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For laughs I sent Samsung customer support a request about unlocking the S4 like the htcdev.com site. This was their I think canned response. Looks like they recommend the Verizon dev edition.
"After reviewing your email, we understand that you would like to know the information on unlocking the boot loader of your Samsung Galaxy S5 phone.
We understand your requirement.
We would like to inform you that Samsung manufactures the devices according to carrier requirements/specifications and the devices will be locked to particular carrier network. As of now the option to unlock the bootloader on Samsung devices is unavailable. Unlocking the bootloader might damage the functionality of the phone. Moreover, it voids the warranty(one year from the date of purchase) of the phone.
However, Developer edition phones are available from Samsung wherein you can modify/develop any applications and the bootloader will be unlocked. As of now Samsung Galaxy S5 developer edition model(Verizon) is yet to release. Access the web-link below wherein you can view the specifications of the phone.
Link: http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones/ET-G900VMKAVZW-specs
Please feel free to write back to us if you have any queries. We will be glad to assist you.
If you are looking for more details on the functionality of a product or would like to find answers to some of the questions, visit us http://originus.samsung.com/us/smartphone-simulators-and-tutorials/# for an interactive review of some of our Samsung products.
Link: http://originus.samsung.com/us/smartphone-simulators-and-tutorials/#
If you have more questions regarding your Samsung Mobile Phone, you can also reach out to our chat support team by accessing the following link. Live Chat is available 24 hours a day. 7 days a week.
Link: http://www.samsung.com/us/support/contact
Thank you for your continued interest in Samsung products. "
Interesting, thanks for sharing
Sent from my GT-I9505 converted SGH-i337 w/XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Honestly then they really should let us at leat have the option of unlocking boot loader a year after ownership. But still, their reasoning still leaves the debate open to, it's our device, we should have the choice to take the risk. Oh well at that point they'll just push the issue back onto AT&T.
Wonder why they didn't say anything about the T-Mobile one. That bootloader is unlocked.
That is basically being covered by carrier requirements. That AT&T requested it to be locked. The assumption being that T-Mobile didn't require it to be.
Sent from my SGH-T869 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
TheArtiszan said:
That is basically being covered by carrier requirements. That AT&T requested it to be locked. The assumption being that T-Mobile didn't require it to be.
Sent from my SGH-T869 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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Yeah I would buy that if HTC didn't have HTCdev.com. There is no way Samsung ended up with a more restrictive contract than HTC.
I was bored so I decided to bug the Samsung tech support folks. Transcript follows
info: Please wait for a Samsung Agent to respond.
info: You are now chatting with '****'. There will be a brief survey at the end of our chat to share feedback on my performance today.
info: Your Issue ID for this chat is ******
Alice: Hi, thank you for contacting Samsung Technical Support. How may I help you today?
Chad: I'm looking for a way to get a signing key for my S4 (SM-G900A). Like HTC provides at htcdev.com.
Chad: sorry its a S5
Alice: I understand that you want to have signing key for S5. Am I correct?
Chad: Yeah basically I want to unlock the bootloader.
Alice: Thank you for information.
Chad: Or I'd be willing to return this S5 and buy direct from Samsung but i couldn't find one on the website with the same US ATT bands just the verizon ones.
Alice: I would like to inform you that there is no such option in S5 device which you are using.
Chad: Samsung must have the key for my S/n
Chad: it was burned in when they manufactured the handset
Alice: You need to buy Developer Edition model to unlock the bootloader.
Chad: i would like to do that but i dont see an att developer model
Chad: and last i checked the verizon one wasn't orderable
Chad: I'm a long time Samsung customer I must have at least 12 samsung devices in my household.
Chad: This lack of help is going to drive me to HTC for mobile.
Alice: I do understand your situation.
Alice: I apologize for the inconvenience caused.
Chad: and I may have to look at other TV electronics manufacturers
Chad: Samsung does have the key and are refusing to provide it?
