Database Users

Chinese Android Phones with Built in Backdoor

And that back door gives anyone full control of your phone's information. May not an issue with OnePlus One yet but something to watch out for those buying other Chinese phones. I have to say I fully expected this.
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/s/chinese-android-phones-may-built-222158081.html
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/chinese-smartphone-spyware,news-19003.html

TiltedAz said:
And that back door gives anyone full control of your phone's information. May not an issue with OnePlus One yet but something to watch out for those buying other Chinese phones. I have to say I fully expected this.
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/s/chinese-android-phones-may-built-222158081.html
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/chinese-smartphone-spyware,news-19003.html
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And you think this is unique to Chinese phones?

Not unique to Chinese phones at all. Several major brand phone companies (US included) have been caught with back doors in their firmware.
Transmitted via Bacon

Ssshhhh, they're listening.........

Nearly all phones are made in China..........

Even iphones has backdoor [emoji14]

legal action against huawei over sources

so i recently finished updating my brothers Galaxy S5 to the latest CM13 nightly. while doing this i became furiously jealous. not of the phone but of the fact that its able to run CM. the following day while on my break from class i decided to launch one final attempt at getting custom roms to not only the mate7 but to hopefully all huawei devices.
as we all know, android is open source and free to use. if oems decide to use it on their hardware they are legally obligated to release all possible sources for any and all to use/inspect. huawei has continually refused to do so....... kinda.
so i bought my mate7 from an amazon merchant who imported it from china. why does this matter? on the US huawei site, one can purchase small range of huawe phones (the P8 lite, GX8 and Mate2). huawei has provided all sources for these phones. if you check their xda forums you can see that there are custom roms for all of these.
so, since i didnt buy my mate7 from an authorized US retailer, i have no legal recourse. while this sucks for me, that means that maybe someone in the EU or elsewhere will have luck. other countries have strict laws that protect consumers against OEMs.
all i need is someone to help out with a bit of research so that i/we can hopefully get huawei to comply. look at lenovo/motorola and their situation. i cant be the only one that despises not being able to fully control my device.
its not only a ui issue, its also a huge security issue. who's to say that china isnt spying on us through our devices?? maybe thats why huawei is so adamant on keeping their sources. either way, i think we should unite and give this a try because it looks like huawei might soon be the only OEM to produce top end phablets.

I am in Australia and got my mate 7 from Vodafone here, what do you need me to do to help?
Sent from my JAZZ using Tapatalk

snake65 said:
I am in Australia and got my mate 7 from Vodafone here, what do you need me to do to help?
Sent from my JAZZ using Tapatalk
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first of all.... THANK YOU!!! with that out of the way, the device must have a kirin processor (i know they all are but i have to make sure). since you purchased it from your local authorized dealer, then that means Vodafone and Huawei have a contract.
this is where we can all contribute. here in the US, service providers aren't legally obligated to provided updates to their phones. in some countries they are. there was mention of one country where consumers where legally obligated to 2 years of updates and some other perks.
in your case snake65, i would kindly suggest you start by researching if these laws apply to you in your country. secondly, start a dialogue with a Vodafone representative in a hope to getting the contact information of a huawei official.
i have been in contact with a few but because they are from the north america office and my device is not legally provided here they have refused to help me and by extent everyone else. legal threats wont work with the chinese branch but im hoping that will change in other countries.
im currently trying to get in touch with google over the matter but that is proving to be very difficult. the google product forums will be my next stop. i hope to get some more leads and hopefully more help. thanks again to any and all that can and are willing to help!

i was planning on posting a discussion thread regarding this topic in as many other huawei device subforums but since i still have a few more hours at work and finals this week, i would appreciate it if anyone could help out. maybe the mate 8, p8 forums. thanks to any and all who can help.

droidbot1337 said:
first of all.... THANK YOU!!! with that out of the way, the device must have a kirin processor (i know they all are but i have to make sure). since you purchased it from your local authorized dealer, then that means Vodafone and Huawei have a contract.
this is where we can all contribute. here in the US, service providers aren't legally obligated to provided updates to their phones. in some countries they are. there was mention of one country where consumers where legally obligated to 2 years of updates and some other perks.
in your case snake65, i would kindly suggest you start by researching if these laws apply to you in your country. secondly, start a dialogue with a Vodafone representative in a hope to getting the contact information of a huawei official.
i have been in contact with a few but because they are from the north america office and my device is not legally provided here they have refused to help me and by extent everyone else. legal threats wont work with the chinese branch but im hoping that will change in other countries.
im currently trying to get in touch with google over the matter but that is proving to be very difficult. the google product forums will be my next stop. i hope to get some more leads and hopefully more help. thanks again to any and all that can and are willing to help!
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I wish I could help with the legal side of things, but I bought my device in Tanzania. Huawei does have an office here, however I SERIOUSLY doubt there are any laws here regarding open source software policies.
But I can't think that Google wouldn't be able to step in? Isn't the whole point of Android being open sourced? As far as I understand it (I've only read a few articles on his over the past year or so) is that the only sources that a company can withhold (if their device is running Android, of course) would be software / applications developed and legally owned by them, for example Samsung Pay and so on. Withholding kernel sources does not (once again, according to my knowledge) fall within the rules of using the Android platform. This might also only be applicable law in the US, but I really don't know.
If there are any French users, I understand they just opened up a massive office somewhere in France, in Paris if memory serves. Perhaps they could be helpful?

Isn't there a full kernel source on one of the site's. Is that all that's needed?
Is this any good.
http://www.emui.com/plugin.php?id=hwdownload&mod=detail&mid=97
Or this
http://emui.huawei.com/en/plugin.php?id=hwdownload&mod=detail&mid=74
Sent from my JAZZ using Tapatalk

snake65 said:
Isn't there a full kernel source on one of the site's. Is that all that's needed?
Is this any good.
http://www.emui.com/plugin.php?id=hwdownload&mod=detail&mid=97
Or this
http://emui.huawei.com/en/plugin.php?id=hwdownload&mod=detail&mid=74
Sent from my JAZZ using Tapatalk
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According to what i have read and collected from the forum these are not the only things required to build a custom rom, someone mentioned there are other huawei pieces which they didn't release. Also these kernal sources are for kitkat and lolipop and npt for the marshmallow. In one thread i have read that the kernal sources for marshmallow have been released but its not compilable, so they have made some tweaks to make the kernal compilable. But they require more sources from huawei ("sources for magic bits from huawei") without which building any custom rom is not possible.

wow! thanks to everyone that is showing interest in this. @Scruffykid: that is indeed true. they are legally supposed to share all the sources for their devices. the north american branch of huawei has been doing this for their devices but those are few in number (4) and snapdragon soc based. this is why my attempts to convey my concerns with the north american branch has failed.
they dont see any solution because they are not responsible for my devices since its not technically a north american product. i have tried to get contact info from huawei so that i can start a dialogue but that has not been easy. their forums are also of no use. they keep on deleting my threads regarding the subject and i have been banned 4 times so im starting to reach my limit.
btw, it really irritates me how much people dont seem to care about this. android n will soon be upon us and i doubt we will get it but even if we do it will no doubt be a crippled mess. we really need to get huawei to comply for not just our benefit but them as well.

droidbot1337 said:
wow! thanks to everyone that is showing interest in this. @Scruffykid: that is indeed true. they are legally supposed to share all the sources for their devices. the north american branch of huawei has been doing this for their devices but those are few in number (4) and snapdragon soc based. this is why my attempts to convey my concerns with the north american branch has failed.
they dont see any solution because they are not responsible for my devices since its not technically a north american product. i have tried to get contact info from huawei so that i can start a dialogue but that has not been easy. their forums are also of no use. they keep on deleting my threads regarding the subject and i have been banned 4 times so im starting to reach my limit.
btw, it really irritates me how much people dont seem to care about this. android n will soon be upon us and i doubt we will get it but even if we do it will no doubt be a crippled mess. we really need to get huawei to comply for not just our benefit but them as well.
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I wouldn't say people don't care, but do you have any idea the resources you need to take legal action against Huawei?
If it bugs you enough it's just much quicker to switch brands I guess.
Sent using Tapatalk

I don't know why everyone is so desperate for custom ROMs anyway. They always have bugs and unless it's a Samsung touchwiz phone, people tend to go back to stock software rooted.
I have an oppo Find 7 which has a bunch of custom ROMs available and mine is still on oppo ColorOS and rooted.
My Mate 7 on Lollipop runs really nice and there's absolutely no need to even flash it to anything else.

RobboW said:
I don't know why everyone is so desperate for custom ROMs anyway. They always have bugs and unless it's a Samsung touchwiz phone, people tend to go back to stock software rooted.
I have an oppo Find 7 which has a bunch of custom ROMs available and mine is still on oppo ColorOS and rooted.
My Mate 7 on Lollipop runs really nice and there's absolutely no need to even flash it to anything else.
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then clearly my friend, this does not concern you. if your happy then keep emui, but many of us would rather have change. this is not a thread meant to justify our need for custom roms. also, eventually huawei will stop supporting devices. what then? just look at the mediapad x1, it was skipped for marshmallow after only having one update.
this is why sources are needed. no one is saying that you have to use costom roms and actually its not even about that. sure i would love cyanogenmod or omni rom but i would just be happy with aosp android and not that ****ed monstrosity that is emui.
so, to anyone else that wants to sing over their love for emui, please do so on your own thread and not here. this meant for those of us that want our moneys worth. btw, do some googling on huawei product reviews. they all feel the same overall. great hardware, **** software.

I'm all for someone to have a go at doing custom ROMs (if they were not buggy) and Huawei would do well to release all the software sources, especially now that they decided to be a global mobile device powerhouse rather than just a Chinese local. I do think you have zero chance of making an impact. It's a massive company and lets face it, Chinese do not care about what is right or wrong, or about international law. All they care about is making some money. The thing that would hit them is if people stop buying the product.

droidbot1337 said:
wow! thanks to everyone that is showing interest in this. @Scruffykid: that is indeed true. they are legally supposed to share all the sources for their devices. the north american branch of huawei has been doing this for their devices but those are few in number (4) and snapdragon soc based. this is why my attempts to convey my concerns with the north american branch has failed.
they dont see any solution because they are not responsible for my devices since its not technically a north american product. i have tried to get contact info from huawei so that i can start a dialogue but that has not been easy. their forums are also of no use. they keep on deleting my threads regarding the subject and i have been banned 4 times so im starting to reach my limit.
btw, it really irritates me how much people dont seem to care about this. android n will soon be upon us and i doubt we will get it but even if we do it will no doubt be a crippled mess. we really need to get huawei to comply for not just our benefit but them as well.
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Click to collapse
I think you should talk to the Google branch from the country in which the phone originated. My specific device (judging by the builds I receive during OTA updates) is from the Asian Pacific region, but obviously then there are European and Middle Eastern versions as well. Try getting in touch with a Google office there?
As @kta said though, taking actual legal action against Huawei will just be a waste of time. If Google can help by simply telling them to release the software (if it does indeed break the law/Google's rules, which it may not). At the end of the day just switching to a device that does have publicly available sources will be the cheapest and most hassle-free way to go.
kta said:
I wouldn't say people don't care, but do you have any idea the resources you need to take legal action against Huawei?
If it bugs you enough it's just much quicker to switch brands I guess.
Sent using Tapatalk
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We should share this thread to other huawei device forums like mate 8 so that we gather more strength.

Yotaphones affected with rootkits and backdoors, can it be true?

Hi, I heard on the news that russian and chinese phones may be stuffed with rootkits and backdoors straight from the factory. One reporter mentioned mob/gangs involved.
Can this be true? People have so much personal info on their phones that would be interesting to thieves. And hardly a way to keep them out or to check if you're safe.
I know that there's always a risk, and I'm not going back to a dumbphone. Just wondering if the russian and chinese phones could be the greater risk here.
Not that I particularly trust Apple, Google or Samsung, but I do trust them not to take my phone hostage by ransomware or steal my creditcard info.
The brand Yotaphone is new to me, I really like the idea of the EPD. I tried to get a YD201 a couple of weeks ago, but they're sold out. Now I am considering to buy the Yotaphone 3 when it arrives. But this rumor has me rethinking if I should. Any thoughts on this?

The yotaphone was actually cleared for use in USA a couple of years ago.

joepie67 said:
Hi, I heard on the news that russian and chinese phones may be stuffed with rootkits and backdoors straight from the factory. One reporter mentioned mob/gangs involved.
Can this be true? People have so much personal info on their phones that would be interesting to thieves. And hardly a way to keep them out or to check if you're safe.
I know that there's always a risk, and I'm not going back to a dumbphone. Just wondering if the russian and chinese phones could be the greater risk here.
Not that I particularly trust Apple, Google or Samsung, but I do trust them not to take my phone hostage by ransomware or steal my creditcard info.
The brand Yotaphone is new to me, I really like the idea of the EPD. I tried to get a YD201 a couple of weeks ago, but they're sold out. Now I am considering to buy the Yotaphone 3 when it arrives. But this rumor has me rethinking if I should. Any thoughts on this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have a link to these sources?
Its probably just paranoid people speculating.
I own a YD206, and is great.
If you really are convinced that there are rootkits and backdoors, just install an antivirus of your choice and run a full scan.

I heard it on the news, so no links unfortunately. It's not like I made up the news either, but it's not so unthinkable if you ask me. I do wonder about my data, and don't mind asking somebody else's opinion.

IIRC it was BLU phones sending user data back to China and that was only because of a third party service called adups which provided the OTA. BLU doesn't make hardware they rebrand existing phones from China, and I remember reading somewhere they don't make the firmware either which is how this fxxk up occured.
Both the actual yotaphone hardware and firmware are unique and not rebranded like BLU. Yota also can't go to another company like BLU did and ask them to make the firmware since their phones have the EPD. I'm confident yota is safe, and besides it's Facebook and Google you have to worry about since they actually collect a fxxk ton of your data.
TL;DR Yota is most likely safe. It's BLU, Google and Facebook you need to worry about.
I own a YD201 (Yotaphone 2) btw.

Hi LeslieKawiti,
That makes sense. Besides, if Yota would be caught that would be the instant deathblow for the brand. It being a niche phone, maybe it's not the best target for a money scam.

It's this stupid Russian hackers bull**it.
But I did once buy a Chinese IP cam, that was infected. Firmware had a virus that enables them to use your internet for DDOS. I updated it with the official firmware and that fixed it. It was something a seller or somebody in transport did, I don't think manufacturer could afford to do something this 'evil'. But who knows what tomorrow brings.

LeslieKawiti said:
IIRC it was BLU phones sending user data back to China and that was only because of a third party service called adups which provided the OTA. BLU doesn't make hardware they rebrand existing phones from China, and I remember reading somewhere they don't make the firmware either which is how this fxxk up occured.
Both the actual yotaphone hardware and firmware are unique and not rebranded like BLU. Yota also can't go to another company like BLU did and ask them to make the firmware since their phones have the EPD. I'm confident yota is safe, and besides it's Facebook and Google you have to worry about since they actually collect a fxxk ton of your data.
TL;DR Yota is most likely safe. It's BLU, Google and Facebook you need to worry about.
I own a YD201 (Yotaphone 2) btw.
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How did you get the googlesearch removed?
I have issues on 6.1 update,
# pm disable com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox
for example does not work and I can not deactivate it in user mode as well.

cyanID_ said:
How did you get the googlesearch removed?
I have issues on 6.1 update,
# pm disable com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox
for example does not work and I can not deactivate it in user mode as well.
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Click to collapse
If you are talking about the persistent search box, I installed Nova Launcher and ditched it in no time.
---------- Post added at 04:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:57 PM ----------
…although, that’s a bit out of track, me thinks.

Thanks for the temporarily fix
Yes sir, you are correct. Thanks for the advice of installing another launcher.
Still though disabling/hiding softbricks the phone by either bootloop on disabling or freezing on removing
this google system app by force.
It is very sad to have no control about the phone in that aspect.
-> Further the app is occasionally asking different data from phone which can be seen with xprivacy.
Under these internet, serial, activites, location/list and phone/listen. (without using search or audio input)
This sounds creepy to me.

Really unprofessional support and a dodgy vibe

I was pretty hyped every since this device got announced. Saving up my money and arranging for shipping beforehand so I could snatch it ASAP but actually no, I won't be getting this device at all.
I'll tell you the experience I went through when I tried asking their support if they'll release 16gb version of the device so I don't end up regretting jumping the gun on the 12gb one.
Whole experience was dodgy af from support not being able to speaking proper English at all to constantly being asked for personal data that I'd later realise wasn't being user to better answer my questions at all.
For example I asked if there's a trade in program and they reply asking what device I'm using. I take that as OK there is but maybe not every device is elegible so I reply with my current device only to be then told that there's no program at all??? ( Why did they ask what device I'm using then idk and they haven't bothered answering when I questioned them... )
I was also asked where I currently live when I asked if there's a 16gb version on the way and what it would cost. That was before I asked for trade in program, so I thought they might be asking in order to tell me the price for my region but no. Once again, they have no idea if 16gb version is in production and they just inquired for my info again for no reason.
Mind you, the English is completely broken and the reply turnaround is few days to a week per response at best, so I really didn't feel like dragging the conversation around asking why they want to know all of that beforehand.
After all of that I don't feel like I can trust a company like this not to be looking into my personal data during my use of the device. Paying 700$ or maybe upwards of 800$ if 16gb version ever gets released is way too much for not having an ease of mind of what might be going on in the background.
I understand that their reasoning for where I live might be justified but never in the conversation did they inform me ahead of time on what the purpose is for all the data collection is. They haven't answered why they want to know what device I'm using if there's no program in the first place so I'll assume that previous reasoning was also an excuse thought up to justify their inquiry.
I'm pretty bummed to see that as a company they haven't changed much from their early days. They might have improved the OS, introduced better hardware and all but the core of the company is still both shady af and completely non organised.
This all plays a major factor in why I won't be getting this device, just thought I'd let others know too if they are thinking of going for it.
Picture is below, you will have to read from the bottom to the top to follow the conversation.

