Develop Bugs

[Q] What's the benefit of relocking the bootloader?

Curious.....and I didn't see a thread about why some folks do so

none. its the same thing, just have it relocked when u send it in for warranty purposes + on stock

Like zephiK said: none. There is absolutely zero benefit to relocking the bootloader. On the contrary, there are many disadvantages:
if you ever have to unlock again, it will wipe your data
you cannot use most fastboot commands, which means that, unless you have root, you cannot flash radios, ROMs, backup your data, etc...
People relock their bootloader because, in my opinion, they are not very knowledgeable about how Nexus devices work, and have it in their head that, to be fully stock and receive/install OTA updates, you need to have a locked bootloader. Certainly not the case.

There was a guy on here who wanted to return his phone back to stock for warranty. His USB was broken. He could return everything to stock through the phone, except for locking the bootloader. If it was already locked, the problem wouldn't be there...
Not a good enough reason for me, but it could be a factor in your decision...

danger-rat said:
There was a guy on here who wanted to return his phone back to stock for warranty. His USB was broken. He could return everything to stock through the phone, except for locking the bootloader. If it was already locked, the problem wouldn't be there...
Not a good enough reason for me, but it could be a factor in your decision...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well in order to change anything he had to unlock the bootloader so...

danger-rat said:
There was a guy on here who wanted to return his phone back to stock for warranty. His USB was broken. He could return everything to stock through the phone, except for locking the bootloader. If it was already locked, the problem wouldn't be there...
Not a good enough reason for me, but it could be a factor in your decision...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still don't know if I believe that Samsung will not honor the warranty because the bootloader is unlocked, particularly on a device with a re-lockable bootloader.
As we know, HTC honored the warranty on the Nexus One, even though with an unlocked bootloader.

efrant said:
I still don't know if I believe that Samsung will not honor the warranty because the bootloader is unlocked, particularly on a device with a re-lockable bootloader.
As we know, HTC honored the warranty on the Nexus One, even though with an unlocked bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's not so much the OEM, its more of the carrier.
vzw will not honor anything if the bootloader is unlocked.

Like I said, it's not a factor for me. I unlocked with about 10 minutes of my first full charge, and don't see any value switching back. Everyone is different though, so I thought I would just share this detail, no matter how trivial...

martonikaj said:
Well in order to change anything he had to unlock the bootloader so...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really. You can flash a stock ROM and via ROM Manager - you just can't lock the bootloader...

[Q] Does flashing 'universal' (unlocked) stock ROM void my warranty?

Hey guys,
I'm sorry if this has been asked before - I did a search around but found nothing, surprisingly. Question is, if I flash my HTC One X (which is currently stock and on a plan with Vodafone, so full of 'bloatware' and 'outdated' builds) with the 'universal' (unlocked?) stock ROM will my original warranty be voided? My main reasons for wanting to do this is remove a few unnecessary apps that Vodafone include and make sure I'm receiving the latest OTA updates straight from HTC. Obviously I can continue to wait for the updates and turn a blind eye to the 'crapware', but if I'm able to flash the official stock ROM straight from HTC then I'd much rather do that, just need to make sure no warranty issues will arise as I'd hate to have such a beautiful device collecting dust because I was too impatient or ignorant to check beforehand.
Thanks for any suggestions or help,
DJ GLiTCH

...

If you are going to flash any ROM (including stock) you will need to unlock your bootloader first (via HTC dev) and install CWM Recovery. The act of unlocking you bootloader voids your warranty. They keep a note of all of the phones that they have unlocked. You may still be covered for physical defects (although maybe not) and you definitely won't be covered for anything software related.

gifton1 said:
If you are going to flash any ROM (including stock) you will need to unlock your bootloader first (via HTC dev) and install CWM Recovery. The act of unlocking you bootloader voids your warranty. They keep a note of all of the phones that they have unlocked. You may still be covered for physical defects (although maybe not) and you definitely won't be covered for anything software related.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not technically true.
HTC clearly state that unlocking your bootloader *may* void *certain* parts of your warranty. In other words if you screw up your phone as a result of flashing roms then your on your own. If your phone develops a fault then it's covered.
HTC can't possibly keep a note of what phones have been unlocked. How can they? When you go through HTCDev.com you get sent the unlock file which you then have to flash. Only because HTC sent you this file it does not mean that you have flashed it - you may have changed your mind afterwards.
Once you unlock your bootloader and flash a custom rom you can choose you revert back to Stock by relocking then flashing the Vodafone branded RUU file. Providing you don't balls up your phone during this process your entire warranty will remain intact, including software issues.