Chad: Its win/win for you. You get out of warranty obligations.
Alice: I would have surely helped you if there is an option. Please understand that Samsung manufactures the devices based on the carrier specifications.
Chad: I understand that but you have the key. HTC does the same thing and they provide the key at htcdev.com
Alice: The warranty will be voided if you try to unlock the bootloader.
Chad: I understand that and I'm ok with it. Samsung wins no warranty obligations.
Alice: I do understand your concern. I am sorry to say that there is no option to unlock the bootloader .
Chad: You mean samsung won't give me the info i need.
Chad: OK I will return the phone. I have huge amount of Samsung gear in my house. It will no longer be my default manufacturer for electronics. I have been a customer for over a decade.
Chad: I'd like a corporate contact to send a letter or email to as well please.
Alice: I apologize for the inconvenience caused.
Chad: I'd also recommend you put a warning sticker on the boxes with phones with the locked bootldr. Its kind of sleazy to not warn people about that.
Alice: I would have surely helped you if there is any option for me to help you. Samsung will not recommend to unlock the bootaloader.
Chad: I understand that and I would buy it was a contract restriction with ATT if HTC didn't provide exactly what I'm asking for with the M8.
Alice: I apologize for the inconvenience caused.
Chad: Not your fault I know you don't set the policy. Do you have someone in public relations or somthing like that I could send an email to?
Chad: I just want to vent my frustration to a VP level person. I've been buying a lot of Samsung product for years.
Alice: I will provide you a link where you can send an Email to Samsung.
Chad: thank you
Alice: http://www.samsung.com/us/support/email/product/SGH-I317TSAATT
Alice: You're welcome. Is there anything else I can assist you with?
Chad: No that was it I'm happy with all of my other Samsung products at this point.
Chad: thank you
Alice: I really appreciate your time and patience.
Alice: We thank you for your inquiry today and hope your experience with Samsung tech support has been a pleasant one. In an effort to continuously improve our service, we request you to take a minute and complete a quick survey.Please click blue 'X' button on the upper right corner and you will be provided with the survey to complete.
info: Chat session has been terminated by the Samsung Agent.
That's most likely incorrect, doesn't make sense that AT&T would allow the One M8 to be unlocked and provide source code for the kernel, while Samsung is locked down completely.
Response from Samsung
I send an query to 'Voice of Customer' and got below response. Looks little positive!!! I am planning to send a follow up.
Dear xxxx,
Thank you for contacting Samsung Telecommunications America.
After reviewing your e-mail, we understand that you want us to release a tool to unlock a bootloader.
Firstly, we thank you for showing continuous interest towards Samsung products.
Moving forward with your concern, we really thank you for sharing your ideas with Samsung. Samsung keeps developing products using the currently available technologies in the market and will be releasing them on a timely basis. Hopefully you might be getting all the features that you are expecting in the devices which will be released in the future. Please keep checking the Samsung website to get information about the products releasing from Samsung.
If you are looking for more details on the functionality of a product or would like to find answers to some of the questions, visit us http://originus.samsung.com/us/smartphone-simulators-and-tutorials/# for an interactive review of some of our Samsung products.
Link : http://originus.samsung.com/us/smartphone-simulators-and-tutorials/#
Please feel free to get back to us if you have any further concerns. We would be glad to assist you.
yoonus said:
I send an query to 'Voice of Customer' and got below response. Looks little positive!!! I am planning to send a follow up.
Dear xxxx,
Thank you for contacting Samsung Telecommunications America.
After reviewing your e-mail, we understand that you want us to release a tool to unlock a bootloader.
Firstly, we thank you for showing continuous interest towards Samsung products.
Moving forward with your concern, we really thank you for sharing your ideas with Samsung. Samsung keeps developing products using the currently available technologies in the market and will be releasing them on a timely basis. Hopefully you might be getting all the features that you are expecting in the devices which will be released in the future. Please keep checking the Samsung website to get information about the products releasing from Samsung.
