Why Mediatek don’t share source code, and why they should!


scumbag mediatek

Mediatek are in the headlines again for keeping the source code for the Omate Truesmart watch to themselves, but the problems run deeper than that.

As we all know, any manufacturer which produces an Android smartphone/device should release the kernel source code as part of the GPL agreements. Generally there are companies which do this quickly, those who stall and eventually release, and those who keep their money grabbing hands locked tightly together.

mediatek

Mediatek are the money grabbing type and to date have not released source code for their current chipsets which include the quad-core MT6582, MT6589(T), octacore MT6592 etc. What is worrying is that these are the processors found in many of the Chinese phones we report on on a daily basis!

Why do we need Mediatek Source Code?

As Adam Outler describes over on XDA, one of the major reasons we need Source Code for Mediatek phones is to fix the problems which Mediatek have ignored. Security issues, problems with Bluetooth, and GPS (as we have all learned) could be easily fixed by a community of developers! Patches can then be created and distributed to everyone so we an all enjoy a secure, up to date Mediatek experience, not to mention possible 3rd party roms like OMNI ROM, Cyanogenmod and others could be ported.

Why don’t Mediatek release Source Code?

Mediatek will happily release the source code for their processors but at a price (which is against the GPL policies Android is distributed under). You can contact Mediatek now and pay for a license for your chip, but how many thousands of $ would they ask we don’t know, and the fact is it should be free.

jiayu g4 specification

Gizchina News of the week


Mediatek don’t want to offer source code as it forces customers to upgrade their phones to the next version with the latest processor. For example if we take a look at a quad-core MT6589T phone with 2GB RAM we can see it is most likely running Android 4.2, the phone is more than capable of 4.4 (and higher) but the chances of an official update are slim! Customers wanting the latest Android OS are forced to buy a newer phone!

Read Also:  MediaTek Dimensity 8200 has been detailed, to be a minor upgrade

Why don’t manufacturers do something?

Mediatek processors power the majority of Chinese phones plus a few European and Indian phones. Larger companies could (in theory) buy licences for each of the phones and supply customers so that development can be carried out. The problem here though is that prices of the phone will rise considerably and this is not what buyers want.

omate truesmart colours

Smaller manufacturers in China, such as Omate, have a different problem. They don’t have an official deal with Mediatek but instead buy their chips in smaller quantities from a 3rd party source. This means no direct line with Mediatek and could mean additional fees will be required.

Why should Mediatek release the source code?

Releasing source code would;

  • Improve Mediatek’s public image.
  • Open up Mediatek products to a larger market share.
  • Save Mediatek money in development costs.
  • Ensure Mediatek phones have up to date firmware.
  • Ensure prompt security and bug fixes.
  • Allow 3rd party ROMs to be supported.
  • ETC

Mediatek will surely eventually change their minds about their source code policies, we just need to keep putting pressure on the company and the manufacturers which use their processors. Let’s all hope a change is sooner rather than later!

What do you think about this current Mediatek crisis? Let us know in the comments below.

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106 Comments

  1. tweetycontrabajo
    March 24, 2014

    Well, it is very unethical to do that.
    They don’t even have brilliant developers, stock firmwares full of bugs and stuff.
    And our phones desearve Kitkat, is about time to have the update.
    they don’t do it, and don’t let developers do.
    ;(

  2. Tux
    March 24, 2014

    Sounds like it is time for the FFS to take legal action against Mediatek, to enforce compliance with the GPL. They already successful enforced GPL compliance of thickheaded companies in other cases in Europe as well as in the US and Mediatek has offices in both locations.

    • zihotki
      March 24, 2014

      Does anybody know what needs to be done to make that happen? Can we somehow organize and write an open letter or whatever to FFS asking to do that?

    • Gaurav Arora
      March 25, 2014

      The sad part is that MediaTek is based out of China, and the lawsuit would have to be placed in the Chinese courts. How much will that mount to or how far it’ll go is very hard to tell…

      • Brian
        March 25, 2014

        MediaTek is based in Taiwan.

        • Gaurav Arora
          March 26, 2014

          Oh yes, I do stand corrected, MediaTek has its HQ in Hsinchu, Taiwan.

