Unlock Bootloader = 'No'? Then how can they still do software updates? - Xperia Z Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I have been back and forth with both T-Mobile and Sony tech support about unlocking my Sony Xperia Z Model C6606 4.3 T-Mobile variant Build 10.4.C.0.814. When I entered the service code '*#* blah blah blah' it says unlock = No. Not possible. No beans. Sorry Charlie. No luck, no joy.
The following is a paraphrase of the exchanges with these two corporate giants, modified for brevity and the hope that the crushingly depressing outcome might be presented as slightly humorous.
I asked them, 'How do you update the system software when new releases are available?' They replied that there are 'special codes' that unlock the bootloader for the update. And I thought to myself, Really? Isn't that special.
I remarked that if it was possible for them to remotely upgrade the system software (read: kernel), then it is possible for them to remotely unlock the bootloader. The song and dance routine that followed was remarkable. In essence, they declined. Not possible. No beans. Sorry Charlie. No luck, no joy.
I said, if you won't unlock the bootloader now that we have established that you can, would you downgrade the system software to something where I can unlock the bootloader? Again, they declined and left me with nothing more than visions of 'special codes' dancing in my head. Not possible. No beans. Sorry Charlie. No luck, no joy.
My only question is, "Why not? Why on some and not on others?"

This is what you call company's politic, and people who work for it need to fallow this politic, even if its bad for consumer.
This world that we created for our self and we need to deal with it, just like with government.
There are codes for maintaining device(not only codes that you type on phone), that cellular companies get from phone manufactures to make their branded systems, just like their get bunch of other tools that help them doing this.
But its not like SIM-lock code and it cant be thrown around like peace of paper, because:
1) its can be used in bad way(hacking, unlocking etc)
2)it could be used by people that would sell that code to others and make money from it(illegally).
3) It breach of contract that you ACCEPTED buying that phone from t-mobile or as a free handset.
When you bought that phone you accepted agreement that you get with phone AND your operator, that clearly say that you can't mess with your phone system in any way that its said in contract and system it self, and you can use your phone as you get it.
Any modifications break terms of use, and you actually lost any rights to even ask support for help.
My point is that asking support for that code is actually really stupid, because their work doesnt include unlocking devices for modifications that user want to make(illegally looking from contract perspective), As far as device is not damaged or doesnt have problems, you actually have no reason write to them.
Its like going to car dealer where you bought car, and ask to remove engine because you want to put there new one... They totally dont care because this is not part of deal you made with them and its just nothing more than breaking regulations.
It is forum about modifications of phones, but we actually all make silent agreement that we KNOW that we can lost warranty and dont have rights for official support when we modify our phones. I think you forgot about that

Agreements have Caveats
Hi Akinaro,
Thank you for your reply. You are of course correct in what you have pointed out concerning contracts and agreements. It is something of which we all (well, most of us) are aware and accept as a matter of course. But as the title of this response indicates, these agreements are a two-way street.
You have made a number of false assumptions in your post. That's OK. Perhaps I wasn't clear and gave you the wrong impression. Let me start now by saying that dealing with customer and tech support on these issues was not 'stupid'. You are NOT correct in presuming or insinuating that I have forgotten anything about the nature of these agreements, that I have entered into any binding agreements in bad faith, that I have broken any binding agreements, that I were considering breaking any binding agreements or that I might encouraging others to break any binding agreements.
In this case, the phone in question is not subject to a warranty agreement, a purchase agreement or even a use agreement. It has been superseded in all aspects by another phone. It is fully and completely my property. However it does not maintain any monetary value, as the screen is broken and the cost of the repair exceeds the value of the device. It's only value is in re-purposing it or using it for R&D. In it's currently locked state, the potential for both is limited.
When dealing with both the OEM and the carrier's tech support departments, I enumerated all of the conditions detailed above. I informed them that my interests in unlocking the device were personal and developmental in nature. In this they're responses were sympathetic and even conciliatory. We ALL understood that there was no breach of contractual terms taking place. Their actions in dealing with me confirm this simple fact. Plus, it is in their collective best interests to support independent R&D, even on older devices, as I'm sure you are aware. The reasons are manifold and beyond the scope of this OP post.
I apologize if I was unclear: I never at any time asked that either of these entities reveal to me the confidential and proprietary codes that they use to flash locked phones. My point was simply that I knew that they existed; that they knew I knew; and that they could accomplish my request to flash my phone if they chose to do so. It is simply negotiating.
Both corporate entities have graciously met me half-way in my efforts to unlock the bootloader. T-Mobile reactivated the SIM for the express purpose of allowing the service call that disclosed the bootloader could NOT be unlocked by the normal software methods available to the user. They didn't have to do that and I am grateful. Sony has developed a comprehensive online method for determining and delivering unlock codes to their phones that can be unlocked in this manner. Again, I am grateful to them for going this far. But this is not the same thing as unlocking my phone. Both of them have the means and methods available to do so. It is their choice to do so or not to do so. That is why you should call and negotiate. The worst that can happen (if you haven't broken any contracts or voided your warranty) is that they will say no.
I am perfectly within my rights to be disappointed that I didn't accomplish my goal. Likewise, it is completely understandable for me to wonder why they haven't fully implemented a plan to unlock all 4.3 'Zs'. I can even complain about it if I want. But I would rather that people smarter than I offer up new tactics and strategies to try. I don't want to give up just yet.
Akinaro said:
This is what you call company's politic, and people who work for it need to fallow this politic, even if its bad for consumer.
This world that we created for our self and we need to deal with it, just like with government.
There are codes for maintaining device(not only codes that you type on phone), that cellular companies get from phone manufactures to make their branded systems, just like their get bunch of other tools that help them doing this.
But its not like SIM-lock code and it cant be thrown around like peace of paper, because:
1) its can be used in bad way(hacking, unlocking etc)
2)it could be used by people that would sell that code to others and make money from it(illegally).
3) It breach of contract that you ACCEPTED buying that phone from t-mobile or as a free handset.
When you bought that phone you accepted agreement that you get with phone AND your operator, that clearly say that you can't mess with your phone system in any way that its said in contract and system it self, and you can use your phone as you get it.
Any modifications break terms of use, and you actually lost any rights to even ask support for help.
My point is that asking support for that code is actually really stupid, because their work doesnt include unlocking devices for modifications that user want to make(illegally looking from contract perspective), As far as device is not damaged or doesnt have problems, you actually have no reason write to them.
Its like going to car dealer where you bought car, and ask to remove engine because you want to put there new one... They totally dont care because this is not part of deal you made with them and its just nothing more than breaking regulations.
It is forum about modifications of phones, but we actually all make silent agreement that we KNOW that we can lost warranty and dont have rights for official support when we modify our phones. I think you forgot about that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Sorry, but my point is still valid.
You still asking support, that is made for helping with damaged/inoperative devices in way as guarantee say it, for unsupported access to device that is not part of ANY agreement that you accepted buying this phone.
People you talked with can be nice or not, can understand that its personal and for developing purpose. Its all doesnt matter because its company politic.
Even if I support full access to device that you bought(after all ITS YOURS) in other way I know that more than half of people that would see that they have access to it, they would start messing with it and then whine that their phones doesnt work.
In fact, actually damn good part of post on XDA is such whining of people that messed their phone and now they cry that it doesnt work and ask for help, and saddest part is that they never learn lesson from it so its never ending story.
So again, asking support for unlocking your phone, as far as its not SIM-lock, its useless and just silly.
You can ask technician from support if he could do this "on the side, out of records", but you would need +10 charisma for that if you dont know him, or some cash, that for most of time work. I actually loots of time just paid technician to make it on the side, especially when you dont need to wait few days for phone, few minutes, few hours and they fix/unlock your phone without a problem.
Or just find someone who would help you unlock it in different way... but XZ is just old and not "trendy" so no one care anymore and its hard to find anyone here.

OK Akinaro. That's enough with the ad hominem attacks. You have accused me of everything from trying to steal company secrets to unethical breaches of contractual agreements. All I did was try to negotiate some assistance and report on my progress.
Point 1. I am still a long term customer of my carrier. They encourage me to seek their help. So I don't care if you like it or not. What you characterize as abuse or illegal behavior, THEY characterize as completely acceptable.
Point 2. I am a consumer of the OEM's products. They encourage me to seek their help. So I don't care if you like it or not. What you characterize as abuse or illegal behavior, THEY characterize as completely acceptable.
Point 3. This is a development forum. My OP is within bounds and my responses to you have been civil. So I don't care if you like it or not. What you characterize as abuse or illegal behavior, THEY characterize as completely acceptable.
So far, you have accused me of everything from unethical acts and intentions to stupidity and whining. You haven't said anything of any real value. You haven't contributed any constructive ideas how I might get them to help. Nor have you been able to substantiate your wild accusations with anything that resemble facts or logic. So no, you haven't made a single valid point.

You realize that Im just writing obvious things? Because idea of asking official support for unlocking bootloader is just weird.
You can be mad that from your perspective my point is not valid.... because core of your question contain no fricking point at all.
You asked support for unlocking: They said they dont do this.
In your phone manual there is mention: "Any change or modification not expressly approved by Sony may void the user's authority to operate the equipment.", and I think access to bootloader just to have fun with kernel is part of that "modification"
There is about 1000 topic about bootloader on XDA, and they all mention the same thing: if it say no, its no. Simple.
So what you expect them to do? What you expect from XDA when you made this topic? All we can say is obvious thing that everyone know: ts not possible, especially with help of official support, that is not made for that.
Before you even bought your phone you should think and check your device, I always ask to turn phone on before buy it, its a matter of typing *#*#service#*#* to check it, its about 9sec to find bootloader section.
You can be mad at me, Sony or Obama, or anyone who is trendy right now, No one care. All what I write, is obvious things that everyone known.