.
If you are looking for more details on the functionality of a product or would like to find answers to some of the questions, visit us http://originus.samsung.com/us/smartphone-simulators-and-tutorials/# for an interactive review of some of our Samsung products.
Link : http://originus.samsung.com/us/smartphone-simulators-and-tutorials/#
Please feel free to get back to us if you have any further concerns. We would be glad to assist you.
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This is crazy that we cant do what we want with what we own. I would have bought the m8 but no removable battery and not waterproof. That was huge for me. This bootloader situation is terrible
The S3 and S4 originally came with locked bootloaders. Somebody will figure it out The S4 bypass was developed a month after it was released last year.
n2nin said:
The S3 and S4 originally came with locked bootloaders. Somebody will figure it out The S4 bypass was developed a month after it was released last year.
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The note 3 never had an exploit for the bootloader. No safestrap doesn't count.
n2nin said:
The S3 and S4 originally came with locked bootloaders. Somebody will figure it out The S4 bypass was developed a month after it was released last year.
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The bypass you're thinking of is Loki, and that exploit was patched and closed a long time ago by Samsung. The Note 3 as said does not have a true bootloader unlock or bypass, it does have root but that was gained by modifying system, which also has since been closed on Kit Kat....sorry to say its going to take some time, for ATT/VZW to get any dev of any sort if any at all, a new exploit is needed. If you really wanted needed dev for the phone and wanted a S5, buying the Tmo version outright would have been the best alternative.
n2nin said:
The S3 and S4 originally came with locked bootloaders. Somebody will figure it out The S4 bypass was developed a month after it was released last year.
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Just fyi The S3 did not come with a locked bootloader. I still have an S3 and never had to Loki it or anything. Normal plain root then recovery. Anything and everything can still be flashed (Roms/KERNELS/modems/themes.
The S4 came with locked bootloader but a bypass (Loki) was found soon after release for MDB and MDL firmwares. This allowed for flashing ANYTHING like AOKP/CM/Touchwiz based rom/KERNELS/ Modems.
After that the S4 was stuck locked up hard until safestrap worked.With Safestrap you can ONLY flash Touchwiz based Roms/Modems/and possibly themes/ but NO KERNELS OR AOKP/CM/GPE Based Roms. With each revision they locked it down further. The newest firmware is not really able to use safestrap without a workaround of flashing an older firmware without the bootloader, then safestrap it, then go back to the newest firmware. Safestrap is NOT near as versatile at flashing things as the Loki bypass as it was the ONLY real exploit found to bypass the bootloader. So in reality the "LOCKED" bootloader has NOT been able to be cracked yet.
All of this we all knew would make the ATT S5 bootloader locked down even harder and a exploit will probably never be found to completely change the locked bootloader and flash Roms/kernels/modems easily. IF a safestrap version or something similar does happen then only Touchwiz based Roms and modems (possibly themes) can be flashed. But NO AOKP/CM/GPE based Roms.
T-Mobile S5 will be able to do ALL NAD ANY flashing as normal since its bootloaders are NOT locked.
Sent From My Spiderman,Ironman,Red,Dark Blue,Green, GreyedOut BadAss Themed I337
RockRatt said:
Just fyi The S3 did not come with a locked bootloader. I still have an S3 and never had to Loki it or anything. Normal plain root then recovery. Anything and everything can still be flashed (Roms/KERNELS/modems/themes.
The S4 came with locked bootloader but a bypass (Loki) was found soon after release for MDB and MDL firmwares. This allowed for flashing ANYTHING like AOKP/CM/Touchwiz based rom/KERNELS/ Modems.
