586
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by SeaJ@lemm.ee to c/technology@lemmy.world

Update from Asus

The service team reply misunderstood the situation. Unlock tool is unavailable at this moment but we are allowing the possibility to unlock, please stay tuned.

**TL;DR

  • ASUS has apparently withdrawn the ability to unlock the bootloader on its phones.
  • As per the company’s technical support team, Zenfone 10 and Zenfone 9 users won’t be able to root their phones.
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] redcalcium 20 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The end of an era. Companies also locked the bootloader back then and you'll need to find a vulnerability to exploit in order to unlock it. When custom roms starting to become popular, companies relaxed their stance and allowing their customers to unlock the bootloader using an official channel instead of utilizing a security exploits, perhaps as a competitive advantage so power users would recommend them to their friends and family.

Now with declining popularity of rooting and custom roms, companies are starting to stop allowing their customers to unlock the bootloader again. From their perspective, allowing bootloader unlocking is nothing but trouble (support-wise) and might even cannibalize sales (why upgrade your phone every two years when you can install a custom ROM with the latest version of Android), so declining popularity of custom ROMs is a perfect excuse for them to stop allowing bootloader unlocking.

[-] Boinketh@lemm.ee 38 points 1 year ago

It should be illegal to restrict what people can do with their own goddamn motherfucking private property.

[-] TwilightVulpine@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

Once digital media got away with "actually we are just letting you borrow it and can take it away whenever we want", hardware manufacturers have been drooling to do the same. Apple and game console manufacturers are most of the way there already.

[-] zaplachi@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 year ago

Well it sure is a good thing they are making everything smart nowadays….

But seriously I can’t believe how fast the car industry locked previously free features behind a subscription

[-] TwilightVulpine@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

I agree with the sentiment, but even the claim that they were free is part of their narrative. Their cost was included in the price of the car, everyone paid for it already. They are double-dipping.

[-] 1984@lemmy.today 10 points 1 year ago

You will own nothing and be happy.

[-] Boinketh@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago

Yeah, that's the dystopia we're ~~headed towards~~ already arriving at, except I'm not fucking happy.

[-] uriel238@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 year ago

I suspect we'll eventually need to create a standard much like th PC Clone, in which hardware, OS and software are independently produced and support compatibility standards.

Not in the current clime of unregulate capitalism, though.

[-] redcalcium 6 points 1 year ago

I'm afraid the PC ecosystem is one-of-a-kind, and perhaps once it's gone, we'll never have anything like it again. Companies are obsessed with vertical integration now, owning everything from software to peripherals and accessories. The closest thing we have to PC ecosystem where multiple independent companies works to support a single platform is perhaps the raspberry pi ecosystem, but even then it's pale in comparison to the PC ecosystem in term of variety and number of manufacturers.

this post was submitted on 07 Aug 2023
586 points (96.5% liked)

Technology

58123 readers
4357 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each another!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS