Develop Bugs

[Q] Warranty question.

Apologies if this has been covered before- searched a couple of times with no joy...
Waiting for delivery of my Defy and still not sure what mods to do...Having read about a lot of UK models having the dreaded ear-piece fault, I'm just wondering:
1. what I can do that can be undone if my phone develops this fault?
i.e. Is it possible to root the phone, remove some of the Motoblur bloatware, overclock and scale, and still be able to return it to it's original state if the earpiece goes? (or at least make any mods undetectable!)
2. From what I've read it is possible to skip the Motoblur registration. Would I still be able to use the phone portal- what apps require the Motoblur registration?
Basically I'd love to tweak the phone but am paranoid about voiding the waranty!
Thanks in advance!

Once you are rooted and have recovery installed backup your system before doing anything else. If something happens restore the backup and unroot. Only problem might be if you have some type of hardware issue and can no longer boot the phone.
There is always risk, but that will help.

rbeier1221 said:
Once you are rooted and have recovery installed backup your system before doing anything else. If something happens restore the backup and unroot. Only problem might be if you have some type of hardware issue and can no longer boot the phone.
There is always risk, but that will help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Is it the case that you can mod the phone any way you like as long as you backup, restore and unroot before returning the phone for any possible warranty claim? Would a Mototola tech be able to tell that the phone had been modded and then reset to it's original state? Just wondering if I'd be better to wait a couple of months for any possible fault to appear...Thanks again.

cwhiggs said:
...am paranoid about voiding the waranty!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that's your primary concern, tweaking isn't really an option.
As soon as you start fiddling with the software, you technically void your warranty.
That said, most fiddling can be undone and if the phone were to end up in a state that you couldn't boot it to fix your fiddling, there's a fairly good chance that the engineers wouldn't be able to boot it to discover what you've done.
Not to mention, from past personal experience, a lot of front-line engineers that actually deal with faulty handsets that are sent away for repair don't really care or may not be bright enough to be able to tell that you've messed with your phone.

Thanks. Think I'll go ahead and mod it. Been reading the relevent posts/stickies and from what I can see as long as I'm carefull and follow the various steps closely and in order, I'll be unlucky to brick it. Think I'd get pissed off waiting several months for any fault to show- just wary of the earpiece going and then being told I'm screwed coz I've played with the software! Thanks again.

[Q] Are there any downsides to rooting ?

Hi all, I've done a fair bit of searching and reading up but not sure I can find definitive answers to whether there are any downsides to rooting my One X.
I am thinking similar to tethered jailbreaks in the iOS world, where if you run out of juice you have to cable up to get it to boot up etc.
I would like to root, so I have the freedom to use a few of the tweaks and mods on xda (such as the tweak to change the default - read too high - auto brightness levels), not sure I will actually replace my entire rom at this stage, just root so I can use some of these minor tweaks.
so, is there anything that I need to genuinely consider before making the leap, some specific questions that spring to mind are;
1. Can I always easily revert it ?
2. Read some posts where people are struggling to charge once it hits 0% ? Is this an actual problem if I just root ? I do not want to brick a phone or have to prize open the case to take batteries out etc
3. If I chose to replace ROM's in the future, are there actual apps that more or less backup all your apps and settings so you can just reload that one app after a new ROM is installed, restore a backup and I am good to go, or do you have to manually setup everything from scratch again ?
Thanks for any advice you guys can offer.
ta
Mart

The only downside to rooting is you get hooked on flashing. It's very easy to get back to stock. As long as you have proper RUU for your region that goes with your CID and all is fine.

At present, the only rooting method involves unlocking the bootloader. It can be locked again. But it's 'relocked' rather than 'locked'. So your warranty is still void in some cases.
I'm waiting for root method which doesn't require an unlocked bootloader. Or non HTCDEV Unlocked bootloader and S-OFF before I do mine, but that's just me

Sentinel196 said:
So your warranty is still void in some cases
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTC will only refuse your warranty if you balls up your phone as a result of flashing roms. Everything else such as hardware defects will leave the warranty in tact.

[Q] Does unlock Bootloader mean out of warranty?