    • arty
      March 25, 2014

      but it can ban this chip from countries other than CN and this is a serious threat.

  3. zihotki
    March 24, 2014

    For afore mentioned issues (gps, bluetooth, etc.) I’m thinking to switch to more expensive phones based on Qualcomm :(. And from developer point of view Mtk makes stupid things, instead of creating the community and relying on it they try to put it in cuffs, also from economic point of view of a user at the end it could be that cost of owning Mtk based phone (no updates, no fixes, etc.) will be greater than owning a more expensive but more open one.

  4. $2548414
    March 25, 2014

    Generally people in the know have been avoiding Mediatek based phones..only because of issues raised by gizchina..now time to totally avoid Mediatek..

  5. Xiaolu
    March 25, 2014

    Share code + agreement with Ubuntu and I’m in.

    Smartphone sells are reaching their limit (slowly, that’s true), soon sharing code and upgrading will be the best ways to sell more phones. Open platforms would rock then (with Android OS as leader, obviously).

  6. Guest
    March 25, 2014

    Well, it is very unethical to do that.
    They don’t even have brilliant developers, stock firmwares full of bugs and stuff.
    And our phones desearve Kitkat, is about time to have the update.
    they don’t do it, and don’t let developers do.
    ;(

  7. Guest
    March 25, 2014

    Sounds like it is time for the FFS to take legal action against Mediatek, to enforce compliance with the GPL. They already successful enforced GPL compliance of thickheaded companies in other cases in Europe as well as in the US and Mediatek has offices in both locations.

    • zihotki
      March 25, 2014

      Does anybody know what needs to be done to make that happen? Can we somehow organize and write an open letter or whatever to FFS asking to do that?

    • Gaurav Arora
      March 25, 2014

      The sad part is that MediaTek is based out of China, and the lawsuit would have to be placed in the Chinese courts. How much will that mount to or how far it’ll go is very hard to tell…

  8. Guest
    March 25, 2014

    Sounds like it is time for the FFS to take legal action against Mediatek, to enforce compliance with the GPL. They already successful enforced GPL compliance of thickheaded companies in other cases in Europe as well as in the US and Mediatek has offices in both locations.

    • zihotki
      March 25, 2014

      Does anybody know what needs to be done to make that happen? Can we somehow organize and write an open letter or whatever to FFS asking to do that?

    • Gaurav Arora
      March 25, 2014

      The sad part is that MediaTek is based out of China, and the lawsuit would have to be placed in the Chinese courts. How much will that mount to or how far it’ll go is very hard to tell…

    • Guest
      March 25, 2014

      but it can ban this chip from countries other than CN and this is a serious threat.

    • Guest
      March 25, 2014

      but it can ban this chip from countries other than CN and this is a serious threat.

    • Guest
      March 25, 2014

      MediaTek is based in Taiwan.

    • Gaurav Arora
      March 26, 2014

      Oh yes, I do stand corrected, MediaTek has its HQ in Hsinchu, Taiwan.

  9. zihotki
    March 25, 2014

    For afore mentioned issues (gps, bluetooth, etc.) I’m thinking to switch to more expensive phones based on Qualcomm :(. And from developer point of view Mtk makes stupid things, instead of creating the community and relying on it they try to put it in cuffs, also from economic point of view of a user at the end it could be that cost of owning Mtk based phone (no updates, no fixes, etc.) will be greater than owning a more expensive but more open one.

  10. Mihnea Perianu
    March 25, 2014

    How do we put pressure on Mediatek? Write them emails? I own a C2 Platinum and is very frustrating to see the same old 4.2.1 version on any ROM I install. Gizchina MUST write about this all the time, maybe in the near future Mediatek will listen to majority. I love Mediatek and low cost performance, but I need latest Android on my devices.

  11. lokiisyourmaster
    March 25, 2014

    I love the low cost performance MTK offers, but with my current phone being Nexus 4 with daily CyanogenMod updates, I’m pretty sure my next phone won’t be MediaTek-based.

  12. Guest
    March 25, 2014

    Generally people in the know have been avoiding Mediatek based phones..only because of issues raised by gizchina..now time to totally avoid Mediatek..

