Database Users

The Ultimate reason to Why N3 Bootloader is locked

Read the article below.
Some might argue why T-Mobile and Sprint version N3 is unlocked that's because of their network coverage. If you do little research you will find that most of the giant firms use either Verizon or At&t for their employees. This now confirms how Saamy is forgetting about us and mostly putting their focus on giant firms. Give me your point and lets see where this goes.
TechnoBuffalo said:
Samsung already has a firm grip on the consumer smartphone market, but the enterprise sector is a completely different ballgame. So in an effort to put businesses at ease and gain a larger corporate following, the Korean company this year officially unveiled a new mobile security system called Knox. With so many Samsung devices available, the company certainly has the potential to make inroads at some big firms around the world—only, a new report from The Wall Street Journal suggests Knox has been full of bugs and delays, annoying some big clients.
One of Samsung’s clients, the U.S. Defense Department, has allegedly become frustrated by Samsung’s Knox system, leading to some internal strife among the Samsung brass; the company is supposedly hard at work bringing Knox back into 100 percent shape. With BlackBerry ailing—enterprise market share has reportedly fallen from 68 percent in 2010 to 5.4 percent today—Samsung certainly has an opportunity to fill that void. There’s still the stigma of Android to contend with, however, making Apple’s iOS a more appealing option.
According to WSJ, “many corporate tech administrators widely perceive its smartphones, which run on Google Inc.’s open-source Android operating system, as being more prone to viruses and easier to hack than Apple Inc.’s iOS and BlackBerry proprietary software.” Fixing that perception has become one of Samsung’s top priorities, WSJ added.
Knox essentially gives corporate tech admins complete control over their employees’ Samsung device or devices. Handsets can remotely be shut down, company data cordoned off, and alerts can be set if a device’s code has been tampered with—all excellent features for sensitive corporate data. But if those promised features aren’t working as advertised, especially for a customer such as the U.S. Defense Department, Samsung could lose its small portion of the enterprise market pretty quick.
One source admitted that Samsung isn’t a service business, which is why it’s experiencing so many issues. “Creating this new organization that specializes in selling software and services, that took us longer than expected,” the source said. Over the course of 2013, Samsung repeatedly assured potential clients Knox would be ready, and even come preloaded on the Galaxy S4. It didn’t wind up coming preloaded on a Samsung devices until the Note 3 hit a few months back.
Deployment thus far has been slow while Samsung works through the issues. But if those issues don’t get patched up, the company’s big enterprise push could fall flat. One BlackBerry exec said of Knox, “[It] can potentially pose threats to enterprises.” With the consumer market locked up, definitely not the start to enterprise life that Samsung would have wanted.
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http://www.technobuffalo.com/2013/1...rogram-running-into-major-issues-says-report/

I would agree. Sounds right and does make sense!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Does make sense until you wonder why other carriers have the bootloader unlocked. Unless those people saying the bootloader is unlocked they mean it has been unlocked by a hack.

Delakit said:
Does make sense until you wonder why other carriers have the bootloader unlocked.
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85% of the Fortune 1K in the U.S. are on VZW and AT&T.

Im nkt sure this really explains why AT&T's bootloader is locked. This article discusses the issues with Knox, something that is present in the VZW Note 3 but missing from the ATT version. If the bootloader is locked due to trying to attract enterprise business then why would Knox (the container application) be missing from our version of the phone? Even if Knox is being wonky it still should have been included if they were going after the enterprise market.
AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note 3 stock rooted with changes by Wanam
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 GT-N8013 rooted w/Hyperdrive RLS6

This…..
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 05:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:44 PM ----------
BarryH_GEG said:
85% of the Fortune 1K in the U.S. are on VZW and AT&T.
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Click to collapse
HappyPessimist said:
Im nkt sure this really explains why AT&T's bootloader is locked. This article discusses the issues with Knox, something that is present in the VZW Note 3 but missing from the ATT version. If the bootloader is locked due to trying to attract enterprise business then why would Knox (the container application) be missing from our version of the phone? Even if Knox is being wonky it still should have been included if they were going after the enterprise market.
AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note 3 stock rooted with changes by Wanam
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 GT-N8013 rooted w/Hyperdrive RLS6
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This and this....
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

