One of the main reasons behind Android’s unparalleled success is the freedom that it grants to its users. Android is famous for the number of customization options that it presents to the users. The UI, the icons, the animations and transitions, fonts, almost everything can be changed and optimized and if you are willing to go the extra distance, then you can unlock the full potential of your Android device by rooting it. Most of you might be concerned with the complications associated with it, but honestly, it is quite simple to root your Android phone. Also, it is definitely worth it, given the many benefits that you will be entitled to. Rooting your Android phone grants complete control over it and allows you to make developer level changes. However, If you are still on the fence about it, we hope that this article changes your mind. We are going to discuss the reasons why you should root your Android phone, so let’s get started.
15 Reasons To Root Your Android Phone
1. You can install a Custom ROM
Apart from a few brands that offer Stock Android, almost every other OEM has their own custom UI (e.g., the Oxygen UI, MIUI, EMUI, etc.) Now you may or may not like the UI, but unfortunately, there isn’t much that you can do about it. Of course, there is the option to install a third-party launcher to modify the appearance, but it would still be running on the same UI.
The only way to truly modify your phone is to install a Custom ROM after rooting your device. A Custom ROM is a third-party operating system that can be installed in place of the OEMs UI. There are multiple advantages of using a Custom ROM. For starters, you will be able to use the latest version of Android without having to wait for the updates to roll out for your model. Especially for an old device, Android stops sending updates after some time, and using a custom ROM is the only way to experience the latest features of Android.
In addition to that, a Custom ROM grants you complete freedom to make any amount of customizations and modifications. It also adds several features in the bag that would not have otherwise worked on your device. Thus, rooting your device makes it possible to enjoy those special features for which you otherwise would have to purchase a new smartphone.
2. Limitless Customization Opportunities
We simply can’t stress enough the fact that if you root your Android phone, you get to customize every single thing on your phone. Starting from the overall layout, theme, animation, fonts, icons, etc., to complex system-level changes, you can customize it all. You can change the navigation buttons, customize the quick access menu, notification shade, status bar, audio settings, etc.
Once your device is rooted, you can experiment with various ROMs, modules, customization tools, etc., to completely change the appearance of your phone. Believe it or not, even the startup animation can be changed. You can also try apps like GMD Gestures, which enables you to use Gestures to perform actions like opening an app, taking a screenshot, toggle Wi-Fi, etc. For a tech aficionado rooting their device unlocks limitless opportunities to modify and customize their phone. Helping them do so are countless apps and programs available for free.
3. Improve your Battery Life
Poor battery backup is a common complaint from Android users, especially if the phone is a few years old. Although a number of battery saver apps are available, they rarely make a significant difference. This is because they don’t have a lot of control over the background processes that consume power even when the phone is idle.
This is where apps like Greenify come into the picture. It requires root access, and once granted, it helps you to deep scan and analyzes your device to identify the apps and programs responsible for draining your battery. On a rooted device, you can grant the superuser access to power saver apps. This will grant them the power to hibernate apps that you do not use frequently. This way, a lot of power can be saved by limiting background processes. You will notice that your phone’s battery will last much longer once you root it.
Also Read: How to Charge your Android Phone Battery Faster
4. Enjoy the Wonders of Automation
If you are tired of manually switching on/off the Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, switching between networks, and other similar actions, then there is a simple solution for you. Automation apps like Tasker can help to control several actions on your phone automatically when some kind of trigger is activated.
Although certain basic operations of Tasker do not require root access, the full potential of the app is unlocked only when the device is rooted. Actions like automatically toggling the Wi-Fi, GPS, locking the screen, etc., will only be possible if Tasker has root access. In addition to that, Tasker also brings several other interesting automation applications that an advanced Android user would love to explore. For example, you can set your phone to go into a driving mode when you connect to the Bluetooth of your car. It will automatically turn on your GPS and have Google Assistant read out your messages. All this will only be possible if you root your Android phone and grant root access to Tasker.
5. Get Control over your Kernel
The Kernel is the core component of your device. This is where the operating system is installed. The kernel acts as a means of communication between the hardware and the software and can be considered to be a control center for your phone. Now when the OEM manufactures a phone, it bakes their custom kernel onto your device. You have little or no control over the working of the Kernel. If you would like to adjust and tweak the settings of your Kernel, the only way to go about it is to root your device.
Once you root your Android phone, you will be able to flash a custom kernel like Elemental X or Franco Kernel, which offers great customization and modification options. A custom Kernel grants a lot of power and freedom to you. You can overclock the processor (Gold cores) to get improved performance while playing games or rendering videos. However, if your primary objective is to extend the battery life, then you can underclock the processor to decrease the power consumption of some apps. In addition to that, you can also recalibrate your phone’s display and vibration motor. So, if you love tinkering with the settings of the Kernel, then you should root your Android phone right away.
