Asus knows if you have rooted? devicetracker - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

So,
As i was updating my prime today from .17 to .21 i noticed a link in the upgrade notification that said something like "track your firmware upgrade history"
Upon going there on my PC I entered my serial, etc and voila. Awesome "Seekdroid" type functionality however when i click to view my firmware history it shows EVERY SINGLE upgrade and downgrade. The Terms of Service claim that no information is sync'd or exchanged until you accept the ToS but now that i have, i am a bit concerned that ASUS has access and can see that i have downgraded my device multiple times. Ergo opperating outside the manufacturers specs thereby voiding the warranty. Any input?

Wow, good catch.
But i doubt that the clueless (as they have shown to be, time and time again) workers on repair centers etc will check any of that. (I can be wrong, hehehe)

Downgrading your firmware shouldn't void your warranty.
Asus publishes the firmware files on their website, so they shouldn't be considered as "bad"

Do you have a link to this online service that tracks your upgrade history? If it works for you based on information you input to the website then it should work for any Prime owner.
I am sure more people will be able to provide an opinion on this situation if they actually knew what it is you are talking about.

http://waveshare.asus.com/select_lang.action

Not sure if this makes any difference but it says "ASUS will collect your personal information only after you sign in this Website and agree to activate the service of this Website." So its only tracked if you use the service?

Also, if your only rooted, not unlocked, you should be temp unrooting using voodoo root tool. When you do that your device is technically not rooted when you upgrade the device. Once it complete's, you re-root it basically and should be oblivious to it. But I am no expert on these things by no means.

I think the title of this post might be a little alarmist for some people. I mean I have read the agreement that pops up when you register for the site, and the site does exactly what it says it will do, it tracks your upgrade path in order to help pinpoint any software related issues in case you need to contact Asus support.
It is completely voluntary and the service is pretty clearly described when you sign up on the web page.
Also Asus doesn't seem to consider rooting a reason to break a users warranty, at least there are reports of many users who have sent their rooted tablets in for repair and none of their repairs were denied because the devices were rooted.

almightywhacko said:
Also Asus doesn't seem to consider rooting a reason to break a users warranty, at least there are reports of many users who have sent their rooted tablets in for repair and none of their repairs were denied because the devices were rooted.
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+1 on this. I sent my TF101 in twice for RMA both times it was rooted with a custom rom and they repaired it no problem. Unfortunately, with the prime and the unlock, once you unlock you void your warranty fully. I have an earlier Tf101 that wasnt locked down like the prime was so even with flashing stuff to that, you still had your warranty because there was no agreement that said if you did your warranty would be void.
As a matter of fact when the newer 101s came out with the tougher encryption was one of the times I sent my 101 back for RMA and I even told Hai Trat that I only request they dont replace the unit with a unit that cant be rooted and they dont update the firmware at all so I wouldnt lose root. He said he would make note of that for the techs

I just tested the Update list option for my rooted Prime with .21 firmware. The site was not aware of my latest update. I did not use the OTA update because I am unlocked and used a pre-rooted .21 stock ROM image.

Related

We need a non "official" way to root the nexus one

If you root your nexus via the "official" way, you're screwed if you have a hardware failure, because the warranty is null and void. We need to figure out a way to root that is similar to how we rooted the MyTouch and G1.
My suspicion is that the "official" unlock isn't in the spl. I think it is more like a sim unlock.
I think we should just leave it alone and learn how to root the G1 way. That way, if we have a hardware problem, we can revert the dang phone to factory specs.
Any ideas? I think a gold card may be a could place to start.
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Given that Swetland has said the HTC should honour the hardware warranty if the flaw isn't causable by rooting, and even suggested that you message him if you get such things refused I think that most of us are pretty happy with that, certainly many of the main devs are.
Not that I'm suggesting you shouldn't do what you want to, just pointing out that you're unlikely to get the support that the G1 root had
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t4tav said:
Plus, I would like to see a "non" official way. That way we are still not giving up our warranty.
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It's been stated the HTC should honor the Hardware warranty.
If you are rooting, for any reason whatsoever, you are voiding your software warranty. And that's correct - you are well off the reservation and you should only root if you are aware of the risks and know what you are doing.
There is absolutely no reason you should expect to have your software warranty honored after you root.
While I can understand the desire for a sneaky backdoor root, it's really not to our advantage for such a thing to exist. Google managed to shipped this phone roootable out of the box. That is simply wonderful for the various people producing ROMs, it makes the phone a blast for hackers, it will spurn some serious innovation (and has done so already.) All good.
If people start backdoor rooting and making warranty claims, all of that may be spoiled and we may end up with a Nexus Two that is simply completely locked down.
Not good.
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DebauchedSloth said:
It's been stated the HTC should honor the Hardware warranty.
If you are rooting, for any reason whatsoever, you are voiding your software warranty. And that's correct - you are well off the reservation and you should only root if you are aware of the risks and know what you are doing.
There is absolutely no reason you should expect to have your software warranty honored after you root.
While I can understand the desire for a sneaky backdoor root, it's really not to our advantage for such a thing to exist. Google managed to shipped this phone roootable out of the box. That is simply wonderful for the various people producing ROMs, it makes the phone a blast for hackers, it will spurn some serious innovation (and has done so already.) All good.
If people start backdoor rooting and making warranty claims, all of that may be spoiled and we may end up with a Nexus Two that is simply completely locked down.
Not good.
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I completely agree with you. Look at the Droid Eris, for as long as it has been out, they are just starting to get an exploit that is working. They do not even have root yet.
I personally think that the people that most want to root without an unlocked bootloader are the people that will mess their phone by not understanding what they are doing to it fully. As stated above, you should be able to get your phone fixed if you have obvious defects that are not related to software.
While I think it would be interesting to have an alternative method to rooting, at the same time, I would view it as detrimental to what is trying to be done with this phone.
Just my small $0.01 (its not a full rant, trust me)
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at first i thought it just a software, in any platform if you do anything to the software it will be ok, and the warranty still available like iphone or WM devices.
we need do small hacking to make this work, i don't know why xda-developer doesn't have any hacker, it should be easy.
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t4tav said:
I think I got that :/
(Removed my idea - We need a passimg.nbh)
However, I am really holding out on someone from HTC or Google saying that all hardware faults will be covered even if the bootloader is unlocked.
As soon as that happens I will root my nexus
Edit - The other reason for (personally) look for another root method is that if you unlock the bootloader now, It wipes the system, all the apps and all the settings. I to be honest, I can't really be bothered to reinstall all of them, considering that the Market doesn't seem to track what I install/un-install.
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This.
Like one of the above posters said everybody saying theres no need because they SHOULD replace hardware defects...I called HTC (haven't rooted) and asked them if I can repair hardware defects on a unlocked bootloader. The response "There is no warrenty if you have unlocked the bootloader."
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t4tav said:
I think I got that :/
(Removed my idea - We need a passimg.nbh)
However, I am really holding out on someone from HTC or Google saying that all hardware faults will be covered even if the bootloader is unlocked.
As soon as that happens I will root my nexus
Edit - The other reason for (personally) look for another root method is that if you unlock the bootloader now, It wipes the system, all the apps and all the settings. I to be honest, I can't really be bothered to reinstall all of them, considering that the Market doesn't seem to track what I install/un-install.
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if you are afraid to wipe then you shouldnt root your phone. i garranty that you WILL be wiping your phone many times in the future. i must have wiped my g1 more than 30 times and the nexus one 6 or 7 times already. but dont worry, there are always free backup apps like titanium backup
The Nexus is not like the G1 or mytouch in any way to root the Nexus is Different than any Htc Phone. The Porcessor is not the mt3g or g1. so to try to root it like the mytouch or g1 may bring more problems. Note No mather how you root it the warranty is still void unless you unroot it to send it back in.
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t4tav said:
I must of wiped my G1 atleast 20+ times. I've also flashed around 20 Custom roms too (Since JF Rom's were all the rage).
I've found that mybackup works well. So I may purchase that. My Nexus is now happily rooted and running extremely fast
I'm not scared of wiping, it's just sometimes it can get sore
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ive used backup for root users for ages(it seems like it). i seriously recommend you try titanium backup, it backs private apps up also.
simms22 said:
ive used backup for root users for ages(it seems like it). i seriously recommend you try titanium backup, it backs private apps up also.
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Titanium seems to work well
Anyways, Let's move this topic back on track
That's my motivation
kingskidd268 said:
The Nexus is not like the G1 or mytouch in any way to root the Nexus is Different than any Htc Phone. The Porcessor is not the mt3g or g1. so to try to root it like the mytouch or g1 may bring more problems. Note No mather how you root it the warranty is still void unless you unroot it to send it back in.
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We should have a way to "unroot."
I can see the other side to this too. If some yahoo roots their phone, then overclocks it to 2ghz or something and fries it... that SHOULDN'T be covered by warranty.
On the other hand, if I'm running one of cyanogen's roms and the speaker goes out, it should be covered.
Personally, if I fried a ROM because I overclocked it or something like that, I would NEVER send it in for warranty work. I would only send it in if the problem was clearly the manufacturer's.
Just my 2 cents
t4tav said:
Edit - The other reason for (personally) look for another root method is that if you unlock the bootloader now, It wipes the system, all the apps and all the settings. I to be honest, I can't really be bothered to reinstall all of them, considering that the Market doesn't seem to track what I install/un-install.
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To be very clear, this behavior (data wipe on unlock) is intentional. Otherwise if your phone is lost or stolen, it would be trivial for somebody to unlock it, boot a custom kernel, and copy your contacts, email, etc from internal flash.
The Market should restore your installed apps automatically, and Settings Backup should be able to restore the bulk of your settings.
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installing market on chinese version of prime

So I have got myself a tranformer prime from china as it has an earlier release than my home country, but i realized that might not be a smart move... They have stripped the android market and I cannot add gmail account and get it to sync with my device.
Looked around a bit and not sure i have found anything that helps with the situation. can anyone help a bit? thanks
I guess you'll have to wait until the bootloader is unlocked and you can flash an uncrippled rom. I'm not sure if you can install all the google apps only using root access...
Ouch, yeah I would not buy a Chinese version unless you live there. It could have a bunch of spyware and firewall stuff on it too. The Chinese government has a whole suite of tools they use to filter, restrict and track people's behaviors.
Until the bootloader unlock tool is available from ASUS, and assuming it is a complete unlock to allow you to install roms and such, you are stuck. However, this would also void your warranty and just create headaches for you it you ever need to contact ASUS for help.
I would return it and buy one when it is available in a country where it will not be crippled. Just does not seem worth breaching your warranty just to put a default, other region ROM back on it.
You could try calling ASUS and acting confused as to why it doesn't have the market. Maybe they will swap it out for you if you did not realize if would be crippled from the retailer you bought it from.
hobbypunk said:
I guess you'll have to wait until the bootloader is unlocked and you can flash an uncrippled rom. I'm not sure if you can install all the google apps only using root access...
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I thought about flashing rom when its unlocked later too, but say i flashed an official rom e.g. UK, would i be receiving auto updates from UK asus or do i need to reflash everytime there's an update?
UmbraeSoulsbane said:
Ouch, yeah I would not buy a Chinese version unless you live there. It could have a bunch of spyware and firewall stuff on it too. The Chinese government has a whole suite of tools they use to filter, restrict and track people's behaviors.
Until the bootloader unlock tool is available from ASUS, and assuming it is a complete unlock to allow you to install roms and such, you are stuck. However, this would also void your warranty and just create headaches for you it you ever need to contact ASUS for help.
I would return it and buy one when it is available in a country where it will not be crippled. Just does not seem worth breaching your warranty just to put a default, other region ROM back on it.
You could try calling ASUS and acting confused as to why it doesn't have the market. Maybe they will swap it out for you if you did not realize if would be crippled from the retailer you bought it from.
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Once I realized my place wouldn't be selling prime any soon (there still isn't an offciail date!) I went for Chinese ones... completely oblivious to the fact they have crippled the market lol
In any case I ain't too worried about warranty... since i'm rooting/unlocking bootloader anyway, just that since this is my first tablet its better to be safe. In any case thanks for your suggestion!
Had the same problem! Fixed it, check out thread below (solution by devilfan):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1431031

Will there ever be a way to "Re-Lock" the bootloader?