HappyPessimist said:
Im nkt sure this really explains why AT&T's bootloader is locked. This article discusses the issues with Knox, something that is present in the VZW Note 3 but missing from the ATT version. If the bootloader is locked due to trying to attract enterprise business then why would Knox (the container application) be missing from our version of the phone? Even if Knox is being wonky it still should have been included if they were going after the enterprise market.
AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note 3 stock rooted with changes by Wanam
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 GT-N8013 rooted w/Hyperdrive RLS6
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure where you got your ATT N3 from, but mine has KNOX and it is a 900A like the others here. You can even look at running apps and see KNOX listed. you can also go into the upload menu and see the KNOX status.

It depends on Sammy's customer base spread. If the majority are suits, Sammy loses very little by losing the nerd market. But if the majority are teen-agers texting their BFF, Sammy is going to see that a little bad press in the Blogosphere goes a LONG way. The under-21 set will believe a blog stating that the Martians have landed faster than they'll believe the WSJ that the big yellow ball in the sky is the sun.
We'll just have to wait and see, but if Sammy keeps welding these things shut, a lot of ROM builders are going to be building non-Sammy ROMs. And a lot of people will put up with the Sprint dead spots rather than be treated like numbers by Big Red.
Since my crystal ball battery is dead, all I can do is make wild guesses.

Solarenemy68 said:
Not sure where you got your ATT N3 from, but mine has KNOX and it is a 900A like the others here. You can even look at running apps and see KNOX listed. you can also go into the upload menu and see the KNOX status.
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I'm talking abiut the Knox container. The other variants of the Note 3 had a Knox app of sorts that acts as a container for more sensitive information. See this thread-
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2470278&page=8
AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note 3 stock rooted with changes by Wanam
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 GT-N8013 rooted w/Hyperdrive RLS6

Can't quote the guy above for some reason but I don't see KNOX running anywhere on my phone.

HappyPessimist said:
I'm talking abiut the Knox container. The other variants of the Note 3 had a Knox app of sorts that acts as a container for more sensitive information. See this thread-
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2470278&page=8
AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note 3 stock rooted with changes by Wanam
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 GT-N8013 rooted w/Hyperdrive RLS6
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
KNOX container most certainly works on 900A.

Quick question for everyone here...
Do you think that filing complaints with government agencies over the locked bootloader issue might be an effective route for seeking change? Consider that when complaints were filed against them for blocking FaceTime on their network, the groups that filed those complaints did achieve a limited measure of success.
I would envision that the complaint could look as follows:
1. Denying users root access to their own phones and locking the phone's bootloader prevents access to all features of some software packages. (e.g. Titanium Backup)
2. Some of the packages that AT&T effectively blocks through these policies (i.e. Titanium Backup) compete with software they offer. (e.g. AT&T Locker)
3. Ergo, AT&T seeks to obtain an unfair competitive advantage over other applications through its behavior.
I also wonder if it would be possible to argue that AT&T is knowingly selling defective phones through its policy of locking the bootloader. I'm sure we can all point out many bugs in the stock firmware which have been addressed by custom ROMs. An argument could be made that AT&T's action of preventing custom ROMs from being installed is forcing its customers to use materially defective equipment - it's just a question of whether or not an agency could be convinced of this amidst AT&T's "greasing of the palms" to quiet complaints against them.

now i'm clearly understand

Unless the private key slips, or if people don't care about warranty (in about 10 months ) the bootloader won't be unlocked.
Personally, I think this allows for more inventive solutions to processes which have become so routine we expect them to work on every phone. RDLV for example. The Kn0x0ut script. My MJ5 Recovery methods -- all include unique techniques to catch up to the level of security ATT/Samsung has surprised us with.
This process, of course, is cyclical. Both sides have an opportunity to gain here and I welcome it!

