[Q] still on the fence about rooting - Vibrant Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

im thinking about rooting my vibrant. but my buddy told me if i root, that it sends a message or signal of some sort back to t-mobile, thus voiding my insurance that i pay an extra 5 buck a month for. and i dont want to root, then have my $500 phone get stolen, or water damage, or anything like that and then be out a phone. i understand the other risk, like losing my warranty, and the possibility of turning the phone into a paperweight. but i cant find any good answers on this little signal that gets sent back to t-mo. so true or false? Details?

djkozdefantastico said:
im thinking about rooting my vibrant. but my buddy told me if i root, that it sends a message or signal of some sort back to t-mobile, thus voiding my insurance that i pay an extra 5 buck a month for. and i dont want to root, then have my $500 phone get stolen, or water damage, or anything like that and then be out a phone. i understand the other risk, like losing my warranty, and the possibility of turning the phone into a paperweight. but i cant find any good answers on this little signal that gets sent back to t-mo. so true or false? Details?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no signal that goes back to T-Mobile because you root your device. T-Mobile can tell if it's rooted if you send it back to them for a warranty repair rooted. And they can (though often don't) deny warranty claims because of this. So, now that we've doffed our tinfoil hats....
The real issue here is honest risk assessment and an understanding of what root is and why we want it.
Rooting is a means to an end, not an end in and of itself. Merely rooting the phone changes practically nothing at all really. Rooting (or obtaining superuser/administrator privileges) simply allows you access to the OS in a manner generally not necessary to simply USE a device.
The question you really should be asking is why should I root my phone? If you come up with reasons and then root, you must then accept responsibility for what you do, as well as what you can undo.
Are there some things you cannot do without root? Yes. Are they deal breakers? Except for the tinkerer who invested in an Android device precisely BECAUSE they wanted to tinker with it at the OS level, the answer here is generally no.
Root is not needed to install apps, play games, make phone calls, navigate, read twitter, etc... If you want total control over the look/feel/behavior, or even the entire OS, then you need root. So it depends on what your intentions are.
Many things that WE DO HERE do require root access. But we're all well aware that doing so absolves T-Mobile from necessarily having to honor a warranty.
Now, can a phone be rooted, tinkered with, and then reverted to a factory state in a manner where T-Mobile/Samsung would be basically unaware (effectively) that the device had ever been rooted or tinkered with? Yes. Does this mean you are not responsible for what you do to your phone? No.
Just keep in mind that many of the things we do to our phones with root access are varying degrees of risky, so it is equally possible (though not really likely if you do your homework) to brick your device and make the ability to revert the phone to a factory state impossible.
The reason why service providers will void warranties with evidence of root is a practical one for them. Rooting an Android phone is generally (or usually becomes) easy as pie. Modding your phone, thanks to the gracious work of many devs and rom cooks, is also very easy. So easy that you can easily do most of this stuff without having the first clue what you've actually done. Click a few buttons, smile, eat pie...mmm...tasty pie!
Start stacking multiple mods along with this lack of clue, and you can easily screw up a device. This is a road T-Mobile (and every other provider) does not want to encourage. People's stupid mistakes can cost them money. It's just that simple.

i have mos def been doing my research . and i know the things i wanna do once i root. i just wanted to be positive that if i root, and then somthing happens to my phone that is not from me rooting (like if i gets stolen, damaged, or lost) that i can get a new one with out having to pay full price. thanks for the advice friend

Hard to top the previous post, but remember, you can always unroot if you ever needed to send your phone back. With custom recoveries you can make backups of your system, and three Vibrant is crazy hard to brick...

djkozdefantastico said:
i have mos def been doing my research . and i know the things i wanna do once i root. i just wanted to be positive that if i root, and then somthing happens to my phone that is not from me rooting (like if i gets stolen, damaged, or lost) that i can get a new one with out having to pay full price. thanks for the advice friend
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well nothing is 100% positive, and you should realize that your ability to avoid violating the spirit (if not the letter) of the warranty entirely depends on your ability to leverage your research towards understanding what you can easily and safely do.
Gloom and doom aside, so long as you can do a hard reset, reliably enter download mode, figure out Odin3 v 1.30 and use it to flash back to factory JFD (something I do as a safeguard first step when messing with experimental roms anyway...it's best to start with a clean slate...), it's simple to get the phone back to a pristine state.
I generally err way on the side of caution when answering these sorts of questions, but only because I've seen some people do some really boneheaded things here.
YMMV.

bird is the word. now i just kinda have to decide which way to go about actually rooting. seems like theres multiple ways to do so. any thoughts on which way of rooting is the best? or do they all have the same features?

Sure there are different methods but in the end they all accomplish the exact same thing.

Nothing can void your insurance except for 2 replacements in 12 months. It will void your warranty. If the phone gets lost, stolen or damaged Asurion will gladly take your $130 and mail you a replacement.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Related

