this post was submitted on 24 Aug 2023
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Technology
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Wow, I had no idea about this efuse things. That's absolutely terrible. Is it's only function to alert you of the bootloader being unlocked?
No, Samsung's KNOX security system checks the eFuse state for various functions, and if the eFuse is blown, it'll disable several Samsung features, such as Secure Folder, Private Browsing in the Samsung browser, Samsung Pay, Samsung Pass etc. You cannot restore these features even if you flash the stock firmware and relock the bootloader.
Presumably, Google Pay, Firefox, etc. all continue to work, so do I really care if Samsung's web browser and mobile payment system is broken? (sincere question)
The answer depends entirely on whether you use/prefer them to alternatives.
Oh, so it's just Samsung applications that stop functioning properly. I think most people installing an alternative OS are trying to get away from that stuff anyways. I can also see why somebody wouldn't want to do that though.
The issue is it also voids your warranty. So suppose your brand new, expensive Samsung phone develops a hardware fault, they could deny repair because your warranty is now technically void.
And it also affects the resale value. The person you're selling to in the future, might not want to use a custom ROM, and they might actually want to use those Samsung features.
It's a genuinely good security feature, but wrecks custom roms as a side effect (which I'm sure samsung doesn't mind)