dr9722 said:
Not technically true.
HTC clearly state that unlocking your bootloader *may* void *certain* parts of your warranty. In other words if you screw up your phone as a result of flashing roms then your on your own. If your phone develops a fault then it's covered.
HTC can't possibly keep a note of what phones have been unlocked. How can they? When you go through HTCDev.com you get sent the unlock file which you then have to flash. Only because HTC sent you this file it does not mean that you have flashed it - you may have changed your mind afterwards.
Once you unlock your bootloader and flash a custom rom you can choose you revert back to Stock by relocking then flashing the Vodafone branded RUU file. Providing you don't balls up your phone during this process your entire warranty will remain intact, including software issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you unlock and afterwards relock the bootloader again, in fastboot mode it says bootloader RELOCKED and not LOCKED. That`s how they see it.

I spoke to Vodafone Australia and they assured me that the act of unlocking alone does NOT void your warranty, however once you make a modification, warranty is gone. So yes, flashing another Rom will void warranty
Sent from my HTC One X using XDA

dr9722 said:
Not technically true.
HTC clearly state that unlocking your bootloader *may* void *certain* parts of your warranty. In other words if you screw up your phone as a result of flashing roms then your on your own. If your phone develops a fault then it's covered.
HTC can't possibly keep a note of what phones have been unlocked. How can they? When you go through HTCDev.com you get sent the unlock file which you then have to flash. Only because HTC sent you this file it does not mean that you have flashed it - you may have changed your mind afterwards.
Once you unlock your bootloader and flash a custom rom you can choose you revert back to Stock by relocking then flashing the Vodafone branded RUU file. Providing you don't balls up your phone during this process your entire warranty will remain intact, including software issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, as pointed out by Gee2012 above, the bootloader says Relocked if you lock it again - so it is fairly obvious. This is irrelevant anyway as they have your phone imei number which is most probably what they use - they aren't stupid!
And from what I have been reading - HTC are being funny when people are trying to claim on warranty even if it is a physical defect that you have, once you have unlocked your bootloader. See here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1631610

gifton1 said:
Actually, as pointed out by Gee2012 above, the bootloader says Relocked if you lock it again - so it is fairly obvious. This is irrelevant anyway as they have your phone imei number which is most probably what they use - they aren't stupid!
And from what I have been reading - HTC are being funny when people are trying to claim on warranty even if it is a physical defect that you have, once you have unlocked your bootloader. See here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1631610
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I know it says relocked but HTC arnt keeping a "note" as such at the point of unlocking via HTCDev.
I sent my HOX back due to dust under the screen with the bootloader relocked and I received it back good as new (still unlocked).

dr9722 said:
Yes I know it says relocked but HTC arnt keeping a "note" as such at the point of unlocking via HTCDev.
I sent my HOX back due to dust under the screen with the bootloader relocked and I received it back good as new (still unlocked).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They gave your phone back due to a hardware issue - fair enough. But if you went back for example with poor signal quality, even if you have flashed your original RUU, I very much doubt they would consider that under warranty anymore. They know you have unlocked the bootloader and tinkered with the software (even tho you are now back on stock). Have a lock at the link that i posted - it seems to be pretty murky water!

I also think that it also varies from servicecenter to servicecenter how they cope with this procedure or protocol. Some are more strict than others. I once took a bricked I9000 (due to a bad flash) to Dynafix and they repaired it under warranty!
It was running a custom rom and kerrnel.

Thank you all very much for your responses. I'm sorry for the delay, but for some reason never received any email notifications of replies.
I understand that flashing 'may' void warranty, depending on how far you go with the whole unlocking the bootloader and custom roms, but my concern is with flashing a non-carrier orientated stock rom. Such that I can revive updates quickly and OTA without needing the delay of Vodafone and the like, as well as removing all of their 'useful apps' they include inside their roms which I cannot remove.
Not trying to go off topic here either, but I come from a Samsung background (upgraded from the original Galaxy S) and was just wondering if the flashing process is similar? Like I'm guessing there is no odin for HTC, but clockwork mod and the rest are still around, correct? Not after instructions, just curious, as I'm trying to avoid losing my warranty and would likely only flash stock roms (for the time being at least, until I cave in). Cheers.