[Q] Hide "unlocked" at boot

Need to take my Atrix in for warranty purpose. A few methods have been discussed and I'm looking for the safest means possible. Any opinion's on this? I leaning towards the SBF method using Moto's stock 2.3.4 via RSD Lite.
Sounds like having your cake and eating it too.. You seen all the warnings saying your void if you unlock right? Here is another thread about "relocking" (hiding "unlocked" is not relocking btw, relocking is impossible.) also there are many threads on this topic, feel free to search.
WiredPirate said:
Sounds like having your cake and eating it too.. You seen all the warnings saying your void if you unlock right? Here is another thread about "relocking" (hiding "unlocked" is not relocking btw, relocking is impossible.) also there are many threads on this topic, feel free to search.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude why do you have to be such a DB all the time, i'v looked around these posts for about 30 min and i have seen you respond with same kind of Jack A remarks everytime. Were here for help not to be ridiculed.
Please don't take this the wrong way but the dev community is actively trying to get all manufacturers to allow for unlocked bootloaders and one of the main things most of us are willing to forfeit is our warranties so when someone decides to voluntarily do something that is known to void the warranty and then try to trick the manufacturer into fixing their phone under said warranty it hurts our argument. We all made the choice when we unlocked our phones so it is only fair that we take responsibility for our decisions.
Hopefully, in the future we can come to an agreement with manufacturers that there is an "opt-in" option for unlocking our phones and as long as we stay within the confines of the agreement then we can still have the option to have the phone serviced for physical defects.
kyleallen5000 said:
Dude why do you have to be such a DB all the time, i'v looked around these posts for about 30 min and i have seen you respond with same kind of Jack A remarks everytime. Were here for help not to be ridiculed.
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Click to collapse
live4nyy said:
Please don't take this the wrong way but the dev community is actively trying to get all manufacturers to allow for unlocked bootloaders and one of the main things most of us are willing to forfeit is our warranties so when someone decides to voluntarily do something that is known to void the warranty and then try to trick the manufacturer into fixing their phone under said warranty it hurts our argument. We all made the choice when we unlocked our phones so it is only fair that we take responsibility for our decisions.
Hopefully, in the future we can come to an agreement with manufacturers that there is an "opt-in" option for unlocking our phones and as long as we stay within the confines of the agreement then we can still have the option to have the phone serviced for physical defects.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going to have to second this. as much as i dislike the "unlocked" at the top of my screen i made this choice. little did i know that it would actually say this when done:-( however rooting, rom, bootloader unlock, other mods done by us, unfortunately void our warranty.
however.... if you wanted a device that you could unlock bootloader or what not. you should have went with an inspire as you can turn s-on after being s-off and flash back to stock firmware. therefore in essence. not be hurting the valiant efforts of our communtiy to get the manufacturers to allow us more exploration.
I do feel your pain, yet like stated in every thread for rooting and romming and bootloader..... YOUR WARRANTY IS NOW VOID!!!
SErooted said:
I'm going to have to second this. as much as i dislike the "unlocked" at the top of my screen i made this choice. little did i know that it would actually say this when done:-( however rooting, rom, bootloader unlock, other mods done by us, unfortunately void our warranty.
however.... if you wanted a device that you could unlock bootloader or what not. you should have went with an inspire as you can turn s-on after being s-off and flash back to stock firmware. therefore in essence. not be hurting the valiant efforts of our communtiy to get the manufacturers to allow us more exploration.
I do feel your pain, yet like stated in every thread for rooting and romming and bootloader..... YOUR WARRANTY IS NOW VOID!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It actual says may void warranty. I think until there is some agreement made, we don't have any rules regarding this. I mean unlocking the bootloader doesn't make some of the defects happen. As an American with consumer rights, I will hold them responsible, but only if not directly from my mingling. Also I have read that moto has fixed phones with unlocked bootloaders.
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium
Sass86 said:
It actual says may void warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
"May" is not synonymous with "will." People continue to misinterpret those terms.
If unlocking the BL absolutely voided your warranty, they would have indicated as such with a term that meant "will."
I stand corrected. The point is valid.... "may" and "will" are different words and meanings.
However most times when the statement made by a corporation that includes "may" or "might" means you are out of luck.
Not to argue, because I do agree with you but in legal terms the word "may" does not mean the same thing as the normal definition.
may v. a choice to act or not, or a promise of a possibility, as distinguished from "shall" which makes it imperative. 2) in statutes, and sometimes in contracts, the word "may" must be read in context to determine if it means an act is optional or mandatory, for it may be an imperative. The same careful analysis must be made of the word "shall." Non-lawyers tend to see the word "may" and think they have a choice or are excused from complying with some statutory provision or regulation.
The underlined part highlights how they would see it as it implies you are making the choice to void your warranty.
Now, this is how I see it because I tend to think most definitions regarding legal terms is in place to protect companies and not consumers so if someone could elaborate and prove me wrong, I invite it with open mind.
magecca said:
+1
"May" is not synonymous with "will." People continue to misinterpret those terms.
If unlocking the BL absolutely voided your warranty, they would have indicated as such with a term that meant "will."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
kyleallen5000 said:
Dude why do you have to be such a DB all the time, i'v looked around these posts for about 30 min and i have seen you respond with same kind of Jack A remarks everytime. Were here for help not to be ridiculed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, you read all my other posts about this in the past 30 minute and still dont understand you voided your warrenty DA!? I dont care if you do or dont get service for your voided phone, and Im not gonna argue about the word may. I dont care. What i do care about is checking XDA without seeing the same GD threads over and Fing over again because DAs like you refuse to use the Fing search button. SMC.
lol funny arguments gotta love em. For one hiding the Unlock really doesn't matter considering I have returned one Atrix to where I bought it and they didn't care. Secondly Motorola has the "Choice" to deny you warranty repairs but they MAY accept the warranty repair and third they could always, if the phone was returned, reflash the bootloader to Lock it again. Plan and simple easy answer is it is ultimately up to Motorola if they want to repair it or not once it is unlocked.
I'm not talking about personal experience, it's about assuming responsibility for your actions. My whole point is accountability, there are people all the time trying to take advantage of the system and end up ruining it for everyone else. Society is fostering an entire generation of vain and spoiled derelicts.
You are right though, it could all come down to who you run into while trying to have your phone repaired.
malickie said:
lol funny arguments gotta love em. For one hiding the Unlock really doesn't matter considering I have returned one Atrix to where I bought it and they didn't care. Secondly Motorola has the "Choice" to deny you warranty repairs but they MAY accept the warranty repair and third they could always, if the phone was returned, reflash the bootloader to Lock it again. Plan and simple easy answer is it is ultimately up to Motorola if they want to repair it or not once it is unlocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
live4nyy said:
I'm not talking about personal experience, it's about assuming responsibility for your actions. My whole point is accountability, there are people all the time trying to take advantage of the system and end up ruining it for everyone else. Society is fostering an entire generation of vain and spoiled derelicts.
