[Q]s-off vs unlocked bootloader - Xperia Z4/Z3+ Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

What are the benefits of s-off over just unlocked boot loader

by unlocking bootloader u can root ur device, can flash custom recovery & custom roms on ur android device....

shad0wboss said:
What are the benefits of s-off over just unlocked boot loader
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I don't have this particular device but I will tell you the general information and you can work with that.
About Bootloader(Unlocked Bootloader):
The bootloader is like a BIOS of your PC. It is the thing that is powered on and verifies all hardware and is responsible for making connection with the hardware. This can either be unlocked or locked. When you have a locked bootloader you can still root (if an exploit is available). You can even install a recovery or custom rom if an exploit is available (like BUMP was). What was it doing? Signing the images for your so the locked bootloader will think it is the OEM image. In most of the cases this is not so happy. Usually you can't flash a recovery or a custom rom or stuff like that with a locked bootloader. Some OEM's provide websites to unlock the bootloader (with the cost of losing warranty; well not really). This is the case of Sony, HTC. Some Oem's don't provide this.
About S-off:
What does S-off mean? Security off. Your device will come with S-ON always unless it's a Dev edition (correct me if I am wrong). What this does is it doesn't leave you to do very advanced operations related to the EMMC (the Nand chip). You can't flash a bootloader you wish or stuff like that. Update radio partition. In some cases system partition is also secured so you can't flash a custom ROM. By S-off you get full control of your device but if a mistakes occurs you will end up with a hard-bricked device.
Peace. Hope you understood.

neutrondev said:
I don't have this particular device but I will tell you the general information and you can work with that.
About Bootloader(Unlocked Bootloader):
The bootloader is like a BIOS of your PC. It is the thing that is powered on and verifies all hardware and is responsible for making connection with the hardware. This can either be unlocked or locked. When you have a locked bootloader you can still root (if an exploit is available). You can even install a recovery or custom rom if an exploit is available (like BUMP was). What was it doing? Signing the images for your so the locked bootloader will think it is the OEM image. In most of the cases this is not so happy. Usually you can't flash a recovery or a custom rom or stuff like that with a locked bootloader. Some OEM's provide websites to unlock the bootloader (with the cost of losing warranty; well not really). This is the case of Sony, HTC. Some Oem's don't provide this.
About S-off:
What does S-off mean? Security off. Your device will come with S-ON always unless it's a Dev edition (correct me if I am wrong). What this does is it doesn't leave you to do very advanced operations related to the EMMC (the Nand chip). You can't flash a bootloader you wish or stuff like that. Update radio partition. In some cases system partition is also secured so you can't flash a custom ROM. By S-off you get full control of your device but if a mistakes occurs you will end up with a hard-bricked device.
Peace. Hope you understood.
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Thanks!
Things is, i was more concerned about the practical info about this device specifically because I have read that with just bootloader unlocked, the roms that i'll be able to flash will only change the visual and not so much with the kernel etc. I don't understand why people would choose to S-OFF for this device for other than just relocking the bootloader.

shad0wboss said:
Thanks!
Things is, i was more concerned about the practical info about this device specifically because I have read that with just bootloader unlocked, the roms that i'll be able to flash will only change the visual and not so much with the kernel etc. I don't understand why people would choose to S-OFF for this device for other than just relocking the bootloader.
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Sorry I can't really help you with that information I don't know if you can flash a Custom kernel with S-on. Never had a sony. Someone will help you out soon.I hope.

i'l bump this question up then :/

I think S-off is a term unique to HTC devices. Its the equivalent of an unlocked bootloader

tonysunshine said:
I think S-off is a term unique to HTC devices. Its the equivalent of an unlocked bootloader
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yes but nth to lose on HTC except warranty (still subject to which svc ctr tho) while on Sony, losing DRM keys (w/o backup) are like downgrading ur phone full capabilities.

monx® said:
yes but nth to lose on HTC except warranty (still subject to which svc ctr tho) while on Sony, losing DRM keys (w/o backup) are like downgrading ur phone full capabilities.
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Is there a way to root without losing keys? I have Z3 LTE D6603 atm.
Sorry if it's a dumb question, I'm new here. And also new to sony rooting, which seems much more complex than my old Nexus 5 lol

tonysunshine said:
I think S-off is a term unique to HTC devices. Its the equivalent of an unlocked bootloader
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Click to collapse
Not really, you can flash kernels, roms ( aosp roms etc ) with unlocked bootloader, S-off gives you other stuff like changing mid, cid, sim unlock, downgrading/upgrading bootloader, converting to full GPE or dev edition, unlocking bootloader without need of HTC, flashing splash image, custom bootloaders, even converting to Windows ( if available of course ) locking it instead of re-locking it, restoring it to full stock state ( which is not possible without S-off ), simply put your device has no limits with S-off on HTC.
Anyway S-off isn't really needed unless you care for the things above ( if Sony even has S-off ), Sony has poor development so S-off isn't even needed or unlocking bootloader since basically all you get is aosp roms, stock alike roms are flashable with locked bootloader as far as I remember.
Sent from my HTC One M8 using Tapatalk

Related

[Q]difference root with unlocked/locked bootloader

Hey guys/gals
i have a quick question.
what exactly is the difference (featurewise) when it comes to rooting with an unlocked bootloader and rooting with a locked one?
i'm pretty new to android (iOS user until last saturday), did some research today, but didn't really find much usefull information.
main reason i want to root (at least for now. i'm sure i would find more after spending more time with my xperia), is because i want to format my 64gb SD to exfat and move apps over to it.
thanks guys
edit: and no, i'm currently not thinking about getting a different theme/loader on it (this is one of the things you can only do with an unlocked one, right?)
edit2: and yes, my bootloader can be unlocked
dottore. said:
Hey guys/gals
i have a quick question.
what exactly is the difference (featurewise) when it comes to rooting with an unlocked bootloader and rooting with a locked one?
i'm pretty new to android (iOS user until last saturday), did some research today, but didn't really find much usefull information.
main reason i want to root (at least for now. i'm sure i would find more after spending more time with my xperia), is because i want to format my 64gb SD to exfat and move apps over to it.
thanks guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok unlocked bootloaders = you lose DRM keys forever and Bravia Engine doesn't work. Relocking won't get them back. You can also overclock/underclock CPU with unlocked bootloader. You can also flash custom ROMs/kernels with unlocked bootloader.
Now with locked bootloader you can still have root but you don't lose your DRM keys. You can't flash custom ROMs/kernels or do any overclocking/underclocking.
That's all I can think of.
yeah, i read about that whole DRM thing. i don't care so much about the Bravia Engine and DRM, but i wouldn't mind it staying (first time i said that about DRM), so thats one of the main reason i didn't just went on with unlocking.
is flashing a custom kernel something more or less common when using a rooted android? could i get the things mentioned done without doing it? (i think i read moving apps only needs root, but then again: the xperia z seems to be a bit special when it comes to extSD)
thanks for the fast reply
shadowboy23 said:
Ok unlocked bootloaders = you lose DRM keys forever and Bravia Engine doesn't work. Relocking won't get them back. You can also overclock/underclock CPU with unlocked bootloader. You can also flash custom ROMs/kernels with unlocked bootloader.
Now with locked bootloader you can still have root but you don't lose your DRM keys. You can't flash custom ROMs/kernels or do any overclocking/underclocking.
That's all I can think of.
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is flashing a custom kernel something more or less common when using a rooted android? could i get the things mentioned done without doing it?
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Well it's up to you. You can either flash custom ROMs/kernels if you want but you will need to unlock the bootloader to do that. Locked bootloader you can only have root and that's it sad to say. But you don't have to flash a custom ROM or kernel if you have root. because you can't anyway with a locked bootloader. Having root just means you can use apps that need root access.
shadowboy23 said:
Well it's up to you. You can either flash custom ROMs/kernels if you want but you will need to unlock the bootloader to do that. Locked bootloader you can only have root and that's it sad to say.
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ok, thanks. i think i'll stay with the locked one for now...let's see for how long

[Q] root by using exploit

Hi,
I'm looking to root my HTC One. I know the easy way is to unlock bootloader, flash recovery, flash su, done, but there is that part about "may void your warranty". I read that HTC will still repair hardware issues even if the bootloader is unlocked, but still I'm curious about different ways to root.
So... as far as I can tell by looking at the htcdev kernel source the kernel is vulnerable to the sw_perf_event exploit (http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/121616/semtex.c), and than there is this project https://github.com/android-rooting-tools/libperf_event_exploit.
I was wondering if anyone made that exploit work on the M7 (aka found the right offset) and also if you think it would be worth rooting with that. I guess I won't be able to flash new ROMs as the bootloader would still be locked, right? Or will I be able to flash the recovery partition withoud needing to unlock the bootloader (I guess not)?
Thanks
sciepy said:
Hi,
I'm looking to root my HTC One. I know the easy way is to unlock bootloader, flash recovery, flash su, done, but there is that part about "may void your warranty". I read that HTC will still repair hardware issues even if the bootloader is unlocked, but still I'm curious about different ways to root.
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this is false. you will have to pay for any repairs performed on the device.
Blanket statements like this are troublesome. The warranty coverage varies by country. I've had warranty replaced phones that were rooted with no problem here in the US

[Q] Unlock bootloader and camera question

Hi guys I'm considering to purchase the Z1 beocz I lose my precious Xperia S a week ago :crying: (very very sad, really love it)
As I'm those type who will definitely root the device and probably unlock it some time later, I really care about the camera problem.
I read the the DoomLord thread which told us to backup the "TA" thing before unlocking the bootloader, so we can restore it and have the camera working again.
May I ask what the "TA" actually is?? how can I backup that thing??
So after I retore it, is the bootloader still unlocked??
If i screw up the TA thing, can I relock the bootloader and save the camera by the official repair function in Sony Update Service??
Sorry I'm noobish but plz explain these things to me thank you!!
BTW, are there something i should consider before i buy the phone?? Is it the right time to buy it??
thank you
Its a partition on the device called trim area.
There is a thread about backing it up and its very easy to do.
If you do not have a TA backup then relocking the bootloader will NOT fix the camera.
Also, do not restore someone elses TA it will hard brick your phone
gregbradley said:
Its a partition on the device called trim area.
There is a thread about backing it up and its very easy to do.
If you do not have a TA backup then relocking the bootloader will NOT fix the camera.
Also, do not restore someone elses TA it will hard brick your phone
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Click to collapse
How if I repair the phone with update service after relocking the BL?
And after I restore the TA, is the bootloader still unlocked??
I'm wondering if there's possible to keep both bootloader unlocked and the 20mp camera working...
KWOKSFUNG said:
How if I repair the phone with update service after relocking the BL?
And after I restore the TA, is the bootloader still unlocked??
I'm wondering if there's possible to keep both bootloader unlocked and the 20mp camera working...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Restoring TA relocks the bootloader
There is no way to have an unlocked bootloader and working stock camera
I'm getting a little confused!
After rooting + custom recovery + custom ROM, can I restore my TA to get the camera back? Obviously would like to keep root and the custom ROM.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
amm009uk said:
I'm getting a little confused!
After rooting + custom recovery + custom ROM, can I restore my TA to get the camera back? Obviously would like to keep root and the custom ROM.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Depends on whether the custom ROM requires an unlocked bootloader. Some custom ROMs don't need your bootloader to be unlocked. So that means you can still have root + custom recovery (which don't need unlocked bootloader) + custom ROM, and your bootloader is still unlocked and your camera is still working.
But if the custom ROM requires an unlocked bootloader, then restoring the TA will result in the bootloader being relocked, which means your ROM no longer working.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
hush66 said:
Depends on whether the custom ROM requires an unlocked bootloader. Some custom ROMs don't need your bootloader to be unlocked. So that means you can still have root + custom recovery (which don't need unlocked bootloader) + custom ROM, and your bootloader is still unlocked and your camera is still working.
But if the custom ROM requires an unlocked bootloader, then restoring the TA will result in the bootloader being relocked, which means your ROM no longer working.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
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you mr are just spot on.. absolutely correct.
hush66 said:
Depends on whether the custom ROM requires an unlocked bootloader. Some custom ROMs don't need your bootloader to be unlocked. So that means you can still have root + custom recovery (which don't need unlocked bootloader) + custom ROM, and your bootloader is still unlocked and your camera is still working.
But if the custom ROM requires an unlocked bootloader, then restoring the TA will result in the bootloader being relocked, which means your ROM no longer working.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
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Click to collapse
Fantastic thanks. Hope Sony get round to fixing this soon.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
hush66 said:
Depends on whether the custom ROM requires an unlocked bootloader. Some custom ROMs don't need your bootloader to be unlocked. So that means you can still have root + custom recovery (which don't need unlocked bootloader) + custom ROM, and your bootloader is still unlocked and your camera is still working.
But if the custom ROM requires an unlocked bootloader, then restoring the TA will result in the bootloader being relocked, which means your ROM no longer working.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
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Click to collapse
u mean " So that means you can still have root + custom recovery (which don't need unlocked bootloader) + custom ROM, and your bootloader is still [[[locked]]] and your camera is still working " ? other than that thnx u clarified things up to me so much
noobs master said:
u mean " So that means you can still have root + custom recovery (which don't need unlocked bootloader) + custom ROM, and your bootloader is still [[[locked]]] and your camera is still working " ? other than that thnx u clarified things up to me so much
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Basically you can only use roms based on official firmware for now (and have a working camera) afaik. All the roms in the original development area (based on AOSP, custom kernels) required unlocked bootloader and as a result have a non-working camera.

