Database Users

Unlocking the boot loader in the new Xperia™ smartphones

http://blogs.sonyericsson.com/devel...e-boot-loader-in-the-new-xperia™-smartphones/

Oh wow, I don't think anybody expected that these unbranded ROMable devices might just become -very- popular!

As I said a week ago this was in the works
Wam bam thank you mam SE will rock this year if they keep going this direction

I saw the news -- really good move from S-E!
This and their promise to give the X10 an update to 2.3.3 are signs that S-E is really improving and taking their customers serious, and that they want to win in the Android race!
I'm excited that S-E is showing signs that of wanting to work WITH and FOR their customers (you know, the ones who buy their phones, as opposed to operators) and not AGAINST, as many other manufactures...

One thing I'm wondering is, is this only happening with factory unlocked phones, or will it work if we buy a locked phone first, and then din unlock after
Sent from my HTC Magic/Dream using XDA App

Straightflush said:
One thing I'm wondering is, is this only happening with factory unlocked phones, or will it work if we buy a locked phone first, and then din unlock after
Sent from my HTC Magic/Dream using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All phones will have a locked bootloader by default. Unbranded and simlock-free phones will be unlockable through some tool Sony Ericsson will release (probably).
You can check if your device is unlockable by connecting it to fastboot. If fastboot recognizes your phone, you will be able to unlock it when Sony Ericsson releases its tool.

Hmmm... any Rogers customers got any clues?
Sent from my HTC Magic/Dream using XDA App

Straightflush said:
Hmmm... any Rogers customers got any clues?
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Click to collapse
Does Rogers usually simlock their phones and/or put custom apps on Android devices? If yes: you will not have a permanently locked bootloader. Only unbranded handsets without simlock will be unlockable.

Ambroos said:
Does Rogers usually simlock their phones and/or put custom apps on Android devices? If yes: you will not have a permanently locked bootloader. Only unbranded handsets without simlock will be unlockable.
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Yeah, Rogers usually adds a number of their own apps and they change the bootscreen to some crap Rogers one instead of the stock one.

Well, was on the fence about the Arc, but now I am getting it...
Will jump to dual core later this year, I just love the design of this one ^^
Time to go back to SE it seems!

hopefully it will be possible at some point to make the phone think it is the same as the unlocked ones... I will keep checking, because since I'm using a f'in htc magic right now. My phone is great, running cyanogen and everything, but still waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too old, I kinda need one, but want something I can have fun with...

Got this from Sony Ericsson:
To enable this, we will later launch a web service where an unlock boot loader key can be retrieved by entering your IMEI. This key will be used in Fastboot where you perform the actual unlock boot loader sequence. A more detailed instruction will be provided later, when this service is available.
Depending on the original configuration of your phone, it will be either be possible or not possible to unlock the boot loader. No phone updates are required to enable this functionality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, if you provide an IMEI of a permanently locked phone, you will not get an unlock code, and even if you would get one, it wouldn't work. Looks like a pretty foolproof way!

I don't like when SE use the word ''later''...it can be 3 or 6 month ''later''

At least we already have 2.3 and the software seems to be relatively stable and snappy. I don't need a custom rom yet.

It's not only for custom roms but also for mods like camera and audio boost

vegetaleb said:
It's not only for custom roms but also for mods like camera and audio boost
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i want bass boost cause the bass isnt that good to be honest

bobbanj said:
i want bass boost cause the bass isnt that good to be honest
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I think that are your headphones, I have good in-ears from Sony, and I really like the sound of my Arc! Clear, warm sound, at least as good as my Walkman.
Sent from my LT15i using XDA App

use poweramp =)

I have IE6 earphones and they sound awesome with the phone... better then the iPhone 4

stick to topic anyway

[Q] Bootloader unlock in comparison to other manufacturers

has anyone experience in the hassl of unlocking bootloader from the g2 or LG phones in comparison to other devices?
how is LGs policy for giving kernel source and unlocking bootloader?
i am a long time htc user and those things are very important to me. as i think about getting a new phone and switching from htc i want to know in advance and i have not found anything
thx

donky kong 017 said:
has anyone experience in the hassl of unlocking bootloader from the g2 or LG phones in comparison to other devices?
how is LGs policy for giving kernel source and unlocking bootloader?
i am a long time htc user and those things are very important to me. as i think about getting a new phone and switching from htc i want to know in advance and i have not found anything
thx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A little late to the party on this one, LG released a few of its sources for the G2, we already have custom kernel development that just started brewing here lately.
As far as the bootloader, this device has a work around using Loki and it works fine. As evidence points that we can flash pretty much anything worth flashing including custom kernels.