According to Vodafone, you will lose your warranty regardless of what you flash whether its stock based or not. They also said that simply rooting voids it as well.
However you might be able to flash the stock RUU for voda which may cover your tracks. I'm not 100% though.
As for flashing, Im still stock at the moment but from what I gather it is the same with respect to clockworkmod recovery and what not. But just double check any OPs before you start though lol
Sent from my HTC One X using XDA

[Q] Bootloader Re-locked. Warranty?

Hello there,
since 4.0.4 wasn't coming to my phone, I've flashed the stock image from google on my GNexus. I was wondering if, having unlocked and re-locked the bootloader, my warranty is void, or if it is back on.
Thanks in advance

Doesn't rooting already void ur warranty?
Sent from my X8 using xda premium

As long as you put stock from and relock bootloader, no one can tell you've done anything to your phone or voided your warranty.
Just like an iPhone jailbreaking voids your warranty until you restore it back to official firmware.
Galaxy Nexus GSM

You can always return to stock and lock the bootloader. No one will be able to tell you've done anything to the phone at that point.

I send my SGN in for repair after reflashing the stock image and relocking the bootloader. And there were no complaints that my warranty is void. So I asume there is no flash counter like on the SGS2.

Alright! Great to hear
Thanks a lot for all the replies =)

Oh, that's great to hear!

I have a similar question...If you were to be lazy and not relock the bootloader, would the people at a local VZW really know? I mean, in the past, I have seen people take rooted and Rom'd HTC phones to sprint and easily gotten replacements.

juntistik said:
I have a similar question...If you were to be lazy and not relock the bootloader, would the people at a local VZW really know? I mean, in the past, I have seen people take rooted and Rom'd HTC phones to sprint and easily gotten replacements.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They probably wouldn't know... but how the hell lazy are you? Connect the phone to a PC and type "fastboot oem lock" into the command window. There's absolutely no reason not to lock the bootloader before sending it back in.

juntistik said:
I have a similar question...If you were to be lazy and not relock the bootloader, would the people at a local VZW really know? I mean, in the past, I have seen people take rooted and Rom'd HTC phones to sprint and easily gotten replacements.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if they have 1/2 a brain, yes they can tell the bootloader is unlocked... since there's a picture of a unlocked lock.

As I wrote before I send my phone in for repair and relocked it before. Today I got my phone back and when I turned it on it was unlocked. I think they don't care about unlocked bootloaders as long as the issue is not caused by onlocking the bootloader.

They should be able to tell whether ur bootloader is locked. It changes one of the codes. For my w8 it changes Rxxxxxx (locked) to rxxxxxx( unlocked) so as long as they check ur warranty is as good as dead
Sent from my E16i using xda premium

blazerphoenix said:
They should be able to tell whether ur bootloader is locked. It changes one of the codes. For my w8 it changes Rxxxxxx (locked) to rxxxxxx( unlocked) so as long as they check ur warranty is as good as dead
Sent from my E16i using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hello...?
we can relock the bootloader.. after being relocked, it's locked, like it came from the factory.. "i never did anything to the phone, custom stuff, what are you talking about?"
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201

Yeah but its quite risky I'll rather pay the 30+ dollars
Sent from my E15i using xda premium

blazerphoenix said:
Yeah but its quite risky I'll rather pay the 30+ dollars
Sent from my E15i using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it isn't.
Once relocked, its locked.
Simple as.
Nexus ftw.

unlocking and relocking the bootloader is extremely easy guys....
I had an issue with my stock recovery ....so I had to unlock by bootloader ..then flash the stock recovery image ...and then relock my bootloader.... all this took under 10 mins...
and yes once you relock..its relocked...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

afma_afma said:
unlocking and relocking the bootloader is extremely easy guys....
I had an issue with my stock recovery ....so I had to unlock by bootloader ..then flash the stock recovery image ...and then relock my bootloader.... all this took under 10 mins...
and yes once you relock..its relocked...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why bother even relocking it, if you need to unlock it again you'll have to wipe your internal storage.

nodstuff said:
Why bother even relocking it, if you need to unlock it again you'll have to wipe your internal storage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Security reasons.
Sent from my i9250

[SOLVED] [Q] Does the GNex have a flash counter?

Hey all.
My Gnex has developed a charging problem whereby it thinks it's charging when it's not and wont always charge when it's plugged in.
I took it back to Three (my uk network) and they were aware that I was keen on rooting it. The guy asked me if I rooted it and I said that it 'currently was not rooted' as I had unrooted and stuck the stock ICS software on it in the morning.
He told me that 'Samsung would know if it's been rooted before and would charge me for the part needed to repair the device', so I took it home again to find out more.
It turns out that there is a Flash Counter on the GSII, III and the Note which I guess counts how many times you've flashed a rom and so if it doesn't match Samsungs records they will charge me, but I can't find any info about the Gnex.
So does anyone know if my Galaxy Nexus has a flash counter?
Thanks

No.
You're fine.