After that the S4 was stuck locked up hard until safestrap worked.With Safestrap you can ONLY flash Touchwiz based Roms/Modems/and possibly themes/ but NO KERNELS OR AOKP/CM/GPE Based Roms. With each revision they locked it down further. The newest firmware is not really able to use safestrap without a workaround of flashing an older firmware without the bootloader, then safestrap it, then go back to the newest firmware. Safestrap is NOT near as versatile at flashing things as the Loki bypass as it was the ONLY real exploit found to bypass the bootloader. So in reality the "LOCKED" bootloader has NOT been able to be cracked yet.
All of this we all knew would make the ATT S5 bootloader locked down even harder and a exploit will probably never be found to completely change the locked bootloader and flash Roms/kernels/modems easily. IF a safestrap version or something similar does happen then only Touchwiz based Roms and modems (possibly themes) can be flashed. But NO AOKP/CM/GPE based Roms.
T-Mobile S5 will be able to do ALL NAD ANY flashing as normal since its bootloaders are NOT locked.
Sent From My Spiderman,Ironman,Red,Dark Blue,Green, GreyedOut BadAss Themed I337
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Hence the reason I bought a TMO outright and unlocked it for ATT, I dont think most users grasp how locked down the device on ATT and & VZW really are.
djkinetic said:
Hence the reason I bought a TMO outright and unlocked it for ATT, I dont think most users grasp how locked down the device on ATT and & VZW really are.
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If they don't grasp it now, they never will. This thing is locked down as tight as a drum. Much like you, I agree it's going to be a while, if ever.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
I would pay monies to the person who finds the exploit to root. I don't think we will get root without tripping Knox
i dont so much care about knox i just want root we can worry about untripping it later
djkinetic said:
Hence the reason I bought a TMO outright and unlocked it for ATT, I dont think most users grasp how locked down the device on ATT and & VZW really are.
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Could you please let us know how's your SM-G900T performs on ATT networks? It picks up all LTE/3G bands properly to compare with original G900A? How's reception? I'm thinking about doing same thing that you did since TMO's one could be easily rooted...
stask1 said:
Could you please let us know how's your SM-G900T performs on ATT networks? It picks up all LTE/3G bands properly to compare with original G900A? How's reception? I'm thinking about doing same thing that you did since TMO's one could be easily rooted...
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same Reception as my ATT HTC One M8, i check reception via DB in status menu as signal bars are inaccurate many times...At my house I average about 105 DB on LTE with my M8, on the TMO S5 with ATT sim average 105 as well. So far I've picked up all LTE and HSPA+ bands on ATT properly just make sure your sim is activated on an ATT LTE device first and that you have the proper APN set.
Coming from away and moving here not that long ago I have always had international model phones so never spent any time on the LTE/varint side of XDA until now. I never had an LTE variant so didnt realize how locked down they were. I still have my S3 and Note2 international unlocked phones that work here without 4g and thats fine for me really but went for the att S5 since it was cheap. To be quite honest now understanding how things work with variants Im gutted. It will be the first and last variant I buy and Im going back to international models again. They come factory unlocked and bootloader unlocked and also dont have features taken out of them. Its a shame really. I find it pretty nasty that the carriers here have such an unfair gripe over the user and theres nothing that can be done about it.
....and he has T-Mobile. Typically Sprint and T-Mobile have had unlocked bootloaders via carriers and Verizon and AT&T were the only ones who had them locked. Apparently Samsung has taken it upon themselves to lock the bootloaders, most likely to make them more secure to appeal to the enterprise/business/corporate market. Then I googled and saw this article:
http://www.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s7-bootloader-lock-explained-you-might-not-get-aosp-after-all/
Do you think at some point the Nexus will become the same situation and Android customization goes out the window entirely ? In the meantime, I just sent him the picture below.
I personally don't think Nexus will, they may change some things in the future, but not give us locked bootloaders, that's just unfair.
The meme is mean lol, the poor guy probably just spent a fortune on a shiny new S7, and all just to find out that it has a locked bootloader.
Samsuck has *always* locked their bootloaders, with the exception of the 2 or 3? Nexus devices they've made.
