As has been explained many times in the past, Android's relative openness compared to iOS at the source code level does not translate to measurable benefits for the majority of users because of carrier/manufacturer lockdown.
Rooting is a security exploit, and I don't consider it relevant to whether the OS is practically open.
The worst thing about smartphones (In my case android) is how closed they are.
Rooting is getting more difficult, bootloaders are getting more and more unlockable, SafetyNet and this new Play Integrity API are simply user-hostile.
There is absolutely no real rational reason to deny root access. Sure, non-technical people could mess something up, but if you make rooting just a combination of putting it in e.g. the fastboot mode and then running a single command to get root access. (Factory-State: No root-access), nobody would accidentally mess up the phone.
I dunno, it's still pretty easy. I think if google really wanted to they could make it quite a bit harder. And fixing exploits that give apps root access would prevent malicious apps from abusing it, no?
Except it's not impossible. Look at iphone and increasingly android. The device is locked down so hard that even the user doesn't have root access. Gaining root can be seen as a negative, borderline criminal thing and you lose warranty and repair service from the manufacturer. You also lose the ability to use some apps (Android pay, snapchat, etc.) just because you have root access.
The only ones with true root access are Apple and Samsung/Google.
The thing is, it still wouldn't be enough. Ex. I currently use magisk to tell Google Play and all apps that my phone isn't rooted, allowing me to use app features they would otherwise lock me out of.
Of course you will always have people to try to run things as root but the option could just be hidden like the developer options on Android with a big warning that enabling root might destroy their phone.
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