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Legal recourse if warranty denied because of root/unlock?

Before throwing a quick answer out to me, please read this quick blurb that describes my situation:
I have a Nexus S. On my 51st week of ownership (aka last week of warranty), the power button decided to bite the dust. This has been documented by other owners as well, notably the one and only simms22 himself. This is a common problem with Nexus S owners. Anyways, while I was trying to flash it back to stock, just my luck the TWRP recovery app crashes, leaving me with a wiped /system and a few other partitions seemingly out of whack. As a result, I have a non-booting phone. I can get as far as the Google logo with the unlocked padlock, at which point it of course cant find an OS to load (/system is blank). Anyways, I was unable to recover it back to stock because for some reason, if the power button doesnt work, then the bootloader and fastboot do not work properly. Basically, the bootloader is unresponsive unless the physical buttons are actually functioning.
I have no doubt that this phone is more than fixable. A simple repair of the power button and I'll be on my way. But of course, I was unable to do that, so I had to send it in today (in the state I just described) with a note explaining that I'm a developer, and work with various systems. This may have been a stretch, but I figured it'll help. I explained that I am 100% sure the problem is hardware-related, and independent of any software. I said that I had tested many versions of Android and have determined that since the phone doesnt respond to power presses when OFF, that it is NOT software related.
Anyhoo, I know I've got myself into some ****, so I'm curious: what kind of legal recourse do I have if they try to deny my warranty claim? I'm aware of the following:
1. The bootloader on a Nexus S specifically states that unlocking the bootloader or modifying software MAY void the warranty. It doesnt say it DOES, but that it MAY. I believe that is a strong word to use, and may very much help my case if I have to fight it. It would seem to me that this leaves Samsung with the burden of proof showing that software mods caused a button that communicates 1-way (lol) to fail, which is impossible. It's physically impossible to set the software to 'fry' the power button. It's a physical button...software simply detects presses and acts based upon it.
2. The 1975 Magnuson-Moss Act has been used frequently in the automotive sector, though its language is in no way geared towards cars. It helps to keep manufacturers from claiming things like 3rd party stereos voiding drivetrain warranties.
I'm fully prepared to fight them on this one if I have to, but I'm hoping someone can help give me some additional ammo here. I'm hoping that I won't have to, and that Samsung will do the right thing and repair it without charge. I'm a faithful customer of theirs.
Thanks!

I don't have anything but I suggest you look into your state laws as well.
You may have some extra protections given to you by your state laws.

t1n0m3n said:
I don't have anything but I suggest you look into your state laws as well.
You may have some extra protections given to you by your state laws.
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That's exactly what I'm doing right now, but I've had no luck so far. It seems that Australia, on the other hand, is all over that kind of stuff. Damn Aussies
Anyways, if anyone can assist me with USA-wide or TN-specific consumer/trade laws that protect me, I'd greatly appreciate it. Or if someone has a similar experience to share, please do!

A question about getting the zenfone 6

Is it safe to buy the zenfone 6 right now? Ive read about issues regarding this device randomly shutting down or getting bricked as well as not receiving some calls, and was wondering if it is worth the risk to buy it still

Every device has issues, if you are unlucky you get a faulty device no matter the brand. Mine has no issues, no shutting down, no problems with calls, nothing. I'm very happy with the phone.

Vanwald said:
Is it safe to buy the zenfone 6 right now? Ive read about issues regarding this device randomly shutting down or getting bricked as well as not receiving some calls, and was wondering if it is worth the risk to buy it still
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Please kindly let us know which brand do not have any issue on the device
and for my suggestion if you do not want to take any risk, go build a phone for yourself

papete said:
Every device has issues, if you are unlucky you get a faulty device no matter the brand. Mine has no issues, no shutting down, no problems with calls, nothing. I'm very happy with the phone.
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I see, I'm just reaffirming myself since ive been reading about said issues. I guess ill just shoot my shot

samue11 said:
Please kindly let us know which brand do not have any issue on the device
and for my suggestion if you do not want to take any risk, go build a phone for yourself
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Although I agree that each device has their own quirks, I disagree with your approach that it's as if the issue of a motherboard failure happens on ALL phones. The zenfone 6 had an update (firmware ver. 16.1220.1906.167) that would literally just shut down the device and no longer turn on. The device's hardware is, imo, perfect but, as I have read, was destroyed by its own maker. I'm literally just asking to make sure about my purchase as $500 is not something that is easy to get.