  13. highwind
    March 25, 2014

    Beating on a dead horse again…

    Fact #1:
    Far over 90% of all smartphone user absolutely do not care about, Android version, updates, custom roms and the likes.

    Fact #2:
    Currently not even 10% of all Android devices run 4.3 or 4.4!
    About 35% run 4.1 and another 25% run 2.x, so with a 4.2 Mediatek Smartphone you are more up to date than the fast majority of Android users.

    • Gaurav Arora
      March 25, 2014

      It’s not just about updates or custom ROMs, it’s a lot about buggy device functions due to poorly managed codes, with Bluetooth and GPS being the famous defaulters in MediaTek chips.

      • highwind
        March 25, 2014

        You are right that some Mediatek based phones have these problems and that it is probably because of poorly coded roms… But with choosing a quality brand and/or well tested smartphone you can usually avoid this.

        It is just that I dont see any point in this “discussion” – Mediatek has chosen to not share source code and this is a well known fact for quite some time… we can deal with it or buy something else.
        Or in other words:^
        Would it be nicer for us if they did? – Probably yes
        Will they do if we demand it? – Probably not

    • toioioio
      March 25, 2014

      id say casual users do not care about updates,because they do know,they exist and that is because,phone makers,suck big time at this particular thing,by not offering any.
      mtk phones are plagued by problems that could be very easily solved,provided there was an open code to work on…
      By the way,if i wanted a locked phone,id go for IOS not android.

  14. Gaurav Arora
    March 25, 2014

    Hi Andi, do you have any intel on $/microchip (dollar per chip) price MediaTek offers? Let’s say for a basic quad-core MT6589 chip?

  15. Xiaolu
    March 25, 2014

    Share code + agreement with Ubuntu and I’m in.

    Smartphone sells are reaching their limit (slowly, that’s true), soon sharing code and upgrading will be the best ways to sell more phones. Open platforms would rock then (with Android OS as leader, obviously).

  16. Krida
    March 25, 2014

    i hope Google make a move for this case.. since Google is android creator and MTK applied in many android device (almost all MTK chipsets run android)

    please google… do something

  17. Peter Pan
    March 25, 2014

    Well… then maybe YOU (Andi) should start to boycot MTK. I guess GizChina is one of the biggest advertisement platforms for MTK phone buyers outside of China. Add a huge banner to each article about MTK phones that it is actually a non-legal product. And by buying those phones you are involved in the whole non-legal process yuorself too.

    Or maybe start a petition. Or both?

  18. OnlyMe999
    March 25, 2014

    Google needs to start suing GPL violators.

  19. Marius Cirsta
    March 25, 2014

    I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. This is not a problem strictly related to Mediatek but with Chinese phone manufacturers.
    I’ve bought 3 Chinese phones that don’t have Mediatek SOCs , 2 with Qualcomm SOS and one with an Ericsson SOC. Did I get the source code ? Absolutely not. Does Qualcomm stop manufacturers from providing the source code ? I don’t really think so.
    It’s not Mediatek’s responsibility to share the source code, it’s the phone manufacturer’s. Lenovo for instance provides the source code the their MTK6582 based A680 here:
    http://download.lenovo.com/consumer/open_source_code/lenovo_a680_open_source_20140211.rar
    So yes, you can respect the GPL even if you have a Mediatek SOC and you can not respect it even if you have a Qualcomm. Pressure should be put on the phone manufacturers which simply refuse the respect the GPL in China. Even Lenovo only respects the GPL for phone which they sell outside of China only.

  20. Mihnea Perianu
    March 25, 2014

    How do we put pressure on Mediatek? Write them emails? I own a C2 Platinum and is very frustrating to see the same old 4.2.1 version on any ROM I install. Gizchina MUST write about this all the time, maybe in the near future Mediatek will listen to majority. I love Mediatek and low cost performance, but I need latest Android on my devices.

  21. Zeca
    March 25, 2014

    The success of the Mediatek is the result of slowness and incompetence of Qualcomm. If the Qualcomm were fast and develop cheaper and effective products, the Mediatek, possibly, would be other conduct.

  22. lokiisyourmaster
    March 25, 2014

    I love the low cost performance MTK offers, but with my current phone being Nexus 4 with daily CyanogenMod updates, I’m pretty sure my next phone won’t be MediaTek-based.

