Unlock bootloader via HTC – will they report to att? - AT&T HTC One (M8)

If I unlock the bootloader via the HTC dev website, will HTC report that to att? I'm on the next plan, so at some point, assuming I don't crack the screen, I'd return this phone for a new one someday. I know that I can return the phone to stock and make it seem like nothing funny went in with the bootloader. I sort of doubt HTC would, but I thought I'd ask before I explored other, more difficult, unlocking methods.

Avaviel said:
If I unlock the bootloader via the HTC dev website, will HTC report that to att? I'm on the next plan, so at some point, assuming I don't crack the screen, I'd return this phone for a new one someday. I know that I can return the phone to stock and make it seem like nothing funny went in with the bootloader. I sort of doubt HTC would, but I thought I'd ask before I explored other, more difficult, unlocking methods.
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No they don't. Unlocking your bootloader and rooting your phone doesn't violate any kind of TOS that AT&T has so even if HTC did (for whatever reason) report to AT&T they couldn't do anything about it.

Cool! Thanks.
*unlocking we will go!* (sung to the tune of to grandma's house we will go)

Avaviel said:
Cool! Thanks.
*unlocking we will go!* (sung to the tune of to grandma's house we will go)
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On the next program you don't absolutely need to return the phone after the 18 months,you can keep it and just put the 10% down on another phone and continue with payments. I plan on keeping all my devices being that at the end of 18 months I pretty much paid full boat to just trade in and still have to pay on the new device. No dies for me man

I've also been curious about how modding the phone applies to the Next program (mostly academically curious, as I don't participate in the program). Another user asked about it, and I couldn't find a definitive answer. Does bootloader unlock, s-off, root etc. constitute a violation of the Next terms if you intend to trade in the phone?
I know under the "normal" or traditional contract terms (buying a phone under the 2-year agreement at a subsidized price), AT&T made a change in terms where software mods don't void the warranty, and only physical or water damage voids the warranty. But of course, Next is a different animal, as you are intended to trade the phone in (although not mandatory, as jball stated).