I don't want to nit pick. you are right in some points. but I'd like to point out a few things.
you're giving them questions in English, which they need to translate then organize into a response then re translate it back for you to understand.
They are based in Hong Kong, So I would assume the number of local English speaking people a small sub section of an already crippled tech giant (due to US sanctions of ZTE) have the space to employ customer service agents in English. when their main market is China.
They tell you to look at the site for information on the sale of the devices in question.
After your question of If a device with 16gb of ram would be available. if the site says no, there is no plan.
so you had your answer to your original Question. they asked what region so they could confirm what devices where available to you. because some parts of the world cannot receive their devices.
your question on the 12gb to 16gb upgrade must have been a mis-understanding.
you can read that in their response. they said there would be no way to upgrade a 12gb to 16gb. to them thats a technical impossibility.
they didn't understand that you meant trade back your 12gb RM5S for a 16GB version.
they though that you were asking if you could upgrade the hardware of your 12gb model.
at least thats how I understood their answer of your question.
they may have asked you what device you where using because they honestly though you were contacting support for a Nubia device. when you said you had a different phone altogether, they were trying to tell you that they did not support your device. as in Nubia don't do customer support for Huawei.
after that you blew up at them for general question to find out what market you were in to see if you would be able to even buy any model.
you took that way out of bounds dude. they are still trying to do their best. with awful translation programs.
your questions were understandable to an English person but you got to understand WHO you're chatting with. and how they will see and understand your messages.
even putting some some of your messages into google translate. going to Chinese simplified then translating it back to English what do you get? because that's only half of about what they will understand from your questions.
I think they did a professional job of explaining to you that you needed to look at the information on the market site of your location. and that they couldn't give you support with your Huawei because its not a supported model of their Nubia support team.
Also you should Hide your personal Email address when posting things online.

Patrick Morgan said:
I don't want to nit pick. you are right in some points. but I'd like to point out a few things.
you're giving them questions in English, which they need to translate then organize into a response then re translate it back for you to understand.
They are based in Hong Kong, So I would assume the number of local English speaking people a small sub section of an already crippled tech giant (due to US sanctions of ZTE) have the space to employ customer service agents in English. when their main market is China.
They tell you to look at the site for information on the sale of the devices in question.
After your question of If a device with 16gb of ram would be available. if the site says no, there is no plan.
so you had your answer to your original Question. they asked what region so they could confirm what devices where available to you. because some parts of the world cannot receive their devices.
your question on the 12gb to 16gb upgrade must have been a mis-understanding.
you can read that in their response. they said there would be no way to upgrade a 12gb to 16gb. to them thats a technical impossibility.
they didn't understand that you meant trade back your 12gb RM5S for a 16GB version.
they though that you were asking if you could upgrade the hardware of your 12gb model.
at least thats how I understood their answer of your question.
they may have asked you what device you where using because they honestly though you were contacting support for a Nubia device. when you said you had a different phone altogether, they were trying to tell you that they did not support your device. as in Nubia don't do customer support for Huawei.
after that you blew up at them for general question to find out what market you were in to see if you would be able to even buy any model.
you took that way out of bounds dude. they are still trying to do their best. with awful translation programs.
your questions were understandable to an English person but you got to understand WHO you're chatting with. and how they will see and understand your messages.
even putting some some of your messages into google translate. going to Chinese simplified then translating it back to English what do you get? because that's only half of about what they will understand from your questions.
I think they did a professional job of explaining to you that you needed to look at the information on the market site of your location. and that they couldn't give you support with your Huawei because its not a supported model of their Nubia support team.
Also you should Hide your personal Email address when posting things online.
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I wish I could give you a hundred likes for this.
As a matter of fact, I was equally thinking along the same lines as your response when I was reading his post.

To OP: I think it's time for you to do a little research on your own first rather than immediately looking for ways to point a finger.
Just my 2 cents

I gotta agree with Patrick, but at the same time I got hosed by Nubia with my RM5G and had a completely different yet still terrible experience. My phone arrived uncalibrated, I talked with Nubia Admin's and they agreed my phone was not calibrated correctly because the camera will switch from 16mp to 64mp, but the image quality is exactly the same, so the camera app is showing it's 64mp, but it can't produce it because it was never calibrated before it left the factory. Which means there's a whole batch of RM5G's out there that don't actually take 64mp photo's. I contacted Nubia countless times, they only actually responded twice, the first time they were really nice, apologized for the phone not working and gladly offered to take it back for an exchange. and after giving them all of my info, just like stated above where they're data hungry. They ghosted me. I tried again about a month later because the finger print sensor also stopped working and again, same process, ,they were nice, offered to take it back and exchange for a new unit, gave them all of my info again for the return label, and just like clock work, ghosted me.. fast forward 8 MONTHS LATER, I got an email (this was only a few weeks ago now) where they actually followed up asking if I still needed a return request for my phone. I said yes, they then asked for all of my info.. again.. even though it was literally in the previous email they responded to.. but sure, play by their game, gave it all again.. and ghosted.. it's been a few weeks now, probably going on about a month actually and I still haven't heard back from them lol.
To put it simply, they do not care about customers, Nubia is about making money, they just want their product in your hand, once it is, peace, later, seeya, goodbye.
So I gave up on them. I have all of it documented, made a few youtube videos, people hated me for bad mouthing Nubia but in all reality they're a terrible company. The RM5G is actually a deadly phone now that everything is fixed, but you gotta remember this is a phone that on launch showed up to my door unable to make a phone call because the software was so broken the microphone would turn off if you made a call, it only worked on speaker phone lol. It couldn't send MMS messages, and mine specifically doesn't even have a calibrated 64mp camera. It's complete junk. It looks cool, ,the idea is there, the platform is there, the software is trash, and the company should probably be stripped of rights to sell uncompleted products.
It was as later confirmed that the launch software was Beta because they didn't have it done for their launch day, so like I said earlier, clearly shows that rather than delaying launch to fix bugs, they cared more about getting their phones in our hands rather than actually having a good product.
I mean, it's great now, basically everything is fixed but the soiled taste in my mouth from this company makes this phone look good on my desk, I don't daily it, and if anyone asks about it I tell them it was almost cool but the company ruined it and I don't recommend people buy them because of Nubia's practices.
Kinda like what they did here with the 5S lol, lets just change the logo on the glass.. add a little piece of metal to the centre.. .boom, new phone, new software that actually works.. no we won't fix the 5G yet.. we'll make a new phone for $10 more instead of fixing the actually identical phone already in the wild that's riddled with issues.
Nubia cares more about making money, than they do making a good product. It's been working for them this long, why would they change? Sure it's shady but it's business, it sucks but that's the world we live in, if we don't like it, then we just won't buy their products again. I'm one of those. I still play with the 5G from time to time but I wouldn't daily this thing if my life depended on it.. Which not as life threatening as suggested, but I soft bricked my S20 ultra while playing around with One UI 3.0 flashes, and instead of putting my SIM into the RM5G, I just decided it was better to go without a phone for 3 days until I fixed my S20 Ultra than it was to deal with the bugs and headaches that follow with the RM5G.
Which is why I'm back, 8.11 came out and it's suppose to be good so I'm giving it another shot, maybe I could use it as an Android game console to toss in my bag or something if it's stable enough.
Anyway, kind of went off on a rant there. Nubia is trash, the phones are cool, but if you buy one, just pretend you're buying something without warranty, no customer support, and you're entirely on your own once you get it. You buy these phones AS-IS because Nubia doesn't give an F about you after the sale is completed lol

bencozzy said:
This is the redmagic 5s forum I think you posted on the wrong place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's still the same phone, they both even officially use the same firmware now. 5G and 5S are the same phone, they just have a different piece of glass on the back.
However, I was just responding in coordinate to the OP having a bad experience with the company Nubia, as I also had a bad experience with the company, it's still relevant as the device doesn't matter when we're addressing the customer support we received.

