will detect if there is superuser/su access on the Android device.

Why root: main reasons

By acquiring root rights, you can easily bypass any default restrictions set by the smartphone manufacturer. In particular, you can

Launch more apps with a wide list of privileges, manually accept or deny permissions specific application, installed on Android;
Install Android OS without obstacles unofficial firmware;
Provide data recovery programs with access to phone memory;
One of the most obvious incentives to root your Android is to rid yourself of viruses that cannot be removed from your smartphone without root access. Of course, there are antiviruses in nature with pre-installed root access, but such people are in the minority;
Install special applications and custom flash roms;
Overall improve tablet performance, more flexible customization appearance phone, overclock or slow down the processor of the mobile device using root access.

Some applications, using superuser rights, will allow you to:

Run all your apps and data in Android memory,
Create a secure tunnel on the Internet,
Make a device wireless point access (hotspot) - in other words, install wireless network via wifi (see "tethering" on Wikipedia), even if it was disabled by default by the firmware developer.

Why is rooting a phone dangerous?

Manufacturers of Android mobile devices are interested in preventing rooting. Inept handling of superuser rights leads to failure of smartphones and tablets. However, for an experienced user, the risk of screwing up the phone is minimal, and the potential benefits of rooting - judging by the above list - are impressive.

There are three potential dangers when activating root access:

1. Cancellation of warranty. Some suppliers, upon discovering activated root access on a phone, refuse to provide warranty coverage.

It is worth keeping in mind, however, that you can always revoke root access to file system mobile device. If you need to send your device in for repair, simply roll back to the original (backup) firmware and no one will ever know you were rooted.

2. Turning the phone into a “brick”: If rooting is unsuccessful, there is a risk of turning the device into a so-called “brick”.

The surest way to avoid breaking your phone is to carefully follow the instructions when obtaining root rights on trusted web resources and mobile portals. Make sure the manual applies to your device and that the custom ROMs are compatible with it.

Pay attention to reviews from users with a similar device: perhaps they have already installed root or, on the contrary, turned it into a “brick” and are in shock.

3. Increased vulnerability. Providing root rights on Android reduces security. Services and applications with unrestricted rights can create vulnerabilities. It’s not for nothing that Google refuses to support its services (for example, Google Wallet) in rooted devices.

Statistics show that more than 60% of owners mobile phones under operating room control Android systems They don’t know what Root rights are and what they give to the user. And completely in vain! After all, only having full access to the phone can you do anything with it - change hidden options systems, install and remove any programs. And even among those who were able to get privileged access on their smartphone to install some application, not everyone can clearly answer what Ruth is on the phone and why it is needed.

Root- this is the superuser in operating systems on Linux based(including Android). It has a unique identifier 0, as well as rights to absolute access to all parameters and execution of any tasks. For ease of understanding, I’ll give you the following analogy: Root rights on Android are almost a complete analogue of the Administrator in Windows.

Pros of Ruth rights:

Full access to system parameters OS + Ability to delete system files + Access to phone hardware settings + Ability to remove pre-installed programs + Install custom firmware on the device

Disadvantages of Root rights:

In some cases, a complex procedure for obtaining rights - Possible loss of warranty (if interference is proven) - You can damage the phone and even turn it into a “brick” - Vulnerabilities appear in the system due to full access - Not all devices can be Rooted.

Why do you need Root rights on Android?

Now let's take a more specific look at what rights to Ruth give and why they are needed.

For inexpensive devices with small volume built-in memory, the most pressing reason for gaining privileged access is the ability to remove all unused pre-installed applications.

The second most popular reason for getting Root rights on Android smartphones is the ability to edit system files and in particular the bootloader for subsequent installation of custom firmware on the device.

The third reason is the need to install a specialized software, which requires privileged access.

What are the types of Root rights?

Full Root- this is permanent full access to system files and settings. Permanent administrative rights without any restrictions. This option usually eliminates the possibility of automatic firmware updates.

Temporary Root— temporary full access to your phone or tablet. Almost analogue full root rights with the only exception that after rebooting the device they will disappear.

Shell Root- in this case you will get root rights with limited access To system folder /system/. In this case, you will not be able to edit and make changes to the files in this folder, as well as use a number of functions.

FastBoot- this is not exactly getting Root rights. This special programs devices intended for testing. By connecting the device to your computer, you can use fastboot to launch any files and install custom firmware on your phone.

Systemless Root- this is the so-called “non-system root”. Another option for rooting an Android smartphone. In this case, all changed files are installed in the “/su” folder, while in system directory"/system" doesn't change anything. Instead, all modified files are installed in the /su folder. Non-system Root rights allow you to easily update your phone with official firmware.

First, a little materiel. Just a little, don't worry. The word root in Linux environment is an account that has certain privileges in accessing files. It is also called the superuser. The closest comparison is the administrator profile in Windows, but a password is usually not needed. However, this depends on the device, and now we will not talk about full-fledged Linux, but about its offspring mobile format named Android.

