There is a security check on newer Moto phones, if you ever root your phone they know. — @P3Droid August 25, 2012
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When going into the recovery manager on these devices, there is a small code on the left below the options. It states "q/e" and then has a ratio behind it. If you're holding a phone coded qe 0/0, you're holding a non rooted device. For devices coded qe 0/1, you're holding a formerly rooted device, and of course qe 1/1 means the device in your hand is currently rooted. There is one obvious reason why this code is displayed, and that is for warranty service. Naturally we all know that rooting these phones voids out that warranty, but this checker helps the carrier in determining if a customer has unrooted a device for service, enabling them to therefore deny service.
Similar root checkers have been seen on many Samsung devices as well, but Chainfire found a creative way (app) to trick the firmware, get rid of that pesky triangle, and reset the flash count to 0. I would have to think that someone will find a similar fix on these Droid devices as well. This leaves a bad taste in my mouth regarding devices on Verizon, but we all know the risks that we take and we know the pressure these carriers face in maintaining low overhead so they can maximize their profits and not lose any of it to us deviant phone hackers.
Was this boot checker placed on these phones at the behest of Verizon? Is Motorola still out of touch despite now being owned by Google? Are there people working on a workaround? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
Huge hat tip to @P3Droid, Chainfire, and all of you in the trenches working to save the enthusiast community from the increasingly complex traps the industry puts in our way.