  23. provokanter Tabellenführer
    March 25, 2014

    Beating on a dead horse again…

    Fact #1:
    Far over 90% of all smartphone user absolutely do not care about, Android version, updates, custom roms and the likes.

    Fact #2:
    Currently not even 10% of all Android devices run 4.3 or 4.4!
    About 35% run 4.1 and another 25% run 2.x, so with a 4.2 Mediatek Smartphone you are more up to date than the fast majority of Android users.

    • Gaurav Arora
      March 25, 2014

      It’s not just about updates or custom ROMs, it’s a lot about buggy device functions due to poorly managed codes, with Bluetooth and GPS being the famous defaulters in MediaTek chips.

    • provokanter Tabellenführer
      March 25, 2014

      You are right that some Mediatek based phones have these problems and that it is probably because of poorly coded roms… But with choosing a quality brand and/or well tested smartphone you can usually avoid this.

      It is just that I dont see any point in this “discussion” – Mediatek has chosen to not share source code and this is a well known fact for quite some time… we can deal with it or buy something else.
      Or in other words:^
      Would it be nicer for us if they did? – Probably yes
      Will they do if we demand it? – Probably not

    • toioioio
      March 26, 2014

      id say casual users do not care about updates,because they do know,they exist and that is because,phone makers,suck big time at this particular thing,by not offering any.
      mtk phones are plagued by problems that could be very easily solved,provided there was an open code to work on…
      By the way,if i wanted a locked phone,id go for IOS not android.

  24. Gaurav Arora
    March 25, 2014

    Hi Andi, do you have any intel on $/microchip (dollar per chip) price MediaTek offers? Let’s say for a basic quad-core MT6589 chip?

  25. Guest
    March 25, 2014

    i hope Google make a move for this case.. since Google is android creator and MTK applied in many android device (almost all MTK chipsets run android)

    please google… do something

  26. Guest
    March 25, 2014

    Well… then maybe YOU (Andi) should start to boycot MTK. I guess GizChina is one of the biggest advertisement platforms for MTK phone buyers outside of China. Add a huge banner to each article about MTK phones that it is actually a non-legal product. And by buying those phones you are involved in the whole non-legal process yuorself too.

    Or maybe start a petition. Or both?

  27. OnlyMe999
    March 25, 2014

    Google needs to start suing GPL violators.

  28. Marius Cirsta
    March 25, 2014

    I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. This is not a problem strictly related to Mediatek but with Chinese phone manufacturers.
    I’ve bought 3 Chinese phones that don’t have Mediatek SOCs , 2 with Qualcomm SOS and one with an Ericsson SOC. Did I get the source code ? Absolutely not. Does Qualcomm stop manufacturers from providing the source code ? I don’t really think so.
    It’s not Mediatek’s responsibility to share the source code, it’s the phone manufacturer’s. Lenovo for instance provides the source code the their MTK6582 based A680 here:
    http://download.lenovo.com/consumer/open_source_code/lenovo_a680_open_source_20140211.rar
    So yes, you can respect the GPL even if you have a Mediatek SOC and you can not respect it even if you have a Qualcomm. Pressure should be put on the phone manufacturers which simply refuse the respect the GPL in China. Even Lenovo only respects the GPL for phone which they sell outside of China only.

  29. noname
    March 25, 2014

    I can’t really think how innacurate things are presented here. This problem persists since the birth of wireless communication. Mediatek does not give a dime (not using a stronger word) for the applications processor software. The one BIG matter that every company that produces this kind of chips is the BASEBAND!!!!! Noone has released anything (*does not mean that it hasn’t leaked) and noone will ever do. So, please don’t waste my time reading children articles like this…. Please do look deeper to see where the problem is and why they don’t share anything. A hit would be that Mediatek shares the baseband with the applications processor in the same chip, so no more talks…. Figure out by yourself what’s going on.

  30. Abdu
    March 25, 2014

    No More Mediatek phones.. no more for me. good phone, but not good support. No More Mediatek phones

  31. Guest
    March 25, 2014

    The success of the Mediatek is the result of slowness and incompetence of Qualcomm. If the Qualcomm were fast and develop cheaper and effective products, the Mediatek, possibly, would be other conduct.

  32. Guest
    March 25, 2014

    I can’t really think how innacurate things are presented here. This problem persists since the birth of wireless communication. Mediatek does not give a dime (not using a stronger word) for the applications processor software. The one BIG matter that every company that produces this kind of chips is the BASEBAND!!!!! Noone has released anything (*does not mean that it hasn’t leaked) and noone will ever do. So, please don’t waste my time reading children articles like this…. Please do look deeper to see where the problem is and why they don’t share anything. A hit would be that Mediatek shares the baseband with the applications processor in the same chip, so no more talks…. Figure out by yourself what’s going on.

  33. Guest
    March 25, 2014

    No More Mediatek phones.. no more for me. good phone, but not good support. No More Mediatek phones

  34. monstercameron
    March 26, 2014

    selling the source isnt against the gpl…shipping the binary and denying the source is.

  35. monstercameron
    March 26, 2014

    selling the source isnt against the gpl…shipping the binary and denying the source is.

  36. HarHarMahadev
    March 26, 2014

    Andi is there a petition raised for releasing source code? If not can you help to raise one on behalf of all 🙂 we will try hard to get the signup!!!!

    • March 26, 2014

      Yes, I have seen many many petitions. Mediatek haven’t budged yet though.

  37. Guest
    March 26, 2014

    Andi is there a petition raised for releasing source code? If not can you help to raise one on behalf of all 🙂 we will try hard to get the signup!!!!

    • Andi Sykes
      March 27, 2014

      Yes, I have seen many many petitions. Mediatek haven’t budged yet though.

  38. HarHarMahadev
    March 27, 2014

    Guys here is the petition link http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/aosp-support-for-mediatek-devices/

    Try to bring in more crowd to sign, All the best!!! Hope we get signups faster… 🙂

  39. Guest
    March 27, 2014

    Guys here is the petition link http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/aosp-support-for-mediatek-devices/

    Try to bring in more crowd to sign, All the best!!! Hope we get signups faster… 🙂

  40. Jakemeister
    April 22, 2014

    The problem i suspect its the proprietary Dual SIM technology that mediatek holds a market leading position in developing nations favoring a dual sim lifestyle.. releasing this source code will reveal the golden nugget to competitors…

    Unless the landscape changes, competitors catching up on dual sims or the advent of single sim multi phone numbers tech, I think Mediatek will continue to keep delaying this release…

  41. Guest
    April 22, 2014

    The problem i suspect its the proprietary Dual SIM technology that mediatek holds a market leading position in developing nations favoring a dual sim lifestyle.. releasing this source code will reveal the golden nugget to competitors…

    Unless the landscape changes, competitors catching up on dual sims or the advent of single sim multi phone numbers tech, I think Mediatek will continue to keep delaying this release…

  42. Choong Kon Keong
    April 25, 2014

    very simple! stop buying phone with MT in it! Period! There’s so many choices out there!

    • Ocenyx
      August 1, 2014

      MT chips has wasted potential. Too bad.

  43. Choong Kon Keong
    April 25, 2014

    very simple! stop buying phone with MT in it! Period! There’s so many choices out there!

    • Guest
      August 1, 2014

      MT chips has wasted potential. Too bad.

  44. Ryan Tine
    May 30, 2014

    Thanks for the heads up! Our CEO won’t do business with companies which refuse the release of code under a free software license. Will make sure he knows about Mediatek’s position.

  45. Ryan Tine
    May 31, 2014

    Thanks for the heads up! Our CEO won’t do business with companies which refuse the release of code under a free software license. Will make sure he knows about Mediatek’s position.

  46. Mika
    September 30, 2014

    MediaTek will not, and I repeat will not release their code.
    Why? The answer couldn’t be simpler: Money!

    By NOT releasing the source code, MediaTek can control the lifespan on their chipsets, and therefore they can control the lifespan on devices that has been released.
    By having a controlled lifespan, MediaTek can re-relase new incarnations of their chipsets, and with that manufacturers can/will/must sell updated devices.

    A device that have a fully open source have a WAY too long lifespan, and that is not good for the chipset makers nor the manufacturers.

