Apple iPhone question (6) - General Questions and Answers

I recently acquired an Apple iPhone 6 for my wife for free ( don't ask its not illegal just complicated) Problem is its locked to T mobile ( same service I had) and since I didn't buy it they wont; unlock it because they say they have no record of it so...........
How do I factory unlock an iPhone 6 so that it can be used on any providers network. I've been told that I use the same IMEI method as on Androids, I have been told by one site that I needed to buy their software (26.99) and jailbreak the phone and that will unlock it ( yea I fell for it). But I really really want my wife to be able to use this iPhone 6 as hers, I have itunes and I have her ios backed up, and I can wipe the current iphone and restore her stuff onto it with no problem, I even have a free app that jailbreaks it ( imagine that after paying 26 usd)
Acn somebody either tell me a 100 % effective way or please point me to an iphoen forum, as for some reason my android self can;t seem to remove that mental block about iphone sites LOL

Redsn0w. If that's still around. Anyway, you can't unlock an iPhone conventionally as the process is tied to iTunes. It must be jailbroken.

Thanks I can jailbeark it ball day long, believe or not that part is easier than my Samsung S4.
Does red snow unlock it too?
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Well, I was I'll advised. The last time I tinkered with iOS was in the 3GS days... It was possible to unlock them back then. I'm sorry you were scammed

I'm doing as much research as I can with everything else I'm doing at the same time, I even went do far as to call Apple, the guy I spoke to there seemed to know exactly what he was talking about and said it can't be done unless its done by the carrier, which puts me back at square 1 dealing with t mobiles idiots. I got to keep trying though, cause if I end up buying her a new phone as His is my witness I will NEVER own a phone that is locked to one particular carrier, and I will NEVER have one in my house with a specific carriers name on it
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Really?
Ok, all iPhone hatred aside - This is a forum for mobile devices. Not just any, however. This site does NOT feature any sort of support for iPhone or any iOS device. This is a developer's website, and the iOS platform is nothing short of an absolute nightmare to work with.
Furthermore on this, I find it mildly insulting that you, as an ignorant iPhone user, think you can just waltz onto the scene and start treating this place like we're a local fix-it group for all smartphone problems. I speak on behalf of those who hate iPhone, and quite frankly I say, "We're not your personal fix-it store - we're a developer hub for those platforms that are actually decent to work with.".
I would like to finish here by saying that:
A) iPhone is not a good phone, and never will be.
B) This is not your personal fix-it store
C) We're not here to solve every Harry Hardwalk and Sally Sobstory's phone problems
D) If you do require iPhone help, might I suggest going to XDA's sister-site, http://iPhone-developers.com
Good bye, sir. Maybe one day you will see the light and praise the holy Android.

wolfen1086 said:
I recently acquired an Apple iPhone 6 for my wife for free ( don't ask its not illegal just complicated) Problem is its locked to T mobile ( same service I had) and since I didn't buy it they wont; unlock it because they say they have no record of it so...........
How do I factory unlock an iPhone 6 so that it can be used on any providers network. I've been told that I use the same IMEI method as on Androids, I have been told by one site that I needed to buy their software (26.99) and jailbreak the phone and that will unlock it ( yea I fell for it). But I really really want my wife to be able to use this iPhone 6 as hers, I have itunes and I have her ios backed up, and I can wipe the current iphone and restore her stuff onto it with no problem, I even have a free app that jailbreaks it ( imagine that after paying 26 usd)
Acn somebody either tell me a 100 % effective way or please point me to an iphoen forum, as for some reason my android self can;t seem to remove that mental block about iphone sites LOL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You only option is a IMEI unlock service. A T-Mobile iPhone 6 unlock goes for about $140 on eBay. That really is your only option other than selling the iPhone 6 on eBay and then purchasing an unlocked one. Ever since IMEI unlocks became possible, all interest in hacking the baseband for iPhones died.

So do the IMEI unlock services reall unlock a iphone?
One of those is whatvibusedvto unlock the androids, but I was told that it doesntvwork on an iphone, besides thevservicevi usedcwas 29.99 each my S4 andv2 S5s butvthey want 140 for an iphone 6 and 5 thru 7 days.
If it does work, please explain how it works cause I'm kinda curious
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wolfen1086 said:
So do the IMEI unlock services reall unlock a iphone?
One of those is whatvibusedvto unlock the androids, but I was told that it doesntvwork on an iphone, besides thevservicevi usedcwas 29.99 each my S4 andv2 S5s butvthey want 140 for an iphone 6 and 5 thru 7 days.
If it does work, please explain how it works cause I'm kinda curious
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hate to say, but Apple has a database of IMEIs and the unlock is processed through iTunes once the carrier updates your entry in the mighty database. It used to be possible to hack the baseband on a jailbroken phone to unlock it.
The reality is, I doubt Apple would let third parties update IMEI entries in their database. Otherwise there wouldn't really be a point...

So your saying that there really is a huge database, I've heard that on the internet before. So I guess I should research thease companies that say they can cause the guy at apple said kinda made mevthink that Apple thinks its messed up that that t mobile would sell me a locked phone for the same price they sell me a unlocked phone. Ever since the conversation ibhsd with him ibfeel even more ripped off
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wolfen1086 said:
So your saying that there really is a huge database, I've heard that on the internet before. So I guess I should research thease companies that say they can cause the guy at apple said kinda made mevthink that Apple thinks its messed up that that t mobile would sell me a locked phone for the same price they sell me a unlocked phone. Ever since the conversation ibhsd with him ibfeel even more ripped off
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kind of. The carriers can submit IMEIs to Apple for unlocking. Most of these unlocks are done through employees at the carriers submitting IMEIs for unlock when they shouldn't be. That is why the cost is so high, people are putting their job at risk moonlighting for these services.
That said, once the unlock is submitted to Apple, it is done. There is no going back. I have yet to hear about a single case of an iPhone being relocked (other than people getting their iPhone swapped for warranty/repair and ending up with a locked model) in all the years of Apple IMEI unlocking.
If you don't feel comfortable with paying for the services through eBay (use a reputable seller, and you can PayPal dispute if they try to screw you over), your ONLY other option is to sell the phone and purchase an unlocked model.
Don't waste your time looking at hacks or baseband unlocks, this isnt 2010 anymore.

