Various tools for system maintenance
Root Keeper
These tools should take care your rooted device stays rooted – even if you install a system update (e.g. via OTA).
Root Checker
Apps to check whether the rooting process was successful.
- Root Checker | BusyBox Checker (4.5@1,128) 5
3
LastUpdate: 2022-08-05
- Simple Root Checker (4.4@26) 3
2
LastUpdate: 2016-03-28
- Root Checker (4@31,285) Ǥ 6
3
LastUpdate: 2019-05-04
- SU Root Checker (4@10,537) 3
LastUpdate: 2016-09-13
- Root Validator (3.9@4,013) Ǥ 6
1 LastUpdate: 2018-04-15 Github
- Root Verifier (3.9@18) 1
LastUpdate: 2016-03-26 Github
- Root Checker (3.8@365,073) Ǥ 10
10
LastUpdate: 2022-12-31 / Root Checker Pro (4.7@2,528; ~EUR 4.75) Ǥ 4
2
- Root Checker (3.5@7,045) Ǥ 4
3
LastUpdate: 2019-01-11
- Root Checker (0@0) Ǥ 7
5
Root Hider
With a rooted device, some apps refuse to work (mostly those using "protected" or "sensitive" material. If you still want to use those apps and keep your device rooted, you may wish to hide that fact. These apps help you with that. Also see Magisk, which provides both root and root hiding.
SuperUser
Magisk
If you don't know what this is, please see Root for all: Magisk in the articles section.
- MMRL (4.8@302) 10
Github; Magisk Module Repo Loader, supporting custom repos
- Magisk (4.6@3,095) 13
Github; Guide 3/2017; Video Tutorial 3/2017 (~7min) | 6/2017 (~6min) | 9/2017 (~6min); Howto 8/2017; IzzyOnDroid 5/2018; XDA Home; Magisk Wiki; Installation & Troubleshooting Guide; Universal Systemless Interface
- Unified Hosts Manager (3.8@137) 1
LastUpdate: 2018-01-28
- KernelSU (0@0) 2
Github; a rooting solution comparable to Magisk
- MRepo supports adding custom repositories. Here are some you can add:
- the IzzyOnDroid Magisk Modules Repo (only F/LOSS modules)
- the mirror of the Magisk Alt repo
- Lygisk: a fork of Magisk
- aa4mg: Android Auto 4 microG
- android-auto-stub: likewise, with CalyxOS in mind
- magisk_for_linux: patch boot image from your Linux PC
- Magisk and MagiskHide Installation and Troubleshooting guide
- Magisk Documentation
- Magisk Modules Repo: here you can find many modules for Magisk
- Collection of Magisk Modules
- Androidacy Magisk Modules Repository
- Best Magisk Modules: Call Recorder, Font Manager, 1Controller, and more, including some background and instructions (10/2021 - 3/2023)
- Passing-SafetyNet-with-Magisk-Zygisk-and-DenyList
- Magisk v24 has removed MagiskHide, but: A new method for hiding root in Magisk is in development (1/2022)
Also see Shamiko: Check the new method for hiding root is on the way (1/2022) - How to Uninstall a Magisk Module and Magisk zip from a Rooted Device (in case a newly installed module goes bonkers) (6/2021 - 1/2023)
- 10 Must-Have Magisk Modules (1/2020 - 7/2023)
Busybox
BusyBox is software that provides several stripped-down Unix tools in a single executable file. (Wikipedia) Usually requires root.
- BusyBox (4.3@100) 1
LastUpdate: 2020-07-19
- BusyBox (4.2@5,480) 4
LastUpdate: 2023-05-11 Github
- BusyBox Installer (4.2@156) 3
LastUpdate: 2022-03-14 Github
- BusyBox for Android (4@26,246) Ǥ 15
17
Github
- BusyBox Installer Classic (4@94) Ǥ 9
3
LastUpdate: 2019-09-19
- EXA Busybox Installer(no root) (2.8@239) Ǥ 10
1
Terminal Apps
Command line to interact with the system, see Terminal Emulator.