Vanwald said:
Although I agree that each device has their own quirks, I disagree with your approach that it's as if the issue of a motherboard failure happens on ALL phones. The zenfone 6 had an update (firmware ver. 16.1220.1906.167) that would literally just shut down the device and no longer turn on. The device's hardware is, imo, perfect but, as I have read, was destroyed by its own maker. I'm literally just asking to make sure about my purchase as $500 is not something that is easy to get.
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I never said a motherboard failure happens to all phones, just as I don't imply that all galaxy phones explode.
All purchases are backed by a guarantee, if you happen to get the wrong one, you can have it replaced (as I've done myself with other brands, and I don't think that they are ****ty just because I got a faulty device).
So, the phone is great, yes. Some got failures, yes (like any other brand).

Vanwald said:
Although I agree that each device has their own quirks, I disagree with your approach that it's as if the issue of a motherboard failure happens on ALL phones. The zenfone 6 had an update (firmware ver. 16.1220.1906.167) that would literally just shut down the device and no longer turn on. The device's hardware is, imo, perfect but, as I have read, was destroyed by its own maker. I'm literally just asking to make sure about my purchase as $500 is not something that is easy to get.
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As far as I know Asus has never come forward wiith a full explanation of what exactly has happened.
There are a number of very good reasons why Asus might not want to do that.
It would seem at first glance reasonable to asume that a software update alone could not brick a phone, but you forget such things as ARB (AntiRollBack) which has hardbricked many a Xiaomi.
Then there are such things as qfuses in the soc, which can be blown once only and not restored later.

New Security Idea - Feedback

When someone steals a phone the first thing they usually do is a factory reset. "Factory Reset Protection" (FRP) is supposed to protect the owner by denying access to the phone unless the owners passcode is applied even if the phone has been reset.
One main problem with this form of protection is that once the phone has been reset the owner can no longer track the phone using the "Find my phone" app or any similar aftermarket application. Sure, the thief can't use the phone but the owner also loses all hope of ever finding their phone again.
But, what if there was some way to make sure that the Google account associated with the owner could remain associated with the phone even after a factory reset? This way the thief believes they have successfully reset the phone. They still can't use it unless they input the correct security code, but the owner can still track the phone once it has been powered back up and turned on.
Would something like this be possible to create?

Physical security is the only real security.
The price for my device is blood, the sweat is free. Avoid flashing your phone in public, eyes on your surroundings not your phone.
You can always blacklist the imei...

blackhawk said:
Physical security is the only real security.
The price for my device is blood, the sweat is free. Avoid flashing your phone in public, eyes on your surroundings not your phone.
You can always blacklist the imei...
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Yeah, but there are too many loser's out there happy enough to have an expensive phone of someone else's even if all they can use it for is wifi. Shoot, there are enough of them out there willing to steal your phone knowing that all it's going to be is an expensive paperweight. They don't care as long as they think they have something expensive.

Phdintheory said:
Yeah, but there are too many loser's out there happy enough to have an expensive phone of someone else's even if all they can use it for is wifi. Shoot, there are enough of them out there willing to steal your phone knowing that all it's going to be is an expensive paperweight. They don't care as long as they think they have something expensive.
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That's why physical security is the only thing that really works.

Example of physical security please?

Phdintheory said:
Example of physical security please?
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Keeping the phone with you at all times.
Either in your hand or pocket in unsecured locations. Watch the people around you, not the phone when playing in the real world. Think.

Okay, yeah. That's what I thought you meant. See, the problem is I do that religiously and I still lost my phone. In this case what happened is that it was in the inside pocket of my jacket. I bent over and didn't notice that it had slipped out. I had never had problems with that before so didn't think it would have been a problem then. Didn't notice the phone missing until I had gotten home. Tracked my phone to a location with lots of people. The thief turned the phone off and has obviously reset it because I can no longer track it.
So... Physical security still doesn't account for "**** happening."

Which brings me back to the original question. Couldn't a set of code be written that keeps the Google account tied to the phone even after a factory reset has been performed?

Phdintheory said:
Okay, yeah. That's what I thought you meant. See, the problem is I do that religiously and I still lost my phone. In this case what happened is that it was in the inside pocket of my jacket. I bent over and didn't notice that it had slipped out. I had never had problems with that before so didn't think it would have been a problem then. Didn't notice the phone missing until I had gotten home. Tracked my phone to a location with lots of people. The thief turned the phone off and has obviously reset it because I can no longer track it.
So... Physical security still doesn't account for "**** happening."
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Well I have never lost a cell phone in 12 years or for that matter broken one. I have "lost" them inside the house or van temporarily but that is rare.
Secure it so it can't fall out. I find bdu cargo pockets are perfect for my N10+'s.