Related

HTC dev tool ESN Red Flag

So verizon got with htc and added the rezound to there htcdev unlock tool. which is def a win for us but from what a friend who used this with his evo3d on sprint just informed me. is that as soon as you use this tool your device esn is red flag by htc then sent to carrier and all insurance coverage is permanently voided. so if you used this tool and have insurance you might as well cancel it.
so now that this tool has hit for our devices. would it be safe to assume that some dev or devs will be working on a method that unlocks the device without flagging your esn or making the bootloader say relocked if you choose to go back to locked and will this make it easier to achieve S-off .
this is just some info i got from one person who has sprint and did this please correct if this is wrong.
Hopefully not.
Insurance can't be entirely voided. Besides, that is hearsay. Until you can show me that in writing, I don't believe it. I'm sure it voids mechanical problems or software issues but if my phone gets lost... I'm covered. Until you can prove it, everyone needs to just calm down and don't let speculation get out of control.
Sent from my newly unlocked Rezound.. Thank you HTC.
Htc/dev has already said when you use the unlocker you void your warranty and any support from htc. And when you use the unlocker You know that info goes to VZW .
Peter Chou said if you use the unlocker you lose your warranty.
Sent from my HTC
LTE 4G Rezound
You warranty is voided upon unlocking the bootloader. I really doubt they can just nullify the insurance in which you pay for a replacement.
you can think whatever you want im just relaying info from my friend who only found this out because he dropped his 3d and cracked the screen when he went to get it fixed thats what they told him after they said they couldnt fix it idk how it is on verizon i suppose u could ask them but ill bet its the same
brandonkill02 said:
you can think whatever you want im just relaying info from my friend who only found this out because he dropped his 3d and cracked the screen when he went to get it fixed thats what they told him after they said they couldnt fix it idk how it is on verizon i suppose u could ask them but ill bet its the same
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he had to replace his 3d with best buys black tie also i found all this out because i called him to ask him how hard it was to do on his 3d and he told me not to do it
This is exactly why I've waited to unlock my device. Not like there's even anything to flash yet.
Sleek69 said:
This is exactly why I've waited to unlock my device. Not like there's even anything to flash yet.
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agree i just thought id give a heads up to people who got excited about this maybe help save someone a headache
So just say you lost it. Problem solved.
Your friend was lied to by sprint, or he didn't really have insurance. I am on the 3d and have spoken with numerous sprint employees and know a couple people who unlocked with htc and used the insurance to fix their phone from dropping it and what not. It does void the warranty, but not the insurance. But s-off voids your warranty, always has, this isn't different. HTC states it just like it's been stated by devs over the years, you do this at your own risk.
____________________
Trolls, trolls everywhere
I don't think there is any douchebaggery here. We void warranties. That's what we do. Buy insurance from an outside source that is willing to accept software modification. Dunno if squaretrade does, but probably.
pstevep said:
Your friend was lied to by sprint, or he didn't really have insurance. I am on the 3d and have spoken with numerous sprint employees and know a couple people who unlocked with htc and used the insurance to fix their phone from dropping it and what not. It does void the warranty, but not the insurance. But s-off voids your warranty, always has, this isn't different. HTC states it just like it's been stated by devs over the years, you do this at your own risk.
____________________
Trolls, trolls everywhere
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Exactly. this needs to be locked/deleted ASAP before people start freaking out over nothing!
Just stop for a second and think about it, you can get your unlock key without actually unlocking your phone right? Right. So from that point you do whatever it is that you do with the key, throw it in a zip file, put it on a storage drive, delete it, whatever really...the only way Verizon or HTC could know that you actually did use the unlock key would be if you foolishly sent it back in a "unlocked" or "relocked" state. Besides would you really think a company would waste the resources or manpower to pass along a "red flag" to your carrier who would then in turn, go through every account associated and adjust coverage or call customers and ask if they used the key, get real. Furthermore "insurance" like Asurion covers for lost/stolen/damage, and has absolutely nothing to do with warranty. The only thing that happens when you use that tool is that you get a unlock .bin file, if you flash it then yes your hardware warranty is technically void(IF someone could prove it), that's it...period.
From HTCDev:
It is our responsibility to caution you that not all claims resulting or caused by or from the unlocking of the bootloader may be covered under warranty.
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Please understand that you will not be able to return your device to the original state and going forward your device may not be held covered under the warranty for all claims resulting from the unlocking of the bootloader.
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It doesn't even void your warranty. It just voids parts of it that could be caused by you being a dumb-ass.
If something breaks non related to something you could have done with an unlocked boot-loader, it cant be taken away. Even more so, Verizon can NOT cancel something and still keep taking money for it with zero notification. It's very, very illegal.
Vashypooh said:
It doesn't even void your warranty. It just voids parts of it that could be caused by you being a dumb-ass.
If something breaks non related to something you could have done with an unlocked boot-loader, it cant be taken away. Even more so, Verizon can NOT cancel something and still keep taking money for it with zero notification. It's very, very illegal.
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definitely the truth there
Vashypooh said:
From HTCDev:
It doesn't even void your warranty. It just voids parts of it that could be caused by you being a dumb-ass.
If something breaks non related to something you could have done with an unlocked boot-loader, it cant be taken away. Even more so, Verizon can NOT cancel something and still keep taking money for it with zero notification. It's very, very illegal.
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I don't know a lot about cell phone companies and warranties. If it is anything like car manufacturer warranties, and I have a feeling it is, then by law the company has to prove the "mod"(sorry car slang) caused the failure to deny warranty service. And this is by law.
Sax1031 said:
I don't know a lot about cell phone companies and warranties. If it is anything like car manufacturer warranties, and I have a feeling it is, then by law the company has to prove the "mod"(sorry car slang) caused the failure to deny warranty service. And this is by law.
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yep, I mean if you change your intake and then you suck up water because the air filter is in the front bumper in a flood, sure it's void, but if your alternator goes bad, it's covered.
this is just some info i got from one person who has sprint and did this please correct if this is wrong.
im pretty sure i said that^ in the main post it was just something interesting i thought others should know also it wouldnt shock me if they made you jump through hoops because of this if you did crack the screen and they saw your device was flagged and why couldnt they flag it computers can send and input the date changes automatically its not like our esns are stored in a file cabinet do you think that they wouldnt have a software to make these changes for them ...im not saying this is what happens again this is based on one persons experience that i know personally so idk why your tripping out
brandonkill02 said:
this is just some info i got from one person who has sprint and did this please correct if this is wrong.
im pretty sure i said that^ in the main post it was just something interesting i thought others should know also it wouldnt shock me if they made you jump through hoops because of this if you did crack the screen and they saw your device was flagged and why couldnt they flag it computers can send and input the date changes automatically its not like our esns are stored in a file cabinet do you think that they wouldnt have a software to make these changes for them ...im not saying this is what happens again this is based on one persons experience that i know personally so idk why your tripping out
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it's nothing personal, but people will just read the thread title and the first post and freak out, because they don't think, that's why the response was a little, harsh
PhantomApollyon said:
it's nothing personal, but people will just read the thread title and the first post and freak out, because they don't think, that's why the response was a little, harsh
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ok i understand what your saying. you are correct people dont do research as they should before they do or dont do things to the devices. and they dont read all the entire thread like some of us. so my bad if i made the title to broad