    What can we, the customers, do?
    Simple: Boycott MediaTek based devices.
    They are not good for us. No matter how cheap they are. Even less good for the environment, as we have to throw away a perfectly good device that would have been fully working if it was possible to update it beyond the intended lifespan.

  47. Mika
    September 30, 2014

    MediaTek will not, and I repeat will not release their code.
    Why? The answer couldn’t be simpler: Money!

    By NOT releasing the source code, MediaTek can control the lifespan on their chipsets, and therefore they can control the lifespan on devices that has been released.
    By having a controlled lifespan, MediaTek can re-relase new incarnations of their chipsets, and with that manufacturers can/will/must sell updated devices.

    A device that have a fully open source have a WAY too long lifespan, and that is not good for the chipset makers nor the manufacturers.

    What can we, the customers, do?
    Simple: Boycott MediaTek based devices.
    They are not good for us. No matter how cheap they are. Even less good for the environment, as we have to throw away a perfectly good device that would have been fully working if it was possible to update it beyond the intended lifespan.

  48. Archies
    January 15, 2015

    Fuck off mediatek.

  49. Guest
    January 16, 2015

    Fuck off mediatek.

  50. Arka Addy Chakraborty
    January 26, 2015

    I didn’t knew about this scheme of mediatek, or else i wouldn’t have bought this redmi note 3g.Anyways mediatek is going to have one less user from tomorrow….

  51. Arka Addy Chakraborty
    January 26, 2015

    I didn’t knew about this scheme of mediatek, or else i wouldn’t have bought this redmi note 3g.Anyways mediatek is going to have one less user from tomorrow….

  52. Paul Gavrikov
    March 22, 2015

    Same goes for RockChip, still no one cares. In Germany one company was sued. They had to pay a $5500 penalty… ridiculous!
    There is a list of all black sheeps: http://gpl-violations.org/

  53. Paul Gavrikov
    March 22, 2015

    Same goes for RockChip, still no one cares. In Germany one company was sued. They had to pay a $5500 penalty… ridiculous!
    There is a list of all black sheeps: http://gpl-violations.org/

  54. txemafocus
    April 1, 2015

    tengo Elephone P3000S y no vuelvo a comprar un teléfono con Mediatek

  55. Guest
    April 1, 2015

    tengo Elephone P3000S y no vuelvo a comprar un teléfono con Mediatek

  56. Mark Elgene Palino
    May 28, 2015

    mediatek based phone is hard to debug just because of no source code. we developers have to decompile each of them and check everything.

  57. Mark Elgene Palino
    May 28, 2015

    mediatek based phone is hard to debug just because of no source code. we developers have to decompile each of them and check everything.

  58. Mark Elgene Palino
    May 28, 2015

    mediatek based phone is hard to debug just because of no source code. we developers have to decompile each of them and check everything.

  59. Chris Smith
    August 26, 2015

    Lets convince them otherwise. I realise this article is old but lets change this.
    https://www.change.org/p/ming-kai-tsai-mediatek-to-release-their-kernels

  60. Chris Smith
    August 26, 2015

    Lets convince them otherwise. I realise this article is old but lets change this.
    https://www.change.org/p/ming-kai-tsai-mediatek-to-release-their-kernels

  61. ocdhd
    September 7, 2015

    I own a mediatek device, there is no custom ROM, no custom kernel, and the only way to root it is with malware infested Chinese software that WILL steal your IMEI and other information. All of that software requires an internet connection prior to rooting. You cannot make any changes to your software to fix any bugs. You cannot make backups easily. Cannot install custom Recovery and can not unlock the bootloader. I urge people to look into what they are buying and stay away from anything with a mediatek processor in it. Only buy Open source and by that I mean, Open Source all the way. Android may be open source, but the Drivers/Kernel etc that runs underneath by mediatek is not open source. This practice should be considered illegal. Ofcourse dumb people will not read or learn, so the best thing to do is to stop anyone dumb that you know from buying mediatek. Money is the reason, they do not want long lives for phones or problems to be fixed. Selling 10 phones for $100, every year, is better than someone buying a nice flag ship for $500, and stick with it for 3-4 years. More people will buy the $100 device and upgrade more often. Mediatek business model, is a greed scam.

