I was looking into buying a J727V, it looks like the bootloader may be locked, obviously this stops me from putting in my own custom rom, can anyone confirm?
Last time I bought a (I think) Note 4 I had to get a developer version so that the boot loader was not locked in order to put on a custom rom.
If it is bootloader locked is there a different version of the J7 that I can get that I can use on Verizon?
MAsterOSkillio said:
I was looking into buying a J727V, it looks like the bootloader may be locked, obviously this stops me from putting in my own custom rom, can anyone confirm?
Last time I bought a (I think) Note 4 I had to get a developer version so that the boot loader was not locked in order to put on a custom rom.
If it is bootloader locked is there a different version of the J7 that I can get that I can use on Verizon?
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yes all carrier bootloader is locked you need to buy unlocked phone or i think there are some unique processes are available also on xda to unlock boot loader but i am not confirm.
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First off, sorry for the confusing thread title.
I'm currently running an AT&T Note 3 which has a locked bootloader and I've wanted to run CyanogenMod for a while now. I've ordered a second hand T-Mobile Galaxy S5 because I've heard the bootloader is unlocked and/or unlockable.
Can anyone here clarify how the sim lock/carrier lock works?
Will this require me to purchase an unlock code or will flashing the bootloader and custom firmware automatically unlock the sim? From my research I've read that I still need to unlock the sim, but I've also read that using a different bootloader can unlock it. Kind of confusing.
(my browser spazzed and I lost my last post if it shows up as a double ignore the other one!)
I'm new to Android and finding it confusing so thanks for the help so far!
I have a 910F Note 4 on Lollipop and want to root it to get rid of bloatware and possibly stop ads (if I can convince myself it's ethical) btu I *may* want to custom ROM it later.
So far your help and my reading have taught me this:
-- I can root using chainfire in order to get rid of bloat and block ads
-- If after rooting I later want a custom ROM or Xposed I'll need to get custom recovery in which case I'll be able to add CWM or TWRP later to my rooted phone
Assuming the above are true (if not please tell me!!) my question is this:
What on earth is oem unlock/bootloader unlock? In my reading I've come across people talking about this and it wiping the phone. I can't find an easy answer online. If I root +/- do CWM/TWRP will that automatically do OEM unlock or are they different things? Is bootloader unlock a different thing too? I'm confused! Will I need to root AND custom recovery AND oem unlock AND unlock bootloader?
Thanks in advance!!!
Some devices come with a locked bootloader, where you may be able to root the device via an exploit, but you can't change lower level software (ie kernel and/or recovery)... unless there is an unlock method for the bootloader.
The devices that do have a locked bootloader can be locked by the manufacturer, or by the carrier. That's the difference between the two. Either way the bootloader is still locked, only difference is who called for the locking.
For example, note 4 on tmobile does not have a locked bootloader, however, note 4 on at&t does. That decision was made by at&t, not Samsung. As far as I know, the at&t variant does not have a method for unlocking the bootloader yet so there's not much development for the device.
Compare to nexus devices, where Google automatically has the manufacturer lock the bootloader, but it being a development device, it's the easiest bootloader to unlock. It's literally a one line command in adb. HTC devices are locked but you can get an HTC dev code to unlock it from HTC.
I hope that makes sense. The best way to determine if your device has a locked bootloader is to visit the development forum or the general/Q&A forums for your device. If you have a locked bootloader and there is an unlock method, you only have to do it once (until you update or relock your bootloader). Some locked devices never get an unlock method. It designed to maintain the security and integrity of the device, but it also prevents user tampering.
Thank you for your thorough reply absinthesummer, very helpful.
However I'm still a little confused. My reading suggests to me that T-Mobile (910T) is *rootable* and the AT&T version (910S?) is not *rootable* but I'm in the UK and don't use these providers I use EE. And so I have the international variant of the Note 4 which is the 910F. I don't see a subforum or help for the UK EE version of the note 4 but as it's the 910F I assume that's the one I need to search for and not worry that EE will have put their own lock onto the 910F??
Now, because this happens to coincide with what you are saying has a locked bootloader or not, am I to assume that whether or not something is rootable is the same as whether or not it has an unlockable bootloader? i.e. is something only rootable or not because its bootloader is unlockable or not? If so therefore am I correct to assume that as the 910F which I have is rootable that it is also bootloadunlockable? And furthermore am I correct to assume that the very process of rooting itself unlocks the bootloader? Or perhaps in the case of the 910F it doesn't need to be so is even easier than Nexus devices? i.e. I just simply root and that in itself mean bootloader is already unlocked (and I am assuming that oem unlock is the same thing?)
I'm getting myself in a muddle I think!
Hehe it's totally cool, and yes your carrier could put a lock on it but that's incredibly rare in Europe due to frequent traveling between countries and the need to change Sims and carriers often... or at least that's what I've been told. The US carriers who lock their bootloaders are typically GSM carriers who do not expect you to need to root/carrier unlock/whatever. It's a control thing imo.
