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Resolved Question

what does it mean to have a 'rooted' phone

Apr 5, 2012 4:04AM PDT
Confused My phone is not rooted, does it need to be & if so how do I change it? thanks all

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It's a choice we make.
Apr 5, 2012 4:15AM PDT

It means we take control of what is installed on the phone. Along with that action the cellular provider will not support our phone any longer so this may be an issue for those that want the support for their phone.

For most, rooting a phone is not needed. Mine is not rooted and I see little reason to do so.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooting_%28Android_OS%29 covers this very well. It agrees that we do this to gain privileged control over the phone.

In simple terms, let's say that Sprint set the phone to disallow us to remove some apps. Rooting it can let us remove said app but at the price of losing support.
Bob

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Answer
rooted phone
Apr 5, 2012 4:18AM PDT

Essentially, it means that you can install applications from other sources other than the Android Market (or iTunes with the iPhone). Android phones don't require rooting like iPhones do. Android devices can download applications from other sites without additional hacking/rooting. That is the simple explanation, others may offer a more complex explanation.

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It's deeper than that? I can install APK files (apps)
Apr 5, 2012 5:51AM PDT

And did not root the phone. No hack was needed.
Bob

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Answer
A rooted phone may allow you more free to manage your phone
Apr 9, 2012 1:42PM PDT

Root is the nerve center of the phone, it can access and modify almost all the documents in your cell phone. In my opinion, it's not very necessary to root your phone except some special needs.If you root your phone,sometimes some files may be mistakenly deleted, that will lead to your phone malfunction. Hope it is helpful for you!