6.14.84 ICS Leaked For the Droid RAZR, Wreaks Havoc on Users

[cereal killer]

The game of flashing leaks, aka unofficial builds, on locked handsets (locked bootloader ) has just gotten a lot tougher for those willing to take that risk. The 6.12.84 ICS build that leaked for the Droid RAZR this past weekend, has wreaked havoc on users who flashed it. The problem wasn't discovered until users tried to fastboot/RSD back to a previous build. Upon trying to "reset" the handset users ended up bricking (rendering the device useless) their handsets with no fix in sight. Some users have claimed that they were able to recover the handset, but a majority of people who jumped in and flashed the leak and tried to fastboot/RSD back have been left with a broken smartphone. Those fortunate enough to have flashed the leak, but have not attempted to "reset" the device are not out of the woods by a long shot. They are now "permanently" taken off the upgrade path. Meaning they will not be able to receive updates pushed by Big Red or be able to flash another build until there is a fix.

Essentially they are looking at a worst and best case scenario. Worst case, users will be stuck on 6.14.84 for the life of their contract or until they get another phone. Best case, somebody figures out a fix and they can safely flash an earlier, or depending how long it takes to find a fix, a later build. As far as the others with bricked devices, their only hope hinges on the great developers finding a fix. No fix, no phone. Scary proposition.

Flashing leaks is a risky business and the warnings have often gone ignored. Let this latest incident be a stern warning to anyone thinking about jumping into this game. If you don't mind being stuck on a particular build, possibly for good, go ahead and flash away. More importantly, if you value owning a smartphone and don't wish to be left with an expensive paperweight, wait for others to test it for a couple of days before flashing a leak. It may feel cool to be one of the first to be running a new build, but it's not cool to have something like what happened above happen to you.

We implore EVERYONE to not flash leaks on a locked handset until they are 100% certain that it is safe to do so. A good rule of thumb is to wait a minimum of 2 days before flashing a leak. We'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on leaks and if they were caught up in this latest debacle.

 

[johnomaz]

I used to wait a week back when updates came out for my DroidX that were leaked. Let those with the know how to fix it do it and pass the word along.

 

[mikeyo1990]

wow, makes me feel good to have the nexus.

 

[sc0rch3d]

wow, makes me feel good to have the nexus.

love my GNex as well, nonetheless I usually wait until "leak + ~2 weeks" to see if I want to take any flash risk.

 

[arparaspolo]

I was trying to flash this leak over the weekend. I am SO glad I didn't have the time(or knowledge) to do this. I have never flashed a leak before and was busy all weekend. WHEW!

 

[kl0wn]

wow, makes me feel good to have the nexus.

Same, love my Nexus. Also have a razr though, didn't flash this leak though. Never flashed the old one either, never flashed leaks with it, don't trust leaks regardless of what people say about them. Sucks that it did happen though.

A few people have restored back to the leak after bricking trying to RSD/fast boot back to GB, so at least the people with a bricked device can at least have a useable device, even if it's knocked off the upgrade plan.

 

[TRIKOTRET]

I am one of the ones who is stuck on this leak. Thank God I didn't try to fastboot back

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Droid Forums

 

[hookemlifer]

i don't get it

I'm a stock android user just waiting on the legit ICS update to come out. What is the benefit of "jailbreaking" an android device...obviously we know what the harmful side effects can be. I'm sure i'm just not educated enough on the topic but my phone (Bionic) works just fine without performing brain surgery on it. Please explain what I may be missing out on besides an ability to remove all that crap Verizon says I need in my phone!

Thanks all!!!

The game of flashing leaks, aka unofficial builds, on locked handsets (locked bootloader ) has just gotten a lot tougher for those willing to take that risk. The 6.12.84 ICS build that leaked for the Droid RAZR this past weekend, has wreaked havoc on users who flashed it. The problem wasn't discovered until users tried to fastboot/RSD back to a previous build. Upon trying to "reset" the handset users ended up bricking (rendering the device useless) their handsets with no fix in sight. Some users have claimed that they were able to recover the handset, but a majority of people who jumped in and flashed the leak and tried to fastboot/RSD back have been left with a broken smartphone. Those fortunate enough to have flashed the leak, but have not attempted to "reset" the device are not out of the woods by a long shot. They are now "permanently" taken off the upgrade path. Meaning they will not be able to receive updates pushed by Big Red or be able to flash another build until there is a fix.

