SuperSU 2.82 for Android: a Discontinued Root Manager

SuperSU was a root access manager for Android: on a rooted phone, it decided which apps were allowed to run commands with superuser rights. The project is discontinued. Version 2.82 is the build listed on this page, the final update was released on 2 January 2018, and the app later disappeared from Google Play, so there is nothing current to download or install.

What SuperSU did

Rooting an Android device gives full administrator access to the system, something the manufacturer normally keeps locked. Once that access exists, something has to control it, otherwise any app could take over the phone. SuperSU filled that role. It installed the su binary that apps call when they need elevated rights, and every such request appeared as a pop-up: grant, deny, or remember the choice for this app. The app kept a log of which programs had used root and when, let you revoke access later, and offered options to hide root from selected apps or to unroot the device completely. For several years it was the standard companion of custom ROMs and root methods on Android forums. Its original author, known as Chainfire, handed the project over to the company Codingcode and later stepped away from development. After the last release, the app stopped following new Android versions, which changed how the system partition and boot process work.

Why it is no longer an option

• No updates. SuperSU has not been maintained since its final release on 2 January 2018.
• Old Android only. It was built for the Android versions of its time; newer releases changed the system structure it relied on.
• No official source. The app is gone from Google Play. Files offered today on third-party sites are copies of unknown origin.

Risks of rooting

Whatever tool is used, root access changes how safe and reliable a phone is:

• The manufacturer's warranty can be lost.
• A failed attempt can leave the device unable to boot.
• Security checks are switched off or fail: banking, payment and some streaming apps may refuse to run, and official system updates can stop installing.
• A root manager, and every app it approves, gets full control over the system, including your data and accounts.

Make a full backup of photos, contacts and chats before touching root on any device.

What to do if you still have it

If an old phone still runs SuperSU, review the list of apps that were granted root and revoke access for anything you do not recognise. If you no longer need root, use the app's full unroot option or flash the manufacturer's firmware, which also restores normal system updates. Do not install SuperSU on a new device: an abandoned tool with superuser rights is a bad combination. To see whether a phone is rooted at all, Root Checker gives a quick answer.

Requirements and size

SuperSU only worked on a device that had already been rooted, typically with an unlocked bootloader and a custom recovery. The app itself was small, about 5.91 MB according to catalogue data.

Price

SuperSU was free, with a paid Pro version that added extra settings. None of it is sold or supported any more.

Pros and cons

• Pro: in its time, clear per-app control over root access.
• Pro: log of root requests.
• Con: discontinued, no security fixes.
• Con: not compatible with modern Android.
• Con: only unofficial copies remain.

Related tools

Other Android tools on our site include Root Checker for testing root status, and Shizuku, which lets some apps use elevated system APIs without full root. Tools such as KingRoot and iRoot carry the same root risks described above.