If you are an Android user, I'm almost certain you heard the word “root” being thrown around. You've probably been asked if your phone has been rooted or if you plan to as well. Being uncharted ground to new users or people who have never bothered to look into it, the term “root” can be somewhat scary. What does it mean? Do you risk turning your phone into a very expensive paperweight? What are the advantages or disadvantages of rooting? Well, I am here to relieve you of your fears and answer those questions.
Typically the first thing I do to each Android device I buy as soon as I pop the battery in and power it on is root it. It's to the point now that I rely on a lot of applications that require root access. Without them I feel as if I'm not getting full functionality of my phone.
What does “root” mean: