Database Develop

Options for Unlocking AT&T Samsung Galaxy S5 GM-900A

Hey Everyone,
I need assistance with unlocking my smartphone; it's an AT&T Samsung Galaxy S5 GM-900A. I did a little research on the internet and it's my understanding that unlocking a Samsung smartphone linked with AT&T is a bit more difficult than it already is with other companies. I also saw a lot of sites that offer "unlocking" services for a certain price. Before I decide to do that, I wanted to know if there were any others options or which site is most reliable. From what I've seen and read, it seems that this forum is the best option for seeing if this is possible. Appreciate any assistance you guys can offer.

I am not familiar with unlock sites but have heard mixed reviews on them. Those sites can only unlock the sim card, not the boot loader. Just thought I would put that out there since you didn't specify what kind if unlock you were looking for. I recently submitted a sim unlock through AT&T for my s5 since I am out of contract.

johnkirchner said:
I am not familiar with unlock sites but have heard mixed reviews on them. Those sites can only unlock the sim card, not the boot loader. Just thought I would put that out there since you didn't specify what kind if unlock you were looking for. I recently submitted a sim unlock through AT&T for my s5 since I am out of contract.
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Unfortunately, mine is still under contract but I would like to unlock my smartphone so it can be used with another carrier. This is the type of unlock service those sites are saying they can provide, right? I've also read and heard mixed reviews on the internet, which is why I came here in hopes that I can get additional info on this. Thanks for your prompt response.

Just use att they will unlock your sim

Andrew K. Sterling said:
Unfortunately, these services can't unlock the bootloader, as far as I know.
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What's the difference between that and sim unlocking? Any disadvantages on just having the sim unlocked and not the bootloader?
Andrew K. Sterling said:
I've unlocked several Samsungs using www unlockunit com and the service was always excellent.
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Thank you. I checked it out and it doesn't seem to support "Galaxy S5 SM G900A"; the only thing close to that is "Galaxy S5 SM G900F". Appreciate it if you can suggest another site.
miko85 said:
Just use att they will unlock your sim
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I'm unable to do so because the smartphone is still under contract.

Call ATT. New laws made all carriers be (generally) required to unlock their SIMS not bootloaders under some conditions. see link https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/cell-phone-unlocking-faqs
If u are under contract they will make u pay but u then meanwhile u can use another carrier. Here is a link to an unlock service. https://www.doctorsim.com/us-en/unlock-phone/samsung/
Good Luck!

kwmike said:
Call ATT. New laws made all carriers be (generally) required to unlock their SIMS not bootloaders under some conditions. see link...
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Thanks for the link; I looked over the fine print and unfortunately, I don't fall under those conditions as I am under contract and unable to pay in order to get out of it. :/
kwmike said:
Here is a link to an unlock service. https://www.doctorsim.com/us-en/unlock-phone/samsung/
Good Luck!
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Thanks, I will look into it. What's the difference between unlocking bootloaders and sim unlocking? Any disadvantages on just having the sim unlocked and not the bootloader?

gringolimon said:
Thanks for the link; I looked over the fine print and unfortunately, I don't fall under those conditions as I am under contract and unable to pay in order to get out of it. :/
Thanks, I will look into it. What's the difference between unlocking bootloaders and sim unlocking? Any disadvantages on just having the sim unlocked and not the bootloader?
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They serve entirely different purposes. Sim chooses carrier (ATT,etc). Bootloader chooses what will be started when phone is booted ie system(rom), recovery(TWRP etc), bootloader itself. Bootloader unlock means changes can be made to what will start under different boot requests. No disadvantages to just unlocking sim, often used for foreign travel where your regular sim will not connect. Many times carrier will unlock SIM LATE in contract for foreign travel reasons.