I imagine that the obvious answer is also the correct one, meaning this is not going to be an option. In a way, it's just as frustrating as before Asus provided an Unlock tool (which they did, on schedule at least on the schedule they committed to.) For all of the blunders that occurred around and with the Transformer Prime, they have work like hell to overcome a lot of the issues. They haven't been entirely succesfull on all fronts, such as the reboots that keep recurring for some, but not for others with each succesive update, but you cannot fault Asus for failing to try.
I guess why I asked will be a common point of contention for a lot of us. It can be agonizing to see sweet looking ROMs showing up, and wanting to enjoy that on the Prime, but unfortunately the Bootloader Lock/Unlock is not like rooting, S-On and all the rest because just about all of those changes are undo-able.
I know personally that every device I root, I look at the tool or method to see how difficult (or possible even) un-rooting is. As long as I now I can put the device n a returnable state for warranty coverage, I am the bravest ROM Flasher in the world! LOL
Because $500-800 is a lot of money to have tied up in a device, one that has had more that a fair amount of issues, including issues that require RMA, it is just too risky for the average Prime owner to unlock the Bootloader.... MAJOR BUMMER!
A really awesome option would have been, or could be if Asus said: "Unlocked bootloader devices lose warranty, BUT, if you are able to restore the device to factory spec (including re-locking the bootloader, a tool that does not presently exist) we will honor the remaining portion of the warranty"
And yes, I am aware that the serial number is recorded by Asus during the unlock process.
That would be the ultimate option. The chance of it happening?About as likely as a new update arriving that fixes GPS completely and permanently. Oh well. One can dream, right?
Sigh.
Prior to owning the TF201, I owned the TF101 which was flawless for the first 4 months of owning it, and then one day it developed this strange off-white splotchy area on the screen, it was pretty big too... way more noticeable than a dead pixel. If I couldn't have RMA'd it, then the value of the tablet would've gone down significantly.
I'm a little more worried about the TF201 developing issues later in it's life, so I probably wont be unlocking my device until there's a way around the warranty void. A $500 gamble is not worth a minor performance boost you might get from using a custom rom (IMO).
Edit: Just noticed you live about 30-40 minutes from me, Raleigh NC here.
SmartAs$Phone said:
I imagine that the obvious answer is also the correct one, meaning this is not going to be an option. In a way, it's just as frustrating as before Asus provided an Unlock tool (which they did, on schedule at least on the schedule they committed to.) For all of the blunders that occurred around and with the Transformer Prime, they have work like hell to overcome a lot of the issues. They haven't been entirely succesfull on all fronts, such as the reboots that keep recurring for some, but not for others with each succesive update, but you cannot fault Asus for failing to try.
I guess why I asked will be a common point of contention for a lot of us. It can be agonizing to see sweet looking ROMs showing up, and wanting to enjoy that on the Prime, but unfortunately the Bootloader Lock/Unlock is not like rooting, S-On and all the rest because just about all of those changes are undo-able.
I know personally that every device I root, I look at the tool or method to see how difficult (or possible even) un-rooting is. As long as I now I can put the device n a returnable state for warranty coverage, I am the bravest ROM Flasher in the world! LOL
Because $500-800 is a lot of money to have tied up in a device, one that has had more that a fair amount of issues, incuding issues that require RMA, it is just too risky for the avarage Prime owner to unlock the Bootloader.... MAJOR BUMMER!
A really awesome option would have been, or could be if Asus said: "Unlocked bootloader devices lose warranty, BUT, if you are able to restore the device to factory spec (including re-locking the bootloader, a tool that does not presently exist) we will honor the remaining portion of the warranty"
That would be the ultimate option. The chance of it happening?About as likely as a new update arriving that fixes GPS completely and permanently. Oh well. One can dream, right?
Sigh.
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Even if you are able to lock i it wont matter. The bootloader unlock tool provided by ASUS reports your serial number when you unlock kinda like a phone home mode. Using this serial hey generate some kinds of unlock code. This is the finding thus so far from the development forum and reviviewing the decompile apk file.
MasterZen88 said:
Even if you are able to lock i it wont matter. The bootloader unlock tool provided by ASUS reports your serial number when you unlock kinda like a phone home mode. Using this serial hey generate some kinds of unlock code. This is the finding thus so far from the development forum and reviviewing the decompile apk file.
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This. If you relock your bootloader you only limit what you yourself can do with the tablet. The damage has already been done as far as Asus is concerned
if I had 2 primes stuck the serial number of the other prime on mine (unlocked and rooted) then unrooted and flashed back to stock would an RMA work? I don't see why it wouldn't I'm just a little curious?
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
I hope dev will find a way to stop the apk to send our information to Asus..
Inviato dal mio Transformer Prime TF201 usando Tapatalk
Voiding the warranty by rooting is nothing new.
It has always been that way since day one.
Only difference is that now ASUS has figured a way to know which units have been unlocked.
I wouldn't be surprised if other companies start doing the same thing.
MasterZen88 said:
Even if you are able to lock i it wont matter. The bootloader unlock tool provided by ASUS reports your serial number when you unlock kinda like a phone home mode. Using this serial hey generate some kinds of unlock code. This is the finding thus so far from the development forum and reviviewing the decompile apk file.
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Cant you use multiple unlock codes to make your own decrypter, that way asus never knows and you can re-encrypt it if you need to send it in for warranty
Dnakaman said:
Voiding the warranty by rooting is nothing new.
It has always been that way since day one.
official unlocks, not developer made one clicks
I wouldn't be surprised if other companies start doing the same thing.
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Others companies already do the same thing.
Only difference is that now ASUS has figured a way to know which units have been unlocked. Asus are just the first ones to package it into an easy to use apk. Usually they make it hard so that only people with some adb/dev knowledge can do it. Were talking about
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
foxtrot16m said:
Cant you use multiple unlock codes to make your own decrypter, that way asus never knows and you can re-encrypt it if you need to send it in for warranty
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I am not sure this is feasible, An "un official" unlocker would of course get us half way there. Then we just need a way to properly re-encrypt that mimics the stock 128 bit encryption. It would be risky either way, and as we have seen, people are bricking devices already in the earliest stages of learning what works and what doesn't. I think that I even saw that Diamondback bricked his Prime, because Asus does not give us access to NVFlash ! (Virtuous ROM chef for Prime, our first non-Asus ROM)
So I think we are going to see a slowing of the initial rush out the gate to mod and develop for this.
SmartAs$Phone said:
I am not sure this is feasible, An "un official" unlocker would of course get us half way there. Then we just need a way to properly re-encrypt that mimics the stock 128 bit encryption. It would be risky either way, and as we have seen, people are bricking devices already in the earliest stages of learning what works and what doesn't. I think that I even saw that Diamondback bricked his Prime, because Asus does not give us access to NVFlash ! (Virtuous ROM chef for Prime, our first non-Asus ROM)
So I think we are going to see a slowing of the initial rush out the gate to mod and develop for this.
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How exactly do they block it? It doesn't exist? There is a software block?
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
Whatever the case, atleast asus has allowed us to unlock it with this simple to use apk.
Eitherway, the future for any android device (esp for people on this forum) is to go the custom rom way!
From what i heard, CM9 is already in the works and a beta is soon to follow!
hxxp://androidroot.mobi/2012/02/22/cyanogenmod-9-for-asus-transformer-prime/
Being able to block ASUS from knowing you have unlocked your bootloader using their tool would depend on the following:
Option A: is the package unlocks the bootloader and then sends a beacon home with your device information and ASUS then voids your warranty and blocks OTA. This could be resolved by blocking the call home.
Option B: which is more likely is the tool FIRST sends a call to ASUS with your device info, voids your warranty, and THEN returns the actual unlock code.
Option C: A dev develops a aftermarket unlocking tool.
The only way to beat option B would be to decrypt the encryption and generate your own code by inserting it in a custom installer or modifying the homebeacons dns and making a server to intercept the original message and respond with the correct code etc.