Noob Friendly.
Hello again Akinaro,
While I am absolutely sure that you have a great deal of technical knowledge about phones (far more than I), it is a poor excuse for rude behavior, engaging in character assassination, making baseless assumptions or libelous accusations. A quick read through your post reveals a bias that is based entirely on a false perception and not the facts. So please allow me to address these directly.
You said, "You asked support for unlocking: They said they dont do this."
FACT: Some T-Mobile Xperia Z phone have a bootloader that IS unlockable (something of which you are well aware). The "*#*#service#*#*" service proves the point. Furthermore, they will supply you with a link to the OEM developers website that will unlock your bootloader while giving you detailed instructions on how to go about it. So NO! I said nothing of the sort.
You said, "In your phone manual there is mention: 'Any change or modification not expressly approved by Sony may void the user's authority to operate the equipment.'"
FACT: That's not what 'express approval' is, means or implies. Sony's assistance to developers in unlocking the bootloader of their devices disproves your unfounded assumptions. It is prima facie evidence of Sony's explicit approval. There are things that a developer can do to an unlocked phone that are either legal or illegal or acceptable and unacceptable. Examples:
1.) Modifying a phone's operating system for purposes such as changing the look and feel of the device, for automation or for the addition of certain desirable features found in other OS releases is (within certain bounds); Acceptable.
2.) Modifying the device to circumvent regulatory restrictions or carrier use agreements?; Not Acceptable.
My point to the OP was that they DO unlock SOME Xperia Z phones regardless of model; that they DO provide assistance in doing so; but that they CAN unlock them all and that they don't explain why the won't. My point is that there is an underlying factor that remains unexplained and I thought that an explanation was worth pursuing. DID YOU NOT GET THAT? I consider this question interesting and the answers murky at best. Why some and not all? Had I NOT asked them why and why not, that would have been stupid. Had I not sought clarification here at a forum that is dedicated to developers, that would have been stupid. Expecting that the OP would have been answered with rational discussion or friendly advice: OBVIOUSLY STUPID.
Alas, I am not mad at you for having your opinion no matter how misguided. I will ALSO refrain from calling you names or implying that, your position, your actions, or your opinions are 'stupid', 'pointless' or 'illegal'. If you want to discuss the topic, fine. Otherwise, please cut the crap. I'll cop to being ignorant. Ignorance can be cured. Stupidity, not so much.
Stupid is NOT trying to remedy ignorance by seeking answers. You don't like the OP? Then go read another. You want to just be hostile? It say a lot about you - not me.
Akinaro said:
You realize that Im just writing obvious things? Because idea of asking official support for unlocking bootloader is just weird.
You can be mad that from your perspective my point is not valid.... because core of your question contain no fricking point at all.
You asked support for unlocking: They said they dont do this.
In your phone manual there is mention: "Any change or modification not expressly approved by Sony may void the user's authority to operate the equipment.", and I think access to bootloader just to have fun with kernel is part of that "modification"
There is about 1000 topic about bootloader on XDA, and they all mention the same thing: if it say no, its no. Simple.
So what you expect them to do? What you expect from XDA when you made this topic? All we can say is obvious thing that everyone know: ts not possible, especially with help of official support, that is not made for that.
Before you even bought your phone you should think and check your device, I always ask to turn phone on before buy it, its a matter of typing *#*#service#*#* to check it, its about 9sec to find bootloader section.
You can be mad at me, Sony or Obama, or anyone who is trendy right now, No one care. All what I write, is obvious things that everyone known.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Thread closed at the request of the OP.