You can try using www.unlockradar.com if you want to unlock your S5. I have a cell phone repair store and I've been using them for a few months and never had any problem. Their customer support is very responsive. https://www.unlockradar.com/unlock-samsung/galaxy-s5-sm-g900a

gringolimon said:
Thanks for the link; I looked over the fine print and unfortunately, I don't fall under those conditions as I am under contract and unable to pay in order to get out of it. :/
Thanks, I will look into it. What's the difference between unlocking bootloaders and sim unlocking? Any disadvantages on just having the sim unlocked and not the bootloader?
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Are you under contract via a next plan thru at&t? If you are planning to unlock to switch carriers I imagine you want to end service with at&t. If so they will want you to pay for the phone in full or return the phone. If you don't pay & keep the phone I'm pretty sure they blackball the imei so it can't be used by any carrier. So what's your end goal here?

joshua14 said:
Are you under contract via a next plan thru at&t? If you are planning to unlock to switch carriers I imagine you want to end service with at&t. If so they will want you to pay for the phone in full or return the phone. If you don't pay & keep the phone I'm pretty sure they blackball the imei so it can't be used by any carrier. So what's your end goal here?
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Yes, I'm under a contract that has been suspended and told them that I am currently not able to pay but also am not able to get another phone due to financial reasons. They said they understood my situation but cannot unlock my phone due to the contract and that once I am able to pay, they will provide me the unlock code if I still want it or wish to continue using their services. I guess what my end goal is to not have to pay for another phone when I'll only use it for medical reasons and once I am financially stable, I can go ahead and pay and probably continue with AT&T. I see your point and understand the predicament I have. I'll just have to wait and see. . .

vlase_2 said:
You can try using www unlockradar com if you want to unlock your S5. I have a cell phone repair store and I've been using them for a few months and never had any problem. Their customer support is very responsive. www unlockradar com/unlock-samsung/galaxy-s5-sm-g900a[/url]
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Thanks, I'll check it out.

gringolimon said:
Yes, I'm under a contract that has been suspended and told them that I am currently not able to pay but also am not able to get another phone due to financial reasons. They said they understood my situation but cannot unlock my phone due to the contract and that once I am able to pay, they will provide me the unlock code if I still want it or wish to continue using their services. I guess what my end goal is to not have to pay for another phone when I'll only use it for medical reasons and once I am financially stable, I can go ahead and pay and probably continue with AT&T. I see your point and understand the predicament I have. I'll just have to wait and see. . .
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No problem. I just am trying to see if you'll end up paying to get it unlocked then have at&t block the phone from being used. Good luck.
~TMS5-3.0-TMBUILD on G900A with Blue Ice Theme

I used www.unlockradar.com

Unlocked or carrier model?

I have to root my phones (not wanting to pay $30 for Verizon tether), is anyone aware if the Pixel 4 XL from Verizon will have the bootloader locked, and unable to be rooted? In addition to that, would we see a root for the unlocked version? Thanks

Pretty sure most carrier devices are going to remain locked until you pay it off. At least, that's the logical rationale. I can't imagine they want people unlocking devices they haven't paid for. As far as root, that should be a simple process of just patching the boot.img

ZeroKool76 said:
Pretty sure most carrier devices are going to remain locked until you pay it off. At least, that's the logical rationale. I can't imagine they want people unlocking devices they haven't paid for. As far as root, that should be a simple process of just patching the boot.img
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the lock not something they ever lift? My current 2 XL was paid retail but they never allowed me to unlock the bootloader. They do allow for any carrier SIM to be used in it.

psone said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the lock not something they ever lift? My current 2 XL was paid retail but they never allowed me to unlock the bootloader. They do allow for any carrier SIM to be used in it.
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If you bought the Verizon Pixel 2 XL it had a locked bootloader. Since it was exclusive to Verizon. The unlocked version directly from Google did not have a locked bootloader. That was the same for the Pixel 3 and 3 XL. I am not sure about the Pixel 3a and 3a XL since it was not exclusive to Verizon.
Does anyone know if the Pixel 3a or 3a XL came with a locked bootloader?
EDIT: There's a thread over on the Pixel 3a XL where a bunch of carrier and non-carrier devices had locked bootloaders. I would be careful which device you buy going forward until you hear others chime in on the greyed out unlocked button.
When in doubt, buy directly from Google.

psone said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the lock not something they ever lift? My current 2 XL was paid retail but they never allowed me to unlock the bootloader. They do allow for any carrier SIM to be used in it.
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This is correct. Verizon is a mofo. Doesn't make much sense. I mean, you paid for the device, you should be able to do what you want with it

ZeroKool76 said:
This is correct. Verizon is a mofo. Doesn't make much sense. I mean, you paid for the device, you should be able to do what you want with it
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This right here has been the case with Verizon going ALL the way back to the Verizon Galaxy Nexus. **** Verizon!

