[Galaxy S 4 General] e1evene1even:
T L: D R version: Samsung live chat says Knox 0x1 voids the warranty in Canada.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After years of being an iPhone user who has never once run stock iOS (always a highly tweaked JB phone) and has been waiting to switch to Android and Samsung in particular for years, I finally took the plunge when my carrier had a special on Note II's. Obviously the first thing I did was look into the best ways to customize it, and coming from Apple where every compatible phone gets updates at the same time, I didn't want to wait for months and hope my carrier updates to KitKat just for things I feel Android should have had years ago (like proper emoji's etc.).

Anyway, when I bought the phone I explicitly mentioned the first thing I planned to do was root and install custom ROMs. Not a peep about Knox or the warranty, he even left my phone in the box rather than fully setting it up which they are required to do.

Of course, after already rooting and installing CM (which was MUCH more responsive than stock TouchWiz 4.3), I start reading about this Knox nonsense. I was furious! One of the main reasons I had been so keen to convert was the customization potential of Android that far outweighs jailbreaking iOS.

I check, and of course the Knox flag is 0x1. I've irrevocably voided my warranty 4 times in one day? What a bunch of crap! So instead of bragging to all my friends and posting on social media about how awesome my new phone is (most of my friends are still with Apple), I went on a tirade. I've posted on Samsung's social media pages as well as my own, and have emailed multiple corporate emails of the company to voice my concerns (I'll post here if I get any substantial response).

I used Samsung's live chat as well and after asking if I had purchased my device in Canada, the agent confirmed my warranty was void (I couldn't save the log since they closed the window immediately).

Thankfully, with my carrier (Koodo) I have 15 days from purchase to return the device so I'll just reinstall the latest stock Android and tell them the Note was "too big". My plan is to keep my crappy iPhone for a bit longer, or get a very cheap Nexus 4 ($150), but everywhere in the city is sold out. I've thought about waiting and hoping they sell pre-owned Note II's soon (since the carrier would cover the warranty), but that's a crap shoot.

At the moment I think I'll keep the Note as close to the 15 days as I can to see if I can get used to the size, then if I *really* like it, exchange it for a new one and keep it stock until my warranty is up or there is a valid Knox workaround (Safestrap for Note II etc). I also plan to call the local Samsung service centre in Canada and ask about Knox and will report my findings.

I think an important aspect when it comes to warranty relates more to the phone's current status, and the Knox flag is secondary (most won't check). If you take a phone in unrooted, and with stock Android (use Triangle Away), I think you have a much better chance of getting service than with a ROM loaded and explicitly mentioning (or more realistically complaining about) Knox.

If they refuse based on the flag, I think the best strategy would be to feign ignorance. "Knox? Rooting? Roms? What's that? I haven't done anything, but my phone had problems so I used the official Samsung software and it gave me an error..." I think it would be great if people could report the results of that strategy here.

What to do? Exchange this Note II for a new one, or just take it back and wait for what the fall has to offer? (I'd hate to be a hypocrite and actually support Samsung after my rants against them...) :confused: