If there are any solutions to the xyz filament locked machines, other than changing the firmware as I'd like to keep it xyz. (Besides, there are plenty of examples of how to change the firmware.) Surely someone out there has now discovered a way past the filament lock.

We know they've stopped us from downgrading firmware. I'm on 2.3.3, I let it upgrade before I knew anything about this.
I did find a way round it by downgrading xyzware so I could tamper with the Gcode, altering total filament, extruder filament and extruder to zero, I put a link in another thread to this guys thingiverse thread. It worked well enough until I dropped the door on my filament and broke it, forcing me to unload and reload. Which failed because my spool was empty. So now I'm back in the same position. Unable to even load to start zeroing.
I could buy a new spool and use it only when I need to load filament, using my empty chip to print with the zeroing method so as not to waste my new chip %. But I'd rather not if there is a newly discovered method to completely eradicate it.
Although it is a solid solution for me. 2 chips. One empty, one full. Etc.
Anyway. Please feel free to join this thread if anything has been discovered.