Does rooting and unlocking void HTC warranty?

I thought I bricked my day-old EVO 4G LTE, so I went to the store to switch it out. To my dismay, they found out I was rooted, unlocked, and flagged my account. They told me I would not be able to return it, or swap it. They gave me a number for HTC, which I called in-store. A really nice guy walked me through some stuff and told me unfortunately unlocking voids HTC's warranty but I was free to try to send it in and they would fix it, at-cost.
I was under the impression rooting and unlocking were legal...no?
The reason that rooting and unlocking voids warranty is because doing so gives you access to abilities that were not intended for the average user. You get access to pretty much everything, hardware and all. They place boundaries essentially to limit intentional or unintentional damage, to protect it and you.
There are also security problems that you risk doing so (coming from the book ). If something were to go wrong while not rooted and not locked (all stock) they could easily differentiate from what is your fault and is a manufacturers fault. In all they say its to protect the average user. Always try to return to stock before returning it, as a rule of thumb.
mfungah said:
Always try to return to stock before returning it, as a rule of thumb.
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This. Do some reading, it's definitely very possible to return your phone to factory conditions so they never knew you unlocked the boot loader in the first place.
fredryk said:
This. Do some reading, it's definitely very possible to return your phone to factory conditions so they never knew you unlocked the boot loader in the first place.
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Click to collapse
I agree with that..... I also bought a HTC Pico that was "UNLOCKED" from ... Best Buy and HTC said that they would honor the warranty fully.
So if a whole-seller unlocked the PDA / phone it seems to be alright with HTC, but if a developer does a root / unlock to IMPROVE a flawed or almost worthless app or Bloatware situation that that is a NO NO to the manufactures?
That seems to be just a way to VOID / not pay for or exchange a some what POJ they couldn't upgrade or design correctly themselves.
That voiding a warranty for fixing a problem is just an "Enron" around the real problem.
pfaction said:
I was under the impression rooting and unlocking were legal...no?
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Click to collapse
"legal" and "warranty" are different things...for example, iOS jailbreak is legal in USA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOS_jailbreaking#Legal_status) but it voids warranty (http://www.cultofmac.com/52463/apples-official-response-to-dmca-jailbreak-exemption-it-voids-your-warranty/52463/)