- TTerm (5@44) 5
LastUpdate: 2018-04-22
- Another Term (4.7@160) 10
/ Another Term (0@0) 11
/ Another Term Shell Plugin - Android 10 Essentials (0@0)
LastUpdate: 2023-06-23 Github / Github
- Termux (4.4@163,718) 18
/ Termux:API (4.7@8,976) 35
/ Termux:Style (4.5@596; ~EUR 2.00) 0
Github; Repository for additional packages; Anleitung 12/2019; Howto 12/2020; includes
apt
to install a lot of packages like aapt, busybox, git, mc, python, rsync and more - Material Terminal (4.4@6,466) Ǥ 6
LastUpdate: 2016-04-04
- Remote ADB Shell (4.2@1,004) 3
LastUpdate: 2022-06-29 connect to one Android device from another Android device
- Terminal Emulator for Android (4.1@18) 8
LastUpdate: 2017-07-18 Github
- Terminal (4@172) 4
LastUpdate: 2023-03-01
- Qute: Terminal emulator (3.9@10,049) Ǥ 25
9
- TermOne Plus (3.5@851) 10
GitLab
- Shell Terminal Emulator (3.2@2,875) 4
1
LastUpdate: 2021-03-20
- ReTerminal (0@0) 8
Github
Custom Recovery & Flashing
- TWRP Manager (Requires ROOT) (4.9@14) Ǥ 11
4
LastUpdate: 2017-07-02 Live Nandroid Backup for TWRP
- Treble Info (4.8@1,563) Ǥ 4
LastUpdate: 2023-08-24 GitLab; check Project Treble, A/B and Architecture for GSI installation
- ROM Manager (4.8@32) Ǥ 12
2
LastUpdate: 2018-10-30
- ZIPme (4.4@19) 3
1
LastUpdate: 2017-04-11 create update ZIP packages to install in recovery
- ROM Toolbox Lite (4.3@59,090) Ǥ 27
17
/ ROM Toolbox Pro (3.3@25,143; ~EUR 10.00) Ǥ 26
13
- ROM Installer (4.3@43,386) Ǥ 19
17
- Flasher (4.2@93) 7
LastUpdate: 2020-06-05
- Auto Flasher ROM flash utility (4.1@1,976) Ǥ 6
2
LastUpdate: 2017-03-24
- Flashify (for root users) (4.1@27) Ǥ 7
2
LastUpdate: 2015-12-12 maintains your recovery partition
- [ROOT] CRAB - Custom Recovery (4@31) 1
LastUpdate: 2018-10-22
- Official TWRP App (3.3@41,271) Ǥ 14
1
LastUpdate: 2020-08-14 Intro 12/2016
- DD GUI (0@0)
LastUpdate: 2020-05-23 Github; GUI for the good-old
dd
tool - Kernel Flasher (0@0) 2
Github
- Payload Dumper Android (0@0) 4
Github; extract boot.img or any other images without PC on Android
- DSU Sideloader (0@0) 6
LastUpdate: 2023-07-10 Github
- Horizon Kernel Flasher (0@0)
LastUpdate: 2021-10-31 Github; flash AnyKernel flashable zips
- Free-Droid: Linux/Mac/Win tool to make flashing easy
- Anarchy-Droid: Successor of Free-Droid. Finds matching ROMs for your device, apply special adjustments and more. Linux, Mac, Windows.
- PixelFlasher: Pixel™ phone flashing GUI utility
- openandroidinstaller: makes installing alternative Android distributions nice and easy
- otadump: extracts partitions from OTA-files
- android-ota-payload-extractor: OTA payload extractor
- Thor & Thor_GUI: alternative to Odin/Heidall fr Samsung devices
- List of ROMs and Custom Recoveries
- Comparison of Android ROMs
init.d
- init.d scripts support (3.1@448) Ǥ 11
2
select a folder to place scripts which shall run at boot time
- Init.d Light (0@0) 4
LastUpdate: 2017-12-24 Github
Sandbox (isolate) apps
- Island (4.7@6) Ǥ 20
3
Vorstellung 3/2018; XDA; like Greenify, but more: freeze, isolate (sandbox) apps, clone (for parallel usage), hide …
- Shelter (3.8@1,870) 12
Github; Vorstellung 9/2018 | 1/2019; Vorstellung & Howto 7/2019; Intro 9/2019; Howto 11/2020; Anleitung 12/2020 | 3/2020-2/2021; FOSS alternative to Island
- App Cloner- Clone App for Dual (1.4@1,055) Ǥ 104
4
LastUpdate: 2022-10-22 not "sandboxing", but allows multiple instances of an app by cloning and re-installing with different package names; random Android ID, IMEI, IMSI & more at runtime
- Insular (0@0) 18
Github; FOSS variant of Island
Run Linux on Android
- UserLAnd - Linux on Android (4.4@15,991) Ǥ 10
1 Github; Anleitung 1/2019; Video Howto 5/2019; Howto 6/2019 | 11/2019; run GNU/Linux on Android (no root required)
