Develop Bugs

Unlocking through htcdev.com and warranty repair - my story

I have bought through clove.co.uk my HTC ONE X.
I have successfully unlocked it through htcdev.com
Now I have a yellowish spot on the lower left corner - a hardware fault, clearly.
I have sent it back to clove.co.uk
They told me that HTC has some doubts about free of charge repairing.
I will keep you posted.

ninja.rogue said:
I have bought through clove.co.uk my HTC ONE X.
I have successfully unlocked it through htcdev.com
Now I have a yellowish spot on the lower left corner - a hardware fault, clearly.
I have sent it back to clove.co.uk
They told me that HTC has some doubts about free of charge repairing.
I will keep you posted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
please do..as your story seems quite interesting now. hopefully they will replace it for you but kinda makes you think twice before unlocking it now kinda makes me sad hearing that..i really do hope there is an S-OFF exploit cause if there is not i maybe just maybe might end up selling this and going back to either s2 or buy the s3 when that comes out and hopefully that bootloader will be unlocked...i am really loving my phone but things on this side seem so complicated compare to the s2 one

The htcdev unlock shouldn't affect your hardware warranty but it is worded so that in theory anything could be blamed on you altering the firmware. It would be daft if they do end up refusing to fix your phone for free as it is obviously nothing to do with the unlock.

NoobTerminator said:
please do..as your story seems quite interesting now. hopefully they will replace it for you but kinda makes you think twice before unlocking it now kinda makes me sad hearing that..i really do hope there is an S-OFF exploit cause if there is not i maybe just maybe might end up selling this and going back to either s2 or buy the s3 when that comes out and hopefully that bootloader will be unlocked...i am really loving my phone but things on this side seem so complicated compare to the s2 one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea if you want an easy to root/mod phone Samsung ones are generally better.
Sent from my HTC One X using XDA

I also have informed Clove that I have posted here.
Let's wait and see whether all the hype about HTC opening the bootloader is just marketing or has some sense. After all, I didn't alter anything hardware so if - say - some button or screen ceases to function or doesn't do it properly, why shouldn't warranty be valid??

The thing with the yellow point is well known. At least in Germany. Had a One X that had the same yellow spot on the left bottom of the display too.
Brought it back to the shop (Saturn) and get a complete new one.
Hopefully you get a new one, too!
Forget to mention that I've didn't unlock it.

ninja.rogue said:
After all, I didn't alter anything hardware so if - say - some button or screen ceases to function or doesn't do it properly, why shouldn't warranty be valid??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The way HTC word it on htcdev is that because you're not using official validated firmware then you might have had faulty firmware which damaged hardware e.g. it was overheating but the firmware somehow managed to ignore it and continue.
It depends on what is faulty I guess. If the micro USB socket breaks then it is obviously nothing that could be caused by firmware.
The yellowish spot is probably the glue they used to stick the LCD to the touchscreen. There are quite a few mentions of similar spots on this forum. Was it there when you first got the phone?

Yes it was there but it went unnoticed due to excess of enthusiasm in going through each and every menu and too much work to take care of small details. but then, with time, I got aware of the yellow spot.
Clove also noticed it and sent the phone to HTC.

I avoided unlocking at HTCDev as I'd like to keep my warranty, so I will be waiting for Revolutionary
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

same story here, i'm about to send it to htc, i'll await your results, too.

So no rooting without potential warranty issues?

patp said:
So no rooting without potential warranty issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTC is entitled to some form of protection. If you overclock and fry your CPU they shouldn't have to eat the cost. Friends who unlocked international phones have gotten h/w (display, build issues, etc.) related warranty service from HTC with no hassle.
Here's their policy:
It is our responsibility to caution you that not all claims resulting or caused by or from the unlocking of the bootloader may be covered under warranty.
Unlocking the bootloader means that you now have the ability to customize software on your device. Please note that changing your bootloader can cause significant issues with your device and once you have unlocked your device, you have agreed to the disclaimer that states a change in warranty status such that in the event you render your device unusable, you are responsible for the recovery of your device, whether by repair or by other means.
It seems fairly reasonable. Asus has Prime owners completely waive their warranty rights, even for non-related issues, when they unlock their bootloaders. So it could be worse.
You know the old saying - "you play, you pay."

