Why can't Verizon give us an unlock tool?

[Crispy]

We all know Verizon is full of bs, their only goal is to screw customers, but even if we accept their nonsense reasoning for a locked bootloader, why can't they give users an unlock tool, with the understanding that if you do this you lose support? HTC and Motorola do this with their phones.

This would let us properly root the phone, and also most people who don't care about this are unaffected. There's no possible reason not to do this!

Can I request AC officially ask VZW about this?

 

[ultravisitor]

Why not?

Because some idiot is going to jack up his phone when he tries to unlock, root, and ROM it. And then he'll bring it back to Verizon and cry about how he was doing a software update and now his phone won't work anymore so please can't they give him a new one it's still under warranty anyway?

You know it, and I know it.

 

[Crispy]

Why not?

Because some idiot is going to jack up his phone when he tries to unlock, root, and ROM it. And then he'll bring it back to Verizon and cry about how he was doing a software update and now his phone won't work anymore so please can't they give him a new one it's still under warranty anyway?

You know it, and I know it.

It doesn't work like that. Samsung phones are basically unbrickable, and the techs know how to restore a factory image, just like with any other phone, and they have automated tools to do it.

And how exactly is this different from someone doing this on any of the other smartphones VZW sells? Or for that matter the GS3 as well. I can do the same thing with the GS3, and ironically it may be easier to brick with the locked bootloader.

 

[inm8num2]

Verizon can do whatever the hell they want to customers because at the end of the day people will put up with it in exchange for their network coverage.

 

[rustypixel]

This is true. And because we all get comfortable with things and don't like to change. I have both a VZN and a TMo version of the S3 sitting right by me and I've been comparing networks for the past two days hoping to leave VZN and their policies.

Verizon can do whatever the hell they want to customers because at the end of the day people will put up with it in exchange for their network coverage.

 

[DreamSTi]

Why not?

Because some idiot is going to jack up his phone when he tries to unlock, root, and ROM it. And then he'll bring it back to Verizon and cry about how he was doing a software update and now his phone won't work anymore so please can't they give him a new one it's still under warranty anyway?

You know it, and I know it.

This

 

[Papadakis]

from what I understand, once you root the phone you void the warranty so verizon doesn't have to help you in case you screw it up, so in the end they dont have to do anything but tell you that you messed it up sorry, am I right?

 

[PJnc284]

from what I understand, once you root the phone you void the warranty so verizon doesn't have to help you in case you screw it up, so in the end they dont have to do anything but tell you that you messed it up sorry, am I right?

The don't have to but they generally probably wouldn't even notice. There's no flag in Verizon's system that gets set when a device is rooted. As for the unlock tool, it could easily be implemented where warranty and Verizon support are voided so that's a non issue. I'd also argue that circumventing locked bootloaders has a greater potential for problems than one with an official unlock solution.

 

[Channan]

Doesn't matter really. If you paid full price for the GSIII, return it and buy the dev version from Samsung when they release it, and save $50.

If you bought it at a discount with new/renewed contract, sell it and use the profit to buy the dev version.