One of the main reasons why the Samsung Galaxy S III has dethroned Apple's iPhone 4S as the best-selling smartphone in the world is due to Android's open-source operating system. The vast spectrum of customization that comes with Android has become one of its focal points, allowing n00bs and programmers alike to build and destroy.
The open-source OS has allowed rooting and modified ROMs to flourish within Android community. The only problem with this is that rooting and installing your own ROM onto an Android device completely voids the warranty. Broken screens and software malfunctions no longer stay covered by providers like Verizon, leaving only a few costly repair options.
Wouldn't it be great if you could trick Verizon into thinking your Galaxy S3 was never rooted to begin with? Well now you can!
Well, XDA Developer Brian Grove came up with a way to beat detection by how removing the ROM, unrooting the phonem and relocking the bootloader. Resetting the phone like this fools Verizon into thinking nothing has been changed, leaving the warranty intact.
Re-Lock Bootloader
The first step would be to re-lock your bootloader on the Galaxy S III. You can install EZ Unlock, which can lock and unlock your Galaxy S III bootloader.
Enter Download Mode
The next step is to enter download mode in order to check your flash counter. To do this, hold down Volume Down+Home Button+Power Button at the same time. The result should look like the phone on the right. If your phone shows a yellow triangle like in the picture on the left, continue reading below.
Note: Most Samsung devices keep track of how many times you have flashed custom firmwares on your device. This may cause a yellow triangle to show up during boot, which disables the phone. If your phone shows this, download Triangle Away in order to get rid of it.
Flash the Stock Rooted Image via Odin
Finally, you'll have to flash the stock root image of the phone. To do this, go over to section #6 of Grove's guide and follow his instructions. Use the unrooted version in the guide if you plan on returning your phone to Verizon.
If you want to be safe, you can restore your Galaxy S III by holding Volume Up + Home + Power, to wipe any remaining convicting evidence. You can now feel free to return the phone to Verizon without them ever knowing the phone was once rooted.
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1 Comment
I am shocked not a single comment was made pointing out that this does not roll-back or otherwise mask the Flash Counter. This phone has a setting that increments a counter every time a new full system ROM is flashed. Stock software, unrooted status, and locked loader doesn't cover up all the tracks.
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