Related

An Open Letter to Microsoft - Let us develop WM6 please

Dear Microsoft,
I am writing this letter to ask permission for Xda-developers.com and it's users to officially use, develop, and share the new Wizard WM6 roms on this site. I know that you are currently not allowing us to do so. I believe it is in your best interest to let us. Here is why:
1) User Testing - allowing us to develop and share the WM6 rom for the wizard will open your product to a huge amount of testing. On this site, we don't just use our phones, we push them hard. We love to see the most we can get out of them. We get bored with what we have, so we load a new rom and see what it can do. 3 days later we load another. You will not find a better place on the Internet to test your roms.
Also, it will allow us to test compatibility with new and existing software. This site is already reference material for most software developers and even HTC. In our never-ending search for information about these devices we find things such as tricks to make them better, security holes, and all sorts of information that 3rd party companies can use.
All of this work is done by volunteers who, although they may gripe from time to time, feel a sense of satisfaction for doing this work. You can't buy their level of loyalty.
2) Goodwill - Allowing us to use, develop and share the WM6 rom will create a massive amount of goodwill on this site for your company. Since you are the biggest player in the game, you are currently subject to TONS of criticism everywhere you turn. People usually see you as this huge faceless corporation that wants to control people and take their money. I read the blogs of Microsoft employees and know this is really not the case. Allowing us to work on this rom openly will create goodwill that no ad campaign can buy.
3) Money - The bottom line is that you will save money. Money that might be spent on research will be saved by free research on this site. Money spent on ads to generate goodwill will be saved by the goodwill generated on this site.
I appreciate your consideration of this matter. Please let us know of your decision.
Sincerely,
texasaggie1
cool letter.. cant wait to see wat kind of responce you get.
Diddo.......Let's see if the big boss will let us play.
Great Letter Aggie. I would think the MS resposne would be pretty good about this. MS has been pretty good with other technologies lately in opening it up and taking feedbacks from users.
One thing is for sure. THERE IS NO OTHER PLACE BETTER THAN HERE TO TEST/TWEAK/BETTER WINDOWS MOBILE.
We do have a vast number of volunteers here that do a helluva job in making these roms faster and better.
What makes you think they aren't doing this already?
Where do you think this 'leaked' version originated from, anyway? And why is it literally painless to install?
MS has employees who actively troll this group (among others) to get feedback..good and bad...for their "pre-release" warez. They just lurk in the shadows (rightfully so, speaking up would make them the whipping boys of the forum...)
Since the hardware mfr and/or the service provider of the device is the one who decides whether or not to 'upgrade' your device with the latest and greatest OS (based heavily on whether or not they want to support multiple s/w versions) MS can't make any money off simply selling their product to the end user. Unlike the PC model of selling you a retail boxed version of a new operating system for your PC.
No money to be made = no money to be lost. Think about it.
All that being said, the most important thing to remember is that they will ACTIVELY shut down any site hosting their software without their permission. If they fail to enforce their copyrights by legal means, it further weakens any argument in future lawsuits regarding others who pirate their software. They will also quickly piss off the likes of t-mobile, cingular, and other service providers if they provide the end-user a means of bypassing their process of certifying the stability of their phones.
They will continue to operate in this way for a long time. They get free beta testing from 'hardcore users' while looking the other way. It's genius if you ask me!
!! Sweet !!
I would be very suprised if they gave this consideration, they will wait for the 'next gen' devices up to come to release it on in my opinion.
Besides we must face it, most people that are using these phones these days do not flash their device, nonetheless, know what it is.
We are the few flashing samurai that cannot live with a stock rom, and want to "juice" our hardware to get our money's worth. \m/
I will say If you live in the US now you will see that parents are buying their teenage kiddies smartphones/ppcs now for a couple reasons. 1) To ward off an appl music/video product, and of course. 2) To be able to reach them anywhere with the phone service.
It would have been funny to say that most people on this site are using/have used the wm6 leak already, so we might as well work together for free, for a learning purpose.
They need more of this for WM device settings...
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2362050448778905490&q=steve+ballmer+remix
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5oGaZIKYvo
rizzo said:
What makes you think they aren't doing this already?
Where do you think this 'leaked' version originated from, anyway? And why is it literally painless to install?
MS has employees who actively troll this group (among others) to get feedback..good and bad...for their "pre-release" warez. They just lurk in the shadows (rightfully so, speaking up would make them the whipping boys of the forum...)
Since the hardware mfr and/or the service provider of the device is the one who decides whether or not to 'upgrade' your device with the latest and greatest OS (based heavily on whether or not they want to support multiple s/w versions) MS can't make any money off simply selling their product to the end user. Unlike the PC model of selling you a retail boxed version of a new operating system for your PC.
No money to be made = no money to be lost. Think about it.
All that being said, the most important thing to remember is that they will ACTIVELY shut down any site hosting their software without their permission. If they fail to enforce their copyrights by legal means, it further weakens any argument in future lawsuits regarding others who pirate their software. They will also quickly piss off the likes of t-mobile, cingular, and other service providers if they provide the end-user a means of bypassing their process of certifying the stability of their phones.
They will continue to operate in this way for a long time. They get free beta testing from 'hardcore users' while looking the other way. It's genius if you ask me!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, you might be right. But, aren't they allowing WM6 on the Universal? That may change the equation.
My gut feeling is that one or more of the ROM cookers in here works for M$. You don't know some of the things they do without having a lot more background knowledge than the average joe. There's nothing wrong with that, of course...that means better products for you and me.
I support Texasaggie1
Hi, i would like to support the request. It makes damn sense, I am an old-time Linux user and i think that Microsoft would show great marketing sense in allowing us to test it. I will not argue about the advantages and benefits,
and one simple question: Who would be negatively affected by it? HTC? Microsoft? other users? Network providers?
pzucchel said:
Hi, i would like to support the request. It makes damn sense, I am an old-time Linux user and i think that Microsoft would show great marketing sense in allowing us to test it. I will not argue about the advantages and benefits,
and one simple question: Who would be negatively affected by it? HTC? Microsoft? other users? Network providers?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Thought is NO-ONE. As all we do is RUN these ROMS and Tweak them to perform in the best way that they can. All that everyone does here is readily available and can/could/HAS been adopted by Developers, Networks & Manufacturers alike.
jwzg said:
My gut feeling is that one or more of the ROM cookers in here works for M$. You don't know some of the things they do without having a lot more background knowledge than the average joe. There's nothing wrong with that, of course...that means better products for you and me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt any of the 'cookers' work for Microsoft. Although difficult, it's fairly common to reverse-engineer someone elses code and mold it into something that you want. Once you get the hang of how things work and make the script kiddie tools to do it, it's fairly simple.
One thing that a cooker can't do is write an entire OS then 'leak' it onto the internet and call it WM6, this is done by someone entrusted with copies of it for legitimate purposes. Blame HTC or any of the ODM's if you want, but it my opinion, it would be a waste of your time.
If you want to infect the world, you must spread your disease. MS has come a long way in this regard with the likes of gaining on Palm, RIM, symbian, etc.
Microsoft has always leveraged piracy to work in their favor...those that can't get the disease (or otherwise can't afford it) will have access to it. If you can't make the sale, might as well get them hooked fo' free!
pzucchel said:
and one simple question: Who would be negatively affected by it? HTC? Microsoft? other users? Network providers?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, but I had to chime in on this one, too. Maybe some people don't see it, but we ARE actively beta testing their software.
If you develop software, and want to have beta testing do any good, there needs to be some kind of order. Visiting forums to find information is chaotic at best. Sifting through page after page of hijacked threads and RTFM type questions isn't going to yield the feedback a company needs to squash the bugs out of code. If enough people complain about a particular 'feature' then it might get the company to try and replicate it in-house, but its very unlikely that you'd ever hear anything back from them.
End-users modifying their devices by flashing it with unreleased firmware it wasn't originally designed for is dangerous, and can cause a ripple effect if it's not managed. As long as the company stands by its "hey, we never said this code was finished - not to mention you're not supposed to have it" stance, it can shield them from almost ALL liability in you bricking your phone. In the mean time, hardcore folks like us will continue shoving the bleeding-edge not-ready-ware into our phones in order to tell the tales of our adventures to all that will listen - and MS will continue "leaking" their warez into the wild.
The minute Microsoft starts bending these rules for folks like us, then they are going to have to answer to THEIR customers (HTC, network providers, etc) when the nOObs start flooding their call centers for warranty-return requests.
texasaggie1 said:
Dear Microsoft,
I am writing this letter to ask permission for Xda-developers.com and it's users to officially use, develop, and share the new Wizard WM6 roms on this site. I know that you are currently not allowing us to do so. I believe it is in your best interest to let us. Here is why:
1) User Testing - allowing us to develop and share the WM6 rom for the wizard will open your product to a huge amount of testing. On this site, we don't just use our phones, we push them hard. We love to see the most we can get out of them. We get bored with what we have, so we load a new rom and see what it can do. 3 days later we load another. You will not find a better place on the Internet to test your roms.
Also, it will allow us to test compatibility with new and existing software. This site is already reference material for most software developers and even HTC. In our never-ending search for information about these devices we find things such as tricks to make them better, security holes, and all sorts of information that 3rd party companies can use.
All of this work is done by volunteers who, although they may gripe from time to time, feel a sense of satisfaction for doing this work. You can't buy their level of loyalty.
2) Goodwill - Allowing us to use, develop and share the WM6 rom will create a massive amount of goodwill on this site for your company. Since you are the biggest player in the game, you are currently subject to TONS of criticism everywhere you turn. People usually see you as this huge faceless corporation that wants to control people and take their money. I read the blogs of Microsoft employees and know this is really not the case. Allowing us to work on this rom openly will create goodwill that no ad campaign can buy.
3) Money - The bottom line is that you will save money. Money that might be spent on research will be saved by free research on this site. Money spent on ads to generate goodwill will be saved by the goodwill generated on this site.
I appreciate your consideration of this matter. Please let us know of your decision.
Sincerely,
texasaggie1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agreed texasaggie1 said but dont forget in all devices rom ,MS just part of 70% of rom others 30% belong to HTC,T-mobile...etc, the reason we need to cook rom in here not really problem belong to MS that belong to HTC,
MS understand HTC was first OEM used Mobile window,but MS can understand why we need to cook rom in here ? do you hear anyone cook Window XP ? MS must understand device rom is different with Window XP,MS just proved PB and AKU ,device also need driver and some of OEM program otherwide device(phone) will not working,you can see in rom kithen had OS/LOC/OEM , SO belong to MS,LOC/OEM belong to HTC,T-Mobile..etc. this is different with window XP,if today all rom made by MS than no one can said anything,but not in this case ,we in here not only help MS also help HTC,T-Mobile...etc. too, they got how many free employees to worked with them,now Apple will come out IPhone ,I dont think MS want to lose market to them,we in here 100% support to MS , I dont understand what piont they refuse us ?
BA_Flash_GOD said:
I would be very suprised if they gave this consideration, they will wait for the 'next gen' devices up to come to release it on in my opinion.
Besides we must face it, most people that are using these phones these days do not flash their device, nonetheless, know what it is.
We are the few flashing samurai that cannot live with a stock rom, and want to "juice" our hardware to get our money's worth. \m/
I will say If you live in the US now you will see that parents are buying their teenage kiddies smartphones/ppcs now for a couple reasons. 1) To ward off an appl music/video product, and of course. 2) To be able to reach them anywhere with the phone service.
It would have been funny to say that most people on this site are using/have used the wm6 leak already, so we might as well work together for free, for a learning purpose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. Good reply.
I know all of this is a long shot. But it's been bugging me lately. I had to post this letter.
Flashing/Testing New OS = Good Experience
I think M$ should show more of the average users that yes, you can upgrade/downgrade your current rom very easily. This would let all users have the option to use any individual one to meet their needs. I'm guessing another big issue would be CID locking though, wouldn't that be another breech of contract for M$ to the original phone service providers? What you guys think
BA_Flash_GOD said:
I think M$ should show more of the average users that yes, you can upgrade/downgrade your current rom very easily. This would let all users have the option to use any individual one to meet their needs. I'm guessing another big issue would be CID locking though, wouldn't that be another breech of contract for M$ to the original phone service providers? What you guys think
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am sorry, please don't take this the wrong way. But this is one of the silliest ideas I have seen in a long time. Think for a moment about the support headaches from even 20% of their users playing with ROMS versus the 2-3% that do it now. And you think some of the NOOBS on here get annoying forget about regular users!!!
I think things are about perfect the way they are. A little "unofficial" help lets us hardcore users reap the benefits of upgrading with out the hassles. Trust me if ROM upgrades became more official they would kill groups like this. They would charge for the upgrades and they would want to control them like they do desktop OS upgrades. I say no thanks to that. It's like the early days of Napster, or more recently You Tube taking down tons of videos, those things were much better before they became mainstream and then they had to change.
I will say this. MS should figure out how to make the CID & SIM Lock a separate part of the rom like the radio and bootloader, make it totally separate from the Rom & Extended Rom itself. That would allow tweakers to change roms with out worrying about Locks and would make the phone companies happy too. And I am sure users that need unlocking would figure that out too
BA_Flash_GOD said:
I think M$ should show more of the average users that yes, you can upgrade/downgrade your current rom very easily. This would let all users have the option to use any individual one to meet their needs. I'm guessing another big issue would be CID locking though, wouldn't that be another breech of contract for M$ to the original phone service providers? What you guys think
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
anyone who wants to can use google. I seriously do not think that its neccesary to let the world know. they could know... if they wanted to. Bad idea imho.
rizzo said:
Sorry, but I had to chime in on this one, too. Maybe some people don't see it, but we ARE actively beta testing their software.
If you develop software, and want to have beta testing do any good, there needs to be some kind of order. Visiting forums to find information is chaotic at best. Sifting through page after page of hijacked threads and RTFM type questions isn't going to yield the feedback a company needs to squash the bugs out of code. If enough people complain about a particular 'feature' then it might get the company to try and replicate it in-house, but its very unlikely that you'd ever hear anything back from them.
End-users modifying their devices by flashing it with unreleased firmware it wasn't originally designed for is dangerous, and can cause a ripple effect if it's not managed. As long as the company stands by its "hey, we never said this code was finished - not to mention you're not supposed to have it" stance, it can shield them from almost ALL liability in you bricking your phone. In the mean time, hardcore folks like us will continue shoving the bleeding-edge not-ready-ware into our phones in order to tell the tales of our adventures to all that will listen - and MS will continue "leaking" their warez into the wild.
The minute Microsoft starts bending these rules for folks like us, then they are going to have to answer to THEIR customers (HTC, network providers, etc) when the nOObs start flooding their call centers for warranty-return requests.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sorry but I have to side with rizzo on this one. They will never officially come out and allow this because they can't. You are asking them to agree to a. Code leaking, b. Code theft, c. Software Piracy in a sense (since you have to not acquired a legal copy and have not paid licenses for it), d. Copyright infringement. What company in their right mind say yes to this and open up the flood gates? And like rizzo said allow them to be liable for consumer or partner lawsuits as well?
As much as I agree with the original heartfelt post, we say what we say for argument's sake. They have already responded numerous times by allowing this and turning a blind eye. Every now and then they complain, either because we did step on some toes or because they officially have to say this is not allowed. If they really tried, they could cause some serious legal trouble. They choose not to, for a all the reasons mentioned in the original post.
So don't ask the impossible. Don't expect windows to become an open source application or windows mobile to release official betas to the public (not for sometime anyway). Pigs just don't fly sorry.
I have to agree with Rizzo. Besides, Microsoft won't spend resources on releasing ROMs for old devices, giving them for free to users and then having no way to recover some of the investment, because the Wizard is being phased out. It doesn't make sense.
However Microsoft can open a program for betatesting their ROMs, that is completely possible. A program that involves registering every user that gets the ROM, once we agree not to ask for support and all the legal stuff. And provide the means to keep track of bug reporst, etc. But still if you want to beta test something, you want to do it on the device where it's intended to be used the final release, and I don't think our Wizards are going to get an official WM 6 upgrade.
It's a long shot
igalan said:
I have to agree with Rizzo. Besides, Microsoft won't spend resources on releasing ROMs for old devices, giving them for free to users and then having no way to recover some of the investment, because the Wizard is being phased out. It doesn't make sense.
However Microsoft can open a program for betatesting their ROMs, that is completely possible. A program that involves registering every user that gets the ROM, once we agree not to ask for support and all the legal stuff. And provide the means to keep track of bug reporst, etc. But still if you want to beta test something, you want to do it on the device where it's intended to be used the final release, and I don't think our Wizards are going to get an official WM 6 upgrade.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a long shot, but they do allow WM6 in the Universal thread. Maybe they will for us. Maybe we try again to post WM6 roms in a few weeks and see what happens??