You are right though, it could all come down to who you run into while trying to have your phone repaired.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True more or less. Society is propagating the problem but it really starts with the way the government is running things as a whole. Not saying it's right but until something changes in society and the government it's just all down hill. Also if you look deeper banks have a Major role as well. Anyway enough on off topic issue's there yea I do believe it is ultimately up to Motorola whether they will repair the device or not. I would assume they would probably deny the repair if it had something to do with the actual Software of the phone considering you messed with it, hardware probably different considering software usually doesn't blow up hardware.
Thread about how to return phone after voiding warranty, contents:
some name calling, discussion about morality, the meaning of the word "may", society, laws, government, companies
to TS,
try 'accidentally' sinking your Atrix in the ocean for a minute, and then claim your warranty?
or try 2 cover it with your thumb while booting?
to others,
help TS, (like me?), don't condemn everything about what he had done in the past.
maybe, he's your friend next door, a helping hand's neighbor?
SErooted said:
however rooting, rom, bootloader unlock, other mods done by us, unfortunately void our warranty.
however.... if you wanted a device that you could unlock bootloader or what not. you should have went with an inspire as you can turn s-on after being s-off and flash back to stock firmware. therefore in essence. not be hurting the valiant efforts of our communtiy to get the manufacturers to allow us more exploration.
I do feel your pain, yet like stated in every thread for rooting and romming and bootloader..... YOUR WARRANTY IS NOW VOID!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please show me where it states all these things, (rooting, ROMs', bootloader unlock, and 'other' mods), void our warranties.
Also, for the bootloader, as was already stated, it does say MAY void your warranty. The reason it says 'may' is in all probability because if your phone doesn't work/stops working for some reason they legally cannot refuse to warranty it unless they can attribute the problem to the act of unlocking the bootloader. Someone else stated in another thread that it really is not in Motorolas' best interest to start messing with people for unlocking bootloaders when they send in phones for repair. I would tend to agree with this. After reading all the threads I have seen over the last few months, I can't remember reading about anyone who has been declined warranty or been made to pay for repairs because they unlocked their bootloader. To the contrary there are many stories of people getting their phones back fully repaired and still unlocked with no issues.
malickie said:
True more or less. Society is propagating the problem but it really starts with the way the government is running things as a whole. Not saying it's right but until something changes in society and the government it's just all down hill. Also if you look deeper banks have a Major role as well. Anyway enough on off topic issue's there yea I do believe it is ultimately up to Motorola whether they will repair the device or not. I would assume they would probably deny the repair if it had something to do with the actual Software of the phone considering you messed with it, hardware probably different considering software usually doesn't blow up hardware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would love to see an agreement put in place that allows us to have "hardware" still under warranty regardless of "software".
---------- Post added at 06:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:56 AM ----------
palmboy5 said:
Thread about how to return phone after voiding warranty, contents:
some name calling, discussion about morality, the meaning of the word "may", society, laws, government, companies
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right, how could we have messed up so bad? We forgot to talk about Lindsay Lohan!
---------- Post added at 07:04 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:57 AM ----------
baddiejang said:
to TS,
try 'accidentally' sinking your Atrix in the ocean for a minute, and then claim your warranty?
or try 2 cover it with your thumb while booting?
to others,
help TS, (like me?), don't condemn everything about what he had done in the past.
maybe, he's your friend next door, a helping hand's neighbor?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@WiredPirate has already provided a link but I guess I can be pro-active and actually USE the "search" feature.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1201105
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1261413
There are more discussions as well.
---------- Post added at 07:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:04 AM ----------
CaelanT said:
Please show me where it states all these things, (rooting, ROMs', bootloader unlock, and 'other' mods), void our warranties.
Also, for the bootloader, as was already stated, it does say MAY void your warranty. The reason it says 'may' is in all probability because if your phone doesn't work/stops working for some reason they legally cannot refuse to warranty it unless they can attribute the problem to the act of unlocking the bootloader. Someone else stated in another thread that it really is not in Motorolas' best interest to start messing with people for unlocking bootloaders when they send in phones for repair. I would tend to agree with this. After reading all the threads I have seen over the last few months, I can't remember reading about anyone who has been declined warranty or been made to pay for repairs because they unlocked their bootloader. To the contrary there are many stories of people getting their phones back fully repaired and still unlocked with no issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right about Motorola should not reject people for warranty repairs, they still have a lot of work to do in rebuilding customer relations and their public image.
I would not care at all about people using their warranties if they just did it but I don't like all the threads discussing how to "dupe" Motorola because they made a conscious decision to unlock their bootloader knowing it "may" void their warranty. And don't get me wrong, I'm not siding with Motorola on the issue, I just believe people should fully understand the implications of their choices and until there is a set agreement on the issue then people should just accept the outcomes.
Also, people should continue to actively pursue getting these policies overturned by companies like Motorola and AT&T. The community has made great strides over the past year and we need to keep pushing.
I really wish people would search instead of crearing another thread on the same thing. People need to be coddled and what better way to start an argument/pity party by starting another thread without using search.
I voided my warranty and your mum.
If you're on Gingerbread, or have atleast updated to it, you can flash the stock gingerbread .sbf and it won't brick your phone. Just don't flash any other kind of .sbf , you can't go back to any other version. When you flash that with RSDlite, it'll take you back to stock and wipe the "unlocked" logo off your screen. It will still BE unlocked, it just won't say it.
CaelanT said:
Please show me where it states all these things, (rooting, ROMs', bootloader unlock, and 'other' mods), void our warranties.
Also, for the bootloader, as was already stated, it does say MAY void your warranty. The reason it says 'may' is in all probability because if your phone doesn't work/stops working for some reason they legally cannot refuse to warranty it unless they can attribute the problem to the act of unlocking the bootloader. Someone else stated in another thread that it really is not in Motorolas' best interest to start messing with people for unlocking bootloaders when they send in phones for repair. I would tend to agree with this. After reading all the threads I have seen over the last few months, I can't remember reading about anyone who has been declined warranty or been made to pay for repairs because they unlocked their bootloader. To the contrary there are many stories of people getting their phones back fully repaired and still unlocked with no issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok let me rephrase,
I have noticed people in the Atrix community, are not as well versed in being civil with each other, as members in my other device forums are. Point is. everywhere you read, when it comes to rooting, unlocking, there is a "chance" of the statement "may" void warranty. (don't act like you are dislexic or in a special ed class and cant read or never learned how to) Maybe go read again where these statements are at when you read the thread.
Also to install a rom, you need to be rooted, and in some cases like this device, you need to have unlocked bootloader and cwm or a recovery installed to flash the rom to your device.
Which yet again brings up the point you have to go to a forum, locate a thread, read the info, and most of them always say, there is a chance at "may void warranty" and not responsible if you brick your device, kick your cat, crash your car,pull your hair, beat the sh** out of your wife, murder your neighbor, or somehow end up having to dive to the bottom of the ocean to retrieve your dog.