BarryH_GEG said:
HTC is entitled to some form of protection. If you overclock and fry your CPU they shouldn't have to eat the cost. Friends who unlocked international phones have gotten h/w (display, build issues, etc.) related warranty service from HTC with no hassle.
Here's their policy:
It is our responsibility to caution you that not all claims resulting or caused by or from the unlocking of the bootloader may be covered under warranty.
Unlocking the bootloader means that you now have the ability to customize software on your device. Please note that changing your bootloader can cause significant issues with your device and once you have unlocked your device, you have agreed to the disclaimer that states a change in warranty status such that in the event you render your device unusable, you are responsible for the recovery of your device, whether by repair or by other means.
It seems fairly reasonable. Asus has Prime owners completely waive their warranty rights, even for non-related issues, when they unlock their bootloaders. So it could be worse.
You know the old saying - "you play, you pay."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One one side - an entirely software based brick: user should pay. On the other side, failed hardware: manufacturer should pay. In between there may be differences of opinion!

patp said:
So no rooting without potential warranty issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have also sent my phone in for a yellow spot. Phone was rooted on HTC dev. Right now the status is "In Repair". So we will see what they say. I did flash back to stock before sending it in.

i rooted my HOX also. after 2 weeks i noticed the wifi fault AND a yellow spot. relocked it and send it in for repair. returned the phone a few weeks later. Still had a wifi issue, but now i don't get warranty for their faulty repair the first time because they saw is was *relocked*
after a few angry phone calls i decided to fix it my self

Lazy-eye said:
i rooted my HOX also. after 2 weeks i noticed the wifi fault AND a yellow spot. relocked it and send it in for repair. returned the phone a few weeks later. Still had a wifi issue, but now i don't get warranty for their faulty repair the first time because they saw is was *relocked*
after a few angry phone calls i decided to fix it my self
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My status just changed to "REPAIR COMPLETE". So i think i am in the clear.

I think due to a bad install of a rom on my part the phone would not charge.I had used Htcdev to unlock but reset to facory settings before sending it back to HTC for repair.I have been told its been repaired and on its way back to me.

Flyinace2000 said:
My status just changed to "REPAIR COMPLETE". So i think i am in the clear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange now i am back to "In Repair"

Flyinace2000 said:
Strange now i am back to "In Repair"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And now it is back to awaiting device....very strange.

Flyinace2000 said:
And now it is back to awaiting device....very strange.
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Click to collapse
And now it shows the phone is being returned. So looks like they didn't care/check that my phone was "relocked".
UPS is set to drop it off tonight, but i am away on business so won't be able to report back on the quality until this weekend.
-Will

[Q] Warranty

Could someone please help shed some light on this subject for me?
If I revert my phone back to stock using RUU and relock the bootloader will my warranty still work (even though it says relocked on bootloader?)
I ask because I rang HTC the other week as I have a dead pixel on my screen and they said my warranty was void as I had performed HTCDev Unlock on the phone.

Thats total crap. Unlocking the bootloader does not invalidate your warranty, HTC made the bootloader unlockable for it's customers.

Yes, depends on them.....btw... did you tell them about the htcdev unlock...or did they find it out themself ?
While unlocking...you accept that "It may viod your warranty "

I believe the warranty still covers hardware if it wasn't caused by software I could be wrong.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

mathrania said:
Yes, depends on them.....btw... did you tell them about the htcdev unlock...or did they find it out themself ?
While unlocking...you accept that "It may viod your warranty "
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i stupidly mentioned it but the good thing is that they didnt get my name or any other details over the phone so am i still safe?

treebill said:
I believe the warranty still covers hardware if it wasn't caused by software I could be wrong.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
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Click to collapse
thats exactly what i said to her on the phone. she made me so angry.
next thing i heard from her was "sir if you continue swearing im going to have to end this call" lmao