Word of warning before calling Verizon

IT'S A TRAP!
Well I just found out the hard way that VZW is even more evil than I thought.
Called about my G3 because of audio issue with the headphone jack, seeking an RMA.
Without my permission verizon ran some remote diagnosis on my phone and discovered root, right while I was on the call. Tier 2 support did this by the way.
Not sure how... I froze all the VZW bloat I could find in titanium.
Just wanted to let you guys know to watch your back. I'm not sure exactly when verizon got wind of my root. Whether it was right there while I was on call or the minute I rooted.
Verizon is literally the devil
Sent from my VS985 4G using XDA Free mobile app
What did they say once they discovered root on your phone? Just denied the RMA? Would they let you make an insurance claim at least?
The rep responded "after running diagnostics on your device I see your phone is rooted so your warranty is invalid"
Then he preceeded to try and give me instructions to call LG and get the flash tool to return to stock.
My issue with the audio jack is obviously a HW issue and not an issue with software/root
Sent from my VS985 4G using XDA Free mobile app
Always put your phone in Airplane Mode if you have to call them. If they say they need the phone turned on to run diagnostics, REFUSE, and tell them that you don't consent, or tell them that the phone is not near you, then continue talking and tell them that you're NOT calling about a software but hardware issue and there's no reason that they need to run a Software Diagnostic.
Someone else mentioned the same thing however from what I understand their system polls your phone every few hours so that may not help. Even if the phone was offline the system may still show root status regardless of the phones current state.
Couldn't hurt though...
Either way it's a little to late for me. I just hope that someone sees this thread before calling only to get a big fat middle finger from VZW.
Flash to stock and wait a bit on official software to make sure Verizon's system shows official software.
Sent from my VS985 4G using XDA Free mobile app
I woulda said root (software) has nothing to do with audio jack (hardware). Not that it wouldve really gotten you anywhere anyway.
Either way, Verizon doesnt really cover hardware warranty, they just send the phone over to LG, which the rep directed to you anyway. So sounds like youre gonna have to contact LG directly.
Or maybe you even get a do-over. You could flash back everything to stock, and then just walk into store and try the same thing. The reps at the store arent nearly as sharp as the phone reps.
Good to know tho, thx for the heads up!
Yeah but I got the phone on the VZW website on a black Friday deal. So that would leave me without a phone. I'm assuming they would have to ship it back and would not just exchange it on the spot.
Couldn't hurt though I call tomorrow and ask if they will swap it on the spot.
Sent from my VS985 4G using XDA Free mobile app
I had same exact audio jack prob on G2. They didnt take my phone or anything, they shipped me a new one and i sent back the old one afterwards. There's something like a 30 day grace period to ship your phone back before they charge you for it. Was easy peasy
---------- Post added at 06:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:58 PM ----------
Oh and doesnt matter where you bought the phone , its a Verizon phone and youre a Verizon customer so they will help you no matter what. That G2 was from Ebay. If its under warranty by LG, its under warranty. Again, Verizon just assists yoh with the warranty as a customer service. The money comes out of LG's pocket, not theirs.
Yeah but their service department knows I have root. I'm pretty sure they will just tell me to screw off if I go to swap the phone. But it couldn't hurt to try. Thanks for the info.
Sent from my VS985 4G using XDA Free mobile app
True but you never know, give it a shot and let us know.
---------- Post added at 06:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:36 PM ----------
Check out this article from Droid Life. Verizon actually saw tge article and made some clarifications in regards to root, warranty and what they consider void or not void.
Verizon Begins Charging Full Price of Warranty Phones if Rooted? (Updated)
What exactly should happen if you were to root your phone, play around with ROMs/hacks/etc., somehow manage to break it, and then send it in to Verizon for a warranty replacement? Should you be allowed to get a replacement or not? According to reports, you can get a replacement, but the rooting of your phone voids any warranty you had and gives Verizon permission to charge you for a new one if they determine that your broken phone was tampered with.
Our buddy @P3droid has apparently heard from a couple of friends who have run into the scenario that we described above and then been slapped with a pretty hefty and unannounced bill. Fair or unfair?
I’ll just say this – we’ve known that rooting your device voids your warranty since well back in the original DROID days, so it makes sense that Verizon would do this. As unpopular as this may sound, I can’t fault Big Red for going this route. If you decide to take your phone out of its original factory status, tinker with its guts, and break something, it shouldn’t be their responsibility to take care of you.
With that said though, a broken volume rocker, faulty screen, etc. has nothing do with rooting, so I’d hate to see someone get charged for something that they didn’t cause even if they decided to root. It’s an interesting topic, and one that I would love to hear all your opinions on.
Update: Our friends at Verizon saw this post and wanted to reach out to clarify everything immediately. First up, is the fact that their policy says absolutely nothing about checking for root on devices. When a phone is received, a phone is checked for three things and that definitely isn’t one of them. They check to see if the box that the device was sent in is damaged, if the outside of the phone looks awful, and if it powers on – satisfy all of those and they move on to the next phone. So basically, these reports of being charged for a rooted phone simply mean that these people were sending in garbage phone with defects.
So…sound off!
http://www.droid-life.com/2011/06/1...ging-full-price-of-warranty-phones-if-rooted/
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I would take the word of a Verizon PR Rep over some call center dweeb. Just b/c he works there doesnt mean he's rhe end all be all.