So, imagine that your computer is accessible through an administrator profile. You can edit system files, play tricks with the registry, mess with the cache and do other operations that, at a certain level of hand curvature, can lead to your PC turning into a photo frame with a permanent BSOD on the screen. So, it’s even harder for a superuser in Android, because more mistakes can be made, and simply reinstalling the OS on it is not an easy task. To summarize: superuser rights allow the owner of a smartphone to access system files, and, more importantly, change them and save these changes.

It would not be amiss to inform you that there are three types of root rights. Full Root provides the user with permanent access to superuser capabilities, Shell Root is a trimmed version of Full, that is, changing the /system folder is not available, and Temporary Root gives full access only until the smartphone is rebooted. And now:

Flaws

The warranty period for most types of electronics ranges from six months to two years. During this time, it is possible to identify post-sale defects, the responsibility for which lies with the manufacturer. If he is really at fault (which is easy to check), repairs and replacement of components will be carried out free of charge at special service centers. But if the so-called warranty conditions are violated, you will have to do everything at your own expense. So, getting a superuser account violates the terms of the guarantee in 99% of cases. This is the same as opening the security seals on a TV in order to try to fix it yourself, but having failed in this, sending the device to a service center. Warranty terms broken, the manufacturer does not know why the breakdown occurred - its fault, or yours. And no one will take words on faith.

Therefore, I formulate the first and main disadvantage for the average user: Gaining root access will almost certainly void your smartphone's warranty! True, there is an option that can hide such actions with a certain chance - rolling back to the factory firmware, but only those who have already dealt with access to the system at a low level are able to do this. Although the likelihood of an error for such users is close to zero, the “counter” of roots, if the manufacturer has inserted it, may not be reset to zero. Well, if the warranty for the device has already expired, then there is no point in being afraid of this particular drawback.

In my article about mobile viruses, I mentioned that with the opening of superuser rights, the smartphone receives an additional set of vulnerabilities. But this concerns not only the fact that even a simple virus can easily crap into the holy of holies - right into the heart of a pocket friend. People are naturally curious. Having received unprecedented freedom in working with a smartphone, they try to do things, studiously avoiding studying the hardware. Their self-confidence is amusing, but the result is not very good. With a careless movement of the hand, a multifunctional phone turns into a so-called. "brick" that doesn't even turn on. This means that a man-made grain of sand got into the perfectly debugged mechanism and stopped the work of the gears. For the average user, the matter is resolved exclusively service center, flashing and loss of all data (!) that was on the phone, with the exception of those on the memory card and SIM card. And the SC, in turn, will demand money from you for this service, because the warranty has expired (see paragraph above).

This leads to the second drawback: if there is an error in working with superuser rights, you can disrupt the operation of the OS up to irretrievable loss data You can avoid this the following actions: before doing anything, you need to know the consequences - there is probably at least one person on the Internet who has already taken a risk and posted his thoughts in an accessible form. Next - always have it on hand backup copy, and not just one. I'm not talking about gallery files or contacts, but about a full backup of the entire system - the so-called recovery. We will discuss how to do it later.

Also, for a user who has tasted the delights of root for the first time, the following news will be sad: interference with system files will take away the smartphone’s ability to automatic update, that is, to receive new firmware versions. Yes, yes, you won’t see KitKat if you are on older versions of Android and decided to play around with the superuser. However, there is no question of reliability here - the update may arrive, and even install, and even work! But if this happens to you, consider yourself to have won three lotteries in a row, because this is a colossus with feet of clay, and your OS runs on files that are not designed for this. Therefore, disadvantage number three: after receiving root access, you can forget about auto-updating the smartphone OS, unless you are a very lucky person. If you really want a new one Android version, you will have to do everything manually. It's not easy, but once you have received root access, if you please, live up to this title!

A serious disadvantage of root rights is the variability in obtaining them from device to device. Let's start with the fact that not every smartphone provides such an opportunity. If your device has a feature (although I would call it a “crutch”) called NAND lock, you don’t have to dream about rooting. About Full Root, to be precise. The remaining two options are available in most cases. Yes, there are ways around this software gimmick, but be prepared to spend extra hours poring over instructions.

There's no complete list of devices with NAND lock, but even if your smartphone doesn't prevent root access, don't expect it to be easy. There is no single recipe for obtaining superuser rights. Each new product will be studied by Internet experts for the first few days before a sequence of actions appears on Western forums. You shouldn’t even think that it will be simple - there may be more than 20 steps, and each of them includes desktop computer, Internet, third party programs, stubs and God knows what else. Conclusion: due to NAND lock, not all smartphones have the opportunity to get Full Root, but for most devices where this option is available, it exists separate instructions, which you need to search for a long time and strictly follow. And if something didn’t work out on the way to your goal, there is a high probability of getting a technological “brick” at a reasonable price.