evilpotatoman said:
Unless the private key slips
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If I only worked for Samsung in a capacity to help...
evilpotatoman said:
or if people don't care about warranty (in about 10 months )
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Hopefully we don't have to wait that long for it... I'm almost ready to purchase a Note 3 from TMO just to have an unlocked bootloader. If I could get a new one locally for around $500 this weekend I probably would. (Just got the Note 3 this week so I'm still within my 14 day return period with ATT.)
evilpotatoman said:
Personally, I think this allows for more inventive solutions to processes which have become so routine we expect them to work on every phone. RDLV for example. The Kn0x0ut script. My MJ5 Recovery methods -- all include unique techniques to catch up to the level of security ATT/Samsung has surprised us with.
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Click to collapse
I'm glad you and others enjoy the challenge presented by AT&T's greed, and am thankful for each of you and the hours you spend trying to figure out how to remove or bypass the artificially created limitations and restrictions on our devices.
In my opinion, limitations like locked bootloaders are material defects, and should be treated as such by government. Once one enters into a contract with the wireless provider, the phone is yours as long as you continue to abide by the terms of the contract (on time payments, staying within acceptable use policies). As such, one should be free and clear to modify the phone in any way - as long as expectations of service and support are diminished appropriately for "non standard configurations". No carrier should be allowed to lock bootloaders or otherwise take measures to prevent users from rooting their devices.

rooted_1 said:
Quick question for everyone here...
Do you think that filing complaints with government agencies over the locked bootloader issue might be an effective route for seeking change? Consider that when complaints were filed against them for blocking FaceTime on their network, the groups that filed those complaints did achieve a limited measure of success.
I would envision that the complaint could look as follows:
1. Denying users root access to their own phones and locking the phone's bootloader prevents access to all features of some software packages. (e.g. Titanium Backup)
2. Some of the packages that AT&T effectively blocks through these policies (i.e. Titanium Backup) compete with software they offer. (e.g. AT&T Locker)
3. Ergo, AT&T seeks to obtain an unfair competitive advantage over other applications through its behavior.
I also wonder if it would be possible to argue that AT&T is knowingly selling defective phones through its policy of locking the bootloader. I'm sure we can all point out many bugs in the stock firmware which have been addressed by custom ROMs. An argument could be made that AT&T's action of preventing custom ROMs from being installed is forcing its customers to use materially defective equipment - it's just a question of whether or not an agency could be convinced of this amidst AT&T's "greasing of the palms" to quiet complaints against them.
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Click to collapse
Hmmm...
That actualy sounds like legit reasons!
Does AT&T sell the developer edition like Verizon?
I so want to come back to AT&T but had to jump ship to VZE because they had SafeStrap. How much I hate Verizon! They used to have best signal in town. Now its no better than Sprint.
Anyways back on topic. That seems like reasonable pitch. Where do we / you file that complaint? FCC? FTC?

Why not offer a corporate version? If you want to use it at work, you never have the corporate locked bootloader.
They could even make it a ROM update accessible by corporate accounts.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app

designgears said:
KNOX container most certainly works on 900A.
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Click to collapse
I'm sure it works on the 900A, but I think he meant it's not on there by default for the 900A AT&T variant. Do you have an apk for it?

scrosler said:
Hmmm...
That actualy sounds like legit reasons!
Anyways back on topic. That seems like reasonable pitch. Where do we / you file that complaint? FCC? FTC?
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Click to collapse
I filed a complaint with the FCC the other week using the precise argument I suggested above. Of course, I've yet to hear anything from them. If it's anything like the net neutrality complaints I filed against AT&T years ago, the FCC will forward the comment along to AT&T and the company will provide a written response back to both me and the agency in a couple months.
I'm also wondering if there would be any sort of way to get the FTC involved in this as well, by making an argument that AT&T is knowingly selling defective devices, refusing to fix the defects in a timely manner (by releasing new versions of Android, quicker), and preventing users from fixing the defects on their own (by locking the bootloader). I'm sure that there's a plethora of issues with 4.3 and TouchWiz and Knox that could be pointed out... the least of which would be the constantly-nagging security error notification that shows up every time one uses WiFi on a stock phone.
I'm generally not a big fan of big government, but this is one exception. The more government agencies we can legitimately engage with valid points, the more effort that AT&T has to put into defending its decision to only market phones with locked bootloaders. If enough agencies get involved from enough angles with reasonable and logical arguments, there *may* come a time at which AT&T decides that it's not worth the effort. They obviously feel that some economic benefit come from their decision. The trick is to create the perception that the economic benefit they gain from locked bootloaders is outweighed by the ill will and cost of participation in government inquiries they bear. There's only a slim chance that this will work, but I'm willing to take a few minutes to file complaints and let the wheels of our government agencies churn. After all, isn't that what they're there for?