I'll tell you what's up there. Worked for the company for a while and encountered this. Rooting does not really void a warranty, as the warehouse does not check for root, they just check if a phone has physical damage to it. Now if your phone is rooted, reps are advised to tell you that it can't be supported any longer by VZW. But that could happen with any company. If you modify a LG TV, LG might not want to support it either. If you are just rooted, it might be one thing, but different roms MIGHT affect different things. Yours probably is the hardware issue though. If you haven't been already taken care of, if you call back in, just let a rep know that you don't want anyone to remotely access your phone. That is not supposed to be done without your permission. I have had a few phones replaced under warranty that had been rooted. If nothing else, just return a phone to stock. But if you don't want to worry about any of that, just turn your phone off, and tell them that you tried to accept the most recent 12B update, and now your phone won't fully boot up, and leave the phone powered off the whole time.
subhelix said:
I'll tell you what's up there. Worked for the company for a while and encountered this. Rooting does not really void a warranty, as the warehouse does not check for root, they just check if a phone has physical damage to it. Now if your phone is rooted, reps are advised to tell you that it can't be supported any longer by VZW. But that could happen with any company. If you modify a LG TV, LG might not want to support it either. If you are just rooted, it might be one thing, but different roms MIGHT affect different things. Yours probably is the hardware issue though. If you haven't been already taken care of, if you call back in, just let a rep know that you don't want anyone to remotely access your phone. That is not supposed to be done without your permission. I have had a few phones replaced under warranty that had been rooted. If nothing else, just return a phone to stock. But if you don't want to worry about any of that, just turn your phone off, and tell them that you tried to accept the most recent 12B update, and now your phone won't fully boot up, and leave the phone powered off the whole time.
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Click to collapse
I would assume that because I have already been caught that they have the voided warranty on record... or is this not the case?
I thought that once they caught you, thats it, the jig is up and they put a note on your account that the phones warranty is void.
I think I might know what happened. I have noticed that when I first rooted my G3 (3 Days Ago) that the Verizon Mobile app asked for root permissions immediately upon rebooting for the phone. I accidentally gave it permissions and it went on about its ways. I later removed the permission and didn't worry about it any longer. Not thinking anything about it I think that once you give the Verizon app permission it will figure out your rooted and sync up with your account (which it does automatically during the setup process) by your phone number tied to the Sim card. I think that's exactly how they knew, and I think a warning goes out and is posted on the account phone number saying its a rooted device.
Possibility? Let me know.
Wow, now that I think of it, you might be right!
Same thing happened to me a few days ago. I had already granted it access before i even realized it was the actual Verizon app. Shrugged my shoulders after I realized it but thought it had something to do with the actual ROM im running (Jasmine 3.0).
That being said, if it were me, id still try the store. Things arent nearly as automated and recorded as you think they might or should be in the real world.
Not to mention, reps at the store are idiots and dont really know too much about smartphones outside of using the setup wizard. I cant tell you how many times tge in store reps have told me or someone else to call the hotline b/c they werent sure or didnt know. The physical store employees are the bottom od the Totum pole. Halfbof them are fresh out of High School
Its not just Verizon that does this by the way.. These phone companieshave this in place as a standard to protect themselves against people bricking phones, and crying out for a replacement. History has shown them that when people root, they tend to flash custom roms, and more dangerously, custom kernels.. As well, people attempt to change the way their CPU functions, and alter the phone to better its performance.. When these things are done, it changes the system hardware stability, and things can get weak or damaged.
So as a way of cutting you off from future complaints, they make it clear that if you root, your warantee is void.
NEVER tell them its rooted, never walk into a store with a rooted device and ask for help, and if you call for support, dont just put it in airplane mode.... PULL THE BATTERY!!! They are able to access your phone through GPS, wifi, bluetooth, and data connection
If the battery is in your device, it can be accessed... The Government has been doing it for years to track people...and contrary to common thought, I believe I read some documentation that "front facing" cameras were a Government idea...
Anyways, be safe, and be careful...youve just learned proof that someone is watching
JJT211 said:
Wow, now that I think of it, you might be right!
Same thing happened to me a few days ago. I had already granted it access before i even realized it was the actual Verizon app. Shrugged my shoulders after I realized it but thought it had something to do with the actual ROM im running (Jasmine 3.0).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why on Earth would you grant something root privileges without verifying what was asking first? This is exactly the type of thing more senior folks in the modding community are constantly complaining about.
yes NEVER EVER GIVE MY VERIZON SU!!! this is what probably happened and it throws flag in their system if you call or request service
Its totally possible.
From what I understand the response from denying root access and the response from not having it at all have two different signatures.
Once I saw a VZW app requesting root I immediately denied it. But that right there could have been the dead giveaway.
I already tried flashing back to stock using the KDZ method. Still the problem of audio quality persists.
Either way, it's BS this is most definitely a hardware issue and should be covered under warranty.
Sent from my VS985 4G using XDA Free mobile app
Yes it's BS but it shouldn't really be a surprise. And it's nothing we haven't been warned of before
I suggest calling back in. If you are now back on stock, you should have no problem. I know it sucks ass, but representatives are just doing a job. What we were told, if someone was rooted, to try to suggest that they return to stock and then we can support the phone, and that is again no matter what the issue might be. Well, as long as it can boot up. So if you flashed back to stock using the KDZ method, root should not be detected anymore. And it might have been noted at that time that it was rooted, but it's a different story now since the phone is back to stock.

