Unlocked bootloader - Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers

Hi All,
Can someone PLEASE explain me howcome the Exynos variant's bootloader is unlockable while his Snapdragon counterpart is not? was it made in purpose from Samsung's side?
Is this bootloader unlocking of the Snapdragon variant is "dead end" 100% and he who wants custom recovery (TWRP) on Note 8 should obtain ONLY the Exynos variant ?
Thank you very much

Yes its dead it wont happen

pbedard said:
Yes its dead it wont happen
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Click to collapse
Alright then I'll sell my SM-N950U1 and purchase a new Android based phone that has a custom recovery option in XDA.
Any suggestions? does the note 8 has the best specs?

I'm changing to htc

rpz79 said:
Alright then I'll sell my SM-N950U1 and purchase a new Android based phone that has a custom recovery option in XDA.
Any suggestions? does the note 8 has the best specs?
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Click to collapse
So you purchased a $1000 phone... without understanding the limitations?

myechophone said:
So you purchased a $1000 phone... without understanding the limitations?
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Facepalm

myechophone said:
So you purchased a $1000 phone... without understanding the limitations?
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Click to collapse
Unfortunately yes
This is my 2nd note and 4th galaxy
I only had Samsung's and they all were fully rooted with custom recovery.
This is the first and last time I buy cell phone with a locked bootloader i.e doesn't have TWRP option.
I don't need much TWRP as I need Xposed (although NAND backup could be very useful) but it seems they have a correlation.
I will sell this phone and buy the Exynos variant.

rpz79 said:
Unfortunately yes
This is my 2nd note and 4th galaxy
I only had Samsung's and they all were fully rooted with custom recovery.
This is the first and last time I buy cell phone with a locked bootloader i.e doesn't have TWRP option.
I don't need much TWRP as I need Xposed (although NAND backup could be very useful) but it seems they have a correlation.
I will sell this phone and buy the Exynos variant.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that's the best thing you could do. Honestly rooting and roms dien breed unfortunately. It hurts me to say that I am a die hard fan of it. I knew my model didn't have the best for root before I bought. Phone has the most sought after features.
I mean look at apple even copying a lot of samsung. That says something. I got my model because my carrier offered a more affordable payment plan then samsung. Once One plus catches up with samsung features that will be the phone to buy for sure.

Nick216ohio said:
Once One plus catches up with samsung features that will be the phone to buy for sure.
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Unfortunately it will cost just as much if not more.....

ultramag69 said:
Unfortunately it will cost just as much if not more.....
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Samsung vast amount of features with one plus vast root/rom community= Dream come true and take my 1k please.

Nick216ohio said:
Samsung vast amount of features with one plus vast root/rom community= Dream come true and take my 1k please.
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Click to collapse
Only if they stay true to the developement community.
Samsung used to be happy to support the developement community too, they had active representatives on our forums and every time a new phone came out, the new apps and feature that had been created here were suddenly incorporated into the new "Official Firmware"...
They even poached devs to work for them..
Then came KNOX and the end of Samsung support, though they do still seem to look for ideas to incorporate into their firmware for the latest devices at the best price to them, free...

ultramag69 said:
Only if they stay true to the developement community.
Samsung used to be happy to support the developement community too, they had active representatives on our forums and every time a new phone came out, the new apps and feature that had been created here were suddenly incorporated into the new "Official Firmware"...
They even poached devs to work for them..
Then came KNOX and the end of Samsung support, though they do still seem to look for ideas to incorporate into their firmware for the latest devices at the best price to them, free...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is definitely true. I remember having galaxy 1,2,3 and it was Rom heaven. I don't see One Plus going that route though. They started from the gate with Rom openness and listening.
I definitely think it's wrong how all the big phone makers turned there back on Rom community. Most of the great features phones have now days is because of developers. Then constraint that wtf?

No one have yet to explain why the Exynos variant has an unlocked bootloader.
Was is it deliberate by Samsung i.e lock the Snapdragon BL and unlock the Exynos BL ?
or was it through an effort of the XDA community to unlock it?

Im happy without root. Since we can do so many tweaks woth ADB and we also have apps. Like disconnet pro or adhell which only works on samsung phones to remove ads on apps. (Hate those vpn software like blokada adguard etc). Other things like getting spotify apps free ads. Youtube app free ads can all be found here if u look for it. Not sure why i would need root now.

rpz79 said:
No one have yet to explain why the Exynos variant has an unlocked bootloader.
Was is it deliberate by Samsung i.e lock the Snapdragon BL and unlock the Exynos BL ?
or was it through an effort of the XDA community to unlock it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Has a lot to do with Carriers and Manufacturers.
Greed-
Choking innovation-
Little bit of security-
They know Roms can prolong the life of a phone and have features that the next device has. Of course they want you to buy over priced products every year.
Basically Androids turning into Apple. Google this if you will. Apple charges $1k for iphone x, yet only costs them $357 to make. That's incredible greedy returns.
Most of us at XDA know all this, but what can we do? We just say screw it and buy atleast the best android phone. You want root/rom? Stick to international/manufactured versions. Also make sure that international version has bootloader Unlock. Best bet is OnePlus latest phone for Root/Roms experience.

Alternatively can they not produce a "developer" edition of the Note 8 with no Knox at all and no locked bootloader?

Nick216ohio said:
Stick to international/manufactured versions. Best bet is OnePlus latest phone for Root/Roms experience.
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I thought I bought an international one the SM-N950U1 is carrier unlocked. The irony is that I bought in the US to spare 100-200$ but where I currently live they sell the Exynos variant.
It's such a shame they (Samsung) doesn't give us the option to choose if want Knox or not. I'll try to sell my phone and buy a rootable with unlocked bootloader phone the Exynos variant is a possibility. They lost me as a devoted customer I can tell you.
Anyhow from what I understand the Exynos variant had an unlocked bootloader in the first place. No one had to nothing to unlock it.

Limeybastard said:
Alternatively can they not produce a "developer" edition of the Note 8 with no Knox at all and no locked bootloader?
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Accidentally responded to fast, disregard this.
---------- Post added at 06:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:14 PM ----------
Limeybastard said:
Alternatively can they not produce a "developer" edition of the Note 8 with no Knox at all and no locked bootloader?
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Click to collapse
Exynos only option. They won't do that because they hate unlocked bootloaders. I am amazed international version has unlocked bootloaders. Probably because they can't it's not carrier locked. Legal reasons as well guessing. Sure that pisses off the manufactures, lol @ them.
rpz79 said:
I thought I bought an international one the SM-N950U1 is carrier unlocked. The irony is that I bought in the US to spare 100-200$ but where I currently live they sell the Exynos variant.
It's such a shame they (Samsung) doesn't give us the option to choose if want Knox or not. I'll try to sell my phone and buy a rootable with unlocked bootloader phone the Exynos variant is a possibility. They lost me as a devoted customer I can tell you.
Anyhow from what I understand the Exynos variant had an unlocked bootloader in the first place. No one had to nothing to unlock it.
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Click to collapse
It's not just Samsung bro. Pretty much all of them do it. Like I said before always stick to international with phones for unlocked bootloaders. Gotta find which version is bootloader unlocked 1st. Because you get screwed like you did. Especially if you care about root/roms. I myself knew I'd be screwed before even buying snapdragon Note 8. But carrier had best affordable payment plans.
$200 down and $20 month. Plus able to jump to new phone anytime. Hard to say no to that. This phone pricing ability due to carrier and packed features. Made it easy to over look root/rom. I miss Roms dearly though. Idc what anyone says Roms poop on ANY stock.

Nick216ohio said:
Accidentally responded to fast, disregard this.
---------- Post added at 06:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:14 PM ----------
Exynos only option. They won't do that because they hate unlocked bootloaders. I am amazed international version has unlocked bootloaders. Probably because they can't it's not carrier locked. Legal reasons as well guessing. Sure that pisses off the manufactures, lol @ them.
It's not just Samsung bro. Pretty much all of them do it. Like I said before always stick to international with phones for unlocked bootloaders. Especially if you care about root/roms. I myself knew I'd be screwed before even buying snapdragon Note 8. But carrier had best affordable payment plans.
$200 down and $20 month. Plus able to jump to new phone anytime. Hard to say no to that. This phone pricing ability due to carrier and packed features. Made it easy to over look root/rom. I miss Roms dearly though. Idc what anyone says Roms poop on ANY stock.
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Click to collapse
Last Note with unlocked bootloader was the T Mobile Note 3 I owned.
I'm happy with stock N8 on tmo. Lots of "stuff" already can be done. I also use Substratum.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Limeybastard said:
Last Note with unlocked bootloader was the T Mobile Note 3 I owned.
I'm happy with stock N8 on tmo. Lots of "stuff" already can be done. I also use Substratum.
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Click to collapse
Roms have come a long way since Note 3 lol. Not try sound like a smart AO to you. But when was last time used a Rom? Bro for example Res remix is breathtaking with the features. My last phone had that Rom. Made stock look like a welfare case.
Not going to lie Samsung does have best stock IMO out of other stock androids.

Related

What models are likely to get root?

Wanting to get the phone and see how the US versions(snapdragon)of the S8+ are starting to get root. Wondering if many of you think this trend will follow with the Note 8 Snapdragon versions?
I say just sit back and wait.
Yes, it has been said the snapdragon will get root with a possible of 80% limit on the battery just like the s8.
All we can do is wait and see
the Snapdragon models will probably get root sooner or later, but the Exynos ones seem to already have a method. I'm about to take the plunge on it myself.
The Note 8 US models will get root. Just be patient the phone just came out on the 15th. I have had multiple phones with locked bootloaders and every time some hard working people find a way to root them. This phone will have root soon.
Kalm_Traveler said:
the Snapdragon models will probably get root sooner or later, but the Exynos ones seem to already have a method. I'm about to take the plunge on it myself.
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Click to collapse
Yes twrp and root already available for exynos versions...always within the first week of launch it seems.
Snapdragons....who knows lol. Will likely get some form of root with certain issues as usual. Will never get twrp.
Dont waste your money on snapdragon if development matters to you.
sent from my Note FE, S8 plus, or S6
Exynos and it already has root and twrp
Sent from my SM-N950N using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Rooting a locked bootloader phone is much like running homebrew or a flat-out custom firmware on a game console.
Determined individuals will find a way, but it'll take quite some time and rely on security exploits that could just as easily be used for nefarious purposes, so don't be surprised if they get patched out in future updates.
Meanwhile, you could just get a device with an unlocked bootloader and be on your merry way, but that only applies to Exynos variants and maybe the Snapdragon variant sold in Hong Kong. Needless to say, that makes things a pain for North American buyers for a litany of reasons - doubly so if you're on Sprint or Verizon due to lack of CDMA support on Exynos.
NamelessFragger said:
Rooting a locked bootloader phone is much like running homebrew or a flat-out custom firmware on a game console.
Determined individuals will find a way, but it'll take quite some time and rely on security exploits that could just as easily be used for nefarious purposes, so don't be surprised if they get patched out in future updates.
Meanwhile, you could just get a device with an unlocked bootloader and be on your merry way, but that only applies to Exynos variants and maybe the Snapdragon variant sold in Hong Kong. Needless to say, that makes things a pain for North American buyers for a litany of reasons - doubly so if you're on Sprint or Verizon due to lack of CDMA support on Exynos.
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Click to collapse
This is all true. There really isn't a reason to root the Snapdragon variant unless you absolutely need it for an app that requires root. You can't run any custom ROMs on a phone with a locked bootloader, even if it is rooted.
Just like with the S7/Edge Snapdragons, they had root but it was so unreliable I could never really keep my phone rooted. There were severe battery drain issues, lag and more and these issues remain today for people still trying to root that phone.
I still have my old reliable Note 5 rooted and I still it today even though I have a Note 8 now.
Does anyone know if rooting the note8 will trigger Knox?
jeezy85 said:
Does anyone know if rooting the note8 will trigger Knox?
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Click to collapse
Yes it does.
---------- Post added at 10:37 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:33 AM ----------
funcritter said:
This is all true. There really isn't a reason to root the Snapdragon variant unless you absolutely need it for an app that requires root. You can't run any custom ROMs on a phone with a locked bootloader, even if it is rooted.
Just like with the S7/Edge Snapdragons, they had root but it was so unreliable I could never really keep my phone rooted. There were severe battery drain issues, lag and more and these issues remain today for people still trying to root that phone.
I still have my old reliable Note 5 rooted and I still it today even though I have a Note 8 now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This. Sure snapdragons will get root but it won't be for months and it will limit battery to 80%. Plus no twrp or custom roms. Not worth it imho. That's why if root and roms are important to you, Exynos is your only real option.

How do I unlock the OEM on the SM-N960U T-MOBILE Samsung Galaxy note 9?

I've had it 10 days (assuming relevant), and after entering the developer options, I am not able to find the OEM unlock options.
quantum88 said:
I've had it 10 days (assuming relevant), and after entering the developer options, I am not able to find the OEM unlock options.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Return it, and buy an unlockable device.
If it's like the AT&T version, you need the unlock code from T-Mobile. The option to disable a carrier lock is not in developer mode.
j101399j said:
If it's like the AT&T version, you need the unlock code from T-Mobile. The option to disable a carrier lock is not in developer mode.
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Click to collapse
I got it from T-Mobile
quantum88 said:
I've had it 10 days (assuming relevant), and after entering the developer options, I am not able to find the OEM unlock options.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't OEM unlock a snapdragon model
Post deleted as it was irrelevant
j101399j said:
If it's like the AT&T version, you need the unlock code from T-Mobile. The option to disable a carrier lock is not in developer mode.
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Click to collapse
He's talking about OEM unlock for the bootloader not carrier lock
TechOut said:
He's talking about OEM unlock for the bootloader not carrier lock
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Click to collapse
My mistake, thank you for clarifying.
TechOut said:
You can't OEM unlock a snapdragon model
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Is that just for now or a certainty?
quantum88 said:
Is that just for now or a certainty.
Well it didnt happen on the s9 that i know of so.....
And even if you could whats the point? its not like you can flash twrp or anything else lol.
sent from my S9 Plus (Exynos) Pixel 2XL or Note FE
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force70 said:
quantum88 said:
And even if you could whats the point? its not like you can flash twrp or anything else lol.
sent from my S9 Plus (Exynos) Pixel 2XL or Note FE
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What do you mean?
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quantum88 said:
force70 said:
What do you mean?
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Your BL is locked, there is nothing for you to gain be enabling OEM unlock. The people with unlockable devices have to enable OEM to flash twrp...you cannot therefore it is pointless.
Well at least in my point of view, why do you want to enable it?
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t mobile sm-n960u unlock ???
Ok I have been on this site for a long time.
Sorry I am not or I do not have to brain power most of you have here on this site doing what you do best
making are phones better a lot of you have the nack for this stuff
at&t note 2 rooted with the help and info from this site htc m7 rooted here t mobile note 4 and note 5
now I jumped and for the fist time I got a current model phone a t junk mobile note 9
I was going to buy an unlocked note 9 from best buy but they said they did not think there phone had the 600mhz B71 band that t junk mobile is suppose
to come out with
but I am thinking about returning this phone to t junk mobile I just get the unlocked one from best buy
this phone would not be that bad if I can get rid of t junk mobile ad on boot up logo and jingle sound but I found an app silent boot to fix that but
that is adding anther app on my phone that I really do not want
So Question? did Samsung finally beat this forum In lets say hacking there phone's???
if so and you can not root a phone you just paid $1000. for would it not be best just to get a phone that can be rooted to get rid of all the dam junk apps
and all of the dam AD'S that you get these days on the phones!! there I said it I do not like crap ass adsssssss that keep popping up!
SAMSUNG you spend $1000 to have to keep seeing ad's you did not ask to see
I am kind of thinking of returning this phone to t junk mobile and looking into a HTC phone
Question 2
is anyone working on rooting this sm-n960u phone and twrp??
I see venom has a rom that suppose to work on a ms-n960u so what do you need to do to install that if no root is available
The simple answer is that you can't unlock the bootloader on the US market phone. You haven't been able to do so since the Galaxy S7. I think it likely has a lot to do with KNOX integration for security reasons. The complicated answer is that there were ways to root the S7 by flashing a developer bootloader (engboot or something like that). The catch is that while you could root it, the phone would run like crap, overheat, bad battery life, etc. Some claimed to have decent success with it though. Likely something similar will happen with the Note 9 as well as. An unlocked phone is carrier unlocked, meaning you can activate it on any supported carrier. It has nothing to do with the bootloader.
Long story short, no, you can't unlock the bootloader, no, you can't flash twrp, and you'll find actual development for the US market phone to be essentially non-existent. If that is important to you, return this phone. Coming from rooting and flashing all of my phones prior to the S7, I honestly don't miss it. IMO, there's nothing to be gained, and it's a huge time suck. Life is too short and I'm too busy to spend an evening setting things up for the 5th time, troubleshooting battery life issues, etc. Not to mention that my job related security apps aren't going to work on a rooted phone.
Now, as far as "junk apps" not sure what you mean. These phones are now pretty clean actually, and most things can be uninstalled or disabled from within stock android. And as I found out many times in the past, if something is unable to be disabled, it's probably for good reason.
As far as ads, also not sure what you mean. Web browser ads can be blocked through extensions that Samsung browser supports. In app ads can be eliminated by paying for the app. Really, if you can't afford $3 for an app that you frequently use, I'd question how you can afford a $1000 phone.
MerlinTT said:
now I jumped and for the fist time I got a current model phone a t junk mobile note 9
I was going to buy an unlocked note 9 from best buy but they said they did not think there phone had the 600mhz B71 band that t junk mobile is suppose
to come out with
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's incorrect. The unlocked version is fully compatible with T-Mobile.
MerlinTT said:
So Question? did Samsung finally beat this forum In lets say hacking there phone's???
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Click to collapse
Samsung has been locking bootloaders since the S7? It's been a few years. Even when someone found a way to beat it, it was severely limiting to your device. You said you're not new here. This is pretty common knowledge with Samsung devices.
MerlinTT said:
if so and you can not root a phone you just paid $1000. for would it not be best just to get a phone that can be rooted to get rid of all the dam junk apps
and all of the dam AD'S that you get these days on the phones!! there I said it I do not like crap ass adsssssss that keep popping up!
SAMSUNG you spend $1000 to have to keep seeing ad's you did not ask to see
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uh, what ads? That's not a samsung thing, I think you just installed some ****ty apps.
MerlinTT said:
I am kind of thinking of returning this phone to t junk mobile and looking into a HTC phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hoooo boy. You might want to look into HTC phones before you buy one.
MerlinTT said:
Question 2
is anyone working on rooting this sm-n960u phone and twrp??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. And they've been working on the S9 too, which still can't be beaten. And a proper way to unlock the S8, without limiting your battery to 80%.
And why exactly is T-Mobile "junk"? Maybe you need a different carrier.
I hate pink and that dam t mobile jingle i got rid of the jingle with an app silent boot but sorry that pink ***** boot screen????they added
that has to go
Grumpy
MerlinTT said:
I hate pink and that dam t mobile jingle i got rid of the jingle with an app silent boot but sorry that pink ***** boot screen????they added
that has to go
Grumpy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If a color is challenging your sexuality, you have deeper problems than an unrootable phone.
MerlinTT said:
I hate pink and that dam t mobile jingle i got rid of the jingle with an app silent boot but sorry that pink ***** boot screen????they added
that has to go
Grumpy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think your problems go well beyond the color of your boot screen. Seek help. The kind of help you need we're not qualified to provide here. How often do you see the boot logo screen anyway?
MerlinTT said:
Ok I have been on this site for a long time.
Sorry I am not or I do not have to brain power most of you have here on this site doing what you do best
making are phones better a lot of you have the nack for this stuff
at&t note 2 rooted with the help and info from this site htc m7 rooted here t mobile note 4 and note 5
now I jumped and for the fist time I got a current model phone a t junk mobile note 9
I was going to buy an unlocked note 9 from best buy but they said they did not think there phone had the 600mhz B71 band that t junk mobile is suppose
to come out with
but I am thinking about returning this phone to t junk mobile I just get the unlocked one from best buy
this phone would not be that bad if I can get rid of t junk mobile ad on boot up logo and jingle sound but I found an app silent boot to fix that but
that is adding anther app on my phone that I really do not want
So Question? did Samsung finally beat this forum In lets say hacking there phone's???
if so and you can not root a phone you just paid $1000. for would it not be best just to get a phone that can be rooted to get rid of all the dam junk apps
and all of the dam AD'S that you get these days on the phones!! there I said it I do not like crap ass adsssssss that keep popping up!
SAMSUNG you spend $1000 to have to keep seeing ad's you did not ask to see
I am kind of thinking of returning this phone to t junk mobile and looking into a HTC phone
Question 2
is anyone working on rooting this sm-n960u phone and twrp??
I see venom has a rom that suppose to work on a ms-n960u so what do you need to do to install that if no root is available
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are two types of "unlocked": carrier and bootloader. BestBuy meant carrier unlocked, or the N960U1. The hardware is equivalent to the carrier version (N960U; there's only one model now for all the carriers), and the only software difference is that it doesn't come with the carrier bloat. Same hardware and firmware means it supports B71. However, it cannot be bootloader unlocked.
You have two options if you want a bootloader unlock: the N9600 or the N960F. Neither supports B71, but both do support B66. Remember, B71 isn't all that important yet. It's only been rolled out in a few places and TMO is concentrating more on 5G right now.
The N960F has a mod you can flash to enable TMO WiFi Calling and VoLTE and the other carrier features. I'm running it now and it works fine. It did sort of convert my phone to a Chinese variant, which meant I was stuck with the super aggressive Smart Manager instead of Device Manager, but I modified it to let me use Device Manager again. I might be posting the modified version if I can get permission.
The fact is that, yes, Samsung kind of beat the rooters. However, anyone who really wants to root usually just gets the F or 0 variant, and those who can live without make do with the plethora of non-root tweaks. There are actually quite a few adblockers and package disablers designed for TouchWiz that work without root, such as DNS66 or notSABS.
I don't know anything about flashing modified TouchWiz ROMs on the U variant, but it might be possible. It won't have root though.
Really, if you want a rootable Samsung, go with the N960F. You can get it on Amazon new with Prime for under $900 (without Prime it's $800). It has TWRP and Magisk works fine. If you want WFC PM me so I can share my modified mod (heh). I'll also be working on a set of other miscellaneous modifications to TouchWiz.
SM-N960U
So in old slow world of us phone dummies that try to keep up with all the brain power that this site has been good for in unlocking phones over the years, oh ya and when you all talk that doctors language and write it
to where us dummies have to read and reread over and over again and again to unlock are phones after you all figured it out!!
So what you are saying in the current Samsung world rooting is a thing of the past! Samsung won the hacking war!!! and us pe-ons are mostly stuck with carrier banded phones or unlocked that loses carrier bands and options!
Unless we pay some merc to kidnap you and have some doctor transfer your brain power into are brains so we have the brain power to hack and mod are locked phones then if we are kind have that brain power transferred back to your brains!!!!
I should have stayed with my note 4
oh ya my man hood is just fine they hang lower then yours but that happens with old age how low??
it is great with the younger ladies big is a big deal today
like older ladies with big you know what age affects them to and the younger guys can not stop looking
just do not like pink
Grumpy

SM-N960W

Is it possible to root Note 9 sm-n960w?? A lot of people are saying some developers are working on it? Is that true..
You answered you own question. If they are "working on it" then it means it's not possible, no?
AssyrianHero said:
Is it possible to root Note 9 sm-n960w?? A lot of people are saying some developers are working on it? Is that true..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure someone somewhere is working on it, but don't count on it ever happening. Oreo pretty much sealed up all the loopholes used for root.
AssyrianHero said:
Is it possible to root Note 9 sm-n960w?? A lot of people are saying some developers are working on it? Is that true..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not possible, and not likely to change.
Even if it was, it would trigger the Knox efuse and break many features. Rooting a Samsung device sucks these days
Phazonclash said:
Even if it was, it would trigger the Knox efuse and break many features. Rooting a Samsung device sucks these days
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there are ways of getting around these broken features
bober10113 said:
only for people jn the us and canada. the rest of the world has no issues. so id only agree that buying the wrong phone does suck.
but what dosent suck is making the right choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting an Exynos device still triggers the efuse so yeah it sucks
bober10113 said:
there are ways of getting around these broken features
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not Samsung Pay or Secure Folder.
Phazonclash said:
Rooting an Exynos device still triggers the efuse so yeah it sucks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mr. Orange 645 said:
Not Samsung Pay or Secure Folder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i guess if something as trivial as spay and secure folder not working is enough to stop you from rooting then yeah life must suck in that sense.
appart from secure folder, spay has a viable solution on rooted phones with magisk with android pay.
but then again if your phone can't be rooted then why even bother debating why not to root or what are the down sides of rooting?
unless its for validation purposes of being stuck with not having such a choice( being able to root).
anyways what's done is done. no sense in debating pipe dreams
bober10113 said:
i guess if something as trivial as spay and secure folder not working is enough to stop you from rooting then yeah life must suck in that sense.
appart from secure folder, spay has a viable solution on rooted phones with magisk with android pay.
but then again if your phone can't be rooted then why even bother debating why not to root or what are the down sides of rooting?
unless its for validation purposes of being stuck with not having such a choice( being able to root).
anyways what's done is done. no sense in debating pipe dreams
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you use Samsung Pay everyday, it's not trivial. And Android Pay is not equal to Samsung Pay. If it were, then I would just get a Pixel.
I'm not trying to validate anything. You stated there were ways around three tripped Knox, and there's not. Not for Samsung Pay and Secure Folder. And I'm not arguing saying people shouldn't root. It's your phone, do what you want with it. I just don't want people getting the impression they can trip Knox, then work around it. That's not true.
And as far as why argue when my phone can't be rooted anyway? Well, why did you come here debating in a thread about a phone that can't be rooted. I wasn't even debating the merits of rooting with you, I was just stating a fact. Troll somewhere else, Troll.
Hey
You device has an unlocked bootloader. So you can root it and flash anything on it the problem is that you have less options because no one is working on stuff for snapdragon models assuming that everyone use an usa version of it.
I will attach a picture of the chat i had with an representative of Samsung Canada.
I hope that developers here take the effort to create some stuff for the Canadian version.
AssyrianHero said:
Is it possible to root Note 9 sm-n960w?? A lot of people are saying some developers are working on it? Is that true..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
alanifotis said:
You device has an unlocked bootloader. So you can root it and flash anything on it the problem is that you have less options because no one is working on stuff for snapdragon models assuming that everyone use an usa version of it.
I will attach a picture of the chat i had with an representative of Samsung Canada.
I hope that developers here take the effort to create some stuff for the Canadian version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung Reps are notoriously wrong. The N960W is the same exact device as the N960U and does NOT have an unlockable bootloader. Believe me, if it were possible to unlock the bootloader and root the N960W, it would be all over the forums and everyone in the US would be selling their N960U to buy one.
Mr. Orange 645 said:
Samsung Reps are notoriously wrong. The N960W is the same exact device as the N960U and does NOT have an unlockable bootloader. Believe me, if it were possible to unlock the bootloader and root the N960W, it would be all over the forums and everyone in the US would be selling their N960U to buy one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? OMG i was going to order one. How is possible that they can't even know that? Those bastards ????
Mr. Orange 645 said:
Samsung Reps are notoriously wrong. The N960W is the same exact device as the N960U and does NOT have an unlockable bootloader. Believe me, if it were possible to unlock the bootloader and root the N960W, it would be all over the forums and everyone in the US would be selling their N960U to buy one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if it was true usa owners would just flash the W firmware and unlock lol no need to sell anything.. too bad its not true though
elliwigy said:
if it was true usa owners would just flash the W firmware and unlock lol no need to sell anything.. too bad its not true though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also true, LOL
Why can't the snap dragon variant be rooted?
I've seen various posts claim the snap dragon variant of the note 9 will NEVER be rooted ( or little to no chance of being rooted) , but the exynos version can. What I don't see, is why? What makes this version so impossible to crack vs exynos and why are people so sure that will remain the case? Not arguing whatsoever, just want to know. Is it all down to bootloader locking? I have the Sm-n960W variant, while most of the threads here refer to other variations. I was also told by best buy that this was unlocked, and I confirmed if they meant rootable not just carrier unlocked
Frodobongins said:
I've seen various posts claim the snap dragon variant of the note 9 will NEVER be rooted ( or little to no chance of being rooted) , but the exynos version can. What I don't see, is why? What makes this version so impossible to crack vs exynos and why are people so sure that will remain the case? Not arguing whatsoever, just want to know. Is it all down to bootloader locking? I have the Sm-n960W variant, while most of the threads here refer to other variations. I was also told by best buy that this was unlocked, and I confirmed if they meant rootable not just carrier unlocked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sometimes I wish XDA has a FQA thread for every device, so we don't get at least one thread of every page that has people asking how/when/why questions regarding SD variants getting root. I think probably the mod team here at XDA takes the stance that "everyone must search before asking" too seriously. The question is valid, and the answer is not intuitive to newcomers, yet somehow the knowing the answer seem to be some kind of unspoken prerequisite, which is strange.
Also, never trust customer service representatives knowing correct answers regarding root/bootloader, be it Best Buy, your carrier, or even Samsung. You are very likely to get a more accurate answer here on this forum, from people who actually own the device model.
Frodobongins said:
I've seen various posts claim the snap dragon variant of the note 9 will NEVER be rooted ( or little to no chance of being rooted) , but the exynos version can. What I don't see, is why? What makes this version so impossible to crack vs exynos and why are people so sure that will remain the case? Not arguing whatsoever, just want to know. Is it all down to bootloader locking? I have the Sm-n960W variant, while most of the threads here refer to other variations. I was also told by best buy that this was unlocked, and I confirmed if they meant rootable not just carrier unlocked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The answer is simple. Because Samsung ALLOWS that bootloader on the N960F and the N9600 to be unlocked. The N9600 has the same Snapdragon processor as the N960U and the N960W, yet it's bootloader can be unlocked. So it's not the processor, it's the software.
Don't ask why, because I don't know, but that's the difference. And since the S7/Edge, the US bootloader has NOT been unlockable, despite the best efforts of developers. It's just simply impossible.
And despite what the people at Best Buy say, the N960W is not rootable or bootloader unlockable. I doubt they even know what it means. As was stated, if it were possible, people here in the US would be buying N960Ws or flashing the N960W firmware to unlock the Bootloader.
---------- Post added at 11:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:28 AM ----------
kgptzac said:
I think probably the mod team here at XDA takes the stance that "everyone must search before asking" too seriously.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL. I don't think they take it seriously enough. That is why it's asked over and over and over again.
Mr. Orange 645 said:
The answer is simple. Because Samsung ALLOWS that bootloader on the N960F and the N9600 to be unlocked. The N9600 has the same Snapdragon processor as the N960U and the N960W, yet it's bootloader can be unlocked. So it's not the processor, it's the software.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got a link to an official statement from Samsung?
I'm running n960w with the ui f/w from the beta does that make my phone unlockable ? Because That doesn't make any sense to me.
DAGr8 said:
Got a link to an official statement from Samsung?
I'm running n960w with the ui f/w from the beta does that make my phone unlockable ? Because That doesn't make any sense to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. It's been said over and over in this thread the N960W is NOT bootloader unlockable. It doesn't matter what firmware you put on it. It can NOT be bootloader unlocked. I don't need an official statement from Samsung to tell me it can't be unlocked.
The 9600 is the only SnapDragon device that can be bootloader unlocked.

Petition to Samsung to let us unlock the bootloader of our Note 9 SNAPDRAGON NORTH AM

I will start by saying i know that this has been done and that Samsung will never listen to us or that simply doesn't care but
I have started a campaign on Twitter i will write a request directed at Samsung Mobile and Samsung Mobile USA everyday until they block me or something else happens.
If you don't agree with me its really ok and i see your reasoning, but the purpose of this threat is to attach it on the Twitter request.
So i would like to invite you to join my request just by writing down on the thread with capital letters "UNLOCK OUR DEVICE"
For those who don't agree with me I would like that you don't write it here lets keep this thread clean and focused.
Let's hope that by doing the same thing we get different results.
Here is the link of the tweet i will be writing everyday:
https://twitter.com/Shkrepsja/status/1141086683770818562?s=19
Feel free to retweet it or disagree with me there
Thank you!:highfive:
They don't care. Only ones who they will listen to are the service providers and Verizon will tell them to lock it down even more
bignazpwns said:
They don't care. Only ones who they will listen to are the service providers and Verizon will tell them to lock it down even more
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know but don't care i will continue doing that at least until they block me ?
If only someone with real influence could join you on Twitter.
alanifotis said:
I know but don't care i will continue doing that at least until they block me ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its been done. It won't change anything until the provider tells them to. It's locked because of them. And they won't unlock it because you can just run features they charge for for free. It makes no sense for them to unlock it. People are going to keep buying the devices reguardless.
roaduardo said:
If only someone with real influence could join you on Twitter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its they have given up i guess but i won't
I don't why only Samsung does that man some say that is because of the carriers but i don't think saw because if you think about it OnePlus have a unlock bootloader. What does that mean OnePlus has bigger balls then Samsung?
bignazpwns said:
Its been done. It won't change anything until the provider tells them to. It's locked because of them. And they won't unlock it because you can just run features they charge for for free. It makes no sense for them to unlock it. People are going to keep buying the devices reguardless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OnePlus has an unlocked bootloader do you think they have bigger balls then Samsung?
alanifotis said:
OnePlus has an unlocked bootloader do you think they have bigger balls then Samsung?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably. Even the T-Mobile version has one once you pay it off. That's most likely gonna be my next phone.
The_Keeper86 said:
Probably. Even the T-Mobile version has one once you pay it off. That's most likely gonna be my next phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats exactly my point we pay almost 1000 $ for the phone we shouldn't have less options then OnePlus
alanifotis said:
Thats exactly my point we pay almost 1000 $ for the phone we shouldn't have less options then OnePlus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally agree man. It's a damn shame really. My first Note was the Note 5 straight from T-Mobile it had an unlocked bootloader. That was January 2016. I guess some laws changed since then? I don't know.
The_Keeper86 said:
I totally agree man. It's a damn shame really. My first Note was the Note 5 straight from T-Mobile it had an unlocked bootloader. That was January 2016. I guess some laws changed since then? I don't know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even tmobile versions have locked bootloaders now. Idk about the law but if OnePlus Pixel LG have unlocked bootloaders we should have them too
The_Keeper86 said:
I totally agree man. It's a damn shame really. My first Note was the Note 5 straight from T-Mobile it had an unlocked bootloader. That was January 2016. I guess some laws changed since then? I don't know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No "law" has changed. Just company policy. If there was a "law" that changed, people wouldn't be able to unlock other phones, like OnePlus phones that are sold through T-Mobile. I unlocked my OnePlus 7 Pro easily. This locked bootloader BS is from Samsung and/or Qualcomm and/or T-Mobile policy.
alanifotis said:
Even tmobile versions have locked bootloaders now. Idk about the law but if OnePlus Pixel LG have unlocked bootloaders we should have them too
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Include John Legere(?) Or however his name is spelt. The CEO of TMobile. I remember on the Note 5 someone tweeted him about a bootloader unlock and he tweeted Samsung. Lol. Wait, that might have been the Note 8. I don't remember, but tweet him either way.
but....you can already unlock the bootloader. just not on north american carrier models.
( strangely in south america and China the same SOC (snapdragon) can be unlocked. and of course the exynos model too...i wonder why... how can it be that the reset of the WHOLE PLANET HAS UNLOCKABLE BOOTLAODERS...lol ..i really wonder why.....
but seriously its prety obvious to me)
that's 'merican freedom for ya.( lol funny how a communist country has better rights in certain aspects of life)
so do the logical thing, read up on the subject and petition the carriers instead ( they are the true culprits obviously). ( while ure at it petition all that is bad about em like price of contracts and such)
as it stands OPs 'efforts' are a big waste of time.
Jammol said:
Include John Legere(?) Or however his name is spelt. The CEO of TMobile. I remember on the Note 5 someone tweeted him about a bootloader unlock and he tweeted Samsung. Lol. Wait, that might have been the Note 8. I don't remember, but tweet him either way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will on tomorrow's tweet
bober10113 said:
but....you can already unlock the bootloader. just not on north american carrier models.
( strangely in south america and China the same SOC (snapdragon) can be unlocked. and of course the exynos model too...i wonder why... how can it be that the reset of the WHOLE PLANET HAS UNLOCKABLE BOOTLAODERS...lol ..i really wonder why.....
but seriously its prety obvious to me)
that's 'merican freedom for ya.( lol funny how a communist country has better rights in certain aspects of life)
so do the logical thing, read up on the subject and petition the carriers instead ( they are the true culprits obviously). ( while ure at it petition all that is bad about em like price of contracts and such)
as it stands OPs 'efforts' are a big waste of time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Idk man but i don't think that the carrier's are to blame Samsung makes the devices and should have the ball to say this my device if you want you sell it as it is. You see iPhone's, pixels onepluses etc with no bloatware and unlocked bootloader and the biggest smartphone manufacturer has bloats and no unlocked bootloader
SAMSUNG SERIOUSLY STEP UP AND BE A MAN GROW A PAIR OF BALLS
alanifotis said:
Idk man but i don't think that the carrier's are to blame Samsung makes the devices and should have the ball to say this my device if you want you sell it as it is. You see iPhone's, pixels onepluses etc with no bloatware and unlocked bootloader and the biggest smartphone manufacturer has bloats and no unlocked bootloader
SAMSUNG SERIOUSLY STEP UP AND BE A MAN GROW A PAIR OF BALLS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well the n960u1 firmware has no bloat...
and the iphone is locked tighter than... lol i wont go there.
its the carriers trust me. they require samsung to put the bloat as part of the deal. its in the contract they have with samsung and they require them to locked it down and bloat it up. samsung won't make 2 phones available for a region. they produce the hardware and slap on the csc and other crap. thats why the U1 is bloatless( sammy bought device directly) but locked because its a requirement by the providers because that device will end up on an north America provider. it represents millions of dollars if not more to get these devices onto the market and into shady carrier plans. why would samsung refuse this business/contract? i mean if someone gives me 20 000$ to piss in some one's porch, as morally wrong rhat may be, id probaly do it because we're all in the money making business unfortunately.
again this practice of not allowing a bootloader to be unlocked is very different for the rest of the world. i reiterate, apart from north america, every single device samsung produces for the planet can get their bootloader unlocked.
isint that proof enough ?
id take it up with the carriers and ure state law office instead.
again, samsung is only producing fones in accordance with the carrier's ruling. its like buying a car second hand and the original owner payed extra for some stupid spoiler or something and you as the 3nd party goes back to the dealership and blames the dealer for it... they just abide to the order.
moreover, i wouldint be surprised the united states fcc and carriers have some sort of agreement that is not public or you have to be a lawyer to read the fine print and hundreds of pages that stipulates why the device's bootloader is not allowed to be unlocked. its politics and money related for sure.
are you surpised? that's 'merica for ya.
anyways ill say it again. people should just stop buing NA devices.
also here is proof that its the providers:
alot of them wont allow you to use advanced csc features like wifi calling and volte on 'greymarket' devices. they even made up a term for it because they didnt get a piece of the pie when u buy a device that is not carrier bought ie: international version.
when u buy a car second hand or that is from an other country, does the state roads bureau say no you cant drive it? or no you cant modify it? of course not. you pay taxes and have a permit that enables you to drive it.
so by paying good money monthly to have a line and data plan, they should be doing these shady practices that the rest of the world dont do.
businesses own America.(and canada)
What's the point considering how difficult they make it even with s10 series exynos. Think I might get off the Sammy train next, as I require root for all my devices and note 10 exynos will be just as difficult as s10 series is at this point, with virtually no development.
Sent from my phone
Idan73 said:
What's the point considering how difficult they make it even with s10 series exynos. Think I might get off the Sammy train next, as I require root for all my devices and note 10 exynos will be just as difficult as s10 series is at this point, with virtually no development.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i get where ure coming from.
but unlocking the BL is but half of the task. but i mean we're just the users using what ever means other people find and develop to gain root access. how hard or how skillful these people that are developping and contributing to get recovery and root this time around i dont know. The ease at which the s7, s8...etc were overcome by, may be a pure fluke. maybe there is just less intrest for doing so on these devices than before. with all the new companies, there are no longer the top 3 manufactures that made it more likely that people would choose samsung to develop on.
but if I'm not mistaken the problem or should i say difficulty with the s10 is the recovery and the handoff/subsequent boot process to homescreen. purely speaking about root, i think top john woo came up with the method prety quickly. but as someone that likes flashing roms and zips, recovery is a very big part of the root/recovery double edged sword. but as anything else, since the methods have changed abit, there are always things to overcome at first. what is not bad about this scenario is that the s10 helped bring those hurdles months ago to light and i think that this will help speed up things for the note 10(compared to the s10). but all in all it does slow things down regarding development, that i agree. but ireally think thats because the interest of devs and the fact that the market is being flooded by:
more different models and sub models and more phone companies than before, thus diluting the dev base in more fractionated parties... and ive heard also people saying that they dont even feel the need to root and all that comes with it anymore. for me though, lol that's not the case.
anyways, i guess we'll see when we get there...( august ? lol)
As i said it's not that i disagree but we must do our part
At least i will and lets hope we achieve something

Just bought a samsung galaxy s10 SM-G973U model, anything for it here?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/164057105750
Just bought this today but now i see there ain't much for this model here, all i see is for the SM-G973F model but can the SM-G973U be rooted and use the roms for the G973F?
Replicatorz said:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/164057105750
Just bought this today but now i see there ain't much for this model here, all i see is for the SM-G973F model but can the SM-G973U be rooted and use the roms for the G973F?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, you cannot cross firmwares. Your phone is also bootloader locked with no way to unlock it. There's no root method yet either and probably won't be. I have the G975U (U.S. Galaxy S10+), so I am in the same boat as far as root and bootloader goes.
StoneyJSG said:
Nope, you cannot cross firmwares. Your phone is also bootloader locked with no way to unlock it. There's no root method yet either and probably won't be. I have the G975U (U.S. Galaxy S10+), so I am in the same boat as far as root and bootloader goes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I should of checked the model number to see what was available for it before i bought it but i guess i will have to deal unless by chance something is done about it which won't happen as everybody is gonna work on the s20 now. I wish phones were more like computers in which you can use whatever the hell you want on them, idk why carriers have such a issue with it since people will still pay for their services all the same.
Replicatorz said:
I should of checked the model number to see what was available for it before i bought it but i guess i will have to deal unless by chance something is done about it which won't happen as everybody is gonna work on the s20 now. I wish phones were more like computers in which you can use whatever the hell you want on them, idk why carriers have such a issue with it since people will still pay for their services all the same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The S9 just got root like a month or 2 ago. The S10 and up have greater security measures to overcome, which has been a dead end to people trying to find a root method.
Carriers argue that root "takes away from the user experience." What that means to me is they don't want people who know nothing about how these phones work poking around and messing crap up and then returning the phone or claiming insurance or warranty or whatever. Some phones can be bootloader unlocked via the manufacturer like HTC (they used to offer OEM bootloader unlocks, they may have stopped I don't know). I think the One Plus phones come rooted (not sure though) and I believe the Pixel phone line are easily rooted (again not sure, so don't quote me).
StoneyJSG said:
The S9 just got root like a month or 2 ago. The S10 and up have greater security measures to overcome, which has been a dead end to people trying to find a root method.
Carriers argue that root "takes away from the user experience." What that means to me is they don't want people who know nothing about how these phones work poking around and messing crap up and then returning the phone or claiming insurance or warranty or whatever. Some phones can be bootloader unlocked via the manufacturer like HTC (they used to offer OEM bootloader unlocks, they may have stopped I don't know). I think the One Plus phones come rooted (not sure though) and I believe the Pixel phone line are easily rooted (again not sure, so don't quote me).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My first smartphone was a HTC One Vx i do believe and that was where i learned to root phones on, then i had a galaxy s6 which i rooted aswell, then a LG Stylo 3 but LG doesn't seem to be friendly to rooting either. I was thinking of getting a HTC u12 instead of the s10 but went with the s10 cause of price, now i wish i would of just got the htc u12, i think htc's are comparable to galaxy's myself, but galaxies are more mainstram choice cause of high quality materials.
Edit: This is most likely bs? https://www.recovery-mode.com/andro...amsung-galaxy-s10-sm-g973u-android-9-pie.html
Replicatorz said:
My first smartphone was a HTC One Vx i do believe and that was where i learned to root phones on, then i had a galaxy s6 which i rooted aswell, then a LG Stylo 3 but LG doesn't seem to be friendly to rooting either. I was thinking of getting a HTC u12 instead of the s10 but went with the s10 cause of price, now i wish i would of just got the htc u12, i think htc's are comparable to galaxy's myself, but galaxies are more mainstram choice cause of high quality materials.
Edit: This is most likely bs? https://www.recovery-mode.com/andro...amsung-galaxy-s10-sm-g973u-android-9-pie.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah only the exynos variants can be rooted with the exception of the Hong Kong variant which has a snapdragon and can be rooted. The Sprint 5G version can also be rooted. That link you posted is probably BS given nobody here in the forums in talking about it. It could be real though, but as far as I know the OEM unlock option is either not present on the G973U or is present and just does nothing when activated. Someone else with more knowledge of it might chime in, hopefully they do because now I am curious.
Replicatorz said:
I should of checked the model number to see what was available for it before i bought it but i guess i will have to deal unless by chance something is done about it which won't happen as everybody is gonna work on the s20 now. I wish phones were more like computers in which you can use whatever the hell you want on them, idk why carriers have such a issue with it since people will still pay for their services all the same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, or just Googled it. It's pretty old news that's been out since the phone was released.

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