They would have to show the software somehow caused a pixel to fail.
Frankly I don't fancy their chances.
They may wish to wash their hands of users who don't enjoy their buggy software, but if you choose to run Linux on your Toshiba laptop, Toshiba won't suddenly start telling you it's out of warranty when the screen breaks.
This will be tested over and over, and HTC will lose at every turn.
Stand your ground, submit it for warranty repair, and if they say it'll cost you go see a consumer rights group in your relevant country.

f4flake said:
They would have to show the software somehow caused a pixel to fail.
Frankly I don't fancy their chances.
They may wish to wash their hands of users who don't enjoy their buggy software, but if you choose to run Linux on your Toshiba laptop, Toshiba won't suddenly start telling you it's out of warranty when the screen breaks.
This will be tested over and over, and HTC will lose at every turn.
Stand your ground, submit it for warranty repair, and if they say it'll cost you go see a consumer rights group in your relevant country.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i totally agree with you there buddy, perfect example with the laptop.
i mean seriously, on planet earth how the hell do they expect software to form a dead pixel. and besides the dead pixel was there before I unlocked through htc.
silly me as always impatient and couldnt wait to unbrand my phone and get all the laggyness off i unlocked and installed custom rom.

p2nv said:
thats exactly what i said to her on the phone. she made me so angry.
next thing i heard from her was "sir if you continue swearing im going to have to end this call" lmao
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Lol, you Australians love to swear..

TommUK said:
Lol, you Australians love to swear..
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Click to collapse
When people don't even know their own policies its quite annoying lol
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

In the UK at least the warranty is in addition to statutory consumer rights which says basically that the phone should be free from any defects caused by faulty materials or workmanship, it must be "fit for purpose" and for a "reasonable time". As contracts last for 2 years it is not unreasonable to expect a phone to last for 3-4 years. It is also illegal for a company to ask you to disclaim your statutory rights.
What all this basically means is that regardless of bootloader unlock you can sue HTC in a very easy small claims action (you can do it all online) if they refuse to repair your device for any reason and you can show the fault arose through no fault of your own. My bootloader is unlocked and this is exactly what I will be doing should the situation arise
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

In australia they have to prove that unlock caused the fault. Same as generic printer inks - they cannot automatically void warranty if you use them, they actually have to prove the ink was the problem.
M.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

At& root policy

Does anyone know the official root policy at At&t? I waited about 3 months to root my Galaxy S but I want to root and flash mine now without worrying about the warranty in case I screw it up.

Root voids warranty... Just flash back to stock for warranty purposes you can get the odin tar at wwww. Samsung- updates. Com
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium

It should, but I don't think it matters.
The way I understand it goes as follows: The terms of your warranty are set by Samsung. When you bring a phone to your AT&T store to have it replaced under warranty, AT&T is simply taking that phone and returning it to Samsung for you. The Samsung warranty clearly states that rooting your phone violates your warranty.
Despite that, when I called the support number and asked several people at AT&T, all of them assured me that rooting does not void my warranty. I even made one of the people I spoke with email it to me in writing, for what it's worth. I ended up deciding that it shouldn't really matter though because:
1. It is really easy to root without tripping the counter, and
2. If you go into the store to use your warranty, do you really think the person there will know what the binary counter is, no less how to check it? And if Samsung ends up saying that your phone's warranty was voided, AT&T takes the loss, not you.

mcnulty1 said:
The way I understand it goes as follows: The terms of your warranty are set by Samsung. When you bring a phone to your AT&T store to have it replaced under warranty, AT&T is simply taking that phone and returning it to Samsung for you. The Samsung warranty clearly states that rooting your phone violates your warranty.
Despite that, when I called the support number and asked several people at AT&T, all of them assured me that rooting does not void my warranty. I even made one of the people I spoke with email it to me in writing, for what it's worth. I ended up deciding that it shouldn't really matter though because:
1. It is really easy to root without tripping the counter, and
2. If you go into the store to use your warranty, do you really think the person there will know what the binary counter is, no less how to check it? And if Samsung ends up saying that your phone's warranty was voided, AT&T takes the loss, not you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So if the warranty is voided according to Samsung, at&t will still replace it?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747

You can unroot/reset the flash counter so why risk submitting a phone that is rooted?
Just unroot and return it to stock first to avoid any hassle - even if some AT&T reps tell you it's ok they are not the decision makers and are OFTEN wrong/mis-informed.

jeffreii said:
You can unroot/reset the flash counter so why risk submitting a phone that is rooted?
Just unroot and return it to stock first to avoid any hassle - even if some AT&T reps tell you it's ok they are not the decision makers and are OFTEN wrong/mis-informed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 - It's better to be safe then suddenly be on the hook for $600 to AT&T.