  62. ocdhd
    September 7, 2015

    I own a mediatek device, there is no custom ROM, no custom kernel, and the only way to root it is with malware infested Chinese software that WILL steal your IMEI and other information. All of that software requires an internet connection prior to rooting. You cannot make any changes to your software to fix any bugs. You cannot make backups easily. Cannot install custom Recovery and can not unlock the bootloader. I urge people to look into what they are buying and stay away from anything with a mediatek processor in it. Only buy Open source and by that I mean, Open Source all the way. Android may be open source, but the Drivers/Kernel etc that runs underneath by mediatek is not open source. This practice should be considered illegal. Ofcourse dumb people will not read or learn, so the best thing to do is to stop anyone dumb that you know from buying mediatek. Money is the reason, they do not want long lives for phones or problems to be fixed. Selling 10 phones for $100, every year, is better than someone buying a nice flag ship for $500, and stick with it for 3-4 years. More people will buy the $100 device and upgrade more often. Mediatek business model, is a greed scam.

  63. Blog do M4rQu1Nh0S
    September 22, 2015

    this MediaShift limit the user to explore your devices and know other systems and other modding android project… we need know that chinese brands never looking for the best experience to the user.

  64. Blog do M4rQu1Nh0S
    September 23, 2015

    this MediaShift limit the user to explore your devices and know other systems and other modding android project… we need know that chinese brands never looking for the best experience to the user.

  65. November 13, 2015

    I agree, you convinced me to not buy any mediatek at all. Thanks for sharing. And you are totally right, OPEN-SOURCE IS THE FUTURE!! Come on MedaTek.

  66. Melroy van den Berg
    November 13, 2015

    I agree, you convinced me to not buy any mediatek at all. Thanks for sharing. And you are totally right, OPEN-SOURCE IS THE FUTURE!! Come on MedaTek.

  67. Peter Quest
    November 16, 2015

    i should have seen this post fell for an infocus phone with loaded features now its too hard too root and no custom roms or kernels for it …

  68. Peter Quest
    November 16, 2015

    i should have seen this post fell for an infocus phone with loaded features now its too hard too root and no custom roms or kernels for it …

  69. SaRPeR
    November 16, 2015

    MediaTek already shared their source code with every manufacturer.

    • October 16, 2016

      But not for the public, community based projects like Cyanogenmod ROM need to have this source as well.

  70. SaRPeR
    November 16, 2015

    MediaTek already shared their source code with every manufacturer.

    • Melroy van den Berg
      October 16, 2016

      But not for the public, community based projects like Cyanogenmod ROM need to have this source as well.

  71. Valentin Gheorghe
    October 3, 2016

    Another company that uses Mediatek chipset on their smartphones comes from Romania, by the name of ALLVIEW, a subsidiary of GIONEE.

    They also have the same practices.

    As an owner of several of their devices, I was able to maintain them, service them and improve their performance only because of my personal skills.

    But if you are a regular user, who does not know the whole potential of an Android device or maybe you don’t care too much, if you run into a problem with the software running on one of their devices you must turn to their service network that will handle the problem, more or less, but for a fee. Also in many cases, they will try to bullshit you that the problem occured because of your fault.

    Recently they released a new line of Android devices, running on MTK 64 bit chipsets and I politely asked them to release the official stock roms (including the scatter files) for these devices to be available to their curtomers, in case they want to restore their smart phones after a software problem or crash, and be able to make a backup in case something goes wrong.

    The ALLVIEW Support & Service Department spokesman – Daniel Sarbu, replied as follows:
    “For confidentiality reasons stock ROM products can not be offered.
    If you want a resoftare or dwngrade, these operations are performed in our authorized service workshops.”

    I sent a new request with the remark that this poses no privacy problem because they do not have license to Android OS, and ask them politely again to release the official stock roms for MTK 64 bit devices, for personal use of their customers. It is for the company to prove that a customer uses firmware for purposes other than for personal use or to earn money from selling it illegally. I also told them that is everyone’s choice if he wants to void the warranty of the product.
    I also told them that I reserve the right to refer to all institutions in law, to investigate these issues.
    More so, I tried several times to post reviews (with good and bad issues) about their products on their own pages, using a polite language and being as objective as possible, but it seems that they censor customer opinions before posting them, if they do not like the subject.

