Earlier quoted context omitted.
XDA has gonna from the go to site for Android related everything. To an ad website. If you don't have a blocker like pihole or something similar, it is unusable on mobile.
Or just use Firefox mobile...
Or Vivaldi
Samsung kills the cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 if you unlock the bootloader
151–160 of 204 posts
Re: Samsung kills the cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 if you unlock the bootloader
#152On the surface this seems blatantly illegal: after the sale is made the no-longer-owner removes functionality. Can someone please explain how this is legally not some sort of theft, or bait-and-switch, or ... something? I read comments about firmware licensing, or Japan's camera noise thing. Those sound like Samsung problems, while disabling a camera sounds like an actionable user problem.
It's legal because 1) There's a binding arbitration clause 2) Samsung have more money for lawyers for you.
Is 1.) a EULA/click through?
If so I think it is void in Europe. You probably still have to fight but you should stand a chance if you have some resources and want to fight.
Re: Samsung kills the cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 if you unlock the bootloader
#153Earlier quoted context omitted.
> If you tamper with the device it's your responsibility, innit? It's not like they disabled a properly functioning device that uses the original firmware with an OTA update And more to the point, Samsung is under no obligation to allow bootloader unlocking at all, much less ensure that it continues to provide any specific set of functionality. The alternative here isn't "Samsung stops disabling the camera when the b…
It's not up to Samsung to allow bootloader unlock or not. There will be exploits that will allow for a bootloader unlock or worse unless they allow for it. Besides, we don't have to be happy with the status quo, we can legislate for bootloader unlocking to be allowed.
> Besides, we don't have to be happy with the status quo, we can legislate for bootloader unlocking to be allowed
Unfortunately, that's not the world we actually live in. This thread is in response to the (great?) grandparent who suggested:
> On the surface this seems blatantly illegal: after the sale is made the no-longer-owner removes functionality
Our governments may theoretically have the power to force vendors to provide functionality like this to end users, but it's hard to imagine that actually happening (can you imagine how hard Apple would lobby against unlocking iPhones, for example?).
The only thing we can do is stop buying devices from vendors who exhibit such user-hostile behaviors.
Re: Samsung kills the cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 if you unlock the bootloader
#154Earlier quoted context omitted.
T-Mobile US's LG devices came with unlockable bootloaders as well, but that only helps if someone develops a ROM for it. Even then, more and more important functionality is getting locked behind closed doors. On my Stylo 5, it's not the camera, it's VoLTE. What good is it to run a custom ROM if I can't make and receive phone calls?
I have an LG G8 from T-Mobile. It hasn't been updated since February. Rumor is they're rolling out android 11 in Q4 which is more than a year after 11 was released. Contrast that with my wife's S10 that's got 11 around February. At this point I have very little faith LG will follow through with updates for even the original two years let alone android 12.
LG has exited the phone business.
Re: Samsung kills the cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 if you unlock the bootloader
#155Earlier quoted context omitted.
For those who can't be bothered to read wikipedia, this only applies when the courts can find you read it to the best of your ability and misunderstood it. Mostly it applies to those who can't read (either at all or the language of the contract) and so trusted someone else to tell them what it meant and they were deceived. If you could have read the document but didn't, that is your own fault and the contract stands.…
"If you could have read the document but didn't, that is your own fault and the contract stands." That's the point, isn't it? Gideon v. Wainwright clearly established that no non-lawyer can be expected to win against a trained lawyer. Since BigCo has a team of trained lawyers making the EULA impossible to read, ... Well, Gideon didn't go this far, but if we extend the logic in that ruling, there's certainly a major p…
I support this interpretation.
I'm not a lawyer and I'm not a native speaker but I have spent way too much time on EULAs and groklaw and stuff when I was younger and my honest conclusion is a competent lawyer can probably make a planet size hole in a contract without most of HN noticing: many because they don't read it (I'm here now), many because English is not their first language an even among those who know English well(I used to be in this camp), legalese is almost a separate language.
Re: Samsung kills the cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 if you unlock the bootloader
#156Earlier quoted context omitted.
Personally I refuse to buy any device that requires me to go crying to the manufacturer for an unlock key. Google and OnePlus devices can be unlocked locally with no need to contact anyone and beg, so no one can refuse your unlock on a device you already paid for.
Google devices cannot be unlocked locally. My USA spec Pixel 5, purchased unlocked from Best Buy, had to be connected to the internet - and I don't remember, but I may have also had to put a SIM card in - before it could be unlocked. Apparently a background service automatically checks with Google's servers whether the device is eligible for unlock (is it paid off or still under financing, and which carrier is it fro…
The OnePlus 9 Pro also required an internet connection, and I had to enable Google Play Services for the OEM unlock option to be enabled. I bought this phone unlocked directly from OnePlus.
Re: Samsung kills the cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 if you unlock the bootloader
#157Earlier quoted context omitted.
> they'll try to find a way to enable the cameras on unlocked phones in the future. In the meantime, I will only buy what ACTUALLY gives me control RIGHT NOW, namely, what is supported by LineageOS: https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/
You'll have the control to...not even lock your bootloader. Use GrapheneOS, if you want something resembling security.
But then they don't allow me to have root at the same time. They claim it is for security reasons but fail to explain why and get really unfriendly. Maybe some power-trip? So now I can choose between vendor lock-in and random-programmer-lock-in.
Re: Samsung kills the cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 if you unlock the bootloader
#158Earlier quoted context omitted.
Google devices cannot be unlocked locally. My USA spec Pixel 5, purchased unlocked from Best Buy, had to be connected to the internet - and I don't remember, but I may have also had to put a SIM card in - before it could be unlocked. Apparently a background service automatically checks with Google's servers whether the device is eligible for unlock (is it paid off or still under financing, and which carrier is it fro…
The OnePlus 9 Pro also required an internet connection, and I had to enable Google Play Services for the OEM unlock option to be enabled. I bought this phone unlocked directly from OnePlus.
Interesting, I can't find any such requirement online about OnePlus devices, but I did come across this mentioning that a law passed in California forced Google to do this on some devices:
https://android.gadgethacks.com/news/psa-enable-hidden-setti...
Pretty sad if true.
Re: Samsung kills the cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 if you unlock the bootloader
#159Earlier quoted context omitted.
I had run LineageOS for some time. It works, but FDroid is missing too many apps, even opensource like Signal. I have to update apks manually every few months.
Signal team fought a long war against any forks or unauthorised builds of Signal. There are (or were) FDroid repositories with Signal compatible builds, but Moxie stated that any such build will be considered malware. Signal team was making such builds increasingly difficult to produce. Official F-Droid repo doesn't allow proprietary dependencies on which Signal depends for some messages (push?)
Signal is open-source in the "look at it, but don't even try to tun it" way. I'd rather support a protocol that supports federation and encourages alternative clients.
Re: Samsung kills the cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 if you unlock the bootloader
#160It could be for compliance with Japanese law which forbids taking photos without a shutter sound? This in principle doesn't apply when you're not in Japan, but after unlocking Samsung has no way to tell. Edit: reading the article about SONY ( https://www.xda-developers.com/sony-xperia-android-pie-unloc... ), DRM keys seems to be a more likely cause, which drcursor's comment also mentions.
Some devices sold in Japan is unlockable. It's unlikely to start such regulation in 2021.