Does ROM region matter?

[Heksmeester]

Hi there,

I'm about to install Android 4.1.2 JellyBean on my Galaxy Tab 7 Plus, but it's the Kenyan firmware as South Africa has not even received the ICS update yet...

Will this affect the device negatively in any way? Does the region matter? Is it even legal? :erm:

Thanks!

 

[Hidden Attribute]

Hi there,

I'm about to install Android 4.1.2 JellyBean on my Galaxy Tab 7 Plus, but it's the Kenyan firmware as South Africa has not even received the ICS update yet...

Will this affect the device negatively in any way? Does the region matter? Is it even legal? :erm:

Thanks!

The regional firmwares normally have minor changes and preferences set automatically, such as language, location settings, and so on, all of which can be changed. Region thus does not matter, what does matter however is if the ROM is provider-based, so make sure you flash a non-branded ROM.

As for legal, I cannot say for sure (it is probably legal though), however, ask yourself this: on your desktop/ laptop - is it illegal to install Linux instead of Windows (even if you purchased your machine with Windows pre-installed)? Or vice versa? No, it is not. So with that logic, go for it!

 

[TJ99]

It doesn't matter, as long as it's exactly the same device, in other words same model number and not the LTE version if you have a 3G one etc.

Definitely not illegal but it might void your warranty if you still have one.