- Linux Deploy (3.9@15,618) 7
LastUpdate: 2020-03-02 Github; Howto 9/2017 | 8/2018; Anleitung 4/2020-7/2021; Install and run GNU/Linux on Android
- AnLinux - Run Linux on Android (3.5@2,458) Ǥ 7
2
Github; Video Howto 4/2020
SafetyNet / Play Integrity
- SPIC - Play Integrity Checker (4.8@348) 2
1 LastUpdate: 2023-02-09
- Play Integrity API Checker (4.7@805) 1
- YASNAC - SafetyNet Checker (4.6@2,010) 0
Github
- MobiShield: SafetyNet, Verify Apps & Root Check (4.6@88) Ǥ 4 2
LastUpdate: 2022-02-11
- SafetyNet Helper Sample (4.5@999) 1
1
LastUpdate: 2022-01-27 Github; find out whether your device passes the SafetyNet test
- SafetyNet Test (4.1@1,857) Ǥ 5
3
LastUpdate: 2018-10-03 find out whether your device passes the SafetyNet test
- SafetyNet Device Check (4.1@143) Ǥ 8
4
LastUpdate: 2023-09-02
- TB Checker - Play Integrity (4@1,879) Ǥ 8
8
- SafetyNet | Integrity Checker (3.6@907) Ǥ 4
2
/ SafetyNet Checker Pro (4.2@50; ~EUR 1.00) Ǥ 4
1
Other tools
- Power App | Simple Power Menu [Root only] (5@87) 2
LastUpdate: 2020-11-09 Github; power options menu (reboot, recovery etc.)
- SELinuxModeChanger (4.7@17) 1
LastUpdate: 2018-04-10 Github; Set SELinux mode on boot
- Prevent Running (4.5@673) 7
LastUpdate: 2019-05-15 prevent force-stopped apps from auto-restarting
- DontKillMyApp: Make apps work (4.4@11,850) 4
LastUpdate: 2023-09-07 Github; benchmark (how aggressively is your phone killing background apps) and more
- Simple Reboot (root) (4.4@5,003) 1
Github; boot menu (requires root)
- [ROOT] KTweak — Universal Kern (4.4@514) 3
LastUpdate: 2020-12-02 Github
- Shizuku (4.3@27,824) 6
Github; using system APIs directly with adb/root privileges from normal apps
- Brevent (4.2@12,710) Ǥ 11
Github; prevent apps from auto-(re)starting; no root required
- Sysctl GUI - Kernel parameters (4.1@62) 8
Github
- [root] LiveBoot (4@7,078) Ǥ 5
- Kernel Profiler (3.9@17) 4
LastUpdate: 2021-06-20 Github; manage your kernel settings
- Bash (3.2@9) 4
1
LastUpdate: 2017-04-19
- Timezone Updater (1@128) 5
LastUpdate: 2023-05-16 Github
- Magic (0@0) 1
LastUpdate: 2019-11-08 Github; file type guesser
- P7Zip (0@0) 2
LastUpdate: 2021-04-21 Github; (un)compress files and directories
- PS-Aux (0@0) 1
LastUpdate: 2020-01-15 Github; task manager and automated background service killer
- CommandClick (0@0) 15
Github; change shellscript to Gui App
- SmartPack-Kernel Manager (0@0) 15
Github
- PhantomProcessesSavior (0@0)
LastUpdate: 2023-12-12 Github; xposed module to keep Android 12 from killing subprocesses
- Content Provider Helper (0@0) 14
LastUpdate: 2017-05-14 Github; find available content provider URIs; add & delete your own
- PI (0@0) 3
Github; a package installer
- FakeGapps (0@0)
Github; signature spoofing for MicroG as an Xposed module
- KnoxPatch (0@0) 1
Github; get Samsung apps/features working again in your rooted Galaxy device
- APatch (0@0) 5
Github; a Kernel-based root solution
- Switch My Slot (0@0)
LastUpdate: 2021-05-09 Github; switch between A & B Slots easily
Further Readings:
- rooting tag-wiki at Android.SE including a rooting index with hints for specific devices
- Magisk for "systemless modding" (incl. root); also see this guide at AndroidPolice
- The 4 Best Alternatives to TWRP Recovery on Android (4/2023)
- 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Installing Custom ROMs on Your Android Phone (3/2023)
- 10 Must-Have Magisk Modules for Your Android Device (3/2022 - 7/2023)
- How to Trick Apps Into Thinking Your Android Is Not Rooted (3/2022)
- Ist Rooten ein Sicherheitsrisiko bzw. gefährlich? (10/2018)
- Was ist Rooten und Jailbreak? (5/2016 - 12/2020)
- 5 reasons you should learn how to root your phone today (and how to do it) (2/2015 - 9/2021)