Do the SamyGO tools void my warranty?

This is both true and false. Let's explain the situation.

Flashing hacked firmware onto your TV

Let's start with saying that flashing your TV with any kind of legally obtained software is always allowed. You bought your TV, paid for it, so you can do whatever you like with it. Also, you never signed a contract or agreed to a EULA stating that you will not interfere with the devices' firmware. You probably got your TV from an electronics store, unpacked it, plugged it in, switched it on and that was that. Furthermore, most of the software running on your TV is licensed under the (L)GPL version 2, so playing around with it is encouraged rather than restricted.

Some people think that FLASHING hacked firmware will avoid their warranty. Is that true? A Samsung television has a computer system in it, so, the TV basically is a specialized computer. What if you change the software of it? Will that void the devices' warranty?

For example, installing linux to your windows PC, will not void your warranty but you cannot sue the manufacturer about software defects because the device did not come with that software. But your device is still under warranty and if your mouse is broken or your CPU burns, these events should be covered by warranty. Also, you can reinstall windows to that PC at any time.

The same rule applies to our TV's. You can change the "software" of your TV without voiding your warranty. If you flash hacked firmware to the TV and if your remote controller is broken x days later, could samsung say that "its out of warranty because you flashed hacked firmware" ? If the problem arises due to hacked firmware, then that problem is not covered by warranty and you needed to repair it yourself, or at least at your own expense. You can revert your firmware back or might update the flash memory with official firmware. This will return your TV software to its original state. But if your "hardware" has defected, not because of our hacks, your device is under warranty and Samsung has to replace that failing part or the whole TV under warranty.

You can brick your television using our tools. You cannot sue Samsung about it, and cannot demand help from them because its your own fault and Samsung's warranty will not cover this. But you can recover your TV with an ExLink cable and with our help. We have had some bricked TV's and recovered them successfully. Use the SamyGO forum for support.

Using USB Applications (Content Library/Game)

Some people at the forum are scared about hacking firmware, but still want to use external applications. Do they void the devices' warranty? Basically, it's the same thing, hacking a program before execution or hacking a running program in memory. Both actions may void your warranty if the application harms your TV, and both do not void your warranty if they do not harm your device. That's all. Using the Content Applications from USB-stick are "undetectable" as opposed to flashing the TV with hacked firmware. So, some people think that they are on the safe side because service engineers cannot detect other Content Apps. If having flashed your TV poses a problem, you can twice flash your TV with original firmware (to remove the hacked version and the backup version) and manually remove created files at /mtd_rwarea/. This will make your device look like an untouched device again.

The USB method has a plus ( and it's a minus at the same time ): When you power off the device, changes are not saved. So if you do something stupid in USB scripts, your TV will survive (mostly). But this approach will require you to enter into the super-slow Content library menu at every boot of TV. If you flash faulty flash images and your TV gets bricked, you need to unbrick it by using an ExLink cable. This operation requires a considerable level of basic computer/operating system knowledge, but you can revive your TV with it. This situation will release lots of adrenaline into your body and will make you feel hot and cold at the same time.

I prefer using hacked firmware, so I am using it. Using patched firmware with Advanced mode, you can mount your shares at boot time too...

Warning

I want to say again that SamyGO provides a guide to hack your device. We are not responsible for any damage on your device. Be aware of device warranty issues when you decide to use the SamyGO tools. Those are facts. Some service departments will try and discard these facts and may want to charge you anyway, by telling "your device is out of warranty" even if it is not, just because of money... When in doubt, check your country's consumer laws concerning warranty BEFORE you flash any non-Samsung software onto your device.