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[Q] What's the legal basis for voiding warranty on rooted phone?

What's the legal basis for voiding warranty on rooted phones?
Isn't that like HP telling me that my desktop hardware warrently is void since I changed my opertaing system, or because I added memory to the desktop computer?
Hypothetically, lets say a button does not work on my rooted phone.
If I reset the phone back to the original OS and unroot it, and than somehow the carrier or the manufacturer finds out that the phone was rooted in the past. Do they have any legal basis to void the warranty?
I mean, if the button is broken (or a screen is broken, etc...), it has nothing to do with the software and clearly is a hardware problem.

The legal basis that you signed a TOS with your carrier, End Of Story.

johnston9234 said:
The legal basis that you signed a TOS with your carrier, End Of Story.
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A lot of Canadian carriers TOS do not specifiy anything about the software part of the device but rather seem to cover any physical modification and damage. Good luck returning your device to the maker via your carrier though. I was lucky enough and got my Nexus S repaired by Samsung, but not after unrooting it.

can anyone point to a documented case where a warranty claim was denied because of root?

Documented?
rudeguy said:
can anyone point to a documented case where a warranty claim was denied because of root?
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Click to collapse
Documented? No, but I was denied a warranty claim on my Motorola Flipout (I know, it was bad) based on the fact that it was rooted! no custom rom or even recovery! Just rooted.
Sadly, you CAN legally be turned down on a warranty for being on a rooted device.

johnston9234 said:
The legal basis that you signed a TOS with your carrier, End Of Story.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Desktop's computers also have a warrently and service agreement (I think).
But they could not void the hardware warranty just because you manipulated the OS or software. In my experience, they just reformat the hard drive and if the problem goes away they would not cover any repair since this is clearly a software issue. If the problem persisted after reinstalling the original factory provided software the computer would be repaired or replaced. I thought that there was no legal basis to void a hardware warranty in that case?

My advice is to seek out the most stupid/ clueless looking workers in your local mobile provider store and take up any problems with them.

Well depending on who your carrier is it differs. I am with verizon and was told by two frirnds the work for customer service that rooting ur phone no longer besides warrenty.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App

Bootloader Unlocking Does not Void Warranty - EU

Hi, like many people I've been unlocking the bootloader of some of my phones for the past few years.
I just read this: "But, given European Directive 1999/44/CE, just the fact that you modified or changed the software of your device, is not a sufficient reason to void your statutory warranty."
https://fsfe.org/campaigns/android/liberate.en.html
I didn't know this! That's great. I love when the EU gets involved.

[Q] Poll: Did you request an unlock code for your Moto G or keep your U.S. warranty?

In the U.S. the Motorola warranty coverage ends when you request an unlock code.
I have rooted a couple of previous phones, but in those cases there were exploits available to unlock the bootloaders on those phones so it did not affect the warranty status.
I guess this is a smart way for Motorola to do it - allowing people to easily unlock their bootloaders takes away most of the incentive for finding an exploit.
Still, if the phone develops a hardware problem that exists even after returning the phone to stock - shouldn't that still be covered by the warranty? I guess from Motorola's point of view, the user who unlocked the phone may have messed it up and Motorola shouldn't be responsible.
I bought my phone using a credit card that doubles my warranty up to an extra year so, in theory, I have two years of warranty. I suspect that the majority of phone failures are due to dropping the phone which would never be covered under warranty anyway. Square Trade insurance backs this up, at least for insured phones: "We next drilled down into the two main reported causes of accidents, drops and spills. Unsurprisingly, drops are responsible for most accidents – 77% to be precise"
I have seen threads where people sent money to a "Chinese middleman" in order to get an unlock code but I wonder - how do they know that the guy isn't just requesting the unlock codes from Motorola and violating their warranties at the same time? They wouldn't know unless they made a warranty claim, would they? Is there a way people can check on the Motorola site?
The stock experience on the Moto G is very good as are the updates - I currently have 4.4.3 and am hoping for 4.4.4 soon. And it seems to have been reported that we will even get android L when it comes out. From my forum reading, I get the impression that most people unlock and root their Moto G to be able to run xposed and make small tweaks to their phone. Which did you choose - warranty or root?

