5 Reasons to Not Root Your Android Device

Previously, we discussed some reasons why you should root your Android device. There are, of course, drawbacks. So here are 5 reasons you may not want to root.

Risk of Bricking. Bricking a phone, or any electronic device, is when the software running the device becomes either corrupt or non-existent; therefore rendering your phone as useful as a brick. You can't turn on a brick. That sounds obvious, but in almost all cases if you mess up your phone but can still turn it on at some rudimentary level, it is not bricked. It is only 'bricked' when it responds to nothing- ever. These days in the rooting/jailbreaking scene, it's very hard to get to that point. In fact you'd really have to be trying. But when you're flashing the stock firmware and code that ran your phone out of the box with non-OEM code you downloaded somewhere named *~//~*NiCk'z SuPeR Rootz*~//~*, you know you're taking a risk (I don't know if that actually exists, but the naming schemes these developers come up with sometimes are absolutely insane).

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If you still want to take the risk, there are preventative measures you can take during the rooting and ROM flashing process to make things safer. One thing to do is check the MD5 sum of the files you are downloading. To be completely safe, do this for any file that reaches your phone. An MD5 sum is a unique hash code generated for any file. It's useful for making sure that the file uploaded by the developer is the exact same file you download - uncorrupted and undamaged. You can use an MD5 checker to do this. Another thing to do is the same thing the developers of the root methods and ROMs tell their downloaders/followers - read, read, read! It's not uncommon for a developer to post his new ROM with full installation instructions, complete with, "Flash bluetoothfix.zip before rebooting or else Bluetooth won't work!" And then the first post in reply, "Hey I flashed ur ROM but Bluetooth doesn't work!!!!!" If the risks of Android rooting don't turn you off at this point, perhaps this little glimpse into the kind of community you'd be dealing with will.

Your Time Is Valuable. Especially if you're starting from scratch and have never rooted before, it's going to take some time to do the research to find the best, safest, and easiest method to access root on your phone. The methods can change frequently. When carriers push OTA (Over the Air) updates, and you install them, you lose root each time and have to find out how to get it back. Fortunately, as of late, you can use an app called OTA RootKeeper to maintain root. This may not work for everyone though.

Even after the initial research of rooting, if you decide to do things like installing a custom ROM, change CPU voltage/overclocking settings, etc., it all takes time to set up the way you want it. Then, when a new version of the custom ROM you installed is released by the dev, you often have to wipe completely again and start all over. And then it's recommended to recalibrate your battery. This can all become a time sink and a headache pretty quickly.

Warranty Void. Depending on the carrier, you may or may not be able to use your warranty if you're having problems with your rooted Android phone. This is fair, because if you brick your phone you should not expect Verizon, AT&T, etc., to replace it for you. However, sometimes hardware warranties are voided, too. So if you modify the software, but the screen breaks, or the headphone jack doesn't work anymore, could they refuse to help you? Quite possibly. It is usually possible to unroot your device, assuming you didn't break the hardware enough and you can still perform that task. The community usually supports unrooting methods and discussion. So once rooted, you're not necessarily always rooted.

Unlike hardware warranty voiding, it's much easier to go back to stock with Android software.

No OTA On Custom ROMs. If all you do is root, you will still receive notifications for firmware updates. If you install a custom ROM, you will no longer receive those update notifications. If you installed a custom ROM, you may have done so in order to resolve an issue with the stock firmware in the first place, which is now being resolved from the official developers. Sometimes though, a custom ROM that fixes one issue might crop up other issues. So maybe when a new version of your firmware is released, it would be worthwhile to see what things are fixed, and what might still be broken. Again, your time is valuable though. This can become a headache, too.

Harder to Find an Excuse to Upgrade. So you spent all that time rooting, installing a custom ROM, changing voltage settings, and getting everything set up the way you want it. Not only fixing problems with the stock software, you may actually be ahead of the curve. You could be running at 1.5 GHz while everyone else with your phone is running stock at 1.0 GHz. Motorola, for example, may have EOLed your device, and while everyone is running stock Gingerbread, you may have an aftermarket version of Ice Cream Sandwich installed. Your reasons to convince yourself to upgrade to a newer device may start to dwindle!

There you have it, 5 reasons to root, and 5 reasons not to. On a personal level, I am using a rooted Verizon Galaxy Nexus. I bought the phone because, it being a Nexus device, I was under the impression at the time it was released that it would get the timeliest updates. Turns out that really is only true with the Sprint and AT&T versions. The early Verizon Galaxy Nexus was riddled with radio issues, and it took months to address it with an official update. Who is to blame, Verizon, Samsung, Google, is up for debate. Many people had to root and install a custom ROM themselves to deal with battery life and signal issues. Many people are starting to get burnt out.

Apple only uses technology in their hardware that they feel the consumer public is ready for. Google is more concerned with getting their software on as many devices as possible, and phone manufacturers are looking to one-up Apple in any way possible - larger screens, NFC, a barometer, etc. This all results in fragmentation, outright broken hardware and software, and sometimes aggravated customers. Good for Apple though, other companies test the waters for them! At the end of the day, if you want something working out of the box and never have to think about what's going on in the background, go iPhone. If you are willing to take the risk for a little more functionality, possibly resulting in some tinkering, go Android. If you don't care about any of that and just want a good keyboard, go Blackberry!