Yep, never buy the carrier modesl unless you have absolutely no other option. In the case of Tmo with OnePlus and similar phones you could get an unlock (both carrier and bootloader) after the device was paid off. You still have to deal with a little bloat and later updates along with lesser issues. AT&T will have this one and their policies are similar to Verizon so I wouldn't go that way unless you hate yourself. No idea on Sprint, that have nothing in my area so I haven't paid attention. The previous posters were 100 prevent though, buying unlocked is the way. Tmo if you must to get a deal but only after verifying the bootloader can be unlocked.

krabman said:
Yep, never buy the carrier modesl unless you have absolutely no other option. In the case of Tmo with OnePlus and similar phones you could get an unlock (both carrier and bootloader) after the device was paid off. You still have to deal with a little bloat and later updates along with lesser issues. AT&T will have this one and their policies are similar to Verizon so I wouldn't go that way unless you hate yourself. No idea on Sprint, that have nothing in my area so I haven't paid attention. The previous posters were 100 prevent though, buying unlocked is the way. Tmo if you must to get a deal but only after verifying the bootloader can be unlocked.
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I currently have a one plus 7pro from T-Mobile that is still financed. The bootloader was locked until you paid off your device and waited the mandatory 45 days. Some were able to talk to T-force and got their devices unlocked early whether they financed or not. I was one of the unlucky ones that could not negotiate with T-force to unlock my device. Luckily there was a nice person that worked for TMobile that was in the forums and was able to unlock my phone. We will see what happens when we get the devices and start working on them. I will be financing my phone with them again next Thursday.

I purchased the Unlocked model. I currently have Pixel 2XL Verizon (Bootloader Locked), not a huge issue. But there are times where I wish I had a rooted phone. Not making that mistake again.

cronojay said:
I currently have a one plus 7pro from T-Mobile that is still financed. The bootloader was locked until you paid off your device and waited the mandatory 45 days. Some were able to talk to T-force and got their devices unlocked early whether they financed or not. I was one of the unlucky ones that could not negotiate with T-force to unlock my device. Luckily there was a nice person that worked for TMobile that was in the forums and was able to unlock my phone. We will see what happens when we get the devices and start working on them. I will be financing my phone with them again next Thursday.
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Did you try calling in multiple times? That often works although some people can't seem to catch a break on it. I've been on a number of OP devices and I'm familiar with what you're talking about; Saw it most recently on the 6T but it goes back further. I had them unlock a SGS6 the day I bought it, I paid cash but still the word was it couldn't be done without a dwell period, I remember it being 30 days at that time but maybe it was 45, been a while. In any event the very next year was the one were it turned out Tmo couldn't unlock your bootloader, came from Samsung they said. I remember there being an exploit coming out for that but I had already given away my S7 and moved on to the next thing before they figured that out. Not much over a year later Samsung started the BS with bootloaders on their international unlocked phones and I didn't keep the Note 8 long either. IMO if root is a must it's a good idea to let someone else be the guinea pig and profit from that information unless you've got enough ching to walk away without worrying about it.
I'm pretty sure this phone will also be exactly as you describe on Tmo and I agree with you BTW, just saying the smart money if a man needs to be careful is to wait for the first phones to meet their owners a few of who will unlock and root or attempt to do it. Or as I said in my first post, buy unlocked direct from Goog or Fi if possible.