[Q] HTC vs AT&T Warrenty

So I was recently thinking about how much I wanted to root my phone, but was afraid of losing my warranty. Which got me thinking about the fact that HTC seems to offer a warranty for the One. Would this mean I would be able to ship my phone for a replacement to HTC if something went wrong and they wouldn't care if I unlocked the bootloader? Anybody have any experience in this department?
vitallish said:
So I was recently thinking about how much I wanted to root my phone, but was afraid of losing my warranty. Which got me thinking about the fact that HTC seems to offer a warranty for the One. Would this mean I would be able to ship my phone for a replacement to HTC if something went wrong and they wouldn't care if I unlocked the bootloader? Anybody have any experience in this department?
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Most people who send their phones in to HTC for warranty replacement of hardware don't have any issues. They usually fix the hardware and send it back with no questions asked. If it is software related you may run into issues. Now there is a chance they will not replace your hardware and void your warranty for unlocked bootloader but from what I have read from users that have done this with previous devices they normally replace and ship.
vitallish said:
So I was recently thinking about how much I wanted to root my phone, but was afraid of losing my warranty. Which got me thinking about the fact that HTC seems to offer a warranty for the One. Would this mean I would be able to ship my phone for a replacement to HTC if something went wrong and they wouldn't care if I unlocked the bootloader? Anybody have any experience in this department?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ROOTING DOES NOT VOID WARRANTY
If you BRICK your device due to something you installed, HTC will probably not cover it, if your screen goes bad, or wifi quits working, or anything else NOT caused by dropping it or getting it wet, AT&T or HTC will cover you.
AT&T's warranty department is the reason I buy phones from them rather than a manufacturer directly.
Something goes wrong, I call At&T, they ship me a new device and a mailing label to send them back my broken one. Takes a couple of days. HTC fixes your device and it can take a couple of weeks.
again ROOTING a phone is NOT a valid reason to deny a warranty claim.
gunnyman said:
ROOTING DOES NOT VOID WARRANTY
....clipped text...
again ROOTING a phone is NOT a valid reason to deny a warranty claim.
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Rooting was never mentioned here. Unlocking your bootloader is different, and yes, it could allow them to deny you the warranty claim.
In the end, just because they can doesn't imply that they will deny you.
Almost all instances I've heard of including warranty replacement ended happily for the user. I would argue that even though HTC's replacement process takes a longer time, they're more likely to replace the phone without question.
AT&T = Faster replacements
HTC = Higher success rate if you have really hacked up the device
gflare said:
Rooting was never mentioned here. Unlocking your bootloader is different, and yes, it could allow them to deny you the warranty claim.
In the end, just because they can doesn't imply that they will deny you.
Almost all instances I've heard of including warranty replacement ended happily for the user. I would argue that even though HTC's replacement process takes a longer time, they're more likely to replace the phone without question.
AT&T = Faster replacements
HTC = Higher success rate if you have really hacked up the device
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The OP mentioned rooting in his first sentence.
I wanted it out there that rooting in itself doesn't void a warranty.
Because we can root by unlocking our bootloaders doesn't mean that an exploit won't be found that roots without doing so.
We've said the same thing now we're just arguing semantics.
gunnyman said:
The OP mentioned rooting in his first sentence.
I wanted it out there that rooting in itself doesn't void a warranty.
Because we can root by unlocking our bootloaders doesn't mean that an exploit won't be found that roots without doing so.
We've said the same thing now we're just arguing semantics.
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Doh, so true. Completely missed that in the first sentence too, thanks for pointing it out. :highfive:
Thanks a lot for clearing all that up. I apologize for the initial confusion with my first sentence, as you guys pointed out, it's the bootloader unlock that actually voids the warranty. My fears have been quelled and I'm very excited to take full control of this notification light.

[Q] unlock and warranty

I searched and couldn't find a clear answer to my question:
I bought an AT&T HTC One off CL and want to flash the international ROM, however, I am afraid of voiding my warranty...
1) is there any way to restore htc one back to its "locked" state after unlocking, from what I understand it is only possible to change it to "relocked"
2) Does the "relocked" status imply voided warranty? has anyone dealt with AT&T in the past?
I have seen my share of smartphones failing, including my international S3 failing into its 14th month so would really like to keep the warranty intact
Unlocking the bootloader does not necessarily void your warranty in the U.S. But it will probably make your claim a little more difficult. HTC has, in the past, honored warranty when the fault was clearly not the users fault. For example, if your power button gets stuck in the down position and can't be raised. At this time, there is no way to get the phone to show LOCKED again instead of RELOCKED. Now if HTC gets your phone and determines the issue was caused by the user, they will still replace it but charge you for the parts. You will probably have more luck working with AT&T reps in your warranty claim because they aren't trained on how to tell if your phone is unlocked/rooted as long as you aren't obvious about it.
Sent from my Galaxy S4
ledocbio said:
I searched and couldn't find a clear answer to my question:
I bought an AT&T HTC One off CL and want to flash the international ROM, however, I am afraid of voiding my warranty...
1) is there any way to restore htc one back to its "locked" state after unlocking, from what I understand it is only possible to change it to "relocked"
2) Does the "relocked" status imply voided warranty? has anyone dealt with AT&T in the past?
I have seen my share of smartphones failing, including my international S3 failing into its 14th month so would really like to keep the warranty intact
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AHEM: /Taps mic....
Simply unlocking your bootloader isn't an automatic voiding of a warranty.
I am doing a warranty return myself and the terms I agreed to were the phone must not be physically damaged, or water damaged.
Also HTC THEMSELVES will repair a phone UNDER WARRANTY with a HARDWARE DEFECT despite having an unlocked bootloader.
I have never in my several years of dealing with AT&T had a warranty refused because I rooted my phone.
/drops mic
Until we get S-off (which is coming soon) the bootloader cannot be made to say "LOCKED" once it has been unlocked.
Sorry for the double post, but thought of one more thing. I had to get my phone warranty swapped for dead pixels. The AT&T reps I dealt with in person tried to convince me that my device wasn't covered because, like you, I bought the phone from an individual. They said warranty are not tranferrable and only belong to the person who bought the phone. This is not true. Warranty is on the device and provided by HTC, not AT&T. They are simply acting as an intermediary to facilitate the exchange. I had a whole lot less trouble dealing with the phone support folks in getting it swapped.
Sent from my Galaxy S4
unremarked said:
Sorry for the double post, but thought of one more thing. I had to get my phone warranty swapped for dead pixels. The AT&T reps I dealt with in person tried to convince me that my device wasn't covered because, like you, I bought the phone from an individual. They said warranty are not tranferrable and only belong to the person who bought the phone. This is not true. Warranty is on the device and provided by HTC, not AT&T. They are simply acting as an intermediary to facilitate the exchange. I had a whole lot less trouble dealing with the phone support folks in getting it swapped.
Sent from my Galaxy S4
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Click to collapse
Thanks for that piece of information, MOST HELPFUL!
Any idea if there will be a different unlock tool for s-off our if I can unlock and just wait for s-off?
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2
If past exploits are any indication you're going to need root to gain s-off so go ahead and unlock.

Former Verizon HTC One Owner - Need Some T-Mobile Guidance (Hacking)

I'm reading through the threads and forums and maybe I'm just missing it... Is there a way to get S-Off/Unocked on the Tmobile One besides htcdev.com? My One is a warranty replacement, and also I just now received it back from having the camera repaired, so I really don't want to officially unlock it via htcdev for warranty purposes. On Verizon we had Rumrunner just before I switch to T-Mobile. Is there something similar? I see rumrunner for the int'l variant, but can't find if it'll work on T-Mobile. Again I apologize if it's right in front of my face or if I'm looking in the wrong places, but I've been looking for about an hour with no luck.
TIA!
Forgot to mention I'm also on stock 4.3, 3.24.531.3
Ok correct me if I'm wrong - I've read (haven't tried yet) the int'l rumrunner will get S-Off, but you have to be rooted first - i.e. have to unlock via htcdev anyway.
You are correct the current T-Mobile build IS supported by rumrunner, and yes, you must be HTC dev unlocked first. Contrary to popular belief, however, this does not completely void your warranty with HTC.
Hardware issues (like your camera for example) will usually still be covered by HTC, but you can go directly through T-Mobile. Going through warranty with T-Mobile is very easy. When you go through them and the only downside is the replacement will be a refurbished phone, but sometimes they'll even send you the refurb before you send back the defective one. T-Mobile is really great with warranty replacement.
They honor a one-year device warranty, all you would need to do is set your bootloader back to "locked" (which you can do once you've gained soff) and place a warranty request with T-mobile directly.
Thank you - that's exactly what I needed to know. And I forgot you can set it back to locked with S-Off - good to know!

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