Complete Guide To Android Rooting And Terminology of Android OS

Android is the most popular mobile operating systems on the market. It offers a variety of apps and settings but, eventually reach its limits at a certain point. Rooting your phone (or tablet) will offer you thousands of tweaks, skins and new apps that you should not miss out. It will also help you to remove bloatware.(The Apps Installed already on your phone when you purchased it by the handset maker)

Android Launchers and Lock Screen Widgets are great tools to customize your Android experience without rooting your device. You are also able to root your device and customize it with a launcher and widgets afterwards. If your Android device is rooted but you don’t want flash a custom ROM, Xposed Framework might be the perfect solution for you. You are, however, also able to add new features to your custom ROM with Xposed. With the release of Android 5.0 Lollipop Google replaced the former Dalvik cache with ART. Due to this, Xposed does not work with Android 5.0.

Android Rooting Terms :

This Android Terminology should be very well known before you try to root your phone .Before we get started, I would like to explain a few terms because the terminology can get complicated and confusing. This will help you to understand other device specific guides. I’ll try to keep it short and not go into (technical) details.

Bootloader :

The Bootloader is your phone’s software foundation( Its Basic Software which an Android Phone Requires). It’s basically what runs before your operating system starts (like a PC’s BIOS). As many manufactures don’t want you to modify your phone’s OS, it needs to be unlocked before you are able to root your phone or install custom ROM's.

ART :

ART stands for Android Runtime and replaces the formerly used Dalvik cache. It was introduced in Android 4.4 and has completely taken over in Android 5.0,ART is said to improve battery life and app performance of the Android Phones thus leading to a new generation of Android Software.

Kernel :

The kernel is the brain of your phone that controls how the system and hardware interact. It’s basically the lowest level of your operating system that manages memory and hardware. Differnet Android Phones have different kernels for them and thus it should not be mixed while flashing your Android ROM. Kernel is nowadays an integrated part of the ROM.

Dalvik :

Dalvik is a virtual machine that processes Android app code. Consequently, it is responsible for translating app code into actions on your Android device.

NAND partition :

NAND stands for “Negated AND” or “NOT AND” and describes the hard drive partition that stores all system relevant information like the bootloader, recovery mode or the kernel and the Radio Information.Its an Hard Disk Partition Table like we have in Computers.

S-OFF :

S-OFF means that the NAND partition of your Android device is unlocked. This mostly applies to HTC phones.It is a Security Feature installed by the HTC Android Phone Maker to protect the user from rooting their Phones And Use the Handset As They Want.( Nowadays the HTC Phones Are S-OFF by Default).

Custom ROM :

A custom ROM is a modified version of the Android operating system. Tweaks, additional features, different themes or an enhanced performance are usually included. Custom ROMs also offer the possibility to use a newer, unreleased, version of Android on your phone that might usually not be available for your device because of restrictions from manufacturer or providers.

Fastboot :

Fastboot is a diagnostic- and engineering tool which offers you several features such as launching in recovery mode or flashing image files.It is Very Useful When We Need to clean our phone from glitches And Hanging.It is Also Used In some Phones during the process of Rooting.

Recovery Mode :

Recovery mode offers you the possibility to perform system-level tasks (like formatting, defragmenting, etc.), backing-up your devices or install custom ROMs. Android offers a limited stock recovery function. More sophisticated recoveries like ClockworkMod Recovery and TWRP Recovery offer additional features and are easier to use.It is Also Used In Process of Rooting ( it is a must thing to have custom recovery).

Root :

Rooting will give you full administrator access of your device. It allows you to remove your bloatware installed on the phone.It might also void your warranty (depending on the device and your place of residence), so make sure to handle your device with care after rooting it. You are always able to revert this process by simply flashing a stock-ROM (the original ROM installed by your phone’s manufacturer). Doing this will also “restore” your warranty.

Rooting is a risky process in which you are liable for any damage to the phone or BRICKING of the phone.

Radio :

The radio is responsible for sending and receiving voice and data. Using an optimized radio can improve your phone’s reception or increase battery life.

Superuser :

Rooting your phone will create a new “account” with complete administrative permissions. This superuser account is used by some apps and functions.

BusyBox :

Android, being based on Linux/Unix, offers a limited amount of UNIX commands (which most users won’t need anyways). BusyBox will implement more commands that are necessary for some root apps to work properly.

So These Are the Basic Terminologies you need to keep in mind And Are Must Know Before Beginning to Root Your Android Phone.

Keeping in mind the above given terminologies we would be posting the future articles and Guides of Rooting Various Android Devices .

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