[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S7 Guides, News, & Discussion] jkvincent:
I also share in the frustrations from restrictions being placed onto the AT&T Samsung Galaxy S'x' devices and wrote the following email to AT&T Customer Support in trying to sway said lock lock downs in a politically correct fashion. After reading through the comments in this thread it seems a similar email to Samsung would be appropriate. Sorry if I stepped on any toes in the email. I tried to cover many angles / points. May or may not help but put forth some effort nevertheless. Email below:

Hi AT&T,

I am hoping this email makes its way to AT&T upper Management.

After reading AT&T would go the route of legal action if customers contacted Management directly I decided to go AT&T's preferred route via Customer Service with hopes that this will be forwarded internally to folks that may be able to help with policy changes.

We are long time good customers of AT&T and also both Senior level Engineers. I bring this to AT&T's attention sincerely and respectfully. I have personally been engaged with AT&T on many levels. Please allow me to express this is not a complaint but rather a friendly suggestion that I hope is taken to heart from what Android customers REALLY want.

The reason for me contacting you is to shed some light on some things I have realized over the years and personally think people are going about it all wrong.

What I am referring to is the ability to Root and install custom ROMs on Samsung devices specifically.

I have personally purchased every single Samsung Galaxy S line phone (except for S5). The ability to Root and ROM the phones was achievable in the older models but in the S6 seemingly more difficult and S7 yet to be Rooted as of now. I am not a software Developer or some Hacker but this is where I feel the approach is incorrect on both sides of the fence.

What I mean by this is I now understand that exploits are being sought after in order to Root the phone. Not saying I agree with the approach by the Developer community of truly very talented individuals. The second piece or other side of the fence so to speak is AT&T locking down the devices.

I personally feel and speak for many, many users and customers that this takes away from Android being an open source model and restricts in a way comparable to Apple iPhones which is driving away AT&T customers in droves.

From an Engineering standpoint I understand why devices are locked down but from an Android user standpoint quite frankly it goes against the grain, against the beauty of Android, restricts many, many useful apps and tools (full backups for example) and simply put...takes the fun out of Android.

As previously mentioned, I have personally witnessed truly talented Developers develop some unbelievably feature rich ROMs (much more than stock) in well organized fashion via forums that many hundreds of thousands of people if not more enjoy experiencing.

Installing a new ROM is similar to upgrading to a new version of Windows on a PC for example. It takes the same hardware and gives it an entirely new look and feel with many more features and functionality. It is similar to getting a new phone simply by installing a new ROM WHICH IS FUN AND EXCITING FOR PEOPLE.

All my suggestion is, is asking if AT&T would work with the Developer community on allowing devices such as Samsung to be Rooted and also allow Custom ROM installations instead of the way it is currently being handled. This solves a plethora of issues on both sides of the fence and please accept my sincere, heartfelt suggestion...this is what AT&T's Android user customer base really wants to enjoy on their high end Android devices.

I appreciate your time, open to any questions you may have and hopeful that restrictions may possibly be lifted one day in the future on Android / Samsung devices.

Thank you again.

Kind Regards,

Jason Vincent

VoIP SME

VoIPEng@Hotmail.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-vincent-3b05718