There is not likely to be any bootloader unlock for the P4 and P4XL for carrier versions unless an exploit is found (which doesn't seem likely anymore). Google does not provide carriers an interface to change the device type, nor do they provide that interface to their own customer service and support teams. It's not a matter of hounding customer service or posting on the right forum because they can't help you. It's an obligation that Google has to meet if they want to keep their big carrier contracts in the United States.
The only unlocking requirement for carrier specific versions is having the ability to SIM unlock the device for portability between networks. Most carriers will do this upon request if you have international travel plans or have completed a certain percentage of your device financing.

navalynt said:
There is not likely to be any bootloader unlock for the P4 and P4XL for carrier versions unless an exploit is found (which doesn't seem likely anymore). Google does not provide carriers an interface to change the device type, nor do they provide that interface to their own customer service and support teams. It's not a matter of hounding customer service or posting on the right forum because they can't help you. It's an obligation that Google has to meet if they want to keep their big carrier contracts in the United States.
The only unlocking requirement for carrier specific versions is having the ability to SIM unlock the device for portability between networks. Most carriers will do this upon request if you have international travel plans or have completed a certain percentage of your device financing.
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So, the devices are shipped to the carriers already locked? Interesting. for some reason I always thought it was the individual carriers that lock them down and then would unlock it when you fully paid off the device. So you're saying, even if you fully pay off the device, you will never be able to unlock a carrier pixel 4/XL? Wow, that's a bummer.

ZeroKool76 said:
So, the devices are shipped to the carriers already locked? Interesting. for some reason I always thought it was the individual carriers that lock them down and then would unlock it when you fully paid off the device. So you're saying, even if you fully pay off the device, you will never be able to unlock a carrier pixel 4/XL? Wow, that's a bummer.
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Correct. Enthusiasts have a channel to bootloader unlock, which is buying directly from Google where Google provides it's own support.
Carriers are only looking to sell you a device that's stable to work on their own networks. What do the carriers have to gain at all from controlling the bootloader unlock? They have nothing to gain from it except a support migraine.

navalynt said:
Correct. Enthusiasts have a channel to bootloader unlock, which is buying directly from Google where Google provides it's own support.
Carriers are only looking to sell you a device that's stable to work on their own networks. What do the carriers have to gain at all from controlling the bootloader unlock? They have nothing to gain from it except a support migraine.
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Yeah, that makes sense when you put it that way. Just took me by surprise when OP and it's carrier phones pretty much allow you to do whatever you want to the device, once it's paid off. Still can't stand OP, but I have to admit, that's a check mark in their corner

Keep in mind Google does not require it like Samsung does so it's left up to the carrier. Tmo has been unlocking similar devices and there is little reason to think it wont happen here. In the opposing camp you have Verizon which demands a locked bootloader and few exploits have been found to circumvent it on recent devices. Meanwhile something to consider is that even the unlocked straight from google device is not really unlocked in the way some people think: Before you can unlock the bootloader it absolutely must phone home. Don't give the phone that connection and you cannot unlock it. Samsung does the same thing. We are not in control of our devices anymore, they can pull the plug on unlocking any time they want simply by denying it via that same connection even if you have already unlocked it. Samsung did this a few years ago in just that way and to this date no one has found a way around it that doesn't cause real pain with the wait a week and all that BS.

I called several times and got on with T-force sever times and no luck. I got lucky when the post I described about unlocking and got mine done. I always device finance because of the 0% apr and jump on demand so all I need to is bring my phone, get my new phone and profit.

ZeroKool76 said:
Pretty sure most carrier devices are going to remain locked until you pay it off. At least, that's the logical rationale. I can't imagine they want people unlocking devices they haven't paid for. As far as root, that should be a simple process of just patching the boot.img
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"simple process" "just patch the boot img" come on man.. Ask the people that own a pixel 3 from Verizon. Please don't spread wrong info

bigmatt503 said:
"simple process" "just patch the boot img" come on man.. Ask the people that own a pixel 3 from Verizon. Please don't spread wrong info
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You mean, ask the people who were dumb enough to buy a locked down device? I'll pass. People that have purchased Verizon's in the past, as you have stated, would obviously know this doesn't apply to them. I was more referring to, since we don't have recovery yet, you would have to patch the boot img manually.