Anyone buying anything from them deserves what they get.
The meme is indeed mean and he did pay full retail (pre-order actually). I told him to wait for awhile to see what happens but he just couldn't help himself and had to get it. lolololololol
http://forum.xda-developers.com/sprint-galaxy-s7/help/locked-bootloader-t3335268
Samsung has screwed us over yet again. First they patch the only root method (even though unstable as it was) and Second they cancel the oreo update while releasing oreo for the j7 prime. Samsung could have atleast unlocked the bootloader and allowed developers from xda to create a rom that would be even better than samsung's own rom but sadly nope this was too much to ask. I am disappointed having to announce this and i am disappointed in you samsung. Both for expecting android oreo to come to this device and for spending countless late nights trying to root this device. To me this is the greatest disrespect and i am certain that if i buy a device i own it and should be able to do what i want with it. Locking a bootloader is basically infringing on everyone's liberty and because of this i call for anyone to call for action and even boycott samsung if you have to. This also means keeping your current phone as long as possible and buying from carriers you support (ones that leave the bootloader unlocked) if you need to. This is simply inexcusable for samsung and sad to say it but samsung has lost my support.
Update: US variant of the J327U received oreo and this may re-open the possibility of oreo for the tmobile and metropcs variant in the future.
How many time have to repeat that this wasnt samsung fault, its carrier, if you want an unlock bootlooder try get another company phone which is same price, or grind up your price for another samsung device.
qvnsq said:
How many time have to repeat that this wasnt samsung fault, its carrier, if you want an unlock bootlooder try get another company phone which is same price, or grind up your price for another samsung device.
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Pretty sure i can disprove that by stating that other devices on metro and tmobile that are newer like the lg aristo and lg aristo 2 have the ability to unlock their bootloader and they even have root and twrp recovery. But you tell me the carrier would only request samsung to lock their bootloader and not lg or any other? I call bs.
thepcwiz101 said:
Pretty sure i can disprove that by stating that other devices on metro and tmobile that are newer like the lg aristo and lg aristo 2 have the ability to unlock their bootloader and they even have root and twrp recovery. But you tell me the carrier would only request samsung to lock their bootloader and not lg or any other? I call bs.
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This is a bussiness that how they do, they are on market ranking, they have more then its product, if lg wasnt lock their bootlader mean they need more tech/or peoples like you and us here to use the phone more, i did mentioned about price range for its product, if you spend ( grind up ) your price a little then u will have an unlocked bootlader or even easy way to unlock it, and this is low price and low end phone, what are you expect, i mean its carrier because they need to either request samsung for an unlock product before they deal with, and yet since samsung already reach their point, they wont careless about it, lg is on other point, since you are an developer or patcher/cracker or whatever, you should have known by compared it to samsung s/s2. Its just my 2cents anyway, ofc im frusted too since its locked, i do have an lg artiso and artiso 2 with unlocked bootloader. Also i did have spended and chase on international version on samsung for so long, i know how it work.
I have to root my phones (not wanting to pay $30 for Verizon tether), is anyone aware if the Pixel 4 XL from Verizon will have the bootloader locked, and unable to be rooted? In addition to that, would we see a root for the unlocked version? Thanks
Pretty sure most carrier devices are going to remain locked until you pay it off. At least, that's the logical rationale. I can't imagine they want people unlocking devices they haven't paid for. As far as root, that should be a simple process of just patching the boot.img
ZeroKool76 said:
Pretty sure most carrier devices are going to remain locked until you pay it off. At least, that's the logical rationale. I can't imagine they want people unlocking devices they haven't paid for. As far as root, that should be a simple process of just patching the boot.img
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the lock not something they ever lift? My current 2 XL was paid retail but they never allowed me to unlock the bootloader. They do allow for any carrier SIM to be used in it.
psone said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the lock not something they ever lift? My current 2 XL was paid retail but they never allowed me to unlock the bootloader. They do allow for any carrier SIM to be used in it.