Guys I need some help. If I am posting in the wrong place I apologize and please redirect me. My less than a month old 5S pulse (Christmas present we got both his and hers) literally just died while I was scrolling through my WeChat! I really loved the phone though up to that point. No the phone was not abused....I baby it! It had more than 90% charge at the time, was not running any apps so no stress, laying on the table beside me so not in my pocket or being charged. Literally just watching a photo on the screen and it suddenly dimmed black and died. No sign, no drama. Power button and volume buttons dont do anything....any ideas as to what to do are welcome :-(

I don't see a support thread for 5S here ...only 5G hence my above post

Phew thank God I saw this thread. Was really interested in the redmagic 6 pro, at £600 but stories like these freak me right out, I guess I'll be staying away.

Patrick Morgan said:
I don't want to nit pick. you are right in some points. but I'd like to point out a few things.
you're giving them questions in English, which they need to translate then organize into a response then re translate it back for you to understand.
They are based in Hong Kong, So I would assume the number of local English speaking people a small sub section of an already crippled tech giant (due to US sanctions of ZTE) have the space to employ customer service agents in English. when their main market is China.
you took that way out of bounds dude. they are still trying to do their best. with awful translation programs.
your questions were understandable to an English person but you got to understand WHO you're chatting with. and how they will see and understand your messages.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I'll jump into the conversation as it's similarly relevant to my case.
I agree with the rest of your arguments, but including the part where you, yourself mentioned possible nitpicking & in a limited context, will side with the OP.
I have a feeling you try to see the best in people & also in this case, focus on the "human being".
That's noble of you, but let's keep in mind that at the end of a day, we're (as client) making a financial transaction & expecting/owed reliable support. It's not the client's worry how the supplier (in this case, Nubia) sorts out his support structures, but the supplier, needs to manage client expectations & deliver a service of relevant quality.
1: I'd agree with the OP, that Nubia has terrible support.
- being fully aware that they are providing a global service (assuming OP reached out via the global or EU portal), should provide adequate support - meaning service desk agents or support staff with adequate command of the English language.
- responsiveness - my particular case has echoed OP's experience - terrible response times. To the extent of "some benefit", they did follow up on some questions with a week's/week & a half, delay.
- knowledge & eagerness to provide client satisfaction - they will never tell you that they don't know something but will consult internally & come back to the client with a satisfactory response (I was asking about the reason behind the differences in power adapters in the different regions - global/china).
- misc - not following their legal obligations & releasing adequate GPL code within required timelines (example: kernel).
- the device is crippled on unlocking the bootloader (fingerprint scanner stops working). Understandably, any activity AFTER unlocking a bootloader (example: messing with system files) is not RedMagic's worry, but the sole fact of just unlocking the bootloader should not cripple functionality. Relevant behaviour in other OEMs (Sony Xperia - the camera stopped working after unlocking the BL, but they fixed their approach in time).
2: they will not take ownership for blunders & do their best endeavours to make it up to the client.
Case: I ordered my phone on the 10th of April, it was stuck in processing for 2 weeks (their shipment policy mentions a maximum of 4 days for processing). It's still not here (major city in the EU). Even in the most pessimistic variant, the device should have been at my doorstep, yesterday at the latest & I'm looking at a delivery near the end of the week.
They cancelled the first FedEx shipment, were not forthcoming/(fully) transparent regarding the cause.
Mistakes happen, but if I were a supplier who's keen on building brand loyalty & focused on the quality of my service, I'd go miles to try to make it up to the client - in this case, I would have at least expected the fastest shipping & maybe a gesture of reparation (some accessories, or at the very least discounts for purchases in the future).
The only thing which kept me from going for the Black Shark 4 Pro was the absence of an under-display fingerprint scanner. I admit that RedMagic seems to be the current leader of the gaming phone niche, but other OEMs have caught onto this segment & in a year or two, should RM keep their current approach/practices, will start losing relevancy, as at the end of the day, client satisfaction is all that matters & this should be the foremost priority of any business owner.

adwinp said:
Hi, I'll jump into the conversation as it's similarly relevant to my case.
I agree with the rest of your arguments, but including the part where you, yourself mentioned possible nitpicking & in a limited context, will side with the OP.
I have a feeling you try to see the best in people & also in this case, focus on the "human being".
That's noble of you, but let's keep in mind that at the end of a day, we're (as client) making a financial transaction & expecting/owed reliable support. It's not the client's worry how the supplier (in this case, Nubia) sorts out his support structures, but the supplier, needs to manage client expectations & deliver a service of relevant quality.
1: I'd agree with the OP, that Nubia has terrible support.
- being fully aware that they are providing a global service (assuming OP reached out via the global or EU portal), should provide adequate support - meaning service desk agents or support staff with adequate command of the English language.
- responsiveness - my particular case has echoed OP's experience - terrible response times. To the extent of "some benefit", they did follow up on some questions with a week's/week & a half, delay.
- knowledge & eagerness to provide client satisfaction - they will never tell you that they don't know something but will consult internally & come back to the client with a satisfactory response (I was asking about the reason behind the differences in power adapters in the different regions - global/china).
- misc - not following their legal obligations & releasing adequate GPL code within required timelines (example: kernel).
- the device is crippled on unlocking the bootloader (fingerprint scanner stops working). Understandably, any activity AFTER unlocking a bootloader (example: messing with system files) is not RedMagic's worry, but the sole fact of just unlocking the bootloader should not cripple functionality. Relevant behaviour in other OEMs (Sony Xperia - the camera stopped working after unlocking the BL, but they fixed their approach in time).
2: they will not take ownership for blunders & do their best endeavours to make it up to the client.
Case: I ordered my phone on the 10th of April, it was stuck in processing for 2 weeks (their shipment policy mentions a maximum of 4 days for processing). It's still not here (major city in the EU). Even in the most pessimistic variant, the device should have been at my doorstep, yesterday at the latest & I'm looking at a delivery near the end of the week.
They cancelled the first FedEx shipment, were not forthcoming/(fully) transparent regarding the cause.
Mistakes happen, but if I were a supplier who's keen on building brand loyalty & focused on the quality of my service, I'd go miles to try to make it up to the client - in this case, I would have at least expected the fastest shipping & maybe a gesture of reparation (some accessories, or at the very least discounts for purchases in the future).
The only thing which kept me from going for the Black Shark 4 Pro was the absence of an under-display fingerprint scanner. I admit that RedMagic seems to be the current leader of the gaming phone niche, but other OEMs have caught onto this segment & in a year or two, should RM keep their current approach/practices, will start losing relevancy, as at the end of the day, client satisfaction is all that matters & this should be the foremost priority of any business owner.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- Nit picking, in terms of what device to buy, its a personal call. if you prefer to side with another that is totally OK and is not my problem.
- For seeing the best in people, you've not read my posts on Nubia support and their lack of actual support I've written a few times here on XDA.
in a basic manner, if the phone turns on, and the basic features advertised and (mentioned in the small print) is working as described, all other features and options are of a personal preference.
Features like - what do you mean I can't enable and disable the fan from the dropdown notification menu? or why is NFC not a togglable tile in the drop down menu either? ( both options have been added by custom app developer on our Telegram group) but Nubia have stated it was not intended and wont be added. (but they added those options in the 6 series devices {oh did they now?}) - strange how those that have already paid them money have been left behind on features that would be very easy to add) ( the code is freely available on github)
- Global service to sell devices. support its a toss up based on warranty ownership. (its why they only support devices that are bought directly from them) all stock is shipped from Hong Kong. its a Chinese business selling stuff from china. they use a translation app / program to communicate with most customers. there is a few people like Jerry here, that have decent enough command of the english language, but still fails to understand some things. their staff are all ... ALL Chinese. English is not the only Language in the world so they have to adapt to all other languages too. (redmagic Phones are actually sold more in the Indian / Arab regions of the world outside of the Asian / Chinese markets. so English customer services is actually a few steps below any kind of priority before their other more paying customer regions. which covers their response time. I usually get a 3-5 day time line. (maybe I'm more polite about my messages to redmagic.gg ?? ) maybeI dont know.
- My last message to them was about the current bug-list for the 8.59/7.60 roms all I got was. thanks we will forward to the department responsible. .. some 5 or so weeks ago. Go team red for that awesomely fast R&D department - Not.
- GPL source codes. ? what GPL source? were does it say they need to provide adequate sources? does this mean Nubia as well as almost every other OEM have broken the law?? OMgosh we need to bring all the peoples to court.
almost all OEM release old broken non up to date sources. even Nubia, Sony, Samsung, Xiaomi, IQOO, POCO phone, Mediatek, Qualcomm, Etc you will always find a few devcies that quite literally have no source at all published anywhere, and then you'll find sources that are so broken, with base drivers and other stuff that even making hardly boots on the required hardware. needin additional work to get booting, then bug fixed to get stable. nothing like the stock kernels that the oems release with up to date roms. for Nubia for example - the current A11 kernel they released is a almost direct copy of the base Android 11 kernel. just without some needed things to actually compile and boot. (even the triggers) you gotta make those yourself. - kernel source is provided as required by law. take Nubia to court if you need any more sources I'm sure google will help with that eventually in about 40 years.
fingerprint sensor being corrupted when unlocking bootloader is not a bug. Its actually a feature added to the device by Qualcomm. According to Jerry it was done on purpose and is not a bug.
Shipping and processing, sometimes can literally be out of their hands. with covid now some companies are required by law to close for 2 weeks. at their own loss, instead of advertising that their shipping processing center was closed or limited, its possible it was on hold for 2 weeks due to something they couldn't deal with.
but as customer processes like these are common, writing to them to find out what's going on with a 3 days delay before writing once again with the order number and a request for a refund usually gets them to contact you pretty fast.
client satisfaction at point of sale is all that matters. once they have your money, you don't get it back.
to be honest though. Jerry has, every time I've put someone in his direction for a genuine warranty service he has been on point and helped everyone he could. his estimates are rubbish though and he should stop telling people update will be out on X day because it nearly never true and never his fault (his fault he got the date wrong, but not his fault its delayed)
he's not in charge of software development but he can give suggestions and push requests that are demanded ALOT.
So if 3 people (in my current experience here on XDA and the some 700+ people on the telegram group) there is 3 people I have personally seen report the hz refresh rate issue on youtube and instagram and other common apps like this on the new Android 11. so unless there is a big. like a few thousand people getting in Nubia's faces about this on their twitter, facebook, and other social media sites and talking about the lack of support for updates etc like myself and few other members did back in January this year to get Android 11 for the global customers Nubia will sweep most of these things under the rug until its a big pile of crap they need to clean by dealing with it.
thats the only option for companies that don't respond or help. hurt their marketing image and they'll jump to help you.
privately request, or even publicly post here on XDA where most Chinese people wouldn't even know what this site is at a first glance and you're not getting the message to the right people.
contact support. when that does not work, go social and go big. its the only way to get the message through.

Why is the Samsung ecosystem such garbage?!?!

Mini-rant
OK, so I have to rant (just briefly) about the whole state of Samsung phones at the moment. Basically, we spend gobs of money on expensive devices and get locked down pre-loaded junk in return. Oh, they are physically impressive, have good specs, and are aesthetically nice gadgets. But would you spend $1600 bucks on a new laptop that came with software you couldn’t remove and could only be upgraded for the next 4 years?!?!
I have wanted to experiment with LineageOS for years. I bought a used Samsung S8+ in 2018 and quickly found out that LineageOS was a no go because Samsung locks the bootloaders on all US and Canadian models. So, that was never going to happen unless some guru found a hack.
Now, five years later, I went out of my way to find a Global/European S10+ (an SM-G975F) specifically so that I could install LineageOS. Now, I managed to do that easily enough. But now I am stuck with a phone that has poor reception and slow LTE speeds because it is missing LTE bands used in Canada (i.e. the SM-G975F uses different bands than the SM-G975W).
So here we are… making tradeoffs again.
And while I like fiddling with things like this, I have to wonder... why are we here in the first place? I just want a phone that doesn’t come preloaded with junk that I don’t want. I don’t want Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok or even Office 365 pre-installed and non-removable. It is like moving into a new house and finding out that the builder picked out furniture for the living room and, while you can push it off to the side and cover it with a blanket, you can never actually remove it. Why is the builder picking out furniture for me in the first place?
Some will say they like the furniture the builder picked. Most will say they don’t hate it or that they found a way to cover it up sufficiently that they don’t really notice it anymore. That isn’t really the point though, is it?
LineageOS on the other hand comes with nothing that it shouldn’t. Oh, and you can have LineageOS if you like (if you stand on your head and find a way to order a phone from another market) but then you have crummy reception forever. Oh, and when you are done you are a 2nd class citizen who can't use the NFC chip on his/her phone to pay for things because you were a "bad person" who found a way to remove the builder's sofa from your living room.
Oh, there are tricks… download this tool or that… but some don’t work anymore because of update XYZ…
Why can’t I just turn on the LTE bands I need??!?! Like, seriously, why not?!?!
Or better yet, why doesn’t my phone do it for me when it sees the Bell SIM card?!?!
Whose phone is this anyway?!?!
The state of Samsung phones in North America is garbage. Full stop. Pure garbage. No, I am not being too harsh.
1) All phones should come with basic firmware that makes the phone work and nothing else. The phone should not be used as an on-ramp into whichever ecosystem is paying the manufacturer more. OEM apps (i.e. Samung Calculator, Samsung DeX, etc.) are fine but no 3rd party junk like Facebook and Instagram. That is what the store is for.
2) All bootloaders should be unlockable and re-lockable once custom firmware is loaded if that firmware is itself signed. No "tripping Knox" or this nonsense.
3) All radio/LTE/carrier settings should be accessible and customizable with easily selectable presets for major carriers worldwide.
Anything else is a closed ecosystem that doesn't respect your basic property rights.
OK, done ranting... Maybe someone from Samsung will notice and maybe it will make a difference.
Best regards,
The Fish

I run two stock N10+'s, a N975U and a N975U1.
Running on Android 9* and 10 respectively. Neither have had their firmware upgraded. I use Package Disabler to block about 70-80 apks and settings are heavily optimized. Both run fast, stable and fullfill their mission with almost no issues and little maintenance. Excellent SOT and standby time.
Both are compatible with AT&T and as such there are no reception issues. You check and verify this before you purchase. Slam the sim card in and they're good to go. Once optimized and running well, don't upgrade firmware or update apps and it will run fine for years. Don't do the above and you will need to find work arounds... if they exist.
Current load on this N10+ will be 3yo this June. No malware during that time. Still looks, feels and runs like new. Only repair has been a battery. After a steep learning curve I'm very pleased with these devices. They are still a joy to use. However I can't say the same for the proceeding Samsung flagships and will never own one of them for a litany of reasons*.
Samsung phones with/in this SOC/generation can run well in capable hands, stock, if used as described.
*has last Android 9 firmware update
**lol, don't get me started

blackhawk said:
Neither have had their firmware upgraded. I use Package Disabler to block about 70-80 apks and settings are heavily optimized. Both run fast, stable and fullfill their mission with almost no issues and little maintenance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This kind of proves my point. I am not saying there isn't a way to get your Samsung phone running the way you want it. I am saying that the hoops we have to jump through and the tradeoffs we have to make are unacceptable.
Why do you have to use Package Disabler to block about 70-80 apks?!?! Why should you have to block *any* APKs at all?
Why do you have to stick with old, outdated firmware? Why do you have to make this tradeoff? Why do we have to have a hostile relationship with Samsung?
Why can't we have a nice phone, no bloatware, no junk, no apps we don't want. Get updates for a reasonable amount of time (i.e. till the hardware no longer supports it)?
blackhawk said:
Both are compatible with AT&T and as such there are no reception issues. You check and verify this before you purchase. Slam the sim card in and they're good to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure. And I knew ahead of time when I purchased the Global S10+ (the SM-G975F) that it didn't support all the same LTE bands as the Canadian model (the SM-G975W). But again, I had to make tradeoffs because I wanted to run LineageOS. Again, why do we have to choose between two crummy options?!?! Where are the good options?!?
I am daring to imagine a world where this is better. Really, we used to have phones locked to service providers and 5-year contracts. Those were the bad old days. But these days right now (with the bloatware, etc.) are also not great. It reminds me of the Windows XP era of PCs where you would buy a new PC and be prompted to sign up for 100 different services upon initial bootup. Only difference then was you could re-install the operating system on your PC and free yourself from the OEM bloatware. But now, with phones, they make even that impossible with locked bootloaders.
Basically, if I could unlock the bootloader of a Canadian SM-G975W that would be ideal. Any why isn't it like that anyway?!?! Isn't that the way it should be to begin with?
Locked bootloaders with no option to unlock should be illegal.
The Fish

