It sounds very 2013-2014, but one of the main advantages of the Android operating system compared to the competition is the ability to root a device. What is root? This concept refers to obtaining superuser or administrator permissions in Unix-based operating systems –such as macOS, Linux, or Android, so that it is possible to make advanced modifications that any other user with “normal” permissions could not carry.
In practice, it allows us to change the interface of the operating system to modify certain parameters inaccessible to the normal user. That is, in Android, the root is carried out with the aim of bypassing restrictions imposed by the manufacturer of the device, or by Google itself. It is also true that with today’s devices, the root is less and less essential, but there is still a significant base of users who like to root their smartphones.
Curiously, there are also many people who do not want to make modifications to their devices for fear of losing the warranty. An urban legend that has spread over time and is not really true. We explain it to you.
No, root does not invalidate the warranty of your smartphone
Of course, the laws are different in each territory and country, so we are going to speak to those that take effect in the European Union. Directive 1999/44 / EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, of May 25, 1999, on certain aspects of the sale and guarantees of consumer goods, is what we have to take into account since the laws of each country that refer to consumers are based on that Directive.
This Directive goes on to say that every consumer (important this concept) who purchases a product in the European Union, is entitled to a 2-year warranty. In other words, if a product such as a phone breaks down before two years, the seller must fix it or replace it with another one, all without costing the consumer a single cent or euro. In the first 6 months, if the product fails, it is assumed that it is a problem with the device, so the guarantee must be used yes or yes. After these six months, it must be the seller or the manufacturer who will have to demonstrate that the failure was the fault of the consumer.
So, if we root a device and after a year the phone starts to go bad, the seller or manufacturer cannot use the root as an excuse to refuse to fix or replace the smartphone. You must prove that the root was the cause of the breakage of the smartphone in order not to use the warranty. To give an example, if we have rooted and overclocked to increase the power of the processor and with this, we have broken it, we could not make use of the guarantee as long as the manufacturer shows it. On the other hand, if we have made root simply to change the icons of the device or simply to change the ROM, this would not be an excuse.
For that reason, not. The root does not invalidate the product guarantee as long as it has not been the excuse of the device breaking.