Unlock/Relock & Motorola Tamper Flags - X 2014 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

So Motorola uses "QFuses and Trusted Boot" http://blog.azimuthsecurity.com/2013/04/unlocking-motorola-bootloader.html to prevent (hiding the fact) that you unlocked your device.
Apparently once you unlock you will always get the "unlocked bootloader" warning on boot, even if you restore stock, and OEM lock the device.
There are some tamper flag reset tools out there for non-Motorola devices, but I'm not sure how they work or if the tech can be applied in this case too, doubtful. - I would love it if someone found a way to do it anyway, I'm all for sticking it to the man!
Just thought I'd share, enjoy.

I feel the problem you will run into is that even if you reset all the flags, Motorola has a record of everyone who unlocked their phones. They most likely simply run the serial number when processing a RMA or Warranty claim and would reject you on that basis.

Unlocking the BL dose not void your warranty.

matt99017d said:
Unlocking the BL dose not void your warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With the Pure edition it doesn't but I'm not so sure about all the other ones. When you get the unlock code you have to accept some terms and one of them is that your warranty is void. I'm sure if there is a legitimate hardware defect Motorola will still honor the warranty (technically in the US they are required by law to do so) but anything else is pretty much grey area.

Related

[Q] Sprint Moto X: SlapMyMoto vs. unlocking bootloader?

I'm waiting for my Sprint Moto X to arrive next week. I've gleaned that my rooting options appear to boil down to either a) "officially" unlocking the bootloader through Moto (and voiding warranty) or b) using SlapMyMoto to root (which also voids the warranty, but presumably Moto won't know and theoretically leaves me the option of trying to return to stock if I need to).
I'm wondering if folks would comment on why they opted for one choice over the other (and obviously, correct any misconceptions I have. Never needed to use the warranty on a smartphone, but obviously there can always be a first time.)
Thanks.
fwald said:
I'm waiting for my Sprint Moto X to arrive next week. I've gleaned that my rooting options appear to boil down to either a) "officially" unlocking the bootloader through Moto (and voiding warranty) or b) using SlapMyMoto to root (which also voids the warranty, but presumably Moto won't know and theoretically leaves me the option of trying to return to stock if I need to).
I'm wondering if folks would comment on why they opted for one choice over the other (and obviously, correct any misconceptions I have. Never needed to use the warranty on a smartphone, but obviously there can always be a first time.)
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's old news that Motorola is no longer voiding the warranty for unlocking the bootloader of Developer Edition X's. If you don't have a dev edition then slapmymoto is your only choice.
Its easier to work with an X that has an unlocked boot loader. Easier to root and have R/W abilities with unlocked bootloader.
You just have to ask... do I feel lucky? And decide "will I need my warranty?"
KidJoe said:
Its easier to work with an X that has an unlocked boot loader. Easier to root and have R/W abilities with unlocked bootloader.
You just have to ask... do I feel lucky? And decide "will I need my warranty?"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
meh... the desk jockey at the sprint store is unlikely to know anything about bootloaders or rooting. And chances are if you get to the point where you need to exercise your warranty (i.e. Bricked or other wise) then they will take a look at the phone and see it doesn't boot and give you a new one. They don't have time to give post mortems to every phone that is returned.. they can simply send them back to get refurbished in bulk.
DssTrainer said:
meh... the desk jockey at the sprint store is unlikely to know anything about bootloaders or rooting. And chances are if you get to the point where you need to exercise your warranty (i.e. Bricked or other wise) then they will take a look at the phone and see it doesn't boot and give you a new one. They don't have time to give post mortems to every phone that is returned.. they can simply send them back to get refurbished in bulk.
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Click to collapse
While I know that, and you know that, it doesn't change the fact of what its stated on Moto's web site when you request the code to unlock your bootloader.. that your warranty is voided. It also doesn't mean that Sprint, or other carriers, wont do "postmortums" on devices they receive at their repair center and try and bill someone if they discover the bootloader was unlocked. At the same respect, since you need to enter info into Moto's web site about your phone to get the unlock code (where you acknowledge your warranty is now voided), wouldn't it be interesting if Moto decideds to start feeding back IMEI, serial numbers, etc of these devices to the carriers?
Call me paranoid.. Crazy, or whatever. Knowing what Moto says the policy is, and being aware of it, is important.
Will the carrier follow through, can they follow through, etc.. has been discussed many times over in the past, so i don't want to start again now.
Magnus_CA said:
It's old news that Motorola is no longer voiding the warranty for unlocking the bootloader of Developer Edition X's. If you don't have a dev edition then slapmymoto is your only choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All due respect, I believe your statements are not applicable or wrong.
1) This is the Sprint Moto X, not the Developer Edition
2) You can unlock the bootloader through the Moto web site, but in doing so void the warranty.
KidJoe said:
Its easier to work with an X that has an unlocked boot loader. Easier to root and have R/W abilities with unlocked bootloader.
You just have to ask... do I feel lucky? And decide "will I need my warranty?"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, that's the overall message I've been getting. Was just attempting to get a (obviously unscientific) sense of which option most people were choosing.
DssTrainer said:
meh... the desk jockey at the sprint store is unlikely to know anything about bootloaders or rooting. And chances are if you get to the point where you need to exercise your warranty (i.e. Bricked or other wise) then they will take a look at the phone and see it doesn't boot and give you a new one. They don't have time to give post mortems to every phone that is returned.. they can simply send them back to get refurbished in bulk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hadn't considered that telling Moto doesn't necessarily mean that Sprint will automatically find out. Hmmm.
KidJoe said:
Call me paranoid.. Crazy, or whatever. Knowing what Moto says the policy is, and being aware of it, is important.
Will the carrier follow through, can they follow through, etc.. has been discussed many times over in the past, so i don't want to start again now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suspect I'll probably unlock the bootloader. I've never, ever needed my smartphone warranty before. So of course, this means some disaster likely awaits.
Unlock bootloader. Much less of a hassle and more of a benefit.
I would also like to root my phone, and don't want to void the warrantee. And for practical purposes, Sprint didn't deal with moto-maker phones, they tell you to take your phone to Motorola.
So I don't want to unlock the boot-loader at this time. Maybe after the warrantee expires.
Puzzlegal said:
I would also like to root my phone, and don't want to void the warrantee. And for practical purposes, Sprint didn't deal with moto-maker phones, they tell you to take your phone to Motorola.
So I don't want to unlock the boot-loader at this time. Maybe after the warrantee expires.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, your warranty is void whether you root or unlock the bootloader. Personally, I'd unlock the bootloader because it gives you more options to recover from user error.
I don't have to tell Motorola that I am rooting the phone. I have to tell them if I unlock the boot-loader. But poking around, it does look like it is dangerous to root this phone without unlocking the boot-loader.
Puzzlegal said:
I don't have to tell Motorola that I am rooting the phone. I have to tell them if I unlock the boot-loader. But poking around, it does look like it is dangerous to root this phone without unlocking the boot-loader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Meh, it's not all that difficult. Just follow the instructions word for word and you'll be fine. Just make sure you have all the correct drivers and files before beginning.
It'll be much easier to enable wifi hotspot with an unlocked bootloader though. I already tried it once with my Moto X with a locked bootloader and it's a PITA. Had to go back to stock and run SlapMyMoto again. Framework-res.apk is a fickle *****.

[Q] getting off-warranty or void warranty service?

First, i do NOT have a problem (yet), where i need service...
And I m sure my warranty is void with att because unlocked rooted renamed the oem folder edited build.prop, im sure any tamper flags are tripped.
That said, if i break a screen or have a button that stops working or somerhing like that, can i send it into moto for repairs with the understanding that i would pay myself out of pocket?
When I broke the screen on my note 2, I found out after the fact that Sammy would fix it for something like $150, which was cheaper than aftermarket repair shops, iirc.
-Peter
pcrussell50 said:
That said, if i break a screen or have a button that stops working or somerhing like that, can i send it into moto for repairs with the understanding that i would pay myself out of pocket?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
Also, You should also create an account on Motorola's support site (not their retail sales site), and when you provide your IMEI # upon signup, your warranty will be tied to your account also, you know, in case you want to make a warranty claim through motorola instead of AT&T.

unlocked bootloader

Hi, I just bought a new Z3 Compact and have no experience with android whatsoever (used iPhone and Lumia before)
The deal is, using the service command, I can see that it has an unlocked bootloader. Does Sony ship some of their phones with bootloaders unlocked? I'm concerned that the reseller might have tampered with the phone before selling it to me and thus losing my DRM keys in the process.
Is there a surefire 100% way to check and make certain that the phone is still functioning properly and that the DRM keys are still present? I thought of making some low light pictures, but since I don't have any other to compare it with, it seemed rather pointless.
Thank you.
mnmkng said:
Hi, I just bought a new Z3 Compact and have no experience with android whatsoever (used iPhone and Lumia before)
The deal is, using the service command, I can see that it has an unlocked bootloader. Does Sony ship some of their phones with bootloaders unlocked? I'm concerned that the reseller might have tampered with the phone before selling it to me and thus losing my DRM keys in the process.
Is there a surefire 100% way to check and make certain that the phone is still functioning properly and that the DRM keys are still present? I thought of making some low light pictures, but since I don't have any other to compare it with, it seemed rather pointless.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sony or any other company will never sell their phones while their BL is unlocked.
In this case when you unlock your BL you lose some functionality so there is no way Sony would or would even be allowed to sell a product like that. Once the BL has been unlocked the keys are lost forever.
There are some people that are working on bringing back the/some functionality after you've unlocked the BL, but imo for the Z3C it's still in the beta stages.
Contact the person that sold you the phone, because he did all this on purpose, you can't unlock the BL by accident and then also "forget" to mention it when selling the device.
Thanks for the reply. "The person" actually was a reputable online reseller and they claim that nothing has been done to the phone.
Is there a way to test whether the DRM keys are still there?
mnmkng said:
Thanks for the reply. "The person" actually was a reputable online reseller and they claim that nothing has been done to the phone.
Is there a way to test whether the DRM keys are still there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can run a security test:
*#*#7378423#*#*
Service tests
Security
This should show the various keys with a status for each...
Thanks. It shows OK everywhere so I assume it's fine.
mnmkng said:
Thanks. It shows OK everywhere so I assume it's fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is unexpected. Are you sure your bootloader shows as unlocked and not just unlockable?
This sounds interesting, which line of the security test shows the status of the DRM keys?
As I've said earlier, I'm an utter noob in terms of Android. You might be right though as the line says Bootloader unlock allowed: Yes. Does that mean it's unlockable but still locked?
mnmkng said:
As I've said earlier, I'm an utter noob in terms of Android. You might be right though as the line says Bootloader unlock allowed: Yes. Does that mean it's unlockable but still locked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right. That is just an indication whether or not you have the capability to actually unlock your bootloader.
I'm 99.9% sure that your bootloader is locked.
Your keys are still in tact and devices don't get released with unlocked bootloaders.
You should not have anything to worry about

Will unlocking Bootloader void my warranty ?

Will unlocking Bootloader void my warranty ? If yes will i have my warranty back after relocking it ?
Or requesting the code from Huawei void warranty ? Thanks
As far is I know, yes. And it's irreversible.
So the warranty will be void for ever for software and hardware??? this thing are silly.
If You read agreement when requesting unlock code then it is sad there that Huawei allows unlocking bootloader, but warranty wont cover any damages made by manual flashing, so hardware issues still will be under warranty. There are some country and carriers that will void it anyway compleately, so ask Your carrier if You bought it on contract.
mobi74 said:
So the warranty will be void for ever for software and hardware??? this thing are silly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not really that silly because you could quite easily brick your phone or do permanent hardware damage with an unlocked bootloader. I wouldn't recommend it having a bricked p10 at the moment. If your doing it to root the phone, don't rooting is a ***** with the p10 and really not worth it.
Look below:
Actually I've had another look, There isnt anything in the locking agreement that suggests the warranty will be void. I guess vendors might not cover it for warranty but the huawei agreement says if its outside of warranty it can be fixed for normal repair rates. If anyone can actually source somewhere that it does void the warranty I'd like to see that. Maybe its just assumed that it voids warranty.
Jyndon said:
Actually I've had another look, There isnt anything in the locking agreement that suggests the warranty will be void. I guess vendors might not cover it for warranty but the huawei agreement says if its outside of warranty it can be fixed for normal repair rates. If anyone can actually source somewhere that it does void the warranty I'd like to see that. Maybe its just assumed that it voids warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And what I just sad?
netmaniack said:
And what I just sad?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah I ready my warranty card for my p10 and it says basically if you break the phone by doing something with bootloader unlocked that the warranty wont cover it but they will still do a repair at the non warranty prices.

Unlock the bootloader after the next mouth

Next month Huawei will stop support unlocking the bootloader for their phones.
If I got the bootloader unlock code already it will be possible to unlock the phone later? Or I must to do it before?
Yes, get the code and store it. You should be able to unlock at a later time.
But warranty is void when you ask the unlock code or only if i use the code? Thanks
filep said:
But warranty is void when you ask the unlock code or only if i use the code? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only use
Doronmak said:
Next month Huawei will stop support unlocking the bootloader for their phones.
If I got the bootloader unlock code already it will be possible to unlock the phone later? Or I must to do it before?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like most providers they've opened the door to bootloader unlocking, doing this alone won't void your warranty.
What follows if permanent will.
If you can reverse what you do or keep it at a stock level!! Then you're fine.
If you've got madness going on, SuperSU and you send it back?? Then yea.
Or if they can prove beyond reasonable doubt that what you did was the cause of the fault!! Then yea you'll lose warranty.
In the whole time I've been with android and I've been with them from the G1 (the beginning)
You know how many I've seen declined from similar situations?
Zero.....not one......
Just don't take the piss.
Rebrand to 432? So what it's still stock.
Send it in with mods on it, you'll get a nice big middle finger.
Diagnosing phones are just people.
Just be reasonable with what you send them.

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