[Q] Rooting N00B Question

I have the Verizon Dev Edition Moto X. Understanding that I won't void my warranty if I unlock the bootloader, it has been stated in many threads that even if you re-lock the bootloader it still will give you a warning boot screen (unlocked BL) because there are flags that are permanently changed on the phone once you unlock it.
That being said, I am very non-committal, so I first want to just root the phone and install safestrap. I have seen a ton of tools out there that root your device, however I am confused as to which one I should run (e.g. slapmymoto, pwnmymoto, etc). I am on the latest firmware (4.4), so I think it requires you to downgrade? Any words of sage advice is appreciated...
Also, any changes I make to my phone, I can always RSDLite my way back to 100% stock correct?
STEyeAndroid said:
I have the Verizon Dev Edition Moto X. Understanding that I won't void my warranty if I unlock the bootloader, it has been stated in many threads that even if you re-lock the bootloader it still will give you a warning boot screen (unlocked BL) because there are flags that are permanently changed on the phone once you unlock it.
That being said, I am very non-committal, so I first want to just root the phone and install safestrap. I have seen a ton of tools out there that root your device, however I am confused as to which one I should run (e.g. slapmymoto, pwnmymoto, etc). I am on the latest firmware (4.4), so I think it requires you to downgrade? Any words of sage advice is appreciated...
Also, any changes I make to my phone, I can always RSDLite my way back to 100% stock correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would start here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2536200
I don't know why the unlocked bootloader warning screen would stay set if you relocked it, but you can change that screen to display whatever you want. See here for details:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2417961
Since you have the dev edition, you should be able to unlock, install TWRP, and root without slapmymoto or pwnmymoto. I did it all AFTER installing the latest OTA, and I had no trouble.
I have not used RSDLite, but that is the way I understand it.
STEyeAndroid said:
I have the Verizon Dev Edition Moto X. Understanding that I won't void my warranty if I unlock the bootloader, it has been stated in many threads that even if you re-lock the bootloader it still will give you a warning boot screen (unlocked BL) because there are flags that are permanently changed on the phone once you unlock it.
That being said, I am very non-committal, so I first want to just root the phone and install safestrap. I have seen a ton of tools out there that root your device, however I am confused as to which one I should run (e.g. slapmymoto, pwnmymoto, etc). I am on the latest firmware (4.4), so I think it requires you to downgrade? Any words of sage advice is appreciated...
Also, any changes I make to my phone, I can always RSDLite my way back to 100% stock correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sell or trade your dev edition. Installing SafeStrap on that phone is such a waste of time and energy.
Or read more. There are ways to remove the boot logo screen.
Can anyone confirm whether or not unlocking the boot loader sets a permanent flag?
STEyeAndroid said:
Can anyone confirm whether or not unlocking the boot loader sets a permanent flag?
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Click to collapse
It appears to. And the statement about still receiving the unlocked bootloader warning after re-locking the bootloader is correct.
However, since the warranty of the Dev Edition is not voided, just unlock the bootloader, root, and then get rid of the message by replacing the logo.bin
STEyeAndroid said:
Can anyone confirm whether or not unlocking the boot loader sets a permanent flag?
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Click to collapse
You bought a dev edition, it doesn't matter if the flag is set or not.

Why have the bootloader unlocked?

Can you simply explain what are advantages by unlocking the bootloader, waiting 14 days (why 14?) ?
I just wanted to replace the stock Android 7 with Oreo 8, but in most of the guides it looks like the boot loader must be unlocked.
Can one explain to me the technical reason for that?
Thnx
The bootloader must be unlocked so you can flash recovery and do a lot from there. The main reason you'd want it unlocked is for root or custom roms, or even Android P semi GSI
_Hinnie_ said:
The bootloader must be unlocked so you can flash recovery and do a lot from there. The main reason you'd want it unlocked is for root or custom roms, or even Android P semi GSI
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you Hinnie,
so far as I understand, if I would use a custom rom, the bootloader unlocked is mandatory...
But why one need to wait for 14 days?
The 14 days time is from Lenovo itself. Every company has different policy in terms of deciding duration for unlocking bootloader.
_maxim_ said:
Thank you Hinnie,
so far as I understand, if I would use a custom rom, the bootloader unlocked is mandatory...
But why one need to wait for 14 days?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, that the user has the option to cancel the process of unlocking, in these 14 days.
It's for safety purpose, coz once the bootloader is unlocked, one can customise (or destroy) everything from system files to IMEI to making phone a brick.
With great power comes great responsibilities
So, there are various pros & cons of unlocking bootloader.
But, nothing will be damaged until you follow the steps or guidelines provided for the various processes. Just read & read & implement once you are almost 90% sure that it will not harm your data or device.
And most important always remember to keep backups
Happy Flashing !!

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