rooted_1 said:
I filed a complaint with the FCC the other week using the precise argument I suggested above. Of course, I've yet to hear anything from them. If it's anything like the net neutrality complaints I filed against AT&T years ago, the FCC will forward the comment along to AT&T and the company will provide a written response back to both me and the agency in a couple months.
I'm also wondering if there would be any sort of way to get the FTC involved in this as well, by making an argument that AT&T is knowingly selling defective devices, refusing to fix the defects in a timely manner (by releasing new versions of Android, quicker), and preventing users from fixing the defects on their own (by locking the bootloader). I'm sure that there's a plethora of issues with 4.3 and TouchWiz and Knox that could be pointed out... the least of which would be the constantly-nagging security error notification that shows up every time one uses WiFi on a stock phone.
I'm generally not a big fan of big government, but this is one exception. The more government agencies we can legitimately engage with valid points, the more effort that AT&T has to put into defending its decision to only market phones with locked bootloaders. If enough agencies get involved from enough angles with reasonable and logical arguments, there *may* come a time at which AT&T decides that it's not worth the effort. They obviously feel that some economic benefit come from their decision. The trick is to create the perception that the economic benefit they gain from locked bootloaders is outweighed by the ill will and cost of participation in government inquiries they bear. There's only a slim chance that this will work, but I'm willing to take a few minutes to file complaints and let the wheels of our government agencies churn. After all, isn't that what they're there for?
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Thank you for doing this..
I feel the only way we will ever be heard is to start a Samsung boycott petition. Even if those who sign the petition has no plans to truly boycott Samsung, the negative publicity and the potential for consumers to boycott them would be a huge risk in Samsung eyes. Imagine if we had 10k users signed the boycott petition because of the bloatware & locked bootloader. Samsung could care less about the 10k consumers but the word of mouth from those consumer could equal millions. Samsung might not officially release an unlock bootloader but might allow leaks to occur to keep us quiet. If one website picked up the story about Samsung boycott petition, Samsung would do everything in their power to correct or fix the problem. Due to carrier restrictions and request they would have to come up with clever ways or do what htc does and allow you to unlock your phone on their site with a code.

Samsung Pay in Summer 2015.

Samsung Pay Launch Pushed to September
Samsung has indicated its mobile payment service will not launch over the summer months as planned. Instead, Samsung Pay will get off the ground in the U.S. and Korea in September. The company confirmed the delay in a call Wednesday with investors. Samsung Pay was announced in March and will initially be available to the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones. It supports both NFC and magnetic payment terminals, which means it should be more widely available than either Apple Pay or Android Pay, which are limited to NFC terminals. Samsung didn't provide a reason for the delay. The company said Samsung Pay will expand to Europe, China, Australia, and South America, as well as other high-end Samsung devices, later in the year. Apple Pay has been available since October 2014 and Android Pay is expected to launch with Android M in September or October.
source: http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=15906

I have a feeling that by the time Samsung Pay is widely used, we will be using a new device by then.

It's always like that, samsung announced something with the galaxy line on the presentation and that thing it only be available by the end of the year. Every time is like that ? I don't even know when it's going to be available on europe

Most of us have already rooted our phones. No Samsung Pay for us.
Anyway, it is no biggie. How difficult is it to take out a credit card and make a payment?

MCube74 said:
I have a feeling that by the time Samsung Pay is widely used, we will be using a new device by then.
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Samsung Galaxy S6 Plus rumours look very promising. :silly:

Galaxy S6 Plus may have the Snapdragon 808 cpu. Why call it a plus when it uses a slower CPU than the current Galaxy S6 /S6 Edge?