HThanks, I WILL be looking on eBay for dealers and read the reviews FIRST and I guess the 26 I paid really was a scam, I know I'm probally not supposed to post the names but I'm so pissed I will. This place said that my phone would be jailbbroke and unlocked if I became a member and downloaded and used their software, turned out their softwaervobt updated the iOS to 8.1.2 from 8.1.1, then said it couldn't even jailbreak it and sent me to some Chinese site that I googled and downloaded for free, now they want to send me a hardware hack useibgvthe dim trey, they swear it works on my wife's phone, bytcatvghd same time in their site it says not for ios8.
I'm done with them, not even gonna bother trying to get a refund cause that's a lid too. But here's the site DO NOT DO BUISNESS WITH THEM TBEY ARE A RIP OFF!!!!!!
iPhone-Unlocker-Pro.com
thus site says its in Crete, but in reality its in Croatia
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Well I can't use the current iPhone because the idiots at T-Mobile blacklisted it even though we own it because I canceled the acct, so were now looking for one ghosts unlocked from the factory
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Related

[Petition] Keep Unlocking Phones Legal

Since unlocking phones (for carrier use) becomes illegal starting tomorrow, we have made a petition to fight back.
Please sign!
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/make-unlocking-cell-phones-legal/1g9KhZG7
Sent from my ADR6400L using xda premium
RBarnett09 said:
Since unlocking phones (for carrier use) becomes illegal starting tomorrow, we have made a petition to fight back.
Please sign!
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/make-unlocking-cell-phones-legal/1g9KhZG7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can do nothing with a petition like this now, this is scheduled to be looked at every 3 years, in 3 years you will have a chance to be heard and get this changed, however, we are stuck with this for at least 3 years.
Milimbar said:
You can do nothing with a petition like this now, this is scheduled to be looked at every 3 years, in 3 years you will have a chance to be heard and get this changed, however, we are stuck with this for at least 3 years.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed. I'm sure the White House is getting a nice chuckle from this petition.
Sent from my ADR6400L using xda app-developers app
Here's the thing about what people may see as a pointless petition.
They are all pointless until created. No matter if this will make any difference or not.
Petitions aren't meant to go by guidelines or by what the current law or cycle of voting represents.
In fact, if we all just sat idly by while things happen around us and shrug our shoulders because well, that's what the law is and it doesn't come back up for discussion for 10 years, so let's just leave it as is, even though the majority of us are against it.
I guess my point is, no matter how small of a change or difference one person may think they will be or make, unless they start somewhere, they may as well roll over like everyone else.
Change starts with YOU!
(or you can accept things for the way they are dealt to you)
Santod is right. If enough people sign it will get attention and maybe it will be enough that it doesn't have to wait for three years before it is brought up again. If we keep allowing the cell companies to control how we use our property then eventually we won't have any control of it. This kind of crap needs to stop somewhere. This idea of not allowing us to decide if we want to stay with a specific carrier is bs. Would you like it if a bank said you had to remain in the same property, exactly the way it was originally purchased for the duration of the contract? Probably not.
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Nexus 4, 7, 10 ... ++ More Nexus is the way to go now. Besides, I font see the point in an ithing or win8.
A reason to get one now and get away from VZW, I say.
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Why is this crap being posted in forums for Verizon phones? It simply doesn't apply - VZW has never carrier locked their phones.
mike.s said:
Why is this crap being posted in forums for Verizon phones? It simply doesn't apply - VZW has never carrier locked their phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apparently you don't understand.
It will be illegal for us to unlock our phones to use them how we want to... HTC or not.
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This law affects all carriers. The only way around it is to get your carrier to unlock the phone for you or buy an unlocked phone from the start. They are only making it illegal to unlock your phone without their knowledge or permission.
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disconnecktie said:
This law affects all carriers. The only way around it is to get your carrier to unlock the phone for you or buy an unlocked phone from the start. They are only making it illegal to unlock your phone without their knowledge or permission.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This definitely won't stop most people.
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RBarnett09 said:
This definitely won't stop most people.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A $500,000 fine and 5 years in prison sounds like a pretty good deterrent to keep most people from doing though. I think they are mostly targeting the businesses that are capitalizing on something that the carrier will do for people most of the time. I think part of the problem is that people get a phone on contract and since the phone is subsidized when they don't pay their bill the phone company eats the cost of the phone. If they are able to unlock the phone and use it somewhere else they basically get a free phone.
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Plus from what I heard on the radio if you own a phone already then you can unlock it and flash it to whatever carrier. Online petitions are a joke. As you can't prove the people existence because of of no signatures. I could type out ten thousand names names easily. You want change? You want action? Then call your congressmen or woman and voice your dislikes. Have your family,friends,coworkers, and so on to call. Tell them you are not happy and unless you see action you will vote for the other guy. Keep calling and if enough people calls something might be done.
Or you could go the easier route and just buy a google branded phone and not have to worry about the stupid law lol. It is funny people don't seem to care about stuff till its to late.
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disconnecktie said:
A $500,000 fine and 5 years in prison sounds like a pretty good deterrent to keep most people from doing though. I think they are mostly targeting the businesses that are capitalizing on something that the carrier will do for people most of the time. I think part of the problem is that people get a phone on contract and since the phone is subsidized when they don't pay their bill the phone company eats the cost of the phone. If they are able to unlock the phone and use it somewhere else they basically get a free phone.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Holy....
