Motorola blocks phones sold through unauthorized channels in one country

Motorola is dealing with an unusual problem in Mexico. Unauthorized sales of its phones in the country have grown fivefold over the past three years. Despite repeated warnings, this practice hasn’t stopped. It has now decided to take strict action and disable those phones entirely, limiting their usage to making emergency calls only.

Motorola disables phones purchased through unauthorized channels in Mexico

The devices in question are illegally imported to Mexico from foreign territories. They don’t have regulatory approval for sale and use in the country. Motorola says this poses a security risk to the user of such phones as they don’t comply with all domestic standards and lack warranty policies. These phones may also fail to work properly on Mexican wireless networks due to the lack of official support.

As reported by Xataka, Motorola has been warning Mexicans against buying or using these “irregular” phones since at least May this year. It started sending a push notification saying “Your device is irregular because it does not comply with the regulations in Mexico.” However, unauthorized sales of Motorola phones continued in the country.  Consumers seemingly ignored the company’s warning.

The Lenovo-owned firm has now had enough. It is disabling the devices purchased through those channels. Unauthorized Motorola phones activated on or after July 27, 2023, in Mexico will stop working a few days later. The company will show two warnings to users during this period. “Your device will be disabled in 10 days for not complying with regulations in Mexico,” the first warning notification reads.

This warning message shows up immediately after the setup process and comes with a huge banner that will certainly draw your attention. Users can tap on it to learn more about the matter. Motorola will follow up with the same warning ten days later, with it noting that there’s only one more day left before the phone is disabled. The device will no longer be operable from the next day.

“The user will not be able to use the device, consequently, they will not have access to its files, functions or applications, since there will be a disabling screen and they will only be able to access Emergency Calls,” Motorola explains in a support page. The page also provides more information on the risks of using such phones and the benefits of buying approved devices from authorized channels.

Affected users will get a 30 percent discount on approved Motorola phones

It’s worth noting that Motorola won’t disable phones purchased through authorized channels on foreign land but used in Mexico. Irregular phones purchased within the country and activated before July 27, 2023, will also continue to work as before. This is despite those devices lacking regulatory approval. The company will show a usage warning but won’t block access to the device.

Unsurprisingly, Mexicans aren’t happy about Motorola disabling phones with similar limitations but purchased within the country. They don’t have any choice, though. If they want to buy an approved Motorola phone, the company is giving them a 30 percent discount. Users will need to validate the IMEI of the irregular device to receive the discount coupon that will be valid for 30 days. The company won’t take the disabled phone.

You can find more information about the process of obtaining the discount coupon on this support page. Devices approved for sale and use in Mexico will feature a “NOM” (Norma Oficial Mexicana) certification label on the retail box.