As soon as, people buy a new Android smartphone they want to root it because of the common misconception going around that rooting unlocks a new channel of power stream in your device. The only thing rooting does it gives you power of making system changes at the root user level. A rooted Android device can remove system apps, make changes to otherwise inaccessible parameters, install new roms and more. But is it really worth it? Rooting an Android smartphone can actually break the security measures put inside the operating system to protect your data and can even make it completely useless (brick the phone).
After having bricked my Samsung Galaxy smartphone, I have come to think of some of the reasons why you should not root your Android device:
- No authentic information available for rooting. First of all, rooting is a very risky process and is NOT supported by Google or any other device manufacturer. All the rooting instructions and programs available online are created by different people around the world. This information does not always work and the programs may not behave as advertised. Lack of authentic information can lead to a complete disaster and your device may become completely useless.
- You can end up bricking your device. Bricking a smartphone means that it becomes as useful as a brick or a paper weight or a stone if you may i.e., it becomes a piece of junk. Rooting your device is often followed by trying out new ROMs available over the internet and if you accidentally overwrite the bootloader (that actually starts your phone) on the EMMC, then it become totally dead. After this you have to either have the mainboard changed, the EMMC replaced or throw the phone in the junk. Replacement of both the mainboard and EMMC is a costly exercise and is better to buy a new smartphone instead in most of the cases.
- No warranty for the rooted smartphones. As soon as you root your Android smartphone, the warranty provided by your device manufacturer becomes void. So if some parts of your device stops working, you will have to pay out of your own pocket for having it repaired. Some users think that they can restore the warranty by quickly unrooting. But if your device is not working (this is why you need warranty), how can you unroot the device?
- Inadvertent changes made to protected system files. When a device is rooted, your smartphones runs with highest possible privileges and you may accidentally delete or modify the files that could not be even accessed otherwise. You may end up erasing some important data like the IMEI codes which are necessary for using the mobile networks. If you end up erasing or changing the IMEI codes, you are not only committing an illegal act but you won’t be able to make any calls.
- Heaven for the new malware. A rooted device is heaven for the new malware as it can actually take over the device without much hard work. your device will become the playground of cyber-criminals and can be controlled over the internet easily – not to mention all the data theft that would take place. And if you have not installed any antivirus app, then it is going to even worse.
Conclusion: Rooting your Android smartphone may sound luring at first but you may actually end up bricking your device, void the manufacturer warranty and make unwanted or irreversible changes to your smartphone. This is why it is highly advised not to root your Android smartphone.