Honestly, I ALMOST got me and my wife's from Verizon (she definitely jumped on the pixel bandwagon). They have a buy one, get one free. Sooo, I kept thinking about root, but ultimately decided I'd rather save $900. Evidently, there's some caveats. One, the get one is for a new line. No biggie, I'll just cancel the one number and add a new one (her phone is paid off, I don't think there's a termination fee after two years). Two, you have to sign up for an unlimited plan. That piece completely wiped the price difference and then some for me. Sooo, I smiled a bit and bought them unlocked from Google. The only reason I would buy directly is for a huge price savings.
Another thing I thought of too, there is an early upgrade fee with V if I were to decide to upgrade to the 5xl next year. So, that's another caveat. I'm glad I just went with unlocked. Hoping it doesn't take long to root.

This time around I placed a pre-order with Google Fi.
All their Pixels are both SIM & Bootloader Unlocked even on
financing, same as Google Store.

T-Mobile Pixel 4 XL is carrier locked, looking for unlock

Is there anybody who can unlock my Pixel 4 XL just like it was done with the OnePlus 7 Pro? I really appreciate if it's possible

Call them and ask for unlock, did mine last night with no issues

capsnbottles said:
Call them and ask for unlock, did mine last night with no issues
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You paid in full? They don't wanna do it for me, I need a employee here on XDA who is willing to do it for me

SmileBigNow said:
You paid in full? They don't wanna do it for me, I need a employee here on XDA who is willing to do it for me
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Nope, im on the jump on demand program. I told them I was leaving for work overseas and needed it asap like they have always done for me. Sweet talk them a little if you have to. Threaten to return it or something. Keep trying and eventually you will get someone cool, avoid the over seas reps at all costs though, they are useless

capsnbottles said:
Nope, im on the jump on demand program. I told them I was leaving for work overseas and needed it asap like they have always done for me. Sweet talk them a little if you have to. Threaten to return it or something. Keep trying and eventually you will get someone cool, avoid the over seas reps at all costs though, they are useless
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Gotcha, maybe I'll try T-Force, will see how that will go

There a a thread I read today that showed 2 people unlocking a Verizon pixel by taking the sim card out and setting the phone up while connected to WIFI. They where able to check the unlock button then unlock with adb.

srimay said:
There a a thread I read today that showed 2 people unlocking a Verizon pixel by taking the sim card out and setting the phone up while connected to WIFI. They where able to check the unlock button then unlock with adb.
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Just taking out the SIM card will make the option in settings available?

Apparently...

srimay said:
Apparently...
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Interesting

capsnbottles said:
Nope, im on the jump on demand program. I told them I was leaving for work overseas and needed it asap like they have always done for me. Sweet talk them a little if you have to. Threaten to return it or something. Keep trying and eventually you will get someone cool, avoid the over seas reps at all costs though, they are useless
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I just did the same thing and they said no problem your JOD, whitelisted my number / device and going to the app doesn't work!! Tried a ton of times. He's calling me back shortly to verify working or not. Hopefully they get this right bc otherwise I'm returning and buying Google. Gotta have root.

You're looking for a carrier unlock to unlock to bootloader or to just have the phone Sim unlocked?
Either way you're at the mercy of your carrier. Until the phone is paid in full they legally don't have to Sim unlock it, and if it's never fully paid it will be blacklisted on all major carriers
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

Well TMO has no idea why it won't work. Device is listed as applicable for unlock and they claim it's good to go. Going to website on my account shows device as locked and eligible for unlock but will not unlock via TMO app. Technical support escalating to engineering as expedited. Guess we will see what happens from here. I've w feeling I'm returning this to TMO in favor of Google p4xl and I'll wait for op7t pro McLaren 5g to arrive on tmo for my jod

Ippolito1971 said:
Well TMO has no idea why it won't work. Device is listed as applicable for unlock and they claim it's good to go. Going to website on my account shows device as locked and eligible for unlock but will not unlock via TMO app. Technical support escalating to engineering as expedited. Guess we will see what happens from here. I've w feeling I'm returning this to TMO in favor of Google p4xl and I'll wait for op7t pro McLaren 5g to arrive on tmo for my jod
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The app on the Pixel is broken, they have to do it manually on their side

SmileBigNow said:
The app on the Pixel is broken, they have to do it manually on their side
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I've talked to 2 people now. Neither has been able to do it. They did yours?

