BLU releases software fix for bricked Life One X2 phones, but it may not work for everyone

BLU is having a pretty rough week. After issuing a software update that essentially bricked one of their devices, the Life One X2, the Florida-based budget smartphone retailer has been virtually silent on the issue. Yesterday, BLU announced a software fix for users that have been locked out of their phones for a week. Unfortunately, it may not be a viable solution for a large portion of affected users.

The software update released last week came with a bug that prevented users from finishing the update installation, rendering the phone completely useless. Many users were left with bricked devices, and some resorted to a factory reset in order to fix the problem, losing all their data in the process. After about a week of radio silence, BLU went to Twitter and Facebook yesterday to announce they had developed a fix for the issue, but there are quite a few caveats.

First, affected users will have to email a dedicated account ([email protected]) to receive the software solution. Once the software is downloaded via the email from BLU, users will have to load it onto a microSD card, insert the card into their phone, and execute the code. This is a fairly involved process to get a fix to a phone-breaking problem, and it may require some financial outlay for customers that don’t own a microSD card. It’s also interesting that BLU is resorting to an email chain to deliver the fix instead of a publically accessible link, which would be much more convenient for affected customers.

The cherry on top is that this solution may not be viable for all affected users. Obviously, those that performed a factory reset are out of luck; user data that is wiped when a phone is factory reset is permanently lost unless it was backed up externally. Also, users that attempted to enter their PIN multiple times during the update process won’t be able to use this fix. The phone would lock itself after too many failed PIN entry attempts, and with no access to the phone’s firmware (as it’s essentially stuck in an update process), the device is nothing more than a paperweight.

BLU customers are understandably upset. Many users flocked to BLU’s Twitter and Facebook pages, criticizing the company for its lengthy response time, for not releasing the fix through a public link, and for the requirement to purchase a microSD card, among other complaints. Some customers also pointed out that Amazon may buy back BLU devices that were affected by the update bug, and one user has claimed that there will be a class action suit against BLU, although we could not confirm either of these details at press time.

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