yaconsult said:
In the U.S. the Motorola warranty coverage ends when you request an unlock code.
I have rooted a couple of previous phones, but in those cases there were exploits available to unlock the bootloaders on those phones so it did not affect the warranty status.
I guess this is a smart way for Motorola to do it - allowing people to easily unlock their bootloaders takes away most of the incentive for finding an exploit.
Still, if the phone develops a hardware problem that exists even after returning the phone to stock - shouldn't that still be covered by the warranty? I guess from Motorola's point of view, the user who unlocked the phone may have messed it up and Motorola shouldn't be responsible.
I bought my phone using a credit card that doubles my warranty up to an extra year so, in theory, I have two years of warranty. I suspect that the majority of phone failures are due to dropping the phone which would never be covered under warranty anyway. Square Trade insurance backs this up, at least for insured phones: "We next drilled down into the two main reported causes of accidents, drops and spills. Unsurprisingly, drops are responsible for most accidents – 77% to be precise"
I have seen threads where people sent money to a "Chinese middleman" in order to get an unlock code but I wonder - how do they know that the guy isn't just requesting the unlock codes from Motorola and violating their warranties at the same time? They wouldn't know unless they made a warranty claim, would they? Is there a way people can check on the Motorola site?
The stock experience on the Moto G is very good as are the updates - I currently have 4.4.3 and am hoping for 4.4.4 soon. And it seems to have been reported that we will even get android L when it comes out. From my forum reading, I get the impression that most people unlock and root their Moto G to be able to run xposed and make small tweaks to their phone. Which did you choose - warranty or root?
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Click to collapse
Sir..you may also mention, that once the bootloader is unlocked, there is a permanent code written to the bootloader..and warranty is voided with this method..if one is to "relock" the device..this permanent code remains..
And it probably is possible for Motorola to trace an unlocked device with the IMEI..
Simply put..if one is concerned about warranty..don't unlock until warranty has expired..otherwise..unlock and void the warranty..
To unlock the bootloader of a Developer Edition does NOT void the warranty..
Sent from my:
4.4.4_21.11.21 (Unlocked)
XT1080M Droid Maxx #2
http://waynekent.com/page6.html
"Praise Jah" YOU people.!

NWKENT said:
Sir..you may also mention, that once the bootloader is unlocked, there is a permanent code written to the bootloader..and warranty is voided with this method..if one is to "relock" the device..this permanent code remains..
And it probably is possible for Motorola to trace an unlocked device with the IMEI..
Simply put..if one is concerned about warranty..don't unlock until warranty has expired..otherwise..unlock and void the warranty..
To unlock the bootloader of a Developer Edition does NOT void the warranty..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the clarification. I guess the people who are paying the "Chinese middleman" may still be screwed even if they return the phone to stock and try to get warranty service. And, as I said, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the guy was just doing a free unlock via motorola and charging people for it. Yet, this guy claims that he got a working unlock code for a verizon moto g from him for $45: http://swappa.com/listing/TND932/moto-g-verizon But I agree with you that this method would not preserve the warranty. And, clearly, unlocking your bootloader via motorola will mark the phone's unique identifier as being out of warranty. But not if you're lucky enough to live in Europe as I guess they get better legal rights on warranty than we do!
Unfortunately, there does not yet seem to be a Developer Edition of the Moto G LTE model.
Hence, my survey - how many people chose to give up their warranty in return for root on their Moto G?

yaconsult said:
Hence, my survey - how many people chose to give up their warranty in return for root on their Moto G?
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Click to collapse
For the moment I've chosen to keep my warranty even if I really want the root for my Moto G LTE.
I just hope that in a few weeks / months there will be a way to root the phone without unlock the bootloader.

Well, I reached the point where I decided to unlock my bootloader and root my phone. The deciding factor for doing so was the too aggressive minfree memory setting after the 4.4.4 update. You notice that when you try switching between a couple of applications, like browser and navigation, that it has killed the other app and restarts it when you switch back to it. Once you have root, you can fix this by adjusting minfree: http://m.androidcentral.com/fine-tuning-minfree-settings-improving-androids-multi-tasking
I also wanted to try out xposed and gravitybox which adds many very nice customization options. It works very nicely and I'm trying out some other xposed modules.
So I ended up not unlocking my bootloader right away, but waited a few months to make sure that the phone had no hardware issues. For me, it was worth the tradeoff to unlock it after that as I felt that the odds of having phone problems that would be covered under the warranty were quite slim. Minfree manager and xposed/gravitybox make the Moto G a much nicer phone for me.