Why won't google sell android pre-rooted?

I figure with apple it's a lost cause to begin with. I guess it's just how they want it. they want to limit the people to what they deem is good enough for iOS
but google and AOSP on the other hand...
it's an open enviroment with the source code publicly available.
why won't google allow the devices to come pre rooted?
it's like buying a windows PC, but you can't access the windows folder, or linux with no root access (no sudo)
It makes me think because of possible security breaches and possible lawsuits? but if that's the case, it would have happened with linux and windows machines that allow root access...
just got me curious...
what's the method to the madness here?
Its up to carriers and OEMs. Google has no say in the matter. On Nexus phones it is damn easy to root phones and the Nexus One practically was prerooted.
Google doesnt stop anyone from selling phones prerooted, in fact, I would assume they encourage it.
I've been wondering this for a while now actually.
I think I'd be tempted to punch the poor guy who sold me a windows computer with no admin access..
Why do we (as a culture) not get outraged we aren't suppose to have full access to our phones?
Being totally honest here.. the "you could mess something up" logic doesn't work for me..Try telling any computer user who has had to use admin access for *ANYTHING* that..
Agreed. Google really is a company for their consumers. As stated above I'd assume they'd have pre-rooted phones. Though, I wouldn't think it'd be up to the carrier, more so the manufacturer. The carrier usually has to do with their bloatware. HTC made a statement in May saying their new phones after said statment will have unlocked bootloaders (they haven't kept that by the way). Rooting is easy though, its just cracking though bootloaders that allows custom roms, now that's the issue, especially Motorola devices.
Sent from my LG-P925 using xda premium
perhaps when it's rooted, people will 'customize' it too much, causing too much warranty replacements, and the manuf doesn't wanna deal with it?
I assume they void this risk by making it so that it's hard and pita to root it, and causing void of warranty, so they aren't responsible when the phone is bricked.
but it's not like if I destroy my windows on my computer, dell will come and fix it. (they do provide the tech support though I think? I don't know)
problem is, we're a sue happy country. so... I think that has alot to do with it.
razorseal said:
perhaps when it's rooted, people will 'customize' it too much, causing too much warranty replacements, and the manuf doesn't wanna deal with it?
I assume they void this risk by making it so that it's hard and pita to root it, and causing void of warranty, so they aren't responsible when the phone is bricked.
but it's not like if I destroy my windows on my computer, dell will come and fix it. (they do provide the tech support though I think? I don't know)
problem is, we're a sue happy country. so... I think that has alot to do with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
youve pretty much nailed it. almost.
99% of PHONE users do not mod and do not need/should have access to things that can prevent their phone from working anymore.
Imagine just being some dumb-ass, who 'pocket dials' deleting system apps, or the phone.apk... or is 'deleting the garbage' in download folder.. BUT its NOT the download folder... oops!
but you are no normal dumb-ass, you own a multi-million dollar company, and you cant receive or make time sensitive calls!!!?? because you accidentally deleted important stuff in your pocket... that IS a law suit.
remember this is a PHONE, not a computer.
tabets you have a case...
There should be a option when you first boot (or reflash) more or less like this:
Do you want to root your phone?
Root is used by advanced users and developers. If you don't know what this means, press 'No'.
Yes////// No
Sent using Mini CM7 Pro by Paul
.
Thread moved to Q&A due to it being a question. Would advise you to read forum rules and post in correct section.
The biggest issue lies with the carriers and manufacturers, not Google. The carriers don't want you to use wireless tethering without paying them for it. The manufacturers don't want to replace phones broken by some idiot that doesn't know how to read.
I agree that most users don't know what root is and have no business modifying system files. However, it would be nice if all phones were as easy to root as Nexus phones. Just OEM unlock and be done with it. Unfortunately folks would catch on and tethering would skyrocket. The carriers can't have that.
There's also the issue of malicious apps. On a non-rooted phone, an app can only access so much data and its permissions are laid out in plain text upon install. On a rooted phone, an app without any permissions can access the same data. People are used to always accepting when Windows prompts them for admin access, and they'd do the same when prompted for Superuser access. I wish all of the root methods released, specifically the automated ones, required you to pass a test before rooting. There are too many people rooting their phones and then getting into a jam because they were too lazy to read.
I feel like the number of uneducated root users would drop if carriers and manufacturers would do a few things. If carriers made tethering plans affordable, people wouldn't root just for that reason. If manufacturers made bloatware uninstallable - not stuff like phone.apk or systemui.apk, but the apps that can be downloaded from the market or aren't necessary for the phone to run - then less people would root for that reason. You'd also get less obnoxious reviews on the market saying "omfg like I can't uninstall it you suck I'd give it zero stars if I could" that lower the rating on well developed apps.
Okay, end rant.
Supersonic Evo 4G | MIUI | Tapatalk
plainjane said:
There's also the issue of malicious apps. On a non-rooted phone, an app can only access so much data and its permissions are laid out in plain text upon install. On a rooted phone, an app without any permissions can access the same data. People are used to always accepting when Windows prompts them for admin access, and they'd do the same when prompted for Superuser access.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, with a rooted phone you'll definitely have a less secure system if you don't know how to use it correctly. This point alone makes it not worth to give root access to normal users imo. I'm an app developer and I can say that I manage fine without a rooted phone and I have absolutely no need to root either, so far...
I can add that I don't live in US either so I don't know what kind of limitations you are bypassing there by rooting but that WiFi tethering is no problem for me without root access.