MCube74 said:
Galaxy S6 Plus may have the Snapdragon 808 cpu. Why call it a plus when it uses a slower CPU than the current Galaxy S6 /S6 Edge?
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Click to collapse
Plus don't necessarily mean fast. Just bigger (size)

MCube74 said:
Most of us have already rooted our phones. No Samsung Pay for us.
Anyway, it is no biggie. How difficult is it to take out a credit card and make a payment?
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Click to collapse
why carry credit card when you dont have to?
my phone is rooted, if samsung pay only works on non-rooted phone, i going to flash stock rom.

netnerd said:
why carry credit card when you dont have to?
my phone is rooted, if samsung pay only works on non-rooted phone, i going to flash stock rom.
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Click to collapse
Once Knox is tripped, Samsung pay is gone from your phone.
I never leave home without my wallet so my credit card is always with me. You will never know when you will need it.
Samsung Pay will probably not be available everywhere.

MCube74 said:
Once Knox is tripped, Samsung pay is gone from your phone.
I never leave home without my wallet so my credit card is always with me. You will never know when you will need it.
Samsung Pay will probably not be available everywhere.
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Click to collapse
please show us where Samsung itself has actually stated that Samsung pay wont work if Knox is tripped; an ACTUAL statement from Samsung, not a tweet or a Facebook post please..

wase4711 said:
please show us where Samsung itself has actually stated that Samsung pay wont work if Knox is tripped; an ACTUAL statement from Samsung, not a tweet or a Facebook post please..
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Dude it's a guess, but it's an educated one. Go read what secures SamPay, and you'll see that it uses SamKnox as a security measure. Take a wild guess what would happen when the security protocol gets breached.

dude, the only reason I posted that is because for some reason 90% of people on xda "Assume" that tripping Knox will make samsung pay un workable, even though Samsung has never said that is the case; plus, if it turns out to be a popular form of payment, I am certain someone will come up with a way to use it, even with root/knox disabled.
for me, I could care less about it, since its just as easy, and more SECURE to just use your credit card, instead of having all that personal financial info on your cell phone, but, until Samsung actually releases it, which, from what I have read recently, has been pushed out to AFTER September, saying for certain that tripping Knox renders it un workable just cant be taken as an absolute truth..

wase4711 said:
dude, the only reason I posted that is because for some reason 90% of people on xda "Assume" that tripping Knox will make samsung pay un workable, even though Samsung has never said that is the case; plus, if it turns out to be a popular form of payment, I am certain someone will come up with a way to use it, even with root/knox disabled.
for me, I could care less about it, since its just as easy, and more SECURE to just use your credit card, instead of having all that personal financial info on your cell phone, but, until Samsung actually releases it, which, from what I have read recently, has been pushed out to AFTER September, saying for certain that tripping Knox renders it un workable just cant be taken as an absolute truth..
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Click to collapse
Maybe it's because 90% of us are satisfied with a tweet from Samsung, an article from Sammobile (with Samsung insiders, also quoted by the tweet) and a post from Chainfire (who knows Touchwiz better than any non-Samsung software engineer) when they all say Samsung Pay won't work when Knox is tripped. We aren't being gullible as you have led on.

wase4711 said:
dude, the only reason I posted that is because for some reason 90% of people on xda "Assume" that tripping Knox will make samsung pay un workable, even though Samsung has never said that is the case; plus, if it turns out to be a popular form of payment, I am certain someone will come up with a way to use it, even with root/knox disabled.
for me, I could care less about it, since its just as easy, and more SECURE to just use your credit card, instead of having all that personal financial info on your cell phone, but, until Samsung actually releases it, which, from what I have read recently, has been pushed out to AFTER September, saying for certain that tripping Knox renders it un workable just cant be taken as an absolute truth..
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Click to collapse
Wow.. If you don't even care why bother commenting, especially if it's gonna spark a argument.