I'm in this same boat of the unlock app not working. Device is eligible, IMEI whitelisted multiple times, still fails every time. I now have a support case with the executive response team and have been going back and forth trying to find a solution. They've had me swap the phone with a new one and issued me a new temporary plan on a different SIM, neither of which made a difference. There is clearly a problem with their unlock app not working with this phone. No one at T-Mobile seems to know what's going on.

So my device was unlocked remotely without the T-Mobile unlock app.
This only happened once I filed a complaint with the FCC. Other people have stated that they had their device unlocked within a couple days after filing a complaint with the FCC.
I received an email this morning from the FCC that they contacted T-Mobile to unlock my device under federal law requiring carriers unlock eligible devices.
A few hours later I got a notification stating my device has been unlocked (no T-Mobile unlock app required).
It's a shame you have to involve the government so companies follow the law. I was previously told the device unlock app was the only way to unlock my phone, obviously not.
I'd recommend anyone who is struggling with the unlock app file a complaint with the FCC. If you are eligible to unlock the device under T-Mobile's policy, they are required by federal law to do so.

Rooting Verizon Pixel 5

I can't find anywhere with instructions to specifically root a Verizon OEM Locked pixel 5, maybe I overlooked. If I did can someone post a link please?
If not, then does anyone know if this would work?
Rooting your Bootlocked Pixel Phone (Verizon Edition)
I bought a new Pixel phone on Ebay a couple months ago for testing an Android app i’m developing. To my surprise,the phone I received in the mail was not the...
joshspicer.com
It was posted back in 2018 for a different Verizon based Pixel 1, just curious to know.
I need root so I can block certain bands from my phone. I have multiple bands in my area some are super slow and some are faster than broadband, for some reason my phone likes to auto connect to the slow bands and I can't block them without root, well at least not that I know of.
Thanks in advance for any answers, I really appreciate it.

i4m5up3rm4n said:
I can't find anywhere with instructions to specifically root a Verizon OEM Locked pixel 5, maybe I overlooked. If I did can someone post a link please?
If not, then does anyone know if this would work?
Rooting your Bootlocked Pixel Phone (Verizon Edition)
I bought a new Pixel phone on Ebay a couple months ago for testing an Android app i’m developing. To my surprise,the phone I received in the mail was not the...
joshspicer.com
It was posted back in 2018 for a different Verizon based Pixel 1, just curious to know.
I need root so I can block certain bands from my phone. I have multiple bands in my area some are super slow and some are faster than broadband, for some reason my phone likes to auto connect to the slow bands and I can't block them without root, well at least not that I know of.
Thanks in advance for any answers, I really appreciate it.
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You can't find instructions for it because you can't unlock the bootloader on the Verizon branded Pixel 5. Sorry

xunholyx said:
You can't find instructions for it because you can't unlock the bootloader on the Verizon branded Pixel 5. Sorry
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Okay, what about rooting? Is that still possible.

you need to unlock the bootloader to use magisk v22+

Unfortunately for rooting and unlocking bootloader, you can't do that with phones purchased through Verizon. You need to find an unlocked phone to do so. Swappa is a decent place to get one nowadays, but you have to pay in total, no payments can be made.

