Rooting

  • What does "rooting" mean?
    • Basically, rooting allows apps to gain administrative access to your device (what's known as "root access"). For an app like DiskDigger, this is necessary for low-level access to the internal memory of your device, in order to perform a thorough scan of the memory. Without root access, this is not possible to do. By default, Android devices are not rooted for various reasons. Many of them are good reasons, such as reducing the risk of malware (imagine if a malicious app had full access to your internal memory). But unfortunately this also means that well-intentioned apps are blocked from running, as well. For more information, read the Wikipedia article on rooting.
  • What are the risks of rooting?
    • Since rooting involves accessing system-level portions of your device, it can be a risky procedure. If performed incorrectly, rooting may even render your device unusable. This is why, for certain manufacturers, rooting might void the warranty on your device.
  • How do I root my phone or tablet?
    • Click here for the simplest way to root your device. Otherwise, there are various guides and tutorials on the web for rooting most models of Android devices. The rooting procedure varies for different devices, so make sure to search for a tutorial for your specific model. Important: make sure the rooting procedure does not involve wiping your device's memory, since this would defeat the purpose of trying to recover data from it.