I was unaware of that kind of punishment. That's insane.
How would someone get caught unlocking a phone though?
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I'm pretty sure that the esn will tell the new carrier where the phone came from. Plus you would have to know because unlocking it is probably different depending on which carrier you are coming from. There was a law passed recently that makes it illegal to take a phone with a bad esn and unlock it to use with a different carrier as well. The major carriers also have the ability to make a bad esn phone no good across most of the other carriers too.
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Milimbar said:
You can do nothing with a petition like this now, this is scheduled to be looked at every 3 years, in 3 years you will have a chance to be heard and get this changed, however, we are stuck with this for at least 3 years.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tm24fan8 said:
Indeed. I'm sure the White House is getting a nice chuckle from this petition.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who's laughing now!!!??
As I said before, it all starts with us guys.... :good:
Official White House Response to Make Unlocking Cell Phones Legal.
(NOTE: This is in regards to carrier unlocking, not bootloader unlocking)
Source: LINK
It's Time to Legalize Cell Phone Unlocking
By R. David Edelman
Thank you for sharing your views on cell phone unlocking with us through your petition on our We the People platform.
Last week the White House brought together experts from across government who work on telecommunications, technology, and copyright policy, and we're pleased to offer our response.
The White House agrees with the 114,000+ of you who believe that consumers should be able to unlock their cell phones without risking criminal or other penalties.
In fact, we believe the same principle should also apply to tablets, which are increasingly similar to smart phones. And if you have paid for your mobile device, and aren't bound by a service agreement or other obligation, you should be able to use it on another network.
It's common sense, crucial for protecting consumer choice, and important for ensuring we continue to have the vibrant, competitive wireless market that delivers innovative products and solid service to meet consumers' needs.
This is particularly important for secondhand or other mobile devices that you might buy or receive as a gift, and want to activate on the wireless network that meets your needs -- even if it isn't the one on which the device was first activated.
All consumers deserve that flexibility.
The White House's position detailed in this response builds on some critical thinking done by the President's chief advisory Agency on these matters:
the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
For more context and information on the technical aspects of the issue, you can review the NTIA's letter to the Library of Congress' Register of Copyrights (.pdf),
voicing strong support for maintaining the previous exception to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) for cell phone carrier unlocking.
Contrary to the NTIA's recommendation, the Librarian of Congress ruled that phones purchased after January of this year would no longer be exempted from the DMCA.
The law gives the Librarian the authority to establish or eliminate exceptions -- and we respect that process.
But it is also worth noting the statement the Library of Congress released today on the broader public policy concerns of the issue.
Clearly the White House and Library of Congress agree that the DMCA exception process is a rigid and imperfect fit for this telecommunications issue, and we want to ensure this particular challenge for mobile competition is solved.
So where do we go from here?
The Obama Administration would support a range of approaches to addressing this issue, including narrow legislative fixes in the telecommunications space that make it clear:
neither criminal law nor technological locks should prevent consumers from switching carriers when they are no longer bound by a service agreement or other obligation.
We also believe the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), with its responsibility for promoting mobile competition and innovation, has an important role to play here.
FCC Chairman Genachowski today voiced his concern about mobile phone unlocking (.pdf), and to complement his efforts, NTIA will be formally engaging with the FCC as it addresses this urgent issue.
Finally, we would encourage mobile providers to consider what steps they as businesses can take to ensure that their customers can fully reap the benefits and features they expect when purchasing their devices.
We look forward to continuing to work with Congress, the wireless and mobile phone industries, and most importantly you -- the everyday consumers who stand to benefit from this greater flexibility -- to ensure our laws keep pace with changing technology, protect the economic competitiveness that has led to such innovation in this space, and offer consumers the flexibility and freedoms they deserve.
R. David Edelman is Senior Advisor for Internet, Innovation, & Privacy
Tell us what you think about this response and We the People.
Alright fair enough, good job guys!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
Translation they agree but not really going to do much about it lol.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
santod040 said:
Who's laughing now!!!??
As I said before, it all starts with us guys.... :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I signed it also, and just got my e-mail like 35min ago.
I don't know if it will change anything short term, but if nothing else.... at least next time it comes up for review it should turn out more favorably. Hopefully they will step in and push through some intermediate legislation before the next scheduled review though.
Milimbar said:
I signed it also, and just got my e-mail like 35min ago.
I don't know if it will change anything short term, but if nothing else.... at least next time it comes up for review it should turn out more favorably. Hopefully they will step in and push through some intermediate legislation before the next scheduled review though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be nice, but would require Congress to stop bickering for more than a minute...
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I saw this and thought the same, what's this really going to accomplish? And then the posted article where it apparently did accomplish something. Seems like that's not always the case... But in general, I guess it's not a ton of effort to click in and sign an online petition, so if my one vote does almost-nothing-but-still-something, I guess the return on investment is slightly higher than what I get for typing a single forum post.
Although, if the law is meant to keep people from ditching their carrier and not paying their bill and having the phone "for free", there is the spot they're going to get on their credit when it goes to collections. Getting denied for credit or getting a worse rate for the next 7 years doesn't seem completely devoid of consequence.

Thinking if starting my own phone unlocking business, help software?