ProjectAlly said:
Unfortunately for rooting and unlocking bootloader, you can't do that with phones purchased through Verizon. You need to find an unlocked phone to do so. Swappa is a decent place to get one nowadays, but you have to pay in total, no payments can be made.
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That could be slightly deceiving. An unlocked phone is carrier unlocked that's it. It does not mean you can unlock the bootloader. So technically you would need an unlockable bootloader device not merely an unlocked phone. You can buy an unlocked Verizon phone with no way of unlocking the bl as witnessed by the OP.

True, I should have worded that better!
If you know what you're looking for though, an unlocked device is still the best route, at least for Pixels. Most of the time if it's not locked to a carrier it can be rooted and unlocked. At least in my experience it's been this way. But I also ask questions and make sure I know what is being purchased before following through.

i4m5up3rm4n said:
Okay, what about rooting? Is that still possible.
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Click to collapse
no

ProjectAlly said:
True, I should have worded that better!
If you know what you're looking for though, an unlocked device is still the best route, at least for Pixels. Most of the time if it's not locked to a carrier it can be rooted and unlocked. At least in my experience it's been this way. But I also ask questions and make sure I know what is being purchased before following through.
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It wasn't really meant to be critical of you, I'm sure you know all that. I've just seen too many horror stories of buying an unlocked device and not being able to bl unlock due to restrictions the carriers put on. Some have been lucky and paid off the device, begged tech support to allow bl unlock and succeeded in that request. And then there are those devices that are carrier unlocked and will never be bl unlocked like the Verizon models. So as you say, ask questions and make sure you know exactly what you are buying.

xunholyx said:
You can't find instructions for it because you can't unlock the bootloader on the Verizon branded Pixel 5. Sorry
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Interesting. I have, it's not difficult. They just don't post it in the forums.

JCBiznatch said:
Yes, it is. Stop acting like anything is impossible. You can switch this feature on, and off. Easily.
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You can't just say that with no proof and think anyone will take it seriously. So prove it, we're all ears.

Hell, if that were true, I would ONLY buy Verizon phones

JCBiznatch said:
Yes, it is. Stop acting like anything is impossible. You can switch this feature on, and off. Easily.
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Provide instructions then. You just saying it can be done without providing them is a moot comment.

JCBiznatch said:
Interesting. I have, it's not difficult. They just don't post it in the forums.
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JCBiznatch said:
Yes, it is. Stop acting like anything is impossible. You can switch this feature on, and off. Easily.
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Time to put up or... well you know. Posts like these will send new users on a wild goose chase attempting to gain root/bootloader unlock on their devices purchased from Verzion and end with them being unhappy that they can't.

l7777 said:
Time to put up or... well you know. Posts like these will send new users on a wild goose chase attempting to gain root/bootloader unlock on their devices purchased from Verzion and end with them being unhappy that they can't.
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Not if you truly know what you're doing. A few years ago people stopped posting about hacks and just share with a few friends. That way, they can't fix those problems. It was figured out back on the Pixel 2 they search these forums, we'd do hacks then be fixed in the very next update. You can think this and that is impossible, but you are sadly wrong. You can enable the OEM unlock on Verizon models, yes you can!

JCBiznatch said:
Not if you truly know what you're doing. A few years ago people stopped posting about hacks and just share with a few friends. That way, they can't fix those problems. It was figured out back on the Pixel 2 they search these forums, we'd do hacks then be fixed in the very next update.
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Still not buying it. It has always been a game of cat and mouse when you're talking about going around security features of a device. Unless the flaw was in hardware, it was almost a given that the device would be updated and the vulnerability patched out. Second if some people did know how to unlock these devices they would almost certainly offer unlock services of some sort or there would be no point in keeping the information secretive.
JCBiznatch said:
You can enable the OEM unlock on Verizon models, yes you can!
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So what's the point of posting this if you're not going to offer any guidance on how to do it other than essentially saying you have to know "someone".