HELP please! LG say my G5 is rooted

Hi
My LG G5 is just under 18 months old, so still covered by the 2 yr UK warranty in that sense. It has started to only accept a USB connection (for charging, data connection, anything) once before it needs rebooting to accept it again.
So, I sent it back to LG. They sent the phone back to say it is rooted and wouldn't fix it.
I have eventually got to someone at Head Office and they still say the same, that as the OS has been modified then they will not repair it (the warranty does state that they will not repair a fault CAUSED by a modification by the way)
So I ran the internal software check as mentioned here - https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g5/help/how-tell-g5-rooted-t3528248 - and it does indeed come up with a positive, it says that SUPERUSER (a rooting related app) was installed on 1/1/17. - see attached image
I well remember doing a full wipe and reinstall of the phone on new years day and Google Play installed all the apps on my account and I had to delete the ones that I didn't use anymore. I have rooted various devices and that is why Superuser was in my Google Play account. It did install on the phone that day and was uninstalled (never run) the same day. The phone has never been rooted (it has been mine since new, I know how to root phones and would know if I had! I have also had no reason to) and I have run Android Pay and the banking apps on it all the time.
I can actually get the phone repaired for £25 anyway so it's not so much the repair that is the issue right now, it's that I think LG shouldn't get away with treating customers like this and I want to make a point.
Before I go through the various public attempts to make the point (Twitter, Trading Standards, Tech mags) I do want to be 100% clear of the facts, so if I am mistaken then please do tell me.
The Head Office guy said that even though Android Pay etc still works, that they have different checks and that a program has been run that has modified the OS. Their own internal phone software tells me that this program is Superuser. My understanding is that superuser does nothing at all unless a phone is rooted. Then, on a rooted phone, it will act as a 'middle-man', intercepting anything that wants root access and asking for permission from the user.
Am I correct in saying (and LG incorrect) that Superuser makes NO change to the OS? All the version numbers in About in Settings are the current legit ones.
In my opinion, they are technically intelligent enough to know that there is no technical issue with my circumstances, they just want to get out of fixing the phone (which has already cost them me buying the next incarnation of the series at the end of my contract and my next TV too). Even if it had been modified, the app was installed on 1 Jan, the issue started a month ago, and LG happily fixed another fault (fingerprint sensor) on the phone back in April with no complaining about root! There could be no proof that the fault was caused by Superuser.
Any advice/ammunition to talk to them would be appreciated.
They don't know what they saying.. superuser app could not modify the os if it is not rooted and have not unlocked bootloader...
Exactly what I thought.
I should probably have posted this in the Superuser forum, is it possible to move it? I don't want to repeat post. If anyone could say what Superuser DOES do, that would be ideal..
Thanks
Thanks Gerciolst.. they have now agreed to repair it!

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