[Android Central Question]

I bought a new moto z2 force on ali xpress but for some reason certain apps do not work.

The apps that do not work include twitter, tunein radio, amazon underground, revolut banking, eurosport. player. The issues range from not being able to log in, to not being able to stream radio/search for items in apps.

Many apps do work perfectly well, for instance deezer music streaming, and alternative internet radio apps work with no issues.

I am not very experienced with android and have no idea how to root a phone but with the help of youtube I discovered that The bootloader was unlocked when I bought it, and I have managed to relock it, which has given me access to netflix which was previously not available on the playstore prior to that.

However, all of the aforementioned apps still do not work.

Ideally I would just return the phone but aliexpress are not playing ball, and dismissed my dispute.

Could anybody explain what is happening and how I might be able to fix the issue easily, I just wan't a normal working phone?

[belodion]

Was it offered for sale as a bootloader-unlocked phone? So far as I know, Moto phones are not sold new with unlocked bootloaders; on the contrary, unlocking the bootloader normally voids the warranty. Developer editions of phones may be an exception: I don’t know.

[aliunimpressed]

No it was sold as a new phone, like a normal phone, no mention of bootloader/developer version, and it appears to be brand new. It has android 8

[belodion]

Okay. I’ll consult other team members about Moto phones, of which I have little experience. It certainly doesn’t sound right to me.

[aliunimpressed]

thank you, it is very frustrating to have a phone that only half works and that I cannot return/get refund

[Javier P]

No it was sold as a new phone, like a normal phone, no mention of bootloader/developer version, and it appears to be brand new. It has android 8

Welcome to the forums. I agree with belodion, that sounds strange. What software channel do you get under settings - system - about phone? What version do you see when selecting 'System Updates'?

[aliunimpressed]

[aliunimpressed]

Software channel : retcn
Android version 8.0.0 (up to date)

[Javier P]

Software channel : retcn
Android version 8.0.0 (up to date)

It seems you bought the Chinese model and it was probably unlocked to install the Google apps and whatnot. The security patch is quite old as well. I'm not an expert on using custom ROMs but I think that could be your best solution.

[aliunimpressed]

Ok thanks it was sold as global Rom but evidently it was a trick. Certainly won't be buying from AliExpress again.

So potentially this phone could be made functional with a custom Rom ?

Anybody know how this could be done ?

[Javier P]

You could take a look at the XDA forums for the Z2 Force, I'm almost sure that you will find the different ways to flash custom ROMs. You can also start a new thread here in the Z2 section and see if any of our members know about the process.

Sorry that I couldn't help you out, rooting is not my thing

[aliunimpressed]

You could take a look at the XDA forums for the Z2 Force, I'm almost sure that you will find the different ways to flash custom ROMs. You can also start a new thread here in the Z2 section and see if any of our members know about the process.

Sorry that I couldn't help you out, rooting is not my thing

Thanks for your help, now I understand the reason behind the issue , so I am a step closer to solution.