[REQUEST] Beta Update Etiquette

So, some of you may have received an email requesting you fill out a short survey for a chance to be included in the beta test for the upcoming AT&T Atrix firmware update. I implore you to read this message and at least consider it.
I write this as a request to the members of the XDA community to be respectful to Motorola. Frankly, I was absolutely embarrassed to be a member of this community with how many of you handled the last beta test. Posting confidential information, breaking the NDA, posting restricted tools on the Motorola forum itself? It doesn't matter what "morals" you decide you want to follow, take it somewhere else please. That kind of behavior does nothing but HINDER our cause. If I was Motorola, and I looked at how my end users reacted to something they agreed to uphold, I wouldn't want to give them anything further. Play by the rules. You don't have to agree with them, and if you don't like them, you're free to protest, but do so within the CURRENT rules and laws. File a complaint, write a petition, picket outside Motorola's HQ, but please:
Don't break NDA.
Don't post restricted files.
Don't yell and scream and swear at Motorola.
You do nothing but make us look like fools when you do these things.
This thread is not meant to open discussion. This thread is not meant to start a flame war. This thread is my personal request to the members of the XDA community as one of the few developers actually working on the platform right now: Please be civil, and please be mature.
Thank you.
-Ririal (aka Fenrir)
I see where you're coming from, but I reserve the right to yell and cuss at whomever I want. ;-)
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk
Ririal said:
So, some of you may have received an email requesting you fill out a short survey for a chance to be included in the beta test for the upcoming AT&T Atrix firmware update. I implore you to read this message and at least consider it.
I write this as a request to the members of the XDA community to be respectful to Motorola. Frankly, I was absolutely embarrassed to be a member of this community with how many of you handled the last beta test. Posting confidential information, breaking the NDA, posting restricted tools on the Motorola forum itself? It doesn't matter what "morals" you decide you want to follow, take it somewhere else please. That kind of behavior does nothing but HINDER our cause. If I was Motorola, and I looked at how my end users reacted to something they agreed to uphold, I wouldn't want to give them anything further. Play by the rules. You don't have to agree with them, and if you don't like them, you're free to protest, but do so within the CURRENT rules and laws. File a complaint, write a petition, picket outside Motorola's HQ, but please:
Don't break NDA.
Don't post restricted files.
Don't yell and scream and swear at Motorola.
You do nothing but make us look like fools when you do these things.
This thread is not meant to open discussion. This thread is not meant to start a flame war. This thread is my personal request to the members of the XDA community as one of the few developers actually working on the platform right now: Please be civil, and please be mature.
Thank you.
-Ririal (aka Fenrir)
(p.s. to moderators, if you feel I'm out of line, you may remove this thread at any point.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much for posting this... i felt the exact same way
+100 (to Ririal's OP, not the clown who posted right before me)
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
basically, dont bring xda into it.
mafiaboy01 said:
Well I'm not worried about moto doing anything to me, they'll come after me as fast as there getting the bootloader unlocked.
Bite me
Sent from Motorola Atrix on TELUS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its people like you that ruin the hard work others put into this and other issues we may have with companies. He didnt mention anything about them coming after one of us or any of us for that matter he simply asked us to not break NDA (something that is Legally speaking far more dangerous than you take for granted) and also to not make our community (that is to say the developer community) look like complete loser's. who would honestly want to help someone who is constantly screaming and cursing at them? I know i wouldn't and I say that from COMPLETE Experience seeing as thats EXACTLY what I do on a daily basis and I constantly make people do the harder work if they are yelling at me. so why not just get your head out of your butt and act a bit more mature about the OP and maybe be more respectful.
To the moderators,
I apologize as I know this is attacking a specific person and that is not usually something that is allowed. But people like this need to realize just the potential they hold for possibly taking down something as great as these forums. If you feel that you need to remove my post please do so, but I ask that in this case you may let me know so that I realize just how strict on these rules you may be.
caderon said:
Its people like you that ruin the hard work others put into this and other issues we may have with companies. He didnt mention anything about them coming after one of us or any of us for that matter he simply asked us to not break NDA (something that is Legally speaking far more dangerous than you take for granted) and also to not make our community (that is to say the developer community) look like complete loser's. who would honestly want to help someone who is constantly screaming and cursing at them? I know i wouldn't and I say that from COMPLETE Experience seeing as thats EXACTLY what I do on a daily basis and I constantly make people do the harder work if they are yelling at me. so why not just get your head out of your butt and act a bit more mature about the OP and maybe be more respectful.
To the moderators,
I apologize as I know this is attacking a specific person and that is not usually something that is allowed. But people like this need to realize just the potential they hold for possibly taking down something as great as these forums. If you feel that you need to remove my post please do so, but I ask that in this case you may let me know so that I realize just how strict on these rules you may be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Happy ?
Sent from Motorola Atrix on TELUS.
+1 fully agree with OP. Posting elements of the update will get poster in trouble and could get XDA in trouble. Also behave like a civilized person yelling and screaming as a child got you nothing and it'll do nothing now... just my 2 cents
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
I have to laugh a little at this post. While I think the post has the best of intentions, this entire community is in the "business" of violating user agreements --the development sub-forum, in particular. Now, before you say that by rooting devices, you are only voiding your warranty, Motorola (Apple, Samsung, or just about any other vendor) would claim that XDA is violating their intellectual property. This is why people receive the C&D letters when sbf's and the like are posted.
Fortunately, the Library of Congress has explicitly ruled that these activities essentially fall under the fair use clauses of copyright law (http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/2010/75fr43825.pdf). While this has yet to be thoroughly tested in the courts, as long as xda's activities remain non-commercial, Motorola would likely lose a legal battle trying to close down such activities. So, their only substantial alternative is to void your warranty.
I think comments like "Play by the rules. You don't have to agree with them, and if you don't like them, you're free to protest, but do so within the CURRENT rules and laws. File a complaint, write a petition, picket outside Motorola's HQ" are a bit of the pot calling the kettle black. Why can't you make those exact arguments when it comes to rooting your device?
These activities are legal, you are only voiding the contract you made with Motorola when you post items covered under an NDA. This is not illegal. This group of developers dedicates itself to violating contracts with Motorola and AT&T left and right. Why does this especially cross a line?
I do agree that people don't need to get nasty and go off on rants, but don't confuse rooting and related activities with something illegal.
decoyd said:
I have to laugh a little at this post. While I think the post has the best of intentions, this entire community is in the "business" of violating user agreements --the development sub-forum, in particular. Now, before you say that by rooting devices, you are only voiding your warranty, Motorola (Apple, Samsung, or just about any other vendor) would claim that XDA is violating their intellectual property. This is why people receive the C&D letters when sbf's and the like are posted.
Fortunately, the Library of Congress has explicitly ruled that these activities essentially fall under the fair use clauses of copyright law (http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/2010/75fr43825.pdf). While this has yet to be thoroughly tested in the courts, as long as xda's activities remain non-commercial, Motorola would likely lose a legal battle trying to close down such activities. So, their only substantial alternative is to void your warranty.
I think comments like "Play by the rules. You don't have to agree with them, and if you don't like them, you're free to protest, but do so within the CURRENT rules and laws. File a complaint, write a petition, picket outside Motorola's HQ" are a bit of the pot calling the kettle black. Why can't you make those exact arguments when it comes to rooting your device?
These activities are legal, you are only voiding the contract you made with Motorola when you post items covered under an NDA. This is not illegal. This group of developers dedicates itself to violating contracts with Motorola and AT&T left and right. Why does this especially cross a line?
I do agree that people don't need to get nasty and go off on rants, but don't confuse rooting and related activities with something illegal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're not understanding what he's saying.
He's telling people who sign up for Moto's beta test, to actually follow the NDA (non-disclosure agreement), and not post the update.zip files that we are supplied as beta testers. It is against the agreement we make with Moto when we sign up and accept the beta test update. That has NOTHING to do with rooting your phone or modifying your files on your phone.
Example: I get the update, immediately pull the .zip off my internal SD card and throw it on Megaupload and post the link for everyone to have.
Doing that basically tells Motorola "F you and your beta testing", and shows that we have no intentions of working with them. All that will do is stop them from trying to work with us (and even if you don't think they are because they're not giving us the golden keys to their phone, they are still trying to work with us as a consumer in the fullest capacity they can as a commercial company).
We can have the situation where we get zero testing to updates until they're released, or even worse ZERO updates because Motorola no longer feels the consumer has any desire to work with them, or we can have a synergistic relationship going to the extent that both parties can get at least some part of their way.
Having them unlock the bootloader for us is honestly IMO never going to happen. NO phone company is doing this, so it's silly to think they will or that we deserve it. Devs are the ones who unlock or bypass bootloaders and all our Android phones; devs will find a way, a 3rd party will find a way, but Motorola has zero interest in doing that for us and to think otherwise is foolish. So what they DO give us, may help other people to figure it out and crack it themselves. But we need things to work both ways, with Moto giving a little room for us to update our software and continue on with Android's progress.
To correct some misunderstandings: You have the right to jailbreak your device, but you do not have the right to posses or share someones intellectual property without permission, or break NDA.
Agree and disagree with op. Agree because we should not be breaking such an agreement. Disagree because such an agreement should not exist in the first place.
Sent from my Atrix using XDA Premium App.
dLo GSR said:
It is against the agreement we make with Moto when we sign up and accept the beta test update. That has NOTHING to do with rooting your phone or modifying your files on your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(1) You violate (or at least I do) agreements with Motorola all the time. Why is this time different?
(2) This has EVERYTHING to do with root. The whole reason people do this is to keep phones unlocked/rooted.
dLo GSR said:
Doing that basically tells Motorola "F you and your beta testing", and shows that we have no intentions of working with them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(3) False. If we were given a way to obtain root or have an unlocked bootloader through official channels, you can make this argument. As the situation is quite the opposite, I don't see how this is a valid conclusion.
dLo GSR said:
All that will do is stop them from trying to work with us
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(4) I'm honestly baffled by this statement.
Saying that these activities is going to push Motorola to provide "ZERO" updates is ludicrous. Could it encourage them to not offer betas before release? Maybe, but I doubt it. They need feedback.
In the end, I just reiterate: Why draw the line at posting files from betas? SBFs are posted all the time. We violate our agreements all the time, so what's so different this time?
knigitz said:
To correct some misunderstandings: You have the right to jailbreak your device, but you do not have the right to posses or share someones intellectual property without permission, or break NDA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
False. The point is that jailbreaking is legal, and if you read the LoC ruling I posted, you'll see that the related activities of distributing their software (e.g. sbf's) is NOT a violation of their IP. Just like using clips from a copyrighted movie in a documentary without permission is not a violation of copyright. NDAs are no different than the EULAs which are violated left and right. What's the big difference between everyone happily violating their user agreements with Motorola and AT&T but somehow the NDA is now sacrosanct.
Added links: http://www.copyright.gov/1201/docs/2006_statement.html and http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/2006/71fr68472.html
I'd tend to agree with the OP ..
Stuff will leak, and the fact is we're all looking to get the next new thing / enhancement, but we should all demonstrate a little discretion if not for any other reason than to be practical ... The more blatant (some of the stuff on the mot forum bordered on ridiculous) the more likely the vendors will shift even more effort and resources to locking things down.
All imho, which when I last checked we're all entitled to
decoyd said:
(1) You violate (or at least I do) agreements with Motorola all the time. Why is this time different?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because this one isn't an implicit I-opened-the-product-box, you signed up as a beta tester, which is not a given privilege as a consumer. This is an OPT-IN test opportunity. Probably 98% of the people with the Atrix do not participate in this beta test. Like you said, we're allowed to root/jailbreak our phones technically because of the LoC ruling. That does not make you immune to breaking an NDA. Don't be ignorant. I have seen people sued and prosecuted for breaking NDAs, especially in my line of work.
I got the beta update, and I tried it, gave my feedback, and went back to 1.2.6. When someone figured out how to do root and they released the update ALL OF FIVE DAYS LATER, I updated. I do not believe that releasing the update to the masses in any way helped to re-gain root access for 4.1.57.
decoyd said:
(2) This has EVERYTHING to do with root. The whole reason people do this is to keep phones unlocked/rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While that may be true, and rooting in itself is not wrong, the process to get it by releasing a company's IP is. Geohot lost on this one with Sony. If you want the damn beta update so bad, then SIGN UP FOR IT. If you're so committed to finding root and unlocking our bootloader, THEN PARTICIPIATE in the beta. None of that requires you to break the NDA.
decoyd said:
(3) False. If we were given a way to obtain root or have an unlocked bootloader through official channels, you can make this argument. As the situation is quite the opposite, I don't see how this is a valid conclusion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right. Biting the hand that feeds you is a way better solution to getting what you want.
decoyd said:
(4) I'm honestly baffled by this statement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What, you don't understand common logic?
decoyd said:
Saying that these activities is going to push Motorola to provide "ZERO" updates is ludicrous. Could it encourage them to not offer betas before release? Maybe, but I doubt it. They need feedback.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They don't need feedback from us. They can easily throw together a small focus group or do in-house testing or carrier testing that doesn't include us. Most companies work that way. We were fortunate to have Moto decide to include the general public.
decoyd said:
In the end, I just reiterate: Why draw the line at posting files from betas? SBFs are posted all the time. We violate our agreements all the time, so what's so different this time?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're opting in for this test. If you can't handle the rules and regulations, then don't do it and just wait and whine until the actual update is released. I can't remember anyone complaining of signing up for the Beta and not getting in, so if you want the damn file, then sign up and get to work.
And thank you for ignoring about 50% of my post.
decoyd said:
I have to laugh a little at this post. While I think the post has the best of intentions, this entire community is in the "business" of violating user agreements --the development sub-forum, in particular. Now, before you say that by rooting devices, you are only voiding your warranty, Motorola (Apple, Samsung, or just about any other vendor) would claim that XDA is violating their intellectual property. This is why people receive the C&D letters when sbf's and the like are posted.
Fortunately, the Library of Congress has explicitly ruled that these activities essentially fall under the fair use clauses of copyright law (http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/2010/75fr43825.pdf). While this has yet to be thoroughly tested in the courts, as long as xda's activities remain non-commercial, Motorola would likely lose a legal battle trying to close down such activities. So, their only substantial alternative is to void your warranty.
I think comments like "Play by the rules. You don't have to agree with them, and if you don't like them, you're free to protest, but do so within the CURRENT rules and laws. File a complaint, write a petition, picket outside Motorola's HQ" are a bit of the pot calling the kettle black. Why can't you make those exact arguments when it comes to rooting your device?
These activities are legal, you are only voiding the contract you made with Motorola when you post items covered under an NDA. This is not illegal. This group of developers dedicates itself to violating contracts with Motorola and AT&T left and right. Why does this especially cross a line?
I do agree that people don't need to get nasty and go off on rants, but don't confuse rooting and related activities with something illegal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And I have to laugh at how you didn't even read what the post was about.
This is about the beta test, nothing more, nothing less. The entirety of the test is enclosed under an NDA, which regardless of your personal or moral standards, is a legally binding contract and should not be broken. Last time there was a beta test, users willingly and knowingly broke the NDA and posted the confidential information all over the forums. Most of those threads were shut down immediately. When I root my device, I'm not breaking a signed agreement that says I won't root my device. It's not even close to the same thing, you're overgeneralizing the subject. I'm talking about a very specific thing here, not android hacking in general.
Also, an NDA is a legally binding contract, and it IS illegal to break. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-disclosure_agreement
dLo GSR said:
Having them unlock the bootloader for us is honestly IMO never going to happen. NO phone company is doing this, so it's silly to think they will or that we deserve it. Devs are the ones who unlock or bypass bootloaders and all our Android phones; devs will find a way, a 3rd party will find a way, but Motorola has zero interest in doing that for us and to think otherwise is foolish. So what they DO give us, may help other people to figure it out and crack it themselves. But we need things to work both ways, with Moto giving a little room for us to update our software and continue on with Android's progress.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then why is HTC so responsive to 3rd party devs? (Excluding Thunderbolt, wtf is with that) I have Cognition on my Captivate, and CM7 on my Inspire. So forgive me if I decide to disagree with you that it's not silly to want an unlocked bootloader.
Especially on my captivate. The thing is complete crap without Cognition. Yet I was able to easily install ROM manager and Cognition and slap it on there. It's only Motorola right now that are big enough pricks to do this to us. Sony gave their users a way to install ROMs. Now it's only us locked in the cage.
dLo GSR said:
If you can't handle the rules and regulations, then don't do it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you justify rooting your phone? You are violating their rules and regulations. Nobody is forcing you to buy their product.
NDA's are pretty serious business. Just because Motorola doesn't sue you doesn't change this fact. Lifetime friends of mine that work at Microsoft and Google can't tell me what they are working on specifically. I've gotten used to responses like "working on Google Maps" and not bothering them for more details because I respect their NDAs.
Ririal said:
And I have to laugh at how you didn't even read what the post was about.
This is about the beta test, nothing more, nothing less. The entirety of the test is enclosed under an NDA, which regardless of your personal or moral standards, is a legally binding contract and should not be broken. Last time there was a beta test, users willingly and knowingly broke the NDA and posted the confidential information all over the forums. Most of those threads were shut down immediately. When I root my device, I'm not breaking a signed agreement that says I won't root my device. It's not even close to the same thing, you're overgeneralizing the subject. I'm talking about a very specific thing here, not android hacking in general.
Also, an NDA is a legally binding contract, and it IS illegal to break. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-disclosure_agreement
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