Hi all,
I am looking into setting up my own online business in unlocking phones via the code method.
Does anyone know the best software I could buy for this which provides support for the most amount of phones? Also has regular updates or nee phones added which are compatible by code unlock?
Thanks
Sent from my XT890 using xda app-developers app
Well your way to late there are like hundred of african shops that do the same on top of running a small corner store. This has been in business for 6 to 8 years.
Still can be done
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how to start an iphone unlock business
hey man, im in the same situation! I've been buying and selling iphones and i always come across crazy situations where i need to unlock the phone and id like to add this service to my business, but can't find any solid information on how its done and its preventing me from selling the phones. back in the day i knew how to manually enter the unblock codes for regular cell phones, but i can't figure out the iphone! I don't know if you download some type of software or if you jailbreak it and unlock it somehow from there and then reload the iOS back onto the phone or if you have to have a special machine to hook up to. i also need to know how to get rid of the apple id problem in iOS 7 where if someone didn't deactivate the find my iphone feature before doing a factory restore then you would have to enter an apple id before using the phone. its called activation lock and a guy wiped the phone out somehow with his computer, i believe, and successfully got it to where you can enter a new apple user ID and use the phone. PLEASE, ANYONE WHO KNOWS HOW TO DO THIS STUFF PLEASE LET ME KNOW! Everywhere people ask for help on this ive only seen replies where they get spam links that go to bogus sites that unblock for you. i dont know what im missing to do this but i know its out there because i know a guy who can do it, but im sure he'll think of me as competition because im in his local area. I am a former PC technician, but have moved toward Apple products and it astounds me at how differently they are and are a bit more difficult to figure out that i anticipated. Any help would be appreciated please!
Unlocking
Anyone who unlocks for a decent price 60$ and less for bulk. I would love to work with them. Looking to unlock iPhone sprint and T-Mobile phone. Please contract. Pmaya004 AT yahoo

iphone 5s unlock

hi i know this is kinda irrelevant but did the law passed last year really prevent ppl from making unlocking software like redsn0w, yellowsn0w, pwnage for the iphone 5s?
i dont see any available and the last update was like 3 years ago. is the iphone no longer unlockable except for the paid online services for 100-200 dollars?
thanks!
yinxzon said:
hi i know this is kinda irrelevant but did the law passed last year really prevent ppl from making unlocking software like redsn0w, yellowsn0w, pwnage for the iphone 5s?
i dont see any available and the last update was like 3 years ago. is the iphone no longer unlockable except for the paid online services for 100-200 dollars?
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Software unlocked stopped working after the first couple of basebands on the iPhone 4. The baseband is basically too tightly locked for those types of hacks.
2) AFAIK it is not illegal to unlock a device.
3) This site is for Android an Windows Phone, not iOS. We don't do iOS here at all. You might check out another iPhone site for more info.
i know its android forum, i hate everything aapl so i dont wanna register there.
i think its a law:
http://www.cultofmac.com/213144/unl...king-is-still-safe-what-it-all-means-for-you/
but i didnt think that would stop anyone. i guess ur reasoning for complicated basebands makes sense.
there is just so many imei unlocks for a lot of money and if its cheap who knows if it would work..
thanks
yinxzon said:
i know its android forum, i hate everything aapl so i dont wanna register there.
i think its a law:
http://www.cultofmac.com/213144/unl...king-is-still-safe-what-it-all-means-for-you/
but i didnt think that would stop anyone. i guess ur reasoning for complicated basebands makes sense.
there is just so many imei unlocks for a lot of money and if its cheap who knows if it would work..
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to that article, the law would go into effect in 9 days from today, and it's not illegal to go thru the carriers.
Software unlocks are not going to happen, other than using a SIM interposer, like R-Sim etc..
I don't know if using a SIM interposer would be illegal though, since technically you are not unlocking the phone or modifying the hardware in any way, you are only changing the way the signal goes from the SIM card to the phone, so technically you might be safe.
Practically, I don't see anyone actually getting prosecuted for "unlocking their iPhone" anyways.
But the only way right now is the a SIM interposer (check compatibility of the model and iOS version) or go thru carrier, or pay a premium price for 3rd party.
But yeah, since this forum does not cover or support iOS you're better off finding a forum that actually supports it.
yeah i understand, just fyi that article write jan 26 2013 not 14.
like this: http://iphone-unlocker-pro.com/?gclid=CI_y86zthbwCFaTm7AodOzUAUQ or http://www.officialiphoneunlock.co.uk/unlock-iphone/ATT-USA/
You would probably be able to find a lot more information over here:
http://forum.iphone-developers.com/
:good:

Locked Bootloader Rant (4.4.2)

