Basically, the thing that will help me decide if i get it is if the At&t version has a locked boot loader or not. The At&t and VZW S4 are locked and a Pain for us Who like to tinker with our devices I was lucky to get an unit early with MDL firmware and have the benefit of being able to use Loki to have my way with it but but those with MF3 versions are SOL and there is not even an ODIN package to restore to factory if you brick.
Since the MF3 has been successful in holding back modification Im pretty sure AT&T will do something similar with the GN3. There is always a hole that can be exploited nothing is perfect but MF3 is messing up the advance in the GS4 ATT. I Like to mod as soon as I unbox.
So as soon as any info is available on the Boot loaders please share it. If the bootloader is unlocked on the AT&T One I Have A brand new Unopened SGS4 AT&T with MDL Soft ware Im Going to sell to get the GN3.
i would put very good money on both being locked AT&T might have a better chance to get an unlocked one but as much as i want verizon bootloader to be unlocked im sure it will be!
And if it's locked the only alternative we have is to get unlocked non-lte version?
Related
Has samsung announced that they will unlock the bootloader? was the s4 with locked bootloader also?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Verizon may be the only one with a locked bootloader.
I actually don't know... if it's only verizon then that's cool.. i am going to buy the unlocked carrier version.
edit: seeing no custom rom, I thought the bootloader was locked
Yea, I'm pretty sure it's just the Verizon model. Every other model has plenty of roms.
yeahman45 said:
Has samsung announced that they will unlock the bootloader? was the s4 with locked bootloader also?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The bootloader is already unlocked. On my phone and most other S5's as well. You are apparently making some assumption about some particular S5 variant. A minority of carriers do lock bootloaders, but you didn't even tell us what model of S5 you have or are referring to. You should give some context so that we know what you are talking about.
edit: I see that you implied in a follow up post that you meant Verizon. The bootloader on a Verizon S5 is locked at the behest of Verizon, not Samsung. Samsung doesn't lock the bootloader for TMobile, Bell, Rogers, Telus or hundreds of other carriers. Pretty much just Verizon and ATT and a few sundry CDMA carriers that are that restrictive.
There are tons of custom ROMs for carriers that are more reasonable. You can use Safestrap to emulate a limited number of ROMs on Verizon but it's your choice of carrier that is hampering you here.
.
ok thx guys I am getting the unlocked/carrier free version .. so should not be a problem thx
I have recently been told that unlocked bootloader is not required for ROOT.
If I get N4, I'll want to root, but don't care about ROMS. So, I had been thinking I would likely need to got with TMO phone on AT&T, rather than AT&T, due to unlocked boot loader (although I planned to wait to be sure it is unlocked).
But, given that unlocked bootloader is not required for ROOT, I'm wondering if I still need to look at TMO. I suspect should just wait and see what shakes out.
Interested in hearing anyone's thoughts on Rooting possibility for the N4,
Hi all,
is there any advantages of having a unlocked bootloader over a locked.
Ive had my samsung s4 9505 since launch and i have never upgraded the bootloader. Ive only ever upgraded the gsm modem.
as development has come a long way since launch is there any benefits of having a unlocked bootloader ?
Many thanks
On a galaxy phone you don't have locked/unlocked bootloaders
minidude2012 said:
On a galaxy phone you don't have locked/unlocked bootloaders
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wish that were true. My bootloader got locked by the 4.3 update, which came through as i was setting up my phone when i first brought it.
Didn't find out about it till i accessed the forums later the same day.
anoniemouse said:
I wish that were true. My bootloader got locked by the 4.3 update, which came through as i was setting up my phone when i first brought it.
Didn't find out about it till i accessed the forums later the same day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know then as I've had a galaxy s4 since first came out and the galaxy s4 has never had a locked bootloader
The I9500 and I9505 shouldn't have a locked bootloader. Galaxy S4 devices for AT&T and Verizon in the United States however DO lock their bootloaders. Locking, or more accurately, encrypting the bootloader, makes it extremely difficult if not nearly impossible to load custom ROMs. Which is why you don't want one if you can help it.
In the Q&A forum there is a thread where a forum member describes purchasing what was supposed to be an I9505 off eBay. Through some detective work it was discovered that his device was a Frankenstein, in that it had the IMEI of an I9505 but the motherboard and the other components were from an AT&T SGH-I337. Thus, his "I9505" had a locked bootloader. At last report he was going to contact the seller about this. I thought about offering him a straight up swap, since he needed an I9505 and I could use his phone here in the US and get LTE, but the fact the IMEI is not what originally came with the hardware has me pausing.