New Update

There is an ota update of 142.00mb, Im trying to download it and I keep getting error. it reboots into recovery and says 25% then it boots into main phone, then it says install update was unsuccessful. Any ideas? I did have my phone rooted it before, the method I used was threw the app store.
the_professor. said:
There is an ota update of 142.00mb, Im trying to download it and I keep getting error. it reboots into recovery and says 25% then it boots into main phone, then it says install update was unsuccessful. Any ideas? I did have my phone rooted it before, the method I used was threw the app store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go here...http://forum.xda-developers.com/att-galaxy-s5/general/g900and3tong3keeprootota-zip-t2862299
Read trouble shooting
I dont want to root it again, i wanted to unroot it, i seem to be having alot of problems since I rooted .
the_professor. said:
I dont want to root it again, i wanted to unroot it, i seem to be having alot of problems since I rooted .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't have to root, that's why I said read the trouble shooting in the op.
what is op? sorry
the_professor. said:
what is op? sorry
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Opening post or sometimes Original poster.
I've been getting a notification about an update that I repeatedly decline. About 15 min ago it was forced to my phone but failed. What I mean by forced is I had no option to decline/remind me later. Now my biggest issue with that is how do they know or why do they think I'm not using my phone to handle important business? That is what aggravated me the most. Assuming I want the update, and attempting to force it on my phone. I'm pissed for real for the first time with AT&T.
Assassyn said:
I've been getting a notification about an update that I repeatedly decline. About 15 min ago it was forced to my phone but failed. What I mean by forced is I had no option to decline/remind me later. Now my biggest issue with that is how do they know or why do they think I'm not using my phone to handle important business? That is what aggravated me the most. Assuming I want the update, and attempting to force it on my phone. I'm pissed for real for the first time with AT&T.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Short answer - they don't care. Their interest in maintaining residual control over your property is more important to them than whatever you want to do with your property.
Assassyn said:
I've been getting a notification about an update that I repeatedly decline. About 15 min ago it was forced to my phone but failed. What I mean by forced is I had no option to decline/remind me later. Now my biggest issue with that is how do they know or why do they think I'm not using my phone to handle important business? That is what aggravated me the most. Assuming I want the update, and attempting to force it on my phone. I'm pissed for real for the first time with AT&T.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not to defend any carrier but my guess is they felt it was an important enough update and had to be pushed to the phone after the repeated attempts were declined. I agree that this is not a proper practice and perhaps a call to executive services filing a complaint might help in the long run. But as the other 99% of owners that are not rooted or modified will probably just accept the update, they have little concern for the rooted community. One would hope that it was detecting a period of low activity?
Kamchak said:
Short answer - they don't care. Their interest in maintaining residual control over your property is more important to them than whatever you want to do with your property.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah..the old "my property" argument....well what rights you have to things you purchase are subjective. In most communities a homeowner cannot park a vehicle on his own grass, nor keep unregistered vehicles in his driveway unless covered, has to maintain the property...and thousands of other laws and ordinances telling them exactly what they can and cannot do to their owned "property." Cell phones are a communication device thus governed by communication laws allowing the carriers to tell you what you can and cannot do to your "property" for security and communication regulated reasons. The only way around those regulations forcing updates to you (to a certain degree) is to buy an unlocked device from independent sales outlets. Using a certain carrier will then add their restrictions to you in the TOS that you sign.
KennyG123 said:
Ah..the old "my property" argument....well what rights you have to things you purchase are subjective. In most communities a homeowner cannot park a vehicle on his own grass, nor keep unregistered vehicles in his driveway unless covered, has to maintain the property...and thousands of other laws and ordinances telling them exactly what they can and cannot do to their owned "property." Cell phones are a communication device thus governed by communication laws allowing the carriers to tell you what you can and cannot do to your "property" for security and communication regulated reasons. The only way around those regulations forcing updates to you (to a certain degree) is to buy an unlocked device from independent sales outlets. Using a certain carrier will then add their restrictions to you in the TOS that you sign.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Although I understand what you are saying, and (being a homeowner) understand the realities of your post, I am uncertain as to the purpose in making the answer. Although my answer may be an old argument, that doesn't make it an erroneous argument. Their consideration for our interests begins and ends with our wallets. They couldn't care less about what we want to do with our communication equipment, whether bought from a certain carrier or an independent sales outlet. I'd venture to guess that their TOS isn't any different, regardless from where you obtain the property.
As far as there not being a way around their control, isn't that why this site exists? I thought what xda-developers was here for was to help people get the most out of their devices by providing a collaborative environment where people could share their experiences of creative use and exploration of said property without restriction by other entities?
Kamchak said:
Although I understand what you are saying, and (being a homeowner) understand the realities of your post, I am uncertain as to the purpose in making the answer. Although my answer may be an old argument, that doesn't make it an erroneous argument. Their consideration for our interests begins and ends with our wallets. They couldn't care less about what we want to do with our communication equipment, whether bought from a certain carrier or an independent sales outlet. I'd venture to guess that their TOS isn't any different, regardless from where you obtain the property.
As far as there not being a way around their control, isn't that why this site exists? I thought what xda-developers was here for was to help people get the most out of their devices by providing a collaborative environment where people could share their experiences of creative use and exploration of said property without restriction by other entities?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you say is true...I was just trying to clarify the entitlement I see way too often regarding what people feel are their rights to do what they want with their "property." As a communication device it is not fully anyone's property until deactivated.
This site does exist to help members do more with their devices than intended by the carrier..however that comes with ramifications like voiding the warranty or violating TOS. There are many posts made by people thrown off of their carrier for tethering huge amounts of data. As for a way around their control...there are many methods available on this site to avoid updates. At the first sign of an unwanted updated the OP should have sought those methods out. I know...it was a surprise that it got forced on the device (though failing) without consent. I am sure there is some clause in the TOS allowing that. So I apologize if it seemed my post was directed at you..it was just to clarify this "property" idea that I see spouted way too often around this site. :good:
KennyG123 said:
Not to defend any carrier but my guess is they felt it was an important enough update and had to be pushed to the phone after the repeated attempts were declined. I agree that this is not a proper practice and perhaps a call to executive services filing a complaint might help in the long run. But as the other 99% of owners that are not rooted or modified will probably just accept the update, they have little concern for the rooted community. One would hope that it was detecting a period of low activity?
Ah..the old "my property" argument....well what rights you have to things you purchase are subjective. In most communities a homeowner cannot park a vehicle on his own grass, nor keep unregistered vehicles in his driveway unless covered, has to maintain the property...and thousands of other laws and ordinances telling them exactly what they can and cannot do to their owned "property." Cell phones are a communication device thus governed by communication laws allowing the carriers to tell you what you can and cannot do to your "property" for security and communication regulated reasons. The only way around those regulations forcing updates to you (to a certain degree) is to buy an unlocked device from independent sales outlets. Using a certain carrier will then add their restrictions to you in the TOS that you sign.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was able to get them to go away after freezing the updater apk file with Titanium BackUp. Haven't been bothered since. I think if it's that serious to where they need to force an update, they should at least tell us what the major concern is. Very likely that they won't but it's ok, I "fixed" it enough for my liking.
Assassyn said:
I was able to get them to go away after freezing the updater apk file with Titanium BackUp. Haven't been bothered since. I think if it's that serious to where they need to force an update, they should at least tell us what the major concern is. Very likely that they won't but it's ok, I "fixed" it enough for my liking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes! Thankfully there is no shortage of information on this site on how to prevent OTA's and the annoying nags.
KennyG123 said:
Yes! Thankfully there is no shortage of information on this site on how to prevent OTA's and the annoying nags.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I take my annoying nag out to dinner a couple times a month. Oops don't tell her I said that or I'll be building another doghouse. ????
"You stay classy San Diego"
Sent from my G900A powered by XKRom GoldLimiTed.

Root and OTA

This might be a silly question, I've not used Samsung in a long time, last one was the S2 haha.....but is it ever going to be possible to root and/or install TWRP on this device without breaking OTA updates? I love rooting my devices and using custom ROMs, I still have need for root access, but to be honest this phone I would be happy keeping as close to stock as possible, I could live without TWRP, but will we ever get root without losing the ability to OTA update? If not then I'll just go custom when the urge becomes too strong haha.
Oh and I have the exynos version.
beta546 said:
This might be a silly question, I've not used Samsung in a long time, last one was the S2 haha.....but is it ever going to be possible to root and/or install TWRP on this device without breaking OTA updates? I love rooting my devices and using custom ROMs, I still have need for root access, but to be honest this phone I would be happy keeping as close to stock as possible, I could live without TWRP, but will we ever get root without losing the ability to OTA update? If not then I'll just go custom when the urge becomes too strong haha.
Oh and I have the exynos version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
I too see a growing need for root elevation without destroying core security patch options. Either from stock, or with an aptitude like package management used by ROM creators, so you can even patch android files sooner than Samsung normally would. Because as it stands, the way we root now makes android a security disaster.
In essence this is a design failure by google and android. How could they expect users to be happy with non-configurable systems? That's why we don't have Apple devices, so we can config and alter whenever we would want to. Sigh.. Closed source for android is such a PITA. And so slow with patches..
?
jult said:
+1
I too see a growing need for root elevation without destroying core security patch options. Either from stock, or with an aptitude like package management used by ROM creators, so you can even patch android files sooner than Samsung normally would. Because as it stands, the way we root now makes android a security disaster.
In essence this is a design failure by google and android. How could they expect users to be happy with non-configurable systems? That's why we don't have Apple devices, so we can config and alter whenever we would want to. Sigh.. Closed source for android is such a PITA. And so slow with patches..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, people like Samsung who just want to lock down their devices for whatever reason is just getting a bit extreme now. I don't think it's Google to blame though as android is easily rooted in general, it's manufacturers like Samsung that make you jump through hoops to do it. And yes it's exactly why we don't have iPhones haha. I believe every android device should come with a setting in developer options that just activates root with a disclaimer.....take my warranty, I don't care in the slightest, but don't cripple my device that I payed £720 for that is now my property, just because I want to use some of the most useful features and app designed to work with root. After reading through these forums I see Samsung seem more like apple than ever. I mean God the guide to install a custom ROM is crazy haha, perfectly doable, but compared to my le max 2 which was just, plug your phone in, push this through ADB, then flash this zip and you're done, so simple.
beta546 said:
I agree, people like Samsung who just want to lock down their devices for whatever reason is just getting a bit extreme now. I don't think it's Google to blame though as android is easily rooted in general, it's manufacturers like Samsung that make you jump through hoops to do it. And yes it's exactly why we don't have iPhones haha. I believe every android device should come with a setting in developer options that just activates root with a disclaimer.....take my warranty, I don't care in the slightest, but don't cripple my device that I payed £720 for that is now my property, just because I want to use some of the most useful features and app designed to work with root. After reading through these forums I see Samsung seem more like apple than ever. I mean God the guide to install a custom ROM is crazy haha, perfectly doable, but compared to my le max 2 which was just, plug your phone in, push this through ADB, then flash this zip and you're done, so simple.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The most important part of your post is often missed by a lot of people.
"lock down their devices for whatever reason..."
No one thinks about the reason it seems. As much as it sucks for folks on XDA, the folks that come to XDA don't think about all of the people that DO NOT come to XDA, or why a device manufacturer that makes their devices primarily for the Corporate world, wouldn't want to let their devices be unlocked by the small amount of XDA folks that buy them.
And before anyone says "the exynos is unlockable!" Remember the Exynos version is international, not USA. There's are so much more benefits to Samsung keeping the USA devices locked than there are downsides. I work for a small corporate company of about 300 employees and I am not allowed to have a device with the bootloader unlocked, period. Why? I don't even know, and I am in the tech field. Each company has their rules and such. Imagine how much contracts Samsung could have with corporations out there for their devices. We used to have one, and look at how small we are. We don't have one anymore because it's cheaper to just have employees front the device cost instead of the company paying for devices! Lame I know. I fought against it but lost.
As far as the original question goes, no, you will not be able to keep OTA and root at the same time. Not for the way OTA are setup, and rooting works.
Jammol said:
As far as the original question goes, no, you will not be able to keep OTA and root at the same time. Not for the way OTA are setup, and rooting works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now. You mean. It can (and should) change. The way the android permission model is designed, is totally corporate-based, not user-friendly at all. And if Samsung would stay on top of security-patches and push updates (like you have with Win10 now, which are still totally under the user's control without having to 'root' anything), that would be fine, but time and again these smartphone manufacturers have proven to stop giving a hoot after they've released a new model, if they even cared at all about security patching in time, because they apparently really don't. Not enough anyway. If they would, we'd already be running Android 9 on our Notes by now.
Jammol said:
The most important part of your post is often missed by a lot of people.
"lock down their devices for whatever reason..."
No one thinks about the reason it seems. As much as it sucks for folks on XDA, the folks that come to XDA don't think about all of the people that DO NOT come to XDA, or why a device manufacturer that makes their devices primarily for the Corporate world, wouldn't want to let their devices be unlocked by the small amount of XDA folks that buy them.
And before anyone says "the exynos is unlockable!" Remember the Exynos version is international, not USA. There's are so much more benefits to Samsung keeping the USA devices locked than there are downsides. I work for a small corporate company of about 300 employees and I am not allowed to have a device with the bootloader unlocked, period. Why? I don't even know, and I am in the tech field. Each company has their rules and such. Imagine how much contracts Samsung could have with corporations out there for their devices. We used to have one, and look at how small we are. We don't have one anymore because it's cheaper to just have employees front the device cost instead of the company paying for devices! Lame I know. I fought against it but lost.
As far as the original question goes, no, you will not be able to keep OTA and root at the same time. Not for the way OTA are setup, and rooting works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That makes a lot of sense really, obviously there are going to be businesses and companies and such that wpild rely on their workers devices being as secure as possible, for multiple reasons. But again that's not really up to Samsung to decide really, now I agree that although there are a huge number of people that want to modify their devices in various ways, but on the grand scale it's a relatively low percentage of the market. Which is why I think it should always be an option, that way they cater to everyone. If a company has a requirement that all their employees devices stay locked down, they simply don't allow it, and if an employee does it regardless then the consequences would be their own. I guess Samsung could bake in the setting, but with an option at first boot as to leave the ability to unlock intact, or to choose to permanently remove any option of ever being able to do it. That way when a company bought the phones they could lock them all down before handing them out. But in the scenario where people must purchase their own device, they then would have to decide whether to follow company policy, or unlock the phone and risk potentially losing their job at worst because of it....that's just what I think really, but I'm in no way some business or manufacturing giant haha, there will be multiple arguments for and against this entire scenario.
And also thanks for the answer ? It was as I suspected, but always worth an ask.
Voiding the Warranty for unrelated modifications is illegal and there is a better way
It seems we are all getting used to the arrogance and impertinence ...
... with which manufacturers and telephone service operators want to dictate what we do with our property. Let us not forget that «this will void your warranty», though common practice, is not in accordance with current legislation.
Modifications to devices should be protected under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, unless the modification caused the damage you're asking the manufacturer to repair. Manufacturers threatening to void warranties for rooting, even when they have no legal right to do so, is nothing but bullying, banking on the fact that most people are not feeling confident about legal battles with corporations for which time and money are of no consequence. It is about time that reviews took the aspect of rooting/customization friendliness into consideration, so that manufacturers like OnePlus and HTC receive the credit they deserve for being more lenient toward rooting and still receiving updates. If technology journalists pointed this aspect out in their reviews, companies might come to their senses. Being able to use some apps that can do what they do only with Root access is more important than yet another MegaPixel on the camera -- if the other manufacturers do not drop the ball yet again, by dumbing down their phone instead of building the best device they possibly can, this year's phone purchase will be from a brand that is user friendly and provides OTA updates even on customised devices.
As for the «security» fairytale, that's often the last aspect that manufacturers care about, skipping security patches even after exploits have been detected. By the way: if some guy with a mobile phone could really bring down or disturb an operator's network, the operator doesn't deserve better. Most people do not root because they are devious masterminds from a Bond movie who try to mess up their kernels or bring down the global communication networks, but because they want to customize the looks of devices to their liking, fix some flaws or get some software to work. Very few people would keep rooting if manufacturers only guarded their kernels against overclocking beyond what the phone can endure and operators blocked what could disrupt the network -- if they did that and only that, hardly anyone would complain or root.
Security is obviously not what it's really all about. On my SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 9, Amazon Shopping, Fakecrook, LinkedIn and a whole bunch of other garbage came pre-installed as system apps that can be disabled but not uninstalled. Like everything imposed on us by Google, these companies have no interest in enhancing their customers' security and privacy, but exactly the opposite, grab as much sensitive information about us as they possibly can and sell it to whoever is interested and willing to pay for it.
