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Topic: Operating Systems

Windows Phone 7 handsets incorporate jailbreak-rollback feature

Summary: It seems that jailbreaking Windows Phone 7 handsets isn't as straightforward as once thought, as the handsets feature a jailbreak-rollback feature that reverts the OS back to a locked state.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

By for Hardware 2.0 |

It seems that jailbreaking Windows Phone 7 handsets isn't as straightforward as once thought, as the handsets feature a jailbreak-rollback feature that reverts the OS back to a locked state.

Developers of the now revoked ChevronWP7 unlock tool confirm the existence of the relock feature:

Contrary to circulating reports, Windows Phone 7 devices unlocked via ChevronWP7 are not being targeted by Microsoft. Instead, the phone is reverting back as a result of a periodic check. Simply put, the phone rings Microsoft and asks “Hey, am I supposed to be unlocked?”. If Microsoft responds with a “No, what are you thinking?”, the phone apologizes and initiates a lock down.

After relocking, which happens after about two weeks, any sideloaded applications (that is, apps not downloaded and installed via the Marketplace) display the following message:

“[application name] has been revoked by Microsoft. Please uninstall it.”

Remember kids, it's not really YOUR handset.

Topics: Operating Systems, Hardware, Microsoft, Mobility, Software, Windows

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34 comments
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  • Ouch (nt)

    nt
    Hallowed are the Ori
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Windows Phone 7 handsets incorporate jailbreak-rollback feature

    Looks like the closest I can come to "choice" is an Android phone.
    bmgoodman
    Reply Vote

  • so if the library of congress

    says you can now legally unlock your phone what is microsoft doing?
    sportmac
    Reply Vote

    • It's legal

      @sportmac There's nothing that says that Microsoft cannot protect their property. Only that people can't be prosecuted for doing the jailbreaking. Microsoft is within their rights.
      superbus
      Reply Vote

      • The Phone Is Not Their Property

        @superbus
        The phone is not their property. It is the property of whoever bought it.

        Also, this underscores why the misnomer "intellectual property" is a dangerous invention of big corporations. The term "intellectual rights" would be much more apropos. You own the copy of a copyrighted work that you possess. You can sell it. You just don't have the right to redistribute copies of it. At least, that's always the way it's been in the past. These large corporations are trying to change that without actually changing any laws. A little sleight of hand on their part.
        CFWhitman
        Reply Vote

  • And people call me nuts

    For sticking with the tried and true Windows Mobile 6.5 platform, where there are NO rules as to what apps can and can't run, HardSPLing the phone takes less than 10 minutes, and is pretty sweet to use with TouchFLO3D. It's not a platform for everyone, but moving to the latest sometimes means moving away from the better.

    Joey
    voyager529
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Windows Phone 7 handsets incorporate jailbreak-rollback feature

    If you want smart phone features, you don't buy a Motorola i580 and expect it to run like a Blackberry. If you want to jail-break, you don't buy Windows Phone 7 and expect it to run like a Droid X. It's just a glorified Kin, they're marketing it to the elderly for a reason...If you really want freedom of choice and the full functionality of your phone, just get rid of the Windows phone, bite the bullet, and graduate to a big boy phone instead.
    Socratesfoot
    Reply Vote

    • To what?

      An Android Phone that might not get updates a year from now if certain people (not Google) decide it isn't worth it? Android is good, and getting better, but it has that glaring flaw. You might not get any update for a long time, or at all, and that's okay with your provider.

      Or maybe you meant the iPhone. I doubt it, since most people insult iDevice users... but you might have.
      Michael Alan Goff
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Windows Phone 7 handsets incorporate jailbreak-rollback feature

        @goff256 <br><br>Now take that same light and shine it on Wp7 and tell us how many "<a href="http://mobile.engadget.com/2010/12/07/windows-phone-7-limits-push-notifications-to-15-apps-16th-app-i/" target="_blank">glaring</a>" flaws you see. One, two, or too many to count?
        Alan Henry
        Reply Vote

      • Windows Phone 7?

        If I had to point out the flaws, the first would be the one that you linked. That's one that might haunt them for a while. Other people would point out multi-tasking, low app choice, cut and paste, but only one of those is really an issue.

        And cut and paste is coming "in the future".

        I would have to say that we should give WP7 a few more months before we get a large list of problems. Oh, and by the way... I didn't actually list a flaw with Android itself. I'm sure I could find some if I looked.
        Michael Alan Goff
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Windows Phone 7 handsets incorporate jailbreak-rollback feature

        @goff256

        <"An Android Phone that might not get updates a year from now">

        Why would I worry about that when I can root my android phone in a couple clicks, permanently, and then flash a ROM from a reputable private developer for free? Not to mention a ROM that's up to date and better than anything available stock?
        hortstu
        Reply Vote

  • WP7 provides necessary protections

    I can understand the frustration of a small percentage of users who want to tinker around with their phones as if they were desktop PCs, but there are excellent reasons for the lockdown. As an end-user your phone is protected from malicious software that could either cause major performance issues for your device or place fraudulent charges on your mobile account. From my perspective as a developer, it protects my investment in the WP7 platform by preventing my products from being stolen. This is also a benefit for end-users as well because if developers aren't getting a return on their investment into the platform, they will discontinue development for it.

    Have you ever wondered why that even though Android devices are selling in large numbers, there is a lack of quality applications available for it? This certainly isn't an issue with iOS. Serious developers are reluctant to invest a significant amount of energy into a platform that doesn't protect their intellectual property. Anyone heard of Netflix? Can anyone explain why its available on both iOS and WP7, but not Android? Lack of safeguards for protecting media and platform fragmentation perhaps?
    Tiggster
    Reply Vote

    • WP7 provides necessary protections

      @Tiggster

      There is a prophylactic for that. ;)
      Alan Henry
      Reply Vote

    • Remind me to pastebin this...

      @Tiggster...

      -Just because users like myself WANT the technological ability to run apps other than those that are Microsoft blessed doesn't mean that we have insecure platforms. It simply means that we are taking that responsibility into our own hands, with all the caveats and benefits thereof. I've modded every phone I've ever owned, from my Nokia 3585i to my 6800, 6101, then got the HTC Dash, the iPhone (1st gen), the HTC Rhodium (Touch Pro2), and soon the Leo (HD2). Work has issued me a Blackberry Curve 8330, an HTC Titan (Verizon VX6800), and most recently a Droid Incredible, and all of THOSE have been rooted/HardSPL'd as well (except the curve). Between all of those handsets, I've never once found myself running malicious software, nor do I know of a single one of my friends who has. If this is your argument for the benefits of end users who jailbreak their phones, it's a pretty shoddy one.

      -If you're worried about jailbreakers running pirated versions of your software, then you may want to consider taking another statistics class. If 1% of iPhone users buy your program, and another 1% pirate it, you're still coming out FAR better than if 10% of WP7 users buy your app and another 10% pirate it. I don't pirate a single program on my desktop, laptop, or either of my phones, but I don't buy everything in the app store, either. Then again, are any of the apps you've developed run on WinMo 6.5?

      -There may be a higher SNR with Android than with iOS, but there are some extremely good applications for the Android platform. I love me my purchased copies of Sleepy Commuter, Robo Defense, Titanium Backup, and ROM Manager - the last one being a tool DESIGNED TO FACILITATE ROOTING. Yet those devs manage to keep their rent paid.

      -I've heard of Netflix. I subscribe to it. Don't compare yourself to them. Netflix is subject to the will of Big Media, the ABC's, FOX's, Disney's, MGM's, and Paramount's of the world. THEY are the ones who are of the twisted mindset that people who are paying for Netflix would come up with a means of pirating the films, and do so at the exclusion of the alive-and-kicking methods that presently exist. It takes all of 5 minutes of Google searching to find a 1080p Blu-Ray (i.e. the unbreakable DRM) rip of a film, an hour to download it (bandwidth depending), and another unattended half hour to transcode it to .mp4 for viewing on basically any device. Alternatively, there are plenty of sources out there that have the films pre-encoded for mobile devices. The only way that you can compare yourself to Netflix is if 1.) your app has a symbiotic relationship with Big Content, or 2.) you're under the exact same delusion that the phone's DRM will magically stop determined pirates.

      -Here's a nickel's worth of free advice for you: Based on this post, I wouldn't want to be your customer. I sense no desire for mutual respect, and I cringe at the thought as to what I'd get from you if I ever needed support. If you're more insecure than the platforms you're not writing for, and if you don't trust me enough to do right by you, then don't expect a dime of my money.

      Pirates aren't your customers. The best thing you can do is make your customers feel like they've spent their money wisely, that they're listened to, and that their problems have been solved using your software. What you'll get in return is free publicity that you can't buy. You'll always have people determined to use your software without paying for it. Treating potential customers - and actual customers - the same way will ensure that mobile development isn't sustainable for you.

      Joey
      voyager529
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Windows Phone 7 handsets incorporate jailbreak-rollback feature

      @Tiggster obviously you dont believe in open source development and just want to maximise profit - how many decent free games, applications, music and films are there in Marketplace - just like iStore the decent free apps will just be an excuse to hook people into buying something. There is no such thing as a free lunch but with more goodwill there could be
      cymru999
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Windows Phone 7 handsets incorporate jailbreak-rollback feature

      @Tiggster the lack of a netflix app for android is because since Android is free and open there cannot be drm built into it. Therefore they have to work with hardware developers to incorporate some other type of drm into specific handsets to make it work. Personally I think this is good. DRM sucks. It benefits nobody, the hackers crack it, and the regular users have to jump through hoops to get and deal with their content. And there are plenty of quality apps on Android.
      Jimster480
      Reply Vote

  • So Adrian, is this good or bad?

    Today, you make it sound like this is a [b]bad[/b] thing that MS is relocking WP7 phones with your snarky:
    [i]Remember kids, it?s not really YOUR handset.[/i]

    Last week though, you chided MS for not protecting WP7 developers:
    http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/windows-phone-7-jailbreak-tool-disappears-but-more-will-follow/10589
    [i]Microsoft doesn?t seem to have put much effort into building effective safeguards into WP7 to protect developers from being ripped off, and now it seems that those developers who took a leap of faith will be the ones to pay the price.[/i]

    So if we are to believe Adrian, MS is evil for not protecting WP7 developers by not protecting against jailbreaking and now they are evil for protecting WP7 developers by protecting against jailbreaking.

    Adrian, you are a joke.
    NonZealot
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Windows Phone 7 handsets incorporate jailbreak-rollback feature

      @NonZealot
      LOL you just b-slapped him into next week!
      Loverock Davidson
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Windows Phone 7 handsets incorporate jailbreak-rollback feature

        @Loverock Davidson

        Hello Loverock Davidson, how are you doing?
        Alan Henry
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Windows Phone 7 handsets incorporate jailbreak-rollback feature

      @NonZealot

      Thank you, I wanted to bring this up.

      Adrian, I get that this is a blog and it's an opinion piece. But right now you look either:

      an idiot who flip flops around day to day news piece to news piece...

      or

      a blogger that believes that his readership consists of idiots who can't remember where the power button on their computer is.

      I am not sure which it is, but I have decided that your blog is like a train-wreck: I can't seem to look away. Whichever you are, I guess it has worked.
      mep01378
      Reply Vote
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