Okay, just so you understand, you're not helping. I guess people aren't as good as you are. **** happens to the rest of us I guess. Please either answer the question or let others answer who have something to offer relating to the question as asked.

Phdintheory said:
Okay, just so you understand, you're not helping. I guess people aren't as good as you are. **** happens to the rest of us I guess. Please either answer the question or let others answer who have something to offer relating to the question as asked.
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No matter what you do once it's out of your hands, it's gone.
Actions... consequences.
A third party app like this. That just protects the data as does frp.
A hidden stand alone gps tracker... smaller ones exist that could be embedded but that's getting DOD spook crazy to solve a simple problem of accountability on your part.

Phdintheory said:
Okay, just so you understand, you're not helping. I guess people aren't as good as you are. **** happens to the rest of us I guess. Please either answer the question or let others answer who have something to offer relating to the question as asked.
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In theory you could set aside part of the partition that wouldn't get wiped or affected by reinstalling system with the code you suggest, or onto another chip. But this then means it becomes a security & privacy issue for phones that are sold or given to wives/partners etc, and then what about the next owner, do they get to have their account also permanently associated with phone? So, no this will never be allowed by Google/phone companies. As Blackhawk says, physical security is the where it's at, ultimately.

Calls end when I unplug headset??!!!

Every single time. Cant find any settings that relate to this. I can (sort of) understand pausing music when headphones are unplugged, but this seems like someone thought it would be clever to for the phone to be "smart" or "helpful", but it's just a really dumb "feature". Or is this a bug or hardware problem???
I have a second one of these phones, I do love this model other than it being very delicate, screen breaks from ANY drop. Thus my second one, got it while waiting on a screen repair, but still using the original phone. But it's done this since I first got the phone brand new. I guess I should try the other phone to be sure it's a design issue, not a hardware problem, but sure seems like overthinking things at the software design stage.
Called Motorola support and they, as expected were beyond useless. ("OK, let's do a reset of your phone." and "It's probably because it's not a Motorola headset.")

Ok

Question Screen weirdness on me the other day.

My pixel 7 pro freaked out on me the other day and went black on me when I played a game and didn't come back for over 15 minutes then finally was responding again. Any reason why this happened . Hopefully software and not hardware. Hasn't happened since but still concerning .

Anyone ?

Redbeardkevv said:
Anyone ?
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Flaky game? I never play games on any tool, which a smartphone is. I wish the OEM's would stop trying to make it even possible. Buy a "gaming" phone which is designed specifically for that purpose. In fact, some of the best phones available today (spec wise) are gaming phones! If it only happened while playing the game then that is where I would look.

jaseman said:
Flaky game? I never play games on any tool, which a smartphone is. I wish the OEM's would stop trying to make it even possible. Buy a "gaming" phone which is designed specifically for that purpose. In fact, some of the best phones available today (spec wise) are gaming phones! If it only happened while playing the game then that is where I would look.
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This is one of the most ridiculous responses I have ever seen. There is nothing that makes a "gaming phone" special. They're using the same hardware and software as any other phone with gaming-specific gimmicks. The phone has a throttle mechanism to prevent any kind of damage.

EtherealRemnant said:
This is one of the most ridiculous responses I have ever seen. There is nothing that makes a "gaming phone" special. They're using the same hardware and software as any other phone with gaming-specific gimmicks. The phone has a throttle mechanism to prevent any kind of damage.
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Ridiculous...maybe...but the fact remains that you experienced this WHILE playing a game! So I wonder what the problem may be?

Hmmm

jaseman said:
Ridiculous...maybe...but the fact remains that you experienced this WHILE playing a game! So I wonder what the problem may be?
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That's called a hardware defect if the hardware can't cope. Going blank for 15 minutes is not normal.

Hardware hmm and not software?

Redbeardkevv said:
Hardware hmm and not software?
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What were you playing? If it was a graphically intensive game, I would definitely lean more towards blaming the hardware. It's very rare that a game can actually make a phone that unstable. In fact I can't remember the last time I've had a game make my phone unresponsive.