Also Read: How to Mirror Android Screen to your PC without Root
6. Get rid of Junk Files like a Pro
If your phone is running out of memory, then you need to immediately get rid of junk files. These constitute old and unused app data, cache files, duplicate files, temporary files, etc. Now, although a number of Cleaner apps are available on the Play Store, their effectiveness is somewhat limited. Most of them are only capable of performing surface cleaning at best.
On the other hand, apps like SD Maid that require root access are actually capable of making a significant difference. Once granted superuser access, it will be able to perform a deep scan of your internal and external memory and identify all the junk and unwanted files. This is when actual deep cleaning will take place, and you will be left behind with a lot of free space on your phone. The best part about it is that you can set it to run automatically. The app will continue to carry out its job in the background and make sure that you always have space for the important stuff.
7. Remove Bloatware
Every Android phone comes with a few pre-installed apps that are either added by the OEM or are a part of the Android system itself. These apps are rarely used, and all that they do is occupy space. These pre-installed apps are known as Bloatware.
The main problem with Bloatware is that you can uninstall or remove them. Now, if you have a small internal memory, then these apps prevent you from properly utilizing your memory space. The only way to get rid of Bloatware is to root your Android phone. On a rooted phone, the user has the power to uninstall or remove system apps or Bloatware.
You will, however, need some external help to get rid of Bloatware. Apps like Titanium Backup, No Bloat Free, etc., help you to get rid of system apps. Once given root access, these apps will be able to remove any app from your phone.
Also Read: 3 Ways to Delete Pre-installed Bloatware Android Apps
8. Put an End to Annoying Ads
Almost every other app that you use comes with ads. These ads are annoying and frustrating as they interrupt whatever you are doing. Apps are constantly trying to convince you to purchase the premium version of the app for an ad-free experience. Well, guess what? There is an inexpensive and free technique to remove all ads from your phone. All that you need to do is to root your Android phone.
On your rooted device, install the AdAway app and it will help you to block ads from popping up on your phone. You can set up powerful filters that remove ads from both apps and the websites that you visit. As a superuser, you will have the power to block entire advertisement networks and bid adieu to ads forever. Also, in case you ever feel like patronizing some app or website, you can choose to continue receiving ads from them. All the decisions will be yours once you root your Android phone.
9. Backup your Data Properly
Although Android smartphones come with pretty decent backup features, courtesy of Google and in some cases the OEM, it is no match for the extensive backup abilities of a rooted phone. Apps like Titanium Backup (requires root access) can help you back up every single thing on your phone. It is pretty powerful software and can successfully backup data that is otherwise missed out by system provided backup apps.
We all know how important back up is while transferring data from an old phone to a new one. With the help of Titanium Backup, you can not only transfer usual stuff like app data, contacts, etc., but also system apps and their data, message history, settings, and preferences. In other words, every single byte of useful information can be smoothly transferred if your device is rooted.
10. Enjoy new Features
If you are a tech geek and love trying new features, then you should definitely root your Android phone. When a new feature is released in the market, the mobile manufacturers reserve access to a select few newly launched models. This is nothing but a marketing strategy to get you to upgrade to a new smartphone. Well, a clever hack is to root your Android phone and then get whatever features you want on your existing phone itself. As long as it does not need additional hardware (as in the case of the in-display fingerprint scanner), you can get essentially any number of mods to experience the hottest features in the market.
If your phone is rooted, then you can install modules and apps like Magisk Module and Xposed Framework on your device. These modules allow you to try a lot of cool features like multi-window, play YouTube in the background, boost audio performance, boot manager, etc. Some of the other interesting features that you can explore are:-
- Being able to connect a Play Station controller to play games on your mobile.
- Installing apps that are restricted in your region.
- Bypassing geo-restrictions on websites and media content by setting a fake location.
- Have a secure and protected connection on a public Wi-Fi.
- Enjoy advanced camera features like slow motion or recording videos in high fps, even if the native camera app does not support these features.
Thus, if you are interested to get the most out of your device, in terms of features then there is no better way than rooting your phone.
11. Get Access to New Apps
Next up in the list of reasons to root your Android device is that rooting your device paves the way for thousands of new apps that you can install on your device. In addition to the billions of apps available on the Play Store, there are countless others available outside as an APK. Some of these are really cool and interesting but only work on devices with root access.
Apps like DriveDroid, Disk Digger, Migrate, Substratum, etc., add a lot more functionality to your device. These apps help you to manage the memory space on your phone and help in deep cleaning of junk files on an admin level. Another great incentive to root your Android phone is to use the VIPER4Android. It is a brilliant tool that lets you modify the audio output of your device’s built-in speaker and also other external devices like headphones and speakers. If you love tweaking with the audio settings of your device, then this is a must-have app for you.