On a Windows PC, I can do most things I want to do if I really have to, via editing the Windows Registry if need be and turning off User Access Control (UAC) when the unnecessary extra-click got on my nerves. Millions of people are and have been doing the same without upsetting the space-time-continuum, and corporations can restrict whatever they want to restrict if there is an administrator to do it. In most cases, however, there is not, because after all, it's a Personal Computer (PC), managed by the user at home. If we pay for something -- and quite handsomely so -- we own it, consequently it should be us who, after a warning that can be turned off with a checkmark, have the final say. So far, the corporate world seems to thrive quite nicely with the kind of approach to security that MS Windows is taking, despite surely being the first and loudest ones to complain if there were any real and relevant problems that seriously threaten their dayly operations.
Mobile phone manufacturers and operators use «security» as an excuse to restrict what the owners of those expensive little toys can do, just like governments proclaim «terrorism» as the excuse for spying on and controlling their own populations by grabbing ever more power with authorizing laws that undermine constitutional civil liberties. In our societies, it is to keep track on any possible threats to the Status Quo that might be caused by a shift of public opinion if the media -- these days large corporations themselves -- did not distract us with polemics, sports and celebrity BS, but reported on and kept in focus issues such as ecology, human overpopulation, inequality, tax evasion, poverty, injustice, corruption, lobbyism and so on. In the mobile phone world, they do it to milk us for banalities like boot animations, wallpapers, type fonts, themes, icons and whatever we would like to do to make our phones look nicer. Under Windows, buy a shareware CD with 10,000 fonts, copy the 20 or 30 you like into the respective system folder -- done. On Android, they want to milk us for every bit they can and that's the real motivation for all the bull****, harassment, hoops and loops they make us jump through.
If companies were really interested in user privacy rights and security, the first thing that would be forbidden were advertisements, because a lot of sh.t can come in through those backdoors. Second, why does Apple not allow antivirii and firewalls if security is such a concern? Why are owners of devices with a custom recovery or root being punished by exclusion from OTA updates, given that these updates are supposed to improve stability and security? That's just bollocks and distraction to ram as much advertising down our throat, rip us off for every boot animation, wallpaper, theme, icon or type font that we have tons of lying around on our hard drive, and to obtain as much data from us as possible, in order to know and track what we buy, think, believe, suffer from, like, dislike or do in any place at any at any time.
Apart from a couple of absolute geeks and nerds, nobody would root their phones if adaptation and customization of our phones was easily possible, i.e. if everything except things that could irrevocably damage hardware or networks could be easily modified as we please. The introduction of a/b partition slots for Seamless Updates paved the way for preventing irreparable accidents and could easily be expanded and improved, together with a better design of the user interface and user experience to make the process more comprehensible for average users. Yet, most companies did not even implement a/b partitions, although this approach makes accidents and mistakes when playing around with the device «non-lethal» and saves the Customer Service costs that companies so often cite as the second excuse and pretext for the arrogance with which they keep and exert control over other people's property. With each new generation of phones and every new version of operating systems, the restrictions are getting worse, the options for access and harmless modification less, and that unacceptable trend needs to stop.
If companies want to disencourage people from rooting their phones, they need to stop bombarding us with intrusive ads, stop spying and imposing bloatware and replace it with useful tool bundles (Titanium Backup, decent file managers, cleaners, system tools and the like). It is okay to guard and firewall the indispensable and risky parts (hardware overclocking, network integrity), but only block those irreparable areas while opening up the rest for users to customise to their hearts content, making it as comfortable, easy and intuitive as possible to copy, paste, move and configure everything else between phone and PC. If something goes wrong while doing so, make sure that a system restore point and booting into the alternative partition means that there's no harm, no foul and therefore no problem and no service cost.
Instead of wasting our time hunting for patched partiton files, info on how to get out of bootloops, etc., users could then enjoy and be happier with our phone instead of fixing its shortcomings or, dare I say it, do something fun and entertaining outside while the snow is fresh or the sun is shining.
.
Qui Peccavit said:
It seems we are all getting used to the arrogance and impertinence ...
... with which manufacturers and telephone service operators want to dictate what we do with our property. Let us not forget that «this will void your warranty», though common practice, is not in accordance with current legislation.
Modifications to devices should be protected under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, unless the modification caused the damage you're asking the manufacturer to repair. Manufacturers threatening to void warranties for rooting, even when they have no legal right to do so, is nothing but bullying, banking on the fact that most people are not feeling confident about legal battles with corporations for which time and money are of no consequence. It is about time that reviews took the aspect of rooting/customization friendliness into consideration, so that manufacturers like OnePlus and HTC receive the credit they deserve for being more lenient toward rooting and still receiving updates. If technology journalists pointed this aspect out in their reviews, companies might come to their senses. Being able to use some apps that can do what they do only with Root access is more important than yet another MegaPixel on the camera -- if the other manufacturers do not drop the ball yet again, by dumbing down their phone instead of building the best device they possibly can, this year's phone purchase will be from a brand that is user friendly and provides OTA updates even on customised devices.
As for the «security» fairytale, that's often the last aspect that manufacturers care about, skipping security patches even after exploits have been detected. By the way: if some guy with a mobile phone could really bring down or disturb an operator's network, the operator doesn't deserve better. Most people do not root because they are devious masterminds from a Bond movie who try to mess up their kernels or bring down the global communication networks, but because they want to customize the looks of devices to their liking, fix some flaws or get some software to work. Very few people would keep rooting if manufacturers only guarded their kernels against overclocking beyond what the phone can endure and operators blocked what could disrupt the network -- if they did that and only that, hardly anyone would complain or root.
Security is obviously not what it's really all about. On my SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 9, Amazon Shopping, Fakecrook, LinkedIn and a whole bunch of other garbage came pre-installed as system apps that can be disabled but not uninstalled. Like everything imposed on us by Google, these companies have no interest in enhancing their customers' security and privacy, but exactly the opposite, grab as much sensitive information about us as they possibly can and sell it to whoever is interested and willing to pay for it.
On a Windows PC, I can do most things I want to do if I really have to, via editing the Windows Registry if need be and turning off User Access Control (UAC) when the unnecessary extra-click got on my nerves. Millions of people are and have been doing the same without upsetting the space-time-continuum, and corporations can restrict whatever they want to restrict if there is an administrator to do it. In most cases, however, there is not, because after all, it's a Personal Computer (PC), managed by the user at home. If we pay for something -- and quite handsomely so -- we own it, consequently it should be us who, after a warning that can be turned off with a checkmark, have the final say. So far, the corporate world seems to thrive quite nicely with the kind of approach to security that MS Windows is taking, despite surely being the first and loudest ones to complain if there were any real and relevant problems that seriously threaten their dayly operations.
Mobile phone manufacturers and operators use «security» as an excuse to restrict what the owners of those expensive little toys can do, just like governments proclaim «terrorism» as the excuse for spying on and controlling their own populations by grabbing ever more power with authorizing laws that undermine constitutional civil liberties. In our societies, it is to keep track on any possible threats to the Status Quo that might be caused by a shift of public opinion if the media -- these days large corporations themselves -- did not distract us with polemics, sports and celebrity BS, but reported on and kept in focus issues such as ecology, human overpopulation, inequality, tax evasion, poverty, injustice, corruption, lobbyism and so on. In the mobile phone world, they do it to milk us for banalities like boot animations, wallpapers, type fonts, themes, icons and whatever we would like to do to make our phones look nicer. Under Windows, buy a shareware CD with 10,000 fonts, copy the 20 or 30 you like into the respective system folder -- done. On Android, they want to milk us for every bit they can and that's the real motivation for all the bull****, harassment, hoops and loops they make us jump through.
If companies were really interested in user privacy rights and security, the first thing that would be forbidden were advertisements, because a lot of sh.t can come in through those backdoors. Second, why does Apple not allow antivirii and firewalls if security is such a concern? Why are owners of devices with a custom recovery or root being punished by exclusion from OTA updates, given that these updates are supposed to improve stability and security? That's just bollocks and distraction to ram as much advertising down our throat, rip us off for every boot animation, wallpaper, theme, icon or type font that we have tons of lying around on our hard drive, and to obtain as much data from us as possible, in order to know and track what we buy, think, believe, suffer from, like, dislike or do in any place at any at any time.
Apart from a couple of absolute geeks and nerds, nobody would root their phones if adaptation and customization of our phones was easily possible, i.e. if everything except things that could irrevocably damage hardware or networks could be easily modified as we please. The introduction of a/b partition slots for Seamless Updates paved the way for preventing irreparable accidents and could easily be expanded and improved, together with a better design of the user interface and user experience to make the process more comprehensible for average users. Yet, most companies did not even implement a/b partitions, although this approach makes accidents and mistakes when playing around with the device «non-lethal» and saves the Customer Service costs that companies so often cite as the second excuse and pretext for the arrogance with which they keep and exert control over other people's property. With each new generation of phones and every new version of operating systems, the restrictions are getting worse, the options for access and harmless modification less, and that unacceptable trend needs to stop.
If companies want to disencourage people from rooting their phones, they need to stop bombarding us with intrusive ads, stop spying and imposing bloatware and replace it with useful tool bundles (Titanium Backup, decent file managers, cleaners, system tools and the like). It is okay to guard and firewall the indispensable and risky parts (hardware overclocking, network integrity), but only block those irreparable areas while opening up the rest for users to customise to their hearts content, making it as comfortable, easy and intuitive as possible to copy, paste, move and configure everything else between phone and PC. If something goes wrong while doing so, make sure that a system restore point and booting into the alternative partition means that there's no harm, no foul and therefore no problem and no service cost.
Instead of wasting our time hunting for patched partiton files, info on how to get out of bootloops, etc., users could then enjoy and be happier with our phone instead of fixing its shortcomings or, dare I say it, do something fun and entertaining outside while the snow is fresh or the sun is shining.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best post I've read in the recent years. Well done!
PS: Love the Angola flag.

