Database Info

Is the boatloader's unlockability covered under warranty?

Unfortunately I got one of those tabs that won't OTA or unlock. I've contacted asus and told them that I can't receive OTAs, and I got the canned "flash the updates manually".:silly: This is an unacceptable solution because for one it's a PITA to update it that way, and I still won't be able to unlock the bootloader.
I have avoided mentioning the un-unlockable boatloader problem to the asus rep because I'm not sure it is covered under warranty. But the has me thinking: Could I argue that the device is being sold as unlockable and my device does not meet that spec and is therefore defective? If not, could I argue the same for the fact that it won't receive OTAs?
I am also wondering if the reason it won't function properly is because I got it as an exchange from Best Buy instead of buying it fresh. Has anyone gotten it the same way and not had the same issue?
I'm still within my 30 days, but I'm afraid if I exchange it I'll get another un-unlockable tablet.

I'd advise you to:
1) not argue that unlockability is a device 'feature', since pretty much all Android devices are sold locked, and since you purchased it in that state -- not even knowing if the unlocker will become become available or not -- signifies your accepance of the device even in a locked state;
2) press the fact that you canot receive OTAs and that workability suffers as a result. At least under European consumer law, ASUS would be responsible for selling a finished and workable product. The state in which the TF700 has shipped so far is suboptimal to say the least, and the fixes since have brought tangible improvements. Saying "oh, flash the updates manually yourself" in my mind is the same as a automobile manufacturer opting to NOT do a calllback of sold vehicles due to some ailment (faulty brake discs, or safety belts or something) but instead shipping the parts to their customers and saying "well, you can handle a pair of scissors and a screwdriver, right? Do it yourself then." -- I say, screw them. If this argument fails as wel, you have a support rep with only a few glands where the brain should be located (probably only a visual cortex to be able to type on a keyboard and find it way to the toilet). If that is the case, first drop Gary Key a line, since he has offered to intervene on a customer's behalf before. That might be a second line of rescue.
3) If all else fails, exchange nonetheless, the risk of receiving another essentially-faulty unit notwithstanding. If OTAs and the bootloader issue are a sign of ASUS not having your serial number in their database, you might get into trouble if in need of warranty later on. I'd prefer a few returns to issues down the way (even though I know the feeling of having to wait yet again, and having to run the setup again and so on, and so on), but hey, that's just me.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T

1. I guess I could say that because asus released the bootloader unlock, and it works on most of the tablets except for mine, that my tablet is not receiving the same services due to a technical glitch. Heck I could even say the same for the OTA updates.
Fear Not, I am avoiding this argument religiously. I don't even want to mention the "b word" to asus, it would complicate the issue more than it needs to be.
2. I am leaning hard on getting the OTA updater fixed. At the moment it's what I am most concerned about. ASUS telling me to flash the updates manually is less than acceptable. It's simply not convenient or practical for me to continue to flash them manually. The problem is that the problem is beyond the tech support people. Which is not surprising. The engineers are the only ones with the actual knowledge and they don't deal with customers. The tech support are merely handed a card with questions and responses. My only hope is to press the rep until they hand the matter off to someone more knowledgeable. The bootloader I guess is what is driving me to get the problem fixed.
My problem at the moment is trying to prove that the ota's are broken. The rep told me that the .26 update probably hasn't been released to my district yet and I should wait. I say BS, the .26 update has been out for long enough I should have gotten it. I even gave the bootloader unlocker a shot: network error. Yup, I would be gray long before the update to hit my device. Problem is I can't say that to the rep without mentioning the aforementioned "b word".
Fortunately, I read a thread here (I'm too lazy to look it up now) about a prime user who successfully RMAd for the same issue, and got it fixed.

rightonred said:
1. I guess I could say that because asus released the bootloader unlock, and it works on most of the tablets except for mine, that my tablet is not receiving the same services due to a technical glitch. Heck I could even say the same for the OTA updates.
Fear Not, I am avoiding this argument religiously. I don't even want to mention the "b word" to asus, it would complicate the issue more than it needs to be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like a plan to me.
2. I am leaning hard on getting the OTA updater fixed. At the moment it's what I am most concerned about. ASUS telling me to flash the updates manually is less than acceptable. It's simply not convenient or practical for me to continue to flash them manually. The problem is that the problem is beyond the tech support people. Which is not surprising. The engineers are the only ones with the actual knowledge and they don't deal with customers. The tech support are merely handed a card with questions and responses. My only hope is to press the rep until they hand the matter off to someone more knowledgeable. The bootloader I guess is what is driving me to get the problem fixed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, you're caught in a protocol. Not bad in itself, but when you;re experiencing soething that isn't covered by the protocol, you're pretty much screwed unless you can get through to their second line of defense.
My problem at the moment is trying to prove that the ota's are broken. The rep told me that the .26 update probably hasn't been released to my district yet and I should wait. I say BS, the .26 update has been out for long enough I should have gotten it. I even gave the bootloader unlocker a shot: network error. Yup, I would be gray long before the update to hit my device. Problem is I can't say that to the rep without mentioning the aforementioned "b word".
Fortunately, I read a thread here (I'm too lazy to look it up now) about a prime user who successfully RMAd for the same issue, and got it fixed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that you should have gotten the update by now as well. It seems to have been delivered worldwide, so there's no reason for you to be exempt from the bliss the rest of the owners are already experiencing. The bootloader not unlocking due to a network error is an argument believable for two or maybe three tries, but when it stubbornly keeps refusing to be unlocked, well, that is symptomatic of something else.
I did hear several reports of Prime users getting their units succesfully RMA'd, but also at least one user reporting that he received his unit in an locked state, from which he was no longer able to unlock. That might be a problem in your case...
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T

Its a shame though, the tablet works perfectly other wise. The wifi and gps reception is excellent. no dead pixels, hot pixels, dark or light spots, dust under display, scratches, etc. The screen is bonded frimly to the back and is not loose. In fact I think it's one of the nicer tabs out there. It's just that the thing won't update (or unlock).

rightonred said:
Unfortunately I got one of those tabs that won't OTA or unlock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There must be a problem with some of these tablets and OTA updates. I received my Infinity a week ago with the. 21 firmware. No matter what I did it would not update OTA to 22. I did a manual update to. 22 which was very easy. A couple days later. 26 was available on their website. Again no OTA update and again I did it manually with no problem. My Infinity was neither rooted or unlocked at the time though I rooted after the. 26 update. I have read post on various forums with other owners with the same exact update issue while others did receive their updates OTA. I guess that shows that there are differences between this same model being it a software or hardware problem. Other than the OTA update issue my Infinity is working great. Much better than the 3 Primes that I owned.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda premium

Eddie Hicks said:
There must be a problem with some of these tablets and OTA updates. I received my Infinity a week ago with the. 21 firmware. No matter what I did it would not update OTA to 22. I did a manual update to. 22 which was very easy. A couple days later. 26 was available on their website. Again no OTA update and again I did it manually with no problem. My Infinity was neither rooted or unlocked at the time though I rooted after the. 26 update. I have read post on various forums with other owners with the same exact update issue while others did receive their updates OTA. I guess that shows that there are differences between this same model being it a software or hardware problem. Other than the OTA update issue my Infinity is working great. Much better than the 3 Primes that I owned.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We have a strong hunch that the issue is on ASUS' end, probably the serial numbers not being available in their database of shipped units, and therefore a) preventing OTA and b) preventing bootloader unlocking (since that's another instance of serial number checks against said database). Has any one of you run the unlock app already? I'd bet a beer on it it fails as well.

MartyHulskemper said:
We have a strong hunch that the issue is on ASUS' end, probably the serial numbers not being available in their database of shipped units, and therefore a) preventing OTA and b) preventing bootloader unlocking (since that's another instance of serial number checks against said database). Has any one of you run the unlock app already? I'd bet a beer on it it fails as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You didn't loose that beer.
The I-can't-unlock-or-update club is picking up quite a few members. I'll have to remember to bring donuts and coffee to the next meeting.
Anyway, I've given up on tech support. If it's affecting a significant number of people, asus will find out about it and fix it. At the moment it's a pain, but I'm not too worried.

No OTA updates after RMA

So I sent my tablet back to Asus a few weeks ago because it wouldn't turn on/charge. They replaced the main board and sent it back.
Everything was smooth sailing until I discovered that the tablet was running an old android version. I checked for updates in the "About Tablet" section of settings and received the message: "Internet connection error or the server is busy. Please wait a moment and try again" - I've waited three weeks.
My tablet previously had a US SKU, but now runs on WW with the new main board.
I decided that since I can't OTA, I may as well unlock my tablet and get rid of this piece of **** stock ROM. Alas, I'm also unable to unlock my device or connect to the device tracker. I suspect all these problems are related.
I know I can update manually, but I didn't pay good money for this tablet to use workarounds.
Has anyone experienced this problem before? If so, how did you go about fixing it?
Any help or advice would be appreciated! I would rather not send my tablet back to the service center again.

bamtori said:
So I sent my tablet back to Asus a few weeks ago because it wouldn't turn on/charge. They replaced the main board and sent it back.
Everything was smooth sailing until I discovered that the tablet was running an old android version. I checked for updates in the "About Tablet" section of settings and received the message: "Internet connection error or the server is busy. Please wait a moment and try again" - I've waited three weeks.
My tablet previously had a US SKU, but now runs on WW with the new main board.
I decided that since I can't OTA, I may as well unlock my tablet and get rid of this piece of **** stock ROM. Alas, I'm also unable to unlock my device or connect to the device tracker. I suspect all these problems are related.
I know I can update manually, but I didn't pay good money for this tablet to use workarounds.
Has anyone experienced this problem before? If so, how did you go about fixing it?
Any help or advice would be appreciated! I would rather not send my tablet back to the service center again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I receive the same error when checking for a system update. My tablet is completely stock and was not send for rma and also is on the latest android version. The system update screen shows the last successful update check was on 15/9.

I'm experiencing this as I type this. I haven't RMAed my tablet or anything, bone stock. For some reason it gives me that error now. I have a feeling its a issue on Asus end.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

bamtori said:
So I sent my tablet back to Asus a few weeks ago because it wouldn't turn on/charge. They replaced the main board and sent it back.
Everything was smooth sailing until I discovered that the tablet was running an old android version. I checked for updates in the "About Tablet" section of settings and received the message: "Internet connection error or the server is busy. Please wait a moment and try again" - I've waited three weeks.
My tablet previously had a US SKU, but now runs on WW with the new main board.
I decided that since I can't OTA, I may as well unlock my tablet and get rid of this piece of **** stock ROM. Alas, I'm also unable to unlock my device or connect to the device tracker. I suspect all these problems are related.
I know I can update manually, but I didn't pay good money for this tablet to use workarounds.
Has anyone experienced this problem before? If so, how did you go about fixing it?
Any help or advice would be appreciated! I would rather not send my tablet back to the service center again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't know where you are actually located and where the service center that handled your RMA is, but if you are in the US, they screwed up. If you are in the US and running a WW firmware, you won't get OTA updates.
If you are in a WW region, you can try to clear cache and data and then force close CMClient and DMClient under Apps > All, reboot and try the system update again.
Not being able to unlock after having the main board replaced is unfortunately a very common issue.
There may be some hope: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2339495
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 4

Another possible reason for not getting updates is the servers in Taiwan do not have the new MB information matching the serial number of the tablet. That will cause updates to not register. Try connecting to the Asus device tracker website but as you stated it does not work. If that does not work then that is pretty much your proof. Only way to fix this is to have someone at the HQ in Taiwan update the server there with the proper information. After that if the website works then you should get updates again and unlock the tablet. If you contact phone support you will be wasting your time since they can't fix the problem and will say send it back for rma.
Look up the thread on the device tracker not working. You will find answers there if the servers do not have the proper info.
Good luck.

fsured said:
Another possible reason for not getting updates is the servers in Taiwan do not have the new MB information matching the serial number of the tablet. That will cause updates to not register. Try connecting to the Asus device tracker website but as you stated it does not work. If that does not work then that is pretty much your proof. Only way to fix this is to have someone at the HQ in Taiwan update the server there with the proper information. After that if the website works then you should get updates again and unlock the tablet. If you contact phone support you will be wasting your time since they can't fix the problem and will say send it back for rma.
Look up the thread on the device tracker not working. You will find answers there if the servers do not have the proper info.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I needed to RMA my tablet again for an unrelated screen problem anyway, so I figured I'd try and get them to fix the device tracker/unlock issue at the same time. I called the service center (Australia) and told them that they messed up on the last RMA and now I couldn't use the device tracker anymore.I physically attached a letter explaining the issue (to the screen of my tablet) and away to the service center it went.
15 days of RMA later, I was reunited with my tablet and now everything works: updates (for the time being), device tracker and the unlock tool.
The fact that they don't just update the server information when they replace the mother board is fairly stupid and inefficient on their part. Oh well, I'm just happy I can use my tablet to its potential now.
Thanks for the help and information everyone!

[Q] Unable to Type Fast, Screen Latency Issues...

I know that I am not the only one hat has this issue and I know it's quite a common issue with the one, but what I'm wondering is if there had been any update to weather it is software or hardware related. Thanks.

See http://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-one/help/ghost-touches-invisible-finger-t2832822
To shortly summarize, another OTA will be released this month to resolve this problem. Its software.
"As many of your comments have already found, our investigation into this issue has led to isolating the cause of the behavior to the touchscreen firmware found within the One. Unfortunately, Cyanogen does not control this element, we merely serve as a vehicle to deliver and utilize the firmware as provided by other partners.
The second build, also targeted for August, will provide the kernel patch and temporary workaround mentioned for this ticket. This must go through its own approval process as well, but we understand the urgency of this particular fix and are pursuing this second builds approval with that same urgency in mind."
https://jira.cyanogenmod.org/browse...issuetabpanels:comment-tabpanel#comment-33797
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Awesome, glad to know that it's software related. I'm following the jira bacon 55, but missed that part. Thanks.

[Q] Moto g send in for repair?

So i too have a corrupted lollipop bootloader but im thinking of sending it for repair because i wait too long for the official 5.0 image and i live in belgium so i live in the EU so do i still keep my warranty or is it gone? after reading this https://fsfe.org/freesoftware/legal/flashingdevices.en.html i dont really know for sure
Or should i just wait for the official image?
sorry for creating a new thread

I don't think it's going to be covered. It would be a different matter if it was a hardware problem, but your problem is a software issue. It's trivial for them to prove it is a direct consequence of you running an unsupported update.

Blauwbilgorgel said:
I don't think it's going to be covered. It would be a different matter if it was a hardware problem, but your problem is a software issue. It's trivial for them to prove it is a direct consequence of you running an unsupported update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm ill just wait then a bit longer thanks for responding

Question Is it possible to reinstall a factory image?

Hello XDA!
First of all, long time lurker, but infrequent poster here. My phone is an Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro running stock and non-beta software and is not rooted. I am reaching out to see if anyone on here who has more technical savvy than me (which is probably most of y'all) can help me figure out how to reinstall a fresh factory image on my Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro or can offer any other possible solutions for my issue.
The reason I am wanting to do this is because I recently installed a software update from Asus that seems to have a persistent issue that is a pretty major problem to me. The issue is that whenever I reboot the phone and plug in headphones and audio plays, but it stutters and BLASTS out of the headphones (multiple sources tried, even happens with system notification sounds). This only happens with wired headphones and never with Bluetooth. I had this happen to me once for less than a half a second and my ears were persistently ringing for about 3+ hours after this and I am certain that it damaged my hearing to a small degree. Because of this I no longer trust to use any headphones with the phone and this is a huge bummer because I use wired headphones A LOT.
I have tried to factory reset the phone several times already and the issue persists through without any restoring of anything during setup (in fact it won't recognize the backup that it created the day before the factory reset), but the issue is still present. I contacted Asus customer support (for which lets just say I have strong feelings on) and explained the issue and they want me to RMA the phone for a hardware issue.
I really do not wish to do this as this means I will have to either switch phones a few times which is always incredibly time consuming or be without a phone for an estimated period of up to 10 days if I do the RMA. I also disagree that this is a hardware issue because of two things: 1) if it were a hardware issue then I would think that the problem would be constant and not happen just once after each reboot and I would think that doing something in the software, i.e. a reboot, wouldn't consistently recreate the problem. Thus I am trying to find a way to "restore" the operating system of this device to see if I can solve what I believe to be a software issue that shouldn't require any RMA.
I have seen that posts that linked official files from Asus before, such as the "AsusUnlock_1.0.0.7_210127_fulldpi.apk" found in the OP of the "Install any custom ROM on ROG Phone 5 / 5s (GSI)" thread here in this very forum. Is anyone aware of any officially sourced files for stock software/firmware for this phone and a process through which I could reinstall it?
I am also open to thoughts and other possible options to consider.
Also I will give bonus points to anyone who can help me figure out how to fix the issue where my Google backup by this very same phone won't restore its own Google backup when going through the setup and can help me restore it. It does recognize a different Google backup for a tablet that is set up for my child to use, so it is not an issue with the restore being completely broken.
Thanks in advance for anyone willing to try and lend a hand.

