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Note: This Thread is @svetius Approved!
NOTE: Thread locked and link removed until OP returns
SamPWND Bootloader Unlock Service
It is now possible to unlock the bootloader of USA/CAN Samsung S21 Models!
Note2: This is an informational thread that links to a paid service. Paid service is not a service provided by XDA.
The service described in this thread is simply to provide a remote service that will unlock the bootloader on USA Samsung devices released from the S10 and newer devices. This includes S10, N10, S20, N20, S21, Flip/Fold models, Tab S7 etc. devices which typically will have the letter U, U1, W or in some carrier specific cases might have a different letter, for example, N976V is Verizon N10! 5G model which is also unlockable. This service is not for Exynos variants or China/HK variants that are already unlockable by default.
Due to the nature of this service, there is no exploit that exists. It is also device specific so it is impossible to release any sort of exploit or method that would work on every device due to it being device specific. I will explain more of the process below but please understand that individual files are needed for me to purchase to unlock your devices and of course that is why this service is not able to be provided for free. You all know from my past experiences and posts that if I could provide a free method I would have already done so.
Spoiler: Process
1. First you should be sure to read the FAQ's and all other information on the website and in this thread etc. then be 100% sure that unlocking is what you want to do. Read the notes/disclaimers, refund policy, etc. etc.
2. If you decide unlocking through this service is what you want to do, proceed to the website REMOVED and in the menu go to the "Purchase" tab.
3. Be sure to read each step clearly and enter in accurate information. Form is designed to help walk you though getting your OneUI version, bootloader version, the correct DID etc. etc. It also includes a brief description of the refund policy as well as a signature box to sign just iindicating that you have read everything and agree. This is also done so that if you are on a device or a specific update/bootloader version that cannot be unlocked then it will tell you so and will not allow you to make a payment or will show 0$. If you can unlock your device, it will show you the price and allow you to make a payment once you have completed the form.
4. It will take 1-2 business days (not counting weekends, holidays, as well as life events such as if I get sick or life happens or my source is not available at the time etc.) to have the payment hit my bank account at which time I will send to my source to obtain your unlock "token."
5. Once token is received, I will proceed to message you on Telegram or Discord (whichever you prefer, you have the option to leave your username for both when filling out the form) and will send Instrucitons in a txt file along with modded ODIN (in case you don't already have it) as well as your unlock token so that you can unlock your device at your earliest convenience!
Spoiler: Notes
I wanted to try and keep the XDA threads short and clean so any notes or FAQ's you have questions for I suggest you view the website including the FAQ's first as well as the support group on TG is a good place to talk to others who have already unlocked or planning to unlock using this service as well as you can ask in this thread as usual.
The "Purchase Form" on the website when filled out correctly based on your device will tell you if your device is unlockable or not so fill that out first and if unlockable it will tell you the price at the end of which you can either pay or not depending on what you decide!
Spoiler: Disclaimers
-IMPORTANT - Do NOT blindly update if you are unlocked already or if you plan to unlock your bootloader via this service. Sammy has incremented the bootloader and updated some devices to OneUI 3.1 which breaks the BL unlock. Devices still on the same rev (i.e. S20 at time of this writing) then you can just flash back an older OneUI firmware and device will be unlocked again. If you update to OneUI 3.1 on new bootloader version then you likely will lost the unlock and can't downgrade (i.e. S20FE on rev2/3, N20 and S21 Models on rev2). That said, there are some devs posting some "safe" update files to allow you to update to latest firmware without losing your unlock so before taking any updates always check in the support group first. You have been warned!
- This method will unlock the bootloader allowing you to use custom firmware, custom kernels and everything else that is allowed with an unlocked bootloader including Magisk root.
- Please read the policies on the website including refund policy. Proceeding with the unlock service assumes you have read everything including the policies and decided to continue with the service.
- This DOES NOT unlock your SIM or carrier/network. it is NOT a SIM unlock.
- This process modifies the steady partition. Therefore if you end up messing with this partition or get another remote service such as combo flash or sim unlock service etc. that messes with the steady partition then you might overwrite the unlock and essentially relock the bootloader. Chances are if you have no idea what a steady partition is then I would not worry about it at all.
- Knox will be tripped. This means apps that rely on Knox flag not being tripped will no longer work i.e. Secure Folder, Samsung Pay etc.
- Once the device is unlocked, if for whatever reason it is locked again then it cannot be unlocked anymore. So make sure that once you unlock the bootloader that this is the choice you want to make and you want it unlocked.
- This service is strictly to unlock the bootloader. It is not a root thread, ROM service etc. What you choose to do with your device after being unlocked is your choice. Once device is unlocked, this thread/service will have served it's purpose. Links to other threads sources will likely be provided in another post just so users who are unlocking will have an easy reference and to keep this thread clean.
Spoiler: Feedback/Complaints
If you have any complaints about the service or want to provide feedback then please do so via PM and/or the contact page on the website or via TG/Discord if we have already spoke there etc. Do not bother the forum moderators with complaints regarding the service itself because they are not affiliated with the service and I simply got permission to post about and talk about the service. I assume this isn't something usually granted but I'd like to believe due to me being a long time member, contributor, developer and moderator that an exception was made. Keep in mind, if this somehow get's out of hand or goes south I am sure I will end up having to delete this thread. Let's not let it get to that point!
Spoiler: Purpose
- This is not a get rich quick scheme or something to make money. Trust me, I wouldn't even bother with this if my purpose was to make money because it is not very lucrative to say the least. There is cost involved with purchasing the actual unlock, site costs, payment gateway fees to be able to accept payments, time and effort to process the unlocks etc. so take all of that into consideration when weighing the cost.
- It has been years since USA models had a device that could be unlocked. I have spent countless weeks researching security since the S8. I released root methods for S8 devices as well as the S9/N9 devices at a later time which took a long time to figure out and that was just a basic root method. I was skeptical at first about this unlock process but trusted my sources and when I first unlocked my device I did various testing and concluded it is legit! At this time no one else knew about it, couldn't talk about it, etc. By word of mouth (until now), many devs/users have unlocked their device using this service. TWRP threads have popped up, some custom ROM threads have started popping up etc. The hope of going public is we get a lot more users purchasing and unlocking their devices (when it otherwise is not possible) and drives the development for USA devices.
XDA is the ONLY place I have published this post and would like to keep it that way. You are NOT allowed to create your own posts in regards to this service and if I see any other posts around this service I will ask to have it removed. You can however link to this XDA post if anyone has questions as to how your device was unlocked.
Spoiler: Website
Note: If you frequented the website before, I have removed the "forum" function from the website since we can discuss everything here on XDA in this thread so there is no need for a forum to be attached to my website any longer. Registration on the website is not required for anything. You can view the shop and purchase the service or view the ROM's section to see some of my SamPWND ROM's and download them etc. if you like all without registering or anything.
REMOVED
mine...
I wasn't sure where to ask this question, if I need to go somewhere else, please let me know. I am considering getting my ATT Bootloader unlocked - but I have a question - once the bootloader is unlocked, what happens when therre are new firmwear releases? Are we able to update when new Firmware is released? Or will that return the locked bootloader? Just want to be sure I understand potential issues I might have...
Thanks
Geekser said:
I wasn't sure where to ask this question, if I need to go somewhere else, please let me know. I am considering getting my ATT Bootloader unlocked - but I have a question - once the bootloader is unlocked, what happens when therre are new firmwear releases? Are we able to update when new Firmware is released? Or will that return the locked bootloader? Just want to be sure I understand potential issues I might have...
Thanks
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It all really depends. Nothing is forever. Only way a update will break things is if samsung updates their security but doesnt usually happen often.
Thaat said, theres ways to update safely so I wouldnt just blind flash updates until its confirmed one way or the other. Usually its important if they increment the BL because then u cant flash older firmwsre.
Welp, I have the desire to get this done sometime soon. I just keep having busy weekends! But I wasn't aware that I'd be able to flash BL update packages so long as they don't relock the BL. Any idea on where I could find out if the next software update contains a BL file that'd relock me? If so, then I'd be doing this ASAP lol.
NippleSauce said:
Welp, I have the desire to get this done sometime soon. I just keep having busy weekends! But I wasn't aware that I'd be able to flash BL update packages so long as they don't relock the BL. Any idea on where I could find out if the next software update contains a BL file that'd relock me? If so, then I'd be doing this ASAP lol.
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Click to collapse
every update has bl files
elliwigy said:
every update has bl files
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Click to collapse
Thanks for your repsponse to my previous question - Of course, there is no way to know if and when Samsung will update/increment the bootloader, but if I am not mistaken, it doesn't happen very often. That being said, it sounds like as long as I am careful about updating - waiting to make sure the Bootloader hasn't been updated that way which prevents going backward - I most likely won't lose "the unlocked" when I update new firmware.
One last question (probably a dumb one) so if everything checks out with the Bootloader when new firmware is released, I assume that we can just use Odin to flash the updated firmware - is that correct?
- By the way, thanks for your help with this.
Geekser said:
Thanks for your repsponse to my previous question - Of course, there is no way to know if and when Samsung will update/increment the bootloader, but if I am not mistaken, it doesn't happen very often. That being said, it sounds like as long as I am careful about updating - waiting to make sure the Bootloader hasn't been updated that way which prevents going backward - I most likely won't lose "the unlocked" when I update new firmware.
One last question (probably a dumb one) so if everything checks out with the Bootloader when new firmware is released, I assume that we can just use Odin to flash the updated firmware - is that correct?
- By the way, thanks for your help with this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, but each software update has a bootloader update included, hence why I was asking where I could find out whether or not flashing that file via Odin would end up relocking the bootloader... I suppose we'll have to just check around here on the XDA forums to find out whether or not the updates would be flashable whilst having your BL unlocked... =(... So we may have to wait a few months until we start seeing posts discussing exactly that...that is, of course, unless Samsung publicly announces whether or not the BL update will have security changes... But being that I haven't had a Samsung phone for the last decade, I'm not really sure if they'd ever announce that information... But hey, that's the one question that's holding most people back from getting a bootloader unlock ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Geekser said:
Thanks for your repsponse to my previous question - Of course, there is no way to know if and when Samsung will update/increment the bootloader, but if I am not mistaken, it doesn't happen very often. That being said, it sounds like as long as I am careful about updating - waiting to make sure the Bootloader hasn't been updated that way which prevents going backward - I most likely won't lose "the unlocked" when I update new firmware.
One last question (probably a dumb one) so if everything checks out with the Bootloader when new firmware is released, I assume that we can just use Odin to flash the updated firmware - is that correct?
- By the way, thanks for your help with this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no.. dont update.. they just incremented to rev2.. looking into it
A newbie question.
If I relock the bootloader will the knox trip be reversed as well ? or is it a thing for ever like everyother bootloader unlock for samsung?
Techvir said:
A newbie question.
If I relock the bootloader will the knox trip be reversed as well ? or is it a thing for ever like everyother bootloader unlock for samsung?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you cannot reset knox.. its a physical efuse
elliwigy said:
elliwigy said:
you cannot reset knox.. its a physical efuse
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Click to collapse
Glad you got this service up and running. This is just awesome. Should get this stickied because I just found it now and of course was not looking for it because I would not have thought a bootloader unlock was available. Eitherway... off to sampwned.com!
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@elliwigy Food for thought: Add on service: TWRP Install?
I would feel a lot better about $150.00 if I at least got a free TWRP install. I mean I bought a $60.00 screen protector and got it installed for free. Unlock phone and get free TWRP install. Advertise it as a limited time deal.
Either way I think it would be a great add-on service even if a small fee applied.
How long does it usually take to get a response back? I got the first email like 4 days ago, this is normal?
Like I'm waiting for the unlock code or whatever it is I use to unlock the bootloader, it's been 5 days now?
Aurey24 said:
Like I'm waiting for the unlock code or whatever it is I use to unlock the bootloader, it's been 5 days now?
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Click to collapse
send me pm with your email or order number or message me on telegram.
elliwigy said:
send me pm with your email or order number or message me on telegram.
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Click to collapse
Sent pm
Aurey24 said:
Sent pm
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Click to collapse
To you and others who fill out the form:
If you fill it out and it doesnt give you the option to pay or says 0$ then that means your device is not currently unlockable. Hence why you woukdnt get any response from me since I respond to those that are unlockable and have submitted payment.
I dod add yesterday if you are not unlockable itll give you a message saying you cannot unlock at this time to further clarify it.
I will update OP tonight as much has changed since first launching/posting SamPWND services.
Before I buy just want to make sure my bootloader is unlockable. My baseband version is G998U1ES4BULE
joelstitch said:
Before I buy just want to make sure my bootloader is unlockable. My baseband version is G998U1ES4BULE
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Click to collapse
nope
it will be a day or two after we place the order in a few hours from now. (thursday june 17th 2021).
01 do i need to flash the newer U1 firmware with the v2 bootloader first then do bl unlock and root for custom roms?
02 since we will be in a 2 year contract maybe i should just keep tmobile original firmware and just bl unlock and root that firmware?
03 what is the best way to do it since i know we will be with tmobile for 2 more years?
04 samsung pay wont work and what else?
05 knox will be tripped forever?
en11gma said:
it will be a day or two after we place the order in a few hours from now. (thursday june 17th 2021).
01 do i need to flash the newer U1 firmware with the v2 bootloader first then do bl unlock and root for custom roms?
02 since we will be in a 2 year contract maybe i should just keep tmobile original firmware and just bl unlock and root that firmware?
03 what is the best way to do it since i know we will be with tmobile for 2 more years?
04 samsung pay wont work and what else?
05 knox will be tripped forever?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure about your local network provider policies so can't say about points 1 to 3. Points no 4 and 5 however are quite simple to answer:
04 samsung pay wont work and what else? Most banking apps, payment gateway apps, some streaming services and a large number of services requiring some kind of authentication or DRM will stop working if they detect that your phone is rooted. Most of these can be bypassed even when rooted using Magisk hide. But Magisk development in the future is uncertain right now, so don't put all your eggs in that basket. Some of these apps may work now, but lose functionality later, unless you unroot.
Samsung Pay is gone forever once you root. As well as Samsung Pass. No way to get these back again as far as I know.
You also won't get OTA updates anymore and will have to flash newer firmwares manually.
Warranty is gone too, unless your country has special laws against this. Recently a forum member posted his experience where Samsung wouldn't even perform a paid repair for a screen replacement. Their reason was apparently because he had rooted his phone and voided his warranty. Think about that - they wouldn't even repair his phone, or sell him the parts, even if he was willing to pay! I'm not going to get into whether that's justified - but it is what it is. Be warned.
If you're willing to take the risk and Samsung Pay etc doesn't mean much to you, and features that rooting bring mean way, wayyyyy more to you, even at the risk of losing warranty, proceed with rooting after careful consideration.
05 knox will be tripped forever? Yes. Once you root, this will be irreversibly, permanently, irrevocably, unrecoverably, soul-stone permanently - be tripped forever. Nothing short of a motherboard replacement will get that flag up again.
is there a proper way about doing it when we receive the phones?
i mean will the phones try and auto update when i insert the sim card and power phone on therefore stopping the phone from being bl unlocked and rooter on stock firmware?
do i need to stop this from happening?
en11gma said:
is there a proper way about doing it when we receive the phones?
i mean will the phones try and auto update when i insert the sim card and power phone on therefore stopping the phone from being bl unlocked and rooter on stock firmware?
do i need to stop this from happening?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a paid service for unlocking bootloaders on certain US Snapdragon devices. If you update to the March Security Patch or later the bootloader can't be unlocked. You can turn off the Auto Update function. There are a number of features you'll lose. Warranty (Knox will be tripped), Samsung Pay and Pass. You will also lose Secure Folder and Samsung Health however they may be able to get restored. All data is lost as well as any option to update the device and expect the bootloader to remain unlocked. You can review the details here.
[Android][UNSAMLOCK] Bootloader Unlock for Samsung US/Canada Devices
This thread is @svetius approved Important notice: Do not update to April 2023 security update (XXXXXXXXXXWCX) or later. Examples: G998USQS6EWCA, N986USQU4HWD1. Samsung has patched the bootloader unlock again on those updates. NOTE: The OneUI...
forum.xda-developers.com
if this is T-Mobile US (or any US snapdragon version including unlocked, network free) you'll only be able to unlock your bootloader via the above mentioned type of method which isn't cheap as I understand it.
Personally I would need to see a custom rom with a whole lot of functionalities I would use before I opted for this method. If rooting your device is a priority it would seem to make more sense to aquire a Snapdragon or Exynos variant with an unlocked bootloader. The reason for buying a US Branded device, besides a generous trade in allowance are carrier features. If you root a carrier device you'll lose a number of these advantages.
varcor said:
Personally I would need to see a custom rom with a whole lot of functionalities I would use before I opted for this method. If rooting your device is a priority it would seem to make more sense to aquire a Snapdragon or Exynos variant with an unlocked bootloader. The reason for buying a US Branded device, besides a generous trade in allowance are carrier features. If you root a carrier device you'll lose a number of these advantages.
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Click to collapse
i thought if i bl unlock and root a stock firmware it just allows me to use twrp to make full backups so i can restore later and the root is for like hotspot stuff.
i know root disable samsung pay and something else but i thought all the carrier stuff still worked correctly
en11gma said:
i thought if i bl unlock and root a stock firmware it just allows me to use twrp to make full backups so i can restore later and the root is for like hotspot stuff.
i know root disable samsung pay and something else but i thought all the carrier stuff still worked correctly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should inquire about call features with the developer before you decide. IMHO you're sacrificing a lot of features for a hotspot.
I am looking for a phone to replace my rooted S5. One of the candidate is a second hand S10.
It is crucial that I am able to root the phone, and I was wondering how tricky the process is on this phone, and whether there are models where it might be impossible (perhaps Snapdragon based?), or if the baseband is above a certain version, or anything there are anything else that might impede the process I should pay attention to.
If anyone has successfully rooted their device in 2021 (ideally recently), please let me know.
Thanks.
A few fellow XDAers have done this recently. I assume you're speaking about a Snapdragon phone, which is where it gets tricky. The process requires payment to someone to perform the actual unlock... there are two providers (that I know of) that offer this service.
For the device, the bootloader revision is what's important - it needs to be old enough to allow this to work. In addition, once unlocked, it must REMAIN on this older bootloader otherwise you lose root. I believe you must be on BLv4 or older, which means it cannot be updated past Februrary of this year. The 5th character in the PDA/Phone build number (a number) from the right is what shows this version. For example, the March update for Verizon on the SM-G975U is G975USQU5GUBH, so that "5" means it's BL5.
My recent purchased phones were 5 and 6. I'm giving up on getting root, as I don't need it anymore. Sure, I'd prefer to have it, but it's getting too difficult and expensive to get it and I don't NEED it...
The two unlock providers I know about can be seen here (I have used neither myself, of course):
[Android][UNSAMLOCK] Bootloader Unlock for Samsung US/Canada Devices
This thread is @svetius approved Important notice: Do not update to April 2023 security update (XXXXXXXXXXWCX) or later. Examples: G998USQS6EWCA, N986USQU4HWD1. Samsung has patched the bootloader unlock again on those updates. NOTE: The OneUI...
forum.xda-developers.com
Samsung Development | SamPWND
Unlock your bootloader on USA Model Samsung Galaxy devices! Visit https://www.sampwnd.com and have the SamPWND team help you!
www.sampwnd.com
schwinn8 said:
A few fellow XDAers have done this recently. I assume you're speaking about a Snapdragon phone, which is where it gets tricky. The process requires payment to someone to perform the actual unlock... there are two providers (that I know of) that offer this service.
For the device, the bootloader revision is what's important - it needs to be old enough to allow this to work. In addition, once unlocked, it must REMAIN on this older bootloader otherwise you lose root. I believe you must be on BLv4 or older, which means it cannot be updated past Februrary of this year. The 5th character in the PDA/Phone build number (a number) from the right is what shows this version. For example, the March update for Verizon on the SM-G975U is G975USQU5GUBH, so that "5" means it's BL5.
My recent purchased phones were 5 and 6. I'm giving up on getting root, as I don't need it anymore. Sure, I'd prefer to have it, but it's getting too difficult and expensive to get it and I don't NEED it...
The two unlock providers I know about can be seen here (I have used neither myself, of course):
[Android][UNSAMLOCK] Bootloader Unlock for Samsung US/Canada Devices
This thread is @svetius approved Important notice: Do not update to April 2023 security update (XXXXXXXXXXWCX) or later. Examples: G998USQS6EWCA, N986USQU4HWD1. Samsung has patched the bootloader unlock again on those updates. NOTE: The OneUI...
forum.xda-developers.com
Samsung Development | SamPWND
Unlock your bootloader on USA Model Samsung Galaxy devices! Visit https://www.sampwnd.com and have the SamPWND team help you!
www.sampwnd.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Does the Bootloader 5 restriction also applies on Exynos devices? I am uessing that might be why I had difficulties my recently purchased Tab S4.
Another question, can a bootloader be updated while the OS stays on an older version, or do they usually get updated together? For instance, if I find a phone that is still on Pie, is it likely be on an older baseband, or can a phone be on Pie AND be on a new baseband?
I don't know much about Exynos systems, but from what I gather they may be "normally rootable"... I don't believe there are as many restrictions on that platform (it seems to be a USA/EU thing to prevent rooting, primarily).
BL and OS seem to get upgraded together, generally speaking.
xAxB said:
Thanks. Does the Bootloader 5 restriction also applies on Exynos devices? I am uessing that might be why I had difficulties my recently purchased Tab S4.
Another question, can a bootloader be updated while the OS stays on an older version, or do they usually get updated together? For instance, if I find a phone that is still on Pie, is it likely be on an older baseband, or can a phone be on Pie AND be on a new baseband?
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Click to collapse
nope- those can be unlocked whenever
they still can't be downgraded though damn...
I have both phones...snapdragon IS slightly better
no oem unlock option in developers settings i have a sm-g998u1. i bought it unlocked from bestbuy. please help
That's because the US models ( U, U1, W ) don't have the option to unlock the bootloader.
You can check this, it's a paid service that can unlock your bootloader depending on model and current firmware. You can ask in this thread
[Android][UNSAMLOCK] Bootloader Unlock for Samsung US/Canada Devices
This thread is @svetius approved Important notice: Do not update to April 2023 security update (XXXXXXXXXXWCX) or later. Examples: G998USQS6EWCA, N986USQU4HWD1. Samsung has patched the bootloader unlock again on those updates. NOTE: The OneUI...
forum.xda-developers.com
just don't update the software/system to retain the v1 bootloader
Hello everyone,
As the title suggests I'd like to know if rooting is even possible on my S21 Ultra (US Variant). I've spent the whole night looking for tutorials, forums or any indication that it can. All of them pointing me to the "OEM Unlock" option that needed to be tooled first. Thing is, my device does not have that option whatsoever. I've messed with the time settings, date settings and everything else I could do in between. Still, no luck. Now, I'm fairly new to rooting. I've rooted many years ago and don't remember it being thus complicated. I found a tutorial which stated the new Canary Build of Magisk supported Android 12. Thing is, I Cannot find a way to unlock the bootloader. So my question is if it's even possible. Because if it isn't, I don't want to continue wasting my time. If it is, can some direct me the right way please. I've attached an a image with my software build.
You'll find OEM unlock in developer options. In settings, go to about phone, then software information, then find build number. Click on this multiple times until you get a message saying developer mode.
Go back to settings, then click developer options, then find OEM toggle.
PS do this at your own risk..
Hey,
Thanks for your response. My device does not have that option at all is what I'm trying to say. Its no where in this menu and I have tried everything imaginable.
Have a search for no oem unlock on google, something about setting date backwards good luck.
Post your phone model and build number. Some US phones cannot be unlocked.
If you haven't updated your device you should be able to unlock the bootloader for a fee.
[Android][UNSAMLOCK] Bootloader Unlock for Samsung US/Canada Devices
This thread is @svetius approved Important notice: Do not update to April 2023 security update (XXXXXXXXXXWCX) or later. Examples: G998USQS6EWCA, N986USQU4HWD1. Samsung has patched the bootloader unlock again on those updates. NOTE: The OneUI...
forum.xda-developers.com
I should delete my prior post... I didn't see the image in the first post. Looks like you have a snapdragon model, already at bootloader rev 5. Cannot be rooted. Also, your phone is from Verizon, so even if it were rev 1 it wouldn't be able to be rooted.