And the last, but very important fact. Any experiments with obtaining root rights, changing the firmware, creating a backup on a PC or creating a recovery must be carried out ONLY through the NATIVE USB cable, which must be plugged DIRECTLY into the computer case, bypassing any hubs. The fact is that various Chinese crafts of any price and value, with the exception of branded peripherals, are buggy at the most important point, or simply cannot cope with such tasks. This is not a recent phenomenon - even Siemens phones were only flashed via native USB, which, by the way, cost a lot of money and was quite rare. As a result, you can make a smartphone an expensive brick in the process of obtaining, say, recovery, which should protect the user from such situations. Be careful!

Advantages

The freedom of action. Having received Root rights, you, as a smartphone user, will acquire full control above the device. Don't like standard applications? Remove them completely! Tired of standard shortcuts/icons? For God's sake, change them to whatever you like! You can remove the screensaver when starting up and shutting down the device, you can make the native flash dance during a call, you can put artificial restrictions on Internet traffic, remove advertising from applications, hide the notification panel, or navigation menu and many many others. Of course, such changes require appropriate programs.

I don't want to mess with separate elements, and the standard type of shell is frankly boring? There is a solution! With root rights, no one will bother you install the real custom firmware. The leader in this field can be considered the CyanogenMod project, within which software builds are released daily for dozens of popular devices... But there are also MIUI, Illusion, ParanoidAndroid and many others. After getting acquainted with them, you may want to go back to such a familiar and understandable factory firmware, but not everything is not so simple, and the specifics specific device will not be long in coming. Down with doubts! The possibilities of individual ROMs are simply breathtaking.

For example, the main advantages of CyanogenMod are its original purity (no unnecessary pre installed programs), ease of use, minimum settings possible fast switching profiles, as well as excellent optimization. Among the shortcomings, it is worth highlighting a small set of settings, as for custom firmware, as well as general instability in operation. A MIUI firmware is positioned as a hybrid of Android, iOS, and, in fact, is a hodgepodge of the best elements of both platforms. There is no majority pre-installed applications, but there is a large number of themes and widgets, and most standard ones for Android applications either removed or replaced with “lighter” analogues.

Illusion stands out for its completely transparent interface, auto-hiding status bar, and excellent notification functionality, which can be configured separately. ParanoidAndroid is generally a kind of sandbox with customization that will be respected by some Linux distributions. This includes scaling EVERY separate program, the status bar can also be customized as desired, as can notifications, and general scheme The interface can be changed from a smartphone to a tablet, and PIE Control combines all the main shortcuts into one convenient diagram.

But there is even more customizable firmware - AOKP. Personally, it reminds me of the times when Siemens phones ruled the roost, as you could do incredible things with them. With AOKP, your vibrating alert will start singing along to your favorite song, instead of loading there will be a photo of your favorite girl, and the Ribbon interface will eliminate the need for launchers. And that's just short review what universal ROMs are capable of. But there are also firmwares for individual devices, which fix the most annoying mistakes without turning the design upside down. Often they are almost in no way inferior to stock ones. But also nice little things, like a built-in boot menu, the ability to record screencasts or change the screen density in dpi through general scaling. ATTENTION! Last function is extremely dangerous and can lead to the smartphone becoming bricked.

ROOT rights and allow you to expand functionality and get additional features control of the Android operating system. They are also called superuser rights. Initially blocked by the manufacturer in order to protect the operating system and the device as a whole from making unsafe changes inexperienced users. If desired, they can be easily activated using special programs.

What are superuser rights?

A user who watches videos, edits documents, uses the Internet and other functions of the Android OS initially works with Guest rights. In this mode, he does not have the ability to make changes to system files, delete them, modify them, etc. Only the Superuser has this opportunity, a.k.a. Chief Administrator or a user with ROOT rights.

Obtaining such rights will allow the user to restore and freeze the firmware on the gadget, remove advertising from installed programs, and delete files originally built in by the manufacturer (especially important for Samsung, since they have largest number unnecessary applications who eat RAM and thereby slow down your gadget), configure sound alerts at your discretion, change the appearance of the operating system, make changes to various files, increase performance and battery life, change the speed of the processor, create your own firmware, automate various everyday tasks, etc.

The manufacturer categorically does not recommend activating ROOT rights without a clear understanding of why this is needed. If the device fails due to changes to system files, the user may lose the right to free guaranteed service. Everything is done solely at your own responsibility.

Obtaining superuser rights using Framaroot as an example

Currently presented huge selection simple applications, allowing you to get ROOT rights without any problems. One of the most successful of these programs is Framaroot. The application allows you to obtain Superuser rights in a matter of seconds. Everything is done in a few clicks. There is no need to connect to a computer. Suitable for tablets and smartphones. Not everything is supported existing devices, but developers regularly expand their list and release updates.

Activation of ROOT rights is performed in the following order. First you download APK file application, launch it and install the program.

After the application is installed, select the appropriate mode. Superuser mode is sufficient to perform most user tasks on the system. SuperSU mode should be chosen by those who plan to make changes to system files and know how and why to do it.

Choose any of the proposed characters. The program will notify you of successful activation of rights as follows.