I was just wondering : if Samsung pay doesn't work, we can still use android pay? It'll be a wider option and will work on a lot of device? Just guessing...

doumi215 said:
I was just wondering : if Samsung pay doesn't work, we can still use android pay? It'll be a wider option and will work on a lot of device? Just guessing...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would assume so. Android Pay checks for root, but there are workarounds for that.

Note 5 carrier limitations

I told myself I'd never go back to a TouchWiz device, but alas here I am getting ready to make a move to the Note 5. I'm also switching carriers as T-mobile gets terrible service at my new home. While comparing AT&T and Verizon, I noticed that Verizon may not end up supporting Samsung Pay.
So I thought I would take this discussion here (if it belongs in Q&A please move it): What sort of carrier limitations will be placed on the Note 5 by AT&T or Verizon? Any insight to help me choose which version to go with would be a big help.
Along with not supporting Samsung Pay, I've heard that Verizon still is stubborn as hell with locking down their phones. It would be a deal breaker if I'm unable to root.
Anything else I should expect when deciding on the carrier?

Take your pick as far as locked down phones are concerned. I think both AT&T and Verizon are equally bad on locking down devices.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

You wont be unlocking your device ever if you want to use samsung pay, you can't use it on a rooted device period for security reasons.

We should be able to sue if Verizon blocks Samsung pay...
Sent from my SM-G925V using Xparent Green Tapatalk 2

You can sue anyone for anything in the US. Whether you would win or not, or want to pay the lawyer fees, is another story...
So go ahead. ?
Or were you just complaining?

Kaboose666 said:
You wont be unlocking your device ever if you want to use samsung pay, you can't use it on a rooted device period for security reasons.
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You sure about this? Unless I'm mistaken people have been using Google Wallet with rooted devices for a while.

hahajoker said:
You sure about this? Unless I'm mistaken people have been using Google Wallet with rooted devices for a while.
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I am 99% sure, Samsung uses Knox security and when your device boots up Knox does a security check on the device, if it detects root, samsung pay will NOT work, period. Ever. You can't reset it, once it detects it you're pretty much F'd. And it's still up in the air if that will affect your hardware warranty or not, though I doubt it will.
This is specific to Knox and samsung pay.

Kaboose666 said:
I am 99% sure, Samsung uses Knox security and when your device boots up Knox does a security check on the device, if it detects root, samsung pay will NOT work, period. Ever. You can't reset it, once it detects it you're pretty much F'd. And it's still up in the air if that will affect your hardware warranty or not, though I doubt it will.
This is specific to Knox and samsung pay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info. I forgot all about good ol Knox and all the bull**** that comes with it. I want to like the Note 5 but Samsung is making it really hard.

hahajoker said:
Thanks for the info. I forgot all about good ol Knox and all the bull**** that comes with it. I want to like the Note 5 but Samsung is making it really hard.
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Well I am using my note5 and I have to say I really do enjoy the phone, but I am coming from an LG G2, coming from something else it may not be as good of an option.

Kaboose666 said:
Well I am using my note5 and I have to say I really do enjoy the phone, but I am coming from an LG G2, coming from something else it may not be as good of an option.
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I'm coming from a nexus 6. I love my phone and I'd rather not switch but in order to get free of T-mobile the cheapest route is to upgrade to a flip phone and pay it off immediately. That means I have to turn in my Nexus.

Verizon has always been super slow to support anything. ATT has too, but not as slow as Verizon. Verizon and samsung pay.

mircury said:
Verizon has always been super slow to support anything. ATT has too, but not as slow as Verizon. Verizon and samsung pay.
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Think I'm done with Verizon. Att offering $300 to switch. Think I'm going to do it. And get monthly data rollover.
Sent from my SM-N910V using XDA Free mobile app

Verizon Galaxy S5 Bootloader Has Been Unlocked!!

