What exactly does it mean to root a cell phone?

[AC Question]

what exactly does it mean to root a cell phone?

I am unable to read some files on my sd card because my phone needs to be rooted

 

[DeadMoneyDrew]

Re: what exactly does it mean to root a cell phone?

Rooting an Android phone essentially means setting yourself up with the rights to make edits and changes to the operating system that you would otherwise not be able to do. It is the equivalent of jailbreaking an iPhone.

I'm a little curious as to why you need to root your phone in order to access files on the SD card. That shouldn't be the case.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[vannylugo]

Re: what exactly does it mean to root a cell phone?

I am unable to read some files on my sd card because my phone needs to be rooted

What it means you get admin rights like on a pc. You can do a lit of stuff even boot performance and battery life its worth taking that little risk.

 

[colyn1353]

Re: what exactly does it mean to root a cell phone?

I am unable to read some files on my sd card

If you mean hidden files go to My Files (install if not already installed) tap SD card then the 3 dots in the upper right. Tap settings then tick show hidden files..

because my phone needs to be rooted

Rooting if you don't know what you are doing can cause the phone to quit working.. This also kills your warranty..