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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
I'm a beginner programmer who jumped on the hype and bought the S6 Edge from AT&T as an upgrade from the N5. I loved the speedy updates the N5 got, I love the S6 edge design. So I would like to suggest and ask for guidance in order to port cyanogenmod to the S6 Edge! If anyone would like to help or guide me through this process, please do! Previous experience with compilation is Openwrt for my router so I'm somewhat familiar with the build process and debugging.
Any thoughts, comments, help?
Thanks!
Lifehacksback
thagabe said:
I'm a beginner programmer who jumped on the hype and bought the S6 Edge from AT&T as an upgrade from the N5. I loved the speedy updates the N5 got, I love the S6 edge design. So I would like to suggest and ask for guidance in order to port cyanogenmod to the S6 Edge! If anyone would like to help or guide me through this process, please do! Previous experience with compilation is Openwrt for my router so I'm somewhat familiar with the build process and debugging.
Any thoughts, comments, help?
Thanks!
Lifehacksback
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will need a custom recovery before you'll be able to do much of anything. If your Edge is AT&T branded, you might be waiting a long time for this given all recent Samsung/AT&T devices have shipped with a locked bootloader. The note 4 was released 5 or so months ago and is still waiting for a bootloader unlock and custom recovery.
My .02 - return the AT&T device and try to get your hands on a T-Mobile version. Of course this will require you to pay an additional fee to unlock it for use on AT&Ts network. Hardware wise they are identical and the T-mob version is already rooted. (though no custom recovery quite yet that I'm aware of)
Goronok said:
You will need a custom recovery before you'll be able to do much of anything. If your Edge is AT&T branded, you might be waiting a long time for this given all recent Samsung/AT&T devices have shipped with a locked bootloader. The note 4 was released 5 or so months ago and is still waiting for a bootloader unlock and custom recovery.
My .02 - return the AT&T device and try to get your hands on a T-Mobile version. Of course this will require you to pay an additional fee to unlock it for use on AT&Ts network. Hardware wise they are identical and the T-mob version is already rooted. (though no custom recovery quite yet that I'm aware of)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Be aware that the T-mobile variant is not able to be unlocked yet. There are problems that we are experiencing. About 10 of us cannot get the unlock code to work. The supplier is currently looking for a fix.
Hello forum,
Like many of you I received my Galaxy S6 yesterday. After turning it on I naturally check the XDA forum to see if anyone had obtained root. I didn't realize that root may not even be possible, not to even mention custom ROMs. I wanted to know if it would be advisable to go and buy the T-Mobile version, should I buy an internationally version, or should I wait and hope the boot loader can be unlocked? I really miss Cyanogenmod on Samsung device for a true super Nexus experience like how my GS3 was. Unfortunately, I bought the GS4 and had my boot-loader locked down so the best I could do was Safestrap and the Google Play Edition Rom by Joe-Tech, but I still long for the feeling of the device truly being mine. Another concern is that anytime I had a real issue with the phone, like if I bricked it, or if the charging port stop working I could take it to the AT&T device store and just get a new (Samsung refurbished) phone. My 14 days are ticking away and I don't know what to do, I would really appreciate if some forum members could point me in the right direction. I signed up for the Next program with AT&T at Best Buy when I got it, so how would that be effected if I returned the device. Also, how do I use the menu key, if I hold the Recent key (the menu key) it just the multitasking window?
Thanks,
N7spaceuser
Bump.
Buy the unlocked version. SM-G920I. You can find it on eBay, thepowersellers.com, and a couple other places. Works perfect on AT&T, LTE and all. Unlocked bootloader, no bloat, faster updates, no AT&T bs. What are you people doing buying from AT&T?
I'm ashamed to even ask.....
Former TMO S3 owner here who switched to Nexus and never looked back. Things are just so much easier now with firmware updates and rooting.
We currently pay cell bills for one of our workers and his wife on our TMO family account. His wife was using my old S3, and without talking to me first, he bought her a SIM locked ATT S6 online recently.
I'm working on a SIM unlock code, that won't be a problem.
I'm right in thinking that there's no (current) way to load a TMO S6 ROM onto the ATT S6, right?
Bootloader still locked up tight on ATT?
I know that in the past some of the Galaxy S phones had hardware differences......are the ATT and TMO S6 variants now the exact same hardware (other than exterior logos)?
Sorry for what seems to be an obvious and already asked question. I know someone asked the same question back in August.....wondering if anything has changed since then.
Thanks for all replies.
Yup, bootloader locked tight, can't even get a root working besides the people who are selling it
I really thought this would be an easy search and answer. I hope someone has a simple answer for me. Let me say I have purchased only unlocked phones for years now. I am in the USA. I Can't stand bloat, can't stand carrier labeling. The last Samsung I owned was the S3. Without going into a ton of detail I have recently become interested in the Note 5 and a bit tired of my 6P if I'm being honest. I don't want a Note 7. During my research on this, I remember why I got away from these phones (Carrier and bootloader locked) in the first place , such a pain to mess around with. I want root and maybe a ROM or two. I've learned to live without Xposed. I would gladly pay more for an international 64GB Note 5 that isn't GOLD. None on Swappa, none on Ebay. It just seems crazy to me. Anyway, I'm stuck buying either a T-mobile or Sprint version. Correct me if I'm wrong but all other US carrier versions seem to be more or less locked down, right? So should I find a Sprint or T-Mobile variant.....that's my question, unless I'm missing something obvious here. Thank you very much. $400+ seems like a steal for one of these phones in 64GB as long as I can debloat.