Jubakuba said:
No.
You're fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!

Flash counter no. However they can tell if you've potentially done anything by the status of your bootloader (locked or unlocked). Unlocking the bootloader is meant to void your warranty anyway.
If it is unlocked, just lock it again and you'll be fine.

Unlawful said:
Flash counter no. However they can tell if you've potentially done anything by the status of your bootloader (locked or unlocked). Unlocking the bootloader is meant to void your warranty anyway.
If it is unlocked, just lock it again and you'll be fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okey they know you've done anything if you send the phone like that, but if you reinstall official google rom + wipe data + wipe cache + wipe dalvik cache + lock bootloader, they wouldn't know would they?
I think that is what the the original poster means.

[Q] How to relock bootloader to 'locked' not 'relocked'

Hi guys, i have a question, i want to return my phone for warranty and i've read this thread that if your bootloader is showing 'relocked' you cannot return the device for warranty.
I am here to ask if there is a way to make the bootloader show 'locked' bootloader instead of 'relocked'?
it would be GREATLY appreciated if you could help me. thanks!
for those who want to relock their bootloader can follow the instructions here

There is no way to do that ATM.
If the problem is the hardware issue, HTC should honor the warranty.

ckpv5 said:
There is no way to do that ATM.
If the problem is the hardware issue, HTC should honor the warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
actually i'm looking to sell the phone, the phone have no issues whatsoever, but if the person i sell to wants to claim warranty, it may be an issue.

Not possible. When you got your unlock bin from HTC, it logged the device info. There gonna know right away it was tampered with.

rayford85 said:
Not possible. When you got your unlock bin from HTC, it logged the device info. There gonna know right away it was tampered with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so that means there is no option to claim warranty unless i pay for the 'fines' or charges that incur to repair my device?

zincsnow said:
so that means there is no option to claim warranty unless i pay for the 'fines' or charges that incur to repair my device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. From what I've read, unlocking voids the warranty instantly (even tho htcdev says it "could" void your warranty) So any repairs are gonna cost you.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

I saw this
kfasheldon said:
OK.. while trying to re-flash my phone after messing up, I tried to re-lock (fastboot oem lock) and it put up 3 messages, 1 succeed, 2 failed, on reboot of phone it read locked.
Yes!! Locked not re-locked ! I forgot I had not flashed stock recovery ! So triued to unlock, it worked but I could not flash stock recovery, failed, but I could re-lock with same LOCKED message, if I then went from HBoot to Fastboot I got a new menu SECURITY .. bellow locked a message SECURITY WARNING, if I select SECURITY menu then I get a new screen , KEYCARD failed, and reboots.
Anyway the LOCKED was enough to get the phone swapped as its two weeks old, any way after charging and attempting RUU again it locked on black HTC screen most times it booted.
Still maybe this menu holds a key to S-OFF, and maybe the relock failing can be replicated, it seems to have sent only 1 of 3 parts if the file across, so if you phone is bricked maybe you can give it a shot for htc service cover by part re-locking in some way.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7526938/IMAG0439.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7526938/IMAG0384.jpg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and was hoping we could make some headway on it.

I noticed you are on Vodafone Australia.
I spoke to multiple stores and service reps and each of them said the same thing, that merely unlocking the bootloader will not void your warranty with them assuming a hardware fault. They even allowing discussion of bootloader unlocking in their community forum.
They did say however that flashing custom roms and rooting will void your warranty as per usual and any damage caused as a result of overclocking or messing with voltages etc is not covered.
I don't know if that is any help, but they seem pretty good about it so long as you didnt cause any actual damage yourself

kylec said:
I noticed you are on Vodafone Australia.
I spoke to multiple stores and service reps and each of them said the same thing, that merely unlocking the bootloader will not void your warranty with them assuming a hardware fault. They even allowing discussion of bootloader unlocking in their community forum.
They did say however that flashing custom roms and rooting will void your warranty as per usual and any damage caused as a result of overclocking or messing with voltages etc is not covered.
I don't know if that is any help, but they seem pretty good about it so long as you didnt cause any actual damage yourself
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately I bought it outright from All phones. Don't think they'll accept it. but never mind anymore, I sold my HTC one x. I put up a *phone has boot loader unlocked* note on the ad
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3