Develop Bugs

[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Question is, if I flash my HTC One X (which is currently stock and on a plan with Vodafone, so full of 'bloatware' and 'outdated' builds) with the 'universal' (unlocked?)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] 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

Help with getting HTC ONE X back to stock for RMA (hboot relocked issue)

Hello all.
I have an international version of HTC ONE X with less than a year which is plenty of faulty issues:
1. Wifi signal is extremely low and inestable
2. Screen goes crazy from time to time without pressing or doing anything
3. Three inferior buttons do not respond at all
So the phone is now pretty much useless (I have to power off and on each time I enter an app). The two first issues appeared at the very first month of the purchase, although I could live with them, more or less. The third disfunction has left the phone completely useless, and I had to buy a substitution one as I need it for my job.
I tried to swap the original rom with some CM and MIUI ones, trying to at least solve the 3rd issue so I had to unlock the bootloader via HTCDev (big mistake). I tried everything on my hand (except for opening physically the phone), until I took the path of the warranty service to get it repaired by HTC, as it presents the above-mentioned hardware-based issues.
So I relocked the bootloader, flashed back the stock RUU it came with, and updated it to the latest official one (4.2.2 if I remember correctly)
Now they have returned it (at no cost) and claimed that the warranty is void as on XX-YY-ZZZZ the bootloader was unlocked (they must have seen the ***UNLOCKED*** string on the bootloader and they got the exact date from the log I guess).
So, is there any way to get it back to ***LOCKED*** and "erase the logs" so they cannot tell if the bootloader has been unlocked?
I know it is only my fault, I should not have tried to fix it by myself and sent it directly to RMA, but I feel impotent that I cannot prove that all the faults are hardware-based, and the phone is pretty much useless long before unlocking the bootloader, which I did in good faith to try to repair it by myself without bothering the RMA service. Now they rely on this software-based feature to void the warranty and charge me for a, I guess, extremely expensive reparation (as both the motherboard and screen may need to be replaced to solve all the faulty issues the phone had from the very first month).
Thanks a lot in advance and sorry for the wall of text.

No not possible to get it back to LOCKED. The only thing you can do is RELOCK it.

Thanks for your quick response, Mr Hofs.
I have it ***RELOCKED*** and they have retrieved through some log that the bootloader has been unlocked (and the exact date).
So now, from lost to the river. As the reparation may cost several hundreds of euros (as they would have to change both motherboard and display to solve all the issues) and nobody can assure that the phone will be repaired correctly with all the flaws it has at the moment (besides, I have already had lots of bad experiences with the HTC RMA)....
Is there any way to extract, hex edit, and reflash via fastboot some critical file so it bricks completely the phone and no boot would be possible? That way they could not see the relocked string in the bootloader, or get any info from it. So I would send them a "dead" phone in the first year of warranty period (here we have legally up to 2 years from the purchase).
I know this may be "unethical", but, from my point of view, no more than their denial of repair a faulty phone since the first month within the warranty period due to a software-based temporary modification (which I repeat, I did in good faith to try to repair it via software -installing official CM and MIUI roms- before sending it to RMA). But, as I cannot prove that the phone was useless before unlocking the bootloader, and HTC takes refuge in the "Unlocking the bootloader COULD void the warranty" from HTCDev, this is the only thing I can do... Obviously, I am open to any suggestion in case anyone would like to use my HOX as a "guinea pig" for any experiment that could serve the community.

jfromeo said:
Thanks for your quick response, Mr Hofs.
I have it ***RELOCKED*** and they have retrieved through some log that the bootloader has been unlocked (and the exact date).
So now, from lost to the river. As the reparation may cost several hundreds of euros (as they would have to change both motherboard and display to solve all the issues) and nobody can assure that the phone will be repaired correctly with all the flaws it has at the moment (besides, I have already had lots of bad experiences with the HTC RMA)....
Is there any way to extract, hex edit, and reflash via fastboot some critical file so it bricks completely the phone and no boot would be possible? That way they could not see the relocked string in the bootloader, or get any info from it. So I would send them a "dead" phone in the first year of warranty period (here we have legally up to 2 years from the purchase).
I know this may be "unethical", but, from my point of view, no more than their denial of repair a faulty phone since the first month within the warranty period due to a software-based temporary modification (which I repeat, I did in good faith to try to repair it via software -installing official CM and MIUI roms- before sending it to RMA). But, as I cannot prove that the phone was useless before unlocking the bootloader, and HTC takes refuge in the "Unlocking the bootloader COULD void the warranty" from HTCDev, this is the only thing I can do... Obviously, I am open to any suggestion in case anyone would like to use my HOX as a "guinea pig" for any experiment that could serve the community.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They will check the the status from htcdev.com if is unlocked

Thant said:
They will check the the status from htcdev.com if is unlocked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot Thant!
Then, time to throw the HOX to the bin I have made some numbers, and the mb (100-120$), plus the display (180$-200$), plus the wifi module (20$-30$?) is more than what a brand new Xiaomi Mi3 64gb would cost, free, debranded and without voiding the warranty for installing a ROM.