Walter21026 said:
A little late to the party on this one, LG released a few of its sources for the G2, we already have custom kernel development that just started brewing here lately.
As far as the bootloader, this device has a work around using Loki and it works fine. As evidence points that we can flash pretty much anything worth flashing including custom kernels.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thx i just wanted to know how the overall situation is. cause htc makes it a little difficult to unlock bootloader via htc dev website and there is no s-off . is there s-off on the g2?
with samsung its another story with odin and there are other problems.
i want to get an overall picture for the different manufacturers

donky kong 017 said:
thx i just wanted to know how the overall situation is. cause htc makes it a little difficult to unlock bootloader via htc dev website and there is no s-off . is there s-off on the g2?
with samsung its another story with odin and there are other problems.
i want to get an overall picture for the different manufacturers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I would tell you personally is dont delay, carriers will likely be pushing security patches to keep out hackers and make it very difficult for devs to work around in the near future.
No need to worry about s-off, its never been discussed here which tells me it must not exits on this device. I have seen it on almost all HTC devices though.

Walter21026 said:
What I would tell you personally is dont delay, carriers will likely be pushing security patches to keep out hackers and make it very difficult for devs to work around in the near future.
No need to worry about s-off, its never been discussed here which tells me it must not exits on this device. I have seen it on almost all HTC devices though.
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Click to collapse
thx. i guess thats just ridiculous. i want steady updates for a year or so as i switch to a new phone after a year. the last year was just horrible on my htc onex+ with so little development and s-on
the carriers would not bother me as im on a contact free carrier, the problem is development is affected. and this is something i have on every phone i buy.
im vacillating between nexus 5 and g2 now

donky kong 017 said:
thx. i guess thats just ridiculous. i want steady updates for a year or so as i switch to a new phone after a year. the last year was just horrible on my htc onex+ with so little development and s-on
the carriers would not bother me as im on a contact free carrier, the problem is development is affected. and this is something i have on every phone i buy.
im vacillating between nexus 5 and g2 now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd go with The N5. Huge developer support.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Jposton said:
I'd go with The N5. Huge developer support.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thx
i just compared the 2 forums N4-G2 and came to the same conclusion. development is even more important than hardware for me now

thinking of getting a G3 just got a few questions for experienced G3ers

i like the specs of the phone wondering a few things..
how easy is root and recovery install?
are there any solid custom kitkat roms?
how much risk is involved with root/recovery? (are there chances of a full brick)
does the phone perform as well as the specs suggest?

KronicSkillz said:
i like the specs of the phone wondering a few things..
how easy is root and recovery install?
are there any solid custom kitkat roms?
how much risk is involved with root/recovery? (are there chances of a full brick)
does the phone perform as well as the specs suggest?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone is all its cracked up to be and root is simple. Unless you go t-mobile then you'll have to wait for recovery and roms like most of us. Locked bootloader issues for now. But I've had quite a few phones and this so far is sweet. Hope this helps.

Mahapederdon said:
The phone is all its cracked up to be and root is simple. Unless you go t-mobile then you'll have to wait for recovery and roms like most of us. Locked bootloader issues for now. But I've had quite a few phones and this so far is sweet. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does rooting void warranty on the g3 seeing how we can't unlock bootloader anyway?
Edit: Possible to get back to stock without showing you've rooted?

I havnt done it but from what I've read it's pretty easy to go completely stock.

There's at least one thread with the same question. Take a look there

So far there is no way to install custom recovery or roms since the bootloaded is locked :/
The phone for me anyways performs quite well (16gig/2gigRAM), a little slower than my nexus5 but I expected that since it was stock android vs LG's skin. Also the phone seems a little laggy on games like Clash of Clans vs my friends Xperia Z2, but only slightly, nothing that bothers me.
Everyday use is snappy

shadehh said:
Does rooting void warranty on the g3 seeing how we can't unlock bootloader anyway?
Edit: Possible to get back to stock without showing you've rooted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
going back to stock is very easy.

Just look in the development thread, that should give you an idea as to the dev progress.

thanks for the comments i understand all of this was just looking for some opinions, i've already looked at the dev thread but you never know if there is one person out there with a unique and valid opinion on a phone.

If you're going to buy a G3 go for the 32gb, 1gb more ram (3gb). I never have slowdowns. As for rooting, using purple drake its far easier than any other phone I've rooted.
Sent from my LG-D852 using XDA Premium HD app

XDA has become useless because without root.

Without root it beats the purpose of checking in every day. I used to check XDA multiple times a day. Now I check it every other day and there's always nothing interesting. If we had ROOT man it'll be different. Miss downloading flashing roms. Waiting for new updates with new features. I miss ROMS but without an unlocked bootloader this phone is F'ed. Locked down till lord knows when. Seriously thinking about buying another galaxy. I sold my note 4. Should of kept it lol
¡what a day, what a LOVELY DAY!!

I feel your frustration, but have to say one thing here. I've been using Android since the G1, I've rooted every device I've owned (too numerous to list) until now. The GS7E is really quite amazing, even without root. I had planned on leaving it stock as long as I could tolerate it anyways, so I was not entirely crushed to learn it was locked down so tightly. I mean, had root been a requirement for me, I'd have gone with a Nexus - where bootloader unlock is a right, not a gift.
I do miss proper hosts based ad blocking, but Samsung/Android Pay make up for the shortcomings of root-free ad blocking. The ability to change dpi without root (although it breaks Android Pay, but a quick reboot sets that right) and the AOSP like appearance of the Good lock screen helps me not miss Xposed. And the fact that things simply work, without the additional burden of wondering if it was something I flashed causing weirdness on my device, means I can spend more time playing with my phone... and less time backing up, flashing, restoring, adb'ing, fastbooting, installing/updating drivers, and debugging.
Would I have it the other way around? Certainly, but either way is a compromise, and there is no going back. So, perhaps it's good (for me) that we don't have root. Or, I might already be missing Samsung/Android Pay, and the stability of the stock rom.

daveid said:
I feel your frustration, but have to say one thing here. I've been using Android since the G1, I've rooted every device I've owned (too numerous to list) until now. The GS7E is really quite amazing, even without root. I had planned on leaving it stock as long as I could tolerate it anyways, so I was not entirely crushed to learn it was locked down so tightly. I mean, had root been a requirement for me, I'd have gone with a Nexus - where bootloader unlock is a right, not a gift.
I do miss proper hosts based ad blocking, but Samsung/Android Pay make up for the shortcomings of root-free ad blocking. The ability to change dpi without root (although it breaks Android Pay, but a quick reboot sets that right) and the AOSP like appearance of the Good lock screen helps me not miss Xposed. And the fact that things simply work, without the additional burden of wondering if it was something I flashed causing weirdness on my device, means I can spend more time playing with my phone... and less time backing up, flashing, restoring, adb'ing, fastbooting, installing/updating drivers, and debugging.
Would I have it the other way around? Certainly, but either way is a compromise, and there is no going back. So, perhaps it's good (for me) that we don't have root. Or, I might already be missing Samsung/Android Pay, and the stability of the stock rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's cool bro, but like you I like the s7 edge. But being XDA I miss coming here to look for roms and being exited about getting an update. Yea I can customize it how I want it. Yes there no YouTube adds with RED. but being XDA that's just what I miss lol. Should probably just delete the app. Not like I'm going anywhere with this phone. Still believe rooting isn't a necessity with the galaxy s7 edge. I can't use Samsung pay so I could care less .
¡what a day, what a LOVELY DAY!!

I would like root mainly for adaway. Other than that I don't need to do anything. I honestly don't have time for the flashing game anymore.
Sent from the S7 Edge of the world.

i want root for viper4android and changing mixerpaths file its just not loud or clear enough without those 2 things
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

mrro82 said:
I would like root mainly for adaway. Other than that I don't need to do anything. I honestly don't have time for the flashing game anymore.
Sent from the S7 Edge of the world.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plus one. And for viper4android . Other wise this phone is perfect and I love samsung pay

sonkameja said:
Mods are even more useless letting skinomi threads fly in general discussion area, and deleting comments
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Click to collapse
I could not disagree more. Mods are even more important in device forums where there is no active development, as the entire device forum becomes a pissing contest where everyone who doesn't have anything to contribute just argue with each other - making it even harder to find what useful information there is.
I appreciate the work mods do here due to the fact that the mods here are volunteers who don't get paid (with anything but insults from people like you apparently).
So if you are mad at the mods for removing something you posted, perhaps you should read the forum rules to understand why your post was removed. That and take it to PM, instead of *crapping on all mods in a public post.