Question [CLOSED] TMobile bl bypass?

Just got this pixel and was curious anybody find a way to bypass TMobile locked bl they state I have to wait 40 days per policy before they will unlock it
Some people have said that using a SIM from an unlocked device during a first boot un-greys the OEM unlock, but I never had success. Personally, I just told their support on Twitter what I was wanting to do. They gave me the "you can temporary unlock it" speech, I told them that wouldn't allow me to modify the software, and they just unlocked it. From my experience (three phones in total), if you are honest about what you are wanting to do, they are typically pretty flexible.
stompysan said:
Some people have said that using a SIM from an unlocked device during a first boot un-greys the OEM unlock, but I never had success. Personally, I just told their support on Twitter what I was wanting to do. They gave me the "you can temporary unlock it" speech, I told them that wouldn't allow me to modify the software, and they just unlocked it. From my experience (three phones in total), if you are honest about what you are wanting to do, they are typically pretty flexible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While I agree with u and have done that in the pass they are insistent on 30 days
While we appreciate the plight of the OP, XDA does not wish to engage in conversations and/or circumvention of Carrier contracts. It is highly recommended to
just pay off your device, and/or adhere to their designated time frame so as to not get XDA in trouble as per Rule #9:
9. Don't get us into trouble.
Don't post copyrighted materials or do other things which will obviously lead to legal trouble. If you wouldn't do it on your own homepage, you probably shouldn't do it here either. This does not mean that we agree with everything that the software piracy lobby try to impose on us. It simply means that you cannot break any laws here, since we'll end up dealing with the legal hassle caused by you. Please use common sense: respect the forum, its users and those that write great code.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thread closed.
-Regards: Badger50

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