It's sad how things like this can become so twisted and turned and convoluted. It doesn't do any good does it? None that I can see.
I'm guessing, but anyone talking about a vzw being unlockable is probably referring to someone who got a vzw 'in the box', unopened and never activated.
I just got a pix3 in that condition, and yes, remove vzw sim, boot up minimal except connect wifi, enable dev and turn on oem unlock... it does work.
But the key is 'never activated'. It seems pretty clear that what happens when u buy from vzw, they won't give u the phone without activating it. So it has to be old stock, unsold, vzw is trying to move out of their warehouses.
cheers

l7777 said:
Still not buying it. It has always been a game of cat and mouse when you're talking about going around security features of a device. Unless the flaw was in hardware, it was almost a given that the device would be updated and the vulnerability patched out. Second if some people did know how to unlock these devices they would almost certainly offer unlock services of some sort or there would be no point in keeping the information secretive.
So what's the point of posting this if you're not going to offer any guidance on how to do it other than essentially saying you have to know "someone".
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If you know how to hack, you know how to do this. Am I going to give a step by step guide? No, I'm not going to sit back and give them the information they need to know. Simple as that. I'll keep hacking every Pixel that comes out, directly ordered from Verizon.

AsItLies said:
<snip>
But the key is 'never activated'. It seems pretty clear that what happens when u buy from vzw, they won't give u the phone without activating it. So it has to be old stock, unsold, vzw is trying to move out of their warehouses.
cheers
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Nothing about that statement is correct, sorry. It's been proved time and time again.

JCBiznatch said:
If you know how to hack, you know how to do this. Am I going to give a step by step guide? No, I'm not going to sit back and give them the information they need to know. Simple as that. I'll keep hacking every Pixel that comes out, directly ordered from Verizon.
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What's your definition of "hack"?
If you really can do this, why don't you offer to do it for people? I'm sure more than a few would be happy to throw you some $$ to get their Verizon devices unlocked. I did this back in the days of the HTC devices when a Java card was the only bootloader unlock method. You'd also get less blowback than effectively saying "Nah nah I know how to do this but I'm not going to tell you."

T-Mobile variant OEM unlock

I bought a carrier unlocked Pixel 5 from Amazon. Unfortunately, it's a T-Mobile variant, and I can't perform a OEM unlock. I tried calling their customer care, but they're all clueless.
Is there any paid service to which I can turn to to get my device unlocked?
Also, I read forums where guys ask representatives in Twitter/FB messenger to get device unlocked. If this is possible, how do I go about this? Where do I get the representative contact?

Unfortunately all we know of is you will need the unlocked variant.
I don't believe any carrier Pixels(s) 5 are bootloader unlockable.
Sorry.

andybones said:
Unfortunately all we know of is you will need the unlocked variant.
I don't believe any carrier Pixels(s) 5 are bootloader unlockable.
Sorry.
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I'm not sure if this is true, but if you call them or pay off the device, you can get bootloader unlocked. You can try getting it SIM unlocked via T-Mobile app, if it's paid off.

webhook said:
I'm not sure if this is true, but if you call them or pay off the device, you can get bootloader unlocked. You can try getting it SIM unlocked via T-Mobile app, if it's paid off.
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Unfortunately, even if it is paid off, I need to have a T-mobile account (not sure if it is any account of the account by which the device was bought) associated with the mobile for atleast 40 days. No way around that. So unfair though. Even after it being paid off. Anyways, thanks for the answers. Really appreciate it.

joshuaroy873 said:
Unfortunately, even if it is paid off, I need to have a T-mobile account (not sure if it is any account of the account by which the device was bought) associated with the mobile for atleast 40 days. No way around that. So unfair though. Even after it being paid off. Anyways, thanks for the answers. Really appreciate it.
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Have you tried to get in touch with T-Mo about it? I have no experience with this but maybe they can help

xunholyx said:
Have you tried to get in touch with T-Mo about it? I have no experience with this but maybe they can help
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Yup. This is the reply they gave in Twitter and FB both.

Just purchased a "unlocked" device on swappa only to receive a locked at&t pixel 5.
Requested carrier unlock by calling at&t customer service. My vzw Sim card started working after they unlocked but OEM unlock was still greyed out. Applied all pending updates in settings, then OEM unlock became available. Immediately unlocked the bootloader and loaded Los 20.