will not be unfamiliar with the word "Root". Together with a series of vocabulary such as "Unlock BL" and "Refresh", it constitutes the common memory of the Android mobile party.
However, with the passage of time, whether root or jailbreak, they have gradually faded out of the daily life of mainstream users. Nowadays, almost no one cares about whether or not a mobile phone can be rooted. There used to be lively forums of all sizes, but they are becoming more and more interesting.
Today in 2021, many mobile phone enthusiasts, including me, will still regard whether the mobile phone can be rooted as an important reference standard for purchasing mobile phones. This approach may seem a little weird right now, but it is not incomprehensible.
The true meaning of “Root”
“Root” directly means “root”. In simple terms, one that has obtained Root permission is basically equivalent to mastering the highest management power of the mobile phone system, and the system was originally restricted The rules and boxes no longer exist, and users can make the most thorough changes to the system. is also because of this, whether it is a mobile phone or a computer, system manufacturers will not easily give this right to users.
In the early days of smartphones, the Android market was in a stage of barbaric growth, with simple designs, imperfect functions and poor ease of use. Compared to the iOS next door, the biggest advantage of Android at that time is estimated to be open source and free. After Android quickly seized the market, mobile phone manufacturers other than Apple basically only had Android as an option. The system is not easy to use, but it is extremely open, which creates a tossing soil for private developers.
The most direct benefit after the mobile phone obtains Root permission is that you can delete a lot of pre-installed system apps through applications such as the RE file manager, clearing up valuable storage space and reducing their impact on background resources Embezzlement, which makes the phone run more smoothly. In the era when the hardware configuration is not so luxurious, Root+ deletes the pre-installed App is indeed an effective means to enhance the mobile phone experience.
In addition, in the era of computers, obtaining root permissions is only one of the means.The crotch of native Android directly gave birth to a large number of third-party firmware created by private masters. For enthusiasts and party players, installing a third-party Recovery and flashing a third-party ROM is the first thing to do after the new machine is in hand.
Strictly speaking, Root and flashing are not the same thing, and they are not even directly related. However, in many cases, third-party ROMs will directly provide Root permissions, and the Root process of some mobile phones needs to be flashed into third-party Recovery. This leads to Root and flashing are often closely linked.
Behind the disappearance of Root: the "iOSization" of the Android system
Of course, this is not to say that the Android system is copying and following the trend of iOS. In fact, these two systems are already me in you and you in me, with different designs and functions All aspects are well integrated. The "iOSization" of Android mainly refers to its closedness. Due to the absence of the leader Google, mobile phone manufacturers have to shoulder the task of improving the system and providing services.
On the one hand, the deeply customized third-party system allows users to obtain richer functions and better experience; on the other hand, the customized system integrated wallet, application store, browser and other system applications are also provided to mobile phone manufacturers New profit channels.
Therefore, we can see that when various mobile phone customization systems have become more complete and the domestic market pattern has stabilized, mobile phone manufacturers have begun to try to gain more profits by enhancing the closure of mobile phone systems (it is true that mobile phone hardware profits It is indeed not high), and it is called "build ecology".
In 2019, Lei Technology conducted an openness comparison test of Android customization system. Strong9strong found that domestic customized systems are using various means to compress user autonomy, including but not limited to restricting the installation of applications through third-party channels (hijacking Go to the official application store, virus/security scan, threaten, ask to enter the system account password, etc.), it is prohibited to change the official desktop launcher.
In this case, removing the BL lock, rooting and even flashing will of course become something that mobile phone manufacturers hate.Because this will affect their real interests. At present, there are only a handful of manufacturers that do not lock BL, basically only a few brands such as OnePlus, Xiaomi, and Meizu.
OnePlus’s attitude towards unlocking, rooting, and flashing is not to encourage or restrict. Users can use tools to toss themselves. These operations will not affect the warranty, but the official does not provide direct support. As a brand for high-end users and enthusiasts, it is not difficult to understand OnePlus’ tolerant attitude towards the party. After all, this is their basic drive. However, OnePlus’ customized system is known for its simplicity and provides relatively few services. In addition to inviting dissatisfaction and dissatisfaction, the strict restrictions on users cannot bring themselves economic benefits.
Xiaomi officially provides Root service, but there are many restrictions: the device MIUI version needs to be the development version, the mobile phone needs to be unlocked first, and the root permissions are incomplete. You must apply for unlocking a Mi mobile phone on a dedicated website. After approval, you need to connect to the mobile phone through a data cable and operate the corresponding unlocking software on your computer. Root permission can be turned on in the security center, but every time you authorize an application, there will be a series of warnings that cannot be skipped, and the authorization can be successful after confirming one by one. Moreover, even if the official Root permission of Xiaomi is obtained, the system partition will not be unlocked. If users want to obtain full permissions, they have to use other software or simply use third-party root tools similar to Magisk.
Meizu now also provides official root, the steps are also more cumbersome, but a bit simpler than Xiaomi. Specifically, Meizu users need to install the official Root authorization application, fill in the application information, wait for review, and activate the Root permission.
Why do I still want to Root?
It needs to be admitted that most of the customized systems are indeed very complete at the functional level, and many features that need to be implemented after Root can now be directly enjoyed. However, the great autonomy that users can master after rooting mobile phones cannot be directly given by these customized systems.
put it more directly,In many cases, the interests of manufacturers and users are not the same, or even opposite. In this case, autonomy becomes particularly important.
For example, after the phone is rooted, you can directly uninstall unused or unused system applications such as wallets. The desktop, icons and even the UI interface can also be changed to the style you want. In addition, mobile phones now basically have temperature control and overheating frequency reduction mechanisms. The original intention of manufacturers may be to protect the safety of mobile phone CPUs and other components, or to prevent brands from being labeled as heating and poor battery life. If the user obtains the Root permission, can choose to delete the temperature control, and even directly fix the CPU operating frequency to prevent frequency reduction.
(Fixed frequency application scene, you can manually adjust the phone processor scheduling after Root)
Take the Xiaomi MIX in my personal hand as an example, its processor is the Snapdragon 820 four years ago, but the GPU Performance can still hit many mid-range phones. Limited by temperature control and heat dissipation conditions, it has been very struggling to cope with mainstream games. But after Root deletes the temperature control, the mobile game can be played smoothly. Here I am not encouraging you to delete the temperature control of your mobile phone, but want to explain the importance of having autonomous control.
In addition to custom processor scheduling, after obtaining Root permissions, there are also blocking App opening ads, adding gesture operations, installing the powerful xposed framework, and so on.
Regarding locking BL, prohibiting Root, and even restricting third-party application installation channels, the answers given by mobile phone manufacturers are very consistent-security. This reason cannot be said wrong, but it may not be true in many cases. Maybe many novice users do not need to control the global root authority, but mobile phone manufacturers can raise the threshold of root just like Xiaomi Meizu, so that consumers who need it and can clearly understand the risk can choose whether to root or not. Rather than imposing restrictions on user rights under the banner of "I am for your good".
After all, one of the joys of Android gaming is the richer possibilities brought by the openness of the system.This should not be stifled.
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