Anyway, your note 4 does not have a locked bootloader. If you check the development forum for your device you will see plenty of roms and guides and directions for rooting. That's usually a good indication that a device is unlocked (and those anticipating the release of new devices tend to get lock information prior to release, so they know which device they intend to buy).
Anyway, since you don't have a locked bootloader I wouldn't worry about it... that reminds me of a device I had for about a week, the LG L9. It had an oem bootloader lock but the international variant did not. We could root it & use a specially designed recovery with the bootloader locked but we couldn't flash a custom kernel (with a custom rom). They figured out that we could flash the international firmware and unlock that way, but it would make our display backwards (mirrored) and while that could be fixed, we would never be able to revert the boot screen. Now that's way too much trouble to go through just to unlock a bootloader and I did end up returning it and getting an s3 instead.
Bootloader locks are no fun, but they are not often placed on international devices for various reasons, so really I wouldn't worry about it too much.
If you get a device like a Google nexus, or an HTC that has a known locked bootloader, the bootloader and unlock method will be specifically mentioned in the routing guide. I hope that helps.
One more thing: rootability and locked bootloaders are not mutually exclusive, sometimes you can root devices with locked bootloaders and sometimes people will come up with ways around them (ie note 3 has safe strap recovery that runs parallel to stock recovery) to be able to use custom roms. However, if no exploit is found and there is no workaround, development will stall until one or both of those things is found. You may be able to root a device with a locked BL, but you may not be able to flash custom roms/kernels without a workaround. What I meant though is if you see a popular device with very little development, that's probably due to a locked bootloader and not having found a way around it yet. Most guides will explicitly mention the BL though if it's something you need to do
Yet another thoroughly helpful and detailed reply. Thank you very much indeed. You're a star!
I have a note 3 with stock lollipop rom model n900w8 which is the canadian note 3 version. I just want to know if it will be sim locked again if I installed a custom rom like magma or darklord?
PS. I don't know if it was sim locked before, I just got it sim unlocked already.
Additional question: can I just go back to stock kitkat from stock lollipop without rooting?
How was it sim unlocked? With an unlock code, the phone should be permanently unlocked regardless of flashing a custom ROM or upgrading bootloaders and modems.
audit13 said:
How was it sim unlocked? With an unlock code, the phone should be permanently unlocked regardless of flashing a custom ROM or upgrading bootloaders and modems.
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I don't know how it was unlocked. I just got it unlockef already.
poqi_ako said:
I don't know how it was unlocked. I just got it unlockef already.
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Most likely it will never re-lock itself
Every phone that I got from a carrier and subsequently unlocked via code, including the n900w8, or a free method (i.e. Samsung note 2, s3, s4) has never relocked after flashing a stock or custom ROM.
Is any work being done to try to unlock the bootloader of the SM-G955U model? Just got the phone so I'm out of the loop and was wondering what the hold up is. Bought a simple mobile version and put my T-Mbile sim in it. Works great so it is definitely carrier unlocked, but the bootloader is locked which means I cannot install a custom recovery. Not very happy with Touchwiz...
abel408 said:
Is any work being done to try to unlock the bootloader of the SM-G955U model? Just got the phone so I'm out of the loop and was wondering what the hold up is. Bought a simple mobile version and put my T-Mbile sim in it. Works great so it is definitely carrier unlocked, but the bootloader is locked which means I cannot install a custom recovery. Not very happy with Touchwiz...
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As far as I no one's doing anything on that side of stuff, you can still get root and there is a custom rom out there by a user named Partcyborg, do not expect to see any aosp/lineageos roms out, there isn't events fully working one for the exynos version
It's been so long since I last rooted my phones, maybe 6 or 7 years now... I don't even know where to start. Is TWRP still the go-to method for rooting these Android devices?
I couldn't find anything specifically for the T-Mobile variants, dunno if that's been done yet.
Thanks,
Nick
Your bootloader is locked and cannot be unlocked. No root or TWRP available.
StoneyJSG said:
Your bootloader is locked and cannot be unlocked. No root or TWRP available.
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Thanks
No problem!
Is this device always going to have a locked bootloader? Flashing an unlocked firmware wouldn't change anything? Im new to samsung and have been out of the rom game a long time.
PunkUnity said:
Is this device always going to have a locked bootloader? Flashing an unlocked firmware wouldn't change anything? Im new to samsung and have been out of the rom game a long time.
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These devices will always be locked down. The last U.S. Samsung phone to get root was the S9, the S10 line are locked up tight. Flashing unlocked firmware just makes your phone carrier free so you can use it with any carrier, it doesn't unlock the bootloader.
What phones are best for modding these days then? Just came from a Pixel 4 XL and it had a locked bootloader plus tons of hardware issues that ended in me getting this phone
I would say a One Plus phone is probably the most versatile as far as modding goes these days. You could also get an exynos S10 variant which can be rooted and custom recovery installed.