I've noticed a lot of people here don't fully understand the difference between rooting and unlocking, nor do they understand the terminology and where to find help. I plan on covering all of this helping you out along the way. Make sure if you ever plan on unlocking to do it before you set up the phone, because unlocking wipes all of your data.



To start off I suggest we learn some terminology and vocabulary.

Root/Rooting: Unrestricted access to Android's base files and structures. This is equivalent to Admin access on Windows. This does not allow you to flash a ROM, nor does it allow you to flash a custom recovery. If you only want to "mod" games or do simple things you can stop here. Rooting will also void your warranty no matter what device you are using.

Unlocking: This is unlocking your bootloader, allowing you to modify your partitions. This is what allows you to flash a custom recovery. This is not the same as a Carrier Unlock. This may void your warranty. I'm sure that Nexus devices and Motorola do not void the warranty when you unlock the bootloader. No other companies will honor this as far as I know.

Custom ROM: A custom ROM is a modified version of Android. Some of the most popular and recognizable are CyanogenMod, Carbon, SlimBean, and Omni, to name a few. Most ROMS will come as a .zip which you need to flash in your custom recovery. They will usually be rooted as well. Make sure the ROM you choose is for your device! Just because the ROM is for a GS3 on AT&T does not mean that it will work on your GS3 for T-Mobile.


Custom Recovery: A custom recovery is a modified version of Android's recovery partition.
This is what allows you to flash a ROM, Kernel, or SuperSU and any other .zip such as a bootanimation or app.
If you wish to know more about the different partitions I suggest you start your search [ Register or Signin to view external links. ] .
The two most popular recoveries are CWM and TWRP, however, there are many more options available and some ROMs will only work with a certain recovery.
[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]
[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]
In this tutorial the majority of my photos come from TWRP.


Kernel: A kernel is kind of like the "backbone" of the ROM. These are optional, all ROMs will include a kernel, but you can always flash a different one. They can affect performance, battery, etc. However, some kernels do not work with certain ROMs. For example, Franco Kernel with not work with ROMs from CyanogenMod's source.



Flashing: This is the process of "installing" a ROM or file in the .zip format.



Wiping: This is the process of "cleaning" your phone's storage in preparation for a new ROM. If you don't wipe you can leave traces of the previous ROM that can cause problems, however, it's usually OK to "Dirty Flash" if coming to a newer version of the same ROM. For example, if you're going from ROM X.1.1 to ROM X.1.2 you shouldn't need to wipe. But this is not always true so it's important to always read the instructions, they are always there for a reason.



Nandroid/Backup: This is a full backup of your phone. This includes all partitions, photos, etc. These can be very big and take a long time. Make sure you do this at least once, especially after coming from a stock ROM. You should also copy it to your PC for safe keeping.



GApps: These are your Google Apps such as Google Play, Photosphere, Faceunlock, and more. You need to flash GApps with 99% of ROMs otherwise you will not have the Play Store. Most have options as to what you can download, either "Core" which is just Google Play, or a plethora of options. Your GApps version must match the Android version for your ROM, ie, 4.2 GApps will not work on a 4.3 ROM, etc. The decision is up to you.



SuperSU: This is one of the few apps for root. Flash this .zip and you'll have root access, that's all there is to it.
[ Register or Signin to view external links. ] This might not be the most current version, so check for updates.






Now that we have all of this out of the way we should move on to explaining the process and providing resources.

There are two main resources, I will link them here.
[ Register or Signin to view external links. ] and [ Register or Signin to view external links. ] . Reading will tell you everything you need to know when attempting to modify your device, 100% or the problems you will experience will stem from not reading or not understanding what you are doing. This is why it's important to read. You are not the first to experience this problem, nor will you be the last; this is why Google exists.


As to the process it's very straightforward.

1. Download ROM, GApps, and SuperSU (if needed).
2. Transfer them to the SD card, or you can download them from the device.
3. Power off your device.
4. Boot into fastboot, this is usually vol up + power or any combination of buttons.
5. Enter recovery by scrolling to it with vol keys and power to select.
6. Do a full wipe. (Never wipe /system)
7. Flash/install your ROM, GApps, Kernel (optional), or SuperSU (if needed).
8. Wait for it to finish flashing.
9. Wipe cache/dalvik cache.
10. Congratulate yourself on a job well done.

That's it. That's all there is to it, just note that the first boot will usually take a couple minutes, but should never take more than five. If it does you can solve it by doing another full wipe and attempting to flash again or reverting to your backup/flashing a different ROM.

I will make a video of the process and post it here: [Coming soon]




That's all there is to it guys and girls. Just read the instructions and make sure you understand what you are doing.
Please note that I do not claim any responsibility and you do any of this at your own risk. Also, don't make it harder than it is, it's a very simple process, don't be scared by it.

Another quick note:
I see lots of you on here asking where to get paid apps for free, how to install them, etc. I will not help with this. If you want to know, feel free to go [ Register or Signin to view external links. ] . I do not support nor do I condone ripping off developers, if you like an app you should buy it to support the developer, that's what puts food on the table for most of them. I'll end my short rant here.