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If you bought the Verizon Pixel 2 XL it had a locked bootloader. Since it was exclusive to Verizon. The unlocked version directly from Google did not have a locked bootloader. That was the same for the Pixel 3 and 3 XL. I am not sure about the Pixel 3a and 3a XL since it was not exclusive to Verizon.
Does anyone know if the Pixel 3a or 3a XL came with a locked bootloader?
EDIT: There's a thread over on the Pixel 3a XL where a bunch of carrier and non-carrier devices had locked bootloaders. I would be careful which device you buy going forward until you hear others chime in on the greyed out unlocked button.
When in doubt, buy directly from Google.
psone said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the lock not something they ever lift? My current 2 XL was paid retail but they never allowed me to unlock the bootloader. They do allow for any carrier SIM to be used in it.
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This is correct. Verizon is a mofo. Doesn't make much sense. I mean, you paid for the device, you should be able to do what you want with it
ZeroKool76 said:
This is correct. Verizon is a mofo. Doesn't make much sense. I mean, you paid for the device, you should be able to do what you want with it
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This right here has been the case with Verizon going ALL the way back to the Verizon Galaxy Nexus. **** Verizon!
Yep, never buy the carrier modesl unless you have absolutely no other option. In the case of Tmo with OnePlus and similar phones you could get an unlock (both carrier and bootloader) after the device was paid off. You still have to deal with a little bloat and later updates along with lesser issues. AT&T will have this one and their policies are similar to Verizon so I wouldn't go that way unless you hate yourself. No idea on Sprint, that have nothing in my area so I haven't paid attention. The previous posters were 100 prevent though, buying unlocked is the way. Tmo if you must to get a deal but only after verifying the bootloader can be unlocked.
krabman said:
Yep, never buy the carrier modesl unless you have absolutely no other option. In the case of Tmo with OnePlus and similar phones you could get an unlock (both carrier and bootloader) after the device was paid off. You still have to deal with a little bloat and later updates along with lesser issues. AT&T will have this one and their policies are similar to Verizon so I wouldn't go that way unless you hate yourself. No idea on Sprint, that have nothing in my area so I haven't paid attention. The previous posters were 100 prevent though, buying unlocked is the way. Tmo if you must to get a deal but only after verifying the bootloader can be unlocked.
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I currently have a one plus 7pro from T-Mobile that is still financed. The bootloader was locked until you paid off your device and waited the mandatory 45 days. Some were able to talk to T-force and got their devices unlocked early whether they financed or not. I was one of the unlucky ones that could not negotiate with T-force to unlock my device. Luckily there was a nice person that worked for TMobile that was in the forums and was able to unlock my phone. We will see what happens when we get the devices and start working on them. I will be financing my phone with them again next Thursday.
I purchased the Unlocked model. I currently have Pixel 2XL Verizon (Bootloader Locked), not a huge issue. But there are times where I wish I had a rooted phone. Not making that mistake again.
cronojay said:
I currently have a one plus 7pro from T-Mobile that is still financed. The bootloader was locked until you paid off your device and waited the mandatory 45 days. Some were able to talk to T-force and got their devices unlocked early whether they financed or not. I was one of the unlucky ones that could not negotiate with T-force to unlock my device. Luckily there was a nice person that worked for TMobile that was in the forums and was able to unlock my phone. We will see what happens when we get the devices and start working on them. I will be financing my phone with them again next Thursday.
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Did you try calling in multiple times? That often works although some people can't seem to catch a break on it. I've been on a number of OP devices and I'm familiar with what you're talking about; Saw it most recently on the 6T but it goes back further. I had them unlock a SGS6 the day I bought it, I paid cash but still the word was it couldn't be done without a dwell period, I remember it being 30 days at that time but maybe it was 45, been a while. In any event the very next year was the one were it turned out Tmo couldn't unlock your bootloader, came from Samsung they said. I remember there being an exploit coming out for that but I had already given away my S7 and moved on to the next thing before they figured that out. Not much over a year later Samsung started the BS with bootloaders on their international unlocked phones and I didn't keep the Note 8 long either. IMO if root is a must it's a good idea to let someone else be the guinea pig and profit from that information unless you've got enough ching to walk away without worrying about it.