For others, who do not want to get so technical, you can always enjoy new and fun emojis with the help of the EmojiSwitch app. It allows you to add new and exclusive emoji packs on your device. If you have a rooted phone, you can enjoy emojis that are only available exclusively on the latest version of iOS or Samsung smartphones. In some cases, you might be able to get your hands on them even before they are officially released.
12. Convert Non-System Apps into System Apps
Now we all know that Android gives more preference and access privileges to a system app. Therefore, the best way to make sure that any-third party app gets the most of the built-in integrated features of Android is to convert it into a system app. This is only possible on a rooted device.
With the help of apps like Titanium Backup Pro (which requires root access), you can convert any app into a system app. Take, for example; you can convert a third-party file manager app to a system app and replace the pre-installed one. This way, you can grant more access authority to the file manager app of your choice. You can also make a custom launcher as the default system app which will allow it to use integrated features like Google Assistant support, Google Now feeds, Android Pie’s multitasking UI, etc.
Another added benefit of converting normal apps into System apps is that system apps do not get removed even after a factory reset. Therefore, if you would like to make sure that a particular app and its data does not get deleted while performing a factory reset, then converting them into a system app is the smartest solution.
Also Read: 3 Ways to Hide Apps on Android Without Root
13. Get Better Security Support
One common shortcoming of the Android system is that it is not very secure. Privacy breach and data theft is a common complaint from Android users. Now, it may seem that rooting your device makes it more vulnerable as you might end up installing a malicious app. However, in reality, you can upgrade your security system by rooting your device.
You can do so by installing secure custom ROMs like Lineage OS and Copperhead OS, which have a much-advanced security protocol in comparison to the stock Android. Custom ROMs like these can make your device more secure and protect you against malware of any kind. In addition to protecting your privacy, they also provide much better control over the data collected by an app. By restricting the permissions and privileges of a third-party app, you can ensure the safety of your data and your device. You are getting the latest security updates, setting up additional firewalls. Additionally, rooting your device allows you to use apps like AFWall+, a unique internet security solution. It makes sure that the websites that you are visiting do not collect sensitive information from you. The app comes with a built-in VPN secured firewall that filters malicious content from the internet.
14. Prevent Google from Collecting your Data
You must be aware that data mining is performed by all major tech companies in one way or the other and Google is not an exception. This data is used to generate user-specific ads that subtly nudge you to purchase something or the other. Well, to be honest, this is a breach of privacy. It isn’t fair that third-party companies have access to our search history, messages, conversations, activity logs, etc. However, most people have started to accept this. After all, this can be considered as the price one has to pay for all the free services from Google and its apps.
However, if you are really concerned with your privacy and you are not okay with Google collecting your data, then the best solution for you is to root your Android phone. Doing so will allow you to completely escape the Google ecosystem. Firstly, start off with installing a custom ROM that does not depend on Google services. Next up, for all your app needs you can turn to free open source apps from F-Droid (Play Store alternative). These apps are great alternatives to Google apps and get the job done without collecting any data.
15. Try Hacks and Cheats for Games
Although, using cheats and hacks while playing a game usually frowns upon there are certain instances where it is ethically okay. Now, online multiplayer games are a strict no. It wouldn’t be fair to the other players of the game if you take undue advantage. However, in the case of a single offline player, you are allowed to have a little fun. In fact, certain games deserved to be hacked for making it extremely difficult to progress through the game without making microtransactions.
Well, whatever be your incentive, the easiest way to use hacks and cheats in a game is to root your Android phone. There are several hacking tools like Lucky Patcher which allow you to exploit the loopholes in the game’s code. You can use these tools to get unlimited coins, gems, hearts, or other resources. It also allows you to unlock special abilities and powers. In addition to that, all paid premium items can be acquired for free. In case the game contains ads, then these hacking tools and ads can get rid of them too. In short, you will have complete control over the important variables and metrics of the game. Rooting your device paves the way for these cool experiments and significantly improves the experience.
Recommended:
- How to Hack Android Games Without Root
- How to Root Android without a PC
- How to Change Fonts on Android Phone (Without Rooting)
With that, we come to the end of this article. We hope that you find this information helpful. Rooting your Android device is a great way to get complete control over your device. You can literally modify every single aspect of your phone after rooting, starting from simple things like font and emojis to kernel-level changes like overclocking and underclocking the CPU cores.
However, it is our responsibility to warn you that there is indeed some risk associated with rooting. Since you get complete power to make changes to the system files, you need to be a little careful. Make sure to research properly before trying something new. Unfortunately, there exist a lot of malicious apps that might cause serious damage if they are given root access. Additionally, there is always the fear of turning your device into a brick (completely unresponsive state) if you end up deleting some indispensable system file. Therefore, make sure that you have complete knowledge and have some experience with the Android software before rooting your device.