Jailbreaking and rooting

Android rooting means...

Android rooting is the process of allowing users of smartphones, tablets, and other devices running the Android mobile operating system to attain privileged control (known as "root access") within Android's subsystem. Rooting is often performed with the goal of overcoming limitations that carriers and hardware manufacturers put on some devices, resulting in the ability to alter or replace system applications and settings, run specialized apps that require administrator-level permissions, or perform other operations that are otherwise inaccessible to a normal Android user. Rooting is analogous to jailbreaking devices running the Apple iOS operating system. On Android, rooting can also facilitate the complete removal and replacement of the device's operating system, usually with a more recent release of its current operating system.
As Android was derived from the Linux kernel, rooting an Android device is similar in practice to accessing administrative permissions on Linux or any other Unix-like operating system such as FreeBSD or OS X.

Guide to Jailbreaking and Rooting

What is Jailbreaking?

When you buy your device it comes with a set number of files installed on it that affect the way you can use it. In Windows these files don’t really restrict the way you use your device, they rather just facilitate it to visualize what’s going on for you so that you can get around easier. However in phones they also put up defenses to stop you using the same system to edit and delete certain files such as system files. This then means that you can’t edit the ‘firmware’ that comes installed on it in order to change the way the keyboard looks for instance, and it means that you can’t get to the system files made by your games and apps.

When you jailbreak or root your system however you are simply changing those defenses and in many case getting rid of them in order that you are able to see whichever files you want to anywhere on the device and to make whatever changes to those files you see fit. It also means then that you can download files that will make those changes for you, or that will work alongside the firmware in order to help you get better performance.

Why Do It?

That’s all very good and well, but what’s the point? Well in short it’s worth doing because of how much more it usage it lets you get out of your device – which is particularly true if you own an iPhone tanks to how restrictive the existing software is on any Apple device. For instance it doesn’t let you change the default browser or the default keyboard, it doesn’t let you change the look of your icons on your screen, nor the number of icons you want to display. On top of this it also won’t allow you to change things like the number of icons on your dock, and it won’t let you run any files other than the ones that Apple has vetted first. If it’s not on the app store then you can’t have it basically.

Well with a jailbroken iPhone you will be able to download all these things which can help to increase your battery life, increase the power of your processor, give you more customization so that you can change the look of your icons etc. and much more. At the same time it will let you run things like DOS emulators so that you can play old PC games or run Word or use Flash (which it should have been able to do anyway).


Should I Do It?

But is it legal? And will it break your phone or games console? The short answers are ‘no’ and ‘no again’. In short jailbreaking or rooting your device is a process that is completely up to you – after all you paid good money for the privilege of using the machine and it’s really your prerogative what you do with it. And furthermore it’s a process that is completely straightforward and even reversible. So even if you didn’t want it anymore you could reset your phone back to normal right away anyway. There’s no risk and it’s your prerogative – so there’s really no reason not to.