I'm pretty sure this phone will also be exactly as you describe on Tmo and I agree with you BTW, just saying the smart money if a man needs to be careful is to wait for the first phones to meet their owners a few of who will unlock and root or attempt to do it. Or as I said in my first post, buy unlocked direct from Goog or Fi if possible.
There is not likely to be any bootloader unlock for the P4 and P4XL for carrier versions unless an exploit is found (which doesn't seem likely anymore). Google does not provide carriers an interface to change the device type, nor do they provide that interface to their own customer service and support teams. It's not a matter of hounding customer service or posting on the right forum because they can't help you. It's an obligation that Google has to meet if they want to keep their big carrier contracts in the United States.
The only unlocking requirement for carrier specific versions is having the ability to SIM unlock the device for portability between networks. Most carriers will do this upon request if you have international travel plans or have completed a certain percentage of your device financing.
navalynt said:
There is not likely to be any bootloader unlock for the P4 and P4XL for carrier versions unless an exploit is found (which doesn't seem likely anymore). Google does not provide carriers an interface to change the device type, nor do they provide that interface to their own customer service and support teams. It's not a matter of hounding customer service or posting on the right forum because they can't help you. It's an obligation that Google has to meet if they want to keep their big carrier contracts in the United States.
The only unlocking requirement for carrier specific versions is having the ability to SIM unlock the device for portability between networks. Most carriers will do this upon request if you have international travel plans or have completed a certain percentage of your device financing.
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So, the devices are shipped to the carriers already locked? Interesting. for some reason I always thought it was the individual carriers that lock them down and then would unlock it when you fully paid off the device. So you're saying, even if you fully pay off the device, you will never be able to unlock a carrier pixel 4/XL? Wow, that's a bummer.
ZeroKool76 said:
So, the devices are shipped to the carriers already locked? Interesting. for some reason I always thought it was the individual carriers that lock them down and then would unlock it when you fully paid off the device. So you're saying, even if you fully pay off the device, you will never be able to unlock a carrier pixel 4/XL? Wow, that's a bummer.
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Correct. Enthusiasts have a channel to bootloader unlock, which is buying directly from Google where Google provides it's own support.
Carriers are only looking to sell you a device that's stable to work on their own networks. What do the carriers have to gain at all from controlling the bootloader unlock? They have nothing to gain from it except a support migraine.
navalynt said:
Correct. Enthusiasts have a channel to bootloader unlock, which is buying directly from Google where Google provides it's own support.
Carriers are only looking to sell you a device that's stable to work on their own networks. What do the carriers have to gain at all from controlling the bootloader unlock? They have nothing to gain from it except a support migraine.
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Yeah, that makes sense when you put it that way. Just took me by surprise when OP and it's carrier phones pretty much allow you to do whatever you want to the device, once it's paid off. Still can't stand OP, but I have to admit, that's a check mark in their corner
Keep in mind Google does not require it like Samsung does so it's left up to the carrier. Tmo has been unlocking similar devices and there is little reason to think it wont happen here. In the opposing camp you have Verizon which demands a locked bootloader and few exploits have been found to circumvent it on recent devices. Meanwhile something to consider is that even the unlocked straight from google device is not really unlocked in the way some people think: Before you can unlock the bootloader it absolutely must phone home. Don't give the phone that connection and you cannot unlock it. Samsung does the same thing. We are not in control of our devices anymore, they can pull the plug on unlocking any time they want simply by denying it via that same connection even if you have already unlocked it. Samsung did this a few years ago in just that way and to this date no one has found a way around it that doesn't cause real pain with the wait a week and all that BS.
