[German]In February 2025, HP apparently released a new firmware update for its HP OfficeJet Pro 9010 printers. I have received a report that this will block third-party ink again. Below is some information and possibly a note on downgrading the firmware.
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Review: Third-party ink block withdrawn
In March 2016, the manufacturer HP delivered a firmware update for various printer models, which then blocked ink cartridges from third-party manufacturers on September 13, 2016. I reported on this in my German article HP blockt Dritthersteller-Tintenpatronen per Firmware-Update.
At the time, a veritable shitstorm broke out about the manufacturer HP. In a statement, HP apologized, claimed that only a tiny proportion of customers were affected at all and announced that it would roll out a firmware update within 14 days that would remove the third-party ink cartridge blockade. I took up this drama at the end of September 2016 in my German blog post HP knickt bei Dritthersteller-Patronen ein … It turned out well again …
Firmware update Feb. 2025 for HP OfficeJet Pro 9010
On March 26, 2025, German reader Peke posted this comment in my German blog and wrote that it had happened again that HP was blocking third-party ink in the HP OfficeJet Pro 9010 via firmware update. The statement was: "And here we go again: the latest firmware update (OfficeJet Pro 9010 from 5.2.2025) is once again blocking all non-HP cartridges that have not been purchased since then".
The user rightly complains that this really can't be true and that this interference in the freedom of choice when using his printer is unparalleled in terms of audacity. The reader also mentioned that the comments from sellers of third-party ink cartridges about their purchased cartridges being blocked due to "non-HP chips" are currently piling up. His hope is that this time, too, there will be a proper shitstorm against HP.
The reader wrote that the old firmware for this printer model had been removed from HP Support's website as a precautionary measure and is therefore no longer generally available.
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I searched the web and came across this review on Amazon Germany dated November 28, 2024 (see screenshot). It addresses the problem even before the February 2025 firmware update mentioned above. Maybe HP is rolling out the blocking function in stages this time to prevent a big outcry – but that's just a guess.
Are there any solutions to the problem?
I did a quick search on the web and came across the older German article Nicht von HP stammender Chip erkannt – einfache Lösung by TrueImageTech, where the problem is generally described. They recommend deactivating the firmware updates (as a precaution) and ordering "compatible third-party ink cartridges". However, this does not really help.
German site tintenmarkt.de also has a promising article Patronenschutz bei HP Druckerpatronen deaktivieren from February 2024 (similar instructions can be found here). However, I doubt that deactivating the cartridge protection will help in this case – you can test it and give feedback here in the comments if necessary.
There is a post HP Printer Firmware Downgrade Download – Mar 2025 from ybtoner.com that provides instructions on how to downgrade the firmware. So, as the reader above mentions, something happened at HP in Feb/Mar 2025. If I haven't made a mistake in my cross-reading, ybtoner.com also offers older firmware versions for HP printers for download. But these actions are at your own risk and there is no guarantee of success. From my point of view, the solution is: "Stay away from HP printers or printer providers that implement such cartridge locks" if you want to use third-party ink cartridges.
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