Yes, it looks like a very common question, but I used to own HTC-Wildfire once.
After installing custom ROMS, I have problems with battery malfunction. Untill now, I cannot fix it even if I brought a new battery.
I had purchased HTC One X, before I have found that the official ROM is not the best. I would like to try CUSTOM ROMS, but I'm afraid that it will make my mobile phone out of warranty.
However, I heard that after unlocking bootloader, we can lock it again and install an official ROM but the status of the phone will show " re-lock " instead of lock.
That means someone will know that I used to unlock it.
What do you think about this? Can I do it and also make it restore as untouched when my phone need fixing?
Thank you in advance.
KhSom

It will show re-lock, and I guess this is the purpose.
khom27820 said:
Yes, it looks like a very common question, but I used to own HTC-Wildfire once.
After installing custom ROMS, I have problems with battery malfunction. Untill now, I cannot fix it even if I brought a new battery.
I had purchased HTC One X, before I have found that the official ROM is not the best. I would like to try CUSTOM ROMS, but I'm afraid that it will make my mobile phone out of warranty.
However, I heard that after unlocking bootloader, we can lock it again and install an official ROM but the status of the phone will show " re-lock " instead of lock.
That means someone will know that I used to unlock it.
What do you think about this? Can I do it and also make it restore as untouched when my phone need fixing?
Thank you in advance.
KhSom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

khom27820 said:
Yes, it looks like a very common question, but I used to own HTC-Wildfire once.
After installing custom ROMS, I have problems with battery malfunction. Untill now, I cannot fix it even if I brought a new battery.
I had purchased HTC One X, before I have found that the official ROM is not the best. I would like to try CUSTOM ROMS, but I'm afraid that it will make my mobile phone out of warranty.
However, I heard that after unlocking bootloader, we can lock it again and install an official ROM but the status of the phone will show " re-lock " instead of lock.
That means someone will know that I used to unlock it.
What do you think about this? Can I do it and also make it restore as untouched when my phone need fixing?
Thank you in advance.
KhSom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your phone will still be in warranty in case of any hardware defects however should you break your phone as a result of flashing firmware then HTC will not assist you.

Yes, I believe that ANY rooting (and therefore ROM changes) voids the warranty of ANY phone however there are ways of unrooting your phone so that it appears completely unrooted.
Here's one method that may work: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=900875
However if you use a program such as superoneclick, ginerbreak, etc then an unroot feature is often included.
I believe that these methods don't leave an obvious trace, thus allowing a warranty claim to be made.

dr9722 said:
Your phone will still be in warranty in case of any hardware defects however should you break your phone as a result of flashing firmware then HTC will not assist you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That means if something wrong to my phone such as the screen is broken, I can still claim it, right?
If it is, I will begin to unlock my phone and install other ROM doubtlessly.

dr9722 said:
Your phone will still be in warranty in case of any hardware defects however should you break your phone as a result of flashing firmware then HTC will not assist you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had to send my HOX back to the shop because of a dodgy touchscreen. Of course, I had already installed ARHD so I was faced with the same issue. I reinstalled the proper RUU and relocked my bootloader. The shop accepted my RMA after finding the defect and told me that they had sent the phone to the HTC Service Center. So as of now the phone is wherever that is awaiting repair. The jury is still out as to whether they will investigate if the bootloader is relocked. I don't think it will be an issue, but I will report back as soon as I get word!
Cheers,
Mathieu
ps - I will change my signature as soon as I get my HOX back...

HTC will still honor warranty claims even if your phone was unlocked via HTCdev. The lcd on my One X decided that it would display the screen whenever it wanted to and not when I did. I called HTC and opened a ticket, shipped it to them, paid their slightly frustrating $20 USD handling fee, and now it's in repair with nothing else I need to pay.
This is with a unbranded HTCdev unlocked phone that had at least 4 different ROMs flashed as well as 2 kernels.
As far as your question of dodging the RE-LOCKED screen:
Until someone finds a way to S-OFF, we're stuck with it. But believe me that RE-LOCKED looks a whole lot better in HTC's eyes than TAMPERED.
If all you want to do is flash ROMs, just do it the HTC provided way.
Unless you manage to fry your phone by overclocking to 2.5ghz or overvolting, you'll be fine if the phone breaks.

Hi guys,
Just an update. I just received an email in which I was informed that my HOX has been repaired/replaced (I wonder which it is?). So either they didn't check the bootloader (or any secret log files of what has been installed) or they just didn't care. It would seem to have gone well...

Help - Bricked HTC m9 - Not rooted - Advice needed -

Hi,
My wife HTC m9(UK, Vodaphone, latest stock ROM, No root) was turned off last night to charge.
When booted up it does the below. It does not load into the OS. Every boot loops into the below.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8n21CQX7535cjF4MnZqV2E1dGM/view?usp=sharing
It says the software has been modified?
My wife was very insistent that I never root or change ROMS on her phone.
Does anyone have a fix or is this send off for replacement?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Ca1v

ca1v said:
Hi,
My wife HTC m9(UK, Vodaphone, latest stock ROM, No root) was turned off last night to charge.
When booted up it does the below. It does not load into the OS. Every boot loops into the below.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8n21CQX7535cjF4MnZqV2E1dGM/view?usp=sharing
It says the software has been modified?
My wife was very insistent that I never root or change ROMS on her phone.
Does anyone have a fix or is this send off for replacement?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Ca1v
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What happens if you try to boot to Download Mode? I guess you see the black screen that is mentioned in Q7, right? If that's the case there isn't much you can do...

Download mode seems to be working (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8n21CQX7535cEFhTlpnajF5anM/view?usp=sharing)
If this is the case, can you point me in the right direction to get resolved?
Many thanks for the help

Flippy498 said:
What happens if you try to boot to Download Mode? I guess you see the black screen that is mentioned in Q7, right? If that's the case there isn't much you can do...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download mode seems to be working (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8n...ew?usp=sharing)
If this is the case, can you point me in the right direction to get resolved?
Many thanks for the help

Interesting. Your video in post 1 shows a security warning. That means that the OS got deleted. This is only possible if you unlock the bootloader and delete it manually via TWRP or if the EMMC gets broken. Since the phone's S-ON and its bootloader is locked and not unlocked or relocked I assumed that the latter happened*.
As long as the download mode is working you can restore the system with the help of a RUU. Instructions can be found in the thread I linked in my last post. Be aware that all data on the phone is going to get erased.
* Well, it is possible to get the phone's status back to S-ON and locked with S-OFF but you said you never tinkered with that phone...

Flippy498 said:
Interesting. Your video in post 1 shows a security warning. That means that the OS got deleted. This is only possible if you unlock the bootloader and delete it manually via TWRP or if the EMMC gets broken. Since the phone's S-ON and its bootloader is locked and not unlocked or relocked I assumed that the latter happened*.
As long as the download mode is working you can restore the system with the help of a RUU. Instructions can be found in the thread I linked in my last post. Be aware that all data on the phone is going to get erased.
* Well, it is possible to get the phone's status back to S-ON and locked with S-OFF but you said you never tinkered with that phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just thought I'd bring to your attention that apps are now being written that will try to obtain root without you knowing. The reason is that they can steal any information they want and sell it to corporations for as little as 4 pence/6c a record.
It is possible that it is a failed root by an app.
"I'm safe, I only download my apps from google playstore" - nope, you're not.
"I only use signed apps and the checksum is always correct" - nope, checksum can be matched with padding.
"I only use external sources to update genuine apps" - nope, see the Google playstore comment above.
"I have all my security and privacy set to super strict, I have my apps verified by google" - nope, still not secure because alerts are only written when the malicious/bad code is found.
Be warned, my fellow xda'ers. There is a whole new breed of security breach and it is terminal to root as a whole. Apps like kingoroot etc are issuing the wrong type of people with the wrong type of information and they are using it for the wrong purposes.
Google will stuggle to put a lid on these types of apps because they attack the hardware for access to software (a simple memory buffer overflow attack), inject a few lines of code and you're in, permanently. It will eventually result in a total lockdown at the manufacturer and bye bye root access, roms, mods etc, you'll get what you're given.
How do we prevent this?. We don't and we can't. We just have to sit back and watch as the world takes our privacy while bricking our devices one by one just to "try" to earn a poxy 4p.
Beamed in by telepathy.

@shivadow: I'm actually not sure what you're trying to achieve with your post. Malicious apps that can root your device without letting the user know about that exist since several years now. (Click here for a random example from 2011) Smartphones aren't completely safe and they never were. Everyone who's claiming the opposite either doesn't know what he/she is talking about or is simply lying.
To name just a few more android security flaws/exploits that emerged in the past: rageagainstthecage, gingerbreak, heartbleed, stagefright, the master key vulnerability, the futex bug, rootnik...
All of these have more or less been used for manipulating android phones. There is no absolute security. Android is still as secure/insecure as it's always been.
In addition, several OEMs are already trying to prevent their customers from rooting their phones since several years. Samsung's KNOX is a perfect example. (I don't want to discuss whether they're successful. That's a whole different topic.)
But let's get back to the deleted OS of the OP's phone: I've never heard about failed root attempts that erase a complete system partition. Therefore, I highly doubt that a malicious app caused all the trouble. Failed root attempts may cause a bootloop but they don't wipe your phone. Just think about the following: How should the dev of such app gain money if the app deletes OSes? Without OS there is no information you can steel and if you have no information you could sell/abuse/whatsoever you don't gain any money. Oh and not to forget that most apps on the play store already collect more than enough data from your phone they can sell afterwards without having to root it.