Stuck at Boot. S-ON.

@4m8 since you are the only guy here who knows best about HTC Desire 300.
Well my friend gave his Desire 300 to me for repair. i thought its going to be easy as like 1,2,3. but guess i was wrong.
I tried several options already.
USB DEBUGGING might be off as well since my friend doesnt know about flashing or unlocking bootloaders. i cant unlock the bootloader i think.
Its S-ON. (Dont know what it actually means).
I tried going to recovery but it shows me a PHONE with A RED ''DOWNLOAD MODE ARROW'' i think recovery is corrupted?
i tried already flashing boot.img and recovery.img over FASTBOOT. but it says ''failed remote signature verify fail''. its just isnt like my sony device which says OKAY all the time lol. those two files were found on a Google drive website.
i have no other options left to revive this phone.
Help will be a very good option :good: thanks in advance.
Well i read a lot of sites which says stuck at boot. and i cant find a Official Stock firmware for this device. is it that HTC didnt released one?

That sounds really bad. So let's recap to see if I understand your situation correctly:
Phone doesn't boot, can't enter recovery and will only load the bootloader. (b-loader status is S-ON Locked)
Now unless you are able to unlock the bootloader (which you aren't as you have stated) there is no way to flash a custom recovery.
The locked bootloader will prevent it because it requires anything you want to flash to be signed by HTC.
The only way out is to flash an actual official update by HTC which afaik is not available for this device.
To make matters worse, if the phone is branded you couldn't even revive it this way because some providers, like mine, actually force HTC
to prevent those phones from flashing an official HTC update that is not branded.
But there is a bright side to your situation. Since you weren't able to unlock the bootloader your friends warenty should still be intact.
And even if this was a branded phone try to claim a replacement from the manufacturer, that way you might have the chance to get
an unbranded device in return for the trouble you and your friend had to endure. :fingers-crossed:
Sorry if I had to shatter the last piece of hope that you were clinging on to but without an unlocked bootloader the only option that
remains is getting a replacement or begging HTC to release an update or the version that is installed by default as a RUU exe
PS:
Just to be certain, you did try the factory reset option in the bootloader before giving up, right?

4m8 said:
That sounds really bad. So let's recap to see if I understand your situation correctly:
Phone doesn't boot, can't enter recovery and will only load the bootloader. (b-loader status is S-ON Locked)
Now unless you are able to unlock the bootloader (which you aren't as you have stated) there is no way to flash a custom recovery.
The locked bootloader will prevent it because it requires anything you want to flash to be signed by HTC.
The only way out is to flash an actual official update by HTC which afaik is not available for this device.
To make matters worse, if the phone is branded you couldn't even revive it this way because some providers, like mine, actually force HTC
to prevent those phones from flashing an official HTC update that is not branded.
But there is a bright side to your situation. Since you weren't able to unlock the bootloader your friends warenty should still be intact.
And even if this was a branded phone try to claim a replacement from the manufacturer, that way you might have the chance to get
an unbranded device in return for the trouble you and your friend had to endure. :fingers-crossed:
Sorry if I had to shatter the last piece of hope that you were clinging on to but without an unlocked bootloader the only option that
remains is getting a replacement or begging HTC to release an update or the version that is installed by default as a RUU exe
PS:
Just to be certain, you did try the factory reset option in the bootloader before giving up, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes i did. Factory reset. But still no luck.
Yes, i cant enter recovery as well.
Well it actually started ones it told me "Process System Not Responding". And on that point i knew the system files are corrupted.
My friend told me, he left the phone in deep sleep after that it didnt turned on again.
Thanks for your help @4m8 :laugh: :good: (IT ISNT MINE SO I DONT HAVE A PROBLEM) I will give this phone back to my friend.
*FACEPALM TO HTC FOR NOT RELEASING A OFFICIAL FIRMWARE*

M8 won't boot anymore - sometimes Bootloader and Recovery works

Hi,
i got a m8 which i unlocked via htcdev and it want to send it for warranty repair now.
The problem is that the phone won't boot!
I plug in the charger and nothing happens. After a couple of MINUTES the led shows up and the phone charges. But only sometimes.
With a little luck i can get into recovery and reinstall Viper or Leedroid ROM. But after successfuly installing the phone won't reboot and just turns off after the htc screen.
No matter what i try, it doesn't boot. But from time to time i can reach recovery.
So what can i do with in bootloader or recovery?
The biggest problem is the htc screen which is full of the red "not official release" stuff. How can i put this back to stock?
Thanks
Daniel

it would help greatly if we knew your CID and MID.