Roblox with my nephew

Redbeardkevv said:
Roblox with my nephew
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I've never played that game but their site seems to suggest some rather low requirements so I would be shocked if an ARMv8 processor like Tensor 2 is going to struggle with it.
Android warning screens
Due to the very large number of Android devices in existence, we cannot be certain that all devices will run optimally even if they are running the correct version of the operating system and do not have a Tegra 2 chipset.
We have 2 levels of unsupported Android devices - skippable and unskippable:
Skippable Devices: These types of devices will get a warning telling you that your device may not be powerful enough to play experiences smoothly. This is just a warning to let you know that while your device isn't specifically supported, experiences might still run though they will likely lag a little (or a lot). Tapping outside the warning box will make it go away and the experience should keep loading.
Unskippable Devices: will get a message that informs you that your device doesn't meet the minimum system requirements. This means the device is not able to play experiences on Roblox. This message usually shows up on devices that use the Tegra 2 graphics chipset or a processor older than ARMv7. These kinds of tablets/phones do not support features that the Roblox needs to be able to function. However, users with these unskippable messages will still be able to access all other parts of the app outside of experiences.
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https://en.help.roblox.com/hc/en-us/articles/203625474-ROBLOX-Mobile-System-Requirements

Yea I was thinking it had low requirements. Maybe bad coding ??? But then again no other app or game has caused that to happen. Sooo. Yea

I don't think it's software. I already had one screen die. Went black and never came back on. I had it fixed under warranty at a local UbreakIFix (Asurion - Google's warranty partner). Techs were aware of a similar problem with the 5a and replaced my screen same day.
I've had a few wonky screen issues that hard locked my phone. Had one go black, but fortunately came back after holding power down. It once went all yellow with weird shapes/sections. And then just had some freezes with artifacts on the screen.
I'm going away for the holidays so I'll send it back when I get home if I'm still having issues. If you're going away, I'd suggest taking a backup phone just in case. Had mine die the first time when I was visiting my folks out of state. It sucked with no backup.
One thing I noticed is the screen does a fuzzy flash whenever I plug in a USB charger. It's only a split second but it is noticeable. Has anyone else experienced that?

Superguy said:
I don't think it's software. I already had one screen die. Went black and never came back on. I had it fixed under warranty at a local UbreakIFix (Asurion - Google's warranty partner). Techs were aware of a similar problem with the 5a and replaced my screen same day.
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Most of these failures have been a combination of both hardware and software - nothing is actually wrong with the screen. I'm not sure exactly how it happens, but it seems that this usually involves a OS crash (phone freezing up) followed by an attempt to reboot, but for some reason the bootloader has become corrupted and the device won't start. Fixing it generally involves replacing the mainboard, because most repair centers don't have the QPST or the software needed to perform low level reflash. This is a known issue over several generations of Pixels; the cause is unknown.

V0latyle said:
Most of these failures have been a combination of both hardware and software - nothing is actually wrong with the screen. I'm not sure exactly how it happens, but it seems that this usually involves a OS crash (phone freezing up) followed by an attempt to reboot, but for some reason the bootloader has become corrupted and the device won't start. Fixing it generally involves replacing the mainboard, because most repair centers don't have the QPST or the software needed to perform low level reflash. This is a known issue over several generations of Pixels; the cause is unknown.
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What was weird is when mine went black, the phone would still boot and in theory was still usable. Pushing the buttons gave haptic feedback like they were bringing up the power menu or adjusting the volume. I just couldn't see what was going on or use touch to give input.
They told me they just replaced the screen. Didn't touch the motherboard.
I was using one of the custom kernels so I ended up having to wipe it and went back to stock kernel with magisk and some modules. It hasn't acted up as much as it did with the custom kernel, but there are still issues. I suppose it could be something that's messed up in the stock kernel, and perhaps tweaks a dev made in theirs may have exasperated it some.
If I end ups ending it back, I'll try a custom kernel again, but for now, I'm just sticking with stock.
*no disrespect intended or implied to any dev

Superguy said:
What was weird is when mine went black, the phone would still boot and in theory was still usable. Pushing the buttons gave haptic feedback like they were bringing up the power menu or adjusting the volume. I just couldn't see what was going on or use touch to give input.
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Yeah, that's definitely a display issue. I'm talking about when the device doesn't work or respond at all, maybe vibrates on power up but doesn't respond to anything, and usually will come up as "Qualcomm Bulk USB" or something when connected to PC
Superguy said:
They told me they just replaced the screen. Didn't touch the motherboard.
I was using one of the custom kernels so I ended up having to wipe it and went back to stock kernel with magisk and some modules. It hasn't acted up as much as it did with the custom kernel, but there are still issues. I suppose it could be something that's messed up in the stock kernel, and perhaps tweaks a dev made in theirs may have exasperated it some.
If I end ups ending it back, I'll try a custom kernel again, but for now, I'm just sticking with stock.
*no disrespect intended or implied to any dev
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For sure, active development may or may not have stability issues, it's all a learning process!