TouchWiz is not the most horrid operating system I've run (it still isn't superb), but all the same, I'd rather be running pure AOSP (Android Open Source Project), but we need unlocked bootloaders. Come on Verizon, stop sucking! It is my phone and I ought to be able to do what I please with it. Imagine if you bought a fridge from the biggest and most powerful fridge manufacturer (Verizon) only to find out you were only allowed to put strawberries in it. Of all the foods in the entire world, the fridge manufacturer only allows strawberries in the fridge. Sure, it might be fine at first, but what happens when you want to make the fridge your own? As soon as you put a food other than strawberries in said fridge only to find the doors lock and the fridge stops working entirely. Now your fridge is useless because you wanted to support other people and make the fridge your own. If the farmers of the world want to survive, they need to strike deals with the fridge manufacturer in order to get their foods into the fridges. This is a monopoly. There is zero competition; everyone is at the mercy of the fridge manufacturer. This is what Verizon is doing with their phones. Either the developers give in to Verizon's insane demands (money and horrible contracts) to get the software on the phone, or they die out entirely and nobody ever remembers the developers even existed. Sure Verizon offers "Developer Edition" devices, but developers can't have a user base if users cannot install their software. What is the point of developing software for a device if nobody can use it? I'm just saying this is absolute garbage, and we should not take any more of it. Thoughts?
redusk said:
TouchWiz is not the most horrid operating system I've run (it still isn't superb), but all the same, I'd rather be running pure AOSP (Android Open Source Project), but we need unlocked bootloaders. Come on Verizon, stop sucking! It is my phone and I ought to be able to do what I please with it. Imagine if you bought a fridge from the biggest and most powerful fridge manufacturer (Verizon) only to find out you were only allowed to put strawberries in it. Of all the foods in the entire world, the fridge manufacturer only allows strawberries in the fridge. Sure, it might be fine at first, but what happens when you want to make the fridge your own? As soon as you put a food other than strawberries in said fridge only to find the doors lock and the fridge stops working entirely. Now your fridge is useless because you wanted to support other people and make the fridge your own. If the farmers of the world want to survive, they need to strike deals with the fridge manufacturer in order to get their foods into the fridges. This is a monopoly. There is zero competition; everyone is at the mercy of the fridge manufacturer. This is what Verizon is doing with their phones. Either the developers give in to Verizon's insane demands (money and horrible contracts) to get the software on the phone, or they die out entirely and nobody ever remembers the developers even existed. Sure Verizon offers "Developer Edition" devices, but developers can't have a user base if users cannot install their software. What is the point of developing software for a device if nobody can use it? I'm just saying this is absolute garbage, and we should not take any more of it. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that comparison to the fridge is gold. I am completely on your side to letting my fridge have more than just these damn strawberries. Even though my current fridge is free, I still want my other other fridge to be free!
Sent from my Unlocked SCH-I535 running AOKP
Well I had this issue with Motorola and we signed big petitions and got absolutely nowhere. They lost a faithful customer. So I bought this Samsung cause it was easy to do as I wish but they eventually locked it. I personally am not locked but my contract is coming due soon and development is slowly dying. So soon it will be time to move on to another manufacture which may be on a different provider. The question is, will I eventually run out of different manufactures as they all slowly lock down?? I don't know but I will continue to move to the next open device as they come. I am done with crap like this and I'm playing it smarter as I go each time by not buying the device the day it comes (not implying you did) out and keeping an eye on the forums for a month or two before I buy. I need to make sure the coast is clear before buying it. I will most likely be buying the next Nexus to be on the safe side plus their is always a ton of development for it. My contract will be up before it's released but I will just wait before I just buy another device cause I'm available to do so. This will obviously require me to move to another provider so no more Verizon. When my contract is up and they are knocking at my door with deals for a new device I can tell them to blow me. I have 4 phones on my account and you can be rest assured that everyone of them will be removed.
All I can say is rants like this don't get anyone anywhere. I totally agree with you and I'm glad your voicing your disgust and opinion but the best thing for us all to do is simply to move on. They just don't listen and they don't care.
razz1 said:
Well I had this issue with Motorola and we signed big petitions and got absolutely nowhere. They lost a faithful customer. So I bought this Samsung cause it was easy to do as I wish but they eventually locked it. I personally am not locked but my contract is coming due soon and development is slowly dying. So soon it will be time to move on to another manufacture which may be on a different provider. The question is, will I eventually run out of different manufactures as they all slowly lock down?? I don't know but I will continue to move to the next open device as they come. I am done with crap like this and I'm playing it smarter as I go each time by not buying the device the day it comes (not implying you did) out and keeping an eye on the forums for a month or two before I buy. I need to make sure the coast is clear before buying it. I will most likely be buying the next Nexus to be on the safe side plus their is always a ton of development for it. My contract will be up before it's released but I will just wait before I just buy another device cause I'm available to do so. This will obviously require me to move to another provider so no more Verizon. When my contract is up and they are knocking at my door with deals for a new device I can tell them to blow me. I have 4 phones on my account and you can be rest assured that everyone of them will be removed.
All I can say is rants like this don't get anyone anywhere. I totally agree with you and I'm glad your voicing your disgust and opinion but the best thing for us all to do is simply to move on. They just don't listen and they don't care.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is sadly the world we live in today. Thankfully, the providers don't have us by the balls just yet, but I fear they soon will. That will be a sad day for the Android community. (Especially considering Android is open source.) Perhaps someday we will be able to publicly voice our concerns and equate our inability to unlock our phones' bootloaders to our (ability/inability) to unlock their SIM cards. It absolutely limits competition, and that's illegal. Thankfully Congress listened to the American people on the SIM card thing, but even if I can unlock my phone's SIM, I cannot use it on another network because my current operating system is locked to Verizon's network. We are literally half way there, but I doubt it will get any further, sadly.
i HATE touchwiz so much that i...dare might say it.... get the new iphone when it comes out. I am sick of VZW not having any really solid phones with pure google
jackpot08 said:
i HATE touchwiz so much that i...dare might say it.... get the new iphone when it comes out. I am sick of VZW not having any really solid phones with pure google
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never..... I won't ever subject myself to having anything apple. My kids both have ipods but never will you see me with any apple products.
