One Click Rooting Apps: Safe for Android?

Here’s everything about one click rooting apps being safe for Android phones:

Rooting your device is never a perfectly safe process, as it specifically goes around safeguards built into the software.

There are one-click apps that have very high success rates, but they all come with caveats and conditions. 

You are trusting them with absolute control over the device, which is always risky.

So if you want to learn all about what happens exactly when you install a one-click rooting app on your phone, then this article is for you.

Let’s dive deeper into it!

One-Click Rooting Apps: Safe for Android Phone? (like iRoot)

What Can Go Wrong When You Root an Android Phone?

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When you root an Android phone, you are breaking down the software that was installed.

A successful root grants you more options and control over how you use your phone, but the process removes many features that help the phone function as intended.

Rooting a phone, at minimum, puts it at risk of losing some functionality.

Botched rooting can damage software and corrupt data.

In a worst-case scenario, you can lose everything you have saved on the phone.

Even if the root is successful, you are changing how control of your phone’s software works.

No matter how you root your device, you have to use software created by someone else, and you are ultimately trusting that software with base-level control of everything. 

If you use malicious or untrustworthy software, it can allow third parties to spy on you, steal information, flood you with ads or perform any other harmful or malicious activity they choose.

It’s a risk.

Despite all of that, lots of people still root their phones because when it is successful, the options available are worth the risk (to them).

As long as you understand the inherent risks, you can make an informed decision and root your phone as you see fit.

What Can I Expect From One-Click Rooting Apps? (4 Apps)

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Traditionally, rooting an Android phone is a bit of a process.

You have to go through multiple steps and customize the process for your phone and your goals with rooting.

It’s not an insurmountable challenge, but people new to rooting often feel intimidated.

One-click apps have emerged that simplify the process.

You install the app and run it.

It takes care of rooting for you, and it’s all very simple. 

You get root access and the perks that come with it, and you don’t have to enter special lines as a superuser or figure out custom conditions or configurations for your phone.

The ease of access is compelling.

That said, you are trusting root control of your device entirely to a third-party provider.

One-click rooting apps don’t give you direct control over the process, and that comes with the risks mentioned above.

On top of that, not all one-click apps provide the same experience.

So, we can go through some of the most popular apps and see what they offer and how the experiences differ.

#1 OneClickRoot

Young girl sitting at desk with pc and cellphone indoors.

This is one of the most well-known and used one-click rooting apps in the business.

When you install the app, it walks you through a few prompts, and your phone will successfully be rooted when it finishes.

This app definitely works, and it is super easy.

There’s a huge caveat.

OneClickRoot installs a proprietary superuser exploit.

What does that mean?

It means root control supplied by this app doesn’t work the same way as if you do your own custom root.

The OneClickRoot app installs software that maintains a continuous connection to their servers.

It’s hard to say exactly how this connection is used, but one outcome is obvious to everyone who installs this app.

Once rooted, the phone will stream you a continuous display of advertisements. 

The ads are downloaded from that root-level server connection, and you cannot turn it off.

If you had a standard superuser exploit, you would be able to fix the problem.

But, with the OneClickRoot superuser, you can never remove the ads.

Clearly, this is how OneClickroot makes its money and keeps the app free, but most users find the ads insufferable and ultimately flash the device to remove OneClickRoot.

Many in Android communities would call this software adware.

#2 Kingo Root

Beautiful woman using smartphone.

Kingo Root is another big name in the one-click root industry.

Like the first app on the list, it makes rooting extremely easy. You install the app, walk through the prompts, and it does all of the heavy lifting.

You don’t have to know anything about rooting to successfully complete the process with this app.

Like the app mentioned previously, Kingo Root installs a proprietary superuser exploit.

Once again, this allows the app to maintain control over your device after rooting is complete, and that control is used to display ads.

It’s important to understand how invasive root-level ads are.

They can disrupt any and every action you take on the phone. 

Whenever the software chooses to hit you with another ad, it will, no matter what you’re doing.

Because Kingo Root has ultimate control over the superuser exploit, you cannot remove it or the adware included in the package.

If the ads are too much for you (or if you’re concerned about the many other risks that stem from giving over root control of your device), the only recourse is to flash the phone and reset it to factory conditions.

#3 iRoot

Bloggers touch screen smartphone light night city.

iRoot is another of the “big three” in one-click rooting.

Like its competitors, it is very effective.

The process is fast, easy, and virtually guaranteed to succeed.

It’s another free app that gives you root access with very little effort on your part.

Like its competitors, it also installs a proprietary superuser exploit.

Once again, this is a free app with a hidden cost.

The root exploit designed by iRoot is used to bombard you with ads for the remainder of the phone’s life (unless you flash it).

You cannot turn these ads off, and they are invasive.

Among the one-click apps discussed so far, it’s safe to call them all adware.

Try them at your own risk.

#4 Odin

Woman using smartphone, smiling

Odin provides a different experience.

It is also a one-click root app, but it does not install a proprietary superuser exploit.

Instead, it installs SuperSU, which was once the most trusted superuser in the Android rooting business.

Because Odin uses a known superuser, it doesn’t retain unmitigated control of your phone and experience.

It does not bombard you with endless ads, and even if it did, you could use SuperSU to turn all of that off (although some research and learning might be required).

On the surface, Odin feels like a much better experience for rooting an Android phone.

There are two points of caution to understand.

First, Odin is a little harder to use than the others.

It is designed specifically for Samsung phones, and you will have to install an additional software package to customize Odin for your particular phone.

The bigger point is that Odin installs SuperSU.

While this was once a trusted root exploit, it has lost the faith of many in the rooting community.

SuperSU was purchased by an unnamed foreign company, and no one knows what they are doing with it behind the scenes.

It might be benevolent.

It might not.

Are There Alternatives to One-Click Rooting Apps?

Woman checking phone over the table.

If you have concerns about one-click rooting apps, there are other ways to go about this business.

Rooting has been a practice for years, and developers have created many ways to go about it. 

Without a one-click tool, you will have to take more steps and learn a few things to successfully root your device, but it is attainable knowledge.

When you directly control the rooting process, you gain some serious advantages.

You don’t have to worry about hidden software, exploits, or malicious threats. 

Also, you can completely customize your own experience as you see fit.

It’s why manual rooting is recommended by so many in this community.

In order to root without a one-click app, you still need something that provides superuser access.

There are a bunch of apps and downloads that can get you started.

Perhaps the best-known and most loved at the moment is Magisk Manager.

What is special about Magisk is that it provides a “systemless” root.

This means you can gain superuser access without having to change the phone at the system level. 

When you root with Magisk, you can still get regular Android updates that are good for security and the general user experience.

You can also hide the fact that your device is rooted from apps that prefer to operate on Android’s SafetyNet.

You really get the best of all worlds here.

Aside from Magisk, there are at least a dozen trusted rooting apps, each with its own specialty.

AdAway focuses on eliminating all ads from the root level of the device. 

Quick Reboot is great for troubleshooting tools and IT applications.

Solid Explorer improves file management on the device.

Franco Kernel Manager is all about giving you concise control over how software runs on the phone.

If you want to optimize performance, it’s a leading resource.

If you are determined to root your device, you can browse a few lists and see if a certain method or app appeals to you more than the rest.

Author

  • Theresa McDonough

    Tech entrepreneur and founder of Tech Medic, who has become a prominent advocate for the Right to Repair movement. She has testified before the US Federal Trade Commission and been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, helping influence change within the tech industry.

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