I never had Motorola's warranty as the brand new g I got already had its boot loader unlocked as well as twrp custom recovery which didn't work. Had to root it then use flashify to get a working recovery. When asked what I was supposed to do about my non working recovery they didn't have anything to say.
Sent from my GT-I9070

I prefer unlocked boot loader and voided warranty. Warranty rules are always so specific and many great areas don't cover repairs anyway. Apart from x posed and all, I am such an addict I flashing ROMs and all, I wouldn't want it any other way. I would be more reluctant on a $900 Samsung or Sony, but if the moto G fails, its much cheaper. I can still get a moto g from cricket for $99 or $129 and a $50 rebate deal is still active

Unlock the bootloader - Carrier warranty?

A dumb (but unanswered) question: I have a XT1542. If I unlock my bootloader (I haven't done it yet), and all that jazz, it's crystal clear that I've voided my warranty with Motorola, but I have a warranty with my carrier (Personal Argentina) 'cause I bought from them, and not from Moto (In fact when you need physical tech support they send you to one of their own approved tech centers, and not to any motocare's or something like that) . So -technically- if something goes south with the phone and I relock the bootloader and flash a stock rom (and remove the unlocked bootloader screen) on it they should cover me whatsoever, right? Does anyone has any experience with a case like this? Thanks in advance!

This has been discussed actually... and it might work, depends on how much your rep looks at the phone. No matter what you do, even if relocked and flashed to stock, the bootloader will always show it has been modified. The Status Code can never be changed back to 0 and Software Status will always show "Modified".
The other piece here is that it is potentially illegal or immoral, you are committing fraud.

CS Amazon says: your phone is rooted and the rooting is the cause of the malfunction

In last months my Moto G 3rd started giving some problems. Since my phone was bought on Amazon.fr (Europe) I contacted the customer service.
After sending my phone to a repair center it was returned just saying that the warranty had been void because the phone was rooted.
And yes it was rooted since day one. And it started having problems more than a year after that.
This is the email that I send to Amazon.fr, after received my phone saying that the warranty had been void.
Hello
I already received my phone.
In the repair report it's says that I void the warranty of my phone.
This is because my phone is rooted.
But rooting a phone don't void the warranty unless it can be proved that the rooting is the cause of the malfunction.
My phone is rooted since the begin with always worked fine. This is not the cause of the problem.
I send a few documents and links that proves what I'm saying.
It's sad that I send my phone. I paid to send it. I also was charged for my calls to the CHRONOPOST call center.
And in the end I receive the phone the same way I send it in the first place.
https://fsfe.org/freesoftware/legal/flashingdevices.html
http://fsfe.org/freesoftware/legal/flashingdevices.fr.html
https://fsfe.org/activities/ftf/activities.en.html
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:31999L0044&from=EN
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Click to collapse
They replied
Hello,
Following your that you have already received your phone. In the repair report it's says that you void the warranty of your phone. This is because your phone is rooted and the rooting is the cause of the malfunction. I thank you for giving us the documents and links.
We understand your reaction and we apologise for any inconvenience that this problem may have caused.
I have transferred your documents to our department so that they will do the verification and it does not happen in the future.
In your mail, i have noted that you paid to send it and you also was charged for your calls to the CHRONOPOST call centre.
In order to help you, i ask you to send us the receipt of the sending item or tell us the amount so that we will refund you.
You can contact us directly by this email.
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Click to collapse
Then I replied back to Amazon.fr
Sorry but I am missing something in this.
This phone is rooted since the beginning. And only now is giving me problems? I don't think so!
That is the worst excuse from tech support ever.
They even try to diagnose the malfunction on the device?
At least they remove the root to see it was the cause of the malfunction?
Or they just send the phone back after checking it was rooted?
Rooting phones don't void warranties like all that links and documents show.
But you need to read it first.
Rooting phones is the only way to run some essential software in Android like TitaniumBackupPro for backups and Cerebrus for anti theft.
This the worst tech support ever from Amazon.
And it even goes against the warranty laws in Europe Union, like all links and documentation provided shows.
Who in Amazon understand something about warrant laws in EU?
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Click to collapse
This that last answer form Amazon.fr
Hello,
Following your , in case you want to contact Amazon Legal, you can use the address below:
Direction Juridique d'Amazon.fr
Service Juridique
Amazon EU S.à.r.l.
5 rue Plaetis
L-2338 Luxembourg
Grand-Duché du Luxembourg
Regards,
Cordialement,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the repair report it's says that you void the warranty of your phone. This is because your phone is rooted and the rooting is the cause of the malfunction.
This is maybe the worst feedback I had from tech support. And it's from Amazon France.
They didn't even try to diagnose the malfunction.
The phone is rooted and the rooting is the cause of the malfunction.
This worries me because I have another phone bought from Amazon and it's also rooted.
Even knowing that rooting don't void the warranty I am worried that in the future the answer it will be the same.