If you have an I9505 and a locked bootloader, your phone may have been "refurbished" in this manner by a third party. It might be a good idea to check your phone and see what you have.
I have a verizon samsung galaxy note 3 as many already know after 4.4.4 was released verizon locked the note 3 boot loader so users cannot down grade back to 4.4.2 and the only successful root process that works is on 4.4.2 at this time as far as I've researched so my question is if I were to pay verizon the sim unlocking fee and switch to a carrier that has a known properly working root process, in theory would this work. ? Any feed back would be great. Hoping this will work??!! If any thing I've said is confusing please reply and I'll try my best to reword it.
You're assuming that when you pay the fee that verizon will flash you with an unlocked boot chain. Don't think it's possible. If I'm not mistaken, some of the trust zones are flashed then locked with a physical fuse.
....
So paying the unlocking fee then say you buy a BYOD (bring your own device) kit from t-mobile, straight talk etc, activate the phone with the new carrier (preferably a carrier that currently has a root method that works) then proceed with rooting said device?
Again I'm new to the forum as well as new to the concert of rooting, flashing custom roms etc so please respond in laymens terms
Idk if it could work, I'm just trying to explore any possible solutions to the problem of when android 4.4.4 was released (verizon released theirs with a locked bootloader and if my reseach is correct, there are root processes working for android versions after 4.4.2 on other cell carriers.
So what I'm trying to figure out is if I found a root process that is known to be working on for example (a root process that works on t-mobile, sprint, at&t etc)if I paid to unlock the damn sim and activate the SM-N900V on a cell carrier that so happens to have a working root process, what is the likely hood of it working?
Or
Will it be a complete waste of time, effort, and money to atempt?
Riwd98 said:
So paying the unlocking fee then say you buy a BYOD (bring your own device) kit from t-mobile, straight talk etc, activate the phone with the new carrier (preferably a carrier that currently has a root method that works) then proceed with rooting said device?
Again I'm new to the forum as well as new to the concert of rooting, flashing custom roms etc so please respond in laymens terms
Idk if it could work, I'm just trying to explore any possible solutions to the problem of when android 4.4.4 was released (verizon released theirs with a locked bootloader and if my reseach is correct, there are root processes working for android versions after 4.4.2 on other cell carriers.
So what I'm trying to figure out is if I found a root process that is known to be working on for example (a root process that works on t-mobile, sprint, at&t etc)if I paid to unlock the damn sim and activate the SM-N900V on a cell carrier that so happens to have a working root process, what is the likely hood of it working?
Or
Will it be a complete waste of time, effort, and money to atempt?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are confusing 2 different types of "unlocking".
Sim unlocking is not the same as unlocking a bootloader.
The locked bootloader will not be unlocked by Verizon.
The locked bootloader will not allow you to flash a custom kernel or system and prevents the easy rooting methods. Unless someone finds a root method, you will not get root on that device.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
Hi,
I want to buy a Note 4 and absolutely need root on it. I just found some ugly stuff about rooting it:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-4-att/help/root-samsung-sm-n910a-5-1-1-build-t3355869
quote:
----------------------
forgot to tell you the two U.S. carriers that put locks on their bootloaders is AT&T and VERIZON so i wouldnt recommend root unless you unlock bootloader or else your phone will continueously stay in boot mode without letting you exit. that i believe is a bootloop good luck
-----------------------
Since I can chose which one I buy, I obviously want to get the one that can be rooted. It does not have to be easy, I have used odin in the past, no problem. There are quite a few versions out there though, and I'm a little confused which ones will work. Looks to me like that N910A is out and root pretty much impossible.
I have my eyes on the canada version: N910W8
What about the T-mobile version?
Thanks,
Markus
browny_amiga said:
Hi,
I want to buy a Note 4 and absolutely need root on it. I just found some ugly stuff about rooting it:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-4-att/help/root-samsung-sm-n910a-5-1-1-build-t3355869
quote:
----------------------
forgot to tell you the two U.S. carriers that put locks on their bootloaders is AT&T and VERIZON so i wouldnt recommend root unless you unlock bootloader or else your phone will continueously stay in boot mode without letting you exit. that i believe is a bootloop good luck
-----------------------
Since I can chose which one I buy, I obviously want to get the one that can be rooted. It does not have to be easy, I have used odin in the past, no problem. There are quite a few versions out there though, and I'm a little confused which ones will work. Looks to me like that N910A is out and root pretty much impossible.