It's a unlocked non-carrier phone from germany. I think HTC_102 but i'm not absolutely sure.

Now nothing happens anymore besides the phone shows up as "Qualcomm HS-USB QDLoader 9008 (COM20)" in the device manager. When putting the Charger / Cable in the charging light flashes one time. If i put the charger just halfway in it lights up for about 2-3 seconds and turns off.

Dacoco said:
Hi,
i got a m8 which i unlocked via htcdev and it want to send it for warranty repair now.
The problem is that the phone won't boot!
I plug in the charger and nothing happens. After a couple of MINUTES the led shows up and the phone charges. But only sometimes.
With a little luck i can get into recovery and reinstall Viper or Leedroid ROM. But after successfuly installing the phone won't reboot and just turns off after the htc screen.
No matter what i try, it doesn't boot. But from time to time i can reach recovery.
So what can i do with in bootloader or recovery?
The biggest problem is the htc screen which is full of the red "not official release" stuff. How can i put this back to stock?
Thanks
Daniel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They won't take it back for warranty, because by unlocking the bootloader, you void your warranty. Your best bet is to flash RUU. Can you get the computer to recognize the phone by fastboot? Can you get the phone to boot into boot loader at all?
And also, have you made any modification prior to the incident other than unlocking bootloader?
Sent from my htc_m8 using XDA Labs

At the moment - no. It won't even boot into bootloader. The last try is now a new battery. I opened it because HTC refuses the warranty anyway and maybe the battery is the problem. I don't think so but for 6 Euros I give it a try.

Dacoco said:
At the moment - no. It won't even boot into bootloader. The last try is now a new battery. I opened it because HTC refuses the warranty anyway and maybe the battery is the problem. I don't think so but for 6 Euros I give it a try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What modifications have you made to the phone prior to the incident other than unlocking the boot loader? Custom ROM, custom kernel or TWRP
Sent from my htc_m8 using XDA Labs

justinchao740 said:
What modifications have you made to the phone prior to the incident other than unlocking the boot loader? Custom ROM, custom kernel or TWRP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the strange thing. I sent my m8 to HTC and they replaced the Mainboard. So the phone was completely new and stock. As the warranty was in the last days after this i immediately unlocked the bootloader officially using htcdev. Then I installed TWRP and MIUI 7 after this. Then I noticed the first time the phone was not turning on. It happened after unlocking but as I did the unlock immediately it maybe wasn't because of it. But as it is not my main phone I didn't really care and put it away. Now, about 3 months later I want to use it as my main phone for drone flying and I flashed Viper ROM and after it didn't boot LeeDroid. And now it doesn't turn on no matter what I do. Before I could manage to get into bootloader sometimes at least. I think the new main board has a defect but after 3 months, with no warranty and HTC unlocked they don't give a ****.

Dacoco said:
This is the strange thing. I sent my m8 to HTC and they replaced the Mainboard. So the phone was completely new and stock. As the warranty was in the last days after this i immediately unlocked the bootloader officially using htcdev. Then I installed TWRP and MIUI 7 after this. Then I noticed the first time the phone was not turning on. It happened after unlocking but as I did the unlock immediately it maybe wasn't because of it. But as it is not my main phone I didn't really care and put it away. Now, about 3 months later I want to use it as my main phone for drone flying and I flashed Viper ROM and after it didn't boot LeeDroid. And now it doesn't turn on no matter what I do. Before I could manage to get into bootloader sometimes at least. I think the new main board has a defect but after 3 months, with no warranty and HTC unlocked they don't give a ****.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah if you unlock the boot loader, you void your warranty
Sent from my htc_m8 using XDA Labs

I know but I didn't make something wrong. I unlocked every bootloader of every phone and tablet I ever had so I think it's even the battery or a defective replacement Mainboard.

Dacoco said:
I know but I didn't make something wrong. I unlocked every bootloader of every phone and tablet I ever had so I think it's even the battery or a defective replacement Mainboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IDK but im going to say to try to boot into bootloader and the problem would be much easier to solve. If you manage to boot into bootloader, don't exit it and post here the 'fastboot getvar all' command on here. use this link from my google drive https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2FyBGshXWIxeHdPRy1zWXdwM1E/view?usp=sharing to get the adb.zip if you have a windows computer. extract the zip file, go into the adb bundle folder, sdk, platform-tool press shift and right click at the same time and select open command prompt here and type in fastboot getvar all (your phone have to be in fastboot mode.in bootloader, select fastboot) and post the results here.