Wow, this is messed up.
Samsung and Other Manufacturers Disable Phones Bought on Gray Markets: A Consumer Nightmare
Submitted 8 months ago by throws_lemy@lemmy.nz to technology@lemmy.world
Comments
Synthead@lemmy.world 8 months ago
onlinepersona@programming.dev 8 months ago
- Buy Samsung for cheap in a poor country
- flash it with lineageOS or eOS
- ???
- Profit
tsuica@lemmy.world 8 months ago
The only downside to this is that banking apps won’t work anymore. Some of them won’t work without GMS, or with a custom ROM, or if Knox is triggered (Smasnug), or even if the bootloader is unlocked.
Unfortunately, more and more banks are deprecating their web apps in favor of mobile apps, 'cause who doesn’t have a smartphone?.
Otherwise, I’d switch back to LOS in a heartbeat.
jose1324@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Basically every banking app in my country works fine with custom rom. It even works without safetynet and with root. Hell I fucking had more issues with the MCDONALDS app that blocked me
onlinepersona@programming.dev 8 months ago
I am lucky enough to be able to avoid the GSM only banks and choose banks that do work on degoogled phones. Honestly, thanks to the ongoing trade-war between China and the US, degoogled phones will become more common and force banks to cater to those people. I’m not worried.
mammut@lemmy.world 8 months ago
[deleted]d3Xt3r@lemmy.nz 8 months ago
Pretty much every country besides the US, IIRC.
onlinepersona@programming.dev 8 months ago
Honestly, no idea. I think locking them isn’t allowed in Europe.
fart_pickle@lemmy.world 8 months ago
One of the many reasons why I don’t buy “connected” devices anymore.
wmassingham@lemmy.world 8 months ago
You posting on Lemmy by mail?
fart_pickle@lemmy.world 8 months ago
By “connected” I meant controlled by the 3rd party with or without my knowledge/permission. If I cannot set what and where is being sent from a device I don’t use it. And yes, you can call me paranoid :)
iamtherealwalrus@lemmy.world 8 months ago
You don’t own a phone?
ichbinjasokreativ@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Honestly, with how powerful modern Smartphones are, you can just buy one now, flash an open source version of android and use that for a decade, assuming the OS gets supported that long.
slowroll@r.nf 8 months ago
how samsung know if i bought their phone in gray market?
_s10e@feddit.de 8 months ago
Just guessing. The phone is ear-marked for a target market, e.g. Africa. If it connects to an American network without roaming and without ever having been to Africa, it’s clear that the phone was not sold through ‘official’ distribution channels.
TWeaK@lemm.ee 8 months ago
Yes exactly, the exact same phone can have different variations on the same versions of firmware, depending on the region.
The solution here is to not run stock firmware. Get a custom ROM and enjoy all the extra features.
Marin_Rider@aussie.zone 8 months ago
how would they handle roaming then? not everyone stays in one region
Reality_Suit@lemmy.one 8 months ago
I wish LG never stopped selling phones.
Spyd3r@lemmy.world 8 months ago
[deleted]Reality_Suit@lemmy.one 8 months ago
We still use an LG V40 as our “music phone”
nevemsenki@lemmy.world 8 months ago
To be fair, if they don’t do this, they will need to increase prices in poorer countries - otherwise someone will simply buy the phones on the cheap and resell them in more expensive areas.
iamtherealwalrus@lemmy.world 8 months ago
It’s called the free market where your can purchase and sell goods as you wish, within the applicable laws.
nevemsenki@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Sure, I’ve personally got nothing against abolishing regional pricing and everyone paying the same price I do in the EU.
Dewded@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Love how you’re getting downvotes for pointing out the exact reason.
Diversion is often also a means to fund crime and terrorism when done at scale.
In some cases of diversion the product also gets altered by changing valuable content for cheaper ones. A good example of this would be medicine or liqour. Worst case is that the end user gets fake medicine.
Making your product affordable in a region also increases consumer safety as it will curb counterfeiting. In the case of phones this can lead to exploding batteries or electrocutions.
nevemsenki@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Even on Lemmy, simple but wrong answers prevail over complicates truths.
Engywuck@lemm.ee 8 months ago
As a rule of thumb, after quite a mediocre experience regarding more than a couple of items, I have learned to never buy Samsung, if an alternative exists.
coffeebiscuit@lemmy.world 8 months ago
So…. -Never buy Apple because…
Well back to my landline I guess.
HidingCat@kbin.social 8 months ago
I've been pretty happy with my Samsung, this place is just full of unhappy nerds, I swear.
winkerjadams@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 months ago
I’ve been pretty happy with my $300 Motorola phone 🤷♂️
piecat@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Just buy some cups and string
Sunfoil@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Fairphone
Engywuck@lemm.ee 8 months ago
I mean, Apple is an easy “no go” for me, because I like to actually own the devices I pay for. Huawei phones are solid, AFAIK.
krakenx@lemmy.world 8 months ago
ASUS?
StickyLavander@lemm.ee 8 months ago
Don’t buy anything Samsung ESPECIALLY their appliances. They got class action lawsuit for fridges that breakdown, and when you call for the warranty to repair you’ll be dealing with months of nightmare of multiple technicians coming and going trying to to repair it. Oh and they only come during weekdays during 9-5 business hours so you have to take time off work for them to come, and if they “fixed it” it breaks down the next day spoiling all your food. I was losing money fast so I told them they have one last chance to make this right before I sue them. After that a manager called saying they’re going to send us a “new” fridge. Our “new” fridge was so badly banged up it had dents all over it. I was so exhausted by everything I just put magnets over it and called it a day. FUCK SAMSUNG never ever choosing to buy any of there products. Do your research before you buy!!!
I_Miss_Daniel@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Their SSDs seem rock solid, but not so keen on anything else.
Engywuck@lemm.ee 8 months ago
That’s true, their SSD are really good.
Rouxibeau@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I have a fold 3 and I’m on my way to have it warranty repaired for the second time after having already completed three warranty exchanges. At least they’re honoring the warranties; but I shouldn’t have to repair a single phone so many times just have a working product.
Engywuck@lemm.ee 8 months ago
Among other things, I was one of these dumb people that bought a Bada phone, back then (Wave II). Hardware-wise it was a wonderful phone. But software wise it was abandoned by Samsung in a matter of months, IIRC. Never more.
Also bought a middle category Samsung TV a few years ago. It came with an awful IPS panel with a contrast ratio worse than an LCD casio watch and bad luminance. My fault for not swapping it in time. Nonetheless, I didn’t expect such a crappy TV from such a brand.
danque@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I mean that should’ve been obvious after the battery explosion and battery swelling problems at Samsung. They don’t care as long as it’s cheap. Their bloat was also one of the worst, same for the build quality of the medium phones.