I tried installing several different ROMs onto my AT&T Galaxy Note 3 (N900A). I managed to downgrade to Android 4.4.2 and root the phone (from the current AT&T-forced OC3). I had different results for each ROM I tried. I used Safestrap to perform a Wipe of everything except my MicroSD card in the ROM Slot (#1) I was using before each ROM installation attempt.
Cyanogenmod (cm-13-20151101-UNOFFICIAL-hlte.zip) - Immediately produces a "failed" message trying to install from SafeStrap 3.75 hlteatt, because my phone is hlteatt and not hlte.
MagMa NX (MagMa_NX_UX10_Ultimate_XDA.zip) - Trying to install from Safestrap: progress bar freezes at 0% done.
Resurrection Remix (RR-N-v5.8.2-20170309-hlte.zip) - Installs successfully, but won't boot. First try reboot just stops on a black screen. 2nd reboot gives me the menu seen when booting with Vol Up + Home held down. (Is this the AT&T's firmware "bootloader?")
Any suggestions on getting any of these working? From reading other's experiences, it appears that some are successfully using some custom ROMs with this model phone. Barring that, what (stable) ROM works?
The phone has a locked bootloader; therefore, you can't install twrp. Only custom ROMs that are based off a stock rom and that can be flashed with safestrap will work.
I have yet to understand what it means for a bootloader to be "locked" in firmware/software terms. My initial reaction from the name is that the very first program the phone runs upon starting is the bootloader like a BIOS (apart from hardware self-testing), and the one that came with the phone cannot be bypassed to run a user-made one. But the existence of SafeStrap (originally leaked from Samsung iirc) shows the phone is capable of installing additional OSes. I would be very thankful if someone could provide a link or fill in my lack of knowledge about this.
From screenshots SafeStrap and TWRP almost look identical. I'm not sure what TWRP would do that SafeStrap can't. SafeStrap installed the Resurrection Remix ROM without complaining.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/Bootloader
Awesome, I'll unlock my bootloader then give it another try. Thanks!
EDIT: aha, that won't work. AT&T's "unlock" feature only allows the phone to be used with another carrier.
Solution: time to get a non-Samsung phone (definitely not from AT&T). This is all to stop being forcefed so many "offers" and "opportunities"—aka "spamware." For the life of me I can't think of a reason other than unchecked greed to deny the ability to remove unwanted software.
Only phones from att, sprint, and Verizon have locked bootloaders.
HTC is a good choice. M8 is a good cheap phone m10 is a good newer phone for 350ish
HTC phones are mostly all unlockable either for free by htcdev or if you require more then by sunshine for $25
Safestrap was not leaked by Samsung it was made by a dev named @Hashcode. He is very talented and worked hard also on the kindle scene. I believe he currently works for lenovo.
The software you are thinking of is odin.
It allows Samsung devices to flash firmware and software but it needs to be signed or your hardware needs to be unlocked. It will help a bootloop it will help you upgrade or get back to stock but it will not help you here.
Oh, thanks for the correction. That would explain why TWRP and SafeStrap look similar. (Neither looks like it is from a corporation.)
Do you mean that AT&T is technically capable of unlocking my phone so it can be flashed with a custom ROM that is not signed, e.g., Resurrection Remix?
Att is responsible for your locked bootloader.
Fun fact note3 was the first Samsung phone to be bootloader locked..
They requested it (demanded) of Samsung.
Verizon is even more demanding.
No, they will not unlock it.
It would be nice if after a device is no longer supported by a carrier they offered bootloader unlocks but that isn't happening either.
It is depressing that a 3 gig ram phone is stuck on lollipop.
Related
Currently, heres my situation: Moto X, non DE, on VZW. Currently still on 4.4, although I just received the notification for 4.4.2 this afternoon.
I havent rooted yet, because mistakenly, I thought I was already on 4.4.2 since this phone is less than a week old. My mistake.
Id like to root in order to bypass the Exchange PIN requirement, as well as unbloat the phone. But, coming from an unlocked Galaxy Nexus on Verizon, I have to question if its really worth it since the bootloader is locked. i.e. can I stay up to date with AOSP based roms without an unlocked bootloader?
From my understanding, you (we... I'm in the same boat) can only flash stock based ROMs. Some, like Eclipse, are highly customized. I'm rooted and have Safestrap installed. Highly recommend you do the same.
Safestrap is an apk you install after rooting which installs a TWRP-based bootloader for Nandroid backup and flashing ROMs/files.
--Edit--
Here's some info I'd shared with another user:
Safestrap is an apk you install which loads a bootloader of sorts on your phone. When you boot up, you'd get an option to boot into a custom "recovery", even on locked phones. It's a modified version of TWRP. So, you install the app once rooted. I did it while on 4.2.2. Then you just need to find ROMs which devs have created specifically for Safestrap and flash that via recovery. Make sure to create a Nandroid backup (via recovery of course) before messing around with anything. There are two that I know of (both currently based on 4.4, but both devs plan to release 4.4.2 versions soon).
Stock ROM flashable via Safestrap here: http://rootzwiki.com/topic/108826-romsafestrapxt1060-stock-rooted-vzw-140455-kitkat/
Eclipse custom ROM here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-x/development/rom-eclipse-moto-x-blur-based-v2-2-t2521509
You can download the Safestrap 3.65 apk (which should work fine on rooted 4.4, but again.. I installed it while on 4.2.2) here: http://rootzwiki.com/topic/104161-recovery-locked-safestrap-recovery-v365-2013-11-13/
mercado79 said:
From my understanding, you (we... I'm in the same boat) can only flash stock based ROMs. Some, like Eclipse, are highly customized. I'm rooted and have Safestrap installed. Highly recommend you do the same.
Safestrap is an apk you install after rooting which installs a TWRP-based bootloader for Nandroid backup and flashing ROMs/files.
Sent from my Moto X
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which root method did you use?
SlapMyMoto, but you can easily downgrade to the camera update version of 4.2.2 (the Moto X Toolkit makes it ridiculously easy), root it, install Safestrap, and go from there.
Sent from my Moto X
"Unbloat" is bit of a misnomer here, I think. It comes with a few VZW apps which can be disabled. Deleting them will not speed up your phone more than disabling them will.
Also, if your sole reason to root is to disable the single security precaution that your company asks of you in order to protect their data and intellectual property, well, as an IT employee myself, I'd suggest against it. You might even open yourself up to legal action if their data or networks were compromised due to you bypassing their security protocols. If you can't deal with the PIN lock, I'd recommend just removing the exchange account entirely - use the web interface if it's available.
Just my $0.02. There are lots of great reasons to root your phone. Just not sure the two you listed are among them.
I get what a bootloader is--the low level programming that checks everything and then boots the OS. And I have read that when they say "locked bootloader" it means "encrypted bootloader".
Have previous bootloaders been un-encrypted and thus made flashable? Or was some "exploit" found that enabled the bootloader to be replaced with one that would be unencrypted and thus ROMs could be flashed?
It sounds like the bootloader being locked/encrypted prevents much being done in the way of custom ROM flashing. So at this point we have Safestrap, unless that doesn't work on the AT&T g900a.
So, what are the designers working on at this time--unencrypting the bootloader, finding a way to simply replace it, or using something like Safestrap to create a space where a different ROM can be placed and the bootloader bypassed in some way?
I suppose I am curious to find out just how tough this locked bootloader problem is for the devs.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using xda premium
kettir said:
I get what a bootloader is--the low level programming that checks everything and then boots the OS. And I have read that when they say "locked bootloader" it means "encrypted bootloader".
Have previous bootloaders been un-encrypted and thus made flashable? Or was some "exploit" found that enabled the bootloader to be replaced with one that would be unencrypted and thus ROMs could be flashed?
It sounds like the bootloader being locked/encrypted prevents much being done in the way of custom ROM flashing. So at this point we have Safestrap, unless that doesn't work on the AT&T g900a.
So, what are the designers working on at this time--unencrypting the bootloader, finding a way to simply replace it, or using something like Safestrap to create a space where a different ROM can be placed and the bootloader bypassed in some way?
I suppose I am curious to find out just how tough this locked bootloader problem is for the devs.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I have seen very few bootloaders have ever been unencrypted publicly by the community. There have been some devices although rare that the manufacturer has had a change of heart and allowed to be decrypted in most cases at the cost of your factory warranty.
My last phonetic galaxy s3 was not encrypted and allowed an insecure boot image. This did not check to make sure the rom, modem, or kernel were not signed. The development community is still very alive today years after its release.
Hashcode's safestrap allows for a custom rom but to my knowledge has never allowed a viable custom kernel. He did amazing work with this technology around the Motorola Droid 3 but the community never really built up support for the device.
It's a shame as my old s3 with a good rom and custom kernel is much much faster and more usable than this locked down s5.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk
spasch said:
From what I have seen very few bootloaders have ever been unencrypted publicly by the community. There have been some devices although rare that the manufacturer has had a change of heart and allowed to be decrypted in most cases at the cost of your factory warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did a quick Google to find out if other carriers had the s5 with an unencrypted bootloader. Nothing came up immediately except mention of the Verizon s5 developer edition. Android Police had this to say about the developer version:
The unlockable bootloader on the Developer Edition allows end users to easily flash a custom recovery, and then root or flash a custom ROM. Other than the unlockable bootloader, this Galaxy S5 is exactly the same as the standard Verizon model in both hardware and software.
I did a comparison of the straight Verizon s5 to the GSM s5 on Phonescoop and noticed differences (less GSM levels). Therefore it would be a loss, as far as performance goes, to get the Verizon developer version.
Overall, I'm happy with my s5. I've got root. I've found ways to get the features I want (often through Xposed.) It definitely seems faster than my s5 even though I'm burdening it with Go Launcher (just to get all the pretty themes.) I can freeze the bloatware or even delete it via Titanium Backup. So I'm not super anxious about it. I just hate being locked out of anything on something I purchased and own.
kettir said:
I did a quick Google to find out if other carriers had the s5 with an unencrypted bootloader. Nothing came up immediately except mention of the Verizon s5 developer edition. Android Police had this to say about the developer version:
The unlockable bootloader on the Developer Edition allows end users to easily flash a custom recovery, and then root or flash a custom ROM. Other than the unlockable bootloader, this Galaxy S5 is exactly the same as the standard Verizon model in both hardware and software.
I did a comparison of the straight Verizon s5 to the GSM s5 on Phonescoop and noticed differences (less GSM levels). Therefore it would be a loss, as far as performance goes, to get the Verizon developer version.
Overall, I'm happy with my s5. I've got root. I've found ways to get the features I want (often through Xposed.) It definitely seems faster than my s5 even though I'm burdening it with Go Launcher (just to get all the pretty themes.) I can freeze the bloatware or even delete it via Titanium Backup. So I'm not super anxious about it. I just hate being locked out of anything on something I purchased and own.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plz sign this
https://www.change.org/petitions/att-give-us-the-freedom-to-modify-and-build-unlock-our-bootloaders
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Note: Relevant device info will be provided below.
Dear techwizards and wannabe,
I've been trying to root my phone for a while, I've done it before: both my S II and S III were international variants, and rooting those devices was very simple. But after getting an S IV from America and consensually downloading a samsung issued update -- I had yet to read up on the disadvantages of knox -- my rooting and android experience took a turn for the worse.
Long story short -- I know developers are a proud bunch who value their time -- I tried rooting my phone yesterday after almost smashing my phone on a coffee table. They say it's a well known side effect of Touchwiz, but I'll leave that to you.
I used a towelroot.com root -- a wonderful tool, if I may say so. After that, I visited the CM website and picked out the compatible CM11. I never got to flashing it though, as my problems arose while installing a recovery.
I had downloaded an app, a something recovery or another. They had an option to flash recoveries on there--it would download your recovery for you and do all the work, which seemed plausible as most video tutorials demonstrated. To my astonishment, doing so bricked my phone.
I tracked back, looked for the samsung stock rom, downloaded all 2.2 gb's of it and flashed it. It worked. My phone was functional but I suspect something within it stinks. My device, apparently for security reasons, wont let my wifi or 4g to establish a connection. It's making it impossible for me to fix this problem as I can't root my device or flash a custom rom.
About Device:
Pre problem I was running a:
SGH-I337UCUFNC1 baseband. Build Number ending with: NC1.
Android version: 4.2.2
Post problem:
Baseband: I337UCUFNC1
Build Number: JSS15J.I337UCUEMK2
Android version 4.3.
If I could find my original stock 4.2.2 NC1 version and get simple instructions on how to re-install it back to stock version, I'd be very grateful.
If you know how I could fix the internet issue on the MK2 one, and provide some simple instructions of how to root it, I'd be grateful too.
If you think neither would work, and have something else in mind, Im open to your suggestions.
Much Regards,
Y
androidshmandroid said:
Note: Relevant device info will be provided below.
Dear techwizards and wannabe,
I've been trying to root my phone for a while, I've done it before: both my S II and S III were international variants, and rooting those devices was very simple. But after getting an S IV from America and consensually downloading a samsung issued update -- I had yet to read up on the disadvantages of knox -- my rooting and android experience took a turn for the worse.
Long story short -- I know developers are a proud bunch who value their time -- I tried rooting my phone yesterday after almost smashing my phone on a coffee table. They say it's a well known side effect of Touchwiz, but I'll leave that to you.
I used a towelroot.com root -- a wonderful tool, if I may say so. After that, I visited the CM website and picked out the compatible CM11. I never got to flashing it though, as my problems arose while installing a recovery.
I had downloaded an app, a something recovery or another. They had an option to flash recoveries on there--it would download your recovery for you and do all the work, which seemed plausible as most video tutorials demonstrated. To my astonishment, doing so bricked my phone.
I tracked back, looked for the samsung stock rom, downloaded all 2.2 gb's of it and flashed it. It worked. My phone was functional but I suspect something within it stinks. My device, apparently for security reasons, wont let my wifi or 4g to establish a connection. It's making it impossible for me to fix this problem as I can't root my device or flash a custom rom.
About Device:
Pre problem I was running a:
SGH-I337UCUFNC1 baseband. Build Number ending with: NC1.
Android version: 4.2.2
Post problem:
Baseband: I337UCUFNC1
Build Number: JSS15J.I337UCUEMK2
Android version 4.3.
If I could find my original stock 4.2.2 NC1 version and get simple instructions on how to re-install it back to stock version, I'd be very grateful.
If you know how I could fix the internet issue on the MK2 one, and provide some simple instructions of how to root it, I'd be grateful too.
If you think neither would work, and have something else in mind, Im open to your suggestions.
Much Regards,
Y
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Two things:
1. You're posting in the wrong forum, this is the forum for the S4 Active i537, a different phone than the regular S4 i337.
2. The i337 had a locked bootloader that cannot be unlocked. Therefore it is impossible to install a custom recovery other than SafeStrap and it is impossible to install ROMs that are not TouchWiz-based ROMs.
Good luck.
Hey everyone!
First off, I apologize if I am posting this in the wrong area, as this is my first post here.
About two months ago, I used TowelRoot on my phone and achieved root status. Afterwards, I installed Xposed Framework and started loading modules. When AT&T pushed out an OTA update which updated the kernel, making rooting impossible once again, I did lose my root status. However, Xposed Framework and all of my modules remained installed and still function.
The interesting part is, after a reboot, I noticed that my boot splash screen says "Samsung Galaxy S5 Active", and "Custom" with the unlocked padlock at the bottom. Also, under device status, it says "custom" instead of "official".
I haven't attempted to flash a custom recovery on this phone, but what I'd really like to know is -- is my device's bootloader unlocked now, can I flash a recovery on it, and is there any ROM like a Cyanogenmod base that will be compatible with this phone? I haven't had any luck with researching it because everyone with the AT&T variant of this phone has a locked bootloader, so there hasn't been much opportunity to play with it.
I'd appreciate any help I can get on the matter. I'd like to see what this thing is capable of!
dont mess with itttt leave it until someone replies we need to extract your firmware, hold onto it if you not messing around, im not experinced enough but someone will pm you im sure
MGArcher007 said:
Hey everyone!
First off, I apologize if I am posting this in the wrong area, as this is my first post here.
About two months ago, I used TowelRoot on my phone and achieved root status. Afterwards, I installed Xposed Framework and started loading modules. When AT&T pushed out an OTA update which updated the kernel, making rooting impossible once again, I did lose my root status. However, Xposed Framework and all of my modules remained installed and still function.
The interesting part is, after a reboot, I noticed that my boot splash screen says "Samsung Galaxy S5 Active", and "Custom" with the unlocked padlock at the bottom. Also, under device status, it says "custom" instead of "official".
I haven't attempted to flash a custom recovery on this phone, but what I'd really like to know is -- is my device's bootloader unlocked now, can I flash a recovery on it, and is there any ROM like a Cyanogenmod base that will be compatible with this phone? I haven't had any luck with researching it because everyone with the AT&T variant of this phone has a locked bootloader, so there hasn't been much opportunity to play with it.
I'd appreciate any help I can get on the matter. I'd like to see what this thing is capable of!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MGArcher007 said:
Hey everyone!
First off, I apologize if I am posting this in the wrong area, as this is my first post here.
About two months ago, I used TowelRoot on my phone and achieved root status. Afterwards, I installed Xposed Framework and started loading modules. When AT&T pushed out an OTA update which updated the kernel, making rooting impossible once again, I did lose my root status. However, Xposed Framework and all of my modules remained installed and still function.
The interesting part is, after a reboot, I noticed that my boot splash screen says "Samsung Galaxy S5 Active", and "Custom" with the unlocked padlock at the bottom. Also, under device status, it says "custom" instead of "official".
I haven't attempted to flash a custom recovery on this phone, but what I'd really like to know is -- is my device's bootloader unlocked now, can I flash a recovery on it, and is there any ROM like a Cyanogenmod base that will be compatible with this phone? I haven't had any luck with researching it because everyone with the AT&T variant of this phone has a locked bootloader, so there hasn't been much opportunity to play with it.
I'd appreciate any help I can get on the matter. I'd like to see what this thing is capable of!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=54642044
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using XDA Premium HD app
Apparently there are many different circumstances under which the splash screen says custom, which have nothing to do with the bootloader being locked or unlocked. I seem to recall it showing up for people when they just switched to ART runtime, and in some cases it didn't even go back when they switched back to Dalvik. Many of the methods for making this not appear just involve cosmetically hiding it, not actually cleaning up whatever it is that is being detected.
What I wouldn't give to have this bootloader unlocked
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using XDA Free mobile app
If there is a dev that wants a s5 to experiment with to get the bootloader unlocked I'll be happy to donate my s5 if I can get it back after finding an exploit . But the dev needs to come with unanimous recommendation by the devs. Let me know I can still use my s3.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-T537A using XDA Free mobile app
Aw man, I was really hoping that the bootloader just somehow magically unlocked itself. Wishful thinking, I suppose. I love my S5 Active, I just wish I had a little more freedom with customizing it in ways like I could my S3.
I wonder if this is a result of Knox being disabled during the root... Either way, I hope I'll still receive OTA updates for things like 4.4.4 if they ever decide to release it, and eventually Android L.
For now, I can't complain -- surprisingly enough, even without root, my Xposed Framework still functions very well and I can still make backend and UI changes in GravityBox.
Regardless, thanks for all the replies, guys! I probably won't mess with trying to fix it unless they come out with an OTA update that I can't get as a result of this.
MGArcher007 said:
Aw man, I was really hoping that the bootloader just somehow magically unlocked itself. Wishful thinking, I suppose. I love my S5 Active, I just wish I had a little more freedom with customizing it in ways like I could my S3.
I wonder if this is a result of Knox being disabled during the root... Either way, I hope I'll still receive OTA updates for things like 4.4.4 if they ever decide to release it, and eventually Android L.
For now, I can't complain -- surprisingly enough, even without root, my Xposed Framework still functions very well and I can still make backend and UI changes in GravityBox.
Regardless, thanks for all the replies, guys! I probably won't mess with trying to fix it unless they come out with an OTA update that I can't get as a result of this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sadly. ...We may never see the bootloader unlocked without a factory method...
It's encryption prevents us from even being able to open it into a usable state...
We need either an encryption key....or a new bootloader entirely...
Not happening any time soon....g
Long story, but after travails with an Amazon-purchased Oneplus 9 Pro due to it being locked (T-Mobile!) and them refusing to unlock it....
I went to OnePlus and got myself a OnePlus 10 Pro Unlocked. Still have the T-Mobile sim, though.
My question....
I have been out of the rooted phone scene for some time. I had a Oneplus 2 rooted and a Samsung Note 4 and 5 rooted. But things are different now, I'm gathering. Plus this is a new phone and I don't want to toss away hundreds of dollars by bricking it.
I used TWRP back in the day. Flashed many a custom rom back then. But with this OnePlus, I already unlocked it which... is that the same as rooting it? And what are the benefits of rooting / flashing roms vs just going with what is currently on this US phone (Oxygen 13 but not 13.1 yet)? I kinda want to see TWRP on here, and back up my whole set up into files I can then copy to my computer(s) for safety's sake. At least I liked that feature when I had it w/ the OP 2 and others.
Trying to get back up to speed in the world of rooting as it stands now.
Thanks.
TWRP on this device is really, "make of it what you will." It doesn't fully support this phone officially, and the leaked versions don't support device decryption, so you'll be forced to not use a passcode on your phone.
You don't need TWRP anymore, you just need to be careful and know what you're doing. There's guides for every model here, although they're all basically the same. Try to avoid flashing anything from your PC to the phone, just flash inside Magisk and BOOT images.
From my knowledge the reason for this is there's hidden partitions from OPPO all over the filesystem and normal flashers don't take this into account, anyone just trying to flash a full zip has bricked.
Which leads me to, there's no full recovery for this device that's free. If you brick a file and end up boot looping both slots, you're gonna have to pay for a restore. Even with TWRP, from what I hear, full backups sometimes fail to restore properly on this device.
TL;DR Be careful, read guides, you'll be fine. Rooting (on this device, with a lack of full recovery, hence no custom ROMs or Kernels) is really just used for audio mods, photo mods like free google photos, extensive app mods, etc. If you're not actively looking into any of these, stock Android is pretty solid.
Prant said:
TWRP on this device is really, "make of it what you will." It doesn't fully support this phone officially, and the leaked versions don't support device decryption, so you'll be forced to not use a passcode on your phone.
You don't need TWRP anymore, you just need to be careful and know what you're doing. There's guides for every model here, although they're all basically the same. Try to avoid flashing anything from your PC to the phone, just flash inside Magisk and BOOT images.
From my knowledge the reason for this is there's hidden partitions from OPPO all over the filesystem and normal flashers don't take this into account, anyone just trying to flash a full zip has bricked.
Which leads me to, there's no full recovery for this device that's free. If you brick a file and end up boot looping both slots, you're gonna have to pay for a restore. Even with TWRP, from what I hear, full backups sometimes fail to restore properly on this device.
TL;DR Be careful, read guides, you'll be fine. Rooting (on this device, with a lack of full recovery, hence no custom ROMs or Kernels) is really just used for audio mods, photo mods like free google photos, extensive app mods, etc. If you're not actively looking into any of these, stock Android is pretty solid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this.
I got as far as unlocking the phone and installing Magisk. But haven't gone further until I understand what the next step is.
Can I root non-destructively? Or is the phone wiped?
If you're unlocked and have Magisk installed, rooting is as easy as booting a patched boot image, then using Magisk to install it to your boot image. You have the choice of finding a matching one in one of the guides or pulling your own from a full zip.
It must match the firmware revision, I know for a fact personally that region matters little in case of NE2215/3, as you're only doing a one time boot.
I recommend @g96818 's guide here, you can find almost every firmware's boot image posted there if you prefer patch it yourself using Magisk or just boot an already patched one.
I have a 10 Pro (NE2215) rooted as a daily driver using TMO US.
Unlocked means 2 things in the android phone scene. Either it's carrier unlocked and can take any sim from any phone company or it bootloader unlocked which is needed to root and load custom roms.
There aren't any custom roms for the 10pro because of the lack of a full recovery system. Basically the ability to force full flash a stock rom in case the custom ROM soft bricks the phone. So that leaves rooting as the reason to unlock your bootloader.
I suggest reading the guide for rooting this phone, it's relatively easy. TWRP is unnecessary as it doesn't offer much without custom ROMs. Also you should back up everything on the phone that you don't want to lose because during the rooting process a factory reset will occur (android safety feature).