Last Updated on November 14, 2019 by Mathew Diekhake

We have seen many valuable one-click rooting methods come out over the years, and most of them are still useful. The WinDroid Toolkit is one we love for many devices, and the PurpleDrake method did wonders for many LG devices and more. The latest craze in the one click rooting scene is the KingRoot tool which has a unique ability to root probably more devices than any other tool we have seen to date.

Here are the ten things you should know before you install the KingRoot tool on your device so you can get to know it better:

Kingroot

It has nothing to do with Custom Recoveries

People are calling KingRoot a “soft root” and frankly it is; however, it does not mean you cannot install a custom recovery. So long as you unlock your bootloader, you can still follow guides out there for installing a custom recovery. Those guides do not have to be anything to do with how you use KingRoot. Just follow those guides as you normally would for your device and install your new recovery. You do not need the custom recovery to get root access since you are using KingRoot, but you can still do things like take NANDroid backups and install custom ROMs.

You Cannot Brick

You cannot brick your Android device when you try to root it with the universal KingRoot rooting tool. The worst thing that can happen is that it says it cannot root your device, and you wasted ten minutes of your life.

There Is An App And A Desktop Version

You might see reports on the web that somebody rooted the same device as you have with the KingRoot tool, but when you try to get root it does not work. Annoying. There can be very different reasons for this. For starters, if you are using the app versions, the KingRoot team recommend you try the desktop version instead and see if it works. The app and the desktop versions can give different results.

The Buttons And App Changes Between Versions

The developers have changed the way KingRoot looks and works between older versions and newer versions, so if you see some guides online not making sense, you will now know why. In the earlier stages, you would get three apps when you install the APK: KingUser, KingMaster, and KingRoot. The newer versions only give you the KingRoot, and you open the same to unroot by tapping on the ‘Uninstall’ option from the main page. The older versions would make you open the KingUser app to unroot the device. Furthermore, the advantages the KingMaster app would give are now packaged with the one KingRoot app in the newer versions.

The App Is Always Being Updated

Do not panic if you tried rooting your Android device with the KingRoot universal one click rooting tool and it did not work. The developers are constantly updating the app so that it is compatible with more devices. Furthermore, you can even write a letter to the developers are requesting they work on your device. In fact, we think they like you giving them ideas on what devices to work on next, so provide them with a message!

It Comes With An Unroot Method

Worried about rooting your Android and not being able to return it back to stock without hassles? Don’t be. The KingRoot tool comes with its method for unrooting every device that it can root, and it does that by removing itself from your device. All you need to do is give the command and it is gone.

Related: How To Unroot Android Using KingRoot Universal Rooting Tool (KingUser)

They Are Not Stealing Your Data

There were rumors that because they KingRoot team in China can see some details about your device that they had this big scheme to steal your personal details. That rumor is highly unlikely to be true. The evidence speaks for itself: these are not Chinese spies, and they are working every day unlocking Android operating systems to do exactly as advertised which is root your device. The way the KingRoot tool works is that they have a collection of rooting methods all jammed into one giant server and when it receives the information about your device it finds the required rooting method. To get a working rooting method for your device, it does need to know the finer details like your model number and more.

It Still “Voids The Warranty”

There are occasional rooting methods that come out these days that have the ability to “not trip Knox” or not void the warranty; however, these methods are very rare. The KingRoot tool does still void your warranty even though it is incredibly easy to use. You will notice that I used scare quotes in the title. I did that for a reason. Believe it or not, no rooting method should ever technically void the warranty because rooting Android cannot ever legally void a warranty in the United States thanks to the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, passed by Congress in 1975.

There Are Versions In Different Languages

Notice when you visit the official KingRoot website that the tool comes in different languages. These various languages also come with unique file sizes — or so I figured out when I trialed them myself. That leads me to believe that a different language could potentially hold a different rooting method available. Always try downloading the language that suits your smartphone. If you own smartphone with a Chinese brand name, then try installing the Chinese version.

There Is No Difference Between A Soft Root And A Hard Root

Well, technically there is a difference, but when it comes to using your device with root access, there is no difference. Most people do not know what happens to the Android operating system when it is rooted, so let me explain briefly. There are two ways you can root a device: by literally unchaining the internal system so you are truly using your device with access to the root file system and just installing and enabling SuperSU or KingUser. Tools like GeoHot’s Towelroot truly unchained your OS so that you are using it like you would use Linux with Sudo Permissions or Windows with administrator permissions. You then needed to install SuperSU to keep your device safe from malware. Other tools like Chainfire’s CF-Root simply enabled and installed SuperSU, so the SuperSU is granting your apps rooting permissions. KingRoot works in a similar way to the CF-Root only you swap the SuperSU with the KingUser which is China’s fancy way of saying SuperSU.