Verizon Galaxy S5 Bootloader Has Been Unlocked!!
http://goo.gl/y7pLhm
Proof of Concept Shown on Video
https://goo.gl/sI2ZO4
"Verizon has a storied history with regards to bootloader unlocking – namely, they hate the very idea of it. For years now, Verizon has maintained that preventing you from unlocking your device’s bootloader is for your own benefit.
In a letter sent to customers who filed a complaint with the FCC, Verizon states that:
“[A]n open bootloader could prevent Verizon Wireless from providing the same level of customer experience and support because it would allow users to change their phone or otherwise modify the software and, potentially, negatively impact how the phone connects with the network.”
There is some truth to this claim, as users with unlocked bootloaders are able to modify the device’s radio files which could potentially cause problems with cellular connectivity. Verizon also states that :
“The addition of unapproved software could also negatively impact the wireless experience for other customers.”
We all know what they mean by this – they don’t want people to use tethering. Not unexpected, of course, as Verizon wants to make money off of anyone using their mobile network. The same is true for almost every carrier. However, Verizon (along with AT&T) is unique in its stubbornness to lock down its devices, with nearly every device released for its network being unable to be unlocked. They would rather you purchase an entirely new phone to be able to unlock your bootloader, rather than sticking with what you have.
Victory for the Consumer
For months, Verizon Galaxy S5 users have waited for even a simple root method. They eventually got one thanks to the community coming together and setting a bounty for it, incentivizing any developer looking to claim nearly $20,000! But the holy grail that the Verizon Galaxy S5 community was looking out for – and what they pledged their money to see – was still out of reach. Until today, that is. Beaups, a member of the Firewater team, has just posted a video demonstrating a proof of concept for unlocking the S5 bootloader. This process shows a Verizon Galaxy S5 bootloader being put into developer mode, though the proof of concept should work on any S5. At the moment, there are no determined plans to release the unlocking method as it is merely a proof of concept, but the implications of this development should excite every Verizon Galaxy S5 owner. Who knows, maybe your device will eventually be able to join the list of devices that are tasting that sweet, sweet Marshmallow."

Hoping this will lead to somewhere with the note 4 but I'm not gonna hold my breath

That's a lot of hype for a device that isn't ours. Also:
"At the moment, there are no determined plans to release the unlocking method as it is merely a proof of concept,"
So, that's good to hear. But let's cool the hype a touch. There are so many reasons why this could or could not work for us that its a really premature to be celebrating. Hell, the intended device doesn't even have a release yet.

Saw 4.4.2 on the pc screen in the video?
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

I hope it leads somewhere for you guys, but consider that the S5 is old news,obsolete. Given the time frame from release of the S5 to the "unlock", the Note 4 will be as useful as the old Razor from Motorola is now.....
Im just saying, dont get excited to just be let down again.

Poll & Discusssion: Root? or Android/Samsung Pay?

So - S7s are shipping and Christmas for many of us Android users is almost here. I've rooted every Android I've ever had, but I really am considering leaving my S7 Edge stock to use Samsung Pay. I figured I'd put a poll out there and kick off any discussion the pros and cons of rooting. Thoughts?

I'll probably root eventually. I'd like to see how it performs out of the box first, but I bank with a local credit union that will likely never get Samsung Pay (They only got Apple pay last year), so that's not an issue for me.

I got the Note 5 a month and a half ago when we moved to T-Mobile, and came from the Nexus 6. The Note 5 is the first phone I had not rooted in the first week. There was an app to freeze the bloat I did not without rooting and I love my Android Pay. Only thing I miss from rooting my phone now is adblock. However I can live with the ads to keep the Android Pay functions.

nvm

I rooted and loaded custom ROM on all my phones except the Note Edge. the support wasn't there for it and AT&T really locked things down. but honestly, I didn't really miss much... I don't think I'll be doing any of that. I also want to try samsung pay and kinda wish my Gear S had the NFC to make that even easier. Might get S2 Classic 4G just for that honestly.

Adguard my friend Google it. I love Samsung pay and with the s7/e performing like they do I certainly don't need root. Maybe someday if CM comes along I'll consider it but for now Adguard is enough for me.

So the question still there... Samsung pay going to work on rooted device or not. Anyone tried?
Samsung Pay is a banking app and here in the UK my banking app (Lloyds bank) doesn't work with my rooted Galaxy S5.
Is not really an option always use an app to freeze the bloat (have used something like that call "Hide my Root") as was saying kxhaz
There should be alternative for that...