Hi, here you can find stock firmwares make sure you got for right region.
ROG Phone 5s Pro | Gaming Phones｜ROG - Republic of Gamers｜ROG Global
Fueled for winning by the latest Qualcomm® Snapdragon® 888+ 5G mobile platform, ROG Phone 5s Pro launches your mobile gaming experience into the next dimension. With an unbelievably responsive 360 Hz native touch-sampling rate, the 144 Hz / 1 ms display brings you the smoothest ever viewing...
rog.asus.com

Yeah, just for additional info for anyone who finds this. I've also been working with ASUS customer support. I was given two links on flashing official firmware:
Unofficial guide on flashing - https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1009748/
Official firmware images - https://rog.asus.com/phones/rog-phone-5s-pro-model/helpdesk_bios (same as previous comment above; thanks Teddy)
When I asked why my version is newer than any they currently have listed on the site I was told that it "could be a preview release given directly by Google" (I doubt this as this appeared as an official OTA by Asus that had very specific patch notes to this phone in it) and that because my version is newer than any listed on their site would result in trouble if I tried to flash the newest version listed, but an older firmware than what is currently installed and that I should still just RMA my phone.
For reference my current firmware is RKQ1.210303.002.WW_Phone-18.1220.2201.186 and the latest firmware listed on their site at the time of this writing is WW-18.1220.2111.164.
Great phone (aside from the hearing damage), but utterly useless support.
Still open to thoughts and ideas though if anyone still has any.

You can "downgrade" your firmware by doing a RAW flash directly to version you need OR to any lower version and then install the official ASUS version you want manually. Also need to disable OTA updates to avoid being updated to the latest automatically.
Having the device checked for hardware issues is probably the best idea however.

Andrologic said:
You can "downgrade" your firmware by doing a RAW flash directly to version you need OR to any lower version and then install the official ASUS version you want manually. Also need to disable OTA updates to avoid being updated to the latest automatically.
Having the device checked for hardware issues is probably the best idea however.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you provide more info on this "downgrade" via "a RAW flash"? Is there a guide or something that will give more info about this?
I think I might be screwed though for the RMA. Customer service says apparently its a Taiwan version and cannot be serviced in the USA and has to be sent to via Taiwan RMA and the page they gave me seems to indicate there are no service centers for ROG Phones; see https://www.asus.com/support/service-center/taiwan#.
Short rant is that I literally spent hours and I mean HOURS (if not possibly days) of my time with Asus customer service and searching online trying to find a US version with US warranty and ultimately getting nowhere and deciding to go with the one I have now. Four months in to a $1700 phone and basically I am stuck with a dangerous headphone jack and no option to fix it other than maybe what you mentioned, Andrologic.
Today has not been kind.

ChrisMills83 said:
Could you provide more info on this "downgrade" via "a RAW flash"? Is there a guide or something that will give more info about this?
I think I might be screwed though for the RMA. Customer service says apparently its a Taiwan version and cannot be serviced in the USA and has to be sent to via Taiwan RMA and the page they gave me seems to indicate there are no service centers for ROG Phones; see https://www.asus.com/support/service-center/taiwan#.
Short rant is that I literally spent hours and I mean HOURS (if not possibly days) of my time with Asus customer service and searching online trying to find a US version with US warranty and ultimately getting nowhere and deciding to go with the one I have now. Four months in to a $1700 phone and basically I am stuck with a dangerous headphone jack and no option to fix it other than maybe what you mentioned, Andrologic.
Today has not been kind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are links to download RAW images along with guides in the help thread pinned to the top of this forum. You should find what you need there. The RAW's come include flash scripts that does it all for you.

Just curious for opinions while this thread is still going:
Does anyone lean towards my issue being a hardware problem or something else (and if you could be specific and suggest something for me to try about it)?
The reason why I ask is because I personally feel like this is an issue with when the headphone jack initializes output or something because it only ever blasts audio after a reboot and I any audio plays. After it stops and plays again the levels seems to return to normal. I can also reliably make this happen the same way every single time. Finally (and somewhat conspiratorially), the update I installed just before this started to happen had patch notes that included "optimized audio parameters."
My appreciation in advance for any thoughts and insights.