It is sad they choose not to go with Nexus products at all, personally I think they are really loosing out as tons of people want them but can't get them on this network. I'm still a customer because of the coverage. It's sure as hell not for the prices or even the ability to customize my own device. I don't care if they claim to own it, I pay for it and use it so it's mine plain and simple
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Xparent ICS Tapatalk 2
redusk said:
TouchWiz is not the most horrid operating system I've run (it still isn't superb), but all the same, I'd rather be running pure AOSP (Android Open Source Project), but we need unlocked bootloaders. Come on Verizon, stop sucking! It is my phone and I ought to be able to do what I please with it. Imagine if you bought a fridge from the biggest and most powerful fridge manufacturer (Verizon) only to find out you were only allowed to put strawberries in it. Of all the foods in the entire world, the fridge manufacturer only allows strawberries in the fridge. Sure, it might be fine at first, but what happens when you want to make the fridge your own? As soon as you put a food other than strawberries in said fridge only to find the doors lock and the fridge stops working entirely. Now your fridge is useless because you wanted to support other people and make the fridge your own. If the farmers of the world want to survive, they need to strike deals with the fridge manufacturer in order to get their foods into the fridges. This is a monopoly. There is zero competition; everyone is at the mercy of the fridge manufacturer. This is what Verizon is doing with their phones. Either the developers give in to Verizon's insane demands (money and horrible contracts) to get the software on the phone, or they die out entirely and nobody ever remembers the developers even existed. Sure Verizon offers "Developer Edition" devices, but developers can't have a user base if users cannot install their software. What is the point of developing software for a device if nobody can use it? I'm just saying this is absolute garbage, and we should not take any more of it. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thoughts... change companies, because they really don;t care about you. We are a very small percent of their business, most people just use their phones as is and its not like you are going to stop using smartphones.
DigitalMD said:
Thoughts... change companies, because they really don;t care about you. We are a very small percent of their business, most people just use their phones as is and its not like you are going to stop using smartphones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You hit the nail on the head with that one. My gf has been complaining about the OTA updates on both 4.3 and 4.4 and I told her I could root the phone, she won't hear anything about rooting. Big red will never hear or care about our plights that these are our phones. We can forget about them even caring about what we think
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Xparent ICS Tapatalk 2
where to go?
my contract @ Verizon is o.v.e.r.!!! - I'm free- what phone to buy and where to go?? please, anyone, help!
I rooted my S3 (running kitkat) with towelroot- (have busybox and the gang) but the bootloader war is not over. I'm losing this battle with the bootloader and I have a day job... I just want a phone with as much freedom as i can get- any suggestions?
ShapesBlue said:
You hit the nail on the head with that one. My gf has been complaining about the OTA updates on both 4.3 and 4.4 and I told her I could root the phone, she won't hear anything about rooting. Big red will never hear or care about our plights that these are our phones. We can forget about them even caring about what we think
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Xparent ICS Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ANTIESTABLISH said:
my contract @ Verizon is o.v.e.r.!!! - I'm free- what phone to buy and where to go?? please, anyone, help!
I rooted my S3 (running kitkat) with towelroot- (have busybox and the gang) but the bootloader war is not over. I'm losing this battle with the bootloader and I have a day job... I just want a phone with as much freedom as i can get- any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Buy a nexus 6 in that case if you want freedom from bootloader lock down. I can't wait until my contract is up in June. I may just buy it out come tax time if I have the money
From my CM11 S3
total agreement, Blue...
yup!
I think they won..... I waited for the contract to be up thinking i scored the gs3 w/o paying... they were too smart for me....
so now i'm stuck with the locked bootloader - stock rom...
here i come, nexus...
ShapesBlue said:
Buy a nexus 6 in that case if you want freedom from bootloader lock down. I can't wait until my contract is up in June. I may just buy it out come tax time if I have the money
From my CM11 S3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bootloader downgrade
There's a company in Caldwell Texas named Mobile Tech Videos and supposedly they offer a bootloader downgrade service for $50. I've decided to give that a try. Wish me luck, seriously.
Gabe1021 said:
There's a company in Caldwell Texas named Mobile Tech Videos and supposedly they offer a bootloader downgrade service for $50. I've decided to give that a try. Wish me luck, seriously.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you decide to please let us know how it turns out. I'm considering the same.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
Gabe1021 said:
There's a company in Caldwell Texas named Mobile Tech Videos and supposedly they offer a bootloader downgrade service for $50. I've decided to give that a try. Wish me luck, seriously.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Caldwell, TX is a small town. How'd you get along with that boot loader unlocking?
Had MF1, a week ago accidently flashed NE1.
Switched to Sprint, bought a S5.
Sold the S3.
Bye bye Verizon.
Gabe1021 said:
There's a company in Caldwell Texas named Mobile Tech Videos and supposedly they offer a bootloader downgrade service for $50. I've decided to give that a try. Wish me luck, seriously.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Update?
DNak206 said:
Update?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like nothing has changed for them, see this thread for any updates
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1306767
My S3 running BlissStalk
It workded for me
DNak206 said:
Update?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I've been busy and hadn't posted my personal experience, but I now can report that I cannot complain about my service with Mobile Tech Videos.
My Verizon Galaxy S3 is rooted and I am running CyanogenMod 10.2.1.
I paid Mobile Tech Videos to unlock the bootloader and install the ROM and I'm perfectly happy with my S3 now.
Gabe1021 said:
Sorry I've been busy and hadn't posted my personal experience, but I now can report that I cannot complain about my service with Mobile Tech Videos.
My Verizon Galaxy S3 is rooted and I am running CyanogenMod 10.2.1.
I paid Mobile Tech Videos to unlock the bootloader and install the ROM and I'm perfectly happy with my S3 now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa...ive always been led to believe that once u take the NE1 update, that is it, no going back, do not pass go do not collect $200, cannot get the girl, limp sausage forever. so there IS a way to roll back? do u have any idea HOW they did it because theres no way i can send my phone to texas! it cannot have been that difficult, as it was only $50...
l3l4ck0ut said:
whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa...ive always been led to believe that once u take the NE1 update, that is it, no going back, do not pass go do not collect $200, cannot get the girl, limp sausage forever. so there IS a way to roll back? do u have any idea HOW they did it because theres no way i can send my phone to texas! it cannot have been that difficult, as it was only $50...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nobody knows how they do it. And they certainly aren't going to tell anyone how they do it. That would be the easiest way to lose customers.