I called several times and got on with T-force sever times and no luck. I got lucky when the post I described about unlocking and got mine done. I always device finance because of the 0% apr and jump on demand so all I need to is bring my phone, get my new phone and profit.
ZeroKool76 said:
Pretty sure most carrier devices are going to remain locked until you pay it off. At least, that's the logical rationale. I can't imagine they want people unlocking devices they haven't paid for. As far as root, that should be a simple process of just patching the boot.img
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"simple process" "just patch the boot img" come on man.. Ask the people that own a pixel 3 from Verizon. Please don't spread wrong info
bigmatt503 said:
"simple process" "just patch the boot img" come on man.. Ask the people that own a pixel 3 from Verizon. Please don't spread wrong info
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You mean, ask the people who were dumb enough to buy a locked down device? I'll pass. People that have purchased Verizon's in the past, as you have stated, would obviously know this doesn't apply to them. I was more referring to, since we don't have recovery yet, you would have to patch the boot img manually.
Honestly, I ALMOST got me and my wife's from Verizon (she definitely jumped on the pixel bandwagon). They have a buy one, get one free. Sooo, I kept thinking about root, but ultimately decided I'd rather save $900. Evidently, there's some caveats. One, the get one is for a new line. No biggie, I'll just cancel the one number and add a new one (her phone is paid off, I don't think there's a termination fee after two years). Two, you have to sign up for an unlimited plan. That piece completely wiped the price difference and then some for me. Sooo, I smiled a bit and bought them unlocked from Google. The only reason I would buy directly is for a huge price savings.
Another thing I thought of too, there is an early upgrade fee with V if I were to decide to upgrade to the 5xl next year. So, that's another caveat. I'm glad I just went with unlocked. Hoping it doesn't take long to root.
This time around I placed a pre-order with Google Fi.
All their Pixels are both SIM & Bootloader Unlocked even on
financing, same as Google Store.
Hi, long term xda lurker, first time poster. I've used the search function to try and find my answer, but I keep getting a lot of conflicting answers so I wanted to see what you guys can tell me.
I was considering getting a pixel 4 xl but I want to know if its bootloader is locked. From what I can gather, the us carrier version are in fact locked however a few people have said that if you buy it outright from Google it is unlockable. Can anyone please confirm this? I've always used custom recoveries and rooms like cyanogen and now lineage from my HTC incredible, gs2, gs3, gs4. When I bought my gs7 edge I was highly disappointed to find no way to unlock it and don't want to go through that again. Any help here is mich appreciated.
From the forums, USA carriers will lock the bootloader initially and after you pay off the device (or a certain amount of time has lapsed) you can request they unlock the bootloader. For example, AT&T has a different policy from Verizon, etc.
I am in Canada and my carrier, Telus, did not lock the bootloader. Definitely no hassles if you buy the phone from Google, the bootloader is unlockable.
You may want to look into Google-Fi as well, sometimes they offer phones at a discount. Not sure what has happened post pandemic crisis though.
Fi and Goog phones are unlocked in all respects. All the carrier phones are sim locked and bootloader locked. Tmo for sure can be bootloader unlocked after it's paid for upon request, some have mentioned a 30 day wait also but I did not have to wait. I haven't read up on the other carriers.
Thanks guys from the quick replies! Looks like I'll order a pix4 from google then. I appreciate your input. After dealing with this gs7 (I was such a Samsung nerd for a long time) I'm tired of all the lockouts.
Def Fi or Goog then. Exact same phone but sometimes the deal is better with one or the other so it can pay to have a quick look at both to see if one cuts you a break. The phones have frequently been on sale so some patience might be rewarded if you're of a mind to try and hold out for a better deal.
Verizon will NOT unlock the bootloader. Even if you pay it off.
I purchased mine directly from the Google store and unlocked it on day one