Rooting has been around since the dawn of the Android operating system, and there have been many different tools that have come and gone since then.

Oftentimes the Android developers change the way the operating system security works, and then the rooting developers need to create new tools to help get around the roadblocks.

That same situation happened again when Android introduced SafetyNet, a new feature that can detect if a device has root access and then prevents that device from being able to use certain apps if it does.

The decision by Android to do this was in the wake of new applications such as Netflix and Android Pay arriving onto the market. These types of applications involve having direct access to your banking details, and that’s something that Android doesn’t want to risk falling into the wrong hands.

There have been many reports in recent times about how most viruses on a Windows operating system happen from people using the account with administrative permissions, which his the same account that first gets created on the computer. That’s one of the reasons why Microsoft recommend people start using separate user accounts and only give the admin permissions to those in need. The results have shown a large drop in viruses causing computers problems.

When you root the Android operating system, in a way, you are making your device to be similar to that first Windows user account that gets created—the one with the all-important administrative permissions assigned to it. And the same bad things can happen when you use that account: if malware or a virus were to be installed, it has an ability to create real issues, particularly with these flood of new applications like Android Pay that are soon going to set the world alight.

Magisk is an application that solves the problem that others couldn’t: it can root your device so you can start using most of the root apps, but then when you need to use one of the apps that trips SafetyNet, you can toggle the root access off temporary, use the app in question, and then toggle the root access back on again. This method sure beats having to root, unroot and then get root access again just to use the apps like Android Pay—something that most users wouldn’t have bothered doing—while at the same time still keeps the Android developers happy as well: since there is no root access when you toggle it off, your device is 100% as safe as an unrooted device when you go to use the apps.

Download Magisk to Root Android 5.1 Lollipop

Use the links below to download the versions of Magisk that work with Android 5.1 Lollipop:

Note: Use the latest version possible. And if that does not work, downgrade to the one previous until one works for your device.

How to Install Magisk

There are two general methods for installing Magisk. Most people install it via the TWRP custom recovery image. However, there is also a method to install Magisk without TWRP.