I upgraded to this from a note 3 and I'm devastated to learn the bootloader is locked. I'm tempted to return the device or sell it after its payed off. We should make a group that shows interest in not locking the bootloader of the Note 6 do when it's released at least there was a movement.
Sent from my SM-G935T using XDA-Developers mobile app

nano303 said:
Without root it beats the purpose of checking in every day. I used to check XDA multiple times a day. Now I check it every other day and there's always nothing interesting. If we had ROOT man it'll be different. Miss downloading flashing roms. Waiting for new updates with new features. I miss ROMS but without an unlocked bootloader this phone is F'ed. Locked down till lord knows when. Seriously thinking about buying another galaxy. I sold my note 4. Should of kept it lol
¡what a day, what a LOVELY DAY!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep. Getting my s5 back. Im sick of no root. Battery draining. Im sick sick of it
Sent from my SM-G935P using XDA Free mobile app

I think without root I have become a more productive person with life in general

I just want root so I can delete the unwanted apps and for cyanogen roms.
Sent from my SM-G935T using XDA-Developers mobile app

the reason we don't have root is simple... no one is working on it.
anyone capable of actually doing it has already been hired by the people who don't want you to do it

After using this device for a month or so I really don't care about root. Yes I would like adaway and Viper but all in all I would make the same choice all over again.
Sent from my SM-G935T using XDA Premium HD app

htc 10 all the way, rooted

matteosaeed said:
htc 10 all the way, rooted
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Click to collapse
Lol
Sent from my SM-G935P using XDA Free mobile app

matteosaeed said:
htc 10 all the way, rooted
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Click to collapse
Screen is too small and the quality is garbage compared to OLED, otherwise I'd agree.

Edited

Is there anyone actively working on root that I can get with? I haven't been in the dev game for a long time, but browsing the web without adaway is getting ridiculous
Sent from my SM-G935T using XDA-Developers mobile app

Nitemare3219 said:
Screen is too small and the quality is garbage compared to OLED, otherwise I'd agree.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is not that small bigger than the s7 that I had. The oled and amoled is great but it feels more fluid on the HTC with this LCD. Rooted and custom ROM, that beats the s7 and edge any day of the week. Battery is going great now. I am at 51 percent with 3 hours sot unplugged since 8 this morning and now it is almost 8.

matteosaeed said:
It is not that small bigger than the s7 that I had. The oled and amoled is great but it feels more fluid on the HTC with this LCD. Rooted and custom ROM, that beats the s7 and edge any day of the week. Battery is going great now. I am at 51 percent with 3 hours sot unplugged since 8 this morning and now it is almost 8.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry no offense but who cares.
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

Worth it to root?

I recently got this 6P, commingled from a rooted, unlocked, cm13 HTC one m9, would it be worth it to still root? I loved tweaking my m9, unfortunately it was an att version. So it was really hard to find Roms and tweaks that worked for it. I love my 6P so far and it performs wonderfully, just lacks that extra bit of tweaking.

Etheralrealm said:
I recently got this 6P, commingled from a rooted, unlocked, cm13 HTC one m9, would it be worth it to still root? I loved tweaking my m9, unfortunately it was an att version. So it was really hard to find Roms and tweaks that worked for it. I love my 6P so far and it performs wonderfully, just lacks that extra bit of tweaking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are a lot of Roms, mods and kernels available for the 6P. If you like customizing your phone then you should go for it.

jhs39 said:
There are a lot of Roms, mods and kernels available for the 6P. If you like customizing your phone then you should go for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yea, i know you can install custom kernals to overclock, do you know of any good ones?

Etheralrealm said:
Oh yea, i know you can install custom kernals to overclock, do you know of any good ones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it's necessary to overclock the 6P. The most popular kernels are probably Franco's if battery life is your main concern or Elemental if you want more control over performance than you get with the stock kernel. I increased my battery life a bit by switching to Elemental but I didn't use any settings that would negatively affect performance, which is more important to me than battery life. Pure Nexus is a very popular Rom, although I didn't personally have a good experience with that one. I'm happy with Cortex. Some people prefer Megapixel. There's lots of custom ROMs depending on what you are looking for. Just browse through the development threads on XDA.

jhs39 said:
I don't think it's necessary to overclock the 6P. The most popular kernels are probably Franco's if battery life is your main concern or Elemental if you want more control over performance than you get with the stock kernel. I increased my battery life a bit by switching to Elemental but I didn't use any settings that would negatively affect performance, which is more important to me than battery life. Pure Nexus is a very popular Rom, although I didn't personally have a good experience with that one. I'm happy with Cortex. Some people prefer Megapixel. There's lots of custom ROMs depending on what you are looking for. Just browse through the development threads on XDA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive been thinking about it for a while now, had everything downloaded. thanks, just installed Lineage OS.

