How to root your Chinese android smartphone or device

In our previous article we mentioned the fact that some apps might require you to root your phone. There are some useful apps that require super user privileges for example firewall software like Data Usage Defender. Whilst there are plenty of guides and tools about how to root many of the famous brands, your Chinese device might require you to scour through obscure message boards. Using this how to however, you should be able to not only root most of the Chinese/ no brand devices but most of the famous devices as well without breaking too much sweat.

Disclaimer.

Whilst this method will work perfectly you should know that rooting devices is a complex procedure and there is always that chance, not matter how small, that you will brick your phone so if anything bad happens it is entirely your fault but if the procedure works then all the credit is duly mine. Rooting your phone also almost always voids your warranty but do not worry the outlined method is completely reversible so you can simply un-root your phone if you want. Finally please be advised that for security reasons some apps cannot be installed on rooted devices for example Google Wallet ( I do not think this affects your ability to purchase apps from Google Play market store though.)

How to.

• Determine your phone’s or tablet’s chipset by looking at the manual. Most Chinese devices belong to the MTK65xx chipset for example mine is a MTK6577 device. If you are unable to discern this from the manual then you should visit the Google Play Store on your computer, log in using your username and password and click on any app. Just beneath the install button is an information button, click on it to view a list of the devices that you own.
• Even if you are still unable to get your device’s chipset you can proceed but bear in mind that this guide was made with the MTK65XX brands in mind.
• Download the PDA generic device drivers here. These work for most devices even the popular ones however if your phone is one of the most popular ones you should make an effort to download the actual official driver before going for this generic driver.
• Extract the *.rar file and click on the executable to install the driver. During the installation process select the generic option and plug in your phone. The appropriate driver will be automatically installed.
• Once the driver has been successfully installed go to your device’s settings and enable USB debugging mode. Once you plug in your phone into your computer it should appear under Computer as a little phone icon and not as a USB mass storage device.
• Unplug your phone and Download Kingo Android root. This is a GUI tool that simplifies the rooting process for you.
• Install and start Kingo and then plugin your phone. You should ensure that your computer is connected to the internet. Kingo will automatically recognise your phone and install the appropriate driver.
• Restart your computer and launch Kingo and ensure that your computer is connected to the internet. Plug in your phone and click on the Root button. Kingo will fetch the rooting scripts and tools from the internet, root and then restart your phone.
• You phone should now be rooted you can test this by installing Data Usage Defender app and activating the firewall feature. You can also test the root feature using any app of your choice just make sure that the app requires super user privileges.
• To unroot the phone just launch Kingo plug in your phone into your computer and click on unroot. Again make sure you are  connected to the internet when you do this.

Please leave your questions, tips, suggestions and advice in the comment section. If you have successfully rooted your phone using this method please include your phone brand in the comment section including any additional/alternative steps you used if any for the sake of others.

Picture via Flickr