[Poll] Do you think Verizon has the right to lock the S6 bootloader (or any)?

I mean come on seriously Verizon in my opinion already charges too much just for their data plans and then you pay for a $600 phone on top of it that you can't even mod, no flashing AOSP for you, no experimenting with the phone that you OWN! I switched to T-Mobile a few weeks ago just for this reason I found out TWRP came out for the S6 on T-Mobile and then I thought no way am I going to miss out on CM and other AOSP ROMS I love having the ability to change my kernel and ROM sure there is SafeStrap which I don't really know when that will come out for Verizon S6 but you can't install AOSP ROMS on it there is no REAL freedom until you have an unlocked bootloader.
I made this to see how many people think like me when it comes to Verizon locking bootloaders.
Do you think Verizon owns their phones and they have every right to lock down their phones?
Or do you think you are paying these crazy amounts of money for a phone you can't even customize?
If you want to comment saying why you chose your answer that would be great! You don't have to though.
Edit: worded wrong The thing that should replace yes is "I think having a locked bootloader is fine".
I could either have an unlocked bootloader on a network with terrible service or a locked boot loader on a fantastic network. I choose the latter. Got lucky we got root but I wouldn't lose sleep over it. I would have gotten the nexus 6 if I was still that into Roms. Root will keep me very happy.
Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk 2
hopesrequiem said:
I could either have an unlocked bootloader on a network with terrible service or a locked boot loader on a fantastic network. I choose the latter. Got lucky we got root but I wouldn't lose sleep over it. I would have gotten the nexus 6 if I was still that into Roms. Root will keep me very happy.
Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand Verizon has the best service but I am saying wouldn't it be nice to have both an unlocked bootloader for easy root and custom recoverys AND the nice Verizon service. Thanks for the response
ethanscooter said:
I understand Verizon has the best service but I am saying wouldn't it be nice to have both an unlocked bootloader for easy root and custom recoverys AND the nice Verizon service. Thanks for the response
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Omg yeah that would be THE best lol. If only the nexus 6 wasn't so big
Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk 2
hopesrequiem said:
Omg yeah that would be THE best lol. If only the nexus 6 wasn't so big
Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then vote no lol that is what the poll is about no means having both unlocked bootloader and great service on the galaxy s6.
xD
Isn't your first option misleading thus skewing everyone to vote for the 2nd option? Wouldn't it be more fair to have the first option read
"Is it OK that Verizon makes the phone extra secure by locking the bootloader"
They do not own the phones unless you are leasing yours. I am also not seeing the point of this poll...to show how many here in a rooting hacking development site are unhappy because they can't do anything with the phone? I understand your frustration, I am just trying to see the point here.
Maybe you should ask if Verizon has the right to gain more commercial and military contracts by making the phone secure. Just playing devil's advocate here.
Isn't this poll akin to asking a group of kids "Who wants ice cream?" Just sayin'
KennyG123 said:
Isn't your first option misleading thus skewing everyone to vote for the 2nd option? Wouldn't it be more fair to have the first option read
"Is it OK that Verizon makes the phone extra secure by locking the bootloader"
They do not own the phones unless you are leasing yours. I am also not seeing the point of this poll...to show how many here in a rooting hacking development site are unhappy because they can't do anything with the phone? I understand your frustration, I am just trying to see the point here.
Maybe you should ask if Verizon has the right to gain more commercial and military contracts by making the phone secure. Just playing devil's advocate here.
Isn't this poll akin to asking a group of kids "Who wants ice cream?" Just sayin'
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good post. I agree.
I didn't take the poll because I feel Verizon can do whatever they like since I knew all of it up front, yet the first choice also includes an untruth....that Verizon owns the phone.
I own my phone, and I think Verizon made their choice clear before I purchased it.
Buyer beware.
Also....if you think they are just getting rich from us....I suggest you buy Verizon stock and share in the wealth.
The poll has 2 selections which are both invalid.
Bottom line is, if you wish to connect your device to the Verizon network, your device should follow their standards. Don't see a problem with that. If standardizing and locking devices keeps the network superior, I support them.
Unlocked Bootloader Is A Major Disincentive To Change Devices
As many are saying, I will not change devices (currently, Verizon HTC M8), unless I can properly mod my new device with root and recovery, and the unlocked bootloader is the absolute prerequisite for this ability to produce the optimal features, performance, and aesthetics in any new device.
Verizon made a marketing choice between selling supportability and network costs (no root means all phones allegedly have the some OS and basic settings, network has been discussed) or the cost of hiring people for support that can do more than read a script and follow a flow chart, which is what would be needed if they allowed for rooting. Also, think of the variety of phones. If they sold one brand of phone, and maybe only 2 or 3 of that brands models, supportability would not be as much of an issue.
Do I like being locked out from under the hood of my phone? No, of course not. Why else would I be on this site??
Do I understand their reasoning? Yes! Good technicians are not cheap. The person you call for tech help probably starts at under $12 an hour, and *might* have an A+ certification.
I'd rather have good cell service at a relatively reasonable rate and a variety of smartphones to choose from than pay how ever much extra it would cost to hire actual technicians to troubleshoot the myriad of issues opening the bootlocker would cost. Even with the "If you brek in, you don;t get support" type wanings, they would still have to pay hundreds iof not thousands of manhours for all the schmucks that would go in, unlock their phones, throw on custom ROM, or just start deleting files, and still call Verizon Support to fix it.
Source of my opinion - I have worked tech support for years. No amount of warnings, labels, etc will prevent customers for demanding you fix their stupidity, even when they admit that is the problem.
hopesrequiem said:
I could either have an unlocked bootloader on a network with terrible service or a locked boot loader on a fantastic network. I choose the latter. Got lucky we got root but I wouldn't lose sleep over it. I would have gotten the nexus 6 if I was still that into Roms. Root will keep me very happy.
Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best network is very subjective to the area/region your in the most. In southwestern Ohio it is defiantly NOT the best network.
But I agree with OP on we should be allowed to unlock bootloader.
bkeaver said:
Best network is very subjective to the area/region your in the most. In southwestern Ohio it is defiantly NOT the best network.
But I agree with OP on we should be allowed to unlock bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THANK YOU!!! It's like seriously we just want to use CWM or TWRP on OUR PHONES WE PAID FOR it is just ridiculous how they expect us to pay all this money for a phone that we own that we can't even modify!
