Rooting the Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge will break Samsung Pay mobile payments
Rooting our Android devices has long been a way to unshackle our phones and tablets from the confines of OEM restrictions. Things like completely removing bloatware (not just disabling), or running custom ROMs are all made possible through the power of root. While most of the time rooting allows you add cool features and tweaks, it’s not always be the case. The Sony Xperia Z3, for instance, took a big hit to its camera quality thanks to missing DRM keys breaking Sony’s proprietary image processing (although a workaround was eventually found).
Those of you thinking about rooting the Samsung Galaxy S6 or Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge take heed, doing so will break arguably one of the best features of the device: Samsung Pay. To be fair, Samsung Pay isn’t even available yet, but it wont be too much longer until it officially launches (sometime this summer). Once it does, you’ll be able to make mobile payments using your smartphone — not just at NFC-based terminals — but anywhere you can swipe a regular credit card using Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST).
Of course, that’s just something you could do, providing you don’t root. Because Samsung Pay is so heavily tied into the Galaxy S6’s security, rooting your Galaxy S6 compromises its security and consequently, breaks things like KNOX and mobile payments. Just a little something to consider before you run off to root the S6, only to find you are forced to use your physical credit card like an animal.