Essentially they are looking at a worst and best case scenario. Worst case, users will be stuck on 6.14.84 for the life of their contract or until they get another phone. Best case, somebody figures out a fix and they can safely flash an earlier, or depending how long it takes to find a fix, a later build. As far as the others with bricked devices, their only hope hinges on the great developers finding a fix. No fix, no phone. Scary proposition.

Flashing leaks is a risky business and the warnings have often gone ignored. Let this latest incident be a stern warning to anyone thinking about jumping into this game. If you don't mind being stuck on a particular build, possibly for good, go ahead and flash away. More importantly, if you value owning a smartphone and don't wish to be left with an expensive paperweight, wait for others to test it for a couple of days before flashing a leak. It may feel cool to be one of the first to be running a new build, but it's not cool to have something like what happened above happen to you.

We implore EVERYONE to not flash leaks on a locked handset until they are 100% certain that it is safe to do so. A good rule of thumb is to wait a minimum of 2 days before flashing a leak. We'd love to hear everyones thoughts on leaks and if they were caught up in this latest debacle.

 

[kokodroid]

Cheesecake Anyone...

This is the same reason why cheesecake is never recommended for general use... When there is a leak, chill, let it settle out. It's not a developer's ROM, so no one knows what's in it or what state it might leave you in. I'm a crackflasher, but ONLY on DEV ROMS... they know what's there and they can help recover.

 

[arparaspolo]

note to self.........NEVER, flash a leak! ...note taken dancedroid

 

[skostos]

So i was wondering what it is that shows up on the bricked device.. fastboot screen etc.. i know screen shots wont be available but if someone could take a picture or make a video.. i bet these devices can be exchanged for a warranty replacement from verizon.. if there is no way to access what is on the phone then there is no way they will be able to tell you that you cheated the system.. from my experience the techs that look through the phones at verizon seem to either do it randomly or at least with very little attention.. anyway i dont think they are being judged by moto techs by any means so i doubt they would be able to say that you all were flashing.. anyone down to try this? at least lets post some videos and see what is showing up on the phones.

 

[arparaspolo]

So i was wondering what it is that shows up on the bricked device.. fastboot screen etc.. i know screen shots wont be available but if someone could take a picture or make a video.. i bet these devices can be exchanged for a warranty replacement from verizon.. if there is no way to access what is on the phone then there is no way they will be able to tell you that you cheated the system.. from my experience the techs that look through the phones at verizon seem to either do it randomly or at least with very little attention.. anyway i dont think they are being judged by moto techs by any means so i doubt they would be able to say that you all were flashing.. anyone down to try this? at least lets post some videos and see what is showing up on the phones.

If video's and pictures start popping up on the internet, wouldn't that give Verizon tech's something to look for? Wouldn't that alert them to the problem? Just a thought. Like I said earlier, I have never flashed a leak and after this, I never will.

 

[Captmilk]

That picture is hilarious!!!!!

 

[skostos]

nah because thats what im looking for if there is no way to determine what happened.. then even if they see it it wont matter.. and they have to be able to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that you were flashing.. i have yet to hear of someone who has returned a phone for a replacement that didnt get replaced because of root.. really anything but water damage.. i wouldnt worry about pics and movies up here it will be gone in a couple days anyway

 

[aaf709]

I'm a stock android user just waiting on the legit ICS update to come out. What is the benefit of "jailbreaking" an android device...obviously we know what the harmful side effects can be. I'm sure i'm just not educated enough on the topic but my phone (Bionic) works just fine without performing brain surgery on it. Please explain what I may be missing out on besides an ability to remove all that crap Verizon says I need in my phone!

Thanks all!!!

It's like a car. Some use it to go from Point A to Point B and keep it stock. Others will put in seat covers, a new sound system and change the wheels. Others will slap in a Glasspack muffler and make changes to the engine.

With rooting you can, like you said, freeze or remove bloatware. You can change the clock speed. There are many apps (like Titanium Backup and battery calibration) that will only work with a rooted phone. You can also install ROMs to really customize your phone.

That being said, I've never rooted my Bionic, nor do I plan to. I bought Motorola because it had the Bionic, not the Bionic because it was made by Motorola. But what happened here has nothing to do with rooting. What they did was install an unofficial update instead of waiting for the OTA update. I've done that myself on both my OG Droid (the change from Eclair to Froyo) and Bionic with no problems. Again, no rooting is required; you simply put the file in the SD card and boot into recovery. The phone will install that file as if it got it OTA. The problem in this case is trying to go back. You can't go back by just uninstalling the update. This time there's no going back.

The Bionic should be getting the 5.9.904 update OTA in a few days. You can install it now by grabbing the file and installing it manually, like I mentioned before. Or you can wait. I plan to wait for this one.