[Q] Future warranty issues even with triangle away?

First of All, I might seem pretty vague as I cannot find the threads where I heard about all this.
So I will apologise in advance If I am talking complete non sense.
Knowing about all the upsides of rooting, I have been seriously considering Rooting my S3 with CF auto root and triangle away.
I understand that currently it is possible to return the phone for warranty and not have any issues with it once stock roms is applied.
What I am worried about is the future implications with rooting, right now Samsung is being quite loose with how strict they are being with letting us root etc. But I heard that they have recently started a background service which keeps tracks of custom files created when rooting and that they are doing this in order to crack down on people who have rooted, using this log when attempting to use warranty. Again this might be completely wrong.
Can anyone confirm this with me, whether this is true? I'm worried about the future implications as I am only going to keep this phone for a year and keeping the 2 year warranty would be a huge plus.
Any help would be appreciated.
polesp said:
Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Someone as scared as you are about the future ought not to be rooting!
Having said that,you need to ask yourself what you wish to achieve by rooting and if you get sound reasons,go ahead.
Try to enjoy your phone and live life kingsize rather than being worried about warranty issues.
Have you heard of anyone successfully having the cake and eating it too?
Life really is too wonderful to be spent worrying about Samsung spying on you!
Tell you what - go on ! Well i can't guarantee that the rumours are false but i can assure you that we'll have a workaround similar to what we have today for re setting bin counter
sathkartha said:
Someone as scared as you are about the future ought not to be rooting!
Having said that,you need to ask yourself what you wish to achieve by rooting and if you get sound reasons,go ahead.
Try to enjoy your phone and live life kingsize rather than being worried about warranty issues.
Have you heard of anyone successfully having the cake and eating it too?
Life really is too wonderful to be spent worrying about Samsung spying on you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you are right nothing ventured nothing gained. It is just I am wondering how much it would pay off risking my warranty, I am only looking to install some audio mods and ad-blockers. If this rumour of Samsung tightening up the security in the near future wasn't there, I Would be rooted right now
If Samsung can fool such a large community, then I tip my hat to them (<--- that's my hat)
Like the movie Inception says, once you plant the idea of rooting into a user's mind, s/he will obsess over it. I did for 2 days (my previous android phone ran CM7), and I knew there was no way I could go back. So rooted
My advice: Right now, we have ways to circumvent, reset root counters and regain warranty. Tomorrow we may not. MobileOdin even flashes without changing the counters.
istoner said:
If Samsung can fool such a large community, then I tip my hat to them (<--- that's my hat)
Like the movie Inception says, once you plant the idea of rooting into a user's mind, s/he will obsess over it. I did for 2 days (my previous android phone ran CM7), and I knew there was no way I could go back. So rooted
My advice: Right now, we have ways to circumvent, reset root counters and regain warranty. Tomorrow we may not. MobileOdin even flashes without changing the counters.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That really sums the situation up nicely .
OP make a list of why you want root then decide if its worth it ,
Without root XDA does not exist no mods no custom roms no nothing.
jje

Phone will not boot but comes on

My Phone; (AT&T HTC One M8 Unlocked, Rooted S-off ), TWRP 2.7.0.0 Recovery, Superuser GOO Manager installed. Flashed the Venom rom using teamwin app. Followed inst, plus youtube video. Did not work first time. Installed backup phone went back to normal, tried flashing again went fine rebooted once rebooted would not turn on, can not get into recovery. Phone powers up and say UNFORTUNATELY PHONE HAS STOPPED WORKING. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Is there no way to force this phone into bootloader mode?
Well I'm off to the Evil empire(AT&T) to get a new phone.
Phone still under warranty, getting one mailed to me with a return mailer to send this one back, should be here on Tuesday. A few minutes ago I saw the supersu app pop up asking to grant venom tweaks permission. I could not grant it because of the two error messages on the screen on top of it. (Unfortunately the phone has stopped, and Unfortunately blink feed has stopped). Has anyone seen any thing like this before?
underdogg said:
Phone still under warranty, getting one mailed to me with a return mailer to send this one back, should be here on Tuesday. A few minutes ago I saw the supersu app pop up asking to grant venom tweaks permission. I could not grant it because of the two error messages on the screen on top of it. (Unfortunately the phone has stopped, and Unfortunately blink feed has stopped). Has anyone seen any thing like this before?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure your phone is fine. you are using an outdated twrp and probably messed up a partition. Unplug phone, hold vol up and power for exactly 10 seconds, let go of both, then hold vol down and power. This should take you to your boot loader. get new twrp img from official site.
fastboot flash recovery twrp.img
fastboot erase cache
boot to twrp and reflash rom.
I had done what you suggested many times (read it from another post), the only difference was you said exactly 10 seconds the other post said 15 seconds. The HTC tech I talked to earlier this morning even told me to do that for 15-20 seconds which did not work. Your method worked like a charm on the first try. Thank you very much Sir.
underdogg said:
I had done what you suggested many times (read it from another post), the only difference was you said exactly 10 seconds the other post said 15 seconds. The HTC tech I talked to earlier this morning even told me to do that for 15-20 seconds which did not work. Your method worked like a charm on the first try. Thank you very much Sir.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Np, if you hold longer, it actually turns the phone back on before you can hit "vol down" to get to boot loader. If you are ever just resetting, you can hold as long as you want till it resets
I'm happy you go it sorted out. But stop jumping the gun, and running for a warranty exchange when things do go quite right when modding the phone.
If the screen comes on, its unlikely that the phone beyond recovery. Its usually just a lock of knowledge on your part, and just a matter of research on XDA, or asking for help here. If you are going to be modding the phone, you are going to have to resolve yourself to being more patient. Things will occasionally not go right, that is just a fact of the game. The right response is to troubleshoot your way out, and not freak out.
In any case, claiming a warranty replacement for damage that was a result of you modding the phone is immoral; and the very reason why these devices get locked down in the first place.
redpoint73 said:
I'm happy you go it sorted out. But stop jumping the gun, and running for a warranty exchange when things do go quite right when modding the phone.
If the screen comes on, its unlikely that the phone beyond recovery. Its usually just a lock of knowledge on your part, and just a matter of research on XDA, or asking for help here. If you are going to be modding the phone, you are going to have to resolve yourself to being more patient. Things will occasionally not go right, that is just a fact of the game. The right response is to troubleshoot your way out, and not freak out.
In any case, claiming a warranty replacement for damage that was a result of you modding the phone is immoral; and the very reason why these devices get locked down in the first place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please don't question my morality, you don't know me. I've dealt with AT&T(the evil empire) for 18 years, with them adding charges to my account, charging for items I never requested and they never sent, charging for additional minutes and data that were never used. I went to buy another phone ,just like I bought this one. The enormous amount of money they charge for these $80.00 phones is ridiculous. So please wait until you sit down and talk to me about all the things I endured with AT&T before making claims about my morality.
UNDERDOGG
21 Year 100% disabled American Veteran
Retired 22 Years Now
52 months a POW
2 Purple Hearts
3 Bronze Stars
2 Silver Stars
Sir you've never sat at my table, nor I yours. My moral compass is always pointed due north. So don't question my morality....Please
underdogg said:
Please don't question my morality, you don't know me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right, I don't know you. But my statement, while phrased in the 2nd person tense, does not require any knowledge of you, and does not in any way need to be specific to you. It applies to everybody. If you want me to rephrase slightly, try this:
Claiming a warranty replacement for damage that was a result of modding the phone is immoral and fraud; and the very reason why these devices get locked down in the first place.
The personal details of your life are not relevant to the discussion, and add no value to it.
People often like to frame things in terms of "evil" faceless corporations that don't get hurt if you rip them off. Of you getting payback for so-called "wrongs" they have done to you. But in reality, the expense of fraudulent warranty claims doesn't get absorbed by AT&T, it trickles down to all of us, the customers. And in more ways than one. Not only would such behavior pass on additional monetary expenses to other honest paying customers, but also is the very reason why manufacturers and carriers are locking down bootloaders, and otherwise locking down the phones against modification (write protected partitions, etc.). If not for fruadulant warranty claims (do to botched phone modding), the manufacturers and carriers would let us mod to our hearts delight. Locked bootloaders and other obstacles would not exist, because why would they care? Its not the "evil empire" you are hurting, its all of us.
If you decide to mod the phone, you accept the risk of bricking it, and having to replace the phone on your own dime. Its that simple.
redpoint73 said:
You're right, I don't know you. But my statement, while phrased in the 2nd person tense, does not require any knowledge of you, and does not in any way need to be specific to you. It applies to everybody. If you want me to rephrase slightly, try this:
Claiming a warranty replacement for damage that was a result of modding the phone is immoral and fraud; and the very reason why these devices get locked down in the first place.
The personal details of your life are not relevant to the discussion, and add no value to it.
People often like to frame things in terms of "evil" faceless corporations that don't get hurt if you rip them off. Of you getting payback for so-called "wrongs" they have done to you. But in reality, the expense of fraudulent warranty claims doesn't get absorbed by AT&T, it trickles down to all of us, the customers. And in more ways than one. Not only would such behavior pass on additional monetary expenses to other honest paying customers, but also is the very reason why manufacturers and carriers are locking down bootloaders, and otherwise locking down the phones against modification (write protected partitions, etc.). If not for fruadulant warranty claims (do to botched phone modding), the manufacturers and carriers would let us mod to our hearts delight. Locked bootloaders and other obstacles would not exist, because why would they care? Its not the "evil empire" you are hurting, its all of us.
If you decide to mod the phone, you accept the risk of bricking it, and having to replace the phone on your own dime. Its that simple.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I some what agree with you but not totally, as for as my back ground info now you do know a little about me. You must not know how warranties work if I had taken the warranty phone I would have to send them this one back. So I cancelled the order. This is not an AT&T phone this is my phone, I bought it, I can do what I please with it. In my earlier post I said I went to BUY another phone, not do a warranty claim I told them what I did. I did not try to deceive them, lie or anything(because of my Morality). If it's their phone I agree I should be liable, but it's my phone. It came with a warranty, so did the 2013 Mustang I purchased for my Grand Daughter, the engine failed, the warranty replaced the engine. I was allowed to keep the defective engine, it was MINE I wrote a check for the vehicle. Since I bought the phone they should have made provisions for me to unlock, root, unlock the sim, replace the rom, toss it in my lake, throw from the third floor of my home, and anything else I wanted to do to it, once they accepted my money this became my property. In closing, yes I don't care about big corporations, or the Government, but my morality is intact if it wasn't I don't think I would be here having this conversation with you. Sir, your lesson on morality is wasted on me you should be having this conversation with your children!
underdogg said:
You must not know how warranties work
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know precisely how warranties work. You said the following, which to me means you were making a warranty claim due to the phone not booting, which was a result of you modding the phone.
underdogg said:
Phone still under warranty, getting one mailed to me with a return mailer to send this one back
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You did not use the word "buy" previously anywhere. Only the word "get" which is ambiguous at best. And how a purchase fits in with the above quote (getting a warranty exchange) is unclear.
And I know you go the phone working again, so presumably cancelled the warranty claim. I was more commenting on the intent to make a warranty claim.
I've said my part, no need to carry this discussion any further. And frankly the repeated mention of your "morality" is irrelevant. I'm just making a comment, which all are free to do on this forum. You can take it or leave it (obviously the latter). But saying I cannot comment (and to have this conversation "with my kids" instead) is not your right.
redpoint73 said:
I know precisely how warranties work. You said the following, which to me means you were making a warranty claim due to the phone not booting, which was a result of you modding the phone.
You did not use the word "buy" previously anywhere. Only the word "get" which is ambiguous at best. And how a purchase fits in with the above quote (getting a warranty exchange) is unclear.
And I know you go the phone working again, so presumably cancelled the warranty claim. I was more commenting on the intent to make a warranty claim.
I've said my part, no need to carry this discussion any further. And frankly the repeated mention of your "morality" is irrelevant. I'm just making a comment, which all are free to do on this forum. You can take it or leave it (obviously the latter). But saying I cannot comment (and to have this conversation "with my kids" instead) is not your right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right, I did say get a phone, the warranty info came after I got to the store. I buy what I want, and I understand my RIGHTS under the freedom of speech act. You said what you had to say, I just questioned your point about my morality. This is the last I will speak on this, I hope you do the same. Have a good day today and a better day tomorrow.