Unfortunately all the b**ching and complaining isn't going to change that anytime soon I'm afraid
While I hate restrictions and censorship and over-protectiveness, I realize big red will only change when the market demands it. Unfortunately, we're too small a percentage of said market for the other players to even speak about bootloaders and root access, much less convince Verizon that they need to change. All Verizon cares about is the bottom line $$$, and apparently locking down everything is more profitable than attracting xda members to their network. As if they need the money, lol. I live in an area where there is only one choice, so I take what I can get.
I agree, the poll question is totally like asking a bunch of dairy-tolerant children if they want ice cream. I'd rather see something like "if you could pay more and waive any software support for a mobile device that has an unlocked bootloader, would you and how much more would you be willing to pay?" I suppose that question was sort of answered with the Google Edition devices (answer: $450 was too much for most) and sort of with the Nexus devices. I would pay at least $100 personally for an open bootloader, and probably waive the warranty completely. How could this not make Verizon money. Oh and my problem with the Nexus devices was the network exclusivity and then the Nexus 6 just being too big.
The real problem is there is no good developer program with Verizon or Samsung. If you buy a dev edition phone you are stuck with the OS that comes on it and Samsung's dev program is terrible. Verizon needs to create a good dev program with unlocked and not supported phones but give access to OTA updates. It's that simple...
MOS95B said:
Verizon made a marketing choice between selling supportability and network costs (no root means all phones allegedly have the some OS and basic settings, network has been discussed) or the cost of hiring people for support that can do more than read a script and follow a flow chart, which is what would be needed if they allowed for rooting. Also, think of the variety of phones. If they sold one brand of phone, and maybe only 2 or 3 of that brands models, supportability would not be as much of an issue.
Do I like being locked out from under the hood of my phone? No, of course not. Why else would I be on this site??
Do I understand their reasoning? Yes! Good technicians are not cheap. The person you call for tech help probably starts at under $12 an hour, and *might* have an A+ certification.
I'd rather have good cell service at a relatively reasonable rate and a variety of smartphones to choose from than pay how ever much extra it would cost to hire actual technicians to troubleshoot the myriad of issues opening the bootlocker would cost. Even with the "If you brek in, you don;t get support" type wanings, they would still have to pay hundreds iof not thousands of manhours for all the schmucks that would go in, unlock their phones, throw on custom ROM, or just start deleting files, and still call Verizon Support to fix it.
Source of my opinion - I have worked tech support for years. No amount of warnings, labels, etc will prevent customers for demanding you fix their stupidity, even when they admit that is the problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has nothing to do with hiring technicians to fix rooted phones...that is such a small small percentage of actual sales and technical errors. It is purely to provide maximum security for Exchange services for commercial and military contracts. AT&T and Verizon Samsung phones were rated the most secure phones on the market. And boom in came the dollars and contracts.
Any technician can drop the phone on their jig and push go for an Odin reset and restore to factory stock.
You all are taking this personal and it is not..blocking root or blocking kernel flashing (AOSP) was a side effect, not the intention of making it secure.
There are a lot of things that you choose to spend a lot of money on but cannot do what you want with. Here is the analogy, you buy Verizon because of the network...you spend $200,000 on a house in a good neighborhood. You cannot park your boat in your own driveway..why? Because the Home Owners Association for that nice neighborhood says you can't. You made your choice when you purchased this device knowing it was locked down as that has been the history of Verizon and AT&T for the past few devices.
bkeaver said:
Best network is very subjective to the area/region your in the most. In southwestern Ohio it is defiantly NOT the best network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then why did you choose Verizon?
---------- Post added at 10:07 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:07 AM ----------
KennyG123 said:
It has nothing to do with hiring technicians to fix rooted phones...that is such a small small percentage of actual sales and technical errors. It is purely to provide maximum security for Exchange services for commercial and military contracts. AT&T and Verizon Samsung phones were rated the most secure phones on the market. And boom in came the dollars and contracts.
Any technician can drop the phone on their jig and push go for an Odin reset and restore to factory stock.
You all are taking this personal and it is not..blocking root or blocking kernel flashing (AOSP) was a side effect, not the intention of making it secure.
There are a lot of things that you choose to spend a lot of money on but cannot do what you want with. Here is the analogy, you buy Verizon because of the network...you spend $200,000 on a house in a good neighborhood. You cannot park your boat in your own driveway..why? Because the Home Owners Association for that nice neighborhood says you can't. You made your choice when you purchased this device knowing it was locked down as that has been the history of Verizon and AT&T for the past few devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This.
Squintz said:
Then why did you choose Verizon?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest I was all set to go back to att from tmobile but att pissed me off and I had never been on verizon so I went with them because of all the rave reviews about better network. Now we're kind of stuck for the time being.
This poll is stupid. Of course they have the right. They don't have to sell you the phone on their network. They're also not forcing you to stay, you could easily leave. Wonders of capitalism.
Disclaimer: Not saying I agree with it, but they certainly have the right.
KennyG123 said:
It has nothing to do with hiring technicians to fix rooted phones...that is such a small small percentage of actual sales and technical errors. It is purely to provide maximum security for Exchange services for commercial and military contracts. AT&T and Verizon Samsung phones were rated the most secure phones on the market. And boom in came the dollars and contracts.
Any technician can drop the phone on their jig and push go for an Odin reset and restore to factory stock.
You all are taking this personal and it is not..blocking root or blocking kernel flashing (AOSP) was a side effect, not the intention of making it secure.
There are a lot of things that you choose to spend a lot of money on but cannot do what you want with. Here is the analogy, you buy Verizon because of the network...you spend $200,000 on a house in a good neighborhood. You cannot park your boat in your own driveway..why? Because the Home Owners Association for that nice neighborhood says you can't. You made your choice when you purchased this device knowing it was locked down as that has been the history of Verizon and AT&T for the past few devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent analogy! In that same mindset though, Cox cable didn't paste a giant tramp stamp on my garage door because there the internet provider of my home. Just sayin ?

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