Verizon is getting a lot of flak for placing its logo on the Android smartphones it sells. However, people who don't like looking at the tacky logo and are exasperated by everything Verizon has put them through can actually easily remove it, at least on the Nexus 6.
User CourageousRobot of Reddit has posted his method of removing the Verizon check mark from the hard plastic back of his brand new Nexus 6. It involves nothing more than a fingernail and a paper clip.
"After some examination, it became clear it was just a decal and not actually etched into the plastic," he says. "Some light scraping with the rounded edge of a paper clip and my fingernail took it right off. A bit of residue remained, but I buffed it out with a microfiber cloth and some rubbing alcohol."
The user posted pictures of his Verizon-branded Nexus 6 before and after he removed the carrier's logo from his phone, with the "after" photo showing a device that appears clean and spot-free of any outside indication that it was bought from Verizon. To make it clear, though, the phone is still a Verizon-branded device complete with all the apps pre-installed by Verizon and unable to be uninstalled by customers.
The device also continues to have an ESN/IMEI number from Verizon, although other carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile will have no problem running their network on a Verizon-bought phone.
Verizon and other mobile carriers are known for brandishing their logo on many of the smartphones they sell. Verizon in particular was unable to convince Apple to allow it to stick its logo on the surface of its iPhones, but pretty much every device running Android has the logo somewhere, typically at the front and center on top of the screen or, as in the case of the Nexus 6, at the back.
In 2012, Big Red earned the ire of netizens when it decided to place its logo right on the home button of the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 2, with users suggesting different ways, such as using a sugar cube or a solvent, to remove the logo. Others hoped that by simply using the home button too much, the logo would eventually wear off.
While many other people are not affected by seeing Verizon's logo on their smartphones, others say they do not like having to advertise Verizon's services to anybody who sees their phones, especially those who live in areas where they have no other carrier choice but Verizon.
Here's an image of CourageousRobot's Nexus 6 after the removal of the Verizon logo.