I meant failed root could be the cause, if the op didn't then who did?. If no-one modded it then dead nand is the only player..
I agree with every thing else but I don't trust those apps that try to gain root in the background to steal data and I think it's too easy for them to bugger your phone just for the sake of making a few coins. Face it, if I was doing it, once I had what I wanted I wouldn't care about the device. Sod the gracious exit and all that jazz.. No evidence, no conviction.
Maybe I'm being ott but my questions and points are still valid.
This is a proper "who dunnit" because I doubt it died of its own accord.
Knox is for businesses btw. If knox is triggered, which is very easy to do, the business is advised not to buy the device as it "may" have been compromised. But if no company secrets are being held on the device then it's still good to use. Knox protection was counteracted by supersu. In a nutshell, unless you run a company knox is of no concern to the everyday user.
Just thought I'd chuck that in there, I'm versed in the arts of the s3 i9300. I moved from that phone to this m9.
Beamed in by telepathy.

What disadvantages to unlocking bootloader but not rooting?

What disadvantages are there to unlocking bootloader but not rooting? Just bought the 3a XL. Have rooted every phone since my og HTC Incredible. Don't really need to root now, but don't think I would want to later if I would have to unlock bootloader later and wipe my phone in the process. If I unlock now, that gives me the option of rooting later a little less painlessly, I would think.
So, any major disadvantages? I'm really a noob at all this. Older guy, over 50, don't know much technical stuff about all this, but follow directions pretty well.
Thanks!

fjm568 said:
What disadvantages are there to unlocking bootloader but not rooting? Just bought the 3a XL. Have rooted every phone since my og HTC Incredible. Don't really need to root now, but don't think I would want to later if I would have to unlock bootloader later and wipe my phone in the process. If I unlock now, that gives me the option of rooting later a little less painlessly, I would think.
So, any major disadvantages? I'm really a noob at all this. Older guy, over 50, don't know much technical stuff about all this, but follow directions pretty well.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, pretty much the only disadvantages are the same disadvantages if you were to unlock and root.
If someone physically got the device they'd easily be able to flash third party firmware to it.
That's all I can really think of off the top of my head.
Sent from my Google Pixel 3a XL using XDA Labs

Well, if you unlock the bootloader, many apps will flag your phone as rooted/tampered and may not work. Google Pay and Pokemon Go for example. There's actually no advantage to unlocking the bootloader without rooting and using Magisk Hide. I mean, you wouldn't have to wipe your phone later when you would decide to unlock the BL.... this may be a plus.
I think you'll create more hassle on yourself by unlocking the BL without also rooting it. Either go all in and do both, or leave it locked.

DriveEuro said:
Well, if you unlock the bootloader, many apps will flag your phone as rooted/tampered and may not work. Google Pay and Pokemon Go for example. There's actually no advantage to unlocking the bootloader without rooting and using Magisk Hide. I mean, you wouldn't have to wipe your phone later when you would decide to unlock the BL.... this may be a plus.
I think you'll create more hassle on yourself by unlocking the BL without also rooting it. Either go all in and do both, or leave it locked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But also a word of caution unlock your bootloader b efore it is patched happened on the Verizon pixel XL og

All the downside of rooting, but none of the benefits.

What is your reasoning for wanting to do this? So that you could root later or reload the OS if the phone becomes inoperable? Then just set the OEM Unlocking slider to on, but don't actually perform the unlock, and then you can can unlock at any time it might become necessary. Remember, unlocking a Pixel is a far simpler thing than unlocking most other devices, as long as OEM unlocking is turned on, it's a simple fastboot command.

acejavelin said:
What is your reasoning for wanting to do this? So that you could root later or reload the OS if the phone becomes inoperable? Then just set the OEM Unlocking slider to on, but don't actually perform the unlock, and then you can can unlock at any time it might become necessary. Remember, unlocking a Pixel is a far simpler thing than unlocking most other devices, as long as OEM unlocking is turned on, it's a simple fastboot command.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He doesn't want to have to wipe later on though, which is fair enough imo.
That's the main reason I unlock and root as soon as I get new phones.
Sent from my Google Pixel 3a XL using XDA Labs

Skittles9823 said:
He doesn't want to have to wipe later on though, which is fair enough imo.
That's the main reason I unlock and root as soon as I get new phones.
Sent from my Google Pixel 3a XL using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This.
It's the wipe by unlocking later that I want to avoid.
Actually, my only reason for rooting is Titanium Backup. I like being able to backup and restore certain apps data and being able to freeze certain apps. Which actually bit me in the ass on my unlocked and (formerly)rooted Pixel 2. I had a forced OTA happen to me recently, which unrooted my phone and I now can't retrieve some apps data and unfreeze some apps without re-rooting. I don't know how the OTA went through since I was rooted with Magisk and TWRP.
So, being that there are ways to do backups of the 2 apps data that I used TiBU to do without being rooted, I would think that unlocking the bootloader so that I could reload the OS easier later would be the thing to do. I don't use Google Pay or the other similar apps, so the unlocked bootloader shouldn't hurt me.
What other apps would be flagged and not work with an unlocked bootloader?