    I am still waiting for an answer from them regarding the issues presented above.

    So, I agree with the fact that they must be forced to release their roms to the customers, because from the moment you bought the device it becomes your property and you may do whatever you want with it.

  72. Valentin Gheorghe
    October 3, 2016

    Another company that uses Mediatek chipset on their smartphones comes from Romania, by the name of ALLVIEW, a subsidiary of GIONEE.

    They also have the same practices.

    As an owner of several of their devices, I was able to maintain them, service them and improve their performance only because of my personal skills.

    But if you are a regular user, who does not know the whole potential of an Android device or maybe you don’t care too much, if you run into a problem with the software running on one of their devices you must turn to their service network that will handle the problem, more or less, but for a fee. Also in many cases, they will try to bullshit you that the problem occured because of your fault.

    Recently they released a new line of Android devices, running on MTK 64 bit chipsets and I politely asked them to release the official stock roms (including the scatter files) for these devices to be available to their curtomers, in case they want to restore their smart phones after a software problem or crash, and be able to make a backup in case something goes wrong.

    The ALLVIEW Support & Service Department spokesman – Daniel Sarbu, replied as follows:
    “For confidentiality reasons stock ROM products can not be offered.
    If you want a resoftare or dwngrade, these operations are performed in our authorized service workshops.”

    I sent a new request with the remark that this poses no privacy problem because they do not have license to Android OS, and ask them politely again to release the official stock roms for MTK 64 bit devices, for personal use of their customers. It is for the company to prove that a customer uses firmware for purposes other than for personal use or to earn money from selling it illegally. I also told them that is everyone’s choice if he wants to void the warranty of the product.
    I also told them that I reserve the right to refer to all institutions in law, to investigate these issues.
    More so, I tried several times to post reviews (with good and bad issues) about their products on their own pages, using a polite language and being as objective as possible, but it seems that they censor customer opinions before posting them, if they do not like the subject.

    I am still waiting for an answer from them regarding the issues presented above.

    So, I agree with the fact that they must be forced to release their roms to the customers, because from the moment you bought the device it becomes your property and you may do whatever you want with it.

  73. ran
    December 2, 2016

    Hello,

    That’s very interesting.
    But I do see that kernel is released. see here:
    https://android.googlesource.com/kernel/mediatek/+/android-5.1.1_r0.16

    I need actually the kernel source for NO.1 D6.
    Is it the same as above ?
    Who need to provied it ? Is it NO.1 or mediatek ?
    Wwhat do I need to do to have the exact source of NO.1 D6 ?

  74. ran
    December 2, 2016

    Hello,

    That’s very interesting.
    But I do see that kernel is released. see here:
    https://android.googlesource.com/kernel/mediatek/+/android-5.1.1_r0.16

    I need actually the kernel source for NO.1 D6.
    Is it the same as above ?
    Who need to provied it ? Is it NO.1 or mediatek ?
    Wwhat do I need to do to have the exact source of NO.1 D6 ?

  75. Vr Epicist
    December 6, 2016

    I have learnt a lesson after buying redmi note 2, no more mediatek again

    • Lwlos
      December 8, 2016

      Same here , i got a redmi note 3. Phone is pretty good but im still on 5.0.1…

  76. Vr Epicist
    December 6, 2016

    I have learnt a lesson after buying redmi note 2, no more mediatek again

    • Lwlos
      December 9, 2016

      Same here , i got a redmi note 3. Phone is pretty good but im still on 5.0.1…

    • Chema Cantos García
      March 23, 2018

      … While Qualcomm version is getting Android 8 Ports already.

  77. Miroslav Kravec
    June 4, 2017

    I was thinking about obtaining Acer Chromebook R 13 as device for Chrome OS and ARM development/testing.

    But, MediaTek M8173C with closed-source drivers would probably cause a lot of pain in future…

  78. Miroslav Kravec
    June 4, 2017

    I was thinking about obtaining Acer Chromebook R 13 as device for Chrome OS and ARM development/testing.

    But, MediaTek M8173C with closed-source drivers would probably cause a lot of pain in future…