Bruaca said:
In last months my Moto G 3rd started giving some problems. Since my phone was bought on Amazon.fr (Europe) I contacted the customer service.
After sending my phone to a repair center it was returned just saying that the warranty had been void because the phone was rooted.
And yes it was rooted since day one. And it started having problems more than a year after that.
This is the email that I send to Amazon.fr, after received my phone saying that the warranty had been void.
They replied
Then I replied back to Amazon.fr
This that last answer form Amazon.fr
In the repair report it's says that you void the warranty of your phone. This is because your phone is rooted and the rooting is the cause of the malfunction.
This is maybe the worst feedback I had from tech support. And it's from Amazon France.
They didn't even try to diagnose the malfunction.
The phone is rooted and the rooting is the cause of the malfunction.
This worries me because I have another phone bought from Amazon and it's also rooted.
Even knowing that rooting don't void the warranty I am worried that in the future the answer it will be the same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, your warranty is void... you AGREED to it being void when you received your unlocked token for the bootloader. We all know this, it even gets around EU "law" because you have to agree to it and can chose not to do it.
You have only yourself to blame. Unless you have a Developer Edition device, once you get the unlock code, your device is no longer covered by the Motorola warranty; in other words, please don't blame us if things go wrong, even if they appear unrelated to unlocking the bootloader.
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Click to collapse
- Source
The following applies to all devices, except for Developer Edition devices:
Obtaining an unlock code voids all warranties. Once you get the unlock code, your
device is no longer covered by the Motorola warranty, or any other warranty provided
with the device. Neither Motorola, nor your wireless carrier shall have any duty to
provide warranty or customer support for unlocked devices.
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Click to collapse
(5) THE FOLLOWING APPLIES TO ALL UNLOCKED DEVICES EXCEPT FOR DEVELOPER
EDITION DEVICES, BY OBTAINING THE UNLOCK CODE FOR THIS DEVICE,
IRRESPECTIVE OF WHETHER THE DEVICE’S BOOTLOADER IS SUBSEQUENTLY
UNLOCKED OR ITS SOFTWARE OR OPERATING SYSTEM IS MODIFIED, USER AGREES
TO WAIVE AND VOID ALL WARRANTIES THAT MAY HAVE BEEN PROVIDED BY
MOTOROLA OR YOUR WIRELESS CARRIER, BOTH EXPRESS AND IMPLIED,
INCLUDING ANY WRITTEN WARRANTY THAT ACCOMPANIED THE DEVICE AT THE
TIME OF PURCHASE OR DELIVERY, AND AGREES THAT ANY RIGHTS OR REMEDIES
PROVIDED BY SUCH A WARRANTY ARE NULL AND VOID. NEITHER MOTOROLA, NOR
YOUR WIRELESS CARRIER, MAKES ANY WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, AND
MOTOROLA AND YOUR WIRELESS CARRIER DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES OF EVERY
KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO,
IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE IN CONNECTION WITH AN UNLOCKED DEVICE. USER ACKNOWLEDGES
AND AGREES THAT ALL SUCH WARRANTIES ARE HEREBY EXCLUDED AND THAT ALL
UNLOCKED DEVICES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS," WITH NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND;
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- Source
And even on your phone you had to acknowledge it... (see pic)
Sorry...

So if understand what you said.
The way that the Motorola bootloader unlocking procedure is made will void automatically any warranty.
Because the user was to accept on site that to unlocking the bootloader will void the warranty.
I thought there was laws still backing up the warranty.
And that warning had no effect.
Is this is really true no more Motorola phones for me.

Bruaca said:
So if understand what you said.
The way that the Motorola bootloader unlocking procedure is made will void automatically any warranty.
Because the user was to accept on site that to unlocking the bootloader will void the warranty.
I thought there was laws still backing up the warranty.
And that warning had no effect.
Is this is really true no more Motorola phones for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Motorola isn't alone, most OEMs that allow unlocking have adopted this policy... With the noticable exception of Pixel/Nexus and OnePlus.

i didn't realize until now that this "online registration" and "help in unlocking" is a trick actually. Interestingly Samsung doesnt give away codes unlike Motorola, Sony, Xiaomi etc.. Also no agreements/commitments are shown on the screen, making it "rootable" enough right behind the best-in-class Pixel and Oneplus. And I am aware Samsung centers do repair rooted phones. Thou i never experienced that, since I never ever had a phone repaired in 20 years.
Anyway, horrible practice and these bad brands are on my blacklist.