thefish123 said:
This kind of proves my point. I am not saying there isn't a way to get your Samsung phone running the way you want it. I am saying that the hoops we have to jump through and the tradeoffs we have to make are unacceptable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm a pragmatist, I use what works.
thefish123 said:
Why do you have to use Package Disabler to block about 70-80 apks?!?! Why should you have to block *any* APKs at all?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's only blocking what I consider bloatware. 10 or 15 of those apks are apps I installed but chose to kept disabled 99% of the time.
thefish123 said:
Why do you have to stick with old, outdated firmware? Why do you have to make this tradeoff? Why do we have to have a hostile relationship with Samsung?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's your choice to upgrade and there's no reason to upgrade if the firmware is fulfilling its mission if you're running Android 9 or higher. If you lack wherewithal you pay a price...
thefish123 said:
Why can't we have a nice phone, no bloatware, no junk, no apps we don't want. Get updates for a reasonable amount of time (i.e. till the hardware no longer supports it)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Updates and upgrades aren't needed on an optimized device that's running well. New phones with the newest firmware are running like crap in case you didn't notice. Very little speed increase in most routine activities and horrible SOT on most.
thefish123 said:
Sure. And I knew ahead of time when I purchased the Global S10+ (the SM-G975F) that it didn't support all the same LTE bands as the Canadian model (the SM-G975W). But again, I had to make tradeoffs because I wanted to run LineageOS. Again, why do we have to choose between two crummy options?!?! Where are the good options?!?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well you knew there be connectivity issues and that should have flagged it. Custom roms have custom problems with a limited user/support base.
thefish123 said:
I am daring to imagine a world where this is better. Really, we used to have phones locked to service providers and 5-year contracts. Those were the bad old days. But these days right now (with the bloatware, etc.) are also not great. It reminds me of the Windows XP era of PCs where you would buy a new PC and be prompted to sign up for 100 different services upon initial bootup. Only difference then was you could re-install the operating system on your PC and free yourself from the OEM bloatware. But now, with phones, they make even that impossible with locked bootloaders.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not that bad if you shop smart. I bought out my AT&T N10+ at 2 years. It's almost identical to my carrier unlocked variant. I want the boot loader locked for security. No way I'm touching the firmware as these are premium flagships that run extremely well as is. I have very little to gain and lots to lose... including time.
thefish123 said:
Basically, if I could unlock the bootloader of a Canadian SM-G975W that would be ideal. Any why isn't it like that anyway?!?! Isn't that the way it should be to begin with?
Locked bootloaders with no option to unlock should be illegal.
The Fish
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You buy Samsung flagships for the premium hardware and then work within the framework that's available and what works best for you. You can root the Exynos variants but their hardware is almost always inferior to the Snaps. Consequences.
At this point both Samsung and Android newest products are so out of line that they are unusable to me. I don't care what they do, screw them. I'm in a holding pattern for 3+ more years happily using my N10+'s... I don't care. All my issues are worked out because I threw time at them to do so and I'm very satisfied with the outcome.
In 3+ years I will reevaluate the situation and decide what to do. Right now as things stand I don't reccomend any new Samsung's or anything Android version above Android 10. Unfortunately I have no easy solutions for you other than what I did. Even that isn't simple fix but it's a zero risk fix. I refuse to risk damaging these N10+'s by mucking with their firmware unless its needed for repair.

blackhawk said:
Well you knew there be connectivity issues and that should have flagged it. Custom roms have custom problems with a limited user/support base.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The reason I purchased this specific model was so that I could run a custom ROM. But the connectivity issues are not caused by the custom rom. They are caused by the fact that I am using a phone designed for a different market where different LTE bands are used.
And yes, I knew that ahead of time. And I am not regretting that. But you are missing the point. The radio in my phone is perfectly capable of using the LTE bands that my carrier uses. So why shouldn't there be a straightforward way to enable them?
What if I used to live in Europe and moved to Canada? Should I be forced to buy a new phone just because Samsung doesn't let me change LTE bands? Or if I travel between Europe and Canada on business then I just have to suffer with crummy reception?
My point is one of ownership, property rights.

thefish123 said:
The reason I purchased this specific model was so that I could run a custom ROM. But the connectivity issues are not caused by the custom rom. They are caused by the fact that I am using a phone designed for a different market where different LTE bands are used.
And yes, I knew that ahead of time. And I am not regretting that. But you are missing the point. The radio in my phone is perfectly capable of using the LTE bands that my carrier uses. So why shouldn't there be a straightforward way to enable them?
What if I used to live in Europe and moved to Canada? Should I be forced to buy a new phone just because Samsung doesn't let me change LTE bands? Or if I travel between Europe and Canada on business then I just have to suffer with crummy reception?
My point is one of ownership, property rights.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Connectivity is paramount. Regardless of what your user rights should be, you need to work within the limits of the options available. The square peg round hole thing...
You may be able to enable those bands and that's probably where you should be directing your energy. I purposely try to avoid having to do that as much as possible and never had to. You dove down the rabbit hole, hopefully it's not too deep. Try looking at the hidden phone user settings first... I guess.

blackhawk said:
Connectivity is paramount. Regardless of what your user rights should be, you need to work within the limits of the options available. The square peg round hole thing...
You may be able to enable those bands and that's probably where you should be directing your energy. I purposely try to avoid having to do that as much as possible and never had to. You dove down the rabbit hole, hopefully it's not too deep. Try looking at the hidden phone user settings first... I guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I agree. Being a phone is the most important thing that a phone does. And I am directing my energies in that direction as well. But in the process, it occures to me that a messed-up antagonistic anti-customer ecosystem this whole thing is. We would *never* accept this from a computer company, a car manufacturer, or a home builder. Yet, for some reason, we accept it from phone makers like Samsung and that we need to work within these [artificially imposed] limits.
Anyway, yes, there used to be a hidden phone menu (why hidden?) that would have let me enable the bands that I need. But Samsung removed it sometime last year with an update. Again, why?!?!
I'll keep looking. I'm sure I will figure out something in time inspite of Samsung, not because of them.
The Fish

What OS version are you on?
The band selections are probably still there although means of access may have changed.
My knowledge in this area is very limited. The sim card always configured it perfectly for me.
Best to check with your carrier to be sure that phone model is on their white list.
You could try seeing if someone help you from your carrier tech support...sometimes you get lucky if you try enough.

blackhawk said:
What OS version are you on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am running LineageOS 19.1.
blackhawk said:
The band selections are probably still there although means of access may have changed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The band selection app is categorically *not* there anymore because it A) it was part of the Samsung firmware and B) even if I was on Samsung firmware it wouldn't be there anymore either because Samsung removed it.
There used to be a tool you could download that would allow you to access the "hidden" band selection app. But it stopped working because Samsung removed the hidden app altogeather. Like I said in my original post on this thread "Oh, there are tricks… download this tool or that… but some don’t work anymore because of update XYZ…"
My point is that the whole nonsense of disabled bands and locked bootloaders is infuriating. I is like buying a computer that can only access the internet at full speed in Europe and if you fly to Canada and use it there you get penalized with 1/2 speed. Oh, and even through you could change it with the flip of a switch that switch is buried, disabled, hidden behind locked doors.
The Google Pixel 7 Pro has all the bands turned on (i.e. there is one phone for the whole world) and the boot loader is unlocked. Just saying...
At some point I will probably prevail in getting the bands I need turned on. And then I will likely be very happy with this phone for the next 5+ years. But none of that changes the fact that this anti-consumer predatory behavior on the part of Samsung is unacceptable.
The Fish