Root Confusion

First and foremost, I sincerely apologize for making this type of thread, but I have done some searching and reading and I am now thoroughly confused.
My phone is the BNG3 version so obviously not towelroot compatible. After figuring out that was the case and it ain't being updated I stumbled upon Odin Pro, but it needs root to use. Seems like a bit of a catch 22.
So how do I root my S5, what is this Knox and why shouldn't I trip it, and what the heck is happening?
Once again, sorry for making this kind of thread, but I am just so confused.
Nemaides said:
First and foremost, I sincerely apologize for making this type of thread, but I have done some searching and reading and I am now thoroughly confused.
My phone is the BNG3 version so obviously not towelroot compatible. After figuring out that was the case and it ain't being updated I stumbled upon Odin Pro, but it needs root to use. Seems like a bit of a catch 22.
So how do I root my S5, what is this Knox and why shouldn't I trip it, and what the heck is happening?
Once again, sorry for making this kind of thread, but I am just so confused.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll answer the second part since the other poster already answered the first part.
Tripping knox is just setting a flag in the bootloader to true. Basically it tells Samsung that you did something "unauthorized" with your phone and voided your warranty with them. The thing is, tmobile doesn't care. They will replace/upgrade your phone without even looking. This has been confirmed many times here and other places. (don't hold me accountable...yada yada...)
..
fffft said:
But TMB, like most carriers doesn't care about Knox and it usually won't affect a warranty claim made with TMB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not always the case. Before rooting, I called T-Mobile a few times speaking to different representatives each time and asked them to explicitly describe their policy on rooting and Knox, and how it relates their JUMP! program (T-mobile's warranty/insurance and upgrade service) with regards to upgrading and general insurance repair/replacement.
EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM SAID: If the Knox counter is tripped we will know/find out and you will no longer be eligible for upgrading nor replacement in accordance to the JUMP! program. In fact, a couple of them went into further detail that I could be liable for paying the full remaining price plus a fine if I were to attempt to upgrade/replace a Knox tripped phone.
THAT SAID, the employee that I bought the phone nonchalantly remarked when I asked him about rooting the phone with respect to the JUMP! program that T-Mobile would honor the JUMP! program despite root. HOWEVER he said nothing about a Knox tripped phone. Perhaps he equivocated meant that a towelrooted phone may be accepted but a full-fledged Knox tripped phone may not.
TL;DR:
T-Mobile representative/"official" web-sources say Knox tripped phones will not be eligible for the JUMP! program.
ONE employee at a T-Mobile store seemed to be willing to accept a rooted phone with regards to the JUMP! program.
..
fffft said:
TMB is a large company. ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sorry if I'm coming off as a troll/unwise, I am being completely serious. I am a cautious guy, and I wanted to know the full potential hazards of rooting with regards to their warranty policy. Of course on a person to person basis it should be easy to find a rep that will let a Knox tripped phone slide. However, in my personal opinion to pay the price of the warranty + full price of the phone + a fine in the unlikely worse case scenario that T-Mobile holds their policy to the letter seems expensive, especially when I know I will more than likely keep the phone for 2yrs+. My conclusion was to not buy their warranty, root, and be happy.
..
Just do a deferred trade in then when you jump. You skip one person looking at your phone and the people in the warehouse honestly couldn't care less.
Wow, thanks for the massive amounts of information folks, truly.
A couple question though.
1. If I Install an older version and root using towelroot...
Would I be able to keep my device up to date with the performance updates Samsung releases?
2. These custom recoveries/kernels that would trip Knox? What do they mean and what advantages do they have?
3. If I do end up tripping Knox, can I un-trip it?
Nemaides said:
Wow, thanks for the massive amounts of information folks, truly.
A couple question though.
1. If I Install an older version and root using towelroot...
Would I be able to keep my device up to date with the performance updates Samsung releases?
2. These custom recoveries/kernels that would trip Knox? What do they mean and what advantages do they have?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure on the first one, so I'll let someone else answer.
The reason I chose to use the root method that tripped knox is I knew I was going to flash a custom rom later on. I would really recommend flashing the CM11 rom in the forum. If you wait a few days, most if not all the bugs will be ironed out and it'll be just as stable as stock.
As to what they mean, recoveries are what you use to flash and backup roms (they can be used for more, but this is what most people use) and kernels would just add MUCH more control over the inner workings of the phone (performance, screen calibration, button tweaks, etc).
..
Last question,
If I root using an old kernel would it be possible to install updates without breaking root? Someway to keep the kernels just get the improvments?
Nemaides said:
Last question,
If I root using an old kernel would it be possible to install updates without breaking root? Someway to keep the kernels just get the improvments?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
here are two threads concerning how to update without losing root and or tripping knox. i suggest you read as much as you can b efore doing anything http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2790292 http://forum.xda-developers.com/tmo.../experimental-how-to-root-triggering-t2845421
AleHanSolo said:
That's not always the case. Before rooting, I called T-Mobile a few times speaking to different representatives each time and asked them to explicitly describe their policy on rooting and Knox, and how it relates their JUMP! program (T-mobile's warranty/insurance and upgrade service) with regards to upgrading and general insurance repair/replacement.
EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM SAID: If the Knox counter is tripped we will know/find out and you will no longer be eligible for upgrading nor replacement in accordance to the JUMP! program. In fact, a couple of them went into further detail that I could be liable for paying the full remaining price plus a fine if I were to attempt to upgrade/replace a Knox tripped phone.
THAT SAID, the employee that I bought the phone nonchalantly remarked when I asked him about rooting the phone with respect to the JUMP! program that T-Mobile would honor the JUMP! program despite root. HOWEVER he said nothing about a Knox tripped phone. Perhaps he equivocated meant that a towelrooted phone may be accepted but a full-fledged Knox tripped phone may not.
TL;DR:
T-Mobile representative/"official" web-sources say Knox tripped phones will not be eligible for the JUMP! program.
ONE employee at a T-Mobile store seemed to be willing to accept a rooted phone with regards to the JUMP! program.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah if you call them and ask they will tell you that ... Its completely the opposite of what happens when you bring a knox tripped phone in for an upgrade or whatever .. Think about it ... If you have jump then you have premium handset protection which means you can throw your phone at a wall and take it to tmobile and get a new one . They would way rather get a knox tripped phone that they can resell without having to pay for parts or anything like that ...I have been using tmobile for years and they never ever check for know . Knox voids the manufacturers warranty not the handset protection. The sales people really don't know jack about anything . There only fix for anything is to do a factory reset . At the end of the day Tmobile wants you to have a device so they can give you a bill monthly . Its bad business to take away equipment that makes you money . Im saying this from personal experience and basic common sense . Plus I have a friend that worked at tmobile for some time . When I bought my GS5 I rooted it while I was still in the store waiting for them to finish my transaction and even showed the sales guy how towelroot works . Jump is kinda a waste anyway cause you have to have half your device paid off to JUMP , when you can just sell your phone outright to pay the other half off .Especially if you buy flagship phones . I sold my GS4 for 320 which was more than what Jump would have covered
I like this!
fffft said:
Fair enough and I appreciate the elaboration. You described yourself as cautious which is fine. It's an individual choice whether to rely upon common practice or only trust what is official policy. You can decide what is best for yourself.
My perspective is that life is nothing if not learning to read between the lines. Have you ever read the back of a movie rental contract? Or car rental.. or rent almost anything contract? If you took the worst case, they have the right should you ever be late in returning the rented item to literally bust down your door, retrieve the rented item and not be held responsible for damage to your home. Not to mention collect hundreds of dollars in penalties for "being forced" to repatriate their overdue rental.
It would be naive to think that is common practice or likely to happen though. And that is the lesson of worst case scenarios. It's wise to know about them, but you also have to make a judgement as too how likely they are to occur. The alternative would be to refrain from doing many common place activities and live something like a hermit.
There is no reason that you or anyone else need agree though. That's just my take on it.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:good: That right there was a lesson in life!
spirodave said:
Jump is kinda a waste anyway cause you have to have half your device paid off to JUMP , when you can just sell your phone outright to pay the other half off .Especially if you buy flagship phones . I sold my GS4 for 320 which was more than what Jump would have covered
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not the old JUMP. That lets me upgrade twice per year without having to pay off 50%.

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