What exactly is rooting?

[Unregistered]

So I've got the G3 and everyone talks about how they root it.. What does that mean? How do you do it? Would it mess up my phone somehow?

 

[cpaight]

Rooting your Android | Android Central

 

[anon8380037]

Rooting can be the art of taking a phone you paid a lot of money for because you liked it, and turning it into a tool only suitable for stirring Spaghetti Bolognese.
For those that know what they are doing, or have first tried with a phone they can afford to lose, then it has it's merits for them.
My phone does all the things I want it to do as it came out of the box. No lag. The homescreen wasteland doesn't bother me, and you only need theme launchers for that.
I don't really get the appeal still, but maybe I don't want to.
Be careful, and caveat emptor.
The towelroot method seems easy though. Maybe, for me, in another year.

 

[Golfdriver97]

So I've got the G3 and everyone talks about how they root it.. What does that mean? How do you do it? Would it mess up my phone somehow?

In the simplest terms, it is gaining the highest privilege level on your phone. You need to be rooted to do some things. Back in the Gingerbread days, you needed to be rooted to do many things you can do now out of the box.
Does it redefine customizing your phone? Yes. Can you potentially damage the phone? Yes. However, I would highly suggest reading everything you can about rooting in general, along with the most current method to root your device, thoroughly, and several times. Rooting technically is an exploit, FYI.

 

[anon8380037]

^^ A reference level post.^^