WA_Bob said:
+1 - It's better to be safe then suddenly be on the hook for $600 to AT&T.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What if your phone has been rooted, and the phone will not power on at all. Will I still be able to return and be covered under warranty?
Will AT&T be able to tell that the device has been rooted if it won't power on at all? (I flashed a rom for the 19300 accidentally)
Freaking noobie move. DOH!#$%[email protected]!!

oreo918 said:
What if your phone has been rooted, and the phone will not power on at all. Will I still be able to return and be covered under warranty?
Will AT&T be able to tell that the device has been rooted if it won't power on at all? (I flashed a rom for the 19300 accidentally)
Freaking noobie move. DOH!#$%[email protected]!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ouch! Well, you can only try and see but if it they tell you that "You bricked it, you bought it" you don't really have any options.

WA_Bob said:
Ouch! Well, you can only try and see but if it they tell you that "You bricked it, you bought it" you don't really have any options.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Luckily I am still under the Manufacturer's Warranty, and they replaced it with no problem. Although they did ask me if my device was rooted. I just told them "No" and crossed my fingers.
UItimately they replaced the phone. Thank you for you quick response.

With any luck they'll just go straight to re-imaging it and overwrite everything without bothering to look too closely at it. Then it would be sold or made a warranty replacement as a refurb and everything will work out. I'm sure this isn't the first time someone has brought them a brick and hopefully they're not bothered enough by it to look very closely at what happened to it.
However, I would take a closer look at what ROM you're flashing on which flavor of SGS 3 this time around. Bring in more than one brick and even the slowest sales person might get to wondering!

If you get lucky and the AT&T employee is a good person and your phone is having a hardware issue that could never be caused by root, they sometimes don't care about your phone being rooted. It has happened toa friend of mine.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

WA_Bob said:
With any luck they'll just go straight to re-imaging it and overwrite everything without bothering to look too closely at it. Then it would be sold or made a warranty replacement as a refurb and everything will work out. I'm sure this isn't the first time someone has brought them a brick and hopefully they're not bothered enough by it to look very closely at what happened to it.
However, I would take a closer look at what ROM you're flashing on which flavor of SGS 3 this time around. Bring in more than one brick and even the slowest sales person might get to wondering!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that's right. I will DEFINITELY be putting any ROM I consider flashing under a magnifying glass before flashing away. :victory:
Thank you for your time and your response on this matter, it has been very helpful.
God Bless

Have a few questions about the HOX before I pull the trigger..

Guys,
I just need some clarification.
- Unlocking the bootloader through htcdev.com voids your warranty, correct?
- Can the HOX be rooted without going through htcdev.com?
I was trying to decide b/w the GS3 and the HOX and I think I'm gonna go with the
HOX. I hate touchwiz and the GS3 screen is not too hot.
Thank you!

c47v3779 said:
Guys,
I just need some clarification.
- Unlocking the bootloader through htcdev.com voids your warranty, correct?
- Can the HOX be rooted without going through htcdev.com?
I was trying to decide b/w the GS3 and the HOX and I think I'm gonna go with the
HOX. I hate touchwiz and the GS3 screen is not too hot.
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both yes and no. They claim that you woid you warranty but the warranty is still valid for hardware fault from factory. If you have to send the phone for warranty repair just install stock and relock the bootloader and just play dumb if the ask anything
Havent read ant other way of doing it? search in the development threads.