It was not worth to root, actually, until Nougat was released. I remember getting very quick updates, that were actually improving user experience. I was actually a very pro-stock person, but recently i rooted my phone and installed Pure Nexus. Not going to stock anytime soon

IMO there is plenty to keep your tweaking urge satisfied even if you choose to just run the stock rom, rooted with a good kernel. Monthly updates, great root apps and rock solid. Regardless, you'll definitely want to unlock the bootloader and enable USB debugging. Don't worry about the persistent boot nag screen about locking the bootloader- It's normal. Best of luck.

Hi Guys, I've unlocked the phone and rooted as well. Running megapixel ROM now and I'm very pleased with the pixel experience.
Only thing that bothers my OCD is the warning screen when I turn on the phone that says phone cannot be checked for corrupted software or something. It says to lock the bootloader. I have seen some posts over here on XDA saying that even if I restore back to stock completely using the the factory images, that message won't go away. I wonder what will happen when I sell it...

Rooting back in the day (CM6 era) provided usefulness in providing features that were not available from factory.
Nowadays, OEM software has implemented many of those features to their devices which eliminates the need to root for a lot of people. Now that updates are once a month, it makes it an inconvenience to having to update properly. Safetynet doesn't pass without configurations and may fail in the future when the new exploits are patched. You'll also have to factory reset during version updates which make it a hassle.
IMO, rooting nowadays causes more of an inconvenience than purpose. I prefer getting updates quickly and easily without having to fiddle around and everything works as it should.
The main question is, what is the REAL reason why you're wanting to root? If it's solely for the purpose of feeling like you modified something your phone, then I would say keep it unrooted unless your willing to lose all your data when a major version comes out.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

If you want to use your phone outdoor with a decent screen brightness, you'll have to root.

Jules Winnfield said:
If you want to use your phone outdoor with a decent screen brightness, you'll have to root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, this will cause screen burn-in earlier.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

ceo.mtcl said:
Hi Guys, I've unlocked the phone and rooted as well. Running megapixel ROM now and I'm very pleased with the pixel experience.
Only thing that bothers my OCD is the warning screen when I turn on the phone that says phone cannot be checked for corrupted software or something. It says to lock the bootloader. I have seen some posts over here on XDA saying that even if I restore back to stock completely using the the factory images, that message won't go away. I wonder what will happen when I sell it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The message will go away if you restore fully to stock and then relock the bootloader.

jhs39 said:
The message will go away if you restore fully to stock and then relock the bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for confirming. I really hope that it goes away after full restore to factory settings. Is there any zip file available, flashing which will make it go away while I am on custom ROM? Or does it always stay on all custom ROMs?

ceo.mtcl said:
Only thing that bothers my OCD is the warning screen when I turn on the phone that says phone cannot be checked for corrupted software or something. It says to lock the bootloader. I have seen some posts over here on XDA saying that even if I restore back to stock completely using the the factory images, that message won't go away. I wonder what will happen when I sell it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't worry about it. The nag warning is only present when your bootloader is unlocked, and you should leave your bootloader permanently unlocked. Eventually you won't even notice or care. If/when you return to stock, re-lock the bootloader and it will be gone.

richii0207 said:
Rooting back in the day (CM6 era) provided usefulness in providing features that were not available from factory.
Nowadays, OEM software has implemented many of those features to their devices which eliminates the need to root for a lot of people. Now that updates are once a month, it makes it an inconvenience to having to update properly. Safetynet doesn't pass without configurations and may fail in the future when the new exploits are patched. You'll also have to factory reset during version updates which make it a hassle.
IMO, rooting nowadays causes more of an inconvenience than purpose. I prefer getting updates quickly and easily without having to fiddle around and everything works as it should.
The main question is, what is the REAL reason why you're wanting to root? If it's solely for the purpose of feeling like you modified something your phone, then I would say keep it unrooted unless your willing to lose all your data when a major version comes out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some people prefer custom ROMs that give you features not included in stock Android. ROMs with Pixel features for instance are popular on the 6P and its unlikely most of those features will come to stock.