I have my eyes on the canada version: N910W8
What about the T-mobile version?
Thanks,
Markus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AT&T and Verizon should be avoided, otherwise you can just flash super-su via odin.
browny_amiga said:
Hi,
I want to buy a Note 4 and absolutely need root on it. I just found some ugly stuff about rooting it:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-4-att/help/root-samsung-sm-n910a-5-1-1-build-t3355869
quote:
----------------------
forgot to tell you the two U.S. carriers that put locks on their bootloaders is AT&T and VERIZON so i wouldnt recommend root unless you unlock bootloader or else your phone will continueously stay in boot mode without letting you exit. that i believe is a bootloop good luck
-----------------------
Since I can chose which one I buy, I obviously want to get the one that can be rooted. It does not have to be easy, I have used odin in the past, no problem. There are quite a few versions out there though, and I'm a little confused which ones will work. Looks to me like that N910A is out and root pretty much impossible.
I have my eyes on the canada version: N910W8
What about the T-mobile version?
Thanks,
Markus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
910t is mod friendly. To root a 910t, you flash Odin and load SuperSU (systemless) as indicated above or flash a permissive kernal and system level root. It is also compatible with att network if that is your carrier. Just need to unlock it.
Thanks guys, that helps, I will go for a 910t then.
weard1212 said:
AT&T and Verizon should be avoided, otherwise you can just flash super-su via odin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bit of a noob, but I'm a bit confused. If I buy an "Unlocked" Verizon phone like the SM-N910V, would I be able to use any custom roms?
I was about to buy either the N910V (Verizon) or N910W8 (Verizon/North America)
Can't the Verizon & AT&T be rooted with Chainfire AutoRoot?
joebelachi said:
Bit of a noob, but I'm a bit confused. If I buy an "Unlocked" Verizon phone like the SM-N910V, would I be able to use any custom roms?
I was about to buy either the N910V (Verizon) or N910W8 (Verizon/North America)
Can't the Verizon & AT&T be rooted with Chainfire AutoRoot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only if you buy a developer edition verizon model and last time I checked they were upwards of around $800. Your best bet is W8 or T. I did all the research like you and ended up buying a T and have never been happier
joebelachi said:
Bit of a noob, but I'm a bit confused. If I buy an "Unlocked" Verizon phone like the SM-N910V, would I be able to use any custom roms?
I was about to buy either the N910V (Verizon) or N910W8 (Verizon/North America)
Can't the Verizon & AT&T be rooted with Chainfire AutoRoot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(Unlocked means sim unlocked)
Bootloader Unlocked verizon phones can be flashed with a custom rom, and if you get a verizon phone, I suggest a Bootloader unlocked one. Verizon and AT&T phones with locked bootloaders can't be rooted with Chainfire. Chainfire should NOT be used on a phone with a locked bootloader because it flashes partitions and will most likely hard brick your phone. I would still sugest against a Bootloader non-unlocked Verizon or AT&T phone. Also using a custom recovery or odin to flash super-su has worked much better for me with a lot less less risk than Chainfire.
Whatever you decide upon dont get the EDGE. it needs special roms, and it wont work with gear VRs. i have the euro verison, and didnt have any problems rooting. cf-autoroot and done.
Really appreciate the responses guys. Especially for the clarification around Unlocking ("Unlocked means the bootloader").
I'll check out what custom ROMS work on the Verizon (910V).
Are there more ROMS for the 910W8's or the 910V's. Also if I go stock on the W8s, I would have to choose a Canadian carrier.
I'll definitely stay away from the EDGE, didn't really like it anyway
joebelachi said:
Really appreciate the responses guys. Especially for the clarification around Unlocking ("Unlocked means the bootloader").
I'll check out what custom ROMS work on the Verizon (910V).
Are there more ROMS for the 910W8's or the 910V's. Also if I go stock on the W8s, I would have to choose a Canadian carrier.
I'll definitely stay away from the EDGE, didn't really like it anyway
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Careful there, usually 'unlocked' like on Swappa or similar means carrier unlocked, not boot loader unlocked.