There's some uncertainty regarding warranty after unlocking bootloader. Some people get faults covered without question while others get it denied outright and have to pay to repair or pay a release fee for the phone to be returned to them un repaired. But to be safe I'd say yes... Unlocking the bootloader will void your warranty.
And no. There is no known way just yet. There are a lot of people waiting for S-Off which will provide us a way to unlock without voiding, but that's quite a long way off.
Hope I helped.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app

ThatNerdGuy said:
There's some uncertainty regarding warranty after unlocking bootloader. Some people get faults covered without question while others get it denied outright and have to pay to repair or pay a release fee for the phone to be returned to them un repaired. But to be safe I'd say yes... Unlocking the bootloader will void your warranty.
And no. There is no known way just yet. There are a lot of people waiting for S-Off which will provide us a way to unlock without voiding, but that's quite a long way off.
Hope I helped.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That may also depend in which country you live in. Some are maybe harder then others if its a genuine htc repair "place" or if its outsourced to another repairplace. Where im from the companies that repair the phones dont check anything about the software they just check what needs to ble replaced and replaces it. They dont ask any questions since they bill HTC or Samsung or whatev for the repair anyway

Someone try to S-off but it seems to hard to work.
If you wanna unlock without htc.dev.....just wait for a while.
Unlock will lose software warranty, but hardware warranty still keep.

Rooting does NOT void your warrany if you live within the EU

This applies to all forums but oh well, https://fsfe.org/freesoftware/legal/flashingdevices.en.html

Well htc could just say ( ya ,modification of software caused hardware failure of such and such component ) than your warranty is void ,its that simple. Htc doesn't have to prove crap unless every complain choose to take HTC to small court claim
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

Legally the accuse should prove your fault..

Bear in mind that it is the seller that is obliged to honour this, not the manufacturer. So if you have an issue, you must persue remedy through the seller, not HTC.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

How difficult is it to just unroot before sending it for repair?

pandaball said:
How difficult is it to just unroot before sending it for repair?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bootloader still says RELOCKED, so there's proof. Also you need the unlock file from HTC...so they know anyway -_-

marcinr said:
This applies to all forums but oh well, https://fsfe.org/freesoftware/legal/flashingdevices.en.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In fact Htc says that if you unlock the bootloader your warranty is void, unlocking is different than rooting

matt95 said:
In fact Htc says that if you unlock the bootloader your warranty is void, unlocking is different than rooting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In fact they don't if you read closely. They say that the warranty is void if something happens that could be caused by unlocking. The don't state that the warranty is voided in every case.
In the end it comes down to this (I guess):
If you have a clear hardware fault like a broken display they will probably swap in any case. If you have blown CPU they might or they might not, depending if they like to piss you off or not
If you want to be 100% safe, don't unlock.
If you have a legal protection insurance and live in Europe: Go for it.
If you are daring and believe in customer friendlyness of your dealer: Go for it.
Besides, at least in Germany within the first 6 months, your seller would have to prove that the defect is caused by unlocking, which will be as hard as the other way round after the first 6 months
I was daring; I swapped my device 2 times because of hardware faults (stuck/broken softbuttons and a broken vibrator). Both where relocked, both where replaced without any questions asked (Business contract, I have to admit).

The problem with the HOX isn't just regarding gaining ROOT. It's the fact that even if you unlock via htcdev, you still don't have a fully unlocked bootloader and that's some BS right there.

matt95 said:
In fact Htc says that if you unlock the bootloader your warranty is void, unlocking is different than rooting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to the HTC One X warranty statement: "The Limited Warranty applies only to the hardware components of the Product as originally supplied and does not apply to any software or other equipment." Now, I have not rooted my HOX yet and as so have limited knowledge of the process, but unlocking a boot loader sounds like it is not interfering with the hardware but rather the software (?).

Root have never void varranty for HTC, not for me or enyone I know

audiavant said:
Root have never void varranty for HTC, not for me or enyone I know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah but because we had s-off and we could revert back to stock without any hint

It's important to remember that I never had any problems on my previous HOX till months in. Four to be exact.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

My HOX is roted and i sent it to repair, and HTC repaired it for free...

Not 100% sure but I think we as the UK opted out of that EU directive mentioned in the original post.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2